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I've made my thoughts clear half a dozen times in thread, and I'm afraid it's getting tiresome. Sand similar to that from the equator does not equal Nehekharan gods. It equals lack of magical energy, because the equator is furthest from the Polar Gates.
Not caught up with the thread yet, but the Hinterlands of Khuresh are at about the same latitude, and those are forest. Not to mention the New World. Lack of Winds does not necessarily equal desert.
 
I apologize @Redshirt Army
It just feels like I keep getting ignored and it keeps happening again and again. I will probably take a break.


The update literally says that the beastmen bones indicate they were always beastmen, and not transformed.
Actually, it says they were born as Beastmen. I imagine that if the population issue disappeared as Beastmen those who were born as Beastmen would significantly outnumber those turned into them.
 
I think our best option is to go home and continue our research instead of risking our lives for nothing but curiosity.

Better we live to get what info we have back to the Karaz Ankor, then to die trying to get a few more tidbits.
I like to live on the edge, sorry friend.


It doesn't really seem like it does much useful, if the beastmen are normal beastmen it wouldn't change their behavior, if they aren't would the attack us in the first place?

The fact that Borek returning to them didn't get them to communicate makes me think it's unlikely killing some randos will.
Borek thinks that we'll never forgive them for the sin they've committed, and probably assumes we're hostile. I assume the Kharak at large feels the same way. This is the most effective way for us to firmly demonstrate that we're seriously looking to hear them out. Words are cheap, shed blood isn't, as far as Dwarfen gestures go.
 
I like to live on the edge, sorry friend.



Borek thinks that we'll never forgive them for the sin they've committed, and probably assumes we're hostile. I assume the Kharak at large feels the same way. This is the most effective way for us to firmly demonstrate that we're seriously looking to hear them out. Words are cheap, shed blood isn't, as far as Dwarfen gestures go.

It's not the risk taking, its the fact that we have no idea if it's even worth taking the risk.

Tis bad to gamble when you don't know if there's even a prize for winning.
 
"This one's definitely Beastman," Esbern says, running his fingers over the curved horns attached to misshapen skull. "Look at the growth rings. This wasn't a sudden mutation, this was something they were born with that grew over decades."

"Teethmarks," says Seija from the one she was inspecting. "But not as many as usual for a Beastman feast. They filled their stomach and left the rest where it stood. That's how they act on a raid when they're wary of counterattack."
Max reels in the long length of rope, his eyes on the half-apple attached to the end of it. "This has to be the least precise experiment I've ever done."

"We don't need to know a ratio, we're just testing for temporal abnormalities," you reassure him. "I'm mostly sure it was just heat haze, but mostly sure is a good way to get killed."

Max finishes the reeling, and compares the two halves. One's clearly more shrivelled than the other, but no more browned. "Well, it's definitely hotter in there," he says, "but there doesn't appear to be any time difference."
Is the former meant to be after the latter? They would have had to reached at least an arm into the desert where all the bones are to grab a Beastman skull which seems unsafe if they don't know whether that arm will die of old age before they manage to take it out.
 
Mathilde doesn't know the elemental composition of air. Atomic theory's still a ways away.
"The Elemental composition of air? Well, yes, naturally it's frequently Elemental Azyr- especially at altitude- although air can of course instead be infused with Ulgu at ground levels or dawn. I believe there are some more esoteric theories of Mystical Azyr Air within the Celestial College."
O rite. Yes, we should probably avoid melting Max into an abomination. I suspect he wouldn't enjoy that.
And our academic output would drop with the loss of penmanship in our other Familiar.

The posts are coming pretty fast, but the QM already confirmed it doesn't look the same as when runes activate: Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest Fantasy
As others have suggested, it could be 'leaky' Runes from RuneMasterFlip Tinkering. Changing what the Runes do, even by putting on aftermarket modifications, would get severe frowns from other RuneLords.
Now THAT's a big hint. In other words, the places furthest from the Polar Gates and Chaotic energies, around the equator!
I'm not sure the link is that direct, as I suspect it's not a transmutation happening here- it's a translocation:
With a tiny fizzle of Divine energy, a tiny piece of rock disappears from the lip of the crater, replaced by a few grains of sand that tumble down to join the rest of the desert.
But it might be symbolic, as a place Chaos Energy can be drained off to, as the equator doesn't contain much.
Actually, real-talk-if those trees were around since the Chaos War or whatever that cut these Dwarves off, would that be right for their apparent age?
So if the trees are as Boney replied more than ~190 years old, it's either
-Accelerated Growth (time fuckery or Ghyran), or
-The trees are not from around here.

So we may be observing not one, but two translocation effects. Bringing in, or perhaps superimposing a copy of, an Empire-style Forest and a Dark Lands or equatorial desert.
Desert expansion as part of some KickFlip Anti-Chaos Externalisation of Valaya Rune effect.
Empire Forest because of the Herdstone Effect. It's not filling the crater, because it started later? Dunno.


(Which theory makes me wonder if somewhere else there's an expanding several-mile-wide patch of Chaos Wastes. I sure hope not.)
 
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@BoneyM
Do we have any idea of the scale needed to trigger the Protector? Could we slit some would-be attacking Kurgan's throat and it would propagate, or is it a case of your oldest catchphrase?
 
I think the connections to Nekehara ignores the bit where land is being transmuted into an equivalent not only of the deserts of the southern Dark Lands but also the Northern Empire. This makes it seem likely that the terrain changes are deliberately being done as a delibaerate strategic choice of specific places on the planet. How remains the question.
 
It just feels like I keep getting ignored and it keeps happening again and again. I will probably take a break
The problem as I see it is your theory has two critical flaws, which make it hard to engage with beyond that.

They were born beastmen, and are not transformed dwarves, and the area has anything but a lack of magic - it's completely soaked in it. Just, somehow, very little dhar compared to what would be expected.
 
Borek thinks that we'll never forgive them for the sin they've committed, and probably assumes we're hostile. I assume the Kharak at large feels the same way. This is the most effective way for us to firmly demonstrate that we're seriously looking to hear them out. Words are cheap, shed blood isn't, as far as Dwarfen gestures go.

If they're only willing to talk to us after we've had a few more of us die for them then they're not worth talking to.

That fact that we're still sticking around is a pretty major risk in its own right, considering the danger. The fact that got no response makes me think fighting some kurgan isn't likely to do much either.
 
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Again, counting on the Protector makes it very awkward to explain the plan to everyone else.

Unless you're planning on telling them about the Coin (which is a terrible idea on many levels) the plan comes off as 'kill some of their enemies and hope they're grateful and hope that translates into answers', which is extremely flimsy ground considering the likely cost in lives.
 
Oh, one more thing - @BoneyM Ljiljana could tell that the unholy grail wasn't in the Karak, but could she tell if it was with either of the Kurgen encampments?

No, and presumably she'd say if it was that close.

Is the former meant to be after the latter? They would have had to reached at least an arm into the desert where all the bones are to grab a Beastman skull which seems unsafe if they don't know whether that arm will die of old age before they manage to take it out.

They were testing a good distance in and for a prolonged period. Stepping in to grab the first set of bones was considered probably fine because if there was anything super dramatic going on, it would have happened to Borek.

@BoneyM
Do we have any idea of the scale needed to trigger the Protector? Could we slit some would-be attacking Kurgan's throat and it would propagate, or is it a case of your oldest catchphrase?

In theory anything would work, but the effect would scale with the amount.
 
The problem as I see it is your theory has two critical flaws, which make it hard to engage with beyond that.

They were born beastmen, and are not transformed dwarves, and the area has anything but a lack of magic - it's completely soaked in it. Just, somehow, very little dhar compared to what would be expected.
You're disregarding the uniqueness of the situation which flies in the face of literally everything and the fact that Beastmen can give birth to more Beastmen. The latter of which I state in that same post.
 
[X] Approach the Kul camp peacefully and attempt to discuss the Karak with them
[X] Approach the Kvellige camp peacefully and attempt to discuss the Karak with them
[ ] Fortify here and see if anything interesting happens over the next day
 
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Speaking of, did we ask one of the dwarves about his name? IIRC you said we would but I have a feeling my memory is wrong.

None of them had any useful insight to give.

I could have sworn that the golds had created something like the periodic table at some point....

They've created a lot of charts, and there's no reason that Mathilde would go for the one that turns out to be true rather than ending up with phlogiston or orgone or the humours or something.
 
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[X] Approach the Kul camp peacefully and attempt to discuss the Karak with them
[X] Approach the Kvellige camp peacefully and attempt to discuss the Karak with them
[X] Attempt to approach Morghur to see if he can be communicated with
[X] Attempt to infiltrate the Karak with magic
[x] Attempt to infiltrate the Karak without magic
 
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