Quest
The Great One
- Location
- Everywhere
Weren't we just talking about raising our intrigue?
We should really raise our diplomacy above 10.
Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest
- Thread starter Boney
- Start date
- Fantasy Users' Choice!
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- Tags
- warhammer warhammer fantasy fantasy be gay do crimes (gay) female protagonist pansexual protagonist ck2 quest divided loyalties mountain vietnam ranald is real this is a dwarf quest (dwarfs) this is maybe an elf quest this is not a vampire quest this is not an empire quest try it and find out open voting
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
We should really raise our diplomacy above 10.
Abby Normal
High Clerk of the Ymaryn
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I feel like this just makes it more embarrassing that we don't have a good diplo score
Its the same as with our magister exams; yeah we made up for a shitty score on the 'can you make rhetorical arguments' diplo bit because we rolled amazing at learning to make up with 'knowing all the shit', but that doesn't mean it wasn't still a problem. Plus, becoming a magister lord is going to inevitably both involve collegiate and imperial politics, and put us more in the spotlight of the same, so having diplomacy boosts is rather helpful there. Getting an 'altdorf' diplo skill a la the stirland one, and the practical diplomacy one from the college list, would both be quite helpful in overcoming our general diplo shortcomings. Add on the stirland skill, college skill, and the dwarven skill (especially once we get advanced), and we'd have around 14 diplo, and bonuses to all the major players we're likely to interact with other than the halflings
Aegon Targaryen
Dragonking of Fuyuki
- Location
- Romania
Will we ever get an opinion meter on Roswita?
- Location
- some computer lab
we should really raise our Intrigue above 21 first. we need to be sneakier.Weren't we just talking about raising our intrigue?
We should really raise our diplomacy above 10.
- Location
- Earth
It occurs to me that we've been using Windsage a lot, and Avatar not at all. We really could have used Infiltrator for the last couple of turns, or Assassin for turns both past and future. It really seems like Avatar is going to be the new snakejuice. We'll sit on it for a decade, than use it to revolutionize something.
Also on the diplomacy thing: Don't Mat has very above average Piety, Learning and Martial. There's such a thing as treching too thin and specializing. Mat is it. She would need better diplo if you want to start a New School of Magic. Otherwise, not really. Just stay away from diplo duties and keep honing those edges. As the previous update shows, we still have a lot of ground to make up before we can reliably take on even Tier 3 threats. That was a Vamp Lord. It is still a Tier 3. It was an unnamed Vamp Lord. But at this point we have reliably entered "has Battle Wizard or eqvivialent impact when deployed in or before battle".
Also on the diplomacy thing: Don't Mat has very above average Piety, Learning and Martial. There's such a thing as treching too thin and specializing. Mat is it. She would need better diplo if you want to start a New School of Magic. Otherwise, not really. Just stay away from diplo duties and keep honing those edges. As the previous update shows, we still have a lot of ground to make up before we can reliably take on even Tier 3 threats. That was a Vamp Lord. It is still a Tier 3. It was an unnamed Vamp Lord. But at this point we have reliably entered "has Battle Wizard or eqvivialent impact when deployed in or before battle".
I imagine this means that our overall vampire investigation and/or the karagill scouting (which was still pending) went rather well
A shame that Infiltration isn't an iconic enough part of Mathikde's character that she would earn a trait from it..
I feel like this just makes it more embarrassing that we don't have a good diplo score
I think that getting 25+ Intrigue is probably more important to Mathilde's progression as a Grey Wizard. Generally, if we want a Diplomacy skill, we should see if we can work on Mathilde's mind reading abilities, I think.
Quest
The Great One
- Location
- Everywhere
I wouldn't mind getting a few low hanging fruits, but Idk. Diplomacy really isn't our priority right now.I feel like this just makes it more embarrassing that we don't have a good diplo score
Sinsystems
Patron Librarian
To be fair we haven't really gone up against a Divine lore using faction yet in any major capacity.
I need to stop looking at your posts, your just one big spoiler.
It's really interesting being active to see all the little edits going on as Boney writes:
I imagine this means that our overall vampire investigation and/or the karagill scouting (which was still pending) went rather well
Guile
Having a really great time right now
We should consider what laws we could write that the Emperor would be like 'Sure Mathilde' on, or what Elector Moot topics ee can weigh in on.
Can we force the Theogonist and the Ulric to pull their heads out of their asses?
Can we get people to actually investigate the thing that is disappearing villages in Middenland?
Can we get them to acknowledge the Van Hals are pretty swell and they can all stop eyeing them like half-wild dogs?
Can we get them to accept that the Moot is pretty okay?
The sky's the limit!
Can we force the Theogonist and the Ulric to pull their heads out of their asses?
Can we get people to actually investigate the thing that is disappearing villages in Middenland?
Can we get them to acknowledge the Van Hals are pretty swell and they can all stop eyeing them like half-wild dogs?
Can we get them to accept that the Moot is pretty okay?
The sky's the limit!
I'm pretty sure all those Vargulfs that Deathwing ate and that got filled full of bolts from bolt throwers were also vampires, bringing the number of vampires that died during Drakenhof up to like 10 at the very minimum.
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I imagine this means that our overall vampire investigation and/or the karagill scouting (which was still pending) went rather well
Excellent, in that case @Redshirt Army was wise and correct about dropping the training action when making the prototype plan that a lot of people used as a jumping-off point. I was worried, but his logic was right!
Nix's Warden
Welcome to Hades
- Location
- United States
Honestly regards to intrigue training with us having gotten Advanced Infiltration, I'd say we just get Advanced Assassination, and Basic Sabotage, and we're good but that's just me.
- Location
- Wherever I feel like being
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Given the description was that they practically "blotted out the skies" then I think it was way more than "ten".
Quest
The Great One
- Location
- Everywhere
Orcs use divine magic, I think. It might see some use in Karagril.
- Location
- Austria
i mean that was one of arguments used against picking Avatar yes
We should at least investigate Coin one of these days to make at least some use of it
or maybe run into some grey seer to look at horned rat adherents. then again, maybe we should rather not
As I understand the Empire's political system, the Electors each have a veto of any law the Emperor proposes. The Empire is very much a confederation of effectively sovereign nation states that use the Empire's institutions to help them coordinate their activities when they want to. Think the EU more than the US, but without even qualified majority voting.
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chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
We died on a natural one, but somebody always dies on a natural one; the only one who can save us then is Ranald. Otherwise we did very well against him, comparatively, and while his stats may have been stronger they weren't so overwhelming that we were entirely outmatched (he barely outrolled us twice, which was hair raising, but I considered that a good thing because it showed that he was an enemy to be respected).
Or perhaps it's just we have different definitions of reliable.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
*immature snickering*
I agree, we should continue poking Mathilde's Munificent Magical Muck with a stick. That shit is valuable.
Or at least do recon on the other Peaks for future incursions.
Is he using our drink Rune? That bastard!
NSMS
Probably evil, unfortunately.
- Location
- A rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality
Hmm... you know, in hindsight I think Larry is almost lucky that we dealt with him the way we did. Yeah, he's dead now, but compared to to what his fellow vampires would do to him in retribution for his provoking the Empire into unleashing their walking WMD's and declaring open season on all vampires? That's a mercy.
He was also unprepared and unarmed.
On the other hand, many vampires are also walking WMDs. Hopefully the big boys don't decide that MAD means MAD.
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We caught him with his pants down: we were on his level but he's usually better prepared.
Turn 22 Results - 2480.5 - Part 2
[*] Proof of the 'College of Necromancy'.
[*] Detailed trade ledgers.
[*] Detailed trade ledgers.
What little unused cargo space there is in the gyrocarriage is quickly filled with the administrative paperwork of the rule of Teufelheim and the education of Alkharad's disciples, but the pilots and the Hammerers take your regret that you can't also take the dragon bones very seriously and with some quick work with ropes and chains the skull of one of the long-dead beasts is lashed to the side of the gyrocarriage. The brain and eyes have long since decayed and the fangs have been removed, but what it lacks in magical utility it makes up for in aesthetics, and you're sure there'll be a craftsdwarf in Eight Peaks who could create convincing replacements for the teeth. Without the constant presence of necromancers the eyes of the townsfolk have already turned on the keep, and by the time you take off the looting has begun.
---
While your previous arrivals in Stirland had drawn attention, the way you return to Fort Redemption captures the full attention of everyone present even before you disembark with the head of a Vampire under your arm. You lead a procession of Hammerers carrying the financial records of Teufelheim through the streets with word racing ahead of you, and when you arrive at the Fort's keep you receive salutes from the guards on the gate and are immediately led into the war room that Roswita spends most of her time in, just as the General she had been meeting with finishes rolling up his map and excuses himself.
Throwing the head at her feet would certainly be dramatic, but would be bad for the fragile reconciliation that has been building between the two of you, so instead you place it upon the table in front of her. She returns the absent gaze of Alkharad, whose fixed smile has turned somewhat manic from the jostling the head received since you acquired it. "Elector Countess Roswita Van Hal, allow me to introduce Alkharad of the Necrarchs. I believe you're already acquainted."
"Not in the flesh," she says faintly. "Any regrowth?"
"None. Nor any active Dhar since decapitation. All appearances are that his resurrection will be no easier than usual for his kind."
Roswita pulls a seat from the table and very carefully does not collapse into it, and you pretend not to notice the shake in her arms. "So it's done."
"As done as things ever are with his kind. But he's not the first I've interred, and if anything happens to me there's a representative of the Order of the Guardians in Eight Peaks to take over the vigil."
You let Roswita digest that as you murmur instructions for the Hammerers to deliver their cargo and then wait outside. Though it was overshadowed by the mystery of the Aethyric Vitae, you remember how you felt when you finally turned the tables on the Thorned One that had stalked you for years, and Roswita's nemesis was significantly worse. You take a seat across from her and begin to peruse the ledgers.
When Roswita stirs again, her voice is as steely as you remember. "Stirland thanks the Grey College for its intervention in this matter."
"This is on behalf of King Belegar and Karak Eight Peaks," you correct. "As part of the ancient alliance between the Empire of Man and the Karaz Ankor, and in gratitude for the assistance of Stirlanders in the Expedition that retook the Hold." You can see the gears turning in her head, and the frown starting to form. "Sometimes external machinations are benign. There's nothing wrong with just smiling and nodding if a King decides to use you to advertise the benefits of Dwarven allies."
She considers for a moment longer. "Stirland thanks Karak Eight Peaks for its intervention in this matter."
You push over one of the ledgers for her consideration. "Alkharad had set himself up as ruler of Teufelheim. Here's the records of all those that traded with him - and not just for food, but for reagents and tomes and other rarities."
She turns to the most recent dates, skims the pages, then pauses. "I recognize some of these names," she says. "We suspected them of smuggling but couldn't prove it. They're affiliated with some of the wealthiest families in Southern Stirland. If we can make them talk..." She looks up at you again. "Why?"
"Because my King asked it of me," you say simply. "For the good of the Empire, of Stirland, of the Colleges, of humanity." You hesitate. "And because your father was important to me."
She looks down at the ledger again, and then at the head. "I'm beginning to understand what he saw in you. What Magnus saw in your kind."
You smile, and rise to your feet. "I'll be visiting Altdorf to report what I learned of Alkharad, then I'll spend a few weeks investigating the other Vampires. I'll pass on what I learn before I return to the mountains." You take a moment to gather your thoughts. "Thank you for continuing what your father started."
"It was my duty," she says simply, as if there was never any alternative.
You tap the ledgers. "Not all are motivated by duty. May luck be with you."
---
Algard does not have an open-door policy, but that is only because it would let the warmth out. Any Grey Wizard who believes they have sufficient reason to see him is allowed to do so, with the understanding that the right will be revoked if squandered on trivialities. So shortly after your arrival, the door to the Magister Patriarch's office opens and you push in the cart you've borrowed for this purpose.
Algard is brilliant, but just as prone to eccentricities as any Wizard. Instead of bookshelves or mementos, his office walls are lined with carefully illuminated copies of the Imperial Army's estimates of the Chaos warbands, Beastherds, undead hordes and even one Naggaroth raiding party that have each succumbed to the lure of his famous Screaming Towers and been caught by ambushes and pincers as a result. His desk is completely clear save for a small enchanted windsock that shows the direction and strength of the Winds' whimsies, with his inbox and outbox rotated into dimensions created for this sole purpose of maintaining a clean desk.
"Dame Magister Loremaster Weber," he greets you with a smile that doesn't detract from his piercing gaze. "What tidings bring you to Altdorf?"
"The best kind of good news," you say.
He considers that for a moment. "I'd say Malekith's death or a full-blown Skaven civil war, but I doubt either would involve a cartload of paperwork."
"The kind that would have been very bad news, except it ends with 'and I took care of it'." You take the top book and slide it across his desk.
Algard opens the book, and begins to scowl after skimming a few pages. "Oh fuck you, W'soran. You and your entire damned bloodline. You sure you got this one?"
"Just got to finish cleaning it and his skull will join the Singing King. Might have been graduates, or ones out running errands, or ones in the town that kept out of sight, but every student that was in the keep is dead and his books have been burned."
He sighs in relief. "Thank every God there is for that. I'll send in a trusted few to make doubly sure. Is this one of the ones that filled the Von Carstein vacuum?"
"If you put any stock in Vampire boasting he claims that he's always held Teufelheim and he and the Von Carsteins had some sort of understanding. The amount of exotic animal corpses suggests he's been there at least since Hel Fenn."
"And we never heard a whisper. Time to relight some fires. Come with me."
---
The Imperial Zoo is a strange institution - somewhere between museum, college, prison, and armoury. Parts are open to the public, but in Algard's wake you push past those, push past the secure areas, past the high secure areas, and then past parts you'd never even heard of. You pass dread beasts that have taken lives by the dozen in attempts to break them to the saddle, and if they take dozens more the price would still be cheap. You pass the magnificent and beautiful pegasi, that many Wizards dream of one day riding. You pass the Imperial Dragon, the size of a horse and growing at a terrifying rate, whose enclosure is becoming home to more and more of the Imperial Treasury as its size and greed increase. And finally, you meet the man that hatched and raised it, the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic, Dragomas.
Dragomas took being a Journeyman to its ultimate extent and wandered into the Dark Lands. Many years after he was considered dead, he returned with a non-aggression pact from the Emperor of Cathay carved into a jade tablet. He was retroactively promoted to Lord Magister to grant him the authority to have negotiated it, and in the coming years he quickly rose through the Amber College in no small part because he was actually willing to engage in the politics of Altdorf. His discovery, hatching, and raising of the Imperial Dragon earned him the title of Magister Patriarch of the Amber Order, and him transforming into a Celestial Dragon in the Hall of Duels caused the previous Supreme Patriarch Alric to concede and go into a peaceful retirement. Since then, he has championed the cause of the Battle Wizards both on and off the battlefield, transforming them from living weapons sealed up between battles to men and women respected for their sacrifice who live lives of meditation and training inside gilded cages, and considers the Imperial Zoo to be his personal hobby.
It's possible he's never worn a full outfit in his life, and according to College rumour, it was the work of many years to convince him to wear pants. He's bare from the waist up, his skin the deep brown of a lifetime in the sun, his frame small but wiry. "Algard," he says, and as always, his voice is slightly louder than the situation would call for. "What news, brother?"
"An old battle to be refought," Algard replies. "Sylvania."
"You know the trouble as well as I do. Even apart from the-" he glances from Algard to you. "The situation in Middenland, Castle Drachenfels is stirring, Ostland is being raided, Kislev wants us to help with some sort of snow-ogre. Sylvania can-"
"It can't." He hands over the book he had skimmed earlier. "This is exactly what I was worried about. We were focused on the Blood Dragons fighting the Morrites, and the activity in Hel Fenn. Meanwhile..."
Dragomas squints down at the book, and takes a great deal more time to examine each page than Algard did, but he still soaks in its implications. "Ah. You get the Emperor, I'll find the Reiksmarshal-"
"It's been dealt with already. Root and branch."
"Thank Taal." He glances at you again. "One of your hands?"
"Actually no, one of our up-and-coming Magisters. Dame Weber."
"Oh?" He turns his full attention to you. "I greatly enjoyed Dragon Ogres and Volcanic Lightning. You got them all?"
"All that were in the keep, and all I found in the town, Lord Dragomas."
"Not near enough to 'yes' to be comfortable. Not your fault. You can never get the entire swarm at once." He sighs and turns to Algard again. "Your way or mine?"
"We've got enough goodwill, and he's in high spirits of late. Your way."
---
You'd been to the Imperial Palace of Altdorf before, but that was when the Emperor himself was elsewhere. Now it is in full motion, with a swarm of diplomats, politicians, supplicants, hangers-on and toadies that part far in advance of the Supreme Patriarch's approach. Emperor Luitpold von Holswig-Schliestein the First has a regal bearing at first glance, but a longer look reveals the furrowed brow and sunken eyes of a man under enormous pressure. A gesture pauses the talking of the man currently talking - the High Priest of Manann, if you're reading his robes correctly - and a raised eyebrow to Dragomas and the silent communication that follows has him dismiss the High Priest entirely. Without a word being spoken, the three of you follow the Emperor out of the hall, down a corridor, and into the Emperor's private quarters, which you're glad to see has a door much sturdier than the one you managed to get through to get a pretend bomb just close enough to the Emperor's stand-in, back during your Magisterial examination.
Inside, a cheerful-looking woman in plain but well-made clothes is reading a book before the fireplace, and looks up with a smile as you enter. "Sweetheart," says the Emperor, his voice full of warmth. "You remember Dragomas and Algard?"
"Of course," she says, in a disturbingly familiar voice, rising to her feet and revealing the faint swell of pregnancy.
"Algard, I take it by the robes she's one of yours?"
"Of course, my apologies, your Majesties. May I present Dame Weber, Magister of the Grey College and Loremaster to King Belegar."
"I should have guessed," he says with a smile, "I've heard good things from the Dwarves. This is my dear wife, the Empress Consort Heidi Haupt-Anderssen."
You're not able to bask in the news you've become known to the Emperor himself, as you've suddenly realized where you've seen this woman before. "A pleasure to meet you!" says the woman who was once known as Countess Gabriella von Bundebad brightly, closing the gap between you before you can react and taking your hands in hers. "I'm sure we've so much in common!" And hidden by her hands, she folds one finger over another in the sign of the Gambler, and with a tiny sliver of divine attention that leaves you feeling giddy, an always-familiar presence gives confirmation.
"The pleasure is mine, your Majesties," you say faintly.
As you try to wrap your head around the magnitude of the plot Ranald appears to have expended his divine bounty upon, Dragomas and Algard explain the situation: a Vampire that has decided to share his knowledge freely instead of jealously hoarding it, and how it would have continued to go completely undetected if it not for fortune delivering the right Magister to the right spot at the right time - and the Empress gives you a cheeky, conspiratorial smile at fortune.
"Very concerning," the Emperor says thoughtfully as the explanation comes to a close. "This would be a disaster for the Colleges if it became widely known - and, I firmly believe, for the Empire. If any had 'graduated' or weren't present, and if they decide to pick up where their slain teacher left off..." He sighs. "Dear, who can we shake loose?"
The Empress barely thinks for a moment. "Estalia's just being silly, there's no way they're going to be able to drag Tilea or Bretonnia into the fight between Skeggi and Swamp Town. Bretonnia are sabre-rattling at Athel Loren, so they won't be causing trouble in our direction. But honestly dear, between Drachenfels and Ostland I don't see a third front being viable."
"I was afraid you'd say that. Could Averland-" The Empress snorts indelicately. "Point. Talabecland?"
"They're busy trying desperately to convince Karak Kadrin not to declare a Grudge against them. I did tell you that they'd try to pull the rug out from under Ostermark. And Ostermark would back the Slayer Keep, so they're out too."
"I didn't think they'd be so stupid about it. Wissenland?"
"Hah!"
"Not sure why I asked, damn that tetchy fool."
"If there's no forces available, your Majesty..." Dragomas hints.
"Mm. Yes. Perhaps it would be better for it to remain in-house anyway. Cry havoc and all that. Give that poor girl my best, and my sympathies for the company she's about to endure."
[GREAT DEED performed.]
---
WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of his Majesty Emperor Luitpold I that the Imperial Citizens of Eastern Stirland are suffering under the yoke of Vampiric Oppression;
WHEREAS, it is known that the Colleges of Magic are bound by the Articles of Imperial Magic, as laid down by Emperor Magnus the Pious (S·T·T·L);
WHEREAS, it is recognized that the Colleges of Magic are Empowered and Required to seek out and combat the dark forces of Necromancy throughout the Empire;
IT IS DECREED, that the Colleges of Magic are given full and complete permission to unleash any and all magics, enchantments, abilities and allies they see fit that are permitted under the Articles of Imperial Magic;
IT IS DECREED, that the aforementioned permissions explicitly include the application of the restricted powers known as Battle Magics, and those that specialize in their applications;
IT IS DECREED, that this declaration will be in effect for the entirety of the realm of Eastern Stirland, that some know as Sylvania;
IT IS DECREED, that this declaration will be in effect from this day until the last Vampire is driven from the Empire's borders.
May Sigmar have mercy on their souls.
Proclaimed at the Imperial Palace of Altdorf on this the 12th Day of Erntezeit.
Signed by the Emperor Luitpold von Holswig-Schliestein the First.
Signed by the Supreme Patriarch Dragomas of the Amber Order.
---
News such as this spreads quickly throughout the Colleges. In eight very secure locations, those that have sacrificed their freedom to learn the most potent magics known to the Colleges are given word that the Empire has need of their services once again. There are preparations that must be made beforehand, to gird the minds and souls of those who flirt with disaster with every spell, and to plan the exact form the destruction they are about to unleash will take. By the time they arrive, you intend for them to know exactly where to aim the devastation that is their purpose.
[Tempelhof Blood Dragons: Intrigue, 36+19+6(Library: Vampires)=61.]
Tempelhof is swarming with Blood Dragons, which from the legends of them is terrifying but from your observations of them is significantly less so. From the look of things a chunk of the Badlands Errantry War, which is technically over but still continuing here and there because the average Bretonnian Knight doesn't know when to give up, were mass-converted into Vampires and left to their own devices. They're young, dim, still getting used to their new existence, and what little attention isn't occupied with their war with the Knights of Morr is going towards trying to figure out which of them should be in charge. You record your observations, but have the annoying feeling that they're going to be a historical footnote a few minutes after the metaphorical cavalry arrives.
[Hunger Wood Strigoi: Intrigue, 39+19+6(Library: Vampires)=64.]
The Strigoi of the Hunger Wood are barely any better, regularly pitting their armies of ghouls against each other to fight over the edge of the Woods that gives them the best access to the battlefields between Vampiric and Morrite Knights. United they would be a threat to all of Stirland, but divided they're barely a threat to anyone outside of their Woods. You dutifully record their territory and forces.
[Mihnea of Mikalsdorf: Intrigue, 84+19+6(Library: Vampires)=109.]
Mihnea would not be out of place on the cover of one of the worst-written novels you've read. He's whimsical, petulant, and has a voice that sets your teeth on edge. It's not difficult to record his forces, as twice a week him and Ioana lead their undead armies to the same battlefield between their territories and engage in something between a battle and a wargame with them, while a terrified crowd of peasants does its best to seem enthusiastic in their applause. You steal two rings and a torc from his nightstand, and after a glance at the shoddy magics they contain, make a mental note to have the gyrocarriage fly over Thunder Mountain on the way back.
[Ioana of Waldenhof: Intrigue, 28+19+6(Library: Vampires)=53.]
Ioana seems to be the only competent Vampire currently holding parts of Sylvania. Her guards might actually have caught you if divine concealment wasn't as close as the nearest crowded street. She has an on-again, off-again relationship with Mihnea and judging by the different forces that arrive at every 'battle', seems to have a deep well of corpses to draw upon - but you're unable to penetrate the well-guarded catacombs beneath the town. You mark her as the primary threat accordingly, neatly collate the information you've gathered into a report, drop it in to a frazzled but grateful Roswita who's received the 'good news' from Altdorf of her imminent reinforcements, and wish her the best.
You also stop by Wurtbad and instruct the merchants of the EIC to keep their ear on the ground as they supply the current Sylvanian campaign and the dramatic ramp-up it's about to undergo. As the Company holds the contract to supply practically every part of the Stirlandian army, you should be able to keep an eye on the progress of the campaign from the comfort of Eight Peaks.
---
A few badly-made necromantic artefacts dropped into a volcano later, you arrive back in Karak Eight Peaks, which is not yet so inured to you that the arrival of a dragon skull doesn't get stares. After you have it safely stowed away until you decide what to do with it and put Alkharad's skull next to that of the Singing King, you throw yourself back into your local responsibilities.
[Setting up Duckling Club: Learning, 74+26=100.]
You have to admit that interpersonal relationships aren't your strong suit, so you don't approach the task of managing the Wizards of Karak Eight Peaks as one. You instead follow the model given to you by the Colleges of Magic, which has a long history of managing unruly wizards and keeping them sane, safe, and on-task. You commandeer an out-of-the-way room, commission some sturdy furniture, buy some cushions and a kettle, and have Panoramia have a word with her Halfling friends and they're happy to provide nibbles. You spread the news to the skeptical local wizardry, and then spread it with just a hint of a suggestion that attendance is mandatory. It's for their own good, really.
[Maximilian's Homework: Learning, 69+17+10(Patient)=96.]
Over tea and biscuits, Maximilian presents his work not just to you, but to his peers as well. A Full and Accurate Census of All Varieties of Undead within the Hunter's Hills, 2476 may not be snappily titled, but a cartload of reports has been distilled down to a single volume of easily-accessible data. He's even gone to the trouble of including a detailed map of the Hills and breaking it down into subregions, and you raise an eyebrow at what becomes immediately obvious that was previously entirely obscured - the ghoul concentration around what was the Blasphemy of Blood, the scattering of the Singing King's forces after he was dispatched, the clumping of wandering wights around the Tomb Complex, the way the more actively malevolent undead were drawn to the roads and towns. You've no doubt that this will grab the attention of more than a few of the Amethyst Order, and you give Maximilian your heartfelt congratulations, and make a mental note to be sure Roswita receives a copy.
[A Full and Accurate Census of All Varieties of Undead within the Hunter's Hills, 2476. Subject: Uncommon, +0. Insight: Confirming, +1. Delivery: Competent, +0. Thorough, +1. Varied, +1. Familiar, -1. Tactically Relevant, +1. Total: +3.]
[Johann's dissections: Learning, 62+14=76.]
Johann does the same, reading his notes of the autopsy to varying levels of discomforts from the Ducklings. From the amount he skips straight to conclusion without mentioning how he discovered it, you're pretty sure he leaned heavily on Breach the Unknown, but considering the conclusions you don't fault him that. The spiders all lack any mechanism to create or detect noise far outside the human-detectable spectrum, indicating that their means of inter-We communication is likely to be magical. The brains of the creature are proportionally larger than any other known spider species, even that of the Web-Weavers and Egg-Layers that are helpless outside of the collective of the We, indicating that their intelligence is truly distributed instead of existing either inside one species or entirely outside their physical bodies. And he also got to the bottom of the matter of 'old age', which wouldn't properly translate: tumorous growths inside the dissected Egg-Layer's stomach, which had nearly reached the point where the creature would no longer be able to ingest food, and within each one a fragment of warpstone ranging from specks to splinters, some unprocessed, some refined. Judging by the hard, calcified layer around each one, they'd continue containing the warpstone long after the rest of the body decayed, even if the rest of the innards had been liquefied and consumed by the rest of the We. You thank him for shedding light on the topic, and add his notes to your existing information on the We.
[Mathilde's Paper: Learning, 86+26-10(Practical)=102.]
To present a good example, you present your own paper to the meeting. Your Tower had proven just as potent as you'd hoped, and you had been able to power through your lingering distaste for writing reports to explain it in what you feel is a very accessible and straightforward way, perhaps enough that in the hands of those with decades more experience, it might be reduced to Lesser Magic and thus become available to all Colleges. Though the technical information of Ulgu manipulation is inaccessible to any others present, they're enthusiastic about the possibilities it may provide.
[Mathilde's MAP: +4 College Favours for Grey College applications, other Colleges pending further study.]
---
Then there's the book report you won't be sharing with the Ducklings: the final portion of the Liber Mortis. With Sylvania once more a comfortable distance away, you fill some of your spare time with the continued examination of Frederick's life story. With his sanity fraying and the Skaven escalating their presence, he begins to take apprentices from among his subjects, and with so few remaining and so few of those with even the tiny sliver of magical ability necromancy required, he couldn't be choosy. Much of the pages are consumed with him doubting their loyalty or motivations, and then him examining his own doubts to try to decide if they're genuine or further signs of his mental degradation. The neat hand of Vlad appears more and more, chronicling events that Frederick never got around to mentioning, having instead filled the pages with his second-guessing of himself.
Even as the war against the Skaven begins to swing in Frederick's favour, the war within his mind spirals quickly. By the time that the Empire had mobilized under the future Emperor Mandred, Frederick was so far gone that with three pages of scrawled suspicion and paranoia he had talked himself into believing that they were allied with the rats and had begun to formulate battle plans along a second front. The rantings are cut off mid-sentence, and only a single line appears below:
The results are conclusive. Nagash's Art cannot be safely wielded by even the best of mortals. May his Morr be more merciful than Usirian.
The remainder of the book is the one most of the tome's readers skip directly to - spells, rituals, and preparations. You're tempted to skim right past it, but this was written by Frederick before he had started to deteriorate and every entry lays down the form of each spell with such precision that the vulnerabilities are immediately obvious. You find yourself engrossed, and hours later your mind is filled with the unwelcome knowledge of how to perform every type of necromancy, but also the very useful knowledge of how to shatter them all. You return the book to its hiding place and sit down to digest all that you've learned.
[Skill gained: Necromantic Insight]
---
[Karak Norn: 18]
[Karak Hirn: 94]
Before you can wrap up the year with an in-depth delve into Karagril, you must consider the educators that have arrived, all of which hail from Karak Hirn. You suspect Prince Ulthar might have ears in Eight Peaks, as one of the Loremasters has extensively studied the spiders of the Forest Goblins, one hails from a Clan with close ties to the Weavers Guild, and the third is from a Clan famous for its mead, and therefore experienced with bees.
[ ] Loremaster: Expert on Forest Spiders
[ ] Loremaster: Expert on weaving
[ ] Loremaster: Expert on beekeeping
---
[Scouting Karagril: Intrigue, 96+19=115.]
You're delighted to learn that the greenskin population of Karagril is close enough to 'town' that Ranald's Coin applies. The Doppelganger you cloak yourself in when you don't have a specific Orc to base it on is a strange, featureless caricature of the species, but as soon as you're past those watching the external entrances none give you a second glance. The population inside were Red Fang, but have taken to calling themselves Silver Fang since they were cut off from Karak Drazh. The current Warboss is on shaky ground and everywhere you look, conspiracy is brewing to replace him, kept in check only by the size of his axe and none of the Orcs trusting each other to help them seize power.
The inside of the mountain that's been carved out is significantly smaller than that of Karags Lhune or Nar, and instead of the right angles Dwarves usually favour it follows the zigs and zags of a silver vein exhausted millennia ago. It seems this mountain was mostly used as a base of operations for miners pursuing veins further afield, either far below or on the other side of Death Pass. The most prominent feature is the Silver Tower, which seems to be made of the same iron-silver alloy the Undumgi pikes are made of, and has been chipped down to a ruin by generations of greenskins laboriously harvesting the metal. A close second is the SIlver Tarn, an enormous crater lake halfway up the mountain. You can't tell if it's fed by rain or springs or ancient Dwarven artifice, but apart from a severe algae build-up the water appears clean and clear. A distant third is a series of towers on the northern flank of Karagril, once intended for stone throwers but eminently suitable for cannon and providing clear fields of fire along Death's Crossing, the bridge halfway along Death Pass. This would make the Undumgi's job much easier.
Once your explorations are concluded, you use your MAP to construct one model for Dreng and another for King Belegar's briefing room.
[Advanced Infiltration acquired]
---
Thus concludes the work Mathilde performed these past months, but not every waking moment was filled with work. With whom did she spend her free time, this past year? The five with the most votes will be chosen (normally six, but Duckling Club is locked in).
[+] The Wizards of Karak Eight Peaks (locked in)
[ ] Prince Gotri, who will seize any excuse to talk about his gyrocopters.
[ ] Princess Edda, to pry for details about her illicit romance with Prince Kazrik.
[ ] Prince Kazrik, as he tries to pry a shipwright loose from Barak Varr.
[ ] Kragg the Grim, who you could likely convince to start gloating.
[ ] Titus Muggins, who's returned to farming with every avenue of attack defended.
[ ] Francesco Caravello, proud leader of the Undumgi
[ ] Sir Ruprecht Wulfhart, as the new home of the Winter Wolves takes shape.
[ ] Karak Kadrin, presenting them with the skull of an old enemy (but not to keep).
[ ] Barak Varr, to watch the progress of the canal.
[ ] Karak Hirn, to satisfy your curiosity about Prince Ulthar.
[ ] Roswita, as she tries to wrap her head around the influx of Battle Wizards.
[ ] Roswita, to present her with a copy of the book her late father contributed to.
[ ] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[ ] The Amber College, to see how your donation of Lustrian eggs is going.
[ ] Anton, to see how his firearm factory is going.
[ ] Wilhelmina, to see how she's going when she's not a terrifying financial juggernaut.
[ ] Try to find Kasmir in Sylvania.
[ ] Check in on the Gong Farmers and the Niter Factory.
[ ] Check in on your fief in Stirland.
[ ] Other (write in)
Additionally, what will Mathilde end up doing with her new dragon skull?
[ ] Canopy bed, except skull instead of canopy.
[ ] On display in the Duckling Club.
[ ] The best reading chair ever.
[ ] A bathtub, an even better place for reading.
[ ] Build it into the entrance to the Penthouse.
[ ] Store away for some future purpose.
[ ] Other (write in)
- In tribute to the massive turnout for the previous vote, Mathilde has managed to add a dragon skull to her haul. Because that wasn't one of the winning votes, it is and will always be solely aesthetic. It cannot be used to make anything except kicking rad furniture. There is no way to change that. There is no way to retrieve any other bones from Teufelheim. Don't ask. Seriously, don't.
- Duckling Club will be part of the social turns. The actions you take to react to what's going on with your Wizards will be part of the normal turns.
- If you don't visit Karak Kadrin in the social turn, favour from settling their grudges will be part of a later update. Either way will result in the same amount of favour.
- Seriously, write in anyone, and if you like, the reason for your visit or the event you wish to witness. The listed options are just ideas that occurred to me while writing this. The social turn lets you decide who or what you want to see more of, without any mechanical consideration.
- The text of the Decree was originally posted here.
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- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Now that Johann's gotten used to the amenities of a Serenity Tower, I think I know what he's saving his own Dwarf and College favor for.
- Location
- Wherever I feel like being
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Oh, he was expecting someone to try and kill him. Just not Mathilde.
BungieONI
Seven gremlins in a trench coat
- Location
- Lickwidget
- Pronouns
- She/Her
That's because Avatar is passive? Its not a thing you actually do anything with since its a flavor on our Windsage and hitches a ride along with it.