Friday, October 18, 2013

General Proclamation:Counter Orders

Counter Orders are orders which can be issued during the enemy's turn. These orders can only be issued in reaction to orders issued by your opponent. In order to issue a Counter Order, the unit must have command points left over from the player's previous turn. The counter orders are as follows:
Give Fire
Same as in rule book.

Counter Charge
Command points: 2
Can only be issued to a unit that is charged. Both the charged unit and the charging unit may roll on the charge table/

Back Peddle
Command points: 1
Can only be issued to a unit that is charged. The unit may move directly backwards D3". If this is not sufficient to bring them out of charge distance, then the unit loses all attacks it would have received this turn. If the unit is outside of charge distance, then treat it as a failed charge.

Controlled Retreat
Command points:1
Can only be issued to a unit that is charged. Have the unit take a courage test. If passed, then the unit counts as breaking from combat, but does not suffer any of the consequences. On the owning player's next turn, the unit automatically reforms. If the courage test is failed, then the unit loses all attacks it would have had this turn.

Stand Ground
Command points: 2
Can only be issued to a unit that is charged. The unit gains the "Not One Step" Special rule until the owning player's next turn. 

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

General Proclomations: Relenfeast 2013

In honor of the Dominion's holiday of Relenfeast we will have several two very special contest for you.

What is Relenfeast?

Battle Report contest.
Throughout the month of October, we will have a competition for the best battle report. A battle report can be sent either through posting it as a comment on this link, posting it on the Facebook group wall, or in the forums. At the end of October, we will have a poll, and the person who submitted the Battle reports with the most votes, can create a special character for the army of his/her choice, and they may place an "ad" in the next Garmarian Daily Codex. Any battle report submitted, will be posted on the blog. When writing your battle report, you must include:
The composition of both armies
A description (or picture) of the field
A turn by turn account of the battle (pictures are not necessary).

Writing contest.
Throughout the month of October, we will have a competition for the story. A story can be sent either through posting it as a comment on this link, posting it on the Facebook group wall, or in the forums. At the end of October, we will have a poll, and the person who submitted the story with the most votes, can create a special character for the army of his/her choice, and they may place an "ad" in the next Garmarian Daily Codex. Any battle report submitted, will be posted on the blog. When writing your story, it must contain:
Between 500 and 1500 words
No Major use of profanity
No Nudity

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Legends of War: Legend of the Cursed Rock (Gingersanps)

            A rock. It was all I was. A rock. Yep, that’s right. Yet, I can hear every word you’re saying about me being big and dumb. I landed in this area thousands of years ago. I can’t help where I land. I don’t have legs. I can’t walk away from this inconvenienced place. You have no right to talk about me as if I wasn’t here.

            They deserved it. They deserved it for every word they spoke about me. I’m not a bitter rock, but they shouldn’t talk about me as if I’m dumb. I can’t speak to them, but they got too annoying for me. It wasn’t hard to have a few smaller, yet large rocks coming tumbling toward them as they watched helplessly as they fell. It felt nice -- extremely nice. I have this power to keep those I don’t like in line.

            Hey, wait, what are you doing? Why are you praying? It’s not going to help -- hey, who are you anyway? I’ve never seen you in your robes before. You’re not from this village are you? Hey, stop. That hurts. I don’t want it to hurt. Please, stop hurting me. Please, sto …

            It was a rock. A rock that had fallen into the middle of a road thousands of years ago. The people recently started to complain about it; it was annoying to have to walk around it. It was a huge rock, more of a boulder, but a rock nonetheless. The people had wanted to chip at it until the workers met terrible accidents. After, strange events began to occur more often. Smaller rocks would be moved to different locations. People would stop to talk to the rock. Some even apologized.

            A traveling priest came to the village to ask about the rock in the middle of the road. It had become a legend around the village and neighboring villages. He had explained the rock was possessed by a Shoshin. Shoshin were lonely spirits that normally possessed inanimate objects. Something had angered this one, and it had taken on the form of the rock itself. A poltergeist of sorts that allowed it to move smaller rocks. The rock wasn’t harmful anymore. It was eventually destroyed since the priest had cast out the Shoshin. The legend of the village remained spoken word throughout the surrounding area.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Legends of War: Battle of Wensa Pass

Wensa Pass is an obscure mountain pass on the edge of Vissaria, which has a population of barely five hundred. In years past, it was used as a trading route between the Dwarfs and the Satyrs, but a massive Goblin Warband destroyed the trading posts long ago and there have been no further attempts to use it as such. The rocky conditions of the pass make it very poor for growing crops, and the frequent earthquakes have prevented any meaningful attempts at mining. For this reason, there has only been a single minor estate and a only three small villages under the control of the Altium family, who attempted a failed revolt at the founding of Vissaria. Lacking the manpower to raise armies or the resources to hire mercenaries, the Wensa Pass has been an obscure curiosity for almost a thousand years.

However, Wensa Pass does indirectly have an important role Vissarian military affairs, as it is the only unguarded path to Seltem. In an attempt to cripple the Vissarian ability to respond to attacks, Da Dred Perat Robsya decided to destroy the College of Knights, and with it, the Vissarian's ability to raise effective knights. Using Goblin "mercenaries", Robsya proped the outer defences for Seltem, and determined that the College was far enough away from the border that they would have ample time to respond to the Trolls attack. Attempting to swing around and attack the providence from the East or North would mean having to go through other Vissarian Providences, which would mean that he would need a force five times the size of the one he had just to keep an open line of retreat. While poring over his map, a Goblin under Robsya's "employment" reported on the overall weakness of Wensa Pass, which Robsya had originally dismissed as it involved going through Dwarf territory.

And then Da Dred Perat Robsya got a wonderful idea: He could attack Dwarven cities en-route to the College, burn it to the ground, and then leave through the Dwarven territory again. In addition, he could leave behind dead Dwarfs and thus convince Vissaria that the Dwarfs were behind the attack. Before the Dwarfs could explain, the Vissarians would retaliate and lead to full scale war between the two sides. Distracted by the war, Robsya would be able, nay hired, to raid settlements, ships, and ports far away from the battle zones. On the first of Yuletide 1893 a.d.c., Robsya launched his attack.

At first the plan was going perfectly, as Goblins screened their movement in Dwarf territory, and Robsya obliterate looted several outposts. Unfortunately, one of the outposts was housing a Dwarf merchant named Rulstd Kargin, who managed to escape to the Altium estate. Alerted to the Trolls presence, Iliz Altium dispatched a messenger to the College of Knights to alert them. The day before the Trolls entered the Pass, Altium was informed that, quite politely, that no Trolls would be dumb enough to attack Seltem through Dwarven territory. Without reinforcements, Iliz Altium had only one-hundred and eighty peasants to fend off almost twelve-thousand Trolls.

Deciding that a frontal attack would suicide, Altium decided to use the mountainous terrain to their advantage, and set up numerous ambushes along the path. For an unprecedented nine days, Altium and his peasants managed to not only kill almost a thousand Trolls, but also prevented them from advancing. Enraged at the mounting costs, Robsya ordered almost half of his "mercenaries" to scour the mountains for them. Despite never catching Altium's band, the Goblins did distract them long enough for the Trolls to advance into Seltem; and a Vissarian army which had been organized in response to the reports of fighting from Wensa Pass. While Robsya did manage to rout the Vissarians, the casualties he had suffered were too high, and the Goblins had reported Dwarf forces mobilizing.

Not wanting to have his lines of retreat cut off, Robsya called the attack off and headed back through Wensa Pass. During the retreat, copies of Robsya's plans were captured, and the full importance of Altium's defense became apparent. Combined with the fact that Altium lost only a dozen peasants and managed to kill about one-hundred more Trolls during their retreat, and the Altium family instantly went from disgraced to honored above all others. As for Da Dred Perat Robsya, he returned to the Blasted Desert to discover that other Trolls were taking over his territory. To this day, Robsya is still fighting to regain the power he had before the Battle of Wensa Pass.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Rules of War:Altitude

These are some experimental rules for you to disuse. Please keep in mind that you should only use them if you have flyers:

Altitude

Altitude is how high or low your flyers are.  This is useful for flyers, as a height advantage can allow a flyer to avoid enemy fire. In addition, it can allow a flyer to  travel faster or make a more devastating attack then it would have before. On the other hand, if a flyer is in the wrong altitude, it can result in it in the Flyers destruction. A Flyer on the same altitude as another Flyer is capable of shooting/charging it at the normal ranges for the activity, and it is best for both players that the altitude of each flyer is marked. There are four altitudes:

Landed
-The Flyer cannot ignore any terrain. The Flyer has normal movement speed. The Flyer has normal range on all weapons.

Ground Height
-The Flyer, and any unit trying to shoot at it, is capable of ignoring any terrain piece up to 6" in height. The flyer has double movement. In addition, all shooting attacks made at the Flyer have normal range. All shooting attacks made from the flyer have half their normal range.

Air Height
-The Flyer, and any unit trying to shoot at it, is capable of ignoring any terrain piece up to 12" in height. The flyer has normal movement. In addition, all shooting attacks made at and from the Flyer have half their normal range rounded up to the nearest inch.

Sky Height
-The Flyer, and any unit trying to shoot at it, is capable of ignoring any terrain piece up to 24" in height. The flyer moves at half of its normal movement. In addition, all shooting attacks made at and from the Flyer have one quarter of their normal range rounded up to the nearest inch.

To determine at which height a Flyer starts at, roll a D3 and consult the following table:
1-Landed
2-Ground height
3-Air Height

Terrain and Flyers

If at any point a Flyer comes into contact with any piece of terrain that isn't open ground, roll a D6 and compare it to the Flyer's speed. If the result is lower than or equal to the Flyer's speed, complete the movement as normal. If the result is higher, then the Flyer suffers D6 Power 4 hits.

Commands

Raise
1 command point
- The Flyer goes up one altitude.

Drop
1 command point
- The Flyer goes down one altitude.

Dive
2 command points
-Can only be done from the sky altitude. For all intensive purposes, treat this as the charge command. However, the flyer gains and extra D3 Power (Max 8) and an extra D3 attacks per flyer. In addition, the Flyer is now in the ground altitude.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Legends of War: Shoshin, the lonely spirits

Whenever someone declares that all of the races of the world have been cataloged, there is always another race that proves them wrong. New races are often discovered by people setting out to find them, such as with the Gnolls of the Laughing Savannah or the Faeries. On other occasions, a race literally falls from the sky and causes untold destruction, with the Trolls and Night Ones being prime examples. Still, other races were once major forces in the world, but lost out to the elements of time, like the Orcs or the Old Dragons. And then there are the Shoshin.

No one knows exactly what a Shoshin looks like, because they have no set physical body. Instead, the Shoshin are more of a wandering consciousness which can take up residence in any type of inanimate object and can then manipulate objects within a small distance from them. The objects can be anything, from a lucky coin or doll to useful tools or weapons. While there would seem to be male and female versions of the Shoshin, they claim not to have the ability to reproduce. The Shoshin rarely show up at more than one or two at a time, but have also been known to appear several hundred at a time in abandoned towns or forgotten graveyards.

Overall, the Shoshin are an incredibly peaceful race, and will even go out of their way to aid others in need. Unfortunately, this often means that the Shoshin in question is helping someone bent on sowing death, which has made some people label the Shoshin as aggressive. There have even been people who have purposely sought out the aid of a certain Shoshin, as the items that they posses are almost indestructible. It is often said that Haxor is one such weapon, but there has yet to be proof that Trolzor knows of its secret. In addition, there have been cases of Shoshin bent on spreading destruction, the most famous of which was the Blood Harlequin.

The Blood Harlequin is said to have once been the suit of a Harlequin who had been murdered by a Prince who wanted his wife. This is backed up by the fact that one of the first people to be killed by the Blood Harlequin was Prince Tilmera Felm in 452 a.d.c.. Not satisfied by this, the Blood Harlequin amassed an army of Shoshin and and began raiding human settlements across the known world. The Blood Harlequin's reign of terror lasted until 494 a.d.c., when it's army was defeat by the Combined might of Vissaria and the Dominion at the Battle of Shalin. Ever since, whenever a group of Shoshin is discovered, whole armies have raced to their locations, meaning that the only time the Shoshin can survive is when they are alone. The forced solitude of the Shoshin has lead to their nickname of "the lonely spirits".

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Echoes of War

"War, wine and women! What more can a man need?"
-King Alarxis of Stygia to Karen the Exulted, the day before the Great Plague of Mastizetai

"Father, I think I heard something outside."
-The last known words of Prince Tael Hilman, before his disappearance
 
"When I stare into the stars, all I can see are the cities that have burned down. 
 And it is Marvelous."
-Yulisteg Heltir, Warlock

"The worlds greatest weapon? Ha! I scoff at your accusation. Faith and faith alone triumph in battle!"
-Prince Gail Sumsed at the Battle of  Gublin Valley

"Tis a miracules life this is. If only I had some more o' that rum there."
-Captain  Ulsted Imerman, before drinking himself to death
 
"I see that in your faith, you forgot about your men's."
-Field Marshal Granger LeeMen to Prince Gail Sunsed at the Battle of Gublin Valley

"Dear Father and Mother,
Today, I saw a man staked naked to the ground, with his organs being ripped out by some crazed Zealot for one of those "gods" people seem to care so much about. I managed to kill the Zealot, but not before he managed to bring that man back to life. It was very difficult to kill that man, despite him pleading with me for his own end. Eventually, I did kill the man, but I felt sick to my stomach. I don't know if it is some sort of magik that that man did but, by the time you read this letter, I will have died.
Your son,
Jem"
-a letter found on the body of Jem Litzer after committing suicide

Echoes of War

"Just as you thought us to be nothing more than savage beasts, we believe you to be nothing more than living waste. Allow what has transpired here to be proof of this."
-Words carved into the corpses of all the citizens of the Dominion colony of Gulestein

"Beware I tell you. In this land, all you will find are those...things. They look like men, but they're not. They are made of bones, but...they have no flesh. They only seem to exist for killing those who think themselves strong enough to defeat them. Do not go to their lands. All you will find is death."
-Lindel Maet, advising Dominion troops against moving into Scarecrow territory

"Many ages ago, there was a kingdom which stretched across the world, inhabited by creatures known as One. Their realm encompassed all the creatures of the world, and not a single valley or island was out of their grasp. The One had cities which were wider than the widest ocean, and were taller than the tallest mountain. They managed to bind their kingdom together through the use of magics and sciences. All of the elements of the world bent to their will, as they could force entire continents to rise and fall as they saw fit.

However, their power made them arrogant as they never prayed; and this was lead to their own destruction.

From the skies came the beast known only as the Ruler; the servant of some long forgotten god of vengeance. He punished the One in many long battles, where entire cities were gouged out of the ground or burned up in his fearsome breath, leaving behind only scorched deserts and giant claw marks. Eventually, the One and the Ruler fought a single last battle in the in which both sides fought to the death. The only mark of this battle would be the Cursed Sea, the outer-borders of which are marked by the Grand Line. However, the Ruler was only injured in the fighting, and is know biding his time to destroy the world."
-The Elven legend of the One and the Ruler

"If Iz didun no betta', witc is ta say dat I dont, but dat dere sonds alot lik un o' dem shado panzies"
-Turbit Feyla', upon hearing of the "Night Ones"

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Legends of War: The Battle of Raterillan Flats

In the opening days of 1784 a.d.c., the Ratkins of Ratilvaria found themselves the unexpected hosts to a large army of Garmarians. The army in question was known as the Nineteenth Army, and its leader, Field Marshal Granger LeeMen, had been tasked by The Parliament with destroying the Ratkins. Shocked by this revelation, the Rat-Chief Liret Raterillan clawed together all the Ratkins that he could find and marched out to defeat this threat. Between then, there was about four months of maneuvering and skirmishing between both of the armies, before the Ratkins were finally forced to give battle near on the Raterillan flats. The first day of battle resulted in large numbers of Ratkin casualties as they assaulted Garmarian field works, which forced the Ratkins to erect their own.

For five days after the first encounter, both sides fought a series of fierce skirmishes while waiting for the other side to launch an attack. Concerned by the lack of progress, Liret Raterillan personally consulted with his lower rat-chiefs and rat-priests and made plans for a breakthrough of the Garmarian lines. In the Garmarian camp, Field Marshal Granger LeeMen was also planning an attack of the Ratkin lines. Somehow, both sides decided on the same time to launch their attack as well as attacking at the same place. As the final battle plans were drawn up, Rattail Bend was marked as the perfect place to attack.

The 12th day of Tailu opened up to be an exceptionally cold and wet day, as both sides attempted to use the storms to cover their movement. Exactly an hour before the sun was set to rise, the Garmarians opened up the battle with a fierce artillery barrage followed by a charge from ten thousand soldiers. Stunned, the Ratkins reeled under the surprise attack, before the sheer number of Ratkins in the area allowed them to recover. For the rest of the day, both sides fought in the pelting rain as no less than a dozen attacks and counter attacks were launched by both sides and the dead were trampled underfoot. When the fighting was done, all either of the sides had to show for it was a thick carpet of bodies slowly sinking into the mud.

While the Ratkins managed to absorb the losses that they accumulated during the battle, the Garmarians had lost almost a quarter of all their troops. While the battle continued for eight more days, it was obvious to the Garmarians that they risked loosing their whole army if they remained. Under the cover of a fierce thunderstorm, the Garmarians quietly struck camp and began to leave Raterillan Flats. However, just when the army thought it had escaped the Ratkins, an army of Storm-Rats ambushed the Garmarians and scattered the army. The Storm-Rats managed to capture LeeMen, and brought him to The Court of Siçovul taun, where his fate has been relegated to myths.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Legends of War: Blood on the Guels

Welet Morrik was thoroughly impressed and angered. Since the beginning, the maneuvers against the Gnomes Dedlid had proven to be horribly disastrous, as the Gnomes seemed to have had Scouts placed just ahead of the Dwarven unit. This lead to many of the bridges and roads they planned on using being either collapsed, on fire, flooded, or a combination of the three, which kept them trapped on this half on the island. Worse still, he had to send out his Ram Riders on constant sororities just to keep the Scouts from raiding the actual army. During one of these sororities, they had come back with reporting that, despite the previous efficiency of the Gnomes, the stone bridge over the river Guels was still intact. Immediately, Morrik lead his army to cross the bridge.

And apparently the Gnomes had the same idea.

Morrik hid behind the makeshift trench as another round of crossbow bolts rained on his position. Range made the Dragoons reply less than advantageous, and also had the added effect of forcing the Gnome's heads down. The battle had bogged down into a stalemate as both sides waited for the other to falter before sending their troops across the 200 yard gap. Both sides had also tried to set up warmachines, but neither sides machines were capable of finding their target before being knocked out. Once a Flying Nest buzzed the Dwarf's position, but it was quickly taken out by the Dragoons and crashed into the Gnomes position. Unfortunately, the same had happened to his Aero-Clad, save the Dwarf position.

"Kukcers!" Morrik screamed as the Aero-Clad crashed into the ground.

The cheer of victory from the Gnomes was cut short as a Bombard Quill landed just shy of their position.

"Take that ya Feol Kukcers!" Morrik yelled.

"Goblen Decs!" One of the gnome replied.

"Elph Ytser!"

"Tol Hues!"

"What did you say?" Morrik rose.

He was quickly knocked onto his back as a steel ball took him full in the chest. While on the ground, Morrik heard the distinct sound of a steam engine being pushed to its limits, and realized what had happened: The Steam Cannon from the Flying Nest still worked. Cautiously,  Morrik rose and peaked his head over the trench, which confirmed his earlier suspicion and created a whole new reality.

The Harvesters were here.

"Take out those Kuckers!" Morrik bellowed.

"Ay Lord!" An Engineer responded.

Moments later, the unmistakable fire of a long rifle was followed by the equally unmistakable sound of a Gnome in horrendous pain.

"He's not dead," The Engineer smiled. "But 'is family line is."

Another burst from the Steam Cannon forced the Engineer's head down, but another sound forced it up. In fact, the entire Dwarf army picked up their head after the unmistakable sound of Gnomeish War Pipes echoes across the battlefield. The Gnomeish army was doing the same, as at least two hundred Gnomes rose from their trenches and took position behind the Harvesters. The entire scene was very threatening, as a forest of spears was proceeded by two dozen towering monstrosities. A change in tune elicited the Harvesters to step forward, and in no time they were barreling across the open area.

"Wait for it!" Morrik yelled, as the Gnomes rushed forward.

When the Gnomes were about halfway across the bridge, Morrik screamed, "Now kill the Kuckers!"

Immediately the Dragoons, who were weary of taking pot shots, ravaged the Gnomish line with their iron quills. The Engineer teams were also having a field day, as their half crazed inventions tore jagged scars into the formation. Even the Harvesters, feared for their strong armor, were shredded under the intense fire. As suddenly as the attack began, it was dispersed, with the Gnomes fleeing back into their lines as the War Pipes bellowed out orders to stay. Among the chaos was a distinct, cold sound piercing through, which caused Morrik to smile.

Mere seconds later, the Ram Riders slammed into the Gnome's flank and began slaughtering their rangers. When added to the chaos brought by the failed crossing, it proved too much for the Gnomes, and they began to break. Welet Morrik howled in laughter at the Gnome's total collapse. Not wanting to miss out, he gave a sharp whistle and bellowed:

"Let's teach these Kukers about Dwarfs!"

A rousing cheer among the Dwarfs was quickly followed by a full blown charge. With little resistance, Morrik found himself at the Gnome's position, and he quickly launched himself into the fray.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Legends of War: Goblin Corpse Fire, Prayer to Sesom

Every creature that has ever encountered a Goblin knows them to be repulsive. Goblins do not care for such things as personal hygiene or medicine, and many Goblins will die from infected wounds or diseases that spread through their camp. Yet, the numbers of Goblins is such that they could lose a thousand of their own to diseases every day, and still not feel the effects of the large scale deaths. In fact, the deaths of the Goblins may actually be a boon, as it frees up more food and room for the other Goblins. However, the weapons and arms of the dead Goblins will go onto a greater purpose: the Corpse Fire.

Every night, at every camp without fail, the Goblins will gather together all the bones of the day's meals and the bodies of the enemy dead, stripped  of anything of value, and place them into a giant pile. Then the Goblins will cover them in some sort of flammable material, be it Tar or Rum, and light them all on fire. The Goblins will gather around the fire and dance around it while singing, yelling, drinking and playing instruments, until the fire is at least twice as tall as the tallest Goblin. At this point, the group will reach a fever pitch and will bring together all the dead warriors, with their weapons and armor nailed and tied to their bodies, and toss them into the fire. It is unknown why the Goblins, traditional scavengers of the highest value, would waste perfectly good armaments in such a way, but it would seem to be that Goblins will only take the possessions of any non Goblin, and, while never explained, there have been tied up live Goblins thrown into the fire, which suggests the treatment of Goblin thieves.

When the last of the bodies enters the fire, the entire congregation turns silent. If the Group is lucky, then their Corpse Fire is the largest in the world, and the Smoke will take an a form resembling a face. When this happens, the assembled Goblins will erupt into a rousing cheer as the highest ranking Goblin, be it a Supa' Geneus or Boss, approaches Sesom. The Goblin will be able to ask Sesom one question of any nature, be it about the weather or the distance to the nearest enemy army. Comforted with this knowledge, the Goblins will march forward into the world, ready to face any threat that comes their way, while the Goblins who failed to summon Sesom will simply go for a larger fire that night; creating a never ending cycle of questions and answers connected by fire.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

General Proclamations: Border War FAQ

As of the
nineteenth day of Guli
In the Dominion-Garmarian year of
Eighteen and seventy-three
A
Border War
Has been declared in the
Blasted Desert
Between the most honorable forces of the
Human settlers
And the vile despotism imposed by
Trolls, Elves, Gnomes, Ratkins, Dwarves, and Goblins
On the
Twenty-fifth day of Guli
In the Dominion-Garmarian year of
Eighteen and seventy-three
the
Garmarian Daily Codex
has received
News, letters, advice
from men who are in
The Blasted Desert

Echos of War:In the Beginning

"Luana was the first of the gods to come to our world. She gazed upon the barren landscape of fire and rocks, and desired to do something good with this place. She melted the many crystals of the world, and first created water. Xelmar came after Luana, and decided to help. He pulled all the fire into one disk, and created the sun. Next came the twins Gascoal and Solarian, who twirled Luana's and Xelmar's creations together. The sheer variety of mindless plants and beasts so impressed the gods, that it attracted the attention of others. Yelum, Reslia, Heus, Alsae, and a hundred other lesser gods attempted to make life on the planet, but all fell short of expectations. Then, Luana created the first Elves, and convinced every other god to help her nourish this race. The gods agreed, and ever since that day, the Elves have held dominance over all other races because the gods are still making them better."
-Elven creation myth

"At first there was Ataxia, all was empty, silent, endless. But then came Light and Day, Darkness and Night, Death and Life. From these were born Gaea and Ouranos, the Earth and the Heavens. Ataxia was shunned away and the children of Gaea and Ouranos would be the Cyclops, the Hecatoncheires and the Titans. Ouranos feared his children and tried to imprison them deep into the earth, but the youngest of the Titans, Chilieties, would slay his own father. It was then that the rule of the Titans began. Then the Gods, children of the Titans, arose and usurped their parents in a battle of epic proportions, all but three of the Titans joined the fight, who were spared. The Gods prevailed and the Titans had fallen, which brought forth a new rule and the children of the Gods now roam the Earth. Just like Ouranos usurped Ataxia, Chilieties usurped Ouranos and Dias usurped Chilieties, so shall Alarxis usurp Dias, and make the Stygians the rulers of the earth and the heaven."
-The creation of the gods, as understood by Heradoth, Stygian Scholar

"In the beginning, the brother gods Delfrad and Gnelfrad and the sister god Teilfred, were born by their mother Kealfred and father Kelfrad. Immediately, Gnelfrad attacked Delfrad, but Delfrad managed to beat Gnelfrad almost to death. As punishment for trying to kill Delfrad, Kelfrad change Gnelfrad's name to Daokarlop and had him chained into the shape of a ball. Not satisfied, Delfrad took a hammer and beat Gnelfrad into the shape of a square and then dipped him into molten iron. Kealfred felt pity for Gnelfrad, and dipped her son into water to allow the metal to cool. Enraged by her disloyalty, Delfrad and Kelfrad chopped Kealfred into millions upon millions of tiny bits, which they then scattered onto Gnelfrad. After a while, Teilfred realized that each of these bits had turned into tiny creatures. Scarred that Delfrad and Kelfrad would find out, she put a pole through Daokarlop, and put him on a spit. There Teilfred was found by Delfrad, and ordered to turn the spit, so that no one part of Daokarlop would melt. To aid Teilfred, Delfrad would occasionally beat any part of Daokarlop that he saw was beginning to melt. If either Teilfred were to stop turning Daokarlop, or Delfrad to stop beating Daokarlop, then the iron would melt, and Daokarlop would kill Delfrad, Teilfred, and Kelfrad, before killing himself but plunging back into the water."
-The story of Daokarlop's binding

"All life sprang from the tree, Gno. Upon it's life baring branches are the seeds which made up all of the races of the world. For a long time, these races would just fall into the water below and, as the had no land to grow on, would simply drown. Then one day, a leaf fell from Gno and it landed in the water where it began to swirl around Gno. Soon after, a seed fell from Gno and, instead of drowning as usual, it fell on the leaf, known as Me. The people who came from the seed discovered that they had not drowned and gladly took the name of the tree and the name of the leaf, and called themselves Gno-Mes. Eventually, other sides fell from the tree, and with every seed, Me became heavier and took on more water. Should to many seeds fall on Me, then Me will no longer be able to float, and all the races on it will drown. But this matters not, for the Gno-Mes are light enough, that they will float, and will wait for another leaf to call home."
-The creation of Gnomes and Me

"In the beginning, there was only Beation. Around Beation was nothing but darkness, so he first created light. After Beation created light, he realized that is was imperfect, as light can create darkness. To remedy this, Beation created a bowl of light, and set it out on a pedestal. But, even this was not perfect, as the darkness gathered on the bowl, and formed many inferior things. To remedy this, Beation focused the light into points, and created humans to cleanse the world of darkness. This to did not work, as many of the humans began to accept, or even aid, the darkness. Sadden, Beation focused the light as hard as he could, and created the Archangels. He then turned to his humans and said 'I shall spare those of you who destroy the darkness. those who accept or aid the darkness, shall parish in the light.'"
-Beation and the Bowl of Light.

"Rite, un day, Sesom waz walkin' down tha stret when 'e don saw a real big bonfir fing goin' on. Bor'd out o' 'is skull, Sesom pick'd up some o' tha fier, mash'd it al a ball wit some mud stuf rit?, and tossed it. Much to 'is serprise, the ball start'd to travel rite 'round the fire an' noked him rite onto 'is bum into tha fier. It waz rite then that 'e realiz'd 'e was dead, so 'e decid'd to go an' bug the flyin' mud ball till it goes an' smak into some bird er somfing."
-'ow Sesom decidd that 'e wantd to mess wif uz Goblinz

"You are all wrong."
-Chaos, upon the recital of several creation myths

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Legends of War: On My Word

With a thunderous roar, Neike's caliver fired into the abomination in front of him. Instead of dying right away, the creature prodded the spot where its head was before a determined bash knocked it to the pavement.

"I hate zombies," Nieke muttered, as he felt for his ramrod.

An inhuman roar to his right convinced him to whip his gun in that direction, resulting in a small storm of blood and wood splinters. This time, the creature fell down gratifyingly fast while another man stabbed his Katzbalger into the creature causing it to spasm. Apparently,  there were some dredges in the fight too, but it was anyone's guess as to which were which. With a moments respite, Nieke took a quick look around himself, and was pleased with what he saw. That was, until he saw the zombie lunge right at him.

Before the zombie could reach Neike, a halberd came down and chopped its head off. It took a second for Neike to realize that he was not dead, and he gratifyingly looked for the halberd's owner. He was sorely disappointed. Whatever he had expected him to look like, he wasn't expecting a man in his fifties who had shaved or bathed in what seems to have been a year. His outfit was in decent shape, but it was painfully obvious as to how low quality it was; a fading red and disgusting brown.

Still, the fact that he was here meant that others weren't far behind, and sure enough, a unit a halberdiers was chopping up the zombies with gratifying speed. In no time at all, the zombies were all lying on the ground while the dredges were scattering in almost every direction.

"Nice to see those bone suckers run," a voice behind Neike commented.

"I suppose," Neike returned, while turning around. " I would have preferred they were never in Albion in the first place. I assume that you are the Halberdier commander?"

"Yes," said the unkempt savior. "I am Goeld Fermek, commander of the Hilgroto Regular Halberdier Regiment."

"I see," Neike said, while trying to keep a straight face, "it is not everyday I meet a Halberdier Regiment. I am Neike Un Saround, head of the Royal House Guard Caliver Company."

Fermek gave Neike an unconvinced look, before saying, "I've been campaigning for twenty-five years, and I've never encountered a 'caliver' before."

That's because it's a gun used by traditionally attentive Garmarian gun enthusiasts, Neike thought.

Instead, he smiled and said, "It's a very special type of gun."

"I suppose," Fermek shrugged, "but that gun looks like something a Garmarian would make."

"Possible," Neike distracted, "but I do thank you for helping us."

"About that," Fermek said, "we were told to get you Gold-Eaters off your collective backs, and move you to the field."

Neike didn't know what he was more shocked about: the fact that someone as unkept and old as this was telling him what to do, or the the insult to his unit. He decided to comment on the latter.

"Gold-Eaters?" Neike said, among snickers from Farmek's Halberdiers.

"Yeah," Fermek replied, while pointing at Neike's breastplate. "All House Guards have to wear that stupid gold thing. Too good for real armor aren't yeah?"

"How dare you!" Neike shouted, while his Calivers started to gravitate behind him. "We are members of the House Guard! We were hand picked by the Dominque himself to stand guard over Albion and all of the royal buildings of the Dominion. And you-"

"Are the ugly, dirt poor, low down grunt who does all the work," Fermek interrupted, while his Halberdiers did the same. "Us regulars do all the work and die like pigs while you fancy Gold-Eaters show up for the clean up, and take all the glory. Now, you either come with me to where you are supposed to be fighting, or we'll bring you back in wheel barrels."

"Oh really?" Neike said. "You'd go so far as insult a Royal House Guard, and then threaten to force him to do something? On who's authority are you acting anyway?"

"On the authority of Burgomaster-Albion, Benef Un Tylor," Fermek growled.

"And I've been given a mission to defend That building," Neike said, while pointing to a rather large and old building, "by the Dominique himself."

"What's so special about that building?" Fermek demended.

"It's a gunpowder store for naval ships," Neike said, "and there are no carriages available to unload any of it."

At this, the Halberdiers shifted uncomfortably away the building, and Fermek got a gratifying look of shock on his face. He didn't say anything for a short while, but neither did he freak out.

"I see," Fermek commented. "So why aren't you actually in the building?"

Neike motioned to the match on his gun.

"Fair enough," Fermek conceded, "so why aren't you taking the powder out?"

"We were," Neike said, "but those zombies attacked and tried to destroy our carts."

As if on cue, a bolt of purple lighting arched out and destroyed one of the carts. Neike and Fermek immediately turned to the direction it came from, and were not disappointed in what they saw: a horde of zombies, dredges, and skeletons was heading right through the street to their position. At the head of the horde was a man sitting down in a throne made of some sort of quartz and about five feet off the ground. The man himself was incredibly tall and frail, with tattered black robes which looked like it would rather be anywhere else then near him.

"Interesting," Neike understated. "I suggest that we argue the finer points of rank after we kill that man."

"That would be best," Fermek agreed, before yelling his men into line.

Neike had no such problem, as his men automatically formed behind the carts and readied their guns. As he reached for his gun to reload, he remembered that the but was now in some dredges face. Sighing, Neike grabbed his Courtana, and began muttering to himself.

"When I get back to the palace," Neike said, "I'm going to put in an order for one of those Garmarian revolving guns."

Another arc of lightning dance out of the throne, and slammed into a building just in front of the lines.

"Alright," Neike shouted, "When I say so, give them the powder they came for."

Some of the Halberidiers snickered at Nieke's attempted wit, and Fermek just gave him a look of disappointment. On the other hand, his Caliveers simply set their locks, primed their guns, or pointed their guns at the enemy.

"Ready!" Neike ordered, as the Halberdiers fell in at the sides of the Caliveers.

"Level!" Neike yelled, as another bolt of lightning slammed into the ground in front of him.

"On my word-"

Friday, March 29, 2013

General Proclamation: Grey Matter Buildings

 Because we have had over a thousand views in this month, David Wears at Grey Matter Games made us a house model for scenery:
http://fields-of-war.643.n7.nabble.com/file/n39/FOW_House_fix.pdf
Check out Grey Matter Games, since they will also be making the models for Fields of War:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grey-Matter-Games/281314675240017?ref=ts&fref=ts

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Echoes of War: The Mandates of Aequalitas

"These mens and womens of this land,who have been en-slaved against their will by people who claim to posses the land and who believe themselve to be superior to any other persons whom has been born. They have forced us to work the land, tend the machine, and fill their armie, only to be guaranteed death in each of these en-devour, while they do nothing save buy our childrens and waste our works. To guarantee a better future for everones We, the mens and womens of these lands here-by de-clare the old order dissolved, and will set a new orders under the following conditions, which existed previously to Garmaria:
 The Firsts
-All mens, womens, and childrens are equals at birth, and no amount of times shall change this.
The Seconds
-All mens, womens, and childrens shall works to the best of theirs abilities and be rewardeds in kind.
The Thirds
-No mans, womans, or childs is owned by any man; theys may only leases theirs works.
The Fourths
-No mans, womans, or childs shall kill another mans, womans, or childs; theys must always be held accountable for theirs actions.
The Fifths
-All mens, womens, and childrens own everthings in equals, and shall treat its as such.
The Finals
-As everthings is owned in equals, there are no such thing as nations.
As Garmaria has clearly violated all of the conditions We, the mens and womens of these lands, hereby dissolve the Garmaria and will return everthings to the peoples of these lands, as its is owneds by everones.
Signeds on the firsts days of the firsts years of Aequalitas.
(Followed by around 400,000 signatures)"
-The Mandates of Aequalitas

"...I believe this to be the worst written legal document I have ever had the displeasure of hearing."
-Lord-Counceler Yelstov Degra Sr., upon the only reading of "The Mandates of Aequalitas" before the Grand Council

"1. Any slave found sleeping during designated working hours shall have his eyelids removed.
2. Any slave who repeatedly breaks tools shall have his hands/forearms removed, and replaced with said tool.
3. Any slave who repeatedly drops what he is carrying shall have a basket nailed to his back.
4. Any slave who runs away shall have chains nailed to his legs.
5. Any slave who strikes a Garmarian shall have his arm cut off.
6. Any slave who speaks ill of Garmaria shall have his tongue cut off.
7. Any slave who eats when he his not told to shall have his jaw removed.
8. Any slave who speaks of or aids rebellion shall suffer all of the above.
9. Any slave who wields a weapon again a Garmarian shall suffer all of the above, before being returned to his master or, if he has no master, being sold.
10. Any man who helps a slave go unpunished for any of these things shall be made a slave and suffer the same fate.
11. It is at the masters discrepancy as to whether or not a slave shall have parts lost due to these laws replaced and by what replaces them.
12. These laws shall go into effect in 90 days, unless all unaccounted slave are accounted for by the 90th day."
-Garmarian Slave Ordnance of later 1871 Dominion-Garmarian Time, also known as the official response to the Mandates of Aequalitas

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Legends of War:The Stygian Tyrant

Histes, the son of Lysargos, was the tyrant of Miltis in the late 6th century. Histes owed his status of tyrant of Miltis to Goblin Boss Rad 'e Uz, who had subjugated Miltis and the other Stygian states in the Goblin Plains. According to Heradoth, Histes, along with the other tyrants under Rad 'e Uz' rule, took part in the Goblin expedition against the early Dominion, and were put in charge of defending the bridge that Rad 'e Uz' troops had placed across the Dinnis River. The Humans attempted to persuade Histes and the others to abandon the bridge; one faction, led by Miltiades of Atikus, at that time tyrant of the Cheros, wanted to follow the Humans' advice. However, Histes argued that they should stay, as they owed their positions as tyrants to Rad 'e Uz and would surely be overthrown if he were killed.

Instead, according to Heradoth, Histes suggested that they pretend to follow the Human plan. So Histes was sent as an ambassador to the Humans to tell them that the tyrants would accept the Human plan, while the rest of the tyrants acted as if they were demolishing the bridge. Histes persuaded the Humans to look for the Goblin forces. Heradoth writes that while the Humans were away, the Goblins returned to the Dinnis River and Histes organized the ships to successfully ferry them across the river. During the expedition, Histes' troops had started building a settlement at Myrnus (site of the later Amphipolis) on the Stormon River. After returning with Rad 'e Uz to Sar Da 'Iz, Rad 'e Uz asked Histes what he wanted in return for his service. Histes responded that he wanted to be given control over Myrnus, to which Rad 'e Uz agreed.

However, the Goblin commander Mega Busta' suspected Histes' interest in the strategically important area, which controlled key roads from Goblin controlled territory into the Dominion, as well as known sources of silver and timber. Nevertheless, Rad 'e Uz considered Histes to be loyal, and asked him to come back to Shush with him as a friend and adviser. Histes' nephew and son-in-law Arigoras was left in control of Miltis. According to Heradoth, Histes was unhappy having to stay in Shush, and made plans to return to his position as tyrant of Miltis by instigating a revolt in Stygia. In the year 499, he shaved the head of his most trusted slave, tattooed a message on his head, and then waited for his hair to grow back. The slave was then sent to Arigoras, who was instructed to shave the slave's head again and read the message, which told him to revolt against the Goblins.

Arigoras, who was disliked by his own subjects after an expedition to Nacks ended in failure, followed Histes' command, and with help from the Stygians from Atikus and Ertehis, attacked and burned Sar Da 'Iz. When Rad 'e Uz learned of the revolt, he sent for Histes, who pretended to have no knowledge of its origins, but asked to be sent back to Miltis put down the revolt. Heradoth writes that Rad 'e Uz permitted him to leave. On his way back, Histes went to Sar Da 'Iz, where the satrap Il bit ur neez suspected Histes' role in the revolt forcing Histes to flee to Chiro. Histes tried unsuccessfully to build a fleet while on Chiro. He then returned to Miltes with the aim of becoming tyrant once more. However, the Miltians did not want a return to tyranny and exiled him to the island Larbos. There, he gathered some ships and, according to Heradoth, began committing acts of piracy in the Stygian Sea from a base in Hellspout.

Meanwhile, the Goblins defeated the leaders of the Stygian revolt at the Battle of Lare in the year 494. When Histes learned of this he left Hellspout, and his troops attacked Chiro, blockaded Thassos and then attempted to land on the mainland to attack the Goblins. After joining a Stygian force in battle against the Goblins, he was captured by the Goblin general, Raga Push. The satrap Il bit ur neez did not want to send him back to Shush, where he suspected that Rad 'e Uz would pardon him, so he executed him and sent his head to Rad 'e Uz. According to Heradoth, Rad 'e Uz still did not believe Histes was a traitor and gave his head an honorable burial.

Friday, February 22, 2013

legends of War:Dwarf Helf, True Dwarfs

An interesting fact about Dwarfs is that the world has yet to see one. While it is true that people see creatures that are short, wide, and have long beards, those are actually a sub-species of Dwarfs called Dwarf Kufr, or Light Dwarf. A true dwarf is not able to be in sunlight, for he will quickly turn to stone. As such, these true Dwarfs live in the underground cities created by their lesser kin, and will only leave if there is some sort of diplomatic crisis. These Dwarfs are distinguished from the other Dwarfs by their title: Dwarf Helf (Dark Dwarf).

Dark Dwarfs are strange, as no one knows much about them. When questioned, lesser Dwarfs prefer death to revealing any facts about them; even when drunk or bribed. Occasionally, a Dwarf Helf will leave the realm for very important diplomatic missions, such as convincing a nearby town of another race that they would benefit from leaving. They are accompanied by a throng of Dwarfs, who carry tarps, spears, and umbrellas for several yards around any one Dark Dwarf. Indeed, the "greatest" of these Dwarfs are carried around by other Dwarfs, and even the lesser among them will have a team of Dwarfs rolling out carpets for them.

When they talk, their tone matches their appearance: long, pitch black, and with an air of "this is your fault" seeping through everything. And it works. Of all the cases in which a Dwarf Helf has personally appeared, the Dwarfs get what they want almost all the time. In recent years, an extremely drunk slip of the tongue revealed that the "Dwarf Helfs" that have come on the land are really Dwarf Hoedl Helf, or Twilight Dwarfs. These are a sort of messenger for the Dwarf Helfs, and imitate their tone and style after their masters.

Barring a full scale assault of the "weakest" of Dwarf strongholds, it seems that it will be nearly impossible for anyone to see a real Dwarf .

Friday, February 15, 2013

Art of War:Vissarian Martyr Scroll

Blessed in the blood of the one who created the page before he was done, this page from the book of arms and armor is considered blessed by many Vissarians. Found at the Gosklen Scirpotrium in 1349 a.d.c., the page was immediately claimed by the Heilige Leier. The High King also claimed the page, but recanted after being threatened with excommunication. Since then, it has been attached to Beation's Banner for more than five-hundred years, and is the only page on it not damaged in battle.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Art of War:Gnome Yeker Iya (Siege Book)

A page from a Gnomish treaty on Siege and Counter-Siege Warfare, found in the spoils of a Trollish werband.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Friday, January 18, 2013

Border War

As of the
nineteenth day of Guli
In the Dominion-Garmarian year of
Eighteen and seventy-three
A
Border War
Has been declared in the
Blasted Desert
Between the most honorable forces of the
Human settlers
And the vile despotism imposed by
Trolls, Elves, Gnomes, Ratkins, Dwarves, and Goblins
While there is no official call to arms, the Garmarian Daily Codex is sending out a
Call to settlers
To travel to the
Blasted Desert
And smite the wicked foes in the name of
Garmaria
For more details
Read on