Nations - MA, CBM 1.6, max lvl 6, NI, Assimilation - Olm/Man and Louist/Ulm win!

[Valerius]

Sounds like I missed a good fight. I don't know what I was thinking not leaving a scout on Arco's cap.

However Olm, I'm not sure just how nervous you are given how my forts are beginning to fall at an alarming pace. I of course wasn't going to say anything, but what you're doing now was exactly the approach to take to my piling troops into a handful of forts. Since I don't have enough troops to make all of them impervious to siege you can keep switching around to target the weak ones. Even if the walls aren't breached the first turn, I'll still have trouble getting reinforcements there.

[Olm]

Originally Posted by Valerius

Sounds like I missed a good fight. I don't know what I was thinking not leaving a scout on Arco's cap.

However Olm, I'm not sure just how nervous you are given how my forts are beginning to fall at an alarming pace. I of course wasn't going to say anything, but what you're doing now was exactly the approach to take to my piling troops into a handful of forts. Since I don't have enough troops to make all of them impervious to siege you can keep switching around to target the weak ones. Even if the walls aren't breached the first turn, I'll still have trouble getting reinforcements there.

As you started to disease my large sieging party I panicked a little bit and retreated to rethink the situation.
My playstyle is rather defensive and the diseases (your charms and the stream in Retha) discouraged me. I still don't like to leave that large force behind me, but I see no other way to achieve something.
And remember, its essentially my first MP game, so perhaps I need a little bit longer to figure things out.

Your Bane Venom Charms are very effective, they diseased lots and lots of my mages. I would even go as far as to call them overpowered for the price especially thinking what a strong death nation can do with them. But on the other hand my bards are probably equally effective, if I look at your income. And the everywhere-build wardens also give you hell. MA Man is described as a rather weak nation in the tactics guides. I cannot agree with that.

[Olm]

A knock at my chamber door. "Come" I demand. The hinges squeak and a daughter in white enters the room. "I's time, mother." "I come."
Without further preparations I rise from my desk and follow the girl. It is two hours before dawn, but I expected the call and prepared everything. All that is necessary is on me. I wrote my last will shortly after the disease got me and it lies on my desk. Since midnight I have just been waiting and meditating. And my mind is not made up yet. Since the meeting at noon yesterday it revolves around the task before us. It is daunting, frightening, but then it is something to do.

For months our lot of diseased crones where just fading away, with nothing to do. It was depressing. But then, yesterday, we were told to gather in the hall, and there the Mistress, may she live and rule forever, spoke to us in a vision. She had a task that needed doing. A difficult task. A very dangerous task. And thats why we were chosen. We are doomed, sure to die in a few month. But we are still mighty mages. So the Mistress told us of the mightiest champion of the enemy. His prophet. A Pan called Ares. A very strong mage of earth and nature. Equipped with mighty gear he is almost impregnable. Even a large force with lots of Knights of Avalon could only win a battle against him, but not kill him. Thats now our task, to kill this mighty warrior.

We are seven, all diseased to the death. But as I see the others I know, they are as resolved as I am. We nod to each other, everyone knows what to do. Then everyone takes her three air gems and invokes the spell. And all seven of us are taken away by strong winds to a distant province where the battle awaits.

[Olm]

We arrive and are greeted by the scout party in this province. A mother and five bards, so we are twelve now. The bards lead us to the field camp of the Pan. We take positions and start the attack. The camp has magical defenses, so we cannot surprise him. We advance and he starts his spells, strengtheneing himself for the fight. The Mistress figured out a weakness against poison, so the plan is to attack him him with poison and sleep clouds while phantasms keep him from just chopping us up. But he is not alone, a small force accompanies him. Not much, but we are defenseless, so most of us concentrate on them instead of Ares. They go down easily, but where is Ares? I cannot see him. A scream! I turn around, and there he is, just in the middle of our formation. And at his feet lies Gunhild, or whats left of her. He has winged shoes. We need time! Sprites, I call on them without thinking. The others react instinctively too. In seconds the Pan is covered in vines surrounded by Dragonflies and my sprites. Its effective. He is immobilized, cannot harm us. So we blast away with all we have. Most of us use Streams of Life, but I see other spells too.

Its just impossible how many spells he just shrugs off. Spell after Spell, and he doesn't care. And then its over. just so. The last Stream of Life just got through somehow and the mighty Ares, hero of countless battles is dead. We did it.
What do I feel? Relief mixes with exhaustion. And sure there is some pride. But one thought dominates: I lived the day, but it was probably my last great deed. I will not die today. But for sure tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or another day in near future. We were victorious against one of the mightiest heroes of the world. But there is no victory, against the disease. And the days will become darker and darker. Perhaps today Gunhild was the luckiest of us seven.