Spring 994 - Campaign Update

Spring arrives early this year and with it the nations of Talomir prepare for another round of grabbing what they can. Every single nation that can go to war has declared war on someone, leading to a merry-go-round of invasions. Superb! Rumours of an invasion of Barylistan by herds of Beastmen have arrived from the south, but that is not the concern of our nations, for they all have their own problems.

Magic-User Availability
Capalan League recruits 1 Level 1 Magic-User
Mangu recruits 1 Level 1 Magic-User
Mirish recruits 2 Level 1 Magic-Users.
Stygustan recruits 2 Level 1 Magic-Users.

Hero Availability
Mangu recruits a hero (Rep 7, AC 6, Mtd Melee, ET, TER, WR 1)

Mercenary Availability
Northern Tropilium recruits 1 Riata Warrior company.
Tereken recruits 1 company of Eskelin Knights.
Tropilium Recruits the Black Company and 2 Riata Warrior companies.

Going to War (aggressor listed first)
Mirish invades Mangu
The Abyss invades Naz-Goth
Tereken invades Altengard
Treyine invades Altengard
Tropilium invades Stygustan

Talomir in Spring 994

Winter 993 - Campaign Update

The year 993 saw Valkae disappear beneath the armies of Altengard and Treyine. The Capalan League is now a single enclave in the mountains surrounded by nations keen to annex it and only protected for the time being by peace treaties that will last a matter of months at best. Naz Goth is in a perilous state. Its attempt to recapture land from the Undead hordes was swiftly beaten back and now it faces a fight for its very existence. Although both nations were shaken by their recent battle, the fight will continue. Mangu's attempt to take Mirish territory has failed and they have now been driven back, but must face a renewed onslaught from Mirish. The nation of Treyine now marks the central dividing line of northern Talomir. Any western nation that wishes to conquer the east must first go through Treyine, and vice versa. The stage is set for a huge showdown in the near future ... or will the leaders of Talomir see sense and forge a lasting peace treaty?

Talomir in the Winter of 993

As the Winter progresses, Talomir is rocked by a wave of deaths among the wizards. Sages state that the end times are approaching; that magic is becoming unstable. Others point out that they were not the most skilled of mages and probably tried things that they were not capable of dealing with. Only time will tell who is right.

The King of Mirish has died unexpectedly. The circumstances of his death are uncertain and his replacement is being decided in the courts of Mirish even as the heralds announce this news.

Meanwhile, in the vaults of the High Church of the Red Sun a lowly cleric has uncovered the Amulet of Sorbrowane. Clearly the Pontiff had placed it there for safe-keeping. Will this prove the key to the rejuvenation of the Tropilium empire?

Leader Deaths
The Mirish leader has died.
Two Mirish L1 Mages have died
In Northern Tropilium an L1 Mage has died
In Tropilium an L1 Mage has died

Magic Items
Drums of Doom: Stygustan
Fiddle of Calling: Treyine
Harlapane of Heroes: Altengard
Pipes of the Dead: Not found yet

Artefacts
Amulet of Sorbrowane: Tropilium.
Brazier of Durmun: Return in Autumn 994.
War Horn of Naz-Goth: Not found yet.

Holy Relics
Crystal Light of Yakub: Mirish.
Spear of St Lindorf: Treyine.
Book of the Hungry Moon: Naz Goth.

As Winter comes to a close, the will to fight in Mirish and Naz Goth diminishes, but both are determined to soldier on in the face of adversity. The wars will continue in the Spring.

Autumn 993 - The Battle of the Buried Bones

Pagash the Mighty Belcher looked back and wondered at what could have been. Around him his Orcish army fled in disarray. It had all started badly. He was going to have to kill his nephew, Woben, for organising a mealtime meeting with the Undead.
His stomach still lurched every time he thought about it. Why had he gone along with the idea of having a treaty with them? In the end he’d had to declare war on them, despite the fact they had nothing he wanted in their land. Had it been the necromancer clouding his mind? Now he thought about it, it must have been. The initial part had gone well, with his army taking position on the high ground, while the skirmishers and wolfboys had moved around the sides. Then a charge into the centre.

The Orcs charge while the Necromancer fails to summon more troops to aid him. The skirmishers retreat in the face of the Orcish charge. Meanwhile the Orcs seek to envelope the Undead.

Unfortunately the skirmishers had run off at the first sign of trouble. R’Nuld, his cousin, there was another one he was going to have to speak to, preferably after pulling his tongue through a hole in his neck. In the centre, the Undead had proved tougher than he’d thought. Slowly his Orcs had begun to flee the battle, but he could still have won, he was sure.

The Orcs start to flag as the Undead cavalry fall on the Orcish right flank (Those undead look suspiciously like Goblins! Treachery!!), but they still hold their own and take their toll on the Undead too.

Then the Wargs had run off to bury the bones of their opponents. This left him alone in the battle and numbers told. Even worse he had been forced to leave behind the wizard Pawdanyas and the hideous D’Beemagy. Not that they had ever been any use, other than for parties. He’d also probably lose less money at card as well.

Surrounded, the Orcish general uses his own troops as a shield. The Necromancer with his cavalry is nearly spent, but a unit of zombies has closed with the Orcs and chomps its way through the meagre fare that is the Orcish brain.

Still back home now to prepare for the upcoming invasion.

This was an interesting game. The Undead wizard failed miserably to cast any spells successfully. I had planned to use him to reinforce my army by summoning more skeleton warriors to my side. Total failure. Fortunately, a combination of the Terror attribute and the Fanatic attribute kept the undead in the battle long enough to rout the Orcs. With the way my dice were rolling, and the failure of my general to inflict casualties on the Orcs, despite my best efforts and multiple substitutions of dice, it was just as well that I managed to get a fresh unit of zombies into the fray. That made all the difference.

One unit of Orcish warriors and the Orcish mage were captured in the pursuit.