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LORDS OF THE EARTH
CAMPAIGN 54 |
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| Turn Three Newsfax (A.C. 2791-2795) |
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War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform
it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over. Without cavalry, battles are without
result. When you have it in contemplation to make any
enterprise on the enemy, the commissary must be ordered to get together all the beer and brandy that he can lay his hands on, that the army may not want these articles, at least for the first days. As soon as the army enters an enemy's country, all the brewers and distillers who are in the neighborhood must immediately be put in requisition: the distillers, in particular, must be instantly set to work, that the soldier may not lose his dram, which he can very badly spare. |
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GM'S NOTES -
1. Don't mix in movement AP with the AP for the next order. Put movement on one or more lines (one line for each region or sea zone) and the eventual order (combat, diplomacy, whatever) on a separate line. Otherwise, you won't move, even if it made sense to you. 2. The Base Rules say that if an Allied Leader successfully uses Diplomacy, the region or city gains its new status in relationship to the ally, not in relationship to your county. There is just no way I'm going to keep track of that! So in L54, Allies cannot conduct diplomacy, period. 3. The Have Children order can be given without costing AP any time the King, Queen or Heir is in the capital (not the homeland) and issuing the following orders: Rule, Administer, Defend, React or Govern. 4. See the FAQ for some important tips on how armies react to danger and invasions. 5. Leaders can cast (or assist) only ONE spell per turn. 6. Looks like I forgot to advance Leader ages on Turn Two. I'm not going to fix it. Play it where it lies.
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MEDARHOS - North-Western Medarhos -
The Kingdom of Tirgonia -
The Harkorian League -
The Edgemoor Orcs -
If anything can be said to have saved Graulor's army from annihilation, it was the indifferent generalship of the nomad leaders as much as orcish ferocity and numbers. Surrounded and with orcish dead piling up, Graulor sounded a retreat to the safety of the mountains. But this was not to be. The retreating orcs panicked when the swift horse archers began to pepper their flanks with arrows, and the retreat became a rout. Graulor's army disintegrated as his warriors ran wailing for the cover the hills. The king himself barely managed to extricate himself by flinging a nomad from his pony's back and whipping the beast into a frenzied charge away from the carnage. Months later, Graulor had managed to rally a small remnant of his army in the Northern Edgemoors and they limped ignominiously back to Zaramaka. Azgon the Foul had much more success. With five thousand troops (including several hundred ogres), he marched into the woods of Nurgun and overawed the local orcs. The brief battle cost him fewer than three hundred dead, and he quickly garrisoned the new region in the name of Zaramaka.
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South-Western Medarhos -
Unfortunately, Crilindar was killed exactly one year later during the tournament held to celebrate the royal couple's anniversary. A lance shattered during a boisterous joust and the broken shaft took Crilindar full in the chest. He lingered for two days before expiring. Elianna was once again a widow with no children. The lords Finrod, Artanis and Camithalion disappeared into wilds of the steppe in early 2791. Finrod, lord of Vilayan, returned three and a half years later, bearing bodies of Generals Clovenhoof and Celbrindal, slain in the conquest of the Worldspine. Celebrindal's body was restored to his tribe, while Clovenhoof was interred under the great hall of the new river fortress raised in the Brythnian hills. This new edifice was named in his honor - Clovenhoof Hold. One day while marching between fortifications, Barakor Wildaxe, who commands the Brythnian army stationed in the Brythnian Hills was struck by a poisoned arrow that flew out of a dense wood. Hundreds of maddened minotaurs pounded through the woods to look for the assassin, but could find nothing. The arrow itself was of common manufacture, the sort used by the Brythnian army, and tales of treason ran rampant through the camps, causing a dangerous paranoia that was to linger for many months. His lieutenants feared that if their general died, there might be wholesale mutiny in the ranks. But he did not die. Skillful shamans were able to draw out the poison and nurse him back to a semblance of health. Days later, weak and pale, he tottered out of his tent, leaning on his axe to let his warriors see that he lived.
Aelissia further aided the cause of the Lords of the Grail by transferring several tons of grain, salted pork and smoked fish to the Great Church of the Grail at something less than cost. While in Oldbarrow, King Brandobaris agreed to escort Rose Merriweather, daughter of Oldbarrow's mayor to school in the Great Delve. However, by the time the two reached the capital, the widowed king had fallen in love with the pretty young woman, and the two were soon wed in a small ceremony held in the glades of Valendria. Queen Rose doted on her stepdaughter Maia and within two years presented the king with his second child, a son. Meanwhile, Otho Longacre spent the better part of five years in Great Lirien, treating with Jarvis Kegbelly, that district's most influential farmer and the de facto patriarch of the region. Though jovial and a good host (he wasn't called Kegbelly for nothing), Jarvis and the smallholders of Great Lirien remained content to be mere allies of Aelissia, still nominally independent.
At home, Prince-Consort Tancred, acting as royal governor of Khairais, dedicated a shrine to Artorius and a colonnaded amphitheater in honor of Eristemus. Lord Beldaric spent his time tightly closeted within the Tower of the Moon in Khairais. Rumor had it that the wizard was studying something unusual that the Company of the Black Banner had found in the swamps of the Cavadhe. All anyone knew for sure was that the Tower of the Moon was under very heavy guard.
H'rethek -
Young king Artorius went once more a-reaving with about five thousand men and ships, raiding the H'rethek coast with great success and stealing away great loads of plunder. To his shock and surprise, his men ran into stiff resistance in Dal*kor, where the Hive Mother herself commanded an army of about three thousand and was supported by several new fortifications of the weird half-alive sort favored by the har'keen. However, Artorius once more showed his battlefield brilliance and his men slipped away from the har'keen, usually managing to strike where the resistance was least. Only once did the ravening bug-men surprise the young king, ambushing him as his men struggled back to their long boats laden with treasure. Artorius himself fought bravely alongside his marines as they fought their way clear to the boats. Kz'zk proved easier to raid, and the Lorraine troops were back aboard their ships before the main har'keen army could come streaming into the province. Q'klee proved to be poor and denuded, hardly worth the stop. The captains of Artorius's fleet were dismayed when a larger fleet appeared in the Corish straits, consisting of some seventy vessels. They were astonished to see that several large and elegant ships were in flight several hundred feet above the water. Kaidar Nemova, strategos of the Llyran Republic, had come to raid the H'rethek coast. Nemova was somewhat put out to find that Artorius had already picked the shore bare. After a brief conference on the deck of the strategos's skyship, the Llyrans continued on with their voyage. Artorius hired two thousand mercenary cavalry, but left them sitting on the docks in Andred, where they amused themselves with the wine shops and brothels of Armorica. They drank many a toast to the young king for the easiest duty they'd ever been paid for. In 2793, the red dropsy spread through the sea coast towns, taking many thousands of lives. Among them was lord Gareth of Bruenor. In 2795, both Maximillian of Lynet and Rodgar of Meliodas died of the same plague as it swept north along the coasts. In 2794, word came from an escaped slave that Lord Gunther had died in the mines of Kal Primus, worked to death by the har'keen like so many other thousands before him.
At last the Whisper Wood has come alive, though little that happened in that place is seen by any outsiders. The Elven Court of Queen Elevuil the Sorceress looked to the improvement of the Sunglades and the Long Barrows, cultivating beautiful pools and ensuring the growth of the best ghostwood and nut trees. No word came to the ears of men of the doings of Prince Fëalure, or of Vaire the Prophetess. Talorn, Elf-Lord of the Moonglades traveled to the land of Huareth and there took counsel with the men of that place in hopes of convincing them to swear allegiance to the elf-queen. Tall and handsome, Talorn's honeyed voice could coax the birds from the trees. But the Huarethi were men and mistrusted the elves, fearing the queen of the wood from long tradition and grim stories. Moreover, they were adherents of the Aeolan religion, which taught that only those with the blood of Aeolan were fit to rule. Talorn was seen off with rough words and not a few pelted eggs. Men of the Crusader States went among the elves of the Sunglades, preaching the gospel of war. By 2794, the elves were convinced, and converted to the new religion. Artorius was acknowledged as the supreme god, and the priests of other Lords of the Grail were chased out of the province by zealous crowds.
The Neldorean Wood -
The Holy Empire of Ianthe -
The Holy Order of the Dawn -
In Corland, Master Brutus Aurilius was given overall command of the allies in Quesante. His own forces were nine thousand strong, including two thousand elite Knights of the Golden Dawn. In addition, he assumed command of the eight thousand Aelissian halflings. The men of the Order were under strict orders to make no jokes about the prowess of their diminutive allies. Brutus himself tried to imagine fighting the har'keen if they were twice as big as they already were and shuddered, impressed at the halfling bravery.
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Rhanalor -
It was during the evening meal in Tarl's tent one dark winter's eve that the great chief was nearly murdered. Tarl and Maggen were dining with some of the officers of the mercenary ships the Airnim had hired for their planned siege of Denavine. One of the officers, a tall, sallow fellow who may have had some hobgoblin blood, suddenly lunged at Tarl, trying to bury his newly-revealed fangs into the chief's neck. After a dangerous struggle, this vampire was quickly dispatched. The next morning Tarl led his combined army into Orodea. See The Fate of Ascarlon, below.
The Shadowed Realm of Ascarlon - While the barbarians were busy with conquest, the civilized men of Ascarlon were hard at work themselves. Fortifications were built in Orodea and new walls were hastily thrown up around the capital at Denavine. Baron Gauros animated thousands of skeletal warriors to strengthen his army. In Denavine, Vilkhar the Hammer was given the governorship, but he spent his time in his laboratory, seeking to understand the secrets of death. Vachik traveled to the Hammersea port of Turlag and with threats and persuasion, convinced the free city to send tribute to Ascarlon. But in Orodea, Gauros plotted a defense against the massive army of the Airnim. See The Fate of Ascarlon, below. As if the invasion of the Airnim horde was not enough, the ground began to tremble in Tirgu, and the tremors increased in strength until late 2791, when the land itself seemed to rebel, quaking so hard that it was felt as far away as Carcaroth. The city of Caer Thorne lay in partial ruins, its walls shattered and many thousands of its citizens dead or buried alive. The Fate of Ascarlon Tarl and Maggen plunged into Orodea, riding at the head of thirty thousand superbly-trained cavalry. Against them rode Gauros the Arisen and a force of seven thousand, including one thousand cavalry and fifteen-hundred of the shambling dead. The two armies met in the Goshonim valley, forty miles south of Orodea. A natural highway to the north, it was the logical axis of advance for the invaders, and it had been prepared by the Ascar troops to support their defense. But the overwhelming Airnim numbers and their superior training meant that the Ascars had no real chance in the fight. The Airnim darkened the plain with their horses and rode charge after charge towards the Ascar line. At one point, Gauros sent forth his shambling dead, and the terror of those corpses did indeed cause the Airnim to withdraw temporarily. But their numbers were too few, and when the undead had advanced far enough from the Ascar defenses, the nomads rode them down, slashing about them with their short, curved blades until the dead were quiet once more. In the end, the Airnim swept the Ascar forces from the field. Gauros and a few bodyguards managed to straggle back to the safety of Denavine. In the celebration that followed, Maggen drank far too much kumiss, the fiery drink of fermented mare's milk. He stumbled over one of the dead in the dark, slipped down a grassy slope and into a dark lake, where he drowned to the sound of wild celebrations. Tarl turned his back on Orodea and Denavine, foregoing the planned siege and returned to The Gathering with the body of his friend. A few thousand horse archers were left as a garrison. Seeing clearly the writing on the wall, the lords of Galati revolted from the rule of Ascarlon and declared themselves willing to submit to the rule of the Airnim.
The Worldspine Orcs - Vaurog Breakspear was terrible when he was angry. Trained soldiers trembled under his gaze and goblin slaves were known to faint dead away. But that was nothing compared to Vaurog when he was cold and quiet. All who knew him well knew that the lives of those near him hung by a slender thread when the steely silence fell over their king. As it did now. "Form up," he said, very quietly. "Marching order in the passes now. I will flay the skin from any laggards and drape it bleeding from my standard." "My lord," squeaked a very brave
goblin. "The larders are empty. Many warriors will
starve." Orcs and goblins fled before him, seizing up weapons and making haste for the mountain passes. Nearly four thousand warriors had been added to the army and that army now numbered more than eight thousand. That night, they marched south, a dozen bloody pelts flying from the royal standard. Vaurog pushed his orcs as hard as they could go, marching them for nearly eighteen hours a day, and leaving to die beside the road those that could not keep up. Vaurog meant to catch the damned dwarves and break them. The men had fled beyond his reach, at least for now, but those oh-so arrogant dwarves - they would pay for Ophialum. They would pay for the slaughter of the southern Worldspines. They would pay with their screaming and crying. Perhaps he might even take a few as his slaves. Blinded and beardless, they could still serve as pets until he grew bored with them. Still, following dwarves in the mountains is no easy task, even for orcs. The hardy folk do not tire, nor do they lag. But Valand Dragonsbane was approaching Dhûnazhar with caution, not expecting trouble at his back... (See The War of the Worldspines, below).
The Reformed Empire of Borokoth - Alas, Daureg's dreams of glory came to naught. Unable to pay his troops or sustain his modest court, his empire crumbled beneath him. Furious at the lack of pay, his troops packed up and went home. Some of the legions decided that they wanted a chance to return to Carhallas, so they seized Daureg and impaled him on the same shield which had been used to raise him to emperor only ten years before. Then with his corpse as a present for Reor, they marched to the Manndaran river and reported for duty. General Sharvlork accepted their fealty and gift on behalf of a grateful emperor.
The Great Kingdom of Annvar -
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The Conorrian Heartland - The Conorrian Empire -
The Empire was abuzz with activity. In Adoria, a vast array of manpower dug an intricate system of waterways and drainage, creating the Empire's first intensively cultivated region. In Echoriath, the Emperor decreed a navy, and the immense naval yards of the city produced many fine imperial dromonds and transports. Four thousand marines were recruited to crew those ships. In the province of Faloricum, vast sums of gold and many thousands of laborers resulted in hundreds of cleared fields, dozens of new towns and ten shrines to the gods. Nor was the wealth of the Conorrians used to the benefit of the Empire alone. Gold, wine, grain and cattle were sent in large quantities to the Great Church, The Holy Order of the Dawn and the Dhûnazhar dwarves. The Emperor, still hale and hearty at the age of seventy-five, spent all of 2791 enacting trade laws and reorganizing the trade routes of the Empire. He cut off all Imperial trade with Accolon, Thariyya and the Worldspine Orcs (Varantius, known as keloicrator, or "Hammer of the Goblins", was disgusted and astonished to find that any of his subjects would trade with the very same orcs who had nearly smashed the Empire in his youth. He hung several merchants for treason, and confiscated the wealth of many others. For the next several years, the Emperor was in seclusion, seen only on his daily walks in the Imperial Gardens. None could say how he spent the rest of his days. The governance of the realm and generalship of the armies was left to his son, the augustus Arcalas. The nobility held its collective breath, but gave thanks to Thandor (god of the air and of kingship) that the son took after the father. Arcalas acquitted himself well in the administration of the Empire. Varantius was heard to say "Of course! He is my son." While the Empire breathed a sigh of relief, there was grief in the house of Arcalas, for in 2792, his wife and unborn son died in childbirth. Arcalas, noble Conorrian that he was, grieved publicly, but ceased in his rule of the armies and empire for only the required three days. For the next year, the eagle of his personal legion was draped in black and attended by the haruspexes of Agaleus. Prince Selanus spent his time aiding his brother Arcalas with the Empire's administration. He was elected Consul of Echoriath for the years 2794 and 2795, and managed to acquit himself well, clearing away some of the worst slums in the city's southern littoral. Senator Gaius Calos traveled to Lidhinos and convinced Dominus, comes per Lidhinos, to become the ally of the Empire. Meanwhile, in Scythnus, governor Phaeseus took command of the local garrison and readied himself for any Thariyyan invasion. At Arcalas's order, Nichous of Aquae Albenesis and Callas of Boenia, two feudal bannermen of the Empire, marched their thousand troops north across the Phaedon river and into Lenicum and the Blue Peaks, intending to meet up with King Durokor Thundershield of Dhûnazhar. (See The War of the Worldspines, below).
The Great Church of the Lords of the Grail -
Stretched to the breaking point, the Great Church had to make some hard decisions. Patriarch Flavius ordered that the wealth of the Church be used to create a great number of new shrines and churches, as well as send out new priests to many older churches, but he also reduced the direct control of the Primacy over many of the greater churches in Medahros. Abbeys in Anicium, Annathael, Elpedium, Faucrion and Little Lirien, the monatery in Danum and the Cathedral in Mynos were all reduced to Churches. The Great Church purchased foodstuffs from Aelissia and gratefully accepted shipments of food from the Conorrian Empire. It established trade with the Holy Order of the Dawn and laid the groundwork for a future academy of wizardry in Conorr. The Patriarch left the defense of Garromais to Bishops Iacobus and Asterius and returned to Conorr to see to the spiritual needs of his flock. In a statement circulated in 2792, he said "In this challenging time, the Church is reallocating its resources to help better serve its adherents. We are cheered by the recent strength of faith shown by the Valesian people. The Church has dispatched a couple of Bishops to upgrade the Grail Church facilities in the country." In Garromais, Asterius assumed command and ordered that both the Church troops and the Corlanders receive the benefits of a holy blessing. Bishops Palladius and Alecius traveled to the Valesian City States and the Llyran Republic, respectively, to establish churches. Their whirlwind tour of the cities and regions had mixed success.
The Dwarven Realm of Dhûnazhar
- See The War of the Worldspines, below.
The Dwarven
Rebels of Nazarauk - See The War of the Worldspines, below.
THE WAR OF THE WORLDSPINES Agaleon, 2791 - Vaurog Breakspear and his orcs begin to force march from the Northern Worldspines into the Blue Peaks. Strynod, 2791 - Valand Dragonsbane and his dwarves begin to march from the Southern Worldspines. King Durukor Thundershield moves from Khelem Vala to Dhûnazhar. Conorrian governor Nichous begins to march from Aquae Albanesis. Governor Callas begins to march from Boenia. Vaurog and his orcs arrive in Lenicum and look for Valand's trail, not realizing they are already ahead of him. Maravis, 2791 - King Durukor begins to march north from Dhûnazhar. He bravely declares that dwarf shall not fight dwarf and that if Valand wishes the crown, Durukor will give it to him, if only Valand will go and slay orcs. Ironically, at that very moment... Vaurog's eight thousand orcs ambush Valand's eight thousand dwarves in a nameless valley in Lenicum. Screaming and rushing down the sides of the narrow defile through which the dwarves were maching, the orcs' rush caught the stout dwarves by complete surprise, driving them back and shattering their formations. Three of the greatest orc commanders alive (Vaurog, Maghor and Azog) led the reckless charge. But not for nothing are the Dhûnazhar King's Elite renowned as some of the finest soldiers in Theeurth, nor the dwarves said to be born of the hills. Valand's army fought on, despite being broken and isolated into small bands of a few hundred each. The dwarves were superb soldiers (for the dwarves of the Kingdom Under the Mountain despise the term "warrior") and their discipline was iron hard. Though they had suffered terribly in the early rush, the dwarves held on until well into the dark of the night, when at last the orcs relented in their attacks. More than one thousand orcs and two thousand dwarves lay dead or dying in the night. Cleon, 2791 - Nichous and Callas meet and combine their forces in Acaris and begin to bridge the Phaedon River. Vaurog's orcs and Valand's dwarves meet in Lenicum again. This time, the dwarves are ready for their antagonists and bring to bear the full might of their prowess. Axes flashing and ancient war-songs ringing from thousands of throats, the dwarves systematically butcher and drive back the larger, wilder orcs and ogres. Though both sides suffer heavy losses and retire unpursued from the field, the orcs have fared far worse. Their simple warriors are no match for the elite forces of the dwarves. Vaurog limps back towards the Worldspines with fewer than three thousand warriors, while Valand marches on towards Endorwaith with more than six thousand. Daarlem, 2791 - King Durukor's forces enter Azhan Madhor. Northhale, 2791 - Valand's forces enter Endorwaith. Vaurog's enter the Worldspine South. Berlas, 2791 - King Durukor's forces enter Mar Kheland and defeat a native orcish army of sixteen hundred. Nichous and Callas enter Lenicum. Branaeor, 2791 - Vaurog's orcs return to the Worldspine North. Strynod, 2792 - King Durukor's forces begin the systematic extermination of all orcs in Mar Kheland. Valand Dragonsbane enters Dhûnazhar. Maravis, 2792 - Valand Dragonsbane seizes Dhûnazhar after sacking several castles. Cleon, 2792 - Nichous and Callas enter Endorwaith. Valand Dragonsbane lays siege to Khelem Vala. Berlas, 2792 - Nichous and Callas enter Mar Kheland, catching up with King Durukor. They place their troops at his disposal. Khelem Vala falls to Valand Dragonsbane. Durukor's son and heir prince Karrok Silverbeard surrenders the citadel and is placed in chains and imprisoned. Valand Dragonsbane is crowned king of Dhûnazhar and decalres Durukor Thundershield an outlaw. Strynod, 2793 - Durukor, Nichous and Callas complete the extermination of the Mar Kheland orcs. King Valand leaves a garrison in Dhûnazhar and Khelem Vala, and marches east. Maravis, 2793 - Durukor, Nichous and Callas march west. Daarlem, 2793 - Valand arrives in Kiril Zelen and demands its surrender. The lords of Kiril Zelen defy him as a traitor and he defeats them in a three-day battle. Northhale, 2793 - Durukor, Nichous and Callas arrive in Orod Dhorn and are badly defeated by the waiting orcs. Only a few hundred survivors return to their homes. Durukon Thundershield, displaced as king by the usurper Valand, becomes a wanderer and vanishes into the Rhanalorian hinterlands. Nichous and Callas straggle home with lessened hosts. His army badly battered, Valand garrisons it in Kiril Zelen and enters the city of Bregor to woo the city's allegiance. They agree to become allies of Valand's new reign. A smaller kingdom of Dhûnazhar emerges from the ashes.
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VALES - North-Western Vales - The Llyran Republic - The Republic invested large sums in certain eldritch towers spread throughout the region of Camistella designed to summon storm elementals, thus allowing a predictable schedule of rain throughout the southern part of the island. The Council expanded the army by adding twelve hundred heavy infantry and the transports to carry them. Harko Marova, the magister and Kaidar Nemova, the Republic's strategos sailed out of Vastium's harbors and swept north towards the H'rethek coast. After meeting Artorius's Lorrainish fleet and abandoning the idea of raids, they transferred several hundred troops to general Harcourt Bracegirdle of Aelissia. Nemova then spent the next two years on the Saronne River, enacting a ritual to enhance the halfling general's command abilities. The fleet then returned to Vastium. Caelan Bolusova, the joraidan, commanded the Republic's home guard, watching the shores for invaders. In later years, he crafted a spell that caused all the acorns in the Magister's palace to become brilliant gems. These fabulous lifestones were harvested and added to the Republic's coffers. In Tarrentica, governor Caliban Mistova oversaw the creation of the city's postal system, whereby certain lesser and invisible spirits were summoned and constrained to make regular deliveries between the various great houses and certain public stations. The sight of packages and letters floating quickly through the streets soon became commonplace, though a wonder to all foreign visitors.
The Holy Matriarchy of Ahuran -
the huge ebony-skinned Mekebelan warrior Xuku. Armed men are outlaws in Ahuran, and so the Band carries the Royal Sigil and letter of passage to avoid being hung at every castle they pass. Xuku and his company search every village and steading in Veij, looking for...something. In 2794, a strange yellowish fog drifted through the streets of the port of Ilduskan. All who came in contact with it were driven mad, their jaws dripping spittle and their eyes red with blood. Riots spread throughout the city and many important buildings were burned. Though the madness passed in a single night, the fires raged for three nights, and more than two hundred people lay dead in the streets. Fear and anger spread throughout the Matriarchy.
Sacheem ruled the kingdom in his father's name from Mar Awas, and fathered yet another child, this one a son. Sadly, although the son survived, his mother did not, dying only a few hours after the delivery. Meanwhile, Feldar set sail with the exiles, taking them on a year-long voyage around Har'akir, across the Pale Sea and the Straits of Sandrettos, landing them at Socphares and Kumrat. There, the mountain people of Adramagdus and Khedit were unceremoniously dumped amid the steaming rain forests and wished the best of luck. Feldar and his fleet then sailed away.
The Valesian City-States -
His brother and heir, Anaxes, acted as governor of Ventas. Anaxes was a warrior, however, and the duties of governor bored him. He spent most of his time hunting, hawking and keeping his wife Verita well occupied of a night. In 2791, she gave him a son, Calidonus. General Percelsus moved troops around the peninsula, but died of pneumonia after marching through a late autumn rainstorn in 2793, and was unable to seek out more Keferis refugees as he planned. Grand Admiral Antigonus moved the Valesian fleet to the Gulf of Thariyya and patrolled the waters there for the Red Pact of Vales.
Luxur - Zsalvi returned once again to Naqada, convincing his father-in-law Nostria to grant him full lordship over Naqada. His bribes and devilishly smooth tongue won over the old Sathla, who made Zsalvi his heir and retired. In the east, Ksonyos returned to Habu, supported from the Artaxes by a small riverine fleet commanded by Captain Ystuv and by more than two thousand sathla mercenaries, so that his total forces numbered more than eleven thousand. Despite the powerful defenses erected by the Keferis, the Luxurites swept through the region again, capturing it with minimal losses. But once again, the massive walls of Merwal proved far too much for the rudimentary siege skills of the sathla, even the better-trained mercenaries. Ksonyos simply did not have the power to lay siege to the city. Once again, Ksonyos could do little more than shout threats at the city garrison. The reconquest of Habu, combined with the frequent contact with foreign traders and human slaves has sparked an intense interest in religion among the sathla of Luxur. Donations and offerings flooded into the ancient temples of Autumna as the sathla once more sought answers in the dogmas of the past. The priests held a convocation at Thedelos and elected Kyassthi as their new Grand Priest. A new primacy was born!
The Autumna Primacy
- From the ancient, vine-covered Temple of the Egg at Thedelos, Grand Priest Kyassthi called for a resurgence in sathla piety and the urgent recapture of the Holy City of Merwal.
Keferis - General Proclides continued to defy the sathla at Merwal, while his men continued to train at siegecraft. There was nothing Proclides could do, however, about the sathla seizure of the rich fields of Habu. The garrison continued to hope for rescue. Meanwhile, Varathinus traveled to Osaru, where he convinced the brave inhabitants to become full citizens of Keferis (Varathinus convinced them that the sathla were far away and that Osaru would remain out of the fighting.
Mykele - The sathla sunned themselves on large, flat rocks. One or two peeled open a slit-irised eye at the call of the Primacy, but then went back to dozing.
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North-Eastern Vales -
Nightstalker the Abjurer had marginally more success in the free city of Korrek. His threats of force and his displays of magical prowess convinced the locals that they had best not defy the might of Accolon. They agreed to pay an annual tribute to Dammarask in gold, livestock and slaves. Bishop Marakin Trollkin girded himself for a journey into one of the most inhospitable places in all of Vatheria. He and two hundred hardened horsemen rode into the Anvil of the Gods, though for what purpose he did not say. Two years later, he emerged into the deserts of Balbane, tanned, hardened and accompanied by a mere handful of men.
The Shadowed Primacy of the Dark Court
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The Divine Theocracy of Eumana -
Defense was the order of the day, as fortifications were built throughout Eumana and several hundred siege engineers trained in Nuradeem. All feared the hammerblow that did not come. Theocrat Kandoz traveled to the region of Had and entered into long negotiation with the chieftains there. But in the end, all he won from them was the right to transit their land Margrave Vestaan governed the city of Nuradeem, proving himself an exceptionally able administrator. A temple to the gods of Woe was erected and those priests who would not submit to the authority of the Theocrat were bound in chains and set to work cleaning the city sewers.
The Shadowguard of Marador -
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South-Western Vales - The Steaming Kingdom of Drormt -
choked to death on an obstreperous eel in 2791 and was unable to fulfull his office. Lord Aroshk and the allied commanders Riursh of Erlet and Keekrish of Munampt gathered together on a surprisingly misty morning in 2791 and disappeared into the swamps of Ululor. The returned in 2793 with several hundred surly saurus slaves, whom they put to work in the eel farms of Haashmet, then promptly disappeared, still surrounded by the weird mist. They returned again with more eel farm slaves in 2795.
Sendahl -
Mekebele - The period started off poorly for Mekebele, when both the Emperor Kobuto and his ally prince Armon of Garmazt were killed during an aerial melee at the festival of the Green Woman. Armon, by far the superior rider, struck a blow on Kobuto's shield that somehow loosed the emperor from his saddle. The tragedy was compounded when the Emperor's leatherwing crashed heavily into Armon's steed, and both men and their mounts slammed into the falls of Madakoro. Their bodies were recovere and buried only days later. The Emperor's last gift to the Empire was a series of stone temples and grain silos for the region of Jokari. He had hoped that this gift to the empire's shamans would increase the sense of spirituality among his practical-minded people, but the plan backfired. The close association of farming and the temples simply caused the people to look upon the gods with little or no regard. Mekebele is among the most godless of nations. The newly-crowned Emperor F'denge had plans of his own. For reasons unknown to his people, F'denge desired the lands of Kjo, which had been conquered by the Sendhalese some thirty years before. Barely habitable scrublands, the Mekebele had never before shown a regard for Kjo, but the Emperor traveled there with only a single young page for company or protection. In Kjo, he fearlessly ignored the large Sendhalese garrison and agitated among the local chiefs, encouraging them to rise up against their nomadic oppressors. Nomads themselves, and barely understanding the thick accent of the jungle king, the chiefs of Kjo treated F'denge as if he were mad. Fearing the reprisals of the Sendhalese garrison, they sent F'denge home with some pleasant gifts and a request that he not return. Warleader Bor'ufan, governor of Awayal, reorganized the priesthoods that controlled the flow of grain in the city, somewhat improving conditions in the capital.
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South-Eastern Vales -
The Elven Empire of Sengkar
- War was on the mind of the elves. Though Sengkar's rule had never extended to the wild lands of Phoreya and Kulahan, those elves who dwelt there were a related people, sundered in the past so long ago. Yet the elves remembered, and when the orcs of Torquas cut their bloody swathe through those green lands, the people of Sengkar demanded that the emperor's response be swift. Thus did Valoril raise two thousand elite elven archers and give to his son the command of the hosts of Sengkar. Brave Namaril the Hunter rode out of the gates of Ezrand at the head of an army twelve thousand strong. Nearly two thirds of this force were elven archers, wise in the ways of woodcraft. (See The War of Elves and Orcs, below). Namaril's sister, Princess Gahaliel traveled to the wide Radhrost valley at the headwaters of the Mulgaunt, there to treat with the lords of Radhrost and convince them to swear oaths of fealty to her father. But war had never come to Radhrost in all the long years of the dwelling of the elves, and they cared little for the doings of the larger world. Courteous and kind were they, but no oaths would they swear. Prince Bisaril, Valoril nephew, traveled to the land of Mita, where he tended to the crops and talked with spirits of rain and earth and sun, encouraging the growth of all living things so that the region blossomed and poured forth many more fruits and grains than ever before.
The Valraj - Sultan Gulor passed away peacefully in his sleep in the Spring of 2791. His son Valoon of the White Knives was crowned sultan after a proper seven days of mourning. Moosa, Emir of Tanoxus, drank so heavily at the Sultan's wake that he lost his balance while leaning over a castle parapet and fell to his death. After that grim start, the next few years were quite peaceful for the Valraji, despite the war that raged to the west. Valoon's wife gave birth to two healthy sons, one in 2793 and one in 2795. Lord Jameel was governor of Shenthelass from 2792-2795, but managed very little improvement in the port city.
The Kingdom of Weshtayo -
Okoumo sweltered in the summer heat of Khulank, but was glad of what he saw. Everywhere, his kingom flourished and he, the Red-Feathered Lord, saw no enemies. Truly, it was a golden age for the Weshts. The King raised more than a thousad infantry, which he dispersed to armies in Tresalet, Bedraku and Siruvay. He ordered that the muddy dike around Khulank be leveled and proper stone walls be set in its place. Also, he received word that the sauruses of Drormt had begun trade at Tresalet (though really, who could eat that many eels?) and that the Emperor of Aurdrukar had built a trading port at Qiya. Oukoumo's son and heir Nokrome played governor to Khulank in 2792 and 2795, where he performed splendidly. But from 2793 through 2794, he was governor of Rendulha and failed to reform or improve the city in any way. Perhaps he merely was a better administrator when under his father's watchful eye?
The Imperial Realm of Zikuyu
- Peace and security reigned in Zikuyu. A great wagon train of fish, grain, beef and poultry made its way through the jungles of Triyara to the dwarven garrison at Urhodel, while several chests of gold and silver were transferred to the Zikuyu in exchange. Vast amounts were spent on wells, shrines and roadside inns in both Qash and Thikyni, and both began to take on a somewhat "dwarvish" quality of organization and permanence. Queen Huwarra (the chroniclers were severely chastised for calling her "king" last time around) ruled serenely from her palace at Ivallkyu while her cousin Qeemoy governed in the city below. Qeemoy seemed to be developing a talent for governance, but unfortunately died of a sudden heart attack in 2792. Tales of a war to the east came down the Mogolla river as mere echoes, as of stories of a bygone age, though they made many a bard and singer a pretty penny in the inns and brothels of Ivallkyu.
The Despotism of
Torquas - War and slaves were uppermost in the mind of the Despot. And religion. He set out to enslave the regions of Alat and Ilhand, and to extinguish the perverted worship of the Dark Court in Zhume'la. Almost four thousand orc warriors were conscripted for the armies, half for that of Maugh's main army and half for that of his ally, the warlord of Zhutetl. Together these two forces marched into Alat and began to exterminate village elders and round up all the able bodied natives for slaves. Maugh's lieutenant Regaul the Brown traveled to Sagis, but was pointedly ignored by the orc chieftains there. He was able to do no more than claim the land in the name of Torquas. See The War of Orcs and Elves, below.
THE WAR OF ORCS AND ELVES Namaril the Hunter lead his twelve thousand Sengkari elves into the region of Phoreya, and then crashed into the undefended fields and farmsteads of Kaidola, quickly forcing the region's leaders to acknowledge his conquest. Then, although Torquas lay undefended before him, he paused. He might even have dug in, preparing the fields for the looked-for counterstroke, but so contemptuous of orcish might was Namaril that he refused to do even that much. His elves simply waited. It took several months for word of the invasion to reach the ears of the Despot, for he had by this time enslaved Alat and was marching on Ilhand. But when the word did reach him, he turned and considered. His host was smaller, just under eight thousand. But when else would he get to fight elves who were not surrounded by their precious forests? Maugh couldn't resist, and he whipped his army (and the slaves with it) back towards Torquas. At Torquas, they dropped off the slaves and turned towards the waiting battle in Kaidola. The two sides met in early winter of 2793, as a curtain of freezing rain turned the fences and farmhouses slick with a coating of ice. Namaril's banners were drawn up along a gentle ridge, and his host rippled with polished steel even in the sodden rain. The orcs were a dark and brutish lot, though they formed up neatly and pounded their shields in ominous unison. No sign was given, for none was needed. In a moment, the orcs charged the elvish line, and thousands of elvish arrows darkened the already leaden sky. The elves had the advantage in nearly every way. They had the numbers, the elite troops, the greater weight of outriders and skirmishers. But the orcs had brute strength and a dumb refusal to fall back before the onslaught of arrows. The elven line bent, but did not break. The orcs fell by the thousands, but did not run. By nightfall, the outcome was still very much in doubt. But Namaril's lieutenants urged him to fall back and regroup, and he heeded them. The elves retired towards Phoreya in the night, and the exhausted orcs did not pursue.
The Kingdom of Tas Dar
- King Jharen observed the wars and larger nations around him, and invested heavily in defense. New castles were built in Tas Dar alongside several new wells. Lord Miakil governed Lhoren Dar and proved to be an exceptional (or lucky!) administrator. Under his governorship many streets were paved and a new public plaza was built with shrines to each of the hundred and one gods. Tas Dari explorers discovered a lost city in the forests of Tithand, and hope to return to discover more!
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Rumors from Elsewhere -
Rumors speak of a vast people on the move on the shores of the Garagos river beyond Shanatar. Others deny that there is anything beyond Shanatar. The singer's tales say that a titan out of legend marches at the head of the army of Changhshai. It is as tall as ten men and as strong as fifty! |
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GM's Tip #3 -
Each turn, I will use this space to present a useful rules hint. Eventually, all of you will know what LOTE GM's and experienced players know. Factors Affecting Diplomacy - 1) The correct way to write a Diplomacy Order is as follows:
2) The basic mechanic for a Diplomacy is check is to subtract the region's (or city's) resistance value from the Diplomacy rating of the Leader, giving a Target Number Then, the GM rolls a d10. If the roll is equal to or less than the Target Number, the Diplomacy is successful. The higher the result (without going over the Target Number), the better. From this we can see that sending a "5" Diplomacy Leader to woo a region with a "6" resistance value is automatically doomed to failure unless positive modifiers are added to the roll. Particularly bad rolls can lead to Hostile relations or even war. The single most important factor is the Diplomacy rating of the Leader sent. Followed by the clarity of the written order! 3) Positive Modifiers include:
4) Negative Modifiers include:
Secret Diplomacy is also possible. This will keep your successes out of the newsfax and off the maps (at least for awhile.) It is possible to conduct diplomacy against an enemy leader in order to convince him to revolt. It is possible to conduct diplomacy against an enemy region. In this case, you must first reduce the enemy's control to Uncontrolled before being able to work it up in your favor.
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Page Created 19 February 2006 |
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King
Norrim ruled amid the Thundering Halls, keeping up a steady stream
of correspondence with the various regions of his mighty realm.
The aged king sent forth smiths, carpenters and engineers to build
a new port village on the shores of the Gulf of Qiya, called Dürn.
A few small trading vessels manned by dusky sailors from the
Weshtayo port of Rendulha visited out of curiosity.
