Turn #13, Spring of Year 2
Woodland surprise.
This month there are no travellers bringing word from afar of events in distant lands.
While digging in a ravine in the Well of All Waters for more water gems, the prospectors find a single earth gem.
My force at Pythium, in this sixth month of the siege, breach the walls of the citadel!
In the Feral Woods, my avatar confronts a druid, nine Vine Men, and three Vine Ogres. Jorgun begins in the very rear, as has been his tactic for the past few months.
Defensive spell scripting is: Personal Luck, Body Ethereal, Astral Shield, Resist Magic, and Astral Weapon. Followed by 'attack closest'. The wyrm, an unrepentant carnivore and detesting such vegetarian fare, nonetheless eats all of the vine creatures, taking numerous hits (36 HPs worth) while dining, despite his tough physical and magical defenses. The druid, after casting a pair of defensive spells, fruitlessly attempts to put my avatar to sleep no less than five times. Stupidly stubborn, or just not very creative of him. After all his leafy creatures are no more, he flees the field, and goes into deep hiding in the woods, never to be seen again.
Jorgun adds 12 kills and 17 trophies to his tally! He discovers a laboratory in the Feral Woods that was built by Pythium. This is very fortunate for me, as I will be able to equip my avatar for the coming castle-storming with a few magical items, built using my mages' recently-gained construction skills, without the delay entailed in ferrying items from Jotunheim. It will also permit me to use my avatar for magical research as the items are built by other mages.
Tahmar arrives in Pythium with his half-score of longdead and half-dozen Jotun spearmen, while Bdvar reports from Helmshire the presence of some two-score fanatics (aka: modded militia), archers, and heavy footmen.
The number of dissenters declines by one in the Iron Range, Gwyrth and Eribon, and by two in Bel and the Well of All Waters.
The Skratti Tunne joins the coven at Jotunheim, which achieves mastery of the third rank of 'Construction' magics, and report that they expect to achieve the much-desired fourth rank by next month. As this, fourth, level will be sufficient for my needs at present, I instruct that they should commence studies into 'Conjuration' magics immediately.
This Skratti has 2W, 1N, and 2B. I was hoping for 3W, but 1N is very nice.
My realm has:
- __8 Provinces (+Pythium under seige)
- 291 Treasury.
- 472 Income. (+33)
- 178 Upkeep. (+17)
- 126 Resources in the capital. (+1)
- _82 RPs
Gem income is:
- +3 Water (06)
- +0 Earth (01)
- +3 Astral (39)
- +1 Death (05)
- +2 Nature (21)
I recruit a Seithkona to join my coven, as well as a Jotun spearman and four Jotun huskarls (w/spear). I increase the provincial defense of the Iron Range to ten Jotun militias (+3 increase), and raise one provincial defender in the Feral Woods. These preparations drain the treasury of 288 coins.
My prophet Grymis has made no further progress proselytizing to the inhabitants of the farmlands surrounding the citadel of Pythium this month, but continues his preaching as there remain a stubborn core of adherents to the snake faith. Tahmar, handing over his longdead troops to Urd, and the living ones to Bove, heads back to the Alps. Ualgo and his five Jotun bodyguards march from the Alps to join the camp at Pythium. From Helmshire, Bdvar next heads east into the plains of Tesifon (#58). My avatar remains in the lab within the Feral Woods, conducting magical research, and spreading his influence (dominion) into the area. The Seithkona Sigyn commences construction of a Horror Helm (for Jorgun), and all 5 of the death gems in the treasury are set aside for this task.
PS - All provinces with positive dominion, except my capital and the adjacent Iron Range (both at Cold-2), remain at Cold-1.