Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Failbird105]

Darrin ():
Xa-Nam (1): Failbird

Fortified Front ():
Lawless Capital ():
Scholarly Towers ():
Trade City ():
Ostentatious Capital ():
War-torn Wastes ():

Okay so, basically, Heliel has to go Combat. She has a fucking aura of cure moderate wounds with added regen over-time and buffs, not putting her into combat is wasting a massive force multiplier.
As for putting her in Xa-Nam specifically, well, I just kinda feel like she's better suited for working around the zone feature there(guarded bridges) than the zone feature in Darrin(easy ambushes)

[m1895]

Darrin ():
Xa-Nam (2): Failbird, m1895

Fortified Front ():
Lawless Capital ():
Scholarly Towers ():
Trade City ():
Ostentatious Capital ():
War-torn Wastes ():

[chubby2man]

Darrin ():
Xa-Nam (3): Failbird, m1895, C2M

Fortified Front ():
Lawless Capital ():
Scholarly Towers ():
Trade City ():
Ostentatious Capital ():
War-torn Wastes ():

[Powder Miner]

Are you sure? I think we might be in trouble in Darrin if the demonic forces have more maneuverable units and Heliel could ameliorate that... though the argument could be made that she could better secure a win in Xa-Nam

[Failbird105]

I mean, frankly I feel like our Darrin force might be better off already than the Xa-Nam one. We've got invisible ghost scouts who greatly reduce, if not completely eliminate, the possibility of a successful enemy ambush after all, provided they haven't specifically made a counter to ghosts already.

Meanwhile, we don't actually have anything exceptional going for us in Xa-Nam, and having the force multiplier that is Heliel there could enable us to push through routes that we would otherwise be unable to take.

[Atomic Chicken]

Darrin ():
Xa-Nam (4): Failbird, m1895, C2M, AC

Fortified Front ():
Lawless Capital ():
Scholarly Towers ():
Trade City ():
Ostentatious Capital ():
War-torn Wastes ():

[NUKE9.13]

Angel Team: Battle Phase T1
TURNTURNTURN
Link to Battle Report


Lesimor Infiltration Report
The Lawless Capital is rife with things people would rather others not know about, and our Bright Shadows served us well as information gatherers. Unfortunately, while we learned some juicy secrets, we have no means of exploiting them, and our regular missionary & medic efforts failed to convert substantial numbers. We did learn something about the demons' moneymaking schemes; they have made connections with a handful of criminal gangs and are selling their products through them. So far, it seems they have not converted any particularly important criminals, but they are surely susceptible.
   
In the Fortified Frontier, we continued to gather converts, thanks in part to the gratitude afforded our medics. However our basic efforts proved insufficient to advance our cause significantly further. 
   
The few missionaries who travelled as far as the Scholarly Towers barely managed to recruit anyone, as the watchful eyes of the local academics kept us from acting too overtly.

Dolgoth Infiltration Report
In the Ostentatious Capital, the Bright Shadows serve us well, as while public dissent is rare, behind closed doors people's feelings are made clear. Though our medics are driven out of the city, our regular missionaries are able to target those who are most susceptible to our message, as well as finding many others who are eager to find a new cause to believe in. 0/5-->1/5
   
Our efforts to proselytise in the Trade City are hampered by the recent (temporary) vigilance. Our medics proved popular, but transmuting the gratitude into conversions proved difficult.
   
Only a handful of missionaries operated in the Wartorn Wastes this month, but they had an outsized effect thanks to the popularity of our medics. They were too few in number to recruit substantial numbers this month, but now that we have a foothold in the Ostentatious Capital, we expect to gain many converts there next month.


It is now the Design Phase. You have two designs.

Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)

Heliel: The benevolent leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little they cannot do. Needless to say, they are Unique. Their Power is currently 20.


Mundane Units:
Armed Cultists: Equipped with fairly respectable equipment- a well-made gambeson, padded iron cap, sturdy spear, shiny dagger, and a solid shield-, combined with rudimentary training, mean that while these are not elite warriors, they would stand a chance against a real soldier. More importantly, they're cheap and plentiful. Like regular cultists, their dedication (and communal singing) makes them more resilient mentally than civilians.  Common

Cultist Archers: Cultists who have some experience with a bow are valuable assets in combat, harassing the enemy from a distance. They aren't sharpshooters, and their bows are not high-draw war-bows, but they're a good bit better than nothing. Also provided with gambeson and iron cap. Like regular cultists, their dedication (and communal singing) makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Uncommon

Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under the Angel. They can cast any Common spells (unless noted otherwise). Their physical strength leaves something to be desired, but their mental fortitude is even greater than regular cultists. Wear a gambeson, but forgo iron cap. There are not many Acolytes in a unit. Uncommon

Cultist Officers: Featuring a whole two tiers of military hierarchy, the sergeants and captains impart a modicum of organisation upon their fellow cultists. While not massively better than self-organised troops, it's still noticeable. They are distributed amongst all cultist units (eg Armed Cultists, Cultist Archers, Acolytes).


Summoned/Mutated Units:
Bright Shadows: Souls of fallen cultists (or other Good people), empowered with Good such that they may continue to serve in death as they did in life. Invisible and incorporeal, with an uncanny ability to find whatever they are looking for, they make for excellent spies and capable scouts. Immune to physical attack (but not magical attack). Not useful in actual combat. Uncommon


Spells/Rituals:
Magic Missile: Known by many names, the simple technique of blasting your opponent with raw Magic/Good/Evil is a tried and true method of making things go away. Efficacy increases with caster's mental might, and decreases with the target's. Common
    Major Missile: A very dangerous spell... to the user. Produces a stronger blast than the standard Magic Missile, but has the unfortunate side effect of completely draining the caster's energy reserves, knocking them unconscious for ~24 hours. Not usable by Heliel, or other beings animated by Good and/or Magic. Common

Heliel's Love: A very efficient basic healing spell. A slight touch and channelling of angelic love initiates a self-sustaining healing process that can heal up to moderately serious injuries and diseases fairly rapidly. The magic has lingering effects even after healing is complete, leaving the subject healthier and more resilient for a few hours afterwards. Heliel casts this magic automatically on all in her vicinity (unless specifically choosing not to). Common
    Mass Heliel's Love: A markedly less efficient variant of Heliel's Love, that affects all targets in a small area (~15 at a time). The healing effect is reduced, to the point where even stabilising moderately serious injuries is a gamble- sometimes doing enough for the patient to survive until more personalised healing can be applied, other times only giving the appearance thereof. It cannot be cast as often as Heliel's Love, but is still Common


Infiltration Techniques:
Proselytise: Cultists go forth and spread the Good word, finding those sympathetic to their cause and slowly winning them over. Not the fastest way of gaining converts, as baseline cultists are not expert missionaries, but it keeps the cult growing. Common
    Travelling Medics: Acolytes accompany proselytising missions, curing the sick and injured in order to win over the local population. Uncommon
   
Spy: Agents of Heliel travel the land, seeking secrets, while going unnoticed themselves. Does not directly increase influence, but aids in most other infiltration endeavours. Currently only Bright Shadows are suitable for this role. Common


Infrastructure:
Basic Training Camps: Rudimentary facilities, where cultists learn the basics of combat and warfare. Singing is integrated into the training programme, serving to boost morale.
    Basic Officer Training: A stumbling, amateurish step towards proper military organisation, the officers trained thus are still better than leaders chosen in the moment.
   
Military Workshops: A series of mines, smelters, forges and workshops that provide the forces of Good with arms and armour.

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

DARRIN (Combat)
Dry Plains: 4/4 | 0/4
Mountain Passes: 3/4 | 1/4
Rice Terraces: 0/4 | 4/4

LESIMOR (Influence)
Fortified Frontier: 1/5 | ?/5
Lawless Capital: 0/5 | ?/5
Scholarly Towers: 0/5 | ?/5

XA-NAM (Combat)
River Delta: 4/4 | 0/4
River Crossings: 3/4 | 1/4
Light Jungle: 0/4 | 4/4

DOLGOTH (Influence)
Trade City: 1/5 | ?/5
Ostentatious Capital: 1/5 | ?/5
Wartorn Wastes: 0/5 | ?/5

[Failbird105]

Design: Sunlight Warriors
Much like the Bright Shadows, Sunlight Warriors are those among the cult who have chosen to serve beyond death. However, Sunlight Warriors are chosen from a select few. The greatest of our Warriors and Field Leaders are selected, and instead of being made into incorporeal spies, they are made into warriors of great power. A Sunlight Warriors body is garbed in armor, and is a translucent, glassy orange-yellow in color all throughout, glowing incandescently from within. The armor is largely for appearance however, as a Sunlight Warrior will be twice as tough and strong as a man regardless of whether they appear to wear leather or full plate. They wield glorious greatswords, made of the same spectral material as the rest of their body.

What makes them truly exceptional however, is the aura of courage and mental fortitude they emit. Those fighting alongside them will find themselves emboldened, ready to fight through whatever foe they may face, and ignore the influences of our enemies corruption. Naturally, being pulled from the best of our best, Sunlight Warriors are also excellent leaders in the field. However, this also means they are few in number, what with the lofty requirements for the selection process.

[frostgiant]

Design:Holy Blade-winged Falcon

The blade winged falcon is a vicious beast, Well known for its Sharp Blades like feathers and ability to fling them down from the sky at its prey below.  Nests are typically well marked by travelers as hazards, due to a lack of protection leaving one very very vulnerable to these falling blades.
Sometimes hunters will raise the creature from an egg, similar to a falconer with a much more dangerous creature, capable of splitting the enterprising hunter open with an errant flap of its wings. In return for the dangerous process of taming it, the hunter gains a flying hunter capable of raining death upon its prey.

One of these rare hunters was an intial acolyte, bringing with him his last birds' eggs during his holy journey.
The holy heliel and her many wings seem to have touched the unborn avians.  The birds, raised from the egg by the acolytes of the cult and surrounded by the merciful power of our holy mistress seem to be changed, gaining a white hue to their typically brown and grey feathering and seemingly much easier to tame by those touched by her holy light.

A normal falcon holds little use on the field of battle, being unable to harm an armoured man, let alone one protected by the unnatural. The most they could accomplish is to catch and kill an enemies messenger pigeons.
On the other hand, The Blade winged falcon provides an important tactical advantage, capable of hunting any flying foe in the air regardless of size due to its razor-sharp feathers and bombard an enemy force from above via the feathers they throw at the grounded prey.
Truly the Metallic feathers of The blade winged falcon are most magnificent when touched by the holy power of our grand lady and her many wings.

[Failbird105]

Design: Monks of Minos
Minotaurs, a race of beast men created long ago by demons in one of many Angel/Demon wars. They where a man and a half in height and heavily muscled, with the body of a man but the head and legs of a fanged bull. When the war had ended, they where left behind by their master. Many continued their attacks against the humans of the kingdoms, and where killed. Others fled into the wild, and over generations they went feral, becoming naught but another beast. One group however, feeling betrayed by the Demon who created them and enraged at their mistreatment, retreated into the mountains. And in a strange act of rebellion against the purpose for which they where made, they found their own peace.
As beings sourced from evil, and made for combat, they refused the pleasures of life. Wealth, violence, drugs, physical pleasure, all were ignored and refused, first as an act of spite, later as almost a form of religion. They dressed plainly, drank only water, farmed their own food and ate only when needed. When a lost traveler came along, they gave food, drink, shelter, and a map. Over the course of their 'rebellion', they formed a group founded on the ideas of Good. To cast off the sins and temptations that had been molded into them from their very creation.

In their monasteries within the mountains they practice several forms of meditation. Clearing their mind of their worldly desires. Gardening, rythmic breathing, and chanting(which we imagine would integrate well with our singing), were all forms of meditation employed by these Monks. Most interestingly however, was a form of meditation derived from the Minotaurs natural inclination for combat. They developed a unique form of martial art, involving methodical movements and the wielding of long poles, that they call 'Bo Staves', which have become their preferred weapon. This technique is not viable for combat in its current state, being far too slow paced and predictable. However, we will make note of this to see if this combat style cannot be adapted properly later.

Their devotion to Good, and to cleansing themselves of Evil impressed the Angel. And so, she went to meet them in person, to invite them to our cause. Of all beings, they would have among the best understandings of what Demons are like, and why a Demon cannot be allowed to take control of these kingdoms.

Bringing the Monks of Minos back to the front. Notably, I've removed their pre-existing martial arts skill except for their primary weapon being the bo-staff, and a note that basically says 'we'll try to add this later as a revision'.

[m1895]

Artificers
Some of our acolytes have shown promise at Artificing, and it wouldn't good of us to ignore our children's gifts, so we've taken the time to properly teach them how to artifice objects without making them explode this time. Currently, they can only enchant effectively single use (over the course of a battle) spells into objects, such as a spear with a major missile spell (thankfully, runes don't need to be fully charged immediately) carved into it's head, or clothing with Heliel's Love sewn into it, but even this will be useful both directly for our cultists in the field, and to bring in new cultists through magic trinkets.

[chubby2man]

Spoiler: Slayer Creation (click to show/hide)

Abas, son of Miru, son of Rakka, hesitated before entering the glade. It was a holy site since ancient times, where,even during times of war, the tribes would not harm each other here. It was a life-giving place, and to shed blood would be to dishonor it. Abas had come here often, to hide from the sun during the day, and swim with . . . no, that memory of her was still too raw.

This night, however, the glade was not just lit by moonlight. A pale glow marked Her presence, a sense of holy peace and awe that even reached into his battered heart.

“Come, Abas, you are welcome here.” Heliel’s voice reminded him of water. Sometimes it roared like a waterfall, thunderous and full of power; now it was soothing, like the murmur of a stream trickling through the rocks.

Abas smiled and walked forward down the dirt path into the center. Heliel herself was . . . indescribable. Wings whispered through the air around her, effortlessly keeping her still, floating in place as she turned to face Abas. She was like a second moon, beautiful but not blinding. Abas fell to his knees before her.
“Oh my dear child,” a tip of a wing reaches out and cups his face. Abas basked in the warm glow of the love that poured into him.

“You do not have to do this, Abas. You could heal, given time. I will not think less of you, love you less, if you turn back.”

The grief rose in him like a storm, scouring his heart with million grains of pain. His tribe, murdered in the night. His family hunted down and slain, his father riddled with arrows, his brothers and sister impaled upon spears. Nabia, his love, she -

He clenched his jaws and shook his head.
“Let it be, my Lady. I have nothing left except for this.”

He hears her sigh, full of sorrow and compassion.
“You are brave, Abas. You are part of a great work this night. I-” her voice fades for a moment, and then returns. “-am sorry, I wish I could dull your pain.”

Abas smiles at the Angel, “It is alright, my Lady, I am ready.”

He thinks he sees a sad smile cross her face, “You are not, but we all must do what we must.”

 A cushion of force lifts him from the ground into the air in front of Heliel. A wave of love and peace washes over him, and he weeps tears of joy as it suffuses his very being.
“The oldest theories of magic, the beginnings of every ritual and tradition, is the sacrifice of the potential to bring the actual.” Abas feel an uncomfortable pressure begin to build inside his body.

“The earliest sorcerors would mark their bodies with scars and tattoos, to represent that sacrifice. For every ritual they did, they shaped their innate potential into realized, actual power. But, you always lose something, one always becomes lesser. They put on the altar a million different possibilities, to gain a single advantage. It is a tragedy, but you will be that advantage, Abas. Hold on to that thought.”

White fire erupted from his body, burning him inside and out. He screamed in pain as Heliel’s power poured through him, purified him.

“Your legs will never tire, will take you where you need to go, but you will never know rest. Your feet will crush the skulls of your enemies, but you will never feel the brush of grass or the trickle of water between your toes.” The fire whipped around his legs, carving a spiral down to each of the toes. The pain was unbearable.

“You will never have children. The potential of your lineage will empower you, but you are barren. You would have had two sons, Berial and Mirah, and three daughters, Nabia, Umma, and Laha. A part of them will strengthen you.”

An indescribable pain filled him, grief at the thought of what would never be. He begged her to stop, but she whispered, “I cannot.” Line of fire burned across his chest.

“Your heart will not stop beating, it will regenerative even grevious wounds. You will be fearless in battle, your courage will never falter.”

“You sacrifice the choice to be brave, for you will not care if you live or die. Your emotions will be a muted, dead thing.”

“Your soul, bright and luminous and immortal, will be folded into your mortal body, strengthening beyond mortal ken, but there will be no rest for you in this life or the next.”

Abas thought he knew pain, but he could feel his senses expanding and he could feel each line that the fire carved in his flesh intimately.

“You might savor this pain one day, dear Abas, for you will never feel it again after this night. By experiencing all of your lifespan’s pain, you will never be distracted or overcome by pain in battle” She murmured. He could feel it go into your arms and hands, burning scars and marks in whorls and straight lines.

“Your arms will never falter, and your speed and skill will be unparalleled with any weapon. You will never feel the face of a lover, or the smoothness of a babe’s skin. These hands will only be for war.”

 And finally the fire enveloped his head. It burned away his hair, and dug into his scalp. As he cried out, his throat a bloody mess from his raw screams, the flames went into his mouth.

“Your words will inspire fear in your enemies, and valor in your allies, but they will never inspire love.”

“Your eyes will see in the dark as well as the light, but will never marvel at the beauty they see.”

“You will always hear my voice, but your ability to choose your destiny will be taken away.”

“You will never need sleep, but you will never dream or posses desire.”

“Like your soul, your beautiful mind I will also strip away, to focus only on battle, and reflexes and action. You will lose yourself, Abas, the memories that make you, you will be taken and thrown into the fire of war.”

Abas’s scorched throat croaked out, “ Will... I... remember . . . her?”

Heliel shakes her head tenderly, “I will take that too.”

Abas nods his head, and scratches out two final words, “Take it.”

“Remember, all this,” The pain builds in intensity, consuming his whole body. “It will forge you into a weapon that will drive out the darkness. You have been filed into an edge, a blade that only has one purpose.” The fire blazes hotter, and cuts deeper until. . .


The Slayer exhales.

His body is lowered to the ground under Heliel’s watchful gaze. Nearly every inch of his body is covered in raised scars and tattoos.His eyes glow yellow in Heliel’s reflected glare. Gone is the wonder, the marvelous intricacies of the human spirit reflected through their eyes. Instead there is only the blank gaze of a killer, filled with a disregard of the splendor and majesty of life and magic.

A tear rolled down Heliel’s check. A wingtip caught it, and gently, lovingly poured it over the Slayer’s head.

“I anoint thee with my sorrow, Slayer, that I created you and the circumstances which necessitated thus. That too, I sacrifice.”

The water of the tear sparkles and soaks into the Slayer’s skin.

The Slayer stands, and walks away.



The wingtip withdraws from Abas’s face. He blinks at the images, the feelings that ran through his head.

He looks at Heliel. Her voice is full of compassion.

“You know now the cost that you would bear. I would not put this burden on you with you ignorant of the costs. If it is too much for you to sacrifice, you may still refuse it.”

He thought for a moment, thinking of children unborn and paths untaken. “Is this necessary?”

 The sorrow in her voice is heavy, “I would not ask it of you if I thought it wasn’t. The demon is terrible foe, one for whom victory would cast the world into darkness. Victory is not assured, no matter the sacrifice.”

Abas’s face hardens, “Then let us make our sorrow his. I am ready, my Angel.”

A cushion of force lifts him from the ground into the air in front of Heliel. A wave of love and peace washes over him, and he weeps tears of joy and sorrow as it suffuses his very being.

“I am sorry, Abas, son of Miru, son of Rakka. I will remember you,” She whispers.

The Slayer is a force of destruction, a scarred and tattooed man whose only preoccupation is war. He is talented with any weapon, incredibly physically gifted with strength and speed.He can regenerate from grevious wounds, never tires, never sleeps, and can see in the dark. His morale is unshakable, as is his desire to see the Demon destroyed and defeated. He cares for nothing else.

And also, updated the Healing Springs a bit.

Healing Springs Bottle Company

“Bottled straight from the favorite springs of Heliel herself, these waters have been blessed by the Angel of Light herself! They will allieve any aliment, refresh and renew your souls! Cure any Hangover!They will extend your lifespan, and make you feel like a man half your age!”

Heliel does in fact bless a spring to produce healing water, though it involves a infusion of pure power in a ritual vs an actual bath. This water when consumed acts a healing accelerator, improving healing incredibly fast. While it won’t work fast enough to heal wounds on the battlefield, it can stabilize the wounded and enchanted their recovery off the battlefield, leaving healing spells to the more critically wounded. Like the healing spell it is based on, it can cure disease, and remove addiction. It can also slow and reverse demonic corruption, with the good energy in the water destroying evil energy it encounters.

Half of this water goes to the battlefield, the other half goes to the rich cities, where it is heavily diluted with normal water and sold. It is sold under the guise of Healing Springs Bottle Company, where they say they found a spring blessed by an Angel, and everyone who drank from it was healthier and younger looking.

The water still has a minor effect, but of course there are Premium bottles (of the pure water) that will be sold to subscribers and patrons for a very high fee, and of course more direct attention from our healers. Of course, those wealthy enough to purchase membership will receive more information on Heliel and the work she does to save the world, if they prove to be possibly receptive to her message. One can still purchase membership without becoming a cultist.

Direct sales messages will be sent to wealthy and/or high ranking individuals who seem frail or more susceptible to our charms, determined by our ghost spies. Officials who obstruct our sales will be given free samples to encourage an easing of restrictions.

The end goal, of course, is to subvert the ruling class through our coveted membership to receive exclusive Spring water, and gain a healthy amount of gold to support the war effort.

Heliel does not forget about those in dire need, and can not afford to buy the water, will be directed to our cultists that can administer direct healing, and introduction into the cult.

[Twinwolf]

Paladins of Heliel:
The cult of Heliel is, of course, entirely comprised of believers and worshippers. It’s soldiers would not be fighting, it’s craftsmen wouldn’t have left their homes, if they didn’t truly believe. But among any congregation are those whose faith is brighter, more intense, than their peers. It is only just that they be given an appropriately important position where they can put it to good use.

The Paladins of Heliel are a cut above the rest of our forces. To start with, they are outfitted with heavier equipment than the average spearman, with a shield, chainmail, and a sword for when the fighting gets close in where a spear is less effective. They are also capable of magic, and have the training to cast despite wearing armor, serving as a useful tool to soften up opponents before they engage into melee.

One of the greatest utilities of the Paladins is Heliel’s personal blessing, fortifying their minds against mind-altering magic, and allowing those near them the same protection.

[Taricus]

Design: Virtuous Vermin
Deep beneath the cities of this world, lie a race of beastfolk from aeons past. Despite their habitat and appearance, these creatures were once on the side of Good, invaluable as spies and infiltrators. To call upon their services once more should be a simple task.

The Muranids, or in common parlance, ratfolk, are empathetic and kind creatures (though capable of violence when pushed), who are committed to fighting evil wherever they find it, though seldomly doing to in plain sight. Blackmail, espionage and even assassination is their forte, Though it'd likely take further training to reach maximum proficiency in these arts to consider them masters in it, and through these means achieve Good by ensuring policy changes and power are used for Good, rather than Evil.

Capable of slipping in through secure areas though a combination of skill and people's refusal to believe rats get that big and walk on two legs like a man, The Muranids can easily worm their way in and out of cities and other secure areas, making for a slippery agent the enemy has few chances to actually grasp.

Design: Valorous Defiance
This spell is intended to be able to deal with the Demon's morale-sapping banner. By using the singing of our troops, the spell is intended to bolster the morale and mental fortitude of our troops, cast from an acolyte or acolytes acting as songmasters, and channelling the energy through the song into the troops singing and essentially bolstering them through the singing.

[Failbird105]

I actually quite like the Muranids. Not sure if they're really the best thing for our influence, but they're definitely interesting to me.

For the mental defense stuff though I'd rather it be incorporated into another design than the main focus of an entire design.