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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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Alliterate said:
Hating academic writing is not the same as being disinterested in pursuing the deeper mysteries of the universe beyond 'can I punch this productively'?
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I like her and voted for her, but by those qualifications there isn't much of a difference between Pan and Johann.

She came along on the expedition because of idol worship and general altruism. Even Johann had a knowledge-seeking reason for coming along. Her reason for staying: she likes halflings, and growing plants. Which is also her reason for avoiding the Magister exam, for years. And she sat on those mushrooms for years without doing anything until Mathilde poked her into looking at them.

Johann learned to punch to overcome his tetchy magic problem; Pan coasted on her magic for years before Mathilde pointed out how dangerous that was.

I don't feel like going on, she's nice and it feels overly critical. But she's still demonstrated significantly less academic self-motivation than Johann.
 
MooseHowl said:
I like her and voted for her, but by those qualifications there isn't much of a difference between Pan and Johann.

She came along on the expedition because of idol worship and general altruism. Even Johann had a knowledge-seeking reason for coming along. Her reason for staying: she likes halflings, and growing plants. Which is also her reason for avoiding the Magister exam, for years. And she sat on those mushrooms for years without doing anything until Mathilde poked her into looking at them.

Johann learned to punch to overcome his tetchy magic problem; Pan coasted on her magic for years before Mathilde pointed out how dangerous that was.

I don't feel like going on, she's nice and it feels overly critical. But she's still demonstrated significantly less academic self-motivation than Johann.
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Yes, Johann has some magical limitations, and we shouldn't shame him for those.
I don't really want to make too big a deal of this either, but to give an idea of the things that have influenced my impressions-
BoneyM said:
"You speak elf?"

"You don't?"
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This is more what I'm getting at re. his non-academic side. I think he's got a very different conception of the value of the pursuit of knowledge to Mathilde.
BoneyM said:
You find Panoramia with the Halflings she disobeyed you to fight alongside, and you take a moment to watch her with them. They're up to their wrists in muddy soil in the small trial gardens set up behind the safety of the East Gates, and the only reason you can't call their conversation arcane is because you can understand arcane. Dirt is dirt, but they have found a great deal to discuss in their dirt, and you listen as they debate the effects of three-field and four-field systems, and speculate what the soil requires that the plants may be providing.
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While Panoramia knows her shit. Literally! And this was before getting her related Trait.
 
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[X] Conceal matters you know the Dwarves would prefer you conceal
[X] Though you both use your magic to cheat, you both have an interest in personal fitness. Work out with him.
[X] Though you rarely think of those days, you did grow up on a farm and know something of the soil. Spend time with her as she goes about her work.
 
Redshirt Army said:
Er, what?

The Empire, as an institution, has an enormous amount to lose from "prying apart the Karaks" and very little to gain. If the news of an impending Dwarf Civil war comes down, I fully expect Mathilde to get orders to assassinate Belegar and destroy all evidence that supported Belegar's grudge, just to make sure that there won't be a Dwarf Civil War. A Dwarf Civil War would be an existential threat to Sigmar's Empire.
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This:
Garlak said:
Because, like, yes... the Empire only sends to KaK. But. Uh... Well. This means, that it would be a big change in politics and power, if the Empire suddenly started sending lots more diplomats to various Dwarf Holds. And that may or may not be desireable.

Because, like... Having all the Empire diplomats be in Karaz-a-Karak? Means that Karaz-a-Karak has soft power. And uh... I don't know if I want to erode away Thorgrim's soft/political/influence and power. Because it'd be a change, and I don't know if it'd be a good one. And like... Right now? Thorgrim is undergoing a huge change in priorities. His race is no longer doomed and dying.
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Garlak said:
So yeah. I'd actually probably prefer to not come clean to Belegar about all this. Because I thought to myself 'What would the outcomes of that painful conversation be? And what are the ways in which Mathilde might try to make that bitter pill be more palatable to swallow?' And the answer that came to that was 'By throwing Thorgrim under the bus even more and playing on goraki and realpolitik even more.' And I went 'Oh god I hope that doesn't happen.'

Both because it could widen the rift between Thorgrim and Belegar. And because it might stress and pressure Belegar even more. And because it would take away power and influence from Thorgrim, at a time where he would be looking to put it to use to revitalize (or at least guard and make-safe) the whole of the Karaz Ankor.
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The semi-obvious thing for the Empire to realize is that, as someone else said, they should be treating the Karaz Ankor more like the EU than the US. Which would be all sorts of bad for the Karaz Ankor. Which is why I'm really hoping Mathilde gives that answer with "Just to be absolutely sure, because I've picked up a pretty strong habit of making sure things are done right: You do realize how easily you could misuse this information and break everything, right?".
LonelyWolf999 said:
But the middle option doesn't actually break any oaths. There's no reason not to give the potentially useful information to our superiors besides simply and frankly prioritizing our relationship with the Dwarfs over our duty to the Empire. Even if the majority of the voters actually agreed with this sentiment, there's no way they would miss the implications, and probably the least of the consequences would be scuttling our (almost assured at this point) promotion.
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Option 2, limited disclosure, arguably breaks our oath to prioritize the Empire over all else.
 
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Mopman43 said:
Mannfred get's actions? Do they involve trying to escape peat?
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Or the body of a small child; I can't remember what Mordred's name is, except that they're probably going to grow up to try to kill us and rescue whatever princess we've kidnapped for her fashion tips. You know, the one we're not allowed to give fun things to?
 
Vebyast said:
The semi-obvious thing for the Empire to realize is that, as someone else said, they should be treating the Karaz Ankor more like the EU than the US. Which would be all sorts of bad for the Karaz Ankor. Which is why I'm really hoping Mathilde gives that answer with "Just to be absolutely sure, because I've picked up a pretty strong habit of making sure things are done right: You do realize how easily you could misuse this information and break everything, right?".
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I mean, I think there's a pretty big distinction to be drawn between the Empire potentially doing certain negotiations Karak by Karak, and the Empire "likely attempting to pry the Karaks apart". The Empire does not want the Karaz Ankor to fall, and barring Dieter level stupidity or Chaos plotting, will avoid that outcome at near-all costs. You have to give the career diplomats some credit, in the end.
 
TheOmnimercurial said:
Why are we not romancing the Dragon?
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Actually, if it weren't for that choice a while ago to give up one of our social options to a random encounter, we would have gotten the dragon. It was ranked five and we got to see the top four. Other than that, Karak Hirn—the next high up—got an inordinate amount of votes for some reason. I'm still disappointed by that, but it's the cost of quests.

Anywho, I had a random thought before going to sleep, but has anyone considered making a Seviroscope for Johann to use? Since our Windsight is so good it can replace normal sight. Of course, it's not our job to fix that, and I don't feel a great need to, but since we'll probably make one anyway it might help.
 
[X] There's a festival to Grungni coming up, and Johann has taken to observing the Holy Days of the Ancestor-God. Join him in this.
[X] The Halflings are renowned chefs, and several restaurants have opened clustered around the base of Karag Nar. Share a meal with her.
[X] Conceal matters you know the Dwarves would prefer you conceal

Dawi> Empire
 
Alliterate said:
While Panoramia knows her shit. Literally! And this was before getting her related Trait.
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Alliterate said:
This is more what I'm getting at re. his non-academic side. I think he's got a very different conception of the value of the pursuit of knowledge to Mathilde.
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Come on now, you are giving Panoramia, the agriculture wizard, credit for knowing how to plant, but ding Johann for not knowing an exotic and certainly phenomenally frustrating language? One that does absolutely nothing for him?

Johann, the metal wizard?

No, this argument that Panoramia is more driven or has a deeper interest in study than the guy actively researching skaven technology who regularly dips his limbs into molten gold does not remotely stick.
 
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