No, that's exactly the stuff you put in a library guarded by giant spiders in a dwarven karak. You just don't put it in the open section.
Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest
- Thread starter Boney
- Start date
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- warhammer warhammer fantasy fantasy be gay do crimes (gay) female protagonist pansexual protagonist ck2 quest divided loyalties mountain vietnam ranald is real this is a dwarf quest (dwarfs) this is maybe an elf quest this is not a vampire quest this is not an empire quest try it and find out open voting
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Protip: Eat enough and they will come.
Source: As of recently obese guy that would prefer that not to be the case.
- Location
- Denial
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Nah, general Necromantic tomes are fine to go in the super restricted, librarians bring you out the specific pages you want and then you go on a list section.
Also I doubt the priest is permanently dead given the vamp wouldn't have had time to properly desecrate the body and Mathilde has the seed.
Mopman43
Mountain-Hermit of Nitpeak
- Location
- Vermont
If somebody could breach Mathilde's personal quarters they could breach VAU.
We will need people to guard the area at the least. And there is only so long a ruler will turn a blinded eye to a large groups of fighters in their territory. So at the very lest we will need to have her give us some of her people to act as guards.
Aaannndddd? Like I'm not seeing the problem?
...if we explain that these big stones funnel away all the bad juju that makes the unliving rise up regularly then stirlands army itself will guard the fucking building site...
Codex
Fantasy Addict
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I have those actually. I just want something more substantial.
I highly doubt we could reinforce the entire VAU library anywhere near to the same degree as our Tower. Gazul's rod is literally chilling in our front lobby after all.
The whole point of the Library is that it will put last Mathy, including the guard sections.
We've probably earned a fair bit of Vampire Hunter favour, especially with the Dreamwalkers. Even if Ionel doesn't survive, his presence here legitimises the Council, and if he is dead, it sort of turns him into some sort of martyr for the rest of the cult, so they'll be more or less happy with us.
We might get something nice out of the dwarves if we strike off a few grudges, but since we broke the dwarf favour system that's a bit trickier to determine.
We might get something nice out of the dwarves if we strike off a few grudges, but since we broke the dwarf favour system that's a bit trickier to determine.
Iirc the dwarfs will get a share of the loot for actually coming here so i don't think we get anything.
Edit: from them i mean.
- Location
- Edmonton
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Lo! I have spent countless ages, mining the depths of my mind and the fandom to discover some answer, and several months hence I came to this conclusion! I even posted here I think.
Karak a Drak > Krak a Drak > Kraka Drak
Why this?
6th edition Dwarfs said:
Tome of Corruption 2e said:
Literally the search for Kraka isn't as bad as the whole Cor-dum Gor-dum debacle but it makes me feel dumb as hell!
EDIT: obviously I could be wrong but its the only thing that makes sense to me without having to find a definition for another friggin type of mountain.
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Burned_Cookie
Very tired girl.
- Location
- Plato´s cave.
- Pronouns
- She/Her/It/Its
What we got from the dwarves is that the dwarves are here at all. We have our agenda, they have theirs, and those happened to align because "LESS VAMPIRES PLEASE" was high up on both.
So, we will soon learn the truth about a very important topic.
Is there Vampires Smut (Smut by vampires for vampires), just vampire smut (Smut by humans about vampires) or just Vampire's Smut (a vampires collection of human smut) in the Warhammer world.
It will be an great discovery.
Is there Vampires Smut (Smut by vampires for vampires), just vampire smut (Smut by humans about vampires) or just Vampire's Smut (a vampires collection of human smut) in the Warhammer world.
It will be an great discovery.
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- Location
- Utrecht
What classification should that smut have?
Decisions, decisions.
--
Goendul decides she wants the smut for herself.
Boss music begins.
Mathilde uses diplomacy! It's super effective.
Mathilde gains trait [Purveyor of Exotic Smut]
Mining Mount Drakenhof, Part 4
"If we don't finish this now, when the Vampire is unaware and almost alone, then someone else will have to do so when it has an army at its back," you say, and then Thori bustles off to see to matters of watchkeeping and encampment while you entrust Johann to the care of the miners while pointing Goendul towards the shaft. By the time she emerges, Thori, Tarni, and Ionel were waiting to hear her assessment.
"It comes out near the top, hidden behind an outcropping," Goendul says as she lands among you. "Practically invisible unless you know where to look, and partially clogged with rubble from the castle. Judging by the width and the clawmarks inside it, it's too narrow for the terrorgheist to fly all the way through, it has to clamber through the bends. We should have about two minutes of warning between it hitting my Magic Alarm and it reaching this chamber."
Thori nods. "The lads will have to stay in their armour, but at least they'll be able to get some food and sleep. What's the plan?"
You run through a mental list of possible spells. "I don't believe there's anything either of us has that can make a Vampire more directly susceptible to damage, so our best bet is to do some damage ourselves with the first volley of spells. We'll hit it once it arrives in the room, then the Ironbreakers focus on surrounding it and its steed and bringing them down."
"Urannon's, then Curse," Goendul says, nodding.
"Not Chain Lightning?" you ask.
"If the Vampire is riding the terrorgheist, Urannon's will get them both."
"Ah, I see. I've got a bound scaled-up Fireball, and afterwards I'll either engage it in melee or hit them with Melkoth's."
"Tarni?" Thori asks.
"I've got a set of bolts that contain a number of the common Vampiric weaknesses. If we're really lucky it'll be vulnerable to gromril."
"Abbot Ionel?"
He smiles and flexes his hand on the haft of his walking stick. "This close to the Drak, I believe I can be of assistance."
Thori waits for further elaboration, but when none is forthcoming he moves on. "Very well. When's the most likely time for the Vampire to return?"
"My best guess would be around dawn, either shortly before or shortly after," Ionel says. "Either it seeks to avoid sunlight altogether and will be here before the sun rises, or it will conclude whatever grim business it is on with the sunrise and travel here then." Tarni considers this, and nods in agreement.
"Right then, I'll have some of the lads doing sweeps around this chambers and the Miners' one outside of that window. Everyone make what prayers and preparations you deem fit."
---
"Lady Magister?" a deeply worried voice says, and you open your eyes to see a circle of concerned-looking Ironbreakers around you. "There's, your, erm, I think..." The Ironbreaker trails off and simply points, and you turn your head to see a small fire flickering happily away as it eats at the corner of your bedroll.
"Ah," you say, slapping it out as casually as you can. "Yes. That happens from time to time. It's a Zhufokri thing." The Ironbreakers nod in understanding and disperse once more as you frown at the blackened mark on your bedroll. You vaguely recall a crowd of people dressed in outfits of eight different colours being given uniforms and sent off to war, as Prince Vladimir with Regimand's beard cautioned you against doing something so powerful and efficient. Bloody Sylvania.
An interminable amount of time staring moodily at the fire later the alarm goes very quietly up in the form of Goendul murmuring to Thori. Thori nods to the nearest Ironbreaker and then it spreads from Dwarf to Dwarf in nudges and nods as helmets are donned and fires are doused. A minute later the room is almost completely dark again as the Ironbreakers form a ring around the part of the room below the shaft, then with a final round of nods from the Dwarves the last lantern is extinguished and the room is as silent and still as it must have been before this Vampire decided to move in. Among this ring of gromril is yourself, Dragonflask in one hand and staff in the other.
A scrabbling sound of claws on stone approaches and then grows in volume beyond any reasonable level, and you have to sidestep a small avalanche of rubble as the bulk of the terrorgheist makes its way down the crooked shaft. To your Magesight it is a sinewy beast of Ghur with only a few veins of Dhar running through it, matching Tarni's assessment of it as not yet transformed, but looking at the sheer size of it you find yourself doubting that it could possibly be anything less than fully grown.
[Mathilde: 74+23=97.][Goendul: 51+20=71.][Ionel: 91+?=?.][Tarni: 15+?=?.]
On the bright side, the sheer bulk of the beast makes it an easy target. The medium of Dwarven whiskey delivers a payload of Aqshy into your mouth and then the world transforms into brightness and heat as the oversized fireball expels itself from your face and tears through the air directly upwards and into the torso of the dangling, oversized bat, and your senses return to a world that is filled with the shrieking of an enormous bat and the stench of burning fur as it falls flailing to the stone.
[Ironbreakers vs terrorgheist: 59+25=84 vs 42+10=52.]
[Ironbreakers vs Vampire: 86+25=111 vs 87+25=112.]
[Mathilde: 14+29=43.] [Goendul:23+20=43.][Ionel: 1+?=?.][Tarni: 45+?=?.]
Wisps of Ulgu and strands of Azyr envelop the thrashing terrorgheist in magics to further weaken it as the Ironbreakers descend upon it with axes and hammers swinging, but the density of magical energies this results in blinds you for just long enough to the trajectory of the beast's erstwhile passenger, who has flung itself free of both the impact and the arcane ensorcellations levelled against it. But not, in seems, the divine. Gurgling in outrage as swampwater curdles its bellyful of blood and spills from its fanged maw, it somehow manages to hone in on the source of its discomfort and leaps across the room at Ionel, claws flashing and sending the priest sprawling across the stone before the Ironbreakers nearest it manage to interpose themselves between the two, shields raised high.
[Ironbreakers vs Vampire: 76+25=101 vs 23+25=48.]
[Mathilde: 54+23=77.] [Tarni:78+25=103.]
Leaving the still-thrashing terrorgheist to Goendul, you summon your sword and join the Ironbreakers in pressing the bestial Vampire back. Its claws find no purchase on gromril shields, and prove only slightly able to parry Branulhune, as its attempt to catch your blade does succeed in altering its course enough to save its unnatural life, but costs it most of a hand in doing so. It starts to backpedal, its red eyes darting around the room for an escape, but then it abruptly slumps forward, the back third of a crossbow quarrel protruding from the back of its head. You don't hesitate in stepping forward and taking its head off before it has a chance to recover, and it's only your relative lack of encumberment that allowed you to beat the Ironbreakers to it.
You look over to the terrorgheist, which seems to have stilled, and then go over to check on Ionel, who has propped himself up against a wall and is smearing some sort of faintly-glowing mould over the long but shallow cuts across his torso, his brow creased in concentration and an occasional shiver going through him. "Do you need healing?" you ask him.
He takes a breath to answer you, wincing as he does so. "No," he gasps out, and then groans out the rest of the breath before he has a chance to elaborate. You can guess what he might have been about to say, though - a scar earned in battle with a Vampire at Castle Drakenhof would bring much-needed prestige to the least-known son of Manhorak, and legitimacy to Ionel as His representative. You nod and leave him to it.
"Huh," Tarni says, finally managing to yank free the bolt that had felled the Vampire from its decapitated head and examining its tip. "Ithilmar, of all things."
"Is that significant?" you ask.
"It's an uncommon weakness, but not unknown. It might help identify it, it's the sort of thing Vampire Hunters keep records about." She turns the head around and frowns at its face. "I'll take a sketch of its face as well. Hopefully that will be enough."
You consider the head, and wonder how many outstanding Grudges are still levelled against Vampires who have since been felled and interred in the Empire or Tilea or Bretonnia without their name ever being recorded. Are the Grudges considered inherited by the rest of the bloodline after too much time elapses without the culprit being sighted, or do they forever linger in limbo, an indelible weight on the Dwarven psyche? Questions like these, you suppose, are why Grudgelore is an entire field of scholarship.
"Any casualties?" you ask Thori as you reach him.
"Bruises all around, but that terrorgheist was dying before it hit the ground. It might not be the sort of thing songs are sung about, but ambushes certainly get the job done. Aught else left but the looting."
You nod. "When the Ironbreakers and Miners get to mapping the place, make sure they come find me if they find anything intact. Necromantic traps can be nasty if you walk right into them."
---
[Rolling...]
The first chamber you are summoned to is a sealed door on the far side of what seems to have been a small armoury, but has been quite thoroughly looted at some point. The door bears the scratch and scorch marks of several failed attempts to breach it, and after eyeing the door for a while and weighing the risk of using Substance of Shadow - any fire within would have long since gone out, but it's far from implausible that there might be a glowing chunk of warpstone on the other side - you instead borrow the expertise of the miners and blast the hinges loose from the stone walls. Within you find exactly what you had been hoping for - the private study of some absent Vampire, papers still scattered across a writing desk, notes left half-written, ink long-evaporated and the quill having molted away to a bare shaft.
The notes prove to mostly be in Reikspiel, but leaning heavily on what seems to be Sylvanian and Low Nehekharan jargon, and record the writer's attempts to parse two similar but contradictory prophecies - the Prophecies of Nospheratus, wherein a 'Pale Prince' brings about an 'Age of Blood', and the Vampire Prophecies of the Scrolls of Zandri, wherein a 'Champion of Night' brings about an 'Age of a Thousand Thrones'. This whets your anticipation even further, and sure enough within the scroll brackets you find copies of some of the infamous Scrolls of Zandri, Tilea's equivalent to the Liber Mortis. Plundered from the Nehekharan fleetport of Zandri during the Great Crusades, among the very many writings taken back to Tilea were the transcriptions of the words of the Necrarch progenitor W'soran during the fall of Lahmia that scattered the Vampire bloodlines. Composed of ream after ream of ramblings, rantings, portents, promises of vengeance, terrifying insights, idle thoughts, and musings on the nature of life and death, these scrolls - among very many others - so rattled the Tileans that had stolen them that they invested all of their looted wealth into the founding of the Priory of the Spear, the order of Myrmidian Vampire Hunters. And in the bookshelves, among many varied books on prophecies and their interpretation, you find the counterpart: the Prophecies of Nospheratus, bound in human skin.
You'd have to learn Nehekharan to even begin to try to extract anything from the scrolls, but they'd make quite a crown jewel in your library, or a great icebreaker for dealing with the Priory of the Spear. And the books on prophecy have been drawn from quite a wide selection, including some sources that aren't usually the types to share their insights.
---
The second discovery is one that would have been very easy to overlook: one mausoleum in a mountain riddled with them. But this one is not built as a simple storehouse for the dead, the necromantic equivalent of an armoury, nor as a morbid resting place for Vampires. This is the final resting place of the last human ruler of Sylvania, Otto von Drak, who married his daughter to a mysterious foreign stranger by the name of Vlad von Carstein. This is the memorial to the legitimization of the rule of the von Carstein bloodline, the cornerstone of the Vampiric claim on Sylvania. To you, this is a curiosity, but to Roswita Van Hal and to whoever she ends up putting in charge of Sylvania - you'd heard a rumour that a minor noble by the name of Nyklaus had actually shown some interest in the task - this could be used to cement the claims of human hands on this corrupted province.
Or so you had consoled yourself, until your search of the burial goods uncovers an enormous tome in a chest, the name of which you recognize - The Creeping Flesh. Written by one of the apprentices of Frederick van Hal, this tome is second only to the Book of Gaelen in advancing the knowledge of medicine within the Empire, but it is as suppressed as it is sought after because the knowledge within it was gathered by and for the more physical aspects of necromancy, and the insights it provides for physicians and healers is only incidental. It's easy to understand why this was merely tucked away as one memento among many in the grave goods of a long-dead noble - why would Vlad have any use for his own insights filtered through several generations of mortal fumbling? But the original and complete Creeping Flesh, written in the hand of generation after generation of Von Draks, is quite a collector's item for a nascent library, even if it's the sort of thing one shouldn't brag about too loudly.
---
On a hunch, you spent some time carefully scouring the tunnels near the mausoleum, and it didn't take long until you found the section of wall that gave way to a pull on a wall sconce and a hefty shove. Behind it, you find not the sort of thing that you were hoping for, but perhaps the kind of thing the you of twenty years ago might have expected to find behind a hidden door. A realm of delicate silks, soft lightings and cushioned surfaces, the sort of bedroom one might describe as a boudoir. This, you begin to suspect, may have once been the hidden pied-à-terre of Vlad and Isabella von Carstein, a place where they could shut out all distractions and focus on either pet projects or each other as the mood took them. It has also been carefully but thoroughly ransacked, every drawer pulled out, every cushion upended, every bookshelf stripped bare. Wardrobes and dressers hang open, showing a dizzying variety of underthings and delicates, some so delicate as to be sheer. You find one cabinet curiously closed where every other hangs ajar and open it, and after considering the even more esoteric form of bedroom accoutrement stored within, you do as the preceding ransacker must have done and close it once more.
You do find something of interest amongst the stripped-bare shelves surrounding a writing desk: a sheaf of papers covered in Nehekharan script that, judging by some of the diagrams, are an investigation into an enchantment placed upon a ring. It is not much of a leap to speculate which ring might have been under investigation: the Carstein Ring, the source of Vlad von Carstein's ability to recover from any wound within a single day, a feat that greatly outstripped any other Vampire. Its disappearance from his hand sealed the end of the First Vampire War, and the one responsible for its disappearance is believed by many to be Mannfred von Carstein, whose magical prowess is said to have outstripped any other of the bloodline, and was second only to his arrogance. So, you speculate, Mannfred returns from the First Vampire War, his progenitor's blood on his hands and his rings on his finger, and goes about looting the quarters of his former master. He takes all of Vlad's books, but in his arrogance leaves Vlad's notes behind. If he has the ring and believes he has outstripped his master, then what use would he have for his master's attempts at understanding the ring?
And, it occurs to you, if Vlad was studying the ring, then he cannot be the creator of the ring. There's very few possible candidates for who its creator might have been.
Doing another lap of the room with an eye not quite as narrowly focused on the written word, you note that the furnishings of the room and the jewellery left untouched would represent a not insignificant value if sold, especially if they had a frisson of the forbidden about them. You also eye the silk sheets of the bed, which is a luxury that still remains frustratingly out of your reach, though you're not sure if sheets taken from the marriage bed of Vlad and Isabella would be any better than ones taken from a Druchii.
---
As the Dwarves confirm that the entire catacombs are mapped and explored, and as Johann regains consciousness and complains to anyone who will listen of tingling in his golden extremities, you force yourself to accept the fact that you're probably not the first to have scoured the tunnels of Castle Drakenhof in the three centuries since the end of the Vampire Wars. Countless numbers of Vampires and Necromancers have probably had the same idea you had and taken the treasures of legend off to parts unknown. You quietly mourn the death of your dream of discovering the entire and untouched library of Mannfred von Carstein, complete with the Liber Necris as its centrepiece, and turn your attention to planning what to do with what you have found.
First are the skulls of the Strigoi and the Varghulf, which will be turned over to your care to join your existing collection. Though they might prove interesting research subjects one day, to everyone else present they are merely a burden that they are happy to allow you to take upon yourself. Second are the books on prophecy, which are benign, and the Prophecies of Nospheratus, which is creepy but unknown, and so there's no obstacle to claiming them for yourself.
After that, things get trickier. There's the various items of silk and precious metals, which could be sold for a not insignificant sum, and the body of a subadult but very large terrorgheist that has already been butchered into various rare and valued components. Though the Dwarves came here primarily to settle grudges, going home with a profit will put a significant skip in their step. Alternatively, the Council of Manhorak would undoubtedly appreciate a contribution of such liquidatable assets in thanks for their contribution, though your own wallet would likewise benefit from it - though you vaguely recall something about a vow of poverty that might object to that sort of thing. There's also the question of whether you're going to claim those silk sheets for yourself or not, though that's more of a personal matter than a question of diplomacy.
[ ] [MONEY] Zhufbar
[ ] [MONEY] Council of Manhorak
[ ] [MONEY] You
[ ] [SHEETS] Yes
[ ] [SHEETS] No
Then there's the books of Benedicta von Carstein. While there's no question that the corpse is going to be turned over to the Morrites, also turning over the books of her armarium, which contain a great deal of information on Morr, Vampires, and the Undead, would make it a much more meaningful gesture that could get you in the Cult's good books. Or turning it over to someone else to claim that credit could get you in their good books instead. Or, of course, the books could go to your library.
[ ] [ARMARIUM] Cult of Morr
[ ] [ARMARIUM] Council of Manhorak
[ ] [ARMARIUM] Order of Guardians
[ ] [ARMARIUM] You
The Vampire Prophecies of the Scrolls of Zandri are as touchy a subject as the Liber Mortis, though the fact that they're written in Nehekharan instead of plain Reikspiel means you'd be able to hand them over to some proper authority without drawing too much paranoia. Though they're named for the Prophecies that are the most famous feature of them, they also contain every errant thought that W'Soran gave voice to during the siege of Lahmia, making them a treasure trove of horrifically dangerous insight. The Priory of the Spear, of course, have the originals and would likely be very interested in taking an illicit copy of them out of circulation. The Templars of the Empire would also be interested in expanding their own repertoire of two-steps-removed-from-Nagash forbidden writings to try to draw actionable information out of. Or you could smuggle them out of here and into your own library to keep the Liber Mortis company.
[ ] [SCROLLS] Priory of the Spear
[ ] [SCROLLS] Templars
[ ] [SCROLLS] You
The Creeping Flesh is... not quite forbidden, not to a Lady Magister. In the balance of things, its contributions to medicine have probably done more good than its contributions to necromancy have done ill, and for that reason turning it over to the Cult of Verena or the University of Altdorf as a morbid but prestigious centrepiece of a literary collection would be an entirely legitimate way to make friends. The Cult of Morr, on the other hand, very much disapprove of the book because of it being such a product of and contributor to the grim industry of body snatching, and so turning it over to them would be an entirely righteous way to make friends - or a good way for the Council of Manhorak to make friends of them. Or you could claim it for the glory of your own library.
[ ] [FLESH] Cult of Verena
[ ] [FLESH] University of Altdorf
[ ] [FLESH] Cult of Morr
[ ] [FLESH] Council of Manhorak
[ ] [FLESH] You
Then there's the study notes of the Carstein Ring. There's absolutely no laundering this. Notes in the hand of Vlad von Carstein as he studies the necromantic enchantment that may have been created by Nagash himself is the sort of thing that the only legitimate response to is to burn. But it's not like this is the first time you've been faced with this sort of choice, and you do wonder if Vlad's insights into enchantment would be as educational to you as his insights into necromancy were...
[ ] [RING] Burn
[ ] [RING] Take
- There will be a three hour moratorium.
- You could claim everything for yourself without annoying anyone, but spreading the joy around a bit is the sort of thing that makes people want to be involved in future adventures.
- Mathilde's skills are such that she will have no problem smuggling out the scrolls and notes undetected, if she so chooses.
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I'd say we should keep all the books for our library but give away the monetary loot (and the sheets).
Generally, it's been a pretty meagre haul even if we keep all the books, so we should add them to our library in the hope they'll come in handy in future.
On the ringlore, studying Nagash's enchantment techniques may well be very valuable, as it anything that interacts with vampiric resurrection, as knowing how to accelerate it might help with learning how to prevent or delay it.
Generally, it's been a pretty meagre haul even if we keep all the books, so we should add them to our library in the hope they'll come in handy in future.
On the ringlore, studying Nagash's enchantment techniques may well be very valuable, as it anything that interacts with vampiric resurrection, as knowing how to accelerate it might help with learning how to prevent or delay it.
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Mopman43
Mountain-Hermit of Nitpeak
- Location
- Vermont
Oh god.
- Location
- his hidden lair
I mean, it's not like we're even more doomed for having Vlad's notes and the Prophecies of Zandri right? In for a penny, in for a pound of flesh and all that 
The Creeping Flesh could probably go to the Verenans to ope the door for transcribing some of their books.
The Creeping Flesh could probably go to the Verenans to ope the door for transcribing some of their books.
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Holly Unholy shit.
This is the motherload of dark lore. I want those scrolls of W'soran so bad to go with our Liber Mortis, but I think the thread is broadly too risk adverse to grab it.
This is the motherload of dark lore. I want those scrolls of W'soran so bad to go with our Liber Mortis, but I think the thread is broadly too risk adverse to grab it.
The Phoenixian
The Glacier Witch
- Location
- My own little world
Dang.
No tax records.
No tax records.
[ ] [RING] Take - seems like a no-brainer, our pal Vlad is too reliable and insightful a source, especially when only other option is just burning this notes. It's not like our already existing necromantic collection is not enough to burn us on a stake in case of discovery.
No, that's the ARMARIUM vote.
So we're learning Nehekaran next turn, right guys?
I mean, it's been on my to do list for a while now, but yeah, lets get that locked in as quickly as possible.
All the books, and the notes, for ourselves.
The money can go to the Council, I like them.
Silk sheets... I have no opinion on.
I mean, it's been on my to do list for a while now, but yeah, lets get that locked in as quickly as possible.
All the books, and the notes, for ourselves.
The money can go to the Council, I like them.
Silk sheets... I have no opinion on.
