8832 AS
Turn 13 Results
Military: Zul'Jo is currently the best fighter in the entire Gurubashi tribe. Now that Zul'Gurub is yours again, he intends to fight to his last breath to keep it safe. (Pick 2)
Oh Captain, Need Captains: Zul'Jo has come about with an interesting idea. Normally trolls attack in large mobs, with the better and simply more well-warriors taking the lead. There is no rigid system to determine whose orders should be followed, or of any major discipline. The utter dearth in fighting while your foes run about in terror has led his mind to these thoughts. He is a Captain, as is Zulgo'longo, but what does that really mean? He leads all of your warriors, and Zulgo'longo follows him. But that means two captains? But he wants to examine the process, just a tad, to see if the whole warrior management concept can't be refined. Time: 3 Years. Reward: Development of rudimentary Officer system. Better discipline for forces. Will Complete This Turn.
- It's a simple thing, really. You just have to beat the discipline into people. Zul'Jo now has everyone organized into actual teams with war leaders and clear lines of authority so that in case of casualties battlefield cohesion doesn't break down. You are not just some wild mob of savages. You are the Gurubashi Empire. You are disciplined, and you are deadly. Reward: Development of rudimentary Officer system. Better discipline for forces.
(Siege) Weapons of War: One of the more simple weapons in existence, the catapult, is known to you. Lashing together wood and stone and bone in order to produce a ranged weapon is not the most difficult thing ever, and if the Bloodscalps manage to get any of their own you need a counter point beyond your regular magic. Besides which, being able to lob stones over the walls or from atop them is going to be far better than trying to use catapults against Zul'Gurub. All you have to do is give the order and have it put to use. Cost: 1000. Time: 1 Year. Reward: 20 Gurubashi Catapults.
- Catapults have been part of the Gurubashi Arsenal since…well, since a long time ago. They're not even the most complex war machines around. Unlike something actually complex, like, say, the old war golems of old that – last you heard – only the most powerful Drakkari or Zandalari could craft – every major troll tribe knows how to make these things. Voodoo has its own place in warfare, but so too do more mundane weapons. Besides, Zul'Gurub has plenty of rubble for you to use as ammo for your catapults. This way, at least, you could fire on the enemy below when they inevitably lay siege to your city. Reward: 20 Gurubashi Catapults.
Never Gonna Give It Up: Zul'Gurub is yours again, and you have no intention on losing if ever. Not to invaders from any corner, it doesn't matter if they are human, goblin, or troll. Especially if they are troll, because now that you have your capital back you don't doubt that jealous trolls across Stranglethorn that don't want the Gurubashi back in power are going to be coming after you now. As such, you need to start really rebuilding defenses, starting with the Gate of Zul'Gurub, the main entryway to your city. Rebuilding the wood and metal and stone of the Gate will be a good start. Cost: 1000. Time: 1 Year. Reward: Gate of Zul'Gurub fully rebuilt, defenses of Gate of Zul'Gurub rebuilt.
- The news that the Bloodscalps are so near really galvanizes your workers. Hundreds of Dire Trolls drag enormous chunks of stone, while drudges carve and hammer and shape, and over the course of a very dangerous year the mighty Gate of Zul'Gurub is fully rebuilt. Holes in the walls are plugged up, and not with the sort of patchwork that humans would probably assume your people capable of. This was Zul'Gurub, and one would be astounded at the work that several thousand trolls would be capable of knowing that a huge enemy force was bearing down on them. Also, your people's natural regeneration abilities mean that work related injuries are not nearly as much of a problem – though you have more than a few squashed toes and accidentally chopped off and/or smushed hands. Regardless, however, the Gate is rebuilt, the walls fully plugged, the defenses rebuilt. You have slots for pouring out burning oil or skin-scorching sand, slits for spears and arrows…it's all there. Of course, the actual blood wards and all that are long since faded, but you can rebuild those in time when your people have proven to the Loa that you are worth it. Reward: Gate of Zul'Gurub fully rebuilt, defenses of Gate of Zul'Gurub rebuilt.
Diplomacy: Your tribe built the Gurubashi Empire up out of bloody conquest, strong words, and overwhelming influence. It was made from the bonds between numerous tribes, all working together albeit under one unifying group i.e. the Gurubashi. It's time to see what else you can do in this area. (Choose 1):
Searching For Cat's Paws: You remember the old scouting reports of your father, and what the loa showed you through visions. One of the things that the Bloodscalps have you so beat at in is numbers, so you rather need some warm bodies for yourself. The gnolls are not particularly a noteworthy race for anything more than sacrifice or eating, but if you could potentially goad them into…doing, well, anything beyond being smelly dog things that take up valuable space, would be worth the effort, you think. Sending your mind and scrying abilities to go look, then using your command over the loa to scare them into doing what you need, that's the kind of thing you could never have done before now. Well, you're missing a leg, you might as well do some rituals considering you can't go much places without hopping around awkwardly. Cost: 500. Time: 1 Year. Reward: Using spooky spells, scare the gnolls of the Snarlclaw Tribe to run into the Bloodscalp rear, flanks…just distract them in general.
- It's not even a question of whether or not you can, it's a question of whether or not you will. Gnolls are worthless as anything except meat or annoyances in your opinion – their hides are smelly and useless for good leatherwork and they have nothing else to really contribute to the Empire or the world in general. Still, in this one isolated case, you are glad that there are a few thousand squatting in your jungle – in that they'll soon be dead or enslaved. As such, scaring the wits out of their primitive leaders and scaring them with spooky spirits – bones dancing and ghostly wailing – you push them out from their current hovel in an otherwise perfectly good gold mine and towards the Bloodscalps. Pests as they are, they are tenacious little beasts when frightened as you have made them, and they immediately begin raiding the northern flank of the Bloodscalp forces, for supplies and out of anger and fear. The Bloodscalps respond in kind, and though you know that this is likely to end in the potential extinction of the Snarlclaw – all you can really care about is that a few thousand more Bloodscalps won't be battering at your gates just yet. Reward: Using spooky spells, scare the gnolls of the Snarlclaw Tribe to run into the Bloodscalp rear, flanks…just distract them in general. Several thousand Bloodscalps no longer part of invading force.
Stewardship: No one else is going to help you restore your once glorious city. Your people are going to have to pick themselves up by the bone anklets. One day, one day Zul'Gurub will be the vibrant place of life it once was, your walls won't be crumbling piles of shale, and your homes won't be hovels. One day… (Pick 1):
Needing Food: Fighting is hungry work. Fighting against Bloodscalps is going to be extra hungry work. Zul'Gurub back in the old days had tribute coming from all over Stranglethorne and the rest of your lands, but it also had farms of its own. It's time that you got a few more refurbished and going again. Now that some of Zul'Gurub has been rebuilt, and areas cleared, you can get back to that. Simple stuff, to start with, tubers and stuff like that, but that will be just the start, going forward. Cost: 100. Time: 1 Year. Reward: +250 Farming Income.
- More rubble is cleared, jungle vegetation pruned back, ground tilled anew, and some of the old farms rebuilt. Tomatoes and potatoes are delicious, and you now can make more than before! Reward: +250 Farming Income.
The Grand Rebuilding of Zul'Gurub: This will be hard, long work. To refurbish the canals, the houses, the walls, the markets, the temples, all that and more. To start up the old mines and quarries located deep within your city-state, your realm within a realm. Not only that, but it will take a lot of supplies. But this is simply what you have to do. This act will simultaneously provide some good employment for everyone who seems rather startled at your success and don't know what else to do with themselves, while also performing one of the actions you swore to yourself you would succeed in, the rebuilding of Zul'Gurub to its former glory. Cost: 8,500 Time: 5 Years. Reward: Zul'Gurub fully rebuilt, defenses restored, housing restored, canals refurbished, mines and quarries restarted, etc. Spirits pleased. Temples rebuilt, can begin proper worship again. Will Complete In Three Turns.
- Being under impending doom is no reason to pause your rebuilding efforts. The drudges continue their work.
Learning: As your attentions become more and more widespread, that troll Helga'aka seems to have found herself in this position by way of chance. (LOCKED):
Little Boom: Your alchemists can make small healing potions and elixirs. Not much, but better than none at all. But that's fine, it's a process, not an instant success button. Next you think that you want your alchemists to begin working on things that are more useful in the offensive sense. Concoctions that explode when they hit the ground, and no you don't mean the usual alcohol and glass plus rag maneuver. You want actual explosions. How hard can it be? Cost: 500. Time: 3 Years. Reward: Throwables, small explosions. Chance of Success: 85%
Piety: The spirits speak once more to the Gurubashi! Many are extremely upset with you, with all jungle trolls it seems, for the past few centuries of silence. You've got some work ahead of you. (LOCKED)
Reconnecting With The Loa – Hethiss: Hethiss the Snake Loa is powerful. Well, all the major Loa are powerful. His attentions are on the Vicious Poison, the Swarming Scales. He appreciates the strong strike, the ruthless domination of your foes through overwhelming firepower and overwhelming numbers. Based on your recovered scraps and fragments found within the city, his personality is quite vindictive indeed, but he always had an affection for those who were able to prove themselves. To his favored his is warm and comforting, to everyone else…he is quite cold. Cost: 500. Time: 2 Years. Reward: Audience with Hethiss. Chance of Success: 85%
- Required: 15. Rolled: 13 Failure
This granting of power to the Bloodscalps and the impending conflict smacks of the Loa wanting to test you, and you accept that. But you cannot – despite your best efforts – locate any way to commune with Hethiss. You even go to his currently being rebuilt temple to pray and meditate…but all you get back through the world of the spirits is cold silence. Damn. Failure. Will Require 2 More Years.
Intrigue: You've never been one for sneaking about, but that's ok. You've got spirits for that. For instance, your father. Considering that you're one of the most gifted Witch Doctors around, and none of the others seem able to channel the power of the spirits just at the moment, that gives you a…unique opportunity. (Choose 2)
No Solicitors: Now that Zul'Gurub is yours, you need to make sure that it stays that way. The Guardians can't protect everything, and neither can your warriors, but you know what can? The spirits. Spirits don't sleep, spirits don't need to go on break, though sometimes they'd like to. But the mass sacrifice of all the disloyal trolls in the city a short while ago has attracted a bevy of carrion spirits, wild little biters who flense and consume anything that they can. They can be directed, corralled, sent out and such, and that is exactly what you are going to do here. The secret ways in and out of Zul'Gurub, the places where patrols might miss, essentially weaknesses in your defenses that sneaks, thieves, rogues, people like that might come by…it's time to lay down a few Spirit Traps filled with carrion spirits, to punish anyone who thinks themselves clever. Cost: 500. Time: 2 Years. Reward: Bonuses against infiltration of Zul'Gurub.
- Laying of the traps and wards goes slower than you'd like, though to cover such an expansive place as Zul'Gurub obviously would take time. It's also draining, more than you'd like while you focus on your wounds regenerating, to summon the spirits and then stuff them into a box to explode on unwary intruders. It's not that you have a dearth of carrion spirits floating around – you have more than ever and you suspect it's due to the fact that there is going to be a lot of carnage in the fight against the Bloodscalps and they can sense it. Instead, their strength and growing numbers is what annoys you. Still, you are Jo Jo Headshrinke, so with your will do you bind them. Will Complete Next Turn.
Scouting The Enemy: You need numbers, and you need answers. What, if any, siege weapons do the Bloodscalps have? What are their supplies looking like? Unfortunately you cannot just rely on sending the littler loa to look for you because now the enemy has shamans on their own and they no doubt have set up their own warding rituals. That's all well and fine, but you need to know, and that means you will be pitting yourself against the enemy witch doctors, which was going to happen eventually on its own but you still have no actual idea of the strength of connection they have with the loa. Besides, some of the more powerful witch doctors with the most powerful voodoo serve the darker nameless loa, the ones that have names that are whispered out of fear rather than called out in pride. Ones you have contacts with too, but they've shied away from you after your association with 'brighter' loa, even if there isn't actually a good and evil divide amongst the spirits, except in extremely rare cases. Cost: 100. Time: 1 Year. Reward: Information on Bloodscalps. Chance of Success: 65%
Required: 35. Rolled: 17
- Damn it. Damn it all! The moment you began casting the scrying rituals and sending spirits to scout for you, you knew something was wrong. There was an audible – to your spirit touched ears – undefinable yet loud noise and then before you knew it something slammed into your head and knocked you back and into your own body. Some kind of spirit wards? Something like the Guardians? You don't know. All you know is…you failed, and you have no idea what the Bloodscalps have with them. Failure.
Personal Actions: You can't be making concoctions or performing ritual sacrifices all the time. (LOCKED):
New Voodoo: You have no idea how this little golem works. But you could probably figure it out. It is still recognizable, not a pile of rocks. Now, just to restore it, power it, and then figure out how to make more someday maybe? Cost: 500. Time: 3 Years. Reward: Repaired Helper Golem. Knowledge of how to make more little Helper Golems.
Study The Guardians, Part 1: The Guardians are a very good resource. Anti-magic and scrying barriers is something you are all for. The last thing you need is some enterprising human wizard to spy what's going on and run willy nilly to his King about you getting stronger again. Or a goblin telling their boss. Or another troll telling other trolls before you are ready. But...they are quite broken down. A few more years of their misuse by the Bloodscalps and they'd probably be gone forever. So it'll take some time. But the chance of being able to have a fully protected Zul'Gurub again is worth it, and worth the troll souls that will most certainly be used in this research. Cost: 500. Time: 3 Years. Reward: Stage 1 of New Guardians Complete. Chance of Success: 65% Will Complete Next Turn.
Required: 35. Rolled: 36.
Will Complete Next Turn.
