Turn 2 Revision ResultsThe nicest of the inland forests is in the southern part of our home and is now our principle source of lumber, with unusually tall trees growing between broken buildings of pristine wood and amongst overgrown orchards. This is the region of Caerthell, famed for the spellwrights who sang trees into shapes and whose works were as strong as steel and as everlasting as stone. Their spells still affect the land and helped the forest reclaim the cities here, and now amongst the trees and fallen towers of never-rotting wood wander some of our people. Skilled at hunting in one of the few lands where the game is not more dangerous than the hunter, they use powerful bows at great range and these skills are now added to our forces with the levies from these lands.
A simple and logical improvement on the use of the sling, the bow is capable of shooting a sharper projectile further, at greater speed, and with greater accuracy. Now of course we don't use mere hunting bows, that would be a sorry waste of arrows. We've taken examples of the Scilari bows used by our horsemen and made them taller and with a heavier draw weight, allowing our rangers to shoot longer arrows (more stable in flight and more impact force due to the weight) at higher speed, at the cost of making the bow near enough useless when mounted. The rangers wear the same armor as the peltasts and bear the same shields and leaf-bladed swords, but no spears or javelins, instead using the composite bows and a quiver full of arrows as their main weapons. Their armor, sword, and shield allow them to drive off cavalry attacks or make desperate assaults on the enemy's flanks after they've exhausted their arrows, but they are not and never will be line infantry. Their purpose is to support the peltasts with longer-ranged missile fire.
Ah yes, the bow and arrow, surely a simple and logical improvement on the sling! At least, that was the opinion of the one who went to rally the Rangers of Caerthell. We didn't hear back from them for a distressingly long time, so we sent a party to investigate... They didn't have to look hard, the man was hanging by his foot from a tree at the edge of their forest. The team took a few minutes, trying to figure out how to get him down and ascertain if he had any injuries other than those inflicted to his pride... Only to realize that they weren't alone.
For surrounding the party were the very rangers they sought out. Apparently, the wildlife in the Caerthell forests is far more dangerous than what is traditionally thought; the rangers just went out of their way to ensure that any travelers never ran into any. And did this without ever being noticed. And also seem to take offense to the noble, sophisticated, and advanced bow being called a 'simple improvement on the sling'. Especially when the sling in question is the 'sorry excuse of a leather strip you call a sling'. (Notably, they tied and gagged the messenger with standard issue slings...)
Still, they answered the call to arms, and their skills will surely be useful. The Caerthell Rangers might be archers at heart, but they do not shy away from a melee, which they will join without hesitation. One thing of note, however, is that they seem to be... Extremely nondescript... Telling a ranger apart from another is seemingly impossible; and the eyes tend to slide off them. It's something they've put to use in the forests they call home, and surely it'll be a boon in the war to come.
They are an [Uncommon] sight on the battlefield, if you could somehow clearly count them.
Tyrnal is a large town at best by the standards of the old empire, but it is the only city that we still possess that has walls and isn't abandoned. Its populace is large enough that we can field a meaningful proportion of it as permanent soldiers and train the rest as a garrison or replacements for the dead and wounded, and it is wealthy enough that it can field fully armored soldiers.
Tyrnal's soldiers march to war in the style of the ancient battalions of heavy soldiery, in armor similar to the Anath Aithrim but with a full scale shirt of quality bronze and bronze greaves instead of the partial scale armor of the peltasts. Their shields are larger and reinforced and their spears are made of work-hardened bronze, hammered and hardened into razor-sharp points. They carry no javelins to weigh them down and bear the same leaf-bladed sword as the peltasts, a symbol of military service amongst our people even if it is never the principle weapon of a soldier. They are usually the anvil which holds enemy armies in place while the lighter elements outmaneuver them.
If you would ask who are the proudest among our nation, the citizens of Tyrnal are likely the answer, and for good reason. When The Fall occurred, they were the largest settlement who withstood the horrors of the Long Night; an event that ruined all larger settlements; and almost all of Tyrnal's 'almost peers'. Tyrnal's martial tradition extended even before then; offering soldiers who towered over other people, who were unmatched in agility, skill, and general tactical prowess... Sadly, the secret to training these 'supersoldiers' seems to have been lost; in the earliest days of The Fall, if legends are to be believed.
[Hard] 5 + 5 - 1 = Above Average
Still, the soldiers raised by the City of The Defiant are still among the finest we have to offer, equipped in the finest bronze; and drilled in the arts of formations and combat. Though understandably trained first and foremost in garrison duty due to their heritage, they are no slouch in more undeveloped territory. Their heavy bronze scale armor and arms render them a distinctive sight in our army; and they'd not have it any other way. Although, they are certainly a [Rare] sight in the army; but they still form the spine of our forces.
Hunter - Sporting a simple bronze spear and basic padded clothing; this improvised soldier may not be the best equipped or trained, but they are willing to fight to reclaim your nation's glory! They also have a simple sturdy stick as a sidearm. [Common] [Obsolete?]
Anath Aithrim Peltast - Sporting an iron long spear and a sword as a sidearm, these peltasts are armored with scale armor covering the upper body where the shield does not reliably cover. Competent at crossing broken ground and skirmishing with their javelins. [Common]
Tyrnal Hoplite - Equipped in the finest bronze; these spear wielding, heavy scale armor and greaves wearing heavy infantry are a sight to behold. Carries a sword for close quarters. [Rare]
Slinger - The humble sling may not be the most impressive of weapons, but a strip of leather or rope is a cheap and serviceable armament. Their ammunition follows suit, being scavenged stones they find in the field. [Common]
Caerthell Ranger - While archery is their specialization, these archers are adept at melee combat as well, and are extremely nondescript. Equipped as the peltasts; but with a bow instead of javelins. [Uncommon]
Scilari Auxilaries - Our Ancient Allies who had a phase as a Karrik Tribe; these horse archers are very adept at navigating hazardous terrain, and are decently accurate with their bows. Lightly armored with a linothorax, padded helmet, and shield. Has a spear. [Uncommon]
Spellwright Initiates - These men and women are practitioners of the Noble Arts of the Arcane. Their talent is rather limited and unspecialized, however. Can utilize Common Spells [Rare]
Simple Raft - This piece of Naval Technology is really rather simple; being a series of logs tied together. Crude, but can keep its few passengers dryish. Usually. [Common]
Arcane Sparks - With a flourish of the arm, a series of small magical sparks surges forth, exploding on contact. They only have about the same potency as a large firecracker though. [Common]
Arcane Bolt - A stronger spell that's still basically a lump of mana thrown at the target. Much more potent than Arcane Sparks due to higher mana concentrations, though is rather inefficient. It is capable of killing a man instead of maiming at best, however. In spite of its cost, Lesser Magic Users can utilize it, though not all are capable. [Uncommon]
Harden Object - Through Enhancement Magic, magic is imbued into an object, improving its hardness to a great extent. However, the spell is imperfect, and the magic will drain out of the enhanced object, and as it does so, so too will the enhancement fade in effectiveness. A botched casting can shatter an object or lead to excessive brittleness, although it is an incredibly difficult spell to screw up.
As such, our (Magic Users) will go around, enhancing the equipment of our troops before battle. Though with the rarity of (Magic Users), and the skill with which they possess, only a small fraction of our armies equipment will be Enhanced. Obviously, elite units will be prioritized.
[Common]
Electrified Grasp - With a surge of enhancement magic, the user electrifies their hand. A potent spell; though a dangerous one. If the spell is miscast, or the caster has the slightest lapse in focus, or if they are not prompt in discharging the lightning through touching something the spell will backfire into the caster. Even with a proper casting, the caster's hand will be temporarily left numb and mildly paralyzed, making repeat castings in a short period of time very difficult.
[Common]
Structural Grasp - With a touch, this spell maps out a small object and deposits the knowledge gained directly into the casters mind. Concepts too advanced for the caster will fade away from memory in short order. In addition, the spell has difficulty parsing magics on an object, only granting vague impressions. Can be utilized to better effect by a [Specialized] caster.
[Common]
Song of Iron - A not quite permanent enchantment placed upon a forge to assist in the smelting of iron. Fuel hungry due to consuming the heat to help sustain the enchantment. Requires semi-frequent attendance from a Spellwright to prevent the magic from 'going senile' and doing unexpected (and likely disastrous) things. The iron so produced is of worse quality than fine bronze, and more resistant to being enchanted, but is cheaper.
-Study into the failure states of the enchantment should assist in preventing similar endeavors from suffering the same fate
Reports are coming in from the frontline, please wait for them to be assembled for your review..
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Topic: West Side, Embers of the Past Turn 2 Revision Phase (Read 5262 times)