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You mean go down in priority right? We just got one of the crown jewels of secrets for free without swearing the oaths. It has become less attractive, not more. The same pain for less gain.

No, significantly up in priority, as Gazul's creation of the Glittering Realm from the Aethyr is incredibly interesting from many perspectives, and is something that may be very relevant to us.

Particularly as runes may be a form of divine magic sourced from the Glittering Realm that allows the reformatting of the Winds.

Not to mention that the creation of the Glittering Realm from the Aethyr has very obvious parallels to reformatting Aethyric Vitae, if on a much larger scale.

Even hints would be fascinating. We've been given the merest hints of teasers compared to what a few months of studying will teach. If we want to do AV research, this is the closest we're likely to find to useful existing insights. We didn't do well enough on the meditation roll to actually get any of them for free. I strongly doubt that Gunnars would break his own oaths and give away the actual crown jewels of secrets, or any actually forbidden lore. If that's what he can share, imagine what's gated behind the oaths.

Beyond that, combined with Advanced Morrite Lore, knowledge of how to disconnect a soul from the Aethyr and send it somewhere else would also potentially have important implications.
 
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The oath we'd need to swear to Gazul is incredibly light, too. Like, it basically boils down to:
• Oppose the defilers of the dead, specifically necromancers and vampires.
• Treat Dwarf and their allies dead with dignity. In an emergency, a short prayer suffices, if possible ensure proper burials. This can be outsourced.
• Don't open a sealed tomb for no good reason, only if you have actual reason to believe that there's evil stuff going on in there.

This is, to put it bluntly, not exactly onerous, and a lot of it falls under "be a decent person" which I'd hope Mathilde does anyway.
 
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There is bunch of other things besides that, but the pain comes from how dwarves care a lot about oaths and those are important one. Basicaly we would have to follow then to the letter, forever , or become Dwarf public enemy number one.
Is just not worth adding another duty to the very top of the pile on pain of such sword of damocles.
They really aren't that difficult to follow, especially given they explicitly exclude the Enemies of Man.
• Oppose the defilers of the dead, specifically necromancers and vampires.
Actually, I wonder if vampires may be given a pass provided they don't inherit any other grudges and aren't actually necromancers.
 
We don't know how thight Gazul is about his necromancy definition.

We know how to do necromancy (in fact, we know it better than most actual necromancers) is that sufficient for the God to consider us a necromancer?

Would using the second secret make us a necromancer?
 
We don't know how thight Gazul is about his necromancy definition.

We know how to do necromancy (in fact, we know it better than most actual necromancers) is that sufficient for the God to consider us a necromancer?

Would using the second secret make us a necromancer?

Gazul smites people who defile the dead. Reading a book isn't defiling the dead. Neither is unweaving a dhar construction.

Using the second secret would break our college oaths to never use dark magic, but not a hypothetical oath to Gazul.
 
If it was likely to dig between the the surface and the under caldera we'd have had constant food raids on our agriculture from Mors rats trying it on.
Skaven are more than ten times bigger than snotlings. A hole in the wall to a Skaven is a tunnel to a Snotling.
Actually, I wonder if vampires may be given a pass provided they don't inherit any other grudges and aren't actually necromancers.
Vampires are defiled dead and inherently belong in a tomb rather than running around, by all death god standards I think
 
Vampires are defiled dead and inherently belong in a tomb rather than running around, by all death god standards I think

Well, it really depends on who you believe. According to some sources they're not dead, most of them are actually biologically alive when they're active. Also, the White Dwarf might have some difficult questions to answer if temporarily not having a living body is enough to get you on Gazul's shit list.

The Elixir of Life does actually keep you alive, just like the liche priests aren't undead either.
 
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Using the second secret would break our college oaths to never use dark magic, but not a hypothetical oath to Gazul.
Even using most Necromancy spells wouldn't be an issue for that particular oath.
Corpse Flesh, Curse of Years, Gaze of Nagash or Wind of Death and some more are all useful spells that in no way defile the dead, merely buff, kill or curse the living.
 
Even using most Necromancy spells wouldn't be an issue for that particular oath.
Corpse Flesh, Curse of Years, Gaze of Nagash or Wind of Death and some more are all useful spells that in no way defile the dead, merely buff, kill or curse the living.

If you really want to go out on a technicality, the oath as a whole only applies to dwarves and their allies, so someone could potentially raise a whole army of undead without breaking it. :V
 
Even using most Necromancy spells wouldn't be an issue for that particular oath.
Corpse Flesh, Curse of Years, Gaze of Nagash or Wind of Death and some more are all useful spells that in no way defile the dead, merely buff, kill or curse the living.

I think that those necromancy spells use various fragments of human souls as part of the casting process.
 
For fluff reasons, I don't want to swear ourselves to Gazul. Ranald's our boy!
We aren't swearing ourselves to Gazul. We're only promising not to abuse his knowledge. Considering that modern necromancy was partially the result of Van Hal Senior abusing the innermost secrets of Morr, the oaths aren't surprising.
 
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My only issue with the oath is that it would prevent us from going tomb looting raiding without some creative thinking :p

But, in all seriousness between the knowledge of Ghazul, Necromatic understanding (which possibly includes Nehekkara's) we'd have one of the better understandings of the soul around.

Dunno if that's of any real use, but it'd be interesting.
 
My only issue with the oath is that it would prevent us from going tomb looting raiding without some creative thinking :p

But, in all seriousness between the knowledge of Ghazul, Necromatic understanding (which possibly includes Nehekkara's) we'd have one of the better understandings of the soul around.

Dunno if that's of any real use, but it'd be interesting.
I actually recall a WOG that raiding Nehekaran Tombs wasn't included in the oaths, though don't quote me on that. Something about the Nehekarans being able to take care of themselves.
 
No, significantly up in priority, as Gazul's creation of the Glittering Realm from the Aethyr is incredibly interesting from many perspectives, and is something that may be very relevant to us.

Particularly as runes may be a form of divine magic sourced from the Glittering Realm that allows the reformatting of the Winds.

Not to mention that the creation of the Glittering Realm from the Aethyr has very obvious parallels to reformatting Aethyric Vitae, if on a much larger scale.

Yeah, frankly I don't think a bunch of dwarven mythology is of that much importance. They don't know how to do any of that- they just know stories that their Ancestors somehow did it.

90% of this lore is just going to be boring, bog standard "how to be the dwarf version of a witch hunter" that isn't worth our time to learn if it were free much less having to spend favor and swear oaths to find out.

The remaining 10%? Well hopefull Boney would take pity and throw us something useful, but I really doubt it would open any paths to get anywhere we can't already get by other means.

The dwarven priests of the dead are just not where you go to get the super neat secrets of magic.

If that's what he can share, imagine what's gated behind the oaths.

"And if the Chaos Cult uses a lot of bird feathers, that's probably a sign of Tzneech. Other signs of this god include...."
 
Yeah, frankly I don't think a bunch of dwarven mythology is of that much importance. They don't know how to do any of that- they just know stories that their Ancestors somehow did it.

90% of this lore is just going to be boring, bog standard "how to be the dwarf version of a witch hunter" that isn't worth our time to learn if it were free much less having to spend favor and swear oaths to find out.

The remaining 10%? Well hopefull Boney would take pity and throw us something useful, but I really doubt it would open any paths to get anywhere we can't already get by other means.

The dwarven priests of the dead are just not where you go to get the super neat secrets of magic.



"And if the Chaos Cult uses a lot of bird feathers, that's probably a sign of Tzneech. Other signs of this god include...."
"... being an indecisive mollusk, though any that far in their God's graces is a dangerous being that should be murdered with extreme impunity"
 
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