- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
That specific technique is a closely guarded secret of the Narat Clan.
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.
That specific technique is a closely guarded secret of the Narat Clan.
King Arthur
The Once and Future King
Still catching up.
You know, I'm usually pretty pro-peasant .... but you don't get to invade another nations territry that you're nation legally ceded to them, relying on the fact that you're own nation is so racist that if they tried to press their claim legally no one would care and they might have even gotten military support behind their invasion, leaving them no choice but to either attack you or allow you're invasion of their home to continue and still play the good guy.
I wish the Eonir had tried to find another way, but, honestly, their not in the wrong here. It's not like they haven't been warning these people to stay out and obey their own laws for literal generations.
The Eonir finally found a way to make the Emprie actually honor their own diplomatic agreements so they can protect their lands by working with the Empire instead of being forced to work against the Empire, good for them.
You know, I'm usually pretty pro-peasant .... but you don't get to invade another nations territry that you're nation legally ceded to them, relying on the fact that you're own nation is so racist that if they tried to press their claim legally no one would care and they might have even gotten military support behind their invasion, leaving them no choice but to either attack you or allow you're invasion of their home to continue and still play the good guy.
I wish the Eonir had tried to find another way, but, honestly, their not in the wrong here. It's not like they haven't been warning these people to stay out and obey their own laws for literal generations.
The Eonir finally found a way to make the Emprie actually honor their own diplomatic agreements so they can protect their lands by working with the Empire instead of being forced to work against the Empire, good for them.
Last edited:
- Location
- Australia
I misremembered. The problem that's baked into its firmament is the idea that nobles are great and should be obeyed.
RPG Writeups — Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Tome of Salvation
projects.inklesspen.com
Mopman43
Mountain-Hermit of Nitpeak
- Location
- Vermont
There's problems baked into the firmament of every cult in the Empire. That's kind-of the point, given the details were given in an RPG book that's intending that the info be used to create a game with a ton of built-in fracture points and intrigue.
I was just talking about the polytheistic bits.
- Location
- Greece
Do ya know how we solve this? Create a cult without any of those problems. How?Well...
Step 1: Become a god...
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
The lore of stealth is but one of many permutations of badness. Kung Fu and Jujitsu both involve putting your fists where somebody else would prefer you not, but they're entirely different arts.
- Location
- Australia
@BoneyM
1. For multi-wind enchantments, what are the relevant books? Enchantment obviously, but do the books of the individual lores you're including apply too?
2. How do tower bonuses work with multi-wind enchantments? If you're doing ulgu and aqshy, would an ulgu tower give +20, +10, or +0 to the enchantment? Would you need a combined ulgu/aqshy tower to get a +20?
1. For multi-wind enchantments, what are the relevant books? Enchantment obviously, but do the books of the individual lores you're including apply too?
2. How do tower bonuses work with multi-wind enchantments? If you're doing ulgu and aqshy, would an ulgu tower give +20, +10, or +0 to the enchantment? Would you need a combined ulgu/aqshy tower to get a +20?
No. You're inventing it as you go along, so Enchantment is all that will help.
They won't, it's a zero-sum game. A room filled with one Wind will be as big a help to the right Wizard as it would be a hindrance to everyone else. You'd be best off in the Room of Calamity.
Turn 28 Social - 2483.5 - Part 3
The community inside Karag Nar has come a long way since it was first conquered, and a great deal of this is due to the fact that most of its founders had fifty crowns worth of silver in their pocket, a generous and reliable pay-packet for their continued work securing Death Pass, and no rent to pay. A number of veterans of the Expedition opted to open taverns and small businesses of their own rather than join the ranks of the Undumgi, and they were soon joined by ambitious travellers seeking to acquire some of that silver for themselves. First came the merchants, then came the tinkers, then came craftsmen of every imaginable type, and now you can get your shoe repaired, your knife sharpened, your clothes laundered, and top it off with a nice cup of Arabyan coffee or Cathayan tea, all without leaving the gallery. And amongst the most popular of these are the ones you have to leave the Karag proper for: the cluster of taverns and restaurants built around the base of Karag Nar and operated by the Halflings. A few offer their own brews, but ever since the Dourback Clan arrived, most offer an identical array of Dwarven beers and ales, and do their best to draw customers with the foods they offer alongside these drinks.
Many of those who frequented Halfling establishments were attracted to the serving sizes, but to those more gourmet than gourmand, the destination of choice was Josias' Arms, possibly because one had to walk halfway to the Citadel to reach it. The operators had expected to cater entirely to their fellow Halflings, and to capitalize on this unexpected popularity and prevent their customers from banging their heads on the low ceiling or getting lost in the fields on the way home, they've just opened The Rest of Josias much closer to Karag Nar. It seems the perfect setting to get to know Panoramia better, as she has an affinity for the Halflings and you have an affinity for obscure puns and eating meals someone else has prepared.
Making the invitation is easier said than done. With Johann you just sort of invited yourself along to something he was already going to, but this isn't so simple and Panoramia is, well, trickier than Johann. Johann and Max have grown accustomed to a certain level of inscrutability on your part, but Panoramia has developed something of an ability to see through at least some of your usual facades through the years. You consider and reject a number of different approaches over a few weeks, and just as you were closing in on a perfect plan, Wolf gets fed up and goes and asks her on your behalf.
She accepted, and called Wolf a good boy. He was insufferably smug for days.
---
You'd fretted about what to wear for a few minutes because it seems the customary thing to do, but you knew all along you were going to wear the same thing you always wear, and as Panoramia would be coming straight from the fields she's unlikely to have dressed up for it anyway. As your training demands, you arrive early to get a feel for the place and secure an advantageous position, which turns out to be a table in one corner where you could put your back to the wall, and with a window close enough to dive through in case of attack or awkward silences. Being built and furnished with non-Halflings in mind, The Rest of Josias is quite navigable, but everything's still slightly lower down than human construction and it gives it a rather cozy atmosphere that you find yourself rather liking. You cloak yourself in Take No Heed and catch up on your reading while waiting for Panoramia to arrive.
"The Most Noble Art of the Sky," comes an unexpected voice some time later, jarring you out of the book. "Thinking of changing Orders?"
"To the Celestials?" you reply with a grimace, letting the part of your concentration that was keeping your spell sustained dissipate. "Too lofty for my liking. I'm hoping it will help me get inside Hubert's head."
Panoramia slides into the seat across from you. As you'd expected, she's wearing robes similar to your own except in shade, and though there's dirt on her robe and under her nails there's none on the rest of her hands or on her face, and some lingering dampness to her hair leads you to suspect she washed off in an aqueduct on her way here. "He's the least Celestial Celestial I've ever even heard of," she says, looking aside for a moment to say a few words in what you assume to be Mootish towards a server who's looking at your suddenly-occupied table with some confusion.
"That's the problem. He was - still is, I suppose - a Noble. He was going to either inherit or end up in a Knightly Order or Ulric's priesthood, then some time in his teenage years that was snatched away. I can't even begin to imagine what that would do to a person."
"Your family were farmers, right?"
"Peasants," you correct. "Magic was certainly preferable. You always knew you were destined for the Jade Order, right?"
"In one way or another," she says with a nod. "Two Wizard parents made magical ability likely, but even if it hadn't bloomed in me I'd still serve the Order. There's always work to be done."
"What was it like, always knowing?"
She laughs. "Embarrassing, in the end. I had fretted so much about never getting it, then when it pulsed in such a way that it was undeniable I realized it'd been there for years. I didn't realize that most people can't feel the rhythm of the seasons or the slow-soul of a tree."
"You've got tactile Magesight?"
"Most Jades do, that or emotive. What's it like for you?"
"Mostly visual, except for Waaagh and Dhar."
"Ooh, what colour am I?"
You barely have to concentrate. "You're pure green. Wizards always stick out like that. Makes it hard to know what they're feeling."
"Wow, that must be useful. Especially for a Grey Wizard."
"Sometimes. It shows me what they're feeling but not why they're feeling that way. I almost drew steel on a courtier the other week because he was so nervous I thought he was about to try to attack me, but he just had a message. I guess he was intimidated."
"Grey Wizards do have a reputation, and so do you. And you don't exactly go out of your way to dispel it."
You smile. "It's fun. And most people are taken in by it. Why aren't you?"
"Wolf," she says simply.
You sigh. "He told you?"
"No, this was long before he was talking. Familiars are tricky, but he's a dog, and dogs are what their masters make them. You could have made him sneaky and sly, or you could have made him vicious and intimidating. But you didn't. Even after he was fully grown, he stayed a happy, playful puppy."
"Maybe I use him to throw people off," you say, but it's clear she's not buying it. "Okay, fine. It's true, and it doesn't take much more than basic Wind theory to spot it. Ulgu doesn't make for terrifying ethereal assassins unless you really put your mind to it. It makes mystics and showmen."
She snaps her fingers. "So that's the other half." She pauses thoughtfully, giving you a long, considering look as the server takes advantage of the quiet to step in with tall mugs of freshly-drawn small beer. Well, small beer by Dwarf standards. Some taverns in the Empire sold ale with less of a kick than this. "Mystical Ulgu. Boundaries, right? Between light and dark, between day and night. Ambiguities and edge cases. That's the side of you that builds hell towers and experiments on mushrooms."
"I suppose you could see it that way," you say, not entirely convinced. "What about you? The farms would be your Elemental side, right?"
"Everyone makes that mistake at first. Most of the plant stuff is Mystical. Though come to think of it..." She frowns, tapping her fingers against her mug. "I guess I have been focused pretty hard on the crops and the soil. Though that could qualify as both, as supplying food would fit under Elemental. Or maybe I'll exercise my Elemental side more after we turn the Caldera into pastures and bring in more livestock."
You consider the amount of work she's already dedicated to, combined with this new addition. "It all seems fairly..." You try to think of a non-critical way to put it. "Encompassing?"
"Hah. What are you doing next month?"
"Experiments and business in Altdorf, I suppose," you answer, taken a little by surprise.
"You know what I'm doing?" She leans back in her chair with a smug smile. "Nothing. And the month after that? Nothing. And the month after that, I think I'm going to get around to catching up on my nothing." She grins, then turns serious. "But yes, it is intense for three seasons a year. But this valley means I can do something nobody else in the Order has been able to even try: to create arable land from a complete blank slate. No variables, no surprises, no fires, no floods, no droughts. Just dead soil and water and the Halflings and me, creating something from nothing. If I succeed, it's because of me. If I fail, it's because of me. Not because some broken Waystone farted on the far side of the horizon. Oh! And speaking of, that's another thing to take on once I'm done with the soil. Never even heard of a circular Waystone cluster anything like this big before, there's a paper or two in that."
You are a Wizard of the Grey Order, and Wizards of the Grey Order don't spit their drinks across the table. You finish your draw on the beer calmly and place the mug carefully back down. "You know much about Waystones?"
She looks at you oddly. "Jade Order, remember? I've been pulling Ghyran out of them ever since they woke up last year."
"Right. Of course." You make a mental note to look into this further later, and mentally underline it several times. "It's tied into the Druid thing, right?"
"Ugh, the Druid thing. If nothing else, I'm glad to be half a continent away from all of that. 'Should we still worship the Earth Mother', 'should we switch over to Rhya', 'is Rhya the Earth Mother', 'is Shallya the Earth Mother', 'is there even an Earth Mother', 'is Taal the Green Man'... honestly, at this point I couldn't care less. The Gods can do what they do and I'll do what I do and we don't have to bother each other. What about you? Is the Grey College really a hive of secret Ranald cultists?"
"Wouldn't be much of a Ranald cultist if I told, would I?" you say, holding up a pair of crossed fingers.
She examines you carefully, then turns wide-eyed in surprise. "Wait, really? You actually worship Ranald?"
"We have an understanding. Where do you think I got Wolf?"
"Wolf? Wolf was... wow." She blinks, and frowns. "The God of sneakiness and deceit got you a puppy?"
"It makes sense in context." She gives you an expectant look, and you acquiesce. "Well, it started soon after I arrived in Wurtbad and was looking for a place to live..."
The story of Wolf and Heideck and the shrine to Stromfels lasts until the food arrives, and what food it is. Fresh meat is a rare luxury in the Karak, as it has to either come from hunting - not the safest of activities in the World's Edge Mountains - or be transported all the way from the Border Princes or Averland. But the Halflings have risen to the challenge and come up with an array of techniques and sauces to make salted meat almost as good as a fresh roast, and the conversation trails off as you both give the meal the full attention it deserves. After the plates are whisked away, the two of you engage in pleasant small talk as you perform the Halfling religious obligation of refraining from strenuous activity after a meal, and wash it down with a mug or two of a very pleasant ale. After enough time has passed, you say your goodbyes and part ways. The sun has fallen, but Panoramia's as able to navigate through the fields as easily as you are through the twilight.
---
The next meeting of Wizards is taking place in your penthouse once more, as you've got something very special to show off: your very own copy of A Modest Treatise into the Nature of Magic, written by the former Magister Patriarch of the Gold Order, Gotthilf Puchta. An enormous, massive, and very expensive tome filled with theories on the nature of the Winds and their origin, the tome has arguably made Puchta second only to Teclis in influence on the Collegiate understanding of magic. Every College has a substantial waiting list for access to their copy, and the weight and expense means that only a handful of copies exist in private hands. And now you have your own copy, a worthy capstone to your growing collection of books on magical theory.
Though it's always good to catch up with the citizens of your little empire, there's not a lot of interest said in the meeting. You've spent so much time with your fellow Wizards these past few months that only Gretel and Adela have any news for you. Gretel's is interesting, as it seems the Besiegers have been put on retainer by Barak Varr and advised that they should practice shipboard manoeuvres. Though you quiz Gretel quite closely, there's no indication as to whether Barak Varr might have them in mind for a voyage to Marienburg or to defend the Black Water project. Adela, meanwhile, has been at something of a loose end ever since her projects with the local engineers have been put on the backburner, and she's mainly been studying, practising, and trying to grow her influence over the Karag Nar Gunnery School, and her new spell Inextinguishable Flame causes a good-natured bicker session between her and Johann over the relative merits of it and Stoke the Forge, with Maximillian occasionally lifting his head from the pages of A Modest Treatise to join in.
As the year comes to a close, two deliveries arrive in close succession: the unnerving menhir finally arrives from Altdorf, and a massive spike of bone, purported to be a trophy from a slain storm dragon that has been gathering dust on the wall of a noble Tilean family for generations. You believe the claim as soon as you take it out onto your balcony and the ambient Azyr of the high winds change course to flow through the horn. You tuck it away safely inside your vault, considering your options for making use of it. The accompanying letter informed you that half of your bounty remains posted. With that business seen to, you prepare your report for Belegar and consider what tasks to suggest for your attention. When you last did so, the Karak was still mostly in enemy hands and many of the prospective projects were focused on that, so it takes a fair bit of revision from last time.
[ ] PROJECT: Aethyric Vitae
You're reasonably confident that there's a great deal of potential yet to be unlocked in the Vitae.
[ ] PROJECT: Dragon
You've supplied one weapon for the possibility of a hostile dragon, perhaps now you should see to securing the possibility of a peaceful one.
[ ] PROJECT: Cartographer
Your maps have made significant differences to several battles, and could prove just as useful in its ongoing defence. You could map the entirety of Karak Eight Peaks and enchant a map room so that it would forever display your findings, and could be updated as needed.
[ ] PROJECT: Waystone
The Eonir have asked to work with you on a research project into the Waystones. Though you doubt you can reverse-engineer a product of the Dwarven Golden Age in partnership with the greatest Wizards of Ulthuan, you might be able to uncover something useful.
[ ] PROJECT: Enchanted Engineering
Experiment with applying enchantments to gyrocopters and gyrocarriages.
[ ] PROJECT: Western Gate
The Eastern Gate and its approach is entirely dominated by the Eye of Gazul, but its angles to affect the Western Gate are more limited. If you consider this insufficient, you can suggest to King Belegar that you lend your efforts to bolstering its defences.
[ ] PROJECT: Black Waters
Though you're unlikely to be able to contribute to the construction yourself, you might be able to indirectly aid the ongoing construction of the canals and locks between the Black Waters and the Aver.
[ ] PROJECT: Marienburg
Marienburg is threatening a blockade, and the Empire is threatening to break it. You could be of some use in cowing Marienburg or paving the way for a short decisive war.
[ ] PROJECT: Karag Dum
Though at the opposite end of the continent, no Dwarf is disinterested in a reclamation attempt, and that goes double for those living in a reclaimed Hold. Perhaps Belegar would be willing to assign you to aid the preparations of Expedition.
[ ] PROJECT: Nagarythe
Dwarves don't really believe in things like 'vacations', but you're pretty sure they'll happily make an exception for a vacation dedicated to tormenting the Druchii.
[ ] [TOWER] Grey Battery
Seek to expand the capability of the Grey Tower to absorb and store power, whether for firing the Eye of Gazul or other purposes. 50gc.
[ ] [TOWER] Far Sight
Filled to the brim with refraction cantrips, this tower would allow anyone in it to see in detail any point within line of sight. 2 College Favours.
[ ] [TOWER] Protection (COLOUR)
Build a tower to magically reinforce or protect the others. Specify wind. 5 College favours.
[ ] [TOWER] Anti-Air (COLOUR)
Build a tower to magically attack any airborne enemies. Specify wind. 5 College favours.
[ ] [TOWER] Smoke and Mirrors
Build a tower to enable longer-range teleportation. Will require an action to set up, exact implementation will be determined by rolls and choices with that action.
Library Purchases
Budget: 300gc, 2 Dwarf Favour. Anything not spent will not accumulate.
[ ] [LIBRARY] No purchase.
[ ] [LIBRARY] Write-in.
Dwarf Favour Purchases
Aethyric Vitae can be spent instead of favour at an exchange rate of 3 favour per gallon; for Rune-related purchases, this will also guarantee the cooperation of Runelords who may otherwise be disinterested. To use this, simply add 'paid by Vitae' or similar to an item you are voting for.
[ ] [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 three hour moratorium. The Project section is in plan format. Remember to do all your voting in the same post.
- Project: Karag Dum would involve only scouting and preparation at this time. Joining it yourself would be an option in later turns.
- Feel free to suggest alternative projects or tower ideas for me to add to the list.
Many of those who frequented Halfling establishments were attracted to the serving sizes, but to those more gourmet than gourmand, the destination of choice was Josias' Arms, possibly because one had to walk halfway to the Citadel to reach it. The operators had expected to cater entirely to their fellow Halflings, and to capitalize on this unexpected popularity and prevent their customers from banging their heads on the low ceiling or getting lost in the fields on the way home, they've just opened The Rest of Josias much closer to Karag Nar. It seems the perfect setting to get to know Panoramia better, as she has an affinity for the Halflings and you have an affinity for obscure puns and eating meals someone else has prepared.
Making the invitation is easier said than done. With Johann you just sort of invited yourself along to something he was already going to, but this isn't so simple and Panoramia is, well, trickier than Johann. Johann and Max have grown accustomed to a certain level of inscrutability on your part, but Panoramia has developed something of an ability to see through at least some of your usual facades through the years. You consider and reject a number of different approaches over a few weeks, and just as you were closing in on a perfect plan, Wolf gets fed up and goes and asks her on your behalf.
She accepted, and called Wolf a good boy. He was insufferably smug for days.
---
You'd fretted about what to wear for a few minutes because it seems the customary thing to do, but you knew all along you were going to wear the same thing you always wear, and as Panoramia would be coming straight from the fields she's unlikely to have dressed up for it anyway. As your training demands, you arrive early to get a feel for the place and secure an advantageous position, which turns out to be a table in one corner where you could put your back to the wall, and with a window close enough to dive through in case of attack or awkward silences. Being built and furnished with non-Halflings in mind, The Rest of Josias is quite navigable, but everything's still slightly lower down than human construction and it gives it a rather cozy atmosphere that you find yourself rather liking. You cloak yourself in Take No Heed and catch up on your reading while waiting for Panoramia to arrive.
"The Most Noble Art of the Sky," comes an unexpected voice some time later, jarring you out of the book. "Thinking of changing Orders?"
"To the Celestials?" you reply with a grimace, letting the part of your concentration that was keeping your spell sustained dissipate. "Too lofty for my liking. I'm hoping it will help me get inside Hubert's head."
Panoramia slides into the seat across from you. As you'd expected, she's wearing robes similar to your own except in shade, and though there's dirt on her robe and under her nails there's none on the rest of her hands or on her face, and some lingering dampness to her hair leads you to suspect she washed off in an aqueduct on her way here. "He's the least Celestial Celestial I've ever even heard of," she says, looking aside for a moment to say a few words in what you assume to be Mootish towards a server who's looking at your suddenly-occupied table with some confusion.
"That's the problem. He was - still is, I suppose - a Noble. He was going to either inherit or end up in a Knightly Order or Ulric's priesthood, then some time in his teenage years that was snatched away. I can't even begin to imagine what that would do to a person."
"Your family were farmers, right?"
"Peasants," you correct. "Magic was certainly preferable. You always knew you were destined for the Jade Order, right?"
"In one way or another," she says with a nod. "Two Wizard parents made magical ability likely, but even if it hadn't bloomed in me I'd still serve the Order. There's always work to be done."
"What was it like, always knowing?"
She laughs. "Embarrassing, in the end. I had fretted so much about never getting it, then when it pulsed in such a way that it was undeniable I realized it'd been there for years. I didn't realize that most people can't feel the rhythm of the seasons or the slow-soul of a tree."
"You've got tactile Magesight?"
"Most Jades do, that or emotive. What's it like for you?"
"Mostly visual, except for Waaagh and Dhar."
"Ooh, what colour am I?"
You barely have to concentrate. "You're pure green. Wizards always stick out like that. Makes it hard to know what they're feeling."
"Wow, that must be useful. Especially for a Grey Wizard."
"Sometimes. It shows me what they're feeling but not why they're feeling that way. I almost drew steel on a courtier the other week because he was so nervous I thought he was about to try to attack me, but he just had a message. I guess he was intimidated."
"Grey Wizards do have a reputation, and so do you. And you don't exactly go out of your way to dispel it."
You smile. "It's fun. And most people are taken in by it. Why aren't you?"
"Wolf," she says simply.
You sigh. "He told you?"
"No, this was long before he was talking. Familiars are tricky, but he's a dog, and dogs are what their masters make them. You could have made him sneaky and sly, or you could have made him vicious and intimidating. But you didn't. Even after he was fully grown, he stayed a happy, playful puppy."
"Maybe I use him to throw people off," you say, but it's clear she's not buying it. "Okay, fine. It's true, and it doesn't take much more than basic Wind theory to spot it. Ulgu doesn't make for terrifying ethereal assassins unless you really put your mind to it. It makes mystics and showmen."
She snaps her fingers. "So that's the other half." She pauses thoughtfully, giving you a long, considering look as the server takes advantage of the quiet to step in with tall mugs of freshly-drawn small beer. Well, small beer by Dwarf standards. Some taverns in the Empire sold ale with less of a kick than this. "Mystical Ulgu. Boundaries, right? Between light and dark, between day and night. Ambiguities and edge cases. That's the side of you that builds hell towers and experiments on mushrooms."
"I suppose you could see it that way," you say, not entirely convinced. "What about you? The farms would be your Elemental side, right?"
"Everyone makes that mistake at first. Most of the plant stuff is Mystical. Though come to think of it..." She frowns, tapping her fingers against her mug. "I guess I have been focused pretty hard on the crops and the soil. Though that could qualify as both, as supplying food would fit under Elemental. Or maybe I'll exercise my Elemental side more after we turn the Caldera into pastures and bring in more livestock."
You consider the amount of work she's already dedicated to, combined with this new addition. "It all seems fairly..." You try to think of a non-critical way to put it. "Encompassing?"
"Hah. What are you doing next month?"
"Experiments and business in Altdorf, I suppose," you answer, taken a little by surprise.
"You know what I'm doing?" She leans back in her chair with a smug smile. "Nothing. And the month after that? Nothing. And the month after that, I think I'm going to get around to catching up on my nothing." She grins, then turns serious. "But yes, it is intense for three seasons a year. But this valley means I can do something nobody else in the Order has been able to even try: to create arable land from a complete blank slate. No variables, no surprises, no fires, no floods, no droughts. Just dead soil and water and the Halflings and me, creating something from nothing. If I succeed, it's because of me. If I fail, it's because of me. Not because some broken Waystone farted on the far side of the horizon. Oh! And speaking of, that's another thing to take on once I'm done with the soil. Never even heard of a circular Waystone cluster anything like this big before, there's a paper or two in that."
You are a Wizard of the Grey Order, and Wizards of the Grey Order don't spit their drinks across the table. You finish your draw on the beer calmly and place the mug carefully back down. "You know much about Waystones?"
She looks at you oddly. "Jade Order, remember? I've been pulling Ghyran out of them ever since they woke up last year."
"Right. Of course." You make a mental note to look into this further later, and mentally underline it several times. "It's tied into the Druid thing, right?"
"Ugh, the Druid thing. If nothing else, I'm glad to be half a continent away from all of that. 'Should we still worship the Earth Mother', 'should we switch over to Rhya', 'is Rhya the Earth Mother', 'is Shallya the Earth Mother', 'is there even an Earth Mother', 'is Taal the Green Man'... honestly, at this point I couldn't care less. The Gods can do what they do and I'll do what I do and we don't have to bother each other. What about you? Is the Grey College really a hive of secret Ranald cultists?"
"Wouldn't be much of a Ranald cultist if I told, would I?" you say, holding up a pair of crossed fingers.
She examines you carefully, then turns wide-eyed in surprise. "Wait, really? You actually worship Ranald?"
"We have an understanding. Where do you think I got Wolf?"
"Wolf? Wolf was... wow." She blinks, and frowns. "The God of sneakiness and deceit got you a puppy?"
"It makes sense in context." She gives you an expectant look, and you acquiesce. "Well, it started soon after I arrived in Wurtbad and was looking for a place to live..."
The story of Wolf and Heideck and the shrine to Stromfels lasts until the food arrives, and what food it is. Fresh meat is a rare luxury in the Karak, as it has to either come from hunting - not the safest of activities in the World's Edge Mountains - or be transported all the way from the Border Princes or Averland. But the Halflings have risen to the challenge and come up with an array of techniques and sauces to make salted meat almost as good as a fresh roast, and the conversation trails off as you both give the meal the full attention it deserves. After the plates are whisked away, the two of you engage in pleasant small talk as you perform the Halfling religious obligation of refraining from strenuous activity after a meal, and wash it down with a mug or two of a very pleasant ale. After enough time has passed, you say your goodbyes and part ways. The sun has fallen, but Panoramia's as able to navigate through the fields as easily as you are through the twilight.
---
The next meeting of Wizards is taking place in your penthouse once more, as you've got something very special to show off: your very own copy of A Modest Treatise into the Nature of Magic, written by the former Magister Patriarch of the Gold Order, Gotthilf Puchta. An enormous, massive, and very expensive tome filled with theories on the nature of the Winds and their origin, the tome has arguably made Puchta second only to Teclis in influence on the Collegiate understanding of magic. Every College has a substantial waiting list for access to their copy, and the weight and expense means that only a handful of copies exist in private hands. And now you have your own copy, a worthy capstone to your growing collection of books on magical theory.
Though it's always good to catch up with the citizens of your little empire, there's not a lot of interest said in the meeting. You've spent so much time with your fellow Wizards these past few months that only Gretel and Adela have any news for you. Gretel's is interesting, as it seems the Besiegers have been put on retainer by Barak Varr and advised that they should practice shipboard manoeuvres. Though you quiz Gretel quite closely, there's no indication as to whether Barak Varr might have them in mind for a voyage to Marienburg or to defend the Black Water project. Adela, meanwhile, has been at something of a loose end ever since her projects with the local engineers have been put on the backburner, and she's mainly been studying, practising, and trying to grow her influence over the Karag Nar Gunnery School, and her new spell Inextinguishable Flame causes a good-natured bicker session between her and Johann over the relative merits of it and Stoke the Forge, with Maximillian occasionally lifting his head from the pages of A Modest Treatise to join in.
As the year comes to a close, two deliveries arrive in close succession: the unnerving menhir finally arrives from Altdorf, and a massive spike of bone, purported to be a trophy from a slain storm dragon that has been gathering dust on the wall of a noble Tilean family for generations. You believe the claim as soon as you take it out onto your balcony and the ambient Azyr of the high winds change course to flow through the horn. You tuck it away safely inside your vault, considering your options for making use of it. The accompanying letter informed you that half of your bounty remains posted. With that business seen to, you prepare your report for Belegar and consider what tasks to suggest for your attention. When you last did so, the Karak was still mostly in enemy hands and many of the prospective projects were focused on that, so it takes a fair bit of revision from last time.
[ ] PROJECT: Aethyric Vitae
You're reasonably confident that there's a great deal of potential yet to be unlocked in the Vitae.
[ ] PROJECT: Dragon
You've supplied one weapon for the possibility of a hostile dragon, perhaps now you should see to securing the possibility of a peaceful one.
[ ] PROJECT: Cartographer
Your maps have made significant differences to several battles, and could prove just as useful in its ongoing defence. You could map the entirety of Karak Eight Peaks and enchant a map room so that it would forever display your findings, and could be updated as needed.
[ ] PROJECT: Waystone
The Eonir have asked to work with you on a research project into the Waystones. Though you doubt you can reverse-engineer a product of the Dwarven Golden Age in partnership with the greatest Wizards of Ulthuan, you might be able to uncover something useful.
[ ] PROJECT: Enchanted Engineering
Experiment with applying enchantments to gyrocopters and gyrocarriages.
[ ] PROJECT: Western Gate
The Eastern Gate and its approach is entirely dominated by the Eye of Gazul, but its angles to affect the Western Gate are more limited. If you consider this insufficient, you can suggest to King Belegar that you lend your efforts to bolstering its defences.
[ ] PROJECT: Black Waters
Though you're unlikely to be able to contribute to the construction yourself, you might be able to indirectly aid the ongoing construction of the canals and locks between the Black Waters and the Aver.
[ ] PROJECT: Marienburg
Marienburg is threatening a blockade, and the Empire is threatening to break it. You could be of some use in cowing Marienburg or paving the way for a short decisive war.
[ ] PROJECT: Karag Dum
Though at the opposite end of the continent, no Dwarf is disinterested in a reclamation attempt, and that goes double for those living in a reclaimed Hold. Perhaps Belegar would be willing to assign you to aid the preparations of Expedition.
[ ] PROJECT: Nagarythe
Dwarves don't really believe in things like 'vacations', but you're pretty sure they'll happily make an exception for a vacation dedicated to tormenting the Druchii.
[ ] [TOWER] Grey Battery
Seek to expand the capability of the Grey Tower to absorb and store power, whether for firing the Eye of Gazul or other purposes. 50gc.
[ ] [TOWER] Far Sight
Filled to the brim with refraction cantrips, this tower would allow anyone in it to see in detail any point within line of sight. 2 College Favours.
[ ] [TOWER] Protection (COLOUR)
Build a tower to magically reinforce or protect the others. Specify wind. 5 College favours.
[ ] [TOWER] Anti-Air (COLOUR)
Build a tower to magically attack any airborne enemies. Specify wind. 5 College favours.
[ ] [TOWER] Smoke and Mirrors
Build a tower to enable longer-range teleportation. Will require an action to set up, exact implementation will be determined by rolls and choices with that action.
Library Purchases
Budget: 300gc, 2 Dwarf Favour. Anything not spent will not accumulate.
[ ] [LIBRARY] No purchase.
[ ] [LIBRARY] Write-in.
Dwarf Favour Purchases
Aethyric Vitae can be spent instead of favour at an exchange rate of 3 favour per gallon; for Rune-related purchases, this will also guarantee the cooperation of Runelords who may otherwise be disinterested. To use this, simply add 'paid by Vitae' or similar to an item you are voting for.
[ ] [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 three hour moratorium. The Project section is in plan format. Remember to do all your voting in the same post.
- Project: Karag Dum would involve only scouting and preparation at this time. Joining it yourself would be an option in later turns.
- Feel free to suggest alternative projects or tower ideas for me to add to the list.
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- Location
- being near locations is my passion.
Still reading, but at this bit:
" Johann and Max have grown accustomed to a certain level of inscrutability on your part, but Panoramia has developed something of an ability to see through at least some of your usual facades through the years. You consider and reject a number of different approaches over a few weeks, and just as you were closing in on a perfect plan, Wolf gets fed up and goes and asks her on your behalf.
Pan, gets Mathilde, in the no- nonsense way that gardeners and horticulturists tend to cultivate. Mathilde does not know how to deal with that.
Wolf gives zero fucks.
___
"As your training demands, you... and with a window close enough to dive through in case of attack or awkward silences. "
Agh, the anxiousness, so delicious! (I'mma opening a new tab)
___
" She snaps her fingers. "So that's the other half." "
I'm really liking this whole bit... it's an exploration of the aspects of personhood, and the truth that is revealed by dint of "big friendly pupper"
" Johann and Max have grown accustomed to a certain level of inscrutability on your part, but Panoramia has developed something of an ability to see through at least some of your usual facades through the years. You consider and reject a number of different approaches over a few weeks, and just as you were closing in on a perfect plan, Wolf gets fed up and goes and asks her on your behalf.
Pan, gets Mathilde, in the no- nonsense way that gardeners and horticulturists tend to cultivate. Mathilde does not know how to deal with that.
Wolf gives zero fucks.
___
"As your training demands, you... and with a window close enough to dive through in case of attack or awkward silences. "
Agh, the anxiousness, so delicious! (I'mma opening a new tab)
___
" She snaps her fingers. "So that's the other half." "
I'm really liking this whole bit... it's an exploration of the aspects of personhood, and the truth that is revealed by dint of "big friendly pupper"
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deathofrats0808
Don’t think of it as dying; just as leaving early
- Location
- Earth
Nice, an update. Also, for reasons that mostly boil down to "I wanted to" I had a crack at making Mathilde's Coat of Arms. Tell me what you think.
- Location
- Somewhere
Wow... these project options leave me so conflicted!
So! are we going to give this mountain citadel a second eye to match the first, going to make the merchants wet themselves, attempt to diplomance an Ice Dragon, the black water, the Waystones, Making the first fully active internal surveillance network via Cartographer (and maybe finding other bits and bobs in 8-peaks that got missed) Picking on the Dark Elves, help prepare an expedition to Karag Dum, or do more research on warpblood on the boss's dime?
Thorek's shown an interest in warpblood, so I wonder if we could draw the parallels to the runefangs and Sigmar's hammer in how they were quenched in demonblood?
The Dragon will need every possible benefit we can get from our study bonus to diplomacy IMO... some purchases could set us up for that, but I feel like poking that scaly bear in it's den before we have a suitably lethal backup option is necessary.
Nagarythe can wait until the Marienburg situation is resolved, and the Black Water... I'm unsure how useful we'd be there? I'm ambivalent on the rest thus far.
So! are we going to give this mountain citadel a second eye to match the first, going to make the merchants wet themselves, attempt to diplomance an Ice Dragon, the black water, the Waystones, Making the first fully active internal surveillance network via Cartographer (and maybe finding other bits and bobs in 8-peaks that got missed) Picking on the Dark Elves, help prepare an expedition to Karag Dum, or do more research on warpblood on the boss's dime?
Thorek's shown an interest in warpblood, so I wonder if we could draw the parallels to the runefangs and Sigmar's hammer in how they were quenched in demonblood?
The Dragon will need every possible benefit we can get from our study bonus to diplomacy IMO... some purchases could set us up for that, but I feel like poking that scaly bear in it's den before we have a suitably lethal backup option is necessary.
Nagarythe can wait until the Marienburg situation is resolved, and the Black Water... I'm unsure how useful we'd be there? I'm ambivalent on the rest thus far.
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TortugaGreen
Constantly out of the loop
- Pronouns
- She/Her
There already exists one, IIRC in the update where she gets a knighthood or shortly after it. Your design is pretty similar to the existing one, though.Nice, an update. Also, for reasons that mostly boil down to "I wanted to" I had a crack at making Mathilde's Coat of Arms. Tell me what you think.
Mopman43
Mountain-Hermit of Nitpeak
- Location
- Vermont
I doubt he'd pick it until after the Okral are back in KaK.
deathofrats0808
Don’t think of it as dying; just as leaving early
- Location
- Earth
There's three or four designs and goes at making it yeah. Just thought I'd have a try too.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
I would have thought that undermapping would be a worthy project. It is the only frount that is vulnerable.
Edit: Nevermind that's Cartographer
Edit: Nevermind that's Cartographer
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- Location
- The Middle of the Howling Wilderness
Panoramia absolutely flexing on the thread with her available AP
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
I have the feeling that we are going to be giving our king many options this year. There is so much to do.
Would not mind doing [ ] PROJECT: Karag Dum. Lovely training.
Would not mind doing [ ] PROJECT: Karag Dum. Lovely training.
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ConfusedCanuck
Where did it all go wrong?
- Location
- Neverland
I want to either focus on the Waystone or go to Nagarythe personally.
Mopman43
Mountain-Hermit of Nitpeak
- Location
- Vermont
I'd like Western Gate as well. See what we can do to try to match the hellfire tower. Get the creative juices flowing.
[jk] PROJECT: Tell Wolf he is a Good Boy
I'm inclined towards assisting the Karak Dum project. We've demonstrated once we're an able assistant to such projects, and I doubt the dwarfs would turn down one of the three Names of the Karak Eight Peaks reclamation coming to help ensure lightning struck twice.
I'm inclined towards assisting the Karak Dum project. We've demonstrated once we're an able assistant to such projects, and I doubt the dwarfs would turn down one of the three Names of the Karak Eight Peaks reclamation coming to help ensure lightning struck twice.