Okay. So, giant death ray + Balrog rampage, with your army mopping up the rest?
So much for strategy.
The enemy army mills about, watching the lone knight ride towards the gates.
"They've certainly made some modifications to the place, eh?"
"Indeed. I fear we may be in for a protracted siege rather than a swift assault. Though they appear to have stationed their troops outside the walls, I suspect them to be bait for a trap, into which I would rather not stumble blindly."
"Yessir. Um, sir, if I may be so bold, do you think the rumours are true?"
"That the anarchists are led by a demon? I have answered this question countless times: no. All the demons are dead, they died out centuries ago. However, I do believe that a rogue wizard may be leading them, for there have been too many tales of strange beasts to put down to mere peasant superstition. It is for that purpose that I wield Demonslayer, to best any magical abominations that the enemy may send against us, and wear this amulet of protection, which should shield us from magical attacks."
"Yessir."
...
"Looks like someone started a fire in the town."
"The problem with anarchists is that they don't have any sense of order or governance. No doubt some rival faction of- BLAZING GODS!"
With a blast of power that ignites several buildings, you expand and morph from your humanoid form into a towering giant, wielding whips of fire in each of your four hands. You muster the power spilling from your body and shoot it towards the enemy army; a coherent beam of pure evil.
"The rumours were true! A demon! A great towering demon!"
"Hold, man, hold! A mere illusion, a mere-"
The beam strikes right on target, in the middle of the clustered forces. A vast explosion destroys dozens of soldiers outright, sends dozens more flying through the air- often minus a limb or two-, and scatters the rest like bowling pins.
Your forces spill out of the city and charge towards the scattered remnants, with you no so much walking but gliding along with them.
The enemy commander tries desperately to organize his men, but only a few loyal knights stand by him, whilst the rest flee as soon as they recover. Seeing that the battle is lost, the commander himself turns to flee. You throw blasts of fire after the fleeing soldiers, landing a few hits which incinerate them in seconds. The Sintaurs pull ahead and start running down enemy soldiers with savage delight. The two dragons swoop down from the sky and maul a few soldiers each. Spectres rise up from the ground, shredding soldiers to pieces. Archers manage to take out a few more soldiers, but the rest scatter, running off into the countryside.
As your spectres and sintaurs head out to track down the fleeing soldiers, you count casualties. It doesn't take very long. Aside from a few zombies who fell apart in the excitement, not one man or beast perished. You can't be sure of enemy casualties, because many of those caught in the initial blast were utterly destroyed, not even leaving ashes, but those who got away looked like about a third of the army, including the commander and a few knights.
Tracking down
all the survivors would take an incredible amount of time and effort. Unless you want all your forces- yourself included- to spend the next few weeks combing the area, you will have to accept that some will get away.
Which means the next army they send will be a lot larger, and lot a more prepared. But it will also take them a lot longer to muster the required forces. In that time you should
-Turn your territory into an impregnable fortress of evil, where you can raise massive armies to wreak havoc on the world
-Take the offensive: Conquer lands further down the Barr. Grantown would be your first target, a moderately sized town a few days march down the Barr.
WELP.
You rolled crazy high for the opening Death Lazor attack, then the enemy rolled crazy low for their morale, and then it was all over. How disappointing.
If you choose to fortify, the next update will be three months long. If you go on the offensive, it will be a month long, during which you will prepare your armies and march them to Grantown.
Also coming next update: Complete revamp of the status.
Name: Krlnkir Yrlvnt
Physical might: 110 (-5 DEATH LAZOR (from Leakage))
Mental might: 120 (-5 DEATH LAZOR (from Leakage))
Other: Corrupting influence on all who look upon him. (Auto-converts/enslaves small numbers of people. Prolonged exposure causes random mutations.). Corrupter (auto-corrupts nearby area over time)
Followers: 311
Slaves: 702
Servants: 566 (164 Zombies, 136 Armed Zombies, 70 Skeletal Warriors, 5 Amberärsh Packs, 10 Giant Rat Packs, 70 Spectres, 10 Beastmen, 20 Armoured Sintaurs, 13 Ghouls, 4 Armoured Baneghouls, 2 Black Dragons, 1 Giant Tentacle Monster, 8 Water Elementals, 5 Fire Elementals, 15 Red Imps, 40 Black Imps)
Cults:
The cult of the Tall Man. Low organisation. 315 cultists in three locations.
Power Level: 110 (WARNING: CULT IS BEYOND SECRECY)
Resources: 104 -28 Armour-plating Baneghouls -73 Arming Zombies
Cultists: 94 Cultists, 184 Armed Cultists, 15 Sergeants, 21 Acolytes, 1 Acolyte (control).
Slaves: 426 (-1/week:Replacing lost miners), 152 (captives)(-7/week:Furnace)
Locations:
Barrspring. 31 Resources. +55 Resources per week (Forge-Temple) Connected to Akataki.
Akataki. 70 Resources. +20 Resources per week (conquered villages) Connected to Barrspring
CFM. 3 Resources, 5 Captives. +1 Resources per week (workshops) Isolated. (Can use sending circles; 10% chance of losing sent/summoned resources/people)
Followers of the Tall Man. High organisation. 36 cultists in six locations; Dragonsnest, Greywinde, Port Hope, Goldhall, Easthall and Narsis.
Power Level: 10 -3 Recruitment
Resources: 0
Cultists: 36 Cultists
Locations: Dragonsnest, Greywinde, Port Hope, Goldhall, Easthall and Narsis: 6 Cultists each
Missionaries of the Alternate Faith. ?? organisation. 3 members in Noragan.
Resources: 2 (-8: Store purchased and stocked.)
Champions:
Alyshtr Yrlvnt: Half-demon. 2 months old.
Physical Might: 0.5 (note: in an emergency, her demonic powers would protect her)
Mental Might: 1.5
Other: Red Imp pet (will act as bodyguard, entertain with fire magic and demonic tales), pet slave.
Knowledge: Demontongue, mind-corruption.
Dal'Kahh the Avaricious: Warrior with demonic strength, armed with Darkbarr armour and Barrsdoom.
Physical Might: 10 (+3 Axe)
Mental Might: 4 (+1 Axe)
Equipment: Barrsdoom (Axe; +3 to physical might, +1 to mental might. Inspires friendly troops, causes fear in enemy troops)
Unamed Guard: Former Akataki Guard with aspirations to heroism. Slowly being corrupted.
Physical Might: -2 (Rebellious)
Mental Might: -1 (Rebellious)
Other: Wandering around Barrspring, mumbling the names of the gods, drinking only water and eating only bread- resisting temptation, for now.
Balthanor the Necromancer: Travelled to Akataki to join your cause. Has considerable knowledge of magic and necromancy.
Physical Might: 2
Mental Might: 10 (+5: Dark Crystal)
Equipment: Dark Crystal which emanates evil energy (+5 Mental might. Requires basic knowledge of necromancy to use)
Knowledge: Magic, Necromancy. Summoning of Zombies, creation of Ghouls, casting of Dark Bolt, Hypnosis.
Fortresses:
The Church of the Flames of Madness. Formerly Dolnar Asylum, HQ of Barrtal monster hunters.
Mighty Walls (50). Moat (5, slows attackers). Minor Wards (20). Evil Stones (cause illusions and madness to attackers, also act as a second set of Weak Wards(10)). Rampant Spectres (cause madness to attackers. May randomly attack enemies)
Sacrificial Chamber: An excellent location for worship and sacrifice.
Workshops: A large forge and a series of workshops allow cultists to refine resources much more efficiently. Would be more useful with a steady supply of raw materials, but lets the cultists repurpose, recycle, and repair enough to generate a small amount of resources.
Library: A library and series of studies allow cultists to learn the arts of magic. Contains scrolls on: the creation of Amberärshs; the basic principles of Necromancy; the principles of Mutation; the learning and casting of Dark Bolt; the operation of Sending Circles; the creation of Ghouls; the creation of Beastmen.
Sending Circles: A pair of raised daises, linked to a similar pair in Barrspring, which can send and receive objects given a source of power.
Barrspring. Iron mining village in the eastern mountains.
Hard to get to. Stone Wall with Corrupted Steel Gate (30, may cause fear to attackers, also acts as a weak ward (5)). Cursed Steel Ballistae. Treacherous Terrain (defensive bonuses)
Barrspring Iron Mines: Renowned as a source of high-quality iron, though now corrupted by your evil influence. Slaves and followers work the mines, aided by black imps, acquiring darkbarr ore for the Forge-Temple. Plump helmets grow in the mines, and are harvested for use in the brewery.
Forge-Temple: An unholy place for worship and forging. A great furnace which takes live sacrifices as fuel, feeding liquid metal to four dark forges. Black Imps roam the halls, cursing, drinking, and setting fire to themselves, yet somehow increasing productivity. Currently employing 120 slaves, 35 cultists, and 8 smiths, producing 55 Resources per week.
Sending Circles: A pair of raised daises, linked to a similar pair in Dolnar, which can send and receive objects given a source of power.
Akatree grove: 20 slaves bearing Akatree seed. Will take a while to be born and mature.
Twisted Brewery: Produces dark liquors from with corruptive properties.
Brothel: Keeps people 'entertained'. Unfortunately, black imps have no interest in human females. Or females of any species for that matter. Or males. One might go so far as to call them 'asexual'.
Akataki. Corrupted town in the eastern mountains.
Reinforced wooden palisade with Corrupted Steel Gate(20, may cause fear to attackers, also acts as a weak ward (5)). Moat and drawbridge(15, slows attackers). Surrounded by canals (slows attackers)
Extensive Barracks: The town has been rebuilt, with plenty of bulk housing for your slaves and cultists.
Granaries: Mostly Empty
Farmsteads: Provide food for humans. Also provides Giant Rats.
Akatrees: A grove of Flesh-trees grows in the ashes. Once it has had a chance to expand, will provide food for cannibals. The trees have been impregnated. Will take a while to be born and mature.
Surrounding Villages/Hamlets: Conquered villages, whose inhabitants have been converted or enslaved. Provide small amounts of food, resources, and power.