[X] Promote Internally - Best for morale, but brings nothing new to the table
[X] Dog Breeder - Stirland Terriers become part of the Watch
Almost all of the major plans are ones I'm completely okay with as actions, mostly just commenting to express my appreciation for BoneyM and his amazing quest that I have spent half a week catching up on after finding it.
The other main reason I'm commenting now is to ask for clarification regarding what kind of enchantments we can actually make now that we've finally got our lab setup (barring Arcane Mark shenanigans). For example I know really early on we were talking about making a Greatsword enchanted with Mindhole that would cause anyone who looked at it to forget it exists which I was planning to suggest we name Speak Softly (and carry a big sword) but after what the QM said about Warhammer Fantasy spells and their interaction with Mathilde's Matrix I'm currently wondering if said sword would just cause anything hit by it to forget Mathilde, which would be less useful for anyone we made it for but still usable by ourselves (though it may be easier to just enchant a cudgel with Mindhole and call it The Forget-Me Stick).
Other Idea's I had for enchantment include a rocking horse enchanted with Shadowsteed named after the rocking horse we made neigh(we never did learn what we called it) as a gift for The Count, a Greatsword enchanted with Cloak Activity (once we learn it) named Feint to give to our good friend Markus who as the Champion of Stirland would be absolutely devastating Fient-ing for even half a minute(note: long-term project), and a pistol/ammo (depending on how enchanted objects work) enchanted with Magic Dart(Extra-strength:hits twice as hard?) Sleep(Somnambulist: for capturing/distracting targets) or Dispel (Mage-killer:self explanatory). I Know we want to research the Qhaysh Juice or Shyish-Kebabs but depending on how enchanting works I could see several of these ideas being excellent tools/gifts to use in the future provided @BoneyM or anyone with better knowledge of enchantment could explain things.
[X] Plan Sword-wizard
seems fine. I mean, I doubt Markus is available for sword practice, which could be a problem, but possibly we can just work out with our bodyguards or whatever. Get some more varied opponents.
The other main reason I'm commenting now is to ask for clarification regarding what kind of enchantments we can actually make now that we've finally got our lab setup (barring Arcane Mark shenanigans).
We're still at the same "make your desk meow for an hour" stage of what we can produce. The lab just makes it easier. Or in other words, "temporarily imbue an item with Petty Magic". (BoneyM said earlier this saves on candles when we can imbue an item with the Glowing Light spell for an hour, and that's about it.)
You'll have to wait for the QM to say anything official, but I can at least outline based on what he's said previously - magic in Warhammer is not a 'free' power source as in so many systems, it's power hard-won and wrested from Chaos, still with a will of its own, liable to turn back into Chaos if ever you lose control of it. On a good day, this merely recolors your clothes and spoils all the food in the building as cold winds howl. On a very bad day, demons appear.
Enchantment involves taking a strand of Wind and altering it so that it somehow stays in an item. This is hard. There are no mass-produced enchanted items. Magic items in Warhammer generally fall into two categories: 1) those that are Chaos-tainted or otherwise too horrifically dangerous to use, 2) those that are highly valued and fought over. There's very little in the way of unowned useful magic items, minor magic items, or a market in magic items.
To make the stuff you suggest, I speculate that we'd probably need something like the following actions up front:
-learn to imbue items with Lesser Magic
-learn to imbue items with Shadow Magic
-learn to imbue items so the enchantment sticks around rather than being temporary
And then the following actions per item:
-make item into suitable receptacle for any enchantment at all
-make enchantment last for weeks
-make enchantment last permanently
Which means that if we spend a normal three actions being Spymaster and the other three* actions on Enchantment, that's a year to get to one item (optimistically assuming no failed rolls along the way) and half a year for each additional item. Probably not worth it for an extra-strength pistol, but giving the Count the same tactical mobility Mathilde has would be cool. Once Abelhelm gets over the riding pains, at least.
*insert time management caveats
@BoneyM , want to chime in here, or is this one of those things we're just going to have to discover and explore for ourselves? Also, how long is current vote running going for?
We're still at the same "make your desk meow for an hour" stage of what we can produce. The lab just makes it easier. Or in other words, "temporarily imbue an item with Petty Magic". (BoneyM said earlier this saves on candles when we can imbue an item with the Glowing Light spell for an hour, and that's about it.)
[X] Plan Sword-wizard
-[X] Really Good Swords: You have achieved proficiency with the Greatsword. Future progress is possible, though it will take more effort to see results.
-[X] There's always room for more shadow spells in your repertoire. Send off to the Grey College for the basics on one of the others and get started on trying to learn it.
-[X] Shroud of Invisibility
-[X] Ranald's Blessing
When I was making my plan, I looked at the spell list and thought there wasn't anything we could currently learn that would directly apply to combat. So I decided to just go for increasing Martial skill. What I missed was the 30 seconds of invisibility spell, which even if it's only used sparsely is a really good ability. Since the spell both helps us in combat and advances our magic training, it's a better choice for this turn.
I still want fancy pistols and think it's better right now than more sword training, but it's not as big a functional difference.
So I was thinking about loud and silly ways we could leverage our shadow magic to make a splash on the battlefield.
We have
A: Horses that never tire and are resistant to most damage, and can be replaced quickly and cheaply when destroyed
B: The ability to make any weapon do magic damage
C: The ability to make anything in the shadow of a bright light take severe damage
And an idea sprang into being. We need a chariot/warwagon. It allows us to bring magical heavy armament onto the battlefield at close range at much higher speeds than normal. I.e. A budget luminark/steamtank or a less ogrelike ironblaster. Furthermore, magical ramming. The sheer endurance of the shadowsteeds also allow us to plate the thing in metal.
There's a few possible configurations that are of interest
The first is redesigning the light prison to release light caught over weeks in the space of a few hours, within the confines of a closed wagon, letting us do constant damage from inside the wagon. Unlikely, since the designer of the thing itself never managed to do it, but magic might help with that, and we have more motivation.
Otherwise, a powerful oil lamp might suffice
Swivel mounted drake guns. Not sure if the dwarves even sell them, but magic flame guns shot out of a firing port seem like it could do some damage and since they'll be fired into the ranks of the enemy and those who survive the flame will be casting big shadows from the blindingly bright fire, that's synergy with our magic. Ulgu also seems like it could make enchantments to help keep the wagon cool in the middle of a firestorm, though it is starting to seem like we are not ever going to actually learn how to do it.
@DOOMPOTATO that sounds viable for chaos sorcerers, and everyone else is going to take one look at your plan and run screaming.
Potentially relevant quotes:
I don't think you've quite grasped Warhammer magic. This isn't the sort of low-stakes setting where wizards light their pipes with magic just because they can. Warhammer magic is forcibly tearing yanking chunks of raw Hell into reality, wrestling it under control, and making it break the laws of nature to your exact specifications, and there's a non-zero chance of Hell deciding it doesn't like you doing that and doing terrible things to you for your temerity. Mathilde has gotten very, very lucky that she hasn't suffered a miscast since the beginning of the game, but I'll remind you that the Wisdom's Asp that took a great deal of effort and expense to deal with was the result of a miscast, and nowhere near the worst kind of miscast.
Magical light can work for Burning Shadows, but the as a general rule it's always better to keep spells separate. Magic from two different spells interacts unpredictably. You can use the aforementioned ritual casting (I'll add it to the spellbook threadmark in a bit) to crank up the lumens, but it'd usually be easier and less risky to just build a bonfire. Nobody ever miscast a match.
So I was thinking about loud and silly ways we could leverage our shadow magic to make a splash on the battlefield.
We have
A: Horses that never tire and are resistant to most damage, and can be replaced quickly and cheaply when destroyed
B: The ability to make any weapon do magic damage
C: The ability to make anything in the shadow of a bright light take severe damage
And an idea sprang into being. We need a chariot/warwagon. It allows us to bring magical heavy armament onto the battlefield at close range at much higher speeds than normal. I.e. A budget luminark/steamtank or a less ogrelike ironblaster. Furthermore, magical ramming. The sheer endurance of the shadowsteeds also allow us to plate the thing in metal.
There's a few possible configurations that are of interest
The first is redesigning the light prison to release light caught over weeks in the space of a few hours, within the confines of a closed wagon, letting us do constant damage from inside the wagon. Unlikely, since the designer of the thing itself never managed to do it, but magic might help with that, and we have more motivation.
Otherwise, a powerful oil lamp might suffice
Swivel mounted drake guns. Not sure if the dwarves even sell them, but magic flame guns shot out of a firing port seem like it could do some damage and since they'll be fired into the ranks of the enemy and those who survive the flame will be casting big shadows from the blindingly bright fire, that's synergy with our magic. Ulgu also seems like it could make enchantments to help keep the wagon cool in the middle of a firestorm, though it is starting to seem like we are not ever going to actually learn how to do it.
You're on the right tracks, though the exact details of the learning path and limitations will have to wait until Mathilde starts exploring the possibilities herself.
Others have pointed out flaws, but on top of those, there's a lot of different magical parts to try to make cooperate with each other. It actually seems to me like a backstory that ends in 'and then demons possessed it' and now there's a new Rare unit for Daemons of Chaos armies.
Others have pointed out flaws, but on top of those, there's a lot of different magical parts to try to make cooperate with each other. It actually seems to me like a backstory that ends in 'and then demons possessed it' and now there's a new Rare unit for Daemons of Chaos armies.
I mean, drake guns, hellblasters, the mirrortrap and so on aren't magical to my knowledge.
The only magical items I mentioned was a theoretical cooling enchantment, but that's based on the dwarves doing the same for their irondrakes. Burning shadows, shadowsteed and a stable enchantment based on the "pleasantly cool" cultural idea of shadows doesn't seem to be more than we are already doing.
We are already casting burning shadows from atop a shadowsteed, while using a magically infused greatsword. Casting burning shadows from within a magically infused wagon drawn by shadowsteeds is not very different.
It's a mundane wagon pulled by magical forces, if you don't use drake guns. Not all that difference from someone riding a magical horse.
It's far less reliant on magic to sustain itself than a Luminark or a Black Coach.
The shadowsteed weight limitation is a real problem, and one I don't actually have an answer for. I can't find where it was said, can someone link it?
In any case, this was just a silly idea that I came up with to try and work through what we can do. It being shot down is no great disappointment. maybe a small one
I mean, drake guns, hellblasters, the mirrortrap and so on aren't magical to my knowledge.
The only magical items I mentioned was a theoretical cooling enchantment, but that's based on the dwarves doing the same for their irondrakes. Burning shadows, shadowsteed and a stable enchantment based on the "pleasantly cool" cultural idea of shadows doesn't seem to be more than we are already doing.
We are already casting burning shadows from atop a shadowsteed, while using a magically infused greatsword. Casting burning shadows from within a magically infused wagon drawn by shadowsteeds is not very different.
It's a mundane wagon pulled by magical forces, if you don't use drake guns. Not all that difference from someone riding a magical horse.
It's far less reliant on magic to sustain itself than a Luminark or a Black Coach.
The shadowsteed weight limitation is a real problem, and one I don't actually have an answer for. I can't find where it was said, can someone link it?
In any case, this was just a silly idea that I came up with to try and work through what we can do. It being shot down is no great disappointment. maybe a small one
Apart, each of those things is fine. It's when you start to stick them together that you get troubles. Because a carriage pulled by steeds of shadow, leaking a billowing fog, that burns with a hidden light, and whose presence causes its victims to dissolve in agonizing pain? And it might or might not spit out gouts of fire? That's already a daemon chariot. Heck, I think that might be actively worse than the generic daemon chariots.
So I'd go for it, if Matildhe was intent on a magical ascension to become some sort of supernatural harbinger of terror and death, like the headless horseman except with a carriage.
So I'd go for it, if Matildhe was intent on a magical ascension to become some sort of supernatural harbinger of terror and death, like the headless horseman except with a carriage.
Huh. Makes you wonder how they call those things up. I can't imagine they've got a telephone number for their taxi service, and they seem a bit high-end to be kept on retainer.
Huh. Makes you wonder how they call those things up. I can't imagine they've got a telephone number for their taxi service, and they seem a bit high-end to be kept on retainer.
The Von Carstein Coachpark has always some in reserve, maintained by apprentice Necromancers hoping for tips in form of magical training until they get promoted into a job where they can hope for the Bloodkiss.
[*] Dog Breeder - Stirland Terriers become part of the Watch
[*] Promote Internally - Best for morale, but brings nothing new to the table
[*] Plan Sword-wizard
-[*] Really Good Swords: You have achieved proficiency with the Greatsword. Future progress is possible, though it will take more effort to see results.
-[*] There's always room for more shadow spells in your repertoire. Send off to the Grey College for the basics on one of the others and get started on trying to learn it.
-[*] Shroud of Invisibility
-[*] Ranald's Blessing
Ideally, you'd like to hire pretty much every candidate for the training positions. But the Watch is held back by budgetary constraints, by lack of skilled administrators, by the grumbling of the veterans, and by the limited number of hours in a day. You brood over the decision for days, balancing utility against morale against practicality against cost. The swordman and spearman are discarded early; they'd be safe choices morale-wise, but neither bring anything new to the Watch nor would outright please its members - neither one thing nor t'other. The tutor and poacher, too, are discarded, as their skills are outside the current remit of the Watch. That ends the easy choices, and from here on every attempt to par down the list hurts.
The marine goes early; the non-lethal techniques of Nordland's infamous press gangs may have proven useful, but not enough to justify a full-time trainer. The doctor too; the Watch, you daresay, would not appreciate attempts to teach them the mistrusted art of medicine. The smuggler would be hugely useful, but potentially disastrous considering the current mood of the watch. And, with deep reluctance, you finally admit that the cost of arming the entire Watch with pistols could very well prove prohibitive.
A decision, at last, is made. Lower Hans presents a series of his most skilled and personable veterans of the Sewer Jacks to rotate through the Watch's training ground, which goes over well among the grumblers of the Watch. And Anton's friend, the breeder of the Stirland Terrier, is brought onto the payroll of the Watch. The choice is unconventional, and for a moment it seems like the Watch could take it either way, but in the end it is the terrier itself wins over those who were unsure. Bred specifically for rat-baiting, it is larger and nobler-looking than the mongrels favoured by the rat catchers, and the breeder promises that the breed's watchfulness and intelligence would make them an asset in a number of situations, not just in killing rats. The Watch is pleased, and distracted from Jack's exploration of saltpeter derivation, defusing what was shaping up to be a nasty morale crisis.
---
With the final stage of the Purge underway, you join Markus and the Greatswords once more. As they've stayed by the sides of those they're sworn to protect, they've missed most of the fighting in the past year, but you've heard they made a good showing of themselves in the Battle of the Valley of the Singing King. Markus welcomes you gruffly back to the training grounds, and puts you through a series of drills to determine whether you've dropped a step. At your level of proficiency, training is with blunted steel instead of the wooden swords you trained with, and the ringing of steel on steel is very different to the blunt impact of wood on wood.
The next few weeks are punishing; not only are you training from dawn to dusk, but you're also following the army as it marches across the Hills, and with a pack loaded with rocks on foot. Markus is a great believer in the importance of fitness, and when you grumble, he throws on a pack twice the size of yours and literally runs circles around you for the entire day's march, which forces you to shut up.
In the end, the results speak for themselves. You've always been somewhat on the small side and you doubt anything will change that, but beneath your robes the lean muscle of a warrior has replaced the soft flesh of a sheltered academic.
Your training allows you to be on hand for the penultimate major battle of the campaign, as the expected resistance finally materializes and the 'wild' undead suddenly begin acting in unison. Unfortunately for the enemy, they vastly underestimated the Army of Stirland, which if anything are delighted that the enemy are coming straight to them instead of being tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the Hills. A series of devastating skirmishes later, the enemy is hemmed in and tracked down to their base of operations - an ancient, ruined hillfort. While once the fort would have proven a difficult obstacle, that time was thousands of years ago, and seventy cannon speak as one to tear the defences asunder. If anything, they're too effective, and all there is to investigate is fresh blood and scraps of flesh and splinters of bone, proving that a living necromancer was foolish enough to try to stand in the way of the artillery of Stirland.
The Throng of Zhufbar nod to themselves and gruffly mutter that it may have been a good decision to grant mankind the secret of gunpowder.
The Hillfort proves to be the entrance into a network of natural caves that were converted in ancient times into what could be the largest pre-Sigmar tomb complex you've ever heard of. Shyish is thick in the air, skittering in the depths proves the presence of ghouls and possibly worse things, and the dead stir uneasily at the trespass of man into their graves. Stairs carved into steep rock slopes seem to descend forever into the darkness, and your brief attempts at sketching out a map ends with more unexplored tomb stretching out in every cardinal direction, plus downwards. You itch to plumb the depths of the unknown, but the army is already breaking camp to finish as much of the Purge as possible before winter sets in once more and forces them to seek shelter in Nachthafen.
Still, it's been sitting there for at least three thousand years, it's not going anywhere.
---
To shroud oneself in Ulgu is easier said than done; it has a natural tendency to gravitate towards those attuned to it, but to get it to do more than to curl around your ankles is like trying to grab mist. It requires a completely different set of techniques than the simple one every wizard knows to draw magic in, and the technique is wholly alien to anything you've ever tried - like reading a treatise on how to grow hands on every inch of your skin and grasp at the air with them.
You pass weeks in meditation, trying to grasp the techniques laid out in the encrypted scrolls. Progress is infuriating slow but is being made, every morning spent shrouded in the morning mist atop one hill or another, until one morning you're grasping and you feel the sensation every wizard dreads - that of magic tearing itself free of your grasp. Though it has been long years since Ulgu has fought your control, the reactions were taught so deeply that they are still automatic - the releasing of the spell, the purging of magical energies from your body, throwing yourself as far from the spot you had stood as possible in the instant you have to react, the grounding of bare flesh against soil, the desperately mumbled prayers to any god that may be listening...
The Ulgu that had seconds before been coiled around you is suddenly pulled taut, like a fishing line that just snared a shark, and the very air resonates with the energy in it. The mist around you grows darker, deeper, and glimpses of alien colours can be seen within it-
And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the energies ground themselves. Without moving, you cast your eyes around, dreading what you'll find. When magic tears itself free and starts to draw on the hellish dimension it originated from, the possibilities are literally endless, and invariably bad...
The hill. It had been covered with soft, green grass, tinged white with the frost of winter, and now was just the brown of soil. But undisturbed, as if...
You run your hand over the bare ground nearest to you, and feel blades of grass tickle your fingers, and thank Ranald that the only victims of your spell are innumerable blades of grass that are now completely cut off from life-giving sunlight. Though that's the least of their troubles, because you're going to cover this entire hilltop in lamp oil and set it alight, just in case.
[Learning Shroud of Invisibility: Req 70, Learning, 11+18+10(Ranald's Blessing)=39]
The Army of Stirland and the Throng of Zhufbar gather at Nachthafen to ride out the worst of winter. When the human army started putting up tents, the dwarves had snorted and set to work, and in days a fortified wooden barracks has been erected outside Nachthafen, complete with stone chimneys in every room and firing slits for the cannon.
Ostermark continues to be bogged down in their campaign, projecting another year until the woods around Mordheim are cleared, dashing any last hopes that they would open the second front they spoke of. The forces present will have to suffice, and such a force it is. On the human side: thirty thousand infantry, fourteen hundred knights, seventy cannon, thirty mortars, one wizard, and an elven prince atop a dragon. For the dwarves: six thousand warriors, four thousand rifle-armed and aptly-named Thunderers, ten cannon, and ten multi-barrelled 'organ guns' of seeming similarity to the Empire's Helblasters. And, they say, they're calling for reinforcements from Zhufbar, apparently unwilling to let manlings so outdo them in heavy artillery.
Possibly sufficient, possibly. But there is always room for more firepower, and Van Hal is calling a meeting of the council to discuss last-minute preparations, mostly consisting of requests for aid.
FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE ASSAULT ON DRAKENHOF.
Pick between two and three to assist with personally. A third, if chosen, will count as Overwork and come with risks. Optionally, pick three more to argue in favour of though you cannot take care of them yourself, as Van Hal values your opinion.
[ ] Averland's army is currently mobilized to mop up the last vestiges of a defeated Waagh; perhaps they can be convinced to contribute.
[ ] Hochland's famous snipers could come in useful in a prolonged siege.
[ ] The forests of Mordheim will keep. Invite Ostermark to bring their armies into Sylvania, so that they might actually achieve something for a change.
[ ] Anton is already in Reikland seeking assistance from the Emperor, but perhaps a greater focus here could pay dividends.
[ ] Talabecland's knights appear to be having a grand time, perhaps they could convince more of their fellows to join in.
[ ] More cannon. More cannon. Send to Wissenland.
[ ] There's one neighbour that hasn't been asked for help. Maybe the Moot could contribute somehow?
[ ] Send for Battle Wizards from a College of Magic (pick which, can be taken multiple times).
[ ] What purpose could be more holy than this? Request aid from the Grand Theogonist.
[ ] Surely Van Hal has a lifetime of contacts and favours to draw on. Bring the Witch Hunters in.
[ ] The Cult of Ulric are no friends to the undead. Call them to battle.
[ ] The Fellowship of the Shroud are technically Tilean, but their enmity of vampires is unquestionable. Extend an invitation.
[ ] The Throng of Zhufbar is already seeking reinforcements, perhaps the backing of an official request from Stirland could help.
[ ] The Slayer Keep, Karak Kadrin, is close enough to Sylvania to inspire a dislike for it. Ask if they'd be willing to join in.
[ ] The dwarvern hold of Karak Angazhar in the Black Fire Pass is small compared to Zhufbar or Karak Kadrin, but they've closer ties with man and a greater interest in trade; perhaps they'd be easier to convince to join in.
[ ] Apparently there's dwarves gathering for some sort of revanchist crusade into the Badlands. Perhaps they could hone their edge against this fortress.
[ ] Drakenhof is very close to one of the utmost reaches of the Stir; perhaps the riverine forces of the Empire could contribute to the fight.
[ ] Sylvania is technically part of Stirland, so this could be considered defensive. Raise the militia. (pick which segment of the militia, can be taken multiple times, check the Military of Stirland threadmark for militia details)
[ ] Seeking mercenaries has, to put it mildly, gone rather well so far. Seek out more.
[ ] It seems Countess Gabriella is content to sit back and watch events unfold. If your suspicions are correct, and you don't mind dabbling in what might be considered heresy, her personal intervention could be a great help.
Longshots due to distance:
[ ] The Brettonnians have a long history of aiding those in need, and their experiences with Mousillon have given them great reason to seek vengeance against the Undead.
[ ] Cut out the middle-dwarf. Send an envoy to Karaz-a-Karak, the capital of the dwarves.
[ ] Kislev is experiencing something of a renaissance, purging a great deal of terrors from their land. Perhaps they can lend some of their martial might to Stirland.
[ ] You've got one elf, why not go for more? Send an envoy to Ulthuan's embassy.
Alternately, perhaps this time could be better spent honing your own skills.
[ ] Last-minute combat training.
[ ] An even more hurried and slapdash attempt at weaponizing the Qhaysh Juice.
[ ] There is an awful lot of Dhar around. And it is, you've heard, easy to use and quite empowering...
---
- The Stirland Terrier is based on the Manchester Terrier. If you look for information on this breed, keep in mind that there's a 'toy' version of the animal far removed from the historical one - these dogs are shorter than most, but still come up to a man's waist.
- Training above proficiency is not normally quite so difficult, but here it was combined with picking up the Fitness proficiency.
- If there's another faction you think might be convinced to chip in, or if there's something else you think one of the provinces could contribute, let me know and I'll add it to the list. Keep in mind distance, however - someone further afield will be harder to convince and will contribute less than someone close by.
- Same goes for last-minute preparations.
The hill. It had been covered with soft, green grass, tinged white with the frost of winter, and now was just the brown of soil. But undisturbed, as if...
You run your hand over the bare ground nearest to you, and feel blades of grass tickle your fingers, and thank Ranald that the only victims of your spell are innumerable blades of grass that are now completely cut off from life-giving sunlight. Though that's the least of their troubles, because you're going to cover this entire hilltop in lamp oil and set it alight, just in case.
[ ] An even more hurried and slapdash attempt at weaponizing the Qhaysh Juice.
[ ] There is an awful lot of Dhar around. And it is, you've heard, easy to use and quite empowering...
