SkaForHire

Back for the day, then I have to fly to Detroit for more research. I am over a terabyte I believe, but I bought the service during the Battle of Queenscross because I went over the original 400 megs or whatever it was... then they gave everyone a terabyte free. But Now I am definitely over the terabyte, and I still have the pro subscription for another year. I have a baby gate that separates the building room. The two older dogs don't chew LEGO because a i gave them a few cracks on their noses when they were younger. But the youngest is too stupid to train, just better to keep him away from the LEGO. Good to see you back! Don't worry if someone gets too out of cannon with their story, DM calls them out on it lol.

I wish I would have bought more elephants when I had the chance years ago. I opened one of those sets a few years back and Lego had forgot the legs -- it was way too late to call customer support for a replacement :(

So... Good news... We are actually many turns ahead of the last report... bad news, I go on research trips for the next two weeks starting Sunday and we are not near completed yet. So... There will probably be a 2 week hiatus between the middle of the battle and the end of the battle. teaser: Major plot element happened (x2) Reinforcements arrived on both sides One of the sides broke through

No, not a problem. The more RP the merrier.

It was about the only surprise move I got on Scarst, throwing up those fast light lancers in that opening, she just happened to be standing at the other end of the opening, and took a full speed charge. Rarely does a character with so many hit points and toughness fall in one blow... So I was kind of amazed. We knew she was a no die, but she actually isn't eliminated from the game via rules, as she was only knocked out by the injury and not outright killed (there is some math involved that I won't go into right now)

Mid-battle message, found on the ground after the battle. General – Herrick slain by Rasputin’s lady friend in the blacksmith shop. Counter attempt on route. Sending Soraya. Falconi DSC_3459 by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_3457 by skaforhire, on Flickr [Herrick spent most of the battle countering Scarst’s spells, and hanging back at the large rock to watch the battle from afar, DSC_1336 by skaforhire, on Flickr but he snuck up into the smith’s shop and dried to lay down a blizzard spell on the main forces on the right side of the battlefield, it was ultimately countered by a much more powerful mage, and this let the cat out of the bag where he was. Scarst deployed an assassin, and she scored a critical hit… If this is a no-die character, we can just say someone found him clinging to life after the battle. ]

Chapter Six: Upon the Crown In the hand of Marty El’Dron, Marksman for Lord Sansael. Lord Sansael, This is my report from your Marksmen. I think we fared well, given the circumstances. We met with Lord Dugal, and he placed us, along with Nammuat on the far right of the field. Our mission was to climb this rock formation that we nicknamed the “Crown,” and provide support for Lord Vladius’s (who were on a mission of infiltration into Petera’s ranks hours before – but ultimately failed, and then ended up on our flank with us) and the mercenaries sent by the PGTC and Masa. DSC_3365 by skaforhire, on Flickr We successfully got on top of the rock, accompanied by PGTC Archers. Unfortunately, instead of comradery, we immediately struck up a rivalry with these other archers. This served our own purposes well, and many enemy fell because of this, but I am afraid without coordination, we let more of the enemy through strategically. DSC_1371 by skaforhire, on Flickr We watched as an Avalonian lord and a few other bands, included Belig of Mitgardia moved through the sands toward us. We outnumbered them 2 to 1 easily, but as we took petty shots at lancers on the other flank to prove who could shoot further, most of Vladius’s men fell. DSC_3453 by skaforhire, on Flickr We also came under attack by Belig’s expert bowmen. At one point, 3 of us were down on the ground with arrows in our bodies. Nammuat rescued us to continue the fight, but Jorgen fell to his death after taking another arrow to the shoulder. DSC_1389 by skaforhire, on Flickr We also covered the PGTC’s Mummy platoon poorly. Instead of shooting Dreadfists, we should have been shooting the men behind them, because they wheeled around and hit the mummy platoon’s side, decimating the whole core with only three lance charges. DSC_1370 by skaforhire, on Flickr After they were bogged down, the Blue Spears, a mercenary cavalry group charge up the side, their captain killing 3 more mummies on his way towards the Crown. DSC_1390 by skaforhire, on Flickr Unfortunately, not 10 feet in front of us General Phixelle was skewered by one of these Blue Spear riders. We utterly failed here. We had lost our leader, we had allowed a rivalry to get the best of us. DSC_3451 by skaforhire, on Flickr Both the PGTC archers and ourselves sobered up at this moment, and avenged Phixelle’s death. Nammuat organized a rescue attempt, hopeing that Phixelle’s spirit had not left her body yet. DSC_1400 by skaforhire, on Flickr TO BE CONTINUED…

Chapter Five: Living, Dreaming, Dying in Kaliphlin DSC_1404 by skaforhire, on Flickr As the chaos of battle heated up, Jeremy Illans tightened his helmet. He had been with GEAR Co’s 3rd Cavalry “Dreadfists” for two years – just long enough to be present for the whole battle between the brothers MacLean. When Dugal died, Petera had had a fallout with Paulos, it was even rumored that Petera had tried to kill Paulos, and that he had been responsible for the assassin who killed Dugal. This seemed like nonsense to Captain Tannen of the Dreadfists, and he had made sure that the 3rd had stayed loyal to the true leader of Eastgate and CEO of GEAR CO. Now, over a year later, Dugal had came back from the dead, half of the board of trustees had fled to his side, and Eastgate was under siege. Things were less black and white today than ever. DSC_1323 by skaforhire, on Flickr That didn’t matter though, Jeremy was a good soldier, and loyal to boot. Besides, there were enough members of GEAR Co. loyal to Petera to pay the Dreadfist’s salary. However, it was unnerving that they had to leave the besieged Eastgate via a magical gate. IT would be good once this battle was over and the siege of Eastgate lifted. He could get back to planning his estate outside the gates. The Dreadfists paid very well. The call for battle came… Tannen had told them a few minutes earlier that they would be the vanguard and in charge of smashing Dugal’s forces on the Oil Road, then sweeping back around to the right to take out his back side. This did not seem like a tall order, afterall, the Dreadfists were the most powerful Cavalry in GEAR Co’s arsenal. DSC_1338 by skaforhire, on Flickr They road hard down the road, but as they got closer to the enemy, Jeremy noticed that the 1st GEAR Co. Heavy Cavalry, the Titans, had taken the road against them. As a natural rivalry, this should be good to finally settle the score once and for all. Rumor had it that once Petera won, all trader regiments would be disbanded. That meant more treasure for the loyal regiments… DSC_1352 by skaforhire, on Flickr Jeremy was in the second row of the Cavalry when Tannens ordered the arrowhead formation. As they began to spread Jeremy saw PGTC spearmen rushing in front of the Titans. This isn’t going to be pretty… DSC_1373 by skaforhire, on Flickr The Dreadfists came crashing against the spearmen, killing all of them eventually. But the damage had been done. The Titans counter thrusted, taking Tannen off his horse – then Jeremy saw the line break and a group of blood drenched gnomes start pulling through the gap. Tannen was literally bit to death by one of these gnomes. Jeremy tried to reign his horse in (of course panicking by now), when he turned and saw Paulos had advanced almost equal to him on the left. He turned and took a shot at the traitor brother. Just then four other Dreadfists hit Paulos. One of the lances pierced deep and Jeremy saw blood come from Paulos’s mouth, he struck again landing a blow on the traitor’s armor. But somewhere from behind a tree, a woman’s chanting began. Soon Paulos looked invigorated. He turned to Jeremy after beheading one of the other Dreadfists attacking him, and just smiled… DSC_3436 by skaforhire, on Flickr Meanwhile… Elsewhere in the Dreadfist line, the unit engaged a varied set of opponents. Centaurs DSC_1365 by skaforhire, on Flickr Gnomes and Blue Guard DSC_3431 by skaforhire, on Flickr And even Minotaurs… DSC_1372 by skaforhire, on Flickr Jeremy looked into Paulos’s cold eyes. He knew it was his last moments… the estate would never be a reality. He had chosen poorly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of steel, then felt a burning pain in his right side. Jeremy fell from the horse down to the planking of the Oil Road... as his life faded to black, he was serenaded by a low thump… Thump… thump… coming closer, periodically broken by what sounded like an out of tune bugal… The Order of the Golden Mask was on the move. DSC_3449 by skaforhire, on Flickr

Yes, yes you do. He is currently engaged with that ork in heavy armor that lost his warg. He has already saved half those Avalonians by deflecting hits.

The lake that is the source for the river "Lick of Salt?" On another note, is that what that river really is called? Ha!

If it makes you feel any better, Gleambeam is not dead, he is unconscious (In game terms, he suffered enough damage to be knocked out, but he didn't suffer enough to outright die) and laying on the battlefield currently. He would survive the battle, unless something like an elephant decided to step on him. He could still be healed too. The soldier writing the report doesn't know this. On another note, we should be able to get back to playing a few turns tonight -- so more to come soon.

25 should be enough. As an army builder, I tend to collect no more than 30, the only time I may use more is when we wargame with them, or the MOC is just huge... or of course, when someone in the forum decides it is time for a "show your army off" thread. Although I have a few regiments that are much larger than 30. That is correct, He was/is a great builder too... To bad he lost time / interest for the project.

Good call, I forgot about that. I wonder how many of the towns are still "alive" and how many have been washed away by the sands now.. lol. For example, who did stone town belong to? It is one of the original towns, but I can't remember who was building there.

That is just fantastic....

TUB -- Your troops were the vanguard. I think Scarst underestimated how fast he could get the immortals and the amazons up next to them. They did a lot of damage, but were just overwhelmed. They killed more than half of Horssen's troops though. It also did not help that I used the mages on my side to counter Scarst's attempts to teleport reinforcements in to your men.

I think that since I will be away from my collection on research trips starting next week, my lonely hotel time might be spent trying to make a workable substitute map for NM's map with all the updated locations. It won't be pretty, or even nice, but it will provide him with a rough map of new locations while he has been gone, so when he comes back and has the time, he can easily lay down a new map without having to scrounge together all information. I am not promising this, but I might be able to do this. On another note, I can't confirm or deny those rumors, Gabe.

My comments were more intended for Aranethon, as you are talking about building a town and a people within Kaliphlin borders, the idea of far away guilds does not really apply.

So cool Mike. I wish I had those pieces (the larger plate / technic pieces), what were the prevalent in? GEAR CO. May have to put together a troop for the future... although I would like to get your colors first so next time I need to rep the elephant, it looks nice. On another note, Scarst is going to be mad that he only has one archer on the elephant, now that we see there are actually two.

I think DM's guilds are not cannon per se, but we acknowledge that something exists. I agree, too many people creating outside areas would hurt the overall control over the story. I think because DM was one of the first wave, he is grandfathered into the story.

Yeah I feel every time we get a city on the east side of the Rakath Mountains, the builder disappears.

I guess I have to make the call on that one... The answer is yes, but there is already a large island not on the map (I don't want to give away too much.) Right now our mapmaker is really busy and has not checked in for a while, so it would also take a while to put it on the map. PM me where you want to put it, and I will make sure it does not overlap with the other island. As for size, I think anything up to a third the size of the island of Gorr is alright. DM has continents, very far away and mostly out of play for everyone else. Also, he has a city in Kaliphlin. I think an Island not more than 20 -30 miles from the coast would keep you in Kaliphlin.

Ranged weapons have a short range and a long range, its easier to hit in short range. The max range for a bow is 20, a crossbow 16, and a long bow is 24. Gabe's super archers (Ok, I know these are actually Gabes!) would have modifiers on their long bows or to their skills. In this case I believe it was + 2 to hit and + 2 to damage (bringing it up to 2d12+2 per hit). DOH! Yeah, He did! Sorry, I will have to change it. I am running the Petera side, so I have not looked at the Dugal army list for a while, I think I just thought they were yours. Go right ahead.

NO problem with 1. 2, may be difficult but doable. 3, most of the cities already run as independent governments. Kaliphlin is more a loose confederation that is bound together through trade ties and military ties. Only in once in a blue moon is there a Kaliphlin leader that establishes supremacy. Looking for green land is a little harder in Kaliphlin. Much of what is still green is controlled already, although there is technically land disputed between Avalonia and Kaliphlin on the coast north of Eastgate beyond inlets of the Inland Sea. Eastgate controls much of the Red River region and the Insland Sea region, with its new sister city of Carn being a large force of trade on the Inland Sea too. If you want to go inland, we technically have another forest north of Sultan's Gate bordering the central territory that is Cedrica. I think the road is called the Eastern Mountain Road -- but I can't remember for sure. However, there is no real map of Northern Kaliphlin where it borders with Cedrica's lands -- probably because some of these are disputed too. There are a few places, like the Nestlands, but there are a lot of mountains to choose from.

Chapter Four: The Boys from Khordeem befriend Mark the Yeti. In the hand of Darrin Longshot, retainer for Garret Hailfist. Dear Joylov, The battle is over now. But let me start with the beginning. We met Garret Hailfist outside of Eastgate, and after a Day’s hard march we were at the battlefield just in time to set up. Garret placed us on a small rock formation by the banks of the Red River. Hailfist was in charge of the left Flank, but we were in good company. Our friend Jakon the Invincible was here! Remember how I told you about him after the battle at Khordeem? I almost got his autograph before he left, but he got on the boat too quickly. Yeah, I know it is unhealthy for me to talk about Jakon this way for two years straight, but he is really here, in the flesh, again!!! This time he brought some mercenaries and one of his hand-picked squads. When I saw him, I felt for sure we would win this battle. DSC_1317 by skaforhire, on Flickr With us were a group of Yetis, hired by Lord DaMaximus. At first we did not like them, but one that we grew to know as Mark came up to use before the battle and said something that sounded nice, and shook our hand. Well, we were battle brothers now. We were also close enough to see Lord Dugal riding with the Aleenridders, Sergio Jarret, and the famed Amazons of Gear. We did not have a lot of time because the battle had begun almost as soon as the sun came up. The original plan for our flank was to slowly push forward and play the defensive. This seemed to be working, we even had an enemy unit teleport into bow range trying to draw us out. We held formation until some rogue mage working for Lord Heisen decided to teleport Heisen’s whole detachment into the middle of the enemy. At that point we had to move quickly forward to help them. DSC_1350 by skaforhire, on Flickr Dugal had seen this, and commanded our army’s middle to hard advance to help the trapped Heisen. The Mage Lucent that was on our flank said that the enemy was not letting our mage, Gleambeam teleport back out. So it was a rescue mission from the start for the armies of Dugal and Paulos. Dugal sent the famed Immortals to clear a path up the middle. DSC_3371 by skaforhire, on Flickr Unfortunately one fell to the enemy’s heavy cavalry. DSC_3389 by skaforhire, on Flickr The Amazons and Aleenridders pressed the middle left, but soon came under fire. DSC_1357 by skaforhire, on Flickr The enemy also made it past the mill ruins and into our immediate vicinity. We archers kept a steady fire going, but soon it was up to Jakon and Mark to make the magic happen. DSC_3414 by skaforhire, on Flickr At first we kept the fight up, we even killed many of their heavy infantry, especially with Mark swinging his magic ice blade. Jakon the Invincible took hit after hit, after hit again. Although, for a minute I believe I saw blood under his arm. But, I am sure that was the blood of the enemy! DSC_3396 by skaforhire, on Flickr Meanwhile, the Amazons were hit by an explosive spell that killed almost half their number. The leaders went into a rage and charged into a couple mercenary companies of the enemy. DSC_3402 by skaforhire, on Flickr We were not the only archers on the battlefield, way on the right a couple units had perched themselves upon the crown. DSC_3381 by skaforhire, on Flickr Despite Mark and Jakon’s push, the enemy pushed back. Soon Hailfist was teleported to another part of the battlefield and we were left on our own covering Jakon’s men. Many of the Black Dragon Mercs under Jakon’s command, along with his own men, began to fall. We were completely outmanned on the far flank. DSC_3410 by skaforhire, on Flickr Luckily, the Amazons and Allenridders started to push the on the center of their thrust, cutting off many of the enemies. DSC_1375 by skaforhire, on Flickr However, as I looked out upon the field I could see that our side was taking heavy casualties on this flank. It looks like we were doing well in the middle, although some crown knight where the armor of the King was crashing down the Oil Road towards the Order of the Golden Mask troops. We were definitely in for a bumpy ride still. TO BE CONTINUED….. distinct by skaforhire, on Flickr

Chapter 3: Screens, Feigns, and Pressing the Attack. Letter intercepted by PGTC forces after the Battle of the Witherwoods, author unknown. My Liege, we have done as you have commanded. Both sides were successfully infiltrated, and we did not meet our friends on the field of battle. I must report to you that Agent One and Three are dead, and I am not sure about our brothers on the other side of the field. We never were able to meet this Lord Petera, but his troops were forthcoming with information once we let our intentions to fight for them become known. Petera did not show up to lead his troops. Instead Eldon Logan led the army. His plan was an interesting one, but his tactics were flawed. We were assigned to the left flank, but we hung back so we could watch most of what was happening before we engaged the enemy. DSC_1346 by skaforhire, on Flickr We moved in formation, but it became clear that the enemy had more men on this flank, and that our advance was merely a diversion to suck up attention from the main thrusts of our attack. This was actually confirmed before the battle started, when the night before as I spied on the command camp I overheard Logan say “I won’t have to listen to Baldwin’s complaining much longer” to one of his squires. Since Lord Baldwin and his Avalonians were placed ahead of us in the battle, I suppose Logan meant to kill two birds with one stone. DSC_1364 by skaforhire, on Flickr The enemy made good use of the terrain, Baldwin did not. They fortified a large rock formation, called “the Crown,” with archers, and rained death from above. Luckily Beleg of Mitgardia helped nullify the enemy’s ranged attacks with his own elite archers continually putting pressure on The Crown . The mages on both sides jockeyed for advantage, but neither were able to connect with a spell. I have determined that the Humans of this land desire other creatures to do their battle. In This whole flank, only thee humans ventured beyond the Crown. One of them died very quickly. Dugal’s forces have relied on a group of Zombie Warriors, Orks, mummies, and, my liege you will never believe this, Kharmeers! Yes, they let those filthy cats have weapons! What is worse, nobody that I have talked to here on the mainland seem to realize that a Kharmeer’s natural and most happy existence is as a slave! It seems we may have many slaves to choose from, once we make our presence known. Although, we may have to do some taming, these Leanders, as they are called here, were tough as nails. They did not receive more than a few scratches from the Avalonians they were tasked to fight. DSC_3419 by skaforhire, on Flickr Their warg riders are fierce, once such rider, a Karshak tribesmen, if I am not mistaken took out many of Baldwin’s Avalonians before being dismounted. I had to help dispatch this hero. IT was about this time that I stepped back to watch the action to the right. Logan had sent his heavy cavalry up the middle along the Oil Road. When they got to where Dugal’s men were bracing for a charge, they fanned out into a porous arrowhead and attack. The point was blunted by PGTC Troops. DSC_1360 by skaforhire, on Flickr Those spearmen held tight, but the second wave of cavalry dislodged them. This allowed for a counter charge by troops under Paulos’s command. Although they kept the large tusked creature that they had in reserve still. As you can see, these mainlanders do not press the correct advantages, I even heard that one of Dugal’s men teleported a whole squad to their death within the first two minutes of the battle. At this point, I had little vantage of what happened at the point next, however I did hear rumors that small, terrifying people had taken on the cavalry and had begun to cause panic in our ranks. I am not sure of the validity of this, gnomes with filed and razor sharp teeth sounds implausible to me. DSC_3417 by skaforhire, on Flickr This Valkarian Order that Peter Supports seeks to put a king on the throne. One such pretender seems to be on this battle field. Lord Fenghen Wade (or King, as he demands to be called) is supposedly their current pick to take the Cedrican Throne. He has brought his personal army to the field for Petera, and around the point the faulty arrowhead tactic was in motion, his cavalry came thundering up the road. At first I was unsure of his tactics, but I think as the minutes progressed I could understand what he was trying to do. Back to our work on this flank, I believe… (The paper is ripped off here, and the second half is nowhere to be found.) DSC_3422 by skaforhire, on Flickr