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.
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
ether sound pretty much the same really
[X] Plan Get going
[X] Plan Get going
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan Foundation
-[X] Money troubles: You're supposed to be paid, right? And shouldn't there be a budget for doing spymaster-y things? You should probably talk to someone about that.
-[X] Letters Home: There's a lot of strangeness surrounding the appointment of yourself, your fellow counsellors, and your Count. See if anyone back home knows anything of what's going on.
-[X] As Per Orders: Perform your current assignment.
--[X] The castle is currently abandoned, but the former stuff can't have just vanished. See if you can find where they disappeared to, and ask what they know of your predecessor.
--[X] The nobles of Stirland may have had contact with your predecessor, and it sounds like they'll all be coming here for the ceremony. See if you can find out what they know.
--[X] Surely there would be records, or notes, or piles of intercepted letters, or some sort of trail of your predecessor somewhere in this castle. Possibly behind a secret door. You eye the wall sconces in your room suspiciously.
--[X] Your predecessor would have been paid, right? And a budget would have been drawn for their activities? And the woman called Wilhelmina is going over the finances anyway...
-[X] Money troubles: You're supposed to be paid, right? And shouldn't there be a budget for doing spymaster-y things? You should probably talk to someone about that.
-[X] Letters Home: There's a lot of strangeness surrounding the appointment of yourself, your fellow counsellors, and your Count. See if anyone back home knows anything of what's going on.
-[X] As Per Orders: Perform your current assignment.
--[X] The castle is currently abandoned, but the former stuff can't have just vanished. See if you can find where they disappeared to, and ask what they know of your predecessor.
--[X] The nobles of Stirland may have had contact with your predecessor, and it sounds like they'll all be coming here for the ceremony. See if you can find out what they know.
--[X] Surely there would be records, or notes, or piles of intercepted letters, or some sort of trail of your predecessor somewhere in this castle. Possibly behind a secret door. You eye the wall sconces in your room suspiciously.
--[X] Your predecessor would have been paid, right? And a budget would have been drawn for their activities? And the woman called Wilhelmina is going over the finances anyway...
[X] Plan Foundation
Elector Count Quest AU Part 1
- Location
- Norway
Meanwhile in a parallell universe, user MoneyB wrote:
Uncertain Loyalties - an Advisors Quest
Vote closed. Stirland and Witch Hunter were clear winners.
Elector Count of Stirland. A great and powerful position, enviable in theory. But in practice, the previous dynasty of Haupt-Anderssen was cursed with terrible ill-fortune until they died out of seemingly natural causes, ill-fortune above and beyond even what one might expect of having to live next to Sylvania.
You are Abelhelm van Hel, Witch Hunter, (yes, those van Hels) recently returned to Stirland after rooting out a small army of Strigoi who had ensconced themselves under Talabheim. With the previous Count dead, you expected to have no official assignments for a while but a lot of work to do in fending off vampires who might attempt to take advantage of the province's turmoil.
You were half right. Against all odds, you've been named the new Elector Count. Perhaps you were the compromise candidate. Perhaps the Electors thought someone unrelated to the Haupt-Anderssen dynasty might change the province's fortunes. Or perhaps they, too, thought vampire hunting would be a priority task. But regardless of the reason, you've been thrust into a position of great responsibility, and you have neither the professional experience nor the hours in the day to handle it all yourself. You're going to need help. Start by appointing a Privy Council. Traditionally, one such consists of six trusted individuals.
You have some possible candidates presenting themselves for immediate appointment, or in some cases presented to you, but the downside is that you know little about them. (Mechanically, each candidate is generated with 4d6 drop lowest, then I subtract 1d6 to show you a lower bound for their stat. So if someone is listed with 9+, their true value is between 10 and 15. Also, only one trait is shown, regardless of how many the character has.)
You can delay appointing to certain positions in order to find more candidates and find out more about the candidates for that position, but that comes with the obvious drawback that you will have no one overseeing that field during the first turn. You will be able to fire and replace advisors later, but if you do this too frequently or without cause, they may begin to mistrust you.
Martial: The Marshal is in charge of military matters, second in command to the Elector Count themselves. It is a position of great power, but also one of danger and responsibility.
[ ] Professor Verezzo: an academic, duelist, and innovator. Quick, Martial 7+
[ ] Captain Riesz: a long-serving veteran of the Stirland army. Greedy, Martial 9+
[ ] Commander Stentz: a retired mercenary leader. Polyglot, Martial 9+
[ ] Delay Martial appointment
Diplomacy: The Chancellor is responsible for contact both within and without, handing relations with both foreign powers and the people of the province.
[ ] Anton II Kiesinger: Chancellor to the previous Count and younger son of a petty noble. Young, Diplomacy 8+
[ ] Journeywoman Kresge: an Imperial Pyromancer. Superstitious, Diplomacy 5+
[ ] Irma Honigsmann: a migrant from Ostermark, former titleholder there. Scholar, Diplomacy 8+
[ ] Delay Diplomacy appointment
Stewardship: The Steward is responsible for taxes, the economy, budgeting, construction and infrastructure.
[ ] Ulrike Stahl: an experienced and wealthy innkeeper. Lustful, Stewardship 10+
[ ] Frau Wilhelmina: a bounty hunter and excisewoman. Strong, Stewardship 9+
[ ] Journeyman Eichhorn: an Imperial Amber Shaman. Paranoid, Stewardship 7+
[ ] Delay Stewardship appointment
Intrigue: The Spymaster is the master of soft power in the realm, responsible for hiding the Elector Count's secrets and uncovering those of everyone else.
[ ] Journeywoman Weber: an Imperial Shadowmancer. Brave, Intrigue 9+
[ ] Mysterious Notes: You have found unsigned slips of paper in your room claiming to be from your spymaster, telling you where to leave instructions and responses. ???, Intrigue ???+
[ ] Abd al Hakim: a migrant from the far land of Araby. Eunuch, Intrigue 10+
[ ] Delay Intrigue appointment
Faith: Almost always filled by a priest or cleric, but sometimes by a neutral ambassador able to work with the heads of various local faiths.
[ ] Brother Kasmir: a Warrior-Priest of Sigmar. Cruel, Faith 10+
[ ] Brother Achenbach: a Priest of the Cult of Morr. Ascetic, Faith 8+
[ ] Griselda Hopfner: a devout and well-educated woman of peasant stock. Supernumerate, Faith 8+
[ ] Delay Faith appointment
Learning: The most nebulous of all the roles, this role is usually filled based on the Elector Count's desires and prejudices. The realm of madmen and geniuses, wizards and witch hunters, all seeking new ways to build and to destroy.
[ ] Herr Schultz: a member of the Guild of Stonemasons and Architects. Organized, Learning 11+
[ ] Frau Binger: an independent geographer and historian. Eidetic Memory, Learning 10+
[ ] Sir Hamburger: a veteran knight come out of retirement to offer service. Animal Kinship, Learning 7+
[ ] Delay Learning appointment
I have not been looking at the QM's notes, at least not in this dimension. All traits and values are figments of my imagination. Except for our own Brave, naturally.
Uncertain Loyalties - an Advisors Quest
Vote closed. Stirland and Witch Hunter were clear winners.
Elector Count of Stirland. A great and powerful position, enviable in theory. But in practice, the previous dynasty of Haupt-Anderssen was cursed with terrible ill-fortune until they died out of seemingly natural causes, ill-fortune above and beyond even what one might expect of having to live next to Sylvania.
You are Abelhelm van Hel, Witch Hunter, (yes, those van Hels) recently returned to Stirland after rooting out a small army of Strigoi who had ensconced themselves under Talabheim. With the previous Count dead, you expected to have no official assignments for a while but a lot of work to do in fending off vampires who might attempt to take advantage of the province's turmoil.
You were half right. Against all odds, you've been named the new Elector Count. Perhaps you were the compromise candidate. Perhaps the Electors thought someone unrelated to the Haupt-Anderssen dynasty might change the province's fortunes. Or perhaps they, too, thought vampire hunting would be a priority task. But regardless of the reason, you've been thrust into a position of great responsibility, and you have neither the professional experience nor the hours in the day to handle it all yourself. You're going to need help. Start by appointing a Privy Council. Traditionally, one such consists of six trusted individuals.
You have some possible candidates presenting themselves for immediate appointment, or in some cases presented to you, but the downside is that you know little about them. (Mechanically, each candidate is generated with 4d6 drop lowest, then I subtract 1d6 to show you a lower bound for their stat. So if someone is listed with 9+, their true value is between 10 and 15. Also, only one trait is shown, regardless of how many the character has.)
You can delay appointing to certain positions in order to find more candidates and find out more about the candidates for that position, but that comes with the obvious drawback that you will have no one overseeing that field during the first turn. You will be able to fire and replace advisors later, but if you do this too frequently or without cause, they may begin to mistrust you.
Martial: The Marshal is in charge of military matters, second in command to the Elector Count themselves. It is a position of great power, but also one of danger and responsibility.
[ ] Professor Verezzo: an academic, duelist, and innovator. Quick, Martial 7+
[ ] Captain Riesz: a long-serving veteran of the Stirland army. Greedy, Martial 9+
[ ] Commander Stentz: a retired mercenary leader. Polyglot, Martial 9+
[ ] Delay Martial appointment
Diplomacy: The Chancellor is responsible for contact both within and without, handing relations with both foreign powers and the people of the province.
[ ] Anton II Kiesinger: Chancellor to the previous Count and younger son of a petty noble. Young, Diplomacy 8+
[ ] Journeywoman Kresge: an Imperial Pyromancer. Superstitious, Diplomacy 5+
[ ] Irma Honigsmann: a migrant from Ostermark, former titleholder there. Scholar, Diplomacy 8+
[ ] Delay Diplomacy appointment
Stewardship: The Steward is responsible for taxes, the economy, budgeting, construction and infrastructure.
[ ] Ulrike Stahl: an experienced and wealthy innkeeper. Lustful, Stewardship 10+
[ ] Frau Wilhelmina: a bounty hunter and excisewoman. Strong, Stewardship 9+
[ ] Journeyman Eichhorn: an Imperial Amber Shaman. Paranoid, Stewardship 7+
[ ] Delay Stewardship appointment
Intrigue: The Spymaster is the master of soft power in the realm, responsible for hiding the Elector Count's secrets and uncovering those of everyone else.
[ ] Journeywoman Weber: an Imperial Shadowmancer. Brave, Intrigue 9+
[ ] Mysterious Notes: You have found unsigned slips of paper in your room claiming to be from your spymaster, telling you where to leave instructions and responses. ???, Intrigue ???+
[ ] Abd al Hakim: a migrant from the far land of Araby. Eunuch, Intrigue 10+
[ ] Delay Intrigue appointment
Faith: Almost always filled by a priest or cleric, but sometimes by a neutral ambassador able to work with the heads of various local faiths.
[ ] Brother Kasmir: a Warrior-Priest of Sigmar. Cruel, Faith 10+
[ ] Brother Achenbach: a Priest of the Cult of Morr. Ascetic, Faith 8+
[ ] Griselda Hopfner: a devout and well-educated woman of peasant stock. Supernumerate, Faith 8+
[ ] Delay Faith appointment
Learning: The most nebulous of all the roles, this role is usually filled based on the Elector Count's desires and prejudices. The realm of madmen and geniuses, wizards and witch hunters, all seeking new ways to build and to destroy.
[ ] Herr Schultz: a member of the Guild of Stonemasons and Architects. Organized, Learning 11+
[ ] Frau Binger: an independent geographer and historian. Eidetic Memory, Learning 10+
[ ] Sir Hamburger: a veteran knight come out of retirement to offer service. Animal Kinship, Learning 7+
[ ] Delay Learning appointment
I have not been looking at the QM's notes, at least not in this dimension. All traits and values are figments of my imagination. Except for our own Brave, naturally.
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
i would not mind reading / following that quest at all really
Me neither.
Oh, SV...
---
Plan Foundation has a commanding lead at nine votes to four, with only one other plan suggested. I'm going to close voting here and write up the results, and in the meantime I have a question or two for you all.
Readers: do you think it would be a good idea to have a vote moratorium to allow discussion before 'bandwagons' form, or was this just a case of there being one obvious way forward with little reason to disagree? How long do you think voting should remain open - do people usually check threads throughout the day, or is it usually once a day and having short voting windows would exclude readers? Which is preferable: a fast-moving quest, or one that allows everyone interested time to weigh in?
Oh, SV...
---
Plan Foundation has a commanding lead at nine votes to four, with only one other plan suggested. I'm going to close voting here and write up the results, and in the meantime I have a question or two for you all.
Readers: do you think it would be a good idea to have a vote moratorium to allow discussion before 'bandwagons' form, or was this just a case of there being one obvious way forward with little reason to disagree? How long do you think voting should remain open - do people usually check threads throughout the day, or is it usually once a day and having short voting windows would exclude readers? Which is preferable: a fast-moving quest, or one that allows everyone interested time to weigh in?
Last edited:
Leaving votes open for at least 24 hours maximizes participation, but being open for more than 2 days will cost you in player engagement. Moratoriums are useful in more complex votes. Things aren't that complex yet, but it might be useful to have one later(note to extend the voting period to match the moratorium, since there will be players unable to vote)
- Location
- Norway
I have no opinion yet, give it some time to see if bandwagons keep happening?
What I would have liked to suggest is dedicating one action per turn to long-term skill raising, whenever there isn't a massive crisis we need to handle. So one of these:
[ ] Practice, Practice, Practice: Having been thrown into the deep end of imperial politics, it would probably be a good idea to brush up on your skills (choose one)
[ ] Combat Training: You're virtually surrounded by armed warriors of various sorts. See if you can convince one to teach you.
-[ ] You only really kept in practice with a handful of the petty and minor magics you were taught. Maybe you should brush up on the others.
-[ ] You're naturally talented at enchantment; so far, this just amounts to being able to make your desk meow for about an hour. See if you can improve on that, or at least figure out a way to make that useful.
Because when a crisis hits, we're going to wish we'd done that earlier, and accumulated skill can't be gotten on short notice. Most other things can (at least for six-month values of "short").
That's one of the trade-offs that made me think this format would be interesting enough to make it happen. Balancing short-term problem-solving vs long-term personal improvement vs your own personal motivations.
Seems like a good rule of thumb. From now on, every voting cycle will be at least 24 hours. Probably right on 24 hours, since keeping myself from writing ahead has been difficult so far.
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Turn 1 Results - 2470
First things first; the next morning, you seek out Wilhelmina and ask about finances. With the help of a couple of Greatswords stripped of their armour she's moving crates and chests from the back of a wagon into the depths of the castle, and when you interrupt her and tell her what you're after, the long, piercing look she gives you makes you quite uncomfortable. But then she goes back to the wagon, rummages around, and then throws a bag with the unmistakable clink of coin to you, slightly harder than necessary but not so much that you have trouble catching it.
"That should tide you over until we can get payroll sorted out," she says. "Talk to me later, and we'll draw up a budget."
Over the next few months, you spend a fair bit of time with the woman, but she never quite defrosts with you. It doesn't appear to be a matter of bias against wizards, she doesn't have that blend of hatred and fear; it just seems she's pigeonholed you in her mind, and not in a good place. However, she doesn't let her personal feelings get in the way of her responsibilities, and you manage to convince her that you do have a legitimate need for funds for discretionary spending.
While you are having these discussions, you remember your decision to check with her about the budget of your predecessor, and when asked about it she hesitates and confesses that she's yet to find the records. That shocks you; you know for a fact that the records for an entire province would take up at least an entire room, having seen the Grey College's own archives. She seems surprised at this, apparently having been looking for a single ledger or similar.
You volunteer to help her out and she agrees, and the two of you spend a great deal of time scouring the castle, finding empty room after empty room but no record of the archives, and over time her attitude towards you thaws. As you get to know her, she tells you that she's known the new Elector Count since he was barely more than a boy, and has been the paymaster for hiring, equipping, housing and feeding soldiers and mercenaries for his campaigns against the undead for fifteen years. As such, when he was granted the current position, she was his choice for his Steward.
Having repaired the relationship you inadvertently damaged with the woman so close to your new liege, you would consider all the effort you spent poking around well-spent. Then one day, on a hunch, you were poking around the rooms nearest to the treasury (attracting a number of suspicious stares from the Greatswords guarding it) when you notice, under the ever-present scent of stale air and dampness, the familiar scent of papyrus - very faint, but not quite faded.
Looking closer at the empty room, you find slight impressions in the stone where heavy shelves stood for what may have been centuries, and the scratch-marks from when they were finally dragged away. And finally, in an overlooked crevice, you pull fistful after fistful of crumpled paper where a mouse once made a nest. Numbers and names are barely visible, but they're definitely records of taxes flowing in, and the date attached to it is centuries old. Stirland's archives were definitely here, and when you inform Wilhelmina of your discovery, the two of you agree that there's no innocent explanation for why they were here no longer. She thanks you for your help, sincerely and warmly.
Rolls:
[ASKING FOR PERSONAL PAY: Req 40, Diplomacy, 32+9=41. Slight relation hit with Wilhelmina, +50 personal gold/turn.]
[ASKING FOR OPERATIONAL BUDGET: Req 40, Stewardship, 25+10=35. Wilhelmina requires convincing.]
[BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS: Req 50, Stewardship, 52+10=62. Wilhelmina agrees with your requirements, +200 discretionary gold this turn only. Further gold will require further negotiations.]
[TRACKING DOWN THE PAYROLL: Req 60, Intrigue, 92+12=104. There was none to be found, but you uncovered evidence that it was deliberately taken, endearing yourself to Wilhelmina and to Van Hal.]
---
With the payroll for your predecessor out of reach, you set your sights on the more mundane staff. You ask your newfound friend, who is refilling the castle with maids and servants when not occupied with panicking about the disappearance of Stirland's entire tax code, that you want to speak to anyone who previously worked at the castle. Next thing you know, the town crier's announcement that the castle was hiring was also saying that previous experience would be highly regarded. And a trickle of previous workers enters your office over the months as the castle's staff increases.
The first, at catching sight of someone in the robes and hat of a wizard, ran right out screaming. Okay, then.
Thankfully, the second is made of sterner stuff, though the former scullery maid doesn't know much. All she knows is that the former spymaster was wealthy, though not a noble. You have a word with Wilhelmina, and the kitchen staff is increased by one.
After that, it goes easier, as Wilhelmina explains during interviews it's just a part of the vetting process and assures them that the scary mage will just ask a few harmless questions and if they go along with it everything will be okay. The rest of them go smoothly, and you collect enough scraps of information to start putting a picture together. An image forms of a trader with a stranglehold on the road from Talabecland to Averland, using his position to push out competitors and being allowed to do so because it increased his ability to accumulate information. Wurtbad, Tarshof, Potting, Worden, Vigaun, every town and village along the Old Dwarf Road was dominated by his influence.
But as you piece it all together, you notice a discordant note in the symphony. Everyone you spoke to gave you overlapping information so nobody was just making it up, but there are contradictions that throw off your attempts to get a glimpse of what's going on. And the contradictions are too perfectly misleading, and they all come from the same source.
A word in the ear of the nearest Greatsword later, and the stablehand that fed you misinformation is tossed into a cell in Eagle Castle's dungeons.
[WERE PREVIOUS WORKERS TEMPTED?: Req 50, Wilhelmina's Stewardship, 51+15=66. Several were found.]
[FIRST WORKER: Req 30, Diplomacy, 5+9=14. Oh dear.]
[SECOND WORKER: Req 40, Diplomacy, 47+9=56. She's happy to answer a few questions if you can help her get her job back.]
[HOW MUCH DOES SHE KNOW?: Roll, 25. Not much.]
[THIRD WORKER: Req 30, Diplomacy, 80+9=89. Word gets out that you're not going to turn people into toads.]
[HOW MUCH DO THE REST OF THEM KNOW?: Rolls, 64, 44, 6, 34.]
[DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THIRD GUY: Req 60, Intrigue, 99+12=111. No. No you do not.]
---
Third priority: the search. Apart from your predecessor's notes, there's now also the archives to find. That would take a really big secret room, but a number of badly-printed books that circulated among the apprentices of the Colleges of Magic lead you to believe that castles like this are utterly riddled with secret rooms, passages, and devices, as well as describing in detail various torrid activities that may go on in them.
After thinking back on what tended to happen to plucky young female protagonists that went searching for secret passages in dark castles, you decide to wait for a day when Ulgu was strong, just in case. And to bring a few extra knives. Finally, on a day when the mists rolling through the streets were matched by the storm flashing overhead and grey magic was so thick in the air you could taste it, you went roaming through the castle, twisting every wall sconce and pushing every protruding brick.
Things get to a poor start when an overly enthusiastic twist leads to a wall sconce breaking off in your hand, scattering burning candle wax over the flagstones. You blow out the candle and place it gently on the floor, hoping whoever finds it thinks it fell on its own. Your prodding of suspicious-looking bricks doesn't break anything, but it doesn't get results either.
After several more days of fruitless searching, you're almost convinced that this castle is free of secrets when you notice that the doors for the servants' quarters you're currently haunting are placed in regular intervals, except for in one spot, where the place a door should be is occupied by an incongruous wall hanging. You triumphantly tear it down and find a door boarded up with rusty nails, and without even a moment's hesitation you begin levering out the nails with your knife and pulling the wooden planks free. You've finally found a secret of Eagle Castle!
And just as the last plank is pulled free, a secret of Eagle Castle finds you.
The door bursts open and a hideously gaunt figure staggers towards you, folds of skin dangling from an emaciated form and cracked teeth revealed by a rattling moan. Shock holds you in place for only half a second before you're backpedalling out of the grasp of the creature. You swipe wildly with the knife, cutting nothing but air, but your other reflex is more successful - the candles on the wall flicker and the shadows lengthen, and then they throw themselves forward and wrap around your frame. In the familiar embrace of Ulgu, you are safe.
So you stand your ground, allowing the creature to approach, and as cracked nails scrabble for purchase against the shadows covering you, you stab it in the face.
Well, then. That never happened in the books you read.
The room beyond seems no different to any other servant's rooms, except for the bloody scratchmarks on every wall. You fetch a couple of Greatswords and get them to haul the hopefully dead creature into the cell next to the former stablehand.
[WALL SCONCES: Req ??, Intrigue, 28+12=40. It was like that when I got here.]
[PROTRUDING BRICKS: Req ??, Intrigue, 62+12=74. Could adventure novels have lied to me?]
[ANYTHING ELSE?: Req ??, ??, 3+??= oh dear.]
[APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF CAUTION: Higher is better, Intrigue, 3+12=15. No caution shown. Seriously, you should stop reading adventure novels.]
[ROLL TO NOT GET EATEN: Req 40, Martial, 58+7=65. You succeed at not getting eaten.]
[ROLL TO MAKE HIM EAT STEEL: Req 40, Martial, 15+7=22. Nothing's getting eaten.]
[ROLL FOR MAGICAL REFLEXES: Req 60, Roll, 80. Aetheryical armour activate.]
[NOW IT'S JUST UNFAIR: Req 30, Martial, 64+7=71. Combat concluded.]
---
Better clean the... whatever that was... off you, because it's time for the ceremony. Thankfully your normal grey robes count as formal dress, because otherwise you wouldn't have a thing to wear.
The castle buzzes with activities as guests arrive and are shown to newly-cleaned rooms, the now-familiar smell of damp overlaid with woodsmoke and perfume. The nobility of Stirland are apparently quite keen to have a look at their new Lord. According to what you know of Stirland's political borders, there should only be less than twenty guests. You count them off on your fingers and toes - three Barons, six Counts (only human Counts count), two Countesses, one Grand Mayor, one Lord Mayor, one regular Mayor but he's the Mayor of Wurtbad so he gets an invite, two High Priests, and one Knight Commander. So why there's at least a hundred overdressed nobles filling the great hall and spilling into the courtyard, you have no idea. Still, you have a job to do, so you dive into the fray.
You're quickly lost in a sea of faces you don't recognize, but you soon spot Anton talking animatedly to someone that looks like him plus thirty years, so you head over and are introduced to Baron Anton Kiesinger I. You're introduced as 'a friend from work', which you're pretty sure isn't one of your official titles, but okay. Anton Senior quickly takes to you, and is perfectly willing to tell you what he knows, which is little.
"Old Whatshisface, he was all about the north-south road. To get to the west he wouldn't just have to get through me, he'd have to get through the shitfight of a situation with the Countess of Flensburg and the Grand Mayor of Flensburg, so he never bothered. Everything west of Sonningwiese could have been annexed by the Moot and he wouldn't have cared."
You listen politely to a series of further comments about the Flensburg Problem, taking mental notes in case it becomes your problem in the future, then Anton Senior spots a young woman he's apparently quite keen on getting Anton Junior married to and they hurry off. Having been seen talking to Someone Important, however, you're barely given a chance to look around before you're swept up into a conversational circle of various courtiers and hangers on, eager to bask in your reflected importance. You wait for a lull in the conversation and ask if anyone knows anyone who would know of your predecessor, and eager to look important, one of them introduces you to their liege, who turns out to be the Count of Schramleben. In this manner you bounce from noble to noble, collecting fragments of information and at one point being cornered by a drunken noble blabbering about his collection of Elven art (of elves, rather than by elves, you gather), until you finally strike a goldmine.
Count Artur von Treitschke of Franzen has a great deal to say about the man he identifies as Wilhelm von Tarshof, after you finally get him to understand the question and bring him another cup of wine. "Franzen, you see, is located on the branch between the River Aver and the River Lammer," he says, full of self-importance and slightly slurring, "and Baron Helmuth of Purgg and I worked together to facilitate north-south trade in competition with the so-called 'Stirlandian League' of von Tarshof. Oh, he never acknowledged any connection with them, but he's not the only one that can pay people to follow other people. So we worked around him. Goods would go up the River Lammer to Ohlsdorf, along the road to Purgg, then down the River Teichd and just like that, they're in Talabecland. A little excise for me, a little excise for him, and none for von Tarshof, who was taking a slice out of trade at every town and village along the Old Dwarf Road, unless you were in his League." The Count takes a drink of his wine. "Then Helmuth had an accident, or so it was said. He fell down some stairs, which may or may not have been related to the fourteen stab wounds in his back. Possibly contagious, since all three of his heirs caught the same thing. And just like that the Barony reverts to the Elector Count." He pauses to collect his thoughts, then peers at you suspiciously. "Who are you, anyway? One of Krebs' daughters?"
You make your excuses and melt back into the crowd, your mind buzzing.
You were too busy networking to pay much attention, but everyone agreed afterwards it had been a lovely ceremony, and that Anton had outdone himself.
[HOW MANY VIPs DO YOU FIND: Roll, 57. Five VIPs.]
[FIRST GUEST: Roll, 30.]
[SECOND GUEST: Roll, 97.]
[THIRD GUEST: Roll, 56.]
[FOURTH GUEST: Roll, 4.]
[IGNORANCE OR HOSTILITY: 72+9=81. They're just harmlessly drunk.]
[FIFTH GUEST: Roll, 69.]
---
Throughout the month, you penned several letters and sent them back to Altdorf, trying to get a read on the political situation that led to your current occupation. Your first is to your Master, a straightforward letter of mindbogglingly dull and stilted descriptions of entirely normal days that, when decrypted, is a pointed request for information; if not about matters of which he cannot speak, then in general. The second set of letters is to some former classmates of yours; you try to keep the gloating that they're still Apprentices and you're a Spymaster for an entire province out of the letter, but the complete lack of response suggests you may have failed. The third is not to any specific person, but to the Grey College as a whole; you send in a formal request for information as a member of the Grey College serving the Empire, and wait for it to be processed and responded to.
When your Master writes back, you're in awe at the masterpiece of encryption before you. A handful of entirely natural-sounding paragraphs telling you of goings-on in the College and asking after your health and how your new position is going, as well as gently reminding you to continue your studies. For a while you think he's just sent you a normal response to chide you for trying to guilt him, but then you finally work out the key and the paragraphs decrypt into information more precious than gold.
Wilhelmina Hochschild is the only Councillor that Van Hal actually chose. Everyone else was thrust upon him, as you were. Brother Kasmir Heinz was hand-picked by the Grand Theogonist for loyalty to the Cult of Sigmar over any secular authority. Detlef Schultz was the concession that bought Talabecland's vote for Van Hal, though his qualifications are solid. And Professor Lucrezio de Verezzo was a head scholar of military history from the University of Altdorf, until proof of embezzlement on a massive scale from the University was found. He had been failing half his students, retroactively removing them from the University's ledgers, then pocketing the money that had been paid to the University for their education. But the entire issue was hushed up, and he had been placed firmly under the thumb of the Emperor's spymaster and sent to Stirland.
The information from the College itself is nowhere near as earthshattering. It is simply an accounting of Van Hal's career, culminating in the extermination of a small army of Strigoi vampires under Talabheim. Interestingly, the minutiae of his career reveals that he's hired wizards on dozens of occasions to assist with his endless war against the Undead, and that he's never really lived up to the name of 'Witch Hunter' - though he definitely showed no hesitation to put the torch to the necromancers he encountered. The letter also reveals that Van Hal was the first choice of the three Cult of Sigmar votes, the Emperor, Wissenland, the Moot, and Averland, and the vote was finished when Talabecland was won over.
[LETTER TO MASTER: Req 40, Learning, 95+13: Guilt Trip Deployed.]
[LETTER TO CLASSMATES: Req 50, Diplomacy 15+9: Well, what could they possibly know, anyway? They're still Apprentices.]
[LETTER TO THE COLLEGE: Req 60 Intrigue 60+12: The wheels turn, and spit out information.]
Finally, one evening you return to your room to find a letter lodged into the doorjamb. You open it, hoping for more correspondence from Altdorf, and instead find a page of gibberish. Oddly familiar gibberish. Then you sigh, close your eyes, and consult the cipher table that still glows on the inside of your eyelids whenever you think about it.
Prepare a report on the abilities and relationships of Stirland's diplomat. Encode it using the cipher you have been given. A rider will arrive at the castle in three months time; give them the report.
---
At the end of six months, the Council is called to report in on their process. Van Hal is still dressed in his Witch Hunter's gear, though the Runefang on his hip emits all the authority he needs.
Professor de Verezzo is first, explaining in a lecturer's drone how the military of Stirland is vastly under-strength, and many of its soldiers exist only on paper and the salary that they are supposedly drawing was being channeled... somewhere. He has sketched out a number of plans for recruiting to bring Stirland's actual strength back up to its theoretical one, each expensive and time-consuming.
MILITARY OF STIRLAND: Poor. Only 25,000 men of the 40,000 on the books actually exist.
Anton is next, and basks in a rare word of praise from Van Hal. As you know, the ceremonies went off without a hitch, and Van Hal managed to negotiate the social maze of the upper classes without any significant troubles. The general impression of him is that he's going to be occupied entirely with Sylvania and will keep his nose out of whatever mischief the nobility decides to distract themselves with.
NOBLE RELATIONS: Good. The nobility think Van Hal is going to leave them be.
Wilhelmina's examination into the tax rolls hit a massive snag right at the start, in that none could be found. The centuries of accumulated ledgers, contracts and documents that tracked who owed what were completely absent, and she credits you with discovering that they had been taken away deliberately. Wilhelmina had, however, put on a surprisingly lovely gown and mingled with the nobility present at the ceremony, and convinced most of them to send their own copies of the taxation ledgers, making them think she was investigating the possibility of the former Elector Count skimming taxes owed to the Empire rather than a desperate attempt to rebuild Stirland's tax code. She also reports that the treasury is full enough to keep the state running, but the next few years are going to be lean.
WEALTH OF STIRLAND: Poor.
INCOME OF STIRLAND: Poor; will fall to Terrible if the nobles realize that they could just not pay taxes and get away with it.
Brother Kasmir reports on his efforts to liaise with the religious authorities in Stirland, almost entirely Sigmarites and Morrites. The Sigmarites report no major problems, but they seem to have developed a habit of ignoring the temporal power of Stirland's Elector Count due to unnamed issues with the previous holders of the office. It is only the fact that Van Hal has such a strong record of service to Sigmar that makes them willing to give him a chance.
The Morrites, it seems, have entered a renaissance, with record numbers of initiates to the priesthood and regular services being held in major towns. In Stirland, Morr is no longer invoked only in funerals; he is seen as a constant guardian against the assaults of the Undead. However, they, too, are standoffish towards the Elector Count, though they are willing to be won over, especially if he fulfils his stated goals of protecting against the Sylvanian taint.
SIGMARITE INFLUENCE: Good
SIGMARITE RELATIONS: Average
MORRITE INFLUENCE: Great
MORRITE RELATIONS: Average
Herr Schultz reports the castle's condition is fixable, but it will take some time to do so; it seems few townsmen are willing to work in the castle, and workers had to be brought in from surrounding villages, where news of whatever has spooked the locals had not spread. He also reports that the Greatswords have made themselves at home in the castle's barracks, but they represent the only defences of the castle - the cannon are long gone and the armoury has been emptied. On the bright side, none of these problems make the castle any less defensible - the outer walls are still solid and the gate mechanisms are working perfectly.
He brings up the sealed east wing, and is immediately told to disregard it. Hmm.
EAGLE CASTLE CONDITION: Poor; repairs ongoing.
Finally, it is your turn to report.
You can write in a report here, allowing you to either make yourself look good, underplay the importance of something that went wrong, curry favour with someone else present, or to massage the facts to fit an agenda of yours. Otherwise, you will be judged on results alone. How horrible. Please try to keep it punchy - your Elector Count is a man of action.
[] Write In
Suggest courses of action for the next six months; the Elector Count is likely to choose one of them. You can use this to your advantage. One possibility is to suggest things that align with your personal goals, another is to suggest things you can do easily and have plenty of time left over to spend elsewhere. However, if there's a pressing concern the Elector Count has that is not covered by what you put forward, he may 'write in' your orders, and cause a relationship hit due to losing respect for your abilities. Votes for this will be in plan format - the more options you give the Elector Count, the greater chance he'll pick one, but the less you can steer his instructions.
[] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
[] The Stirlandian League is a gold mine of information, and it must be yours.
[] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, he must be found.
[] There is a risk of enemy agents infiltrating the castle staff - they must be watched.
[] The castle staff can be a great source of information and first line of defence - they should report to you.
[] There was an incident with a... something. You killed it, but there may be more. The castle should be searched from top to bottom.
[] A dozen centuries of tax ledgers and records don't just vanish. They need to be found.
[] Seriously what is up with the East Wing.
[] If I had proper facilities, I could do better work. Please fund me moving out of my terrible, musty guest room.
[] I need a proper information network. Please fund me wandering around making friends.
[] Other (write in)
"That should tide you over until we can get payroll sorted out," she says. "Talk to me later, and we'll draw up a budget."
Over the next few months, you spend a fair bit of time with the woman, but she never quite defrosts with you. It doesn't appear to be a matter of bias against wizards, she doesn't have that blend of hatred and fear; it just seems she's pigeonholed you in her mind, and not in a good place. However, she doesn't let her personal feelings get in the way of her responsibilities, and you manage to convince her that you do have a legitimate need for funds for discretionary spending.
While you are having these discussions, you remember your decision to check with her about the budget of your predecessor, and when asked about it she hesitates and confesses that she's yet to find the records. That shocks you; you know for a fact that the records for an entire province would take up at least an entire room, having seen the Grey College's own archives. She seems surprised at this, apparently having been looking for a single ledger or similar.
You volunteer to help her out and she agrees, and the two of you spend a great deal of time scouring the castle, finding empty room after empty room but no record of the archives, and over time her attitude towards you thaws. As you get to know her, she tells you that she's known the new Elector Count since he was barely more than a boy, and has been the paymaster for hiring, equipping, housing and feeding soldiers and mercenaries for his campaigns against the undead for fifteen years. As such, when he was granted the current position, she was his choice for his Steward.
Having repaired the relationship you inadvertently damaged with the woman so close to your new liege, you would consider all the effort you spent poking around well-spent. Then one day, on a hunch, you were poking around the rooms nearest to the treasury (attracting a number of suspicious stares from the Greatswords guarding it) when you notice, under the ever-present scent of stale air and dampness, the familiar scent of papyrus - very faint, but not quite faded.
Looking closer at the empty room, you find slight impressions in the stone where heavy shelves stood for what may have been centuries, and the scratch-marks from when they were finally dragged away. And finally, in an overlooked crevice, you pull fistful after fistful of crumpled paper where a mouse once made a nest. Numbers and names are barely visible, but they're definitely records of taxes flowing in, and the date attached to it is centuries old. Stirland's archives were definitely here, and when you inform Wilhelmina of your discovery, the two of you agree that there's no innocent explanation for why they were here no longer. She thanks you for your help, sincerely and warmly.
Rolls:
[ASKING FOR PERSONAL PAY: Req 40, Diplomacy, 32+9=41. Slight relation hit with Wilhelmina, +50 personal gold/turn.]
[ASKING FOR OPERATIONAL BUDGET: Req 40, Stewardship, 25+10=35. Wilhelmina requires convincing.]
[BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS: Req 50, Stewardship, 52+10=62. Wilhelmina agrees with your requirements, +200 discretionary gold this turn only. Further gold will require further negotiations.]
[TRACKING DOWN THE PAYROLL: Req 60, Intrigue, 92+12=104. There was none to be found, but you uncovered evidence that it was deliberately taken, endearing yourself to Wilhelmina and to Van Hal.]
---
With the payroll for your predecessor out of reach, you set your sights on the more mundane staff. You ask your newfound friend, who is refilling the castle with maids and servants when not occupied with panicking about the disappearance of Stirland's entire tax code, that you want to speak to anyone who previously worked at the castle. Next thing you know, the town crier's announcement that the castle was hiring was also saying that previous experience would be highly regarded. And a trickle of previous workers enters your office over the months as the castle's staff increases.
The first, at catching sight of someone in the robes and hat of a wizard, ran right out screaming. Okay, then.
Thankfully, the second is made of sterner stuff, though the former scullery maid doesn't know much. All she knows is that the former spymaster was wealthy, though not a noble. You have a word with Wilhelmina, and the kitchen staff is increased by one.
After that, it goes easier, as Wilhelmina explains during interviews it's just a part of the vetting process and assures them that the scary mage will just ask a few harmless questions and if they go along with it everything will be okay. The rest of them go smoothly, and you collect enough scraps of information to start putting a picture together. An image forms of a trader with a stranglehold on the road from Talabecland to Averland, using his position to push out competitors and being allowed to do so because it increased his ability to accumulate information. Wurtbad, Tarshof, Potting, Worden, Vigaun, every town and village along the Old Dwarf Road was dominated by his influence.
But as you piece it all together, you notice a discordant note in the symphony. Everyone you spoke to gave you overlapping information so nobody was just making it up, but there are contradictions that throw off your attempts to get a glimpse of what's going on. And the contradictions are too perfectly misleading, and they all come from the same source.
A word in the ear of the nearest Greatsword later, and the stablehand that fed you misinformation is tossed into a cell in Eagle Castle's dungeons.
[WERE PREVIOUS WORKERS TEMPTED?: Req 50, Wilhelmina's Stewardship, 51+15=66. Several were found.]
[FIRST WORKER: Req 30, Diplomacy, 5+9=14. Oh dear.]
[SECOND WORKER: Req 40, Diplomacy, 47+9=56. She's happy to answer a few questions if you can help her get her job back.]
[HOW MUCH DOES SHE KNOW?: Roll, 25. Not much.]
[THIRD WORKER: Req 30, Diplomacy, 80+9=89. Word gets out that you're not going to turn people into toads.]
[HOW MUCH DO THE REST OF THEM KNOW?: Rolls, 64, 44, 6, 34.]
[DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THIRD GUY: Req 60, Intrigue, 99+12=111. No. No you do not.]
---
Third priority: the search. Apart from your predecessor's notes, there's now also the archives to find. That would take a really big secret room, but a number of badly-printed books that circulated among the apprentices of the Colleges of Magic lead you to believe that castles like this are utterly riddled with secret rooms, passages, and devices, as well as describing in detail various torrid activities that may go on in them.
After thinking back on what tended to happen to plucky young female protagonists that went searching for secret passages in dark castles, you decide to wait for a day when Ulgu was strong, just in case. And to bring a few extra knives. Finally, on a day when the mists rolling through the streets were matched by the storm flashing overhead and grey magic was so thick in the air you could taste it, you went roaming through the castle, twisting every wall sconce and pushing every protruding brick.
Things get to a poor start when an overly enthusiastic twist leads to a wall sconce breaking off in your hand, scattering burning candle wax over the flagstones. You blow out the candle and place it gently on the floor, hoping whoever finds it thinks it fell on its own. Your prodding of suspicious-looking bricks doesn't break anything, but it doesn't get results either.
After several more days of fruitless searching, you're almost convinced that this castle is free of secrets when you notice that the doors for the servants' quarters you're currently haunting are placed in regular intervals, except for in one spot, where the place a door should be is occupied by an incongruous wall hanging. You triumphantly tear it down and find a door boarded up with rusty nails, and without even a moment's hesitation you begin levering out the nails with your knife and pulling the wooden planks free. You've finally found a secret of Eagle Castle!
And just as the last plank is pulled free, a secret of Eagle Castle finds you.
The door bursts open and a hideously gaunt figure staggers towards you, folds of skin dangling from an emaciated form and cracked teeth revealed by a rattling moan. Shock holds you in place for only half a second before you're backpedalling out of the grasp of the creature. You swipe wildly with the knife, cutting nothing but air, but your other reflex is more successful - the candles on the wall flicker and the shadows lengthen, and then they throw themselves forward and wrap around your frame. In the familiar embrace of Ulgu, you are safe.
So you stand your ground, allowing the creature to approach, and as cracked nails scrabble for purchase against the shadows covering you, you stab it in the face.
Well, then. That never happened in the books you read.
The room beyond seems no different to any other servant's rooms, except for the bloody scratchmarks on every wall. You fetch a couple of Greatswords and get them to haul the hopefully dead creature into the cell next to the former stablehand.
[WALL SCONCES: Req ??, Intrigue, 28+12=40. It was like that when I got here.]
[PROTRUDING BRICKS: Req ??, Intrigue, 62+12=74. Could adventure novels have lied to me?]
[ANYTHING ELSE?: Req ??, ??, 3+??= oh dear.]
[APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF CAUTION: Higher is better, Intrigue, 3+12=15. No caution shown. Seriously, you should stop reading adventure novels.]
[ROLL TO NOT GET EATEN: Req 40, Martial, 58+7=65. You succeed at not getting eaten.]
[ROLL TO MAKE HIM EAT STEEL: Req 40, Martial, 15+7=22. Nothing's getting eaten.]
[ROLL FOR MAGICAL REFLEXES: Req 60, Roll, 80. Aetheryical armour activate.]
[NOW IT'S JUST UNFAIR: Req 30, Martial, 64+7=71. Combat concluded.]
---
Better clean the... whatever that was... off you, because it's time for the ceremony. Thankfully your normal grey robes count as formal dress, because otherwise you wouldn't have a thing to wear.
The castle buzzes with activities as guests arrive and are shown to newly-cleaned rooms, the now-familiar smell of damp overlaid with woodsmoke and perfume. The nobility of Stirland are apparently quite keen to have a look at their new Lord. According to what you know of Stirland's political borders, there should only be less than twenty guests. You count them off on your fingers and toes - three Barons, six Counts (only human Counts count), two Countesses, one Grand Mayor, one Lord Mayor, one regular Mayor but he's the Mayor of Wurtbad so he gets an invite, two High Priests, and one Knight Commander. So why there's at least a hundred overdressed nobles filling the great hall and spilling into the courtyard, you have no idea. Still, you have a job to do, so you dive into the fray.
You're quickly lost in a sea of faces you don't recognize, but you soon spot Anton talking animatedly to someone that looks like him plus thirty years, so you head over and are introduced to Baron Anton Kiesinger I. You're introduced as 'a friend from work', which you're pretty sure isn't one of your official titles, but okay. Anton Senior quickly takes to you, and is perfectly willing to tell you what he knows, which is little.
"Old Whatshisface, he was all about the north-south road. To get to the west he wouldn't just have to get through me, he'd have to get through the shitfight of a situation with the Countess of Flensburg and the Grand Mayor of Flensburg, so he never bothered. Everything west of Sonningwiese could have been annexed by the Moot and he wouldn't have cared."
You listen politely to a series of further comments about the Flensburg Problem, taking mental notes in case it becomes your problem in the future, then Anton Senior spots a young woman he's apparently quite keen on getting Anton Junior married to and they hurry off. Having been seen talking to Someone Important, however, you're barely given a chance to look around before you're swept up into a conversational circle of various courtiers and hangers on, eager to bask in your reflected importance. You wait for a lull in the conversation and ask if anyone knows anyone who would know of your predecessor, and eager to look important, one of them introduces you to their liege, who turns out to be the Count of Schramleben. In this manner you bounce from noble to noble, collecting fragments of information and at one point being cornered by a drunken noble blabbering about his collection of Elven art (of elves, rather than by elves, you gather), until you finally strike a goldmine.
Count Artur von Treitschke of Franzen has a great deal to say about the man he identifies as Wilhelm von Tarshof, after you finally get him to understand the question and bring him another cup of wine. "Franzen, you see, is located on the branch between the River Aver and the River Lammer," he says, full of self-importance and slightly slurring, "and Baron Helmuth of Purgg and I worked together to facilitate north-south trade in competition with the so-called 'Stirlandian League' of von Tarshof. Oh, he never acknowledged any connection with them, but he's not the only one that can pay people to follow other people. So we worked around him. Goods would go up the River Lammer to Ohlsdorf, along the road to Purgg, then down the River Teichd and just like that, they're in Talabecland. A little excise for me, a little excise for him, and none for von Tarshof, who was taking a slice out of trade at every town and village along the Old Dwarf Road, unless you were in his League." The Count takes a drink of his wine. "Then Helmuth had an accident, or so it was said. He fell down some stairs, which may or may not have been related to the fourteen stab wounds in his back. Possibly contagious, since all three of his heirs caught the same thing. And just like that the Barony reverts to the Elector Count." He pauses to collect his thoughts, then peers at you suspiciously. "Who are you, anyway? One of Krebs' daughters?"
You make your excuses and melt back into the crowd, your mind buzzing.
You were too busy networking to pay much attention, but everyone agreed afterwards it had been a lovely ceremony, and that Anton had outdone himself.
[HOW MANY VIPs DO YOU FIND: Roll, 57. Five VIPs.]
[FIRST GUEST: Roll, 30.]
[SECOND GUEST: Roll, 97.]
[THIRD GUEST: Roll, 56.]
[FOURTH GUEST: Roll, 4.]
[IGNORANCE OR HOSTILITY: 72+9=81. They're just harmlessly drunk.]
[FIFTH GUEST: Roll, 69.]
---
Throughout the month, you penned several letters and sent them back to Altdorf, trying to get a read on the political situation that led to your current occupation. Your first is to your Master, a straightforward letter of mindbogglingly dull and stilted descriptions of entirely normal days that, when decrypted, is a pointed request for information; if not about matters of which he cannot speak, then in general. The second set of letters is to some former classmates of yours; you try to keep the gloating that they're still Apprentices and you're a Spymaster for an entire province out of the letter, but the complete lack of response suggests you may have failed. The third is not to any specific person, but to the Grey College as a whole; you send in a formal request for information as a member of the Grey College serving the Empire, and wait for it to be processed and responded to.
When your Master writes back, you're in awe at the masterpiece of encryption before you. A handful of entirely natural-sounding paragraphs telling you of goings-on in the College and asking after your health and how your new position is going, as well as gently reminding you to continue your studies. For a while you think he's just sent you a normal response to chide you for trying to guilt him, but then you finally work out the key and the paragraphs decrypt into information more precious than gold.
Wilhelmina Hochschild is the only Councillor that Van Hal actually chose. Everyone else was thrust upon him, as you were. Brother Kasmir Heinz was hand-picked by the Grand Theogonist for loyalty to the Cult of Sigmar over any secular authority. Detlef Schultz was the concession that bought Talabecland's vote for Van Hal, though his qualifications are solid. And Professor Lucrezio de Verezzo was a head scholar of military history from the University of Altdorf, until proof of embezzlement on a massive scale from the University was found. He had been failing half his students, retroactively removing them from the University's ledgers, then pocketing the money that had been paid to the University for their education. But the entire issue was hushed up, and he had been placed firmly under the thumb of the Emperor's spymaster and sent to Stirland.
The information from the College itself is nowhere near as earthshattering. It is simply an accounting of Van Hal's career, culminating in the extermination of a small army of Strigoi vampires under Talabheim. Interestingly, the minutiae of his career reveals that he's hired wizards on dozens of occasions to assist with his endless war against the Undead, and that he's never really lived up to the name of 'Witch Hunter' - though he definitely showed no hesitation to put the torch to the necromancers he encountered. The letter also reveals that Van Hal was the first choice of the three Cult of Sigmar votes, the Emperor, Wissenland, the Moot, and Averland, and the vote was finished when Talabecland was won over.
[LETTER TO MASTER: Req 40, Learning, 95+13: Guilt Trip Deployed.]
[LETTER TO CLASSMATES: Req 50, Diplomacy 15+9: Well, what could they possibly know, anyway? They're still Apprentices.]
[LETTER TO THE COLLEGE: Req 60 Intrigue 60+12: The wheels turn, and spit out information.]
Finally, one evening you return to your room to find a letter lodged into the doorjamb. You open it, hoping for more correspondence from Altdorf, and instead find a page of gibberish. Oddly familiar gibberish. Then you sigh, close your eyes, and consult the cipher table that still glows on the inside of your eyelids whenever you think about it.
Prepare a report on the abilities and relationships of Stirland's diplomat. Encode it using the cipher you have been given. A rider will arrive at the castle in three months time; give them the report.
---
At the end of six months, the Council is called to report in on their process. Van Hal is still dressed in his Witch Hunter's gear, though the Runefang on his hip emits all the authority he needs.
Professor de Verezzo is first, explaining in a lecturer's drone how the military of Stirland is vastly under-strength, and many of its soldiers exist only on paper and the salary that they are supposedly drawing was being channeled... somewhere. He has sketched out a number of plans for recruiting to bring Stirland's actual strength back up to its theoretical one, each expensive and time-consuming.
MILITARY OF STIRLAND: Poor. Only 25,000 men of the 40,000 on the books actually exist.
Anton is next, and basks in a rare word of praise from Van Hal. As you know, the ceremonies went off without a hitch, and Van Hal managed to negotiate the social maze of the upper classes without any significant troubles. The general impression of him is that he's going to be occupied entirely with Sylvania and will keep his nose out of whatever mischief the nobility decides to distract themselves with.
NOBLE RELATIONS: Good. The nobility think Van Hal is going to leave them be.
Wilhelmina's examination into the tax rolls hit a massive snag right at the start, in that none could be found. The centuries of accumulated ledgers, contracts and documents that tracked who owed what were completely absent, and she credits you with discovering that they had been taken away deliberately. Wilhelmina had, however, put on a surprisingly lovely gown and mingled with the nobility present at the ceremony, and convinced most of them to send their own copies of the taxation ledgers, making them think she was investigating the possibility of the former Elector Count skimming taxes owed to the Empire rather than a desperate attempt to rebuild Stirland's tax code. She also reports that the treasury is full enough to keep the state running, but the next few years are going to be lean.
WEALTH OF STIRLAND: Poor.
INCOME OF STIRLAND: Poor; will fall to Terrible if the nobles realize that they could just not pay taxes and get away with it.
Brother Kasmir reports on his efforts to liaise with the religious authorities in Stirland, almost entirely Sigmarites and Morrites. The Sigmarites report no major problems, but they seem to have developed a habit of ignoring the temporal power of Stirland's Elector Count due to unnamed issues with the previous holders of the office. It is only the fact that Van Hal has such a strong record of service to Sigmar that makes them willing to give him a chance.
The Morrites, it seems, have entered a renaissance, with record numbers of initiates to the priesthood and regular services being held in major towns. In Stirland, Morr is no longer invoked only in funerals; he is seen as a constant guardian against the assaults of the Undead. However, they, too, are standoffish towards the Elector Count, though they are willing to be won over, especially if he fulfils his stated goals of protecting against the Sylvanian taint.
SIGMARITE INFLUENCE: Good
SIGMARITE RELATIONS: Average
MORRITE INFLUENCE: Great
MORRITE RELATIONS: Average
Herr Schultz reports the castle's condition is fixable, but it will take some time to do so; it seems few townsmen are willing to work in the castle, and workers had to be brought in from surrounding villages, where news of whatever has spooked the locals had not spread. He also reports that the Greatswords have made themselves at home in the castle's barracks, but they represent the only defences of the castle - the cannon are long gone and the armoury has been emptied. On the bright side, none of these problems make the castle any less defensible - the outer walls are still solid and the gate mechanisms are working perfectly.
He brings up the sealed east wing, and is immediately told to disregard it. Hmm.
EAGLE CASTLE CONDITION: Poor; repairs ongoing.
Finally, it is your turn to report.
You can write in a report here, allowing you to either make yourself look good, underplay the importance of something that went wrong, curry favour with someone else present, or to massage the facts to fit an agenda of yours. Otherwise, you will be judged on results alone. How horrible. Please try to keep it punchy - your Elector Count is a man of action.
[] Write In
Suggest courses of action for the next six months; the Elector Count is likely to choose one of them. You can use this to your advantage. One possibility is to suggest things that align with your personal goals, another is to suggest things you can do easily and have plenty of time left over to spend elsewhere. However, if there's a pressing concern the Elector Count has that is not covered by what you put forward, he may 'write in' your orders, and cause a relationship hit due to losing respect for your abilities. Votes for this will be in plan format - the more options you give the Elector Count, the greater chance he'll pick one, but the less you can steer his instructions.
[] The Stirlandian League is a cancer eating at Stirland's economy, and it must be destroyed.
[] The Stirlandian League is a gold mine of information, and it must be yours.
[] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, he must be found.
[] There is a risk of enemy agents infiltrating the castle staff - they must be watched.
[] The castle staff can be a great source of information and first line of defence - they should report to you.
[] There was an incident with a... something. You killed it, but there may be more. The castle should be searched from top to bottom.
[] A dozen centuries of tax ledgers and records don't just vanish. They need to be found.
[] Seriously what is up with the East Wing.
[] If I had proper facilities, I could do better work. Please fund me moving out of my terrible, musty guest room.
[] I need a proper information network. Please fund me wandering around making friends.
[] Other (write in)
Last edited:
- Location
- Norway
Not a plan yet, just thinking briefly about options:
-[] There was an incident with a... something. You killed it, but there may be more. The castle should be searched from top to bottom.
-[] A dozen centuries of tax ledgers and records don't just vanish. They need to be found.
These two look good. The Witch Hunter Count will probably approve of monster hunting, tax ledgers are Important, and both things have plausible benefits for us too.
-[] Stirlandian League
No firm opinion yet. Should be in the report though.
-[] East Wing
It'll have to be done eventually, but it seems a low priority. Leave off for now?
-[] There is a risk of enemy agents infiltrating the castle staff - they must be watched.
-[] The castle staff can be a great source of information and first line of defence - they should report to you.
Seems like overactive micromanaging to me - we can use our own connections to both talk to the staff and check on them without it being a Count Action.
-[] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, he must be found.
Less important than the tax ledger right now. Both because the ledgers are necessary to run the province NOW while we have replaced predecessor, also ledgers get our boss money which means we get money.
And since people liked the AU, I will see about doing more "shadow turns" for the Count.
-[] There was an incident with a... something. You killed it, but there may be more. The castle should be searched from top to bottom.
-[] A dozen centuries of tax ledgers and records don't just vanish. They need to be found.
These two look good. The Witch Hunter Count will probably approve of monster hunting, tax ledgers are Important, and both things have plausible benefits for us too.
-[] Stirlandian League
No firm opinion yet. Should be in the report though.
-[] East Wing
It'll have to be done eventually, but it seems a low priority. Leave off for now?
-[] There is a risk of enemy agents infiltrating the castle staff - they must be watched.
-[] The castle staff can be a great source of information and first line of defence - they should report to you.
Seems like overactive micromanaging to me - we can use our own connections to both talk to the staff and check on them without it being a Count Action.
-[] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, he must be found.
Less important than the tax ledger right now. Both because the ledgers are necessary to run the province NOW while we have replaced predecessor, also ledgers get our boss money which means we get money.
And since people liked the AU, I will see about doing more "shadow turns" for the Count.
Ok most of those options are important the question is which parts are vital.
Things that seem to be absolutely critical:
-Ensure the nobels don't find out about our tax issues.
--This means we really need to figure out what happened to those ledgers without making the nobels suspicious.
-There are far to many things in the castle we don't know about, it needs to searched including the east wing.
-We also need to figure out what happened to our predecessor.
-In order to do any of this we need people and facilities.
--The facilities don't need to be much we honestly just need a decent office and document storage room at this point.
--In terms of people we should probably start by recruiting some castle staff members and then see if we can't find a few people in town willing to report to us.
--It's probably also worth starting some correspondance with a few of the local merchants and nobles under some pretext just to get an overview of what is going on.
Also at some point we really need to increase our intrigue score.
Things that seem to be absolutely critical:
-Ensure the nobels don't find out about our tax issues.
--This means we really need to figure out what happened to those ledgers without making the nobels suspicious.
-There are far to many things in the castle we don't know about, it needs to searched including the east wing.
-We also need to figure out what happened to our predecessor.
-In order to do any of this we need people and facilities.
--The facilities don't need to be much we honestly just need a decent office and document storage room at this point.
--In terms of people we should probably start by recruiting some castle staff members and then see if we can't find a few people in town willing to report to us.
--It's probably also worth starting some correspondance with a few of the local merchants and nobles under some pretext just to get an overview of what is going on.
Also at some point we really need to increase our intrigue score.
- Location
- Memphis, TN
Wow no one trusts this guy I kind of feel bad for him
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Keep it laconic.
[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, he must be found.
-[X] There is a risk of enemy agents infiltrating the castle staff - they must be watched.
-[X] There was an incident with a... something. You killed it, but there may be more. The castle should be searched from top to bottom.
-[X] A dozen centuries of tax ledgers and records don't just vanish. They need to be found.
Tax records don't just get moved. Either you burn in place or don't bother moving at all. I smell trouble. Given how workers don't want to come here, worth looking into, for obvious reasons we need to bring up our discovery in the basement.... And for good measure, our predecessor probably died a natural death, but still worth looking into.
[X] The disappearance of your predecessor is very concerning, he must be found.
-[X] There is a risk of enemy agents infiltrating the castle staff - they must be watched.
-[X] There was an incident with a... something. You killed it, but there may be more. The castle should be searched from top to bottom.
-[X] A dozen centuries of tax ledgers and records don't just vanish. They need to be found.
Tax records don't just get moved. Either you burn in place or don't bother moving at all. I smell trouble. Given how workers don't want to come here, worth looking into, for obvious reasons we need to bring up our discovery in the basement.... And for good measure, our predecessor probably died a natural death, but still worth looking into.
- Location
- Germany
[X] [Report] Stick with the facts, but highlight that Wilhelmina's work in getting back the former workers and funneling them to you was a big help in your task.
[X] Plan Heretek
[X] Plan Heretek
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- Location
- Memphis, TN
Something we can do next turn is help Herr Schultz with getting the locals to work in the castle with our connections it should be easier
- Location
- Germany
We can start on our own at first.
We know Wurtbad and already had the option to get in contact with people last turn, this time we can take it.
In threads where you are the Elector Count, your advisers give you a selection of things they can spend the next chunk of time doing and you pick one of them. Here, you're deciding which options to give the Elector Count.
If you put the option to recruit a network to the Count and he chooses it, then you get funding to recruit the network and you don't have any other responsibilities to distract you - but it does mean that other things, important things, aren't being done.
If you put the option to recruit a network to the Count and he chooses it, then you get funding to recruit the network and you don't have any other responsibilities to distract you - but it does mean that other things, important things, aren't being done.
Correct. You've got six actions per turn, and it's up to you how you're going to balance that responsibility with your own development and motivations. As long as you make enough progress to satisfy the Count, he won't even ask how much time you spent doing it or what you were doing the rest of the time.