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Post by puppyavenger on Jun 30, 2010 0:03:17 GMT 1
Sounds fine, care to give specifics? DammenOutside of the small Imperial town on the border of territory the Shapers controlled, a huge host of them were assembling. Thousands of huge creatures that would be called monstrosities in Central, full of wings and tails and fangs. In all, a large part of the Shaper host was assembled, including almost a dozen Savant-priests. Leading them is Iurt himself, housed in a humanlike body forged from adamant and unmelting ice. Striding up to the city walls with a parlay flag in his hand, he yells to the walls Who Leads The Wretches Housed Hear?
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Post by Rationalgoblin on Jun 30, 2010 4:16:57 GMT 1
Cerrak to Kristalin In the city of Cerra
In the massive throne room of Cerrak, General Legius, the Heretical Legionnaire, waits for TJ.
He sits upon the Granite Throne, even his impressive stature (for a human) being made dwarf-like by the massive chair. The chair is ringed itself with broken, golden chains.
His voice, trained by decades of command, rings throughout the hall.
"Now then. I am Legius, General of the Unbound Throne, and servant of the one you know presently as Cerrak. Kristalin has informed you of our deal, yes? And you're just here to hammer out the details, am I correct?"
He stands up, striding over to TJ, and Kristalin's servant cannot help but notice that Legius wears the normal Imperial soldier's uniform, but bears a pure black cape with strange, eldritch gold lettering.
"Pay no mind to my attire. Cerrak has just been thinking through things, and he can be.. eccentric."
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Post by Surly on Jun 30, 2010 6:01:47 GMT 1
Nazhedria to the Hood Unfortunately, that's out of the question for the time being. However, we'd be glad to research ways to use necromancy more sustainably and non-destructively.
Do you know of any way to repair the Veil? Keeping it in excellent shape is of course in everyone's best interest, and if our power is enough to tear surely it's also enough to mend. Nazhedria to Kristialin Why are you so committed to defending Sithiuss? How does propping up a bloody-clawed enemy of the Pankrator as he calls up ancient tyrants to fight for him advance the cause of perfection? Nazhedria to Novena Would you be interested in a wood-for-metal trade deal?
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Post by deadhunter on Jun 30, 2010 7:58:09 GMT 1
Novena to Nazhedria Yes, this sounds good to me. Novena to Shapers That could prove to keep a little peace of mind. I accept your offer.
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Post by Sayn on Jun 30, 2010 13:18:36 GMT 1
There are ways to mend it, but it requires constant maintaining. I believe that this was one of the duties of the Pankrator. I would appreciate it if you began your research. We may not have much time before it collapses and the boundaries between Life and Death disappears.
Perhaps you could put aside a few mages to "clean" the Veil up a bit? It will not be nearly enough, but it will slow the rate of decay until a more permanent solution can be found.
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Post by dargon on Jul 1, 2010 9:47:06 GMT 1
Kristialin to Shapers We would like to give you a tour of our new city as well discuss possible trade agreements to start. Kristialin to Cerrak TJ is clearly nervous about being in the heart of Cerrak's territory but still strides forward confidantly before speaking.
"Greetings General its a pleasure to meet you, Yes I have been informed by Kristialin about this agreement and it is my hope that these few details won't prove to be an insurmountable obstacle. I also hope to discuss the future relationship between Cerrak and Kristialin if possible. " Kristialin to Nazhedria While there are alot of crimes that can be placed on the C'tis and Sithiuss tyranny isn't one of them. Thoughout their history they have been fair rulers of their own people. It was only after the Pankerator smited the whole race for Sithiuss ambition that they had to resort to more drastic actions.
As for why I'm helping them... well mostly its because I belive that the Pankerator had made an injustice with his punishment and I wish to restore the C'tis to who they once were. They have the potential to be as good or as evil as any human and have the same drive for perfection as well.
Finally I belive that C'tis and humanity can live in harmony as they did in the past but without my help they will be assailed by countless armies and will either be exterminated or never have any trust for anyone again.
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Post by Rationalgoblin on Jul 1, 2010 18:46:27 GMT 1
Cerrak to Kristalin Legius gives a barking laugh.
"TJ, was it? I heard about your 'performance' with the Consul Theologica. I've even heard that some blame you and your master for the Primarch's murder."
The old centurion grins.
"Not that I know about such things, or have an opinion about them. Now, let's get to business. Cerrak wants the secrets of your teleportation spells, and is willing to pay you for your knowledge.
Oh, and he knows you have anti-teleportation wards. We don't need those at the moment. In any case, money and defensive spells will be yours if we, and specifically myself, are taught how to use teleportation magic.
Preferably, a powerful enough teleportation spell to transport entire armies."
Legius looks TJ straight in the eye.
"The Titan you know as Cerrak is planning to expand his influence and power throughout this entire area. He'd much rather have allies then corpses. Those who give him what he wants will be rewarded greatly. Those who stand before Cerrak will be mutilated and slaughtered.
This isn't a threat, m'boy. Nor is it a promise. It is simply thus. Now then, is Cerrak's offer acceptable?"
(Out-of-Character: Basically, + of Economy will be yours, and I'll give you defensive spells and allow access to powerful weapons I'm creating).
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Post by puppyavenger on Jul 1, 2010 23:43:39 GMT 1
Shaper-Kristalin Sounds agreeable, I'll send a high-level savant-priest
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Post by dargon on Jul 4, 2010 1:14:49 GMT 1
Kristialin to Cerrak "Yes, were still dealing with the fallout from Tetra's assassination." TJ winces a little at the memory. "Nonetheless, Cerrak's deal does sound acceptable but there are some rather important issues to deal with as well. Mainly what would be the later relationship between Kristialin and Cerrak? Also how would the allies that we have now be dealt with? How would Umberto be handled?
As for the spell's power it would take many mages working in concert to teleport an entire army. This spell could transport company strength force with ease though. OOC: More to come on this post, just trying to think of the wording.
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Post by Rationalgoblin on Jul 4, 2010 20:12:00 GMT 1
Cerrak to Kristalin Legius grins.
"My master intends this to remain a purely business affair. Simply put, you've angered enough of his allies that anything more would infuriate them; especially since he's carefully avoided doing anything to harm or anger nearly any faction besides the fool in the Howling Pits and the Counsel Theologica.
As for your allies; if one of them is the Hoburg statue, I'm afraid Cerrak has promised to destroy it. Otherwise, I, acting in the name of Cerrak, must know your allies to tell you which allies you must abandon and which are our mutual friends.
Umberto is our most powerful ally at the moment; Cerrak intends to join forces with the Grand Marshal to crush those who work openly against the Empire's will. However, again we have avoided offending or harming nearly any faction while supporting him.
Anything else you wish to bring to my attention?"
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odin
Officer
Confused Wanderer in the War Zone
chuch
Posts: 161
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Post by odin on Jul 6, 2010 21:07:14 GMT 1
Dammen((OOC: Sorry for leaving you hanging. Feel free to do that thing we talked about.))
Most of the town's garrison climbs up upon the wall as Iurt and his host arrive. As the Pretender approaches, marching feet can be heard in the background, the towns militia preparing to join the garrison on the wall. A couple of mages stand stoically next to archers with knocked arrows, ready to stop Iurt's machinations or die trying.
A minutes pass as a messenger tracks down the town's major and the garrison's captain.
Just as the captain of the guard arrives, a lone arrow sails through the air and lands at Iurt feet. Whether the arrow was loosed as a foolhardy act of defiance or an accidental slip of a nervous hand, the effect was immediate. Other green archers supposing that the arrow as at the order of the captain, begin firing.
The officer looks on in shock and dismay for a split second, before deciding to make the most of the situation and ordering his men to fire. The arrows have no chance of harming the adamantine god, but soon the balistas will begin finding their mark.
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Post by puppyavenger on Jul 7, 2010 4:02:35 GMT 1
Dammen
Iurt sighed, mores the pity, no chance of surrender then. Well, it had to be the hard way then. No mercy, no survivors.
Smiling as his savant-priests finished their ritual and he felt power flood his body, he called out to the walls Very Well, if You Want To Damm Yourselves, I'll Oblige.
With that, he flooded the town with power, seeing it in his minds eye and shaping it with his thoughts.
With a boost provided by several dozen Savant-Priests and his own divine power, he swats aside any attempt to dispel his working and released his image of the town into reality, forcing the structure of the world to conform with his thoughts.
The walls of the town rear up a good ten or twenty feet, and the walkways at the top swiftly slant inwards, sending everyone on the walls tumbling down. Anyone looking at the wall would be amazed as it turns to solid steel, with all the gates and towers gone.
Unfortunately for them, that was only the beginning. As the archers that were on the walls hit the ground, the building near the wall appear to...shift into a greenish mist. From the sounds of the people who were in the building, it's not a very nice gas to breath.
Terrified, townsfolk start running for..anywhere really, trying to stay away from the gas. That becomes futile as the ground their running on starts changing into mist as well, burning their feet and legs, until they're left with skeletal humps and fall to the ground...
Hearing the screams inside, Iurt walks back to his line, signaling to the archers to surrond the twon and shoot anyone who manages to escape somehow.
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Post by dargon on Jul 10, 2010 6:59:49 GMT 1
Kristialin to Cerrak TJ sighs "Well that's unfortanate. The only reason we decided to bargin with you was for the hopes of a peaceful solution for Hoburg. I'm afraid that we can't do bussiness with an enemy of an ally." With that TJ bows once more and teleports away. To Shapers and Children of Novena In Martivir delgations from the Shapers and the Children of Novena are met and given a tour of the new city before being brought before a small cottage. Once inside they are greeted by Luna. "Welcome friends to my home. I hope that today will be the start of a wonderful friendship between our respective peoples."
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odin
Officer
Confused Wanderer in the War Zone
chuch
Posts: 161
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Post by odin on Jul 12, 2010 20:59:16 GMT 1
[/size] Winter Year 0 of the Ascension Wars. [/size] ((Just to be clear, Winter is starting now. This is a wrap up of what happened last turn, in Autumn. Since winter is starting now, please plan accordingly.)) Flavor Text: Imperial CityInside the Governor's palace in the imperial city, a lone rider on a resplendent white horse approaches the palace's store house turned make shift jail.
The guards stiffen to attention. Dismounting the rider asks, "Has anyone been in or out since the Bishop arrived?"
The ranking guard stiffens even more, "Sir! No Sir!"
"At ease. I'd like to speak with the prisoner."
"Sir! Yes Sir!" After a few moments fumbling with the keys, the guard opens the door, and the rider steps in.
A few seconds after that, the rider steps out, face betraying nothing, a crumpled piece of paper in a balled fist. "Bring Rowe here." after a split second of hesitation and confusion from the guards the rider snaps, "Now!"
There are many new happenings in the Imperial City. Bishop Alquinas has been found guilty of multiple counts of murder by a closed Imperial Court, and sentenced to a life sentence in an undisclosed labor camp. Archbishop Rowe, following the events in the Imperial Capital, has had a life altering experience. He has decided to resign his rank and enter a quite life as a lowly monk in a monastery far away from the political intrigues of the capital. Without the agitations of Rowe, and Alquinas and with the watchful eye of the Umberto there to supervise, a new Primarch has been selected by the Counsel Theologica. Primarch Rahavas, formerly Bishop Emeritus of the Pompeta Diocese, seems to be a competant and pious man but is a bit of a unknown in most political circles. It remains unclear how the new Primarch will steer the struggling church. In response to the mutilations on the behalf of Cerrak, and the heavy handed recruitment policies of Iurt, and several other pretenders, a new group is beginning to form. Several groups claiming to be "Mage Guilds" are forming and in many places joining together for added clout. Their main goal seems to be to protect fellow practitioners from "Join or die" recruitment tactics, although there are reported instances of them pooling resources to work larger projects and control the prices of their labor. Iurt's northern offensive has begun to slow to a crawl. Imperial commanders learning from past defeats have begun using new tactics to defeat the sieging armies. Strategically placed ballistas and archers ensure even after the walls inevitably fall, a brutal house by house fight still awaits the Shapers. As time passes fewer and fewer settlements choose to surrender, their resolve hardened by tales of Shaper brutality and the cruel experiments that happen behind Shaper lines. To exacherbate matters winter's frost comes early making keeping an army in the field a logistic nightmare. The hags of the woods warn that the cold north winds are the heralds of the Jotun, an ancient and powerful race of evil giants. So far no one has yet sighted one of these elusive beings. In Ferra, things have never seemed brighter, Ferra has brought the region a great deal of prosperity. New schools ensure that soon the citizens of Ferra will be far more educated than any in the world. Increasing prosperity means that even lower class families can afford to begin sending their children to school. In Nazhedria, mass emigration has stopped almost completely. Lowered taxes and improved conditions has convinced many to stay. Those who would still like to leave are too terrified of what might happen to themselves should they not manage to make good their escape. The entire situation has a bizarre air or both terror and happiness, a contented despair. The newly founded settlement of Martivir also seems to be thriving. Dispite fears, construction of housing was finished well before the onset of winter, and no families have been left in the cold. A prominent philosopher has commented that Martivir is without a doubt the romance capital of the world. The large numbers of freed slaves means that there are thousands of bachelors and bachelors. While not particularly influential, the pronouncement certainly hasn't hurt immigration rates. In Hoburg, Cerrak goes on the offensive. Outlying hamlets are sacked, with little or no resistance. Refugees flow south towards the city of Hoburg. Crops, left unharvested by dead or fled farmers begin to rot in fields. The Might of the Behemoth seems impotent. While the great statue crushes any resistance he encounters, the forces of Cerra are spread so thin, it makes no difference. Despite slaying hundreds of men and a hand full of golems, thousands more pour through into Hoburg, and the Behemoth retreats to defend the provinces capital. In the south, the forces of the Wanderer continue to flow north. Far from an expansionistic conquering army they only pacify the regions already in chaos. This tactic has left the provinces of the south a bizarre patchwork, with areas loyal to the empire, others to the Wanderer, and still others loyal to minor peaceful pretenders. With the warm mild winters of the south, it doesn't appear that the Wanderer will have to pause until spring's thaw. The fighting in the Warring provinces intensifies. Where before there were more then a dozen front runners, new alliances and defeats have narrowed it down to six surviving factions. In the old woods, the Children of Novena begging to prepare for war. The smoke of a hundred newly created forges mixes with the golden colors of the changing leaves. Umberto to Cerrak Keep up the good work!
The Hag to Cerrak What are you doing? Hoburg was no threat to anyone! Why can't you leave what's left of the Pankrator be? Hasn't he suffered enough? Aren't there more malicious pretenders you could abuse?
Cease what your doing, or there is no way that we can continue our alliance.
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Post by Rationalgoblin on Jul 16, 2010 0:32:59 GMT 1
Cerrak to Umberto Thank you. However, the Shona Hag expresses doubts about my choice of target. Now, I know that you do not believe that the glorified statue of Hoburg is the Pankrator, so why not prove it? I can bring the pacified Statue to the Imperial City, to prove his falsehood.
And if he proves to truly be your master, then we can continue to gain our redemption by opposing the wretched fools that sought to even take the little power he might have now.
We can hedge our bets quite easily either way.
Cerrak to the Hag I must apologize for my brutality in saying this, but Hoburg was doomed from the start. An upstart statue declaring itself a last vestige of the Pankrator? To the pretenders to his celestial throne, that is worse then an insult. As long as the Statue has any power whatsoever, they will seek to destroy him.
Powers greater then I despise the Pankrator, and wish to ensure his fall. I have no need to destroy the Pankratic Statue; but I have a vested interest in keeping his Empire as one.
I do indeed believe that the statue is at least in some way the Pankrator, but the statue must be removed of it's temporal influence if it is to survive. As it is, the Pankrator is too strong to ignore forever, but weak enough to remain a target.
Umberto does not believe that the statue is the Pankrator, and I need his help for a bit longer. But I swear on the honor of your Firbolgs, that I will not seek to destroy the Pankrator himself. I simply need to render him a non-entity in the eyes of Umberto and the world.
With the "defeat" of Hoburg, I can gain Umberto's full trust, and perhaps guide him into recognizing the Statue as his master.
But I'll need your help in this, Hag. I need your small influence to help me mediate with both sides. Please, help me, so I can help the Pankrator.
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