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B1 & Monarchy.
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Mar 6, 2023 10:47
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I was inspired to reinstall eu4 get it back up to date on everything and started as a dwarf due to this lp I dug too deep too quickly, everything EVERYTHING is on fire and I'm in debt for the next 100 years or so, but its been great so far, would continue to do this stuff.
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Mar 6, 2023 12:38
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Balin posted:I dug too deep too quickly, everything EVERYTHING is on fire and I'm in debt for the next 100 years or so, but its been great so far, would continue to do this stuff.
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Mar 6, 2023 16:17
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AtomikKrab posted:I dug too deep too quickly, everything EVERYTHING is on fire and I'm in debt for the next 100 years or so, but its been great so far, would continue to do this stuff. Psh, surely there's no such thing as 'too deep', only fun stuff that has been too long hidden. The votes after 24 hours stand as below. At the moment Innovative, Quality and Clan Republic are leading and voting has slowed down enough that it will likely end that way, but there's still a whole day to go. A: Expansion - 8 B: Innovative - 12 C: Economic - 2 1: Trade - 3 2: Influence - 4 3: Espionage - 1 I: Quality - 10 V: Quantity - 3 X: Defensive - 4 Monarchy - 6 Clan Republic - 13 Merchant Republic - 3
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Mar 6, 2023 17:38
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B 2 I Clan Republic
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Mar 6, 2023 17:40
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Going with C3V Merchant Republic just to be a pain.
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Mar 7, 2023 00:33
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2V Clan Republic
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Mar 7, 2023 06:20
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The final votes haven't changed much, so we will be going ahead with our first two idea groups as Quality and Innovative, and will be switching to a Clan Republic once given the option. Gameplay-wise, this means that we will be focusing on having a smaller but more elite army when given choice in the matter, and focusing on keeping up with technology and ideas and aiming to max out our Innovativeness.
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Mar 7, 2023 17:55
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Quality would probably be a trap choice for dwarves most of the time, as a lot of the ideas are naval bonuses that you would see little if any use for. Orlghelovar and Shaztundihr are the two notable exceptions.
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Mar 7, 2023 20:26
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I wouldn't say it's a trap even for landlocked nations. You get +10% combat ability across the board, +5% discipline, and +0.5 army tradition growth (which is much more significant than it sounds). That's a substantial bonus to land combat. Combat ability and discipline are multiplicative with each other, and army tradition gives you better generals which is multiplicative with both. No other military idea group outside of mods gives that much overall boost to your combat effectiveness on a per-unit level. Yeah, it also includes three ideas that are exclusively naval, but so what? The benefits to land combat are good enough on their own. But regardless, as you point out, we're right next to what is essentially this world's Mediterranean Sea, so (assuming we don't stick exclusively to the mountains--I don't know what this particular nation's mission tree wants us to do) there'll be chances to use the naval bonuses as well.
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Mar 7, 2023 21:23
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Those are good points, yeah. I suppose when playing Anbennar my idea choices tend to lean into the flavor of who I'm playing as more than vanilla. Which in the case of dwarves means taking defensive ideas and laughing as the invaders bleed themselves dry against my impenetrable fort cheese. Zones of control are REALLY powerful in the Dwarovar.
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Mar 7, 2023 22:04
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Bloody Pom posted:Quality would probably be a trap choice for dwarves most of the time, as a lot of the ideas are naval bonuses that you would see little if any use for. Orlghelovar and Shaztundihr are the two notable exceptions. One day we'll get an Ovdal Tungr Mission tree. One day.
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Mar 7, 2023 22:41
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Sounds like a reason to snake some eye-bleeding conquest to a coast and build some solid dwarven ships.
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Mar 7, 2023 22:46
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We're lucky in that we're probably the 3rd best hold for naval dwarves without border gore, after Shaztundihr and Ovdal Tungr. If people are really that interested then I might actually slip in Naval or Maritime (I know, I know...) to future votes once we have coastal access and see if the thread as a whole wants to pivot to a dwarven naval empire (mission tree permitting).
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Mar 7, 2023 23:03
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Innovative and Quality has the excellent +15% infantry CA policy. Used to be +20, then nerfed to +10, now buffed again to its very respectable current state. Force limit will be a problem while we're small, but once we can field up to combat width we should be pretty good at the whole military thing.
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Mar 8, 2023 01:28
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Poil posted:Sounds like a reason to snake some eye-bleeding conquest to a coast and build some solid dwarven ships. Let foolish men and soft-handed elves "catch the wind" or "glide upon the waves." We will beat the treacherous untrustworthy ocean into submission with solid dwarven engineering.
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Mar 8, 2023 06:01
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I understand the meta is to take quality because the advantage in manpower reserves ends up mattering more than elite troops in long drawn out wars. That said I feel like the quality bonuses are so powerful it would be OP if the other half of the idea set wasn't naval. I feel that unless you're going for a world conquest, or if you're really bad at the game (like I am) it's more fun to take flavorful roleplaying choices than optimum meta builds. e: since we're unlocking a new unit type could we see the pips of the old and new units? Soylent Pudding fucked around with this message at 15:06 on Mar 8, 2023 |
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Mar 8, 2023 15:04
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Soylent Pudding posted:e: since we're unlocking a new unit type could we see the pips of the old and new units? I'll bear that in mind for future, and as for the new units this update they look like this:  I went with Tortoise Formation for better survivability against orcish shock. We won't be using cavalry so I'll skip showing those, and Artillery, when they appear, will be the same as vanilla (with one exception that may come up)
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Mar 8, 2023 15:36
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Soylent Pudding posted:I understand the meta is to take quality because the advantage in manpower reserves ends up mattering more than elite troops in long drawn out wars. That said I feel like the quality bonuses are so powerful it would be OP if the other half of the idea set wasn't naval. Quantity is usually considered "meta" because there's a point where you have a ton of cash and if you don't have any forcelimit boosters you can't turn that money directly into military strength. Until you can field multiple armies with full artillery backlines + a few infantry stacks for reinforcements you will always benefit more from having more men than from better troops. Eventually you get forcelimit buildings (and other mil buildings) and this is no longer such an issue but considering the huge benefit you get in the early and midgame it's well worth it
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Mar 8, 2023 15:44
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I think with innovative at least, offensive is more meta, as sieges are more damaging to manpower in the late game than field battles, and that sweet sweet siege ability/siege pip from the policy are very helpful. Plus lots of leader pips make up for the lovely troops compared to quality.
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Mar 8, 2023 16:42
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Mirrors posted:I think with innovative at least, offensive is more meta, as sieges are more damaging to manpower in the late game than field battles, and that sweet sweet siege ability/siege pip from the policy are very helpful. Plus lots of leader pips make up for the lovely troops compared to quality. That makes sense but from an RP perspective I'll probably be arguing defensive for our next military idea.
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Mar 8, 2023 17:01
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The terrible conflict of meta vs rp in LPs will never end.
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Mar 8, 2023 17:09
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Chapter 3: Reclaiming and Expanding 1465-1480  The Battle of Reclamation With approval from the rest of the cartel, Blackbeard returned to Orlghelovar with the full force of the strength at his disposal. The orcs were already aware of the loss of their sentries, and met the cartel forces with a ferocious defence. In the tight confines of the hold, it was a bloodbath, as the fortifications and key structures had to be cleared room by room. Only after losing half their number did the orcs retreat deeper into the hold, while the dwarves began to count their thousands of dead. Hundreds of orcs were taken prisoner, and hundreds more non-combatants cowered in the ruins of the hold as the dwarves swept in and secured the remainder of the uppermost layer of the hold. Blackbeard ordered the survivors to be spared, so that their labour could be used to rebuild what they had pillaged. There are three levels of damage to a hold. Infested, Ruined, and Damaged in descending order of seriousness. The worst level, Infested, requires a purge of the local inhabitants to take it up to merely ruined.  The Cartel pours resources into the rebuilding effort The first order of business was to see the Orlghelovar returned to some semblance of habitability. Dwarves expected a level of comfort and civilization that was a step up from what had been set up by the orcs. Canvas hovels and wooden structures were dismantled, while stone structures were rebuilt using the remains of those buildings that were too far gone to be salvageable. Work began on repairing the outer fortifications, which had been damaged during the reclamation in addition to thousands of years of neglect. While work began, the cartel camp moved within the walls of the hold and immediately began to spread out among the buildings as merchants sought shopfronts, artisans sought workshops, and everyone tried to claim the best homes. It was only Blackbeard stamping down on squatting that kept it from dissolving into chaos. Any dwarf who tried to claim more than their fair share was drafted into the rebuilding efforts until their claim was considered paid off. Luckily, there is only one step to go from either Ruined or Damage back to normal functionality. However, the cost escalates depending on how developed your Hold is so you really don't want to take damage to your core holds.  Goblin raids on the rail line Those who didn't want to involve themselves in the free-for-all within the hold, instead sought to establish themselves out in the tunnels of the Dwarovar. Blackbeard sponsored the colonists and provided military support as they began to push down the Argrod rail line, this time working to set up permanent dwellings and seal off any side tunnels that might lead to goblin or orc incursions. Without the sheer size of the cartel's full camp to intimidate them, the goblins were far more bold. Seeing the colonists as easy pickings, they launched constant raids from the shadows that could only be beaten back by the strength of fully armed cartel regiments. Native uprisings are very common as you colonize, you don't get much in the way of assimilation bonus, and it is very expensive in mil mana to purge them. The only upside is that their numbers naturally decline as they throw themselves against your forces.  The underclass of Orlghelovar Throughout the restoration, the orc prisoners became a fixture of any role that required hard work. At first that was only construction, but as the economy began to develop, they could be found as haulers, miners and labourers of all kinds. They were very close to, if not in actuality, slaves, as they could either work or be denied their rations. There remained a general discontent with their situation, but the dwarves had proven their strength and had no intention of letting the orcs get the better of them again. Here is an example of a minority. Each province can have a minority at several different levels of size, and several different statuses from Integrated through to Oppressed, with the latter affecting what bonuses and maluses you get, and the former scaling those. For example, oppressing orcs makes rebellion more likely but we get to use them as cheap labour to boost productivity.  The administration begins to transition to civilian control The marchers, who had been the dominant force in the cartel for so long, were starting to fall by the wayside as the primary focus became resettling. The military was starting to be relegated to colonist guard duty. Blackbeard took the opportunity to give them a new focus to keep them occupied and reduce the risk of a coup or uprising.  Lessons of Blackbeard's finest A military academy was established within Orlghelovar, where the cartel veterans could drill newly arrived dwarven recruits in the tactics that they had learned through blood over the years of travel through the Dwarovar. These are actually the only two Quality ideas useful to us right now, the rest are chaff until we hit the end of the idea group. As you might imagine, cavalry and naval bonuses don't really help while you're still inside the mountains.  From Adventurer Captain to Politician Having had to manage the competing interests within the cartel for decades had rubbed off on Blackbeard. Where once he would have focused on leading from the front, joining the parties out on expedition and exploring alongside the scouts, he now found himself more and more behind a desk, doing his best to keep the cartel from descending into factional squabbling. What concerned him the most was how he was finding that he had a knack for it.  The deeper darkness Orcs and goblins were not the only risks the colonists faced as they pushed their way eastwards. Creatures wreathed in darkness crawled out of narrow passageways and terrorized the civilian dwarves, and always found a way to retreat before soldiers could respond. The cartel could not spare the troops to chase the darkspawn back to their lair, as there were reports of a significant orc warband further down the tunnels. This left the civilians to abandon many of their workings and retreat to fortified settlements to wait out the attacks.  The Glass Hold restored In 1469, after 4 years of hard work from dwarves and harder work from orcs, Blackbeard declared that Orlghevar was restored to the level to become a proper dwarf home. All the ruins had been cleared, the defences were fully manned, the residential areas were fully populated, and the economy was in full swing. A festival was held in the central square, with every dwarf given the day off from their work to participate in the celebration. The great stone structures, rose around them, glittering with blue glass artwork that had been assembled from the ruins by the countless artists who found themselves enthralled by the beauty of the hold.  But it could be even greater Blackbeard was not one to rest of his laurels, however. While the hold was functional, it was far from the heights that it had been in the ancient past. They hadn't even been able to produce the fabled cobalt glass yet, being forced to rely on scavenging whatever hadn't already been looted. There were still many layers to the hold that had been lost, some of which might be occupied, some which might have collapsed, and others which would need to be carved out by dwarven skill. We are finally here. This is how you really dig deep and greedily. Each hold has a level associated with it, representing how deep it goes into the mountain. In order to increase (or decrease?) the level, you first need to have a subterranean race either as your primary, or at the coexisting level of integration. We're dwarves, so that's no problem for us but external invaders (including orcs, but not goblins) will struggle. Then, you need to have the requisite amount of development in the hold. Each level of hold gives a cost reduction to developing the province, so it is actually feasible to develop the province up to insane levels. As to what you can find down there, we'll have to see… Holds other than the capital have other ways to dig that we'll see later.  The rapid growth of Orlghelovar Facing a monumental challenge, Blackbeard turned to his old sponsors back in Silverforge. The call went out for any dwarf who wished to build their fortune in a rising star of the Dwarovar. A large portion of the cartel's coffers was drained, and everything that could be traded was, to ensure that talented dwarves would be drawn to Orlghelovar, and not one of the other holds that were rumoured to be re-establishing themselves in the northern mountains. These dwarves brought with them knowledge of new architectural styles and techniques that were gaining traction in the Empire, leading to those ideas being integrated into new halls and plazas that were being carved out as quickly as they were populated.  The Battle of the Sealed Gates Meanwhile, Lieutenant Stormfist, a skilled tactician recently discovered by the military academy, lead an expedition to drive out a massive warband of orcs populating the Argrod. While large in number and making use of thousands of quaggoths, large and barely-sentient cavern dwellers, as shock troops, they were defeated. It was another victory won in blood though, as several layers of shield walls were breached by the dangerous beasts who then proceeded to tear dwarves apart by the hundreds. The battle itself was fought in front of a massive set of gates just off the rail line. Based on damage, it looked as though the orcs had been trying to breach it when cartel forces arrived.  At the gates of the Diamond Hold After completing the task of driving the orcs off the rail line and away into the caverns, Stormfist carefully knocked on the doors of the hold that he had discovered. He was met by richly-dressed diamond dwarves who were representatives of the ruler of the hold, Queen Ardeginn XXII. This was none other than Arg-Ôrdstun, the de facto capital of the Serpent's Reach. Initial pleasantries were exchanged, and the negotiation of the cartel's right to travel the Argrod seemed to be going smoothly. The Queen's party was happy to hear that the orcs were being driven out and the surface dwarves were making a concentrated effort to reclaim the mountains, under the impression that the cartel was a war party engaging in a rolling purge. However, that changed when the Lieutenant revealed that the cartel had made Orlghelovar its base of operations and it was planning to re-found the ancient hold. Almost immediately the negotiations turned cold, and the diamond representative made clear that all the holds of the Reach were rightfully ruled from Arg-Ôrdstun and the self-proclaimed ruler of Orlghelovar ought to present himself to the queen to acknowledge his vassalhood. They were not pleased when Stormfist retorted with the fact that Blackbeard was holding on the very Diamond that once held by Arg-Ôrdstun, so if anything, it was his claim to be pressed on them.  Remnants of the purge rise up As work continued on Orlghelovar, new caverns were uncovered and carved out. Some of those turned out to be filled with thousands of orcs, many of those being survivors of the original purging of the upper levels of the hold. After the first such incident, the digging crews took to establishing fortifications before each cavern breach so there wouldn't be quite so many dead before the cartel forces could mount a proper response. One of the events you get during digging spawns a whole stack of orcs or goblins on your hold. Better hope you have a decent fort or some troops on standby.  Tensions rise within the cartel over racial policy The cartel maintained a policy, held over from its time travelling through the Dwarovar, that peaceful goblin tribes could be ignored, and that orcs, once defeated, were to be subjugated as labour rather than purged. As the rising noble and merchant class within the Orlghelovar started to gain more of a political voice within the administration, they began to protest these policies. Their demands were that goblins and orcs alike were the very creatures that had brought down the Aul-Dwarov and as such should be removed from dwarven territory by any means. Blackbeard recognised their concerns, but was not of the same mind. Dolin the goblin remained a member of his inner circle, and had become quite the fearsome architect as he had assisted in rebuilding the hold's fortifications. If any other such intellects lay among the goblins and orcs, he wanted to avoid having them lost to a paranoid purge. While he repudiated the demands for the moment, he was no longer the absolute commander of an armed expedition but rather a ruler of a burgeoning nation and thus compromises might need to one day be made with the elites of said nation.  An exchange of insults After the frosty opening negotiations with Arg-Ôrdstun the two sides withdrew and debated their approach to the situation. Not wanting to have to fight any more dwarves after the near disaster at Ovdal Lodhum, Blackbeard considered trading back the Diamond Gem in exchange for favourable trade deals, an alliance and recognition of Orlghelovar as independent of Arg-Ôrdstun's control. With his surface contacts and control of the Argrod at least as far as Shazstundihr he could easily bring the diamond dwarves under economic hegemony. The decision was made for him when the next message from the Queen was a note demanding the return of the Diamond in exchange for him being able to keep his head. It further declared that the Diamond Hold had held for thousands of years, and would not be defeated by brittle glass upstarts. Naturally, Blackbeard responded by formally asserting his claim to the throne of Arg-Ôrdstun.  Expansion begins into the Cobalt Caverns While expansion along the Argrod was the top priority, there were also countless caverns throughout the western end of the Reach that needed to be secured. The orcs that had fled still dwelled within them, and there were many ancient mine workings and outlying settlements to be reclaimed and restored to start supplying the hold with the resources of the mountains. A second colonial enterprise was sponsored by the cartel to begin resettling these caves. Turns out Expansion would have been a pointless pick, as here is a colonist at a discount through the adventurer mission tree (300 adm for this vs 400 for the Expansion opener). Our economy is ramping up nicely thanks to deving up the hold and getting bonus dev on our settlements, so maintaining two colonies is no problem.  Rebuilding the shining glass city During the digging operations, Blackbeard made sure that additional resources were diverted to future-proof the new structures once glass production was back up to full strength. Fixtures were put up that would eventually be filled with beautiful glass artwork, lofty windows were carved out where dwarves could see a view of the whole layer, and shafts were constructed so that when the lighting mechanisms were repaired, the inhabitants would be able to enjoy natural sunlight. Another type of event you get throughout digging your hold, where you pay some price to get some bonus or to speed up the digging process.  Darkspawn defeated While tensions remained high with Arg-Ôrdstun, any military action had been postponed because of the darkspawn situation that was still causing problems along the Argrod. Ten thousand dwarves had been dispatched deeper into the caves to root out the creatures, a full half of the cartel's armed forces. Deep, deep within a tunnel that was carved with runes that the party's most learned scholars were unable to read, they came upon the source of the darkspawn. A bulky dark-shrouded mother creature that appeared to be reaching out of some kind of magical portal was gathering huge quantities of wealth and resources around herself. While the expedition engaged her and her spawn, the magesmiths were able to force the portal closed, which killed her. The question remained as to why she had been hoarding so much loot, but the expedition was more concerned with returning to hold with all they had found. Now this is what a very successful expedition looks like. This means we won't be having money troubles for the foreseeable future and gives us a good kick towards the next levels of tech.  A different kind of glass cannon The foundries of Orlghelovar had reached a point where they could start producing proper cannons once again. Blackbeard commissioned a unit of these to assist in the coming war against the diamond dwarves. Their walls had held against primitive creatures for millennia, but could they hold against gunpowder? Artillery units are the same as in vanilla EU4.  The War for the Crown of Arg-Ôrdstun begins in 1478 With the expedition returned and cannons on the field, the cartel forces commanded by Stormfist lay siege to the gate of Arg-Ôrdstun. Lieutenant Shaleaxe, a less experienced commander but fantastic scout, guarded the Argrod against a possible flanking manoeuvre and the orc warband that still lurked at the edge of dwarven territory. His reports had indicated that they had moved into Shazstundihr, which placed them next on Blackbeard's list to deal with once the diamond dwarves were no longer a threat.  Flanking thwarted The diamond dwarves were no fools, and knew their gates would eventually break. They launched a flanking attack down the Argrod, but Shaleaxe had heavily fortified the tunnels leading eastwards and even after those were overrun fought a running guerrilla battle all the way along the railway, making good use of the side tunnels the cartel settlers had mapped but the diamonds were ignorant of. Though they were close to breaking by the time Stormfist's forces were able to relieve them, their bravery became the tales of legend within the military academy.  Orlghelovar expands into the earth After nearly a decade of work, the lower levels of Orlgehlovar were declared officially open. Dwarves suffering under the increasingly overpopulated conditions of the upper levels flooded into the new districts, and soon the sound of economic activity and ordinary life could be heard rising up from the deeps.  Rise of a hold of innovation Blackbeard had taken an attitude that innovation was most important quality that the new Dwarovar needed to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. That was reflected in the attitude of the dwarves who took up residence in the newly developed layers. New techniques were developed in the laboratories and workshops and shared freely among the members of the trades, while knowledge that would have once been spurned as pointless surface-dweller distractions flowed swiftly in along with immigrants from Silverforge, Rubyhold and the other distant parts of the diaspora.  A Queen kneels Despite the use of cannons, it took two years to breach the defences of Arg-Ôrdstun. The bulk of their army had been lost in the caverns as their flanking attempt fell apart under Stormfist's counterattack, so once the cartel forces breached the fortifications they encountered no further resistance as they marched on the royal palace. The Queen had many strong words for Blackbeard when he arrived to accept her surrender. Scoundrel, bandit, goblin-lover, to put it mildly, were just some of the barrage that he suffered. In the end though, she was forced to hand over her crown. With a crown in one hand and the Diamond Gem in the other, Blackbeard began to wonder exactly what direction he wanted to go. Integrating the hold into the new nation would prove tricky. The diamond dwarves were suspicious of outsiders, but simply maintaining the existing administration was a recipe for resistance and rebellion in future. There had to be a clean break, on both sides, to avoid long-term recrimination.  The Proclamation of Orlghelovar Upon his return to Orlghelovar, Blackbeard prepared a proclamation to be sent to every dwarf in the Reach, even distant Ovdal Lodhum, and to be further disseminated back to Silverforge. The dwarves of the Blackbeard Cartel had fought, struggled, lived and died in the pursuit of the dream of the reclamation of the Dwarovar. They were no longer silver, or ruby, or copper, or any of the other disparate cultures outwith the walls of the mountains. They had forged their bonds and become a single people, the Cobalt Dwarves. Orlghelovar was reborn, and with it a new age of gleaming knowledge would dawn upon the Serpent's Reach, and from there the whole of the Dwaorvar. There was still one point that was not clarified in the proclamation. Blackbeard held in his hands the chance to seize total power. The military was still loyal to him. He had a valid claim to the Diamond Crown of Arg-Ôrdstun, which could be leveraged to a claim to the Aul-Dwarov itself. No one, besides the deposed Queen, would bother contesting his ascension to King of Arg-Ôrdstun and Orlghelovar both. But, would he be betraying himself by doing so?  Establishment of the Mage Guild and the dis-establishment of the Blackbeard Cartel Along with the proclamation was the official charter of the Mage's Guild. Balin sil Ballgarionn stepped up as the head magister, to see to it that the magesmiths worked for the betterment of the hold. He offered up support for Blackbeard's stance, declaring that the pursuit of knowledge would drive the advance of magic and science alike and that Orlghelovar had need of both to ensure its shining future. Finally, the Blackbeard Cartel was officially disbanded. The administrators had long since been integrated into the bureaucracy developing around Orlghelovar, and the merchants quickly re-established themselves independently, however there had long been a grey area between the military and the adventurers that made up significant portion of its manpower. The proclamation called upon all dwarven patriots to sign up officially to the new Orlghelovaric Army, but many adventurers took the opportunity to strike out on their own before they could be tied down to a strict chain of command. Forming a proper nation means that we now have access to the Mage and Adventurer estates. I'll get into the actual mechanics of these another time.  The Republic of Orlghelovar is declared Blackbeard finally came to a decision. He had only gotten so far with the skills and guidance of those around him. Drominarsaraor and Stormfist, Balin and Dolin, and many others besides. His actions so far had already acted as a repudiation of the old ways, where a single all-powerful king or queen ruled in decadence and decay. If he locked himself to a throne, he could accomplish great things, or he might instead grow fat and lazy. No, he needed to formalize the system of advisors and encourage competition and innovation in the government. A call went out to the clans of the hold, both ancient clans who were returning to claim their ancestral legacies and new clans that had risen up out of the reclamation through military or mercantile skills. Combining the wisdom of the elders with the fresh ideas of the new generation of dwarves, and then electing from within that assembly of clan heads would allow the strongest ideas to rise to the top. The first election results, with votes restricted to the heads of the noble and mercantile clans that made up the assembly, were a landslide for Blackbeard himself. He still held more than enough clout among the dwarves of Orlghelovar to hold onto his position for as long as he wanted. The question was, whether the political landscape would shift enough to leave him behind.  The Serpent's Reach, 1480 A new day dawned on the Reach, and a new power arose. Banners of the cartel were taken down, and the Cobalt Links replaced them. Pioneers continued to push through the ancient caverns and railways, and dwarven warriors assembled to finish driving the orcish and goblin warbands to the depths where they belonged. The curtain had dropped on the first act, but the next had only just begun. To be continued…
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Mar 8, 2023 23:16
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We are now a pretty blue color, which is by far the most important thing.
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Mar 8, 2023 23:57
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Hellioning posted:We are now a pretty blue color, which is by far the most important thing. Pretty Maps justify every choice made in their service.
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Mar 9, 2023 01:41
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Cobalt blue!
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Mar 9, 2023 04:25
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How long until we can justify the 'make the borders pretty' wars?
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Mar 9, 2023 06:52
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In the Serpentspine? Never.
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Mar 9, 2023 07:39
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wedgekree posted:How long until we can justify the 'make the borders pretty' wars? ~1650 is when we get the nationalism and imperialism CBs, and when blobageddon really begins.
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Mar 9, 2023 09:08
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What are those two provinces marked with diagonal blue stripes?
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Mar 9, 2023 12:39
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Kanthulhu posted:What are those two provinces marked with diagonal blue stripes? There's a war going on between two AI, those provinces are occupied by a country with a light blue colour.
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Mar 9, 2023 12:50
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Preemptive vote to make the light blue faction our enemies and eliminate them ASAP so we don't have two blue nations next to each other on the map
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Mar 9, 2023 14:17
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How about some properly dwarven music to celebrate?  Colm McGuiness cover of Misty Mountains, sung in Tolkien dwarfish with a voice as deep as the roots of the mountain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wIShPoAWyw And because it's impossible to mention dwarves and music without it (lyrics are in the bloody thread title!) and despite that you've probably heard them already, the Diggy Diggy Hole song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWz0qVvBZ0 And of course the amazing metal cover by Wind Rose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34CZjsEI1yU Sybot posted:
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Mar 9, 2023 14:22
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Poil posted:How about some properly dwarven music to celebrate? Dwarves have some natural colonist capacity built in and in the southern spine area past 50 years a lot of the territory will probably be divvied up already, Some personal updates I got uh... even more disasters! which is great because they stole all my money to try to fix it, but also the jerk empire that had taken over most of the middle section of the spine got Wrecked so i'm gonna go eat the leftovers AtomikKrab fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Mar 11, 2023 |
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Mar 9, 2023 15:11
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Chapter 4: Orlghelovar Rises 1480-1507  Blackbeard's two-pronged plan for the revival of Orlgehlovar A ruler's work is never done. While the rest of the nation was celebrating, Blackbeard, now officially Lord Mayor of Orlghelovar, was working with his closest advisors to prepare for the next stage of dwarven revival. There were two main areas that he determined should be focused on. The first was to restart the glassworks that the hold was so famous for, both to fill out the lost and damaged glass structures within the hold and to have a unique good to begin trading with the outside world. The second was to finish securing the Reach and to open up proper diplomatic ties with the outside world. These are merely the first stage of missions for Orlgehlovar, focused on economy and securing the immediate surroundings both within the Reach and immediately outside. Once we complete the final mission the tree will expand.  Debate, diamonds, and dwarfpower The three top priorities for his administration were to finish integrating Arg-Ôrdstun and repairing the damage done to the hold during the war, secondly to start building up enough of a military infrastructure that the Orlghelovaric Army could stand on its own without needing the support of adventurers, and finally to build up a council of the most skilled dwarves in the nation. All of these would require money, which was being equally divided with the colonisation efforts, so it would be a strain on the hold's coffers to accomplish it all.  Rise of the Glasslords While the primary glassworks and famous cobalt glass were still a long way from being available, many of the nobility and wealthier merchants eagerly took up the title of 'Glasslord'. They spun up countless smaller glassworks, and found prestige in being the first to develop new colours of glass to display on their residences within the holds. Orlghevar's national ideas are nothing special, mostly being focused on economy, and advancing techs, idea groups and reforms. We'll probably feel the lack of military ideas if we go against a real military nation.  Commerce and culture intertwined One might say that the line between nobility and merchant was stretched very thing in Orlghevar. Without ancient ancestral inheritances to live on, both had to engage in fierce competition to try and build their wealth and power within the hold. That was a field in which the younger merchant clans held the upper hand, and they grew even more powerful as cartels started to form around burgeoning trade routes of the cleared Argrod. Further power came to the merchants as the government subsidized the carving of magnificent artworks and innovative architecture inspired by sketches of the renaissance in Cannor.  Requests from the powerful The cartels were eager for further investment and lobbied Blackbeard to invest further into the development of the hold. He was eager to this, given that they needed to expand even further downwards to find the space to create a proper glassworks. On the left you can see the other privileges set so far. Besides the ones shown above, there are two 'organisation' ones for the Mages and Adventurers that determine how they work, two that provide even more settler growth and one that gives the estates the right to randomly assign missions to me.  Versus Orc, then versus Goblin The orcs of the Masked Butcher, a vicious warband that had plagued the caverns of the Reach for decades after being driven away from the gates of Arg-Ôrdstun, had settled in Shazstundihr where they continued to squat amongst the dust that had once been the old hold. In recent years, scouts reported that their numbers had been dropping so an expedition was organised to retake the hold. The orcs were easily defeated, but Blackbeard made the controversial decision to force Chief Zugor the Butcher to bend the knee to him, rather than purging them completely. This was simply because the nation did not have the resources to pump into restoring the hold at that moment, with all other resources focused on restoring Arg-Ôrdstun or continuing the colonial expansion. It was a great surprise when the occupying dwarvern forces encountered a horde of goblins at the exterior gates of the hold. The orcs had been in a conflict with the Marblehead tribe of goblins, who lived on the surface, and now those same goblins were attacking dwarven forces attempting to man the hold's fortifications. I did this because I was running perilously low on admin power so didn't want to have to directly core another hold. See if you can guess my mistake before it is revealed, though it's probably only obvious if you've played Anbennar before.  Dwarven warriors arrive at the coast Adventurers were hired to bolster the numbers of the already-depleted dwarven forces, and an expedition was led out onto the surface. The goblins fell back, having expected a rabble of orcs as their opponent instead of dwarven discipline and mithril. Skirmishes continued under the open sky, a strange place for many dwarves who had spent most of the past forty years underground, and eventually the goblin armies were caught against the coastline and crushed. Monetary reparations were extracted, but even as dwarven forces returned to the safety of the mountains, countless orcs now nominally allied with Orlghelovar began to pour out of Shazstundihr. With the goblins who had been in charge now subdued by dwarven arms, Zugor took advantage to seize power and began pillaging the countryside. It was an uneasy sight to watch, as dwarves stood aside while humans and elves fled from the onslaught. Oops. I expected to get these lands eventually after integrating the orcs, but it was not to be.  Assembling a skilled council With the influx of wealth, so to came an influx of skilled dwarves. The Mage Guild was finding more dwarves with magical talent among the population and encouraging them to make use of their talent, while more mages arrived from Silverforge, eager to get out from under the thumb of the Magisterium that oversaw all magic within the Empire. The constant conflict with the inhabitants of the caverns also saw the rise of skilled officers experienced in underground warfare, creating a growing professional officer corps within the Orlghevaric Army. Some of these were brought back to the hold and paid a significant salary to teach the next generation of leaders. More goblins also found their way into positions of some influence within the hold, as those goblin tribes that survived the arrival of dwarven settlers started opening themselves up to trade. Court Mage is a new advisor type available in Anbennar. Getting -5% to everything that costs admin, dip, or mil mana is a very nice bonus, especially as that adds on to what the Mages estate gives you when they have high loyalty.  Rule by Meritocracy All in all, a culture of merit was cultivated throughout all levels of the hold, from the most skilled craftsdwarves rising to prominence to competent soldiers being separated from the lines of battle and sent to train at the academy.  From glittering caverns to brilliant jewellery The damage done to Arg-Ôrdstun had been repaired, and relations with the inhabitants were starting to smooth out. In the end, wealth was the key to winning over their hearts. The caverns beyond the walls of the hold had long been lost, but within them were endless seams of gems and even mithril that had been untouched for thousands of years. Once those resources began to flow back into Arg-Ôrdstun, the economy boomed and began to rival the output of Orlghelovar itself.  Invasion from the depths The relentless push along the Argrod and through the caverns caused upheaval among the natives. Tribes fled from the dwarven advance, and in some cases banded together to strike back. The Hardaxe warband emerged from Verkal Skomdihr and swept through the caverns, slaughtering goblin natives and dwarven settlers alike as they plundered their way towards Arg-Ôrdstun. Orlghevaric forces commanded by Barra Flameaxe stood their ground in the caverns, but the fight was brutal. The orcs swept across dwarven lines with a ferocity note seen since the peak of the Greentide, and the army very nearly broke under the onslaught. Flameaxe came up with a plan. She ordered the centre to weaken, and let the orcs break through, which led them into a killing ground where the dwarven artillery could zero in on them with precision. This led to a rout further into dwarven territory, where they were trapped and destroyed. The conflict still cost more than ten thousand dwarven lives, which were not easily replaced.  Production resumes on cobalt glass In the more secure parts of the nation, mining operations had resumed for precious cobalt, the key ingredient in Orlghelovar's premiere style of glass. With only the remains of ancient glass to work off of, countless workshops popped up attempting to recreate the distinctive blue tint. The government funded these efforts, with the administration supporting many of these workshops having seen the potential profits that could be made by selling the glass. Eventually, one such workshop with Orlghelovar itself was able to duplicate the tinted glass to a high enough standard to satisfy experts. Because of the economic importance of this discovery, the government purchased the information at a premium and started to disseminate it to other glassmakers that they could trust to not share the secret with outsiders. Cobalt glass was back, and production began to ramp up as quickly as cobalt could be mined.  Where purging was not allowed, politics was used Many of the wealthiest clans of the hold were not happy with Blackbeard's position on goblins and orcs, and the diplomatic embarrassment at Shazstundihr had only made their positions more strident. It was hard to be a goblin in dwarven society, and it was easy for political manoeuvrings to leave goblins in an unwinnable position where they would have no choice but to leave the administration. Blackbeard could have opposed them, but with so many plates spinning with the economy and the continued expansion it was getting harder to stand up to them. He did not have the reserves to counter their politicking at that time  Reclaimers in the north News was beginning to filter in of the other efforts to reclaim the Dwarovar, particularly in the northern tunnels. As expected, the Asra Bank Expedition had rebuilt Khugdihr and was working on building ties with the newly emerging nations in Escann. On the other fork of the mountains, the Ramsteel Hold of Orlazam-az-Dihr was warring with the ogres in the Serpent's Vale to reclaim the breadbasket of the Dwarovar. Elsewhere, major goblin and orcish warbands still occupied tunnels and holds. The Ruby Company had been pushing them back, having decided to focus on fighting more than settling down and rebuilding a hold.  Orlghelovar's immediate neighbours The resurgence of activity in the mountains had not gone unnoticed by the surface world around the Reach. Envoys from the nations in the regions of Bulwar and Dostanor were starting to arrive to open up diplomatic relations, as well as ask pointed questions about certain orcs. Some of the more notable nations were Corvuria, a heavily feudal nation that had advanced across the marshy wasteland of Daravan's Folly and now had borders that extended almost to the doors of Orlghelovar itself, Crathánor, a trading republic controlling a lot of the flow of trade from Bulwar into Cannor, and Dartaxâgerdim, a nation ruled by humans in the otherwise elf-dominated region of Bulwar. Also of significance was Ovdal Tűngr, a surviving dwarf hold that rested in a cavern that opened up into the sea and as result was the sole dwarven centre of shipbuilding. Blackbeard was most interested in opening up diplomacy with these dwarves to gain their expertise in trading on the open waters.  Baking innovation into government To further the focus on innovation, Blackbeard approved a reduction in the duration of terms in office from the original 20 years to 16 years. The intent was a compromise between avoiding cycling out leaders too often and causing the hold to lose direction, and making sure that the future of the nation could be debated more frequently so that direction could be changed if needed.  A miraculous encounter As the military infrastructure of Orlghelovar continued to grow it was becoming more straightforward to mount expeditions. No longer did progress have to be halted while the entire military disappeared down holes for months or years at a time. There were no significant discoveries during most of these expeditions, however there was a very surprising encounter deep under the tunnels of Deadbeard Lane. A camp of cobalt dwarves, actual cobalt dwarves descended from the original inhabitants of Orlghelovar, had somehow survived in the dark depths of the mountains for millennia as a roaming tribe. Though initially suspicious, they eventually warmed up to the expedition as they were supplied with modern food and comforts, which they had been lacking for their lives and the lives of countless generations of ancestors. These dwarves would arrive in Orlghelovar and immediately put their skills to use delving into the caverns underneath the hold to assist in the latest efforts to extend the hold downwards.  Orlghelovar's finest The lessons of the last warband invasion further cemented the idea that the dwarven military needed to be the finest force in the world to stand a chance against the barbarity that still lurked in the darkness. Flameaxe retired from frontline duty and joined the military academy in Orlghelovar to teach how she had kept her forces in good order despite heavy losses and devastated the orcs through the use of cannons. Maxing out quality gives us 5% discipline in addition to the other bonuses, although as discussed some of them aren't relevant to us right now. You can also see that I have not even started on innovative yet, on account of having to spend my admin mana on coring the colonies I complete.  Butchering of the Butchers Relations between the Masked Butchers and their Orlghelovaric overlord were always frosty, but they did pay their taxes and didn't seem interested in rebellion. So, a party of administrators was dispatched to Shazstundihr to begin planning dwarven repopulation and rebuilding. As soon as they had passed through the gates, the doors were sealed behind them and they were slaughtered along with the dwarven garrison. Zugor declared that he would never let dwarves dwell in the hold ever again, and gathered his armies funded by the plunder they had taken from the surface in the years that Orlghelovar had been protecting them. That was his mistake, however. Seeing the orcish forces departing to make a stand at the hold, troops from both Ovdal Tűngr and Dartaxâgerdim moved into the lands outside the hold, driving out any orcs who had settled there and laying siege to the hold from the outside. Caught off-guard by the sudden surfacer counterattack, Zugor attempted to change course but it was too late. The surface defences were breached, and human and dwarven forces entered and slaughtered the majority of the warband. With the hold itself still little more than dust, and the orcish settlement within razed, they took back the plunder from the surface and returned to administer the lands they had rescued. Overall it was a diplomatic disaster for Blackbeard, who had advocated for more lenient policies on orcs and goblins, and led to an increase in calls for the expulsion of orcs and goblins within the nation. So here is the payoff to the mistake I made. Monstrous nations have a -100 to relations with non-monstrous (and vice-versa). You need +190 relations with a vassal in order to annex it. Between the monstrous penalty and other assorted penalties e.g. religion there was no hope of annexing them diplomatically for a very long time, and I need the hold asap for the mission tree. Of course, breaking vassalage then leaves them vulnerable and loses all the land I conquered for them and hoped to get for myself eventually (but luckily not the hold itself…).  Hostilities resume with Ovdal Lodhum As Orlghelovaric colonists advanced along the Argrod, they found that which had been left behind by the Blackbeard Cartel as it had been going in the opposite direction. Sometimes this was supplies that had been left behind in a camp that had been abandoned. Other times, this was bad feelings. The leading settlements started encountering more and more roaming parties of garnet dwarves from Ovdal Lodhum, also seeking to expand into the tunnels. Dwarves have long memories, and these dwarves remembered Blackbeard storming the gates of their hold. Skirmishes continued, and before long an official notice of rebuke came from King Balgar.  One of may varied environments of the Dwarovar Exploration and expansion through the caverns was not always a dull and dangerous activity. The Serpentspine mountains were cut off from life-bearing sunlight and soil, but life emerged from other sources. Halanna's Breath was a mysterious magical energy flowing into the caverns and bringing life where it shouldn't flourish. This led to environments where this energy pooled and life blossomed to an extent that was rarely seen even on the surface.  An empirical government As such mysteries emerged and continuing work on the hold unearthed ancient studies, interest in scientific study continued to grow within the hold. Ideas of empiricism become more popular, and Blackbeard was eager to make sure that these were taken into the government. The rulers of ancient Orlghelovar had let their wealth blind them to the empirical facts of the collapse of their fortifications and military, which led to their destruction. Through data and science, such mistakes would not be repeated.  A world of science Just as things were changing in Orlghelovar, the rest of the world was being transformed as well. Elven and human fleets from Cannor had sailed west and rediscovered the ancient elven homeland of Aelantir, and were already returning with new ideas, artefacts of the Precursors, and strange goods born of the magical devastation across the ocean. With a focus on science, Orlghelovar was perfectly positioned to take the forefront in using these discoveries to elevate their understanding even higher.  The great migration begins In Cannor, the news of the discovery caused a storm. Elves seeking to return to their homeland took up the call in their tens of thousands, but also humans, half-elves and even dwarves began to set sail across the ocean to seek their fortune or find new lives in Aelantir. Soon, the Bay of Wines was packed with ships setting sail for the west. At this point, many nations in Cannor will get the option to switch to an adventurer or settler nation in Aelantir. Also using this an excuse to see what's happening in Cannor. The Empire is looking relatively normal, but RIP gnomes, courtesy of a powerful-looking Gawed.  Strategic need to secure the Argrod As the nation grew, strategic interests became just as important as animosity and friendship in driving the relationships between nations. Though there might be grudges borne between Blackbeard and Balgar, what really prevented reconciliation was the fact the Ovdal Lodhum still lay claim to a portion of the Argrod preventing Orlghelovar's further expansion through the reach. The clan assembly demanded that Blackbeard take military action to open up the old rail line, and he agreed that it was necessary.  Nothing but dust When dwarven troops finally broke into Shazstundihr from the tunnels, they found nothing but silence. There were no orcs, nor loot, nor any structures besides ramshackle fortifications. Vast quantities of resources would need to be poured in to restore the hold to any semblance of functionality. The question still remained, what had scoured it clean in the first place, before any orcs or invaders had touched it?  A professional army The development of the Orlghelovaric military academy continued apace, with more and more dwarves becoming professional officers and steadily whipping the Orlghelovaric Army into a proper disciplined fighting force. By now, the adventurers who had stayed with the army had been completely integrated into the military and were just about indistinguishable from a trained soldier. Development in clockwork and gunpowder weapons allowed new innovative tactics that used dwarven steel and mithril to hold against the enemy while dwarven technology saw them constantly battered by crossbows and guns. Newly armed troops were already marching towards conflict with Ovdal Lodhum, who were still relying on outdated ideas. Another crucial military tech, with tactics, combat width allowing us to fit more troops into combat (although we don't have a full-width army just yet), and new unit types. As our big threat is shock-focused orcs and surfacer cavalry, Pepper and Tortoise is our better choice for its increased defence.  Recognition from the world In the distant halls of Silverforge, the word was that Orlghelovar's great successes in revitalizing the ancient knowledge and taking swathes of the Reach had positioned them as the foremost reclaimer of the dwarven legacy. While the nation's influence had not yet reached out of the mountains, its presence was starting to be felt. Your great power ranking is determined by your development, and in addition to pumping development up in dwarf holds we have also effectively been getting doubled development in each colony thanks to the age bonus. However, as larger nations in the east start getting institutions we are at risk of falling out of the ranking again. Also, re-iterating that Gawed looks very scary.  Gateway to the Deepwoods Dwarven colonists had retaken and repaired Verkal Skomdihr, which had mostly been cleared out of squatters by the warband that had passed through several years earlier. Blackbeard was still mostly concerned about the potential of strange invaders from the Deepwoods, so the next order was to build a fortress over the surface entrance and burn back as much of the accumulated foliage as possible.  Garnet humiliation The war with Ovdal Lodhum saw less violence between dwarves than the previous conflict, ironically. The largest battle of the conflict was the Orlghevaric Army doing the garnet's job for them by defeating a large orc warband that was rampaging through the caverns near the hold. Here, the new military tactics proved their worth as casualties were significantly lower than in the fight against the last warband. Ovdal Lodhum itself was besieged for two years before King Balgar was forced to come to terms and cede the Argrod, as well as the caverns that had been rescued from the orcs, to Orlghelovar. His animosity towards Blackbeard was clear from the moment that they met for the negotiations. Balgar continued to insist that freeing the Reach was his mission, handed down from Gerin. However, no matter what he said, it was clear to all attending that this conflict had cemented Orlghelovar as the foremost, and only, power of note within this arm of the mountains.  Hegemony over the Reach There was still more of the Argrod to reclaim, the passage connecting the Reach to the rest of the Dwarovar to uncover, and countless caverns to delve in, but it was clear now that the Serpentreach was Orlghelovar's to do with as it so desired. The nation had been noticed by the outside world, so perhaps the time was right to begin extending its influence out onto the surface where fortune and knowledge aplenty awaited those willing to try something new. To be continued… Vote We are very close to our next idea group. Please vote for two options, e.g. "A, D". The winner will be picked, and the next two will have guaranteed places in the next idea vote. A: Economic – Our economy is booming, but it could reach even greater heights. B: Administrative – The republic's administrators are struggling to keep up with the nation's rapid growth. Let us expand the bureaucracy, to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy. C: Influence – Reclaiming the remainder of the Dwarovar or expanding onto the surface will be difficult, but we have many potential allies to sway to our side, by fair means or foul. D: Trade – The gates are open, and we have contact with the outside world once again. Let cobalt glass be traded far and wide. E: Defensive – The walls have been built; the holds are safe. They could yet be safer. F: Offensive – Hiding behind walls did nothing for the diamond and garnet dwarves. Our forces must be proactive and strike out to achieve victory. Voting will last for 48 hours Sybot fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Mar 12, 2023 |
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Mar 12, 2023 15:55
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B, C.
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Mar 12, 2023 16:21
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D, B
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Mar 12, 2023 17:16
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A, B
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Mar 12, 2023 17:26
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D, E
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Mar 12, 2023 17:27
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C, F
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Mar 12, 2023 17:28
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