Firstly, regarding the Cooperation option - I would say it's solidly the second best option, but just because Ulthuan coughs up the Waystone knowledge doesn't mean it will be actually usable in the immediate term. If anything, it's probably based on High Magic, which no one but them can use. I've no doubt it will be valuable in terms of magical scholarship regardless, but still - it will be one more research option that only a handful of people in the Empire are qualified or have the clearance to work on. Don't get me wrong, more Waystone knowledge is good - but Eltharion is literally here because what we have is already good enough for government work. Hell, we might even figure out how to connect our Waystones to the network by ourselves - we don't actually know that we need Ulthuan for that.
I don't necessarily think we've hit the point of diminishing returns, but what we'd be giving up in opportunity cost is enormous - Marienburg.
I'd like to make an argument for Marienburg being possibly the most geopolitically important advantage we can secure, and the best option, and why. I'm not in this just for the 'fuck Marienburg meme' - Marienburg is legitimately a lynchpin that will immediately benefit the Empire and allow us to start kicking Chaos directly in the teeth.
PLAN: THE MARIENBURG CONNECTION
Important parts bolded and underlined. As a refresher,
here is a link to how important Marienburg is by word of Boney himself, but I'll quote here anyway:
Marienburg. The one former elector province of the entire Empire, single-handedly impoverishing the rest by forcing them to either pay their tolls or enormous transit fees on merchant trains to the other realms of Order. If you want to know how important it is, look at just recently when they had to root a full fledged Chaos cult out of one of the ruling families.
If you want to know how important any step towards getting that stranglehold off is - the Empire literally started entertaining overtures from elves who worship rapine, slavery and murder on the mere suggestion they might be able to undo it. If you all were one of the users in thread aghast at that, consider the idea that taking the Marienburg Option here more or less kills that seed of bad idea right here in the cradle by taking it off the table for the Dark Elves.
With assurance of trade and the canal in our favor, we open up unprecedented arteries of trade and navigation in both the north and south of the Empire. The benefits of the southern one is already known - the Karaz Ankor and Karak Eight Peaks newly connected to the Old World and Empire once more.
Marienburg, meanwhile, is enormously rich off just 60 years of separation and gigatolls from the Empire, which is part of what makes them able to stay seceded. Sure, stopping them now doesn't take that wealth away - but it does take their wealth growth from exponential to merely linear.
Opening up our passage through Marienburg lets us get the Imperial Fleet out from Altdorf to start kicking in Norscan doors on the northern shore of the Sea of Claws, which allows us an actual hope of recolonizing and controlling that coastline and making Empire naval power anything but the punchline of a joke. Hell, if you ever wanted to go see if the Norse Dwarves are still kicking, allowing naval passage is the way to do it.
Getting us access again to the Sea of Claws has specific, measurable, tangible benefits for the Empire, Kislev (in having the Imperial Fleet, which they already rely on, even more available), and the Dwarves and Laurelorn (same reason). In all likelihood, it is what the Emperor would want out of this. No, it doesn't bring Marienburg back now, or even separate the Asur from them yet - but we might never have Ulthuan over a barrel like this again.
And for those who like favors - this is the kind of great act that lays the groundwork for Mandred as the first Wizard Emperor, same as Bokha. And if this actually ends up being the first step to bringing Marienburg back in, they might make Mathilde it's Elector Count and I am being so serious when I say so. Who here
wouldn't like to open up the
North Imperial Company?
