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That's literally Mathilde's thoughts while having a conversation with Cadaeth.
Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest
- Thread starter Boney
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- warhammer warhammer fantasy fantasy be gay do crimes (gay) female protagonist pansexual protagonist ck2 quest divided loyalties mountain vietnam ranald is real this is a dwarf quest (dwarfs) this is maybe an elf quest this is not a vampire quest this is not an empire quest try it and find out open voting
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pucflek
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Its never mentioned by name, but Sisters of Thorns certainly can manage this, being essentially the stereotypical "deal with the devil". That is Asrai however, who are, as Redshirt said, full goddamn unseelie court, and why i absolutely do not want to go to Carcassone.
Planning the Waystone Project, Part 3
Carcassonne is a Bretonnian state with an unusual reputation. For one, its position abutting the greenskin-infested Irrana Mountains and the rough, hilly terrain means its society is heavily militarized, but that does not seem to have infected its spirit and turned the people hard and joyless. Instead they take pride in being the bulwark for their more tranquil northern neighbours, and enjoy a close relationship with the neighbouring and famously beautiful duchy of Brionne. Secondly is a reputation that takes you some time to finagle out of Soizic: that they are quite relentlessly practical, and quite adept at finding ways around chivalry's more troublesome requirements without outright breaching them. This is best embodied in the traditions of Carcassone's shepherds. Chivalry states that peasants cannot be trusted to fight independently, but nobody can deny that shepherds need to be able to protect their flock from predators, and there's no harm in giving the peasants the training and equipment to do so effectively. As such the history of the duchy is littered with examples of shepherds banding together to fend off Orcish warbands without Knightly instruction. A step further than this is their use of mercenaries, which is of course very unchivalrous. But chivalry has nothing to say on the topic of hiring foreigners as shepherds, or on happening to lose a bag of gold while hiring them, or on having large bands of hired shepherds guard a single sheep that just happens to be in the path of a Waaagh.
This is enough to get you open to the possibility of working with them, especially when combined with their recent good relations with Karak Norn and Karak Izor. Apart from a few minor Holds in the northern Grey Mountains, Bretonnia doesn't really border any Dwarfholds, but you suppose this would mean they maintain their view of Dwarves as distant legendary weaponsmiths instead of having to live with the day-to-day of touchy neighbours that still have it written down somewhere that three thousand years ago your ancestors sold them mouldy grain. So you're hopeful that the promise of even better relations with the Dwarves and the runic weapons that might come with that could be bartered for good terms with the Bretonnians. A message is sent through the Empire's diplomatic apparatus, and the eventual response has you travelling further west than you ever have previously, your gyrocopter from Karak Norn cautiously skirting Athel Loren and following the rivers until you finally reach the Duchy's unimaginatively-named capital of Castle Carcassonne. It's a shockingly large castle that takes up the entirety of a large island in the River Songez, with a shockingly small town clustered along the river bank. Near the center of the castle a single slender tower of pure white rises from the grey stone: the Tower of the Enchantress, one of the homes of the Fay Enchantress, the seemingly immortal manifestation of the Lady's will. Her word is paramount in Bretonnia, taking precedence over the authority of any Duke or King, and at her decree armies have ridden and Kings have been banished.
To the stares of a gathering crowd you touch down in the jousting lists inside the walls, and you badger onlookers until you find one that speaks Reikspiel and send them off to let the Duke know that his appointment has arrived. Before long you're led into the heart of the castle through drab and utilitarian rooms lined with trophies and weapons until you reach the cabinet of Duke Huebald d'Carcassonne, a small, wiry, and dour-looking young man in a simple tabard flanked by a tall, plump, and pretty young woman in a red and blue dress. Both seem to be studiously ignoring you, which you begin to frown at until a steward sidles up to you. "What is the preferred address for madam?" he asks in a stage whisper.
"Lady Magister Weber will be fine," you reply.
"Lady Magister Weber," Duke Huebald says in greeting, only now seeming to notice you. "I am Duke Huebald d'Carcassonne of Carcassonne, and this is my wife, Duchess Schermilde, who will translate for me," he says in heavily accented but still intelligible Bretonnian. The Bretonni came into the Reik basin with the tribes that eventually gave rise to the Empire, and their language has not yet drifted so far as to be unintelligible to you - at least, not among the upper classes. The accent and variations become stronger as you go further down in social class, with the peasantry completely omitting the past tense from their speech and using future tense in its place for reasons you cannot begin to fathom.
"A pleasure," Duchess Schermilde says with a curtsy, making no attempt to translate.
"Likewise," you reply.
The Duke gestures, and the steward and the man who led you here depart from the room. "You have a plan," he says leadingly.
"The Grey College of the Empire, the Eonir of Laurelorn, and the Dwarves of Karak Eight Peaks seek to enter into a research project together to investigate the Waystones. There's debate as to where the research should be performed, and some feel it would avoid problems if it is located outside all three. So we look to our allies in the west."
"We've been reading up on these Eonir," Schermilde says. "Fascinating people. Dangerous, of course, but only when provoked."
"Bretonnia does not need monuments to banish evils. But there are many innocents we cannot protect, and Dwarves are good friends to have. We are willing to help."
"Morgiana is too, our upstairs neighbour. She's a busy woman, but she says she's willing to give you a nudge or two in the right direction, and to have one of her helpers join your number."
You raise your eyebrows at that. "A generous offer."
Duke Huebald frowns, and exchanges a look with his wife, who nods. "We shall speak unrelatedly of other matters that we are pressed with, but nonetheless able to overcome with thanks to the Lady, so we need no mystical assistance with," she says. "To demonstrate the truth of our chivalrous nature, and so how worthy partners we would be."
"Iron Orcs," the Duke says. "Like Black Orcs, but with the armour set into their skin, bearing runes of the Dark Gods. They come from the mountains in greater numbers every year." You grimace at that. Though the greenskins almost always stay true to their native Gods of Gork and Mork, that 'almost' covers more than enough nasty examples to give any ruler cause for concern, and motivation to seek esoteric answers - even if their societal rules prevent them from saying so outright.
"You'll find few places as secure as Castle Carcassonne," Schermilde says, "and we do have some of these stones your letter described in the area, I visited one myself to confirm. And don't worry about supplies - by river we are joined to Quenelles and Brionne, and from Brionne by sea to the world. Though little is made here, anything can be brought here. Morgiana certainly imports plenty of equipment for her experiments."
You nod. The Bretonnian navy does not consider itself bound by the Lady's prohibition against gunpowder, and as such their Galleons possess a formidable cannon broadside that is more than able to secure the Bretonnian coastline. "There is the question of status. I understand that Bretonnia has different ideas to the Empire about who can hold power..."
"Most know better than to gainsay any magic-wielding women," Schermilde says with a smile. "And besides, you are a Knight of your Realm. Anyone that would not respect either of those is a cur that deserves whatever punishment you deem fitting." The Duke nods firmly. "Oh, and there is another thing. Morgiana said, what was it... 'your friend can visit with you as long as he makes no plans to stay'. Something about a colleague of yours, I suppose?"
"I understand what she means," you say with a nod. You'd heard that Ranald is outright proscribed in Bretonnia, but you didn't have any plans to broadcast your faith of Him so didn't think it would cause problems. But it is nice to have that outright confirmed. "Thank you for meeting with me. I'll let you know as soon as I can where the project will be based out of. Even if it's not in Bretonnia, if it bears fruit we'll do our best to spread the benefits as widely as possible."
"Good intentions have a way of fading with distance," Schermilde replies, her smile a little strained. "Do think it over."
---
Getting in touch with Kislev seemed like it would be surprisingly easy: Kazrik spoke to Karak Kadrin who spoke directly to Kislev, since they've been working closely with them to try to reintegrate the newly-returned Karak Vlag. But after enough time had elapsed for you to get miffed, you sent word directly to the Ice Witches through Lord Magister Krammovitch's unofficial channels to see what was going on, and only then did you get a response through the official Dwarven ones. Slightly mollified, you make your way through the Gyrocarriage relay up the mountains towards Kislev City and your appointment in the Bokha Palace. At your arrival, a steward comes running to greet you and guide you through the long and winding path through the crumbling marble of the ancient palace. The layout is greatly confusing, partly because of the countless times it has been rebuilt and expanded over the years but mostly because the Ice Witches are always quite insistent on marrying into the Tzar's family, and every few generations this produces a throwback to the Khan-Queen that raises a new wing to the palace from ice that inevitably melts after her death. Impractical, perhaps, but it's the sort of thing that definitely leaves an impression.
You're finally led into what you're told is the West Hall, an oak-panelled room with an enormous roaring fire dominating one wall and the others dotted with innumerable candles, battle flags, shields, and weapons. In the center of the room a very large young man with a very impressive moustache is sparring with a member of the Kreml Guard, saber clashing against axe as the guard is pushed back by an onslaught of blows that begin to wind down as the combatants notice your entry.
"Dobry. Do widzenia, Kovnik," the young man says, before turning to you. "Atamanka Ved'ma Weber, yha?" The steward nods, and withdraws from the room along with the Kreml Guard at a jerk of the man's head. "Tsarevich Boris Bokha. My father left this matter to me, as it does not involve killing or eating. My friends who are your friends say it is important, and they would know. You have rocks that push back the Dewastacja?"
"Yes. When they work properly, they form channels that would allow it to flow away to where it will not bother anybody."
"Where is that place that it flows to?" he asks, his eyes narrowing.
"Ulthuan. They have a magical vortex there that dumps it back into where it came from."
He laughs. "Better answer than I expect. The sea-elves are annoying, but they know what they are doing. They still tell stories of Yrtle's final battle." Boris grabs a pair of chairs and drags them over to the fire with a grinding of wood on wood. "Sit. Talk. Tell me of this."
You take a seat and marshal your thoughts. "Long ago, when magic first came to the world, there was so much of it that Daemons could walk freely. The Elves created the Great Vortex to drain most of it away, and built Waystones throughout the Old World and beyond to channel magic towards the Vortex."
Boris nods. "Yha, there is one below the dungeons, glows white during blizzards. Always wondered what it was for."
"But that was many years ago. They built them with the help of the Dwarves, who later became their enemy. Now nobody knows how to build them, and Cultists and Necromancers and Vampires seek to deactivate or destroy them, so there are always less. But there are Elves who are not of Ulthuan called the Eonir, and they are willing to work with the Dwarves of Karak Eight Peaks to try to understand them once more. So we can reactivate the ones that are dormant, and protect those that remain. Maybe even to build new ones."
"And now everyone wants to be in charge, yha?"
"Something like that."
"And everyone comes running with promises. Well, here is Kislev's promise. You say there might be ways to push back Dewastacja? Restore Praag? Push back Troll Country? I say: to make this happen, all of Kislev will move mountains. You need gold? Kislev has gold. You need Ice Witch? They want make friends with me after father ignores them, they want me to take Ice Witch wife, I can make them cooperate. The Hag Witches? The kossars know they are mine, you can have Hag Witches. Ursun knows me, His priests will cooperate. If Elves in Erengrad want to stay in Erengrad, they must help. There is nothing I would not make happen if it means more Kislev and less Za. Do you understand?" You nod. "Good. I have gone to the returned Dwarves, spoken to them of you. You tore them from the grip of the Za after all had given up on them. After they had given up on them. Do the same for Kislev, and there would be no reward too great."
---
You try to put your reeling thoughts back in order as you make your way back out of the palace. Rather a forceful personality on the Tsarevich, and he seems to have gotten a perhaps oversized idea of what the project might accomplish. You put a hand to your neck and feel the cord that Ranald's Coin dangles from, and sigh. The worst part is, you'd gotten exactly what you'd hoped for: full credit for the rescue of a Dwarfhold. You'd just hadn't really expected how dramatic that rescue ended up being, and now people have a great deal of expectations for you that you may not be able to live up to. But whatever trouble those expectations might bring you at some nebulous point in the future, right now they're opening doors. Laurelorn is waving a truly ancient library under your nose, Carcassonne will give full cooperation and a free hand as well as the input of the Fay Enchantress and her hand-picked representative, and Kislev will do just about anything in the hopes that it could lead to an encore of Karak Vlag, including browbeating their local magical traditions and possibly even the Elves into cooperation.
Are these temptations worth the weight of expectations and the added complication of having to operate under their authority? Or would it be best to remain in the familiar territory of the Colleges or the Karak, under superiors with a much clearer view of the possibilities, who you're already practiced in managing? You're not entirely sure, and you may never be entirely sure, but you have to make the decision anyway.
Who will Mathilde found the Waystone Project under the authority of?
[ ] The Grey College
[ ] Karak Eight Peaks
[ ] Laurelorn
[ ] Carcassonne
[ ] Kislev
- There will be a 24-hour moratorium.
- The winner of this vote will not only determine the setting of the next arc of the quest, it will also determine my new forum avatar.
- Wherever it is set, Mathilde will be able to maintain her home and relationships in Karak Eight Peaks. Gyrocarriages are wonderful things.
- I won't do a 'canonical' list of benefits and detriments for each option, because it would be based on Mathilde's best guesses but would be treated as WoQM. I encourage the thread to build one (or several) of its own; if any complete misunderstandings take hold I'll step in to dispel them.
This is enough to get you open to the possibility of working with them, especially when combined with their recent good relations with Karak Norn and Karak Izor. Apart from a few minor Holds in the northern Grey Mountains, Bretonnia doesn't really border any Dwarfholds, but you suppose this would mean they maintain their view of Dwarves as distant legendary weaponsmiths instead of having to live with the day-to-day of touchy neighbours that still have it written down somewhere that three thousand years ago your ancestors sold them mouldy grain. So you're hopeful that the promise of even better relations with the Dwarves and the runic weapons that might come with that could be bartered for good terms with the Bretonnians. A message is sent through the Empire's diplomatic apparatus, and the eventual response has you travelling further west than you ever have previously, your gyrocopter from Karak Norn cautiously skirting Athel Loren and following the rivers until you finally reach the Duchy's unimaginatively-named capital of Castle Carcassonne. It's a shockingly large castle that takes up the entirety of a large island in the River Songez, with a shockingly small town clustered along the river bank. Near the center of the castle a single slender tower of pure white rises from the grey stone: the Tower of the Enchantress, one of the homes of the Fay Enchantress, the seemingly immortal manifestation of the Lady's will. Her word is paramount in Bretonnia, taking precedence over the authority of any Duke or King, and at her decree armies have ridden and Kings have been banished.
To the stares of a gathering crowd you touch down in the jousting lists inside the walls, and you badger onlookers until you find one that speaks Reikspiel and send them off to let the Duke know that his appointment has arrived. Before long you're led into the heart of the castle through drab and utilitarian rooms lined with trophies and weapons until you reach the cabinet of Duke Huebald d'Carcassonne, a small, wiry, and dour-looking young man in a simple tabard flanked by a tall, plump, and pretty young woman in a red and blue dress. Both seem to be studiously ignoring you, which you begin to frown at until a steward sidles up to you. "What is the preferred address for madam?" he asks in a stage whisper.
"Lady Magister Weber will be fine," you reply.
"Lady Magister Weber," Duke Huebald says in greeting, only now seeming to notice you. "I am Duke Huebald d'Carcassonne of Carcassonne, and this is my wife, Duchess Schermilde, who will translate for me," he says in heavily accented but still intelligible Bretonnian. The Bretonni came into the Reik basin with the tribes that eventually gave rise to the Empire, and their language has not yet drifted so far as to be unintelligible to you - at least, not among the upper classes. The accent and variations become stronger as you go further down in social class, with the peasantry completely omitting the past tense from their speech and using future tense in its place for reasons you cannot begin to fathom.
"A pleasure," Duchess Schermilde says with a curtsy, making no attempt to translate.
"Likewise," you reply.
The Duke gestures, and the steward and the man who led you here depart from the room. "You have a plan," he says leadingly.
"The Grey College of the Empire, the Eonir of Laurelorn, and the Dwarves of Karak Eight Peaks seek to enter into a research project together to investigate the Waystones. There's debate as to where the research should be performed, and some feel it would avoid problems if it is located outside all three. So we look to our allies in the west."
"We've been reading up on these Eonir," Schermilde says. "Fascinating people. Dangerous, of course, but only when provoked."
"Bretonnia does not need monuments to banish evils. But there are many innocents we cannot protect, and Dwarves are good friends to have. We are willing to help."
"Morgiana is too, our upstairs neighbour. She's a busy woman, but she says she's willing to give you a nudge or two in the right direction, and to have one of her helpers join your number."
You raise your eyebrows at that. "A generous offer."
Duke Huebald frowns, and exchanges a look with his wife, who nods. "We shall speak unrelatedly of other matters that we are pressed with, but nonetheless able to overcome with thanks to the Lady, so we need no mystical assistance with," she says. "To demonstrate the truth of our chivalrous nature, and so how worthy partners we would be."
"Iron Orcs," the Duke says. "Like Black Orcs, but with the armour set into their skin, bearing runes of the Dark Gods. They come from the mountains in greater numbers every year." You grimace at that. Though the greenskins almost always stay true to their native Gods of Gork and Mork, that 'almost' covers more than enough nasty examples to give any ruler cause for concern, and motivation to seek esoteric answers - even if their societal rules prevent them from saying so outright.
"You'll find few places as secure as Castle Carcassonne," Schermilde says, "and we do have some of these stones your letter described in the area, I visited one myself to confirm. And don't worry about supplies - by river we are joined to Quenelles and Brionne, and from Brionne by sea to the world. Though little is made here, anything can be brought here. Morgiana certainly imports plenty of equipment for her experiments."
You nod. The Bretonnian navy does not consider itself bound by the Lady's prohibition against gunpowder, and as such their Galleons possess a formidable cannon broadside that is more than able to secure the Bretonnian coastline. "There is the question of status. I understand that Bretonnia has different ideas to the Empire about who can hold power..."
"Most know better than to gainsay any magic-wielding women," Schermilde says with a smile. "And besides, you are a Knight of your Realm. Anyone that would not respect either of those is a cur that deserves whatever punishment you deem fitting." The Duke nods firmly. "Oh, and there is another thing. Morgiana said, what was it... 'your friend can visit with you as long as he makes no plans to stay'. Something about a colleague of yours, I suppose?"
"I understand what she means," you say with a nod. You'd heard that Ranald is outright proscribed in Bretonnia, but you didn't have any plans to broadcast your faith of Him so didn't think it would cause problems. But it is nice to have that outright confirmed. "Thank you for meeting with me. I'll let you know as soon as I can where the project will be based out of. Even if it's not in Bretonnia, if it bears fruit we'll do our best to spread the benefits as widely as possible."
"Good intentions have a way of fading with distance," Schermilde replies, her smile a little strained. "Do think it over."
---
Getting in touch with Kislev seemed like it would be surprisingly easy: Kazrik spoke to Karak Kadrin who spoke directly to Kislev, since they've been working closely with them to try to reintegrate the newly-returned Karak Vlag. But after enough time had elapsed for you to get miffed, you sent word directly to the Ice Witches through Lord Magister Krammovitch's unofficial channels to see what was going on, and only then did you get a response through the official Dwarven ones. Slightly mollified, you make your way through the Gyrocarriage relay up the mountains towards Kislev City and your appointment in the Bokha Palace. At your arrival, a steward comes running to greet you and guide you through the long and winding path through the crumbling marble of the ancient palace. The layout is greatly confusing, partly because of the countless times it has been rebuilt and expanded over the years but mostly because the Ice Witches are always quite insistent on marrying into the Tzar's family, and every few generations this produces a throwback to the Khan-Queen that raises a new wing to the palace from ice that inevitably melts after her death. Impractical, perhaps, but it's the sort of thing that definitely leaves an impression.
You're finally led into what you're told is the West Hall, an oak-panelled room with an enormous roaring fire dominating one wall and the others dotted with innumerable candles, battle flags, shields, and weapons. In the center of the room a very large young man with a very impressive moustache is sparring with a member of the Kreml Guard, saber clashing against axe as the guard is pushed back by an onslaught of blows that begin to wind down as the combatants notice your entry.
"Dobry. Do widzenia, Kovnik," the young man says, before turning to you. "Atamanka Ved'ma Weber, yha?" The steward nods, and withdraws from the room along with the Kreml Guard at a jerk of the man's head. "Tsarevich Boris Bokha. My father left this matter to me, as it does not involve killing or eating. My friends who are your friends say it is important, and they would know. You have rocks that push back the Dewastacja?"
"Yes. When they work properly, they form channels that would allow it to flow away to where it will not bother anybody."
"Where is that place that it flows to?" he asks, his eyes narrowing.
"Ulthuan. They have a magical vortex there that dumps it back into where it came from."
He laughs. "Better answer than I expect. The sea-elves are annoying, but they know what they are doing. They still tell stories of Yrtle's final battle." Boris grabs a pair of chairs and drags them over to the fire with a grinding of wood on wood. "Sit. Talk. Tell me of this."
You take a seat and marshal your thoughts. "Long ago, when magic first came to the world, there was so much of it that Daemons could walk freely. The Elves created the Great Vortex to drain most of it away, and built Waystones throughout the Old World and beyond to channel magic towards the Vortex."
Boris nods. "Yha, there is one below the dungeons, glows white during blizzards. Always wondered what it was for."
"But that was many years ago. They built them with the help of the Dwarves, who later became their enemy. Now nobody knows how to build them, and Cultists and Necromancers and Vampires seek to deactivate or destroy them, so there are always less. But there are Elves who are not of Ulthuan called the Eonir, and they are willing to work with the Dwarves of Karak Eight Peaks to try to understand them once more. So we can reactivate the ones that are dormant, and protect those that remain. Maybe even to build new ones."
"And now everyone wants to be in charge, yha?"
"Something like that."
"And everyone comes running with promises. Well, here is Kislev's promise. You say there might be ways to push back Dewastacja? Restore Praag? Push back Troll Country? I say: to make this happen, all of Kislev will move mountains. You need gold? Kislev has gold. You need Ice Witch? They want make friends with me after father ignores them, they want me to take Ice Witch wife, I can make them cooperate. The Hag Witches? The kossars know they are mine, you can have Hag Witches. Ursun knows me, His priests will cooperate. If Elves in Erengrad want to stay in Erengrad, they must help. There is nothing I would not make happen if it means more Kislev and less Za. Do you understand?" You nod. "Good. I have gone to the returned Dwarves, spoken to them of you. You tore them from the grip of the Za after all had given up on them. After they had given up on them. Do the same for Kislev, and there would be no reward too great."
---
You try to put your reeling thoughts back in order as you make your way back out of the palace. Rather a forceful personality on the Tsarevich, and he seems to have gotten a perhaps oversized idea of what the project might accomplish. You put a hand to your neck and feel the cord that Ranald's Coin dangles from, and sigh. The worst part is, you'd gotten exactly what you'd hoped for: full credit for the rescue of a Dwarfhold. You'd just hadn't really expected how dramatic that rescue ended up being, and now people have a great deal of expectations for you that you may not be able to live up to. But whatever trouble those expectations might bring you at some nebulous point in the future, right now they're opening doors. Laurelorn is waving a truly ancient library under your nose, Carcassonne will give full cooperation and a free hand as well as the input of the Fay Enchantress and her hand-picked representative, and Kislev will do just about anything in the hopes that it could lead to an encore of Karak Vlag, including browbeating their local magical traditions and possibly even the Elves into cooperation.
Are these temptations worth the weight of expectations and the added complication of having to operate under their authority? Or would it be best to remain in the familiar territory of the Colleges or the Karak, under superiors with a much clearer view of the possibilities, who you're already practiced in managing? You're not entirely sure, and you may never be entirely sure, but you have to make the decision anyway.
Who will Mathilde found the Waystone Project under the authority of?
[ ] The Grey College
[ ] Karak Eight Peaks
[ ] Laurelorn
[ ] Carcassonne
[ ] Kislev
- There will be a 24-hour moratorium.
- The winner of this vote will not only determine the setting of the next arc of the quest, it will also determine my new forum avatar.
- Wherever it is set, Mathilde will be able to maintain her home and relationships in Karak Eight Peaks. Gyrocarriages are wonderful things.
- I won't do a 'canonical' list of benefits and detriments for each option, because it would be based on Mathilde's best guesses but would be treated as WoQM. I encourage the thread to build one (or several) of its own; if any complete misunderstandings take hold I'll step in to dispel them.
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- Location
- Austria
It's not racism, it's just that we are comparing them to Belegar who is a) Dwarf, and so just kind of really bad at lying regardless of intent; b) our personal close friend who trusts us more or less implicitly.
Like, any other employer is going to be less trustworthy than him, we've helped him take back his ancestral Hold in a way that'd be impossible without Mathilde, and he is going to just...be loyal to Mathilde in a way almost nobody in the entire world is.
This very much counts in Imperial patrons with their politics, maybe with exception of Algard, purely because he seems extremely personally interested in project.
edit: aaand nevermind, apparently Boris is extremely invested into the idea. Protector Coin keeps paying for itself.
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So to clarify the elven situation, my take is this:
The elves and the Empire have a treaty defining borders between them.
Greedy humans see the literal money trees and begin to illegally colonise elven territory.
The EC of Nordland exerts authority over these illegal human settlements, ignoring the treaty and legitimising the environmental damage they are causing.
The elves, after years? centuries? of abuse, retaliate with armed forces, targeting the colonial settlements and re-establishing their borders.
The elves encounter Middenland and Ulric, and learn of K8P, and decided to end their reconquista in favour of a peaceful collaboration between three different states—elves, dwarfs and humans—in the hopes of not only restoring balance, but actually improving the world. Meanwhile, a splinter sect of Ulric help a bunch of refugees caused by said reconquista escape from both the Elves and Nordland.
In order for this collaboration to happen, they are offering pretty hefty carrots to ensure that all foreign parties fall in line and behave themselves whilst in elven territory. If people do not accept this, then they get neither carrots nor access to their territory, although the project will continue elsewhere with elven assistance.
Have I missed anything?
The elves and the Empire have a treaty defining borders between them.
Greedy humans see the literal money trees and begin to illegally colonise elven territory.
The EC of Nordland exerts authority over these illegal human settlements, ignoring the treaty and legitimising the environmental damage they are causing.
The elves, after years? centuries? of abuse, retaliate with armed forces, targeting the colonial settlements and re-establishing their borders.
The elves encounter Middenland and Ulric, and learn of K8P, and decided to end their reconquista in favour of a peaceful collaboration between three different states—elves, dwarfs and humans—in the hopes of not only restoring balance, but actually improving the world. Meanwhile, a splinter sect of Ulric help a bunch of refugees caused by said reconquista escape from both the Elves and Nordland.
In order for this collaboration to happen, they are offering pretty hefty carrots to ensure that all foreign parties fall in line and behave themselves whilst in elven territory. If people do not accept this, then they get neither carrots nor access to their territory, although the project will continue elsewhere with elven assistance.
Have I missed anything?
Now just to be clear: if this was Athel Loren, I would argee (too a point) with 'no elfs!' agreement (because they are that crazy)
But: Laurelorn was created for the RPG, to have a Wood elf policy that can have positive relations and even friendships, with humans (while still having some tensions and points of conflict.) so that you could have one be a Party member and make sense.
now: do I think the Sexy Elfs, and her people has an agenda and is hard-selling? yes, sooooo yes.
might it actually be bad for the empire in secret? : its possible, but that's the same for every faction.
but if your argument is: wood elf! REEEEE! then your barking up the wrong tree.
But: Laurelorn was created for the RPG, to have a Wood elf policy that can have positive relations and even friendships, with humans (while still having some tensions and points of conflict.) so that you could have one be a Party member and make sense.
now: do I think the Sexy Elfs, and her people has an agenda and is hard-selling? yes, sooooo yes.
might it actually be bad for the empire in secret? : its possible, but that's the same for every faction.
but if your argument is: wood elf! REEEEE! then your barking up the wrong tree.
Godwinson
"Well, I've got nothing."
This is not that quest.
- Location
- California
Very interesting. Kislev doesn't seem too compelling to me--they have a lot of expectations for the project that would be hard to meet, even besides the issues of working so close to the chaos wastes.
Bretonnia I'm interested in, but it's a serious question whether Damsel help or greater Elf help is more valuable.
Bretonnia I'm interested in, but it's a serious question whether Damsel help or greater Elf help is more valuable.
Boney is not Torroar and Divided Laurelorn is not Drunken Laurelorn.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Those are some extremely juicy offers from the Fey Enchantress and the Prince - moreso than I'd expected. I'm still most interested in Laurelorn, but I wouldn't mind much if one of those options won instead.
- Location
- Canada
Well.
I had originally wanted to stay in Karak Eight Peaks, but the more I think about it, the more the politics seem... iffy. If we're going to be inviting elves and dwarves and imperial wizards to coordinate on anything, we'd probably be better off not working in any of their territories.
Working in said territory would mean better access to their best secrets... Kragg in K8P, the Colleges in Altdorf, or the Library of Mournings in Laurelorn. But any of those would be politically problematic as far as coordination goes, and make it harder to deal with the not-them factions.
That narrows it down to Kislev or Carcassone. Of the two, I think Kislev is making a better offer.
I had originally wanted to stay in Karak Eight Peaks, but the more I think about it, the more the politics seem... iffy. If we're going to be inviting elves and dwarves and imperial wizards to coordinate on anything, we'd probably be better off not working in any of their territories.
Working in said territory would mean better access to their best secrets... Kragg in K8P, the Colleges in Altdorf, or the Library of Mournings in Laurelorn. But any of those would be politically problematic as far as coordination goes, and make it harder to deal with the not-them factions.
That narrows it down to Kislev or Carcassone. Of the two, I think Kislev is making a better offer.
NavySeel
"I don't know what I'm doing."
- Location
- Places
As far as I'm aware the Eonir have next to nothing to do with Athel loren.
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Well, that was exciting. Sooner than I'd expected for a followup!
On a related note, F for your mentions, you're going to get so many questions over the next 24 hours. Deep appreciation for being so responsive, though. It really helps make the quest what it is.
Some typo-busting:
Yeah, OK, that's fair.
In the hypothetical scenario that Mathilde works outside of K8P: would she be able to found a research institute inside of K8P with a Great Deed to collapse her wizard actions to research half-actions as discussed last July? Or does that fall apart, either due to practicalities or because Max and Johann would no longer be working for her and the folks who would be working for her are somewhere else entirely? My expectation is that this would not be possible, but it would be useful for the thread to have an answer on record.
On a related note, F for your mentions, you're going to get so many questions over the next 24 hours. Deep appreciation for being so responsive, though. It really helps make the quest what it is.
Some typo-busting:
Carcassone -> Carcassonne
Carcassone's -> Carcassonne's
lead -> led
Fey -> Fay
Voikirium
SV's Estalia Guy
- Location
- Ruritania Illinois
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well. I am very impressed by Laurelorn and Bretonnia, both have plenty of magic experts, and I'm alright with Kislev, the Tsarevich is cool.
Feels like it would maybe have been easier to turn back the absolutely stupid bullshit they saddled the Asrai with then, maybe try restoring the friendship with Bretonnia they used to have, but then I suppose that wouldn't let them make a cheap, easy comparison to 40K would it?
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Pronouns
- He/They
Hmmm - so which option will make the best avatar?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Two updates in a day? Must be my birthday.
Those options ended up being more tempting than I expected. Bretonnia is alluringly neutral and adds another contributor, while Kislev is giving us a blank check.
Those options ended up being more tempting than I expected. Bretonnia is alluringly neutral and adds another contributor, while Kislev is giving us a blank check.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
I'm certain I can make any of the options work.
Asheram
Not quite altogether
- Location
- Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground
Ooof.. The Dwarves with promises of familiarity and the possibility of Runesmiths.
Elves with promises of untold mystery, but also being rather stingy with their knowledge.
Carcassonne with promises of... well.. neutrality, but also the dangers
Kislev with promises of assistance, but also a whole lot of expectations.
And the colleges...
Elves with promises of untold mystery, but also being rather stingy with their knowledge.
Carcassonne with promises of... well.. neutrality, but also the dangers
Kislev with promises of assistance, but also a whole lot of expectations.
And the colleges...
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
Top 3 for me are K8P Laurelorn and Carcassonne.
I can't see the Grey college or Pragg matching any of them, getting the damsels on board with out hosting it out of Carcassonne looks like it would be difficult.
I can't see the Grey college or Pragg matching any of them, getting the damsels on board with out hosting it out of Carcassonne looks like it would be difficult.
What Mathilde's turns would look like going forward is completely up in the air, so things like what half actions can be usable where and whether that can be changed by great deed expenditure doesn't really have an answer right now.
Voikirium
SV's Estalia Guy
- Location
- Ruritania Illinois
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Carcassonne, obviously
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Fitting, that Kislev gives me chills.
Almost everyone involved wants this. Kislev needs this. More, it's good for everyone who hates Chaos if Kislev gets it. I want to center it with them, just to ensure that they get a slice of the pie.
Not going to lie the amount of power Kislev is offering is... daunting, especially when you consider the expectations that must come with it. I think I'm going to vote to stay away from it unless someone makes a good argument for it.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Why is it that when the Dwarves say it would be easier to convince the Runesmiths to help if the project was Dwarf-led, they're glimmering with "the possibility of Runesmiths", whereas when the Eonir say it would be easier to convince the Grey Lords to help if the project was Elf-led, they're "being rather stingy with their knowledge"?
Asheram
Not quite altogether
- Location
- Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground
It was more the entire "We've got this huge library of knowledge, but no looking unless we host the project here."