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gamecrag · 2 years ago

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Ossiarch Bonereapers are a faction of undead warriors in the Age of Sigmar game. They are a unique construct of bone and deathly magic, each holding a soul that suits the death god Nagash's grand purpose. The Mortisan Ossiarch Bonereapers were created from the bones collected from the Tithe of Bones by Mortisan craftsmen. Nagash created the legions of the undead and they are purpose-built for war and to fulfill his vision to create a perfect, endless army to conquer every landmass which will be known as the Necrotopia. The Ossiarch Bonereapers are a highly disciplined army, with a focus on elite units and powerful characters. They have a unique mechanic called the Mortek Shield-Corps, which allows them to create a shield wall to protect their units and heroes. Overall, they're a really fun army to play. Everyone who enjoys the undead aesthetic should look into them. This list will detail the 10 best units available to them, saving you time and money as you build your army! 10) Necropolis Stalker Alpha Datasheet The Necropolis Stalker Alpha is a powerful hero unit in the Ossiarch Bonereapers army. It can lead a unit of Necropolis Stalkers, which are four-armed and four-faced war giants that are twice the height of Mortek infantry and were created to be used as shock troops. The Necropolis Stalker Alpha is one of the best Ossiarch Bonereapers units because it is fast-moving and hard-hitting cavalry that can deal a lot of damage in close combat and is also durable, making it an excellent choice for taking out enemy heroes and monsters. The Necropolis Stalker Alpha can also be equipped with a powerful artifact that can increase its damage output even further, making it a formidable force 9) Vokmortian Datasheet Vokmortian, Master of the Bone-tithe, is a powerful hero unit in the Ossiarch Bonereapers army. He is one of the best Ossiarch Bonereapers units because of his ability to summon additional Ossiarch Bonereapers units to the battlefield. This makes him an excellent choice for keeping your army topped up and ready to fight. Vokmortian is also a formidable fighter in his own right, capable of dealing significant damage in close combat. He is equipped with a powerful artifact that allows him to reroll failed hit and wound rolls, making him even deadlier on the battlefield. In addition to his combat abilities, Vokmortian can also be used to support other units in your army. He has an ability that allows him to grant nearby units additional attacks, making them even more deadly in close combat. This makes him an excellent choice for buffing your army and taking out enemy units! 8) Morghast Archai Datasheet The Morghast Archai is a powerful unit in the Ossiarch Bonereapers army. Crafted by Nagash himself to act as both personal guard and executioners, they are protected by magically forged ebon-wrought armor that can even turn aside arcane attacks and reply to those attacks with Spirit Halberds or Spirit Swords. The Morghast Archai are one of the best Ossiarch Bonereapers units due to their high mobility, durability, and damage output. They are able to fly, making them one of the fastest units in the army, and their Soul Piercer ability allows them to deal mortal wounds to enemy units. Additionally, they have a powerful command ability that allows nearby units to reroll hit rolls of 1, making them excellent for supporting other units in your army. 7) Mortisan Boneshaper Datasheet Crafted by Nagash himself to act as both personal guard and executioners, they are protected by magically forged ebon-wrought armor that can even turn aside arcane attacks and reply to those attacks with Spirit Halberds or Spirit Swords. The Morghast Archai are one of the best Ossiarch Bonereapers units due to their high mobility, durability, and damage output. They are able to fly, making them one of the fastest units in the army, and their Soul Piercer ability allows them to deal mortal wounds to enemy units.

In addition, they have a powerful command ability that allows nearby units to reroll hit rolls of 1, making them excellent for supporting other units in your army. 6) Gothizzar Harvester Datasheet The Gothizzar Harvester is a Behemoth that collects the remains of the slain, stripping them of flesh and storing them in a gaping cage of bone on its back. They bludgeon and cleave those in reach of their primary arms even as their secondary limbs gather the dead. The Gothizzar Harvester is one of the best Ossiarch Bonereapers units due to its ability to support other units in the army. Its Bone Harvest special rule allows you to return models and heal units every time a model is slain within 3" of the Harvester. This makes it an excellent choice for keeping your other units alive and in the fight. In addition to its support capabilities, the Gothizzar Harvester is also a formidable combat unit. It has a high number of attacks with its Reaper Scythe and can also use its Bonecleaver Greatblade to deal massive damage to enemy units. 5) Immortis Guard Datasheet The Immortis Guard are elite constructs that exist to defend the Bonereaper command structure, and their duty is to ensure no mortal vermin sullies their masters with the business of violence. In terms of gameplay, the Immortis Guard are one of the best Ossiarch Bonereapers units due to their durability and versatility. They have a high Wounds characteristic and a 3+ save, making them difficult to take down. Additionally, they have a powerful command ability that allows them to intercept wounds and mortal wounds suffered by friendly characters within 3" on a . This ability, combined with their high durability, makes them an excellent choice for protecting your army's characters. The Immortis Guard are also highly versatile, as they can be equipped with either Mortal Halberds or Soulbound Shields. The Mortal Halberds are better against heavily armored targets, while the Soulbound Shields provide additional protection against ranged attacks. This versatility allows the Immortis Guard to be effective against a wide variety of enemy units. 4) Necropolis Stalkers Datasheet Necropolis Stalkers are four-armed horrors that possess the gestalt essence of master duelists, leaping and spinning in a frenzied dance of death. They are considered one of the best Ossiarch Bonereapers units due to their mobility, damage output, and versatility. Necropolis Stalkers are highly mobile, with a 10" move and the ability to run and charge in the same turn. They also have the ability to move over terrain features and other models as if they weren't there, allowing them to easily get into combat. In combat, Necropolis Stalkers are incredibly deadly. They have a high number of attacks with their Spirit Blades, which can bisect a human in a single blow. They also have the Precision Aspect ability, which allows them to reroll hit rolls of 1 when targeting heroes or monsters. This makes them particularly effective against high-value targets. Necropolis Stalkers are also highly versatile, as they can be equipped with either Nadirite Blades or Spirit Blades. The Nadirite Blades are better against heavily armored targets, while the Spirit Blades provide additional attacks and damage output. 3) Arch-Kavalos Zandtos Datasheet Arch-Kavalos Zandtos is a leader unit in the Ossiarch Bonereapers army. He is known and feared as the Dark Lance of Ossia, and has a burning hatred for the living that Nagash has stoked to the point of obsession. Fielding high mobility with a 12" move and the ability to run and charge in the same turn. He also has the ability to move over terrain features and other models as if they weren't there, allowing him to easily get into combat. In combat, Zandtos is incredibly deadly. He has a high number of attacks with his Nadirite Lance, which can easily pierce through heavily armored targets.

He also has the Soul Guide ability, which allows him to reroll hit rolls of 1 for friendly Ossiarch Bonereapers units within 18". This makes him particularly effective as a support unit for other Ossiarch Bonereapers units. 2) Mortek Guard Datasheet Mortek Guard are the core of the Ossiarch Bonereapers army and are designed to dominate the battlefield. Rocking some nice durability with a 3+ save and the ability to reroll saves of 1 in melee combat. They can also be equipped with shields, which increases their save to 2+ against ranged attacks. In combat, Mortek Guard are deadly, with a high number of attacks with their Nadirite Blades. 1) Katakros Datasheet Katakros is the Mortarch of the Necropolis and the commander of the Ossiarch Bonereapers, a faction of undead warriors in Age of Sigmar. He was once a mortal from the Realm of Ghur who became a skilled general and led the armies of the underworld of Ossia in the Realm of Shyish. After coming into conflict with the armies of Nagash, he pledged his allegiance to Nagash and was remade into a powerful undead construct. Katakros is considered one of the best units in the Ossiarch Bonereapers army due to his incredible durability and powerful abilities. He has a high Toughness and Wounds characteristic, making him difficult to kill, and his Shield Immortis ability allows him to ignore wounds on a roll of 5+. He also has a powerful command ability, Supreme Lord of the Bonereaper Legions, which allows friendly Ossiarch Bonereapers units to reroll hit rolls of 1 while they are wholly within 24" of Katakros. In addition to his defensive and supportive abilities, Katakros is also a formidable combatant. He is armed with Inda-Khaat, a massive sword that deals significant damage to enemy units, and he has a range of powerful attacks, including the Nadirite Dagger and Soulreaver Greatblade. To summarize, Katakros' wide variety of offensive, defensive, and supportive prowess makes him the best Ossiarch Bonereaper unit in Age of Sigmar!

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rabbitcruiser · 3 years ago

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World Elephant Day

Personifying prehistoric beauty, theological relevance, and environmental importance, this August 12, we honor one of Earth’s most magnificent creatures with World Elephant Day. Over the last decade, the number of elephants has significantly dropped by 62% and they could be mostly extinct by the end of the next decade.

It is estimated that, every day, 100 African elephants are killed by poachers. The desire for ivory in Asian markets has led to the slaughter of thousands of elephants. World Elephant Day was created to raise awareness and create change to save these majestic creatures. Since its founding in 2012 by Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand along with over 100 elephant conservation organizations worldwide, World Elephant Day has reached millions of individuals who love elephants and want to do whatever they can to help.

World Elephant Day is a day where organizations and individuals can rally together to give a voice to the issues threatening elephants.

This powerful, collective global movement offers a way to establish and endorse conservation solutions to make the world a safer place for elephants and their habitats so future generations can appreciate them.

Let’s combine all our efforts on August 12 for World Elephant Day 2021 to help preserve and safeguard elephants from the multiple threats they face.

History of World Elephant Day

Elephants and humans have come a long way together throughout the history of civilization. Thanks to the sheer expanse of the African elephant’s natural environment as well as its size and threatening posture, it has largely managed to resist captivity and domestication. The Asian elephant, on the other hand, which has lived alongside humans for over 4,000 years, enjoys great respect and is associated with a variety of cultural and spiritual customs. In Thailand, for example, the elephants are a national icon with a national holiday dedicated entirely to them and they can even receive a royal title from the king.

Despite all of the above, there is still a lot we don’t know about elephants. They have the biggest brain of any land animal, which makes them clever, conscious, social, and empathetic — qualities we humans strive for in ourselves. Humans and elephants share many characteristics and they are possibly more like us than any other animal. But we are putting their future in jeopardy and threatening their essential biodiverse habitats throughout Asia and Africa.

Elephants are a keystone species for their environments since they promote healthy ecosystems and encourage biodiversity. As the World Elephant Day website says, “To lose the elephant is to lose an environmental caretaker and an animal from which we have much to learn.”

We can save elephants by enforcing stronger local- and international protection policies and legislation for wild elephants against poaching and the illegal trade of ivory, promoting better management of their natural habitats, educating people on the vital role of the elephant in ecosystems, improving the way elephants in captivity are treated, and, if necessary, reintroducing captive elephants into wildlife reserves to allow a natural replenishing of endangered populations. These are just some of the aims of various elephant conservation organizations around the world.

Elephants are running out of space and time. We have to work together to prevent senseless poaching and the trafficking of ivory, and establish protected natural sanctuaries in which elephants and other wildlife can thrive — before it’s too late and they’re all gone.

World Elephant Day timeline

279 B.C. Armed Elephants

The Greek general Pyrrhus attempts to restore Alexander the Great’s empire by invading southern Italy with an army that includes 20 armed and armored elephants.

218 B.C. Surviving Elephants

Famous Carthaginian general Hannibal leads a cavalry of 37 elephants across the Alps — Surus, the only elephant to survive, becomes his mount for 15 years.

801 A.D. Arabian Elephant

A Jewish trader named Isaac is sent by Charlamagne to procure an elephant who would later be immortalized in many of the “Arabian Nights” stories.

1885 Jumbo the Elephant

Jumbo, circus owner P.T. Barnum’s famed elephant that he purchased in France, is struck and killed in a rail-yard accident — Barnum continued making handsome profits off exhibiting the elephant’s skeleton.

1903 Edison Kills Elephant

The Edison Manufacturing Company films the public electrocution of an elephant named Topsy conducted by General Electric.

1916 Murderous Mary

An elephant by the name of Mary who crushed her ill-equipped assistant trainer after poking her in an infection is hung by the neck for murder.

HOW TO OBSERVE WORLD ELEPHANT DAY 2021

Donate!

Participate

Educate yourself

Donate to the World Elephant Society or the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, which focuses on restoring natural habitats, changing legislation, and the rehabilitation of these animals.

Inform other people about what is happening to elephants, get your friends to sign a pledge, or share your love and concern for elephants with a hashtag #WorldElephantDay or #WorldElephantDay2021

Learn about what others are doing to conserve and protect elephants. Support efforts to treat and care for these magnificent creatures in non-exploitive and sustainable environments where they can thrive. And join World Elephant Day’s list of elephant supporters.

5 FUN FACTS ABOUT ELEPHANTS

Their tusks are teeth

They eat a Lot

Endangered elephants

Threatened elephants

Missing elephants

Elephant tusks are actually enlarged incisor teeth that first appear when elephants are around two years old.

Elephants need up to 150 kg of food per day — that equals about 150 bags of chips!

The Asian elephant is an endangered species with less than 40,000 remaining worldwide.

The African elephant is threatened with less than 400,000 remaining worldwide.

There were over 100,000 elephants in Thailand at the beginning of the last century — today, there are less than 4,000.

Why World Elephant Day is Important

We love elephants

They’re crucial to the environment

We don’t know much about them

Humans haven’t been very kind to elephants throughout history, despite all they’ve done for us. They are intelligent, loving, and mysterious creatures that should be preserved.

Elephants are a keystone species, which means they create and maintain the ecosystems in which they live and make it possible for a myriad of plant and animal species to live in those environments as well. The loss of elephants gravely affects many species that depend on elephant-maintained ecosystems and causes major habitat chaos and a weakening to the structure and diversity of nature itself.

Elephants have the largest brains of any living mammal on Earth. We still have a lot to learn from them and we can’t do that if they are all extinct.

Source

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qqueenofhades · 5 years ago

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What weapons were used during the Crusades? I remember something vaguely about bows/crossbows being important but nothing else. Thank you :D

Nonnie, if you are (as I suspect) asking this for Very Important Fic Research Purposes, let me just say: you, my good gentleman/lady/nonbinary pal/mineral/vegetable, are Extremely Valid, and I salute you utterly. Let us just quietly assume that is in fact what you are doing. Buckle up, because yes. You have to consider individual and collective weaponry, differences in Christian vs. Muslim armies, tactics, and their development over the crusades. Never fear, I am here to make it entertaining (ish) for you. Let’s start with the individual warriors.

How To Arm Your Crusader: Nicky Edition

First! Nicky is from Genoa, which was most notably involved in the First and Third Crusades. I mention this because if you’re deciding to place him among a contingent of his fellow countrymen, it’s useful to know where you can most easily do that and where it would be most realistic to have them fighting. It will also make a difference for what he’s armed with. You are correct about crossbows being one of the major weapons of the crusades; indeed they were so effective in medieval warfare generally that the church tried to ban them, at the Third Lateran Council in 1179, from being used on fellow Christians. (Muslims were still fair game.) Longbow archers were used occasionally (though it wasn’t until the 13th century, mostly after the end of the crusades, that they became a major battlefield force), but Nicky would definitely be a crossbowman or at least know how to use one, because we have multiple mentions of Genoese crossbowmen in the sources. (Me in the shower this morning: YOU IDIOT OF COURSE HE’S A CROSSBOWMAN! YOU SEE HIM WITH A LONG RIFLE AND EVERYTHING!). Notably, Richard the Lionheart fought the Battle of Jaffa (1192) with 54 Genoese crossbowmen, about 100 knights, and 2 horses. It is up to you if you decide to use this fact or not, ahem.

Crossbows are easier to learn how to use than longbows, but require strength to wind the mechanism and launch the bolt. There is also a more powerful version called the arbalest, which had a frame made of metal instead of wood. These also had a longer range, so they were in fact a bit like the assault rifles of their day. Unlike a rifle, however, you have to have enough time to fire the weapon (which takes a while) and therefore it’s not as useful if the enemy is right on top of you. They’re most helpful in attacking an enemy in a more stationary position (such as, say atop a tower or a wall) and where you can have enough space to reload without being overrun.

We see that Nicky has a broadsword, which would also be a fairly standard weapon for a crusader. Most boys started their training at the age of 7, and the value in achieving the rank of knighthood would rise steadily over the course of the crusades, complementing the development of the ethos of chivalry. At the time of the Norman Conquest (1066), we could still have “free” or “unfree” knights, and it was a mark of military service rather than a distinct social rank. But with the popularity of chivalric literature in the 12th century, the ideas and prestige associated with knighthood skyrocketed. I know I’ve written some posts about this somewhere, which I’m too lazy to go find right now, but you can possibly find them in my medieval history tag. In essence, chivalry means martial prowess. It has a more romanticized aspect, of course, but it’s mostly about kicking ass, though it does prescribe certain codes of conduct for combatants (on both sides) and for noble-born women, as well as a strong religious aspect. If you do want more info on this and how to avoid the stereotypes of a chivalric knight, let me know and I’ll go dig up my old stuff.

There’s also a big difference between fighting on foot (infantry) and fighting on horseback (cavalry). All the footsoldiers were a lower or more common rank, and if you had a horse, you were almost certainly a knight or a professional soldier. Footsoldiers usually were pike (spear)men, since even if you only have long spears and a shield wall, you can throw together a pretty awesome defense. (At the Battle of Hastings, English fyrdmen with just pikes and shields almost defeated multiple Norman heavy cavalry charges.) Plus, a spear doesn’t take too much special training: just poke the sharp end into the other guy, as Jon Snow might say. Hence it was easier for non-professional soldiers or citizen conscripts to use it rather than the more specialized skills for knights.

The best warhorses were known as destriers. They were specially trained to kick, bite, and raise as much hell as their masters in battle; they were expensive and prized. A fast, strong horse often also used for war or for fast travel is a courser. A horse for non-battle or basic transport situations would be a palfrey or a rouncey (though lower-status men-at-arms could also ride one in battle). We can decide whether or not Nicky has one of these.

Armor! The Christian crusaders wore steel (chainmail) which was a major advantage in close-quarters combat. This is not the plate armor you may be thinking of, since full-body armor didn’t get used until around the 14th century at the earliest and came into full vogue in the 15th/16th century (by which cannons had often made it obsolete and dangerous). Chainmail is no joke: it weighs at least thirty pounds and boys had to wear it from childhood to know how to stand up in it, let alone move. (I.e. all those movies where anyone just slaps it on and is fine are liars.) You would wear several layers: first an undertunic, then a padded leather gambeson, the steel hauberk itself (often thigh-length), and then a cloth tabard on top, which displays your badge or flag or your cross, if you’re a crusader (though these were far from ubiquitous and sometimes color-coded by country). That way people can also tell which side you belong to. You wear a helmet on your head (obviously), vambraces and gloves on your arms, and greaves on your legs, over heavy leather boots. Now imagine all that coming at you with a spear on a charging warhorse.

.... what I’m saying is, medieval knights could kick your ASS.

You can also use daggers, hatchets, and other small arms (morningstars are cool, but alas, were never really used in the field). A knight sometimes carried a special blade known as a misericorde, which had the gruesome but necessary purpose of finishing off a wounded enemy (or friend) who hadn’t died immediately from their injury but wasn’t going to survive it either. Welp.

And with that:

How To Arm Your Muslim Warrior: Joe Edition

So we’ve got Nicky sorted: what about his More Than Boyfriend mortal enemy? Well, for the most part, it will look something like the above. Christian crusaders of the period would have called Muslims “Saracens,” which was the name for them, along with less flattering things (heathens, infidels, etc) but when in doubt, if writing from a crusader POV, you can just use Saracens. Actual Muslims obviously never use this word to refer to themselves. They did not have crossbows, but rather shorter and more mobile bows that were designed to be used from horseback. Arabian horses were smaller in stature than European destriers, but faster and more maneuverable, and had a legendary reputation for speed and temperament. Muslim forces would also sometimes ride to the battlefield and then dismount to fight.

We see that Joe has a sword with a shorter and wider/slightly curved blade in comparison to Nicky’s long, straight broadsword. In my fic, I call this a saif, which is just the Arabic word for sword and is how Muslims of the period would have referred to it (the word “scimitar” is from an Italian name for it and wasn’t used until at least the 16th century). It can mostly refer to any Islamic sword in this style, though there are different names for regional variations. If you want to give him a really cool and culturally significant weapon (especially since I headcanon him as a Fatimid Shia Muslim from Egypt), you could give him the zulfiqar, which was a double-pointed sword used by Ali ibn Abi Talib, a cousin of Prophet Muhammad and one of the main figures in Shia Islam. It is often represented on flags and in battlefield invocations. The actual zulfiqars that exist are more often dated from the 16th/17th century with the Ottomans or from 19th-century Persia, rather than from the crusades, but hey, you can always say that Joe had something to do with that. Sidenote, research the differences in the various Muslim dynasties of the crusader period, as they’re definitely not one size fits all (especially in re: the prominence of Sunni sultans in the later crusades, and how Joe might have thought about that).

As noted, the Muslims didn’t wear steel armor, which was a disadvantage to them in close-quarters combat with crusaders. Their armor was made of boiled leather and lamellar scales, designed to be light and good for long-distance riding rather than a heavy battle. They would also have helmets (in various shapes and styles), gloves, etc. An archer would have a quiver and have to think about using, reclaiming, or mending arrows after a battle (the Never Ending Quiver in every movie ever: ALSO WRONG).

I will confess that I don’t know as much about Islamic warrior ethoi comparable to chivalry as I should. However, the crusades were taking place against the backdrop of the Islamic Golden Age, in which the culture, sophistication, and scholarly study in the Islamic world was at its height, and there are plenty of artists, poets, mathematicans, and philosophers that Joe would be familiar with, that would guide his actions in the way that chivalry might for a knight. Such as, for example, Avicenna (Ibn Sina) from Samarkand, or the Banu Musa brothers of Baghdad. There would also obviously be the Qur’an and the ahaditha (sayings of Prophet Muhammad) and other religious texts and traditions. Obviously if you’re going to use any of these, be respectful, do your research, and present it in a positive way.

And then of course there is the:

Big-Ass Cool Weapons of Major Boom

So what else do we have on a large scale, aside from the individual warriors? For a start, we have (on the crusader side) siege engines, such as mangonels, trebuchets, towers, etc. These are not comparable to the Return of the King-esque “break off a chunk of the city with every hit,” but they were pretty damn effective; during the Third Crusade, one stone from a trebuchet was reputed to have killed twelve people in the market in Acre. Richard the Lionheart also hauled along a lot of high-quality stone from Sicily to make better missiles than the soft crumbly sandstone of the Holy Land. There’s a reference to a “cat,” which seems to have been a tower containing multiple compartments for crossbowmen, which could be pushed up against city walls. There are also battering rams and other blunt-force weapons, since sieges were a main part of every crusade. (In fact, commanders tried to avoid open battles as much as they could, though there were also usually at least one on each crusade.) Defensive strategy included digging deep ditches around walls, to prevent your opponent’s siege engines from getting too close, or just throwing stuff down at them as they tried to climb with scaling ladders. With this, we also have....

Greek fire! It’s semi-similar to wildfire from Game of Thrones, even if not quite as effective, but still a pretty cool weapon. The Muslims used it first; it didn’t enter Christian warfare until Geoffrey Plantagenet introduced it in 1151 (his grandson, Richard the Lionheart, also got to be rather fond of it). It was a long-burning liquid explosive that could burn even on water and couldn’t be put out by regular means; it was very feared and very effective. So if you were under siege and had some of that stuff to pour down on the defenders, it would be useful (along with boiling pitch, oil, or other more ordinary substances). Your enemy might plan for that or try to defend against it by using hides soaked in water or some other kind of shield.

Anyway, I’m sure there is more I could say here, but this is already MORE than long enough. I hope it is helpful to start with. And inspirational. Ahem.

#joe x nicky #medieval history #medieval warfare #long post #anonymous #ask #the old guard meta

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aliens-and-shiz · 5 years ago

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Part 59: Retribution

More here: @aliens-and-shiz

The day began like any other. Quiet. Reserved. The birds began chirping with the sunrise, the dew clinging to the grass and trees, making the valley glisten like a field of crystals, shimmering with the breeze. And front and center, a single yellow flower. Simple, elegant, with 6 small yellow petals with a bright read heart. It danced in the breeze, softly swaying.

Until the boot came down, crushing it and killing it, forcing it into the earth. The marching army, flattening the pristine landscape, before now untouched by man nor beast of burden. But such is the way of progress and war: until all is consumed and cast asunder; until the enemy has been thoroughly routed, exiled, or desecrated.

With the boot came roaring machines, machines designed not for pleasure or any domestic purpose, rather conceived with but one concept in mind: destruction. The tanks rolled past the marchers, on into the neck of the valley. Emblazoned on the sides a red, white, and blue banner with scattered stars.

Before the machines, ahead of their way, two monolithic mountains stood guard over the valley past which the quarry of man lie.

We fall back to that first boot. Still stomping over the dirt, crushing without care nor concern what lie beneath its sole. Moving up and out we see two legs, attached to a torso of a man. The man was outfitted head to toe with black armor, matte finished, and it’s face covered in a mask with black goggles and a ventilator. He carried a long firearm, similar in aesthetic construction to the common AR-15, but with far greater firepower. To their left, another individual, similarly decked out. To their right, yet again. And so on and so forth.

Before long, the valley filled with these creatures and their metal beasts, slowly funneling their way through the sacred place. They spooked up the native wildlife, causing them to scurry away en masse, using paths made for an altogether different season, but necessary today. But for one small, purple, 4-winged beast.

For this little one, curiousity got the best of him. He flew over the ranks of these new creatures, and went to see where these loud things were headed.

As he flew past the mountain, a place that it had called home its whole life, the red, greens, and oranges beneath the purple sky, it flew to a place it had never gone. Towards where it’s ancestors warned to avoid, as larger beasts tended to live there. Ones that detested it’s presence, and would cook him over an open fire just as easily as snap his neck and throw him away. And he found one of their settlements.

It was a flurry of activity. The blue Rekkans not giving a care to the creature as it observed them rushing into vehicles, scrambling over each other, setting up walls and blockades, and letting the small fires go and build.

Then, a boom. And the sound of whirring.

The creature glanced toward where it came from, and saw smoke beginning to rise. He saw two small dots quickly growing in the sky, and one long stream of smoke trailing behind a bright light, growing far quicker.

The creature lifted its wings to fly, but time was not on its nor this towns side, as the missle split into 6, and proceeded to pummel the town in a massive destructive wave, tearing the wings off its torso before it could even flap them once in a futile attempt at self preservation.

And with that time... froze.

The shock wave rippled through the town, flattening buildings, tearing clothes and skin off people’s backs, turning them into a salsa of rock, dust, blood, and plant matter.

They didn’t have enough time.

They weren’t warned.

They didn’t care to listen to the stars.

They didn’t care that the planet they found, a death world far from home but rich in resources, was the only thing within a hundred light-years that was making any noise.

They didn’t know the consequences of messing with humanity- and never thought maybe that’s why they were alone in the first place.

Kidnapped seasons past by yet another race, enslaved, tortured, sold to the next highest bidder or gifted as a favor, the human race spread among the Coalition with ease. In no way a legal sale, as business where sentient lives of any kind are bought and sold for profit was among the most strictly outlawed practices among the vast collection of planets. Then again, sentience was legally defined as membership within the economic sphere that spanned galaxies, so if you were to find something fresh, it was ripe for the picking.

Then again... normally they do not fight back. If this could be called fighting.

For that is the human war machine. It is a testament to destruction, an ode to chaos, and a love song to mother death herself. It is efficient to its core, an unstoppable force fueled by rage, emotion, lust, and ingenuity. If you steal from them, if you touch their people, if you give them impossible odds- be warned. They are relentless and unmerciful. You may not see it today. Or tomorrow. Or a year from now. Even a century.

But they will come. For they do not forgive. And they certainly never forget.

For this reason, on they marched. Sure, they could open a communication, they could negotiate. But then the universe wouldn’t learn. Those that took from them would have no remorse forced upon them. Until every family is reunited, every home mended, every child found and accounted for, they would not cease their advance.

The legions of man sifted into the forests. And as they marched, the cavalry instead turned, funneling at an angle into the trees- feeding the battle to their very whims. In file the men entered, until a sound rang out. A siren in the distance. The first wave charged into the forest. They had given them enough time to prepare now. Exactly as much as the original extraterrestrials had given humanity all those months, soon to be years, ago...

...just enough time to pray.

#space orcs #humans are space orcs #sci fi & fantasy #space australia #humans are weird #space war #humans are fucked up #long reads #humans are wild #sci fi series #az’krah #space austrailians #science fiction #fiction #books #books of tumblr #new part #masterpost #alco

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walkingthroughthisworld · 2 years ago

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A complex pattern of hedgerows crisscrosses the Normandy countryside.

Soldiers faced some of the toughest obstacles of the war during Operation Cobra: dug-in German troops, terrible weather that frequently prevented air support, and the stubborn French bocage, or hedgerows. World War II-era Normandy was mostly farmland—a patchwork of irregular fields divided by ancient country lanes sunk into the earth after centuries of use. Towering hedgerows guarded each lane, long earthen berms so overgrown with brush and trees they were impossible to see through. The Nazis defended the French interior by using these natural structures as bunkers and barricades. The bocage posed an especially serious problem for advancing Army tanks. The tanks made numerous attempts to drive over them, but as the crested the hilly barriers, their guns would be pointed skyward and their undersides exposed to German anti-tank rockets. But without tank support, Allied forces would be doomed to languish on the Normandy beachheads, unable to penetrate the Axis defense.

Sgt. Curtis Cullin’s hedgerow cutter, or Rhino device, affixed to a Stuart Light Tank, Normandy, 1944. The invention earned its nickname due to the prongs’ resemblance to rhinoceros horns. The most effective solution was also the most famous. Most often attributed to Sgt. Curtis Cullin of the 102nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, the “Rhino”-tank was a clever repurposing of German defensive hardware. Using scrap steel recovered from a bombed out Nazi roadblock, Cullin fashioned a set of large prongs, shaped like the end of a fork, which he attached to the front of a tank. The tank accelerated up the berm and cut through the thick brush as if it were cardboard.

American troops advance through a gap in a hedgerow, carved out by a Rhino tank.

When Gen. Omar Bradley, commander-in-chief of American ground forces during the Normandy invasion, saw Cullin’s invention at work, he ordered them into full-scale production. Soldiers collected the iron anti-tank jacks the Nazis had scattered across Normandy’s beaches and transformed them into hedgerow cutters, which were bolted to virtually every tank in the First Army. Bradley made certain the Rhino tanks were not used until the launch of Operation Cobra. Their effectiveness—further enhanced by the element of surprise—gave the American forces an important morale boost and helped them push deep into German territory. The Rhino tank was so helpful to the invasion that the 29 year-old Sgt. Cullin was awarded the Legion of Merit for its creation.

A native of Cranford, New Jersey, Culin was serving as a tanker with the 102nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (New Jersey National Guard, the "Essex Troop," 2nd Armored Division) when he came up with the four-pronged plow device created from scrap steel from a German roadblock. When attached to the front of his tank it was successful in rapidly plowing gaps in the hedgerows. Military historian Max Hastings notes that Culin was inspired by "a Tennessee hillbilly named Roberts", who during a discussion about how the bocage could be overcome said "Why don't we get some saw teeth and put them on the front of the tank and cut through these hedges?" Rather than joining in the laughter that greeted this remark, Culin realised the idea's potential and put together a prototype tusk-like assembly welded to the front of a tank. In due course this was demonstrated to General Bradley, who "watched in awe as a hedgerow exploded … to make way for the Sherman bursting through". According to Hastings, Culin, "an honest man", attempted to give credit to Roberts but this was forgotten in the publicity surrounding the invention. Hastings concludes: "[Culin] became a very American kind of national hero".

Sources:

HT: @mixrpixr

Hedgerow Cutters on Sherman tanks

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captain-price-unofficially · 1 year ago

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T28/T95 105mm prototype super heavy tank/assault gun. Built during WWII to crack the Siegfried Line in Germany, it was later considered as a possible participant in the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland.

The near 100-ton vehicle was initially designated a heavy tank. It was re-designated as the 105 mm Gun Motor Carriage T95 in 1945, and then renamed in 1946 as the Super Heavy Tank T28.

One of the vehicle’s most distinguishing features was the double sets of tracks it used to reduce the enormous ground pressure it generated. To make the T28 remotely transportable, these tracks had to be removable, otherwise it would be too wide to fit onto any flatcar or trailer.

#t28 #tanks #assault gun #American tanks #American armor #wwii #us army armor and cavalry collection

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cryptidcrone · 4 years ago

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The Spearhead

I realize that I make a lot of reference to Urbosa’s soldiers, so I thought I’d put my thoughts all in one place for later reference.

For most of “The Center Cannot Hold” Urbosa is accompanied by six other warriors, comprising her Spearhead. A Spearhead is the smallest unit in the armed forces of Gerudo Town, usually comprised to three pairs of sworn sisters and a leader. Urbosa’s Spearhead is a ceremonial guard that is also lethally functional. Every woman there has proven herself worthy to ride the war-road with their Chief, though some of Urbosa’s choices are considered unorthodox by the Town Elders.

Makeela Urbosa va Rana: SHE. Needs no introduction. The Point of the Spearhead.

Taarvi va Vikla, aka Old Taarvi, aka Battle Crone: The oldest member of the team at 156; she was once a member of Urbosa’s mother’s Spearhad back in her prime, and swore an oath to Chief Rana that she would look after Urbosa as long as she was physically able. Has known Urbosa since she was a baby. Loyal unto death, but Extremely Done with everyone and everything. Still refuses to retire and take up the mantle of Elder. Can and will kick the ass of anyone who looks sideways at Urbosa. Had Some Kinda Thing with Urbosa’s mom but refuses to elaborate. Wants Urbosa to settle down with a nice Gerudo girl and maybe stop dropping everything to help the Hylian Princess...but also recognizes that a mother’s duty is to her daughter.

Corvuu va Fatira: The Spearhead’s combat medic. Highly skilled, has saved the life of everyone in the Spearhead thrice over. Extremely calm under fire, intense interest in the natural world. She’s writing a book on the commonality of all living organisms, and employs an army of children to collect specimens for her wherever they go. Decent at fighting, but prefers the scalpel to the sword. Is very done with the dumbass younger members of their group injuring themselves in foolish stunts. Married happily to Sabri. Will occasionally eat thing she shouldn’t to test the effects.

Sabri va Savee: Corvuu’s reckless and cheerful wife; full of roguish charm, has connections all over Hyrule because she used to work for a mercenary group. Gave up the roving life the moment she met Corvuu and worked her ass off to prove herself worthy of joining Urbosa’s outfit. Will flirt with Corvuu at the least appropriate times possible. Excellent storyteller, and has an unending barrage of dirty jokes in her arsenal. Irritates the living shit out of Taarvi for sport. Absolutely is the reason that one of Zelda’s first words in Gerudo was ‘fuck’.

Brona va Deerdra: Grim and unyielding in battle, Brona is nevertheless is warm and gentle in her everyday life. Tries to find peaceful resolutions to conflicts, much to her sworn-sister Taarvi’s irritation. Everyone is mystified by her relationship with Taarvi, who is at least a century her elder. The popular theory is that Brona’s unrelenting good humor eventually broke Taarvi’s spirit. Enjoys music of all kinds, and has some skill with a few instruments, including the Zora harp. Her true talent is with the Gerudo pipes, and serves as the piper when their unit marches to battle. Once had a wife and daughter, but lost them when their village was attacked by Yiga infiltrators. Refuses to speak of them at all; mentioning them is the one thing that can flip the switch on her affable personality.

Makeela Ubala va Ubari: One of the newer members of the Spearhead, eldest daughter of Urbosa’s sister. Joined the army the hot second she turned 17 to get away from the chaos of six sisters and parents who are nauseatingly in love. Loves the life of a soldier and is proud to serve under her aunt. Like all the women of her family, she is extremely stubborn and has a deep sense of honor and justice.Hates to see people in power mistreating people below them. A horse-hearted young woman who wants to build up the cavalry. Frequently engages in dumbass behavior because impulse control is not her forte. Considers Zelda her baby cousin (even though they have only recently started spending time together and is only a year or so older than her), tries to bring her out of her shell.

Ritva va Retava: Sworn sister to Ubala, the youngest member of the Spearhead at 17. A bit shy, and deeply anxious to prove herself. Daughter of the greatest armorer and blacksmith in the tribe, she has an innate understanding of how to repair or rebuild things. Finds ancient technology fascinating, and hopes to study it in greater depth when she’s done with her stint in the army. Falls hard and fast for Princess Zelda as they bond over the Sheikah slate, which has not escaped Urbosa’s notice. Co-conspirator in dumbassery; is the first to suggest they try to ride things that have been charged with a Stasis rune.

BONUS: Arakna va Amala: Urbosa’s sworn sister; they’ve been bound since they were fifteen, when they went through something traumatic together. Loyal to the point of fanaticism. Spy master and occasional murderer for the sake of Gerudo interests, side-hustle/cover as a cloth merchant. Would kill for Urbosa. Has killed for Urbosa. Has eyes and ears all over Hyrule Castle and beyond. Largely cheerful and irreverent, she nonetheless has a lethal temper. Can and will gleefully roast Urbosa at the slightest provocation. Has a deep aversion to touch; you don’t touch Arakana, she touches you. Multilingual, excellent dancer and seamstress. Favors poisons and strangulation as methods of disposal. Will very literally murder anyone who hurts Urbosa in any capacity; the only reason Rhoam’s still alive is because Urbosa ordered Arakna to lay off. Aranka keeps offering to kill him at least once a year.

#Urbosa #Gerudo #Gerudo Town #Gerudo Girl Gang #the Spearhead #my ocs #The Center Cannot Hold #Big Gay AU #every singe woman in the Spearhead would die for Urbosa #and she would die for any one of them #the Gang ships Urbosa with Mipha like FedEx

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talesofealdancynedom · 4 years ago

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Edmond Monabellan, in fairy robes. For that moment you want to research a character, for proper representation, but the information isn’t there because white washing of history!

Tale 19: Meriam Craweleoth: Mage Queen of The Grand West (chapter 4.2 - Time Stands Still: Edmond 4/10) part 4. Stories of Old

Maps

violence, murder, war

On the first day of Autumn, Meriam gave her kingdom a princess: Odette Craweleoth. In four week’s time, an army of Anglia needed to march north to aid Isfisceard, against Mage Prince Edmond of The Far North. Meriam knew he would win if she was not them. She had given her word on behalf of Anglia, in promise of peace with the two north kingdoms, to deal with the prince personally; as a stronger magic user. Meriam was being pulled into war. Furthermore, to arrive on time, the Anglian cavalry, and Meriam, would need to leave promptly. But she was still in recovery with her brand-new daughter, and was far to weak to use magic or ride long-distance and into war. Each week that passed, she made the army wait, in hopes she would recover just enough to join them. She wanted to hate Odette for holding her back, but couldn’t, because after almost a month of constant contact, Meriam had become attached to her only child. She was scared what would happen to her baby if she left for even a day. It was Meriam’s nightmare; ill from child bearing, homebound because of child she didn’t want, had the lives of hundreds of men in her hands, and being forced to use magic in battle. Meriam lay next to her husband, feeding her daughter, and humming her nephew to sleep, thinking; there had to be something she could do that would result in everyone, includer herself, winning.

Time is not to fooled with, but in Ealden Cynedom, it has a way of healing from tampering. As if everything is meant to be, and destiny is unchangeable. Meriam didn’t like using her powers to affect the minds and experiences of time on people, but she needed time. Unlike common folk, Meriam could afford to wait till the last possible minute. If she needed time, she could always make more, by stopping, reversing, or forwarding the clock. With little but a small hourglass, in a marble upon a chain, she was able to move the world around her, backwards. Two weeks after the battle she was supposed to attend, of which was likely won by Prince Edmond at the cost of many lives, Meriam made the world reverse to one week before the battle. She reversed the event she had failed to attend, resurrecting all who had fallen, and erasing the memory of it ever taking place. It is one thing to use time on a person, a group, or a city; but Meriam was too great a mage to think so small. The whole world was within her control with enough concentration. Still weak, but able enough to use magic to compensate, she marched with the royal guard, who was unaware the Grand West was three weeks in the future compared to other lands. May her fairy robes protect her, for Meriam intended to come home and hold her daughter and husband again. She had a promise to keep, and intended only to return after Edmond Monabellan groveled for an alliance at her feet.

At dawn, Feon woke like any other day. She put on the water to make the porridge, and her family ate breakfast while making their plans for the day. Feon was going to comb the town for daughters of the sea, her husband was going to get wood and sharpen their knives. Their daughters were doing laundry, and Lyra was sent to gather herbs and berries in the glens outside the village. By mid mourning, everyone was off to their tasks. while Feon kissed her husband at the door, the town guard came, and ripped her from his arms. Feon was dragged through the town, as she began to hear panicked yelling and horns. She struggled to get free. The men overpowered her, and dragged her to the edge of the short stone wall of the village. The lord was there, organizing soldiers into formation, and Feon’s captors pulled her head back by her hair, and yelled at her to sing. They pulled at her while the screams started, and a rally speech was given. And all Feon could think about, was where is Lyra? Feon looked around frantically as she was being yelled at to sing a protection enchantment over the town; but that would require feeling love and desire to protect, and Feon only felt fear. Then, lit arrows came, and landed in the nearby the roofs, causing a fire. There was more screaming and panic as the villagers attempted to put out the fire. The two men continued to pull Feon’s hair, and yell for her magical aid in battle. They needed to hold on until Anglia came. Then Feon looked across the field and hills. The world went silent, as directly across the field, her eyes met the yellow eyes of a black haired rough young man, in violet and gold wolf armored robes. He rode a bear, and was exuding a glow like a black hole. She could feel her heart pound against her chest, as a second wave of arrows fell, and the battalion charged to meet their enemy. The promised army of Anglia failed to arrive in time. Feon could not afford to wait for her son Lyra to return; So, she began to sing.

Not a moment earlier, in a tent in the Algonquian camp, Edmond sat with his sister, Luthid. His painted hide tent, was lavished in furs, silver and fine fabrics. His general, who was promised lordship if he conquered the Northlands of Celticia, reminded Edmond of his uncles wishes. Algonquia did not want to kill the people of the Northlands, they just wanted access to its mild weather and greenery. The King of Algonquia did not wish to send his nephew to the imperialistic frontier; It was Edmond’s choice, as a paladin, to help his families kingdom. Even his own men feared him, after he cleared battle after battle to reach the island of Isfisceard. But after using magic for murder, and missing his home, and fearing for his sister, Edmond began to doubt his mission. The radiant green bogs, glens, hills, and song of the sea, were beautiful enough to make him cry; As he murdered its innocent people for someone else. He loved fey, and learned to use weapons as a boy groomed as an heir. The only male heir left. If his sister Luthid died as well, Algonquia would be kingless. And there would be no way for Edmond to give power to the people if the Far North was in untrustworthy hands. He wanted to go home. He wished he had suggested diplomacy sooner. But the soldiers of Algonquia crossed an entire nation, and tasted its blood and riches along the way. Edmond was too far to go back.

Edmond ordered his general out of his tent, and asked for his sister. The general denied his request; Luthid agreed to summon fey for battle in the camp, and was in a small tent preparing. The amount of magic required to control fey, needs a mage to have magic move through them constantly, destroying their bodies. If the battle went on too long, and Edmond did not aid her in controlling their collection of wolf fey, she may die. Edmond felt terror, but did not show it. He went upon the back of his familiar, and lead the lines forward in the crisp ocean air of morning, according to battle plans. They were silent as cats, and swift as foxes.

Edmond was to slowly advance with his foot soldiers, after the arrows of stone and fire had been shot. The yells, and miscellaneous weapons of Celtician men no longer scared them. They had tasted too much victory. After the arrows, behind Edmond, would be the wolf children controlled by Luthid in the camp. Including three Aliki wolf princes they had captured. The carnivoran fey and skilled warriors, tore threw the small army of Isfisceard; and Edmond was untouched as he drew a sword of darkness, while seated high upon his powerful mount. His fairy robes made him impenetrable. And then he heard the sweet song of a woman, and a veil of gold move over the burning town; his eyes met Feon’s, as she cried in fear, attempting to put a charm on the village. It reminded him of how he wanted to cry. For his brethren, for his actions, for his sister, and from the immense pain he felt as a black arrow pierced his familiar from the sky. He became disoriented and no longer absorbing sound for his spells; for a moment, he was weak. Just as quickly as sound had resumed, it dissipated. The battle field began to slow to a stillness, and the sound of hooves approached from the south.

Meriam swooped down upon Nihten, landing in front of Edmond who was gasping his chest on his knees. She looked like Raven, clad in black raven kingdom robes, and black makeup against her pale colours. She was unflinching, like a disappointed mother that saw through their child’s lies. She lifted a silver sword, the gift from Helrem that could cut anything, and pointed the blade at his neck.

“You bitch!” Edomnd yelled, lashing forward with his sword. His intent was to knock away Meriam’s blade. But Meriam held firm; and Edmond’s shadow sword met her own sword, it was cut in half. As time resumed, and her men swept the battle field, They started devastating his troops with their horses. Edmond was shocked, and then Meriam kneed him in the face.

“You disgust me. Those wolf children, and their princes, would have trusted you once. And you make them taste the foul blood of men. You are no mage.” Meriam scolded. Nihten began to peck and pull at his cape, as Meriam tore off his tunic and gloves. Without his robes he could be killed easily. Then he noticed the fey flee form the field, and the two dead Aliki wolves, and their third brother gagging on the blood in his mouth. The fey were free, thus Luthid, his sister, was dead. Edmond dropped his head. He would not come home, and he did not want too. The yelling, and clashing began to sting like his aching heart. The year of sieges resurfacing in his mind. Meriam held her blade high to kill him, and then noticed he was crying.

“Let me at least see my sister, even if she is dead, one last time.” He cried. Then Edmond lifted his head, and yelled for his troops to retreat. Meriam lowered her sword. “I don’t want death anymore. I want my palace bed, and to drink with my uncle, and see my sister wed. I want to howl charms of good dreams into the night, and be the last king Algonquia will ever need. I will leave this land and yours alone. I do not want it anymore. These warm green fjords, come at far to high a cost.” He cried. Meriam lowered her sword. That was exactly what she wanted to hear, and it made her sad. Meriam grabbed Edmond’s collar, and dragged him to his camp. All the soldiers parting ways she walked. As if her presence demanded the men of all three armies to show respect. She gave off an aura of darkness and regality. Meriam walked through the Algonquia camp, and turned their tents to water with only a whisper; and delivered the incapacitated prince to his dead sister’s side. Then she left the way she came, moving calmly across the battle field, and through the burning village. She walked through their house fires, saving their children, and alchemized water to put out the flames. Meriam seemed so steady, its scared people that they could not read her reaction to the battle. Neither joy nor woe. Inside, she was too sad to feel.

On the beach, that was now silent and raging, Meriam found Feon crying and dishevelled upon the pale quartz stone. Feon then ran to the Lighthouse, and up the cliffs. Meriam walked slowly after her. Her stern demeanor softening to one of sorrow, as she followed her friend up the stairs to the peak of the sea wall. Feon wailed into the stormy void, and Meriam walked up, and held her.

“My children and husband died putting out the fire. And Lyra never came back from the woods by the battle field. Down there, by the rocks, an evacuation ship has fallen to a kraken, who was summoned by their song. She must have really liked it. Then the stirring waves approach, and I believe Lyra has been claimed by the sea. Why am I alive Merry? Out of everyone, why me? Why not my children?”

“You protected your village from further danger. That is why you are alive like many of them. I must admit I am so sorry; I wish I could have come sooner. But you did not tell me how long it would take for me to gather strength for this mission, after bearing a child. I also didn’t expect I would love her so much.” Meriam whispered. “I understand, why you do not want to leave them behind. I can’t imagine your loss, Feon.”

“I am happy your family is safe. I am happy the Far North retreats and bargains for forgiveness and friendship. I am happy-” Feon sniffed.

“Do not lie. Even if this battle is over, you have lost so much this day. You may cry, I will be here next to you.” Meriam sniffed. “I will cry with you.”

After a few days of restoring the village and resting, Meriam and her men prepared to leave. The people of Isfisceard and Celticia thanked them, for not only winning a battle, but ending a war. They were willing to leave the past behind them, for the chance at another dawn. Before Her troops left, Meriam walked to the beach. There was white fog that did not block the sun, upon the pristine beach. Laughter of selkies collecting shells echoed across the empty sand. Feon stood by her rock, looking into the perfectly flat sea.

“I came to say good bye; but now I am disturbed by the silence of the sea.” Meriam said.

“Oh, goodbye my friend.” Feon said starring into the fog. “Well wishes to your family; I trust helping with the village’s babes means your daughter won’t starve when you return. Though I know a woman of your noble standing shouldn’t need to worry about such thing. Sorry; I just miss my own babies so much. You know, you were right; I think I want to stop journaling magic texts, and instead write poetry for charms.” Feon said. She was still gazing into the horizonless distance.

“No worries. But, why do you observe nothing so closely?”

“This morning I saw a man on the beach; wearing white and gold fish robes, and with ginger hair twisted into strands that are tied in an elaborate knot. And I hear the fey of the sea thank their Queen father for a song of calmness and mist. I am happy; Lyra will live on, safely around magic.” Feon smiled.

NEXT--->

<---PREVIOUS

#art #tales of ealdan cynedom #story 19 #short stories #fantasy #feon #lyra #meriam #nihten #luthid #edmond #eatheltwein #odette #eobreth

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thepilgrimofwar · 5 years ago

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Breaking the Line - Edited Roll20 Log

[Back dated from after Minutes to Midnight and before Warplanning 2]

[Event Start]

The counter-attack had caught the forces of House Illithia off-guard, and a conscripted army that had expected an easy advance against the scattered resistance from the Emberglades instead found themselves on the run. Retreating behind hastily dug and fortified earthworks, they manage to halt what meager soldiers that the Heartlands had to spare. Gathering their strength for the next push, they awaited Judereth’s militiamen. Numbering in the thousands from every household of the Glades, they had spent the last day mobilizing and marching to the front and were now prepared to join a new offensive.

Judereth marched at the head of the coalition. True to her words over the war table, they were to be the tip of the spear. A spear that would be driven straight into the heart of Westheath. “Spread the word, we’re approaching the front,” said the Baneret, and the men under her command did so without question.

Relriah rode beside her, sidesaddle. She looked the part of a noble lady save for the sheathed sword on her saddle and the look of fire in her eyes. “I am in your hands,” she said with a nod, looking at the men that she led into battle. The comment seemed to encourage them, activating some sort of primal instinct that did not wish to see a mother come to harm.

Mara Blazingdawn rallies the banner men of the Dawnspire to her side. Looking along the ramparts, she could see the muzzle flash of rilfemen opening up onto the approaching forces. Bodies littered the field of good men poorly spent. "Shields!" Mara shouted, as she channeled a personal protection spell. Swords and shields versus well fortified fusiliers. "It's a suicide charge! We need to clear them out!"

Thanidiel:"I am not fond of that entrenchment."

"Highdawn will hold but will not advance until there is breach."

Kebha was silent as always, her presence unknown even to those men she had been given to command. She had all but abandoned them, leaving them with the simple notion of kill or be killed- or be eaten, if they failed. Kebha cared little for the fates of 'her' troops- she was here at Lirelle's request, honoring perhaps the closest thing to a friendship she had formed outside of the cabal. She left them to their devices, cloaking herself in thick void and vanished from sight along with Xio'lhr and her trusted Ashtongue.

Ethalarian nudges his Charger forward to the crest of the small hill behind the artillery. He surveys the field with a grim expression painted over his scarred features and turns to the square-jawed man behind him. "Send word to Highdawn and the militia cavalry under my command- we wait for a breach in the lines."

Thanidiel:"Lady, if you would pull towards the farmland."

"It is unwise to be so close to the 'firing line.'"

Thanidiel 's iconic banner flicks after Ethalarian's runner reaches them. Some sign of her understanding without return or shout.

Relriah acquiesces to Thanidiel's demands. "Very well, I'll be observing"

Elara Blazingdawn surveys the troops under her command and fists her hands on her hips. "Alright lads and lasses. Now's the time to find that inner sense of strength that I hope to the Light you all have. Otherwise, uh, we're done." She pauses, realizing this is a bad motivational speech. "BUT!" She exclaims, "We represent the Dawnspire tonight! The Serdar has sent us strong and bolstered to the field. Tonight we fight for,er, Quel'thalas!"

Avenaiel is a construct of an elf, and her soldiers seem the same; the remains of Blood Knight armor mantles her but it is mostly replaced with leathers. She waves with her fingers to the artillery, and is greeted with nods.

[Combat Start]

[The Assault]

With a great war cry, the forces of Emberheart charge across the gap of no-man’s land, crossing over the corpses of the ones who had charged before them. But this time, the soldiers of the coalition were there to protect them with their flesh and steel. Esheyn covered their flanks, her soldiers protecting the ladder and siege bridge bearers with their shields as cavalry belonging to Thanidiel, Ethalarian, and Relriah ride at their backs, ready to cross the moment the staked trenches were bridged.

Beathyn orders the bombards that he had purchased off Obaniwix to shell the enemy rifle lines, trying his best to minimize the casualties from enemy fire.

Mara & Elara Blazingdawn, with their knights sent by Telchis and Ellasha from the Dawnspire, covered their rightmost advance, ensuring that the militia there were well protected from their assault.

Kheba, an Illidari of blood and shadow, infiltrated the enemy lines, drifting over with others of her kind until they were far behind the enemy defences and trenches. She moved towards the artillery that was raining death down upon friendly troops on the assault.

Oosaarn advanced with arbalests on either side and a handful of no longer bored Warsong at his back. While the orcs held their ground, crossbows soon fired away at the enemy's rifles.

[The Staked Trench Bridged]

Thanidiel rides straight through the enemy lines to the forefront of their cavalry reserves. The standard of Tyr’s Hand held high in the horizon by her troops as the ex-Knight cracks a whip of holy fire like a blazing lightning strike, meant to startle the horses.

Ethalarian lifts his lance high and bellows his orders over the din of cannon fire and the screaming wounded. "Punch through! Clear a path for the infantry!"

Thanidiel:"Soon would be the time to gain a real notch on your belt, Lady Illithia."

Relriah gives her a nod, unable to hide the mix of excitement and horror in her eyes.

Elara Blazingdawn signals her troops to advance, reinforcing Mara's troops near the ladder. Boots thunder on the ladder as the elven troops raid the fort, turning on the Westheath Militia where they can.

Oosaarn led that ragtag group of Warsong towards the siege ladders. Leaving the arbalests behind to continue their volleys upon the enemy forces.

Kebha continues to advance forward, an incidious shadow across the battlefield like choking smoke. She rushes forward, making her way towards the battery, biding her time until she can do real damage. Across the field, the militia struggled on, heeding the words of Thanidiel. They drew steel, diving forward into the riflemen before them.

[Battle for the Battery]

Esheyn rallies her troops to press on, to bring their weapons down upon the militia that surround them.

Mara Blazingdawn"Rally! Do not get stopped! All forces advance!"

Ethalarian wheels his cavalry about as the first formation of heavy infantry are broken apart. He signals to the militia cavalry with his lance and turns his own cavalry on the infantry striking at his flank.

Elara Blazingdawn hikes up the ladder with her troops in tow, eager to close the distance between her sister and herself. "Keep moving, keep moving! Get that militia!"

Oosaarn’s Arbalests again fired on the forces at the other side of the defenses. All while the group of orcs barreled into the enemy's frontlines in thunderous war cries.

Shrapnel catches Thanidiel as the battery fires indiscriminately into the advancing Emberheart forces. She is seen passing the Standard of Tyr's Hand to the Emberglades heavy cavalry and pulling off of the field with a scant retinue, letting them continue the battle in her stead.

[Morale Breaks Militiamen begin to flee]

Mara Blazingdawn:"Let these peasants run back to their homes. All forces reform and move onto the trebuchet!"

Ethalarian goes racing northward now, shouting orders for his flagging unit of militia to retreat. The Blood Knight lancers crest the hill, preceded by thundering hoofbeats and the deafening blast of a war horn. Lances at the ready, enveloped by the twisted sheen of stolen Light, they crash into the crews manning the artillery battery.

[The Trebuchet is destroyed. Combat Ends. Knowing they were defeated a significant number of Westheath forces have thrown down their arms.]

Ethalarian would like to keep War Crimes to a minimum.

Mara Blazingdawn:"The battle has finished. What will we do with all of these captured and wounded?"

Iriina:"Dungeon."

Relriah doesn't speak, but should the decision to slay the captured and wounded be decided upon she would see to it herself.

Oosaarn:"Give them a choice. Rot in a cell or a quick death."

Kebha sheathes her glaives, turning her attention back towards her allies. She says nothing, but does eye the frightened looking infantry like a snack.

Isilos:"The question is, will they become hostile combatants if released?"

Judereth clears her throat. "Prisoners will be a drain on resources we scarcely have at the moment. But I am usre Lord Emberheart would like them alive. The boy wants to be merciful."

Mara Blazingdawn:"I am liken to agree. Hold them in a cell until the war is over. Rebels are less likely to take up arms if their brothers and sisters have a chance of surviving. Killing them will only give them reason for revenge."

Elara Blazingdawn:"Offer them the choice."

Oosaarn:"Then do whatever it is your 'lord' wants. I do not care."

Iiloridan shrugs his shoulders; not his land, but if they were asking... "I agree with the orc. Cell or death."

Ethalarian tugs on the reins of his charger and, somewhat bloody and now covered in artillery shrapnel- thanks Isilos- exhales a long sigh. "I've seen enough of my kin slain in recent times." Lord does he sound thoroughly -tired-. "Treat their wounds and hold them until this business is finished."

Judereth:Sighs, shakes her head, but orders her militia coming up from the rear to collect the wounded and to clasp the others in chains.

[The Coalition votes to Imprison them.]

Kebha laments. But Dinner.

Ethalarian: There are enough freshly dead people to eat, you monster

#Epilogue #Battle

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rptv-starwars · 5 years ago

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How a faceless force of Stormtroopers and the 501st Legion do good

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-ca-hc-star-wars-stormtroopers-20151206-story.html

By Jevon Phillips | Multiplatform Editor | Dec. 4, 2015

The worst of the Empire is on display tonight. Scads of white-costumed Stormtroopers, Imperial gunners, Death Star staff officers and TIE pilots fill the streets of Anaheim in a true show of force for the evil Galactic Empire. The crowd loves it. Stormtroopers stomp together as the “Imperial March” blasts through the speakers of a modified car. Bah-bah-bah-bum-bah-bum-bum-bah-bum. As if summoned by his own evil theme song, Darth Vader appears. Children rush to the Sith Lord and the most feared villain in the galaxy leans down and starts giving high-fives to kids and adults. The onlookers go mad.

Apparently it’s good to be bad.

You wouldn’t assume the club whose nickname is Vader’s Fist would be met with love and adoration across the country, but that’s just how far the 501st Legion has grown. What started as a Geocities website in 1997 for “Star Wars” fans has advanced into a worldwide charitable organization of cosplayers. They appear at hospitals, fan conventions and local parades. Most memorable perhaps was when the 501st overwhelmed the crowds at the 2007 Rose Parade as the stunning escort to Grand Marshal George Lucas.

The 501st is the fictional, Earth-side headquarters for the Empire. The most popular recruit for the 501st is the Stormtrooper.

“Something about the Stormtrooper is just elegant and iconic. There is strength there, and not the kind that carries with it the responsibilities of portraying a single character: This was the everyman character,” says Albin Johnson, creator of the 501st Legion.

Despite their charitable demeanor, the 501st is not your normal cosplay group; entry into the Legion is fairly rigorous for new recruits. First you have to submit a photo of yourself and your Imperial costume. The draftee must then pass a review by a membership officer who compares the images against an official requirements list for authenticity. Detail is key.

The military structure continues on down through the organization of the 501st. The groups of fans around the world are categorized as garrisons (25 members or more), outposts (one to 24) and squads (smaller collections that are usually part of a larger garrison).

For example, a local Los Angeles squad with 200 members belongs to the Southern California Garrison. There are 74 garrisons (some boasting more than 450 members) and 30 outposts across the globe (including an Aurora Borealis Alaskan Outpost) listed in the 501st database, found at www.501st.com.

But wait, there’s more. The reach of the 501st is as long and vast as the expansive “Star Wars” galaxy. Along with garrisons, outposts and squads, special detachments have been created. For example, there’s an Armored Cavalry Detachment that members of the Bounty Hunters Guild can belong to, all with their own insignias and command structures.

Still the questions remain: Why not start a rebel army? Why join up with the bad guys? Creator Johnson says one reason is the anonymous appeal. “The idea of the Stormtrooper is that they’re anonymous; anyone could be behind that mask. In some regards, without all the evil Empire stuff, they could be soldiers we know today — dedicated to service, strong, brave. The Stormtrooper gives us that archetype we can fill in any way we like,” Johnson says.

Plus the appeal of the charity work that continues to draw in more and more recruits. Larry Harris, walking in one of his first charity events in Anaheim, has been an Imperial Stormtrooper for only a few months. He decided to join after a couple of members assisted his family while waiting in the long lines at this year’s Star Wars Celebration. Their helpful attitudes, along with their devotion to charity work, convinced him to enlist and invest more than $2,000 in “A New Hope” Stunt Trooper uniform.

“The parades are fun and everything, but we’ve done a lot of charity work,” said Harris. “This is what it’s all about, the charity. As they say, we’re villains doing good.”

Commanding Officer of the Imperial Sands Garrison (San Diego region) Lesley Farquhar joined after months of researching both the group (and her costume). For her, the outings are not only fulfilling for her but help provide family bonding time as well. “My husband is also in the group. It’s something we enjoy sharing with each other and our children,” says Farquhar.

Southern California Garrison Executive Officer Lawrence Green joined the group after bonding with 501st members who were all working to assemble a three-quarter-scale replica of an X-wing fighter. Like many others, he is also a member of the Rebel Legion (which no one at the 501st seemed too bothered by, even though the Rebels and the Empire are mortal enemies). And he even constructed a mash-up suit that combines the dark and the light side of the Force, “My Luke-variant Stormtrooper armor came together in a marathon 20-hour assembly ‘whose-idea-was-this-I-believe-it-was-yours’ frenzy of coffee, snacks and swearing.”

Greg Miller, an Oregonian who drove down to Anaheim to walk in their fall parade, had wanted to join since the group came into existence. Now his “Star Wars” name is Dax Corrin, and he’s a full-fledged Imperial gunner, a member of the Cloud City Garrison in Portland.

Green and Miller are just two of the thousands of stories about why some people join the 501st. All individual tales, all eventually partaking in charitable acts, but many leading to becoming a faceless member of a generic yet iconic Stormtrooper nation. They may be the villains, but they’re also a source of inspiration.

The Legion doesn’t operate rogue from the mother ship; Lucasfilm recognizes the 501st as an official organization. “I would be lying to say I imagined this level of success for the Legion,” says Johnson. “The two things I hoped for came through beyond my wildest dreams: support from Lucasfilm and enthusiasm from fellow costumers. All of our success stems from those two factors.”

Lucas passed on his blessing by officially including the 501st in the canon of “Star Wars.” Novels “Survivor’s Quest” and “Fool’s Bargain” mention the 501st as Earth’s contingent in the Galactic Empire. “The Episode III Visual Dictionary” wraps the 501st into its compendium, and there’s also a mention in LucasArts’ “Star Wars Battlefront II” video game.

A further honor will come in the new “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” film as a droid that the 501st Legion rallied around, R2-KT, is introduced on-screen. It is a bittersweet moment for Johnson since the pink and silver droid was created by a fellow “Star Wars” fan group, the R2 Builders’ club, to help his daughter Katie as she fought what turned out to be terminal cancer. When he found out about it, it was hard to contain his emotions.

“I almost cried. Maybe I did cry and I just can’t admit it. What a beautiful gesture. And again, Lucasfilm had everything to do with that. They know the story of our late daughter and her battle with cancer, and they were there every step of the way helping us,” says Johnson. “They know intimately what went into R2-KT’s birth and the R2 Builders’ generosity in making her. Our family just hugged and jumped for joy together knowing Katie’s legacy would live on in that galaxy far, far away.”

With all of the charity and smiles that the group has brought to others, it seems the Force may have returned a few.

___________________

Photos set 1 of 5 (by Allen J. Schaben)

Members of the 501st prepare to march at the Anaheim, CA Halloween parade on October 24 (2015?)

Garrett Humphrey wears a homemade Tie Fighter costume during the Anaheim Halloween parade

Shawn "Obishawn" Crosby posing by his "Z-Wing" car that he uses for charity events throughout the year

Nathan Tebo, 5, admiring Obishawn's Z-wing.

Nathan Tebo, 5, and his father Michael Tebo admiring Obishawn's Z-Wing, with Jeff Donoho (dressed as Han Solo) in the background.

Julie Tahapary holding her dog Joy (R2D2) and Harpy (Darth Vader) at the Anaheim Halloween parade

Members of the Orange County Star Wars Society

#star wars #george lucas #lucasfilm #501stlegion #anaheim #stormtrooper

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ncfan-1 · 6 years ago

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Three Houses: Master Tier Additions

So, something I’ve noticed since Three Houses’s release is that there is some level of dissatisfaction with the master classes and a desire for more diversity. The master classes tend to heavily favor riding-oriented units, the massive nerf to the Mortal Savant’s speed growths can easily wreck a unit promoted to Mortal Savant, and so on. Personally, I am not someone with any influence over how the master classes work in Three Houses, nor how many there are, but I will admit wishing that some changes could be made—and that new master classes could be added. Here are some changes I would make, and the master classes I would add on—keeping in mind that I’m not an expert in FE game mechanics, and there may be things you guys think of that I didn’t.

For existing classes:

- Remove the gender-lock from all classes, not just the master classes. Linhardt’s a born Gremory, Lysithea’s a born Dark Mage/Bishop, and I was going to say that the Pegasus line could keep the gender-lock because the Wyvern line is a perfectly viable alternative, but damn it, let Hubert be the Pegasus Knight he’s always dreamed of being.

- Remove the -10% speed growth from Mortal Savant. Seriously, I don’t know what they were thinking with that one. A 0% increase in speed growth would have been fine; for the most part, you’re going to be promoting units with already-decent speed growths like Felix, Catherine, and Lysithea to that class, so it’s not like a 0% increase would hurt them too much.

- Let infantry magic units use gauntlets. I understand not letting cavalry or fliers use gauntlets, but the magic users, too? Like, the developers seriously thought Dorothea wouldn’t be prepared to throw down if the situation demanded it? That girl used to have to fend off attempted kidnappers and murderers when she was a songstress, and she broke their arms as a deterrent. She was 100% ready to fight Ingrid’s would-be fiancé in that one paralogue, and 110% ready to fight Bernadetta’s dad. Also, there are magic gauntlets in this game. Magic. Gauntlets. Seriously; the Aura Knuckles scale attack power off of a unit’s magic stats. And don’t tell me they’re something you can give to a Mortal Savant. Let. Magic. Units. Have. Gauntlets. Let Dorothea punch people 2k19.

Now, onto the classes I would add to the Master Class list of Three Houses, if I had that kind of power.

The first thing you guys are going to notice about this list is that there’s a lot of classes on it. Well, it seems to me that the Master Class list should have the greatest diversity of all the tiers, the better to make the best use of a unit’s strengths. When a unit is first starting out, their skills and knowledge are limited, and thus, so are the number of beginner classes they have to choose from. You either know swords (Myrmidon), lances (Soldier), axes or bows (Fighter), or magic (Monk). But as time wears on, you hone your skills, train in other weapons and related skills, and discover you had talents you were never aware of, your horizons broaden, and more options become open to you. Hence the need for a massive Master Class tier list. Furthermore, while some of these classes would be the natural progression from a class in the Advanced tier, in keeping with the pattern this game has been establishing, not all of them are. And some of them you need to be planning to get a unit into since pretty much the beginning of the game.

1. Gold Knight

I’ve only played Awakening, Fates, Echoes, and Three Houses, and I haven’t played any of the DLC for the former three games, so I’ve only encountered this class in Echoes. But I loved the Gold Knight. It was a truly awesome class, and Mathilda was a fearsome tank once promoted to Gold Knight. For use in Three Houses, it would also serve as a good promotion for the Paladin that doesn’t involve putting a ton of time and effort into grinding the Heavy Armor skill level for riding units, or grinding the Riding skill for armored units.

Requirements for Gold Knight:

- Lance: A - Riding: A - Authority: B

You may be curious about the Authority requirement. Well, this goes back to my knowledge of what the Gold Knight is. Mycen and Zeke are both renowned generals; Mathilda, even as a Paladin, is regarded as a charismatic leader and a paragon of Zofian knighthood. These are people who have earned the respect and admiration of everyone around them, and thus, I think having an Authority requirement (and a fairly high one, at that) for the Gold Knight class would be appropriate. On top of that, part of the promotion to Gold Knight would involve a +10% increase in charm growth rates, thus making the Gold Knight’s gambits more and more potent as time wears on.

This would be a decent class for Dimitri to promote to, one that would actually be able to make good use of his budding talent in Riding. Other candidates include Sylvain, Lorenz, and Ferdinand. Leonie’s also a good candidate.

And I promise, this is the only cavalry unit on this list, though there are two three flying units.

2. Dread Fighter

I know Dread Fighter is a DLC class in Awakening, and maybe Fates as well, but my sole experience with it was as promotions for Gray and Saber, and damn, was this a fantastic class. Once Gray promoted to Dread Fighter, I could actually take him into late game battles without worrying about an arcanist one-shotting him; it was great. (Yeah, I know, I know; I shouldn’t have been directing him towards parts of the map that had arcanists on them to start with. I’ve learned better since then.)

Anyways, requirements for Dread Fighter:

- Sword: A - Brawl: A

This class would be a viable alternative to Mortal Savant for characters like Felix and Catherine, especially since I envision Dread Fighter getting a +10% increase to speed growths.

I considered making Apotrope (the class skill that automatically halves damage from magic attacks) a skill Dread Fighters learn automatically upon promotion, but it occurred to me that that would make this class incredibly broken, and while a Dread Fighter-only run would probably be fun to watch, it’s not very balanced. So Apotrope is the skill Dread Fighters learn upon class mastery instead, and unless you’ve been seriously grinding your units, it’s not likely to be something they’ll pick up until the last couple of chapters of the game (Though just peeking at screenshots of the map, it sounds like something that would be hella useful on the final map of the Blue Lions route).

3. Dark Flier

Personally, of my three Pegasus Knights in Awakening, Cordelia, Sumia, and Cynthia, I only made Cynthia a Dark Flier. Call me cautious, but I like to have as many healers on the field as possible, and to me, Falcon Knight seemed like a better option. But Dark Flier is a popular class, apparently, and I can see why. A flier that can use offensive magic, if they’ve got decent Defense/Resistance, would be a potent vanguard unit in any army.

Requirements for Dark Flier:

- Lance: C - Flying: B+ - Reason: B+ - Faith: B+

The Flying requirement is based on the Flying requirement for Falcon Knight also being B+. As for the Lance requirement being C instead of A, I made that because the Dark Flier is more magic-oriented than physical-oriented. Odds are, you’re going to be promoting units that were previously magic units, rather than flying units, to this class. And since, according to Serenesforest, Falcon Knights get a 5% buff to their resistance growths, Dark Fliers should conversely get a 5% buff to their defense growths. Again, it’s more likely people will be promoting magic users to this class, and since magic users tend to be a bit frail defense-wise, a 5% buff to defense would be a great thing for them. The Dark Flier’s natural role is to be the magic user that can kite in, take out a low-Resistance unit, and then Canto their way out of harm’s way.

The Dark Flier doesn’t get Lancefaire like Falcon Knights, and they don’t get Black Magic, Dark Magic, or White Magic Uses x2 the way a Gremory would. Basically, you’re trading the massive pool of spells at a Gremory’s disposal for the versatility of a magic user with much higher mobility than infantry mages. Instead, upon promoting, Dark Flier learns Avoid +10 and Canto as a Falcon Knight would. And similarly to the Dread Fighter, Galeforce should be the Class Mastery skill, since learning that right away would make them incredibly broken.

As for who might do well in this class, I would probably indulge myself and bust my ass getting Hubert’s Flying skill up to A so I could fulfill his dreams and make him a pegasus knight who can use magic. Practically speaking, there are other classes that would serve him better (sacrificing Black/Dark Magic Uses x2 is probably not the smartest move, especially considering he’s also got a negative modifier in Faith), but I still have a soft spot for this class for him. Interestingly enough, Flayn comes to your army with a positive modifier to Lances and Faith, a budding talent in Reason, and though she doesn’t have any modifiers to Flying, she starts out with a D rank in that skill. I suspect the developers wanted us to consider the Pegasus line for her as a possible alternative to any of the magic classes, especially considering she also has a negative modifier to Riding. If Dark Flier was a class in this game, she’d be an ideal candidate for it.

4. Malig Knight

Most people who have played Conquest have stories of how many times Camilla pulled their army’s collective asses out of the fire. Even if she gets RNG-screwed badly upon level-ups, her bases are good enough that she’s still viable throughout much of the game, and her versatility as a flying axe and magic unit is excellent. And since this game could use more variety in Master Class flying units (and I’m not fond of Awakening’s Griffon Rider, though given that the heraldic symbol of House Blaiddyd is Loog riding a griffin into battle… actually, yeah, I’ll make an entry for this one, too), Malig Knight gets an entry on this list.

Requirements for Malig Knight:

- Lance: C - Axe: B - Flying: A - Reason: B+

The Malig Knight is somewhat more balanced regarding physical vs. magic fighting than the Dark Flier, hence the Axe requirement being lower than Wyvern Lord, but still fairly high. The Malig Knight retains the weakness to bows and magic of the other Wyvern units, but makes up for it by being able to dish out magic right back. Like the Dark Flier, Malig Knight doesn’t learn Black Magic, Dark Magic, or White Magic Uses x2, trading a deep well of spells for high mobility. The Malig Knight will get 5% buffs to their magic and resistance growths, and will learn Savage Blow from Fates (a skill that enables the unit, when it initiates battle against an enemy, to reduce the HP of all enemies within a two tile radius by 20% after the battle) as its Class Mastery skill.

5. Griffon Rider

Okay, I’m only putting this one on the list because the heraldic symbol of House Blaiddyd is Loog riding a griffin into battle. It has world-building significance, and I’ll admit, the idea of someone riding a griffin into battle is a cool image, even if I didn’t like this class in Awakening. So. Griffon Rider.

Requirements for Griffon Rider:

- Axe: B - Sword: B - Flying: A+

I’ve put Flying at a higher rank than it is for either of the canonical flying Master Classes or the two previously mentioned on this list. This is because of a headcanon for me, that Griffons are harder to tame than pegasi or wyverns, and more difficult to direct in battle.

Mechanically, Griffon Riders are basically Glass Cannon: The Unit (As opposed to Awakening, where their growth rates are so average as to make them essentially mediocre). They have high strength and speed (though their speed isn’t as high as the likes of Falcon Knights or Dark Fliers), and given my headcanon about how hard Griffons are to tame and train, their luck and dexterity isn’t bad, either. Their HP growths are great. But their defense and resistance are both low. Griffon Riders in this game have the same weaknesses as Griffon Riders from Awakening; they’re weak to arrows, beast-slaying weapons, and wind magic (Other kinds of magic do not deal effective damage). You have to be careful about where you place them on the map if you don’t want them to get bum-rushed and killed in a single enemy phase.

The biggest appeal of the Griffon Rider is its exceptionally high mobility. Falcon Knights and Wyvern Lords start out with 8 movement, and the same goes for Dark Fliers and Malig Knights. Griffon Riders, on the other hand, get 9 movement. The Griffon Rider would be effective in its ability to, say, swoop in to rescue an infantry mage being closed in on by an enemy unit with higher movement than them. Any unit can be effective if used correctly, even if it’s in a class I don’t particularly care for.

6 and 7. Sorcerer and its Faith Magic equivalent (Sage?)

The Gremory embodies the saying “A jack of all trades, while master of none, is often better than a master of one.” Gremory is a fan-favorite as far as classes go, and I can see why. The fact that the Gremory gets Black Magic, Dark Magic, and Faith Magic Uses x2 makes them quite potent as a unit, competent in all forms of magic, though I suspect the fact that it’s the only infantry unit in the Master Tier that specializes in magic might make us appreciate it a little more than we otherwise would.

But, for these two units, let’s talk about a couple of Masters of One.

Requirements for Sorcerer:

- Reason: A+

If you aim to make one of your units a Sorcerer, you had better start training their Reason skill up early, because it can be hard to get Reason up to A+ if you’re trying to train a unit up in any other skills. The Sorcerer learns Black and Dark Magic Uses x3, learns Black Tomefaire as well, and learns Seal Resistance as a class mastery skill. However, this comes with a trade-off. Anyone who is classed into Sorcerer loses access to Faith Magic. Therefore, you have to really think about who you want to promote to Sorcerer. Hubert would be a decent choice, since he has a positive modifier in Reason and a negative modifier in Faith; the same goes for Dorothea, if you never foster her budding talent in Faith. But if you have a unit with a good Faith spell list, you might think twice about classing them to Sorcerer.

I’m not certain what to call the Faith Magic equivalent. For right now, I’m calling it Sage, though I know that in other games, a Sage is typically a red mage, rather than a pure white mage. Saint is a class unique to Seiros, so I don’t think it would be appropriate for this class. Anyways.

Requirements for Sage:

- Faith: A+

This really is the Faith Magic equivalent to Sorcerer. The Sage learns White Magic Uses x3 and White Tomefaire, at the expense of losing access to Black and Dark Magic. Like, a character like Marianne, who has an excellent Faith list, or Manuela, who has a positive modifier in Faith and a negative in Reason, would be good candidates for Sage. Someone like Lysithea? Well, you’d think twice, wouldn’t you? I mean, yeah, she gets Seraphim and Abraxas, but damn, look at her Reason spell list. It’s all about the tradeoffs you’re willing to make.

8. General

The thing about armored units in this game is that you get two infantry units, one for Intermediate and one for Advanced, and then you have to switch gears and start furiously grinding riding skill if you want to get them into the Great Knight Master class. And that’s okay for a unit like Ferdinand, who has a positive modifier in Riding and a budding talent in Heavy Armor. But if you’re trying to get Dedue up to Great Knight, grinding Riding is a pain in the ass. Hence, the need for an infantry heavy armor unit in the Master Tier.

General requirements:

- Axe: B+ - Lance: B+ - Heavy Armor: A

I’m not averse to the idea of training up skills for a Master Class that weren’t required in the closest equivalent on the Advanced Tier, though something as disparate as riding was an unpleasant surprise. Unless we’re dealing with a character with a negative modifier in Lances, Lance skill will be something much easier to get up to snuff, as an infantry unit can actually gain skill XP in battle, unlike with Riding skill.

The General gains 1 movement upon promotion, going from 4 movement to 5 movement, the same as a Gremory (And, for the purposes of this post, a Sorcerer and a Sage). Like the Armored Knight and Fortress Knight, the General’s specialty is to be a high HP, high defense tank that can shrug off blows from non-armor breaking weapons like they just got hit with a piece of straw. Magic can hurt a general quite badly, but unless they’ve been getting RNG-screwed badly on level-ups, or they get hit with an especially potent spell like Meteor (or as I like to call it, Death From Above), odds are they’ll be able to tank at least two hits.

A General learns Lancefaire, Axefaire, and Weight -5 upon promotion, and learns Wary Fighter from Fates as a Class Mastery skill, thus preventing attacking units from doubling. Like an Armored Knight and a Fortress Knight, a General is good for holding down a chokepoint and letting frailer units like archers or mages pick off enemies from behind them, but their higher mobility make them more viable for moving around the map and picking off physical-oriented units.

9. Adventurer

Adventurer was a Nohrian class introduced in Fates. It, along with its Hoshidan rough-equivalent (in terms of mechanics, rather than class description) of Priestess was a combination Archer and White Mage. Depending on the situation, the Adventurer works better as either an offensive unit with its skill in bows, or a support unit in its skill with staves. On Conquest, there were only two first-generation units who had access to this class, Niles and Shura, and the utility of having offensive units who could heal on Conquest’s maps was certainly useful.

Adventurer Requirements:

- Bow: A - Faith: B

For Three Houses, I’m envisioning the Adventurer as a unit somewhat more attack-oriented than magic-oriented. It can only make use of Faith Magic; no Reason Magic for this class. Basically, the Adventurer is a seasoned thief who has learned healing magic, the better to patch itself up when it goes on expeditions alone, and to act as a healer to the rest of the team when going on raids. Like the Thief and Assassin, the Adventurer learns Locktouch upon promoting, though this class is more bow-oriented, while the former two are more sword-oriented. The Adventurer has high Speed, Dexterity, and Resistance, average Magic and Strength, and is somewhat frail Defense-wise. I mentioned the Thief and Assassin, but this would be a viable promotion from Sniper as well, since it has the same Bow skill requirement as Sniper, and so long as the unit in question doesn’t have a negative modifier in Faith, it won’t be that hard to get their Faith skill level up to B while you’re waiting for them to reach Level 30. Especially if you’ve already been paying some points into Faith.

So, Adventurer. Hits hard, has a good chance of critting enemies. Bit of a glass cannon, and as far as Faith Magic goes, works better as a utility healer than an offensive magic-wielder, though if you promote a unit with a Faith spell list like Marianne’s to Adventurer, that can change. They do well with the Magic Bow.

10. Master of Arms

You know how I called the Gremory a jack of all trades? Well, the Master of Arms, introduced in Fates, is the ultimate jack of all trades. As you will see directly below, promoting to Master of Arms requires training up more weapons skills than any other master class, but while they all require fairly high skill levels, none of them are super high.

Master of Arms Requirements:

- Sword: B - Lance: B - Axe: B - Bow: B

In Fates, the Master of Arms could only use the first three weapons on that list, but Three Houses being the kind of game it is, and Master of Arms being the kind of name for a class that it is, I feel that the Master of Arms should be on the high-end of competent with multiple weapons.

Is this easily attainable? No. There are no characters in Three Houses who have proficiencies in all four of these areas—Ashe, Ferdinand, Petra, Seteth, Claude, and Cyril come the closest, with three. Hell, the avatar only has a positive modifier in one of them. You’re more likely to encounter characters who have negative modifiers in at least one of them—Mercedes has negative modifiers in all of them, aside from Bows, which she has a Budding Talent in. It will not be easy to get someone up to snuff for Master of Arms, and that’s the point. The Master of Arms is a seasoned combatant who has learned to fight well with multiple weapons, and knows the answer to roughly 90% of the problems combat will throw at them. That is not easy to accomplish.

Stat-wise, the Master of Arms will have high dexterity. Dexterity is the Three Houses-equivalent of skill, and in case I haven’t hammered it in hard enough, it takes a lot of skill to get up to B in four different weapons. Their strength and speed will be slightly above average, magic will be mediocre (but that isn’t really relevant, since the Master of Arms doesn’t have access to magic), and like the seasoned, versatile combatant they are, their defense and resistance are both fairly high.

Since the Master of Arms is a jack of all trades, they do not learn Swordfaire, Lancefaire, Axefaire, or Bowfaire upon promotion. After all, they are not a specialist in any one weapon. Instead, they learn Seal Strength upon promotion, which allows the Master of Arms to, if they initiate an attack against an enemy and land a hit, to reduce the enemy unit’s strength by 6, recovering 1 point of strength by turn. Their Class Mastery skill is Defiant Dexterity, which allows the unit in question to gain Dexterity +8 when its HP is at 25% or lower.

Anyways, here is my wishlist for additions to the Master Classes of Fire Emblem Three Houses. I suppose I can hope for at least for a couple of them to show up after more of the Expansion Pass DLC drops. (And for them to remove the gender-locks on all of the classes.) Given their popularity, Dread Fighter and Dark Flier might show up, at least.

#Fire Emblem Three Houses #Fe16 #Meta #Master Class Tier

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navigatorkyle · 5 years ago

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A Day in the Life

War has changed. In the 33 years since the first rulebook for Warhammer 40k was released, the rules of engagement have undergone countless iterations of revision and rewriting. Today, players use the 8th edition rulebook: hitherto the most beginner-friendly and accessible version of the game. Simply talking about the game is not enough to capture its appeal, so I decided to venture out and transcribe the events of a game with a friend, in a time-honored tradition of recording the results of matches, called 'battle reports.'

Battle Report: The Ether Conflict

In the Northwestern corner of the galaxy, at the fringes of human space, renegade factions battle each other for resources. Raiders harass supply lines, fortresses are built and destroyed, and fleets slink about, searching for ripe targets. Traitors to the empire of humankind, these lawless vagabonds are collectively known as the followers of Chaos- but they are anything but united. Today, two factions prepare to do battle for one reason or another. Ian Cushman has brought to the table the vile Death Guard, a faction dedicated to the worship of a god of disease, who are just so happy to get the whole galaxy sick. I have decided to command the Gravewalkers, a group of sorcerers with the capacity to raise the dead to serve them.

After a beer and a chat about the backstory of the match, Ian and I set up the table. 40K regulation tables should be 6 feet long by 4 feet wide, and festooned with all sorts of terrain. We use home made cardboard buildings, and various bits of 3d-printed goodies like tank traps, concrete barricades complete with ragged bullet holes, and decrepit squat buildings. A good board will feature lots of large terrain pieces to block line of sight so that armies with a lot of long-range firepower won't dominate the match. The goal is the arrange the board so you can't see from one side to the other. Once the sprawling, ruined cityscape of a board is arranged, the game type can be selected. There are a great many ways to play the game: one can set up objectives that need to be taken and held, points can be gained from destroying enemy units, the list goes on. There are even decks of objective cards for each faction that can be employed to add an element of randomness- high command could issue you an order to hunt down the enemy one , then turn around and tell you to sit tight and hold your gains the next. Ian and I settled for a mission called “The Relic,” which is essentially capture the flag. We set up a little piece of 3d printed plastic in the middle- a miniature arcade cabinet our mutual friend Graham printed for fun. Our armies will battle to get into contact with the arcade cabinet, and whoever is in possession of it by round 5 wins.

Before we settle in for the game, I carefully consider my options. Ian's army is slow and ponderous, but incredibly durable. He has a strong artillery contingent which can hang back and belt out awesome firepower, but if approached at close range it becomes useless. Furthermore, his line infantry consist of mobs of mindless zombies, which excel at distracting and bogging down more important units in fruitless melee. His army, in a nutshell, is an anvil. It relies on absorbing punishment effectively, and wearing the enemy down slowly. My army is quite the opposite. My units lack the resilience of the Death Guard, trading defense for lightning-fast offense. I've forgone artillery in favor of monstrous, close-range cavalry. My infantry are fragile, but pump out a lot of mid-range damage. If I'm to win, I must take care not to let my important units get tied up before they can shut down his artillery, and I should ensure my troops remain intact long enough to make off with the arcade cabinet.

After some more idle chatter, we set up on either of the long table edges, and fetch the only essential tools of the game: dice and measuring tapes. Distance in the game is measured with inches, and so having a measuring device longer than a foot is imperative. Furthermore, everything else is decided with dice rolls, and so having a lot of dice on hand is a good idea. It's bad luck to hold onto a set of dice for longer than one edition of the rules, but they're very cheap and so replacing them isn't bad. Ian and I finish up the first round in short order, and the board changes significantly.

Each player gets one turn per round, and each player turn consists of a movement phase, where you move all your troops, a psychic phase, where all the magic literally happens, a shooting phase, where you can fire any ranged weapons you have, a charge phase, where melee units get to grips with the foe, and a fight phase, where models duke it out in close quarters with sword and rifle butt. I had gone first, as settled by dice roll. Lacking long-range options, my turn was simple- monster and mercenary alike moved as quick as they could, forgoing shooting, toward the enemy. I had to ensure as much of my army as possible closed with the enemy, or I'd be whittled down before I could secure the arcade cabinet. Ian's turn was more lengthy, setting up fields of fire for his artillery, and organizing his cannon fodder to better defend against a charge from my monstrous, beast-like war machines. A few cursory shells were fired off, but my machines shrugged off the damage.

Round two begins, and I'm just able to slip my heavy armor past the tar pit of misshapen zombies, but it'll be a turn yet before Ian's big guns are silenced. My sole sorcerer bolsters the defenses of my infantry, to hopefully prevent them from being removed before they can attain the relic next round. Finally, some firepower is exchanged between my infantry and Ian's, and the number of grunts on the board is shaved down. In his turn, Ian responds with a brutal barrage, his cannons removing one of my three war machines and cutting down a number of fodder infantry, while shuffling closer to the objective. I'll now have to consider spending firepower to delete the zombies before it's safe to move in and snag the arcade machine.

Round three makes things considerably bloodier. My monstrous machine-beasts make contact with the enemy back line, but his heavy infantry are far enough up the board to affect the battle. Troops engage in melee in the center of the board, in between buildings and around the central objective. I'm at a disadvantage here, the enemy should have been cleared from the area. I'd underestimated my opponent's resilience, or overestimated my dice luck. Despite being on the back foot tactically, I'm looking forward to a potentially interesting situation, wherein his commander unit and mine look to be about to brawl on the right flank, between my war engines and the rest of my army. His commander is superior, statistically, and on paper he would win a duel. But I won't back down- fortune favors the bold, and glory isn't earned through cowardice.

Come round four, the game is mostly decided. My war machines managed to bring down the artillery, but the zombies looped around and caught up to them, rendering them too bogged down with fodder to help my main force. Ian's victorious commander and his elite bodyguard rip through my infantry with ease, deleting my sorcerer and neutering my ability to coherently resist. Ian and I shake hands, and we share another beer over discussion of what we could have done differently, or what units might have been better to take. In essence, I'd lost sight of the bigger picture- the objective. I'd been too busy hunting down problem units to protect my own means of securing the victory. Furthermore, I had underestimated the sheer resilience of the Death Guard. A tactical maxim of tabletop wargames goes something like “Shoot what you can kill.” I'd failed to target those units I was likely to remove in one go, and suffered for it.

The depth of strategy for games like this is astounding, and this game could have gone any number of ways had I made a different minute decision for each trooper in my army. The endless replayability of the game draws me back every weekend, to test my mettle against friends in a galaxy rife with conflict.

#warhammer 40k #hobby

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