- Location
- Back in Cali
I would finish it. Make the best thing you can after all.
Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest
- Thread starter Questor
- Start date
- Location
- Maryland
+15 to a roll! Love the idea you went with here!
- Location
- SF Bay Area
Well I did have an idea where during Glimmer and Sparkle's battle, Glimmer goes WAY back and drags Twilight along. They land in a tavern at Lanner, and Glimmer tries to change the history of the Battle of Redstone Pass but through contrivances Twilight has to start a bar brawl with Griffons and Yaks against Glimmer, and then the two ponies get thrown back to the future. That would be the reason we couldn't fall back to Lanner, Glimmer wanted to change history.
But it was too complicated I thought to pull off and making it comedy would be hard
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[X] Eastern Expedition
[X] I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK
[X] Flying without Wings
[X] S is for Sabotage
[X] Plans for the Princess
[X] Combing the Archives
Edit: A little bit late there.
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Omake: Raids from the Other Side (Semi-Canon)
- Location
- Germany
got that here ruminating in my brain, hope its not to horrible to read through. (english is not my first language so I apologies in advance for my grammar)
You are Shimmering Jade, jeweler of her majesty Amore, wife of Silver Heart and mother of three......... no, that´s not right anymore.
You WERE Shimmering Jade, now you are just one of countless slaves, unsuited for the smithies, too weak for the mines, but regrettably not weak or old enough to be put to "rest", instead you had had the misfortune to be turned into a runner. Runners were tasked to transport resources from one corner to the very Heart of it. You saw the transformation from a peaceful Kingdom with tranquil forest and adorable critters to a frozen wasteland filled with unspeakable horrors, you traversed through quaint little miners villages once filled to the brim with the pride and compassion of their denizens, which were now filled with their frozen corpses collected and piled up on the roadside like trash.
You remember clearly the day you donned your mask , took it willingly in fear of the consequences if you did not. You sat at the royal plaza with your family enjoining the end of Discords reign, when suddenly HE stepped out onto the balcony made for announcement to the ponies of the Kingdom and threw princess Amores broken body down onto the plaza and declared himself your new GOD. You remember seeing HIM end the royal guard and all the ones brave enough to step up with but one spell of utter darkness and cold, you did not know at the time that that was in fact the reward now almost everyone in the Kingdom craved. But most of all you remember and regret setting down the knife in your hoof and stopping your son and husband from joining the riot and convincing your family to take the mask, for he would surely reward his willing subjects. Oh how foolish you were, not even an hour after surrendering your daughters were taken from you by your son, your husband send to the mines and you outfitted with your cart, you would have cried if you still could.
In the last six years you have passed the frozen corpse of your husband dozens of times, your daughters shared the same fate of all females in the Kingdom between sixteen and thirty, a fate you did your very best to not think about , and the last you saw of your son was him and the rest of the army marching north to subjugate others together with HIM. You prayed for whoever was up there to die swiftly and be completely unsuitable for his plans, lest they share your fate. Seeing him pass overhead as a cloud screaming in Rage a year ago and assembling a new Army felt you with such Elation that you would have broken down and cried tears of Joy, instead you simply trotted on feeling alive for the first time in eleven years.
You were en route to the biggest Iron mine in the north together with 19 other runners to get enough raw ore to Armour one of HIS new monstrosities, when quite unexpectedly your musings were interrupted by the tinkling of glass, the beating of gigantic wings and the fwooosh of fire. The ponies in front of you suddenly erupted into flames without screams, dying within seconds due to their malnourishment and lack of will to life. The one at your side changed from a pony to a quite lopsided porcupine, many of the ones further back being tackled to the ground by some kind of armored Lion-bird-hybrid thing. You wanted to stop and join the others in sweet oblivion, but instead your masked made you continue to run so that you may reach the mines. You heard the wet meaty sound of sword slicing through flesh behind you as you crested the hill and saw something you never hoped to be able to see, the mining village stood in flames before you, the mine collapsed and all the workers graciously put to an end, their corpses joining the others before the piles were set alight.
You trotted slowly into the village to the disbelieving stares of the creatures and stopped were you did for the last eleven years, in the very middle of the village square. You felt at peace as the mask made you eat while you waited for someone to fill your cart with ore, the only thought in your mind the realization that HE was not unstoppable, that maybe those Creatures would free your daughters from the capital and END HIM.
Finally one of the Creatures marched up to you with his Sword unsheathed, his pace sure, his posture conveying confidence and his eyes screaming with pity. "Please forgive us for this" his words filled you with confusion even as he pierced your heart, did they not know that you were living in constant torment and they were freeing you? You felt the mask slipping from your mind as your eyelids grew heavier with every passing moment, with the very last of your energy you muttered with a throat feeling like a saw-blade was grating in it a heartfelt "thank you". The last thing you ever saw was his surprised posture and horrified gaze.
@Questor
Raids from the other side.
You are Shimmering Jade, jeweler of her majesty Amore, wife of Silver Heart and mother of three......... no, that´s not right anymore.
You WERE Shimmering Jade, now you are just one of countless slaves, unsuited for the smithies, too weak for the mines, but regrettably not weak or old enough to be put to "rest", instead you had had the misfortune to be turned into a runner. Runners were tasked to transport resources from one corner to the very Heart of it. You saw the transformation from a peaceful Kingdom with tranquil forest and adorable critters to a frozen wasteland filled with unspeakable horrors, you traversed through quaint little miners villages once filled to the brim with the pride and compassion of their denizens, which were now filled with their frozen corpses collected and piled up on the roadside like trash.
You remember clearly the day you donned your mask , took it willingly in fear of the consequences if you did not. You sat at the royal plaza with your family enjoining the end of Discords reign, when suddenly HE stepped out onto the balcony made for announcement to the ponies of the Kingdom and threw princess Amores broken body down onto the plaza and declared himself your new GOD. You remember seeing HIM end the royal guard and all the ones brave enough to step up with but one spell of utter darkness and cold, you did not know at the time that that was in fact the reward now almost everyone in the Kingdom craved. But most of all you remember and regret setting down the knife in your hoof and stopping your son and husband from joining the riot and convincing your family to take the mask, for he would surely reward his willing subjects. Oh how foolish you were, not even an hour after surrendering your daughters were taken from you by your son, your husband send to the mines and you outfitted with your cart, you would have cried if you still could.
In the last six years you have passed the frozen corpse of your husband dozens of times, your daughters shared the same fate of all females in the Kingdom between sixteen and thirty, a fate you did your very best to not think about , and the last you saw of your son was him and the rest of the army marching north to subjugate others together with HIM. You prayed for whoever was up there to die swiftly and be completely unsuitable for his plans, lest they share your fate. Seeing him pass overhead as a cloud screaming in Rage a year ago and assembling a new Army felt you with such Elation that you would have broken down and cried tears of Joy, instead you simply trotted on feeling alive for the first time in eleven years.
You were en route to the biggest Iron mine in the north together with 19 other runners to get enough raw ore to Armour one of HIS new monstrosities, when quite unexpectedly your musings were interrupted by the tinkling of glass, the beating of gigantic wings and the fwooosh of fire. The ponies in front of you suddenly erupted into flames without screams, dying within seconds due to their malnourishment and lack of will to life. The one at your side changed from a pony to a quite lopsided porcupine, many of the ones further back being tackled to the ground by some kind of armored Lion-bird-hybrid thing. You wanted to stop and join the others in sweet oblivion, but instead your masked made you continue to run so that you may reach the mines. You heard the wet meaty sound of sword slicing through flesh behind you as you crested the hill and saw something you never hoped to be able to see, the mining village stood in flames before you, the mine collapsed and all the workers graciously put to an end, their corpses joining the others before the piles were set alight.
You trotted slowly into the village to the disbelieving stares of the creatures and stopped were you did for the last eleven years, in the very middle of the village square. You felt at peace as the mask made you eat while you waited for someone to fill your cart with ore, the only thought in your mind the realization that HE was not unstoppable, that maybe those Creatures would free your daughters from the capital and END HIM.
Finally one of the Creatures marched up to you with his Sword unsheathed, his pace sure, his posture conveying confidence and his eyes screaming with pity. "Please forgive us for this" his words filled you with confusion even as he pierced your heart, did they not know that you were living in constant torment and they were freeing you? You felt the mask slipping from your mind as your eyelids grew heavier with every passing moment, with the very last of your energy you muttered with a throat feeling like a saw-blade was grating in it a heartfelt "thank you". The last thing you ever saw was his surprised posture and horrified gaze.
@Questor
NoMoreScarecrow
[Unverified Vanir]
- Location
- South Africa Time Zone
Ouch, the feels.
Though, I can't help but automatically sing the title of this omake...
"But we do raids
On the other side~"
Though, I can't help but automatically sing the title of this omake...
"But we do raids
On the other side~"
- Location
- Maryland
+10 to a roll. The semi-Canon is due to the method of sabotage, not the thoughts and feelings of the Crystal Slave. Those are, unfortunately, accurate.
Turn 13 Results
- Location
- Maryland
Martial: Gustav Kingfeather, once known as the hardest drinker and fighter in Griffonia, has sworn not to consume a drop of alcohol until the losses of Redstone Pass have been avenged, and the threat of the Shadow King dealt with once and for all. He's thrown himself into his work, seeking to ensure an end to this conflict that has already cost the Empire so many lives.
-The Peregrine Line-Watchtowers: You snagged a victory and prevented an invasion of your country by the skin of your beak, and it was a costly victory at that. You're not stupid enough to think that you've seen the last of that foe forever, and if you have to worry about another invasion you're going to need serious fortifications along your Southern Border. Your military leaders have drawn up a multi-year step-by-step plan to turn the Peregrine mountains into a nearly impassible fortress. The first step, much like the plan to fortify the Black Cliffs, begins with watchtowers. Well, technically they're watchtowers but they're more like miniature forts designed to act as signaling stations. The squadrons of soldiers assigned to these defenses won't be able to repel any significant assaults, but they'll discourage infiltration and raids into your territory, and give vital warning in the event of another border assault. And they will serve as the foundation for a much larger and more impressive set of fortifications. Cost: 1000. Time: Two Years. Reward: Southern Border Watchtowers built, removes possibility of surprise attacks, may discourage raids into core territory.
After almost two years of non-stop work, the last brick is laid down. A line of fortified watchtowers spans the Peregrines, meant to serve as the first line of defense against another attack from the South. Each small fortification is manned by soldiers trained in the use of the ballistae that are placed within them, as well as the numerous means of signaling and communication built in to the strongpoints, from horns and signal flags to flaming beacons. You now have an early warning system to prevent a surprise attack, and the foundation for greater and more significant defenses to be built in the future. Southern Border Watchtowers built, New Martial Actions Unlocked, Surprise Attacks from South negated.
-Hans, Get the Flamethrower: The flame projectors proved to be one of the most important assets of the Winter War, being the only viable method of destroying the shadow-beasts, and serving as excellent counters to the abominations. Now that the Troll-Busters' contract has expired, it's probably a good idea to build a few more of these devices for yourself. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: +4 Static Flame Projectors
Archimedes spends a bit of his time overseeing the construction of the new flame projectors, just to make sure the Griffons and Dogs assembling them don't blow themselves up accidentally. A few minor corrections need to be made to the apparatuses for efficiency's sake, but apart from that your top scholar is satisfied with the final product the "fire artisans" have put out. This is good news, as you now have four more flame-spitting contraptions that could turn the tide of battle against the forces of the Shadow King. +4 Flame Projectors
Diplomacy: Elva's department has been receiving a lot more attention as of late. The much-appreciated assistance from the Yak Clans has emphasized the importance of a dedicated foreign office, and the invasion from the Southlands has made the public anxious to find allies against the monsters and warlords of the world. If Elva has begun to feel any pressure from the increased attention, she doesn't show it, carrying on as she always has.
-Steepe Trade Caravans: Establishing trade with Nomads is a difficult prospect, though a potentially lucrative one. Elva proposes sending a few caravans of enterprising Merchants out into the Steepes to show off their wares and gauge interest. The Yaks will get a look at the goods we have to offer, and hopefully we'll get a look at whatever they consider valuable enough to barter with. Of course, these caravans will require guards to protect them, and translators to help them strike deals with any potential customers. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: Information on Yak Markets and Trade Goods, Potential for Trade Income. Chance of Success: 70%.
Required: 30. Rolled: 82+18=100 (Art Crit)
The Yaks prove exceedingly receptive to trade with your merchants. Caravans cross the Black Cliffs and are met by itinerant Yak merchants, who buy everything from paper and glassware to lumber and sheets of copper, paying gold and silver coins in exchange for the goods, which they sell for profit throughout Yakyakistan. Such is the demand for Imperial goods that, as time goes on, some enterprising Yaks begin to establish trade posts along the caravan routes, setting up the first more-or-less permanent Yak settlements outside of the few mining communities that exist within clan borders. This nets you and your merchants a tidy profit, and moves the Yaks further still towards a sedentary lifestyle as the influx of new goods leads to a rise in standards of living, convincing yet more Yaks of the benefits of "settling down", and building recognition of the Empire as a "land of plenty and prosperity". +300 Trade Income, Increased Modernist Sentiments throughout Yak Population.
-Eastern Expedition: You don't really know anything about them, but they haven't done anything to harm your people, which already places them a league ahead of your Southern Neighbor. Send a ship and some volunteer diplomats to make contact and establish some sort of diplomatic relations. At the very least, it would be nice to know that you don't have to worry about a war on two fronts. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Contact made with Eastern Neighbors. Chance of Success: 80%
Required: 20. Rolled: 80+18=98
To be Continued in "The Sunrise Kingdom"
Stewardship: Frida has arguably been the least impacted by the war. Mind you, she's still had to deal with labor shortages in some areas after the militia suffered such horrendous casualties, but that's been the extent of it. Despite everything, she has retained her upbeat and optimistic demeanor, something you can really appreciate these days.
-Steam Pumped Land Drainage: Due to the mountainous and heavily forested nature of the Griffonlands, arable land is often at a premium. If one wishes to establish a farm, one must clear the land of trees (and the beasts that live among them), or risk trying to farm on rocks. There are a handful of places in the Empire that would be prime farmland were they not flooded or otherwise too wet to plant crops on. Ordinarily these lands would be impossible to drain, but Archimedes' new Steam Pump offers a new potential option for land drainage. It'll be expensive and time consuming, but the extra agricultural output just might be worth it. Cost: 500. Time: Two Years. Reward: Water-logged areas cleared, additional farming income.
After many months of work, both mechanical and muscle-driven, it is done. Your two year plan to expand the agricultural sector has borne fruit...and you've incidentally discovered Frida's love of bad puns in the process. Your Steward informs you that, after Archimedes' steam pumps siphoned off the water, the land was divided up into plots and distributed to farmers and aspiring landless peasants, who have found the formerly waterlogged lands to be quite fertile, allowing them to exceed even the most optimistic of the first year crop output projections put together by Frida and her staff. Your Empire now possesses several hundred additional acres of arable land, providing yet more food to fuel the expansion of your rapidly growing population, and providing an additional influx of much-needed tax income. Water-logged land drained, additional farms constructed, +300 Farming Income
-I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK: Were it not for the fact that they were infested with monsters, the forests of your kingdom would provide a nearly inexhaustible supply of lumber. That's not to say that your people don't cut down trees, it's just that they've never really done it on a large scale for fear of angering the things living in the woods. If your kingdom is going to grow and prosper, you'll need that timber. Gather some soldiers and have them assist with the construction of water-powered sawmills and woodcutting camps. Cost: 150. Time: One Year. Reward: Logging income. Chance of Success: 70%
Required: 30. Rolled: 72+15=87
Workers are gathered and armed escorts are arranged for them, platoons of soldiers assigned to each prospective site for a future lumber mill. Predictably, once the Gryphons and Dogs start to chopping down trees, the denizens of the forests make their displeasure known. Waves of timberwolves, manticores, chimeras, and trolls emerge from the woods and try to assault the loggers. Try being the key word. Almost every soldier in your army is a combat veteran at this point. A pack of snarling animals barely even registers as a serious threat to them. By the end of the year, water-powered sawmills have begun to churn out great quantities of hardwood, netting you another source of income and leading to a boom in construction as the price of building materials drops. +200 Logging Income
Learning: Archimedes and Genevieve continue their work as the Empire's top scholars, Archimedes focusing on improvements to the Imperial War Machine while Genevieve focuses on more Domestic improvements. This does not mean that the two do not collaborate and share information, merely that the two Griffons divide the work between them.
-Coke-Fired Blast Furnaces: Iron and Steel are the lifeblood of your economy, constituting everything from tools to building materials to weapons. However, they are difficult to produce in vast amounts. The only reason your people have been able to do so thus far is because of the sheer amount of ore available to you in your mountains, and the number of mining and smelting operations currently underway as a result. Genevieve has come up with a potential solution to allow for greater production of these metals. Using coal that has been treated in much the same way wood is treated to produce charcoal, a new form of dense, cleaner-burning fuel can be used to heat a new kind of massive, vertical smelting furnace the size of a building with a much greater output of metals. Naturally, this will be expensive, but Genevieve states that the increased metal production will be necessary to allow for greater innovation and widespread implementation of new devices, not to mention the smelting of this new "Orichalcum". Cost: 600. Time: Two Years. Reward: Increased Iron/Steel Production, Discount on troop recruitment, new Learning Actions Unlocked, Can now Smelt Orichalcum.
After many months of hard work and preparation, Genevieve's new blast furnaces are finally completed, the towers of brick and metal beginning to belch smoke into the sky as the new potent fuel of coke is burned by the cartload to heat vast quantities of ore to previously impossible temperatures. Amongst the typical loads of iron and copper is the first load of Orichalcum ore, which, true to Genevieve's predictions, is smelted by the unprecedented heat of the new forges. The new metal retains its dark coloration and great strength, even when separated from the slag and reshaped into pure ingots.
Now you can begin to figure out exactly what this new metal is capable of, and whether it might be of some use in the fight against your Southern Neighbor. Blast Furnaces Constructed, New Actions Unlocked, Battalions now cost 150 Gold to Recruit.
-Gun-Cotton: Black Powder weapons are powerful, but they have some flaws, one of the most significant of which is the massive amount of smoke they produce. Archimedes believes he may have stumbled upon a solution. When paper or cloth is soaked in aqua fortis and sulfuric acid and then dried, the resulting material produces more than three times the force of a similar volume of blackpowder with much less smoke. Of course, finding a way to mass produce the stuff and apply it to your cannons is a difficult task, one that Archimedes will need time and funding to perform. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Gun-Cotton developed, +5 to all Cannon Rolls.
A lot of loud explosions emanate from Archimedes' workshop over the year as he tries to nail the perfect formula for this "flash paper" that he claims will make the cannons much easier to operate. Of course, the road to invention is littered with hazards, which is Archimedes way of explaining why the explosive material seems to keep spontaneously combusting when in storage. Eventually Archimedes figures out solutions to the various problems facing him in the development of this new explosive (washing the stuff throughly after it's been dunked in sulfuric acid and keeping the stuff soaked in alcohol when in storage, respectively) and sets up a production plant to begin producing the stuff by the barrel. From there it's a comparatively simple task to adapt the cannons you already have to use the new explosive propellant, and to update the designs of any future cannons. You congratulate Archimedes on yet another invention that contributes to the security of the realm. Gun-Cotton developed, +5 to all Cannon Rolls.
Intrigue: Ravenburg is as stoic and calmly professional as ever. If he's been at all affected by the War, he doesn't show it. Apart from his sudden fixation upon potential happenings south of the border, he's the same as he ever was. You actually find that quite reassuring. (One Action Per Turn)
-S is for Sabotage: You might not be ready for an invasion of the Southlands, but Ravenburg's spies have thus far had no trouble traversing the landscape without being detected. And now that you know the locations of several mines within enemy territory, you have a chance to disrupt the enemy's war machine. Have Ravenburg equip some of his agents with explosive charges and incendiary devices and see if they can't cause some havoc behind enemy lines. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Crystal Mines destroyed, production disrupted. Chance of Success: 40%
Required: 60. Rolled: 90+15(A Soldier's Vigil Omake)+15(Gawain, My Son Omake)+13=133 (Super Crit!)
You sit at your desk, staring blankly as the Diamond Dog intelligence agent before you fidgets nervously under your gaze. You speak slowly, trying to maintain a stoic expression that Ravenburg had decidedly not had when he'd informed you of the results of the latest covert action.
"So...Sergeant...Karl was it? Let's go over this one more time, just to be sure I understand the sequence of events that brought us here. You, along with several other agents of Ravenburg's directorate, were tasked with the destruction of strategic assets within enemy territory. You led several of your fellows in a mission to burrow into the enemy's mines and collapse them with explosive charges. You deployed said charges at areas you deemed to be structural weak-points, lit the fuses and fled, collapsing the infiltration tunnels you'd dug as you vacated the anticipated blast radius."
You take a breath as Karl, aka "Karl Kaboom", sweats nervously. He'd been an...enthusiastic adopter of black powder as a mining explosive prior to the war, and had built a reputation as a demolitions expert who absolutely loved his job. It had only made sense to assign him to such a mission. In retrospect you should have expected something like this.
"Unknown to you, the enemy had not constructed their mines to Imperial standards. This meant that, not only was the amount of explosive you'd used far in excess of what was necessary, but the resulting explosion ignited multiple large pockets of flammable natural gas."
That was an understatement. Apparently the Shadow King had constructed the majority of his mines directly on top of an absolutely massive underground methane deposit that had exploded with the force of a volcano, creating a shockwave that was audible in the city of Lanner, over two hundred miles away. The saboteurs had barely escaped with their lives.
"As a result, the majority of the enemy's mines were completely destroyed and hundreds if not thousands of potential hostiles were killed..."
You leave the end of your sentence hanging, taking in the cowed form of the agent before you. You sigh, open up the drawer in your desk and slide the box containing a distinguished service medal and the signed paperwork for his promotion across the polished wood surface.
"Congratulations, you've caused more damage to the enemy than any other single person save Konrad Hardbeak himself. Enjoy your promotion...Captain. You're dismissed."
As the stunned "Captain Kaboom" leaves your office, you pry a bottle of mushroom alcohol from a hidden compartment and take a swig. You think you'll go find Ravenburg. Last you heard he was making a concerted attempt to completely drain the Imperial Wine Cellar. Out of celebration or frustration, you weren't sure, but you felt you could emphasize with him.
Crystal Mines Completely Destroyed, Production completely shutdown, Enemy War Economy Thrown into Chaos.
Personal: You refuse to let your duties as Emperor take up every moment of your day. (Two Actions per Turn)
-Overtime: Steepe Trade Caravans.
-Plans for the Princess: You have another daughter, another potential ruler, another child whose future and education must be planned out and prepared for. You know the drill by now. Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Quality Time with Family, Plans made for Gilda's future upbringing and education.
You go out of your way to spend some quality time with your family, trying to forget about work and the fate of the Empire and just enjoy the few hours of relative calm and relaxation you can snatch in between meetings, briefings, and hours upon hours of paperwork. Gawain remains his energetic self, and Gwyndlyn has begun flapping her slowly-growing wings, though she has yet to actually lift herself off of the ground. Both of them adore their new sibling, showering young Gilda with all the attention she could ask for.
Speaking of Gilda, you figure it's not too early to start preparing for her future and planning her education. The only question is what form that education should take.
[ ] Mistress of None: She will receive instruction in all subjects, ensuring a well-rounded education. +None, -None
[ ] Warrior Princess: She shall spend time amongst knights, soldiers, and hunters who shall mold her into the legendary warrior this realm needs to see it prevails against those who would seek to destroy it. +Martial, +Intrigue, -Learning
[ ] Genevieve's Protege: She shall follow in her elder brother's footsteps, spending her days amidst the tomes and scrolls of the Royal library, familiarizing herself with the sciences and the arts, and imbuing her with a head for numbers. You're sure Genevieve would be more than happy to teach her a few things. +Learning, +Stewardship, -Intrigue
[ ] A True Golden-Feather: Your daughter shall follow in your footsteps, learning the intricate and complicated laws of the market, tutored by bankers, burghers, merchants, and other industrious fortune-builders in the art of accumulating wealth and striking deals. +Diplomacy, +Stewardship, -Martial
Hazard/Random Event Rolls
46 (Pass)
55 (Pass)
-The Peregrine Line-Watchtowers: You snagged a victory and prevented an invasion of your country by the skin of your beak, and it was a costly victory at that. You're not stupid enough to think that you've seen the last of that foe forever, and if you have to worry about another invasion you're going to need serious fortifications along your Southern Border. Your military leaders have drawn up a multi-year step-by-step plan to turn the Peregrine mountains into a nearly impassible fortress. The first step, much like the plan to fortify the Black Cliffs, begins with watchtowers. Well, technically they're watchtowers but they're more like miniature forts designed to act as signaling stations. The squadrons of soldiers assigned to these defenses won't be able to repel any significant assaults, but they'll discourage infiltration and raids into your territory, and give vital warning in the event of another border assault. And they will serve as the foundation for a much larger and more impressive set of fortifications. Cost: 1000. Time: Two Years. Reward: Southern Border Watchtowers built, removes possibility of surprise attacks, may discourage raids into core territory.
After almost two years of non-stop work, the last brick is laid down. A line of fortified watchtowers spans the Peregrines, meant to serve as the first line of defense against another attack from the South. Each small fortification is manned by soldiers trained in the use of the ballistae that are placed within them, as well as the numerous means of signaling and communication built in to the strongpoints, from horns and signal flags to flaming beacons. You now have an early warning system to prevent a surprise attack, and the foundation for greater and more significant defenses to be built in the future. Southern Border Watchtowers built, New Martial Actions Unlocked, Surprise Attacks from South negated.
-Hans, Get the Flamethrower: The flame projectors proved to be one of the most important assets of the Winter War, being the only viable method of destroying the shadow-beasts, and serving as excellent counters to the abominations. Now that the Troll-Busters' contract has expired, it's probably a good idea to build a few more of these devices for yourself. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: +4 Static Flame Projectors
Archimedes spends a bit of his time overseeing the construction of the new flame projectors, just to make sure the Griffons and Dogs assembling them don't blow themselves up accidentally. A few minor corrections need to be made to the apparatuses for efficiency's sake, but apart from that your top scholar is satisfied with the final product the "fire artisans" have put out. This is good news, as you now have four more flame-spitting contraptions that could turn the tide of battle against the forces of the Shadow King. +4 Flame Projectors
Diplomacy: Elva's department has been receiving a lot more attention as of late. The much-appreciated assistance from the Yak Clans has emphasized the importance of a dedicated foreign office, and the invasion from the Southlands has made the public anxious to find allies against the monsters and warlords of the world. If Elva has begun to feel any pressure from the increased attention, she doesn't show it, carrying on as she always has.
-Steepe Trade Caravans: Establishing trade with Nomads is a difficult prospect, though a potentially lucrative one. Elva proposes sending a few caravans of enterprising Merchants out into the Steepes to show off their wares and gauge interest. The Yaks will get a look at the goods we have to offer, and hopefully we'll get a look at whatever they consider valuable enough to barter with. Of course, these caravans will require guards to protect them, and translators to help them strike deals with any potential customers. Cost: 400. Time: One Year. Reward: Information on Yak Markets and Trade Goods, Potential for Trade Income. Chance of Success: 70%.
Required: 30. Rolled: 82+18=100 (Art Crit)
The Yaks prove exceedingly receptive to trade with your merchants. Caravans cross the Black Cliffs and are met by itinerant Yak merchants, who buy everything from paper and glassware to lumber and sheets of copper, paying gold and silver coins in exchange for the goods, which they sell for profit throughout Yakyakistan. Such is the demand for Imperial goods that, as time goes on, some enterprising Yaks begin to establish trade posts along the caravan routes, setting up the first more-or-less permanent Yak settlements outside of the few mining communities that exist within clan borders. This nets you and your merchants a tidy profit, and moves the Yaks further still towards a sedentary lifestyle as the influx of new goods leads to a rise in standards of living, convincing yet more Yaks of the benefits of "settling down", and building recognition of the Empire as a "land of plenty and prosperity". +300 Trade Income, Increased Modernist Sentiments throughout Yak Population.
-Eastern Expedition: You don't really know anything about them, but they haven't done anything to harm your people, which already places them a league ahead of your Southern Neighbor. Send a ship and some volunteer diplomats to make contact and establish some sort of diplomatic relations. At the very least, it would be nice to know that you don't have to worry about a war on two fronts. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Contact made with Eastern Neighbors. Chance of Success: 80%
Required: 20. Rolled: 80+18=98
To be Continued in "The Sunrise Kingdom"
Stewardship: Frida has arguably been the least impacted by the war. Mind you, she's still had to deal with labor shortages in some areas after the militia suffered such horrendous casualties, but that's been the extent of it. Despite everything, she has retained her upbeat and optimistic demeanor, something you can really appreciate these days.
-Steam Pumped Land Drainage: Due to the mountainous and heavily forested nature of the Griffonlands, arable land is often at a premium. If one wishes to establish a farm, one must clear the land of trees (and the beasts that live among them), or risk trying to farm on rocks. There are a handful of places in the Empire that would be prime farmland were they not flooded or otherwise too wet to plant crops on. Ordinarily these lands would be impossible to drain, but Archimedes' new Steam Pump offers a new potential option for land drainage. It'll be expensive and time consuming, but the extra agricultural output just might be worth it. Cost: 500. Time: Two Years. Reward: Water-logged areas cleared, additional farming income.
After many months of work, both mechanical and muscle-driven, it is done. Your two year plan to expand the agricultural sector has borne fruit...and you've incidentally discovered Frida's love of bad puns in the process. Your Steward informs you that, after Archimedes' steam pumps siphoned off the water, the land was divided up into plots and distributed to farmers and aspiring landless peasants, who have found the formerly waterlogged lands to be quite fertile, allowing them to exceed even the most optimistic of the first year crop output projections put together by Frida and her staff. Your Empire now possesses several hundred additional acres of arable land, providing yet more food to fuel the expansion of your rapidly growing population, and providing an additional influx of much-needed tax income. Water-logged land drained, additional farms constructed, +300 Farming Income
-I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK: Were it not for the fact that they were infested with monsters, the forests of your kingdom would provide a nearly inexhaustible supply of lumber. That's not to say that your people don't cut down trees, it's just that they've never really done it on a large scale for fear of angering the things living in the woods. If your kingdom is going to grow and prosper, you'll need that timber. Gather some soldiers and have them assist with the construction of water-powered sawmills and woodcutting camps. Cost: 150. Time: One Year. Reward: Logging income. Chance of Success: 70%
Required: 30. Rolled: 72+15=87
Workers are gathered and armed escorts are arranged for them, platoons of soldiers assigned to each prospective site for a future lumber mill. Predictably, once the Gryphons and Dogs start to chopping down trees, the denizens of the forests make their displeasure known. Waves of timberwolves, manticores, chimeras, and trolls emerge from the woods and try to assault the loggers. Try being the key word. Almost every soldier in your army is a combat veteran at this point. A pack of snarling animals barely even registers as a serious threat to them. By the end of the year, water-powered sawmills have begun to churn out great quantities of hardwood, netting you another source of income and leading to a boom in construction as the price of building materials drops. +200 Logging Income
Learning: Archimedes and Genevieve continue their work as the Empire's top scholars, Archimedes focusing on improvements to the Imperial War Machine while Genevieve focuses on more Domestic improvements. This does not mean that the two do not collaborate and share information, merely that the two Griffons divide the work between them.
-Coke-Fired Blast Furnaces: Iron and Steel are the lifeblood of your economy, constituting everything from tools to building materials to weapons. However, they are difficult to produce in vast amounts. The only reason your people have been able to do so thus far is because of the sheer amount of ore available to you in your mountains, and the number of mining and smelting operations currently underway as a result. Genevieve has come up with a potential solution to allow for greater production of these metals. Using coal that has been treated in much the same way wood is treated to produce charcoal, a new form of dense, cleaner-burning fuel can be used to heat a new kind of massive, vertical smelting furnace the size of a building with a much greater output of metals. Naturally, this will be expensive, but Genevieve states that the increased metal production will be necessary to allow for greater innovation and widespread implementation of new devices, not to mention the smelting of this new "Orichalcum". Cost: 600. Time: Two Years. Reward: Increased Iron/Steel Production, Discount on troop recruitment, new Learning Actions Unlocked, Can now Smelt Orichalcum.
After many months of hard work and preparation, Genevieve's new blast furnaces are finally completed, the towers of brick and metal beginning to belch smoke into the sky as the new potent fuel of coke is burned by the cartload to heat vast quantities of ore to previously impossible temperatures. Amongst the typical loads of iron and copper is the first load of Orichalcum ore, which, true to Genevieve's predictions, is smelted by the unprecedented heat of the new forges. The new metal retains its dark coloration and great strength, even when separated from the slag and reshaped into pure ingots.
Now you can begin to figure out exactly what this new metal is capable of, and whether it might be of some use in the fight against your Southern Neighbor. Blast Furnaces Constructed, New Actions Unlocked, Battalions now cost 150 Gold to Recruit.
-Gun-Cotton: Black Powder weapons are powerful, but they have some flaws, one of the most significant of which is the massive amount of smoke they produce. Archimedes believes he may have stumbled upon a solution. When paper or cloth is soaked in aqua fortis and sulfuric acid and then dried, the resulting material produces more than three times the force of a similar volume of blackpowder with much less smoke. Of course, finding a way to mass produce the stuff and apply it to your cannons is a difficult task, one that Archimedes will need time and funding to perform. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Gun-Cotton developed, +5 to all Cannon Rolls.
A lot of loud explosions emanate from Archimedes' workshop over the year as he tries to nail the perfect formula for this "flash paper" that he claims will make the cannons much easier to operate. Of course, the road to invention is littered with hazards, which is Archimedes way of explaining why the explosive material seems to keep spontaneously combusting when in storage. Eventually Archimedes figures out solutions to the various problems facing him in the development of this new explosive (washing the stuff throughly after it's been dunked in sulfuric acid and keeping the stuff soaked in alcohol when in storage, respectively) and sets up a production plant to begin producing the stuff by the barrel. From there it's a comparatively simple task to adapt the cannons you already have to use the new explosive propellant, and to update the designs of any future cannons. You congratulate Archimedes on yet another invention that contributes to the security of the realm. Gun-Cotton developed, +5 to all Cannon Rolls.
Intrigue: Ravenburg is as stoic and calmly professional as ever. If he's been at all affected by the War, he doesn't show it. Apart from his sudden fixation upon potential happenings south of the border, he's the same as he ever was. You actually find that quite reassuring. (One Action Per Turn)
-S is for Sabotage: You might not be ready for an invasion of the Southlands, but Ravenburg's spies have thus far had no trouble traversing the landscape without being detected. And now that you know the locations of several mines within enemy territory, you have a chance to disrupt the enemy's war machine. Have Ravenburg equip some of his agents with explosive charges and incendiary devices and see if they can't cause some havoc behind enemy lines. Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Crystal Mines destroyed, production disrupted. Chance of Success: 40%
Required: 60. Rolled: 90+15(A Soldier's Vigil Omake)+15(Gawain, My Son Omake)+13=133 (Super Crit!)
You sit at your desk, staring blankly as the Diamond Dog intelligence agent before you fidgets nervously under your gaze. You speak slowly, trying to maintain a stoic expression that Ravenburg had decidedly not had when he'd informed you of the results of the latest covert action.
"So...Sergeant...Karl was it? Let's go over this one more time, just to be sure I understand the sequence of events that brought us here. You, along with several other agents of Ravenburg's directorate, were tasked with the destruction of strategic assets within enemy territory. You led several of your fellows in a mission to burrow into the enemy's mines and collapse them with explosive charges. You deployed said charges at areas you deemed to be structural weak-points, lit the fuses and fled, collapsing the infiltration tunnels you'd dug as you vacated the anticipated blast radius."
You take a breath as Karl, aka "Karl Kaboom", sweats nervously. He'd been an...enthusiastic adopter of black powder as a mining explosive prior to the war, and had built a reputation as a demolitions expert who absolutely loved his job. It had only made sense to assign him to such a mission. In retrospect you should have expected something like this.
"Unknown to you, the enemy had not constructed their mines to Imperial standards. This meant that, not only was the amount of explosive you'd used far in excess of what was necessary, but the resulting explosion ignited multiple large pockets of flammable natural gas."
That was an understatement. Apparently the Shadow King had constructed the majority of his mines directly on top of an absolutely massive underground methane deposit that had exploded with the force of a volcano, creating a shockwave that was audible in the city of Lanner, over two hundred miles away. The saboteurs had barely escaped with their lives.
"As a result, the majority of the enemy's mines were completely destroyed and hundreds if not thousands of potential hostiles were killed..."
You leave the end of your sentence hanging, taking in the cowed form of the agent before you. You sigh, open up the drawer in your desk and slide the box containing a distinguished service medal and the signed paperwork for his promotion across the polished wood surface.
"Congratulations, you've caused more damage to the enemy than any other single person save Konrad Hardbeak himself. Enjoy your promotion...Captain. You're dismissed."
As the stunned "Captain Kaboom" leaves your office, you pry a bottle of mushroom alcohol from a hidden compartment and take a swig. You think you'll go find Ravenburg. Last you heard he was making a concerted attempt to completely drain the Imperial Wine Cellar. Out of celebration or frustration, you weren't sure, but you felt you could emphasize with him.
Crystal Mines Completely Destroyed, Production completely shutdown, Enemy War Economy Thrown into Chaos.
Personal: You refuse to let your duties as Emperor take up every moment of your day. (Two Actions per Turn)
-Overtime: Steepe Trade Caravans.
-Plans for the Princess: You have another daughter, another potential ruler, another child whose future and education must be planned out and prepared for. You know the drill by now. Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Quality Time with Family, Plans made for Gilda's future upbringing and education.
You go out of your way to spend some quality time with your family, trying to forget about work and the fate of the Empire and just enjoy the few hours of relative calm and relaxation you can snatch in between meetings, briefings, and hours upon hours of paperwork. Gawain remains his energetic self, and Gwyndlyn has begun flapping her slowly-growing wings, though she has yet to actually lift herself off of the ground. Both of them adore their new sibling, showering young Gilda with all the attention she could ask for.
Speaking of Gilda, you figure it's not too early to start preparing for her future and planning her education. The only question is what form that education should take.
[ ] Mistress of None: She will receive instruction in all subjects, ensuring a well-rounded education. +None, -None
[ ] Warrior Princess: She shall spend time amongst knights, soldiers, and hunters who shall mold her into the legendary warrior this realm needs to see it prevails against those who would seek to destroy it. +Martial, +Intrigue, -Learning
[ ] Genevieve's Protege: She shall follow in her elder brother's footsteps, spending her days amidst the tomes and scrolls of the Royal library, familiarizing herself with the sciences and the arts, and imbuing her with a head for numbers. You're sure Genevieve would be more than happy to teach her a few things. +Learning, +Stewardship, -Intrigue
[ ] A True Golden-Feather: Your daughter shall follow in your footsteps, learning the intricate and complicated laws of the market, tutored by bankers, burghers, merchants, and other industrious fortune-builders in the art of accumulating wealth and striking deals. +Diplomacy, +Stewardship, -Martial
Hazard/Random Event Rolls
46 (Pass)
55 (Pass)
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- Location
- Germany
[X] Warrior Princess: She shall spend time amongst knights, soldiers, and hunters who shall mold her into the legendary warrior this realm needs to see it prevails against those who would seek to destroy it. +Martial, +Intrigue, -Learning
We get the Tyrion to our Teclis?
We get the Tyrion to our Teclis?
- Location
- United States of America
All hail Captain Karl Kaboom
[X] A True Golden-Feather
[X] A True Golden-Feather
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- Location
- Existence
I can bet Sombra is banging his incorporeal head against a wall right now
ExNihilo
SPACE!
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Obviously he expects we were involved, but I wonder if he has any actual proof.
- Location
- USA
Well that happened. Also anyone remember what we trained the other two on, we probably want to diversify as they may show up as councilor/hero units so having skilled people in all fields is a good idea.
AegisCollector
Full of Inappropriate Glee
- Location
- North East USA
KAPITAN! KABOOM! BRINGS! THE! THUNDER!
- Location
- United States of America
Gawain was learning and Gwyn was martial I believe. Is this correct @Questor?
- Location
- Back in Cali
Damn our spies are proving to be a major power. And it works too the omakes I made had Ravenburg push them to the limits and then had him worried about most of them dieing. It's like they heard he thought they would all die and are now determined to prove him wrong as many times as possible. They will do the impossible, survive the ridiculous, and be so damn smug about it.
As for the vote like I said before we have our warrior, and our scientist, now it is time for our merchantile super baby.
[X] A True Golden-Feather: Your daughter shall follow in your footsteps, learning the intricate and complicated laws of the market, tutored by bankers, burghers, merchants, and other industrious fortune-builders in the art of accumulating wealth and striking deals. +Diplomacy, +Stewardship, -Martial
As for the vote like I said before we have our warrior, and our scientist, now it is time for our merchantile super baby.
[X] A True Golden-Feather: Your daughter shall follow in your footsteps, learning the intricate and complicated laws of the market, tutored by bankers, burghers, merchants, and other industrious fortune-builders in the art of accumulating wealth and striking deals. +Diplomacy, +Stewardship, -Martial
We are going to become a world meme at this point. Coming generations will meme a joke out of all this.
Next Dark Lord: "I SHALL RULE THE WORLD!"
The Empire: *Laughs in Explosion*
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- Location
- Back in Cali
Our son is a scientist with his genius trait boosting that along with everything else. He also got a Martial and Diplomacy secondary education.
Our Dragon daughter is getting a Martial education alongside her mother. We haven't gone into the secondary education for her yet. Will probably do some stewardship for her or double on to Marital.
So our second daughter should go with merchantile education. With either a science or diplomacy secondary education. Or we can double down on merchantile.
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You sure our first daughter took martial education?
@Questor : while I know if we go comlletelly genetic route, little Gilda has chances to be genius (good at all) and strong (good at fighting) is there any chance she can have her own different talent? Or that we can choose a option "try a bit of all and see what she likes more" in the next time/kid?
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