I’m not sure what you mean?
Also, I have to get, I think 24hrs added to the clock for this turn. Been a migraine inducing week for me.
Those raids of yours. I thought you were going to hunker down, but instead, you sent assassins and raids at me. I’ll have to consider whether my forces need bodyguards now.
Ah gotcha. You might want to check your army though before I close the pocket behind them :)
Yeah, I meant to move that army last turn. Well, it will get its move on this turn.
I’ve paused the game to see if a hot fix is in the works. You might need to resubmit your turn after the hotfix.
Guess you don’t trust the players then eh?
Some conversation came up of how it goes further than just recruiting troops during sieges. It is possible to get a lot of extra good by accident especially, if you, complete the turn over several sessions as I do.
Also, no one seems like they were in a rush to complete their turn anyway, so I think a short pause is not a big deal just to make sure everything is in order.
With poor old Machaka sitting outside Na’Ba’s home forlornly waiting, I thought I’d help out with a little romantic music. What better way than Carole King’s “I feel the Earth move.”
Classic move that seems to have cost me my fight. I’ll need to take a more active approach to keeping you occupied @Strato.
But, it does mean that the game continues with all the players, for another turn. I’ll need to take a look at that both fights more clearly, and look for some flaws.
The Battle of Na’Ba, Part 2i
Sir, there’s something happening that you should see!
Looking up from his battle map, captain Mu’di of the Na’Ba, was grateful for the distraction. The capitol had been under siege for months now and news, like just about everything else, was in short supply. Walking the short distance to the parapet took moments, but making sense of what he saw there took longer.
What is that?
In the distance, behind the massed Machaka armies, a giant column had appeared.
I do not know, Sir. A friend of theirs, joining the battle late perhaps?
Scrutinizing the column, he realized it wasn’t actually a column, but was more akin to a massive mound of rock. Looking at it though, gave him chills, and even at this distance he could sense its power. Awe took hold of him as he became certain he was looking at one of the seven great beings of power vying for supremacy of this world. Judging from the way the Machaka armies were pivoting to attack it, it was as friendly to the Machaka as he was - but was that a good thing?
No, that’s no friend of theirs.
Suddenly the ground shook, and he had to steady himself on the parapet to remain upright. It was clear the epicenter of the tremor was the Monolith. Even as far away as he was, he could see his troops were having difficulty standing - closer to ground zero, it would have been near impossible. And then, just as soon as it appeared, it was gone.
He took in a breath - not even realizing he had been holding it since he first spied the Monolith. His well-practiced and trained eyes took in the battlefield and the devastation a moment had caused. Machaka’s most solid and dependable troops remained unfazed. Other troops were not as lucky: brittle skeletons lay shattered in heaps; diminutive pygmies lay crushed under other troops and in some places swallowed by the surging earth; archers of various cohorts were unhinged; even some of the damned-able sorcerers had been bodily broken. Machaka had been dealt a serious blow.
Beyond the damage rendered though, he saw something else that his war-trained eyes knew too well. The bloodied mass of Machaka was turning to wreak its wrath on the closest available target.
Call everyone up to the staging area.
Even with the hundreds of dead and dis-animated, the approaching force was larger than his by at least half again. This day was not likely to end well.
They’re coming for us.
The Battle of Na’Ba, part 2ii
Swing. Brace. Parry. Move.
The dance continued for hours. Sometimes the order of the steps would change. Sometimes certain steps would disappear entirely from his vocabulary, like archaic words disappear from the lexicon until some enterprising adventurer discovers them again in some ancient parchment. But, though the dance may change, it never stopped.
Brace. Brace. Move. Swing.
He’d done this hundreds of times before. In a certain view, perhaps all he had done in his life was just training for this moment.
Move. Move. Move. Kill.
He was supposed to be staying behind. Surveying the battlefield. Controlling his formations. Wielding his expertise in tactics like a court surgeon wields a scalpel. No, this was no courtly surgery - this was bathing in an abattoir.
When it comes to slaughter, you will do your work on water, and lick the bloomin boots of 'im that’s got it.
He laughed. Where did that come from? That old soldier’s relic of a song. He must be going mad. Next he’d be pining for the fine ladies of Phaeacia.
Sir?
He stopped his blade and checked his thoughts. What was happening?
Sir. They’re broken. Machaka is fleeing the field.
Green and lumpy ichor dripped off his elbow. He was covered in it; also, in blood; also, in body parts of various creatures. Blood, piss, shit and probably half a dozen things he didn’t even want to know were sprayed all about his armor. Well, all about his armor save for his shield - nothing ever gained hold on his magic shield.
We won?
He surveyed the battlefield and the carnage on his body came nowhere near the carnage in the field. He was a delicate horsehair brush dabbed wantonly into its painting pot and applied with brutish force by an unmerciful god on this horrible canvas.
The Machaka were indeed fleeing. Crawling over the bodies of dead spiders. Crawling over dis-animated and immobile undead elephants. Departing this hell in whatever way they could; they were leaving.
What’s left?
The scout had no heart to reply and just stood motionless. That didn’t matter though. The human eye is drawn to motion and there was precious little of it. The bulk of his forces, the magically infused terracotta warriors - lay smashed around him. His desert nomads - gone. Even his capable foot troops, the 'Adite elites - there were but a handful still standing. Of his front line - not twenty remained.
The other Jann Emirs, men like himself, were picking themselves up and then often sitting down on whatever was convenient. The Mukarribs, talented astral sorcerers, were barely standing - judging from the look of them though, they must have extracted a terrible toll.
But…where was everyone else? If decimation was literally one in ten, was there even human name for the inverse? Dear god…
Sir, it’s a terrible victory
No, son, it’s something far worse. It’s Pyrrhic.
My Poor Spiders and Shade Beasts! All gone! I lost 9 of my precious sorcerers to the attack by the giant stone!
Oh and Griffons. I had slightly higher hopes for them.
So, now, once again, I’m back to the drawing board. I’m back to consolidating my troops and building up a new force. Maybe more flyers? Maybe more Bane Lords? Send in Elephants or Behemoths? I don’t even know anymore.
Those Emirs are the worst.
This was not a good turn. My only consolation is that all of Strato’s assassination attempts failed this turn and that I’m moving an army through his territory, and causing rebellions in his forts.
I’m pretty sure just about every ‘gift from heaven’ landed within my lines. I wish you could script spells out of your casters (NEVER cast these spells)…still, probably better than earthquake.
On a more interesting note, i was pleased that I converted 1/6th of your spiders from you. One even stayed after the battle - he’s like a pet. We call him Roy.
That’s because I didn’t have the astral gems to pull off Anti Magic. Or many of my best spells!
My orders were pretty simple. Ritual spell to travel, then summon earthpower, earthquake, earthquake, returning. The Monolith is kinda designed to just throw spells out there.
Indeed. I just need a few spells to help it die very very very quickly.
@legowarrior
Do you have any allies at the moment in this game? Seems that you are in a war vs @Strato and@pyrhic , while @dfs, @Kelan, and @wahoo and @Evil_Steve are duking it out in a separate war?
Nicely done, @Strato . I rarely could get those to work.
the only person bashing me is wahoo - i don’t think wahoo is at war with anyone else, but i’d probably be the last to know. so my thinking is:
legowarrior vs pyrhic and strato
dfs vs kelan
wahoo vs evil_steve
I have people that have stayed out of wars when they could have joined in. People that I want to see stay in the game.
I was at war with @pyrhic, when I caught troops in my border, and then later on @Strato and @dfs jumped in as I started making strides in my conflict.
Recently, @dfs have put the war behind us, which is good for me, since @pyrhic is staying in the game and @Strato keeps raiding me.
I’m going to have to do a third length siege with Na Ba, but I’ll need to put a new force. Its not going to be easy putting it together.
Yeah it is an interesting series of conflicts going on. You’re missing out Akaoni. Just think during these difficult and uncertain times, you could be sitting down, poring over the mod inspector, gleefully chuckling as another plan forms in your head. Oh wait, that’s me.