For the matter, being officially told might actually force them to react to the dwarf action. Whereas they could pretend it didn't happen until its too late and poor Marienburg, we'd pay for your reconstruction with very reasonable loans...
Being told about it might force them to react.
Not being told might make them react in panic.
Being told in a way they can just claim never happened might give them the information to not act in panic without forcing them to act out of pride.
Or it might let them prepare an ambush.
This is one of those tricky needless to thread because we simply don't know enough about elven politics, and there are no actual established channels to do these things.
Don't use it near enemy mages? We would probably have bigger things to worry about than flying if they were around anyways. Also, Skywalk might still be able to catch us, though that has its own problems.
I found a spell that's...pretty good, to the point it's surprising we don't have it given how useful it is and how cheap it is.
Getting boots with Wings of Heaven has a tiny cost of 3 favour; we plan to spend 4 on books this turn. This is multi-minute true flight at the speed of a wolf's run. Compare that to Skywalk, which lasts for less than a minute, operates at walking speed, and has a height limit of 6 yards. Wings of Heaven is a bewildering mix of fantastic utility and highly affordable cost.
My initial thought is that Smoke and Mirrors is a safer method of getting from A to B in most scenarios. Getting further off the ground than Skywalk allows puts Mathilde's life in the hands of a single enchantment.
Plus, while the Dragon Altar is a good weapon of last resort to show Belegar, it would probably be best to have a weapon of first resort for our efforts as well.
Something we could justify using against flying threats other than Emperor Dragons.
All of his fears will have been realized. Like, seriously, the dude was freaking out over having to talk to us before he thought we could do something like that. Speaking of, I really do have to wonder just what sort of reputation Mathilde has built up to earn that sort of reaction. I don't recall the Dammerlichtrieter rumors being quite that bad.
One of the nobles noticed that every time we do something, it ended with a Stirlandian big wig incriminated, incarcerated or dead. Eventually they put two and two together and began to fear for their wigs.
My initial thought is that Smoke and Mirrors is a safer method of getting from A to B in most scenarios. Getting further off the ground than Skywalk allows puts Mathilde's life in the hands of a single enchantment.
If we were an Azyr mage then we'd be able to catch ourselves if the boots shorted out. It's like asking why wouldn't we wear just the boots from Iron Man's suit.
If we fall a hundred feet and cast skywalk, we'll just break our neck ten feet above the ground instead of zero. Skywalk doesn't nullify inertia; we'd need to redirect it into forward motion and then slow down.
On the one hand, I have a knee-jerk reaction to stocking up on more magic items, given how clear it's been made that Boney doesn't want to deal with that. On the other hand, it would probably be pretty easy to remember that Mathilde can fly? That sort of sticks in your head.
Given that the description doesn't mention hurricane-strength winds, and how you can't cast it on other people, I would guess that it also functions by filling your body with Azyr to lighten it and make it possible for a light breeze to control your movements, and maintaining that state for an extended period.
So it goes back to "setting Dhar on fire inside your body is a bad idea."
The Eastern Imperial Company prides itself as a reliable provider of high quality goods and services. This reputation is carefully managed by its employees, partners, and backers at the direction of one Wilhelmina Hochschild, who knows full well the value of having the right words reach the right ears. The former Stewardess has been remarkably successful at leveraging the connections she made while serving under Stirland's Hunter Count into a bevy of well timed business opportunities, and her standards are no less exacting with her departure from Eagle Castle. Whether it's producing new state of the art armaments to the Army of Stirland, outfitting Altdorf with the latest trends in fashion (Check out their new Mysterious Magister™ line on page 7!), or supplying assorted foodstuffs and equipment to Karag Nar, the EIC is ready and able to serve all roles the Empire requires of it with distinction...
A train of wagons rests on the road heading south to Nuln, having set a good pace in the fair autumn afternoon. Laden with goods destined for the exotic Karak Eight Peaks, the caravan is led by an experienced captain of the EIC, a former officer of the Expedition who has made this trip many times in the years since the legendary dwarf-hold's retaking. As sentries begin to keep a wary eye on the forest for roving beastmen, bands of men move to set up the rest of the camp, while others start to set up feeding troughs for the oxen. With their departure from the busy streets of Altdorf a mere memory of the distant morn, the time has come for the caravan leader to make a judgement call.
"Ma'am, I think you need to hire a bigger transportation service."
The words slip out as the creaking wagons roll into a circling position, their wheels kicking up plumes of dust behind them as they settle into a standard wagenburg. Lagging behind them, a full team of draft beasts and workmen struggle in the ominous shadow of the last minute addition to their cargo and the object of his concern.
"Nonsense! You're Master Cartwright & Sons, aren'tcha? Eh-Aye-See affiliates!" the client objects. She ducks her head and rummages in her traveler's bag, searching through her papers with one hand as she waves her pointy wizard's hat in the other, wafting the floating dirt away from her face.
"That may be, but—" the company man attempts.
"Here!" She snatches out the contract outlining the terms of their agreement and waves it. "You were paid for a service, Mister Cartwright."
"The contract is meant for routine deliveries." he retorts.
"Is that not what this is?"
"There's nothing routine about a boulder taller than a house." The caravan leader states flatly.
"The Jade College's records show plenty of reasons to think otherwise."
"Well I've been on those records, and most of those trips were for farming equipment and fertilizer!"
"Are you refusing my coin? These robes aren't just for show, don'tcha know?"
"The relationship the EIC enjoys with your Order, and all of our other clients and partners, assumes good faith. That rock stinks of bad vibes. Where'd you get it, a beast-cult?"
She narrows her eyes and digs out another piece of paper. "I believe you've already seen this certification of the nature of the object."
"Only reason I'm agreeing to take you that far." The man sighs. "Look, it takes an unreasonable amount of effort to lug that thing by road, and we'll be sitting ducks if we come across any threats."
"Well, I suppose that's not an inaccurate description, but..."
"Find another service. We'll take you to Nuln and no farther."
"Well what am I supposed to do? Look, big rocks aren't my specialty any more than yours. We do plants and potions, maybe some healing. But when Eight Peaks says, 'Hey, could you add this to the standard order?' and then the Colleges bicker and swap favors for a bit arguing about responsibility before throwing it to the Jade College because we're the ones with the contacts and then the Jade College says 'Hey Marlene, you're a Perpetual, do me a favor, you've got time, guess what your job for the next two months is' and then I have to pack and collect paperwork because I'm stuck minding the Dämmerlichtreiter's stupid rock across half a continent and—"
"Fine!" he cuts her off.
"What?"
"I said nevermind! Can't be pissing off that one."
"So you'll do it?"
The captain sighs again. It's going to be a long journey.
Headcanon:
1. Mathilde considers dumping it on the EIC. Eh, probably not in their wheelhouse. Don't want it to sink into the bottom of a river or something.
2. She wonders if Gotri could handle it.
3. Nai! Nai! We can barely handle an Anvil of Doom. Why not let the Amber Zhufokri handle it? The College is right there! It's their artifact, so they'd know how to move it best.
4. The Amber Order considers the request. Well, just move it! Honestly. The Gray Order should be able to handle it themselves.
5. The Gray Order considers the matter, and looks up the flow of goods to K8P. Oh, they've been importing some food and farming gear! Sounds like the Jade Order has contacts already.
6. The Jade Order considers the request. Looks like one more add-on for the Eight Peaks trade, shouldn't be an issue. Hey, you! Yeah, you. Got a task for you, Miss Perpetual.
7. You want me to WHAT?
8. Oh, don't worry, there's this trade company that's been making the trip for ages, you'll be fine. Here's some money and documentation for your trip! If you don't trust me, here's their entry in the Altdorf Business Chronicle!
My initial thought is that Smoke and Mirrors is a safer method of getting from A to B in most scenarios. Getting further off the ground than Skywalk allows puts Mathilde's life in the hands of a single enchantment.
I'd forgotten Smoke and Mirrors doesn't have a miscast chance when it's not used with other Battle Magic. Flying would be cool, but the main reason you'd need to be in the air as opposed to teleporting would be to survey a battlefield, which is when you'd be most vulnerable to dispels, yeah.
@BoneyM I have a lore question. The Ambers and Jades were drawn from shaman traditions, Golds from alchemists, etc. What were the Lights drawn from? They've got a strong Egyptian theme to them.
If we fall a hundred feet and cast skywalk, we'll just break our neck ten feet above the ground instead of zero. Skywalk doesn't nullify inertia; we'd need to redirect it into forward motion and then slow down.
I think we could cast it quickly to avoid building too much inertia?
Basically stopping our fall repeatedly, instead of once after an already long drop.
I think we could cast it quickly to avoid building too much inertia?
Basically stopping our fall repeatedly, instead of once after an already long drop.
It has a maximum limit above the ground that doesn't come close to how high we'd be.
Even if it didn't, though, it can't help us go less fast. We'd basically need to be stopped and hovering already in order for it to save us, which we wouldn't be if we weren't expecting it to short out.
@BoneyM I have a lore question. The Ambers and Jades were drawn from shaman traditions, Golds from alchemists, etc. What were the Lights drawn from? They've got a strong Egyptian theme to them.
I would hope that lots of all the members of the early Colleges, outside the Jades, were untutored. I think pretty much all the early Wizards we have bios for weren't part of magical organisations. They were soldiers or academics or physicians or members of regular professions who were ignorant or suppressing their magic.
Being told about it might force them to react.
Not being told might make them react in panic.
Being told in a way they can just claim never happened might give them the information to not act in panic without forcing them to act out of pride.
Or it might let them prepare an ambush.
This is one of those tricky needless to thread because we simply don't know enough about elven politics, and there are no actual established channels to do these things.
They'll be forced to react whatever happens, as Marienberg contains an elven city and they have a treaty. If we don't prearrange for them not to use their local military forces to come to the defence of their ally, why wouldn't they respond?
And once the shooting starts and an elf dies, it all goes to shit.
They'll be forced to react whatever happens, as Marienberg contains an elven city and they have a treaty. If we don't prearrange for them not to use their local military forces to come to the defence of their ally, why wouldn't they respond?
The treaty is open-ended enough that they can say 'no, we're not actually obligated to come to your defense here'. They haven't declared either way because they want to make the Empire uncertain. Either that or they don't want to lose face admitting that they haven't finished deliberating on whether or not the treaty applies.
The treaty is open-ended enough that they can say 'no, we're not actually obligated to come to your defense here'. They haven't declared either way because they want to make the Empire uncertain. Either that or they don't want to lose face admitting that they haven't finished deliberating on whether or not the treaty applies.
Citation please? They have a treaty of friendship. It's not very friendly to abandon them.
It also makes the Pheonix King looks impotent not to intervene to protect their client state when we try to remove it from their sphere of influence.
I don't see how they can avoid responding.
Also, Marienberg is the ablative defences of their city. If they allow its defences to be destroyed their own city will be massively exposed to the Norscans and the gribblies of the Cursed Marshes. They basically can't abandon Marienberg without making their own city much less viable.
@BoneyM, IIRC Rituals are how mages accomplish magic beyond their nominal power. Does this apply to Enchanting, too? Or is this a question we'd have to take the class to get the answer to.
I would hope that lots of all the members of the early Colleges, outside the Jades, were untutored. I think pretty much all the early Wizards we have bios for weren't part of magical organisations. They were soldiers or academics or physicians or members of regular professions who were ignorant or suppressing their magic.
I'd say that it's probably the most important thing that Mathilde will ever do.
This has a real chance of being a cataclysmic disaster that dooms the world.
They'll be forced to react whatever happens, as Marienberg contains an elven city and they have a treaty. If we don't prearrange for them not to use their local military forces to come to the defence of their ally, why wouldn't they respond?
And once the shooting starts and an elf dies, it all goes to shit.
WOG is that the treaty may or may not even apply at the Elves' discretion, because the Barony of Westermarch it was signed with doesn't actually exist anymore.
WOG is that the treaty may or may not even apply at the Elves' discretion, because the Barony of Westermarch it was signed with doesn't actually exist anymore.
Now I am imagining a debriefing between a future Patriarch of the Grey order and his new secretary
"don't mind the demigoddess that occassionally drops by to leave a groundbreaking research, this is routine, really. Well, the hububble after the research tends to be quite varied, but its almost always positive hububble, and when it isn't we are glad to be forewarned anyway. Goes without saying, the demigoddess takes priority over even Lord Magisters, don't worry, just tell them Mathilde dropped for a visit and they'll understand. Yes, she is that Mathilde. No, do not pray to her, she explicitly discourages it, as she discovered that gods lose some of their indivinduality upon achieving godhood, due to becoming greater concepts, and that would mean she'd have to stop helping. Yes, she is the one referred to as "grand lord magister grey" in all those books. Yes, every book with a grand is her, there is no other grand lord magister. Yes, this secret is of a clearance level that is normally above your station, but my secretary must know certain secrets, its why the vetting is so thorough. Yes, there are a few more secrets my secretary has clearance to knowing, but I'd rather start by the bigger bombshell. Yes, you may sit down. "
The Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed with the Baron of Westerland and gave the Exarchate, Ulthuan's local representative, authority over Elf-related crime throughout the province of Westerland. It also declared that Marienburg was the sole port for import and export between Ulthuan and the Old World, promised to 'provide aid both military and magical to this Barony of Westerland in time of war', and handed perpetual sovereignty of several islands of Marienburg to the Exarchate. Its authority does not go beyond the borders of Westerland because it was signed with Westerland, not the Empire as a whole.
The complicating factor is the Barony of Westerland no longer exists, and hasn't since the Great War Against Chaos. The Treaty is the model for relations between Ulthuan and Marienburg, but it's not at all difficult to argue that it no longer applies, and Ulthuan has not given a straight answer on whether they consider themselves still bound by it. The treaty also didn't define the form the aid would take, and the wording of it does not necessarily commit Ulthuan to declare war alongside Marienburg.
Citation please? They have a treaty of friendship. It's not very friendly to abandon them.
It also makes the Pheonix King looks impotent not to intervene to protect their client state when we try to remove it from their sphere of influence.
I don't see how they can avoid responding.
Also, Marienberg is the ablative defences of their city. If they allow its defences to be destroyed their own city will be massively exposed to the Norscans and the gribblies of the Cursed Marshes. They basically can't abandon Marienberg without making their own city much less viable.
Ah, totally different to regular canon then. I hadn't seen how completely it had been changed from what was described in the Marienberg Roleplay book. Thanks for the quote.
@BoneyM, IIRC Rituals are how mages accomplish magic beyond their nominal power. Does this apply to Enchanting, too? Or is this a question we'd have to take the class to get the answer to.
Rituals differ a great deal from spells. They have an incredibly exact list of requirements and ingredients that are often rare or expensive, can take hours or even days, and most aren't aligned with a specific Wind. Trying to interact with them in any way other than performing them exactly as they should be is incredibly unreliable and dangerous. It can be possible to create an enchantment based on a ritual, but this would be the capstone of a career of an extremely powerful Wizard, and can result in things like the Nemesis Crown or the Crown of Sorcery instead of what the enchanter intended.
Ah, totally different to regular canon then. I hadn't seen how completely it had been changed from what was described in the Marienberg Roleplay book. Thanks for the quote.
So one thing I haven't seen mentioned (maybe I missed it) is that the real difference between the answers we're giving is "how devoted are the Dwarves to this project?"
In increasing order of dwarven stubbornness:
-Are they willing to be convinced not to do it?
-Are they willing to be bribed not to do it?
-Are they willing to pay for it?
-Are they willing to fight for it?
-Are they willing to go to WAR for it?
-Are they flat out going to do this no matter what?
One potentially interesting spin-off from this is the Empire turning back around to Marienburg and go "The dwarves are being as stubborn as ... dwarves and we literally cannot stop this. Blockading us will not do anything to stop it."
