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

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Posts

  • TipharethTiphareth Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    E11(All)£G2 - Fortune

    I think using the golem to try to assassinate Tso'lin might be the best course of action here.

    Tiphareth on
  • AnialosAnialos Collies are love, Collies are life! Shadowbrook ColliesRegistered User regular
    edited January 2016
    F 4 % G2(Tso'lin) +Fortune

    What's better than a dead enemy? A dead enemy whose soul can be used to power our own loyal apprentice to punch the heck out of things.

    Anialos on
  • jakobaggerjakobagger LO THY DREAD EMPIRE CHAOS IS RESTORED Registered User regular
    Fistcasting is dumb and demonstrably not that impressive since we murdered the guy who swore by it.

  • AuralynxAuralynx Darkness is a perspective Watching the ego workRegistered User regular
    jakobagger wrote: »
    Fistcasting is dumb and demonstrably not that impressive since we murdered the guy who swore by it.

    F 9 (Skeletons, rad combat golem and Smolderlings) ₤ G3

    That golem could wreck house in a fight, and soaks up a good deal of damage and I think that's probably better than a 50 / 50 on a guy we're not sure we can't more easily beat in a straight-up fight later.

    I still want to visit the Sultan. He has a lot of guys and cool stuff and thinks we're great. Plus we can probably take his army if it turns out to be a bad call, especially with the golem.

    Fistcasting on an apprentice probably = we get a pretty beefy combat unit against anyone else, since we're the only one with access to "Throw a buttload of lava on a guy," magic-wise. I'd imagine it could be improved to be bonus-good against skeletons / spirits / robots / flesh guys based on the effect of our Lavashaping vs Bonemancy text. Not that I'm pro-Fistcasting Apprentice; I'd rather roll the dice and see what else we get. Everyone else has a pal, why shouldn't we?

    kshu0oba7xnr.png

  • CelebrimCelebrim Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    F 9(Golem, Smoulderlings) % G3 Mana

    I'd hate to see the end of Fistcasting. If we fail to direct the apprentice, does she develop naturally or is there a delay while we try again?

    Hitting either city leader with assassination would probably just lead to war between the two and our luck with the dice is not something I'd bet on taking out a wizard.

    I think we have enough to defend ourselves if things go bad with the Sultan. I'd like to get one more Smoulderling unit before we hit the mine. Also we should switch to scouting or making a militia next turn so as not to overwork the peasants.

    Celebrim on
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    D (East) 4 £ G3

    I don't have any particular reason to believe this, but I feel like if we let our apprentice develop on her own, she might have a higher maximum potential than if we forced her into a specific kind of magic. As I said, no reason to believe that, but we don't particularly need a fistcaster (since as someone said, we wrecked the last one), and a bonemancer would be nice but I don't want to trust our fate to a DC 12 check.

    Also I don't think we should continue double-shifting our peasants. I brought it up before and Mojo gave us an answer of (basically) "keep doing it and see what happens", so...

    We know there are some cool statues out east, lets go check them out.

  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    F9(smolderlings, golem) £ G3 Mana

    I'm warming to the 'Sultan might give us stuff' line of thought. I'd leave the skellingtons at home though - shouldn't leave the place without defences, and the giving away any association with her Bonemanceness might not be desirable.

    wilting on
  • BursarBursar Hee Noooo! PDX areaRegistered User regular
    D(east) 9 (Golem) £ G3 Fortune

    GNU Terry Pratchett
    PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
    Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
    egc6gp2emz1v.png
  • BursarBursar Hee Noooo! PDX areaRegistered User regular
    The Golem's probably unassuming enough to not be threatening if we decide to visit the Sultan, whereas bringing bone warriors or fire monsters might be off-putting. Animated statues are always fun, though!

    GNU Terry Pratchett
    PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
    Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
    egc6gp2emz1v.png
  • zekebeauzekebeau Registered User regular
    D (E to statues)9(smolderlings, golem) £ G3 Mana



  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    Based on our previous introductions to people and places, a pack of fire dogs will be the least threatening thing in that introduction.

  • zekebeauzekebeau Registered User regular
    Per the Sultan, remember he flayed alive everyone who inconvenienced our envoy in the first place. So, you know, kindred spirit.

    But that was also a show of power and attempt to build fear. We need to show up with an overwhelming display of power ourselves to instill fear and awe. Fire dogs and killer statues are the way to go. We want him to know fear.
    Really everyone outside our border should fear us.
    Probably the people in our border too

  • InvictusInvictus Registered User regular
    Scout (east) 4 £ G3 Fortune

    Generalísimo de Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina
  • 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 24

    Decision F 9 £ G3 : Double shifting, visiting the Sultan with smoulderlings and the golem, leaving the apprentice to it, battle golem
    Bonuses: +5 Mana, +5 Fortune

    Things
    Mana: 38 [+10/turn]
    Fortune: 11/50 [+1/turn]
    Growth:4/10 [+3/turn]
    Peasants: 12 (effectively 27)
    Shelter: 25
    Food: 25
    Resources: 60 [+4*/turn]
    Silver Pieces: 63 [+2*/turn]
    Study: 18/25 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
    Cinders decided against implanting any seeds that would guide the magical growth of the apprentice and instead set her on a more ambiguous path in the hope that some greater power could emerge. But it would take time. Cinders left the apprentice in the throes of the first meditation. It was time to visit New Thett and the Sultan.

    The skeletal warriors were to remain behind to defend Glassalia and its people against any opportunistic raids from unknown and unseen enemies. The peasants continued to toil. They worked until their knuckles bled and their backs broke. Some would wonder how long she could continue to push the people, but Cinders was not among them.
    [+10 resources from double shifting]

    Ahead of her the Smoulderlings surged while the silent golem, its limbs jointed by shimmering patches of mist in lieu of any stone analogue of biology, walked at her side. it was a small but thoroughly intimidating and thoroughly magical party. Cook also joined them. He knew the route and would be able to make some inquiries about ships away from the palaver of diplomacy. Days later when Cinders reached the gates of New Thett they were thrown open already. The Sultan's Guard in full regalia lined the streets with their shining scimitars held high into the air. It was a worthy welcome.

    Sultan Ofan himself was standing at the foot of his palace accompanied by a rather muddy-featured man in his late twenties. Despite the grandeur of the younger man's dress, it was hard to disguise the slack look on his face and paunch that pushed at his shirt. The Sultan and his son greeted Cinders inviting her and the golem inside. The Smoulderlings were left in their own section of the stable outside, and kept a good number of staff busy as they fought the endless small blazes that erupted.

    The feasting was unparalleled and the deference of the Sultan was equally correct. For three days and three nights he brought forth endless polite courtiers, bewitching dancers, foreign bards, unsettling story-tellers, inexpert knife-throwers, ostentatious animal-tamers and grovelling local nobles from the various tribal houses. And through all of this the son, Mitel, sat almost silently. Mitel was the eldest of all Ofan's children and would one day sit on the throne. He was far from the most attractive, most intelligent or most charismatic of his siblings or cousins. In fact, he probably scored toward the bottom of each of those criteria. And now he was being offered as a prize to Cinders. At first it was just implicit that the Sultan was hoping the two would strike it off and fall hopelessly in love. But at the end of the third evening, Mitel brought forth a mango studded with cloves and painted in gold. There was no mistaking the proposal. Fortunately, the fruit was accompanied by two chests of silver, which was a more interesting offering.
    [Cinders gains 35 silver pieces as part of the proposal]

    Accepting the offer would eventually put Cinders in charge of New Thett. The Sultan also bragged that the Caliphate of New Thett would stretch to include Caldeot by the time Mitel ascended to the throne. He bragged about this extensively but Cinders did not require the bold words, she could read the fortunes of those assembled. The war would start shortly and it would not be the decisive victory that the Sultan expected. It would be long and bloody and without any real winner for some years while the machinations of Nephroditi and Selin reshaped the whole world's political structure.

    Beyond the promise of the throne and a spouse she could easily dominate, the Sultan also made it clear that he would make some of his fleet available to the lavashaper as the dowry.

    Cook returned to Cinders' quarters that evening. He'd identified a few ship's captains who would be willing to ferry the lavashaper and her men across to Drome in the immediate future. It was a less compromising solution, but passage on a boat was not the same as owning the vessel.

    [New Thett will launch an attack on Caldeot on turn 27]
    [Tzo'lin will destroy his crystal and reawaken his god on turn 30]
    [Apprentice will be done next turn]

    Decision Time
    (A letter, a number and 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: Accept Mitel's proposal (+1 husband, provides a free ship)
    10: Buy passage to Drome and find Tzo'lin (costs 20 silver, specify units)
    11: 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)
    12: Attack the mine to destroy the avatar of Tzo'lin (gains the mine +2 resources and +1 silver / turn)
    13: Give Tzo'lin his sacrifice (specify any units to accompany Cinders) (costs 10 peasants, gains the mine +2 resources and +1 silver / turn)
    14: Release the automaton and follow it to the tundra and Ingvar's reunion (specify units)
    15: Muse quietly on your throne (effectively a turn skip)

    Mojo_Jojo on
    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • zekebeauzekebeau Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    D(East) 2 mana

    No more double shifts, seems likely to have bad things. We'll have the mana, might as well get some more smolderings.

    Big question-get a husband or not?

    I think we should accept, then immediately find a way to arrange an "accident" for the sultan. Diffuse the war (since Caldeot knows us as an ally), gain a territory, and plenty of ships.

    Downside is the moment we agree, Caldeot will have a fit and we don't have an assasin option (anymore :redface: ).

    EDIT: @Delmain I like the cut of your jib. Risky, but I do so want to boil that lake. Not even for a rational reason, just feels like it's mocking us. It would be funny if a dragon was sleeping inside and we raised it just in time to have it fight the bound giant (again!).

    zekebeau on
  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    I'm not sure aligning ourselves with New Thett is the thing to do with war on the horizon, unless that gave us an early opportunity to seize power. Although it looks like we need to give the peasants a break as well. We can afford to buy passage if we need to.

    Next turn we will have enough mana to summon another unit of smoulderlings, we could do that and then attack the avatar, then go across the sea from there. We are tantalizingly close to having enough mana to construct a mana focus, but that seems like more of a long term investment.

    Scout east, accelerate experiments?

    D(east) 4 Mana

    wilting on
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    I would rather we use the mana to burn away the lake. Maybe take the husband, arrange an "accident", expose the drowned city, then try to organize a peace with Caldeot "on this eve of new times, you with the return of your ancient god-city and us with our new leadership, surely we can look past our minor difficulties" etc etc

    D(East) 2 Mana

    That or getting another Smoulderling and going directly to Drome. There's not a lot of point in fucking with the avatar at this point, I think it's too close to the event.

  • InvictusInvictus Registered User regular
    D(east) 4 Fortune

    I'm concerned about marrying into New Thett because it might put us in opposition to Nephroditi and Selin, and I'd really rather not do that.

    Generalísimo de Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina
  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    Burning off the lake is a way, way long term thing that we don't even know if we want to do. Attacking the Avatar slows Tzo'lins progress and gives us the mine, it becomes more important the closer we get to turn 30, not less.

  • zekebeauzekebeau Registered User regular
    Wilting you make a very good point. However, I want that lake gone and Del's plan to just draw power till we can do it is appealing to the anarchic side of me in a way I can't shake.

    Plus, burning things always helps. Like when we burned down the forest, we got a bunch of farmland. Burn =good. Boil =+good, because you are burning away water.

  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    look

    I don't know why you would think it's a long term thing

    we can do it

    we should do it

  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    I'd rather have more units for immediate concerns.

  • CelebrimCelebrim Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    D(East) 5 4 +Fortune (4 if we can't use next turn's mana as part of the summoning) It seems we are assuming we can't perform the summoning. (edit: and it's crossed out now :P)

    We could circumvent a long war by annexing Caldeot ourselves. It would mean getting another Smoulderling unit and maybe a militia unit and hitting Caldeot on Turn 26. We could cement the marriage on turn 27 and possibly use some of Thett's units to help us free the mine before turn 30.

    edit: Dealing with the thing in the mine will give us 5 more turns and also give us some idea of what the fight with Tzo'lin will be like so I still think its worth doing before heading to Drome.

    Celebrim on
  • TipharethTiphareth Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    E4 - Fortune, don't think we are ready to tie the knot and settle down just yet. I also don't want to be dragged into the upcoming war, it isn't gonna be decided for a long time and we could probably pick up some new areas once they've weakened eachother.
    Also, Tzo'lin comes first. We need to delay him and then murder his face good. We don't need peasants to work the mill anymore anyhow, we should just get more elephantites.

    Tiphareth on
  • AnialosAnialos Collies are love, Collies are life! Shadowbrook ColliesRegistered User regular
    D(East) 4 Fortune

  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Turn 25

    Decision D 4: Scouting the weird statues and hurrying the research
    Bonuses: +4 Mana, +3 Fortune

    Things
    Mana: 59 [+10/turn]
    Fortune: 15/50 [+1/turn]
    Growth: 7/10 [+3/turn]
    Peasants: 13 (effectively 28)
    Shelter: 25
    Food: 25
    Resources: 67 [+4*/turn]
    Silver Pieces: 65 [+2*/turn]
    Study: 23/25 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]

    Runed golem
    Combat: 5 dice, 7+ strength, [Armoured 2]

    The Ivory Apprentice
    Combat: 2 dice, 6+ strength [Distracting] [Wizard] [Deadslayer]

    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
    [Distracting]: All target rolls are made at -1

    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: 13 dice at 6+ strength all with [Armoured 1/2]

    Sultan Ofan: New Thett, the merchant hub
    Relations: Besotted
    Spy in place: Undetected
    Military: 20 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
    Cinders left the proposal unanswered and returned back to Glassalia. It was time to focus on new student. The initial training was near complete now. Artificially granting the infant Potential had accelerated not only her growth but also her progress through those initial meditations lessons. The ivory skinned mage was more ready to leave the tower now. She was dressed in light patterned silks, the product of some distant country that had arrived through the ever-expanding trade network. It was a choice which Cinders did not approve of but felt beneath her to correct.

    Following in Cinders' footsteps, the pale apprentice was an elementalist, but unlike her master she had found her place on a different part of the great wheel. And her place was diametrically exposed to lava. She was a rainbringer. A thick fog trailed behind her as she moved, and with a brief thought she could shape it into surprisingly solid forms. Even now, a somewhat ethereal copy of the rainbringer was standing by her side. It was not the magic that Cinders would have chosen, but if anybody was going to control her opposed element it should be somebody under her control.
    [Apprentice is now 2 dice, 6+ strength [Distracting] [Wizard] [Deadslayer]. Distracting reduces all enemy target rolls against her by 1]

    The scouts headed east following the coast along into the land beyond Caldeot. There was no doubting that the common folk were preparing for war. Gone was the idle conversation with farmers and friendly hellos from other travellers. Now there were only hard looks and caution. Where people did have a word to spare, it was a curt warning about the rise of banditry. Not that the scouts saw any of that on their journey towards the eastern mystery.

    The land ahead extended out into a small peninsula and at the toes of the scouts' boots, the first of the statues started. That outer layer were small, less than a foot tall and only vaguely shaped stones, smoothed down by years if not centuries of erosion. A few yards ahead and the figures had reached knee height and their features were clearer. The statues grew in size and detail and each broadly faced the same direction, out toward the ocean at the tip of the spur of land. Moving between the statues, the scouts stopped to inspect the first that equalled their height. Blank elongated faces with a central void that may have been an eye or possibly some kind of maw. Their arms were mostly stretched upward toward the skies for the most part. One or two were locked in some other position, but it was the hands themselves that attracted attention. The hands were inhuman with a strange symmetry. Each had two thumbs, one on each side of the row of four or five triple jointed fingers. Now it was possible to see that some of the largest statues, easily twenty feet tall, faced back toward the scouts and rather than being aligned in a single direction they were all facing a point of land near the tip.

    Looking down over the cliffs into the ocean, the scouts could see the broken remains of more statues. The geology around this site had changed since whoever or whatever first assembled these sculptures. The focus of the statues was a fairly plain looking clearing filled with nothing but short, patchy grass. Butteflies played on the tips of some wildflowers here and there. The soil was shallow, a thin layer atop a cracked mesa of rock. Pulling away the vegetation, the scouts found strange glyphs carved at seemingly random positions. They did their best to take rubbings with sticks of charcoal and scraps of paper. One documented the general relative positions of the symbols while the others collected the unique form of each.

    Returning to Glassalia, the scouts had a first hand encounter with the consequences of the increased incidence of robbery and murder. A burning cart was in the centre of the path. Bodies were scattered around it. Whatever it had been holding had been rifled through, looted or just flung aside if it was deemed of insufficient value. One of the bodies twitched. One of the traders had survived somehow. The scouts bandaged him and helped him back to the village. The traders had not been of Glassalia themselves. None of Cinders' subjects had yet been affected by the change in climate.

    While, the injured man was tended to, the copies of the glyphs were taken to the lavashaper. Cinders could tell at once that the engravings were some kind of spell. An ancient spell written in a myriad of languages. This was the kind of mystery that would have occupied the institute for years, but Cinders could ignore their caution. To find out what the spell did, she could travel to the statues herself and channel her shard to cast it

    CPLjHaY.png

    [Scout discovery roll succeeds. Scouts return with a peasant]
    [New Thett will launch an attack on Caldeot on turn 27. Standing armies at both have increased in size]
    [Tzo'lin will destroy his crystal and reawaken his god on turn 30]

    Decision Time
    (A letter, a number, a symbol and 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: Cast the spell of the statues (costs 100 mana)
    8: Boil the lake to expose the drowned city (costs 100 mana)
    9: Attack/Annex Caldeot/New Thett (choose one and specify units)
    10: Accept Mitel's proposal (+1 husband, provides a free ship)
    11: Buy passage to Drome and find Tzo'lin (costs 20 silver, specify units)
    12: 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)
    13: Attack the mine to destroy the avatar of Tzo'lin (gains the mine +2 resources and +1 silver / turn)
    14: Give Tzo'lin his sacrifice (specify any units to accompany Cinders) (costs 10 peasants, gains the mine +2 resources and +1 silver / turn)
    15: Release the automaton and follow it to the tundra and Ingvar's reunion (specify units)
    16: Muse quietly on your throne (effectively a turn skip)

    Protect the traders:
    £: Leave your traders unprotected. The bandits have not targeted them so far, so they never will.
    $: Send the apprentice out to travel amongst the trade wagons to protect them
    %: Divide the Smoulderling shoal and use them as caravan guards

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    We could always accept the proposal and attack Caldeot at the same time that New Thett does. Want to summon more units this turn, not sure what to do with Peasants though. Build militia if we are going to marry/buy boat/attack Caldeot? If we raise militia maybe we can swap them protecting the Caravans for the Smoulderings?

    Raise militia, summon Smoulderlings, divide Smoulderings amongst Caravans

    E 5 % Mana

    wilting on
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    D(SW) 5 % Fortune

    We don't dare send our apprentice out. She is currently our secret(-ish) weapon and she still needs training.

    Even split up, I think the Smoulderlings will be a good protection, since they burn and there's no way any bandits in the area haven't figured out that we'll burn down whatever forest they're hiding in if they attack something belonging to us.

    Delmain on
  • CelebrimCelebrim Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    Would scouting east involve further investigation of the statues? Nevermind, I see the new option under 7.

    Celebrim on
  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Celebrim wrote: »
    Would scouting east involve further investigation of the statues?

    No, you'd just go further east. Towards Ingvar

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • zekebeauzekebeau Registered User regular
    E 2 £ Mana

    I'm still anxious to boil that lake, and a good roll plus mana votes could put us in reach.

    And we can burn down the forest as well if the bandits are fool enough to stand against us.

    Also, noticed Thett has increased their dice of military but Caldeot really hasn't, marriage and annexing Caldeot is starting to sound better. Can we tell the sultan of our plan to boil the lake away to see how that affects his actions (want to know if he is after what is down there or afraid of it).

  • CelebrimCelebrim Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    E 5 $ Fortune

    Bandits might just be the light training our apprentice needs. Also, if the "bandits" are skeleton instigators, she'd have an advantage.

    Militia and more smoulderlings gives us a solid force to attack the mine, or Caldeot.

    Celebrim on
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    That is a valid point.

  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    Plus taking our 2-dice apprentice into combat immediately after she... hatched(?) might be risky.

  • jakobaggerjakobagger LO THY DREAD EMPIRE CHAOS IS RESTORED Registered User regular
    E 5 %

  • TipharethTiphareth Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    E4% I agree with keeping our apprentice on a leash for now. Perhaps her awesome abilities could be used to water a farm or something instead?

    Tiphareth on
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    D(West) 5 $% Fortune
    Can we send our apprentice with a horde of smolderlings to chaperon? She may not be a particularly beefy unit at the moment, but with the smolderlings as backup she should be capable of chasing off some bandits.
    And, if she does enjoy her first taste of freedom too much, we'd have the smolderlings right there to remind her when curfew is.

  • BursarBursar Hee Noooo! PDX areaRegistered User regular
    edited January 2016
    D(SW), 5, £, Mana

    We don't have much of a fighting force ourselves, so building up our Smoulderings seems to be the cheapest way to get units. Militia take a while to replace their hole in the workforce, whereas Smoulderings take only 4 turns for us to get enough mana without taking any other resources.

    I'd leave the caravans unguarded for now, but when they do inevitably get assaulted, we'll have both our forces and the survivor of the war to bring to bear on them.

    (Hands up, who wants to assault the mine on turn 29 anyway just to see what happens?)

    Bursar on
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  • AnialosAnialos Collies are love, Collies are life! Shadowbrook ColliesRegistered User regular
    E 5 % Fortune

  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    edited January 2016
    I'm thinking we stop messing around and head straight for the mine next, let the mortals have their war (even though Nephroditi is obviously up to no good, it seems a less immediate concern). Militia are more for guarding to free up out better units for when we need them.

    wilting on
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