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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Another tour-de-force of an update, I remain amazed at the quality and speed of your writing

BoneyM said:
but for regents and tomes and other rarities."
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'reagents'?

BoneyM said:
You can see the gears turning in her head, and the frown starting to form.
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Like Abelheim did! Roswita has a different balance of strengths, but shares a mind that grinds methodically through information presented. Nice callback!
BoneyM said:
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."
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This whole scene was a lovely job of depicting a strong young woman convinced of her immanent death, coming to terms with the fact that perhaps she has a chance to live to be an old woman, after all.
BoneyM said:
Algard is brilliant, but just as prone to eccentricities as any Wizard
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Lucky we haven't developed any such eccentricities.
BoneyM said:
The Sunken Palace is a former manor buried over generations by the silt of the River Stir. The only above-ground entrance is a shack built into the back of an inn. Currently it possesses a handful of functional rooms, with many more remaining buried.

Shrine to Ranald: This place seemed sacred to the trickster god before you even arrived, but you've done your best to make it more so with crosses carved in the walls and efforts to make it accommodating to cats.
Walled Up: The only entrances to the alley are through doors only you possess the key to.
Good Neighbours: You've made the innkeeper next door an ally, who will do everything in her power to keep you happy and your home secret.
Room: Bedroom - you've set up all the amenities of home.
Room: Fully Furnished Enchanter's Workshop.
Room: Library.
Room: Store room.
4x unused room. The Penthouse is the uppermost room of Karag Nar, formerly inhabited by the Black Orc Warboss of the Broken Toof Tribe.

Entrance: Bedroom
Tower of Utter Neutrality: A room with absolutely no ambient magic whatsoever, perfect for close examination of magical phenomena.
Tower of Serenity: An extremely comfortable room that removes all distractions and allows one to concentrate fully on a given task. Allows 1 paper to be written or cowritten per turn for no action expenditure.

Accumulated trophies, mementos and oddities:
Flensed skull of the 'Singing King', a Strigoi Vampire that ruled over an army of ghouls encountered during the Purge of the Haunted Hills, slain by you, Kasmir, and Abelhelm.
Flensed skull of Alkharad, a Necrarch Vampire who was operating a necromancer college in Teufelheim and trying to assassinate Elector Countess Roswita Van Hal.
Gargoyle head taken from the wreckage of Castle Drakenhof.
Bosspole of the Broken Toof Tribe

Abelhelm's spare witch-hunter hat.
Your published paper on Mathilde's Mystical Matrix.
Note of thanks from the Imperial Palace for your impressive showing during security testing, signed by the Emperor himself.
The memoirs of Asarnil the Dragonlord.

Four helldrake scales. Library:
Gives a bonus where appropriate to the topics it covers. +1 is the default bonus, with +1 for Extensive and +1 Obscure / +2 Antiquarian / +3 Esoteric for non-stacking rarity levels. Each bonus can apply once per race/country the books are from, as long as they have a solid knowledge base on the subject.
Each +1 bonus costs 50 gold crowns, or local equivalent. Books on magic will cost College Favour as well as gold, books by Dwarves will cost Dwarf Favour as well as gold. The cost is 1 favour for Obscure and Antiquarian levels, 2 favours for Esoteric.
You have established a relationship with the foremost bookseller of Barak Varr, and can acquire books from the Empire through them.

Civilized Realms
The Empire of Man +7 - Extensive and Esoteric Imperial / Extensive Dwarven
The Karaz Ankor +4 - Extensive Dwarven & Imperial
The Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan +2 - Extensive Dwarven

Sciences and Arts
Agriculture +2 - Extensive Dwarven
Architecture +2 - Extensive Dwarven
Chemistry +2 - Extensive Dwarven
Engineering +2 - Extensive
Geography (Old World) +2 - Extensive Dwarven
Linguistics +7 - Extensive and Esoteric Imperial / Extensive Dwarven
Romance +2 - Extensive
Trade +7 - Extensive and Esoteric Imperial / Extensive Dwarven

The Natural World
Arthropods +7 - Extensive and Esoteric Imperial / Extensive Dwarven
Venoms +7 - Extensive and Esoteric Imperial / Extensive Dwarven
Canines +5 - Extensive and Esoteric

Gods and Divinity
Ulric, God of Winter and Wolves +2 - Extensive
Morr, God of Death and Dreams +2 - Extensive
Ranald, God of Trickery and Thieves +2 - Extensive
Divine Magic +2 - Extensive

Magical Theory
Aethyr - The Warp +2 - Extensive
Sevir - The Winds of Magic +6 - Extensive and Antiquarian Imperial / Extensive Dwarven
Qhaysh - High Magic +2 - Extensive
Ghyran - Life Magic +2 - Extensive
Shyish - Death Magic +2 - Extensive
Ghur - Beast Magic +2 - Extensive
Chamon - Metal Magic +2 - Extensive
Aqshy - Fire Magic +2 - Extensive
Azyr - Celestial Magic +2 - Extensive
Ulgu - Shadow Magic +4 - Extensive and Antiquarian
Necromancy +2 - Extensive Imperial
Waaagh Magic +4 - Extensive Dwarven & Imperial
Skaven Warp Magic +4 - Extensive Dwarven & Imperial
Enchantment +2 - Extensive
Familiars +2 - Extensive
Warpstone +4 - Extensive Dwarven & Imperial

War and Combat
Greatswords +7 - Extensive and Esoteric Imperial / Extensive Brettonian

Enemies of Man
Daemons +4 - Extensive Dwarven & Imperial
Greenskins +9 - Extensive and Esoteric Imperial / Extensive Bretonnian / Extensive Dwarven
Skaven +7 - Extensive and Esoteric Imperial / Extensive Dwarven
Undead +7 - Extensive and Obscure Imperial / Extensive Bretonnian / Extensive Dwarven
Vampires +6 - Extensive Imperial / Extensive Bretonnian / Extensive Dwarven
We quite like books, OK?
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BoneyM said:
"Actually no, one of our up-and-coming Magisters. Dame Weber."
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I felt so proud of our dear sconce-puller! Lovely growth arc.
BoneyM said:
"Oh?" He turns his full attention to you. "I greatly enjoyed Dragon Ogres and Volcanic Lightning. You got them all?"
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BoneyM said:
"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."
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Yes, the 'Heidi' bombshell- but the Emperor had heard of us! And heard good things!

This was a big moment!
 
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BoneyM said:
Frederick's predictions and Vlad's notes indicate that it's the Dhar exposure that did it, and that there's no practical way to use Necromancy on a large scale without suffering from Dhar exposure.
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In other words the great and awesome Kragg belt fixes the problem. Not that we want to use necromancy spells any way but it's not the dhar casting so much as the dhar exposure. Which is what was expected by those paying attention.

Cool.

Next step, Ulgu tongs to test out other wind manipulating.
 
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How many attempts would creating a staff take? Would we be metaphorically pissing our favor points into the wind? Is there any inherent advantage to creating our own staff? Could our favor points be used to ask someone like the marienburg elves to commission a staff (expensive but guaranteed quality)? Are there legendary staffs we could try to track down, mabey using favors for hints and starting some kind of quest to hunt it down?
 
Night said:
Heidi could be Genevieve. Drachenfels or at least his castle is apparently a going concern here, so...
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I would strongly recommend discarding any Drachenfels-related metaknowledge beyond 'sometimes gribblies come out of it'.

Jedij4 said:
How many attempts would creating a staff take?
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Dice rolls. Somewhere between one and infinity.

Jedij4 said:
Is there any inherent advantage to creating our own staff?
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No.

Jedij4 said:
Could our favor points be used to ask someone like the marienburg elves to commission a staff (expensive but guaranteed quality)?
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Even if they created mono-Wind staffs, they wouldn't sell them to humans.

Jedij4 said:
Are there legendary staffs we could try to track down, mabey using favors for hints and starting some kind of quest to hunt it down?
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None attuned to Ulgu.
 
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HeWhoAdds said:
Johann already has a gold staff, if you know what I mean... :V
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One day we will come to the duckling club to find Johann drunk and leading everyone in a chorus of A Wizard's Staff Has A Knob On The End from Discworld.
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A knob on the end a knob on the end

A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A knob on the end a knob on the end

A wizard when young has a staff that is small
It's puny and weak, ineffective withal
It grows with his power until it stands tall
As his fame and his glory expand
As his fame and his glory expand

A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A knob on the end a knob on the end

The staff of a wizard can hold many spells
For finding lost objects or dowsing new wells
For banishing demons to bottomless hells
And bringing them back on demand
And bringing them back on demand

A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A knob on the end a knob on the end

A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A knob on the end a knob on the end

When a wizard is old, and is starting to fade
He looks on his staff that with cunning he made
The crown of his life and the tool of his trade
Together they make their last stand
And together they make their last stand

A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A knob on the end a knob on the end

A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A wizard's staff has a knob on the end
A knob on the end a knob on the end
 
das_slash said:
Everyone beat me to the "They are already running around with solid gold bodies" so I'll have to dig deeper into the reply pool and claim that, if they are smart, those bodies already come with a staff included.
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I think the implication is that it takes enough gold to gold-plate the limb, and maybe magic does the rest?

Enough gold to build a man-sized statue would be ridiculous. That's like twenty times their own weight in gold.

Johann would easily weight over one metric ton at this point.
 
TotallyNotEvil said:
I think the implication is that it takes enough gold to gold-plate the limb, and maybe magic does the rest?

Enough gold to build a man-sized statue would be ridiculous. That's like twenty times their own weight in gold.

Johann would easily weight over one metric ton at this point.
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I remember a quote that he also replaced several internal organs, that's more than mere plating.
 
TotallyNotEvil said:
I think the implication is that it takes enough gold to gold-plate the limb, and maybe magic does the rest?

Enough gold to build a man-sized statue would be ridiculous. That's like twenty times their own weight in gold.

Johann would easily weight over one metric ton at this point.
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BungieONI said:
His questions about Mathilde being immune to gas implies concern for a colleague who isn't immune to something he is, which further implies he replaced his lungs with gold-cyber lungs.
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From what I can tell, the gilding is a metaphysical perfecting of the organ or limb more than it is physical replacement of the material. The gold infuses and enhances the target flesh, but it remains fully functional. It's both perfect gold and living flesh simultaneously. He would still have his original lungs, they've just been made idealised (and shiny) by Chamon.
 
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[X] Loremaster: Expert on beekeeping
[X] Kragg the Grim, who you could likely convince to start gloating.
[X] Karak Kadrin, presenting them with the skull of an old enemy (but not to keep).
[X] Roswita, as she tries to wrap her head around the influx of Battle Wizards.
[X] Roswita, to present her with a copy of the book her late father contributed to.
[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[X] Anton, to see how his firearm factory is going
 
[X] Try to find Kasmir in Sylvania.
[X] Kragg the Grim, who you could likely convince to start gloating.
[X] Roswita, to present her with a copy of the book her late father contributed to.
[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[X] Anton, to see how his firearm factory is going.

[X] Loremaster: Expert on beekeeping
 
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BungieONI said:
His questions about Mathilde being immune to gas implies concern for a colleague who isn't immune to something he is, which further implies he replaced his lungs with gold-cyber lungs.
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Clearly, but the question is: did it take his lung's weight in gold to do it?

Or just enough to plate it, and the magic turns a gold-plated lung into a gold cyber-lung?

Again, I highly doubt it's the former, as that'd make Johann weight over a ton.

To say nothing of the fact that he'd have to get his hands on over a ton of pure gold for it.
 
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BungieONI said:
Is she mentally immune? Depends if Ulgu tongs work, but generally not if she just grabs it.
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Let's not quibble words here. Ulgu tongs are for people without the belt of Kragg.
BoneyM said:
It means that you could juggle warpstone, hug a demon, and fling Dhar around and just have to deal with your robes getting singed as the corruption burns away rather than sinking into your soul. If you had this in Sylvania you would have just had to deal with occasional minor flashfires on your skin instead of those ominous 'go on, raise the dead, you know you want to' options popping up all over the place. It probably says a lot about Kragg's opinion of manling wizards that he saw that as the main sort of 'protection' you needed.

That said, while it makes you immune to metaphysical corruption it doesn't make you immune to metaphorical corruption; you could still go down a dark road where you become the next Nagash or fall to one of the Chaos Gods through hubris or personality flaws or personal tragedy, but you're not going to get fishhooked into it by mystical means.
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We aren't going to be corrupted, turned mad or otherwise magically affected because of using dhar as long as we have the belt.
 
@BoneyM
Will the social turn actions fill out the Dramatis Personae? There's a lot missing, and just with the ducklings that would had the opinions of our three journeymanlings along with some of their stats.
 
Okay. Revoting after a lot of discussion.

[X] Loremaster: Expert on beekeeping

[X] Princess Edda, to pry for details about her illicit romance with Prince Kazrik.
[X] Karak Hirn, to satisfy your curiousity about Prince Ulthar.
[X] Roswita, as she tries to wrap her head around the influx of Battle Wizards.
[X] Empress 'Heidi', to see if you can snatch a private moment to speak honestly with her.
[X] Check in on the Gong Farmers and the Niter Factory.

[X] A bathtub, an even better place for reading.
 
Quest said:
Let's not quibble words here. Ulgu tongs are for people without the belt of Kragg.
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No, mentally. As in, you need a certain mindset for each wind, and holding that mindset changes how you think without any magic involved.

If you use the Dhar mindset you become a supervillain even if it never corrupts you, because using Dhar is synonymous with being enough of a supervillain to make it do your bidding.

The entire point of the Ulgu tongs is to use the Ulgu mindset to mess with things that require non-Ulgu mindsets.
 
You know I think Van Hal would have done what he did even if he knew the end result.
He stopped the Skaven and successfully proved that Dhar is too dangerous to be used safely.
Sure he went a bit crazy in the end but it seems like Vlad put him out of his misery before anything bad could happen.
 
TotallyNotEvil said:
Clearly, but the question is: did it take his lung's weight in gold to do it?

Or just enough to plate it, and the magic turns a gold-plated lung into a gold cyber-lung?

Again, I highly doubt it's the former, as that'd make Johann weight over a ton.

To say nothing of the fact that he'd have to get his hands on over a ton of pure gold for it.
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Well, gold is extremely malleable so it could be anything from a couple ounces to his full volume, I guess we gotta ask BoneyM.
Him mentioning only being able to afford the arms after the Karak says it requieres quite a bit, assuming the procedure is paid for in favors and not gold.
Do you remember how much he was paid? Converting that to weight might give us the answer.
 
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