Combat for 943Arstotzka makes a breakthrough in gem-based magical technology this year. Dubbed "Aethergems", these contraptions seemingly
generate magical energy from nothing. They're basically a few anti-magic gems, circuits, and wires strapped to a magegem, but the largest of the series can produce enough energy in ten minutes to power a PSF-C blast. The most frightening aspect is how they seemingly render mages obsolete; though they are still rather slow, Aethergems mean that mages aren't required for every little magical task. They spend the first of their revisions putting three A-level Aethergems on a variant of their HA1 cannon, which allows them to fire it once every ten minutes without mage intervention. By itself, this isn't particularly useful, but it does work as a proof-of-concept. For their second revision, they modify their Flare spell to work as an offensive spell. Requiring very little energy, it produces a bright white light that can temporarily blind anyone who didn't have their eyes closed at that particular second.
Moskurg likewise makes a breakthrough in their special brand of magical technology. Dubbed the "Skyskiff", this flying device is an Adamantium canoe with two War Pegasi attached to the sides. The armor is thick enough to prevent HAC-1 penetration at medium range, and is practically invulnerable to anything smaller caliber. The most important aspect of this development is their own development of "Scrolls" - their War Pegasi are made out of rolled Adamantium now, which is rather uncomfortable for carpet riders but vastly improves the ease of production. By keeping an open center to allow air to pass through, these Adamantium War Pegasi Scrolls experience a vast increase in speed. Despite the heavy Adamantium construction and the fact that the Skyskiff carries two passengers, it is by far faster than the previous carpet-based version. For their revision, they give their Firestorm concoction a bit of TLC and upgrade it to Explosive. Now their Firestorm shells and grenades should explode rather violently once the clay shell is broken, although for the moment that just means they can spread their fire further than before rather than using shrapnel to cause injuries. Many Moskurg soldiers complain about the new firestorm liquid, as it makes a terrible mixer for Arak.
Much the same as last year, Moskurg pushes further into the jungle.
Their tornadoes don't require line-of-sight to operate and is particularly effective around so much free debris, their lightning is effective against ground troops, and their Skyskiffs mean they don't have to worry as much about getting shot down.
Arstotzka has the advantage of heavy artillery on their side and they win most melee engagements, but their Protector is still rubbish on uneven ground.
Moskurgs new explosive artillery shells have the most effect here and do a better job of setting the jungle on fire, but Arstotzka has been doing that for decades. Arstotzkan artillery is still slightly better as they can field more of them (especially with the Mundane chipping in it's 1 round every 10 minutes) and their explosive shells actually send out lethal shrapnel when it hits, but both are matched for range. Moskurgs better accuracy helps make up the difference, and in the end their tornadoes, Skyskiffs, and lightning do enough damage they can drive Arstotzka from the jungle.
Arstotzka builds fortifications on the edge of the Taiga in anticipation of further Moskurg gains next year; the tall pine trees of their homeland will likely be just as lethal in high winds as the jungle wood to the south.
Moskurg gains a section of Jungle this year. If they hold it for a year, they may exploit it for the Jungle Wood.The battle is less clear-cut in the desert.
Both Arstotzka and Moskurg have deployed their heroes here as it is the most critical (and the most bloody) field of battle this year.
In the relatively flat dunes and rocky wastelands of the southern end of the continent, Arstotzkan artillery reigns supreme. Their Mundane doesn't do much by itself, but their Blind-Flare does its job as a close-range panic spell to give the user time to mount a defense. The last thing a surprising number of Moskurg soldiers see is a bright white light illuminating the sweaty face of an Apprentice, with his eyes squeezed shut. With less to burn Moskurgs artillery relies on precise hits and near-misses to splash fire onto enemy troops - the fumes do most of the work rather than the actual fire, but that hardly makes a difference to those engulfed. Incredibly enough, the Firestorm shells are like smaller-scale Arstotzkan Fireballs, but with more smoke and
slightly more range. This makes plenty of Arstotzkan wizards grumpy, and they waste no time in switching from artillery duty to fireball-flinging as soon as enemy troops are in range. Battles are easy enough to find from all the smoke, though constant rain and howling winds wither flames pretty quickly.
The Protector still suffers here, as its wheels still break easily and are susceptible to fire. It's biggest contribution to the battlefield is acting as a mobile bunker that can fire a few times before being burnt-out, as even if it COULD get closer than Long Range before getting shut down Moskurg's anti-magic would render the magical circuitry inert. It's a very promising piece of equipment, but until these flaws are addressed it will likely not be a major part of the battle in the south.
Moskurgs Skyskiff does a much better job here than the Protector. The original carpet-and-saddle riders are obsoleted by the well-protected body of the craft with its two Adamantium Pegasus Scrolls providing surprising forward thrust. It can only be flown so fast before visibility becomes impossible for the driver, but that's enough to throw off the aim of soldiers on the ground. Even if the rare shot DOES hit, beyond Medium Range an HAC-1 is unlikely to do more than dent the underside. With one mage steering, the other is free to pick-and-choose his targets, dropping the highly explosive Firestorm grenades on enemy emplacements and striking out with their cheap wands of thunderbolt. Unless they get caught in a banking maneuver that exposes the top part of the canoe, they're virtually unkillable.
Again, as it was last year, Moskurg ships are able to land troops behind Arstotzkan lines and field Skyskiff sorties deep in their backfield, but the effect is mostly nullified by Arstotzka's Wand of True Light.
Myark and al-Mutriqa fight it out this year on the battlefield, facing one another for the first time in nearly a decade.
A lucky anti-magic bomb arrow explodes in front of a Skyskiff that strayed too low. The pilot in front catches a face full of crystalline shards and is killed instantly, and as the skiff goes careening towards the ground a figure with a brilliant rainbow colored cape and gleaming Adamantium Scale Armor (custom made) jumps free. The skiff crashes into an HA1 emplacement and the supply cashe of Thunderbolt wands and Firestorm grenades detonates. The resulting explosion is enough to quiet the raging storm overhead, but only for a moment. Soon enough lightning is striking about with reckless abandon once more, and a nearby strike illuminates the falling figure. It's al-Mutriqa, and as the ground forces watch a gust of wind catches him and slows his fall. He rolls when he hits the ground, sending up a spray of wet sand everywhere.
Atop a nearby dune another figure stands tall, fireballs blasting from his palms in rapid succession. He doesn't particularly need to aim; the swarming mass of troops with glowing armor is impossible to miss. Moskurg soldiers die in droves as their temperature-nullifying armor fails to keep the fire from spreading to their unarmored sections. The figure atop the dune is a fierce-some sight - every bit the viking his ancestors were, a gleaming crystal axe and rusted longsword hangs from his belt. Patches of crystal armor adorn his shins and shoulders, but for the most part he is dressed in oiled furs to keep the cool of the nearby Frost Towers from sapping his body heat. A pair of curled ram horns jut from his helmet, his own personal touch to strike fear in his enemies hearts. He stands unafraid from lightning, knowing that not even Moskurgs False God would dare strike him down in such an inglorious fashion.
For a moment the battle around them calms and the two lock eyes.
Though they are both forces to be reckoned with on the battlefield, the decades of war has not been kind to them. Wrinkles crawl across brows and mouths, and gray hairs salt their heads. Countless scars line their bodies, testament to how impossible they are to kill. Still, as they had the first day they met, they each let loose a furious battlecry and charge.
Mace against axe they pound at one another, still as fast as ever. Magic works its way into the fight every now and then - a blastball to send sand into al-Mutriqa's eyes, a gust of wind to unsettle Myark mid-strike, a sudden burst of crystal missing by an inch, a blast of lightning, mist, rain, flare - the two battle as they have for decades.
The battle ebbs as minutes go by, until most of Moskurgs assault has been crushed and it's only the stragglers being mopped up by what little of Arstotzka's defensive force remains. A particularly nasty blow from al-Mutriqa causes Myark to twist to catch it on his axe, and a sickening crunch pauses the fight. Myark's face twists, and his axe falls from his hand. Though he blocked the blow, the angle placed too much force on his wrist and now it hangs limply, at an odd angle. al-Mutriqa, himself covered in a cuts and burns and bruises, pauses to consider his old enemy. Without prompt or ceremony, he turns and walks back towards Moskurgs lines, content with his victory over the old foe. Myark, teeth clenched in pain and rage, stands. He leaves his axe in the wet sand and trods, wearily, towards the Arstotzkan field hospital to the north. With the doctors busy with casualties from the most recent battle, it would be a solid four hours before he could get someone to splint his arm.
With Moskurg forces tied up fighting in the desert, they are unable to push north to fight in the Plains. No battle occurs there this year.
Arstotzka has retained control of the Plains for a year. They may exploit it for resources.Moskurgs Skyskiffs are fast enough to catch Arstotzkan Steam Powered Boats. Being nearly impossible to shoot down with HAC-1's, they easily dominate the air and suppress Arstotzka's navy this year. Many Arstotzkan sailors die this year of asphyxiation, as Moskurgs only way of getting to soldiers hiding behind crystal barriers is to smoke them out with their pungent fire.
Moskurg gains a section of shoreline in both the Eastern and Western Seas.Other News:Both nations decide to seize the Traders assets this year. His sudden appearance and reluctance to speak is suspicious enough, as well as the familiar boat from the trader from years past. Neither side has any trouble capturing him and his crew, and they've been put in both sides respective dungeons. Interrogation will prove what his intentions were soon enough. His ship was, as he said, full up enough with various treasures to give both sides an
Expense Credit this year.
Hayat has recovered from her injuries from the previous year. Once very beautiful, her face is now a mess of scarred tissue. She wears the scars proudly as a badge of honor, as none may now say she was too cowardly to fight for her nation. Her ruined Queen's Will is replaced with an Adamantium Pegasus Scroll, courtesy of Moskurgs Design Team. She seems quite pleased with it, as it's by far faster than the old cloth variant from years past. She names it the "Malicious Intent". The name unsettles those in the court, but none denies it is a fitting name. With her wounds healed, Hayat may now work with Moskurgs Design Team to provide a
Revision Credit.In accordance with Arstotzkans Scholarship, all non-drafted apprentices who serve for at least two years after being educated at Arstotzkas Academy for Adequate Apprenticeship are free to retire from active duty. Though the number of apprentices who either survive that long or choose to retire rather than attain a Wizard-level ranking is quite small, enough have trickled back into society over the past few years to be noticeable. Most are crippled in some way, but those who still have hands prove to be quite capable farmers with Dogwood Wands. It took quite a while to see the return on investment, but the increase in crop harvest is enough to earn Arstotzka an additional
Expense Credit this year.
In brighter news, two members of the Arstotzkan design team decide to get married this year! Formerly bitter rivals, Watcher the Ram and Chief Waffles put aside their differences to confess their undying love towards one another. (Order: [6/5] -> [5]) Their wedding proves to be so lavish and ornate and their love so pure that the King has agreed to give the design team a minor increase in funding this year (+1 to Expense Roll this Design Phase).
!!DESIGN CREDIT!!A strange man has arrived on the eastern shores of Forenia. He claims to be a "magician" - true enough, he has managed many surprising feats of magic that our wizards cannot replicate. He seems to draw from many schools of magic at once, in fact. He is able to Conjure and Disaparate living creatures from the confines of his headwear, namely a rabbit (our mages confirm that yes, it is a real, living rabbit). He is able to read the minds of our most formidable mages and discern which slip of paper from an entire stack they had chosen, then magically conjure that paper to the top. At one point he even chopped a living woman in twain with little more than a saw and a pair of boxes, but without harming her or spilling a drop of blood! To make the feat even more incredible, he healed her injuries to the point where it was impossible to tell she was ever injured at all.
He refers to himself simply as "The Saint".
Our design team agree that such a powerful Legendary Wizard would surely benefit our side, if we can attract him thusly. Hostile action is absolutely out of the question - there is little doubt that such a powerful wizard would be able to squash our entire kingdom with ease, if he so chose. Whichever side can offer the most attractive proposal will gain his magical knowledge and a second design that turn through a
Design Credit.It is 944, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Jungle: [color=red0/4 Arstotzka[/color], 4/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 1/4 Arstotzka, 3/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Sea: 1/4 Arstotzka, 3/4 Moskurg
Eastern Sea: 1/4 Arstotzka, 3/4 Moskurg
Southern Sea: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Sabre: Officer weapon. A single-edged Adamantium blade that favours cavalry combat over infantry combat. Requires training to wield, one-handed. Expensive.
Spear: General infantry weapon. Essentially an Adamantium dagger on a long stick. Very cheap, requires minimal training to use. Can be used double-handed, or single handed with a light shield. Cheap. Obsolete.
Halberd: An axe, a hook, and a spear all rolled into one. Does well against armor and in formation. Cheap
Buckler: General infantry equipment. A small Adamantium shield, held in one hand. Only protects a small area, but can be wielded alongside a shield. Moderate cost, requires training to wield properly. Cheap.
Pavise Shield: A large, thick, high-quality shield to guard against arrows. Can be staked into the ground, or slung across the shoulders. Needs both hands to use while on the move. Very Expensive.
Padded Armour: General infantry armour. Very cheap, just layers of cloth, but doesn't protect against much. Well ventilated in hot conditions, though. Worn under armor. Cheap.
Scale Mail: Officer armour. Scales of Adamantium on a leather backing. Expensive, but lighter than chain mail. Expensive. Obsolete.
Elite Lamellar Armor: All-purpose armor. Worn over padded armor. Thin plates of Adamantium sewn together with leather thongs, backed by more leather. High quality, decent protection against arrows and melee attacks. Adamantium is tailored to the temperature of the theater being fought in, preventing soldiers from freezing to death. Cheap.
Recurve Bow: General infantry weapon. A light bow composed of laminated wood and horn, curved backwards to provide more force. Inexpensive enough to equip many troops with, with very reasonable medium range and power. Can be wielded by horse archers.
Bodkin Arrows: Arrows with needle points. Can reliably penetrate plate armor at point blank range. Can penetrate less reliably further away. Now with Adamantium tips!
Arabian Horse: A light riding horse, from short-lived Iberian settlers in the past. Very fast and maneuverable, but not too strong. Expensive.
Horse Breeding Program: Mass amounts of horses available. Tend to do poorly in the desert, and aren't quite as high quality as the Arabian Horses. Cheap.
Lances: Essentially a heavily upgraded spear. Has a tendency to splinter after the first use. Cheap.
Sailing Ship: Wind-propelled wooden ship. Fast, requires minimal crew, cannot carry many passengers, but does carry at least one wizard - so long as they don't make puns. Very Expensive. Obsolete.
Sirocco: Ships made from lightweight and hardy junglewood and clad in glowing Adamanitium armor. Much more resilient and faster than Arstotzka's ships as of 935.
Ballista: Large siege weapon. Can fire javelins or stone shot great distances accurately. Reliable enough for consistent use. Can be mounted on ships. Wheeled. High-quality siege engineers.Expensive.
Firestorm ammo: Pots filled with Alwathnayu Mukafa'a - "Heathen's Reward". Explodes into sticky flame on impact. Incredibly lethal, incredibly dangerous. Nearly impossible to extinguish. Cheap.
Heathen's Reward: Alwathnayu Mukafa'a, a variant of Alnnar Almugaddasa. More reactive to open flame, tends to expand rapidly.
Wand of Heroism: Makes a squad fight beyond human levels. A National Effort.
Moskurg's Apprentice Gramary for Inter-magical Competency: Trains some apprentices to Wizard-level. Does not provide more mages. National Effort.
Alsamma Safina: Sirocco, stripped-down and packed with War Pegasi for lift. Requires multiple dedicated mages to keep the carpets enchanted and in sync. Very Expensive.
Adamantium: Divine metal summoned from the aether. Comes in workable copper-soft and forge-able steel-hard ingots. Temperature can be permanently set. Cheap.
Teletalk: Short-ranged psychic communication between mystics. Enough beacons can be produced to outfit an army. Expensive.
Wand of Thunderbolts: Glass wand, painted with zinc and copper. Adamantium core. Good for a single modestly-powerful blast of lightning. Cheap.
Staff of Tubikh Rrahim Albarq: Area-of-affect spell anchored to the caster. Prevents all magic from being cast within a short range. Spell contained within a staff of ivory, field of effect controllable. Produces a glow. Expensive.
Dispell Enchantments: Dispells enchantments on items, including standard crystal weapons. Expensive.
Pegasus: Charmingly named, enchanted carpets. Levitate, can be pushed around with Gust of Wind. Limited height, duration, speed. Typically rolled up and equipped with a saddle. Has pretty tassels. Expensive.
War Pegasus:[/b] An even faster, higher, tamed version of the Pegasus. Requires each scroll to be broken-in before it can be used in the field, but now has its own form of locomotion. Enchantments now last longer. Made of Adamantium. Cheap.
Skyskiff: A two-seater Adamantium canoe. Equipped with two Adamantium War Pegasi Scrolls. Very fast, thick armor. Cheap.
Detect Ambush: Reveals non-magical ambushes prepared by enemy troops or physical traps.
Lucky Strike: Magical guidance makes a squad shoot or strike true far more often than usual. Expensive.
Detect Thoughts: Read the mind of an enemy commander to determine their tactics ahead of time. Expensive.
Zen Inception: By putting enemy soldiers in a zen-like state, we can use their minds as a relay system to read minds further away. The spell is easy to disrupt, but simple to use.
Gust of Wind: Evokes physical force to create a heavy gust of wind, sufficient to disperse fog and most minor concealment, as well as disperse irritating swarms. Expensive.
Cyclone Shield: Protects the beneficent from most arrows and some blows with a sheath of wind. Expensive.
Storm Strike: Summons heavy rain and winds over the course of a day. Expensive.
Wrath of Allah: Calls upon Allah to allow lightning to rain down, even in snowy weather. Multiple mages allow faster casting of Storm Strike.
Clear Weather: Negates inclement weather within the given area. Nests within Storm Strike for protection.
Hammer of Allah: Induce lightning from summoned storms. Strikes indiscriminately, so can't be used in "danger close" situations.
Spear of Allah: Call down an individual bolt of lightning to target enemy commanders. Requires line of sight to target. Can be used in "danger close" situations.
Zephyr of Allah - Zephyric Destruction: Tornado cast by a single mage. Very powerful, goes out to Extreme Range. Lethal with debris, less lethal otherwise. Can pick up a soldier, if it passes directly over him. Expensive.
Heretics' Downfall: Greater control over lightning. Can 'persuade' lightning to travel down certain paths despite easier paths being available.
Winds of Ruin: A variant of Storm Strike. Allows the casters to lend their intent to the storm, allowing it to blunt the range of enemy artillery and cast weather attack spells beyond line of sight. Very Expensive.
Tubikh Rrahim: Area-of-affect spell centered around the caster. Prevents all magic from being cast within a short range. Cheap.
Dispell Enchantments: Dispells enchantments on items, including standard crystal weapons. Expensive.
Divine Desert Winds: Sends warm desert air north. Does not reach the taiga. Warms the area by one "level". Very Expensive.
Antichronic Reverbramancy: A trance that focuses on the branching nature of time. Locates "chokepoints" in the branches, where things will happen. Can only detect cataclysmic, nearby events, like artillery barrages, usually within 10-30 seconds. Tends to cause mages to be lost in the flow of time. Cheap.
As inspired by the "Behavior Rule" attached to Sensei's new Arms Race thread, I've decided to adapt them to Wand Race. Most of these are blatantly copied from his thread, and I expect them to be followed. After running this game for a few weeks now and following the last Arms Race, I'm aware that they're prone to attracting bad attitudes. Keeping the game smooth, on schedule, and argument free is probably a greater concern of mine than whatever you are arguing about: I expect you to be mature and adopt the same attitude.
1. Don't be salty! If at any time you find yourself having an urge to mouth off at another player, step away from the keyboard, go outside, and take a breath. Seriously. Players who repeatedly get angry or passive aggressive will be asked to leave. If you have an issue with the way the game is being run, DO NOT expect a tantrum to get you what you want.
2. Keep in mind that I am not a historian, so there will sometimes be mistakes and inaccuracies. Even in the best of circumstances, minor inconsistencies are a common occurrence. If some piece of equipment is imbalanced/unrealistic, I might consider changing it if you bring it up once -AND ONLY ONCE- and politely state your argument. However, I will err on the side of consistency with my own game, I do not like to go back and change things. Sometimes it is more important to simply keep the game running smoothly than other concerns.
3. Do not accuse me of being biased. Do not accuse me of being biased. I put a lot of effort into being objective and fair and being accused otherwise is pretty fucking irritating. On multiple occasions this has nearly derailed the game and made me want to abandon it all together. I have absolutely no more patience for this, and if you do it YOU WILL BE BANNED.
4. Do not spy on the other team's private thread. Trust me, playing fair is more fun for everyone! If you suffer from a lack of self-control and cannot stop yourself from spying, keep it to yourself. Do not use it to metagame. And do not post what you saw in the central thread. This has happened multiple times now, and if you do it you will be banned with no warning.
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Topic: Wands Race - [Moskurg] {COMPLETED} (Read 203812 times)