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Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest

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ExNihilo said:
Yo @Questor

Saber of Lion
True Name: Konrad Hardbeak
Alternate Classes: Rider, Ruler
Gender: Male
Appearance: A gryphon-knight in shining armor, sturdily built and steady of pace.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Wish: To serve Gryphus and the Emperor, and, alongside his Knights Lion, keep all behind him safe.
Natural Enemy: Evil, Tyrants, Beast-attribute
Attribute: Gryphon (Human)
Rarity: ****

Strength: B+
Agility: C- (C+)
Endurance: B+ (B-)
Mana: E-
Luck: A (A+)

Class Skills:
Riding -> Gryphon (Armored) C
-This hero has no skill involving the piloting of vehicles of any sort, however, their status as a gryphon grants them mobility normally associated with a C-Ranked Riding skill. The (Armored) modifier allows them to increase their agility from C- to C+ by removing their armor, with a corresponding drop of B+ to B- in endurance. May function as a riding skill for [air] vehicles as if Riding of one level lower.

Magic Resistance (False) A
-Though this hero has fought against legendary-class magic and come out on top, this was accomplished not through any innate quality of resistance, but by preventing the magic from working at all. Gains massive advantage at preventing magic from being casted and against Casters, but functions as Magic Resistance of one level lower should spellcraft successfully initiate.

Personal Skills:
Decoration of a Hero C
-The medals and honors heaped upon a much-victorious hero. Can be used perpetually, and turned on and off at will. When active, it functions as a Charisma of the same rank, with a + against those who are themselves righteous heroes, at the cost of the equivalent of a negative rank in Presence Concealment, making stealth all but impossible when active. Saber does not like this skill, and prefers to keep it off.

Kingkiller B
-Has fought against kings, and has won against kings. Again and again. Provides a bonus when fighting against enemies with the [King] attribute.

Fate-Kissed Hero A
-In combat and outside, this hero had preternatural luck with surprising consistency. Their luck cannot be reduced due to any means, and when defending against strong foes, gains a + rank to the stat.

Noble Phantasm:

Verum Gratis: No such thing as an Unbeatable Enemy
-Though the odds may be long and hard, no enemy, no matter how strong, is truly invincible to one who is determined. When activated, the Phantasm allows them to see a true and mighty strike, bypassing luck, battle continuation, defenses, evasion, and even invincibility. To assist in this, he may light his Orichalcum sword with ghostly flame, and can find (or 'find') items from the nearby environment to help in the cause. Upon contact, the enemy is either killed or forced to flee, though like all effects it is not truly immutable, as effects like command seals, true teleportation, and Disengage may allow the enemy to return quickly after a successful flight, and certain skills may be able to prevent it from functioning at all.


And to think, his legend is just beginning.
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I at first thought thia was going to be a stand or persona reference.

Centuries from now, a young gryphon will fight Shadows in the other world with his persona, Hardbeak, and his party of other persona users; a few gryphons, a diamond dog, and a crystal pony.
 
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The Crystal Invasion, Part 1
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    • You lower your cup with a satisfied sigh, looking across the table to the Qilin awaiting your response.

    "You were right, magically fueled flames do enhance the flavor."

    Minamoto Tadakatsu nods, as if acknowledging an obvious statement of fact, before pouring himself a cup. The commander of the Neighponese expeditionary force had noticed your appreciation of tea, and had taken it upon himself to educate you in how to properly prepare and consume it as your respective forces mobilized and gathered at the border in preparation for the invasion. You had welcomed the chance to learn more about the elder Qilin Samurai, and you had passed the time swapping stories of your respective experiences under Discord's rule and the aftermath of his disappearance.

    Much like you, Tadakatsu had risen from humble beginnings, born a peasant farmer before becoming a Samurai and working his way up to the position of Shogun, commander of all the armed forces of Neighpon. At over a hundred years old, he's one of the most experienced warriors alive, and yet he's willing to defer command to you for the duration of this war in the interest of a clear chain of command. He states that it is only right, seeing as how you and your people have contributed more to the war effort than he and his. Still, as you look out upon the hundreds of Qilin and dozens of Oni, Tanuki and Kitsune milling about the massive tent city below alongside their Griffon and Diamond Dog comrades, you can't help but express your gratitude for the assistance of your allies in this, the largest military operation in the recorded histories of any of your peoples.

    Tomorrow, the last groups of Yak Volunteers will arrive, and the march South into enemy territory will finally begin in earnest. Despite the challenge before them, spirits are high, as every veteran of the war is eager to finally strike into the heart of enemy territory and put an end to this conflict. These spirits are somewhat dampened by the stories being passed around regarding the condition of the slaves recently freed from Sombra's control, all of which are receiving what care your Empire can provide them. A handful of the more "mentally sound" of the freed Crystal Ponies will accompanying the supply train at their own insistence, to act as guides, interpreters, and familiar faces for any other slaves that your forces can manage to liberate. They have told you and every soldier they have met that, while every one of their kind freed is a blessing that they are eternally grateful for, death is a great mercy in comparison to serving under Sombra. They therefore plead with you and yours to prioritize the defeat of Sombra over all else, even at the expense of their enslaved brethren. In their eyes, bringing an end to his reign of terror is the first and only goal.

    You take another sip of tea and try to clear your mind of such thoughts. One thing at a time. You return your attention to the numerous maps and charts laid out before you and the Shogun as you deliberate your plan of attack against Sombra's fortress.



    [ ] Classic Siege: The simplest and most straightforward option. Your forces will surround the Crystal City, bombarding it with Artillery from afar over a period of several days before detonating the explosive charges buried beneath the walls and storming the rubble to finish off Sombra's forces.

    [ ] Shock and Awe: Then again, you're dealing with a magic user of great power, and while he's been weakened twice over now he still has the home field advantage. Why give him time to pull out some magic trick to ruin your plans? Have the Neighponese contingent use their illusion magic to conceal your army's approach until you're right outside the gates, then blow the demolition charges and storm his fortress in a rapid assault.

    [ ] Within and Without: Captain Karl actually raised this idea, and with some refinement it might be workable. The freed slaves have provided you and your forces with detailed layouts of the city, and knowledge of lesser-used entrances and pathways that Sombra's forces may neglect to patrol. Exploit this information by having the Diamond Dogs tunnel under the walls and into the center of the city itself, catching the defenders between attacks from their front and their rear.

    [ ] Wait Them Out: Then again, why do you need to storm Sombra's fortress? Why not simply park yourselves outside the walls and bombard the city until Sombra is forced to sally forth and face you outside the safety of his fortifications? You're used to fighting on the defensive after all.

    [ ] Write-In



    The Imperial Army of Gryphus
    12,500 Warriors
    6250 Polearms
    6250 Archers
    1500 Diamond Dogs
    4 Mobile Ballistae
    21 Cannons
    10 Flame Projectors

    Imperial Knightly Orders
    The Knights Lion
    1 Grandmaster Konrad Hardbeak, "The Kingslayer"
    35 Knights of the Inner Circle
    200 Imperial Knights
    80 Squires
    450 Griffons-at-Arms
    The Knights Talon
    1 Grandmaster Colombroni Pigeonio
    30 Knights of the Inner Circle
    225 Imperial Knights
    100 Squires
    400 Griffons-at-Arms
    The Knights Panther
    1 Grandmaster Adrian Dawnquill
    35 Knights of the Inner Circle
    250 Imperial Knights
    75 Squires
    350 Griffons-at-Arms

    Neighponese Expeditionary Force
    1400 Qilin Fire Warriors
    15 Pyro-Masters
    25 Armored Oni
    150 Oni Brawlers
    35 Kitsune Illusionaries
    25 Tanuki Tricksters
    10 Cannons
    5 Fire Mangonels

    Yak Volunteers
    800 Yak Chargers

    There will be a twelve hour moratorium to allow for discussion and plan-building. Feel free to ask any questions.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [ ] Shock and Awe: Then again, you're dealing with a magic user of great power, and while he's been weakened twice over now he still has the home field advantage. Why give him time to pull out some magic trick to ruin your plans? Have the Neighponese contingent use their illusion magic to conceal your army's approach until you're right outside the gates, then blow the demolition charges and storm his fortress in a rapid assault.

    Shock and Awe wouldnt allow Sombra to respond correctly and pressure him.

    [ ] Within and Without: Captain Karl actually raised this idea, and with some refinement it might be workable. The freed slaves have provided you and your forces with detailed layouts of the city, and knowledge of lesser-used entrances and pathways that Sombra's forces may neglect to patrol. Exploit this information by having the Diamond Dogs tunnel under the walls and into the center of the city itself, catching the defenders between attacks from their front and their rear.

    Is the same as shock and awe, but more split, however I feel the issue being that when we blow the charges its likely to cause damage to wherever they are and cause mobility issues.
     
    Why are we talking about the siege already? Is Sombra really dumb enough to wait in his castle for our arrival? He should be harrassing and delaying us, the inhospitability of his lands is perhaps his biggest trump card. We should be discussing the perils of the march through a hostile, frozen Tundra right now, not the attack on the enemy capital.

    Oh well. Guess I'll chalk this one up to another case of "Sombra Fails At Martial".
     
    [] Shock and Awe: Then again, you're dealing with a magic user of great power, and while he's been weakened twice over now he still has the home field advantage. Why give him time to pull out some magic trick to ruin your plans? Have the Neighponese contingent use their illusion magic to conceal your army's approach until you're right outside the gates, then blow the demolition charges and storm his fortress in a rapid assault.
    - Within and Without (M2): A variation of an idea Captain Karl raised, and with some refinement it might be workable. The freed slaves have provided you and your forces with detailed layouts of the city, and knowledge of lesser-used entrances and pathways that Sombra's forces may neglect to patrol. Exploit this information by having the Diamond Dogs tunnel under the walls and under the palace itself. Destroy its foundations and with it, any ritual Sombra may have brewing within.
     
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    Chronic said:
    Why are we talking about the siege already? Is Sombra really dumb enough to wait in his castle for our arrival? He should be harrassing and delaying us, the inhospitability of his lands is perhaps his biggest trump card. We should be discussing the perils of the march through a hostile, frozen Tundra right now, not the attack on the enemy capital.

    Oh well. Guess I'll chalk this one up to another case of "Sombra Fails At Martial".
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    I gather he is turtling, gathering up all his forces into the castle.
     
    Chronic said:
    Why are we talking about the siege already? Is Sombra really dumb enough to wait in his castle for our arrival? He should be harrassing and delaying us, the inhospitability of his lands is perhaps his biggest trump card. We should be discussing the perils of the march through a hostile, frozen Tundra right now, not the attack on the enemy capital.

    Oh well. Guess I'll chalk this one up to another case of "Sombra Fails At Martial".
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    Sombra has already lost thousands of slaves to Orichalcum, and he doesn't want any of his harassment forces to be liberated as well.

    Guerrilla warfare is something he has no experience in, and the Crystal Empire being a barren wasteland doesn't help him, as there's very few places for a sizable force of slave soldiers to hide from airborne scouts.

    The difficulty of the march will be detailed in the next update, but you're going to need a plan for how you'll assault the city before you go heading into enemy territory. The terrain and weather will be an obstacle, make no mistake.
     
    Chronic said:
    Why are we talking about the siege already? Is Sombra really dumb enough to wait in his castle for our arrival? He should be harrassing and delaying us, the inhospitability of his lands is perhaps his biggest trump card. We should be discussing the perils of the march through a hostile, frozen Tundra right now, not the attack on the enemy capital.

    Oh well. Guess I'll chalk this one up to another case of "Sombra Fails At Martial".
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    There are no forces to harass us. Sombra's direct control for combat is limited to a range. He has pulled everything he has left into the city. That is why we could capture so many ponies. We freed a lot more than the 2000 we have in our territory now. A lot of them didn't make it. Outside of a certain range the slaves run more or less on auto pilot.
     
    Godhunter might also make good soundtrack for Hardbeak if he keeps going (and Sombra has enough of a god complex to already count)
     
    Heres a plan! (note this isn't a vote as we still cant do that just yet, just a suggested plan)

    []Trojan Awe
    []Shock and Awe (If we do that we can keep Sombra off guard, normal siege will never work when Sombra's kingdom is surrounded by WINDIGO's, let alone the fact sombra can use the time to magic ritual us...)- We attack the main city gates using illusionists to cloak our forces and allow for closer approach to the fortress wall prior to the assault (less time in the kill Box so we lose less soldiers to magic and arrows, also the enemy will be more easily caught off guard, especially if they are attempting to clean up from Kaboom's Explosives).
    []Set Kaboom's charges to detonate just prior to offensive (It will cripple any defensive plan Sombra has concocted and likely make breaching the defences much easier, )
    [] Use the Turned (the liberated crystal Ponies who are willing will infiltrate the castle (disguised as Sombra's slave ponies) and do additional sabotage to the enemy defences and plant breaching charges for use when things kick off to blow the doors of the fortress,I recommend we add a small piece of Orichalcum to the breaching charge for the main gates as I bet Sombra Warded it to take more Punishment)
    [] Use information from the liberated Crystal ponies to get a clearer image of the palace layout (We send Hardbeak with a heavy combat contingent to where ever the throne room is while we send our demolition team (to destroy/ sever Sombra's link to the Phylactory or failing that to his crystal core computer in-charge of enslaving his army)
    []Use Diamond Dogs to burrow into castle catacombs during main offence and attack from multiple angles or sabotage/ scouting (in case the Ponies are unaware of where the phylactery or Crystal Core computer are- They attack after the offensive begins as it will draw all enemies to the front line,allowing easier movement and sabotage by our Diamond Dog teams, final action after Sabotage/destruction of targets is attacking enemy rear artillery or rear of enemy lines to allow main force through).
    []Have our 3 knight orders leaders on standby for Sombra's inner sanctum (the grandmasters have Orichalcum blades so even if Hardbeak is busy/not available/fighting off a dragon army the others can step in)
    []Use omake's to ensure Sombra gets no chance against Hardbeak (lets face it Sombra will focus solely on him for cutting of his horn and Stabbing him in the face with a fiery sword)


    *Can I apply my Omake to Hardbeak vs Sombra Confrontation? (any rolls that are on the lowish/ failing side or to if there arent any, then apply it to the final Sombra vs Hardbeak Roll (since even if it succeeds theres no kill like overkill and best to turn Sombra into a ghostly Corpse)

    Edit: Thanks ChaosRuneSmith for the valid point (we should have the Diamond Dog dig teams attack after the main offensive has begun (as sombra's forces will be drawn away to defend against the incursion and to attempt to repair the breached gates)

    The diamond Dig teams will also be able to destroy any backrow artillery (as they will be behind enemy lines enough to reach them, as for a direct Sombra attack Id say we leave that to the Hero/Named units/characters to attempt, as the Diamond dogs wouldn't make good assassins on account of being fully armed combat regiments, NOT assassins by training)

    Also even if they succeed i wouldn't put it past Sombra to have a deadmans switch linked to his Crystal Core to kill his Servants as a final F*** U, so I say destroy the Phylactery and Computer First (If we can shut the Computer down without breaking it irreparably then even better as we may want to figure out magic things from it later to make a anti-mind magic armour later, or failing that re-purpose the thing after the war for research)
     
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    sieging and waiting out the sorcerer-king right outside the castle that holds all of his power is... not a good idea. That is just asking for some kind of big ritual to hit us or deny victory.
     
    only thing with shock and aw.. we might consider tyring for three breaches, rather then a single one. or as many as we can.
    there is agvantages and disadvantages to hitting a single point.

    single point
    Pros:
    all forces behind a single attack, Vs all his forces.
    Cons:
    single location, subseptible to AoE attacks.
    focused attention of sombra
    single point of failer.

    Multiple points
    pros:
    Both sides forces are divided
    Only need to win in one location to overrun enemy.
    less likely to be defeated by a single spell.
    sombra has to focus on multiple attacks, while our commanders can act independently.
    Cons:
    decent chance of loseing local superiority on a single frount.
    lower overall forces at each point.

    this is far from a complete list, just what I can think of. feel free to add.
     
    Chronic said:
    Why are we talking about the siege already? Is Sombra really dumb enough to wait in his castle for our arrival? He should be harrassing and delaying us, the inhospitability of his lands is perhaps his biggest trump card. We should be discussing the perils of the march through a hostile, frozen Tundra right now, not the attack on the enemy capital.

    Oh well. Guess I'll chalk this one up to another case of "Sombra Fails At Martial".
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    i don't think that sombra has enough magic in his tank to make the cold meaningfully worse right now, similarly he is probably saving up what little juice he still has to pull off curses and crystal formation stunts later, the high morale from the previous victory is almost certainly interferring with the windigoes's ability to do their thing, any hostile wildlife is either too few and weak to do anything to an actual army or being kept in the capital cause elite minions, and the common soldiers being mind-controlled means they need sombra's instructions to do anything right and he's just 1 guy so harrying tactics just wouldn't work.
    EDIT: ninjas.
     
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    is it possible to have a illusion army attack from one angle and the real army th attack a different place?
    or
    illusion army to draw Sombra's army out then bombard them?
     
    I am very much in favor of Trojan Awe - Sombra might not be used to micromanaging his army (given that he has employed no more complex tactics than sending different waves) The multitasking that a simultanous approach from within and without will force of him might be beyond his skill or even beyond his remaining magical capabilities.

    berryy2 said:
    is it possible to have a illusion army attack from one angle and the real army th attack a different place?
    or
    illusion army to draw Sombra's army out then bombard them?
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    Propably doable but it would cost us the advantage of surprise and put our 40 illusionists at great risk.
     
    I think that within and without is probably the best idea.

    Sombra is his own best weapon. Forcing him to split his attention or to simply catch him off guard is a good strategy.

    HOWEVER. I think this must be done carefully.

    Ideally the tunnelers would wait until after the main force meets resistance and THEN pop out of the ground.

    After that they have an excellent opportunity to do several manouvers.

    1) striking the crystal defenders in the rear
    Just generally a good move, would guarantee a swift fight against the first wave of enemies.
    Only weakness would be if Sombra does a large AOE attack at his own troops but that is always a danger.

    2) tie up artillery (if there are any) in melee
    We haven't seen any artillery so far so I really don't believe that this will be a relevant option but in the case of this, sending the tunnelers as a trike force to silence the guns is just a good move.

    3) go for the king himself.
    Most risky but also the best. If they tie up Sombra then he can't support his army because he needs to defend himself. Given that we can all fly and so do rapid redeployment on the battlefield this can be the absolutely best possible move.
     
    Finagle007 said:
    Windigo are vulnerable to fire. Everything can burn if the fire is hot enough. We can also try our orichalcum blades; Hardbeak and the others can fly, after all.
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    The Windigos weaken all fire used against them even magical fire. And the strongest of the Windigos completely put it out so they are immune. As for the anti-magic sword that comes down to what is active magic and what is passive magic. If the ethereal form of the Windigos is a passive thing then the swords will not hurt them.
     
    Adventwolf said:
    The Windigos weaken all fire used against them even magical fire. And the strongest of the Windigos completely put it out so they are immune. As for the anti-magic sword that comes down to what is active magic and what is passive magic. If the ethereal form of the Windigos is a passive thing then the swords will not hurt them.
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    actually, we don't know this. sombra's enslavement could be argued as being passive magic. it could also be argued as active. other then that, I can't think of an example of it being used against passive magic. so far it's disrupted ALL magic that it cam in contact with, unless I'm forgetting something.
     
    Can we put fake helmets on the freed ponies and have them go in and work from the inside?
     
    fictionfan said:
    Can we put fake helmets on the freed ponies and have them go in and work from the inside?
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    Not gonna work. At this point Sombra has already called every slave inside. Having a bunch of slaves appear out of nowhere to enter the gates would cause him to go LOL-wut.

    But dudes.

    Why exactly aren't we considering a crack-team sent in stealth, with orders to break open Sombra's orb once he is distracted with the fighting? A grandmaster with a orichalhum swords could slice through the enhancements and shields protecting it like butter.

    EDIT: well, I don't know exactly what that thing is singe the picture has crapped out. So I don't even know what the thing looks like.
     
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