[RedRover]

TURN 121-125
Crud! The capital lab burned down. The Fires from Afar, Horrors, Mind Hunts, and Philosopher’s Stone are all offline this turn. Everybody who can blood-hunts while the Lab is rebuilt. Pythium dies now (turn 121), worse luck. I will need to deal with Ulm, soon.

I’ve been kicked decisively out of Man’s coastal provinces with the loss of 4 Leaders and 116 troops! I can’t afford these losses to the sea forces. I spend much time rallying the fragments on my coast and sending them back to the deeps. Local commanders report the situation at sea is…“fluid.”

I've started a Druid casting Beckoning, and he is killing 30-40 of Man's troops a turn with it. This is really helping me thin out his armies massed in Forest provinces. On the other hand, in spite of brief visits north, the Wild Hunt has stayed pretty much on the southern continent; a real bust of a global in this game.

Greater Horrors prove to be fun, but it’s too easy to go overboard and run out of Blood Slaves. So far my results are that they generally disrupt the enemy somewhat, but unless I’m lucky enough to actually hit near a command group, they haven’t been causing general routing. They certainly aren't proving as effective against Man hordes as the Lesser Horrors were against the C'tis Ghouls. After trying this a few times, I’m thinking that one Horror per 100 enemy troops is the best ratio to send...and I do send, and send, and ...need more slaves.

Ulm declares war turn 123. I have been fighting to establish my dominion in the desert area, but aside from my southern fort, it has been really hard to change the local dominion, even though I have been building Temples in most provinces, flooding the area with cheap priests and using Blood Sacrifices lavishly. Ulm strongly holds the fertile provinces south of the desert lands, and has been massing troops there.

On the west continent, by the end of turn 125, I own just about everything on the north and east of the mountain line. I will probably extend to the old Caelum capital (located on the west coast of the west continent, second coastal province south from top) by the time I get Crumble. I plan to use that to take that fort, then wheel down, clearing everything west of the river line. We’ll see how it works out. By this time, I have one Devil pack (11-14, led by an Arch Devil) operating on the west continent, one just arriving, and a third almost built at the capital.

I’ve been using Raven Feast to clean up the big battlefields. As a source of Death gems, it’s been a bit of a disappointment (like I have much use for Death gems, anyway), but I figure it's less potential Death magic for the enemy, so why not?

Treasury (turn 125): 1,217; gems 38F/11A/20W/21E/22S/26D/26N + 82B this turn. Schools: Conj 8, Alt 6, Evo 8, Cons 8, Ench 8, Thaum 7, Blo 8.