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

[Olm]

Ouch!
So slingers are good at sieging a castle but bad at storming it.
Especially if the opponent has earthquake and arrow fend.
But I wonder why my supporting cavalry came late to the battle. I expected them to move from friendly province to friendly province and thus take part in the battle. Or did they arrive in time but did not take part? Then there should be an order like "move and storm" as it is with "move and patrol".

[buzzsaw]

I`ve got a game question for you guys.
I had a small raiding party attack Ulm. Did okay and routed his army. As my guy was rushing up to get the last of the army, he routed and of course died since he had nowhere to go.

What the heck would cause that? I thought after a route, that was pretty much it, you won the battle. Can both armies route in the same battle?

[Valerius]

Originally Posted by Olm

Ouch!
So slingers are good at sieging a castle but bad at storming it.
Especially if the opponent has earthquake and arrow fend.

Yes, that was almost an ideal situation for earthquake. I've always found the spell underwhelming and if your cavalry had already been part of the sieging force, and therefore expected to participate in the storming attempt, I would have just ceded that fort to you without a fight. As it was, the low to middling defense on the slingers and your mages was about as good a target as you can get for earthquake. Still, I only bought some time and killed some low value units and a few mages and in return lost two mages and their gear so I'm not sure if it was worth it. One of the problems with earthquake (as well as the far more effective rain of stones) is that when using human HP mages the fatigue will often result in them being killed by your own castings. I gave them pendants of luck to improve their chances (and hoped that their higher than human HP would also help) but still lost two of three (ethereal robes would have been ideal but there was no way I could get those forged - even the pendants are only thanks to my one Arco mystic).

Originally Posted by Olm

But I wonder why my supporting cavalry came late to the battle. I expected them to move from friendly province to friendly province and thus take part in the battle. Or did they arrive in time but did not take part? Then there should be an order like "move and storm" as it is with "move and patrol".

That's correct; you can't move and storm in the same turn. I don't think it would be good for SCs especially to be able to participate in any storming attempt that was within flight range. This way the defender knows roughly what they're facing (aside from stealthy troops that only show up for the storming attempt) and can choose how much they want to spend to teleport in reinforcements. Of course the besieging army can count on them doing that and move on to another fort, causing the defender to have spent those gems to no purpose (all this assumes the province is undomed as otherwise your own dome will prevent reinforcements from arriving).

Originally Posted by buzzsaw

I`ve got a game question for you guys.
I had a small raiding party attack Ulm. Did okay and routed his army. As my guy was rushing up to get the last of the army, he routed and of course died since he had nowhere to go.

What the heck would cause that? I thought after a route, that was pretty much it, you won the battle. Can both armies route in the same battle?

Yes, both sides can rout and in that case having slow units can be useful as they may be the last ones on the field and thus win the battle. Berserking units are also helpful as once berserk they won't rout and can win the battle for you after your forces have routed. I'm guessing the turn limit probably ran out and caused an autorout. This is of course particularly dangerous if you don't have a province to retreat to. Actually, one of the ways to defeat glamoured thugs is to tie them up with something like skellie spam long enough to force an autorout. You can give yourself some protection by raiding two or more neighboring provinces, figuring you'll likely win enough battles to provide provinces to escape to.

[buzzsaw]

Ahhh, it was a very long turn, so that is probably what happened.

[Olm]

And Arco was again the place to be, except for trolls.
Those Glamorous guys are starting to make me nervous.

I just wondered, if there are some quiet places in our world. Backyard Ulm and Eriu perhaps.
Of Pans country I know that it has been ploughed through and drenched in blood from near to far.
My own provinces suffered disease after disease.
I fear we leave a quite desolate place to the God to be. And that with 3 nature loving nations....

[buzzsaw]

Truth be known, it was not a good time if you were a troll or undead.

[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.