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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Turn 25 Results - 2482 - Part 3
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    • [X] Battle: Surreptitious Intervention
    [X] Karak: Windherder
    [X] Personal: Xeno-Affinity

    Battle: Surreptitious Intervention
    Twice now, fate has thrust you into the position of commander. You, however, have no intention of respecting fate's opinion on the matter. You can do the most good placing your eyes and blades where they're least suspected and most useful, leaving matters of command and high-level strategy to those that have dedicated their lives to it.

    Added trait: Unseen - Unless specifically on the lookout for magical infiltration, active defences are no obstacle to you. +2 Intrigue.
    Master Infiltration (1/4)


    Karak: Windherder
    For Wizards of the Colleges, when it comes to using multiple winds in concert, the short version is 'don't', and the long version is 'no, really, don't, Articles 4 and 7, don't make us burn you'. This is because if you need to ask, the answer will always be no. For those with keen windsight, a solid grasp of the fundamentals, and the right contributors, the answer becomes a very cautious 'don't make us come over there'. Making the Winds work in harmony is still far beyond you, but if you're careful and give the Winds enough room, it is possible to make them work in symphony.

    Added Magic skill: Windherder - You've developed an intuitive grasp of how Winds interact, when they'll interfere with each other, and when they'll mix and curdle into Dhar. Makes basic multi-Wind Enchantment and Spellcasting possible, as long as other Wizards provide the other Winds.


    Personal: Xeno-Affinity
    Most citizens of the Empire hate and fear the unknown, from Wizards to Halflings to those that merely come from other provinces. Your experiences have broadened your horizons far beyond this. You've lived amongst the Dwarves, been a staunch ally to the Halflings, forged an alliance with the hive-mind of the We, and even somewhat befriended the Skaven known as Qrech. You are intrigued, rather than repelled, by the unknown.

    Added Diplomacy skill modifier: Xeno-Affinity - Basic and Advanced skills for non-Imperial cultures require 2/2 rather than 3/3.


    Blooded folded into Master Swordswoman.
    Advanced Colleges of Magic (2/3)
    Empire of Man (2/3)
    Halflings (2/2)
    Skaven (2/2)
    Strategy - Dwarf (3/3)
    Ulric (1/3)

    ---

    [Hunger Wood campaign: 77 vs 13]

    The past few months have been incredibly tumultuous, and though you've been doing your best to juggle matters, there's a couple of balls you've been forced to park in mid-air until you had a spare minute to process them. The EIC reports were an easy matter to shelve, but you're still slightly nervous when you finally snatch a few moments to process your backlog and are relieved to find the news is all good. Roswita may have shown her inexperience in the overly-ambitious three-pronged assault, but with the campaign devolved into a much more basic brawl the Army of Stirland has found its feet and stamped out the Strigoi, with one confirmed dead and interred at Siegfriedhof, one cannibalized by a rival and probably out of the picture for at least a while, and a third fled the Hunger Wood with its army shattered. The Battle Wizards put in a decent showing, avoiding any major miscasts while still providing solid contributions to each major battle, and the Stirland Repeater's first substantial deployment was an overall success, with maintenance and logistical concerns outweighed by the sheer weight of fire it was capable of putting out at a moment's notice.

    Closer to home, the Undumgi are jubilant with the full reclamation of the Karak, with the men looking forward to their peaceful retirement of patrolling a mountain pass dominated by friendly cannon and the Eye of Gazul. News has trickled north and you've begun to see the trend you've long predicted and hoped for: the beginning of significant human civilian immigration to the Karak, a majority of which are unmarried women. With the Karak no longer an active warzone and the Blood and Skull Rivers full of Barak Varr transports, there's a strong argument to be made that travelling to Eight Peaks is a fair bit safer than remaining in the Border Princes. You skim past a number of reports on the expanding demand for both staple goods and minor luxuries, and with the EIC and Karag Nar's Viceroy acting in harmony, all outsiders have been shut out of those developing markets as the EIC supply the raw materials and enterprising Undumgi lay down their pikes in favour of various tools. While increasing EIC dominance is good for you, your real concern here is that they maintain the strange hybrid culture of the Undumgi which you suspect to be vital to long-term close-quarters harmony between man and Dwarf.

    Finally, the Gunnery School has set up its foundational facilities in Karag Nar, providing formal artillery drilling to the Undumgi and the facilities to maintain the arsenal of weaponry watching over Death Pass. A clever investment on Nuln's part, considering this practically guarantees that artillery will be foremost in the minds of the Undumgi as they expand their stranglehold of the Pass, and you predict cannon at least atop Karag Zilfin and the entrance to the Ulrikadrin Underway. The Undumgi have tried to label it Karag Ulric, and though it might read as such in their patois, a Dwarven reader of the Klinkarhun runes they're using - ᛉ ᛞ ᚱ ᛉ ᛕ - would be more likely to pronounce it 'Alric'. You smile and pen a short note to your Magister Patriarch so he can let his Light College counterpart know of his inadvertent immortalization before moving on.

    ---

    [Communicating knowledge: ??+??+/-??=68.]
    [Communicating values: ??+??+/-??=42.]

    The We are your next major concern, and you check in with the Priestess who has been working amongst them for the past year. Her main concern and the first thing she reports is that although she hasn't quite managed to convert them to Esmerelda, she has managed to conceptually extend their fundamental communalism into an appreciation for more artificial collectives, and that based on this understanding it has requested to become part of the Karak-We. You're still not entirely sure how that would technically work, but you're pleased with the development nonetheless. What you see as a more significant development is that the Priestess has managed to communicate, in one form or another, the concepts required for them to enter into an informed trade relationship. From the understanding that the Karak-We-Not-We were unable to produce silk of their own, they were able to grasp the idea that the unique labour of their stomach and their spinnerets had added value to the protein they had digested, and therefore that silk was more valuable than the protein that eating it would provide. The obvious question from there is 'how much more valuable', and the We had considered and ultimately rejected a great deal of economic theory in favour of a much more easy to grasp 'twice as valuable'. Twice the weight in protein, or roughly eight times it in live animals.

    To your surprise, they've been keeping their own records, though not of silk supplied - instead, they've been recording the number of meals the Dwarves have provided, both from directing them to battlefields to have their pick of the dying and from the Rangers and their habit of turning over captives to the We. They're insisting on giving the Karak credit for these, as well as for any future enemies of the Karak-We turned over. They've also grasped the concept of a medium of exchange, though they see the gold coins more as an idiosyncratic method of recording debts than they do something with value of its own, and you have a quick word with Princess Edda, and a quick reconciliation later leads to a small pile of golden coins turned over to the We, who carefully weave it into a rather pretty tessellation on one of the walls of their hive.

    This opens up a few different options in the current problem facing them: that what was once an extremely rich hunting ground is now filled only with their allies. The We are currently surviving by preying on the rats left behind by the Skaven, but these are bite-size for the We and the Dwarves are doing their best to exterminate them, and they're starting to have to fall back on food stores. Under normal circumstances, this would call for a 'no-food' - a migration. These are, however, far from normal circumstances, and the We do not wish to bid farewell to their newfound friends. You sit down with the Weaver currently wearing the Ivory Circlet on one leg, and begin to discuss the possibilities.

    [ ] [WE] Hunt the Badlands
    Something that eventually translates as a 'Hunter's Highway' could be constructed through tunnels from the current nest to the Western Gate, allowing the Hunters to move swiftly and easily to the west and explore the Badlands. The prey concentration is low and there's less opportunity for ambushes, but a giant spider is still a giant spider and they'd make a terrifying addition to the nocturnal ecosystem of the Badlands. As a side-benefit, this would teach the greenskins of the Badlands to give the Karak a wide berth.

    [ ] [WE] Hunt the Mountains
    The sheer cliffs, gloomy valleys and dark caves of the mountains are no obstacle to the We, and there's enough wildlife in the surrounding mountains to keep the We fed. Though it means they wouldn't be feeding on enemies of the Karak, it could provide an early warning of any new neighbours moving into the area.

    [ ] [WE] Scavenge the Gauntlet
    Though it's become less of an attempted invasion and more of a source of entertainment to the greenskins forcing their less-favoured underlings to throw themselves against the Dwarven defences, the Underway passage from Black Crag to Karak Eight Peaks is still a constant flow of greenskins. Though they're unlikely to make any real contribution as the battle is one of logistics rather than martial ability for the Dwarves, it will keep them reliably and safely fed, and they will be crediting most of those meals to the Dwarves.

    [ ] [WE] Bounty System
    Not all the Undumgi are ready to settle down, and there's always mercenaries and glory-seekers coming and going. Apart from the obvious benefits of keeping the We fed and killing a lot of greenskins, this would bring a lot of mercenaries to the Karak while keeping them busy enough to stay out of trouble.

    [ ] [WE] Economic Integration
    Eight pounds of live animal becomes one pound of raw silk. This is an extremely simple problem to solve. Start importing live produce and paying the local hunters to start setting snares and digging pits.

    ---

    On top of the matter of the We and the debts they're owed, you also have your own debt to consider: a Boon from King Belegar that is practically limitless in scope. Spent well, this could catapult you in power, or influence, or comfort. Spent unwisely, this could beggar the Karak. You're torn between salivating at the possibilities and quailing at the responsibility.

    [ ] [BOON] I know just what to spend it on...
    If this wins, I will take submissions in one vote and have a final vote on what the boon will be after that.
    [ ] [BOON] Save it until the Karak is wealthy enough to afford my ambition.
    [ ] [BOON] Save it as a trump card to exploit an opportunity or address an emergency.
    [ ] [BOON] I have no idea what to spend it on. Put the matter aside for now.


    Penthouse
    The four with the most votes will win.
    [ ] [ROOM] Vault
    To keep safe your wealth, your secrets, and your miscellaneous esoterica.
    [ ] [ROOM] Shrine to Ranald
    The room where you mugged Mork with Him is all well and good, but something convenient and private might be nice.
    [ ] [ROOM] Explosives Laboratory
    A room with enough reinforcement and baffles to withstand all but the most inadvisable of experiments.
    [ ] [ROOM] Training Hall
    A room for mastering martial combat, including a sparring area.
    [ ] [ROOM] Firing Range
    A room for training and trialling firearms and ranged offensive spells.
    [ ] [ROOM] Provision Room
    A room filled with provisions and water sufficient to sustain a single person (and their dog) for a year.
    [ ] [ROOM] Armoury
    A room filled with mostly-ranged weapons, suitable to equip a substantial force to defend the Penthouse from attackers from below or from the skies.
    [ ] [ROOM] Trophy Room
    Your collection of mementos is growing large and impressive enough to deserve a room to itself, complete with tasteful little plaques describing the circumstances under which you acquired each piece.
    [ ] [ROOM] Guest Room
    For when you have visitors; can fit three comfortably, or up to six if enough of them are on good terms with each other.
    [ ] [ROOM] Wolf's Room
    He sleeps at the foot of your bed, but he'd probably appreciate a room of his own for midday naps and playing with the wolf-rats.
    [ ] [ROOM] Gyrocopter Hangar
    Includes a retractable landing pad and a reinforced outer door that cannot be easily distinguished from stone from the outside. The Eye is less accessible from here than it would be to a balcony landing pad.

    Library Purchases
    Budget: 300gc, 2 Dwarf Favour. Anything not spent will not accumulate.
    [ ] [LIBRARY] No purchase.
    [ ] [LIBRARY] Write-in.

    Dwarf Favour Purchases
    [ ] [DWARF] No purchase.
    [ ] [DWARF] Write-in.

    College Favour Purchases
    [ ] [COLLEGE] No purchase.
    [ ] [COLLEGE] Write-in.

    Other Purchases
    [ ] [PURCHASE] No purchase.
    [ ] [PURCHASE] Write-in.


    - There will be a four hour moratorium. If there's a room you think should be added, now's the time.
    - I know this format for the Boon vote isn't ideal, but nor would be the inevitable deadlock of people preference voting '[*] What I want [*] Don't spend it', or the rapid-fire tactical vote-switching if I disallow preference votes. The three 'don't spend it now' options are to determine when I will raise the matter again.
    - If there's anything else you think I might have forgotten, do remind me. I haven't forgotten the vaults; they will be part of the council meeting.
     
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    • Mopman43 said:
    Okay, phones are different, you don't see them all clustered at the top, you're only ever looking at one page at a time.
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    Oh no. I do the same to my desktop. I even organize which browser has over a hundred of a given subject.

    Edit: the fun with the phone really comes from when you have to scroll through for five minutes to find that one tab you want. There is no easy way to search the tabs. You have to do it all manually.
     
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    BoneyM said:
    The Undumgi have tried to label it Karag Ulric, and though it might read as such in their patois, a Dwarven reader of the Klinkarhun runes they're using - ᛉ ᛞ ᚱ ᛉ ᛕ - would be more likely to pronounce it 'Alric'. You smile and pen a short note to your Magister Patriarch letting him know of his inadvertent immortalization before moving on.
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    My sides, oof...should get a statue of him with a label in runes hehehe
     
    BoneyM said:
    The Undumgi have tried to label it Karag Ulric, and though it might read as such in their patois, a Dwarven reader of the Klinkarhun runes they're using - ᛉ ᛞ ᚱ ᛉ ᛕ - would be more likely to pronounce it 'Alric'. You smile and pen a short note to your Magister Patriarch letting him know of his inadvertent immortalization before moving on.
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    Uh, isn't he named Algard? Alric was the old Supreme Patriarch?
     
    BoneyM said:
    a quick reconciliation later leads to a small pile of golden coins turned over to the We, who carefully weave it into a rather pretty tessellation on one of the walls of their hive.
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    the spiders are so good, i love them so much ;-;

    I'll let other people address the other topics and confine myself to my specialty. Here are my library plans from the other day:

    Plan Pickle's Preference:
    • Linguistics (Dwarf Antiquarian) -- 100gc, 2DF
    • The Eonir of Laurelorn (Imperial Extensive & Esoteric, Dwarf Extensive) -- 350gc
    • Waystones (Imperial Extensive, Dwarf Extensive) -- 200gc
    EDIT: IF YOU WANT TO VOTE FOR THIS, VOTE LIKE THIS:
    [ ] [LIBRARY] Linguistics (Dwarf Antiquarian), The Eonir of Laurelorn (Imperial Extensive & Esoteric, Dwarf Extensive), Waystones (Imperial Extensive, Dwarf Extensive)

    Out of pocket cost is 350gc. Linguistics is still our assigned task for the coming turn, most probably, and we want to knock the Queekish dictionaries out of the park when we write them (whether that be this coming turn or later), so it gets preference in our Dwarf Favour utilization. Grabbing as much as possible without spending Favour on Eonir and waystones; waystones are magical, so rare Imperial books cost College Favour. If we decide to actually pick this up as a task in the future, then we can (and should) spend some of our Favour on this out-of-pocket, but we aren't in a rush.

    Here's an alternate which confines ourself to our library budget:

    Plan Pickle Penny-Pinches:
    • Linguistics (Dwarf Antiquarian) -- 100gc, 2DF
    • The Eonir of Laurelorn (Dwarf Extensive) -- 100gc
    • Waystones (Dwarf Extensive) -- 100gc
    EDIT: IF YOU WANT TO VOTE FOR THIS, VOTE LIKE THIS:
    [ ] [LIBRARY] Linguistics (Dwarf Antiquarian), The Eonir of Laurelorn (Dwarf Extensive), Waystones (Dwarf Extensive)

    This spends only our subsidy, nothing out of pocket. Prioritized Dwarf books for the Eonir and for Waystones because it's really important for the proposed project that we understand the Dwarf perspective on these topics.
     
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    BoneyM said:
    Added Diplomacy skill modifier: Xeno-Affinity - Basic and Advanced skills for non-Imperial cultures require 2/2 rather than 3/3.


    Blooded folded into Master Swordswoman.
    Advanced Colleges of Magic (2/3)
    Empire of Man (2/3)
    Halflings (2/2)
    Skaven (2/2)
    Strategy - Dwarf (3/3)
    Ulric (1/3)
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    You know at time it feels weird that we know more about Skaven culture then Imperial as an imperial wizard. Somwtimes I want to fix that but then I remember how large our list of actions is already and start o hyperventilate.
    BoneyM said:
    The Undumgi have tried to label it Karag Ulric, and though it might read as such in their patois, a Dwarven reader of the Klinkarhun runes they're using - ᛉ ᛞ ᚱ ᛉ ᛕ - would be more likely to pronounce it 'Alric'. You smile and pen a short note to your Magister Patriarch letting him know of his inadvertent immortalization before moving on.
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    Oh now thst is funny! I really hope that the name becomes official to honor Alric contributions in making the Eye of Gazul which saved the Karak with this becoming a interesting bit of trivia.
     
    BoneyM said:
    Bounty System
    Not all the Undumgi are ready to settle down, and there's always mercenaries and glory-seekers coming and going. Apart from the obvious benefits of keeping the We fed and killing a lot of greenskins, this would bring a lot of mercenaries to the Karak while keeping them busy enough to stay out of trouble.
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    For a few moments, I was extremely excited because I misread this to mean "adventurous members of the We become bounty-hunting mercenaries and we get the giant spider version of 'Monster Hunter World: Eight Peaks.'" But alas...
     
    I already have a top 5 rooms I am planning to vote for.
    And I am leaning toward directing the We toward the Gauntlet, though I could be convinced to back the Bounty System.

    I am planning on voting for whichever proposed library additions are the most extensive as I always consider those solid investments.

    No ideas on the Boon though.
     
    BoneyM said:
    [ ] [WE] Bounty System
    Not all the Undumgi are ready to settle down, and there's always mercenaries and glory-seekers coming and going. Apart from the obvious benefits of keeping the We fed and killing a lot of greenskins, this would bring a lot of mercenaries to the Karak while keeping them busy enough to stay out of trouble.
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    So, just to clarify, this would be bounties posted for mercenaries to bring in corpses for the We to eat?
     
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