Lots of power fantasies and donut steels, and they seem to really be into the dynamic of someone who thinks they're a top being out-topped. They definitely respect double-dealing and treachery, but they also seem to place value on knowing when and where to apply it. The expectation is that people will go along with arrangements when they're beneficial or when they don't have the upper hand to renegotiate them, instead of just stabbing every back that might be in reach for the sake of stabbing backs. Betrayal as an exercise of ambition, rather than for its own sake.
The James Bond books would not be out of place in the Druchii corpus... though that might say more about the James Bond books than the Druchii.
James Bond being an idealised Druchii hero was not a take I was expecting, but having read a Bond novel, is one I am fully on board with.
And as awful as the Bond novels are, this is actually kinda reassuring to me—James Bond might be a violent, misogynistic sociopath, but he's one with a pretty clear cut mission and everything he does is in service to that mission. He doesn't betray people for the lols, he betrays people because it advances his objectives.
The Druchii won't backstab us unless it's to their profit to do that—and I've seen nothing to suggest that screwing over the Empire in economic and political relations would do that.
The Druchii's main objective is to screw over the Asur. Propping up the rival of one of the Asur's client states through trade and military support is a pretty good way of doing that, and one we can benefit from massively.
Also I find it a bit... Odd that we've done a full 180 from "we can't give the Druchii a political foothold because they'll divide and conquer the Empire like the British did to India" to "Actually, it's okay for the Asur to divide and conquer the Empire like the British did to India because the Asur are defenders of the Civilised World, much like how the British Empire were the defenders of the Civilised World".
Like, the Asur hold literally Imperialistic views, and barely consider the human nations to be "civilised". They had colonies in Araby. Marienburg is a colony in all but name. And we've heard rumours that Erengard in Kislev is looking to Marienburg as an example. If that's not evidence enough that the Asur are trying to break apart the Old World so they have exclusive control over every port, then I don't know what is.
But it's okay, because they are the good guys, and thousands of them die defending
democracy the Vortex, and that gives them the moral right to dictate policy to other nations.
My point is, the Asur are not some sort of idealised, objective "good". That doesn't exist in this setting. They are people. Rude, arrogant, haughty people, with a longstanding imperialistic culture and the possession and guardianship of a major feat of magical work left behind by their ancestors.
And it's not wrong to tell them to get off their fucking high horse and treat with us like equals, or else we'll go to their rivals who actually seem interested in sharing actionable information with us about the world, about magic, and about the military movements of fleets across the sea.
The Empire is not a child to be condescended to by the high and might Asur—they are a powerful and rich culture that deserves equal standing and respect, and if they have to get that respect by considering offers from the Druchii before the Asur wake up, then so be it.
No, they're not, but the Waystone network was built everywhere. This was even before the sundering so there's no reason the elves couldn't, wouldn't, build them in Naggarond/Norsca. Though how much effort, again, they put into maintaining them i've no idea.
I expect not much. Ones full of murderous dark god worshiping assholes. The other is full of Norscans.
I thought it was heavily implied that the Waystone network was limited to the Old World—there aren't any in the Badlands or the Darklands, and they only built three in Kislev (with the Ice Witches somehow building a fourth).
