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"Get in position! This is our only chance." Lord Osric yellled at his troops, trying to prepare them for a desperate attempt to break the enemy's lines. The Desert King's advance in the west had been stopped by a fresh recruited and well equipped army loyal to the High Council. Now, after one week of bloody battles, the Wither Woods were cut off from the Pharao's main land in the east. His troops were far from being defeated yet, but Osric was not willing to spend the next two months trying to stand his ground while over Nocturnian captains would claim honour for conquering Kaliphlin's great cities and win all the loot and attention of their resurrected master. He would make a glorious attack against the besiegers and fight his way through the High Council's lines back to the Rakath Mountains. "Bring my rat!" When the rat lord spoke of his rat, he did not mean one of his men, to whom he referred to as simply "his men". "His rat" was his joker. Something that would guarantee their escape...

If winning, I pick H15 as new warzone. _______________________________________ Osric's troops attack a mill powered watering system. I hope you like it. I'm a little bit annoyed because it didn't turn out as well as I thought. But now I've learned much about composing builds. I should've put the water wheel in the backround. Will think more about the arrangement of the elements I want to show.

The Nile Crocs strike again!! Led by the mysterious Ka-a-Sobek, the fearsome Nile Crocs wage war against the enemies of the Desert King, mercilessly eliminating small groups of hostiles. Following a series of minor victories they have become increasingly aggressive and have begun to set their sights on bigger prizes... After receiving word that a large Ulandian force would be passing nearby Ka-a-Sobek knew it was finally time to go all out. He gathered all his troops in nearby areas and planned an ambush… It was a peaceful, sunny day. A gentle, soothing breeze rustled the pam trees, and the water was calm, reflecting the beautiful blue sky. There was a tranquil silence, broken only by the occasional squawk of tropical bird deeper in the trees. Suddenly the silence was shattered by a continuous tapping sound, growing louder by the minute. Suddenly a pair of marching soldiers came into view, then another pair, and another, and another, until a score of soldiers could be seen marching in a column. They wore strange looking breastplates and were garbed in a light shade of green. On their heads they work polished silvery helmets, which shone blindingly in the sunlight and carried razor sharp spears. These were soldiers of the Second Legion of Ulandus, the Salamanders. Suddenly, the entire line dissolved into chaos. Along the entire bank Nile Croc warrior appeared out of the water, rushing onto the shore while more warriors appeared in the water behind them. Ka-a-Sobek led the attack from the front, ambushing the front of the column. He burst out of the water, shouted "ATTACK!!!!!" and charged onto the shore.There he dueled against the Ulandian officer in command of this unit. The duel was ferocious, and several times Ka-a-Sobek barely avoided being impaled by the Ulandian. The duel raged on for several minutes, during which the Crocs finished off the remaining Ulandians Eventually the Ulandian officer tired slightly, and Ka-a-Sobek quickly ended the duel. The battle was won! After the battle the Nile Crocs had a huge feast, which lasted the rest of the day. Afterwards they left a message nearby for the Ulandians Additional Pictures: Ulandian Officer Croc Elder The road Figless The Nile Crocs trained war crocodile Sorry about the bad pictures(again). I was in a HUGE rush to take these since I had to leave for a ski trip immediately after this and I wasn't going to get back till after the deadline, so I had almost no time time to take pictures. C and C appreciated

Warzone 5: Battle of the Deep Sands Location: I 10 Who Can Participate: All Factions Terrain: This battle happens in the heart of the Dune Sea. The Dune Sea is full of large, often changing, crests of sand. There is very little stable ground, and where there is, there is usually some small oasis as the source of water. However, these Oases often disappear for months at a time under the ever-changing sands. A haboob can pick up at any moment and blow mountains of sand, literally, miles from its original point. Even though not the largest desert in Kaliphlin, the absence of landmarks makes it very easy to become trapped in the Dune Sea, often a traveler can be driven mad from his or her surroundings. This madness is known to those in the Kaliphlin as “Dunstyria.” History: The region has few settlements, and has had even fewer rulers. There is very little of importance here but a few oil wells and a swatch of territory to add to a ruler’s map. It is odd that war broke out here, but it does lie in the middle of many important locations in Kaliphlin, it is bordered by the Petraea Road, the Mystic Mountains, the Lone Mountain, the Swamps of Qar-Akhen River, and the more profitable Parched Lands. In some regards, it is a second avenue into many of these locations, and the side who controls it would be sealing off a backdoor to other locations. The troops must watch out for the mythic Sand Ghouls, Sand Worms, Dirtmaids, and Lerik'ai, all of which can bring a swift end to a party, and if not the inhabitants of the Dune Sea, then nature itself may deal a fatal blow. Mini-challenge: Depict the desolation of the region, while securing it for your side. This does not have to be a battle scene, it can be an occupation (you decide of what), taming the region somehow, building a fortification to outlast the Haboobs, etc… Use your imagination. Special judging consideration: The public will be asked to judge who won based on creative use of the desert. IE: we are asking MOCers to really demonstrate life and death in the desert, not just a pile of sand and some figs. Secondary Category: Best Sand. A third question will be asked on the voting thread, which build contained the best sand? Although it has nothing to do with who will win the battle, it does allow that winner to be known throughout Historica as the “Traverser of the Great Sands.” Restrictions: Unlimited. Due Date: April 5th When posting a link to your entry to each battle thread, make sure you note which zone you are picking as the next warzone if you win. You may want to coordinate with others from your faction.

In a mansion in the north western parts of Kaliphlin, a group of councilors from the High Council have barricaded themselves, fearing for their lives. Outside, a band of brigands are preparing an assault on the mansion, and a retinue of soldiers have vowed to protect the councilors. The Prey by Beorthan, on Flickr Outside, the attack has started and Beorthan, our knight in shining armour, is leading the defense of the mansion. The attacking force carries no distinguishing marks, giving no clues as to who may be behind the attack, be it Ulandus, the Desert King, or simple brigands. The Battle by Beorthan, on Flickr Left to right, the warriors are: Beorthan, Lord of the Trifork; his bodyguards, Cassius and Marcus; his friend Lord William Drake; and Tauro, his tracker and scout. In the back, the marksman Brogar is taking shots at the enemies. These seasoned warriors are holding out against the superior numbers of the attackers, and everything points towards a victory for our heroes. The Warriors by Beorthan, on Flickr An overview of the build: Overview by Beorthan, on Flickr

Bombastia was probably the best bargain Osric Isentooth had made during his recruitment of mercenaries. For she was a woman, she could not demand the same payment as men. War business was still a male domain. But the tremendous warrioress was in no way less deadlier than any other mercenary. In fact she was even scarier and stronger than anyone in Isentooth's entourage.

If winning, I pick E2 as new warzone. The boy's arm was already broken. Osric's men did not care if a prisoner got hurt as long as he was still able to speak. "Listen boy. I do not care about your politics down here. All I'm interested in is the loot." He looked at the rat holding the shaduf, an ancient and primitive well sweep that was used in the southern lands since time immemorial. The exiled rat king could se the desire in his soldier's eyes to just drown this foolish spy they had catched early in the morning. "I'm tired of asking. Now simply tell me all about strength and position of your battaillon and all of this will quick be over." The young soldier's voices was bruised from the blood pressing on his head:"You're going to kill me either way. I don't talk to vermin like you." Osric made a last desultory attempt to convince him:"Oh boy. There are so many ways to die. And some are not very pleasant. I could simply let my men gnaw off your fett and throw the pitiful rest of you into the river." "Nocturnian scum! Your mummy king will soon return to hell. Now end this, I am ready for it." Osric had lost interest in his prisoner. There were sure still other spies around to catch. Perhaps some who were easier to intimidate. He looked to the rat holding the sweep:"He seems thirsty. It was an uncomfortable morning for him. Give him water."

Khalesh and Atem, two loyal militiamen of the Desert King, prepare to get the drop on yet another unsuspecting Ulandian. So, my entry to warzone 4, C+C welcome!

Failing the Peace (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 20) Chapters so far: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Failing the Peace guildhall by skaforhire, on Flickr “But, if we give up the city, we will have no leverage to get it back!” Mikeo complained. “The battle at the Wither Woods will be for naught!” petera by skaforhire, on Flickr “Let me remind you that we LOST that battle. Perhaps we should have retreated to Gearsport after the battle. We would have had less deserters.” Petera said calmly. He knew this was the right decision. The longer Dugal sieged Eastgate, the longer valuable High Council troops would be in the Wither Woods doing nothing to stop the march of the Desert King or the Ulandians. Petera knew Dugal was too stubborn to abandon Eastgate for the greater good, so Petera would have to do it. Petera also knew that Dugal had maneuvered for a seat on the High Council for the ruler of Gearsport, which was supposed to go to Paulos. Petera would be legitimately back on the High Council, if he could clear the claim to the other GEAR Co. run city. “You are just upset about your friend. Why don’t we surprise attack Dugal or DaMaximus’s forces and kill a bunch of them – that will make you feel better.” Mikeo said. Petera was grieving the loss of his good friend, Lord Folston, but bloodshed never made him feel good. Ever. Mikeo was still young, he had died when they were 11, and Petera had only rescued his twin from the underworld a little over a year ago. Needless to say, Mikeo was much like a young teenager and did not think things through. “What would that do, but put the Council in even poorer position?” Petera said. Often he had to point out strategy that did not sit at the tip of his brother’s nose. “Besides, what has changed that we could force our hand like that? We would get tired and no one would be able to stay in the city and keep the protective shield up. If we lose, then the city would be lost too.” Petera had constructed the great shield to protect Eastgate from Revolword’s elementals. Now he used it to keep Dugal out. It was a system of amplification crystals and a few ancient relics. A mage of great power had to be operating it at all times. Right now Avona was controlling it. “Well, you wanted to abandon the city anyway; we might as try to win our own war before we go fight another!” Mikeo replied. Petera could see his logic, but knew it was flawed. “Again, keeping both armies intact would be more beneficial.” Petera said. “I don’t want to move to Gearsport, it is a backwater!” Mikeo said. “Perhaps you should lead my troops against the Desert King, while I concentrate on First Centurion and his Ulandian legions.” Petera retorted. Mikeo replied, “Do you think I am ready? I feel like I have so much to learn.” He did. Besides the stunting of his personality and emotions due to his premature death, Mikeo still had not fully reached his magical potential. He could have been as strong as Petera, but he probably would never hit that mark. Magic needed to be developed early, or else a sorcerer would miss out on some of his power. That is why Petera was apprenticed to Revolword so early, his power was predicted to be greater than any mage that was currently in the Eastgate College of Magic and Navigation. Mikeo, had he lived, could have been just as great perhaps. “Perhaps a little more experience in battle would help you hone your abilities.” Petera replied. “I seriously doubt the Desert King has much that can stand up to you. “ and he believed that, but he then added, “do not engage Raa by yourself. You are not ready for that, it is likely it will take both of us to defeat him, or perhaps even more mages.” “Or a well-placed blade, “ Mikeo chuckled. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- DSC_1640 by skaforhire, on Flickr Dugal and Gideon stood at the window in the small council room. “He says that he will leave Eastgate, move his headquarters to Gearsport, and relinquish his claims.” Dugal was telling Gideon about the strange message he had received from his brother. “He would then welcome me as a brother in arms again as we fight our common enemies.” “What about after the war?” Gideon asked. “It says that we would negotiate a settlement of monies and armies.” Dugal replied. Dugal knew that Petera wanted a legal seat on the High Council, perhaps this was the only way he thought he could get one without killing two of his brothers, and somehow making them stay dead. “Perhaps this would be the best way to heal your family and help Kaliphlin at the same time.” Gideon said. Petera had done a lot to hurt the Macleans. He had had Dugal Murdered, kidnapped Merith, tried to kill Paulos at Queenscross, fought one of the largest battles in recent Historican memory against his brothers, raised their third brother from the dead to turn him into a warrior puppet, and held Eastgate hostage. On top of that, he had sided with Revolword in secret, although he later claimed that he had left Revolword’s apprenticeship as soon as he found out that the old mage was waging a war on the King. Still, there was a lot to forgive. “Perhaps he realizes that he cannot call your axe, and knows that he is not destined to rule Eastgate?” Gideon continued. He was referring to the Golden Axe of Eastgate, which could be called by the city’s rightful ruler at any time. Dugal had been able to call the axe as soon as he left the underworld, apparently Petera had never been able to get the axe to come to him while Dugal was dead, but neither could Paulos. “He may realize that this is the only way out for him. You and him fight each other, and the Desert King or First Centurion kills you both. He wins, he is too weak to protect Eastgate. The rest of the High Council don’t accept him, and it falls. You win, you are too weak to protect Eastgate. IT is lose, lose, lose.” “I suppose with the most recent report from Knightsbridge, that we cannot stay out of the war any longer. The peacekeeping has failed, and we will need all the troops we can get.” Dugal was pretty sure that Gideon would side for the High Council, but nowadays no one could tell. He glanced down at the report in his hand. aDSC_1948 by skaforhire, on Flickr It came from a soldier who was at Knightsbridge when the Ulandians took it. He said that Lord Folston had beaten back a wave of the Desert King’s forces, but had to turn around to fight the Ulandians immediately. The soldier saw the Ulandians winning overwhelmingly, was told by Lord Folston to try and get a message to the council, then watched as Folston was killed. He was able to shed his armor and jump into the river below. The Ulandians shot arrows at him, but he managed to escape. aDSC_194a9 by skaforhire, on Flickr As if he was reading Dugal’s mind, High Lord Bain Ba’Elder walked up to the next window and said “ Shame those ruthless Ulandians killed every single soldier except one. I am just glad the Desert King’s men were there to take back the position. The real enemy are the Ulandians!” Lady Phlici was not too far behind him. “Are you serious? The Desert King attacked High Council peace keeping troops first! He is the enemy! We don’t know if this soldier wasn’t sent by him to fool us all. They are now in possession of the town, it is likely that they wiped out both sets of troops before taking it.” “You should be careful when talking about our rightful ruler.” Bain had clearly sided with the Desert King and was now just trying to drag the majority of the Council that direction. The rest of the council was in confusion. Three sides had emerged, those who thought that Kaliphlin should follow Pharaoh Raa to glory, those who thought that the Ulandians provided stable and strong partners to grow Kaliphlin, and a new third party, the High Council that wanted to keep Kaliphlin the proto-republic it had been under Dextrus Flagg, which Dugal supported. The High Council faction had seen that blood would have to be shed, they would have to fight to achieve a peace. Not knowing who started the bloodshed at Knightsbridge had led the council in the three directions. Some of the High Council faction had come to that side because they desired to punish both sides for bringing war to Kaliphlin. The High Council still refused to pull the trigger and begin operations against either side, there were still too many unanswered questions. If the Ulandians wiped out Folston and Knightsbridge, how did the Desert King get control of it? Reports were starting to come in that both sides were looking to take Queenscross, and operations were already on the way on the banks of the Arkbi river. Peacekeepers would soon be full-blown soldiers if the council had to fight to hold Qeenscross. But still, the council did not move to protect what territory it still held. Dugal looked out the window and sighed. He tried to tune the two out as they continued to argue. It was a beautiful day in Kaliphlin, but how long until war touched the capital? He looked down below him at the Lion Door, one of the main gates of the Kaliphlin Guild Hall. Many people went about their day below, some waited for news of the brewing civil war, while others were out for a walk, and some were just curious about the giant golden lion shields that adorned this part of the building. DSC_1644 by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1626 by skaforhire, on Flickr Then ground began to quake. The building shook violently. The ceiling began to bow and pieces fell around them. A rafter fell on Bain. Dugal couldn’t get to him as more of the decorated walls peeled off like a layer of fat on a good cooked roast. Gideon and Dugal ran down the corridor to the stairs. Phlici was nowhere to be found. Dugal could hear the centuries-old supports crunching and gnawing at one another. The walls continued to crumble, and some of the stairs gave out, but the two high councilors made it out the Lion gate in time, with only moments to spare. The whole structure fell on itself, and dust flew into the air. DSC_1660 by skaforhire, on Flickr As the dust cleared, Dugal could see Phlici, being escorted by her Centurion friend, Lat’ve. He was coughing, but both of them seemed to have made it out unscathed. What was he even doing here? Gideon yelled to Dugal, and when he turned to come to his friend, he saw why Gideon had yelled. One of the great shields of the Lion Door had fallen on a young child. Dugal ran over to help Gideon. DSC_1664 by skaforhire, on Flickr They shoved with all their might, but it was too late. The girl was gone. So was the little boy that Dugal had seen from the window. A rock had fallen on his head. His mother dead on the stairs to whatever was left of the Guild Hall. dest by skaforhire, on Flickr Bain appeared in the rubble. “You guys need to let it go, she is gone.” Dugal had not even realized he was still trying to move the shield. “What happened?” asked Gideon, “ was that another earthquake?” Dugal looked around. “No. this was an attack.” Dugal pointed at the other buildings surrounding the Guild Hall. They were all in perfect shape. The ground had not shaken anywhere but here. “Was this magic?” Bain asked, but Dugal felt that Bain was playing coy. “I can only think of one entity that has the ability to smite something this large.” Dugal said. “Your buddy, the Desert King.” “That is ridiculous.” Bain said. “Besides, why would he try to kill some of his followers? I was standing right next to you!” he shouted. Then he turned to Phlici. “What is he doing here? “ Bain motioned at Lat’ve. “Perhaps he put flammable liquid or used some sort of Centurion magic on the Guild Hall!” Lat’ve began to speak, but Phlici overrode him. “HE does not have to take this from you! You mummy loving sack of cat hair!” she growled. “Clearly, the council can’t protect us from the Desert King. I will throw my full support behind the Ulandians and their attempts to rid Kaliphlin of the Desert King. I fight with our brothers, the Ulandians!” She declared and stomped off. Bain, announcing to everyone who had not figured this out already, “This attack by Ulandus on the Guild Hall shall not go unpunished!” he yelled. “Raa shall avenge this deed!” He went off in the opposite direction. “You know this was a mass assassination attempt on all of us?” Gideon said. Dugal nodded. “We better see who is left.” Dugal motioned to the rubble. He began to talk as they searched “ Both sides would benefit from wiping out the council, the Ulandians would have no opposition, and likely rule the council. The Desert King would have no petty lords to stop him from ruling Kaliphlin as he sees fit” “I think you better make peace with your brother. We are going to need him.” Gideon said, as they both wandered the rubble.

Vengeance at Knightsbridge (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 19) Chapters so far: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 (ALSO: War of the Brothers Part II Chapter 1a HERE for more on that) Siegeofknightsbridge by skaforhire, on Flickr Vengeance at Knightsbridge Kaliphlin-north-east-0 by skaforhire, on Flickr Ulik’Boar, a Desert King scout, walked through the carnage at Knightsbridge. Severed heads, cauterized body parts, blood (but this build is PG because I am taking it to a show for kids this weekend. ), men with terror still frozen on their face. His fellow Kaliphlinites all of them, but many on this side of the bridge belonged to his side of the civil war. They had tried to take the town early in the morning, but their men had been repelled before even getting across the bridge into the heavier fortifications of Knightsbridge. aDSC_1943 by skaforhire, on Flickr The Desert King’s Mountain Eagle Division had a firm grip on another strategic town to the North, Needletop, this position was where the Peak Road broke off back towards Sultan’s Gate and also in the direction of the Sea. Knightsbridge was an important position because it controlled any movement to the south through the Rakath Mountain. It was for this reason that their commander, Ellan Boen, had decided to take the fortified mountain town. Knightbridge was mostly underground, it was an old dwarf stronghold, most people said. Upon realizing that the town and the fortifications were one in the same, Boen had made sure that the holdout High Councilor Lord Folston knew that they were coming. Ulik’Boar had personally counted the numbers of women and children that were sent down the mountain into Needletop for protection. The Desert King promised their safety, even if the men of the town chose to continue fighting. This would be the first full attack on the High Council, but the king did not want any negotiations hampered by an unnecessary slaughter of innocents. It was a hard fought battle from what the few Desert King survivors of the attack said, however, they were unsuccessful in dislodging Lord Folston. Two of the Desert King’s high guard had perished on the mountain, nad now Ulik’Boar could see one of their bodies. His hair on the back of his neck was still standing straight up. He couldn’t believe that he snuck into the town so easily, until he got to the first crest. All he heard was the rushing water of the river beneath the bridge, and all he could see were bodies. Desert King pledges, High Council troops, and Ulandians… He tried to piece together what had happened here. He covered Lord Folston’s body, after the high guard of course. aDSC_1944 by skaforhire, on Flickr As he moved across the bridge now, he was careful, just in case there were any survivors. aDSC_1947 by skaforhire, on Flickr The other side of the town was just as terrible. There was a siege ladder, up, but not one survivor. He made his way down the other side of the Peak Road now, about a mile, and found no signs of any living soul. He smiled for the first time that day. Looks like the Mountain Eagle Division had won Knightsbridge by default. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- A few hours earlier. Lord Folston had dreaded Lord Petera’s letter. He touched the amulet that came with it – the amulet was supposed to give Folston renewed vigor during a fight, but right now, the icy cold pendent just made him more nervous. A Desert King Army had taken Needlepoint, and the Ulandians were spotted only a few miles down the other direction on the Peak Rode. Things could not be worse. There was no place to even go if they wanted to retreat. He could not surrender, as both the High Council and Petera had given him direct orders to hold the ground at all cost – hold the ground so the Desert King and the Ulandians could not fight one another! Rumors had already made it to him that they were fighting elsewhere! He wanted to just camp high in his four towers and let both sides use the bridge. Let them fight it out right on the blasted thing. He would do his duty though. aDSC_1850 by skaforhire, on Flickr He didn’t have much time to fret. As the early morning mountain air just started to warm up, a century saw the Desert King’s men making it up the West face of the mountain. He was shorthanded… very shorthanded. He had less than 25 men left, a squad of archers and crossbowmen, and a squad of swordsmen. Even his personal fool was given a weapon. Knightsbridge was a chokepoint; this gave them a slight advantage, forcing the enemy to come nearly single file up the long windy Peak Road, that at points was no wider than a horse. The only problem was, if the Ulandians arrived at the same time, no one would be able to be on the East side of the river to defend the town. aDSC_1862 by skaforhire, on Flickr The Desert King’s Mountain Eagle division charged up the road, past the unmanned murder holes within the underground and up to the first switchback at the top of the mountain. Folston commanded his men personally, lending his own sword. His sergeant of Arms Macbarker Swane, his loyal companion for many years, took the vanguard position. The fight was on. aDSC_1855 by skaforhire, on Flickr aDSC_1848 by skaforhire, on Flickr The Mountain Mummies pushed hard, but by the time they made it to the final switchback, the plateau as it was called, the forces of the Desert King were exhausted and surrounded. aDSC_1863 by skaforhire, on Flickr Folston’s men forced the remaining enemy back down the mountain. And Victory was theirs. aDSC_1871 by skaforhire, on Flickr aDSC_1868 by skaforhire, on Flickr Until a shout came from the east side of the river. “The Ulandians are here!” Folston shouted to his men, the ones who had survived. “Quick, we must cross and hold the Calling Grounds!” His men, led again by Macbarker, ran across the bridge and down into the Calling Grounds, the open space between the road and the fortifications on the east side of town. aDSC_1876 by skaforhire, on Flickr To their dismay, the Ulandians had brought siege ladders up the mountain side. He could see the first few blue-clad Sand Wolves (the 3rd Legion he had learned) climbing the first ladder. “Knock’em down boys!” Growled Macbarker. SandWolves by skaforhire, on Flickr Folston had actually met with this company’s one armed leader, a grizzly old veteran named Shan’Feng. He had offered terms of surrender last week, but said that they would not offer again. Folston didn’t like the terms, which included a trip for his men to an Ulandus prisoner camp. Folston thought it odd that this was the company sent against his town. From what he had learned, the 3rd legion was mostly a reconnaissance organization. He had asked Shan’Feng about this, and the one-armed man laughed. He replied “Even the Third Legion has teeth, we are part wolf after all.” aDSC_1890 by skaforhire, on Flickr As this point, more and more Ulandians were pouring into the Calling Grounds. The Sand Wolves pushed Folston’s Men back, while getting into the small tower. Folston knew that if just one tower fell, they would use the secret passages between all of the towers to quickly kill his archers. Things were not looking good, and he fell back across the bridge. aDSC_1893 by skaforhire, on Flickr The bridge was wooden for this very reason. As he crossed he looked for a torch to light the bridge. It was a last ditch effort, but it should preserve half of his city. He turned to find his last guard fell by a Ulandian Drow warrior. Folston had always found it odd that the Ulandians had somehow broken their drow and made them normal citizens… His mind came back to the problem at hand. He looked up at his towers. aDSC_1899 by skaforhire, on Flickr aDSC_1911 by skaforhire, on Flickr It was only a matter of minutes before they would all fall. Folston made the decision to take out as many of these Ulandian scum as possible. “FOR EASTGATE, AND A WHOLE KALIPHLIN FOREVER!” He cried as he stepped into a pile of pursuers. aDSC_1906 by skaforhire, on Flickr As he fought, he felt the renewed energy… and the only other thought he had besides stab, parry, thrust, was that of his dear old friend. He hoped Macbarker found as honorable a death as he was about to have. aDSC_1908 by skaforhire, on Flickr +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Petera’s body went cold. He turned to Avona, his fiancé, and Wind-mistress of Historica, “Hold the Protective Shield. Keep Eastgate Safe. My good friend Folston is dead.” Before she could reply, he had teleported away. The necklace he had sent Folston was enchanted to give the wearer strength, but it was also attuned to Petera so that he could track the wearer. If a wearer was injured it would send a signal to Petera, but if the wearer was killed, Petera would feel it in the core of his being. Folston had been a good friend, a true friend. And when Petera blinked into existence at Knightsbridge, the carnage he saw near Folston’s body confirmed that the man was loyal and courageous to the end. Petera’s emotion raged, but he turned his anger into a hand in his mind, and the hand swept away his emotion and reached into to the magical void where all his energy came from. In a instant, he let the raw power take him into the depths of destruction and he was leviathan. aDSC_1916 by skaforhire, on Flickr He had ported onto the bridge, and immediately opened up fire on a Drow Ulandian. Executing him with a firebeam. Simultaneously he constructed a wall of power behind him to cut off the east side of the river, and a lightening shield crackled into existence on his left arm. aDSC_1917 by skaforhire, on Flickr He saw a rush of Ulandians coming from the West, and blinked into the middle of them. They raised their weapons to attack, but he was already dealing killing blows all around him. peterasveng by skaforhire, on Flickr They fell and he teleported to the top of the tallest tower, and executed three more. aDSC_1923 by skaforhire, on Flickr He could see their commander, and that would have been his next stop, but the commander’s mage teleported the two of them far away when they saw who exactly had shown up to finish this battle. Instead he teleported down to the Calling Grounds. This time using his wall of power to keep Ulandians from running away from him. aDSC_1931 by skaforhire, on Flickr Archers attacked him from the rear, and he could hear more soldiers running at him. He leapt up a wall and incinerated the closet Ulandian in midair. aDSC_1927 by skaforhire, on Flickr aDSC_1934 by skaforhire, on Flickr He threw his lightening shield and took out an archer. ADSC_1935 by skaforhire, on Flickr He landed and finished off another guard above him with a fireblast. takingcare by skaforhire, on Flickr Minutes went by… there were no more left. No more. For a moment he thought about going to Needletop and destroy the other enemy army, but as his rage began to subside, grief began to wash over him. He was tired. He had used too much of his power too quickly. He was vulnerable. He had just enough to get back home to Avona, where he spent the night in her arms, aching for lost friends

The Golden Partisans - The new 13th Legion of Ulandus? Somewhere in the deserts of Kaliphin, a small group of soldiers has setup their camp. Hidden from the eyes of their foes these warriors are taking a quick rest from the past struggles, looking forward to heroic deeds in the future. Will first Centurio hear about their doings for Ulandus? Colours: Gold (secondary: "sand" / light yellow) Mission: Guerilla Missions, particulary in the desert Name: Golden Partisans Overview of the small camp. Backside of the camp. The group's elven leader is drinking some refreshment, while her guard is trying to take a nap. "The boy" is filling a bucket at the small hidden well they found in the desert. Well, actually it's hardly more than a hole in the ground, but water is what you need to survive under the sun! Some supplies of the warriors. The whole squad of the "Golden Partisans" as CMFs. Full Album with three more photos can be found here. I plan on adding the following over the next couple of days: * the camp at night * some facts about the squad (colour, history, races, mission, equipment) * single characters with some proper background stories * two more scenes about their heroic deeds after leaving the camp

Amir Navabi was at war. The estranged son of one of the powerhouse families of Kaliphlin was angry, and he was showing it. His parents, for whom he had precious little respect, had sided with the High Council. Determined to defy the people he felt betrayed by, Amir had sided with Ulandus. And he was a more than capable fighter. He, along with some other Ulandian soldiers, had decided to take the aqueducts, as many as possible. Using his superior ability, Amir forced the swordsman to jump into the river. The battle had been won, at least at this aqueduct. Now is where I come in. "Good Pastnoon," I called. "What are Vikings doing so far inland?" Amir questioned, looking curiously at the three of us. "We were shipwrecked. We need a guide to take us north," I replied, curtly. The ship had encountered one of the worst storms I had ever known. We were lucky to be alive. "Very well," Amir replied. "But it might be dangerous." "Why," Rollo asked. "No one has informed you. Kaliphlin is in Civil War," He told us. "Gorlog's breath," I murmured. "Of all the times to be in Kaliphlin Builder's notes: This build was a throw together, but I wanted to contribute SOMETHING to my side in the civil war. I would build more, but some unforeseen circumstances have stopped me. Sorry. Author's notes: Same. The story was rushed, really just an excuse to explain why my Vikings are stuck in Kaliphlin. For the Praise of His Glory! ~Andrew

Week 2 Guerrilla Challenges The following challenges have been made. Anyone may counter these Guerrilla Attacks, but remember each builder can only build one counter build each week, so pick wisely. If the challenger wins, they will earn 4 additional points. Each counter is worth 4 points. Voting will happen after the deadline. The winning side either retains the zone or captures the zone. NEW: If no one counters the challenger’s MOC, then the zone turns over to the challenger’s side, and they only earn 2 points. Counter builds should have a title with this tag in it: [CG: location, your faction vs the guerrilla's faction] IE: [CG:J13, U vs DK], Due Date: Mar 15th, anywhere in the world. Zone: J13 Challenger: LordDan What Faction can counter: Ulandus Zone: F13 Challenger: Kai NRG What Faction can counter: Desert King Zone: H6 Challenger: Garmadon What Faction can counter: High Council

Well this one is the longest... A King Reborn (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 18) Chapters so far: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 A King Reborn (Sorry, I had some really bad lighting issues with most of the rest of the builds.) throneroom by skaforhire, on Flickr The Desert King Ark'Mora Raa looked down on the Nile Croc emissary lying prostrate before him. He was in his secret throne room in Kaligem – the lost city was being repaired quite rapidly, and he thought that he may be able to move the capital from Sultan’s Gate back to his home in a matter of months. But today, he was here receiving pledges. The Nile Crocs were an interesting lot, he could remember freeing their ancestors from the clutches of the Goblin King, 2000 years ago. Of course then they were mostly denizens of the Enchanted Forest and not the Mainlands. He was pleased with the emissary’s people. Apparently they had already begun to fight near Queenscross in his name. It did seem as many of Kaliphlin’s peoples were pledging to their true leader once again. For the first time in a long time, he began to think about his first life, how he came to be, and Ner’I’ti. Oh Ner’I’ti… +-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+ The very chamber that they sat in presently was not always a throne room. In fact, it had been the burial chamber the entire Raa Dynasty. His Greatest Grand Father still sat behind him, however the rest of his relatives were no longer occupying the chamber. tomb8 by skaforhire, on Flickr He remembered coming to the Tomb of Kings as a boy with his father Ahmendi Raa, his older brother Kalin’ti Raa, and his father’s closest advisor, Horros. This was the first time he had been allowed into the sacred crypt, and he had many questions. “quit your prattling,” his brother complained. “Father has brought you here to witness my ascension to the line of kings.” Ark’Mora was wise enough not to incur the wrath of his brother, and he knew that his brother was about to become a god, and his training told him one does not upset a god. Even if that god is his spiteful brother. The other gods had chosen Kalin’ti, and it was now time to begin his ascension. His brother was lucky, his father was still alive to start the process. His father began the sacred ritual, which lasted all of two minutes. “Fathers, gods, rulers to come, we call to you to begin Kalin’ti Raa’s ascension to Pharaoh.” Ark’Mora zoned out thinking about what this all meant. He was there because he would be first minister to his brother, although not a god like Kalin, he still would be essential in running the three kingdoms of Kaliphlin. His father had not been lucky enough to have an advisor of the same bloodline; he was forced to kill his two brothers to take the throne. His first minister, Horros, was a much different man, and Ark’Mora had realized early on in his tutelage that Horros likely kept the kingdom together, as his father distanced himself from the mortals. His father cared more for preparing himself for his second life that managing the kingdoms. This was evident in the current war against the Snow and Dark Elves of the northlands. There were rumors of the Western Marches preparing to rebel, also. His grandfather had destroyed most of the great Drow cities that were North of the three Kingdoms and had forced their people to begin to build settlements underground instead of above it, but his father’s turning away from military matters had allowed the Snow Elves and their darker kin to resurface. As first minister, he knew he would have to prosecute the war. DSC_1732 by skaforhire, on Flickr Twelve was a young age to be tutored in the way of statecraft, but Horros was sure that Ark’Mora was a promising student, so much that he had convinced his father to decree that Kalin’ti could not kill Ark’Mora. Kalin had already killed one of their brothers, as he saw him as a rival. Ark’Mora was considered too weak, and would soon become unable to bear and heir, thus taking away any sort of divinity. Ark’Mora snapped back to attention when he saw Horros’ bad eye staring at him. He knew the boy was daydreaming. His father was finishing the last part. “And May the line of Raa continue in eternity.” He had given Kalin’ti the blood amulet already, and Ark’Mora had been a little sad that he had not paid attention to the ascension. He wanted to see if Kalin’ti would change before his eyes or not. With the ceremony over, Ark’Mora began more questions. “Why is this space vacant he said, pointing to a position closest to the father of the Dynasty, Kaliph Raa. DSC_1730 by skaforhire, on Flickr “The closer to Kaliph Raa, the more important the Pharaoh. As you can see, the baby king is all the way at the end of this row, and right here, in the most important spot is your grandfather, conqueror of Nocturnus and Great Uniter of the Three Kingdoms.” Horros said. At this moment in time, Ark’Mora was uneasy thinking about the darkness of the third kingdom, Nocturnus. In time that would change greatly. Ner’I’ti… His father followed this up with his own boast: “That is my spot, I am worthy of my father’s spot. And for that reason, when Kalin’ti ascends to the throne in many lifetimes from now, I will begin my voyage to the second life here in this spot.” Ark’Mora was almost positive that his father would not be considered high enough by the priesthood for this spot, but there was a more suitable spot two sarcophagi down from his grandfather. He doubted that any of the living Raas could live up to his grandfather. His mind shifted to another time. He was walking through the streets of Kaligem with his brother and Horros. Horros was teaching the boys about responsibility. “You must be humble to people, they are your life blood” Because Kalin’ti was a god, Horros could no longer give him lessons, but he could give Ark’Mora lessons, which were meant for Kalin’ti to listen to and benefit from the same advice. Ark’Mora doubted that Kalin’ti listen to half of the speeches. Neither his father nor brother were very good with the people, and took the god aspect to a new level, his father would not let mortals touch him, while his brother believed that all mortal possessions, including their own lives, belonged to him. This was one of those times. “The hand that helps a lost soul, will have another soul to serve him in the afterlife…” Horros trailed off as Kalin’ti walked up to a sleeping man on the street. DSC_1803 by skaforhire, on Flickr “You!” Kalin’ti said, “Why do you pollute my streets with your filth?” The man jumped up immediately realizing who was standing before him. He immediately bowed. DSC_1804 by skaforhire, on Flickr “I am sorry my lord, I am a veteran of the West Marches Campaign. I came home and my house is gone, the new temple is being built there. I have no money, no more clothes, and my wife died of pox. I laid my head down here as the streets are the only home I know now. Please forgive me, I will move on.” The man graveled. DSC_1806 by skaforhire, on Flickr Kalin’ti threw the man up against the wall, and the frightened veteran cowered back to the ground. The prince lifted his foot up and began stomping on the man’s face. “You will not dirty my city. You are nothing. You are sand between my toes. You are fleas on a camel. You must know your worth – nothing. You could not have the courage to die fighting the Faeries of the Enchanted Forest, you can die here beneath my boot!” DSC_1809 by skaforhire, on Flickr Horros gasped, he knew he could not stop the prince, now that he had ascended. This was the first time the Desert King had seen someone die in front of him. +_+_ Ark’Mora’s mind flashed forward to his father’s death. He had died in sleep, and from the rumors the boy had heard, most likely from too much drink. He was now in the Tomb of Kings, where Kalin’ti was directing men to begin crafting the sarcophagus at the foot of Kaliph Raa. It was at this point that Ark’Mora had had enough. His father could not have been a god, let alone be buried next to the greatest god kings of all time. “The priests have not approved this yet.” Ark’mora said. DSC_1749 by skaforhire, on Flickr “You belittle our father after his death?” his brother said. “You think yourself on the same level to decide where a GOD is buried?” “I think Horros would agree with me, we must wait for the priests.” Ark’Mora said, knowing that he was standing on quicksand in this situation. “Horros has gone to the great hall to serve our father.” What? The Great Hall? This meant that Horros had been prepared for the afterlife – killed, mummified, and packed into the Great Hall. This was a common ritual for wives, petty servants, and cats, but not for a first minister. Horros was supposed to oversee the transition between Pharaohs. “That is not the way it is done!” Ark’Mora protests. “You will join him in the hall. Father demanded it.” His brother snickered. “Tomb Guard, take my brother to the Great Hall!” The tomb guard came forward to apprehend the boy. Without thinking, Ark’Mora ran to the tomb of the Greatest Raa, and took his staff. A gold Serpent that was said to hold immense power, that only a god could wield. Ark’Mora should not have been able to remove the staff, but he needed something to defend himself. DSC_1750 by skaforhire, on Flickr It slid out with ease, and he turned on his brother. The guard hit the ground prostrate and mumbled “oh great one.” His brother kept coming though. DSC_1754 by skaforhire, on Flickr Ark’Mora declared in a booming voice “You are not worthy, Kalin’ti. You and our father are not worthy of the power of these thrones.” And as he forced his brother back, he fell into the shallow water that surrounded the sarcophagi. But… DSC_1758 by skaforhire, on Flickr It wasn’t shallow for some reason. As he pointed the staff at his brother, his brother kept sinking… the water should not even come up to his knees, but still, his brother sank. DSC_1760 by skaforhire, on Flickr Until finally, his brother disappeared without a trace. Unlike the ascension of his brother, where Ark’Mora witnessed nothing unusual, he knew that in that moment he has ascended, and he knew he was a different person. +-+-+-+ The Desert King let his mind wonder. The War against the Shadows, The reconquering of the Drow. The decimation of the Snow Elves… his three greatest military achievements. The great Arch, the Triumphal Dome of Merriph, The great Golden Road, the third wall of Kaligem, his greatest architectural achievements. His land to soldiers initiative, his adoption of citizenship for all three kingdom’s residents, even the non-human ones, his greatest political achievements. He had accomplished this all before 35 years of age. None of it compared to the love he found in Nocturnus though. The staff had led him to a cave in the Dark Kingdom where he met her. She helped him tap his powers, before he fell in love with her, he never knew that he could be so powerful… powerful enough to destroy a whole subcontinent – twice. His mind immediately went to their last moments together. It was one year after he had sunk Ulandus, and they were back in this same chamber. DSC_1764 by skaforhire, on Flickr Things had taken a turn for the worst. He had used the same mass ritual to try and destroy most of the Western Marches. western march by skaforhire, on Flickr But something had gone wrong. It had not succeeded as planned. Another great force had played against his ritual, many of his priests had died in some sort of backlash, and his reports told him that a new ruler led in the West. One who over the next six months would unite the Western Marches, tap the power of the Faeries of the Enchanted Forest, enlist the Goblin King of the same realm, ally the remaining Drow, and find a way to maneuver and army hundreds of miles to Kaligem, while dealing devastating blows to the Pharaoh’s forces. His name was Agalmar, Lord of Pender, the largest city in the Western Marches, and we was now in the Tomb of Kings. DSC_1765 by skaforhire, on Flickr “False king, Kaliphlin scum, I come here to destroy you once and for all! The people of Historica are free from your bloodline’s tyranny.” The intruder announced himself. “I Agalmar of Pender will vanquish you.” Ark’Mora called back. “Your people brought this war upon them. Three decades of peace shattered by the killing of a baby! The nation of Kaliphlin will be restored.” He readied for a fight. He was exhausted, his magic was still recharging. Much of it had been drained in the long war with South Kaliphlin and Ulandus – They had risen up in protest over his connections to Nocturnus. A trait the Ulandians would hold even to the present day, a distinct hate for the immortal, the undead, the ever living. They still cursed the name Nocturnus to this day, and most during his first life knew that the region was the source of his great magic and immortality. “You attempted to destroy the West as you did Ulandus. Well, we were not so equally terminated. Maelord, our great Fae Wizard saw your spell in progress, and the Faery forces countered your blow before it was too late.” Agalmar said. Ark’Mora would learn after he began his second life that his spell had worked partially, destroying much of the landmass of the Western Marches, and creating the Mystic Isles. Avtoday by skaforhire, on Flickr Ark’Mora stepped forward to fight the man, only one guard stood in between the two rulers. But then, out of the shadows the Goblin King appeared behind the Kaliphlinites. DSC_1767 by skaforhire, on Flickr Ner’I’ti, always by his side since his pilgrimage to Nocturnus, had no chance. The Goblin King sliced her belly, and at the same time, their unborn heir, in one fluid motion. Ark’Mora raged. He turned on the surprised Goblin King and took his head in one motion. DSC_1769 by skaforhire, on Flickr He turned around to see Agalmar dispatch his last bodyguard. But before he could make it to the Western King, he felt cold… so cold. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the Faery Magelord, Maelord. His body weakened, but he still had to fight the upstart King. For her. DSC_1771 by skaforhire, on Flickr They spun, and thrashed at each other, block after block after block, and Ark’Mora could feel all his being draining from his body. Maelord was chanting. DSC_1773 by skaforhire, on Flickr Then he felt a blade enter his back. As he fell, he turned to see the Dark Elf Prince Drooz’Kang, his bloody face smiling after just receiving vengeance. DSC_1775 by skaforhire, on Flickr He could hear them talking over his body. He was not dead. He knew gods did not die. But he was trapped. DSC_1776 by skaforhire, on Flickr “We cannot let them have his body. He is immortal, he could still rise. It would be better to take him with us back to Avon Hill.” Agalmar said. “The staff is the greater source of his power. I will take this, and forge you a sword my king.” Maelord said. “You may need it in the coming battles of retribution. The rest of Kaliphlin will not sit idle. Drooz’Kang spoke up. “I consider our bargain complete human king. Do not come over the Northmounts, our alliance held until the Desert King fell.” “Believe me, dark elf, we have no desire to tread on your tundra filled lands. Stay north, and we will not have a problem.” Agalmar said. At this point, Ark’Mora’s vision faded to black as the last words that he heard came from Maelord. “Perhaps I will make you a new coat of arms too… something more… dragony? Maybe?” +=+=+=+=+= emptyw by skaforhire, on Flickr The next thing he remembered was waking up foggy, and walking. For hundreds of miles. Day upon Day upon day he walked without knowing where he was going. His first clear memory was back in this chamber. But it was so much different. All of his kin, save Kaliph Raa had been plundered. The powerful enchantment protecting his burial place seemed to protect some of what was around him, but mostly just his sarcophagus. empty by skaforhire, on Flickr He could feel his own body regenerating, he looked down to see that he was mostly in burial rags, but he could see fresh flesh returning to his body. He felt… good. But lost, longing for her, longing for his power, his throne. Sadness swept over him as he realized that the dynasty had ended with him, and that respect for his family had dwindled enough that people dare loot their graves! He knew at that moment that he would bring back his family’s honor. He would restore the great kingdom of Kaliphlin. DSC_1729 by skaforhire, on Flickr --------------+ In the weeks to come he gained men, money, and most importantly Kaliph’s staff. Which had been given to him by a supporter… Ra… he was brought back to the present by the Nile Croc’s voice. “My lord, may I please rise and tell you more about our operation?” The Desert King smiled, benevolence, humility, but power and strength. The four points of rulership according to Horros. He would show his subjects all these traits, and he would put the Ulandians back into the ocean, tame the rebel lords, and forge new alliances to strengthen Kaliphlin once more. DSC_1798 by skaforhire, on Flickr

At the edge of the Reservoir, a contingent of Yukar clean up after a brief battle with Ulandian soldiers. It's been a long time since the Yukar clansmen have been in a battle, but now Petera MacLean calls them to serve the High Council and serve they shall. The Yukar leader makes ready to plant a banner. Soon, other High Council troops will appear to take full possession of the waterwheel at this location. The waterwheel is considered a vital fixture on the aqueduct, one of a handful that other Yukar are currently capturing. The wheel pulls water up out of the reservoir and send it down the ducts to the rich farmlands nearby. Yukar are notorious for taking the heads of defeated enemies. Some might not appreciate the pollution of the reservoirs potable water, but it's the last thing on the mind of Tantam, First Executioner for Hataman.

Warzone 3: The Nestlands Insurgency. Location: G15 Who Can Participate: All Factions Terrain: This battle happens in the Northern Nestlands region. (The following is Gedren_y’s description of his home territory) “The mountain in the center of the grid is known as Ghuin Nol, and is described as predominantly light colored stone. The terrain is somewhat like Asian equatorial rainforest. The Nestlands settlements are mostly on the south and east faces, but Skywatch Perch is at the peak, and is manned by the High Guard. The mountain is honeycombed with natural caves, and would be a good strategic position if someone wants to overrun the commercial and production centers of the Nestlands. There is very little drinkable ground water, as it is too mineral rich.” History: It is said that the Kaliphlin Civil War started in the Nestlands. Even before the council was willing to recognize they were at war, the Nestlands were busy fighting for their right to live as they desired, under their own rulers and religion. As the Ulandian Forces surrounded the High Council Enclaves of Mypa Stedor and Berigora, the Nestlands held out valiantly. However, overwhelming attacks by the 5th Legion subdued the Northern Nestlands region, and put a green blip on the campaign map. Some said that the Nestlands clans were fighting an unfair battle, as they pledged neutrality, and when they refused to swear allegiance to the “New Council” as Ulandus has styled the government that they are trying to install, the Blazing Swords (5th Legion) forced compliance. Mini-challenge: Now that the war is in its first month, and most of the 5th Legion has moved on to secure more territory, the Nestlands Clans have taken the fight back against the Ulandians. Small pockets of resistance, armed with Mpya Stedor weapons, have begun to overthrow the officials Ulandus had left behind. The challenge here for High Council builders is to depict one of these insurgency operations succeeding against Ulandus. Ulandian builders should depict on of the insurgency attacks failing, and Ulandus forces prevailing. Desert King builders should depict their forces taking opportune attacks against both sides. *this doesn’t mean you have to depict DK supporters attacking both sides at once, just attacking one or the other. Restrictions: 32x32 with limited overhang, SPECIAL: Must have an irregular base. (hey, we are about improving our skills here, aren’t we?) Due Date: March 29th Title Tag for MOC's thread: Title of Moc [WZ2:G15, Faction Name] When posting a link to your entry to each battle thread, make sure you note which zone you are picking as the next warzone if you win. You may want to coordinate with others from your faction. WARMAPSTARTNOWnonum by skaforhire, on Flickr

NOTE: Despite the challenge being in progress, there is ALWAYS room for new members / builders for each side. Especially for Ulandus. So come on down, and get your war on! Challenge IV, Category C thread. This is the Headquarters thread for Category C. This is where all current mini – challenges (the war zones themselves) will be listed, current tallies will be listed, all current maps will be listed, and general adjustments to the rules will be announced. The rules thread is where you can find the rules to Challenge C. This is an informational thread for purposes of running the challenge and keeping score. Please sign up on the main challenge page, not here, that page also has the rules for the other two categories. Map as of April 4th: WARMAP4415 by skaforhire, on Flickr The locations that are worth more than one victory points: Victory Points Starting by skaforhire, on Flickr Current Victory Point Totals: starting VP by skaforhire, on Flickr When posting a link to your entry to each battle thread, make sure you note which zone you are picking as the next warzone if you win. You may want to coordinate with others from your faction. Each warzone will have its own thread, that is where you will post your MOCs for the battle. Do not posts MOCs in this thread. Warzone History: Warzone 1: The Arkbri Skirmishes VOTE WINNER: DESERT KING Location: E7 Who Can Participate: All Factions Terrain: This battle happens along the Arkbri River. Which is mostly long meandering sections, with light hills and grasslands. The river is known for its reedy banks, where one can easily get lost trying to get from the bank to the open water. History: The Arkbri has been a rich river for Western Kaliphlin for centuries. It divides the Western Sands, and hugs the escarpment for a good 35 miles. It is also one of the largest obstacles to Kaliphlin travelers. The only major crossing in the Great Span at Queenscross. Although this battle may not seem important, it lays the ground work for the battle for the much more important Queenscross. Mini-challenge: With a small band of men, scout out enemy intelligence agents (spys, scouts, etc…) and neutralize them. Restrictions: 16x16 with limited overhang. Due Date: March 15th Warzone 2: Battle for the Reservoir VOTE WINNER: DESERT KING Location: G12 Who Can Participate: All Factions Terrain: This battle zone is along the Qar Ahken River’s banks, which are bordered on both sides by long swaths of fertile land, irrigated by the rich waters or the life-giving river of Kaliphlin. Specifically, this battle will be fought near the river, around the Flagg Aqueduct Filling Stations. History: Besides making oodles of money, Dextrus Flagg also used some of his vast fortune to improve Kaliphlin. When he took over, his oil interests in the Lower Parched Lands suffered because they could not sustain enough workers at well sites due to the cost and effort it took to move potable water to the remote locations. There was a solution already available; the vast aqueduct systems stemming from the Rakath Mountains already supplied many farm locations in the Nyika Tupu Desert. The old network did come all the way to the Qar Ahken River, but most of the old ducts had been destroyed or decayed when crossing the river. Those that still made it across the river had very little water left to take into the next desert. However, there were still aqueducts that lay dry on the other side of the river, that extended far into the Parched lands. Flagg was given an engineering choice, repair the ducts across the river, or find a way to pump the river water into the old aqueducts on the west side of the river. He chose the latter. So, the region along “Gentle Curve” was converted into large pumping stations that filled a reservoir, in turn the aqueducts were connected to the reservoir, and the excess water began flowing into the Parched Lands once more. Mini-challenge: All three factions have recognized the importance of this location. Who controls the Reservoir controls the terrain within the middle of the lower parched lands. For this reason, the winning side will also claim H11 too. The builders must create a MOC that depicts one of the many filling stations or other element of Flagg’s reservoir. In addition to creating this work, the builder must show their side taking possession of the area, either through force, subterfuge, or maybe even “just getting there first.” It should be evident that your faction has taken control of the aqueduct, pumping apparatus, or part of the reservoir. Your interpretation of any piece of the reservoir system is up to you, but remember this isn’t science fiction, the devices you show should be feasible with simple medieval level mechanics. Restrictions: 32x32 with limited overhang Due Date: March 22nd Warzone 3: The Nestlands Insurgency. VOTE WINNER: DESERT KING Location: G15 Who Can Participate: All Factions Terrain: This battle happens in the Northern Nestlands region. (The following is Gedren_y’s description of his home territory) “The mountain in the center of the grid is known as Ghuin Nol, and is described as predominantly light colored stone. The terrain is somewhat like Asian equatorial rainforest. The Nestlands settlements are mostly on the south and east faces, but Skywatch Perch is at the peak, and is manned by the High Guard. The mountain is honeycombed with natural caves, and would be a good strategic position if someone wants to overrun the commercial and production centers of the Nestlands. There is very little drinkable ground water, as it is too mineral rich.” History: It is said that the Kaliphlin Civil War started in the Nestlands. Even before the council was willing to recognize they were at war, the Nestlands were busy fighting for their right to live as they desired, under their own rulers and religion. As the Ulandian Forces surrounded the High Council Enclaves of Mypa Stedor and Berigora, the Nestlands held out valiantly. However, overwhelming attacks by the 5th Legion subdued the Northern Nestlands region, and put a green blip on the campaign map. Some said that the Nestlands clans were fighting an unfair battle, as they pledged neutrality, and when they refused to swear allegiance to the “New Council” as Ulandus has styled the government that they are trying to install, the Blazing Swords (5th Legion) forced compliance. Mini-challenge: Now that the war is in its first month, and most of the 5th Legion has moved on to secure more territory, the Nestlands Clans have taken the fight back against the Ulandians. Small pockets of resistance, armed with Mpya Stedor weapons, have begun to overthrow the officials Ulandus had left behind. The challenge here for High Council builders is to depict one of these insurgency operations succeeding against Ulandus. Ulandian builders should depict on of the insurgency attacks failing, and Ulandus forces prevailing. Desert King builders should depict their forces taking opportune attacks against both sides. *this doesn’t mean you have to depict DK supporters attacking both sides at once, just attacking one or the other. Restrictions: 32x32 with limited overhang, SPECIAL: Must have an irregular base. (hey, we are about improving our skills here, aren’t we?) Due Date: March 29th Warzone 4: The Lonely Mountain Rumble VOTE WINNER: ULANDUS Location: H9 Who Can Participate: All Factions Terrain: Volcanic, recently erupted, Erexhi, or the Lone mountain, has many communities that used to sit at its base. The high peak used to catch condensation from the rare cloud, and water would trickle down to the base. It is unclear if this still happens. The land at the base is volcanic rock, mixed with sand. Much of the territory has to be fed by merchant caravans from the South Coast, as foodstuffs rarely grow. With limited grass, livestock is in shortage also. History: The Lone Mountain, or Lonely Mountain, has always been a fixture in Kaliphlin heritage. The first Kaliphlin coins known to historians had a Pharaoh on one side, and the mountain on the other. In coat of arms, sometimes the Kaliphlin Lion is perched upon a background of the Lone Mountain. There was even a religion, seldom practiced today, dedicated to the mountain as a creator figure. Today, or at least until half of the mountain’s top blew off a few months ago, it hosts a vibrant set of villages and towns, who rely on it to catch water. The lord of the region, who represents all the towns and villages here, is Lord Abrim Kar’dani. With the recent outbreak of Civil War, he tried to stay completely neutral. However, as all of the food providing regions were snagged up by different powers, it has become evident that he needs to side with one of the powers in order for what towns that are left in the region to survive. He has come up with a unique way to do this – a call to the bravest champions to fight for his land. Mini-challenge: Lord Kar’dani is like any Kaliphlin lord, he wants to survive and he wants to make money. He sees an opportunity for both. He has made a general appeal to all three sides to bring their strongest champions to Bella’Erezhi, his town, to fight in a general mass melee. The side who survives will receive his pledge. Bella’Erezhi has been half destroyed by the Great Disturbance, so a part of the town has been marked off as the “Fighting Zone.” Anyone leaving the zone after they enter will be disqualified, but aided if in need. The last side standing wins the zone. Builders should create a MOC that depicts the mass melee in Bella’Erezhi, their faction should be winning. Since this is a vignette challenge, this will probably be a one on one battle, but if you can fit more participants than that, that is fine. Restrictions: The MOCer will create a vignettes of no more than 8x8studs. Limited overhang is acceptable. No height restrictions. Don’t worry about throwing flags / banners in if you don’t have room. JUDGING: Figure "look" and posing will be considered as a judging criteria for the vote. Due Date: March 29th Warzone 5: Battle of the Deep Sands VOTE WINNER: DESERT KING Location: I 10 Who Can Participate: All Factions Terrain: This battle happens in the heart of the Dune Sea. The Dune Sea is full of large, often changing, crests of sand. There is very little stable ground, and where there is, there is usually some small oasis as the source of water. However, these Oases often disappear for months at a time under the ever-changing sands. A haboob can pick up at any moment and blow mountains of sand, literally, miles from its original point. Even though not the largest desert in Kaliphlin, the absence of landmarks makes it very easy to become trapped in the Dune Sea, often a traveler can be driven mad from his or her surroundings. This madness is known to those in the Kaliphlin as “Dunstyria.” History: The region has few settlements, and has had even fewer rulers. There is very little of importance here but a few oil wells and a swatch of territory to add to a ruler’s map. It is odd that war broke out here, but it does lie in the middle of many important locations in Kaliphlin, it is bordered by the Petraea Road, the Mystic Mountains, the Lone Mountain, the Swamps of Qar-Akhen River, and the more profitable Parched Lands. In some regards, it is a second avenue into many of these locations, and the side who controls it would be sealing off a backdoor to other locations. The troops must watch out for the mythic Sand Ghouls, Sand Worms, Dirtmaids, and Lerik'ai, all of which can bring a swift end to a party, and if not the inhabitants of the Dune Sea, then nature itself may deal a fatal blow. Mini-challenge: Depict the desolation of the region, while securing it for your side. This does not have to be a battle scene, it can be an occupation (you decide of what), taming the region somehow, building a fortification to outlast the Haboobs, etc… Use your imagination. Special judging consideration: The public will be asked to judge who won based on creative use of the desert. IE: we are asking MOCers to really demonstrate life and death in the desert, not just a pile of sand and some figs. Secondary Category: Best Sand. A third question will be asked on the voting thread, which build contained the best sand? Although it has nothing to do with who will win the battle, it does allow that winner to be known throughout Historica as the “Traverser of the Great Sands.” Restrictions: Unlimited. Due Date: April 5th Warzone 6: Last Stand of the Salamanders VOTE WINNER: DESERT KING Location: B7 Who Can Participate: Ulandus and Desert King (Unless A path is opened up by the HIGH COUNCIL before the end of the minichallenge) Terrain: After a series of pushes in the Arkbri valley, primarily from the Desert King, the Northern Ulandians find themselves in the crosshairs once again. This time, the 2nd Legion, the Salamanders (green colors) are holding the last remnants of the once vital Northern corridor. This battle takes place around the town of Northwall. Northwall is the last major Kaliphlin settlement going north before the Cedrican Grasslands and Avalonia. Its climate is no longer desert, but tall grasslands with the occasional trees. Northwall itself has high walls, in which the Salamanders and their allies have barricaded themselves behind. The forces of the Desert King are all over the region, including a small siege of the town. The buildings of Northwall and its surroundings are a mix between Kaliphlin and Avalonian. History: Once just a tiny town on the frontier, Northwall has now passed Sand’s End as the northern most Kaliphlin settlement. It is mostly a guard post to keep rogue raiding parties out of the region. Little trade goes through the town, as they do not have the populace to support the vast market days that Sand’s End has. For this reason, most people living in Northwall are related to the military somehow. Mini-challenge: Northwall’s defenses are quite hardy. Desert King forces should depict a clever way to get through( or over, or under) the wall. Ulandus forces should depict a MOC where the Salamanders and allies cleverly repel the oncoming invaders. Both teams need to depict the walls of Northwall in some manner. Both teams should depict Ulandus forces in some manner – they don’t have to be replicas of the forces used in the preludes, but should have green in their color scheme if possible. Secondary judging category: Best Wall. Winner of this title will become “Defensive Architect of Kaliphlin” Restrictions: 16x32 Due Date: April 12th Warzone 7: The Second Battle of Queenscross VOTE WINNER: DESERT KING Location: E8 Who Can Participate: High Council and Desert King (Unless Ulandus can get in range before the due date. Suggestions for GA to achieve this: E9, D8,D9) Terrain: Queenscross sits on the Arkbri River, and is aligned with the only main southern descent from the Great Escarpment, also known as the Jackal’s Teeth. The terrain is dusty, without much vegetation beyond the river banks, or the copses of Blood Ash trees that seem to prevail despite the little water in the soil. There are no rolling dunes here, as it is a rocky and mild desert. Nearer to the cliffs, boulders that once made up the top of the escarpment litter the landscape. The pass itself is heavily fortified along the way with small “murder forts” build along the walls leading up the escarpment. The region is truly the defensive capitol of Kaliphlin. Queenscross itself has just started to recover from the First Battle of Queenscross, and is still a large city, where the central landmark is the one bridge across the Arkbri River for over 200 miles in either direction. The Great Span was slightly damaged during the Revolword War, but still stands today. The architecture here has a flair of Middle Eastern / Greek / and Central European. The many monuments within the town are often Greek or Egyptian looking. The city is walled History: Queenscross is one of the most important cities in Kaliphlin. Not only does it defend the great plateau that Petraea and Kaligem sit on, but it is also a major trade hub between those traveling the Arkbri River, and those traveling the road to Petraea. It has long been a valuable part of the Kaliphlin domain, and once was even the capitol of Kaliphlin for a few decades. Its name was derived from that period, when the Queen of Kaliphlin resided in the city, believing that as long as she bathed in the Arkbri river each day, she would live forever. She was assassinated by one of her ministers, who coerced crocodiles farmers to release their catch while she was bathing one afternoon, the legend says that the crocodiles were so ashamed after they ate the most beautiful queen, that they left the region forever. Whatever the reason, none of the famous Arkbri Crocodiles reside in the region. Since that period, Queenscross has flourished, but the main square of the city is still named for her. The city was the focal point of one of the main battles during the Revolword War – The First Battle of Queenscross in the Historica Era. (This post you can see more of the city as it was depicted by me two years ago) The city is governed by a Triumvirate, and its representative to the High Council Al’Martin Doct has declared Queenscross neutral in this battle. Mini-challenge: This challenge is quite open. There are many areas in and around Queenscross that will need seized or fought for in the coming weeks in order to secure the region. Each builder should depict a scene where their forces fight the enemy’s. Remember, Unless Ulandus arrives at the last second, this is a battle between the High Council and the Desert King. Each MOC should clearly depict one of the major landmarks of the region, be it a monument, the Jackal’s Teeth, the docks on the Arkbri, or something that lets the viewer clearly identify that this is Queenscross. (IE: no random fight scenes in a street, without something interesting around them.) It does not have to be a landmark mentioned already in the GOH project, you can make your own up! For example, perhaps you want to have your soldiers seize the “Board of Trade” within the city, you could create a unique building where the fighting takes place, add a little bit of story about the location and the scene, and that would fit the requirements. You don’t have to be that obvious with it either, this is a good challenge for forced perspective! Restrictions: 32x32 Due Date: April 26th Warzone 8: The Battle for the Trade Lanes VOTE WINNER: ULANDUS Location: L11 Who Can Participate: Ulandus and High Council (Unless A path is opened up by the Desert King before the end of the minichallenge) Terrain: This is the very tip of the Qar-Akhen River Delta, the wetlands often change, and there is no solid ground for long. The deep swamps have reeds and small trees, but usually nothing large. This zone is also part of the Great Southern Ocean. There are few outer islands that stand beyond the delta, some of these have rudimentary lighthouses to help guide ships to Ras-El-Akhen or into the river so that they may journey to Qarkyr. The location is important because it helps control river traffic, and troop supply. History: This region has been part of the maritime trade-ways longer than there has been a written language to record the ships that have passed by and up the Great River of Life. Although no major settlement is within this region, it has always been important strategically. Mini-challenge: Whereas large armies really cannot make their way through the swamps, and large troop transports try to avoid the shifting outlets of the river unless they have to, this battle will be fought by small parties. The High Council is looking to expand out from Ras-El-Akhen, and fight back against the large Ulandian wave that has engulfed the Southern Coast. Small boats travel amongst the reeds to take out temporary camps of First Centurion’s men within the delta. At Sea, the Ulandians dominate, as their navy has dispatched many small water craft to the region to stop all merchants and determine their loyalties. The builders should depict a battle within the reeds of the delta, or just offshore in the slightly deeper waters. It should be clear that your side has won the battle. Secondary judging category: Best water. Winner of this title will become “Aquanaut of Kaliphlin” Restrictions: High Council: 16x16 Ulandus: 32x32 Due Date: April 19th Warzone 9: The Battle for the Bloody Lane VOTE WINNER: DESERT KING Location: G7 Who Can Participate: Everyone Terrain: This is the Oil Road, between Mophet and Al’Derak. The only settlement in this zone is Au’Ban Dran – a small watering hole and hub for oil workers in the region. Whereas no forces seem to be interested directly in the tiny settlement, all three armies seem to desire controlling the Oil Road. This juncture would cut off the West from most of the oil supply of Kaliphlin, and help starve out the High Council’s economy. The road itself is paved, one of the many marvels of Kaliphlin. However, the land around it is full of dusty trails that lead off to various wells, sandpits and quicksand, tiny oases, cacti and Desert bandits, and other nuisances to the wary traveler that may step off the solid path. The desert here is not that of the Dune Sea, but more of a hard and dusty surface, most of the time cracked due to a lack of moisture. Wood is rare along this stretch, but most permanent structures that may be scattered along the way are made from imported wood or bricks. History: This region has been a vital lane of trade for as long as anyone can remember, there just isn’t much out there worth holding on to and creating a settlement. Mini-challenge: Each MOC should show the builder’s team taking and holding part of the Oil Road. The road must be a prominent feature in the MOC, and some sort of combat must be displayed in this MOC. Remember, since this is a desolate region, your terrain and portrayal of the road will be an important differentiator between MOCs. Secondary judging category: Best road. Winner of this title will become “Teamster of Kaliphlin” Restrictions: 16x32 Due Date: April 26th Warzone 10: The Battle for Petraea Location: F9 Who Can Participate: Everybody (Special) Terrain: Petraea is the largest city in Kaliphlin. The main governmental buildings are there, the high walls are there (anyone who wants to dig up some links for reference would be my hero), many of the historic monuments of Kaliphlin are there, and the terrain itself is a dusty arid climate, yet irrigated from the Lick of Salt. There are lush gardens within the city’s walls, including the famous Grand and Exquisite Gardens of Petraea. The University of Petraea’s campus is considered one of the wonders of the world itself. The Observatory Of Adus Krhon, on the campus of the university has stood for 500 years and has been a symbol of Kaliplhinite desire to learn since its creation. Some buildings in the city reach five stories, and many live inside of large multifamily housing units made of brick and mud. There are a series of barracks the protect the city, and the main road of Kaliphlin, the Oil Road stretches through the city in one wide straight boulevard. History: Petraea has been the regional capital of Kaliphlin since the disappearance of Kaligem long ago. It has always been the center of wealth for the guild, and most oil is first brought to market within the walls of the city. As the seat of government, many lords have secondary residences within the city. It is the cultural heart of the desert, and of the Siccus Badlands in general. Mini-challenge: This is one of the final battles of the Kaliphlin Civil War. All forces will be driving their armies towards the capital, as it is so important culturally and strategically. It is assumed that all three armies have gotten into Petraea, by force or by subterfuge. The many streets and alleys of Petraea have become the battleground. Civilians are trying to keep cover, or flee the city, for war has been brought to the capital. Builders should depict their forces winning the battle in an urban environment. Remember, Petraea is a very rich city, with ornate and spectacular architecture. Even lower-end tenement buildings have a little gild on them. Restrictions: 48x48, with limited overhang. Due Date: June 8th THIS IS THE LAST WARZONE Warzone 11:The Battle for Cresentthorn’s Favor VOTE WINNER DESERT KING Location: C4 Who Can Participate: High Council and Desert King Terrain: The Red River gets its name from the mud along most of its route. The brick red, sometimes much lighter, dirt of the Wither Woods is carried by the river all the way to Eastgate, the sediment gives the river its reddish hue, and its name. It is an important life line to the region, and the best source of Live Oak in all of Historica. It is also one of the few regions in Kaliphlin where Lumber can be removed. The river is used to transport much of this lumber, and other goods of the Wither Woods to market. Along the river, somewhat north of Eastgate (and in this zone) the Elves of the Wither Woods have made their domain. One of the nations, the Cresentthorn Elves call zone C4 home. Their city, Valdiniam, is mostly hidden to the outside world, although it has a small feeder town called Stormsport that sits on the Red River. Valdiniam and Stormsport can be described as gothic + high fantasy style in their architecture. These are clearly elven cities. The terrain of the Wither Woods does not vary much, small rolling hills with copses of trees, not a true rain forest or heavy density lowland forest, but enough trees to make travel within the woods difficult unless on a road or path. The trees very from lush pines to gnarly live oaks, with some subspecies having various “exotic colorings” History: The Cresentthorn Elves have lived in this region for more than three millenniums. They swear no allegiance to any mortal government, although they have closely allied themselves with GEAR CO. and Eastgate over the last century. Still, they are only loosely affiliated to Kaliphlin. They like their privacy, but they are more curious than many other elf nations in Historica, and are willing to participate in mortal politics if it means learning something new, or once in a while, an adventure. In commerce they trade rare animals, wine, and medicines with the mortal world, mostly through the Red River trade. They are also interested in conserving the Wither Woods, and keeping its natural beauty, ecosytstem, and life-force intact. For this reason, there are more than a dozen treaties with Avalonians and Kaliphlinites over how much wood can be taken, where wood can be taken, and how replanting efforts must be maintained in the Wither Woods. Mini-challenge: Al’Meter, leader of the Cresentthorn Elves has decided to step away from his treaty with Eastgate for the sake of the greater Wither Woods. He knows that destruction will come to the wood if more of the war pours into the region. For the reason he has forbade armies to come within the region – even if they are long standing allies, like GEAR Co. There is a substantial amount of Cresentthorn Elves to maintain this peace. What Al’Meter offers is the resources of Valdiniam to the victor of his challenge (and thus the territory will “belong” to the winning party.) The challenge is as follows: A series of honor duels will be fought, the winner of the most honor duels will gain access to Valdiniam. Builders should depict a scene where a hero from their side takes on and defeats a hero from the other faction. There must be an “official” watching the duel. That official should be a Cresentthorn Elf. Additionally, it is required that the dual be fought in a place “spiritually important to the combatants, and fundamentally significant within the Wither Woods.” For example, the duels should happen at landmarks, sanctuaries, crossroads, or any other place that is considered spiritually significant, and the story of the heroes participating should reflect why the place is significant to them. Restrictions: 12x12, with limited overhang. Due Date: April 19th Warzone 12: Battle for the Great Loop VOTE WINNER: DESERT KING Location: H12 Who Can Participate: Desert King, Ulandus, (HC if they can clear a path before the due date or join with Ulandus) Terrain / History: The great loop in the Qar-Akhen River is considered the second most fertile area in Kaliphlin besides the Great Delta. It produces nearly a quarter of all food for western Kaliphlin. It was for this reason that First Centurion had his advance troops secure the region. Sometimes referred to as the “lesser breadbasket,” The great Loop is predominated by marshlands, the majority of which were man-made through centuries of irrigation projects. Most of these marshlands have raised boardwalks with small defensive fortifications along them. In some parts of the loop it is possible to travel by small boat or canoe to different faming collectives that are scattered along the territory. The main crops of the region is wheat, barley, and rice. There are very few buildings beyond small huts that the farmers live in. There is almost no livestock in the region, as almost all water and land goes towards crop production. The inner loop, or the territory surrounded by the river has always been a prized possession for the rulers of Kaliphlin. 745 years ago, King Kalick Al’Rudi built a great city to protect the Loop’s interior breadbasket. The City, Dagra-Ba is still important today, but has fallen on hard times. Its defensive structure is still intact, but very few businesses still exist in the city. For the most part, the inhabitants of the city are either employed by the town as guards, employed by one of the merchant companies as teamsters, porters, dockworkers, or boats crew, or they are farmers who work outside of the city. There are large grain warehouses within the city, but the war and drought elsewhere has taxed the supply to the limit. At this point, all food to feed Dagra-ba actually comes directly from the loop, while the excess is shipped downriver to support the Ulandian war effort. The city wall extends across the neck of the loop, rather than around the city. This is to keep out raiders. The river itself has a few small forts and the city employs a tiny navy of a few medium sized galleys to patrol the river. The outer loop, the area that is not surrounded by the river is also a fertile land, but it is a bit more diversified with livestock and crops. The region is often the target for raids by invading armies, because it has very little protection as there is no major settlement on the west bank of the river. Mini-challenge: Take the Inner Loop. Because of the lack of solid ground, it is hard to move a large army through the inner loop. The Ulandians have the front gates of Dagra-Ba sealed tight, but the weak-point here is the loop itself, clever DK (and perhaps HC troops as well before the deadline is done) have built small reed boats that quickly brought them from the Outer Loop to the Inner loop, without the galleys being able to catch them. These small pockets of troops are looking to take strategic locations within the Inner Loop in order to claim the territory and force Dagra-ba to surrender. DK builders should build MOCs that depict their troops taking strategic locations within the inner loop. For example some strategic locations may include: a small farming village, a boardwalk fortification, a docking and loading center (most food is brought via canal / waterwall to Dagra-ba where it is put on bigger boats and shipped downriver), or maybe a small warehouse in the marchlands. Use your imagination, but please see the description above for what the Loop is like. For example, don’t depict a desert! Defenders (Ulandus and maybe High Council as well) should depict MOCs of successful defensive efforts against the invaders. Remember, just fighting your enemy on a boardwalk might not be enough to gain favor of the voters, think about what types of structures your men and women can be defending in the marshlands. Restrictions: 16x32, with limited overhang. Due Date: May 3rd. SPECIAL: If DK wins, they win zone I11 and I12 as well. Square K12 becomes a warzone (and DK will pick another warzone as well) SPECIAL: If the High Council does not make a run at this zone by taking a territory close enough to attack H12 before the deadline, they can negotiate with Ulandus to join the defense. (These negotiations can include incentives...) Dagra-Ba also supplies High Council cities in the region, most notably Ras-El-Akhen. (Historically, in the real world and in Historica, it was very common for armies to be fed by enemy farmers looking to make money during wartime) A temporary truce in the region can lead to a two front attack on the Desert King invaders. If the Ulandians and HC come to terms by APRIL 19th, they can work together to attack the DK in this square. In this scenario, if Ulandus and HC win, HC gains G12 and Ulandus keeps H12. Warzone 13: Katoren Break Out VOTE: WINNER: DESERT KING Location: F13 Who Can Participate: Everyone Terrain: The Road to Qarkyr is not without its perils, but as the desert gives way to mountains, travelers find relief in this region. Water sources are not as scarce, small hamlets dot the roadside, and the foliage, soil of different hues, and wildlife can be quite pretty in the high desert that stretches towards the Rakath Mountains. History / story: Not much happens in this region, it is mostly known as the road between Qarkyr and Katoren. There were no major battles, no notable citizens, nor nothing of value found in the soil, besides the spare small oil pocket. Mostly, the region has been used to travel through. Until now. Aymeri, Lord of Katoren, is one of the last lords holding out for the High Council, in and increasingly Desert King friendly region of the map. The Desert King has cut his supplies lines, and now Katoren risks losing the ability to feed its people. Although a small town, they are a proud people and will not give up without a fight. Which led Aymeri to his plan – the breakout. The easiest way to supply the city would be to quickly advance his forces along a swath of land to the nearest High Council held territory. However, the map is not his friend in this plan. His advisors devised a way that Katoren troops could take and hold a pathway to the sea, but it would require taking Qarkyr too. Lord Aymeri has confidence in High Council support if he can just get to Qarkyr… and there lies the problem. The land in zone F13 must be crossed. The DK and Ulandus spies have already sniffed a whiff of this plan, and since they cannot use their larger armies within the walls of Qarkyr, they have both turned them on this stretch of land to the west of the city. It is here that Aymeri and his allies must first defeat two armies, and then set their sights on Qarkyr and beyond that, the sea. Mini-challenge: Although it began a forced march for the High Council troops, it soon became a pitched battle between three armies. But Aymeri knew this was coming. Before leaving Katoren, he had many of the houses disassembled for building materials and had his engineers, led by the famed Kaliphlin master engineer Sergio Jarrett(who just so happened to be in the area when the war broke out), craft movable fortifications. This would give the High Council an upper hand over the two other armies who were closing in on them. He also split his forces into stronger light platoons assigned to each of the moving fortresses. He confiscated every ox and horse within his land and assigned each to a team. High Council Builders should depict a scene where these mobile defensive fortifications are used in combat to repel enemies from one or both of the other two sides. Ulandus and Desert King should depict their soldiers overtaking one of these mobile defenses. Special Category: Best high desert foliage (covered in blood…) As this battle happens in the sparse high desert, there should not be any structures besides the mobile defenses. The foliage, rocks, differing hard dirt and sand patterns should be the real star of the show… but there happens to be a battle upon them currently, so they should be splattered in blood and gore, but still retain their natural beauty somehow… The voters will choose the best depiction of High Desert Foliage with combat stains… (you can depict foliage without stains on it too, just need at least some that has been tainted by battle. The winner of this category will be crowned “Enricher of the Soil” of Kaliphlin. Best Transformer: It is not required that your MOC can actually transform from mobile to a stationary defense platform by natural movement – but if it doesn’t, you can enter this category (no taking apart more than a few pieces and putting it back together in a different formation.) You may also submit additional pictures / video of the MOC in your thread. Judges of the entire zone will be asked NOT to judge the results of the zone on the ability of MOCs to transform, but to judge this as an entirely different category. Winner of this category becomes the current“The Historican Master of Transforms,” and will keep that title until another transformer challenge comes up in the future (there won’t be another in this challenge at least. ) Restrictions: 32x16, with limited overhang. Must have an irregular base. Due Date: April 26th Warzone 14: The Battle For Qarkyr (or The Battle of the Partisans) VOTE: WINNER: DESERT KING Location: F14 Who Can Participate: Ulandus and Desert King (Unless HC wins Warzone 13B) Terrain: Qarkyr, the gateway to the Rakath, the Eastern Emerald, The Protector of the Ocean Gate, and former Capital of the short lived Dwarven Empire of Varnforge, is the fourth largest city in Kaliphlin after Petraea, Barqa and Queenscross. It sits in the Rakath Moutains, within the Qar-Akhen River Valley. A wall stretches across the valley to stop movement East and West without paying the tolls at Qarkyr first. Long a defensive position, the city has magnificent walls. The architecture is a mixture of Eastern Kaliphlin, and Far Eastern Kaliphlin, the two cultures merged along the most common pathway through the Rakath Mountains that separated them. The Far Eastern Kaliphlin architecture relies heavily on pagodas, hip and gable roofing, enclosures within large buildings, and wood is the main building material. The classic Kaliphlin architecture of East Kaliphlin (the land between the escarpment and the Rakath Mountains) is also prevalent here with domes, arches, towers, stone and mud buildings. The town is somewhat divided between the two cultures, with “The Ocean District” representing a large concentration of people of Far Eastern culture, and the much larger “Trader’s Quarter” which is distinctly Eastern Kaliphlin traders, mostly from Petraea. The rest of the city is pretty much equally divided. There is not a water shortage in the city, and it is famous for its lush gardens and parks throughout the city. History: Despite having a great wall to funnel in all travelers east and west, Qarkyr is as porous as a net. The corruption within its walls is ancient, dating back to when the Dwarven King Archbeard claimed the city as his own a thousand years ago. It was under his rule that the modern blueprint for Qaekyr’s orderly streets and plazas was laid down. The city’s walls were built first by the dwarf engineers, and they have never been penetrated since. Unfortunately, the trader section of the city, humans who had sworn allegiance to Archbeard, made the walls unnecessary. Archbeard’s nemesis, the Sea Goddess Calif – or at least someone claiming to be her – had a mighty eastern seaborne empire growing on the Eastern coast of Kaliphlin. She wanted the Qar-Akhen River valley as a gateway into greater Kaliphlin in order to continue her conquest. When her armies came to the walls of the city, her spies found easy access by bribing the merchants. They betrayed their new king, and he was murdered in his bed by assassins. Calif’s army slipped in soon after and took the dwarves by surprise. They fought to the last man, and not one dwarf survived that night. Calif rewarded the traders by giving them a quarter of the city – the same quarter known as “The Trader’s Quarter” today. However, Calif would not go on to take over the middle of Kaliphlin, as she too was betrayed. One of her new supporters, a trader named Mors’Qo brought her an emerald from one of the nearby mines within the Rakath Mountains. It was the largest emerald anyone in the region had ever seen. It was placed in a necklace for her, but when she put it on she was instantly transformed into a emerald statue. Mors’Qo had bought the enchanted emerald from a dwarf and had intended to kill the Sea Goddess to avenge Archbeard. His plan worked but her supporters through him into the deepest well they could find and sealed it. Her army was stopped, and many settled in Qarkyr, creating a bicultural dynamic that exists today. More recently treachery has played a part in Qarkyr’s history. It has only recently become known how the mighty city fell into the hands of the Desert King early in the Civil War. Its representative to the High Council, Ageven Deraim, Lord of Auner, is a staunch supporter of Ulandus. Likely many of the Far Eastern Kaliphlinites living in the city would have supported their representatives loyalties, but the Traders took quick action at the beginning of the war. Ageven had been preparing defenses back in Auner, when the trade faction opened the gates for a small Desert King force led by Regi Bar’nol. Regi became Lord of the city, and by the time Ageven made it back, there was nothing he could do with his small force against the mighty walls of Qarkyr. Mini-challenge: Ageven and Ulandus were not going to give up the city without a fight. The porous walls would help them as well. He began by bribing Desert King supporters to let his spies within the walls of the city. His spies made contact with the Ocean District, and began to put together a strike force. Soon hundreds of fighters had been smuggled into the city, and finally Lord Regi had caught on. The war in the streets had begun. The challenge here is to build a scene where the two cultures collide – in fighting and in scenery. MOCs should show both types of cultures within the city, as these battles are all happening between the walls of Qarkyr. MOCs should also show the distinctly different peoples of both sides brawling in some manner. There are very few regular troops in this battle – perhaps just commanders and a few footmen. Once side should be winning clearly in your depiction. Supporters of DK should be depicting the rich traders of East Kaliphlin as their allies, while Ulandians have the Far Eastern Kaliphlinites as their allies in this battle. Story and Challenge Addendum if HC wins Warzone 13: Now with Aymeri’s breakout complete, the HC forces have turned their sights on Qarkyr. Knowing that they cannot get their army into the city in masse, Aymeri turned to the tried tactic of bribery to get some of his men into the city. Being the latecomer to the battle, it was easy to see the people most neglected in this war of neighborhoods were the poor and underclasses. The High Council spies noticed something interesting about the lower masses, they had started to pick up on the High Council rhetoric “Viva la Republic!” Although this chant was created by the more privileged lords of Kaliphlin, it has become the chant of the masses. High Councilor Aymeri saw this as an opportunity, albeit dangerous in a time of lords and kings, he would give these people democracy, and thus bring them into the High Council fold – after all, his advisor noted, it works in Queenscross. The High council builders in this challenge take the rabble as their soldiers. They should depict a similar scene as the mini-challenge details, their MOC should show both cultures, but also show the poor High Council supporters doing battle with one or both of the other factions. Special Category: Best Urban Trap! Although builders do not have to create a MOC that has a specific “trap” in it, the MOCer with the best trap will win the title “Trickster of Qarkyr” The trap should be evident just by looking at the MOC, but the story can definitely help explain it. Restrictions: 32x32, with limited overhang. Due Date: May 10th Special Consequences: If High Council Wins WZ 13 and WZ 14, they achieve “March to the Sea” Victory condition, where they are awarded Zone F15 and G15. If Ulandus Wins, they secure G14 as well. If Desert King wins, they secure G13, as Ulandus has overstepped in its attack on Qarkyr, and the counter attack was brutal enough that they lost a zone. Warzone 15: The Battle For Amrakect WINNER: HIGH COUNCIL VOTE: Location: E12 Who Can Participate: High Council and Desert King (Unless Ulandus clears a path before the deadline) Terrain: Amrakect sits in the Parched Lands, and is the last major settlement before Sultan’s Gate along the Northern Road (do we have another name for this road?). It is a trade depot for the products of the Parched Lands, such as oil, ostrich eggs, trembler pelts, sandcorn, and, in this region, almonds. The city is fed by the aqueduct system from the Rakath, but has limited water, as much of it goes to the large almond farms outside the city. Because the region abuts the Rakath Mountains, the lower clouds of storms traveling East often swell as they cannot get over the range. This causes an buildup of condensation and eventually a briefly wet period twice a year that is excellent for growing crops with short growth times, and watering trees. Amrakect profits from this, as it is the nearest city to these swells, and can produce many obscure trade goods for this part of Kaliphlin, which fetch excellent prices at their markets. History: No one knows for sure when the first settlement of Armrakect was built, it seems to have always been on the map. At least two cities had been built on the location, and the dating of the aqueduct points to parts of the current city being at least four hundred years old. Its proximity to the Valley of Tombs, makes it a popular tourist destination. The city has always been known for almonds and its markets. Before the rise of Katoren, it was the main venue for goods in the northern Parched Lands. Now its market share is split, but still there are Mitgardian traders that refuse to go any further into Kaliphlin than Amrakect, as they believe that the town serves as the perfect depot spot for all Kaliphlin has to offer. The importance of trade in the town is paramount to all other concerns, which is why its leaders chose to stay with the more neutral and trade friendly High Council when the war broke out. Unfortunately, the leader of the traders, Amelia Phantomhive, had gone missing about a year ago. She is quite renowned for her adventures around the world, and it was on one of these adventures she must currently be. However, without clear leadership, a war effort was not mounted quickly enough, and now the Desert King’s Forces are closing in on the city. Mini-challenge: As the Desert King pushes south, his forces seek to envelop the last High Council hold outs. The war has now touched the city of Amrakect. The challenge here is for the High Council to defend the city and the Desert King to take it. This is a challenge of imitation. The battles that are going on within the city should emulate Erynlasgalen’s depictions of Amrakect. (See pictures below). The battle can depict anything, but there should be some tribute or emulation of her work. This will be a judging category put to the judging public. Restrictions: 32x16, with limited overhang. Due Date: May 3rd Warzone 16: Shot through the heart… and Desert King is to blame. VOTE: WINNEr: DESERT KING Location: C7 Who Can Participate: Everyone, love knows no bounds. Terrain and history: Sands End has been through a lot during the civil war. For the history and terrain of this area, see the prelude. Mini-challenge: The Battle for the Heart. After the fall of Northwall, the Desert King set its sight on the northern jewel of the North Road, the home of the present Guardian of the North Gate, Lady Phlici, the venerable city of Sands End. The troops of the north are wary. The Desert King’s men have been on a tear, but even they are a bit winded at the moment. Ulandus is hardly holding on to the region, and the High Council was still trying to make inroads as it looks like Queenscross will fall shortly. However, Sands end can be won in a different manner. Through the love of its leader. She is currently single, and smitten with one General Lat’ve, Third Centurion of Ulandus. But these are dire times, and a noble has to make the best marriage possible. There is a chance a suitor may come that offers a more promising union that will spare Sands End any more carnage during this war. Ulandus, fend off the suitors! Show Lat’ve keeping the heart of Phlici. (Lat’ve can look like any human male – or heck, throw in a new Ulandian suitor if the centurion is not to your taste.) High Council and Desert King, seduce or woo Phlici into a union which will keep her city safely allied to your side for the rest of the war. Remember, this is a competition for Phlici’s hand, and thus may (and should) end up in some direct confrontation between the three factions. All of which, if unarmed, are allowed within the gates of Sands End. (So if you are showing violence, there should be a good reason why it can happen within the gates – an alternative to this is that duels may be fought outside the gates) This is a two part build. You can also build it in two 8x8 max MOCs or one 16x16 MOC. For the challengers, it should be clear how you got Lat’ve out of the picture, as well as how your new suitor won Phlici’s hand. For the defenders of Lat’ve’s union with Phlici, you should show Lat’ve defending his love, and at one point finally getting Phlici to affirm her love for him and accept his marriage proposal. Restrictions: 8x8 times 2 MOCs or one 16x16, with limited overhang. Due Date: May 10th Warzone 17: The Assault on Xersia VOTE WINNER: DESERT KING Location: O17 Who Can Participate: Ulandus and Desert King (Unless High Council clears a path before the deadline) Terrain: Xersia is the capital of Ulandus. In size it rivals Petraea, Albion, and Cedrica. “The Heavenly City” sits at the end of the Great Ulandian Way to the far south of the subcontinent. Its walls have been compared to mountains, and its harbor’s defenses are said to be more numerous than ants. The architecture of the city itself is mostly classical (think Roman / Greek) with some mixes of Far Eastern Kaliphlin (See the warzone battle of Qarkyr for more specification of this style) within the city. The center city, or the Celestial Palace, as it is known to the locals, has separate white walls which are topped with see-through bulbs. The walls are ornate, and it is clear that they have never been breached. The palace is a large building, where thousands live and work. The famed Centurions of the 13 Legions all have a mini-palace within the Celestial Palace. It is the most heavily guarded city in all of historical. But no one is looking for a threat coming from the inside… History: The history of the Heavenly City, and much of Ulandus, is still classified from outsiders, even those who have newly sworn to protect her. The Heavenly City dates back to the founding of Ulandus as its own Guild some 1500 years ago, long after the sinking of the original city of Ulandus. Upon First Centurion’s Ascension to the throne, the city expanded rapidly. Ulandus began to sail ships around the world, waging wars in far off places that Historicans have never dreamed about. Xersia became a symbol of exploration and wealth for all of Ulandus, and the amount of exotic slaves they captured helped prove their role as an international leader. It was only with the Great Disturbance that First Centurion was able to fulfil the prophecy of rejoining the motherland, and since that time, every effort in Ulandus has been on that undertaking. But now… the Celestial Palace is threatened for the first time. The Desert King, using his strongest magic has pierced the protective bubble around Xersia. Exploding one of the funny see-through bulbs upon the Celestial Palace’s gate, the internal workings of the palace are now vulnerable to a transportation spell. Although very few people in Historica are powerful enough to open a gate large enough, long enough to allow an army through, the Desert King happens to have found a mysterious stranger with such capabilities. Exhausted from weeks of attempting to break protective shield of Xersia, the Desert King now turns to his new ally to cast the final spell. The reserve armies of the Desert King are called to assemble on a dark night, not told where they were headed. The Stranger appears before them, and before anyone can ask the identity of the archmage, a large portal opens before them. On the other side are the white buildings and ornate décor of a large inner city – the Celestial Palace. Each captain was instructed to break the seal on their orders at this point and head through the gate. Mini-challenge: The orders tell the armies to go to the center of the Celestial Palace, in fact, the center of all of Xersia and go to the Temple of Light. Within the temple of light they will find five large mechanisms that must be destroyed. They are not given a description, just that they would be immense objects, high guarded, and evident when seen. The armies of the Desert King were commanded to destroy these objects. Desert King builders: Depict the attack and destruction of one of these impressive objects. Remember, the relic should be impressive. You have discovered that these are emitters of magic that allow First Centurion to stay on Historica’s plane of existence. If you destroy one of these, then perhaps Ulandus will lose their great leader. First Centurion might even personally show up to defend the objects of power. Ulandus Builders: You have come to know that your leader is a supreme being from another plane. He has immense power, but what allows him to use it on Historica’s plane are the monoliths of power. If even one of them are destroyed, First Centurion loses power, and may be banished to his native plane, leaving your side without a leader. Both sides: You must depict the defense of the object of power. The object is the focus of the Challenge, but remember, this objects are in the middle of a great city, they may be indoors surrounded perhaps by the Temple of Light, or outdoors in a courtyard or some other architectural wonder. Special category: Best Monolith of Power – whoever MOCs the best / neatest / craziest / most awesome / etc… object of power will become known as _____ the Harnesser of The Great Light. Special Victory Conditions: If Ulandus Wins, then First Centurion is safe. If Ulandus wins by more than 20% of the vote, they take back O16. If Ulandus Wins by 40% they take back 016 and M15. If they win by 60%, all of the isle of Ulandus falls back into their hands. If the Desert King wins, one Object of power is destroyed and First Centurion is banished for a week. If they win by at least 20%, then O17 succumbs to the Desert King, and First Centurion is banished forever (or is he? But he isn’t coming back anytime soon!). If the Desert King wins by 40%, then they will also take O17 and N16. If they win by more than 60%, then they win O17, N16, and N17. Special: Although First Centurion might show up in your battle scene, he cannot currently die on this plane. So, that means no killing him off in your battle scene! Restrictions: 32x32, with limited overhang. Due Date: May 17th Warzone 18: The Battle For Eastgate Location: E2 Who Can Participate: High Council and Desert King (Unless Ulandus can get in range before the due date. ) Terrain: Eastgate sits on the Red River, and sits on a grassy plain, with the Wither Woods starting just north of the city. The Red River was named for its red water due to the color of the soil of the Wither Woods, which was the main sediment picked up by the stream. The river is mostly slow moving, making it easy to traverse the river northward. However, the entrance of the river is guarded by the fortified Great Bridge, which is almost flanked on each side by two massive towers called The Guardians. (they sit just to the north of the Bridge) Map here Eastgate is considered a safe harbor for ships traveling east from Avalonia into the coasts of the Badlands. (Also vice versa, but the winds are more favorable west to east.) Furthermore, it sits at the mouth of the Red River making it paramount to the great timber trade (live oak in large quantities, the finest in the world) and some river trade from upriver. It is a mix of styles, having some classic European architecture, mixed with Mediterranean and Arabian because it is a melting pot of cultures. The quarries to the east bring brown and tan rock, while the quarries up river bring red rock, with Avalonia so close, rock grey in color is also sold in the city. The city walls are mostly tan / brown in color, but some of the newer structures are the now cheaper Avalonian grey. They are often whitewashed to make them stand out in the inner city. Not only is Eastgate a port, but it also has some of the best ship building facilities in the known world (due to the large live oak supply that comes through its port) with a natural bay that has been artificially expanded around four hundred years ago. The inner city, The Old City, which held out during the War of the Brothers is mostly large and older buildings, while the New City is unwalled and more houses and buildings made of timber. History: The wiki link above has more about the city’s history. One note here is that the Greater Eastgate Article and Resupply Company owns most of the town, and elects its leaders. GEAR and Eastgate both have standing armies, although they were largely winnowed down through the War of the Brothers. The city is in good shape, despite being sieged, as Dugal’s forces controlled the New City and Petera’s controlled the Old City – neither side made a successful move on the other, leaving little collateral damage to their home town. Mini-challenge: The only way that Eastgate’s inner city falls is if the Eastern Guardian Tower is breached. While it stands, no ships may get out to the Inland Sea or up the river to the Wither Woods. DK builders, the task is simple, depict the great Guardian Tower, and show your forces breeching it. HC: Defend the Guardian to your last breath! Both sides should clearly depict the tower, which overhangs the Red River, and their forces should be winning the battle. Special: Whoever has the “best tower” as voted on in the voting thread will be known as “The Tallest man/woman in Kaliphlin.” Restrictions: 32x32 Due Date: May 31st Warzone 19: The Second Battle of the Wither Woods or Arcannon’s Betrayal Location: C4 Who Can Participate: High Council and Desert King (Unless Ulandus can get in range before the due date. ) Terrain: The Red River gets its name from the mud along most of its route. The brick red, sometimes much lighter, dirt of the Wither Woods is carried by the river all the way to Eastgate, the sediment gives the river its reddish hue, and its name. It is an important life line to the region, and the best source of Live Oak in all of Historica. It is also one of the few regions in Kaliphlin where Lumber can be removed. The river is used to transport much of this lumber, and other goods of the Wither Woods to market. Along the river, somewhat north of Eastgate (and in this zone) the Elves of the Wither Woods have made their domain. One of the nations, the Cresentthorn Elves call zone C4 home. Their city, Valdiniam, is mostly hidden to the outside world, although it has a small feeder town called Stormsport that sits on the Red River. Valdiniam and Stormsport can be described as gothic + high fantasy style in their architecture. These are clearly elven cities. The terrain of the Wither Woods does not vary much, small rolling hills with copses of trees, not a true rain forest or heavy density lowland forest, but enough trees to make travel within the woods difficult unless on a road or path. The trees very from lush pines to gnarly live oaks, with some subspecies having various “exotic colorings” History: The Cresentthorn Elves have lived in this region for more than three millenniums. They swear no allegiance to any mortal government, although they have closely allied themselves with GEAR CO. and Eastgate over the last century. Still, they are only loosely affiliated to Kaliphlin. They like their privacy, but they are more curious than many other elf nations in Historica, and are willing to participate in mortal politics if it means learning something new, or once in a while, an adventure. In commerce they trade rare animals, wine, and medicines with the mortal world, mostly through the Red River trade. They are also interested in conserving the Wither Woods, and keeping its natural beauty, ecosytstem, and life-force intact. For this reason, there are more than a dozen treaties with Avalonians and Kaliphlinites over how much wood can be taken, where wood can be taken, and how replanting efforts must be maintained in the Wither Woods. A few weeks past, the Desert King showed its honor by winning Al’Meter Cresentthorn’s favor in a series of honor duels. He made a decree stating that all trade would be with those allied with the Desert King until the Civil War was over. This infuriated the fighting class within the Cresentthorns as they had been long allied with GEAR Co, and Lord Dugal – a high council member. Their leader, brother of Al’Meter, Arcannon Cresentthorn tried to persuade his brother to try to stay neutral, but Al’Meter claimed he had given his word. Mini-challenge: Arcannon Cresentthorn has decided to go on the offensive for the High Council, in an attempt to win the region back for the High Council. His plan is to ambush those still loyal to his brother in the Wither Woods and hold them hostage until his brother capitulates. High Council builders should show their forces, allied with Arcannon and some of the other Cresentthorn Evles ambushing and trapping elves in the Wither Woods. The trick here is, that these are their brothers, and they want to use non-lethal methods to catch them. So, no killing! Desert King builders, Al’Meter has decreed that he is your ally, but now he calls on your forces to help him defend Stormsport. But again, these are his brothers and sisters causing this turmoil, so he wants you to use non-lethal force to capture these rebels so that they may be jailed for a few hundred years. Special: The best depiction of a trap will earn the builder the title of: “Greatest Trapper in all the Wither Woods.” Restrictions: 16x16 Due Date: May 24 +_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+ Ranks Ranks are achieved by earning points in battles and other mini-challenges. Each faction has a different rank system. Please consult the charts below for the ranks and the actions needed to earn points towards ranks. Ranks by skaforhire, on Flickr pointlist by skaforhire, on Flickr points week 4 by skaforhire, on Flickr

Supporting the Council (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 17) Chapters so far: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 (ALSO: War of the Brothers Part II Chapter 1 HERE for more on that) petera by skaforhire, on Flickr Supporting the Council (Three Months after Chapter 16) It was unusually cold in Eastgate today. Petera MacLean placed the seal on a letter. He hoped it was not too late. The last two years had been hard for Eastgate, the constant siege and the jockeying of two brothers to take control of their birthright had left most of the old town thin to the bone in civilians. Dugal’s Army, backed by his strong ally Lord DaMaximus still sat outside the Old City walls, while most of the New city on the other side of the Red River thrived in this war economy. They had even constructed a makeshift port, and outsourced much of their shipbuilding to Carn, Eastgate’s little sister town on the inland sea. Petera was surprised that the siege still held. Most of Dugal’s mercenaries moved on now that Bishop Jamon was dead and not paying their wages. There was gold to be had in the conflict brewing, an mercenaries always went towards the scent of gold. DaMaximus had siphoned off some of his own soldiers to go back to East Kaliphlin, where Both Ulandus and the Desert King were making strides at turning towns and villages to their command, so far no violence between the forces of the High Council and the other two had broken out, however, the peacekeeping troops, had mostly retreated towards Petraea to avoid conflict, as their orders from the Council were clear not to provoke a fight. Pretty much all of Dugal’s Army that were Kaliphlin troops had been stripped from him by the council and sent to be peacekeepers. This made it a much more even fight, if Dugal ever decided to storm Eastgate. Petera’s forces were not in the best shape either. After a hard defeat at the Wither Woods, it was near impossible to build some of Eastgate’s armies that were loyal to him. Eastgate was one of the stronger cities when it came to military force, mostly because GEAR Co’s possessions stretched throughout the known world, and often times a show of force was necessary to protect them. However, with all of the armies recalled to Eastgate to fight out this civil war between brothers, many of Eastgate’s possessions had been seized by raiders, other Councilors, Ulandians, and even Mountain Mummies. Petera had just got a report this morning that some of the oilfields in East Kaliphlin had been taken by the Desert King. Eastgate had a good reserve in gold, but Petera was spending it quickly. The war between brothers had to end, but he was somewhat sure one of the two of them would have to die first. His Fiancé, Avona the Storm Mistress came into his meeting quarters. She had been a powerful ally, especially after the Wither Woods, when many of his mages deserted him. Not that that mattered too much, since he was one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world himself. But most of his power went to fueling the giant magic dome over Eastgate that Kept Dugal’s forces from going over the walls. “You sent for me?” she said. She didn’t like to be bothered when she was studying the arcane. DSC_1693 by skaforhire, on Flickr “Yes, you are the only one I can trust with this.” He said handing her the letter he had just sealed. “I need you to teleport to Knightsbridge, you know where that is?” She nodded and said “ That will be a tricky teleport. There are a lot of mountains in the way. “ “Good thing you are an expert teleporter.” He said. “This needs to be delivered to Lord Folston immediately. Our spies have reported to us that there is Desert King army marching along the Peak Road, and headed for Knights bridge.” “Why would he not take the Sultan’s road through the desert? It is much quicker than winding around in the Rakath Mountains, that is for sure.” She asked. “I am not sure, but I worry that they may get to Mypa Stedor through the back door, or Berigoria.” He said and she looked at him funny. “Your enemy’s town?” She asked. She had killed a few of DaMaximus’ men herself at the Wither Woods. “Despite our squabble, I am still a High Councilor. We don’t want to see Ulandus or the Desert King take over Kaliphlin. That would make the Valkarian Order’s overall plan to stabilize Historica much less possible. “ He paused. “Before Dugal’s resurfacing, DaMaximus and I were on fairly good terms and supported each other’s initiatives in the council.” “I am not sure this is the correct path, my love.” Avona said. “Even if it isn’t, I made Lord Folston. He was my friend, and I submitted his name to the Council for Lordship at that god-forsaken place. I can’t leave him with no help.” He said. She just nodded, took the letter, and vanished. DSC_1694 by skaforhire, on Flickr Almost immediately Mikeo and his enslaved Efrite, Donjini , entered the room. “Brother, we have a visitor!” But he stopped that line of thought. “I smell Avona’s perfume, is she here?” “I sent her with a message for Lord Folston. The Desert King moves on him.” Petera said. “But Folston is heeding Council Orders, why would you help him.” Mikeo asked. Petera explained the situation basically the same as he had just done for Avona. “Interesting. Do you want me to take my knights there? I am sure Donjini can teleport us there safely.” DSC_1698 by skaforhire, on Flickr “I would not be so sure of that master. I sense that there are numerous mana weaves throughout Kaliphlin, designed to catch teleporting groups.” The Efrite said. Petera knew this. He had webs up within Eastgate to protect them from teleporting intruders, but three very powerful mages were also weaving at that moment in Kaliphlin. He assumed there was a mage for each of the factions in Kaliphlin trying to prevent anyone from moving massive amounts of troops through magic. Luckily for Avona, these weaves were designed to catch large groups and not individuals. Mikeo, despite his fast study of magic since Petera pulled him from the underworld, was a bit confused. Petera did not have time to explain it, for in walked a man in Ulandian armor. DSC_1699 by skaforhire, on Flickr “I thought you were announcing me?” he looked accusingly at Mikeo, but did not wait for a reply. “I am General Royce Ponce of the Thousand Suns, First Centurion’s First Legion, and I have come to secure your friendship for the future of Kaliphlin.” He directed towards Petera. How did he get into the city? As if answering his thoughts, Ponce said: “pardon me for sneaking into your city, I took a small craft into your harbor, however, it is urgent.” Petera cut to the chase. “Why should we join Ulandus?” “You would be joining Kaliplhin, Ulandus only seeks…” but Ponce was cut off by Petera. “…to rejoin Kaliphlin, yes I have heard the spiel. That was months ago, your armies are all over Kaliphlin now. You have fought some battles against Kaliphlinites, you cannot say you come in peace!” In truth these battles were against the Desert King… “We only attack the Pharaoh’s men!” Ponce said. “We seek to be equals in Kaliphlin. Nothing more.” “I think that the equals thing is a cover.” Petera said. “You know that the council will mull over allowing Ulandus to join the guild, it would upset the balance some would say. But your emperor knows this. He also knew the Desert King was on the rise, and found his excuse to force the Kaliphlinites to decide.” Petera smiled. “It is clever indeed, “ he admitted. “ Letting the citizens choose sides in this war while their leaders talk. You will use your armies to defeat the Desert King, and when that is done, you will have a large enough foothold to force your interests to the Council. But… the demand won’t be to add five councilors, it will be to submit to the emperor. When the refusal comes, you will march your armies against your new enemies.” DSC_1700 by skaforhire, on Flickr Ponce sighed, seemingly unfazed. “Your war with Dugal has left you with little trust, I should expect this from someone who murdered their own brother.” “How dare you.” Mikeo said. “You are a guest here, a guest we could easily get rid of.” “You know not what you speak of, manchild.” Ponce said. DSC_1701 by skaforhire, on Flickr Petera butted in. “The Council had declined your offer. I being part of the Council must decline.” “Dugal rules Eastgate from beyond these walls. You are not on the High Council any longer.” Ponce said, and Petera was well aware that he had few supporters at the moment. “We can change that. You will be put onto the council when our negotiations come to fruition. Dugal, who has defied us, and has sent troops to keep us from going where we desire, is not a friend of First Centurion. We will see him deposed. Unless, of course you want to kill him again.” Ponce smirked. Petera had not killed Dugal during the war, although he didn’t stop Revolword from doing so, he also didn’t join the expedition to retrieve his soul from the underworld – but he used their portal to get Mikeo back. Mikeo felt a strong loyalty to Petera because of this, and for that reason a blade of ice quickly appeared in his hand and he began to threaten Ponce. “ That is one lie to many, Fork-tongue! “ DSC_1704 by skaforhire, on Flickr Ponce laughed. LAUGHED! “ You know not what you step into.” He smiled. “You can’t hurt me here.” Now Petera was interested, what made this guy think he could get out of here alive if Petera thought it prudent to end him? Mikeo moved forward but Ponce turned to the Efrite. “Alka’dar Baelos Moritt’guf, al’gernen de’coli pillianar.” Donjini’s eyes widened and he immediately bowed to Ponce and then turned to Mikeo. “He is right master Mikeo, I cannot let you hurt him.” DSC_1705 by skaforhire, on Flickr Petera remembered the incantation, he would have to figure out what just had happened, but it was most likely Old Olinor’s Tongue that he spoke it. It was said that Olinor was the location where the Djin and the Efrite parted ways, and forever Efrite were forbidden to use the old language. Something Ponce said, in that language, had turned Donjini into his guardian. Petera had a feeling that if he was to try to call his magic, he would be unable to do so. Although Donjini was not powerful enough to stop Petera in full sorcerer state, he could easily keep him from reaching that state if he had the drop on him, like he did at the present. A bit of panic hit him… Ponce could kill him now. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Lord Folston was preparing for the Worst. Knightsbridge was to be attacked from the South soon. His scouts had reported that the Ulandians were making their way up the Peak Road – in his mind, more of a trail than a road—and they had high numbers. DSC_1712 by skaforhire, on Flickr Folston had only a few dozen men left. The council had not sent gold in months, and his soldiers were now deserting. He had taken out all the loans he could from villages up to thirty miles away. There just was no more Gold left from Needletop to Southpass. Kaliphlin-north-east-0 by skaforhire, on Flickr The council said that Knightsbridge must be held, as it would keep the Ulandians from reaching the territory claimed by the Desert King. The council feared that if major blood was spilled over a bit of land, then the winner would be less likely to negotiate or relinquish control of said land. Folston agreed. Even if his benefactor was no longer on the council. He thought of Petera, cooped up in Eastgate. He had been a good liege to serve, and Folston was happy to be placed on the high council with Petera’s support. But in reality, NOBODY wanted Knightsbridge. That is why there was a seat open, the last family abandoned its lordship. Knightsbridge was the crucial link on the Peak road. A small trail that went North to South, but also led to the northern Kaliphlin coast, a valuable trade route for spices and other small loads that one can bring by pack animal. Wagons could not travel on the road because of its grade and width at times. The town itself protected a bridge over the Al’Weri River, or Weary River in the common tongue. IT was the only passable place for the length of the whole river within the Rakath Mountains . Therefore its strategic importance was paramount, which was also why the Council subsidized the small town. The town itself sat mostly underground in an old dwarf den – or perhaps it was one of the outposts of the old Rat King’s people? Folston didn’t care, he hated it. It was damp, ugly, smelly, and he relied on the mountain villages to provide food. It was a terrible place to be Lord of. “Alright, we need to work quicker men!” he shouted as a few of his boys pushed barrels towards the secret door to get within the Trifort, The fortification of the south side (technically East side because of the way the river bent at this location) of the river. preparing for defense by skaforhire, on Flickr Just then, Lady Avona appeared next to him and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Damn teleporters! “Greetings Lord Folston, Petera sends is regards and well wishes. He has a message for you.” Avona said, and handed him a letter. DSC_1716 by skaforhire, on Flickr “Hello, Lady Avona, what a pleasant surprise” he said as his heart calmed down. In honesty, he had always been terrified of storm mistress. “Open it right away there is much we must discu…” Suddenly her eyes widened. “I have to go, Petera is in trouble!” with that she vanished. He opened the letter and his heart sank. The Desert King was attacking from the North. He had maybe two days. Petera urged him to keep the bridge at all costs, and to keep the two armies apart. Even if it meant fighting back, something the council had yet to do. DSC_1717 by skaforhire, on Flickr =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Mikeo was still upset. The meeting with Ponce, then his unexpected departure with Mikeo’s Efrite, and finally Petera telling him to just let it go, was wearing on his twin brother. “I will make this right.” Petera said. “I don’t think his power will last over Donjini for long, and I think, if I know my Efrite lore correctly, he will return to you, still your slave.” “Fine. But I want to kill that guy personally.” Mikeo said. Petera ignored that last bit. “Get a message to the Yukar, we need more reports about the Desert King’s whereabouts. “ Petera concluded. DSC_1710 by skaforhire, on Flickr With that, Mikeo left. Almost immediately Avona reappeared, ready to fry anything in her path. DSC_1691 by skaforhire, on Flickr “Are you alright?!” she demanded. “Fine.” He said. They embraced. He then told her about the meeting, and how the Ulandians wanted him to continue to distract Dugal’s forces, and in return, he would be placed on the council. Avona seemed to agree this was wise. But then again, what could he do when he had a Genie’s blade to his throat? Now… was he to keep his bargain?

Challenge IV FACTION MINI CHALLENGE To kick off Challenge 4, we will have a quick mini-challenge for each of the factions. The winner of the faction will have the right to call themselves a certain title (depending on faction). They also get to pick the location of a battle in Category C. Deadline: before the end of Sunday March 22nd, anywhere in the world. FACTION: Ulandus CHALLENGE: The 13th Legion. If you read Bannihal’s Report, you may have noticed that there is a 13th legion of Ulandus, but it is brand new. Because of this, it has not earned its name or its colors yet. Your challenge is to create this 13th legion, design a few of their uniforms, give it a backstory and show members of this legion performing a heroic feat that would gain them the attention of First Centurion. You also should pick the nickname the legion will be granted. (IE: The First legion wears red and its nickname is The Thousand Suns.). The only restriction is that you must use a color that is not currently used by one of the legions. The largest MOC for this quick challenge is 32x32 studs. But, besides minifigure only pictures / builds, you may have up to two MOCs to show the feat. TITLE YOU CAN WIN: Exalted Centurion of Ulandus FACTION: Desert King CHALLENGE: Making War. The Desert King is in need of good lieutenants to run his war effort. Show your character (or the character you are using in this challenge) commanding a military action that would get the notice of your faction’s leader. You will probably need a unit under your command, so make sure that they look sharp! The largest MOC for this quick challenge is 32x32 studs. But, besides minifigure only pictures / builds, you may have up to two MOCs to show the feat. TITLE YOU CAN WIN: Warlord of the North (or Northern Kaliphlin if you are not Kaliphlinite already) FACTION: High Council CHALLENGE: Protecting the Councilors. The High Council is busy in this time of war, and need help guarding their person at important meetings. One member is often designated the Lord Protector of the Council when the council is in session, but since Kyban Wh'Ali of Khar'dek, current Lord Protector, was injured, a new Lord Protector must be found. Task: Depict a scene where your character (or the character you are using in the challenge) and his/her men prevent an attack on the council in a random location (Must not be Petraea). It should be clear that they have either saved the lives of the councilors, or prevented a plot altogether. The largest MOC for this quick challenge is 32x32 studs. But, besides minifigure only pictures / builds, you may have up to two MOCs to show the feat. TITLE YOU CAN WIN: High Lord of Kaliphlin (if you are not already one), Lord Protector of the Council if you are already part of Kaliphlin. JUDGING: After the deadline I will compile the entries into a voting thread, and each faction will vote for their favorite entry. That winner will earn the title.

A NOTE to all those who have not signed up yet: Please still do so!!! Even if you feel as if the challenge has already started, there is plenty of time to build for all three categories! Ulandus needs members the most, followed by High Council, then the Desert King. choose by skaforhire, on Flickr Kaliphlin Civil War Book 2, Challenge IV Starts March 1st, Deadline for Category A &B: July 1st Aftermarket products that cannot be replicated in LEGO are accepted, but should not be the defining element of a MOC. Weapons / armor from aftermarket sources is always fine. (Final Preludes will be up soon (ish), but I thought we could get rolling on general signups.) Chapters so far: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 The Civil War is a three way battle between the Ulandians, the Desert King, and the High Council of Kaliphlin. You may sign up for the civil war on this page. The roster is at the bottom of the post. When signing up, please note your first and second choice. We will attempt to put everyone on their first choice team, but if the teams get too uneven, some people may get their second choice. choosingsides by skaforhire, on Flickr There will be three categories to this challenge. The winning and runner-up side of each category will earn points towards determining which faction won the civil war. Category A: Consequences In this category you will show something that has changed since the war started. For example, It could be a MOC about a boy becoming a man because he has to work his dad’s farm, a MOC of a person turning to a life of crime after their livelihood has been destroyed, refugees, the aftermath of a battle, etc… Anything that shows how a individual(s) life has changed because of the war. The build should clearly represent a defining moment in a person or person(s) life. Story is not a major factor here, but it may help you clarify for the readers. Restriction: 32x32 studs with reasonable overhang. Challenge B Unlimited Build / Story Challenge The story of sir Brick-a-lot. It is your job to chronicle Sir Brick-a-lot’s journey in the Kaliphlin Civil War. Sir Brick-a-lot can be your sig fig, or another fig you used for the war (no, don’t actually name him Sir Brick-a-lot). The fig does not have to be a soldier, but you should have at least a couple builds to tell their story during the Kaliphlin Civil War. Each side will be judged on the quality of the builds presented and the quality of their Heroes’ tales. If you use your Category C builds in your storyline, there is a limit of ½ of your builds may be from Category C builds. IE: If you want to use 3 of your category C builds, you must have three additional MOCs to add to your story. Category C – Dynamic War and Map Challenge Please see this thread for now on the rules. This is the actual "game" thread. It has links to the mini-challenges for each week. Please do not sign up on the preliminary rules thread, please sign up here. Also, all discussion for Category C should happen in the category C threads, that is where you will report MOCs for that category also. Category D - Victory Parade Although it may be premature, each side is throwing a victory parade in their regional capital. Builders should put together a parade in no more than six pictures. There should not be more than six parade groups (bands, floats, military units, Zem Zem go-cart formations, etc...) in your parade. Although this category will impact the outcome of the war the least, it does show to some extent the pride your side has. There is no limitation in sizes, but remember to photograph carefully for detail so that all of your parade is covered well. Finally, there should be a final picture that shows the Grand Marshall of the Parade's stand with all the dignitaries inspecting the parade. The winner of this category will be known as the Grand Master of Ceremonies of Kaliphlin. LDD - LDD will be allowed in Category C and D, but not in Category A or B (as it has always been with official challenges). Since Category C is voted on by the public, there may be people that have some bias towards digital bricks, but we will let that play out. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Supporters declared: Ulandus Goliath Gunman Infernum Kai NRG Garmadon Narbilu Andrew Spader Lord Robin Alfadas Elostirion Gabe Bacon Potatoes Kayne Rconn0 Marcu22 Rogue Angel Dragonfire Igunnuk Eelu Desert King Hammerhand MKJoshA Tomsche Lord Vladivus MassEditor Emma Sir Gareth Blufiji Disco86 LordDan Jacob Nion Robuko The Lego Dwarf DrCogg Umbra-Manis Brick Man Studios Captain Braunsfeld High Council Carson Haupt De Gothia Gedren_y Soccerkid6 LittleJohn Mike S TheUtilityBelt Gideon Maxim I mrcp6d SarahJoy Mccoyed Bregir Adair Jakorin Scarst BrickCurve Graham Gidman MiloNelsiano J031 Ty3r IF I missed someone from the other thread, please let me know.

Discussions at Sea (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 15) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Discussions at Sea meeting at sea by skaforhire, on Flickr Aboard the Fishmonger’s Wife Captain Nelbort Northman receives the diplomats from Ulandus. His privateer vessel had been roaming the Spice Islands, looking for goods-laden Kaliphlin ships heading for Mitgardia that had their papers out of order… Ten days back, while restocking at Barqa, he received a letter from the Foreign Ministry of Mitgardia, asking them to pick up a diplomat on one of the southern Spice Isles. Always willing to help, Northman headed to the location. He exchanged pleasantries with a ship flying colors he did not recognize – Blue and Green – but they also had a Kaliphlin flag. Four men boarded his ship, and he set off for his home waters. The men were dressed similar to Far Eastern Kaliphinites who lived on the Eastern coast just south of Nocturnus. They had similar accents as well. Their leader, Moti Shinzu, became fast friends with Norhtman. Northman was happy to have someone with so much interest in privateering on board. As they traveled they talked about the strange new subcontinent that he hailed from. DSC_1678 by skaforhire, on Flickr Moti had just finished fishing one day when Northman came to him for one of their usual talks. “So what does Ulandus want with Mitgardia? Why are you headed so far away from Kaliphlin, if the emperor wishes only to rejoin Kaliphlin? Asked Northman. Moti was quiet for a moment, and as usual, gave a calculated answer. “All great guilds need strong friends. We know of the arms race last year between Kaliphlin and Mitgardia. It is the emperors wishes that Kaliphlin and Mitgardia put aside their differences and prepare for a more trying time.” “What could be more trying than the series of guild civil wars we have been facing the last few years?” Northman asked. DSC_1677 by skaforhire, on Flickr “Putting a king back on the throne of Cedrica, making Historica whole again.” Moti answered. “Peace between the guilds is essential for this, and for the next steps.” After he said the last bit he looked shocked, as if he may have given something away. As much as Northman tried to get Moti to tell him of the next steps, the soft-spoken diplomat would not budge. Finally he altered the subject a little. “What does Kaliphlin and Ulandus offer Mitgardia?” Moti began what seemed like a very well-rehearsed line. “In return for support and friendship, the Emperor will persuade the council to drop all duties on Mitgardian goods, and having much wealth from the oil trade, will pay Mitgardia a large subsidy each year for thirty years. Free water and food will be available in every Kaliphlin port for any Mitgardian vessel. Kaliphlin will support Mitgardian claims on the northern plains of the territory known as Cedrica. Finally, the new king will be Mitgardian.” “Won’t the Avalonians and Nocturnans have a problem with that last bit?” Moti said. “The Emperor has other plans for Avalonia. They will be happy with what we have already offered them.” When Northman looked at the diplomat, he spilled the rest of the beans. “The Emperor will support Avalonian claims on Esterbroke, and allow for joint occupation of the island. It will be divided in half.” “The High Council will not go for that.” Northman said, he knew the Kaliphlinites were busy making plans on that island, and the last time he visited it, it was 90% Kaliphlinites in the civilized parts. “Some of the High Council will no longer be welcome in Petraea. A civil war is expected. Sides have firmed up in the last month, since Dextrus was killed.” Moti said. “It seems the neutralists on the Council have lost much of their support to both the Desert King and to the Emperor. The Emperor being much stronger.” Moti said. “And what about Nocturnus?” Northman said. “There are certain elements of Nocturnus that don’t fit into the future.” Moti said, and that was all he said about the subject. Northman had caught the whole angle though, not one of the three sides were powerful enough to sway the others without fighting. Ulandus needed Avalonia and Mitgardia to turn the tide of war. Moreover, they probably wanted Mitgardia to deal with the Desert King in the north, and keep his Nocturnan allies at bay, while the Avalonians crushed the Neutralists who were strong in the west. This strategy seemed too plain to see. He wondered how much the other two factions were willing to give to join their side. One thing was for certain… privateering was about to become much more lucrative.

Picking and Choosing (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 14) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Picking and Choosing Dugal and the other lords of the Small Council for Western Affairs waited for the Desert King’s emissary. The capital was still in morning, and many of the other High Lords were meeting with the lower lords in order to calm fears that Kaliphlin was falling apart. Dugal had to remind some people in his Small Council that Kaliphlin had for some years now been ruled by the High Lords, and that Flagg was more of symbol of Kaliphlin prosperity and rule than an actual ruler. Ten days had passed since the emergency meeting with the Leander. Since that time, the council had become more polarized. Lord Bain led the pro Desert King faction and Lady Phlici, new to the council, led the pro-Ulandus faction, most of the major lords – the real movers and shakers of Kaliphlin – were still undecided or had vowed to stay neutral. Dugal was amongst the later, and more and more he began to like the idea of sending a peacekeeping force to Western Kaliphlin to keep the two sides from fighting. Without announcement, in came the emissary. He was a strange man, with a face painted in Gold. He wore the old noble headdress that the Mountain Mummies were so fond of. He wore scant linens, and seemed naturally adapted to the mid-day Petraea heat. His staff seemed almost… alive. DSC_1523 by skaforhire, on Flickr “I am Ka’ha’ton, speaker for his greatness, Pharaoh of Kaliphlin, Ruler of Kaligem, Priest of the Sun, Ark'Mora Raa. I come to you to give you his terms.” The man said. “His terms?” Asked Gideon.” “Yes the Sun King declares that he shall take Flagg’s place as ruler of Kaliphlin. The council will report to him. He will lead the guild back to greatness. He will rule fairly, and you all will have his respect. He will take your council, but will hold final decision. For your sacrifice, he will protect Kaliphlin, he will nurture her back to her greatness, and he will see you all richly rewarded.” The ambassador proclaimed. “Best sales pitch I have heard all day!” Said Lord Bain. “How do we know that the Desert King can even deliver on these promises?” Dugal said. “For the Pharaoh has already began working on these promises. He has rid Kaliphlin of Drow in the short time since he has been back. The last Drow were hunted down three days ago.” The gold-faced man said calmly. “He honor’s Flagg’s memory through this deed.” Drowhunter by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1573 by skaforhire, on Flickr “I don’t that could be true… Those things breed like flies, and live in the same filth.” Dugal replied. “It is true, although Raa believes that Flagg’s assassin may have left guild territory, as none of the Drow he caught would confess to the murder.” The ambassador said. Dugal knew that any guilty drow that was caught would have bragged about the deed before being executed. Then again, he still was confused how a Drow assassin could have hid from Flagg in a totally white room… “This is interesting, as my eyes and ears have report and extreme lack of Drow in the East, and I had mentioned to Lord DaMaximus this occurrence, and he replied that no Drow had been in Mpya Stedor for weeks according to his messengers.” Gideon said. “Perhaps we can assume that the Desert King has been the partial cause of this?” The ambassador said calmly, “He is the complete cause of this abnormally. The Pharaoh wishes it, and it is done.” Interesting. Thought Dugal. He wondered how many men the Desert King had. The ambassador continued, and pointed to the maps on the table. “His Greatness has claimed Sultan’s Gate as his temporary capital until Kaligem is rebuilt. He will move to Petraea when the majority of the Council submits to his rule. He will lodge himself in this great building.” “Where will the council meet then?” Asked Lady Kylee. “You will meet here, at his invitation.” The ambassador continued. “He wishes you all to have a part in the reclamation of honor that he will lead in Kaliphlin. Although he will be your master, he is a gracious master, and will reward you all handsomely.” “Well, I’m sold. “ Bain stated, his voice couldn’t be more cheerful. “ All in favor of putting this proposition to the High Council, say aye!” His cronies confirmed his suggestion, but nobody else did. “We must think on this, Ka’ha’ton” Gideon said, and the ambassador left. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The secret meeting was going well. DSC_1525 by skaforhire, on Flickr In the middle of the table, General Royce Ponce was detailing Ulandus’s plan for a new aqueduct to supply the Parched Lands and the Lick of Salt. It was a huge, expensive undertaking, but Octo was impressed with the plans. Not that it really benefited him much, but he did have a few oil wells in the Lick of Salt, and keeping workers alive and hydrated did have its benefits. The Ulandians, more specifically “first Centurion” was willing to pay the whole tab on the project to show good faith to the rest of the council. Octo really didn’t care if the Ulandians joined Kaliphlin, but he knew that there seemed to be more upside than drawbacks, even if the other High Councilors did not come to the same conclusion. So much trade could be had! He was surprised that Lord Bain had come to this meeting, and that Phlici was strangely absent… then again so was General Lat’ve, and those two were clearly an item. What a shame, she was so pretty and probably easily seduced. At least he believed so. The talk of gold brought him back to the conversation. “Yes, there will be a large share for each of you, and the low lords in this room will be raised to high lord for their support.” Ponce said. “How do you suppose that will happen, the whole council will have to vote on that. First Centurion could not control this.” Lord Octo said. “Were you not paying attention?” Bain said. “IF the Ulandians have to force their rights by fighting those who oppose their rejoining the guild, then there would rewards for the low lords.” Octo knew Bain could not be on board with this, he was too proud of being a high lord to willingly let others join the rank. In fact, Octo was pretty certain that Bain was only here to spy on the Ulandians for the Desert King. “So in conclusion, First Centurion offers his hand in friendship. The five high lords of Ulandus offer their embrace as brothers, and the Legions of Xersia will be at the council’s command for the upcoming attempt to put a king on the throne of Cedrica.” Ponce said. “We offer new aqueducts, new trade routes, our navy, and our expertise of the Southern Ocean. All of these will help grow Kaliphlin commerce to new levels.” He cleared his throat. “I believe our good will has already been shown. The Thousand Suns have rebuilt some of the Southern villages already. We have brought food to places struck with famine. We have provided military training for those who want to be able to defend themselves, and we have already given much gold to you all, and many of the Kaliphlin lords. It is time for the rejoining.” Thosand Suns by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1682 by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1686 by skaforhire, on Flickr =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Dugal confronted Bain in the Small Council room. He had thought that the council was meeting without all its members, and he assumed Bain had been the source of this break in procedure. He assumed that Lord Bain just wanted to muscle more low council members to his position, be it on the Sand King or on Eastgate. DSC_1530 by skaforhire, on Flickr “Why have you broken procedure? You know our small council is to meet as a whole.” Dugal said. Lord Bain smiled. “You think I called a meeting to sit down with the Ulandians?” Dugal had not known the Ulandian ambassador was back, and oddly enough Phlici was not in the city today. “I suppose not. Who called the meeting” Dugal asked. “I have no idea, I received a letter under the crack of my Inn room door this morning. It said to come here and meet. Whoever put the meeting together must know your position to stay neutral. You have been a steadfast supporter of the peacekeeping force these last few days.” Bain changed his tone, “how they did not know my opinion, I am not so sure.” “So you spoke against the Ulandus plan?” Dugal asked. “Of course not, they paid me well to sit in that meeting, and I was curious to what they were up to.” Bain said. “If you have noticed, their grain trains have even reached the gates of this very city.” “I have, although my messengers say that none of that food has made it to the Eastgate area.” Dugal replied. “That is because they don’t want to feed your army. They know you are competition, and one of the larger forces the council has. If your army starves, they will desert, when your army has dwindled enough, you will be forced to side with them. This is an easy strategy to spot, Dugal.” Bain said as if he thought Dugal had not thought of this already. “You finally made a sound move and brought some of your forces West for the peacekeeping mission, spreading your forces will help you feed them better.” As he said that last part, Dugal had a bad feeling. Bain never gave compliments. “Now that I have won the debate in the High Council over your use of Kaliphlin soldiers for your war of heredity, I think the bad blood between us should subside. I encourage you to listen to the Desert King’s offers. He is most generous, and he is a true Kaliphlin leader. I fear that if the majority of the council keeps upon this path of neutrality, we won’t get a say in our new government.” “Who said we needed a new government?” Dugal asked. “You are stuck in the past, McLean. Kaliphlin is headed for great things, and we need to choose the right ruler.”

Bannihal’s Report (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 13) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Bannihal’s Report Leovetus had left the council with Dugal’s assurance that at least Eastgate would support his side of the order. The MacLeans had had many non-human allies over the years, and he felt odd about Lord Kral ever since he had met him. Leovetus left the chamber with a written report by Bannihal, and the council had adjourned formalities to go over the papers. The first was a report about a sabotage mission that the Leander resistance had pulled off. (Thanks to Kai for this build!) Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr A 12th Legion ship, apparently the 12th Legion, the Sea Serpents, were the naval force of Xersia, had left a city called Catarlacus headed for Mpya Stedor with a company of Thousand Sons. According to Bannihal, their mission was to unload near the city, take plain clothes, and infiltrate the city. Once inside, determine if DaMaximus was willing to champion the Ulandian cause for the Rejoining to Kaliphlin. If not, they were to take down the Golden Windows factory to hurt the city’s economy. Damaximus was not happy when this was read out loud, but Erudhalion reminded him that they should stay as objective as possible here, as they did not know if Bannihal was telling the truth, or even if he was a Desert King agent. Phlici seemed to think that the latter must be the case. The ship left Ulandus, but had one Leander rebel stowaway in the cargo hold. As it neared the Lesser Spice Isles, the agent began drilling two large holes in the hold. This caused the vessel to take on water, and in an attempt to make land, the ship was crashed upon a rocky reef in front of the Isle of Krag (their name for the island, Dugal had no idea which Lesser Spice Island it was.) The Leander got to shore where he hid himself to watch what unfolded next. Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr The Isle of Krag is apparently inhabited by an isolationist tribe, for when they saw the boat crashed upon the reef of their island, they went on the warpath. Storming the beach in full war paint, the men of the island shot arrow after arrow into each 12th Legionnaire trying to make the beach. Many of the soldiers were lost in the wreck, and all of their supplies lay on the reef or at the bottom of the sea. Eventually a few survivors made it to the rocky shore of the island where they attempted a last assault on the beach. Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr In the end, the islanders were too strong for the depleted crew. Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr As the islanders recovered much of the 12th Legion’s goods, the last of the bodies floated back out to sea. Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr At nightfall, the Leander agent snuck back onto the reef and took the ship’s boat back to Ulandus. “Well they are brake, no matter who they really side with, I will give them that. “ Dugal said. “If it is true” Said Siedna “Agreed.” Dugal said. Ageven put down the scroll, “If this is true, these Leander may be actually working for the Desert King. If that is true, we may be playing into his hands by supporting the rebellion.” “I think it is best that we stay neutral, and post an army in Western Kaliphlin as a peace keeping force.” Gideon said. “We have two distinct problems, the Desert King in the North, who has yet to make his intentions clear, and the Ulandians in the South who have stated that they are enemies of the Desert King.” “Why would we need any army? Let them fight it out, and if we have to, we will destroy the winner.” Lord Bain said, he had entered into the council chambers after the Leanders had left. Isabella had come back too. “Lord Bain, your lands may sit cozy on the other side of Kaliphlin, but if those two armies want to fight each other, they are going to march through what little fertile land between Ulandus and Sultan’s Gate. They are going to have to eat, they are going to cause trouble, and likely they will grab any fortified town they can along the way to hold an advantage over the other. Once they get dug in, they will be impossible to get out. We need to set up a road block.” Said Ageven . “Auner has already been shaken hard by the Great Disturbance. We can’t afford any more trouble.” “We could always take Lord DaMaximus’ army to his home city, that would surely stop the two forces.” Bain chimed in. Here we go again… thought Dugal. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= There was one other piece of intelligence from Bannihal that interested Dugal – it was an overview of the Legions of Xersia and what their current missions were. It also described their uniforms. He learned that even though there was a uniformed color for each legion, the armor and appearance of soldiers within the legion varied from company to company, and even squad to squad. Untitled-4 by skaforhire, on Flickr Untitled-5 by skaforhire, on Flickr

An Order Divided (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 12) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 An Order Divided Thanks to Mike S. Who built these two awesome builds. Petitioning the Kaliphlin Council by -Mike S-, on Flickr Octo Vargood of Dunladeen was still hungry. That Small Council Meeting took it out of him. All the screaming, the Ulandians kicked out by Bain Ba’Elder, Bain Ba’Elder got slapped by Phlici Maderni, Kyban had to separate them, and all the while it seemed that everyone had forgotten Flagg was dead. Now he was at the emergency High Council meeting, and nobody could forget Dextrus Flagg. Seven long memorials read by various members of the council, even a poem was read! When he died, Octo just wanted someone to dump his body into the ocean and use their time to wine and dine on jumbo shrimp and the finest wine in the realm! Finally they had resolved to come back to the issue of Flagg later. The real reason for tonight’s meeting was Ulandus. Apparently, at Masa’s behest, the council was entertaining a group from the Knights of Aslan. Octo was not so interested in this, as he only cared about merriment and money, like any good Kaliphlin lord. He often thought these high lords had too many morals, and were not the quality of the generation before them – now those men knew how to turn sand into ducats. It was sad to know that Flagg, a master of the oil industry was no longer, but it also meant that Octo’s own holdings would grow with Flagg’s business out of the picture. Someone had done him a favor this afternoon. Octo despised non-humans, and he could smell the Leander before they came through the door. “I am General Leovetus, we come to you as friends, as allies, and look for your support against Lord Kral.” “Kral? Your order’s master?” Dugal said. “Yes, but in name only. He has begun to favor human members of the order above all others.” Leovetus said. Sounds like a good guy, thought Octo. Octo could see Kral’s representative, Lady Isabella, start to fidget. It looks like there may be more trouble at this council meeting. “Why in the name of Aslan, would we help you?” She finally said. The other lords looked at her sideways, it was not often that a proxy led a conversation in these higher meetings. “I suppose you will not support us Isabella, but I speak to the rest of the Council now, as I bring forth evidence that Kral has long been associated with Ulandus. I bring with me the Leander revolt leader, Bannihal.” Leovetus presented the hard-looking Ulandian to the council. Octo yawned. “Revolt?” asked DaMaximus, “Ulandus is not united?” “I am Bannihal,” Bannihal began. “And no, there are factions within Ulandus that fight against the First Centurion. We are one of them. For almost 220 years, Leander have been forced into slavery by the Ulandians. This is our punishment for the Leander Revolt.” He cleared his throat with a small roar. “I know that Kral has been associated with Ulandus for quite some time. You see, the elite guards of the First Centurion are in fact, Leander slave warriors. Most are his trusted guardians, but we have spies amongst them. They have seen Kral come to Xersia, the capital, and meet with First Centurion many times over the years.” “This is ridiculous! There was no way to get to this island before a few months ago!” Lady Isabella objected. Petitioning the Kaliphlin Council by -Mike S-, on Flickr “That is not quite true…” Duc LeStrange said. They all turned to the often quiet Councilor. “the Petraea General Trading Company has, for some time, been in contact with Ulandus. There is a small town on the west coast of the island called Wreckton, it used to lay outside of the Void Tide.” He looked around, just noticing he had the room’s attention. “Well, we didn’t know about a First Centurion, we just knew it was where some of our sailors ended up when shipwrecked. They also supply coal and Skyfruit. You all like skyfruit! Well, that is where it comes from.” He seemed to bow under the pressure of so many eyes upon him. “We were not going to give away the secret of our monopoly! None of you would either.” “Are you saying there is a way we could take a navy to Ulandus, and your pilots know this course?” DaMaximus asked. “Yes, but I know the town is bordered by mountains, I am not sure…” LaStrange was cut off by Bannihal. “It is possible, but there is only one road to the heart of Ulandus from Wreckton. Wreckton makes its own rules, and they stay away from the Centurions. The First Centurion allows them to live in obscurity. They are not important, but you would not be able to move troops from there. The ten legions would crush your forces. If your whole navy even got to Wreckton.” “Let us back up to Lord Kral.” Isabella interrupted. “While we are divulging trade secrets, I will admit, Kral has been to Ulandus, recently, but not for years! His dealings are the same as those with Varlyrio or the other guilds. The order has business everywhere. The order IS everywhere. He is only continuing the work of Bishop Jamon, Creator rest his soul.” There were a few repeated murmurs of the phrase amongst the council. Octo sniffed. Jamon had one good quality in his mind, he dressed well and made much gold. Petitioning the Kaliphlin Council by -Mike S-, on Flickr Isabella, who Octo had now decided to woo, he liked his ladies feisty, began a new course: “Now we can see what the real motive here is. Whatever cat Leovetus dragged in from Ulandus, it does not hide the truth here.” There were a few sighs, as the lady used the racial slur, cat, to describe a Leander. Feisty and arrogant indeed, Octo could already imagine his dinner plans. “ Leovetus is power hungry. He defies the order by leading its non-human members in rebellion against its anointed leader, Lord Kral. He has courted the Desert King, and for all we know, has already signed a pact with him. He has send his ambassador to Shadowmere, and met with Lord Vladivus to bring Nocturnus against the other half of the Knights of Aslan. This is no more than an additional power play. What is wrong, Leovetus, did the nightdwellers turn you down? Why are you really here?” Leovetus responded in a fierce tone. “This is absolute nonsense and slander. I have never had contact with the desert king. I have not sent anyone to Nocturnus. I am here on the subject of the Ulandians, whom Kral has at least allied with, and who are not here just to bring peace! I bring Bannihal as proof.” Now Phlici went on the defensive. “ You are wrong!” Octo liked Phlici, it was too bad that she had fallen for a Ulandian, her new status as a High Lord made her a suitable match for Octo. Maybe if Lat’ve had an accident like Flagg… Phlici continued, “ The Ulandians are here to rejoin with Kaliphlin, nothing more. Their two legions are here to help us. The First Legion, the Thousand Suns, have been tasked with rebuilding Kaliphlin after the Great Disturbance. Right now, they are out giving out food to our hungry and rebuilding our homes! The Second Legion, the Salamanders, are here to protect our borders and bring peace and order to the realm. With so much disaster, our troops are spread thin from slavers, raiders, invaders, and drow! We need our brothers from Ulandus and their troops in our time of need. There is no question that they should be brought into the fold and reunited with Kaliphlin.” She really had gained some confidence since Flagg died and made her queen of the northern something or other… actually Octo had never paid attention to whatever title Flagg was supposed to hold over this town or that town. He didn’t care in the slightest. “I agree,” Isabella said, “We have no proof that they are here for any other purpose than the one they say. We do have proof that Leovetus is a sniveling coward that is trying to backstab us all!” And with that outburst, Siedna, a newer member to the council herself, said “I put forth a motion to remove the proxy of Lord Kral from the council session. Her personal attacks are out of hand, with no evidence, and she is bringing too much hostility to the chamber. We all know where Kral’s opinion stands, we don’t need her here right now.” “Seconded.” DaMaximus said. “All in favor” Siedna said. About nine of the fourteen presence said “Aye.” Isabella got up and stormed out of the room. Octo saw an opportunity and followed her out. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Dugal had cautioned Phlici to hold her tongue in this meeting, but that had been ignored. She had tried to find holes in Bannihal’s story for some time now, but without luck. The rebel Leanders had taken the fight to the northern most cities of Ulandus, these cities were not under the direct control of the First Centurion, but were controlled by warlords that seemed to have a culture very similar to Southeastern Kaliphlin. They dressed similarly, they fought similarly, and they even ate some of the same strange delicacies as those Kaliphlinites across the Rakath Mountains. Bannihal thought that these northern cities were weaker, and that the ten legions rarely operated in the Northern cities. Still, the Northern cities were loyal to First Centurion, who they also addressed as Emperor. Dugal saw a problem at this juncture with this Ulandian plan for a “rejoining” to Kaliphlin. Kaliphlin was ran by a High Council, and this was even more true now that Flagg was dead. There was no direct leader, although they may have to elect a wartime leader if the Council takes a side in this war between the Ulandians and the Desert King. Dugal wanted to stay neutral. Bannihal was describing First Centurion at this point “He is tall, seemingly ageless, and has a pair of wings like an eagle.” The 1st Centurion by -Mike S-, on Flickr “So he is not human?” asked Gideon. “In every other way he is” Replied Bannihal. “Although he is immensely powerful, we know not if it is magic, natural ability, or something else.” “Tell us more about Ulandus, do they really have 10,000 troops? Ten Legions?” Asked DaMaximus. “More. Xersia alone has ten legions. The northern cities have at least 4,000 men at arms between the two cities. The Xersia is the guardian of the southern cities, so they only have a rudimentary guardian force.” Bannihal said. “Then there is the navy.” LeStrange nodded to this, apparently the PGTC had encountered the fleet of Ulandus before. The Leander continued to describe the throne room of First Centurion, the opulence, the grander, and the demand for total loyalty within Xersia and the other “sister cities.” It was clear that First Centurion ruled the whole island… making it hard again for Dugal to swallow letting five new high councilmen into Kaliphlins inner circle – considering rarely do 15 show up to meetings, this would give them a sizable voting bloc. And how many lower lords did they want to add to Kaliphlin’s ranks? The 1st Centurion by -Mike S-, on Flickr “The people of Ulandus are generally honorable, yet steeped in history. Whereas people of the mainland have forgotten the sinking of Ulandus, the children of the subcontinent know every story of the Great Breaking, and learn about the prophecies of the Rejoining. They have prepared 2000 years for this day. And I tell you, they don’t just want to be part of Kaliphlin, First Centurion means to rule.” Bannihal finished. The 1st Centurion by -Mike S-, on Flickr “This is nonsense.” Phlici said, “You are obviously scared from your time as a slave. We need a second opinion, if we just invited Lat’ve in here…” Bannihal cut her off. “Lat’ve is here?!? He is one of their highest intelligence officers! This guild hall could be crawling with Sand Wolf spies!” “Sand wolf?” Dugal asked. “The third legion is the subterfuge and spy arm of Xersia.” Bannihal said. “If Lat’ve is here, the First Centurion knows exactly what we are talking about.” He looked panicked. “I must go, my men are in trouble! I opened my mouth up about the spies to the wrong chamber.” He turned to Leovetus “You should have told me there were Ulandians in the capital, I fear this was a foolish errand indeed.” He turned and rushed out of the room leaving the Aslanic Leanders looking at one another in disbelief.

Falling Apart (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 11) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Falling Apart They immediately reconvened the small council, there were many matters to discuss with Flagg’s death looming over them. Dugal though that it would have been wiser if they combed Petraea for the other high lords to make sure no one else had been assassinated. However, the circumstances surrounding Flagg’s death did not sit well with him. Dugal knew a thing or two about being assassinated, and he figured that there just was something odd with the Sorceress’ story. DSC_1504 by skaforhire, on Flickr One of the reasons that they reconvened was because there were ambassadors from both Ulandus and the Desert King to see the council. Procedure said that these emissaries had to be invited by a High Lord to speak in front of the High Council, since both sets of emisarries were associated with low lords, they had to be introduced to a Small Council first. First up were the Ulandians, who were the guest of Phlici Maderni. But, High Lord Bain Ba’Elder would not yield the floor. “I believe this is even more evidence that we need to take troops from Eastgate and distribute them to the rest of the Realm. We should also make a formal request that Lord DaMaximus bring his troops back to Western Eastern Kaliphlin, where we now know the Ulandian threat originates from. They have assassinated our leader!” Bain was beginning to get into a bellicose raving now. Phlici got a word in. “The last I heard, it was a Dark Elf that killed Flagg. Not a Ulandian, unless you know something we don’t?” she paused, but laid it on him. “Perhaps you are associated with the killer? And, why would we talk about removing troops from the West, this is the Small Council for Western Affairs! What are you plotting at?” Bain was outraged. “You care challenge a High Lord? We all know where you loyalties lie, we know the stories!” Dugal threw a glance at Gideon to see his reaction; they had spoken about Phlici’s “closeness” to the Ulandians before this meeting. Sand’s End was important for protecting the border, and neither of the two high lords wanted to see Ulandians doing that protecting. DSC_1595 by skaforhire, on Flickr Gideon seemed lost in thought, he had just told the council about the grain shortage in Barqa – Dugal knew that part of the shortage was due to his army needing supplies over the last year. Everyone had been stretched thin. Phlici roared back “And we know that you have taken money from the Desert King! You are not neutral on this council either.” That made Gideon, Lord Octo(who had joined for this second session), Kyban Wh'Ali, and Dugal’s eyes bulge. Bain was taking money from the Sand King? She continued. “And I bow no longer to you, high lord. With Flagg’s Passing, his title of Guardian of the North Gate passes to my family, for he has no heir. I am your equal, but I suspect in reality, your better.” She smirked. For the first time that Dugal could recall, Bain was speechless. Kyban, in his slow Petraean drawl filled the silence. “You are taking money from the Desert King?” Bain quickly rebounded, and began to beat around the palm tree. “Do you know this famine spreads further than the Arkbri Valley? It is not only Barqa’s storehouses that flounder in this drought. Let me tell you the tale of Sin’ta-da’Leen. “ (Builds by Goliath – Thank you! ) Kaliphlin Challenge - Starvation by The Goliath, on Flickr) “The people of this village, that all of you have stepped through at one time, are starving. It has gotten so bad that food vendors outside the town will not bring their dwindling wares because of what happened two weeks ago. The populace so hungry that they had turned to eating their racing ostriches finally succumbed to the madness of hunger. “ Kaliphlin Challenge - Starvation by The Goliath, on Flickr “They became cannibals! Two weeks ago they attacked a food wagon and even ate it’s driver and “guards. Kaliphlin Challenge - Starvation by The Goliath, on Flickr “Money in their pocket, they couldn’t buy food! They couldn’t even wait to make a transaction. Clearly Madness reigns in the outskirts of Kaliphlin.” He cleared his throat letting some of the more squeamish lords try to keep their lunch down. “So, if I have entertained an offer from our former King, who promises stability, who OWNS one of the greatest legends of all Kaliphlinites, who has the money and the might to put together our salvation, is there really a wrong here? Are we bound to a leader, especially without Flagg being present for the last two years? How… how dare you ask me in an accusing tone if I took his money? We are Kaliphlinites, we seize every opportunity!” His cronies clapped. Clapped! Even Kyban seemed to nod to this logic and Bain’s tirade. But that was not all. Bain surely seized the moment again. “It is not just food shortages, and warlords, but slavelords are starting to emerge from the sands. We all signed Flagg’s pact, no Kaliphlin citizen shall be slave, and all slaves must be taken on raids outside of the Guild or from prisoners. Well, without might, without troops – troops that Dugal hogs in his precious war for inheritance – Kaliphlinites can’t travel the oil road without protection. The illicit slavers are bolder than ever, even coming into Petraea! We need strength. We need a king again. You all know your history, Kaliphlin was the most powerful nation in the world at one point, and we owned all of Historica! Cedrica was a sapling to our mighty Kaligem! And now, our great Pharaoh has returned, and you hesitate to throw up the old banners in support?” By Kai: (Thanks, Kai! ) kai by Kai, on Flickr Slave Gang by gid617, on Flickr Slave Gang by gid617, on Flickr Everyone began talking at once. Dugal lashed back at Bain, “Do you work for Petera? Why are you so keen on seeing Eastgate stay in his hands?” But, Bain probably did not hear it over the screaming from Kylee at Octo, who was making crass comments about how perhaps Kaliphlin needed a few more slave girls to spice things up. Kyban was trying to contact the guard about something. Gideon was speaking across the table to Ral’ai, a minor lord and Bain crony. Gais Elmore, awoken from his sudden nap, nearly slapped Bandari Milsion, for a reason Dugal could not determine. The council was breaking down. DSC_1513 by skaforhire, on FlickrDSC_1513 by skaforhire, on Flickr Then came a voice that was not of the council. “There are other means to order. Your Sand Prince, is fooling you. Take his money, and you will see it sift through your fingers like the substance he beds in.” Dugal turned to see Phlici bringing three men into the chamber. Ulandians… The one in blue armor, a man late in his forties, but still with distinguishing good looks spoke. “I am General Latrix Veringetrix, but my sand name is Lat’ve. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” “Who said you could enter this chamber?” Bain cut of Kyban before he could do his duty and Lord Protector of the Council. “I did.” Phlici said. “These men are the ambassadors from Ulandus.” Although the man in the blue uniform was talking ,Dugal could sense that the one in red was in charge. “This is Captain Castrix,” she said motioning to the one in green, “and this is General Royce Ponce, the representative of the First Centurion of Ulandus.” DSC_1522 by skaforhire, on Flickr Ponce, in red, began to speak. “ We understand that we must be presented to the High Council by a high lord. Thus we seek one of the High Lords in this room to champion our cause.” “There is no need Royce, I am a high lord now.” Phlici said. “We seek another.” Ponce said coldly. Dugal watched as she pulled her hand off Lat’ve’s arm. Perhaps the Ulandians were not a keen on the lady’s quick love connection with their general. Dugal figured Phlici was not politically viable to them because of this romance. “So what do you want? Why do you come to Kaliphlin with armies?” Gideon said. DSC_1517 by skaforhire, on Flickr “We do not come to Kaliphlin, we are Kaliphlin!” Ponce began. “Our separation nearly two thousand years ago was because of the Pharaoh Ark'Mora Raa. He sunk the great mountain, and rose the Void Tide to separate us from our brothers and sisters in Kaliphlin.” Dugal had always heard that it was a volcano that sunk the island city of Ulandus. Most scholars at the university said Ulandus was a myth. “If he destroyed your city, how did you come to be today?” asked Gideon. “Ulandus is not just one city, it is a region the size of Or’loral.” Castrix replied. “Or’loral?” Kylee said. “Er, I mean Gorr. I think that is what you call it now.” Castrix replied. Gorr!?! That was a sizable island. “We seek to rejoin our guild, our people, and be equals once more. We want our cities to have representatives on the high council.” Ponce said. “How many cities are on Ulandus?” Dugal Asked. kaliphlin-south-east by skaforhire, on Flickr “ Five that would be considered High Lord status.” Ponce replied. “Five? Surely they are not all great cities?” Bain said. “Xersea, First Centurion’s Throne, is as large as Ancient Kaligem.” Lat’ve said. Everyone sat in silence for a second. Bain was the first to open his mouth. “The real question is, if the Desert King can sink cities, and you are the 2000 year old enemy of the Desert King, why would we side with you?” “Because the Desert King seeks to control you all, not live with you as equals. This is why he destroyed Ulandus, because we rose in revolt as our freedoms dwindled.” Ponce continued. “We are your natural allies. DSC_1519 by skaforhire, on Flickr