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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Rafin said:
I just noticed that the winning "[HEDGEWISE] Discreetly" option actually has a potential drawback over both other options that I hadn't thought about. It's the only option that doesn't allow Aksel to just spontaneously throw Arcane-based observations into the group when relevant or useful. As openly Hedgewise he could just do whatever is natural. As a supposed Grey Perpetual he could have whatever obscure "theoretical" knowledge he seems to have specialized in. But a lawful Imperial priest of Halétha isn't allowed to outright know Arcane magic stuff without seeming highly suspicious. That means that his input might frequently have to he laundered and be included with a delay, or that him being a Hedgewise will become an open secret at least in front of all of the Waystone Project participants and only maybe useful as a fig leaf to protect from distant outsiders.
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This is only a problem if Arcane and Divine are obviously distinct categories, and I'm pretty sure that's not true. Mathilde saw Hedgewise magic - it didn't look like the magic she's familiar with. Is it Divine? Is it a different brand of Arcane? Is that a meaningful distinction? Magisters who haven't been used as a hand puppet by Mork generally can't feel the presence of Gods, so I don't think they could tell the difference, not to mention that when Mathilde witnessed Hedgewise magic she felt something that may very well have been Halétha's presence so for all we know Aksel really is a priest, or at least as much of a priest as an Ice Witch.
 
Hm. I can't really say I recognise Sarvoi as a name, and I'm not sure how Boney's naming process goes for Elves. However, if I operate under the assumption that Elven names are based on Eltharin runes, then I can take a gander at what Sarvoi might mean.

There is no Eltharin rune that matches with the name, but there are Eltharin runes that match up with sections of the name. If we divide the name into Sar and Voi, then the Sar part can match with several runes, the most probable being Sariour (moon, magic, fortune, evil deeds, destruction wrought by nature) or Saroir (Eternity, Infinity, Flame of love that burns all it touches). Voi only matches up with the ending of the Eltharin runes for Malavoi (Savagery, Creatures of the Deep) and Harvoi (music, song, eternity of joy).

You could make any number of combinations from a name like that, and that is only if my assumptions are even correct. Example of what the name might mean would be... Savage Moon, Musical Destruction wrought by nature, Destruction Wrought by Creatures of the Deep, or Eternity of Joy from Evil Deeds. Eltharin is neat.
 
Codex said:
You could make any number of combinations from a name like that, and that is only if my assumptions are even correct. Example of what the name might mean would be... Savage Moon, Musical Destruction wrought by nature, Destruction Wrought by Creatures of the Deep, or Eternity of Joy from Evil Deeds. Eltharin is neat.
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Song of magic? Singer of magic?
 
Codex said:
That would be a simple and straight to the point name yes. The name for a standard spellcaster in Athel Loren is Spellsinger.
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I was working on the assumption that he's from a family that's deep in the Hekarti business, and assuming that the Sar comes from Sariour since it stands for magic. Eterntiy of joy from magic, the music of magic, song of magic all seem to fit this quote by Boney:
Boney said:
I'm gonna try to field the question despite imbibing the spirit of the season, if my answer doesn't satisfy, ask again and my future self will try again. Hekarti is like the Winds, if you handle her well she might give you everything you want, if you don't, or if she's just in a bad mood, she'll ruin you. The adorations written in her honour owes more to fear than love, but there's still love. In good times, her worshipers are Freddy Mercury singing Don't Stop Me Now. In bad, it's more Master of Puppets. In general, Ain't No Rest For The Wicked. But the common theme is that they sing, and they sing for her. Whether it's praise or blame, joy or despair, they all sing for her.

Mathilde has sung. Cython has sung. The common link between Malekith and Ariel, Nagash and Volans, Mazdamundi and Noctilus - they all know her song.
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If using only Sar is intetional, so it could stand for Sariour and Saroir, then you could also add stuff like "Magic is a consuming flame of love" and "magic 4ever". Maybe Sarvoi's parents really like magic, is what I'm getting at.
 
It depends on how their name is written. Despite similarities between Sariour and Saroir in pronunciation, the actual runes for them are different. Sariour looks like a right facing crescent moon, Saroir looks like a hook with a curve at the end. If we take the symbols of the gods as an indication, Eltharin can probably create endless combinations of meanings and new words by combining sections of different runes together. I've noticed that every God in the Elven Pantheon is some mixture of several runes, creating a very complex shape in comparison to standard runes.
 
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Turn 38 Results - 2488.5 - Part 2 - Day One of the Waystone Project
  • Threadmarks
    • [*][HOUSE] Yes
    [*] Plan how many people can actually read elf anyways?
    -[*] [SCOPE] The Empire (+2)
    -[*] [REP] Magical Theorist (-2)
    -[*] [FORM] Dedication (0)
    [*] [HEDGEWISE] Discreetly

    Tally

    The deal you strike with House Tindomiel is straightforward: they will have first refusal on the construction of new Waystones throughout the Empire, upon which they will be allowed to carve dedications to their patron Goddess, and in exchange they will contribute their foremost magical theorist to the Waystone Project. This may cause you trouble in the future, but you welcome a future where a problem you're dealing with is aesthetic criticism of the new Waystones being built throughout the Empire, and House Tindomiel will help you reach that future.

    The magical theorist in question proves to be Senior Lecturer Emeritus Sarvoi of the Library of Mournings, who you've heard the name of a time or two before as his talks are quite popular among the artists who romanticize the Forestborn. From what you've heard, he speaks of magic as a lover to be wooed rather than an impersonal force to be studied, and the mental image you've constructed of him clashes rather harshly with the reality you're introduced to, which proves to be a short (for an Elf) and bookish man of indeterminate but advanced age, whose pristine white silks trimmed with gold can't hide the general impression you get: that at any given time there's a dozen stamped from the same mold as him in the halls of the University of Altdorf, the type that would give a lecture to a half dozen with the same enthusiasm as he would a thousand if they seemed like they were paying attention.

    Aksel, meanwhile, has rather cheekily adopted the title of Lector of the Cult of Halétha, which would be the Cult of Sigmar's equivalent rank to his approximate position within the Hedgewise. He says he'll be able to make his own way to the edge of Laurelorn, and you have a word to Cadaeth for her to keep an eye out for him, and with the other Wizards of the project to give them the impression that the Cult of Halétha is to the Grey Order as the Druids are to the Jades. It might even be true.

    With that sorted, the biggest potential problems you foresee at the table are, perhaps predictably, its two oldest members: Hatalath and Thorek. While the Eonir have been largely broken of the arrogance of Ulthuan by centuries of having to treat individual provinces of the Empire as their geopolitical equals, the Grey Lords predate that reality and have been insulated from it by the security of their liminal realm, and you expect you'll have to do some work to shake Hatalath into doing more than smiling indulgently down at you all and throwing out the occasional cryptic comment. Thorek, on the other hand, seems more willing to engage, but very severely restricted in how he can do so. The Cult of Thungni has very strong opinions on the importance of keeping their secrets, and it will take a fair bit of tact and sensitivity to extract much of use from him.

    ---

    At the head of a table of seven humans, three Elves and a Dwarf, you take a deep breath. "Caledor Dragontamer created the Great Vortex," you say, "and his successors built the network of Waystones across the world to drain away the magic that threatened to drown the world." There are nods of familiarity at that, and you move down to the next entry of your notes.

    "When the High King met with the Elgi led by Prince Malekith, he recognized both the virtues and vices of their kind. When they began to cobble together crude energy networks from the discarded refuse of the Old Ones, he instructed those that had learned from his brother Thungni to teach them a better way, and the Waystones erected in that partnership made possible that which the Elgi alone could only have dreamed." Thorek smiles at that.

    "When the Daemons walked and the Children of the Cradle were encircled, the Green Man first came to the Earth Mother and told Her of what was to come. In Her wisdom did She see what must be done, and in Her mercy did She make us, the Belthani, the instruments of correction. We built the Ogham Circles that halted the devastation, and we will guard them for Her." Magister Tocther nods firmly, ignoring thoughtful looks from Egrimm and Elrisse.

    "Tahoth Trisheros is a master architect who based reality on sacred geometry. The perfection of this geometry is found in the Great Pyramids, where the formless winds are given noble purpose." Elrisse is giving you a suspicious look now, probably because of how badly you had to mangle the translation of that scrap to fit the message you're going for.

    "In the time when those who brought the One had fallen and the birth-blood of the Green of Two first rained upon the world, the Four shackled the Eight and unleashed their endless armies upon the world to tear down those across the blue plains. We despaired that our Gods had turned from us. The Khans gathered together with their Shamans to set right the balance of the world. The first of the kurgans was built there, to be forever guarded by the Khans buried beneath it. Now once more do the Eight fly free and the Four ply us with tribute to see their will done." This one was a lot of pictographic guesswork, but neither Niedzwenka or Zlata seem upset with your creativity with the words of their ancestors.

    "Are we noticing a pattern? No matter where we look, everyone's stories paint them as the protagonists of the Waystone saga. And while this is historiographically predictable, it's given considerable weight by the fact that I can point on a map to something very much like a Waystone made by each of these peoples. The Waystone Network as it exists today was the result of Elves and Dwarves and men all working, if not together, then at least towards the same end - making sure that the world we live in remains one we can live in. But that knowledge has been scattered by time and war - the War of the Ancients shattered the accords between Asur and Dawi, the Sundering destroyed the Library of Caledor, the Time of Woes many ancient Karaks, the Belthani were driven into the deepest forests by the arrival of the ancestors of Sigmar, the Nehekharans were made into what they are now by the machinations of Nagash, and the Scythians split into the Kurgans and Gospodar.

    "Some might see this as reason to despair, because the gulf between our modern capabilities and the wonders of the distant past is very well-documented. But we're not talking about a holy artefact crafted by a God, or a one-off masterwork of a long-dead genius, or a unique confluence of unlikely circumstances. These things were mass-produced and erected across four continents. However inspired the development of them must have been, the result was something that was implemented, managed, and maintained by the ordinary.

    "The best of today may not be the equal of the best of the Golden Age, but I damn well think we can measure up to their Max Mustermanns and Chuj Gowies, their Okri Okrissons and Thananludwigs."

    You'll never admit if part of you was hoping for a standing ovation, but the firm nods from all present is enough to go forward with, so you press on. The first matter is a rather dull one of terminology, as there are speakers of four native tongues present at this table: Reikspiel, Khazalid, Eltharin, and Gospodarinyi. But though the roots of these languages are spread across three continents, you find very little variation in the magical terminology. In almost all languages Ulgu is Ulgu, which is theorized either linguistically as all known magical languages sharing descent from either Anoqeyån or Dark Tongue, or more prosaically as those being the syllables that resonate most effectively with the Wind itself. Even Khazalid has not proven entirely immune to this, the oft-used participle Gor is suspiciously close in sound and meaning to Ghur, and you know from previous work with Runesmiths that the other names are known to them. From there you move on to basic fundamentals of the nature of the Winds, and here too there is general agreement, save for a brief detour into a debate about the relationship between stone and Hysh.

    It does make a certain amount of sense, you reflect, that there's general agreement so far. The only people here who touch the Winds themselves are those who descend from the traditions of Ulthuan, everyone else knows them only at arm's length. Perhaps if you had brought in a Kurgan Shaman or a Cathayan Alchemist, someone who dealt directly with a Wind from an entirely foreign magical tradition, you'd have more trouble. But for now, you take the win and call a break for lunch.

    ---

    "This," you say as you use Ulgu to draw in the air a wireframe representation of your object of study at Fort Brachsenbrücke, "is what I believe to be a typical representation of the most common form of Waystone in the lowlands of the Old World, erected by the combined efforts of Ulthuan and the Karaz Ankor. A square frustrum topped by a square pyramid at about the height of a tall man or an average Elf. On each face of the frustrum is a Rune used in Eltharin to mean Waystone, though I find it notable that this Rune does not fit the style of any form of Eltharin I've ever seen. It almost seems as though it would be a better fit for the clean angles of Klinkarhun." You turn a questioning look towards the Elves at the table.

    "The Rune has entered Eltharin unchanged from Anoqeyån," Lecturer Sarvoi says. "Its purpose, and its presence on every Waystone, has rendered it immune to stylistic drift."

    "It is older than Anoqeyån," Hatalath says with a smile. "It is part of the script of the Old Ones."

    "The cunning beings in silver ships," you observe.

    Hatalath's smile fades and he gives you a long, thoughtful look. "Yes. Them."

    "The same Rune can be found in High Nehekharan to mean 'obelisk'," Lady Magister Elrisse notes.

    "It is the rune 'ogham' in Belthani script, usually translated as something like 'standing stone'," Magister Tochter follows.

    You turn a questioning look to Zlata and Baba Niedzwenka, who remain silent, and then to Thorek. "It is known to Runesmiths," he concedes, "from before the time of Bel Shanaar and Snorri Whitebeard."

    You nod. "It is said in some writings that the first Waystones, the first 'generation', if you will, were great stones that dotted Ulthuan since before the time of the Elves, which were rearranged in service of the Great Vortex. Would Elven lore agree with this?" Nods from Hatalath and Sarvoi. "And would the same Runes be found on those stones?"

    "Some," Hatalath says.

    "So we have an even older component in a very old work," you say, sketching the Rune onto the floating image of the Waystone. "But is it a loanword, a mere label, or is it an active mechanism in the workings of the Waystone? It is on each face of the Waystone, on the part of it that absorbs the ambient Winds. As we all know, stone is an excellent insulator of magic, but here it acts as a conduit for it." You glance towards Thorek, who looks pensive. "It is a known aspect of enchantment that the metaphysical material properties of a substance can be altered with the application of certain metaphysically resonant Runes, though this is, of course, entirely different to the art of Runesmithing and its entirely separate alphabet."

    "Part of the Dwarven contribution to the Waystones," Thorek finally chimes in, "was the application of certain techniques of Runesmithing while carving those Runes, which enhanced the effect it had upon the stone." He offers no more than that, and for now you make no attempt to extract more.

    "The capstone, too, is likely of interest here, as it seems to be made of the same material the Runes are inlaid in. Historically there's been a fair bit of study into this by human scholars, but most of that study was into attempts to extract gold from it." You exchange a rueful smile with Cadaeth. "The only known source of it is, of course, to extract it from a Waystone, so possession of it has been a capital offence since the time of Sigmar." You give a glance to Aksel, who nods. "Apart from the common epithet of 'Waystone Gold', it is also known by a great many names in different places and languages, including Hepatizon in the Empire, Aurichalcum in Tilea, Kavzarian Bronze in Estalia, Shakudo in Nippon, Panchaloha in Ind, and Hesmenkem in Nehekhara." You give a look to Elrisse at that last one.

    "It is theorized that the pyramidions of Nehekhara may be made of the same substance, though that would be a carefully-kept secret of the Mortuary Cult and, of course, rather fraught to investigate further," she says.

    "Definitely something to investigate further, and hopefully we can do so without having to sacrifice a Waystone. I'll secure dispensation for handling it from the Supreme Patriarch before pursuing the matter in detail. Are there similar laws against its possession in Laurelorn?"

    "Yes," say Cadaeth and Sarvoi, while Hatalath shrugs.

    "I'll speak to the Queen as well, then. Next," you start to draw the base of the Waystone, "is the foundation, usually partially or entirely buried, which is in the familiar shape known as the Wheel of Magic or the Star of Chaos, depending who you ask. I've read it's called the 'Gate of Cosmic Order' in Ind, and the 'Elemental Compass' in Cathay. That last one is of particular interest, as like a compass, the points of the Waystone's foundations are aligned with the cardinal and ordinal directions. I've also noticed that some links between Waystone Nexuses are in exact east-west or north-south lines."

    "Energy flows along the cardinal directions are easiest to maintain," Cadaeth says. "And ordinal ones, to a lesser extent."

    You nod, then frown as you leaf through your notes. Of course you didn't think to bring a map of Laurelorn, but you suspect... "The Tower of Se-Athil," you say, and Cadaeth nods, while most of the others exchange confused looks. Tor Lithanel is directly southeast of the Tower of Se-Athil, you're now sure of it. And you're pretty sure it's directly west of Salzenmund, but you don't say that out loud. You try to recall the other directions... Fort Solace in Westerland? But that was only recently built, wasn't it? "In any case, where the pillar of the Waystone absorbs magic, the foundation stores it. Eight points, eight Winds."

    "You suspect," Hatalath half-says, half-asks.

    "No, I don't. It's quite clear for those with the senses to see." And with a week to spend focusing on it. Hatalath is giving you another thoughtful look now, which you take as a good sign. "When the points have at least two Winds in them, they drop them into the leyline running below them and they make their merry way along it to a nexus, and from there, eventually, to Ulthuan. I'm not entirely sure why it needs two-"

    "Why not?" asks Sarvoi. "Ah. This is a human thing, isn't it? I mean, I suppose it makes sense why it wouldn't occur to you." He gestures to you. "The shadow and the smoke rather suit you, but I suppose the equivalents for Dhar would be rather disastrous for humans, wouldn't they? So you'd never even touch it."

    "What do you mean?" you ask patiently.

    "Why push or pull when there's something at hand that will do it for you? Dhar wants to return from whence it came, and it pulls on the other Winds. If you add one other Wind it'll just get sucked into the Dhar which is counterproductive if you want to make use of that Wind elsewhere, but if you have at least two you can set them up in a stable diametric orbit, as they repel each other exactly as much as the Dhar attracts them."

    "Ah. I see what you mean, thank you." He smiles and nods, and thankfully stops talking there before he goes on to what you already suspect to be the next part: if there isn't ambient Dhar to absorb and use, the Waystones could easily make some. Which would make the entire Waystone network that keeps the continent alive a sorcery that utilises the wicked powers of Dark Magic, and the study of it an Abominable Act. And from there the Articles are all heretic, traitor, sword and fire immediately. You put the finishing touches on the wireframe drawing of the Waystone as you make a mental note to have a meeting with the other Wizards later. "And finally, we have the leyline itself, a network from nexus to nexus. I haven't fully mapped it, but from my experience the main trunk in the Empire is Marienburg to Altdorf, from Altdorf to Talabheim and Nuln, and from Talabheim to Gross Selon. Which used to connect to Mordheim," winces from the Imperials present, "and to Kislev City." You turn a questioning eye to Baba Niedzwenka and Zlata. "On my last visit to Kislev, I did notice that the flow from Kislev City goes north to Praag."

    "It is Ice Witch business," Zlata says apologetically.

    "They took the leylines of the Elves and turned it into their own vortex," Niedzwenka says with a snort. "Around and around, Erengrad to Kislev City to Praag to Castle Alexandronov and back to Erengrad again, spinning it from Winds to Ice for the Widow's Witches to use against Kislev's enemies. Didn't the Elves howl and screech when they finally returned to Norvard and found their precious stones serving human masters!"

    Zlata looks aghast, and everyone else looks somewhere between shocked and impressed. "I... see," you say faintly, trying to keep your thoughts from being entirely consumed by wild plans to do something similar within the Empire. "That answers one question I had." And raises a great many more. "On the other end, from Marienburg it flows, I presume, to Couronne-"

    "Via Fort Solace," Cadaeth says. "It is difficult for leylines to be made to flow under mountains."

    "Difficult for Elves," Thorek mutters.

    You'd thought so. "Isn't Fort Solace relatively new?"

    "It used to be via a lighthouse on the other side of that sea," Sarvoi says, "but it was destroyed in the Great War."

    "Ulthuan helped build a replacement that had an Old One monolith as its spine," Cadaeth says, "built exactly north of Marienburg and exactly west of Tor Lithanel."

    "They can't have too many of those monoliths left," Hatalath observes.

    "But if Almshoven was the single point of failure for the entirety of the Empire and Kislev, it would have needed replacing. Why didn't the Empire ever hear of this? Marienburg wasn't independent then, not yet."

    "But they would have been planning it," Egrimm observes. "And building stronger ties with their patron."

    "Their patron whose Wizards fought against the Empire at Grootscher Marsh," Elrisse notes grimly.

    "I really don't like the idea of Marienburg being able to hold half the continent hostage," you say faintly. "Are there any other links to the west?"

    "Athel Yenlui," Hatalath says.

    "Where's that?"

    He thinks for a while. "Reikland somewhere, I think."

    "If leylines don't like to go under mountains, it would have to be going via Helmgart or Ubersreik. Something to investigate further, I think. Anywhere else?"

    "Karak Norn," Thorek says reluctantly.

    "Via Nuln?" you ask.

    "No," he says shortly.

    You consider further, recalling ancient maps of the pre-War of Vengeance Old World. "Kazad Thar?" Thorek's beard twitches as his lips thin. For him to be so touchy about it, this can't be ancient business. What would Dwarves be touchy about in southern Wissenland?

    Oh. Bugman's Brewery.

    No wonder they made such good beer.

    "On the other side," you say, "it would have to go through Athel Loren. Who are... not particularly cooperative these days, so let's put that as a last resort. Okay, from Couronne it would go to L'Anguille, and from there-"

    "Straight west," Hatalath says. "Seas are like mountains, if you're going to cross them you make it as easy as possible."

    "I see... wait, no I don't. Straight west of L'Anguille is nothing but ocean until Naggaroth."

    Hatalath blinks. "I must be thinking of somewhere else, then," he says, and rather evasively, it seems to you.

    You give him a long look. "If not from L'Anguille, then from where to Ulthuan?"

    "Los Cabos," Baba Niedzwenka says firmly. "Only a few places you can get Elven goods in the Old World, and one of them is Los Cabos. Bilbali and Magritta make sense, but the only thing significant about Los Cabos is it's right on the southwestern tip of Estalia."

    "And from there, straight west," Hatalath says. "To Cothique. That's what I was thinking of." You give Hatalath another long look, and he pretends not to notice.

    "How do you get from L'Anguille to Estalia? Surely not via Mousillon."

    Tochter closes her eyes. "To Gisoreux? Then to... Parravon, and under Athel Loren to Quenelles, then to Brionne?"

    "I'm really not liking how many times I'm hearing that the survival of the Old World might go through Athel bloody Loren." You don't see any disagreement from those present. "Something to investigate later. For now, let's talk about tributaries. Each nexus is connected to a spiderweb of tens or hundreds of Waystones, and each Waystone is in turn fed by tributaries, which are only sometimes smaller versions of the same design. There are oghams," you nod to Tochter, "there are lornalim," to Cadaeth, "there are kurgans, and there are probably all sorts of other things. What makes being a tributary so easy that a tree can do it?" You consider your phrasing. "A regular tree, that is, not one that's walking around and talking and trying to kidnap Boyars."

    Egrimm gestures, and a white line appears alongside your wireframe. "What makes this spell able to be converted into all the Winds? Smaller amounts of magic are easier to tame." Cadaeth nods in agreement.

    "So because small enough amounts of Winds have the same nature, their job is eight times easier than that of the main Waystones? Okay, that makes sense. But that also means they should be eight times easier for us to replicate." You nod to Cadaeth. "Or that is, to replicate in a way that doesn't require us to put a node of precious metal under each one. And finally, and Thorek, stop me if I'm overstepping here, but it's time to talk about other networks." Thorek looks pained, but stays quiet. "The Karaz Ankor has one. Laurelorn has one. Kislev, we just learned, has one. Athel Loren, I deeply suspect, has one. We won't ask anyone to give up the secrets of what they're doing or how they're doing it, but they do need to be considered and anyone feeling like sharing those secrets would be very welcome to do so. Are there any others we should be considering?"

    "Nehekhara," Elrisse says, "made of obelisks and pyramids, and the Mortis River itself. Walled off by border forts from Ka-Sabar to Zandri, across the southern border of the Badlands, and from Lahmia to Lybaras to Rasetra."

    You nod as you take notes. "Presumably Araby has one too," you say, "though I don't know whether I'd call that a separate network - it would connect to Ulthuan and work the same way as that of the Old World." You blink as something occurs to you. "Probably via the Sorcerer's Islands, I know someone who'd be able to confirm whether that's the case. So that makes five different polities, aside from Ulthuan, that are using the Waystone Network for their own betterment." Glances are exchanged around the table, as the unspoken thought hangs in the air that there's no reason there couldn't be a sixth. You consider the notes you've been taking. "The Rune, the capstone's metal, the foundational wheel, the leylines, the tributaries, and the other networks. Six different avenues of investigation for us to discuss further. It seems to me that this is a solid day's work, and a good point to leave off. Let's reconvene tomorrow to start planning how we'll investigate each of them."

    ---

    You consider your options as you round up Elrisse, Egrimm, and Tochter for an emergency meeting of Wizards of the Empire. What you've learned about the operation of the Waystone foundations makes the study of Waystones, and arguably their continued existence, a breach of the Articles of Imperial Magic. Naturally this strict reading of the Articles probably wouldn't last if it was brought to the attention of the proper authorities, as the Waystones are what's making life in the Old World possible, and Dragomas is favourably inclined towards the project. And you've already seen one Article 7 dispensation given out to Johann for his investigation of Skaven technology. But the process of going through proper channels could be one that would draw a lot of unwanted attention - you'd have to go via Algard, and since their Wizards would be involved, Alric, Paranoth, and Feldmann would need to be notified. Or you could bypass the proper channels and go over Dragomas' head to the Emperor via his charming wife, though it might rub Dragomas the wrong way. Or might not, he doesn't seem like one overly concerned with proper procedure.

    Or you could build an understanding among those present that doesn't need to go beyond the room. You could just all agree that while in Laurelorn, Article 7 might be set aside for the good of the Empire, and nobody needs to know. Or you could build a kind of justification that might not be able to stand up to proper scrutiny, but might allow everyone here to sleep at night - that you're operating as members of your respective ancestral Cults, of Halétha and Tahoth Trisheros and the Earth Mother, and so you need not concern yourself with Article 7.

    Alternately, you could leave the other Wizards out of the matter entirely. So far you have six different aspects of the matter to investigate further. It would be very easy to divide things up so that the other Wizards are all occupied with one of the other components, leaving the entire matter and its crimes to be dealt with by you and by those not bound by the Empire's laws. It's possible they might already have spotted the central problem and could be persuaded to pretend that they haven't, or it could be that it wouldn't have occurred to them yet. You spotted it immediately, but you're more familiar with Dhar than any Wizard should be, from your experience with Sylvania and Skaven and the Chaos Wastes - and, of course, from the Liber Mortis. What is immediately obvious to you probably wouldn't be to any other Wizard.

    Or you could just... accede to the law. Article 7 isn't really all that ambiguous, is it? You could just accept that you've hit an impermeable legal roadblock. It was set down by Magnus and Teclis, after all. Do you really think you know better than they do?


    [ ] College Dispensation
    Seek dispensation from Article 7 through proper channels from the Supreme Patriarch for the study of the Waystones.
    [ ] Imperial Dispensation
    Seek dispensation from Article 7 directly from the Emperor for the study of the Waystones.
    [ ] Cult Dispensation
    Cults are not under the authority of the Articles. Build a rickety framework of justification that this Project is under the authority of the Cults of Halétha, Tahoth Trisheros, and the Earth Mother, rather than the Colleges, and then have them grant you permission to study the Waystones.
    [ ] Conspiracy
    When there's no Witch Hunters around, anything's legal. Attempt to enter into an understanding with your fellow Wizards that what happens in Laurelorn, stays in Laurelorn.
    [ ] Ignorance
    The other Wizards don't need to know. Let them know that you'll take care of the study of the Waystone foundations, and they should restrict their attention to the rest of the mechanisms.
    [ ] Accede
    The law's the law. Wind down the Waystone Project, pack up, and go back home.


    - There will be a two hour moratorium.
     
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    • What a fantastic update. It is difficult to make over a dozen people sitting in a room and talking about fictional metaphysics engaging, but you knocked it out of the park.

    No opinion on the vote just yet.
    Boney said:
    So that makes five different polities, aside from Ulthuan that are using the Waystone Network for their own betterment
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    I think there should be a comma after Ulthuan here.
    Boney said:
    As we all know, stone is an excellent insulator of magic
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    bruh.
     
    Boney said:
    that at any given time there's a dozen stamped from the same mold as him in the halls of the University of Altdorf, the type that would give a lecture to a half dozen with the same enthusiasm as he would a thousand if they seemed like they were paying attention.
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    No matter your species, nerds stay the same 🥰

    Boney said:
    Or you could just... accede to the law. Article 7 isn't really all that ambiguous, is it? You could just accept that you've hit an impermeable legal roadblock. It was set down by Magnus and Teclis, after all. Do you really think you know better than they do?
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    Lol, that's totally going to convince people:V I guess it was put there for realism's sake😏
     
    Boney said:
    The canonical maps are wildly inconsistent about where Ulthuan actually is, but the map that Mathilde's thinking of has the Shrine of Khaine roughly level with northern Estalia. Going west from L'Anguille clears even the northernmost isles of Ulthuan by at least a hundred miles.
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    So it's Albion then? Also boney. Would it be possible to talk to the emperor and dragomas together? That would keep dragomas in the loop without having to brave college politics.
     
    Also can I just say that I'm happy about house tindomiel s guy? Already helped us to find a big roadblock early on. Would have been worse if that came up later when we accidentally created dhar.
     
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