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.
I wonder if there's anything big enough to cost sixty dwarf favours as a project. Some form of super tower? Massive runic upgrades to the Grey College itself? Something else strategic?
I think we know that the best set of dwarf equipment you can get is a 75 favour set of talisman, rune and armour. Unfortunately, it seems that the dwarves can't replicate Tarnus' process to make armour wizards can cast in.
I think we know that the best set of dwarf equipment you can get is a 75 favour set of talisman, rune and armour. Unfortunately, it seems that the dwarves can't replicate Tarnus' process to make armour wizards can cast in.
- Location
- his hidden lair
I'm not saying it's without use. Hell, it might even be mechanically a bit stronger than some of the other options. But it doesn't seem like it narratively adds to Mathilde's characterization and actually creates plot hooks. No one is going to argue that Avatar was mechanically the strongest choice, but it has had noteworthy impact on how Mathilde sees the world and how it's conveyed to us.
But Collegiate? How many times has Mathilde actually gotten involved personally with the colleges as a whole? Not being called in to account for expenses, not trading a few favors barring a few exceptions she's engaged with individuals and indirectly engaged with the political manueverings of it all? Take for instance how many time academics in this thread have commented on the petty politics of academia, of the least publishable unit and how terrible it is. How much has Mathilde seriously engaged with that aspect of the Colleges? How much has a few brief tea times and bullying some gold wizards informed Mathilde's character as a whole?
I'll compare it to polyglot because I feel like it's a much more thematic choice while being useful. Learning a language isn't just a matter of understand rote responses and literal definitions. It's about understanding how a culture chooses to record and convey information to others- part of her understanding the Dwarfs ties into knowing Khazalid on some level or another, from knowing how traits can be nouns in their own right if important enough, to what exactly even constitutes a mountain to a Dwarf, because it's not the conventional human understanding of one. I barely even need to go into Queekish to see how the effort to learn that has informed us of Skaven culture and psychology, ultimately letting us play all the factions against one another to steal an epic victory. It ties together the Mathilde as an academic and learned scholar with the Mathilde who understands and works to counter her enemies and knows how to go among their society and push it however she desires. It does a fantastic job of reconciling who we are as a learned individual, who we are as an expert espionage agent, and who we are as the heroic general come warrior.
I think it's better, which is why I don't intend on rioting or anything, but I don't see Mathilde as having teaching and academic politics being an integral part of her character yet. We haven't trained an apprentice, we haven't dealt with office politics all that much. It doesn't actually push us to play to what we've done just yet, it tries to incentivise a facet of our turns that might not even be permanent in the grand schemes of things depending. Compare that to Polyglot, god knows this thread is going to seek all the books it can, and we've consistently made sure to inform ourselves of our foes as best we can. We're going to want to learn Anoqeyan, Tilean/Estalian, possibly even Black Speech and many more languages sooner than later, and that means more than simply being able to read more books from a wider variety of sources. It means engaging with and better figuring out how other cultures think- and that's always a powerful advantage.
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- Pronouns
- She/Her
I mean given the attention that we have seen Sigmar give his worshippers in this quest he may well just not be paying any attention.
- Pronouns
- They/It
I had a brief moment of misguided inspiration before remembering it wouldn't work within the terms we have, but damn it! For a moment I was super excited about using our boon to force Belegar to set aside his worries/responsibilities and come on a dark elf killing vacation with us. 
Need to do another solid for the elves soon and get us a second first class ticket to the elfcation resort.
Need to do another solid for the elves soon and get us a second first class ticket to the elfcation resort.
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chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
This presupposes that Sigmar is actually doing anything. Which, he's not. That is the entire source of our beef with him. If he actually had anything to do with them I'd not have much of a leg to stand on, but the entire issue I'm talking about is that that is in fact in doubt, and not self-evident.
Sinsystems
Patron Librarian
Personally I am all for saving our favor for a situation when we need to call upon an Army for something.
Why third though?
I don't believe this is true.
Our first encounter with Sigmar was when Kasimir healed Mathilde after she hurt herself during sword training.
Then when he called on Sigmar's power so he and Mathilde could combo the Singing King to death.
And there was even Kasimir's ability to call on healing at a whim during his wandering days, including when we saw him on the floor of the chapel.
Too many people are conflating lack of visible action when we demand it with lack of attention.
All gods can have bad days, as Mork will tell you. But literally putting the High Priestess of Ranald, who also happens to be blessed of Shallya, on the throne of the Empire is not the sort of thing that Sigmar would miss for very long. Or at all.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Except that uncovering falsehoods is not actually part of Sigmar's perview while hiding and tricking are part of Ranald's.
- Location
- Mexico
Because one in every four dwarf children are female, and I want him to have 10+ children to reinvigorate the Karaz Ankor.
The stricture says 'There is no honour among thieves, yet trust in your brothers and sisters.' That doesn't mean you can't bullshit them.
- Location
- Actually pretty lost
I dislike it less than the previous Collegiate, but I still don't want to increase the amount of managing subordinate organisations we need to do - frankly, I already consider the EIC and to a lesser extent our subordinate wizards to be getting in the way of things I want to do.
And happily, you are entirely incorrect on your second point - there is no time that Mathilde "should" be taking an Apprentice, as it is perfectly normal to not take an Apprentice. Ever. It is also perfectly normal to take several - there is no binding rule or even guideline here.
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chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
Like he didn't miss Dieter IV, right? It's the Grand Theogonist's job to manage that sort of thing, not his.
It means you shouldn't be a jerk. Lying about the Lhamian conspiracy would count; that's the sort of thing Empresses get stabbed over.
This dude... I swear. We massacred his entire army, the least he could do is die with it. While I would like to track him down, I don't think Gork and Mork will allow it.
I would be down to wrap up some research projects and go on our Ulthuan 'vacation'.
Why? It's deliberately very ambiguous. The first clause says not to believe them, the second says to trust them. It's very Ranaldian. I think it says that you should be prepared to extend enough trust to work together on individual jobs, but not to rely on them.
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
I doubt we'll learn black speech learning daemon tongue seems like a terrible idea personally.
Wont be ready in one more turns time for that, we need to learn Anoqeyen, make the magic staff and top off a couple of our intrigue skills.
Wont be ready in one more turns time for that, we need to learn Anoqeyen, make the magic staff and top off a couple of our intrigue skills.
- Location
- Earth
Hey @BoneyM how's this for personal?
A New Home: Once upon a time, you were a child and you found a master and a college. It saved your life and started your journey, but you outgrew it. Then you were a journeywoman and you found a Count. Great and terrible were your works, but in the end, Him you grieved. Now, you're a Loremaster and you have a King. One you did not outgrow, or morn, but won in blood and sweat. As you look upon the Karags and your Towers, you see Home. You may wander the world, but you'll always be welcome here. It's where you keep your books. Even that one. It's as safe as a place as this world can have.
A New Home: Once upon a time, you were a child and you found a master and a college. It saved your life and started your journey, but you outgrew it. Then you were a journeywoman and you found a Count. Great and terrible were your works, but in the end, Him you grieved. Now, you're a Loremaster and you have a King. One you did not outgrow, or morn, but won in blood and sweat. As you look upon the Karags and your Towers, you see Home. You may wander the world, but you'll always be welcome here. It's where you keep your books. Even that one. It's as safe as a place as this world can have.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm also a total loss for that Boon. I don't even have something I actually really like for our Great Deed. It's such a big thing, a lot of the cool stuff are so big that it would also take a fuckton of investment to actually deal with. Until I see something super awesome that Mathilde desperately wants and can't get otherwise, keep it in the back pocket.
On another note, regarding super immediate future, I'm hoping for some version of the following scenes.
On another note, regarding super immediate future, I'm hoping for some version of the following scenes.
- Belegar and Mathilde sharing a private moment looking out over the Karak, where they both break down into tears from the emotional intensity of everything that just happened. They can barely believe it. Belegar is rewarded for his sneaky lies with the full reclamation of his Ancestral Home and the support of a living Ancestor God, and Mathilde is sent to her knees by the magnitude of her actions and the beauty of the results. They have each changed the world they live in. Their personal relationship is one I want expanded, Mathilde was his only confidante in his decision to strengthen an enemy, and they have shared much, this much mutual vulnerability and sharing in happiness would be really touching. Seriously, I could read a very long update that was only the emotional aftermath of this arc.
- Grombrindal revealing himself, obviously. I really hope he doesn't just dip, because I definitely want him to ensure that the political aftermath of this goes in a positive direction that uplifts all Dwarves.
- Belegar negotiating with the Dragon. Dragon is just cool, and want to see this whole process play out.
- Everyone silently frowns at Thorgrim, who has realized the depths of his fuck-up. This is huge, even if Thorgrim refuses to budge, him and the Conservatives just lost a lot of influence. I really hope that we can come to an accord where Thorgrim is moved by Belegar's success and his own shame to use his own power to improve the future of his race.
Depending on what he is, he might be like daemons and unable to manifest in the world for long.
Bonus to actions in defence of Karak Eight Peaks, in brute mechanical terms?
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No, this is kind of a wild accusation.
Sigmar is active. We KNOW this.
Kasimir has healed Mathilde and used Sigmarite magic in battle. We met Kasimir during our last Stirland visit and saw him healing himself.
Kasimir testified to his active response while he aided the people of Stirland. And that's just what we know, not where else he is active.
Mathilde's grudge is that he wasn't active when she wanted him to be. Not that he's not active.
You're basically demanding that he be acting in our sight for us to acknowledge that he's active.
Which is, again, a wild demand to make of a god whose portfolio spans a nation the size of Europe that's not even our own.
It's not like we saw Ranald's overt activity very much pre-Drachenfels.
Sigmar is the patron god of the Empire. That's his purview.
The lady whose butt is occupying the Empress' seat falls squarely inside his purview as well.
Note that healing is a signal power of his priests, and he's not Shallya either.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
I'm definitely against abdicating the Loremaster position for 5-10 more years, and even after we do that I don't see us "moving out" of K8P, so much as just keeping it as our home base while we venture out on other adventures.
Mathilde's batman impression gets better by the post. I don't think her boon will extend to a gigantic statue of her, but maybe it'll go as far as finding a reason to keep Kragg around so Mathilde can keep bothering him into submission. Kragg/Mathilde Bok project at Belegar's request.
Is anyone aware of The Gas Mask That Started It All? Outside M and J.
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Sinsystems
Patron Librarian
Agreed this is our base at the moment, although at the very least we can consider taking that Elven Vacation now.
Fair enough.
No he didn't.
Dieter IV was mundane human corruption and incompetence, not divine intervention by another deity or by Chaos. Which is kind of the portfolio of the human leadership of the Empire, the Elector Council, to address. Not the Grand Theogonist, and certainly not Sigmar.
Humans are allowed to fail by their own efforts.
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- Pronouns
- She/Her
I strongly disagree that Sigmar pays much attention to or cares about the quallity of the occupants of the Imperial throne. There have been to many terrible emperors for that to be true.
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