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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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see shadowsteed made a month long trip into a week one (so worth it already) and could have been faster . It was a great choice.

Well apparently the count knows something , id try the barrow first tough with the elector count and greatswords and if that fails then haul him in either by yourself somehow or by just arresting him.

and alectai answer seems pretty good.
 
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[X] Report: This deal's getting worse all the time!


[X] Private report: Discreetly Cooperate
-[X] "My Count, it will probably not surprise you to hear that the powers that be are watching closely to see how Stirland will fare under your rule. For example, I was privately contacted by Imperial Intelligence who demanded I also keep them informed of goings-on in this province, threatening that otherwise they'd arm-twist the Grey Order and have me falsely declared rogue. I complied, of course, not wishing to lose my head, nor seeing any reason to keep the Emperor in the dark, but neither do I see any need to keep this from you, my liege. We are all on the same side here, after all."
"Speaking of Imperial Intelligence, they're leaning on your Marshal to provide corroboration, and the threat for him is exposing his history of fraud and embezzlement, which you might want to keep in mind when you consider that signing bonus he proposed. And speaking of goings-on in this province, I've also found that Talabecland is expecting Detlef Schultz to keep theminformed, though I haven't yet discovered his leverage. Wilhelmina, Anton, and Kasmir are either what they appear to be or else better than me at my own job, and no one I know of has threatened them yet, save of course for the fact that the vampires are a threat us all."
"Just so I don't leave anything out, Kasmir's devotion to the Cult of Sigmar may outweigh his secular loyalty to your office, but I imagine you've noticed that already and don't consider it much of a problem because your goals are aligned. And finally, I've bought a cheap residence in the city from which to carry out business with the sort of people that it might be inappropriate to invite to the castle."
 
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Probably want someone else to do up the private report, but I need to take a short break.
 
atrophy said:
see shadowsteed made a month long trip into a week one (so worth it already) and could have been faster . It was a great choice.
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I didn't realize how amazing Shadowsteed was until I sat down and did the math. An average horse can do about 30 miles in a day, a good horse can do 40. If it's important enough that you're willing to risk the horse's health, 50 miles a day is possible. If there's relay stations along the road where you can change horses, 70 miles a day is possible.

A Shadowsteed, which doesn't get tired and moves at a gallop and can go over any damn terrain it feels like, can go thirty miles an hour.
Adhoc vote count started by BoneyM on Jan 24, 2018 at 5:48 AM, finished with 77 posts and 17 votes.
  • [X] Report: This deal's getting worse all the time!
    [X] A dozen centuries of tax ledgers and records don't just vanish. And I may have found them. Let's go raid a tomb.
    [X] Count Petr is definitely tied up in the ledger theft. I can go get him for you, and bring him back in chains.
    [X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and I've got a lead: Julbach.
    [X] I need a proper information network. Please fund me wandering around making friends.
    [X] Private Report: Professor Lucrezio de Verezzo and Anton Kiesiner II
    [X] Private report: Sensible
    [X] Report: This deal's getting worse all the time!
    -[X] "The investigations have been going about as well as can be expected--hardly anybody seems to know what's going on and those who do aren't talking. The good news though is that they still have to move stuff from one place to another overland, and people tend to notice big carts of stuff being moved from place to place. Managed to get a hold of their patsy, and he was rather better than average at remembering what was going on--a bunch of extremely efficient, mysterious people that scare animals with their presence alone--or at least horses, not sure if that's going to be important or not. Either way, it was definitely an enormous pile of books coming from the castle, which means it's almost certainly our missing tax codes. What's deeply unfortunate is that they decided to have him bring them to a burial mound halfway to Julbach, and that's not exactly a place where sane people hide stuff, so we're probably going to want to load for surprises when we go down there and kick in the door--and probably make sure we've got some priests on hand to boot, you don't take chances with these places.
    [X] Private report: Discreetly Cooperate
    -[X] "My Count, it will probably not surprise you to hear that the powers that be are watching closely to see how Stirland will fare under your rule. For example, I was privately contacted by Imperial Intelligence who demanded I also keep them informed of goings-on in this province, threatening that otherwise they'd arm-twist the Grey Order and have me falsely declared rogue. I complied, of course, not wishing to lose my head, nor seeing any reason to keep the Emperor in the dark, but neither do I see any need to keep this from you, my liege. We are all on the same side here, after all."
    [X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
    [X] The Stirlandian League is a gold mine of information, and it must be yours.
    [X] There is a risk of enemy agents infiltrating the castle staff - they must be watched.
    [X] Private report: Sensible
    -[X] "My Count, I believe there are some facts you should be made aware of. First of all, Professor de Verezzo is here due to being found out by Imperial Intelligence running a truly staggering embezzlement scheme. He apparently forcibly failed fully half of his students, retroactively removing the from the ledgers and stealing what had been paid for their tuition from the University itself. While I have not investigated the claims he has made while in your service, I note all of his proposals seem... A tad expensive. Still, I'm not exactly an expert in managing soldiers. He is also throughly under the imperial spymaster's thumb. Something to consider."
    -[X] "On Detlef Schultz I've happened upon little, except that he was the compromise that won Talabecland over and consequently tipped the vote in your favor."
    -[X] "About Young Anton, the good news is that he seems to be exactly what he appears to. The bad news is that he appears to be throughly innocent when it comes to politics, such making him great at making friends, but completely blind that those he are talking to are shrewd foxes and old wolves. He seems ignorant when it comes to doublespeak or anything of the sort. Certainly something to keep in mind."
    -[X] "While I don't personally believe it will be a problem, considering who I am talking about and who I'm talking to, Brother Kasmir was chosen by the Grand Theogonist himself, which is good news come to think of it, but was chosen due his loyalties ultimately being to the Cult of Sigmar itself rather than any secular authority."
    -[X] "And finally, I've bought a cheap residence in the city from which to carry out business of the sort that needs to be carried in a discreet location."
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BoneyM said:
I didn't realize how amazing Shadowsteed was until I sat down and did the math. An average horse can do about 30 miles in a day, a good horse can do 40. If it's important enough that you're willing to risk the horse's health, 50 miles a day is possible. If there's relay stations along the road where you can change horses, 70 miles a day is possible.

A Shadowsteed, which doesn't get tired and moves at a gallop and can go over any damn terrain it feels like, can go thirty miles an hour.
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Yuuuuup.

It's part of how Grey Wizards are the top spymasters in the Empire. They've got the best strategic mobility there is.
 
No7sHere said:
The only thing better is a Pegasus or a gryphon to be honest.
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Even they have to rest every so often, Shadowsteeds last a full day.

The limit is your ability to handle that kind of speed, and even then, it's probably not as bad as a real horse, because your magic horse is made out of shadows and magic so it's probably comfier.
 
BoneyM said:
but he's taken on most of the 'low-hanging fruit' of Stirland, and if the task is to be completed by this time next year an additional signing bonus will be required to tempt people into joining
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Oh I'm so sure, Mr embezzler.
Same dog, same tricks. We gotta tell Wilhelmina to keep an eye on him.
 
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We really need to include what we found out about our fellow councilors and our new head quarters in our report.
 
That's for the private report!

Which I haven't written yet, and might not if someone else beats me to it.

Please don't bandwagon me when I've only presented a write-in for one option out of several.
 
[X] Report: This deal's getting worse all the time!

[X] One-on-One Report: Trust no one!
-[X] After the council is finished, wait until roughly an hour has passed then approach Van Hel and request a private meeting. "I have information for your ears only." Explain what you have discoved about your fellow councillors, minus Anton's family history of magic, their Loyalties and Flaws. Don't revel your own divided loyalties explicitly but do admit that you are a devot follower of Ranald. "Trust no one, my count... accept maybe Wilhmina and Anton." Explain about Wurtbads undercity and that you've, legally, acquired some (but down play how great a find it was) for business that a Spymaster and Wizard can't be seen performing in the Elector Count's seat of power. Bare in mind, and admit if pressed, that as a prefessional Witch Hunter he is likely already aware of some or all of this but you felt that full discloser was neccessary.
 
[X] Alectai

Sounds good to me.

[X] Private Report
-[X] 'Your advisers my Lord.
Marshal: Was fired from the University of Altdorf for embezzlement.
He was then acquired by the Emperor's spymaster and assigned to you.
Simple, predictable greed. If you have his every spent coin scrutinized he should do you well.
Steward: Wilhelmina is either what she appears to be or more cunning than I and should become your new spymaster.
Spymaster: I am being blackmailed with the threat of being declared rogue. My Master delivered the threat so I believe it.
To date all they wanted was information on Anton.
Diplomat: Anton is a puppy in a world of wolves. He will miss any subtext but is really good at making friends.
Piety: Chosen for first loyalty to Sigmar. Should do well if Sylvania tries something. Likely to be a problem dealing with Ulricans, Morrites etc
Learning: Detlef is owned by Talabecland. Solid qualifications.
Is there anyone else milord would like investigated?

In terms of network I have acquired a shack near a taven where unsavory informants can report.
I do not as yet have any unsavory informants, or any at all in fact'
 
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[x] SAgrognard
 
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Alectai said:
Probably want someone else to do up the private report, but I need to take a short break.
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Here's a potential outline. Have I left out anything important?

Vote withdrawn. Formerly known as: Discreetly Cooperate
- "My Count, it will probably not surprise you to hear that the powers that be are watching closely to see how Stirland will fare under your rule. For example, I was privately contacted by Imperial Intelligence who demanded I also keep them informed of goings-on in this province, threatening that otherwise they'd arm-twist the Grey Order and have me falsely declared rogue. I complied, of course, not wishing to lose my head, nor seeing any reason to keep the Emperor in the dark, but neither do I see any need to keep this from you, my liege. We are all on the same side here, after all."
"Speaking of Imperial Intelligence, they're leaning on your Marshal to provide corroboration, and the threat for him is exposing his history of fraud and embezzlement, which you might want to keep in mind when you consider that signing bonus he proposed. And speaking of goings-on in this province, I've also found that Talabecland is expecting Detlef Schultz to keep them informed, though I haven't yet discovered his leverage. Wilhelmina, Anton, and Kasmir are either what they appear to be or else better than me at my own job, and no one I know of has threatened them yet, save of course for the fact that the vampires are a threat us all."
"Just so I don't leave anything out, Kasmir's devotion to the Cult of Sigmar may outweigh his secular loyalty to your office, but I imagine you've noticed that already and don't consider it much of a problem because your goals are aligned. And finally, I've bought a cheap residence in the city from which to carry out business with the sort of people that it might be inappropriate to invite to the castle."


(The angle I'm going for on the main disclosure is that Imperial Intelligence was casually violent about things they really shouldn't need to be violent about, stressing we lawful living humans as a team against chaos and necromancy, it's really unfortunate that II had to threaten for stuff that in principle we'd be willing to share. Also disclosure now means less opportunity for manipulation if someone at a later date tries to turn Abelheim against us. When some wormtongue comes along and tells Abelheim "I saw your spymaster making secret reports to a third party", we want him to roll his eyes and dismiss the complaint, not hire a second spymaster.)
 
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To be fair, we don't absolutely know that the Emperor is the one twisting our arm. It's a likely subject, because the only ones who have the authority to order the Grey Order like this are the Supreme Patriarch and the Emperor, but that assumes that there's no favor repaying going on either.

Like, we can more-or-less assume that the Grey Order isn't going to declare someone Rogue at the drop of a hat, they'd never get anything done if they did. They're low tolerance and act decisively, but they're also not ones to be easily led by the nose into fingering someone who's not related to this whole business. And the idea that a malign force has the Grey Order by the balls is... both severely noncanonical and basically an apocalypse scenario for the Empire.
 
Vehemently disagree with informing Van Hal about our mysterious benefactor. If we get an order that he doesn't want us to follow, it's game over. We picked the sleeper agent option, weaselling out of it now is trying to have our cake and eat it too. And telling him it's Imperial Intelligence is outright lying as we don't have a clue either. It could be the High Elves for all we know.

Since most people want to inform Van Hal about Lucrezio's past, I'm including it in my report. I agree in principle with Lupercal's version, though I'm unsure about telling him about Ranald though. It's not something he strictly needs to know and our faith is kinda something private...but eh, it might be better to tell him now than if it comes up in a sticky situation at some point down the line. Any input on this?

[X] Report: This deal's getting worse all the time!
[X] Private Report: Professor Lucrezio de Verezzo and Anton Kiesiner II

"Two pieces of information that might be of interest. First is that Professor Lucrezio was perpetrating a massive embezzling scheme at the University of Altdorf while cooking the University's enrollment ledgers. The affair was covered up by the Emperor's own spymaster, and sent here as his plant. I doubt that he'd try the same trick here as he knows he's being watched, and this of course doesn't impact his competence, but it's something to keep in mind -- with all due discretion of course.
Also, Anton Kiesinger -- he's wholly unsuited for the darker side of Imperial politics. He's a gifted conversationalist and a social butterfly though."
 
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[X] Report: This deal's getting worse all the time!

[X] Private Report: Professor Lucrezio de Verezzo and Anton Kiesiner II

[X] A dozen centuries of tax ledgers and records don't just vanish. And I may have found them. Let's go raid a tomb.
[X] Count Petr is definitely tied up in the ledger theft. I can go get him for you, and bring him back in chains.
[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, especially since he's actively trying to sabotage the hunt for him. He must be found, and I've got a lead: Julbach.
[X] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
[X] The Stirlandian League is a gold mine of information, and it must be yours.
[X] There is a risk of enemy agents infiltrating the castle staff - they must be watched.
[X] I need a proper information network. Please fund me wandering around making friends.

I figure we're better off suggesting both courses of action for the Stirlandian League - we don't know if an econ boost is better or worse than an intrigue boost. Likewise, I threw in the Information Network because it should make our job easier in the long run.

I'll wait a bit before deciding on the private report.
No7sHere said:
The only thing better is a Pegasus or a gryphon to be honest.
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Fun fact: the Shadow Steed used in the wargame flies. On the other hand, it only lasts long enough to move once on the board, but it might be possible to use a "craft a spell" action to make a better one than we currently have.
 
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Alectai said:
To be fair, we don't absolutely know that the Emperor is the one twisting our arm. It's a likely subject, because the only ones who have the authority to order the Grey Order like this are the Supreme Patriarch and the Emperor, but that assumes that there's no favor repaying going on either.

Like, we can more-or-less assume that the Grey Order isn't going to declare someone Rogue at the drop of a hat, they'd never get anything done if they did. They're low tolerance and act decisively, but they're also not ones to be easily led by the nose into fingering someone who's not related to this whole business. And the idea that a malign force has the Grey Order by the balls is... both severely noncanonical and basically an apocalypse scenario for the Empire.
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We the players don't know it because we are a hivemind reading too many setting lore books, but I think our character could reasonably conclude that there's only one person who has authority over the Grey Wizards and isn't in the Grey Order, thus the Emperor must be behind this. Since our orders aren't merely secret, they're "unsanctioned by the Grey Order" which points away from the Patriarch as he practically is Grey Order sanction.
 
Exmorri said:
We the players don't know it because we are a hivemind reading too many setting lore books, but I think our character could reasonably conclude that there's only one person who has authority over the Grey Wizards and isn't in the Grey Order, thus the Emperor must be behind this. Since our orders aren't merely secret, they're "unsanctioned by the Grey Order" which points away from the Patriarch as he practically is Grey Order sanction.
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Or, again, favors owed, blackmail, corruption (big and little "c"), pet projects, etc. It's probably not malignant, but we can't assume that.
 
That being said.

I would not be surprised in the slightest if the same spell that burned the cipher into our head included a "If they talk about their job to someone not read in, send alarm, or kill them", or something like that.
 
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