Turn 19

Captured Ermor's capitol with no real opposition, so I'm back where I was a few turns ago... I'm not quite drunk enough to find that funny. I'm going to go pour another scotch.

Hmmm... that's good. I'll find it funny in a few minutes.

So, I see that the reason Vanheim attacked Ashdod's province last turn was to provide an escape route for worst case scenarios. Should have realized that many hours ago, but I didn't. Now he's probably got a lab in that province and will use it to CT somewhere. Anyone want to give odds for where?

Eiru keeps casting remote unit spawning spells to take my provinces and slow my income, while Vanheim marches up with his skin shifters, and another of their team is casting seeking arrow on me to kill my mage lead. They are working as a team picking us off in the south one by one. Unless I get my evoc. research up to lv. 7 for shimmering fields im not sure what chance I have down here.

Hah! nice victory against marignon in the south. I beat the large of his armies and he now has no mages on the front lines. Lost 3 mages and 51 troops killing 104 troops and 3 commanders(two grandmasters). I need to figure out my next step, because he is still pushing reasonably hard - but I doubt he's going to be happy - or be likely to push quite as much as he could.

Machaka - feel free to go take his fort now if you like. You accomplished what I needed - he didn't get behind my cap. Now if you can cut off reinforcements, I would be golden.

I wouldn't be surprised if atul comes for me with his pretender. he might go for ermor though as well. What the vets need right now is either further success in the south(killing me) or slowing us down in the north(at ermor).

Well, Melnorjr, seems like you scattered the Marignon army to other provinces. This is good, since my force needs to pressure Marignon's fortress or move to engage their army in my provinces farther north. I needed to alchemize fire gems this turn to fuel my drake production. The unfortunate truth is that fire is my LOWEST income aside from water which I just started remote searching for last turn. Not quite how I expected these things to turn out, but hey, I'm getting 12 fire drakes this turn to add on to my 9 15 already. Should be worth something, right?

Melnorjr, want me to search that swamp for something before you take it back?

Anyway, I forged a thistle mace because of all the demand for one. I can use it, but if anyone has particular need then I can send one.

LumenPlacidum wrote:Well, Melnorjr, seems like you scattered the Marignon army to other provinces. This is good, since my force needs to pressure Marignon's fortress or move to engage their army in my provinces farther north. I needed to alchemize fire gems this turn to fuel my drake production. The unfortunate truth is that fire is my LOWEST income aside from water which I just started remote searching for last turn. Not quite how I expected these things to turn out, but hey, I'm getting 12 fire drakes this turn to add on to my 9 already. Should be worth something, right?

Melnorjr, want me to search that swamp for something before you take it back?

Anyway, I forged a thistle mace because of all the demand for one. I can use it, but if anyone has particular need then I can send one.

don't worry about site searching. I can search the vast majority of things I at all need. if you want to remote sitesearch it as you leave I've no objection though - but only if you want to.

Low priority request: Some seeking arrows in province 33 would be nice, but if anybody else needs them somewhere, or air gems are running low, then don't worry about it. things are under control at the moment here.

melnorjr wrote:Low priority request: Some seeking arrows in province 33 would be nice, but if anybody else needs them somewhere, or air gems are running low, then don't worry about it. things are under control at the moment here.

lol its too bad, I have three unused air gems, and found a province with an air site in it last turn, but it was yoinked.

I need a thistle mace, pleeease!

I also still really need skull mentors! Ulm's research sucks! I need to get a little boost so that I can have some decent thug/SC defense!

Can someone cast vengeance of the dead? Two great targets:
1) Bercan the Tuatha (hall of fame) in Delca (104) just south of my capital and west of Caelum's fort. He has a frost brand and shield of gleaming gold protecting him. It'd be nice to take him out. 17 magic resistance.
2) Coulath the Sidhe Lord from the hall of fame is in Zenthra (185), 3 provinces to the east of the western ocean, equidistant from north and south. This guy has no items and isn't a capital-only mage like Bercan so Bercan is the priority.

I took Eriu's fortress at 181 this turn. He's down to 3 forts and I'm pummeling away at his provinces as best I can. Eriu is 1S of my position at 181, but it will be awhile before I can siege it successfully. I will stack troops inside and defend it to the death, though.

He tried to defend 181 with 14 commanders and 63 troops, but for some reason decided to stack all 14 mages in the center and evoke me to death. I had 217 troops, and he killed 92, but I killed 42 of his and more importantly 7 very expensive commanders (he killed none of my commanders, who were all 40 gold indies anyway as I frantically attempt to bring mages of my own to the front). What he should have done, IMO, was designate 3 of his guys as mistform thugs (possibly with a cheap shield and magic weapon) and bless/mistform/resist lightning/hold/hold/attack closest and put them on the front lines so that none of my flankers could get in. As it was, he blew a lot of evocation on staggered chaff squads that I had set up and once my black halberdiers closed in they slowly started taking his guys apart, and I think that he shockwaved a couple people too. I got at least 2 more once his squads routed (which was quicker than he expected because my archers were on fire archers and 3/4 of his support troops were firbolg slingers.

I forgot to mention last turn, but Caelum: If you can cast frozen heart, it is basically the vandrott (and by extension, sidhe lord/tuatha, since they're very close) destroying spell. Tons of damage to them and they freeze solid, making them easier to hit, and all it takes is a 1W mage. I've been one-shotted by it before with Vandrotts. Spam the crap out of it if you face Eriu! If you have high blood magic then obviously leech is awesome too, but it sounded like you were going for evocation.

Who needs a shield of gleaming gold, or a dwarven hammer (if you are forging non-earth/non-fire items)?

I'm attacking 100 (indies) and 185 (Eriu took last turn).

OK, took back 329 from Vanheim light PD and Black Hawks(why those? to pillage?). The Father of Winter has indeed retreated to 320 (just north of Ashdod's cap), where there is almost certainly a lab. Expect him to CT out next turn, so if you're a likely target (C'tis?), you may want to take countermeasures if possible (I don't think I horror-marked him quite enough for him to retire from combat just yet). Viccio, what's your Blood research look like? Are you close to any of the remote Horror attack spells? Those might be the best way to deal with the FoW (just keep racking up horror marks until he's getting visited by Doom Horrors every other turn).

C'tis, do you have the Ermorian situation in hand? Ashdod is now threatening me (but also opening himself up on another front) from the south - am I safe to concentrate on him fully?

Regarding Ashdod, I see he just roughed up Shinuyama pretty bad at 302. He's got 4 Adons, 2 S2, and 2 E2 geared as thugs (Horror Helmets, Brands, luck, protection, and MR gear, but no flying), and an S2 Rephaite Sage. The Adons and Sage are prime targets for Magic Duel - melnorjr, how's Arco's mage situation looking? You have anything left in the tank after fighting off Marignon?

I noticed Shinuyama had trouble landing Rust Mist accurately, and I know Squirrelloid has requested Eyes of Aiming before. Stretch, if you want to send me that Hammer and those Air gems, I'll see if I can start supplying those to Shinu.

Noob Gold Total - 335,186
Noob Gem Total - 1,771

Vet Gold Total - 138,923
Vet Gem Total - 969

The per turn incomes seem to be swinging more and more in your guys' favor. This last turn you got more than twice as many gems and over 3 times the gold.

Air gems and hammer sent this turn.

TwoBits wrote:OK, took back 329 from Vanheim light PD and Black Hawks(why those? to pillage?). The Father of Winter has indeed retreated to 320 (just north of Ashdod's cap), where there is almost certainly a lab. Expect him to CT out next turn, so if you're a likely target (C'tis?), you may want to take countermeasures if possible (I don't think I horror-marked him quite enough for him to retire from combat just yet). Viccio, what's your Blood research look like? Are you close to any of the remote Horror attack spells? Those might be the best way to deal with the FoW (just keep racking up horror marks until he's getting visited by Doom Horrors every other turn).

C'tis, do you have the Ermorian situation in hand? Ashdod is now threatening me (but also opening himself up on another front) from the south - am I safe to concentrate on him fully?

Regarding Ashdod, I see he just roughed up Shinuyama pretty bad at 302. He's got 4 Adons, 2 S2, and 2 E2 geared as thugs (Horror Helmets, Brands, luck, protection, and MR gear, but no flying), and an S2 Rephaite Sage. The Adons and Sage are prime targets for Magic Duel - melnorjr, how's Arco's mage situation looking? You have anything left in the tank after fighting off Marignon?

I noticed Shinuyama had trouble landing Rust Mist accurately, and I know Squirrelloid has requested Eyes of Aiming before. Stretch, if you want to send me that Hammer and those Air gems, I'll see if I can start supplying those to Shinu.

I've got them, but marignon still has two armies in my land.

Sorry, I need them here. Besides, they aren't in a province with a lab anyway. lol

I siged a fort of Eriu (146) and continuing guerrilla war against Vanheim

OK, that's what I figured. Good luck down there!

Well, I've got one last S4 Arch Theurg (for now), who will hit 302 with Magic Duelx2 (I watched the battle vs Shinuyama again, and saw that the Sage retreated, so there's only the two S2 Adons there - time for me to have some good MD luck finally!).

I'm also moving significant forces to my two neighboring provinces of 302, including 2 Arch Theurgs and 7 Theurgs. Arch Theurgs will cast Stellar Cascades, and the Theurgs Magic Duel (a much cheaper way to go since they only cost 150gp) and Stellar Cascades (presuming they survive MDing). Either of those two forces should have a good chance of stopping Ashdod if he decides to strike north. If not, and he continues to attack Shinu, I can combine my forces and go on the offensive the next turn, with plenty of magic/communion support, attacking 302 first and proceeding from there.

Of course, like most of my plans, events (like stupid SC pretenders dropping in, grrr ) may necessitate a change. But that's what I'm thinking for now.

viccio wrote:I siged a fort of Eriu (146) and continuing guerrilla war against Vanheim

Viccio, what's your Blood research at these days? Are you blood-hunting much?

Pangaea, what about you? Done any hunting yet?

I still think Abysia casting horror-type spells might be the best way (or at least one way) to deal with the FoW and maybe other enemy SCs.

2 turn for Blood 5 (send lesser horror) i have 2 mage in 2 province for Blood Hounting (30 blood slaves for now)

viccio wrote:2 turn for Blood 5 (send lesser horror) i have 2 mage in 2 province for Blood Hounting (30 blood slaves for now)

Your well ahead of me in blood (I'll be at 2 soon) and only have about 20 slaves. Do you have any mages or indies with native nature? I could send you enough nature gems to possibly enable you to cast rain of toads on Ashdod's capital ahead of me.

i'm sorry, i don't have any province with jaguar priest...

Well didn't get attacked by the big bad SC. So here is my turn:

Took the last water Prov in North.

Going to attack Prov 224 to reopen a route to attack TC.

Getting all my forces into Prov 222, to fortify my fort and begin to move West.

Casting lots of Golumn spells.

Quick Map View:

The Deva showed up in 245, routed one of my armies.

Only one attacked planned vs Ashdod in 277.

Viccio, I'm sending you 50 nature gems. That is enough to empower one of your b3 blood mages and enable him to start casting rain of toads on Ashdod's captital. Anyone else with extra nature gems send them to Abyssia for now.