Prince Aladdin Quest (Disney Villains *Almost* Victorious)

King Sigmund Igthorn Quest Phase 2 Turn 4

You put Toady in the tiny bobsled and pull the lever. Your trusted minion screams in horror as he is sped away, doing loopings and sharp u-turns. It takes ten minutes before his sled comes back to your station.

"Toadie... Toadie is dizzy, your kinginess!" the diminutive ogre says.
"What have you learned about the system, Toadie?"
"It works on gears, I think," he replies, staggering.
"Good! Try to learn more!"

And then you put him in again, and again, until you're able to figure out which lever sends which sled where. You'll need to learn more about it, but well - this is an invaluable aid in defending Dunwyn!

Effects: Toadie is out of commission for this turn
Gained working knowledge of Gummi Bear sled system (instant deployment within Dunmore for small troops (<= 10 soldiers).

The French are coming. Even worse, the FRENCH INQUISITION is coming. You'd never have expected to utter these words, but it is true. And you need allies, fast. So, you turn your eye to these three bands of outlaws you had captured a few months ago. Now, after having to enjoy your hospitality, surely they're going to accept the generous offer you have for them.

Only when you arrive in your dark and dank dungeon, do you see your guards, unconscious and tied up on the floor. Their weapons have been stripped (thank Kriemhild for that weapons merchant!) and all the doors are open! All the doors.. no. You have some serious troublemakers, murderers, poisoners, and worse - and those cells are still securely locked.

Interrogating your men and the remaining prisoners, you come to the realization that several men, clad in black, ambushed your guards in the middle of the night and sprung your bandits - the sane, rational ones you wanted to hire. And while you have a strong suspicion of who it was, you have no certain proof.

The only upside is that Victor, being kept in a high-security dungeon, is still safely in chains. And remains in chains, as you check on him twice a day now.

Results: Jailbreak discovered!
Secret passageway discovered!
Only someone with extensive knowledge of the castle could have done this.
Stress + 1

You need your men to be ready. Especially if you integrate other forces. Each of your current soldiers needs to be a leader, an officer if need be, to other regiments less well-prepared.

This would be so much easier if they weren't all simple farmhands and third sons. You run them through a gauntlet, searching for that shimmer of golden leadership, but you don't find it.

Oh well. At least your troops can now recognize which end of the spear is for the enemy.

Results: Troops trained
(3 Banners go from Inexperienced -> Trained)


If there is one advantage to having Kriemhilds favor gripping you and her presence overawing your own, is it this: When she is not being distracted, the Empress of Magic certainly knows how to gather intelligence. You are standing over the valley where you will make your stand, forcing the enemy forces to come at you through a narrow ravine, and your engineers are crafting a tremendous earthwork defense, with traps and several defensible positions, ditches, palisades, and even walls. Catapults are placed in higher positions and equipped with enough ammunition to last a lifetime. Dunwyn's people work hard, and they deliver good results.

With their superior numbers and firepower, you won't be able to stop Frollo's advance. But you'll have them bleed for every damn yard.

Created defensible position: +30 to combat rolls in this area
Lost 1000 Gold

With the war incoming, you need to take every measure you can think of. And while the troops you are trying to recruit are excessively stupid, they are also both adamant and powerful. And so you ride out with two guards - Toadie being still sick from the stupendous motion of the Gummi Bear's sled system - into the mountains that are the traditional home of the brutes.

Your bag is heavy with gold and good food, and you are confident you will be able to shmooze your way into their good graces again, and then they will *certainly* work for you again.

If you could reach them. But as you close in on, a big boulder, about the size of your head, crashes into the ground next to you. And another, and another; it is a miracle that no one gets hurt! You spy your assailants, and you are shocked to see the ogres themselves attacking you with fury.
One, a giant, fat grey ogre steps out during a lapse in the bombardment and yells:
"Igthorn bad! Igthorn stupid! Igthorn go away!"

You do neither have the numbers nor the power to whelm them. So, you withdraw - you need another plan of attack for this problem, obviously. It is utter frustration. Right now, for once, they could be useful! And instead...

Results: Ogres aggressive and disloyal
Loyalty of Ogres known! (-40, utter hatred)
Stress +1

Spies are sent to damage the French army's morale.
You never hear of them again.

Results: Failure
???
Stress +1

You do not have many men under arms. In fact, your numbers are frighteningly low. Even worse, Dunwyn has been bled dry of men - Gregor has the best ones with him, while you have only your warband and the civilian dregs. But if you can't build wide, you will have to build tall.

Taking your already assembled production line, you quickly sketch a way to take half of your currently produced gummi bears and make them into portable potions. If you give these to your best warriors... well, it will not be enough on its own, but you have seen that blasted page wreck your ogres. If a skilled fighter has one, they can certainly reap the poor unfortunate Frenchmen in their way.

Dallben helps you with this. Slowly, reluctantly, but he helps you. If anything, you can understand it - Gummi berry juice is your secret weapon, and mechanizing it makes it less controllable.

But needs must. The assembly line is finished within the month, and a still-dizzy Toady is used for the first test, bouncing back with immense alacrity. You wisely decide to have one flask on your person at all times.

Within the ten months remaining, you expect about 50 doses. That's not much, but it could be enough...

Results: Gummi berry production is automated under the purview of Dallben. Currently producing 5 flasks/turn.
Discovered Trait for Dallben: Gentle Soul
Halves all skill values for actions that are aimed at hurting other people.
(Fae, the Horned King, Demons, and other otherworldly monsters are, for the most part, exempt.)
Lost 500 Gold

Dallben mixes the sacred herbs into the cauldron, twisting the stick to really get the strange liquid curling. And faster and faster it curls, until the brown, unshapely soup suddenly becomes clear to your eyes, even if the view is clouded. Dallben mutters something in that strange language of his - you'd guess Welsh - and then the fog lifts, even it is obviously taxing his strength to wave away the blinding charm.
What you see freezes your heart. There are many, many soldiers. There are at least ten squares of them, and they're in formation, with at least fifteen men wide and a hundred men deep. A quick mental calculation later, you arrive at a tremendous number:
Frollo's army is about fifteen-sixteen thousand men strong.

You currently have 650.

But the magic shows more. Strange priests, clad in red and wearing iron masks, walk amongst the ranks, pontificating, sometimes punching the soldiers. One even stops and points at a sergeant, who is then pulled out of the formation by elite guards and thrown into chains. What for, you do not know - but not one of the men even protests.

Worst of all, you can see artillery crews. Large, fat iron cannons gleaming with silver engravings. One of these monstrosities could fell Dunwyn's walls. And the enemy has dozens.

Those views shock you, but not as much as Dallben's grim face as he says:
"I do not know what that man has allied himself with. But I doubt it is any force of good."

Effects: Learned enemy army size
Learned about potential special forces - "Red Priests."
Learned that Frollo has some kind of patron force.
Dallben's Gentle Soul trait won't trigger against enemy Red Priests and Frollo himself.

For the second time in two months, you sit down and try to write a letter to Lady Bane. Where once you were trying to gain her, either as an occultist or, more preferably, as a wife, now you do not. Oh, you'd undoubtedly value her support, or her beauty, or maybe just her company. But this is not the reason for this missive. Instead, you write of things to come. You warn her about Frollo's advance, for he'll surely try to burn her as a witch. You tell her about the desperate defense you are trying to mount. In fact, you write about everything, but your own desires for her,

Two weeks later, a small box pops into existence in the middle of your throne room. It contains a vial with blood-red liquid and a small card:
"Very well, King Igthorn. Thank you for warning me of these portents. I will prepare my own domain for this incoming danger. Take this little potion. It may help you in a moment of need.

Good luck in your fight, King Igthorn. I will consider sending one of my troggles to establish economic ties."

Well, whoever said that love was dead was an idiot. You go to bed that night with a smile as big as the sky and let yourself be bathed in moonlight reflected by your crown. Not all is bad, indeed.

Results: Stress -1
Gained unknown potion
Tentative diplomatic relations with Lady Bane established

Current status:
Stress: 6/10
Dunwyn Loyalty: 6
Warband Loyalty: 20
Ogre Loyalty: -40
City Funds: 14,120
City income: 5,500

• 1000 Local Tax Revenue
• 1600 Trade Tax Revenue
• 1000 Wood harvesting
• 400 Granite trade
• 1000 Trade with Lady Bane (Alchemic ingredients) + 10% = 1100
• 500 Trade with Jean-Claude + 10% = 550
• Current Upkeep costs: 500 Mercenaries (Igthorn's Own), 500 Sawmills, 250 Trade Caravan Protection Detail, 200 Quarry Upkeep, 50 Alchemic production line upkeep
  • 1,500 Upkeep total
• Actual Income: 4,000

Army:

• 3 Banners (200 men each) of soldiers, Trained
• 1 Warband (50 men), Seasoned

Equipment:

• 5 flasks of Gummi Berry Juice
• 1 unknown potion

Told you that Gregor was active. Also, it warms my cold dead heart to see Iggy fail two Diplomacy checks in succession. Really, that's not an area he should regularly crit.

In other news, the experience system works somewhat akin to Heart of Iron's 4. So, yes, your Warband might be smaller than each of your banners, but if they would get the drop on one, they could probably wipe it out without taking too much damage.
The ladder goes Inexperienced->Trained->Regular->Seasoned->Veterans, with your Warband just short of getting that final step.

Sacrificing Toadie for the turn may have cost you, but at the same time, you gained an entire Learning action for free - and it's a good one. While not suitable for mass transport, you suddenly have the width and breadth of Dunwyn at your disposal. I am currently dithering whether that'll be a second free action - comments?