Jotunheim:Utgard AAR

[Arryn]

The start of Turn #31 ...

overview (1280x1024)

Please note the location of provinces controlled by Atlantis, Man, Pangaea (lower right map corner), Ulm, and Vanheim.

[ February 28, 2004, 21:28: Message edited by: Arryn ]

[Arryn]

Turn #31, Fall of Year 3
Setting sun.

Part 1 of 2

This month, no travellers bring word from afar of events in distant lands.

The battle in Barra between Jorgun and 3 indy commanders plus 32 assorted heavy footmen and fanatics was quite lopsided, and not worthy of being recounted in detail. Once again, the wyrm fed well. My avatar counts 11 more kills and 13 trophies from this battle.

Oedre reports from the Rim Mountains than an independent force of 8 knights and 6 fanatics kills Man's lone monk defender, taking over control of the province. Man's pretender, a sentient rock monolith, is getting desperate. The 70-odd troops within their fortress are just slingers and fanatics, too weak to repel any attack that might breach their walls. Man's ill-fortune is fortuitous for me, and alters my plans. As there is now an independent province directly adjacent to Man's capital, and with Man so weak, the time is at hand to strike at them before Vanheim or Atlantis can do so first.

The final piece of good tidings this month is word from my prophet that my army has breached the walls of Ashikaga!

I am, again, fortunate in that the wizard, Pagobar, whom I recuited at the Academy of High Magics in the Black Alps, possesses the skill in that I seek, this time in earth magics (2E & 1B).

My researchers achieve mastery of the fourth level of Evocation magics and the third level of Thaumaturgy. The fifth level of Evocation is expected by next month. With the forging of Earth Boots for my earth mages, one of them will be able to craft a Dwarven Hammer once a sufficient supply of gems can be stockpiled. Other useful earth items that I intend to craft in the future include a Gate Cleaver and Stymphalian Wings.

My realm has:

• ___7 Dominion max.
• __12 Temples
• __31 Provinces converted
• _808 Treasury.
• 1348 Income. (+67)
• _452 Upkeep. (+46)

• 21 Provinces controlled
• Jotunheim: Dom=7, PD=25, Unr=0
• Zenthra: Dom=7, PD=10, Unr=0
• Eribon: Dom=3, PD=10, Unr=0
• Gwyrth: Dom=5, PD=10, Unr=0
• Iron Range: Dom=6, PD=10, Unr=0
• Saetica: Dom=1, PD=10, Unr=0
• Black Alps: Dom=6, PD=10, Unr=0
• Ancyrna: Dom=2, PD=10, Unr=0
• The Promised Land: Dom=-1, PD=20, Unr=0
• Bel: Dom=3, PD=10, Unr=0
• Ashikaga: Dom=-3, PD=0, Unr=19 (under seige)
• Pythium: Dom=7, PD=10, Unr=0
• Barra: Dom=-1, PD=0, Unr=20
• Robber Home: Dom=0, PD=20, Unr=0
• Hoburgdorf: Dom=4, PD=20, Unr=0
• Feral Woods: Dom=3, PD=10, Unr=0
• Ultima Typhia: Dom=6, PD=10, Unr=0
• Well of All Waters: Dom=7, PD=10, Unr=0
• Kepess: Dom=1, PD=15, Unr=0
• Melma: Dom=4, PD=20, Unr=0
• Herghendorf: Dom=2, PD=20, Unr=0

Gem income is:

• +_2 Fire (05)
• +_0 Air (--)
• +_6 Water (10)
• +_3 Earth (04)
• +15 Astral (14) (includes 9 Clams)
• +_2 Death (08)
• +_8 Nature (45)

Magical knowledge (stars denote schools being researched):

• 7-Conjuration
• 3-Alteration
• 4-Evocation*
• 6-Construction
• 5-Enchantment
• 3-Thaumaturgy*
• 0-Blood Magic
• 181 RPs (of 229 available at labs)

To be continued in Part 2 ...

[Arryn]

Turn #31, Fall of Year 3
Setting sun.

Part 2 of 2

I recruit another 5 Jotun spearmen and a Scout in Pythium, and another Scout in Eribon. I raise 20 provincial defenders in Barra. Temples are to be built in Kepess and in The Promised Land. These preparations drain the treasury of 800 coins.

Having elminated the unrest in The Promised Land, I raise taxes there back to normal, while lowering the taxes in Barra to zero to quell the unrest caused by this most recent battle.

The Skratti Tunne forges another Clam of Pearls, at a cost of 10 water gems. The Norna Skade casts the global ritual Gift of Health, for which I allot 41 nature gems. Two of my Seithkona forge Spell Focuses, expending 10 of my astral pearls. And one of my Enchantresses forges a Sceptre of Authority, which consumes all 5 fire gems in the treasury.

Ualgo moves to The Promised Land on his way westwards to build a castle in one of my western border provinces with Man/Vanheim.

Tahmar with a dozen fresh Jotun recruits, heads out from Pythium to Hoburgdorf. (Due to a misclick after I did the screenshot Last turn, he failed to move. He's doing so now. Not a significant error, as it turns out, since the seige of Ashikaga is over.)

Grymis, Bove, Rod, 3 priests, 65 Jotun spearmen, 9 Vine ogres (as bodyguards), 4 Jotun huskarls (as bodyguards), and 3 Jotun axemen (as bodyguards) all storm the Ashikagan citadel. The sun is, permanently, setting on the Ashikagan Shogunate this month.

Jorgun, my wyrm, moves into the much-disputed Rim Mountains, where he'll feast nicely upon the double-handful of indy knights and fanatics waiting for him.

Turn #31 plotted movement (1280x1024)
Please note the location of a R'leyh province at the far right center of the map. Thin blue lines are moving scouts, thick ones are troops and/or priests.

[ February 28, 2004, 21:28: Message edited by: Arryn ]

[Arryn]

The start of Turn #32 ...

overview (1280x1024)

Please note the location of provinces controlled by Atlantis, Man, Pangaea, Ulm, and Vanheim. R'leyh is out of view to the northeast.

[ February 28, 2004, 21:27: Message edited by: Arryn ]

[Arryn]

Turn #32, Late Fall of Year 3
The curtain has fallen.

Part 1 of 2

The people of my domain receive the Gift of Health, via the Norna Skade, who successfully completes the moderately complex ritual.

The monolith of Man, its realm now reduced to just the capital, and fearful of enemies all around, invokes the ritual of Dark Skies over its domain. This may make storming their fortress appreciably more difficult for my Jotuns several months hence.

In heartfelt gratitude and celebrating my impending victory over Ashikaga, a festival is held in my honor in the Black Alps, increasing the strength of the faith in the province.

In the Rim Mountains, Jorgun faces 2 knight commanders, 6 knights, and 6 fanatics. The mounted troops charge, but inflict little harm on my wyrm. Within moments, all of the knights save one commander are bLasted unconscious by Jorgun's Astral Shield enchantment. The remaining knight commander routs and the fanatics turn about and flee as well, never having even gotten close to the wyrm. Jorgun proceeds to feast upon the fine equine and human flesh of the seven knights at his leisure. My avatar counts 3 more kills and 12 trophies from this battle.

The following two images show the dispositions of both sides at the start of the battle for the citadel of Ashikaga:

My army (1174x1004)

Ashikagans (1174x1004)

My troops face the pretender Arriod the Nataraja, who has paths of 7A/5D/5N, possesses no magic items and has only 1 star of experience. Arriod's stats are: 138HPs, 4Prot, 30Mrl, 19MR, 25Str, 12Att, 12Def, 20Prec. The Ashikagan commanders are two Senin Masters, one Jonin, and one Taisho Daimyo. Their troops only muster 5 samurai horsemen, 4 samurai bowmen, 4 yamabushi monks, and 19 ashigaru spearmen. A pathetic force compared to my field army.

The enemy pretender casts Berserkers, and then kills a Jotun with a Lightning Bolt. The yamabushi and ashigaru of the enemy's right flank sally forth from the citadel, only to get slaughtered by the front rank of my Jotuns. Arriod followed behind the yamabushi and ashigaru to stand in the breach in the outer wall's gate. The nataraja cuts down three more of my Jotuns before he is impaled in return by the now-vengeful giants. The daimyo, just behind the inner gate, is then killed by a Flame Bolt from Donner. Moments later, the vanguard of my giants enter the courtyard, and the jonin is promptly skewered before he even has an opportunity to strike a blow. The remaining ashigaru make a half-hearted attempt to stand before the tide of giants, but break and run after the Jotun front rank kills a third of their number without taking casualties in return. Within a couple of more moments both senin are overrun and slain. Leaderless, the bowman flee -- only to be hunted down and killed later, having nowhere to hide. In the battle, I lose a total of just 8 of my Jotun spearmen, only 1/8th of my attacking giants. Bove gains 4 trophies from this brief experience. Ashikaga's magical sites boost my gem income by a most welcome 2 fire, 3 water, and 1 death.

The eradication of Ashikagan influence has immediately and dramatically increased the strength of my dominion, with 13 new provinces coming into my faith.

(I must admit to being unpleasantly surprised at the expansive presence of Pangaea to the southeast of my realm, when earlier scouting showed that Marignon-controlled lands lay in that direction. I suspect that Marignon and Pangaea have been at war, for Pangaea to have expanded all the way to my borders. The scouts that are now fanning out along this front, which should have been recruited many months ago, will ensure that I am henceforth properly informed. Since I dislike unpleasant surprises, I have promoted my previous, human, master of scouts into a new task that even he could not fail at, that of being wyrm-food. It was a short, but delicious career change.)

My researchers achieve mastery of the fifth level of Evocation magics. The fifth level of Thaumaturgy is expected by next month.

My realm has:

• ___7 Dominion max.
• __14 Temples
• __31 Provinces converted
• _916 Treasury.
• 1376 Income. (+28)
• _449 Upkeep. (-3)

• 22 Provinces controlled
• Jotunheim: Dom=7, PD=25, Unr=0
• Zenthra: Dom=6, PD=10, Unr=0
• Eribon: Dom=3, PD=10, Unr=0
• Gwyrth: Dom=6, PD=10, Unr=0
• Iron Range: Dom=6, PD=10, Unr=0
• Saetica: Dom=3, PD=10, Unr=0
• Black Alps: Dom=7, PD=10, Unr=0
• Rim Mountains: Dom=2, PD=0, Unr=9
• Ancyrna: Dom=3, PD=10, Unr=0
• The Promised Land: Dom=0, PD=20, Unr=0
• Bel: Dom=3, PD=10, Unr=0
• Ashikaga: Dom=0, PD=0, Unr=21
• Pythium: Dom=7, PD=10, Unr=0
• Barra: Dom=-1, PD=20, Unr=1
• Robber Home: Dom=1, PD=20, Unr=0
• Hoburgdorf: Dom=4, PD=20, Unr=0
• Feral Woods: Dom=5, PD=10, Unr=0
• Ultima Typhia: Dom=6, PD=10, Unr=0
• Well of All Waters: Dom=7, PD=10, Unr=0
• Kepess: Dom=1, PD=15, Unr=0
• Melma: Dom=4, PD=20, Unr=0
• Herghendorf: Dom=3, PD=20, Unr=0

Gem income is:

• +_4 Fire (04)
• +_0 Air (--)
• +_9 Water (09)
• +_3 Earth (07)
• +16 Astral (19) (includes 10 Clams)
• +_3 Death (11)
• +_8 Nature (12)

Magical knowledge (stars denote schools being researched):

• 7-Conjuration
• 3-Alteration
• 5-Evocation*
• 6-Construction
• 5-Enchantment
• 3-Thaumaturgy*
• 0-Blood Magic
• 219 RPs (of 230 available at labs)

To be continued in Part 2 ...

[ March 01, 2004, 23:05: Message edited by: Arryn ]

[Arryn]

As some of you may have noticed, I've split up the turn Posts into a Part 1, for end-of-turn results and realm overview, and a Part 2, for plotted moves, forging, and recruitment. This allows me to get the juicy bits of turns (part #1) posted a bit faster while I think about what I want to do for the next turn, which sometimes I may ponder for hours or after a sleep break.

Some significant things have been happening in the game over the past 3 turns. Maybe it's just the weekend, but it's sort of surprising no one's had any comments whatsoever about the events, my reactions to them, or the direction my nation is going in ...

Is there anything you would have done differently (and why)? Is there something I'm overlooking (besides Blood magic)? Any comments at all are welcome. (Hey, it's getting lonely in the thread again )

[Ctennyson]

I tend to read, but keep my thoughts to myself, unless something is glaring. Call me a lurker.