The Legion sends their soldiers southwards in an attempt to defeat you. They do not comprehend what they are fighting against, but you will teach them. You tell Duthrax to begin his raids, and to take the Greshspawn to leave behind plenty of presents for the Legion. His lips quirk at the thought, and several detachments of soldier leave, Greshspawn buzzing above their heads, stingers dripping with venom.
Next, you prepare to fill their minds with fear and terror. Once more, you deliver some resources to the Ceaseless Consumption, wishing you had a better way to get them supplies. This sort of work seems like it should be beneath you, although it is good to personally remind your followers who is in charge every so often. This feast is a resounding success, although all the soldiers coming to attack you have long since passed through. Still, the stories told fill people’s minds, and the words of the Seducers go a long way to convincing many that it might be wise to prepare for the defeat of the Legion…and to embrace the words of Klicks-Dricklefix, at least enough to avoid something like the Burning of Canord. Two members of the city’s Council attend the fair, and both seem quite concerned by the possibility, concerned enough to have the high seducer personally brief them on everything she knows.
In a private meeting – private enough that she convinces the council members to send away their personal priests – she persuades the two of them to begin preparing the city for your inevitable conquest, and to join the cause and reap the resultant rewards.
Meanwhile, Lurrothel attacks the dreams of the soldiers. While they took the precaution of having priests ward the dreams against demonic intrusion, Lurrothel is the Weaver of Nightmares, and their pitiful wards are torn to shreds, leading to several of the priests dying in their sleep, blood pouring from everywhere there is a gap in the flesh. With their defenses stripped bare, she runs rampant through their minds, filling them with terror and paranoia so severe that nearly a hundred men desert and another hundred horse arches refuse to get on their horses after various minor incidents such as tossed shoes and unusually loud neighs. Every night the dreams go on, and every day a few more men slip away.
Their morale improves somewhat when the horse archers encounter the Barrow Bows, leading to a brief but bloody battle. The charge of the cavalry is enough to scatter the undisciplined rangers, and then it is a rout, with nearly fifty of your followers cut down in exchange for three dead legionaries. They find the traps the Barrow Bows were making as well, and know enough to avoid them now. The losses of the Bows are at least somewhat made good as more bandits trickle in, tempted by the promise of loot.
Kreth responds by further corrupting the land, attempting to cover the land the Legion marches on with thorns and venom, but the surviving priests manage to counter his efforts enough to make them inconsequential.
However, the Barrow Bows, now in the sort of war they are familiar with, prove very effective. Though several do not return from missions, numerous scouts are captured or killed. They are thoroughly interrogated and then executed and from what they say a picture forms:
The soldiers approaching are mostly green, and they are the ones suffering most from the dreams. Nearly four hundred have deserted already, including half their horse arches, leaving them with only about a hundred auxiliary cavalry and fifty regular legion cavalry. Morale is in shambles, and most are convinced they are outnumbered 10-1 if not by more. However, the commander is still confident despite the nightmares, and has convinced most that the dreams are a sign of weakness – whatever necromancer responsible must resort to tricks because he knows he is outmatched.
When the scouts begin finding villages destroyed by Duthrax’s soldiers – two were apparently eaten alive by the children of Greshspawn – their confidence is shaken, but they still think that once they force you into battle you will lose.
Duthrax’s raiders return, and he picks out seven to be raised to the rank of Thrall-herd. You grant them a minor fragment of your power, and he gives them some sort of rank insignia. You weren’t really paying attention.
The moat digging continues steadily, while the gates are reinforced. Arrow slits and murder holes are carven through the walls, and lines of sight are mapped to ensure there will be nowhere same from archer fire.
Caliwick begins to teach some magic to the Doom-Seers and Doom-Seekers, but he seems to be frustrated by their lack of theoretical knowledge, and has to teach them that first. While they grow more effective generally, they don’t learn any new spells.
He is also frustrated in his efforts to teach your mages because he has to teach several others the basics. The Order of the Changing way found 11 with the capacity to become Doom-Seekers, and sent them to you with 2 converted priests and a few thralls.
And in Henord Crossing, more pledge themselves to you, actively embracing your worship. You can feel the power flowing from a mass sacrifice of a dozen goats in the center of the town square, and you smile, even as you see the Legion, just on the edge of your vision. Do you have any last minute preparations?
Name: Klx-Dryklfx
Time: 8.5 months
Physical Might: 114 +6 ( -6 leakage, + 32 worship)
Mental Might: ] 114 +6 ( -6 leakage, + 32 worship)
Cults
The Ceaseless Consumption
Members: 7 seducers, 1 high seducer, 3 Shapers, 396 peons, 2 members of the city council in Avendor
Resources: 0 (+10 given, - 10 festival )
Power: 20 ( 12 spent throwing festival, 5 spent worshipping)
The Avar Society
Members: 1 seducer, 23 peons, 14 merchants, 7 artisans
Resources: 0 (+3 donations, +5 given -8 party)
Power: 4(4 spent throwing parties)
Fortresses
Canord
Strong walls (45), Deep moat (25), Thorn Wall (25), Weak wards (15), Traps (15) Demonic crops, plentiful mines, Strong aura of domination.
Avar
Basic Walls (25), Living Ward(15), Demonic Mud Moat (20)
Castle Southbend
Strong Walls (35), Strong Wards (30), Moat (20), Gargoyle Guards (15), aura of reanimation
Demonic Realm
2400 Peons
1 Doom-Seer, 2 Doom-Seekers, 317 Slaves, 4 Dark Priests
55 resources (- 10 Ceasless Consumption)
+26 power/week, + 20 resources/week
Slight corruption
Demonic Armies
11 Reavers, 2 Doom-Seekers, 50 thralls, 100 zombies in Canord
The Broken – 821 chaff (46 thralls, 441 zombies, 227 skeletons, 17 wisp wights, 89 weeping sores), 598 light infantry (297 Spear-Thralls, 2 Spear-Thrallherds, 297 Sword-Thralls, 2 Sword-Thrallherds), 269 heavy infantry (27 Demon-Touched , 1 Demon-Touched Thrallherd, 199 wisp-wretches, 42 heavy swordsman), 230 ranged (212 Archer-Thralls, 2 Archer-Thrallherds 17 slingers), 30 mages (2 Doom-Seers, 28 Doom-Seekers), 334 heavy cavalry( 5 mounted god-slayers, 329 deathless knights), 23 Infiltrators (18 Hunters, 5 Night-Stalkers), 28 support (15 Dark Priests, 1 Dread Priest, 12 Shapers), 10 siege (8 armored brutes, 2 crushers), 17 incorporeal(17 specters), 180 scouts (rangers), 17 flyers (17 Gresh-spawn) in Southbend
Barrow Bows – 172 scouts (rangers), 37 light infantry (bandits) in between Avar and Southbend
Champions
Kreth Woemaker
Physical might: 21 (+11 worship, - 8 corruption)
Mental might: 21 (+11 worship, - 8 corruption)
Other: Magic Cloak, worshipped by the Barrow Bows
Duthrax Soul-Render, First of the Thrall-Herds
Physical might: 9 + 1
Mental might: 5+ 1
Other: Duelist, skilled commander, zombie horse, Herald
Lurrothel, Weaver of Nightmares
Physical might: 3
Mental might: 8
Other: Necromancer, skilled at wards and dream magic, pregnant with your child
Caliwick the Arch-Necromancer
Physical might: 2
Mental might: 11
Other: Necromancer, Soulbond, Living Legend
Artifacts
Desecrator
+6 physical, +6 mental
Bringer of unholy rot, Reanimator, Focus of Power
Magic Cloak
Unknown properties
Herald
+2 physical, + 2 mental
Inspiring song, crimson regeneration