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Lord Alric Returns to the swamps of Nocturnus to do battle in the upcoming civil war. This one is for the Resistance My entry for the challenge. Thanks for looking and happy building!
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Just a quick little build of the Ostrich Knights. With the unrest of the Civil War, and the tyranny of the Desert King, the Ostrich Knights patrol the sands and keep the peace as best they can.
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The first part of the Elemendi Story: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=121423&hl=elemendi As Kha opened the door to The Maritime Inn, he was assaulted by a myriad of senses. Foremost of course was the combination of odors of roasting pheasant, stale ale and unwashed bodies. He turned and looked back quickly at the sign just outside the Inn, it was a clever combination of a smiling sailor aboard a ship. With a chuckle at the at pun the innkeeper used to name his establishment located on the southern coast of Kaliphlin a days ride northwest of Ras-el-Ahken but not quite to Mypa Stedor, Kha continued through the door into The Maritime Inn, or The Merry-time Inn as many of the locals referred to it. The interior was dimly lit, and heavy with smoke from both the fire burning in the hearth as well as the many patrons and their various pipes. The smoky odor was riddled with different aromas hinting of spices and weeds from all over Historica, but all of them were strong enough to be noticed. He looked to the corner where he knew his contact would be waiting. The Inn itself was built with a tall ceiling nearing twenty feet, with windows all the way up that look out upon the Great Southern Ocean. In the distance out upon the sea, Kha could see the darkened clouds that made up the vortex of The Void Tide a few miles off the coast. There seemed to be nowhere in the place where space was not used for something. There were barrels of all sorts of sundries or potent drinks all over, shelves and crates of other goods. Even the air space was used up with strings of lights, supports that held up Kha knew not, and nets of other goods hanging above the patrons heads. But there, at a table in the corner, and facing the door to see Kha when he entered was Masa. Masa is another member of The Resistance here in Kaliphlin, and Kha’s co-conspirator in this current endeavor. Joining Masa at the table was what appeared to be a mercenary or some sort of adventurer that Kha did not know. “Masa, good to see you safe!” Kha said. “You as well Kha. May I introduce Jarrick of The Dragon’s Cape. He is the man I was telling you of that knows that which we seek.” Masa said with a sidelong glance to the closest table. It was a habit both Masa and Kha had seemed to fall into lately since the Desert King began hunting them both. “Hello Lord Kha of Ras...”Jarrick began. “Let’s skip the formalities and lower the volume.” Kha said and also looked around the gathering room. “I cannot afford to be known anywhere in Kaliphlin as it stands right now.” “Understood, well I suppose I should get right down to business then.” Jarrick took a drink from his glass, and Kha could smell the pungent odor of strong spirits as he tilted the glass. “I know what you seek, and what you need in order to supplant The Desert King. The are referred to as The Elemendi, and once were a common sight across all of Historica. They are race of beings with an affinity to the Five Elements.” “Five Elements?” Kha asked. “Last I knew there were four elements, and Revolword already tried to tap that power.” “Revolword was an amateur compared to the Elemendi. And yes, there are five elements. Earth or Stone, Fire, Water, Air and Life. Each of them has its own power, but when they work together, even more can be accomplished. Some of them can boost or assist the others. That is where the trouble started!” Jarrick paused again to take another drink. “Three thousand years ago, the Elemendi were all over Historica. They live for centuries and can tap these powers, but when they mate, it is for life and they never have more offspring than two. It was impossible, the mother would pass during the third pregnancy. I don’t know if it was some sort of divine limit placed upon them, or just the cost of the magic, but it was never recorded that three children were born from a coupling. As you can imagine, that power was craved by those in power. The elemendi themselves were never interested in politics, they seemed to garner a joy of life simply from helping. But, those in power always have resources, and those resources led to ways to control the elemendi. I don’t know the details, or how they did that, but that was when much of Historica was plunged into a dark time. Wars raged across the land and the elemendi were controlled by both sides.” Jarrick looked away as if seeing that faraway time himself. “The power of the elemendi was tremendous. The five elements each meant so much more than implied. Water, the ability to manipulate any liquid and control all of its properties. The ancients used it purify water and help with agriculture, but once the wars started, new uses were found. Freezing the blood of victims too weak to resist, creating great fountains of ice and water that were used as weapons and so on. Fire, the ability to manipulate heat and flame. Once used to provide heat and food to the masses, it was turned to a burning inferno of destruction and death. Air, once used to aid in transportation, was then turned to be a razor focused tempest of destruction. Earth was used to terraform and mine for needed items in colonies, became an earth shattering force of destruction. Once the warmongers took over, they soon learned the elemendi could also control metal and used that in so many destructive ways it couldn’t even be recorded well enough to lend merit. Finally, the Power of Life, used originally to grow plant life and heal, it was distorted to its opposite and used to snuff out life and harm rather than heal. “The cost of the magic and its destructive properties began to take a toll on the elemendi and they began to die off, unable to rebuild their population. They were lost to civilization, wounded and retreating to where they were believed to be extinct.” “But they are not, you are implying?” Kha asked. “No. They are still around, but in such small number and in such fear of abuse that they remain hidden. But, there is man who lives deep in the Rakath Mountains who has some elemendi under his control. He is known only as a collector. He has spent lifetimes collecting races from around the world, and he has some of them in his keep.” “How do you know?” “I have made contact with someone who has escaped from him. I was given first-hand account of what transpires there. He has rows and rows of cages and prisons full of creatures only known in imagination. What is worse, he is intelligent and creative. He has bred different races, just to see what it would beget. Some of them have been bred with the elemendi and have gained some sort of control over the elements. Not to the extent of a pure bred, but he has found a way to produce their magic to some degree without being limited to two births.” Kha exhaled and leaned back. Looking over at Masa to see if he believed this tale as well. “That is horrible and incredible at the same time,” Masa said. “If that is true, those poor souls lead a tortured life and need to be freed no matter what!” “And, they could be a great ally in our cause against the Desert King.” Kha added. “But, I agree. We need to help them out, and once free we need to share our plight. If they are sympathetic, we would welcome their help. But, we cannot force them.” Masa looked Kha straight in the eyes, and Kha could see the emotion there. He knew that his friend was as hard as steel, but could see the empathy for these poor souls. As he watched, Masa’s eyes darkened and they both turned to look back at Jarrick. “I am glad to hear that you both understand what is at stake.” With that, Jarrick tapped the floor four times with his boot. The front door of the Inn opened, and immediately everyone turned to see what had seemed to swallow the light. Kha was speechless as he saw what appeared to be at least a 10 foot tall cross between a man and an elephant enter the Inn. His girth was large enough to match his height as well, and he was heading directly toward Kha and Masa. They exchanged glances and began to set themselves for trouble. Jarrick, just chuckled and set down his drink. “This, gentleman is Bronos. He is the one I was telling you about. Bronos, introduce yourself.” “Hello gentlemen, my name is Bronos of the Mastadoni tribe. I assume that Jarrick has told you of my origins.” His voice was surprisingly gentle for a beast of his size, yet still sounded as if it were coming from down a hallway that amplified and deepened its tenor. “I was born from a Mastadoni in captivity with the collector. My mother was bred with a Water Elemendi and I am what resulted.” “Bronos….it is a pleasure to meet you! I think we may be able to help…”, Masa turned to Kha and saw the same look of awe on the face of his friend.
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"Damn ol' man! This was the last time!" Cedryc the Innkeeper came running out of the Leaking Barrel. "Where me coin? I've got enough dopey boozers here, I don't need a bilking wizard!" The old man mumbled an unintelligible song and tottered along the path. "I swear it to you, Perry, Coin now, or that door will remain closed for ya." The wizard stopped his waving walk immediately, pricked up ears and eventually turned around:" Cedryc? Is that you? Ah...my old ears. I thought I heard someone. What can I do for you?" "Don't take me for a fool- You heard me. Just foot the bill." Peregryn Ratchett, the purple wizard straightened up, trying to pose with great dignity, and said:" You are in luck today, Mister Barliman. For I am a wizard, and not one of those smirking charlatans, who try to confuse the more simple men with their conjuring tricks. Nor I be one of those who speak with somber voice, moaning and talking of dark things to come, only to frighten the good rural men. I am a real wizard, and real wizardry is my craft. So speak, how can I serve you?" "Oh no! Not again! I know your wizardry. What's with that 'enchanted frying pan` you gave me last time? You transfigured my daughters cat. Every time I put it on the fire it starts screaming miserably. And I cannot lay a fish in it without it vanishing." "Meeeoow", the frying pan made a purring sound in Cedry's hand. "It takes great knowledge to cast such a spell. You should be aware of my skills. Once kings asked for my advice and many a noble lord beseeched me to grant him a glimpse into his fortune." "Ha! Fortune! say you what: If you really can let me have a look into future, then I forget about the bill." Perry made a meaningful expression:"So be it. But you shall be warned! Even a small glance into a man's future could drive him mad. Neither do I have the possibility to destine the time and place of the vision, nor can I influence what you will see. Now we need something...a looking glass, ah, the kitten will do. Hold up the pan." The purple wizard held his hand upon the frying pan, mumbling spells in a obscure deep voice, his eyes closed. Suddenly the bottom of the pan seemed to dissolve, and a sallow green light shimmered through. Then the vision came: "Meeow!" The frying pan flew away and hit on the ground, now being the kitten again. "What? Where? Why??..What?" Cedryc, the poor Innkeeper cowered on the ground, still starring into the pictures, which now were burned into his mind. "Hm...That was not right. The effect was by far too strong. My poor Cedryc, I am afraight these things were not destined for your eyes. I warned you that I have now influence on it." Perry felt very sober now. He sank into deep thoughts about what he had seen:" Great things are about to come. War is coming to these lands again. The Black Spire's forces are on the rise. And the fate of the East, and maybe of all of Historica now depend on very few who are still bolt enough to challenge Lord Raavage. I must hurry. It seems that I have a part to play again in the greater story." "What are you talking about?? What did you do to my eyes? Just get out of my head!" "I feel somewhat guilty for your current condition, though I did warn you. Maybe I can effect some other magic to help you out? But hurry, I' am busy now. I have to care about greater things than an Innkeepers daily worries." "Leave, just leave for king's sake! Forget about the bill- just go! What insanity to open a tavern in the bloody Darklands! I'll go back to Albion!" Cedryc ripped of the door and stumbled inside. "You are right, my dear friend. There is no time to waste. I must go now. Hopefully it is't too late." So this is my first contributin for our collaboration about the Nocturnus resistance. I hope you will like Perry Ratchett, the purple wizard. He will have a lot of screen time in future stories. I'm not so happy with the pictures of the vision. Originally I had something more nebulous in mind, but I wanted to finally post the story. Enjoy!
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"The present state of Kaliphlin is in flux. It takes money, men, and will to wage a war; all of which have been spent over the last year." [skaForHire] Kolhamin of Petrea, as he now called himself, had lost a lot during the war. Not money. Actually, he was still rich. But power and influence. Which is what his life is about. He didn't like living in Petrea, nor did his wife or his brother, who spent most of his time on the roof terrace under the shade of the lemon tree nowadays. Pretending to be a cloth merchant was far from ideal. But Kolhamin knew that sacrifices had to be made, for the greater good of his people, and himself. Kolhamin turned on the balcony and went back inside his Petrea mansion. Maybe really not all was in vain, yet, at least. The ambassador of the Black Legion of Ulandus had just held an amazing speech. Of course, the listeners in the streets didn't even know that the man who had just talked to them was one of Ulandus most brilliant warlords. None of the listeners even realised that he talked against the Desert King and the High Councial. But he had. It would take time to prepare the people, to slowly undermine their thoughts and plant the seed of uproar against the Councilmen or the ancient King in the Desert. But it would be worth... Back inside Kolhamin waited for some minutes, until his wife in her beautiful white-and-red dress joined him. A quick smile, an elusive kiss, and they both desceded the cold staircase into their large basement. He looked around at all the slaves doing their work, as he had ordered. "Three more are ready, my lord. We are making good progress", the overseer told him. Kolhamin nodded. That was good. War needed preparation. And preparation was made. Even within the heart of Kaliphlin, where they least expected it. Petrea_House_01 by Stefan G, auf Flickr Petrea_House_02 by Stefan G, auf Flickr -------------------------------- Petrea_House_03 by Stefan G, auf Flickr Petrea_House_04 by Stefan G, auf Flickr ----------------------------------------------- Petrea_House_05 by Stefan G, auf Flickr -
Lord Alric and Gal Turok had been traveling for a few days now in the deep woods of the Rakath. To say their journey was perilous was an understatement. They had to avoid several Drow patrols, and a few other unwelcomed denizens that were thrown along their path. However their journey was nearing it's end. "You know it's something else in these lands. It's nearly high noon and yet this forest looks like it's always sunset. It's a quite stunning in an eerie sort of way." Alric spoke to his new ally. Gal Turok chuckled underneath his helm and replied. " It may not be the beauty you are used to Avalonian, but these lands have their own ways and charm about them." Just as he finished his sentence, Alric noticed a tower rising out of the distance. "We are here" Gal Turok, spoke. "Where is here?" Alric replied as his horse inched closer to the castle walls. "This is Evenfall Castle. We are near the borders of The Reach and it is here that you will meet with a member of the Goblin Council, to discuss the exact terms of our new pact." So here is my latest build. I hope you guys enjoy it..as this was very fun building it. More shots on my flickr link if you guys are interested. Happy Building and thanks for stopping by.
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Finally the next chapter of my story in the Nocturnus Resistance. Make sure to read this one first: Glance into the future "Our board council prefers to keep a sceptical attitude towards your youngest plans, my lord." So many words for so less content. Osric wondered if the Strigoi enjoyed steeling time of their mortal clients by pointless statements. "These plans are yet not firm. The situation is changing from day to day. But we must take action soon." Osric could see the lifeless eyes of the vampire lurking out of their deep and dark holes:"Time lessens indeed for your cause. And so does any confidence. Our institute demands securities. While your success in the Kaliphlin war was with no doubt highly gratifying, this campaign offers very few capital gains." The rat's tail was winding in anger by that last comment:"It is not about profit. My cause is nothing other than the survival of the east. And for your business' sake this should be your request as well. What future will your it be for the Royal Bank of Nocturnus when the Spire triumphs? Do not forget that.". The Strigoi began to stare in a menacing way at the lord of Skavenport. His voice was now unconcealed in its snarling nature:"My lord... the Bank of Nocturnus has seen countless dynasties rise and fall. We have outlived wars like rainy seasons. We were always there. We have always been. Doubtless there could be found an agreement with lord Raavage. We are not bound to every day politics. For now, we rate your credit worthiness higher than that of the Black Spire. But evaluation can be changed. You better do not forget this. I will report your request to our council. Good even, my lord rat." It was late in the night, when Aethelrat and Dunstan arrived in the council chamber, finding their lord in deep thoughts. "I greet you, my bolt captains." Osric enjoyed the presence of these two, although not the reason for it. "My lord, whatever your decision may be, our men can be ready for march within two days." The man with the harsh lineaments stood ready to attention, as always. "I still haven't decided now, Dunstan. Things have changed as you will be aware soon." Osric went to the end of the long table, and made a gesture to follow him near the fireplace: "Three ravens, three messages. One is bad, one is good, and one is probably worse than the first. I haven't decided on this as well. Choose what comes first!". Dunstan was a soldier as loyal and brave as the most honoured Avalonian knight, but he jsut was a soldier. He could easily be overwhelmed by too much choices. "May I suggest, my lord, to act chronological." Aethelrat was more of a gambling nature. He loved to act in a posh attitude, but nonetheless as reliable as Dunstan. Osric tried to remember which raven had arrived at first. He was sure it had been the one carrying the bad news:" So be it. This one arrived in the morning. It came from a spy in Port Wrath. He reports the death of Lord Vladivus." His captains didn't seem surprised too much. Aethelrat spoke first: "I hear this rumour in every tavern from the Northern gate to the harbour. Our spy probably spent his pay on a beer in Port Wrath and picked it up from someone." The rat captain looked pitying:" I still don't believe it, my lord. How often did one hear word on the street that Raavage had been seen plugging your head on a pike. And you are still enjoying our company." "Our spy reports he saw one of Vladivus' own men selling his master's skull to a witch clan." It took his captains a moment to digest. "It...could still be anyones skull. It is said that most skulls in Historica are nearly identical." Aethelrats voice proved his self confidence a liar. "Perhaps. But it is fact that the lord of Shadowmere vanished, and until his return, may it be from exile or grave, he cannot help us. And this questions our whole campaign." Osric took the second letter, when Dunstan finally had found words to comment on the first one: "Lord, even if we lost lord Vladivus, there is still Shadowmere. We have pacts that must be fulfilled. I can not counsel you to remain in Skavenport." "Then hear now the second message, from Sultan's Gate: Pharao Ankh Mora'Raa gathers his forces in Kaliphlin and prepares for a march to the Darklands. He calls for every loyal man in the South to join in our fight." "Wonderful words, in my ears, although I wonder how many 'loyal' men he may find in his own realm." Aethelrat had found back to his regular cheerfulness. Lord Osric knew he now had to destroy this silver lining with the last raven: "I made a decision. After discussing the first two messages I am now certain that I find this last one even worse than the first one. While the lost of lord Vladivus is a great tragedy for Nocturnus, he is at last only one man. And this letter is about armies. The Drow have returned. In inestimable numbers. A plague upon these lands, they are spreading out of the ground from Scarborough to the Claw Breakers, And from the eastern sea to the Rakath." The two captains of Skavenport stood there with aghast faces, struggling for words. This time, Dunstan was the first ready to reply: "Is there any sign that these hordes are an ally to the Black Spire? Unlikely that so many of them would care about what is going on on the surface." "No, we have no information about their intentions yet. But there has never been something other than the lust for war. You know my position in this. There is no peace with the Drow. No coexistance. Only a decision: freedom or slavery. Survival or Extinction. Anyhow, we must..." "Mylord!". Osric was abruptly interrupted by an entering rogue and the impact of the door. For a second one could have seen the exp<b></b>ression of astonishment on Osric's face. But it changed immediately in calculated disapproval: "It seems that I missed out the council meeting that declared council meetings open for everyone to rush in and interrupt. What is this all about?" The rogue seemed embarrassed, struggling where to begin: "My lord...it is your law that every wizard, mage, sorcerer, witcher...every harnesser of magic must be recorded and reported to you." "So it is. I demand a weekly report. Weekly, soldier. So, for your own sake explain what makes this wizard such a special being that you felt the necessity to interrupt my small council? And unless it is Victor Revolword himself milking ale out of a two headed unicorn, I will be hard to convinced." Dunstan and Aethelrat had bother to hide their smirking. The poor rogue was certainly sure that he had done his duty exemplary. He responded: "I know, sire, but that wizard... when we found him, he immediately demanded being brought to you. He tells many weird things. About the Black Spire, lord Vladivus, and things about your fate." __________________________________________________________ As always, thank you very much for having a look. And of course for reading! Oh, and for those of you who did read all of it, here are overall pics!
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Here is an idea I toyed with for a while. A lego steam sloop.
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The main forces of the dwarf army prepare to advance into Avalonia. Meanwhile, scouting parties range through the borderlands in search of drow. Occasionally, they encounter remnants of the ancient dwarven civilization that once stretched across all the North and West of Historica. They pause to pay their respects to the dwarven kings of old, buried as they are beneath centuries worth of earth, stone, and memory. Figless:
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Dear Narthok, Sorry to keep you waiting, but I've been supervising the work on repairing a fortress. The sides are really heating up, and it shall be full out war soon. We see spies of the Spire lurking everywhere, and the Drow are getting bolder and bolder. I'll try to keep you informed. You would not believe the man who is lord of this crumbling fortress! He call himself the Watcher, even though he has no eyes. He wears antique armor, surely the relic of some long forgotten age. His warriors wear helmets over masks, and similar armor. The Watcher himself is a hulking man, or whatever species he is. I have certainly never seen anyone like him. He hasn't said anything about the origin of himself or the tower, but there are runes inside that speak of him, runes that must be hundreds of years old! Even though the Watcher and his crew are an unsightly bunch, I'm fine, as I'm stationed with a good group of Orcen-folk. Several different bands, but they're all good folk and soldiers. I'll write you again soon, Garthonkk The full build, probably my best yet! The courtyard. Note the Crypt type thing. The large Orc with a beard is the one writing the letter. A ruined tower. The Watcher... Well... Watching. I gave the stained glass a light-up effect! That's my five pics, but more are here! http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=537719 For the glory of Nocturnus!
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This is a Ironclad I am designing and hope to build. If there is any suggestions please dont be shy I am up for anything I can approve but just remember I am using LDD so there isn't much I can do. Here is the pictures on my brickshelf http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=536485
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John Brown's Fort - Flickr I've been picking away at this model for a couple months now. The Federal Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia was made up of 22 buildings in 1859 when John Brown attacked the factory. But by 1864, the Armory was largely empty shells, collapsed buildings and jury-rigged warehouses. But John Brown's Fort remained much as it did half a decade before. In 1859, John Brown attacked the Federal Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. His aim was to capture the 100,000 weapons stored there and outfit an army of escaped slaves to carve out a free land in the slave state of Virginia. Flickr Brown and his 21-man army was hemmed in quickly, making a final stand inside the Armory's fire engine house. The building would forever sport the name of the man who tried to raise an army to destroy slavery. The Federal government dispatched troops and saw that Brown was executed for trying to arm former slaves in a war against slavery. Flickr In just 5 years, America underwent a revolution. The Federal government, the same one which condemned Brown, by 1863 was arming former slaves to march through the South in a war against slavery. In 1864, the 19th USCT marched through Harpers Ferry. Brown's avenging black army had finally arrived in front of the fort which bore his name. ----- This build was a real bear. The arches are all of the inverse sort thanks to a gap in the LEGO palette. Thanks to that and a few other oddities, a good deal of the model is SNOTed together. It's still a solid little beast. All told I'm very happy with how this model turned out. Eventually (by Brickfair VA 2014) this building will be getting a diorama of the contraband camp which was pitched in front of the Fort in 1864 as part of the LEGO Civil War Collaborative build project focused on the 150th anniversary of the final full year of the American Civil War. Enjoy, -John
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Al Amarj Island has long been a popular stopping point for pilgrims, tourists and soldiers seeking a quiet posting. Known as the Pearl of the Southern Seas, Al Amarj Island is located several miles offshore of the southwest Kaliphlin coast. The island has been occupied for hundreds of years, first by natives and then succeeding waves of colonizers. At first came the peasants fleeing strife on the mainland, but the soldiers and priests were soon to follow. Then merchants arrived to take advantage of the new market while the ruling politicians arrived soon after. Each group left their own mark on the island through its varied architecture. A temple built inside the island is a frequent stop. Since then Al Amarj has served not only as a pilgrimage and tourist site but more importantly as a headquarters for the High Council war effort. Protected by unassailable cliffs with only a single path to its top, the island is considered impregnable. Guarding its beaches and high officials are some of the finest warriors in all of Historica. In Kaliphlin's times of need the island has often been indispensable as a strategic location. In this terrible civil war, Al Amarj is again finding use as a command post and as a staging ground for espionage operations throughout the region. A select group of merchants, laborers and craftsmen are vetted to live and barter on the island. They cater to the tourists and pilgrims who visit the island as well as other fulltime occupants. Al Amarj has long served as an important strategic location for the High Council. (Telescope design by Gideon) War has never touched the shores of Al Amarj, and the island has enjoyed an uneasy peace while fighting rages on the mainland. But it appears as if Al Amarj will finally enter the war. Familiar faces foretell treachery on the island. And silently, in the dark of night, it seems the Desert King is preparing to spread his conquest even here. ---------------------------------------------- Hello! Really glad that, after four months, I'm finally able to share this with you guys! (So is my wife, who hasn't seen her dinner table in that time) I started this build in February before the civil war broke out. I know Cat. B is supposed to be in one thread, but I figured it would be ok to post this separately while I prepare a few of my other entries for that category. Plus, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to tear into this build a little bit for Cat. D. You can expect to see new photos and other details of this build when my Cat. B is completely ready. Can't really say how many pieces this is, but if you guess the exact amount I will give this MOC to you haha! Considering the luck I've had with transporting other builds, I was very surprised that this MOC held firm for a six-hour roundtrip on Arkansas' crappy highways to a LUG display in Little Rock. There I was interviewed by a television news reporter who featured my build on the 6 o'clock news, no doubt in between two stories highlighting Little Rock's very high murder and crime rate. This is how I imagined the headlines: "First, we'll hear an announcement by the Little Rock Police Captain on the escalating gang war in the city's north end. We also have a report on several arson-related fires in the downtown area, and why corruption charges have been filed against two Little Rock aldermen. Finally, at six o'clock, we'll talk to Patrick about his LEGO hobby." Anyways, thank you guys so much for looking, I really enjoyed this one and I hope you do too!
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After securing a foothold in the spice islands, the Desert King immediately began to live up to his end of the bargain, particularly the part about restoring peace and prosperity to the region. Priority one was reestablishing order on land and within the waters around the isles. Due to the ongoing conflict on the mainland, the Spice Islands were left isolated from any type of true assistance. The Ulandians had claimed the area as part of the Empire, but they were having a hard enough time right now holding on to the sub continent. Pirates and Slavers were free to roam the waters, raiding merchant vessels and towns for a wealth of material goods and free forced labor. The Desert King decided to fight fire with fire, as such he decreed that anyone caught in the act of raiding or pillaging for the purpose of supplying Historica's black markets were to have their assets seized, and become slaves themselves. Here we see a group of Gal-Turok's forces, carrying off a notorious group of slavers to the lava fields of Nocturnus, where they will spend the rest of their days toiling away in the hot, sulfuric flows of Nocturnus volcanoes, to supply an endless amount of raw metal to arm and equip the Goblin Empire.
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Once the bridge across the river had been cleared by other troops, it was a simple matter for the Desert King's soldiers to march in. The towers of Eastgate shall fall! More pics. C&C appreciated! My WZ18 entry.
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Falling Apart (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 11) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Falling Apart They immediately reconvened the small council, there were many matters to discuss with Flagg’s death looming over them. Dugal though that it would have been wiser if they combed Petraea for the other high lords to make sure no one else had been assassinated. However, the circumstances surrounding Flagg’s death did not sit well with him. Dugal knew a thing or two about being assassinated, and he figured that there just was something odd with the Sorceress’ story. DSC_1504 by skaforhire, on Flickr One of the reasons that they reconvened was because there were ambassadors from both Ulandus and the Desert King to see the council. Procedure said that these emissaries had to be invited by a High Lord to speak in front of the High Council, since both sets of emisarries were associated with low lords, they had to be introduced to a Small Council first. First up were the Ulandians, who were the guest of Phlici Maderni. But, High Lord Bain Ba’Elder would not yield the floor. “I believe this is even more evidence that we need to take troops from Eastgate and distribute them to the rest of the Realm. We should also make a formal request that Lord DaMaximus bring his troops back to Western Eastern Kaliphlin, where we now know the Ulandian threat originates from. They have assassinated our leader!” Bain was beginning to get into a bellicose raving now. Phlici got a word in. “The last I heard, it was a Dark Elf that killed Flagg. Not a Ulandian, unless you know something we don’t?” she paused, but laid it on him. “Perhaps you are associated with the killer? And, why would we talk about removing troops from the West, this is the Small Council for Western Affairs! What are you plotting at?” Bain was outraged. “You care challenge a High Lord? We all know where you loyalties lie, we know the stories!” Dugal threw a glance at Gideon to see his reaction; they had spoken about Phlici’s “closeness” to the Ulandians before this meeting. Sand’s End was important for protecting the border, and neither of the two high lords wanted to see Ulandians doing that protecting. DSC_1595 by skaforhire, on Flickr Gideon seemed lost in thought, he had just told the council about the grain shortage in Barqa – Dugal knew that part of the shortage was due to his army needing supplies over the last year. Everyone had been stretched thin. Phlici roared back “And we know that you have taken money from the Desert King! You are not neutral on this council either.” That made Gideon, Lord Octo(who had joined for this second session), Kyban Wh'Ali, and Dugal’s eyes bulge. Bain was taking money from the Sand King? She continued. “And I bow no longer to you, high lord. With Flagg’s Passing, his title of Guardian of the North Gate passes to my family, for he has no heir. I am your equal, but I suspect in reality, your better.” She smirked. For the first time that Dugal could recall, Bain was speechless. Kyban, in his slow Petraean drawl filled the silence. “You are taking money from the Desert King?” Bain quickly rebounded, and began to beat around the palm tree. “Do you know this famine spreads further than the Arkbri Valley? It is not only Barqa’s storehouses that flounder in this drought. Let me tell you the tale of Sin’ta-da’Leen. “ (Builds by Goliath – Thank you! ) Kaliphlin Challenge - Starvation by The Goliath, on Flickr) “The people of this village, that all of you have stepped through at one time, are starving. It has gotten so bad that food vendors outside the town will not bring their dwindling wares because of what happened two weeks ago. The populace so hungry that they had turned to eating their racing ostriches finally succumbed to the madness of hunger. “ Kaliphlin Challenge - Starvation by The Goliath, on Flickr “They became cannibals! Two weeks ago they attacked a food wagon and even ate it’s driver and “guards. Kaliphlin Challenge - Starvation by The Goliath, on Flickr “Money in their pocket, they couldn’t buy food! They couldn’t even wait to make a transaction. Clearly Madness reigns in the outskirts of Kaliphlin.” He cleared his throat letting some of the more squeamish lords try to keep their lunch down. “So, if I have entertained an offer from our former King, who promises stability, who OWNS one of the greatest legends of all Kaliphlinites, who has the money and the might to put together our salvation, is there really a wrong here? Are we bound to a leader, especially without Flagg being present for the last two years? How… how dare you ask me in an accusing tone if I took his money? We are Kaliphlinites, we seize every opportunity!” His cronies clapped. Clapped! Even Kyban seemed to nod to this logic and Bain’s tirade. But that was not all. Bain surely seized the moment again. “It is not just food shortages, and warlords, but slavelords are starting to emerge from the sands. We all signed Flagg’s pact, no Kaliphlin citizen shall be slave, and all slaves must be taken on raids outside of the Guild or from prisoners. Well, without might, without troops – troops that Dugal hogs in his precious war for inheritance – Kaliphlinites can’t travel the oil road without protection. The illicit slavers are bolder than ever, even coming into Petraea! We need strength. We need a king again. You all know your history, Kaliphlin was the most powerful nation in the world at one point, and we owned all of Historica! Cedrica was a sapling to our mighty Kaligem! And now, our great Pharaoh has returned, and you hesitate to throw up the old banners in support?” By Kai: (Thanks, Kai! ) kai by Kai, on Flickr Slave Gang by gid617, on Flickr Slave Gang by gid617, on Flickr Everyone began talking at once. Dugal lashed back at Bain, “Do you work for Petera? Why are you so keen on seeing Eastgate stay in his hands?” But, Bain probably did not hear it over the screaming from Kylee at Octo, who was making crass comments about how perhaps Kaliphlin needed a few more slave girls to spice things up. Kyban was trying to contact the guard about something. Gideon was speaking across the table to Ral’ai, a minor lord and Bain crony. Gais Elmore, awoken from his sudden nap, nearly slapped Bandari Milsion, for a reason Dugal could not determine. The council was breaking down. DSC_1513 by skaforhire, on FlickrDSC_1513 by skaforhire, on Flickr Then came a voice that was not of the council. “There are other means to order. Your Sand Prince, is fooling you. Take his money, and you will see it sift through your fingers like the substance he beds in.” Dugal turned to see Phlici bringing three men into the chamber. Ulandians… The one in blue armor, a man late in his forties, but still with distinguishing good looks spoke. “I am General Latrix Veringetrix, but my sand name is Lat’ve. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” “Who said you could enter this chamber?” Bain cut of Kyban before he could do his duty and Lord Protector of the Council. “I did.” Phlici said. “These men are the ambassadors from Ulandus.” Although the man in the blue uniform was talking ,Dugal could sense that the one in red was in charge. “This is Captain Castrix,” she said motioning to the one in green, “and this is General Royce Ponce, the representative of the First Centurion of Ulandus.” DSC_1522 by skaforhire, on Flickr Ponce, in red, began to speak. “ We understand that we must be presented to the High Council by a high lord. Thus we seek one of the High Lords in this room to champion our cause.” “There is no need Royce, I am a high lord now.” Phlici said. “We seek another.” Ponce said coldly. Dugal watched as she pulled her hand off Lat’ve’s arm. Perhaps the Ulandians were not a keen on the lady’s quick love connection with their general. Dugal figured Phlici was not politically viable to them because of this romance. “So what do you want? Why do you come to Kaliphlin with armies?” Gideon said. DSC_1517 by skaforhire, on Flickr “We do not come to Kaliphlin, we are Kaliphlin!” Ponce began. “Our separation nearly two thousand years ago was because of the Pharaoh Ark'Mora Raa. He sunk the great mountain, and rose the Void Tide to separate us from our brothers and sisters in Kaliphlin.” Dugal had always heard that it was a volcano that sunk the island city of Ulandus. Most scholars at the university said Ulandus was a myth. “If he destroyed your city, how did you come to be today?” asked Gideon. “Ulandus is not just one city, it is a region the size of Or’loral.” Castrix replied. “Or’loral?” Kylee said. “Er, I mean Gorr. I think that is what you call it now.” Castrix replied. Gorr!?! That was a sizable island. “We seek to rejoin our guild, our people, and be equals once more. We want our cities to have representatives on the high council.” Ponce said. “How many cities are on Ulandus?” Dugal Asked. kaliphlin-south-east by skaforhire, on Flickr “ Five that would be considered High Lord status.” Ponce replied. “Five? Surely they are not all great cities?” Bain said. “Xersea, First Centurion’s Throne, is as large as Ancient Kaligem.” Lat’ve said. Everyone sat in silence for a second. Bain was the first to open his mouth. “The real question is, if the Desert King can sink cities, and you are the 2000 year old enemy of the Desert King, why would we side with you?” “Because the Desert King seeks to control you all, not live with you as equals. This is why he destroyed Ulandus, because we rose in revolt as our freedoms dwindled.” Ponce continued. “We are your natural allies. DSC_1519 by skaforhire, on Flickr
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Rebuilding What Once Was (Challenge 4 Prelude, Chapter 2) Chapter One The thunderous sound of the earth roaring seemed to last for hours in Kaliphlin. Not only did the Lone Mountain explode, but the force of the tremor was felt as far away as Mitgardia. Much of Kaliphlin was shaken, and many places suffered catastrophic damage. The newly rebuild city of Sultan’s Gate was not spared the wrath of the “Great Disturbance” (As it has come to be known). However, as the dust cleared and those who were spared began shifting through the rubble, treachery has surfaced! One of the housing districts that seemed to have sunk into the ground during the quake, was sabotaged! It soon became apparent that Drow tunnels were dug under Sultan’s Gate. For what purpose, we many never know, but the culprits have seemed to have abandoned their plans now. Sultan’s Gate is a tight knit community, and soon the rebuilding effort began. Robuko by Picture, on Flickr (NOTE: Thanks to Robuko for building this MOC, when he gets back in town he will probably post this as a separate free build with more close up shots.) Orcs, humans, mummies all work throughout the day to try and clear up the results of the landslip. Some of the newest Petraea General Trading Company contraptions are used in the effort. In this painting we can see the Ornithopter Flying Boat surveying and lifting rubble. At this rate, perhaps Sultan’s Gate will find normalcy in a few months. But something seems to be lurking in the distance, a general feeling seeps over the people, that the Landslip, the earthquake, and the intrusion upon Kaliphlin are all just early warnings to something greater. And… with the new strangers starting to appear in town, from “Ulandia” or “Ulantis” or ”Ulandus”, or something like that, a place no Kaliphlin seems to recall, , one must wonder what this new era may bring. proverb by skaforhire, on Flickr Rebuilding What Once Was (Challenge 4 Prelude, Chapter 2) -
Traitors at Trade Day (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 5) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Traitors at Trade Day sandsend by skaforhire, on Flickr sandendonmap by skaforhire, on Flickr Lady Phlici Maderni of Sand's End stretched as she exited the Crown Inn. This was what was left of the Maderni fortune, her husband, killed at Queenscross during the battle against Revolword’s forces, had spent most of it trying to rebuild Sand’s End and defend its people. Now, the current drought in southern Avalonia and Northern Kaliphlin left the region a ghostly semblance of its former self. All her money was tied up in this Inn, that nobody ever visited. She was still the Lady of Sand’s End, and she still sat on the Council of Lords of Kaliphlin, although her husband had once been a High Lord. However, by the look of today’s trade day, perhaps Sand’s End would no longer qualify for even a spot on the lower council. One the first defense against northern aggression, Sand’s End had lost that importance and the council money for defense, when Northwall – a smaller, yet more fortified town to the north -- was annexed over a hundred years ago. Now the guild soldier called that town home, and kept the borders safe from bandits. Except… they weren’t. The Revolword War, the drought, the Drow, and now the Great Disturbance had taken a toll on Kaliphlin. The council sent less money and soldiers to Northwall, not at all to Sand’s End. The Lord of Northwall, Pryor Rhodes, barely sent the troops at his disposal out on patrol, and now Avalonian raiders, Centaurs from the Cedrican plains, and sand bandits cropped up all over Northern Kaliphlin. Her own men, the few she could afford, had to stay within the formable walls of Sand’s End to keep order within the town – they could not be spared to save the countryside. The Trade Day was the most recent casualty to the ongoing troubles in the region. DSC_1540 by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1533 by skaforhire, on Flickr As she strode out the door she was met by her Clerk and Mayor, Ronalo Suarn, a Varlyrian immigrant. He was always asking her to tighten her wallet, or else “the city will surely fall without due frugalness.” Today was no different. “My lady,” he said without bowing, “The payment for the guards is overdue!” W “I know, you will find we have this month’s wages in the strongbox in the inn.” She walked past Stelvin Crow, the last farmer within her domain. Stelvin was still trying to sell his gigantic carrots, but everyone in Sand’s End was sick of Carrot stew. When she ignored him, he almost attacked Ronalo. “Sir! These are the best Carrots in all of Historica!” He shouted in the mayor’s face. She tuned them out and noticed a strange pale man bowing to her. She had never seen him before. She moved to talk to Olgie Artsonbrose, the local fine craftsmen and jewler. Every week he swore he was not coming back to the market day. “No customers worth a grain of salt! And I haven’t seen a ducat in weeks, so I would be happy to receive salt!” He claimed last week. She looked around the market, nobody had even rented the large wall stalls and many tables were empty of wares– this was getting bad indeed. DSC_1543 by skaforhire, on Flickr She finally noticed her one-eyed guard captain, Smaley Al’Green, behind her. He was her only bodyguard nowadays. Olgie’s wares were fine, but also the same wares she had seen last week… and the week before… and the week before that. It looked like he really hadn’t moved any merchandise these last few trade days. She turned to Smaley, “Do you know who the man with the funny hat was? Where is he selling from?” “M’ladee” he said in one drawn out word, “ I am’nt aquainted wit da place he claims to call home, Ulanta I think?” he cleared his throat, “ But there’s ‘nother merch from tha place too. He brings books.” Books? She thought, incredible! She had not had a new book in her hand since her last visit to Petraea. She next went to Nelva’s table. DSC_1545 by skaforhire, on Flickr Nelva’s pitch was new. “I’ve got what this town needs, a baby mummy! He is the son of the risen Desert King!” She exclaimed. “ Only 100 Ducats! Think of the power you will bring to this town My Lady!” IF Only Nelva knew that Phlici barely had 100 ducats left, and by the turnout today, it looks like nobody would be staying in the inn tonight, and the receipts from table and stall rentals will be almost non-existent. Instead of answering Nelva directly, she turned to Ronalo, who was still being harassed by Stelvin, and said “Check if Nelva has the proper permit to sell ‘mummies’ within Kaliphlin Borders.” Nelva breathed quickly, an audible snort and blurted “well, maybe it is not a real baby mummy.” Phlici moved on to the Avalonian selling wine and beer. She hated that the only trader making money today was from Avalonia. She knew that Kendrick had free passage from the Avalonian raiders who now controlled the Cedrica Road. The same raiders that have kept her from making the last two council meetings. She turned to Smaely and said “Make sure that we collect all the taxes from this one.” DSC_1546 by skaforhire, on Flickr She bypassed the funny man with the weird hat’s table, it was basic prettys, but nothing she desired, and moved to the book cart. DSC_1553 by skaforhire, on Flickr “Greetings M’Lady, a caped man with a hook said with a very heavy southern Kaliphlin accent. “Are you a fan of the great works? I have many indeed.” He gave her a quick smile, but she was already thumbing through the titles. Edwin Kalphrate’s Seven Great Battles of Kaliphlin --- first edition!!!! Kaliphlin Proverbs and other short stories, author unknown. 1001 Tales of Princess Ali’De Shek Curlzon’s Greater Plane of Existence Smaley interrupted her. “I don’t like his slave.” He whispered to Phlici. Smaley didn’t like slaves in general, and Phlici refused to let them be traded within the town limits as her own distaste for the institution was widely known. However, they were allowed to come into the city. She glanced over and noticed a Leander man staring down Smaley – He had many scars, and did look on edge. However, she went back to look at the titles. Finally she asked “ Where are you from?” “I am one of First Centurion’s subjects.” He replied. “Who?” “I am from Ulandus” She looked at him hard now. “The sunken city?” “Much more than a city my lady, and we were never sunk, just lost. But that has all changed.” He smiled. Well, wherever this fool came from, he had some great books – many that had dates of publication hundreds of years ago that she had not heard of! He glee was then interrupted as Smaley threw her to the ground. DSC_1555 by skaforhire, on Flickr From the copse of trees came a very quick man, Phlici could not get a good look, but she was fairly sure he was Avalonian. Smaley parried the man’s blows as the Leander Slave jumped in front of his master who hit the ground also. Before she knew it the would-be assassin was dashing away with Smaley in pursuit. DSC_1556 by skaforhire, on Flickr Ronalo grabbed her and got her back inside the inn, where they bolted the door – definitely not making any money today, she thought wryly to herself. choose by skaforhire, on Flickr
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Hanging in the Balance (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 7) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Hanging in the Balance Small Council by skaforhire, on Flickr Dugal sat with his arms crossed. This small council meeting was not going well. This was one of the various small councils, where a few of the High Lords met with a group of Low Lords in order to make decisions for the different regions of Kaliphlin. Most of the time the High Lords did not even make these meetings, as the real lifting happened in the High Lord Council. Dugal was only in Petraea because of the emergency council meeting that was scheduled for that night. This meeting was made up of some of the western lords of Kaliphlin, but the only high lords in attendance were Gideon, Bain Ba’Elder or , Kyban Wh'Ali of Khar'dek and himself. Kyban, was currently serving as the Lord Protector of the Council, so he was the only person besides the guards allowed to have a weapon in the building. It was actually a good turnout of high lords, even if it was mandatory that Kyban attend due to his position. Most of the minor lords had left already, but Bain had just taken the floor, and would probably not yield for some time. He always complained about Eastgate’s control of the Red River, and did not like the taxes placed on merchants from his town upstream. So he was usually an enemy of the MacLeans, but Dugal had not seen him in a while. It was surprising that he began to talk about something else. “I wish to call for a fund to help the westlands rebuild from the Great Disturbance.” Melki O’teel, one of Bain’s lower lord lackeys seconded the motion and began to talk about some of the building efforts East of his village. Earthquake In Kaliphlin by BrickCurve, on Flickr (Thank You BrickCurve!) Earthquake In Kaliphlin by BrickCurve, on Flickr It seemed that efforts were beginning quickly, as it had only been a few weeks. But, the odd thing about the story was that Sea People troops were going around the countryside helping rebuild damaged towns. That was odd. Melki droned on. Dugal almost lost track of his surroundings, thinking of ways in which GEAR Co. could help, and still make a profit… after they get Eastgate back from his brother Petera, that is. However, he snapped back into the present when he heard Bain’s next talking point. DSC_3845 by skaforhire, on Flickr “I move to send a motion to the High Council to take Eastgate’s supply of Kaliphlin Guild troops away. The siege there has taken much of our guild’s resources over the last year, and it is still a stalemate, even after a victory for Lord Dugal at the Wither Woods! Let him use his own troops.!” He was cheered by his cronies, but that was almost half the table. Even Gais Elmor, a once proud member of GEAR Co. sat in silence, seemingly pondering the resolution. “This is ridiculous.” Dugal said. “We must apply pressure to Eastgate, we cannot let Petera escape – he is more powerful than his master, Revolword!” “So you say,” Bain said. “But Petera has never actually threatened anything but your birthright! He has yet to threaten any part of the rest of Kaliphlin.” “Except Queencross!” Lady Kylee protested. “He sent the assassin to kill Dugal and stop the Army! Then he aided the enemy against Paulos during the battle of Queenscross! He is a danger to us all.” Dugal was glad his wife’s friend had taken her father’s seat on the low council, she would be a good ally. DSC_1514 by skaforhire, on Flickr “We only know half of that is true, and still, living in the past will only doom us. There are real threats, present threats before us. These Ulandians or Sea People that Phlici has told us about, the Desert King, and worst of all, the Great Disturbance’s aftermath,” Bain stated. Lady Phlici tried to interject here and disagree that her new friends were not a threat – now that was a weird situation that would have to be addressed—but Bain continued over her. DSC_3847 by skaforhire, on Flickr He directed his attack directly at Dugal, meeting his eyes. “You have one of the most powerful personal armies in Historica at your command, yet you have not been able to take Eastgate. You even have Guild troops at your disposal, and perhaps the most powerful army in Historica, Lord DaMaximus’s army with you at Eastgate. You should have broken your brother by now!” “We are close.” Dugal said, he did not want to divulge any secret information, he knew an attack was coming in the next few weeks, but he had no idea if Bain would warn Petera or not. At this point Gideon interrupted Bain who was about to continue. “Perhaps we should let this matter rest while we talk about the Sea People and the Desert King. After all, we are not sure we need an army for either side – they have not threatened anyone yet. “ DSC_3841 by skaforhire, on Flickr Bain snarled, “They might not be an immediate risk, but let me tell you about South Sandstruck. This Kaliphlin town, and others that are too small to have strong standing forces are being hit every day! Warlords that do not give their allegiance to Kaliphlin and Flagg prey on those who pay their dues to our guild! That is what we need the troops for, and who knows, maybe even in time we will need them against the Sea People!” Sandstruck by South Sandstruck, on Flickr by Nice Marmot! Again Lady Phlici began to object, but she was cut off by screaming in the hall. “FLAGG IS DEAD! DEXTRUS FLAGG IS DEAD!” The small council broke up, and Dugal headed toward the commotion.
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Forging Alliances (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 6)
SkaForHire posted a topic in Guilds of Historica
Forging Alliances (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 6) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Forging Alliances fortifying by skaforhire, on Flickr It was a long night at the Crown Inn for Lady Phlici Maderni of Sand’s End. Smaley had not caught the would-be assassin, and the town was on high alert. So it was even more disheartening when she awoke near dawn to the shouts of the guards, and the ringing of the warning bells. Three Bells, army spotted. She grabbed her dress from the previous day and hurriedly put it on. She was met in the common room of the inn by Ronalo Suarn, the mayor, he was frantic. “A man in blue marches in front of a host of green soldiers. The identifying marks are foreign to me, my lady!” He belted out. This was disturbing, Ronalo was one of the smartest men she knew, he also knew every major sigil in Historica. She prepared for the worst…. =+=+=+=+=+= Three hours later Phlici was standing in front of her inn with General Latrix Veringetrix, but he had told her his ”high sands name” was Lat’ve. He was a good looking man, in his 40s, strong, confident, and somewhat attractive. It was not his looks that got him through the gates of Sand’s End though. Phlici had been hailed by this foreign army when they approached the city. They flew a flag of truce and she was accompanied by Smaley to the parle. Before she left she made sure that every troop she had was on the front wall – she had to look like she had many banner men. She met the leader, dressed in Green. He said his name was Castrix, and he demanded she open her gates to his army, the Salamanders of Ulandia – the sunken city? She asked herself. He looked to have about fifty men at his command… but 20 of these were no man at all… they were insectoid creatures, stuff she only heard rumored from the Rakath mountains. As she was lost in thought, Castrix snapped again “We demand water and shelter, and that your gates are open to us.” She was about to call the whole parle off, when a man in a similar uniform, but blue walked up behind Castrix. “Captain Castrix, there is no need for this, I am sure Lady Maderni will be happy to have a few extra Kaliphlin soldiers held up in her town.” He introduced himself as Latrix, and then. She had 28 men, most of them fat and old, she had no choice. She could not afford a siege right now. So now, just a few hours later she was playing host to a military spectacle. The Salamanders, actually, only one twentieth of the whole legion, as Lat’ve was quick to point out, stood in her market displaying their arms. DSC_3863 by skaforhire, on Flickr “The bug things seem to have no order to them” she said to her guest. “They do what their masters bid in combat, and nothing more, my lady.” Lat’ve said. “ It would be waste of effort to have them line up in squares like the human troops.” He had explained earlier that these were a bug people from Ulandus, and that they were sworn into the Second Legion as harsh melee fighters. He also explained that most enemies surrendered before the “Kalcheta,” swarmers in the modern tongue, before they had to face them. He concluded with a line about the swarmers eating their enemies in the middle of battle. This sounded to her like the fierce battle gnomes of the Witherwoods. She took a quick inventory of the 1st company of the Second Legion. 20 swarmers, ten heavy fighters, 10 pike, and 10 tritons. An interesting compliment. “Where is the rest of the Legion? How many are there?” Lat’ve was slow to answer, as if he was deciding what to divulge. “Each legion has funding for 1000 soldiers. There are twenty companies in this legion.” Twenty companies??? More than one legion??? She was amazed at the numbers – how did they get all the way up here without being noticed by the eyes and ears of the Kaliphlin intelligence agencies? He continued “The Salamanders have been tasked by First Centurion to defend Kaliphlin during the Rejoining, their companies are scattered to all ends of the Guild for this purpose.” She had been told earlier that the Rejoining was the name for the process of bringing Ulandus back into Kaliphlin, as it was 1000 years ago before its sinking. She also learned that “general” and “captain” were just ranks that they were calling themselves to not sound foreign to the Kaliphlinites. Lat’ve’s real title was Third Centurion, while Castrix was a Fourth Centurion. As far as she could figure, there were many Second, Third, Fourth, fifth, etc… centurions, but only one first centurion – the leader of Ulandus DSC_3861 by skaforhire, on Flickr She watched as Castrix took his position on her walls to deliver a speech to her town, her troops, and the Salamanders. She started to wonder if it was her town anymore. Castrix began to speak. “Legionaries, centurions, fellow Kaliphlinites, lend me your ears.” He had a booming voice. “We come today as friends, as Kaliphlinites. In time you will know us as long lost brothers. Be not afraid, for we come to help take care of your border trouble here in Sand’s End. Tomorrow we will march out and take care of the bandit problem, the problem your leaders have not had the strength to handle.” She began to speak, but Lat’ve put a hand on her arm and whispered “He is one for theatrics.” She let it go. Castrix continued, “we will put down the Avalonian Scourge on the King’s way, tame the centaur menace to the north, and we have already put the sand bandits of the south in their place – the grave. Rejoice now that your brothers have come, eat, drink, be merry, know that peace has come to Kaliphlin again, and that the Great Disturbance is over. We are the Salamanders, we are your blood, and we shall spill our blood with you in the name of Kaliphlin!” Cheers went up from his men, and to her surprise, her men. Not her town anymore… She turned to Lat’ve, “what do you want from me?” He smiled, “your introduction and backing to the council. We wish our cities to be fully represented on the high council.” She had a feeling that this was not everything, but she could come to appreciate his smile. DSC_1563 by skaforhire, on Flickr =+=+=+=+=+=+= Three days later the Salamanders made good on their promise. salamanders by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1577 by skaforhire, on Flickr At Wagner’s Glen in the Cedrican Plains, the Salamanders met the last of the Centaur raiding parties. In phalanx formation they slaughtered almost every rogue centaur. DSC_1583 by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1587 by skaforhire, on Flickr They didn’t even have to take the swarmers, and they left them in town. Phlici found this very disturbing as the they mingled with the populace. hey girl by skaforhire, on Flickr Lat’ve stayed in town too, and she learned much more about Ulandus, but by this time she was more interested in the man himself, although she could not get over his and other Ulandian’s use of Leander as slaves. DSC_1597 by skaforhire, on Flickr -
Bannihal’s Report (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 13) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Bannihal’s Report Leovetus had left the council with Dugal’s assurance that at least Eastgate would support his side of the order. The MacLeans had had many non-human allies over the years, and he felt odd about Lord Kral ever since he had met him. Leovetus left the chamber with a written report by Bannihal, and the council had adjourned formalities to go over the papers. The first was a report about a sabotage mission that the Leander resistance had pulled off. (Thanks to Kai for this build!) Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr A 12th Legion ship, apparently the 12th Legion, the Sea Serpents, were the naval force of Xersia, had left a city called Catarlacus headed for Mpya Stedor with a company of Thousand Sons. According to Bannihal, their mission was to unload near the city, take plain clothes, and infiltrate the city. Once inside, determine if DaMaximus was willing to champion the Ulandian cause for the Rejoining to Kaliphlin. If not, they were to take down the Golden Windows factory to hurt the city’s economy. Damaximus was not happy when this was read out loud, but Erudhalion reminded him that they should stay as objective as possible here, as they did not know if Bannihal was telling the truth, or even if he was a Desert King agent. Phlici seemed to think that the latter must be the case. The ship left Ulandus, but had one Leander rebel stowaway in the cargo hold. As it neared the Lesser Spice Isles, the agent began drilling two large holes in the hold. This caused the vessel to take on water, and in an attempt to make land, the ship was crashed upon a rocky reef in front of the Isle of Krag (their name for the island, Dugal had no idea which Lesser Spice Island it was.) The Leander got to shore where he hid himself to watch what unfolded next. Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr The Isle of Krag is apparently inhabited by an isolationist tribe, for when they saw the boat crashed upon the reef of their island, they went on the warpath. Storming the beach in full war paint, the men of the island shot arrow after arrow into each 12th Legionnaire trying to make the beach. Many of the soldiers were lost in the wreck, and all of their supplies lay on the reef or at the bottom of the sea. Eventually a few survivors made it to the rocky shore of the island where they attempted a last assault on the beach. Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr In the end, the islanders were too strong for the depleted crew. Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr As the islanders recovered much of the 12th Legion’s goods, the last of the bodies floated back out to sea. Shipwrecked! by gid617, on Flickr At nightfall, the Leander agent snuck back onto the reef and took the ship’s boat back to Ulandus. “Well they are brake, no matter who they really side with, I will give them that. “ Dugal said. “If it is true” Said Siedna “Agreed.” Dugal said. Ageven put down the scroll, “If this is true, these Leander may be actually working for the Desert King. If that is true, we may be playing into his hands by supporting the rebellion.” “I think it is best that we stay neutral, and post an army in Western Kaliphlin as a peace keeping force.” Gideon said. “We have two distinct problems, the Desert King in the North, who has yet to make his intentions clear, and the Ulandians in the South who have stated that they are enemies of the Desert King.” “Why would we need any army? Let them fight it out, and if we have to, we will destroy the winner.” Lord Bain said, he had entered into the council chambers after the Leanders had left. Isabella had come back too. “Lord Bain, your lands may sit cozy on the other side of Kaliphlin, but if those two armies want to fight each other, they are going to march through what little fertile land between Ulandus and Sultan’s Gate. They are going to have to eat, they are going to cause trouble, and likely they will grab any fortified town they can along the way to hold an advantage over the other. Once they get dug in, they will be impossible to get out. We need to set up a road block.” Said Ageven . “Auner has already been shaken hard by the Great Disturbance. We can’t afford any more trouble.” “We could always take Lord DaMaximus’ army to his home city, that would surely stop the two forces.” Bain chimed in. Here we go again… thought Dugal. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= There was one other piece of intelligence from Bannihal that interested Dugal – it was an overview of the Legions of Xersia and what their current missions were. It also described their uniforms. He learned that even though there was a uniformed color for each legion, the armor and appearance of soldiers within the legion varied from company to company, and even squad to squad. Untitled-4 by skaforhire, on Flickr Untitled-5 by skaforhire, on Flickr
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An Order Divided (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 12)
SkaForHire posted a topic in Guilds of Historica
An Order Divided (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 12) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 An Order Divided Thanks to Mike S. Who built these two awesome builds. Petitioning the Kaliphlin Council by -Mike S-, on Flickr Octo Vargood of Dunladeen was still hungry. That Small Council Meeting took it out of him. All the screaming, the Ulandians kicked out by Bain Ba’Elder, Bain Ba’Elder got slapped by Phlici Maderni, Kyban had to separate them, and all the while it seemed that everyone had forgotten Flagg was dead. Now he was at the emergency High Council meeting, and nobody could forget Dextrus Flagg. Seven long memorials read by various members of the council, even a poem was read! When he died, Octo just wanted someone to dump his body into the ocean and use their time to wine and dine on jumbo shrimp and the finest wine in the realm! Finally they had resolved to come back to the issue of Flagg later. The real reason for tonight’s meeting was Ulandus. Apparently, at Masa’s behest, the council was entertaining a group from the Knights of Aslan. Octo was not so interested in this, as he only cared about merriment and money, like any good Kaliphlin lord. He often thought these high lords had too many morals, and were not the quality of the generation before them – now those men knew how to turn sand into ducats. It was sad to know that Flagg, a master of the oil industry was no longer, but it also meant that Octo’s own holdings would grow with Flagg’s business out of the picture. Someone had done him a favor this afternoon. Octo despised non-humans, and he could smell the Leander before they came through the door. “I am General Leovetus, we come to you as friends, as allies, and look for your support against Lord Kral.” “Kral? Your order’s master?” Dugal said. “Yes, but in name only. He has begun to favor human members of the order above all others.” Leovetus said. Sounds like a good guy, thought Octo. Octo could see Kral’s representative, Lady Isabella, start to fidget. It looks like there may be more trouble at this council meeting. “Why in the name of Aslan, would we help you?” She finally said. The other lords looked at her sideways, it was not often that a proxy led a conversation in these higher meetings. “I suppose you will not support us Isabella, but I speak to the rest of the Council now, as I bring forth evidence that Kral has long been associated with Ulandus. I bring with me the Leander revolt leader, Bannihal.” Leovetus presented the hard-looking Ulandian to the council. Octo yawned. “Revolt?” asked DaMaximus, “Ulandus is not united?” “I am Bannihal,” Bannihal began. “And no, there are factions within Ulandus that fight against the First Centurion. We are one of them. For almost 220 years, Leander have been forced into slavery by the Ulandians. This is our punishment for the Leander Revolt.” He cleared his throat with a small roar. “I know that Kral has been associated with Ulandus for quite some time. You see, the elite guards of the First Centurion are in fact, Leander slave warriors. Most are his trusted guardians, but we have spies amongst them. They have seen Kral come to Xersia, the capital, and meet with First Centurion many times over the years.” “This is ridiculous! There was no way to get to this island before a few months ago!” Lady Isabella objected. Petitioning the Kaliphlin Council by -Mike S-, on Flickr “That is not quite true…” Duc LeStrange said. They all turned to the often quiet Councilor. “the Petraea General Trading Company has, for some time, been in contact with Ulandus. There is a small town on the west coast of the island called Wreckton, it used to lay outside of the Void Tide.” He looked around, just noticing he had the room’s attention. “Well, we didn’t know about a First Centurion, we just knew it was where some of our sailors ended up when shipwrecked. They also supply coal and Skyfruit. You all like skyfruit! Well, that is where it comes from.” He seemed to bow under the pressure of so many eyes upon him. “We were not going to give away the secret of our monopoly! None of you would either.” “Are you saying there is a way we could take a navy to Ulandus, and your pilots know this course?” DaMaximus asked. “Yes, but I know the town is bordered by mountains, I am not sure…” LaStrange was cut off by Bannihal. “It is possible, but there is only one road to the heart of Ulandus from Wreckton. Wreckton makes its own rules, and they stay away from the Centurions. The First Centurion allows them to live in obscurity. They are not important, but you would not be able to move troops from there. The ten legions would crush your forces. If your whole navy even got to Wreckton.” “Let us back up to Lord Kral.” Isabella interrupted. “While we are divulging trade secrets, I will admit, Kral has been to Ulandus, recently, but not for years! His dealings are the same as those with Varlyrio or the other guilds. The order has business everywhere. The order IS everywhere. He is only continuing the work of Bishop Jamon, Creator rest his soul.” There were a few repeated murmurs of the phrase amongst the council. Octo sniffed. Jamon had one good quality in his mind, he dressed well and made much gold. Petitioning the Kaliphlin Council by -Mike S-, on Flickr Isabella, who Octo had now decided to woo, he liked his ladies feisty, began a new course: “Now we can see what the real motive here is. Whatever cat Leovetus dragged in from Ulandus, it does not hide the truth here.” There were a few sighs, as the lady used the racial slur, cat, to describe a Leander. Feisty and arrogant indeed, Octo could already imagine his dinner plans. “ Leovetus is power hungry. He defies the order by leading its non-human members in rebellion against its anointed leader, Lord Kral. He has courted the Desert King, and for all we know, has already signed a pact with him. He has send his ambassador to Shadowmere, and met with Lord Vladivus to bring Nocturnus against the other half of the Knights of Aslan. This is no more than an additional power play. What is wrong, Leovetus, did the nightdwellers turn you down? Why are you really here?” Leovetus responded in a fierce tone. “This is absolute nonsense and slander. I have never had contact with the desert king. I have not sent anyone to Nocturnus. I am here on the subject of the Ulandians, whom Kral has at least allied with, and who are not here just to bring peace! I bring Bannihal as proof.” Now Phlici went on the defensive. “ You are wrong!” Octo liked Phlici, it was too bad that she had fallen for a Ulandian, her new status as a High Lord made her a suitable match for Octo. Maybe if Lat’ve had an accident like Flagg… Phlici continued, “ The Ulandians are here to rejoin with Kaliphlin, nothing more. Their two legions are here to help us. The First Legion, the Thousand Suns, have been tasked with rebuilding Kaliphlin after the Great Disturbance. Right now, they are out giving out food to our hungry and rebuilding our homes! The Second Legion, the Salamanders, are here to protect our borders and bring peace and order to the realm. With so much disaster, our troops are spread thin from slavers, raiders, invaders, and drow! We need our brothers from Ulandus and their troops in our time of need. There is no question that they should be brought into the fold and reunited with Kaliphlin.” She really had gained some confidence since Flagg died and made her queen of the northern something or other… actually Octo had never paid attention to whatever title Flagg was supposed to hold over this town or that town. He didn’t care in the slightest. “I agree,” Isabella said, “We have no proof that they are here for any other purpose than the one they say. We do have proof that Leovetus is a sniveling coward that is trying to backstab us all!” And with that outburst, Siedna, a newer member to the council herself, said “I put forth a motion to remove the proxy of Lord Kral from the council session. Her personal attacks are out of hand, with no evidence, and she is bringing too much hostility to the chamber. We all know where Kral’s opinion stands, we don’t need her here right now.” “Seconded.” DaMaximus said. “All in favor” Siedna said. About nine of the fourteen presence said “Aye.” Isabella got up and stormed out of the room. Octo saw an opportunity and followed her out. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Dugal had cautioned Phlici to hold her tongue in this meeting, but that had been ignored. She had tried to find holes in Bannihal’s story for some time now, but without luck. The rebel Leanders had taken the fight to the northern most cities of Ulandus, these cities were not under the direct control of the First Centurion, but were controlled by warlords that seemed to have a culture very similar to Southeastern Kaliphlin. They dressed similarly, they fought similarly, and they even ate some of the same strange delicacies as those Kaliphlinites across the Rakath Mountains. Bannihal thought that these northern cities were weaker, and that the ten legions rarely operated in the Northern cities. Still, the Northern cities were loyal to First Centurion, who they also addressed as Emperor. Dugal saw a problem at this juncture with this Ulandian plan for a “rejoining” to Kaliphlin. Kaliphlin was ran by a High Council, and this was even more true now that Flagg was dead. There was no direct leader, although they may have to elect a wartime leader if the Council takes a side in this war between the Ulandians and the Desert King. Dugal wanted to stay neutral. Bannihal was describing First Centurion at this point “He is tall, seemingly ageless, and has a pair of wings like an eagle.” The 1st Centurion by -Mike S-, on Flickr “So he is not human?” asked Gideon. “In every other way he is” Replied Bannihal. “Although he is immensely powerful, we know not if it is magic, natural ability, or something else.” “Tell us more about Ulandus, do they really have 10,000 troops? Ten Legions?” Asked DaMaximus. “More. Xersia alone has ten legions. The northern cities have at least 4,000 men at arms between the two cities. The Xersia is the guardian of the southern cities, so they only have a rudimentary guardian force.” Bannihal said. “Then there is the navy.” LeStrange nodded to this, apparently the PGTC had encountered the fleet of Ulandus before. The Leander continued to describe the throne room of First Centurion, the opulence, the grander, and the demand for total loyalty within Xersia and the other “sister cities.” It was clear that First Centurion ruled the whole island… making it hard again for Dugal to swallow letting five new high councilmen into Kaliphlins inner circle – considering rarely do 15 show up to meetings, this would give them a sizable voting bloc. And how many lower lords did they want to add to Kaliphlin’s ranks? The 1st Centurion by -Mike S-, on Flickr “The people of Ulandus are generally honorable, yet steeped in history. Whereas people of the mainland have forgotten the sinking of Ulandus, the children of the subcontinent know every story of the Great Breaking, and learn about the prophecies of the Rejoining. They have prepared 2000 years for this day. And I tell you, they don’t just want to be part of Kaliphlin, First Centurion means to rule.” Bannihal finished. The 1st Centurion by -Mike S-, on Flickr “This is nonsense.” Phlici said, “You are obviously scared from your time as a slave. We need a second opinion, if we just invited Lat’ve in here…” Bannihal cut her off. “Lat’ve is here?!? He is one of their highest intelligence officers! This guild hall could be crawling with Sand Wolf spies!” “Sand wolf?” Dugal asked. “The third legion is the subterfuge and spy arm of Xersia.” Bannihal said. “If Lat’ve is here, the First Centurion knows exactly what we are talking about.” He looked panicked. “I must go, my men are in trouble! I opened my mouth up about the spies to the wrong chamber.” He turned to Leovetus “You should have told me there were Ulandians in the capital, I fear this was a foolish errand indeed.” He turned and rushed out of the room leaving the Aslanic Leanders looking at one another in disbelief. -
Discussions at Sea (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 15) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Discussions at Sea meeting at sea by skaforhire, on Flickr Aboard the Fishmonger’s Wife Captain Nelbort Northman receives the diplomats from Ulandus. His privateer vessel had been roaming the Spice Islands, looking for goods-laden Kaliphlin ships heading for Mitgardia that had their papers out of order… Ten days back, while restocking at Barqa, he received a letter from the Foreign Ministry of Mitgardia, asking them to pick up a diplomat on one of the southern Spice Isles. Always willing to help, Northman headed to the location. He exchanged pleasantries with a ship flying colors he did not recognize – Blue and Green – but they also had a Kaliphlin flag. Four men boarded his ship, and he set off for his home waters. The men were dressed similar to Far Eastern Kaliphinites who lived on the Eastern coast just south of Nocturnus. They had similar accents as well. Their leader, Moti Shinzu, became fast friends with Norhtman. Northman was happy to have someone with so much interest in privateering on board. As they traveled they talked about the strange new subcontinent that he hailed from. DSC_1678 by skaforhire, on Flickr Moti had just finished fishing one day when Northman came to him for one of their usual talks. “So what does Ulandus want with Mitgardia? Why are you headed so far away from Kaliphlin, if the emperor wishes only to rejoin Kaliphlin? Asked Northman. Moti was quiet for a moment, and as usual, gave a calculated answer. “All great guilds need strong friends. We know of the arms race last year between Kaliphlin and Mitgardia. It is the emperors wishes that Kaliphlin and Mitgardia put aside their differences and prepare for a more trying time.” “What could be more trying than the series of guild civil wars we have been facing the last few years?” Northman asked. DSC_1677 by skaforhire, on Flickr “Putting a king back on the throne of Cedrica, making Historica whole again.” Moti answered. “Peace between the guilds is essential for this, and for the next steps.” After he said the last bit he looked shocked, as if he may have given something away. As much as Northman tried to get Moti to tell him of the next steps, the soft-spoken diplomat would not budge. Finally he altered the subject a little. “What does Kaliphlin and Ulandus offer Mitgardia?” Moti began what seemed like a very well-rehearsed line. “In return for support and friendship, the Emperor will persuade the council to drop all duties on Mitgardian goods, and having much wealth from the oil trade, will pay Mitgardia a large subsidy each year for thirty years. Free water and food will be available in every Kaliphlin port for any Mitgardian vessel. Kaliphlin will support Mitgardian claims on the northern plains of the territory known as Cedrica. Finally, the new king will be Mitgardian.” “Won’t the Avalonians and Nocturnans have a problem with that last bit?” Moti said. “The Emperor has other plans for Avalonia. They will be happy with what we have already offered them.” When Northman looked at the diplomat, he spilled the rest of the beans. “The Emperor will support Avalonian claims on Esterbroke, and allow for joint occupation of the island. It will be divided in half.” “The High Council will not go for that.” Northman said, he knew the Kaliphlinites were busy making plans on that island, and the last time he visited it, it was 90% Kaliphlinites in the civilized parts. “Some of the High Council will no longer be welcome in Petraea. A civil war is expected. Sides have firmed up in the last month, since Dextrus was killed.” Moti said. “It seems the neutralists on the Council have lost much of their support to both the Desert King and to the Emperor. The Emperor being much stronger.” Moti said. “And what about Nocturnus?” Northman said. “There are certain elements of Nocturnus that don’t fit into the future.” Moti said, and that was all he said about the subject. Northman had caught the whole angle though, not one of the three sides were powerful enough to sway the others without fighting. Ulandus needed Avalonia and Mitgardia to turn the tide of war. Moreover, they probably wanted Mitgardia to deal with the Desert King in the north, and keep his Nocturnan allies at bay, while the Avalonians crushed the Neutralists who were strong in the west. This strategy seemed too plain to see. He wondered how much the other two factions were willing to give to join their side. One thing was for certain… privateering was about to become much more lucrative.
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Picking and Choosing (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 14) Previous Prelude chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Picking and Choosing Dugal and the other lords of the Small Council for Western Affairs waited for the Desert King’s emissary. The capital was still in morning, and many of the other High Lords were meeting with the lower lords in order to calm fears that Kaliphlin was falling apart. Dugal had to remind some people in his Small Council that Kaliphlin had for some years now been ruled by the High Lords, and that Flagg was more of symbol of Kaliphlin prosperity and rule than an actual ruler. Ten days had passed since the emergency meeting with the Leander. Since that time, the council had become more polarized. Lord Bain led the pro Desert King faction and Lady Phlici, new to the council, led the pro-Ulandus faction, most of the major lords – the real movers and shakers of Kaliphlin – were still undecided or had vowed to stay neutral. Dugal was amongst the later, and more and more he began to like the idea of sending a peacekeeping force to Western Kaliphlin to keep the two sides from fighting. Without announcement, in came the emissary. He was a strange man, with a face painted in Gold. He wore the old noble headdress that the Mountain Mummies were so fond of. He wore scant linens, and seemed naturally adapted to the mid-day Petraea heat. His staff seemed almost… alive. DSC_1523 by skaforhire, on Flickr “I am Ka’ha’ton, speaker for his greatness, Pharaoh of Kaliphlin, Ruler of Kaligem, Priest of the Sun, Ark'Mora Raa. I come to you to give you his terms.” The man said. “His terms?” Asked Gideon.” “Yes the Sun King declares that he shall take Flagg’s place as ruler of Kaliphlin. The council will report to him. He will lead the guild back to greatness. He will rule fairly, and you all will have his respect. He will take your council, but will hold final decision. For your sacrifice, he will protect Kaliphlin, he will nurture her back to her greatness, and he will see you all richly rewarded.” The ambassador proclaimed. “Best sales pitch I have heard all day!” Said Lord Bain. “How do we know that the Desert King can even deliver on these promises?” Dugal said. “For the Pharaoh has already began working on these promises. He has rid Kaliphlin of Drow in the short time since he has been back. The last Drow were hunted down three days ago.” The gold-faced man said calmly. “He honor’s Flagg’s memory through this deed.” Drowhunter by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1573 by skaforhire, on Flickr “I don’t that could be true… Those things breed like flies, and live in the same filth.” Dugal replied. “It is true, although Raa believes that Flagg’s assassin may have left guild territory, as none of the Drow he caught would confess to the murder.” The ambassador said. Dugal knew that any guilty drow that was caught would have bragged about the deed before being executed. Then again, he still was confused how a Drow assassin could have hid from Flagg in a totally white room… “This is interesting, as my eyes and ears have report and extreme lack of Drow in the East, and I had mentioned to Lord DaMaximus this occurrence, and he replied that no Drow had been in Mpya Stedor for weeks according to his messengers.” Gideon said. “Perhaps we can assume that the Desert King has been the partial cause of this?” The ambassador said calmly, “He is the complete cause of this abnormally. The Pharaoh wishes it, and it is done.” Interesting. Thought Dugal. He wondered how many men the Desert King had. The ambassador continued, and pointed to the maps on the table. “His Greatness has claimed Sultan’s Gate as his temporary capital until Kaligem is rebuilt. He will move to Petraea when the majority of the Council submits to his rule. He will lodge himself in this great building.” “Where will the council meet then?” Asked Lady Kylee. “You will meet here, at his invitation.” The ambassador continued. “He wishes you all to have a part in the reclamation of honor that he will lead in Kaliphlin. Although he will be your master, he is a gracious master, and will reward you all handsomely.” “Well, I’m sold. “ Bain stated, his voice couldn’t be more cheerful. “ All in favor of putting this proposition to the High Council, say aye!” His cronies confirmed his suggestion, but nobody else did. “We must think on this, Ka’ha’ton” Gideon said, and the ambassador left. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The secret meeting was going well. DSC_1525 by skaforhire, on Flickr In the middle of the table, General Royce Ponce was detailing Ulandus’s plan for a new aqueduct to supply the Parched Lands and the Lick of Salt. It was a huge, expensive undertaking, but Octo was impressed with the plans. Not that it really benefited him much, but he did have a few oil wells in the Lick of Salt, and keeping workers alive and hydrated did have its benefits. The Ulandians, more specifically “first Centurion” was willing to pay the whole tab on the project to show good faith to the rest of the council. Octo really didn’t care if the Ulandians joined Kaliphlin, but he knew that there seemed to be more upside than drawbacks, even if the other High Councilors did not come to the same conclusion. So much trade could be had! He was surprised that Lord Bain had come to this meeting, and that Phlici was strangely absent… then again so was General Lat’ve, and those two were clearly an item. What a shame, she was so pretty and probably easily seduced. At least he believed so. The talk of gold brought him back to the conversation. “Yes, there will be a large share for each of you, and the low lords in this room will be raised to high lord for their support.” Ponce said. “How do you suppose that will happen, the whole council will have to vote on that. First Centurion could not control this.” Lord Octo said. “Were you not paying attention?” Bain said. “IF the Ulandians have to force their rights by fighting those who oppose their rejoining the guild, then there would rewards for the low lords.” Octo knew Bain could not be on board with this, he was too proud of being a high lord to willingly let others join the rank. In fact, Octo was pretty certain that Bain was only here to spy on the Ulandians for the Desert King. “So in conclusion, First Centurion offers his hand in friendship. The five high lords of Ulandus offer their embrace as brothers, and the Legions of Xersia will be at the council’s command for the upcoming attempt to put a king on the throne of Cedrica.” Ponce said. “We offer new aqueducts, new trade routes, our navy, and our expertise of the Southern Ocean. All of these will help grow Kaliphlin commerce to new levels.” He cleared his throat. “I believe our good will has already been shown. The Thousand Suns have rebuilt some of the Southern villages already. We have brought food to places struck with famine. We have provided military training for those who want to be able to defend themselves, and we have already given much gold to you all, and many of the Kaliphlin lords. It is time for the rejoining.” Thosand Suns by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1682 by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_1686 by skaforhire, on Flickr =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Dugal confronted Bain in the Small Council room. He had thought that the council was meeting without all its members, and he assumed Bain had been the source of this break in procedure. He assumed that Lord Bain just wanted to muscle more low council members to his position, be it on the Sand King or on Eastgate. DSC_1530 by skaforhire, on Flickr “Why have you broken procedure? You know our small council is to meet as a whole.” Dugal said. Lord Bain smiled. “You think I called a meeting to sit down with the Ulandians?” Dugal had not known the Ulandian ambassador was back, and oddly enough Phlici was not in the city today. “I suppose not. Who called the meeting” Dugal asked. “I have no idea, I received a letter under the crack of my Inn room door this morning. It said to come here and meet. Whoever put the meeting together must know your position to stay neutral. You have been a steadfast supporter of the peacekeeping force these last few days.” Bain changed his tone, “how they did not know my opinion, I am not so sure.” “So you spoke against the Ulandus plan?” Dugal asked. “Of course not, they paid me well to sit in that meeting, and I was curious to what they were up to.” Bain said. “If you have noticed, their grain trains have even reached the gates of this very city.” “I have, although my messengers say that none of that food has made it to the Eastgate area.” Dugal replied. “That is because they don’t want to feed your army. They know you are competition, and one of the larger forces the council has. If your army starves, they will desert, when your army has dwindled enough, you will be forced to side with them. This is an easy strategy to spot, Dugal.” Bain said as if he thought Dugal had not thought of this already. “You finally made a sound move and brought some of your forces West for the peacekeeping mission, spreading your forces will help you feed them better.” As he said that last part, Dugal had a bad feeling. Bain never gave compliments. “Now that I have won the debate in the High Council over your use of Kaliphlin soldiers for your war of heredity, I think the bad blood between us should subside. I encourage you to listen to the Desert King’s offers. He is most generous, and he is a true Kaliphlin leader. I fear that if the majority of the council keeps upon this path of neutrality, we won’t get a say in our new government.” “Who said we needed a new government?” Dugal asked. “You are stuck in the past, McLean. Kaliphlin is headed for great things, and we need to choose the right ruler.”
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A counter to LordDan's attack at L1 The civilian carrying the weapons slipped on the edge of the dock and fell into the river, as he fell, the weapons dropped out of his hands and floated away: Any C&C welcome
