>Playing in Characters
Characters in play are meant to be larger than life and capable of changing the course of history. As members of the Coalition to Rescue the Emperor, a character must have some role within it, whether as a champion duellist, military commander, campaign strategist, grain supplier, etc. The amount of influence a character has is determined by how cool it fits into the setting, especially if it can justify it using pre-established lore. Don't let a blank slate deter you, and don't feel as if you have to be a big shot to make a difference.

When you submit a character, please include:
>Name
For the longest time, the setting didn't use proper names but titles for historical characters. Why? Because everything is meant to be localized to English so I wasn't going to just make up syllables. This can be seen by the names of many factions in previous maps of the setting, but just because I like you guys, you can drop a name. Or not.
>Gender
Is the character a man or a woman? Martial roles are almost entirely a man's profession in this world, but some cultures still look to women for civil leadership.
>Motivation
Why is the character supporting the coalition? Duty? Glory? Wealth?
>Role/Style
How does the character support the coalition? What weapons do they use?
>Background
The Empire underwent a period of instability right up to this point. What was the character doing during this period? Were they already in a position of power, or did they attain it during this period? Did it affect their motivation?

>But what if I WANT to see the Empire fall?
Don't join the coalition. Be a problem for them.

Encouragements and Discouragements
>You CAN be a dirty republican.
>You CAN be an Imperial pretender. It has always been male-line only but you CAN challenge this.
>You CAN support the Imprisoners, for whatever reasons.
>You CAN be a rebel/secessionist.
>You CANNOT be an external invader. Also no coming from the Ocean (sorry seabros)
>You CANNOT be a Ling.
>You CANNOT frame your character as coming from within the Imprisoner's territory (top of map)

Oftentimes when you write something contradictory, I try my best to rewrite it to maintain its spirit but fit in with pre-existing lore. You can essentially learn more about the setting just by acting and contributing to it.

Please restrict yourself to one character. I'm trying my best here.

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>Pre-Established Characters
Here are some example characters who more or less act as NPCs.

Restorer Prince
>Male
>Restore the Heavenly Empire and claim the throne.
>Invader.
>A Prince of the Southern Empire, the true homeland of the Heavenly Empire. When the current dynasty of the Heavenly Empire usurped the previous one, the overthrown dynasty fled south. After a century of struggle from cartels, the Southern Empire was now ready to restore the Empire. The Restorer Prince is the youngest son of the Southern Emperor who was promised the throne if he could reclaim the Empire. Though his brothers are idle, the Restorer Prince is ambitious and raised an army himself with little support from his father.

Lion Duke
>Male
>Defend the Heavenly Empire from the Southern Pretender
>Military Governer of the Southern Provinces.
>Descended from the Beast Riders who accompanied the Frozen Emperor, the Lion Duke is a born warrior and soldier. He rejects the comforts of settled life and prefers to rove across the Empire, looking for rebels to put down. His loyalty to the Empire is unquestionable; it is very clear he is only looking for enemies to challenge. If it weren't for the fact that the South was being attacked, he would have gone to rescue the Emperor.

Sunken President
>Male
>Continue to administrate the Sunken Capital and provide relief to refugees.
>High-Ranking Civil Bureaucrat.
>The Sunken President is too preoccupied with ensuring the Sunken Capital, the Imperial Capital of the previous dynasty, stays afloat. When he heard of the Emperor's call for His rescue, the Sunken President was conflicted. The citizens under his immediate responsibility needed him more, but then again, he was never fond of the Emperor's grandmother.

Sunshine Abbess
>Female
>Rescue her son, the Emperor, but providing supplies for the coalition.
>Agrarian Matriarch.
>The Emperor's mother, she was sent to her maternal homeland to administrate the stronghold of her clan while her own mother watched over the Emperor. If she were a man, she would have donned armor and marched off to war to save her son. But even soldiers need to eat, feeding the sons of every mother will have to do.

Stag Duke
>Male
>Watch the Northern Frontier.
>Military Governor of the Northern Provinces.
>As a loyal vassal to the Emperor, the Stag Duke felt obligated to march to His rescue. Alas, it was his duty to guard the frontier from those treacherous Fire Keepers holed up in the Mammoth Basin. Should he march his army south, the contained Fire Keepers might just pour out and overrun the Empire.

Over-King
>Male
>...
>...
>The Over-King is the elected King of the Hundred Kingdoms. For the past century, they have been surviving in the Mammoth Basin despite the Freezing Winters. Their world had been locked away by the Stag Dukes, and any attempt to break out was met with skirmishes. But for the past few decades, they have been silent. What could they be planning?

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Lore Primer

>About the Setting
The setting is magicless and devoid of standard fantasy races, using only humans to populate it. Humans can be varied, such as having otherwordly hair and eye colors. The Imperial lineage regularly produces males with structurally blue hair and iridescent eyes. Despite this, it makes up for it with some more exotic flora and fauna, such as terror birds and mammoths used as mounts. The technology level is just at the cusp of producing personal firearms that could be fielded on a massive level, but it is still experimental. Artillery exists.

>Great Civilizations
The setting makes use of Great Civilizations, which are more or less templates for the construction of an off-branch culture that still shares many traits with neighboring cultures. Real-life examples include Western European, Indian, Sinosphere, Persinates, etc. Cultures don't necessarily belong to one so much as they possess traits from them, and can have traits from multiple Great Civilizations. The setting was also designed for people to just put in their dudes, the Great Civilizations more or less represent great cultural spheres rather than one congruent entity.

There are only two Great Civilizations that matter on this side of the world:

>Rain-Makers
The Southern Civilization (left side of the map) and the founders of the Heavenly Empire, also known as the Imperials. Their homeland is on the far left and extends beyond it. The left half of the map was conquered a thousand years ago and has assimilated, to the point where everybody at least speaks their language.

The Rain-Makers were born in a drought-ridden world, their society was built around trying to call the rain from the sky and preserve it in reservoirs. Their ruler is the Heavenly Emperor, believed to be a descendant of the Sun, the Supreme God of the Sky. Their method of conquest generally consists of making their neighbors wish they were more like them, thus much of the nobility is descended from foreign rulers who Imperialized. When conquering new subjects, the Imperials only impose the idea that the Sun is the Supreme God and that their Emperor is their lawful heir, allowing local beliefs to flourish on their own.

The Heavenly Empire is a centralized state with a powerful bureaucracy, oftentimes the nobility are the product of nepotism within its system. Think of them as Imperial China mixed with Southwestern Native Americans.

I'll write more details about the locations tonight.

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Pic is the image that started it all on /tg/ (Fire-Keepers vs Rain-Makers)

>Fire-Keepers
The Northern Civilization (right side of the map) who were very recently conquered by the Heavenly Empire. They were comprised of many Hearthdoms but have since become integrated as Imperial provinces. The Fire-Keeper language has a dialectal continuum.

The Fire-Makers are known for their religious beliefs of their souls transferring to fire upon cremation. Thus, Fire-Keepers maintain eternal hearths, their ancestors providing warmth and guidance. They have strict ideas on gender roles, with women largely concerned with internal affairs and men with external affairs. Their nobility consists of clans, a large extended family whose children require permission to marry outside of it due to their equal respect for both genders. A clan's women typically become priestesses and civil administrators, while men become warriors and military commanders. Clan leadership is typically inherited by the oldest daughter and her husband, but the Clan Mother and Father can designate whichever couple they find most effective. The Fire-Keepers have a feudal structure, with Hearthdoms being built from a powerful clan with influence over smaller clans.

Most Fire-Keepers probably aren't interested in maintaining the Empire, but after the fall of all the Hearthdoms, weak clans also aren't seeking to be absorbed by stronger clans. You can think of them as being a combination of Feudal Europeans and Turkics.

If you guys have any questions about the lore, feel free to ask. I didn't want to overload you guys even though there's already a significant amount of loredumping.

>I like this, give me all the lore!
You can start with the last thread on /tg/, here is a 4plebs link that eventually backlinks to the very first thread on /tg/

https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/91595498/
or
>>>/tg/91595498

Here is the last thread that contains all previous links before the last arc:
https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/90568423/

>>5899862
Awesome to see you back, Ling Anon. I hope you're taking care of yourself, this premise looks as busy as it does interesting. I'll do my best to come up with someone interesting.

>Hiker Courier
>Male
>Escort the Little Emperor toward the relative safety of the southeast for the Dowager.
>A courier from a Hiker diaspora out south
>As studied and adaptable as he is traveled, this Hiker is among numerous couriers who maintains quiet relations between his community and the Dowagers administration. He is entrusted with the isolated heir's life after his aunt surmised that her ad hoc occupation of the Eversnow Tree would not hold for long. Under the cover of night and with as many supplies and books able to carried on back unencumbered, the Hiker Courier and the Little Emperor begin their journey away from the Lingdom. The young heir must return only when the Dowager secures the small state, or should that fail, when he is ready to free it from his Grandmother's grasp.
>Although stoic and pragmatic, the Hiker Courier recognizes the importance of compassion and patience. He exercises prudence and dedication to his profession, going great efforts to leverage his environments and plan ahead. Heeding well the lessons of his ancestors and the history of the Hikers' fracture, he is loyal to his compatriots and wary of strangers to a fault.
>Dresses in attire that looks vaguely similar to a combination of a 19th century U.S. army soldier and a medieval scout. Wears a short and brimmed leather hat, almost shaped like a kettle helm.

Apologies, my drawing is a bit rusty.

>>5899862
>Anons will be writing up characters, not factions
Not quite what I'd hoped but I can work with this.
>>5899863
Slip-Tail Scion
>Male
>Earn the emperors favour by supporting his rescue so as to secure a promising financial position in the empire and protect Tail Muncher traditions
>Wealthy heir to the Slip-Tail Lodge, not a fighting man but an important financier and staunch supporter of the coalition
>Ever since their first contact with the lings, the Tail Munchers had been intermingling and assimilating with their neighbours, by the century of serenity they were more or less extinct as an ethnicity, however their imperialised descendants founded the Slip-Tail Lodge in their ancestral homeland, a giant gecko ranch which continues their traditional tail harvesting practices to produce tail jerky and leather goods for the rest of the empire, both valuable commodities.

Also I'd like to post some musings about the tail munchers and their place in the world now that they're gone, if that's alright.

>>5899968
Hi Tail-Muncher anon. They're as gone as you want them to be, generally factions that are unmentioned just become irrelevant. You can certainly imply their fate through your character submission.

>>5899874
>Magnus Uila
>Male
>Carve out a third kingdom
>A general that leads from the front
>Using a giant two-handed great sword(Fu Xi from Dynasty Warriors), Magnus conquered his hometown village and expanded to the surrounding area. A giant of a man himself, Magnus can only wear chest-plate armor, preferring to don a simple white shirt underneath, long brown cloth pants, leather boots, white gloves, and a yellow handband across his forehead, to hold back his long hair and show off his neverending smile.
>Hearing that the Empire and Emperor were in trouble, he headed north to rescue the Emperor, believing in doing so, he will be granted swaths of land in the south and middle of the Empire to call his own.
>A Rainmaker through and through, he praises the Sun for all it's given him.

>>5899863
>You CANNOT be a Ling.

boooooooooooooooooo

>>5899919
I like this submission, but I may have to include a twist. Don't worry, it should serve your original intention.

I hope he'd sport a mustache befitting someone from the 19th century.

>>5900455
I'm sorry anon, but I'm glad you liked the Lings enough to wanted to have played them. Consider playing Lingdom quest instead.

>>5899874
>Name
Militia Commander

>Gender
Male

>Motivation
Primary: Kill bandits and corrupt officials, halt the Empire's collapse
Secondary: Reclaim (and perhaps expand) the family's wealth and status
Agnostic on who ultimately sits (or rules from behind) the Imperial Throne so long as they can quell the chaos and reunite the Empire. The flood is a warning from the Sun that the current dynasty is at risk of losing its blessing should it fail to restore order to the land.

>Role/Style
Commander of a militia formed from refugees displaced from the Sunken Capital and surrounding countryside. Normally leads his force from the rear but when he personally takes to the field he does so mounted with his household guard.

>Background
Eldest scion of minor nobility in the now-Sunken Capital, the Commander's family lost much during the flood. They and other afflicted aristocratic families banded together to form a militia to combat the various looters and bandit groups in the aftermath. When the Imperial Regent's proclamation was declared the families saw it as an opportunity to restore their lost wealth and status in the capital.

>>5899862
Say, can factions from outside the empire can participate?

>>5901224
I would discourage this as this is meant to be a largely internal affair to illustrate the breakdown of a unified entity to many separate ones. The land is meant to be massive and diverse so you can imply your own nation/tribe from within.

>>5899862
>Promethean Captain-General
>Male
>Warmaster of the Prometheans.
>As the warmaster of the prometheans, he has taken upon himself to restore the lost honor of his kingdom. still, and the best opportunity for that, is to rescue and protect the everswnow tree from any pretender who wants to claim it for their own, and from any southern bastard who wants to extinguish it.

>>5901664
fuck, forgot to add a few other stuff.
>his preferred weapon of choice are firearms, especifically the musket, which he has also drilled his people into mastering it, especially the quick reload and the double line. he wears a simple, yet functional armor, with only an insignia to show his rank.

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>>5900980
>I like this submission
That's a relief.

>but I may have to include a twist
I'll take probably a bit more liberty than I should and say that he'd make sure the Little Emperor he's tasked with taking along is actually the real deal, if that's what you were thinking. All the same, I'm excited to see what your twist may be.

>I hope he'd sport a mustache befitting someone from the 19th century.
Of course he has one, as fitting of such a man.

>>5899874
Carthallo Ruins
>Once the capital of a state that rivaled a nascent Heavenly Empire, Carthallo stood the test of time as a thorny subject. When the current Imperial Dynasty overthrew the last, Carthallo sided with another claimant. Alas, when the Usurper Emperor conquered Carthallo, He depopulated the ancient city and tore down its centuries-old walls.

Copper Pass
>Thousands of years ago before there even was a Heavenly Empire, there was a mighty nation located here that quite possibly introduced bronze to the world. It fell long before the Heavenly Empire even entered the South, its population degenerating into rival clans.

Dolphin Town
>This quaint and scenic beach town was wholly untouched by the past century's woes. It continued to remain in contact with the Wind-Traders, seafarers from across the Ocean, although the Wind-Traders as of late had gotten quiet. People speak of troubles in their direction.

The Hammock
>The current Imperial Capital, the Hammock was once a resort town and trade hub that connected the North, the South, and the Great Ocean. It is located in the Great Swamp where pygmies called Lings live. The current Imperial dynasty made it their capital due to identifying themselves as natives to this land, despite bearing no resemblance to the native Lings.

Princess's Dam
>Constructed nearly a century ago by the current Imperial dynasty, the Princess's Dam was the base of the Great Reservoir that collected all the water from the South so that it could be redistributed via aqueducts. When the rain finally returned, the Princess's Dam inadvertently caused the Ice Flood to persist.

The Bridge
>Once the de facto capital of the Fire-Keepers of the North, the Bridge had been reduced to a military base, its royal clan fleeing further north to the Mammoth Basin. It now serves as the Hammock's northern bulwark.

Hiker's Hideout
>The Hikers were once an esteemed organization dedicated to Exploration, but as the world got smaller, so was their importance... not to mention that they had plotted to overthrow the Imperial institution and replace it with a democratic one.

King Papa's Hearth
>Once the beacon to all the ancestors' souls, King Papa's Hearth was unceremoniously extinguished a century ago by the Usurper Emperor, but only after moving its fire to the Hammock. It remains extinguished, having become irrelevant since the erection of the Eversnow Tree, a hearth located in the Hammock.

Mammoth Basin
>Home to the Hundred Hearthdoms, the Mammoth Basin remained isolated and disinterested in the outer world for the longest time. During the Dousing of the North, when the current Imperial dynasty invaded to kidnap the hearths, many royal clans fled to the Mammoth Basin and became integrated with the Hundred Hearthdoms. They remain there to this day, waiting for a chance to return...

>>5899866
>>5901893
Mount All-Father
>A dormant volcano and the tallest peak throughout the land. Lava used to continuously flow out from its peak, until the coming of the Freezing Winters which also cooled it down, making it cold and barren. It was once the home to remote Fire Keeper clans who made use of the lava's heat for their crops, but without its warmth, they were forced to abandon it.

Promethean Hearth
>The Prometheans claimed their origin in the South until they were driven away by a nascent Heavenly Empire. They carried their Hearth to the mountains and for centuries stayed in their mountain fortress, harassing the Heavenly Empire at any opportunity they had. But a century ago, they fell during the Dousing of the North, its royal clan fleeing to the Mammoth Basin.

Southern Capital
>The original capital of the Heavenly Empire, before it even declared itself an Empire. When the current Imperial dynasty conquered the South, the previous dynasty fled even further south, behind the safety of the Sun Gate.

Stairway Pass
>A kingdom built into the valleys in the corner of the world, they carved zigzagging stairs from the southern lowlands to the northern highlands. It was once the capital of a merchant kingdom that combined both Rain-Maker and Fire-Keeper cultures.

Stag Fort
>An Imperial foothold in the north, the Stag Fort is the capital of the Japmi, a northern people unrelated to the Fire-Keepers. They have always recognized the Emperors as the Heirs to the Sun, and always sought to form stronger bonds with them, perhaps as a way to protect themselves from the Fire-Keepers who surrounded them.

Sunken Capital
>When the Heavenly Empire conquered the south, they moved their capital here and named it the Heavenly Capital. For centuries it served as the center of civilization until the current Imperial dynasty moved it to the Hammock. It was still the bureaucratic capital of the Heavenly Empire, but since the Ice Flood, it became submerged in water.

Sun Gate
>Built as a checkpoint between the South and Far South, the Sun Gate became a defensive wall between both sides ever since the old Imperial dynasty fled to the Southern Capital. It remains under the control of the Southern Empire, using it as a launching point for reconquests.

Sunshine Valley
>Home of the Sunkeepers, the Sunshine Valley is known for its sunflower-riddled slopes. The Sunkeepers claim to be the rightful Heirs of the Sun, descended from a Heavenly Emperor who had no sons but only daughters. Though they do not claim the Imperial throne, the Little Emperor's mother, aunt, and grandmother are all scions of the Sunkeepers.

>>5901664
This submission is extremely uncanny resemblance to my plans. I will allow it but I also want you to know you're also probably inviting a lot of difficult choices to make.

>>5901893
>Copper Bulwark
>Male
>Primary: Gain the Emperor's favor through the rescue in order to get his support to unite the Copper Pass under the Copper Bulwark's rule.
>Secondary: Master the Shield
>Stout Copper Warrior, wields two giant copper shield in both hands, and gleaming heavy copper armor as well. The Epitome of Defense.

This good? I don't really know the lore well.

>>5903657
>The Third Son of a small clan's leader, he was trained to become the ultimate shield for the firstborne brother, but the first and second brother fell to illness, and left him as heir. He knows nothing of governorship and how to run a clan, and so he marches to aid the Emperor as a shield to hopefully gain his help.


Forgot background

>>5903657
It's good, I appreciate you trying to fit yourself into the lore with how little I've shared.

>Name
Dog
>Gender
Male
>Motivation
Desire to be part of something meaningful.
>Role/Style
Fighter, raised to fight as a soldier and is most familiar with standard equipment, arms, and armor.
>Background
Mercenary
An orphan that was raised to be nothing more than another soldier in a mercenary warband. Having fought for and against the empire, he joins the court because he wants to do something greater than earn his next meal. However, because of both his upbringing and social stigma against 'honourless mercenaries', he has nothing else to give and little to no opportunity to learn anything more than to be a paid-for fighter.

Submissions closed for the weekend. Writing and drawing.

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>>5899968
>>5900276
>>5901077
>>5903657
The Southern Coalition
>Many were called, but few answered. The Empire was not peaceful enough for everybody to stop what they were doing and march to the Emperor's time of need. Most of the South continued to suffer from bandits, the more secured Warlords jealously guarded their new fiefs from potential enemies. The entirety of the North practically ignored the call as they were engulfed in a struggle for their independence or self-protection.
>Most of the Imperial Legions no longer needed the Emperor's funding; their generals had their own territory to extract wealth from. As there was nobody to look after their "appointed" governorship, they sent a token force to the coalition. Even the Sunken President, governor of the Sunken Capital, could not spare much for his liege. He had the Emperor's citizens to look after and prioritized their well-being before the Emperor. After all, it was the Emperor's capacity to look after His citizens that maintained His legitimacy.
>Only the most virtuous were capable of heeding the Emperor's call for help with actual effort. They coalesced at the Great Reservoir where they based their operations, many leaders futilely attacked the Princess's Dam alone and were immediately repulsed by the Traitor Guards. This coalition is doomed to failure if they could not unite under one leader.
>There were two main contestants for leadership: Magnus Uila, a physically imposing commoner who made a name for himself after uniting his neighbors and ousting brigands and bandits. Though never given official endorsement, it was clear that he was the de facto ruler of his own local province through sheer charisma and ability to provide stability. He is highly supported by commoners who recently picked up arms to defend their homes.
>The other was Militia Commander, a minor noble with an official endorsement to command his own cohort. Make no mistake, his endorsement wasn't granted just because of his noble birth but because of his military capabilities. He is supported by the many lesser nobles that came as well as by the military detachments sent by officially endorsed warlords.
>Though not personally there, the Slip-Tail Scion has provided a bountiful amount of supplies for the coalition. The coalition's success ultimately falls upon who he decides to support, as even soldiers must eat. Along with supplies, the Scion has also graciously donated a battery of artillery capable of blowing down the dam and flooding the Great Swamp, putting the Emperor's life at risk. Unfortunately, the Traitor Cohorts are capable of repairing the walls at a steady rate so long as they are not being harried by direct attacks.

>>5907666
Situation
>The Princess's Dam is lightly manned by Traitor Cohorts, but it has the benefit of the dam and reservoir to act as a makeshift moat and wall.
>The Princess's Dam is connected to a network of aqueducts designed to lift water to the upperlands, thus can be used to directly assault it.
>The Carthallo Cliffs overlook the Great Swamp, but descending it is incredibly risky. It is known that a century ago, the cliffs were scaled to assault Carthallo, resulting in its destruction and depopulation.
>A reconnaissance group has located a pass descending into the Great Swamp to the RIGHT of the dam. It is considered treacherous for being a hotspot for ambushes, though reconnaissance has revealed that it is being championed by a lone warrior of unknown prowess.

This wargame consists of using "Cohorts". Unless otherwise stated, Cohorts are all equally capable, but environmental, logistical, and strategic contexts will determine which one prevails over another. Engagement between Cohorts represents prolonged operations rather than a pitched battle.

Cohorts require supplies to maintain themselves. For simplicity, all Cohorts are assumed to be supplied, but extra supplies can help boost a Cohort, putting them into the Well-Supplied category. Certain events will cause a Cohort to be considered Under-Supplied, such as being isolated or deliberate mishandling of logistics to favor another Cohort.

Here are some considerations that are not necessarily hard rules as this quest is meant to be more of a theatrical story experience:
>A Well-Supplied cohort will have an advantage over an under-supplied one and is necessary for attackers to uproot defenders.
>You can force a cohort to be Under-Supplied to redirect it to another Cohort. Do this for Cohorts in reserve. Keeping them Under-Supplied for a long period may cause them to desert or mutiny.
>If all contexts are equal, the defender will most certainly win.

>>5907666
Coalition Loadout:

>>5900276
Magnus Uila
>3 Cohorts

>>5901077
Militia Commander
>1 Cohort (Elite): Though the bulk of this Cohort is comprised of common soldiers, its backbone is comprised of aristocratic warrior elites.

>>5899968
Slip-Tail Scion
>3 Supplies: Can be allocated at your discretion.
>1 Battery: Can support attacking Cohorts in open terrain. Requires 1 Supply to operate.

>>5903657
Copper Bulwark
>1 Cohort (Defender): This Cohort has an advantage in defensive missions. Its offensive capabilities are on par with normal Cohorts.

Other
>10 Cohorts: These represent the other minor leaders. If no leader is decided, then their actions will be unpredictable. Some might contribute to one player's strategy, some might just sit on their asses. You cannot reallocate their supplies until you agree upon a Coalition Leader.

Traitors (Known): These are all manning the Dam and are all considered Supplied.
>3 Cohorts

For this phase, you guys can decide where to allocate your Cohorts and Supplies and even theorize how to engage the enemy. You're not necessarily restricted to what has been described, at the bare minimum you just have to do SOMETHING to progress the story, whether that be deploying your forces or shouting abuse at each other or the enemy. Don't be afraid to just make things up, like challenging individuals to single combat, deception tactics, building siege equipment, Some Bollywood ass antics like launching Copper Bulwark onto the Dam, or infiltration missions. I'll try to fit it in or find an alternative that works similarly.

This is HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL for me, don't think too hard on the strategic aspect, but focus on interpersonal relationships and drama. I'm not here to make you lose.

>>5901664
The Reignition
>During the Dousing of the North, many Royal Clans fled to the Mammoth Basin with their Hearths, refusing to submit to the Frozen Bastard. There they bided their time, suffering the Freezing Winters but prevailing nonetheless through prudent rationing and adhering strictly to the Ancestors' ways; All Women Must Feed, All Men Must Fight.
>Now that the Heavenly Empire was falling, many Clans argued it was time to reignite the North and reclaim their Hearthdoms. Alas, there were disputes about how to do it. Some wanted to grant amnesty to the many clans beyond who submitted to the Frozen Bastard and incorporate them into the Hundred Hearthdoms. Others wanted to reestablish their ancestral Hearthdoms. This led to an internal gridlock where no action was taken.
>One such King, a descendant of Promethean Royalty; the Promethean Captain-General, rebuked all of these men who spoke too much. While all the clans argued, he rallied his warriors and marched forth. If his brothers would not march with him, then his ancestors shall; matchlock arquebuses fueled by the spirits of their ancestors.
>As the Over-King mandated that no King shall march out the mouth of the basin, there was only one way the Captain-General could leave without disturbance; through the steep mountains and valleys. To march to glory, he had his warriors construct gallery roads; planks nailed into the side of cliffs, wide and sturdy enough for a mammoth to traverse through. The Reignition has begun.

You get three options to choose from, though you can write in an alternative:
>Rush to the Bridge. You might liberate Fire Keepers on the way and incorporate them into a growing army. The Eversnow Tree may also fall to the Coalition.
>Rush to Sunshine Valley. Eliminate the one other Fire Keeper Clan that challenges Baba's Fire (Yours).
>Rush to the old Promethean Hearth and reclaim your ancestral home. This can serve as a forward base and a secure supply depot.
Both of these will bypass the Stag Duke as your gallery roads are clandestine.

You and the Sun Keepers will forever be enemies. They seek to preserve the Empire and thus their hegemony. You also still feel utterly betrayed by the Lingdom. The Eversnow Tree is a symbol of your humiliation.

See >>5907667 for some light rules.

Loadout
Promethean Captain-General
>3 Cohorts (Elite): All of these men are highly trained and experienced. The bulk of the force is armed with matchlock arquebuses and is supported by Siege Mammoths and Wolfmount squadrons. It is also acompanied by a team of Priestesses for religious rites and maintaining the fire you all take from to light your matches.
You are considered Under-Supplied until you can secure a depot or seize them from other clans. However, because these are Elites, they can be just as good against Supplied normal Cohorts. You do not have to worry about desertion or mutiny from this alone.

>>5899919
>>5903953
A Silent Emperor
>Ever since the Imperial Matriarch summoned the citizenry to save the Little Emperor, He has been silent. Either the Sunkeepers were really good at isolating Him, or He wasn't at the Eversnow Tree anymore. In truth, He was snuck out by Sunkeepers using an experimental glider invented by the Hiker Courier, former Imperial Tutor but was consequently dismissed upon the coronation of the Little Emperor. Still, the Hiker Courier was retained as His bookkeeper. The Little Emperor departed with a team of Knights as well as His tutor, it was difficult to get Him to leave as He was reluctant to abandon His best friend; Fina, the young Ling girl whom He saw more like an older sister despite being two heads taller. He was only convinced to leave when the Hiker Courier managed to build a secret compartment for the small Fina, and together they flew northward.
>The escort moved through a mountain pass and with great fortune ran into a scouting party of Coalition forces looking for a way into the Lingdom. But alas, the meeting was cut short as Traitor forces ambushed the scouting party, and amid the chaos, the Little Emperor, Fina, and the Hiker Courier were separated from their knight escort. They continued in the dark and happened upon a wounded Coalition soldier named Dog, suffering from an arrow in his leg. Although the Hiker Courier wanted to abandon the poor soldier, the Little Emperor took pity on him and decided to treat him at the urging of Fina.
>The Hiker Courier was supposed to help escort the Little Emperor to the Sunshine Valley, but upon seeing this act of compassion, he began to realize the tragedy of the Hammock Family. They were genuinely good people who wanted to help. But this was not a quality that guaranteed a good ruler. The Little Emperor's predecessor, bless His bleeding heart, suffered from His genuine compassion and broke when He could not alleviate the suffering of His citizens. If He were not the Emperor, He could have done more for the world. If He could have decided, He most certainly would not have become Emperor. Would this Little Emperor suffer the same fate as His predecessor?
>The Empire didn't need an Emperor. Perhaps it was time to change it. So the Hiker Courier, the Little Emperor's guardian, decided to escort Him to Hiker's Hideout; the former headquarters of Republicans. He was the former Imperial Tutor after all. This Little Emperor should learn the virtues of democracy and be able to decide His destiny.
>Dog, the soldier, could not believe he was in the presence of the Heavenly Emperor, let alone that He was the one who cared for him. For all his life, Dog hoped he was something more, part of something greater. But this Little Emperor did not care, his life was important enough. But there was a great reward to rescue Him and bring Him to safety. Will Dog take the Little Emperor to the Coalition, or follow Him?

>>5907672
I know it might seem I am asking a lot from the two of you because I just placed you guys in the spotlight, but I thought this would be an interesting storyline aside from the warfare. I also envisioned this to be some kind of unlikely duo of sort. Feel free to decide to go against my options or whatever, but I tried writing it in respect of your characters' personal motivations. A lot of your activity will probably be highly dependent on what everybody else is doing but I think for now you guys can decide on the Little Emperor's fate or where to go. Be cognizant of your two charges; the Little Emperor is an agnatic Prince of the Sun, his hair is a distinct blue and eyes irridiscent, and Fina is a pygmy (Ling) with large ears. This portion might play out more like a traditional quest.

The quest is now open for new submissions. The North (right side of the map) is lacking in participants, new Coalition submissions will take over one or more of the random 10 Cohorts.

If you guys have any question, feel free to ask, whether its about the mechanics, lore, my day, or the art. If you wanna do things like diplomacy with NPCs, I won't wait until the end of the phase to respond.

>>5901077
>>5907669
Reporting in, will wait for the other Coalition guys to post first before doing my actions since we need to decide on a leader.

>>5907666
>>5907667
>>5907673
This is amazing; the art, story, and character descriptions! Thanks for this.

"I would like to put my name forward as Coalition Leader and this is my plan to win. We break apart into three teams to strike from three different angles: The first team, led by Copper Bulwark with 5 Cohorts, including the Defender, will attack The Princess's Dam from the front, but only as a distraction to draw out the defenders and blocking their attacks; the second team, led by Militia Commader and the rest of the Cohorts, including his Elite, will traverse the aqueducts to reach the dam; I and my three Cohorts will descend into the Great Swamp to the right of the dam and face the lone warrior in single combat once met. I haven't meet anyone yet who can stand up to me and my Soaring Dragon. If this succeeds, we should be able to overtake the dam from three points."

>>5907671
Promethean captain-general reporting in.
>Rush to the old Promethean Hearth and reclaim it. This can serve as a forward base and secure supply depot.
The current promethean warchief studied the actions of the past promethean captains, and understood that they fell due to their hubris, thinking themselves unbeatable,and capable of doing anything, and thus, rushing to any situation without a plan. He won't commit the same mistakes. Besides, there's also the political side of this strategy. It places them close to the vulcans, an old ally of them, it also places them close to the imperials,which would allow them to spy on them, and finally, it sends a message to all hearth-keepers, that their flames and homes can be recovered, and that someone will be there to protect them,which in turn,hopefully, will lead to more allies flocking to their banner.

>Rush to the Bridge. You might liberate Fire Keepers on the way and incorporate them into a growing army. The Eversnow Tree may also fall to the Coalition.

Put me in a narrow passage, and I could hold off an entire army by myself. They shall not pass one foot across the bridge.

>>5907830
+1 As sound a plan as any other.

>>5907672
>>5907673
Hiker Courier reporting in.
>I know it might seem I am asking a lot from the two of you because I just placed you guys in the spotlight
Don't worry about it, you're doing great. I'm excited already.

My character will convince Dog of his plan for keeping the Little Emperor safe. Making a call as the heir's entrusted caretaker, he will escort the group southeast to the Hikers' Hideout. The most pressing reason for this is the encounter with Traitors earlier. If one of them escaped, chances are they spread word to others further north about Sunkeeper knight activity in the area, and will have more eyes in the region for this reason. If his group isn't caught on the way to the Sunshine Valley, they might run into Traitor agents planted inside the city. In this scenario, armed conflict may occur in the Valley and any Northern adversaries would exploit the chaos, making the journey for naught. As much as it pains him to deprive the Little Emperor of his mother, the Hiker Courier senses she would much rather prefer him safe. No one would think to look in the Hikers' Hideout, and the Little Emperor would have the education and commodities he needs within a tight knit and trusted community. On top of that, the Courier knows how to navigate the wilds on this side of the continent safely on foot. Both the Little Emperor and Fina were sent off with him for this reason, and they would benefit greatly from the skills he could teach them. Hikers are survivalists by trade after all. Dog could provide further muscle and protection for the heir, for which his services would be essential. Even with their set of respective skills, there's only so much Dog and the Courier could do individually; they'd be much more likely to succeed in protecting the Little Emperor if working together.

>the Little Emperor is an agnatic Prince of the Sun, his hair is a distinct blue and eyes irridiscent
The Hiker Courier could lend him his hat to cover his hair. If he's a teenager and Dog is in on the Courier's plan, the Little Emperor could wear some of Dog's armor and pass as the mercenary's apprentice.

>Fina is a pygmy (Ling) with large ears
If anyone asks, the Courier is her uncle and he's leading her to safety "before" things get bad at the Great Swamp. Enough Lings have Halfies as cousins for this to work.

>>5907666
>That doodle of the escort party
Glad to see a mustache of such caliber.

>>5907830
>The glare from the glasses of a man grabs the attention of the War Council, he "hehs" when everybody looks at him. A high-ranking officer balks at such disrespectful behavior and demands to know his name and rank. He responds:

"Heh. You can call me Insightful Lieutenant. Forgive my bluntness, but I hope to rescue the Emperor as much as you all, so please heed my knowledge. Although I am not much of a military commander, you would be impressed by the strategic advice I have to offer."

>He adjusts his glasses with the fingers of one hand, the other resting behind him. As he speaks, his glasses glare brightly every time he nudges his glasses, which occurs every 3-5 seconds, and you begin to wonder if he even has any problems with his visions.

"Heh. I applaud you, Magnus Uila, for taking the initiative to nominate yourself as Coalition Leader. We need commanders who can quickly act and seize opportunities instead of sitting around formulating plans that give the enemy time to entrench themselves. But you have a flaw in your strategy, yet I do not blame you for your ignorance. A great leader such as yourself must be bold enough to make decisions without hesitation, yet cannot be expected to know every minutia of a battlefield."

>Some officers groan at Insightful Lieutenant for taking so long to make his point. Others are annoyed by the brightness of his spectacles' glare. He just won't stop.

"Your general strategy has great potential, but you misunderstand some key aspects. First, that aqueduct cannot possibly have enough room for even two cohorts to engage at once, though having two could be beneficial if you keep one as a reserve in case the first tires out. Second, the dam acts as a wall, allowing the defenders to engage two additional cohorts as if it were three, though the aqueduct would surely nullify such benefit. Third, our forces must cross the reservoir, putting them at a disadvantage when engaging the enemy, even if they were Well-Supplied. Fourth, we don't know what sort of trickery the enemy has waiting for us in the mountain pass, if you take three cohorts then you risk three cohorts, better to reduce that amount. Finally, we do not have to commit all our forces at once, an alternative is to harass the enemy and continue to prod it for weaknesses without utilizing all of our forces. Heh."

>When Insightful Lieutenant finishes, sunlight hits his spectacles at the right angle and gives off a blinding light to everybody at the council. Once everybody's vision returns, all can see Insightful Lieutenant's smirkness.

Say hello to your NPC advisor, Insightful Lieutenant. I will be using him to help you avoid making mistakes out of ignorance and lack of additional context/information. Please don't take his smirkiness personally, I just wanted him to be also entertaining.

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>>5908071
I'm sorry, but which character is yours? If you're part of the Southern Coalition, that Bridge is on the other side of that central mountain ridge. Also, this Bridge is more of a fortress city and was once the de facto capital of the Fire Keepers.

The Reigniter's campaign is also different from the Coalition's and is potentially hostile, depending on how the player wants to run him.

>>5908253
I'm the Copper Bulwark, I should be apart of the Coalition. Sorry forgot to namefag

>>5908252
He is entertaining.

"Thank you, Insightful Lieutenant. That was certainly illuminating. We will adjust the amount of Cohorts for each engagement, but still fully engage with all forces. The first team, led by Copper Bulwark with 2 Cohorts, including the Defender with the other as reserve, will traverse the aqueducts; the second team, led by Militia Commander and the rest of the 11 Cohorts, including his Elite, will attack The Princess's Dam from the front, this should include crossing the reservoir. Though this will but them at a disadvantage, our superior numbers should triumph; I, along with one Cohort, will still descend into the Great Swamp to the right of the dam and face the lone warrior in single combat once met. Regardless of the perils, I know I can rely on them and they on me. If this succeeds, we should be able to overtake the dam from three points.
I am trusting you with my family, Militia Commander."

"Since Slip-Tail Scion is not here with us, I will trust his representative to dictate who receives which supplies. I admit, being without for so long I'm not sure what to do with surplus. I do hope you do not use the Battery to fully break down the dam while we are in the Great Swamp."

>>5907743
>>5908553
"Very well then, though I would caution against an immediate assault, spending some time preparing siege equipment should increase our odds."

>Assign the Cohorts to build pontoon bridges to cross the reservoir

>>5907672
>>5908161

Dog reporting

I'll go with whatever Hiker Courier has in mind. My character really isn't the brightest tool in the shed, not because he is stupid but because his brain is more accustomed to battlefield situations than anything else. He'll be the muscle, sword, and shield of the Little Emperor.

Could make for some bonding time as Dog helps teach the little emperor how to at least wear armor and defend himself. He'd make for an awkward teacher as he mainly learned on-the-job but he'll try his best to impart knowledge in riskless conditions. Could make for a source of comedy or stress depending on the situations.

BTW what timezone are you guys in?

>>5908764
+8 for me

>>5908790
as in its 8 or something where you're at?

>>5908792
*GMT

>>5908632
He's happy to hear that and appreciates your service for the Little Emperor and his Ling companion. It will be entertaining to see where this goes.

>>5908764
I usually can respond between 0:00 to 6:00 UTC and sometimes around now. My work schedule is a bit unconventional.

>>5908764
Pacific coast time

>>5908581
Insightful Lieutenant's spectacles glare.

"A wise suggestion, Militia Commander, but I am inclined to speak of its merits and faults. We wouldn't want to put our men at any unnecessary risk, the construction of such equipment will certainly mitigate the disadvantages of having to cross the reservoir and conserve the lives of our men for future operations in the Great Swamp. However, it will take time to build such equipment, and we have no idea what the enemy is preparing behind the dam. There is also the possibility of another force on the other side of the mountains trying to break into the Great Swamp and claim the reward before us. Do not misunderstand me, of course, we are all doing this for the sake of our Emperor, but it would be a shame if the deaths of our loyal men were ignored due to some dishonorable upstart on the other side of the Great Swamp reaping all the credit."

Though there isn't a hard time limit, you are possibly competing with the Promethean Captain-General. Even if you spend the next phase constructing your assault equipment, Magnus Uila can still approach the pass, and you can still send forces to harass the dam during the construction of your pontoon.

>>5909574
Very well then, 5 Cohorts shall be assigned to make harassing raids against the traitors.

Submissions closed for update.

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>>5907743
>>5907830
>>5908522
Battle of the Princess's Dam
>The Coalition launches a harassment operation while preparing for a full assault. Instead of committing all Cohorts at once, nearly half remained in the rear so that they could be fresh when rotating with harassing Cohorts. Five Cohorts were sent forth on skiffs to prod the dam, shooting arrows and causing chaos by keeping the enemy distracted. Assisting them was a battery commissioned with a unit of Slip-Tail Scion's supplies. Though it would not destroy the dam, it was another thorn for the traitors to deal with.
>Meanwhile, a wide raft was being constructed that could be used as an assault base against the dam. As the waters had risen, the dam was not too high, and only ladders were needed. Pontoon bridges would connect this base with the land.
>Copper Bulwark with his personal Copper Cohort took the aqueduct to engage the traitors head-on. He was assisted by two additional Cohorts in reserve for rotation, though the aqueduct was only wide enough for one Cohort. His contingent was boosted by a unit of supplies by Slip-Tail Scion to speed up recovery.


>Magnus Uila took one Cohort to the Mountains for support. Though his forces were harassed by hidden assailants peppering his men with stones and arrows, Magnus Uila was able to organize a dispersed approach that minimized casualties. They advanced up the mountain cautiously, but the brave Magnius Uila personally pushed forth, encouraging his men and sending fear among his foes. When they came upon a crest, the lone warrior guarding it stood fast; Honeyed Stinger, a warrior in brightly colored armor wielding a glaive with a blade as ferocious as Magnus Uila's sword. Honeyed Stinger was a goliath, a race of humans of great height who stood between 7 and 8 feet tall. Though much taller than Magnus Uila, Honeyed Stinger was nevertheless thinner than the mighty Magnus Uila. One of Magnus Uila's companions scoffed at the lone warrior;

"Pft! A lone warrior of unknown prowess? That must mean he's untested, his size alone intimidating his opponents to standing down! Allow me to take on this traitor and I will bring back his head!"

Magnus Uila can decide to:
>Allow his companion to challenge Honeyed Stinger
>Challenge Honeyed Stinger himself
>Push forth with all of his forces
>Write-in

Anybody else can decide to make changes to the operations, I'm giving Magnus Uila options because it's a more personal engagement.

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>>5908161
>>5908632
Escort Party
>The Little Embarked on his journey with his two mentors and best friend. It was almost like a Youthful Journey, and he was somewhat excited to see the world. They traveled through the mountains and forests, avoiding open valleys if they could. Every time they made camp, Dog would teach the Little Emperor some combat skills. Though inexperienced, he was an eager learner. The party relied on the Courier to navigate, but they relied on Fina to find food, unfortunately, most of the meals were deemed undesirable by the Courier and Dog. For instance, the Courier wanted to avoid foraging some particular mushrooms as they were known to be toxic, though Fina did so anyway and cooked them with some herbs that nullified the toxins. Though an experienced wilderness man, the Courier was further impressed by Fina's ability to be so careless in the wild while avoiding danger. Instead of avoiding a fire-ant mound to sleep by, Fina would just harvest the ants and cook them, which disgusted the Courier and Dog, though the Little Emperor enjoyed the meal. While the Courier busied himself making a fishing pole, Fina jumped into the waters and grabbed some fish. When the diet of fish and bugs became tiresome, Dog wanted to trap some rabbits, but the Little Emperor and Fina protested this, believing it to be cruel. Though Dog did not understand, the Courier knew very well about the Lings' diet.
>After a few days of travels, they discover a Cohort from the Coalition climbing up a mountain pass. Fina climbed some trees to get a better look and she spotted Honeyed Stinger defending the crest of a pass from Magnus Uila. When she came back down, she told the party of what she saw. She and the Little Emperor wanted to help Honeyed Stinger as she was their family. However, with the Coalition so close and the Little Emperor with him, Dog felt tempted to claim some sort of reward by showing the Coalition that he had the Emperor safe with him. The Courier knew very well that the Little Emperor had no power to reward the Coalition, and it would only be through delivering Him to His grandmother would any of them receive anything.

The Escort Party, that is the Courier and Dog, will have to decide how to approach this.
>Assist Honeyed Stinger. Fina saw a boulder up in the mountains that could be rolled down to create an even smaller gap for Honeyed Stinger.
>Turn in the Little Emperor to the Coalition.
>Stay hidden and push forward.
>Write-in

>>5907864
Reclaimed Hearth
>The Captain-General had his men construct gallery roads south and when they reached the open Inner Prairie, began marching back to their real home. Stag scouts spotted them and began to harass the Captain-General's forces with mounted archers. His wolfmount squadrons were deployed to shield his men as the Stags' arrows out-ranged their firearms. Before the Stag Duke could mobilize his forces and intercept the Captain-General, his host had safely entered the Promethean Valley and reignited its hearth.
>The North had been alerted of the Hundred Hearthdom's army, though they were not sure if they were going to be enemies. The Stag Duke deployed a legion of 10 cohorts to watch the pass entering the Promethean Valley
>The valley itself was abandoned long ago, the Freezing Winters forces its inhabitants to either flee to the Mammoth Basin or surrender to the Heavenly Emperor. Since then, the weather has warmed up making the land viable to support life, though it would require a workforce to provide a stable flow of supplies for the Captain-Generals army.

You can "sacrifice" one of your cohorts to begin working the land, making your two others Supplied.

Possible choices to make:
>Descend to the undefended South while they are ignorant of your presence.
>Descend to the North where the Stag Duke knows of your presence and is now ready.

Your current loadout is (before "sacrificing" a cohort):
>3 Elite Corhots
>1 Elite Squadron (Wolfmounts): Mounted on ferocious Dire Wolves, this squadron of warriors is formed by noble knights. They excel in rough terrain compared to more conventional horse cavalry, though are not as fast.
>1 Elite Battery (Siege Mammoths): Artillery pieces strapped onto the back of mammoths. For the mammoth's safety, they are not all that powerful but are highly mobile, allowing rapid redeployment.

I decided to give you two more units so you can further separate them rather than them being attached.

>>5916603
First
>Write-in
Will you allow us to pass?

If the warrior doesn't,
>Allow his companion to challenge Honeyed Stinger
All right, but do not underestimate your opponent; Their weapon and reach is long.

>>5916606
How much do i inow of the situation in the south and near the lingdom?

>>5916981
You assume there is some sort of general rebellion against the Heavenly Empire.

>>5916603
Maintain the current course I guess, until the bridges are fully completed. The more attrited the defenders are before the main assault, the better.

>>5916605
Dog here

As poorly informed as Dog is about events, he recognizes bringing a child near a battlefield is a bad idea. He should know, he was but a child during his first battle, press ganged because he had no family and most would be hesitant to kill a kid anyway. Dog would not want that for the emperor. He'll propose to turn the emperor in, but only later at a safer time. Instead he'll if they should wait out the battle or slip away to a safer location. He may not know where, but since Hiker Courier and ling seem to know a lot more about survival he''s sure they'll be able to find food and shelter.

He won't understand why they'd roll the boulder and ask why they'd oppose the coalition. It should take more than 'because family', not because he's cruel but because the coalition is with the government and while the striker with the imprisoners. Bringing the emperor back to safety is their top concern. Also, someone might see them up the mountain and misinterpret the party as more rebels or as kidnappers.

If Hiker Courier proposes rolling that boulder he'd do it though. He may not understand Ling, but if Hiker Courier can give a decent explanation as to why they should avoid the coalition he'd go along. He's not exactly in this for the money, but he does think that if the emperor would be returned then order stability would be restored faster. Again, he is not very informed as he is accustomed to just accepting orders and bare explanations. If saying that the coalition can't be trusted and only grandma has any power then that would work.

Just note that the further they deviate from the most direct path towards gran'ma without any immediate reason like a barricade or something, the more dog would wonder why they aren't saving the land. The longer the emperor is missing, the more turmoil (he thinks) the land will experience. Democracy sounds nice, especially desirable if he's convinced it would provide long-term stability. He's accustomed to 'necessary casualties' (growing up in a mercenary band will force that on you), but he won't appreciate unnecessary subterfuge.

>>5917471
In that case, he'll have one of the cohorts working in maintaining supplies, and send the wolf rider squadron scout and gather more info on the situation to the south (which are the factions, their condtions, etc.). He'll also have the reat of the army working on improving their defenses, just in case. Finally,if possible, he'll send a few soldiers (maybe 5 dudes) to try to reach the vulcans, and try to convince them to join us, traveling through the mountain range to prevent being found by the stags and the southerners.

>>5917504
>Dog's questioning of helping Honeyed Stinger made Fina wary of him and she began hiding behind the Little Emperor. Though it was reasonable of Dog to doubt her, Fina couldn't put into words why Honeyed Stinger mattered to her. So the Little Emperor spoke up instead.

"The Goliath shares the same Memories as Fina and I. We remember all the same happiness and sorrows as our ancestors before us. I confess I do not understand what is happening, but I must trust my family who seem to be protecting my home from these Tallies... If anything, I hope that neither are hurt and I believe it's best we prevent them from hurting each other. Please Dog, you're the only one strong enough who can help."

>>5916657
>Magnus Uila shouts at Honeyed Stinger to let them pass. It is well known that these goliaths are the personal bodyguards of the Imperial family, but it is also likely that they have betrayed the Emperor as they are the ones holding him prisoner. Honeyed Stinger shouts back.

"Turn away now, and never come back! These people do not seek violence, nor do they deserve it! If you value your life and your family's, go home and be a family man!

Rather than waiting for the phase to end, I think it's best if characters can respond immediately for you to make a decision. Also, Fina understands the Imperial language, though she's most likely going to speak Ling with the Little Emperor and the Courier.

>>5919094
"We seek passage to save the Emperor. If you will not allow us to pass, we will force you to!"

>Allow his companion to challenge Honeyed Stinger
All right, but do not underestimate your opponent; Their weapon and reach is long.

>>5919094
Good enough explanation. He puts his trust in the Little Emperor and rolls the stone.

>>5917504
>>5919094
Hiker Courier here.

>As poorly informed as Dog is about events, he recognizes bringing a child near a battlefield is a bad idea
He agrees with Dog to that end, and will thus strongly advise to stay hidden and continue forth. Although he sympathizes with Fina and respects Honeyed Stinger, he recognizes that pursuit by the enemy would compromise the Little Emperor's safety and the mission. The last thing the Courier and likely Honeyed Stinger would want is for the heir's life to be put in danger, let alone for him to put himself in such a position. If Honeyed Stinger knew about the escort, he would understand. Out of acknowledgement for this and the dependence of the mission on secrecy, he would stress against rolling the boulder. Were the enemy to learn of the Little Emperor's true location, the lives spent in defense of the Swamp and the heir's life so far would be for naught. The Courier will make sure to relay this point to Fina as well. If it would be fair to assume this, I'd surmise that the Courier would recognize formidable warriors when he sees them, and would conclude that the timing of the boulder and the ability for the warriors to dodge it would only leave the escort vulnerable to pursuit. That being said, although the Courier has the final say as the Little Emperor's caretaker until he can safely reappear in public society, he would go along with Fina's suggestion if the Little Emperor continues to insist after he gives his strong advice. If the heir agrees with the Courier after listening to what he has to say, he will be sure to console and keep an eye on Fina in case Honeyed Stinger falls in battle in front of them.

>>5922346
Dog stalls in rolling the stone upon hearing Hiker Courier's suggestion to not intervene. He awaits what the Little Emperor has to say.

>>5922346
>Just note that the further they deviate from the most direct path towards gran'ma without any immediate reason like a barricade or something, the more dog would wonder why they aren't saving the land.
This subject will have to wait until the charges are a safe enough distance away from the fighting, but the reason they're heading South is because the ambush earlier may lead to increased hostile presence in the North. Those who might threaten the Little Emperor's life may expect more Swamp knights to appear in the North and keep a closer eye on the region accordingly. No one would expect the Imperial heir to be hiding in the Southern wilderness, let alone in the aptly named Hideout; that's why it's essential no one pursues the escort. As for why they're keeping the Little Emperor away from the Coalition, the Courier's argument is that they can't be trusted with the life of the Regent's grandson. They have their own ulterior motives and are fractious, and it isn't unlikely that one faction may hold the Little Emperor for ransom or a greater reward for his return, or fight amongst themselves to be the one to return him to the Regent, putting him in harm's way. He has no issues with the Sunshine Abbess, but doesn't approve of the heir's grandmother because of the consequences her grabs for power had on the Swamp and Little Emperor's future; IF she ever turns over her authority to the heir, he'd be left with the aftermath of her actions and a population that resents his bloodline. The last thing he needs is to be present when the conflict at the Swamp inevitably boils over. For reasons obvious, the Courier won't bring those feelings up around the Little Emperor nor Fina, nor Dog if he doesn't need to.

>>5922409
>He awaits what the Little Emperor has to say.
Same here.

Submissions closed for updates.

>>5922409
>>5922524
The Little Emperor will go along with the Courier, even if it makes him sad.

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>>5917587
Captain-General
>The Promethean Valley was reinforced, the Stag Duke would be foolish to try to enter it. All he could was isolate it from the Mammoth Basin.
>The South had been ravaged by a flood that led to a sudden decentralization of Imperial Authority. The Heavenly Empire was united as one force no longer but as many smaller factions with aligning interests. The many factions throughout the South wouldn't take kindly to an upstart northerner invading their newfound territory, and may even use it as a pretext to invade the North to "enforce the Emperor's Will".
>The immediate adversary in the South was the Governor of the Stairway Pass, the former seat of the kingdom that oppressed the Swamplings. Not much was known about his motives, other than holding onto the pass that connected North and South on the eastern edge of the Great Ridge. The Captain-General need not defeat or capture the Stairway Pass to continue south, but the governor's forces can very well threaten any supply line head further south if he chose to do so.
>Making contact with whatever remained with the Vulcan Hearthdom would not be easy, neither should it be a primary concern. The Vulcan Royalty had escaped to the Basin like you have, their priestesses responsible for the weapons and armor every warrior now armed themselves with. There doesn't remain the Hearthdoms of old, only scattered clans of varying degrees of loyalty to their old masters.

All of the Hearthdom Royals fled to the basin. What's left are their vassals who are fighting over control in the power vacuums. It is up to you to either guarantee their autonomy and upset the royals back in the basin, subjugate them and take them as vassals for yourself and upset the royals back in the basin, or return them to their old masters.

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>>5919097
The Pass
>Magnus Uila's companion engaged Honeyed Stinger alone. He moved up the mountain, unafraid of Honeyed Stinger's large size and polearm. Though any other man would have been struck down with one swing, Uila's companion managed to survive three bouts until a swing launched his head up into the sky. As it came down, Honeyed Stinger batted at it with the flat of their polearm's blade, returning Magnus Uila's companion to him.

"Take your companion and give him the proper rites, lest he becomes an embittered ghost! If he decides to haunt my kin and I, then he shall be met with the wrath of all the ghosts of our ancestors!"

Magnus Uila receives a personal bonus in engaging Honeyed Stinger!

I will be responding throughout the week for whatever decisions or dialogue you want to make to engage Honeyed Stinger.

>>5916603
>>5917486
Raided from Above
>The assault on the dam continued with the completion of the bridges. All cohorts moved across the reservoir to directly engage and overwhelm the traitors, but alas, misfortune struck them as the battery used to harass the traitors was used against their owners! A cohort of traitors appeared out of nowhere behind enemy lines, and the flow of supplies was now completely cut for all forces. What happened in the past came true again >>5907667, a traitor cohort climbed the cliffs undisturbed and descended down to the reservoir from where Carthallo once stood. With no cohorts watching the Coalition's flanks, they were free to infiltrate the Coalition's base. Even worse, they had set alight to the start of the pontoons to prevent the Coalition from returning safely!

-All Coalition Cohorts are now UNDERSUPPLIED.
-Coalition Battery now belongs to Traitors.
-The Traitor Cohort is also considered UNDERSUPPLIED by default since it's normal supply line is too far to reliably supply them, so they are making use of Slip-Tail Scion's contribution instead.
-Traitors have 3 Consumable supplies (seized from Slip-Tail); 1 used for battery, another to supply the Traitor Cohort, and another for being stored. It will be reduced to 1 next phase.
-The Traitor Cohort is an ELITE type with the COMMANDO trait, giving them a bonus to raiding missions.

>Insightful Lieutenant's lens glare from the aqueduct to give his insightful counsel to the commanding officers.

"A precarious situation indeed, to return our forces means risking a successful insertion into the dam. But to press on means we risk losing this battle. We can only hope that Magnus Uila succeeds in infiltrating the Great Swamp and striking our enemies from their flank!"

>>5922409
>>5922524
The Escort Pushes On
>It is fortunate that the Courier is the perceived elder of Him and Fina. They accepted the Courier's wisdom even if they didn't entirely understand, speaking little protest. The Emperor and Fina walked together, following the Courier's lead. Although the Courier expected it, Dog was not entirely prepared to witness the tears and crying of the Emperor and Fina. One might have thought them of being brats, but the truth was that they were just being honest about their fears. Honeyed Stinger was a very familiar person to them, but they were also leaving their home for the first time, and instead of visiting family waiting to welcome them as guests, they didn't know what kind of people would be waiting for them.
>The Escort Party continued eastward through the Great Ridge, the Little Emperor continuing with his lessons with Dog and the Courier. Fina was uninterested in such activity, electing to explore and scout ahead instead. Perhaps she was unrealistically expecting to find some Ling village hidden in the mountains. At the end of one of his lessons, the Little Emperor asked both the Courier and Dog:

"Uncles... why do Tallies hurt themselves?"

>As far as Dog was concerned, the word "Tallie" refered to all outsiders of the Great Swamp. The Hiker Courier knew very well that this once only described folk outside of the Ling's tribal identity, who were previously all literally taller than them, but the meaning shifted ever since the current Imperial dynasty came into power. In a sense, it even applied to the Hiker Courier, who did not share the same Memories of the Lings, and thus could not be considered part of their wider family.
>It was also a strange question for Dog as he had no idea of the inner conditions of the Great Swamp. It was isolated for the past century, almost everybody outside of it had no idea what it was like in it. Perhaps the Little Emperor was just as ignorant of the condition of the Empire as Dog was of its capital. All that it can be said about it was that diplomats on official missions spoke highly of the Imperial Capital's splendor and that most of the Lingdom's riches; chocolates, sugars, tuna, coffee, tobacco, silk, and all manner of fruits barely left it. Perhaps this was what the Coalition was after once they "liberate" it.

>>5924134
Can I join?

>>5924134
I didn't think every Cohort would be committed to the assault, but OK. Up to Magnus then.

>>5924349
Depends how tough you are.
Yes

>>5924420
I'm sorry, but I was going off on the previous order of assault. I know you had Cohorts remain during the harassing operations. I should have been more clear/asked for more clarification, but I think it will turn out well, it's a good piece of drama imo.

>>5924131
>the captain general knew that as long as they're on their own, they cannot commit to any grand offensive without leaving their new base alone. besides, his main objective isn't necessarily independence (at the very least, not yet), but to secure papa's fire for all the hearth keepers. so, in the end, the captain-general sended a message to the stairway governor, to get him to join his side.

Honored Governor of the Great Stairway, Guardian of the cliff, i, the Captain-General of the Prometheans, greets you. I come to you an offer of peace and unity. The empire is in trouble, and it falls to us, children from north and south, to save it from damnation, let us be friends and join forces, and i'm sure our combined might will allow us to accomplish both our objectives.

>hopefully, diplomacy will work, or at the very least, they're going to be willing to talk.

>>5924608
> Name: Hidden Rebel
>Gender: Female
>Role/style: Intel gathering, infiltration, propaganda, assassination
>Motivation: free her people from the Empire
>Background: A merchant and a scion of a long line of secessionists, she built and maintained her family's network of contacts, spies and activists in preparation for an opportunity to break away from the Empire - though not really believing such an opportunity would come within her lifetime. Her unassuming merchant clothes hide a combat-trained body, but her main weapons are her mind and tongue.

>>5924636
The Rebel approaches the Captain- General with an offer of cooperation, in exchange for the future freedom of her people. Her meeting gift - knowledge of the smuggler paths bypassing the fortifications in the Stairway Pass.

>>5924134
"I'm sorry old friend."
Bury our dead friend's head.

"You shall taste the bite of my blade for what you have done!"

Engage 1v1

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>>5925341
>Magnus Uila tells his men to stay behind. This one is personal. He moves up the hill to meet Honeyed Stinger. To all the men below, they witnessed a clash of two titans.

You will be succeeding in this engagement, so if you'd like you can write up how cool you did it. Whether you want to be merciful, respectful, or savage is up to you, but it should be clear that the duel was challenging to the both of you.

>>5924778
>welp, this was a surprising turn of events, but a welcomed one. indeed, the Captain-general is willing to work with the rebels, although outof curiosity, would like to know from which clan or city she comes from, that way, we could go and meet your people.

>>5925651
(I don't know the setting well enough so I'll leave it to the QM)

>>5924136
Dog would very much like to comfort the emperor and Fina. However, he doesn't know how. He asks Courier if there's anything he can do.

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>>5925850
We can brainstorm this out if you'd like. As you are the scion of merchants, being a native of the Stairway Pass might be the best place Hidden Rebel might come from. Staiway Pass has an intricate history, it was originally a northern Hearthdom a few centuries ago until an Imperial agnatic Prince married into the matrilocal clan and took power. This became known as the Princely Hearthdom, being that the male rulers were of agnatic descent of an Emperor (with blue hair and iridescent eyes, but its priesthood were still the matriarchal clan of the Hearthdom. For the longest time it was never incorporated into the Empire, remaining as an independent Hearthdom that just so happened to have a King from the Imperial dynasty, though it retained good relations. The Stairway Pass was the sole trade hub between north and south for a while since the Copper Pass was dangerous. It might be in Hidden Rebel's better interests to not necessarily see the end of the Empire, but a new dynasty to take over to pacify the North and South so that trade can peacefully flow again. The current dynasty stagnated the economy by making everybody cultivate foodstuffs in preparation for a long winter, though the weather had been getting warmer.

Any other questions or thoughts you'd like to share?

>>5926000
The end of the Empire is not mandatory, but I envisioned the Rebel as fighting for political and cultural independence of her homeland.
Is Stairway Pass still in a personal union situation, or has it been integrated tighter into the Empire?

>>5926028
I think since the frozen bastard took the throne, is probably under tighter control now. Before him, it's union was a lot more lax.

>>5926028
>I envisioned the Rebel as fighting for political and cultural independence of her homeland.
A very reasonable motive, the Frozen Emperor from a century ago had pretty much centralized his authority. Before the conquest, the Princely Kingdom was more northern aligned, but with the arrival of the Frozen Emperor and his policies, it had since integrated as an Imperial province.

>>5926171
Before the Frozen Emperor, Imperial policy in assimilating their subjects largely involved inviting them to parties and making them want to be Imperials, encouraging their subjects to copy Imperial customs for more status and favors. The Frozen Emperor just instituted a command economy.

>>5926457
Then it is reasonable for the Rebel to hail from Stairway Pass.

>>5924136
>>5925861
>"Uncles... why do Tallies hurt themselves?"
It took me a while to think of what to type. The Hiker Courier isn't exactly sure how to answer this question, let alone to someone like the Little Emperor. With all that he has studied and seen, what he's learned is that there is no single answer to this question. Much of it originates from the differences in the lives people live, with many cultures, environments, beliefs, and events affecting the perspectives and values of each person. Oftentimes, this brings one group of people in opposition to another due to these differences, but just as often, it can come down to hatred, suspicion, or want for power coming from one place or another. Despite this, these differences in how people come about is a natural element of the world we live in, let alone life. There's a lot to learn from many people for this reason, whose experiences and insight into some things can be helpful when one person can only see so much at one time. The best that can be done is to build understanding between one another as we study the people and world around us and how they work. Constructive, helpful dialogue among educated and egalitarian populations builds toward it, and can better what we know about how each person lives. We're all people and everything that comes with. The Courier will do the best he can to explain this in a way the Little Emperor would understand.

>Dog would very much like to comfort the emperor and Fina. However, he doesn't know how. He asks Courier if there's anything he can do.
He knows that empathy has a unique nature to Ling society and outlooks, so he'll advise Dog to acknowledge Fina's feelings and encourage her to talk about herself. Lings love sharing Memories, as they're called.

>>5928676
He asks Fina if there's anything in particular she wants to talk about. Given the circumstances, she must have a lot more going on her mind and on her chest. Dog also asks what memories are, then stumbles on his words as he realizes that makes him sound dumb. He clarifies that he wants to know what the Lings refer to as memories.

Submissions closed for next update.

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>>5924420
>>5925341
Victory at the Dam
>The Coalition forces found themselves in a less-than-ideal situation, their own bombards battering them as they assaulted the dam. Undersupplied, officers suggested pulling their forces back, but the Militia Commander ordered the army to continue placing pressure on the dam. If they could not succeed here, then they could not succeed later.
>Though outnumbered, the traitors had the benefit of the dam as a fortification as well as engaging undersupplied enemies. What seemed like an easy victory quickly turned into a panic as a single Coalition Cohort descended onto the dam on the right side, led by none other than Magnus Uila! Though undersupplied and tired from their march, Magnus Uila lead the Cohort at the front, crashing into the traitors. The battlefield became something like a domino, the Cohorts on the right side of the dam climbed over the top, forcing the traitors to the left.
>The battle ended with the Coalition seizing the dam, the traitor cohorts being mostly slain or taken captive. The traitor Cohort at the reservoir disappeared, skulking away to strike another time, and supplies began to flow back into Coalition. Unfortunately, the battery was lost, destroyed before the traitors fled. The Coalition begins to set up a new headquarters sitting on the dam, overlooking the Great Swamp.

After Battle Report:
>1 Cohort
>11 Cohorts, Recovering.
A recovering Cohort requires a phase to return to fighting strength.
>1 Cohort (Elite), Recovering
>1 Cohort (Defender), Recovering

Two normal cohorts had to be disbanded to help the rest of the Coalition recover.

Traitors:
>1 Traitor Cohort, Prisoners. Requires half a unit of supply to nourish.
You can do as you will with this cohort of prisoners, such as setting them free, executing them, or putting them into labor. You probably won't have any luck recruiting them though.

>As the coalition settles into their new camp, Insightful Lieutenant chimes in.

"We've accomplished the first step of our mission to save the Emperor. But I think this was just the easiest part; the Emperor is held somewhere deep in the Great Swamp. It would be difficult for us to march our army as one, trees still dominate this country. As we advance further into the Great Swamp, our supply lines will stretch thin and we might have to forage off the land. I hear the Great Swamp is bountiful if you can find its villages hidden in the woods.

Another thing of note, these three Cohorts were not the only ones the traitors had. More may be mobilizing as we speak, if we don't act fast our momentum may slow down right here."

It will be up to you guys whether you want to send a cohort or more off, or scout yourselves and get more personally involved.

>>5924636
>The Stairway Governor is dismissive of the Captain-General, wary of his potential motives. Though he cares for the stability of the Empire, he has little reason to offer any sort of help to the Captain-General. If anything, he feels that the Captain-General is a potential enemy who might extort the resources he has been securing for his beloved province. Though he has declared no hostile intention, there have been increased military patrols on the outskirts of his province.

>>5924778
>Hidden Rebel can trace her maternal lineage back to Fire Keeper priestesses, back when they ruled the Stairway. There isn't anything much prestigious about this in itself, but as the Stairway prospered under the Princely Kings, her ancestors focused more of their efforts on trade rather than religious rites. They practically made up the practical nobility of the kingdom.
>Unfortunately, when the Frozen Emperor arrived to conquer the South, he imposed strict economic policies that stagnated trade and the production of most types of goods. The Stairway was not an entirely fertile place, subsisting mostly on its potato terraces instead. But when food was emphasized over other goods, Stairway's prominence burned away. The seasons have been getting warmer, and there is hope in the air if the Empire stabilized and was allowed to freely trade again. But that stubborn governor was a bit of a micro-manager when it came to imports and exports. Although his position is an official endorsement, perhaps he could be removed and replaced by someone else still loyal to the Empire, perhaps a return to the Stairway Kingdom instead of a province.
>You know of many secret routes bypassing the Stairway Pass, though these are not ideal for a marching army. The Captain-General however has experience building gallery roads, and although that will take some time, it could be a long-term alternative.

>>5928676
>>5929057
>The Little Emperor listened to his Uncle Courier intently. Unfortunately, he still felt disatisfied with the answer, though this mihgt have more to do with him trying to cop with his beliefs and upbringings.
>When Dog wondered about the meaning of Memories for Lings, the Courier took the opportunity to explain. All cultures have some sort of historical record manifested as traditions or customs. But oftentimes, cultures forget where their traditions or customs come from. It just is. But the Lings' cultural memory extends far, it is a means for them to stay intimate with their extended family, even if they aren't closely related. They all "remember" when they lived on the Great Turtle together, and despite spreading far across the world and separating into tribes, when tribes reconverged to each other's company after being separated for millennia, they still "remember" their experience on the Great Turtle together. They become eager to share the experiences they had while they were separated, this comes in the form of many myths or practices they learned while being separated.
>At the end of the Courier's explanation, the Little Emperor chimed in:

"Tallies are very forgetful, aren't they? They don't remember when they first came to this part of the world, acting as if it belongs to them, when we all belong to it together."

>It was an admittedly difficult topic to explain, Lings don't know how to explain what their Memories mean to outsiders as much as how it would be difficult to explain a color only they could see but nobody else could.
>Despite her rough exterior, Fina was shy at heart around people she was unfamiliar with. The Ling girl didn't trust Dog, refusing to open up to him. When Fina was gone, the Little Emperor explained to Dog that her cousin was murdered by a Tallie in front of her when she was a Little One, and it took years for her to speak again.

>The Escort Party continued on their journey and one morning, Fina mentions that she thinks somebody has been watching them. It is unknown whether these watchers were enemies, and it's possible there's some bandit camp nearby who might be more interested in making sure they aren't found. It might also be possible that there's some agent from the Great Swamp looking for the Emperor.

>>5926620
>>5931083
to the hidden rebel, i offer her the opportunity to retake back her homeland, but before we do any movement right now, we would like to know if you know any hidden passages into the city which we might be able to use so that we can take it back not only more easily, but without damaging the city and it's inhabitants. you could also try to get people to rise up from inside the city can be of great help as well.

>if we manage to take the city and bring it back unto the warm of the hearthfire, i'm pretty sure the rest of the clans will rise up as well and join us into the fight.

>>5931600
The Rebel thinks tbe best shot at taking the city would be to get a group of elite soldiers around the city via a smuggler trail, and then she can get them inside the walls by hiding them in trading wagons. The Governor should not be expecting danger from behind.

>>5931085
Dog doesn't know how to proceed.

He is not accustomed at all to socialization, but what the little emperor said did affect him. All his life, he had been fighting for one cause or the other simply because he was told to. He was named a 'dog', not to refer any sense of loyalty or skill, but because the original warband that raised him called and treated him as such. The Boss demanded he do nothing but obey. They starved and beat him and others like him for discipline, calling them all just 'beasts' and 'mongrels' that should be grateful they aren't dead yet and just do as they were told. He was not the only 'dog', but he is the only one he knows is still around. The leader is dead, and the warband dispersed. Yet dog had nowhere to go but to battle.

Dog grew up in an age of constant conflict, his only skill is battle and his only loyalty was coin. This was not out of greed but due to ostracization. The warband's reputation was dark and it followed him. No craftsman would accept him into learning their trade, and no army would trust him to be anywhere but the frontlines.

He cannot remember his parents, where he came from, or even his original name.

Hearing about the murder made Dog frustrated. He was not angry to anyone. He was angry at himself. The loss of a family member should be something he should empathize with but can't, he can't remember his own parents or how they died. He cannot understand her or the emperor, and he hates that he can't. He truly is at a loss of response.

Upon Fina mentioning that she thinks somebody is watching them, he goes on alert and scans his environment ever more intently. This is something he's well-versed in. He and the other dogs were often sent ahead of the actual soldiers, both in battle and on march. Even after leaving, all companies he marched with made sure he marched ahead out of distrust and disregard of his life. Sharp eyes and keen ears were needed to react to any danger before it struck.

>>5931081
Just to clarify, so the Swamp is inhabited by the Lings and the Traitors, but the former are neutral in all this?

>>5931965
They're innocent of every crime and sin immaginable, like adam and eve before the fall.

>>5931820
Excellent, then i'll lend you a cohort of my best soldiers to help you, maybe we could get some more rebels to help us then. Just tell them that soon, everyone will be able to meet the flame of their sncestors soon.

>>5932100
Give me two days, and I will find which guard shift has the least vigilant guards, which warehouse is the easiest to unload the people in, and some civilian clothes for your fighters. I will also get whoever I can of the people supporting the cause to join the operation. We will target the gatehouse and open the gates, so be ready to charge inside.

>>5931600
>>5931820
>The Hidden Rebel is not alone in wanting either independence or autonomy for the Stairway Pass. A passageway was mapped out that could have gallery roads built from the Promethean Valley to the Stairway pass, although this was not a subtle approach and would surely alert the Stairway Governor. Perhaps that could be used as a distraction while the Hidden Rebel slowly smuggled soldiers into less secured entryways, as well as through ancient tunnels long forgotten or unknown to the foreign occupiers.

>>5931965
The Great Swamp is the native land of the pygmy Lings, and these traitor cohorts are soldiers raised by the normal-sized hybrid descendants of pygmies. Technically, they're both natives of the land. Instead, I will express their thoughts on the matter in character.

>The traitor prisoners of war already stood out to the Coalition with their large round ears. Most people outside the Great Swamp have never witnessed such striking physical features this widespread, though many recognize that this is a physical feature common among Lings, the pygmy natives of the Great Swamp. Although every low-ranking soldier possessed these large round ears, there was a disproportionate amount of normal-sized ears among their higher-ranking officers.
>There was some animosity towards these traitors by Coalition troops. In the past century, the Great Swamp was the one exception to the Emperors' authoritarian policies. While many provinces were heavily taxed and their economies commanded to produce food in preparation for the Freezing Winters, the Great Swamp was largely left alone, free of any sort of Imperial obligations. So many of the Southerners of the Coalition, these people were seen as upstarts who "stole the Empire" from their civilization.
>For such an oppressive people who reaped the benefits of the Emperor's favor for the past century, the Traitor soldiers had no pride nor shame, their cries and sobbing ceaseless while in the custody of the Coalition. Many Coalition troops expressed their desire to just toss these weak-willed cowards into the waters.

>>5932477
>>5932116

in this case, then yeah, i'll order my wolfriders to create a distraction so that the hidden rebel sneak my best men into the city. together, we'll bring back the warmth to the north!

>>5932477
Does the Sunken Capital need labourers? I had the thought of sending them back as such.

>>5932831
The Sunken Capital is always in need of resources, but you might want to question where their loyalties may lie due to the fact that they had sent no aid to the coalition.

>>5931081
>>5933367
Ok for now

>Move 3x Normal Cohorts to occupy the Cathallo Ruins and guard the cliffs.

>Offer to sell the Traitor prisoners to the Sunken Capital in exchange for supplies/assets/other nice things

>>5931085
>>5931826
>The Escort Party continued on their journey and one morning, Fina mentions that she thinks somebody has been watching them. It is unknown whether these watchers were enemies, and it's possible there's some bandit camp nearby who might be more interested in making sure they aren't found. It might also be possible that there's some agent from the Great Swamp looking for the Emperor.
It certainly wouldn't be the first time the Courier encountered a situation like this. He'll attempt to lose their potential pursuers using his familiarity with the region, his own set of skills, and Dog to help spot how these strangers are moving. As for Fina and Dog, he'll keep a quiet eye on them to make sure they're hanging in there.

>"Tallies are very forgetful, aren't they? They don't remember when they first came to this part of the world, acting as if it belongs to them, when we all belong to it together."
The Courier will respectfully advise the Little Emperor to avoid letting the habits of a group cloud judgement of one's character. As much as there are many who think the way the heir described, there are also those who either share his sentiments or may have a different outlook on how they would appear. Such is the case everywhere, even in the Swamp itself.

Submissions closed, writing and drawing.

This is taking me a bit longer than anticipated, apologies for the delay but I also want to extend the campaign map.

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>>5933689
Coalition
>The Coalition raised their new headquarters at the Princess's Dam, planning their next moves. They sent scouts ahead in the Great Swamp, finding many villages deep among the trees devoid of people. Homes were empty of any valuables, containing only carved plaques and baskets of cheap trinkets. Many of the grain stores still had much food left over, such as rice and corn. Besides mapping out the vicinity, the scouts also returned with a haul of precious amber, looted from the shrines of the villages they visited. The most notable village they encountered was an abandoned Winery, wines still fermenting in jugs. Cohorts on the cliffs spotted a village at the bottom of the cliff and witnessed fires still being lit at night.
>The large-eared prisoners were sold off to the Sunken Capital in exchange for a flotilla of a few ships that could carry one cohort. When marched off, the prisoners moaned and cried at first. An officer mentioned that to almost all of them, it was their first time leaving their home, and that they were probably scared about never seeing it again. Soon, the crying was replaced by a choir of singing, a song of melancholy sung by all the prisoners in unison, its volume heard beyond the horizon. Though most of your soldiers did not know the language, they sense a feeling of homesickness in themselves just by listening to it.
>Three cohorts were sent to the Carthallo Ruins and they began occupying it. They came by scores of refugees from the Sunken Capital there, and when questioned they never noticed any cohorts climbing the cliffs. They weren't exactly watching them, after all. The Cohorts begin to set up a perimeter to overlook the Great Swamp from the Carthallo Cliffs, some officers begin experimenting with methods to climb down them but found the task to be near impossible. They send for a request to interrogate a large-eared prisoner or officer or to capture a native for any information about climbing down such perilous heights.

Insightful Lieutenant's lens flared.

"The natives primarily traverse through the woods on foot, but their army uses the rivers to navigate. We would invite murder should we try to move our army through the woods, and our men are poorly suited for combat on the waters against these waterborne traitors. The mountain pass also leads further up to the mountains that stand over the Great Swamp. We can decide to proceed with caution, or allow our scouts to map out the surroundings more, but that may give more time for the enemy to entrench themselves. These traitors have around one legion, and with three out there should be around seven left to worry about. Though we still outnumber them, we are lurking in their perilous home they know so well."

Princess's Dam (HQ)
-9 Cohorts
-1 Cohort (Elite)
-1 Cohort (Defender)
-3 Supplies (Maintained, from Slip-Tail Scion)

Carthallo Ruins (Outpost)
-3 Cohorts

>>5932100
>>5932116
Stairway Pass
>Wolfriders showed themselves regularly at the crests of the mountains for the Stairway to see. Their movements seemed aggressive as if they were planning on an assault. It drove many of the garrison forces to watch the mountains, restructuring the posts to place more at the eastern end of the city. With almost all of their eyes on the mountains, there were few to watch the ravines that led down to the bottom of Stairway Pass. It was too difficult to just sneak warriors in through the gates, instead, they utilized the many caves in the ravines that have been unknown to the Governor. The Captain-General had sent only a century of warriors in with an officer, who began coordinating with interior rebels in the planning of the assault from the outside.
>Hours before sunrise, the assault commenced as Wolfriders charged forth at the walls with torches in hand, supported by the battery of Siege Mammoths. As the Stairway Occupiers scrambled to man the walls, they left the interior of the city largely undefended. That was when interior forces sprung out, stirring chaos throughout the city as the Captain-General made his assault. At the end of the day, much of the garrison surrendered out of fear that they were vastly outnumbered from the inside. But who shall now rule the Stairway Pass?

The two of you can decide how Stairway Pass could be ruled/governed. It was once a Hearthdom and that can be reinstated with fires from the Captain-General's priestesses. You can give rulership to one or the other, or marry and unite the Promethean Valley and Stairway Pass as the ultimate bastion between North and South.

I didn't want to update the region with art because I'd rather have you guys decide first

>>5934760
>>5931826
Escort Party
>The Little Emperor listened to the Courier with thoughtful reflection. Though he wasn't entirely sure what to think, he still valued the lesson his tutor had just given him. Fina, on the other hand, was only incensed by his supposed lack of understanding.

"You're just an amnesiac like the rest of them! You Tallies will purposely forget something just to get your way, like... like a Little One making up new rules to a game when they're losing!"

>Fina ran off to the trees as Lings are apt to do; to run or hide when in the face of adversity. There wasn't much reasoning to Fina's words, she was just emotionally charged and the Courier knew very well that murder just didn't exist among Lings. He at least empathized with her reaction as she witnessed cold-blooded murder firsthand.
>The Little Emperor chased after his friend, and although Dog was doing well with making sure the party stayed safe, the Little Emperor running off like that didn't help. The party chased after Fina, but the climbing Ling lost herself in the trees, the men finding themselves lost in the woods. Then emerged figures from behind the trees, violent-looking men dressed in all manner of armor and camouflage. Some had crossbows at the ready, others holding onto swords and axes.

"What do we have here? Some lost Hikers?" the leader said. He looked at the Little Emperor.

"I haven't seen that one shave once. Who is he?"

>It was clear that they don't know the Little Emperor's identity, they may just have a suspicion of his value. It was known that all Princes of the Sun didn't need to shave, none of whom ever grew facial hair, though that doesn't make him the Emperor. He is also young, so even if he was meant to grow a beard eventually, he might not have aged enough.
>Fina was nowhere to be seen, perhaps hidden somewhere in the trees, hiding as any Ling would do, and it seems that these ruffians weren't aware of her.

Fear not, you guys have this weekend and next week for responses rather than like, just the weekend.

Dog scans to take number and location of these scoundrels. Both so he may better shield the emperor with his body and to leap to action when needed.

Fina is MIA and the emperor is in experienced. Dog has experience in this situation, this has happened more often than he'd like. But all other times his compatriaots were other fighters. He can handle himself but he is concerned about the others. He looks to Hiker Courier to see if he can give a hint for a plan.

Above all else, the emperor's safety is the highest priority.

>>5939905
>Send Scouts ahead to try and capture any natives/prisoners for intel

> Start slash and burning the forests closest to the Dam to establish clear fields of fire, also to test if the enemy can be provoked into a hasty attack rather than continue their build-up with the outsiders seemingly destroying their native environment

>Get the three cliff cohorts and refugees to start restoring Cathallo's walls, reusing building materials from the city ruins.

"The enemy has the terrain advantage, but what if we modify the terrain itself?"

>>5939906
The promethean way isn't one of conquest, but rather, of freedom. That's how they gained support and influence among the various heartdoms, by making protecting the smaller ones against the bigger ones, thus, with time, creating long and sturdy alliances. The same will be done here. The stairway kingdom will return to be a hearthdom (to gain support from the others), but allow them to rule themselves as they see fit. Hell, those republicans have some interesting ideas (not fit for everyone)

>>5940468
Still going to need support for the war. You cover my back and give me supplies. And also, use the city mercantile connections to spread the word "Freedom has finally arrived, for both north and south"

>>5940468
>>5940474
Funnily, this is the same things I intended to propose. Even the republican part. In their dreams, the rebels originally wanted to put on the throne a scion of a side branch of the old dynasty, but no such person was actually known. So for now the Rebel will lead a Transitionary Council while the theorists are working out the details of the future republic.

>>5939906
Other actions would be to fortify the city from the south, including blocking the secret paths we've just used, and recruiting and training Stairway Passes own army. Any of the Governor's soldiers who want to join can do so, those who don't will be put to work in the fields to replace the farmers who want to become soldiers.

>>5940522
Great idea. Never thought of blocking the secret pathways. Although some could be more like better hidden than outright blocked. It might be useful during a siege.

>>5939907
>>5939994
The Courier reads Dog's expression and has an idea. He figures that Fina is probably watching from the trees somewhere, and will try to trick the thugs into believing the kid is a sorcerer. Doing the best he can to let the heir in on the plan with a glance, he'll claim that the kid can summon the creatures of the forest to do his will, such as by making specific animal calls. This is actually a game that was played between the Little Emperor and Fina, and once he makes the imitation calls, she will understand and imitate them as well. Eventually, birds will gather around the group, and the Courier will toss seeds at the feet of the thugs once enough of them gather, causing the birds to attack and buying enough time to make a getaway. Hopefully this trick works for the Little Emperor as well as it did for the Courier before.