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[Twinwolf]

The Angel's Voices:

The Portly Madam's final song was not in vain; it told us much of the workings of spellsong, and before that fateful day she left us many writings on the subject. Through her work, our acolytes have learned to sing with their very soul.

The first of the Angel's Voices were those acolytes who had been present, who had heard her song and seen her rise. The acolytes threw themselves into study, and soon, they discovered the Soul Song. Every human being has a unique Soul Song, and after they sing it for the first time, it empowers them, a background hum of Good and magic.

The Angel's Voices are those who have discovered their soul songs. The Soul Song empowers the singer; as long as they have it in their minds, they can cast stronger and more reliable magic. This is especially noticeable in spellsongs, but can be applied to any magic. The Angel's Voices will serve as our most powerful mages for the time being, the leaders of the angelic choir.

Centaur Cavalry

Centaurs were originally created in a previous angel/demon war, and have roamed exotic plains ever since. Communal and kind by nature, they rarely interact with humans without need. But they are dedicated to the cause of Good, and the ancestral weapons can be picked up again in times of need. Summoned by Heliel's call, the half-hominid half-equine species of the centaurs lend the congregation an element of speed and power beyond that of your average man; they are, quite literally, a natural choice for cavalry.

Centaurs are half-horse, half-man; the individuals who come to aid us are particularly strong ones, with their horse halves taking after the breeds you'd see in a well equipped army. They are far faster than your average horse, and given that they are the horses have far more control than a normal rider. They armor their top halves similarly to our cultists while their horse halves are given strong iron bardings over vital points. Wielding lances in one arm and axes in the other (with slings on their sides to hold them when not in combat), they harry and harass enemy forces before delivering the hammer blow charge when their formation ties up with ours.

Golems of Good (provisional name)

Our human forces are essential to our success, by all measures; they are both the spear and the shield of our armies, the backbone of all our efforts. But sometimes the battleline needs sturdier stuff than a man can provide. Sturdy as stone, in fact. Heliel has given a gift to her devotees; the power of artifice and creation. The best of our craftsmen have been taught to shape stone and to give it life. In the Golem Forge, our craftsman are hard at work chiseling rock into the rough approximation of a human shape, before giving it life.

Golems are constructs loyal to two things: Their creator and their Angel. They are superhumanly strong and tough as the stone from which they are cut, and will follow whatever orders either being gives them (including the order to follow another's orders). As the army marches and in the bases, they are simply helpful workers, able to assist with whatever their designated supervisor orders them to do. But where they find their true purpose is the battlefield; a group of golems, even golems armed with only their fists and only armored by their skin, serve as the immovable rocks that anchor the army. Used as heavy infantry, they can tie up enemy units and take the brunt of the attack while the humans take advantage of the rather large distraction of large stone soldiers punching the enemy in the face.

Some designs from last turn that might still be worthwhile.

And one for this turn:

The Song of Spears
The works of the Portly Madam, and her sacrifice, will not go unremembered. Our acolytes, having learned from studying her how the spellsong magic missile functioned, have come up with a way to add significant magical firepower to our forces.

One unit of acolytes can only put out so many magical missiles. But what if there were more they could do? What if they could be assisted by the masses of our faithful? The Song of Spears, much like the Song of Soothing, is begun by acolytes. And like the Song of Soothing, it draws on the inherent magical potential of our average man. But instead of using this to fuel itself, it collects it, condenses it. As the men sing, they concentrate magic until it is of such strength as to be shot out in a form similar to a magic missile - and while one additional missile will not impact combat, many more might.

Sunbow Skirmishers

The Angel's army has, at it's core, the superior training and equipment of the congregation to thank for it's success up to this point. But mundane equipment and training will only take us so far, and it is well time to begin to augment things. In light of this, Her Holy Light has seen fit to teach our craftsmen the secrets of enchantment beyond that of mundane practicioners. A section of the workshops has been dedicated to learning this craft, and their first production is the Sunbow.

Each Sunbow is a shortbow of fine craftsmanship and strong wood at it's base; our bowyers have had plenty of practice in that. But the new runesmiths have given their own touches to it. Namely, the two enchantments on it; sunbows have been enhanced such that they can be fired with the force of a significantly larger bow without adding any draw weight or slowing the draw, allowing for some surprising accuracy and force in a small package. The other enchantment, and the one from which the weapon gets it's name, is the fact that arrows fired from the Sunbow are heated to burning levels in flight, catching fire shortly before impact and doing even more damage than the weapon already would.

These Sunbows, while useful on their own, are moreso in the hands of the trained Sunbow Skirmishers. The skirmishers take our archers who are quickest on their feet and the draw, and put them into a force meant to pepper the enemy formation with fiery arrows before contact, and then move quickly around the battlefield to take on targets of opportunity from useful vantage points.

[chubby2man]

Spoiler: The Slayer Design (click to show/hide)

The Slayer is a force of destruction, a scarred and tattooed man whose only preoccupation is war. He is talented with any weapon, incredibly physically gifted with strength and speed.He can regenerate from grevious wounds, never tires, never sleeps, and can see in the dark. His morale is unshakable, as is his desire to see the Demon destroyed and defeated. He cares for nothing else.


Abas, son of Miru, son of Rakka, hesitated before entering the glade. It was a holy site since ancient times, where,even during times of war, the tribes would not harm each other here. It was a life-giving place, and to shed blood would be to dishonor it. Abas had come here often, to hide from the sun during the day, and swim with . . . no, that memory of her was still too raw.

This night, however, the glade was not just lit by moonlight. A pale glow marked Her presence, a sense of holy peace and awe that even reached into his battered heart.

“Come, Abas, you are welcome here.” Heliel’s voice reminded him of water. Sometimes it roared like a waterfall, thunderous and full of power; now it was soothing, like the murmur of a stream trickling through the rocks.

Abas smiled and walked forward down the dirt path into the center. Heliel herself was . . . indescribable. Wings whispered through the air around her, effortlessly keeping her still, floating in place as she turned to face Abas. She was like a second moon, beautiful but not blinding. Abas fell to his knees before her.
“Oh my dear child,” a tip of a wing reaches out and cups his face. Abas basked in the warm glow of the love that poured into him.

“You do not have to do this, Abas. You could heal, given time. I will not think less of you, love you less, if you turn back.”

The grief rose in him like a storm, scouring his heart with million grains of pain. His tribe, murdered in the night. His family hunted down and slain, his father riddled with arrows, his brothers and sister impaled upon spears. Nabia, his love, she -

He clenched his jaws and shook his head.
“Let it be, my Lady. I have nothing left except for this.”

He hears her sigh, full of sorrow and compassion.
“You are brave, Abas. You are part of a great work this night. I-” her voice fades for a moment, and then returns. “-am sorry, I wish I could dull your pain.”

Abas smiles at the Angel, “It is alright, my Lady, I am ready.”

He thinks he sees a sad smile cross her face, “You are not, but we all must do what we must.”

 A cushion of force lifts him from the ground into the air in front of Heliel. A wave of love and peace washes over him, and he weeps tears of joy as it suffuses his very being.
“The oldest theories of magic, the beginnings of every ritual and tradition, is the sacrifice of the potential to bring the actual.” Abas feel an uncomfortable pressure begin to build inside his body.

“The earliest sorcerors would mark their bodies with scars and tattoos, to represent that sacrifice. For every ritual they did, they shaped their innate potential into realized, actual power. But, you always lose something, one always becomes lesser. They put on the altar a million different possibilities, to gain a single advantage. It is a tragedy, but you will be that advantage, Abas. Hold on to that thought.”

White fire erupted from his body, burning him inside and out. He screamed in pain as Heliel’s power poured through him, purified him.

“Your legs will never tire, will take you where you need to go, but you will never know rest. Your feet will crush the skulls of your enemies, but you will never feel the brush of grass or the trickle of water between your toes.” The fire whipped around his legs, carving a spiral down to each of the toes. The pain was unbearable.

“You will never have children. The potential of your lineage will empower you, but you are barren. You would have had two sons, Berial and Mirah, and three daughters, Nabia, Umma, and Laha. A part of them will strengthen you.”

An indescribable pain filled him, grief at the thought of what would never be. He begged her to stop, but she whispered, “I cannot.” Line of fire burned across his chest.

“Your heart will not stop beating, it will regenerative even grevious wounds. You will be fearless in battle, your courage will never falter.”

“You sacrifice the choice to be brave, for you will not care if you live or die. Your emotions will be a muted, dead thing.”

“Your soul, bright and luminous and immortal, will be folded into your mortal body, strengthening beyond mortal ken, but there will be no rest for you in this life or the next.”

Abas thought he knew pain, but he could feel his senses expanding and he could feel each line that the fire carved in his flesh intimately.

“You might savor this pain one day, dear Abas, for you will never feel it again after this night. By experiencing all of your lifespan’s pain, you will never be distracted or overcome by pain in battle” She murmured. He could feel it go into your arms and hands, burning scars and marks in whorls and straight lines.

“Your arms will never falter, and your speed and skill will be unparalleled with any weapon. You will never feel the face of a lover, or the smoothness of a babe’s skin. These hands will only be for war.”

 And finally the fire enveloped his head. It burned away his hair, and dug into his scalp. As he cried out, his throat a bloody mess from his raw screams, the flames went into his mouth.

“Your words will inspire fear in your enemies, and valor in your allies, but they will never inspire love.”

“Your eyes will see in the dark as well as the light, but will never marvel at the beauty they see.”

“You will always hear my voice, but your ability to choose your destiny will be taken away.”

“You will never need sleep, but you will never dream or posses desire.”

“Like your soul, your beautiful mind I will also strip away, to focus only on battle, and reflexes and action. You will lose yourself, Abas, the memories that make you, you will be taken and thrown into the fire of war.”

Abas’s scorched throat croaked out, “ Will... I... remember . . . her?”

Heliel shakes her head tenderly, “I will take that too.”

Abas nods his head, and scratches out two final words, “Take it.”

“Remember, all this,” The pain builds in intensity, consuming his whole body. “It will forge you into a weapon that will drive out the darkness. You have been filed into an edge, a blade that only has one purpose.” The fire blazes hotter, and cuts deeper until. . .


The Slayer exhales.

His body is lowered to the ground under Heliel’s watchful gaze. Nearly every inch of his body is covered in raised scars and tattoos.His eyes glow yellow in Heliel’s reflected glare. Gone is the wonder, the marvelous intricacies of the human spirit reflected through their eyes. Instead there is only the blank gaze of a killer, filled with a disregard of the splendor and majesty of life and magic.

A tear rolled down Heliel’s check. A wingtip caught it, and gently, lovingly poured it over the Slayer’s head.

“I anoint thee with my sorrow, Slayer, that I created you and the circumstances which necessitated thus. That too, I sacrifice.”

The water of the tear sparkles and soaks into the Slayer’s skin.

The Slayer stands, and walks away.



The wingtip withdraws from Abas’s face. He blinks at the images, the feelings that ran through his head.

He looks at Heliel. Her voice is full of compassion.

“You know now the cost that you would bear. I would not put this burden on you with you ignorant of the costs. If it is too much for you to sacrifice, you may still refuse it.”

He thought for a moment, thinking of children unborn and paths untaken. “Is this necessary?”

 The sorrow in her voice is heavy, “I would not ask it of you if I thought it wasn’t. The demon is terrible foe, one for whom victory would cast the world into darkness. Victory is not assured, no matter the sacrifice.”

Abas’s face hardens, “Then let us make our sorrow his. I am ready, my Angel.”

A cushion of force lifts him from the ground into the air in front of Heliel. A wave of love and peace washes over him, and he weeps tears of joy and sorrow as it suffuses his very being.

“I am sorry, Abas, son of Miru, son of Rakka. I will remember you,” She whispers.

Due to Doom Eternal’s release, I’m reposting the Slayer design :p.

Spellsingers
If you listen carefully, you can hear the music of the world.

At the Crescendo of the Portly Madame’s song, she, perhaps unknowingly, touched upon an unknown truth of the world, that some songs can create Good energy. She unfortunately paid the ultimate price, but those who watched her had her song seared into their brains.

They became the first Spellsingers.
To become a Spellsinger you must first sing a rather less potent version of the song that the Portly Madame sang on her ascension. This suffuses their bodies and souls as they combine in song with Good energy. (Of course they don’t hop into this song right away, there are various steps and lesser songs they sing to show they are ready before becoming Spellsingers)

Once they have sung The Song of Power, they are officially Spellsingers. They are dressed in simple, though well made, robes. They can sing and cast common and uncommon spells, though their forte is spellsongs. They can more easily store more Good (spell)energy in their being due to imitating, in a somewhat safer way, the Portly Madame’s final song.

[m1895]

Songseers

Spoiler: semi-important fluff (click to show/hide)

We've did something truly amazing when we recreated spellsongs from scratch, though the events of last turn were... less than ideal we still learned something from that whole mess. Namely, Heliel noticed a ripple in the rhythm of the world, or the Worldsong for short, when the Portly Madam sang her swan song. This in hindsight is not surprising, the worldsong is a harmony of everything even the unchanging beat of the Earth and the uncontrollable lute solo of fire, so it's no surprise that living beings can affect it, and with that knowledge it became easier to understand how living beings affect the Worldsong, leading to

Songseers, soldiers trained to listen to the Worldsong and react to it instinctively, allowing them to deflect and dodge vicious blows and strike at unseen enemies. Their armament of choice in both matters is a kriegsmesser and a belt of throwing knives. this gives them the ability to duke it out in melee and deal with small, obnoxious enemies.
WIP

[10ebbor10]

Song of Self

Whereas most of our songcasting spells are meant to be sung in groups, the song of self is a uniquely personal affair. A guide or teacher may provide the original few notes, but it is upon the acolyte themself to find their inner song. The song of self is special in that it can not be stopped, once started it echoes forever within the mind of the singer untill their death. Luckily for others, it mostly stays there, unheard to the world.

By weaving elements of other spellsongs through the Song of Self, the chosen acolyte can more easily tap into the flows of magic, gaining either the benefit of the spell perpetually, or making it easier to access.

[chubby2man]

Shock Bombs

Shock Bombs are enchanted objects created to release a large amount of light, sound, and force to disrupt enemy formations.

Shaped from bronze into a large cylinder (around 3 feet long and a foot wide), it has several crystals placed inside. The crystals are what stores the power for the bomb, while the metals is enchanted to distribute that energy as light and pure force, causing a disruptive explosion with the aim of damaging morale and allowing friendly forces to seize the initiative.

The Shock Bombs have a strap which allows them to be carried by Wyverns. An inhibitor is placed on top of the Bombs while they are on the ground which hopefully prevents accidentally explosions. In any case, the Shock Bomb have the inhibitors removed and the Bombs are picked up by a Wyvern. They are trained to drop the bombs in the midst of enemy formations, and riders would be trained on how to communicate when and where to drop the bombs. The Shock Bombs would be triggered by the fall through the air, and explode once it hit the ground. 

[Twinwolf]

I think we've got enough together for some votes. Although, another design.

Influence Technique: Positions of Power

As our congregation gains influence, we find ourselves limited by the actions of the governments we seek to turn to Good. Whether it's the political officers of Dolgoth or the corruption in Lesimor, the Demon's cult is not the only force that would stymie our efforts. Therefore, influencing from the outside will no longer be enough.

This infiltration tactic seeks to put the faithful into positions of power where they may aid our cult; either by way of converting those already in power or seeing our own members rise through the ranks, it doesn't much matter. While this will likely begin with low level officials, with the turnover rate in both Lesimor and Dolgoth there will be plenty of opportunity for our operators to work their way higher - especially when they have access to our intelligence networks and growing resources.

To get our people into power, we have two main routes; one, we have our conversion-focused operatives (missionaries, Chosen Apostles, and any future designs in this topic) focus on converting lower level officials to our cause. Secondly, we have our own operatives (either cultists with some background in politics already or Chosen Apostles designated for the task) seek higher positions. Once we have control over some official positions, we have our information gathering and exploiting units (bright shadows, shadow walkers, and others in the future) support their rise to power; a guard sergeant who makes many arrests will be likely to get promoted, or an aide who brings his superior's crimes to the attention of a higher power might be given a higher position.

Angel's Voices (1): Twinwolf
Centaur Cavalry
Golems of Good
Song of Spears
Sunbow Skirmishers (1): Twinwolf
The Slayer:
Spellsingers:
Songseers:
Song of Self:
Shock Bombs:
Infiltration Technique: Positions of Power

[10ebbor10]

Angel's Voices (2): Twinwolf,10ebbor10
Centaur Cavalry
Golems of Good
Song of Spears
Sunbow Skirmishers (2): Twinwolf,10ebbor10
The Slayer:
Spellsingers:
Songseers:
Song of Self:
Shock Bombs:
Infiltration Technique: Positions of Power

[chubby2man]

Angel's Voices (3): Twinwolf,10ebbor10, C2M
Centaur Cavalry
Golems of Good
Song of Spears
Sunbow Skirmishers (2): Twinwolf,10ebbor10
The Slayer:
Spellsingers:
Songseers:
Song of Self:
Shock Bombs (1): C2M
Infiltration Technique: Positions of Power

[Atomic Chicken]

Angel's Voices (4): Twinwolf,10ebbor10, C2M, AC
Centaur Cavalry
Golems of Good
Song of Spears
Sunbow Skirmishers (3): Twinwolf,10ebbor10, AC
The Slayer:
Spellsingers:
Songseers:
Song of Self:
Shock Bombs (1): C2M
Infiltration Technique: Positions of Power

[chubby2man]

Bright Forge

Under the harsh desert sun, the Bright Forge is built. The military workshops have long grown and expanded with the growing needs of war. The Bright Forge represents the next escalation.

Heliel calls upon the faith and power of the Good of the hundreds of blacksmiths, flechers, tanners and others all contributing to the workshops to fashion an lesser Angel of the Forge. This Angel is bound to the central forge building, and does not have a corporeal form. Rather it moves and handles the thousands of tools and hundreds of forges connected to the center building.
The center building represents an exciting advancement in providing a space for mass enchanting services. While underutilized as of now, the Bright Forge Angel is particularly suited for perfectly replicating the engravings and simple enchantments en mass.

With the Bright Forge, stronger arms and armor are easier to make and more attainable, and allows the quicker production of enchanted items.

As a side effects: Heavy Cultists take the field, bearing overall better quality equipment, in particular armored in chain mail and large reinforced shields.

Looking to create the ground for better future troops and enchantments with this design, though if you have tweaks to the idea to make it better feel free to add!

Also reposting the Giantslayer for the CHADS

Giantslayer
A living siege weapon, the Giantslayer is a lesser angel, formed and crafted from the very power of Good itself. It has a diameter of 4 meters, bearing a large sphere, with 6 Helialian wings emerging from its side. It floats above the ground, able to move at the speed of a march (If not it can be assisted with ropes and pulled).

It’s main focus and energy is on firing a massive beam of holy power at large targets. It prioritizes the largest and strongest enemies first, but can also be used to target gates and walls. For demons and other strong creatures it will use full blasts, but if only cultists are on the field it will attempt to modulate its power to get a beam that lasts for many seconds and carve through enemy ranks.

The Giantslayer is a summoned siege weapon aimed at bringing down strong demonic creatures.

[Powder Miner]

Angel's Voices (5): Twinwolf,10ebbor10, C2M, AC, Powder Miner
Centaur Cavalry
Golems of Good
Song of Spears
Sunbow Skirmishers (4): Twinwolf,10ebbor10, AC, Powder Miner
The Slayer:
Spellsingers:
Songseers:
Song of Self:
Shock Bombs (1): C2M
Infiltration Technique: Positions of Power

if the Angel's Voices roll poorly I bet they'll also accidentally ascend from this plane of existence, but it'll be really funny so I don't mind that risk

[chubby2man]

Angel's Voices (5): Twinwolf,10ebbor10, C2M, AC, Powder Miner
Centaur Cavalry
Golems of Good
Song of Spears
Sunbow Skirmishers (4): Twinwolf,10ebbor10, AC, Powder Miner
The Slayer:
Spellsingers:
Songseers:
Song of Self:
Shock Bombs:
Infiltration Technique: Positions of Power
Bright Forge (1): C2M
Giantslayer :

[Strider03]

Angel's Voices (6): Twinwolf,10ebbor10, C2M, AC, Powder Miner, Strider
Centaur Cavalry (1): Strider
Golems of Good
Song of Spears
Sunbow Skirmishers (4): Twinwolf,10ebbor10, AC, Powder Miner
The Slayer:
Spellsingers:
Songseers:
Song of Self:
Shock Bombs:
Infiltration Technique: Positions of Power
Bright Forge (1): C2M
Giantslayer :

[NUKE9.13]

Angel Team: Design Phase T5
TURNTURNTURN

The Angel's Voices:

The Portly Madam's final song was not in vain; it told us much of the workings of spellsong, and before that fateful day she left us many writings on the subject. Through her work, our acolytes have learned to sing with their very soul.

The first of the Angel's Voices were those acolytes who had been present, who had heard her song and seen her rise. The acolytes threw themselves into study, and soon, they discovered the Soul Song. Every human being has a unique Soul Song, and after they sing it for the first time, it empowers them, a background hum of Good and magic.

The Angel's Voices are those who have discovered their soul songs. The Soul Song empowers the singer; as long as they have it in their minds, they can cast stronger and more reliable magic. This is especially noticeable in spellsongs, but can be applied to any magic. The Angel's Voices will serve as our most powerful mages for the time being, the leaders of the angelic choir.

The Angel's Voices: Easy: (2+2)+1=5: Average
It takes an intrepid sort to witness someone singing themselves out of existence and subsequently think "I gotta get me some of that". Fortunately, many of your cultists have such intrepid souls.

Though undaunted, your acolytes were no fools, and so proceeded cautiously with their study. Using the Portly Madam's notes (on paper), they were able to reproduce some of her notes (musically), and carefully observed the effects. Curiously, said effects seemed to depend on the singer in an uncategorisable way- affecting some more strongly than others, but not in relation to their skill or power. After many trials, they came to the conclusion that the Portly Madam's final song was uniquely tailored to resonate with something within her- her 'Soul Song', so to speak. With this theory in hand, they tried modifying the song to what 'felt right' to each individual. The results were compelling, as the throughput of Good increased considerably with these tailored variants.
Trying to perfectly recreate one's Soul Song proved extraordinarily difficult. They hypothesize that the Portly Madam somehow achieved this feat, and with a perfect resonance, was able to channel an unlimited quantity of Good through her body- with the result that her material form (and quite possibly her soul as well) dissolved into pure Good. So, maybe the fact that they have so far been incapable of such perfection is a good safety measure- and even coming short of perfection, their results are still very impressive. The newly christened "Angel's Voices" are those who have managed to come close to replicating their Soul Song- a 90-95% match-, with the result that they can safely store and channel several times more Good than a regular Acolyte, with a greater degree of precision.

The Angel's Voices are especially effective in regards to Spellsongs, but are also more talented at conventional magical spells. As an example, their Magic Missile spells have 2-3 times the force of those fired by acolytes, and can be fired more rapidly. When leading the Song of Soothing the effects are improved, though not by a large amount as the SoS largely relies on everyone singing along. Their robes are better made than their lesser brethren, and they wear little white masks over their eyes for some reason.


Angel's Voices are capable of casting all hypothetical Uncommon Spellsongs (barring unusual circumstances), and most Uncommon non-song spells. The increased talent & training required mean they are fewer in number than Acolytes, operating in small groups of 3-4, and are Uncommon.

Sunbow Skirmishers

The Angel's army has, at it's core, the superior training and equipment of the congregation to thank for it's success up to this point. But mundane equipment and training will only take us so far, and it is well time to begin to augment things. In light of this, Her Holy Light has seen fit to teach our craftsmen the secrets of enchantment beyond that of mundane practicioners. A section of the workshops has been dedicated to learning this craft, and their first production is the Sunbow.

Each Sunbow is a shortbow of fine craftsmanship and strong wood at it's base; our bowyers have had plenty of practice in that. But the new runesmiths have given their own touches to it. Namely, the two enchantments on it; sunbows have been enhanced such that they can be fired with the force of a significantly larger bow without adding any draw weight or slowing the draw, allowing for some surprising accuracy and force in a small package. The other enchantment, and the one from which the weapon gets it's name, is the fact that arrows fired from the Sunbow are heated to burning levels in flight, catching fire shortly before impact and doing even more damage than the weapon already would.

These Sunbows, while useful on their own, are moreso in the hands of the trained Sunbow Skirmishers. The skirmishers take our archers who are quickest on their feet and the draw, and put them into a force meant to pepper the enemy formation with fiery arrows before contact, and then move quickly around the battlefield to take on targets of opportunity from useful vantage points.

Sunbow Skirmishers: Normal: (4+4)=8: Unexpected Boon
Enchantment is known to be a difficult and expensive process, requiring the efforts of several highly-trained wizards. Fortunately, this is only the case when using mortal magic. Angelic magic is far better suited for the task.
You picked a number of magically talented cultists whose skills lent themselves more to craftwork than to combat, and instructed them on the basics required. They picked things up fast, and had soon perfected the production of Sunbows. The results are very pleasing. Appearing as a recurve shortbow made of laquered hardwood, inlaid with elegant angelic script that appears to be gold- but is actually a common enamel, the golden sheen being imparted by the Good it channels. The draw weight is only marginally greater than the regular shortbows our archers wield, but upon release, the bow imparts double the force used into the arrow, drawing on ambient Good in doing so. They fire regular arrows, but once fired the heads quickly begin to heat up, and will glow as bright as the sun mere moments after release, which in addition to being rather distracting to the enemy will also deal considerably more damage- the tip becomes stronger, and will more easily pierce armour, while the burning effect continues for a second or so after lodging into a target, lighting up anything flammable and causing agonising burns to living flesh (the unnatural heat is also expected to be more effective at injuring things resistant to mundane damage). This enchantment can be disabled if desired, so as to prevent glowing arrows from betraying the user's position.
Aside from the enchantments, the bows are also very well made, and provide a major incentive for archers to join the Sunbow Skirmisher programme- they will go through the rigorous training just for a chance to lay their hands on one. Learning to run without tiring through rough terrain proves too much for some to handle, but those who make it through are hardened by the experience, and more than ready to bring pain to the dastardly demons from any angle. Aside from enhanced mobility, the Sunbow Skirmishers are also well practised in the use of their new bows, and will be able to fire their bows faster, more accurately, and at greater ranges. The cost of their bows and the rigorous training mean that they are fewer in number than regular archers, but they more than make up for this in quality.

But that's not all.

When mortals say that someone has been 'enlightened', they mean that person has achieved some great insight into the workings of the world. In the case of the Silver Markswoman, the phrase has a slightly different meaning.
It stood to reason that her skills at archery made her the perfect trainer for the Sunbow Skirmishers. She helped the runesmiths develop the bow, testing early models and providing feedback. As it happens, one of those early models was curiously (and non-replicatably) broken. The enchantments designed to imbue the arrows with the power of light instead imbued the archer. The runesmiths did not realise this at first- only after the Markswoman had fired two dozen shots did someone notice that she was beginning to glow. By this point, the 'damage' was irreversible. They stopped testing, of course, as to continue might have had catastrophic effects (everyone having heard about the Portly Madam's fate). Fortunately, the Silver Markswoman appears to be unharmed. Her skin and hair glows now- faintly, but she will never play hide-and-seek in the dark again-, but there were other effects as well. Her remarkably precise eyesight has exceeded mortal limits- making her an even more accurate shot-, and when using a Sunbow, she harmonises with the enchantments in such a way as to bolster their power. Her fervour for your cause has also increased significantly, and while exposed to sunlight, her stamina seems endless (conversely, she sleeps like a log during the night). It seemed a waste to keep her on training duty, so she has been provided with a hooded cloak to make her a bit less obvious when travelling, and approved for deployment in combat as your champion.
Her strength and resilience have not been significantly increased, and while she is a master of archery, she is less well versed in close combat- not incompetent, but not noticeably better than a regular soldier. In combat, she removes her cloak, letting the sunlight empower her (although she refused a suggestion by a cultist named Kojima that she wear nothing but underwear while fighting). There is a lot of room for improvement, but she can be expected to have a small but noticeable impact wherever she fights.


Sunbow Skirmishers are considerably more effective than conventional archers, and are also Uncommon, although their significantly smaller unit size means they will not fully supplant them.
The Silver Markswoman is a novice champion, though not ineffectual. She is currently only suitable for combat deployments. As a champion, she is obviously Unique.


It is now the Revision Phase. You have two revisions.

Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)

Heliel: The benevolent leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little they cannot do. Needless to say, they are Unique. 


Champions:
The Silver Markswoman: A female archer who was accidentally imbued with the power of light, causing her to glow, granting her improved vision, and increasing her stamina when exposed to sunlight. Wears a hooded cloak when not fighting to conceal her glowing skin & hair. An expert archer, she harmonises with her Sunbow, giving it even greater range and power. Not particularly skilled at close combat, or provided with any special equipment. Unique


Mundane Units:
Armed Cultists: Equipped with fairly respectable equipment- a well-made gambeson, padded iron cap, sturdy spear, shiny dagger, and a solid shield-, combined with rudimentary training, mean that while these are not elite warriors, they would stand a chance against a real soldier. More importantly, they're cheap and plentiful. Like regular cultists, their dedication (and communal singing) makes them more resilient mentally than civilians.  Common

Cultist Archers: Cultists who have some experience and training with a bow are valuable assets in combat, harassing the enemy from a distance. Their bows are not high-draw war-bows, but they've received training from experts that renders them better and faster shots- the equal of the average archer in a human army. Also provided with gambeson and iron cap. Like regular cultists, their dedication (and communal singing) makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Extended training programmes also increase the number of archers available, doubling the size of each unit.Uncommon

Sunbow Skirmishers: Archers provided with Sunbows- recurve shortbows enchanted to double the force imparted on arrows, and cause said arrows to glow like the sun in flight and cause burning on impact-, and rigorous training in mobility, allowing them to move around the battlefield extremely rapidly- all but regardless of terrain. Are otherwise similar to regular archers in terms of equipment. Significantly smaller units than regular archers. Uncommon

Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under the Angel. They can cast any Common spells (unless noted otherwise). Their physical strength leaves something to be desired, but their mental fortitude is even greater than regular cultists. Wear a gambeson, but forgo iron cap. There are not many Acolytes in a unit. Uncommon

Angel's Voices: Acolytes who have discovered a song that resonates with their own 'Soul Song', granting them greatly improved magical ability, especially with regard to Spellsongs. They can sing any Uncommon Spellsongs, and cast most other Uncommon spells. No more physically adept than regular Acolytes. Wear white robes sown with golden thread, and wear little white masks over their eyes. 3-4 per unit. Uncommon

Cultist Officers: Featuring a whole two tiers of military hierarchy, the sergeants and captains impart a modicum of organisation upon their fellow cultists. While not massively better than self-organised troops, it's still noticeable. They are distributed amongst all cultist units (eg Armed Cultists, Cultist Archers, Acolytes).


Summoned/Mutated Units:
Bright Shadows: Souls of fallen cultists (or other Good people), empowered with Good such that they may continue to serve in death as they did in life. Invisible and incorporeal, with an uncanny ability to find whatever they are looking for, they make for excellent spies and capable scouts. Immune to physical attack (but not magical attack). Not useful in actual combat. Uncommon
    Bright Shadow Acolytes: Bright Shadows with magical potential, who have been further empowered to enable them to utilise such. Their spellcasting ability is rather weak, and they are easier to detect. Nevertheless, invisible spellcasters are nothing to sneer at. Rare

Shadow Walkers: Former criminal types, who found redemption under Heliel, and now serve her cause fanatically. They have been augmented with minor mutations that improve their stealth ability, and are skilled in all manner of underhanded activities. Uncommon

Chosen Apostles: Acolytes with a companion Orator Cherub bound to their souls. The Orator Cherub is a very minor angelic being with mastery of rhetoric, which both provides the Apostle with a script and augments their voice with angelic energy. Rare


Monsters:
Wyvern Harriers: Large (horse+ size) reptiles, their front limbs are powerful wings that (combined with inherent magic) enable them to fly. They can augment their breath into gale-force winds, though only once every few minutes. Scales provide moderate natural armour, though their wing membranes are vulnerable. Not particularly intelligent. Each 'unit' consists of a single Wyvern. Uncommon
   Wyvern Riders: An uncomfortable saddle (for both rider and ride) with simply awful safety, combined with a wyvern's unease at having a rider, render these unlikely to see much use.


Spells/Rituals:
Magic Missile: Known by many names, the simple technique of blasting your opponent with raw Magic/Good/Evil is a tried and true method of making things go away. Efficacy increases with caster's mental might, and decreases with the target's. Common
    Major Missile: A more powerful, but also more draining version of Magic Missile. Produces a stronger blast than the standard Magic Missile, but can only be cast a few times (depending on strength) before the user is drained of their spellcasting reserves. The user has a limited ability to direct the missile in flight. Common

Heliel's Love: A very efficient basic healing spell. A slight touch and channelling of angelic love initiates a self-sustaining healing process that can heal up to moderately serious injuries and diseases fairly rapidly. The magic has lingering effects even after healing is complete, leaving the subject healthier and more resilient for a few hours afterwards. Heliel casts this magic automatically on all in her vicinity (unless specifically choosing not to). Common
    Mass Heliel's Love: A markedly less efficient variant of Heliel's Love, that affects all targets in a small area (~15 at a time). The healing effect is reduced, to the point where even stabilising moderately serious injuries is a gamble- sometimes doing enough for the patient to survive until more personalised healing can be applied, other times only giving the appearance thereof. It cannot be cast as often as Heliel's Love, but is still Common

Song of Soothing: A spellsong developed to heal and fortify the mind. The song must be initiated by a magic user, but once sufficient numbers are singing along it becomes self-sustaining. Cannot be used by or affect the undead. Common
   Refrain of Regret: An inverted version of Song of Soothing. Listeners are compelled to sing along, thereby weakening their minds. This includes friendly targets. It is also not self-sustaining, as continued exposure renders one incapable of lending energy to the music. Common



Infiltration Techniques:
Proselytise: Cultists go forth and spread the Good word, finding those sympathetic to their cause and slowly winning them over. Not the fastest way of gaining converts, as baseline cultists are not expert missionaries, but it keeps the cult growing. Common
    Travelling Medics: Acolytes accompany proselytising missions, curing the sick and injured in order to win over the local population. Uncommon
   
Spy: Agents of Heliel travel the land, seeking secrets, while going unnoticed themselves. Does not directly increase influence, but aids in most other infiltration endeavours. Bright Shadows are most suitable for this role (Shadow Walkers can also help). Common

Exploit Intelligence: Using information gathered by other infiltrators, agents go forth to advance the Good cause while hindering Evil. Covers all manner of activity; theft, sabotage, blackmail, intimidation, even murder- all at the expense of the unrighteous, of course. Not extremely effective due to lack of specialisation, but not bad either. Shadow Walkers are most effective at this. Uncommon
   Inquisition: More specialised towards the uncovering and elimination of demonic agents, especially high-value targets. Does little to actively advance the Good cause, but can throw Evil operations into disarray. Rare


Infrastructure:
Basic Training Camps: Rudimentary facilities, where cultists learn the basics of combat and warfare. Singing is integrated into the training programme, serving to boost morale.
    Basic Officer Training: A stumbling, amateurish step towards proper military organisation, the officers trained thus are still better than leaders chosen in the moment.
   
Military Workshops: A series of mines, smelters, forges and workshops that provide the forces of Good with arms and armour.

Spoiler: Secret Equipment (click to show/hide)

Monks of Minos: Half man, half bull, all pacifist. Strong, tough, and capable of channelling small amounts of Good into their strikes, these monks are built for war- but their minds have, over many generations, been honed for peace. Very effective warriors, despite their reluctance to cause unnecessary suffering and their rigid adherence to their brand of martial arts. Fight in tiny squads of 3-4 minotaurs. Uncommon

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

DARRIN (Combat)
Dry Plains: 4/4 | 0/4
Mountain Passes: 3/4 | 1/4
Rice Terraces: 0/4 | 4/4

LESIMOR (Influence)
Fortified Frontier: 3/5 | 1/5
Lawless Capital: 3/5 | 2/5
Scholarly Towers: 2/5 | 3/5

XA-NAM (Combat)
River Delta: 4/4 | 0/4
River Crossings: 3/4 | 1/4
Light Jungle: 0/4 | 4/4

DOLGOTH (Influence)
Trade City: 3/5 | 2/5
Ostentatious Capital: 2/5 | 2/5
Wartorn Wastes: 2/5 | 3/5

[m1895]

Improved Officer Training

Our officers have helped us win several battles so far, but the training course can be improved with both the hard won experience of our old veterans and the knowledge of our newly acquired professional officers .
The most notable change is the addition of a new officer rank: The Major. Majors command several units, usually different types for tactical flexibility, and are drawn from the most experienced captains. As well as that, we've solidified the rank of General, previously selected by raffle or election, while this won't improve their strategic efforts much, it will ensure we have a stable, longterm strategy.
Finally, we'll have the professional officers we've just acquired take a look at our basic training program and correct any egregious errors.
just posting this again, who knows, maybe someone will want it.