I don't see Grogar being 'good', considering him being a necromancer. At best I picture him as a retired monarch, a ghost of the previous era who focuses more on researching magic and preserving the chronicles of history, isolated in his tower merely offering cryptic yet helpful advice to the Royals of Tambelon.
However, when Tambelon is in crisis and their champions lay beaten, the Monarch can ring the forbidden bell. Grogar will step out of his tower and with a Legion of the Dammed at his back to save the Kingdom... for a price.
I'm more curious about what a low roll means for Equestria. We can't have Daybreaker or Nightmare Moon off the bat as their rise would have been rather obvious.
Solar Empire vs Luna Republic?
Racial segregation between the pony tribes?
Speciesism towards any non-pony creatures?
The Equestrian Burden, to 'civilise' the rest of the world under pony rule?
Discordian cultists?
Honestly, while Quest!Sombra is awesome and a very memorable villain, if we win, we should kill him on principle alone. How many decades of nightmare have the Crystal Ponies suffered because of him? How many horrors, pain and death he wrought? No, if/when we get the chance we end him, let his legacy of fear and pain end here, from our claws.
MLP S9 trailers partially ruined his image for me, but... Oh, don't get me wrong, him successfully striking Discord, and nearly conquering "the world" somewhat mollified me but still.
If Q!Sombra fought against C!Sombra, I have no doubt that @Questor 's would win. He's not only a more dangerous fighter, but also has more 'power' in general + his army is more than just brainwashed mortals, and spontaneous dark stalagmites.
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Speaking of future challenges, the world is still new (it hasn't been even single century after Discord's rain ended) there are still more to explore, more to do.
• Though I hope we meet the Changelings in semi good situation, I really want them as allies. Shape changing, emotion feeling, magic using beings that "evolved" to survive in harsh Wastelands (minus the love part)? Yes, please!
Though I hope they won't be Canon reformed ones (always subscribed to theory that the holes in their bodies represent how starved they are, and ones with enough love/positive emotion/food just have smooth sturdy chitin bodies).
• Equestria on low roles, eh? Well maybe that might be xenophobic, with pony-only mentality, and hypocrites: spout of friendship and tolerance, but avoid, fear and hate all those who are even slightly different from them. Or maybe the insane variety that wants nothing to do with outside world or even wants to enslave/kill others in order to "be safe". We could speculate all day and won't even get anything done.
(canon: [minor] at the beginning made fun of Spike because he's "not a real dragon" ; afraid of zebra being that's practically a pony! ; stratified society with strong noble-pesant mentality and even earth pony-pegasus-unicorn divisions ; educational system more-or-less outright forbids teaching non-ponies ; [major] at the beginning considers universal concepts like friendship belongs solely to them)
•• Dumb question, but we know that some materials, especially gems, are good for magic infusion/enhancement (reason I want strong national allies / citisents of the Empire with magic aka Changelings or Abyssinians),
but when/if gryphons invent Graphene, how much would it change the balance of power in the world especially if our scientists find ways to merge it with magic and integrate it in military?
Though I hope they won't be Canon reformed ones (always subscribed to theory that the holes in their bodies represent how starved they are, and ones with enough love/positive emotion/food just have smooth sturdy chitin bodies).
The canon explanation for the holes (if we go by the comics) are battle wounds from when Celestia repelled them for the first time. That there are no new changelings (without holes) could be explained by starvation.
• Equestria on low roles, eh? Well maybe that might be xenophobic, with pony-only mentality, and hypocrites: spout of friendship and tolerance, but avoid, fear and hate all those who are even slightly different from them. Or maybe the insane variety that wants nothing to do with outside world or even wants to enslave/kill others in order to "be safe". We could speculate all day and won't even get anything done.
(canon: [minor] at the beginning made fun of Spike because he's "not a real dragon" ; afraid of zebra being that's practically a pony! ; stratified society with strong noble-pesant mentality and even earth pony-pegasus-unicorn divisions ; educational system more-or-less outright forbids teaching non-ponies ; [major] at the beginning considers universal concepts like friendship belongs solely to them)
I'm more interested in the idea of ponies being prejudice against Griffons for their lack of magic. After all this is a race that believes the Everfree Forest, and I quote, "where plants grow on their own, animal take care of themselves, and clouds move without pony intervention", is 'unnatural'. Ignoring the hypocrisy of weather manipulation and that Everfree would be considered a par for the course for any foreign visitor.
Actually that does remind me, Canterlot might not exist yet, seeing as Celestia and Luna had the Castle of the Two Sisters until it got ruined in their fight and Canterlot seems built around Celestia's Castle.
•• Dumb question, but we know that some materials, especially gems, are good for magic infusion/enhancement (reason I want strong national allies / citisents of the Empire with magic aka Changelings or Abyssinians),
but when/if gryphons invent Graphene, how much would it change the balance of power in the world especially if our scientists find ways to merge it with magic and integrate it in military?
I don't think we're going to get advanced enough to get Graphene. At most I see our tech tree ending around the WWI/Light Diselpunk era (if only because I want to use EaW's portraits of Griffons in Prussian-style uniforms). Balancing magic and tech is akin to availability and ease of use.
Magic is more powerful and versatile, but takes time to master and not everyone has the ability to learn higher tier spells. Tech meanwhile is so easy to use that a child could pick it up with a few directions and can be rolled out for the masses, but it requires the resources to make it and the infrastructure to build it, alongside needing maintenance to keep it working.
As for Magitech, I consider to either be only slightly better than the normal stuff or powerful, but high maintenance as it tries to explode.
Soupmix Prickle-feather was resting he did that a lot now days, his new brother was... nice. Griggle Prickle-feather was an energetic boy of around Thirteen just like they estimated Soupmix's age to be and Griggle had been spending an unusual amount of time indoors because he didn't want to leave his brother with no one to play with. Soupmix wasn't able to run or catch a ball or even walk for to long so anything physical was out which really only left dice games, card games, board games and story telling to entertain them. Mostly Griggle telling Soupmix stories he really didn't have stories to tell at least ones that wouldn't upset Griggle.
Mum and dad were usually busy running the farm with Griggle helping. They had unanimously shot down any chance of him doing any chores. He'd managed to get them to let him help with cooking only because it was his special talent, the mark on his flank said so.
The reason Griggle wasn't currently in the room was that Soupmix faked being asleep so Griggle would go play with his friends not wanting to wake Soupmix up. When he'd previously suggested that Griggle should spend more time with his friends it just resulted in Griggle bringing them over which just resulted in a group of mostly bored young boys stuck in his room. Then when he suggested that Griggle should play with his friends outside because it wasn't healthy to be stuck inside all day... he really should have known better.
Griggle somehow convinced one of his friends older brother to carry Soupmix to the field Griggle and his friends were playing at and later drop by to carry him back. It had developed into a once a week thing. It was nice but Griggle deserved time away from the sickly pony his parents had brought home and dumped on him.
After all Soupmix wasn't anything special, by the Emperor he hadn't even warranted a name before he was saved by the Griffons. They saved a worthless slave interchangeable with any other his age, told him that he wasn't worthless begun caring for him and brought him to this paradise called Griffonia as well as giving him a name. Even making sure that it was a Pony name in respect to his people and culture. As if that wasn't more than he deserved or even dared to dream of they insisted that he be gifted the wonder of a family because the Griffons were adamant that being loved and cared for was a childs right and not some great blessing they were bestowing on him.
If this was a dream he hoped and prayed to any deity that would listen 'please never let me wake up'.
Soupmix Prickle-feather was resting he did that a lot now days, his new brother was... nice. Griggle Prickle-feather was an energetic boy of around Thirteen just like they estimated Soupmix's age to be and Griggle had been spending an unusual amount of time indoors because he didn't want to leave his brother with no one to play with. Soupmix wasn't able to run or catch a ball or even walk for to long so anything physical was out which really only left dice games, card games, board games and story telling to entertain them. Mostly Griggle telling Soupmix stories he really didn't have stories to tell at least ones that wouldn't upset Griggle.
Mum and dad were usually busy running the farm with Griggle helping. They had unanimously shot down any chance of him doing any chores. He'd managed to get them to let him help with cooking only because it was his special talent, the mark on his flank said so.
The reason Griggle wasn't currently in the room was that Soupmix faked being asleep so Griggle would go play with his friends not wanting to wake Soupmix up. When he'd previously suggested that Griggle should spend more time with his friends it just resulted in Griggle bringing them over which just resulted in a group of mostly bored young boys stuck in his room. Then when he suggested that Griggle should play with his friends outside because it wasn't healthy to be stuck inside all day... he really should have known better.
Griggle somehow convinced one of his friends older brother to carry Soupmix to the field Griggle and his friends were playing at and later drop by to carry him back. It had developed into a once a week thing. It was nice but Griggle deserved time away from the sickly pony his parents had brought home and dumped on him.
After all Soupmix wasn't anything special, by the Emperor he hadn't even warranted a name before he was saved by the Griffons. They saved a worthless slave interchangeable with any other his age, told him that he wasn't worthless begun caring for him and brought him to this paradise called Griffonia as well as giving him a name. Even making sure that it was a Pony name in respect to his people and culture. As if that wasn't more than he deserved or even dared to dream of they insisted that he be gifted the wonder of a family because the Griffons were adamant that being loved and cared for was a childs right and not some great blessing they were bestowing on him.
If this was a dream he hoped and prayed to any deity that would listen 'please never let me wake up'.
Note: these Persona crossover bits are mostly just my little side story and tribute to our characters and empire, and how they are building a legacy that will shape the physical and mental world for our people. And regardless, a persona is not really magic or something that can be used in the real world, as it is a defense in the collective unconscious if you are self-realized and have the potential, so it would not introduce magic.
Chapter 2: Diamond in the Rough.
---
Centuries after the age of Goldfeather, a portside town in Griffonia is drawn partway into the spirit world. While most inhabitants are still safely at home, others are pulled deeply into the world made of the thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams of Gryphonia. Some are pulled even more deeply into their own mind and are trapped with a shadow made of their own denials and repressed feelings.
Galvin, a teenage trouble maker and his younger brother, Dim, are set at the very outside of this shadow world, forced to run and hide till the shadows finally corner the two.
Faced with possibly losing his brother, and pushing his body beyond its limits for the sake of protecting someone important to him, Galvin had no choice but to accept that there was something good in himself after all, and his own Shadow became his Persona, a figure of the Legendary Hardbeak.
---
Walking along, the two are silent in the rain as they get closer to the bright, glowing gate.
"So...." Dim starts, glancing up at his brother, the big, fiery ghost still above the bigger gryphon and causing the shadows to flee.
With the winds, rain, and possibility of getting crushed against the cliffslide, the easiest course of action is to killdoze through everything that dares attack them.
"No, I am not the actual Hardbeak from history". the big spirit says, using its sword to toss one of the armed phantasms off the cliff to the side.
"But you are all fiery and unbeatable, and you are mowing through everything that looks at us funny" the small gryphon counters.
Galvin himself shoulders one of those enemies into the wall to the other side, and it collapses in a puff of smoke. The big phantasm of Hardbeak turns to reply.
"Firstly, the real Hardbeak was not some 'magic, fiery warrior' as gryphons don't have magic. He just knew when something needed to be burnt with his torch. What I and Galvin can now do is just a representation of that due to dramatic story-telling in the real world."
The ghost tosses one flaming foe into a dozen others, all of them igniting.
"Second, hardbeak was not unbeatable. He was charred after defeating Sombra for the first time, and needed weeks of recovery.
Third-", Galvin slices through a few enemies himself, with the sword that manifested with the ghost and armor earlier, and the Persona continues. "Third, Galvin has taken down at least half of the Shadows around us, while I am merely taking down the bigger ones for you two. But fourth and finally, I am a cross between the Collective Unconsciousness's idea of Hardbeak, and am also Galvin's Persona. I have no real power in the real world."
"What is a persona?" The younger brother ask, wide-eyed and very curious. "Well, I am not sure if you saw earlier, but I had been manifesting and talking with your brother throughout your trip here, as his own Shadow."
"One of these things?" Dim ask with a pointing claw at one of the hidinh, non-hostile shadow, the little gryphon's head tilting in curiosity.
"No, not really like these. We where both shadows, yes, but unlike me, these are only half-finished ideas from the thoughts of all living things, that then became trapped here, and changed to fit what this place is. I myself was born from Galvin's years of refusing to acknowledge the good in himself." The persona and its user make eye contact for a moment before getting back to fighting.
"When he tried so hard to be a bad boy gryphon, I was born; he tried to avoid the guilt that came from fighting and stealing to impress his friends. And it got easier to convince himself the world was rotten years ago, when he was almost expelled for defeating a teenager when he was only six." Galvin, usually a very silent gryphon, growls in anger at the memory, grabbing an armored shadow with an axe by the shoulders, and tossing them into the sea below.
"It was to defend a diamond dog getting throttled and slapped, but the state of the attacker after the fight, and the fear students and teachers had of such a display marked him as a trouble child, a violent thing that could snap at any moment. The only ones who'd spend time with him where former victims themselves. Sadly, that only lead to them to form a gang of their own, and I am sure you know how downhill things went from there." Dim hugs his brother's shoulder, and Galvin gently pats the little one in appreciation.
"But no matter what Galvin did, a part of him always felt like he was better than that. That there where people who did not see him as just another punk, and that it is not weakness to not fight needlessly. And that repressed side of him became me. I could not control the fact that I was being created, and that I would soon become a hostile force if he ever entered this realm.Due to the strength of his rejection, all of it had to go somewhere in the end.
But by saving you, even while being injured and close to death himself, just for the off chance that you'd be free to go, he could deny me no longer. It is unusual that someone's heroic side would be a shadow, but nevertheless, accepting me let both of us grow stronger once the doubts where gone. That is why he both gained a weapon, armor, and persona, and the strength and speed to use all three.
I happen to be Hardbeak because of how even with his reputation, his ability to take down those bigger than himself left an impression on others, along with those who do truly see him as good being stronger than those who feared him."Galvin gives Dim a big hug, and the young gryphon realizes he must be one of those good influences the persona is talking about.
Yes, galvin rarely talks, but this gentle moment speaks a thousand words before they continue again.
"So... if I want one of you, I have to find my shadow?" The little gryphon ask, bouncing in excitement.
"It might not seem like it, but I was a very mild-mannered and controlled shadow, and not really an ugly truth or pit of self-loathing or entire split-personality other shadows are. Where I tried and succeeded in pushing Galvin to be the hero of the small that he is, if a bit briskly and bluntly, other shadows would happily destroy their counterpart or torture them into acceptance. I am sure you can imagine someone who thinks they are utterly weak and worthless being mocked by their shadow. Galvin won't say it, but we both hope you never have to face the mental anguish he did."
They have reached the door, cautiously opening it as they leave the ruins for the next area.
---
The two brothers look around, and find the second area is like the Diamond Dog Undertown below the city.
Buildings are set into the rocky walls, and stone walkways crisscross the sky above. Shadows walk on these paths, carting gems and carrying equipment. None seem hostile, but Galvin is still armored from before, and keeps Dim close. Hardbeak has went back into Galvin for now, for the two to rest and recover, but can easily be redrawn when needed.
As they walk, they notice things getting stranger. Those carts are not full of gems, but candy, flour, sugar, and so on.
The equipment is things like lamps, instruments, and many tools of entertainment and science. It is as if this little realm is like a surrealist resort and university town.
Before they get too far though, they encounter someone very familiar and unexpected.
A grey-furred diamond dog, a real, non-shadowy one, makes his way up to them with wide eyes, anxious eyes. "G...Galvin!" The dog stammers. "You... you're real. Real!"
it is Keet, the Diamond Dog that was Galvin's best frienemy in the real world. At times, the two argue and almost come to blows, but Keet was always there to back the Gryphon up in school and in fights in their gang. "Its complicated" is the best way to put it for these two.
The Diamond Dog taps Galvin on the shoulder pauldron once, then twice, and then circles the two before he is satisfied.
"I have a hundred questions, but we need to get out of site ASAP!" Keet grabs a front leg of the white gryphon, and urgently tries guide them out of site of the shadows. Galvin gasp in suprise at such insistance, but knows Keet too well for him to pull something. The armored gryphon keeps his brother close though. Its not like he has a reason to doubt someone who always stood up for him at times others would of eagerly kicked him in the gut. But that worried look is one the gryphon had seen often, when the Diamond dog found a reason to leave the room.
"You're not going to make the guest of honor leave after he and a plus one just arrived, are you?" A strange voice calls out, and the group turns around.
Keet yelps and looks away, his ears down.
It is another yellow-eyed shadow. This time, it is Keet's.
It walks forward,
in an apron,
and chef's hat,
with a mixing bowel while stirring something in it,
flanked by two shadow workers like the others carting things about.
And these two are carrying the rest of the ingredients for a cake.
The shadow smiles knowingly, raising the spoon as it drips batter and winks to his real-world counterpart. "We both know that as embarrassed as you are now and trying to push him onward, you wish he'd do more than simply stay. So take the time to enjoy a night on the town.
It would be less romantic if I just popped the bubble now, so I will give you two time to talk. And for you, Keet, time to spill those well-baked beans." The shadow's grin gets wider. "But if you don't tell him out before you reach the exit, I am going to make sure he knows. Its tough and rough for it to go down that way, but you, and me, have been hurting for far too long. Take the opportunity to do it right."
The shadow hums to himself and walks away, stirring the mix still.
Keet looks a little flustered, and blushes under his soft, short fur. He looks to the two confused gryphons with a handpaw behind his head.
"heh... I guess you have a hundred questions also... but can we... take a moment first, like it said?"
---
part three in the next omake
---
1. I was thinking that eventually, guilds and apprenticeship would eventually turn into a public school system, probably a lot better than the US one.
2. diamond dogs would probably be numerous enough and integrated so well, that having an underground district makes sense, as that exist in many modern cities in our world. it might even happen earlier in the quest, for defense and economic reasons.
3. I think even with relations between species well, there would still be individuals who do cause nothing but harm to anyone of any species.
4. Inter-species relationships would be unavoidable. If like in the diamond dog integration post speaking of rumors of relationships, it would definitely become common knowledge latter on.
5. legends, conspiracies, and rumors would abound, floating through the decades and affection public imagination and perception, as well as changing in the zeitgeist .
Soupmix Prickle-feather was resting he did that a lot now days, his new brother was... nice. Griggle Prickle-feather was an energetic boy of around Thirteen just like they estimated Soupmix's age to be and Griggle had been spending an unusual amount of time indoors because he didn't want to leave his brother with no one to play with. Soupmix wasn't able to run or catch a ball or even walk for to long so anything physical was out which really only left dice games, card games, board games and story telling to entertain them. Mostly Griggle telling Soupmix stories he really didn't have stories to tell at least ones that wouldn't upset Griggle.
Mum and dad were usually busy running the farm with Griggle helping. They had unanimously shot down any chance of him doing any chores. He'd managed to get them to let him help with cooking only because it was his special talent, the mark on his flank said so.
The reason Griggle wasn't currently in the room was that Soupmix faked being asleep so Griggle would go play with his friends not wanting to wake Soupmix up. When he'd previously suggested that Griggle should spend more time with his friends it just resulted in Griggle bringing them over which just resulted in a group of mostly bored young boys stuck in his room. Then when he suggested that Griggle should play with his friends outside because it wasn't healthy to be stuck inside all day... he really should have known better.
Griggle somehow convinced one of his friends older brother to carry Soupmix to the field Griggle and his friends were playing at and later drop by to carry him back. It had developed into a once a week thing. It was nice but Griggle deserved time away from the sickly pony his parents had brought home and dumped on him.
After all Soupmix wasn't anything special, by the Emperor he hadn't even warranted a name before he was saved by the Griffons. They saved a worthless slave interchangeable with any other his age, told him that he wasn't worthless begun caring for him and brought him to this paradise called Griffonia as well as giving him a name. Even making sure that it was a Pony name in respect to his people and culture. As if that wasn't more than he deserved or even dared to dream of they insisted that he be gifted the wonder of a family because the Griffons were adamant that being loved and cared for was a childs right and not some great blessing they were bestowing on him.
If this was a dream he hoped and prayed to any deity that would listen 'please never let me wake up'.
So how is everyone doing. War turn seems to be taking a while hope that means it's gonna be a great one. Anyone got some omakes in the works we can look forward to.
So how is everyone doing. War turn seems to be taking a while hope that means it's gonna be a great one. Anyone got some omakes in the works we can look forward to.
I'm doin' fine. Been busy with work recently, havent really had the time to sit down and write more than a few paragraphs... but hopefully I'll be done soonish. And then I can work on the next thing. Could try writing on my phone at work, but I'm not too confident in my abilities if I do that.
An army on the march should be a dramatic sight. Banners and flags waving, songs being sung, tens of thousands of soldiers marching in lockstep or flying in formation, their numbers so great that their footfalls shake the earth and their wingbeats form storms. You've learned that such a vision is a fantasy, a scene described by artists and poets long after the mundane minutiae of war has faded from collective memory.
For an army of a size such as this, marching is not so much a state as a process. Only the armies of Sombra go straight from resting to marching along the road; your armies, as well as the armies of the Yaks and Neighponese, march on their stomachs, and arranging a meal for tens of thousands is a daunting task under ideal circumstances, let alone on the road through enemy territory. Entire wagonloads of foodstuffs are transported from storehouses in Lanner and other Border Settlements only to be consumed in a matter of hours. Then tents need to be struck and wagons loaded and units assembled to check that everyone is accounted for, and by the time the army is ready to start marching, the sun is already high in the sky.
Then they travel, some by foot, others by wing, across the barren, frozen landscape of the Crystal Empire, through freezing winds and blinding snow. And then, after several hours of that, the soldiers at the head of the column halt their advance and begin erecting tents and igniting bonfires at a predetermined location marked by your scouts, and yet more wagonloads of food are consumed as the remainder of the army catches up and joins them in setting up camp for the night with the knowledge that the whole process will repeat the next day.
On a simple map, Gryphus and the Crystal Empire are practically next door, and while a single Gryphon courier could likely make the journey between your capital and Sombra's Citadel in only a few days in good weather, it takes your army almost three weeks to get from the Peregrines to the outskirts of the Crystal City, and considering the weather and landscape they had to journey through to do so that is an astounding feat of logistics.
(Winter Attrition: 54+20(Scouted Routes)=74)
Indeed, you're patting yourself on the back for your decision to have Ravenburg's infiltrators scout out and mark safe routes of travel prior to the invasion, as the terrain has proven to be just as deadly as feared. Solid ground abruptly gives way to gaping crevasses and sudden pitfalls, icicles with the size and sharpness of spears fall without warning, and the ever-present blizzard chills soldiers to the bone, the unnatural cold affecting even the hardy and heavily-furred Yaks. Despite it all, apart from a few cases of Frostbite forcing some soldiers to be sent back North for treatment and a pair of cannons collapsing an ice bridge under their weight and falling into one of said crevasses where they could not be recovered, almost no casualties are taken as a result of such a hostile environment. All things considered you'd call that a decent outcome.
After all that, your forces finally arrive at the predetermined staging area, hidden just out of sight of Sombra or his defenses behind a line of hills. After a final discrete surveying of the enemy defenses (slave-soldiers on the walls and Windigoes still circling his Palace, no surprises there), units are assigned to specific tasks to be carried out during the coming assault. Commanders are briefed into the night on their assignments before catching the last bit of sleep they will receive before risking their lives in combat. You spend that final night before the battle curled up with your wife, struggling to sleep as your mind conjures up all the ways tomorrow could go wrong. The army awakes at Dawn, and the encampment is quieter than it usually is. Not only is noise discipline being practiced to prevent Sombra's forces from detecting you (if they haven't already) as well as practice for the coming "surprise" attack, but the mood is tense as the warriors of three nations and seven races gather for a final meal before battle. Barrels of liquor are rolled out, small rations of "liquid courage" being distributed to those who request them.
Finally, one last equipment inspection is carried out as "Captain Kaboom" goes to check his pre-planted explosives one final time, digging a tunnel from the outskirts of the encampment to the tunnels linking his charges. Captains brief sergeants who brief the rank and file on their assignments as the Kitsune and Tanuki prepare themselves to cast the largest and most important illusion of their lives. Cannons, ballistae and mangonels are loaded as they await the word to move out of cover and into firing positions, Qilin mutter prayers to the Divine Dragons as Griffons and Dogs alike nervously stretch their appendages, the Yaks shuffling their hooves in preparation for a charge. Even the eternally inebriated Oni are uncharacteristically quiet. The Knights of the Empire stand unmoving and silent, their Grandmasters brandishing their Orichalcum swords as you nervously run a talon along the hilt of your own, an armored Gabriella standing alongside you in her capacity as a warrior, wife and Empress.
A visibly excited Karl reports that the charges planted so long ago remain undisturbed and have been fitted with fuses. You keep your promise to the captain and give him the honor of igniting the wax-coated length of black powder that snakes along the length of the tunnel between your encampment and the explosives buried beneath the enemy's defenses. With a puff of smoke and the acrid smell of burnt powder, a burst of flame races down the dark tunnel, which is quickly sealed up as a precaution. A hush falls over the battlefield as all await the signal to attack, the illusion mages standing by with their spells. An anxious Karl quietly counts down the seconds to ignition, where the burning fuse will contact small powder charges to ignite the blasting jelly. The tense silence seems to stretch on forever, the wind itself seeming to die down in anticipation of what is to come.
(The Other Kind of Mine: 93)
It begins with a barely detectable tremor through the Earth, a tremor that builds in intensity as a dull roar becomes audible, growing louder as the soil beneath the crystal fortifications bulges upwards as hundreds of tons of dirt, rock and crystal are displaced by the pressure wave generated by over a hundred barrels of blasting jelly igniting simultaneously. Then, with an ear-splitting boom, the great mound of soil erupts, dirt, masonry and bodies sent flying in all directions as the shockwave rips apart the main gates of the Crystal City, boulder-sized chunks of crystal propelled high into the air before falling back to earth with great rumbles as dirt comes down like rain, the sheer force of the explosion knocking a few of your own troops off their feet even as they stand braced behind cover a fair distance from the blast zone.
In retrospect, you are very glad you had your army shelter in place for this.
As the last of the debris falls to Earth, the Kitsune and Tanuki cast their spells. A cloud of unusually thick and dense smoke erupts from the outstretched appendages of the magic casters, rushing forwards on an arcane wind and blanketing the space between the encampment and the remains of Sombra's defenses, cutting visibility for the defenders even as they try to dig themselves out of the rubble, the smoke remaining unnaturally still even as the freezing wind howls about you. With a wave of your sword and a wordless command, Griffons, Yaks, Qilin and Oni jump to their feet and march in near-silence, the only sound the rumble of feet, hooves and talons beating the ground as your soldiers seek to maintain any semblance of the element of surprise for as long as possible. The Illusionists had stated that the smoke cloud would prevent Sombra from using his magic to sense your army, and even block sound from escaping it...somehow...but you and your officers weren't willing to take chances, and had ordered strict noise discipline until stealth became completely impossible. Meanwhile, the Diamond Dog contingent, backed up by a handful of Crystal Pony volunteers and the Knights Lion themselves, begin excavating tunnels for a subterranean assault into the very heart of Sombra's Fortress.
(Smokescreen: 61+20(Other Kind of Mine Nat Crit)=81)
From where you stand upon the hill, overseeing the placement and loading of the artillery as you await the cacophony of metal on metal, you are struck by how eerily calm things seem. There are no shouted orders, no yells of pain or warning to indicate a counterattack by Sombra or his forces, not even the odd noises that signal a spell being cast. The only sound is the shifting of masonry and the grinding of broken crystal under hooves as Sombra's forces attempt to reorganize their defenses, helpless to impede the advance of your army even without the smokescreen clouding their vision. You can't see your forces, obscured as they are within the cloud of concealment. The one downside to its use: while those within the smoke can see through it perfectly, those outside of it cannot perceive what occurs in it.
Finally, as the last cannon is loaded and the last ballistae bolt locked in, a half-dozen war cries ring out through the cold air. The now thoroughly exhausted Tanuki and Kitsune allow their illusion to drop, the smoke dissipating just in time for you to witness the vanguard of the main assault force charge forward and slam into the scattered and disorganized Crystal slaves still struggling to regroup and dig themselves out of the rubble. But the enslaved Crystal Ponies are only the first line of defenders. Beyond the ruins of the gate stand a handful of Crystal Golems and a few dozen trolls. The latter are unarmored, and appear even more misshapen and unsightly than those you have previously encountered in service of the Shadow King. Sombra must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel at this point.
(Clash: 56+20(Other Kind of Mine Nat Crit)=76)
With a great crash of armor and flesh, the armies meet. Blades pierce armor and bodies as your warriors surge forward. Yaks charge, crushing all opposition and obstacles under their great weight as Oni use their cudgels to smash through stone and metal alike, some actually trying to wrestle trolls to the ground barehanded, a feat most succeed at, to your surprise. Qilin lash out with blasts of fire and flame-wreathed blades, burning through all opposition as they cut an ash-laden path through the enemy line. Griffons advance, shield walls pressing against the crush of starved, emaciated bodies before them, the Knightly orders pushing deeper into the city more quickly than any other unit. You cover your ears as the cannons and ballistae let loose with a precision salvo, blasting apart golems and punching through trolls as the Qilin Mangonels send jars of liquid fire flying into the enemy lines, shattering and sending splashes of burning fuel over the closely packed formations of slave-soldiers.
(Push Forward: 48+10(Process of Elimination)=58)
But as the battle continues and your forces continue to press forward, advancing down the streets of their enemy's capital, more Crystal slaves rush towards them, bearing down upon the foreign presence within their city. Hundreds, then thousands of equines emerge from houses and alleys and throw themselves against your soldiers, slowing the push into the city streets to a crawl. Another group of trolls come lumbering out from the city center, bellowing and waving their clubs as they charge. Most are cut down by another volley from the Artillery before they can reach your forces, but the handful of survivors reap a significant toll upon the first ranks of your troops before they can be cut down.
The advance has not been halted, but it has been greatly slowed, turning into a bloody slog. The streets of the crystal city run red with blood, most of it belonging to its defenders, but more than a fair share of it shed by your attackers. No matter how many suicidal slaves are cut down, more continue to stream in from across the city, their numbers seemingly inexhaustible.
Griffons are knocked from the sky by thrown spears, the chill of the Windigoes preventing them from climbing out of range. A squadron of Qilin are ambushed by a troll hiding behind a building and are crushed before they can light a spark. More than one Yak or Oni is literally buried under a tide of slaves. The Artillery fires as fast as it can, but there are too many targets, and they dare not risk hitting their comrades. Archers on both sides fire as fast as they can draw their bowstrings, their projectiles occasionally glancing against or even impacting each other in midair. The Qilin begin to restrict the use of their pyromancy after more than one flaming Equine tackles one of their less-fireproof allies, eliciting screams of panic and agony as fur and feathers catch and burn. Corpses begin to pile up, mounds of broken flesh and wrecked armor forming macabre barricades that your own forces must clamber over, some of their bodies being added to the piles in the process. Throughout it all, the Knights Talon and Knights Panther are an island of order in a sea of chaos, their orderly formations slowly but surely pushing forward despite the occasional casualty and the constant press of black-armored forms trying to stop them.
Once again, the Imperial Army finds itself stuck in a battle of attrition against a foe that knows no fear and does not tire. Truthfully, you don't know if your army will prevail in such a contest. Thankfully, it doesn't have to.
As you observe the whirling melee from a distance, the din of battle occasionally drowned out by the roar of cannon whenever the crews can get a clear shot, a Diamond Dog messenger runs up to you, his fur dusted with soil. He states that an assault tunnel leading under the Crystal Palace is nearly complete, and that, according to the testimony of the freed Crystal Ponies, it should open up into the catacombs below Sombra's throne room. You nod wordlessly, checking your sword and glancing to your wife and the three grandmasters clustered around you. The Diamond Dog contingent, the Knights Lion and a handful of elite Qilin will accompany the bearers of the Black Blades into the depths to end this war once and for all. But who to send?
[ ] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
[ ] Everyone but You: It may seem cowardly, but this option will allow you to react to developments in the main assault, at the cost of giving you little control or knowledge of what is happening inside Sombra's castle.
[ ] The all Grandmaster Party: Maybe you don't want to send you Wife off on what might very well be a suicide mission into enemy territory. Maybe you want her out here so that you have another Black Blade besides your own outside of Sombra's castle. Maybe you just think that this job is better left to the Knights. Regardless, you and Gabriella will remain on the battlefield while the Knight commanders lead the charge into the heart of Darkness.
[ ] Write-In:
Sorry this took so long to get out. Had three exams over the past week, so I've been pretty busy. I tried to incorporate what aspects of the plan you guys voted for that I thought made sense given the situation and the dice rolls. Apologies if this feels oddly paced, I wanted to make the journey to the Crystal Empire and the first stage of the battle one post to make the update seem worth the wait.
There will be a ten hour moratorium to allow for discussion and plan-building. Feel free to ask questions.
The Imperial Army of Gryphus
11,680 Warriors
5830 Polearms
6115 Archers
1485 Diamond Dogs
4 Mobile Ballistae
19 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
27 Knights of the Inner Circle
212 Imperial Knights
89 Squires
376 Griffons-at-Arms
The Knights Panther
1 Grandmaster Adrian Dawnquill
32 Knights of the Inner Circle
217 Imperial Knights
66 Squires
292 Griffons-at-Arms
Neighponese Expeditionary Force
1315 Qilin Fire Warriors
14 Pyro-Masters
22 Armored Oni
126 Oni Brawlers
35 Kitsune Illusionaries
25 Tanuki Tricksters
10 Cannons
5 Fire Mangonels
Well... This is our own army and our own war. And we are NOT a warrior king. So I'm not considering the first option.
[ ] Everyone but You: It may seem cowardly, but this option will allow you to react to developments in the main assault, at the cost of giving you little control or knowledge of what is happening inside Sombra's castle.
This one if we are not expecting much to go wrong either way.
[ ] The all Grandmaster Party: Maybe you don't want to send you Wife off on what might very well be a suicide mission into enemy territory. Maybe you want her out here so that you have another Black Blade besides your own outside of Sombra's castle. Maybe you just think that this job is better left to the Knights. Regardless, you and Gabriella will remain on the battlefield while the Knight commanders lead the charge into the heart of Darkness.
This one if we are expecting things to go very wrong in the fortress (enough that Gabriella's presence would be more risky than helpful) and/or we are expecting things to go wrong outside.
[ ] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
I'm going to go with this mostly because I'm a lot more interested in the Sombra castle fight and Sombra himself than the overall war.
Like, seriously, what the bloody hell is this guy?
Besides, killing Sombra will probably end the war itself, so yeah, main priority here.
Eh, did the Neighponese bring any hero units? if so, we can do a sort of joint op between our grandmasters and their hero units. Really, it depends on how many lads we can bring to bear on Sombra. Are we aloud to bring reserves or can we only send a handful?
Edit: just reread that, so we are bring a bunch of guys.
[ ] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
Sombra needs to go, as he currently has not appeared in the battle, he is likely either with his phylactery in the tower or with the crystal heart in the basement, probably attempting a mass ritual to kill everything in the city using the death of his slaves for power or something like that, he needs to die now before he can do something like that.
[ ] The all Grandmaster Party: Maybe you don't want to send you Wife off on what might very well be a suicide mission into enemy territory. Maybe you want her out here so that you have another Black Blade besides your own outside of Sombra's castle. Maybe you just think that this job is better left to the Knights. Regardless, you and Gabriella will remain on the battlefield while the Knight commanders lead the charge into the heart of Darkness.
Considering Hardbeak's record of being able to kick Sombra's ass consecutively, I say we simply leave it in his claws.
Eh, did the Neighponese bring any hero units? if so, we can do a sort of joint op between our grandmasters and their hero units. Really, it depends on how many lads we can bring to bear on Sombra. Are we aloud to bring reserves or can we only send a handful?
[ ] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
Sombra needs to go, as he currently has not appeared in the battle, he is likely either with his phylactery in the tower or with the crystal heart in the basement, probably attempting a mass ritual to kill everything in the city using the death of his slaves for power or something like that, he needs to die now before he can do something like that.
Whatever is in the catacombs is something that Sombra is afraid of he will not be anywhere near it. That is why we could sneak the blasting jelly and do what we are planning right now because he is scared and keep everything away from the underground. As for a mass ritual no I very much doubt that. With how weakened he has become he needs to preserve his power for the fight to come. He is arrogant, cruel, and mad but he is not stupid he knows we are coming for him so he needs what little power he has left to protect himself.
He IS backed into a corner, it is very likely he will do a "I'm taking you down with me!" moment. Granted, it's more likely he will just bail on us, then become a problem for the canon mare 6 to deal with. Or somehow seal the Crystal Empire off, even though this isn't Canon Mlp.
Yeah the "I'm taking you down with me!" potential is why I'm leaning hard towards letting the Grandmasters head in to smash stuff. Keeps a couple of black blades in the larger fight and just in case killing Sombra (or whatever happens this time) results in a castle-vaporizing kaboom, the king and queen will still be alive.
