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>>3806665
Nation creation guide:
How the elements work:
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/china-five-elements-philosophy.htm
The basic 5 elements work on a system of mutual strengthening and weakening. Between benders are Overcoming interactions which weaken the element which the red arrows points to, while Generating Interactions strengthen users of both elements when they are near each other. As an example of this dichotomy is found in if we say we have a member of the Fire race, the Earth race and the Wood Race all in the same room. The Fire race would be the strongest as they are being empowered by both Wood and Earth while the Wood race would be second strongest as they are being powered up by the Fire race. The Earth race would be weakest at a neutral empowerment as they are being weakened by the Wood yet empowered by the Fire. New Elements have been integrated into the chart, now there can be 10 in the world, two slots are currently left unfilled.
Resources:
Different resources will give advantages to your nation, for instance if you have a horse icon under your nation and have used an action to domesticate those beasts you will now be able to field fire throwing Calvary and have something to help with your agriculture. Most important among the resources is probably the Salt resource which boosts your meat based foods and thus national nutrition through the introduction of low time preference salted meat trading. And as something that makes potatoe and cabbage soup that your nation's populace sustains upon a little less bland.

=======================================================================================================================================
Background Fluff:
>From the depths ancient constructs and magics twist and turn, from the depths in ancient tombs, vaults meant to stand the tests of father time along with from the time capsules of civilizations long dead and the cursed grave sights of massacres long forgotten beasts reform. Minds meld back as the souls of the dead are thrust back into the material world. Your nation is alive once more, they can only remember how to crudely reform their ancient societies though, and they need your guidance. But blessed with your elemental sign they are forged anew, their potential is up to you to unlock, so from the places unknown in a world so dead they beckon to your, my lord. Can you build them back up? Can you reform the dead from the ashes? Can you create a civilization that will stand the test of time?

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>>3806676
(continued)
(starting template)
Starting Location:
Nation Name:
Capitol Name:
Nation Colors: (primary and secondary)
Race Name:
Race description/links/abilities:
Element:
Elemental Passive Ability:
Summary of Nation:
Fluff (optional):
Starting Crop: (pick an irl staple crop and slap it in here, keep in mind your crop might fail early on if you decide watermelons are a good idea in the dry plains, I will use this crop and your nations biology and culture to figure out what variation of a government they will use)

Elemental Passive Ability:
EPAs are an exception to the rule. They are an elemental based trait which allows for strange and unique abilities to manifest, for instance if you are the metal nation you can give your dudes the ability to eat metal and integrate that metal into their physiology, you want bones of steel? Feet of mercury or the density of lead? Just do that and watch as your mines run dry from over consumption and your enemies die of mercury and lead poisoning after they go in to take your land! Or perhaps you give your men of metal a sixth sense which allows them to sniff out metal both underground and above, or instead you could allow them to become one with their metal weapons, allowing you to forge shells of metal which they can grow into over the course of a few weeks. The abilities are vast and full of potential so use them well.

=======================================================================================================================================
Discord: https://discord.gg/v8DCrWu

It's here use it

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>>3806677
The Last Few Threads:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3636731/
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3678802/
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3723090/
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3767352/ ( >>3767352 )

(responses to the last thread)
>>3801586
Due to the higher elevation of the moat when compared to the canal because of differences in ground level height between the sea and the mine the water must be elementally transported thus leaving the supply of constant water possibly open to being cut off in the future by enemy forces. Thankfully the constant storm support from the sea helps to keep the moats full despite the loss of the convenient river.

Water hardening is still a technique relegated to the formation of aqua blades due to how difficult it is just to get a hard edge going but through the use of water blades aided by the storm support some projectiles can be neutralized mid air, helping to keep the fortifications reasonably robust in the face of bombardments.

Sadly some of the bigger projectiles can prove still troublesome even after being sliced in two.

The spy group discovers the dam protecting the river from flowing once more and manage to open up a large portion of it before being driven off. Sadly the enemy had backup systems so now the river is now fully diverted for the time being. The information of its whereabouts though might help in a counter offensive in the future. Though the importance of the water that did come in cannot be understated as it very likely halted the movement of enemy supplies for the briefest of lengths of time giving the defenders just a little more breathing room.

A northern area of the city was briefly captured and ranged encampments were set up there. This portion remains a bastion of the enemy though thankfully that area was mostly useless anyways.


>>3802158
The old tribal ways of organizing begin to lose their luster as more modern forms of organization take their place.

The communication advantage is indeed powerful but only works for bulk deals and not many kinds of luxury deals due to sonarii air caravans being many times quicker than the best carriages, and due to the high costs involved in hiring sonarri to do missions for volter merchants and the way word can spread the tradesmen of the thunder goats often come up short in comparison to the already established sonarii merchants, who have gained a fair level of investment from sonarii of their empire in response to the threat of a new dominant force in trade.

Due to the costs involved in transporting grain through the deserts and mountains the population of the volt goats is proving to have very high material living standards while living off of only a bunch over subsistence level living agriculturally. Though even still the population has seem massive growth when compared to the short age of isolation.

>>3806679
>>3802390
Rock systems are set up along a few of the major highways but find their use mostly in surprisingly fortresses especially on the frontlines of the war, where make shift lines of these rocks help improve communication substantially.

Exotic Oni weaponry is traded to newly hired minotaur warbands in bulk, this increases the proportions of minotaurs in the army so that they make up about one quarter of the assault troops of the war, they prove excellent shock troops and their projected darkness can help units move around in the city without as much fear of being fired upon by arrows, darts of spouts of water.

Most of the city walls remain unbreached but an opening is created in the north, allowing substantial amounts of artillery to be carted into a defensive position in the city before a large force of tarn can come through and smash any attempts at movement through stealthily swimming through the moat which due to a lack of decent means of filling it remains a potent problem.


>>3803480
half of the 10 (water tiles) of sea have now been islandized, the Iron Guide is of course incredibly grateful and has publicly declared
the Plagasm an enemy of the empire no longer.

A smaller ritual manages to snag the new ruins, though a larger government funded operation will need to be carried out using tarnish hired men for doing the bulk of the exploration and a small fleet of ships along with supply ships will need to be sent as well. The Iron Empire of course has offered a few ships for supply running and stationary operations as long as a cut of the food and goodies found in the ruins is allocated to them. One of the ruins will need to be chosen at a time sadly due to overfunding concerns.


>>3804108
Three enemy bastions (minor ones when compared to the capitol, all former major towns)remain and the desert is proving especially tiresome due to the seeming ability of the undead to slip into dormancy for annoyingly long periods of time before popping out of the sands right when a burned men patrol is walking by.

Due to a lack of a decent form of mobility besides horses the carts have limited offensive potential but are excellent for ambushes and defensive fighting.

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>>3806679
***Nation Catch Ups***

The Burned Men (color, orange and red)
After a long and horrible war in a land once called their own the Golden Dawn stands as one of the mightiest among the powers of the World. They are Fire Benders, master of the craft of the flame and the artisans of the mighty Ballista, the Steamy Ship, the golems of the fungal forest and of the art of immortality.

The Fungal Forest (color, magenta and blue)
An ancient collection of foliage, mushrooms and mold stands ever still in the face of both the Oni and the Burned men, perhaps long ago they were a respectable people but even before they were met with the burned men their fungus consumed them. Turning them into little more than a mysterious and toxic jungle. Now only the few burned men who are strong willed enough to maintain their spore masks live there, cutting down the massive trees of the forest in order to harvest the core wood using their trusted Rune Golems.

The Oni (color, Red and White)
A divided people whose love of war is only exceed by their wanting of good battle and respect for the realm of the spirits. They are a mystical people who derive their powers from the spirits of the dead. Currently one of their clans is fighting a large war with the Tarn for the ever important mine of phosphate. They may be fragmented and their only current war monger is small but even still using their access to the powerful force powered artillery of the last true Totu Queen and her subjects they are proving themselves a worthy pest to the great empire of Tarn.

The Volt Goats (color, Blue and White)
The newest nation on the scene of the world these plucky goats of thunder and flight (they can't fly that was a pun on being able run away very quickly) have proven themselves very capable of being influential even with their land being so comparatively useless. Their powermancers now lie in most of the major cities of the world, sending out signals so that messages can be sent at speeds previously unthinkable by even the flight of the Sonarii.

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>>3806698
The Sonarii (color, Dark Blue and Red)
A free ranged race of bat like people this nation composes a massive decentralized area of the world with borders on at least five nations. They have gone through many instances of internal strife and are the nation responsible for the destruction of the Totu Empire, they dominate trade like no other due to their massive mobility advantage and sonarii can be found to live in almost every kind of biome in the world, from jungles to tundras and in the mountains along with the a colony in the far north under the Golden Dawn.

The Second Iron Empire and Haze (colors, grey and black and black and light blue respectively)
Once a proud empire whose hunger for land was their downfall now the Second Iron Empire is the friend of their former target of racial cleansing. Sadly now they have a new hunger, a hunger for food as the closing of the great rift storm seems to have coincided with the loss of their main source of food, their fishing industry. Now they are forced to import a large portion of their food from the plagasm all the while their neighbor to the north, the Haze (a product of the military schism of the first war) still refuses food aid in order to keep up their small population size and so that they can send their goods off at the expense of the Iron People.

The People of Tarn (colors, Cyan and Light blue, Dark Blue and Light Blue)
The Tarnish people are currently embroiled in a war over the lynchpin of their entire civilization, the phosphate mines. They are an expansive water living people whose technology is relatively primitive, instead of metal they have chosen nature to be its patron as they move the sea itself in order to fuel their massive fish and spillit based agriculture. They are currently divided into the northern and southern tarn due to a rift which blocked off the phosphate from the majority of the empire but perhaps this war will help to bring them closer together once more.

The Minotaurs (Colors, black and brown)
In the Mountains lies a race of darkness, a beastial people whose raiding has pillaged many a lands. They are upkept in their labyrinths currently and are mostly irrelevant to nations it does not border due to being stagnate and tribal.

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>>3806812
The Totu Krurt (no colors currently as they have been conquered fully and Gurtand is their last true city left)
A once mighty desert race whose force allowed them to put up a truly mighty fight against the sonarii. They have invented many marvelous technologies out in the desert such as force artillery, anti air batteries and advanced desert agriculture. Currently their populations rest in the Sonarii and necrotic empires as a servant race along with in the Oni as a vassal race. Some say beneath the sands they still plot that lonely remnant, biding their time until they can once again call the desert their domain.

The Necrotics (colors, green and yellow)
A people of the mind this race has built for itself large swaths of archetexture using their mastery of stone and dirt. They have discovered many ancient wonders including a great ship, many ruins and a portal to the far north. Though they may not be of many words they are certainly nothing to ignore when it comes to the global scene.

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>>3806814
more of the map

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>>3806818

Starting Location: Southern New World
Nation Name: Hingashi
Capitol Name: Hinga
Nation Colors: White, Black
Race Name: Osuzumebachi
Race description/links/abilities: The ōsuzumebachi (or Osuzu for short) are a species of giant intelligent hornets. While all Osuzu are semi-intelligent, they all bow to the rule of a Queen-Mother, which is responsible for the creation and maintenance of a hive. As such, opposition to a Queen is unthinkable, but conflicts between Queens and Princesses are all too common. Osuzu do not have a hive-mind, and do have a spoken language that is a mix of vocal sounds, chemical signals picked up by antennae, and body movement. Hives can be found in numerous places, but most commonly in carefully excavated and elaborate mountain, hill, and even carefully dug below-ground cities.
Element: Earth
Elemental Passive Ability: Earth-Melding - The Osuzu's connection with earth allows them to move and shape earth into different forms. Overwhelmingly, this power is used to form the large earthen cities they live in but it's also used for some limited industry as well.
Summary of Nation: Hingashi is a fractured land of over a dozen Hives. A part of the species myth is that in eons past there was once a High Queen that birthed their race, and it is this mantle that all Queens and Princesses scheme and fight to acquire.
Fluff (optional): Hingashi has a serious ronin problem. As male Osuzu fly from Hive to Hive offering their services and seeking status and position they will, in the process of their wandering, inevitably fall prey to the demons of alcoholism. Over-consumption of raw Honeyroot is no different than crushing bottles of mead - which it is used to make - and this means that one of the most pressing problems villagers face is roving bands of drunk angry homeless hornets. The Hives are pretty nice though. Hingashi is not technologically advanced, and despite it's frequent inter-queendom conflicts it does not have a high degree of military advancement. Metal production is nearly non-existent, and most fighting is handled with bows, stingers and, powerful rending jaws.
Starting Crop: Honeyroot - A naturally sweet root that provides a similar degree of nutrition to wheat. It provides the basis of all Hingashi commerce and agriculture, as the sweet sugars and nutritious content is essential for the rearing of young.

>>3807060
Join the discord, we must talk
It’s at the bottom of >>3806677

>>3806665
Turn 1: The increasingly worrying situation at the Old City has put new fire under the war effort. An even more expansive and forceful recruitment effort is begun, drawing thousands of fresh recruits into the war effort. Even the Southern Tarn offer up some forces to help the war. The recruits are trained in Hamet by veteran soldiers before being deployed up the line at the city. Hopefully, they will be enough to stop the seemingly relentless dryface expansion.

Turn 2: Efforts into discovering a suitable counter to the skybolts is redoubled as the enemy has somehow managed to place them within the city. A group of Bender-scholars are brought from the city of Rakka in order to discover a solution. One scholar proposes accelerating the rain from the sky to produce pounding torrents, breaking the artillery into pieces. Another offers up the idea of spraying water on the intruders, then bending it wildly to tear the equipment apart at the seams. Every idea, no matter how ludicrous,is considered and attempted.

War Action: The walls of the city are the primary reason that the Tarnish army has been able to hold out for so long. Ensuring their security is of paramount importance. As the sun rises, the full brunt of the Tarnish army attacks the forward camp the Oni’s have constructed. Their primary goal is to rout the camp and retake the northern part of the city, with secondary goals of taking prisoners and capturing some sky-bolt devices for further study.

>>3807088
Says the link is expired.

The Polity has a bunch of problems but also a plan to solve them all at once. Nobody should be surprised. But it's going to take some time and effort to see Project Magnetion to completion.

Action 1: The Great Foundries Of Volt Vault
The Polity needs refined metals, fast, lots, now. And it knows how to get there quickly. Using its influential presence abroad and drawing from its sizeable capital, the Polity invests to set up a huge metal refining furnace system within the safety of Volt Vault's vicinity. However, the Polity's grand plans are to create the most efficient, state-of-the art foundry that exists in the world to melt all the various ores of Thunder Mountains, a feat it's going to accomplish by combining the elemental abilities of burned men and necrotics. The Polity uses its extensive diplomatic network to circulate an advertisement campaign towards the disenfranchised and poor folks of the Golden Dawn and the Plagasm, promising them a fairly paid job, a place to settle their family (with installation costs graciously paid for) and the same basic rights as any volter (food, shelter, salt, and clan representation). Governing officials for each of these places are also paid a generous fee for each family that takes the offer, to avoid any ill will. The necrotics are put to work in the mines, and volter merchants bring that ore to the furnaces, where elementally-empowered teams of 'blazers' and 'necros' melt and strike the mineral to unrivalled perfection for a comparatively low cost. Soon enough the great foundries of Volt Vault will make volter steel renowned for its quality and efficiency, abroad and at home, as all volter things should be.

Action 2: The Engineering Clan
Machines are simple concepts on their own, with potential for super-complex applications. A pulley is a machine, a siege engine another, and they work roughly on the same principle, though at a vastly different rate of complexity. To create machines that will relieve the common man of hard labor and bring back the Polity to the world of tommorrow needs the creating of a specialist clan, the Volkon. The Volkon counts the most pragmatic, practical minds of the polity, and its job is to solve problems, improve things, and research new ways of doing both. There is a lot of work for them in the immediate future, and the Volkon's first order of business is to start with low-grade machines that help industrial and farming output, before the Polity inevitably requests them to get started on the Magnetion project.

>>3806665
>>The Yokai Lords

>1: Trade Guilds
As the Oni Domains are located in a focal point between several nations, the increase in trade because of the Volt Polity has not gone unnoticed. Yokai Lord Giib, seeing a perfect opportunity to make use of their robust roads, begins funding trade guilds to act as middle men for caravans and envoys of different nations; Providing labor, accounting, and protection along their roads. Yokai Lord Giib pushes the young Yokai Lord Mun to do the same, so as to make the most of his centralized location.

>2: Invest in Spiritual Powers
Though Yokai Lord Tonglo has had a distinct advantage in terms of material, tactics, and devices for war, there are two major advantages the fishmen have had over her. Their numbers, which unless she were to bend the knee to Giib and Mun, isn't going to change any time soon. And the sheer mastery of their bending of water. Such control and power in the waves and storms they throw at the Oni is nothing short of awe inspiring. This is a deficiency that must change sooner rather than later. Sending requests to both Yokai Lords Mun and Yugji, whom have had numerous children with accomplished Mediums as well as general investment with the Elseworld-Sect, she searches for new talents that might have born fruit or could prove useful in her fight against the fishmen.

>War Action: Secondary Push against the Salt Mines
With an initial foothold in the Ruins established, Yokai Lord Tonglo needs to do something about the fishmen's numbers before they can push them back with a wall of dead bodies.
Tonglo sends one of her favorite guard captains and his men to begin teaching several bands of Minotaurs the tactics and fighting styles of the Oni. Encouraging the various chieftains of Black Metal to assist in their push against the Salt Mines. Promising the Minotaurs that they will be allowed to keep the salt mines if they manage to take and hold it. While well defended against raiding parties, Tonglo hopes that a more organized and focused assault will prove too much for the mine's defenses, and force the fishmen to spread their forces thinner.

Diplomacy: Sonarii

The Volter ambassador in Chalkeat provides the Sonarii leadership with the draft of what he calls the Treaty of Fair Skies

"Clause 1: The Polity extends an official alliance proposition to the Sonarii, bringing both nations together and binding them by oath not to be broken under penalty of international dishonour. Both peoples officially announce their friendship, shall seek cooperation with one another, trade fairly, and should one be the victim of heinous and despicable aggression, its counterpart is honourbound to bring it swift and diligent salvation, and aid it in whatever way it is able. The proposed name for said alliance should be The Sky League, Sky Alliance, Concord of Heaven... This Clause must be agreed upon if the treaty is to thrive.

Clause 2: A Trade League is to be created between both parties. Sonarii and Volter merchants are not to hinder nor compete with one another and shall cooperate under a jointly-led operation in which the strenghts and advantages, as well as the profits, shall be shared between the two nations. The Volt Polity shall put to disposal its international network of traders and diplomats as well as its electrocommunication abilities. The Sonarii kingdom shall put to disposal its air coursers and caravans, and merge its postal service with the joint information exchange system. Both trade networks shall merge. Trade disputes are to be settled by a joint trade council of equal part volter and sonarii. The organism overlooking the Trade League shall be named the Sky Guild. A great trade route shall course from Volt Vault to New Glecoone and Chalkeat, and through all cities of the world in its path, splitting at Damheust, and this shall be the first work of the Sky Guild.

Clause 3: A permanent Volter embassy is to be established in Chalkeat and it shall enjoy diplomatic immunity and protection. A Sonarii counterpart shall be housed within Volt Vault.

Clause 4: A Research Agreement is arranged between both parties, Sonarii and Volter scholars and engineers are to share and enjoy each other's wisdom in all ways that benefits the resolution of Project Thunderbird, and the fruits of such labor shall be received equally.

Clause 5: This contract goes forth by the will, agreement, and under wise guidance of Thunna, god of Thunder, and Szélfelet, god of the open sky. To violate it is to commit blasphemy and invite divine retribution.

By the Thunder in the sky and graceful Wind, may our peoples stand prosperous in their friendship."

The Dokori clan ambassador in Chalkeat henceforth awaits for the Sonarii king to ratify the contract's clauses, and sign the Treaty of Fair Skies. Fair Winds and Thunderous Skies!

>>3807243
>Diplomacy: Yokai Lords
The Polity welcomes the amenities dedicated to free market trade, and moves to secure an early deal for itself and the future Sky Guild. On behalf of its merchants a thank you message is forwarded to Lord Giib.

'We are thankful to now be able to depend upon legal help and trustworthy hands for the handling of our transactions, which lowers the risk and cost of our ventures. Trade-friendly initiatives such as these empower us to increase trade to, through and from your nation, and you will always find a ready partner in fair deals with us.'

>>3802298
The new city of lansou is quite decentralized as of yet due to it being made up mostly of hunters and explorers but it is still notable nonetheless and thus can be reasonably put on a map.

Attempts to turn the venom into a gas fail though it is found that it can be baked into food while retaining its usual potency.

>>3807384
>>3802293

>>3806682
Action 1: start studying the ruins
Action 2: start a sea expedition around iron waters

>>3806665

Action 1:

The city of Tiztaváros is set up in the deserts as a home for those 'clean' Totu who have well adopted the ways imposed upon them by the Sonarii - Servitude to Sonaria, Cleanliness in mind and body, Diligence in all working endevours and faithfulness to Szélfelet. The reward for a lifetime of loyalty will be the freedom to live for themselves again, it is hoped that these new 'Tizta' people will prove an encouragement for the new way. If there is any Princess has proven her constant loyalty to the Sonarii to the same degree then she will be allowed the status of Duchess of the Tizta, but this is dependent on the right individual being available.

Action 2:

With Sky-Carts and Canon, it was only a matter of time before a combination was attempted. The benefits seem obvious, the sky cart giving the Canon a wide degree of Arial movement and the protection of a hull for any crewmen.

Diplomacy: Plagasm
>>3808558

The Sonarii ask their Necrotic allies for permission to study their skycraft.

Diplomacy: Volt
The Sonarii King reviews the draft of the treaty of fair skies. Broadly, he finds the intent agreeable; but there are some specifics and clauses he would suggest for the tweaking, if not wholesale rewriting. For one, Sonariia does not run a monopoly of trade - Sonarii merchants compete with each other as they do with outsiders; and whilst he would not wish for Sonarii and Volter merchants to hinder one another unduly, he cannot sign a treaty that forbids even fair competition between individuals, as clause 2 would. Moreover, whilst he approves of cooperation, the Sonarii postal service is an arm of the Sonarii state... a full merger of the Electrocommunications network with the postal service would therefore involve merging arms of both nations into one to such an extent that sovereignty would have to be pooled to a greater extent then a simple adjudication council could hold sway over. There are ways this could be done, of course; and the Sonarii would welcome the Volt as a Mercentile client-state if the Polity decide upon this specific route.

His greatest concern, however, is the fact that Sonaria and the Polity do not yet share a mutual border over which such transfers and exchanges can easily occur, and until one can be established any network would be hard to link and mesh together. There are ways around this, too; if the Volt continue their southward push along the eastern coast and seas a border might soon be established. If not, then there might be need of intermediaries or even a tripartate treaty that would bring Plagasm or the Golden Dawn into the pact as well.

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>>3808875

>>3808875
The Polity presents a rewritten treaty. It's of course out of the question that they become any form of client-state but Clause 2 is reworked while Clause 6 is added.


"Clause 1: The Polity extends an official alliance proposition to the Sonarii, bringing both nations together and binding them by oath not to be broken under penalty of international dishonour. Both peoples officially announce their friendship, shall seek cooperation with one another, trade fairly, and should one be the victim of heinous and despicable aggression, its counterpart is honourbound to bring it swift and diligent salvation, and aid it in whatever way it is able. The proposed name for said alliance should be The Sky League, Sky Alliance, Concord of Heaven... This Clause must be agreed upon if the treaty is to thrive.

Clause 2, Revised: A Trade League is to be created between both parties. Sonarii and Volter merchants are not to hinder nor compete with one another in manners beyond fair competition and shall cooperate under a jointly-led operation in which the strenghts and advantages, as well as the profits, shall be shared between the two nations. The Volt Polity shall put to disposal its international network of traders and diplomats, its investment banking as well as its electrocommunication abilities. The Sonarii kingdom shall put to disposal its air coursers and caravans, as well as its postal services. The services of both factions shall be offered to each other for the same prices and rates that they are offered to their own citizens. Both trade networks shall not merge. Trade disputes are to be settled by a joint trade council of equal part volter and sonarii. The organism overlooking the Trade League shall be named the Sky Guild. A great trade route shall course from Volt Vault to New Glecoone and Chalkeat, and through all cities of the world in its path, splitting at Damheust, and this shall be the first work of the Sky Guild.

Clause 3: A permanent Volter embassy is to be established in Chalkeat and it shall enjoy diplomatic immunity and protection. A Sonarii counterpart shall be housed within Volt Vault.

Clause 4: A Research Agreement is arranged between both parties, Sonarii and Volter scholars and engineers are to share and enjoy each other's wisdom in all ways that benefits the resolution of Project Thunderbird, and the fruits of such labor shall be received equally.

Clause 5: This contract goes forth by the will, agreement, and under wise guidance of Thunna, god of Thunder, and Szélfelet, god of the open sky. To violate it is to commit blasphemy and invite divine retribution.

Clause 6, added: The two nations shall endeavour to seek a common border so as to facilitate the operations specified within the Treaty, or work a suitable deal with a third party that would enable free access to one another.

By the Thunder in the sky and graceful Wind, may our peoples stand prosperous in their friendship."

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>>3807060
Revised Starting template:
Starting Location: Southern New World
Nation Name: Hingashi
Capitol Name: Hinga
Nation Colors: White, Black
Race Name: Osuzumebachi
Race description/links/abilities: The ōsuzumebachi (or Osuzu for short) are a species of giant intelligent hornets. While all Osuzu are semi-intelligent, they all bow to the rule of a Queen-Mother, which is responsible for the creation and maintenance of a hive. As such, opposition to a Queen is unthinkable, but conflicts between Queens and Princesses are all too common. Osuzu do not have a hive-mind, and do have a spoken language that is a mix of vocal sounds, chemical signals picked up by antennae, and body movement. Hives can be found in numerous places, but most commonly in carefully excavated and elaborate mountain, hill, and even carefully dug below-ground cities.
Element: Force
Elemental Passive Ability: (Earth-Melding changed to a standard hive based species ability of saliva based building materials with jaws which can comfortably chop through stone) Not yet decided
Summary of Nation: Hingashi is a fractured land of over a dozen Hives. A part of the species myth is that in eons past there was once a High Queen that birthed their race, and it is this mantle that all Queens and Princesses scheme and fight to acquire.
Fluff (optional): Hingashi has a serious ronin problem. As male Osuzu fly from Hive to Hive offering their services and seeking status and position they will, in the process of their wandering, inevitably fall prey to the demons of alcoholism. Over-consumption of raw Honeyroot is no different than crushing bottles of mead - which it is used to make - and this means that one of the most pressing problems villagers face is roving bands of drunk angry homeless hornets. The Hives are pretty nice though. Hingashi is not technologically advanced, and despite it's frequent inter-queendom conflicts it does not have a high degree of military advancement. Metal production is nearly non-existent, and most fighting is handled with bows, stingers and, powerful rending jaws.
Starting Crop: Honeyroot - A naturally sweet root that provides a similar degree of nutrition to wheat. It provides the basis of all Hingashi commerce and agriculture, as the sweet sugars and nutritious content is essential for the rearing of young.

>>3807102
The northern portion which was taken is reconquered using even heavy storm support, though the issue of the far superior metal tools of the enemy in comparison to the outdated metals and weapons used by the tarnish forces.

Due to the distance between the fortifications and the enemy encampments "hard rain" techniques fail for the most part even in the deflection of enemy bombardments. Although thats not to say they don't help on occasion, the water spraying technique also fails as similar techniques were already used to greater effect such as ranged aquatic blades and knocking over intruders using generated waves in the deeper puddles and in the moat.

Every theorized kind of device is recovered and sadly they all seem to share one thing in common with the exception of the balista: They are all made primarily of metal, and especially metals such as iron which the Tarn do not have ready access to nor any smelteries of a size and skill large enough to readily produce them. The possibility of adapting these designs to be tarn powered are not yet ready and thus much investment into prototypes and mass production must be taken before any hope of deploying such a device onto the field can be fulfilled.

>>3807150
( >>3808558 also burned men, if you have any qualms with this action by the volters please say)
Sources of Iron, Copper, Silver and Tin are found in the rich mountain range, all smelted down in the great founderies. Sadly whether due to a lack of discovered coal reserves the refineries have to resort to burning imported coal or through the burning of a thick, black liquid found in a few areas of the mountain which burns relatively quickly but does so brightly and is currently cheaper than imported coke in some areas. The refineries are placed relatively out of the way of the main settlements and especially the towers due to the necrotic tendency to weaken nearby volters.

Foreign technologies are bought and studied by the new clan, leading to a few fairly mundane combinations of technologies which help improve irrigation and architecture but also greatly improve the metallurgy of the polity.

>>3807243
Oni trade guilds begin to cooperate, collectively raising the prices of passage and accommodations due to the monopoly the oni have on trade between the burned men and beyond over their lands.

The mediums seem unable to provide much help say for adding more very powerful spirit benders to the ranks of the army but along the way another offer is found. From the slums of Giib and much of the country side an organization of Oni is found who specialize in the art of the dark spirits, they are known as the Dodug. They are made up of many different criminal families who have found themselves the influence to essentially control much of the countryside and poorer areas of giib using the threat of their elite evil spirit enforcers. They are masters of stealth and subterfuge more so than any other group in all of the land and can offer their service for a hefty but manageable price. Though their numbers are too small to be used as scouts for most of the army they can promise that they can rend the heads from the enemies of Tonglo in order to sow the chaos needed to take the mines.

A even larger force of minotaurs are now under the command of the Oni, ready to pillage the city with as much loot as they can carry. Along with this a smaller force mostly made up of minotaurs already under Oni command are trained so that they can follow orders much more soundly along with actually providing decent darkness cover and other utilities to their allies.

>>3807277
No loyal princesses are currently available, though perhaps in the future one will see the light and join her people as a loyal queen who serves Szélfelet as a testament to the civilizing efforts of the noble sonarii.

Current sky carts are too small and light to accurately fire canons down bellow. Though smaller built in arrow batteries fired using a similar compression technique do seem to work out, though even still traditional sonarii archers and even rock throwers seem to be more effective at essentially every task an armed sky cart could try to attempt.

>>3810985
Well we kinda already have foundries in our cities, I do not see why Burned Men would go live among the goats to do the same work they could among their own people.

ALSO

1. The improved ballistas mentioned in pm, safe zone network for east of Dawn's Spine

2. More urban development.

>>3810993
(By urban development, founding the city of Asura on the Eastern coast along with general improvements for our growing pop and moving peoples.)

>>3810980
>>The Yokai Lords

>1: The Alaee Syndicate
With Tonglo's formation of the Eoduun Corps, and the recent discovery of the decentralized Dodug, the various Yokai Lords begin investing in the two groups until a new foundation is established. Bringing in many Dodug with promises of long term employment, pardons, and good pay or family support. The professional, well-equipped, and properly-trained Eoduun take in the innate skill and ruthlessness of the Dodug. Forming the Alaee Syndicate as the Yokai Lords' primary covert operations team.
While the two groups undergo some intermixing when put under the same umbrella organization, they still maintain some distinction; usually in how they operate and their exact methods and specializations. Eoduun often acting more as the reconnaissance, intel gathering, and spy networking branch of the Alaee; while the Dodug perform the more... intimate interactions with their targets: such as blackmail, theft, or assassination.

>2: Siege Works
With some of their momentum halted, Yokai Lord Tonglo decides to prepare her forces in full while the fishmen are busy reestablishing control over the northern section of the city. Despite their best efforts to counter the various artillery of the Oni, it seems the fishmen are still unable to fully address such a pressing advantage. Even if the fishmen are able to cut down some flechettes and shells, Tonglo doubts they'd be able to handle an increase in the number or quality of devices throwing death at them. To make the most of it, and to take some of stress off of the normal smithies, Tonglo and Mun both begin implementing Siege Works. Foundries devoted to the construction of the large mechanical devices of war.

>War Action: War Engineers
While Oni architecture has recently come about in Tonglo and previously in Yugji for structures such as aqueducts, plumbing, and fortresses, it is time that new engineers come to the forefront for battlefield manipulation. From building encampments and initial fortifications on the front lines, to building bridges for troop movement, and finding optimal places for overcoming enemy defenses, the oni war engineers are hoped to provide new methods of overcoming the stubborn fishman fortifications.

>>3810985
Turn 1: The only tactic that has worked so far against the sky bolts is the use of ranged aqua blades. Perhaps, rather than discovering a wholly new technique, the Tarns could simply refine what they already had. Specialized teams are trained in coordinated casting of aqua blades, creating heavy constructs that can be thrown at the dry ace skybolts.
>Counter the Skybolts, Blade Edition

Turn 2: Scattered reports of abnormal Minotaur activity arrive from the north, but the commander pays little heed. His focus is on securing Hamet. The Tarnish Army further strengthen and thickens the wall, replacing and redoubling the fortifications on the northern side. The new portions of wall are honeycombed with channels, allowing water to drain through onto the outside face of the wall. Attempts are also made to deepen and widen the moat and associated channel.

War Action: Now that the city is secured, the commander feels far more comfortable with taking offensive action. Roughly a quarter of the Tarnish army is deployed to attack the first group of dryfaces they see. They will serve as bait, drawing people and attention away from the actual target: the damworks. While roughly half of the army will be roused and ready for this, only a small contingent of about fifty soldiers will be selected to actually carry out the operation. They will push down the remnants of the river at daybreak, using the same “muddy water” tactics as last time. Then, they will send one member back to report on the guards, fortifications, etc. The remaining soldiers will set about destroying the damworks again. If needed, the scout can call for reinforcements to travel down the river and assist the sabotage, or even for a full charge on the defenses to buy the sabotages time. Hopefully, the full restoration of the river system will throw the enemy off balance and allow the army time to reposition.

>>3811340
When I said Hamet, I meant the old city. To eliminate confusion, from now on I will refer to the old city as Koza.

>>3810993
Fugg got skipped last turn

"The Polity divides its efforts between Project Magnetion and some internal upgrades.

Action 1: The Extended Diplomatic Service Act
Mindful to sustain the best and most extensive diplomatic service in the known world, the Polity orders the expansion of a Special Service Diplomatic Support Corps; originally embassy secretaries and attendants, these members receive enhanced training and education in various fields such as linguistics and cultural sensibility as well as manpower and increased pay to handle efficiently all worries an ambassador, from delicate negotiations to the gathering and treatment of information. In a pinch, their security training can even enable them to defend embassy integrity and act as bodyguards.

Action 2: Magnetic Engineering
Magnetic force has several interesting applications that can readily be used by all volters, from levitating ferrous metals and the humble magnetic plow to more complex setups like magrails. The engineering clan has therefore focused its efforts in developping the first prototypes of magnetic machinery, such as magnetic cranes and wagons on rails propelled by magnets, which should increase industrial and agricultural efficiency even more. The machines are build with our newfound steel production."

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>>3810985

Action 1:

North-east of Lansou, settling lordlings and farmsteaders report the woods and forests give way to untamed fertile grassslands. Not only is this bounty of land valuable for its own sake, but diplomatic contacts and developing plans of co-operation suggest that a north-easterly advance will bring Sonaria closer to establishing a personal border with the Polity. And, hopefully, create a local source of foodstuffs for export to the peoples of Polity and Golden Dawn. The Sonarii expand in the north east, prioritizing fertile temperate grasslands, hills, woodlands and jungles.

Action 2:

The smiths of Larnet and the Craftsmen of Chaelkeat compete to improve the design and ability of their Skybows.

Diplomacy: Minotaurs

Enab Egnart succeeds his father as the Duke of Stianbal; a louche young noble with a desire to improve his standing in the kingdom and beyond but without much of any religious convictions. Though official efforts by Sonaria to make contact with the rumored Minotaurs through explorers have in the past failed, the Duke makes his own plans involving payments to select Oni and elements in service to Tonglo. From what he can gather, the Minotaurs live their lives beneath the mountains... and the Duchy of Stianbal has many mountains to lurk beneath, should he be able to tempt some of these creatures into his service.

1. Expand East
Hinga bulged at the seams. The time had come to expel some of the Princesses to create their own hives in the eastern mountains. Two Princesses, Cordelia Delacruz and Maria Perez, order their retinues to create a new hive in the winter. Their retinues of males and their female handmaidens are adept at creating the mountain homes favored by the Osuzu, and soon the mountain is literally honeycombed with the beginnings of a new hive chamber for the Foundresses. Males and Females seeking social mobility or a change in mistresses move eastward, operating as a clearing force. These slay monsters, clear ground, and begin the process of sub-hive settlement. These sub-hives operate no different than a farming community outside the walls of a city, and often serve a similar purpose. Most are built with the intent to provide a crop of Honeyroot for the Coronation of the new Queens as they settle into a new Hive. A gift of Honeyroot could see a lowly Drone elevated to Hiver status, or even Nobility! It is this potential that the Drones work in earnest, providing a surplus as a wedding gift from their community.

2. Honeyroot Farming and Crop Improvements
Honeyroot is the foundation of the Osuzu. It is only with their nutrient rich sugary substance that the larvae gain the characteristic intelligence that differentiates the Osuzu from common hornets. Osuzu society is literally built around ample amounts of the crop. It is currency, it forms a dietary staple, and it is used to even make leisure products in the form of alcohol. For the Drones that spend their lives tending to the large fields and the Hivers that spend their lives refining it into the various formed needed by the Nobility, Honeyroot is life and future in one sweet package. Such reliance has its costs, and one such cost is that there is never enough. Land is cleared to create larger farms in the lowlands near Hinga, and improvements in irrigation go a long way toward making dry areas useful for cultivation of the crop.

>>3810985
action 1: study of the new burnable material may prove useful for a cheaper solution to coal for industry especially if sold by plagasm
action 2: set up a institute in necropolis, might as well set up our knowledge better

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>>3812664
>>3810980
EPA: Gravity Manipulation
The wings of an Osuzu defy gravity and their legs can manipulate the gravity of objects that they touch. Through manipulation Osuzu can lift many times their body weight with ease and can fly for extended periods and hover a few meters off the ground by manipulating gravity and weight with their wings. They can walk, climb, and cling to sheer surfaces by manipulating gravity's effect on them with relation to their bodies. The effect wears off after a few seconds unless touch is reapplied.

>>3812664
Hingashi Society
There are three pillars to Hingashi society. They are the Nobility, the Hivers, and the Drones.

The Nobility is the Queen and her Princesses. While all females Osuzu are capable of reproduction, the only way that this is unlocked is through the Gift, which is a special nectar produced by the Nobility. It effectively acts as a form of social mobility, granting any female the ability to rear her own Hive. It is through this way that the longevity of the Osuzu is assured, and that political power is maintained. Those bereft of the Gift become Drones, where they form clusters of other male and female Osuzu and work to maintain the Hive properly. It is from this particular caste that farmers, workers, and brood-tenders are drawn. The Hivers are another caste that form a bridge between Nobility and Drone. These are Osuzu that have been recognized by the Nobility or other Hivers as having special skills, talents, or potential. They tend to have more advanced tasks, such as smithing, scholarship, or management. In general, they work as overseers to Drones and report to their Noble or Hivers depending on their skillset.

There is a degree of friction within this ordered society. For males, the desire is to find and impress a female of the Hiver or Noble class for a chance at becoming a Consort and mating with one. Consorts are nobility in their own right, and form a separate political semi-class. For females, there is also a desire to prove themselves worthy of receiving the Gift and the chance to start their own Hives. For them it is a pathway to Royalty, and the chance to begin their own family. The drive to excel in the social structure is what creates conflict. There can only be so many winners, so many consorts, so many Hivers. This desire for power and status drives large parties of Osuzu to travel their lands, fight duels, exterminate threats to the Hive, and develop new means of improving the lives of the Nobility and the longevity of the Hive. Packs of males will commonly be found pushing the borders when not acquiring resources for the Hive as there are few greater honors than providing a potential Foundress with a new nest.

The difference between males and females to an outsider is told by the presence of a stinger and general size. Only the females are so armed with the killing tool, and males make do with conventional weapons and their fearsome bites. Females are also a few inches larger on average than their male counterparts. They do have distinctive facial colorings, which for them or an astute outsider function the same as a face does for a person. Each marking is unique to each individual Osuzu. Osuzu have a natural yellow-black color scheme and favor being on 4 limbs or all 6, but are capable of walking with only two.

>>3810993
As long as there is no objection from the rulers the poorest among the nation can be pulled from even if the harvest is of a poor quality

(I'm going to need a quick explanation on how that works)

The city is founded, over time using its own home grown military it should push back the faceless from these lands.

>>3811197
The new relatively official organization proves effective but untrustworthy for all but the simplist of missions, and even then "slip ups" do occur on occasion.

A dedicated siege work is constructed near the front lines and another major on is founded halfway between the front line and Tonglo. The coffers of Tonglo begin to look worrysome as the cost of war continues mounting.

Military engineers help to keep the frontline tidy and whole. Sadly a breach in the dam (which had been mostly neglected) has caused much flooding around where the river once laid isolating a large minority of the army in the north, stretching out a large portion of the supply lines into the bandit heavy mountains.

>>3811340
A new group technique is formed and it is titled as "bulking" or "aqua bulking" where in a few tarn bend water up into the air which is then blasted at incoming projectiles which has helped to get rid of the problem of the larger rocks pounding down at the infrastructure of the city. Even arrows and bolts find themselves devastated when an wave wall is blasted forth. Using this technique the battlements can be focused on when it comes to protection allowing unused areas to go into much more disrepair.

Inner city reservoirs are strengthened considerably and the storm support increases to what should be maximum capacity.

The dam is found relatively unfortified by the saboteurs and it is successfully broken after a series of skirmishes, the massive kept up water causes a minor flood destroying many Oni positions and ruining their supply lines in the areas north of the flooded river.

>>3812421
The rediscovery of magnetic technology cannot yet support any large scale projects but experiments into creating magnetic cranes are successful for the most part but simply put right now the nation does not have the massive swaths of metal and population density required to justify such a large and frivolous investment as a "wagon propelled by electricity".

The smaller scale increases in farming efficiency due to more complicated and more efficient tools powered by electricity does help to improve the agriculture of the empire considerably.

>>3812588
Roving hordes of shambling faceless burned men march through the wilderness around the new border, already they have rudely moved into a small swathe of the new territory, their threat has driven many sonarii away from the otherwise usable land which they now wander through. A few small settlements where these creatures seem to be coming from are discovered through flying surveys.

Using the large spider webs made by the arachnids which inhabit some of the ruins extremely strong, high tension bowstrings are invented which fit perfectly into the invention of one of the smiths dubbed the crossbow, these high powered but accurate, low skill and lighter bow variations prove incredibly useful for hit and run arrow raids and do not take as much string to produce on top of that.

>>3812664
Salt is discovered over the mountains between the largest hive and the other side of the range while to the north events which blow some kind of steam into the air are reported past the pylons. The marshes are proving an ineffective place to create hives, thus they are lightly populated with only a few tiny settlements which farm and hunt the local area for food.

Attempts to clear the marshes are proving a more long term effort but the wood and farmland acquired by Hinga help bolster its population to quickly become larger than most every other hive combined. Great tunnels are cut under the earth helping to connect more distant settlements under the domain of Hinga together. The only real forests left in the realm now lie around the pylon border, being mostly untouched due to superstition and a lack of interest in the meantime.

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>>3812746
The idea of charcoal production is brought up but the forests of the empire are too sparse and well liked to be exploited for such a low quality product. Instead the idea of exploiting the otherwise useless toxic gasses still spewing from former totu settlements is brought up, these mists are highly flammable and could perhaps be turned into some sort of fuel if it were combined with something, that something which is found turns out to be manure, the process is explained to the comity showing how dried cow dung can be infused with the gas in cool temperatures by letting it sit in the gas for a lengthy period of time. The result is incredibly toxic, smells just as terrible, is dangerously flammable and burns for long periods of time and at incredibly high temperatures.

Sadly the only way to get this industry going is to hire burned men due to their gas masks which can cancel out the gasses so that they don't die, though the last roadblock before this proposition can be considered viable is the question of what we can arm these burned men with so that they don't die in unprofitable numbers from the mist creatures. Though even if a decent technique is not thought up this new substance can still sell decently enough to forges who work with higher temperature metals and who want to chew through ore at an accelerated rate.

Once again scrolls, legends and knowledge is put together in a wondrous library which is funded using the admittance fees of those who want to study in the information filled halls and walls of the facility.

Due to improvements in their agriculture and fishing the great famine of the Iron Empire has ended, though they still would like (to pay) for those (tiles) of artificial islands.

>>3813026
Approved

-------
IRON EMPIRE:
Action 1: End the Great Famine

Action 2: Expand the sea holdings for more fish (new fertile fishing grounds are discovered)

>>3815863
War Action: Now that the dam has been disrupted and a torrent of water is heading down the riverbed, the Tarns are in their element. If they want to hold onto this brief advantage, they will have to keep the river under their control. They use the moments before the counterattack to set up makeshift fortifications and move the parts of the army that were stood at the ready upriver. Then, there is nothing to do except ready their blades and hold on tight.

Action 1: The skybolts, along with whatever prisoners were captured during the retaking of the city, are sent to Hamet for further analysis. The Tarns have never encountered machinery this complex or ingenious before. However it works, understanding and replicating the mechanism’s magic is an absolute must.

Action 2: Border security along the Western border is upped once again, as Tarnish society as a whole begins to truly understand just how outmatched it is on the land. Patrolling of the areas on the western coast becomes a constant affair.

>>3815900

Diplomacy: Volt
>>3809213

The Treaty with the Polity is signed and Ratified by Sonaria. And immediately is is called upon, for the shambling, faceless burned are as much a threat to both our nations as they are to the Empire of Golden Dawn. This will be an opportunity to see the forces of our allies in action and to best work out how we can fight alongside each other. A composite force of small elements from each Duchy is sent into the far north and placed at the temporary command of the Polity for use of a response against the Faceless on their own supposed borders, whilst we wait and see what they are able to muster. It is noted that the land at threat is fair, should any Volters wish to put down routes and farm it alongside the Sonarii.

Diplomacy: Golden Dawn
>>3810993

With the Faceless burned encountered and a border with Golden Dawn established, the Sonarii send a delegation to treat with the Empire of the Burned and discuss trade and further co-operations. Headed by Duke Arba Ordon of Damhuest, chosen for his Family's history of fighting the Under-Sonari, the intent is also to converse about the Faceless in a tactful way should it be bought up... is there anything that Golden Dawn requests be done with them?

Diplomacy: Oni
>>3811197

With their preferred partner of Lord Tonglo busy and committed to waging her war, the Sonarii Duke T'Ned of Nafflec instead approaches through Lord Giib to request to hire a little Mercenary assistance against the faceless. It is well known that the Giib were the forces that aided the Totu during the desert wars, but this is presented as an opportunity for the Lordship to try and rectify that mistake and establish a more beneficial relationship with Sonaria.

Diplomacy: Plagasm
>>3812746

The lack of Development in the Captured Totu deserts is starting to concern the Soanrii a little. Whilst Duke Mani Ulvall visits Necropolis to re-state and celebrate the defensive pact between the lands of Plagasm and Sonaria, he is also to discretely mention that it might be wise for the Plagasm to establish at least one administrative center in the region for effective governance and control of the land. If they no longer wish to administrate the land, of course, he is sure that the Duchies of Bertlowr and Tiztavaros would be able to take on some of those duties.

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1. Found Narravre
The Foundresses Cordelia Delacruz and Maria Perez settle down in a new Hive created in the northwestern hills. Soon, the tunnels and sub-hive settlements dot the hilly landscape, with manufactured cave systems connecting the many far-flung settlements to the central Hive structure buried under the hills. They rule jointly from the same Royal Chamber and begin the process of selecting for their Consorts. Prospective males and observant Nobles and Hivers attend the festivities in the Grand Chamber where the next broods will be reared by the victor.

The competition among males and fierce, and more than a few are killed by their opponents when they refuse to submit. The Princesses do not intervene. For them, this is as much about survival as it is about politics. A Queen that shows mercy is a Queen that will struggle to keep her Drones and Hivers subservient, and will fail to motivate her workers to provide and remain with her Hive. After a few days of the tournament, two Wasps are left standing. They become the Consorts to the soon to be Queens, and three days later the first eggs are being laid in the Grand Chamber. The new Hive rejoices, and in celebration a feast day is prepared in which all Osuzu come together to eat beetles and drink Honeyroot mead in grand celebration of their new Queens and thriving Hive.

2. Salt Production
The foundation of Narravre brings with the the benefits of a Hive nearby for salt production and processing. The Osuzu need salt like any other living being. It is commonly used to preserve beetlemeat, as an additive to Honeyroot to improve nutrition, and used as a cheap snack for workers. Areas of new construction are laced with saltlicks that Drones can come to nibble on when the need for salt takes them. This ensures that not only is there a ready supply of it, improving the social standing of the Narravre Queens, and adds an additional unique industry to the Eastern Hills.

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>>3815863
>>The Yokai Lords

>>>1: 2: War Action: WAR
Yokai Lord Tonglo can feel her time of wanton warmongering running out. With the Tarn breaking the dam and bulking up their defenses, her massive industries still not able to feed the gluttonous warmachine, and Giib beginning to breath down her neck, it is now or never.

Tonglo prepares three major pushes to try to overrun and blitz the Tarnish defenders.
First, she sends the massive, Oni-trained, Minotaur force down from the mountains to blitz the salt mines in the north at dusk. They are to take it as soon as possible, and let a scant few survivors rout to get the news back down south. After they have taken the salt mines, they are to try and push as far south as they can, using Oni mists and Minotaur shadow clones to appear a far larger force than they actually are. This is to get as many defenders mobilizing north and leaving the city of Koza less defended.

Secondly, right before the main push, she uses the Alaee Syndicate in their first wartime maneuver. Using most Eoduun members to gather intel on both geography and on enemy forces, while saving her most trusted Eoduun members to determine a safe path through the mountains to strike the city from north of the river. She also sends the Dodug to perform assassinations on as many of the Tarn bender leaders as possible, or just benders in general, who are in charge of creating the projectile defenses against the Oni siege devices. Or to just create as much chaos as possible with spirits of misfortune and mundane sabotage.

Thirdly, the main force, made of Oni, Minotaur, and Totu is to use the safe routes up to the fort, rout the Tarn still upriver where the flooding isn't as bad, and then head down the other side to attack the city and avoid the flooding river basin. Leaving a smaller but sizable force in the south to keep the Tarn from pushing up the pass, and focused on their southern border. Tonglo will personally lead the force, and try to recruit as many bandits as possible, promising free looting privileges on the Tarn so long as they let them pass. They will strike hard and swift, a dusk or two after the Minotaur forces assault the salt mine, joining forces with them if the Minotaurs are able to make it all the way south. They will push to take the main head quarters of the Tarn leadership in Koza, as well as the phosphorous mines.

>Diplo
>>3816051
Lord Giib makes a point to ignore any accusations of helping the Totu during their war, but is more than happy to hire out mercenaries to the Sonarii. His decision to help Mun eliminate the Faceless also causes the Elseworld-Sect to give the Sonarii some of their Mediums to assist as well.

>Internal
Yokai Lord Giib has been rather patient with his little upstart. Tonglo has proven a steadfast wall of meat against the force supposedly as large as the ocean. But with rumor of her coffers reaching a limit, Giib is preparing to soon take matters into his own hands. He gives her 2 [turns].

>>3816051
>>3815900
1. God-King Angstrom dedicates his time overseeing the administration of Asura, (wall construction, local army patrols, planning ) Before leaving he gives a speech to the surviving men of the Faceless War.

"You have fought tooth and nail against the dark forces that once ruled these lands. Your blood, your fallen brother's blood... my blood, stains these lands. Let no man say you have not done your part! With your sacrifice, I release you, your first born son and daughter, and their first-born son and daughter, until darkness comes; from their blood-debt. May you hold land with no fealty but to myself and my descendants, and yourself. May your first daughters be free from the tax their fathers have paid in full. Kneel as mere soldiers."

The clamor of weary veterans dropping to their knees in awe fills the courtyard.

"And arise as my Censors, hold to your blood the honor that dwells within you today, and destroy corruption as you have done once before." The King turns his attention to the surviving Oni.

"Those not of our blood, you came here with no call to arms, no ties besides the thirst for battle. Despite our people's history, you came to aid us, and our thanks is beyond measure. Many could have chose to never come, but marched with us you did. May you always be recognized as friends to our people. These amulets mark you as Burned Men without our blood. May you never find hunger, thirst, or ill treatment in our lands, for such insult to the men that came to our aid be treated as an outsider in our lands!"

(The King rewards Burned Men soldiers with new social rank Censor-(First born children of each gender go without life tax, do not owe fealty to a Lord, only King. Can own land without tax to local Lord, only King. Tasked with investigating corruption, evil, etc of any kind. Oni are rewarded with amulets that mark them as allies, granting them honored citizen status.)

2. New cart designs and development require the old roads of the heartland of Burned Men to be repaved, using sand from the Northern Desert near Faustic, old flame blazed road tech, and casting techniques to create a strange glassy pavement.

>Diplo

>>3816051
Sonari: The Burned Men express interest in foreign foodstuffs (Tomatoes, etc) to broaden their diets, potential map exchanging, and usage of Sonari settlers in Burned Men land for specialized workforce (PM for details). The King's response on the Faceless "They are tainted beyond repair, any resemblance of thought is an illusion. Treat them as a hostile pest, one that must be removed post-haste, lest they regain numbers and power."

Oni:
The Church of Flame sends a request to the Elseworld Sect in Yugji, due to the recent advancements in tech with previous Oni-Burned Men cooperation, the Church wishes to settle a team of scholars, mystics, doctors, and priests in Yugji to teach, learn, and experiment. The stipulation is that the Sect does the same, founding an enclave in Emissia.

>Action 1: Pilgrimage to Zion (Totu Smuggling)
It seems as if day after day, more Totu are showing up in Gurtland. Even beyond the Totu's explosive birth rates, more and more Totu are showing up as fewer and fewer seem to exist elsewhere. Totu-sized tunnels litter the city, some going on for miles, many going deep into the ground and through stone. Most importantly, princesses seem to stop appearing even within Gurtland.
>Action 2: Beyond the Sandy Shores
Totu tunnels have developed to expand out beneath the Stianbal mountains, leading out to the desert hill of the Tarn. The Totu here don't seem to be attempting to settle the area or do harm. Rather, it seems they're trying to develop a boat, attempting contact with the Tarn for assistance in creating their own design for a ship with a paddle wheel to be spun by Totu benders.
>Diplomacy: Surprisingly friendly Totu Tinkerers attempt to speak to passerby Tarn about floating and boats. They aren't diplomats or officials, they just want help.

>>3817491
>Diplo
Totu Resurgance:
Did I just lose my Totu enclave :C

>>3817491
>Unfortunately, given the current xenophobicity of the Tarns and the fact that soldiers been fighting Totu soldiers for the past several months, this diplo is going to be pretty cold. Good to have you back though!

The Tarns seem wary of the Totu, even combative. So long as they stay close to the shore however, the Tarns seem content simply to leave the Totu be.

>>3815867

Action 1:

A new town, Vinconro, is set up in the far north in the new lands, by the coast. it is hoped that eventually it will serve Sonaria as a port and trade-hub to the Volt, Golden Dawn and lands beyond; though for now it has more immediate use as a base...

Action 2:

The band of faceless that border Sonaria come under immediate offensive. Harassing from the air by Sky-bows, the Sonarii keep up pressure on the shambling horde in the hope they can stop it from regrouping, whilst fast moving warriors stand ready to descend upon any vulnerable flanks and tear the faceless apart with their many blades. Heavier warriors are readied, to be committed when the time is right and to take those hills, whilst Canon are readied to support them, and to be moved up onto those hills once they are taken for bombardment of the 'settlement' site. Even 'clean' Totu, Volter and Oni Mercenaries are prepared, ready to lend their own abilities to communications or barriers or simply driving aside the faceless with spiritual prowess. But it is the Wind-Monks who are given the most unusual task, to build upon generations of Sonarii cloud-herding practice and prepare to bring clouds inland from the coast to rain out the faceless and quench the fires of the tainted flames.

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The Treaty of Fair Skies demands that the Polity be able to have its own weight in military matters, much to the displeasure of many councillors. But Thunna said that Thunder should be feared. A minority demographic is pleased with it: the bolters.

Action 1: Oficialize the Bolters
Usually volters grow out of the turbulence of youth. They grow larger, more balanced horns, that are well adapted to control their voltage. But not all of them; some volters grow to be short-horned and short-tempered. They are called 'bolters', for dedication to this path makes their horns grow jagged in aggressive patterns that are much more suited to throwing energy bolts than sustaining a power plow or holding a reserve for powermancy. They are part of Thunna's people, and the Polity must a place for them in its society so that they do not become delinquents or worse. The decision was finally made to make the Bolters a national organization, like all the other great clans, and so have a representative sitting at the grand polity, sharing and influencing its Current.

Action 2: Expand Sout-East and war deployment
The Polity expands South-East and immediately pulls its newly officialized military defense force to form a defensive cordon against the Faceless, using support from the sonari expeditionary force; they sit here, entrench, and amass supplies for the future operation. In the meantime special service staff and their attached communications team are sent on reconnaissance at the target settlement, setting up stealthed communications arrays and observation posts. Special service embassy staff and Powermancers from the Sonarii embassies are pulled from their usual duties to go support their action.

>>3817747
Diplomacy: Sonarii
The Sonarii commanders receive the visit of volt embassy staff workers that quickly put themselves to work drawing maps, gathering information, setting up communication arrays and probing the enemy lines. They don't seem to appreciate questions but they apparently know what they're doing. 'Someone' that's in charge promises 'a thorough report on enemy location, number and ability'.

>>3816829
Minor quick change due to various discussion in the discord. Keeping it quick to make it in before the update.

With the damn broken and the majority of the tarn forces spotted along the river, theoni-lead Minotaur forces March from the fort to engage the tarn forces directly.

Meanwhile, as fast as banshee horns and drums can signal down to Tonglo's forces, the news is delivered. Tonglo makes her own push to fight the 1/4 of the fishmen at her front, in order to fight the main army out in the open. Both forces try to do as much damage to the fidhmen before they can retreat back to the city.

Meanwhile, the syndicate sends its own members throughout the battlefield and region, to get as many not!ninja into possition as possible for Intel and sabatoge as per original post.

>>3815900
Action 1: expand literacy across the nation
Action 2: accept the offer of the iron empire

>>3816026
Though the flood will not last forever it has given the tarn much time to savage their formerly nigh invincible enemy, using a system of checkpoints refilling the air of travelling bands through suppressive fire and captured metal containers in which air can be stored for reoxygenation by moving groups during times of especially oppressive enemy concentration.

Prototypes are quickly constructed but it seems that the biggest problem seems to be how hard it is to use water for compression even through proxy as a mixture of surface tension and a resistance to compression halt any attempts are making a canon like that of the enemy. Though a design is conceived using smaller containers of water made of very strong metals which could be transported to the front line for single time use before the containers are sent back for recycling and sadly the metallurgy and accompanying required to get an affordable supply line based around this concept are currently nonexistent in the empire.

As an alternative a design is instead successfully tested based around projectiles with hollow backs filled with water which are thrown through bending at incredibly high speeds so that they land at terminal velocity. Similar designs had been used in tarnish warfare before during the time of anarchy on a floating town near Kohai which was up in open rebellion but the effort had been recognized as too expensive to be viable ever since due to the loss of huge quantities of expensive metal and stone shells which were only available due to the machinations of a now extinct noble family who had wasted their large fortunes on the endeavor.

Like the pressurized container concept a part of this weapon expended in firing (namely the metal ring and carved stone payload which make up the design) must be produced and sent to the frontlines for on a continuous basis. Thankfully the level of metallurgy required to get this line is already existent and it is going would be vastly cheaper than the fine tuned metal designs of the other concept if put into effect.

(are you talking about the eastern mino border or the western ocean border with the outlands? Either way this action is fine)

(read the yokai response for the current war situation)

>>3816689
The salt is rapidly colonized with a small contingent of the Hive of Narravre so that its riches can be exploited and traded with Hinga in order to increase the wealth of the Hive while increasing immigration through the offer of an alternative regime to the order of Hinga.

The new Hive grows in population and influence as more and more wasps pledge allegiance to its banner.

>>3816829
While the flooded river and the various no man's lands which have become filled with water still lie out of the reach of the combined forces of Tonglo the Quarter are is thoroughly decimated and driven, though current estimates put the casualties from fighting, drowning and disorder in numbers comparable to if not exceeding those suffered (proportionally not in pure numbers) by the Tarn.

A major breakthrough over the moat using a series of hired Necrotics is undertaken after a brief dozen minutes of securing the spearheads, the bridges formed by them allows the city to be properly breached for once. Using the diversion in the north a large portion of the southern part of the city is taken, already from some fortifications held the actual mines which hold the rumored source of the greatness of tarn can be seen. The Tarnish in the north retreat in an effort to reinforce the mine area.

The spies are in position.

>>3817440
The newly gained titles help encourage the pushing of the faceless from the rightful lands of the burned men.

The importation of sands from the north which make higher quality glassed roads enriches the multi elemental communities of the north.

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>>3817491
The local trees of the region are hardy and thick, they make an excellent material for both spitcrete and ship wood alike. Using some of the recently rediscovered treasure stashes from the war nails and other materials vital in boat creation are imported. While the ship was around one fourth finished a band of Minotaur raiders invaded the camps demanding the assistance of the Totu in the raiding or a nearby Tarnish camp under the threat of having their operation ratted out to Sonarii and Vassal Totu authorities along with having what they have been able to build thus far destroyed and having the bulk of them (especially the women and youthful Totu) taken as slaves back into the mountains.

There is a Tarnish shipping whale to be seen off the coast and the next Tarnish patrol won't be around until it is far too late.

(please roll a 1d10 on whatever action you decide to take)

>>3817747
With the formation of a full clan many bolters flock to new bolter founded and run communities, which end up resembling the older tribal governments which dotted the empire before the introduction of long distance rapid communication except somehow even more rowdy and based upon a principle of might makes right.

Using a system of metal poles the faceless are easily dispatched when they come near, they are found to be especially weak to electrocution perhaps due to their metal masks.

Sonarii reconnaissance reveals the center of the mass as a desert town in shambles, being now mostly made up of stone foundations and lower levels with a constant stream of parched looking faceless pouring out of a castle in its middle.

A few of the reconnaissance teams did not come back for some reason despite being under explicit orders to only land outside of the town in areas where no faceless can be seen. Attempts at observation posts within established infested territory seem to always fail within a day of being set up due to some action or coincidence which brings the fierce hordes upon the post.

>>3820923
Literacy is expanded.

The islands are built bringing in gold to the necrotics.

>>3821479
Action 1: The news of the dryfaces breaking into the city once more, this time even closer to the crucial phosphate mines, both enraged and terrifies Bathys. He dispatches a messenger down the canal, calling for immediate reinforcements to be sent up to help dislodge the enemy. There should still be some who are willing to join life as a soldier, but if the supply of volunteers is running low, then the Tarns will have be forced into service. The mines are too crucial to the Empire to lose now.

Action Two: The river banks are enlarged and converted into proper fortifications. This should allow the military presence along the river to be reduced somewhat, as the Tarns can rely on the new defenses to protect it, rather than having to count upon a wall of meat. Those defenders not deemed necessary to hold the river are ordered back into the city to help with the emergency operation currently being put together.

War Action: Bathys orders the entrance to the phosphate mines sealed and rendered watertight and any remaining civilians evacuated by canal. The closure of the mines will certainly lead to disruption and hunger, but the risk is deemed acceptable. Using the newly invented bulking method, sections of the eastern and western walls are collapsed, drawing the swollen waters of the moat into the city proper. The torrent of water is directed south at the Oni army. Riding the swells are as many soldiers as the Tarns can muster, thrown wholesale at the invading force. The city must be saved, even if it is destroyed in the process.

>>3817747
The new town attracts many sonarii from across the jungle who seek for a new life in a land less established, This helps greatly the growth of the region.

Attempts to set up artillery pieces or group positions fails due to the overwhelming hordes pouring from their settlement. Attempts to try to smother the faceless in rain also do not succeed, helping to show the true lack of knowledge the sonarii have on these strange creatures.

The countryside is mostly cleared out and now only the town remains standing

>>3821479
>>The Yokai Lords

> 1: Channeling the spirits of the battlefield
Tonglo and her personal guard blazed across the battlefield, sundering blade and breaking bone. While witnesses would vary on their exact list of accomplishments, many second-hand reports would tell of a maelstrom of spirits encircling each and every one of them. A hoard of the spirits of the fallen warriors, assisting the living for one last chance at besting their foe. Tonglo and her guard were coated in strange markings and tattoos, designed much like temporary binding marks, allowing the spirits of the Oni Warriors to continue existing within and around the binded warriors. Tonglo could not allow the deaths of her men to be in vain, nor could she show even an ounce of weakness.

> 2: Continue the seizing of the old city
Tonglo and her forces would begin setting up their initial foothold in the city before preparing to meet the oncoming Tarn, using Eoduun intel to predict when and where they will be coming from (probably just all directions if we are being honest). Meanwhile, the northern Minotaurs would fight back whoever was still along the river before pushing down south to engage the northern half of the city if they could.

> War Action: Assassination of Tarn officers.
With the syndicate operatives in position, the command blares out from the Oni front-line to begin the operation. Several Dodug assassins leap out of the shadows to eliminate their respective targets before retreating and evading capture or discovery if possible.

>Diplo
>Tarn
As the Oni and fishman forces clash in the middle of the ruined city, Tonglo calls out to Bathys. The fishmen's equivalent of a lord of the city as far as she understands it. "You spurned me at our first engagement, and our first parlay. Come out and fight me like a true leader of soldiers, before this war is over!"

>Minotaurs
Yokai Lord Tonglo can only do so much, and command so many forces, at once. While she is able to fight her own battles, she sends a messenger to the Minotaurs of Black Metal to let them know that now is the opportune time to take back their salt mines or any other land they desire while the Oni are still engaged with the fishmen. Otherwise, they might lose the ideal opportunity.

>Internal Diplo:
Yokai Lord Tonglo has 1 more [turn] before Giib mobilizes his forces.

Bolters have... A culture of their own, to put it properly. And now, they celebrate its revival. The Polity tales a break from Project Magnetion to revive some of the those that made thunder great and terrible. It was clear only brute force would help at this point; while the military attempts to clean the countryside and surround the castle to a safe distance, the intelligence specialists and their sonari allies investigate to find out how the enemy seemed to be prescient of their moves. Was it an innate detection ability, did the faceless have smarter, stealthier elements, or was someone feeding them information?

1. The Thunder Priests
Great and terrible, the Thunder Priests are divinely mandated to draw upon Thunna's power. Though they are few, they are beings of incredible power and great wisdom. In time of peace they officiate from their mountaintop monasteries and link the Flux of our entire nation with Thunna, sheperding the Current of the faithful and acting as beacons of the Spiritual Network. In times of conflict (such as now) they bring the divine Thunder to the field, shock and awe personified, as they are able to channel Thunna's great power into the most devastating forms; massive chain lighting, raging electrostorms, searing energy streams and summoning thunderbolts. Though we have yet to reinstall the Grand Priests themselves, the Thunder Priests are sent to take care of the horrific Faceless hordes, a task they should be particularly suited for. And Thunna enjoys having people to play magnetic chess with again.

2. The Thunder Guard
As the Thunder Priests were reinstated it was time to revive the Thunder Guard. Those were the elite of the elite, the cream of the crop of the Polity's armed force; holy warriors and excellently trained soldiers, their duty was to protect Thunna our god and guard the invaluable Thunder Priests with their lives. They were armed with a pre-fall power halberd, a signature bright scarlet ceremonial armour, and divided their education between ordainment in the Church and military practice. Their newly created headquarters were founded anew on the holiest of places, the tallest mountain of the nation, Thunder Peak. While their numbers are limited from investment and the availability of pre-fall equipment, there are nonetheless more than enough to spearhead offensives aiming to encircle the Faceless settlement. Thunna himself reviewed them, and blessed their regiment.

Diplomacy: Sonarii
>>3816051


A strange letter made its way into the hands of the Sonarii ambassador.

"Hail to the Sonarian King! Greetings to you, Ambassador. The villains of this world would do well to fear your powerful military and I am in awe at the quality of the warriors that were sent to us.

Thanks to your very just demands, the pansies of the Polity have finally deigned to defend themselves. And for that I thank you, as they have finally brought our clans back into the light, while they lament on and on over the time unspent stacking wealth and cozying up to pointless creature comforts. Thunder is terrible. Thunder strikes hard, it punishes the wicked and puts the fear of god into the hearts of evil men. You and I both understand this necessity, and I wish our Alliance to be strong, the undoing of many a would-be tyrant in its time. As long as we stand together, we shall never be slaves. Rejoice!

- T. "

The volter ambassador was not very happy when this was brought up to him, and told his counterpart that this does not represent any official opinion of the Polity. He declares that he'll look into finding whoever sent this and then 'sparks will fly', but there is very little to go on.

>>3821479

1. The old fortress of Dawn's Gate grows into a new city, being the sole entrance for Burned Men immigrants to the fertile eastern lands. While the soil is not quite fertile enough for major agriculture besides slightly above subsistence, the wide flat plains in the south are prime ranching territory.

2. The begins his return to Last Hearth, and upon his arrival commissions a memorial to every Burned Men that has lost their lives over the years due to conflict and strife, honoring their suffering, and the bravery that has ended suffering.
>( Stone statues of burned men suffering due to war, famine, plague, etc all in the background, gazing at a heroic figure in the foreground with Oriculucum inserts for firey effect. The foreground statue stands upon a rock, sword in the air. The midday sun is to rest directly atop the sword at the right angle.)

Preparations for the memorials completion are made with invites send to lords of the Golden Dawn, Oni, Totu, Necrotics, and Sonari. Celebrations are to proceed with the unveiling.

1. Expansion South

The Hingan hive chooses to focus on securing the borders further to the south under orders of the queen. Drones are dispatched to clear land for cultivation, and hivers are sent to manage the movement of drones and borders south. Accompanying this and overseeing it on behalf of the queen, is princess Isabella who monitors drones and hivers alike in this activities to find herself a suitable Consort, or other worthwhile individuals to raise up in status.

The turning of marsh into useful farmland is done mostly through pure manual labor. Wasps dam up the tributaries that feed the marshland, redirecting it into reservoirs for later use. From there the land is left to dry out by natural means, with deeper pools being drained through use of teams of water-carrying wasps. This slow conversion takes years to complete, but the end result is ultimately an increase in arable farmland useful for honeyroot cultivation.

2. Gravitational Mechanics
The wasps have mostly done things the same for centuries. Wasps accomplish their feats of building through sheer manpower. Their lack of metals and tamed animals have largely meant that tools remain primitive, if available at all. There is no need for a hammer when wasp jaws and saliva can build a house. It is only as the Osuzu have expanded and been introduced to new challenges that they have felt a need to innovate. Gravity powered tools that make use of their instinctive bending ability is the first and simplest tools made. By manipulating weight and gravity on objects the wasps develop a system of pumps, pulleys, and levers that can allow for some degree of automation and greater efficiency. One wasp using a gravity-powered pump could do the work of a hundred wasps, provided all it is doing is pumping water. This also leads to hive expansion, as areas previously submerged or too far from natural water sources could be fed or pumped by pipes. Levers and pulleys allow goods and wasps to be transported through hive caverns without the need to fly or directly manipulate goods.

>>3821479
action 1: give the already made fuel to nearby foundries
action 2: see if any of the trades routes can connect the burned men to the desert
diplo:sonarii
with words of wisdom from another nation plus the gases of the desert, a new town is made. the new town will be named tombs. (looks very much like ancient Egypt pyramids, a sphinx with a skull, crossed with the bazaar parts of arabia.)

>>3821479

Action 1:

With letter-writing expanding with the Sonarii postal service, they look around for better, cheaper materials on which to write; developing a far more consistent quality of paper that can be produced cheaply for mass production (and delivery).

Action 2:

Though the Faceless are new, they do not feel new. Scholars go carefully search through the brittle scroll records and the commemorative tapestries made at the end of the wars with the under-kin. Though as creatures, they are very different; there is a lot about records of their behavior that strikes the Sonarii as quite similar. Perhaps corrupted members of all races act similarly? Perhaps if more thorough records had been kept, if expertise had been rigorously maintained, they would know more.

With his Grandson's celebration of adulthood as the excuse, the elderly King Largh gathers his dukes and many of the higher lords together for conference to discuss the matter of these monsters. Should they be approached as any other mortal foe, or would maintaining Specialists serve better to keep down the threat of corrupted beings and other monsters?

In the end, the arguments for specialists carries the day. An order of Monster-Hunters is founded; professionals who will fight to keep the lands free and safe, and maintain knowledge of the foes they face and fiends that trouble the lands to best defeat them any time they rise up. The Highest Mountain in Sonaria - on the borders of the duchies of Damheust and Alkilme and the open deserts - is given to this order as site for a headquarters fortress and training base. Even it is suspected that most of the nascent order itself will be operating out of Vinconro and surrounds until the threat is neutralized.

Diplomacy: Burned Men
>>3822980

The Sonarii respond with thanks for the invitation, and a number of dukes announce intent to intend. They do, however, wonder if this memorial is being made prematurely; the faceless still have a camp in lands between our borders that the Sonarii are currently trying to contain and subdue, and the Sonarii have heard rumors of others as well...

Diplomacy: Volt
>>3822874

The Sonarii are a little nonplussed to find this letter delivered, and then repudiated so quickly. They have their post office attempt to trace the source.

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>Diplomacy:
The Totu tinkerers explain that they aren't warriors and aren't already in combat for a reason. Furthermore, they explain that the Minotaurs have no power over them and that the Totu Enclave would be less than happy to see their citizens enslaved. (There's no way to distinct the difference between a citizen and a member of the Resurgance since Totu don't wear clothing). If all else fails, they'll agree to go and help on the raid but abandon it as soon as the Minotaurs attack.

>Action 1: Right to Rule
The princess of the resistance continues her efforts to kidnap the other princesses in order to produce a new queen.

>Action 2: Canisters
Based on their previous designs for the compression bomb, the Resurgence begins production of Canisters to store compression for release on tap as a means to store their force ahead of time and help bypass being weakened by enemy elements.

>>3823098
Diplomacy: Sonarii

Special service embassy staff share the results of their small investigation. Though they have no proof, and no ethical way to get any, the letter is suspected to have originated in a person of a strong-minded Thunder Guard officer named Turva, currently fighting the Faceless on the volter front. Interrogation yielded nothing and the investigators were forced to leave it at that; the embassy apologized for the awkwardness and, though the feelings carried by the writer were well-meaning, reiterated their repudiation. They promised to keep a tighter control on illegal messages and reminded that only communication through the Dokori ambassador himself were to be considered the voice of the Polity. To take everyone's minds off of it, the ambassador proposed to send a contingent of bolters, and even a few Thunder Priests and their Thunder Guard to the Sonarii front as an expeditionnary corps, since the monsters proved weak against lightning. He also extends an official invitation for the Hunter Order to base one of its chapter in volter land, on Thunder Peak near the headquarters of the Thunder Guard.

When Bathys was younger, there wasn’t a dueler in Kuro who have challenged him. He had stabbed and slashed and clawed his way up the ranks, from street rat to commander of the army. That fire had long ago been quenched by the comforts of nobility. But hearing that dryface challenge him, the commander feels it flaring up once more. His aqua armor tightens, allowing him full range of motion once more. His ceremonial saber morphs into a dueler’s blade, short and sharp, perfect for stabbing and swinging alike. He charges with his bellowing response.

>>3823105
Is this a diplomacy for me? I think it is, so here’s my response:

The erratic behavior of the new creatures confuses the Tarns, but they seem benign, or at least well intentioned. The creatures are ultimately decided not a threat, and the Tarns end up simply coexisting with them. Occasionally, one might even offer help with their crude little boats.

Starting Location:Frozen north

Nation Name:Nilfheim

Capitol Name: Jotunheimr

Nation Colors: (navy and light blue)

Race Name:Aurgulmir

Race description/links/abilities:the Aurgulmir are giant humanoids with pale blue skin and white hair. Large shards of ice protrude from all over their bodies, giving them somewhat natural protection, thought it does not cover their bodies completely. Do to the weather being a constant onset of cold, they have adapted to the cold climates and live in them comfortable, now disliking warm weather. They mainly live off of fishing, do to being in an extremely cold climate.

Element:ice

Elemental Passive Ability:Frost fall- wherever the Aurgulmir goes, the fall of frost follows. This allows them to have that comfortable frosty weather wherever they colonize, though it does take some time for it to take hold. This ability will also affect the ocean, allowing them to freeze the water creating a thick layer of ice that they can live on.

Summary of Nation: They live in a tribe like society, though all tribal leaders respond to the Jarl, who acts as an overall king to the entire nation of niflheim. When a Jarl dies, if he has not chosen a successor, it is up to the consul of tribe leaders to vote on a new leader. They may not vote for themselves, which allows for someone to be chosen on merit.

Starting Crop: iceberg lettuce.

>>3824426
Well fuck

>>3824426
please join the discord, and congratulations on being one of the first of our recent new players to not take up earth
>>3806677
^link found here

Roll, roll, roll your dice...

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>3824833

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>3824837
Tonglo wants to club a guy riding a tidal wave in the face. Let's see how that works out for her.

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>>3822844
Though currently they cannot cast very large or lasting storms the stormless lightning and static aura they bring to the battlefield is nonetheless valuable. The great god Thuma encourages these priests as much as he can, he has even given prophecy that one day he may be able to grant a volter the gift of avatarhood, becoming a vessel for a small portion of his power. He promises that as he continues to reforge himself into the powerful being he once was the power he can grant and aid he can bring will increase in output.

The armor of the guard is lined with silver, increasing the conductive pathways of their form allowing them to more easily absorb and cast bolts. The faceless settlement in now under siege, with many lines of grounding sticks being laid down in order to provide easy zapping to the raging hordes, during the siege a small force of burned men showed up, offering their aid against their shared enemy and about if the land which was only recently occupied by them will be returned to its rightful owners in the burned men. Strangely the numbers of the enemy seem to be dwindling at this time though their heightened aggression is not to be understated.

>>3822980
With the dwindling of the hordes the once again new lands for colonization are filled with immigrants looking for a new life.

The greatest artisans of the day from all across the empire congregate in Last Hearth in order to contribute what they can to the ambitious statue. It's place is chosen in the courtyard separating the Castle of Last Hearth and the city which surrounds it, giving ample room for both foreigners and even some commoners alike.

>>3822983
A great many hills filled with a strange kind of stone are found in the south while the first of the attempts by the Hingashi to build good boats fills the ears of the courts for a good few weeks.

While the lack of the decent metallurgy and industry needed to support such things is found to be unavailable for some time the discovery of some usable veins of Tin and Copper in the mountains allows for the crafting of the pipes and braces required to get the water running smoothly and in a manner not prone to poor waterproofing.

>>3823058
What are essentially free samples are handed out to the major smithies of the empire along with several foreign ones. To put it lightly most of them loved it and would like it if a steady stream of the stuff (even if it is sold at prices daftly expensive) could be sold to them due to the materials excellent properties.

Currently all the major trade with the burned men has to go through the expensive Oni lands which has hampered trade considerably due to exorbitant travel costs. Another route could be possible through the cheaper sonarii lands but the fact that there has been no pylon expansion into that strip means that the trade cannot flow through there.

>>3823098
A jungle plant which is exclusively female is found which makes excellent paper called "Hemp", quickly farms and mills are established with the support of the trade organizations of the empire in order to produce a steady supply of good paper for letters.

The new order with the help of other forces takes its first victory in the destruction of that source of faceless, though the castle which produced them collapsed instead of being sieged down like the castle of Dawnfort was, though the strange flesh constructs which are left behind are studied vigorously by the new order bringing much insight to the biology behind this mess, though perhaps not enough to be useful in counteracting this threat on the field. The fate of the now ruins is now to be discussed, with the burned men claiming traditional and rightful ownership over the area while the sonarii can claim to have been the most fervent in counteracting this threat as a reason why they should be granted ownership over the area.

Another source of these creatures still exists to the west, still only a problem to the burned men.

>>3823105
About three quarters of the needed princesses have been acquired and the needed numbers are known to exist in Gurtand, if only the crown princess of that anarchic city would give up her own hopes of queenhood for the good of all totu.

Though the expensive metals needed to get these containers working does drain from the efforts of boat building they do end up proving useful in another way.

The Minotaur raider chief is impressed when what looks to be a jar explodes in one of the ranks behind him, embedding his men in shrapnel and taking them off their feet, so after a small scuffle he gives another offer. In return for not raiding the totu or alerting anybody to their existence the minotaurs will provide the metal needed to produce these likely frowned upon weapons, he asks for both smaller lobbed varieties and the larger barrel sized ones alike.

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>>3824426
Out of a frozen cave the Ice Giants reemerge, taking in the frosty yet comforting air and starting up once again the great hunt, slaying Mammoth, Whooly Rhino and Dire Wolf alike in order to obtain some nice new pelts to replace the greatratskin rugs they call cloaks which they wear right now. (please get to worldbuilding and I hope you can prove a good addition to our crew)

>>3821519
A large portion of the reserved backline forces are called upon in order to defend the mines, while the northern area of the city is stripped of men to the point of no redundancy in order to cut off the invading forces at the wall and moat.

Crocodiles tamed to not attack tarn are smuggled into the river along with more fortifications, though the river is dwindling back to what it was before the war it should continue to remain the a good bastion of the tarn throughout.

The infrastructure once used to transport phosphate is turned to supply running while the entrance areas of the system of the mine is turned to fortifications and flooded killzones. Ever since the break in north phosphate had been rationed and hoarded to the west for such a very occasion and thus the empire won't have to notice the lack of phosphate mining unless the assault takes too long.

The lowest of tarn are drawn from in order to provide ample cannon fodder for the massive armies of tarn. The commander of the armies is threatened by an Oni claiming to have control of a network capable of felling the entire Tarnish army unless he and his smuggled men and families can be granted their own good sized and fertile large tract of islands so that he can found his own Oni nation away from the dark lifestyle of the clans. He also demands great riches and an expansion so that he can take over some untouched islands. He disappears after giving his threats and compromise as quickly as he appears. Once he left reports came in of a great campaign of sabotage neutering the army meant to encircle the Oni by taking the breached area.

>>3822200
The spirit buffed spearhead pierces the belly of the city, allowing a foothold to be taken in the area where the mines have entrance.

The northern force successfully captures a portion of the northern city but its currently very preoccupied with looting and pillaging to be incredibly useful, though they are probably still being somewhat useful as they are *a* distraction as opposed to a liability.

Though the defenders of the mine proper have not yet felt the sting of the blades of the spies the army which was trying to encircle the Oni forces did suffer such an event, the master of those spies promises that he needs just a little more time so that his blow can (in his words) "be to the enemy's jugular instead of his chest".

The war is currently at a tipping point as both forces seem fairly equally likely to score a victory (at least in the eyes of the camaraderie) as long as the subterfuge breaks their back properly as the mine seems just within reach.

>>3825621
>>The Yokai Lords

>1: Composite Longbows
While the longbow has long been a longstanding classic in Oni armies, the construction of such a device could surely be improved. Using the various new resources at their disposal, along with improved crafting techniques, the Oni try to fashion new longbows able to handle larger draw weights and deliver a stronger punch.

>2: Seize the east. Then continue pushing the center.
With the South and the North of Koza either under Oni control or in complete shambles, Tonglo sends her forces to seize the east of the city. Both to continue their momentum, as well as a sheer desperation move. She hopes to capture at least half the city, and completely stop Tarn fortifications from preventing more troops from entering from the eastern walls. With the walls seized from the inside of the city, any remaining outside tarn forces should be completely cut off, and hopefully willing to surrender.
Depending on how successful taking the east will be, she then will try to rejoin with the northern forces and make a combined push on the center of the city from three directions.

>War Action: The time is up, Giib mobilizes his forces to the Tonglo Pass.
With his patience waning, Giib finally decides to take matters into his own hands. Gathering the men under his command, including any possible earthbender help, he marches down the lords highway to Tonglo. Seeing the newborn, industrial powerhouse of the Oni fills him with an immense desire. But that can wait, especially with most of its forces currently on the frontlines. His forces continue to march down the Tonglo pass, and are within eyesight of Koza by the end of the [turn]. They make no effort to hide themselves, and preside as a show of force down the moutain pass. As both a looming doom to the fishman, and as a final warning to Yokai Lord Tonglo.

>Diplo:
>Burned Men
In an effort to establish a better foreign presence, Yokai Lord Mun accepts the offer. He, his Medium consort, and their personal guard begin traveling to Last Hearth. With his Guard Captain standing in for the time being.

>Plagasm
Before he leaves with his men, Yokai Lord Giib extends an offer to the undead. The Lord's Highway provides a fast and protected route right to the Burning Men. He is willing to grant the undead trading passes from the Traders guild, reducing their costs and streamlining the process. However, he is interested to see what the undead traders would be willing to give in exchange for this. The trade guilds offer two initial proposals: Either they get a cut on all trade going through the region, or the undead build a roadway through the southern desert to allow the to more readily trade with the south.
For an initial deal, just to allow them to pass for the next couple [turns] for low cost, Giib also offers to take on earth bending mercenaries with him on his march to Koza to deal with the river and moat.

>>3825625
The battle lulls as the two commanders approach each other, an unspoken ring forming around them. The whole battle pauses in suspense.
Bathys falls into a practiced duelers stance, relaxed, weight on his back foot, arms up. Observing the enemy, finding weak spots, flaws in technique. This dryface is younger than he is and certainly stronger. She is cocky, already certain of her victory. He could use that. As the two clash, Bathys can feel his scars twinge, his old enemies trying pull him backwards into the inky depths. They won’t succeed. He won’t let them. He can’t.

He swipes out to the right, swinging wide.

Seeing her opening, Tonglo brings her sword down on the commanders exposed shoulder. But it’s a trap, he’s caught her sword in his armor, yanking it from her grip. The pull puts her off balance and he lands a ringing blow to her head. She’s laying flat out, his sword to her neck. And just like that, it’s over. She’s yielded. He’s won.

For now, at least.

As Bathys disappears back into his army’s ranks, he raises his fist. Twin spouts of water jet up into the sky. And all hell breaks loose.

War Action: For a group of soldiers(roughly two hundred) had been dispatched even before the duel to quietly eliminate the crossing over which the Oni breached the city. Once they did that, they were instructed to pass through the breach and wait for the signal. Now, they attack the Oni ranks from behind. The surprise attack breaks the Oni army’s formation, causing mass disorder and panic. And in that panic, the Tarns strike with redoubled vigor.

Actions 1, 2: Tarnish water mages begin to rock the water within the city, amplifying each wave and deepening each trough, till massive crests of water tower over the battlefield, before crashing down on the hated dryfaces. Almost as soon as the waves break on the defenders, it is pulled back with the ferocity of a riptide, knocking soldiers off their feet and sucking them into the deep. To the Oni, it is as though they have suddenly been dropped into a raging ocean. Each wave delivers another round of Tarnish soldiers into the midst of the battle, hacking and slashing furiously before retreating under cover of the spray. Overhead, a hurricane rages furiously, fueled by the desperate bending of mages who have nothing left to lose. Aqua bulking is used to scatter formations, and crocodile squadrons tear into the Mino raiders. Every ounce of Tarnish manpower is concentrated on flooding, flanking, or just plain overrunning the Oni position.

>>3826286
>Diplo w/ weird Oni
The odd dryface left Bathys no mean of contact, but given the sudden wave of high-level deaths, the commander suspects that it has eyes and ears everywhere. Bathys steps briefly off of the battlefield and speaks into the emptiness.
“You’ll get your island. But on two conditions: Tell us how you killed so many of us, and prove your worth by sabotaging the Onis currently in our city. If you do this, I know of a chain of tropical isles, not too far from where we are now. We will transport you there as soon as we can.”

With the first settlement of Nilfheim created, the great Jarl Tjorvick begins his expansion into his new territory. He knows not of the world around him, except for how brutal it can truly be. He knows he must prepare for the worst, and to do so, some discovery and advancement must be made.

>Action 1:
Tjorvick knows that due to the Aurgulmir’s “ Large “ stature, they can not use the traditional mounts that the other smaller races can. He sends camps to the south-ward coast in the idea that they will be able to domesticate the mammoths in the south. This will provide them with mounts for better hunting and movement, as well as an extra food supply; if it was ever needed.

>Action 2:
The Jarl commands a search party, led by his kinsman Var’Auti, to explore the ruins to the east of Jotunhemir. This will hopefully provide useful in the progression of Nilfheim and serve as Var’Auti’s right of passage into the Jarls council of tribe leaders.

1. Hingashi Writing and Mathematics
The Hingans begin the process of codifying knowledge. The expansion of the Osuzu has lead to a need to both produce and stockpile greater numbers of material goods. It has also spread the OSuzu across a wider and wider area, away from a single cultural and economic center of the central hive. Now, with two hives and dozens of smaller subhives and plans for a wider exodus of Princesses the unity of cultural fabric between the Hingashi Osuzu becomes an issue for the Royalty. Retinues of Hivers in good favor with the Queens work together in the depths of Hinga to develop systems of counting honeyroot, and forming the first rudimentary system of writing. Their works are set down upon specially crafted stone made through saliva molding that becomes the base for all Hingashi writing.

2. Construct Hive Toledo
Princess Anna takes leave with her entourage to found a new hive to the south to take advantage of the stone resources and the plentiful marshlands for hunting. Soon thousands of drones swarm the hills, digging out new tunnels in the hills and linking the rolling fields together through underground passages and molded mounds that sit atop hills.

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>>3825621

>Diplomacy: Volt

With the faceless in Sonarii territories dealt with, the order of Monster Hunters (catchier/more original name required) is sent to fly northward and help the Volters deal with the remains of their pocket. The Oni Mercenaries hired by the Duke of T'Ned will also be offered to the Volters to continue the fight against the faceless; as long as the Mercenaries still have an appetite for battle.

>Diplomacy: Oni (Tonglo)

The Army of the Duchy of Stianbal is mustered, and sent to the northern Mountains that overlook the pass and the Oni border. Duke Enab Egnart sends a messenger to the Lady Tonglo. Per the conditions of her treaty with his family, they have not intervened on either side in the Tarnish conflict, as requested by both her and the Sonarii King. Sonaria does not want war with the Tarn.

But, also as per his father's treaty, the army of the Duchy of Stianbal does stand fully ready to assist Tonglo should she come under threat of attack from non-Tarnish forces. The call is, of course, her own...

>Action 1:

With the Monster hunters proven successful, the work on their Fortress-Headquarters continues upon the granted mountain, the fortress rising up in the east of Ducal Damheust; on the border of Alkilme, Plagasm and the Desert corridor.

>Action 2:

The Discovery of the incredibly useful hemp leads the Scholars of Ordon University and the explorers of the Sonivy in Lansou to wonder what other wealth the jungles and forests might hold, and for a time they concentrate on cataloging in search of more foodstuffs or other usable produce that might be hidden away in the green.

>>3825621
>Diplomacy (Minotaurs)
The Totu accept to share their creations with the Minotaurs for as long as they supply the resources. Their primary efforts remain the production of the boats with assistance from the Tarn. (The Totu come back and forth to the Minotaurs to retrieve supplies and deliver goods. The Minotaurs are told not to loiter). They continue to insist that their actions are sanctioned.

>Action 1: Acts of Authority
Already 3/4ths of the way to becoming queen, the Resistance Princess reasons that she is the mightiest of the queens as well as the most righteous, having refused to bend the knee.
The resistance, which also operates out of Gurtland finally figures itself powerful enough and respected enough to begin assassinations of other figures of authority.
Totu simply go about their days within Gurtland, acting as eyes for the Resistance, keeping track of every public motion of a princess and allowing the to-be-queen to track them down and take them out.

>Action 2: Clan Holding
More Totu are brought to the boat building facility as a more permanent workshop is established to house the Totu and aid in the production and dissuade further encroachment by the Minotaurs.

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(Sonarian sketch of a Thunder Guard, before cheap paper was introduced, which would have allowed to show the actual lenght of his halberd)

Action 1: Siege of the Faceless Castle
Eighteen Thunder Priests and their powermancer cohorts gather around the faceless castle; nine in a perfect circle, nine in a greater circle around them. They gather Thunna's divine might and summon the fury of the heavens: thunderbolts of justice smite the stone structure at regular intervals, taking away a bit of its integrity with each impact with resounding, awesome roars. The plan was that, once the inner horror has been left bare and vulnerable, the priests may electrocute all horrors that remain within the power circle by coursing a massive voltage between them, and let the Thunder Guard investigate the structure, perhaps make sense of all this mess. All allies are told to hold back and witness the show, that they may tell far and wide that Thunna's might is not to be taken lightly, no matter the docile demeanor of his chosen.

The Polity graciously promises the land back to their former owners, without asking for them to fight, though bolter commanders allow Burned Men to serve for honour if they truly want to. 'Let us handle this', they said, 'and your homes will be yours again, by Thunna's will.'

The volters do not feel so comfortable near the Oni mercenaries though, who only fight out of some craving and not divine justice nor cause, and only allow them around so they may watch the thunder fall from the sky. 'We're pacifists, not pushovers', slips out a guard captain.


Action 2: Electrical Engineering
After magnetic engineering, electrical power is the next step towards Magnetion. A long awaited for resurgence, electrical machinery is a primordial basis to a true volter civilization, as would be agriculture for others. On the curriculum features of course the humble dynamo, and then batteries, powerstones, power crystals, Voltage physics, turbine prototypes, conduction cables, AC/DC theory... It's a lot to take in, but it's a necessary restart. Volters require Power: they use that power to work harder, run faster, stay healthy, perform electromancy. But while they generate an appreciable amount of Voltage through their own Spark, this is nothing compared to the amounts that would be generated by an industrial society; amounts so great that they could power Thunna himself back to greatness again. Soon enough, it will be possible.

Diplomacy: Sonarii
Thunna humbly suggests "Szélefet's Hunters" as a catchier name for the monster hunting order. He vaguely admits that the concept sounds cool.

Volters share their discomfort of Oni mercenaries with their ally, but welcome the willingness to help. They thank Duke T'Ned but tell him not to waste his money. 'We got this, as you requested us to. None of Thunna's chosen intend to be the lagging party of this alliance.' The Ambassadors inquires for the officialization of the Iolite - Vinconro sea trade route and if Sonarian scholars are still coming over to Volt Vault for Project Thunderbird.


Diplomacy: Burned Men
'Give unto the King's what is the King's, and unto Thunna what is Thunna's.'

The Polity in its serene wisdom has promised to return the strip of land back to its Burned Men colonists, once it's wrestled from the Faceless. It's a goodwill gesture from one neighbor in respect to another and the ambassador hopes that the Golden Dawn shall remember this diplomatic courtesy in its future dealings with the Polity.

>>3826096
Diplo:yokai lords
The plagasm do not feel like getting into a foreign war at this time but they can create a addition to the trade roads for the lords to use

>>3827818
Yeah we'll send a few mercs

>>3825621
Action 1: start pumping up the gas for our use, probably sets of earthen pipes
Action 2: set up some tombs(a new settlement) in the desert to help produce fuel
Diplo:burned men
To better refine our gas we need your workers and gas masks in return we can give you a cut of the gas for use in your foundries

>>3825622

Diplomacy: Golden Dawn

The Elderly King Largh prepares to make an appearance at the memorial completion celebration, along with dukes Nakyle and T'Ned.

If he gets a chance to talk about the situation on the border around the celebration events, Largh will mention to Angstrom in private that the hill taken from the Faceless splinter has been occupied by the lordling of one of the Sonarii bands who was part of the final offensive. Whilst the lordling has not yet been officially enfiefed, King Largh does believe that there is at least a little merit to the Lordling's claim through conquest of land from monsters... Do the burned men have an actual claimant to put forward with historical ties to the land?

If the burned men do have such an individual, then their respective claims would be easy to judge by allowing the pair to fight an honour duel for possession.

>>3828142
>>3825621
1. With the gas provided by the Plagasm, the old tech of single shot lance gauntlets has improved, using gas filled hollow canisters of steel. When the gas ignites it rockets at great speed. Sadly it has lost it's mobility, having to be set on a stand, but can be reloaded in battle.

(You didn't add the city last turn)

2. With the little study done on the pylons, a ritual is conducted once more, aiming to expand due south and west(ocean wise).

Diplo:

>Sonari
King Angstrom is willing to allow the lord rule over the land, as he had fought for it, and the king is grateful for the purging of the faceless. The concessions the King requests is that Burned Men be able to settle there, worship as they wish, and will not be mistreated so long as they pay tax to the lord and obey his law.

>Volter
The King gives thanks to the Polity for their gift, and promises to remember their kindness, while also complimenting the strength of their young military.

>Plagasm
That deal works perfectly.


In a while I will post the fluff post for the ceremony

>>3828395

>Diplomacy: Burned Men

The terms seem more then agreeable.

>>3826096
Several new materials are toyed with in the construction of better bows, first to be tinkered with is the exotic Giant Spider String from the deep jungle of the Sonarii, its tensile strength is immense and it makes a most excellent string on any bow but it is worth triple its weight in gold and itself is very weighty in general and thus only the most elite or noble born of soldiers can hope to afford it, though how long it lasts under good care means that over time the older bows which are strung with it will increase in proportion through its long lasting nature. The other option looked into is another exotic foreign material, that being the hardwood of the Tundra of the Plagasm. The wood produced by the evergreens down there are indeed incredibly strong but also expensive and are essentially always required for any reasonably sized Spider String Bow, in the end through the aid of a visiting Plagasm engineer and his Oni smith friend a design based around spokes and wheels which form a noticeably more effective and accurate while not sacrificing power or sound in the same way a recurve bow does. Though they are complex, are produced with lots of well casted metal and require more string the effectiveness these new "compound bows" bring to the battlefield - especially in stealth roles - cannot be understated.

Though the tarnish army which was supposed to encircle the city forces was shattered and forced into a retreat the taking of that half of the city was hard, and only a menial force of minotaurs still remains under Oni command after having looted a large portion of the northern city. But after that brief moment of triumph while the sky had finally become clear due to a closing of the tarnish storm support the waves then hit, and soon the Oni army and its allies lay in isolated pockets of high ground, still fighting despite the odds. The news of the approaching army of Giib also did not help.

Just outside of the city the Tonglo forces who had to stay behind (mostly artillery forces whose pieces had not been given enough time or opening to advance) are swiftly absorbed or forced into allying with the forces of Giib. The Yokai Lord of Giib looks onto the city, whose walls look like poorly put together cobble and brick abominations and whose moat rocks with the waves of Tarnish movement. Through sources in the absorbed forces he then locates the breach, and after securing entrance he gets his forces ready to take what the Tonglo could not.

>>3826286
(try to stay away from concrete numbers except when talking about important characters)
After a few hours of preparation and a consolidations and reformation of the shattered forces of the northern army back into a larger unified force the waves are unleashed alongside a burst of never before seen levels of storm support from the ocean. The offensive is to say the least groundbreaking as now the army of the Oni has been forced into easily picked off pockets under conditions which now give the tarns the advantage of sight and stealth. Word of the approaching army of Giib has also just reached the ears of the commandants, word tells of how their forces Dwarf the Tonglo army even at its greatest and about how they have come in to take what the Tonglo have failed to capture.
>>3826293
The leader of the subterfuge Oni emerges from the shadows, bowing down and giving his thanks to Bathys, he promises his house's service for one more mission but after that they desire their due, right after he explains that the source of their stealth is their binded spirits, obscuring their form to the point of shadows and making their footsteps sound like a whisper of whispers, along with some intense practical stealth training and serious pressures put on initiates as well, that always helps.

>>3826507
The sagas of the old world flow through the minds of the Aurgulmir, giving them context to how and why they are here today. But the world has changed and not for the better so these stories cannot serve their purpose fully and well.

All around their nation they find a great barrier of what they call Dragon's Teeth, great black talons which float high up in the air, separating the now outside from the relative safety of the inner realm. Those who venture past the looming form of these untouchable things will more often than not never return and those that do tell of the shadowy and horrifying creatures which lurk in the outlands, things which can kill a man as one can splinter a stick or drag a man away who dwarfs the shadowy creature.

A many few mammoths are managed to be captured from the outlands, an entire herd infact captured by a skilled band of hunters. These beasts can be broken in due time but some of the beastmasters (mostly those who specialize in taming the Dire Wolves and Polar bears who are particularly fierce) recommend starting a breeding program so that larger, hardier and more loyal mammoths can be bread over the next many decades, it won't take too much just a process of selecting which mammoths to let procreate instead of pairing up whatever elephants they please.

The expedition returns in shambles, it seems they too have learned of the dangers outside of the inner realm, but they have come back with information about what they found and even some samples of what could be gained from that place, they describe the massive metal towers which dominate the ruin and of the many barrels of black sludge they found, this black sludge is indeed highly flammable even at low temperatures but fills the lungs with a horrible smoke and thus is useless for smithing and starting firepits, though it does seem especially useful for starting fires and thus could have its uses. The metal salvaged cannot be smithed by the Iron smiths of the realm but is especially strong and not prone to rusting in important areas, using it the team made a few axes which were easy to make and fairly effective despite their shoddy construction.

>>3826562
The diligent minds of the Hingashi come up with a script based around recognizable symbols which make up sounds (a latin style language) based around the words which best represent them (for instance "tree" would be represented by the letters "" and "∋" with being derived from the first sound of tree (recognized as tr) and the second sound being derived from the second sound of bee (the sound "ee") if we were to use english as our basal language) and after a few months most of the upper classes has learned this fairly simple writing system through the spreading of scribes for all the hives by the central comity.

The good stone of Toledo alongside the luxury goods of the south (mostly furs and dried berries native to the region) serves as an excellent resource to trade giving wealth and helping to grow the Hive.

>>3826620
During an extravagant meal hosted by the Great Princess of Gurtand hired Oni assassins manage to not only take the Great Princess out of the picture but capture her as well. Soon all the princesses required to get the resistance Princess to Queenhood have been acquired, though a few known Totu princesses still remain "at large" not enough are known to be considered a threat to the new Queen.

After much construction time a good sized and seaworthy ship is constructed and after a little testing and the addition of some backup systems and redundancy in case of a minor structural failure the ship alongside many smaller sister boats is ready for service. Now all that needs to happen is the collection of all the Totu who are coming for the first voyage in order to find a new home.

>>3826620
(remind me if I place this wrong)
The new fortress is built with the aid of hired Necrotics, its walls stand high and mighty, with a thickness only matched by the fortresses of the Plagasm. New initiates are brought in from across the domains of the Sonarii, to train and then go to their own smaller monasteries to serve as both guard and enforcer to the faithful of the God of the Sonarii. Always ready to regroup for war whenever required.

More exotic species of giant spiders whose silk holds different properties (sticky silk, heat resistant silk, toxic silk, fabric silk) are discovered and harvested for entrance into the trade network as luxury goods, along with this a sister species of Giant Scorpion is found which besides some very colorful flairs on its back legs and tail look very much like the scorpions of the rock. Though their venom does not yield the same effect. (it is instead a poison which numbs the body and causes the inflicted to go into a state of paralysis) Finally several species of exotic berry (most of which make good additives for expensive wines) and alternative sources of Coffee are found as well. Along with these discoveries a few cases thought to be isolated are connected and through them the possibility of taming the Greater Serpent Eagles could be feasible. In fact one of these tamers is found living as a hermit in the jungle and after being interviewed his revolutionary techniques improve relations with captive Serpent Eagles and Greater Serpent Eagles by leaps and bounds. With a few more years of refinement these beasts might be able to finally become useful allies for war and leisure alike.

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>>3826851
The castle sinks into the ground and a single huge bolt shatters its central tower, what if left is naught but rubble and charred corpses. The remaining faceless are swiftly cleaned up and no new information can be gleamed besides anecdotal info related to the history of the site. With the Volters victorious the region is demilitarized, rods are salvaged and the army packs up to go celebrate up north. Though they do not leave without first feasting with the burned men on the strange dishes of the Golden Dawn, bringing back stories of the tasty food to their homeland of salt, potatoes and wildfoods. Though a small fort is maintained due to stories of a last bastion of the faceless in the far south of the burned men.

What can be gleamed from the vault's broken inner workings and the tales of old is not entirely useful and many of these lost technologies end up proving to be little more than hearsay or the result of more complicated mechanics not yet understood. From an expedition into one of the largest caves of the empire many odd and even unknown substances and ores are acquired and from these the first true battery since the fall is created using Sulphuric acid, copper and zinc. Though it is hardly practical due to costs and capacity alongside toxicity its foundation will serve as a sturdy base from which more complex batteries can be produced.

>>3827880
A source of crude oil is discovered in the desert, and a series of pumps are produced in order to harvest it though due to the smell and a poorly understood refinement process the oil does not prove very popular except among some smithies and local totu buyer alongside Military buyers as well.

The new town now makes up a good third of the non military necrotics in the desert. Burned men immigrate in order to send money back to their families.

>>3828395
The military applications of the gas are looked into readily and thus investment into the Necrotic town comes down from the north so that the refinement process can be better understood and refined.

(added)

The fish and land brought in by the expansion bolster the nation and improve its fishing industry. (please say if the expansion has something wrong with it)

>>3826851
>>3829129

Action 1: Round up the remaining combatants.
The last few remnants of the Oni army still in the city are killed or captured by the full brunt of the Tarnish army. Those still attempting to fight are overrun one by one by dedicated groups of soldiers. Regular captured combatants are immediately put to work performing heavy labor, carrying rocks and building materials to assist with rebuilding the cities defenses. Officers, fearsome warriors, and just about anyone still showing signs of resistance are segregated and interrogated. The Tarns want to know who this new force is, how Giib will attack and what best way there is to stop him. If Tonglo is captured, see diplo below.

Action 2: Defense of the City. With this new force closing in, the Tarns have to work fast in order to repair their defenses. Using prisoners of war, debris from the battle is piled up to fill in the breach in the walls. Encampments for the aqua bulkers are set up on the ramparts near the breach, to allow soldiers to wash the Oni invaders down the pile should they manage to charge the area once again. Crocodiles and their tamers are dispatched into the moat, to attack the bridge-builders at the next opportunity. Finally, the army is reorganized and set up in order to best defend the breach in the wall.

War action: All this activity is concealed by a cloud of mist, rolling over the battlements and settling as a thick fog over the moat and breach. It serves to conceal the full extent of the Tarnish fortifications/repairs and forces the bridge builders to work out of sight of the rest of Giibs army. This will allow the Tarns to pick off the builders one by one when the opportunity presents itself.

Tonglo diplo:
>Applies only if Tonglo is captured
Tonglo is brought to Bathys, her hands held behind her back by an orb of water. The proud Oni holds herself high, despite her dire situation.
“Why am I here? Have you nothing better to do with your time?”
Her voice drips with contempt, but Bathys responds evenly.
“Simple. I just want to verify some…impressions I have of your current situation. The man outside my city’s walls. He is your enemy, no? And now, you are weak and he is strong. If he takes this city, his clan will conquer your clan in the process. So. If he wins this battle, you lose. If I win this battle, you lose anyways. Am I correct?”
He pauses, and stares Tonglo in the face.
“The man outside these walls, his army is fearsome. I am not certain we can hold him off as we did you. But perhaps it does not come to that. You help us, we help you. Win-win.”
“Here’s my idea. You march out to bad man with a full complement of Tarnish and Oni soldiers. Tell him that this city and this army are yours. Tell him that if he does not retreat you will conquer him. He goes back to his clan, you go back to yours, everyone happy. And you walk away and NEVER attack this city again.What do you say?”

>>3829121
Oni spy diplo:
Bathys thanks the spy for his information and asks him to fulfill his end of the bargain, by sabotaging the new Oni army. Nothing major is necessary, simply an attack that rattles the new leader and makes him more hesitant about attacking the city. If possible, sabotaging of the bridge would be excellent.

>>3826096
See >>3829217

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>>3829132

(Sorry to say, you placed it wrong. It should have been here...)

The Jarl stands amazed when only 5 of the 20 giants sent on the exploration return. “ Var’Auti, you better have returned with something, else you will be held accountable for their lives” --“ Uncle, though they are lost, you must know of the new dangers in this damned world; but yes, we have come with gifts from those dark ruins…..
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“Balor, Beast Tamer!” Jarl Tjorvikk’s booming voice echoes throughout the council halls. “I have a new job for you my friend, one that will make you very happy indeed”. Balor’s only remark is a raised brow. Addressing the council, Tjorvikk states “ With the camps set to house the Mondraki,” (Mammoth in Giant) “ I believe that Balor shall take his leave, and more Aurgulmir, to create a settlement in the hopes of raising the strongest mounts our generation has ever seen. This will provide useful for the Great Hunt.”

>Action 1
Create a settlement in the south for the breeding and training of mammoths into mounts. (Assuming that the “camps” were considered expansion of territory that I could create a settlement there)


“My Jarl” Kalsk the crafter speaks up, “ I wish to lead a frost path to the deeper ocean, where we will have much better fish to catch. Maybe, we will be able to hunt Balagwa (whales). I believe this will provide for the food stores, and the Balagwa’s fat is useful for many crafts. Once the settlement is established, I will talk more about what this settlement can produce for you, with the materials you will supply for us of course.” A grin spreads across Kalsk’s face. “Granted, and if you provide for our food stores, you will have whatever supplies you may need for your creations, Kalsk.” responds Jarl Tjorvikk.

>Action 2
Lead an ice path to the north west where there are deeper waters, and establish a settlement for the fishing of whales(hopefully)

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The popularity of the bolters, backed as well by the thunder priests who are a notoriously moody bunch (praise Thunna), has been on the rise recently and the heroic sheen of their late actions have done nothing to calm it down. Council members have been favouring their representative's advice of expansion and preparedness as of late.

Action 1: Explore the Southern Ruins
Before bolters return to their respective clans and thunder priests are back to their monasteries, there is one more thing the Polity wanted to do in the region...

Action 2: Thunder Peak city
Thunder Peak, South of Volt Vault has the greatest height of the whole range of the Thunder Mountains. It's only natural that such a sacred site be settled properly in Thunna's name. Already home to the Thunder Guard's headquarters it's planned to receive the greatest priesthood of thunder, one day. For now, it shall look upon the world below.

Diplomacy: Golden Dawn
'Two times have the faceless castles collapsed and two times have we been unable to learn just what monstrosity have been at work. We wonder if there is not a way to subdue the horror and study the cause.'

>>3829132

Action 1:

The Sonarii finally find their perfect candidate for Duchess of Tiztavaros. The 'Clean' Totu princess with the given name 'Sella Lek' is young, but her demonstrated behavior show her to be calm, fanatical for cleanliness, and a demonstrated devotee of the ways of Szélfelet - as well as passionate about sweet treats, fond of riding in sky-carts and eager to read and watch dramas. She is taken to the Fortress of Szélfelet's hunters, along with all the other Totu princess known by and under control of the Sonarii state. Here, under controlled and heavily guarded conditions and the roiling gaze of Szélfelet, the Sonarii intend to induce queenship in Sella Lek to secure their hold upon the Tizta population.

Action 2:

After spending some time confirming that the islands located westerly and south-westerly off his coast are not claimed by either Tarnish conclave (and indeed, do not appear to be claimed or inhabited at all), Duke Cewayn of Chaelkeat prepares an expansion to incorporate them into his Ducal domains. King Largh prepares to make minor contributions of his own to this ritual in attempt to secure the final hex of jungle, the final hex of forest and the hex of forested hill that are near to Lansou.

>>3829133
>>The Yokai Lords

>Long ass monologue/Start of Diplo
>Tonglo, Tarn, and Sonarii
As the southern and northern forces managed to take the east of the city and drive out the Tarn defenders or strike them down, Tonglo had seen a brief glimmer of hope; that this battle would end with her name sung out by her many friends and brothers in arms. The skies had calmed and the water receded towards the coast as if the very ocean was fearful at her. That was when the Sonarii messenger descended from the skies to warn her of Giib's movements. At first, Tonglo thought such support from either the Sonarii or Giib would be completely unnecessary. Then the tidal wave hit and everything went to shit.
Her organization crumbled as water broke any and all lines of communication between her immediate squad and the rest of her army. While they would attempt to fight off the initial couple of attacks, the continued storm support made Tonglo realize that any major chances of escape were impossible. Rather than throw away her men's lives for not, Tonglo called out to the worthy duelist, Bathys. She would allow herself to be captured, so long as her guard would be treated fairly.

>Due to the isolation of the different Tonglo forces, only the oni in the central region (tonglo's group) would easily surrender. The Minos in the north and east would probably continue raiding, their elemental advantage leaving them less exposed to water bending attrition. Meanwhile, the Oni in the south would probably try to hold off the tarn as they retreated back out the breach in the wall to either safety or into Giib's hands.


Though hiding her doubts behind bluster well enough, for the second time in quick succession, Tonglo was seriously doubting her abilities. The loss against Bathys in battle had been bad enough, though a valuable learning experience. But back then she still had the support of her men and the advantage in the war. Now the tables were turned and it was the world against her. Desperately, she tried to think of a way out of the situation, since beating it with a big stick wasn't enough anymore. Suddenly, she remembered an old tale. Tonglo had always idolized the first Yokai Lord Mun for his accomplishments, especially at the beginning of the Nascent era and his ability to unify the oni under his rule. But right before he had managed that, it had been his darkest hour: 5 other lords surrounded the fort of Mun, each one strong in their own right, and each one marching on his land. He was unable to fight them all, and his guards were not skilled nor numerous enough to accomplish such a feat, either. Instead, he had used cunning to lure one army into the next, breaking his opponents upon each other. And when they had worn themselves out, Mun had sallied forth to stomp them into submission and ensure his reign.
It was a long shot, but perhaps Tonglo could emulate Mun's most hard fought victory, just this once.

>>3830966
>The Yokai Lords

>Diplo proper
>>3829217
Upon meeting the man that had beaten her twice now, Tonglo listened with due respect and rapt attention. She would have to navigate this carefully if she wished to see the next dawn. Tonglo let him finish in full, before bursting into her characteristic laughter. Praising the man's idealism if nothing else.

"You understand little of the Oni, and you know nothing of Yokai Lord Giib. He will not stop just because of me, as I have failed. Giib's army will crush what few defenders you have left, and crush you if you stand to defend it to your last breath, as you should. Then he will seize my title, and give it to one one more fitting, capable, and obedient."
"Rallying the scraps of our two forces would still not be enough of a deterrent to him, as the mines are too tempting and our men to worn. What's worse, if I were to claim to defend this fort town, then I would no longer be the lord of Tonglo, and my men would soon abandon me for forsaking them. I would have no authority, no claimant, and no honor."

"At this point, we are both proper fucked, aye? There is only one possibility that I can think of where we both come out intact."
"I will not let all my men's blood be for not; even if Giib were to win, at the very least that would mean these mines would help feed the Oni people. Leaving these mines for good is out of the question. But you are correct, I'd rather keep my power and not just hand it over to Giib, much like you wouldn't want to just hand over all you've fought for yourself."

"So I ask you to hear me out in this ridiculous proposal. Hold out for as long as you can, and let me go free. Fight for all the Tarn counting on you, as I go contact the Sonarii. Duke Enab Egnart had just contacted me about rallying a force to bare down on Giib before the wave. He has probably already made moves to expand his authority over my region, and that will not sit well with my people so long as they recognize me. I cannot fight for you, but I can fight for them. As Giib's forces tear into you, I can call down the Sonarii and rally my own kinsmen. Trapped between the sea, the mountain, and the sky, he will have no choice but to acquiesce to our demands. He is willing to fight a battle he knows he can win, but unwilling to throw his own people into a perpetual slaughter like us."
"In exchange, I propose a joint ownership of this city and of the mines. The Oni shall own the south and eastern parts of the city, while the Tarn hold the center, north, and west. We shall each receive a portion of the phosphorous we so desperately desire, and no more blood need be shed. We will retain the mountain pass we took, but not claim nor trespass into further Tarnish holdings."

>TL;DR: Tonglo offers: Let her 'escape' to rally the Sonarii, so that together the three forces can force Giib to retreat. Tonglo and Tarn have joint ownership of Koza and of the mines. Oni keep the mountain pass, but won't claim any further.

>>3829133
>>The Yokai Lords

>1: Instantiate Giib's own Syndicate members as secret military police
Yokai Lord Giib is not a trusting man. The syndicate was originally something Tonglo had brewed up, and though the Dodug originated from his own region, the Eoduun had been operating for Tonglo for the entire period of this war. Her eyes and ears were everywhere as far as he was concerned. Not to mention her own men and the minotaurs were scattered throughout his growing army. Giib needed the extra security that only his syndicate could provide. Setting up agents to monitor his camps and his men, as well as keeping an extra eye on speciousness movements in the water. Though less spiritual than the other lords, he still made ample use of spirits of sight to help monitor the situation, much like he had to in his own more crime infested region.

>2 and War Action: Crush these defenses once and for all, and bridge this darn moat already
Giib quickly decides that the white water rapids of a city is not an ideal place to fight. With the sizable amount of siege devices so graciously left by Tonglo, along with the hired earthen mercenaries, Giib has his forces quickly and mercilessly obliterate whatever remaining defenses the fishmen have in place. Counting on the fighting inside the city to prevent proper time to rebutress or man the walls/moats, he planned to have the water filled city drained and ripe for the taking. As soon as they could, the war engineers and earthbenders would also begin spanning bridges across and directly into the heart of the city. Giib's numerous longbow men would provide continuous covering fire as well.

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>>3830996
>>The Yokai Lords

>Even More Diplo
>Mun and the Golden Dawn, and Yugji >>3828395
Mun, his guard, as well as several Mediums from the Elseworld-Sect and the Lake of Wonsi all come to the celebration and festivities of the Last Hearth, with copious sake under arm. There the Mediums discuss theology, teachings, spiritualism, and philosophy with the scholars and priests of the Golden Dawn. Mun meanwhile, would end up having a conversation with the two other kings, leaving him with much to think about. The Oni enjoy the rest of the celebration before eventually heading back home.

Upon his return, Mun informs Yokai Lord Yugji of the King's idea. Expecting his fairly agreeable peer to be on board, and to help him sway Giib to agree as well. But to his shock, both Yokai Lord Yugji and his wife the Medium of Wonsi, were absolutely livid at the proposal. The young Yokai Lord Mun had made the mistake of ignoring the early history with the Burned Men, and the sacking of Yugji's fort town. The burning men begging for assistance had already been pushing it, but the King's proposal was too much for Yugji to handle; his tarnished honor at the hands of the King's army would not be something he would ever forget. To even suggest the king's request with them was ludicrous.

Knowing that Judunji would just go along with Yugji, and that Giib could only be counted on to look after himself; that left Tonglo as the only other one that might seem interested in agreeing to such a proposal. Though that depended on how her little war was going, and if she'd soon start another war for the hell of it after this one ended... The third youngest of the yokai lords, and still notorious for being bullheaded and proud to stand on her own two feet, Mun did not like his odds. Perhaps he alone could agree to the king's request, but should he risk alienating himself from his peers when he is supposed to be the one to keep them together?

>The Totu (in absence of Giib) >>3826728
And with the absence of Giib and a sizable chunk of his forces, whom are off to take Koza, no one was in any position to see to the distressed cries of the Great Princess' suitors at the kidnapping of their princess. The guards are too busy seeing to the borders, trade routes, and towns to go out and investigate.

>>3830996
Diplo:
Cockiness. It was her worst trait and he had counted on it. In her rush to prove herself superior, the Oni had inadvertently shown too much of her hand. Tonglo was no longer in control of the situation. He would have to negotiate with the Sonarii now. But how to get them down here?
Dismissing Tonglo with a wave of his hand, Bathys thought.
A group of Tarns march out to the highest point in the city, Tonglo safely secured in their midst. They begin waving banners, regalia, anything that the Oni officers had on them. This colorful display would be sure to attract the eyes of any passing Sonarii. As soon as one comes down, they are asked to bring the Duke or an envoy to meet with the Tarnish commander.
>>3830866

>>3831131
>whoops
“Good afternoon. I have a matter of urgency to discuss. This Oni-”
A crude bust of Tonglo, made of water, forms where he gestures.
“She is an ally of yours, no? Perhaps even a friend?”
A pause.
“She tried to invade our city, but failed. Now we have captured her. There are those within our camp who say we should kill her as payment for all the death she has caused. But this Oni says something very interesting. She says she knows the Sonarii, that you are coming to help her. So of course I thought, if the Sonarii trust her, maybe she not so bad after all. And now with these Giib army attacking, maybe perhaps Sonarii can help. So I call you down to offer a compromise.”
“I give you this Tonglo and her officers and any other prisoners. You take them back to their homeland. In exchange, maybe you impress upon her our generosity. Maybe you encourage her to cut off this Giibs supply lines, so that he can’t attack us or her. Maybe as thanks you help us break this army like we broke the last one. Do what you feel is best. We help you, you help us. We walk away with our city, she walks away with her life, you walk away with your friend.”
“What do you say?”

>>3829133
Action 1: continue developing the gas with help from the burned men
Action 2: consider the idea of artificial islands in the artic to study the waters

1. Expand North

The wasps continue claiming and settling the mountainous spine of the region, growing the size of Hinga as they do so. The Hive of the Queen-Mother spreads under and through several mountains, each connected by tunnels or flown between by intrepid wasps from aerie to aerie.

2. Beetle Ranching
Osuzu are carnivores at heart. Despite their diet being aided by the consumption of honeyroot mead, their primary source of food remains to be meat based. Of these, the most easily acquired and farmed source of protein are large beetles. The Osuzu had been hunting the beasts for eons, and only recently have they come to understand that they could also simply grow them in pens, then eat them whenever they chose to. This sustainable crop of insect helps round of the Osuzu diet by providing their necessary source of protein. Each hive has large tracts of land set aside for beetle ranching, but the most successful are the marshlands where the beetles can burrow and eat the dead stuff found there.

>>3831147

The Sonarii Duke, Enab Egnart of Stianbal, comes flying down a short time later after receiving the Tarnish request. Dressed in light armoured leather and rich bifucated silks, he folds his upper wing-arms casually behind his head whilst the lower make unhurried gesticulations.

"Yes. We know the Lady Tonglo. Her forces helped my father and Sonaria in the wars with the Filth-Queen of the Totu, whilst Giib stood with our enemies. " Enab gives a louche, toothy smile. "Part of the bargain struck was a pact of defense; and so, the Armies of Stianbal roost up there in the mountains, waiting to aid her in defense against the Giib... should she request it."

Enab looks slowly around. "But I do not see her here? She should come here, or I should go to her?" He gives a slow stretch of his upper wings, beating them once before folding them back. "The deal my father struck with the Lady Tonglo also had that Stianbal would remain neutral to any wars in the pass. We would not join, say, the Oni attack on Tarnia, but nor would we come to Tarnia's aid against the Oni." He turns his head slowly back to the Tarn, and apologetically flexes his shoulders. "If that stipulation is to be changed... I must have that as a request from the Lady Tonglo herself. Otherwise, I am quite bound by our non-interference treaty with her..."

>>3831529
Bathys nods.
“I understand your meaning. As for the Oni, she will be here shortly.”
At that moment, Tonglo enters the room, surrounded by a group of Tarnish guardsmen. She seems well-treated, though a tad rumpled. The only sign of her status as prisoner is an orb of water surrounding her hands.
“As you can see, we have neither mistreated the commander, nor have we harmed her in any way. Quite frankly, there are those within my ranks who would like to see her executed painfully for the deaths her actions have caused. I find it hard to blame them. After all, there isnt a man before you who hasn’t lost a friend or a brother to an Oni blade. Still, my goal is still peace, to cease this bloody war once and for all. To that end, I would still be willing to hand the Oni over to your custody. But to do that, I need assurance that my kindness now will not be the cause of further bloodshed.”
“Can you provide that?”

>>3831623
>correction
“Further Tarnish bloodshed”

>>3829217
I would like to add to the defense of the city action that the water cannons get emplaced if possible

Unlike her mother, Jeleva, 2nd queen of the Totu had never possessed such a knack for theatrics. Once a leader among the military council and commander of the Sandlions, (in true Totu fashion,) she preferred to allow fear to rule her subjects. Where as Marchesa spouted the supremacy of the Totu and their resiliency, Jeleva drills into their minds a sense of fear and dependence, as if her calculated orders were their only hope.
Despite her aggressive-seeming nature, she's just as calculated as her Mother and takes tactic, technique, and deception incredibly seriously.

>Diplomacy (Yokai)
Jeleva declares herself rightful ruler of Gurtland, though she does not declare Independence and does not withdraw Totu within Yokai armies.

>Diplomacy (Tarn)
With the ships ready to sail, and the Queen empowered, Jeleva instructs her tinkerers to make one last contact with the Tarn, thanking them for their neutrality and requesting un-interupted passage through their sea. She explains their hope to leave the continent entirely, thus reducing Totu combatants under the Yokai to eventually none.

>Action 1: Slaves to Spies
With the motherly link restored to Totu-kind restored, Jeleva beckons forth the Totu residing in other nations to venture to Gurtland. Here she discusses technology with those who have already being transported and early arrived, attempting to learn from their captors.

>Action 2: Contingency Plan
Defenses are made around the Totu's dockyard to prevent interruption. Sailors are trained to test the open waters, making short trips (within 2 tiles) and fishing.

>>3832017
The Tarns thank the Totu for their gratitude and ask them where they are headed. It is pointed out that there is a large landmass directly southeast of their boat building operation, and that the Tarns would be willing to help them reach it, provided three conditions:

1) The Totu desert the other dryfaces as soon as they can.
2)the Totu explain how cannons work
and
2) A quantity of smooth stone balls, suitable for the Tarnish hydro-cannons be supplied.

A few Totu are transported to and return from the island in order to prove its existence and viability.

>I’m fine with wherever you go as long as it’s not directly east.
>However, if you would like, you could accept the above offer and gain some favor with the Tarns as well as get there much faster/safer

>>3831623

Enab Egnart glances briefly at Tonglo, then looks back to Bathys. "If that is a term of the peace you have signed with the Lady Tonglo, then we would take her as our guest; but I would have her word for that." He lowers his lower wings, and opens up his upper. "The Lady Tonglo is an ally to the Duchy of Stianbal, not a vassal or supplicant. We will not keep her without her permission, and can make no guarantees to her behavior unless they are those made by her mouth that she wishes us to enforce."

He gives a thin smile. "I can make no assurances for the Lady Tonglo without her input. All I can assure you is that, by treaty, Stianbal and the greater Sonaria are neutral in Oni conflict with the Tarn. And Stianbal are purely defensive allies of the Lady Tonglo... should she see need to call upon us, as a free woman and Lady of her lands, to react to a force currently in invasion of her domains. Which we have not, yet, heard her do."

>>3829133
1. Proper merchant ships are constructed for transporting trade goods and supplies for the kingdom. Protected by military convoys

2. The city of Asura seeks to finish what their namesake started, and strike the scorge of the faceless from the earth

Diplo

>Sonari
The King thanks the bat King for his acceptance

>Oni
King Angstrom lays a warn hand upon Lord Muns shoulder
"Sometimes the hardest thing is to break the mold, and do what you believe is right, when the world screams you are wrong."

>Polity
The King's statement "There is nothing to learn from the scourge, they only bring death and madness.

Ceremony fluff coming.

>>3832337
>>3830996
Bathys frowns.
“The commander’s current terms for her own release are unacceptable. I fear that perhaps she does not grasp the seriousness of her current position. We were hoping you negotiate on her behalf. Sadly not, it seems. Still, perhaps you can help talk some sense into her. The commander demands in exchange for her own release that she be granted partial ownership of the city. Needless to say, such a ludicrous proposal is unacceptable. Hence the restraints.”
“Still, the Oni is fully able to speak right now. That she hasn’t is, I presume, a personal choice.”
“If the three of us do not come to an agreement, Tonglo will remain a hostage until she is tried by a Tarnish council for her crimes. They will decide an appropriate punishment, up to and including execution.”
He stares Tonglo in the face.
“And I will promise you this, Commander. Whether or not Koza falls, you will remain in our custody. I will personally make sure of it. I encourage you to consider that my offer, to allow you to go free in exchange for a nonaggression treaty, is already extremely generous, and demanding further concessions would be foolhardy to say the least.”

>>3832279
Jeleva watches proudly as her sailors do their test runs along the coast. She prepares for trouble as a Tarn Representative is spotted approaching the coast. Upon listening to his offer, she considers for a moment before sending him off with her word that she will cooperate with this concept should her sailors return safely and enthused with the land. Furthermore, the deal is to be kept secret from the Yokai with whom she has recently declared loyalty to. She explains that the ammunition will arrive some time after the Totu are landed and that the Tarn would be taught the mechanisms of the cannon upon the arrival of the sailors.

>>The Yokai Lords

>Diplo
>>3832337
>>3832759
While it was not her intention, Tonglo had remained uncharacteristically quiet during the first part of this discussion. Perhaps the perpetual battles, numerous beatings and blows during said battles, and at least one concussion had finally tuckered the little spitfire out. But as Enab Egnart continued to speak to the Tarn commander, a shit eating grin soon stretched from ear to ear across her face. Every tooth and fang exposed in a fearsome expression.
Raising her head and sticking her chin out to Enab, she called out to him, "It is good to see that at least some rulers still respect the sovereignty of their fellow lords. And the honor of what it means to lead a people! I appreciate your arrival Duke Enab Egnart, but as you have heard and seen, our Bathys here has little intentions of letting me go any time soon. Had I been able to take the fight to my fellow Yokai Lord, I would gladly take your assistance in this matter. But as it stands, I wouldn't dare pull your people in to get involved in a fight over this city. Your neutrality stands, and you may simply enjoy the show."

"Bathys and I have discussed long and hard about each of our conditions. He still does not yet believe half of what I say, though I suppose his caution is fair."
"He is aware of your disinterest in fighting the Tarn, and as such should have nothing to fear of you. But tell him how my forces are already subsumed into Giib's, who is no doubt already at work on dismantling the city's defenses. I've offered a joint ownership of the city, or even so little as a consistent trade of phosphorous each month, which is the 'ludicrous proposal' he mentioned. Despite my forces freely moving through half the city at one point, and causing all mines to halt operations for the time being. Tell him what you think would happen should Giib get into a similar position. Offer a fair deal between the two, or take it all for himself and sell it back to the Tarn for top dollar? I too am curious on your view of things from your lofty perches."

(1/2)

>>3833399
>Diplo
>>3832337 >>3832759 (continued, 2/2)
Tonglo jerks her head in Bathys' direction, treating him with a most lopsided smirk. "Listen to him! So serious. Perhaps he does not realize that he is threatening me with becoming a legend, eh Enab? To have my accomplishments sung out in their highest council. The greatest thing for a leader to do: is to die in glory, in service of her people. Not to bend the knee to another, to die by slow strangulation. I believe you Sonarii had someone of similar status? An ancient king of one sort or another whom cleared the way for her people's expansion, correct? Or perhaps he sees me a craven, willing to save my skin at the cost of my people. Would my people not be better off in either situation where we manage to gain some source of phosphorous? Regardless if I am alive to lead them or not? I'd much rather let Giib take full control of the mines and my lands, if the alternative was to see my people die for nothing."

Finally, Tonglo turns to Bathys directly, trading her smirk for a lecherous grin. "Oh, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You have been taking very personal care of me thus far, and as the one who was able to beat me in single combat, I could think of worse fates than to be in *your* custody."


>>3832017 Totu
Yokai Lord Giib is rather unfamiliar with the distinction of what separates a Totu princess from a queen, as his previous vassal had fancied herself a queen despite apparently being a princess. Though the Totu messengers sent to him inform him that the one calling herself Jeleva is, in fact, a proper queen and leader of the Totu. He shrugs, and sends the messengers back to inform the queen that if she was able to take the crown for herself, then he is not one to judge Totu politics.
Giib merely informs the new queen of the old princess's agreements with him in the past. General land use, trade agreements, and political refuge from the Sonarii. The Totu are free to use the desert tiles under their control. Deliveries of sand or other useful things found in the wasteland will be rewarded in extra food, outside of the Totu's own subsistence farms. Similarly, extra troops sent to assist Giib would be compensated with food for their brood.

A little while later, Yokai Lord Mun also sends a separate message, congratulating the "Totu Lord Jeleva" on her own ascension ceremony. As an aside, he broaches the possibility of the new ruler of the Totu conducting a separate trade deal with Mun. Attempting to bypass the monopoly of high quality sand that Giib currently possesses, he offers to send manufactured or processed goods straight to the Totu in exchange for sand straight to Mun.

>>3829424
A small settlement is founded south with support from the Jarl, though it is not yet notable enough to be put alongside Jotunheimer as one of the great settlements of the wastes. Much new land has also been taken as well, with the most notable discovery being a species of huge and fiercesome crab which seems essentially immune to frost based attacks and thus must be taken down using conventional weaponry if one wants to slay one.

In the north far past any notable dry land many Balagwa are found and hunted, while the ruins of the east have also been made safe, allowing for potentially a more in depth exploration of what it may hold for the nation. Also in the north the new equally small settlement (which has yet to be given a name) is established which has finally allowed a decent flow of trade to be established throughout the Jarldom, pertaining to the trading of furs and Balagwa based commodities.

>>3829559
The ruins seem fairly mundane, stone buildings and dusty streets making up a clearly non-volter city whose population must have been relatively small. But around its center, under what seems to have been the main temple (though the icons which would give away what was worshiped cannot be found) a strange radiating effect which seems to be some sort of electromagnetic field can be felt and due to the hard rock and a lack of easily available mining devices which could pierce the rock they will need official funding in order to continue.

With the establishment of a proper Bolter city the presence of Bolters in non-Bolter communities as more and more of them leave to the opportunity and revelry of their own city.

>>3830866
The records seem to tell a strange tale, only a relatively short time ago there were many known Totu Princesses along with quite a few distinct and frequent instances of sightings of unregistered Princesses but now the majority of them have either disappeared or been recorded as now being deceased before the commonly accepted expiry date. Several Theories to what exactly is going on are presented, including foul play by a foreign or internal power, some sort of underground anti-monarchy peasant totu terrorist group and the distinct possibility of a resurgent movement which seeks to reform the monarchy with a newly created Queen. For now it is safe to say that the Sonarii do not have enough princesses to safely and surely give the chosen Princess Queenhood, mostly due to only having a little over half of the Princesses believed to be required in order to create a Queen.

Even with some of the costs lessened with support from the frontier lords what is gained from the expansion is fairly menial, as none of the acquired islands nor the waters seem to hold any substantial quantities of fish, unique goods or fertile land. Thus due to the strain on the treasury from the ritual and the lackluster gains few lords are finding the potential of another expansion to be very worthwhile as they would rather the coin be put into improving their own lands rather then living out some exploration fantasy at the cost of the nation. Though the northern lords are quite ecstatic about perhaps expanding northward into the land still unclaimed between Sonaria and the Golden Dawn and considering that such a ritual into such a confined area would be definite instead of unyielding in the potential for failure it would be in the Emperor's best interests to instead invest there.

>>3831008
While this action will likely soil future prospects for using the Dodug as apart of a later war the intel brought in on the unreliability of the mercenary Dodug does make the costs involved in training and the shortcomings of not being able to draw from the naturals less horrible, this also means that this action will most definitely not stab the Giib in the back. (that was not sarcasm)

The sections of the walls which matter are swiftly turned to rubble, this rubble is then pulled back and used to fill the moat alongside some dirt padding as well. With the city open water comes pouring out, going down the way of the moat while the rain pounds at the ground, after the city is drained enough to cross into large flat paths of mixed dirt and stone are pulled up by the necrotics in order to provide ample ground, making sure to bring up dirt at the sides short enough to look over but tall enough to slow down any tarnish attempts at climbing and attacking all the while Oni archers (the best of whom sport the fancy new compound bows) provide cover fire onto any tarns swimming around in the water along with those couped up in buildings.

A single notable pocket of the forces of Tonglo are rescued from the carnage of the city, as they had managed to stave off the forces of the Tarn in a large complex of sturdy stone buildings, due to being saved from certain death alongside a little bit of resentment towards the Yokai Mistress of Tonglo for (in their opinion) her poor strategy they pledge allegiance to Giib. Well at least some of them did since nascent and hidden Dodug infiltrators killed a good few of them once a change of loyalty was mentioned. All of the Dodug present either escaped to their own fate or died in the fighting.

>>3831163
(retcons)
>no oil was found in the desert
>instead of pipes a system of armaments is created which can fend off the shadow creatures
>the substance created through the process, now called "Shadow Coal" (for marketing purposes mostly) can be put through a special process in order to turn it into Depleted Shadow Coal and Shadow Gas, the former being about as effective as normal coal without the smell and the latter being the substances used inside containers for the new fire lances ( >>3832352 )

More money is poured into the project, creating a more established system and means of transportation for getting the dung to the shadow, processing the dung into shadow coal and then transporting it to the buyers. Due to the popularity of the substance in the smithies a few engineers recommend perhaps that an extra city rail system could be established in order to better transport the substance. Using pre-existing road systems and then using what works in the vast desert a train powered through bending could more efficiently move the bulked goods across the desert and to the north where most of the buyers are.

The concept would work and proper infrastructure in order to preform the necessary steps are taken, the motivation for using a specialized system of islands is brought up in order to also serve the purpose of farming the crabs as the crab population has only increased by a factor of two ever since the plagasm began farming them and in order to feed a thriving north along with providing a valuable export good to the neighbors that specific island system would need to be used, even though it would be a little more time consuming. (2 tiles of islands instead of 3)

>>3831258
On either side of the range strange areas are found, firstly on the west what seems to be a ruined Hive is discovered whose architecture is both familiar and very obviously was well maintained for a very long time due to the differing art styles between older and newer sections along with the many statues littering the areas. Due to its level of decay it is theorized that it was abandoned about 100 years ago at the very least though it could be a few decades younger than that. The second oddity is the Great Geyser, which is the cause of many local earthquakes and the source of a fertile river, those who near it feel stronger, faster and more lively.

While beetles have their problems (mostly problems of disease) Beetle farming is started officially and using a fungus which the beetles naturally feast upon which itself grows off of dead biomass they can be farmed effectively, even in areas where wood is the only decent available material.

>>3832352
Due to a small and temporary pirate problem a small fleet of military ships is constructed and are currently used as merchant ships themselves during years of no piracy, though their weapons are not inactive and can be called upon on the fly. From Faustic to the small towns near the Oni border goods are moved around, allowing the empire to become more united in trade.

The hordes have been found to be larger and more viscous than ever and in a seeming response to the primarily burned men forces who tried to crush them they are now on the offensive themselves, having ravaged a whole (2 tiles), with the news a larger force from the central empire is now marching to aid the burned men of the east. The shattered burned men army has reground near Dawn's Gate and has sent a message via volters to the capitol asking for permission to ask the sonarii and the volters for aid. (diplo them the message)

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>>3829217
The oni are found to be rowdy and nearly impossible to break, causing most of them to be caged or put to work in confined spaces. Minotaurs are killed on sight after a time due to their underpowering aura and their brute strength.

A necrotic assault has obliterated the walls, and the city has now been breached. They now construct paths in order to avoid the rapids and new bows being used by them are seen to be especially effective at sniping tarns trying to launch waterborn assaults. They have made it one fourth through the city already and their supportive forces are weakening the energy of the tarn quite a bit.

The fog is finally rolled over a little too late and in a manner quite scattered but now that it is in full effect it has found good use in the encircling of the many paths of the Oni armies. It's full impact on the tides of war has yet to be seen.

The Jarl Smiles, seeing the old kingdom slowly coming together. Expansion is one of many things that will help Nilfheim grow into the prosperous nation it once was. With the founding of the northern fishing settlement “Kalskrimir” providing all sorts of Balagwa based products, and the beast-tamers in “Balora” to the south, trade through the nation has begun again.

With the Dragons teeth extended, Var’ Auti once again takes a group for exploration of the ruins, which they now call the Iron Peaks, because of the metal towers that dominate it. His hope is to make a full sweep of the ruins, attempting to size it up. He wonders if it would provide useful as a new settlement, or has it been overtaken by time. Either way, he will bring the supplies he finds back to the Jarl.

>Action 1
Send a group back to the ruins, setting up a camp there for extensive exploration.

With the now tamed mammoths, the Jarl requests the training of elite Mondraki Riders. He needs powerful fighters, and the hunters will be trained in such a way that they will be able to dispatch of enemies. If any more expeditions out of the Dragons Teeth were to be made, these elite units would prove useful

>Action 2

Train elite mounted cavalry units that ride mammoths. They will be known as the Mondraki Riders.

>>3832017
More and more totu come through the tunnels, bringing their skills with them allowing for another large ship to be built. The fortifications created can be blamed for multiple instances of successful counters to taur raids along with freeing up enough totu for them to begin doing a little bit of mercenary work, helping to defend and increase relations with neighboring tarnish towns. The increased friendship also allows for the donated gold brought in to be used to buy more resources. The new Queen is a little afraid of course because evidence of her presence in the still enslaved totu might end up bringing their existence to the Sonarii who will probably not appreciate their exodus.

>>3832337
The frequency of Totu uncleanly behavior along with rumors of a resurgence seems to be increasing.

1. Reoccupy the Ruins

Princess Esmerelda and her retinue take their leave of Hinga to move north, reoccupying the formerly abandoned hive. With ready access to farmland and with other developments in food production the population during the transition is more healthy and stable than had been in other migrations. The retinue that moved into the abandoned hive also had the advantage of needing to do little more to make it livable. A second advantage had been that Esmerelda had long been a patron of Gravitational engineering, and many brilliant engineers accompanied her in her retinue. Wasps soon flooded the hive, enjoying the pre-made living space and immediately set about what few modernizations the hive needed. Of these, what was mostly built was waste collection and transport. A system of gravity and bender fed pipes move water and waste throughout the hive and out into a drainage area where the waste could be used by beetle farmers. The system proves remarkably effective at keeping the beetle population fed and the hive clean without needing an entire segment of the population dedicated to handling pure waste removal. The innovation is quickly spread to other hives.

2. Experiment with the Geyser

The Geysers properties are examined by Hingashi scholars. Their interest in determining whether or not it was the geyser or the water or something deeper underground leads them to try numerous different tests. Everything from pumping the water from the stream elsewhere, to mixing the water with honeyroot mead to improve the physical attributes of the drones, and drinking the water before bending, all to test its effects and how to best transport and use the water.

>>3829129
(Could the Burned Men offer to aid the voyage attempt?)
>>3825622
(Requests for Sonari hemp paper)

>>3835254
1. A scholar, inspired by the debate and discussion with with an Oni mystic with the key quote "Life is all that which lies above a lake, the sky, the sun, the very birds that sing. The world of spirits and afterlife (big argument point between Oni and BM due to Burned Men's Church Doctrine of Rekindled Flame a.k.a reincarnation.) is a wholly foreign world, beneath the lake's surface; which is death."

The scholar entered a frenzy, looking at aged Cleansing Helm concept designs, and the mechanisms that provide air to the tunnels of Dawn's Gate.

The end result is clunky and limiting, but it is undeniable. The Burned Men are no longer are foreign to the secrets below the waters surface.
>Full body sealed, armored diving suit that provides breathable air from the surrounding water. Used for underwater construction projects, exploration of the Heartlands narrow bays, and fishing.

2. With the God King Angstrom's transference of divinity to his eldest son Alloheim (Ceremony post incoming), who has long been groomed to rule. The Old God-King is mourned and celebrated by all, the prayers are changed by royal edict to all churches, changing Angstrom's name to Alloheim. With the King's own statement and the immense number of witnesses, Alloheim's divinity can not be denied. Flamekeepers, and Censors uptake the holy task of rooting out lords that dare besmirch Alloheim's name, with the punishment for such blasphemy being most foul.
A new day for the Golden Dawn breaches the horizon as the old sun sets, and the people of the nation wait with bated breath on their new God-King's will.

>Diplo

Polity:
The Volters of the north are contacted for aid in purging the faceless, and are offered high quality armor from Burned Men smiths eager to take on the challenge of making armor for such a different wearer.

Sonaria:
The scholars and priests of the Golden Dawn clamor for the high quality hemp paper of the Sonari Empire. The paper would aid in preservation of the aged records and tomes of the churches, and day to day use. The quantity of the paper allows for simple pamphlets to be produced, bearing the news of Alloheim's ascension.

Totu:
Requests from the Totu enclaves are investigated by the nobility of Faustic, making it's way up the chain of Golden Dawn's leaders. The Burned Men know how to sail the sea, and offer services of their shipbuilders and sailors for the Totu's voyage.

Oh boy fluff time

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>The Element of Dawn/ Memorial Ceremony

The sunlight kissed Tymir Halradia’s (He-Born Under God’s Gaze/ His birth was a hard one, and his parents feared he would not survive, a traveling doctor-scholar was passing by and was able to render aid to the couple, prompting his family urging him to enter the church to repay the gift that gave him life.) face and neck. The Courtyard of the Holy Hearth was filled to the brim with witnesses for the ceremony, and chatter echoed through the open brick laid courtyard. Lit braziers, garden plots, and apple trees dotted the crowed space.
The Royal Guard divided the crowd into neat portions, their armor glinting in the sun and smoldering with runes. The black cloaks whipped in the light breeze that swept through the courtyard, making the stitched red heraldry of the Royal Seal appear much like it a much like the flame it is. Ranks lined in-front of the Royal rostrum, flash shields locked in a glaring wall towards the audience, where royal family, and select guests. Most notable being the foreign King Largh of Sonaria, ruler of the bat-men, and Lord Mun of the Oni.

Dividing in three parts, pics with each, sorry to raise image count but I want you to picture it exactly.

>>3833407
“Our terms are generous already, and if your people see glory in defeat and annihilation, then more the power to them. Regardless, my offer remains the same.”
Beyond that, Bathys remains silent.

>>3833059
Action 1: The help promised to the Totu is delivered, the Tarns take them as far as they would like. Offers of establishing permanent current systems to ease future transportation are also proposed.

War Action: The majority of the army is ordered to hold their ground, but to refrain from attacking any further or attempting to retake more land. The mist thickens and widens, now covering not just the moat and walls, but also a good deal of the city itself. It concentrates on contested areas, masking Tarnish movements and actions and covering the invaders in a dense fog that muffles both sound and light.

Action 2: Using the fog as cover, the tamed crocodiles are sent forth onto the outside bridges, throwing guards and porters alike into the watery hands of soldiers below. Once a bridge is cleared, it is washed away, cutting off another route of escape for Giibs army. If the crocodilians alone are judged insufficient to clear all the bridges, a complement of soldiers will also be dispatched in order to ensure that the task is completed.
>Note that this action applies first to the outside bridges, only moving inwards once the outside bridges are destroyed.

>Diplo to the Oni spy
The spy is encouraged to hold up his end of the bargain once more. The fog the Tarns have created is the perfect opportunity for the Dodug to put their assassination skills to work.

>Diplomacy: Wealth of Knowledge (Burned Men)
Somewhat fond of the Burned Men due to their non-interventionist approach to Totu settling, Jeleva is pleased to receive word of their interest in the Totu's project. Using the wealth acquired from defending the Tarn, Jeleva offers to take on some Burned Men to aid in the boat assembly line. She also requests invitation to the next royal ceremony, assuring them that she has been informed of their customs.

>Action 1: Outfitting
As the Totu await for the journeying sister ship to return, the Tarn are invited to view as the cannons are assembled, mounted upon the ships, and tested. Metal from her newly acquired (vassal) kingdom is pooled into the project.
Several of these cannons are built larger and more compact than previous designs for the purpose of destroying enemy ships.

>Action 2: Selective Breeding
While Jeleva's tinkerers are off entertaining the Tarn, Jeleva turns to her army. Realizing the losses the Totu have faced, Jeleva pairs herself and several females of her war court with the finest benders available to them, even going so far as to sneak some Totu out of the Yokai ranks and replacing them with less experienced benders.

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>>3836171
While normally he would be wearing his Flamekeeper robes and mail, with its dark hood obscuring his face, only the Royal and ceremonial guard were permitted weapons and armor at the unveiling of Memorial of Dusk and Dawn. For the past months the capital city of Last Hearth has been alive with the voices and footsteps of Burned Men from all corners of the Empire. His workload had tripled in size with interrogating criminal scum and had even been called as auxiliary preacher for sermons with the swelling churches struggling with recent flood of attendees. Not to mention all the bat-men, goat-men, Oni, Necrotics, and Totu that the Flamekeepers been busy keeping eyes on. When he joined the church 40 years ago, only the Oni, Totu, and Necrotics were known to him, and now more and more races come crawling from every mountaintop and prairie. The Golden Dawn, which seemed so large and mighty in his youth, now feels cramped and small. Just another piece upon a board. The idea sets his mind to no small amount of anxiety and terror.

The chatter is silenced with the ringing of the Rod-Gong, and the Grand Priest of the Temple of Last Hearth steps forward to announce the King.

“May his light cast away creeping darkness, may his word be the gentle hand to guide us, and may his sword banish evil. Praise be upon him, the Lord of Lords, holy and divine, God-King Angstrom; first of his name and flame.” The elder priest’s voices resonates across the courtyard, and when he finishes the rallying pledge of praise be upon him of all Burned Men in attendance makes Tymir’s inner flame blaze with pride and faith.

The Grand Priest steps to the side, hands respectfully crossed behind his back as the God-King stands from the artisan carved stone throne, though nothing as grand as the his Divine Throne in the Castle of Last Hearth; which looms behind the raised royal rostrum, banners waving, grand ballistas bristling, blazing oriculicum braziers, and Will-O-Wisps dancing in the sun’s rays.

Aged King Angstrom rises steadily to his feet, his ornate crown weighing down upon his lengthy white hair that meets his even longer beard. Angstrom dwarfs all that surround him, only the Crown Prince Alloheim coming close by standing a whole head shorter. Wiry muscles move the King to the uncovered speaking area of the rostrum. His ceremonial regalia only emphasizes his great height. All are silent as the King begins to speak.

>>3836378
“We gather here today, to celebrate and mourn all those that have suffered under dark fates. Years of bad harvest, where babes were smothered to spare them the pain of starvation. Times of disease, where coughing lepers laid in the streets with oozing sores, until succumbing to their affliction. Times of war, where young men are pulled from fulfilling lives and future families, to die gruesome deaths in far away battlefields coated with mud and blood.”

The King’s eyes blaze bright, making Tymir squint. The massive cloth that draped over the looming statue drops down, revealing the colossal depictions of Burned Men, many in anguish and suffering, but one stands before all. Sword in hand, with the sun resting directly above. Cheers and gasps of awe fill the courtyard.

“Here we honor that suffering, and how far we have come since we emerged into the ruins of a desolated world, and by the hands that laid bricks generations ago we have crafted a civilization that has stood strong for years beyond measure.” The King lowers his hand, reading the crowd and allowing them to scream their cheers into the air. Silence reigns once again as he raises his hand once again.

“Throughout them all; I have watched over you. Every babe, every man and woman, every flickering candlelight in the sea of darkness. I have seen my small hold of one city go forth and prosper, greater than my wildest dreams.” The King sighs deeply.

“My beloved children, everyone of you bears my flame. My subtle guidance beside you, and you are never alone. However I have a confession, though strength and power flow through my body and I know many more years I could watch over you… I have chosen not to.” Shocked gasps is the only response. Your blaze dims to a mere ember… your God is abandoning you?

“The men I grew with are dead and gone, and the weight of my crown is a harsh shackle upon my soul. Death is a natural part of life, and I wish to complete the last step of my journey, and shed the weight of this life and enter rebirth.” Tymir takes a few seconds to realize that hot boiling tears are streaming down his face.

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>>3836383

The King walks down from the rostrum on the right side, as Alloheim walks down the left, speaking all the while as they make their way to a dais in the center of the memorial.

“Your God is not abandoning you however. For how could I leave my most loved children without my guiding hand. My first born son Alloheim, born to rule in my stead. My blood flows in his flames, and his flame is directly of my spark. Do not weep children, for beside me stands your God-King of the new day in the life of the Golden Dawn. God-King Alloheim, praise be upon him! Love him as you love me, for he loves you all as I do. And now he is as divine as I am, with being the transference of the First and Final Flame.”

The praise be upon him exits your lips on reflex, as does it for those surrounding you, before you are blinded by the shear radiance and ligh-

>HE SUN THE SUN THE SUN THE SUN THE SUN T

The courtyard is bathed in light, a glow that makes the sun in comparison dim as the God-King Angstrom pours the entirety of his life into Alloheim, the exiting of energy flowing through the surrounding air and constructing a grand design.

>The Element of Dawn

The being of Angstrom disappears into the radiant lightshow of heat and life, deconstructing slowly as he embraces his son for the last time.


Alloheim’s skin shines golden as all is left of his father is the crown suspended in air, suffused with the energy flowing all around him; Alloheim reaches out and places the crown upon his head, upon which the divine force of Angstrom finalizes entering him.

Tymir weeps, hot tears of sorrow mixed with laughing tears of joy. The image of Angstrom embracing Alloheim burned upon his retinas did not fade till he awoke the next morning. The first King Angstrom has found peace, and God-King Alloheim now watches over him. Praise be upon him!

>End

>>3833543
>>3833566

Action 1:

The situation with the Totu starts to worry the Sonarii Dukes. Though they have been willing to give the Tizta a chance, the last thing they want is for the 'clean' Totu to be re-subverted into degenerate filth-hoarders.

Thankfully, the traditional penalty for unclean behavior has been immediate execution, so any Totu displaying signs of reversion have quickly been eradicated.

Nonetheless, despite the risks, it is decided to go ahead with the queening ceremony, with Sonaria's most leaned minds and the Ordon University doing their best to frantically figure workarounds and ways and preparations from their studies and observations to make completion more likely as the due date nears. If numbers had ever truly been a barrier to Queenhood, it is reasoned, then the Totu would never have had the numbers to emerge a queen until the Second Totu war; but they clearly had a Queen at the time of the first. Under heavy guard and with much preparation, along with whatever captive princesses can be bred, or bought or borrowed from Plagasm for this one occasion, Sella Lek will be uplifted to become a queen.

Action 2a:

(If the Queening fails...)

Regrettably, with the last attempt to salvage something useful from the Totu failing, it is decided the breed is too much trouble, too dangerous, and beyond salvation. Tightly controlled by the Sonarii and barely independently sentient, there is nothing that can save the enslaved Totu population in Sonaria when the extermination begins. And with much rejoicing, the Sonarii would publicly declare that Slavery in Sonaria is at an end; for there will not be one single slave left alive within their realm.

Action 2b:

(If the Queening succeeds...)

Her biology changed to that of a Queen, Sella Lek will be placed as ruler of Tiztavaros and the Tizta population. Her first act will be to denounce the Savage Totu of old, and to organise a cull of the reversionists and those Totu in Sonaria that she cannot control.

Diplomacy: Burned

The Monster Hunters in the field are offered to Alloheim to help him put down the faceless in his lands. Furthermore, they are to report on the situation to King Largh, so further reinforcements can be sent if the situation with the faceless grows more desperate.

>>3833566
>>The Yokai Lords

>1: Field Medicine/Surgery
If one thing has become painfully clear to the Oni throughout the course of this war, it is that even with their large numbers, too many of them are lost to injuries that could otherwise be curtailed. Across the battlefields, the poor oni tasked with the job of field medic or 'butchers' have had to tend to the brutal, carved up bodies of those that have fallen. Their experiments have not always been successful, but on occasion a technique is found to save a life, and that knowledge slowly accumulates over time.

>2: Improved Tonglo Infrastructure
Yokai Lord Giib might be a cunning, double-crossing scumbag; but he knows how to run good PR. With much of his troops and supplies coming from or through the Tonglo Pass, he decides that he will "gift" the people with better infrastructure. Both to help his men and to improve productivity; roads are built down the winding pass between forts, and mine carts are set up to better extract and deliver ore from the mountains.

>War Action: Split the forces, and travel around the city to target the canal.
Though Giib could commend Tonglo on her accomplishments thus far, he would much rather berate her for her tunnel vision. Attempting to conduct a siege without stymieing the enemy's main source of troops and supplies is utter foolishness. Perhaps she had lacked the numbers to divide her attention to such an extent, but Giib has no such qualms. The canal and its locks must be completely obliterated, or at the very least left inoperable and unsafe to use. Giib can't do anything about the storms, but he can prevent supplies from coming in and phosphorous from going out.

The Polity yearns to turn back to peaceful improvements already but the world has other plans.

>Action 1: Remobilize Forces
The Golden Dawn is under renewed assault. Although they are not the Polity's allies, they are neighbors and traders, so we intend to help them. In exchange for blazer metallurgists and forge artisans to settle in Thunder Peak so as to teach the volters what they know, and help our country get back up to speed in exploiting its rich metallic resources, the army was turned around from its homeward stride and sent back to the frontline, deep in blazer territory. The Golden Dawn also graciously gifted our soldiers with a supply of finely crafted armour tailored for volters. Among the Thunder Guard, which was wearing decayed pre-fall regalia and bearing depleted power halberds, opinions of the neighbors rose sharply.

The Host is ordered to meet with the Dawn's Gate armies and from there make a direct stride to the front, and establish a defensive perimeter to stop any further spreading of the Faceless hordes.

>Action 2: Crack open the Ruins
There was one Thunder Priest and his cohort that didn't go with the army, as they were tasked with getting to the secret buried under the ruins. The Thunnapriest was to call upon Thunna's Thunderbolt and strike the rock repeatedly like it was a Faceless castle.

>Diplomacy: Golden Dawn
The volter ambassador was sitting idly in his chamber, legs crossed on a pillow, a knowing smile on his face, obviously having expected his blazer counterpart when he entered.

'Ah! How was that coronation? Are we invited to the feast? No? ...Hahaha!'

The truth behind the jab was that Thunna, god of thunder, felt slightly miffed to have not been invited to watch the new king; after all, they're neighbors, no?

'...But yes, the Faceless, you say? We were expecting it. The Polity...Thunna, would be very glad to lend you some of his Thunder in your hour of need; however, this mobilization is costly to us. Those we send to you are valuable, and they'd only agree to give it their all if they knew that they weren't risking their life out of sheer courtesy. For your sake, we've already sent the order of mobilization, but we'd like you to support our industrial efforts by sharing your expertise with metals. Please sign here. Here. And... Here. Thank you.'

He raises a glass.

'Hail Alloheim! ...And praise Thunna.'

>Diplomacy: Sonarii
The volter ambassador caught wind of the Sonarian intentions with the Totu. He's shocked, and finds them 'deeply disturbing'.

'...Enslaving an entire race -- enslaving *anyone*, was already something the Polity found unsettling. But now there is talk of... Massacres and purges? Exterminations? Please, you are proud Sonarians; certainly you would not commit such atrocities in the name of Szélefet? The Totu may not be like us, but they are still living and thinking beings! As your allies and friends, we beg you to reconsider... We want to believe that you're better than this!'

>>3836550

(Those aren't the intentions. The intent is to get the Tizta a queen of their own so they won't get mentally sapped away and become Totu again. The Sonarii won't have even made the decision themselves to get rid of those who still cling to the Totu identity unless the first part of the plan fails, so the Volters certainly wouldn't have heard of it yet.)

>>3837023
(Oh alright)

>>3833553
Action 1: make the extra city rail system for better treatment
Action 2: create crab island farms, make sure we have the stuff for it

>>3837252
For some reason my id changed also I meant to write transportation not treatment

>>3834488
Many metal rooms are found, rooms filled with ancient and ruined weapons which cannot function properly as anything more than a bludgeon. Storehouses full of ruined food can be found around every corner blocked by doors of freeze broken iron, most of the metal of the area is found to be generic and iron like, poor enough to be smithed in even the fairly baseline furnaces of the nation. But the metal which makes up the ruined contraptions of the area are found to be consistent in both form and function no matter what temperature this metal is heated to or cooled to. This metal, called Blue Iron by the general population may be useful in armor and weapons for use in very low temperature environments or combat since all other metals and other known materials eventually fail when the temperature gets cold enough. The barrels of the Black Sludge are left mostly untouched for now since it isn't very useful.

Though Mammoths are not particularly brave creatures they can still greatly out speed the glacial pace of the Ice Giants and thus serve as mighty platforms for hunting, and with the recent reinvigoration of the art of bowcraft due to the hunting of the megafauna and the harvesting of their bodies for catgut strings and sinews for bowstring.

Due to a lack of competition only a small bunch of Mondraki Riders can be raised but through the training of hunters using similar tactics many more could be raised in the future if war ever comes to this new world.

>>3835792
The rapid colonization of the ruins - now called Barceleron - leads to the discovery of a strange underground section. This area nicknamed "The Catacombs" which is a large section of the hive whose walls are made of combs which contain the mummified corpses of Hingashi (with the heads all facing the hall) has caused quite the creep among the new denizens and especially the new Queen due to the disturbing implications it may bring. For now the section has been blocked off and any digging done into it is also ordered to be immediately blocked off. Due to the theorized size of it the possibility of it being fully explored passively are null and thus an officially funded expedition must be taken in order to explore it properly.

The water is found to be especially good, tests preformed reveal that workers fed with mead made with it are especially lively and good working. Being now in better health and in better mind.

>>3835924
Due to imprecision in smithing and linking technology full suits are still very expensive but with improvements to smithing they could even soon be affordable for large scale use.

The nation remobilizes in response to the looming threat a second faceless war and as one of the first actions of the new God-King. (war action: gained)

A defensive line has now been set up, though it seems this time the faceless hold all of their cards on the table as the assault has already caused great casualties among the entrenched forces as wave after wave eats away at the sheer cliff formed of burned blood and, with the arrival of the volters goat flesh as well.

Through smuggling a few good engineers reach the distant totu, and they send word back that all is going well. Despite the other words speaking of two simultaneous totu queens.

>>3836242
Using tarnish support the great ship of the totu surveys the regions of tarn, looking at every island chain for a region which would be good for their people. Many good islands of decent size and with a large quantity of nearby islands are found which could be given to them. Most on the edges of the empire.

Using even larger and more directed waves under the cover of mist the Giib are slowed down considerably. As the humidity increases and the air naturally becomes hotter the recovery rates of the enemy begin to go down.

The Giib are now cut off from new supplies, they have also split into two, with one continuing to go towards the mines while the other is heading around, presumably in order to get rid of the canal.

>>3836336
Many suitable islands are found, of special interest is a larger island in the north west which has a good bunch of desert and is sparsely populated.

Due to metal costs and cargo hold issues the totu end up using only a half a dozen larger canons on their ships, two of which can fire in both directions and two on each side which can only fire in one direction.

A good chunk of weaker totu are exchanged for more experienced and better skilled totu, though the scale of this exchange may have alerted some within Gurtand to this whole exodus fiasco, along with this the first instance of known resistance by totu under their own free will against the exodus occurs, with the murder of a notable local organizer and conspirator by a totu born south.

The Queen now feels insecure due to the presence of a new Queen, already several notable collaborator and neutral totu settlements have been razed by the Sonarii army, even getting as close to her retinue as destroying a settlement which was supposed to be a pit stop in between Gurtand and the settlement further.

>>3836514
The ritual does not go as planned, during several parts of it a great pain could be felt in the prospect queen and after several hours of the sounds of agony and several moments of thought defeat the ritual is finished. And now a new Queen walks among the Sonarii, but she is different from the traditional depictions of a Totu queen, as her face is more angular and her nose is more upturned. She mentions how she feels more than one presence of Queenhood in this world, that she is not the only Queen of the Totu. She recommends that she stay in the fortress for a while in order to fully grasp and develop herself so that her proper first impression with the lowly totu can be a good one. She mentions several small settlements which she knows are collaberators after being presented with a map, and thus the army mobilizes in order to cull these towns, and it succeeds.

>>3836520
The increase in infection caused by the humidity is curtailed and reversed due to the increasing medical expertise of the medics.

After the order is sent and a reply of successful improvements comes in the supply lines become heavily disrupted as certain bands of bridge are pounded with waves which halt or slow down supplies considerably. If something is not done the Giib may find themselves trapped in a city with only what can be scavenged for sustenance.

While the taking of the mines proper continues the army splits and is now considered to be about half way to the canal.

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>>3836550
The army heads south, arriving in full force in the thickness of war. Over the distance huge hordes can be seen sprinting towards the currently entrenched burned men army.

The lightning sifts and turns, never quite hitting the right spot to dig into the ground properly. After hours of failed attempts proper digging tools arrive. Under the rock is found to be a huge orb of metal, using the machines and tools some of its surface is uncovered though after the strike of a hammer hits its surface a great magnetic pulse is emitted, throwing back the entire crew along with all the metal tools causing great damage.

>>3837252
The Sonarii have asked if they may have free reign over the totu settlements of the desert as they claim traitors lie there, by the time this message arives news of the massacres of Totu by the sonarii have reached the courts.

The rail is constructed using the wealth of metal still available to the realm. It reaches out from Necropolis reaching out to Tomb and then on to Gurtand, where it is then transported by Oni to the lands of the Burned Men. Though an alternative route based around leaving the rail earlier is considered just in case conflict breaks out in the city.

Just outside of mortuary the beds are layed, and the crop of crab provided by these new islands is quite noticeable. Through this new food the settlement increases in size, finally ending the required food surplus which used to be sent through the gate.

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1. Improve the Next Generation
The strengthening water in Barceleron is exported slowly out to the other hives. In Barceleron itself the next generation of Esmerelda's young come out stronger than their processors. Her progeny, fed from larvae stages with honeyroot made from the vida water, are not much larger, but possess much more physical strength than their kin and their bending ability is likewise improved. For the Osuzu, flying at speed had eluded them, for this newest, stronger generation, flight came easier. Their strength meant far superior endurance, speed, and control than their kin. Within years, Esmerelda's children had all but pushed out their inferior counterparts from roles of importance. Barceleronian cazadores quickly become a major problem for the other hives. These marauders roam Hingashi, taking what will not be offered to them, and killing the males of other hives in duels to secure princesses for themselves. This leads to a fracturing of the delicate peace relations between hives. The ensuing conflict between Hives would ultimately have the effect of improving the strength and combat ability of future Osuzu broods.

2. Inter-hive Conflicts
Ever since the Osuzu had begun to spread their hives across Ibellica they had found common unity in their species, and their hives had political unity in their blood ties to the Queen-Mother. Economically, many were still dependent on Hinga's exports of foodstuffs and benefited from migrant Drones seeking employment or looking to separate themselves from Hinga. This relationship had worked. It has now broken down. With the rise of Esmerelda's brood then fragile bonds of unity were being broken through violence. For the first time, Hive turned Drone against Hive. The Princesses, fearful of having their rule usurped by Esmerelda's children, began to fight back against Cazadores wandering their hive grounds. The Cazadores, owing to their rearing diet of vida mead and beetle, were more than a match for their estranged kin. Still, numbers took their toll. Queens Lucia IV and Maria V of Narravre banded with Queen Araceli I of Hinga to put an end to Esmerelda's near monopoly, and to contain her brood. AS Queen, they argued, it is her responsibility to provide for her spawn and prevent them from attacking the other hives. Queen Esmerelda, for her part, saw an opportunity to claim the mantle of Queen-Mother, and thus subjugate all other Queens under her singular authority. Thus, was the first true Osuzu Civil War commenced.

>>3838866
>>The Yokai Lords

>1: The Daming 2: Electric Boogaloo
With most of the Tarn's attention on the city proper, work begins again on the dam. Using most of the existing structures, simply patching up the rents in it caused from the Tarn attack. Hopefully some extra additions and rerouting will also prevent another rupture from causing such detrimental flooding. With the canal under seige, the dam will cut off the rest of the naturally incoming water to the city.

>2: Defend the Bridges with earth and siege
Giib cannot allow his forces in the city to be cut off from their supplies. The forward marching inside the city is slowed slightly to redouble control on the bridges and prevent themselves from being cut off. Half the earth benders are utilized here; to keep the bridges under attack in one piece, and to reinforce the existing ones.
Siege devices also begin seeing far more use here for both defending the bridges and attacking the Tarn holdings, as Giib's officers reason that with more benders focused on making the fog and mist, less will be able to cast anti-projectile water blades. The anti-rider Hawachas also see more use here than in the past, used for taking out hoards of crocodiles with a wave of flechettes.

>War Action: Smash the Canal
On their approach, the second force begins using spirit clouds of their own as well as spirits of stealth to mask their exact movements. The other half of the earth benders as well as many Oni marauders are to destroy the canal and completely disrupt the Tarn reinforcements. Their primary focus isn't to take the canal for themselves, but to instead reduce it to such an inoperable degree that Tarn will have to travel on foot to reach the ruins of Koza.
The general strategy is to use earthbenders to uplift the soil and rock inside the canals to destroy the main structure and flush out all Tarn hiding within, whom will then get pierced with longbow fire. The Oni and some earth benders will also target the various locks to drain the water out of the canals and prevent water from going back up.

>Diplo
>>3837252
With news of the rail system through the desert to Oni lands, the various lords and members of the trade guilds thank the Plagasm, and allow undead traders to do their business through their domains without significant markups.
Giib is also quite pleased with the mercenaries thus far, and wonders if there is something in particular the undead would like for more. Perhaps some charming little binded spirit like the Will'o'wisps? Or perhaps he could get the Mediums of Yugji to peer into the Elseworld if the Undead are interested in the secrets only the dead know.

>>3836336
Yokai Lord Mun, still having not heard back from the new Queen with his last correspondence, sends another messenger. This time accompanied by a small guard to protect and investigate the situation. Word of Sonarii purges and highly organized Totu movement in Gurtand has caught his ear.

>Action 1: Ruin Exploration Part III
The Thunnapriest in charge of the excavation in the ruins successfully argued that such a strange but seemingly powerful artifact might be a find significant enough to warrant investment over any of the numerous pressing issues of the Polity. There might be, after all, a divine connection here, and if there isn't, then it must be something incredible. So teams were ordered to carefully dig around the orb that we might study it. And they were sent a few medics to set their broken horns back.

>Action 2: Tesla Coil Technology
The conflict with the faceless was a particular one as it was against an enemy that came in large hordes that were not affected by fatigue or morale but were also mindless and used no tactics besides forward rushes. To adapt to this situation, Volkon field engineers took inspiration from the communications rod as well as pre-fall theoretical technology and made a makeshift modification to allow them to store and shoot chain lightning energy over a large area at controlled efficiency, frying entire crowds of faceless; they also make a highly-pitched noise that attracts the enemy. Though meant to be powered by a generator, the troops currently make do with powermancer teams. If they pass their first field tests, Volter commanders hope to use these 'tesla rods' as static defenses and create safe zones for allies to rest behind and they want to requisition refined, military-grade designs from the great foundries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h0gsma9TGQ

>>3840166
>>The Yokai Lords

Minor retcon for the first action, as Tarn and I came to a clarification on the river/dam situation.

>1: Take back the dam works
With Tonglo's capture, many of the less organized minotaurs would've simply continued raiding the regions north of the city or gone back home. However, those still under control of Tonglo's captain, and the ones at the fort would regroup and prepare for another strike. Though still loyal to Tonglo, it is clear that the best way to help both their Yokai Lord and their Fort Town is to assist Giib's push by retaking control of the river and depriving the Tarn of their precious water.

This combined force of Oni and trained Minotaurs would ride out from the fort and retake the dam at dusk. Their goal being to take back the main area of the damn works and keep Tarn forces at bay long enough for the dam to be repaired.

>>3838866
Action 1: Canal “Defense”
The few defenders at the canal are warned about the approaching army, thanks to the approaching force having been spotted earlier. Rather than engaging with the army, they simply pull back, taking the water of the canal with them. By the time the army arrives, there is nothing but a few remaining lock structures and a rapidly drying riverbed. Meanwhile, forces from the salt mines are deployed to help with the retreat operation and ensure that a fighting retreat is possible if needed. Further calls for reinforcements are sent down the line to Hamet and the wider empire.

Action 2: Koza
Further efforts are devoted to expanding and improving the mist, which now covers the entire city and is encroaching upon the Oni’s position as well. The Tarns rapidly realize that most of the Oni’s ranged weapons are useless if they don’t have anything to aim at. The Oni’s may fire their siege engines into the city, but with the walls and buildings covered in fog, they’re more likely to hit dirt than anything valuable. Similarly, as many hawacha rounds are wasted on firing at shadows as are actually volleyed at an ambush group. The Tarns however, have far less of a visibility problem, using the many shallow lakes and puddles throughout the city to locate and track their enemies. Tarnish ambushes become common, usually aimed at taking out the earthbender teams working on repairing the bridges. Between crocodile ambushes, Tarn attacks, and the diversion of earthbenders towards attacking the canal, repair efforts grind to a halt and are even reversed. The army trapped within the city is rapidly running out of food, supplies, and ammunition.

War Action: With the canal cut off, the river is one of the only sources of water headed into the city. The Tarns bulk up their defenses there, dredging the river and using the mud to form high, defensible walls. The river itself is made stronger and faster- flowing through the use of current-bending to straighten out bends and twists in the water flow.

>Diplo: Spy
The Tarns demand to know why the Oni spy has not fulfilled his end of the bargain.

>Diplo: Totu
The Tarns put out an offer in front the various Totu, looking to hire mercenaries.
>>3836336

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Diplomacy: Burned Men

The reports from the fielded Szélfelet's hunters of a new Faceless assault troubles King Largh. Though he feels unable to join the fight himself at present, he dispatches Duke Nakyle of Isgwill along with his own Grandson and the Glecoone armies to lend the burned King some additional support and assistance against this monster breed.

Action 1:

Additionally, a new Fortress will be raised upon the hilltop closest to the Faceless emergence to act as a staging post for local forces... and a defensive stronghold, should the faceless decide to swarm a different way.

Action 2:

The Sonarii have now used Sky carts for generations, and have come to craft some interesting variants but with growing populations and growing industries there is now much more that needs transporting then in the days of old. To that end, taking some inspiration from the new mechanical transports of the Plagasm (and no small amount of notes recalled from their flying vehicle) and others from the observed Iron sea-hulks of the Iron empire, the metallurgists of Larnet and Wind-Crafters of Alkilme combine their efforts to the goal of a new, superior, larger and grander sky-craft.

>>3838866
The sonarii can have free reign over the desert
>>3840166
Diplo/action 1:see if they are any of our own souls in there and what makes them different from us
Action 2: expand towards the ocean of the artic

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A new queen dares to disrupt the decorum. Worse still, she dares to betray her kind and enable the butchering of her brothers and sisters. Though her credibility as a ruler over the Totu has been destroyed, she poses a direct threat to the security of the Totu people as a whole.

>Action 1: Exodus to Nacre
The queen and her finest men and women are loaded into the mother ship and her various sister ships along with supplies to the expedition. Upon reaching the beach described by the previous expedition, a coastal nation is established and optimistically named "Nacre" after the residue which turns transforms sand into a pearl.

>Action 2: Brainstorming
Before her journey begins, Jeleva warns Gurtland of the imposter queen and urges them to spare their recreation in order to bombard the mind of the false queen with false warnings of danger in an attempt to overwhelm her and create a feeling of paranoia. The queen and those not directly involved in operating the ship also participate in this attack (with little else to do while voyaging).

>Diplomacy: (All Intrigues)
Jeleva releases a note that she remains loyal to Giib alone for his work in the preservation of the nation. She refuses to work against his interests (publicly) though inquiries irrelevant to Giib remain available and appreciated.

>Diplomacy (Yokai / Giib)
The offer by Mun is denied apologetically. Giib is contacted by a representative left in control of Gurtland to inform them of the Queens loyalty and to reassure them that the future is a world in which the Yokai and Totu co-exist with all foes reduced to ashes. A higher cut of Giib's profits are requested as compensation for refusing Mun's offer.

>>3839700
As of the discovery of this water farming along the river has allowed for the food production necessary to hold back the reliance the Narranva had on Hinga.

(could you roleplay this turn of the war, because I still have very little idea on how Ozuzu warfare works especially when it comes to inner hive conflicts, if you want to roleplay most of this civil war anyways just tell me)

>>3840596
Though the use of conventional tools and careful moving means the excavation will take more time though that does help greatly in alleviating the problem of magnetic bursts. As the metal orb begins being uncovered ever further its size can be estimated, and after proper planning the upward facing surface of the orb is fully uncovered. Though nothing of special note has been found, more digging in order to uncover most of it is recommended as there may lie some sort of entrance or special spot deeper down.

It is found that with proper zinc and copper coiling along with a specialist for the purpose of directing the lightning away from the ground the coils can work to great effect, and on top of that the already established small copper and zinc mines which litter the empire (as both are used often as seasonings) are enough to provide theoretically relatively cheap and mass producible units, though the problem of transporting such heavy objects from the far north makes this option currently not viable when it comes to the production of mass arrays of these towers. Thus their role will have to be for strategic chokes and for the defending of the more permanent bases.

>>3840813
The new fort is built on a high hill with several ravines near to it, its stone is hardy and its chokepoints are many.

The great sky cart, Wraith is created from blue metal using the combined funds of many of the most lavish lords of the empire. In length it is 70 meters long while its wings are 80 meters wide, it gets its propulsion through a cylindrical mechanism through its center powered by air bending. It is currently used as a merchant ship and future models are thought to be impossible due to the cost of blue metal.

>>3840856
Small boats scour the new seas, catching the slow moving and very large fish of the region. To the far north where few dare to go is found and even greater source of fish. Fish which are as plentiful as those of the warm seas but as large as their arctic kin.

(for now paraskina may give you the answer he thinks fits best)

>>3840166
A wise Oni once said, "reinforce your flanks and you weaken your front, reinforce your front and your flanks will be weakened, reinforce them both and you weaken your entire structure."

The bridges are cut off at many points, only allowing siege works to move in with constant stalling. This whittles down the siege works so that they cannot be as useful on the frontlines due to attrition.

The army arrives to find an abandoned front, even the water which it once held being lost to the city.

The siege of the dam has begun and has ended, and the dam is overcome quite quickly due to bombardment support and Minotaur cover. The tarn are forced into retreat into the river and plagasm mercenaries quickly begin covering the gap with dirt in order to block off the river. Though the Dam is never in the Oni's hands alone for very long periods of time.

>>3840746
The supply lines have taken a large hit, and no new supplies will be coming in bulk unless the Oni are persuaded to go somewhere else.

With the quick breaking of the dam the generals consider retreat to the city in order to focus on wiping out the Oni army in the city as quickly as possible. For now they will try to stop them from damming it up too much through repeated skirmishes and temporary holdings.

The earth bridges of the Oni are attacked at their weak points, slowing down their supply lines considerably and allowing for the attrition rate to become more noticeable to them. Due to a loss of supplies the consumption of crocodiles fed oni helps to keep the army's bellies full.

>>3840813

1. King Alloheim, taking the threat of the Faceless with great gravity, consults the old records of his father's siege of Dawnfort. The golems of old must be improved to fight the Burned Men's wars of today. Armaments are added, plates of metal bolted to living wood, and the golem making process becomes far more streamlined. The sealed armor techniques aid in preventing the fungal nature of the golems from being a problem.

2. Dedicated supply lines form leading south. Frontier watchtowers form with the new gas-fueled Fire-lances spitting death upon the Faceless hordes.

>War
The noble cavalry of the Kingdom dedicates itself to attacking the rear and flank of the hordes with their new found King riding with them, splitting their attention and peppering their numbers with arrows, lances, and blades. The hope being to split the hordes flood from the frontline, allowing the men manning the trenches to advance.

>Diplo

Oni:
Though the Oni are embroiled in their own war upon their western flank, King Alloheim seeks to hire skilled warriors and spirit mystics in his war of purification upon the Faceless.

Sonari:
King Alloheim thanks King Largh for his aid against the Faceless threat, and requests records of Sonari's battles against their own corrupted members

Totu:
Burned Men sailors and merchant captains detecting a moment of opportunity, sail to Nacre to sell manufactured tools and materials for reports and samples of the strange island. They sail out of Gurtland's port.

Volter:
The Burned Men forces work alongside the new Volter forces to form a defense with strongpoints formed from the Tesla Coils, golem teams, and fire lance towers; and planned weakpoints with simple infantry. The infantry is planned to fall back slightly, allowing for the golem teams and high tier infantry to sweep across and cut off the divided horde infantry.

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>>3841337
Through what can only be described as divine intervention a path to this new land is established, in the new city pylons rise in seeming reverence of the new Queen. This land is not the vast desert of old but it shall do well enough as a replacement.

This new other Queen's mind seems strong and she seems to have taken up prayer to some foreign deity in order to increase her constitution. Over time the mind connection begins to muddy, the Heretic Queen seeming more of a distant figure than somebody one can just get into the head of.

>>3841472
As the golems are encased in iron shells they begin to exhibit more neurotic and brutish behavior though not to the point of being more of a danger to their allies then the enemy.

The stalemate continues as the ever growing hordes die in even greater droves than before.

The hordes are distracted efficiently, allowing for the flatlands to be fully retaken in the contested zone, pushing back teh frontline to the hills and the area near the faceless fortress

>Action 1: Ruin Exploration Part IV
Some clans are taking bets. Volkon wishes for a powercore of some kind. Takon hopes for technological secrets. Thunna thinks it might be an old possession of his that he's forgotten about. It's been costing a lot of time and effort but maybe we are about to see it all pay?

>Action 2: Strong-light Alloys
The jointly developped sonari-volter flying machine prototype, the Thunderbird, is planned to be more than a mere 'sky-cart' like the Wraith; instead, it's going to be a true airship meant to revolutionize transportation. This of course cannot happen if we were to craft them out of a short-supply, horridly expensive material, and while good wood can do for the bulk and hull, there would be many intricate and fragile parts that need to be made of something stronger that won't splinter. Polity scientists draw upon their expertise of metallurgy and scientific contacts abroad to attempt the creation of a strong but light alloy with (relatively) low cost suitable for a proper airship, and such a material would also be of great use for our own magrail prototype. Early trials suggest we might get there by treating some molten ores with a strong electrical current... It would be at a huge cost in energy, but then again, isn't it our specialty?

Diplomacy
>Golden Dawn
'We're going to focus on our development objectives. Don't hesitate to call us if the situation gets out of hand again.'

>Sonarii
The Volkon engineers want to have a look at the wind engine, to see if it can be empowered with an adjacent lightning engine.
'And we'd call that the storm engine. Nine out of ten volters have reported to find this name to be pretty cool.'

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>>3806677
-#Starting Location: Ore-filled mountains.
-#Nation Name: The Land of Golems & Crafts.
-#Capitol Name: Ars_Goetia
-#Nation Colors:
Primary: Brown
Secondary: Red
-#Race Name: Humans, Golems, Ores, and Living Crafts Themselves.
-#Race description/links/abilities:
The humans were always an industrious race of questionable entities. How could such a puny, helpless, cowardly nest of meat ever stand the tests of time? Simple, they found friendship in their works of arts themselves. They found warriors in their painted shields, shamanistic towers of stone, and cloistered slabs of metal themselves. Such a puny foe is not to be reckoned with, ever. They will fall out in due time, only knowing companionship thanks to the gregariousness of the other nations before them.
-#Element: Earth.
-#Elemental Passive Ability: Anything crafted from, contain Earth itself, or its fueling Element -- Metal -- has the potential to come to life as a companion, warrior, or lover to the ones who made it, and their inheritors.
-#Summary of Nation:
A nation of craftsmen, artisans, and cowardly rat-friends knows nothing.
-#Fluff (optional):
They had nothing, now they have something for just a little while.
-#Starting Crop:
Love. Just something to take their mind off the meaningless drudgeries of time itself, and the pathetic wastes of resources they call "Space".


Their robots are squinty beasts of metal and earth, but they have rhythm to their movements. Startlingly so.

>>3841482
>Diplomacy: Second Iron Empire
Volter Ambassadors are sent to contact the Iron Empire and ask for assistance in developping their lightweight metal project. The ambassador is allowed to buy out the technological expertise if he cannot convince them another way, and in the worst case, offer a technology of our own.

>>3841482
1. The shrinking of the frontline allows for supplies to become more concentrated, boxing the Faceless in as the men's positions become more entrenched. A basic road forms leading south towards the army and towards Asura to the east from Dawn's Gate

2. Massive steel shells are crafted, hollow on the inside and filled with gas. Capped with a simple fuse, they are lit and thrown by the mighty War-Golems. The explosion shatters stone and pulps formations. The golemkeepers develop a schedule of rotating the golems from the frontline and to rest to prevent the "Rage" of the war from warping their strange minds more than needed. When golems are at rest they are to be treated with polish, revelry the men, and aiding with local farmwork; in hopes of preventing the blackening of their hearts.

>War:

The smaller frontline is too be used to our advantage as we near the Faceless fortress, as the horde is chewed in the grinder, the King consults his advisers on breaching the fortress in a manner that will prevent a repeat of the siege of Dawnfort. Hopefully with the golem's new firepower, mass destruction of fortifications is more attainable.

>>3842557
>Diplomacy: Burned Men
Volter commanders suggest letting thunder priests siege the castle with thunderbolts until its structure crumbles, as it worked well for them last time. But they reiterate that one might want to clear the structure undamaged, since none ever found out how and why the Faceless were even created.

>>3841465
>>3841475

Diplomacy: Burned Men
>>3841472

The Sonarii present King Alloheim with their studies of 'the Known Under-breeds', a term derived from the observed behaviour of all these corrupted beings to come up from under the ground. The Oldest and sparsest of these are the writings on their own corrupted kind, of the Sonarii under-kind, fought to their end beneath what is now the Ancient Ducal town of Damheust. The newest of these are volumes of the observed behaviors of the Faceless, theories on their production and observations and detailed descriptions taken from study of corpses and by field observers and Hunters. And between them sit volumes that speak and give studies and diagrams of a corrupted breed known as 'Totu', naked, verminous monkey-beasts bedecked in filth that are unsightly perversions of the clean, well-clothed, neat Hive-minded simians known as the Tizta. These are, the Sonarii texts warn; a dangerous and insidious under-breed, for in their hive mind they possess a malignant collective intelligence that works against honor and civilization.

Diplomacy: Plagasm:
>>3840856
Though Wraith is indeed a beauty, she is also clearly not suited for mass transportation due to the perceptions of expense to duplicate her. Instead, the Plagasm are approached to learn further of their new transports. With the long treaty between their nations, the interconnections of continental trade and travel, and the simple fact that Sonariia is now home to immigrant workers and willing subjects from at least six other species, it is grudgingly accepted that though the Skyways are still perfect for fast Sonarii travel across the land, for cargo goods or landbound passengers this system of theirs may be better, and may still give suit to Sonarii in addition.

Diplomacy: Volt Polity
>>3841667

Approval is given, and the Goats are welcomed aboard. Perhaps they'll know a way to get the cost down, too?

>>3841465
>>3841475

Action 1:

The Tamer's hard work ( >>3829132 ) finally allows the Mighty Serpent-Eagles of Lansou to fulfill their potential in the armies and transport networks about Sonaria.


Action 2:

Sonaria is starting to get a little left behind in the Industrialization racing through some areas of the world. Other nations have ample burning liquids, plentiful burning rocks; or just burn or are metal themselves. And whilst wood is always an option, and regenerates; the quantity needed makes it inefficient, especially for a city as rich in metals as Larnet. What is needed is either a new source of efficient fuel... or just a new efficient fuel...

1. Bending Improvements
The conflict between Hives drives a sort of science. It is not only military tactics which are improved, but the utilization of Osuzu's mastery over gravity. Some learn to channel this in offensive ways, while others focus their mastery toward the working of machines. The newest development is a combination of both. It is the imparting of gravitational manipulation without the need for direct touch. For now, it lingers for only a few seconds, but distance manipulation of gravitational force is an important step forward for future use.

2. Expand West
Conflict between the Hives has driven some Osuzu to the frontier to carve out new lives for themselves away from the cycles of low-intensity warfare that now plagues the hives. These communities are small, but have the advantage of being too small to be worthy of chevauchee while still large enough to exploit resources or reclaim land for a future hive. The newest generation of wasps pushed to the frontier find the water less of a challenge, as they can simply fly over the narrow band of water that separates the western island from the central continent.

Steadily the nation grows, in great fashion. The frozen, balagwa hunting port of Kalskrimir in the north provides many new resources, as well as trained sailors. Though they only work with small boats now, The shipments of wood from the oakspliters in Jotunheimr will provide Chief Kalsk with the necessary resources to create stronger, sturdier ships. The great beast hunters- now also beast tamers- reside in the southern town of Balora. Here, they work on two seperate goals, The Great Hunt and creating companions for the great hunt. The great Mondraki give speed for the hunt, and allow for more prey to be carried back to the tribe.
>Action 1
Establish the new settlements of Kalskrimir and Balora

“ Var’Auti, you must learn of this blue iron. The tools that you will help create with this will give us great power, more than you realize. Though you may not know, this is of the utmost importance. I am not punishing you my son, I am giving you a chance- prove yourself and you will become what you want, what I want you to be. The next Jarl.”

>Action 2
Study the blue iron from the iron peaks. Learn if it can be smelted down to create stronger weapons and armour. See if they can interact with the “mechanisms” in the iron peaks.


>diplo - Volt
*the hunting party spot a small volt village* “ More fruit for the hunt heh”. ‘ No, Vark. They seem…. More civilized than prey.’ “ Well then, let us see if they are worth more than prey. Truth be, I think we will be eating goat”... “ Beast men! Prove your worth to the great hunters, lest you wish to be prey!”

>>3841475
>>The Yokai Lords

>1: Weather resistant gear
Using basic materials such as cow leather, wool gathered from sonarii trade, and other fabrics and materials available, the oni begin outfitting their soldiers with gear that is more resilient to poor weather and terrain conditions. Too long have the common oni been laid low by these perpetual storms and soggy grounds. Better insulated and water resistant boots, overcoats to keep the rain from wetting and chilling the body to the bone, and cowls, hoods, or hats to keep the rain out of the eyes.

>2: Sandstorm-assisted pushes
In one war conference about ways to combat the mist rolling from the city, one of the undead mercenaries mentions a technique once used by the Plagasm against the First Iron Empire. With the plentiful sand and loose gravel scattered about the region, the undead can bend up sandstorms to ravage into their enemies. The Oni begin utilizing these sandstorms as a prelude and cover for their pushes. By throwing a sandstorm to strip the air of as much moisture as possible and disrupt enemy coordination, then calming the storm long enough for the Oni to make a blitz to the next foothold, Giib hopes to make strong forward progress while his men are unhindered by obscured visibility.

>War Action: Sound the advance!
With well-honed and battle hardened coordination, Giib sounds for the two main Oni forces to begin advancing. The troops on the east begin marching through the city to take as many strategic points as possible in the calm after each sand storm. Meanwhile the forces on the west, with all defenses on the canal abandoned, breach the canal locks on the moat to begin draining the moat for their own push against the western front.
As the wise Oni's wisdom rings true in Giib's head, it is better to force the enemy to reinforce all their fronts than to weaken your own.

>Diplo
>Doing this quick, so let me know if I missed anyone's.
>>3841472 GD & Mun
Though Giib is no longer able to supply mercenaries to fight the faceless, Mun wishes to make sure his troops do not slacken in their practical experience. Though he is not able to send as many as he'd like, due to Yugji's continued interference, a still sizable force of oni infantry and siege are able to be employed.

>>3840856 Plagasm, Golden Dawn, and Elseworld-Sect
While Giib himself does not possess the means to uncover the spirits of the undead, he is able to strike a particular agreement with Yugji for his assistance in such a matter. In order to keep Mun from winning over Giib's support for the Golden Dawn's proposal, Yugji agrees to let the undead come to his fort town and work with the Mediums of the Wonsi Lake. While the Elseworld-Sect doesn't promise any immediate results, given a little time studying the dead of other races will most certainly help flesh out their theories. Especially after the interactions with the Burning Men's church and their scholars' theories on internal spirits and reincarnation.

>>3843129
Action 1: Fall back to spring forward
As the Tarns have pulled back, they have gathered up a large amount of water, as well as a great deal of troops drawn from the salt mine garrisons and roaming forces. Now, they unleash all of it against the Oni army. The troops carry the water up the slope, amplifying it’s speed and power through the use of bending.The reinforced Tarnish forces rush forward as one with the wave, allowing it to break the line before setting upon the scattered defenders. Without a proper lock system, the water will drain away eventually. They fight with everything they have to make sure the Oni’s are routed before that happens(If Totu has given me cannonballs yet, the cannons can be used in this assault as well).

Action 2:
The invader force within the city is currently cut off from both their commander and their supplies. The Tarns intend to ensure that it remains that way. Troops are funneled into the eastern moat to create a solid line against soldiers attempting to invade the city. The puzzle of why the Oni stopped attempting to reestablish their bridges is quickly solved with the arrival of the sandstorms, which bite and tear at the delicate Tarnish skin and weigh down their aqua armor. In an attempt to mitigate, tamed crocodiles are dispatched into the storms. Their leathery hides protect them from the biting sand and serve as cover from which they attack the Oni forces.

War Action: The Tarns sense they are running out of time to deal with the isolated part of the Oni army once and for all. They have no choice but to attack and hope that the enemy is sufficiently weakened. Together with a wave of mist and spray, the Tarns attack the Oni within the city. In order to catch the enemy from the back flank, they attack from the mist to the East, heading west and aiming to fragment their enemy and drive them into the mist, where they are picked off by the preexisting ambush tactics. The odd dryfaces that can affect earth are targeted in particular. They haven’t used the sandstorms yet, but they could begin at any moment.

>>3841466
>>3842822
Action 1:study the ground of the artic
Action 2/diplo: organize with the sonarii to create a rail system for them

>Action 1: Bottom-Farming
During the process of collecting resources to establish the city, the Queen stumbles across a wealth of a crabs. Bottom-feeding techniques from the war are used in order to establish a full-time crab farm here.

>Action 2: Self-Sufficiency
Totu workers head for the hills to establish mines to fuel their need for high-impact artillery.

>Diplomacy (Totu Subject Nations)
Jeleva urges the Totu all across the world to break free of their oppression and find hospice in Gurtland where ships are available to them to begin a new life.

Warfare between the Hingashi Hives mostly consists of raiding and protracted siege. There is little way to force your way into a hive. Built into rock formations or partially underground, they are mazes of tunnels and chambers that give strong advantage to the defender. Thus, warfare is a constant back and forth of attempting to starve the hive out. Hive food requirements are high, and production by drones must be constantly maintained to provide for the Queen's brood and the needs of Hivers. Osuzu primarily fight in the air when engaging one another. Their weapons of choice are spears and bows but their most powerful weapons are their jaws and stingers. When two Osuzu meet in battle it is an aerial wrestling match of attempting to maneuver your opponent into position for a killing strike.

The organization of war parties is top-down. The Royalty will appoint, or in some cases lead, a Hiver to command a war party. The war party, made up of Drones either taken from regular duties or volunteers from sub-hives or other hives, will then do battle against their counterparts. Within the War Party there are wing commanders that lead smaller parties. The average War Party consists of a few hundred wasps, with a dozen or so formations designated as wings. While combat is mostly one-on-one, maneuver is considered the most important aspect of a fight, as achieving and maintaining a height advantage while retaining flying formation is the easiest way to overpower the enemy. All wasp warfare takes place on a 3D field of movement, and so coordination between group is essential.

Queen Esmerelda has the advantage in raw strength. Her Cazadores are worth twice their number in normal Osuzu, but the army of Queen Araceli has the advantage of superior coordination. Unlike most, she had maintained her mother's tradition of a standing military force that drilled regularly. While not Hivers, they enjoyed lighter work duties in exchange for regular combat training and position as a royal guard is a carefully controlled means of social advancement among females.

>>3841667
After much investment and digging the bulk of the surface area of the sphere is exposed and with it a focal point from which the construct can be entered is uncovered. Soon it is discovered that this point can be reliably dug through without causing too many large bursts, once this spot is broken through an inner room whose walls are lined with the reverberating metal of the outside is found, it is soon calculated to make up only 1/3rd of the potential storage volume of the sphere.

The walls are smooth and uniform, forming a brick like pattern continually with the only exceptional motifs being a triple pentagonal symbol on the ceiling and a three pronged statue in the centre of the room.

This three pronged structure is arranged in one paired portion of metal prongs alongside a protruding crystalline structure arranged closer to the entrance. At the foot of the statue and at the bottom of each prong is a symbol, the metal prongs have a lightning symbol and the crystal prong has a symbol in the form of a mountain split in two. The statue is just big enough so that two Volters can be arranged so that they can connect arms with another one of their kind around the two paired prongs.

After much debate a metal whose properties could potentially fit the bill is discovered: Aluminium, it is a light yet soft metal with very low magnetism which can be extracted from the popular dye of Alum (a material which is used to make fine clothing through color change) and then refined into a workable metal. It is shown to be more efficient than essentially all potential woods and unlike wood it can be casted over and over again just incase something went wrong in the forging process. While it is not a particularity useful for the inner workings bone iron, a metal which is derived from iron which has been imported in its creation process and in its physical form from the city of Black Metal has proved especially useful in its potential for the making of the skeleton of any potential flying machines. Bone Iron is also a ready candidate for the construction of a magnetic Train though the bone needed to manufacture it on such a scale would need to be imported from the burned men as the Volters have few suitable sources themselves especially since Bone Iron made using Volter Bones has proved potentially volatile and weak.

Burned men steel is also an option but is shown to be potentially less consistent due to the quality of the coal and charcoal used in its creation.

The men of iron of the south find the idea of investing in foreign metals to be undesirable and thus they would like to keep to their own devices when it comes to improving their foundries and alloys.

>>3842557
Through hearty steel, fierce flames, searing bolts and well placed fortifications the hordes are pushed back even further, now a like has been established in sight of the bustling castle of the enemy awaiting the order for the final push alongside a consolidation of forces so that this threat can be quashed for good.

Over time only a few golems are lost to the frey and heat of war due to the precautions of the army. Though it has to come at the cost of faster reinforcements the brought in shells are shown to be capable of dealing substantial damage to the walls of the fortress and the cost to size ratio means that technically these new shells are increasing the efficiency of the supply lines from the other side of the range.

With the aid of mercenary air support in order to divide the enemy from the sonarii along with golem pulled Mobile Bunkers (your tanks) in order to establish proper safe zones for rest and reloading the fortress could be taken fairly quickly. Though an alternate plan of just stockpiling fire bombs so that the flesh can just be burned out before a smaller assault is launched for cleanup duty is also proposed.

>>3842961
Though it may be that a substantial population has been tamed the beasts still require a steady supply of special liquid only found in the jungle and their presence will not be readily available for use in the army until the demand is met through financially viable means so the army will have to remain as it is with the exception of a few elite units until further notice.

Previously untapped coal veins are minded out in the northern sonarii range, providing a decent source of fuel while more powerful fuels can be bought from the necrotics and from other distant lands.

The prospect of a sonarian rail is desirable the infrastructure required to maintain such a system is not readily in reach especially when it comes to the forges skilled enough to mass produce decent steel locally. On top of this some find it uncomfortable that grounders be the ones to man the network as currently the only viable designs which are known are based around non-sonarian bending. A fact which is not looked at fondly by such a proud and independent people.

A minor revolt has occurred in the salt mines near stianbal, the local lords claim they can crush it very soon.

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>>3841733
Legends tell of a time long ago when the great city of Ars_Goetia was the jewel of the world, being a centrepiece where in the greatest minds of all nations would flock to in order to tap into its great wealth of knowledge and industry, but that golden age is long past and now all that stands in its place is a massive underground ruin untouched by the hands of the outside world.

Now it’s only inhabitants are the 72 nomadic tribes of ruin and the hundreds of lone wanderers. They are never in one place for very long as their only source of food comes from the scattered food storage units which have endured over the years and now after the horrible era of incursion and after even that during the age of squander the slow decay of the finite food supplies has bitten into the back of the People, thinning their numbers until only a portion of the old tribes still hold on in the waste.

But a light has now appeared to the little world as the greatest of the tribes, Clan Ba’thusiaah has given some sort of unity to the wastes, establishing their fortress in the highest reach of the ruin where none may think of siege. They have elevated one of their own, Paul II Ba’thusiaah to lead them and have established a system of joint leadership system where a member of Clan Ba’thusiaah will rule alongside a clan specific leader in order to keep the peace among all the tribes through a watchful eye and the threat of being torn apart by the loyal tribes and the mighty steely army which Ba’thusiaah has under its direct control.

And at the height of the famine when a tribal culling seemed just around the corner the outside finally came in.

It was supposed to be a normal dig, just a little expansion of the labyrinth between two close brothers alongside a bit of touching up here and there to make everything look nice and uniform, but it did not turn out to be a normal dig as it seems they had accidentally ended up in another tribe’s armory, something which would defiantly spark a classic tribal showdown at a time when such things are going to be slightly more tedious then they are fun. The Minotaurs step inside, looking around they see no guards not even a spot where a guard might be hiding, and so they loot taking all they can carry. Maces, Axes, Armor and Trophies, all is taken and put in the tunnel for bulk transport. But just as they are about to leave one of the large metal statues of the room awakens to life, out of its back smoke bellows and its eyes light up with fire, its great limbs spring to life blasting a metal sound about the room. This great screeching of gears and metal paralyzes the minotaurs in a state of hearing pain. As swiftly as a blue sprite and with the power of a mighty oak one of the two minotaurs is slain, impaled on the end of the behemoths mighty lance, and with a great haste the other brother runs away like a worm at the sight of a sparrow.

>>3852888
(cont)
Soon the first Taurnic Crusade begun as more taur reinforcements poured in for the loot eventually culminating in the sending in of the forces of Ba'thusiaah proper and the taking of the fortress of the half breed beasts. So with a new access to food resources in a new and open land several more exit tunnels are dug and the surrounding land is purged of the dark creatures, now falling under the boot and administration of the new Land of Golems and Crafts. Though perhaps the realm could use a better name, sadly one has yet to pop up.

Many labyrinths are found free for the taking as minotaurs flee the new armies of metal. A full guide to Crafts and Golems will be provided at a later date, but it should be known that Golems are independent things for the most part while crafts are basically familiars made from metal.

>>3842993
The pace of war drives science forward at a steady pace. Many sub hives are taken in the mountains as the offensive shows the weakness of Hingashi.

Outcast collections of wasps make a home for themselves on the isolated Island off the coast of the continent.

>>3843018
On a series of small islands in the middle of a field of Icebergs Kalskrimir grows and thrives, and further south Balora brings both crab meat and mammoth steaks to the market, filling the bellies of many so that they can focus on pursuits other than strictly hunting or Iceberg Lettuce farming.

Blue Iron can sadly not be smithed, perhaps it is just the fault of the furnaces available to the Ice Giants but still no smithing can be done on it in the meantime. The interaction between black sludge and Blue Iron is quite interesting for when the metal comes in contact with the sludge it causes the black stuff to boil into a fine blueish liquid which does not melt and can be used to create very strong ice.

>>3843129
The new clothes have a hard time getting to the troops in the city but those who do receive it are incredibly thankful and end up fighting with much more effectiveness.

The kicked up storms improve the offensive greatly and the control which is required to kick them up also comes in handy due to having the added benefit of decreasing Tarnish supplies.

From the west a tarnish force comparable to the one in the city bellows forth, and though they take great casualties themselves the water they bring in their stead has greatly disrupted sandstorm attempts after the initial offensive. The Oni army at the canal is now forced to fight against the reserved tarnish army in the meantime. While the armies fight the city's walls are breached and a hole large enough to drain some of it is made, the water rushes forth down the canal but is now pooling due to the blockade of water the tarns themselves have brought with them. In other news it seems the Tarn now have cannons as several allied emplacements have been lost to Tarnish bombardments and subsequent offensives.

News of a metal army which has forced a migration of minotaurs reaches the courts of Yugji.

>>3843545
The reserve forces are unleashed on the Oni, for now the broken dam to the city only acts as a boost to the water available to the forces. The relatively open artillery encampments spotted are swiftly taken out by cannon fire due to the lack of Oni defenses against enemy cannon fire.

Any available numbers of crocodiles begin to dwindle as more and more are lost to the frey, already several notable instances of crocs going rogue have been reported.

Some sandstorms are launched successfully but for now they have been halted, for now the two armies are fighting it off in the canal zone with neither side seeming all that on top of things.

The shortages caused by the war are now starting to affect the empire in a major way, a proposal is launched for a new army comparable to the two current ones to be raised in order to stop this catastrophe from tearing the empire apart once more. In the north a large migration of minotaurs has crushed the neglected army lines, the establishment recommends trying to contain this threat instead of wasting resources on such relatively useless land. Word comes in of a strange metal force which drove them out farther into the range.

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>>3844042
A resource of crude oil is discovered in the mountains east of mortuary.

The cities of Chaelkeat, Tiztavaros, Stianbal, Bertlowr and a small town by the sea are connected to the preexisting rail network while the network is expanded, the wealth brought in can now be used on whatever the necrotics please. Though the network is not yet fully finished.

>>3844187
The nation is expanded once more, bringing in crabs, fish and deer.

The untapped iron resources of the island are used generously in order to fund the weapons for the tarn.

A minor rebellion begins in the salt mines near stianbal, it is small for now but could potentially grow into something grand.

>>3852893
The Minos are deeply irritating but they will have to wait. There is simply too much going on around Koza to deal with them for the moment. For now, civilians are evacuated from the area and the Minos are allowed to roam.

Action 1: Proper training pipeline
Proper training grounds are constructed at Hamets. Recruits are trained to march in formation, attack as a unit, and create group water constructs. Through this, many new Tarns are enlisted and trained from across the empire. Some of the new troops are dispatched to flank west, going around the encircling Oni army. Their goal is to cut off the enemy army’s already stretched supply lines and trap them between twin enemy forces. (See image, Red is Oni, Blue/Purple is Tarn)

Action 2: Attack the fort.
A force is dispatched from the salt mines west to take the Mino fort. With the beasts’s attention is on taking the river(where fierce fighting has continued), their fort is far more vulnerable. Once the fort has been taken, the Tarn continue southwest, looting the Mino supply lines and tearing into their vanguard. Their ultimate goal is to attack the Mino’s back flank and reinforce their comrades at the river.

War Action: Resupply. Overland(for now) Supply routes are set up, running from the salt mines to the city. As much supplies are sent to the city as can be mustered, so that even if the city is cut off once more, it will have plenty of supplies left for a renewed defense.

>Diplo w/ Totu
A trade system is proposed where the Tarns supply fish to the Totu in exchange for cannons and cannonballs.

>>3844187
Forgot to ping

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>>3853399
Whoops, forgot to attach image.