Martial:
[X] The Age of Gunpowder: With the redevelopment of firearms, it is now possible to introduce this new world the power of the gun and why they're so powerful. You will train and equip one of your combat squads in the use of modern firearms of your choice.
Chance of Success: 75%. Cost: Varies. Required: 1 Tier-2 (minimum) combat group and 1 Science/Engineering Team. Reward: the combat group is trained in firearm use and is equipped with said firearms for combat.
-[X] Maxim Machine Gun (Cost: 10)
--[X] (1) Veteran Mercenary Archers
1D100 => 89
It is a common myth back in your own world that the greatest killer in World War One was the machine gun. The answer is actually the king of the battle, which is powerful artillery. Still, that fact alone is not enough to discount the power and fearful reputation of the machine gun. The weapon alone caused many deaths on the battlefield ever since its invention and it has gotten to the point where the mere sound of a machine gun firing will put great fear into even the bravest of men. Entire military tactics were discarded because of the machine gun and the sheer amount of death it can reap, like large-scale human wave attacks.
Soon, the very same deadly and terrifying power of the machine gun will be felt in this new world, still virgin to the power of even the most basic of firearms. Your engineers managed to redevelop and produce a specimen the first practical machine gun of your world, the Maxim Machine Gun. While it is large, heavy, and relatively immobile in comparison to more modern machine guns you are quite familiar with, it is still more than capable of inflicting mass casualties on a scale previously unheard of, all without using magic and specially if you can get it to a position where the enemy cannot hide from its bullets. You trained one of your most trusted of archer groups in the operation, maintenance, and use of this well-crafted weapon and your engineers produced enough bullets to fuel the weapon's might for several battles.
The reception of the weapon is quite… expected to say the least. All of the members of the archer group selected to be trained all wanted a turn to feel the power of the machine gun and they all loved the rush of power coming from the gun. Unfortunately for them, only a few of the group is required to operate the gun; the rest will still be using their bows and arrows to defend the gun crew in battle. Not as exhilarating, but the job still important. Also, you can feel a range of emotions coming from the other groups not selected for training as they witness the machine gun's operation and capabilities. You have noticed fear, jealousy, joy, lust, and wonderment. You can tell that your other groups really love this new weapon from your world and desire more weapons from your world to use against your enemies in battle.
"Have patience everyone," you thought to yourself. "Someday, you all will get your turn..."
Success: A Maxim Machine Gun with ammo and necessary supplies was produced and a machine gun crew is trained and readied for battle.
Units have been upgraded:
(1) Veteran Mercenary Archers (T3) -> (1) Veteran Archer-Maxim Group (T5)
[X] Property Protection (free action): Some of your valuable properties that you had captured are practically unguarded and vulnerable to attack should the enemy decides to attack. You should send some troops and supplies out to your properties and assets to protect them from enemy capture or destruction…
Required: 1 combat group. Reward: the selected property gains a garrison of troops that will automatically defend the property from any hostile force.
-[X] HQ
--[X] (1) Veteran Black Rabbits Swords-bunnies, (1) Veteran Mercenary Spearmen, (1)Veteran Mercenary Swordsmen, (1) Veteran Mercenary Archers, (1) Copper Lion Statue, (1) Basic Mercenary Spearmen, (1) Basic Mercenary Archers, (2) Thorn Throwers , (1) Tamed Lesser Wolves
-[X] Active iron mine
--[X] (1) Veteran Sunset Phalanx Spears-bunnies, (1) Basic Mercenary Spearmen, (1) Copper Archer Statues, (1) Copper Polearm Statues, (1) Veteran Mercenary Archers, (2) Thorn Throwers, (1) Tamed Lesser Wolves
It is quite understandable that, with your increased successes, you have made many enemies that will try to do anything to defeat you, from random banditry to full-scale attacks with their military. To guard against this, you decided to reorganize and strengthen the guarding forces stationed at your properties by a very significant amount. The new reorganized forces should be sufficient to defend against low-to-medium level banditry while stalling more significant attacks enough for the Leofarinian Army to respond in force. However, only an actual battle shall confirm or deny your plans. You hope that you will not get into a big battle sooner than you want...
Success: Guard forces reorganized and reinforced as listed.
Diplomacy:
[X] A Favor to Ask of You - Leofarinian Garrison at Greenhill: With your relationship and level of trust between the Leofarinian Garrison at Greenhill and the Frank Foundation at a peak right now, maybe it is time to cash in a favor or two and get something nice from them?
-[X] An Martial Advisor (Cost: 28, a guaranteed advisor of Martial specialization)
Unfortunately, it looks like the Leofarinian Army can't assign any spare military officers to you with war against Xelma and other nations looming over the horizon. Therefore, they hired a reasonable substitute to serve you as your military advisor. Her name is Georgia and she is an experienced Bunny mercenary commander and trainer hailing from the Unhallowed Marsh Warrens.
Her appearance already prompted an awed expression from the Black Rabbits and a respectful reception from the Red Knives. It turns out that the Bunny-people of the Unhallowed Marsh Warrens are renowned and feared for unparalleled fighting abilities, loyalty, and savagery in battle even by Bunny-standards. This is partially due to the fact that the warrens sit next to a large cursed swamp full of the dead from various battles, wars, and other violent events from the past. The resulting undead-infested swamps provided an ideal, if dangerous, training ground to produce a particularly brutal and cunning Bunny-people population. By logic, a trainer and tactician from that Bunny population would be equally exceptionally good.
Georgia keeled before you and pledged her services and life to you and you personally. She swore to serve you and your descendants until the very end. You welcome her pledge of loyalty and her experience, both will be useful in the coming months...
Success: Your request for a Martial Advisor was fulfilled successfully.
(Gained a Martial Advisor: Georgia of the Unhallowed Marsh Warrens)
Stewardship:
[X] 'Ore Mining for Wealth: Your active mine is producing ore and crystals at a steady pace, but it could be better. Why not invest into the mine and made it more productive than ever before?
Chance of Success: 60%. Cost: 5 Reward: Income +10, random stuffs.
-[X] Sunnia's Bonus (+17)
1D100 => 27 + 17 (Sunnias Bonus) = 44
This really shouldn't be this much trouble, but it has been. Apparently, the money was spent on purchasing better tools for your miners to use, but it turns out that the original supplier that the manager was trying to order tools from was a con-artist and tried to cheat you out of your investment by providing inferior quality tools. It took Sunnia's quick eye, quick mind, and her skill with her sword to get the money back. Afterward, she handled the tool-ordering herself and made sure that your investment into the mine produced results and profits on time and without further trouble.
Success: Your investment into the mine expanded the mine's profitability.
(Mining Income: +10)
[X] Wandering Merchant Caravans: Trading between various populations is the backbone of any strong economy and it is no different in this world. Sponsoring a merchant caravan to help establish a new trade route to a location in return for a cut of their profits sound like a good way to start earning quite a bit of money, though there's always a risk of bandits attacking your profits. Ah well, that's the cost of being a merchant in these troubled times…
--[X] Town of Ironhil, the local seat of power for the region and sits on the crossroads to other regions. (Chance of Success: 80%. Cost: 9. Required: 1 Tier-2 combat group. Turns to complete: 1 Reward: +14 Income, random stuffs and events.)
---[X] (1) Veteran Black Rabbits Swords-bunnies, (1) Veteran Mercenary Spearmen, (1) Veteran Mercenary Archers, (1) Basic Spears-Bunnies, (1) Tamed Lesser Wolves, (1) Lesser Shield Angel, (1) Tricksters, (1) Veteran Agents, (1) Basic Agents
1D100 => 92
On the contrary, your efforts into that merchant caravan paid off, and in more ways than one. First of all, the caravan arrived at Ironhil without any problems or incidents, which is a rarity in these troubled times where bandit and monster attacks are becoming more common as of the late. Second of all, the caravan managed to establish a trade relationship with the local merchants and craftsmen within the town. The relationship is one where the caravan will help deliver, trade, and sell metallic ore from Greenhill in exchange for profits and finished weapons from Ironhil, which will then be transported back and sold in Greenhill. As thanks for being part of the effort to make this profitable exchange happen, the caravan will pay part of the profits directly to your coffers. This large boost in income will help in the short term and in the long term.
In addition to the profits, new assets of different kinds were gained. First, it seemed that your combat groups that you sent along to guard the caravan had conducted a spontaneous recruitment drive to gather a few more fighters for your company. The drive succeeded in recruiting another generic group of Spears-bunnies into your fold, but the real prize is that group of Bunny-Halberdiers that your Black Rabbits managed to talk into joining your company. Clad in onyx-black armor and armed with strong halberds that could easily stop a mounted knight, they are definitely a fierce-some sight to see as you welcome them into your company's forces. As for the name of the group, they adopted the name of the Onyx Rabbits as they are wearing black and are recruited by them. You accepted the name and their services since you have the bad feeling that, once the war begins in earnest, you will need plenty of replacements for the many casualties your forces will sustain...
The other new asset you have gained is thanks to your intrigue personnel that you have assigned with the caravan. In addition of protecting the caravan from any cloak-and-dagger subversion, they also took the liberty of planting informants within Ironhil so that you can be more aware of any happenings from the town and receive early notice of any potential trouble or opportunities. While the amount of information coming from the town right now is rather small since this is not really an organized and official effort, a small amount of information is better than no information at all. After all, maybe this information could save your life...
Success: Your sponsorship into the trade caravan to Ironhil yielded good results and additional assets.
(Trade Income, Ironhil gained: +14 income)
Gained the following combat personnel/assets:
1 group of Basic Spears-bunnies
1 group of Veteran Onyx Rabbits Bunny-Halberdiers
Gained Intrigue Asset: Ironhil informants lvl. 0.7
Intrigue:
[X] Plant Informants: The first step in espionage against any organization or population is to gather information about your targets and keep a look out for any opportunities. You will send your agents out to plant informants in a location or organization of your choice.
Chance of Success: 70%. Cost: 10. Required: 1 Tier-2 Intrigue groups. Reward: Informants planted in location or organization of your choosing, intelligence reports generated at end of every turn, further action against target unlocked.
--[X] Kingdom of Xelma, Leofarinia's hostile neighbor to the east and the closest to your headquarters in terms of location.
---[X] (1) Tricksters, (2) Veteran Agents, (2) Basic Agents
1D100 => 87
One of the most famous quotations from the famed ancient strategist Sun Tzu and his book, The Art of War, can be summarized as "If you know yourself and the enemy, you will know no defeat". While you are still working on the "yourself" part of equation, you get to work on the "enemy" part of the equation as you sent out your agents into Xelmian territory to start building up an intelligence network…
It seems that your agents' efforts were a success as you received reports from them and their informants about the state of affairs of Xelma. It is indeed true that the Xelma is preparing for full scale war with Leofarinia and, from the estimated numbers of their armies, it will be a big one. Maybe not the biggest in recorded history, but it might be the biggest in recent memory. Your agents will return from the field to compile all of their findings into reports for you to review at the end of the month. In addition, their self-sustaining informant network will continue to feed your intelligence forces information to analyze and make conclusions from. However, as good as the informant network is, more effort and investment will be needed to improve their reach and quality.
Still, all of this is a good start to your shadow game…
Success: Your agents have planted informants within the Kingdom of Xelma's border towns and localized military; reports about Xelma's state of affairs will be created for review at end of every turn.
(Gained Intrigue Asset: Kingdom of Xelma informants lvl. 1)
[X] Counter-Intelligence Actions (free action): You have this dreadful feeling that, with your organization becoming well known as it is, your enemies will start to send in agents of shadows to undermine you however you can. You might as well do something about that, yes? You will assign intrigue personnel to protect your Foundation from any subversive plots by enemy agents.
Required: 1 intrigue group. Reward: the assigned groups will keep a lookout for enemy agents and will work to stop any intrigue action undertaken by any enemy.
--[X] (1) Veteran Agents, (4) Basic Agents
In addition to more militant attacks on your people and property, you are aware that the enemy will try to defeat your Foundation using convert subversion. To guard against this, you decided to organize a counter-intelligence force, consisting of your fine agents, to stop any plot by enemy agents, whatever they are. The newly-minted counter-intelligence forces should be sufficient to defend against enemy agents within the local area. However, you realize that, as your holding gets bigger, bigger and better quality counter-intelligence forces will need to be organized in the future. You will deal with this when the time comes...
Success: Counter-intelligence force organized as listed.
Learning:
[X] Ruins-Exploring!: Now that you have access to those mysterious ruins everyone is talking about, why not you send over a team over there to explore them? It should be good use of your time to explore the remains of an "outer-worldly" civilization and maybe you can pick up a souvenir while you are at it, or maybe several dozen more…
Chance of Success: 70% Cost: 15. Required: 1 Science/Engineering Team Reward: Mysterious "outer-worldly" ruins explored, random stuffs.
--[X] Joan Frank Bonus (+21)
---[X] (1) Veteran Stone-Breaker Berserkers, (1) Sisters of the Mace, (1) Enlightened Torch Dark Elvish Light Mages, (1) Red Knives Bunny-Assassins, (1) Veteran Mercenary Spearmen, (1) Basic Mercenary Swordsmen, (1) Basic Agents
1D100 => 82
Your first real-life dungeon crawling expedition? You do not know if you should be excited or afraid. Maybe excited will do...
(To be continued in: Dungeon Exploring Scientists, Part I.)
[X] Reinvent the Wheel: Your company has been pulled into another world with a much less than ideal technology and infrastructure base. It may be wise for you and your company to focus their efforts into re-research, re-design, and re-develop the various technologies that you all know and love back at home. With many years of built up knowledge in your computers and in your heads, this should be simple… right?
Chance of Success: 75% Cost: 20. Required: 1 Science/Engineering Team Reward: Rediscovered knowledge and designs from your home world, random stuffs.
--[X] Production Tech I: Focus your efforts on developing the technology to build up a basic industrial base. (Note: +5% Successes, -8 Cost due to recovered files.)
1D100 => 23
This task really shouldn't be difficult, but it seems that the engineers and designers ran to some unexpected problems while reinventing basic industrial technology that almost caused them to miss their deadline for the month. The source of these problems is that the current designs on your computer network assumed a level of technology and infrastructure development that is simply not present in this new world. It took them the rest of the month to re-design the current ideas and machine plans to be useful at a lower technology base. This means using more manual labor, using cruder materials and tools, and consuming a minimal amount of electronic and other modern parts. Thankfully, the designs you have discovered on your personal computer helped in allowing the researchers to meet their deadline. From the assembly line and the conveyer belt to various machines and equipment necessary for mass production of metal parts, chemicals, and other goods, you now have the ability to maybe jump-start a small industrial revolution within your area.
Success: Technology to create a fundamental industrial base was successfully redeveloped.
(Industrial Knowledge: Basic Industry - Level 1 gained.)
(New research options gained.)
(New actions unlocked.)
Piety:
[X] A Divine Summoning: With some knowledge of summoning rituals in hand, maybe it is time to try to get some divine help for your organization. Your Sisters Initiates and Sisters of the Mace will perform a ritual to try to summon a divine creature to aid you in whatever you need.
Chance of Success: 64% Cost: 8 Required: 1 Sisters Initiates Team and 1 Sisters of the Mace team. Reward: A random divine creature is summoned and added to your forces list.
--[X] Use the Minor Summoning Enhancer Scroll to make the result better.
1D100 => 8
It seems that this month summoning session is a failure as nothing divine has heeded your calls for help or aid. In the past, the older you would have given up all hope of summoning anything and discontinued or seriously cut back on anymore summoning sessions after so many failures. However, that was then. Right now, seeing that one of your sessions produced Angelina, who is performing her duties quite well, you are quite willing to put up with so many failures and whimsical fate in hopes that, someday, something great will appear before you...
Failure: The summoning session did not summon anything.
Personal:
-[X] Mutual Training – Sunnia: The two of you agreed to train each other in different areas of skill as a means to build each other's personal strength and wisdom. It is also good bonding time as well, so why not get started?
Chance of Success: 70% Reward: A character gains a point in a trait of choice.
--[X] Stewardship (Joan Frank)
1D100 => 81
This month marks the first training session with Sunnia. For the month, when you are not busy with other tasks, you requested her to teach you Leofarinian economics as well as the etiquette protocols of the land. While it sounds like a couple strange topics to learn, there is a purpose to all of this. Learning about Leofarinian economics will help give you insight into possible opportunities for your Foundation to make money to help Leofarinia. Learning about etiquette protocols will help smooth over communication with other people and factions as well as preventing any faux pas that will hinder your efforts.
Your lessons went well as you quickly take in any knowledge that Sunnia has to offer. In addition, you started to formulate plans to expand your income and solutions to the various problems you have discovered during your lessons, especially on the economics side of things.
The economic system in Leofarinia is just as you expected from a, probably typical, Medieval Fantasy setting. Most of the economic activity is contained within major population centers like cities, towns, larger forts, and the larger warrens in the case of the Bunnies. These centers have a whole variety of craftsmen and workers working all day producing all sorts of goods, from weapons to clothes and other sundries. Most of these industries operate on a guild system: a master craftsman supervising and training junior apprentices in return for manual labor. To your surprise, the amount of good output that you saw suggested that Leofarinia has some concepts of mass production developed like division of tasks and standardization. However, most of the production is still done by hand and is quite inefficient compared to a true mechanized industrial base. In addition, these dense centers do have a host of problems with corruption and crime that could strangle any attempt to innovate and improve. Thankfully, this shouldn't be impossible to solve, provided that you are willing to invest some effort to solving this problem...
The more sparsely populated villages are usually tasked with production of raw materials for local consumption and export. The Village of Greenhill, for example, is tasked with mining ore, stones, gemstones, and other "fruits of the rock" to be refined in the cities or on site. There are very few craftsmen in these villages and the ones present are usually tasked with the upkeep of the village with their products. These craftsmen are usually too busy to produce a surplus to sell, ensuring that the villages will be dependent on the large population centers for finished goods like tools and clothes. If you can break this dependency, the village would be more stable and quite happy in many different ways, much more than you can possibly think of at the moment.
One topic that interested you during your initial lessons is the topic of Greenhill's growth. Sunnia estimated that, with the war on the horizon, there will be a rather large increase in Greenhill's population as more mercenary companies and other groups of soldiers-of-fortune make their way to the village to possibly take part in the fighting that will surely take place with the area. This will create a great opportunity to make money as these mercenaries will need plenty of anything useful that you could possibly produce, but Sunnia also warned that, with a sudden surge of population, many ills will come with it, crime being chiefly among them...
At the end of the month, you thank Sunnia for her lessons and asked her if she will be available in future months for more lessons. She says that she will teach you or learn from you further whenever you demand it...
Success: Joan Frank took basic lessons in Leofarinian Economy and Etiquette with Sunnia and her knowledge increased.
(Joan Frank gained the following trait: Leofarinian Economy Knowledge (+1 Stewardship))
=====
Interludes and other bits of information will be up as soon as possible.
