Event Resolution Event 1:
The new faces filling the big top fill the ranks with a sense of confidence. Competent generals, brilliant inventors, wielders of controversial powers, and even a princess will add their varied skills and new perspectives to the War Council. They greet the unfamiliar Generals with their own culture's brand of politeness, sit around and occasionally comment during the meeting, then return to the troops to perform various blessings, speeches, or to prepare equipment for the incoming battle.
Event 2:
You can tell at a glance that the other Generals have improved. This is perhaps most visible with Unity and their Rigging, but the other General's all have taken their specialized tactics to the next level or branched out into new fields. You can hear the cheers of Ted's men from their camp across the field. Everett's men haul messages across the ever growing camp with speed and efficiency. Artillery ammunition is brought into place by legions of Snow Minx. And it seems that restless ghosts now follow Grimtusk whispering indecipherable nonsense (which was considered distracting and promptly banished by Princess Hanako). By the end of the war those who survive will no doubt be legendary Generals who history will remember until the end of time.
Event 3:
Your mixed units begin integrating with your standard units, the officers working overtime to insure proper coordination with your main army. They seem to take to your weaponry easy enough, and as the soldiers are now used to working alongside foreigners it is expected that there will be no issues.
Event 4:
Thanks to a deal with Ted, Veikka Puomi will have the honor of guarding the Reporters during the upcoming battle. They number around twenty, representing press from various nations. They came equipped mostly with their culture's equivalent of a notebook and enough supplies to feed and house themselves, but little else. They greet Korpela and profusely thank him for allowing them the honer of observing the war on the front lines and bringing the story to the people back home.
Event 5:
Much effort is expended in finding a way to reproduce the pheromones produced by the bugs. In the end the most effective method was simply to pull an Invader corpse from the ever growing mountain the war has been generating and remove its pheromone glands, collecting whatever pheromones remain behind. This isn't exactly "reproducing" but can be done with little skill by logistics workers. The most
efficient method discussed was to "milk" them by taking Invaders alive - a prospect made both viable and easy with the addition of Coulier into the army. A method to reproduce them approximately was also created, a process involving taking similar pheromones from giant ants or bees and treating them alchemically until they resemble the Invader pheromones. This process is most likely to produce a garbled signal until Coulier can confirm their similarities in an Invader body.
In any case you may in the future designate pheromone based equipment for your units/as a new unit. We still do not know what the signals mean but are capable of gathering all of them (unless some are produced by special units that we don't yet know of).
Deployment Phase 4Battlefield 1:
You know the drill by now. Despite being slowed at every opportunity the main body now approaches the border of High Rus. Will our heroes manage to bypass the massive legion of Line Infantry and take out the enemy Artillery? Can we push back the tide? Find out on the next episode of Battlefield One! Expected battlefield is a large range including frozen forests, wide fields filled with plants that love the cold, villages, and occasionally snowy hills. Most of the enemy remains Line Infantry, with confirmed Anti Air Artillery. Other artillery support is likely.
Battlefield 2:
A second Invader stronghold has been created in Fairview after our unfortunate loss in the last battle. They are known to have taken over defensive positions, if they have received reinforcements dislodging them form the city will prove difficult and costly. We are expected to face harassment from Light Infantry on the way to the forest city, Light Infantry that is no doubt using the overly tall trees to give them high ground to glide from. Expected battlefield are forest and jungle, followed by improvised defenses and "urban" combat once those are bypassed. Expected enemies are Light Infantry, Line Infantry, Fly Riders, and any reinforcements provided by the enemy.
Battlefield 3:
Far to the East bordering 人外, the nation of Esther is facing a rebellion. Esther is a nation formed of anthropomorphic rabbits with a heavy handed government led by Wizards. This "Wizocracy" manipulates much of the population with magic to keep them in control of the magic users, going as far as to manipulate key population's memories and feelings about the government. Esther had joined the Grand Army and sent many of these Wizards to the front lines, loosening their grip on the population and causing Rebellion to explode. The leader of Esther insists that the Invaders are behind the rebellion and that this is actually part of the Grand Invasion. The political arm of the Grand Army is skeptical of these claims, but fears success of the revolution will spread to other nations who have devoted their entire armies to battles across the world if this is not stomped out quickly. How you handle it is up to you. Battlefields are likely rural towns and villages, carrice patties, and small rolling hills with animal pastures. Expected enemies are Esther Light Infantry fighting guerilla warfare.
Battlefield 4:
Perhaps learning to strike softer targets, the Invaders have set their sights in a stretch of desert bordering the Nawra Tribes. This stretch of desert is inhabited by Nomads who make their living by cargoing trade from one side of the desert to the other on great beasts of burden, a talent that has come in handy for the Grand Army's logistics. Because of this they have no capital to strike, but the citizens are by necessity often gathered around the singular great river that is likely to be their target. Expected battlefields are open desert and river combat. Enemy units are unknown.
Forces of the Grand Army Name: Veikka Puomi
Nation Bonus: Almost always on the defensive every soldier in the relatively small Kingdom of Tensali is drilled on the importance of maintaining both mobility and overwhelming firepower when it comes to fighting the enemy. This drilling lets most soldiers maintain some level of cohesion and offensive capabilities even while on the retreat to often devastating effects for the attacking enemy. (Retreats faster and better on the defensive)
General Bonus: Veikka Puomi has trained heavily in the importance of artillery warfare on the battlefield and has successfully used this knowledge to help defend Tensali from enemy incursions multiple times in his carrier. (Good with Field Artillery)
Doubling down on Artillery
Veikka's time in the war has made him respect and love artillery even more than he did before the war and with that respect also came even more increased skills in the proper tactical use and logistical upkeep of Artillery units.
Units: 2 Field Artillery, 2 Line Infantry, 1 Dragoons, 1 Ship of the Line, 1 Grenadier, 2 High Rus Line Infantry, 1 Reporter Attachment
Mount: A giant snow minx the traditional animal of the Kingdom of Tensali
Backstory: Veikka is a gruff old human man with a well-trimmed blond mustache and shaven down beard once a lesser noble now decorated in a vibrant military uniform of the traditional Tensali coloring covered in merits from his years of service to his King. Situated near the High Rus the Kingdom of Tensali is the last remaining fragment of the once glorious Empire of Tensal that over its history has seen its sovereignty under threat and its land slowly whittled away by its jingoistic neighbors still holding a grudge over the actions of a long-dead empire. It is the hope of king Broris III of the Bauluna dynasty that by participating in this coalition relationships can finally normalize and perhaps Tensali can get back some of its long-lost lands that High Rus took from them many years ago.
Name: General Armas Korpela
General Bonus: Encircling the enemy. This Tensali general pride themselves in their ability to outmaneuver their foes and surround them. General Korpela's tactics involve using harsh terrain to his advantage, forcing his enemies into chokepoints and then encircling them. His forces are well-versed in guerrilla warfare and excel in ambushes, hit-and-run tactics, and sabotage.
Mount: A Massive Snowy Owl
Backstory: Armas Korpela is a tall, imposing man with a rough beard and eyes that seem to pierce through the soul. He is known for his uncompromising demeanor and a deep, commanding voice that demands respect. Despite his intimidating presence, he is well-respected among his troops for his fair and compassionate leadership.
Name: Great Unity Allion & Hura
Nation Bonus: Due to their unique natures, Nawra cavalry are much sturdier and more effective than Grand Army standard. However, should their mounts fall, so will the soldiers within them.
General Bonus: Hura and Allion have a bond that can only be formed by years of working together in the field. Additionally, being the same creature helps somewhat. There will never be delay between thought and action, and their effectiveness is unmatched by any other cavalier
Sky-Serpent Rigging
The Unity, despite their overwhelming force in the sky, has somewhat of an issue applying said force to the ground battle. The Sky-Serpent Rigging is a set of carefully fitted platforms and structures to allow a unit to ride aboard the Glintscale into battle.
Units: 1 Heavy Winged Hussar, 1 Winged Hussar, 3 Cuirassiers, 1 Fairview Wizard
Mount: A colossal levitating serpent-like creature by the name of Allion, at home beneath the sands and in the sky alike. His beige-scaled bulk blots out the sky beneath it as he slithers across the horizon, his back inflating with the gaseous substances that both keep him afloat and allow him to emit puffs of potent enzymes that dissolve anything solid they touch.
Backstory: The Nawra are a race of symbiotic oozes that bond with creatures via weaving their body throughout their nervous systems, taking control of anything without it's own sentience and communing with anything that can have feelings. As they dry out quickly outside of a host or a body of water, you will often see them within the forms of various creatures from both the deserts in which they live and from other nations. Hura is the Nawra bonded within the Glintscale Serpent Allion, the Great Unity of the Nawra Tribes.
Name: Hijack Coulier
General Bonus: Coulier and their followers are experts in the dishonored art of Nawra possession. After battle, Coulier may Hijack one enemy unit instead of killing it. There may only be one Hijacked unit at a time. The unit may not be Rare. (Heavy Winged Hussar, Ship of The Line, etc.)
Mount: Variable.
Backstory: Hijacking has been looked down upon as an alternative to Unifying since the Unities formed the Nawra Tribes known today. Nonetheless, several isolated groups still believe in such activities, and while distasteful, their talents could be useful against the insectoid menace.
Name: Admiral Everett
Nation Bonus: The Terve Merchant Empire is incredible at the complex task of logistics. They are an island nation that has spread its influence to ports all around the world. Their impressive fleets of ships are best served carrying great amounts of cargo to ports and up rivers. Their reach and expertise mean they are typically very skilled in acquiring goods and getting them where they need to be.
General Bonus: Coastal and river raiding. Admiral Everett is well known and reviled for his deep strikes against soft and civilian targets and his ruthless and effective raids. His ships serve as a base for his Wyvern core to launch off and attack from as they sail up and down rivers.
High Mobility Warfare
Typically Terve choose it's battlefields carefully and never had much reason to fight any battles too far inland or away from waterways. But facing the invasion means fighting further away from boats and further from the familiar style of warfare they are accustomed to. In response Everett has refined Terve military doctrine into something new and different and has gotten very good at it. It takes the familiarity of raiding and converts it into a rapid deploy, retreat and redeploy style of warfare. Fliers serve as recon and message couriers. Unit commanders are empowered and encouraged to take the initiative and make decisions of their own if the situation calls for it. Allowing them to respond to developing situations without waiting for command. Everett has become very skilled at understanding and coordinating the complicated and chaotic mess such a style of war often becomes.
Units: 1 1/2 Winged Hussars, 3 Light Infantry, 1 Anti Air Artillery, 1 Ship of the Line, 1 Field Artillery, 1 Fairview(?) Winged Hussar
Mount: Wyvern. They are about 50% larger than a horse not including wingspan. They have elongated forelimbs that have a fleshy membrane that acts as a wing. They have long necks and nasty fangs that drip with dangerous venom. However, their skin is thin and their bones are light since they need to be light to be able to fly. These fish-eating creatures infest many isolated islands, often in vicious, territorial swarms.
Backstory: Everett is a tall, skinny man, missing his left arm. His skin is battered and weathered from long days in harsh sea weather. He is cold, uncompromising, and brutal. He has fought in several campaigns when other nations have refused to allow Terve merchants to trade. He achieved great success in convincing them to reconsider but earned himself considerable infamy in the process. The Terve Merchant Empire is happy to use his infamy to threaten uncooperative nations.
Name: General Havourn de'Mira
General Bonus: Holding the line. In Terve the generals and the ground combat forces play second fiddle to the navy. They are typically tasked with one thing and one thing only. Holding the line. Terve deploys their ground forces to tie down the enemy so that their more moblie forces can get behind them. Some of their generals and the forces they command have become very adept at this.
Mount: A Wyvern
Backstory: Havourn is a fairly chubby man, his hair is well trimed and well kept. He is a very proper gentleman and a man who is never without a cigar or a drop of whiskey. He views himself as an honourable gentleman and will not say a word against Everett despite how clearly they both utterly despise each other. Everett for his part will never risk causing disruption to military operations over personal feelings. They have both cooperated extremely effectively in the past and have both been professional in their wartime dealings with the other. This however has done nothing to dampen their mutual disdain.
Name: Grimtusk Bonegrinder
Nation Bonus: The Goblins of Gobbleshire are not very physically imposing, but they are lightweight, nimble and very annoying. A unit of Goblins typically consists of more individuals than usual, due to their smaller stature and fecundity.
General Bonus: Grimtusk is capable of filling the fallen with necrotic energy that will let them continue fighting even if they suffer fatal wounds. One per Deployment phase, he may raise a fallen Unit (on either side) to become his undead minions. Putting them out of the fight for good will often require them to be either armless, or headless. Undead Units may be maintained across deployment phases with the use of either this ability or a Wizard action.
The more violence and death that plagues the land, the more restless the spirits become. Being surrounded by so much death has only made Grimtusk Bonegrinder more powerful! Some of the enemies slain by the soldiers that Grimtusk commands are starting to rise as undead shortly after expiring even without the necromancer's direct intervention.
Units: 4 1/2 Light Infantry, 1 Dragoon, 2 Wizard, 1 Ship of the Line, Undead Line Infantry, 1 Fairview Cuirassiers
Mount: A bone giant, comprised of millions of bones. This undead monstrosity heeds any order without question and obeys only one voice. It looks kind of like a dinosaur.
Backstory: Goblins have been a menace to civilized society for millennia, and their reputation of ill temperament and violence is not undeserved. Feral tribes of goblins can be found all over the place even to this day, though following the advent of gunpowder the goblins have ceased to be a serious threat to the established nations.
Grobbleshire is a nation of goblins that had been established centuries ago, and is a place where you can find relatively more civilized goblinkind. It is here that the goblin necromancer Grimtusk Bonegrinder emerged from, who commands respect due to their sheer arcane power. Grimtusk has witnessed that times are changing, and seeks to redefine the goblin's place in the world while it is still possible to do so.
Name: Izag Bronzehammer
General Bonus: Soldiers under Izag Bronehammer's command use bleeding-edge prototype weaponry that is more powerful than conventional weapons. These weapons tend to be complicated and oddly designed to the point that no ordinary soldier could properly maintain them between battles.
Mount: Prototype Airship
Backstory: Izag Bronzehammer is a genius born ahead of her time. Her inventions are a level beyond what is traditionally used in conventional warfare; but they had always been prohibitively expensive to produce and require too much expertise to properly maintain. In the current era, the Grand Army is now able to provide an unprecedented level of financial investment in the art of warfare.
Name: Western Prince Ted Yamamoto
Nation Bonus: The cowboy armies of 人外 ("the land of the men left behind") are famous for their sniper-like sharpshooting in all weather conditions. Ranged units receive buffed accuracy.
General Bonus: The Golden Dragon Emperor's words are backed with nuclear dragons. The Golden Family have been breeding dragons for centuries, and, whenever the Emperor is in the theatre of battle, his finest war-trained drakes follow, providing the equivalent of an artillery unit in fiery bombardment.
From defending his home empire to defending the world, Ted's emerging legacy of fantastic success holding his ground has become a legend among the nations. Ted's armies never lose their nerve in a defensive battle as long as the eyes of their General encourage them.
Units:2 Line infantry, 1 Grenadier, 1 Cuirassiers, 1 Anti Air Artillery, 1 Ship of the Line, 2 Light Infantry, 1 Field Artillery, 2 High Rus Line Infantry
Mount: The Dragon Nexus Ōtokage is definitely not a robot and you should report anyone who tells you it is to the secret police.
Backstory: The Golden Dragon Emperor Eiji "Ted" Yamamoto won his first war for his country, against the hated weeb furry menace, at the age of 13 and has been tremendously bored ever since. Needless to say, when he heard about creepy alien bugs falling from the sky, he immediately wanted to get in on that. Where is this "west" that his strange technology comes from? Most of his subjects assume it is some kind of hell dimension populated by demons with which the Emperor has made a blood pact.
Name: Saiō Princess Yamamoto Hanako
General Bonus: The Saiō Princess is a devout follower of the old religion, and the blessings of the gods work through all units under her command. The holy fury of her ranks cleaves through unclean beasts (and also furries) as though reaping straw.
Mount: Kerin, the Holy Unicorn.
Backstory: I'm just going to keep milking that old game for now. I'll let you know if I ever bother to come up with anything new. (The unicorn is new.)