Forenia, 911In the mountains, the balance of power shifts. Moskurg has moved additional troops into the mountains to try and gain back their castle, but they fail spectacularly to even get to the battlefield, losing skirmish after skirmish to Arstotzkan traps, many of which are concealed behind rolling clouds of fog. Arstotzka in turn has failed to win out on most of its return skirmishes with Moskurg, because although the mountains are astoundingly defensible, this goes both ways. Nevertheless, Arstotzkan forces were able to push back Moskurgers around their newly captured castle and have been building outer walls and watchtowers in place to hold their new territory. Once again, terrain has proved the key factor in victory.
Arstotzka has gained significant territory in the mountains.Despite our losses against terrain, Moskurg is still fielding an enlarged army in the mountains, defending our last holdings and ready for a glorious push forwards - when circumstances permit. Unfortunately, any benefits from increased communication between skirmishing parties has been lost due to the growing insanity amongst our mystics. Amongst the many other advantages the Arstotzkans have in this terrain, the excessive range of Arstotzkan longbows is responsible for many of the deaths trying to reach battle; proud Moskurgers tend to march in the open, where they are easily struck down by such foes.
In the jungles, fighting is as bitter as ever. Moskurger raiders have the clear advantage in the thick jungle, despite the skill of proud Arstotzkan longbowmen who are nevertheless not best suited to ambush tactics. Magical concealment in the form of rolling clouds of steam help somewhat, but Moskurger raiders are seemingly always able to tell which clouds contain real troops and which are decoys, raining arrows down upon them. Although the two armies are evenly matched when it comes to actual battle, only half of the Arstotzkan troops ever manage to reach the battlefield, a cruel mirror of their own victories in the higlands. Moskurg slowly begins to make some territorial gains, but their real victory comes in the butchering of thousands of brave Arstotzkan souls.
The favourable conditions of high heat and excellent ambush ground have repeatedly won the day for glorious Moskurg, but the true hero of the hour is none other than al-Mutriqa and the Black Phantasms, our finest wizard-poet and battle-scholar and his cadre of black-armoured riders. Surrounded by the finest horsemen of Moskurg, al-Mutriqa is a blazing sun amidst a dark cloud of destruction. Brightly burnished scale mail sits beneath wide, flowing robes of red, gold and purple, as al-Mutriqa rides into the terrified bands of the enemy, striking skulls in twain with his heavy golden mace and raising a shining white wand to cast his light across the field. al-Mutriqa himself seems to be one of the few wizards immune to the teletalk madness; he has simply grown more fervent in his faith with exposure to the rods.
Strangely, a madness seems to have affected the enemy as well as our own. Common soldiers in hide vests with well-made longswords were seen giving orders to brightly armoured buffoons who seemed to have little idea how to ride a horse. Arstotzkan thanes argued in broad daylight over questions of tactics and strategy, sometimes making it almost unneccessary to read their thoughts. Coupled with our continual reads of the enemy and the somewhat haphazard co-ordination of our troops, we continue to use the enemy's own tactics against them, eliminating any benefits their leadership might provide.
Fighting in the plains has been even more brutal than in the jungle. Armies clash with common frequency, and with no clear advantage in raids and skirmishes armies are meeting one another more or less intact. Arstotzka successfully took a major town in the plains early in the summer, only to lose it again in autumn. Territory is changing hands with alarming speed, but there have been no real gains. There have, however, been losses on both sides, with Moskurger cavalry chasing down fleeing Arstotzkans and Arstotzkan mages entangling fleeing Moskurgers in what appear to be massive spiderwebs, spun out of thin air, that hold their targets in place long enough for the infantry to come take hostages or execute the losers. Although both sides have lost a number of troops, the Arstotzkans have come out of the exchange worse for wear.
Despite our classic advantages in formation fighting and our numerical superiority, even our cavalry support, we have had a hard time of the fight chiefly because despite their inferior troops (in number, anyway, which is where it counts), they are supported by their own master wizard, Myark. The most frustrating thing about Myark is that he is so difficult to find; being of common stock, he hides amongst the carls rather than leading them amongst the Arstotzkan thanes, only to reveal himself by raising what appears to be Arstotzka's stolen wand, a short staff of burnt wood, set with bronze runes. As soon as this staff is presented, many of our spearmen will try to flee, only to be held in place by their braver comrades - at least until the fireballs hit.
At sea, the tides have turned, at least in the western sea. Admist the vicious sea battles between longship and sailboat, sailboats have been attacked by swarms of biting, stinging insects, which would not be such a problem were it for the fact that their stings seem to burn away the cloth of sails! Both Moskurg and Arstotzka lose ships as fighting intensifies, but with the aid of their blazing wasps, the Arstotzkans are gaining command of the jungle coast.
We have lost troops, but we have a comparative advantage. The King has chosen to reinforce the western sea and send more troops to the plains in hope of victory.
It is 912, the Design Phase.Propaganda Contest: Moskurg has received the Revision Credit this turn, due to their entertaining propaganda description of al-Mutriqa.
Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka
Central Mountains: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 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.
Teletalk: Short-ranged psychic communication between mystics. Tends to drive users mad over time. Very Expensive.
Am I reading this right? Over the course of four die rolls, we got three 1's?
I'm afraid so. Although two became 2s due to picking a fairly simple project.
Author
Topic: Wands Race - [Moskurg] {COMPLETED} (Read 203466 times)