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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Alliterate said:
He is very eligible. Unwed heir to a significant Barony? So much so it's perhaps strange that he remains unmarried after a decade as one of the most visible and significant personages in Stirland...
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I just assumed he was gay.

Darik29 said:
Why is it nobody seems to want to join the expedition to Karak Eight Peaks?
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I'm not particularly against it myself, but only if we could keep it to less than 4 turns and 1 in game year.
 
I realized something. We literally just got rid of the worst of the strings on the puppet council. And then Rosie puts a bunch of giant holes in it.

Hey, Pinnochio! You just blew your best chance at being a real Elector Count!

Is it wrong that I'm hoping someone forces another wizard on her?
 
DocMatoi said:
clever! I like it
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Alliterate said:
Hand back the rightful symbol of the Elector Count, the rifle (no need to distract ourselves trying to learn it), and the study minus the hat (for personal reasons) and library (books are awesome, and we've got a letter from Van Hal saying he gave us books. We should keep some, it's less suspicious that way).
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It has been in the reasoning since the inception of the plan.
 
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Alliterate said:
Keep the books. As for looting... we have a letter from Van Hal saying he gave us books. Looting his library is partially cover for the specific book he gave us.
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Wouldn't no one ever knowing Van Hall gave us books in the first place have been way better cover in the first place ?
As is aren't we just givin her a clue that didn't need to exist ?
 
Rafin said:
@BoneyM Just out of curiosity, how does the Grey College handle marriage? How does it handle marriage to rich people? To very important people?
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I can't speak for this quest specifically, but there is some information in Realms of Sorcery which can be used to understand canon on the topic. The bit on Magisters' children is probably the most relevant when it comes to wizardly habits when it comes to romance and marriage.

Realms of Sorcery said:
The Imperial Colleges of Magic normally regard celibacy as the ideal. However, there are some Magisters who not only pursue personal relationships but also welcome children into their lives.

The Amethyst College and the College of Light are strictly celibate Orders. It is both forbidden to form unique relationships with man or woman by the laws of their Orders. It is also rumored that the individuals Winds embraced and pursued by those two Orders steals from their brethren the very desire and will to form such relationships. The Gold and Celestial Colleges have no laws forbidding personal relationships, but the Magisters of the Colleges tend to be so wrapped up in their studies that it is almost unheard of for any of them to marry or have offspring. No one really knows much about the beliefs and rules of the respectively misanthropic and highly secretive Amber and Grey Colleges when it comes to the matter of relationships. However, the Jade and Bright Colleges have no restrictions on such matters, either by internal rules or external influence.

Part of the core of Ghyran's Aethyric preference is the desire and drive for natural fertility and growth, which includes the raising of families. It's not unheard of for male and female members of this Order to actively embrace the natural urges that Ghyran promotes. The children they have and raise almost always then go on to join the Order. As for the Bright College, the Red Wind of Aqshy promotes passion and a desire to not be held back by rules and convention. There are some Bright Magisters in history who have been known to have raised their own offspring, though in a very tempestuous and often unhappy familial relationship.
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There are several other presented matters of wizard culture which are also presented in addition to this and are likely to be relevant for the issue of relationships for Mathilde specifically:
  • Women are so rare in the Colleges of Magic that they often don't even have accommodation for them on their main campuses
  • Wizards in general are vastly more likely to come from prosperous (noble/burgher) backgrounds than the numbers of those classes by population would indicate, because most peasant magic users either die or become hedge mages rather than ever making it to the Colleges
  • Female magic users who do make it into the Colleges gravitate toward the Jade and Amber Colleges, and while that's noted as not a hard rule whether it is a plurality, majority, or supermajority is unclear
  • The setting here is significantly earlier than the canon presented in Realms of Sorcery, and the Colleges grow a lot in both numbers and prominence during the span of time which hasn't yet come to pass

What I draw from all the above is that if Mathilde were to marry, it's possible that she would be the first Grey Wizard to ever do so, not unlikely that she would be the first female Grey Wizard to do so, and if she did so openly would very likely be the first Grey Wizard to ever do so. If she were to marry a prominent noble openly it would almost certainly be unprecedented in her College's history, and because the stigma against magic is serious business, it might well be unprecedented in the history of any College. No noble wants to have the horrific PR of magic tainting their bloodline.

If I were to guess at how Grey Wizards handle the issue generally, my speculation would be that most are celibate, and those few who have lovers keep their existence strictly secret, or if they outright marry have it be under a basic cover identity (obviously she married a merchant/sailor/roadwarden, so of course he's not around much) and don't let anyone but their most trusted know about it. Because their relationships are a secret and the wizards are male, any children are then also relatively easy to keep secret and may not even know their father's profession until/unless they display magic, at which point they are apprenticed quietly into the Order without mention of their background. Since wizards tend to come from moneyed backgrounds, any Grey Wizard with a child is likely to have at least one wealthy contact or friend to whom they could entrust their lover/child and ensure that they are safe and fairly prosperous.

This standard is a lot harder to keep to for a female wizard, let alone one from a peasant background like Mathilde. However, the basic principles apply: Tell no one you don't have to, hide everything, admit nothing, and ensure that any child joins the College the moment any magical talent manifests. As with male wizards, these directives are somewhat easier to follow if taking a lover instead of marrying them, and easier still if the child is entrusted to someone else to raise without having their parentage be a matter of public record; any marriage should be done in secret and kept to rumor if it's absolutely necessary.

Grey College directives on openly marrying a prominent noble can probably be summed up as "don't", with a side of smacking the politically senseless fool planning on trying it upside the head.
 
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Turn 16 - 2477.5 - A Private Citizen
  • Threadmarks
    • [*] Plan Be the Bigger Witch
    -[*] Give
    --[*] Report on the past eight years
    ---[*] Add a note that wishes her well in her position as Elector Countess and our willingness to remain in correspondence by letter, so we could provide some advice.
    --[*]The Runefang of Stirland
    --[*] Information Network
    ---[*] Give Julia our full blessing (and recommendation, if Julia wants it) to go for Spymaster.
    --[*]Abelhelm's repeater rifle
    --[*] Miscellaneous contents of Abelhelm's Study
    ---[*] Minus Abelhelms' spare hat, brandy flask, and the books
    -[*] Keep
    --[*] Books from Abelhelm's study
    --[*] Liber Mortis.
    --[*] Gong Farmers and Niter Factory
    --[*] Discretionary Funds

    [*] Plan: Magic Duties to clean up!
    -[*] Enjoy a well-deserved holiday catching up with personal projects and living off your accumulated embezzlement.
    --[*] We can't abandon our Sunken Palace until we've figured out the various leaking and/or unsafe magical items (Snake Box, that book, and Shyishkebabs) and worked out how to secure or transport them in our absence.
    -[*] Managing your institutions - the EIC, your land, and the Information Network and Gong Farmers if retained.
    -[*] Return to Altdorf to face the Magister's tests, and determine what to do with your life later.

    Sitting in the privacy of your Sunken Palace, you sort through the various bits and pieces the new ruler of Stirland may have claim to. The Runefang is easiest of all; fun as it might be to think about keeping it, it would draw far too much of the wrong sort of attention. Abelhelm's hat remains on the shelf atop your desk, and you also take his battered steel flask, still half-full of Ostland brandy, and slip it into a pocket. The books, you sort through over a couple of hours; most are books on the Empire, its historical events and figures, its people and environs. Those dedicated to the study and extermination of the undead are a small but significant minority, and you smile at the very slim Extremely Redacted Liber Mortis (Approved Edition) that Abelhelm recommended to you so long ago - a tiny piece of misdirection, so easily overlooked.

    In the end, there's no shelf filler, no dead wood to cull - it seems that Abelhelm's frequent movements before becoming Elector Count had pared his library down to the necessities and he hadn't had much time to expand it since. So you keep the entire lot. The various mementos, souvenirs and trophies are crated up to go to the Castle, along with the repeater rifle - as fine a piece of craftsmanship as it is, you've no training in long arms. On top of it all you add the written report you had prepared earlier (after slightly revising it to exclude all matters of gong farming and niter) and you choke down your resentment long enough to pen a note indicating your willingness to correspond with her, if she desires.

    The final matter is your discretionary funds, and that's a matter of taking the coffer dedicated to it and pouring it into the coffer of your personal funds. That's that, then. You carry the crates up to the tavern and flag down a couple of patrolling Watchmen to fetch a wagon and drive it all up to the castle - as unhappy as they are with you recently, they know better than to disobey. On top of that, one glimpse of the Runefang convinces them of the importance of the request. You shadow them all the way to the castle gates to ensure it all arrives safely.

    With that done, you convene, possibly for the last time, with your subordinates.

    Julia takes the news well; she had prepared for a shake-up from the change in leadership, and needs only your indication that you're okay with it for her to openly start preparing to try to take your former job, and with you giving her the okay to take the Network with her, she's got a decent shot at it. You've a suspicion that a Witch Hunter might end up with the job instead, though. They were all but invisible under Abelhelm's reign, and you doubt that will continue under Roswita's. You do tell her that if things don't work out under Roswita, either directly or under whoever the new Spymaster may be, then there'll be a position available to her in the EIC if she wants it.

    Jack is already packing his office when you visit him. You've deliberately kept a blind eye on his personal activities to tacitly sign off on whatever compensation he decides is suitable for the job, and he considers the past few years well spent, but with you off the council he's decided it's high time to seek his fortunes (or, at least, more of his fortunes) elsewhere. He boxes up all the records on the gong farmers for you on your request, and says that if you've ever a need for the services of a thief again to track him down.

    You return once more to the Sunken Palace, and wander through it with new eyes. For the past eight years, this has been a place that you snatched sleep in where you could and stored things for some hazy future day when you had spare time. Well, now that day has come.


    ---


    Library Acquired - see Character Sheet.

    As you are no longer employed, there is no longer a distinction between 'personal' and 'organizational' actions. Pick six of the below; you can take up to two extra actions as Overwork - if you do, mark them accordingly. All of your Organizations can be safely 'ignored' if you desire - they will continue operating as they have been.


    The Weber Estate
    Earmarked Funds: 1,291 gc
    Estate Profits: 10 gc / turn
    You can spend money instead of turns here to have someone else oversee the work; this will increase the cost by half again, and double any dwarf rep cost. For instance, an option costing 100 gc will cost 150 gc. It also means that your personal stats will not apply to whatever is being done.
    [ ] Build a modest home for yourself, equal in size to the rooms you're using in the Sunken Palace (3 rooms, 50 gc).
    [ ] Build a large home for yourself, with plenty of spare rooms to expand into (6 rooms, 150 gc).
    [ ] Why muck about? Build a proper manor (10 rooms, 300 gc).
    [ ] Build a tower, either into an above structure or on its own (1 room, 100 gc, bonus to room's purpose).
    [ ] Build fortifications into your home, turning it into a hillfort, or motte (50 gc for wood, 200 gc for stone, optional dwarf help for -1 dwarf rep).
    [ ] Build a communal granary to store food for lean times (50 gc).
    [ ] Build a well (50 gc).
    [ ] Build a bailey for your subjects to shelter in and to encompass other structures (100 gc for wood, 400 gc for stone, optional dwarf help for -1 dwarf rep).
    [ ] Have the dwarves build you a fortress. (1000 gc, -2 dwarf rep. Protects but does not build living area. No, there is no cheaper option. If you want cheap, get manlings to build it.)
    [ ] Bring in prospectors to search for minable metals (100 gc).
    [ ] Bring in dwarvern prospectors to search for minable metals (-1 Dwarf Rep)
    [ ] Investigate the farming possibilities of the land (50 gc for test crops).
    [ ] Bring in dwarvern farmers to investigate the farming possibilities of the land. (-1 Dwarf Rep)


    The Eastern Imperial Company
    Outstanding Debt: 1,450 gc
    Your share of EIC Profits: 50 gc / turn
    [ ] Use your reputation to build trade ties with Zhufbar.
    [ ] Use your reputation to build trade ties with Karak Kadrin.
    [ ] Use your friendship with Anton to build trade ties along the Nuln Road.
    [ ] Expand the EIC into Sonningwiese; this is unlikely to increase profits, but would indirectly improve the lot of your subjects.
    [ ] Have the EIC print and sell a second edition of Asarnil's memoirs.
    [ ] Investigate whether Ostermark is building a Talabec-Stir canal near Karak Kadrin.
    [ ] Spend some time getting to know Wilhelmina's sons.


    Gong Farmers
    Currently Revenue Neutral due to supporting the Niter Factory
    [ ] Fold them into the EIC; no need for you to have personal control of them. (no action needed)
    [ ] Formalize and organize the payments people make for the Gong Farmers to perform their service.
    [ ] Expand the Gong Farmers into the rest of Western Stirland.
    [ ] Create market gardens outside the walls of Wurtbad, fertilized with the solid waste collected by the Gong Farmers.
    [ ] No longer linked to the Watch, the Gong Farmers might be vulnerable. Arm and train them so they can defend themselves in the sewers.


    Niter Factory
    Goods currently unsold; costs covered by Gong Farmers.
    [ ] Fold it into the EIC. (no action needed)
    [ ] Sell the factory itself.
    [ ] Sell the produced niter crystals to Nuln.
    [ ] Sell the produced niter crystals to Zhufbar.
    [ ] Sell the produced niter crystals as fertiliser in Stirland.
    [ ] Sell the produced niter crystals as fertiliser to the Moot.
    [ ] Investigate the rest of the process for making gunpowder.
    [ ] Bring in dwarven experts to expand the factory to produce gunpowder (-5 Dwarf Favour).


    Personal Actions
    Personal Wealth: 483 gc
    Living expenses: 10 gc / turn

    Magister:
    [ ] Go to Altdorf and submit yourself to the Magisterial examination. (takes three actions)

    Self-Improvement:
    [ ] Internalized Lessons: If you've been using a particular trait a fair bit in the last year, you can spend some time on it to internalize what you've learned and increase the trait (choose which trait; can be taken multiple times; will be more effective the more you've used the trait lately).
    [ ] Practice, Practice, Practice: If you haven't been using a particular trait lately, you can try to practice it anyway.
    [ ] Combat Training In The Free Market: The war cost you your combatant friends, but training is always for sale. Go out and buy some. (-20 gc)
    [ ] Gun Shopping: You're currently using a pistol that was a spare for the pistoliers. Visit Nuln or Zhufbar to upgrade. (does not take an action; will trigger a subvote next turn for what type and how many; will cost 100-300 gc, don't take this just to window shop - this is committing to the purchase)
    [ ] Enchantment: You're naturally talented at enchantment; so far, this just amounts to being able to make your desk meow for about an hour. See if you can improve on that, or at least figure out a way to make that useful.

    Home Comforts: Your Palace-Shrine is bursting with potential. And also mud.
    [ ] Diggy Diggy Hole, Remixed: You're getting sick of having workmen tramping in and out of your abode. Recruit an entire team and personally oversee them to clear out all of the reachable portions of the Palace-Shrine and be done with it. (-100 gc)
    [ ] Diggy Diggy Hole, Dwarf: You could call in some favours and get the entire place cleaned out with dwarven reticence and expertise (-20 gc for ale, -2 Dwarf Favours) (NEW)

    Research:
    [ ] Expand your library to cover a new subject or go deeper into an existing one (choose which; -50 gc).
    [ ] Volatility: Examine how to move your various fragile and magically sensitive bits and pieces without endangering them.
    [ ] Shyish-kebabs: The Shyish swords are hideously dangerous as weapons, but fascinating as a subject of study. Try to reverse-engineer the lost enchantments woven into them.
    [ ] Qhaysh Juice: Whatever it is, it's dripping out of the box at a steady rate. You've got several gallons of the stuff and it's still coming out. It's got to be good for something.
    [ ] There's always room for more shadow spells in your repertoire. Send off to the Grey College for the basics on one of the others and get started on trying to learn it.
    [ ] Your experience with the so-called Fog of War has given you a lot of ideas for new applications of Ulgu. Investigate them to see what might be possible.
    [ ] Read the Liber Mortis.

    Influence:
    [ ] Thieves Guild: It's currently little more than a church group, albeit of a very unconventional god. If it could be expanded under your aegis, it could be a powerful tool - especially considering you no longer have official power.

    Relations:
    [ ] The New Boss: Keep an ear to the ground, learning what you can of Roswita's actions and plans.
    [ ] Getting To Know You: Spend time with someone, offering your help in their tasks and generally getting a feel for them (choose one) (can be taken multiple times).
    [ ] Getting To Know You Whether You Like It Or Not: Trust, but verify. Spend some of your time seeing what a certain person spends their time doing (choose one) (can be taken multiple times).
    [ ] It's literally none of your business, but you can try to track down Kasmir anyway.
    [ ] Free Time: Now well-established in Wurtbad, you can spend some time in your scant off hours getting to know someone better. Pick one character. (does not take an action)

    Familiar: You've grown much in power; it might be time for you to seek a familiar. Animals that are suitable to be familiars are incredibly rare. You can hunt for them and spent a great deal of time doing so, or you can buy one for an agonizing price. Or you could make one.
    [ ] You'll have a cat, damn it. Spend time with the alley cats of Wurtbad and see what you can find. (low chance)
    [ ] Wander the streets of Wurtbad and see if any animal jumps out at you. (moderate chance, could be any tame or feral animal)
    [ ] Spend some alone in the woods. What could go wrong? (high chance, but no telling what animal would be. chance of dangers in the woods)
    [ ] Travel to Altdorf and see what suitable animals are for sale. (will cost 300-600 gc; can decide not to purchase if you don't like the type or look of the animal. Options for loans or dipping into EIC/earmarked funds will be available if you can't afford it)
    [ ] Why trust in nature or the free market? You'll damn well make your own familiar. (50 gc, resulting familiar is unpredictable in appearance and will be visibly unnatural).



    - As always, voting will be in Plan Format.
    - Don't forget Ranald's Blessing!
    - If there's anything you think Mathilde should do that isn't on the list, let me know.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • @BoneyM If we upgrade the estate can we add or upgrade the fortifications later on? I'm worried that if we start fortifying our estate straight after we're dismissed as Spymistress then Roswita might get paranoid and assume we're fomenting rebellion. So I'd suggest leaving it for a turn or two to let her get accustomed to the role and chill out.
     
    If possible, before leaving for the magister test, I want us to at least meet up with best mom Wilhemma and best bro Anton once.

    Maintaining a good relationship with them is pretty important and we might also get some nice info or fluff by just meeting them again.
     
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