Combat for 925Neither side develops anything that could help during skirmishes, and continue to do heavy damage to one another in nightly raids.
The main fighting in the jungle has begun to stall. Their earlier strategy of sniping our mages is still valid, but our pavise shields save dozens of lives. Our mages can safely cast from behind the shields; on occasion an Arstotzkan sniper will manage to send an arrow through a gap in the shields, but our mages live more than a few seconds now. Both they and our commanders are outfitted in our new Elite Lamellar, painted brightly and protecting the wearer the way a suit of armor should. Our commanders claim it's more flexible and protective than our old scale mail, and the lacquered scales make them look professional and commanding. It can't deflect an arrow at close range like an Arstotzkan breastplate, but it's more flexible than their armor. In a melee, one of our squad commanders could beat one of theirs in a one on one fight slightly more than half the time. That rarely occurs, sadly, as their brightly painted armor makes them prime targets for Arstotzkan archers and our strength is fighting in numbers. We receive multiple requests for Elite Lamellar from our rank-and-file soldiers, all of whom are still clad in their crappy, rusted lamellar that falls apart at the slightest scratch. Our mages are just happy to have some protection - they also carry their big, thick shields into combat and hide behind them while casting. On the offensive they'll get close with their ivory staffs and prevent Arstotzkan mages from smiting our forces with fireballs. A single Moskurg mage can stop several mages from casting at once, preventing them from wiping the floor with our troops. They still win in these melees despite our larger numbers due to their higher quality soldiers and equipment, but the margin of victory isn't as much as it was before.
On a much sadder note, our bodkin arrows do even less damage this year than they did last year. Before our needle arrows could cause injuries that could incapacitate a soldier, but now they're utterly useless. The only time our archers cause injury is when they find their way into the eyeslits of an enemy helmet. Lucky Strike makes this happen enough to make their men march slowly, shields raised over their heads defensively. Our soldiers point to the padded leather cloaks their men have started wearing with their armor, claiming the extra thickness is enough to keep our arrows from scratching the skin.
A surprising development is occurring in the jungle - the undergrowth has become less dense over these past few years. This is likely due to the unseasonable snow, fire, lightning, and constant, constant, constant rain. Our soldiers are used to fighting in formation, and in massive numbers. Arstotzkan soldiers are more adept at fighting man-to-man, in squad tactics. While it hasn't cleared enough yet to make a difference, the dying vegetation has been something to keep an eye on. Clearer ground would give our men an advantage in combat. If we get pushed out of the jungle then it wont matter, but if fighting stalls indefinitely once more then it could be an unexpected ally. Judging by the rate at which the vegetation is dying, it'd be maybe another two years before it's clear enough to make a difference.
Now that our mages aren't dying before they can even cast the fighting has become more even. Arstotzka is still in the lead though, and if nothing changes we will be pushed out of the jungle next year. The bleeding hasn't stopped, but it has slowed enough to make us hopeful.
The Theatre Commander thanks you for
finally doing something to save the lives of our mages. He points to the backsliding we've been doing these past few years and asks if you have some way of stopping it - the Staff is a great weapon, and we can finally use it effectively (and with wonderous effect). He notes that the snow prevents us from using the Hammer during the winter, and that we've NEVER been able to use the Spear to decent effect, despite how much of a boon it would be. He also laments the ineffective nature of our bodkin arrows - perhaps you could mass enchant arrows to somehow bypass armor? Whatever you do, it needs to have immediate effect by next year or we lose the jungle.
Neither side gains ground in the jungle.With no new advancements to be used on the seas, neither side makes advancements here.
The Theatre Commander points out that he could deploy troops behind enemy lines, if he could disperse the enemy fleet. Better coordination, or a better offensive weapon would give us the edge we need on the high seas.
Neither side makes coastal gains in the Western Sea.Expense Credit!!! The tales of magic being cast as easily as breathing has traveled, apparently. We spy a foreign vessel sailing into our harbor claiming to be a trader. The captain is a fellow by the name of "Ma Tuan-lin"...we think. He doesn't speak our language, but it's clear he's here to trade. His ship sits heavy in the water with all manner of gold and silver, and his men are clad in strange clothes. He seems particularly interested in magical artifacts, the flashier the better. After some pantomiming and crude drawings, we figure out he's willing to pay for a supply he can bring back to the outside world.
Our men are suspicious of the outsiders, and many of the wizards aren't keen on sharing our hard-earned magical prowess with others. It could be a trap, but he seems honest enough. Should we trade with him? If so, what should we trade? If we do trade, we should make enough to earn an expense credit. Of course, we could always just seize his ship - judging by how deeply it sits in the water, there should be enough treasure on board for possibly two expense credits...
It is 926, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka
Western Jungle: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 4/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 4/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: Arstotzkan
Western Sea: Disputed
Eastern Sea: Moskurger
Southern Sea: Moskurger
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. Cheap.
Pavise Shield: A large, thick, high-quality shield to guard against arrows. Can be staked into the ground, or slung across the shoulders. Needs both hands to use while on the move. Very Expensive.
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. Obsolete.
Lamellar Armor: General infantry armour. Worn over padded armor. Thin plates of steel sewn together with string. Is comparable to Scale Mail, but easier to make and maintain. Cheap.
Elite Lamellar Armor: Officer armour. Worn over padded armor. Thin plates of steel sewn together with leather thongs. High quality, decent protection against arrows and melee attacks. Expensive.
Recurve Bow: General infantry weapon. A light bow composed of laminated wood and horn, curved backwards to provide more force. Inexpensive enough to equip many troops with, with very reasonable medium range and power. Can be wielded by horse archers.
Bodkin Arrows: Arrows with needle points. Can reliably penetrate plate armor at point blank range. Can penetrate less reliably further away.
Arabian Horse: A light riding horse, from short-lived Iberian settlers in the past. Very fast and maneuverable, but not too strong. Expensive.
Horse Breeding Program: Mass amounts of horses available. Tend to do poorly in the desert, and aren't quite as high quality as the Arabian Horses. Cheap.
Lances: Essentially a heavily upgraded spear. Has a tendency to splinter after the first use. Cheap.
Sailing Ship: Wind-propelled wooden ship. Fast, requires minimal crew, cannot carry many passengers, but does carry at least one wizard - so long as they don't make puns. Very Expensive.
Wand of Heroism: Makes a squad fight beyond human levels. A National Effort.
Teletalk: Short-ranged psychic communication between mystics. Enough beacons can be produced to outfit an army. Expensive.
Staff of Tubikh Rrahim: Area-of-affect spell centered around the caster. Prevents all magic from being cast within a short range. Spell contained within a staff of ivory. Expensive.
Dispell Enchantments: Dispells enchantments on items, including standard crystal weapons. Expensive.
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. Expensive.
Zen Inception: By putting enemy soldiers in a zen-like state, we can use their minds as a relay system to read minds further away. The spell is easy to disrupt, but simple to use.
Gust of Wind: Evokes physical force to create a heavy gust of wind, sufficient to disperse fog and most minor concealment, as well as disperse irritating swarms. Expensive.
Cyclone Shield: Protects the beneficent from most arrows and some blows with a sheath of wind. Expensive.
Storm Strike: Summons heavy rain and winds over the course of a day. Expensive.
Clear Weather: Negates inclement weather within the given area. Nests within Storm Strike for protection.
Hammer of Allah: Induce lightning from summoned storms. Strikes indiscriminately, so can't be used in "danger close" situations.
Spear of Allah: Call down an individual bolt of lightning to target enemy commanders. Difficult to control, has a tendency to hit the caster as often as not. Our mages refuse to use it.
Tubikh Rrahim: Area-of-affect spell centered around the caster. Prevents all magic from being cast within a short range. Cheap.
Dispell Enchantments: Dispells enchantments on items, including standard crystal weapons. Expensive.
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Topic: Wands Race - [Moskurg] {COMPLETED} (Read 203753 times)