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The Empire of Oleon Nickname The Kingdom of Light Colors Medium Blue and Dark Blue Flag Royal Banner Quick Glance Life in Oleon centers around traditional values. Oleanders are generally pious people, loyal to their Monarch, and take pride in their vast cultural heritage. Owning land defines one’s standing in the social hierarchy, and the rural nobility - which you can be a part of - has ever since been regarded Oleon's elite. Following her claim for superiority, Oleon today has the largest warships, fields a powerful army, and has already established a moderate colonial presence, which she is eager to expand. Oleon accepts new members, especially craftsmen, artists, agriculturalists, seamen, and entrepreneurs of all kinds, as long as they are loyal to the Monarch. Membership Oleon is open for members. If you would like to add to Oleon's grandeur, and to spread the influence and glory of the empire - join today! To do so, just sign up in this thread with an introduction post that shows your sigfig. A little background goes a long way, and we appreciate any story you would like to present with your character! If you'd like to join in The Monthly Raiding and Commerce Action, send Oleon Leadership a private message to get added to the latest "Private Message Thread" and coordinate our efforts. Index Honorable Citizens of Oleon Colonial Possessions The Royal New Terra Company Army Units stationed in New Terra Royal Naval Units in New Terra Quick Start Guide The Builders' Bulletin Board Recurring Story Characters Noble Houses of Oleon - Nobles of Oleon Medals and Decorations A DETAILED LOOK at the EMPIRE OF OLEON Leadership King Philip I and Queen Beatrice (NPC) After the sudden passing of his elder brother - the late King Stéphan II - Philip was crowned in April 616. Whereas the late Monarch was a great admirer of the occult, driven by all things mythical, which allowed the Order of the Faith to spread its influence into almost every niche of Oleander society, Philip follows in the footsteps of his father Stéphan I. Noble and almost idealistic, with a broad education, and – growing up in the Royal Palaces of Granoleon – naturally provided with a passion for the arts, he now has to prove that he can prevail on the political stage as the absolute Monarch that he will need to be. With his beloved wife Queen Beatrice by his side he rules over the empire in a crucial time. He tasks himself with nothing less than challenging the mighty Order of the Faith, and reducing the influence of its destructive elements, especially that of the Clerics of Hades, to rebuild Oleon's reputation as the predominating cultural beacon it once was adored for. Lord Chancellor Calida (NPC) Lucier Henri Calida was born into the House of Courtia - already one of the most influential Oleander noble families - and he soon saw the potential the Faith offered him for his political ambitions. He rose to power as a clergyman, but his organizational talents were soon discovered by the Royal Court. He was appointed Adviser to the King, and excelled in various tasks, foremost the introduction of a naval focus to Oleon, and the consequent buildup of La Royale prior to the Juniper War. Today he is not only Chancelier d'Oleon – the highest administrative position in Oleon – he is also Supreme High Priest of the Clerics of Zeus, making him de facto leader of the Order of the Faith, which has blossomed under his regime. Under King Stéphan II he controlled the High Council and was First Adviser to the King, answering only to him. And as the King shared his beliefs, his authority was unchallenged. Some even say Stéphan II was a mere puppet, and that Calida was Oleon's true regent. Now, with Philip I as King, his universal authority might be challenged for the first time. Nobody can tell how Calida is likely to react to this, since his agenda remains unclear to everyone. He is feared by many, and often described as a devious schemer who will do anything to tighten the Order's grasp on Oleon. Others see in him a savior and believe him to be the only guarantor for upholding the Empire's domestic order. One thing is for sure, though, he is more likely to prepare for a war with Corrington than to read mass in a temple. Structure of State Oleon is an absolute Monarchy. The King has always been the central authority, ruling over the land with a wise and strong hand since the days of King Arltrees. Oleon is the King – and the King is Oleon. Wise Monarchs govern for the well-being of their loyal subjects, taking paternal care of them. That is the natural order of all things under the sun. So there is no need for 'representation', for 'parliaments' even, or other unsacred institutions in Oleon. But wise Monarchs also listen to advice. That is the reason why the High Council supports the King in his rule, and advises him with expertise in all matters of state. The various branches of Oleon's administration then answer to the High Council and his chairman, the Lord Chancellor of Oleon, who traditionally is the first and most important adviser to His Majesty. Members of the High Council Pierre Lavalette Genaro, Duc de Vele et Pair d’Oleon, Intendant Général des Finances, Grand’Croix de l’Ordre Royal de Saint-Arltrees. Captain Genaro @Thomas Waagenaar Pierre Lavalette Genaro is the current Duke of Vele - a booming coastal region East of Granoleon - and General Intendant of Finances at His Majesty’s Royal Court. Using his formidable fiscal talent and economic expertise, the Duke of Vele has consolidated the royal treasury, and reformed Oleon’s taxation system. By many, he is regarded as the Royal Court’s rising star. Some even go as far as saying Genaro’s influence on His Majesty has already surpassed that of Lord Chancellor Calida. Berart Mazan, Duc de Boussac, Secrétaire d’État des Colonies, Grand Officier de l’Ordre Royal de Saint-Arltrees. Phred Bodi @Keymonus The Lion of Boussac is one of the most important advisors to His Majesty, and as Secretary of State of the Colonies responsible for Oleon’s fate beyond the line. Traditionalists grumble that the task of protecting the nation from her hereditary northern enemy and controlling Oleon’s overseas expansion shouldn’t go hand in hand. But the Lion of Boussac is an able man, and where better to keep Oleon’s foes at bay than in the waters of New Terra. Guiscard Emery de Beauregard, Duc de Corban, Secrétaire d’État de la Marine, Commandeur de l’Ordre Royal et Militaire de l’Étoile d’Ardros, Commandeur de l’Ordre Royal de Saint-Arltrees, Grand-Amiral d’Oleon. Kolonialbeamter @CapOnBOBS Growing up in chateau Sans-Nuage-sur-Maine - located in the hills just outside the harbor-city of Quilbignon - the young Lord almost naturally acquired a taste for saltwater, and soon was sent to pursue a career in His Majesty’s Royal Navy. Towards the end of the Forty-Nine Years War he was promoted to Grand Admiral of Oleon, and although unsuccessful in preventing Corrington from taking the Isle of Tam, he - under the direction of the Lord Chancellor - managed the rebuild of La Royale, which ultimately gained the upper hand over her Corrish counterpart in the following Juniper War. Today the Secretary’s attention shifts towards the eastern seas as the race for New Terra is speeding up. Oleon’s fate depends on La Royale - and on the salt in the Secretary’s veins. Guérin Godefry de Tourment - nicknamed Le Doublonoi - Duc d’Eranos, Connétable d’Oleon, Grand’Croix de l’Ordre Royal et Militaire de l’Étoile d’Ardros, Maréchal d’Oleon blackdeathgr @Jeff of Clubs Ever since official records first appeared, there has been a de Tourment holding the ‘Southern Key’ and shielding Oleon from the perils of Halos. Traditionally, the de Tourments also hold the title and position of Connétable d’Oleon, providing able commanders for Oleon’s armies who have proven their loyalty in every single conflict in Oleander history. But the house is not only a source of military genius for the Crown. Over the last decades they have also grown rich as prime suppliers of the Royal Army - a development that isn’t to the liking of all at the Royal Court. Robert Perrault, Duke of Vitoria @KotZ Robert Perrault, II, Duke of Vitoria His grandfather Bernard had three children, Robert, Sophie, and Camille. Being the first child, and male, of his family, Robert, I, went on great expeditions and acquired a great amount of wealth. His sister Sophie died in childbirth, but his youngest sister Camille had a child, Emile, who now is married to Elise and runs a successful alcohol business. Robert, I, after one expedition led to him needing to amputate a leg, retired from the life of the sea and turned his sights on moving up in the world. Robert, I became the leader of a trading company, getting friends in high circles. Unfortunately, Robert I died before he reached his dream of being granted a duchy. His only child Robert Perrault, II completed that goal. He continued his trading through the homeland of Oleon, expanding it as he could. But his true test of valor came on the field of battle, by wiping out a small uprising with only himself, a maid, and the gods he prayed too. It was the two (or three, depending on the stories if you believe in the gods) of them against ten. Here, you can see Robert, II, in his library, just before he gets his duchy granted. The Order of the Faith The Order of the Faith is a secretive band of highly influential clerics that is heavily involved in Oleander politics. As little is known fact about the Order and its agenda and ways, there are plenty of rumors out on the streets. Some see the Order's influence as a danger to the Monarchy, some even go as far as saying the Order already holds the true power over Oleon, with the Monarch acting only as a puppet. Others counter, pointing out that Oleon is free of dissidents, highlighting the Orders alleged importance for Oleon's inner stability and military might. Wherever the truth lies, fact is that disagreeing with the Order is a good way to get into serious trouble! The Order of the Faith can be read about in greater detail here. The Land Oleon is the largest country on the peninsula, and its land is naturally an important economic factor. Wealth is usually measured in land holdings, and hereditary grants pass on from father to son for generations. In the interior, the rural nobility traditionally resides in prestigious chateaus, and peasants live in little hamlets, and work for their lords as they have for ages. There are few large cities in the interior, but towards the coast things are beginning to change as innovations are developed. Passing from a rural hamlet with the lord's impressive manor towering over it, to a bustling port town is like going from one world to another. A multitude of coastal hubs have begun to spring up. With oceans bordering Oleon on either side, these towns have become quite numerous, and have contributed to a new emphasis on seafaring. The Order of the Faith has encouraged this emphasis, but is still eager to preserve the traditional social ways by keeping its mystical hold on the people. With its support, Oleon's navy has boomed. Her merchant fleet is growing by the day, and the Royal Navy is famous for large battleships and highly efficient gun crews, securing Oleon’s influence on the waves. A fine example of an increasingly important city is Breshaun on Le Bellan. Founded not long ago, it has turned into a sparkling and ambitious regional centre. Society and Culture Traditionally, a typical Oleander's life centers around the values of – traditions. Considering themselves the most culturally advanced people, Oleanders take great pride in their rich heritage of arts and literature. They are generally pious people, living in accordance with the divine rules of the Gods. But temples are visited more for social reasons than out of religious zeal. It is true that the Order of the Faith holds its sway over the people, but that doesn't refrain Oleanders from enjoying life. And especially the aristocracy is known throughout Halos for celebrating the most glittering balls and festivities. Oleon's cities are well organized and planned, their silhouettes often dominated by impressive temples erected in honor of the Gods. The architectural style is mostly a mix of renaissance and baroque western European, dominant among secular buildings – especially among the many aristocratic and royal chateaus and palaces that are in constant competition to outshine each other – and classic Mediterranean influences, which are preferred for religious buildings. L'Aile du Pontis (The Pontis Wing) of the Royal Palace in Granoleon is a great example for the supremacy of Oleander architects and craftsmen. The Military Oleanders are known to be fierce warriors if necessary. Military might is of paramount significance, as land is the defining social factor in society. Honor and bravery are values that every Oleander holds in high esteem, sacrificial soldiering on the fields of battle is every Oleander's duty, to die for the nation is considered the highest honor. War Banner and Naval Ensign The Army Ever since the days of King Arltrees the color blue is prominent in the uniforms and flags of the royal military. The standard military uniform always includes a blue coat, often but not always accompanied by white cross belts. A fleur-de-lys is not uncommon on the uniforms and flags either. As presented above, the standard military flag is a white cross on a blue background with a crown over crossed cannons, but there are numerous deviations from these standards. In every case, however, the color blue must be present! (some conventional flags) As a result of a history of warfare, mostly with Corrington, many cities and ports are fortified with large walls and impressive fortresses to protect the citizens in case of an invasion. The Navy Oleon's Royal Navy – or La Royale as she is affectionately called by the people – is among the finest and largest in all of the known world. Heavily expanded after the Forty-Nine Years War at the instigation of the Order of the Faith, La Royale managed to have the edge over Corrington's navy during the following Juniper War, but has since then been locked in a stalemate with her biggest rival. Oleon's master shipwrights are considered leading in the construction of heavy warships, and the emphasis on constant training and education has lead Oleander gun crews to become the most efficient in the known world. Here you can see a fine example of Oleander ship building, the glorious HRS Pride of Oleon. Ranking System If you create your sigfig you are - of course - free to give it any rank you wish. So if you want - for example - a Captain to sail your ship through the waters of New Terra - create a Captain. If you want a Major fighting off Oleon's enemies on the fields of battle - create a Major. However, we would ask you not to start out too high up in rank right away. There are certain official ranks that can be earned, and they bring in-game benefits and lots of prestige - not to mention the awe of your foes. So fight for your own and Oleon's glory and rise through the ranks - do you have what it takes? Army Ranks: Maréchal (Marshal) Général d'Armée (Army General) Général de Division (Division General) Général de Régiment (Regiment General) Colonel (Colonel) Lieutenant Colonel (Lieutenant Colonel) Naval Ranks: Grand-Amiral d'Oleon (Grand Admiral of Oleon) Amiral (Admiral) Vice-Amiral (Vice Admiral) Contre-Amiral (Rear Admiral) Chef d'Escadre (Commodore) Capitaine de Vaisseau (Ship-of-the-Line Captain) Rank Requirements and Benefits: Promotions can be earned through military contributions, means through repeated and active participation in war campaigns, fleet actions, through acts of bravery, and - as a base requirement - you need to loyally follow orders. For promotions to High Command - Général de Régiment respectively Contre-Amiral and higher - a noble title of at least Marquis is required - to make sure only the best of the best command Oleon's finest. 'But where's the beef?' - you may ask. Well, excelling in military actions is a profound way to boost your social standing in Oleon. It will lead to some shiny medals and ribbons, can contribute to your house's growing reputation, and might eventually get you His Majesty's attention - which can open doors you didn't even believe existed. And - who knows - maybe one day you'll end up commanding the unit you were once fighting alongside with - or determine the fate of a whole royal fleet in the vast waters of New Terra. The Gran Military Encyclopedia of Oleon Oleon's long military tradition has resulted in units ranging from line infantry regiments to specialized units trained to excel in one area. This diversity is all captured in the Gran Military Encyclopedia. This detailed book houses a unit's description, pictures, and history. All Oleanders are invited to review or add to this collection. Diplomacy Oleon has a hostile history with Corrington, and during the last war the two factions proved to be an even match. Officially there is no direct trade with Corrington, but various goods do make there way around via Eslandola and smugglers of all sorts. Pirates are tolerated as long as they don't operate within Oleon claimed waters, piracy is a crime and offenders will be brought to justice when they are caught. (Note: Relationships are judged on a 1 to 5 scale; Very Friendly, Friendly, Indifferent, Unfriendly, Hostile) Oleon's relationship with... Sea-Rats: Indifferent Eslandola: Unfriendly Corrington: Unfriendly Membership To sign up, post a picture of your signature figure, preferably accompanied by Oleon's formal flag colors. You are welcome to include a bit of a description as well. Your signature figure, or sigfig, will represent your character throughout your MOCs within Brethren of the Brick Seas. (That does not mean that your sigfig has to be in every MOC you make) Although this is the “Bluecoat” faction, that does not mean that everyone should have a bluecoat soldier as sigfig. Within BoBS there are many possibilities. Build your own story – for example, your sigfig could start out as a carpenter that decides to work on a ship. Via battle experiences he ends up getting his own ship, eventually becoming a privateer in His Majesty's service, etc. For those still uncertain of what faction to chose or how to sign up in a minute, we have some simple instructions here, which pretty much sum up everything. Vive le Roi!

Name: Fort Arltrees Ownership: Squatter settlement founded by Tristan Rimbaud Location: El Oleonda, New Haven Sea Map: Mayor: Lieutenant Marcel Dubois (@Keymonus) Who can own property in Fort Arltrees: Citizens of all the Empires, and the independent traders who call themselves "Sea Rats" Who can freebuild in Fort Arltrees: Citizens of all the Empires, and the independent traders who call themselves "Sea Rats" Description: Fort Arltrees was founded as a small military outpost during the first El Oleonda Campaign. The nearest settlement, Fatu Hiva, was several hundreds of miles far from El Oleonda, and the Kingdom of the Light needed a stable foothold in the area. The fort was at first nothing more than a fortified camp with a few warehouses and a pier, a place where soldiers could rest and friendly ships could resupply. Located in a little bay on the North-Western Coast, Fort Arltrees is in a strategic position between the Carnite cities in the West and the Lotii settlements in the East, and also represents an excellent starting point to explore the northern part of the archipelago. The settlement is surrounded by a thick tropical jungle, but a nearby river -recently named River Rimbaud- offers easy access to the interior. Most of El Oleonda inland is still unexplored, but the recent expeditions have mapped quite well the surroundings of Fort Arltrees. The first expeditions in the interior confirmed a limited presence of other nations in the area -substantially some small military units hunting one another- and found a number of small native villages, likely inhabited also by indigenous people and early Lotii explorers stranded on the island. The jungle around Fort Arltrees is also spotted with large ruins, ancient roads, and a system of canals, likely remains of an advanced civilization. During the last months, the settlement has grown quickly: after the end of the first hostilities, the small tent camp surrounded by a palisade has grown into a bustling, large town. The first wooden shacks were soon replaced by large stone buildings, including a new impressive fort guarding the bay. However, small wooden buildings such as farms and hunter shelters are common in the outskirts of the settlement. Despite the fast development, Fort Arltrees is still a frontier settlement, where life is hard and can end with a sudden, violent death. However, thanks to the new, imposing fortifications, it is very unlikely that Fort Arltrees can be simply wiped out of history. War is raging again on El Oleonda, but everyone feels safe inside the settlement, and both businesses and services are rising. Outside the palisade, on the contrary, almost everyone carries a musket in everyday activities: the natives of El Oleonda are mostly friendly, but bands of both Carnite and Lotii stragglers still haunt the jungle. Even if the settlement has grown quickly, most of the future buildings are expected to be simple stone or wooden structures, and development plans are still focused on the basic needs of the inhabitants. Most of the residents are currently soldiers, hunters and adventurers, but more and more colonists are looking for fortune on El Oleonda. With the growth of the population and of the settlement economy, large stone builds have appeared in Fort Arltrees, and important urban development plans are ongoing. Outside the settlement, instead, most of the buildings are still simple wooden houses and small farms, often fortified against the bandits. More Information on El Oleonda: El Oleonda is one of the four main islands of the New Haven Sea region. Like most of the lands of the New World, it is largely covered by jungle and thick tropical forests, but grasslands, marshes, and a variety of other biomes are also present. The central part of El Oleonda is crossed by a range of rocky hills, one of the highest in the whole New World. The island is inhabited by several native tribes, each with its unique traditions and culture. Moreover, the abandoned ruins of an ancient civilization (imposing temples, canal systems, even large cities) are scattered all over the island, and often host the -far more modest- settlements of El Oleonda tribes. In 620, El Oleonda was the theatre of one of the major wars of the Second Era of colonization: tensions and fights between Carno and Lotus Empire quickly escalated into an open war. The Madrician Empires were soon directly involved in the conflict, with the military campaigns against the Lotii forces and the Lotii raids against Spudkirk and Jiangkai. You can find more about the first El Oleonda Campaign here or in the spoiler below. Garrison: 1 Company of Essener Totenköpfe El Oleonda Ragamuffins - local militia unit Builds in Fort Arltrees: Please post a link to your build and specify if licensed or not. Licensed properties: 37 Size for EGS purposes - Level 4 'Large Town’ Properties required for the next level Artisan: 10/8 Commerce: 11/8 Cultural: 7/2 Educational: 4/3 Factory: 8/8 Residence: 13/8 Royal: 0/1 Total points: 66/61 Notable Events: A fort in the jungle - Founding of the settlement, in February 620 The Battle for El Oleonda - The First El Oleonda War, started after the Lotii raid against Spudkirk The Seawatch Campaign - Military campaign of allied Madrician Nations (Carno, Corrington, Eslandola, and Oleon) against the Lotii forces on El Oleonda, started after the Siege of Seawatch and the Lotii raid against Jiangkai The Foreign Merchants' District - A new commercial district of the settlement, attracting several merchants from foreign nations Residence: Fort Arltrees Vicarage - medium Hotel in Fort Arltrees - small Tree House - small An Essener House - small Marshal DeQuesne’s Flat - small Homestead - large A mostly warm reception - small Forward HQ Corrington Expeditionary Force - small Tamish bothy - small Fort Arltrees brig - small Factory: Vin de riz brewery - medium Small Factory Sawmill - small Smoked meat for the Fort - small Candy Factory - small Smith’s Smithy - large Plantation: A'Chua's people - small Rice Plantation - medium LBSF wheat farm - large Mine: The mine at the World's End - gold mine Artisan: The Tavern - large Fort Arltrees Bazaar - large Mr. Shur's Lotii Curiosities - small Ship repairing workshop - small Rimbaud Aqueduct - medium Commerce: Sutler's shop - small Lighthouse of Fort Arltrees - medium Small Commercial Wharf - small Dress Shop - small Among thieves - small Fort Arltrees military HQ - medium The Altonian Commercial Mission - small The Ferrer Family Commercial Enterprise - small The Essener New World Trading Company - small Education: A Little Schoolhouse - small Fort Arltrees public school - large Art & Culture: Church of Hades - large House of the Ancestors - medium Gardens of Poseidon- medium Forts: Fort Arltrees - small Gatekeeper Point - large Unlicensed Builds (similar to EGS properties): Essian Reiterhaus - a small garrison of Essian light cavalry Other Freebuilds (not similar to EGS properties): Sweet, sweet rotten eggs - A sulfurous spring, somewhere in the interior Monsieur le Filon - Prospecting outside Fort Arltrees found a gold vein A patrol encounters a bear outside the settlement - an unpleasant accident Return to the Tyree'dee - Bishop François returns to El Oleonda Introducing General Hercule François - General Hercule François arrives at the settlement

Fort Arltrees, El Oleonda, November 623 War was still raging on El Oleonda, somewhere in the East, but the inhabitants of Fort Arltrees weren't particularly concerned. The enemy army was reorganizing around Oryant and Luyang, and the only immediate threat to the Fort was represented by bands of Lotii stragglers and Carnite deserters: they still created some troubles for the most isolated farms... but, after all, that was the New World, and always keeping the musket at hand didn't seem something particularly unusual. Therefore, during the previous months, the settlement kept growing steadily: the arrival of the allied contingent required more warehouses for the supplies, more workshops to fix the carriages, more blacksmiths, more stables, and obviously houses and taverns for all the workers. The gold mine and the farms also contributed to attracting a third wave of colonists, ready to seek their fortune in this remote corner of the Empire. With the allied fleet securing the main trade routes, and the safety offered by the imposing fortifications, the wealth of El Oleonda started attracting enterprising men from all over the Empire, but also from abroad. In Fort Arltrees, merchants from foreign nations were encouraged to settle and start their businesses in a dedicated district, close to the commercial port. In the plans of the local authorities, the presence of foreign merchants in the settlement will further boost the economy of the settlement, encouraging more regular visits from the Madrician commercial fleets. On the other hand, Oleon doesn't want to repeat the mistakes made by Mardier with Terraversa: closing the port to the other nations would only encourage them to try establishing their own footholds in the New Haven Seas, with no control or advantage for the Empire of Light. Several nations established a commercial emporium in the settlement: these little buildings represented at the same time warehouses, offices of the commercial delegation, and informal embassies. To avoid crossing too much one another's path, each trading company specialized in a few specific wares: trading from and to the very corner of the map is already complicated enough, and nobody wants to start pointless concurrencies! In the Foreign Merchants' District, hundreds of doubloons change hands every day: a single ship loaded with spices, dyes, or sugar may be worth a real fortune back in the Madrician nations, while some relatively common goods produced in the motherland or in the Western Islands might be rare and expensive in the New Haven region. In the District, it is also possible to hire captains, ships, and crews of almost any nationality, to circumvent the current political complications: for a fair price, you could get a shipment of Lotii porcelains, or even get a passage to the Southern Kingdoms on a neutral ship; needless to say, this is also of great interest for the secret services, and the "Altonian salesman" who just embarked for the Lotus Empire could easily be an agent of Corrington or Oleon, an ambassador involved in secret talks, or even a Lotii spy! Sailing under a foreign flag can also allow a safer journey to Fort Arltrees for rich passengers, valuable objects... or both, as in the case of the famous painter who has just been hired by the Garvian delegation! A real army of porters works in the district and in the nearby port: hundreds of crates, barrels, and bags have to be moved every day from the ships to the warehouses, or vice versa. Not everything, however, is worth its weight in gold, as in the case of the shipment of fruit and vegetables just delivered to the Mardierian delegation. Even if Fort Arltrees looked very different from the small hamlet of wooden shacks of only a couple of years before, the settlement was still very different from the most civilized cities of the Western Islands. Despite the fancy buildings of the District, trappers and boucaniers are still a common sight in the settlement, and the inhabitants are not particularly picky about the possible meanings of "roasted venison"... differently from that Altonian officer, who would probably think twice before visiting a local tavern! Unfortunately, the development of Fort Arltrees also started to attract a few scoundrels and petty criminals... apparently an unavoidable price of progress and prosperity, in the New World exactly as in the Old one. This officer from East Terraversa should have been a little more watchful while telling tall tales about the Glorious Revolution of 616... Citizens of Southern descent represent a relevant minority, as some inhabitants of Jiangkai resettled in Fort Arltrees after the destruction of the settlement. Some Monomonto swordsmen, abandoned by their own comrades and simply left behind, asked to serve in the Grande Armèe of Oleon: most of them were enlisted in the King's Musketeers, a unit already well-known for the swashbuckling skills of its members... if with a rapier or a katana, apparently, makes little difference for the recruiting officers. ------------------------------ A list of foreign commercial missions: The Essener New World Trading Company The Ferrer Family Commercial Enterprise The Altonian Commercial Mission ----------------------------- OOC: This diorama includes several little details, including a full interior for most of the builds. Therefore, apart from text completion, expect it to remain “alive” For the next few days, as I figure out the best way to assemble/move/reorganize the different parts! In particular, I plan to add individual posts for each building in this thread, so stay tuned!

Welcome to the Gran Military Encyclopedia of Oleon! Here you can admire the might of our soldiers, from their boots to the tip of their plumes. This thread aims to collect some information about the glorious Army of Oleon: during the years you saw several units of our Nation, from colonial militias to the ubiquitous line infantry, from the famed Mousquetaires du Roi to semi-legal Volunteer Corps. Here you will find a collection of them, with a brief description and the glorious history of their deeds. Most of the units depicted exist in EGS terms, but this is not an absolute requirement: if you want to show the border cavalry of the Varcosian Border, the Royal Guard of Granoleon or other units way far from the Brick Seas, you are welcome to do it! For the citizens of Oleon who want to contribute: please follow the general outline described in the spoiler Vive le Roi! Unit index Militia Units recruited locally, both in the motherland and in the colonies. Formed by willing citizens or peasants, the main function of a militia is the defending a city or a province from both foreign aggressions and internal menaces, such as bandits or riots. These non-professional soldiers often wear odd uniforms, strongly influenced by local elements. Although they are often considered poor fighters, militiamen proved their worth in several occasions, especially during Corrish invasions and along the turbulent Western Border 1ere Compagnie Milice Coloniale de Fort Arltrees Tyree'dee Warriors 4e Regiment de Triallieur Dionysian Line infantry The backbone of Madrician armies. These soldiers march in a line towards the enemies and, when they can almost see the white of their eyes, they fire a barrage of bullets with their flintlock musket. The Thin Blue Line (or Red, Green or Yellow, according to the nation) is considered capable of enduring any attack, from cavalry charges to screaming hordes of natives. Although these units look very similar, training, discipline and experience make the difference in a battle: the victory will always belong to the soldiers who can fire faster and better, who can keep the formation regardless fear and losses, who can bayonet-charge the enemy even under a rain of bullets! Légion de Mardierennes, 1ere Compagnie La Légion Etrangère Infanterie de Ligne, 3e Compagnie de New Oleon Infanterie de Ligne, 3eme ("du Roi") Armée de l'Orient Light infantry Traditional doctrines consider light infantry only an auxiliary force to "true" infantry, with the only function of screening allied units and harassing enemy forces. However, especially in the unusual colonial scenario, these light infantry proved to be by far more useful. These soldiers are trained to move and fight in small, agile units, acting independently far from the main body of the army: therefore, they can easily fight in woods or jungles, where the rigid line infantry doctrines would be useless. Light infantry is sometimes equipped with rifles or carabines, rather than with long muskets, and is often employed in difficult missions, such as long-range recognition or raids in areas controlled by the enemies. Volunteer Expeditionary Force 4eme Infanterie du Bois 1ere compagnie chasseurs coloniaux de Astrapi Tirailleurs de Guelph Chasseurs a pied 11eme Compagnie 1ere Légion Pénale Jiangkai tirailleurs Jiangkai chasseurs The Sisters of Our Lady of Artemis Huntresses of Artemis Grenadiers Elite soldiers, trained to throw explosive grenades against the enemies. Despite the name, these soldiers usually fight with muskets and represent a sort of crack force on the battlefield: these soldiers are imposing, aggressive and skillful. No matter if grenadiers are attacking you with muskets, grenades or bayonets... the best option for you is running away! 4eme Pompiers "Les Feuyens" Heavy infantry Until the end of the Forty-Nine Years War, heavy infantry dominated the battlefield: muskets were still slow to load and inaccurate, so battles were often won by pikes, swords and halberds. Even if these units may look antiquated, with their iron morions and heavy armors, they still represent a threat on the battlefield: if they can get close enough to the enemy, they will likely prevail in melee combat. Moreover, armors proved to be very effective in the fights against the natives: their arrows and wooden sticks, in fact, can't simply pierce iron plates! Knights Treasurer Foot Soldier Pioneers/Military engineers Building forts and ramparts, but also roads and bridges, are complex tasks that require specialized soldiers: although they are not properly a fighting force, engineers are often determinant for the victory. Moreover, they often build "civilian" infrastructures in newly colonized areas, therefore contributing to the development of the Empire. The sappers, a specialized branch of the corps, have a completely different role: they must open a safe passage across enemy defenses, a dangerous job that often involves fightings with the enemies. Ingènieurs du Roi, 2eme Compagnie Breshaun Sapeurs-Pompiers Intelligence and transmissions Corps de Transmissions Police and Inquisition La Force Publique La Gendarmerie Royale Naval infantry/Marines Naval infantry and marines represent the joining link between naval and land-based warfare. These units are trained to fight on the decks of ships, but also for landing operations: these brave soldiers go ashore with little rowing boats, often under enemy fire, to conquer strategic positions (such as ports or coastal batteries) or to secure a safe bridgehead for large scale operations. Moreover, marines are also an excellent light infantry, since each platoon and even every single soldier is used to move and operate independently from the others: a forced choice, since tide and wind may scatter a small landing force along miles of the coast! Troupes de Marine Fusiliers Marins Light cavalry Derived from the nomadic raiders of the westernmost nations and from the tribal cavalry of Guelph, it represented for a long time something unusual in Madrician nations. Due to its excellent mobility, this cavalry is perfect for exploration, attacks to enemy supply lines, or chasing down routed enemies. While using these units for a frontal attack against squares of infantry is probably a suicidal move, light cavalry is useful on the battlefield too, for example, to charge moving or unprepared enemy units: even if musket and bayonet give a theoretical advantage to foot soldiers, the mere sight of spears and swords approaching at a frightening speed may easily make him run away! Chevau-légers Lanciers Méharistes, 1e New Olean Compagnie Hussars D'Oleon Chevau-leger Lanciers de New Oleon Heavy cavalry Heirs of the ancient knights, who dominated the battlefields for centuries (from the end of the Empire to the War that Time Forgot, but also later), these soldiers have a simple task on the battlefield: run directly towards the enemies and crack their formation with mere brute force. Even if the golden age of the knights is over, a charge of heavy cavalry can still decide the outcome of the battle. With heavy swords and imposing horses, heavy cavalry smashes into enemy units, opening its way with cold steel; despite this, several soldiers are equipped also with pistols, or short carabines particularly useful for close-quarter fights. Courassiers Mounted infantry Mounted infantry, as the name suggests, is something between infantry and cavalry: these soldiers ride small and fast horses, similar to the ones of light cavalry, but fight mainly on foot. Due to their mobility and versatility, mounted infantry represents a useful resource on the battlefield, but also for irregular and "less honorable" tasks, such as hunting for elusive enemies, raiding enemy territory, or even repressing riots. Dragoons Artillery Probably the strongest argument you can bring to a discussion. Artillery alone can win battles, breaking enemy attacks or weakening defensive lines. Artillery is divided into several sub-specialties, such as foot artillery, siege artillery, or horse artillery. The underlying idea, however, is always the same: take a cannon, bring it near enough to the enemies, and tear them apart with a rain of fire and iron! Artillerie à pied, 6e Compagnie Artillerie à pied, 3e Compagnie de New Oleon 1st Colonial Mountain Artillery Company --------------------- Historical troops Western Border Skirmishes, 608 A.E.

April 622, Somewhere not far from Seawatch, New Haven Sea "Hoist the mainsail, ya scurvy dogs!" - the captain was yelling at the top of his lungs, but hearing him in the whistle of the wind was still very difficult- "Let's see if those fishing boats wanna dance with us!". The "fishing boats" had just rounded the promontory, one mile behind, and were closing in fast... but as soon as they left the cover of the shore the waves started to hit them with their full strength. The sailors of the Stormchaser laughed wildly as the three junks started to swing and list dangerously, the sails flapping out of control: they could imagine the chaos, the soldiers slipping and rolling on the deck, the wheel spinning around... for that day, their chase was definitely over! "Brace yourselves lads! Give me more jib and say farewell to those bilge rats!" The little crew roared and ran to the ropes. Soon, the Lotii would have turned back to their port, seasick and humiliated, and Seawatch would have been fed for one more day. The Stormchaser, and many other little ships with her, were the last, weak connection between Seawatch and the rest of the world: the settlement was surrounded, and all the roads had been cut. However, the Lotii junks blockading the port were not as fast and seaworthy as the Madrician sloops. When the sea became rough, therefore, brave and slightly mad captains tried the dangerous routes from Fort Arltrees or Spudkirk, defying the storms and the enemy patrols. They were calle Sturmreitern, the riders of the storms, because that was exactly what they did: riding the waves and the winds, that the Lotii didn’t dare to face! Some considered them smugglers and profiteers, others called them heroes and saints... whatever the truth, their cargoes of dried meat, hardtack and gunpowder allowed Seawatch to survive. Before departure, the boat had been stripped of anything less than essential, then barrels and crates were fastened in every empty space. The little ship must remain as light and fast as possible, but the cargo had to be worth the risks! "Port ahead, Cap! I see the lighthouse!" The little port tower had been shelled several times, but somehow it was still standing. They had completed another passage, one more line to carve on the mast. Now the waves seemed funnier, and everyone was laughing and cheering... apart from the Carnite officer they had taken on board, who was still a little too green to talk! ---------- Front view of the Stormchaser A side view of the ship and its support ------------------------- After a week on a sailboat, I can finally present you the Stormchaser, which I completed soon before my departure! I'm thinking of licensing it as class 2 or 3 (suggestions appreciated: 22 studs at the waterline, 40 at the deck, excluding the bow mast). This is an idea I had before the siege of Seawatch was lifted, but I never had a chance to complete it. Now that the "humanitarian smuggling" task of the Stormchaser is over, it can move to more profitable businesses!

The battle was won, and the enemy was retreating... southwards or eastwards, to form a new defensive line between the advancing enemies and the city of Oryant. Only a few hours before, the shock troopers of the Empire had shattered the first line of the Lotii: after slicing through the defenses as a blade in the butter, they assaulted batteries, deposits and command points, causing absolute havoc among the enemy troops. Despite the complete victory, nobody among the soldiers of Oleon was celebrating any longer: during one of the first assaults, General Hercule François was hit by a stray bullet. The old commander was brought by his soldiers' hands to a farm outside Seawatch, but the red stain widening on the uniform left little hope for his survival. Almost by chance, one of the soldiers started humming, soon followed by another, and then another one. It was an old, sad song from Western Eranos, Tristan's motherland... the mourning of the soldiers for their dying officer, killed in one of the uncountable border wars. He had heard his chasseurs singing it dozens of times, but that day... that day it felt different, with their general on his deathbed. "The Captain of the Company / is wounded and he's about to die / he sends word to his chasseurs / so that they can come and see him." None of the officers Tristan had lost had had that luxury... not the old Captain Montier, drowned in his blood with an arrow in the neck, back in a dark Varcosian wood, nor the brave Major Artaud, found under a pile of dead Salleeki pirates, the sword still in hand. But going without a word wouldn't definitely halve been General François’ style, thought Tristan with a half smile. "His chasseurs go tell him / they have not shoes to walk there. / Shoes or not shoes, shoes or not shoes / I want my chasseurs here now!" In the old song, the soldiers are tired, tattered, and wounded. They are far, and they have to walk with broken shoes. On El Oleonda, the bluecoats were ready to gather around their commander, forming a wall around him. Their uniforms and their flags shane as a beacon in the jungle, despite the stains of mud and blood: no irregulars, natives or scouts, around the wounded general, but the best line infantry of the Empire. He would have been proud of his men, if he could fully realise what was happening around him... "What are the orders, Captain, Sir? / Your chasseurs now have arrived! / I command that my body / in five pieces it shall be cut!" Gruesome, yet somehow poetic... nobody even questioned why the wounded captain of the song could want that weird ritual, or how could the receivers of those weird "gifts" react. That was the tradition, the rhyme sung around the fires in the cold nights of Eranos and in the Varcosian woods... and so let the captain be sectioned by the singers one more time, without inappropriate doubts! General François didn’t ask anything similar, but still all his officers were gathered around him, to listen for his final words. "The first piece to her, the Motherland / so that she can remember her soldier. / The second piece to the battalion / so they remember their captain." General François had several defects, he was arrogant and loved the wine a little too much... but, for sure, he was a true patriot and an excellent soldier. Under his command, the soldiers felt unstoppable, as they charged with the banners flying in the wind. Despite his rank, he fought on the first line, pistol in hand, alongside his beloved bluecoats. No, the motherland and the army would never forget General Hercule François, with or without a piece of his body! Tristan realized that he had tears in his eyes, and that by now all the soldiers were singing, even the ones who had never been in Eranos. "The third piece to my dear mother / so that she can remember her son. / The fourth part to my sweetheart / so that she remembers her first love." Well, General François' mother was since long gone, and that left one spare part... that could come to use, considering the rumors. One part should probably have gone to Guemain Manor, to the General's widow, and another to the village, to the house of a certain peasant girl. A little François could already have been born, by the time the sad news arrived back in the motherland... "The last part to my woods / that will cover it with roses and flowers." Tristan didn't know where the General would have found his final rest... maybe in the woods of Gueiman, back in the motherland, or in a mausoleum there on El Oleonda. For sure he would have not lacked the flowers. The fallen commander would have been remembered among the heroes of Oleon, and the citizens of the Empire would have paid homage to his tomb for the next centuries. The song was over. The men marched on in silence, pushing forward the captured Lotii cannon: the light infantry of the allied forces was forming an advanced line on the hills south of Seawatch, in case of an enemy counterstrike. Meanwhile, the main forces were reorganizing, preparing for the next blow towards Oryant. Colonel Beauchamp had just taken command of the Oleonese contingent: everyone was still mourning the General, but the war was far from being over. The Siege of Seawatch, the Raid on Jiangkai, and now the death of General François... yes, the war was far from being over. And soon, that cannon would have been put to good use! ------------------------------ Just a quick reaction to the last KPA, and a heartfelt farewell to General Hercule François. Some of the builds are mine, others are from @Ross Fisher (pics 2, 4, and 6) and @Jeff of Clubs (pic 5). The song from Eranos is actually a famous, very sad, song of the Italian Alpine troops (The Captain's Last Will), dating back to WWI, and translated more or less literally. However, songs about wounded generals asking to be buried in multiple places have existed since at least the 16th century, with the Song of the Marquis of Salluzzo.

The Ajax is an 18-gun sloop-of-war carrying the Oleonaise royal colours. I think she's probably a class 6, but I'd be keen to hear opinions on that. Not sure what to do with her. I'll probably sell her to the nation or the RNTC, but this may be the point at which I finally give in and join the EGS. I also don't have any backstory, so if you wanna invent that for me, I'd be much obliged.

Ice, probably the weirdest good ever traded after the discovery of the New World: worthless for the ones who own it, but impossible to buy, no matter how rich they are, for the ones who don't have it. Nevertheless, frozen water is a quite useful commodity: ice and snow, stored in dedicated cellars during winter, have been used for centuries by the Halosians for the most different purposes, from preserving perishable foods to preparing slush and ice creams, from providing relief to the feverish people to cooling the drinks of the wealthiest nobles. Storing clean snow in a ice house. This is a common winter activity in the Old World, especially in Northern regions. All the ones who moved in the New World, however, had to reconcile themselves with a simple fact: the temperate weather of their motherlands is one thousand miles away, and here in the archipelago you can't collect snow and keep it for the summer, since there is no snow to collect. And, in the scorching summer of Breshaun, under the sun of Mesabi Landing or in the sultriness of Pontelli, you have no way to keep fish or meat eatable for more than a couple of days, unless you cover them with salt, or to drink something cold, unless you have the stomach to add some saltpetre to your grog. Starting from this problem, Charles Lautrec, an Oleander merchant, decided to start a new business, something never seen before: collect ice in Altonia, during winter, store it in insulated warehouses and then ship it to the archipelago. Charles Lautrec, the Ice King The first voyage was a complete failure, the cargo melted and monsieur Lautrec almost bankrupted. His enterprise, considered by most a complete insanity, was noticed by the René Duchamp, the financial administrator of Rimbaud family, who decided to finance the ambitious project: delivering ice to tropical islands. Huge profits are ahead for Charles Lautrec (the Ice King as people nickname him), for his supporters, and for anyone crazy enough to follow their business. (placeholder => ice cutting in Altonia) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Category A: Icehouses and warehouses Before ice can be delivered to a settlement, a dedicated infrastructure must be built: otherwise, ice would melt in less than a day. If you want to see ice in your settlement and keep it for more than a few hours, a storing place, owned by Rimbaud Family, must be present. Aim: build an icehouse, an insulated warehouse or something similar in your settlement. Requirements: it must be licensable as a small or medium build. Rimbaud Family (me) will buy it for twice its licensing cost and license the property. Gain for the participants: Twice the licensing cost of the build you submit. Opening a settlement for Cat B builds. Deadline: TBD, according to the participation. Prize for the winners: 1st 50Db+ 25% of the revenues for Cat A properties (for 4 MRCA turns); 2nd 25Db+ 15% of revenues (4 MRCA turns); 3rd 20Db+ 10% of revenues (4 MRCA turns). Winners decided with public voting; I will build something in Cat A but I will not enter the challenge (my builds will open settlements to Cat B, but will not enter the competition). Category B: Fresh fish and cold wine Now your settlement receives its monthly supply of ice. What to do with it, is completely up to you: build a super expensive ice statue to impress your guests, drink something cold, sell ice cream or slush (in Italy it was done since the Middle Age, using snow from Alps and Mount Etna), preserve fish or even try to send tropical fruit back to the motherland. Aim: use your fantasy and build something (more or less historically accurate/possible). It can be a commercial activity, a private use of ice or something different. Requirements: you don't have necessarily to build something in category A, but you can build only in settlements hosting a category A build or in Eltina (see later). The property can be licensed or not; if you don't want to license it, Rimbaud family will gladly buy it at 1.5 the licensing cost. EDIT: You can also build something not licensable in EGS terms. EDIT: You can also participate building in Altonia, provided that you build appropriate steps of the trade (ice cutting, the loading in ships, the transport to the port… or something similar) Gain for the participants: in this case, nothing but the possibility to build something unusual. Your faction or individual players, however, may decide to offer incentives for builds in specific settlements. Deadline: TBD, according to the participation. Prize for the winners: 1st 100Db; 2nd 50Db; 3rd 40Db. Winners decided with public voting; I will build something in Cat A but I will not enter the challenge (my builds will open settlements to Cat B, but will not enter the competition). Category C: Eltina Royal Project While ice trade is moving its first steps in the archipelago, the aristocrats and merchants of Eltina decided to finance something bigger, both for prestige and for economical reason. Eltina Ice House will provide all the ice needed by the elites, but will also allow the storage and preservation of valuable goods, in particular tropical fruit, imported cheese and fresh meat. Ice will also allow a more efficient brewing process for beverages usually requiring cold winter months for their production. Aim: building a Royal Commercial Property in Eltina, starting from the unloading and the transport of the ice, continuing with its storage, and ending with its uses, in particular to preserve goods. Requirements: The quality needed for Royal Builds, and some coordination with the others to reduce overlapping (for example, two ice houses would be useful, but showing storage of fruit in all the builds would be a little boring) Gain for the participants: Honor and glory: you are contributing to the glory of Oleon, our homeland won't forget your dedication. Each participant, moreover, will receive a flat of 50Db for each entry exceeding 1000 square studs (consider about 32x32 as reference, but also 950 studs will be fine; the cut-off is only to have an easier calculation of the overall size). Deadline: The completion of the project Prize for the winners: No winners for this category. If the build is completed and approved, each participant will receive an extra prize of 25Db. EDIT: Post your entries directly in this thread. Please specify the settlement and the EGS class. This mini-challenge is funded and organized by the Rimbaud family (that means with my personal funds), so I can't offer super high prizes, but I hope you will enjoy it anyways. If you have any question, feel free to PM me. Multiple entries are allowed (and encouraged), but you can win only 1 prize in Cat A and 1 in Cat B (your builds take the first and third places => you get the first prize, the third prize goes to the fourth classified). If you need inspiration you can look at wikipedia pages about ice trade and Frederic Tudor, the real Ice King. Voting will be opened at the end of the challenge.

Somewhere Southwest Seawatch, El Oleonda, April 623 All the pieces were in position, the chessboard ready. The marching songs, the chants of the native allies, the last nervous jokes...everything was replaced by an unreal silence, as every unit reached its starting position. Finally, General Hercule François roared: "Unfurl the colours. Remind everyone who the greatest warriors on this battlefield are." And louder, so that everyone could hear him: "Men of Oleon!" He roared, his voice carrying back all the way to the artillery. "I know you can gut this cowardly enemy and wipe them from this isle! But now I want you to prove it to me! Pour le Roi!" The soldiers echoed, with a deafening yell: "Pour le Roi! Pour le Roi! Pour le Roi!" It was the time. "Monsieurs, send them all you've got!" Said General Tristan Rimbaud, a fierce grin on his face. In less than a minute, all the artillery pieces assigned to his unit were blazing. The soldiers cheered loudly as, seconds later, the jungle in front of them was shattered by a series of violent explosions. Tristan had specifically required mortars and howitzers, capable of firing on high-arching trajectories... and, even more importantly, capable of firing explosive shells. "Captain du Motier! Two more salvos, then fire forward!" At this point, Tristan was yelling at the top of his lungs and waving his saber, to overcome the clamor of the battle. "Soldiers, forward! At the double! It is time to destroy our enemies!" ----------------------- Tristan and his men marched forward, with the shells whistling above their heads, and a hell of explosions in front of them. A grenade fell short, dangerously too short, but none of the soldiers was hit. As planned, the assault group reached the Lotii trenches immediately after the last explosions. If du Motier knew his job, the next salvo would have fallen a few hundred meters behind the first line, just in front of them, to hit and paralyze the Lotii reinforcements. Otherwise, Tristan would have probably had little time to regret his choices. Tristan jumped in the trench, followed by his chasseurs. The walls had collapsed in several points, allowing an easier descent. The earthworks were scattered with the corpses of several Lotii soldiers, but everyone was more concerned about the ones -alive and armed- who were running towards them. The barrage had been brief but extremely violent and, now that it had moved forward, it was cutting that position out from orders and reinforcements. The bluecoats stormed the enemy positions before the Lotii could set up an organised defence. The grenadiers, who were following closely the first vanguard, started throwing their weapons across the ditch, where some enemy musketeers were trying to form a defensive line. Other soldiers, with the muskets on their shoulders, were carrying light wooden ladders, useful to quickly climb the trench walls. Tristan didn’t plan to conquer that specific position: instead, his assault column aimed to slice through the enemy lines, to attack the artillery batteries behind them and the closest command point. The Lotii soldiers were determined and well-armed, but still disorganised. Moreover, Tristan had gathered some of the most elite troops available… including the grenadiers, who were definitely not sparing their weapons. As the battle was still ongoing, the teams in charge of the light mortars placed their weapons and opened fire. The assault column could have easily been outnumbered, but only if the Lotii could recover from the initial shock, something rather difficult if everything around kept exploding! Soon the regular infantry, the feared “blue line” would have arrived in their support… or, if everything went by the plans, to collect the wounded and the prisoners. If everything went by the plans… the soldiers had no way to know how things were going in the other areas of the battlefield, if they were rushing to victory or if they were going to be encircled. But, for Hades’ sake, their charge would have been remembered! Overall view --------------- Note: as Fort Arltrees couldn’t seem further from the frontline, and the new Gardens of Poseidon are opened, the Second Battle of Seawatch has begun. As news from the frontline have not reached the settlements yet, we still don’t have any idea whether this is a glorious victory, a limited success, or the prelude to a defeat. Credit to the (impatient ) @Ross Fisher for the general’s speech! I’m sorry for the little technical inconvenience of the half-completed story, for the next time I swear I’ll avoid that!

Fort Arltrees, El Oleonda, April 623 Fort Arltrees was not on the frontline with the Lotii, at least not yet. However, building monumental gardens in the middle of a war didn’t seem a priority… but the point was precisely sending a message to both the citizens and the other Madrician Nations. The mighty Empire of the Light was not scared by a distant kingdom of the South; its settlements could keep growing, war or not war! Two men were walking along the cobbled trail, between the statues and the fountains: one, the city mayor Marcel Dubois, was well-known among the citizens; the other, instead, was a new face in the settlement. From his elegant and costly clothes, however, it was evident that he was not a trapper or a common adventurer. "...and as you know, Monsieur Dubois, my family has always been open to investments in distant lands... risky investments, sometimes. With our ships, men, and capitals, we participated in all the colonial enterprises of the Mardierian Crown, from Terraversa to King's Island. We were among the first ones to face savages, hurricanes, and tropical diseases, almost a century before the other nations even arrived on Terraversa... and this is how we earned our little wealth and the favor of the King." Don Francisco Ferrer, the foreigner, was intentionally minimizing the role of the Ferrer family in the colonial adventures of Mardier. An understandable move, considering the avidity and cruelty of the first Mardierian expeditions. From the information Marcel had taken before the meeting, however, the situation was very different: the Ferrer had not participated in anything but had instead funded, organized, and directed some of the main enterprises of the Old Empire on Terraversa and beyond the Line; the conquistadores and the galleons of the Ferrer expeditions were only slightly fewer than the ones under the King's own banners, and if possible even more brutal; and the little wealth, actually, would have been envied by several small nations. This, however, was before the Civil War... after half an hour of empty talks about trade, and prosperity, it could be a good chance to arrive straight to the point. "You and your family gave for sure a fundamental contribution to the establishment of the Mardierian Empire, and even more to the development of the colonial economy. I heard that you owned almost all the tobacco plantations on Isla de Medio, and at least half of the sugar factories on Terraversa... but I hope that the Terraversan Revolution and the Eslandolan operations of 617 didn't affect too much your enterprises!". Don Francisco didn't show any emotion, but Marcel knew that he had just hit the right point. His interlocutor would have never admitted that, but the recent events in the New World had been a real disaster for the Ferrer Family: they had lost all their estates on Terraversa, and most of their business on Isla de Medio had ended abruptly after the Mardierian defeat. By themselves, the economic loss was important, but not catastrophic. However, most of the investors had lost their trust, and their doubloons were quickly disappearing. Even the Mardierian crown had reduced its support, also due to some ambiguities of the Ferrer in the Civil War. In other words, the Ferrers were still filthy rich, but their fortune was quickly fading. "Well, Monsieur Dubois, I cannot hide that our trade companies are facing some difficulties." -in other words, they were just a few steps far from bankruptcy- "The Terraversan Rebellion and the treacherous aggression we faced in 617 had some consequences on our business... and the Empire of Mardier might not be anymore the ideal environment for our enterprises. My cousin Alvaro even decided to leave our business to reconquer our estates on Terraversa, sword in hand. But I'm sure you already knew how serious is our financial situation, and we both know that this is the reason why I am here." Marcel didn't expect the Mardierian merchant to be so sincere... better, now they could play with all the cards on the table. After a long discussion, the main points were settled, and an agreement was reached. With just some more details to define, the two men took leave and parted. Before going back to his many duties as city mayor, Marcel Dubois went to pay homage to the statue of Poseidon, right in the middle of the gardens. What they were going to do was not completely fair, nor even completely legal... but was also a unique opportunity for Fort Arltrees and Jiangkai to grow and flourish. Why understanding what was the right thing to do could never be easy? ------------------------------------- The gardeners are planting tulip bulbs in one of the flower beds, supervised by a Priest of Poseidon. Apparently, after some recent speculations, a single doubloon can now buy several cases of tulip bulbs! Meanwhile, some fish are transferred to the pond behind Poseidon's statue. Apparently, the rivers of El Oleonda host some of the most colorful and beautiful fish ever seen in the New World (that, according to the Tyree'De, are also extremely good if grilled on hot coals). On the other side, the pond has been emptied for some cleaning activity. In a settlement so far from the motherland, the workforce is too valuable to keep it closed in jail! In return for their work, the inmates receive some money to start a new life when their sentence will be over. The New World is quite different from the motherland: it can be harsh and violent, but sometimes more open-minded and forgiving. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall view: The story is finally complete, after some little technical inconvenience! I hope you enjoy it! BTW, I'm not planning to involve Mardier in our new colonies... I just needed to introduce a side character for some shady businesses I'm planning! To be licensed as a Medium Art and Culture

Name: Nola Mar Ownership: Oleon Location: Royalist Terraversa Mayor: Knights Treasurer Chapter Master Sir Helmut Von Braun (Ross Fisher)  Who can own property in Nola Mar: Anyone except the WTC (current properties excepted) Who can freebuild in Nola Mar: Anyone Size for EGS purposes: Large City Needed to upgrade to Grand City: 12 Artisan, 6 Commerce, 15 Factory, 1 Residence, 1 Education, 1 Royal (53 total) Trade value: 570 Troops: 310 Architectural guide: As one of the oldest settlements in the Brick Seas, Nola Mar has a large number of buildings built in the local blue-grey stone. The remainder are usually built from local timber, with white or tan plaster. Buildings from the Mardieran or Independent era are often accented with yellow elements, whereas those associated with the current Oleonaise administration are frequently accented in blue. The heart of the settlement is marked by canals, colonnades and piazzas. While the port region is decked out with red wooden warehouses. Fortresses: City Walls Artisan: 16 Nola Mar Stud Farm Avenue Des Champs Valerie Claude's Shipbreakers Cafe and Taverna Commerce: 16 The Harbour The Quay Harbourside Buildings Warehouse RNTC Way Station FTA Rum Store and Office Nola Mar Campanile Factory: 15 RNTC Silver Refinery Large Factory for the production of bricks LBSF Pottery Factory Residence: 31 Courtyard A Nola Mar Street Knights Treasurer Chapter House Nola Mar Gaol Mansion Art and Culture: 18 Caves under Nola Mar Respite Mission of Zeus Nola Mar Priory of Athena Orphanage of Athena Shrine of the Recovery Cooke's interrogation Silhouette's Umbran Cameos Art Gallery Floating Chapel of Poseidon The "Shell" of Artemis Mardieran Consulate Education: 6 Nola Mar University of Classical Studies Index Libroram Prohibitorum Pigeon Post Plantations: 0 Mines: 0 Other builds: A pamphlet from Nola Mar Get Ready, and... Fire! Military Supply Depot Cooke's Escape Trenches and Barricades Training the Troops Imports! Royalist Redoubt A Meeting on the Shore The Gates of Nola Mar Another Meeting on the Shore Meanwhile, in Nola Mar

Jiangkai, El Oleonda, March 623 After some silver nuggets were found by chance in a field outside the town, an exploitable vein of the mineral was discovered on the nearby hills. In the next weeks, a mine was set up, and a steady flow of silver started reaching Jiangkai. Soon, the valuable metal will leave the settlement in the form of ingots and silver livres, the Oleander equivalent of pesos, shillings or pieces of eight. Before this can happen, however, the valuable lore must be reduced into small pieces with hammers and pickaxes… …transported to the surface (currently in bags and canisters, but soon rails and carts will be implemented)… …and washed in a stream of water, to separate the heavy pieces of metal from the lighter bits of stone. The mine is expected to be a valuable asset for the nation, with an expected yield of at least ten million silver livres. Therefore, even if a pile of unrefined silver minerals somewhere on a hill is very unlikely to be stolen, the mine is constantly guarded by a small detachment of soldiers. In this moment the men on duty are zouaves from New Oleon… a dull task, but definitely less risky than fighting the Lotii in the jungle! Overall view: ———————— Licensed as silver mine in Jiangkai

Operation Hephaestus Hammer  Commander: General Hercule François  Forces involved: 6 battalions (2 line infantry, 1 light infantry, 1 artillery, 1 cavalry, 1 engineers). 540 EGS soldiers.  Aims: engage and destroy the Lotii army south of Seawatch. Plan summary: 1) Advance Our forces continue their advance, with extensive scouting by cavalry and light infantry. Increased patrols from Seawatch, in the meantime, localise the Lotii forces and fix them in position. 2) Contact  As the other armies of the coalition advance and engage the Lotii front, our forces engage the left flank of the enemy. Our forces advance in oblique order, attacking the enemy and closing the gap between our left flank and the right side of the coalition forces. 3) Press the assault Our forces advance along the whole front, pressing the enemy forces. We organise our attack in three waves: -after heavy, concentrated shelling of few selected locations, columns of elite soldiers (chasseurs and grenadiers, with a few light mortars) attempt to crack the enemy lines. If successful, they will march on, attacking supply deposits, command centres, second line mortar and rocket batteries, etc. (in modern military terms, we attempt a thunder run). -immediately after, our forces attack along the whole line. The chaos and the panic generated by the thunder runs, by the contemporary attack on two fronts (from Fort Arltrees and from Seawatch) and by the guerrilla operations on the supply lines (Operation Pandora) is expected to make the enemy line to collapse in several points, with the resisting units encircled or forced to an orderly retreat. -final blow: if necessary, we commit all our reserves against the enemy, turning the retreat into a route. 4) Exploit Our forces (cavalry and light infantry) chase the enemy to kill and capture the enemy forces. This, together with the forces from Jiangkai, should also force our enemy to abandon artillery, ammunitions and supplies, and to retreat in disorder to Luyang. ———————— Note: I’m just reposting our battle plan (with @CapOnBOBS’ great vignettes) as a separate thread, as required by the combat rules. I’ve just expanded a little bit the text, but the general plan is the very same we presented in the coordination thread. ———————— @CapOnBOBS @Ross Fisher @Capt Wolf @Ayrlego @LM71Blackbird @Bregir @Garmadon @Professor Thaum

Letter from Duchess Celeste Dupré to Guérin Godefry de Tourment dated 3 November, 618. My darling Guérin, I hope you are well! It has been too long, simply too long since we last met! How is your darling wife? We miss her dreadfully at my salon. Please tell her the conversation is simply drab without her charming sparkle. And your daughter, she must be nearly of an age? When do you plan to let her debut in society? You must allow me the honour. I will throw Granoleon's finest gala ball for her. I am so sorry to hear of your son's sickness. I will send my best physician to you as soon as he is ready to travel. I know the boy has his father's strength, and I have faith that, with the grace of the gods, he will recover. But I am afraid I have a silly request to make of you. It's my little brother. Not the priest; I hear the Order plans to promote him after some business in the colonies, to Abbaye or something? No, we need to do something about the baby of the family, young Pierre. Possibly you have heard the nickname he has been lumbered with? "Le Chevalier de la Chasse" - so humiliating! As if he was some sort of debauchee. His vices don't even compare to those of his peers in the provinces. Like that Hollande fellow, scandalous! Oh, I agree the fellow needs to change his ways, become a productive citizen of Oleon. But he can hardly do that under the cloud he is suffering with. To that end I am asking you to invest him with a rank. Make "Chevalier" more than a mockery. Give him a position he can apply himself to. I know you can. And you do owe me a favour or two. More than one member of your family owes their necks to the gentle words I had with the crown after that debacle during the Juniper Wars. And let's not forget, there are a few secrets of yours that I have been graceful enough not to share with your wife. Please, help me Guérin, you're my only hope. Your affectionate, Celeste Dupré P.S. It occurs to me that you may not know the François family crest - we've been out of favour for a long time. It is, I am given to understand; A falcon displayed parted per pale azure and argent on a field counterparted argent and azure. I trust that you can make sense of that? I certainly can't. [1] OOC, this is my request to the Oleon leadership for a promotion for my Sig. Being a clergyman, he cannot accept a noble title. But his little brother can! And perhaps you can see to it that the Padré receives an appropriate commensurate rank at the same time?

Jiangkai, El Oleonda, March 623 If the enemy know not where he will be attacked, he must prepare in every quarter, and so be everywhere weak. Everyone knew that the plan was dangerous, but still the problem was turning down volunteers, not finding enough of them. The citizens of Jiangkai had seen their city invaded, sacked and destroyed, and they would have never allowed that again, at the cost of their lives. For sure, they would have never forgiven their former compatriots, responsible of both the forced evacuation of 620 and the raid of summer 622. They were the enemy, and now it was time for them to pay and to bleed! As the main forces of the Royal Armies marched from Fort Arltrees to crush the Lotii forces outside Seawatch, a young officer of the Jiangkai Tirailleurs was authorised to harass the enemy supply lines and delay enemy reinforcements in any possible way. The forces available were not large, but they would have been sufficient to make the life of the Lotii army much more difficult! Operation Pandora Commander: Captain Guillaume Tiger Dupont. Born in the Eranos province, he spent several years on merchant ships, mostly in the Southern Seas. He later joined the infanterie de marine, serving in the Second Terraversan War. He speaks fluently in Lotii and Monomonto, plus some words of the other Southern languages. He knows very well the Lotii culture, and often even quotes the texts of the Wu Cru. Respected by his men, he will soon be feared by the enemies! Forces involved: a company of light infantry (1 platoon of colonial chasseurs, 2 platoons of Jiangkai tirailleurs), plus native guides. 30 soldiers in EGS terms. Aims: harass enemy forces, block or delay supplies and reinforcements headed to Seawatch frontline, divert enemy troops to irrelevant areas. Plan summary: the company will leave Jiangkai and head north-northeast, across the roads from Oryant and Luyang to Seawatch. Once there, the soldiers will start guerrilla operations against Lotii supply lines. The soldiers will avoid direct engagement enemy troops, and will instead ambush supply convoys, small units, messengers, etc. Moreover, they will interfere as much as possible with the enemy movements by placing obstacles on the roads, damaging bridges, and creating false trails and signals. The unit will move continuously, waging attacks in distant locations and occasionally sparing a vulnerable target, to create confusion about the area of operations. Significant increase of Lotii patrols would keep our soldiers out of some areas, but also divert forces from the garrisons and/or Seawatch front. ————————————- OOC, a note for the GMs: this operation starts from Jiangkai (30 EGS soldiers involved) and is independent from the main attack, but it’s coordinated with the attacks in the Seawatch area. Please manage it as you think it’s better for the game dynamics. @CapOnBOBS @Ross Fisher @Capt Wolf @Ayrlego @LM71Blackbird @Bregir @Garmadon @Professor Thaum

Jiangkai, February 623 As new colonies are established more and more eastward, and the frontier of the Empire gets farther and farther from the motherland, the local recruitment of high-quality troops has become a paramount. Officers born in the colonies and trained in Breshaun military schools lead to the victory men who have never been in the motherland, for a king they’ll only see on coins and medals. In Jiangkai, this resulted in the recruitment of both line infantry and auxiliary light infantry: units equipped and trained according to Oleander military doctrines, but mostly made up of citizens of Lotii descent. On the same line, a unit of chasseurs was raised in the settlement. Despite the inclusion of some Lotii elements in the uniform, these skilled marksmen are equipped and trained as the other metropolitan or colonial light infantry units. Differently from the tirailleurs, the chasseurs know how to fight in a battle line, but they are far more effective in open formations: their role on the battlefield is not to face the enemy in a tight formation, but to aggressively pursue and flank him, shooting without fail with the lethal Charleville rifled carabines! This build will be used to raise a platoon of soldiers in Jiangkai.

Working closely with the army's pioneers and surveyors, members of 3.Division's signals staff have erected a series of semaphore telegraph stations along their route to Seawatch. Placed at regular intervals, the stations, such as this one on the promontory southwest of Seawatch, carry the will of Good King Phillip to all his servants in the Oleonda Division. Another was errected in the city itself by the liason party under Chef de Battalion Glenson. Using various cyphers developed by the Army Signal Corps and Royal Intelligence, coded messages are now reaching 3.div and the coalition in a matter of minutes. For security purposes, the decoding methods are only retained where necessary. With Glenson in Seawatch, with the signals 'trunk' station in Ft. Arltrees, and tightly guarded by marines and RI agents in the field, with the staff of General du Brigade Francois. ... This is meant to add some redundancy to 3.Division's lines of communication and near real-time coordination options with the Coalition. I don't know that this is big enough to really license but if anyone would like to build some of her sister stations, go nuts. I will probably try to build another base reflecting Seawatch and set it up again. Apologies for the utilitarian nature of my photography. Plans are made. Thanks! ♧

Somewhere between Fort Arltrees and Seawatch, El Oleonda, January 623 Tristan stopped his horse and dismounted, immediately followed by most of his guards. Others, instead, remained on the saddle, carabine in hand. Even at the border of the main camp, the chasseurs were alert… a healthy habit, since any bush of El Oleonda seemed to hide a Lotii soldier or an angry native warrior. After weeks spent chasing the Lotii patrols, and so close to the territory of the fierce Daca tribe, a soldier could either be careful or dead. Curiously, Tristan had never met General Hercule François before. When the newly-appointed commander arrived on the island with most of the troops, Tristan was already scouting the hills with the light infantry. He had received new orders and fresh troops, he was appointed commander of the vanguard, but he had never been to the headquarters. Tristan, however, knew General Hercule François by fame. In the high society of Granoleon or Breshaun, he might have been known for his alcoholism, and several hastily covered scandals… but he was also a skilled commander, a cunning soldier, and a hero of the Juniper War. Despite the over elegant uniform, the ruff and the anachronistic porcelain cup, he was still the man who had broken through three lines of Corrish grenadiers during the Willow Ridge Battle… but, for Poseidon’s sake, a field chef was a little too much! As Tristan started to present his report, General François seemed almost more interested to his incoming lunch. It was an arrogant and frustrating move, especially considering that Tristan was just below him in the command chain… but probably it was just a calculated assertion of superiority. Screw that, they were not in a court or in a damned ballroom! He was sure that General François had carefully listened to all he had said- positions, numbers and quality of the enemy troops, location and inclination of El Oleonda tribes, important obstacles and landmarks- and that was the only important thing! Once more, Tristan didn’t regret at all leaving the motherland for the colonies… he could better serve the King far from the halls of Granoleon and their intrigues, and here the risk of smashing a nobleman nose was far lower! ———————— Just a little vignette, with a little bluecoat figbarf and some terrain. For the campaign purposes: this build links the vanguard operations with the advance of the main column, and provides our headquarters with the most recent intelligence. The rivalry between the commanders (@Ross Fisher, I hope everything was in line with your character) is just for story reasons, and will have no impact on our military operations!

"To these constructions, necessary for such huge quantities of water, would you dare to compare the useless pyramids of Tellvok or the works of the Pyrites, as famous as they are unproductive?" Water, safe and drinkable water, is the lifeblood of a settlement. Wood and building materials can be shipped from a long distance, food and commodities can be imported and stored, but very little can be done about water: without a reliable source of fresh water, a settlement can't survive. When the wells get dry or the river changes its course, when the crops and the livestock begin to die, people can only abandon their houses. This, fortunately, will never happen to Fort Arltrees. The city, which already received water from the nearby River Rimbaud and the ancient canal system, can now rely also on a modern aqueduct. Back in the Old World, aqueducts were a point of pride for the Ancient Empire, even more than the majestic temples or the towering statues. Most of the aqueducts were abandoned during the Dark Ages, as only a few far-sighted kings had the knowledge and the resources to keep them working. For centuries, therefore, people of the Madrician nations had to rely only on wells and rivers, until enlightened monarchs began rebuilding the vital water infrastructures. In the New World, modern aqueducts are still a rare sight: the one of Fort Alrtrees is only the second, after the one of Mesabi Landing on Alicentia. Fort Arltrees Aqueduct connects the settlement with the springs on the King's Hills, crossing several miles of fertile countryside. In the city, it supplies a large number of fountains and drinking throughs, and even more importantly fills some large cisterns: even during a harsh siege, Fort Arltrees will not remain without water. The war raging in the eastern part of the island, however, couldn't seem more distant: after the military columns left the settlement, life returned to its normal rythms... crops must be sowed or harvested, no matter if a Carnite settlement in the East is besieged! The ensign of the Rimbaud family decorates the pillars of the arched bridges (actually a small part of the whole aqueduct, but the most impressive one), since the infrastructure was privately funded. Despite the huge interests of the Crown in the city, Fort Arltrees remains in fact a squatter settlement, at least on paper... a strange status, for the actual capital of Oleon colonies in the New Haven Sea region! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall view: As you may notice, I'm currently forced to work with a small part of my bricks, hence the little monotony of colors in my last builds... however, I'm quite satisfied by the result. I liked the idea of building something completely new here in BoBS, but apparently @Mesabi had preceded me of a few years... nice aqueduct BTW, somehow I had missed it at the time! To be licensed as a medium property, even if suggestions for the category would be extremely appreciated!

Varcosian Border, Spring 608 The Juniper war was raging on, far on the East. According to the latest news, the Empire of Light was winning: the troops of Corrington had been routed, and were retreating towards the chief town of the Juniper Province, but everyone knew that they couldn’t keep it for long. The war was almost over. There were little celebrations in the westernmost provinces, as people had more urgent issues. Varcosian brigands had plagued the area for centuries, in a deadly hide and seek game with the local lords and their soldiers. However, as the Juniper War called too many dragoon regiments back to the East, those rascals soon stopped being an annoyance and became a real problem: it was no longer matter of a few stolen cows, but of farms set on fire and border hamlets sacked. At the time, Tristan Rimbaud was a young lieutenant at his first command. He had received the task of repelling “Bogdan” (the Varcosian brigands) beyond the border, but he soon realised that the mission was completely pointless: Bogdan moved back and forth the border as he pleased, escaping capture every time. After the first skirmishes, therefore, Tristan gathered all the available men and attacked the brigands directly in their bases. The campaign was successful, and “Bogdan” remained out of the lands of Oleon for several years. Crossing the border, however, was not without consequences: after the protests of the Varcosian ambassador, Tristan was relieved of his duties and transferred to New Oleon… a punishment only on paper, since he received a medal an important command in the Marines. Apparently, bands of Salleeki pirates were creating troubles, but Oleander response was complicated by international borders… From left to right: -Front 1) Armoured guard: some rural areas of the Eranos province had remained behind in the military innovations. The guards of some noble lords, therefore, are equipped as they were 100 years before: swordsmen wearing morion and heavy armour are not an uncommon view. 2-4) Eranos chasseurs: regular line infantry is stationed in the large Western Forts along the Varcosian border. Most of the fights against brigands and overambitious Varcoast boyards, however, are fought in the woods by light infantry units. 3) Lieutenant Tristan Rimbaud: second son of an ancient but relatively irrelevant noble family of Western Oleon; he could either choose the clergy or the army, as his elder brother will inherit title and estates. He choose the latter and, after attending the military academy, he was assigned to the Varcosian Border, near to his native lands. 5) Arbalétrier: while antiquated and difficult to maintain, a crossbow can be as powerful as a musket. Almost disappeared from the regular army, this weapon is still used by militias in some rural areas. -Back 1) Chasseur à cheval: light cavalry, equipped with sabre and carabine. Chasseurs a cheval can fight both on horse or dismounted but, differently from dragoons, they are essentially cavalry soldiers. In the western provinces, where border skirmishes are more common than real battles, those soldiers are trained to fire from horseback, something quite unusual in the Madrician kingdoms. 2) Garde-chasse: the role of game wardens is usually non military, mainly patrolling public woods and noblemen’s hunting grounds against poachers and brigands. These men, however, are skilled horsemen and excellent marksmen, who know the Western Forests as their own pockets; therefore, during wartime, they are enlisted as scouts and explorers. From left to right: 1-2) Varcosian brigands: brigands wear traditional costumes, often including peculiar cloth hoods and long moustaches. While most of the loot consists of livestock, on lucky days they can steal a statuette or a golden goblet from a temple. 3) Brigand chief: each band gathers around a charismatic leader, sometimes a lesser nobleman, a village chief or even a priest. He usually wears more elegantly than his men, with colourful clothes, silver buckles and plumed hats. 4) Varcosian brigand: most bandits have antiquated firearms and little gunpowder to waste. Therefore, they always have a wide array of knives and axes. 5) Armed peasant: not all the bandits are full-time brigands. Many of them are simple peasant who join the brigands for a while, hoping to steal enough to repay a debt or to cope with a bad harvest season. 6) Bowman: a bow costs less than a musket, and can be built by any craftsman with minimal tools. Bows are therefore often seen along the Varcosian border, in the hands of both hunters, bandits and even irregular soldiers. ——————— As most of my bricks are still in the form of Breshaun port, I built a small figbarf and expanded a little bit the past of my main character. “Bogdan” for Varcoast brigands should be something like nickname “Charlie” for the Viet Cong or “Fritz” for German soldiers.

Jiangkai paddy fields, El Oleonda, January 623 Somewhere in the rice fields outside Jiangkai, a heron was strolling in the shallow water, looking for frogs and small fish. Apparently, the bird enjoyed that new hunting ground even more than his usual swamps: food was abundant, and the farmers never annoyed it, even if the humans were particularly noisy that day. The excitation of the farmers was well justified: during some repairings, some strange minerals had emerged from an embankment... with a bit of luck, they could even be worth something! The heron, however, couldn't care less, and just passed by. Actually, it wasn't even a "heron", an Old World name for an unknown bird in an unknown land... but it didn't seem to be particularly offended by the lack of fantasy. Instead, it had just spotted a fat toad, and was already foretasting its dinner! ----------------------------------------- A small prospecting vignette for Jiangkai, on El Oleonda. My usual white setting (as you can see in the last picture) was not very appropriate, as many details faded in the background, so I used a darker picture on my laptop screen. I hope you like the result! With this, I also finished one of the short periods in which I could build at ease... so I'll finally catch up commenting all the great builds published in the last month! @Ayrlego, if the procedure hasn’t changed this is up to you now, thanks!

The Labyrinth, El Oleonda, December 622 "Enemies ahead, take cover!" Shouted Tristan, as his men started to kneel behind the ruins or in the thick undergrowth. "Open fire, at will!". Bullets started flying in all the directions. The chasseurs aimed carefully before each shot, but also the Lotii were in a good position. After the Lotii had disengaged from the siege of Seawatch and had -likely- returned to their bases, nothing seemed really different from two years before: both armies were hidden somewhere in the jungle, as invisible as if they had been an ocean apart; only small patrols crawled in that green hell, hunting one another and looking for any sign of the enemy forces. Things, however had actually changed a lot since then: the recruits just dragged from the West had quickly been replaced by battle-hardened jaegers and chasseurs, the Lotii militiamen by the finest warriors of the four banners. Now all the fights had become fiercer, and any mistake was paid in soldiers’ lives! That day, Tristan was crossing the Labyrinth with a company of light infantry, when they surprised a group of Lotii soldiers coming from the opposite direction. The huge complex of ruins represented one of the few reference points between les Colines du Roi (the King’s hills) and Seawatch, and could either represent a safe shelter or a deadly trap: the Lotii knew that place too, and dozens of men could in any moment be -completely unseen- just a few buildings apart. The place must have been an important city, the largest among those discovered on El Oleonda. Now, however, only a few large palaces were still standing, covered by the vegetation, among a web of alleys, canals and low walls. One of the Lotii fell, wounded or dead, as his comrades continued shooting. The two groups were just a few metres far, but the ruins offered them a good protection, and most of the bullets just shattered some old bricks. The Lotii were fighting well, but they were outnumbered, and soon they started to disengage, disappearing again among the ruins. Everything finished in a matter of minutes, then the jungle was silent again, as if nothing at all had happened. Even though the soldiers of Oleon had won, their victory was almost pointless. The chasseurs owned the battlefield, but the enemy had disappeared, as always, and very next day it could have been their turn to die or to run for their lives. That evening, Tristan scribbled just a few words on his diary: “Lotii scouts engaged and repelled. Still no trace of the enemy army. All quiet on El Oleonda”. ——————— I put together this moc quite quickly, but I’m very satisfied by the result! I hope to show soon more of the Labyrinth, actually a ruined city somewhere on El Oleonda (since there are no official “King’s Hills”, it could basically be anywhere). In the campaign, it should be considered as a minor skirmish, part of the recognitions from the advanced positions often light infantry. C&C are welcome, as always! I hope you enjoyed the build and the story!

December 622, Somewhere outside Nouveau Oleandia, Ile Dionysus As the winds of war started blowing again on the New Haven Seas, the exploration of the newly discovered lands was largely stalled. Knowing if the enemies had a foothold on an island was more important than studying the plants or animals living on them; discovering if Lotii agents had tried to make an alliance with a warrior tribe seemed more important than understanding the new languages and cultures. However, a few brave men still decided to try their luck, "for the progress of mankind, the glory of the Nation, and their own name". Expeditions of botanists, zoologists, and cartographers, part of the Oleander Royal Society of Science, arrived on the newly discovered lands alongside the soldiers. After a brief stop in Fort Arltrees, Jiangkai, or Nouveau Oleandia, the expeditions leave for the unknown: an uncontacted tribe, a coral reef, or the mysterious, unexplored jungle. Local guides, laborers and a few marines complete the teams, which will be alone and completely self-sufficient for several months. Among the various expeditions, a group of archaeologists arrived on Ile Dionysus (also known as Crocodile Island) to investigate some old bones discovered in the local copper mine. Some mysterious ancient bones had already emerged from the ground of Avestia, but the skeleton was too incomplete to determine the appearance of the animal. The mud of Ile Dionysus, instead, proved to be a real vault of ancient treasures: skulls, rows of vertebrae, complete and perfectly preserved skeletons... most were -unsurprisingly- crocodiles and alligators, but other remains belonged to animals never seen before. The most surprising discovery was made in a wet, cold morning of December: the skeleton of a monstrous snake was dug out of the mud, bone after bone. The animal must have been terrifying. From head to tail, the skeleton was at least 15 metres long, larger than any known reptile. If it had been similar to the other large snakes of the New World, this meant that it could have swallowed a horse, an ox or a large crocodile. Apart from the scientific value of the discovery, everyone was a little concerned… that skeleton could be just a trace of an ancient past, but nobody could exclude that snakes like that still crawled in the swamps of Ile Dionysus! A group portrait of the scientific expedition. The measuring rope was too short for the whole skeleton. Overall view ————————— Just a little MOC, to experiment with vegetation, mini figures and, obviously, the skeleton. Tilting a little bit the connections between the studs and the 1x1 plates gave a nice curved effect. I will license it as a small art and culture for Nouveau Oleandia (32x32 plot size, but too simple to become a medium property). I hope you like it!

Sacred Tyree'De grounds, El Oleonda, December 622 The sacred House of the Ancestors, one of the holiest sites for the tribes of El Oleonda, was located somewhere between Fort Arltrees and Seawatch. Like most of the temples and the villages of the Tyree'De, it was built among the ruins of the ancient civilization that inhabited the island: majestic cities and temples laid in the jungle and on the heights, mysteriously abandoned centuries before. It was surprising how fast the Tyree'De (a blend of indigenous people and stranded Lotii sailors) had developed their own culture, religion, and myths, and how fast that small group had become one of the most important tribes of the New Haven islands. That day, however, Tristan was not there to talk with the Tyree'De about their fascinating culture: he was there to win the native tribes to the cause of Oleon, and help the Empire to win the incoming war. The Tyree'De had always been friendly, and many warriors had joined the army as scouts and auxiliaries, but other tribes had remained neutral or openly hostile. The Tamaco people, in particular, had sided with the Monomonto since their arrival on the island. While the Lotii forces were encircling Seawatch, the Tamaco warriors had intercepted all the Carnite messengers before they could reach Fort Arltrees, and had forced Tristan's scouts to maintain a certain distance from the Lotii positions. As Tristan discovered, however, the relations of the Tamaco with their new lords had deteriorated quickly. In the highly hierarchical Monomonto army, the natives were not considered as allies, but as “ashigaru”, that is subordinated peasant soldiers. After a Tamaco chief was beheaded by a “samurai” for insubordination, most of the native warriors deserted in mass. With the mediation of the Tyree’De chief, Tristan met the leader of the Tamaco. The sacred grounds, where no weapons were allowed, were the ideal location for the difficult talks: decades of rivalry with the Tyree’De were difficult to forget, but at the same time an alliance with Oleon was probably the best defence against a Lotii reprisal. The Tamaco leader proved to be a reasonable man: for sure he was a though warrior and a proud man, but he listened carefully the proposals of the Olee’Ion war chief… and, in spite of the warnings (clearly impartial and prejudice free) that Tristan had received from the Tyree’De, he didn’t even try to eat his liver! Outside the walls of the sacred land, the blue warriors were fraternising with the natives, exchanging gifts and showing them their mighty thunder spears. Armed warriors secured the area: the meeting, with the war chiefs of the main tribes of El Oleonda (Tamaco, Tyree’De, and the newly arrived Olee’Ion), represented an inviting target for the Lotii warlords. The situation, however, seemed completely calm, and no incident had occurred among the different groups. As the discussions went on, a large banquet was prepared, as the sacred traditions required: if the talks had been successful, all the warriors- the ones with the blue coats, the Tyree’De with their red bandanas, the Tamaco with the painted faces, and all the others- would have eaten together. Otherwise, all the food would have been burnt for the gods of war, and the two chiefs would have fought to the death on the sacred ground, or they would have been considered coward and blasphemous. Despite the sacred traditions, however, everyone hoped for the success: together, the tribes were stronger and, despite the rust between Tyree’De and Tamaco, nobody really wanted a bloodbath. Moreover, that food looked so inviting… ———— While Tristan was discussing with Atanak (the Tamaco chief), Lieutenant Marcel Dubois (the major of Fort Arltrees) took the chance to visit the fascinating House of the Ancestors. In the Tyree’De culture, that building represented all the members of the tribe who had gone to the World of the Spirits: in that place, the tribe remembered them, and the shamans tried to receive their wisdom in times of need. Food offerings were deposed on the central table, while objects of the Ancestors themselves were lined along the walls: weapons, masks and amulet, but also glass bottles, Lotii coin and old maps, memories of the sailors stranded decades before. Discovering the mysterious Tyree’De culture, however, didn’t seem to be Marcel’s only interest… and the beautiful daughter of the tribe chief, apparently, reciprocated him! ——— Overall view: ------------------- Many fantastic builds have been published in the last weeks, and I'm far from keeping up with everything. With this, I'm trying to progress my story, show the effort of Oleon to befriend most of the natives of El Oleonda (not only the Tyree'De) and answer at least some of the last development on the island.

Although difficult to transport through a fresh-cut and narrow jungle road, artillery is a critical component of any modern army. Here some poor souls from the artillery branch work to dislodge their 6lb field gun. Although frustrated, they are surely greatful that they don't operate one of the many larger pieces in the Oleonda Division. Part of 3.Division's march to Seawatch. Thanks, ♧