At the Dawn of History...

[Eleas]

Excellent, truly I'm impressed. Just one thing, though:

So, with the lessons learned from the Green Pilgrimage and the successful construction of the Tzeriss Highroad, I spend a marker to buff the PotS up to a Power of 6. I have 4 markers remaining.

This is normally a mechanism that applies only when introducing factions - sorry, I should have been clearer on that. But given that it's a nice and logical twist on the story and works all-around, and invoking Etiquette §1, I say we keep it and just roll on.

Okay. Hawkwings, you're up next. The factions are now:

• People of the Shell - 6
• Castaways - 6
• Nature - 2
• Priestly Caste - 2

[Hawkwings]

When the Castaways were torn from their homes, they not only left behind their family and friends, but also the comforting presence of the psychic overmind that served as a great link to the minds of their species. It had not been created, but merely discovered, nurtured, and used. In the first days and weeks in their new home, the Castaways operated without the benefit of this link, but as they grew accustomed to their new home, they discovered that there was something here as well, familiar and yet foreign. Great minds from the Castaways studied this new overmind, probed it, and finally spoke with it. It had much to say, and as the Castaways listened, a relationship started to form. Tenuous at first, as they always are, it grew into a working arrangement, a willing exchange of services, and finally a formalized alliance.

The Castaways had a new overmind now, a wise and powerful one. It was none other than the life-giver of their new home.

And with this, the Castaways and Nature are now allied. Still 4 markers left.

[Eleas]

And with this, the Castaways and Nature are now allied. Still 4 markers left.

Allright. Round 2.

Generations had passed since the day of their arrival. Scattered bands of Castaways had gathered anew, forged mind-bonds with the world and the deeper conglomerate entities the existence of which lesser creatures could not even fathom. In the Creor valley, an arid steppe surrounded by jutting mountain spires, one of their first cities in their new world rose. Slowly, with the patience of their cold blood, they began regathering the power they had once possessed. Though they knew little of other creatures on the world (excepting the marauding tribes of short, grey-skinned primitives they had found scattered about the mountains), the Castaways had no idea of how different they were from them.

While the Kugizi fashioned axes of chitin and stone and obsidian, the Castaways formed spears and shields of gleaming metal. Where the Tzerisstze Greenspeakers fashioned elexirs to dull or inflame the senses, to curse and to heal, a Castaway would fix its gaze upon a thing, changing or shaping it at will.

But as patient as they were, they were also slow to react, and in their old realm, all beings that could present credible threats had long ago died. With the rise of Warleader Garraz, when the united tribes of barbarian Kurrun began streaming down from the mountains, the Castaways faced an enemy both unprecedented and dire.

So, I'm attacking the Castaways with a new Faction, one that I buy, the Kurrun. One marker for that, and if anyone defends I'm adding another marker to boost my attack - one extra die, making it two (this warleader is some kind of Genghis Khan type). Who wants to defend? Remember, more than one player can participate, attacking or defending.

I have 3 markers left, 4 if no-one defends (this is to avoid the back-and-forth; in the table-top game, defender would have to announce his intention to defend, then attacker would say whether to use extra markers or not, and then both would roll. A bit impractical, I think, on the forum.)

Oh, and I'm sorry I took such time. I was considering whether to make a new map, and how it would look. I need your input here, I think, or there'll be too much of me in it.

[Fatalis Prime]

I think when an attack is made we should announce our intentions one way or another. I won't contest the attack, but I'll wait for Hawkwings to defend or not before I take my turn.

[Eleas]

I think when an attack is made we should announce our intentions one way or another. I won't contest the attack, but I'll wait for Hawkwings to defend or not before I take my turn.

Good idea. I propose a (generous) time limit for such answers - perhaps within a full day of the previous post?

[Fatalis Prime]

Agreed.

[Fatalis Prime]

And it's been three days. I say go ahead with the unopposed attack.

[Hawkwings]

Sure, I'll defend the Castaways. I roll 2d6 and get a 5 and a 5. Castaways have a strength of 5, for a total defense of 10.

[Eleas]

First of all, guys, I'm really sorry for the wait. It's been one of those weeks.

Sure, I'll defend the Castaways. I roll 2d6 and get a 5 and a 5. Castaways have a strength of 5, for a total defense of 10.

Allright. I got a 6 and a 2, the reroll became 4, for a total of 12. I'm gonna lower the strength of the Castaways to 4.

From the mountains, they streamed for the city like a living river. The vanguard of Warleader Garraz, carrying clubs and torches and voicing ululating cries, took the outlying settlements without even pausing. And then they began to die. But there were many of them, so many, many enough to roll over the blackening, smoking corpses that had so inexplicably begun withering in mid-step. The throngs of Kurrun pushed against one another, their inertia funneled by the city streets.

In the high places still untouched by the assault, the Castaways beheld the carnage. The city counsel was in an uproar - they were used to careful deliberation, not hasty, careless acts. But as first lines of defense broke, and the closest squadrons of mind-warriors finally were overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers, one councilor managed to sway the vote. The city had to be abandoned. Once more, the Castaways would have to flee. This time, they knew they did not have to flee far - there were other cities of Castaways on this world, after all, other kin to be found. They split the people into four groups, each under the command of two councilors, while the final one, he who had proposed the idea, remained.

The invaders, swarming the streets, congregated around the main square, howling their triumph, when the very air thickened with strange energies. The councilor and his loyal followers had unleashed their final sally. Though it meant their death, they took with them the leader of their attacker, the great war chieftain Garraz. The refugees fled, leaving behind them a fracturing mass of Kurrun, no longer governed by the strong hand of Garraz.

I'm going to lower the Castaways to 4, while not raising the Kurrun at all - in essence, they don't gain any real power by this. They just had a brief moment of glory. Hope this didn't suck too much; I'm still feeling kinda pissy at the moment.

EDIT: Ok, Hawkwings, you get a Fact to establish. I was kinda hoping to lose this one, seeing as how I didn't feel my contribution was really up to snuff. Oh well. :-/

Oh, and should I make a new map version? I really need to know.

[Hawkwings]

Eh, the map isn't too useful at this point. I'd say hold off for a while.

As the city of Thalia burned to the ground, Castaways fled to other settlements, spreading tales of the numberless horde from the wilds. The loss was hard to take, but not insurmountable. Once again, they would rebuild, as they always had, and always would.

The other cities heard of this news, and with surprising speed, decided to commit forces to retake the burned city. In the few weeks it took to organize such an expedition, the remaining barbarians threw themselves at the Castaway forces, slowly bleeding away both sides. And as winter set in and the strange perpetual fog rolled over the land, the conflict was still undecided.

And for my fact, I will declare that there is a semi-regular weather phenomenon, the perpetual fog, that covers the continent every decade or so. It's thick, cold, and makes stuff hard to grow.

[Fatalis Prime]

Eh, the map isn't too useful at this point. I'd say hold off for a while.

OTOH, it looks nice and I'm not worried about Eleas unilaterally defining it if you're not. We don't need a globe just yet, anyway.

Struenthack. The very name elicits nervous flutters and puffs of alarm-scent from any Tzerisstze within soundshot. While the infections and ill humors of the Sesayryn, even the thysuless spiders claim more lives each year than their predations, there are counters to disease and poison. Vermin can be crushed, plants can be burned and, with timely diagnosis, most diseases can be treated by the Greenspeakers. There is no counter to the ormthertin or struenthacks. The former are terrifying to be sure, but they are quite rare and far too large to really personify. A rampaging ormthertin is more like a force of nature than an actual living creature. Struenthacks, being not much larger than a person, are much more personal, visceral and terrifying; with each encounter ending with said viscera spilled out over the jungle floor. They are the shadows that stalk the nightmares of every sleeping nymph. Already disturbingly clever for supposedly dumb beasts, one can scarcely imagine the horror of a struenthack possessed of sapient will.

New faction: The People of the Claw; allied with Nature and (nominally) the Castaways. They're a reptavian race similar to Terran dromaeosaurids and divided into specialized Tribes (e.g., Iron Claw, Death Claw, Swift Claw, Rain Claw and several others). I'm spending 3 markers on them, 1 for purchase and 2 to buff them up to 5 with the caveat that for now they operate with a Power of 2 outside the Dreverche Basin as most of what makes them so dangerous is their native terrain. I have 1 marker left.

[Eleas]

Allright. Hawkwings? I think it's your move.

[Hawkwings]

Sorry I haven't been posting. Can we skip me for this turn?

[Eleas]

Sorry I haven't been posting. Can we skip me for this turn?

Allright. I guess I'm up again, then?

Factions already present:

• People of the Shell - 6
• People of the Claw - 5 (2)
• Castaways - 5
• Nature - 2
• Priestly Caste - 2
• Kurrun - 2

(We misread the strength of the Castaways earlier; it was 6 back then, so they're still pretty heavyweight). I'll draw up a rudimentary updated map, then make my own move.

[Eleas]

Quick mockup map, so far:



Sorry it's taken so much time - the cats ate my keyboard.