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Final results: 1: Society - 3 2: Industry - 3 3: Military - 10 A: Economic - 0 B: Diplomatic - 7 C: Influence - 2 D: Naval - 1 E: Plutocratic - 7 Military focus for artifice comes out as the clear winner, but it was actually a tie for idea groups. By LPer's perogative, I will pick Diplomatic, as we currently only have one Diplo idea group. Influence and Plutocratic will return for the final vote
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May 1, 2023 11:25
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I was about to vote 3B, so this all works out I guess. We need to neutralize/placate Gawed and focus on our problem closer to home, with the Kheteratans at our doorsteps. Being allied to Aelnar only adds insult to injury, considering how the Union must view Aelnar and it's practices. Interesting that the Peitar won over the Season Courts in Eordand, and have kept the colonizers at bay for now. Good for them!
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May 1, 2023 15:04
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For what it's worth, I always thought that plutocracy was badly named: it really should be something else, but I'm not sure how to sum up the idea of civic virtue in a single word? Liberty, or Liberalism might be good ones, what with having abolishment of serfdom and bill of rights as it's first couple of ideas.
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May 1, 2023 19:04
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NewMars posted:For what it's worth, I always thought that plutocracy was badly named: it really should be something else, but I'm not sure how to sum up the idea of civic virtue in a single word? Liberty, or Liberalism might be good ones, what with having abolishment of serfdom and bill of rights as it's first couple of ideas. The features you mention were common in oligarchic and/or plutocratic republics in the era, and neither liberty or liberalism is all that accurate to how an early modern republic ran and how its citizens conceived of their duties, rights, and obligations.
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May 1, 2023 20:06
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Sybot posted:
Holy poo poo that's a thick loving Gawed and Bhuvauri. Usually they never get that big, and Command really got messed hard. Also cool LP, I did an Orighelovar run on the bitbucket a few months ago and had lot of funs with LASER ARTILLERY
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May 4, 2023 03:56
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Chapter Seventeen: Revolutionary Industry 1708-1723  Contact with the Righteous Path In accordance with the wishes of the Assembly, diplomats slowly made their way around Sarhel to open negotiations with the masters of the One Xia. If an alliance could be secured, the eastern allies of Kheterata would be a greatly diminished threat in the event of a war. As the diplomats landed in the Xiaken port of Douuan and made their way inland, they encountered a society of a different kind to those seen across Cannor and Bulwar. The One Xia were a society united by the practice of martial arts, with the greatest among them being the Supreme Master, champion of the Righteous Path and defender of the people. Even though this led to stratification between those who practised and those who worked, there was representation for all via the Righteous Conclave, similar to the Assembly of Holds, and anyone could theoretically work their way up through following the Path. The nation was in the middle of mopping up the remains of the Command, the aggressive and militaristic hobgoblin invaders in northern Rahen.  The first coal engines While engines of various forms had been used in recent years throughout the Union, they had primarily been made possible through the use of artifice. The newest engines seeing use in some of the more remote parts of the mountains, where access to Damestear was difficult and local sources of power were preferred. Built without any magical assistance, examples of the atmospheric engine began to appear in mining operations up and down the length of the Reach making use of coal, a resource that until recently had not been investigated closely.  The mountains are dwarven A brief war with the Skewered Drake saw them annexed into the Union, securing the Middle Dwarovar. With that, almost all of the Dwarovar was back under dwarven control one way or another, the only outliers being some unexplored caverns near Verkal Gulan and the Jade Mines, still occupied by goblins loyal to the Command. That wasn't to say that the conquered orcs were expelled, and indeed the holds they occupied were quickly given representation in the Assembly once the administration was established.  Expanding western control Strategic planners sought every possible advantage they could gain against the Kheteratan and Gawedi threats, and to that end they recommended another campaign against Busilar. The Busilari defeat of Estallen had left them the dominant power in southern Cannor, and with their hostility to the Union they ought to be taken down a notch before they could align with either of the Union's enemies. With Lorentish and Damescrowner support, Union forces crossed into Sugamber.  A machine age Dwarven troops on the march through human territory were amazed by how far the artifice boom had spread already. Gadgets of all sizes could be seen even in the smallest villages on the edge of civilization, even if it was as simple as a Crierless Crier that was collectively used by the locals to keep up with news, or a Damestear engine powering a mill or workshop. It was not nearly as dense with technology as within the heart of the Union, but it was clear that the whole world was being transformed by the use of tamed magic in the form of artifice.  Freedom rings Curious news came from the ogre tribes of Maghargma, when they announced the abolishment of slavery within their borders. The large beings were famous for keeping slaves for sacrifice and consumption, so to make such a drastic change to their lifestyle in the name of liberty caught a lot of observers by surprise. The Union had already banned slavery within its borders, but its merchants operating abroad had been known to dabble in the orcish slave trade to Aelantir. With the new surge of abolitionist sentiment, bills began being pushed through the Assembly barring participation in the trade and forcing Union citizens with foreign holdings to free any extant slaves.  Slow advance Progress in the war was incredibly slow, given the level of fortifications that had been established throughout the region. It remained inexorable though, as any attempt to halt the Union advance was turned away. The war still raged on other fronts, as Lorent handled Busilar's western allies and Damescrown provided funding and mercenaries. Ultimately, the city of Damescrown itself was sieged and sacked and they were forced to withdraw from the war, as well as give up their alliance with the Union.  Swift action Once the constabulary was in a position to move against the artificer cartel, it moved swiftly. With intelligence provided by agents spread throughout the holds and cities of the nation, they were able to identify the key movers within the cartel. Arrests and property seizures occurred within minutes of one another, coordinated by T-Wave. The cartel was smashed by the end of the day, and all artificers remaining independent within the nation were forced to register with the state-run guild. Many were concerned about the impact the restrictions would have on innovation, and indeed a loosening would have to come eventually, but for the moment inventions could only occur under a watchful eye. This mission eats all the infantry assigned to it, so that's 100k+ manpower down the drain.  The Troll Toll Trolls were a very rare sight in the Union, having been thought exterminated from the region many centuries ago, so it was a strange sight when one lumbered down from the peaks of the Reach to set itself up under a bridge in Ourdia. While the locals were cautious, the troll proved friendly and found a task for itself in keeping the bridge in good shape while allowing researchers to converse with it and build up a better picture of an unfamiliar society.  Dominating the Eastern Divenhal The war came to an end with Busilar forced to cede a swathe of its coast, including Port Jaher, their primary trading port. The territory was added to the administration of the Divenhal Trading Company, capturing even more trade coming from South Aelantir and the Busilari colonies in the region, and giving the Union a proper entry point for its goods into Cannor. The additional wealth would go a long way to increasing the nation's war fighting capacity.  Relics of artifice There was another reason to take the coast all the way into Sugamber's territory. Just outside the port of Sorncell was a significant dig site where the Cannorians had breached some kind of vault of the Precursor Empire, and had slowly been extracting relics from that ancient time. Once upon a time these had been considered mysterious and possibly divine artefacts that ought to be revered, but modern understanding made it clear that they were simply an older form of artifice. Still, there was a lot that could be learned from such devices and soon the Union's artificer guild had begun a far more extensive search of the vault.  Mathematical golems One of the newest artificer inventions was the Auto-Arithmancer, a device that could be pre-programmed with specific calculations and then fed in numbers in order to save the time and effort of architects, engineers, administrators, and others who regularly needed to use maths. The issue was that they still needed a great deal of monitoring and dedicated workers to handle the input and output. The solution to this was found when a mage working in Rizvâmbrèthar thought to insert the device into one of the golems produced by the Runeforge. With the minimal autonomy provided by the golem body, the new Arithmatron was able to read in data and write down the results without the need for any support. Soon, golems became as much a common sight in offices as they were in manual labour jobs. After this I switch to Military focus. Arithmatrons wouldn't be much use normally, because a dwarven nation should really have taken economic ideas. Since we haven't, actually having a source of inflation reduction makes them worth it.  The Dig Deeper Initiative, reborn Almost two centuries earlier, the Dig Deeper Initiative had been suggested as a way to coordinate the expansion of holds across the Reach. However, the Hoardcurse, the Serpent's Rot, the Obsidian Invasion, not to mention countless other expensive projects, had drained the nation's coffers again and again, but with the economy supercharging with the integration of artifice and the dominance of trade it was finally viable to fund the bureaucracy needed to accomplish it. With this we can finally manually upgrade our non-capital holds rather than wait for a random event. It's more expensive, but we can definitely afford it.  Artifice Furnace Dwarves were no strangers to smelting metal, and the production lines throughout the Reach had been honed to scientific perfection, but there were still ways for technology to improve things. The newest furnace was not really a step up in capacity or temperature, but rather cost effectiveness. By powering it with coal, previous Damestear could be saved to install artifice instead, for example an Arithmatron would be assigned to monitor the temperature and adjust the furnace as necessary to keep it at the perfect temperature.  Spreading coal engines Coal also found more use as steam engines grew more and more common across the Union. The rail lines soon had coal locomotive running on them, while compact and cost-effective coal machines started replacing expensive pure-artifice machines and older, more primitive engines both. The daylit interior of the mountain began to fill with the rising smoke of industry, as a transformation continued to sweep across the economy. I haven't actually recorded all of the industrialization events we received, otherwise this chapter would be nothing but them.  Supply meeting demand The demand for coal was so great that the government had no choice but to begin sponsoring large-scale mining operations across the Reach and wherever else coal could be found. As luck would have it, veins were discovered in the Isles of Tef and the Middle Dwarovar, both justifying those conquests through the economic benefits. Some economists estimated that coal was on the way to becoming just as valuable as Damestear, and without the need to wait for a meteor to descend. Coal is valuable as trade good, but actually more so for the building it allows. Furnaces give +5% goods produced to your entire empire. That is incredibly good as it boosts both production directly and trade indirectly. With 3 sources of coal in the empire, we get +15%, and the possibility of more if we can conquer more coal. There are two more sources in Bulwar we can get, but beyond that we'll have to start getting crafty.  Mass-produced war artifice Switching power systems over to coal left more capacity to begin producing artifice weapons en masse. From something as simple as the incendiary rounds, fireballs packaged in something the size of a bullet, all the way up to auto-loading artillery pieces and the mass deployment of T-Wave Transceivers for battlefield coordination, war had become deadlier than ever. In addition to the vanilla age bonuses, Anbennar adds some very strong new generic bonuses.  Brewing resentment in the east In One Xia, the diplomatic team bore witness to a transformation among the lower classes. As knowledge spread and artifice gave everyone the power once reserved for mages and sages, radical ideas began to emerge from those at the bottom of the enlightened hierarchy. The followers of the new revolutionary ideology demanded equal representation and a society where your status was not determined by your skill at martial arts. For the moment, the Masters did their best to keep the Union diplomats away from the common people, but it seemed as though they could not keep the lid on the brewing discontent forever.  Study of the smallest The first microscope prototypes were a massive success, and a number of research projects began making use of the new technology immediately. Most interesting was a study by an institute in Arg-Ôrdstun, which sought funding to begin a more-in depth investigation into the Serpent's Rot using the new tool. The project was initially denied, with nobody wanting to shoulder the potential for another outbreak, but the government did agree to assist in financing a dangerous diseases research facility with adequate quarantine facilities within the hold so that it would eventually be possible to begin the study.  Damestear greed A brief war saw the annexation of Nathalaire and the Ravelian state, although the High Rectorate was allowed to leave in peace and relocate. The impetus was twofold, from the propaganda perspective it was to shut down the slave trade that was being run through the island city and implicitly supported by the High Rector through their diplomatic dealings, and from the cynical perspective it was to secure the Damestear deposits in both locations. Despite this war involving attacking into the Empire, Emperor Rhiannon declined to intervene as he was involved in a war in Escann. Another sign that the Empire of Anbennar was effectively over.  Alliance with the elves The Elfrealm of Ibevar had flourished in the chaos of the decline of the Empire, and was now one of the most powerful armies in Cannor, filled as it was with highly trained and disciplined elven warriors. They had fought against the Union a long time ago, but despite many of those elves surviving to this day they were willing to put aside any grudges and align against potential Gawedi opportunism within the Empire.  Master of the Lakes Verkal Kozenad had shown an increasing interest in securing the Forbidden Plains, which soon drew them and their allies, the Union included, into a war with the Lake Federation. The human civilization built around the Triunic Lakes was relatively isolated, but the collapse of the centaur and then the ogre dominion over the plains had allowed them to stretch out and establish themselves. However, they could not face the force of the mountains, as several dwarven nations were arrayed against them. The Union sent one army of observers, but otherwise did only minimal participation in the war.  A burning question With the microscope complete, telescopes equally understood, and glass being produced in ever vaster quantities but with familiar styles the Enlightened Ten were left to ask, could anything more be done? Was there truly any way that glass could be improved, or had the cobalt dwarves gone as far as they could with the material that made them most famous. Funding was diverted to any investigations that would help answer that question once and for all.  True crystal glass The most promising line of enquiry was further investigations into gemstones. They had been the second most common export of the Union ever since the acquisition of Arg-Ôrdstun, and it had been taken for granted that they were separate to glass. They could be used for inlays, or for engraving, but making a crystal out of glass, or glass out of crystal, or some combination of the two, had never been considered. With the addition of microscope allowing the gemstones to be studied in greater detail than ever, work began on large-scale gem mining operations to provide the scientists with each and every kind of crystal imaginable. This mission is kind of a pain as it doesn't actually highlight which provinces need to be devved/built on. I have to manually go through all my iron provinces and check. Also, I am not sure why it calls for iron instead of gems…  The wealthiest of all Bhuvauri dominance of trade coming from Haless was becoming an increasing concern among the merchants of the Union. There was vast untapped wealth that was flowing solely into their coffers, and being used to fund one of the largest armies in the world. As considerations were being made for a potential war with the Kheteratan alliance, how best to cut their trade hegemony was among the most debated topics.  New Corveld, New Glass The marshes of Daravan's Folly had been seeing a steady growth in activity, as the last remaining vampire holdouts were cleared out and the expansion of canals and river dredging saw the Dostanesck river become navigable once more. At the mouth of the river stood New Corveld, built atop the ruins of the original to be the primary trading hub for goods coming out of southern Escann and the Deepwoods. With the conquest of Nathalaire this was no longer a pressing need, so the growing city found a new calling in becoming the Union's first glassmaker city in Cannor. Using techniques honed in Orlghelovar, it hoped to compete with the finest glass on the continent. Normally this would be something for Corvuria, but apparently anyone can take the decision to build up the city here.  United in purpose The magical reforms had seen success unlike any could have anticipated. Mages could be seen working side-by-side with scientists, and in many cases the two were close to indistinguishable from one another. Laboratories were now filled with mages testing their spells, analysing and writing papers on their effects and how they interacted with artifice. With the two factions working closely together, the growth of knowledge and magically-enhanced technology could only accelerate.  Medical science The groundwork was now in place for the Centre for Dwarven Medicine in Arg-Ôrdstun, but significantly more investment would be required for it to meet the high standards of the Enlightened Ten. Still, many doctors newly trained in use of the microscope began to open up dialogues with their counterparts across the world. At first they could communicate ideas back and forth via Sending Stone, but as soon as the Centre was ready samples would begin flowing into the Union in order to build a comprehensive understanding of the causes of diseases and plagues. A revolution in biological understanding was on the verge of beginning. I need to dev up the hold, which requires waiting for the next stage of digging to complete, so I won't be able to advance this for a little while.  Glass monument The final stages of the Harpylen Dam were coming into place, and an image was emerging of a wonder of modern engineering, science, and magic. The addition of magical glass to the construction allowed the structure to be infused with reinforcement spells, which in turn allowed for a great deal of brilliant blue glass to be used in the construction. The towering struts of glass-adorned stone reached up from between the peaks of the valley, while the face of the dam was decorated with glass symbols of the holds and cities of the Union, representing the united effort of a nation. All that remained was to build in the power generation systems and then seal the dam and see the dawn of hydropower.  Greed and overconsumption The relics of Sorncell did not last long under the hungry gaze of the Union's artificers. With a modern understanding of magical defensive measures, breaching the deeper parts of the vault was trivial and as a result it was very rapidly cleared of everything valuable. A small number of ancient artifacts were simply not enough for the all-consuming fires of the artifice industry. I swear this province has had relics for decades, and it only started losing them when I conquered it. Anti-Player bias!  Crystal research begins With mining operations across the Reach producing more gemstones than ever before, research was soon started making use of the vast quantities being output. The greatest focus was on Sapphires, seeing as they matched the colour of the Union's most prominent glass output. As research progressed, the scientists involved petitioned the government to provide a variety of metals that could be used test the glass that they produced. Not a fan of this next mission. We are the leading producer of Iron but do not have a trading bonus (no one could for such a common resource, without being on the way to a world conquest), so we can't even use the clause where we can be friends with the leading producer. RIP to my diplo point balance I guess once I dev up all those provinces. We might not be able to take diplo ideas for a while.  Dwarves on the plains The war on the surface saw an easy victory for the dwarven alliance, with the Union's allies securing more of the surface plains. What exactly they were after, the President could not tell. The most valuable lands were those on the Triunic Lakes, all the Forbidden Plains themselves contained were nomadic centaur clans and occasional ogre or human villages. Perhaps they saw potential there that others did not.  An ally in the east After much work, and despite their reservations considering the internal issues the Xiaken were facing, an agreement was reached with the One Xia to join in with any future war against the Kheteratan alliance. A diplomatic shield had been formed across Cannor and Haless. From Lorent and Ibevar in Cannor, to Verkal Kozenad and Krakdhûmvror in the Dwarovar, to One Xia in Haless, the Union held allies on every possible front against its enemies. At the centre of it all the armies of the Union stood ready to strike out and bring the light of science to bear against these foes, but the question was, where to begin? To be continued…
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May 4, 2023 17:36
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Yessss! Let's dig up that big snake which, probably, unleashed a horrible plague. What are the odds it will cause something bad to happen the second time as well?
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May 4, 2023 19:09
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The economic idea thing also reminds me that a lot of your woes would have been fixed if Infrastructure ideas were out there on your build. Those are the must get meta for Dwarves as well.
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May 4, 2023 22:19
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Infrastructure Ideas are so tailor-made for dwarves that I have to wonder if someone high up at PDX Tinto was playing Anbennar a bunch during their downtime.
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May 5, 2023 00:21
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Have to say, I've never seen a Revolutionary One Xia before. It usually tends to be the Lake Federation that spawns it.
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May 6, 2023 22:42
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Plutonis posted:The economic idea thing also reminds me that a lot of your woes would have been fixed if Infrastructure ideas were out there on your build. Those are the must get meta for Dwarves as well. Absolutely, there is some great stuff in there that almost makes me wish I had waited for 1.35 before starting. For the benefit of those who haven't seen the new ideas, they have construction time and cost that both modify the time/cost needed to upgrade holds, movement speed buffs to stack with our dwarven railways, and of course dev cost reduction.
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May 7, 2023 10:52
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Chapter Eighteen: World War 1723-1742  Side-by-side with the elves The decision was made in a meeting conducted by T-Wave between the President and the rulers of the other dwarven nations. Orlazam-az-dihr was uniquely vulnerable. A recent war spearheaded by Khugdihr had weakened them and opened a direct path into the Kingsrock for the alliance if it was needed. Belgar had allied with the Lake Federation and a few Cannorian nations, but it was agreed that they could be defeated in detail, and the elves of Ibevar were called upon to do just that. They confirmed their assistance, but only in so far as fighting on the surface. They considered the war in the mountain a dwarven affair.  Sweep into Escann Emperor Rhiannon was the first to face the tide of dwarven and elven forces. An overwhelming force marched on Bladekeep, and he took his army and fled into the lands of his ally Gawed. The Stalbóric treasury was looted, and they were removed from the conflict without further trouble. Despite his grand claims and magical prowess, he had fallen behind in world of rising superpowers and would continue to slide into irrelevance.  Confined to the Kingsrock With Verkal Konezad, supported by Union forces, holding the line at Er-Natvir and Krakdhûmvror pushing in through the northern tunnels, King Belgar's forces found themselves confined to the area around the Kingsrock and without the numbers to even defeat one of the major pushes considering they were cut off from their allies.  Eye in the sky Several artificers had independently developed the idea of a hot air balloon, but for the first time the concept was applied to combat. However, military planners did not consider the idea of balloon-riding spotters relevant to mountain combat, and nor did they think it likely that any dwarf would volunteer to leave themselves floating in the open sky attached to a flimsy balloon, open to anyone who wanted to take a pot-shot at them. The idea was raised that a Viewcatcher could be attached to the balloon in place of a dwarf, but in practice that seemed a bit out of reach given current technology. Pretty nice, especially as leader manoeuvre helps with attrition, but not better than our autoloaders  Connection across the cliffs A minor ally of Orlazam-az-dihr, the Marquisate of Arannen, was forced to give up control of the main road along the cliffs between New Corveld and the regions administered by the Divenhal Trading Company. Almost immediately, the Duke of Wesdam issued a proclamation that further Union aggression into the Empire would be met by a coalition of overwhelming force. Said coalition only comprised minor states from within Cannor, but even the possibility that they could invite Gawed or Kheterata into their alliance gave pause to any further plans against Cannorian nations like Busilar, at least for the moment.  The sapphire workshop While the war raged, effort on the home front continued to be on improving the output of the Reach's mines. In one such mine, an ancient workshop was discovered containing a perfect, unblemished example of exactly what was sought. 'Sapphire Glass' somehow combined the best properties of a gemstone and glass into a beautiful and sturdy material that was now proven to be manufacturable. The only question remained exactly how such a material could be created.  Powered by water In a grand ceremony, the Harpylen Dam was officially declared open by President Whitebeard. He pulled the lever, throwing open the sluices that allowed water to flow from the lake building up behind the dam, through the vast waterwheels inside the dam, and then out into Lake Jorkad. Vast mechanisms began to turn, transmitting the energy of the running water into a form that could be used by machines all across the Reach, whether for mining, manufacturing, or more.  Holed up in the Lonely Mountain The dwarven alliance continued to sweep across the northern Dwarovar without too much issue. The forces of Orlazam-az-dihr were forced to retreat to the Lonely Mountain and leave their holds to fend for themselves. Very soon, everything outside of their hideaway was under occupation. It was an ignominious end the King Belgar's ambitions.  Power upon power With the passing of Emperor Rhiannon shortly after he dropped out of the war, the electors/elector elected William of Gawed as their new Emperor. This put even more of a halt on plans for the Union to expand into Cannor, as it effectively brought the coalition and Gawed together into a single block that would have to be fought as one. With the dwarven war almost over, and Cannor a no-go, it was obvious who the next target would be.  Dividing the remains The end of the war saw Amldihr come under the control of Verkal Kozenad, large swathes of the Northern Pass being taken by Krakdhûmvror and most of the remaining rail lines falling under control of one of the two allies. Orlazam-az-dihr, once the dominant force in the north, was reduced to a few holds and their ram pastures on the surface.  The grand prize As if to put a full stop on the idea of crowning a new High King, the conquering armies returned to Orlghelovar carrying the Kronium Crown. An incredibly heavy piece of headwear, it was intended to symbolise the weight of rulership on the High King. However, instead of being worn it was placed in the Assembly chambers beside the Gems, unadorned, as symbol of the supremacy of the republic over any sort of monarch. There were some representatives who wondered, though, what might happen if they did claim all of the remaining Gems.  Alliance not yet ready The next great target was the Kheteratan alliance, but the Masters of One Xia had chosen that moment to get involved in a war against its eastern neighbours. Without the linchpin of the eastern front, launching the war would leave the Union fighting the full strength of all of its strongest neighbours.  Hotshots The moment of peace did give time for the Union Army to begin retooling its troops with the latest weapons. Rotary guns, previously limited to artillery crews, were becoming small and manageable enough for frontline infantry to carry them. Crew-served guns could be set up in a matter of minutes, spraying a chokepoint in incendiary death, and handheld versions, while weaker, allowed warriors to deliver even more firepower, even faster.  Relic scramble The dwarves were no the only nation devouring the world's supply of Precursor Relics. Lorent and Aelnar both scoured the lands of Aelantir searching for the remnants of the Precursor Empire, while in the old-world competition was fierce enough to draw blood. In Haless, ancient temples were being cracked open in the search for relics, no matter how hard the Xiaken Masters attempted to stamp down on the practice. Some, such as the native Aelantir nation of Sidpar, were able to leverage the shortage into significant wealth for themselves, as they sold their own supplies at a premium.  In truth, a metal All efforts to combine gemstones with glass had completely failed. Gems could not be melted down and mixed into glass, and breaking them apart and sprinkling them into the glass did not produce the desired effect. The only conclusion that the researchers could draw was that there was something else, some other material, that could be combined with the glass. There were precious few hints in the workshop, so they began to scour the caves and bring back any metal they could find to run tests on.  Order of Battle Two armies assembled, ready for the war to begin. In Bahar, three divisions stood ready to defend against the armies of Kheterata. The ground before the walls of the citadels lining the border would be the killing fields, but no matter how many the Union Army killed they would not push into Bulwar Proper until the eastern front was secure. Outside Seghdihr and Verkal Gulan, two hundred thousand dwarves camped out along the rail lines, waiting for the order to march into the Tree of Stone, and beyond there into Bhuvauri to support One Xia. Once their expedition was complete, they would return and reunite with the western divisions to launch a full invasion of Bulwar and Kheterata. Lorent would join the war, primarily to provide support at sea and against Aelnar, while One Xia would face the initial might of the eastern allies until the Union forces could breach the tunnels. With a single declaration, a war that spanned every continent of the world began.  Gateway open The swiftness and size of the invasion caught the Union's dwarven enemy off guard, and within short order Gor Ozumbrog, the fortress guarding the Oza Tunad leading to the Tree of Stone, had fallen. From there, there, the dwarves could work their way through the twisting caverns of the Tree, bypassing Ovdal Kanzad entirely and leaving just one barrier between them and Ovdal-az-an itself.  In the shadow of the dam Kheterata did not initially push into Bahar, but instead attempted to bypass the bulk of the dwarven armies by pushing up to Harpylen. They were shocked to find the same dwarves that they had just bypassed pouring out of Hul-Jorkad long before they had a chance to reduce the fortifications guarding the valley. The rail lines gave an unprecedented level of strategic mobility to the Union Army, one that was impossible to match except by sea. With the dam looming high overhead, the dwarven forces fell upon them with overwhelming force and the valley was cleansed by a thousand volleys of incendiary ammunition. I don't know why, but the AI loves to charge up to Harpylen rather than go after my frontlines directly. This happens several times over the course of the war.  Magical firearms During the war, a standardized magical rifle was developed and put into production, but there was very little appetite for it. The investment required to make it standard-issue would be far too great, especially when artifice remained the cornerstone of the industrial revolution spreading across the nation. The Arcane Blasters still found use though, mostly in adventurer parties and high-profile defence jobs. The President's security unit were fitted with a mixture of magical and artifice weapons specifically to demonstrate the Union's commitment to both strands of knowledge. We could probably start speccing into artificer regiments at this point, but that would mean giving up on the diplomatic and administrative artifices that we're running. Perhaps once we get more capacity. I'm not entirely sure if this is worth the 30 artifice capacity either, maybe for a nation with more infantry focus.  Tunnel rampage The generals of Ovdal-az-Ân did not have an answer to the armies moving through the tunnels directly for their capital, and within months of the war beginning the walls of their hold were being battered down by Union cannons. Queen Tharkuni agreed to a ceasefire before her home could be devastated, and agreed to pay a significant bribe and end her kingdom's association with Kheterata entirely. Some of the bolder negotiators on the Union's side attempted to push for her to surrender the Jade Gem, but the directive from the President was that knocking them out of the war took priority.  Martial weakness In the two years or so it took for Union troops to knock out Ovdal-az-Ân and enter Bhuvauri territory, the eastern front had turned against One Xia. Their armies had crumbled under pressure from the Bhuvauri forces, perhaps from a combination of exhaustion from their repeated wars against the Command and regular conflict with Tianlou and the other eastern nations, or maybe because of the unrest brewing within their nation. Several large Bhuvauri armies roamed unopposed, and were slowly pushing out of Xiaken Rahen and into their heartland.  A static war In the west, Kheterata had not made any significant offensives since the failed assault on Harpylen. Despite the size of their army, they were unwilling to walk into the trap that the Union had set for them, which spoke to their common sense but also meant that they had very little participation in the opening years of the war.  Colonial war Much further west, a war raged around the Ruined Sea as human and elven armies and navies clashed through the sparsely populated lands of Aelantir. The largest colonies were located around Trollsbay and the Bloodgroves, the centres of Lorentish and Star Elf settlement respectively, and hence the fighting was the greatest in this region. Lorent was making steady gains, and reportedly finding evidence of atrocities committed against human settlements that had found themselves under elven control, as well as the complete disappearance of the native ruinborn elves. Before much more progress could be made, Aelnar dropped out of the war giving up minor territorial concessions.  Fair-weather allies Their repeated defeats in the war had seriously undermined the authority of the Supreme Master, which left space for the revolutionary movement to gain traction. One of their first demands was to bring an end to the wars, and it was one that the Supreme Master was happy to acquiesce to. Their association with the Union was an alliance specifically to engage Bhuvauri, not to forge a tightly-bound friendship, so they were happy to get out of the war with an agreement to end that association and pay minor war indemnities. Internal matters were now at the front of their mind. This left the Union Army in an awkward position. Without any allies nearby, the full force of Bhuvauri could descend upon them and force a retreat all the way back to the Middle Dwarovar, wasting the time they had spent coming to Rahen. Even worse, they could be trapped and eliminated if they made the slightest wrong move. Hopes of breaking the back of the economic hegemon were looking further and further distant.  Breaking the mass With more than half of the Union Army still in Rahen, the remainder guarding the front lines in the west had to be careful to prevent Kheterata from massing a force and taking advantage of the weakness. When a force twice as large as all dwarven forces in the region assembled at Fernnduim, a key crossroads in the territory separating Bahar from Harpylen, the Army moved to engage and scatter them. What followed was a devastating battle where, once again, dwarven firepower won the day in spectacular fashion, inflicting four-to-one casualties and driving the Kheteratans back from the front line once again.  Just enough of an embarrassment Bhuvauri, while powerful, had lost a significant amount of its military strength and was relying primarily on its massive monetary reserves to keep the war effort going. Rather than let those deplete, they were willing to part with a token sum to see the dwarves rampaging across their lands return to the mountains. However, even that small gift was taken as a sign that perhaps their hegemony was breakable. If they truly were as powerful as they claimed, then they ought to have crushed the invaders rather than paid them off. Perhaps another could claim the title of greatest economic power. Hegemony mechanics are pretty easy to game, I don't think the AI takes into account that it will lose them if it accepts even the most minor negative peace deal.  The might of industry In economic might, Gawed had rapidly ascended over the past few decades, surpassing both Bhuvauri and the Union. More than any other nation in the world, perhaps the Union included, they had embraced industry to supercharge their economy. Smokestacks were rising in every one of their cities, and the river Alen was said to run black with the runoff of their factories. Gawedi goods flooded markets across Cannor, and the Magnates who ran their economy grew ever richer. Gawed has more coal than anywhere else in the world. Whoever holds the region will inevitably become an industrial superpower. Incidentally, the mentioned Magnates can mount a coup in Gawed to turn it into a capitalist-run state, but we have been spared that because Gawed conquered Castonath, which replaced the Magnates with the Castonath Patricians.  Beauty from waste All avenues of making use of metals to imbue glass with the properties of sapphire glass had failed, but an outsider research team approached the issue with an unusual choice. A chemical fluid distilled from bat waste, when applied to cooling glass, gave it the gleam, hardness and sturdiness of gems. Their discovery was quickly replicated, and very quickly spread out to the commercial glassworks as well.  The apex of glass production Sapphire glass rapidly became the primary glass output by the glassforges of Orlghelovar, as it proved to be both strong and flexible. The possibility of such a material sparked a revolution in glass manufacture, as suddenly a whole range of applications that had been unthinkable for a firm and brittle material suddenly became viable. As more and more goods were replicated in glass, it soon became viable to make one's entire household out of sapphire of glass, if very expensive. Such unique goods were highly sought out by Cannorian nobility and bourgeoise, and the sheer profit flowing through the hands of the Union's merchants grew even higher.  Holds at sea The initial naval skirmishes of the war had heavily favoured Kheterata, as they still had a significantly larger fleet than the Union and Lorent combined. After these defeats, the Union Navy was withdrawn to Ovdal Tûngr to undergo a proper transformation. The three-deckers common across Cannor and Aelantir would be upgraded into armoured and heavily armed battleships. Cannons were fitted with autoloaders, critical parts of the ship were reinforced with mithril, and T-Wave Transceivers were used to allow the fleet to coordinate freely at a distance. The result was a force that was slow but nigh-unstoppable, that could outmanoeuvre a force despite this, and that was absolutely deadly in the melee of naval combat. The Kheteratan fleet was crushed, and the waterways were open to supply an invasion of Kheterata proper.  Into Bulwar, again Once again, dwarven forces found themselves marching through Bulwar. The cradle of humanity had become just another battleground for the Great Powers. The Kheteratan army had been broken as badly as its navy, but unlike the sea there were countless forts that needed to be reduced before victory could be claimed. Progress was slow, but inevitable.  A glittering army As scientists studied the sapphire glass further, the minds of the nation turned towards applications. One of the more outlandish suggestions was that it could be used as armour for the Union's armies. At first, this suggestion was discarded, but it stuck in the mind of members of the Enlightened Ten regardless. Sapphire glass was a strong as steel, as light as mithril, and cheaper to produce than both. Perhaps it was something worth considering.  Blood before the city A massive naval invasion saw the remaining forts in southern Bulwar bypassed completely, and a massive dwarven army descend on Kheterat again. The enemy had assembled a last ditch army at the gates of their capital, but even in the unfamiliar heat of the desert the dwarves fought with ferocity and overwhelming firepower, and the capital fell shortly afterwards.  Laying the groundwork The subsequent peace deal was deceptively simple. A land bridge between Bahar and Harpylen was secured, and the forts guarding the mouth of the Suran were handed over to the Union. Both of these would make future conflicts easier, but the greatest success was annulling the Kheteratan alliance with Bhuvauri, leaving them with only Aelnar as an ally. Next time, the Union would not need to fight a war spanning the length of continents to see Bulwar freed.  A flourishing city New Corveld had made itself into one of the premier locations for the production of Sapphire Glass, having found surface sources of the same chemicals used to treat the glass and turn it into its greater form. A massive wave of immigration entered from Cannor, and very quickly the city grew to rival the greatest other surface cities of the Union, like Westend and Aqatbar. This is crazy good value. I should have done this earlier when I was still looking for ways to improve tolerance.  The apprentice's approach Countless applications were received for the armour endeavour, but the field was very rapidly narrowed down to two possibilities. One involved framing the glass with steel, which was the cheaper and straightforward option but seemed to not offer anything to shore up the weaknesses of the glass. The other, using thin sheets of mithril and glass together was far more expensive, and relied on undeveloped techniques. Ultimately, in the spirit of science, the Enlightened Ten approved the more unusual approach.  Passing the torch One day, President Whitebeard was found collapsed in his office, surrounded by sheets of self-cleaning parchment detailing the latest projects emerging from the Institute. It was ruled as natural causes, but some said that perhaps it might be overwork. Whitebeard had never faltered in fighting for the Union and for the scientific ideals on which it stood. From the Obsidian Invasion, to dealing with the Serpent's Rot, to building an army capable of going toe-to-toe with the greatest enemies in the world and building a diplomatic coalition against them. All while maintaining the freedoms and community that the Union offered to peoples of all races and religions. He was entombed in his clan's ancestral crypt, with full honours, and his elected successor, Stromanvil, gave a speech at his funeral. The Union was the light of the world, an example for all to follow, and it would continue to forge alliances to build a world where all nations could enjoy the fruits of scientific endeavour. To be continued…
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May 7, 2023 10:53
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 So we've got the crown and citrine now, but passed on the Jade this time. OTHER than the Jade, Khugdihr now holds all other pieces of our rightful Senate Hall Decoration?
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May 7, 2023 11:38
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Rody One Half posted:
I don't think we were at war with the Jade March
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May 7, 2023 11:57
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AtomikKrab posted:I don't think we were at war with the Jade March I mentioned at Ovdal-az-an grabbed the Jade Gem from the Jade March at one point. So Rody One Half is correct, once we get a better chance to grab it then we just need a quick smash-and-grab against Khugdihr to finish the job.
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May 7, 2023 12:09
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Sybot posted:I mentioned at Ovdal-az-an grabbed the Jade Gem from the Jade March at one point. So Rody One Half is correct, once we get a better chance to grab it then we just need a quick smash-and-grab against Khugdihr to finish the job. Ah, perfect then,
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May 7, 2023 14:08
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This being my first time seeing Anbennar, can someone give me a precis on Gawed? They've been gettin' huge all game and I don't know anything about them. Are they typically a contender for world domination or is this a really good game for them? Also, love that we very quickly turned into Tolerance Dorf. habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 17:09 on May 11, 2023 |
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May 11, 2023 16:18
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habeasdorkus posted:This being my first time seeing Anbennar, can someone give me a precis on Gawed? They've been gettin' huge all game and I don't know anything about them. Are they typically a contender for world domination or is this a really good game for them? Lore-wise, they are a kingdom established by barbarian tribes that migrated into the region and settled down. They frequently find themselves in conflict with the elf/half-elf nations to the south, and are particularly anti-elven as a result. As the Industrial Revolution begins, they are one of the big kickstarters of industrialisation and industrial capitalism. In a gameplay sense they are one of the two great powers of Cannor, the other being Lorent. One of the two will always come out on top of the struggle between them, and Gawed won the coin flip this time, although by allying with Lorent we have helped keep them from getting pushed back any further. Gawed has a lot of expansion options, including Gerudia (the north), Escann, if a sufficiently powerful unifier fails to appear, and the Serpentspine if the dwarves don't get their act together. As such they've managed to amass a huge amount of development even without getting colonies.
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May 11, 2023 17:34
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Chapter Nineteen: The Science of Life and Death 1742-1756  Sunlight for the Sunless Digging operations in Orlghelovar had reached new depths, and the central avenue that spiralled through the entire hold had become so tall that it was unlikely that a dwarf who lacked the income to afford the rail ride up would ever be able to reach the top. That said, the workers made sure to install reflective systems including magical glass that could amplify and focus the sunlight streaming in from the upper layers of the hold, so even those in the deepest reaches got the chance to feel the sun on their face.  Stromanvil's ambition The President was quick to act, making use of the extended powers that his predecessor had assembled onto the office. Even though the war against Kheterata had only just ended, he ordered the Union Army out to continue the offensive in Bulwar against the remnants of the Phoenix Empire. Stalbór and Ovdal-az-Ân supported them, and these would be the first targets, given that the Empire was in no position to defend itself and could be defeated at leisure. However, there was an ulterior motive to his actions. Ovdal-az-Ân still held the Jade Gem. If the Dwarovrkron could be assembled by the Union, it would prove the ultimate superiority of the technocratic republic over all forms of backwards monarchism.  The Assembly's concerns In an urgent session of the Assembly of Holds, several prominent representatives expressed their concern at the new President's use of the powers that had been entrusted to Whitebeard, and considered whether a vote should be held to see them stripped away and returned to the democratic body. President Stromanvil gave an impassioned defence of his actions, pointing out the countless offensive wars his predecessors had ordered, and the fact that Gawed still loomed as a threat that the nation needed to be ready face. Their concerns were defused for the moment, but the undercurrent of dissent remained.  Corvuria's last stand One of the casualties of the war was the Kingdom of Corvuria. Having been dismantled by its rivals following the end of the reign of the vampires, the last few lords had fled in exile to the Far Isle, which sat in the ocean hundreds of miles off the western coast of Lorent. After the island was seized, dwarven engineers moved in and began to assemble dockyards in the anticipation of making the island a base for potential operations in Aelantir. Fun fact: Corvuria is (was) one of only two Corinite nations remaining in the world. The other is our vassal Silvertusk. The rise of the Ravelians, as well as the dominance of Gawed (who flipped back to Regent Court at some point) in Escann, has smothered the Corinites. RIP Corin, again, I guess.  Battle for the Jade Gem Without the pressure of time that had been present in the last war, the Union Armies marching through the Tree of Stone were able to take their time and secure the outer holds before advancing on Ovdal-az-Ân itself. On the rail lines outside the hold, they clashed with the main army, and won a decisive victory although casualties were still significant. With the bulk of her forces smashed, the Queen was willing to part with the Jade Gem in return for a long-term non-aggression pact between the two dwarven nations.  A near-complete collection The Jade joined the Diamond, Sapphire and Citrine on the podium without further ceremony. After the pushback from the Assembly, Stromanvil was careful not to go too overboard in demonstrating his intentions. The remaining three Gems were in the hands of the Asra rulers of Khugdihr, which were the Union's nominal allies in the wars over the northern mountains, so it would take some clever diplomacy to secure them without starting a new era of dwarven infighting and increasing vulnerability to the looming Gawedi threat.  Rise of the diplomatic corps One of the innovations that the new President brought in was the establishment of a specialist diplomat corp to maintain the diverse alliance bloc that the Union had formed over the centuries. Given the repeated wars, and the near disaster those brought on by the reaction of the Cannorian coalition and Gawedi Emperorship, it also helped to provide more diplomats who could be used to assuage the fears of the smaller nations who saw the Union constantly taking more territory on the surface. The debuff from integrating the mages has finally passed, so I knocked out all of the diplo ideas in one go. Besides giving us more diplomats and free relation slots, we also get reduced province warscore cost. It'll be a big help as we continue taking chunks out of Kheterata and others.  Dying fires From the Masters' perspective, abandoning the Union's side in the war against the Kheteratan alliance had been a good decision. With the manpower to focus on internal issues, they supressed any violence committed by revolutionaries and eased up on tithes that had been needed to support the war effort. With conditions improving, the revolutionaries were unable to radicalize the population enough to launch their much-vaunted revolution, and those who avoided the crackdowns quietly went back to their lives. From the Union's perspective, many in the Assembly had felt personally affronted by the betrayal. While the One Xia were still the best possible allies against Bhuvauri in the east, there was very little desire to try to bring them back into the alliance. With the dissolution of the Kheteratan alliance, it was not an urgent matter anyway. Sadly, One Xia maintained high enough stability to avoid the Revolution officially kicking off. I had considered using the console to tank their stability, but I forgot while I was fighting the war.  Assembling the skills and materials The apprentice Grunhilt's suggestion went through countless rounds of peer-review, and while several armourers were skeptical of her claims that a mithril and glass could be combined in such a way, they were not able to find any holes in her theory. Based on this, the Enlightened Ten approved the establishment of a workshop in Ovdal Lodhum to assemble and test a prototype. In order to support the effort, mithril imports needed to be increased, but as luck would have it the mithril hold Mithradhûm had recently been liberated from Orlazam-az-dihr by Khugdihr, and so securing a trade agreement was not an issue.  Sapphire Mithril Testing proceeded smoothly, and the results were very impressive. Near-impervious to bullets, light, and flexible, the shatterproof Sapphire Mithril armour surpassed all the expectations that had been placed upon it. The only downside was that it was presently too expensive to equip the entire military with it, but it was still lauded across the Union as an example of science being used to preserve the lives of its people. Once again, this only benefits artificer regiments. They are starting to look really juicy though, so a very late-game re-spec might well be in order.  The latecomer's foothold Gawed, for all its might, had not invested significantly in colonial enterprises. That very fact was considered the reason that Aelantir was dominated by Lorentish settlements. That all changed in the latter half of the 18th Century, as they launched an invasion of Aelnar, and forced them out of their own self-declared heartland in the Bloodgroves. The casus belli had been the inhumane treatment of humans that had been uncovered by Lorentish forces during the Kheteratan War, but the Gawedi were not interested in liberation. The elves soon found themselves second-class citizens to fresh human settlers in the land they had tried to reclaim.  Victory for coal The Phoenix Empire surrendered more of the Harpy Hills, including several valuable coal fields, to the Union. Shortly afterwards, Kheterata launched their own invasion and took the last remaining cities in Bulwar, leaving the once mighty Phoenix to languish in the desert. Plans were soon drawn up by the Union Army to have these territories liberated, but the ceasefire with Kheterata would last for many years yet.  Accelerate The next round of research funding was devoted to finding ways to increase the production of glass, both normal cobalt glass and Sapphire Glass. Several industrial concerns within Orlghelovar volunteered their facilities as testing grounds for these experimental new processes. Changes to equipment, new and unusual heating processes, and experimental artifice were soon a common sight through the glass foundries of the hold.  Crash It did not take long for such volatile experiments to result in disaster. A chain reaction of glass explosions in one facility devastated the building, killed dozens, and left many more maimed from the glass shrapnel. However, as the clean-up progressed, it did spark an idea in some of the more calculating minds of the Enlightened Ten. Glass could protect, but it could also kill with surprising efficiency.  The key to the Dwarovkron Nestled by the very end of the Serpentspine, the remains of the petty kingdom of Rogeria sat under the protection of the nearby dwarves of Khugdihr. There, the mage-king Thal Silmuna plotted to use the funding of the Asra Bank to restore himself and his dynasty to the throne of the Empire of Anbennar. Or at least, that was what President Stromanvil assumed. In reality, Rogeria presented a perfect opportunity to strike at Khugdihr and secure the remaining Gems without needing to go to war with the Union's other dwarven allies. He began to work behind the scenes, ordering the diplomatic corps to uncover evidence of the attempted Silmuna coup and any illegal magical research that Thal might be conducting, real or otherwise. Going to war over a lie, a war that would see thousands of dwarves dead, was a small price to pay to see the Dwarovkron reunited.  The brutality of glass Some of the more military minded members of the Enlightened Ten used the possibility of a coming war to suggest that new weapons be funded. Glass could just as easily kill and maim with shrapnel as metal could, especially as most militaries were no longer heavily armouring their soldiers in the face of modern guns and cannons. Though it could brutally blind and cripple someone, they posed the question; in what way was that worse than losing an arm to a cannonball, or being burned alive by incendiary rounds? The project was approved.  Dig relentlessly, dig through anything Deep, deep underneath Orlghelovar, the digging teams expanding the hold continued their work. Where once they had relied on picks and magic to dig through material, they now wielded tools powered by artifice, capable of smashing apart even something as hard as black diamond. Massive coal-powered drilling machines were rolling into the depths as well, tearing through material as fast as a hundred dwarves. I think this is the last notable layer of rock that needs to be dug through.  Implementation of cruelty There were two major issues to overcome when creating weapons of war out of glass. The first was its fragility when being fired from a gun or a cannon, and the second was ensuring that it could reach the most vulnerable parts of the enemy's body rather than shattering against a helmet or embedding in cloth. The solution to this was to make use of magical glass. By setting up a production line that applied enchantments of resilience to the glass, the bullet could survive being shot out of a gun, and by applying a sensory charm that would activate after being fired, the bullet could explode before hitting the target, showering them in glass shrapnel across a wide surface area rather than just the impact point.  Testing groundSuch weapons needed testing, and the perfect battleground soon emerged. The war with Khugdihr had begun, and Thal Silmuna himself was leading a massive force to try and knock Krakdhûmvror out of the war first. The forests of the Northern Pass would be the testbed for the new glass bullets.  Shattered by glass Despite nominally being outnumbered, the dwarven forces equipped with the new glass bullets engaged with the enemy. The battlefield was soon a death zone, as volleys of airbursting glass projectiles devastated the ranks of the enemy, leaving them dead, or wishing they were dead. Even the war magic wielded by Thal Silmuna could not shield them from the devastating effects of the shrapnel, and the forest very quickly became coated in a crunchy layer of blood mixed with glass shards. Observers from the Enlightened Ten were equal parts impressed and horrified at just what their science had wrought.  Emplaced death With the renewed investment in military matters, the artificers were able to make further upgrades to the rotary guns already used in the Army. Through a variety of automatic mechanisms, including a specialized Arithmatron, a single artificer could control a turret emplacement capable of single-handedly mowing down a charging enemy force. More siege ability is always welcome, and less shock damage is pretty nice but not as good by this stage of the game. A strong contender, if we had capacity. Our capacity has been on an annoying downward slope as all the Damestear and Relics provinces seem to start exhausting the instant that they are taken by a player.  The Silver-Tongued President President Stromanvil was a different dwarf to his predecessors. Both Blackbeard and Whitebeard had been stern and direct, driving the Union to greatness through their sheer force of personality. Stromanvil instead was instead one to world in the shadows and behind the scenes, while still doing all the public-facing tasks of his office. A few words to a Representative here, a meeting with a foreign diplomat there, and a continent-spanning diplomatic corps to serve both the needs of the Union as a whole and the ambitions of a dwarf who intended to make it, and by extension himself, the most powerful on the planet.  A message from the east With most other projects proceeding smoothly, the Enlightened Ten found itself without many project proposals to review. One in particular caught their eye, that being a hastily scrabbled letter posted from a merchant post in distant Haless, by a merchant who had sent several proposals over the years that had all been rejected for the implausibility. This time, he claimed to have a sample of a wonder material, something that would change the world if only it could be studied. Perhaps it would be worth an investigation  A fanciful tale When the dwarf was summoned to Orlghelovar, he offered up a much-exaggerated tale of his exploits across Bulwar and Rahen, and was very pointedly asked to get to the point and present his findings. It was clear he had been cheated, and the material was simply volcanic obsidian, but his report of magic-nullifying material matched up with rumours that the diplomats posted to One Xia had heard. The Masters had done much to suppress knowledge of the material, especially in light of the brewing revolution at the time of the diplomats' arrival, but there were enough living veterans of the wars with the Command to confirm the hobgoblins had a way of counteracting magic. Even if the merchant was a fraud and a fool, this warranted further investigation.  Cautionary movement While the investigation was signed off by the representatives of the mage community, there was the concern that investigating something with explicitly anti-magical properties risked upsetting the careful balance that the Union had built between magic and science. The first step in restoring stability was bringing an end to the current war, which had many common dwarves wondering why they were fighting a nation they had recently fought alongside.  Slow road After the battles in the Northern Pass, the war had progressed slowly but straightforwardly. The rail tunnels north of Mithradhûm were heavily fortified, but the agate dwarves were not willing to engage the invaders in open battle. The result was effectively a victory parade, as each fortification was reduced and the army marched forward until they reached Khugdihr itself.  The real objective For their participation in the 'crimes' of Thal Silmuna, the remaining fragments of the Dwarovkron were retrieved from the vaults of Khugdihr. Beyond that, they were forced to end their associations with Gawed, on the possibility of a future war between the Union and its strongest rival. The fate of Thal himself was almost an afterthought. After his surrender, he was handed over to the Magisterium to be tried for his crimes. While a public verdict was never delivered, rumoured to be because they were not confident of a guilty verdict, he was ultimately confined to house arrest within Old Damenath where he would live out the rest of his days.  Final three The Agate Gem, the Ruby Gem, and the Amethyst Gem. All three returned to Orlgehlovar with honours, and joined the rest of the Gems on the podium in the Assembly Chambers, where a debate immediately broke out about whether the Dwarovkron ought to be reforged or not. Some of the President's more vocal critics suggested that he might be attempting to establish a monarchy, and claim the title of High King. Historians suggested that it be reforged anyway, and preserved in a museum as proof of the successful reclamation of the Dwarovar by the dwarven people. Stromanvil himself offered a more peaceable suggestion. The Union of the Reach was the strongest dwarven power by far. The other dwarven nations already looked to it for leadership, and reforging the crown, even if nobody wore it, would only strengthen that connection. Perhaps, in the future, the Union would become something like the United Holds of the Dwarovar, or even beyond that, and the crown would be a symbol of that unity.  A crown for the future Appealing to the future was the most successful line of argument. Turning an artefact thousands of years old, torn apart by dwarven infighting, into a symbol of a peaceful future was not an easy feat but Stromanvil had found a way to accomplish it. The greatest artisans of the Union were brought together to reforge the crown, to restore the artistry on the kronium and to inlay the gemstones perfectly. When it was finished, it was placed in a case of mithril and Sapphire Glass in the centre of the Assembly, a symbol of present and future unity. Rumours that the President secretly wore the Dwarovkron when he was alone in the chambers were quietly shut down.  Investing in artificers With the celebrations around the recovery of the Dwarovkron, the Enlightened Ten felt comfortable disseminating more information about 'Korashi', the supposed anti-magic substance. There was an undercurrent of grumbling from some mages who were old enough to remember the War on Magic, but they were overcome by the wave of optimism the Union was experiencing. Several major artificer workshops were requisitioned so that as soon as a source of Korashi could be procured, the studies could begin.  The expense of mass production Both glass bullets and Sapphire Mithril had proven themselves on the battlefield, however mass production remained out of reach. A large section of the Institute was turned over to further study on these inventions, with the goal of making them cheap enough to produce in sufficient quantities to arm and armour all the soldiers of the nation. Doing so was, however, a massive investment in and of itself. There was a risk of falling behind in the adoption of mundane military technology if too much was spent on these studies.  The Medical Centre opens Expansion of the Centre of Medicine in Arg-Ôrdstun had been slow going. The hold was so crowded that they needed to wait for additional space to be excavated before the complex could be completed. However, once it was finally open all the medical researchers who had been gathering knowledge from around Cannor, Bulwar and the other nations of the Dwarovar descended upon Arg-Ôrdstun to begin their work. It would take a lot of work to determine what was true medical science versus folk tales, but they considered themselves up for the challenge, especially in light of the countless civilian and military lives that would be saved.  A deadly sample There had been no further hints towards the cause of the Serpent's Rot among the collected knowledge, so there was only one option. A team descended into the sealed-off regions of Orlgehlovar where the remains of the eponymous serpent lurked, and successfully retrieved a sample of its body. Sealed in a special Sapphire Mithril container, the samples were placed on a train, by themselves, bound for Arg-Ôrdstun.  Hunt for Korashi Further investigations into Korashi failed to turn up any legitimate samples of the substance, but the fact that so many merchants on the trade routes from Haless to Bulwar were convinced of its existence and its appearance gave further credence to their information. The common thread among the scammers was that they were attempting to take advantage of the collapse of the supply of the substance following the destruction of the Command. The fact that the One Xia were suppressing any legitimate producers meant that trading for it might be impossible, and the only way to retrieve a sample would be to go straight to the source. Oops, I guess the event writers must have assumed that the Command would always be around and wrecking face.  A secret expedition A force was assembled with the intention to strike into former hobgoblin territory, to track down the horned ogres who supposedly manufactured the Korashi, and to safely return as much of the material as possible to Union territory. All that they needed to wait for was the right moment to strike.  Underground water roads Expanding rail lines into the caverns of the Dwarovar was a difficult prospect away from the main rail tunnels. The technology or magic that had been used to originally carve them out had not yet been recreated, so it was a slow, laborious and dangerous process of mining and explosives to prepare the ground for track. An easier approach was to use some of the natural waterflows within the caverns to create canals. With a little bit of redirection and a lot less mining than for a rail line, an underground river could be controlled and used to float goods from the caverns out into the tunnels where they could be collected by train.  Wooden liberation Further expeditions into the Deepwoods saw more of the region liberated from Stalbór. With most of the elven populace now living within Salla Fealgarn, the Assembly was debating moving on the remaining independent elves and bringing them under Union protection as well.  The moment to move It took two years for the right moment to emerge to strike at the One Xia, and that came when a rebellion of hobgoblins and ogres struck out at the Masters who had set up their temple administrations in the former lands of the Command. Reports were that the Xiaken martial artists were being struck down by weapons that they found themselves unable to block or deflect, and the rebellion could spread. The Union's force moved swiftly, passing through the Dwarovrod, past Ovdal-az-Ân disguised as mercenaries hired by One Xia to fight the rebellion, and entered the tumultuous region without permission from the Supreme Master. In the midst of a battle where the black crystal was being wielded in abundance, the Xiaken and hobgoblin forces both found themselves set upon by a disguised force, which was denied the use of any of the Union's technology and hence any of its advantages. As the smoke cleared, all the leadership of the Union waited to find out if they had completed their objective or triggered a war with a nation they had once tried to ally. Honestly, this whole storyline falls apart a bit when the Command is dead, and Verkal Ozovar isn't around either. To be continued…
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May 11, 2023 17:38
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I was going to point out that Gawed skins Kobolds and make leather out of their skin but that's one of their releasables, Eaglecrest.
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May 11, 2023 17:44
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Sybot posted:Despite nominally being outnumbered, the dwarven forces equipped with the new glass bullets engaged with the enemy. The battlefield was soon a death zone, as volleys of airbursting glass projectiles devastated the ranks of the enemy, leaving them dead, or wishing they were dead. Even the war magic wielded by Thal Silmuna could not shield them from the devastating effects of the shrapnel, and the forest very quickly became coated in a crunchy layer of blood mixed with glass shards. Observers from the Enlightened Ten were equal parts impressed and horrified at just what their science had wrought.
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May 11, 2023 23:04
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That's the weakness of doing hard coded events like this going deep in to a really long campaign like EU4, poo poo's going to get weird and you can't predict exactly what's going to go wrong.
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May 12, 2023 00:18
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Also holy poo poo just realized the total stackwipe of an army with a War Wizard General! Lategame Orlghelovar is absolutely ridiculous. Thal Silmuna was probably glad you guys don't have Korashi Bullets yet.
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May 12, 2023 05:16
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Completely slaughtered almost a hundred thousand soldiers with not a single survivor and it's not even worth three war score. Yup, it's EU4 alright.
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May 12, 2023 09:07
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Plutonis posted:
To be fair, the War Wizard sucks at fire pips, so a lucky roll combined with that +3 fire advantage combined with Dwarf troops and a full line of cannons... I can't say it's that surprising an outcome.
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May 12, 2023 19:20
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Chapter Twenty: The Great Refit 1756-1776  Sample secured Fighting two armies at the same time, without any of the usual technological advantages that they enjoyed, was not the right decision. Even the most carefully laid plans fell apart in the chaos of a three-way battle, and the One Xia had unexpected reserves that they were able to bring in to crush the interlopers and the rebels both. It was only by sheer luck that Galin, the dwarf who had originally raised the suggestion with the Enlightened Ten, was able to retrieve some Korashi and flee the battlefield. Subsequently, while there was no evidence among the thousands of dead dwarves that any of them were from the Union, the Supreme Master was not a fool. She expelled the Union's diplomatic party, scuppering any chance of a renewal of the alliance.  Another battle for Bulwar Meanwhile, war resumed with Kheterata. The liberation of the remainder of Bulwar was considered to be of the highest priority, both to save the humans and elves of the region from the dominance of the Khet, but also to establish a solid southern border that could be more easily fortified than the strung-out territories the Union currently held.  Unscientific medicine After cataloguing and analysing the countless reams of medical knowledge that they had retrieved from across the world, the researchers of the Centre for Medicine could only come to the conclusion that most of it was useless. Some served well enough at treating the symptoms of disease, mostly thanks to centuries of experience, but there was no solid research on the causes of disease. That was something that they wanted to change.  Fall of the last claimant Another war had been going on at the same time, a war that the Union had technically been involved in but had only provided financial support. The other dwarven nations had launched a three-pronged strike on Orlazam-az-dihr, one that it had no hope of repelling. King Belgar, once aiming to become High King, was reduced to just his hold and a few surrounding territories. With his hopes also died the possible reunification of the Aul-Dwarov, as it had cemented the rise of the dwarven nation-states.  Black Damestear Galin returned with his Korashi sample, and very quickly all of his claims were proven. The substance could not just nullify magic, but prevent a mage from using magic for hours after being injured with it. The Enlightened Ten diverted countless researchers to focus on studying the limited samples and finding the way to replicate them. It was only when someone had the idea to try draining all of the magic from a Damestear sample that was discovered that the magical and anti-magical materials were one and the same. Hence, Korashi was given the alternate name of 'Black Damestear'.  Marble and magic-null The Enlightened Ten consulted with the Assembly to select a location to build a production facility for Korashi. Most of the holds were cautious of the substance, considering that they had large populations of mages, until the orcish representative of the hold of Shazstundihr pointed out that his people had very few mages and made up the majority in said hold. Though it was famed as the biggest melting pot outside of Orlghelovar itself, the Marble Hold did not have any production or research centres to its name, so they were eager to prove their worth to the Union. Soon, vast quantities of Damestear were being shipped to Shazstundihr to be drained and repurposed.  Studying anti-magic Even as the production lines began to spin up, the output was voraciously consumed by the students and faculty of the Anti-Magic division of the Research Institute. Vastly more would be required to satisfy the needs of science and to supply whatever inventions emerged from the ongoing storm of research, and so Shazstundihr would need a significant amount more investment, more than it had seen in centuries.  The field tests Some within the military hierarchy proposed that the war was the perfect time to begin the rollout of the Sapphire Mithril armour as standard-issue for the Union Army. Advances in production had made it cheap enough to produce in sufficient quantities but at the same time the newest version had not been properly tested by the heat of battle and the heat of the desert. It would take trial and error, and unfortunately many dwarves injured by inadequate protection, to smooth out any issues that they encountered. Big mistake to do this in the middle of a war, I didn't realise just how punishing the manpower recovery hit would be. The mil mana cost also means I can't afford to do wall breaches, but at least the fire damage balances out and will be pure positive once the negative expires.  A brutal front line What the Kheteratans lacked in technological prowess, they made up for in numbers. Accounting for the fact that half the Union army was holding the tunnels against their eastern brethren, the troops in Bulwar found themselves repeatedly outnumbered. While they regularly defeated armies twice their size, they had to repeatedly pull back to replenish their soldiers and replace any Sapphire Mithril that had failed the field test, and as such very little progress was being made.  Unifying theory With sufficient supplies of both Damestear and Korashi, any kind of manipulation of magical energy was now within the realm of possibility. New proposals were piling up on the desks of the Enlightened Ten detailing all sorts of niche theories and applications. However, the members of the Ten intended to think bigger, and think broader. The final research project.  The ultimate application What was truly needed was a unified theory of magic and energy, one that could lead to the control and use of pure magical energy, refracted through glass and wielded as both a tool and a weapon unlike any that had ever been seen before. Every person, every citizen of the Union, could wield the same powers that a mage innately held, and the world could enter a new era of light. However, such research needed vast quantities of Korashi, and the production centre in Shazstundihr was still not yet ready to supply so much.  The microscopic world Deeper studies and the advent of more and more powerful microscopes gradually unveiled a world that had been completely unknown to the world until that moment. No matter how closely they looked, there was always something smaller to study. As scientists narrowed down the potential culprits for the Serpent's Rot, other teams were beginning to build up an understanding of the fundamental underpinnings of life and the structure of the body.  Science and Industry Social and economic scientists were in agreement, a revolution had begun in societies across the world, one that had been heralded by the early industries of the dwarven holds but had now take hold in surface cities from Lorent to Tianlou. The Union was an undeniable leader in this regard, as the manufactories of Orlghelovar and the other holds grew at a tremendous rate, with more and more immigrants entering to work in the facilities despite the increasing automation brought on by the use of steam engines and golem workers. Every corner of the nation was now connected by railway, and every home was filling with mass produced products of artifice. Refinements to the T-Wave Transceiver allowed citizens to contact their friends and family from thousands of miles away, Arithmatrons were common a sight in personal studies, and images taken by the Viewcatcher were shared in magazines across the nation.  End of Aelnar Once again, Lorent had done the majority of the work on the Aelantir front of the war, and for this they were greatly rewarded. The majority of Aelnar's coastline was ceded to the Lorentish colonies, which served the double purpose of ending the supremacist nation's ability to project power over the rest of its territory and preventing that coastline from falling into the hands of the expansionist Gawedi colonies. It was only a matter of time before the dream of an undiluted elven empire was banished to the history books.  Ending the unfortunate front The Union had no quarrel with the dwarves of Ovdal-az-Ân, but they were bound by their alliance with Kheterata. A series of brutal battles in the tunnels east of Verkal Gulan slowly sapped at both sides' will to continue until eventually a ceasefire was agreed. With that front resolved, progress could finally be achieved in Bulwar, where neither side had managed to gain the upper hand.  Lure of the Khet With reinforcements from the eastern front and from Lorent, progress was smooth. However, some members of the Assembly were suggesting leniency towards Kheterata. They said that the monuments and wonders of Kheterata proper need not risk damage as a result of an invasion, that they could focus on Bulwar. This raised some suspicion, and an investigation of these Assembly members revealed that their T-Wave Transceivers had been used to receive large volumes of images of felines, both animals and the Khet themselves, in strange places with runic captions offering ironic commentary. Clearly the enemy had found a way to influence the minds of Assembly members, and so the representatives were suspended from their seats. The ringleader was executed after it was discovered he had been sending response images of dwarves wearing the new Sapphire Mithril armour with similarly jokey captions, which was taken as attempted leaking of state secrets.  Worldwide study Evidence continued to pile up on the existence and effects of the microscopic creatures, named Blothgoblins, but much more drastic action was needed to prove even the skeptics wrong. Once the proof was in the hands of the Enlightened Ten, they needed to be ready with friendly scientific publications and governments to spread the discovery to the world. This was not a discovery that had to be shared by the world, not contained to a single nation, for there were millions suffering who could now see the path to a cure for their ailments. This could be a surprisingly tricky mission if certain regions have gotten too consolidated. For example, there is only one nation besides Bhuvauri (who have us rivalled) in Rahen, and if they had been annexed, we would have had to go to war and force Bhuvauri to release something. Similarly, there is one minor in Bulwar who got kicked out of the PE at one point, and if they hadn't, we would have had to release a vassal from our own territory.  The birth of scientific medicine A dangerous but heroic effort saw true proof of both the cause of the Serpent's Rot, and the reason why the fungus acted as a cure. The study caught international attention, and images taken through the microscope were spread far and wide along with praise for the hard work and scientific method that had led to these discoveries. Samples of the pristine fungus were made freely available to doctors from around the world, although the microscopes needed to study them remained sold at a premium. Medicine would go through a transformation, and the Union would show the world the way forward.  A tired peace Dissent over the war was continuing to rise, and not necessarily because of images of Khet sitting in boxes. Tens or even hundreds of thousands had died in the blazing heat of the desert, thousands had been injured by improper armour-fitting, and there were simply no more dwarves available to join the army. To avoid the situation escalating, the President agreed to sign a peace deal that was less than the desired full liberation of Bulwar. It was still reasonably successful, seeing the rest of the Harpy Hills freed, as well as several major cities and fortifications in Bulwar Proper. The way directly to Kheterat itself lay open in the event of a future war.  Blasting with Forgefire With the war over, the military could be distributed the latest weapons produced by military factories. The handheld rotary guns were being phased out in favour of repeaters that could comfortably hold entire magazines of incendiary rounds before requiring reloading, and made small-unit tactics more viable as each dwarf could become an emplacement spewing devastating flame with the right positioning. The mechanisms in the repeaters were too intricately built to safely handle glass ammunition, so another solution needed to be found before those could see the same level of usage. If you want to see mecha-rams in action, you should play Orlazam-az-dihr.  Spreading discontent The nation had been so drained by the war effort combined with the large-scale effort to refit the army that the more unruly members of the population, those who still held loyalty to their previous kings and magocrats, begin to plot rebellion. Such rebels did not find much purchase among a population enjoying the economic boom of the industrial revolution and democratic representation in the Assembly, but there were enough of them to cause local disruption and make it clear that overextending further could lead to a tipping point.  Defusing opposition Some member of the Assembly also expressed concern about the situation, suggesting that directly annexing Bulwar was a bad idea and that it should be returned to local control. President Stromanvil was able to firmly remind them of the Union's duty to see the people of the surface granted the same liberties and affluence that the dwarves of the mountains had been granted.  Dedicated shrapnel rifles In order to utilize the magical glass bullets, special rifles were developed that were designed to safely handle the fragile ammunition. While these were called 'glass rifles', they were not completely made of glass. Most of the body was constructed of wood and metal as normal, but the magazine was made of glass, as was the barrel. Each bullet could be seen rising up into the chamber and slotting into the rifling of the barrel, before being shot out to fill an enemy with deadly shards. Combined with the Forgefire Repeaters, a Union soldier had multiple options to deal with different situations. An enemy without armour or in an open field could be torn to pieces by shrapnel from a glass rifle, whereas in tight quarters or against heavy armour, the repeater could send the enemy up in flames Definitely not going to kick off any major wars while this modifier is in effect.  Consolidation in Cannor The Empire had seen a lot of recent changes, starting with a compromise between the Regent Court and Ravelian members, which saw a Ravelian Emperor elected from among their numbers. However, that had done little to slow the decline of the institution. Ibevar, with help from the Union, continued to expand its borders, while Busilar, Wesdam and the Magisterium did the same. Only the gnomes of Giberd and the halflings of Beepeck maintained any semblance of independence from the rising unifiers.  Integration of Bulwar Proper Full rights were steadily being expanded to the newly acquired territories in Bulwar, and with it came millions of new human citizens who had to be integrated. It was agreed with local leaders to grant special consideration to the human cultures of Bulwar Proper, to ensure that they were able to join the Union without too much friction.  The knights join the Union For centuries the Knights of the Silver Tusk hat fought as auxiliaries on behalf of the Union, but as the Union Army transitioned to a more modern form and made use of the power of glass they risked falling behind. As such, the Grandmaster and the President came to an agreement to see the knightly order integrated officially into the Union command structure and the creation of Sapphire Mithril fitted for an orcish warrior. With that came official Union administration of their civilian populations, though they already enjoyed many of the technological benefits as other Union citizens already, and full representation in the Assembly rather than just observer status.  Sparkdrive snipers An area where the current weaponry of the Union was lacking was in terms of ultra-long-range engagements. At that distance, the spread of fire or glass shrapnel meant that damage was minimized. That could be fixed with the introduction of the gnomish Sparkdrive Rifle, a gun capable of firing lightning hundreds of feet with little or no loss of accuracy. The ability to strike down the enemy from that distance completed the trifecta of infantry weapons that would become the mainstay of the Dwarven arsenal. We definitely want this to go with our artificer regiments. Just a little longer until we can switch over.  Wisdom in leadership President Stromanvil had now been in charge of the Union for decades, and had found that the ideology of the nation had somewhat rubbed off on him. Under different circumstances he might have been led down a path where he seized power and crowned himself High King. Those thoughts had been banished to the darkest corners of his mind, and he had even stopped his clandestine visits to the Dwarovkron in favour of spending his evenings reading the latest reports from the Enlightened Ten and thinking about how the inventions could help the people of the Union.  Heat of the earth Workers in Orlghelovar halted their digging when they breached a layer of rock that had been softened by heat and found a layer of magma that extended an indeterminate distance. Using the newest scrying devices, the artificers assigned to the work crew confirmed that rock only grew less solid beyond that point. After reports came back up to the President, he agreed to cease the deepening of the hold for the foreseeable future, to minimize the risk of volcanic activity destroying the deepest layers. The new bottom of the hold soon became a place of heavy industry and energy, making use of the intense heat to power machinery and produce energy to be transmitted to the rest of the hold. Orlghelovar has now reached the lowest possible level and can't be dug out any further. Amldihr and (I think) Grônstunad in the Jade March can go deeper, but only by a couple more levels.  Regulating the medical industry The ongoing discoveries of the Centre for Medicine were rapidly transforming the landscape of healthcare across the Union. Doctors were now being taught scientific principles as much as patient care, and countless new products were being produced making use of the pristine fungus and other identified agents with anti-blothgoblin properties. Local governments were having to step in to make sure that these were properly regulated, lest false but valid-sounding science was spread, or unscrupulous merchants tried to claim that their untested products cured anything and everything.  Liberating the last hold For thousands of years Ânumdihr, aka Marrhold, had been cut off from the rest of the Dwarovar, and had ultimately been occupied by humans. First by the Marrodic Kingdom, and then by Stalbór. Their project to re-open the hold had become their undoing, as this opened up Ânumdihr to invasion from the tunnels. After a short campaign, both Ânumdihr and the remaining territory in the Deepwoods were liberated and returned to dwarven and elven administration respectively.  The Scientific Army Technology and artifice now formed the core of the Union Army, with weapons unparalleled by any other force in the world, and armour that glittered and could protect its wearer from all but the deadliest weapons. There was nothing else like it. The nations that still relied on mages could not keep up with an army that could match anything they cast, the gnomes were so diminished that they did not have the capacity to field so much artifice at once, and even those who attempted to imitate the designs did not have the experience and industry set up to produce the materials required. The mission tree really wants us to use artificer regiments. Looks like it is time for the respeccing that I have been talking about.  Weapons of Science The artifice industry was rapidly shifting to a military footing in order to supply the army. Production lines churned out repeaters and rifles, armourers produced suits of Sapphire Mithril for races of every size, and vast quantities of modern artillery shells were produced to feed the hungry autoloaders. The artificer privileges don't mention the bonuses to artificer regiments, which I'll cover next. The artificer's loyalty is so low from revoking all the old privileges, but they should be back up quickly. I'm also holding onto Self-Cleaning Parchment for the admin efficiency, and add Arithmatrons back in to use up that spare capacity. If we get 5 more capacity from somewhere, I'll probably replace that with the upcoming invention.  An army built on artifice A massive effort was made to ensure that every soldier was trained in the use of the new weapons, even if that meant effectively starting from scratch on their training. The refit occurred in waves to reduce the risk of an outside power deciding to take advantage of the moment when the Union Army was understrength. Vast training camps were set up where soldiers were put through their paces armed with each of the three core weapons of the Scientific Army, while also being fitted for their armour and being taught the new tactics that these weapons heralded. The transformation took place over the course of a couple of years, and by the time it was complete the Union Army was unrecognisable. All infantry have now be replaced by artificer infantry. How many you can field as a percentage of your force limit is based on the modifiers you have managed to accumulate, and for the average nation that would usually be 20-30%. In our case, we have hit 80% so considering some of the force limit will be artillery we have no problem making all of our frontline troops artificers.  Study without magic Magic permeated everything. From the Precursor Empire, through the Witch-Kings of the present day, there was nothing in society that was untouched by its power. The revelation of Korashi was that science could be conducted with all magical variables eliminated. There was no longer any risk of an experiment being influenced by a nearby mage or the ambient magic of the world. The underlying scientific principles of nature now lay open for investigation.  Personal defence Aside from the mainstay weapons of the army, artificers were also producing weapons for personal defence. The Wandlock was a gun capable of producing a range of magical effects, from traditional fireballs to protective wards or unlocking charms. The Wandlocks were most commonly purchased by high-status individuals and their guards, but there was discussion of distributing them to soldiers as well to increase the Army's versatility.  Begin intensive energy study With sufficient quantities of Korashi, the true work of developing a unified theory could proceed. The Institute was turned towards a single goal, all of the scientific knowledge that the Union had accumulated over the centuries devoted to understanding just how energy, both natural and magical, worked, and how they could apply it to change the world.  Isolated Chamber of Science As part of studying the theoretical basis for the ultimate application, the Black Box was created. A chamber made of pure Korashi, enough to take years of capacity from Shazstundihr, it allowed scientists to be completely cut off from outside sources as well the inverse, allowing experiments with magical energy to be conducted without risking the rest of the facility. In this chamber, energy itself would be tamed and wielded, for the good of the Union, no matter what path it would take into the future. To be continued… Vote: This will likely be the final vote of the LP, so besides the final idea group this will also determine our final goals and disposition. Vote for just one option. A: Economic: Dominate the world economy – Let us knock Gawed down a peg, seize the Economic Hegemony for ourselves then fight to secure the wealthy lands of Cannor and Rahen and all the trade flowing through them. B: Influence: Build a new world order – We should reconcile with our brethren in Ovdal-az-Ân and Khugdihr and lead them towards a greater peaceful Union, liberate the holds occupied by the Jade March, and demonstrate our benevolence by freeing the peoples oppressed by Gawed, Kheterata, and more. C: Plutocratic: Crush all who oppose us – We will occupy, humiliate, and dismantle each of our great rivals in turn (at least as far as EU4 allows) and end the relic that is the Empire of Anbennar, demonstrating the supremacy of the Scientific Army! This is also the last opportunity to change our artificery focus. Our artificer regiments are heavily kitted out, so perhaps we want to improve a different aspect of our nations. Vote for one option. 1: Change to Society 2: Change to Industry 3: Stay with Military Voting will last 48 hours.
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May 14, 2023 13:14
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B, 1 maybe? So they discovered shroomantibiotics? Neat. But why isn't anyone praising the snake for this? It provided a very critical element to the achievement.  In other exciting dwarf related music news. As I'm sure everyone has always wondered, what does a metal version of Misty Mountains (from The Hobbit) sung in Dwarvish sound like? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jev1H6buMV0
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May 14, 2023 13:32
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C, 3
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May 14, 2023 13:55
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B 2
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May 14, 2023 14:42
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B, 2
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May 14, 2023 14:43
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B,1
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May 14, 2023 14:45
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B1
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May 14, 2023 15:19
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C, 3
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May 14, 2023 15:24
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B, 1
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May 14, 2023 15:25
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B, 1 sounds good.
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May 14, 2023 15:30
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B, 2 For me.
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May 14, 2023 15:47
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B, 1 seems like a good one.
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May 14, 2023 18:58
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B2. Is there a Vicky based continuation of the Anbennar mod? I need Enlightened Scientific Dwarf Communism to take the world by storm.
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May 14, 2023 20:13
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Slightly Lions posted:B2. Is there a Vicky based continuation of the Anbennar mod? I need Enlightened Scientific Dwarf Communism to take the world by storm. There is, but it is unfortunately still a work in progress. My plans are to start a new playthrough after this, rather than attempt a continuation.
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May 14, 2023 20:25
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| # ? May 31, 2024 18:54 |
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C, 3 I demand blob
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May 14, 2023 23:23
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