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We could go with crueler options, but then Balris would be disappointed. 
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Jan 27, 2024 21:23
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Also we've already lost, literally, almost a million guys in the last war, now may be the time to give peace a chance for a bit and build back up, consolidate a little bit.
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Jan 27, 2024 21:24
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I wouldn’t really expect the CK3 or Vicky 3 Anbennars to be really playable for another year at a minimum. Beyond playing them in a quasi-testing capacity anyway. Also yeah, you don’t really sign up for Balrijin to be the bad guys
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Jan 28, 2024 06:54
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Ironic that the most map-painty character (jaher) exists in the least map-panty game (ck)
Firebatgyro fucked around with this message at 07:55 on Jan 28, 2024 |
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Jan 28, 2024 07:53
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I suppose I should have expected it, but the most peaceful options won out. We will eventually be creating a Goblin Homeland in the Jade Mountains and Jiantsiang will be left alone, militarily. Chapter Eleven: The Scale of Wealth 1583-1603 Galleon Excellent, docked at Tianlou Harbour, 1600 The great city stood astride the bay, a sea of rooftops rising up into the hills, larger than any Ema had seen, besides a brief stay in Anbenncóst as a gnomeling. The port around them was thick with merchant cogs and endless activity, the sign of a thriving and healthy economy that was sure to have much to offer her expedition. It had been months since they had rounded Cape Lokke, stocking up on supplies in the Derranic trade outposts and building up the courage to brave unknown waters. The merfolk that dwelt in those waters had been very interested in trading waterproof artificery tinkered up by Chief Doomwhistle for information on currents and windstreams that would take them to safety without dragging them into the Stormwall or back to Sarhal. If her crew could lead the first successful trade route to Rahen and Haless, she would go down in history. From there, they had passed the Ringlet Isles and found familiar Elven faces in Arawkelin, who had suggested that the trade fleet turn east rather than west, for Raheni trade was controlled by vicious slavers who might demand some of her own Gnomish crew as curiosities in exchange for their goods. The Elves had spoken of a powerful quasi-theocratic republic that spanned the lands of Yanshen, wealthy and intellectual in equal measure. This 'Xerlanza' was to be Ema's destination. The situation was a little more complicated than had been explained, but it was clear there was no tyranny or zealotry at work in this great city. Gold and blue flags fluttered from buildings in equal numbers, and while most of the workers in the harbour were Human there were a multitude of other races present, including the feline Harimari, a few surprising Dwarves, and a large number of golden Kobolds. The last group were of interest to one of her crew members in particular. "D'you think they run things?" Ris Smallpick piped up, as she scrambled over to the captain. Rather than do the sensible thing of using a stool to peer over the side, the Redscale dug into the wood with her claws and pulled herself up, clinging tightly as she held onto the edge. "See that flag," Ema said, pointing out one of the golden flags emblazoned with a draconic symbol for the young cabin girl, "they're equal partners at least." The excitement was visible on Ris' snout, which hung open in amazement at the sight of so many of her kin working freely among the other races. The status of Kobolds in the Gnomish Hierarchy was a fraught one. After the Reclamation, the restored Hierarchy held back from completely purging the Kobolds. Over time, Gnomes and Kobolds had come to coexist, but with a great deal of separation and tension. No doubt some Kobold leaders sought to undo the Reclamation, and conversely candidates for Hierarch often curried favour with conservatives by offering a crackdown. That she had a Redscale on her expedition at all was something of a triumph, considering the attitude of a few of her crew. They had come around on her on the long voyage, at the very least. "The Elves said they had a dragon, right?" Ris asked, her eyes sparkling "A metaphor, or just the title of their leader, I would think," Chief Tinker Doomwhistle said, coming up behind them. "Do you have any evidence for those hypotheses, Arnolt?" Ema said, offering him a glare. "All Dragons recorded in Cannorian history were violent hoarders, who were slain by great heroes," he said, his arms folded, "none of them would have left a city this prosperous stand unplundered within their domain." "We aren't in Cannor anymore," Ema said. Her eyes caught a group of finely dressed Kobolds and Humans marching down the docks towards them. "I think we'll get a chance to gather more data." The presence of a full trade fleet had caused much commotion among the harbour managers, and most of the fleet remained at anchor just beyond the bay. Only the Excellent had been granted leave to dock, and no one had been allowed off until a proper delegation could be assembled. Now, Ema, Ris, the Chief Tinker, and a few other of her crew, disembarked to meet with their welcoming committee. To her surprise, it was a Goldscale Kobold that stepped forward. In fact, all of the leadership of the party appeared to be the Kobolds, with the Humans serving as attendants and security. Had she underestimated their influence, or was there something else going on? "Greetings, honoured merchants," the lead Kobold said, translating through a Yansheni man the crew had hired in Arawkelin, "I am Fax Fazang of the Grasping Tail, chairkobold of the Tianlou branch of the Scale Bank. You have travelled far to learn of our wares, correct?" He offered a bow, and Ema did her best to return the bow, though it was a little awkward for someone as short of stature as a Gnome as it meant she could only see his clawtips. She decided that reading his body language was more important than showing maximum respect, and ended the bow as quickly as she could without risking offense. As she lifted her head, she noticed one of the other Kobolds staring at Ris. The two Kobolds had locked eyes, gold and red directed at one another. With her low rank on the ship, there was no way Ris would speak up about it, so Ema felt obliged to do so on her behalf. "I am honoured to meet you," she said, "I would first like to learn the connection between your companion and my crew members." As soon as the words were translated, the eye-locked Kobold stepped forward boldly, even ignored the surprised squawk of Fax Fazang. "As a Sage of Knowing Eye, I must place His satisfaction over plain haggling," he said. He extended one set of claws out towards Ris. "Honoured crimson sister, I wish to invite you to our capital. The Bringer of Songs will be most pleased to meet the progeny of one of his siblings." Ris was hesitating, her eyes darting in every direction, clearly unsure what to do at the sudden attention. All eyes were on her, and she appeared on the verge of a nervous breakdown. That was when Ema stepped between them. "Honoured Sage," she said, curtly, "you do not get to avoid haggling. If my crew member visits your capital, the rest of us will be coming too, and we expect to be compensated." The Sage hissed and stepped back, the merchant Kobold grabbing him by the shoulder and getting into a rapid-fire argument that was fast enough the translator gave up trying to parse it for the visitors. "If they're going to trade something for the Redscale, how about access to that place, it's buzzing with magical energy," Doomwhistle said. He had a magic detection eyepiece over one eye and was staring up at the largest building that loomed over the city, a massive tower adorned like a temple. "It doesn't matter what we trade, if Ris doesn't want to go," Ema retorted, leaving the Goldscales to their argument and turning to her cabin girl. "What do you want to do?" Ris, calming down a little, looked at her distant cousins engrossed in an argument, and offered Ema a toothy smile. "I'll go," she said, "you wanted evidence whether there really was a dragon here, right?" Retrieved from the Deep State Archives, excerpts from the writings of Gyar Ferkye of the Grasping Tail, Representative for Xerrivur  Fax Ögyer is an ambitious Kobold, but I remain behind him the whole way. Bringing the banking sector fully under our control will ensure our clan's prominence for the next several centuries, and the commoners of Balrijin, Lanjinhui, and Shamakhad will all benefit from a stable and centralized monetary framework. Our ancestors did well to slow the rampant inflation caused by scales, but a lot more needs to be done if we are to crush this instability in the economy. There's a reason I'm not touching Yanzhong Riches, its benefits can be optimized to save us some costs later.  The first step is to grant the clan power over policy. This is where I come in, wrangling Parliament to fall in behind the President and pass the necessary legislation that will allow him to take action. So long as we maintain these powers though, there will be a cost. Every other party will be looking at ways to drag us back down, and that'll no doubt lead to a lot of wasted politicking. For clan and nation, though, I can handle that. This is a bad estate privilege, but it is required for the missions in this branch and also the massive +1 inflation reduction will only last until the next election.  Even though the war's over, that doesn't mean an end to the fighting. The One Xia are moving to take Sarisung, as the city fell into anarchy after the Hobgoblins left. They shouldn't have trouble sweeping up the gangs that control the city, but its markets will be suppressed for years as things reorder themselves.  And of course, the Ruin Republics are beset by groups of Hobgoblins who, cut off from the few armies that regrouped in the south, have taken to hiding and plundering in the countryside. A significant portion of the budget is devoted to keeping the Wandering Wind in our payroll, so that they can patrol Shamakhad and keep the louts suppressed until the nations are strong enough to pay for their own security.  Every initiative needs a headquarters, and so it's been easy to secure investment for Xerrivur to build our presence even more. It's actually reducing Grasping Tail control, ironically, to bring in so many outsiders to run the foundling Scale Bank. But then, we are more than just a clan these days. So long as the wealth of the nation and Yanshen flows through our claws, we are all Scale Barons.  Years of peace and our encouragement of the free flow of trade are doing wonders for the economy. Workers are in the fields, mines and manufactories, merchants are free to travel from Sarilavhan all the way to Tianlou, and the population is booming. Some are even going so far as to call it a golden age.  Even though conditions are perfect at home, there are those that are still restless. Maybe it's the fact that we are getting our claws into every economic aspect of the country, or maybe they are dissatisfied with peaceful development, but many Kobolds have been departing for the Ruin Republics. There's profit to be had there for us too. The Hobgoblins kept the local Humans as serfs, disarming them and killing off the noble and merchant classes. There's very few with any sense for proper management, so any Kobolds that do decide to settle will easily find themselves in leadership positions. That'll ensure they stay loyal to us even as they build up their economy and military.  The Jade March are still working against us, having graduated to allying with our enemies. The Alliance are urging pre-emptive action against them, but Fax Ögyer doesn't think they're an immediate threat, so long as the Wandering Wind are guarding Shamakhad and Verkal Dromak remains heavily fortified. Another war would ruin all the success the economy's seeing.  We've seen an emigration of a lot of Smouldering Claw and Kindled Scale warriors. They're clearly so thirsty for battle that they'd rather sign up for another nation's army than switch to a peacetime career. I hope they enjoy street battles against the gangs of Sarisung.  Concessions to the Old Guard are more or less inevitable in order to get the Scale Bank Initiative progressed through Parliament. The Alliance demand action against the Jade March and Jiantsiang, the United Guilds demand more support for workers, and the LNP are still relatively minor seeing as they hold no full seats in Parliament at the moment. The haste with which the Sage Council was ripped out did a lot to destabilize the nation, so I don't see any issue with giving the sages some of their authority back, even if it is only at the clan level rather than the national level.  Sometimes I wish the sages were still running things here. The Palace gets busier every year, coordinating not just our administration but the ever-growing documentation of trade negotiations, diplomatic meetings, censuses and logistical data from our allies and subjects. The halls are filled with paperwork. I wonder if we might end up drowning Balris in books by accident. There are talks on whether to move Parliament out of the building or even out of Balriza entirely, though they haven't gone anywhere yet. With the reform progress I take the Defensive Stance reform, but we've seen that before.  On the furthest edge of the territory we control directly is Verkal Dromak, an ancient Dwarven hold filled with Goblins. It's a pain to manage and doesn't offer much to the nation besides violent infighting between the Goblin clans inhabiting the different derelict levels of the hold. Despite that, the Old Guard hold them in some esteem thanks to a Goblin being the first to confirm Balris' presence in the Jade Mountains, and have actually managed to get the leadership on the upper levels to devote themselves to Him. They want us to do more to secure the pilgrimage route using these new loyalists as the vanguard, but we don't have the funds to spare to rebuild the hold yet, much less a full invasion of the Jade Mountains. Once I'm confident that releasing them won't tip any of my subjects into disloyalty, I'll create a Goblin vassal out of here, as per the vote. It's currently a balancing act, even with all the bonuses we've been given to liberty desire.  If the martial clans are struggling in this era of peace, minor clan and clanless warriors are thriving. They're returning to the fields in vast numbers, their temples transitioning to agriculture. Without the threat of the Command looming over us, people no longer have to be ready to fight and can turn their lives to delivering us more profit.  Those who stay in the military are the most zealous in their defence of Balris' republic. The Kindled Scale are organizing them into an elite guard making use of the latest handheld firearms to deal with bandits and raiders, rather than the massed Hobgoblin ranks that they once faced.  It's reached breaking point in the Palace, and we still haven't come to a decision on moving Parliament. The only choice is to dig deeper. The Palace is built over the ancient caves that Balris uplifted us from. If we can extend down, as deep as we can go, we can find more than enough space to administer all of Yanshen if we needed to.  The Bhuvauri ambassador arrived today with a very pointed message for the President, accusing him of attempting to replace the Command as hegemon of Haless, various financial crimes as part of the Scale Bank Initiative, and denouncing the freedom we offered our people. Ironic, considering they've profited greatly from the collapse of the Raj and the Command. More curious was a 'gift' that came along with them, a cabinet-sized puzzle box forged out of brass, intended to be delivered to Balris. The mages found no danger, whether traps or dark Chi, so eventually relented and delivered it to His chambers. I don't know if He's solved it yet, but I'm very curious what's inside.  As we make the final preparations for the Initiative, sometimes we have to take a more forceful approach. Feiten had been on the downturn since their foolish aggressive action, and are resistant to us opening banking establishments in their territory. The Blue Scarves, replenished after the Collapse of the Command, were eager to return to their true goal of ending the reign of the Eunuch Republics, so all it took was a few words to the LNP to get things moving. We'll need some of the remainder of Yanshen for a later mission in this branch.  Though there is still work to do abroad, we can the first steps at home. The President held a great ceremony in Xerrivur, opening the first branch of the Scale Bank, the official bank of both Balrijin and Lanjinhui, across all of Xerlanza. The old national bank was folded up into the new institution, and new branches are slated for opening across Yanshen.  As part of the raft of legislation, we finally came to a decision on the status of our own scales. For too long, we had been treating our scales as a form of wealth, leading to rampant inflation. Now, any Kobold can enter a branch of the Scale Bank and have their loose scales stamped with official seals, in exchange for us taking in some percentage in order to manage the resulting inflation. Additionally, the Scale is to be the official currency of Xerlanza, and made legal tender in the Ruin Republics. Obviously there aren't enough Kobolds for this, so false scales will be minted as needed that will hold the same value as any naturally shed.  The conundrum of the upcoming election is that the Golden President may only serve one term, yet there's still more work to be done on the Scale Bank Initiative. We've enriched so many people that we're sure to get in again, but Fax Ögyer can't run. He's actually suggested that I take over and see this through, which is a bit of an intimidating task. I can manage a bit of politics, but running an entire nation, and dealing with diplomacy and military matters is a bit much. I suppose so long as we remain at peace, I can work through my term in relative ease, focusing on our initiative.  I won't be alone in this task, at least. We have been gathering up the minor mercantile clans under the Scale Barons party, and the Joyful Jaunt clan have given us their full support. They're a bit further ranging, with trade projects going as far as Arawkelin and Verkal Gulan. The Collapse of the Command has really opened up their routes into Rahen as well, and Vata Zanam has been the one to take full advantage of it to sell our wares across the continent.  As trade increases, Yanzhong is becoming ever more important. It was already incredibly wealthy, but with the entirety of the Yan under our control it has effectively become the central trading hub for all of Yanshen. Tianlou may be larger, but it is merely the entry and exit port. Yanzhong is the hub around which the economy of the subcontinent turns, on top of being the centre of our diplomatic efforts.  The growth of the city also benefits the Golden Tongue, which then benefits the nation as whole as they have much to do managing our protections over the Ruin Republics and aiding us in pushing the Scale Banks everywhere. Sometimes a little diplomatic pressure takes us places that can't be reached by handing over a few scales. This is why I held off on the mission for a bit. Having it be the final dev to take Yanzhong up to 20 production saves the most dip mana.  I've been dealing with a flurry of political manoeuvres from the other parties. Inflation's been reduced to much more manageable levels, but our aggressive economic policies have bankrupted several minor merchant clans. Though Parliament passed recompense to them, we had to give up some of our control over the nation's bookkeeping, handing it to an independent budgetary board. Overall policy control remains with the Grasping Tail, at least. Finally working on the over-influential merchant estate. Unfortunately, I have to hold onto monetary policy for now as later missions require it, even with that painful +5% APC.  Most of our diplomats have been working hard to bring Jiantsiang back into the fold. Their new Custodian, Yixidi, promises to be a very profitable neighbour. She's very liberal for a Harimari, you don't often see a female tiger running a nation. The Raj is staunchly patriarchal, but perhaps distance and time have softened the views of the Harimari living in Yanshen. There's a lot of other stuff in this update so I don't cover it, but Jiantsiang really doesn't like being friends with us. Just know that I'm pouring money and favours into them…  There's more money than we know what to do with, so we've been investing back into our trade network. The Golden Highway's laid in ruins for centuries as it was constantly fought over by the states that popped out during the Phoenix Empire's collapse. Very appropriately, we can claim it for Balris and build ourselves an overland route that'll stretch the full length of Yanshen. The Golden Highway extends from Tianlou all the way into Bulwar, and can be rebuilt in sections as seen here.  The spirits are curious creatures. Why would they bring back so many Kobolds, both those recently deceased and those decades dead? Why in the middle of the Scale Bank? And why were all those returned debtors to the Grasping Tail? Whatever the case, we've called in the Guardians to cleanse their spirits and let their descendants get back to paying off their debts.  Now that time's passed, the Scale Bank itself and the Initiative that spawned it can be split apart. The Office of Regulation will keep an eye on inflation and other economic matters, like land management, construction requirements, and quality of goods. Business is booming, and the arrival of ships from distant lands in Tianlou has opened up whole new markets for our golden goods. Infrastructure additionally finishes with dev cost reduction.  The Palace shines more brightly than ever. The gardens are filled with vibrant plants from across the world, the walls are adorned with finely crafted images of Balris, and the halls are finally empty of endless documents. They now sit in the Deep State, beneath our feet in the endless tunnels below the palace. I don't think any one Kobold knows exactly where things are located down there, and I'm sure I've seen members of the Knowing Eye skulking in and out, but really, I'm just glad for the breathing room, and I'm sure Balris is too.  Many of the other parties, the United Guilds especially, accuse us of only being in it for ourselves, for hoarding wealth and getting fat off the work of others. I dispute that entirely. We're putting great amounts of state effort into developing production, even where it won't directly benefit us. Their manufactories are filling with resources from mines that we have funded, the population is growing wealthier and demanding consumer goods from them in massive quantities. Money and state power, working in harmony. More stacking dev cost.  The Alliance aren't left out either, as with the booming budgets we can fund their fortifications and garrisons with no strain at all. Really, all the parties have benefited from our rule one way or another. They should be grateful. The Infra + Defensive policy.  For the LNP, they have the massive boost from our investment in the Golden Highway crossing through the heart of their territory. The workers are making excellent progress. The road extends one hundred miles west out of Tianlou, heading towards Jiangdu, meaning giving goods and people an alternate route to sailing along the Yan. Bulk goods will always be better served by barges, but we've given the citizens more freedom than ever. There's no reason for us to lose. The Golden Highway is built in stages over time, reasonably quickly. The upfront cost is the main pain, especially if you're rebuilding multiple sections at once.  How did this happen! Did we enrich them too much and give them the means to defeat us? Can't they see what we've accomplished? It's better than if the war-hungry battle enthusiasts had won, I'm sure the UGP will keep investing, but it's all going to get lost developing random isolated hills and not do anything to boost trade in the thriving cities. They've already shut down plans to extend the Golden Highway to Bianfang. I've served my term, so I'll be stepping back, but I'll make sure we're ready for the next election. The United Guilds are excellent for internal development, but a big blocker on war.  We've found unlikely allies in the Alliance, who are concerned the UG will underfund the army, when the Jade March still raids our frontier and Bhuvauri slavers roam freely in the post-Command regions of Rahen. It's been nearly twenty years since the end of the war, perhaps our golden peace has made some of us too soft.  The UG have passed land reform that seizes land from the Grasping Tail to hand it out to smaller clans, ostensibly to uplift their fortunes, but I know its just jealousy and a chance to push us down. They claim that knowledge is more important than wealth, but I was actually quite a fan of the Redscale Kobold emissary who appeared in Balriza, and her descriptions of the vast hoard that her Bluescale brethren kept hidden in a mountain in a far distant land. And of course, her tales of dragons that might be Balris' kin, though sadly long dead. On top of all the other boosts, Balrijin's final idea is development cost, which means…  Massive amounts of resources are being pumped into the Beikling hills, as I suspected the President would do, but the sheer efficiency with which they're doing this is incredible. Even an already-developed region like the Smouldering Claw's lands around Emoglů is expanding significantly. All the tools we've put in place over the past couple of decades, the investment opportunities of the Scale Bank, the government offices, is all coming together to see growth at an unprecedented rate. We haven't even researched any of the dev efficiency techs or got universities. Dev stacking still has even further it can go. I knew Kobolds in general were good at this, but I didn't realise until this point just how high I could stack things as Balrijin.  The Alliance will be happy, I'm sure. Kindled Scale are still one step behind, but I think that rivalry's more or less over anyway. Emoglů has become a military hub larger than any city or fortress in the nation, and thousands of Beikling are flocking to join the army now that so much government wealth and effort is flowing into those lands. I wonder if that was the UG's plan, to increase Human representation in the military, to turn some of those voters their way.  Knowing Eye Hill, across from the Palace, is almost a city in its own right at this point. The Knowing Eye, whether they consider themselves a clan or our de facto mage and spy guild, wield a great deal of power that doesn't usually make itself known in regular politics. The UG think they've cleanly cut them away from their natural allies in the Old Guard, but I think they have their own plans.  Whatever the UGs goals are, the primacy of the Scale Barons in our politics should never be in doubt. More and more ships from the distant lands of 'Cannor' are arriving in our ports, bringing with them our brethren from across the seas. Our wealth we only grow as we trade our goods to them, and as we cement our monopoly on Yanshen itself. The Scale Bank is here to stay, ready to bring about our golden age. To be continued…
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Jan 31, 2024 20:33
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How fast are we developing? And what would that mean for people "on the ground" as it were?
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Jan 31, 2024 21:34
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Josef bugman posted:How fast are we developing? And what would that mean for people "on the ground" as it were? I can’t speak for how fast Sybot is pressing the button exactly, but 5 mana is a ludicrously preposterously cheap development cost for a province that already has 20 development. It would most likely look like rapid urbanization and expansive public works projects to people on the ground, if Sybot is taking advantage.
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Feb 1, 2024 08:46
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Awhhh well that is good to hear. It seems as if we're going to be doing indoor plumbing and walkable cities for cheap.
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Feb 1, 2024 09:46
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I've been focusing on getting the HQs finished, which each require the province to get up to 40 development, which is the level of a major city. So I am imagining this as investment in primary and secondary industries to encourage movement from rural to urban and massive infrastructure improvements in the form of roads, aqueducts and sewerage to support the growth of the population. It's not all likely to be pleasant, rapid urbanization isn't always clean, but overall its a rapid shift in the character of the nation from a handful of cities with a massive rural population, to heavily urbanized and undergoing the preliminary steps of industrialization. Though I think the martial clan HQs would be specifically different in terms of development. Rather than centralized cities it would be more like a collection of temple towns (though still with the excellent associated infrastructure) where the different martial schools can train and compete, with much of the countryside left wild to encourage the growth of wild spirits for warriors to test themselves against. I had been wondering what to make the next narrative segment, so I might make it something that looks at common life in our nation.
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Feb 1, 2024 10:46
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I am hype as gently caress for the Lived Experiences update
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Feb 1, 2024 11:25
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I like to imagine all of the temples outfitted with almost mountain gondolas going between the different training peaks.
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Feb 1, 2024 11:33
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What do you imagine the role of the various martial arts schools is at this point? Or, to a greater extent, the practice of Virtuous Path cultivation in general? The sages were universally martial artists and that institution had been wound down, and Xerlanza is sprawling enough at this point that it requires an extensive secular bureaucracy. I imagine they're still major players in the Old Guard, for one thing.
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Feb 5, 2024 08:09
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I'm nearing the end of a Feiten run. This poo poo is absolutely insane, Feiten's running around with technology it should not have, all in the name of Profit and Balloons.
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Feb 5, 2024 16:33
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JT Jag posted:What do you imagine the role of the various martial arts schools is at this point? Or, to a greater extent, the practice of Virtuous Path cultivation in general? The sages were universally martial artists and that institution had been wound down, and Xerlanza is sprawling enough at this point that it requires an extensive secular bureaucracy. I imagine they're still major players in the Old Guard, for one thing. I imagine that most martial artists, regardless of original clan affiliation, have either joined the military and hence the Alliance, or otherwise emigrated to the One Xia, where martial artists still run politics. The Old Guard is more made up of Sages who were always more interested in political and philosophical traditions, rather than the martial traditions. Fivemarks posted:I'm nearing the end of a Feiten run. This poo poo is absolutely insane, Feiten's running around with technology it should not have, all in the name of Profit and Balloons. I started a Feiten run, but it was messed up by Lanjinhui getting Great Conqueror and going ham on Yanshen, with the Command invading not too far behind. That point early on before the artificery
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Feb 9, 2024 22:39
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Chapter Twelve: The Golden Age of Xerlanza 1603-1625 Grounds of the Golden Tongue Headquarters, Central Yanzhong, 1610 A brisk wind whisked across the courtyard, leaving Xiao to adjust her robes as she made her way towards the entrance. Actual winter was yet to come to Yanzhong, and it never got quite as cold as it did in Balriza, but it was still far from the pleasant warmth of early autumn. She had a busy day, much of it spent travelling, so she was sure she would warm up over course of it. Right now, fresh from her manor, she was feeling the temperature. Despite that, the common members of the clan were as busy as they were any day. Workers carried laundry to be washed, haulers brought in the supplies for the day's meals, and officials took stacks of papers from one office to another. Among them, children, hatchlings and cubs darted between buildings and roughhoused, not caring about the boundaries of species or social class. They would be gathered up by the schoolmistresses soon for today's lessons in becoming proper members of the clan. For all the official business that went on the headquarters, it was just as much living quarters for the Golden Tongue. As the city around them grew and filled up the streets, the clan had no choice but to build upwards. Multi-storey apartment blocks, some reaching four or even five floors, housed most of the lower-ranked, with only those with the highest positions, such as herself, earning a personal house or a manor. That wasn't to say it was poor housing, for the government had invested much into making sure that one of Balrijin's largest cities did not descend into squalor or dangerous construction. As she walked, she passed gratings that lead down into waterways that brought water into the compound, and hidden beneath stone panels were similar tunnels that carried out the sewage. The paths themselves were made of even and neatly carved stone, wide enough to fit a cart if necessary, and trees carrying a few last orange and red leaves stood proudly at their posts among the paving. Stepping out of entrance of the miniature town, she found her attendant, Ganzhan, stood beside a small carriage. "Representative Xiao, we should depart soon," he said, offering a bow, "you have a full schedule today." Xiao acknowledged him with a nod of her head, and took a moment to look around. The city was growing upwards, much as the headquarters were. Businesses and industries needed vast amounts of manpower to function, and with resources flowing plentifully from the Ruin Republics it was cheaper construct new accommodation and house workers close to their workplace than pay them more to live in the sprawling estates in the outskirts, where the wealthiest fled to avoid the growing crowds. Taller apartments were springing up, each housing dozens of families and putting more strain on the associated facilities. Even though it was still early, the road was filled with people on the move and would only get busier as the day progressed. "Let us depart, Ganzhan," she said. She accepted his assistance in stepping up into the carriage, and watched as the clan compound disappeared in to the labyrinth of the city. The first stop of the day was with some Grasping Tail merchants, to prepare them for negotiations over import contracts with the One Xia. Southern Yanshen remained firmly in the martial artists' control, and with it many of the rarer herbs and teas that the land produced. Their carriage rolled to a stop outside a bustling market, and Ganzhan led the way as they moved through the crowds towards the merchants' office. Most of the crowd were lower-class servants gathering goods for their masters, or the wives and children of workers doing the same. Merchants haggled, sharps words and raised voices over offers on bags of rice or baskets of vegetables, and eventually scales were exchanged. Xiao took a scale from her personal pouch, held in a well-wrapped pocket in her robes, and admired it. It was a gift from her good friend Vata Keyuri, take from her snout and stamped by the Scale Bank. She had to admire how the Scale Barons had shifted the economy so quickly with so little disruption. Bartering was a thing of the past, except in the most remote villages, and one no longer had to worry about the quality of their money. Whether it was minted, or plucked and stamped, any golden scale was worth any other golden scale. "Even our most basic interactions are marked by Balris' touch," she pondered out loud. There were shrines to Him scattered in between the stalls, outnumbering any belonging to the High Gods or Great Spirits. It was a growing belief that it was His presence that bought peace and prosperity, and many of these shrines had small offerings of food or scales left so that some of His wisdom and good fortune passed down the offeror. Xiao could not dispute that. After all, his dictated treatises on philosophy and politics were required reading for any young official. After the meeting, the next stop was the Teeming Arm manufactories. Guilds from Lanjinhui were moving into the city as economic growth drew them in, and she needed to negotiate either their full integration into the United Guilds, or at least some kind of peaceful cooperation. The industrial districts of the city were loud, smoky, and pungent. Ganzhan lit incense to keep the carriage from being too overwhelmed by the smell, but the breeze quickly took away the scent and brought back the smell of industry. Though the largest industry of the city was cloth, it still had more than its share of metalworking, pottery, carpentry, masonry, and everything else that a city needed to function. A surprising number of Kobolds could be seen among the workers and artisans plying their trades in their workshops besides the road. Xiao would have expected Humans and Harimari, and maybe the rare Brown Orc, to be work the more physically demanding jobs. However, a motivated Kobold could pull off some impressive feats of strength, even without the training of a sage. As they passed, she watched a team of Kobolds clambering over a stone block, carving out the base outline of a Human warrior in just moment. It was a testament towards their resilience and determination that they had reached this point. Balrijin might be a multi-racial nation, but the hard work of the Goldscales had brought all of them together in hard work and self-defence. The Teeming Arm contingent, equally divided between Kobolds and Humans, awaited them in front of one of their large textile mills, where hundreds of workers formed a production line to deliver clothes to the masses, seam by seam. If the exterior was overwhelming to the senses, the interior was smothering. Daylight only reached so far into the building, and magelights were rare sights, leaving most of the floor illuminated only by torches that had to be kept at a distance from the cloth for safety reasons. Most of the workers here were unskilled, trained only in exactly what motions they needed to make to weave cloth, or which stitches to make. Xiao doubted they earned much compared to the full guild members, the artisans who made custom clothes or weaved the more expensive silk. Treatment of the large number of common workers was probably not going to come up in the arguments between the UG and the Lanjinhui guilds. Despite the conditions, the workers seemed to find happiness where they could. A multi-racial cluster of off-shift workers played dice in a corner, a small pile of scales being the winnings. Some retreated to a small shrine where words of encouragement had been written onto the walls, claiming to be teachings of Balris. Xiao hadn't read any of those before, but the workers seemed to find some comfort in it. The sound of a bell signalling a shift change and meal time brought a rousing cheer from the production line as Xiao's meeting began. The third and final task for the day brought her to the northern districts of the city, the furthest from the river and furthest from prosperity One day, that would change, but it would not be today. The carriage rattled as it crossed the narrow embankment that had been build across what would one day be the Golden Highway. At present it was nothing but a sea of mud and occasional ruined stone foundations, as construction had been halted by the inevitable ebb of politics. Today would be just another argument, unlikely to be productive, but one day there would be progress. With work halted, most of the workers had left for places with better prospects, and the small town on the north side of the road had become near deserted. There were a few officials and their entourages assigned to monitoring the unfinished highway, in case it accidentally caused a flood or became a haven for bandits. Aside from their fortified compound, the other residences were in disrepair and occupied by vagrants and outcasts, those who the city had rejected. Ganzhan offered noises of concern when Xiao looked out of the carriage at some of the faces peering from the buildings, but she ignored him. Not everyone enjoyed the prosperity that Balris had brought, but even out here there was hope. An ad-hoc market occupied a square, a couple of carpenters worked on taking apart a house that had collapsed for its materials, and around a corner she spotted a child, a hatchling and a cub darting between the shrubs that had grown in the town's abandonment. Balris' blessing had yet to reach every corner of His nation, but it was coming. So long as He lived and she drew breath, Xiao would be working to spread cooperation and a bounty of scales to every corner of the land, be it Balrijin, Xerlanza, or something beyond that. Retrieved from the Deep State Archives, excerpts from the writings of Xiao of the Golden Tongue, Representative for Yanzhong  The Xia have been eager to participate in the reconstruction of the Golden Highway. They've already got it stretching halfway across Xianjie, all the way from Sarisung. The issues arrive further east. There is a serious dispute on the routing of the Highway between Bianfang and Yanzhong, with both us and the Xiaken arguing that it should pass through their land. This'll be the diplomatic headache of the decade. Uhh…ignore the bad trade steering. I mistook the direction of one of the nodes.  Though issues with the Highway aren't slowing down the expansion of trade on the coast. The Gnomish Hierarchy, Lorent, Derrane, Verne, these distant nations are all plying their trade right on our doorstep. The UG are even putting in protectionist tariffs on exports to keep the Cannorians from draining our warehouses dry. The event lets you move Lanjinhui's capital to Tianlou if you want to, but I decline.  Of course, we have brought our allies into our trade network. The Scale Barons pay well for the unique goods that come out of the Xiaken temples, and manage to turn even more of a profit selling them to the Cannorians. It's a very smooth route, coming down the Yan whether by boat or cart, better than selling to Bhuvauri.  The squabbling incited by the protectionists has caused a near deadlock in Parliament, and the President has had to step in to keep the economic development going. He has taken emergency measures to pay off certain debts and ensure certain deals are honoured, and gathered a coalition within Parliament to ensure such powers remain available in future. I can see the risk of granting such power, but any future Presidents who dare abuse it will surely remember that Balris Himself waits just above them.  Not everyone enjoys times of peace and plenty. Members of the Smouldering Claw who had left to Lanjinhui to find battle and glory have rioted, demanding that their skills be put to use. They got their wish, as our standing army stepped in to bash their snouts.  The Scale Barons are back in power and they're eager to put the finishing touches on their Initiative. At least Parliament is no longer deadlocked, with the UG forced up to the back terraces.  They're leaning very hard on the Golden Tongue to get buy in from the minor states of Yanshen like Xiyun, and the in-exile government of Tianlou, which both have significant populations of Kobolds that would make a firm foundation for establishing a bank. That's easier said than done though, as many of them see it as us asserting economic dominance over them, which it definitely is.  Our envoys passed on a strange message from distant Verkal Gulan, requesting some minor military aid against an invasion from the north. From what the message said, the Soldier's Republic of Kalsyto has overthrown the Centaurs who ravaged their frontier and is turning that strength against its neighbours. Considering outposts bearing their flag have been seen north of Jiantsiang, this is something we will have to be pay attention to. The Lake Federation has had a bit of a makeover, so it no longer has a completely unpronounceable name once it is unified. There are several routes it can take upon unification, in this case the military route.  Education is spreading across the nation, as nearly every city has an institute of learning, and even smaller and more rural locations are receiving funding for schools. An educated population is one that seeks the luxury goods that we are producing in ever-growing quantities, and provides a massive base from which to hire bureaucrats and diplomats to handle the growing complexity of the Xerlanza project.  The situation in the Ruin Republics is slowly stabilizing, even if there are occasional outbreaks of violence by cults worshipping dark gods or Hobgoblins who think they repeat the victories of their ancestors. Though we've had to devote resources to keeping them safe, it is a stark contrast between the states struggling to survive to their south.  While peace reigns within our lands, the outside world does seem to be getting darker. The rise of major empires like the Phoenix Empire and Kalsyto, as well as the deprivations of Bhuvauri's growing influence, point to the rise of not just global diplomacy but global conflict by ambitious tyrants.  Balrijin, and Xerlanza as a whole, is blessed by the gentle claws of Balris. He would not tolerate our descent into tyranny, just as He would never become a tyrant Himself. So long as we hold true to his ideals, we will remain a golden beacon of freedom across Halann. So, Absolutism is effectively a no-go in this run, which is fine as we aren't going to be doing mass conquest. Probably.  The downside of peacetime is the steady drain of military strength. The Alliance have been losing strength since the Collapse of the Command, and I am well aware that going entirely pacifist is not an option, as much as the UG would prefer it were possible. Parliament has agreed to provide additional payment to keep soldiers from the martial clans ready for battle.  We have a very good reason for that, as Bhuvauri marches north into the ruins of the Command. These lands are still dominated by warbands of Hobgoblins and Orcs, but while these are cleared out the common Humans and Harimari are not being liberated but rather drawn into a top-to-bottom system of slavery from which they will not be able to escape. If they see us as weak, Bhuvauri will not hesitate to march into the Ruin Republics.  Negotations for Scale Bank access to the independent states in Yanshen has broken down, and the President has taken the chance to declare war on the Tianlou remnants and Xiyun. Parliament is worryingly fine with this, as the LNP are eager to see Yanshen unified, and the Alliance are glad to be of use once again. I do not know if a population used to peace will tolerate such aggression.  The Scale Baron's biggest mistake was starting a war in an election year. The UG have swept into power on a peace platform, and Gyar Yülzung has declared an immediate end to the conflict. I will be heading to Xiyun to see if I can smooth over the situation.  I don't know if I am Balris Blessed or if my words are simply that effective. The city of Xiyun opened its gates to our armies within a couple of months of siege, and were prepared to give us their entire treasury for peace. Instead, I offered them a change of alignment. If they ended any relationships with Bhuvauri, they could come under the protection of the greater Xerlanza alliance. Well, since provinces also count if they are in allied nations, this works just as well.  My counterpart in Tianlou-in-exile was not so successful. I suspect the LNP were pushing for annexing territory in this case, and as a result most of the remnant has been absorbed by Lanjinhui.  Years, decades, maybe even centuries of work are close to fruition. We have been working to tighten our relationship with Lanjinhui from the moment they saved us from the warmongers of Jiangdu. The formation of the Golden Azure War Council, the wars against the Command, the transformation into the Xerlanza alliance, the unification of lower Yanshen, the melding of foreign and economic policy, it has all led to this. The two Parliaments will almost certainly pass the bills for unification after all the work the Golden Tongue has put into this, though the exact form it takes will come down to the wire. You don't get to annex half of Yanshen for free, unfortunately.  The two options were straightforward. Either a single Parliament and President seated in Balriza, or two Parliaments and Presidents, which would each see the same bills, seated in the two capitals. With Balris backing us, we were able to secure a majority for total unification, though it still cost us autonomy guarantees for local councils within our territory. As voted for, we will form Xerlanza. That minimum autonomy hurts, Yanshen is rich enough it hardly matters. As mentioned, the other option turns them into a personal union, which would also solve the liberty desire troubles for the other vassals but couldn't be inherited as we're a republic.  Xerlanza is no longer a dream, but reality. A single flag now flies from Tianlou to Verkal Dromak, answering to a single government in turn answering to both the people and the Wisest of Masters. Though not all our population reveres Balris, they know that His guidance has brought untold prosperity to our lands and they praise Him for it. The one downside; the Parliament chamber in the Palace is far too small to hold the representatives from the entirety of Yanshen. We will need to move out.  The full integration of the Blue Scarves into our armies will not be a simple process, but it will keep the Alliance occupied for years to come. Our ranks swell to over two hundred thousand Men and Kobolds under arms. Also, the Goldscales set sails for the first time in our history, with a decent fleet assembled with more than enough power to guard the trade lanes of Yanshen. To sail further may require more investment.  With the pressure of managing the ties of Xerlanza transformed from a diplomatic concern to an administrative one, the Golden Tongue is free to focus on other long-standing disputes. The question of the Golden Highway that was disputed between ourselves and One Xia has been resolved by creating a power-sharing agreement over the city of Bianfang, with significant autonomy granted to the territories on the south bank of the Yan. Being able to ask allies for core provinces of your vassals is one of the best diplomatic additions to EuU.  The other great question was on the Jade Mines, the Goblin-filled interior of the Jade Mountains. There had been suggestions that they could be a new frontier for Kobold settlement, or that the Dwarves could return after thousands of years of separation. However, both of those would step on the current inhabitants. The Goblins of Verkal Dromak have proven their devotion to Balris, and will be granted autonomy and license to begin reclaiming the lower levels of the hold and the Mountains as a whole. This is a custom event. I don't think I'll make any friends with Dwarf fans after Goblinifing one of the actual Dwarf Hold tags. Incidentally this hold has a very interesting mission tree, but it's one of the hardest in the game to access normally as you have to fight the Command as a Dwarf adventurer.  Ironically, despite closing the greatest single source of diplomatic overextension, we're finding ourselves more pressed than ever. Our alliance stretches across Yanshen and Shamakhad, and it is a struggle to keep these competing interests aligned.  Though we are at peace, the military is relentlessly improving. The Alliance are working hard to teach the Blue Scarves our way of battle, and we are learning much from discussions with the Gnomes and our chromatic brethren. They have many thoughts on the application of artillery for mass warfare, not merely as a tool for destroying fortifications, that our generals are eager to apply. The Infra-Quality policy just gives a bit of bonus army professionalism and drill. Since we're drilling constantly at the moment anyway it's not worth 1 mil per month.  With unification completed, the Scale Barons have been working to finish their Initiative from the back terraces of Parliament. The Scale Bank has spread far and wide, and become not just the central bank for Xerlanza but a major competing bank in One Xia, Xiyun, and Jiantsiang too. We are all tied together not just through diplomacy but through economics.  The integration of the Blue Scarves has done wonder for the Alliance. All of those voters, switching from the LNP to the Alliance. With a Kindled Scale President, rather than a Smouldering Claw, they aren't likely to start any aggressive wars. Kiu Kaza has declared herself the 'Bulwark of Xerlanza', promising safety and security for the booming economy.  The people were pleased to hear her announcement. A whole generation, two for Kobolds, now has gone without the horror of a total war. Everyone has seen their standard of living increase, even if some of the Scale Barons' actions have seen their personal standards increase even higher, and everyone is reaping the benefits of having no hands wasted on the battlefield.  That isn't to say Kiu Kaza is doing nothing for her military constituency. She's pushed through legislation to offer increased salaries to former Blue Scarf officers, so that they are not tempted by retirement to civilian life now that unification is complete, taking their experience with them. Doubly so for naval officers, without whom the burgeoning fleet would rapidly fall apart due to inexperience.  Word has come from Daegun of a massive fleet sailing south, bearing the flag of Kalsyto. After a brief moment of panic in Parliament, the representatives of former Lanjinhui pointed out that this fleet was most likely a trade fleet, which regularly visits the major ports of Haless in trading expeditions. They recommended a major delegation be established in Tianlou to manage this relationship. The Scale Barons went one step further and suggested that Tianlou, as gateway to the Yan, and to the rest of the world, was the most suitable place for the nation's trade offices to be based.  As part of the delegation in Tianlou, I was able to watch the fleet sail into the harbour. It puts anything the Cannorians have mustered so far to shame, both in the size of the fleet and the volume of trade. I took the opportunity to learn more of Kalsyto. It was once the Lake Federation, a loose alliance of Human cities cut off from all other civilized contact, whose only trade with the outside world was this fleet. Now that it is unified and fighting back, it seems the prosperity they bring comes with a time limit. Whether that is because they find other trading partners, or their ambitions turn in our direction, it is too early to say. The treasure fleets come once every ten years and give certain provinces these massive one-month boosts to income, which are big leg up in the early game but less useful once we're this size.  In this administration the Alliance have found allies in the Scale Barons, who have pushed bills to roll back many of the protectionist policies of the UG. Our economic development has reached the point where we're no longer at risk of draining ourselves dry selling to the Cannorian and Kalsyto fleets, and there is no longer any need to restrain the Scale Bank from investing in whatever projects it can support.  The Alliance is gaining something from these bills, for its part. Stricter checks on the quality of the guns, batons and cannons produced by our foundries, and a system of welfare for those left behind by the rapid pace of economic development, turning the old clan temples into places where such people might find food, shelter and a chance for a new purpose. Both these are great. We're ahead on mil and don't have anything to spend it on so I'm fine spending 1 per month for 5% more discipline.  Eager applicants are flooding into the Kindled Scale's clan lands in response. For those seeking their own place in society, the forces charged with guarding the walls probably seem a better choice than those who rush headlong into battle. The old six great clans remain more or less on even footing within the nation, as the addition of millions of Humans has ensured that no one clan can even come close to dominating politics. The parties may be based on the clans, but times are changing, and the clans as independent institutions will likely fall into history as Xerlanza blossoms. And with that, all HQs are maxed out.  Meanwhile, another flower blooms to our south, one that has a stem of chains. Bhuvauri has almost completely monopolized the Gulf of Rahen, defeated the scattered Hobgoblins and pushed as far north as the borders of the Ruin Republics. No diplomacy is possible with them, so war will come one day, the wealth of Yanshen against the wealth of Rahen. I can only hope that our golden age has not lost us the skill in battle we had once held. To be continued… Vote Xerlanza is finally unified under Balris' watchful eyes, and is flourishing under the economic development spurred by the Scale Barons and the United Guilds. Potential threats exist, but are not immediately dangerous. In this environment, should the nation continue to focus on internal development, or prepare for the risks of the future? Alliance – Offensive – If war comes with Bhuvauri or Kalsyto, we won't be able to hide behind our forts. We will be fighting in foreign territory, and must adjust our army accordingly. Scale Barons – Trade – Our unification has secured our dominance of Yansheni trade, so to continuing making further profit we should begin looking abroad. United Guilds – Innovative (+5 votes) – We have been the foremost innovator in Haless, both through adoption of new institutions and openly trading with forward thinkers like the Gnomes. Old Guard – Espionage – Our potential enemies are distant, so rather than fight them directly, we can work to undermine them through subterfuge and manipulation. LNP – Influence (+5 votes) – Though Xerlanza is united, Yanshen as a whole is still divided. Let us work towards a greater unification, whether through diplomacy or direct integration. Vote for up to two options by clicking on the image below. Second place will get additional votes in the next idea poll.  Voting will last 48 hours.
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Feb 9, 2024 22:41
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If our absolutism keeps us from going on a huge blobbing spree, clearly our influence needs to be up to the task of repeating the Ruin Kingdom project, carving semi-autonomous vassals out of tyrannical foes whose citizens are all given a chance to determine their lives without fear of chains while swaying the good nations to our side.
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Feb 10, 2024 06:27
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Influence wins handily, and Innovative will be back next time with a bonus +7 votes Chapter Thirteen: Hegemony Rent Asunder 1625-1636 Audience Chamber, Black Jade Citadel, 1636 "So what if they're basically extinct, they wrote thousands of books, the knowledge has to be out there somewhere and where better than here!" Arnolt was babbling again about his thoughts on the applications of Korashi to his 'artificery'. That dark, Chi-draining substance had disappeared along with the Oni, and the idea that the Black Jade Citadel would retain books on its production was ridiculous. Still, Jiefu had to humour his guest. The Gnome had made significant donations to many of the intellectual institutions of Yanshen, and this was no exception. "Lord Balris asked that we retain knowledge written by the Lefthand Path, but those who dwelt here were all Jiangshi," Jiefu replied, "the Oni never made it past the walls of the fortress. You should visit the Demon Hills." They circled the great chamber of black stone, the Gnome picking at the walls of books that had steadily filled up the room as the citadel moved away from being a frontline fortress and towards a repository of knowledge. He peered at the characters, doing his best to decipher them. While his time in Yanshen had sharpened his ability to speak the language, he still had not got a full understanding of how to read it. "Be that as it may," Arnolt said, sliding another book back onto the shelf, "the practitioners of the Lefthand Path were probably in communication. It's a shame you got rid of all the Oni. They sound very intellectual, I would very much like-" As he walked sideways, eyes locked on the books, he bumped into Kenshu of the Empty Maw, one of the custodians of the library. The bulky but gentle man looked down at the Gnome, and then stepped aside. "Apologies, Kenshu," Jiefu said, offering a bow, "our guest is very excited. Would you happen to know about what he is requesting." "Do not concern yourself with me, Sage of the Silent Oath," Kenshu replied, closing his eyes and returning Jiefu's bow. Jiefu blinked a little, a slight haze descending over his thoughts for a second, and he found Arnolt doing much the same. He looked around and saw that Kenshu was already halfway around the room, and shrugged before continuing to escort Arnolt. Their tour was interrupted by a great commotion at the towering wooden doors at the entrance to the hall. They swung wide open, and a great shining being loped into the room. Though he had never met Him in person, there was no mistaking the imposing and awesome figure cut by Lord Balris. He was so large that He nearly filled the available space in the audience chamber, and several custodians scrambled to move books out of the way so that He could find a comfortable place to sit without crushing anything. "Lord Balris, you honour us with your presence!" Jiefu said, adjusting his robes and hair in the face of the citadel's unexpected guest. He marched forward, with Arnolt two steps behind him, jogging to keep up with Jiefu's pace. "I have travelled for days, searching for one who might help me solve a problem," Balris said, his voice booming across the room. He unfurled one set of claws and placed down a large metal cabinet in front of him. Jiefu wasn't sure what to make of the request, and awaited clarification from Balris. "Fascinating, is that entirely brass?" the squeaky voice of the Gnome came up. Arnolt stepped forward, undaunted by the presence now dominating the room, and lowered some kind of eyeglass in front of his sight. "There's no sign of magical energy within it. Where did you get it?" Jiefu, and everyone else present, was aghast at the lackadaisical attitude Arnolt held towards the Father of Yanshen, as Balris was coming to be known. However, the dragon did not seem concerned with this, and actually leaned down to get a better look at the inquisitive Gnomish Tinker. "It was a supposed gift from the Brass Palace in Bhuvauri, some decades ago now. You were part of the first party from Cannor. Arnolt Doomwhistle, am I correct?" "One and the same!" Arnolt chirped, completely ignoring the great honour he had just been shown in Balris' remembrance of his name. He was using a tool to trace a line across the surface of the cabinet, which on closer inspection was actually an intricate series of interlocking and sliding tiles. "This mechanism doesn't look too complicated. Might take a few days to work it out, but I could solve it." "That is not the issue. Look to the topmost tiles" "Ah," Arnolt said. He stepped back and stroked his tiny beard. Jiefu couldn't identify what Balris had pointed out. "The tiles get fed deeper into the mechanism. This is only the first layer," the Gnome clarified. "I have determined a dozen solutions to the first layer, but I do not know which, if any, will lead to success on subsequent layers." "And these funnels are one-way. It's devious, I'll give them that. But!" Arnolt paused and extended a hand towards Balris. "I think we can solve it together. Gnomish brilliance and draconic insight! I'd just like your help with one thing." "Anything you ask, little one." "Those High Temples, we are very-" A shudder, as though the ground itself shrugged its shoulders, ran through the entire citadel, throwing Arnolt, Jiefu and everyone besides Balris Himself off of their feet. Books tumbled to the floor, the brass cabinet nearly tipped over and chunks of masonry dropped from the ceiling. Jiefu hopped to his feet, preparing to react to whatever threat or disaster had struck. However, he was not ready to face what was approaching. A thick purple mist began to seep from beneath the stones of the floor, engulfing his feet, seeping into his shoes and crawling up his legs. The miasma was tangible; cold and cloying, and yet somehow not physical for it carried a great weight of hatred within it. He kicked at it, but it quickly reformed and began to grab at him again. Fighting it was not an option, so he quickly grabbed up Arnolt from the ground before he could be completely coated in the stuff, and looked to Balris. The dragon snorted, and the miasma around where he sat retreated for a few moments. Conversely, the library custodians were under vicious attack, the miasma aggressively rising up their bodies and pouring down their throats in gulps. As they suffocated, their bodies swelled and twisted, horns appearing on the heads and their skin turning red. Kenshu looked towards Jiefu and reached out for him, his eyes pleading for a moment before they transformed into the vicious eyes of an Oni. Then, the light left his eyes and he slumped down into the rising mist. Were the custodians of the Black Jade Citadel disguised Oni this whole time? Jiefu barely had a moment to consider it before another earthquake rocked the building. "We must leave!" Balris declared, his voice shaking the room almost as badly as the earthquakes had. He turned around, no small task considering his size, and barrelled through the doors leading outside. The miasma flowed out behind him, and Jiefu ran quickly carrying Arnolt's unconscious body with him to escape the confined space. Outside was a vision of disaster. The land was blanketed in a thin layer of the same miasma, across the hills in every direction. To the south, a great white serpent the size of a city moved along the distant line of the Yan River, appearing slow though from its size it had to be moving incredibly fast. Pillars of light pierced the sky in every direction, shedding thousands of ethereal shapes from the towering beams that were visible from hundreds of miles away. Worst of all, in the Demon Hills to the west, a purple skeletal figure was beginning to rise, dwarfing the hilltops themselves. Was this the source of the miasma. Was this monster about to kill them all? "You will not harm my children!" Balris roared, his voice echoing across the hills. He took flight with enough force that Jiefu was knocked off his feet again. Jiefu just barely managed to hold onto the limp Gnome in his arms and keep him above the pooling miasma. As he watched Balris' golden shape fade away against the towering foe He approached, the merely Human Sage was left to wonder if this was the end of all things, for what could a mortal do against such beings? Authors Note: Stealth Oni in the BJC are actually canon. Play a campaign as Azjakuma to learn more! Retrieved from the Deep State Archives, excerpts from the writings of Fax Ferkye of the Knowing Eye, Golden President  Something is wrong. I can sense it in the flow of Chi around us, as though the natural inhalation and exhalation of the land is stuttering and choking at irregular intervals. President Kiu Kaza was touring Balriza to oversee the latest redevelopment of Knowing Eye Hill, and I spoke to him of my concerns. He asked the Knowing Eye to look into it, but otherwise didn't express any concern, brushing me off so he could go look at buildings. That's what happens when the nation is turned over to politicians untrained in the sacred arts. I must return with some sort of evidence.  The new President, Kiu Yülzung, is even less concerned. Between the Scale Barons and the Guilds, wealth has replaced understanding and conviction, and we are all poorer for it. She has ignored my requests for further funding to investigate, so I will rally the Old Guard and make this Parliament's problem  The Scale Barons are even spreading their scale lust to our outer allies. The Ruin Republics have been integrated into the Scale Bank, making the scale their national currencies and tying them even closer to us.  Political games are afoot in the chaotic border regions where the Command once dwelt. The Scale Barons decided that it was better the Bloodsong Orcs be under our protection than annexed by Bhuvauri. The Orcs that dwell within Xerlanza's borders have been devout enough, I see no issue with their presence. More interestingly, we have freed the holy mountain of Tughayasa.  When the Command seized the mountain, they torched the great monastery of Mindarandaya and most of the monks along with it. The Orcs, while they occupied it, held no understanding of its significance. We were able to successfully argue the case for bringing it back under our protection, inviting the monks to return, and rebuilding this most holy site. Their knowledge may be critical to understanding what I am sensing.  The LNP gave a rousing speech to Parliament about how Xerlanza was the rightful nation of Yanshen as a whole, and that the remnants clinging to the coastline ought to be brought under Balris' wings. They've suggested that we use our diplomatic influence to this end, backed by military and economic might, but with the border conflicts with Bhuvauri heating up the President was hesitant to commit any troops eastwards.  It was a fine decision, as soon new came that fighting between the Xiaken and one of Bhuvauri's allies had spilt into an all-out war, and that they've called upon us for aid. If there is one thing all parties in Parliament agree upon, it is that we protect our friends.  The Wandering Wind are fine warriors, but they are falling behind the times. As much as I am loathe to say it, martial artists alone cannot fight against lines of muskets and cannons. They were the first to the fight on the Ruin Kingdom frontier, and the first to be broken. Shortly afterwards, the President dismissed their services.  The main theatre of the war is the banks Kharunyana. The capital city of Bhuvauri's slave republic sits at the mouth of the river like a toothy maw that devours lives. Even from atop Mount Tughayasa, working with the artisans to restore the monastery, I can feel the Chi of thousands of lives spilling into the river. The spirits are drinking well, and the sensation of their delight makes my scales shiver. Is it the ocean of blood that we've spilt that is the cause of what I am feeling? I must investigate further.  No matter how many Humans are slain, more emerge. It is incredible the reserves of wealth the slaves-of-slaves that run Bhuvauri can call upon. Our armies have engaged groups of martial artists, raiders from Sirtan, and Sarhali mercenaries, and more still come. I don't know what motivates them to fight for a nation where they are but one link in an endless chain of servitude, but they fight fiercely.  Many merchants I have encountered in Rahen have been drawn eastwards by first the chaos of the Collapse of the Command and then the growth of Bhuvauri's oppressive regime. The Scale Barons are doing their best to encourage this, earning them the tolls and tariffs of all the flow of Rahen and Yanshen flowing down the Golden Highway.  The Cannorians are arriving in our ports in increasing numbers, and the Scale Barons are eager to trade our goods away to them for exorbitant prices. More worryingly, they are also selling access to our cultural treasures and traditions. Those Gnomes have been sniffing around the High Temples, and while I trust our stewards to enforce looking without touching, I do not know if the stewards of the High Temples elsewhere in Haless will be so diligent.  As the war continues, they fight us for every mile of land. Entire towns are marshalled into battalions, villages burn their supplies ahead of our advance without complaint, and mercenary companies arrive on Raheni shores daily. One of our armies was forced back after nearly making it to the coast, proving that even on the defensive our enemy cannot be underestimated. I can only wonder what mind sits at the top of this pyramid scheme of slavery.  The main offensive down the river, concluding with the capture of their capital, is far from the end of the war. All the bureaucrats and top merchants we captured along with the city are themselves enslaved to the state and offer us no way to enforce demands. A large army was seen fleeing east, away from the city. Perhaps that is where their true leaders lie. As I was looking over the reports, I noticed once marked with Lord Balris' seal. At His request, the 'Brass Palace' in the jungle outside Sramaya was stormed, but the whole building had been burned to the ground before our warriors arrived. I wonder what He sought there. In any case, Parliament has ordered our forces to withdraw to recuperate. Bhuvauri has too much depth for us to decisively defeat them at this moment, so this is understandable. If my instincts are correct, I wouldn't want to waste any more lives on this endeavour either.  My coalition-building in Parliament has proven fruitful, as the Old Guard finally returns to power with my name on the presidential ticket. I must return to Balriza immediately to start the proper investigation with the full power of my office.  Reports cross my claws of events thousands of miles away, demanding my attention. It was with great pleasure to give the greed-mongers a taste of their own medicine and let them suffer the whims of the free market that they encouraged. I can hardly spare the distraction of trying to somehow enforce extra tariffs on the Kalsyto Treasure Fleet without scaring them away.  I don't know whether it was our withdrawal or if the Supreme Master was tired of the war, but it has come to an end. As I suspected based on their resilience, Bhuvauri themselves were barely affected by the outcome, with most of the blow falling upon their ally. Considering the losses we took, many in Parliament are questioning whether we should continue supporting Xiaken aggression in Rahen. I wouldn't have much of a problem with it, if I did not have growing concerns about the spiritual state of the nation.  The heavy losses from the war have kicked some of the complacency out of the Alliance. They've had no choice but to innovate new ways to fight against the massed cannons and disciplined musket lines the Bhuvauri fields, making use of the fire-spewing powers of the Kindled Scale to allow the Smouldering Claw to advance safely on enemy positions. From now on, we get one infantry type per upgrade, no more separate offensive and defensive types.  The Human auxiliaries and minor clans aren't going untouched either. Every warrior, Kobold or Human, on the frontlines now wear a standard uniform and carry a firearm of some kind. Most still carry a sword or baton for personal defence, but the era of martial artists fighting solely in close quarters has passed. Perhaps there is yet some way we can cultivate our Chi to overcome this, but as the old ways slip further away, I think only the One Xia with their dedication to maintaining their martial schools might be in a position to discover that.  After being outcompeted, the Scale Barons are engaging in a massive build up of trade ships. I suppose I should be glad they are planning on starting a literal trade war with Kalsyto. All they are doing is further increasing our already near-complete dominance over trade in Yanshen.  Today we a great ritual on Knowing Eye Hill, with finally enough funding for all the materials needed, to trace the flow of Chi and attempt to seek out the cause of the unease I've been feeling for years. What we saw terrified all of us atop that tower. A great grid of spiritual energy underlies all of Yanshen, perhaps all of Haless, and that grid is straining as if it is about to fracture. The High Temples will fall, nothing can stop that now. I need to inform Lord Balris, but he departed westwards earlier this morning. If nothing else, Parliament must know that we have to prepare.  The wealthy will laugh me off, and say that money can buy them safety from whatever disaster might strike. Perhaps their ships will be safe at sea as they ply the trade routes between Yanshen, Kalsyto and Cannor, but perhaps the seas themselves will part when this disaster strikes  We have worked too hard to have everything destroyed by folly. From His first days among us, where He uplifted us, to our alliance with the Blue Scarves and liberation of the Beikling from the Jiangshi and Oni, to His return and our unification of Yanshen in peace and prosperity, everything we have done has been to give Him a nation that He can be proud of. It can't fall, it won't fall.  Parliament is well aware of my concerns, but they do not grasp the magnitude of what I am describing. Instead, they are more concerned with installing a hot spring as a gift for Lord Balris when He returns from His excursion, and the upcoming celebrations for the anniversary of His return. How I wish that He could relax in peace and quiet, but I fear that He will return to ruins. They have granted additional funding for my investigation and doubled the guards stationed at the High Temples. It is too little, too late. This concludes the Balrijin mission tree. It's a nice stopping point for a wholesome story, and while our campaign doesn't end here I think that most players would be satisfied with this conclusion. There is more to be done with the tale of Balris and his kin, as I have hinted, but we will shortly have far more pressing concerns.  After leaving the Palace, I walked the streets. Some could feel the same things I felt, I could see it their eyes, their nervous body language, their uncertain words. However, for the rest there is nothing amiss. They live in the Golden Age of Xerlanza, with more freedom, more prosperity, the eternal live of their progenitor, and a shining future. Now I wait at home, unable to sleep as darkness falls and I am left to wonder if this night will be the last.  It took days more, but it was inevitable. I still live, and can still write, and will do what I can to rally us against the tide. It began with the sounds of rock breaking, noisy but not loud, the very world itself shaking, and then beams of light piercing the sky. I could tell, without even having to scry, that those beams corresponded to the High Temples along the Yan. Balriza is flooded with ethereal beings and the citizens are lost to panic, and worst of all is the creeping purple fog that pools around our legs. I can sense the anger and desire for vengeance emanating from it, and fear that this might drown us all. Here it is, the big continental disaster added in the latest Anbennar update. Everybody across Haless, i.e. Yanshen, Rahen, and South Haless, is affected for the next 40 years.  Parliament, or at least those who were brave enough to attend, were divided on the way forward. Some wished to purge the spirits from the city, and then march out and do the same across the nation. Others wanted to focus on securing the High Temples and rebuilding the wards that once contained the spirits. I stepped up and offered another suggestion. There are three possible paths that you can take to resolve the Rending, depending on your religion; - Scour the Great Spirits (Lefthand Path) – drain their power to add your own - Appease the Great Spirts (Righteous Path and Mystic Accord) – complete missions on their behalf to earn bonuses (optionally Righteous Path can also switch to Mystic Accord) - Suppress the Great Spirits (Available to all) – rebuild the High Temples to put them back in their box I have chosen to Appease to show off some of the missions on offer.  The Great Spirits are beings on par with Balris Himself. Attempting to fight them will only bring their rage down upon us. We have mastered Yanshen physically through bravery and diplomacy. So, to can we master it spiritually by refusing to give into fear and instead negotiating with the Spirits. As I gave my speech, the purple mist pooling in the chamber began to recede, and at this sign from the heavens my suggestion passed a vote with ease.  As it emerged, there was only the slightest connection between these events. I appears that Lord Balris had the same thoughts that I did, and travelled to negotiate with the Great Spirit Hokuma personally as soon as the Rending began. His actions may have saved us from a brutal death, as Hokuma had begun a campaign of brutally purging all life within the Demon Hills, and might have extended it as far as Balriza if his miasma had been allowed to collect. Lord Balris returned to us in the evening of the first day and regaled us with his tale.  "Rage was the only emotion that Hokuma understood," Lord Balris told us, "he attempted to strike me down as I approached, a great fog rising from the ground to choke me. Rather than burn it away, I placed all my power into my wings and cast away the miasma, returning it to him. Then, I settled on a hilltop and made my case. We have already punished those who imprisoned him. The evil of the Lefthand Path is no more." In order to appease a Great Spirit you must complete 3 out of 5 offered missions. The first spirit is based on the location of your capital, and luckily Hokuma's dominion is one we've already fully conquered and converted, thus satisfying two of his initial missions already. The other two missions involve conquering the Jade Mines and spending a bunch of mana points. In hindsight both doable, but I wanted to progress this asap.  "I projected an image of the hills into the sky above me, a great work that I have not accomplished in centuries, an image both massive in scope and intricate in detail, down to the last inhabitant. I proved to him that the Oni no longer existed within his domain, those few who had escaped notice did not survive his awakening. If he continued, he would only harm innocents and would have to fight me. Though it has been a long time since I fought seriously, I gave a good argument that he would not have enough strength to survive no matter the battle's outcome. His reason to fight has passed, and now he has a chance to recuperate his strength." Expelling Ogres turned out to be very useful, as that earns us our third mission and our bonus from Hokuma for the duration of the Rending, as well as removing negative province modifiers in his domain. If you complete all 5 you extend the Rending by 25 years, lengthening the duration of your bonuses. Your primary Great Spirit additionally gives you a double-strength bonus, anyone outside of Hokuma's domain would only get 7.5% morale damage for appeasing him.  "This finally appeased his restless soul, and he sank back into the earth along with his choking miasma. As he disappeared, a great host of spirits climbed the hill and knelt before me, offering their services much as you littles ones have done. I declined, and allowed them to rest also. I would not abandon you all for an army of ghosts." The Spirit Military is interesting, it's all about speed, morale and siege races. It goes against what we've been building so far, so I decline, but if you plan for it from the start it might be a fun pick.  Scattered reports are coming from across Xerlanza, that even though the spirits of the hills are calmed the Yan and the coast are still burning. The Ruin Republics, still fragile, are struggling against the tide. Xiaken warriors battle spirits hilltop-by-hilltop. Who knows what disasters are being felt beyond our borders and those of our allies. Though we have survived so far, this isn't over yet.  Our way forward is clear. To bring this to an end, we must treat with the Great Spirits. I can't allow Lord Balris to take this burden alone. I'll do whatever it takes to make up for my failure to prepare us for this disaster, answer any grievance that the Great Spirits deliver to me, and I'll save the millions now cowering in their homes from the rogue spirits that threaten them. The Rending isn't the end, it's only the beginning. There's no vote here, I'll be working through these based on how relevant they are to us. I don't know why the options are marked as TODO, they function correctly. You can only appease spirits whose domains you or your vassals hold territory in, so if you want to catch 'em all you've got a lot of conquering to do. There are 13 Great Spirits in total, of which you need 8 fully completed to extend the Rending to the end date. I'll be aiming for the bonuses, but not the extension unless it is doable. Completing all five missions for any given spirit is very much a challenge. To be continued… Sybot fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Feb 14, 2024 |
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Feb 14, 2024 20:03
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 Well, I have to say that was a hell of a thing, especially when compared to the relatively small plague the Dwarves faced in the first campaign.
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Feb 14, 2024 20:31
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Yay we finally find out what the temples did.
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Feb 14, 2024 21:25
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I actually like this a lot more than the plagues and the goldrot that Dwarves had to deal with. One thing that I think would be a good addition to Anbennar would be some sort of regional disaster preview. In vanilla EUIV you sort of know ahead of time what long term challenges a country will face based on IRL history. You might not know the best way to deal with them, but you can expect them to happen and take steps to plan ahead.
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Feb 14, 2024 21:26
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Hooray for making new spooky friends! 
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Feb 15, 2024 06:09
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Who is Tughayasa? They don't seem to be on the map.
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Feb 15, 2024 22:04
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I'm glad people are enjoying it so far. I do like the way it's been implemented compared to the other disasters that just throw huge costs or monstrous rebel stacks at you, with ways to embrace the disaster as much as try to fight it. Josef bugman posted:Who is Tughayasa? They don't seem to be on the map. They're in the one province west of Hengdu Bowu, too small to have their name on the map.
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Feb 15, 2024 22:09
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Sybot posted:I'm glad people are enjoying it so far. I do like the way it's been implemented compared to the other disasters that just throw huge costs or monstrous rebel stacks at you, with ways to embrace the disaster as much as try to fight it. Some of the specific mission components of the Rending could use fine tuning on their requirements but yeah, it's way way way better designed than the dwarven disasters which all expect a large degree of foreknowledge and also get kinda repetitive on successive dwarf playthroughs. By the third time you're subjected to the Hoardcurse you're just like "ugghhh loving get on with it"
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Feb 15, 2024 22:18
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Captain Oblivious posted:Some of the specific mission components of the Rending could use fine tuning on their requirements but yeah, it's way way way better designed than the dwarven disasters which all expect a large degree of foreknowledge and also get kinda repetitive on successive dwarf playthroughs. On that note, I've updated to the latest version from the Bitbucket as of the next chapter, specifically to fix some of those tuning issues. I'll go into more detail on the difference from the Steam version in the chapter.
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Feb 15, 2024 22:21
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Quorum posted:Hooray for making new spooky friends! 
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Feb 16, 2024 00:30
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A golden era of living and spirit relations!
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Feb 16, 2024 00:45
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Chapter Fourteen: Two Dragons 1636-1653 A hillside north of Yanzhong, 1642  The High Temple fractured anew as the vast ethereal form of the great dragon Yanhe encircled it, his translucent scales scouring the building's surface. Sprits leapt, flew and slithered out of the cracks, escaping into the wider world. A vast crowd of onlookers assembled on the streets of Yanzhong to watch Yanhe's passing, some pressed tightly to the ground in devotion, others merely gawking, and some actively fighting against some of the more dangerous spirits that travelled in his wake. From such a distance, Fax Ferkye couldn't hear anything, but he imagined the pealing thunder and rumbling of collapse followed in Yanhe's wake. "President, we are not alone," one of his guardians spoke into his ear. Fax Ferkye lowered his claws, the vision he had been scrying disappearing from his sight and leaving only the distant sight of Yanzhong glowing with light. Some were homes of the inhabitants, others were lantern-carrying spirits or other such light-bearers, and the unearthly glow of Yanhe himself was clear in the heart of the city. Black thunder clouds trailed in his wake, and the city was illuminated by regular flashes of lightning. Despite everything, this was not as bad as it had been. Yanhe had, at first, terrorized the full length of the river with his every appearance, making the cities near-uninhabitable. Now he merely brought bad weather and a slight surplus of spirits, a sign that he was growing satisfied with what he saw of Xerlanza. Around Fax Ferkye, a number of spirits had clambered up the rocky outcropping on which he had perched to gain a view of the city. They did not seem hostile, though there was one, a Kobold-shaped figure of flame wrapped in a cloak, who kept squaring up against his squad of Kindled Scale guardians, before prancing away into the air. Perhaps it was the spirit of the Dragon Dance? "Let them be," he said, waving at his guardians. They didn't relax very much, but they did allow the less hostile spirits past. With the scrying over, and now that they were no longer garnering attention, most of the spirits started to filter away. Of those few that lingered, the only one that approached Fax Ferkye was a doll-like ghost with long trailing limbs. As it got closer, it dragged in dirt, sticks, and stones that accumulated around its body as though it was building itself up. In less than a minute it had assembled itself a semi-solid form that was almost as tall as the President himself. "What are you trying to show me?" he asked, leaning forward towards the spirit. It continued to build itself up, drawing stone up from the outcropping as it was a malleable as clay and building a container around itself with clear cracks through which its real body still shone. "Just like one of the High Temples," Fax Ferkye said. He looked out into the distance. Yanhe had moved to a town further down the river, while the centre of Yanzhong was enshrouded by his storm, the High Temple out of sight. Fax Ferkye had earned a revelation from the spirits, perhaps one from Yanhe himself, and had fled to the countryside to take in some fresh air and clear his mind of the endless looping thoughts on rebuilding the country and the fate of the High Temples. Yet, even here, the spirits were responding to him. He reached out and touched the stone surface of the spirit's physical body with a claw. Just as how it had drawn up the stone, the surface was soft to the touch. Without any more thought, he got to work, claws scratching into the mock High Temple, loose stone hardening and falling to the ground as it separated from the spirit that was enchanting it. When he was done, he stepped back and observed. The image of the High Temple remained, in all of its imposing shape and size. However, long stripes had been ripped out of the side, ventilation almost, that allowed the spirit within to be clearly seen. A draconic logo had been carved into it, but Fax Ferkye wasn't even sure if he'd intended it to represent Balris or Yanhe. Either way, it was a clear representation of one of the ideas floating through his mind, to transform the High Temple into a refuge that honoured the spirits, instead of a prison. Perhaps this spirit was being kind, allowing itself to be the outlet for his thoughts. As he pondered, the trees on the hillside below his outcropping burst into life, as flocks of birds both physical and ethereal took to the sky, the latter leaving trails of light in their wake. He peered up into the evening sky and caught the massive descending shape of Balris as He swooped in to land on the hilltop a few hundred feet away. All of his guardians and many of the nearby spirits prostrated themselves towards Him, and Fax Ferkye offered a bow as well. "You asked to speak to me, little one?" Balris asked, His form glittering even in the twilight. "Lord Balris," Fax Ferkye began, trusting that the dragon's hearing was mighty enough to understand him even from so far away, "I've treated with a beast that has killed thousands, I've gone to war in his name, and I've let his thoughts and ideas into my mind. That is, another besides you. Do you think I've made the right choice?" Balris, as majestic as ever, folded His wings around Himself and fixed a calm gaze on the Kobold. "I trust you. Not just you yourself, but all of you little ones," he said, "That is why I let you vote, let you fight your own wars, and let you make mistakes. However, I do not think this is a mistake." He looked out into the distance, towards the glowing snaking form of Yanhe. Fax Ferkye turned as well, and realised that the great spirit dragon had paused in mid-flight and was staring directly at them. Directly at Balris, most likely. The two had never met before. Balris had not left Balriza since calming Hokuma at the pleading of Parliament, who feared that their two draconic wills would lead to open battle. Nothing happened, but perhaps it was the many miles separating them that averted the worst. "This land has been artificially restrained for too long, and balance is still being restored," Balris said. "I trust that you will find a way, and when you do I will be there to come to a détente with Yanhe." "Thank you for your sage advice, Lord Balris," Fax Ferkye said. He looked again between the two of them. The great and ancient Balris, father to the Kobold people and the living embodiment of wisdom and wealth. The ancient and awesome Yanhe, the symbol of power and dominance, but also just rulership and protection. If they could be reconciled, the two dragons would lead Xerlanza into a golden age beyond golden ages. Retrieved from the Deep State Archives, excerpts from the writings of Fax Ferkye of the Knowing Eye, Golden President  Travelling down from Balriza, I have seen the devastation inflicted by most violent and vengeful of the spirits. Fields of crops have been drowned, or burnt, or torn apart. Whole villages are abandoned. Phantom toll collectors haunt the roads. Even though the rampaging ethereal mobs have been banished, with the last great host driven from Tianlou, the ambient spirits still threaten us. Notably, it is much calmer in the lands claimed by Hokuma, since Lord Balris calmed him. Descending towards Yanzhong, I can see the shattered ruins of the High Temple, and the scars running through the city.  My arrival in the city was just days before Yanhe's appearance. The draconic Great Spirit has been patrolling the Yan ever since the High Temples fell, causing destruction with his mere presence. His arrival brought the city, and myself, to our knees. The Yan is our lifeline to the world. If we are to survive this, we must placate him. I fear that this is a foe Lord Balris would not be able to negotiate, for the presence of another Dragon might incite territorial conflict, so this will be my burden alone.  All of the great clans reunited for this task. We constructed a great ritual circle around the ruins of the High Temple, filled with the symbol of a great eye that intersected the circle at six points, atop each of which stood a Sage from one of the clans. At the centre, I filled the eye with my Chi and projected my very spirit to catch Yanhe's attention. It was a great risk, as he might see a Kobold like myself as a rival, but my first action was to supplicate myself towards him. If the legends are true, he is the incarnation of state power, and I acknowledged that even I am not all-powerful within Xerlanza.  Our communication was not through speech, but through sensation. Yanhe recognized that Xerlanza is a mighty state, but still not one that was worthy of his blessing. We had to become stronger. I heard the marching of boots, both soldiers and merchant caravans. I felt the touch of a mountain of gold. I saw a vision of a dozen races all kneeling before me. Our vision is clear. Xerlanza needs to prove itself, demonstrate its rightful place as hegemon of Yanshen. I've updated to the latest bitbucket version of Anbennar, which contains a few nerfs to the difficulty of the worst of the Rending quests. I'll note where something is different from the Steam version. - 60 dev in Bianfang is straightforward, especially as we're really good at devving provinces. - 350k troops is just a matter of finding the manpower, no problem. This is a recently added bypass for republics, as the quest in the Steam version is 80 absolutism for all governments, which would have been completely out of reach for us. - Waiting for prosperity to tick up is just a matter of time - It is convenient that the Command has almost completely collapsed already. Alternatively, we can conquer all of Yanhe's domain, but that would involve betraying One Xia. I'm not sure why this is flagged with ticks, it might just be a display bug. - This is the doozy. In the Steam version this requires almost every single race, requiring you to go conquering in Sarhal, Aelantir, the Forbidden Plains, and, if you're unlucky, Cannor. This smaller list will require a bit of thought, but is feasible. So, we will be trying to complete all these quests to extend the Rending by 25 years.  The simplest of his requests to complete is the final quieting of the Command. We should be thanking Bhuvauri for sweeping up most of their remaining outposts in Rahen, but the last independent war camp has settled around the High Temple in Sharaja, sheltered by Rajnadhaga, the 'Red Raj'. We will need to push through their territory to take Sharaja, and with the spirits rampaging through these land they are not in a position to oppose us.  As our armies patrol our lands for any more unruly spirits, we are steadily shedding warriors and camp followers into the countryside. They are finding occupation as spirit hunters, or workers rebuilding damaged homes and businesses, or simply acting as peacekeepers between groups of people driven to desperation by the Rending. Following the completion of the mission tree, we can spread Kobold pops anywhere in our territory they aren't already present. For a bit of manpower and mil mana we can add some base manpower as well. Adding a pop also adds a Scale Bank outpost for bonus production efficiency.  Though the rampaging spirits are dealt with, the more subtle threats remain. Animalistic spirits luring in prey from among the population, or elemental spirits subtly affecting weather patterns, or spirits of affliction and disease growing strong in the refugee camps. Our choice to embrace the spirits means learning and understanding even these dangerous creatures. Perhaps one day we will learn how to protect ourselves, much like we no longer fear wolves.  The Red Raj has been pushed aside, and our way to Sharaj is clear. The spirits themselves aid us; the Hobgoblins have been forced cower behind their walls as swarms of spirits pour from the ruins of the High Temple.  I have decided to strike two enemies with one stone. The Jade March have barricaded themselves in the mountains to survive the Rending, and Yanhe desires that we have some Goblins under our direct rule. We can finally start moving Verkal Dromak to its rightful place as the Jade Republic.  As our armies marched into Sharaj, they celebrated with the spirits and in the following celebrations the remains of the High Temple were razed completely. The spirits swept out into the countryside, and the commanders sent a message back to ask whether they had done the right thing. After some consideration, and consulting with Lord Balris, I have decreed that not only are we treating with the Great Spirits, we are doing everything in our power to keep them from being caged a second time. They are living beings, if ethereal rather than physical, and they deserve a chance at life.  A great summit was held in Bianfang, between myself and the Supreme Master of the Xia, with Yanhe floating over our heads. They have pledged themselves to the Great Spirit Hengdu Bowu, and have agreed to join us in restoring the spiritual landscape of Haless. Our alliance is more tightly bound than ever. At the summit, I announced a suspension of elections until Yanhe is satisfied. Though some might complain, a transfer of power at this critical moment risks everything. Only once the prosperity of our cities along the river is restored will I feel comfortable stepping back down. The Spirittide is a unique conquest-type CB for nations that have selected Appeasement, targeting any Halessi province within nations that you border.  The tunnels of the Jade Mountains are dark and treacherous, but we are backed by Hokuma, the Great Spirit of the earth itself. Though the Goblins have taken to gunpowder warfare, they cannot succeed when the ground rises against them and traps them against the walls of Verkal Dromak. With their armies fleeing into the caverns, we can march on their holds with ease.  Not with a bang, but with a whimper. After terrorizing Haless for two hundred years, the last vestiges of the Command have fallen. Though the Hobgoblins have been left with their lives, their military clan structure has been torn down so that it might never organise itself against the free peoples of the continent again. Now that they're scattered and isolated, perhaps they'll come to embrace the spirits that freely flow around them, and discard their 'Godlost' ways. That's one mission complete.  My desk is inundated with cries for aid against violent spirits, economic restitution for damage to crops or materials, or people simply being spooked by the presence of apparitions in their vicinity. Today, one report gave a frantic account of a rogue goose rampaging through their village, stealing their items and repeatedly honking at them. This is the way of the world now; we need to learn to live with it. We will dispatch spirit hunters against the violent, but a mere animal is something that the people need to learn how to corral.  Our armies have marched on Grônstunad, the old capital of the Jade Empire, and handed administration to Verkal Dromak. The great hold is the central point of these tunnels, and with its loss the Jade March will not last. One set of caverns containing a population of Goblins will remain under our control for the moment, in order to satisfy Yanhe's desires, as ruling over the Goblins of Verkal Dromak indirectly isn't sufficient.  The coastal states are oppressing their spirits, even going so far as to try and build their own great wards to drain all spirit life out of Yanshen. This cannot be allowed, so we will march against them and ensure their compliance. Unifying the watershed of the Yan will also do much to please Yanhe, though we don't do this purely for his sake.  If we wish to gain a Hobgoblin population, then one of the Ruin Republics make the most sense. These nations have been integrated into the military and economic aspects of Xerlanza for longer than I've been alive, so it only makes sense that one day they join with us fully. The local powerbrokers, having enjoyed their autonomy for so long, are not pleased with this, but the common Human, Kobold, and Hobgoblin citizens enjoy the fruits of our union enough that they care not for the complaints of the powerful. Turning an autonomous vassal into a regular one is actually pretty costly, and if we didn't have all the bonuses to liberty desire they'd be instantly into disloyal territory. It also kicks off the regular 10 year cooldown before annexation.  The re-integration of Bianfang, which was only granted autonomy to facilitate the Golden Highway connections between the Yan and Xianjie, has concluded. Unlike the Ruin Republics, their leaders were aware that this was always a temporary situation and have smoothly rejoined our administration. Overall, the situation on the Yan is calming, as Yanhe is sated by our actions towards his desires. Now, the city of Bianfang must be refurbished to become his hoard. Just as Balris holds a mountain of treasure within Balkhangfa Palace, Bianfang must itself become a city of treasure.  I don't know if it's our fervent alliance with spiritual beings, the multiple conflicts that have sprouted across Haless, or mere politics, but our relations with the Soldier's Republic have deteriorated considerably. The Treasure Fleet now avoids our ports, and hostile scouts have been sighted in the northern foothills of the Jade Mountains. I'd like to believe we are too far separated for them to threaten us, but this past decade has been one of great upset.  Despite Yanhe's vision for us, we aren't tyrants. Balris isn't a tyrant. The coastal cities were integrated with full voting rights, though their government fled into the hills and continues to hold out against us. We've had years of experience dealing with the spirits, and can offer comfort to those who've been hiding in their homes whenever a ghostly figure walks down the street.  Parliament is functional again these days, and it feels as though normal political life is starting to return. It is odd to hold sessions where one of the representatives has accidentally tracked in a spirit of debate, or two of our ghostly ancestors rehash an argument held in the Sage Council a century ago, but it is hardly worse than how things usually run. While Parliament doesn't like the fact that I've retained power, they have worked to smooth over some of my more aggressive decisions and restore faith in our aim of peace and prosperity in Yanshen.  The armies of Bhuvauri march against those who are aiding the Great Spirits, targeting One Xia. It's clear that they don't trust the natural world to serve the interests of their mechanical and lifeless slave society. Our armies will now need to be split between protecting our lands and those of our allies, but it should be manageable so long as we don't go on the offensive again.  So many thoughts have crossed my mind concerning the High Temples. Should we leave them as monuments, should we finish razing them, should we repurpose them? What can we do to build a hoard capable of satisfying a spirit dragon? Ideas, swimming in my head, threatening to overflow and spill out across the floor. I need more paper, need to write, need to keep the Great Spirits happy…I need to consult with Lord Balris. Perhaps I have taken on too much.  The first sign that we'd been betrayed by the Custodian of Jiantsiang was when a squadron of trade vessels were fired upon leaving the city harbour. Aji had promised us that she wouldn't join Bhuvauri's war, and most of our armies had withdrawn south into Xianje. As soon as the coast was clear, she declared for Bhuvauri, denouncing us as slaves to the spirit world. They didn't join the war initially, so this caught me by surprise.  There was one army division stationed at the coast, who engaged her army directly. She emerged onto the battlefield directly, single-handedly summoning walls of flame greater than anything the Smouldering Claw or Kindled Scale warriors could muster. However, we are no longer in the era where a single mighty warrior can decide a battle. Though many warriors died against the advancing wall of fire, the volume of cannon we could bring to bear eventually forced her back.  As our armies withdraw to engage Jiantsiang, Bhuvauri advances on the Ruin Republics. They've an uncountable number of mercenaries under their employment, replacing losses almost as fast as we can inflict them. It's all we can do to hold the frontier in the west, never mind being able to advance any further against them. Bhuvauri is infamous for being wealthy enough to merc up no matter how bad things get. It's one of the reasons they're almost always the second biggest threat in Haless after the Command.  Our alliances in Yanshen are breaking down as the smaller nations look to suppress the spirits. Xiyun refused to continue their alignment with us, in response to our intention to annex the remainder of Tianlou-in-exile, even taking up arms against us. Between this and the betrayal of Jiantsiang, it's clear that only under Balris' guidance will we see true peace brought to Yanshen.  After four years of inconclusive fighting, the war had ended with minor concessions by Bhuvauri to the One Xia. Nothing has been done to slow their vast slave-powered economy, and this war didn't even reach the Gulf of Rahen, so I don't doubt they'll be back again in the future. Perhaps we should take the initiative before that occurs.  During the war with Xiyun, representatives from the One Xia approached and informed us that the Supreme Master was hunting for Phokao, the Great Spirit of the namesake mountains, and that half of Xiyun's territory fell within her domain. In the interests of coordinating our support for the Great Spirits, we agreed a dividing line would be cut through the territory.  The nation is glowing with spiritual lights, as they have come together in honour of the work we've done for them. A great parade is proceeding down the Yan without any disaster or disruption, with Yanhe himself flying overhead. Peace reigns again, and both the people and spirits are satisfied. I believe I've made the right decision in trusting and negotiating with these great beings.  Industry is booming across the nation. The rebuilding process following the initial devastation of the Rending has given us a chance to transform how the economy works, accounting for the presence of our ethereal partners. We can entreat with natural spirits to give our forests, farms and mines greater boons of resources, or invite spirits of flame or sturdiness to dwell within our manufactories, or pay a toll to the spirits of commerce in exchange for the smooth and safe passage of trade. The Cannorian visitors who see this mock us for not striving to harvest and take everything we can from the spirits while they are placated, but Balris agrees with me that honouring them will serve us better in the long run. Basically every province already had a manufactory at this point, so it was trivial for it to appear. Despite having to go over force limit to satisfy Yanhe we're still making a lot of money.  The administrators in Sir have been quelled enough to begin to process of fully integrating them into Xerlanza. As with any other citizen, the various races that find themselves mutually sharing the former lands of the Command will be granted full voting rights. Though there hasn't been a presidential election in nearly twenty years, I have promised to both Lord Balris and Parliament that I will step down once Yanhe is satisfied, and I intend to hold myself to that. The people of Sir will get the chance to help choose my successor. This will get us a Hobgoblin pop and also a border with Bhuvauri so we can use the Spirittide CB against them if we need to in future.  While we've taken the chance to raze the High Temples in areas we've occupied, including Rahen, Luoyip and Jiantsiang, the broken shells of the Temples still exist within our cities, too large to fully tear down without damaging the city itself. We also haven't spent too much time wondering what actually lies within, instead focusing on those spirits who've managed to escape. Chief Tinker Doomwhistle has delivered a proposal to Parliament to delve into the High Temples and learn more about them. Though we would prefer to see them levelled, we aren't going to stop the Gnomes from uncovering their secrets so long as any benefits are shared with us. This ought to have popped up before the Rending, as the Gnomes messing about with the High Temples is part of what triggers it in the first place, canonically.  Bianfang has been transformed into a city of glory beyond any other on the continent. Golden palaces, terraces of homes built with the richest wood and finest marble, and vast estates filled with bureaucrats who will attend to the functioning of Xerlanza-beyond-Yanshen, which is to say the lands of the Ruin Republics as they join us in their whole. A great parade of three hundred thousand warriors was held down one of the central avenues, Lord Balris at its head, as Yanhe settled into a palace especially built for him. The two dragons faced one another, as if some kind of unspoken conversation was occurring between them, and then Balris turned to face all attendees. "If I am the embodiment of the people and ideals of Xerlanza, then let Yanhe be the spirit of our nation! Peace, prosperity, and the power to protect it! We take flight into this new era together, into a world transformed by the power of the spirit!" With three down, we could close things out with Yanhe, but we are within reach of the final two quests… To be continued… Next up, a state of the world update
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Feb 18, 2024 18:55
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There are two dragons inside you(r nation)
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Feb 19, 2024 12:36
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I get the feeling that at least one of the mod's devs is a fan of the Avatar series, especially the Legend of Korra 
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Feb 19, 2024 14:11
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I get the feeling that at least one of the mod's devs is a fan of Untitled Goose Game
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Feb 19, 2024 15:55
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Missed a trick by not making Double Dragon the update title imo 
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Feb 19, 2024 21:35
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Interlude: State of the World 1653 Excerpts from Spirits, Authority and Enlightenment: Politics in the Age of Rending, by Wenshi of the Mournful Song, published in Tianlou, 1655  The Rending has drawn stark lines across our world, both in the reaction of the leadership and the common population to the rise of the Great Spirits, and also in the character of their national politics. Xerlanza, the great project begun by a union of sages questing for their lost master and a peasant uprising solidifying into a continent-wide revolt for democracy, has extended this combination of spirituality and liberty by seeking to integrate the spirits of Haless into their nation. This has not been a simple task. Many spirits are angry and not willing to listen to reason, nor even able to completely vent their frustration. Conversely, the One Xia, the hierarchy of martial schools that started as a loose confederacy under the Wulin, has taken a different approach. The rise of countless spirits has given them opponents to test their martial and spiritual arts against, and those spirits who prove themselves worthy are given places of honour within the ladder of constant competition. Atop them all, the Supreme Master watches with the Great Spirit Hengdu Bowu at their side, guiding society towards one where merit whether in battle or in business is the guiding principle. These two great powers are tightly bound, for they are surrounded by those who would deny the spirits. The Custodians of Jiantsiang have long held that supreme authority rests in the ruler, a singular power extending out from their capital city. The spirits are considered to be no exception to this rule. The Kingdom of Daengun is similar, tolerating no outside influence on their hermit kingdom. Further north, the Soldier's Republic of Kalsyto, considering themselves enlightened and pragmatic, purges any spirits they encounter on their Halessi frontier as dangers to Human life. Their nation was forged under the fires of Centaur invasion, and as the military seized power they drew a stark line between civilization and barbarism, one in which wild spirits fall firmly into the latter category.  In the other direction, the great slave state of Bhuvauri stands as the primary opposition to the Great Spirits. A strange combination of a caste system with meritocratic promotions and demotions, they hold no room in their regimented society for wild cards. Spirits are ruthlessly crushed, and the Great Spirits themselves are forced into smaller and smaller areas as Bhuvauri Spirit Hunters work to rebuild the High Temple network in miniature within their lands. In Rahen proper, the remnants of the Raj hold out against the forces of Bhuvauri, even turning to the One Xia for protection despite their differing viewpoints on the spirits. It is clear that not all politics is defined by each nation's reaction to the Rending. The southern reaches of Haless are defined by the conflict between the plutocratic Kingdom of Arawkelin, which is burning and deforesting much of the Lupulan Rainforest for its resources, no matter how much damage it does to the local spirits, and the Queendom of Chien Binhrung. With her legitimacy marred by a long Regency at the height of the crisis, the previous Queen turned the Great Spirits to solidify her claim to the throne, only to die after just seven years in power and spark another regency for her daughter. Not all the powers of Haless truly care for the spirits, no matter which side of the line they fall upon.  Beyond Haless, we find lands that do not even have a basic understanding of the nature of the spirits. The scorching lands of Bulwar are dominated by a cult of sun worshippers, who almost all pledge allegiance to the Phoenix Emperor who is considered the incarnation of their sun god. It was inevitable that a faith focused on such a central figure would lead to such a powerful centralized empire. While it has failed to advance far beyond Bulwar itself, due to a succession of weak rulers and careful coalition building by their enemies, we ought to remember that it was the fervour and discipline of the original Phoenix Empire that brought them to the very gates of Balriza. While most nations of Bulwar have fallen and pledged their allegiance to the Phoenix Emperor, the Kingdom of Birsartanšes continues to declare his line to be false prophets and that their own ruler is the Sun's incarnation. It is a luxury they are able to afford through alliance with the distant Nirakhetists and sturdy Dwarves. A mismatched alliance of faiths, brought about be opposition to a single central figure of both devotion and derision. The Obsidian Legion is back, but don't seem to have run away it quite as badly as in the last campaign.  The longstanding Mengi Alliance, between the two great Kingdoms of Shelkomengi and Fetengoni, was founded on their mutual respect for the sky gods of the open savanna. Rising together, with Shelkomengi representing the dry plains, and Fetengoni representing the hills from which rivers flow. Together they have successfully resisted incursions into Sarhal by the Phoenix Empire, and crushed the Shadow Trolls of Yezel Mora. Conversely, the Empire of Rayaz and Kingdom of Beeragga further south are diametrically opposed in their outlook. The former, made up primarily of strange Lizardfolk who are distinctly different to our own Kobold population, looks towards a future where they might establish the final incarnation of a mythical empire and conquer the world. The latter are traders and philosophers, pondering the world to achieve enlightenment and ascend. This has made them bitter enemies, as one focuses on controlling the material world, while the other seeks to ascend to the spiritual. Fetengoni must have had a wild campaign so far. Their starting land is that tiny strip next to the mountains at the southern edge of their territory.  While Cannorians have been trading in our ports for fifty years, it has only been recently that they have established permanent settlements, primarily in the Ringlet Isles. Here, the spirits of the water under the rule of the great whale Cinulau constantly lap at the sea walls of their settlement and great wooden hulls of their warships. In their opposition to Cinulau, they take a different approach, one of study and understanding based on their dominant religion of Ravelianism, with an aim to seize control of the spirits completely. Though their presence it yet small, it might threaten Haless in its entirety one day.  The growth of great cities proves the devotion of the people of Xerlanza to the Great Spirits and Balris. Bianfang, in becoming Yanhe's palace, has become the greatest city in the world, discounting the holds of the Serpentspine. Balriza itself, even though it is distant from key trade routes and nestled in hills with little room to grow, is almost on par with the bustling capitals of Kalsyto and Bhuvauri. It is the Goldscale's fervour for construction and hoarding, not conquest and destruction, that has given them such capability. Note that this only includes provinces we can see, so there are probably larger Dwarf holds out there, and who knows how large Anbenncóst has gotten.  As the Rending continues, it is clear that the division in how to address it will not go away. Though Xerlanza and One Xia have proven that the spirits can be bargained with, their opposition remains defiant, whether actively oppressing the spirits, using them for political gain, ignoring them in favour of a supreme central figure, or exploiting them for a distant colonial homeland. The question remains, will this separation last in perpetuity? Or will one side triumph over the others, and bring a new age of understanding to Haless? Or will the Great Spirits become just another part of the greater world and the old ways of geopolitics begin to reassert themselves? I cannot say for certain, as I am no prophet, but I know that all the Great Powers of the world will fight to see their ideals imposed upon the world, whether they be righteous or not. We aren't likely to remain number one for long once Lorent and Kalsyto pick up Manufactories, though maintaining a comfortable number two seems likely. Rezankand, a colonial nation, is very interesting to see on the list. I don't think I've seen them do so well before. Unguldavor is an Escanni Orc nation, so I guess the Orcs won in Escann again. To be continued…
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Feb 20, 2024 13:52
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I hope that we can continue to provide good things for our people and whoever else wants to come and speak with us.
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Feb 20, 2024 15:41
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I wonder what Cannor looks like right now. Clearly Lorent is doing its usual thing.
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Feb 20, 2024 16:18
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I haven't played Anbennar myself (though the more I learn about the setting, the more I'm tempted), but we're now 2/2 in these playthroughs on the Obsidian Legion taking over the Serpentspine (not counting the one where we were required to directly intervene, being Dwarves ourselves). Is this a pretty common outcome? Feels like the Obsidian Invasion might be just a smidge overtuned, at least when happening to NPCs.
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Feb 20, 2024 17:12
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JT Jag posted:I haven't played Anbennar myself (though the more I learn about the setting, the more I'm tempted), but we're now 2/2 in these playthroughs on the Obsidian Legion taking over the Serpentspine (not counting the one where we were required to directly intervene, being Dwarves ourselves). Is this a pretty common outcome? Feels like the Obsidian Invasion might be just a smidge overtuned, at least when happening to NPCs. It's not quite as bad as it looks, they just happen to have most of the holds next to what we can see in Bulwar, which is why they dominate the province list. More TI clears up in the next update and there are plenty of other dwarves doing well. Their big advantage is their first war is all-or-nothing so if they start out at war with a large Dwarven power they can get a lot of development straight off the bat, and then they have their event troops ready to keep the conquest going if the initial war was smooth enough. They can stall out quite easily if those troops get battered enough, or outside powers step in to contain them. The Mykx campaign is actually the only time in my Anbennar playthroughs I've seen the Obsidian Legion manage to form the High Dominion, every other time they appear they've taken few holds at most and gotten stuck.
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Feb 20, 2024 19:01
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Yeah, I usually see the Obsidian Legion end up as a minor power with a couple of holds at best. I've never seen them dominate in my own games, and they frequently either lose the initial war totally or get chipped away at by the other nearby powers. Honestly, I've only ever seen mega-empires form a couple of times, and those usually from one of the main Bulwari players. Cannor, the Serpentspine, and Haless seem pretty self-balancing in the hands of the AI. Haless does get blobby, but it's multiple mid-sized blobs instead of one spanning the whole continent.
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Feb 20, 2024 19:25
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JT Jag posted:I haven't played Anbennar myself (though the more I learn about the setting, the more I'm tempted), but we're now 2/2 in these playthroughs on the Obsidian Legion taking over the Serpentspine (not counting the one where we were required to directly intervene, being Dwarves ourselves). Is this a pretty common outcome? Feels like the Obsidian Invasion might be just a smidge overtuned, at least when happening to NPCs. Obsidian Legion usually becomes a minor power and then gets devoured by a nearby super power like the Phoenix Empire in my experience, if they survive at all. When they spawn in the Reach the AI seems to usually kill them off and when they spawn in the Middle Dwarovar they do pretty okay until Phoenix time. Last game's Mega Obsidians were very, very unusual.
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Feb 20, 2024 23:27
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I must say the rending is a very impressive piece of work and makes me deeply invested in seeing what else the team can do. In particular, I can't wait for the one day promised colonial Aelantir revamp/expansion.
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Feb 21, 2024 00:56
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