Remove ads

Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Voting is open
Reader mode
So I'd like to draw the thread's attention to the following since I have not seen much in the way of discussion about it.

BoneyM said:
Though he seems thankful but relatively unmoved, when you leave the cell and the newly-supplied curtain swings back into place, your observations reveal a different side of the Skaven, as he chatters in Queekish to it while bribing it with food he'd stashed away in his bed-nest to overcome its wariness towards an oversized bipedal rat. Puppy appetite trumps concern, and soon enough Qrech's claws are gently scratching the spaniel behind its ears and it's quickly won over. You make a mental note to install a flap when Qrech is next asleep so that Wolf can take the pup for a walk every few days, and trickle your stash of stolen Clan Mors correspondence in over the coming weeks. Sure enough, Qrech's plates (now licked clean by the spaniel) are soon accompanied by translations, and you subject them to careful examination, first to ensure they're consistent and then to extract any useful information they might contain.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Qrech here is showing empathy towards another living being, and it isn't just petting and grooming to allay the boredom, he is giving the puppy some of his stashed food. I mean sure we know Mathilde would have no reason to try and starve him into compliance, but he does not know that, that is why he even has a food stash. Yet he is giving some of the food to the puppy enough to feed it out of his secret reserves, even though he is constantly in the grip of the Black Hunger.

Another important thing is that it is a puppy not a rat, this is not some weird Skaven-Rat metaphysical affinity, he just likes the puppy. What this says about both Qrech and the potential of the Skaven to be more than the horror the Horned Rat has made of them is both fascinating and in a way sobering.
 
Last edited:
[X] Elder Hluodwica, as the Halflings prepare for their first proper harvest festival in this new home.
[X] Francesco Caravello, proud leader of the Undumgi and possible future Thane.
[X] Sir Ruprecht Wulfhart, as the new home of the Winter Wolves takes shape.
[X] Kragg, who's begun to be seen around the Karak once more, indicating he might be finishing his study of the rune-axe you and Johann found.
[X] Check in on the Gong Farmers and the Niter Factory.
[X] Yes, have one social interaction be initiated by someone other than Mathilde.
 
oh! I just realized that there's purification magic in Gyhran.
Perhaps they could purify the air with a variation of the spell? I'm honestly surprised they don't have a spell to clean the air.
If they had one, we could comission an enchanted version of the gas masks could be developed that purifies the air that passes through it?
I'm totally down for our eventual gas mask looking like a plague doctor mask, BTW.

Alternatively, maybe there's Dwarven Runes to that end?
 
FallenPears said:
I do find it hilarious just how adorable the hivemind of giant spiders turned out to be.

Like, really, that's pretty low on the list of things you would think to be adorable.

But it's true, and they need all the hugs.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I added "the spiders are precious and must be protected" to the tags.
primemountain said:
You know, the Esmeralda/We thing keeps failing it's rolls to instill good values into the We. We might have to deal with Chaos We, or Maw We, soon, if it keeps failing. Keep in mind, giant, carnivorous spiders. Uplift may not be a good thing. They might just run off and ally with the Skaven or the Goblins. Or become a Second Under Empire kind of Threat. Lesser than a united Skaven, but perfectly willing to prey on surface creatures.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I mean, their reaction to figuring out "the not-we other-we thinks our silk is great" was to start leaving surplus silk for our people to bring upstairs, unprompted.

Like, this is where I'm at right now:
 
[+] The Wizards of Karak Eight Peaks (locked in)
[+] EIC Results (locked in; does not cost an action)
[X] Prince Gotri, who is enhancing the underground defences of the Karak.
[X] Prince Kazrik, as he builds on his relationship with Nuln.
[X] Gunnars, to see if you can pierce his terse nature.

[X] Gretel, who's apparently spending her newly-earned wealth to make herself at home.
[X] Max, during the few breaks in the silence as the two of you worked on Queekish in the Room of Serenity.
[X] Francesco Caravello, proud leader of the Undumgi and possible future Thane.
[] Oswald Oswaldson, newly-minted Chief Bombardier of the Undumgi.
[X] Soizic, newly elevated to military leader of the Undumgi.

[X] Barak Varr, to watch the progress of the canal.

[X] Kasmir, to see how he's keeping himself busy in Sylvania.
[X] Wilhelmina, to see how she's going when she's not a terrifying financial juggernaut.

[X] Investigate the aftermath of the Empire's campaigns against the Skaven in Nuln and Ubersreik.
[X] Kragg, who's begun to be seen around the Karak once more, indicating he might be finishing his study of the rune-axe you and Johann found.
[X] Check in on your fief in Stirland.

[X] Yes, have one social interaction be initiated by someone other than Mathilde.
 
Last edited:
BoneyM said:
It doesn't. Hunters are sort of pre-programmed with what the We knows about the area and where food is likely to be, and any new information they find is processed and added to what they know if they return. None of that carries over in the process of absorbing a 'lost' Hunter. The only communication between We is done between web-weaver messengers going back and forth, or when they're close enough for however they communicate to overlap.



The We seem to accept it as a fact of life. It's probably hardwired in as part of their reproduction.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Hopefully this means that after a few centuries the rest of the We will benefit from our uplifting efforts.
After their population increases, they might want to consider purposefully sending hunters to civilize other communities.

Edit: reading comprehension failed me yet again. We are going to need dedicated information carriers.
 
Last edited:
[X] King Belegar, as he arranges for Clan Ironspike to rejoin their ancestral home from Karak Hirn.


[X] Roswita, as she campaigns through Hunger Wood.
[X] Kasmir, to see how he's keeping himself busy in Sylvania.
[X] Anton, to see how his firearm factory is going.
[X] Julia, See what she has gotten up to as Stirland's most experienced spy master.



[X] Kragg, who's begun to be seen around the Karak once more, indicating he might be finishing his study of the rune-axe you and Johann found.


[X] Yes, have one social interaction be initiated by someone other than Mathilde.



I kind of want to see Outrider Champion Gustav, since he is the Marshal in a war where mages keep creating minor disasters around him sounds fun to me.
 
DragonParadox said:
So I'd like to draw the thread's attention to the following since I have not seen much in the way of discussion about it.



Qrech here is showing empathy towards another living being, and it isn't just petting and grooming to allay the boredom, he is giving the puppy some of his stashed food. I mean sure we know Mathilde would have no reason to try and starve him into compliance, but he does not know that, that is why he even has a food stash. Yet he is giving some of the food to the puppy enough to feed it out of his secret reserves, even though he is constantly in the grip of the Black Hunger.

Another important this is that it is a puppy not a rat, this is not some weird Skaven-Rat metaphysical affinity, he just likes the puppy. What this says about both Qrech and the potential of the Skaven to be more than the horror the Horned Rat has made of them is both fascinating and in a way sobering.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This is a really good point. I know some people are going to say that it's just performative to screw with Mathilde, but... I dunno. The thing about the Black Hunger is really good evidence.

...I really want to redeem/rehabilitate/whatever Qrech, because honestly, fuck the Horned Rat. Most awful thing in this setting by an order of magnitude.
 
Last edited:
das_slash said:
Why not? We need allies against the Skaven and they have centuries millennia of experience.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I feel the assumption that all We are acting similarly to the one's we have contact with could be a dangerous one. Who knows, maybe some other We are working with Green Skins or Chaos and we're hurting ourselves by giving them information.
 
picklepikkl said:
This is a really good point. I know some people are going to say that it's just performative to screw with Mathilde, but... I dunno. The thing about the Black Hunger is really good evidence.

...I really want to redeem/rehabilitate/whatever Qrech, because honestly, fuck the Horned Rat. Most awful thing in this setting by an order of magnitude.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Adding to this putting on a show would imply that he not only knows humans enough to guess that the human Eshin-Mage would find empathy (that is to say weakness by Skaven values) sympathetic, but that he can put on said show well enough that Mathilde with her high intrigue and who is constantly looking for treachery, would not notice the insincerity. I think the odds of that are remote, far smaller than the notion that he is being sincere.
 
kingreaper said:
Mathilde's Distracting Ethereal Copy Of Yourself
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Mathilde's Distracting Ethereal Copy Of Yourself,
a Mathilde Weber Project
featuring Mathilde Weber
with contributions by
Mathilde Weber
and assistance from
Mathilde Weber.
Writing: Mathilde Weber
Editing: Maximilian de Gaynesford
Distribution: Eastern Imperial Company (at request of stockholder Mathilde Weber)
Special thanks to: Mathilde Weber.
Signed,
Mathilde Weber.
 
DragonParadox said:
Adding to this putting on a show would imply that he not only knows humans enough to guess that the human Eshin-Mage would find empathy (that is to say weakness by Skaven values) sympathetic, but that he can put on said show well enough that Mathilde with her high intrigue and who is constantly looking for treachery, would not notice the insincerity. I think the odds of that are remote, far smaller than the notion that he is being sincere.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I think it'd be silly to underestimate him. He knows we can enter the room with out waking him and place new things inside I expect he's certainly capable of imagining we have ways of observing him that aren't obvious more over I suspect he's testing Mathilde statement about not looking for more power over him. Showing he values the puppy means that if we want to punish him the obvious way to do so is take the puppy away from him. It's definitely possible that he's basically making the puppy a shield.

we'll see how it plays out I suppose.
 
Dracikral said:
I feel the assumption that all We are acting similarly to the one's we have contact with could be a dangerous one. Who knows, maybe some other We are working with Green Skins or Chaos and we're hurting ourselves by giving them information.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Well, some are bound to be idiots/assholes, it is the nature of all life.
But should the elves/dwarves have stayed their hand from helping humanity because some turned to chaos? We are giving them good treatment, a vision what is possible and are helping them along the way, they will pass that along.
This world needs every possible light it can get, we are not going anyone a favor by letting fear stand in the way of that.
 
das_slash said:
Well, some are bound to be idiots/assholes, it is the nature of all life.
But should the elves/dwarves have stayed their hand from helping humanity because some turned to chaos? We are giving them good treatment, a vision what is possible and are helping them along the way, they will pass that along.
This world needs every possible light it can get, we are not going anyone a favor by letting fear stand in the way of that.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm not against the idea of uplifting the We. I am against the idea of doing it in an uncontrolled way by releasing web-weavers out into the wild to be absorbed into other We colonies without us knowing where they are going.
 
@BoneyM how does Dhar compare metaphysically to that capricious concentration of ulgu that Mathilde taps into when using battle magic? I remember you mentioning that Dhar essentially starts off at battle magic level and as you get better, it only gets more reliable.

I'm curious if the reason dhar is both powerful and dangerous is because it's similar in some way.
 
[Communicating knowledge: ??+??+/-??=49.]
[Communicating values: ??+??+/-??=15.]

You also find the time to check in with the We, and while the Priestess of Esmerelda has still yet to find any way of communicating her deity into terms the We can understand, she has built on previous success to the extent that they now completely understand the idea that each individual human, Halfling and Dwarf are distinct entities, though they're still preoccupied with how terrifying it must be to be limited to a single body. From that foundation, she's gradually making her way in the direction of the concepts of barter and value, instead of measuring everything in terms of nutrients and energy as they currently do. You certainly can't call her progress quick, but with your time and attention elsewhere you can't really say whether she's managing gradual success in the face of overwhelming odds or just delivering mediocrity.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Ouch, we have not been getting great results on these We education rolls.
 
Dracikral said:
I'm not against the idea of uplifting the We. I am against the idea of doing it in an uncontrolled way by releasing web-weavers out into the wild to be absorbed into other We colonies without us knowing where they are going.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's the only effective way, we don't have the ability to safely project power into the entire underground.
By the time this is a possibility we should trust the We as much as we would trust a human or dwarf doing it.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Voting is open
Remove ads
Back
Top