Not to get too much into the mechanics of it all, but it doesn't take too much climbing of biology's tech tree to know what substance you need to put in which orifice. Going through the motions of the traditional application process is optional.
I know that Mathilde and the vast majority of educated folk in the Empire would understand the technical idea behind it. And that plenty of folk probably use it during animal breeding. I was more asking about how much Mathilde and the people around her would find it normal, acceptable, or even thinkable. Also, if one wants to do it the non-traditional method it isn't actually all that simple. One has to get the substance fresh or prepare, store and re-prepare it appropriately. One has to insert it correctly so that it reaches its proper destination. One has to do things to increase the likelihood of successful fertilization so that one doesn't have to go through this whole process quite as often. And one has to be aware of the normal failure rate so that one doesn't immediately think that things are being done incorrectly.
I mean, yes, Mathilde has a high Learning stat and an extensive collection of books both on humanoid anatomy and on canines (which definitely includes breeding), but has she, for instance, ever even read about how one would go about "procuring" the necessary substance from a male human outside of maybe her most raunchy Imperial, Bretonnian and Druchii romance novels (and I don't even want to imagine what the last category says on the subject)?
So yes, if Mathilde wanted to have a child with Panoramia, all that would be involved is asking her about the how and not running out of the room. But when it comes to Mathilde doing it on her own without girding herself,studying up in more obscure texts and maybe even some highly embarrassing practical research, I am quite skeptical. At least if there aren't any setting or lore reasons for this kind of information to be more widely disseminated (no pun intended) than expected.
Mathilde is not something of a Skaven expert, we are likely The Skaven expert for the empire, we cracked their language we have insight from both an insider, a long term war against them and commanding forces against them, someone else might be able to help, but again, when it comes to a major empire city i think sending the best person available is the way to go.
There's probably quite a few people who have more knowledge and insight than us when it comes to the actions Skaven tend to take in the Empire and the ways they tend to use to contact and corrupt Empire citizen. In the Karaz Ankor the Skaven do no more than attack, raid, sabotage, scout and surveil. Among each other they can act to the full extent allowed by Skaven amoral society. Non-violent Skaven/Human interaction is something Mathilde only knows what she read in her extensive and esoteric Imperial and extensive Bretonnian book collection.
What?
I think 'Waystone' is so strong because its something we have wanted to do for a long time.
But I'm not confident that is going to be super dynamic as the main job like most of the other jobs.
e.g
Vampires Are Invading!
Skaven has been spotted in the pantry!
the lizardman are probing are defences.
Border princes... just the border princes politics, they shift like the sand.
etc, etc,
I think I'm going back to my old argument: the quest is best when there is an opponent (or six) rolling their own actions in the background.
I'm not Seeing how the waystone project will have any of that, A bit of keeping the runesmiths and elf mages from skinning each other, but not an enemy trying to beat you to the punch or sabotage you...
maybe Beastmen? fucking up waystones is as much their things as setting up hordstones.
First thing I thought of is that we'd have to go first on an information finding mission to find out what the Jade College wants as much as the Gold College wanted that Skaven tech, then on a quest to procure said thing for them in exchange for full disclosure on their Waystone lore. Then there's mapping out Waystones throughout the Empire and maybe at some point learning how to reactivate disabled ones. But yeah, I get where you're coming from.
