With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[Mr Zoat]

Huh, I didn't realize he was a established character. My guess would be Golem from Primal Force, but I don't think it really fits.

Click to shrink...

It's an established character from mythology. I don't think they've ever been in DC.

 

[Ardy]

It's an established character from mythology. I don't think they've ever been in DC.

Click to shrink...

Well if Khepri is showing up, I'm gonna guess it's Weld's muddy cousin or something.

and they said a worm crossover would never work

 

[Oglymogly]

It's an established character from mythology. I don't think they've ever been in DC.

Click to shrink...

I've been doing research off and on when I can today, but there are just so many man out of clay myths I just can't narrow it down.

 

[Mr Zoat]

4th Sigmarzeit 2512
Late Morning

"…revolver design doesn't jam, but the automatic and semi-automatic pistol are more popular due to the greater magazine size."

I'm not a gun expert or an American, but I've been able to dredge up enough about gun design to interest a small number of engineers and the Imperial Gunnery School in Nuln. From above I could still make out the damage caused during the attack by the Chaos Lord Tamurkhan two years ago. I've also seen that they've made fairly significant efforts to improve public health, because they know perfectly well that Nurgle doesn't lose just because his war leader dies. Every germ in the world will be his herald and champion given the chance, and Elector Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz did not want to lose the peace.

"The great advantage of the cartridge design is that the time-consuming business of loading powder and shot are handled well before the battle starts, leaving the soldier with the simple job of removing one twelve-shot magazine and inserting another one." I have the construct demonstrate, though I can only remember roughly what it looks like myself. Not a lot of guns in suburban Britain. "Even having to slot in individual rounds in a revolver is far faster than using a powder horn."

My audience has grown from the small number of relatively junior engineers who came to listen mostly as an excuse to bunk off work to a larger group including a few more senior men. And they're actually listening rather than just scoffing.

"Now, for long arms, this is the most popular option just about everywhere."

An image of the AK-47 floats at the front of the lecture hall. Thanks to Jeremy Clarkson I do actually know a little about how this one works, though I've never personally seen one.

"Thirty round magazine, and there's a switch on the side to change from single shot to full automatic. The recoil from one shot resets the mechanism to the ready position and ejects the rear part of the round to clear the barrel. Anyone here left handed?"

A slight hesitation, then a couple of left hands go up.

"Do you see the problem?"

"Heh."

One of the senior engineers nods, smiling to himself.

I nod to him. "The problem with the ejection system is that while it throws the spent cartridge free if you're right handed, if you're left handed it ejects it right into your eye."

The sinister members of the audience smile awkwardly.

"Which isn't great, but the aim when they made this was to make it as mechanically simply as possible. A variable ejection mechanism would have been too complicated. Now, as for larger guns-"

I generate an image of a field gun from… World War Two, I think?

"-you can see similar principles maintained. The shells are made in a factory so that the crew can load and fire them faster. The gun has a mechanism for absorbing the recoil, and there are hand cranks for altering the angle and elevation built into the mechanism. Note also the armoured shield for the crew to duck behind and the spades anchoring the gun in place."

A senior engineer points at the image. "What are those wheels?"

"While thin wheels allow better speed over cobble stones, fat wheels of hardened rubber prevent the gun sinking in the mud while also letting them grip uneven ground better."

He frowns. "Rubber?"

I take a rubber ball I acquired in Lustria out of subspace and toss it to him. He reaches out to catch it, then starts in surprise as it bounces over his hand and into the row behind him.

"It compresses and bounces back. Where I'm from we use those as children's toys."

The junior engineer who fielded it bounces it twice, then notices his senior glaring at him and hands it over.

"Of course, heavier versions of the automatic rifle are also used at shorter ranges."

I don't know machine guns well, but I did see a picture of a Maxim gun at some point so I generate an image of that and add one of a Gatling gun.

"These feed rounds in on a belt, which also carries away spent cases. More advanced versions include a water-based system for cooling the barrel, because continuous firing like this causes it to get extremely hot."

That's nothing they don't know, but they're used to thinking of it in terms of warping the interior of the barrel if a cannon fires for hours, or making the impurities of the metal in the barrel cause an explosive misfire. Not in terms of the barrel setting fire to the people operating it.

I'm really not sure how much of what I'm saying is something that they can put into use. The revolver looks a little like Von Meinkopt's Micro-Mainspring of Multitudinous Precipitation of Pernicious Lead, aka the repeater pistol, but that still needs to have powder and shot loaded each time. But they understand the revolving mechanism. The round on the other hand with bullet and cartridge integrated into a single piece of metal is a genuinely new concept but it's one they can grasp. The British Empire started using the Maxim gun in the… Late nineteenth century? But the Empire isn't that far behind in its more advanced places.

I don't know. Maybe they can make it now, and maybe it's something that they can work towards while I check out whatever steam tanks they've got in the workshops. With a little applied ring power I've dredged up memories of how the early steam engine worked, so assuming that they're at least a little like traction engines I can probably talk the engineers through building them.

The door at the rear of the lecture theatre opens, and a few guards, Richilde and… A woman in her… Middle years wearing an excess of makeup and an open-fronted skirt. A prostitute, presumably, perhaps here to service senior engineers during their lunch break? I'd have thought that they'd pop out for that sort of thing, but perhaps they find the cost of delivery is worth it for the time they save?

Richilde beckons me as the prostitute walks to the edge of the upper deck and looks down at the engineers who… Are frantically muttering to one another, drawing diagrams or playing with my rubber ball. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, urgent business calls. I will be available for the rest of the day should you need me."

I dismiss my constructs and fly up-. She didn't get a local prostitute for me, did she? Or a courtesan? I know… In some places those are held in high regard, but I really-.

"Sir Paolo, may I present Grand Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz."

…

Seriously? Someone as rich as her should be able to pay someone to attach a drawstring to her skirt. Or advise her that a woman her age shouldn't show that much upper thigh in public. But I float in front of the railing she's leaning against and bow politely.

"Countess. A pleasure to meet you."

And your horribly horribly ill-advised dress.

"A new generation of firearms, Sir Paolo. I was under the impression that the Bretonni considered such weapons dishonourable."

"Knights of the Lady forswear the use of all ranged weapons, my lady. Fortunately, I have taken no such oath. Otherwise I wouldn't-" I wave my left hand. "-be able to fly."

"My engineers seem quite taken with your ideas."

"I don't know if they'll actually help, or if they'll just tear apart their workshops trying to build them."

She looks away, exhaling sharply. "'Tear apart their workshops'? It must be Bezahltag already. No, don't concern yourself with that. Concern yourself with explaining why you expect me to replace my province's entire road network."

"I would be happy to."

 

[Assblaster5000]

Shouldn't this chapter be marked as War Mastered instead of Wait Time? Or are these Pauls doing a crossover this arc?

 

[ForeverShogo]

Come now. She looks fine. I don't think she's that bad to look at, anyway. Though from reading the page on her, she might be a bit of a dumbass.

 

[Duke Long]

"The great advantage of the cartridge design is that the time consuming business of loading powder and shot are handled well before the battle starts, leaving the solider with the simple job of removing one twelve-shot magazine and inserting another one."

Click to shrink...

'time-consuming'?
'soldier'

"The problem with the ejection system is that while it throws the spent cartridge free if you're right handed, if you're left handed to ejects it right into your eye."

Click to shrink...

'it ejects'?

The gun has a mechanism for absorbing the recoil, and there are hand cranks for altering the angle and elevation build into the mechanism.

Click to shrink...

'built into'?

"While thin wheels allow better speed over cobble stones, fat wheels of hardened rubber prevent the gun sinking in the mud while also letter them grip uneven ground better."

Click to shrink...

'letting them'?

With a little applied ring power I've dredged up memories of how the early steam engine worked, so assuming that they've at least a little like traction engines I can probably talk the engineers through building them.

Click to shrink...

'they're'?

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

4th Sigmarzeit 2512
Late Morning

"…revolver design doesn't jam, but the automatic and semi-automatic pistol are more popular due to the greater magazine size."

I'm not a gun expert or an American, but I've been able to dredge up enough about gun design to interest a small number of engineers and the Imperial Gunnery School in Nuln. From above I could still make out the damage caused during the attack by the Chaos Lord Tamurkhan two years ago. I've also seen that they've made fairly significant efforts to improve public health, because they know perfectly well that Nurgle doesn't lose just because his war leader dies. Every germ in the world will be his herald and champion given the chance, and Elector Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz did not want to lose the peace.

Click to shrink...

And that's no joke. Nurgle armies have some nasty tricks up their sleeve. Like catapulting corpses dosed with all manner of sicknesses into towns. Not a new tactic, but far more destructive given their potency. And that's before you get into daemon stuff.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"The great advantage of the cartridge design is that the time consuming business of loading powder and shot are handled well before the battle starts, leaving the solider with the simple job of removing one twelve-shot magazine and inserting another one." I have the construct demonstrate, though I can only remember roughly what it looks like myself. Not a lot of guns in suburban Britain. "Even having to slot in individual rounds in a revolver is far faster than using a powder horn."

Click to shrink...

Ah, interesting. Looking to jump the weapons technology of the Empire a couple of centuries ahead? Even getting them to Civil War-era weapons would be a vast increase in military power.

My audience has grown from the small number of relatively junior engineers who came to listen mostly as an excuse to bunk off work to a larger group including a few more senior men. And they're actually listening rather than just scoffing.

"Now, for long arms, this is the most popular option just about everywhere."

Click to shrink...

Ah, the young lads always skivving off work. But getting the attention of some of the professors? That'll get this stuff spreading.

An image of the AK-47 floats at the front of the lecture hall. Thanks to Jeremy Clarkson I do actually know a little about how this one works, though I've never personally seen one.

"Thirty round magazine, and there's a switch on the side to change from single shot to full automatic. The recoil from one shot resets the mechanism to the ready position and ejects the rear part of the round to clear the barrel. Anyone here left handed?"

Click to shrink...

Honestly, I like Ahoy's Iconic Arms series, though it focuses on movies and videogame depictions more. To wit: his video on the AK series.

A slight hesitation, then a couple of left hands go up.

"Do you see the problem?"

Click to shrink...

I don't know, Paol. Perhaps give them a construct to hold, see if the young gits can spot it.

"Heh."

One of the senior engineers nods, smiling to himself.

Click to shrink...

See, this guy gets it. Their weapons don't even use ejection ports, but he gets it.

I nod to him. "The problem with the ejection system is that while it throws the spent cartridge free if you're right handed, if you're left handed to ejects it right into your eye."

The sinister members of the audience smile awkwardly.

Click to shrink...

Although a match-lock or wheel-lock musket might provide a similar experience if it's not aligned for you... Albeit with more smoke and burning powder.

"Which isn't great, but the aim when they made this was to make it as mechanically simply as possible. A variable ejection mechanism would have been too complicated. Now, as for larger guns-"

I generate an image of a field gun from… World War Two, I think?

Click to shrink...

Now that, they'll recognise. Cannons haven't change too much in overall configuration over the centuries. Mostly details like the firing chamber and carriage.

"-you can see similar principles maintained. The shells are made in a factory so that the crew can load and fire them faster. The gun has a mechanism for absorbing the recoil, and there are hand cranks for altering the angle and elevation build into the mechanism. Note also the armoured shield for the crew to duck behind and the spades anchoring the gun in place."

A senior engineer points at the image. "What are those wheels?"

Click to shrink...

Ah, yes. Since they're still working with old-fashioned cartwheels. Albeit thick and reinforced ones.

"While thin wheels allow better speed over cobble stones, fat wheels of hardened rubber prevent the gun sinking in the mud while also letter them grip uneven ground better."

He frowns. "Rubber?"

Click to shrink...

A thing little known to Europe even in this era, outside of some rare imports all the way from the tropics. In the Warhammer world, with armies of ogres and hobgoblin Mongols patrolling western Asia and the dangers of sea travel? No chance.

I take a rubber ball I acquired in Lustria out of subspace and toss it to him. He reaches out to catch it, then starts in surprise as it bounces over his hand and into the row behind him.

"It compresses and bounces back. Where I'm from we use those as children's toys."

Click to shrink...

Don't forget the steel wire reinforcement in tyres, and the air-filled inner cavity...

The junior engineer who fielded it bounces it twice, then notices his senior glaring at him and hands it over.

"Of course, heavier versions of the automatic rifle are also used at shorter ranges."

Click to shrink...

Ah, yes. Squad Automatic Weapons. For when you want to keep the enemy's head down. Or turn it into a pink mist.

I don't know machine guns well, but I did see a picture of a Maxim Gun at some point so I generate an image of that and add one of a Gatling gun.

"These feed rounds in on a belt, which also carries away spend cases. More advanced versions include a water-based system for cooling the barrel, because continuous firing like this causes it to get extremely hot."

Click to shrink...

On the upside, you can brew a good cuppa off them. Or these.

That's nothing they don't know, but they're used to thinking of it in terms of warping the interior of the barrel if a cannon fires for hours, or making the impurities of the metal in the barrel cause an explosive misfire. Not in terms of the barrel setting fire to the people operating it.

Click to shrink...

An extremely common occurrence on the tabletop, given that firing a war machine involved two special dice. One for deviation (for catapults and the like,) the other for distances or number of shots (marked in 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and the ever-feared Misfire '!') The results of that could range from 'cannot fire that turn' to 'machine explodes, crew killed.' They still see use today in more specialist games like Necromunda or the Horus Heresy game.

I'm really not sure how much of what I'm saying is something that they can put into use. The revolver looks a little like Von Meinkopt's Micro-Mainspring of Multitudinous Precipitation of Pernicious Lead, aka the repeater pistol, but that still needs to have powder and shot loaded each time. But they understand the revolving mechanism. The round on the other hand with bullet and cartridge integrated into a single piece of metal is a genuinely new concept but it's one they can grasp. The British Empire started using the Maxim Gun in the… Late nineteenth century? But the Empire isn't that far behind in its more advanced places.

Click to shrink...

And I bet some will recognise it as a lot more convenient than the old methods of musket-ball pouch, wadding and powder horn. Just a matter of ensuring they stay within safe tolerances. A poorly-crafted round, or worse, an over packed one, can be potentially fatal. (Caution, that linked video moment gets loud.)

I don't know. Maybe they can make it now, and maybe it's something that they can work towards while I check out whatever steam tanks they've got in the workshops. With a little applied ring power I've dredged up memories of how the early steam engine worked, so assuming that they've at least a little like traction engines I can probably talk the engineers through building them.

The door at the rear of the lecture theatre opens, and a few guards, Richilde and… A woman in her… Middle years wearing an excess of makeup and an open-fronted skirt. A prostitute, presumably, perhaps here to service senior engineers during their lunch break? I'd have thought that they'd pop out for that sort of thing, but perhaps they find the cost of delivery is worth it for the time they save?

Click to shrink...

...Paol, you cannot seriously be that obtuse. I know Imperial fashion can be silly, but really?

Richilde beckons me as the prostitute walks to the edge of the upper deck and looks down at the engineers who… Are frantically muttering to one another, drawing diagrams or playing with my rubber ball. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, urgent business calls. I will be available for the rest of the day should you need me."

I dismiss my constructs and fly up-. She didn't get a local prostitute for me, did she? Or a courtesan? I know… In some places those are held in high regard, but I really-.

Click to shrink...

I see the gentlemen were indeed paying attention, and are very excited by the ideas. Let's hope not too many of them die in the resulting experiments.

"Sir Paolo, may I present Grand Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz."

…

Click to shrink...

...She's wearing the dress from that wiki page linked above, isn't she? I can understand the assumption of her career, then. Yikes.

Seriously? Someone as rich as her should be able to pay someone to attach a drawstring to her skirt. Or advise her that a woman her age shouldn't show that much upper thigh in public. But I float in front of the railing she's leaning against and bow politely.

"Countess. A pleasure to meet you."

Click to shrink...

I'm guessing she is not aging gracefully. And now I'm getting the image of a divorced soccer mom trying to wear her teenage daughter's clothes to a club. It's not a great image, sadly.

And your horribly horribly ill-advised dress.

"A new generation of firearms, Sir Paolo. I was under the impression that the Bretonni considered such weapons dishonourable."

Click to shrink...

Well, he's not a Frenchman Bretonnian, so it's perfectly fine.

"Knights of the Lady forswear the use of all ranged weapons, my lady. Fortunately, I have taken no such oath. Otherwise I wouldn't-" I wave my left hand. "-be able to fly."

"My engineers seem quite taken with your ideas."

Click to shrink...

Fun fact: That's how they justified adding artillery and archers to the army despite the chivalric theme of the Knights. How? Peasant crews and hunting bands. Loopholes!

"I don't know if they'll actually help, or if they'll just tear apart their workshops trying to build them."

She looks away, exhaling sharply. "'Tear apart their workshops'? It must be Bezahltag already. No, don't concern yourself with that. Concern yourself with explaining why you expect me to replace my province's entire road network."

"I would be happy to."

Click to shrink...

I suppose around here, an exploding workshop is just background noise. And usually met with a dry amusement as the lucky engineer stumbles out with ringing ears and a big grin, if they survive.

Sounds like Nuln is about to get a lot noisier. Hopefully they work it out before they wipe out an entire generation of students (Not that there isn't always more where they come from.) And it'll be amusing to see the Dwarvish engineers' reactions to all these new-fangled gubbins. Probably lots of beard-stroking and disapproving grumbling over the 'long-shanks' tomfoolery.

 

[moralrelativity]

which also carries away spend cases.

Click to shrink...

spend -> spent

 

[Mr Zoat]

Shouldn't this chapter be marked as War Mastered instead of Wait Time? Or are these Pauls doing a crossover this arc?

Click to shrink...

'time-consuming'?
'soldier'
'it ejects'?
'built into'?
'letting them'?
'they're'?

Click to shrink...

spend -> spent

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

 

[Ciber]

Shouldn't this chapter be marked as War Mastered instead of Wait Time? Or are these Pauls doing a crossover this arc?

Click to shrink...

Everyone loves the crossover arcs. It's more or less the entire justification for having a Pauliverse.

 

[Tzeentch]

I dismiss my constructs and fly up-. She didn't get a local prostitute for me, did she? Or a courtesan? I know… In some places those are held in high regard, but I really-.

"Sir Paolo, may I present Grand Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz."

…

Seriously? Someone as rich as her should be able to pay someone to attach a drawstring to her skirt. Or advise her that a woman her age shouldn't show that much upper thigh in public. But I float in front of the railing she's leaning against and bow politely.

"Countess. A pleasure to meet you."

And your horribly horribly ill-advised dress.

Click to shrink...

PAOL: I'm... not sure the Countess was dressed appropriately-

KARL FRANZ: Oh thank Sigmar, someone FINALLY says it!

 

[Steelplaza]

The funniest part is, if this were the SI from any of the superhero universes then he'd probably be utterly unphased by the Countess's clothing. You can only see so many people running around in bathing suit costumes before you become desensitized.

 

[Senevri]

Hoo boy. Sexism and ageism. I mean, certainly in character, especially with the abhorrence of decay mentioned just recently, but doesn't exactly endear... what was the WH!Paul called again?

Doesn't this abhorrence extend to providing anti-aging services to others, though?

 

[Ngamer11]

Hoo boy. Sexism and ageism. I mean, certainly in character, especially with the abhorrence of decay mentioned just recently, but doesn't exactly endear... what was the WH!Paul called again?

Doesn't this abhorrence extend to providing anti-aging services to others, though?

Click to shrink...

He's called Paol, though depending on the location, he might be called Paolo instead. Also, he should only be able to reverse someone's age if he cares about them enough or they are related in some way to someone he cares about deeply.

 

[Vaermina]

I dismiss my constructs and fly up-. She didn't get a local prostitute for me, did she? Or a courtesan? I know… In some places those are held in high regard, but I really-.

"Sir Paolo, may I present Grand Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz."

…

Seriously? Someone as rich as her should be able to pay someone to attach a drawstring to her skirt. Or advise her that a woman her age shouldn't show that much upper thigh in public. But I float in front of the railing she's leaning against and bow politely.

"Countess. A pleasure to meet you."

And your horribly horribly ill-advised dress.

Click to shrink...

Ah yes, because how dare a female ruler dress in a way that lets her feel good about herself.

I guess this is just another of those general reminders that Orange Ring's should not be kept on for any appreciable length of time.

 

[Tzeentch]

Ah yes, because how dare a female ruler dress in a way that lets her feel good about herself.

Click to shrink...

Well, the Countess isn't exactly a pleasant person, so a critique of her choice of apparel is hardly the worst thing one can make. Besides, Paul is being exceptionally polite and savvy by keeping his opinion on her style of clothing to himself.

 

[Vaermina]

Well, the Countess isn't exactly a pleasant person, so a critique of her choice of apparel is hardly the worst thing one can make. Besides, Paul is being exceptionally polite and savvy by keeping his opinion on her style of clothing to himself.

Click to shrink...

By Orange Lantern Paul standards, yes.

But that's a very very low bar.

 

[DAT_NOOB]

Well, the Countess isn't exactly a pleasant person, so a critique of her choice of apparel is hardly the worst thing one can make. Besides, Paul is being exceptionally polite and savvy by keeping his opinion on her style of clothing to himself.

Click to shrink...

I can't believe that people are actually taking issue with Paolo saying, hell not even saying, thinking that a woman's fashion isn't great.

 

[Tzeentch]

I can't believe that people are actually taking issue with Paolo saying, hell not even saying, thinking that a woman's fashion isn't great.

Click to shrink...

I'm not surprised. Alas, we live in a time where a great many are all too quick to be offended over another's personal preferences and opinions, and all too eager to voice their offense.

 

[ForeverShogo]

To be fair, he's not just thinking that her clothes suck or something. He wrote her off as a common whore or possibly a courtesan.

I don't think it's that bizarre for someone to be annoyed that he'd think that way about someone just because they're wearing sexy clothing.

 

[Lord Ernest]

To be fair, he's not just thinking that her clothes suck or something. He wrote her off as a common whore or possibly a courtesan.

I don't think it's that bizarre for someone to be annoyed that he'd think that way about someone just because they're wearing sexy clothing.

Click to shrink...

I mean, why wouldn't he think that? He's essentially in a college/university, doing a TED talk about guns and here comes a woman basically dressed in slut wear i.e.

Spoiler

Something equivalent to this:

Or this:

I'm not judging her or anything, she and anyone can dress however they want. But if I go outside dressed convincingly as a Police Officer, I can't be mad if someone approches me to report a crime (I'm quoting Dave Chappelle here, if anybody's seen that).

I personally saw her profile image before getting to Paol's thoughts on her and mine were "what's with the fetish gear?" And I don't feel that I was particularly uncharitable, she's just dressed eerily similar to another profession of the time period that WHF evokes and Paol ended up thinking the same.

 

[Tzeentch]

The sinister members of the audience smile awkwardly.

Click to shrink...

Now, I know that by "sinister" you mean the left-handed, but seeing as one particular engineer at Nuln is rather sinister in the more malevolent sense, (especially with a son who's a pawn of Chaos), I have to wonder if the vengeful Randolf Vogt is part of the audience.

 

[GhostKing 666]

With a little applied ring power I've dredged up memories of how the early steam engine worked, so assuming that they're at least a little like traction engines I can probably talk the engineers through building them.

Click to shrink...

They've got steam engines actually. Over in Altdorf, the college of engineers constructed multiple bridges with steam powered drawing mechanisms to let ships passed underneath(and one magically constructed bridge built back in the Magnus the Pius era by the Colleges of Magic).

The Empire even has a few river steam ships(and then there is the Grand Theogonist's personal behemoth of a ship, with a steam powered figurehead on the bow).

The Empire's basically at the very early stages of the Industrial Revolution, steam engines exist but are still very rare and expensive outside the southern(more technologically advanced) half of the Empire, nor can they really miniaturize them to replicate the Steam Tanks*.

And of course, this isn't even getting into all the clockwork bullshit the Empire's engineers were toying around with. Everything from clockwork prosthetics and mechanical horses to the really crazy stuff mentioned in 8th edition, flying machines, flying clockwork angels and Nuln's giant mechanical colossus. Warhammer's a fantasy setting after all and the Empire was well on its way to becoming a gaslamp fantasy nation with magic thrown in(8th edition also had the gold college possessing enchanted flying galleons). Really putting in the work to try and match up to all those older, crazy bullshit civilizations(and not just the elves, dwarfs and lizardmen, but Cathay and Nehekara too).

*Outside of one of the Gotrek and Felix books anyway, one of them involved the Skaven attacking a Nuln Steam Tank factory.

 

[Mr Zoat]

4th Sigmarzeit 2512
Late Morning

"It's that simple?"

I glance at Richilde, but she's keeping her face blank.

"Countess?"

"The roads, man." She gestures to the map on the table between us, which has gotten me a few mildly dirty looks from the… I want to say 'restaurant', but I'm not sure that 'club' wouldn't be a better description. It's very clearly situated near to the expensive part of the city, is richly decorated and doesn't exactly appear to be interested in a high density of clients. "You're saying that if we do this we can stop worrying about the forces of Chaos entirely?"

"I realise that it's a big-."

"If I hadn't seen the Tower of Hoeth's seal on the document I'd have had you thrown in the river like every other charlatan. Which of the Loremasters did you convince to put their seal to this?"

I like to think that Karl-Franz's seal on it also had an impact, given that he's the reason that she's an Elector Count over other claimants.

"High Loremaster Teclis."

For a moment her mildly curdled expression turns into something… Else. Uncertainty? Disquiet? But it's gone a moment later.

"Though I should emphasise that it's not just building the roads. The roads have to run along lines of hysh flows, and we have to build monuments at the intersections. And the effect isn't total and.. requires quite a large section to be completed before there'll be an overt effect. Ah, other than the.. normal benefits to travel from better roads."

She reviews the map of her province once more. "You've left several towns out of the network."

"If they're excluded, it's because they're not in geomantically significant locations. The road network can be extended to them, there just isn't any sort of magical benefit to it."

"Who made these calculations?"

"My point of contact with the Light College is Master Alric, though I've also have the work checked by the High Loremaster." And Djubti, High Liche Priest of Lybaras, but I feel that mentioning his involvement would be needlessly distracting. "Short of having a slann or an old one go over it, it's as good as it can be made."

"Slann? The toad-men?"

"They actually look more like fat lizards than toads."

The slann models from 5th edition looked like toads, and I remember the Drachenfels point of view part of the novel Drachenfels where he remembered the arrival of 'the toad men who came from the stars'. The oldest records the lizardmen were willing to let me see seemed to indicate that the old ones were somewhat toad-like in appearance, but the images could equally have been some sort of extinct servitor species or a different model of slann.

"Have you met one?"

"No. I was at the opposite end of a large room while a skink priest asked if I could petition it. It didn't respond, but I did get a good look at what it looked like."

I didn't try scanning it, because we were inside a warded building and the Temple Guard surrounding me were loaded with enchanted equipment. I couldn't take the risk that someone would object violently.

"What good would this do to me?"

"If it were fully implemented?" She just looks at me. "There would be no residual built-ups of dhar in the region. Necromancy and Chaos magic would be weaker and harder to use, mutation less common and certain types of innately magical monster would try to avoid the area affected. It would be more difficult for daemons to manifest and they would need more power to remain materialised. Hysh-based magic-."

"I wasn't asking what good it would do. I asked what good it would do for me."

Oh dear. "You personally would receive all of those benefits. You had a Chaos warlord-."

"Yes, I remember it well. The maggot did not need dark magic from my state; he brought it with him."

She's glaring, but I don't think I've entirely lost her yet.

"My intent is to ultimately extend the network to all parts of the world, but in the mean time it would also weaken dark magic in the entirety of the world, though the.. strength of the effect would be reduced by distance. I can't guarantee that building the network in your state would prevent attacks by Chaos worshippers. In fact I imagine that in the short term the Chaos Gods will incentivise their followers to attack places using it."

"So you want me to pay millions of crowns and devote our entire stone supply and most of my labourers in order to mark my state and my people out as targets."

"With the greatest respect, Countess, you're already a target."

"More of a target. You want me to go from being a target of a warlord once a century when one of the accursed scum managed to conquer the rest to being the only thing they target!"

I frown. "And… Small attacks are.. worse..? You'll have enough roads to move horsemen to counter their warbands wherever they are, and attacks like that wouldn't ever be able to threaten Nuln itself. Or even a walled town, really. And you certainly won't be the only target since I intend to prevail upon all Elector Counts to follow this plan."

Her eyes narrow. "Who has consented to this?"

"So far, just his imperial majesty, but I intend to try to visit everyone this week."

"One man."

"He does rather set the tone."

"He'll be swarmed by beast-tribes from the Reikwald before it's halfway complete."

Oh! Oh. Slow communications surprises me again.

"Not likely, Countess. They're all dead."

She blinks. "What?"

"How do you think I got him to agree to this? I sought out and destroyed every single tribe. Destroyed every Herdstone. Took a while, and I had to take his least popular minister along as a witness, but I got it done."

She frowns again, in puzzlement rather than irritation. "How?"

"I'm quite good at killing. Sorry, I realise that I should have led with that. I'm not used to information travelling so slowly and just assumed that you knew."

"You killed all of them?"

"Well, all the males. Female beastmen are fairly docile, so I moved them to land marked for farm development and set them to work instead. No problems so far. And I… Can't completely guarantee that a few human-looking ones didn't manage to flee. But they're not in the area any more."

"Are you willing to extend your services to me as well?"

I shrug. "I'm willing to extend them to anyone. If it worships Chaos, it's my enemy. If you know where my enemies are, I'll thank you for the information and then deal with the matter. If you want some particular group culled, just name them."

"And you can find them?"

"If you can provide a physical description and their approximate location, yes. Though it might have to wait until after this week. If I'm trying to get rushed meetings with the Electors, I can't guarantee exactly when I'll be available."

"We've had an upsurge of ratmen sightings since the invasion. I want them dead."

"The local warren or the entire species?"

She looks at my face for a few moments.

"Ideally, the latter, though I'll take it as a show of good faith if you manage the former."

"The species is on my long list, but I can handle the local warren…" Hm. "Actually, if you pull back your guards and ignore… Exactly how I do it, I can get started today."

She gives me a flat look. "What will I be ignoring?"

"Wide scale… Automata usage? Ill-educated people might say they're daemons or something… That's why I'm concerned. But they're very good at killing what I tell them to kill."

"That will be acceptable. But I want to see these 'automata' for myself first."

"Certainly, Countess. Shall we go now, or would you like time to prepare?"

 

[Citizen]

"Why do people keep thinking you use daemons in this rat clearing work?"
"Probably because of all the daemons I use."
"What?"
"All the automatons."

 

[Lazurman]

"What good would this do to me?"

"If it were fully implemented?" She just looks at me. "There would be no residual built-ups of dhar in the region. Necromancy and Chaos magic would be weaker and harder to use, mutation less common and certain types of innately magical monster would try to avoid the area affected. It would be more difficult for daemons to manifest and they would need more power to remain materialised. Hysh-basic magic-."

"I wasn't asking what good it would do. I asked what good it would do for me."

Oh dear. "You personally would receive all of those benefits. You had a chaos warlord-."

Click to shrink...

This is the kind of person that needs a swift bonk on the noggin from Ghal-Maraz.

You have an opportunity to take the first meaningful step towards neutering Chaos and you wanna be a selfish bitch? Sigmar preserve us...

 

[Mquz]

This is the kind of person that needs a swift bonk on the noggin from Ghal-Maraz.

You have an opportunity to take the first meaningful step towards neutering Chaos and you wanna be a selfish bitch? Sigmar preserve us...

Click to shrink...

She's being cautious and paying attention to potential harm from invasions. Like she pointed out this is a very expensive project.

 

[Vanbers]

This is the kind of person that needs a swift bonk on the noggin from Ghal-Maraz.

You have an opportunity to take the first meaningful step towards neutering Chaos and you wanna be a selfish bitch? Sigmar preserve us...

Click to shrink...

"Doing this will help stop Chaos in the long run."

"But it'll minorly inconvenience me!"

"...It will help stop Chaos in the long run. You remember, Chaos? Those beings that hate you and everything and everyone else, and want to violate everyone's souls? That Chaos?"

"But it'll cost me money! And be difficult! No, no, it's quite impossible, I'm afraid. Probably witch nonsense anyways."

This is one of the many reasons Warhammer 40k/Fantasy can't have nice things, yes.

She's being cautious and paying attention to potential harm from invasions. Like she pointed out this is a very expensive project.

Click to shrink...

Expensive and also backed by some of the most accomplished mages.

And it'll make her more of a target only if she's the only one that does it.

I mean what's going to happen if she starts building it? Chaos will attack? Oh, you mean like they already do whenever?

It's a near-guaranteed thing that will not only improve her territory's infrastructure (with good roads to facilitate trade), but also a region-wide debuff for the most hated kind of enemies.

I can kind of see where she's coming from, but like... come on, lady.

 

[Assblaster5000]

She's being cautious and paying attention to potential harm from invasions. Like she pointed out this is a very expensive project.

Click to shrink...

And the long-term costs of Magic Space Hell existing outweigh the short- to mid-term costs of the road network that the several million her province would have to shill out for it is absolutely, unquestionably, worth it. And that's assuming this version of the world doesn't get End Times'd.

It's not like she'd even suffer much of, if any, a downgrade to her standards of living.