Well, back when we first talked to King Kazador, he was trying to figure out what our 'Dame' title meant, before going "Oh! That's some kind of land-owning Thane!"
That's him making a cultural connection between our official title and what it basically means in Dwarfish, it doesn't mean that Belegar Ironhammer King of Karak Eight Peaks appointed us a Thane with the responsibilities and title that entails like Ableheim did with our knighthood.
So, on Skaven Numerology, it looks to be based on perceived threat/allies.
Qrech called Moulder's current leader a fool because of misjudging the situation, assuming what he saw was what everyone saw, suggesting in turn Qrech sees his current situation as:
Immediate
1) Qrech and his dog
2) Mathilde his jailor
3) Karak Eight Peaks, which wants Qrech dead, over Mathilde's objections(for now)
… So let me ask one question, is our Greenskin dispelling lecture going to be before or after Randal decides things have been too boring lately? Cause I am just picturing us walking into the hall covered in bruises and dirty and going 'sorry I am late, was refreshing my memory on the topic.'
At least I am assuming this will refresh our memory, I think we will have experienced at least enough to not have our remaining greenskin paper faded if not make a few new ones.
Probably not; it was only an option last time because we checked beforehand, and the assault was at the end of one turn and the beginning of another. This is just happening.
[X] Plan Slow and Steady with more papers
-[*] MAX: Study an artefact: The book on Chaos Dwarf anatomy.
-[*] JOHANN: Join him on raids with the aim of finding written correspondence (Choose: Clan Skryre).
-[*] DUCK: Adela's started her education in Dwarven engineering. Escort her to do field-testing with some of Gotri's prototypes, and grab what Queekish you can while doing so. Clan Skryre.
-[X] Found an internal investigation division, to investigate possible misconduct.
-[*] Supply a steady stream of Queekish documents for Qrech to translate, and carefully check the results for consistency.
-[X] The Colleges want you to do a series of lectures on your paper, Waaagh and Peace. Travel to Altdorf and do so.
-[X] You have set up a Shrine to Ranald. Expand it into a Temple to the Gambler - a gambling hall with clean cards, guaranteed unloaded dice, fresh sawdust in the fighting ring, and a lottery every Festag. Costs 100gc.
-[X] Investigate how living things react to exposure to the Vitae. COIN.
-[X] Have additional rooms excavated underneath your Penthouse: -100gc for 4 rooms.
-[X] The Gambler: Investigate how living things react to exposure to the Vitae.
-[X] Serenity: The ability of Alkharad to assume a projected form of mist. (ALMOST FADED)
With your side project being promoted to your main responsibility, you spend a fair bit of time deciding whether or not to alter your approach, but in the end decide against messing with something that's working. Qrech seems to be a patriot in his own way, but to Clan Moulder first and foremost, with other Clans barely ranking above Traitor Clans. According to one theory in the Grey College, the best approach to lying is to do so as little as possible, so that the truth in the small details can reinforce a single, central lie. So in your regular meetings with Qrech, you mention that Clan Skryre seems to be holding back against Clan Mors, and Clan Eshin isn't attacking at all, all of which is true and supported by the documents from Clan Mors he has been translating.
"Three is peace," Qrech said, as if that explained everything, turning over the wooden figure in his claws. It was quite a good depiction of an Ogre of some sort, one of many of the carvings that have been accumulating as Qrech entertains himself gnawing his wooden blocks into shapes, and you'd introduced more and more shelves into the room to keep them safe from the puppy Skufit, who apparently sought to emulate his master in gnawing on wood.
"What do you mean?" You ask patiently, and wait for him to finish delicately nipping at a noticed imperfection.
"Rune of Skaven. Three sides, yes? Three means stability. Even if one is weak, neither of the other two can move against it without exposing themself to attack from each other. Skryre attacks and wins, Eshin attacks weakened Skryre, takes everything. Eshin attacks and wins, Skryre attacks weakened Eshin, takes everything. Only way for anyone to gain is all three against the surface."
"So, when Clan Moulder was taken out..."
"Four is feed. Strongest eats the weakest, other two can't get involved because if one moves the other will jump on them. Moulder was strongest, Mors was weakest. Grot-brained leader should have kept attacking Mors. Instead, attacked up. Thought it was four, Moulder-Mors-Dwarf-Orc. But Moulder in the middle. Orcs can't see Mors, Mors can't see Orcs. So instead, two threes - Moulder-Mors-Dwarf, Moulder-Orcs-Dwarf. Moulder attacks Dwarf, Mors attacks Moulder, Orcs attacks Moulder. No more Moulder." He peers down at the Ogre, and places it gently atop the table. "One is freedom. Two is war. Five is plot, two and two but neither can move on the one without the other two attacking them. If the one joined either side, they only get one third of the spoils. But if they stay neutral, bribes forever from both sides. Six is chance. Two and two and two is peace, but three and three is war, who knows which happens first? Beyond that..." He shrugs. "More complicated. Many theories. Many arguments. We know thirteen is best, but nobody agrees on why."
"So if one of the other Clans was removed..." you muse aloud.
"Two is war," he says, with a confident nod.
---
With this justification for a sudden influx of Clan Skryre documents, you turn your attention to Karag Zilfin. Johann would be far less troubled by stronger defences than Adela would be, so Adela is the first to join you for the sorties - and, of course, a pair of Gotri's prototypes, both made possible by her ability to bring water to boiling at a touch. Their heaviest defences were pointed towards Eshin instead of Mors, so you varied your approaches between Karagril and the Citadel.
The first prototype is barely more than a bulbous metal canister with a short tube projecting from it and a pair of handholds. "The tricky part is the ammunition," Adela says, eager to show off what she's begun to learn and producing what looks like a stubby metal crossbow bolt, except the shaft is as thick as your arm and hollowed out at one end to fit snugly over the metal tube. "They've been working on shells that explode on impact, but so far it's too sensitive for gunpowder and crossbows don't supply enough propulsion. But a rapid boil should be the sweet spot."
You reserve judgement as you make your way towards the Clan Skryre defences, and as with many Skaven positions with the guards too confident (or sometimes, too terrified) to do their job, it's lit up enough to destroy the night vision of those supposed to be keeping lookout, who are in states of relaxation varying from leaning against pillars to napping with their heads on their paws. Adela stops a considerable distance away and you watch as she lines up the bolt with the tiny pool of light surrounded by darkness, and with a stir of Aqshy and an angry-sounding but surprisingly quiet hiss of steam, the projectile is fired. And three seconds later, the underground silence is shattered by an explosion as a cloud of shrapnel tears through the guards unfortunate enough to be closest to the explosion.
The guard post swarms with activity as those not currently on watch rush to investigate, and spears, swords and muskets are levelled against the darkness. But with eyes dazzled by the strange green glow Skryre lights produce, noses filled with the smell of blood and gunpowder, and ears still ringing from the explosion, none are willing to venture forth, though plenty yell at each other to do so. And Adela ignores it all, topping up the weapon from a waterskin and fitting a second bolt over the tube. You watch more thoughtfully as she fires the second time, noting no light and barely any noise, just a hiss and a puff of steam, invisible in the darkness.
The second explosion had the survivors rush out seeking their attacker, but none got far from the guard post, rushing about in the darkness and occasionally colliding with each other, resulting in a short, vicious brawl as they each assumed the other to be the attacker. Adela loads a third shot, but it proves unnecessary. One rat screams as another swings blindly at it with a sword, and a third yells 'Eshin' and fear floods through all of them. Almost as one they scatter in all directions, fleeing an enemy that isn't there.
Over the coming days you repeat your assaults, and they continue to unfold the same way. Skryre begins to reinforce their guard posts, which just adds more targets, and then introduce large warpstone-powered lighting mechanisms that fill the tunnels with an eerie green glow, but it doesn't outrange Adela's prototype and just gives her something else to shoot. This approach only comes to an end when they begin to light every inch of the tunnels their guard posts are facing with torches, and an experiment with Move proves that even a single one being knocked to the ground results in a volley of jezzail fire from snipers. You call the experiment a success there, and though there wasn't much loot to be found, you did get a few different sets of written communication.
---
With the prototype having proven itself and Clan Skryre having developed countermeasures to how you were using it, you move on to the second prototype, which is based on a much more proven design you've heard of but not seen in person - the Drakegun, used by the Ironbreakers of Zhufbar to fire a pressurized stream of burning liquid. This variation might have been inspired by the defences of your penthouse, because instead of a combination of alchemy and precision engineering, this one uses simple plumbing and Adela's magic to fire a narrow jet of superheated steam. After the success of the previous prototype you give this one the benefit of the doubt, but considering the much smaller range of this one and the heightened alertness of the Skaven, you resolve to be significantly pickier about targets.
Several days pass with failed approaches, and Adela impresses you by not arguing with or complaining about you erring on the side of safety, and not long after you get the chance you were looking for as an unlit side-passage takes you within a stone's throw of a guard post. You take a moment to check for possible reinforcements, make sure that the sniper position behind the guard post didn't have an angle on you, and make sure your path of retreat was appropriate. You give Adela a tap on her shoulder, and she takes a deep breath, rolls her shoulders to rebalance the weight of the water tank strapped to her back, and levels something halfway between a trumpet and a rifle at the unsuspecting rats. Aqshy stirs, water hisses, and far from the silent firing of the previous prototype, this one immediately results in the mingling cacophony of the shriek of escaping steam and the screams of those exposed to it. You've seen a lot of death in battle, but it still takes some mental effort to close your ears to the screams, your nose to the smell of boiling flesh, and your heart to the new form of suffering you're helping to invent.
As Adela turns the weapon on the first Skaven to recover from surprise and charge at her, the limitations of the weapon immediately becomes clear, because the steam takes precious seconds to penetrate through fur to the flesh beneath. By the time that would-be attacker was incapacitated by agony, three more are closing. You reach out and grab Adela by a backpack, yanking her behind you and back into the narrow side-tunnel as Branulhune appears in your spare hand. The Skaven charge on regardless, only to be met by a low sweep that cleaves two of them in half at the waist. The third didn't quite manage to close the remaining distance before you had pulled back from the swing, and his momentum impales himself on the blade, screaming in pain and hatred as other Skaven close in, no doubt hoping to take advantage of your stuck weapon. Your revolver in your offhand accounts for two more, and an eager leap from another becomes doomed as Branulhune disappears from within the dying Skaven's chest and reappears in your hand in time to cleave it out of the air. You grimace as blood splatters against you, but the moment of hesitation that it gives you allows you to summon and shape Ulgu. Between one instant and the next, you go from merely intimidating to supernaturally terrifying to the remaining Skaven, an impression only reinforced as the shadow cast by the warpstone lights reaches out to latch onto the head of the nearest foe. The unfortunate Skaven thrashes in its grip, trying in vain to free itself from a force intangible to its claws but all too tangible to its face.
As the remaining Skaven flee screaming into the darkness, you reholster your revolver, dismiss Branulhune, and take a handkerchief from your pocket to wipe the blood from your face.
---
The next few trials reinforce the impression the steam-thrower had made on you: fairly effective and quite terrifying, but between the range and the time it took to incapacitate, it couldn't be relied on as a front-line primary weapon. Adela manages to take out a patrol without your intervention by discarding the weapon and switching to fireballs for the last few, which pleases you and delights her, but apart from that each one requires your intervention to break the remaining Skaven, and once more she impresses you by holding her gripes until you're safely back behind Dwarven defences. Though the prototype didn't do quite as well with this second round, the loot was significantly better. More attention on defences meant higher-ranking leadership, which meant more papers, letters, and even an armful of books from an ambitious foray into a supply depot, which got too much attention to actually take any supplies, but you did manage to get away with a significant number of books from a chieftain's quarters. You also haul out one of the Skryre lighting mechanisms, consisting of a glass tube and a set of wires leading to a large metal contraption.
Adela passes on any claim to any of the Queekish writings, instead opting to share the credit of the lighting mechanism with you. You offer to make it hers alone, but she declines, even when you make it clear it could take some time for you to be able to investigate it. Apparently she thinks having your name and hers on the same paper will be good for her career.
Just as Skryre reinforce their front lines enough to prevent any more strikes on them, you and Johann slip right past them all to instead poke around their vulnerable core. They were carefully watching every underground entrance to Karag Zilfin and had fortified the gates to the caldera, but Karag Zilfin had once been the most densely-populated part of the Karak. With the help of your makeshift magical telescope you had identified a dozen solid candidates for entry, and though you passed over two flues and a natural fissure for being worryingly narrow, a fourth turned out to have once been a balcony, eroded over the centuries until it looked once more like natural rock. Clan Skryre were nervous enough of the Ice Dragon to keep to the lowest parts of the mountain, but they didn't actively defend against it.
[Initial infiltration: Intrigue, 56+22=78.]
The innermost part of Clan Mors' territory somewhat resembled the military camps of more conventional surface forces, but Clan Skryre is very different. At first it seems like a haphazard sprawl, but further investigation and careful mapping reveal the underlying logic. Three Warlock-Engineers and two prominent Chieftains each stake out their own territory, with just as many defences pointing at each other as they have guarding against the rest of the Karak. You know enough about Skaven to know that if there was a single commanding figure they'd be the sole nexus and wouldn't tolerate any other power blocs, so you conclude that their Warlord or Warlock-Master must be either dead or elsewhere.
That mystery solved, you and Johann prepare to take as much advantage as you can of this state of chaotic mutual distrust. Once you start acting you'll only have so much time before the Skaven are so on edge that any attempt at getting in or out unnoticed would be risky, so you take your time scouting out potential targets and doing your best to figure out where the choicest prizes might be found. You eventually settle on three quick sequential raids as the best balance between risk and reward, and you quickly zero in on one you agree as a primary target, and then each of you picks one. You double-check your plans, find a nice secure place to stash your acquisitions, and have Gotri's gyrocopters and the Citadel guards standing by in case you need to leg it across the caldera with arms full of stolen Skaven artefacts.
The first target was one you had agreed would be top priority: the chaotic alchemical laboratory that sprawled across what was once the greatest forge of Karak Eight Peaks, most likely dedicated to the production of poison gas used by Clan Skryre's Globadiers. Johann has no need to breathe and you can render yourself insubstantial and have a crystal candle tucked into a carefully-padded pouch, so the risk is very much worth the possible prize: the breathing apparatus worn by the Globadiers. Unfortunately, it's as crawling with Skaven as it is filled with bubbling chemicals, and you and Johann spend some time debating how to infiltrate and exfiltrate unseen.
"Maybe we're approaching this wrong," Johann says thoughtfully. "We're not actually relying on going completely unnoticed, are we?"
"Only try to ghost it when it's one objective, in and out," you confirm. "Otherwise you're counting on too many variables."
"So, how about this. You grab a mask and a canister and anything else that catches your interest, then either sneak out or run if they spot you. Once you're out of the room, I go in and punch anything glass."
You open your mouth to object, then consider it some more. "Surely there must be some reason this is a terrible idea."
---
Nevertheless, the next day finds you and Johann lurking just outside the Grand Forge. Apart from the flames flickering under various alembics and calcinators and even more obscure equipment, the main sources of light are a pair of enormous glass globes dangling from massive chains wrapped with wires, both filled with roiling chemicals of some description that glow with an almost white light, with only a slight green tinge giving everything a sickly pallor. You check the equipment you're targeting is still where you last saw it and nobody's nearby, then you nod to Johann, take a deep breath, and wrap your mind around the most complicated piece of magic you've ever cast in the field. Shadows solidify into jet-black blades, and at the exact instant they begin to shoot upwards, you're no longer in the doorway but already wrapping one arm around a gas canister and the other around the leather and metal facemask. Definitely too heavy to add any bonus acquisitions, so just as the Shadow Knives are about to punch through one of the glowing orbs, you concentrate on the other, fire off a second volley and once more you're in the shadows of the doorway.
As the sound of shattering glass and shrieks of alarm fill the air, you take off at a charge one way as Johann does the other, and the first massive glass cauldron is shattered by a golden fist just moments after the second globe is shattered too, and more and more shouts and shattering fill your ears, only fading as you turn a corner and start to climb a set of stairs.
---
After stashing your first prize you meet Johann at the first rendezvous, and Johann joins you only a few minutes later, splattered with a variety of unknown liquids and trailing a horrible chemical melange. He'd deliberately worn his tattiest and most replaceable set of clothes for this, and you take his hand and with careful concentration, render him and only him insubstantial with Substance of Shadow, and he disappears from your mundane sight as clothes and liquids fall to the ground with a splatter, and you politely avert your eyes as you summon a Marsh Light to illuminate him and he changes into his normal robes.
Infighting and the stench of chemicals spread from the Grand Forge at a roughly equal rate, and amidst the sheer chaos of it all it's impossible to go completely unseen, but very easy to simply stab or punch unconscious anyone who does see you. You put your faith in Ranald and target the currently unreadable contents of a Warlock-Engineer's personal library while Johann had his eye on the same poor Skaven's workshop, and while you both emerge with all the reading material you can dream of - and carry for that matter, necessitating multiple trips - and have an enormous amount of accumulated correspondence, orders, ledgers and notes, you also come away with a completely unexpected prize: a small but oddly heavy orb of interlocking brass cogs. Unless you're very much mistaken, this is one of the horrifying but intriguing Brass Orbs, a thrown weapon which forcibly tears open reality to suck in anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby.
Once more, the division of loot is straightforward: Johann gets the blueprints, schematics and tools, you get the papers and books, and you share the breathing apparatus. Johann wants nothing to do with the Brass Orb.
Instead of a daily trickle of messages, you test the waters of working openly with Qrech and find him far more enthusiastic about getting to see inside the inner workings of the secretive Skryre than he is uncomfortable working with you, if he has any misgivings at all remaining. Working with him directly allows you to fill in the gaps in your lexicon at a rapid rate, and though you're not entirely confident in the consistency checks you've been doing as you go further and further into technical terminology, you're fairly sure he's too engrossed with the reading to be lying to you. Between that and helping Max with the textbook on Chaos Dwarf anatomy, your knowledge of written Queekish grows in leaps and bounds, and though gaps in your knowledge remain you're fluent enough to go back and sort the books you acquired from Clan Skryre.
The books from the Chieftain at the supply depot were a mix of logistical manuals and recreational reading, largely consisting of surprisingly detailed descriptions of various battles, some against other races but most focused on skirmishes between one Clan and another, but some of a more familiar sort where the protagonist uses cunning and skill to defeat their enemies and get the... girl? Some of them have the victor rewarded with access to or possession of Breeders, but some have more conventional love interests in the form of one or more 'regular' Skaven only female, usually with some plot contrivance to guarantee their loyalty. You put that enigma aside and turn to the Warlock-Engineer's personal library, and find complete uniformity. Every single book is on mechanical devices, and the only variable is whether or not the devices utilize warpstone. While that doesn't help your translation project much, as you flip from ratling gun to warpfire thrower to doomwheel, you start to realize the enormity of what you've acquired.
You don't have long to dwell on that. Even when you're focused on building the Queekish-Khazalid dictionary, word filters in of any unusual activity in the Karak, and it's been seen from Clan Skryre. Rangers have found they've pulled back from the area they'd claimed, tightening their defensive perimeter considerably. They also report that an acrid chemical whiff is spreading throughout the underway closest to Karag Zilfin. Worrying, but less so than if that chemical nightmare had occurred mid-battle on a Dwarven position. And as you skim through your accumulated translations, you realize that the new guard posts were a previously-prepared fall-back point, which is described in exact detail in one of the stolen reports. And just as you're starting to consider what that could allow, a deep roar of reptilian fury echoes through the mountains.
From the windows of your Entrance Hall, you can immediately see the cause: perched atop the frozen peak of Karag Zilfin is an enormous pure-white dragon, clawing at its face and roaring in distress. Then with a single gesture of its claw, you see and hear and feel and somehow taste pure Hysh thrumming through the air, and the dragon stills, its head swinging this way and that as it takes in the mountains. Then with another roar - this one very clearly not of reactive, surprised anger, but the low, reverberating roar of a promise of terrible vengeance - it climbs headfirst down the side of the near-vertical face of Karag Zilfin and disappears back into the mountain.
As far as a call of duty goes, the roar of an Emperor Dragon is an unconventional one, but it's not one that can reasonably be ignored. The Eastern Valley is filled with busy activity as the Halflings split in two, those escorting children flowing into Karag Nar and all the others piling into the Citadel with bow or sling or spear. You had passed the Undumgi rallying just inside Karag Nar, and you had no doubt that inside Karag Lhune a veritable ocean of shields and chainmail was mustering, and you summon your Shadowsteed as you search for the signals that should tell you where to go. You don't know much of Dwarven flag signals, but you know enough.
The Citadel is flying three banners and one signal, the banner of the Karak, which is always there, then the banner of Clan Donarkhun, and then Clan Angrund and the number one. So King Kazador and Thane Halken Stonebeard. You turn your attention to Karag Lhune, which flies... oh. Clan Grimbrow, and the number one. The Thane of the Karak Izor immigrants is the highest-ranking Dwarf there. You turn to Karagril; Clan Grimbrow and the Rune of Gazul. Princess Edda and Gunnars. The Kvinn-Wyr wall, zero. Eastern Gates, zero. And you look up at Karag Nar, and see the watchtower flag of the Undumgi and, below that, the black and silver of House Weber.
At each of the flags, a Dwarf or a man with a telescope is making the same comparison you are. The Citadel's flags dip, and in their place is the simple flag for 'acknowledged'. The same from Karag Lhune. Karagril. The Eastern Gates. The Kvinn-Wyr Wall. Dwarven law is utterly unambiguous when it comes to things like this. King Belegar has absolute authority in military matters. In his absence, it would be Dreng. Then Prince Gotri. And after the military Councillors, next in line is the Loremaster.
As another roar echoes from deep inside Karag Zilfin, you ride as fast as Ulgu can take you towards the Citadel.
"Right," you say to the tragically anaemic Council of War. "The Ice Dragon has awoken, and is attacking Clan Skryre. According to our Rangers, Clan Mors is taking advantage of this to launch an all-out attack on Clan Eshin. King Belegar is off dealing with some hilariously misguided Border Princes who decided to take up piracy, and both Dreng and Prince Gotri," you nod to King Kazador, who's grinning in anticipation, "are at Karak Azul. So, by what is apparently ancient and completely ironclad law and precedent, the Loremaster has full military authority. Does anyone disagree?" You look from King Kazador, who's still grinning, to Kragg, whose scowl is only his default scowl, so you take that as approval, to Gunnars, who merely nods placidly. Okay. "This opportunity can't be allowed to go by just because we didn't expect it. If Clan Mors takes out Eshin they'll be the dominant Skaven force in Karak Eight Peaks, and it won't take long for their attention to turn to us. So-"
There's a familiar groan of rope and timber, and you refrain from sighing as you listen to the growing chorus of stones and bolts being launched and count down the seconds until- "My-" the Dwarf hesitates, unsure of a proper title. "Loremaster?"
"Thane," you say. And you would always be, from now on. Dwarves didn't believe in temporary titles.
"My Thane," he says, glad to be on firm ground. "The Broken Toof greenskins are sallying out of Karag Rhyn."
"Destination?"
"Everywhere," he says. "Some into Yar and Zilfin, some are heading towards the Citadel, some are trying to cross the caldera to Karagril."
"Thank you," you say, and he salutes and leaves. "Okay, that complicates matters, but-" A faint blast, no less familiar than the other noises. Then another, then two more, then a continuous rolling blasting. You let out the sigh this time, and wait slightly longer as news travels up a Karagril flagpole.
"My Thane!" says the same Dwarf, slightly out of breath. "The Red Fang greenskins are sallying out of Karak Drazh and west down Death Pass!"
"West?"
"Yes, they confirmed it."
"Okay. Thank you." Another salute. "That... doesn't actually complicate things. Even at a dead run, that's tomorrow's problem. Right now we've got Broken Toof attacking Karagril, and after that we can't let Clan Mors do better than break even."
All eyes are on you as you summon Ulgu and let it flow into the shape of the Eight Peaks that have become your home.
---
Available Forces: Throng of Karak Azul: 10,000. Well equipped, highly experienced, each has at least a melee weapon, a shield, and a crossbow. Clan Huzkul: 10,000. Most clad only in chainmail, but each has a weapon and shield and they're fanatically loyal. Clan Angrund: 1,000. Each armed and armoured in runic equipment from the Good Old Days. Karagril Miners: 3,000. Split between the Norgrimling Ironbreakers (sans Gromril) and the Ironback Miners. Karak Izor immigrants: 10,000. Well armed and experienced. Mix of ranged and melee. The Undumgi: 6,000. Armed with silversteel pikes and an odd affinity for the Dwarves. Halfling Skirmishers: 5,000. Experienced Fieldwardens, hardened first in Sylvania and then on the Expedition. Braganza's Besiegers: 1,000. Highly skilled, heavily armoured pavise crossbowmen on an extended contract. Border Prince mercenaries: 3,000. Many have stuck around to spend their earnings, hope for future work, and enjoy the feeling of safety. Kragg the Grim: 1. One of the two greatest Runelords in the Karaz Ankor. Thorek Ironbrow: 1. One of the two greatest Runelords in the Karaz Ankor.
Current Priority: Secure Karagril
Secondary Priority: Weaken Clan Mors
Karagril (Surface) Current defenders: Karagril Miners, 15 Grapecannon, 10 Scorpio Bolt Throwers.
[ ] Secure the Underway between Karag Lhune and Karagril with:
[ ] Reinforce Karagril's defences via the Underway with:
[ ] Reinforce Karagril's defences by sallying out from the Citadel with:
Citadel (Surface) Current defenders: Halfling Skirmishers, 10 Grudge Throwers, 20 Ballista Bolt Throwers, 20 Scorpio Bolt Throwers
[ ] Reinforce the Citadel's defences with:
[ ] Sally out from the Citadel to attack the greenskins with:
Clan Mors assault preparations:
[ ] Gather in the Citadel:
[ ] Gather in the Eastern Valley:
[ ] Gather in Karagril:
[ ] Gather under Karag Lhune:
Siege Weapons:
[ ] Shift the Karag Lhune underway siege weapons to Karagril (15 Grapecannon, 10 Scorpio Bolt Throwers)
[ ] Shift the Eastern Gate siege weapons to the Citadel (10 Grudge Throwers, 10 Dwarf Cannon, 10 Ballista Bolt Throwers)
[ ] Shift the Kvinn-Wyr Wall siege weapons to the Citadel (10 Ballista Bolt Throwers, 40 Scorpio Bolt Throwers)
[ ] Shift the Citadel Underway defences to the surface (15 Grapecannon, 10 Scorpio Bolt Throwers)
[ ] Have Kragg's Anvil of Doom positioned on the un-leased Citadel tower.
Gyrocopters (choose one)
[ ] Harry the Broken Toof greenskins in the caldera.
[ ] Harry the Red Fang greenskins as they make the long journey towards the Western Gate.
[ ] Keep them in reserve.
Personal Action (choose one)
[ ] Scout a Karag (specify two)
[ ] Lead the defences (specify where)
[ ] Use the Eye of Gazul.
[ ] Oversee the battle from the Citadel.
- With thanks to @Garlak for bringing the existence of Skaven numerology to my attention.
- Who goes where will determine who is in tactical command there. For example, wherever the Throng of Karak Azul ends up, King Kazador will be in charge of. You will remain in command at the strategic level.
- Anyone not given specific orders will remain in reserve where they are now; Dwarven forces are currently in Karag Lhune and human ones in Karag Nar, unless otherwise specified.
- The first three categories require specifying which unit or units. No splitting up units.
- A gyrocopter has already been sent to try to carry word to King Belegar, but his arrival is unlikely to be until after this all plays out.
- The cannon and mortars guarding Death Pass are on the wrong side of their respective mountains to do anything but take pot-shots at the Red Fangs at extreme range.
- Apart from the gyrocopters and personal action, you can pick as many of the others as makes sense.
- There will be a four hour moratorium. This vote will be in plan format.
King Kazador, you discover, is a simple fellow. He likes fighting, ale, and his children. More than anyone he reminds you of Anton's father, Anton Senior, the Baron of Blutdorf. After you introduce yourself to him, he spends a while trying to figure out what your titles mean without giving up and asking, and then he finally latches on to the half-remembered fact that a Dame is a sort of land-owning Thane
And seeing as we're already an official member of k8p's council, with direct command authority over certain military assets (max and johann are directly paid, i think the ducklings would count as psuedo-mercenaries, and we are the primary controller of the biggest weapon k8p has), ownership of a nontrivial amount of property (our temple, our penthouse, our personal tower sections), and i think some control (or at least influence) over other military assets, at least for our job... well, obviously either way is possible and we'll see when the update drops, but personally i find it more likely that we already were one and it just didn't directly affect things until boney was writing a scene detailing our authority to command the overall troops while the king and marshal and sky-thane are all gone. Again, the main thing is the position of the title in 'official titles'. Because like...boney's been writing for a long time, and i dont doubt that this will be a long ass update, but i find it hard to believe it will include the skaven escapades that led to this, us taking charge for a chaotic battle because the higher ups are gone AND those higher ups returning and holding a ceremony to officially make us a thane
Edit...well, clearly i didn't know enough about either dwarven military command devolution, dwarven precedent on self promotions, or the likelihood of being ninja'd by an update
My headcanon for this is now that Johann flexed his golden pecs to hard and like Flex Mentalo reality screamed for mercy as everyone started murdering everyone else
As @Chimeraguard said, we've had mathilde's existing title compared to thanes before:
And seeing as we're already an official member of k8p's council, with direct command authority over certain military assets (max and johann are directly paid, i think the ducklings would count as psuedo-mercenaries, and we are the primary controller of the biggest weapon k8p has), ownership of a nontrivial amount of property (our temple, our penthouse, our personal tower sections), and i think some control (or at least influence) over other military assets, at least for our job... well, obviously either way is possible and we'll see when the update drops, but personally i find it more likely that we already were one and it just didn't directly affect things until boney was writing a scene detailing our authority to command the overall troops while the king and marshal and sky-thane are all gone. Again, the main thing is the position of the title in 'official titles'. Because like...boney's been writing for a long time, and i dont doubt that this will be a long ass update, but i find it hard to believe it will include the skaven escapades that led to this, us taking charge for a chaotic battle because the higher ups are gone AND those higher ups returning and holding a ceremony to officially make us a thane
As I understand it the 'traditional' power balance of the Skaven here are:
-Eshin is strong against Skryre, Skryre relies on bullshit tech operated by squishy elites, which is a target rich environment for an Assassin.
-Eshin is weak against Mors, Mors has overall best morale and is the least vulnerable to decapitation strikes.
-Skryre is strong against Mors, Mors' prefered strategy of lots of conventional forces really dislikes Skryre massive AoE weapons, which turns their preferred Numbers and Discipline strategy into so much ash.
Since the current enemy is scattered throughout the caldera, it's not really worth deploying it at this point if it's not aimed more precisely than manual control allows.
I hope this battle goes extraordinarily well, if only for the chance to get a battle-general related trait. Because I like traits.
Unscheduled battles are the best battles.
