- Location
- Earth
Which is unlikely since it came somewhere from the markets of Barak Varr. Or rather it could've come from anywhere.
[WHF] The Broken Mirror - A Divided Loyalties Peggy Sue
Well, we knew it was shard dragon bone when we bought it. To be told that, we almost must have some other information about its provenance.
It's also possible that any shard dragon bone would work. We were told:
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- Location
- Earth
The below quote is literally everything we've been told about where the shard dragon bone came from.
Any other details are for kingreaper to fill in.
And we have already gotten a lot of use out of our Eidetic Memory.
consequences
Not A Nice Person At All
- Location
- Jerkville
So we can probably get the other one that we didn't use pretty easily since iirc it was a family heirloom sitting around( @picklepikkl ?) but we have no guarantee when it comes to results.
Fayhem
Definitely not an escaped SCP
- Location
- At large
- Pronouns
- He/Him
*Abelhelm
That was in the original timeline, which IIRC was itself a departure from canon. I would say Belegar's precise departure date is probably highly vulnerable to butterflying as such, since it seems to be rather more of a variable than a constant on that spectrum.
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
Holy hell, I've been reading his name literally incorrectly this entire time... wow.
- Location
- USA
You're not the only one. I had it wrong until this thread started.
16 characters
Sick and tired of being Sick and Tired
- Location
- Alta California
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] [Peace] Master Interrogator
[X] [Dum] Mithril Mind
[X] [Jaunt] Mirror Magic
I know these actions might seem a little boring, but they strike me as extraordinarily practical on a more regular basis than most.
They're obviously also not incidentally the closest to how I see the character.
Edit: I apparently failed to notice that the voted already happened, I guess I get to see where it went now.
[X] [Dum] Mithril Mind
[X] [Jaunt] Mirror Magic
I know these actions might seem a little boring, but they strike me as extraordinarily practical on a more regular basis than most.
They're obviously also not incidentally the closest to how I see the character.
Edit: I apparently failed to notice that the voted already happened, I guess I get to see where it went now.
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16 characters
Sick and tired of being Sick and Tired
- Location
- Alta California
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Oh no the vote already happened how did I not notice that please ignore what I said previously.
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Pronouns
- He/They
Unfortunately not, Ulgu is too unpredictable and flighty for that. She'd stand a chance of getting the same result, but random factors like precisely how foggy it is at dusk would require her to slightly adjust what she does.
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Pronouns
- He/They
Who's working with you on the Queekish Translation?
1) Perpetual Apprentice
2) Magister to Mindhole
3) Partially read-in Magister
4) Ranald's Choice
5) Regimand
6) Lady Magister Grey
1) Perpetual Apprentice
2) Magister to Mindhole
3) Partially read-in Magister
4) Ranald's Choice
5) Regimand
6) Lady Magister Grey
Very nice set of results. I liked the bit with the librarian as well, that was a nice touch.
Teclis-sempai will never notice us, will he?
Teclis-sempai will never notice us, will he?I'm sure it is perfectly safe and nothing could go wrong.
*takes notes* so doing this on yourself would be bad, but other people would be fine? Got it. Completely unrelated note, do the undead have souls? Asking for a friend
Oh hai, future co-worker that we're going to remove all memory of our identity from after.
That's the kind of working bonds that i expect.
I'm surprised it's just mindhole - maybe it isn't? - since the grey college obviously can lock down packets in memories. Maybe those aren't originally normal memories though.
That's the kind of working bonds that i expect.
I'm surprised it's just mindhole - maybe it isn't? - since the grey college obviously can lock down packets in memories. Maybe those aren't originally normal memories though.
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Obviously. It's how most of them move around and how nagash, vampires and lord kroak can still do magic and the tomb kings can think.*takes notes* so doing this on yourself would be bad, but other people would be fine? Got it. Completely unrelated note, do the undead have souls? Asking for a friend
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I was thinking more the average zombie/skeleton. Aren't vampires powered by a Dhar vortex where their soul used to be?
As for Lord Kroak... I'm not sure I'd class him as dead, more
dead except it's Kroak saying that when he decides there's too many people squatting on his lawn.Something to ask him during our future Lustrian adventures in Swamp Town
I think it pretty much must depend on the necromancer and method they use. Like, even normal wizards can bind 'spirits' and 'apparitions' (psst: demons), so it wouldn't be out of character for a necromancer to use one as a substitute soul.
But if they can do that, they probably can just forcefully merge another human soul (even if not the original). Maybe even making something 'soul like' made up of dhar is in the cards, like the vampire soul is 'naturally' transformed into a dhar factory, and that is not 'real' but absorbs enough of the caster knowledge to know how to obey simple orders.
Needless to say the idea that risen zombies use the original cadaver soul is a bit of a longshot when the necromancer didn't actually kill the guy and there are supposed to be guarded afterlifes. But who knows, maybe it does work and that is why Morr is so pissed off all the time.
I actually have a theory for this that does feel a bit crazy but wouldn't require 'stealing souls from Moor's garden' or other things like that. It's a insane idea but since Shyish is supposed to flow from the past, to the present and voyage to the future, imagine 'catching' a soul is as easy as putting a shyish-dhar net around the corpse in the 'present' to catch the shyish the death made in the 'past' that carries the soul to the 'future' (universe destruction, ie, the atemporal end of all things). Crazy but doesn't require time travel. Just crazy warp metaphysics. This would also explain why burning corpses is a more or less viable way to prevent most undead - it's not easy to catch a soul without the anchor of a corpse.
But if they can do that, they probably can just forcefully merge another human soul (even if not the original). Maybe even making something 'soul like' made up of dhar is in the cards, like the vampire soul is 'naturally' transformed into a dhar factory, and that is not 'real' but absorbs enough of the caster knowledge to know how to obey simple orders.
Needless to say the idea that risen zombies use the original cadaver soul is a bit of a longshot when the necromancer didn't actually kill the guy and there are supposed to be guarded afterlifes. But who knows, maybe it does work and that is why Morr is so pissed off all the time.
I actually have a theory for this that does feel a bit crazy but wouldn't require 'stealing souls from Moor's garden' or other things like that. It's a insane idea but since Shyish is supposed to flow from the past, to the present and voyage to the future, imagine 'catching' a soul is as easy as putting a shyish-dhar net around the corpse in the 'present' to catch the shyish the death made in the 'past' that carries the soul to the 'future' (universe destruction, ie, the atemporal end of all things). Crazy but doesn't require time travel. Just crazy warp metaphysics. This would also explain why burning corpses is a more or less viable way to prevent most undead - it's not easy to catch a soul without the anchor of a corpse.
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Ranald's choice would have been Teclis, wouldn't it?
A spell mastery for one of the shadow manipulating spells might land on the right spot. Or an enchantment for the soul if we get good at enchanting souls.
Preferably on an expendable animal first.
The way general necromancy works is that the necromancer binds a piece of a dead person's soul to their corpse and then animates it. The more of the soul the necromancer has, the more more intelligent the result will be. Necromancers don't need to do anything special to get the soul fragments, as some bits of a soul often hang around the corpse. That's why people like Manfred deny the (general) existence of Morr's Garden as a place souls leave the world and go to in the Aethyr*, because they can see what happens to souls when people die, and he can see that they don't just go anywhere.
Other necromancy spells manipulate the souls of the dead in different ways.
Vampires still have souls, they're just irrevocably bound to their bodies rather than existing simultaneously in the Aethyr and the material world like regular souls.
* What Morr's actual, physical, gardens may do, which would explain why the Cult of Morr tried to preserve and inter bodies, is something like what the Tomb Kings tried. They might be places to keep souls safe in the material world, protecting them from predation or disintegration. That doesn't preclude those dead souls also experiencing Morr's garden in the Aethyr, as non-vampiric souls exist in both the Aethyr and in the material world. This is speculative though. It would explain why necromancers (and liche priests) can raise people buried in consecrated ground if they steal the body or desecrate the site. EDIT: If this is this case, the souls of the dead interred in a physical garden would be (hopefully) perpetually dreaming, just as the living can come to him their own dreams.
Other necromancy spells manipulate the souls of the dead in different ways.
Vampires still have souls, they're just irrevocably bound to their bodies rather than existing simultaneously in the Aethyr and the material world like regular souls.
* What Morr's actual, physical, gardens may do, which would explain why the Cult of Morr tried to preserve and inter bodies, is something like what the Tomb Kings tried. They might be places to keep souls safe in the material world, protecting them from predation or disintegration. That doesn't preclude those dead souls also experiencing Morr's garden in the Aethyr, as non-vampiric souls exist in both the Aethyr and in the material world. This is speculative though. It would explain why necromancers (and liche priests) can raise people buried in consecrated ground if they steal the body or desecrate the site. EDIT: If this is this case, the souls of the dead interred in a physical garden would be (hopefully) perpetually dreaming, just as the living can come to him their own dreams.
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- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Pronouns
- He/They
Just been going over the finances and I missed 60 GP of ongoing Spymaster expenses: 40GP on Veteran Informants, and 20 GP on upkeep for Julia's townhouse.
Boy was Julia an expensive investment.
Still, you're still going to be in the black due to the removal of the embezzling, but only barely.
Boy was Julia an expensive investment.
Still, you're still going to be in the black due to the removal of the embezzling, but only barely.
- Location
- Earth
Yes, we'll have to think about finances.
Last time we muddled along till Abelhelm died and then pulled trickery to have the watch pay for our spy network.
Well, if Regimand is doing a good job with the List we won't have to do our attaché stuff this time and should lose less money.
Turn 1 Results - 2473.5
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Pronouns
- He/They
[X] [Knight] Keep heraldry, name, etc. as they were in original timeline
[X] [Abel] An old friend returned
[X] [Hunter] Their help would be welcome
[X] Plan Not Me
-[X][Julia] Ground Floor: Start putting people on your payroll into the EIC before it even begins, so you'll have information flowing right from the start.
-[X] Rewrite the relevant part of the legal code of Stirland so that the Watch reports to you, personally. [Will not cost an action this turn, due to memory of rewriting the founding document, but will lock in an action for next turn]
-[X] Spread some coin around so that a cross-section of the Watch passes on information to you as well as their superiors.
-[X] Investment: Wilhelmina has offered you the limited-time chance to become a founding shareholder in the EIC; the buy-in will be a cool 1000 crowns, but with Van Hal's permission, Wilhelmina has offered you an interest-free loan from the Stirlandian Treasury to cover it, and promises that unless something goes terribly wrong, the dividends will more than pay for it.
-[X] Focus on increasing your understanding of what Arcane Marks are and how they might be controlled.
-[X] Attempt to tame your shadow, allowing you to keep its unnerving separation from you quiet while you concentrate.
-[X] Rewrite a bundle of multiple papers: Queekish Dictionary
-[X] Rewrite a bundle of multiple papers: Skaven Warfare
-[X][Free] Rewrite a bundle of multiple papers: Skaven Technosorcery
-[X] Change Embezzlement amount (no action cost): 0gp
[X] [Abel] An old friend returned
[X] [Hunter] Their help would be welcome
[X] Plan Not Me
-[X][Julia] Ground Floor: Start putting people on your payroll into the EIC before it even begins, so you'll have information flowing right from the start.
-[X] Rewrite the relevant part of the legal code of Stirland so that the Watch reports to you, personally. [Will not cost an action this turn, due to memory of rewriting the founding document, but will lock in an action for next turn]
-[X] Spread some coin around so that a cross-section of the Watch passes on information to you as well as their superiors.
-[X] Investment: Wilhelmina has offered you the limited-time chance to become a founding shareholder in the EIC; the buy-in will be a cool 1000 crowns, but with Van Hal's permission, Wilhelmina has offered you an interest-free loan from the Stirlandian Treasury to cover it, and promises that unless something goes terribly wrong, the dividends will more than pay for it.
-[X] Focus on increasing your understanding of what Arcane Marks are and how they might be controlled.
-[X] Attempt to tame your shadow, allowing you to keep its unnerving separation from you quiet while you concentrate.
-[X] Rewrite a bundle of multiple papers: Queekish Dictionary
-[X] Rewrite a bundle of multiple papers: Skaven Warfare
-[X][Free] Rewrite a bundle of multiple papers: Skaven Technosorcery
-[X] Change Embezzlement amount (no action cost): 0gp
"Two centuries ago you'd have been right. I would have never known that magic could be turned to the good of the Empire and of humanity. After all, my family have long known that it can be used with the best of intentions and still turn out as... well, Sylvania. I'm glad to live in a time when we can work together."
"A toast to Magnus?"
Abelhelm's mug clinks against your own.
"Though given the general view of folks around here still hasn't fully adjusted to his reforms, we should probably hold off on declaring my Knighthood until I've adjusted to my new arcane marks." He nods at that. "Meanwhile I'll be rewriting the Watch's charter up in Altdorf - the stabilising environment in the college should help things along, so I'll be up there for about four months."
"You'll be missed."
"Better that than being mist." Your grin is matched by Abelhelm's groan.
-----------
Before heading back up to Altdorf you make time to sit down with Wilhemina and discuss the terms of your investment and the early structuring of the EIC. She's surrounded by maps and charts, along with several notebooks - one of which she's using to take minutes from your meeting.
You are, of course, cheating horribly. Last time around you listened to her explain things 4 or 5 months from now, and you understood basically none of it. But you did pay attention to every word, and that means that you can remember it - and with a decade and a half's experience of managing this specific trading company you understand it all far better than you have any right to.
If Wilhemina knew all that she'd likely complain about how unfair magic is and then ask you to give her even more insights. As is her reaction is one of exasperation and confusion: "Just admit it, you're keeping one of the Stirland League officials in your own hidden lair, right? Because there's no way that you worked this out that quickly."
"I haven't read all of it. I just got lucky," you cross your fingers just subtly enough for her to spot, "I found several important sections that had been written in code, and just went from there."
"Fine - we can go with that for now." Wilhelmina sighs. "You're certainly right that we'll need to get in first on the bureaucrats before all the other trade companies move in, and if the rest of your insights prove as accurate it should save quite a bit of time and money."
"One last thing - I was wondering if you'd be willing to do me a favour." Wilhelmina nods for you to continue. "The Stirland Watch I intend to build will be needing some backline staff too. Try and scoop up appropriate personnel for that while you're at it."
"That I can do." She looks again at the copious notes she's made from your discussions. "Will you be maintaining an active role in the company?"
"Yes - while personal wealth isn't, and can't be, my goal, it's still a potent tool for Stirland's development."
Wilhelmina huffs. "Gold's what makes the world go 'round. Live like an ascetic if you want, but never forget that a full purse is the best source of manpower there is."
Investment: 90+19+10(Timing; while the iron's hot)+4(Mental Library)+10(Future knowledge)=133
Plausible Excuse: 45+26=81
Wilhemina's Opinion: 33+15+10(Memories of Companionship)=58
Voting Options Unlocked: A favour with the EIC, and management of EIC
--------
Between meetings with Wilhelmina you make time to chat with Julia, and give her all the details she'll need to get informants into the EIC command structure without Wilhelmina suspecting a thing - the need for administrative staff is an easy angle, but she also has a surprising number of acquaintances amongst the huntsman and roadwardens from her archery hobby.
Dumping all that on her and then leaving the county will certainly be a sink-or-swim moment for Julia, but her eagerness reassures you that she'll swim just as readily as she did the first time around.
EIC Ground Floor: 74+14=88
-----------
You settle into Algard's writing room for what promises to be a very long, productive, and most of all boring two months. But at least your puppy is here to distract you.
First priority is the Queekish Dictionary, on which you'll be working alongside a Magister named Karin. She's authorised to know about both Skaven and Chaos Dwarves, but not about you, and as such you're going to have to mindhole her at the end of the month. Fortunately Wolf counts as part of you on a mystical level so you don't have to worry about her remembering him.
That knowledge rather puts the damper on any small talk between the two of you - but it does mean that you can be rather more forthright about the details of how you derived various of the Khazalid translations and thereby keep the Reikspiel version that she's writing as accurate as possible.
At the end of the month you gulp down her memories of you and find that she considered you rather unsettling, but definitely understood your obsession with Wolf's cute nose and the adorable way his claws skittered on the flooring.
Also she remembered you falling asleep during a lecture on international diplomacy as an apprentice. Embarassing to be reminded of, but not a memory she'll miss.
Rewiting Queekish Dictionaries: 11+30=41 - nothing goes wrong, but no improvements.
Great Deed Performed - While very few are authorised to know it's happened, even fewer that you were involved, and you could count on one hand the number allowed to know when you did it, translating Queekish is still undeniably a Great Deed.
You're just going to have to spend it through the Grey College.
---
Next up you get to work on a pair of papers on Skaven Warfare.
For Winning the War Below you can keep it mostly verbatim; a few times you need to slightly modify anecdotes but as a lot of the insight you included in the original write-up was actually drawn from the Liber Mortis it's already largely written in abstract terms - just removing location names from your anecdotes is generally enough, and you don't need to sacrifice any readability.
The Clan Eshin Perspective of the Third Skaven Civil War seems impossible to render as anything other than an "Eyes-Only" text; the whole premise of the paper is that it details a set of events most of which haven't happened yet.
So you don't try. In fact you add in several more tidbits that you left out the first time - either because you knew they might get the classification level raised or because they gave away information on Karak Eight Peaks that you'd rather stay quiet. Ultimately it makes only a minor difference, but it means the text is less of a slog to write and hopefully also to read.
Rewriting Skaven Warfare: 75+30=105
[Winning the War Below. Subject: Uncommon, +0. Insight: Confirming, +1. Delivery: Competent, +0. Thorough, +1. Varied, +1. Alien, +1. Accessible, +1. Tactically Significant, +2. Classified, -2. Total: +5.]
[The Clan Eshin Perspective of the Third Skaven Civil War. Subject: Unique, +3. Insight: Revolutionary, +2. Delivery: Competent, +0. Very Exotic, +2. Precious, +1. Alien, +1. Tactically Groundbreaking, +3. Eyes Only, -4. Total: 8.]
---
The pair of papers on Skaven Technosorcery should be the easiest - they're short and sweet, far more work to analyse the data than to actually write the paper.
Unfortunately... they're not.
The Internal Mechanisms of the Ratling Gun was tedious to read, far from Johann's best work, and it's even more tedious to write again.
By the time you're done with that you just want to get out and do something new. An Eyewitness Account of Skaven Sorcery without any references to where, when and how you observed it leaves you with something that makes your original paper on the Mystical Matrix look compelling by comparison.
Rewriting Skaven Technosorcery 01+30=31
[Internal Mechanisms of the Ratling Gun, and How to Foil Them. Subject: Rare, +1. Insight: Revolutionary, +2. Delivery: Dull, -1. Precious, +1. Thorough, +1. Tactically Significant: +2. Classified, -2. Total: +4.]
[An Account of a Distinct Variety of Skaven Sorcery. Subject: Rare, +1. Insight: Shattering, +3. Delivery: Impenetrable, -2. Exotic, +1. Precious, +1. Classified, -2. Total: +2]
----------
The Grey College has a bountiful collection of books, covering subjects ranging from assassination to the haircare techniques of Bretonnian nobles. You are sorely tempted to simply dive right in and drown yourself in knowledge, skimming through every single book so that you can digest its meaning later.
But you don't have time for that.
So instead you approach the librarian on duty, an absolutely nondescript woman whose face is unable to find any purchase within your mind.
"Ah, Magister Grey. What can I get you today?" Her voice has a rhythmic sing-song quality to it, and she seems intent on playing that up as much as possible. "Just let me know your need, and I'll tell you what to read."
"I'm looking for information on arcane marks, and potentially also how they can be hidden or managed. I'm looking out for an unfortunate journeyman."
"Ah, a topic close to my heart. Well, let us make a start - pick one of the reading nooks, and I'll return with your books." The forgettable mark has obviously hit her hard for her to put on such an ostentatious mannerism. Then again, it would hurt for you too; and she's only the age of your body not your soul. You cast your mind back to apprenticeship, one of your fellows had an equally melodious voice - and you can't remember her appearance either.
When the librarian returns with a small stack of books you greet her with a slight smile. "Thank you Ulrike."
And while you have no idea what it looks like, you know she returns your smile.
------
What is an arcane mark? Everyone seems to agree that they're changes to your soul wrought by your wind, but what does that mean and why do they manifest in such visible ways? And, of course, how can they be tamed?
It doesn't take long to rule out any chance of useful information in the elven texts - their general approach can be summarised in a single quote: "The development of soul scars is a sign of an inferior mind - any apprentice who develops such things should be discarded to allow a more worthy successor to take his place."
Reading through texts by imperial scholars is more enlightening, especially when combined with your existing knowledge from the Liber Mortis. Four paradigms exist of what a mark is:
The scar paradigm as taught by Teclis views them as an unfortunate side effect, an injury that afflicts those who channel the wind without the decades of preparation required for safety.
The callus paradigm descends from this, looking at them as akin to the tough skin that develops on a craftsman's hands over the course of their working life - yes, it may be ugly, but it provides a cushion against the damage the work would otherwise continue to deal.
The instinct paradigm claims that arcane marks are reflexes developed by performing the same action repeatedly until it becomes effectively instinct - like the swordsman who reacts to a sudden noise by reaching for his blade. A tempting idea, but one that doesn't fit with your experience - you had no interest in manipulating mist until you began naturally gathering it.
The enchantment paradigm is the least common, but it speaks to you - it compares arcane marks to the creation of spontaneous enchantments, the tendency of items used to channel divine or arcane power sufficiently often to develop quirks - minor and easily dismissed touches of magic like a Bright Mage's sword that is always warm to the touch. The idea that a soul could be enchanted is not a popular one - but you've seen something similar in Karak Eight Peaks, with an earth elemental that had runes in place of its soul.
On the Accidental Enchantment of Significant Objects by Magister Elias Schmidt of the Gold Order sends you down a rabbit-hole as you look for information on whether Divine Marks exist just as divine spontaneous enchantments do - but the Grey College is apparently not the place for such studies.
Still, enchanting a soul? It's certainly an interesting possibility - if it can happen accidentally surely it can be done deliberately? Perhaps one day, after careful study, you might consider it.
-----
The small stack of books continues to grow as days pass with you alternating between sleeping in a cot and walking back to your secure reading nook, but finally you find what you're really looking for - The Thaumaturgical Properties of Souls by L. M. Grey references Some Words from the Wise - a collection of speeches from hedgewise brought into the Grey College upon its founding - in which one unnamed sorcerer details five categories of technique for handling arcane marks: Practical; Theatrical; Thaumaturgical; Theological; and Sacrificial
You immediately rule out the sacrificial techniques - removing the segments of your soul that have been shaped by Ulgu and replacing them with pieces of other people's souls sounds like a very quick route to a well-earned fate worse than death.
The practical category is nothing new - avoid situations where the mark is particularly obvious, wear clothing that hides it, things you already know how to do.
Theatrical techniques all boil down to one key word: "Misdirection" - making other aspects of yourself more obvious in order to stop anyone paying attention to the mark, much as Ulrike's constant rhyming serves to create a recognisable identity from her voice as she no longer has a visual appearance.
Theological techniques essentially consist of praying for a miracle and then opening yourself up to your god - by the phrasing used these prayers are sometimes answered, but not without cost. What the cost is however is never addressed - and despite days of search you can find no further leads in that direction.
Thaumaturgical techniques are, in principle, the most effective of all the possibilities; though they do have their own difficulties:
One technique is to vent magic, arcane marks use the wind to produce magical effects and thus if you can use up your entire supply of the wind without drawing in any more the effects must cease. Not an easy task when the world around you is saturated in the winds. There are ways around that, but all of them inherently render you incapable of casting even the simplest of magics - because if you can cast then so can the part of you that is the mark.
The other common technique is to use magic to counter the impact - using Hysh to counter an Ulgu mark is both easy and essentially suicidal due to Dhar poisoning, but many Ulgu marks can be countered with Ulgu. Ulgu can control shadows and it can control mists, so it can be consciously put to work in countering the acts of those marks. The flickering of light sources is harder: That would require illusions to hide, along with the light petty magic to provide steady illumination.
Research Marks: 96+30+7[grey library]= 133
Divine Marks: 27+26+2 [mental library]=55
-----
You grab a few more texts on the theory of spells that might help with the shadow: Shadowsteed should tame it while you're in motion, but that's impractical; Doppelganger can give you a normal shadow at the expense of taking someone else's form rather than your own; Mutable Visage is tempting - it doesn't guarantee your shadow's behaviour but it will encourage it to be somewhat better...
Shadowcloak is perfect. It has two parts to the effect, drawing in and controlling shadows and reinforcing the principles that shadows are stealthy and unnoticed. Either of those slightly reapplied could render your shadow less noticeable. Its only flaw is that a normal casting lasts for a matter of minutes at a time - but it is quite literally the easiest of all Shadow Magic spells to cast so you should be able to channel a slightly lesser version indefinitely. As long as you can get that lesser version working.
You spend a month training the simplest of all Shadow Magics - and you don't regret it in the slightest. By the time you're done you have the option to fully tame your shadow for hours, as long as you don't need to do anything else with your magic and don't get too distracted. And, of course, you have learnt Shadowcloak once more.
Shadow Training: 71+30+7[grey library]=108
Learning Shadowcloak: 74+30=104
------------
Arriving back in Stirland after four months away your first stop is your Sunken Palace, where you unload Wolf from your pack - in which he just barely fits - and leave him to play with the scattered cats.
Then you write out your (re)founding charter for the Watch, carefully reconsidering how to expand its remit - going underground had been somewhat unpopular, but it did have its virtues - and head out to Wurtbad Castle.
You arrive at the castle just in time to see your new Witch Hunter compatriot setting herself up in a guest room - along with a slender boy whose age you'd estimate at about eight.
She looks every bit the warrior that Abelhelm is, and wears the cap and cloak of a witch hunter with a greatsword strapped to her hip - but she's far better groomed than Abelhelm was when he first arrived and a little less marked by age. It takes her barely a minute to spot your presence and approach, leaving the boy to continue unpacking their things.
"Dame Mathilde Weber?" You nod, although it's technically premature. "I'm Thekla Donatus, and the boy is my apprentice Hans von Eerie - an unfortunate orphan from Ostermark I took in a few years back."
You can see the Ulgu swirl around both of them - they're clearly hiding something - but you decide not to acknowledge it until you know more. "Glad to meet you - I'm sure we'll do great work together. I could use your help with the hand-over of the Watch."
"Of course - I understand the current document requires a 'designated military subordinate' of the Elector Count to take charge, and it'd be easiest to manage the change if there was someone to hand it over. I'd also like to take a look over your new document, see if I can improve it - I suspect that as a member of the grey order you may have neglected to include religious influence." You are forced to acknowledge that you have. "If they're going to be keeping out the undead they'll need the aid of faith. It's your choice what faiths to encourage, but I would recommend Sigmar as it's his law they'll be enforcing."
Rewriting the Watch: Stewardship roll 99+19=118
Friendly Witch Hunter: 77+6=83
Many other rolls to determine facts about said Witch Hunter
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You give Thekla the task of setting up the official handover, and ensuring that the Watch will accept your authority. Meanwhile you go about the equally important task of ensuring that there are plenty among the watchmen who are more loyal to you than they are to each other - you don't want the watch to be infighting, but nor do you want them to join ranks to hide mistakes and misdeeds.
Fortunately you remember those who were good choices the first time through, making the task significantly easier. And with your shadow tamed you have little need to worry about being overly disturbing - the flicker of candles is eerie, but not so frightening as your autonomous shadow could be.
Buying the Watch's Loyalty: 59+19=78
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Your significant stake in the EIC combined with your miraculous ability to pinpoint early opportunities means Wilhelmina is willing to bend slightly to keep you sweet. What are you asking for?
[ ] [EIC-Favour] Integrate excisemen into the foundation of the new organisation, able to keep track of EIC trade and keep watch on other trade companies
[ ] [EIC-Favour] Locate appropriate paper-pushers who can be persuaded to work for the Watch, so that its bureaucracy can be staffed sooner
[ ] [EIC-Favour] You want to specify some factors of the fief you'll receive on gaining your Knighthood (will trigger a subvote where you can make various trade-offs)
[ ] [EIC-Favour] Add a fourth sword to the EIC Logo, recognising the fourfold partnership and Wilhelmina's importance, rather than her modesty - and incidentally making the logo a cross where each line forms a smaller cross, subtly acknowledging the silent partner in its foundation. (Will make future attempts to encourage worship of Ranald in the corporate structure significantly easier)
[ ] [EIC-Favour] Write in?
How much ongoing influence do you want over the EIC?
[ ] [EIC-control] Exert your influence in the EIC (takes up 0.5 AP per turn, allows EIC actions)
[ ] [EIC-control] Be a silent partner (No AP cost - can only intervene by taking full actions to do so, and with greater difficulty)
What do you intend to call your new watch?
[ ] [Name] The Wurtbad Watch
[ ] [Name] The Stirland Watch
[ ] [Name] Write In
The hunting of Vampires and other undead monstrosities will be explicitly mentioned in the Watch's duties now, but you believe you can add more - after all, that's more a clarification than an addition. Pick one of the following to be explicitly named in the founding documents, giving you the opportunity to shape the Watch into a force that can perform this as well as their regular duties:
[ ] [Watch] Underground: Absorbing the Sewer Jacks and rat-catchers into the Watch will allow you to make the underways of the city as safe as the streets above.
[ ] [Watch] Road Network: Bringing the Road Wardens under the Watch's banner will allow them to project force along the roads connecting the towns, not just within the towns themselves.
[ ] [Watch] Riverwardens: With the addition of a fleet of very small warships, the Watch extend their reach onto the waterways of Stirland, fighting piracy and smuggling in the rivers that are the Empire's lifeblood.
[ ] [Watch] Self-Sustaining: If the Watch took on officially sanctioned side jobs protecting caravans and merchant ships between cities, they could basically fund themselves instead of being a constant drain on Stirland's coffers, effectively fueling their own growth.
[ ] [Watch] Sally Force: Small unit tactics and woodsman training makes the Watch able to sally forth in strength to combat hotspots of corruption, crime and restless dead in the woods and hills of the countryside on top of their city duties.
[ ] [Watch] Siege Training: Training with ranged weapons and the basics of siege engineering will turn the Watch into a ferocious force multiplier if their city comes under siege.
[ ] [Watch] Militia: Focusing on military training will allow the Watch, in times of war, to join battlefields and give a showing equal to that of any full-time military unit.
[ ] [Watch] Other (write in)
To fight creatures of necromancy it is best to have a supernatural weapon yourself. And lacking the power of the winds, the Watch is going to have to rely on the gods. The god enshrined in their organisation will not be the sole god the membership worship, nor will it immediately change all their behaviours, but it will have a long-term impact on the culture.
[ ] [Faith] Sigmar, Worthless Figurehead, shall encourage the Watch to be petty tyrants who fail at the worst moment (Thekla's aid will be more enthusiastic)
[ ] [Faith] Ranald The Protector shall focus the Watch on the guardianship of the common man, those who cannot afford their own security (will invite additional scrutiny, and lessen early recruitment)
[ ] [Faith] Verena, Goddess of Justice and Knowledge, shall ensure the Watch seek the truth in their investigations
[ ] [Faith] Morr, God of Death, shall bring the eyes of the Watch firmly to the dead. Violent crime, especially murder, will be focused on, as well as hunting of undead
[ ] [Faith] Myrmidia the Strategist, a rare patron but one that would focus the watchmen on maintaining their military readiness as a second line of defence - while still being attractive to some Morrites and Verenans who acknowledge her position as their daughter
[ ] [Faith] Shallya the Charitable would be a radical departure in purpose for the Watch, making them focus far more on caring for the victims of crime, lessening their focus catching or punishing the perpetrators, and pushing a more rehabilitive approach to punishment
[ ] [Faith] Duality: Choose two of the above gods to enshrine. The effects of both will apply, but lessened. Will make recruitment easier. (Write in which two)
[ ] [Faith] Unity: All the gods of the Empire are to be made welcome - every watch-house must have at least two shrines. (Added recruitment rate, but with a slight increase in expense. No specific focus.)
Thus concludes the work Mathilde performed these past months, but not quite every waking moment was filled with work. With whom did she spend her free time, this past year? The two with the most votes will be chosen, as well as one social initiated by someone else. [Reduced from five due to the 5.5AP rounding up to 6 AP]
[ ] [Social] Joining Thekla Donatus, Abelhelm and Hans von Eerie at the castle for a meal
[ ] [Social] Visiting Gabriella in her Sylvanian home
[ ] [Social] Apologising to Kasmir for calling him out so harshly. Just as you did in the original timeline.
[ ] [Social] Celebrating the EIC's early success with Wilhelmina and Markus
[ ] [Social] Attend one of Julia's dinner parties
[ ] [Social] Introducing Abelhelm and Anton to the Good Boy known as Wolf
[ ] [Social] Exchanging letters with your classmate Ulrike
[ ] [Social] Visiting Heideck and Wolf in the sewers to celebrate their profits
[ ] [Social] Spending some time with Regimand while he plots the downfall of the Lahmian conspiracy
[ ] [Social] Write In?
Favour Economy:
Gained: 19 College Favour
1 Great Deed Performed
Mental library:
+3 Arcane Marks (Extensive Imperial/Ulthuan)
+2 Souls (Extensive Imperial)
The section on Arcane Marks was originally posted here.
No Moratorium this time - while there are lots of options, there's no plan votes and I'm not expecting many write-ins.
Remember: You can vote on as many or as few of the questions as you like.
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- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Confused about this, since originally the three swords are ours, Abelhelm's, and Markus's. Who is the fourth sword supposed to be?
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Pronouns
- He/They
I thought one was Wilhelmina's, forgot to check. Will change it so that it's forcing Wilhelmina to stop being humble
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- Location
- Wherever I feel like being
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And I'm Snorri Whitebeard. That's her son. Possibly hers and Abelhelm's even.
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