Turn 1 Battle Report
Shrouded Jungle
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 left assures them that they made the right choice in path; for to their left, they see a jungle far thicker than any forest at home, the shroud from which the jungle gets its name taking the form of roving clouds of mist. Any thoughts of exploring and mapping the jungle where placed on indefinite hold when we noticed the plants rapidly regrowing, removing any and all markings we could use to navigate. We can not invest the time to overcome this obstacle, for we cannot allow the Despoilers to finish their preparations to stop us from restoring what was lost!
Eventually, we come across an inlet to the ocean; the water surging through and flowing into the jungle, a mist cloud so thick that it feels more like moving through water hanging over it. Fording or even sailing across this inlet is utterly unthinkable, and all can 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 logging 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 the leader of the Vanguard gives the orders to engage the enemy.
Much like our Hunters, the Magnii militia is also armed with spears, though each seems to also carry two shorter ones. Unlike our hunters, they also carry a rather large shield, and appear to have a form of metallic ringed armor. Notably though, the color is wrong for copper or bronze. Still, even with their apparent advantage in equipment, the Magnii militia forms up into a line, and waits; allowing us to make the first move, and we of course oblige them, the War Wolves and the Archers stepping up to the task, with our Slingers and Shaman supporting them. Notably, the hail of stones and sparks had little effect, even where they didn't get blocked by shields, the Magnii's armor seems to have largely absorbed their impact. The arrows fired by our archers on the other hand, while still thwarted by the shields, seemed to be able to punch through their armor, though seemingly not decisively. The Arcane Bolt fired by the one Shaman in the Vanguard powerful enough to fuel it had much greater effect, visibly cracking the shield it hit and staggering its holder.
The Wolves were not idle during this initial barrage, charging forwards from our lines in an attempt to capitalize on the barrage, emboldened at the hesistance the Magnii have at rejoining their lines; and indeed some seemed to flinch at the charge of the snarling canines. Not all though, and those who maintained their wits threw one of their shorter spears at the wolves, and then braced themselves for the charge. While these thrown spears were not the most accurate, in the few cases where it did strike... Well, the War Wolves may be intelligent, but they are still only normal if large dogs. Faced with a wall of spears and shields, the wolves fall back for now, and wait for a moment to strike with the rest of our forces. While the Magnii seemed to rally at this success, they once more balk when facing another charge, this time spearheaded by the Blessed, with the wolves trying to circle around. Another even more haphazard barrage of throwing spears reveals that the protective garments our Hunters wear isn't up to the task of stopping them, though it could have been worse.
When the lines clashed, it's obvious that these are not trained fighters, their efforts often even more clumsy than the lowest of Hunters. Still, even though it's obvious from up close that their armor is of light design, even with the strength of the Blessed it is difficult to puncture with their spears; and the lesser Hunters having to resort to stabbing less protected arms and legs; meanwhile their spears cleaved clean through the protective garments that we call armor on the few occasions when they struct true. It should have been a tough fight, however, it is when the War Wolves crash into the flanks that the morale of the Magnii breaks entirely, after what was only seconds of melee fighting, leading to a full on retreat, shields and spears shoved at our forces in some instances in a desperate bid to break free of the melee.
Pursuit from the wolves is called off, this is a time to rest and recuperate, a time to tend to wounds. It is here that our soldiers are glad of the healing power of the Rejuvenating Touch, even if the actual battle was too brief to properly exploit. A short rest, all things considered, as there is still plenty ground to cover.
Sparkling Fields
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 Sparkling Fields along a 'safe path' charted by the Karrik is still fraught with peril; while the path is clear of the roving patches of mystifying sparkling, it is also completely unmarked... More than a few brave men and women were lost when they inadvertently wandered off the path, those caught by said sparkling patches instantly freezing, doomed to stand where they are until the fields releases their fell grip upon them. When the first case happened, a Shaman attempted to heal the afflicted brought only more tragedy, the cursed magics using that contact to ensnare the Shaman as well... 'Such is life in the Cursed Wastes'; is the saying frequently said by Karrik traders when asked why they'd brave these dangerous fields... We can only hope they aren't held for too long...
Still, eventually, our army reaches the end of the path, arriving near a Karrik camp in a stretch of the fields completely devoid of the mystifying sparkling 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 instead of waiting for the bulk of the army to arrive, they engage so that the army need not slow down its march.
Much as before, the battle began with a hail of projectiles, though it is here where it differs, for one, the Karrik are not content to stay still, doing their damnedest to stay out of our archers lines of fire, and secondly, the Karrik return fire with bows of their own, specifically targeting our archers, slingers, and Shaman. Their arrows devastate the unprotected Slingers and Shaman when they hit, our Archers with their protective garments are less effected though still wounded. Indeed, it would seem that our Archers would be a rough match for the Karrik Horsemen, but for the latter's mobility; for it seems that our own arrows wound the Karrik just about as much as theirs do ours. The slingstones and sparks are less effective though do seem to inflict minor injury.
Still, this would be a grueling, painful battle, had we not had advantages of our own: most of our Shaman have abandoned adding fire to the Karrik in order to heal our Archers, and though all could not be saved, and those who can return to the battle do so with the lethargy of exhaustion, it gives us an edge in the exchange of arrowfire. The wolves, on the other hand, may not have had much success (largely due to the fact that the Karrik seem content in running away while shooting at the pursuing wolves behind), but their presence has done wonders in helping to herd the Karrik's horses in more predictable paths. Though sadly their attempt to pin them against the edge of the zone of safety the battle took place was met with failure, the Karrik slipping through the faintest gaps in danger, and unfortunately one of the wolves learned the hard way that the Sparkling cares not about species in who it claims..
Still, while we have not been able to deal a decisive blow, attrition must have gotten to the Karrik, as they break away, and ride towards the western horizon. While not glorious, a victory is a victory nonetheless; and the vanguard takes some time to heal, rest, and eat. Notably, one pack of wolves drags their handler to a Shaman, as they have taken an arrow to the knee during the battle.
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 or canoe, 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, an area where some of our people spasm and subsequently fell overboard, 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... The canoes helped avoid tragedy on a few occasions, being smaller and more agile than a raft, though whether or not they spot and subsequently avoid the hazard, or act as the Miner's Canary is a tossup.
Excellent work Scholars, with your assistance, our forces have made good time in crossing the continent. 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: East Side, Embers of the Past Turn 2 Revision Phase (Read 4848 times)