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[CYOA] Seven Wizards for Seven Apocalypses: Now with an ending slapped on

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Posts

  • AnialosAnialos Collies are love, Collies are life! Shadowbrook ColliesRegistered User regular
    G 5 ? & X3 Fortune

  • BursarBursar Hee Noooo! PDX areaRegistered User regular
    edited December 2015
    D(east) 4 ? @ X3 Fortune

    Bursar on
    GNU Terry Pratchett
    PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
    Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
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  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Turn 21 Interim trade talks

    Decision G 5 ? # X3: Double-shift, smoulderlings, deadslayer, Vulcanus research
    Bonuses: +4 Mana, +7 Fortune

    Things
    Mana: 14 [+10/turn]
    Fortune: 48/50 [+1/turn]
    Growth: 8/10 [+2/turn]
    Peasants: 10 (effectively 25)
    Population: 11
    Shelter: 25
    Food: 25
    Resources: 31 [+4*/turn]
    Silver Pieces: 16 [+2*/turn]
    Study: 12/25 Vulcanus [+2/turn]

    *+1d4+1 to lowest total

    The Obsidian Tower
    Fused shards: Foreseen, Loyalist
    +11 mana / turn, +1 resource, / turn, +1 growth / turn, +1 study / turn, +1 fortune / turn
    [Ashvent] - Prevents scrying in the region
    [Scholar's Hall] - Allows research, +1 study/turn

    Glassalia
    [Fertile Farm] = +25 food
    [Glass houses] = +25 shelter
    [Lumber yard] = +1 resource / 10 peasants / turn)
    [Tavern] = +1 growth / turn
    [Mercantile Guild] +1d4-1 / turn to lowest of silver pieces or resources
    [Scouting] = Difficulty 15 check when exploring to uncover additional bonuses

    New Thett
    Spy = -1 silver pieces / turn, +1 to mercantile guild

    Caldeot
    Spy = -1 silver pieces / turn, +1 to mercantile guild

    Individuals & Armies
    Cinders, The Foreseen Lavashaper
    Combat: 5 dice, 4+ strength [Lucky] [Battle Scholar] [Wizard] [Ranged(short)] [Deadslayer]
    Equipment: Vulcanus
    Vote bonuses: +1 Mana or +1 Fortune per vote

    Skeleton Warriors
    Combat: 2 dice, 8+ strength, [Hard to kill]

    Smoulderlings
    Combat: 4 dice, 6+ strength, [Obscuring]

    Sanders, The Magma Wyrm [adds +25 to fortune threshold. Improves fortunes]

    Ingvar's Machine [Imprisoned]
    Combat: 3 dice, 5+ strength, [sluggish]

    Elephantite x1
    -1 mana/turn
    15 peasants of labour

    [Adaptable] During a round, one positive trait of the target is cancelled
    [Lucky] One reroll per round
    [Ranged(short)] Make one attack without retaliation before melee
    [Wizard] Must spend 1 mana / round or lose all but one dice
    [Swarmfighting] +1 on rolls when targeting an enemy targeted by another ally
    [Hard to kill] If beaten in combat make a difficulty 8 check. On success the unit is not destroyed
    [Sluggish] Only rolls dice every second round
    [Battle Scholar] +1 study / round and +1 study on a natural 10
    [Armoured N] Unit has N armour that are lost in place of dice
    [Obscuring]: target rolls one fewer dice (cannot reduce dice rolled to fewer than one)
    [Deadslayer]: Makes a difficulty 8 check each round. On success deals a dice of damage to a random bonemancy enemy unit

    Artifacts
    Vulcanus
    Grants Ranged(short) to the bearer
    Intelligent(?)

    The Archive
    Reflections on the twin shards and their ultimate connection to the artifact once known as The Weir
    Lowers difficulty of drawing by 2
    Increases output of drawing by +1/dice
    Increases mana income by +1 / turn
    Allows shard fusion/destruction

    A detailed consideration of the entities which lurk below and how to effectively bind them into perpetual servitude
    Allows Smoulderlings and Elephantites to be summoned

    Of the interplay between bonemancy and lavashaping: Flaming skulls or smouldering corpses?
    Makes [Wizards] more effective against bonemancy

    Diplomacy
    The Drowned Lady: Caldeot, the town by the Drowned City
    Relations: Respectful and amiable
    Spy in place: Undetected
    Military: 10 dice at 6+ strength all with [Armoured 1/2]

    Sultan Ofan: New Thett, the merchant hub
    Relations: Besotted
    Spy in place: Undetected
    Military: 15 dice at 7+ strength

    Nephroditi: The Bonemancer Wanderer
    Relations: Business-like
    Trade route: +2 silver piece & +1 resource/ turn

    Selin:The Silver-tongued Spirit-Weaver
    Relations: Friendly

    Tzo'lin: The Undying Pious servant of The Bound Giant
    Relations: Unsettling, but positive

    Ingvar: The Instigator Mechano-Sage
    Relations: Unknown

    Axiom: The Fistcaster Loyalist

    Summary
    Cinders had decided there was no rush to get to business, and better still, if she had the Caravan of Bones around for longer than perhaps she could learn more about her former colleagues. The caravan wagons remained on the edge of Glassalia. While the lavashaper took Selin and Nephroditi inside to see their quarters, Arcbeth ventured out to oversee the offloading of goods. Even with Selin's presence there was no sign of humans around the wagons. Beyond the pale imitation of life that was the skeletal horde there was also Selin's contribution: bundles of leaves and twigs, crude physical shells for spirits that were mostly concerned with keeping the wagonsite clean and tidy. No doubt there were more powerful entities lurking around, but until they needed a physical for the spirits remained undetected. Despite the lack of vocal language the bone tradesmen, marked out by their odd green caps, seemed eager to extend the current trade mission. Jars of bubbling perfumed oils, spiced cured vegetables, bone longflutes and strangely pliable lengths of wood were brought out for exchange.
    [+1 resource, +1 silver income from the trade route with Nephroditi & Selin being enhanced by the mercantile guild]

    Perhaps compelled by the new audience, the new Elephantite was put to work immediately. The peasants crowded around it as it tore whole trees free of the ground and dragged them back to the sawmill.
    [+7 resources from double-shift.]

    While she waited for her guests to settle, Cinders returned to the top of her tower. The loss of her milita had irritated her. Those warriors had had potential and now they were six feet deep. It was time to conjure something more robust. She grasped at one of the shoals rushing about around the molten heart of the world and hauled it to the surface. They emerged as a series of minor flares. Each Smoulderling that burst out of the ground burned briefly like the sun before vanishing behind a constant cloud of sweet-scented black smoke. As near as anybody could work out the Smoulderlings were the size of a dog, low sleek forms that moved at a tremendous pace. Much like wolves or dogs they howled too, but it was a grinding howling, like somebody was intruding on the domain of a enraged lump of quartz. And the howling never ceased, it merely ebbed and flowed in volume. They retired to the edge of the settlement to patrol. Soon, the noisy halo of smoke around Glassalia would come to be a sign of safety and protection for the residents. [Research into Vulcanus started & Smoulderlings summoned]

    Later, Cinders joined Selin and Nephroditi down in one of the tower's more central chambers. This time Nephroditi made no mention of her reanimation mixtures. Either the witch had reconsidered selling the secrets of bonemancy or the offer had been somewhat less than honest. That aside, she was happy to part with her skeletal minions, although at an elevated price. Selin offered some of the boons of Spirit-Weaving to Cinders. For a modest cost she could bind some spirits to Glassalia. The lesser helpful type would manifest within the debris around the city, piles of stones or sand or whatever else and would aid the peasants in their day to day tasks. Alternatively, the central stores themselves could have a Behemoth bound to them. This spirit was warlike and terrible, but confined to the settlement by the magic to work in a defensive capacity only. When threatened it would manifest with all available raw materials and channel Cinders' stored energy as destructive force.

    Similarly, the two mages were interested in what Cinders could offer. Despite her earlier comment, Nephroditi was clearly eager to take some of the Glassalian citizenship away with the Caravan of Bones, although she didn't explicitly suggest that they would be forced into her harem. Which indicated that the intended use of them could be far, far worse. Equally, the bonemancer was happy to pay in cold, hard silver for the opportunity to plunder the growing number of graves around the village. The new Smoulderlings appeared to interest neither of the two, but the Elephantite was another story.

    On a non-magical note, the two were prepared to spread the good word about Glassalia to try and swell Cinders' ranks with fresh hands.

    Of course, none of this was cheap.

    [Tzo'lin will destroy his crystal and reawaken his god on turn 30]

    Decision Time
    (Three letters, A-D, E-G, H-I. Up to four symbols. And as many numbers as you can afford)

    Share information about:
    A - Axiom's demise but not what happened to his shard
    B - Axiom's demise and lie that the shard was destroyed in the process
    C - Axiom's demise and Cinders' fusion of his shard
    D - None of the above

    E - Tzo'lin's plan to summon his God, the first human and the foreseen time of this
    F - The above, but also tell the about his avatar in the mine
    G - None of the above

    H - The impending war between Caldeot and New Thett
    I - None of the above

    Ask about:
    (difficulty 7+number of options chosen to gain useful information. Difficulty may be reduced for sharing information)
    £: The other mages
    $: Other settlements nearby
    %: Places of interest
    &: The plans of Selin and Nephroditi
    @: What they know about The Weir

    Trade:
    (You have 16 silver pieces to spend, you can select 1-2 and 7 multiple times if you have the cash)
    1: Buy skeletons (2 dice, 8+ strength, [Hard to Kill]) (costs 25 silver pieces)
    2: Buy helpful spirits (3 peasants of labour) (costs 20 silver pieces)
    3: Buy the behemoth (dice equal to (resources / 10), strength equal to 10 - (mana/10)*, [Defender 2]** [Reforms]***) (costs 40 silver pieces)
    4: Buy propaganda (+1 growth) (costs 25 silver pieces)
    5: Sell mana (-10 mana, +5 silver pieces)
    6: Sell the remains of the deceased (+25 silver pieces)
    7: Sell the living (+5 silver pieces, -1 peasant)
    8: Sell the Elephantite (+30 silver pieces)

    *caps at strength 2+ (i.e. at 80 mana)
    ** [Defender N]: Cannot leave Glassalia, but will always be targeted first and will be targeted by N enemy units
    ***[Reforms]: If defeated in combat pay 10 mana to avoid losing the unit

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    (Apologies for the slightly complicated voting and lack of dialogue)

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    If we pick 6, can we not send the body of our previous apprentice? I don't know if there would be any residual magic or anything, but Cinders probably doesn't either and wouldn't want to risk it.

    There are 5 dead militiamen that are available though

  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Yeah, lets assume that the graveyards don't include your former apprentice.

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    Easy then

    AFH %£& 46 Fortune

    well, easier than getting the pound in there

    you know we don't have that on our keyboard, right? =P

    Delmain on
  • AnialosAnialos Collies are love, Collies are life! Shadowbrook ColliesRegistered User regular
    edited December 2015
    AFI %£$ 46 Fortune



    Anialos on
  • CelebrimCelebrim Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    I'm torn between selling mana, graves and a person for 2 units of skeletons and selling just the graves for the behemoth. The skels would give us a decent army, but the behemoth would give us something to protect the base and possibly open up cross-discipline spirit-weaving research. If we sell the elephantite, we probably give Neph the ability to research lavamancy.

    edit: Didn't refresh before posting this. Is 46 51 possible? Seems like a cost of 50, when we'd have 46 after sales.

    Celebrim on
  • jakobaggerjakobagger LO THY DREAD EMPIRE CHAOS IS RESTORED Registered User regular
    I am kind of puzzled your keyboards don't have £ symbols. Mine has both that and $ and we use neither currency here. Maybe it's there but not marked? For me it's:

    £=Alt Gr+3
    $=Alt Gr+4

  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Yes, you can't afford 4651 by my counting

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    I was reading selling mana as 10 coins...

    E: vote changed

    Delmain on
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    jakobagger wrote: »
    I am kind of puzzled your keyboards don't have £ symbols. Mine has both that and $ and we use neither currency here. Maybe it's there but not marked? For me it's:

    £=Alt Gr+3
    $=Alt Gr+4

    we don't have an alt gr

  • zekebeauzekebeau Registered User regular
    AFH %£& 46 Fortune

  • jakobaggerjakobagger LO THY DREAD EMPIRE CHAOS IS RESTORED Registered User regular
    Delmain wrote: »
    jakobagger wrote: »
    I am kind of puzzled your keyboards don't have £ symbols. Mine has both that and $ and we use neither currency here. Maybe it's there but not marked? For me it's:

    £=Alt Gr+3
    $=Alt Gr+4

    we don't have an alt gr

    . . .wat. It never even entered my mind that was't a universal thing.

  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
  • CelebrimCelebrim Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    AFI %& 36 Mana

    Went with the cheaper option, since I'm not sure if selling a person will have any morale issues with our peasants.

    Celebrim on
  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    CFH £$%&@ 24 56 Fortune

    Full honesty, full questions. Sell dead, mana, buy spirits, propaganda.

    wilting on
  • CelebrimCelebrim Registered User regular
    What's with all the propaganda? I bet we can get growth from conquered cities too! I know I went with a defender, but I expect conquering to force us to station troops and I also want to open the possibility of Spirit Weaving research.

  • jakobaggerjakobagger LO THY DREAD EMPIRE CHAOS IS RESTORED Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    BEH - %&@ - 356 Fortune

    jakobagger on
  • RoonieRoonie Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    AFI %& 36 Fortune - fortune proc does seem like a good idea actually

    Roonie on
  • PolaritiePolaritie Sleepy Registered User regular
    Here's to fortune procs!

    AFH %£& 46 Fortune

    Steam: Polaritie
    3DS: 0473-8507-2652
    Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
    PSN: AbEntropy
  • TipharethTiphareth Registered User regular
    CFH £&@ 1256 - Fortune

    Buying the helpful spirits may let us unlock some insight into spirit magic, and we could use a few more skellingtons. Don't think we should try for all the things they know since I want us to roll a success too.

  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    Turn 22

    Decision AFH - %£& - 46 : Moderate sharing, moderate questioning and selling corpses for good word
    Bonuses: N/A

    Things
    Mana: 14 [+10/turn]
    Fortune: 48/50 [+1/turn]
    Growth: 8/10 [+3/turn]
    Peasants: 10 (effectively 25)
    Population: 11
    Shelter: 25
    Food: 25
    Resources: 31 [+4*/turn]
    Silver Pieces: 16 [+2*/turn]
    Study: 12/25 Vulcanus [+2/turn]

    *+1d4+1 to lowest total

    The Obsidian Tower
    Fused shards: Foreseen, Loyalist
    +11 mana / turn, +1 resource, / turn, +1 growth / turn, +1 study / turn, +1 fortune / turn
    [Ashvent] - Prevents scrying in the region
    [Scholar's Hall] - Allows research, +1 study/turn

    Glassalia
    [Fertile Farm] = +25 food
    [Glass houses] = +25 shelter
    [Lumber yard] = +1 resource / 10 peasants / turn)
    [Tavern] = +1 growth / turn
    [Mercantile Guild] +1d4-1 / turn to lowest of silver pieces or resources
    [Scouting] = Difficulty 15 check when exploring to uncover additional bonuses

    New Thett
    Spy = -1 silver pieces / turn, +1 to mercantile guild

    Caldeot
    Spy = -1 silver pieces / turn, +1 to mercantile guild

    Individuals & Armies
    Cinders, The Foreseen Lavashaper
    Combat: 5 dice, 4+ strength [Lucky] [Battle Scholar] [Wizard] [Ranged(short)] [Deadslayer]
    Equipment: Vulcanus
    Vote bonuses: +1 Mana or +1 Fortune per vote

    Skeleton Warriors
    Combat: 2 dice, 8+ strength, [Hard to kill]

    Smoulderlings
    Combat: 4 dice, 6+ strength, [Obscuring]

    Sanders, The Magma Wyrm [adds +25 to fortune threshold. Improves fortunes]

    Ingvar's Machine [Imprisoned]
    Combat: 3 dice, 5+ strength, [sluggish]

    Elephantite x1
    -1 mana/turn
    15 peasants of labour

    [Adaptable] During a round, one positive trait of the target is cancelled
    [Lucky] One reroll per round
    [Ranged(short)] Make one attack without retaliation before melee
    [Wizard] Must spend 1 mana / round or lose all but one dice
    [Swarmfighting] +1 on rolls when targeting an enemy targeted by another ally
    [Hard to kill] If beaten in combat make a difficulty 8 check. On success the unit is not destroyed
    [Sluggish] Only rolls dice every second round
    [Battle Scholar] +1 study / round and +1 study on a natural 10
    [Armoured N] Unit has N armour that are lost in place of dice
    [Obscuring]: target rolls one fewer dice (cannot reduce dice rolled to fewer than one)
    [Deadslayer]: Makes a difficulty 8 check each round. On success deals a dice of damage to a random bonemancy enemy unit

    Artifacts
    Vulcanus
    Grants Ranged(short) to the bearer
    Intelligent(?)

    The Archive
    Reflections on the twin shards and their ultimate connection to the artifact once known as The Weir
    Lowers difficulty of drawing by 2
    Increases output of drawing by +1/dice
    Increases mana income by +1 / turn
    Allows shard fusion/destruction

    A detailed consideration of the entities which lurk below and how to effectively bind them into perpetual servitude
    Allows Smoulderlings and Elephantites to be summoned

    Of the interplay between bonemancy and lavashaping: Flaming skulls or smouldering corpses?
    Makes [Wizards] more effective against bonemancy

    Diplomacy
    The Drowned Lady: Caldeot, the town by the Drowned City
    Relations: Respectful and amiable
    Spy in place: Undetected
    Military: 10 dice at 6+ strength all with [Armoured 1/2]

    Sultan Ofan: New Thett, the merchant hub
    Relations: Besotted
    Spy in place: Undetected
    Military: 15 dice at 7+ strength

    Nephroditi: The Bonemancer Wanderer
    Relations: Business-like
    Trade route: +2 silver pieces, +1 growth & +1 resource/ turn

    Selin:The Silver-tongued Spirit-Weaver
    Relations: Friendly

    Tzo'lin: The Undying Pious servant of The Bound Giant
    Relations: Unsettling, but positive

    Ingvar: The Instigator Mechano-Sage
    Relations: Unknown

    Talen: The other one

    Axiom: The Fistcaster Loyalist

    Summary
    "Axiom is dead."

    The words hung in the air, somewhat spoiling the previously jovial atmosphere. Selin sat forward, setting her teacup down on the beaten brass table, but didn't interrupt allowing Cinders to continue. She told a truncated version of the story. Her first encounter with the fistercaster was modified to avoid mention of his shard at all. It was Nephroditi who responded first,
    "Oh daaarling that is just terrible. I can't imagine how you must feel, killing one of your own like that. I mean, he was never really with us, but he was still an apprentice back at the Institute. Sort of like family in a way. Just from one of the part's of the family that you did your best to avoid. He was obsessed with returning to the status quo and utterly resistant to avoiding making the most of this situation. Still, one has to wonder about his shard... Maybe Ingvar has it now? He's the same in believing that something awful will happen if we don't rebuild The Weir."

    With a nod, Selin added,
    "We had heard of a one-armed mage and put together that it must have been Axiom. He was heading into Ingvar's territory last we heard. Clearly he turned around and came back for you. As Nephroditi said, this can not have been pleasant for you but we do not judge you, Cinderella. I am sure in the same circumstances I would have done the same. If I had the power that is. Axiom was a dedicated mage and his choice of school was one focused on violence. I am glad you bested him even if I do feel his loss."

    The conversation naturally flowed to the other mages,
    "You might recall, daaarling, that I had planned on visiting Ingvar after my last stop here. Well, I ran into Selin on the way and the two of us made the journey. He was doing well despite waking up in the frozen wastes. It's full of bearded types with horned helmets and stone axes chasing mammoths. Ingvar had pulled all the tribes or clans or whatever the right word is. Those mechano-sage tricks are well suited to making life over there more bearable."

    Selin laughed,
    "I am proud of Ingvar. He was a bit of an outsider back home, for obvious reasons, but this new world seems to fit him well. It is a shame that he is unwilling to accept the failure of the ritual as inconsequential now. At first he tried to bargain with us to get hold of our shards. And then... well he turned nasty and we had to make a bit of a getaway. I would not recommend paying him a visit without a good reason. I do hope he gets a little perspective. Well after that, we united our shards-"

    The bonemancer made a face as Selin let that detail lose, but the spirit-weaver waved the complaint away before she could open her mouth,
    "- and we've taken precautions so that Ingvar does not get tempted. We send out the odd trade wagon there, but it is not much. The snowfolk distrust outsiders and have little to offer unless you have a taste for yak cheese."

    "Talen we met only recently. She was... unsettled here. This world was not her home. It was base and violent. I can understand her point of view. She did not seemed swayed by our warnings about Ingvar and we have not heard from her since. We fear the worst, but at the very least we can assume that she has united her shard with Ingvar's. And if she joined willingly, then Ingvar's followers will now have some robust military thinking behind them. Perhaps I am too quick to judge though, perhaps she has tempered his ambition and has remained there willingly. Perhaps. I just find it hard to believe in my heart."

    It was a good point for Cinders to offer what she knew of Tzo'lin, the servant of the bound giant, dwelling beneath Drome and with one avatar in the nearby mine and no doubt others across the world. She did her best to stress the risk that he posed and suggested that this was something Selin and Nephroditi should take action regarding.
    "We knew about Tzo'lin in Drome. The fact he has managed to spread himself across this world without either of us noticing is a point of concern, but Cinders, daaarling, you do worry too much. Tzo'lin's cult of the bound giant is just another religion with another false god. The world has changed and so he has adapted to wanting to unify every single mortal to just taking the roaming animals that he can lay his hands on. He knows that if he made a move against one of us, or tried to take our subjects then we'd have to stop him. We should live and let live. Yes, daaarling, it is distasteful for Tzo'lin to be fashioning himself a huge titan of flesh but should we turn our hand against him just because we find his faith unpleasant? The world changes and endures. And even if the worst happens, the bulk of him is across an ocean."

    Cinders could hardly believe the nonchalant reaction of the pair to the impending emergence of a god made flesh. The war between New Thett and Caldeot caught the pair's attention. Evidently they had known about it too, as Selin confirmed,
    "Yes. War is coming. An unfortunate business but a necessity. To be callous, it will be good for this world. It has been static too long and it is time for the people to rise up against old constructs. Caldeot and New Thett have warred for as long as anybody in this place can remember. And this will be the final war. A war to unite the people and let them start a new era of peace and prosperity. The Caravan of Bones is the first part of that. We help the world look like a smaller place. Sadly, it can't naturally transition into a united form. That has to come with some measure of destruction. The war is in hand, Cinderella. Do not worry. And do not worry about it impacting here either. It will be managed and the aftermath will be beautiful."

    Conversation stalled after the revelation that Selin and Nephroditi were in fact masterminding a new era of war. Eventually, however, Cinders was able to probe a little about some of the more interesting sights that the two had encountered in their travels.

    In the mountains to the south was a great castle that was visible for miles around but which seemed to lack any path to allow access.

    In the ocean to the west was a vast gaping hole which the water poured into.

    To the east, one the coast, was a mass of statues. Odd figures that were not human bowed in subjugation.

    4JaN2MD.png

    Finally it was time for the pair to leave. Cinders had granted them leave to empty the graveyard on the outskirts of Glassalia and in exchange they had sworn to spread the good word about the town. The citizenry did not seem particularly happy to see the remains of their fellows being taken, but they knew better than to complain or resist. In short order there were only a series of open ditches in the earth and the wagons were trundling away surrounding by the endless skeletal dance.

    [Sharing: Axiom's demise but not what happened to his shard; Tzo'lin's plan to summon his god, the first human, and the foreseen time of this and his avatar in the mine; The coming war]
    [Asking: Places of interest, other mages and plans. Difficulty 9, -1 for being forthcoming brings that to 8. Pass, pass, pass]
    [Trading corpses for +1 growth]
    [Tzo'lin will destroy his crystal and reawaken his god on turn 30]

    Decision Time
    (A letter, a number, and specify Mana/Fortune for your vote bonus)

    Peasant action:
    A: Build houses (shelter for 25 peasants) (costs 15 resources)[/s]
    B: Build a farm (+20 food) (Costs 15 resources)[/s]
    C: Build a ship (allows contact with Drome and whaling) (costs 100 resources)
    D: Scout the mainland [specify southwest, south, east]
    E: Raise militia (produces a [Militia] unit, costs 5 resources and 5 peasants)
    F : Work a double shift on the sawmill (produces 5+1d6 resources)

    Cinders action:
    1: Help the peasants (Pay 2x resource cost in mana and 0 resources on build, or pay 5 mana on production to obtain +1d8 resources) [Make sure the peasant action chosen makes sense]
    2: Try to draw more mana from the crystal shards (difficulty 11: Success gains 3d8+3 mana, Failure is bad)
    3: Construct a mana focus (costs 50 mana. Reduces drawing difficulty by 3 and adds +1d8 to drawing)
    4: Accelerate the experiments (costs 3 mana to obtain +1d8 study)
    5: Summon Smoulderlings (produces a [Smoulderling] unit, 4 dice, 6+ [Obscuring], costs 40 mana)
    6: Summon an Elephantite (produces labour equivalent to 15 peasants, costs 30 mana and 1mana/turn)
    7: Boil the lake to expose the drowned city (costs 100 mana)

    8: Attack/Annex Caldeot/New Thett (choose one and specify units)
    9: Personally travel to New Thett to accept the Sultan's hospitality (specify any units to accompany Cinders)
    10: Try to persuade Caldeot / Lord Laren (from New Thett) to claim (back) the mine (difficulty 8, moves Tzo'lin's destiny event forward 5 turns and may free up the mine)
    11: Attack the mine to destroy the avatar of Tzo'lin (gains the mine +2 resources and +1 silver / turn)
    12: Give Tzo'lin his sacrifice (specify any units to accompany Cinders) (costs 10 peasants, gains the mine +2 resources and +1 silver / turn)
    13: Release the automaton and follow it to the tundra and Ingvar's reunion (specify units)
    14: Muse quietly on your throne (effectively a turn skip)

    Mojo_Jojo on
    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    Woops, I didn't notice that we weren't actually asked for a bonus vote last round. This round is asking for a bunch of stuff we don't need though. =P

    F4-Mana

    E: I think options changed after I voted...

    Delmain on
  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Well spotted. It's sorted out now.

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    We need a boat.

    F4 Fortune

    wilting on
  • zekebeauzekebeau Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    F 4- Fortune

    Now I'm too curious to find out about those statues. But maybe militia..ugh it is a hard choice. Luck proc for the win though.

    Also, what about the B&B? Are they not going to set up a nice little vacation home here? Glassialia, fun, sun, surf. Fire up your vacation this year.

    zekebeau on
  • AuralynxAuralynx Darkness is a perspective Watching the ego workRegistered User regular
    edited December 2015
    F9 (Skeletons and Smolderlings) Fortune

    If we don't have any pressing business let's leave everyone working on a boat and go get lucky visiting the Sultan.

    Auralynx on
    kshu0oba7xnr.png

  • InvictusInvictus Registered User regular
    F4 Fortune

    Generalísimo de Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina
  • TipharethTiphareth Registered User regular
    E4 - Fortune

  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    Do we care about Tzo'lin's plans (and nabbing his crystal before he destroys it), or no? Because if we do, we need to gather the resources to build a boat so we can get there to stop him (and spend the rest of our turns summoning units to fight, or otherwise strengthening ourselves).

    Mind you, capturing the mine will help us with resources, so perhaps we should draw mana to summon units to take the mine to get resources to build the boat to cross the sea to stop Tzo'lin?

    wilting on
  • zekebeauzekebeau Registered User regular
    Honestly, I think the beautiful united future being sold by the bone caravan is about as creepy as Tzo'lin, in fact is seems creepily similar (unite the world). I think they have already come to a decision about how to divide the world, with Tzo'lin keeping the land across the sea. I'll change my vote to resources and maybe draw next term to summon more smolderings.

  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    Creepy is right.

  • CelebrimCelebrim Registered User regular
    F 4 Mana

    I'm sticking with the safer choices. Once we research Vulcanus, we could visit New Thett and see about buying/renting a boat/fleet. We'll have some more silver by then. Caldeot seems more in awe of or afraid of the sea.

  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    We could always try to get Ingvar's help if we get really desperate, but that might interfere with gaining maximum benefit for ourselves.

  • jakobaggerjakobagger LO THY DREAD EMPIRE CHAOS IS RESTORED Registered User regular
    edited December 2015
    F 11(Smolderlings and skeletons) Fortune

    jakobagger on
  • AuralynxAuralynx Darkness is a perspective Watching the ego workRegistered User regular
    Trouble is 8 turns out. Maybe the Sultan has more cool stuff or troops we can use. This is probably a good time to roll the dice on that, imo, because building the boat is just numbers we need to make work out and we have 8 turns to pull it together.

    kshu0oba7xnr.png

  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    Turn 23

    Decision F 4 : Double shifting and research
    Bonuses: +2 Mana, +6 Fortune

    Things
    Mana: 23 [+10/turn]
    Fortune: 5/50 [+1/turn]
    Growth: 1/10 [+3/turn]
    Peasants: 12 (effectively 27)
    Shelter: 25
    Food: 25
    Resources: 46 [+4*/turn]
    Silver Pieces: 21 [+2*/turn]
    Study: 16/25 Vulcanus [+2/turn]

    *+1d4+1 to lowest total

    The Obsidian Tower
    Fused shards: Foreseen, Loyalist
    +11 mana / turn, +1 resource, / turn, +1 growth / turn, +1 study / turn, +1 fortune / turn
    [Ashvent] - Prevents scrying in the region
    [Scholar's Hall] - Allows research, +1 study/turn

    Glassalia
    [Fertile Farm] = +25 food
    [Glass houses] = +25 shelter
    [Lumber yard] = +1 resource / 10 peasants / turn)
    [Tavern] = +1 growth / turn
    [Mercantile Guild] +1d4-1 / turn to lowest of silver pieces or resources
    [Scouting] = Difficulty 15 check when exploring to uncover additional bonuses

    New Thett
    Spy = -1 silver pieces / turn, +1 to mercantile guild

    Caldeot
    Spy = -1 silver pieces / turn, +1 to mercantile guild

    Individuals & Armies
    Cinders, The Foreseen Lavashaper
    Combat: 5 dice, 4+ strength [Lucky] [Battle Scholar] [Wizard] [Ranged(short)] [Deadslayer]
    Equipment: Vulcanus
    Vote bonuses: +1 Mana or +1 Fortune per vote

    Skeleton Warriors
    Combat: 2 dice, 8+ strength, [Hard to kill]

    Smoulderlings
    Combat: 4 dice, 6+ strength, [Obscuring]

    Sanders, The Magma Wyrm [adds +25 to fortune threshold. Improves fortunes]

    Ingvar's Machine [Imprisoned]
    Combat: 3 dice, 5+ strength, [sluggish]

    Elephantite x1
    -1 mana/turn
    15 peasants of labour

    [Adaptable] During a round, one positive trait of the target is cancelled
    [Lucky] One reroll per round
    [Ranged(short)] Make one attack without retaliation before melee
    [Wizard] Must spend 1 mana / round or lose all but one dice
    [Swarmfighting] +1 on rolls when targeting an enemy targeted by another ally
    [Hard to kill] If beaten in combat make a difficulty 8 check. On success the unit is not destroyed
    [Sluggish] Only rolls dice every second round
    [Battle Scholar] +1 study / round and +1 study on a natural 10
    [Armoured N] Unit has N armour that are lost in place of dice
    [Obscuring]: target rolls one fewer dice (cannot reduce dice rolled to fewer than one)
    [Deadslayer]: Makes a difficulty 8 check each round. On success deals a dice of damage to a random bonemancy enemy unit

    Artifacts
    Vulcanus
    Grants Ranged(short) to the bearer
    Intelligent(?)

    The Archive
    Reflections on the twin shards and their ultimate connection to the artifact once known as The Weir
    Lowers difficulty of drawing by 2
    Increases output of drawing by +1/dice
    Increases mana income by +1 / turn
    Allows shard fusion/destruction

    A detailed consideration of the entities which lurk below and how to effectively bind them into perpetual servitude
    Allows Smoulderlings and Elephantites to be summoned

    Of the interplay between bonemancy and lavashaping: Flaming skulls or smouldering corpses?
    Makes [Wizards] more effective against bonemancy

    Diplomacy
    The Drowned Lady: Caldeot, the town by the Drowned City
    Relations: Respectful and amiable
    Spy in place: Undetected
    Military: 10 dice at 6+ strength all with [Armoured 1/2]

    Sultan Ofan: New Thett, the merchant hub
    Relations: Besotted
    Spy in place: Undetected
    Military: 15 dice at 7+ strength

    Nephroditi: The Bonemancer Wanderer
    Relations: Business-like
    Trade route: +2 silver pieces, +1 growth & +1 resource/ turn

    Selin:The Silver-tongued Spirit-Weaver
    Relations: Friendly

    Tzo'lin: The Undying Pious servant of The Bound Giant
    Relations: Unsettling, but positive

    Ingvar: The Instigator Mechano-Sage
    Relations: Unknown

    Talen: The other one

    Axiom: The Fistcaster Loyalist

    Summary
    Out at sea, the people of Glassalia had taken to the water on tiny skiffs. They were useless for any meaningful travel, but serviceable enough for fishing. The various sea-molluscs and crustaceans that were plucked from the waters all contributed to the increased importance of Glassalia in the local web of trade. Cinders was watching one such skiff now. She didn't need her looking glass to know that the next time the fishers pulled in their nets they would find more than fish. It was time.

    The lavashaper was waiting when the tiny boat beached. Wordlessly, the two men carried the barnacled chest down to their master and planted it in the sand at her feet. It was old and the seawater and corroded the latch into a worthless patch of brown-green flakes. Opening the lid, Cinders was confronted with a head staring back at her. The head was carved from marble, and even ravaged by its time under the waters was still clearly a masterpiece. The head rested upon elements of a much cruder body. Two bare cylinders made up each arm and leg, and the body itself was a kite-shaped mass that only barely fit inside the chest. This material was a grey, unimpressive stone, bbut it was marked with chisel marks, runes in an ancient language. A language which Cinders saw explained how the figure could be reanimated. At the very bottom of the chest, wrapped in the remains of a fabric which disintegrated from her touch, were the hands. Made from the same veined marble as the head, the hands surpassed mortal craftsmanship. While the rest of the body lacked any obvious joints, the hands were a wonder of interlocking sections. There was a lot of use for a golem such as this: Tireless labour, a silent assassin or another troop to bolster her ranks. But the decision could only be made once.
    [Fortune event: Runed golem]

    Cinders had the chest taken into the obsidian tower. While she mulled over her decision she buried herself in her work on Vulcanus. The bladed disc clearly enjoyed being the focus of her attention and was only too eager to subject itself to ever more invasive scrutiny. As she worked, so too did the villagers. And already the good word from Selin and Nephroditi was working. Fresh faces had appeared at the tavern and were keen to start their new life away from the rising tensions of war.
    [+2 study from experiments, +11 resources from double shift. +2 peasants from growth]

    Behind Cinders, the ovular cocoon cracked and split. A thick grey slime oozed out as it broke down into several large fragments. What had once been the fateless offspring of peasants, destined only to start a life of hard labour in ten or twelve years was now a fully formed woman. Her skin was pale much like Ingvar's and would serve as an endless reminder as to how this was a wizard forged not a wizard born. She doubled up on the ground now coated in filth and hacking more up from her lungs. Even her hair was translucent and lacking any real pigment. An ugly thing truth be told. But an apprentice all the same.

    This one had had a leg up in life, and would not need the same training that Cinders' previous had required, but there was still a question of which tradition it would follow. It would be simple enough to raise her as a lavashaper. The second way would be to allow the apprentice to develop naturally and see which school called to her, again a simple option but one fraught with the risk of some lesser form of magic. Since taking Axiom's shard, Cinders had a little sliver of the man's life, she could attempt to bend this to her will and form this one as a new fistcaster. Most risky would be experimenting in lesser known magic; Cinders had a little experience now of bonemancy and perhaps she start this one down that unholy road. Even if the more experimental options would be unlikely to harm the girl, the risk was more around unintended consequences.

    [Tzo'lin will destroy his crystal and reawaken his god on turn 30]

    Decision Time
    (A letter, a number, a symbol and a G-number and specify Mana/Fortune for your vote bonus)

    Peasant action:
    A: Build houses (shelter for 25 peasants) (costs 15 resources)[/s]
    B: Build a farm (+20 food) (Costs 15 resources)[/s]
    C: Build a ship (allows contact with Drome and whaling) (costs 100 resources)
    D: Scout the mainland [specify southwest, south, east]
    E: Raise militia (produces a [Militia] unit, costs 5 resources and 5 peasants)
    F : Work a double shift on the sawmill (produces 5+1d6 resources)

    Cinders action:
    1: Help the peasants (Pay 2x resource cost in mana and 0 resources on build, or pay 5 mana on production to obtain +1d8 resources) [Make sure the peasant action chosen makes sense]
    2: Try to draw more mana from the crystal shards (difficulty 11: Success gains 3d8+3 mana, Failure is bad)
    3: Construct a mana focus (costs 50 mana. Reduces drawing difficulty by 3 and adds +1d8 to drawing)
    4: Accelerate the experiments (costs 3 mana to obtain +1d8 study)
    5: Summon Smoulderlings (produces a [Smoulderling] unit, 4 dice, 6+ [Obscuring], costs 40 mana)
    6: Summon an Elephantite (produces labour equivalent to 15 peasants, costs 30 mana and 1mana/turn)
    7: Boil the lake to expose the drowned city (costs 100 mana)
    8: Attack/Annex Caldeot/New Thett (choose one and specify units)
    9: Personally travel to New Thett to accept the Sultan's hospitality (specify any units to accompany Cinders)
    10: Try to persuade Caldeot / Lord Laren (from New Thett) to claim (back) the mine (difficulty 8, moves Tzo'lin's destiny event forward 5 turns and may free up the mine)
    11: Attack the mine to destroy the avatar of Tzo'lin (gains the mine +2 resources and +1 silver / turn)
    12: Give Tzo'lin his sacrifice (specify any units to accompany Cinders) (costs 10 peasants, gains the mine +2 resources and +1 silver / turn)
    13: Release the automaton and follow it to the tundra and Ingvar's reunion (specify units)
    14: Muse quietly on your throne (effectively a turn skip)

    Apprentice action:
    £: Let her develop naturally
    $: Raise her as a lavashaper, the one true form of magic
    %: Use the residue of Axiom within the crystal shard to guide her along the path of fistcasting (difficulty 8)
    &: Employ your limited understanding of bonemancy to see if you can push her in that direction (difficulty 12)

    Golem action:
    G1: Labourer mode [adds 15 equivalent peasants of labour]
    G2: Assassin mode (select target) [makes an assassination attempt on a single wizard/leader/named individual that cannot be traced back to Cinders. Auto-success on non-wizards, difficulty 11 on wizards.]
    G3: Battle mode [5 dice, 7+, [Armour 2] ]

    Mojo_Jojo on
    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • jakobaggerjakobagger LO THY DREAD EMPIRE CHAOS IS RESTORED Registered User regular
    F 11(smolderlings, skeletons, golem) £ G3 Fortune

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