Angel Team: Design Phase T0TURNTURNTURNForge of Cleansing
A special spring blessed by our goddess. it's waters purify and imbue materials, allowing one to shape ore and bone as if clay. Working the forge, here our gear is created. It is not a difficult task, as the very properties of the forge allow ease of use so long as one does not do something stupid like dip the hands in directly or keep their protective gloves in the water too long.
The process mostly involves submerging the materials being used, then using long tools like tongs and scoops to lift them out, followed by hammers and gloves to shape, fold, and compress the items into shape. They are submerged repeatedly during the process the earth scraped away from the ore during preparation.
While the Forge of Cleansing does not imbue magic into the finished products naturally, it can be used to do so. It's main enchantment is imbuing the materials submerged to ease the work of combining and working them, which could prove useful for other projects down the line. Upgrading our equipment is useful in the here and now however.
Of note, the Forge of Cleansing is quite large, allowing multiple people to work on making gear. The first set is comprised of iron speartips, daggers, and coated shields, with a bone/wood being used as the base of the shield and shaft/handles. With the Forge it all forms into a single smooth piece of gear for our soldiers. It will likely take more work for a working bow design however. While the standardized bone/wood mix is effect at resisting damage, such standardization may not take well to the creation of a bow.
Forge of Cleansing: Hard: (3+2)-1=4: Below Average
Ordinarily, forging would be associated with Fire. But an Angel is not ordinary.
The Forge of Cleansing is built by a tidal pool that has long been regarded as holy. Holy or not, the location is a wellspring of Good, which is used to power the enchantment of the Forge. The blessed waters work as envisioned, softening materials both metallic and organic (though not living) into a malleable state. It flows through stone channels to several forging stations, where a shallow pool replaces the traditional furnace in an otherwise conventional setup. Presently the Forge is modest in scale, but it will be expanded as the cult grows.
The only lacking element is the human workers; it seems your smiths have a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept of bone-forging, meaning that while they have been able to produce the requested
metal equipment- which is certainly of a higher quality than the makeshift gear previously employed-, the bone-wood amalgam is not quite up to scratch, and is in some cases no better than the shoddy woodwork used before (meaning spear shafts and shields may crack during regular combat, though not quite as often as before).
The potential to use the Forge for enchantment work is there- when submerged in the cleansing water, the materials are more permeable to magical effects, making enchantments of all sorts easier to apply.
All in all, the
Forge of Cleansing is an effective upgrade to your production capabilities, increasing the ability to work metals, and opening the door to the use of more exotic materials (eg bone). The improved equipment of the Cultist Spears will make them more effective, without increasing their cost. The Forge is
Infrastructure
The Sea Servants
Those who were devout in life, or repentant in death have the opportunity join Muu forevermore. Their bodies receive a fragment of her, their souls are bound to the flesh, and they are given a sea burial. The fragment slowly twists the body with her Good will, as their minds are bound to the Twisting Heaven's. And after 24 hours they emerge changed, forever warped as part of the hivemind. Whilst a little clumsy due to mainly using tentacles, and not the best conversationalists due to a lack of human vocal chords, the Sea Servants will dutifully till fields, work pumps, carry loads or bear arms in service of Muu. (Quite literally as they crush the evil out of their foes.)
The Sea Servants: Hard: (3+4)-1=6: Above Average
Mortals fear death. It's kinda in the name. Absolving them of this fear, by granting existence beyond it, is a kind and generous act.
Through a simple ritual anointment of blessed fish oil, the recently deceased may be bound to you forevermore, if willing. Some may opt out, and those who do not recognise you as their master are unlikely to accede, but most of your followers will gladly give themselves over to you. Once so bound, the corpse is to be submerged in water at the earliest opportunity. As water permeates the body, the soul is
consumed merged into the undying hivemind (not a lossless or reversible process, but conveniently the excess energy powers the rest of the transformation). The physical transformation varies- the more damaged the corpse is, the more will be replaced by tentacles-, but in all cases the blood is replaced with brine, and the body is brought back to animation with strength to spare.
The resultant Sea Servant is controlled by the hivemind, which in turn takes orders from you. Distance is an obstacle, meaning generally Sea Servants will stick together, and clusters far removed from your presence will be less intelligent (though these isolated hiveminds can take orders from those you grant the authority, this is less effective than a direct mental connection).
The Servant is somewhat stronger than the average human, and although this strength is coupled with a decrease in precision (especially in those with a higher proportion of tentacles), it is good enough for a lot of manual labour. Already the extra workforce has been put to good use, providing the cult with a modest amount of spare resources
(+1 Wealth Token).
Their strength may also be employed in brute-force melee combat. Clubs will be provided to Servants sent to war, with which they can batter the enemy into submission, heedless of losses. Said losses are somewhat easier to inflict due to the Servant's poor blocking ability. In terms of sheer resilience, they are more vulnerable than humans- the brine in their veins will drain from their body faster than blood, and the curious organs that replace their human ones are slightly more fragile. However, as they do not feel pain, they will fight on despite injuries that might cause a human soldier to retreat.
A 'dead' Sea Servant that is returned to the water in time may regenerate, provided the damage is not too severe. This process takes anywhere from a few days to several weeks.
Sea Servants provide a plentiful, strong, clumsy workforce, as well as cheap fodder in battle. Unit Size: ~100
Common
It is now the Revision Phase. You have two revisions. Note that you will also have two revisions next turn as well, but from Turn 2 onwards you will only receive one.
Muu: The benevolent leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little she cannot do. Needless to say, she is Unique.
Mundane Units:
Cultist Spears: Reasonably equipped with an iron dagger, a bone-wood-amalgam shield, and bone-wood-shaft iron-tipped spear, though still lacking training. These are not elite warriors- they'd usually lose a one-on-one fight with a real soldier-, but they're cheap and plentiful. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Unit Size: ~50 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 designed for hunting, not piercing armour, but they're better than nothing. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Unit Size: ~25 Common
Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under their angelic patron. 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. Unit Size: ~25 Uncommon
Cultist Missionaries: Cultists with a modicum of charisma and subtlety, sent forth as emissaries of their eldritch master. Unarmed and untrained, they serve no role in combat. Unit Size: ~10 Common
Summoned/Mutated Units:
Sea Servants: Deceased cultists, returned to unlife by the grace of Muu. Their mind and soul bound to a hivemind, their body strengthened and transformed into a more tentacle-y (and clumsy) version. More vulnerable to damage than humans, but heedless of pain and danger. Used both as labourers and warriors. They are more effective in the presence of Muu, as she can control the hivemind directly. Unit Size: ~100 Common
Spells/Rituals:
Magic Missile: Known by many names, the simple technique of blasting your opponent with raw Mana/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
Novice Ward: A very simple magic barrier that will reduce the impact of attacks both mundane and mystical. Won't last long, but can be useful in a pinch. 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, but it keeps the cult growing. Common
Infrastructure:
Forge of Cleansing: A magically-enhanced forge, where specially blessed water is used to make materials malleable (instead of using heat). This allows for greater use of metals, as well as the use of more exotic materials such as bone. Infrastructure