Shards in the Mist

[WrathOfLife]

Bellore

@GM and Zigar

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Bellore agree's to this and sets a date for it in a weeks time. Gahu (the Bellore leader) personally suggests that the Zigar leadership bring a strong body guard due to recent troop movements to the west.

@GM

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Bellore buys passage for Gahu and a number of troops to be transported from Bellore to D'lore

[Wizard of the Coat]

Regency

The Church is swaying towards Zigar more and more and will likely cast it's votes in their favour if half the imperial fleet and a third of it's army is committed to the crusade against the Istri under the Golden banner (the church flag, actually a shade of yellow/orange).

The guilds are still waiting for further offers beyond Pordemma's tax reduction before they declare their votes. A guildmaster hints that service contracts to provide navigators and maintenance to the imperial fleet would be apreciated. The church seems warry of these hints, but isn't openly condemming it.

@zigar, shadow ***

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Lustria makes an offer to Zigar to vote for them if they are made imperial spymaster during the Zigar term in office.

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The War
Rumours of clashes between Noraa and Istri ships are spreading amongst the known shards. It seems however that these initial clashes were insufficient to bring the Istri to a halt. A large force of the barbarians has landed on Heraclia, one of the last bastions of the Dual Crowns, taking most of it swiftly and leaving only a hand full of it's defenders in scattered fortress towns that were hastily prepared by the Consul.

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Skirmishing
An assault on a Ranoran shard lead to a lot of blood being shed in one it's towns as the defenders were slaughtered. It seems however that the attackers too payed a heavy prize as Ranore was prepared. Ranore has formally declared war upon the Dwarves of the Rift, though other then what they call 'reliable intelligence' they cannot substantiate the claim as no enemy forces or casualties were left behind. Others are asked to join in, particularly Anzilotti, as it was supposedly used as a scapegoad by the Rift according to Ranore intelligence sources, and D'nore as an ally.

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@Bellore

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Ehm...that's some tech tree and it seems a bit strange to develop something by mass production without knowing what mass production is. Still I'm not worried. I don't think the game will not last long enough for you to complete even a fraction of that research tree so I'll aprove them as they come up (less difficult for me to watch out for balance issues). ((for now I estimate the game to last 10-15 turns depending on player actions))

As for turning nations on another, it requires skilled roleplaying, though in my description of events (see above example) I take player actions and other players counter actions into account.

Exploration takes all turn, transport is relatively fast (a couple of months for distant locations, a turn takes years). Besides guild transport is not really that expensive so you could use that (though less shadowy)

@Vorodran

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It's possible to buy the shardrunner and hire ** worth of mercenaries without over taxing your economy (you have a stronger economy then most), but for now I don't see any Traan services confirmed

[WrathOfLife]

@GM

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Ah, so they didn't heed my warning or my warning didn't make it in time or the warning and battle plan wasn't enough to defeat the rift forces? Trying to work out what kind of postion Bellore would be in, during this war.

[Johel]

Traan Combinate

The "Drüm's glory" left Dual Crowns territory without the answer he expected. However, many contacts had been establish with various organizations.

Leader Rïda sailed down to Vorodran-held shards, using the Guild's trade roads to increase safety and speed. The Warlord would be informed of the situation only a few weeks later, when a Guild runner reached the homeshard with a message. As soon as said message arrived, the "Yakyak's dream" departed, fully loaded with grain, as well as with a ten-men squadron of riders for its protection.

A "diplomatic squadron" was also sent to Zigar, using Guild's trade shardrunners to go there. All of its members were riders, not skilled diplomats. But what could be expected from a warrior society ?

By this time, the "Drüm's glory" had reached Vorodra's haven.
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With a large smile, Rïda dismounted his owl, lthe "Tall ones" around him starring blankly. He jumped on the docks.

As one of the most skilled rider in the whole Combinate, Rïda couldn't conceive to travel out of a shardrunner without his mount. It was with this very owl he had won the tournament, three years ago, earning the right to command a shardrunner and to get every single inch of glory and wealth attached to it. Though in theory still bound to the Warlord, in practice he was free to act as he was pleased to, the only limit being that he had to report his position every month...even if said position would have changed by the time the message reached the Warlord.

This freedom meant he could now carry on the contract with the Vorodran Bank. He walked toward the nearest guard he could see.
"-name is Rïda, leader of the "Drüm's glory", from the Traan Combinate. I'm here to take a delivery and I'm sure it's here. So, you've heard about it ?"

@ GM, All :

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The Vorodran agreed to purchase 1 shardrunner for the Combinate. They also agreed to replace any shardrunner the Combinate may lose in battle.
In exchange, the Combinate will transport mercenaries, train them during the journey, and assist them in battle with 15 squadrons (around 150 owl riders).

A permanent trade road is opened between the Traan Combinate and the Kingdom of Anzilotti. The Combinate sell enough food to feed a medium shard with normal level of population. The Kingdom can either pay in gold or install mist beacons on Traan territory. If they chose the latter, they must also provide maintenance. IT'S NOT A TECHNOLOGICAL EXCHANGE.

[Innis Cabal]

Amun'Arat declares itself neutral in the affairs of the brewing war and have no desire to claim the vacancy.

Deep in the labs and research bays, strange links and disks slowly begin to burn into life, their vivid green energy basking the labs in their light. A scientist came scurrying in, a large document in his hands. The Alchemist General looks up with but a single glance, taking the document.

“This will have to wait. We will begin production as soon as possible.”

The scientist nodded once, running back out



To the GM

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That is more then fair, research and immediate implementation will continue. Placed in the research and build order is the construction of fast, maneuverable single man units for short range protection of the Amun’Arat Shards.

[Ipphli]

Anzilotti

Lord Kirwin frowned. Things were getting out of hand. First two of the minor shards collided, shattering them both. And then this trouble with Ranore and the Dark Dwarves."Well, at least THAT I can deal with," he thought to himself. Orders were given that two of the shardrunners were to be sent to support Ranore.

And then this deal with the Combinate. Well, something would be worked out: Anzilotti needed all the friends it could get.

@Bellore

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A small group of 'merchants' arrive at Zigar. Rumors begin circulating about them and their interest in any wares coming out of Bellore.

@Combinate

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Afraid of losing the advantage their beacons give them, and worried the technology would fall into the wrong hands, Anzilotti offers to build a single Beacon on their capital shard as well as maintain it. (Beacons can't be used on minors)

@GM

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Anzilotti shifts the resources freed up by the deal with the Combinate to build more shardrunners and develop the natural resources on their shards.

[WrathOfLife]

Bellore as it seems my last post was eaten...


Bellore goes into a flurry of action as 3 guild ships are hired and a mail runner is sent to the rift with an open letter that reads;

To the Rift leadership;

Bellore wishes to know why you attacked the state of Ranore in an unprovoked fashion in an attempt to set up Anzilotti.

Signed;
Gahu, of Bellore.

@Anzilotti and GM

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The Merchants at Zigar are informed of the rifts attempts to set up a war between bellore and Anzilotti. They are also questioned as to weather they would like to sign both a peace accord and a military pact, to destroy the rift. All shards would go to the Anzilotti and half of all captured shardrunners to Bellore.

@GM and Traan

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The 'diplomats' sent by Traan are met by Bellorian diplomats and informed of the issue regarding the Rift trying to set up Anzilotti by attacking Ranore. They are offered a military contract to attack the rift in union with other allied forces, in exchange Bellore will set up an embassy on Traan and will trade both tech and information in exchange for services rendered.

@GM and Zigar

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Zigar is informed of the rifts attempts to set up a war between bellore and Anzilotti, by attacking Ranore while pretending to be from Anzilotti. Bellore diplomats make it clear that by assisting either military or economically, would be highly rewarded.

@GM and Vorodran

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Vorodran is informed of the rifts attempts to set up a war between bellore and Anzilotti, by attacking Ranore while pretending to be from Anzilotti. Bellore diplomats make it clear that by assisting either military or economically, would be highly rewarded.

@GM

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One shard runner goes to Zigar, One goes to D'lore caring Gahu and a group of elite fighters to await Zigar leadership. And the other is held in reserve to maybe go to Traan.

[Eldan]

Vorodran:

Bellore:

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Sadly, our attempts to stop Istri expansion consume all our resources, and therefore, we are unable to help you. You do have our support should it come to a debate, though.

GM:

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In that case, I'll buy the ** mercenaries and the shardrunner for the Combinate

[Ganurath]

Zigar

The High Governor looked at the latest report as the Shardrunner he was aboard made for D'nore. One shard lost to collision, three to drift... and a shardrunner got lost and had to tail back. On the bright side, the three that had originally been lost had been found again, and the Engineers' Guild had come up with a concept for a glider with a steering mechanism. They had said that they would have come up with something more sophisticated, but with a crusade against the Istri upcoming they wanted to work on tactical developments.

@ GM

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To Lustria

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We will take your offer into consideration. With the High Governor away on a diplomatic mission to Bellore, however, the Governors' Council cannot make any formal decisions beyond those that he left instructions regarding.

To Church

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The Governors' Council, after referring to instructions left by the High Governor, finds the terms regarding flying the Golden Banner acceptable.

General

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4 Shardrunners toward Exploration, Research toward Fuse Grenades, Funding divided evenly between Church and expanding Engineers' Guild (Improving Alchemy)

@ GM, Bellore

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The High Governor is en route to D'nore for the meeting on a single Shardrunner. His honor guard consists of two regiments of ten Armored Riflemen, who's rifles can also function as spears due to bayonets. He sends forward a request that Bellore agents act to ensure nobody snoops on the meeting. (Zigar gains benefit of Bellore's shadow rating for spoilers pertaining to the meeting.)

@ GM, Anzilotti

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The Governors' Council sends their thanks on behalf of the High Governor for aiding the vassal state of a friend of Zigar. The High Governor also wishes that Anzilotti be informed that Lustria offered their vote to Zigar in exchange for the position of Imperial Spymaster, and wished to offer the opportunity to a nation with more votes and better qualifications before accepting.

@ GM, The Rift

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It is very likely that the Clockwork Empire of Zigar will secure the Regency. That means that the Imperium of the Shards will be at full war with the Istri. By attacking Ranore, your people have made it difficult for them to contribute to any war efforts in the future, and in an indirect manner are aiding the Istri. Those that contribute to the war effort in opposing the Istri shall be awarded appropriately, and the High Governor requests that the Rift pursues this option. Those that abstain from involvement will not be influenced by any direct action by the Empire, for good or ill. Those that contribute to the war effort by aiding the Istri will share their fate.

[Johel]

Traan Combinate

@Bellor (and Zigar):
The Traans agree to Bellor's proposal to set an embassy. They also begin talks with Zigar as for trade agreements.

When far from public ears, they also thank the Bellorians for their "generosity" and promise to "assist". They inform the Bellorians that the military of the Combinate will participate in the war against the Istris.
However, the diplomats themselves have been instructed to serve Bellor's cause until they receive new orders from the Warlord.
Bellor receives 10 owl riders.

@Anzilotti :
Though they would have enjoyed to get a wide network of beacons, the Traans grudgingly agree for one large beacon to be installed on their homeshard. They consider it would pay the first year of food supply and ask to be paid in gold for the following year. The price will always be that of 1/20 Guild's shardrunner, which is seen as cheap, given that the Combinate provide enough food to supply 1/4 of the Kingdom's population.

@Vorodra :
Waiting for the bank to provided him with a second shardrunner, Rïda received news from the homeshard as the "Yakyak's dream" made a halt to supply in water. The two halfelings spoke all the night and so Rïda learned of the Anzilotti-Traan trade road, which passed through the Dual Crown's hold as well as through Vorodran territory. Rumors said a second road would soon open with Zigar.

This was confirmed a few weeks later, just as the Guild delivered a brand new shardrunner to Vorodra's shipyard. Halfeling diplomats were traveling with a merchant convoy and Rïda acknowledged their message for the Warlord and gave them his own report.

Loading his two shardrunners with as many mercenary as possible, Rïda sailed at full speed to the Istari border, lowering the Traan flags and hoisting the Vorodran instead. After all, it was not in the Warlord's name that he was about to fight.

@GM

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Message from Rïda to the Warlord :
"-I've just got a fourth shardrunner for the Combinate's glory. The mercenary contract I told you of in my last report must first be honored before I can deliver the ship to you. In order to guarantee the success of this operation, please send the "Dagron's might" with as many riders as possible to the following location."
At the end of the message is the location of the gathering point of the armies allied against the Istri Imperium.

The Traan Combinate send :

• 3 shardrunners ("Dagron's might", "Drüm's glory" and the new one)
• 150 riders and their owls
• As many of the Vorodra's mercenaries as 2 shardrunners can carry

[Ipphli]

Anzilotti

Bellore
The government of Anzilotti thanks that of Bellore for the information, and accepts their offer of a military alliance against the Rift. The terms are deemed acceptable.

Zigar
While appreciative of the offer, Anzilotti cannot at this time accept such an offer. However, the offer will be taken into consideration before their decision is made.

Combinate
The proffered deal is acceptable, provided the small contingent of engineers and soldiers stationed at the Beacon are given a small stipend in food or money for their needs, as well as having lodging provided, while stationed within Combinate lands. It is suggested that a new beacon could be provided each year, provided nothing happens to the pre-existing beacons or their crews.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Noraa

Summary of Istri War
The loss of one ship was unfortunate, and while the Pirates managed to gain a second ship, it was of inferior quality, and of course needed more crew to run it properly. The remaining pirates return home with their less than impressive bounty, not even bothering to warn the failing Dual-crowns of their departure. Murmerings of discontent start spreading through the ships, something that Bagoran will have to deal with swiftly if he want's to avoid a mutiny. While most of their ships are gone to war with the Istri, the drunken pirates somehow lose track of one of their minor shards, as it drifts deeper into the Mists, never to be seen or heard from again.


Later on in turn 1
After returning home from the long raid on the Istri ships, many of the pirate crews are both tired and dissapointed. What's even worse is that the shard that was lost was one of the few shards they had capable of producing large amounts of rum and meade, meaning that not only were they tired and dissapointed, but also sober. Needless to say, a council meeting was called, of the now 4 council members, Gants having been lost to the mists. One of the captains left behind, Koren, starts the 'discussion' "What do you mean you only got one ship? You lost Gant's and one of our best netting ships, and all you bring back is one lousy ship?" Worried about keeping the council under control, Bagoran relies more upon his reputation as a warrior than any kind of diplomatic skill "You threatening me Koren? Cause last time I checked you haven't brought in any ships since you joined this council. Yet you think you can tell me that I'm doin it wrong?" A strange smirk on her face, Elise puts a hand on Koren's shoulder "Don't worry about it Koren, ya, tis a set-back to be sure, but we can fixit. Now we's gots a barbarian ship, and chasing that around can get us just 'bout anywhere we want to go right now, with people worried bout the Barbs invading they won't dare stop us chasing one down, and ifin they happen to get off word that a barb ship was seen near their territory, and then their ships start to dissapearin' then who'n you think they gonna blame?" A more contemplative look on his face, Bagoran asks her "So who you thinking our target should be eh? Pordemma? Maybe the half-men?" Elise's smile broadens now, "Why would we attack them? With the Voradran borders now open to us. The Crowns protected them before, but they really gonna be able to stop us now?" Bagoran's shoulders slump a bit, he doesn't really want to attack a country so far away, but he knows that he has little choice in the matter. Bagoran turns to Devan, the only captain that hasn't spoken yet "Well Dev, looks like your watchin' the ports for us this time. Try to have some more mead when we gets back."

@GM

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3 of Noraa's Shardrunners, follow the re-equiped stolen Istri ship into Voradran Space, trying to find any Voradran merchant ships that they can loot. The primary goal here is actually to acquire more resources, though if they take over the ship all the better.

@Pordemma and Traan

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Both countries recieve letters via guild mail from the Council of Noraa. The letters request a trade for more rum and mead, and offer in return to send crew who are well versed in the ways of mist-sailing.

[Wizard of the Coat]

(turn 2 hasn't started yet, it will start some time tomorrow, I just make mid turn updates so people can respond in their actions)

(OOC: for those of you interested in the setting where some of this is based on check out this game which is recruiting now)

[Johel]

Traan Combinate

@ Noraa
The Council receives a box with the answer :
"Esteemed captains,
The Traan Combinate isn't such a large brewer than it can afford to deliver the quantity you require.
However, the Homeshard is also a free-trade territory and we'll gladly welcom any traders willing to buy our products. Every merchants, even you, pirate scum, are welcomed.

Rüüt,
Warlord of the riders brotherhood,
Guardian of the Traan Combinate."
Along with the message are two bottles, each filled with Traan liquors, probably made with fermented honey.

@ Noraa

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I can't export enough alcohol to make a full trade agreement with you. But if your merchants come to the Traan Homeshard and buy enough mead, then the tribes who produce it are likely to increase their production. Laws of the market and all...
Just know that there is a small taxe for each shardrunner flying near the Combinate's territory. A way like another to fund an army.

[ufo]

Holy United Provinces of Pordemma

'My Blessed Lord,' the High Cardinal began. 'We will have to put up a harder bargain to persuade the Guilds. Or offer something more.'

King Unus was quite aware of this. All he wished for at the moment was that the High Cardinal would disappear so that he could get on with his daily agenda. 'Yes, I will think about it.' The King said dismissively. 'How goes the construction of the cathedral?' He continued in an attempt to change the subject.

'Ah yes!' The High Cardinal began with a satisfied grin. 'The Amun'Arat architects are doing a great job. I have seen the plans and approved them. The construction has begun already. Juliania will surely smile to us from beyond the grave for building such a wonder.'

'Good, good.' Said the King. Not that he didn't approve of the building - he had also seen the plans, and he found it to be a piece of art, truly it would be a magnificent sight. However, he was afraid the High Cardinal didn't marvel the construction for quite the same reasons.

'My Blessed Lord, I also bring a message from the nation of Noraa.'

King Unus looked at the High Cardinal with distrust. 'Your Holiness, I do not recall giving you the permission to assess any foreign messages before they have been given to me. And why do you bring the news, and not a messenger?'

The High Cardinal gave a devious smile and shook his head dismissively. 'My Blessed Lord, the nation of Noraa requests rations for their sailors in the war against the Istrii. Rum and mead, specifically.'

'And what do the offer in return?'

'My Lord, they offer some of the best Shardsailors to be found in their crews.'

'I shall look into it.'

((OOC: The computers I am on cannot create brackets, so I will not be able to create spoiler tags. Nothing overly secret going on though, so you can take a little peek )

@GM (SPOILER)
Pordemma invests manpower in creating another Shardrunner.

@Zigar (SPOILER)
Recieves the following letter:
"Lords of the Clockwork Empire,

Negotiations with the Guilds are ongoing, regarding the Imperial elections. However, as it is, the Guilds are in a position of power throughout the shards, and little can be offered that would truly sway them.

We feel that it would be beneficial to the cause of Zigar, Pordemma and the Guilds if the Clockwork Empire should choose to instate a tax reduction on Guild trade, similar to that of Pordemma.

With all the best regards,
King Unus I of the Holy Provinces of Pordemma

@Noraa (SPOILER)
Shardrunner Juliania's Pride is dispatched to Noraa with the requested resources. The sailors are armed with Zigar gunpowder weaponry, as a result of the pirate nature of the Noraans.

[Johel]

Holy United Provinces of Pordemma
((OOC: The computers I am on cannot create brackets, so I will not be able to create spoiler tags. Nothing overly secret going on though, so you can take a little peek )

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If it's a keyboard problem, you can still click on the QUOTE button in the message box, then replace QUOTE by SPOILER. It should produce the desired effect without you having to write brackets with the keyboard.

If it's really the computer which doesn't recognise the "[" and "]" symbol, then I'm curious to know what are the regional settings of your computer. Vulcan ? Krypton ? Klingon ?

[Ganurath]

Zigar

@ GM, Anzilotti

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Understandable, but know that Lustria can only be stalled for so long without arousing suspicion. We have until the High Governor returns from negotiations with Bellore before we are forced to give them a decisive answer, and we'd rather not make an enemy of them with a blunt refusal. (Especially with the crusade against the Istri upcoming.)

@ GM, Pordemma

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Kindly inform the Guilds that while we will not lower taxes for them specifically, as such would cost us the favor of the Church we have worked so hard to cultivate, we are willing to eliminate docking fees across the board, which should prove beneficial to the Guild more than all others combined.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Turn 2

Regency is almost certainly going to Zigar, securing the Church vote has made them draw ahead of the only other candidate that seemed to desire the honour, the Dual Crowns. The guilds recognising cast a single votes in favour of Zigar, enough to secure victory (and thus the tax deal with Pordema), but with a clear warning in witholding their other two votes in that they want a similar deal from Zigar in the comming period.

Votes Cast for Zigar: 12 (slim majority)
(2 Pordemma, 1 Bellore, 4 Church, 1 Vorodran, 1 Guilds, 1 Lustria, 2 Zigar)

(@Zigar: I'm assuming Lustria got the post of spymaster as it makes the guilds happier, they have good guild relations and would also settle church anxieties of concentrating too much power)
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Crusades
Traan, Zigar, Vorodran, Bellore and the Dual Crowns are praised by the Church for their commitment to the war against the Istri. A somewhat frustrated patriarch also mentions that his dioces in Noraa contributed whilst another coughs out the name of Pordema, but the church seems to only grudingly make a references to them in their rallying speeches given to the peoples on the shards.
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The Single Crown
Not receiving any aid yet, as most are still mustering forces on their home shards the Dual Crows is reduced to a mere splinter of it's former glory as one of it's last great shards falls. Mercenaries are flooding towards it's remaining shard as a counter offensive is prepared and launched. The initial landings are a disaster, the few survivors reporting tales of horor from what they had seen happened to the conquered shard.

"Parts of it were red like blood..."

"These aren't men...these are demons"

Shardrunner crews cannot confirm these rumours having barely been more then a few paces from there ships. Most Churchfathers are denying that the Istri are demons, but instead claim the Istri are demon worshiping barbarians.

espionage *** (thus 4 needed to read)

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These claims are a bit excessive, likely fueled by more warlike branches of the church. Still the Istri don't seem to be quite the same sorts of people as live in the losely bound empire.

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Stat Changes

Stats usually will not go up with a * at a time, instead they can go up by thirds, this is represented by - (1/3, cannot be used as a stat) and + (2/3, can be used as a stat) at the end of a stat. Note that + means you can still regard it as a whole, but it will take longer to get higher and is easier to decrease

Temporary stats are indicated with the t, note that that doesn't include assitance from other PC's. All the runners build/bought are completed.
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@Noraa
[spoilers]Your fleet encounters a guild ship in Vorodran space, as your ships dive in it drops it's cargo so it has the speed to get away. Still the crews cannot complain obtaining a variety of goods +2 income.[/spoiler]

[Johel]

Traan Combinate

@All the "crusaders"
Rïda entered the room, where the officers of various nations already sat around a large oak table. The halfelin cleared his throat and then spoke with the confident voice of an hardened veteran.
"-'K, ya all... here's a little something the Combinate propose to drive those barbarians back !! We ain't doing it nice and slow, oh no we ain't !! Here is da plan !!"
On the table, he set a map of the shard which was once the siege of the "second" Crown.
"-Me warriors ain't mere creepers like the Vorodan mercenaries. They'll clear the sky for ya armies and support them afterward. But we must first know how many shardrunners we're going to fight against.
So, da "Dagron's might"'s gonna sail just above the cliffs, launch 40 riders then depart. Da riders'll just scout the skies around the island for three days. They be good hunters. They know how to hide in the wild. We'll pick them up and retreat, get the informations and launch a general assault."He showed the main cities and fortress of the shard.
"-These targets, that's for you, buddies. Ya'll have to take them asap, so that the whole army can have safe footholds on the shard. Me and me riders, we're going to fight those weak Istri shardrunners, sink as many as we can then drive the others away from the shard. We'll then establish a blockade to prevent these savages to land with ground reinforcement."
He then turned to the rest of the room.
"-Questions ? Objections ? Anything ?"

@All

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Battleplan in 6 steps :

1. Scout the whole shard
2. Assault on a weak spot
3. Clear the sky
4. Establish footholds
5. Air Blockade
6. Clear the ground

[Ganurath]

"This'd be easier of one of the 'runners weren't grounded for resupply, captain. Even more so if another weren't off with the High Governor." The first mate was sitting comfortably in the pilot's chair, a nightmarish contraption involving a meter long joystick and a series of thick ropes leading to the sail-wings on either side of the ship. "Why're we even going out of our way to help 'em?"

"Nobody's gonna lead those mercenaries, and as much as we don't like the leadership of Dual Crowns, somebody has to take responsibility for their people. They may not be Zigarun, but we all worship the same Gods in the end, right?" The captain stood in front of the pilot's seat, observing the crew as they prepared for combat. Plated infantry with rifles tied their waists to the railing so they could fire from cover without risking going overboard. Lighter troops secured themselves in the deck barracks, tending to bayoneted rifles and tower shields, the latter of which had indented tops for mounting the rifle barrels.

"Aye... Here come the other captains, sir."

"Indeed... Have you briefed your troops, gentleman?"

The other two captains nodded in reply, switching back and forth to review the battle plan. "Two runners wait at a high altitude, using a horn call from the third below every ten minutes to keep track of where the shard is."

"When the Istri show up, the horn runner blows twice to warn everyone to come to attention for hostiles incoming. Once they're in firing range, the horn will sound again to signal a hard drop into the thick of it."

"Armored troops fire off volleys using the advantage of altitude to clear the Istri decks. After two volleys, shielded troops drop in by grapple to clear it out using a round, locked shields formation."

"The horn runner, meanwhile, will be coordinating the mercenaries into a pincer formation to strafe the Istri as they pass into the shard's airspace."

"With two of their lead 'runners seized at the front and heavy fire coming from the flanks, any Istri that don't retreat should be easy to wipe out."

After the review, the first mate decided to pipe in. "Sirs? You really think the Istri will retreat that easily?"

"...No, but we're holding out for the hope that fighting Dual Crowns has made 'em soft, and that the early lead will bolster the morale of the mercenaries. Now, let's get moving."

@ All

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Zigar launches three Shardrunners, each with 20 Armored Riflemen and 24 Shieldbearers, to aid in the defense of Dual Crowns against the Istri

Battleplan Summary: Two hide in the high mists, get called down with a horn by third when the Istri show up. Armored use cover to overpower Istri decks, Shields grapple down to seize the ships. Third runner coordinates the mercs, assuming no objections from DC, to flank the Istri that aren't being boarded. If DC objects, the Zigarun captains will ask the mercenaries if they know how many shard Zigar has lost to the Istri.

@ GM

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Lustria and the Guilds both get what they want, research goes toward a Fuse Grenade (metal frame, triangle shards fill out spaces, load with gunpowder, fuse on top, good times) and funding goes toward Engineers' Guild (Alchemy)

Also, in case the Istri attack Zigar:

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The fortress cities are enclosed castles shaped roughly like ziggaruts (heh) with Shieldbearers patrolling the walls, ballistae turrets on the corner towers, and Riflemen at the windows of both. The windows are shaped like this: [> <] so the gunners inside have a wide firing angle and near total cover. The ballistae have cords and wenches to hook incoming shardrunners, using multiple towers to draw in the runner's in a position between levels so dwarves high up can bombard the deck until it's cleared out. If they land outside of range, there are trebuchets on the second highest level of the city and the gates... are like the Gates of Mordor on a functional level, with the levers on the opposite side of the joint, only it's multiple levers on different levels for the multiple joints. It takes 36 dwarves to open the gates... slowly.

[WrathOfLife]

Bellore

A great recalling went out among the Bellore fleet. Every shardrunner is recalled to begin searching for the lost shards. Only two remain mapped, and two was far to few for the Bellore government.

@GM

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Recalling all shardrunners to Bellore before setting them out to explore. I know 3 shardrunners are safe and well, one is lost in the mist, and one was sent to the Istri for diplomacy, and either missed by you, or lost to the mist.

All across the Mist Bellore guards begin to look slightly different. They hold themselves differently. They look further, and sharper than ever before. They know they have a new advantage. An advantage that will cost Bellorian enemies dearly.

@GM

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Have finished rifling, beginning to implement the new tech, using shadow networks to secretly pass new weapons to Bellorian guards on other shards. Bellore will now focus on stealing Zigar's Shard Geometry.

In a grand meeting Gahu of Bellore and the the High Governor of Zigar meet on the shard of D'lore. Gahu makes every attempt to make the Zigar leader feel welcomed and at home, spending many hours discussing the on going situation among the shards, until finally a draft treaty is given to the High Governor of Zigar.

@GM and Zigar.

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Bellore makes it clear that while they will do everything they can to keep negations secret, Zigar simply has to many leaks in its security to keep all of the information from getting out. (Bellore will do all it can to hide any negations on D'lore, so Zigar should mark Bellore related spoilers with Bellore's shadow rating.)


The draft Treaty reads (long version);
The Clockwork Empire of Zigar, and the Collective of Bellore, hereby, on the shard of D'lore, formally agree to provide assistance in the form of military aid, economic aid, or spy-craft guidance, should either of the fore-mentioned nations be considered at risk of destruction, degradation or disruption.

In addition, in the interests of greater friendship and common goals, each nation may call upon the other, at need, to research a technology, that may otherwise be outside there abilities. In exchange for this, the offering nation must in turn complete research for the nation that engages the task.

The Treaty written out reads (short version);
We aid each other in every way possible. Advanced tech Zigar wants, Bellore will research in exchange, simple tech that Bellore want's Zigar will research.

@GM

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Bellore invests heavily in the training of teams of assassins, terrorists, and agents support rebellions and or groups to insight anger, violence and chaos in Lustria, they are training to send the shard nation into disorder in order to destroy there ability to act as spymaster. At the same time, Bellore sends an envoy to them on a guild ship, requesting an embassy to be set up. (and to start planting sleeper cells in Lustria.)

[Johel]

@All ((OOC))

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Hu...I guess there is no objection to the plan.
I set the first step in motion.
Also, are there already a Statut Thread and an OOC Thread ?
If yes, URL please.

Traan Combinate

The Istri border

It was a dark night, one of those when the Misty Ocean is so clouded that it's nearly impossible to navigate. And yet, from the mist, a shardrunner appeared near the shard which once had held the second of the Dual Crowns.

Without light or sound, it flought above the lands. Panels opened on its sides and black birdy shapes felt from it, gliding softly to the ground before using a powerful windstream to climb back.

It took one hour for the "Dagron's might" to launch the 40 Owls and their riders. But as soon as this was done, the crew sailed back into the Misty Ocean, not willing to fight a hopeless battle.

As for the riders, they formed 4 squadrons of 10 men each and began to fly over the shard, looking for a safe spot to rest while also mapping the area. Tomorrow, their search for Istri troops would begin.

@GM

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Owl riders are on the medium shard the Istri captured.
They'll scout it to find out :

• How many Istri shardrunners are there.
• How many Istri warriors are there (approximately).
• How well defended the cities are.
• Any details one should spot if he looks carefully from the sky.

The colonies

The two minor shards that had been discovered a few years back were now ready to be settled. Though their shardrunners were busy with the war, the Traans paid the Guild to ferry colonists there. Groups of ambitious riders to maintain order and safety, alchemists to probe the lands and their ressources and volunteers, both halfelings and "Tall Ones", who'll work to build productive colonies.

The focus was put on mining and, without local industry to use the mineral nor shardrunners to transport it, most of the production was to be sold to the Guild.

Essa

While still working to improve their productivity, Essa's mines sold over half of the minerals to the Guild.

@GM

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The Combinate use the ressources from the 2 minor shards to buy a 5th shardrunner from the Guild. A large part of a medium shard ressource are also used to pay for the shardrunner.

[ufo]

Pordemma

'No, My Blessed Lord, I cannot allow you to do that!' Said the High Cardinal in a desperate, high-pitched tone. King Unus look at the man with disapproval.
'Well, Your Holiness,' he said and flashed a smile of satisfaction. 'I am afraid that it is none of your decision. Besides, we are aiding the endeavours of the Church,' he added.
The High Cardinal screwed up his eyes. 'The Disciples of Juliania are not the servants of the Church.' He said coldly. 'My Blessed Lord,' he quickly added.
'Very well,' the King started. 'Must I remind you that the throne is not the servant of Juliania either? It will be as I have decreed.' The King smiled. For once, he had overcome the High Cardinal's authority. 'This audience is over, Your Holiness. I have no more time for you, I will have to speak with the troops.'
The High Cardinal took a step back in shock. He stood still for a moment to make sure that what he heard was what the King truly said. When the king remained passive, he frowned, spun around on his heel and left the throne room.

The Crystal Harbour, Vilen, capital of Pordemma

The King laid a confident hand on Alessandra's shoulder. She gulped. Even though the King was a slim man and his touch was almost unfeelable underneath her thick scaled armour, the grip seemed to represent the People, the Throne and Juliania in their full force.

Alessandra was a religious woman, that could not be denied. However, she did not agree with some of the Disciples' more peaceful doctrines. She was confident that there was no salvation for the Istri barbarians, and she was sure that Juliania was of the same opinion, watching from behind the boundaries of heaven.

'Captain Alessandra Martelli,' the King started. 'For the first time in many years, the outside world calls for our intervention. For too long have these barbarians, the Istri, threatened the very existence of our allies, the Church and ultimately us, the proud nation of Pordemma.' He paused to gather his breath. 'It will now be up to you, the proud ship Pordemma's Fist and our allies to eliminate this threat in the name of Pordemma, sovereignity and Juliania.'

The small crowd that had managed to neglect their daily duties to watch the ceremony cheered. Alessandra smiled. She was to be the first soldier for many years to represent her motherland in the fight against evil. Only now did she realize what honour she had been entitled to.

She bowed graciously to the King. The King returned a little smile before turning to wish the rest of the crew and soldiers the best of luck.

@GM, all

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Shardrunner Pordemma's Fist is fitted for war and sent to aid the crusaders against the Istri. On the ship are 30 archers, equipped with the finest bows in the nation as well as 20 Buckler-and-Swordsmen. The leader of the expedition is Captain Alessandra Martelli.

[WrathOfLife]

Bellore

Bellore's guild ship on Zigar makes its way to Ranore loaded with 10 owl riders from Traan.

Bellore diplomats across the Mist make it clear that any nation assisting the Rift will face a heavy "diplomatic" response from Bellore.

[WrathOfLife]

Bellore

Hiring out several guild ships, Bellore scouts out the major shards with a simple message.

"Everyone still playing?"

What could this message mean? Only time can tell.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Istri Campaign

With the combined might of imperial forces supported by the various fractions a foothold is firmly established on the former shard of the Dual crowns. Istri forces are putting up a fierce resistance. These barbarians seemingly looking like the toughest human brutes the imperials could immage, some have tusks or fangs, others have sprouted claws on their hands and feet, and some standing a good foot taller then the tallest man or have an increadibly tough skin.

A deadlock is created in the middel of the fighting when several commanders realise that the Istri are well able to resupply their troops on the shard. Mysteriously the Istri do not seem to be taking the fight to other shards, as would be normal for a military campaign. Furthermore it seems that no survivors of the original conquest are found...and far too few bodies to explain their absense...

Lustria

Lustria seems to be cracking down on internal security, but claims that all is well... Guilds however reports include strickter checks at the docks and curfews in place all over their shards. More people are beginning to grumble as the denial continues.

@Traan

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The shardrunner can be bought, but the price is low, they'd require such income for at least four turns to come. Luckily the market for shardrunners is rather favorable for you.

Also Istri took many shards, the last one being one of the great shards of the dual crowns. In any case if this force is not part of the main army they do report back similar findings as here below, but find a surprising absence of the number of runners that could explain the vast resupplying of the Istri. At best a handfull, and those seem to have broken down.

@Noraa

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The Istri shardrunner seems to have broken down, nothing seems to keep it moving again. Your alchemists are unable to detect a problem...instead they are baffled by the fact that it ever could fly at all, without having a proper flighthull.

@Bellore

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Lustria is proving hard to destabilise, evidently making good use of their spy network and the imperial network to prevent such action. Still they are as of yet unaware of the source.

[Johel]

Traan Combinate

Istri War

As the invading allies faced no Istri shardrunners, the fleet suffered no casualties. While the Combinate's shardrunners landed the mercenaries, the riders cleared the sky, using the three shardrunner of the Combinate as bases where they could rest safely.

During the battles, the squadrons would carry bags of nails which they would unload far above the Istri companies, letting gravity transform each of the tiny pointy pieces of metal into deadly projectiles. This helped to prevent any organized resistance from the Istris, who could only spread as the metal rain would begin, only to be cut into bits by the Allies, who could march in thick formations without hindrance.

When not above the battlefield, the riders just kept a watchful eye on the shard's coast, ready to prevent any attempt to land supply or reinforcement to the barbarians. The absence of Istri shardrunners was somehow odd.
Leader Rïda wanted to investigate but this would wait until the Istri defeat here. The ground forces had still a lot of work ahead and it was the duty of the riders to assist the Vorodran mercenaries.

@All :

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Phase 1, 2, 3 and 4 completed.
Now, the Traans will establish a blockade while helping the ground troops.

For the "nail tactic" :
Drop any object from a high enough point and it will become a weapon.
Nails are like bullets, except they are somewhat thinner, which means less air resistance (and faster increase in velocity) and better penetration. Of course, they aren't as fast as a fired bullet would be but still more deadly than ground-fired arrows would.

[WrathOfLife]

(OOC: Is this turn 3?)

[Wizard of the Coat]

For the sake of keeping the pace, I'd say yes, it's turn 3.

[ufo]

@GM

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A trade delegation is sent to Lustria to open up more profitable trade routes. On the ship are several spies with the mission of infiltrating Lustria and uncovering the mysterious events as of late. Lustria has a Shadow of ***, Pordemma (mine) is **.