Three CaptainsThe Vicious Quill arrives safely, as does the mint condition End of the Road. There's no threat here yet, but all vessels stand by to reinforce the front at Blackstone.
BlackstoneIt was only a matter of time before the Kasgyrite's struck back to reclaim their threatened spire. Despite the steps that have been made in crushing their empire, there's not one captain that isn't alert and ready for the overdue counterstroke.
The Kasgyrites don't make much effort to hide when the come, but their camouflage paint means they get spotted later than usual. A formation of five of their vipers, with no support vessels in sight, come in hot and aimed straight for the roving pack of Windriders. Spotters identify the vessels to be a new variant of Windrider, one not seen before.. Each appears to have had its frontal upper cannon deck retooled to carry a single larger turret- perhaps an imitation of the turrets first used on the Chimera. The lower cannon deck, however, appears as before.
The Windrider's move in to engage, the skiffs swinging in from mistwatch positions and patrol to lend support.
The Kasgyrites, however, get the first shot off. Two of their vessels are equipped with the lance cannons seen at their home spire, mounted into their lower gun deck, and are able to engage at nearly half-again beyond standard engagement range. One lance has the multi-hue burn of a standard aetheric cannon, the other has the golden fury of their upgraded cannons. The beams last only for a fifth of a second, but the engineer's estimates on shroud damage are roughly five times the impact of a standard aetheric cannon blast for the lesser of the two beams- and closer to ten for the stronger. The saving grace is that the relative motion of the vessels means that the beam tends to slice across the shroud instead of boring into a single point.
The lances also appear to have a significant recharge and/or cooling time, as they don't get a second shot off before both sides get into standard engagement range. Their skiff support, however, does appear from above. They number only three, but their ambush maneuver takes them into one of the friendly skiff swarms, disrupting their initial attack run and pelting them with golden LAC fire.
The armament of the Kasgyrite vipers, however, is much more varied. They don't spend much effort aiming at the skiffs, and instead focus their fire first on the WOSV Longlast. The larger turret mounted on the top decks of the vipers is one of their rapid-fire cannons, but only the vipers with lances have theirs upgraded to fire golden bolts. In fact, the three vipers without lances don't appear to be running any upgraded cannons, and one of the two with appears to be only partially upgraded. Regardless, they have a numbers advantage, and their forward turret has an excellent frontal arc. They do, however, seem slightly less maneuverable than previous generations of vipers.
The three skiffs they send to run interference against the Comets don't last long. One on one, the match-up would favor the Kasgyrites. Their skiffs are slightly more maneuverable, particularly in rotation, and they appear to be able to aim and fire during high maneuver. Their golden cannons, though of equal power, retain the advantage in rate of fire during initial engagement- which is as long was they last. Despite the initial surprise they managed on attack, their actual combat maneuvers are less nuanced, and they're heavily outnumbered by the Comets and limited supporting fire from the Windriders. Only a single skiff is lost- its shroud damaged in the initial volley, and then a graze through the resulting hole obliterating its primary webbing and igniting the engineer.
Their destruction, however, does buy the Vipers some interrupted time to go toe-to-toe with the Windriders, which sees the dynamic of combat reversed. The Vipers work together as a Wolfpack, flashing lights between the vessels strong evidence of constant communication. They single out a particularly Windrider and work to focus down a single quadrant of its shroud. If the Windrider pulls up and tries to climb out of combat, they instantly bounce to a secondary target, refocusing fire only when the first rejoins the fray. It's a coordination that the Windrider captains lack, both in terms of technical means and philosophical inclination. Their lance weapons display a monstrous efficacy in slicing across swaths of webbing, cutting free sections instead of simply burning out holes like a standard LAC.
Despite their advantage in tactics and numbers, their lessened maneuverability and... sporadically upgraded weapons present a fighting chance. While their frontal turret's rotary cannon is capable of firing three times as fast as a standard LAC, each projectile has half the power of a single one of their golden LAC bolts. While this makes the two vipers armed with lances, the ones who also have golden rotary guns, exceptionally threatening, the other three are lesser threats. In fact, it would seem they're lesser in other ways as well. Slightly more sluggish, slower on the dive or ascent, and with dramatically weaker shrouds protecting them.
The Longlast is the first large vessel to be taken out of the fight. Her port frontal quarter was the focus of sustained fire from all vipers, and the resulting hole in her shroud was exploited mercilessly. The armor held against weaker LAC fire and vanguard shots from the lesser Vipers, but a topaz colored lance sliced through the damaged hull and raked her from bow to stern. The shot misses the core, but slices across her circuitry and shatters one of her lift crystals. The LACs go dead, and trims burn out in quick succession as the engineers reorient the ship to stay level and flying with half their lift gone and their vessel markedly unbalanced. She survives, but drops partially into the mist to limp away.
The return of the friendly skiffs, however, turned the losses back on the Kasgyrites. One of the lesser vipers, already wounded by semi-coordinated fire from the Windriders, had her shroud holed and central webbing burned by a SWARM wing of skiffs. A second swarm wing zoomed by moments later, piling on six more shots into the open hole. Half either missed or struck the shroud edge- but that left three hits. They slammed high into the deck of the Viper, shattering its core and consuming it in a blaze of light.
Seven comets and two Windriders, against four Vipers. A good battle, and one in which the skiffs play the decisive role. The enemy ships focus their fire on the Windriders, and largely ignore the smaller vessels. This gives the Swarm teams the freedom to rend shroud and exploit any weakness revealed by the semi-coordinated fire from the Windrider captains. Somewhat ironically, the Windrider captain's search for personal glory ensures that they don't actually get the finishing shot on any of the remaining vipers.
The Dragun cannons of the Chimera and the Longlast are largely ineffective throughout the battle- lacking the precision to strike exposed wood reliably, and universally failing to penetrate the Viper's frontal armor when they get frontal impacts. The viper with non-golden lance takes a grazing dragun shot across the web, reducing its considerably mobility, but that's the only significant damage the Draguns achieve. The broadsides, however, continue to do fine work. The slower vipers are particularly vulnerable, and though their upper turrets enable them to fair in a 160 frontal arc instead of their formerly limited frontal cannons, it only takes a broadside and a half before their shrouds get holed.
Which is when the skiffs go to work. Both of the lesser vipers are taken down when the Windriders weaken or hole their flanks and skiffs sweep in to put a Swarm barrage into the damaged section, tearing into the web cylinder and bombarding structure. The webbing burns as expected, but the structure is surprisingly resilient. One viper, despite taking four shots directly into its central section, obstinately refused to explode. Its webbing basically gone and large section of hull missing, the captain retreats into the mist while running out fresh web. The weakened viper, thankfully, responds as expected to being shot repeatedly and obligingly explodes.
Regrettably, these victories are not made without cost. All the Kasgyrite vessels had been pouring fire onto the Chimera, tearing her shroud to tatters with a hail of multi-color cannon fire and stabbing lances. The final blow comes in the form of a topaz colored lance, delivered directly into the Chimera's broadside. The beam pierces weakened armor ignites her powder magazine, annihilating the storied vessel in a flash of flame and fury.
One windrider, seven skiffs, against a pair of battered Vipers. A flash of lights flicker from the pair of vipers, and a decision seems to have been made as the pair begin to dive for the mist. The skiffs harry them as they dive, and the Payoff makes a high speed dive to try and cut them off. The golden rapid fire cannons of the Vipers batter the Payoff's shroud, and their lances slash across web, but the Windrider still gets into firing position with time to spare, lighting up one of the fleeing vipers and drawing fire while the skiffs fire in waves. Lances burn, and the Payoff loses a chunk of shroud in the exchange, but the result is worth it. Moments before it would vanish into the mist, the closer viper erupts in flame as its shroud buckles completely and shots begin to pummel its hull, sending it down as a fireball into the domain of monsters.
The last viper vanishes, leaving the Payoff battered and bruised, but still alive with its protective cloud of skiffs.
During the battle, the transports had ample opportunity to dock with the spire, deploying their marines to reinforce the final push.
Confirmed Kills: 3 Vipers, 3 Skiffs
Enemy Damaged: 1 Viper
Losses: 1 Windrider, 1 Skiff
Damaged: 1 Windrider, 2 skiffs
Inside the SpireUnfortunately, it appears the Kasgyrites were able to reinforce during the combat- and in greater numbers. There are hundreds of them now, and that increase in numbers have enabled them to effectively manage a far greater number of their civilian irregulars. Combined, they outnumber our forces approximately 2:1- a ratio that's much easier to estimate now that they've stopped running.
The Kasgyrite marines are making their stand in a town park, with hastily assembled rubble barricades fencing the position in layers and a significant external region cleared of cover. The barricades aren't a patch on our BLOCK systems, or even what we can make with some dedicated marines and a few years with nothing to do, but they're still moderately substantial- consisting of shoulder high rubble walls in select regions, and knee high cover in most other regions. The distance between the cleared section of the park, the cover of the town buildings, and the start of their barricades appears to have been calculated to allow them to continue to sling grenades well into the building line. The town position itself is rather key for securing this spire as a whole, but it position also affords them few good avenues for escape.
Escape, however, doesn't appear to have been on their agenda. Their men are still terribly armed; their irregulars armed only with improvised melee weapons, and their regulars are only a small step beyond that- less than a quarter are armed with crossbows or aetheric pistols. The issue is that every man seems to have been issued a sling and at least one grenade. While our combat squads can outnumber them, their slingers have the nasty habit of pitching grenades among our ranks. Our cannons, whilst devastatingly effective in the cleared region, are likewise beset by grenades the instant they're seen. These barrages of heavy projectiles aren't terribly accurate- but a dozen overlapping aetheric explosions is capable of obliterating everything within a considerable distance. Our ECD cannons are particularly vulnerable to this approach due to the volatility of the white powder making burning shrapnel a serious concern.
Had we attempted a direct push, we likely would have suffered devastating losses due to their overwhelming alpha-strike and ability to rush our men with their considerable infantry base. As it stands, the losses on the advancing teams are heavy, particularly to the cannons and equipment caught in barrages of lobbed grenades, but careful advances prevented the Kasgyrites from ever being in a good position to bring their explosive ordinance to devastating effect.
Casualties aren't one sided. Our scouts do a good job of keeping the cannon teams moving and attacking from complimentary angles, each shot inflicting terrifying damage as their stone walls become shrapnel or burning sulfur spills in among their ranks. Our ranged units, likewise, outnumber theirs in volume of fire, still inflicting good casualties.
We've taken some losses, yes, but we just need a little more time. They've been using their grenades like candy, and once those run out they'll be a primarily melee force with inferior weapons. Our marines do grumble that some grenades of their own would be REALLY helpful in taking fortified positions. The only real danger is if they try to rush while they still have their numbers. That would be bloody. As long as they stay pinned and we maintain the ability to shell them, ground commanders are confident they can make this battle work. The only issue is that the bulk of our actual artillery is now in the hands of our traditionally defensive squads. Likewise, our rifles, while powerful enough to break through the shields that Kasgyre is conspicuously not fielding, may struggle to attain the rapidity of fire needed to mow through the melee militia they've drafted.
Kills: At least 5 squads of enemy infantry, equal that number in irregulars.
Losses: 2 ECDs, Squad M, Squad A, Squad B, Squad C, 25% of Squad L
Neither side has gained ground at Blackstone
Burned MountainWhile the Vicious Quill heads back to reinforce the Three Captains, the Deadline and her remaining escorts continue to patrol the area around the Burned Mountain. There's little of note to report, though one of the skiffs is running low on spare web after getting caught in a mix of rain and ash that dangerously burned her primary spool. The damage was spotted early, preventing a catastrophic web failure, but the lack of a full set of reserve sheets will make further damage more severe.
Damaged Ship: A skiff is running low on web.
Spire WrethThe WOSV Formal Notice is completed, crewed, and christened at the Wrethan port, and 2 additional Meteors are constructed to fight alongside it. In addition, two additional squads of infantry stand by to
die horrifically serve Wreth.
It is now the beginning of the year 383 AR.
Spire Wreth's Production Stands At,
13(+1)/y Crystal, 51/70 Banked
19(+8)/y Ore, 58/135 banked
19(+2)/y Wood, 80/105 banked
10(+6)/y Silk, 63/80 banked
It is now the design and project maintenance phase. You have 9 dice to spend.
E.S.P: 6/20 | 2 Ore, 2 Crystal | Rushed 0 Times | 2O, 2C
Aether Forge 14/27 | - | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Stormprince-Class Destroyer: 6/20 | 3 Crystal +3 ore + 5 wood + 10 from any COW | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
The Calm: The calm is a region of the aerosphere with almost no wind beyond fleeting turbulence, and absolutely no aetheric currents. It's frigidly cold, and filled with fine red 'snow' that barely moves. Traversing it with a conventional vessel is impossible due to the lack of energy to fuel the lift and trim crystals.
The Everstorm: As the name suggests, the everstorm is a region of the aerosphere dominated by an enormous and eternal thunderstorm. It's a chaotic region of raging winds and surging aetheric energy that manifests in terrible bursts of prismatic flame. No conventional vessel could hope to survive the nightmarish storm conditions.
Wreth TerritoryHaze-Maze Marine Presence: K 0/8 | W 1/8
--->
Marines---> Squad G (No Equip)
Territory: 0/4 | 4/4
Resources: 1C, 3O, 1W, 2S
Conditions: Deadly Gas Pockets, significant vertical shafts and steep tunnels.
Miner's Folly Marine Presence: K 0/18 | W 1/18
--->
Marines---> Squad G (No Equip)
Territory: 0/4 | 4/4
Resources: 1C, 6O, 0W, 1S
Conditions: Toxic Stone, Massive Caverns, pitch-black
The Verdant Vista Marine Presence: K 0/18 | W 0/18
Territory: 0/4 | 4/4
Resources: 1C, 0O, 8W, 2S
Conditions: Mostly earth and soil, Unstable pocket caves
The BeltThree Captains Marine Presence: K ?/20 | W 12/20
--->
Marines---> Support Squad G: Silk Vest (Officer) | Pincushion (2/4) | PLACE x 2 | Envenomed Bolts [50%
---> Squad SOE: - [75%] | PLACE x2 | Pincushion 2/4
Territory: 0/4 | 4/4
Resources: 1C, 6O, 2W, 6S
Conditions: Kinetoluminescent Ores, Heavily Infested
Wrackspire Marine Presence: K ?/12 | W 0/12
Territory: ?/4 | 1/4
Resources: 3C, 4O, 4W, 2S
Conditions: Unstable Aetheric Phenomena, Broken Spire
Burned MountainMarine Presence: K ?/24 | W 0/24
Territory: ?/4 | 0/4
Resources: 1C, 10O, 1W, 0S
Conditions: Inexplicably Molten Core, Hundreds of narrow tunnels and small galleries.
The UnfinishedMarine Presence: K 0/0 | W 0/0
Territory: ?/4 | ?/4
Resources: 0C, 0O, 0W, 0S
Conditions: Destroyed.
Kasgyrite TerritoryBlackstone Marine Presence: K ?/14 | W 7/14
Territory: 1/4 | 3/4
---> L: | [75%] | Rifles 2/4 | Pincushions 2/4 | Envenomed Bolts
---> Defense Squad D: Silk Vest (Officer) | Suppressor (2/4) | Gauntlets (2/4) | BLOCK | PLACE x1 | Envenomed Bolts
---> Defense Squad E: Silk Vest (Officer) | Pincushion (2/4) | Gauntlets (2/4) | BLOCK | PLACE x1
---> Squad F: Rifles 4/4 | Cutlasses 4/4
---> Squad H: Rifles 4/4 | Cutlasses 4/4
---> Squad I: Rifles 4/4 | Cutlasses 4/4 | 1x MOVE PLACE
---> Squad J: Suppressors 4/4 | Envenomed Bolts 4/4 | Cutlasses 4/4
Resources: 1C, 5O, 2W, 0S
Conditions: Rocky, large caverns, very dark
WOSV Formal Notice - Windrider Class
Loadout
10 IS EMERALD Light Aether Cannons [4 unit Broadsides, 2 chase guns]
1 Medium Ikusasa Core Crystal
2 Small Select Lift Crystals
16 IS Trim Crystals
8 reams of webbing
Armored Skin
2 Units of Copper Armor
Location: Spire Wreth
Status: All papers are in order.
WOSV End of the Road - Windrider Class
Loadout
10 IS EMERALD Light Aether Cannons [4 unit Broadsides, 2 chase guns]
1 Medium Ikusasa Core Crystal
2 Small Select Lift Crystals
16 IS Trim Crystals
8 reams of webbing
Armored Skin
2 Units of Copper Armor
Location: Three Captains
Status: All papers are in order.
Comets - Skyskiff Class (x5)
Loadout
2 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons (Flanged Heat Sinks)
1 Very Small Select Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Blackstone
Status: All papers are in order.
Comets - Skyskiff Class (x2)
Loadout
2 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons (Flanged Heat Sinks)
1 Very Small Select Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Blackstone
Status: Damaged [Moderate Webbing Damage]
Comets - Skyskiff Class (x1)
Loadout
2 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons (Flanged Heat Sinks)
1 Very Small Select Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: The Unfinished
Status: All papers are in order.
Meteors - Skyskiff Class (x3)
Loadout
2 IS EMERALD Light Aether Cannons
1 Very Small IIS Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Verdant Vista
Status: All papers are in order.
Comet - Skyskiff Class
Loadout
2 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons (Flanged Heat Sinks)
1 Very Small Select Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing [On Reserve Webbing]
Location: Burned Mountain
Status: On Reserve Webbing
Comet - Skyskiff Class
Loadout
2 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons (Flanged Heat Sinks)
1 Very Small Select Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Burned Mountain
Status: All papers are in order.
WOSV Longlast - Windrider Class
Loadout
8 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons+ (Flanged Heatsinks, Itshana Select) [4 unit Broadsides]
1 Dragun Cannon+ (Sapshot) [Specialized Dragun Bow Mount]
1 Medium Ikusasa Core Crystal
2 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement) [1 Destroyed]
12 Itshana Select Trim Crystals
4 Itshana Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
8 reams of webbing
Armored Skin
2 Unit of Armor
Location: Blackstone
Status: Crippled [Circuitry crippled, no power. 4O 2C to repair] [Hull Crippled: 12W 2O to repair]
WOSV Payoff - Windrider Class
Loadout
8 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons+ (Flanged Heatsinks, Itshana Select) [4 unit Broadsides]
1 Dragun Cannon+ (Sapshot) [Specialized Dragun Bow Mount]
1 Medium Ikusasa Core Crystal
2 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
12 Itshana Select Trim Crystals
4 Itshana Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
8 reams of webbing
Armored Skin
2 Unit of Armor
Location: Blackstone
Status: All papers are in order.
WOSV Deadline - Windrider Class
Loadout
8 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons+ (Flanged Heatsinks, Itshana Select) [4 unit Broadsides]
1 Dragun Cannon+ (Sapshot) [Specialized Dragun Bow Mount]
1 Medium Ikusasa Core Crystal
2 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
12 Itshana Select Trim Crystals
4 Itshana Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
8 reams of webbin
Armored Skin
2 Unit of Armor
Location: Burned Mountain
Status: All papers are in order.
WOSV Vicious Quill - Windrider Class
Loadout
8 SUCKERPUNCH Light Aether Cannons+ (Flanged Heatsinks, Itshana Select) [4 unit Broadsides]
1 Dragun Cannon+ (Sapshot) [Specialized Dragun Bow Mount]
1 Medium Ikusasa Core Crystal
2 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
12 Itshana Select Trim Crystals
4 Itshana Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
8 reams of webbing
Armored Skin
2 Unit of Armor
Location: Three Captains
Status: All papers are in order.
WOSV Marge - Transport Barge
Loadout
1 Small Core Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
2 Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 reams of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
Location: Blackstone
Status: All papers are in order.
WOSV Shibboleth - Transport Barge
Loadout
1 Small Core Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement + Ikusasa)
1 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
2 Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 reams of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
Location: Blackstone
Status: All papers are in order.
WOSV Ledger - Transport Barge
Loadout
1 Small Core Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement+ Ikusasa)
1 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
2 Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 reams of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
Location: Spire Wreth
Status: All papers are in order.
WOSV Imafuku - Transport Barge
Loadout
1 Small Core Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement+ Ikusasa)
1 Small Basic Lift Crystal+ (Itshana Refinement)
2 Trim Crystals+ (Itshana Refinement)
1 reams of webbing
Carrying: 0/6
Location: Haze Maze
Status: All papers are in order.
Meteors - Skyskiff Class (x2)
Loadout
2 IS EMERALD Light Aether Cannons
1 Very Small IIS Core Crystal
1 Very Small Select Lift Crystal
4 Select Trim Crystals
2 reams of webbing
Location: Spire Wreth
Status: All papers are in order.
1x Prototype ESP Transmitter
3x Prototype ESP Receiver
Author
Topic: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth (Read 147804 times)