Metrux
Gentle Demon Lord
- Location
- Brasil
After our new losses? Yeah, I think they can squeeze in there xD
The Wild Edge (Fantasy Border Outpost)
- Thread starter inverted_helix
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
After our new losses? Yeah, I think they can squeeze in there xD
Heck, given the observed effects we should have some pretty big boons if we can identify and grow some of the local plants as food crops. Then use that to entice some of the more cooperative wildlife as livestock.
Metrux
Gentle Demon Lord
- Location
- Brasil
The problem is that the things from the forest don't grow the same outside, and we can't recognize the "natural" enchantment that makes the area what it is. Though if we advance our knowledge and ability, it may be possible.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Well, the dryad is offering us a place inside if we ever need one. So it should be solvable, at least.
What do you plan to use the saved funds for?
Given that you are trying to see the effects of enchantments on the Overgrowth, do you suppose an enchanter could be a worthwhile investment next year? We really need to start figuring out the magic of this place, and how to bend it towards our needs.
Ultramandalore
Errant Quester
- Location
- just south of Parts Unknown
[X] Plan Saving Up Some Funds
I find the current plan a bit odd because it says its saving money, but its spending on improving quality of accommodations, which is a morale/luxury good. As opposed to improving quantity of them or just saving the money.
Also keep in mind you can do write in ideas. I'll give pricing on them if they require spending.
Also keep in mind you can do write in ideas. I'll give pricing on them if they require spending.
Indeed taking plants from the forest to grow outside them they won't be particularly unusual.
You could indeed set up a sort of farm in the dryad's territory though.
Metrux
Gentle Demon Lord
- Location
- Brasil
Well, since we ourselves are capable of enchanting, and have already made some experiments (which lead to a way to keep a fire inside the overgrowth) it may be better to simply study it ourselves. the only problem being how much is currently needed of us for other things.
I don't really care about the name of the plan, I like the actions within, though now that you say it the name is kinda odd. That said, we aren't as pressed for resources as we were before, thus even spending some each turn will still leave us plenty, if we don't exaggerate.
For making a farm inside the dryad grove... Since the other dryads don't like trees being cut down, what will they think about we growing plants only to cut them down? I don't think our lil girl will be a problem, but I'm pretty sure the other dryads would notice something like this in her grove. Maybe she can arrange for a place a little farther from her, but still inside her influence area?
- Location
- St. Petersburg
I am looking at it differently: is improving our understanding of magic important enough to pay a significant amount of money for a hefty bonus to rolls that the second enchanter would likely represent?
I still hold out hope to make it our money source in one way or the other. Lots of barely known things in these woods, and we are uniquely positioned to study and make use of them. Many people may want, say, dragon eggs, but would be unwilling to risk poking their heads in a dragon lair. Well, we got stationed there by the Duke's orders. Might as well try to profit off of it.
Well, if it's something from a tree, like apples, or cedar nuts, - or whatever grows there, I don't even know, - then the tree isn't cut down.
If it's plants, then they are not even trees, i.e. not even close to the species that may be considered close to dryads.
They don't have a problem with us hunting in the forest, do they?
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Grow in the overgrowth then make flour and sell that?
Ancient Scholar
Amateur Editor/Beta
- Location
- United States
Our base is having too many problems. I think we should build a new one further away from the Forest and turn the old one into an outpost. The main base can safely be expanded and get supplies, maybe turning into a town in the future. The outpost should focus on defense and maybe become a castle later on.
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[X] Plan Saving Up Some Funds
You know the fact that the MC and his group are really struggling makes this an unusual quest and a nice change of pace.
You know the fact that the MC and his group are really struggling makes this an unusual quest and a nice change of pace.
Metrux
Gentle Demon Lord
- Location
- Brasil
I am looking at it differently: is improving our understanding of magic important enough to pay a significant amount of money for a hefty bonus to rolls that the second enchanter would likely represent?
I still hold out hope to make it our money source in one way or the other. Lots of barely known things in these woods, and we are uniquely positioned to study and make use of them. Many people may want, say, dragon eggs, but would be unwilling to risk poking their heads in a dragon lair. Well, we got stationed there by the Duke's orders. Might as well try to profit off of it.
Well, if it's something from a tree, like apples, or cedar nuts, - or whatever grows there, I don't even know, - then the tree isn't cut down.
If it's plants, then they are not even trees, i.e. not even close to the species that may be considered close to dryads.
They don't have a problem with us hunting in the forest, do they?
That's what's expected, but they seem to already dislike humans and they live in a magical unstopable overgrowth. Are they normal Dryads? Maybe yes, maybe not, maybe they even have something to do with why this place is like this... My point was actually that we don't know how they will react, and they surely have someway of getting into contact with our lil friend, so making it in her grove seems like not the best idea.
Only flour? Think bigger! We can sell the biggest juiciest fruits in the kingdom! Probably. Maybe... Who knows? We just have to try.
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Flour is easier to transport and sell despite the odd source. Grain is grain, once crushed to a fine powder. It keeps well too.
Fruits need to be sold whole, and thats a lot more complicated.
Wine maybe, but we'd need to entice someone with skill and volume may not equate to quality.
Sugar would be good if we could find a suitable source.
Season 12: Winter
[X] Plan Saving Up Some Funds
-[X][Construction] Improve the barracks with more furniture, bedding, separated rooms with sturdy doors for the officers. (100 Denier in needed materials) 59 +10 -20
Your diminished construction crew welcomes the opportunity to work inside the wall this season, a polite way of phrasing that many of them would have refused to. The cramped conditions as you fit extra people in the same barracks as before leave many of the men grumbling about improving the bedding and privacy before having enough space for them all. You just weren't eager to have your diminished construction crew working outside on a larger project though. At least the winter was relatively mild this year, so it wasn't as bad as it might have been otherwise.
(Morale neutral between loss from accommodations being insufficient, mild winter, and improvement to what accommodations there are)
-[X][Personal] Experiment on the effects of materials from the Overgrowth on enchanting. 38+5
Much of the time spent in modern enchanting is in gathering the tiny bit of magic still floating about the world. The materials from the Overgrowth have a much higher quantity in them than anything you've seen from anywhere else. It makes it an obvious idea to you that you could use the magic saturated in the plants and animals there to skip a lot of the time consuming part of enchanting.
You didn't expect it to be easy because otherwise someone would have thought of it before. The Overgrowth's been here a long time after all. You spend much of the season studying the issue, and it's just as hard as you expected. The magic starts leaking out of materials once they're pulled through the boundary of the field. Things still alive manage to hold it in much better, but that same resilience is also an issue for pulling the mana out for your own use. The leaked energy then diffuses into the meager background field rather rapidly, so if there's an increase in the local level you can't detect it with the sensitivity of your current instruments. You could get better ones, but if it's that small it really doesn't matter if you determine whether it's 0.1% or 1%.
Laying enchants into materials from the Overgrowth could take advantage of the lingering magic in the material to speed up the process a bit before it dissipates, but this would have to be done quite quickly. It would also limit the sort of things you could make from it. Plus enchantments are done on finished goods because physically reshaping magical items generally damages them, so you'd need to have a woodcrafter or leatherworker prepare it before you started, which would itself be time during which the mana would be dissipating. Maybe you could do some enchanting work in the Overgrowth directly, but there are a ton of dangers involved in that, and you're not too sure how the strangely dynamic magic there would react. You're concerned the results wouldn't even be consistent.
It's not to say there are no options though. A few ideas occur to you:
1. Set up woodcrafting inside the forest to make the mundane products, then an operation outside to immediately enchant them after they come out. This would require a force to defend the workers and facilities inside the forest on the long term.
2. Research how enchanting inside the forest works and hope that it doesn't mess with you too much when you set up the whole production inside it, facing the same problems of the previous one only magnified.
3. The safest, but most expensive route. Build a high end enchantment workshop with containment wards that will trap the mana leaking out of the materials from the Overgrowth, letting you use it to enchant anything you wanted. You could probably manage it on your own—you are great after all, but it would likely take you a couple years. Or you could hire a handful of other enchanters to come put it together more quickly. It will be seriously expensive though, few enchanters ever bother with it because of its cost.
-[X][Dryad] Spend a Personal Slot teaching her yourself, potentially developing better trust. 64
--[X] Try to ask her to help you mark out and make a path to her grove so it's easier to bring stuff to her and so the more ignorant woodcutters don't mistake a dryad for a normal tree.
Trekking through the Overgrowth on a regular basis isn't fun at the best of times. You have the footmen guard you on the trips; it doesn't take them too far off their patrol routes anyway. The danger still haunts you though. Every creak or crack raises your hackles in the perpetual twilight beneath the thick canopy.
Perhaps responding to your tension, the dryad's grove has been made a little more hospitable. A wall of trees, vines, and thorns surrounds a decent area now, with an entrance left open for you. Rather than feeling like stepping into danger, it seems more like it's protecting you from it. Inside the ground flora is a bit thinner than outside making it easier to walk, and it just feels more lived in.
Olivia had initially wanted to accompany you, but you thought her time was better spent training with Leo. Having her hone her abilities does ensure if she does come with you on future trips she'd be better security anyways. Thoughts of relying on her to protect you feels somehow wrong, but then what magic enables isn't something that jives too well with instinct either.
You didn't exactly have experience teaching children, or any of the books to do it. So you made do with one of the wax tablets you used to keep supply inventories on. You would draw each letter and associate a sound with it for her.
"So each of these letters means a sound, and when you put them together you get the sounds of speech?" she asks from her seat next to you on a few branches made into a bench.
"Basically." You write out your name on the tablet. "This is my name, Tristan, basically spelled as it sounds."
"That makes sense. This isn't so hard."
"Well a lot of words aren't spelled quite how they sound, either letters interacting to produce different sounds or just silent entirely," you explain to prepare her for harder words.
"Why?" Oh that dreadful question.
"Honestly I don't know, it's just the way I was taught," you deflect.
"Hmm, maybe it is a secret code like the others thought, just so old it's not very secret anymore," she guesses. You'd laugh, but much of history was lost in The Fall, so it is remotely possible.
"Maybe, why don't you try and copy each letter?" You hold the tablet out for her.
She grabs it and the little wood twig you were using to write with greedily. Leaves sprout from the stick. "Ah, sorry," she says in a squeak as she drops the items. She takes a moment before continuing a bit embarrassed, "...it's a bit hard to control myself when I'm excited."
The idle thought that her response reminds you of a child wetting the bed crosses your mind, and you're tempted to laugh, but it doesn't show on your face in the least. Instead you just give her a little hug. "It's okay, just try again."
The dryad stiffens as if uncertain how to react, but then relaxes leaning into the embrace. When you pull back she seems more at ease, though she quickly occupies herself copying each of the letters. As she works another question pops into your mind. "You never did give me your name."
She blinks up at you. "I suppose I didn't. You couldn't say it anyway." She thinks about it for a moment. "You could make one up for me? It has to be pretty though!"
-[X][Hunters 1] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by. 86+5-10
-[X][Hunters 2] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.45+5
-[X][Levy] Guard 92+15-10
--[X] The base and sawmill
-[X][Footmen] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by. 87
The forest itself seemed to give you a bit of a break this season. Most of the creatures seemed to actually be resting through the winter despite the relatively mild weather. Perhaps they'd simply gotten enough food to be lazy. Many of the men were muttering that it was just trying to get them to let their guard down though.
Your scouts and guards don't suffer any casualties which is at least good news. The treehouse watchtowers give them a place to rest on their patrols in relative safety and comfort even during rain or snow. They also let them spot a few orc units moving through the forest. These latest enemy units have been a cut above the previous simpletons though, moving with skill through the forest. Your scouts were able to tail them a bit, but never quite manage to pin them into a fight despite the occasional arrow traded inconsequentially one way or the other. They always manage to slip away before a patrol can reach them.
Putting the information collected together though, Leo suspects they've gathered quite a bit of information about your patrols, watchtowers, and base. They'll be a more serious threat next season as a result even with adjustments to the patrol patterns.
Your scouts have also discovered the winter den of one of the forest's bears. It is several times the size of normal bears, and appears to have given birth to cubs over the winter.
-[X][Captain] Train Olivia 78
"I definitely think she's still getting stronger," Leo announces one evening after training Olivia. "It's not an overly obvious amount, but I've got a lot of experience in training men up from nothing."
You didn't immediately say anything aloud as you considered it. You knew a lot more today about magic than you did when you enhanced Olivia. You wouldn't have tried that sort of infusion today. There are a whole lot of horror stories about enchanting living things. The biggest issue is that living things are constantly changing in ways that dead things don't. Living things also tend to have a habit of integrating the magic in ways you can't predict in advance. Her strength continuing to grow a little bit over time isn't a concern at all really. "That shouldn't be too much of a problem. Have either of you noticed anything else besides the strength?"
"Not so far," Leo replies, almost as if he expects more.
"No sir," Olivia matches.
"Well let me know straight away if you notice anything. I'm responsible for what happened after all, and I want to make sure you are okay," you tell her. Her blush makes you smile. "How goes the training otherwise."
"Well the main issue is that her strength is incredible, but she's not any heavier than she should be." The emphasis on 'any' and the looks traded between Leo and Olivia make you think that she may have forced that statement. It seems unlikely Olivia could intimidate a grizzled war veteran though. "Unfortunately that means that most of the ideas I had for having her dual wield greatswords or something custom that's even bigger just aren't viable. They just throw her off her feet when she swings them around. Maybe if we put her in lead boots it would help, but that would slow her down and throw her balance off even more. Sor far my best idea is to just give her a really big shield and have her act as a living battering ram."
You can't help but picture that in your head. "Are you okay with that?" you ask Olivia.
"It's great. If I raise the shield high enough I can't even see the target, and it stops things from getting on me," she says in a chipper tone.
You raise one eyebrow at Leo.
"It's a work in progress."
Plans for Spring: (Base costs shown, increase 5% for merchants issue)
[][Construction] Improve the wall with guard towers offering some protection from ranged weapons and a higher vantage point. (50 Denier)
[][Construction] Expand a palisade to cover a larger area. You'll go a different direction than last time Needed to safely fit more buildings within the wall. (50 Denier in needed materials)
[][Construction] Expand the barracks to deal with a doubled number of men, taking into account the need for it to be off the ground from the start this time. (150 Denier)
-[] Inside the wall (forces cooking and toilets outside the wall)
-[] Outside the wall (in danger from wildlife)
-[] Build in the Dryad's territory
[][Construction] Build a woodworking workshop to produce something better than raw timber. Will require hiring workers separately. (100 Denier)
-[] Inside the wall (forces cooking and toilets outside the wall)
-[] Outside the wall (in danger from wildlife)
-[] Build in the Dryad's territory
[][Construction] Build a rabbit pen? (25 Denier)
[][Construction] Write-in
Thanks to Olivia handling many of the mundane tasks of life for you now that she has her gloves, you have more time free for other things. You could squeeze in two actions now, but they would be on d85 rather than d100. You can also assign her to assist in any other task, though some jobs she'll obviously be of more use in.
[][Personal] You could produce some basic enchanted gear for one of your units. Sharper blades and harder armor are staples for a reason. (100 Denier in needed materials)
-[] Specify a unit.
[][Personal] Have Leo give you a bit of training. However much you hate it, being better at fighting will help a lot if something is trying to eat you. (Must be taken with appropriate Captain action)
[][Personal] Try to convince your father to increase your funding. That seems like squeezing blood from a stone, an angry stone, but might be worth trying.
-[] Instead see about getting a steady stream of new recruits instead
[][Personal] Recruit new units. Specify what kind.
-[] Replace losses, 160 denier
-[] What units?
[][Personal] Recruit some more woodworkers to specialized in more complex bits rather than bulk construction to produce trade goods for sale. (100 Denier ongoing cost, boost to sales value of 200 Denier. Requires woodworking workshop.)
[][Personal] Experiment on the effects of enchanting within the Overgrowth.
[][Personal] Write-in
In return for teaching her reading and later getting books for her, the dryad is willing to offer your men a bastion of safety in the forest, and if you'd like to build something in her area she can protect it from the effects of the Overgrowth.
[][Dryad] Spend 200 Denier bribing a tutor to go out to the middle of nowhere to teach a supernatural being reading. They totally are going to talk about it.
[][Dryad] Spend a Personal Slot teaching her yourself, potentially developing better trust.
-[] Write-in something you'd like to ask her or try to get her to do for you.
[][Name] Write in a name for the dryad. I'll probably count this separate from plans since it doesn't connect to anything. Subject to veto if it's bad.
270 starting -610 upkeep this turn -105 construction +600 season payment +200 sawmill profit = 355 Denier
Upkeep next turn: 580+5% (100 you +100 leo +100 sawmill + 50 construction crew +90 hunters + 40 levies +100 footmen) - 200 Sawmill profit
AN: May see a few edits, particularly to the dryad section and possibly on pricing the woodworking. @megrisvernin didn't get to review that, but I wanted to get this posted today rather than go past 4 days limit I've set. As always feel free to come up with write-ins.
-[X][Construction] Improve the barracks with more furniture, bedding, separated rooms with sturdy doors for the officers. (100 Denier in needed materials) 59 +10 -20
Your diminished construction crew welcomes the opportunity to work inside the wall this season, a polite way of phrasing that many of them would have refused to. The cramped conditions as you fit extra people in the same barracks as before leave many of the men grumbling about improving the bedding and privacy before having enough space for them all. You just weren't eager to have your diminished construction crew working outside on a larger project though. At least the winter was relatively mild this year, so it wasn't as bad as it might have been otherwise.
(Morale neutral between loss from accommodations being insufficient, mild winter, and improvement to what accommodations there are)
-[X][Personal] Experiment on the effects of materials from the Overgrowth on enchanting. 38+5
Much of the time spent in modern enchanting is in gathering the tiny bit of magic still floating about the world. The materials from the Overgrowth have a much higher quantity in them than anything you've seen from anywhere else. It makes it an obvious idea to you that you could use the magic saturated in the plants and animals there to skip a lot of the time consuming part of enchanting.
You didn't expect it to be easy because otherwise someone would have thought of it before. The Overgrowth's been here a long time after all. You spend much of the season studying the issue, and it's just as hard as you expected. The magic starts leaking out of materials once they're pulled through the boundary of the field. Things still alive manage to hold it in much better, but that same resilience is also an issue for pulling the mana out for your own use. The leaked energy then diffuses into the meager background field rather rapidly, so if there's an increase in the local level you can't detect it with the sensitivity of your current instruments. You could get better ones, but if it's that small it really doesn't matter if you determine whether it's 0.1% or 1%.
Laying enchants into materials from the Overgrowth could take advantage of the lingering magic in the material to speed up the process a bit before it dissipates, but this would have to be done quite quickly. It would also limit the sort of things you could make from it. Plus enchantments are done on finished goods because physically reshaping magical items generally damages them, so you'd need to have a woodcrafter or leatherworker prepare it before you started, which would itself be time during which the mana would be dissipating. Maybe you could do some enchanting work in the Overgrowth directly, but there are a ton of dangers involved in that, and you're not too sure how the strangely dynamic magic there would react. You're concerned the results wouldn't even be consistent.
It's not to say there are no options though. A few ideas occur to you:
1. Set up woodcrafting inside the forest to make the mundane products, then an operation outside to immediately enchant them after they come out. This would require a force to defend the workers and facilities inside the forest on the long term.
2. Research how enchanting inside the forest works and hope that it doesn't mess with you too much when you set up the whole production inside it, facing the same problems of the previous one only magnified.
3. The safest, but most expensive route. Build a high end enchantment workshop with containment wards that will trap the mana leaking out of the materials from the Overgrowth, letting you use it to enchant anything you wanted. You could probably manage it on your own—you are great after all, but it would likely take you a couple years. Or you could hire a handful of other enchanters to come put it together more quickly. It will be seriously expensive though, few enchanters ever bother with it because of its cost.
-[X][Dryad] Spend a Personal Slot teaching her yourself, potentially developing better trust. 64
--[X] Try to ask her to help you mark out and make a path to her grove so it's easier to bring stuff to her and so the more ignorant woodcutters don't mistake a dryad for a normal tree.
Trekking through the Overgrowth on a regular basis isn't fun at the best of times. You have the footmen guard you on the trips; it doesn't take them too far off their patrol routes anyway. The danger still haunts you though. Every creak or crack raises your hackles in the perpetual twilight beneath the thick canopy.
Perhaps responding to your tension, the dryad's grove has been made a little more hospitable. A wall of trees, vines, and thorns surrounds a decent area now, with an entrance left open for you. Rather than feeling like stepping into danger, it seems more like it's protecting you from it. Inside the ground flora is a bit thinner than outside making it easier to walk, and it just feels more lived in.
Olivia had initially wanted to accompany you, but you thought her time was better spent training with Leo. Having her hone her abilities does ensure if she does come with you on future trips she'd be better security anyways. Thoughts of relying on her to protect you feels somehow wrong, but then what magic enables isn't something that jives too well with instinct either.
You didn't exactly have experience teaching children, or any of the books to do it. So you made do with one of the wax tablets you used to keep supply inventories on. You would draw each letter and associate a sound with it for her.
"So each of these letters means a sound, and when you put them together you get the sounds of speech?" she asks from her seat next to you on a few branches made into a bench.
"Basically." You write out your name on the tablet. "This is my name, Tristan, basically spelled as it sounds."
"That makes sense. This isn't so hard."
"Well a lot of words aren't spelled quite how they sound, either letters interacting to produce different sounds or just silent entirely," you explain to prepare her for harder words.
"Why?" Oh that dreadful question.
"Honestly I don't know, it's just the way I was taught," you deflect.
"Hmm, maybe it is a secret code like the others thought, just so old it's not very secret anymore," she guesses. You'd laugh, but much of history was lost in The Fall, so it is remotely possible.
"Maybe, why don't you try and copy each letter?" You hold the tablet out for her.
She grabs it and the little wood twig you were using to write with greedily. Leaves sprout from the stick. "Ah, sorry," she says in a squeak as she drops the items. She takes a moment before continuing a bit embarrassed, "...it's a bit hard to control myself when I'm excited."
The idle thought that her response reminds you of a child wetting the bed crosses your mind, and you're tempted to laugh, but it doesn't show on your face in the least. Instead you just give her a little hug. "It's okay, just try again."
The dryad stiffens as if uncertain how to react, but then relaxes leaning into the embrace. When you pull back she seems more at ease, though she quickly occupies herself copying each of the letters. As she works another question pops into your mind. "You never did give me your name."
She blinks up at you. "I suppose I didn't. You couldn't say it anyway." She thinks about it for a moment. "You could make one up for me? It has to be pretty though!"
-[X][Hunters 1] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by. 86+5-10
-[X][Hunters 2] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.45+5
-[X][Levy] Guard 92+15-10
--[X] The base and sawmill
-[X][Footmen] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by. 87
The forest itself seemed to give you a bit of a break this season. Most of the creatures seemed to actually be resting through the winter despite the relatively mild weather. Perhaps they'd simply gotten enough food to be lazy. Many of the men were muttering that it was just trying to get them to let their guard down though.
Your scouts and guards don't suffer any casualties which is at least good news. The treehouse watchtowers give them a place to rest on their patrols in relative safety and comfort even during rain or snow. They also let them spot a few orc units moving through the forest. These latest enemy units have been a cut above the previous simpletons though, moving with skill through the forest. Your scouts were able to tail them a bit, but never quite manage to pin them into a fight despite the occasional arrow traded inconsequentially one way or the other. They always manage to slip away before a patrol can reach them.
Putting the information collected together though, Leo suspects they've gathered quite a bit of information about your patrols, watchtowers, and base. They'll be a more serious threat next season as a result even with adjustments to the patrol patterns.
Your scouts have also discovered the winter den of one of the forest's bears. It is several times the size of normal bears, and appears to have given birth to cubs over the winter.
-[X][Captain] Train Olivia 78
"I definitely think she's still getting stronger," Leo announces one evening after training Olivia. "It's not an overly obvious amount, but I've got a lot of experience in training men up from nothing."
You didn't immediately say anything aloud as you considered it. You knew a lot more today about magic than you did when you enhanced Olivia. You wouldn't have tried that sort of infusion today. There are a whole lot of horror stories about enchanting living things. The biggest issue is that living things are constantly changing in ways that dead things don't. Living things also tend to have a habit of integrating the magic in ways you can't predict in advance. Her strength continuing to grow a little bit over time isn't a concern at all really. "That shouldn't be too much of a problem. Have either of you noticed anything else besides the strength?"
"Not so far," Leo replies, almost as if he expects more.
"No sir," Olivia matches.
"Well let me know straight away if you notice anything. I'm responsible for what happened after all, and I want to make sure you are okay," you tell her. Her blush makes you smile. "How goes the training otherwise."
"Well the main issue is that her strength is incredible, but she's not any heavier than she should be." The emphasis on 'any' and the looks traded between Leo and Olivia make you think that she may have forced that statement. It seems unlikely Olivia could intimidate a grizzled war veteran though. "Unfortunately that means that most of the ideas I had for having her dual wield greatswords or something custom that's even bigger just aren't viable. They just throw her off her feet when she swings them around. Maybe if we put her in lead boots it would help, but that would slow her down and throw her balance off even more. Sor far my best idea is to just give her a really big shield and have her act as a living battering ram."
You can't help but picture that in your head. "Are you okay with that?" you ask Olivia.
"It's great. If I raise the shield high enough I can't even see the target, and it stops things from getting on me," she says in a chipper tone.
You raise one eyebrow at Leo.
"It's a work in progress."
Plans for Spring: (Base costs shown, increase 5% for merchants issue)
[][Construction] Improve the wall with guard towers offering some protection from ranged weapons and a higher vantage point. (50 Denier)
[][Construction] Expand a palisade to cover a larger area. You'll go a different direction than last time Needed to safely fit more buildings within the wall. (50 Denier in needed materials)
[][Construction] Expand the barracks to deal with a doubled number of men, taking into account the need for it to be off the ground from the start this time. (150 Denier)
-[] Inside the wall (forces cooking and toilets outside the wall)
-[] Outside the wall (in danger from wildlife)
-[] Build in the Dryad's territory
[][Construction] Build a woodworking workshop to produce something better than raw timber. Will require hiring workers separately. (100 Denier)
-[] Inside the wall (forces cooking and toilets outside the wall)
-[] Outside the wall (in danger from wildlife)
-[] Build in the Dryad's territory
[][Construction] Build a rabbit pen? (25 Denier)
[][Construction] Write-in
Thanks to Olivia handling many of the mundane tasks of life for you now that she has her gloves, you have more time free for other things. You could squeeze in two actions now, but they would be on d85 rather than d100. You can also assign her to assist in any other task, though some jobs she'll obviously be of more use in.
[][Personal] You could produce some basic enchanted gear for one of your units. Sharper blades and harder armor are staples for a reason. (100 Denier in needed materials)
-[] Specify a unit.
[][Personal] Have Leo give you a bit of training. However much you hate it, being better at fighting will help a lot if something is trying to eat you. (Must be taken with appropriate Captain action)
[][Personal] Try to convince your father to increase your funding. That seems like squeezing blood from a stone, an angry stone, but might be worth trying.
-[] Instead see about getting a steady stream of new recruits instead
[][Personal] Recruit new units. Specify what kind.
-[] Replace losses, 160 denier
-[] What units?
[][Personal] Recruit some more woodworkers to specialized in more complex bits rather than bulk construction to produce trade goods for sale. (100 Denier ongoing cost, boost to sales value of 200 Denier. Requires woodworking workshop.)
[][Personal] Experiment on the effects of enchanting within the Overgrowth.
[][Personal] Write-in
In return for teaching her reading and later getting books for her, the dryad is willing to offer your men a bastion of safety in the forest, and if you'd like to build something in her area she can protect it from the effects of the Overgrowth.
[][Dryad] Spend 200 Denier bribing a tutor to go out to the middle of nowhere to teach a supernatural being reading. They totally are going to talk about it.
[][Dryad] Spend a Personal Slot teaching her yourself, potentially developing better trust.
-[] Write-in something you'd like to ask her or try to get her to do for you.
[][Name] Write in a name for the dryad. I'll probably count this separate from plans since it doesn't connect to anything. Subject to veto if it's bad.
(Keep in mind you have 2 units of hunters, unit 1 is weakened)
[][Hunters] Hunt for food, reduce upkeep by 50
[][Hunters] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
[][Hunters] Catch a bunch of rabbits for the rabbit pen. (Requires rabbit pen.)
[][Levy] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
[][Levy] Train with the captain (must be taken with captain action, is not advised at this time)
[][Levy] Guard
-[] The base and sawmill
-[] The construction crew
-[] The merchants that bring your supplies (eliminate 10% modifier)
[][Footmen] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
[][Footmen] Train with the captain (must be taken with captain action, is not advised at this time)
[][Footmen] Guard
-[] The base and sawmill
-[] The construction crew
-[] The merchants that bring your supplies (eliminate 5% modifier)
[][Captain] Command troops, raising morale and effectiveness
[][Captain] Train Olivia
[][Captain] Recruit new units. Specify what kind. -[] Replace losses, 160 denier
-[] What units?
[][Captain] Train regulars (must be taken with appropriate action)
[][Captain] Train you (must be taken with appropriate action)
[][Hunters] Hunt for food, reduce upkeep by 50
[][Hunters] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
[][Hunters] Catch a bunch of rabbits for the rabbit pen. (Requires rabbit pen.)
[][Levy] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
[][Levy] Train with the captain (must be taken with captain action, is not advised at this time)
[][Levy] Guard
-[] The base and sawmill
-[] The construction crew
-[] The merchants that bring your supplies (eliminate 10% modifier)
[][Footmen] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
[][Footmen] Train with the captain (must be taken with captain action, is not advised at this time)
[][Footmen] Guard
-[] The base and sawmill
-[] The construction crew
-[] The merchants that bring your supplies (eliminate 5% modifier)
[][Captain] Command troops, raising morale and effectiveness
[][Captain] Train Olivia
[][Captain] Recruit new units. Specify what kind. -[] Replace losses, 160 denier
-[] What units?
[][Captain] Train regulars (must be taken with appropriate action)
[][Captain] Train you (must be taken with appropriate action)
270 starting -610 upkeep this turn -105 construction +600 season payment +200 sawmill profit = 355 Denier
Upkeep next turn: 580+5% (100 you +100 leo +100 sawmill + 50 construction crew +90 hunters + 40 levies +100 footmen) - 200 Sawmill profit
AN: May see a few edits, particularly to the dryad section and possibly on pricing the woodworking. @megrisvernin didn't get to review that, but I wanted to get this posted today rather than go past 4 days limit I've set. As always feel free to come up with write-ins.
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- Location
- va
Why don't we put her in a suit of heavy plate mail?
- Location
- United States
Huzzah!
We didn't have a single failed action this turn
We didn't have a single failed action this turn
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Plan Defense
-[X][Construction] Improve the wall with guard towers offering some protection from ranged weapons and a higher vantage point. (50 Denier)
--[X] Have Olivia help
-[X][Personal] Try to convince your father to increase your funding. That seems like squeezing blood from a stone, an angry stone, but might be worth trying.
--[X] Inform him of the many losses that have been sustained in the overgrowth so far, and the recent changes in orc scout behavior. More funding and/or forces will be required to maintain the mission.
-[X][Dryad] Spend a Personal Slot teaching her yourself, potentially developing better trust.
--[X] Ask her if she knows why the animals of the forest are so much larger/aggressive than the ones outside it. Tell her about the orcs we're here to defend against, and ask her if she knows of any ways to better protect ourselves from them.
-[X][Hunters 1] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Hunters 2] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Levy] Guard
--[X] The base and sawmill
-[X][Footmen] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Captain] Command troops, raising morale and effectiveness
[X][Name] Magnolia
Kind of want to beef up our camp defenses and stay on guard to deal with possible orc attacks. Even though she's a child, the dryad might know something about the forest that we can use against the orcs and wildlife, even if she doesn't see it as such.
-[X][Construction] Improve the wall with guard towers offering some protection from ranged weapons and a higher vantage point. (50 Denier)
--[X] Have Olivia help
-[X][Personal] Try to convince your father to increase your funding. That seems like squeezing blood from a stone, an angry stone, but might be worth trying.
--[X] Inform him of the many losses that have been sustained in the overgrowth so far, and the recent changes in orc scout behavior. More funding and/or forces will be required to maintain the mission.
-[X][Dryad] Spend a Personal Slot teaching her yourself, potentially developing better trust.
--[X] Ask her if she knows why the animals of the forest are so much larger/aggressive than the ones outside it. Tell her about the orcs we're here to defend against, and ask her if she knows of any ways to better protect ourselves from them.
-[X][Hunters 1] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Hunters 2] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Levy] Guard
--[X] The base and sawmill
-[X][Footmen] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Captain] Command troops, raising morale and effectiveness
[X][Name] Magnolia
Kind of want to beef up our camp defenses and stay on guard to deal with possible orc attacks. Even though she's a child, the dryad might know something about the forest that we can use against the orcs and wildlife, even if she doesn't see it as such.
- Location
- Brazil
[X] Plan Future Proofing
-[X][Construction] Expand a palisade to cover a larger area. You'll go a different direction than last time Needed to safely fit more buildings within the wall. (50 Denier in needed materials)
-[X][Personal] Try to convince your father to increase your funding. That seems like squeezing blood from a stone, an angry stone, but might be worth trying.
--[X] Instead see about getting a steady stream of new recruits instead
-[X][Dryad] Spend a Personal Slot teaching her yourself, potentially developing better trust.
--[X] Ask her to gather information about wich animals can be trained and how todo it from other dryads.
-[X][Hunters 1] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Hunters 2] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Levy] Guard
--[X] The base and sawmill
-[X][Footmen] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Captain] Train Olivia
Okay if we are going to expand we need more protected space and we need to expand.
Beyond that it would be good to get that recruiting post to counter our constante loses, also since the QM mentioned many dryads train animals as a hobby we realy should tap on that knowledge to weaponize the overgrownt animals. Finaly I realy want to get Olivia fully trained some time this year.
[X][Name] Nerissa
[X][Name] Thalia
[X][Name] Daphnaeae
I can't decide on a name so here a bunch of options.
-[X][Construction] Expand a palisade to cover a larger area. You'll go a different direction than last time Needed to safely fit more buildings within the wall. (50 Denier in needed materials)
-[X][Personal] Try to convince your father to increase your funding. That seems like squeezing blood from a stone, an angry stone, but might be worth trying.
--[X] Instead see about getting a steady stream of new recruits instead
-[X][Dryad] Spend a Personal Slot teaching her yourself, potentially developing better trust.
--[X] Ask her to gather information about wich animals can be trained and how todo it from other dryads.
-[X][Hunters 1] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Hunters 2] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Levy] Guard
--[X] The base and sawmill
-[X][Footmen] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[X][Captain] Train Olivia
Okay if we are going to expand we need more protected space and we need to expand.
Beyond that it would be good to get that recruiting post to counter our constante loses, also since the QM mentioned many dryads train animals as a hobby we realy should tap on that knowledge to weaponize the overgrownt animals. Finaly I realy want to get Olivia fully trained some time this year.
[X][Name] Nerissa
[X][Name] Thalia
[X][Name] Daphnaeae
I can't decide on a name so here a bunch of options.
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- Location
- United States
The Orks are learning. That isn't good.
Is there an option to shake up our patrols and catch them off guard?
Is there an option to shake up our patrols and catch them off guard?
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
It's Winter, you're supposed to huddle together for warmth.
Stop being such babies.
1. A second base when this one is one big/smart enough raid away from falling? Not until we're more batten-down.
2. Ambushing, and Warhammer Corruption? We're not Chaos-level insane enough to try that.
3. ... Yeah, unless we somehow discover gold or diamonds, we're not affording that.
Heh. My English teacher mother would have a few things to say here.
Get used to it.
You just adopted your first of many future children.
... others? What others?
Daaaaaw.
DAAAAAAW.
Are you partial to "Durthu"?
Smart men.
Well. Fuck. We need to somehow pin them down.
AKA: Brush up on Bear Lore.
Clearly you need to invest in the Ruby method of fighting. Turn that momentum from off-balance into killing power.
Uh huh. Sure.
Just get her a damn scythe already.
Aka mark the bear den and keep a wide berth. A bear with cubs is extremely aggressively territorial
Heh I figured you'd be all over analyzing this bit.
I thought it was fairly well done.
Oh just the sort of thing other dryads teach her. She had to learn the Common tongue somewhere. For written word to be so confusing though, it must be a secret code, not even a majority of humans know it!
Hah, that's hardly a pretty name.Are you partial to "Durthu"?
Not sure that style is actually possible for someone that doesn't have Ruby's weird momentum control ability (because it's not just speed). Though it is an interesting idea I guess.
I'm surprised you didn't comment on this bit: