In this case, I'm actually okay with potentially pissing off some of the other Laurelorn magic houses.
To be blunt: You snooze, you lose. Tindomiel was the magic house that actively supported reaching out to the Empire, and they're offering to throw their support at us. A bit of quid-pro-quo in that situation is entirely appropriate. If one of the Hoeth houses wanted to be the one to build the Waystones once they were built, well, maybe they should have voted in favour of the project?
Empowering Hekarti wouldn't even be a bad trade compared to what happens without waystones. We can speculate about other divinities we could empower instead - in the hypothetical scenario that it actually works like that - but it is also perfectly possible that Hekarti even is the best fit given her domains.
And this house knows so much more right now? Like...that argument makes no sense... They know magically more but no one has a complete picture about waystones here so it's kinda moot. A waystones dedicated to a god would work as any other waystones dedicated to a god (leaving out here stones and whatever chaos is doing) and if they fundamentally change how a waystones works with their dedication we will find out and can react.
That's still not coming out and saying that he's of the Hedgefolk. Saying "I think this God might have something to do with this thing" is a far cry from saying "I worship this God", which the example of Starke demonstrates. And even then not all who worship Halétha are Hedgefolk, and not all of those are Hedgewise. The fact that Halétha is less widely worshipped means his insight is more esoteric than Starke's, but if he's from Ostland that's enough to make it not raise many eyebrows at all.
Like...did anyone consider that he was a Hedgewise? In the thread, I mean? Did a single person suggest it? I'm pretty sure no one did.
Er, can he answer that at all? Their conditions are simple, more glory for them and their Goddess. That does not mean that House Tindomiel actually have any information about Waystone-Gods interaction.
"It was my understanding that House Tindomiel was in favour of better relations with the Empire."
"It is, and it is also aware of how most citizens of the Empire feel about wielders of magic. That is a relationship that will be best cultivated by the likes of Kadoh and House Ellemakil."
How about we ask Councillor Isthien? He's right there in front of us after all.
"Will these dedications of yours affect the function and purpose of the waystones?"
If he says yes, we can reevaluate our decision. If he says no and he's lying to us, we can kick him out of the waystone project. If he says no and he's being honest, then by all means draw whatever symbols on it you want.
Also, I'm not sure Hatalath is "enough". He's spent centuries living in an isolated liminal realm, and he's the most worldly of them all. The Tindomiel worship a goddess of the World-That-Is, which is also where the waystones are. I suspect they have access to insights and resources Hatalath doesn't have.
Finally caught up, I'm kinda confused what the big deal is now.
So they'll set up some shrines, big whoop. A lot of waystones are pretty out of way, won't exactly reshape the political/religious landscape of the Empire if some of them have religious iconography on them.
And this house knows so much more right now? Like...that argument makes no sense... They know magically more but no one has a complete picture about waystones here so it's kinda moot.
You are joking right? We are inviting them to take a look at innards right in this update how can that be moot. They can do a lot with it such knowladge I am sure of it. If not why are they asking for it? More to point what will happen when other cults of the Empire, Ankor etc. wants to build their own shrines to waystones? I am sure selling waystones to pre-order will go great with them.
So no to them, Not without taking a look at the foundation option and probably not even after that.
Hell we know Kislev is dedcating their waystone to Widow. If we can't do the same we proably not going to push wastes back or recalim troll country thanks to this option.
So they'll set up some shrines, big whoop. A lot of waystones are pretty out of way, won't exactly reshape the political/religious landscape of the Empire if some of them have religious iconography on them.
So can someone please explain how the fact that peasants can't tell the difference stops the Lady and Widow from complaining about elf gang signs on their turf?
Heck I would expect the Ice Witches and Hags we already have on the project to object the moment they hear about it.
[ ] [FORM] Dedication (0) Tindomiel-built Waystones will have carvings that can only be recognized as dedications to Hekarti by someone well-versed in Elven Gods.
[ ] [FORM] Discreet (-1) Tindomiel-built Waystones will have dedication to an accepted and legal God of the Old World Pantheon.
That's better, but now the problem is that the dwarfs would be deprived of the opportunity of making their own Waystones if the House is able to do it. That wouldn't be very good. Or is there a way to mitigate that?
From a certain way of looking at it, there are two broad ways to be a Wizard in society. The first, as practiced by most of the Colleges in Altdorf, is to try to filter and dampen oneself so as to broadcast a palatable and unthreatening image in the hopes that the people around you will become comfortable with your presence among them. And then there is the example set by the likes of the Dark Lady of Nuln, Magister Matriarch Elspeth von Draken, who lets their true nature shine through in open challenge to the masses, and if they don't like it they see if they can work up the courage to do something about it.
Considering Mathilde's tendency to go around riding her horse wearing her robes and Witch Hunter hat and how decidedly unsubtle she typically is in her goings on, and the fact that she lives in a fancy tower atop a damn mountain, I think it's safe to say that she's closer to the Dark Lady of Nuln. That being said, I imagine the people of K8P take comfort living in her shadow rather than living in fear, although Francesco's demeanour does indicate a level of fear still existing if you're being called over for a meeting with her.
House Tindomiel, it seems, believes in the latter approach.
The entrance hall to House Tindomiel is shrouded in shadows, its only source of light being the burning eyes of the enormous statue that dominates the hall. In Her six arms is the traditional accoutrement of the Goddess of Conjurations - heart, scorpion, arrow, staff, dagger, and phial. At Her feet is a golden bowl filled with coins in what you presume to be tribute to the Hydra Queen. And though Her six arms and burning eyes do draw attention, Her proudly unclothed state makes it difficult to entirely miss that She has a form that is twin to that of the Goddess of Seduction.
I like the distinct and different nature to House Tindomiel's reception in comparison to House Miriel. They are not the same by any means. Miriel is openly exercising their influence to appear inviting and acquire ever more influence with the people they are sheltering. Tindomiel, on the other hand, take a less open handed approach, making themselves appear as intimidating as possible. Their influence is not so neatly tied to open transaction as the Vaulites, so appearing formidable is a greater concern than appearing inviting.
I'm also a bit surprised that Hekarti has such an... inviting form. I was under the impression that she would be more monstrous in appearance, though the name "Hydra Queen" naturally primes me to such a conclusion. Knowing Mathilde though, I'm not sure that would be that much of an obstacle even if it were the case.
To most eyes the hall would be filled with darkness interspersed with flickering, bewildering shadows, but between your Magesight and your attunement to Ulgu a room so thick with shadows and heavy with magic is as clear as if it was open to the midday sun. This makes it easy to notice that in contrast to the crowds of House Miriel and the attendants to receive them, the only response to your arrival is a ripple of energies as one of the many spirits lurking in the murk of the room disappears deeper into the building. A watcher, you surmise, and you consider the statue of Hekarti as you wait.
I think it's interesting that the circumstances of the room just so happen to have Mathilde feel right at home. A room suffused with so much magic and darkness is as natural to Mathilde as the daylit fields to a human. I don't think it was intentional by any means, but Mathilde's circumstances make her one of the most natural diplomats to Tindomiel.
I also find it interesting that apparently, the house's reception is full of spirits acting as Watchers, and probably as a defence mechanism. It's quite different to House Miriel, which had an active reception and a number of people moving in and out. We haven't seen all that many spirits in Tor Lithanel itself, but it would stand to reason that the magical houses would have some of them considering the Grey Lords have demonstrated the ability to bind them. It would definitely be convenient to have a reliable guard consisting of magical beings so the members of the house could be free to puruse whatever their interestes might lie. On one hand, I might interpret this as a sign that the House is lacking in members if they're resorting to bound spirits for the job. On the other, it may simply be more efficient if they're confident over their abilities.
Also, I wonder if the spirits in question were Spites or something else. I've been taking an interest on the topic of spirits as of late.
Her traditional armaments are rather overdone in a lot of the literature - a phial of orphan's tears? really? - but the books on Her you had copied from the Library of Mournings provide another explanation for them, saying that they are a set of basic shapes that got elaborated on over time. The infamous phial began as as the rune of Azyr turned upright, the serrated dagger the rune of Ulgu given a few extra points, the scorpion's tail comes from the flourish at the end of the rune of Shyish, and so on. This leaves two Winds unrepresented, and the statue before you uses one of the two usual solutions for this: burning eyes for Aqshy and an obvious lack of Chamon that a supplicant is invited to correct with the contents of their purse. The other common fix for statues has a brazier at Her feet and a crown upon her brow. You're not entirely sure you're convinced by this, but it's better than nothing.
I absolutely love the time and effort that Boney spends on fleshing out different aspects of Warhammer Fantasy lore to be more than it is and I can never have enough of it. I could stand here and listen to Boney expounding on any number of topics if I could. This is an area I hold some interest in because most of the Cytharai get a very bad rap as a result of the Druchii, and it's always interesting to get a good look at what they might look like if they were actively worshipped and venerated by individuals who don't skin people for fun.
In this case, I particularly like the touch of incorporating the symbols of the Winds into Hekarti's accoutrement. Far as I know, this isn't necessarily a canonical thing. Hekarti is primarily portrayed as a Goddess of Dark Magic by what little canonical sources expound on her, so I fiind it impressive that Boney turned the concept on its head and focused on her aspect as a Goddess of Conjuration. There is an obvious flaw in that two winds are missing, but Boney has also found a fix for this.
One note that I have on this is that last I checked, Laurelorn doesn't really use metal coins. I think it was noted during our exploration of the city that they used wooden coins, and it was noted by Councillor Galrith that while they have use of things like Silver and they have an abundance of it, they need to keep it where it is for the Lornalim to prosper. Do the people of Laurelorn actually carry silver and gold to pay tribute here? The Lornalim Ithil and Lauroi seem to need it to thrive, and they're the only sources I know of that produce those metals.
A flicker of energies draws your attention to one of the room's many entrances, as a door swings open and in floats a figure atop a platform floating on a cloud of Azyr - an older-looking Elf with a lined face sitting cross-legged on a bed of pillows, steering himself with small hand gestures as he approaches. You wonder to yourself whether the vehicle is an affectation or a requirement - such devices are not unknown in the Empire to grant mobility to those without the use of their legs, though even the most elaborate of those are entirely mechanical contraptions powered by hand cranks. "Lady Magister Weber," he says in a carefully neutral voice. "I am Councillor Isthien of Tindomiel. What brings you to our domain?"
A variety of reactions came out of me from this. The first was pure interest. I have to say the idea of having a floating cloud of Azyr lifting a bunch of fancy pillows carrying you is quite the interest, and it's definitely a fantastic way to create an impression. Creating a stable manifestation of Azyr as a floatation device as a disability aid is not only interesting, but also heartwearming that Boney takes the effort to display disabilities and the ways that individuals with the means to do so can work around them. I am thoroughly enamored with the little touches placed into this character from simply his first appearance.
A few notes. Isthien speaks in a carefully neutral voice, and Mathilde spots this. This could mean any number of things. Either he holds an opinion but he's holding it back to present a neutral front for a better position, or this is simply his normal demeanour. My personal opinion is that his tone should feel natural rather than careful if he was experienced in this sort of thing, but I could be wrong and that's just the standard Elven tone when they're being diplomatic. Second, he has a lined face, which indicates great age. There isn't enough on Elven life stages to accurately tell if he's past half a millenium or if he's actually a Millenial in the most literal of senses though. Third, his name is Isthien, possibly derived from the Eltharin rune "Issth", indicating the Serpent of Light, Dextrousness and Trickery. In my look over Eltharin, I've also come across Councillor Galrith's possible derived rune "Galri", indicating Detiny Entwined, Sorrow, Joy. I wonder if all the Councillors are gonna have names like this.
"The same goal that brought me to Tor Lithanel in the first place, Councillor. I wish to bring together experts from every corner of the Old World to examine the workings of the Waystones, in order to better protect, maintain, and hopefully even grow the network that keeps Chaos at bay. It is my hope that House Tindomiel will assist with this endeavour."
"And why would House Tindomiel wish to do so?"
"It was my understanding that House Tindomiel was in favour of better relations with the Empire."
"It is, and it is also aware of how most citizens of the Empire feel about wielders of magic. That is a relationship that will be best cultivated by the likes of Kadoh and House Ellemakil."
Either Kadoh is secretly a master of diplomacy, or Isthien simply heard the rumors of Johann and Kadoh slamming each other into the dirt. I suppose they're pretty public about it considering their trips to the bath house. The jury is still out on whether that bears any fruit outside Laurelorn. I don't think Imperials particularly care if a Golden Man in Laurelorn is basket shopping with an Elf
You consider that, and nod. "Status, then," you say, changing tacks. "You'd be an equal among the Project, on the same level as the Grey Lords and the Ward of Frost. And you'd be the only Major House to which this offer was extended."
"Thus far."
"Thus far," you concede. "But even if others are brought in later, you'd be the only one in from the start."
I'll be honest, I doubt any other Houses are getting involved. We're starting to get really crowded here, and I doubt we want to get into a situation where "too many cooks" is applicable. We can't really promise exclusivity in case our situation changes, but I'm pretty sure Tindomiel will be the only Major House to get involved. If this is the demands from the House most interested in working with us, I don't want to get involved with the Isolationist Magic Houses.
"If we are to contribute, it will be on our terms. Should this endeavour succeed in the creation of new Waystones, it will be House Tindomiel that erects them, to a design of our choosing."
"What sort of design?"
"One that honours our patroness."
Your mind goes over the range of possible responses of Waystones going up honouring the Hydra Queen. "If we have as much success as I hope, then such an agreement could significantly bottleneck the entire project."
He nods, conceding the point. "Right of first refusal, then. If we aren't able to supply the required expertise, then you can turn to whoever else may be available."
"And if the Project does not manage to ever reach the point of constructing entirely new Waystones?"
He shrugs. "If that is the case, I will consider the Project to have failed, and will not lower my House by fighting for scraps."
You give that some thought. Depending on the exact design, new Waystones cropping up with the form of the Goddess of Conjurations might cause trouble in the future. But that would be a problem in some hypothetical future, in exchange for assistance in the very tangible here and now. You gather your thoughts to hash out the exact details of what exact promises the Project might be making to House Tindomiel.
I'm honestly not so sure that I dislike this as some others do. I don't think a bunch of Waystones being dedicated to Hekarti is such an unbelievably horrible thing to have happen. I've seen some arguments about this empowering Hekarti and that being bad because she's worshipped by Druchii, but the same could be said of Mathlann. Mathlann is worshipped very prominently by Eatainne and Cothique, there are three Major Houses dedicated to him in Laurelorn, and he's the patron god of the Black Arks, worshipped by every Corsair with common sense. There's also an argument to be made that Manaan and Mathlann might be related, which extends his worship to every coastal city, town and port in the entirety of the Old World. He is Cytharai, he is not nice, and he is worshipped by the Dark Elves, but that doesn't mean the Elves should stop honoring him because it might empower the Druchii.
I do understand not wanting Hekarti to spread all around the Old World though. Humans are not moderate in their worship, and we can't exactly promise lands that aren't ours to people we barely know. As such, I'm perfectly content with the conservative heir plan. I do hope they're cute. I'm a sucker for plucky young heirs trying to prove their potential to the world.
Though technically controlled by the Grand Baron of Nordland, the Barony of Hüven is almost entirely neglected and he may not even remember that he owns it. In years past his predecessors parcelled out the villages of Varrel and Seuchenshof to the Cults of Ulric and Shallya respectively and most of the attached land with it, leaving only a single rump village isolated deep within the Forest of Shadows and near the theoretical border with Ostland. If you had nothing to go off but a map and the gazetteer it would likely be the first place you'd start looking for the Nordlander Hedgewise, so you take it with some satisfaction when the Provost points you in that direction.
You can spot Huven around the Bramble Hills to the East.
I'll be honest, I have no idea where Huven, Varrel, and Seuchenshof come from. I don't remember them, Sigmar's Heirs gives me nothing, and google isn't giving me anything. Howeve, I have come across Seuchenshof in Black Industry's Lost Files regarding the Shallyan Hospice of Frederheim. It says here "The hospice at Seuchenshof in Nordland, for example, specializes in the treatment of the Black Plague".
I know Winds of Chaos is a fanmade map, so it's likely that these are either fan made or lost material stuff that made its way there out of creative liberty which Boney decided to incorporate and add his own spin to it. I haven't been able to find anything on Varrel that isn't from a German forum and nothing on Huven since DL actually comes up as the second result.
You normally try to avoid flying in via Gyrocarriage to an unsuspecting corner of the Empire, but in this case it might, counterintuitively, be the least disruptive way to visit Hüven. Nordland is currently rather sensitive to anything Laurelorn-related and Varrel is small enough that you passing through it could be the biggest news they have all year.
The villagers proved to be alert enough to spot the Gyrocarriage approaching in enough time to muster a band that could have seen off most airborne predators, but the armed band that was summoned by a lookout seem more curious than wary as you land as far from the buildings as you can and give them plenty of time to see that it's a human clambering out of a Dwarven contraption. One only slightly awkward conversation with the villagers later they point you towards their carpenter, who you guess to be Kurtis Krammovitch's contact here, and has apparently spread word to expect you. The man himself proves to be an older, wiry man with greying blond hair cropped short and a pattern of scars that resemble tree roots encircling his right forearm. He introduces himself as Aksel and brings you in to his cottage, the main room of which is dominated by a workbench and a row of pegs on the wall from which hang a dizzying array of woodworking tools.
What is up with Hedgewise and woodworking/carpentry? I suppose living in the woods will do that to you. Still, I enjoy getting a look at magicians who take their time to integrate into the lives of the people around them instead of living their own lives completely separate from them. The Colleges, as great as they are, don't necessarily have that community aspect to them. They live aside and apart from the people they protect, considered a step away from the people, and that can be isolating. It's different, seeing a community banding together to protect and appreciate a magic user, and I'm sure Mathilde realises that.
Side note, I checked this guy's name, and apparently Aksel is a masculine name of Danish origin meaning "Father of Peace", which seems to originate off of Hebrew. It effectively means "Defender of the People", deriving from Av meaning Father, and Shalom meaning Peace. It's quite literally the most obvious signposting in relation to the whole "Protection" aspect of Haletha, and perhaps a nod to her Father's guise as the Protector.
"It's good times for my lot," he says to you as you settle down. "Most of the Ostland Blessed are dead, which is unfortunate, but it means that their families are coming out of the east for protection, joining with us. Old families with a lot of old secrets and a lot of proven wisdom. And the business in the west has people a lot more willing to face the dangers of the Forest, and having a lot more respect for those that protect them from those dangers. Word is you've a part in that."
You consider how to answer that for a moment. "I wasn't involved with the founding of the relationship between Laurelorn and Middenland, but I am trying to build that into a relationship between Laurelorn and the Empire as a whole."
I admit that it's a bit jarring for the first thing for him to say being "it's good for my people that the Ostland Blessed are dead". I know he doesn't mean it like that, but my first impression was definitely that. It felt out of place. Either he's just that blunt or he let his guard down so thoroughly he just said something he didn't realise could be interpreted that way. He's definitely jumping straight into the friendliest side of acquaintance that I've seen since Panoramia's fangirl phase. Father is pretty strong, as expected.
"Mm. Shame what happened to those on the wrong side of the river, but we've enough problems without borrowing some from the westerners, and I can respect the Elves for doing what they must for their forest. So what is it you want our help for?"
"What do you know of Waystones?"
He shrugs. "Only from myths and legends. When Sigmar slew Morath of Mourkain, he charged the local Hedgewise with watching over the nexuses that the necromancer had fed upon, and granted us a fortress in the Middle Mountains for our own. But after he was declared a God, his Cult declared a crusade to claw back all authority he had ever given in life so they could keep it for themselves. When the Everchosen Cormac Bloodaxe attacked Ostland and left us weakened in his wake, the Cult of Sigmar assaulted the bastion that Sigmar had granted us and took it for themselves, and it's been changing hands ever since. At various times Ostland, Hochland, and Reikland have all claimed it, and all have in turn lost it. Similarly the nexuses within the Forest itself have been lost to us, and are now known only as the Tower of Melkhior and the Blood Fane. If the Kislevites hadn't cut off the flow of energy from Norvard when they rebuilt it into Erengrad, the Forest would have been lost to Chaos generations ago."
Woah okay lots of things there. First, Morath of Mourkain. I had no idea who he was until I searched for him and turns out he's a Time of Legends novel character. Second, Cormac Bloodaxe. Another character I wouldn't have known if it weren't for the wiki. He's a novel character and son of a Norscan King who charged into Sigmar's Empire in 9 IC to take revenge for his father's death. The thing is, I don't think he was ever mentioned as an Everchosen in the wiki, but Aksel says he is, which is weird. The first Everchosen is Morkar, killed by Sigmar. Then Vangel, who seals U'zhul in to the Slayer of Kings and is eventually killed by Gromril Goldfist:
Only three Everchosen are known for sure: Morkar, slain by Sigmar, Vangel, slain by the Dwarf King Gromrir Goldfist, and Asavar Kul, often said to have been slain by Magnus the Pious. It's also known that these are the first, second, and twelfth Everchosen, which raises an immediate question: what happened to the other nine?
If Cormac is Everchosen, then he would be the Third or something like that, and considering his invasion is in 9 IC, that makes the timeline for the Everchosen extremely tight. It would indicate that the first couple of Everchosen were thrown at the world one after the other in quick succession and all of them were dealt with in quick measure, barely enough to even take it all in. Maybe I should only take the timeline in the wiki as a suggestion rather than an absolute.
I was going to mention things about the Tower of Melkhior and the Blood Fane, but @Nerdasaurus Rex thoroughly Mathilde'd me on that one. Suffice to say, both are places of great evil and importance, and if you read Dynasty of Dynamic Alcoholism you would know that considering both were plot points. At this point, Melkhior is well and active and Zacharias is still biding his time, and the Blood Fane should be protected by a Minotaur or something like that. Neither are areas we're quite prepared to tackle, but ones that I do think should be dealt with sometime in the future. Preferably with an army if we can spare it. No good comes from Vampires or Khornates.
Also as a note, Norvard is the old name for Erengrad, and Norvard was its name when the Roppsmen and later Ungol had control of it. It's only when the Gospodar took it over and remade it into Erengrad during their conquest of Kislev that it was renamed. This appears to suggest that the Waystone flow was cut off immediately after the Khan Queens took control, further solidifying the theory that whatever's feeding on the energy flow in Praag is related to the Gospodar. Again, chances are it's the Ancient Widow, but the nods to Arianka make me believe that Boney might be merging the two into one being.
That's rather more information than you expected, and you have to fight the impulse to start tugging on a half-dozen intriguing threads at once. "If you regained control of one of those tomorrow, could you restore it?"
He takes a moment to think that over. "I could try, and pray that our recollections of what we once knew have remained true."
You nod. "That's exactly why I want your help. The Empire is dotted with groups that have fragments of information about the Waystones and the Nexuses. Individually we're just doing our best to hold back the tide, and every time someone falters it's a loss that we don't know how to recover from. I'm hoping that we can at the very least better learn how to repair and maintain the Waystones we have, and perhaps even begin to replace the ones that have been lost."
Believe me, trying is all we need. This whole thing is a longshot, and we can only hope to succeed through assembling those fragments like a jigsaw piece and hope it all fits somehow.
He's quiet for quite a time. "I've heard said," he eventually says, "that many thought it was the beginning of the end when the Magisters were formed. But it seems to me that me and mine have seen more good than bad out of you and yours. And I've heard of you, and the Kupfers and Krammovitches have vouched for you. If there is a chance that you can find success, then we are bound by ancient oaths to assist you in this."
As you begin to talk to Aksel of the specifics, you think to yourself that if the Nordland Hedgewise were always this trusting, they likely would have been wiped out some time in the past two thousand years. Between that and the relatively unbothered reception you received when you arrived, you suspect you might have answered half the mystery that Ranald presented you with when you were gifted the fifth face of your Coin.
No explosions or giant celebrations and confetti flying to signify the mystery being solved (partially), but it's nice to know that we were right on the money in this regard. I'm quite happy about it.
Oh, and Kupfer being revealed to be a Hedgewise, but that's been noted by others as well. A little hard to be all that surprised given we know the least of him. He's the most retired of the LMs we've seen, being the only one other than Miss Grey not to be part of the official structure (other than Mathilde), and us only seeing him for the Patriarch Duels hobbling with Wilhelmine in hand.
This turned out to be longer than expected. I'll vote later, I'll drink some tea and relax for a bit first.
The deal is, we don't know how this shrines will work. So, in my opinion, it is better to research it first. If we are satisfied, we just renegotiate later.
Collages might want a crack at it we they can. Imagine the amouth of Dwarf favor Collages would get from them and what they can use it for. It would good thing for Empire-Ankor relations.
And if not at least make building of Waystones reciprocal rather than commercial.
I feel like even if it is discreet it will still be marking the land to belonging to elven god. We don't know what that will mean untill we do foundation option so I think waiting until we know what it means is the better option. Either that or only offer exclusivity on Eonir lands.
Collages might want a crack at it we they can. Imagine the amouth of Dwarf favor Collages would get from them and what they can use it for. It would good thing for Empire-Ankor relations.
And if not at least make building of Waystones reciprocal rather than commercial.
Sure, but the person I was responding to was worried about the dwarves having other people build their Waystones. This might aggravate the Colleges, but it won't cut the dwarves out of the deal.
I feel like even if it is discreet it will still be marking the land to belonging to elven god. We don't know what that will mean untill we do foundation option so I think waiting until we know what it means is the better option. Either that or only offer exclusivity on Eonir lands.
I don't see how dedicating it to a god who isn't Hekarti dedicates it to Hekarti. That just seems overly paranoid. The exchange you're quoting isn't about the Discreet option, it's about Tindomiel's motivation for doing this at all.
I managed to completely miss that. Considering the issues with the timeline you point out I think Aksel might just be wrong. There's a lot of claims of various people being Everchosen and they can't all be right.
I don't see how dedicating it to a god who isn't Hekarti dedicates it to Hekarti. That just seems overly paranoid. The exchange you're quoting isn't about the Discreet option, it's about Tindomiel's motivation for doing this at all.
On another note, I'm not sure I quite understand the "Discreet" option? My reading of the description of the "Discreet" option would make them, well, not dedicated to Hekarti. So why would they be any more interested in that than Secular?
I managed to completely miss that. Considering the issues with the timeline you point out I think Aksel might just be wrong. There's a lot of claims of various people being Everchosen and they can't all be right.
That is true, but even if he is mistaken he still said it for a reason. Perhaps there remains some useful nugget of information within that factoid. Supposedly Cormac Bloodaxe's body and soul were ripped apart as it became the vessel for a Bloodthirster of Khorne, so maybe that's what led to that conclusion. I can't rightly say how many people saw a human turning into a Bloodthirster through the ages.
That is true, but even if he is mistaken he still said it for a reason. Perhaps there remains some useful nugget of information within that factoid. Supposedly Cormac Bloodaxe's body and soul were ripped apart as it became the vessel for a Bloodthirster of Khorne, so maybe that's what led to that conclusion. I can't rightly say how many people saw a human turning into a Bloodthirster through the ages.
That could be it. Another thing is that it seems to me - and the extent of my knowledge on this is from skimming the wiki article - that Cormac really fucked up the Empire. If there is any way to claim that he might have been Everchosen, such as many people witnessing the kind of transformation you describe, then there's plenty of motivation to do so. It might be easier to believe that you saved the whole world and that all this bloodshed served some purpose.
EDIT: Hold on. The wiki article says that Cormac was a contemporary of Sigmar, but from the way Aksel tells it the Cult of Sigmar took advantage of his invasion, so it must have happened after Sigmar's ascension. The wiki gives 9 I.C as the date of the invasion but if the Cult of Sigmar was around it must have been 73 I.C at the earliest. Either the wiki's timeline can't be trusted (which seems likely) or this isn't the same guy as the canon Cormac Bloodaxe. Maybe they named someone else that in the original's honour?
[X] [HOUSE] Yes
[X] Plan: Just the Heir
[X] [HEDGEWISE] Discreetly
I've made my opinions clear on the Heir plan, and I hope that the Nordlander Hedgewise can gain legitimacy through the legal fiction of being Priests of Haletha like the Kislevite and Bretonnian mages one day. There's something about the secretly option that I just don't like.
I feel like people are focusing to much on the part about Hekarti when for me the real problem is they want a huge payout without actually contributing something major. If they were willing to put a lot of resources and political power behind the project it would be a maybe from me but the are offering one enchanter/theorist or an heir for first refusal on a lot of important waystones.
