- Location
- Brazil
This fells more like an argument to leave the steps for later, since we still have no taken the actions to learn how to comunicate with the people we are most likely to find.
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.
Stash him under the table under take no heed, then pull him out for the council meeting. It's traditional at this point. (I love that "the loremaster stashes their cool trophies under the table to show off during council meetings" might genuinely become a tradition of K8Ps).
Turn 30 Social - 2484.5 - Part 3
When you first heard of a conference of Witch-Hunters, your initial response was that it'd behoove you to be as far away from it as possible. But though it is hosted by the Cult of Sigmar, this is no hidebound coterie of fanatic Sigmarites, nor a collection of thief-takers and hired thugs given a dubious seal of approval by some regional authority. This is a gathering of representatives of every organization dedicated to the stamping out of those that use the Forbidden Lores of the Daemonic Powers, the unholy ways of Necromancy, and other sorceries and witchcrafts that utilize the wicked powers of Dark Magic. That said, those Wizards that don't plan on attending still make a point to keep inside the Colleges or outside of Altdorf for the duration, just to be on the safe side.
Today, the University of Altdorf's largest conference room is filled with notable figures in the realm of slaying the things that go bump in the night. The Morrite Knights of the Order of the Sacred Scythe, the Black Guard, and the Raven Knights are easily identified by their tabards, as are your fellow Wizards of the Magisters Vigilant by the colour of their robes. There's Priests of just about every God of the Old World present, all of whom have decided the best way to serve their God is to protect their flock from predation and corruption, and all wear the symbols of their God openly. But for everyone else the distinction is a little trickier, as a general uniform of blackened leather, cloaks, and large hats abounds, and there's enough stakes affixed to belts and bandoliers to fence a small field. The Holy Order of the Templars of Sigmar make up the bulk of these, but the Fellowship of the Shroud is almost as numerous, and there's a handful of Dwarves from the Order of Guardians. The rest of the numbers are rounded out by the Andanti, Helhunten's Redeemers, the Tsarevich Pavel Society, the Dreamwalkers, and various unaffiliated enthusiasts who have demonstrated either enough luck or enough skill to be invited to such a gathering.
And, of course, there's one Elector Countess.
"More Manannites than usual," Roswita says distractedly as she observes the crowd. "Stormguard and Knights Mariner. Perhaps the Vampire Coast is stirring. I'm not seeing any of the Order of the Shroud, thankfully - they always end up in a brawl with the Fellowship of the Shroud. I hear the Guild of Embalmers managed to wrangle an invite again, even though their representative almost got staked last time..."
"I'm not seeing anyone from Tempelwijk," you say with a sigh.
Roswita scans the crowd again and nods. "Not surprised that the Collegiates are staying away, but there's usually at least a few from the Star Chamber. Foolishness. Some things should be above politics."
"Should be, but aren't. Have you got everything ready?"
"I'm still not sure about the title. I really like 'The Neglected Front', but 'Economic Warfare Against Vampires' sounds stilted."
"Versus Vampires? No, the alliteration sounds weird. Against the Night's Dark Masters?"
"Poetic, but calling them that gives them more credit than they're due. Economic Warfare against the Vampiric Bloodlines, maybe?"
"It does flow better." You frown over her shoulder as she jots it down. "Shouldn't 'against' have a capital?"
She frowns down at it. "I don't think so. It's like 'at' or 'by' or 'to', it just looks weird because it's a longer word."
"I suppose," you say, not quite convinced.
Roswita looks around the room again as you continue scrutinizing the uncapitalized A. "I've got to make nice with about thirty different people after the Talabecland business. Want to come with, or reconvene later?"
"Aren't they all Templars?" you ask warily.
She nods. "Fair enough. Meet you at the punch bowls once I'm done."
While she goes to circulate amongst the rather insular knot of Sigmarites, you slip into the crowd in search of people you recognize. Your hat combined with your robes gets you a lot of confused looks, but some looks of recognition, and you exchange nods with a Knight of the Black Guard and a Cleric from the Order of Guardians. The Hochlander has managed to parlay his recent contacts into an invitation and is currently deep in conversation with a Taalite and an Ulrican. From your own College, you see Lord Magister Melkoth doing severe damage to the sideboard under the eye of the poor Perpetual whose job it is to keep him away from the drinks and to remind him this isn't the right audience for his favourite party trick, and in the most shadowy corner he could find, Lord Magister Kurtis Krammovitch is talking animatedly to a cluster of dubious-looking Witch Hunters. And most prominent of all, the flow of the crowd is severely hampered by the circle of Morrites side-eyeing Magister Matriarch Elspeth von Draken as she chats with a Bretonnian Damsel.
With a mental shrug, you pick the conversation that sounds most interesting and dive in.
---
"There's a limit to gratitude," Roswita says as she ladles a dubious mix of fruit juice and alcohol into a stein. "Yes, yes, Talabecland was quite well done, I'll build a new church or something. But I'm not going to support a bid for a fourth Elector from the Cult of Sigmar. Does the Grand Theogonist even know he's pushing for this?"
"Maybe not," you say. "My impression has been that he's focused on the tussling with the Ulricans."
"Politics again," she says with a grimace, and then washes it down with a swig from her stein, and grimaces again. "Gods, did they just wave an orange at a barrel of spirits?"
"They probably get students to set it all up. Some U of A students can go shot for shot with Bright Wizards."
"I was one of those students," she says with a smile that quickly fades. "At least on paper. Correspondence courses. The Van Hals have earned far too many enemies to attend in person." Her smile has turned entirely into a frown as she stares at the milling crowd. "Vampires ruling damn near openly in Sylvania, and the oldest Witch Hunter family in the Empire in hiding. If nothing else, I can turn that around. Drive the damned creatures underground, and the Van Hals can live openly in Wurtbad."
"You've come close," you say.
"Close to starting. There's dozens of them waiting in the shadows for an opportunity to fill the voids I've opened, and far too many influential Sylvanians would welcome them back. They've grown used to paying taxes in other people's blood, and really don't like having to give up their own gold instead. It will be the work of decades to make it stick." She takes a deep breath. "But that's okay. I knew that when I accepted the inheritance."
You take a moment to consider what it must be like to have your entire life's work laid out before you like that. Apart from 'being a Wizard', you've always had a lot of leeway in what you spend your life doing. Stirland was a major commitment but one that ended, as was the Expedition, and part of you is already starting to look for the next adventure after being Loremaster of Karak Eight Peaks. But Roswita's destiny - and really, the destiny of all the Van Hals - are inextricably bound to Sylvania, and perhaps always will be. "You know what might make that weight a bit lighter?" She turns to look at you. "Imagining all the future days you're about to ruin for Vampires across the Old World. All those Necrarchs without their precious books."
She smiles. "Von Carsteins with faded livery."
"Lahmians with tattered silks."
"Blood Dragons with rusted swords." She smothers a giggle with her stein. "That does help. Thank you."
---
Roswita, in your amateur estimation, is a decent public speaker once she gets going. Getting going hits something of a roadblock when one member of the audience who overindulged in the University punch asks loudly and insistently why anyone would bother interfering financially with Vampires instead of just killing them, but Roswita's recent successes have earned her enough allies that you're beaten to said heckler by several Templars who are rather insistent that the heckler has an urgent appointment elsewhere, possibly with some fists in a dark alley if he doesn't get the hint. After that things go quite smoothly with the audience erupting into mutters of shock at the sheer figures involved, but any disbelief is quickly extinguished by Roswita citing the ledgers of the now-executed Talebecland smugglers. You know that if anything she's lowballing it as Alkharad's ledgers have substantially larger figures - but, of course, those ledgers are about as classified as it's possible for something to be, since they're connected with the whole 'Black College' business.
Chances are that many of those currently present will never go out of their way to wage an economic war of any kind, but if they happen to be tracking a Vampire they might be more inclined to start investigating local traders that could uncover leads that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. And for every Witch Hunter only half-listening while they wait for a presentation on a bigger gun or a sharper stake, there's a more thoughtful sort who will take this information back to their Cult or Order or College or Fellowship and there'll be a new weapon in the arsenal of mankind. And that matters a lot. Perhaps that is your life commitment - contributing to the collective knowledge of the Colleges and the Empire in ways that will tangibly increase the odds of mankind's continued survival on this hostile world.
The applause at the end of Roswita's presentation is louder than you expected, and you're more than happy to contribute to it.
- Writing on the remaining interactions will resume after a night's sleep.
Today, the University of Altdorf's largest conference room is filled with notable figures in the realm of slaying the things that go bump in the night. The Morrite Knights of the Order of the Sacred Scythe, the Black Guard, and the Raven Knights are easily identified by their tabards, as are your fellow Wizards of the Magisters Vigilant by the colour of their robes. There's Priests of just about every God of the Old World present, all of whom have decided the best way to serve their God is to protect their flock from predation and corruption, and all wear the symbols of their God openly. But for everyone else the distinction is a little trickier, as a general uniform of blackened leather, cloaks, and large hats abounds, and there's enough stakes affixed to belts and bandoliers to fence a small field. The Holy Order of the Templars of Sigmar make up the bulk of these, but the Fellowship of the Shroud is almost as numerous, and there's a handful of Dwarves from the Order of Guardians. The rest of the numbers are rounded out by the Andanti, Helhunten's Redeemers, the Tsarevich Pavel Society, the Dreamwalkers, and various unaffiliated enthusiasts who have demonstrated either enough luck or enough skill to be invited to such a gathering.
And, of course, there's one Elector Countess.
"More Manannites than usual," Roswita says distractedly as she observes the crowd. "Stormguard and Knights Mariner. Perhaps the Vampire Coast is stirring. I'm not seeing any of the Order of the Shroud, thankfully - they always end up in a brawl with the Fellowship of the Shroud. I hear the Guild of Embalmers managed to wrangle an invite again, even though their representative almost got staked last time..."
"I'm not seeing anyone from Tempelwijk," you say with a sigh.
Roswita scans the crowd again and nods. "Not surprised that the Collegiates are staying away, but there's usually at least a few from the Star Chamber. Foolishness. Some things should be above politics."
"Should be, but aren't. Have you got everything ready?"
"I'm still not sure about the title. I really like 'The Neglected Front', but 'Economic Warfare Against Vampires' sounds stilted."
"Versus Vampires? No, the alliteration sounds weird. Against the Night's Dark Masters?"
"Poetic, but calling them that gives them more credit than they're due. Economic Warfare against the Vampiric Bloodlines, maybe?"
"It does flow better." You frown over her shoulder as she jots it down. "Shouldn't 'against' have a capital?"
She frowns down at it. "I don't think so. It's like 'at' or 'by' or 'to', it just looks weird because it's a longer word."
"I suppose," you say, not quite convinced.
Roswita looks around the room again as you continue scrutinizing the uncapitalized A. "I've got to make nice with about thirty different people after the Talabecland business. Want to come with, or reconvene later?"
"Aren't they all Templars?" you ask warily.
She nods. "Fair enough. Meet you at the punch bowls once I'm done."
While she goes to circulate amongst the rather insular knot of Sigmarites, you slip into the crowd in search of people you recognize. Your hat combined with your robes gets you a lot of confused looks, but some looks of recognition, and you exchange nods with a Knight of the Black Guard and a Cleric from the Order of Guardians. The Hochlander has managed to parlay his recent contacts into an invitation and is currently deep in conversation with a Taalite and an Ulrican. From your own College, you see Lord Magister Melkoth doing severe damage to the sideboard under the eye of the poor Perpetual whose job it is to keep him away from the drinks and to remind him this isn't the right audience for his favourite party trick, and in the most shadowy corner he could find, Lord Magister Kurtis Krammovitch is talking animatedly to a cluster of dubious-looking Witch Hunters. And most prominent of all, the flow of the crowd is severely hampered by the circle of Morrites side-eyeing Magister Matriarch Elspeth von Draken as she chats with a Bretonnian Damsel.
With a mental shrug, you pick the conversation that sounds most interesting and dive in.
---
"There's a limit to gratitude," Roswita says as she ladles a dubious mix of fruit juice and alcohol into a stein. "Yes, yes, Talabecland was quite well done, I'll build a new church or something. But I'm not going to support a bid for a fourth Elector from the Cult of Sigmar. Does the Grand Theogonist even know he's pushing for this?"
"Maybe not," you say. "My impression has been that he's focused on the tussling with the Ulricans."
"Politics again," she says with a grimace, and then washes it down with a swig from her stein, and grimaces again. "Gods, did they just wave an orange at a barrel of spirits?"
"They probably get students to set it all up. Some U of A students can go shot for shot with Bright Wizards."
"I was one of those students," she says with a smile that quickly fades. "At least on paper. Correspondence courses. The Van Hals have earned far too many enemies to attend in person." Her smile has turned entirely into a frown as she stares at the milling crowd. "Vampires ruling damn near openly in Sylvania, and the oldest Witch Hunter family in the Empire in hiding. If nothing else, I can turn that around. Drive the damned creatures underground, and the Van Hals can live openly in Wurtbad."
"You've come close," you say.
"Close to starting. There's dozens of them waiting in the shadows for an opportunity to fill the voids I've opened, and far too many influential Sylvanians would welcome them back. They've grown used to paying taxes in other people's blood, and really don't like having to give up their own gold instead. It will be the work of decades to make it stick." She takes a deep breath. "But that's okay. I knew that when I accepted the inheritance."
You take a moment to consider what it must be like to have your entire life's work laid out before you like that. Apart from 'being a Wizard', you've always had a lot of leeway in what you spend your life doing. Stirland was a major commitment but one that ended, as was the Expedition, and part of you is already starting to look for the next adventure after being Loremaster of Karak Eight Peaks. But Roswita's destiny - and really, the destiny of all the Van Hals - are inextricably bound to Sylvania, and perhaps always will be. "You know what might make that weight a bit lighter?" She turns to look at you. "Imagining all the future days you're about to ruin for Vampires across the Old World. All those Necrarchs without their precious books."
She smiles. "Von Carsteins with faded livery."
"Lahmians with tattered silks."
"Blood Dragons with rusted swords." She smothers a giggle with her stein. "That does help. Thank you."
---
Roswita, in your amateur estimation, is a decent public speaker once she gets going. Getting going hits something of a roadblock when one member of the audience who overindulged in the University punch asks loudly and insistently why anyone would bother interfering financially with Vampires instead of just killing them, but Roswita's recent successes have earned her enough allies that you're beaten to said heckler by several Templars who are rather insistent that the heckler has an urgent appointment elsewhere, possibly with some fists in a dark alley if he doesn't get the hint. After that things go quite smoothly with the audience erupting into mutters of shock at the sheer figures involved, but any disbelief is quickly extinguished by Roswita citing the ledgers of the now-executed Talebecland smugglers. You know that if anything she's lowballing it as Alkharad's ledgers have substantially larger figures - but, of course, those ledgers are about as classified as it's possible for something to be, since they're connected with the whole 'Black College' business.
Chances are that many of those currently present will never go out of their way to wage an economic war of any kind, but if they happen to be tracking a Vampire they might be more inclined to start investigating local traders that could uncover leads that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. And for every Witch Hunter only half-listening while they wait for a presentation on a bigger gun or a sharper stake, there's a more thoughtful sort who will take this information back to their Cult or Order or College or Fellowship and there'll be a new weapon in the arsenal of mankind. And that matters a lot. Perhaps that is your life commitment - contributing to the collective knowledge of the Colleges and the Empire in ways that will tangibly increase the odds of mankind's continued survival on this hostile world.
The applause at the end of Roswita's presentation is louder than you expected, and you're more than happy to contribute to it.
- Writing on the remaining interactions will resume after a night's sleep.
Last edited:
TimEd
Meteor maker
I know I already surrendered to the Panoramia train, but this dragon is seriously tempting my recent resolve.
Hmmm. On Roswita, not as bad as I expected. She's finally has some character to her, though it still pales in comparison to Panoramia and Dragon (damn you dragon, you split a singular path in twain!).
Also, I wonder if this talk will attract Witch Hunter suitors to Roswita? A Noble Witch Hunter Family is surely something of a dream to some smart witch hunters.
Last edited:
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Two issues with that: there are three places I really think we ought to scout (Skull Road to see if anything has changed since Qrech and LM Grey's days, Great Steppes, and KD vicinity) and only two actions on the turn we leave, and I think it would really behoove us to leave one of the turn-we-leave AP open for the sake of playing catch-up on any projects that didn't quite get finished in one roll.
also hell yes, update update update
behove -> behoove
use to -> used to
Rosie is a nerd and, holy shit, is comfortable in our presence. She argues with us over capitalization! She meets us by the punchbowls! She giggles! She fucking giggles!
This is cute as shit.
- Location
- Aotearoa
According to the Lexicanum, dwarf legends tell that Grimnir might have killed Cython's (probable?) parent, Kalgalanos...
Might be peripheral enough that it's not in the introductory Grimnir book we picked up...
Vebyast
Nascent Transhuman
Oh my god.
It's gradually becoming apparent to me that Mathilde is starting to become eccentric enough to qualify for Lady Magister.
Travler66
Let her name echo in song!
- Location
- Beyond
Cute update, now then...
If/when we scout the Western Great Steppes, should we try and interact with the Kurgans?
If/when we scout the Western Great Steppes, should we try and interact with the Kurgans?
Most of them will most likely be hostile to us, but could we somehow intimidate them into not attacking us?
- Location
- Actually pretty lost
Neat update, but I don't feel any closer to Roswita, really.
Doomed Wombat
Let's go Darling!
- Location
- Dancing on wires!
I dunno if this is already known, but there is an actual paper on the economic implications of vampire hunting and how to do it most efficiently. In fact there are many of them.
As Roswita rightly notes its is a great line to hit them where it truly hurts them.
Roswita's also very adorable now, but I worry for her. She already had a lot of Peed off vampires, a vacuum of vampires which she noted and now...well vamps be petty and care a lot more about the things she's gonna be hitting hard.
Also to second what other people have said I want to learn what historical stuff Cython knows (offer to write a biography, like we did for Anarsil? Might take...a lot of volumes since at least 17,000 years of history minimum probably more) and his theories on the divine...but I'm also interested in whether we can convince either Kragg or Thorek to bargain with him for his breath.
Quite a few of the Dawi's most powerful works (Anvil of Doom, Runefangs etc.) were forged with dragon fire supposedly, but their supply of non ass dragons is kinda low.
As Roswita rightly notes its is a great line to hit them where it truly hurts them.
Roswita's also very adorable now, but I worry for her. She already had a lot of Peed off vampires, a vacuum of vampires which she noted and now...well vamps be petty and care a lot more about the things she's gonna be hitting hard.
Also to second what other people have said I want to learn what historical stuff Cython knows (offer to write a biography, like we did for Anarsil? Might take...a lot of volumes since at least 17,000 years of history minimum probably more) and his theories on the divine...but I'm also interested in whether we can convince either Kragg or Thorek to bargain with him for his breath.
Quite a few of the Dawi's most powerful works (Anvil of Doom, Runefangs etc.) were forged with dragon fire supposedly, but their supply of non ass dragons is kinda low.
Last edited:
ConfusedCanuck
Where did it all go wrong?
- Location
- Neverland
Well looks like Roswita's is doing well her dad must be proud of her!
Yes imagine the history and reaction of awe from everyone once we wrote a book of history witness by the dragon through the ages. Going to be fun voting for that!
To be honest Roswita did not come across as a romantic prospect to me. Cute sure and I'm glad she is more comfortable in Mathilde's presence but more 'younger sister' than anything else.
That was pretty cool, but in my (somewhat biased) estimation, their chemistry is more like friendship than romance. Johann's interaction certainly felt more like possible future romance (I'd give Cython as an example, but that's a bit early yet, though I do think there's more hints of it).
Asheram
Not quite altogether
- Location
- Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground
*sighs* She would've been an excellent daughter in law since we're already doing a good mother/aunt
Ericwinter
Definitely not a Skaven Infiltrator
- Location
- America
Yeah... that was absolutely adorable as fuck, and she was talking shit about the Sigmarites! Yep, definitely shifting to her over Panoramia. The Dragon's coming a close second though.
- Location
- Spain
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Roswita a cute, but I'll agree with the calls that she's more of a younger sister than a love interest. Would love to keep in touch, though.
NavySeel
"I don't know what I'm doing."
- Location
- Places
I disagree, she's actually laughing with Mathilde like an old friend, they actually seem close in this.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm liking both Roswita and Cython so far. Just not as much as Johann and Panoramia.
I'm still locked on Pan but Roswita was nice, same with the dragon.
Roswita feels more like a younger cousin rather than anything else.
She's also being overly pessimistic, but then again, doom and gloom are the Van Hal go-to aesthetic.
The conference was quite interesting, I was actually surprised that Von Draken attended.
I always imagined her as someone more interested in mystical and obscure magical knowledge, rather than in methods of waging war against the Dark Powers.
The Melkoth bit had me honestly and helplessly laughing out loud.
She's also being overly pessimistic, but then again, doom and gloom are the Van Hal go-to aesthetic.
The conference was quite interesting, I was actually surprised that Von Draken attended.
I always imagined her as someone more interested in mystical and obscure magical knowledge, rather than in methods of waging war against the Dark Powers.
The Melkoth bit had me honestly and helplessly laughing out loud.
Which, come to think of it, is probably a good sign regarding him not having earned any Grudges