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[Ardas]

Name: Kirin Steelborn
Species/Race: Dwarf
Sex: Male
Class: Middle
Age: 125
Half Dragon: No
Service to the Empire: (Other) Meritorious Wartime Support

Background: Kirin was born to an impoverished dwarven family who swiftly resorted to selling him into an apprenticeship to a smithy at the age of ten, an act that set him down a path that would lead him to rise far beyond the realm his parents ever achieved. Spurred on by the fact that he was sold into what was basically slavery by his parents, Kirin threw himself into the work at hand taking to smithing like a fish takes to water for it seemed the man was born to forge metal into tool. However, his true talents were obscured until strife brought the smithy Kirin worked at to the production of armaments, a feat that eventually lead to the name Kirin now bears, Steelborn. For as the years passed fellow craftsmen took to describing Kirin's work as "turning lesser ore to fine steel with a swing" for the weapons that Kirin crafted were of particularly great value.

It was only two decades before Iavhlis was conquered that Kirin finally performed the act that would grant him his future hold, to this day he still claims the event was a fluke, a mistake driven on by a feeling of having reached the end of the road. The process was a long one, it was a week without rest that gave to him the power of a lord, and a single weapon that earned the favor of the Empress. Seeing an end of the road to his skill in forging Kirin set to work on a forge with all of his heart, despair filled his heart as he thought of the day when he realized his skill could progress no further and yet the peak was just so far away. A hammer bashing against metal rang out constantly, the few precious ores the smith had come to own where in the end used to create his greatest work, the Dragon Spear they called it despite the cries of "Mistake" from its creator.

It is a spear so finely crafted that it could cut steel with ease, a shaft of countless colors bent into a spiral that ends with a spear head shaped like a dragon's open maw. Perhaps it really was a weapon that surpassed its creator, perhaps it was the end of the road for despairing craftsman who sought to go higher but failed ...

Description:
Kirin is a dwarf of average size with short black hair and a simple beard tied into three braids. His eyes are green, but they are sunken and match well with the constant expression of sadness that seems to be upon the dwarf's face. His body is well defined from countless decades of hard labor and he can be commonly found wearing simple clothes with various metal chains hanging around his neck, each covered in places with notches. If one were to look with great detail they would find that the iron chain contains over five thousand notches and a greatly damaged link while the bronze over two thousand, and the copper one over six thousand. As the man himself would explain when asked "They were to keep count" though no one has ever really been sure of what he was counting.

+1

[Taricus]

Alright, I'll leave voting open for the next 30 hours, then after that the game will begin.

[Weirdsound]

Giving this a PTW. Think I'll sit character creation out though.

[Taricus]

Name: Deithcarn aep Iavhlis "Fiery Grave of Iavhlis", Marshal of the Green Banner
Species/Race: Orc
Sex: Male
Class: Upper
Age: 35
Half Dragon: No
Service to the Empire: Veteran of the War

Background: Deithcarn aep Iavhlis, The Fiery Grave of Iavhlis. That is the name the Leader of the Green Banner was given upon his ascension to the title of Marshal. Like all Orcs of the Green Banner he served in the War against Iavhlian. From mere unorganized Hordes squatting in the burnt ruins of their enemies or in shoddy downtrodden camps, Orcs developed into the highly disciplined Banners, living in highly reglemented and militarized wooden fortresses ready to break it all up and spend the next few years living in their saddles, mostly thanks to the Dragon Empress. Being forced to serve as the vanguard of her inexorable campaigns there was no choice to be more difficult to stay ahead of the main army, to stay ahead of refugees and to be ready to evade enemy punitive forces. It was knowledge, discipline and experience gained at many a bloody loss and orcish population has shrunk considerably over the many years of conquest, in the end however, the Orcish Banners prevailed and became the highly mobile Scourge of Ivahlis they are today.
And so it is no wonder that the Marshal of the Green Banner, Deithcarn had become a product of this age. From a society were marshal prowess and strength was honored above all, he grew up into one that turned into a meritocracy above all, where success was not measured in being the biggest and most brutish but the one with the most slaves taken, the most villages burnt, the most victories achieved by skill, cunning and cleverness, rather than charging into the thick of it with a cleaver and screaming "WAAAGH". Considering this, Deithcarns name should tell the rest of his meteoritic rise to the Marshal of an entire Banner...

Description:
About two meters in size, he is of a wiry musculature and spots two cut off tusks (to avoid impaling the face while riding) as well as a black beard with grey streaks. His skin is somewhat ashen and his eyes spot distinctive purplish colouring veering away from the normal red, indicating a dark elf somewhere in his ancestry.

And we have our character chosen by a margin of one vote. Now for the stats:
Diplomacy: 11. Competent enough diplomatically to avoid offending anyone important.
Martial: 27. A Warrior and commander on par with the greatest generals and fighters, you have a reputation for brilliant tactics and being practically unbeatable in battle; The title of marshal of the green banner is an apt fit.
Stewardship: 10. Capable enough to keep supplies and funds in order, and getting a little extra to spare
Intrigue: 33! Rumour has it you only set fire to Iavhlis just to show off, the realms had already been soundly trounced without anyone noticing. To say you are capable of great schemes and able to bullshit a kobold administrator (And their records) is an understatement.
Piety: 16. Firmly devout in service to the dragon-empress, you managed to pick up more than a minor education in theology and the gods of the lands
Learning: 10. By all means nothing special in intellect and learning, you do happen to outpace the average orc tribal in thinking capacity.

Next post will be the introduction and the first turn.

[Taricus]

Introduction, Spring of 108 IA

Kvarlatris castle. Once a proud and mighty citadel of humankind, watching over the immediate landscape with it's powerful presence yet now naught but a ruined shadow of it's former glory. The old capital of one of the most prestigious realms in Iavhlis now laid bare and occupied with those that ravaged and annihilated it's former territory.

It seems fitting that the empress bequeathed both the castle and most of the land around it to one of her most promising and capable generals, the one who most principally helped sever Iavhlis from it's vile and despicable former holders and brought into the empress' realm

Yet despite the new-found sense of permanence that your loyal soldiers and servants have gained with this gift of land, no small tinge of dread follows with it. Before now no orcs, banner or not, have ever received land in the interior of the empire. While you know of several individuals in the empire have been promoted to nobility, those few individuals serve as urban families, their houses geared to provide the imperial cavalry with the best of their sons and daughters.

It takes but a few moments before you order the banner to continue on it's journey, to the one thing that you now call home.

A few weeks pass by uneventfully, as your soldiers and servants set up tents in the castle courtyard and bailey and organise a basic patrol schedule to man the walls and keep lookout. An entourage of imperial courtiers arrive, escorted by soldiers of the various imperial races and lead by one of the empress' own enforcers leading the entourage. Giving their introductions as advisors sent to help you establish your holdings in a brief but formal exchange.

Spoiler: Diplomacy (click to show/hide)

Until you get someone to handle your diplomatic exchanges, you might have a bit of difficulty co-ordinating everything. (Choose 1)
Meet the local landholders: While you effectively control a large swath of land, that doesn't mean you own it directly. A lot of independent setters were also given land here and indirectly you're responsible for their safety. Best to make sure that you and the most prominent landholders are on the same page at least.
Cost: 1 turn. Reward:

Spoiler: Martial (click to show/hide)

While a capable military leader, with the recent turmoil of settling and reorganisation means that you'll need to pick a new second in command soon. Still, you have plenty of experience in this field. (Choose 3)

Organise patrols for the countryside: While the invading forces did a pretty good job at driving out or outright massacring the former occupants, there's always the oft chance that some of the stubborn buggers are in hiding waiting to cause mayhem and havoc. Best to ensure they are rooted out, or at least suppressed.
Cost: 1 Turn, 20 Orcish Knights, 60 Hobgoblin Light Cavalry. Reward:

Repair/refurbish the outer wall: An expensive project, yet a necessary one given the damaged the walls have sustained. In their current state they're unlikely to keep a wolf out, let alone a band of raiders or an army.
Cost: 5/10 Turns (5 turns for lightly damaged, 10 turns for intact). 2000/3000 PP (2000 for lightly damaged, 3000 for intact). Reward: Repaired outer wall.

Repair/Refurbish the inner wall: A less expensive project that keeps the central part of the castle safe, though leaves the majority of inhabitants still unprotected due to being between here and the outer wall.
Cost: 3/5 Turns, 1000/1500 PP. Reward: Repaired Outer Wall

Scout the surrounding area: While keeping the area patrolled is a priority, mapping the area shouldn't be forgotten or understated, lest undesirables move into the areas you have no idea about.
Cost: 1 turn. Reward:

Spoiler: Stewardship (click to show/hide)

While capable of keeping supplies flowing in wartime, peacetime economics are a little out of your grasp. Though between the recent colonisation and the appointment of a senechal means there's not much to do here. (Choose 1)

Send out the assessors: Send out a bunch of kobolds to map and assay the land, seeing what they can dredge up in terms of tax income from the landholders and any valuables still left laying around.

Spoiler: Intrigue (click to show/hide)

Certainly the canny and subtle type, the recent settlement and the lack of a spymaster to keep tabs on things for you means there's little in the way of intrigue for you to manage.

Spoiler: Piety (click to show/hide)

No court priest or equivalent among the orcs means there's little for you to do here. While fairly fervent yourself, this piety is directed at the dragon empress (Who explicitly states that she doesn't want to be worshipped as a god, mostly to avoid pissing off real and more powerful gods.)

Spoiler: Learning/Research (click to show/hide)

While relatively learned, at the moment there's nothing to be brought to your attention to direct scholarly interest in. Of course, given temporal matters you might need to start adapting to settled life. (Choose 2)

Governance: While you could easily disperse the banner in the expected manner by granting landholds in a traditional manner, Your former second in command, Thalgram, has an idea on how to run the banner now that it's settled. While the overly fervent and enthusiastic knight has caused a few problems in the past by being overly zealous, he has come up with some good ideas. At the very least it wouldn't hurt to hear him out.
Cost: 1 Turn. Reward: Government Options.

Councillors: With the recent arrival of the imperial courtiers, it might be best to put some of them to work helping you as your Right-hand men in order to keep everything running well.
Cost: 1 Turn. Reward: Council Options.

-----------------

Spoiler: Kvarlatris (click to show/hide)

Outer wall (Heavily Damaged)
-One gatehouse w/towers (Heavily damaged)
-Six wall towers. (Heavily damaged)
-Tent City (1,500 inhabitants, Cramped)
Inner Wall (Heavily Damaged)
-One Gatehouse (Heavily damaged)
-Four Towers (Heavily Damaged)
-Tent City (400 Inhabitants, Cramped)
Keep (Lightly damaged)

Spoiler: Military (click to show/hide)

300 Orcish Knights (Professional and Elite warriors with partial plate, sword, shields and the odd composite bow. Mounted on bulls when possible.)
200 Hobgoblin Light Cavalry (Professional warriors, with padded armour and chainmail shirts, shields, javalins, spears and axes. Mounted on horses.)

Spoiler: Treasury (click to show/hide)

Reserve: 5000 PP
Income:
-Imperial Upkeep: 1600 PP
Expenses:
-Knight Upkeep: 1200 PP
-Light Cavaly Upkeep: 400 PP
Total: 5000

[NUKE9.13]

So, do we pick things from each category, or do we pick a single category to work on? Can we do multiple takes-N-turns things simultaneously, or do they stack up?

If we only get one:
  Stewardship: send out the assessors.  Money makes the world go round.

If we choose from each category:
  Diplomacy:  Meet the locals.
  Military: Scout surroundings, send out patrols, repair outer wall (lightly damaged). (In that order if relevant)
  Stewardship: Send out assessors.
  Learning: Governance & Councillors.

[Ghazkull]

Diplomacy
-Meet the Landholders

Martial
- Organize Patrols into the Countryside (best to already make clear whos the new boss)
- Repair the Inner Wall
- Repair the Outer Wall (because we have the money to do so.)

Steward
-Send out the Assessor

Learning
-Governors
-Councillors

[NUKE9.13]

- Repair the Inner Wall
- Repair the Outer Wall (because we have the money to do so.)

I would argue that with no known threat capable of mounting an extended siege, repairing both walls fully is not necessary. In the fullness of time, yes. But for now we should save our money, because whilst we do, as you say, have the money to do so, our income is currently zero, and we might want to spend some money in future turns on more urgent matters.
(I would even go so far as to suggest that we might want to consider disbanding some of our knights, to free up some income.)

[Taricus]

Currently the empire pays for the upkeep, effectively rendering your income neutral. You'd be losing a lot more money otherwise.

Anyway nuke, Like ghaz's turn you choose from all catagories in the same turn. Order isn't relevant.