Peace was never an option, and now that Evivizet and Kupros have rallied the empires beneath them, the future holds only war.
While a disgusting mess and nearly inhospitable, the Swamps are a key strategic position when it comes to staging attacks into opposing territory and controlling naval traffic through the channel. Both Empires acknowledged this fact and were quick to thrust their forces onto the boggy island. The Kaynans were the first to hit the muddy shores thanks in large part to their
Carracks, while the Aurans were forced to create small rafts and boats from what resources they could scrounge up in their territory.
The Kaynans were the first to wade through the wet earth and tripping roots of the Swamp and penetrate the deadly Deep Swamp. With absolutely no chance of passing through on the ground, the Kaynans were forced into the trees along the “vineways”. These dense braids of branches, vines, and various other plant life weave their way throughout the Deep Swamp to create a very complex three-dimensional battlefield. The Kaynans were able to locate a prime field of vineway large enough to house a whole military camp and with no vineways passing above or immediately below.
The Aurans were late to the party, but not so late that the Kaynans could advance out of the Deep Swamp. The Auran advance was similarly hindered by the environment, and they were forced to set up their camp in the Deep Swamp on a dense web of vineways that stretched out just feet above the watery mud.
Scouting was vital for both forces as they slowly mapped out the infinite intersections of the vineways. Both sides repeatedly probed for ways to outmaneuver their opponents, and neither was willing to commit too much to fighting during these opening moves. What fighting
did occur in this early phase of the conflict tilted in favor of the Aurans. While neither side had more mobile troops than the other, the
Composite Bowmen were incredibly lethal, even in the denser areas of the Deep Swamp. Brief skirmishes between scouting parties were short and rarely resulted in
Sometimes Swords even closing in enough to do significant harm to their foes, not to mention the former being extensively trained in ranged combat. Shot for the slings was potentially lethal of course, but far less accurate and effective in the fauna-choked Deep Swamp. Still, both sides were equally
everywhere attempting to find a way to make significant progress and ultimately failing. Both forces knew they’d need to win a decisive pitched battle to throw their enemies back, and luckily there was just the place for it.
Deep in the Deep Swamp wound a massive Vineway that twisted and wound its way through the trees. Wide enough for two dozen men to walk side by side, this arterial vineway provided the best space for large unit movements. An Auran force made its way along the Vineway to get details on the potential battlefield and set up a small camp somewhere off the beaten path for future use.
Iskar’s spear and shield were getting heavy in his hands, but in this place it paid to always be prepared. He’d been pegged in the thigh by a Sometimes Sword’s sling once already and didn’t plan to revisit the experience any time soon. The unit he was with was made up of a few dozen
Improved Spear Militia and half that number of
Compound Bowmen and
Initiates. It felt a lot like babysitting.
“Looks to be a few branches here,” one Initiate chuckled, pleased by his play on words as he gestured to a pair of small vineways that broke off of the main path and twisted up and away, “I think we should split up and cover as much ground as quickly as we can.”
The unit began to divide itself when the Initiate’s forehead collapsed on itself in a spray of gore.
“KAYNANS! SHIELD WALL!”
Rocks had already begun to rain down heavily on the unit by the time they could form upm leaving a few Aurans writhing and moaning in pain if not unconscious or dead. Iskar’s shield thumped as what felt like the entire force of the Kaynans ammo struck it. As the unit got its bearings the Kaynan Sometimes Swords had already begun to appear through the foliage and charge.
Kaynan forces appeared in front of and behind the Auran unit, with more showing up on the branching paths on their flanks. Seeing they were boxed in, the shield wall quickly moved into a square formation around their archers and initiates. One of the Initiates fired off an
Arcane Firework that burst into a shower of red crackling sparks above the canopy, staining that section of sky bright red for a few moments.
The
Society of Masons hated working in this swamp, but the unique challenges it posed also promised quite a level of internal prestige for someone who figured out how to do…anything in this environment. Luckily for the Masons, a few imaginative minds saw the potential the Deep Swamp had and went to work constructing an impressive observational tower. Using the thickest tree by the military camp as a central supporting column, the intricate stone tower was built around and upon it, poking out above the Deep Swamp with an amazing line of sight blocked only by the canopy below. A single sentry keeping watch while flicking bugs off the railing of the tower spotted a shower of red in the direction of Kaynan lines and quickly ran to the camp in the vineways below.
Iskar and the rest of the unit were managing to hold out. The Aurans had tightened up their formation, allowing the
Improved Spear Militia the chance to create a protective dome of sorts out of their shield. The thud of stones striking the shields was nearly constant, halting only when the Kaynans made a push to whittle away at the Auran formation. The
Composite Bowmen were doing an excellent job taking Kaynans down by firing through small gaps in the shield dome, weakening the charges the Kaynans made - especially since many of them lacked shields.
Initiates on both sides took a more supportive role, with Kaynan
Initiates forcing some errors in the Auran formation thanks to their
Chaos Bolt, but this was mitigated by the Aurans own use of their
Sound of Silence spell.
The
Chaos Bolt was straightforward (in a sense), bursting against Auran shields and briefly confounding them. Sometimes it was enough for a shield to droop, but didn’t prove to be powerful enough to disrupt the formation, especially as the bolts had a tendency to veer off course and deter any attempt at a concentrated volley of confusion.. The
Sound of Silence was likewise only mildly effective. Charging Kaynans were definitely confused when they’d pass through a bubble of space where no sound was produced within it. After random periods of time all the sound within the bubbles would get expelled at once, damaging hearing and causing a temporary ringing in the ears in most cases. The biggest problem the Auran
Initiates had was the spell triggering before reaching the target area, resulting in a good number of wasted casts, and a couple of them triggering within their own lines. The dazzling effect of
Arcane Fireworks was also used to a degree, temporarily blinding those in the immediate area of the burst of colored light and causing a number of Kaynans to slip off the Vineway into the hungry swamp below. Both sides did utilize their
Arcane Bolt, with a slightly greater effect on the unshielded Kaynans, but it was not impactful enough to tilt the battle in any one direction.
The Kaynan assault was an impressive display of self-control and organization from a ramshackle army made up of a seemingly disorganized mob. Attacks on the defensive formation were quick, but as the Aurans held ground the Kaynans pulled back, whittling away at the Aurans without over-dedicating their own forces and taking more losses than the Aurans in the process.
Iskar was getting frustrated. His unit was trapped, they were slowly losing this battle of attrition, and his socks were soaked. He could hear more than see the next Kaynan charge and once more braced for the clashing of wood, metal, and meat. Iskar peeked through the small gap between his shield and the ones interlocking with it in time to see and feel a particularly angry-looking man with a long-hafted axe splinter his spear and deflect or dodge enough of the others to slam into the shield dome full-force. Iskar fell backward into his allies as the Kaynans rapidly took advantage of the gap in the defenses. The formation fell into brutal close-in combat within moments and many of the
Improved Spear Militia had to toss their spears for the more appropriate but outclassed daggers they had.
The axeman kicked Iskar’s shield arm to the side, exposing his chest for a final blow, but was stopped short of snuffing out Iskar’s life as a
Compound Bowman slipped between the two and within the axe’s range, simultaneously burying a pair of daggers into the axeman’s gut and ripped across his belly, disemboweling him before continuing to fight in a flurry of stabs. Iskar, now covered in another man’s last meal, managed to stand and grab his dagger and a shield off a fallen comrade next to him. It was at this moment that Iskar saw the ominous figure standing, arms crossed, far behind the Kaynan forces.
This individual was clad in pitch black clothes, with no arms or armor to speak of, and a black cross tattooed upon their face. This
Blackcrag Dead Officer had been, to Iskar’s knowledge, a member of an old legendary elite force of soldiers once used by a Prince of Blackcrag somewhere in the lands dominated by the Kaynans. The presence of these forsaken Blackcrag elites went a long way to explaining the cohesion and tactical aptitude of the Kaynan forces. Someone else had spotted this
Dead Officer too, made evident by the arrow the
Dead Officer avoided with a simple twist of the shoulders as if completely unfazed.
The fight, having been in the Kaynans favor the entire time, was now going even more poorly. The pocket managed to avoid total collapse only thanks to the melee capabilities of the
Compound Bowmen filling in where the
Improved Spear Militia failed.
Then, without warning, the rear assault let up. Iskar made the poor decision to look behind him to see what had forced the break and saw a large Auran relief force coming to help. It was the last thing he saw before one of the swords sometimes used by the
Sworn (Sometimes) Swords made its way through his ribcage.
With both armies numerically balanced in the theater, either side losing this rapidly growing engagement would find themselves at a severe disadvantage, so the Kaynans sent a runner to their camp while the Aurans tried their best to wipe out the Kaynan ambushers before their reinforcements could arrive. In a straight engagement the shortcomings of the
Sworn (Sometimes) Swords became apparent. The shields of the
Improved Spear Militia proved to be worth their weight in gold as they provided a level of survivability across the board that the
(Sometimes) Swords lacked. This didn’t rule the
Sworn (Sometimes) Swords out though, as they did occasionally have the equipment to break through the Auran line. The biggest issue for the Kaynan forces was the
Composite Bowmen, to which the Kaynans had no response. Unrestricted by the need for an all-encompassing defensive barrier of shields, their true might was on full display. Incredibly accurate fire at mind-numbing rates proved withering for the Kaynan force.
More Kaynans arrived as the engagement dragged on, turning an ambush into a decisive battle that had turned against the ambushing force. In order to avert a total disaster, drastic action had to be taken. That drastic action took the form of vines, ivy, and the corpses caught within forming into the shape of a large humanoid figure.
Evivizet, The Current had arrived.
The large figure stepped forward, although never actually separating itself from the Vineway. The Kaynan line seemed to effortlessly and automatically part to allow
Evivizet access to the line of contact, where vines and ivy lashed out at Aurans, constricting, lashing, and tossing the helpless mortals who sought to stand against it and its people. It battered the Aurans as they began to fall back while the Kaynans rallied as the avatar of their God took to the fight.
Mortal bodies were crushed beneath
Evivizet’s onslaught and were close to breaking completely with a thick vine intent on sweeping Aurans from the Vineway when an
Initiate held out a gnarled staff and threw up a wall of plant matter which stopped the vine in its tracks.
It was no
Initiate, as the robes themselves grasped the staff, and no physical form resided within them.
Kupros, the Cynic’s Druid, had also appeared on the field.
The presence of both avatars rallied their respective forces, and the brutal fighting began anew, this time with zealous fervor.
Kupros swole in size to match
Evivizet and both used the terrain to lash out at one another in a duel of environmental dominance. Mortals on both sides were caught in the crossfire and crushed underfoot or sent tumbling to their certain deaths below as the Avatars fought one another to a stalemate.
Kupros lifted both “arms” as it tried to force the Vineway beneath
Evivizet to split open, but a thick tendril wrapped and curled around each sleeve to the shoulder. Dense vines shot out of
Evivizet’s body intent on piercing the rival Avatar, but were stopped by the swirling threads within
Kupros lashing out and forcing the two beings into a grapple.
It was this brief miscalculation on
Evivizet’s part that saw its arcane core exposed. In the brief moment the glowing core was open to the world a single
Composite Bowman loosed an arrow, striking the being directly in its source of power. With an unearthly shriek
Evevizet Evivizet’s form dematerialized, though not before causing the offending bowman to pop like a meat balloon.
With their Avatar suddenly defeated, the Kaynan forces broke and were sent into a full rout. Rallied by
Kupros, the Aurans pursued their foe relentlessly. With their Avatar at their side and the Kaynan forces all but decimated, the Aurans found it quite easy to push into the Kaynan military camp, even with their superior positioning, and force the Kaynans from the Deep Swamp. They were exhausted and stretched out beyond their means though, and were going to need to recover before pressing onward.
The Aurans won the battle in the Deep Swamp. The next engagement will occur in The Swamp, with the Kaynans holding the advantage of initiative.------------
The Mountains of the north had been considered uncontrolled territory for years, but both the Aurans and Kaynans had decided to change that and ruin the tedious work of cartographers everywhere.
While the Aurans didn’t need to contend with crossing the channel, they
did have to make it through a significant portion of deadly and inhospitable mountains before being able to route through the Underlair. The Kaynans, meanwhile, used their
Carracks again to cross the channel with relative ease and make their way through the Mountains into the Underlair.
Kaynan progress in the inky black caverns was remarkably slow, with torchlight being the only means of seeing beneath the tons of rock and earth. Small shafts and caverns broke away from the main path beneath the Mountains, but the Kaynans were able to follow the well-worn path utilized by those in ages past. The Aurans on the other hand were able to make swift and handy progress through the Underlair thanks to their
Arcane Fireworks lighting the way. Their arcane lighting had the benefit of traveling a distance away, meaning easier scouting of branching paths and quicker discovery of potential dead ends, allowing them to be the first to come across the Junction Cavern, to which all roads led.
With the Kaynans not yet atop them, the
Society of Masons set about to bricking off the passages they could identify that led from the Junction Cavern toward Kaynan lines, leaving only the primary pass open for them to come through. They also set about constructing rough fortifications in the inevitable event of a Kaynan attack.
Kaynan progress was hampered by the introduction of the Aurans “dead ends”, and eventually they concluded that a concentrated punch through the main passage into the Junction Cavern was the only way to proceed.
The Aurans were prepared for the Kaynans and were ready to let them funnel into the deathtrap that was the entrance to the Junction Cavern, and steeled themselves for a brutal but one-sided fight when the flicker of torchlight illuminated tunnel walls in the distance. Light that was accompanied, if one listened closely enough, with the rhythmic sound of metal beating on stone. It wasn’t long before the Aurans saw the source of the noise and light.
At the tip of the spear, marching shoulder to shoulder the width of the passage, were the
Blackcrag Reavers, a mortal force unmatched on the field. These soldiers were clad in polished black armor from head to toe, the whites of their eyes their only discernible feature. In their hands they held fearsome halberds and the occasional torch.
Composite Bowmen opened fire as the
Blackcrag Reavers advanced, their arrows clattering harmlessly against the plate armor. One or two fell from skillful and lucky shots to the thin strip of face left exposed, but not enough to deter their march forward - not that anything was likely to do that anyway.
The initial clash of
Improved Spear Militia and
Blackcrag Reavers was devastatingly one-sided. These trained professionals had skill and equipment that far surpassed their opponents, and they lived for combat (unlike the Militia, who largely lived to stay alive). Both the
Composite Bowmens arrows and the
Improved Spear Militias spears had a very difficult time penetrating the ebony armor, the latter even moreso as the spears found themselves splintered by the encroaching
Blackcrag Reavers halberds, with their shields likewise splintered by the axehead on the weapon.
A breach was rapidly forced by the attacking Kaynans with which the mob of
Sworn (Sometimes) Swords took advantage of. As with the battle in the Deep Swamp, both sides
Initiates had little actual impact on the flow of battle.
LIV was perhaps a little more bloodthirsty than the rest of the
Reavers, but it was hard not to get caught up in the bloodshed of a slaughter such as this. The only threat the
Reavers faced was luck as no enemy weapon could puncture their armor. Arcane bolts could force a
Reaver to stumble back, but without a strong follow-up were about as effective as the spears and arrows clattering near-harmlessly against them. With the enemy front line battered, LIV broke ranks and slowly cut their way forward in a bloody advance that liberated life and limb from the Aurans. These militia stood no chance against the
Reaver onslaught, and LIV was somewhat saddened by the lack of a proper fight. There’d hopefully be some of that in the future, so for now they’d have to be content with piling up corpses.
Arrows deflected off of LIVs shoulder, fired from relative safety through a gap in one of the Auran-made stone walls that littered the massive cavern. After withdrawing the speartip from the back of a militiaman who’d stumbled trying to retreat, LIV took their halberd and slowly approached the fortification. Arrows flew out frantically, but none found their mark - although a couple
did get worryingly close to the eye slit between the helmet and armored mask. LIV moved with purpose to get around the wall and came face-to-face with three
Composite Bowmen. Two were still firing their arrows into the mob that was slowly beating back their
Improved Spear Militia while the third charged LIV with both daggers drawn. She charged at LIV in an attempt to get close enough for the halberd to be useless and get a few pokes of her own in, but was taken off-guard when LIV simply dropped the halberd and engaged her in fisticuffs. The rapid strikes of the
Composite Bowman’s daggers did manage to find purchase in LIV’s flank, but resulted in LIV pinning her arm with their own, twisting their torso, and sending the archer sprawling to the floor. LIV pressed a heavy boot on her spine and pushed down with force, emitting an audible snap as the archer went limp. LIV heard the rushing footsteps behind them, pulled the dagger from their side, and threw it at the rushing bowman. The dagger embedded itself to the hilt in his chest and he fell, sliding a few inches before coming to a dead stop. The third
Composite Bowman didn’t get the hint and also attempted to engage LIV but was met by an gauntleted backhand that sent him facefirst into the wall that’d been meant for his protection, both daggers clattering to the floor. He spun around in time for LIV to grasp his throat and slide him up off his feet before they kicked their halberd into their free hand, grasped it just below the head, and pushed the speartip up through the soft belly into his chest. LIV withdrew the speartip and unceremoniously tossed the limp body onto the floor.
LIV pushed a finger into the hole in their side. It was a shallow wound, but at least these people
could make things interesting. Just not enough to stand a chance.
After the collapse and wholesale retreat of Auran forces, the Kaynan army regrouped and pressed forward.
The Kaynans won the battle in the Underlair. The next engagement will occur in the Mountains, with the Kaynans having the initiative advantage.------------
This turn saw the Kaynans reach out to
Chaos Plane and the
Undying residing within it. This forced the hand (or similarly-functioning appendage) of the
Infernals into seeking aid from the Aurans and their god.
The Aurans sought to expand their own influence in the
Earth Plane, where they made contact with the
Elves to curry their favor, pushing the
Dwarves to align themselves with the Kaynans.
Both sides parceled off land for Magic species to live within the Mortal Plane. A
Faerie Enclave, protected by unrivaled illusory magic, was crafted within the
Fields of the Kaynan Empire, while the Aurans allowed the construction of a near-industrial
Orc Enclave in the
Steppes. Those proved not to be the only Enclaves set up during this time however, as the Kaynan Empire and their
Ost Materia Trading Company saw them create a Mortal Enclave in the
Air Plane where they could centralize operations and facilitate more impactful interactions. Their
Planar Trade Network shifted attention to the
Chaos Plane as well.
The creation of the Mortal Enclave has proven more than enough to give the Kaynan Empire
Influence 1 in the Air Plane, while the efforts of the Auran
Guide Spirits in conjunction with the not amazingly effective and unpredictable
Sound of Silence managed to give them
Influence 1 in the Fire Plane (luckily the Orcs are no strangers to things not working as intended) as it did help out in a couple heists and participated in many more attempts
This turn saw notable advancements and significant near-failures for both sides. First up, the Kaynans! They focused all their design efforts this turn on the formation of the
Blackcrag Reavers, a unique unit of ferocious, fearsome, frightening warriors trained from a very young age in the ways and realities of war. They are armed with a halberd (topped with an axe head, hook, and spearhead) and don polished blackened steel plate armor that protects damn near their entire body. A faceplate can be attached to their open helmet to leave just a tattooed band of flesh across the eyes exposed. Reavers are lethal and effective warriors the likes of which are seen once an era. Their training leaves relatively few actually active, and new recruits are required to kill a Reaver if they are to finish training and become one.
Their revisions this turn included the
Blackcrag Dead Officers, Reavers who had "died" and been stripped of every identifier save for their face tattoo, which is modified with a vertical stripe down the middle of the face. These "retired" warriors make up the core of the officers within the Kaynan Empire. Their knowledge and experience expresses itself downward through drill instructors and the training they provide. Dead Officers increase unit cohesion and tactical ability throughout the Empire, and their mere presence (even if only in the minds of the warriors while in battle) instills a great reinforcement of morale. Dead Officers fill every open position within the hierarchy of Kaynan High Command.
They also formed the
Ost Materia Trading Company, a company that works alongside the PTN to boost the potency of potential trade. The OMTC allows the creation of Mortal Enclaves in the Magic Planes, greatly boosting trade, and influence as a result, centralizing a base of mortal operations in a single settlement. One Mortal Enclave can be constructed in a previously contacted Plane per turn.
The Aurans weren’t content to sit on their hands this turn and developed
The Sound of Silence, a spell that fires a ball of poorly contained arcane energy that creates a 10ft sphere of sound vacuum, letting no noise leave the area and instead get "compressed" into a central point. The spell can last for 30 seconds to 2 minutes with no way of telling when exactly it'll end. Once the spell ends, all the noise collected within it is expelled at once. They also created, then had to fix,
Composite Bowmen, ranged units using composite recurved bows and twin daggers with more than enough training for them to function on the battlefield. Individual accuracy is well above average, and massed volleys prove to be quite devastating. At full-speed and without needing to worry about ammunition, Composite Bowman could fire arrows at a rate of between 20 and 30 shots a minute.Close-combat training improves ranged accuracy firing into a melee as well as self-defense and dual-weapon fighting should the archers need to engage in a melee themselves. They’re padded in cloth with some nice boots.
Their other revision was spent on
Arcane Fireworks, a modification of Arcane Bolt that removes any physical impact and replaces it with a small popping and crackling sound combined with a blinding blast of filaments of colored light based on the caster's will. Detonates on contact or in flight if the caster desires it. Arcane Fireworks are visible in all conditions and can be temporarily blinding if detonated within close proximity to eyes or eye-like organs. The air and any contacted surface will remain illuminated for up to a minute based on caster strength and preference.
Further information can be found in your team’s thread.
Author
Topic: Playground of the Gods - A Magic Arms Race - Core Thread - Turn 3 (Read 1729 times)