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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Well, Thorek and Mathilde probably go to foundations and runes. Capstone is probably the domain of golds, leylines are the most interesting part. Throw Hatalath at it?
 
Parabola said:
I wouldn't say humans are particularly pacifistic, but yes, there's something to be said about how they haven't been in a millennia-long civil war-
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More that the human worship market had Gunndred and a LOT of war gods covering violent crime already, so the facet of the Dancer/Trickster found its niche working as Somewhat Protective Trickster, and thus has to avoid violence to avoid being blobbed with a more murderous god. This also found association with Shallyans helping underclasses and needing protection from less discriminate members of it.

Whereas elf devotees of Loec have out of necessity needed to put the Trickster to killing Druchii, and that has its effects.

Net result was that the two population bases needs differed too much and the administration split.
 
Boney said:
For the above options, as well as any option-specific specifications, also state who you will be researching this. You can specify as many or as few members of the Project as you please, as well as bringing in people from outside the Project if you pay for their services or convince them in some other way.. If the only ones involved are members of WEB-MAT the action can count as a WEB-MAT action. In general the fastest progress will be made by involving only those with the most applicable knowledge, but also keep in mind how each individual might feel about being included or excluded in a particular investigation.
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Oh man. Tough and difficult decisions.
 
LadyLynn said:
First, I'd like to remind people that Ulgu Battle Magic includes things such as "send a sizeable number of enemies into a horrifying hell dimension" and "murder everything in a very long straight line". I think we can get more ambitious than we frequently have been when trying to brainstorm spells that work with Staff of Mistery.
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I mean, I'd like to assume that the next Battle Magic spell we'd make would be Fogkill, which takes care of direct damage.
After that,can with RoW doing utility/transport, we've basically just got buffs and debuffs left. Of which, any buff/debuff
can be pretty amazing if it effects enough people. I'm assuming this is a situation where the less potent the spell is, the wider it can be spread in one casting (plus, presumably easier casting as well). I don't know for certain, but it's not an unreasonable guess.

If I'm right, it's a balancing act of "I want this spell to do this super awesome thing" and "this spell can actually hit a sizeable portion of the battlefield, and/or isn't near impossible to cast."

LadyLynn said:
I think there's a good chance mastering our Mantle of Mist mark would make our Cloud of Confusion better as well, though, so I think I'd rather do that before even really considering trying to invent a new variant.
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Fair.

LadyLynn said:
...Mist spell that causes people to miss.

It's a Misstery.

Why make spells for practical needs when you can make them for puns?

EDIT: Misstirection.

...That might be going too far. xD
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Mathilde's Misstirection.

We've got it, we're at least halfway to the perfect name for my "directional confusion fog spell". Maybe we throw in a Mystery or something, I don't know.
 
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Turn 39 - 2489 - The Waystone Project
  • Threadmarks
    • [*] [FIEF] Approve plus Jade Wizard
    [*] [CASH] Take half

    [*] [LIBRARY] Colleges of Magic: Apparitions, Powerstones, Aethyr, Wild Magic
    [*] [DWARF] Greatsword with Rune of the Unknown, for training (1 gallon AV)
    [*] [COLLEGE] No purchase.
    [*] [PURCHASE] Books on Greatswords (Extensive Dwarven)

    Tally

    After some thought you give Rolf's breeding project your go-ahead, and make a mental note to send word to the Jade Order that the services of a Journeyman would be welcome here. The lure of guaranteed safe work and welcoming locals means that your fief won't go long at all before one of them adds your fief to their rounds and lends magical assistance to the tupping and the lambing. To that end you take half the funds stashed in the chest and leave the other half to pay for the project and any future expenses.

    Other recent expenditures include an influx of books from the Colleges on some esoteric topics, a few volumes from the Order of Guardians on their greatswording techniques, and from Kragg - indirectly, as he'd sent the job off to a Runesmith whose great-great-great grandfather had learned the Rune from Kragg and threatened a dire haranguing if the knowledge has been lost in a mere five generations - you have a training blade for practicing the techniques of your nascent combat style, Branarhune. Though it is, of course, very well-made, it is still a training blade, as its composition was made to mimic the weight of Gromril rather than for hardiness in battle, and it was made with blunt and tough edges, rather than ones that could easily be ground or hammered into sharpness.

    Kragg has called the blade 'Branithune', and though as a verb it could be interpreted straightforwardly as 'practicing Branulhune', as a noun it is very easy to interpret it along the lines of 'precocious beardling who's up past their bedtime'. You suppose that's what you get for coming to Kragg with a job he feels unworthy of his skills, and there's not many on the continent who'd get off so lightly if they did so.

    ---

    With the Waystone Project finally begun, your options for pursuing it have branched significantly. On top of the four significant components of the standard Elven Waystone - capstone, runes, foundation, and leyline - you'd need to reverse-engineer to be able to build one of your own, you've also uncovered several other interesting facets that could be worth investigating. There's the other forms of Waystone built by the Belthani, the Scythians, and grown by the Eonir, there's the entirely separate networks scattered throughout the continent used by various peoples for various purposes, and there's all kinds of nexuses, both functional and lost, that could stand further scrutiny. There's also the question of fully mapping out the network, because from the sound of it the nexus network has a worrying amount of bottlenecks that could block the flow of half the continent if something happened to them. If the fall of one or two foreign cities would doom the entire Empire, that's something you think that the Empire should be aware of.



    You have five action points (AP) you can apply without engaging in overwork. For every two AP spent across all members of WEB-MAT, including recruiting new members, you can spend one 'free' additional AP with any member of WEB-MAT. WEB-MAT actions are performed by Mathilde alongside that person when possible, such as studying something alongside that person, cowriting a paper together, one teaching the other, both of them learning something new, et cetera.
    Current overwork status: [+] [ ] [ ]
    Each box will be filled by one action of overwork, and will take the two turns after that to fade as you recover. The first box incurs no penalty. The second will give a -10 penalty to all actions during the first turn of recovery. The third will give a -20 penalty to all actions on both turns of recovery.
    Overwork incurs no penalties on the turns taken, only on the turns recovering from it. You can take as many actions of overwork as you have unfilled boxes.
    When you use overwork it fills the left-most empty box, so [-][ ][ ] becomes [-][+][ ], not [+][-][ ]. All boxes recover in parallel and independent from one another, but second and third apply maluses on your actions during that cooldown period.

    WEB-MAT: Magister Maximilian de Gaynesford, Gold Wizard
    [ ] MAX: Learning: specify what and from who. You may pay for a trainer.
    [ ] MAX: Study an artefact: specify which.
    [ ] MAX: Receive dictation: specify which two papers or one book will be written.

    WEB-MAT: Magister Johann, Gold Wizard
    [ ] JOHANN: Learning: specify what and from who. You may pay for a trainer.
    [ ] JOHANN: Study an artefact: specify which.
    [ ] JOHANN: Write a paper: specify which.

    WEB-MAT: Lord Magister Egrimm van Horstmann, Light Wizard
    [ ] EGRIMM: Attempt a Windherder enchantment with Egrimm (specify what)
    [ ] EGRIMM: Learning: specify what from who. You may pay for a trainer.
    [ ] EGRIMM: Study an artefact: specify which.
    [ ] EGRIMM: Write a paper: specify which.

    WEB-MAT: Other
    [ ] WEB-MAT: Hunt an apparition with a member of WEB-MAT (specify who and which)
    [ ] WEB-MAT: Attempt to recruit someone to WEB-MAT (specify who)
    [ ] WEB-MAT: Enchant or otherwise modify your Gyrocarriage (specify how) (NEW)


    The Waystone Project, Recruitment
    [ ] Attempt to bring an Order into the Waystone Project (specify which)
    [ ] Attempt to bring a non-Order magical tradition into the Waystone Project (specify which)
    [ ] Attempt to bring a human Cult into the Waystone Project (specify which)
    [ ] Attempt to bring a Major House or Ward into the Waystone Project (specify which)
    [ ] Attempt to bring a Karak's Runesmiths into the Waystone Project (specify which)


    The Waystone Project, Research (NEW)

    [ ] Waystone: Capstone
    [ ] Waystone: Runes
    [ ] Waystone: Foundation
    [ ] Waystone: Leylines
    [-] Waystone: Build an Elven Waystone
    Requires Capstone, Runes, Foundation, and Leylines to be fully and successfully completed.

    [ ] Waystone: Nexuses
    Specify which: Marienburg (Almshoven and Fort Solace), Forest of Shadows (Brass Keep, Blood Fane, Tower of Melkhior), Reikland (Axe Bite Pass and Grey Lady Pass), Mordheim, Los Cabos, Bugman's Brewery.
    [ ] Waystone: Tributaries
    Specify which type: Belthani, Scythian, Lornalim.
    [ ] Waystone: Mapping
    Specify two of: Empire, Bretonnia, Tilea, Estalia, Border Princes, Araby, Badlands.
    [ ] Waystone: Other Networks
    Specify which: Karaz Ankor, Kislev, Laurelorn, Athel Loren, Nehekhara.

    For the above options, as well as any option-specific specifications, also state who you will be researching this with. You can specify as many or as few members of the Project as you please, as well as bringing in people from outside the Project if you pay for their services or convince them in some other way. If the only ones involved are members of WEB-MAT the action can count as a WEB-MAT action. In general the fastest progress will be made by involving only those with the most applicable knowledge, but also keep in mind how each individual might feel about being included or excluded in a particular investigation.


    Lovely Laurelorn
    [ ] Explore the wonders of the ancient and beautiful city of Tor Lithanel.
    [ ] Explore one of the Wards of Laurelorn (specify which: Storm, Rain, Frost)

    Self-Improvement:
    [ ] Receive training: specify who and what. (acquaintances may train you for free, or you can hire someone with money or favours)
    [ ] Attempt to learn Battle Magic at the Grey College. (1 College Favour per attempt)
    [ ] Attempt to gain control of one of your Arcane Marks (specify which)
    [ ] Try to see through Pall of Darkness with your improved magical senses.
    [ ] Practice shooting while invisible. (applies to Substance of Shadow and Invisibility)
    [ ] Branulhune's ability to disappear and reappear at a thought allows entirely new forms of combat. Continue to work on them.
    [ ] Attempt to finish off the Grey College spellbook by learning Shadow of Death, Cloak Activity, and the MAPP.

    Research and Publishing:
    [ ] Study an artefact: select which.
    [ ] Write a paper: select which.
    [ ] Write something else: write in.
    Once per turn, you can write a paper or write a 'something else' without spending an action thanks to your Tower of Serenity.
    [ ] The Second Secret of Dhar teaches how to collapse it upon itself. Practice upon local Dhar taint, and very cautiously see if this works with Warpstone.

    Aethyric Vitae (18 gallons):
    [-] Create Orbs of Sorcery solo (requires one of each Power Stone) (insufficient CF)
    Mathilde will have full control over what happens with the resultant Orbs, including the option of presenting the full collection as a shockingly impressive fait accompli. Any Power Stones Mathilde does not have will be acquired for 5 CF each.
    [ ] Create Orbs of Sorcery with College buy-in (no cost)
    Mathilde will not have to source her own materials, but will have to negotiate in advance what happens with the resultant Orbs.
    [-] Investigate how the Vitae reacts to being subjected to power stone creation methods.
    Can only be taken alongside an action to learn how to create power stones.
    [ ] Using the secrets you already know of the Vitae, attempt to weaponize it.

    Enchantment and Spell Creation:
    [ ] Enchant an item: specify what and how (current skill level allows for Fiendishly Complex spells and lower; you may use Windherder to attempt to enchant something with spells from different Winds)
    [ ] Attempt to create a spell (see Approved Spells threadmark)
    [ ] Attempt to codify Rite of Way so that others can learn it.
    [ ] Attempt to capture an Apparition (optional: specify which)
    [ ] Turn a staff (specify for whom) (optional: specify from what)

    Foreign Relations:
    [ ] Involve yourself in current affairs: specify what and how.
    Current examples: Eastern Stirland pacification, Marienburg affair, Black Waters project
    [ ] [ ] [ ] Travel to Nagarythe at the invitation of Ambassador Daroir, and join their eternal war against Naggarothi invaders for three months.

    Personal Relations:
    [ ] Spend time assisting or ingratiating yourself with someone else: specify who and how.
    [ ] Spend time investigating a character without their knowledge: specify who.
    [ ] Wolf is fully grown, very smart, and a Very Good Boy. Train him further. (specify what he will be taught)
    [ ] Wolf is fully grown and very magical. Deepen your familiar bond. (may unlock a new familiar ability; risks obsession)


    The Eastern Imperial Company
    Your share of EIC profits: 200 crowns / turn
    Current Focus of the EIC: Eastern Stirland
    EIC Handler: The Hochlander
    The first AP spent in this category is free. Any additional choices cost 1 AP.
    [ ] EIC: Completely hand over management of the EIC intelligence apparatus to the Hochlander.
    [ ] EIC: Found an auditors division, to make sure the ledgers are in order.
    [ ] EIC: Insert agents into a particular province, cult, company, or institution to start gathering their secrets. (specify who)
    [ ] EIC: Reach out to Roswita, and have the EIC start passing on tips about any tax evasion or other naughtiness by the EIC's rivals.
    [ ] EIC: Improve and expand the EIC's paramilitary river navy. (optional: specify how)
    [ ] EIC: Have the EIC keep tabs on mercenaries so that they can be more easily hired if needed.
    [ ] EIC: Investigate what trade goods the Eonir might be willing to import from the Empire.


    Kron-Azril-Ungol
    Status: Being colonized by a new We, not yet open to the general public.
    The first AP spent in this category is free. Any additional choices cost 1 AP.
    [ ] Go about recruiting an army of scribes so you can start copying entire libraries of material.
    [ ] The many legends about the amount of books contained within and under Castle Drakenhof still haunt you. Organize an expedition to mine the ruins for books.
    [ ] Seek the publishing contacts to start acquiring large amounts of books from a nearby realm (specify which: Bretonnia, Kislev, Tilea/Estalia, Araby)
    Gives wide and easy access within a language, but is subject to local restrictions and is a less efficient use of the Library's acquisition budget than other methods.
    [ ] Seek an exchange arrangement with another Library or a Karak's archives to be able to make copies of their corpus (specify which, eg: Great Library of Marienburg, Great Library of Altdorf, Ancient Library of Carroburg, Karaz-a-Karak Archives, Karak Vlag Archives)
    Difficulty will depend on the size, prestige, and disposition of the library in question, and the relative impressiveness of Kron-Azril-Ungol.
    [ ] Seek an agreement with a Cult to have access to their libraries (specify which, eg: Verenans, Myrmidians, Sigmarites)
    Difficulty will vary heavily depending on the Cult in question, but can allow access to rare tomes and esoteric subjects.
    [ ] Set up a no-questions-asked bounty system for books within the Cult of Ranald
    Results will be unreliable and depending on what is sought may result in blowback, but this may allow you to acquire books that would otherwise be entirely inaccessible.


    Ranald's Coin - specify which face it will be set to
    [ ] The Gambler: specify an action this will apply to.
    A +20 bonus to up to two dice rolls resulting from a single chosen action.
    [ ] The Night Prowler
    As long as you are outside of private property and within a town or city, nobody will question your presence and nobody will be able to find you if you do not wish them to.
    [ ] The Deceiver: specify how this will be used.
    Lies you have developed beforehand will be delivered perfectly. The listener may believe you to be mistaken, but they will never believe that you are lying. Cannot be used to tell truths.
    [ ] The Protector
    When you act in a way that defends an individual or group from a danger that you did not cause, they will become aware of what you have done and will believe you acted selflessly in doing so. Rule of thumb: if you have to explain why this might apply, it probably doesn't.
    [ ] The Father
    Ranald's daughters, and Their followers, will recognize you as being worthy of trust and faith.


    Ranald's Coin (note from Ranald: don't)
    Vampire skulls
    Branulhune - investigate the odd flash when it is desummoned underwater

    Books and rubbings from an Asur explorer of Lustria and the Southlands
    Ghyran Nut
    Kurgan Shrine to Mannslieb
    Kurgan enchanted weapons
    Note: Fresh and Refreshed papers confer a +10 bonus; faded ones a -10 malus.
    Papers get one step less 'fresh' each turn: Fresh; Fading; Mostly Faded: Faded. Only the first and last have an effect on the diceroll.

    Observations on the Windfall north of the Dark Lands (FADED)
    Comprehensive notes on possible terrain obstacles (FADED)
    Waaagh energy and magic witnessed during the Expedition (FADED)
    The Black Orc Warboss' worship of Only Gork, and what you saw of the Rogue Idol ritual (FADED)

    Preliminary paper on Aethyric Vitae (TIMELESS)
    Coins of Nehekhara's Fifth Dynasty (TIMELESS)


    You can literally write the book on a topic for the same amount of effort as two papers; this can be split over multiple turns. You don't need to have all the pieces to do so, but it would be more efficient and impressive if you did.
    Windsoak Mushrooms (missing: Chamon, Shyish) (1/2 completed)
    The Currency of Strygos
    The Currency of Tylos
    Coins of Nehekhara's Fourth Dynasty
    Coins of Nehekhara's Sixth Dynasty


    - There will be a eight twenty hour moratorium. Voting will be in plan format.
    - The option 'Experiment with integrating the Vitae into enchantments' has been removed, as Mathilde is now familiar enough with the substance and its reactions to be confident that there's no useful applications or new information to be found by pursuing it.
    - A map of the Old World's Waystone nexuses based on Mathilde's current knowledge and speculations can be found     here, courtesy of @ScarabShell
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Boney said:
    Kragg has called the blade 'Branithune', and though as a verb it could be interpreted straightforwardly as 'practicing Branulhune', as a noun it is very easy to interpret it along the lines of 'precocious beardling who's up past their bedtime'. You suppose that's what you get for coming to Kragg with a job he feels unworthy of his skills, and there's not many on the continent who'd get off so lightly if they did so.
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    …Honestly, I imagine all those who could get away with that can probably be counted on a single hand. Maybe even with fingers to spare.

    Also goddamn that is such a grandpa move. It's almost as if he actually cares. :V
     
    Out of all members if the project, Mathilde is probably by far the most mobile, with her personal gyrocarriage and wizard pilot. Therefore it makes sense for her to engage in the action that involves the most travel. I think we should take at least one "Waystone: Mapping" action.

    This would also follow into researching leylines - during the initial meeting, the amount of data on leylines Mathilde had was close to zero.
     
    [] Plan King Rodrigo's Call
    -[ ] Attempt to capture an Apparition
    -[] Waystone: Nexuses (Los Cabos)
    -[] Waystone: Mapping (Estalia, Tilea)
    -[ ] Using the secrets you already know of the Vitae, attempt to weaponize it.
    -[ ] Branulhune's ability to disappear and reappear at a thought allows entirely new forms of combat. Continue to work on them.

    Simple plan I came up with covering the stuff I am interested in for a number of reasons.

    Is it optimized? Probably not.

    Does it cover the bases I would like to get to? Yes.

    Would Rodrigo try and pull a Freddy Kruger and stab me in my dreams if I did not push to study the blade and his realm? Absolutely yes.

    (Also I may or may not manage to get more of my Windseeker series up if we did go to Estalia, though fair's fair I might just do more anyway unless Boney yells at me)
     
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    I wonder how many Greys will start practicing our new Sword Style with their own shadow weapons. Manifesting and dispelling as quickly as a blink and striking like a cannon. And will there be shadow wizards who'll simply go full crazy and use shadow weapons and shadow steed to act as cavalry?:drevil:
     
    Voikirium said:
    Attempt to bring an Order into the Waystone Project (Damsels)
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    Probably won't work. Mathilde was already told in no uncertain terms that to bring them in she needs tangible results to show.

    Boney said:
    you manage to ensnare the Damsel that had come with the Bretonnian delegates in conversation. "We are, in the abstract, not uninterested," she says with a coy smile once you broach the subject of the Waystone Project.
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    Boney said:
    But if you were to come to us with something more tangible than dreams, then perhaps we might be tempted."
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    I think I would prefer to vote for a plan that goes all in on Waystone-ing. We need to get rolling on that.
     
    Voikirium said:
    [] Plan King Rodrigo's Call
    -[ ] Attempt to capture an Apparition
    -[] Waystone: Nexuses (Los Cabos)
    -[] Waystone: Mapping (Estalia, Tilea)
    -[ ] Using the secrets you already know of the Vitae, attempt to weaponize it.
    -[ ] Branulhune's ability to disappear and reappear at a thought allows entirely new forms of combat. Continue to work on them.

    Simple plan I came up with covering the stuff I am interested in for a number of reasons.

    Is it optimized? Probably not.

    Does it cover the bases I would like to get to? Yes.

    Would Rodrigo try and pull a Freddy Kruger and stab me in my dreams if I did not push to study the blade and his realm? Absolutely yes.

    (Also I may or may not manage to get more of my Windseeker series up if we did go to Estalia, though fair's fair I might just do more anyway unless Boney yells at me)
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    Aule said:
    Probably won't work. Mathilde was already told in no uncertain terms that to bring them in she needs tangible results to show.
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    I have edited the plan to try and grab an apparition instead because I think that's cool.
     
    What action do we need to take to get Waystone Gold from the college?

    Also, regardless of anything else, teaching classes are a must.
     
    Welp since we cannot use Web-Mat on Waystone actions looks like w should keep using it on personal projects to keep generating favor. That is not a bad thing mind, we are still 11 CF down from being able to get those stones, 12 really since we do not want to hit 0 with a constant drain. The shroons will most likely not do it alone or even with just the salamanders added in.
     
    I can't find the Orbs of Sorcery or Apprentice Course actions.

    Does the WEB-MAT "use your employees" countdown start if we assign those employees to other waystone actions?
     
    Personally, i am interested in getting a Lost Child, mostly because of the parallels between them and Mathilde.

    An executed young peasant, like she almost was, and it is an Ulgu Apparition.

    Edit: I have been informed that being attracted to Ulgu is bad for us, so ignore what i said.
     
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