Forenia, 912In the mountains, Arstotzka is ruling supreme. Whilst neither side are capable of actually getting to a battle with their full forces, due to the brutal ambush tactics employed by both sides, Arstotzka proves that it does not need to. When a handful of troops reach the last held Moskurger castle in the mountains, the defenders think themselves ready to fend off their weakened foe, only for a dozen of their mages to hurl balls of fire at the defenders, scattering and burning them, allowing them to press forward with their infantry. Under the devastating offensive power of fireballs, the castle is taken, and efforts by the beleaguered Moskurger forces are in vain against a castle now held in the mountains by Arstotzkan forces. Worse still for the Moskurgers, the inhabitants of the castle are forced into surrender and captured or butchered, costing them nearly all their troops in the mountains.
Arstotzka now holds the mountains. If they can maintain this hold, they will gain possession.Our defenders were shocked and horrified when the fire began to fall; many began to fear that Myark had been redeployed to take the mountains, only to find that all of their mages were hurling forth flames. These fireballs do not explode in the way that Myark's do, but they are still brutally effective on the attack. Worse still, they are deployed across the whole of the theatre of war, even at sea.
In the jungles, advantage has shifted decidedly to Moskurg. As clouds of rolling smoke move to conceal the position of Arstotzkan skirmishers, a strange and terrible noise fills the jungle, like the blaring of a poorly tuned horn or - flatulence. Roars of terrible flatulence fill the jungle as strong foetid gusts of wind blow the clouds of smoke away, revealing terrified and exposed Arstotzkans. Only a handful of skirmishes go the Arstotzkan way, and even with their new pyromancers their ability to fight back when so many troops are dead is limited. Moskurg seizes several jungle villages and have fortified their position, capturing local defenders.
Moskurg has gained territory in the jungle.Our wind gust spell has proved a superb, if flatulent, success. With their magical concealment lifted and our ability to sense would-be physical traps, it is a simple manner to avoid Arstotzkan ambushes. Now that the teletalk beacons are functioning, bands of concealed skirmishers are easily able to surround enemy forces and capture them.
Fighting in the plains has ground down to a stalemate. Fire rains down on the battlefield whilst careful formations encircle and break up the army. Even with more pyromancers in the Arstotzkan line and the dissolution of Arstotzkan cloud cover, neither side is able to gain any territory, but neither are significant troops lost.
At sea, despite the advantages of pyromancers flinging fireballs and fire wasps, luck favours Moskurg for now. Neither side are able to make coastal gains.
The King has chosen to reinforce our lost troops in the mountains.
An exiled princess from Europe has arrived on the shores of Forenia, along with an armed retinue to secure her independence. She has been invited to and attended the courts of both Kings, and attracted by her great beauty and great wealth, both have made marriage overtures to her to persuade her to gain her hand in marriage.
Expense Credit: The side that produces a more persuasive gift, ode or other means of enticement for the exiled princess to marry their monarch will gain an expense credit the following turn.
It is 913, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Jungle: 1/4 Arstotzka, 3/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 2/4 Arstotzka, 2/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 4/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: Arstotzkan
Western Sea: Disputed
Eastern Sea: Disputed
Southern Sea: Moskurger
Mundane Equipment
Sabre: Officer weapon. A single-edged blade that favours cavalry combat over infantry combat. Requires training to wield, one-handed. Expensive.
Spear: General infantry weapon. Essentially a dagger on a long stick. Very cheap, requires minimal training to use. Can be used double-handed, or single handed with a light shield. Cheap.
Buckler: General infantry equipment. A small iron shield, held in one hand. Only protects a small area, but can be wielded alongside a shield. Moderate cost, requires training to wield properly.
Padded Armour: General infantry armour. Very cheap, just layers of cloth, but doesn't protect against much. Well ventilated in hot conditions, though. Cheap.
Scale Mail: Officer armour. Scales of steel on a leather backing. Expensive, but lighter than chain mail. Expensive.
Short Bow: General infantry weapon. A light bow composed of laminated wood and horn. Inexpensive enough to equip many troops with, but short ranged.
Arabian Horse: A light riding horse, from short-lived Iberian settlers in the past. Very fast and manoevrable, but not too strong. Expensive.
Sailing Ship: Wind-propelled wooden ship. Fast, requires minimal crew, cannot carry many passengers. Very Expensive.
Magical Equipment
Wand of Heroism: Makes a squad fight beyond human levels. A National Effort.
Detect Ambush: Reveals non-magical ambushes prepared by enemy troops or physical traps.
Lucky Strike: Magical guidance makes a squad shoot or strike true far more often than usual. Expensive.
Detect Thoughts: Read the mind of an enemy commander to determine their tactics ahead of time. Very Expensive.
Teletalk: Short-ranged psychic communication between mystics. Very Expensive.
Gust of Wind: Evokes physical force to create a heavy gust of wind, sufficient to disperse fog and most minor concealments. Expensive.