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Sybot posted: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. Any ideas on future choices? More dwarves or other races?
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May 15, 2023 07:42
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Autisanal Cheese posted:Any ideas on future choices? More dwarves or other races? We'll be doing something a bit different next time, I've got a choice of nations from different races lined up for voting with a certain theme. There'll be a few weeks break before that though.
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May 15, 2023 09:41
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Please take as long as you need so you don't get burned out. This has been my favorite LP in a long time, and I want to keep reading it.
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May 15, 2023 14:03
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I've been really enjoying this LP so thank you for all the work you're putting into it. Oh, I hope for harpies next run but my guess is that it's going to be across the ocean. Or I'm completely wrong. Either way it'll be interesting.
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May 15, 2023 16:53
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B 2
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May 15, 2023 23:06
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B, 2
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May 16, 2023 00:23
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Sybot posted:We'll be doing something a bit different next time, I've got a choice of nations from different races lined up for voting with a certain theme. There'll be a few weeks break before that though. I know this is staying inside the Serpentspine, but.... *bangs fists on table* ROADWARRIORS! ROADWARRIORS! ROADWARRIORS!
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May 16, 2023 00:26
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Sybot posted:We'll be doing something a bit different next time, I've got a choice of nations from different races lined up for voting with a certain theme. There'll be a few weeks break before that though. Azkare or Command on Haless
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May 16, 2023 01:51
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B2
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May 16, 2023 03:30
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Plutonis posted:Azkare or Command on Haless I'm holding out hope for the kung-fu society
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May 16, 2023 04:14
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SirPhoebos posted:I know this is staying inside the Serpentspine, but.... While they're fun I'm not sure I'd be able to build a narrative around them without it getting repetitive. If I do shorter showcase playthroughs in future it'd be a good candidate though. Slightly Lions posted:I'm holding out hope for the kung-fu society Not on the table for the next playthrough, but I have a parallel ongoing Feng Harpy campaign that I'm enjoying, so maybe in future! Voting results: A: Economic - 0 B: Influence - 13 C: Plutocratic - 3 1: Society - 6 2: Industry - 7 3: Military - 3 We will be aiming for alliance-building and liberation, while seeing what artificery has to offer to our industries. Next update will likely be this weekend.
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May 16, 2023 15:34
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somethin real fuckin EVIL next time 
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May 17, 2023 05:00
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Half Orcish Haiti now has missions.
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May 17, 2023 05:50
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Fivemarks posted:Half Orcish Haiti now has missions. Which nation is this? Hiveminded posted:somethin real fuckin EVIL next time I can't make promises, but you might like some of the options I have lined up.
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May 19, 2023 19:46
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Chapter Twenty-One: Laying the Ground Work 1776-1791  Rebuilding a friendship The Assembly had almost unanimously agreed that expanding the Union's alliance was to be the strategic goal for the rest of the century. The first target of the diplomatic efforts was Khugdihr. While they shared allies, relations between the agate dwarves and the Reach had been frosty ever since the Union Army had marched up the length of the Dwarovrod and claimed the remaining Dwarovkron fragments. The diplomatic corps began its work, offering significant support for rebuilding rails and holds that had been damaged in the conflict and reassuring the Agate King that the Union did not intend to use the Dwarovkron to stake a claim.  Into the desert again While seeking peace in the north, war once again broke out in the south as Union and allied forces went to war with Kheterata to see Bulwar liberated. However, each of the Kheteratan allies also had something to give up. Whether that was to further break Aelnar, or to expand Lorentish holdings in Cannor to increase their strength for the confrontation with Gawed, or seeking to break Ovdal-az-Ân's connection to the Union's rival.  Fearful faceoff Even outnumbering Union forces in the theatre two-to-one, Kheterata was loathe to advance. Perhaps their seers and spies had reported the power of the scientific army, and left their commanders in fear of what they were up against. The artificer regiments had yet to see a real field test, so they were ordered to engage at the earliest opportunity.  Glittering crimson fields The first major engagement of the war was between Union and Kheteratan forces outside of one of their fortifications. With parts of their army guarded by the walls of the fort, they were under the impression that they stood a chance to at least hold back the Union. However, they underestimated the sheer firepower to be brought to bear. Their troops outside the wall suffered under a relentless rain of glass shrapnel, while incendiary shells set the fort interior ablaze and anyone who peered over the parapet was struck down by sniper-fired lightning bolts. By the end of it, the exterior of the fort was painted in glittering glass coloured by the blood of its own defenders. Their other armies in the region suffered similar fates, and Union and allied forces entered Kheterata proper within the first year of the war. That moment when you see fire phase ticks greater than 10000.  Unable to stem the glass tide After entering Kheterata, the Union forces split up to secure the major cities. This left individual units vulnerable to counterattack by sheer numbers. Such victories were barely so for the Kheteratan army, as the losses inflicted upon them were near unrecoverable. Actually, getting enough capacity for those wandlocks would be nice. Despite killing more, we often end up behind on morale.  The human hold The reconstruction of Ânumdihr was completed without too much issue, and soon discussions were opened about adding it to the Assembly of Holds. However, the majority of the population within remained human, and they still demonstrated some discontent about being directly ruled by a power that didn't even have a direct connection to their home. Negotiations opened up with the human mayor to discuss what sort of concessions the Union would need to give them to see them officially join the Union.  Bulwar is Union turf Ovdal-az-Ân withdrew from the war with only minor losses. They had avoided directly engaging Union forces throughout the conflict, and when the armies were at the gate of their hold, Queen Tharkuni agreed to peace terms. She agreed to end all of her nation's interests in Bulwar, recognising as being within the Union's sphere of influence. As the armies left, a diplomatic team remained, intent on hammering out some more details of her and her kingdom's relationship to the Union. I wanted to finish off the Phoenix Empire after this, but for some reason Verkal Kozenad is guaranteeing them, and there is no way to get the AI to cancel a guarantee besides war, unlike an alliance which you can cancel using favours.  Taking the teeth On the Cannorian front, the Lorentish and Ibevari forces made short work of Wesdam. Lorent was granted a swathe of territory including the fortifications guarding the Damesteeth Channel, which would give the alliance easy access to Dameria in future conflicts. The city of Anbenncóst was once again freed and placed under the Union's protection. As the greatest surface city in the world, it ought to be a place where that acted as a neutral ground for the people's of the world.  Artificer Knights The Knights of the Silver Tusk were officially integrated into the Union Army as the war came to a close. An entire army division was made up of orcs kitted out with custom Sapphire Mithril decorated in red to display their continued reverence of Corin. The orcs took quickly to modern artificer warfare, as their larger frames let them carry all three standard weapons at once, allowing easy switching between tactics in the heat of battle.  Near complete liberation Union control extended over the remainder of the Drolas Peninsula, as well as the city of Bulwar itself. The liberation remained unfinished, however. There would still be more work to be done to see the region unified and out of the hands of the Khetarch.  The first experiments Work continued apace on the study of magical energy. Experiments within the Black Box saw repeated failure to successfully contain the energy for a long period of time. Such a failure would have frustrated mundane scientists, but the Union was a nation where science and magic worked hand in hand. The nation's mages offered their support, granting the scientists access to ancient tomes that discussed the construction of magical crystals, in the hope that this could offer inspiration for a scientific approach.  Unifying the Deepwoods The Union's wood elf allies made further gains against the last remaining independent clan within the woods. Despite the violence, the Assembly was convinced that this was the only way to ensure the continuation of the elves' culture, after the repeated invasions they had suffered in the past. The Deepwoods were still a strange place, remaining mostly untouched by the industrial development of the world outside. Rail lines found themselves bent and buckled by unruly tree roots, or somehow turned around on themselves when traversing the gladeways. It was better for such a place to remain under the control of those who understood it, and the many unique plant and animal product they produced to be sustainably harvested.  Materiel assistance In the east, a massive war broke out pitting Bhuvauri against all of its neighbours. This was the perfect opportunity for the Union to gain further influence within Ovdal-az-Ân. A deal was struck with the Queen for the Union to supply glass rifles to her troops at a discount. It was clear to all that this was to further bring the granite dwarves into the Union's sphere of influence, but with them on the back foot in the war they could not turn down such aid.  Another step towards a reunited Dwarovar Diplomatic efforts in the north also bore fruit, as Khugdihr officially joined the alliance with the Union. With the exception of those remnants holed up in Orlazam-az-dihr, the entire Dwarovar from the Giant's Anvil in the far north all the way to Orlghelovar in the west and Verkal Gulan in the south-east was under a single alliance block. The threat of Gawedi incursions into the mountains was over, but there were other concerns to address before they could be struck at.  Worldwide influence The Union was now recognized as one of the foremost diplomatic powers in the world. Its vast diplomatic corps worked from Cannor to Haless to see a coalition built against the greatest imperialist threats of the world, and its commanding position over the trade routes from the east gave it a near unlimited budget with which to wield soft power. Union artifice was now more common than gnomish, even among majority gnomish cities like Nimscodd, as the sheer size and scope of their scientific institutions drew in more eager researchers and artificers than anywhere else. Most juicy there is the integration policy, although I won't run that until we want to annex something. Combined with the completed the influence ideas that'll be a full 50% off of the cost of integration, before admin efficiency.  Honouring King Marr Negotiations with the humans of Marrhold came to a close, with a curious outcome. The Union agreed to keep the name given to the hold by the humans in honour of their ancient ruler, King Marr. After all, he had been the ones to reclaim it a thousand years prior, while the dwarves cowered among. The Republic of Marrhold was established, and while it held no territory outside of the hold itself, that would soon change.  Marrvale restored Union troops were soon on the march out of Marrhold and into the Marrvale, the griffon-inhabited lands beyond the hold. They had been seized by Stalbór in an earlier war, but now the once-powerful Escanni nation found itself without allies so it was trivial for the Union to reclaim the territory and restore it to its rightful owners. It was also agreed, less publicly, that Marrhold would be responsible for administrating any further Escanni territory liberated, if that were to happen in future.  Infusing the wooden wall The Union Navy had seen very little investment after it had demonstrated that it was adequate enough to patrol the waters of the Divenhal against Kheterata. Still, the dwarves of Ovdal Tûngr continued to innovate upon the warships that they built. Their latest development was a magical barrier that drastically reduced the damage a warship would take in battle. However, with most of the nation's Damestear being directed to the Army, they had to make do with prototypes. Not worth it, especially at that price. After this I switch to Industry focus.  Extending into the east Despite aid from the Union, Ovdal-az-Ân dropped out of the war with Bhuvauri having given up some of its surface territory. Immediately the Queen sought out the Union diplomats to begin negotiating an alliance. The One Xia and other eastern allies had done nothing to stop steady Bhuvauri expansion towards the mountains and the earlier loss of Hul-az-Krakazol, but perhaps the tide could be turned by fellow dwarves.  Container and amplifier With the combination of the scientific method and ancient magical knowledge, a device capable of containing magical energy was developed. Not just contained, but focused and amplified through the power of perfectly crafted glass. It was clear that with the right materials this could be extended to light, sound and any other form that energy might take.  Energy, focused and directed Practical applications bloomed out of the research labs of the Institute. The most prominent of these was the LAD, or Light Amplification Device. Through precise lensing of a combination of sapphire glass and magical glass, a simple light source could be turned into a weapon capable of carving through solid steel. Such a device could be the greatest tool yet discovered, or the greatest weapon.  Light on the battlefield The potential of LADs was clear to military strategists across the nation, and very quickly prototype weapons were being distributed to the army. The beamsplitter had been developed independently of the LAD, but replacing the expensive gemstone with simple glass to provide the same effect made the weapon significantly cheaper. It would be a paradigm shift to see pure-energy weapons on the battlefield, one that could see the face of warfare change forever.  A moment's rest Following the completion of the LAD, the Enlightened Ten found itself inundated with more research proposals that ever. The successful capture and direct transmission of energy opened up countless fields of new study, so many in fact that they had no idea where to next direct their research. In the end they decided to leave it up to the individual research teams, to see what new developments would spring from the competition to utilize this discovery. The end of the research events…?  Release the beer At the urging of Ovdal-az-Ân, Union forces arrived in the Tree of Stone with a mission to reverse the gains Bhuvauri had made against the dwarves. The primary target was Hul-az-Krakazol, the legendary Brewmaster's Hold. Said brewers had been forced to export their produce out to Rahen, depriving the dwarves of the mountains of their nectar, and inadvertently killing thousands of Raheni humans and Harimari who underestimated the strength of what they were drinking. Armed with the newest weapons, the offensive quickly reclaimed the hold and spilled out on the surface, where it was forced to split into two offensives to pass around the vast Marutha Desert.  Cannon overload The Bhuvarui relied on cannons to an even greater extent than the Union, and brought immense firepower to bear against forces advancing through the hills to the west of the desert. Despite the devastation wrought against them, the Union forces were able to inflict immense losses on the enemy, including almost their entire force of infantry, before being forced to pull back. The survivability of the Sapphire Mithril they were equipped with, combined with the damage they could inflict at range, turned every dwarf and orc into glass tower of destruction. This kind of battle repeated itself, and very soon the Bhuvauri army was close to exhaustion.  The tunnels hold Ovdal-az-Ân was theoretically neutral in the war, but were more than happy to report enemy troop movements along their rail lines. Bhuvauri forces attempted to force the Union troops to withdraw to defend the holds of the Middle Dwarovar, but they were quickly intercepted and destroyed by units that had been held in reserve, moving to reports that came in over the T-Wave.  At the Gulf of Rahen Around the eastern side of the desert there were very few Bhuvauri forces, giving Union troops an easy route to the capital. The firepower they could bring to bear easily brought down each fortified city and saw it occupied, and soon the enemy capital had fallen as well. Their armies were exhausted, their cities falling one by one, and their supply of alcohol severed. Of course, they soon sued for peace.  Gains undone Almost a century of conquests pushing closer and closer to the mountains were reversed in a matter of years. The Assembly would have liked to have done something to completely cut the Bhuvauri stranglehold on trade, but supporting their allies was a more important goal. If they had the chance to strike a second time, they would take it. However, a more urgent matter had emerged. Queen Tharkuni was pressing the Union diplomats to offer support in another war that had just begun.  Strike down the Masters The Supreme Master had used the chaos and damage to his Raheni rival to make a move against the free cities of Tianlou, on the eastern coast of Yanshen. Ovdal-az-Ân supported Tianlou, but was now suffering an army rampaging through its eastern territories and threatening to immediately take what had been reclaimed from Bhuvauri. The Assembly could not stand to let the imperialist martial artists lay dominion over all of Haless, and ordered troops in position to liberate first the mountain tunnels of their ally, and then beyond that the long-occupied Jade Mines. The war for supremacy in the east had only just begun. To be continued…
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May 19, 2023 19:47
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Sybot posted:Which nation is this? Varbuk's Freemen/Freemarches. Also is Esthil on the Menu?
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May 19, 2023 20:36
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Sybot posted:Which nation is this? Freemarches- you need to have a colony in Dalaire and be doing orcish slavery, and you'll get an event to switch once they spawn.
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May 20, 2023 02:29
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Are we creating future space orcs, cause giving orcs a large chunk of guns and now having laser weapons got me thinking.
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May 20, 2023 07:31
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Plutonis posted:Varbuk's Freemen/Freemarches. Thanks. Esthil/Black Demesne is one that I ruled out. I've played them before, and have no desire to play Acolyte Management Sim again. I might do a showcase of their mechanics at some point, though. ChaseSP posted:Are we creating future space orcs, cause giving orcs a large chunk of guns and now having laser weapons got me thinking. Laser orcs, maybe. Space, less likely. The Astral is more like an eldritch realm than somewhere that you can freely travel.
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May 20, 2023 21:46
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Chapter Twenty-Two: Mountains Do Not Move 1791-1802  Caught out The declaration of war caught the Xiaken armies out of position, as they suddenly found hundreds of thousands of more enemies populating the Tree of Stone. With most of their armies in the east, they had one major force on the western front, which was quickly caught and ravaged. The chi warriors were unable to stand up to devices of death that the Union troops could bring to bear against them.  Standard sidearms The arrival of a Damestear meteorite in Bulwar provided enough supply to make Wandlocks the regular sidearm of the military. It would take a little while to spin up production and ship them all the way to the front lines in Haless, though. Once they arrived, they filled a critical niche. In close-quarters, a martial artist could beat a dwarven soldier with little trouble. However, if said soldier could quickly draw and unleash a spell the tide could be turned.  The eastern capital Following the fall of the Aul-Dwarov, the hold of Grônstunad had held out for thousands of years more before ultimately falling to the Command and later the Xiaken. Despite that, it was an enormous magnificent city filled with structures and statues carved from jade. It only took a matter of weeks to breach the gates, at which point the goblin rulers of the Jade March agreed to surrender the hold to avoid any further damage.  Across the land of temples Months passed, and the rest of the Xiaken armies were still nowhere to be seen. They really hadn't expected such an invasion, and as a result their capital fell with little effort. Vast training temple complexes were emptied of inexperienced warriors before they were seized, as the Masters were not so callous as to throw away the lives of the next generation of students in the face of the brutal technology the Union could deploy.  The counterattack The war in Tianlou was brought to a swift end in the face of the invasion. The Union intervention had, at least, prevented any loss of dwarven territory, but Tianlou itself was forced to give up swathes of territory in the east. Following this, massive armies were soon on the move through the Demon Hills and towards the front lines. The hardened Xiaken warriors were almost fanatically courageous, and through sheer determination able to break the nerve of the Union forces and force them back into the mountains. One Xia's morale stat is nuts. They're at 12 morale to our 10. I guess it's lucky they didn't go revolutionary on top of that.  Everything changes Others had been paying attention to the situation in the east. Not just the Union, but two of its dwarven allies had diverted troops away from Cannor to participate in the war. The rulers of Gawed, eager to break the alliance block that had assembled against them, used this as the perfect opportunity to strike from the west. With an army close to three million strong, the possibility of them sweeping through the mountains and shattering everything that the reclaimers had accomplished was suddenly very real. A petty conflict over a few holds in the east suddenly seemed irrelevant in the face of that.  A token peace It was fortunate that the Jade Mines themselves, as well as the Xiaken capital, had been taken, as that gave the Union enough leverage to end the war and begin the long process of returning their armies to the west. A token territory changed hands, and it was obvious to both sides that it would be used as the operating base for a resurgent conflict once the immediate crisis was over.  The hammer falls on Escann Khugdihr was the only dwarven nation with significant forces in the theatre, the others all having travelled east, which meant that they were the first target for Gawedi forces. Vast armies marched into Escann, while more besieged Khugdihr itself. However even with their overwhelming force, the Gawedi struggled to make headway. The region was heavily fortified and the sheer strain of deploying so many men in the same place stretched even Gawed's ability to support them. It was slow and hungry going for the soldiers, which bought time for the alliance's armies to return.  Targeting the allies The Union only had two reserve divisions stationed at home, while the rest of the Union Army was in the east. President Stromanvil worked with the military planners to come up with an approach to halt any sort of invasion of the Reach from the west until reinforcements could arrive. While the enemy had numerical superiority in their fleet, the Union Navy still ruled the East Divenhal, which meant that a direct attack on Busilar's capital could be supported. It might not be enough to immediately knock them out of the war, but it would send their armies into disarray, put them on back foot and buy some more time.  The Nathalairey Trap The remaining Busilari forces were driven off just in time for the arrival, in significant numbers, of Gawedi troops. They were too powerful for the two reserve divisions to engage directly and marched directly on New Corveld and Nathalaire. Once they opened the way, they could link up with Busilar and target Orlghelovar directly. However, they made a critical error. The causeways to Nathalaire were easily blocked by the Union Navy. Massive warships, nearly impregnable to the mobile cannons brought by the Gawedi forces, sailed into the shallow waters and laid waste to their supplies and rear echelon troops. With no way to escape, they redoubled their attempts to take the city.  Advanced beams Prototype LAD devices were being built across the nation, but a proper handheld device was still out of reach. Even the beam rifles being tested by the Union Army were still more reliant on their magical components than their engineering. The Enlightened Ten saw fit to invest significant resources into turning the devices into something that could stand alone without reliance on massive amounts of Damestear, so that one day any citizen could hold the power of light in their hands. Surprise, there are actually more missions after the official 'end' of the research tree. There are just two more after this though, and then we really are done with Orlghelovar's mission tree.  Assembled for battle Gawedi forces continued to pour into the New Corveld region, and the reserve divisions were forced to retreat to Ourdia after overcommitting to battle. However, the tide appeared to be ready to turn. Fresh troops, having been shipped up the length of the Dwarovar by rail, were finally ready to join the frontlines and push back the invasion. The orders from the President were clear. Push the enemy out of Union territory, then strike down Gawed's allies in Busilar and Rósande.  Trap sprung Union troops broke through the besieging forces at New Corveld and advanced under the protections of the Navy's guns across to Nathalaire to relieve the city. The Gawedi troops there, exhausted and starving, were no match for the arsenal that Union science could bring to bear against them. Those few who survive fled into the shallows around the city, where many of them succumbed to their glass-inflicted wounds or otherwise simply drowned after exhausting themselves.  Dwarves stand strong In the north, the Union and its allies had rallied and driven Gawed out of Escann, although Khugdihr itself was still under occupation. Retaking the hold would have to wait, as there was an attempt to push into the Deepwoods so the Union armies diverted to protect their elven subjects. It had been a close-run thing, but the combined might of the Dwarovar had held back a seemingly unstoppable tide. The war remained far from over, however. There still more than two million troops on the enemy side, ready for battle.  I, Mechanim Over the past several decades Arithmatrons had become an increasingly common sight across the nation, but the mages of the Rizvâmbrèthar had managed to go one step further. The arithmetic mechanisms had become intricate enough that the golems now possessed a rudimentary intelligence, enough so that they could be trusted to complete complex tasks without the need for constant oversight. Soon, mass orders of the new Mechanim were flooding the Runeforge as industries across the nation sought a cheap and endless workforce to power their factories. Such a worker promised another transformation of the national economy in the same way that the availability of cheap coal had, but it also threatened great upheaval. The social scientists of the Enlightened Ten were monitoring the situation very closely to see how society reacted to another surge in automation. Money isn't important anymore, we have more than we could ever possibly use (late game dwarf problems) so there's no need to select these guys. For reference, Insyaa is the continent east of Haless, which is not available yet in the mod and isn't going to be until after the Sarhal update at least. It is filled with Precursor experiments, including kaiju and sentient robots.  The first domino After clearing New Corveld, Union forces advanced north into former Corvurian territory, now held by Rósande. It was a small nation compared to Busilar and Gawed, without any strategic depth to fall back upon, and so it quickly surrendered as its cities started to fall under shimmering rains of glass and light. I've been talking up the dwarven alliance, but you can see how much of the fighting has been us (across the whole war, not just versus these guys) based on percentage of money we've received. That's AI for you.  Into Escann The troops that knocked Rósande out of the war were able to move north and link up with a major offensive by the alliance into Escann. The bulk of Gawedi forces were nowhere to be seen, which concerned the generals greatly as there were still millions of them out there. There were not, however, about to look a gift griffon in the mouth and took the chance to effectively increase the number of forts at their disposal.  Winter offensive It did not take long for the missing armies to make their appearance. A massive force entered the snowy forests of the northern pass and began investing against the forts in the region. If they broke through, they might be able to end the war by taking Krakdhûmvror and forcing them to terms. A large detachment of the Busilari army had been drafted into the effort, the members of which were suffering the cold even more, being used to the comfortable climate offered by the Divenhal.  Hold the tunnels Concurrently another offensive was started to try and finish knocking Khugdihr out of the war. However, three entire divisions of the Union had been devoted to ensuring that the invaders took not one step further into the Dwarovar, and the tight confines of the rail tunnels were lit up by fire, beam of lights, and glittering showers of glass. Once again, Busilar was being used as the spearhead to save Gawedi lives, a fact that was not lost on the President. With most of their army away, he ordered the pressure on their homeland to be redoubled.  The seas secure Union forces steadily advanced through Busilar, while the Union Navy ventured beyond the East Divenhal to engage their navy. The flagship was sunk, while without any defenders their forts began to fall one by one. As news came down of their significant losses in the north, they agreed to give in and pay reparations. With their withdrawal from the war the southern front was closed and the entirety of the Divenhal was safe for Union shipping again.  Stone city While the enemy's northern offensive stalled out, the alliance continued to advance into Escann. The Patricians of Castonath, the descendants of the rulers of the ancient Empire of Castanor, opened its gates rather than let the stone city be destroyed by open combat. The city had a significant dwarven population as well, descended from the Iron Hammers adventurers who had attempted to settle Escann following the Greentide. While they were not as repressed as any elves unfortunate enough to come under Gawedi rule, they still struggled within a human-centric empire and were pleased to see their fellows marching through the streets. They were a bit confused by the number of orcs amongst them, but were not about to complain.  Last gasp The fall of Castonath was a massive hit to Gawed's prestige, and the King demanded retribution. A massive force pass south of Lake Silvermere, aiming to cut off the alliance's troops and restore order to Escann. The Union Army moved to hold the east bank of the lake, while reinforcements streamed up from the southern front. It would be here that the Gawedi army would be broken at last.  Refilling the armies Facing shortages of military manpower, especially in the face of massive confrontation with the enemy, the Assembly voted on and pass a draft of underemployed citizens across the Union. The spread of Mechanim across the workforce had put countless people out of jobs, and while the economy was growing a rate that new jobs were appearing, there were still a lot left behind. Some time in the military, not even necessarily as frontline troops, considering the massive growth in the logistics corps, could serve both the nation and the individual, granting them skills and experiences (if also the occasional maiming). This is probably the single best thing the Parliament mechanics have offered all game.  Struggle ended The decisive battle had not yet even been fought, and Gawed offered to negotiate peace terms with Krakdhûmvror. Perhaps news of the marshalling of Union manpower had frightened them into ending the war, or alternatively their economy had begun to collapse under the weight of maintaining the war effort. Combined with Busilar they had suffered two million casualties over the course of the war, while the alliance had just a million. Even the heavily industrialized and urbanized heartland of Gawed was starting to suffer from a lack of able bodies and their once-vaunted economy was stuttering to a halt. Only a small amount of territory changed hands, primarily some border regions in Escann and the Northern Pass. For now, peace reigned, but the President knew that it would not last long. The tentative stand-off in the north had been broken, and now the future of the world lay in the conflict between the two superpowers. Stromanvil was sure that the inhabitants of the mountains would not be the ones to break first. We could grab the Economic Hegemony at this point, we surpassed Gawed's economy recently, but it will damage relations with our non-subject allies and that would risk the extensive coalition we've built. Image lost, Lorent invites us to join a war against a bunch of Cannorian nations, plus Kheterata Out of the frying pan… No sooner had the diplomats returned from the peace conference hosted in Khugdihr, than they accosted by the Lorentish ambassador. He requested that the Union join in a war between them and a coalition of nations within the Empire of Anbennar. Crucially, the coalition was additionally supported by Kheterata and Lorent did not have the forces to both fight the Empire and cross the Divenhal to invade another continent. Declining would cost the Union a crucial ally against Gawed, so they had no choice but to accept and scramble trains to ship armies all the way to Bulwar to fight in yet another war.  Perfected beam rifles As the troops shipped south, they were handed the newest version of the beam rifle. By making use of patterned glass inlayed into the barrel of the weapon, much like rifling, the coherence of the beam that it produced could be increased. This gave a massive bump to the range and power of the weapon, putting it on par or even beyond the other infantry weapons in the Union's arsenal. The final couple of techs give massive damage buffs to infantry and artillery, so this is just in time to give my troops enough of an edge to let me clown on Kheterata to take out some of my frustration for the exhausting war with Gawed.  Melting under the lens The new rifles demonstrated their power as the forces of Kheterata were swept away without issue. The beam could melt through most armour, disable cannons at a distance, and blind entire battalions of enemies even on a more diffuse setting. The Union Army was the strongest and most advanced force on all of Halann, and only the greatest of powers, which Kheterata no longer stood among, could stand against it.  Ready for round 2 One of the few that could likely stand against the Union was the One Xia. The Supreme Master made sure to make it clear in his communications with the Union that his warriors would not give up an inch of Haless to Union aggression, and the Bhuvauri border and the Jade Mines would be more fortified than ever. The surprise attack would not be repeated.  United Deepwoods The last remaining independent elves were fully integrated just days before the dawn of the 19th Century. Many members of the Assembly began to question whether they should become full members of the Union as well, but President Stromanvil argued against this. Their way of life was too distinct from the urban and industrious inhabitants of the Reach, Bahar and Bulwar, so to see them flooded with industrial development, deforestation and Mechanim workers would risk everything that they had achieved by freeing them from their occupiers, and possibly even backlash from the mysterious fey folk that inhabited the deeper parts of the forest.  Civilian applications Despite the success of the beam rifle, finding other usages of the LAD remained difficult. The government effectively had unlimited money to throw at the problem of creating a workable weapon, but industries were running on much tighter margins. Finally, the Assembly agreed to sponsor a test in Ovdal Lodhum, where the teams digging the latest layers of the hold had encountered material even more challenging than had been found in Orlghelovar. That LAD performed incredibly, slicing through layers of rock that were near-impregnable even to diamond-tipped drills. Interest began to increase as a result, and LAD manufacturers started to receive orders from several impressed parties. Not really that useful to us at this point from a game perspective, we've done all the hold deepening that we needed.  Wars at an end Lorent's war came to end without much further participation from the Union. After breaking the Kheteratan army and taking the remainder of Bulwar, the Union Army was withdrawn to recuperate and continue refitting with the latest beam rifles. For their minimal participation, the Union was still granted some reward. A mountain fort on the frontier changed hands, which would make the capture of the remainder of the region straightforward. The President and the Assembly were both glad for the chance to relax for the moment, and use the breathing room to plan their next move.  Expanding Marrhold More Marrodic territory was reclaimed from Stalbór including crucially the other northern entrance to the Deepwoods. Fortifications would be established in the region to ensure that Gawed could not easily break into territory protected by the Union. This would allow Union forces to focus on other fronts when the next war inevitably came.  To field a superweapon And that war would inevitably come. Gawed had not yet been truly broken, and as long as they held control of Escann and Gerudia they would hold a knife to the belly of the dwarven people. On top of that, they oppressed countless dwarves in Escann, as well as elves, gnomes and halflings in other regions of their empire. As production lines of LADs rolled out, the minds of the nation turned to transforming its immense power into a weapon that could rule the battlefield. Time was counting down until the ceasefire with Gawed expired, and once it did, they would experience enlightenment. To be continued… Sybot fucked around with this message at 20:33 on May 23, 2023 |
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May 21, 2023 12:13
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You have the military tech advance twice in a row; guessing the "out of the frying pan" is supposed to be a declaration of war?
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May 23, 2023 16:41
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inscrutable horse posted:You have the military tech advance twice in a row; guessing the "out of the frying pan" is supposed to be a declaration of war? Correct, I seem to have lost that image entirely unfortunately so I've just replaced it with a note.
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May 23, 2023 20:34
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Chapter Twenty-Three: Enlightened World Order 1802-1821  Marshalling the people Rapid automation was seeing ever more citizens losing their work. Factory floors were now populated more by Mechanim golems than flesh-and-blood, and administrative roles became centralized around the use of Arithmatrons. While many found employment in more skilled roles or in artistic or artisanal efforts, there were many more who were struggling. An effort was made to uplift these people into the army, in exchange for free education once they completed their tours of duty. Being a soldier was becoming an ever-safer role as well, with advancing medical understanding meaning that all but the most critical wounds were survivable.  The key piece A gnomish mathematician approached the Enlightened Ten with his discoveries, asking for a significant sum in order to join the LAD weaponization project. He claimed to have uncovered the exact mathematics behind the way that light amplified within the device, something that had only been accomplished through experimentation up to this point. The maths was near-impenetrable to even the learned members of the Ten, but they were willing to give him a shot, as the researchers had so far been stumped on how to produce a beam strong and coherent enough to meet requirements. The Beam Rifle was coherent, but not much stronger than a normal bullet. The laser cutter was strong, but had very short range before decohering. An artillery piece needed something more.  Mountain killer At the gnome's instruction, the researchers prepared a LAD device with exacting specifications only possible through the continued industrial innovations building ever-more-precise tools and the steady hands of Mechanim workers. On a beach outside Ovdal Tûngr they fired the prototype, and on that day part of the mountainside east of the hold collapsed. All involved could only stare at the destructive capability of a full-strength LAD. A debate broke out as to whether such a weapon should really be wielded, ultimately won by the side saying that with smaller LAD designs out there it was only a matter of time before someone else replicated the mathematics for the larger model. The Union ought to be the first to wield such power, lest it be used against them first. Mobile versions of the LAD Cannon started to be produced, but there was no chance of them fully replacing standard artillery within the Union Army. Each one was expensive, bulky, and fragile, and while this slowly improved it would be a long time before there would more than one LAD Cannon per hundred traditional artillery pieces. There is a little bit of a disconnect between the text and the in-game effect only making artillery 20% stronger. I think it should give a bunch of artillery bonus versus forts and extra artillery fire pips as well. It's basically the capstone of the entire mission tree, give us something really OP to play with.  Eliminate the allies first With time ticking down until the war could begin, the Union Army began to move into position. Once again, Busilar and Rósande retained their alliances with Gawed so knocking them out of the war was considered the highest priority to reduce the size of the fronts. Busilar itself was filled with heavy fortifications, promising very slow progress, while Rósande would likely be knocked out of the war quickly at which point the dedicated forces could be shifted to Escann.  Hold the line in Escann Fewer divisions were devoted to the Escanni front, but this was also the point where the hammer of the dwarven alliance would strike hardest. LAD cannons were deployed at the border, ready to vaporise any armies that threatened to cross, and the Union divisions prepared to move in for the liberation.  All together Nearly the entire strength of the alliance that the Union had forged was now arrayed against Gawed. Only Ovdal-az-Ân, distant from the frontlines and more concerned about Bhuvauri or One Xia taking advantage of that war, did not participate. The numbers were already stacked against Gawed, even more so as one of their allies, the Dragon Dominion, was isolated by Lorentish colonies in Aelantir.  Behind the lines The war had caught a significant portion of Gawedi forces out of position, with nearly two hundred thousand men in the Northern Pass, behind the quartz dwarves' fortifications. The first weeks of the war would see these unfortunate souls surrounded and eliminated by the dwarven forces in the region.  Mages in the war effort One might consider that mages had contributed very little directly to the Union's war efforts throughout the years. The focus had always been on inventing new weapons rather than wielding magic. Considering the scope of this war, the President was willing to approach the magical members of the Enlightened Ten to request their aid. Scrying an entire nation was a monumental task, one that the mages were more than willing to take up. Innovation in the understanding of the mechanics of Sending Stones and T-Wave Transceivers allowed them very easily turn the images and words they could see in their scrying spells into actionable material, and the veil of secrecy the rulers of Gawed attempted to maintain fell apart. I haven't really touched spells at all in this campaign, but here is a taste. This scrying spell is expensive but strategically invaluable. You can see the results in the next screenshot.  The elven front As their lands were closest to Gaweton, Ibevar was naturally the first land that felt the strength of the Gawedi army. Similar to the plan against Busilar, the Gawedi commanders likely intended to knock the elves out of the war first. While they were skilled soldiers, they were also very few in number and could be effectively knocked out of the war with a few bad defeats. Scrying also revealed that significant numbers of Gawedi troops were rallying in western Escann, but that eastern Escann and Castonath itself were temptingly undefended.  Marshy victory As expected, Rósande surrendered very quickly. Large sections of the marshlands around New Corveld were annexed to provide more of a buffer zone to the city, and more importantly to Orlghelovar itself. In previous wars, enemies had only one fortification between them and besieging the capital, so the added space would be invaluable if such a situation ever returned. The divisions that were responsible for securing the surrender moved up to the Ibevar front to assist and prevent the elves from being knocked out of the war.  The frontlines form The rallying Gawedi forces finally felt confident enough to move against the Union in eastern Escann, but they alarmingly found the forts of the region had already fallen to Union assault. LAD cannons had been deployed, melting entire fortresses as effectively as if a dragon had descended upon them meaning that it had only taken months for the whole region to be swept up. Union forces tentatively sized up their opposite numbers, unsure whether their technological advantage could overcome the numerical advantage and a war of careful manoeuvre and placement began.  Battle for the Ynn Complication arose in Aelantir, as the ruinborn elves of Sidpar took advantage of the conflict to invade the Lorentish colonies on the Ynn Plateau. This was one front where the Union was more than happy to leave their allies to fight their own battles, given that the natives had fought so hard to rebuild and defend their homelands following the Ashen Skies. There were echoes in that of the fall and reclamation of the Dwarovar  Beams of destruction Battle was finally joined between the bulk of the Union and Gawedi forces in southern Escann. With a three-to-one numbers advantage, the enemy commanders felt confident they could comfortably destroy the Union forces worn down by attrition. They won the battle, but it cost them greatly. For the first time, the LAD cannon was deployed in a field battle, and it was devastating. Enemy formations disappeared under the blinding beams of light, entire forests and fields were set ablaze from the sheer heat of the beam. The Gawedi centre disappeared, along with dozens of its senior leaders. It was only the flanking forces, shielded from the direct-fire beams by hillsides, that forced the Union to retreat. Behind them, they left a hellscape of glass and fire.  The quiet front While lives disappeared in a flash in Escann, the western front was far more subdued. Lorent was having no real opposition as it worked its way through the fortifications of the Small Country and the Dragon Coast. Soon, they had reached the cities lining the River Alen and were only a few hundred miles from Gaweton itself.  Industrial heartland Union forces actually beat Lorentish troops to the capture of the city itself, having broken through the frontlines in Ibevar and marched through the lightly-guarded Alenic Frontier region. There was a distinct sense of déjà vu for the dwarves entering the city. Gaweton, and the surrounding area, was one of the most heavily industrialized regions on Halann, with urban density and factories that had previously been unseen outside of dwarven holds. It was almost homely, although even more choked by smoke and smog that clung to the streets of the city. It was not for nothing that Gawed had industrialized so fast, as it was sitting on some of the largest seams of coal yet discovered.  Lights of the city With LAD cannons sighted to the approaches to the city, the Gawedi army had no hope of reclaiming their capital. During their only real attempt, their entire infantry and cavalry corps was obliterated from miles away by unstoppable beams of light. The inhabitants of Gaweton were treated to a real lightshow, with the clouds produced by their city temporarily underlit with more intensity than the sun. While they scored some damage with counterbattery fire, it was not nearly enough to put a dent in the Union Army. After this defeat, the Gawedi Army was no longer a threat to the alliance.  Connection With their ally collapsing, and facing a separate invasion by the Magisterium, Busilar offered its surrender, which granted enough territory to the Divenhal Trading Company to connect the Toref Citadel to the rest of the Union's territory. Often the island had to be written off to enemy occupation, but this would no longer be the case going forward.  Indirect fire For all the LAD cannon's power, it lacked the ability to fire over obstacles. Of course, it had the power to literally melt through them, but that was rarely desirable. For more precise indirect fire, howitzers were beginning to find their place within the Union's artillery corps. Armed with high explosive, incendiary, or glass shells they were useful against a wide variety of targets and combined with appropriate scrying tools had enough accuracy to ensure that the first shot would detonate right over the enemies' heads.  The surrender It took two more years of combat after the fall of Gaweton for Gawed to surrender, most of that time being spent pushing through their forts in the (Alenic) Reach and Gerudia, as well as trying to negotiate a separate peace with the dragon-worshippers in Aelantir. When Gawed finally gave in, the concessions seemed almost nothing compared to the scale of the war. Parts of Escann and the Northern Pass were ceded to the dwarven allies, but that was all. Many within the Assembly cried out at how more ought to have been claimed, especially the dwarven-inhabited lands in and around Castonath. It so happened that President Stromanvil agreed with them.  drat the surrender Union troops re-entered Gawedi territory now months after the signing of the peace. While none of the Union's allies were willing to join such a brazen land-grab, they did express some support for further dismantling of their great rival. By this point, there was little the shattered soldiers of Gawed could do even against just one member of the alliance. Their allies beside the Dragon Dominion, irrelevant though it may be across the ocean, had abandoned them and their forts had not even been remotely rebuilt after their destruction at the hands of the LAD.  Last stand Everything that Gawed could pull together was assembled at Gaweton, but it was not enough. Against the technological advantage of the Union, even just two divisions were enough to devastate their forces. The war was already on the way to being over.  Brilliant tooling The use of light was increasing at an incredible rate throughout the Union's industry. LADs were now in use in almost ever imaginable role within its mines and factories. One could see cobalt ore being carved out of the mountain, silicate and metal being melted together at precisely tuned wavelengths, and engravings being carved into the resulting glass with thin bursts of light. Enough was being produced to decorate the interior walls of Orlghelovar in vast sheets of brilliant blue, that shone in the imported sunlight, while still dominating the worldwide glass market.  Martial reign The Supreme Master declared that the Righteous Path would stand against the tide of technological destruction that was sweeping across Cannor. That sentient life and its capacity for inner cultivation would ultimately triumph over mindless automatons and weapons of mass destruction. Their warriors had proven formidable enough in the Union's war against them, and now they numbered large enough to credibly claim to hold hegemony over all of Haless. Liberating the remaining holds looked to be slipping out of reach.  Liberated cities As promised, the Union was able to secure the freedom of the dwarves of Escann. Additionally, the city of Vertesk was also freed. At the mouth of the River Alen, it controlled Gawedi trade out into the Dameshead, so its independence was likely the single greatest possible loss to the Gawedi economy besides the loss of their capital. Finally, as a symbolic gesture to the people who had done so much to advance the cause of science in the Union, the island of Nimscodd was returned to the exiled gnomes. Overall, it was not a devastating victory over Gawed, they still held vast population and industrial capacity, but the loss of Castonath and Vertesk marked a pivot point towards the decline of their empire.  A home on the surface The nation of Hammerhome, an attempt by dwarves to forge a home before the success of the reclamation had been a sure thing, was an ideal that President Stromanvil wanted to recreate. The dwarven majority in Castonath had been suppressed by Gawed, but under the stewardship of the Union they had the opportunity to turn the ancient stone city into a metropolis unmatched outside of the Dwarovar. All the inhabitants of Escann would be welcomed as the technology of the future turned the region into a paradise that had not been seen either before or after the Greentide.  Realpolitik Lorent immediately moved, targeting the island of Nimscodd and, with it, Gawed. This left the President in a difficult position. Freeing the island had been a gesture of friendship, but had not come with any security guarantees from the Union. Still, it was bad for the image of the Union as a protector of freedom to actively support a small nation being swallowed by one of the great powers. On the other hand, the alliance with Lorent was too important to the web of diplomacy that Stromanvil had forged. That calculus won out, and so the Union joined another war against Gawed.  Fields of glass Gawed was no threat. A token force was stationed in Hammerhome to protect the fledgling nation, but no further moves were made against Gawedi territory. Instead, the bulk of the Union Army moved south and fought once more against Kheterata to secure the long-desired freedom of Bulwar. The LAD cannons were even more impressive in the open deserts, turning swathes of land into glass sheets as the sand melted under the sheer heat.  The Union of the Reach, Segbandal and Bulwar The Khet surrendered quickly, not wanting their nation to suffer the same fate as Gawed. Union control now extended over almost the entirety of Bulwar, with only some territory nestled against the Dwarovar still controlled by the remnants of the Phoenix Empire. Legislation passed by the Assembly officially recognized that Bulwar, including Bahar, Harpylen and Bulwar Proper, was an indivisible part of the Union, along with the Segbandal (Middle Dwarovar). Full voting rights were extended out across the region, and integration into the growing rail network and industrial supply chain began.  Across the Small Country Lorent was able to extract some more blood from the sapped stone that was Gawed, claiming a chunk of the Small Country, the halfling homeland that had been the tipping point between the two powers for centuries. President Stromanvil had hoped to free the entirety of the Small Country at some point, to right one of the most notable acts of oppression within Cannor, but that seemed to be dashed by his allies laying claim to the region. Once again, the alliance with Lorent had led to the benevolent goals of the Union falling by the wayside.  19th Century Cannor & Dwarovar The past four centuries had been of consolidation and expansion. Almost all the world now lay under the dominion of one of the great powers, one way or the other. The Union, for all the liberty and prosperity it brought to its citizens, was little different. Stretching its power out onto the surface, it had first brought Bahar into the fold, and then extended that across all of Bulwar, while also freeing the occupied holds of the Segbandal. Nonetheless, especially under the rule of President Stromanvil, it had pushed for self-governance for peoples under their protection, rather than attempting to claim the resurgence of a single unified dwarven empire. Sitting across some of the great trade routes of the world, and with an economy that was seeing a burgeoning new age of mechanized automated industry, the wealth of the Union was unmatched.  The Enlightened World Order Diplomatically, the alliance that it had forged was effectively unbeatable, with only the masters of One Xia daring to speak out against it following the decisive crushing of Gawed. The dwarven people, after millennia living off the kindness of others, were finally ruling themselves and working together in a way that would have been unimaginable to the squabbling members of the Aul-Dwarov. The Enlightened World Order was in a position to dictate terms to the rest of the world and see a peaceful and prosperous technological century. However, work remained. Cracks were clearly obvious between the dwarven members of the alliance and the elven and half-elven rulers of Ibevar and Lorent, who sought to extend militaristic dominion over the rest of Cannor. Shortly after Gawed surrendered for the third time, President Stromanvil called for a conference in Anbenncóst, bringing together all the members of the alliance and many of the neutral nations of Cannor to decide the fate of the continent, and beyond.  From adventurers, to hold builders, to scientists, to world leaders Across four centuries, three leaders, and thousands of miles, the Union had come a long way from its humble beginnings as a band of mercenary idealists in the dark and ruined tunnels of an ancient civilization. Now wielding the power of light itself, and steadily freeing their population from the need for work, a brilliant glass future lay before them. To be concluded…
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May 25, 2023 17:47
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Next Time We will be the bad guys After playing a scientific utopia with freedom and tolerance for all, I would like to show off something a bit darker. I have selected nations of almost every race who have the potential for great evil, and in some cases are mandated for it. You may note one obvious missing option from the selection, that being the Black Demesne, but having played that through to completion once before I'm not interested in dealing with acolytes again. Thank you to everyone in this thread and the EU4 thread in Games who offered suggestions This will be a preliminary vote, and the top 5 will appear with more details for the final vote in the OP of my next playthrough. I have prepared a poll at the following link, please cast your votes there but feel free to discuss it within the thread as well. Up to three votes are allowed. https://strawpoll.com/polls/wAg3A8WNoy8 Reveria – Humans. A nation founded by raiders, who wish to arm themselves with gnomish artifice and return to the water to discover new oceans to reave. Newshire – Halflings. They love nature, so much so in fact that they will revert Escann to wildlands and have their plants devour anyone who dares attempt to tame it. Aelnar – Elves. Unlike their brethren who integrated themselves in Cannorian and Bulwari society, the elves of Venail seek only to return to their homeland and ensure the revival of a pure elven empire. Chaingrasper – Goblins. Dak Chaingrasper is one of the most powerful mages alive, but he knows that if he were to die his clan will fall apart. Clearly, there is only one solution to this; eternal life through undeath. Azjakuma – Ogres. As they descend from the mountains, the Oni will corrupt the faith of Haless to their own ends. Karashar – Orcs. Seeking redemption, these orcs look to become to guardians of humanity. Elves? Dwarves? No, no, just humans. The rest can burn under Surakel's light. Asheniande – Vampires. In our campaign Corvuria failed to manage its vampires, but perhaps a different nation could wield them and drag the Empire of Anbennar into the shadows. Mykx – Gnolls. Drug-running, demon-worshipping pirates. The scourge of Aelantir. Verkal Ozovar – Dwarves. From a hold nestled in the Phokhao Mountains, tendrils of control and domination reach out and manipulate the nations of Haless like puppets. Gemradcurt – Ruinborn. Winter will descend upon Eordand, then upon the invaders and their colonies in Aelantir, and then upon their homelands and the very world. The Command – Hobgoblins. A stratocratic superpower that strives to see the world kneeling at its feet, if they can survive their own internal politics. Other. If you vote for this option, please offer up ideas for examples of other interesting 'evil' nations, whether from races listed above or races not listed. If 'Other' collectively makes the top 5 I'll pick the one I'm most interested in to include. Voting will last until the next playthrough starts, which will probably be a few weeks at least. The epilogue for the dwarves will be posted sometime before then. Thank you all for reading and participating!
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May 25, 2023 17:50
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The sunlight did reach that low, for the glorious glass dwarves of Orlghelovar. And they brought the light of science to all. An evil playthrough next sounds fun.
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May 25, 2023 18:05
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Threw my votes in for Newshire, Azjakuma, and Ashienade (in that order of preference). They're all fun playthroughs and just kinda depends on what region you find interesting. Escann is fun because you can become a world power FAST and the idea of repopulating the entirety of Escann with environmental terrorist halflings is great. The Ogres are fun because EVERYONE hates you and your goal is to convert everyone to an evil religion, and corrupt temples to become super power. But... the goddamn Command starts BORDERING you. It's a scary one. Ashienade is fun because it's a more diplomatic and less overtly evil path but you get to work towards making a vampiric emperor, so hell yea!
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May 25, 2023 18:22
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This was a fun playthrough. I think I'm gonna be voting for both pirate options and the ecoterrorist halflings.
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May 25, 2023 18:25
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Thanks for posting in the EU4 thread, I had missed this LP until now. Iirc Reveria's content doesn't lean into evil as much as the other options, but it is a fun campaign. I'm voting for Gemradcurt because I played them recently and I want someone else to suffer through the monthly devastation in every province (minor mechanical spoiler) you get in return for the good stuff.
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May 25, 2023 18:41
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JosefStalinator posted:The Ogres are fun because EVERYONE hates you and your goal is to convert everyone to an evil religion, and corrupt temples to become super power. But... the goddamn Command starts BORDERING you. It's a scary one. Bordering you and with missions involving subjugating or vassalizing you, at that. It definitely doesn't sound like an easy start.
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May 25, 2023 18:59
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Zurai posted:Bordering you and with missions involving subjugating or vassalizing you, at that. It definitely doesn't sound like an easy start. One mitigating factor is that you do get a free, renewable truce with the command that they'll usually accept at the start, which buys you extremely valuable time.
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May 25, 2023 19:16
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 or ogres sounds pretty fun. Hmmmmmm, what if....
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May 25, 2023 19:20
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Want to be the goblin lich.
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May 25, 2023 19:24
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Azjakuma or Chaingrasper, IMO. In that order.
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May 25, 2023 19:47
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Ozovar ain't that bad, creepy mind control runes notwithstanding. Nevertheless, voting Command because the Hobbos have incredibly cool mechanics, a terrifying disaster and are just badass in lore. Aelnar second for Elven 
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May 25, 2023 20:18
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If any of my choices win I really want The Command to win tbh purely to stomp those reactionary martial artists this time!
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May 25, 2023 20:24
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I'd be fine with anything except Aelnar, to be frank. Goddamn Elven Nazis.
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May 25, 2023 20:43
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Asheniande
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May 25, 2023 21:15
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I'd never heard of Anbennar and it was really fun to discover it through the LP, thank you! I voted for Chaingrasper and Karashar, both seem really interesting.
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May 25, 2023 21:47
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Mykx because yes to drugs and piracy and sacrifices to demons on mesoamerican step pyramids. Asheniande and Gemradcurt for runners up
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May 25, 2023 22:02
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Newshire is super cool
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May 25, 2023 22:19
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