Remove ads

Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Voting is open
Reader mode
EVA-Saiyajin said:
Now that I think about it, perhaps Dragomas came across evidence of the sheer size of the Under-empire reaching the east and/or of some degree of cooperation with humanity. I felt it slightly surprising that he specifically would be at Ubersreik, he's got to be busy. But if he comprehended the Skaven threat more than most...
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Not that busy:
BoneyM said:
[...] 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.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The way I see it, in exchange for not deploying the Rare/Hero-tier Battle Magisters by the not-quite-dozens, the Colleges decides that contributing Hero-level Patriarches/Matriarches to be better in terms of magical support. Less chance for BM Miscasts too.

Not to say that your suspicion is wrong, but it's second to the more plausible option that it's just part of the job.
 
Remove ads
The Battle of the Caldera, Part 3 (12pm)
  • Threadmarks
    • [*] Push further into Eshin territory and grab whatever you can while things are chaotic. (Probably Safe)

    [Stealth: Intrigue, 35+22+5(Tactics: Skaven)=62.]

    With Eshin so committed to their defence, there may never be a chance like this to try to steal some insight from the most secretive of Skaven Clans. Keeping a safe distance from the Eshin Sorcerer, you slip incorporeal through shadows and dart through the few light sources with bursts of invisibility, at one point using Smoke and Mirrors to jump from one side of a battlefield to another, using the Illusion it was built into to mask the faint puff of smoke that marks your relative lack of experience with the spell. It's not your best infiltration and you're certain it wouldn't suffice under normal circumstances, but while Eshin were sneaky, they usually aren't subtle, and you take your lack of sudden assault as a sign you've evaded notice.

    [Loot finding: Intrigue, 82+22=104.]
    [Rolling...]

    If you had been able to spend weeks or months on the task as you had when raiding the other Clans, you'd know in advance where to go and what you'd expect to find. With mere minutes to spend before you need to turn around or risk the entire battle, you fall back on luck, guts, and wild guesses. The Eshin settlement seems much more orderly than that of Clan Mors, cleaner than Clan Moulder and less obviously riven by internal intrigue than Clan Skryre, but some things transcend Clan and you go straight for the largest structure you encounter, confident that it will belong to someone important. The room within is a bizarre clash between two rival styles, with one half of the room seeming to aspire to monkish asceticism while the other is a haphazard sprawl of books and paperwork not much different to that of human bureaucrats and officers you've seen. You empty the shelves that would be at eye-level for a Skaven, reasoning that they'd be the most often consulted ones, and pile atop those all the paperwork you can haphazardly stack atop each other. Your recent forays had led you to keeping a hessian bag folded up inside an inner pocket, and you spare the few seconds it takes to stack the books neatly inside it instead of piling them up haphazardly. Opening up the possibility of having an operation go badly because of bulky, difficult-to-carry loot is a rookie mistake.

    ---

    Despite your still-lingering sense of unease about exfiltrations, you manage to get out as easily as you got in, and you make your way back to the Citadel with minutes to spare. In the handful of seconds you get before the Ranger reports start coming in, you skim through your loot. Your confidence in learning written Queekish takes a blow until you realize that the books aren't written in it. Cathayan, perhaps? You put them aside for later and skim instead through the paperwork, which turns out to be a series of updates from various corners of the world, detailing the hidden war within the Under-Empire. You burn with curiosity, but since none of it is immediately applicable, you're likewise forced to put it aside.

    [Rolling...]

    The bulk of the Rangers you dispatched went to Karagril, both to scout their defences and to check on the Underway to Karak Drazh. To your surprise, the greenskin pressure on under-Karagril hasn't stopped or even slowed - if anything it's increased, and all of Clan Mors' remaining forces, weapons and defences in the area are dedicated to holding that line. Just about any force could stroll right in and take it if they approached from any direction but from Karak Drazh, but you're not entirely sure you'd want to. On the other hand, the news from Kvinn-Wyr is a lot less straightforward. For reasons unknown, most of the trolls have deserted the peak, heading west towards Karag Mhonar and leaving only the river trolls in the vast cisterns and the ones twisted by warpstone exposure still jealously guarding their treasure near the peak. Having the option of repositioning the Kvinn-Wyr Wall bolt throwers is a definite plus, but you don't like having one more unknown factor at play in this chaotic mess of a battle.

    Though there's a great many questions you'd prefer to answer before you start making moves, time is slipping away and so may be opportunity. And on top of that, forces can only remain ready for battle so long before they start getting restless. Clan Angrund itches to reconquer more of the Karak and King Kazador's many positive qualities do not include patience. And even if everyone does obey another order to sit and wait, they'll inevitably start to pay attention to the discomforts of armour and their grumbling bellies, and the eventual order to attack will find a force slightly less ready for war than if you hadn't waited.

    Current Priority: Weaken Clan Mors
    Secondary Priority: Prepare for Red Fang arrival
    Possible Target of Opportunity: Karag Rhyn - Broken Toof
    Possible Target of Opportunity: Karag Yar - Clan Eshin
    Possible Target of Opportunity: Kvinn-Wyr - River and Warp Trolls

    Current Battles:
    Clan Mors vs Clan Eshin. Mors winning, both sides fully invested; current expected result: costly Mors victory in 2-3 hours.
    Clan Mors vs Red Fang. Pitched battle, all local Mors resources invested; stalemate.
    Ice Dragon vs Clan Skryre. No information.

    Possible Battles:
    Broken Toof Orcs vs Crooked Moon Night Goblins?
    Trolls vs Karag Mhonar?


    Forces in Karagril:
    Karagril Miners: 2,500/3,000. Split between the Norgrimling Ironbreakers (sans Gromril) and the Ironback Miners.
    Throng of Karak Azul: 10,000. Well equipped, highly experienced, each has at least a melee weapon, a shield, and a crossbow.
    Thorek Ironbrow: 1. One of the two greatest Runelords in the Karaz Ankor.
    Border Prince mercenaries: 3,000. Many have stuck around to spend their earnings, hope for future work, and enjoy the feeling of safety.

    Forces in Karagril-Karag Lhune Underway
    Clan Huzkul: 10,000. Most clad only in chainmail, but each has a weapon and shield and they're fanatically loyal.

    Forces in the Citadel:
    Clan Angrund: 1,000. Each armed and armoured in runic equipment from the Good Old Days.
    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.
    Kragg the Grim: 1. One of the two greatest Runelords in the Karaz Ankor.

    Citadel Siege Weapons:
    Kragg's Anvil of Doom
    20 Grudge Throwers
    30 Ballista Bolt Throwers
    20 Scorpio Bolt Throwers
    10 Dwarf Cannon

    Karagril Siege Weapons:
    Thorek's Anvil of Doom
    30 Grapecannon
    20 Scorpio Bolt Throwers

    Under-Citadel Defences:
    15 Grapecannon
    10 Scorpio Bolt Throwers

    Under-Kvinn-Wyr Defences:
    15 Grapecannon
    10 Scorpio Bolt Throwers

    Kvinn-Wyr Wall:
    10 Ballista Bolt Throwers
    40 Scorpio Bolt Throwers

    [ ] Advance from Karagril into Under-Karagril, the former territory of Clan Moulder, with:
    [ ] Advance from Karagril into the Under-Caldera, the heart of Clan Mors' territory, with:
    [ ] Advance from Karagril into Under-Karag Zilfin, the lowermost territory of Clan Skryre, with:

    [ ] Advance from the Citadel into the Under-Citadel, the eastern fringe of Clan Mors' territory, with:
    [ ] Advance from the Citadel into the Under-Caldera, the heart of Clan Mors' territory, with:
    [ ] Advance from the Citadel into the Sentinels, the currently abandoned range of smaller peaks between the Citadel and Kvinn-Wyr, with:

    [ ] Advance over the Caldera into Karag Rhyn, home of the Broken Toof Orcs, with:
    [ ] Advance over the Caldera into Karag Mhonar, the home of some unknown force hostile to greenskins and Skaven, with:
    [ ] Advance over the Caldera into Karag Zilfin, currently home to Clan Skryre and being visited by one very angry dragon, with:
    [ ] Advance over the Caldera into Karag Yar, the uppermost territory of Clan Eshin, who are being attacked below by Clan Mors, with:
    [ ] Advance over the Eastern Valley into Kvinn-Wyr, which is mostly empty of trolls, with:

    Mathilde (choose one)
    [ ] Mathilde will join the attack: (specify where) (optional: specify unit to join)
    [ ] Mathilde will command the attack: (specify where)
    [ ] Mathilde will scout a location personally: (specify where)
    [ ] Mathilde will remain in command from the Citadel and rely on runners and flags.

    Kvinn-Wyr Wall
    [ ] Move the Bolt Throwers elsewhere: (specify where)
    [ ] Leave the Bolt Throwers in place.


    Rangers can investigate three locations at a time. Scouting can be done alongside an attack to scout, skirmish, and prevent ambushes, or can be done to somewhere not currently being attacked to find out more about what is happening there.

    [ ] Under-Karagril
    [ ] Karagril-Karak Drazh Underway
    [ ] Karag Zilfin
    [ ] Under-Karag Zilfin
    [ ] Karag Yar
    [ ] Under-Karag Yar
    [ ] Karag Rhyn
    [ ] Under-Karag Rhyn
    [ ] Karag Mhonar
    [ ] Under-Karag Mhonar
    [ ] Kvinn-Wyr
    [ ] The Sentinels
    [ ] Under-Citadel
    [ ] Under-Caldera


    - With the remaining Trolls isolated to the warpstone near the peak and the cisterns, a force could take most of the mountain without facing them and set up defensive positions against them. You can move the Kvinn-Wyr Bolt Throwers or any other siege weapons (except the ones facing Death Pass) to Kvinn-Wyr to hem in the trolls or to guard the approach from Karag Mhonar.
    - There will be a four hour moratorium. Voting will be in plan format.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • BoneyM said:
    Though I can't ask you not to feel this negativity, I'd rather you didn't try to persuade others to share it with you.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    *shrug* Honestly my first post would have been the only one I made on the subject if people didn't keep quoting me trying to convince me the roll was actually good. If people don't want to share in my salt they shouldn't interact with me when I salty. Thats common sense as far as I'm concerned.
     
    BoneyM said:
    - With the remaining Trolls isolated to the warpstone near the peak and the cisterns, a force could take most of the mountain without facing them and set up defensive positions against them. You can move the Kvinn-Wyr Bolt Throwers or any other siege weapons (except the ones facing Death Pass) to Kvinn-Wyr to hem in the trolls or to guard the approach from Karag Mhonar.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    If we're going to be taking the Under-Citadel, we might consider moving into Kvinn-Wyr simultaneously, since that helps us maintain a small number of fronts and would increase or strategic depth. It risks splitting our force, but it might be worth it in the long run.
     
    Well that is quite some coup on the paperwork, but it's just getting tossed into the pile with the other earth-shattering secrets for some other time.

    It's unfortunate that the Under-Caldera seems to connect to Undergril, I was kinda hoping it was just a Citadel-Karagril line. But of course Mors would want a line from their main holdings to their outposts. Under constant attack from orcs, too; we can stroll in and take it over, but then we're the ones sandwiched between Karak Drazh and Under-Caldera.

    If our goal is retaking K8P, then give Kazador the go; if our goal is preserving dwarven lives, then it's a bad call.
     
    Last edited:
    Nix's Warden said:
    *shrug* Honestly my first post would have been the only one I made on the subject if people didn't keep quoting me trying to convince me the roll was actually good. If people don't want to share in my salt they shouldn't interact with me when I salty. Thats common sense as far as I'm concerned.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    It doesn't work that way. The only person responsible for the posts you make is you. If you're not in a good place, that sucks and I sympathize, but that doesn't give you the right to spread negativity.
     
    [ ] Advance from Karagril into Under-Karagril, the former territory of Clan Moulder, with:
    [ ] Advance from the Citadel into the Under-Citadel, the eastern fringe of Clan Mors' territory, with:

    Yup and yup, time to strike while the Iron is hot.
     
    Guile said:
    Well that is quite some coup on the paperwork, but it's just getting tossed into the pile with the other earth-shattering secrets for some other time.

    It's unfortunate that the Under-Caldera seems to connect to Undergril, I was kinda hoping it was just a Citadel-Karagril line. But of course Mors would want a line from their main holdings to their outposts. Under constant attack from orcs, too; we can stroll in and take it over, but then we're the ones sandwiched between Karak Drazh and Under-Caldera.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    We likely could do a raid on under caldera though. Push through Under citadel and try and take as much riches or dwarven artifacts as we can and burn the rest. I do like the idea of going viking and not actually taking ground in the under caldera. Unforuently we are limited in how much we punish Mors right now though because of the green skin assault.
     
    BoneyM said:
    The bulk of the Rangers you dispatched went to Karagril, both to scout their defences and to check on the Underway to Karak Drazh. To your surprise, the greenskin pressure on under-Karagril hasn't stopped or even slowed - if anything it's increased, and all of Clan Mors' remaining forces, weapons and defences in the area are dedicated to holding that line.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Well, looks like taking Karagil isn't really on the cards for today.

    It is not our problem right now and Mors is already fucked anyway given our other plans.

    I'd suggest then going to attack the Citadel and pushing through the Under Caldera, possibly using Kazador and leaving others to defend Karagil if judged necessary. This cuts off Under Yar Mors and Under Karagil Mors and leaves them to be defeated in detail slowly, with their logistics utterly devastated.

    Whether we hold Under Caldera is something to consider, since the consideration of our number of fronts is always important.
     
    @BoneyM, can the rangers tell us if the architecture of Under-karagril conducive to doing a similar stunt to what we did to the We in the chiselwards? Basically bottle Mors up to their front with the orcs while taking most of the area and only guarding a few entrances?
     
    I say we hit the under the citadel, and then maybe hit the under caldera. we don't hold it of course, I don't think we could hold that many fronts. We just burn everything and kill everyone then leave.
     
    Neshuakadal said:
    We likely could do a raid on under caldera though. Push through Under citadel and try and take as much riches or dwarven artifacts as we can and burn the rest. I do like the idea of going viking and not actually taking ground in the under caldera. Unforuently we are limited in how much we punish Mors right now though because of the green skin assault.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    It might work sandwiching Under-Caldera between our two forces, but that leaves the Undergril forces at Kazador's back. Risky.
     
    BoneyM said:
    [Loot finding: Intrigue, 82+22=104.]
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Oh wow, that loot roll was a crit, good heavens. The average case on our loot expedition was worse than I thought it was. Oh well; it all worked out, and it's free stuff we otherwise wouldn't have had.
    BoneyM said:
    The bulk of the Rangers you dispatched went to Karagril, both to scout their defences and to check on the Underway to Karak Drazh. To your surprise, the greenskin pressure on under-Karagril hasn't stopped or even slowed - if anything it's increased, and all of Clan Mors' remaining forces, weapons and defences in the area are dedicated to holding that line.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    This is worrisome. Do we want to delay Karagril and try to loop around for a big push on under-Caldera? That would cut Mors in two and allow us to take under-Karagril later.

    We should absolutely hit the Citadel this turn. I don't think we should take Kvinn-Wyr, but I'm open to being convinced.

    Tentative plan before I go to bed:

    [ ] Plan Leaping After Looking
    -[ ] Advance from the Citadel into the Under-Citadel, the eastern fringe of Clan Mors' territory, with: Clan Angrund, Karak Izor immigrants, The Undumgi, Braganza's Besiegers
    -[ ] Mathilde will command the attack: Under-Citadel
    -[ ] Leave the Bolt Throwers in place.
    -[ ] Under-Citadel
    -[ ] Under-Caldera
    -[ ] Karag Mhonar
     
    Last edited:
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Voting is open
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top