Yeah, you could expand on it more if you wanted to, but it was more than enough to make the update a bit more interesting. I'll get started on the update once I receive Omega's and Nuclear's orders.
1) No. I will not be able to keep track of them easily, it is very very very easy to set up an e-mail account these days, I've done so specifically to have an e-mail account for nesing.
2) It's past the deadline, you gave me no prior warning, and the update is written up (I just need to type it) so your orders will not be accepted.
..and mighty was the dark army that bore down on the Old Republic, but glimmering in the darkness was the hopes of those free men defending their free city...
~Excerpt from Limacan Period Chronicle Sarboges' "Annals of the Once Free World"
Preparation for War
The Republican Army Is Summoned!
Disorganized as it may be, the call for honorable citizen volunteers was answered with resounding success. Shortly after the Dual Kingdoms of Zelotage & Lachykos' declaration of war and the Council of Immortal's speedy response (and the overlooked, but lawfully necessary Council of Patrician's approval of the Immortals' declaration of war) 30,000 citizens gathered in Aros from all corners of republican land to defend the ancient city-state of Aros. Placed under the command of the Immortal-Warrior Aristomachos, 2,000 poor infantry were given to the appointed Navarchos, the Immortal Ichthyos, to man 10 of the Republic's 50 triremes.
Spoiler:
"Call yourselvessimply mortal menif you wish, but should you join me you will be immortalized as near-gods in songs of your glorious deeds!"
~Aristomachos to Refugees Gathered in Aros
Furthermore the newly appointed Strategos Aristomachos took it upon himself to call upon the young hopefuls amongst the swell of refugees who had lost their homes to the march of the Dual Kingdoms' army. Though his speech was wild and fraught of bloody imagery, he convinced over 1,000 able-bodied young men to abandon a life of peace just south of the Heiron River and instead seek glory in the army. The strategos took it upon himself to arm the 1,000 men with armaments that made many a noble-blooded warrior envious, and saw to it that the 1,000 were put through training far more vigorous than the rest of the army. Not only did Aristomachos teach them personally how to fight, but also the intricate blood-letting rites and rituals of the War Goddess Akyrosyne. The Immortal Queen of Sakkema and head of the Heroes took a small interest in the band of bloody warriors-to-be, and upon the request of Aristomachos taught them of the ancient Gamien fighting techniques revolving around the javelin, spear, and shield.
While Aristomachos trained the main body of the army and the preperations for war went on in Aros proper, the Immortal Artemalces was characteristically no where to be seen. Just as the Republican army was due to march north to meet the Dual Kingdoms' dreadful host the mysterious Artemalces returned with 50 grizzled men in tow. Each was equipped with a sturdy bow with dedications to Sphasia, Goddess of the Hunt, carved not just into the bows, but tattooed all about the bodies of the men. At their sides they carried short swords and shields, and upon their stern faces was the look of weary readiness to do battle.
SpoilerPre-Campaign Record of Republican Army & Allies :
Total #: 46,050
Republican Army (Aristomachos) (29,000)
-Poor Infantry (13,000) (exp.1, dis.3)
-Rich Infantry (6,000) (exp.1, dis.5)
-Ranged-Javelins (7,500) (exp.1, dis.3)
-Cavalry-Light (1,500) (exp.1, dis.5)
-[Elite Troops to be Named by das] (1,000) (exp.1, dis.4)
In their wisdom the Immortals sought to settle the swell of refugees in an area just south of Aros, across the Heiron river. A designated area between the river and the gentler foothills of the Appenen Mountains was ultimately decided upon by the Council of Immortals (with no consultation of their mortal counterparts in the Council of Patricians) and each outgoing family was given a hefty amount of drachma to begin their new lives. [+10,000 population to Aros]
Of course the refugees loved this decision and blessed the Immortals, some even viewing them as more relevant than the gods, but amongst the general populous little else but discontent and envy could be found. The citizens almost to a man saw this as being grossly soft-hearted and flying in the face of the traditional Arosan values placed on self-betterment. For the most part the citizens grumble quietly, but a few among them speak out openly against the decision. [-General Popularity]
Young scions of the Penumar and Kataxen Patrician families speak in the forums, calling the people to place demands upon the Council of Immortals to reverse the decision until the citizens too have a voice in the matter. [-Immortal Popularity with Penumar & Kataxen]
"Let not our otherwordly leaders lead us blindly! Let them not bring goats into this flock! Immortal they may be, but they are far from ominoptent!"
And yet some amongst the people praise the Immortals for their decision, as unconventional as it is. The Sikorimos Patricians, as upset as they were at having no say in the matter, applaud the Immortals' decisions and take care to remind the public that the Immortals do have centuries of experience underneath their belts. Furthermore they go on to point how this potentially helps the Republic at large due to the very choice of what land the refugees were given to settle. [+Immortal Popularity with Sikorimos]
Spoiler:
Nestled between the the Heiron River and Appenen Mountains are the hopeful new freemen of the Republic
By the end of the year the refugees had gathered themselves at a particularly fertile spot just at threshold between the river and gentler hills of the Appenen Mountains. Contrary to the belief of the Arosan citizens, the area was not as rich and ready to be farmed as believed. Were the refugees presented with an easy living they surely would have fallen back on their past identities as citizens of now destroyed townships and villages, but faced with the harsh Appenen frontier they were forced to band together or die swiftly. Luckily for the settlers Quaestor Cedros had seen fit to allot even more of the Republican treasury into the continued support of these refugees-turned-settlers (much to the chagrin of the citizens of the tamer regions under Republican control) and they were able to push through the mountain winter. [+Settlement Under Aros, Haplesia]
Trade With Salpe
While the expansion of Arosan territory along the Appenen Mountains was going on the sea lanes thus far ignored began to open up with the introduction of the Salpen-Corians. As agreed upon Aros and Arosan settlements were opened up for trade with the Corian city state, although the Immortals were weary of fraternizing with their once enemy. Strangely enough, though, as the Salpen-Corian merchants trickled into the Arosan markets they seemed ignorant of who the Immortals and their people once were.
Trade initially came slowly due to the ongoing conflict with the Dual Kingdoms. Few merchants wished to brave Dorarities' domain with a war threatening their prospects alongside the normal fickleness of the sea god, and so only the Salpen-Corians traveled, bringing with them finely made potteries and linen goods. However, when Ichthyos returned from his relentless raids upon the Dual Kingdoms' (specifically Zelotage's) coastal settlements and thus proved the strange absence of enemy vessels on the water merchants began to eye the distant Salpe with greedy eyes.
Spoiler:
A Salpen-Corian vase depicting olive gathering, another industry that would grow in importance in the coming years
And yet it was not until the Immortal Epricurus funded a merchant expedition of his own that Aros entered into trade with Salpe proper. Gambling a third of his wealth, Epricurus purchased a small fleet of 5 trading vessels and sent them off to Salpe laden with the wine and wool Aros so readily produced; following on his heels were the Penumar Patricians who sent an even larger fleet. Both trade expeditions returned successfully and before long wealthy Arosan merchants were scrambling to send their own ships across the Marremediean. [+Epricurus' Private Wealth: Trading Vessels]
The sailors who returned (quite rich, might I add) told grandiose tales of Salpe being a shining city made purely out of marble. The city, it seems, is rather self involved and its citizens, described as beautiful and almost without flaws, regarded the Arosans as country rubes- though they certainly were eager to take Arosan coin. [+Epricurus' Private Wealth: Gold; +10d to Aros income]
School of Cedros
As all the preparations for a war that would prove to be brutal and simple went on, the Immortal and philosopher Cedros sought to prepare the minds of the people- provided that they could afford it. Cedros opened his modest home to any man or woman willing to submit themselves and their coin to his tutelage, and many parents and heads of households leaped at the chance to send their young charges to the renowned Immortal scholar.
Not strangely the patricians did not number amongst the Immortal's students, but instead the sons (and occasional daughters) of wealthier artisans and merchants composed the student body. It is not that the patricians did not see that Cedros could teach their scions many things, but that Cedros had gone about, in the words of Orpheleuo Eluthyerus, "pimping himself out for any man or woman who tossed coin his way". [+Cedros' Artisan & Merchant Popularity; -Cedros' Patrician Popularity]
Whether or not there was merit to this sentiment shared by the Arosan aristocracy Cedros' lessons plodded on and only the future can tell what will come of these lessons. [+Cedros' Private Wealth: Gold]
Games Hosted by Nukleos
At the Immortal Nukelos' expense a whole week of festivities were held in Aros. From all corners of the Republic men, women, and children crowded Aros' streets to celebrate and dispel their fears of the looming enemy army for a short while. Even a few Selpan-Corians were present to observe, if somewhat smugly, and Queen Brygmia took it upon herself and her gathered army to regale the Arosans with tales of the Gamien ancestors. [+Nukelos' General Popularity;-Nukelos' Private Wealth: Gold]
Yet just underneath the gaiety of the gathered throng was the apprehension of a people at war and no other event demonstrated this the most than the mock battles orchestrated by Nukleos and Aristomachos. Large-scale battles were held in front of the people by countless members of the Republican army who wished to show off their honed skills. While the traditional noble verses noble battles were held, highlighting the prowess of the Arosan Patrician elite, the most impressive battle was held between the 1,000 volunteers gathered by Aristomachos and 1,000 of the Sakemma Heroes. Although the Heroes predictably bested the Arosans, the fight was so fierce that Queen Brygmia awarded her short sword to the Arosan captain Niptileo Plassynx as a sign of eternal respect and friendship.
Ichthyos Sets Sail
During the preparations for the upcoming defense against the Dual Kingdoms' aggression the Immortal and Navarchos Ichthyos was very much missing from Aros. Goaded into action by the biting words of his landed counterpart, the Strategos Aristomachos, Ichthyos set out almost immediately upon receiving his 2,000 poor infantrymen-turned-sailors. Despite this hasty decision Ichthyos did not regret his decision, nor would he have to.
Simply put the Republican navy met no armed resistance from the Dual Kingdoms. The waters were free of enemies and never showed signs of a storm, something which Ichthyos took as a good omen from Dorarities. Left to carry out his campaign as he wished Ichthyos turned on the numerous coastal settlements under the Dual Kingdoms' control. The plundering was swift and brutal, and the unruly sailors commanded by Ichthyos more often than not reduced every village they came across to ash. Over time Ichthyos too abandoned his initial plans to raid the supply lines of the Dual Kingdoms' army- partially because he realized that the plan had been ridiculous due to how far inland the enemy army seemed to be and also because of the allure of plunder.
By the end of the summer Ichthyos' ships were bursting at the seams with goods, gold, and slaves, but the Navarchos did not stop there. Urged by his insatiable sailors Ichthyos turned his ships upon the independent settlements dotting to coasts. Upon returning to the harbor town of Sioth Ichthyos was a very wealthy figure, if morally bankrupt in the eyes of some. [+Ichthyos' Private Wealth: Gold; -Ichthyos' Sikorimos & Penumar Popularity]
The Battle of Dimos
Once Aristomachos set out with the Republican army & allies, Epricurus and Nukleos joining him as his subordinates, it would not be long until the Arosans would face the Dual Kingdoms. In fact Artemacles, who had taken his 50 men out ahead of the army a week before Aristomachos set out, began to encounter the Dual Kingdoms' scouts and war parties. He and his elite group of woodsmen dispatched these enemies with ease, sometimes one man killing twenty from afar, but the sheer amount of enemies prowling the countryside and how close they were to Aros was disturbing.
Exactly how the Dual Kingdoms had managed to march their army so quickly in such a short time baffled Artemacles, and Aristomachos and his lieutenants when they received Artemacles' reports, but it forced Aristomachos to spur his men forward harder than he anticipated. In an effort to be the one to choose the site of the battle Aristomachos called for the pace of his army to be almost doubled, but none of his men disagreed or grumbled- though a few did begin to fear for their lives as the reality of the situation became clear to them.
Artemacles and his scouts stumbled upon the main Dual Kingdoms army roughly a week and a half after setting out. He found that the enemy army was nothing but immense, the campfires of the horde at rest seeming to set a night's horizon on fire and the thundering of their march akin to the efforts of the Titans trying to free themselves from their earthly prisons. In his reports back to Aristomachos he gave a detailed description of the army. It was mostly composed of poorly armed masses, all of whom seemed to bear black markings or tattoos all across their bodies. Then of course there were the better armored nobles, but they seemed to number far fewer than what Aros could muster. Like Aros cavalry was lacking a presence in the Dual Kingdoms' army, but the cavalry mustered by the enemy was heavily armed and almost frightening in appearance. Whether or not the two Immortal-Kings marched with the army Artemacles could not say, but it would be safe to assume that Lachykos and Zelotage had not abandoned all of the Gamien ways.
The two armies finally clashed some two and a half weeks after Artemacles' final report, the Immortal and his soldiers having rejoined the main army a week prior, and despite Aristomachos' (half-hearted) attempts at tactics the battle soon devolved into a chaotic affair.
The formation of the two armies
Almost immediately as the battle began Aristomachos called for the two enemy kings to come face him in honorable combat, and when the call was not returned he plunged himself and his best trained men into the heart of the battle. His fight was nothing short of bloody and it can easily be said that on that day he claimed a thousand lives, but what was truly impressive was how his 1,000 volunteer warriors kept pace with him. Surrounding the battle-frenzied Immortal, the 1,000 men went to work putting down the enemy and not a single one of them faltered at the unusually suicidal efforts of the common soldiers they slew.
The main body of the army, however, was perturbed to see the mass of black-marked men simply throw themselves into the thick of the battle with seemingly little to no thought. As Aristomachos and his own was swallowed by the teeming mass of enemies the heavy and light Arosan infantries attempted to follow suit, but their attacks seemed to do nothing until the very moment of the enemy's death- upon which they let out an unearthly cry before collapsing. Bewildered and sure that awful magics were afoot the Arosan army began to falter, they surely would have lost were it not for the timely efforts of Epricurus.
Anticipating Aristomachos' blood-rage, Epricurus had made sure to impart an alternate set of commands to every officer and on his call the men began to fall back and have the Brygmina bring her Heroes to the forefront of the fight. Once there the Heroes had no trouble dispatching their disturbing enemy and the Arosan forces began to turn the tide of battle.
Epiricurus' alternate formation
By this time Aristomachos had flung himself deep behind enemy lines in search of the two kings and he eventually found one, Lachykos. The ensuing battle was not a glorious duel between two former friends turned enemies, nor was it even a struggle between equals- to describe it as anything but savage would give it too much credit. Upon seeing his once ally, Aristomachos set himself upon Lachykos with bewildering speed ferocity, taking off Lachykos' hand in the attack. Surprised to see Aristomachos and without a hand Lachykos fell easily and upon seeing one of their kings turn prisoner to Aristomachos a ripple went through the Dual Kingdoms' army, thus beginning their route.
As the army fled Artemacles and his men pursued them mercilessly, as did Nukelos who had commanded the small contingent of Arosan cavalry. Between the two it could be said that a fourth of the fleeing army was captured or killed, and almost half of the Dual Kingdoms' army had been destroyed during the battle.
Despite taking large losses themselves the Arosans celebrated and returned to Aros in triumph, for the battle had been one and the Republic safe for the mean time.
[+Aristomachos' General Popularity; +Epricurus' General Popularity; +Artemacles' General Popularity; +Nukelos' General Popularity; +Aristomachos', Epricurus', Artemacles' Private Wealth: Gold; +Aristomachos' Private Wealth: Lachykos (Prisoner)]
Budget Committee
The Council of Patricians have unanimously passed a bill that would allow for the creation of a mortal Quaestor who would work alongside the Immortal Quaestor and preform the same duties. The bill stipulates that the two Quaestors have to agree upon the budget or be overruled by a 2/3 vote in the Council of Immortals and a 3/4 vote in the Council of Patricians. [All Patrician Families favor this bill]
Financing of a Harbor
The Council of Patricians have passed a bill at 79-21 that would see the construction of a proper harbor in Sioth to accommodate the sudden swell of naval interest. The bill stipulates that all other construction, other than emergencies, be put off until the construction of Sioth's harbor is complete. An 'emergency' would be declared if the Council of Immortals passed a 2/3 vote or the Council of Patricians passed a 3/4 vote. [All Patrician Families save for the Kataxen]
Trial of Lachykos
The Council of Patricians have unanimously passed a bill that requests for Lachykos be handed over to the mortal council for a trial to address his grevious crimes. [All Patrician Families favor this bill]
Distribution of Loot
The Council of Patricians have 75-25 passed a bill that would see the dispensing of all looted goods to those devastated by the battle. Note that the bill stipulates that only CITIZENS who lost their sons/fathers in the Battle of Dimos receive the aid. [Sikorimos & Penumar favor this bill, Kataxen do not]
Prisoners of War
The Council of Patricians have 75-25 passed a bill that would see the selling of those captured Dual Kingdoms soldiers as slaves. Furthermore the bill stipulates that the proceeds of the sales go to the Republican government. [Diapthylos favor this bill, Kataxen do not]
An auspicious start! I was particularly happy to see Ichthyos live up to his words about how noble and honourable naval warfare is. Also, I told you we should've made the refugees fight for their citizenship.
Was Zelotage even there at all? Also, did the turn end with the battle or did you simply omit the more boring post-battle details? If it's the latter, then how did our pursuit go?
Anyhow, what to do with Lachykos should definitely be one of the main issues on the agenda.
A triumph will cost money to put on (though it's recommended) so you can assume the Update ends with you guys getting back to Aros and beginning to vote and whatnot again THEN the triumph will come in the next turn should you guys want it.
As for post-battle details- that'll be added in the council of patrician proposals as you'll see later.
Great update, Nutra! I'm having trouble viewing the images, though. I can see like half of them. I don't know if it's an image hosting issue or a CFC issue or an Anonymoose's computer issue. If anyone else is having problems, we might be able to figure out what the deal is.
Financing of a Harbor
The Council of Patricians have passed a bill at 79-21 that would see the construction of a proper harbor in Sioth to accommodate the sudden swell of naval interest. The bill stipulates that all other construction, other than emergencies, be put off until the construction of Sioth's harbor is complete. An 'emergency' would be declared if the Council of Immortals passed a 2/3 vote or the Council of Patricians passed a 3/4 vote.
[All Patrician Families save for the Kataxen]
I hereby approve this budget proposa. I can personally attest that trade is a valuable source of income. By increasing naval infrastructure, we can attract even more merchants and make offload/loading operations easier. This will cause more money to be generated by merchants, which we can tax.
Trial of Lachykos
The Council of Patricians have unanimously passed a bill that requests for Lachykos be handed over to the mortal council for a trial to address his grevious crimes.
[All Patrician Families favor this bill]
This is where I draw the line. Lachykos will not, nor ever will, be tried by a mortal council.
Lachykos is our, Immortals', prisoner. It was not a Patrician who captured Lachykos. It was Aristomachus, an immortal. It was not a Patrician who led the brave scouts against the Dual King's army, but it was Artelmalces, an immortal. It was not Patricians that commanded our army against the Dual Kings, but it was by Aristomachus and myself. By what right does the Patrician council believe that it can just simply take Lachykos away from us? Does the Patricians believe that they can make a better decision than us Immortals? It was not you Patricians that Lachykos vowed to destroy, but it was us Immortals. It was not you Patricians that fought with, and even alongside, Lachykos so many years ago, it was us immortals. We know Lachykos better than you mortals ever will. Therefore, us Immortals will have the final say in Lachykos's judgement.
Distribution of Loot
The Council of Patricians have 75-25 passed a bill that would see the dispensing of all looted goods to those devastated by the battle. Note that the bill stipulates that only CITIZENS who lost their sons/fathers in the Battle of Dimos receive the aid.
[Sikorimos & Penumar favor this bill, Kataxen do not]
I personally favor this bill to some extent. Most of the looted gold should indeed go to those devastated.
Prisoners of War
The Council of Patricians have 75-25 passed a bill that would see the selling of those captured Dual Kingdoms soldiers as slaves. Furthermore the bill stipulates that the proceeds of the sales go to the Republican government.
[Diapthylos favor this bill, Kataxen do not]
uhhh, crap. I accidentally sent Seon's stats to you, erez. Ignore them, yours will be coming in a minute.
And Seon, don't worry, nothing secretive are in those stats. Sorry for the mix up!
Right, I've sent stats to everyone who got their orders in on time. To those two who did not you will not get updated stats for this turn. Also consider this strike one, the next time you do not send me orders on time or give me prior notice of your inability to send in orders I will ask you to leave so I can have the spot open for others who may be more dedicated to this NES. This game very much runs on your orders so without them I am left high and dry, and I (and your fellow players) do not appreciate that!
edit:
Stats are all out and the front page has been updated in terms of public stats.
Now I'm going to work on adjusting rules/stats so that they better communicate the various aspects of this NES. Nothing too drastic, though, just a bit more information probably. You guys can feasibly get voting and such for next turn underway!
On the matter of the harbour, Aristomachos agrees wholeheartedly.
On the matter of Lachykos' trial, Aristomachos votes that Lachykos be judged by his Immortal brothers. He inquires whether the patricians would agree to have one of their own be judged by shoemakers, even if shoemakers also suffered from his crimes against the Republic.
On the matter of the distribution of spoils, Aristomachos votes that they be distributed equally between the warriors that survived the battle and the families of those who had fallen in accordance with the principle of fairness, but that the latter also receive an additional compensation from the budget.
On the matter of the prisoners of war, Aristomachos votes that they be auctioned off within the Republic. These are no warriors; they are good only for slave labour, and hopefully their new wealthy masters will be able to afford keeping an eye on them in case of an uprising.
With regards to the Budget Committee proposal, I, Aristomachos, will defer to Brother Cedros. Personally I do not see any intrinsic harm in allowing creating a mortal Quaestor, but the patricians' proposal seems to grant him altogether undue amounts of power; in any case, it is hardly my area of expertise.
...I don't know what got into me... I swear it was the voices was in my head... I just got bored because the enemy's coward fleet never engaged me... All of you guys would have gone insane like that had you'd been in my situtation...
Remember guys that you can now bring up any issues/goals/things you want to see done for the next turn. It would be wise to think of issues outside of the ones presented by the CoP (otherwise this'll be a rather boring NES).
Well I did ask you whether Zelotage was spotted at any time during the fight or the campaign. That'd be nice to know for future purposes.
Also, any ideas on what the hell was up with that strange army of theirs will be welcome. Cedros in particular might be able to do some research in that regard.
Lurkers, I don't suppose there's any chance of us getting a seventh any time soon?
nutranurse, how about the post-battle details? Did the enemy army retreat, rout or melt away? Is there still any threat in our territory or are we apparently free to go on the offensive?
"As the army fled Artemacles and his men pursued them mercilessly, as did Nukelos who had commanded the small contingent of Arosan cavalry. Between the two it could be said that a fourth of the fleeing army was captured or killed, and almost half of the Dual Kingdoms' army had been destroyed during the battle."
Assume that they are for the most part too scattered to pose a threat to Aros itself. There may be soldiers lurking around in little bandit parties though.
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