Turn 1 Battle Report
Shimmerock Ravine
It is along the Northern Coast that our forces make the most ground upon. After all; the beach is fairly mundane, if mayhaps a bit soft and moist for comfort, one look to the advancing column's right assures them that they made the right choice in path; for to their right, they see a massive scar in the earth; so wide that their voices do not echo, and so deep that even with the shimmering crystals from which the ravine gets its name remains shrouded in darkness. Though they would also see countless stone bridges crisscrossing across the chasm, leading into an utter labyrinth of tunnels. Exploration is completely minimal, for we cannot delay lest the False Accusers finish their preparations to stop our path to regaining our glory...
Eventually, we come across an inlet to the ocean; the water surging through and pouring into the ravine. Fording or even sailing across this inlet is utterly unthinkable, and one doesn't even need to cast Structural Grasp to feel the chaotic magic that flows through this stretch of water. Thankfully, somehow, someway, the Magnii managed to construct a bridge over this inlet; reportedly to facilitate trade, though some wonder just how they did so. Still, there is no time to do a thorough investigation; just enough to, if the worst comes to pass, destroy the bridge.
Shortly afterwards, the Vanguard of our army comes across a Magnii mining outpost. It's small, likely several dozen to a hundred people at most. However, even such a small settlement has a militia, and they aren't blind enough to miss an approaching army. While mayhaps the wisest thing would be to wait for the bulk of the army to arrive and crush any resistance underfoot, time is still of the essence, and the militia is not larger than the Vanguard, so reasons Baranor. So he pushes forth, and engages the enemy.
The first thing he notices is that the militia is vastly better equipped than our Hunters; each sporting not only a spear, but a shield, armor, and... 2 shorter spears? Irregardless, the Magnii Militia forms up into a line, and waits; letting us take the first move... A mistake on their part, given their apparent lack of ranged weaponry, and so Baranor gives the signal, and a storm of Arcane Sparks and slingstones bombard the Magnii line... To little effect, given their armor and shields. The Arcane Bolt fired by the one Spellwright Adept assigned to his Vanguard has greater effect; staggering the target and visibly cracking their shield. This isn't a battle that would be won at range, Baranor realizes, but on noticing the extremely apparent hesitance the staggered militiaman had in re-joining the line, perhaps it would be easier won than thought...
A charge is ordered, those who had their protective garments and spears Hardened beforehand taking point, with Baranor himself leading the charge at the Spears Point. As he approaches, he notices the Magnii equipment having the tell-tale color of iron; and smirks to himself; it'd be no match for magically hardened bronze. Even better, he can tell that some of the militia have physically staggered at the charge, even though it hasn't even come close to closing the range. Those who didn't flinch though, grabbed one of their shorter spears, and threw them at the approaching attackers... Thankfully, the hardened garments were enough to resist the barrage, somewhat, turning what would have been serious wounds into something more manageable. Though it did certainly slowed the charge; it did not stop it.
Baranor was first to engage, eager to strike down these cowardly Magnii for daring to claim his ancestral lands for themselves; and this close, he could see that their armor wasn't even that solidly built, and so, he thrust his spear, only to be met with shock when the lightweight ringed armor put up actual resistance to his magically enhanced bronze! Still, it was only moderate resistance, and nearby the same scenes played out with Magnii militia receiving wounds, their clumsy attempts of parrying or counterattacking largely unsuccessful; though the few time their spears met their mark, it cleaved right through what our Hunters call armor, even when Hardened magically.
The battle was short lived after that; the tell-tale sound of the electrical discharge that Baranor used to finish off his adversary seemed to crush the militia's morale, them dropping their arms (frequently at their attackers) and running. All that is left is to pick up the pieces, recuperate, and move forwards. There's still plenty more ground to cover.
Notably, when Structurally Grasped, the equipment of the Magnii did in fact come up as iron, and unenchanted at that! Which begs the question: Why is it so strong? How did they manage to get it to be like this? The examples of equipment were sent back to our capital; it is hopeful that the Spellwrights who have been working on the forges (and as such have likely acquired knowledge on metallurgy) will have better insights.
Steamspout Slopes
Those sent south can only dream about the leisurely stroll down the beach that the northern army must've enjoyed. Travel through the shifting ground of the Steamspout Slopes along a 'safe path' charted by the Karrik is still fraught with peril; while the path is clear of the geysers that frequently erupt throughout the hills, it is also completely unmarked... More than a few brave men and women died when they inadvertently wandered off the path, those caught in the steam blast dying in seconds, but those who were merely nearby falling ill, their condition worsening day by day until they finally die. 'Such is life in the Cursed Wastes'; is the saying frequently said by Karrik traders when asked why they'd brave these dangerous hills...
Still, eventually, our army reaches the end of the path, arriving near a Karrik camp in a stretch of the slopes completely devoid of the steam geysers that plagued our army on the way here; a courtesy to our traders apparently. As before, our army is not missed, but unlike the Karrik's northern counterparts, they do not organize a militia and flee; no, the entire camp mounts on horses and prepares themselves. Still, even with the entire camp, the Karrik forces are lesser in number than even the Southern Vanguard, so reasons the theater commander, so instead of waiting for the bulk of the army to arrive, they engage so that the army need not slow down its march.
Spellwright Adept Ar-Adunim was not having a good day. In fact, their day was rather terrible, all things considered even compared to the days before. It started promising, the Tribe of Karrik horsemen being outnumbered by the Vanguard, though that illusion shattered the moment the first slingstones and sparks were fired, the Karrik responding with their arrows, targeting the slingers and Spellwrights... And unfortunately, the Karrik got the better of the exchange, with our unprotected slingers falling victim more often than not to their projectiles, while the armor of the Karrik, though meager, is enough to meaningfully protect against mere slingstones and sparks, though not perfectly; several did perish on their horses, either from lucky shots or sheer weight of fire.
The Theater Commander ordered a charge, leading the Hunters in an attempt to relieve the pressure on the slingers and Spellwrights... A mistake, as the Karrik took their horses, danced around the formation, and charged the now exposed slingers and Spellrights... Faced with spear armed horsemen, the slingers had no choice but to run and pray that they aren't targeted, or prepare a last stand... Ar-Adunim themself would have died then had an Initiate not threw herself in front of them; managed to successfully electrocute the horse even as she was being skewered by the rider's spear... Still, while it did not cause the Karrik to rout, or even panic, the event did cause them to be more cautious, returning to potshot the savaged ranged contingent while mostly ignoring the Hunters (though, Ar-Adunim noticed, the theater commander was absent).
This continued for some time, until we find ourselves in the present situation: The hunters forming a wall of bodies to try and cover for the slingers and Spellwrights left... Ar-Adunim peaks out from behind their 'personal shield' of a hunter; who went so far as to wrap the garments of a fallen comrade around their head for added protection, and casts an Arcane Bolt. At this point, they are the only one scoring reliable kills, the reduced ranged contingent being unable to launch another massed volley of stones and sparks; while the meager armor of the horsemen being insufficient to prevent it from killing the rider or seriously wounding the horse.
After casting, Ar-Adunim ducks back behind their 'cover', and prepares to weather the storm the vanguard is in... Only for it to stop... Looking out again reveals the horsemen running off to the east. Looking back, they see the Southern Army not too far behind... Though they wonder, did they not wish to engage the bulk of the army? Or was their retreat simply because their quivers ran dry?...
(GM NOTE: Yes. The Karrik Defeated your army's vanguard. Their ranged prowess was superior to yours, though not by as much as you might think, and their horses allowed them to play indefinite keep away with your Hunters. What really 'sealed the deal' was that charge they did on your ranged contingent. Did your hunters make a tactical blunder by leaving them open? Yes. Would it have changed the outcome if your hunters managed to keep your slingers and spellwrights screened? No, but this way highlights a weakness of your ranged forces. Don't worry, your commanders won't be idiots when it actually matters.)
The Great River Itwephis
Our Navy's forays across Itwephis were not as easy as one may think; for One Does Not Simply Cross Itwephis. First and foremost, our forces are largely restricted to the banks of the River; it's just simply too wide to even consider crossing it that way with a raft, even had it been an entirely normal but utterly titanic river. For it isn't. Many men died to hazards contained within Itwephis; riptides away from shore and towards parts unknown, impossibly sharp formations of what seems to be metal, the distinctive smell of an electrical discharge, whirlpools, and in one unfortunate situation, we saw a raft and its passengers seemingly melt into the river itself....
Though for the most part, the river itself seems fairly normal, it is nonetheless fraught with extreme peril...
Scholars, while the news may have been grave, it has revealed dire flaws in our forces capabilities; and our southern armies still remains on schedule. The time has come once more to augment our armies capabilities.
It is the Turn 2 Design Phase. You have 2 Designs.
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Topic: West Side, Embers of the Past Turn 2 Revision Phase (Read 5258 times)