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First, if you think adulthood starts at age 20 for kids in the empire, you are very wrong. Wilhelmina called Eike an adult around 13. For Mandred, it's likely around 16 or so for him to be ready to make political decisions, which means the important teaching probably starts around 10. Also, yes, it is a long term payout, but the absolute biggest one we can have, ignoring the part where Ranald owes us.

"She's ten, she's supposed to be an adult now, but she's nowhere near where she should be. Her tutors say she's getting there, but I half-suspect they're just saying that so I don't fire them. She seemed so bright when I adopted her."
Sort of. 30 is the age where a Dwarf is deemed to have completed their basic education and is ready to join a Guild. The closest Empire equivalent would be the Quickening at age 10, where a child is considered ready to become an Apprentice, enter the Priesthood, or join the military. Neither is exactly equivalent to what we would consider 'adulthood'.
She was 10. And while that's technically true, there's a difference between 'ready to start learning for your job' and 'ready to start ruling an Empire.'
 
She was 10. And while that's technically true, there's a difference between 'ready to start learning for your job' and 'ready to start ruling an Empire.'
Oh, sure, but when the other poster said he'd only have political influence at 20, when apparently it's ten when he gets his training wheels, I had a problem.
 
This isn't Heidi twisting the Articles as the next Dieter (a comparison you made), this is the articles working explicitly as intended.

That is not the angle to attack I was using though. My point was that even if the emperor goes beyond simply gaining advantage over the ECs and genuinely putting his own dynasty's interests before the Empire's we would not simply have the recourse of shouting 'article one' and leaving. The Colleges could not do that with Dieter, we sure as hell would not get to do it because some aid to Talbacland is mysteriously held up a crucial two weeks to give and example.
 
That is not the angle to attack I was using though. My point was that even if the emperor goes beyond simply gaining advantage over the ECs and genuinely putting his own dynasty's interests before the Empire's we would not simply have the recourse of shouting 'article one' and leaving. The Colleges could not do that with Dieter, we sure as hell would not get to do it because some aid to Talbacland is mysteriously held up a crucial two weeks to give and example.

The Colleges used Article One to assassinate the sitting empress a while back.
 
Alright. Got 3 questions about it:
1) what would be the fun/interesting part of it?
2) what do we have working for us as parent/tutor figure?
3) what do we have working for us as a parent/tutor figure that Mandred isn't likely to get from some other tutor/significant person?
1) Watching Mathilde interact with the kid, help raise him and teach him about the world? Seeing the imperial politics from close up? Lot of adventures in different parts of the empire dealing with their problems? More interactions with colleges due to proximity? Being able to be smug at courtiers who have to work to get the empresses ear while we basicly come and go as we please? (yeah, that last one is kinda petty)
2) I do not understand the question.
3) Ranaldian Lady Magister who is The Expert on dwarf relations (kinda important for the future emperor), also an expert on fighting Skaven, Orcs, and Necromancers (all problems he will likely have to deal with). What's not to love?
 
Wissenland's situation with the Skaven is a lot more precarious than any Dwarfhold, and Sylvania is a lot more time-critical at this moment than basically any remaining issues in the Karaz Ankor.
I will direct attention again to the fact that the Karaz Ankor is gearing up to take a run at Mount Silverspear with or without Mathilde, and literally every non-Mathilde attempt at reclaiming a Hold has been a disastrous failure. And while Mathilde is notably qualified for helping with the Empire problems you mentioned, they absolutely do have a number of other people with similar skillsets even if they're less advanced. Whereas the Karaz Ankor's set of candidates who have skill at coming up with unorthodox, untraditional solutions and a track record of reclaiming Holds is... Mathilde. And technically maybe Gotri? But otherwise it's basically literally just Mathilde.
DragonParadox pointing out right back that it would be hard to playact a vampire countess convincingly for years without doing something that dirties your hands.
I will note that this makes some assumptions about local variables that can't be substantiated. Notably, it assumes that she was being observed closely enough for her personal habits and activities to be tracked. It would be difficult to ethically fake her status under observation, but a vampire being protective of their personal territory even against """allies""" and a Lahmian being exceptionally skilled at wiping out spies and infiltrators wouldn't be at all out of character. I mean, if she was really being observed all THAT closely... well, IIRC vampires have senses so keen that they can hear heartbeats, and the fact that she has one might have been just a bit of a tell.
 
That is not the angle to attack I was using though. My point was that even if the emperor goes beyond simply gaining advantage over the ECs and genuinely putting his own dynasty's interests before the Empire's we would not simply have the recourse of shouting 'article one' and leaving. The Colleges could not do that with Dieter, we sure as hell would not get to do it because some aid to Talbacland is mysteriously held up a crucial two weeks to give and example.
Could you give an example of what you mean? I'm struggling to think of a reasonable any scenario where the Emperor tells us to do something obviously "beyond the pale" that everyone will hate us for, which is simultaneously not countermanded by Article 1's placement of "The Empire" above "The Emperor".

(I'm not going to argue about you coming up with more ways to gnaw at this bone, since I've brought it up once and I'm not actually Boney.)
 
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I will direct attention again to the fact that the Karaz Ankor is gearing up to take a run at Mount Silverspear with or without Mathilde, and literally every non-Mathilde attempt at reclaiming a Hold has been a disastrous failure. And while Mathilde is notably qualified for helping with the Empire problems you mentioned, they absolutely do have a number of other people with similar skillsets even if they're less advanced. Whereas the Karaz Ankor's set of candidates who have skill at coming up with unorthodox, untraditional solutions and a track record of reclaiming Holds is... Mathilde. And technically maybe Gotri? But otherwise it's basically literally just Mathilde.
There is no one in the empire as good as Mathilde in dealing with Skaven.
 
The colleges didn't use article 1 to assassinate the Empress. They quietly killed her without anyone knowing, avoiding a public mess and a public precedent. They probably used Article 1 internally, but that's about it.
 
I will direct attention again to the fact that the Karaz Ankor is gearing up to take a run at Mount Silverspear with or without Mathilde, and literally every non-Mathilde attempt at reclaiming a Hold has been a disastrous failure.

Mount Silverspear will be a disastrous failure with or without Mathilde. There's no easy trick to bring them back like with Vlag, there's no other convenient nearby enemies to play them off of, and the seat of the Lahmians power is just about the single worst place for Mathilde to try her usual sneaky shenanigans.
 
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