LORDS OF THE EARTH CAMPAIGN 54
"LORDS OF THEEURTH"

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Roman, remember that you shall rule the nations by your authority, for this is to be your skill, to make peace the custom, to spare the conquered, and to wage war until the haughty are brought low.
     - Virgil [Publius Vergilius Maro] (70–19 B.C.)

Small nations are like indecently dressed women. They tempt the evil-minded.
    - Julius K. Nyerere, Prime Minister of Tanganyika

Nations! What are nations? Tartars! and Huns! and Chinamen! Like insects they swarm. The historian strives in vain to make them memorable. It is for want of a man that there are so many men. It is individuals that populate the world.
     - Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

Power, I said. Power to walk into the gold vaults of the nations, into the secrets of kings, into the holy of holies. Power to make multitudes run squealing in terror at the touch of my little invisible finger. Even the moon’s frightened of me. Frightened to death. The whole world’s frightened to death.
     - Jack Griffin (Claude Rains), The Invisible Man

1. There was quite a bit of confusion (much of it on my part) this turn about how much Agro Nomadic nations consume in certain terrains.  I enunciated a rule based on BR 10.7.2.  Some people thought I was arbitrarily changing the rules, which was not the case.  I was, in fact, enunciating what seems to actually be the correct rule.  My understanding changed and that is all.

The problem is that BR 10.7.2. is in opposition to Chart 2-10, also from the BR, which says that Nomads pay nothing for Troop support in the steppe and only 0.1 GP in cultivate or Intensively cultivated terrain.  Now, those who know a lot more about the LOTE rules than me have pointed out that the two rules are not necessarily incompatible.  However, what is undeniable is that the XSTATS program does not include support for the rule in 10.7.2.  Equally undeniably, I'm not going to re-process every nomad support cost by hand. Henceforth, the first sentence of 10.7.2 will be ignored.

That leaves us right where this game started, with the troop support costs exactly as they have been since Turn 0, as enunciated in Table 2-10 of the Charts page.

My apologies for the confusion. And that's all it was - confusion. Not an attempt to jimmy the rules in any way, but to clarify the already-existing rules.

Please let me know if this confusion has somehow put your position in terrible danger or deep annoyance.

2.  Please note that as soon as a horde pacifies or settles any civilized region or uses any tribal points to settle any pacified region, it has settled down and will become either barbarian or civilized depending on the sort of people it has supplanted.  Nomads are exempt from this rule this turn only (and may reconvert settlers to TBL points), and if still settled at the end of turn 8 will become permanently barbarian or civilized.

3) Rule Change: Orcs now have a 1.5 NFP multiple and a 0.75 GP multiple.

4) Don't move into a region you're raiding.  Next time, it's a fight, not a raid.  Consider yourselves warned.

MEDARHOS -

North-Western Medarhos -

The Skane Jarldoms -  Ruler - Prince Varguth Capital - Vanaheim Dominant Race - Human

Following in the footsteps of uncle, Prince Varguth made peaceful overtures to the southern neighbor which once felt the sting of Skane dragonships.  The Regent negotiated The Treaty of Tirgon, a Skane/Tirgonian mutual defense treaty.  This amicable meeting also resulted in the purchase of the Skane March from Tirgonia.  Varguth sent his lieutenant Sven Hvindunkdat to Tirgon to deliver the agreed-upon price in gold.  The aged Tirgonian monarch duly had his scribes draw up a gorgeously illuminated deed to deliver back to the Skane regent. However, no one consulted with the wishes of the frontiersmen dwelling in the Skane March.  For centuries, their ancestors had been the bulwark against the Skane barbarians, their land grants purposefully given to warriors who would withstand the pirates of the north.  And now they were to bend the knee to pagans who spoke a harsh and meaningless tongue?  Never!  Count Asparian declared the March to be hostile to both the Skane and to Aramayne's Tirgonia. Meanwhile, Varguth caused many hundreds of settlers to build towns and villages throughout Godemar.

The Kingdom of Tirgonia -
Ruler - King Quinn Michelmas
Capital - Tirgon
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Eastern March [A]

The Iron Empire of Daerond -    Ruler - Emperor Vantos Elerek Capital - Aicherai Dominant Race - Human

Then, in the spring of 2815, Vantos Elerek appeared suddenly in the towns of Lycia, preaching respect for the old order and raising an army.  The Lycians enthusiastically followed the charismatic young man as he marched down the north bank of the Narglaurith to Angaurek, up the coast to Aluirek, into his ancestral home of Nivaan (where he attached his house troops to his new army) and then marched on Aicherai.  The other Black Dukes either fled the capital or were quick to express the entire support for the chosen successor.  Some of these were nonetheless confined in the Marvarius Pit beneath the Temple of Evaless. Vantos Elerek was acknowledged by all as the first among equals, but this did not at all suit the young man, who perceived the weakness of the oligarchic system.  Instead, he conspired with the high priest of Malbor to crown him emperor, a title no mortal man had ever held in Daerond since the fall of the Miletian empire five and a half centuries before (the lich-king Dyrethis had named the new nation "The Iron Empire", but had never assumed the title.)

He did not bask peacefully in the title however.  In the fall of that year came word of another contender, one who had actually served the lich-king as lieutenant.  Null was back, and had seized command of the large Daeron army at Vanuma.  The hill tribes had declared for him, mistrusting the young and untested Vantos and nursing a hateful grudge for his mentor Morbanes, who had always slighted the hill lords in favor of the lowland dukes.  Now the newly-crowned emperor would be put to the ultimate test.  The greater part of the Empire was loyal to him, but his army numbered only two thousand, whereas Null's was the great army that has seized Vanuma, nearly six thousand strong.

The Black Banner Rebels of Daerond -   
Ruler - Black Duke Null
Capital - Vanuma
Dominant Race - Orc

The Harkorian League -
Ruler - First Councillor Clytheus
Capital - Cadares
Dominant Race - Human

The Edgemoor Orcs -
Ruler - Malik the Timid
Capital - Zaramaka
Dominant Race - Orcs

South-Western Medarhos -

The Brythnian Confederation -  Ruler - King Esriadan Capital - Carrenthium Dominant Race - Taurid

Nyssa had great plans for these years.  She directed that most of Brythnia's considerable natural wealth be directed into the education of its nobility and thus expanded the old but heretofore small university at Carrenthium.  The city itself drew in so many scholars and students that its outlying districts sprawled far beyond the protection of its old walls.  Some in the council grumbled that the walls out to be rebuilt, but the queen instead directed that the stone of the old walls be reused to construct lecture halls and dormitories. The bulk of the remaining budget was spent on the continued cultivation of the Great Meadow. An expected treaty with the Harkorian cities fell through when the Harkorians sent no delegation. Nyssa herself, still a striking figure in her late forties, released the rebel lord Camthalion from prison with the proposal that Camthalion marry her, thus uniting their houses.  Unfortunately, as he returned from Carrenthium to Cerintum, the noble Camthalion was caught in a driving snowstorm and died of pneumonia in the Spring of 2812.  Undeterred, Nyssa made the same offer to Camthalion's eldest son, Esriadan.  A quiet, contemplative centaur, Esriadan was smitten with the attention of the smarter, older woman and readily agreed, becoming Nyssa's consort in 2814. By then, terrible news had returned from the Worldspine Mountains.  Lord Elpenor had crossed the Lyodan river into Itherias with six thousand centaurs and minotaurs, intending to punish the orcs of Idiolum.  Instead, he found the orcs waiting for him (for it seemed that somehow the orcs knew they were coming).  King Vaurog Breakspear and thirteen thousand orcs and ogres erupted out of ambush positions in the hills of Itherias and cut Elpenor's force to ribbons.  Elpenor died in the first onslaught, rended in two in the iron grasp of an ogre chieftain.  From there, a general panic rippled through the tough Brythnian army.  The elite brythnian minotaur guard attempted first to cut its way to the body of Elpenor, and then to cleave a path towards Vaurog Breakspear, but they ran directly into Breakspear's ogre guard and were stopped cold.

The allied leader Lycurgus Redshanks was able to salvage a tiny fraction of the taurid army, only a few hundred of his countrymen, and shepherd them back across the Lyodan and into the Brythnian Hills, where they were forced to retreat further from the orcish onslaught.  By the end of 2813, Lycurgus had managed to rally roughly a thousand taurids.  The orcish victory was nearly total.

Fresh from the slaughter at Itherias, the orcs thoroughly raided the Brythnian Hills and the province of Lloricam, even taking the time to move downriver and raid the wide grasslands of Vahdrian.  They took everything of value, leaving the regions barren and in ruins.

In 2815, Nyssa became pregnant by Esriadan, but she and the baby (a girl) died in childbirth.  Though the general populace did not mourn the woman seen as an usurper, those who knew her well could not help but mourn the loss of so brilliant and skillful a leader.  With no females of the ruling line, Esriadan was recognized as the King, and was strictly warned by the priestesses to quickly marry and produce female heirs, lest the gods turn against him.

Aelissia - Ruler - King Otho Longacre Capital - The Great Delve Dominant Race - Halfling

Corland - Ruler - King Armand Capital - Khairais Dominant Race - Human

 

Lorraine - Ruler - King Artorius Capital - Armorica Dominant Race - Human

Prince Mordred

King Artorius and Myrddin the wizard brought more colonists to Bruyenne and helped build a modest wooden motte and bailey on a hill near the center of the province.  Upon his return to Armorica, Artorius arranged a trade route with the Crusader States and ordered more merchants to visit Elenuil in the Neldorean Wood (Queen Gwenwhyfar was fond of elven jewelry). Artorius named his son Mordred heir to the throne of Lorraine.  The smirking young knight arrived for his investiture all in black and escorting three young ladies who were most definitely neither his wife nor noblewomen. Myrddin was once more ordered to govern the city of Armorica and once more blithely ignored the order, disappearing into the woods of Howel for several years. By contrast, Sir Morgan governed the city of Cassivelaunus with vigor and dedication. By 2815, the small city had a working sewer system and a large stone marketplace where the merchants of a dozen nations hawked their wares. Sir Boedwen's mission in 2812 to woo the pirates of Deleos was an abysmal failure.  The sea lords were not only disinclined to listen to the endless small talk of the Lorraine knight, but word of his almost superhumanly bad breath soon ensured that even the least Delian functionary made excuses not to be cornered by him.

The Neldorean Wood -

Ruler - Queen Nereil Capital - Elenuil Dominant Race - Elf

The Airnim Horde -  Ruler - Tarl Wolf's Paw Capital - Haelopolis Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Halianis [NT], Gelidalis [NT]

The Exarchate of the Great Crusade - Ruler - Queen Ava Capital - Pontezium Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Mocarre [T], Salt Shore [-C], Carrandis [-NT], Barrandia [-NT], Gnaesius [-NT]

Meanwhile, great things were occurring closer to home.  Thousands of Ianthan refugees were allowed to settle in Regaldros and Laedrus (though some remarked that tearing down the walls of the latter city to accommodate them was a grave error).  Outside Laedrus, the peasants of the Exarchate continued to terrace the hills and valleys of the province.  Finally, Sir Maradoc hired an unnamed adventuring company, but gave them no orders.  They happily lounged in Pontezium on the Queen's dole.

The Holy Order of the Dawn -
Ruler - Grand Master Tiberius
Capital - The Akasian Hills
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Bregor - [OH]

In the Spring of 2814, Brutus and his three thousand knights entered the lair of the dragon - they had found the Horde's new home in Airnim and rode bravely to the attack. Three thousand against nearly eight thousand warriors, drones and flyers.  More than half the Order's riders were elite Knights of the Dawn, but the har'keen combined size, ferocity, aerial troops and numbers.  On a wide plain beside the Little Wolf River, the two sides met in battle.  Brutus managed to take the har'keen by surprise, driving his knights in among the alien encampment before the har'keen knew the humans were even present.  With wild cries of "For the Grail!" and "Artorius!" the armored horsemen drove in amongst their hated enemy, slashing and killing with professional precision.  In the initial headlong charge, Brutus himself impaled one of the giant Brood Daughters, driving his lance into the ground beyond her.

As the battle heated, it was Brutus's presence on the battlefield, constantly exposing himself to danger and constantly exhorting his exhausted men on, that made the difference.  Panic spread through the stunned har'keen, and for the first time in recorded history, they broke and ran.  Few of Brutus's forces remained mobile enough to harry them as they fled northwest into frigid Athor.  After the battle, nearly seventy percent of the Order's forces were dead or scattered, but the grim remainder held the bloody field.  Estimates of the har'keen losses were about twenty-five percent.  Unscathed by claw or fang, Grand Master Brutus Aurillius died that night in his tent, a contented smile on his face. Meanwhile, Master Sirius had ridden off into the Empire on an unknown quest in 2811 and has not yet returned. Master Tiberius took up command of the Legion of the Iron Guardian in the Akasian Hills and also became Grand Master when word came back of Brutus's death.

Rhanalor -

The Worldspine Orcs -
Ruler - Vaurog Breakspear
Capital - Mount Kauroth
Dominant Race - Orc
Diplomacy - Brolok [A]

It was a glorious period for Vaurog and his orcs.  Vengeance upon the hated taurids!  Ascendancy in the Worldspines!  Blood and souls dedicated to Caravok! Vaurog summoned to him more than four thousand lightly-armored goblin warriors, the type so common in the Worldspines and added them to his already large army.  He set a watch over the likely approaches from Brythnia and prepared to raid the soft hills and valleys of the taurids.  He sent his only daughter, Ilgress the Unwilling, to be the bride of Vorstagg of Orodh Dhorn.  Thus elevated to a member of the royal family, Vorstagg preened with pride and brought his thousand uruks to his overlord's call.  Vaurog also named his son, Vraag Irontooth, as his heir and successor. Thousands of orcs were settled into farms in the hills of Vilcea, slowly beginning the cultivation of that province.  Meanwhile, Markhag, one of Vaurog's most trusted lieutenants, traveled to Brolok to secure an oath of alliance from the chieftain of that realm. But the great news of the age was the total surprise and success of the army over the hated taurids.  True to their nature, the snivelling minotaurs and their centaur slaves had sought once again to stab honest orcs in the back!  Goblin spies observed them massing at the Lyodan river in time to let Vaurog's army prepare defensive positions along their route of march through Itherias.  The surprise was total (see Brythnia, above) and the cowardly taurids slaughtered.  Thousands were taken alive as slaves and sent back to Mount Kauroth, while the few survivors fled before the victorious orcs.

Vaurog raided across the Lyodan river into the Brythnian Hills and Lloricam, forcing the shattered Brythnian army to retreat further into the Dacian Hills.  Seeing his opportunity, Vaurog then marched down the Lyodan and raided into Vahdrian, stealing everything of value and burning the rest.  The army returned to Mount Kauroth covered in blood and glory.  Then, they ran into a really big army.  (See Against the Worldspines, below).

H'Rethek -
Ruler - The Hive Queen
Dominant Race - Har'keen

Found at last by the dogged Grand Master of the Order of the Dawn, the remnants of the once-mighty H'rethek nation have decamped to Athor.  The order believes that the Hive Queen probably has some six thousand effective soldiers and many thousands of colonists.

First Spear of the Flayed Man Legion

Emperor Maugrath ruled from Carcaroth, investing vast numbers of slaves and free hobgoblin labor into the improvement of his homeland. swelling its already vast and ordered populace. In the vasty fields of Sauthor, he drilled his cavalry mercilessly to acclimatize them to the steppes in which they sought to be masters. Duke Zdrach, most of the feudal lords and eight thousand troops, mostly infantry, poured across the Manndaran river and into Emekh.  In several brief battles, the Carhallans easily overran the small militia and enslaved the populace.  These, too, were brought back to labor in the fields of Sauthor. Prince Khazal worked a mighty sorcery, summoning demons of the earth whose might and clever crafts completed the buildings and villages of Sauthor. Borokoth, lord of Cavakal and the Duke of Adrhrak both passed away of old age.  Their sons were quick to renew their father's oaths of fealty to the Emperor.

The Great Kingdom of Annvar - Ruler - Councillor Marvaith Capital - Varthane Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Torava [A]

The Standard of Annvar

the be the king.  Marvaith accepted Brinn's immediate oath of fealty, but kept Tellenor captive for several months until the latter's family could be secured.  Marvaith then announced a pardon for Tellenor.  In fact, the old ruling family had held together the immense nomadic nation by will and brutality alone.  Marvaith now needed Tellenor and his ilk to help him run the nation.

Of Astilgen and his several brothers and sisters, no sure tale is known, but none have heard of them since the accession of Marvaith to the throne.

The Conorrian Heartland -

The Conorrian Empire -

Ruler - Emperor Constantikos III Capital - Echoriath Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Lidhinos [FA]

After spending a year governing Callistus (and overseeing the construction of streets in the newest parts of town), Gaius Calos traveled to nearby Lidhinos and managed to convince the rebellious General Domus to return his allegiance peacefully to the throne.

The Great Church of the Lords of the Grail -

Ruler - Patriarch Palladius Holy City - Conorr Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Tarrentica [CH], The Great Delve [CH], Mynos [AB], Mons Llyrae [AB]

The Patriarch's Standard

AGAINST THE WORLDSPINES

Grail Bishop Phaetus led a combined Conorrian/Grail army of thirty-eight thousand troops from Lenicum (where the two forces met in the spring of 2812).  At this point, unbeknownst to the Conorrian/Grail forces, Vaurog Breakspear and his orcs were thoroughly routing their Brythnian allies some three hundred miles to the northwest.  The allied force marched into the forbidding southern Worldspine Mountains and easily overran the paltry militia of the region (whom the allies outnumbered thirteen to one.) After stationing five thousand Conorrian cavalry in the region, they then marched on the Northern Worldspines, where they were to face a stiffer challenge.

Vaurog Breakspear and his victorious army of thirteen thousand arrived in the Northern Worldspines from out of the Maurellians just as Phaetus's allied army marched in from the southern passes.  The two armies met in a perilous ravine where a narrow ribbon of water fell from a great height and thus washed the stones of the valley with a fine, slippery mist.  Too, the thundering fall of the water made commands and distant noises fade into obscurity, so that the scouts of the two forces were practically atop one another before they knew it. Both armies pushed into the other pell-mell, each thinking that the other was but a small group.  All around them lay the fastnesses of the orcs, from which arrows began to pour in abundance.

The allies suddenly realized their great weakness.  Although they had tens of thousands of light infantry, their main strength was in cavalry, and that cavalry needed room to maneuver. The orcs and ogres were able to move about on the slopes with great ease and outflank the milling cavalry.  Then, too, the forts and fortresses of the orcs poured horrible amounts of fire down onto the allies.  The allies had many advantages - the military genius of Bishop Phaetus, the blessings of the lords of the Grail, and of course, numbers.  Also, a magical artifact possessed by the Bishop, known as The Aggadhu Glass, kept them in constant communication with the Patriarch in Conorr.  But they were also civilized men fighting as part of a coalition army deep in savage mountains.  Their enemies were fighting in their homeland, with several excellent commanders who also possessed magical abilities.

The battle was long and bloody, but it was never in doubt.  The orcs surrounded the humans and drove an ever-tighter noose around them, denying them the open field needed to bring their cavalry to bear.  The Conorrian limitanei proved to be highly effective in the broken terrain, but was simply not enough to overcome the arrogance of its generals.  In the final stand of the allied army, fifty paladins of the grail fought back-to-back around the faltering white pennon of the Church as thousands of shrieking orcs closed in for the kill.  The disaster was total.  Thirty-thousand men died, fled or were taken prisoner that day, and fewer than a thousand orcs were slain.  Thousands of Conorrian and Grail soldiers were taken as slaves by the victors.  The losses were heavy among the allied leaders, too.  Bishop Phaetus and General Falkion were both killed in the battle, while General Palos was severely wounded.  The Aggadhu Glass was lost.  Only Bishop Calidonus, nephew of the lord of the Valesian City-States, survived unscathed.

The Dwarven Realm of Dhûnazhar - 
Ruler - King Valand Dragonsbane
Capital - Khelem Vala
Dominant Race - Dwarf

VALES -

North-Western Vales -

The Llyran Republic -
Ruler - Constans Harko Marova
Capital - Tarrentica
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Geshtai [FA]

The Holy Matriarchy of Ahuran -  Ruler - Queen Jerzuul Moonshadow Capital - Sedeskan Dominant Race - Human		Sirrush at Sunset
Ahuran's national agony continued as the dragon Sirrush raided Rarram, Imultorn and Lann.  The army of the Matriarchy fell back to Veij, trying desperately to amass enough power to resist the beastlord before it was too late. In 2814, Naomi Moonshadow, heir to the throne, died of pneumonia in Veij.  Jerzuul appointed Naomi's sister Luriaal heir, doing away with the use of the House of Consorts during this time of crisis.  The queen also sent most of her vassals on a desperate quest to seek any advice or power which could resist the dragon.

Har'akir - Ruler - Sultan Socacia Alouda Capital - Mar Awas Dominant Race - Human

Sultan Socacia

The young sultan prepared for the imminent defense of his kingdom by a prudent mix of diplomacy, troop conscriptions and espionage, as well as a flexible series of orders to his commanders.  The Red Pact of Vales (Har'akir, the Llyran Republic, the Valesian City-States and Thariyya), along with the Grail Primacy, had come to defend one of their own.The main Har'akir army of ten thousand waited at Har Mekelle, supported by the six thousand mercenaries hired by the Great Church.  A further five thousand Grail troops and eight thousand Llyran troops stood ready to defend Akir and Agazier.  Fifty Llyran ships  and twenty Thariyyan vessels stood ready in the harbor of Agazier, and the Primarch of Valesia had promised to send his army to assist. Perhaps sensing the vast numbers arrayed against them, the Marrakhan Orcs simply left.  They vanished one day into the Marrakhan Hills and marched east. As suddenly as it had come, war left the Sheltered Kingdom. While great rejoicing rang in the streets, there were a few reasons for sadness.  The great Sultana Farida, who had guided Har'akir past the dark waters of civil war, died in 2814 at the age of seventy-two.  After bringing the garrison of Galim to the defense of Agazier, Emir Ojab died in that port of a burning fever at the age of twenty-eight.  Zander of Har Jadme, a close ally of the sultans, died in 2813 during a hunting accident.  His son fulfilled his feudal duties, but was no longer as close to the throne as had been the case with his father.  Finally, the Emir of Husen died in the spring of 2812. The family was releasing no details.

After the departure of the horde, Socacia awaited the arrival of the Valesian army, which would be the signal for the two nations to jointly hunt down the orcs.  It was a signal that never came (See The Battle of Khars, below).  However, on 16 Northhale, 2811, a lone rider came galloping into the Har'akir lines with a message from Anaxes, the Valesian General, summoning Har'akir help at once.  (See The Battle of Shavas, below).

The Marrakhan Horde -
Ruler - Voraun Shatterhand
Capital - None
Dominant Race - Orc

ELIMINATED.

The Marrakhan Horde, sensing disaster in Har'akir, headed for the hills.  Specifically, the East Marrakhan Hills, where the orcs pacified and looted the region (putting down a local rebellion in the process) before moving on to Khars to do the same thing.  However, in Khars, they ran directly into the Valesian army, marching to relieve their Har'akir allies.  (See The Battle of Khars, below).  After the battle, a Valesian spy attempted to assassinate Voraun.  He was apprehended by the warlord's fierce elite guardsmen and the truth tortured out of him over several days.

THE BATTLE OF KHARS
13 Northhale, 2811

Two forces moved blindly towards each other along the north Valesian coast in in the summer of 2811. Thirteen thousand orcish cavalry marauded their way towards Valesia and ten thousand Valesian soldiers marched briskly towards Har'akir.  The Valesians and Akir had coordinated their intelligence activities with each other and the other members of the Red Pact of Vales.  Unfortunately, when the Marrakhan Horde suddenly pulled out of Awas Fahan, magic and the combined intelligence services failed to locate them.  Thus it was that in mid-summer the two forces met in the rugged hills of Khars with little warning.

The orcs had a slight numerical superiority, and much greater mobility, but the Valesians had the better generals and better troops.  The hoplites, in particular, were superb in their discipline against the savage orcish charges.  The day was a series of charges by the orcish cavalry which were for the most part solidly rebuffed by the sturdy hoplites and whose mastery of the field was repeatedly challenged by the smaller corps of Valesian cavalry.  Late in the afternoon, Anaxes moved his center wing back, feigning retreat, and the orcs charged forward, sensing victory and the imminent chase.  But instead the Valesian wings closed in, trapping many thousands of orcs and hacking them to pieces on the inside of their formations.  The surviving orcs routed from the field.  But so desperate had been the fighting and so terrifying the charges of the orcs that the Valesians retreated also, albeit in better discipline than their foes. 

The orcs retreated into the forests of Shavas, and spent months trying to recover their losses.  Valesian cavalrymen estimate that perhaps a quarter of the Orcish army was slain or injured.  Losses were similar on the Valesian side, though after the army spent months regrouping in Dikhil, its total losses were approximately two thousand men.  General Anaxes died of a strange tropical coughing disease in the fall of 2811, and it was up to General Dracon to return to Ventas with the army, where he was hailed as a conquering hero.
 

THE BATTLE OF SHAVAS
7 Berlas, 2811

Immediately upon receiving the call to arms of the Valesian general Anaxes, Sultan Socacia set out with ten thousand troops, and accompanied by two thousand troops troops from the Llyran Republic (Thariyyan and Grail troops, as well as Llyran Skyships, would arrive in Akir too late to take part in the coming battle) to support his ally.  The scout had said that the orc horde had been sighted in Khars, so Socacia quickly marched towards that hilly wilderness.  Arriving to find that a great battle had occurred but that most of the horde had escaped, Socacia determined to seize the weakened orcs and beat them decisively.  Thus it was that his combined army followed the orcish route of retreat into the woods of Shavas.

Good fortune smiled upon the sultan, and the orcs were still in a state of disarray, with the various clans each blaming the other for the loss to the Valesians and each camping in a separate place.  Thus, as the battle began, the Akir and their Llyran allies had a distinct advantage. The allied armies plunged into the scattered orcish camps and began their slaughter.  Daoud Ibn Fayin, then a soldier in the sultan's army and later a famed philosopher, would write that the orcs were by far the better soldiers.  He marveled at the speed with which they organized their defenses and the terrifying ferocity of the ogres on the attack.  Writing in The Seven Tablets of Gold, Ibn Fayin identified the reasons for the horde's defeat.  Despite the valor of the individual soldier and despite the competence with which they were led, the orcs were cavalry fighting in the dense Shavas woods.  Also, Socacia was not merely competent but brilliant, seeming to be present at every critical point of the battle and anticipating Voraun's moves as does a chess master patiently teaching a newcomer to the game.  Most important, according to the future philosopher, was the initial disarray of the orcs.  Although the Valesians had failed to destroy the orcs, the hoplites had so shattered their ranks that a month later the allied army was still able to capitalize upon the chaos thus created.

In the end the horde was slain or scattered.  Orcs melted into the woods in skulking bands or fled south wailing their dismay.  Voraun Shatterhand was captured in single combat by sultan Socacia himself.  When the sultan returned to Mar Awas, a great triumphal parade was held in which Voraun and a few other orcish survivors were made to walk in chains before the chariot of the victorious sultan while the crowds screamed their hatred at the captured foe.

Luxur -
Ruler - Speaker Jesserek
Capital - Thedelos
Dominant Race - Sathla
Diplomacy - Aysira [N/E], Hawat [War], Mekhet [War], Qassara [N/E], Kerma [C], Zorches [C], Pyrayus [C], Keferis [NT]

The Autumna Primacy -
Ruler - Grand Priest Kyassthi
Great Cathedral - Thedelos
Dominant Race - Sathla
Diplomacy - Pyrayus [MN], Merwal [AB], Durudin [AB], Ser Medhele [AB], Kuzsu [AB], Ursurrnam [CH]

The Patriarch traveled to meet the Marrakhan Horde and deliver to it a chest of jewels - the agreed-upon price to leave sathla lands in peace.  Then he and Bishop Slaasthess set about spreading the word of Udjo among the faithful and preaching in the streets and cathedrals of great Merwal.

The Serpentine of Mykele -
Ruler - Sauressh Sishtreth I
Capital - Oroyon
Dominant Race - Sathla
Diplomacy - Oroyon [A], Mikkulizim [NT]

North-Eastern Vales -

The Kingdom of Thariyya - Ruler - King Al-Kadem Vahdin Capital - Uls Fakhar Dominant Race - Halfling

King Al-Kadem saw to the details of his peaceful realm.  Amidst the settlement of various disputes and the constant struggle to raise enough taxes, he created a new school for civil servants in Uls Fakhar and instituted a significant raise in the wages of his bureaucracy.  The queen also presented her lord with two fine sons in 2812 and 2813.  Upon his sixteenth birthday in 2813, Al-Kadem named Mogrihan, his eldest son, as heir to the throne. The boy was showing a strong aptitude for government and sorcery.  He urged his father to establish a Thariyyan academy of magic to rival those in Adamos and Dammarask. Twelve year-old Prince Zarahan was pulled from his studies of law to serve under hid uncle Admiral Kaedir, and was commissioned a Junior Assistant Lieutenant Aide de Camp de Flag and given a dashing blue and buff uniform in which he felt four feet tall.  The fleet itself set out under the name of the First Thariyyan Expeditionary Force, heeding the call to arms of Har'akir, Thariyya's ally in the Red Pact of Vales. Twenty warships set sail from Uls Fakhar and the entire city came out to watch and cheer.  The king had a special coin minted and distributed to commemorate the occasion.

A gold Thariyyan solidus

Accolon - Ruler - Warlock Belshazu the Evoker Capital - Dammarask Dominant Race - Human

The Shadowguard of Marador -  
Ruler - Queen Madariel Shadowfoot
Capital - Lantar
Dominant Race - Elf
Diplomacy - Nivrost [EA]

The Ogre Horde -
Ruler - Quor of the Seven Skulls
Capital - None
Dominant Race - Orc

THE BATTLE OF DIMBE
8 Cleon, 2813

Fourteen thousand orcs and ogres (nearly all cavalry) forded the Mulgaunt in Maravis of 2813 and entered the elven vale of Dimbe.  Opposed to them were eight thousand elves under the command of Ilwendil Swiftbow, son and heir of Queen Madariel Shadowfoot. About half of Ilwendil's forces were elven archers and the other half light cavalry.  The border scouts had warned the prince of the orcs' approach, and the Glorfindel's spells had delayed them long enough for the elves to dig in and prepare defenses.  On the eve of the battle, a trio of orcish assassins entered Ilwendil's camp and very nearly reached his tent before being found out and slain.

The elves held most of the advantages - their position was better and the orcs were attacking across a major river.  But Quor was not without his resources.  His sorceror Taurog cast an enchantment over the elvish host that caused terrible fright in their ranks, and orcish scouts brought him very exact reports of the elvish dispositions.  In his paean to Quor entitled Master of the World, Son of Caravok, the orcish scribe Usrek ascribes the battle's outcome to Quor's brilliance as a commander and to the inherently effete nature of elvenkind.  Nonetheless, he is candid about the major role that luck played in the rout.

The orcish host did not come on directly at the elven defensive works, but instead was led behind the host to a position between them and the city of Oromardi.  Finding this route was not serendipity, but the work of elven traitors, locals whose secret lust for gold overcame any loyalty to their own race and crown.  By these means Quor and his mighty army were able to take the unfortunate Swiftbow by complete surprise, crashing into and through his line like a hammerblow from Caravok himself.  Once the elven lines had broken, the rest of the battle was over in mere hours.  The elves were completely routed and their army destroyed.  Prince Ilwendil was killed when an orcish arrow took him through the throat during the pell-mell rout from the prepared positions.  His body was hacked nearly beyond recognition by the spiteful ogre nobles who came upon it.  Thousands of elves were taken prisoner and turned to slaves for the orcs.

In the aftermath, Quor settled hundreds of his people in the best elven farms, thoroughly taking over the region.

South-Western Vales -

The Steaming Kingdom of Drormt -
Ruler - King Braa'k
Capital - Breeka
Dominant Race - Saurus

Regent Y'grak worked on improving the giant cricket farms of Hassh'Met and rebuilding the port of Bree'ka while waiting for his young sovereign to come of age.  Kra'quam marched off across the Ulailai river with two thousand soldiers in 2811 and returned in 2814 with one thousand hardened soldiers and an equal number of saurus slaves. These he immediately put to work in the giant cricket farms of Hassh'Met. Keek'za was given the governorship of Bree'ka, but died of scale fungus in 2811 at the age of twenty-six. King Braa'k came of age in 2814 and immediately took control of the national army.  His first act was to ask Y'grak to stay on in place of Keek'za.

Sendahl -
Ruler - King T*ko
Capital - Nyange
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Itu [N/E]

Mekebele - Ruler - Emperor Mufun Capital - Awayal Dominant Race - Human

South-Eastern Vales -

The Dwarven Realm of Aurdrukar - Ruler - King Norrim Forgemaster Capital - The Brass Tower Dominant Race - Dwarf Diplomacy - Kamandi [N/E]

Banner of Aurdrukar

Banner of Khor-Naland

King Norrim invested prudently in a wide swathe of interests, but also improved the defenses of his realm.  A thousand elite Aurdrukar Burundur Guards and four thousand dwarven warriors were recruited into the kingdom's armies.  Numerous defensive works were set into hillsides and ravines across the already trackless jungles of Qiya. Norrim himself commanded the armies and watched the borders for invaders, particularly from the north.  His son Belak took care of the day-to-day concerns of a monarch from the capital. Lord Balkin traveled to the realm's critical region of Kamandi to treat with Lord Farzar, its dwarven overlord.  Unfortunately, the two were both tragically killed during a boar hunt in 2813 before any treaties were concluded.  Farzar's son held Balkin and the realm to blame, and renounced his forefathers' oaths of loyalty to the Brass Tower, though he was careful not to contest the army's right to cross his lands.

The Valraj -
Ruler - Sultan Valoon of the White Knives
Capital - Muddakir
Dominant Race - Human

The Kingdom of Weshtayo -

Ruler - King Piccarome, Red-Feathered Lord Capital - Khulank Dominant Race - Human

The Imperial Realm of Zikuyu -
Ruler - Emrpess Neela
Capital - Ivallkyu
Dominant Race - Human

The Kingdom of Tas Dar -
Ruler - King Adier
Capital - Darious
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Lumad [C], Vagis [NT]

The Kingdom of Ukanve -
Ruler - King Mazool
Capital - Ukanve
Dominant Race - Human

King Damwen was feeling the call of age and desired to father a dynasty.  Thus it was that in 2811, he married Maryam, a doe-eyed beauty from Yezhu'u.  However, in several years of trying, the two produced no heirs. Damwen dispatched Mazool to claim the excellent farmland left fallow by the departure of the Meneen elves.  Mazool led many thousands of colonists through the jungles of Olvie, Darja and Kim Taba, where they were eyed by sullen men and elves but allowed to pass peacefully, and settled into the farmlands of Ayma Vas.  While Mazool was away, Damwen died during a joust in Ukanve.  A shard of a shattered lance flew through the eyeslit of his great helm and he was dead before he hit the ground.  With no heirs and no one to take the reins of government (Mazool being hundreds of miles distant), the kingdom fell into anarchy and banditry.  It was months before a fast ship could bring word to Mazool and months of slogging through trackless jungle before he returned to set things right. In the absence of any heir, Mazool claimed the throne.  In this he was supported by Ukanve, Yezhu'u, Shoggen and the Ayma Vas colonists.  But Hydrsha and the elves of Rhundal rejected the new government, refusing to recognize Mazool's claim to the throne. In an attempt to shore up his legitimacy, Mazool married Queen Maryam in the Heartwood grove of Ukanve's royal castle and returned much of the power that had been centralized under Damwen to the local lords and knights of the realm.

The Grand Duchy of Meneen -
Ruler - Grand Duke Salene
Capital - Yaz Meneen
Dominant Race - Elf
 

The Grand Duke spent pleasant years overseeing his new realm.  He ordered that half of the white ships be beached and cannibalized, their crew and materials being converted to new dwellings and craftsmen in Yaz Meneen and Dreta.  Lord Feante took forty swift ships into the Gates of Arthys and raided the sathla jungles of Assa, Sankail and Mananta.  Suprisingly, he also raided the elven mountain province of Sandor. The sudden raids, led by the energetic and brilliant Feante were total successes, striking fear into all the regions of the southern Ymarian sea at this new menace.

The Emerald Realm of Lekandi -
Ruler - King Galens Eagleheart
Capital - Suwelho
Dominant Race - Elf
Diplomacy - Gyanlay [T]

Crying "This is for what they did to my son!", King Galens ordered that the captured sathla city of Upashan be sacked and burned.  The troops spent three days collecting everything of value and then set about burning the ancient jungle port to the ground. Later that year, Galens met iwith Bloodspear, who had fled the field of battle at Fikosha. After a long parley, the two healed their rift and Galens declared Bloodspear to be his heir.  Their combined army then marched into Arumbom to hunt down the sathla forces of King Slaartor the Golden.  The two armies met in the rolling fields of sweet potatoes within sight of Lake Itaka.  The defenses of the sathla (ditches, trenches and many small forts) proved as useless in Arumbom as in Fikosha.  The elves' discipline and leadership overawed the primitive warriors of Fikosha, driving them back into their own breastworks, and peppering them with expert archery. The sun still stood high in the sky when the elves were dispatching the wounded and driving off small bands of surviving sathla.  Once again, however, Slaartor the golden survived and escaped the field.

Galens and Bloodspear intended to lay siege to the sathla city of Isanio, and had enlisted the aid of the tiny naval force of Lord Tanathasia to seal off the port.  But alas, the defenses of Isanio's harbor were too great for Tanathasia, who could not wholly prevent supplies from entering the city, and thus the city persisted in its defiance of the hated elves even as Galens's army began to feel the pinch of hunger outside the walls.

In the meantime, Lord Juelans negotiated tribute from the disaffected city of Gyanlay.

The Restored Empire of Fikosha -
Ruler - Slaartor the Golden
Capital - Upashan
Dominant Race - Sathla

With no central authority left, the remaining sathla tribes repudiated the rule of lost Upashan.

ELIMINATED.

Travelers from the north tell of a terrible war raging among the elves in great Celendor.

Rumors from the Dragon's Reach claim that a wizard in Kasadir has invented a titanic machine capable of automatically sowing and reaping fields in mere days.

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.

COMBAT, PART THE SECOND -

Combat in Lords of the Earth is typically governed by one of two rule sets.  Thomas Harlan's is the standard, but many GM's use an alternative combat rule set (also included in the GM's handbook) written by Lorne Colmar.  I liked aspects of the two, and so Lords of Theeurth combat is best described as an amalgam of the two, with some additional rules regarding race and magic. NOTE: The following details are not universal and are possibly related only to L54.

This hint will be broken up into three parts.  In the first part, I discussed command and control.  This turn I'll discuss open field combat, and on Turn Eight I'll discuss sieges.

I. Definition of Terms

There are two important terms of art to understand in all LOTE combat.  The first is Combat Strength, which is a measure of the overall power of your army, including numbers, quality ratings, troop types and terrain modifiers. The second term is Battlefield Effectiveness (also called Battle Modifiers), which is a measure of the situational power of your army, including first and foremost the Combat ability of your commander, modified by additional commanders, and many other factors, as seen below. One can think of Combat Strength as power and Battlefield Effectiveness as accuracy.
 

II. Calculating Combat Strength

This is one of the places where the two methods above are at variance.  Here, I follow the alternative combat rules. 

Combat Strength is  Base Value x Equipment x Experience x AQR x Terrain.

The Combat Value shown in the unit charts on your turn sheets already includes the first three factors (Base, Equipment & experience) (e.g., Cavalry x Heavy x Elite), so all that is necessary is to multiply the AQR and terrain modifiers.  Terrain modifiers may be found on the Charts page of this web site. It is very important to check out the chart.

So, for instance, if 10 heavy elite cavalry with a 5 cavalry QR are attacking in a mountainous region (where they are disadvantaged), their Combat Strength would be:

10 (numbers) x 1.5 (cavalry) x 1.5 (heavy) x 1.5 (elite) x 5 (AQR) x .5 (Terrain)  = 84.375 (rounded to 84.4)

This formula gives a much greater weight to elite forces and QR than does the standard combat model. 

The final factor in Combat Strength (for L54) is magic.  Some spells (and a very few artifacts) may act as a modifier to Combat Strength.

III. Calculating Battlefield Effectiveness

Battlefield Effectiveness is at least as important to victory as Combat Strength, and in most cases, Battlefield Effectiveness is more important.

The basis for all Battlefield Effectiveness is the Commander's Combat rating.  A low number here will condemn even a large, elite force to high casualties and probable defeat.  The Combat rating is then modified up or down by many factors:

Positive Modifiers to Battlefield Effectiveness:

• Commander has a non-zero Sorcery rating

• Commander has a 9+ Sorcery rating

• Army is at least ¼ elite

• Army is at least ½ elite

• Army is all elite

• Army has more mounted troops than the enemy (except in Mountains or Jungle)

• Mounted Units outnumber enemy mounted units by 2:1  (except in Mountains or Jungle)

• All mounted units vs. All Foot (only in Cultivated or Steppe terrain)

• Army has more aerial units (airships and aerial beasts) than the enemy (except in Forest or Jungle)

• Aerial units outnumber enemy aerial units by 2:1  (except in Forest or Jungle)

• All aerial units against a force with no aerial units (Cultivated, Steppe and Hills only)

• Army has more light units than the enemy

• In Friendly Territory

• In Homeland

• Each additional commander with a Combat of 9+

• Each additional commander with a Sorcery of 9+

• Currently under Defend orders

• Currently under directed Defend orders

• Each 2 AP on Defend this turn prior to contact

• Currently under Attack (A, AL, AT) orders

• Attacking directed Defense from unexpected direction

• Outnumber the opponent by 2:1

• Outnumber the opponent by 3:1

• Outnumber the opponent by 4:1 or more

• Intel Battle Assistance

• Magic spells

• Magic artifacts

Negative Modifiers to Battlefield Effectiveness:

• Army is at least ¼ inexperienced

• Army is at least ½ inexperienced

• Army is all inexperienced

• Attacking in mountains

• Attacking across a river

• Attacking across a canal

• Making an opposed amphibious landing

• Army is at least ½ mounted in Mountains

• Each additional commander with a Combat of 4-

• Army exceeds the Command Control limit (discussed in last turn's hint)

• Coalition army (contains troops from more than one nation)

• Regrouping after retiring

• Regrouping after retreating

• Regrouping after routing

• Distance from nearest controlled city or Friendly Region 3-4 AP

• Distance from nearest controlled city or Friendly Region 5+ AP

• Isolated from other controlled regions (unless supplied by an adequate naval force)

• Surprised while raiding or looting

• Surprised while sieging or genociding

• Surprised while enslaving

• Army on forced march

• Army on extended forced march

• Action being attempted in a region with a hostile fortress

• Renaissance/Civilized/Seafaring attacking Forest/Hills/Swamp/Jungle (bad)

• Renaissance/Civilized/Seafaring attacking Mountain/Steppe (worse)

• Renaissance/Civilized/Seafaring attacking Desert (even worse)

• Barbarian attacking Steppe (bad)

• Barbarian attacking Desert (worse)

• Nomads attacking Forest/Hills/Swamp/Jungle (bad)

• Nomads attacking Mountains (worse)

• Magic spells

When facing a force with no Leader as commander (such as is often the case with garrison troops, walled cities and native troops, an initial combat rating of d10-5 is generated, giving a result of 0-5.  It is for this reason that well-led troops so often defeat poorly-led native troops.
 

IV. Combat Resolution

Once each side's Battlefield Effectiveness is calculated, a Combat roll is made against each of these two numbers, and the success effects compared.  The difference is then compared to a chart which generates Attacker's Damage Modifier, Defender's Damage Modifier, Leader Fate and Morale Modifier.

Attacker's Damage Modifier: This percentage of the Attacker's Combat Strength is removed from the Defender's army as casualties.

Defender's Damage Modifier: This percentage of the Defender's Combat Strength is removed from the Attacker's army as casualties.

Leader Fate: This is the chance that each leader in the combat must make a Leader Fate Check, which could result in death, wounding, capture or a Loyalty check.

Morale Modifier: This is an adjustment to each side's army morale, used in Morale Checks (see below).

V. Morale Checks

After a round of Combat, the GM checks to see if either army has reached or exceeded a Breakoff Point set by a player.  If so, the army faces a Morale Check.  If it passes, it retires.  Otherwise, after each round (generally a day) of combat, both armies check their morale.

Positive Modifiers to Army Morale:

• Army is at least ¼ elite

• Army is at least ½ elite

• Each army leader with 9+ Charisma

• Each army leader with 11+ Charisma

• In Friendly Region

• In Homeland

• Positive Morale Modifier from Combat Results

• Magic

Negative Modifiers to Army Morale:

• Army is at least ¼ inexperienced

• Army is at least ½ inexperienced

• Each army leader with 4- Charisma

• Each army leader with 2- Charisma

• Outnumbered 2:1

• Outnumbered 3:1

• Outnumbered 4+:1

• Each 10% loss suffered so far in battle

• Negative Moral Modifier from Combat Results

• Magic

Once each side has had its Morale level calculated, a check is made against that level.  If both pass, battle continues.  If either or both fails, they break off battle. The amount by which a Morale Check if failed determines the sort of breakoff that results: Hold the Field, Retire, Retreat or Rout.

Hold the Field: An army that passes its final moral check while its enemy fails to do so will hold the field.  It suffers no further losses.  It is not susceptible to Pursuit Resolution

Retire: An army that retires leaves the battlefield in an orderly manner.  It is susceptible to Pursuit Resolution.

Retreat: An army that retreats leaves the battlefield in a disorderly manner and is susceptible to Pursuit Resolution.

Rout: An army that routes collapses into panicked flight. It loses 20% of all remaining forces and is susceptible to Pursuit Resolution.

Any army which does not hold the field at the end of combat will withdraw towards the nearest non-hostile region or city

VI. Pursuit Resolution

If an army Holds the Field and has more pursuit forces (cavalry and aerial) than the enemy, it may inflict further losses on the enemy through cavalry and aerial harassment.  The losses depend on the Combat rating of the two primary leaders, the ratio of pursuit forces between the two sides, and the form of Breakoff (Retire, Retreat or Rout).  In cases where the victor had many more pursuit forces than the loser, losses from Pursuit Resolution can be more devastating than from direct Combat.
 

VII. Figuring Unit Losses

When armies take losses, they suffer losses proportionately. That is, if the army is one-half Light Infantry, then one-half of the losses suffered will be applied to the Light Infantry. Troops in advantaged terrain will suffer less, while those in disadvantaged terrain will suffer a greater percentage of the losses.

If a Full Allied or Feudal Allied Leader loses his entire army in battle, he must pass a Loyalty Check or the allied region will go neutral.  Assuming that his region does not go neutral, all losses from a Feudal Allied army are automatically replenished at the start of the next turn at no cost to the owning player.

Any leader that survives a battle in which their army was totally destroyed must make an additional, harsher than normal, Leader Fate roll.  This is another excellent reason to set Break Points for your armies and avoid fighting to the death where possible.
 

VIII. Regrouping

Unless the player has given orders to the contrary, an army will immediately attempt to Regroup in an effort to collect its stragglers, heal the wounded and take stock of its situation.  An army completely wiped out in Combat or Pursuit is not able to regroup.

Armies which Hold the Field or which have Retired may recover 20% of their casualties per AP spent regrouping, to a maximum of 60%.

Armies which Retreat may recover 10% of their casualties per AP spent Regrouping, to a maximum of 40%.

Armies which Rout may recover 5% of their casualties per AP spent Regrouping, to a maximum of 20%.

IX. Experience

Inexperienced units that survive a substantial battle become Regular units without any halving. They’ve seen the elephant and become men (or women as the case may be). Ten percent of Regular units in a battle where their side suffers at least 40% losses (in total units) become Elite.

X. Captives

If the victorious army Holds the Field after combat and is a slave economy, it will capture some percentage of the defeated army's soldiers and followers as sNFP.

XI. Damage to the Region

If a battle continues in the region for more than a single combat round then portions of the region will be wrecked according to the size of the armies doing the fighting. This will destroy first Public Works, then the Gold Piece Value (GpV) of the region.

Page Completed 15 July 2006