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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Boney said:
Mathilde looks at Qrech and sees his cunning and tenacity and ambition and mistrust and up until this exact conversation if given a chance he'd probably still kill and eat her if he thought he stood a chance of getting back to Clan Moulder with a story that made him look good. Eike sees oh my god look at his little paws, his little inkstained paws, and his little whiskers and oh my god his little GLASSES and oh my god he thinks he's dying because none of them live long enough to get old so he doesn't know what getting old is oh my god what is the protocol for rats do you cuddle them or pat them or what
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…eike is my new fav chac also damm she right too!
 
Boney said:
He stares at you a while before answering. "Qrech is old," he says frankly. "And I have never known anyone older than I am now that did not owe it to the Grey Seers or the Master Moulders or the Warlock Engineers. Qrech is strong, but not stronger than everyone I have known who died younger. Why do I still live?"
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Zero warpstone exposure in... eight and a half years, I suspect. Probably in better health than most of the under-empire.
 
I suspect that Mathilde's tendency to solve problems with murder is going to clash with Eike's compassion. She seems the sort that would feel bad about that, potentially to the point of becoming a problem. I suspect she'll end up closer to a "spy" type grey wizard than whatever mathilde is doing.
 
Boney said:
Mathilde looks at Qrech and sees his cunning and tenacity and ambition and mistrust and up until this exact conversation if given a chance he'd probably still kill and eat her if he thought he stood a chance of getting back to Clan Moulder with a story that made him look good. Eike sees oh my god look at his little paws, his little inkstained paws, and his little whiskers and oh my god his little GLASSES and oh my god he thinks he's dying because none of them live long enough to get old so he doesn't know what getting old is oh my god what is the protocol for rats do you cuddle them or pat them or what
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Same, Eike.
 
Chlof said:
Zero warpstone exposure in... eight and a half years, I suspect. Probably in better health than most of the under-empire.
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Plus, there's a good chance that large parts of the Under-Empire eat that aggressiveness-inducing goop Panoramia was experimenting with as potential livestock feed, given how easy it is to grow. I'm pretty sure Qrech hasn't been fed anything like that in captivity either.
 
Boney said:
Of course, this is all just supposition on your part. It could be that Skaven senescence is fundamentally different to that of humans and he really is on the verge of death from old age. But it wouldn't be the first time you told him a lie to put a wedge between him and his former society. And if he dies a little happier for thinking he still has plenty of years ahead of him, then you don't see any harm in that
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I imagine all the warpstone doping doesn't help.
 
Lol, I was right. Mathilde's idea of a minor secret was to read Eike into the Conspiracy of Silence.

And then to induct her into the ongoing project to find out more about the Skaven society, someone could say, despite it.
 
I'm a bit concerned that Eike's first encounter with a skaven being one that's been unintentionally rehabilitated for years and having an honest to god mid-life crisis over the fact he get's a mid-life might skew her impression of the race dangerously. I doubt Mathilde won't contrast this example, and It's good to see Eike has some innate compassion. It just naturally makes me afraid for her sake in a world like Warhammer, especially as a Grey Wizard.
 
Sparsebeard said:
So... how big is it if Mathilde succeeds in truly convincing Qrech to join Karak-8-Peaks and he gives up all the information he has?
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It would be a quiet, small, upset. Having living proof that Skaven can change and learn wouldn't mean much to 99% of people, it doesn't change much about the actual threat and problems the Skaven Under-Empire represents. But maybe the aftershocks might be enough change things a little. Hopefully for the better, but don't put too much belief on one example being enough to change the world. More Norscans have turned their backs on the worship and culture of their people and it hasn't changed either the general opinion of Norscans or the geopolitical opinion of their nation.

Plus, most of his information has already been passed on with both Queekish and his books on Chaos Dwarfs and the wastelands to the West. Not to mention anything he knows is almost a decade out of date.
 
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...I wonder if Eike will be around when Mathilde meets (apparently) the Dark Elves. She's certainly getting a feel for just how weird Mathilde's life is. It will be very funny if she takes this for a norm.
 
MrHobbit said:
"flying three flags depicting an eye, a pegasus, and a hydra"

I don't have the army book, but there are a few Total War: Warhammer Dark Elf factions that have banners that match those.

The eye might be the Drackla Coven. The pegasus is almost certainly the Cult of Pleasure, Morathi's faction, and the hydra could be Clar Karond.

The first two seem to definitely be magic related, and it's not like it would be impossible for a sorceror to come from Clar Karond. Or it could just be a matter of ship procurement.
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I can't think that this would be an expected diplomatic meeting with a stolen ship, so I think they're actually Druchii. And given the flags, it's unlikely they're refugees or defectors or what have you. Realistically, it's a tentative and probing meeting to establish common ground, nothing super serious. The Eonir opened up enough to let us and the rest of the Project members in, after all - the next logical step is making overtures towards Naggaroth and Ulthuan.

It'd be... unfortunate, if the people involved were going to be guests of Tor Lithanel much like we are, but not horribly so. Probably worth an action or two of looking into them with the Night-Prowler? But they wouldn't be utterly bold as to start blatant shit in the middle of a foreign city that knows they're there, with the reputation they have.

And... this is my inner paranoid speaking but the worst case scenario here is that someone leaked the Project and then the Druchii heard and decided they wanted a piece of the pie. Wouldn't that be a kick in the nuts? That right after we realized that we needed the right pass-codes from Ulthuan or Naggaroth for the leylines, some of the latter's people just happened to show up?

shepsquared said:
Did the hypnotic memory info dumps get phased out by the Grey Order or does Mathilde just not bother noting Eike's reaction to it?
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IIRC Mathilde's were given to her by Regimand, so presumably it's a thing individual Masters do, and which Mathilde may need to supervise.

Edit: Eshin'd!
 
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Eike the apprentice? All well and good. Qrech? All well and good. Coming Attractions? All unwell and not good. All in all, an amazing update as always-

- but where is Qrech's dog, is Qrech's dog okay, please don't tell me it's been so long that his dog has passed on and I missed that somehow
 
Boney said:
He glances up to your shoulder, where you once wore a sword and now wear your staff instead, though not for the reason you think Qrech is assuming. "And have not been supplanted?"
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Just a quick fact-check here Boney, but Mathilde received Branulhune on Turn 21 (Part 3), which is before the Battle of Karagril where we captured Qrech as a prisoner. I don't think she would've worn Branulhune on her back anymore from that point on. Perhaps tweaking this slightly would fit more?
 
Boney said:
"Have you been poisoning or potioning or magicking me?" he asks abruptly, turning his gaze to you.

You frown as you consider that. You used to ensorcel him before making changes to his prison, but in recent years the only changes necessary have been those that he requested. "Not in many years. Why do you ask?"
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I love this answer. On the one hand, yes, Mathilde did use magic on him, and Qrech would never have believed her if she just said no. It fits his understanding of the world just enough to make him accept the implications. Namely, that even if she didn't originally, she does trust him now not to need it. Has trusted him, in fact, for a very long time, which is shocking enough. Combined with the rest of the conversation, which—kinda sorta if you squint the right way—looks like Mathilde saying he would be protected if he could be a part of human society, it's got to be giving him some massive confusion.
 
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