MP: Fame and Riches - game ended, Numahr - Agartha won!

[Anaconda]

When the gathering was over and the high priests were off with their duties (one of the youngest without his tongue) the prophet Johannes Kurkunkastaja made the catamites write down the details
of what he had seen during his nightly trance.

Only one false god seem to be alive, it was the dead fish, a rising serpent with two heads. And on the each of the two heads there were written mocking names for the true believers. The dead fish seems to be spreading his influence fastest, making him the one that most worried Johannes. The dead fish's armies had conquered already five provinces, hinting the dead fish had got two field armies since the second moon, and the worm seemed to have strong aura of dominion, also. It was this smell of dead, rotting fish that made Machaka people sick and, if weak or sick already, die only in hours.

The other contestors seemed still be stirring in their slumber, based on the fact that no rumors of extremely powerfull entities with or without field armies had been spreading around yet, nor any significant research break throughs havent been made either.

While the dead fish's lands grew larger by every passing moon, the rich kings and mystics from the East were right after him. Johannes was right, he knew it, by stating that they bought their armies with endless mountains of gold. Mystics and kings from the East had also fielded two armies marching different directions. This endless wealth could only be a work of geniuos master of coins, and it proposes the kings and mystics from the East had a strong economical output in their lands.

The ape-folk, of who Machaka often ridiculed, were not a subject for laughters anymore. They seem to have over taxed their own people and had bought foreign mercenaries aid their own, weak infantry. They also had several raiding parties, it seemed, but what happens when the mercenary contracts end? Johannes also knew the ape-folk being paying over-price for their contracts, because he had made some contract inquiries him self. Because the mystics and kings of the East were so rich, maybe they were up for some mercenary contracts after the ape-folk lost their extra cash? The ape-folk and the mystics from the East seemed to have claimed four territories, placing them second larges nations just after the dead fish, who had five.

Other people seemed to remain carefull and modest conquering simply single territories, one after another. They now hold three provinces. Slow motion was of course the safest way, but it also surrenders leverage to those who field several different armies at the same time. It would remain to be seen how long the top three contestors could be claiming two new terrotories every turn. At least the kings and mystics from the East seemed to have a whole bunch of sacred troops with them, most likely those abominable flying men Johannes had seen in his fever tormented trance, because the upkeep seems to be way too cheap.

And yet the exploits of war had not brought magic gem income for any of the false gods. Dead fish apparently rushed into some, not-so-well hidden water gem stash. Johannes was happy that the Machaka people had made friends with a village of some woodland critters who willingly gave up theirs small stash of gems, placing Machaka and the dead fish ahead of the curve.

When Johannes had almost done with his keeper of the scrolls, a winded and fainting messenger arrived from north. The man was a member of Machaka field army and brought a word from one of the most prominent of men, the commander of Machaka armies and a hero of unsurpassed strenght, Chief Mganga. The commander was resting with his army at the coast, when water started bubbling and soon exploded to the sky making the sea rain all over the Machaka armies. Simple infantry men ran for their lives, but the commander had stayed behind with his spiders and saw what monstrous, foul beings were rising to the surface from the deepest holes of the sea floor... but before the messenger could finish, he passed out and soon after died without ever coming to his senses again. What killed him was the same sickness that tormented city folk yesterday.