NSMS
Probably evil, unfortunately.
- Location
- A rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality
*looks at user name and avatar pic*
...somehow, I don't think you're a reliable source, here.
Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest
- Thread starter Boney
- Start date
- Fantasy Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
...somehow, I don't think you're a reliable source, here.
Turn 24 Social - 2481.5
[*] The Wizards of Karak Eight Peaks (locked in)
[*] EIC Results (locked in; does not cost an action)
[*] Francesco Caravello, proud leader of the Undumgi and possible future Thane.
[*] 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.
[*] Check in on your fief in Stirland.
[*] Investigate the aftermath of the Empire's campaigns against the Skaven in Nuln and Ubersreik.
[*] Prince Kazrik, as he builds on his relationship with Nuln.
[*] Yes, have one social interaction be initiated by someone other than Mathilde.
[*] EIC Results (locked in; does not cost an action)
[*] Francesco Caravello, proud leader of the Undumgi and possible future Thane.
[*] 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.
[*] Check in on your fief in Stirland.
[*] Investigate the aftermath of the Empire's campaigns against the Skaven in Nuln and Ubersreik.
[*] Prince Kazrik, as he builds on his relationship with Nuln.
[*] Yes, have one social interaction be initiated by someone other than Mathilde.
[Strigoi preparations: 1]
[Stirlandian assault: 41]
[Rolling for individual contributions...]
As you work your way through the accumulated EIC insights into the ongoing Sylvanian campaign, you're once more reminded how much Abelhelm's untimely death was a tragedy. Roswita might be growing into the role, but while a three-pronged assault looks great on paper, the logistical problems reared their ugly heads early and often. Against any canny foe, the Sylvanian Campaign might have ended there and then, but these Strigoi were far more occupied with the escalating tensions between each other than enemy movements. By the time the much-delayed army had finally penetrated deep enough into the forest to reach them, they had given up countless opportunities to ambush or harass the oncoming foe in favour of tearing each other to pieces, and the army's job was to finish off the badly-wounded 'victor' and put down the crumbling zombies, panicked ghouls and fleeing beasts that had made up the forces of Hunger Wood. If there's any hero of this story - and you have to drill pretty far past some wincingly bad performances to get there - it's the early prototypes of Gerber-Kiesinger Repeating Rifle, which could apparently fire twelve rounds in twenty seconds before requiring reloading. That raises your eyebrows, and you wonder just how much useful information Anton was able to get out of Prince Gotri.
You also go through the information the EIC has started to gather on events in Karag Nar, paying special attention to the possible future Thane, Francesco Caravello. The Undumgi are quite happily settled in and pleased to have a steady stream of imported goods from the Empire to spend their salary of silver on, though there is a fair bit of griping about demographics; inevitable, you suppose, when so many men have just found long-term financial stability, but you make a note to keep an eye on it anyway. In the parts of Karag Nar tucked away from prying eyes there were enterprising women (and some men) making a brisk trade in fulfilling related desires, and apparently the Undumgi didn't share the prejudices of the Stirlanders you grew up with because a few had married Halfling women. You make a mental note to keep an eye on that; you had expected the situation to resolve itself as news spread of so many newly-eligible bachelors living in comfort and safety, but Karag Nar still remained overwhelmingly male.
---
You're aware that some might be intimidated by wizards, but between your newly-renovated entrance hall and having Wolf deliver the invitation for Francesco to pop around for a chat at his convenience, you're sure that Signore Caravello will be at ease. Who wouldn't like receiving mail from such a wonderful puppy?
Francesco did not budge from the table he was sitting at as the massive beast approached. It wasn't as large as the Giant Wolves of Ulrikadrin, but it was hard to remember that when he was eye to eye with the creature. It eyed him solemnly for a moment, and then turned its head to reveal the letter tucked into its grey collar. Trying to suppress his nerves, Francesco commanded his arm not to shake as he reached over and pulled the missive free. The animal looked at him with unnatural intelligence, nodded once, and then turned and left.
When he arrived at the top of the very long central staircase, he took a moment to catch his breath and noted the recessed portcullis in the roof and the reinforced steel door that barred entry. As he approached, it swung open noiselessly, and the first thing he noticed was the sinister anti-glow of the steel pillar in the center of the room. Scattered around it as if to demonstrate how little the occupant cared about such a sinister force in the room were shockingly ordinary pieces of furniture, and windows opened on all sides to breathtaking views of the mountains. Among all this, the Wizard of Karag Nar sat elegantly by the hearth, flipping her way through a book filled with Dwarvish runes. Her shadow, stretching across the room by the light of the fire, turned to regard him; several seconds later, the Wizard followed suit, and Francesco noticed she was being orbited by the few wisps of woodsmoke that escaped the Runes of the fireplace's flue.
"A pleasure to see you once more, Signore Caravello," you welcome the man who might soon be Thane, closing the book you were reading. "Please, take a seat."
"Dame Weber," he greets you cautiously, sitting stiffly in the chair beside you, and you're pleased to note he's still wearing the Torc you gave him.
"A great deal of power is in your hands, and I felt it best to spend some more time with you. Much will rely on those living within Karag Nar in the coming years."
"I will do my utmost to prove worthy of King Belegar's faith in me," he says.
"That is good to hear," you say with a smile, "but what I wish to see more clearly is what your utmost consists of." You place the book down on a small table beside you. "Tell me of the EIC."
He conceals any visible display of nervousness, but his emotions cannot hide from your Magesight. "The trade company?"
"The trade company you have partnered with. I wish to know your reasons."
Confusion swirls within him as he tries to predict where this is going. "If you believe the EIC is a threat to the Karak, I will of course sever all ties-"
"I'm glad to hear it, but that's not what I asked."
He takes a moment to collect his thoughts. "The offer was good," he says at last. "Fair prices for staple goods and no mark-up for payment in Dwarven currency. All they asked is to keep out would-be competitors, when their low margins would do the job for them. Tilea has a strong tradition of merchant princes seeking prestige through generosity. But if you think they-"
"Oh, stop. I'm not on a crusade against the EIC, I am the EIC." You can't help but smile at the shock on his face. "Thirty-six percent of it, at least. One of the swords in the logo is my own. I'm not here to take you to task, I just want to get a better idea of what sort of man you are. What it is you want from life."
He considers this, and finally nods. "Very well. I originate in Luccini, and it is to my shame that I learned its lessons too late. I had always known that it is through trade that Luccini has grown prosperous, but as my ruined endeavours finally taught me, unprotected trade enriches only the brigands and scavengers of the world. And though I had fallen too far in fortunes to apply the lesson to my own endeavours, I could lend my sword to the endeavours of others and extract what vengeance I could find in defence of the caravans of the Old World. And that likely would have been the course of the remainder of my life, had King Belegar's summons not reached my ears. The rest of the story is one I share with the rest of the Undumgi."
"Is it spite or justice that drove you?"
He shakes his head firmly. "A distinction without meaning to sons of Tilea. Spite is the satisfaction one feels at righting an injustice."
You consider that, and eventually nod. "Very well. What are your ambitions now, from this elevated position?"
"With Dwarven arms, Tilean cunning, Bretonnian courage and the Empire's discipline, the Undumgi could become the equal of the Leopard Company. And astride the safe path through the mountains that a dozen generation of merchants would have given their right arm and firstborn son for, Karag Nar could become as prosperous and comfortable and bustling as any of the jewels of Tilea. I will use these accomplishments as the quill to write my name in the annals of history, or I shall die in the attempt."
You smile, watching the emotions within him confirm his words. "I do so like it when my allies have compatible ambitions. I've a feeling the future will hold opportunities for you to get closer to your goals, and you need only prove the equal to them."
---
It must be wonderful, you consider, to have the freedom to disappear from the world for months or even years at a time when a promising new line of inquiry is dropped into your lap. Kragg's reappearance either indicates a conclusion or a roadblock in his study of the rune-axe that Clan Moulder's Naggarothi guest had possessed, and from a distance you consider the oldest Dwarf in the Karaz Ankor. Born so long ago he predates Bretonnia, predates the Moot, predates the arrival of Necromancy to the Empire. Despite his age, the world still holds surprises in even his field of expertise. What a nice thought.
Dwarves were, of course, naturally repellent to the Winds of Magic, so your usual trick of watching the gathering and dispersing of ambient magic to tell what someone is feeling doesn't work on them. That applies to Kragg ten times over, to the extent that you can locate him at a distance by the way that Ulgu clings tighter to you as you approach him. So you fall back on calling him something scandalously familiar, and gauging how much venom is in the scowl he shoots you. You were hoping for just the normal levels of disapproval, and more than usual would indicate that he'd grown frustrated with his project. That he barely gives a grunt of greeting past the unlit pipe in his mouth in return makes you frown. Kragg, you've learned, is not a social Dwarf, but nor is he one to keep his emotions bottled up, so it takes only a few moments for him to start speaking. "Not our work," he says.
You frown; the axe had clearly been of Dwarven manufacture, which made both of the possibilities very touchy. "North or east?"
He sighs. "That's the question, isn't it?"
The dilemma is clear to you, but fairly buried in Dwarven history. During the Dwarven Golden Age some six millennia ago, the Dwarves had spread throughout the World's Edge Mountains, and some internal debate the Dwarves were rather tight-lipped about led to two splinter groups leaving: one northwest to the mountains of Norsca, and one east across the bleak plateau that sits at the northern edge of the Dark Lands. Then Chaos had come to the world, and while the Karaz Ankor fought off demons with steel and the taint of Chaos with Valaya's runes, the Dwarves of the East either succumbed to or were seduced by Chaos, and those that went North were presumed lost, being the closest to the Chaos Wastes. But about 180 years ago, during the Great War Against Chaos that led to the founding of the Colleges, the Karaz Ankor under High King Alriksson had marched to defend Kislev. A fiery young Thorgrim pursued fleeing Norscans so far north that he encountered those that had harried the forces of Asavar Kul for every step they had taken south: the Norse Dwarves of Kraka Drak.
When Alriksson perished of the wounds he suffered in the Great War Against Chaos, Thorgrim was elected to replace him in no small part because of his rediscovery of the Karaz Ankor's lost kin. But the Norscans who had failed to conquer the south for the Chaos Gods turned their attention to the Norse Dwarves, and contact was once more lost after a mere three years. This time, as far as anyone could tell, for good.
Clan Moulder's stronghold of Hell Pit is on the northern edge of Troll Country, equally able to access the lands of the Norse Dwarves and the Chaos Dwarves. The Naggarothi might have gotten it from them, or it could have been stolen from the Norscans, or it could have been bartered from the Chaos Dwarves. So if you don't know which a Rune comes from, is it a lost discovery of Thungni, preserved for millennia by the Norse Dwarves? Or is it a tainted gift from the Demon-God of the Chaos Dwarves?
"It seems," he says slowly, "like it may be Skrhund, the Runes meant for work rather than war. But it uses mechanisms I don't recognize, and we don't remember enough of the Skrhund to know whether they worked the same as the Kazakrhun we still have. If they did, then this cannot be Skrhund, and would instead be the work of the Tainted."
"So what's the next step?" you ask.
"I have sent word to each of the Loremasters and Runelords of the Karaz Ankor, requesting any scrap of information they may have on the Skrhund, no matter how trivial. But if none can tell me one way or the other, I will have no choice but to seal it away."
You wince at the idea of having to cut off a promising line of enquiry because it might have tainted origins, but you understand his caution. Every Apprentice spends weeks hearing the misadventures of their predecessors who thought they had taken enough precautions or thought they were too clever to be caught off-guard, and were proven very wrong. All you can do is clap the Runelord on the shoulder companionably, smile at the scowl he shoots you for doing so, and keep him company as he stares out over the Karak.
---
"Today's pastries," you announce as you pass the plate to your left, "come from that new place that opened across from the entrance to the Shrine Hall. Not a bad place to visit if you find yourself overburdened with copper." Gretel can't help but smirk, and you roll your eyes at her. The agates had captured the attention and imagination of Barak Varr's Gemcutters Guild, who were the only Gemcutters Guild of the Karaz Ankor to be at the mercy of trade routes instead of being situated atop their very own mine. Gretel now had a fortune to rival yours, and was of a College that was much less stringent about material wealth. Last you'd heard she'd negotiated a 99-year lease on one of the Citadel's two towers from Edda, and she seemed to be paying close attention to the nascent Karag Nar Weavers Guild, apparently determined to beat you to being the second wizard in the Karak with silk bedsheets. "I've gone adventuring with two of you these past few months and done some significant damage to Clan Mors in the process, so we'll skip right past Johann and Gretel." Johann was still banging his head against the ratling gun, to no avail. You can't fault him for lack of determination. "Panoramia, how go the Halflings?"
"Mixed news," she says. "First proper harvest is in, and combined with the mushroom farms in Lhune it could feed us through the year if we tightened our belts. But a lot of that was achieved through an absolutely unreasonable amount of care and attention. The soil is going to take decades to properly rehabilitate."
"Even with fertilizer?"
"Every major battle shaves years off, but it's still going to be a long, hard slog. Elder Hluodwica has offered me a long-term contract and sponsorship for a Magister bid."
You smile. "That's great news! Are you going to go for it?"
She waves a hand vaguely. "There's a lot of things I should brush up on, but I've only really got the winter to do so, at least without the harvest suffering. Hluodwica is paying me a Magister rate regardless so it seems unimportant, compared to keeping food on plates."
You nod. "That's fair. Maximilian, apart from your work with me, how are things?"
"A crossbow bolt I made is in a quiver at the Karagril defences," he says with pride.
Hubert frowns. "Just one?"
Max bristles, but the shake of your head stops him before he fires back. "Dwarves don't believe in 'good enough', Hubert. If it's there, it means they trust it with Dwarven lives. Well done, Max." He beams. "Hubert, what's been your contribution of late?"
"I've been working with Dreng, trying to keep Mors or Skryre from getting the upper hand so they keep tearing each other apart as long as possible. It's..." He frowns. "A lot more spying and a lot less fighting than I'd thought it would be."
"Scouting, not spying. But yes, it is. You can't just swing wildly, you have to look for a gap in their stance and then go for it." His frown deepens, but he appears to be mulling it over, so your attention turns to the last of the wizards. "Adela, how about you?"
You've been watching her out of the corner of her eye and she was about ready to burst. "Great!" she almost yells. "I showed Gotri Flashcook and he's asked me to help him with his prototyping, and in exchange he's teaching me the basics that he says 'Nuln already knows anyway'."
"How does cooking food help with prototypes?" Gretel asks.
"It can boil water too!" Adela shoots back. "They use it the same way steam tanks do."
"To explode?"
You smile as the bickering continues. What a wonderful little empire you've built for yourself.
---
Representing a wealthy and significant client as well as being royalty in his own right, Prince Kazrik has ended up bounced between the Imperial Ordnance Foundry, the Imperial Gunnery School, the University of Nuln, and the local property of the Elector Count Konstantin von Liebwitz as everyone tries to secure their share of the reflected glory of such a prestigious guest. He's taking it all with good grace and he excuses himself from the Foundry Master to discuss recent goings-on with you in private.
"Do manlings always fight amongst themselves?" is the first thing he says to you as the doors close.
"Well, not individually, but there's usually someone," you admit. "Is it Nordland and Middenland again?"
"Again? Is this normal?"
"Recently, yes. What's happening now?"
"They're both doing a military build-up to try to intimidate each other, and when they found out the cannon production was spoken for they both complained to the Emperor, and then they complained to their religious leaders who complained to the Emperor."
"Welcome to the Empire," you say with a sigh. "I can at least say they're not all like that."
"Well, no, Konstantin's been quite charming." He scratches his beard bashfully. "I suppose at least partly because I did kind of save his life."
You take a moment to process that. "What? How?"
"How do you think? Skaven. Manlings apparently make terrible tunnel scouts, and what they thought was the civil war still going turned out to be a squabble over dividing the spoils, and as soon as the attack began they stopped squabbling. The manlings were sensible enough to pull back instead of turning it into a meatgrinder. But like Father says: a bad general can pull out most of their troops, a brilliant general can pull out all of their troops, but a merely good general will try to pull out all and end up losing most. Konstantin and his... human Hammerers?"
"Greatswords."
"Right, Greatswords, tried to hold the line while everyone else pulled out, which of course just left them isolated and the rest of the forces won't abandon the general and you're right back to square one. By the time they managed to figure out a fighting retreat, Konstantin had a jezzail bullet in one leg and was missing half a hand. Weren't enough Greatswords left for a proper line at that point and if I hadn't been picking off the rats that got through, it would have gone even worse than it did. I'd thought I was being overcautious when I brought four quivers, but I've only got half of one left."
"What a mess," you say, frowning at how badly the assault you'd instigated had gone. "Many casualties, all told?"
"Not so many actually dead, but a lot of injured, most of them to gas." You try to take what little comfort that provides. "Though it could have gone better, I suppose that's mission accomplished. If I get any more in the good graces of the Elector Count he'll try to marry me to his daughter, and I'm worried that Father would agree."
---
With the ashes of the defeat in Nuln bitter in your mouth, you do a fair bit of brooding as the gyrocarriage flies you to Ubersreik, and your stomach sinks even further as you see the pillar of smoke on the horizon. But to your great relief the fires are limited only to a few places in the city, and the outskirts of the city are filled with the neatly-regimented tents of the Imperial Army. You introduce yourself at the gate, and after climbing all the way through the chain of command as various NCOs and then officers take one look at you and decide to make you someone else's problem, you're finally pointed towards the site of a recent battle, and a grey-clad figure brooding over it.
"Good of you to be here," Algard says, without looking up from the MAP he's working on, showing the town and the tunnels below and delighting the part of you that isn't preoccupied with how the attack went. "Can't always see the entire thing through - not enough hours in the day and all that - but you should at least see some of the aftermath. Reminds you of the stakes."
You take a moment to look out over a field of gore and corpses. Priests of Morr pick their way through dead Skaven by the dozen, extricating as many of the human dead as they can. There must be thousands of Skaven in this battlefield alone, stabbed or speared or shot with bolt or bullet, and some peppered with amber shards you've never seen before. "Did we find success here?"
"Hard-won, but yes. Konstantin would never allow the Imperial Army within Wissenland, so the Emperor turned his full attention here, and with most of the Battle Wizards off enjoying themselves in Sylvania it fell to the highest echelons to fill the void. Alric's up at the Temple, Mira's seeing to the wounded, and No-Relation Reicthard and Dragomas are still below, ferreting out the last of them." He frowns. "Don't tell Dragomas I said 'ferreting'. He's a bit touchy about that."
You're about to ask him to clarify, but with a faint rumble an enormous creature bursts from the ground, and only Algard's lack of reaction keeps you from trying something desperate and foolish with Branulhune. It seems like an elongated lizard with a moustache, or, yes, like a scaled ferret, and despite its lack of wings it floats through the air with the ease of an eel through the water. It speaks in a surprisingly normal and very familiar voice, "dead-ends on branches 12, 14 and 15. 13 had a chamber with a few holdouts, flag it for searching."
Algard alters the MAP accordingly. "Only one entrance to the chamber on 13?"
"Yes. Any news from 18?"
"You know Reicthard." The dragon snorts, and dives back down into the tunnel it had emerged from. "Good day's work, this," he says to you, spinning the projection as he considers it from multiple angles. "Ubersreik isn't as strategically important as Helmgart, but an enormous amount of trade goes through Grey Lady Pass and on up the Teufel. They build down, properly seal it off, and they can treble granary space and build a proper cistern and still have enough room left over that they can build residential down there and properly ban people from building outside the walls, and it can ride out the usual trouble from next time Drachenfels or the Bretonnians or the Grey Mountain greenskins cause a ruckus."
"Will they, though?"
He snorts. "Of course not. The Guildmasters will say they'll consider it and as soon as the Emperor's attention turns away they'll just keep pocketing their profits. So we fall back on something more ephemeral than gold - we take those promises your King has been throwing around of late and call in the assistance of Karak Azgaraz. Ubersreik owes the Emperor, the Emperor owes the Colleges, your King probably ends up owing Karak Norn, and everyone's better off except the Skaven."
[Rolling...]
[+6 College Favour]
Before you head off to Stirland, you take the time to shake down the rattled locals of Ubersreik for news from Bretonnia, and while there's no news of Black Chasm, there's a great deal of proclamations as to a great victory won over 'beastmen' in Mousillon. From what you know of the accursed dukedom, that's one less variety of horror in a place filled with them, but you suppose it's still an improvement for those unfortunate enough to live in Bretonnia's answer to Sylvania. Most of the credit for Ubersreik and Mousillon will go to the warriors, and perhaps only a few will ever know that it was you that made it possible, but you know, and so does the Grey College.
---
Your fief is the sort of place where a funny-shaped cloud will be the hottest thing in gossip for a solid month, so a gyrocarriage touching down just outside the bailey draws the full attention of everyone nearby, and to your surprise that means more than just the local tradesfolk. New cottages have sprouted up inside the bailey, which is unexpected considering how stubbornly unsuited the area seemed to anything but rearing sheep and goats. A young lad runs off in the direction of the headsman, and you take the time to reintroduce yourself to the headsman's son Rolf, who travelled all the way to Tarshof to learn what he insists on calling 'numbering', which qualified him to be your Steward. He hasn't got a grasp of lettering to go with numbering, so the front of the ledgers has a pictorial key of what each word actually means, and you find yourself smiling at the little pictures the lad has drawn.
As he was empowered to do as Steward, but which he apologizes for at length, he's reinvested some of the taxes back into the community. Most prominently in the wooden keep that would allow anyone sheltering behind the bailey's walls to fling slingstones at attackers with impunity, the ground floor of which is yours for the taking as a modest home, and until you do, Rolf will continue to call it home. A second addition is a smokehouse for curing the meat of slaughtered cattle, which was previously done in scattered individual smokehouses which were unreliable and consumed more firewood collectively than one larger one the community shared. All sensible additions. But what's this about a mine? The prospectors were quite clear that there was no mineral wealth to be found.
"It's the flint, m'lady," Rolf says. "Chalk's full of it."
You consider this. "I'd thought we were rather beyond using flint," you say slowly.
"They use it to make some kind of glass."
You stare at him. "Glass?"
"The see-through stuff that they have on the temples in Tarshof," he explains helpfully.
That makes no sense to you, but if there were people buying it, it doesn't have to make sense. You shrug and thank the lad for his hard work, and he blushes, thanks you, gathers up his ledger and flees.
While you were checking the numbering, Rolf's father had arrived, with speed that suggested he must have run but he seems as unperturbed as always. He walks you through the events of the last three years in a slow but terse recital, from the Wild Dog That Was Worrying The Sheep, which was slain with a slingstone, to the Eagle That Almost Got At The Lambs, which was also slain with a slingstone, to the Zombie With One Arm that, as it happens, was also slain by a slingstone. The only problem of late that a sling couldn't solve was a moderate drought two years ago, but no lives were lost due to the well and the flint mine had provided those hit hardest with a way to recover, bypassing the shepherd's doom of needing a herd to make money and needing money to acquire a herd. As far as you understand, in previous years this would result in the poor soul in question travelling to seek work in the lowlands and often never returning.
You thank the headsman for his time and spend a while just looking out over the rolling hills of your fief. It was never going to be rich, but it seems your investment had led it to be slightly further from poor, and you're quite pleased by that.
[ ] FIEF: Take the unspent money from the coffers (196 crowns)
[ ] FIEF: Have the Steward forward taxes to you via the EIC (50 crowns/turn)
[ ] FIEF: Take the money and have future taxes forwarded on.
[ ] FIEF: Leave the current and future money be.
---
With Karag Nar now able to function no matter the time or the weather, you might be quite happy to call the project done and suggest new ones. However, it might be possible to further perfect the cluster of towers if you had a little more time.
[ ] [TOWER] Complete
[ ] [TOWER] Ongoing
[ ] PROJECT: Aethyric Vitae
You're reasonably confident that the magical energies Aethyric Vitae can be made to release could fuel powerful runecraft.
[ ] PROJECT: Queekish
Being able to translate Queekish would be a boon for not just the Dwarves, but for all enemies of the Skaven. And you've already made solid progress along this path.
[ ] PROJECT: Skaven Politics
Clan Eshin aren't moving against Clan Mors. Clan Skryre seem happy to skirmish against Clan Mors instead of applying the full might of their technosorcery. Something's not right.
[ ] PROJECT: Dragon
Dragons like mountains and treasure. Dwarves like mountains and treasure. There's a long and ugly history there. Maybe you can provide a solution that doesn't cost thousands of lives.
[ ] PROJECT: Karag Mhonar
It's like a bad horror story, except nothing happens to the Rangers that venture in.
With the bones picked clean by Clan Mors and Gretel and the Naggarothi delivered into the hands of his Nagarythe cousins, you're unlikely to ever know what it was Moulder were up to.
The Undumgi are now in Francesco's hands. Should he fumble the responsibility, there may be an opportunity to involve yourself once more.
[ ] PROJECT: Cartographer
Your maps have made significant differences to several battles now. You could map the entirety of Karak Eight Peaks, and enchant a map room so that it would forever display your findings, and could be updated as needed.
[ ] PROJECT: Kvinn-Wyr
Kvinn-Wyr is a strategic boon, but it still needs to be retaken at some point. Perhaps a magical approach is the way to do so.
The Priestess does seem to be making progress. No sense interrupting her now.
[ ] PROJECT: Defence
Though Clan Mors is unlikely to attack, Skaven are never entirely predictable and they might not remain your neighbours on all fronts. Magic might be able to amplify the underground defences, both your own and that of other Colleges.
[ ] PROJECT: Offence
With the Sylvanian campaign starting to wind down, you might be able to peel some loose for the next stage of the reconquest. Offer to travel to the Empire and see who you can round up.
[ ] PROJECT: Nagarythe
Dwarves don't really believe in things like 'vacations', but you're pretty sure they'll happily make an exception for a vacation dedicated to tormenting the Druchii.
Library Purchases
Budget: 300gc, 2 Dwarf Favour. Anything not spent will not accumulate.
[ ] [LIBRARY] No purchase.
[ ] [LIBRARY] Write-in.
Dwarf Favour Purchases
[ ] [DWARF] No purchase.
[ ] [DWARF] Write-in.
College Favour Purchases
[ ] [COLLEGE] No purchase.
[ ] [COLLEGE] Write-in.
Other Purchases
[ ] [PURCHASE] No purchase.
[ ] [PURCHASE] Write-in.
- There will be a four hour moratorium. If there's a project you think should be added, or if there's anything I've forgotten, let me know.
- Project voting will be in plan format.
- If either or both of the current and future funds are left with the fief, it will be available for Rolf to spend to improve it, should opportunity arise.
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There's no way to subtly test a mountain-sized deployment of hellfire and first firing belongs to Kazador, but you've tested all the components and all systems appear to be go.
NSMS
Probably evil, unfortunately.
- Location
- A rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Queekish is most efficient for us in that it has the most stuff we can use our underlings on.
I'll think of some new things if it's selected.
Try it and find out.
(I've just emptied the creativity tank, new tower ideas would have to be a tomorrow thing)
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Mmm, there is a third possibility.
Not North or East, but South.
Karak Zorn has been isolated for a long time after all. Can't blame the two for not considering it, I'm not even sure if Mathilde knows of Karak Zorn's existence.
Not North or East, but South.
Karak Zorn has been isolated for a long time after all. Can't blame the two for not considering it, I'm not even sure if Mathilde knows of Karak Zorn's existence.
Is this "reinvest back into the fief" option?
Because as far as I can see, the little fief that could is pretty cute, we do not need the money, but actually spending AP on it is too much.
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
[ ] [TOWER] Complete
[ ] [COLLEGE] No purchase.
-[ ] Anti-poison and gas item (Ill-bane Hysh)
[ ] Plan:SuperSonicSound
-[ ] PROJECT: Aethyric Vitae
You're reasonably confident that the magical energies Aethyric Vitae can be made to release could fuel powerful runecraft.
-[ ] PROJECT: Queekish
Being able to translate Queekish would be a boon for not just the Dwarves, but for all enemies of the Skaven. And you've already made solid progress along this path.
[ ] [LIBRARY] Dragons and Skaven
-[ ] Dragons! Extensive Dwarven, Esoteric Imperial, Extensive Bretonnian 450 gc 4 College favour.
-[ ] Skaven Esoteric Dwarven 50 gc 2 Dorf favour
Prepare for the dragon in the coming turns with books, get that last +1 to skaven actions.
[ ] [COLLEGE] No purchase.
-[ ] Anti-poison and gas item (Ill-bane Hysh)
[ ] Plan:SuperSonicSound
-[ ] PROJECT: Aethyric Vitae
You're reasonably confident that the magical energies Aethyric Vitae can be made to release could fuel powerful runecraft.
-[ ] PROJECT: Queekish
Being able to translate Queekish would be a boon for not just the Dwarves, but for all enemies of the Skaven. And you've already made solid progress along this path.
[ ] [LIBRARY] Dragons and Skaven
-[ ] Dragons! Extensive Dwarven, Esoteric Imperial, Extensive Bretonnian 450 gc 4 College favour.
-[ ] Skaven Esoteric Dwarven 50 gc 2 Dorf favour
Prepare for the dragon in the coming turns with books, get that last +1 to skaven actions.
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Doesn't really matter, the dwarfs have no information about Karak Zorn either so they can't rule out Chaos Dwarfs. The axe's a dud and got sealed. That's just how the dice falls sometimes.
Yes, the understanding with Steward Rolf is that money in the coffers can be spent on the betterment of the fief, should any opportunities to do so arise.
- Location
- Spain
Well, I would suggest trying to cover its only weakness to air attacks may be a good idea, especially with an Emperor Dragon at our door...
And speaking of dragons, since no matter what we try to do with the dragon (either fighting him or diplomacing the hell out of him) we need as much of a bonus as we can get... So that is why I am suggesting this.
[ ] [LIBRARY] Plan Here be Dragons (Literally)
-[] Dragonlore: Dwarven Esoteric, Imperial Esoteric, Bretonian Extensive.
I know it quite expensive, but we are going to need this sooner rather than later...
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- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I assume Project proposals should be in plan voting as per last time, or are we doing a line-item approval where the top X get proposed?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
- Location
- Norway
That sounds vaguely familiar.
More seriously:
IRL Renaissance engineers recognized six "Simple machines" that others were built out of: Lever, pulley, plane, and wheel, screw, wedge.
Gear was later added as a seventh, and then the classification system mostly fell out of use as smartasses kept discovering new machine components that didn't reduce neatly to the others.
Neat!
Fief gonna fief, looks safe to leave it alone another five years at this rate.
In general, I want to offer Belegar more options.
Once the moratorium is up: Vitae, Queekish, Skaven, Dragon, Mhonar?
Mopman43
Mountain-Hermit of Nitpeak
- Location
- Vermont
To be fair, it hasn't been sealed yet. It might be, if Kragg can't find what he needs, but it hasn't yet.
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
I've suggested a favour less spend for dragon books as I don't think we should make this our first priority. Finishing off queekish asap free up our actions more efficiently and opens up space for more all in action spends if needed in the future.
Plan voting. I'd prefer it to be open but I don't think there's a way to do that without it leading to people voting strategically to try to move options above or below the cutoff instead of voting just for what they want.
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Also, for those curious, I think that what's going on with the flint is just that flint is a good source of high-purity silica for glassmaking.
For the record, I loved the Francesco scene. The bit from his POV was *chef's kiss*
Sounds good to me.
Danke. I ask because the update didn't say.
For the record, I loved the Francesco scene. The bit from his POV was *chef's kiss*
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Not sure about the dragon stuff, that's a lot of money we're running out of fast, especially considering we're going to be getting a new tower most likely.
Everything else looks good save for Vitae. I prefer to handle that ourselves.
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