Part 211: Sauro - Turns 34-35
Turn 34
So, I'm an idiot and I forgot to bring the commander with my cataphract blockers. That mistake--combined with the knowledge that TheDemon's dangerous pack of Gana is to the north of his capitol--dictates my next move. The Gana can move south of TheDemon's capitol and intercept my army. Even with the cataphract blockers that matchup is less than ideal because my poisonous arrows are less effective against ethereal undead than they are against... well, nearly anybody else. Without them it is not a risk I'm willing to take.
At this point buildscharacter and I are coordinating intel and I have thorough scout coverage on Lanka's island. I know that Lanka's army in Vepitre (between Hinnom's bridge and mine on Lanka's island) is slightly more dangerous to me than the survivors of the counterattack against the barbarians just south of Lanka's capitol. I also know that those Ganas I mentioned can reach the province south of Lanka's capitol in one turn of movement, but they cannot reach that midwestern province. So if I want to have the best chance of preventing TheDemon from taking the peninsula behind me then I need to send the bulk of my army to that midwestern province, and let the cataphracts handle defense in the peninsula.
My first shipment of blood slaves has come into the labs from the field and I immediately distribute every single one to the temples and forges for use. Waste not, want not!
Dominion Watch: 10 candles (down from 12)
Wrath of Rainbow: 78 (previous turns) + 18 (3 wounded) + 12 (1 killed) = 108 gold
Irrational Objectives:
1. Control the entire isthmus.
2. Extract an air mage from buildscharacter.
3. Complete Project X.
4. Extract blood price from Arcoscephale (108 gold).
Turn 35
This turn is more interesting than it may first appear. Most of the battles don't involve me directly, but there are a couple of related messages that I'd like to discuss. I received a Ring of Water Breathing that I got in trade with Hinnom, and one of my Witch Kings cast Summon Shades. That is a Conjuration 2 spell that costs 5 Death gems and gets me four of these:
It would might have been more effective to cast Summon Shade Beasts, which is Conjuration 4 and costs 20 Death gems for 15 critters that are very similar. If you check the messages above you'll notice that I just hit a new level of Conjuration research. Coincidentally, that's level 4! I didn't want to wait around, and really I didn't feel like I needed a whole mess of Shades, just a few to act as bodyguards.
They are ethereal (a trait we've discussed) and amphibious, so I am putting them under the command of a Witch King with that ring I just received, scripting him to spam Raise Skeletons, and heading into the adjacent ocean province. I need to expand some way, some how, or I'm going to get wiped out. Hell, my dominion is struggling so badly that I may get wiped out regardless.
Of the battle reports listed, only one of them involves me. My big army took Vepitre from Lanka without any casualties. It's really not that interesting. However, as you can see the shape of the map now means that both my large army and the squad of Cataphract blockers each have only one Lankan province bordering them. Hinnom is covering my flank. I order both armies to converge on Remecia, where my scouts tell me there are only a handful of Palankashas (probably led by a single Raksharaja).
Hinnom and I seem to have the momentum now. It's only a matter of time before we can string up a big "Mission Accomplished" banner on a Hinnomese warship while King Hippomnomnomnom gives a stirring speech about allies and forces of darkness and such. Frankly the cannibals of Sauromatia are tired of fighting the cannibals of Lanka, with or without the cannibals of Hinnom. I mean really, we're all man-eaters here. We should have been able to get along with one another from the start.
Dominion Watch: 12 candles (up from 10)
Wrath of Rainbow: 108 (previous turns) + 36 (6 wounded) + 12 (1 killed) = 156 gold
Irrational Objectives:
1. Control the entire isthmus.
2. Extract an air mage from buildscharacter.
3. Complete Project X.
4. Extract blood price from Arcoscephale (156 gold).