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Proud of how much these little kobolds were able to accomplish :3 Also excited to see what the options for the next playthough are gonna be edit: update on last page
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Apr 3, 2024 01:07
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Bittersweet note to finish it on, hope Balris has a good tree in the v3 adaptation
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Apr 3, 2024 01:45
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Good job, little kobolds!
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Apr 3, 2024 03:28
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ThatBasqueGuy posted:Bittersweet note to finish it on, hope Balris has a good tree in the v3 adaptation Yeah I have bad news about that But thanks for doing this Sybot. Balrijin were a great addition to the LP.
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Apr 3, 2024 04:19
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Thank you everyone!ThatBasqueGuy posted:Bittersweet note to finish it on, hope Balris has a good tree in the v3 adaptation As mentioned, sadly canonically Balris is never found, Balrijin is conquered by the Command, which then promptly explodes due to the Rending. Post-Rending as of the start of V3, the Kobolds are still under the rule of one the Command's successor states and presumably Balris is still sulking on his mountaintop. Maybe he'll have content one day, which'll be cool, but the V3 mod is still a ways from being ready to go.
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Apr 3, 2024 09:12
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This was a great playthrough. Really enjoyed the Kobolds more than I expected. I hope we get to return to Aelantir at some point and delve more into the lore about the ruination of the precursor elves and the ancient aliens stuff they were getting up to.
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Apr 3, 2024 13:21
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Just one elves run, people, we keep seeing elves and magic from a distance, so much lore seems tied up in them tho
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Apr 3, 2024 14:14
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Friends don't let friends play elves.
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Apr 3, 2024 14:54
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Roadwarriors. Doesn't have to be a complicated narrative, I just want to was Sybot pour paint remover all over the map.
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Apr 3, 2024 15:34
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Vote: The Tides of Change Cannor, the centrepiece of Halann, home to the City of the World's Desires and the birthplace of some of the greatest past, current and future empires of the world. However, it is also a land caught up in the games of the balance of power between three great players. The Kingdom of Lorent, the Kingdom of Gawed, and the Empire of Anbennar. 'Canonically', this balance would remain more or less intact until revolutionary fervour tore the continent apart, but the opportunities opened up by the Greentide's devastation of Escann mean that future could yet change.  Each nation listed below has the opportunity to transform Cannor into something new, something different, something that has never been seen before on the face of Halann. Or alternatively, look to the distant past to reforge something that been lost to this age of squabbling weakness. All of these options will aim to become the hegemon of Cannor, if not all of Halann, by strength, diplomacy, economic dominance, or subterfuge. Esthil/BD, Barumand, Reveria, and Kobildzan were considered, but were skipped for, respectively; being a bordergore micro nightmare, another LP existing, and pirates and Kobolds being covered in previous campaigns. There are still a lot of choices. A: Frozenmaw -> Grombar – Orcs/Half-Orcs While Escann was ravaged by the Greentide, the northern Kingdom of Vrorenmarch suffered a different fate. The Gray Orc Brasus Frozenmaw seized the kingdom and subjugated its former vassals, forming an Orcish kingdom ruling over Humans. His marriage to a Human princess, and the child it produced, would change everything. Orcish strength and Human ingenuity, alloyed together to forge something greater than the sum of its parts. B: Iron Hammers -> Hammerhome – Dwarves While many Dwarves have delved deep into the Dwarovar to reclaim their ancient holds, the Band of the Iron Hammers seek to build a new home for Dwarves on the surface, over the ruins of the nations of Escann. Dwarven engineering and industry will plate Castonath itself in steel, and show the surface-dwellers what true architecture looks like. C: Sons of Dameria -> Rogeria – Humans/Half-Orcs The Grand Duchy of Dameria, and the Silmuna family that ruled over it, were dissolved and annihilated in the fourth and final Lilac War, cementing Wex's rule of the Empire. Rogier, the last surviving Silmuna (besides one traitorous defector) fled to Escann, where he discovered he had a Half-Orc nephew fighting against the Greentide. Perhaps, if the Silmuna are to be restored to their rightful place, new blood must flow into the dynasty. D: Asheniande – Vampires The Duchy might appear to be an unassuming component of the Empire of Anbennar, notable only for the conflict over its inheritance with the Kingdom of Corvuria, but something lurks in the shadows. In the grand masquerades, money and power are joined by another currency – blood itself. If given the chance, the Vampires will drain the Empire dry from within and turn the world into their dark dominion. E: Small Fellows -> Newshire – Halflings While the Small Country lies under Human dominion, Escann is the perfect place for a new Halfling homeland. Empty, pristine countryside, with soil that is rich with the blood of the fallen of the Greentide. Here, Chloromancers will have the chance to push their plant magic to its limit, and force a proper appreciation of nature to Escann and Cannor as a whole. F: New Wanderers -> Elikhand – Humans/Undead From distant Kheterata, the New Wanders have arrived into the ruins of Escann to seek a new home and spread the word of the Khet. Far from home, surrounded by so many different faiths and creeds, the only route forward is syncretism, to seek a way to combine the Cannorian Pantheon and Khet divinity, and to spread to all corners of the continent. Their current leader, Entef of Wibnaut, is not long for this world, but through mummification and the divine power of the Khet, perhaps he might return in their hour of need. G: Counts League -> Castellyr – Humans Not all of the rulers of Escann died out with the Greentide. Some fortified themselves in their castles and prayed to Castellos (and darker powers) that the Orcs would pass them by. For those who survived, they emerge into a land ravaged by invasion and swarmed by roaming adventurers. Once the Orcs and the upstarts are taught who the true rulers of Escann are, the Kingdom of Castellyr can be restored. Beyond that, so long as Castonath still stands, perhaps the dream of the greatest Human empire in history can be reclaimed, and Castanor will rise once more. This is the only Escann option that will specifically aim to form Castanor. Others may or may not depending on circumstances. H: Nimscodd -> Gnomish Hierarchy – Gnomes Long, long ago, the Gnomish Hierarchy was one of the three great powers of Cannor, alongside Castanor and Dameria. That all changed during the Dragonwake, when Kobolds swarmed from the mountains and destroyed it. Now, the Gnomes of Nimscodd seek to reclaim their home, restore their place as a great power, and march across Cannor to crush all the tall ones with the power of unbridled artificery. I: Ibevar – Elves While many Elves integrated directly into the nations of Cannor, or cling to the edges of the continent while pining for their lost homeland, Ibenion took a different path. During the War of the Sorcerer King, he established a new homeland for Elves in the heart of Cannor. From here, his dynasty now seeks an opportunity to take the crown of the Empire of Anbennar for themselves, and usher in a new age of Elven leadership. J: Beepeck -> Small Country – Halflings The Small Country has been a battleground between Lorent and Gawed for centuries. The City of Beepeck has only evaded fate this by joining the Empire of Anbennar as its Halfling Electorate. With access to the trade of the Dameshead, the Halflings of the city have the chance to grow wealthy and fund the liberation of their brethren. If freed from the Human and Elven yoke, the Halflings can seek their own place in the world and get in touch with their origins. K: Moonhaven – Elves While the Elves of Venail seek to upend their lives and return home, those who settled in Moonhaven have integrated into the Empire as its Elven Electorate. The rediscovery of Aelantir and the religious revelations springing from there have opened up new paths in Cannor, which if the Elves of Moonhaven can navigate, will allow them to spread Elven trade and influence across the world. L: Sword Covenant -> Adenica – Humans Justice, duty, wisdom. These are but some of the ideals embodied by Adean. The bickering lords of Cannor, and the bloodthirsty zealots of Corin, neither of these live up a fraction of Adean's virtues. Our knights ride to restore chivalry and honour to a land that has forsaken it, from Castonath to Anbenncóst M: Venomtooth -> Khozrugan – Orcs Though Dookanson is dead, that doesn't mean his dream died with him. The Venomtooth, feared vanguard of the Greentide, lurk in the mires of western Escann, raiding the foolish adventurers and settlers who think Orckind defeated. If the disparate tribes can be reunited and a vast horde of warg riders can be raised under their banner, the weak Humans and their pitiful gods will come to learn true strength. N: Obrtrol -> Gerudaghot – Trolls Long time ago, Giants ruled, Trolls served. Then Dragons came, killed all Giants and many Trolls. Elves and Humans followed, chased Trolls to coldest forests and fjords. Now is Giantkin's last stand, last chance for Trolls to survive. O: Urviksten -> Ebonmarck – Humans The final collapse of Castanor came under the rule of the Ebonfrost, a Gerudian dynasty. Nichmer, the Sorceror King, betrayed them and led them to destruction. The Ebonfrosts were cast back to Gerudia, where they await their chance to regain their rightful throne. With the Greentide shattering the weak warm-landers, perhaps it is time for Cannor to taste Ebonsteel once more. P: Adshaw -> The Reach – Humans Once, Adshaw ruled the Reach, the civilised settlements along the coast of the Giant's Grave Sea. Then, perfidious Elves drove their subjects to revolt and reduced the Kingdom to a petty lordship in the inland forests. With Gawed on the rise, and Orcs conquering the eastern Reach, direct battle is not an option. Only subterfuge can restore Adshaw to its rightful place ruling the Reach, and perhaps take it even further, to turn Cannor into an empire run by vipers. Q: Marrhold – Humans The Dwarven hold of Ânumdihr, sealed off from the rest of the Serpentspine and fallen into disrepair, was discovered by migrating Alenic tribes during the chaos of the Dragonwake. Taming the griffons of the mountains, they formed the Kingdom of Marrhold and clung viciously to independence for centuries. Now that the Greentide is subsiding, the Griffon Knights fly down from their peaks to restore order to a land that has lost it, and then beyond. R: Adventurers or Orc Clan -> Blademarches – Humans or Orcs It is said that Elecast Dragonsbane struck down Alos the Copper with his sword, the legendary spellblade Calindal, the Gleaming Blade. While the Blademarches, ruled by those who could wield Calindal, fell to the Greentide, a secret order has preserved the blade. Now, they await a warrior, heedless of their race or creed, who can draw the blade without being inflicted with blindness and illuminate the way to a new future for Cannor. If this option makes it to the final poll, a secondary vote will decide our starting nation. S: Varainé – Humans Set along the mineral-rich Green River, the County of Varainé is famed for its wealth of herbs and large population of alchemists, making it the greatest potion seller, with the strongest potions, within the Empire of Anbennar. As adventurers reclaim Escann and the demand for potions skyrockets, the County might flourish, ultimately crafting potions of a calibre that can change the world.  West Cannor Options  Escann Options  Gerudia/Reach Options Vote for up to five options by clicking on the image below. The resulting top five will be included in the final poll.  Voting will last until the start of the next campaign
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Apr 3, 2024 16:50
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For all the messing around in the Escann thunderdome that I've done, I've never tried out Newshire. Would love to see how that campaign goes, it seems like there would be a lot of interesting narrative and mechanical elements to them. I get the impression that they might do some fun/goofy plant-based supersoldiers kind of thing.
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Apr 3, 2024 17:21
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Picked 5 options, but if I'm honest, I kind of want at least one of the Orc and/or Half-Orc factions to win, but NOT go full on Warhammer- I'm thinking civilized Orcs done right, as opposed to Blizzard's 'War in Warcraft' approach.
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Apr 3, 2024 21:40
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Who keeps choosing vampires, show yourself cowards.
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Apr 3, 2024 21:43
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Josef bugman posted:Who keeps choosing vampires, show yourself cowards. Yes? I also voted for Halflings and Trolls...
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Apr 3, 2024 21:51
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I'm just joshing, I'd prefer we choose one of the other options, but I just thought I'd make a quick funny.
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Apr 3, 2024 21:52
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habituallyred posted:Yes? I also voted for Halflings and Trolls... 
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Apr 3, 2024 21:55
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Now, now, everyone's friends here. Unless you voted for Elves... (seriously though, I'm impressed that an Elven nation's currently in the top 5/6. I thought for sure they were fodder for the bottom of the pile.)CommissarMega posted:Picked 5 options, but if I'm honest, I kind of want at least one of the Orc and/or Half-Orc factions to win, but NOT go full on Warhammer- I'm thinking civilized Orcs done right, as opposed to Blizzard's 'War in Warcraft' approach. Khozrugan is the only one that really goes all in on the full Orky experience, all the other Orc/Half-Orc options will be moving towards civilization.
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Apr 3, 2024 22:12
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Blood. And. Plants. or vampires, half-orcs etc w/e
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Apr 4, 2024 00:19
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its me, i want to kiss the vampires (or the trolls are cool too)
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Apr 4, 2024 00:25
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Cast my own votes for Newshire and Castellyr, partly for a moral change of pace after the kobolds, and partly to see Escann gameplay in action. It's always seemed like a cool and dynamic part of the world.
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Apr 4, 2024 00:48
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Elikhand, no question. One of the cooler MTs in the game and probably one of the few that actually engages with the concept of religious and cultural syncreticism. Grombar would also be interesting.
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Apr 4, 2024 02:31
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One of my 5 votes was for the trolls because I want to see Sybot suffer in trying to write like a troll.
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Apr 4, 2024 02:45
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I didn't actually vote for Grombar but I'm glad to see it getting votes, I've done that playthrough a few times and it's neat
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Apr 4, 2024 03:24
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If there are 100 vampire voters, I am one of them. If there are 10, I am one of them. If there is one, it is me. If there are zero, it is because I have been staked through the heart by reactionary anti-vampire forces.
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Apr 4, 2024 05:51
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If we're doing this on the live build, the trolls just got a pretty sizeable overhaul.
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Apr 4, 2024 09:32
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Bloody Pom posted:If we're doing this on the live build, the trolls just got a pretty sizeable overhaul. Do you have a link to the PR or update notes? I've been poking around the Bitbucket and haven't been able to find anything.
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Apr 4, 2024 11:30
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Grombar is a really fun playthrough that would lend itself very well to Sybot’s excellent writing style, but there’s a lot of great options, even narrowed down to 5
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Apr 4, 2024 13:55
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I made five votes, but heart belongs to POTION SELLER!
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Apr 4, 2024 14:42
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SirPhoebos posted:I made five votes, but heart belongs to POTION SELLER! I'm curious about this one but I somehow missed it in the list when I made my votes. It sounds interesting but also humans seem a bit boring.
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Apr 4, 2024 14:58
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I was going to add that Urviksten is a cool magic-important start but I loaded it up and they changed it to a space marine country. Still probably a very hectic opening with Grombar having claims on their tree
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Apr 5, 2024 05:34
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Firebatgyro posted:I was going to add that Urviksten is a cool magic-important start but I loaded it up and they changed it to a space marine country. Still probably a very hectic opening with Grombar having claims on their tree Because of how this mod is I do need to ask: you mean space marines in the way it's typically used for Paradox games ie incredibly strong military and not literally actual space marines right?
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Apr 5, 2024 05:41
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VideoWitch posted:Because of how this mod is I do need to ask: you mean space marines in the way it's typically used for Paradox games ie incredibly strong military and not literally actual space marines right? In the sense they get their own special unit yes.
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Apr 5, 2024 07:15
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Soup du Jour posted:Grombar is a really fun playthrough that would lend itself very well to Sybot’s excellent writing style, but there’s a lot of great options, even narrowed down to 5 I regret not seeing this before voting for trolls, halflings, and elves. Oh well, I have a good feeling about the trolls winning, and they’re still my top pick
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Apr 7, 2024 22:52
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Sybot posted:Do you have a link to the PR or update notes? I've been poking around the Bitbucket and haven't been able to find anything. It might actually have been Mire Maw that I was thinking of 
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Apr 8, 2024 01:14
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Epilogue: Guides of the Future Tianlou Harbour, Xerlanza, 1810  The sky exploded, a cavalcade of fireworks detonating in blues and golds like a tide rolling in across the bay. A fleet of skyships unleashed their payloads in perfect harmony, a plan that had been in the making for almost a decade. In the water below, a hundred ships set off stream of fire into the sky as performers began their Dragon Dance. The vessels, painted in the colours of Xerlanza, Sirtan, Cinulau, Kudet Kai, and countless other nations and organisations from near and far, bobbed and shook as the water churned beneath them, but the atmosphere was too jubilant for the crews to care. It was odd, Vata Wangchuk pondered, that this was being treated as a celebration. He and many of his kin in the Old Guard had argued that this ought to be more akin to a funeral or wake. However, Lord Balris had vetoed that idea and who was he to ignore the advice of their immortal protector. The docks, normally bustling with work at one of the largest seaports in the world, we instead packed with people from all walks of life crowded together for this momentous event. From his position sat on the roof of a warehouse, he could look down and see Human and Kobold workers, still in their work clothes, mingling with Harimari merchants and Hobgoblin officers. Gnomes weaved between the legs of the taller races, and even more races beyond that could be made in the crowds. It was a testament to what Xerlanza had built, seeing Elves both Cannorian and Ruinborn intermingling, Dwarves and Goblins sharing drinks, even Orcs and the occasional Troll among the people. Yanshen, if not all Haless, had been transformed by the Goldscales, the Blue Scarves, and Lord Balris. However, that transformation was not theirs alone. Looming high above the harbour and the city was the former High Temple. Though it had been shattered in the early days of the Rending, the outer structure had been rebuilt with great carvings of Yanhe and Balris adorning the walls that had been inlaid with pure gold. It was a monument to opulence, but also a monument to the eternal trust of the nation in its physical and spiritual guardians. And one of those guardians was wrapped around the monument, his ethereal coils near-transparent and his presence almost invisible if one was not spiritually inclined. Looking into the sky, one could just about make out Phokhao circling among the fireworks. The clouds may or may not be wisps of Hokuma's power. Marutha and Lupulan were out there somewhere in the crowds, their forms diminished enough to walk among mortals. Tughaysa was no doubt watching from somewhere. Of them all, Cinulau had the most effect as it swam in the harbour, its presence churning the water though not enough to capsize any of the vessels. The Great Spirits were fading. The Rending of Realms was coming to an end but- "-you aren't sure what comes next!" A chirpy, cheery voice caught Vata Wangchuk off guard in his musings, and he very nearly tipped off the rooftop in surprise. He had though himself alone up there, but two Human women had found their way up there just behind him. They could not be more different in outfit, with one wearing a brightly patterned and far too revealing dress, and the other wrapped up tightly in the formal robes of a bureaucrat, nor in demeanour with one smug and warm and the other sharp and cold. However, those differences could not hide the clear link between them, in the form of the vulpine mask that was pushed aside on their heads, and of course the alcohol they both clutched in their hands. "Lady Holi, Lady Sado," Vata Wangchuk said with a bow, "apologies for not noticing your arrival." "Don't worry about it!" Holi, the warmer of the two said. She plopped down on the rooftop and sipped at her drink. "It's not as though we have very long left." "Do not take her at face value," Sado said. A long, fox tail unfurled from behind her and she sat down carefully, using it as her seat. "She is sad that Lady Huszien will be leaving us." "We all share in your sorrow," Vata Wangchuk said, though Holi gave a dismissive smile to this, "though aren't you leaving too?" "In a sense, but also not," Holi replied, "even the High Temples didn't suppress us completely, and now they're gone. We'll still be here, but most won't be able to chat with us like this." "Will the Lady split back into foxes again?" Vata Wangchuk asked. It would be a shame for all the work that had been put into restoring Huszien's mind, a task that was still ongoing to this day, was lost. "As Holi says, in a sense," Sado answered. She sipped at her drink, then looked out at the Great Spirits that were present. "That sense being that she will be watching over Yanshen, or at least those parts of it that Yanhe does not, and one cannot watch such a land without thousands of eyes." "Ah, I wish we could have gotten that marriage to happen," Holi said, stretching her body unnaturally to turn and look, while still sat in place, at Yanhe wrapped around the monument. "It would have to be a different world than this one," Sado said, "speak not of it here." Vata Wangchuk wasn't sure what to make of that exchange, but their words were more or less what the Sages had said would happen once the Rending ended. The spirits would return to the spirit world for the most part as the spiritual flow of Haless finally recovered from the shock of the Rending. Some said that a more thorough appeasement of the Great Spirits would extend it indefinitely, but corporeal politics had taken precedent in the end. There wasn't the appetite in Parliament to launch a holy war across the continent in the name of the remaining Great Spirits. "We will continue to honour the spirits," he said, "offerings will still be presented, our Sages will still speak to you in meditation, and we will still call upon you for aid." "I would expect so," Sado said, "do you understand how difficult it is to get a good drink with ethereal paws?" That set Holi laughing and downing her own booze in an alternating fashion. Though, her cup never seemed to run dry so it was almost as though she had gotten herself stuck in an endless loop. After a while, she calmed down and wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "Seriously, though," she said. That earned her a look from Sado that implied it had in fact been a deadly serious comment. "You've all done so much for us, and the big gold guy has too. Even right now." She extended out her arms, reaching up as though trying to touch the fireworks. "This is what we want. Not some dour mourning of our passing. We're not dying, we're not even really leaving. After everything you've done, we'll always be here for you." "I am honoured by your gratitude," Vata Wangchuk said. A rising shouting and hollering from the assembled crowd drew his attention back to the celebration. Yanhe had unwound himself from the temple and was ascending into the sky, actually growing in size and length. In a matter of moments, his tail had disappeared beyond the city to the west. Though this was impressive, it also left grief welling up in Vata Wangchuk's heart. This was it. Yanhe then descended, his ethereal flesh melting into a liquid consistency, before he settled his head on the mouth of the river that shared his name as it spilled into the harbour. Along the length of the continent, he was once again becoming one with the waters that defined the heart of Yanshen. In the sky, glittering jewels scattered, most of them floating on the wind southwards towards the mountains. In the harbour, a whale burst from the churning water only to split into a dozen dolphins and then a thousand fish, and then even smaller creatures before even returning to the water. One of the eyes of the carving on the monument flickered and faded. Vata Wangchuk turned to see the women had vanished, leaving behind only two cups of alcohol sat on an empty rooftop. He slowly walked over, crouched down and picked up both in his claws, then closed his eyes and channelled his Chi into the cups. When he opened his eyes again, the drinks were sloshing as though small tongues were lapping at them. The sense of grief faded a little. As they said, this wasn't the end. It was merely the start of a new relationship.  For more Holi and Sado, play a campaign as Yinquan! Golden Tongue Skyport, Yanzhong, Xerlanza, 1812  Sprawl reached from horizon to the horizon, only broken by blooming green spaces and the glistening white-blue of the Yan, where Yanhe now dwelt. Lake Tianhu shone in the distance with the early morning sun, and from this height the smokestacks of the cities that had grown around its shore were just about visible. There was something to be said for geography. In the end, the existence of the river, Golden Highway and the new railroads meant that populations would congregate in these regions of Yanshen. For all the political and spiritual significance of Balriza, or the economic significance of Xerrivur, or the military significance of Emgolu and Yinsheng, when left to their own devices both people and businesses would go where it was easiest. That meant that Yanzhong had fast become one of the largest cities in the world, and with that came both prosperity and squalor. It was a constant effort for the Golden Tongue to keep their home city from descending into disaster. Millions of people of every race posed logistical challenges that would be unimaginable without the modern technology brought about through the hard work of the Gommo artificers and the Scale Baron industrialists. So, showing this as the first impression of the foreign delegation was a demonstration of exactly what Xerlanza had accomplished. Hejing rested on the railing of the skyport, watching the Bhuvauri-flagged skyship approaching over the vista of the city. It had been an interesting challenge, to build a skyport in a city with no hills and no room or even solid foundation for a building tall enough to host them, at least not without rebuilding the ruins of the High Temple. Instead, some ingenious Harpy had the idea of the skyport literally floating in the sky, though remaining moored to the ground. The larger intercity skyships would dock there, while smaller balloons carried passengers down to the city. At present, the Harpy crews who worked the skyport were busy preparing an opulent balloon for their guests, marked with a golden and brass dragon intertwining. A symbol of reconciliation, or so Hejing hoped. "Honoured Ambassador, I have the documents prepared," said a young Kobold of the Golden Tongue, that being the organisation, not the clan. These days clan was falling further and further by the wayside. He handed her the sheaf of papers, which were tightly bound to keep from blowing away in the wind, and she took a moment to leaf through them. She already knew everything that was in them, but it never hurt to double check. "What are your thoughts, Kiu Azok?" she asked of him. "I am just a humble assistant, Honoured Ambassador," Kiu Azok replied, nodding out a rapid, frightened bow. "We aren't in front of the enemy," she said, "you can speak freely." Kiu Azok looked back and forth for a moment before turning back to her. She certainly had a reputation as a stern negotiator, broking no dissent among her team and ending entire careers over diplomatic blunders. However, in these few moments before the war of words was joined she still appreciated a second opinion. "It is a lot for us to give up," he said, after a pause for thought, "we freed southern Haless through blood, so to withdraw all our military and administrative presence feels as though it dishonours those who died." "We did that all in the name of the Great Spirits," Hejing said, "and whatever the Sages might say, they are gone for all that it matters to us. We can hardly claim to be working towards peace while sitting on conquests beyond our homelands. Giving the states of South Haless their full independence, giving up our control over the entrance to the Gulf of Rahen, and even freeing Arawkelin and Cam Cay Sinh as neutral city-states, allay the fear of Golden Azure expansionism." "But it is still a big concession to begin with," he said. "Oh, you better believe I'll be fighting for every military base and administrator," Hejing said, with a smirk, "that will be the only way I can secure the liberation of Bhuvauri's holdings in the region." "And you are also considering giving them the Raj on top of everything else?" "That's going to be an interesting discussion," she said. The skyship was getting closer, and she could make out the Bhuvauri diplomats lined up neatly on deck. Even though their society was shifting towards normalcy, their armies and government organizations still made good use of their voxcoders for coordinating silently in ways that unnerved any more mundane observers. Perhaps that was part of the point. "Both sides know the 'Xiaraj' is doomed," she continued to explain, "When we secure its independence, along with Xiaken neutrality and demilitarization, it is most likely to fall under Bhuvauri influence. The Phoenix Empire's too busy with invading Nirat to care about it, so it's a natural outcome. However, that doesn't mean it'll be easy for Bhuvauri to absorb and digest. That's a project that'll last this whole century." "But it will end up with Bhuvauri in control of all of Lower Rahen in the future, will it not?" "That's what I'd like to imply. Sweetening the pot with a big hypothetical win in order to keep them from asking for Jyntas." She let out a sigh. "This'd be so much easier if they would come out of their hidey-hole and give themselves up." "Lord Balris has promised to rehabilitate Lord Jyntas," Kiu Azok said, wearing a stern expression that gave Hejing a bit more hope for his future as a negotiator. "I do trust Him, if that's what you worried about," she responded, "but He's left us in this position where we ultimately gain very little." "We still get peace," Kiu Azok said, "and closer ties than we have had in centuries. With the Concord, there will be peace in Haless for the first time in history." "You've still got a lot to learn, and by the time you're my age there'll still be a lot of work to do" Hejing said, "but you're right, this is a good first step." The sound of a horn on the wind was the signal for the Bhuvauri skyship to make its final approach. In a moment, Hejing's demeanour changed. She stood up straight, adjusted her formal robes, handed the documents back to Kiu Azok, and awaited the arrival of the Bhuvauri delegation. A cloud of Harpies descended upon the other balloon, seizing it by dozens of ropes and directing it through the battering winds towards the mooring where Hejing had been waiting. She stood firm, not letting any sign of her concerns nor the chill of the wind break her posture. As the skyship approached and the workers began to lower a connecting bridge, she spotted her opposite number, a Harimari with rich orange fur that seemed to always return to its proper place after a gust blew against it. He spotted her in return, fixing her with a gaze that would chill an untrained diplomat. He stepped out onto the bridge without hesitation as soon as it was lowered, fearless of the wind and the Harpies still flying around securing the craft. "Welcome to Yanzhong," she said, offering him a respectful bow, "I pray to Lord Balris that it will be a fruitful one." He paused in front of her, still delivering that same gaze, as though he was hungry and just looking for his next meal. Then, his claws brushed against his voxcoder and his eyes softened a little bit. He returned her bow, before speaking. "Thank you for your welcome, the Golden Tongue are always generous hosts," he said, "I will honour the wishes of the people of Bhuvauri, that we come to terms and that the Concord of Haless brings a lasting peace to all of us." The pleasantries were out of the way. Now the real work began, to see an end to centuries of bloodshed and the start of a new era where prosperity and cooperation reigned in Haless. After all, the situation beyond the borders of the continent was getting worse.  The other side of the Runefather's Maw, the Primeval Serpentspine, 1830  Stepping through the portal was like stepping through a pitch-dark room. Far from the swirling energies that the Runefather's Maw appeared on the outside, there was nothing within it. Not light, nor the sound of one's breathing, nor the sensation of moving air. A moment seemed to last forever, as the span of single breath stretched out across the endless trek through the void. Then it was over, and Fax Gawa took a deep breath of heavy and hot air. His thoughts had been as slow as his body in that strange portal, and so whatever memories remained of it slipped away. Instead, they were filled with the vista before him. An endless chasm, lit only by a Runefather's Maw raging behind him. Flickering lights played across columns of stone in the far distance, upon which strange shapes could be seen moving. Closer to the platform he was on, he could see fungi peeking through the cracks in the stone, growing as though there was actual soil and sustenance within those bare walls. When he watched one too closely, it slipped back inside its crack, as though animate. "Keep moving!" a rough Dwarven voice snapped, giving him a not-so-friendly prod to the shoulder. He was holding up the rest of the party by gawking, which wasn't a good start for their delegation. The platform itself was circular, with a small stone wall inlaid with incredibly complex warding runes keeping the untamed depths of the Serpentspine away from new arrivals. Walking around the Maw to the other side, he found himself staring down a vast boulevard, carved straight through the rock and glittering with the light of purple torches. It had to be wide enough for an army column to march through, which made sense considering they were in the tender cares of the Obsidian Legion. "Why is the Maw so far away from the capital?" he asked the Dwarf who was leading them, a captain of the Legion. The Dwarf glared at him for a while, as if trying to decide whether this was some kind of ploy to gain strategic information, before grunting and deigning to respond. "Best leylines; only the Runefather's Throne's got better," he said, "don't want critters like you sneaking through right up to him, so they opened it up out here." Fax Gawa wasn't a stranger to the isolationism and xenophobia of the Obsidian Dwarves, but being called a critter still stung. They began descending a massive wide staircase to the boulevard, and the incredible distance loomed ahead of them, a flat expanse of stone empty of anything except light sources. It stretched off far enough that it disappeared below the horizon, which was an incredible thought to consider when they were so far beneath the surface. "Do you have carts, or rails, or something?" he asked. "Not going this way," the captain replied, "sending supplies and soldiers out here, sure, but if you're coming back, you better be ready to walk." "Why? That's just isolating you," Fax Gawa said. He wondered if the captain had ever made the journey, or if this was the first time. "Gotta have dedication," the captain said, "if it's easier to stay out there and build up the stuff on the surface than to come back, so you better have a good reason if you do. And be willing to walk a week for it." A week of walking. Fax Gawa was already beginning to regret volunteering for this assignment. Go deep underground, past the bedrock. Visit a strange place that no Kobold has ever delved into before. Meet a whole civilization that has sealed itself off from the rest of Halann. It all seemed so exciting. Now his claws were probably going to be ground to dust by the time he actually got to stand in their underground hold. As they began their trek, the sheer scale of what the Obsidians had accomplished became even clearer. The rock they had dug through was pure obsidian, and whatever means that they had used to carve it clean had left it polished to a reflective shine, and yet still with enough traction that he could walk without slipping. After a while, it became almost meditative. One step after another, life leg up, place leg down. Keep your eyes on the person in front of you. Let all other thoughts drift away and you'll be there before you know it. It was a strange echo of a memory that had slipped from his mind, but he didn't dwell on it. After what felt like multiple days, but might only have been one day, a collection of structures emerged on the horizon. It would only make sense for the Obsidian Dwarves to have waystations on the march. Even if it was considered a punishment or a challenge to return, no sense in forcing someone to sleep in the open or risk them dying of thirst. The waystation looked as though it had been carved straight out of the same rock as the boulevard, completely seamless and smooth. Each building was dark, imposing and unfurnished bar for flat stone slabs, hardly a place for a restful sleep. A small stream trickled through from a channel made in one of the great walls of the boulevard, and there were several crates of ancient rations for those who hungered. Fax Gawa decided that his hunger hadn't grown so desperate as to consume one of them, but perhaps a nap would reignite it enough to tolerate such food. He laid his head down on the hard slab, and a moment later he was startled awake by a voice calling his name. The light hadn't changed at all, so he had no idea just how long he'd slept for. It made him question just what the Dwarves down here even considered to be a 'week'. Were they in for even more walking than he'd imagined? In any case, he had to get up. Outside the waystation some of the Xerlanzan delegation had crowded around a few new arrivals. As the crowd parted to let him meet them, Fax Gawa was very surprised to find out just what sort of person had appeared. At the front of the group was, of all things, a Ruinborn Elf. Ynnic, if Fax Gawa had his estimation correct, with pinkish skin and red hair shaved at the sides and the rest done up in a ponytail. What was just as unusual was his escort, six stern Dwarven warriors equipped with rune-coated armour and massive mithril axes that looked enough to sever even the head of a being as large as Balris. "Ah, it's been a while since I've met dragonkin. When I heard of your arrival, I asked to come meet you immediately," the Elf said. Fax Gawa wasn't sure how to reply, and waited to see if he had anything else say. The Elf glanced at one of his guards, who gave a suspicious squint before grunting an acknowledgement. With one hand outstretched, he whispered something and the skin began to shed like a moulting lizard. Beneath the Elven skin, there was a limb with green scales and sharp claws, which bent at an angle that demonstrated that this Elf's true form was nothing humanoid. With a few more whispers, the scattered flakes of skin gathered up once again and encased the limb in an ordinary hand once again. "Are you," Fax Gawa said, his mind racing, "are you one of Lord Balris' kin. Another Dragon?" "That's correct," the Elf said, "though my hosts do not let me show my true form. My name is Varlengeilt." "You honour us with your presence, Lord Varlengeilt," Fax Gawa said, bowing his head alongside the rest of his delegation. It took some cajoling for the disguised Dragon to convince the Kobolds to stop honouring him and speak to him as equals. They reassembled in one of the buildings, though the Dwarven guards stayed within reach. It was clear that they were monster slayers, ready to bring down the Dragon should ever try to take his true form. "If you don't mind me asking, L-" Fax Gawa had to swallow his instincts for a moment there, "-Varlengeilt. How did you end up in this place?" "Now, that's a long story," Varlengeilt said, lounging on one of the stone slabs without a hint of discomfort. "They thought me dead, at first! Slain in the prime of my youth with barely a century of life lived! But I had a body double and slipped away, down the river and over the Cliffs of Ruin. There, I met Cannorian settlers, and stole away aboard one of their ships." The delegation was listening with rapt attention. By Fax Gawa's reckoning, Varlengeilt had to be less than five hundred years old, so this was a Dragon that Balris had never even met before. That meant that they, not He, were the first people of Xerlanza to speak him like this. It was more than honour; it was an experience he would be telling his hatchlings and their hatchlings for the rest of his life. "For a while I lived among the Kobolds in the Gnomish Hierarchy," Varlengeilt continued, "but some of them got a little too eager with my identity, and tried to overthrow the Gnomes. I had to flee before too much retribution came their way. I'd like to return there one day. "It'll be difficult, the only free Kobolds left are in the caves, the Ruby Eagle Crown controls most of what used to be the Hierarchy," Fax Gawa said. "The what?" Varlengeilt asked. "Cannor's undergone a shift in the last few decades," the Kobold continued, "Lorent unified with Gawed, and forced the Ruby Dwarves to reforge the Ruby Crown with an Eagle emblem engraved into it. They're dominating the continent." "What about the Empire?" Varlengeilt asked, suddenly upright and rapt with interest on current affairs on the surface. "It's broken. Simultaneous wars with the Crown, Busilar, and the Orcs have ended it. Most of the smaller princes and cities have been uniting to try and hold themselves together." "Deranne? I spent some time there in the hopes of news of my followers overthrowing their rulers." "The Crown integrated them, and whatever nobles and burghers refused to bend the knee fled to Aelantir with the Derane Trading Company. Cannor's becoming the domain of absolutist, colonialist empires, and they're starting to push deeper into Sarhal as well." Varlengeilt cupped his chin in his hands and thought for a moment. "I fled underground because those damned dragonslayer knights somehow found about me and followed me east. The Obsidian Dwarves were kind enough to let me stay in exchange for certain concessions, but perhaps it's time to leave." There was clank of metal from outside the doorway, as one of the guards shifted audibly. A very obvious warning. "Oh well, that's too bad," Varlengeilt said, "I'd very much like to have met Balris and help you all through these troubled times." He winked at them, and immediately all thought of diplomacy left Fax Gawa's mind. Their delegation had just become a rescue mission, to bring one more lost Dragon back into a world that needed their guidance.  Play as a Ynn Ruinborn to learn more of Varlengeilt, the Dragon Prince. Though, his Cannorian and Dwarven adventures are solely an invention of this story. Balris' Rest, Jade Mountains, 1836  "So, we burst out of the Maw, an army of dragonslayers right behind us, and did a complete loop of the cavern while dodging everything the Obsidians could throw at us! Our only problem after that, was sneaking through Shazstundihr and making it back to the surface. An entire hold full of angry Dwarves. That would be no problem for a Dragon and his most loyal servants." Varlengeilt stopped pacing around the chamber, returned to his seat and looked to his three elders for their approval. It was hard for Balris to feel anything but pride at the youngster's enthusiasm. Despite the diplomatic incident it had caused, his daring escape from the clutches of the Dwarves, followed by certain shenanigans involving Aakhet, the Phoenix Emperor, and a hatchling's card game, were the stuff of legends. Despite not even being five hundred years old, the fledgling Dragon before him had already lived a worthy life for one of their kind. "I'd ask for more, but I bet it'd be a different tale, just like the last five times," Aakhet said, and guffawed loudly before turning to Balris. "As interesting as it is to catch up, this isn't a social call, is it?" he asked. The four of them were seated in their mortal forms in a circle around a great golden table that some enterprising little one had dragged all the way up the mountain in their pilgrimage. At this time of year though, the mountain was empty of pilgrims owing due to the severe weather and biting cold, not that any of them could feel it. Two Humans, an Elf and a Kobold, as far away from mortal civilization as it was possible to get. "Our circumstances have changed in these past few years," Balris said, reaching out to scratch on the surface of the golden table. The others, with the patience of those who live millennia, waited for him to finish drawing out a fairly detailed outline of the world. He took his time, lovingly infusing a little magic to raise mountains and sculpt coasts out of gold. It took a view that no mortal had yet achieved, despite how hight they had already managed to climb, to view Halann as it truly was, and Balris took his time moulding the as yet unmapped ice caps, and the unknown tunnels of the Serpentspine that led into vast eldritch depths. When he was done, he leaned back against his seat and admired the full assembly of the knowledge he had collected of the world in his tens of thousands of years of life. "Impressive, but what is the purpose of it?" Jyntas asked. With a touch more magic, the table lit up, the map filling with colour. A dizzing array of hundreds if not thousands of indicators spread across the image of Halann. One particularly, in a small corner of Haless, shone brightly in gold even through the cavalcade of reds and blues and whites and blacks that surrounded it. Then, with a sweep of his claws, it was replaced with a new layout. In this case, there were only a few dozen colours remaining. "When you were hatched, fledgling, we were separated" Balris said, referring to Varlengeilt. The Dragon in Elven form huffed a little, but didn't interrupt Balris as he continued. "I don't think any of us knew any of the others still lived. Much like the world of mortals, which was fractured across a thousand faultlines." The other Dragons nodded. "Now, we are reunited," Balris continued, "and the world is more connected and united than it has been since before the Ruin. As the mortals learn more of the world and cooperate to build even greater wonders, we must decide how and when we will interfere." "That's surprising wording, coming from you," Jyntas said, "barring the times you took to the field against me, you've never considered your work with the Goldscales to be interference." "Hah! I thought we'd already decided on this," Aakhet said, "you get to whisper in the ears of your 'little ones', Jyntas gets to tinker with the cleverest mortals, and I get my own little kingdom of worshippers. To each their own. Us four aren't a society." "And yet without anywhere else to go, you came here anyway," Varlengeilt said, wearing a smirk at getting one over on his elders. "Oh, the fall of Nirat was merely a setback," Aakhet said, with a dismissive wave, "the Khet will get sick of the Elves lording over them soon enough, and the brotherhood has been laying the groundwork for my return." "Times are changing faster than we realise," Balris said, "technology is advancing at rate that I have never seen in my lifetime. Empires are consolidating and gathering the resources of the world onto themselves. We can no longer work alone." "So, what are you suggesting?" Jyntas asked, "are you saying that we should form a draconic council, or join the mortals as citizens of their nations?" "Though it is perhaps overstating it, yes," Balris said, looking at Jyntas, "we do not need to form an official council, but we ought to discuss and consider our positions on the mortal issues of the day. They will inevitably affect us, and we must be ready for them." "So, what sort of issues do we care about?" Varlengeilt asked, leaning forward. Balris tapped a claw on the vast blue expanse at the top of his map. "For example, the Soldier's Republic of Kalsyto," he said, "for the past thirty years they have been systematically purging the Centaur populations of the plains. Hundreds of thousands have fled into the Phoenix Empire and Xerlanza, many more have been driven into inhospitable lands or perished. As the elder beings of this world, what do we think of such atrocity?" "To the victor the spoils, I say," Aakhet said, "how many millions have died under your watch, or my watch, or across the span of our lives? Mortals will kill each other, leave them to it." "I'd take to the field," Varlengeilt said, "gather up those Centaurs who wish to liberate their own, find any others willing to join, and march into the Forbidden Plains." "These days, one Dragon doesn't amount to much," Jyntas said, "you could have been slain by a single Dwarf with an oversized axe, if your story was true. Against a million soldiers with cannons, your chances are even lower." They extended their hands to the other Dragons. "To go back to Balris' original point, this still affects us on a wider scale. The instability caused by the mass migration, the normalization of the slaughter of specific races, the possibility that Kalsyto will delve deeper into hatred and militarism when they find that murder does not solve their own internal problems. We will be the ones to see the outcomes of the decisions these mortals make." "Thank you, Jyntas," Balris said. That was exactly the point he'd been hoping to get at. When they looked back on history, as beings who had themselves lived as a part of it, would they have any regrets. There was a lot that Balris regretted, most of all his failure to find any of his kin and the fact that his search had left him in such a state that he had left the Goldscales alone for so long. History could yet change, Xerlanza might be swept up in a war where weapons of unimaginable magical power were wielded, or one of the great powers might find themselves as hegemon of all Halann through political or economic growth, or the present age of expanding empires could end and a new age of darkness descend upon Halann. This time, he would ensure that he was not alone. He still had kin, kin that he would do everything to keep by his side. As much as he loved the little ones, and as much as he would continue to protect and advise them through whatever this new age of technology and industrialized magic could bring, he had to ensure that he remained grounded in reality by the presence of those who could share his experiences. The curse of immortality. In his darkest times, isolated in this mountain cave, he had considered whether he would prefer to be mortal, to live and die and let that be it. It was never a choice that he'd truly pick. If he had lived and died in the golden age of Dragons, he would have never have met the Goldscales in the first place, nor heard Batavix' song that had roused him, nor seen them flourish as they had. Whatever the future held, he would treasure those memories and carry them forward as proof that they occurred. The legacy of Balris the Gold was in the way he had guided the lives of millions and changed them for the better. "Are you getting sentimental there?" Aakhet said, "you started this debate, so are we going to come to a decision or what?" "This is no official council," Balris said, blinking and letting the welling tears disappear into the illusion around his form. "There will be no decision, but we can share our thoughts and guide our actions and, through us, the thoughts and actions of those mortals who care about us." And so, the discussion continued. The world far beneath them turned, and the future approached.  The End Thank you for reading! The final poll for the next campaign should be up tomorrow.
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Apr 8, 2024 23:07
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Oh Balris you old softie
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Apr 9, 2024 03:40
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A lovely campaign, complemented by some characterful writing. Excited to see whatever is next!
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Apr 9, 2024 06:17
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I love the goldscales. They're just little guys! And there's a lot of them, and they have guns.
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Apr 9, 2024 07:02
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Thank you all again! Now it's the time for the final decision on where we go next. Chapter Zero: Who are the Real Monsters? The New Wanderers -> Temple Kingdom of Eilkhand – Arise from Exile, Arise from the Tomb  Entef protects the exiles The ancient empire of Kheterata is one of the oldest Human civilizations in all of Halann. It was founded by the mythical descended god Elikhet, who sprung forth the Mother's Sorrow to bring life to the arid lands, and created the Khet to watch over it. For thousands of years hence the rulers of Kheterata have deferred to the Khet as the true holders of the mandate of power in the land, as the feline-headed humanoids wield enough magical power to strike down those rulers they consider unworthy. Despite their strength, the Khet are idle and hedonistic masters, and have crafted the Khetist religions to revere them as divine beings and place their welfare and luxury above all others. While there are multiple branches that disagree on historical matters, worship of the Khet remains the central pillar of all of them. So long as the river and its rulers are protected, the belief is that the people will flourish too. However, in times of crisis this does not always hold true. With civil war and foreign invasion threatening the lands of Kheterata, some of its inhabitants have had no choice but to flee. Lead by Entef of Wibnaut, a group of skilled warriors and desperate serfs crossed the Divenhal into Cannor in search of a place to settle away from the chaos. Turned away by every nation they encountered, they eventually formed an adventurer band and found their way into the ruins of Escann to join the battle against the Greentide. If it were not for Entef's great skill with magic, they would have been slaughtered by the enemies they found there. Through his leadership, the New Wanderers have managed to carve out a small place for themselves among the bands marching into the empty lands of Escann to reclaim them. Perhaps this empty land can become their home, a place for Khetist worship beyond Kheterata itself, a place where they can build monuments to the glory Elikhet and his progeny. There remain two major problems for them, however. The first is that the Cannorians around them spare no thought for the Khet, only concerned about their own gods. A certain amount of syncretism will be necessary to even begin to open relations with the other adventurers and nations of Cannor. Perhaps we might even teach the Cannorians themselves to honour Khet divinity. The second is that Entef will not live forever. What is to be done when he passes? Perhaps the secret lies within ancient practices of mummification. If Entef's body and soul were to be bound to remain in this world, then he may yet find the power to return in his people's hour of need.  We will teach you the power of the Khet! Gameplay Summary: Start as an adventurer and claim as much of Escann as possible. Form a unique religion capable of converting anyone in Cannor, build massive stone monuments to your glory, and meet the mod's sole heroic lich. Playstyle can vary from moderately wide to very wide depending on how you decide to make use of the tools your faith offers you. Chiefdom of Obtrol -> Gerudaghot (Empire of Gerud) – Strength is Survival, Strength is Supreme  The edge of the world In the time of primordial myth, all of Halann is said to have been divided between the three great primordial races: the True Giants, the Dragons, and the Djinn. Much of Cannor and Haless fell under the dominion of the Giants, ruled by the Frost King Gerud from his palace in the endless frozen wastes of the far north. Kin to the Giants were the powerful Trolls and ravenous but crafty Ogres, though little is known of whether the Giants created them or merely recruited them as their servants. When the Last Dragonflight flew against Gerud, melting his frozen palace and drowning him and the Ice Giants, the Trolls were left without their gods and masters. Unlike the Ogres, who were able to begin building societies of their own, the Trolls fell back into primitive tribalism as they began to compete with one another for the lands of their former masters. Trolls are considered dim-witted, even stupid, by the more civilized races of Halann. But that analysis overlooks a more alien morality. Might makes right. That underlies every interaction with a Troll. Their immense strength and regenerative abilities mean that a fight that would leave both sides with fatal injuries for smaller races is akin to a philosophical debate to the Trolls. An individual Troll can be fair or arbitrary, friendly or malevolent, brutally cunning or cunningly brutal. They will not bow to social expectation, but will use their strength to enforce whatever their whims dictate. However, that behaviour has led to endless infighting and an inability to form a society capable of withstanding the endless march of Human expansionism. As the now-unfrozen Gerudia was settled, the Trolls were slowly pushed further and further into the fringes as the settlers were unwilling to deal with their unpredictable nature. This accelerated when a group of Ice Giants defrosted and fought against the Empire of Castanor, leading to Castan Giantsbane dispatching a legion to slay them and their servants. Following thousands of years of decline, the remaining Trolls have coalesced under the rule of Chieftess Svala Hardrock, who has laid claim to the ancient Ice Giant fortress of Murtrhol. With the Kingdom of Bjarnrík gearing up for a final campaign to drive the Trolls into the ocean much as the Dragons did to the Giants, she has forced the disparate tribes to rally for their last stand. The puny Humans must be crushed here, or the legacy of the Giants will be lost forever. It is time to show the real strength of Trollkind.  There is much to reclaim. Gameplay Summary: Oversized underdogs. Fight for every inch of land, regain what Giantkin had thought lost, learn the weaklings' tricks to use against them, then crush and dominate all before you. Clan Frozenmaw -> Kingdom of Grombar – Greater Than the Sum of your Parts  The 'kingdom' and its vassals Not all of the Orcs who left the Serpentspine followed Dookanson in his campaign to ravage the lands of the surface. Brasus of Clan Frozenmaw found himself in charge of a motley collection of outcasts following his father's death at Dookanson's hands. Assembling the outcast clans, he led the Orcs out of the northern exits of the Serpentspine into the cold and sparsely populated forests of the north. Finding little glory in these lands, they turned west and approached the frontier kingdom of Vrorenmarch. The kingdom was weak, with squabbling vassals and a king who preferred to spend his time locked up in the ancient fortress of Bal Vroren for fear of a rebellion. However, it was ultimately not his subjects that he ought to fear. Brasus led the Frozenmaw in surprise assault against Bal Vroren in 1420 and the fortress fell in a matter of days, with almost all of the royal line captured or killed. Subjugating the rest of the kingdom took years, but the minor lords were fractious and unable present a united front against the invasion. Those who resisted were slain, while those who surrendered were spared. For unlike the Greentide, the Graytide was not intended to wipe out the old order entirely. Brasus aimed to become king, and then wield the combined Orcish and Human forces to forge his own empire on the surface that would rival Dookanson and allow him to secure vengeance for his father. To accomplish this, he married the daughter of the former king to secure legitimacy and had the surviving lords of the realm attend his coronation in Bal Vroren, where he was crowned King Brasus I of Vrorenmarch. However, before he could march south to crush Dookanson, his enemy was slain by the ascendant Corin. With his ambition thwarted, Brasus is left with an uncertain future. His Human vassals grumble and only remain cowed by the sheer strength of his clan. The rest of Cannor does not acknowledge his claim as legitimate and plots to see him unseated. Adventurers and scattered Orc clans fresh from the death throes of the Greentide threaten his southern border. However, there is one point of light. His son, born of a Orcish father and a Human mother, is of a stock not seen before in the world. A Half-Orc, who might have the potential to alloy the two races into something greater than anything either could achieve by themselves. His line holds the key to the future, they just need to take hold of it.  The wave of the future Gameplay Summary: Very wide, conquest heavy. Unite Humankind and Orckind through blood, both literally and metaphorically. Take to the seas and spread your new people across Halann. Duchy of Asheniande – Emperor of the Night  The darkness of the borders According to legend, the distant ancestors of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Corvuria, and thus the Duchy of Asheniande that split from it, emerged from the Deepwoods a millennia ago. Perhaps at the time they brought darkness with them. Or perhaps it was during the White Pestilence brought on by the lich, Canrec the Defiler, that such darkness took root. Either way, it is undoubtable that something lurks within the shadows of the Duchy. If it were not for the darkness, the Duchy would seem normal by the standards of Cannor. Famed for its fertile volcanic soil and the vice-driven haven of Ravenhill, the Duchy was subject to machinations by the kings of Corvuria, which led to it splitting away and falling under the protection of the Empire of Anbennar. Later, it sided with the rightful Silmuna rulers in the Lilac Wars, ultimately suffering defeat along with the rest of the Moon Party and watching as Lorent installed an ally on the Imperial throne. Young Duke Valeran III has taken up the title after the death of his father during the war, and has found the Duchy at a turning point. Imperial politics will no doubt see the wheels of power turn once again, a movement where he does intend to be on the losing side a second time. To the east, his cousin rules an ailing Corvuria, but will seek any opportunity to unite the two lands. Threats abound, and Valeran wonders if he has the power to meet these challenges. Yet, his advisors let him in on the secret upon his ascension. Some within the nobility do wield incredible power, power that comes with a price. Blood, the currency of life, the source of power. They lurk in the shadows, feeding off the people that they rule over but enjoying eternal life and personal might matched only by the strongest mages. Valeran is tempted, for their strength could change the future of the Duchy and perhaps see his line climb through the shadows to the heights of Imperial power.  The Masquerade Gameplay Summary: A diplomatic focus. Spread Vampires and slowly take over the Empire from within. Manage the Vampire estate, become a Vampire yourself, but beware those who hunt the creatures of the night. Band of the Small Fellows -> Newshire Stewardship – Flowering upon Fields of Blood  Small country, Small fellows The Halfling people are not one for great conquerors and mighty empires. They are content to live a peaceful pastoral life, enjoying good food, good drink, and tending to their plants. That said, they are also fans of a good old-fashioned adventure, and so many young Halflings eagerly joined the Band of the Small Fellows as it made its way to fight against the Greentide and subsequently start reclaiming Escann. Their homeland, the Small Country, was once independent but has since been subjugated and used as a battleground in the regular squabble between Lorent and Gawed. Only the city of Beepeck, under protection of the Emperor of Anbennar, has maintained any semblance of self-rule. This means that if the Small Fellows were to sow the seeds of a halfling nation in Escann it would see a great deal of immigrants eager to take up the fertile and empty fields. Dustin Smallknight leads the band, an inspiring and kind-hearted Halfling, but also an old warrior. He does not expect to live to see a new Halfling nation bloom, and instead nurtures the next generation of leaders who will make his dreams reality. He does have a concern, however, that those younger warriors are a bit too eager to feed the soil of Escann with the blood of the enemy, that the mages are getting a bit too experimental with their magic, and that the incoming settlers are a bit too fervent in their rural ideals. He can only trust that a love of family and nature will win through amongst the youngsters. All of Escann will be their garden, and no amount of blood is too great, no magic is too dark, for it to finally blossom.  Blood is, in the literal sense, life. Gameplay Summary: Start as an adventurer and claim as much of Escann as possible. Build a wide rural nation with a focus on magic, and take that magic in unique and dangerous directions to defend your people's humble lifestyle. Vote for your final choice by clicking on the image below. Voting will last 96 hours
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Apr 9, 2024 17:09
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I guess the potions were too powerful for this thread. I'll have to check them out later. (voted for the halflings instead.
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Apr 9, 2024 20:41
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