- June -
Seven Months Until the Fiendlord's Invasion
Convince the men to rebel and march on the Fiendlord's current capital.
(3) One brave squad of zombies, tired of the ghouls getting all the good brains, makes the trek. They get as far as the palace wall before being blasted to smithereens by VILE FIENDMAJIX. The next week, an inquisitor knocks on Bridges' door.
Go around the wall and repair and reinforce any bits that need it.
(5) Zultan starts by filling the giant hole left by Egan's laser. But why stop there? This wall is centuries old! It's full of missing stones and irritating, climber-friendly bumps! No, a proper wall is as sleek and unforgiving as a mountain! He gets to work. When he's done, the wall is so perfect that upon seeing it, the elderly Chief Mason passes away on the spot, knowing he has nothing left to do in this world.
Use Illusions and perhaps a little bribery to convince the Locals that these men are infact a entire squad of Mercenary troops, who brought their own food and can sleep standing upwards, no need to touch them or check on their armor or burn me at the stake. With the illusions applied onto the Undead to protect them from both mobs of angry Peasantry and Anti-undead spells.
(4) They buy it. "But could you please tell them to bathe?"
Strife sends a messenger pigeon vulture to ZBridges bearing a disguised message:
"Congratulations on your promotion, my esteemed and fiendish comrade. Do not let your ambition cloud your sense of judgement—a time will come for Avalon to fall, and you will be needed in that time. However, I write to you regarding certain assets[1] I have recently misplaced. If you do happen to spot them, do make an effort at directing them back to their rightful commander please. -S"
Time for a small side project.
Create and share the means of producing various forms of Alchemical Coffee, including Standard, Lite, Dark, Extra Dark, and Battle. Or if the Avalonians are the tea preferring sort, i can concoct some highly stimulating Alchemical Tea, instead. This should not only allow our troops to be wide awake and full of energy at night when the attack comes, but also allow everyone work overtime in the mean time.
As a side, side project, make various attempts at producing a Cat-Eye Elixir[2] during downtime. If it works, it should let troops see in the dark without the need for light sources, and might improve the sight of archers... (Remember, one action per turn!)
(6) Potent, rapid-acting, and quite tasty, this new invention proves popular among test subjects. Seeing its effects, the whole army wants in, and a substantial portion of the citizenry besides. Strife continues to ration it, but a soldier secretly copies the recipe and begins to bootleg it at home. Others soon do the same. Within the month, the entire population of Avalon is hopped up on coffee 24/7. Nobody has slept in a week.
Meditate in the middling bog, cultivating inner power from within and from without.
(4) The lack of wildlife has a silver lining: no distractions! With nothing to interrupt their meditations, Egan quickly unlocks the secrets of earth, water, and wood, becoming a
Wetland Wizard!
Call upon my most loyal contacts in the deep tunnels to excavate a series of pit traps, which will collapse under heavy siege engines. My deep-dwelling friends despise warlords who use enslaved forces in battle; if they aren't too busy dealing with trouble from their winged cousins to spare a group for long-term deployment, then the presence of numerous angry subterranean rodents with knives and blasting charges should also make any tunneling attempts by the Fiendlord's armies both futile and deadly.
(6) Success! Unfortunately, the overenthusiastic gophers leave the earth so tunnel-ridden that not even a wagon can pass overtop. The economic implications are dire!
He has not reached his limit, even if it requires psychogenetic augmentation to get to the desired strength!
(5) Black activates his enhancer for what will be, one way or another, the final time. He unleashes his new nanokinesis on his own genes, evolving his brain beyond human limits! Even so, he can feel the strain growing. At last, as his psyche begins to break, he gains the mental strength to withstand the enhancer.
Black, Psion of the Fifth Noosphere (Amplified, Evolved)
Bridges, Third Sergeant of the Lifeeater Division
Devastator, Aide to the Blade
Egan, Wetland Wizard
Gophers
Imp
M. Monkey & Disguised Skeletons (501)
Strife
Zultan, Masonic Prodigy
1,000 Sleepless Soldiers
...And 400 More
Flawless Wall
The Nameless Blade of Kerr
Dry Moat With Some Sticks In It
Altered Avalonians
Magic Sigils Across Moat From Main Gate
Various Bioweapons
Myriad Gopher Tunnels
Intel: The Heart of Light lies in the center of the city. It is kept at the top of the great tower that rises from Castle Camelot.
It is now
July. Six months remain. What do you do?