Yeah, we probably need our actual Exalted to capture people, in practice, but we do have two of them available to do exactly that. So that's nice.
Looking at the various enemy forces, I think we have pretty solid odds. If we do matchups something like this, well...
Commander (18): Paranoid, Overextended/DOOMED Dreadlord; Poor Leader, uses Sword and Shield vs. Rising Dawn
Sub-Commander (24): Lore of Beasts Sorceress vs. Innocent Songbird
Sword Infantry (84): Executioners of Har Ganeth; Size 3, Quality 2, Might 1 (2 Against Infantry) vs. Eidolons (Size 5, Quality 1, Might 1)
Lance Infantry (64): Black Guard of Naggarond; Size 2 -> 1, Quality 2, Might 1 (2 Against Cavalry and Large Targets) vs. Blood Apes (Size 2, Quality 0, Might 2)
Cavalry (25): Dark Riders; Size 1, Quality 1, Might 1 vs. our Archers on the wall, hopefully (Size 2, Quality 2, Might 2 w/Flaris)
Monsters (89): War Hydra; Size 4, Quality 0, Might 3 vs. Sondok
Swapping Sondok and the Eidolons would also be valid. But really, targeting either weak unit with the archers is likely to wreck it, freeing them up to aim at other units or the hydra. And whatever Sondok fights is in real trouble...The Executioners and the Hydra are real threats, though, it's true.
I... don't want to put her in prison. I want to have a chat with her. The thing is we cannot have any relationship with any dark elves that's not at the point of a spear until we get their leadership to take us seriously.
I'm very dubious we can have any peaceful relationship with them as a polity even if they do take us seriously. Indeed, them taking us seriously is probably actively bad as then they send actual armies. That's...not a good scenario. We also certainly need to at least learn the language before attempting this.
I'm very dubious we can have any peaceful relationship with them as a polity even if they do take us seriously. Indeed, them taking us seriously is probably actively bad as then they send actual armies. That's...not a good scenario. We also certainly need to at least learn the language before attempting this.
It would not be stable or reliable... but they would be more understandable than the fair folk and also without a taste for our souls. Some of them at least might see profit in the short to mid term and none of them will know how fast a Twilight can snowball.
It would not be stable or reliable... but they would be more understandable than the fair folk and also without a taste for our souls. Some of them at least might see profit in the short to mid term and none of them will know how fast a Twilight can snowball.
I am against dealing with the Druchii period. I have seen no evidence they can form or keep a meaningful alliance with anyone. Let alone a bunch of humans.
They, uh, basically never keep their deals, except as a setup for a betrayal that will hurt you more. They are duplicitous assholes of the highest order. Making deals with them is just inviting them to stab you in the back rather than the front, as a rule.
They, uh, basically never keep their deals, except as a setup for a betrayal that will hurt you more. They are duplicitous assholes of the highest order. Making deals with them is just inviting them to stab you in the back rather than the front, as a rule.
I... do not disagree with anything you said here beside the course of action, the thing is what we need the most right now is time. Let them imagine the universe where they can stab us in the back later as long as they give us some breathing room now
I actually proposed and voted for plans to do both. And being surrounded by enemies isn't all bad. We can free their slaves and add them to our people quite readily in the long term.
I... do not disagree with anything you said here beside the course of action, the thing is what we need the most right now is time. Let them imagine the universe where they can stab us in the back later as long as they give us some breathing room now
I think I'd rather deal with low grade attacks regularly than them actually coordinating to put together a big one, which seems to me the most likely result of them treating us seriously and acting like they'll be reasonable.
I think I'd rather deal with low grade attacks regularly than them actually coordinating to put together a big one, which seems to me the most likely result of them treating us seriously and acting like they'll be reasonable.
Their ability and willingness to coordinate and their assessment of our military power is at most weakly correlated with any sort of diplomatic relationship. How big or small attacks are depend on what priority we are and how much we humiliate them on the battlefield as much as anything else.
Their ability and willingness to coordinate and their assessment of our military power is at most weakly correlated with any sort of diplomatic relationship. How big or small attacks are depend on what priority we are and how much we humiliate them on the battlefield as much as anything else.
I think having a druchii sorceress in our city for 6 months then sending her home is giving them an incomparable intelligence victory that we don't need to give them. She'll definitely be paying attention and be able to give them a much better assessment of our abilities.
I think having a druchii sorceress in our city for 6 months then sending her home is giving them an incomparable intelligence victory that we don't need to give them. She'll definitely be paying attention and be able to give them a much better assessment of our abilities.
I don't plan to show her around the place. A comfortable cell can still be isolated, the most she would be able to do is point her senses at the Exaltation which... is sure to be exciting for her, but I'm not sure I'd call that helpful.
I don't plan to show her around the place. A comfortable cell can still be isolated, the most she would be able to do is point her senses at the Exaltation which... is sure to be exciting for her, but I'm not sure I'd call that helpful.
You know the one thing (well one of the things) I am worried about with all the hostility we are going to have with the Druchii is how it will effect our (future) relations with the High/Wood Elves who are... not complete as$#oles.
You know the one thing (well one of the things) I am worried about with all the hostility we are going to have with the Druchii is how it will effect our relations with the High/Wood Elves who are... not complete as$#oles.
Once we know the language and talk to the slaves, and get a more complete picture of the world, I think we'll be fine. That all likely comes long before we even see any non-druchii elves.
Once we know the language and talk to the slaves, and get a more complete picture of the world, I think we'll be fine. That all likely comes long before we even see any non-druchii elves.
Well that is assuming that those slaves have that knowledge (remember there is a lot of ignorance in the common folk in WHF), but we could get lucky and maybe find someone who knows with authority the difference or maybe an High/Wood Elf that was taken as a slave.
Well that is assuming that those slaves have that knowledge (remember there is a lot of ignorance in the common folk in WHF), but we could get lucky and maybe find someone who knows with authority the difference or maybe an High/Wood Elf that was taken as a slave.
If we keep freeing slaves, and we will, or heck even interrogating druchii, and we'll do that too, discovering that the High Elves exist and are their sworn enemies is not hard. We probably won't get a clear picture of what the High Elves are actually like, mind you, but we'll know it's likely to be very different indeed from the Dark Elves we are currently dealing with.
Like, what are those City Exalt called? It would be like turning all of them into cannibals by torturing and eating the God Of Cities.
Or expecting to instantly turn all apples into applesauce by baking the First Tree.
That's the level of connection I see between "Aurora gets tortured to death"="Aurorals turn into Hearts Eaters".
edit:
Another example I could accept, if the change was due to somehow taking the brunt of the Great Curse and dulling it's impact on the other types of Exalt.
Added Amadi and Manaia to the character master list, as well as Ekundayo's backstory and appearance. Now that I've cleared my mind of the gremlin, I can get to work on writing up the tactics phase.
In the days leading up to the First Great Battle of New Uluiru, there was a nervous energy roaming around the homestead as soldiers prepared themselves, and their families, for their potential deaths. This wasn't an expectation that your people would lose, all reassurances were given by you and Fumnanya's subordinates that victory was not only possible, but likely (though you would only confirm this once your successful scouts returned to you). Yet even a victorious side loses people in war, and there were bound to be some casualties amongst your people, even with your very defensive strategy.
Speaking of which, when you discussed matters with your soldiers personally, you had expected them to be more than happy that they could stay safe on or behind the walls. Yet, their expressions were disgruntled, negative, why was that? Were they hoping for some form of glory to adorn them for taking on more risk? When you asked what was wrong, one of the army leaders from your general troops stood up to give her perspective.
"Your majesty," she began, "While we appreciate that you treat our lives as being so precious, we are still warriors. It is our duty to protect our fellow citizens, giving our lives when necessary. Relying on demons and statues for our protection… it makes us feel that we are not valued in your eyes. That our job is pointless and without honor. How are we to show that Uluiru's soldiers are strong if we are never truly tested?"
"We've fought off the enemy before, their abilities aren't totally unknown to us," another lieutenant chimed in. "If we can be on the ground, we can finish this fight quicker, maybe even take down the giant snake that's coming before it wrecks the walls. I might not be a sorcerer, but can't magic stuff like demons and those statue fighters have their magic removed from them by other sorcerers?"
Demons, no, you were quite sure of that, since exorcism didn't "remove" their magic from them. But Eidolons… hmm. You weren't sure, perhaps asking Gwai about that would be for the best. Regardless, you were about to dismiss his opinion before another officer interjected. "Plus, don't we want as few people knowing about where we are as possible? What happens if some of them retreat, and we can't catch them in time? Those pointed-ears are pretty fast." True. Very true.
And now you were getting indecisive. Your general officers proposed an alternative to your plan: To have your elite troops protect the royal guard on the wall, while the general troops fought with the enemy on the ground. It would be much more offensively-oriented, providing another sizable battalion to clash with the spear and sword-wielders while Sondok fought off the behemoth. It would mean that the Blood Apes could be focused on perhaps harassing the cavalry with their great speed, or wearing down the commander or his second-in-command. There was merit to it… but you couldn't help but see two problems with that approach.
First, having another group of bodies on the field might require one of your Exalted officers to take to the field to lead them effectively. Flaris couldn't be spared as he was helping the archers, Nokun was still recovering from her earthworks projects, Gwai was creating the Eidolons in the first place… Who could be spared? Chinasa? Milosen? Second, that left far fewer troops guarding the walls, and that risked some saboteur potentially getting through the gaps in the patrols if they managed to cross the moat and climb up the walls, unlikely as that was. Would you be willing to risk that?
And yet the benefits kept returning to you, and then the potential consequences, and in that clash of thoughts you eventually came to a final decision.
Will you agree to the proposed changes? Choose ONE.
[] No, we shall stick to the safer plan
Has a reduced risk to our soldier's lives, reduced risk of enemies climbing over the gates, will risk the enemy fleeing back to their home territory, ???, ???
[] Yes, we shall revise our plan
Has an increased risk to our soldier's lives, increased risk of enemies climbing over the gates, will satisfy the soldiers more, will reduce the risk of the enemy escaping, ???, ???
Are there any officers that you would like to transfer to the ground? Vote for as many as you would like. Any officers you put on the ground can be added to battle groups to better direct them, or fight as independent characters, with of course the increased risk of death from being on the ground.
[][Ground Officer] Chinasa (Martial +8, Combat +10, Might 3)
[][Ground Officer] Fumnanya (Martial +7, Combat +6, Might 3)
[][Ground Officer] Milosen (Martial +9, Combat +6, Might 3)
[][Ground Officer] Manaia (Martial +1, Combat +6, Might 3)
[][Ground Officer] Amadi (Martial +3, Combat +8, Might 3)
[][Ground Officer] Fuvor (Martial +4, Combat +5, Might 3)
[][Ground Officer] No, let's not risk anyone
When the day came that the enemy arrived outside of your territory, you were amused to see that they were all looking ill and unwell. Thanks to the poison used to cripple them, they were in poor fighting shape, a state that you were happy to see them in. Of course, that same poison used to debilitate them also contaminated their food supplies meaning that you couldn't take them for yourself to feed your people. Thankfully, your scouts confirmed that this particular group were running low on their food, and likely were intending to just take whatever stock you had for themselves should they prove victorious.
You would be denying them that privilege today.
Ekundayo had managed to circle back to New Uluiru just in time to provide more detailed information. Though she was too tired to fight alongside everyone, and the hydra remained bound to its master, everyone agreed that the intel provided was worth it. The night before, you made your final unit assignments and distributed them to all of the participants.
Who will be fighting who? Assign any combination of units to tackle a given target. Units must be on the ground, or Archers or Sorcerers, in order to fight the enemy before they reach the walls. You cannot pick yourself or Gwai to fight at this stage in the battle. Archers and Sorcerers can fight the enemy from the walls without risking their own lives.
As a reminder, you have the following units available (Not including the write-ins you did for Ground Officers above, if any):
Blood Apes (Monsters)(Size 2, Quality 0, Might 2)
Eidolons (Infantry)(Size 5, Quality 1, Might 1)
General Troops (Infantry)(Size 4, Quality 1, Might 0)(Requires agreeing to the above plan)
Royal Guard (Archers)(Size 2, Quality 2, Might 0 -> 1)(Led by Flaris)
Sondok (Hero)(Martial +10, Combat +23, Might 3, Best of 2)
Spell: Death of Obsidian Butterflies (DC 30; Hits Large Groups)
The Commander will be protected by his, much reduced, Black Guard. The Black Guard are very useful against Cavalry, Monsters and larger units. Which units will you be assigning to fight them?
Commander Stats: Unknown, but very likely low
Black Guard Stats: Size 2 -> 1, Quality 2 -> 1, Might 1 (2 Against Cavalry and Monsters); -15 to rolls
[][Commander] Write-in
The Sorceress is controlling the Hydra, but both can be fought separately. Who will fight her? Alternatively, if you have a Sorcerer within close proximity fight her, you can attempt to counter-spell or distort her magic. Counter-spelling means interrupting her when she's casting a spell, like a large Amber Spear she tries to use to kill a hero. Distorting means twisting any spell she already has up, like her spell over the Hydra.
Sorceress Stats: Unknown, but likely to be middling; -5 to rolls
Sorceress Spells: Beast Master, Unknown
[][Sorceress] Write-in
And the Hydra?
Hydra Stats: Size 4, Quality 0, Might 3
[][Hydra] Write-in
The Executioners are very good against groups of infantry. Who will you be assigning to block them?
Executioner Stats: Size 3, Quality 2 -> 1, Might 1 (2 Against Infantry); -10 to rolls
There will be a loss threshold that must be reached before you yourself can intervene in the battle. That threshold is either:
The complete routing of one of your allied battle groups,
A size reduction for all allied battle groups, or
The near loss (down to 1 wound or less) of a hero.
Once you take the field (if you choose to do so), your units will not gain as much benefit from your Martial score, but you can personally intervene in fights with spell or blade. Assume that you are fast enough to leap off the walls and sprint towards any given enemy in the turn after you are activated.
There will be a 2-hour moratorium before any voting is done. Use this time to plan where units shall go, and if you will swap plans.
Author's Note: Didn't have work today, so I tried to get this out as quickly as possible, sorry if there's not much exposition. Both agreeing and not agreeing to the revised plan have their benefits, known AND hidden, which you will not find out until the voting is finished. I solemnly swear, there are no hidden enemy units that you do not know about. That does not preclude the possibility however that this Lore of Beasts Sorceress might be able to conjure something up, but that's about the only exception.
As always, if you have any questions, let me know.
Well, if the soldiers are requesting it, I think sending them out is probably correct. Only a fool doesn't listen to his troops when it comes to morale and morale is very important.
[] Plan Willing To Listen
-[] Yes, we shall revise our plan
-[][Infiltrator Watch] Milosen (Martial +9, Intrigue +13, Combat +6, Might 3)
-[][Ground Officer] Chinasa (Martial +8, Combat +10, Might 3)
-[][Commander] General Troops (Infantry)(Size 4, Quality 1, Might 0)(Requires agreeing to the above plan) + Chinasa as Commander
-[][Sorceress] Rising Dawn (Hero)(Martial +9 -> +12, Combat +8 -> +11, Might 4)
-[][Sorceress] Innocent Songbird (Hero)(Martial +5, Combat +10, Might 3)
-[][Hydra] Eidolons (Infantry)(Size 5, Quality 1, Might 1)
-[][Hydra] Royal Guard (Archers)(Size 2, Quality 2, Might 0 -> 1)(Led by Flaris)
-[][Executioners] Sondok (Hero)(Martial +10, Combat +23, Might 3, Best of 2)
-[][Executioners] Fumnanya (Sorcerer)(Martial +7, Learning +5, Combat +6, Might 3)
--[] Using Spell: Death of Obsidian Butterflies (DC 30; Hits Large Groups)
-[][Cavalry] Blood Apes (Monsters)(Size 2, Quality 0, Might 2)
So here's the plan for that. We have them, with Chinasa in command (she's our best option, and a pretty good one, really, +8 Martial is fine, and +10 Combat is great), plus Innocent Songbird go for the commander. That's a very important target, but also one with a high quality, but weakened, guard unit. We can then send one Exalt against the Sorceress, and I think Rising Dawn is our best bet there. We then have Sondok go for the Executioners with spell backup from Fumnanya since they're a big unit with bonuses against infantry (meaning we want to use non-infantry against them). The Blood Apes hunting down the cavalry as suggested makes sense, and that leaves the Archers and Eidolons for the Hydra. That works.
EDIT: Hmmm. @Critian Caceorte can we also assign some of the people on the walls specifically to watching for saboteurs and the like? Because Milosen actually has sky-high Intrigue...
EDIT2: Added Milosen doing that.
EDIT3: Switched Innocent Songbird from the Commander to the Sorceress.
EDIT: Hmmm. @Critian Caceorte can we also assign some of the people on the walls specifically to watching for saboteurs and the like? Because Milosen actually has sky-high Intrigue...
Cool. Just thinking over the downsides of sending out our troops and trying to minimize. Would there be a penalty for also having Fuvor do it? Given the mutual dislike there?
