Turn 0.4, 4 hours after the exodus.
Due to slight laziness, no coordinates today.
The small scale map, out of spoilers, will have the river & basic notation of units soon. Maybe by next update.
EntrenYou send the scouts a-scouting.
The main fleet first lowers wooden plank to check the acidity of the grass - it is not. It then lands. The clippers start constructing cabins, while the seeders start to create farmland. The civilians are set to pitch tents.
[3 clippers - 3 cabins, 1 turn
3 seeders - 3 plots, 1 turn]
Your flagship and the arcani return to the fleet, and are about two map-squares away from it.
LeonardThe fleet heads southwards. It seems that the hills, or at least some of them, are acidic, according to one of the other fleets.
ArgusYour fleet continues its current vector. The water slowly opens itself up, revealing a vast amount of choppy, churning, wave-filled ocean or sea.
AzalynEach of your combat-ready ships fire.
4 cruisers:
[16roll + 5stats + 0size] vs [4 + 8 + 4] - damaged1
[9 + 5 + 0] vs [6 + 8 + 4]
[9 + 5 + 0] vs [13 + 8 + 4]
[10 + 5 + 0] vs [3 + 8 + 4]
8 scouts:
[1 + 5 + 0] vs [16 + 8 + 8]
[11 + 5 + 0] vs [17 + 8 + 8]
[20->7 + 5 + 0] vs [9 + 8 + 8] - damaged2
[4 + 5 + 0] vs [9 + 8 + 8]
[4 + 5 + 0] vs [13 + 8 + 8]
[19 + 5 + 0] vs [20->9 + 8 + 8]
[10 + 5 + 0] vs [8 + 8 + 8]
[13 + 5 + 0] vs [5 + 8 + 8]
2 strafers:
[8 + 10 + 0] vs [18 + 8 + 4]
[19 + 10 + 0] vs [2 + 8 + 4] - damaged3
Imperial ship -> cruiser
[12 + 8 + 4] vs
[3 + 5 + 0] - damaged.
You surprise the imperial ship's passengers by firing unexpectedly. Blooms of fire erupt on the imperial flagship's hull, while many other cannons simply skid off the hull or miss entirely. One of the scouts managed to hit a structural weakness in the thing and dealt critical damage, compromising a lot of the ship's integrity. The imperial ship, while inhibited, returns fire and half-damages a cruiser.
The artillerymen inform you that they can shoot either grapeshot (to kill the sailors) or chainshot (to destroy the sails) in the next hour, or continue with regular shot.
The enraged high noble contacts you directly this time, instead of the writing last time, and demands to know what you are daring to do against the Heavenly Lord's ship, his son, and his nobles.
Meanwhile, the construction clippers are sent to the ground to build a drydocks (though all airship docks are dry, it is a term left over from the age of nautical sail). All three concentrate on building the docks. You are not able to spare a medical ship, due to the possibility of being attacked and destroyed by the menacing imperial ship.
[3 clippers - drydocks. Done in 1 turn]
SalavevThe two cruisers and two scouts break off from the fleet and fly ahead. The watchman report the sound of cannonfire from the north-east.
The river slowly becomes less wide, and curves off to the south-west.
GregorinYou head north, and the scouts spread out a bit more. You see the hint of the sea to the north; the river loops around and heads towards the south-west, and there is some grey matter ahead.
Do you have any specific experiments for you and your mages to conduct?
SergejYou land and create a temporary base. [3 seeders work on a farm plot - .3 turns to completion]
[1 clipper heads to lumber. Completion in .5 turns.]
One cruiser is sent out and plops a plank every one hundred feet. It quickly returns and tells you that as soon as the tall grass distinctive to the plains end, the acid starts. The people on the ship have noted that there seems to be a vine-like plant, reddish-purple with green leaves, that only live on the hill and not on the plain.
ArgetorThe scouts obtain some of the wheat-plant on the way home.
On closer look, it has a flattened, thin, and yellow structure that is composed of elongated hexagons. It smells like wheat.
How will you test the edibility?
JamnanYou hear the resounding roar of cannons trading fire to the east, over the river. The imperial ship and Azalyn's red fleet are fighting. As you watch, the imperial ship takes severe damage and dishes out less wounding than it took.
Would you have prepared the fleet to intervene? If so, you can move and enter the fray next turn.