As a side note, I'm including druuchi, skaven, beastmen, and greenskins under "chaos", since they are all opposed to the order factions, and will not accept a negotiated peace.
Which isn't really accurate to the setting terminology, but seems useful as a 'who would still be here if we can't have war?' metric.
Skaven do fall under Chaos by technicality of the Horned Rat being a Chaos God. Beastmen are literally referred to as the Bastard Children of Chaos. Dark Elves are more on the asshole side of the Law vs Chaos debate excepting Morathi and the Cult of Pleasure and the occasional nutbag serving Slaanesh like Dechala (though she is a High Elf). Greenskins are rather aptly placed under the separate group Destruction in AoS.
Skaven do fall under Chaos by technicality of the Horned Rat being a Chaos God. Beastmen are literally referred to as the Bastard Children of Chaos. Dark Elves are more on the asshole side of the Law vs Chaos debate excepting Morathi and the Cult of Pleasure and the occasional nutbag serving Slaanesh like Dechala (though she is a High Elf). Greenskins are rather aptly placed under the separate group Destruction in AoS.
At least 8th edition separates them into Forces of Order, and Forces of Destruction plus some neutrals, with the dividing line generally being about building societies, or destroying them.
Felt like doing something a bit close to the ground of the Army of Stirland. Been awhile since my other omake.
Not exactly experienced with writing dialogue, critique at your pleasure.
Pfaffbach, sometime in 2482
Corporal Albrecht Muller was, on the whole, having a pleasant day. Sure, breakfast had been burnt gruel, but it was always burnt gruel, and it was less burnt than usual. Almost lost some of the flavor, honestly- he'd been used to a bit more crunch in his gruel. And sure the quartermaster still hadn't gotten him a replacement for his old boot that was nearly worn to a nub, but that was hardly a new development. And besides anything else from the day, he had something special hiding in his coat.
"Just through the door now", he thought as he walked in, before his foot hit a bag on the floor and he was forced to pinwheel just to stay upright. "Hans!" he shouted once his feet were level again, "I have told you a hundred times to keep your gods-damned knapsack off the floor, if I had tripped right now, I would have sent you to either the Captain or Morr, and I am not sure which it would have been!"
"Sorry, Corporal. Won't happen again, Corporal." Hans dully spoke.
"You're the height of sincerity you are, Hans." laughed Joachim, peering down from his bunk above Hans. "Still, that was more severe than the last dozen times you've threatened him over that chief, sounds to me like you've got something awful important on you… have you?" At these words, the other five men in the small barracks perked up, eyes glued to the corporal.
"Yeah, I have it, right here." At these words, Muller pulled a bottle out from under his coat, squat and round, with writing on the label that was clearly not Reikspiel. The other men in the platoon were on the edge of their bunks at this point, practically poised to pounce. "Keep it in your trousers, gentlemen, we are all getting an equal share, no worries about that. Tempted as I am to split Hans' share among the rest of us…"
"Sir, sir, I know you've had your differences in the past, including a minute ago, but surely that's beyond the pale to do to your fellow man?" joked Joachim, gesturing at Hans' usual hangdog look seeming to droop lower, "To deny gen-u-ine Dwarf ale to a comrade in arms!"
"Pipe down you over-dramatic idiot, you want the rest of the company to hear?" Muller was glancing around himself now, "This is going to go quick enough just split among us, the last thing we need is every dumb bastard in camp wanting a sip. Especially given they weren't the ones pooling their wages for half a year just for a single bottle. Now get your cups out, we are doing this proper." At this, the others did as he said, pulling out a collection of beaten and dented tin cups. Muller poured a small measure of ale into each, including his own, before raising his cup before him.
"To fallen comrades!"
"To fallen comrades!"
At this, the men drank. Conversation was stilted, as they had to recover their breath from the ale going down.
Hans was the first to recover. "Hard, really, to believe that we're down by half. Since when we started, I mean. I heard we had some of the worst losses in Hunger Wood by platoon. Well, 'cept for those that never came back at all…"
"I would tell you to cheer up, you morose bastard," Muller huffed, "But at least this time, you fit the occasion. Back in Pfaffbach out of that hell-wood, and half of us gone.... At least we are not with the 2nd division, those poor bastards are stuck patrolling ghoul-warrens and carrion pits."
"Feels like we should be hitting Waldenhoff now, you know? Strike while the iron's hot and all that?" spoke Ewald, visibly the youngest of the men present, the only one without a beard or stubble. "Doesn't sit right to be sitting here when we know there's still bloodsuckers out there…"
"You'd be standing for an awful long time if you can't sit till they're all dust," laughed Joachim, "Sylvania's full of the ghouls, plenty more than you could stake in a lifetime, even with a whole army."
"What, you think the Van Hal's gone soft, gone chickenshit?" spoke Muller seriously, looking at Ewald.
"Well, not that, no…"
"Good. Because I would have to get you sent to the Shallyans to get your head checked if you thought that. A Van Hal going soft.... nah, what we are here for are preparations. Build-up. The last bastards were just monsters with some cannibals following them around, now we are up against the smart ones. The ones that can think and plan."
"So what, you figure she's just stockpiling more powder?" piped up Dieter.
"Nah, if it was just that, I think we would be out already. She's not like you dumb bastards," Muller spoke, gesturing at the assembled platoon, "she's educated in this sort of thing. She's got plans of her own, that much I am certain on."
"I heard that she's working on a big ritual with the wizards, something that'll leave the Vampires without a spec of magic!"
"I heard a rumor she's getting more help from the Cult of Sigmar in exchange for her backing them against Middenland!"
"Way I heard it, Zhufbar's coming over in a month with a whole army mounted on those flying machines of theirs!"
"Nah, the truth of it is, she's getting support from Liutpold! The Imperial Foot, they'll be here, they get to take the brunt of the danger… least, that's what I hope..."
"What I heard was, she's getting betrothed to one of the Hertwigs to get their support on campaign!"
"Whoa, whoa," shouted Joachim as he heard that last one, "Ostermarkers? Really, Luther? As if we don't got enough dour in our lives with his ugly mug around!", gesturing at Hans as he spoke.
"Hey…"
"Look, it does not matter what the plan is," said Muller, "it is not our job to know it. We are infantry, we do not have to lead the whole gods-damned army, that's what we've got a countess for. Now, enough gossip, we've still got enough ale for another round." The men gave a cheer at that.
"You know," said Gottfried, who'd been the one to suggest wizards earlier, "I heard last week that Pfaffbach was the ancestral home of the old champion of Stirland, Sir Markus."
"The Champion of Stirland was Sylvanian? Sure as shit explains what happened to the last count…" muttered Muller.
"He might have been one of them imports from Stirland..."
"Whole damn army failed the count, wasn't just the greatswords…" Hans spoke morosely.
The others glanced around uneasily. Hans had been the only one in the platoon to fight at Drakenhof- the whole reason he was even in their platoon to begin with was because of what had happened to the rest of his old one at the battle- and he didn't speak about it much.
"Whole army charged, and then, just… stumbl'd. They were different, those ones… we'd been fighting mindless undead so long, we fergot what it felt like to have an enemy act'ly react to you… count got pulled in, him an' the wizard…" Hans was slurring at this point, the ale obviously affecting him. "An' then…"
"Well, that's why we are here" spoke Corporal Muller. "Us, the countess, the whole damn army… we are here to finish what he could not. What he was going to do. The Van Hals are not stopping until every last one of those bastards are in the ground… until there's never going to be another necromancer coming in and raising up all your relatives to fight you, until there aren't a single one of them bloodsuckers stalking people in the night…"
The bottle was empty by this point, but Muller raised it up anyway.
"To the Hunter Count! To Count Abelhelm van Hal!"
"To the Hunter Count!" his men shouted, raising their empty cups in front of them.
Nice piece. Thoroughly enjoyed, appreciated the perspective.
With regards dialogue- it was solid, and the character voices were clearly delineated. Especially with trying to convey a group around a table- that's a challenging but to make comprehensible.
Sounds like she's going all-in on the magicphobia exposure therapy for the good of Stirland, to be the centrepiece of such experimental ritual battlemagic.
You concentrate, and Ulgu solidifies into a darkened lens. That's the easy part. Sweat beads on your brow as you slowly and steadily expand it, the shadow cast by it growing steadily. A small crowd of men and dwarves watch from what they consider a safe distance, edging away from the shadow as it approaches, and you've warned them not to look directly at the light so when they do it'll be entirely their own fault. Within the kiln, the focal point glows brighter and brighter as more and more sunlight is redirected into it. The rest of it isn't magic, but it resembles it: sand is made to run like honey and then formed into useful shapes, and when it cools again it is no longer a loose collection of grains, but instead glass.
Hmm. Tightly focused beams of sunlight.
If only the sun was... directable. Predictable. Now I'm imagining a tower extension utilising the secondary capabilities of the Hellfire Death Tower... Mathildes' Aethyric Targeted High-Intensity Light Direction Engine
We can call the paper on the underlying theoretical principle Webers' Energy Beam Emission and Redirection
Even that is a double-bluff. The Magnifying Glass Light Battlemage is actually a Doppelgangered Grey Wizard.
Hmm. Tightly focused beams of sunlight.
If only the sun was... directable. Predictable. Now I'm imagining a tower extension utilising the secondary capabilities of the Hellfire Death Tower... Mathildes' Aethyric Targeted High-Intensity Light Direction Engine
We can call the paper on the underlying theoretical principle Webers' Energy Beam Emission and Redirection
Long and overly elaborate names are certainly a series staple.
Take "Leon Todmeister's Fantabulously Far-reaching Harquebus of Unforseeable and Unperceived Bereavement", generally better known as the Hochland Long Rifle.
Or "Von Meinkopt's Whirling Cavalcade of Death", the Repeater Handgun.
Or the pistol version of the repeater, "Von Meinkopt's Micro-Mainspring of Multitudinous Precipitation of Pernicious Lead".
As for a moderate tendency to self-aggrandisement via naming her discoveries... it has always made perfect sense to me, going back to naming the Matrix. Her family treated her as a non-person from the moment she was found to have magic.
He doesn't see the face of the girl that he dragged into the village square fourteen years ago, screaming for her to be burned; her mother and father had stood and watched and said nothing as the villagers started to gather firewood.
Mathilde Weber stopped existing at that moment, as far as her parents were concerned. Her entire village, her entire world- everyone she ever knew- to them a child of ten was suddenly just another foul, tainted witch to be burned. Excepting one, principled watchman.
Two weeks later, of living in that man's spare room and not seeing another human being and asking every day if her family had asked about her, and they hadn't, nobody did...
Her family never once asked about her, ever again.
So I can certainly understand Mathilde being determined that her name will live on, through her deeds, her accomplishments, and especially through her magic, her creations. To ensure she cannot be forgotten. To leave an indelible mark on the world, so people can never again deny her existence. To assert to the uncaring world- "Here I am! Mathilde Weber. I existed!"
I really hope that being remembered forever by Dwarves counts, because she's certainly achieved that at least.
And I'm one of those saps who wishes for a happy ending, despite all Warhammer setting tone rules and despite evidence that Mathilde will keep jumping into the fray until she dies. BoneyM did an amazing job writing Van Hal's death though, so I sort of want to read what Mathilde's death would be like... But I also really, really don't want it to actually happen.
So I can certainly understand Mathilde being determined that her name will live on, through her deeds, her accomplishments, and especially through her magic, her creations. To ensure she cannot be forgotten. To leave an indelible mark on the world, so people can never again deny her existence. To assert to the uncaring world- "Here I am! Mathilde Weber. I existed!"
BoneyM did an amazing job writing Van Hal's death though, so I sort of want to read what Mathilde's death would be like... But I also really, really don't want it to actually happen.
Finally caught up (for a given definition of "caught up"). I read the first 1240 pages before saying "screw it" and reading just the Threadmarks, Sidestories, and Apocrypha, plus a couple of pages after each update and sometimes a couple of pages before them, too (like when there were dice rolls). This story is my first experience with Warhammer Fantasy, but I might read A Dynasty of Dynastic Alcoholism later. Great quest, and I hope it updates soon. Don't expect me to read 40 pages of discussion a day, though.
That's entirely up to you. If the only thing you end up reading are Boney's posts, there's nothing wrong with that. I'll admit to resorting to that a few times when the discussion gets too far ahead of me.
Eh, I'll do both. Bearing in mind that I'm only naming (more-or-less) active quests.
Older, very good Quests
Dynasty of Dynamic Alcoholism- take control of the very drunk Count of Ostland as he somehow survives everything, despite how hard the players and GM try to kill him.
Divided Loyalties (this one)
Paradox of Choice: Ulthuan Quest- take control of the newly-elected Phoenix King and try to revitalize the High Elves. Rather on the complex side, been a while since the last update, but that's not unusual.
Newer Quests (most of these popped up in the last couple weeks. By my personal experience, most of them will be dead within a few months, but who knows?)
Of Wolves and Witches- Control Erika Kurtsdottir, Journey(wo?)man mage of the Bright Order as she stumbles through disasters and one-night-stands.
Hearts as Cold As Ice- Control an Ice Witch, Anastasia Bohka, the daughter of the Tzarina, as she deals with her sudden exile over her... overly honest nature.
Clan Rakidum- Control a Dwarf clan of Rangers as they establish themselves in the Vaults.
An Empire Divided- Control the Count of Nordland as he tries to navigate the politics of the Empire in the Age of Three Emperors.
Blood in the Reikmouth- Unusual one- the head of the Elf enclave in Marienburg has been killed, and you need to solve his murder before the riots start. Occurs post-canon.
An Empire, Long Divided, Must Unite!- Control the head of an Estalian polity as he seeks to unite Estalia, and possibly all of the Southern Realms, into one kingdom.
Heretic Gods- It's about a Norscan who would doesn't worship one of the 4- not that her god is any more pleasant. Possibly dead, including it anyway, because why not.
RHUNRIKKI STROLLAR- Control a Dwarf Runelord during the Dwarf golden age, starting before even the Vortex has been made.
I'd also recommend A Champion of Gods and Rogues, which is IMO better than most of those recs (at least in terms of the author's writing skill - this one does a very good job). It's old, long and hasn't updated in a few months, but apparently it's not dead.
Elevator pitch : A swashbuckler with a boat has daring adventures across the old world.
That's it. That's the pitch. I mean, I'd love to go on about the fantastic Mousillon arc and all that, and the fight scenes are amazing (this guy has superhuman intelligence and instead of being a lore nerd or spellcaster, he uses it to fight like a fencing/martial arts movie protagonist), but if you like reading about an intrepid madman who dives into trouble and then twirls out of it all with a feather in his hat, this is the quest for you.
The setting is still horribly grim and all that, but he won't let that bring him down!
Hmm, something I hadn't thought of before- the seminar Mathilde did on Greenskin magic. The High Elf ambassador had his assistant transcribing the whole thing. You think that found it's way to Eltharion? Certainly if anyone in Ulthuan is going to be interested in that, it'd be him. I'm curious if that might come into play when Mathilde eventually takes the Elfcation.
Hmm, something I hadn't thought of before- the seminar Mathilde did on Greenskin magic. The High Elf ambassador had his assistant transcribing the whole thing. You think that found it's way to Eltharion? Certainly if anyone in Ulthuan is going to be interested in that, it'd be him. I'm curious if that might come into play when Mathilde eventually takes the Elfcation.
Probably, even the Eoneir admitted it was a big discovery even if elves are physically incapable of admitting a human acheived something that they never knew was possible.
But then Boris passes on the transcript of the lecture on greenskin magic, which some of our mages found intriguing because, of course, we're not capable of lowering ourselves enough to understand their magics.
Finally caught up (for a given definition of "caught up"). I read the first 1240 pages before saying "screw it" and reading just the Threadmarks, Sidestories, and Apocrypha, plus a couple of pages after each update and sometimes a couple of pages before them, too (like when there were dice rolls). This story is my first experience with Warhammer Fantasy, but I might read A Dynasty of Dynastic Alcoholism later. Great quest, and I hope it updates soon. Don't expect me to read 40 pages of discussion a day, though.
Welcome, and good to have you. It's a great quest, though it's hard to keep up with the thread at the peaks, agreed.
I think the romance vote is still open, too, if you want to vote.
I recently just caught up too and am now going through all of the QM posts. It's a great quest, definitely one of the best on SV.
I was really tempted to vote for Panoramia, who I wish we'd work with more, but it's been so long since someone has voted and there was some kind of Johann vs Panoramia argument I don't want to start up again.
Maybe I'll do it it anyway.
[X] Journeywoman Panoramia
For all that we've spent more time with him, I feel like I have a better grasp of Panoramias personality. I suppose he is pretty quiet.
Voting is still open I believe, and most of the discourse has died down due to the passage of time and a degree of "everything worth saying's been said", so you're probably in the clear.
