Moskurg soldiers will never admit it, but they are secretly relieved at the decision to pull back from the mountains. Arstotzkan castles loom high on the peaks, but for once no arrows rain down from them. High above, tiny red soldiers shuffle about and a tall, ivory tower slowly joins the stoneworks.
No battles occur in the mountains.Likewise, the plains finally go a year without bloodshed. Moskurg forts dot the border that separate the plains from the tangia, but for once no arrows rain down from their parapets. The skies remain clear, and all storms that blow across the land are completely natural in nature.
No battles occur in the plains.The relative quiet is made up for in the jungle. Both sides engage in viscous skirmishes, assaulting one another in the dark and rain. Arstotzka has a single successful skirmish, but we seem to have more luck at home as we are in the heat. Our apprentices still have no trouble inducing zen in their guards at night, but our attempt to gain their battle plans for the next day were foiled as the alarm was raised by a loud, girly scream that night. The next attempt was equally fruitless, but after that we resorted to opening holes for ambushes instead. It weakened their troops, but we can't get into their commanders minds any more.
Our Commanders sincerely hope that whatever super weapon the design team is coming up with will be worth going a year without any new toys to level the playing field - battles in the jungle have become more even as a result of the shifting power, and the viscous fighting never seems to result in a clear winner. Arstotzkan heavy calvary is now plentiful enough for frequent use, and they make an appearance in the jungle. They aren't as agile as Moskurg horses, but when they hit they do so with devastating effect. Their effect isn't as pronounced in the jungle as they would be in the plains, but they do make a significant difference. The bulk of troops we've brought up into the territory certainly help, but we just...need
something to help make that last, final push. The jungle is almost ours, but we just. Can't. Secure it.
Neither side gains ground in the jungle.There is some shock among our men as Arstotzka comes marching down the mountains this year, soiling our sacred sands with their dirty boots. The unexpected push results in some lack-luster performance by our skirmishers, but our zealous troops push the invaders out with two quick, successful battles. Their tower of Frost looming in the mountains chills the surrounding area so their men don't cook in their steel suits, but the shifting sands make travel difficult for them and their heavy horsemen. They flee back to their rocks before we can inflict lasting damages, but now they know the dedication our men will show to holding their homes.
Moskurg repels Arstotzka from the desert.Equally shocking is the lack of ships on the eastern seas. Arstotzka completely pulls out of the theater, and we take two more sections of coastline and cement our control of the area.
The mystery of where their ships went is solved promptly. The ocean is filled with Arstotzkan boats on the west coast. Our ships keep their distance, frustrating Arstotzkan boarders. They run us out of two battles, but we surprise them by ramming one of their ships and sending it to the depths in a surprise assault. It's the only win we have and the only concrete loss either side experiences in the area, but there's so many of them it hardly makes a difference.
Neither side makes coastal gains in the jungle. Moskurg cements control of the Eastern Sea.Our biggest problem seems to be both our difficulty gain prisoners during a route and our tendency to freely give back them back when we do. It's impossible to gain ground when their ranks swell back to full strength after each and every fruitless battle. Returning troops wouldn't be such a big deal if we could get more of them during each route, but at the moment both sides are fighting at full capacity - and have been for the past few years.
It is 921, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka
Western Jungle: 1/4 Arstotzka, 3/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 4/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 4/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: Arstotzkan
Western Sea: Disputed
Eastern Sea: Moskurger
Southern Sea: Moskurger
Mundane Equipment
Sabre: Officer weapon. A single-edged blade that favours cavalry combat over infantry combat. Requires training to wield, one-handed. Expensive.
Spear: General infantry weapon. Essentially a dagger on a long stick. Very cheap, requires minimal training to use. Can be used double-handed, or single handed with a light shield. Cheap.
Buckler: General infantry equipment. A small iron shield, held in one hand. Only protects a small area, but can be wielded alongside a shield. Moderate cost, requires training to wield properly.
Padded Armour: General infantry armour. Very cheap, just layers of cloth, but doesn't protect against much. Well ventilated in hot conditions, though. Cheap.
Scale Mail: Officer armour. Scales of steel on a leather backing. Expensive, but lighter than chain mail. Expensive.
Recurve Bow: General infantry weapon. A light bow composed of laminated wood and horn, curved backwards to provide more force. Inexpensive enough to equip many troops with, with very reasonable medium range and power. Can be wielded by horse archers. Tendency to break limbs when strung.
Arabian Horse: A light riding horse, from short-lived Iberian settlers in the past. Very fast and maneuverable, but not too strong. Expensive.
Horse Breeding Program: Mass amounts of horses available. Tend to do poorly in the desert, and aren't quite as high quality as the Arabian Horses. Cheap.
Lances:[/i] Essentially a heavily upgraded spear. Has a tendency to splinter after the first use. Cheap.
Sailing Ship: Wind-propelled wooden ship. Fast, requires minimal crew, cannot carry many passengers, but does carry at least one wizard - so long as they don't make puns. Very Expensive.
Magical Equipment
Wand of Heroism: Makes a squad fight beyond human levels. A National Effort.
Detect Ambush: Reveals non-magical ambushes prepared by enemy troops or physical traps.
Lucky Strike: Magical guidance makes a squad shoot or strike true far more often than usual. Expensive.
Detect Thoughts: Read the mind of an enemy commander to determine their tactics ahead of time. Expensive.
Zen Inception: By putting enemy soldiers in a zen-like state, we can use their minds as a relay system to read minds further away. The spell is easy to disrupt, but simple to use.
Teletalk: Short-ranged psychic communication between mystics. Enough beacons can be produced to outfit an army. Expensive.
Gust of Wind: Evokes physical force to create a heavy gust of wind, sufficient to disperse fog and most minor concealment, as well as disperse irritating swarms. Expensive.
Cyclone Shield: Protects the beneficent from most arrows and some blows with a sheath of wind. Expensive.
Storm Strike: Summons heavy rain and winds over the course of a day. Very Expensive.
Clear Weather: Negates inclement weather within the given area. Nests within Storm Strike for protection.
Hammer of Allah: Induce lightning from summoned storms. Strikes indiscriminately, so can't be used in "danger close" situations.
Spear of Allah: Call down an individual bolt of lightning to target enemy commanders. Difficult to control, has a tendency to hit the caster as often as not. Our mages refuse to use it.
Author
Topic: Wands Race - [Moskurg] {COMPLETED} (Read 186505 times)