Happy New Year, New Game, New Players (Finished: Dojango/Mictlan Wins!)

[Excist]

It does, but the nations at the corners usually have a slight advantage in that they will have 2-3 outer facing provinces with no neighborly competition for expansion.

Also natural terrain such as waterways and mountain ranges can limit available paths of expansion. In hind sight both TNN and Fomoria were bottlenecked and one of them had to devour the other in the first year to have a real chance of making it to the end game.

That said I'm not ready to write anybody off since not many have had a smooth ride.

[Excist]

Btw, let's have some more RP posts! Especially from the underdogs. I'd love to hear stories of Arco nobles eating rats during a siege of their golden city for example!

[Excist]

Ghalim scratched the bottom edge of his gut where it overhung the top of his trousers by a good inch or two while watching the Agarthan war camp make ready to march toward the heart of Hinnom. Look at them scurry like mice. Ghalim thought they looked like mice running through a maze searching for their cheese. You're better than this. Ghalim wasn't no rat to follow the cheese mindlessly. No, he was better than this. You should be the one giving orders. He should be the one choosing where the cheese was and which way the mice should scurry.

"This army should be yours" said the imp perched on a small boulder at the edge of the camp.

"That's what I've been trying to explain to you....I think.." replied Ghalim groggily.

"Oh, and I think you have a great point there" the imp chuckled as he idly watched as small bugs smoked and blistered under his hovering claw carefully placed a couple of inches overhead. He elicited great pleasure in watching how they would flee the heat moving infinitesimally slowly in one direction as he maneuvered his palm slightly quicker around to the other side. He always thought it was interesting how each individual bug seemed to realize they were moving towards the heat instead of away at unpredictable times. Often they burst open before they even realized they were cooking themselves as much as he was.

"Yes, and this all WOULD have been mine if it wasn't for....for..."

"Him."

"Him."

They both glared at one of the Lords from a minor House from the mining guilds that was tasked with putting the siege army in place as he wandered off to releive himself behind one of the Banded Hills these parts were named after. Ghalim thought to himself how he would surely have been chosen to lead this army and win the glory of defeating Hinnom if not for Ninlil being one of Mandred's many uncles. If only Mandred had died on his search for Harrow-gor. If only Mandred wasn't so paranoid that he would insist on filling every important post with one of his seemingly unending line of family members.

"I knew fate was looking down on you. Here's your golden opportunity! Let's go kill him and then clearly everybody will see you are the better Commander At Arms." The imp sneered as he jumped down from the boulder oblivious to the hissing and crunching when his claw came down on his forgotten toys.

"Let's kill him and.....then..I'm pretty sure we should kill him..." Ghalim droned as he grabbed his Obsidian Glaive and trotted after his commanding officer with intent to kill.

Ninlil's back was turned. 'This looks easy' he thought as he took 2 quick steps forward aiming his Glaive for Ninlil's meaty neck.

*CHIME*

The imp was holding his head screaming in some incomprehensible pain.

Somehow Ninlil was suddenly facing him with his single eye wide open in alarm.

Ghalim slowly remembered the situation and still unsure why it was desperately important, bent to reach down for the Obsidian weapon that he didn't remember dropping on the ground.

*CHIME*

The imp had clawed half it's own head to an unrecognizable pulp in an attempt to tear its ears off but now it seemed fully cognizant of its surroundings and in its ruined head his two eyes fixated on a singular goal. If he succeeded, Blood Bath would make him whole. Would reward him. If he failed..... There was no room for failure or his pain now would be insignificant compared to the eternity of his existance in Hell.

Ghalim picked himself off the ground.

Good, he had managed to hold onto his weapon during this blackout.

Bad, Ninlil had his magic dueling sword and golden shield in hand and was approaching him with the calm surefooted approach of a veteran fighter that had earned his rank through constant drilling in peacetime and years fighting in the Werk Enum border dispute against the Fomorians and the Purging (the Agarthan name for the War to kill the cult of Marverni). This was no surfaceborn milkfed noble.

It was too late to back away now. He charged forward swinging his Glaive down, but Ninlil just dodged to the side and then took two quick swings at Ghalim, the second scoring a deep cut in his side, straight through his cuirass and painfully into one of his ribs. Ninlil panicked a little, realizing his sword was stuck in the poor deluded soldier's body. Ghalim recognized his opportunity ignoring the pain to bring his Glaive down to strike true and end this fight. The strike swung true, certain to end Ninlil's life and then as though through some timely stroke of luck Ninlil's sword came free with such force that Ninlil fell back a rather unlikely distance avoiding the full length of Ghalim's blade.

*CHIME*

The imp clapped his claws down on his ears with such force that his head exploded and his body deconstructed into steaming waste as demons are apt to do when they perish.

Ghalim's first clear thought was full and complete regret as the enormity and madness of what he had attempted was realized with sudden force.

"I'm sorry!" he pleaded throwing down his weapon and holding up his hands in surrender. "I would never....I didn't mean to....It wasn't my choice....I don't know what....that....what happened.."

Ninlil didn't slow his approach as he calmly ran Ghalim through while oddly offering a sympathetic embrace. "I know. I'm sorry too. It has to be this way. If you are allowed to live it will be easier for others to fall prey to this enchantment. That cannot be allowed. I'm so sorry." Ghalim's eye lost focus as Ninlil twisted the blade and pulled it out of its warm bloody sheath.

Ninlil examined the so-called Cleansing Bell with newfound respect. It appears that Earth Reader knew what he was talking about. Ninlil had thought the idea of a Bell that warded against evil was nothing more than perhaps a popular folk lore from another time. He would have to donate to the Ministry of Earthrock when this campaign was over. The Earth Readers had saved his life today.

[Immaculate]

good story.

[Immaculate]

Surely the winds of fate are fickle indeed to bring a power as mighty and grand as the Hinnom low so quickly. Either that or their enemies are truly the greatest threat this world has yet to see...

[dojango]

Tepeyollotl stared into the dancing bonfire. The smell of incense and burnt offerings and the swirling smoke made his eyes water. He dropped the empty shells of the fire gems to the ground. Once again the fires revealed nothing. Exhausted, the old man slumped wearily to the ground. A servant materialized by his side.

"Bring me pulque. And something to eat," said Tepeyollotl.

The servant bowed. "Master. Some... people have been asking to see you. I told them you were not to be disturbed during your rituals, but they insisted on waiting."

"Are they from the capital?"

"No. They claim to be from Arcoscephale."

"What? Send them in, now!" Tepeyollotl snapped.

The servant quickly fled. Moments later he ushered in two dishelved and ragged men. Other servants brought in bowls of pulque and chicken stew.

"Sit, eat," said Tepeyollotl. The men quickly fell on the food and drink. Tepeyollotl examined them. One of them had a bloody bandage covering his head and eye, while the other had discarded a crutch when he sat. Their clothes were torn and filthy, not even fit for rags. "Just the two of you?" asked Tepeyollotl.

"The others didn't make it," said one of the men.

Tepeyollotl tried to remember the man's name. Mixcoatl? Omacoatl? Not even the leader of the twelve-man delegation he had sent to Arcoscephale a year ago. "Did you get it?" he asked.

The man handed him a small packet. Tepeyollotl snatched it from him and opened it, staring inside. The loss of so many promising young priests, the money and resources he had spent, it had not been in vain.

"It was bad. They kept guarding it until the bitter end. The ponymans were inside the walls before we could make our move. Xochipilli and Amimitl were cut down distracting the guards and Mixcoatl was killed by one of those... oreid women while we ran for it."

"What happened to Xolollotl?" asked Tepeyollotl distractedly. His nephew had been in charge of the operation.

"Uh, I think he was killed during the riots? They started attacking anyone foreign as the ponymans closed in on the capital. And then they burned the warehouse we were hiding in because they thought he was hoarding food. Diogenes, that is. He was a philospher we made friends with. He was hiding us, but the mob killed him. And a few others they caught with us. Still, once we got out..." the man trailed off as he saw that Tepeyollotl wasn't paying attention.

"Hmm? You may go now. Rest, we'll get you back into the field tomorrow," said Tepeyollotl, dismissing them. The high priest held the sacred acorn in his cupped hands. He could feel the vitality, the life radiating from the powerful object. He had served his god well.

[Immaculate]

And so the mother oak returns to guardians of order- that we might be stronger in the face of dangerous chaos.

[Immaculate]

I require an extension.

[Excist]

Lacking details, I have postponed hosting by 12 hours. If that is not enough, let me know.

[Torgon]

All,

Unless anyone has any major objections, I'm going to go ahead and set AI. I'm pretty much down to nothing and have been for some time. I'm going to script whats remaining in my capital to produce something nasty for whoever tries to take it.

If people have major objections I'll keep playing my turn, I just don't want to leave people waiting if I happen to stall, and there's no chance anyone would want to sub for me in my current position.

Overall it's been a great game and I've really enjoyed reading everything. I'll write up one final story about Balor and the kingdom of Fomoria, their unlikely truce with the Giants of Argatha after a bitter early war, their near defeat at the hands of their ancient enemies the Tuatha of Tir Na Nog. And finally the Armies of Argatha coming to liberate the brave realm of Fomoria with Balor swearing allegiance to the Argathan Lords.