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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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DarkLight140 said:
Mathilde actually walked right up and talked in Khazalid instead of Reikspiel. Roswita needed a translator. That was every bit of dwarfiness I hoped for and I love it.

On that note, I'm trying to decipher this and while that is fun, and I can find parts of words and then guess at the roots, I think it would probably be faster and easier to just ask. @BoneyM, can you break down how this was put together and what it says for us?
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"Good past, good present, good future, Human Ruler Roswita. Dwarf King, I am the messenger of the Dwarf King Belegar Ironhammer of Karak Eight Peaks. I am the Master Shadow-Torrent-Crafter Mathilde Weber, Loremaster of Karak Eight Peaks.

I invented a term for messenger: 'Slayer of Ignorance'.
When a sentence has a holy-shit bomb drop like 'King' you say it at the start of the sentence as well as the normal place it goes in that sentence.
Torrent-Crafting is Dwarven for human magic.
I'm getting better at chaining together prefixes and suffixes to make proper Dwarvish but it does make it hugely more difficult to translate back into English.
 
[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.
Mix of speed and style.

[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a seasoned diplomat who can round up mercenaries for him.
[X] Introduce him to Prince Gotri as a factory builder seeking his advice in gunsmithing.
Memes, mostly. That, and if he's gonna marry for love I kinda want to see if he can pull it off himself.

[X] Introduce her to King Kazador, the ruler of a Karak that hasn't been able to spend a single penny on luxuries for thousands of years.
Money on her Handrich Loving Mind.

[X] Mathilde's intervention with the EIC was to prevent them from being a new Stirlandian League. That mission is accomplished. Pull back and let it manage itself.
I want actions back damnit!
 
picklepikkl said:
We know Abelhelm did not believe he was doomed to die very soon, because early in his reign he said this:
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Well Abelhelm hoped for and was determined to make reality a future where he reigned long enough to put his family legacy to rest by reclaiming Sylvania so that his family would no longer have to keep throwing themselves into the proverbial meat grinder

That doesn't mean he didn't also deal with the reality that his death was always just around the corner
 
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[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.

[X] Introduce him to all the single Journeymanlings.
[X] Introduce him to Prince Gotri as a factory builder seeking his advice in gunsmithing.

[X] Introduce her to King Belegar, who has a hoard to spend and is desperate enough for firepower to buy from manlings.

[X] The EIC has potential to be an amazing source of information, and now that it can be trusted, Mathilde will shape it as such.
 
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[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.

[X] Introduce him to all the single Journeymanlings.
[X] Introduce him to the self-proclaimed Questing Knight Soizic.
 
So options first!


The route back to Karak Eight Peaks is long and difficult for one not escorted by a Dawongr. What route will you recommend?

[ ] Ride to Zhufbar, and take enough gyrocopters to transport you, your escort, the Elector Countess, and her escort. Fast, minimizes conversation and comfort.

Fast, but no flash.
Mathilde doesn't have to talk to Roswita which might be appreciated by both.

[ ] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.

Traveling with an Elector Countess with full dwarf escort. The gossip mill will go freaking berserk.
Belegar gets what he wants.

[ ] Ride all the way to Karak Eight Peaks. Slow, but maximizes showing off with Shadowsteed.

Mathilde has little reason to showboat besides to Trigger Roswita.


Anton will be arriving in Eight Peaks for the celebration after you do. How will you spend your time with him? The two with the most votes will be chosen. You will also introduce him to Wolf.

We get two! Awesome.

[ ] Introduce him to all the single Journeymanlings.

Shipping. Inb4 Panoramia is a distant cousin.

[ ] Introduce him to the self-proclaimed Questing Knight Soizic.

More shipping.

[ ] Introduce him to the We and see if he makes friends with them.

Anton is genuinely kind and honest, which is good, but I'm not sure how he'd take being introduced to giant spiders.
He has no topics in common with them, which means mostly being super awkward.

So while a fun idea I think this is premature.

[ ] Introduce him to King Belegar as a source of crossbows for the Undumgi.

Promotes the EIC, not seeing a particular need to do this, we already opened a branch office here.

[ ] Introduce him to King Belegar as a seasoned diplomat who can round up mercenaries for him.

...he DID get Asarnil the last time.
Might be worth a shot

[ ] Introduce him to Prince Gotri as a factory builder seeking his advice in gunsmithing.

Note that Anton had taken a genuine personal interest in guns last we saw. Nevermind the practical benefits, he has a hobby and by damn I'm going to help him with it!


Wilhelmina will also be arriving soon. She's rather intense lately, and is likely to want to spend time on business rather than making friends. How will you spend your time with her? Only one will win.

[ ] Introduce her to the We and the silk they produce, so she can begin preparing for the economic upheaval about to hit the unsuspecting Empire.

We CAN do this but I think its a little premature to talk to her before we talk to Belegar. This is out.

[ ] Introduce her to King Kazador, the ruler of a Karak that hasn't been able to spend a single penny on luxuries for thousands of years.

Extremely profitable for the EIC in the short term but I think his trade might be better off funneling through Barak Varr.

[ ] Introduce her to King Belegar, who has a hoard to spend and is desperate enough for firepower to buy from manlings.

This is useful for Belegar AND the EIC. It also means that Belegar has a human side trade contact to use for various things, which is convenient because the EIC has had it hammered into their heads that you deal straight with Dwarfs.


[ ] Introduce her to King Byrrnoth of Barak Varr, who would love to have a new distributor in the Empire for all the valuables from the East now that Death Pass is secure.

EIC profit, though theres no lack of people wanting in.


Then there's the matter of the EIC. You've instilled values that guarantee their reputation with the Empire will be symbiotic, rather than parasitic or predatory. Is that all she feels is necessary?

[ ] Mathilde's intervention with the EIC was to prevent them from being a new Stirlandian League. That mission is accomplished. Pull back and let it manage itself.
Mathilde will stop being actively involved with the EIC, and will regain the one action per turn that is currently invested in it.

I wouldn't mind, but I *like* having influence over the EIC.

[ ] The EIC is a tool that can allow Mathilde to economically intervene in all sorts of ways. She will wield it as such for the good of the Empire and its allies.
The EIC mechanics will remain as they currently are, and Mathilde will be able to extend generous trade agreements to her allies through it.

This basically means we can take an active hand in converting EIC profits into beneficent causes. Handy, but not really our job. I think the values we instilled should be sufficient.


[ ] The EIC has potential to be an amazing source of information, and now that it can be trusted, Mathilde will shape it as such.
Mathilde will build an information network within the EIC, keeping an eye on both it and on everywhere it reaches. This becomes an ordinary organization, and can be managed alongside one other organization or underling for one action per turn.

This is a healthy middleground. Gives me the intel network connectivity, gives a monitored Internal Affairs without mucking about directly in economies.


[ ] Mathilde wants to help the EIC grow and profit for the sake of riches. Vow of Poverty be damned.
The EIC mechanics will remain as they currently are, and Mathilde will continue to help the EIC gain economic footholds wherever she has influence.

Mathilde has apparently been reading corrupting texts known as economics textbooks.

Conclusion:
[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.
[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a seasoned diplomat who can round up mercenaries for him.
[X] Introduce him to Prince Gotri as a factory builder seeking his advice in gunsmithing.
[X] Introduce her to King Belegar, who has a hoard to spend and is desperate enough for firepower to buy from manlings.
[X] The EIC has potential to be an amazing source of information, and now that it can be trusted, Mathilde will shape it as such.

Will apply approval voting if necessary, but it seems what I want is clear cut
 
[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.

[X] Introduce him to the We and see if he makes friends with them.
[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a source of crossbows for the Undumgi.
[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a seasoned diplomat who can round up mercenaries for him.

[X] Introduce her to King Belegar, who has a hoard to spend and is desperate enough for firepower to buy from manlings.

[X] Mathilde's intervention with the EIC was to prevent them from being a new Stirlandian League. That mission is accomplished. Pull back and let it manage itself.
 
And now rumors of Mathilde showing up and being the most Dwarf it's possible to be without declaring a Grudge is going to spread through Stirland like wildfire.
 
God, I desperately want Mathilde to talk to Roswita about her apparent conviction that she's going to die soon. If only for the moment when Mathilde confronts her with the information and hits MAXIMUM SMUG AND MYSTERIOUS when Roswita tries to figure out how she knew.
 
CrimsonOddball said:
That doesn't mean he didn't also deal with the reality that his death was always just around the corner
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Sure, yes, but in 2471 he said that he did not intend to die before the end of the century. This implies that whatever Roswita is dealing with, it is not something her father was also dealing with: she sincerely believes she will soon die, and as realistic and inured to the harshness of life as he was, he did not.

On a complete tangent, @BoneyM, I noticed this:

[] Introduce him to all the single Journeymanlings

does not have the word female in it. I understand that dynastic realities imply that he needs someone he can have children with, but given that Mathilde has decided that Anton should prioritize romantic happiness and not just realpolitik... does this mean we are going to introduce him to our single male Journeymanlings as well and see if any sparks fly?
 
@BoneyM Suppose we choose to make EIC focus on information, since it says that it'll only take half a turn, can we use the other half for another journeyman?

That would make it 3 journey wizards and 1 EIC for 2 actions every turn?
 
[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.

Showing off is the point.



[X] The EIC is a tool that can allow Mathilde to economically intervene in all sorts of ways. She will wield it as such for the good of the Empire and its allies.
The EIC mechanics will remain as they currently are, and Mathilde will be able to extend generous trade agreements to her allies through it.

The EIC is Mathilde's economic interface, using it to tie together groups, benefit constituents etc. is the structural rebar to Mathildes otherwise more temporary heroics.
 
I'm slightly in favor of moving the EIC to a normal organization, and picking up one of the Journeymanlings to take the other half-action.
 
[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.
[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a seasoned diplomat who can round up mercenaries for him.
[X] Introduce him to Prince Gotri as a factory builder seeking his advice in gunsmithing.
[X] Introduce her to King Belegar, who has a hoard to spend and is desperate enough for firepower to buy from manlings.
[X] The EIC has potential to be an amazing source of information, and now that it can be trusted, Mathilde will shape it as such.
 
HeWhoAdds said:
God, I desperately want Mathilde to talk to Roswita about her apparent conviction that she's going to die soon. If only for the moment when Mathilde confronts her with the information and hits MAXIMUM SMUG AND MYSTERIOUS when Roswita tries to figure out how she knew.
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Springing the sudden "So Roswita why do think you're going to die?" question out of the blue is unlikely to end well
If we play our cards right and get just a bit lucky we might be able to pry our way into her shell though
 
[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.
[X] Introduce him to Prince Gotri as a factory builder seeking his advice in gunsmithing.
[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a seasoned diplomat who can round up mercenaries for him.
[X] Introduce her to King Byrrnoth of Barak Varr, who would love to have a new distributor in the Empire for all the valuables from the East now that Death Pass is secure.
[X] Mathilde's intervention with the EIC was to prevent them from being a new Stirlandian League. That mission is accomplished. Pull back and let it manage itself.
 
Eldon said:
[ ] Introduce her to King Belegar, who has a hoard to spend and is desperate enough for firepower to buy from manlings.

I will Just point out for this option, we just instituted a policy on the gun factory where Stirland gets the right of first refusal on all guns made. Including on credit and is actively equipping it's forces with firearms so this may not be as beneficial as it looks at first glance.
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This is known, but Belegar wants to buy a lot of things, and a lot of THOSE things aren't things he can just pick up off Barak Varr because Kazador had cleaned out Barak Varr.

What Wilhelmina is useful for here is as an option to tap into human trade networks without having to directly deal with unreliable or duplicitious human merchants(and get wrapped into more grudges). The EIC is known to be dwarf-safe, it will not incur any grudges and if it does cause offense it knows how to process mediation.

Because even if Wilhelmina doesn't have all those guns herself she can buy them from other traders, or buy crossbows off Anton, and sell them on.

Trade after all, is all about being the middleman.
And Belegar wants to buy so so much more than just guns.
 
[X] Introduce him to all the single Journeymanlings.
[ ] Introduce him to the self-proclaimed Questing Knight Soizic.
[X] Introduce him to the We and see if he makes friends with them.
[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a source of crossbows for the Undumgi.
[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a seasoned diplomat who can round up mercenaries for him.
[X] Introduce him to Prince Gotri as a factory builder seeking his advice in gunsmithing.

A Brettonian! Those wine-drinking, tree-hugging, horse-shagging, elf-lovers are no proper companion to an Empire Noble!
Also she might be a vampire which is nearly as bad.
 
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picklepikkl said:
On a complete tangent, @BoneyM, I noticed this:

[] Introduce him to all the single Journeymanlings

does not have the word female in it. I understand that dynastic realities imply that he needs someone he can have children with, but given that Mathilde has decided that Anton should prioritize romantic happiness and not just realpolitik... does this mean we are going to introduce him to our single male Journeymanlings as well and see if any sparks fly?
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He's aware that he has a dynastic duty to perform. If he does have other preferences, then he will be searching for someone open-minded, kind, and understanding to perform his duty with, so that he can find his happiness elsewhere.

St0rmweaver said:
@BoneyM Suppose we choose to make EIC focus on information, since it says that it'll only take half a turn, can we use the other half for another journeyman?

That would make it 3 journey wizards and 1 EIC for 2 actions every turn?
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Click to shrink...

Correct.
 
[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.

Dammit I don't like her, but we cant let Abel's baby die so soon, we need to find out what's wrong with her and fix it.
This give us a reasonable balance of time and not too much magic to drive her away.

[X] Introduce him to the We and see if he makes friends with them.

Integrating The We remains a priority for me, and Anton can do it like no one else.

[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a seasoned diplomat who can round up mercenaries for him.
[X] Introduce him to Prince Gotri as a factory builder seeking his advice in gunsmithing.

Adding secondary preferences as the we are unlikely to win this one.

[X] Introduce her to the We and the silk they produce, so she can begin preparing for the economic upheaval about to hit the unsuspecting Empire.

Because hell yeah.
Capitalism hoooo!

[X] The EIC has potential to be an amazing source of information, and now that it can be trusted, Mathilde will shape it as such.

We could use the spy network, the rest are nice but I trust Wii to do well on her own, this is the most we can get out of the EIC without further aggravating the bursar.
@BoneyM sorry if someone asked already, but will the gunpowder options still be available if we choose this or other similar options?
 
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das_slash said:
We could use the spy network, the rest are nice but I trust Wii to do well on her own, this is the most we can get out of the EIC without further aggravating the bursar.
@BoneyM sorry if someone asked already, but will the gunpowder options still be available if we choose this or other similar options?
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Which gunpowder options? The rifle factory or Belegar buying from Wilhelmina?
 
[X] Ride to Black Fire Pass and take a Dwarven monitor down Skull River, stop at Barak Varr, and then up Blood River. Reasonably fast, comfortable, maximizes Dwarf-y showing off.

[X] Introduce him to King Belegar as a seasoned diplomat who can round up mercenaries for him.
[X] Introduce him to the self-proclaimed Questing Knight Soizic.

[X] Introduce her to King Belegar, who has a hoard to spend and is desperate enough for firepower to buy from manlings.

[X] Mathilde's intervention with the EIC was to prevent them from being a new Stirlandian League. That mission is accomplished. Pull back and let it manage itself.
 
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