Forenia, 910In the mountains, Arstotzka has proved to be highly effective, winning nearly all of the skirmishes in the passes and even successfully taking hold of a Moskurger castle. Moskurg meanwhile has failed to gain any ground at all, as their troops have been sapped in skirmishes before this can even come to pass. Although Arstotzkan gains are not significant enough to shift the balance of power, continued victories may gain them real ground in the mountains.
The King and his knights put this defeat down to the terrain, for the most part; enemy infantry and ambush tactics are brutally effective and Moskurg massed infantry tactics are less effective, further aided by the Arstotzkan magic which summons clouds of smoke to conceal their men against brave Moskurger archers, and swarms of biting, stinging insects that sap the morale of brave Moskurg soldiers.
In the jungle, Moskurg is mostly able to win in skirmishes against Arstotzka, particularly on the defensive where their apprentices were able to detect ambushes laid in place and encircle them with troops. In the jungles, Moskurger archers are aided by magic to hit two out of three times, twice as often as before! Whilst Moskurg and Arstotzka both traded land, with Arstotzka capturing several forts and Moskurg seizing an Arstotzkan gem mine, Moskurg has come out with a slight advantage despite their lack of territorial gains, having slaughtered many fleeing Arstotzkans with their fast sabre-armed cavalry.
Moskurg has sent its one master wizard to the jungle, where their wand of heroism is able to inspire the troops to keep fighting despite the unpleasantly hot conditions. An elite squad of cavalry with the wizard at their head have conducted several daring raids, inspiring the other troops to fight harder.
Moskurg has had an excellent showing in the plains, where their cavalry focus has come to the fore. Without terrain to aid the Arstotzkans' ambush tactics, Moskurgers were able to win most skirmishes and bring their massive formation-based armies to bear. At the same time, the Arstotzkans fielded a very visible wizard in a well-protected contingent on the battlefield; huge balls of fire hurtled over the field when battle was joined, roasting dozens of spearmen at a time. Moskurgers still seized a major fishing town and butchered the entire local garrison, resulting in further losses for the Arstotzkans as the Moskurgers prove that they can follow up on a victory with great effect. Moskurg has not yet gained enough territory to be significant, but they are en-route to a significant gain in land on the plains next year.
The King and his knights put this victory down a reasonable amount to the terrain; scattered groups of enemy infantry might work well in the mountains, but they are easy prey for fast, mobile formation forces and cavalry support. Despite the glorious victories told of, many of the skirmishes have been close and although ambushes are partly held off by simple detection spells and the archers are certainly aided by lucky strikes, the stinging biting wasps the Arstotzkans summon are proving deleterious to morale, although there are not nearly enough of them to affect a full battle. One of the key advantages magically has been the ability to read enemy thoughts. This ability is limited to close range, so it can only be reliably applied in skirmishes, and if the Arstotzkans ever give their thanes decent bodyguards they might be able to kill off our wizards before they can carry back their mind scans. For the mean time however, our 'mystics', as they call themselves, can completely nullify any officer bonuses during skirmishes.
Of particular concern is the very flashy Arstotzkan wizard aiding the battles here on the plains. Although our fine Moskurger cavalry are able to outpace the enemy regardless, and we have so many expendable troops that the roasting of several hundred in a battle is not such a big problem, their wizard is still very dangerous, especially when attacking Moskurger forts and settlements, which they feel free to burn with impunity. They have been known to blow up whole skirmishing parties as well, although the damage is slightly mitigated in skirmishes due to their nature.
At sea, luck has favoured the Moskurger forces on the eastern coast, where they have been able to defeat several longships at sea and capture several crucial harbours, including one filled with Arstotzkan ships under repair from earlier battles - they naturally torched the lot. This represents a significant gain for Moskurg in the battle for naval supremacy in the east, although both sides agree this to be mostly down to luck.
Having avoided losses this year, the King has elected to send additional soldiers to the Mountains and the Plains.
It is 911, the Design Phase.Propaganda Contest: The team that provides the most inspiring (or entertaining) description of their nation's master wizard and his/her cohorts will gain a
Revision Credit.
Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka
Central Mountains: 2/4 Arstotzka, 2/4 Moskurg
Western Jungle: 2/4 Arstotzka, 2/4 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.
Author
Topic: Wands Race - [Moskurg] {COMPLETED} (Read 203348 times)