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As Jiangkai slowly but surely started to grow again, royal authorities had decided it was time to open a small police station in the city to ensure the King’s justice and provide the stability and peace Oléon had promised the people there, when they joined the Empire. An added advantage was that the soldiers stationed there, could be relieved of their sentry duties and sent to the frontlines to mop up remaining Lotii resistance and bring an end to the drawn-out conflict on El Oleonda. Because of Jiangkai special semi-autonomous statute within the larger realm of Oléon, it was allowed to raise its own policing unit called the Garde Municipale, or Municipal Guard - their own petite equivalent of Oléon’s Force Publique. Members of this token police force were mostly drawn from Monomontachi commoners, with the handful of officers coming from a higher class. While the personnel was locally recruited, the police station was headed by an Oléonder officer sent from the Old Country, in this case Armand DeWitt. A veteran of Guelphian conflicts and a catalyst in the transformation and organization of the Gendarmerie Royale, he was the ideal candidate to bring the King’s Law to the outskirts of the Empire and train a local police force, under trying circumstances. As a representative of Royal Justice and as officer in the Gendarmerie, Lysandre saw it fitting to visit his old acquaintance in Jiangkai and discuss the situation on the island, before departing once again. “Seems like there’s just no end to this war”, Armand sighed. He watched the bustling street below them and eyed how his freshly recruited police officers patrolled the nascent city. “I’ll be glad to do my part here and help rebuild the city in the name of Oléon. For too long these people spent their lives in darkness. It is high time they can bathe in the King’s Light.” “What word can you share about the frontlines, Lysandre?” Lysandre mulled his thoughts for some time before answering. It was a difficult question with no clear answer, as the fog of war was thick and muddled things, even for him. “It seems like Lotii resistance has largely broken down. There are still pockets of resistance, though. They’re a stubborn bunch, largely loyal to a fault.” “And what of the rebels I heard were fighting on their side?”, DeWitt queried inquisitively. Lysandre’s face lightened up and he smirked. “We broke that pack of flea-ridden red dogs. They started falling apart once the Lotii’s lines started crumbling. Their leadership is gone and according to rumors, there is internal dissent. The bastards are eating themselves up from the inside.” DeWitt nodded acknowledgingly. “Good riddance. Speaking of internal dissent, a wounded Brigade Rouge prisoner passed through my prison cell and had quite an interesting tale to tell. My chief officer is compiling the report as we speak. I had preferred to have been able to sent it sooner, but the bureaucracy is still rather slow here. Most of my men are still learning Oléonese, so I have to triple-check everything.” Lysandre eyed his compatriot and raised a curious eyebrow. “Do go on. Something I don’t know yet?” “I wouldn’t dare claim you don’t know anything yet. Given your connections to the more … darker agencies of our Royal administration. Still, I found it compelling. It might corroborate other musings you heard already.” “Like you already said, most of the Brigade Rouge has been destroyed or captured on El Oleonda. Others have fled and formed their own sub factions. This prisoner vehemently claimed he had witnessed a miracle on the island and that apparently a number of mercenaries was able to flee the island, back to home.” “Do go on”, the Captain urged his friend. “According to the prisoner, one of their own was shot. Mortally so. Apparently a rather young girl. A plebe from the Eranos region that joined the Heraclians out of youthful spite and rebellious spirit. She volunteered to fight here, but like I said: she was killed. Or at least it seems that way. Here’s where the tale gets interesting. The prisoner claims the girl was dead - stone-cold dead -, but as they brought her back to camp in order to bury her, she mysteriously came back to life.” Lysandre laughed. “Hah, this dog was just playing you. A fool’s tale. A heretic thought in the very least.” “Believe what you will, it all seemed very real to this prisoner. He said her soul was returned to this world by Hades himself. Brought back to right the wrongs. She claimed to have received visions and instructions to cleanse the world of its sins. To stop the coming Apocalypse. She prophesied that the Brigade Rouge was about to be ended and fled with a large group of believers. Apparently, she was able to guide the party through all of over patrols, as if guided by forces unknown. From what I gathered, they fled back to Oléon to strengthen their numbers there.” While Bernadotte was still laughing a minute ago, his face had gotten more stern now. “While the story in itself seems very implausible, but if there is truly a large group of enemies that was able to make its way out of here, I will have to check into that.” “Put some haste into that report and be sure to directly send lieutenant-colonel Andromeda a copy. She’ll want to hear of this.” Another addition to my Jiangkai Market Street. I have another one built and photographed, ready to be posted. I was waiting until I could make a picture with all buildings combined, but my lightbox is too small and the weather has turned bad and winter-y (YUCK), so it's difficult to use real daylight to light the full scene. More images here:
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Not really a new MOC, just some story telling. Long text incoming. "The end is nigh!", the lead friar bellowed as a warning to his compatriots, who mostly ignored his call and continued their way through the bustling main street of Jiangkai. "The end is nigh!", he repeated once more and kept on repeating the phrase as it were some sort of chant, accompanied by the tolling of the mendicant's bell. The black procession made its way through the crowd, ringing their bells and holding its circular symbolism aloft. "Repent all ye sinners! The Apocalypse is coming! The Lord of Time will return from his chthonic prison and reset the Sands of Time, for all of us have lived in sin and tainted the world with our corrupt behavior. Greed! Violence! War! The clock will be reset and a New Dawn will come. Repent and untether from this world and ye shall be spared by the returning Titans! They shall shape this world anew! Hail Kronos!" Like many things in the New World, the mendicant Order of the Wheel (of Time) were a product of a cultural synthesis, catalyzed by the recent string of strange events. Taking inspiration from Monomontachi and Lotii Emmetist beggar monks, which often pass through Jiangkai and the surrounding areas, the brothers of Time have denounced their possessions and have taking vows of poverty, relying on alms to survive while traveling El Oleonda to spread their message - which is actually borderline heretic as per the teachings of the Aplynician Faith. Luckily for them, the agents of the True Faith have little say in Jiangkai and are often outright refused entry. Their attire also attests to Lotii influence, with loose garments dyed in black similar to those sometimes worn by those of southern Halos. Their typical hats, chapeaux de campagne, are a Western version of the classic Lotii conical hat and offers great protection from the sun. The friars themselves left little impression on the passersby, despite their shouting, chanting and bell tolling. What did draw attention - or at least raised more than a couple of eyebrows - were the flagellants that followed in the wake of the friars. Many of these poor souls had lost their homes, property or relatives during one of the heavy storms or bad weather events that plagued the island. Utmost desperate, they took up the message of the Order of the Wheel and resorted to mortification of the flesh to show their penitence. The defeatism of the flagellants could hardly be in greater contrast to the optimism of Oléonese entrepreneurs who have come to Jiangkai to expand their businesses and invest in the region, following the discovery of silver and gold. The business man frowned at the religious display that was unfolding in the street. Peddled around in an ubiquitous Jiangkai rickshaw and protected by a group of mercenary yojimbo, the entrepreneur was the classic image of a Western investor coming to profit from Jiangkai's special position in the Empire. As a partially autonomous part of the Empire, not all of Oléon strict laws applied in Jiangkai and the area was a grey zone as legislation was still being ironed out. The fact that the city was home to different splinter cells and cultural communities didn't make it any easier to share political power and come to legislative consensus. Which ironically made it easier for the wealthy to invest in the region, as the government either looked away or was content with a bribe to their own political cause: the Lotii supremacists, Monomontachi minority - which in itself was also divided between traditionalists and modernists, or the Oléon backed Western faction that sought to make Jiangkai a proper fully-integrated colony with full citizenship to the inhabitants. While the city is officially called Jiangkai, many of the inhabitants use colloquial cultural alternatives with the Monomontachi calling it Okinakawa and some Oléonese calling it Géants Quai, unable (or not caring) to pronounce the actual name. The peculiar status of Jiangkai and the abundance of unemployed soldiers following the relative detente in the Lotii War, led to the rise of mercenary yojimbo: Monomontachi stragglers, or sometimes Lotii - soldiers and ronin - who did not evacuate to the homeland or who deserted the army and now offered their swords to the highest bidder. With the Oléonese army and auxiliaries occupied in more important regions and cities of El Oleonda, the local government tries to take care of security, but sometimes falters. Which has led to rich people raising their own private guard cadres, similar to a samurai's retinue. Supply follows demand and several Monomontachi with a nose for business have started to set up protection services for those who need it. Lysandre gazed at the spectacle of colors and sounds beneath him, as he enjoyed a short leave after his latest mission. Haji stood stoically beside him. "What an utmost interesting display of behavior by these proles," Lysandre stated as he continued to survey the street. "A bit concerning message though. Could use more cowbell", he smirked. "Perhaps we should word to lieutenant-colonel Andromeda? Even though Section XIII is mostly involved in political unrest and religious unrest is handled by other instances, they might still be interested. Let's not let this fester into civil unrest." He jerked his head towards the crowd as he eyed Haji. "Best to keep your eyes on those folk, Haji." "Hai", the swordsman merely grunted, made a short bow and left the premise. ----- I've had the figures for the friars laying around since the First Transitional Challenge. I wanted to build a series of MOCs showing an obvious Oléonese response to the disasters: dial the religious crazy up to eleven. Sadly, I didn't have the time to work out my ideas. Still, I like their story and I wanted to share these guys before Era II is over. The business man and his retinue is a continuation of the phenomenon I set up in my original post that debuted the MOC. I just saw it fitting to take it up once again. You can see the full scene in the spoiler below. Like I said, these aren't new MOCs. Both have been presented in the past. I've some ideas to expand the market street, but not the time I need. It was a long read, but I hope it was enjoyable!
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The ruins of Jiangkai, December 620, El Oleonda Wisps of smoke rose slowly in the sky, from right beyond the hill... they had almost arrived. The small party, led by the "governor" of Fort Arltrees Marcel Dubois, spurred the horses, and a desolate landscape appeared in front of them. It was even worse than they had imagined: the crops in front of them were a stretch of mud and ashes, turned into a marsh by the recent rains. Further beyond lay the ruins of the city: blackened walls, piles of rocks and burned beams, nothing more... the Corrish sacking had damaged the city, but the retreating Lotii army was far more scrupulous, blowing up the city fortifications and setting all the other buildings on fire. In spite of the devastation, several people had remained among the ruins, building a series of miserable shacks. Civilians frightened by the long march towards Luyang, stragglers who returned from the jungle just to find their barracks devastated, some deserters... all the people left behind by the Kingdom of the Lotus, now struggling to survive with the scarce food available. Technically they were still enemies of Oleon, but most of them would've not arrived to the following summer without help. This was the reason why Lieutenant Dubois was there, with a dozen of mules loaded with food and a small bodyguard. The organization of the rescue expedition was the last order left by Tristan Rimbaud before leaving for Terraversa. Marcel personally approved the plan, but he also knew that it could end very, very bad for himself: scared people can be dangerous, especially when they have weapons and poor discipline. As expected, the sight of armed horsemen set the nearest encampment into complete caos: some people started running towards the ruins, others grabbed weapons, tools and sticks to repel the "attackers". In spite of the immediate reaction, the signs of scurvy and denutrition were already clear on those men. Calming down the spirits required a lot of time, diplomacy and all the limited knowledge of the Lotii language Marcel had. Then, the distribution of food could finally begin. Lieutenant Marcel Dubois spent two of the following areas trying to understand who could represent the local heterogeneous community, and several more discussing the terms of a treaty: Jiangkai would have become part of the glorious Empire of Light, although with a certain degree of autonomy. In exchange, Oleon would have helped with the reconstruction, and would have provided military protection in the future, especially against Carno and the hated redcoats, but also against the Lotus Empire, which considered deserters and traitors the ones who had remained behind the retreat. Marcel didn't know if he, or -for what mattered- even Tristan Rimbaud actually had the authority to stipulate such an agreement, but it was the best thing to do. He signed the paper, frankly hoping that the Crown would have agreed. At least, this time he only risked a degradation, not his own head... following Tristan's orders, for sure, was quite far from a boring job in the colonial administration!
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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!
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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
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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
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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.
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Jiangkai, El Oleonda, May 622 Jiangkai is a unique settlement: a little city that thrives on the very corner of the maps, a Lotii settlement in the Empire of Oleon. Sacked by Corrington and destroyed by the Lotii after just a few years, Jiangkai should no longer exist… but still there it is, stubbornly clinging to the strip of plains between the southern coast and the unexplored hills of El Oleonda. Instead of dying, the city is growing larger and more prosperous, in spite of the brigands still infesting El Oleonda and of the renewed menace from the Lotii Empire. The most flourishing activity of Jiangkai is probably its the textile industry, that produces fine silk and cotton fabrics. Cloth is dyed in small brick tubs, combining the traditional techniques of Lotii artisans with the dyes typical of the New World, such as indigo or carmine. The hard work of stirring those -often awfully smelling- tubs is usually done outside the tiny stores, conveniently near to one of the many canals crossing the city. The dyers' district is, therefore, one of the most busy area of the city: almost everyone in the city, for a reason or the other, visits this lively area, may it be to work in the dyers' shops, or to pick up a roll of cloth for a tailor... ...but also to eat something in one of the tiny, cheap "taverns", usually small wooden platforms built directly on the sidewalks... ...or maybe to buy something from one of the many merchants and peddlers: dyes and clothes are obviously the main wares, but almost anything can be bought at the tiny stalls, from medicinal plants to curiosities and trinkets, from old maps to cooking utensils. A unit of the newly formed Jiangkai tirailleurs patrols the streets of the city. Differently from l'Armèe de L'Orient, formed by soldiers of Lotii origin, but fully integrated in the regular army, the tirailleurs are organised as an auxiliary light infantry unit, similarly to the colonial militia of the most peripheral settlements. The officers are not part of the Army, but are instead drawn from La Royale (the Royal Navy of Oleon), and usually have a past in the merchant fleet: this may be unhortodox, but they are probably the only officers who can fluently speak both Oleander and Lotii, at least until the first volunteers from Jiangkai will graduate at Breshaun Royal Academy. Some of the heterogeneous inhabitants of Jiangkai. From left to right: an old Lotii merchant, an Oleonese trader, soldiers of Jiangkai tirailleurs, a Monomonto ronin, and a member of the Blue Dragon Society (young nobles supporting "modernization" of the Lotii society). Several aspects of Jiangkai were heavily inspired by @Khorne‘s builds (including the design of the uniforms of the tirailleurs and the Blue Dragon Society, somehow similar to samurai during the Meiji modernization of real-world Japan). I will license it as Medium Artisan in Jiangkai.
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"All Oleon forces in the Jiangkai Command are hereby ORDERED to Show Resolve. Tend the wounded, see to the damage of fortifications, actively recruit, etcetera." -El Oleonda Command, Fort Arltrees Intended as the mocced repairs to Jiangkai's fort. I don't have the parts for the unique units stationed there so I got as close as I could. Sorry for the last hour post.
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As Jiangkai grew and became a real city, a company of tirailleurs was recruited among the inhabitants to defend the settlement. The tirailleurs are units of light infantry -typical of the Oleon Royal Army- that fight with flexible tactics and open formations, taking advantage of the rough terrains. Differently from l’Armée de L’Orient, formed by soldiers of Lotii origin but fully integrated in the regular army, the Jiangkai tirailleurs are organised as an auxiliary light infantry unit. Quite unusually, the officers are drawn from La Royale (the Royal Navy), and usually have a past in the merchant fleet: this may be unorthodox, but they are probably the only officers who can fluently speak both Oleander and Lotii, at least until the first Jiangkai volunteers will graduate in Breshaun Royal Academy. While the tirailleurs were undoubtedly loyal to their new king and country, most of them were not enthusiastic about fighting against their former motherland, and they were considered a law enforcing unit more than a real fighting force. Things changed, however after the raid of May 622. The Lotii soldiers sacked Jiangkai even more brutally than they would have done with an enemy settlement, killing those who had remained behind and trying to set every building on fire: only the stubborn resistance and the sacrifice of the fort garrison spared most of the population from the massacre. As the tirailleurs organised the evacuation of the civilians from the city, they instead lived to fight another day. Now the citizens on Jiangkai know that they can’t expect no mercy from their former countrymen. The tirailleurs will fight for their honour and for revenge, on El Oleonda and beyond. The tirailleurs concept and design are heavily based on @Khorne’s early sketches of “Asian” troops, even before the Lotus Empire appeared in our world. With this build, a new platoon of soldiers is raised in Jiangkai. EDIT: As Jiangkai is still a town, only 10 (and not 30) men can be recruited in each turn
