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treave

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Codex 2012
Edit: treave, I know you're probably tired of my questions, but can Immortal-human crossbreeds be amplified by the voices and the Masters, like Ean was?

Yeah, they can, if the right circumstance presents itself. The next seeding won't occur for a good while, though.

treave, will we have somebody like Artemis/Edem serving as backup in the miasma?

Artemis is a given, her navigational abilities coupled with the compass won't lead you wrong. Now it's just a matter of holding off Terasphagos until you can find the rift, which you are still only assuming to be at the center of Olympus (reasonable assumption though) given the lack of info on it being anywhere else.
 

Esquilax

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I see. In that case, I believe Vajra might function as our compass once we start "getting warm" so to speak. Remember during the gathering of power when Zeus caused the rift:

Your piece of Vajra begins to shine brightly, rumbling, and you can sense the other two pieces that Zeus had gathering power within the dark mass that is Marduk and Zeus. The shimmering veil now enclosed the both of them, and if you had to do anything soon, you would have to draw close to them.

When our piece of Vajra senses great power related to the other two pieces near it, it begins to resonate. Sure, the other pieces are a dimension away, but the rift itself was caused by Vajra, so my theory is that it should also resonate with Vajra. That means, once we start getting warm, we'll feel it vibrating or glowing blue. In this way, we'll be able to gauge the position of the rift better when we use it in conjunction with the compass.

treave, a question regarding Terasphagos swarms:

Barely a day after that, a new type of Terasphagos flew out from the rift by the dozens, wounding a few men who were taken unawares. Some were shot down but most vanished into the wilderness of Greece. It looks like they were not limited to two forms after all.

Way back when we conquered Hattusa, a new form came out of the rift. What is the third Terasphagos form like and is it more dangerous than the two we already know of? I'm asking because I'm curious if the new Terasphagos is a siege form. The Terasphagos strike me as very adaptable, and if we going to encounter a new type during this incursion that can easily shatter our fortifications (not saying we are), we're going to be better off taking charge and leading into the miasma. The same strategy that we had forty years ago might not work today.
 

treave

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Way back when we conquered Hattusa, a new form came out of the rift. What is the third Terasphagos form like and is it more dangerous than the two we already know of? I'm asking because I'm curious if the new Terasphagos is a siege form. The Terasphagos strike me as very adaptable, and if we going to encounter a new type during this incursion that can easily shatter our fortifications (not saying we are), we're going to be better off taking charge and leading into the miasma. The same strategy that we had forty years ago might not work today.

Not much more, they're just bird forms. Probably about as big as the average vulture. They're individually less dangerous than the hound form, but in flocks they can really wreck things up. Usually the soldiers just try to shoot down as many as they can, or ignore them if they aren't attacked. There's no real way to stop them right now with the technology you have. The good thing is that their range is limited by the miasma, so most of the ones that escape only terrorize the countryside for a month or so then return or die off.
 

Baltika9

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Edit: So, should A2 succeed, what would be the plan? Fight our way through the miasma while our men hold Olympus, then traverse the rift with the intention of acquiring the other pieces, right?
We pretty much we let Ean do what he does best (kick ass and takes names), if he hasn't gone soft yet, that is. Overall, solid plan, if we don't get killed on the approach. Or in the rift. Or coming out of it.
The next seeding won't occur for a good while, though.
Do I want to know?
Actually, yes. Yes I do.
 

Esquilax

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Option B isn't looking very attractive to me anymore. even though it seems like the safe choice at first glance, it doesn't really seem very viable if you examine things:

Still, with the number of Terasphagos rampaging mindlessly, even your reinforced fortifications would not hold for long, and even with 70,000 soldiers in Greece, you did not have enough men to hold every location along the line.
...
The miasma had expanded to such an extent that you could not tell where they would strike from; you could only hope your men moved swiftly to respond to the threat if they diverted their attentions from Fort Aspis.

I have a feeling that the same tactics that worked before won't work now. The reason for this is that the miasma has given the enemy a cover of darkness and allows them much more opportunity to strike without warning. I know this is baseless speculation, but I'm worried about the possibility of a new Terasphagos form appearing, specifically designed to tear down our fortifications. Whatever greater being is sending these things must realize that the swarming tactics it used for the prior incursion were a failure, so I believe that they'll begin to switch things up now.

We've got an extremely difficult situation as a defender; we've got an enemy hidden by the cover of darkness that can strike from a lot of angles and is practically endless. Sure, our archers can pepper the miasma with arrows from their fortifications, but they won't be able to see shit unless the Terasphagos are already upon them considering how close the miasma is to our position. Remember that a few updates prior we voted for this choice so we could scout the miasma better:

A. You take this chance to reclaim the lands that you had ceded to the Terasphagos during your retreat. You will not let one inch of human soil be left to those vile creatures.

I know this isn't very bro, but something similar to the Fabian Strategy could work quite well. The Terasphagos collect human biomass, so if we simply flee and evacuate everybody in the area, they'll need to look for human biomass deeper into our territory. If we use our road system to evacuate our people, we could potentially wait them out for a couple of weeks until they weaken and die. It's not a bad idea. Of course, just like the Fabian Strategy, it's going to be a political disaster. :lol:

However, I'd rather charge in and go for the rift personally. We can punch a hole through the Terasphagos with Artemis, attacking them while our men are defending the areas outside the miasma. This will make the likelihood of a Terasphagos breach much lower and the job of our defenders a lot easier. It's certainly risky, but I'm not convinced that B is much safer at all.

Flopped my original vote.
 

Smashing Axe

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Divinity: Original Sin
Esquilax Cunctator :lol:

I wouldn't vote for C since it implies blind panic withdrawal, instead like you I am leaning more towards A for now, although I've no idea how we'll manage to seal the rift without yet another horrible consequence coming to bite us.
 

treave

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Votes for this session are counted as a group. I'm trying to establish a pattern of alphabets being counted separately, and numbers being counted in bloc with the choices they are linked to.

And my next project should definitely embrace full retard and be a dating CYOA. :lol:
 

Esquilax

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Esquilax Cunctator :lol:

Haha I know, but really, the idea isn't half-bad! Their objective is to find and collect human biomass. If they can't find any humans to collect, then they have to go deeper and deeper into our territory to achieve their mission. The deeper they go, the weaker they become, the more dangerous it is for them.

The other big problem with the Fabian Strategy (other than the political ramifications) is that the Terasphagos will be heading north. Which means that the Northmen will have to deal with them. Oops!

I wouldn't vote for C since it implies blind panic withdrawal, instead like you I am leaning more towards A for now, although I've no idea how we'll manage to seal the rift without yet another horrible consequence coming to bite us.

Maybe it's just a bit of patented treave exaggeration a la DESTROY ALL TENTACLES!!! and FRY THE MOTHERFUCKER!!!

Well, we won't seal the rift, at least not initially. My thinking was to use our piece of Vajra to see how it reacts, then to head to the other side in hopes of finding the other pieces. The problem with A is that it relies on a shitload of assumptions (a few reasonable ones) and a lot of risks, such as:
  • Actually making it there in the first place is going to be really hard. We might not even make it that far.
  • Why go on a solo mission now when we already had the option to before? There were less Terasphagos then, so now it's an even more dangerous proposition. This might be flip-flop induced stupidity.
  • We didn't pick a power boost in the beginning of the chapter, instead focusing on getting more control over our hunger. While I don't regret that choice, it's going to make doing this way tougher.
  • The assumption that we'll be able to walk through the other side of the rift safely. Pretty reasonable given our mastery of Vajra. We definitely can't close it, but we can probably walk it.
  • How the fuck are we going to deal with whatever is on the other side? The assumption here is that the "Queen" for lack of a better word creating these things is sending most of her spawn to Earth, leaving herself relatively unguarded.
  • Is Vajra even in Terasphagos land?
Actually, now that I'm writing it down, A sounds pretty retarded. B2 and B1 are tied, and of the two, B1 is the far better choice. I would flop back to B1 if we need to break the tie.
 

treave

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We didn't pick a power boost in the beginning of the chapter, instead focusing on getting more control over our hunger. While I don't regret that choice, it's going to make doing this way tougher.

Interestingly, choosing to master Vajra earlier would've opened up a choice for you regarding the rift at about 10 years after the founding of the empire.
 

Storyfag

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We didn't pick a power boost in the beginning of the chapter, instead focusing on getting more control over our hunger. While I don't regret that choice, it's going to make doing this way tougher.

Interestingly, choosing to master Vajra earlier would've opened up a choice for you regarding the rift at about 10 years after the founding of the empire.

:rage:
 

TOME

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Edit: and since nothing interesting in China hasn't been going on for a couple of decades now, I'd say we have time. The Tree needs some time to mature as well, so if we're smart, we'll get out of there in time.

Where do you get this? The only news we have received was when Artemis came back from there. And Artemis has been helping us to map the miasma, so we haven't get any news. That doesn't mean there aren't any news.

We had the option to solo last time, and it wasn't interesting then, but now that there are thousands of enemies between us and the rift, it is suddenly interesting? And we don't have a clue if we can come back from the rift. Or if we can even enter it. If we want to go rift-jumping, it should be after we have dealt with China.

B1.
 

Storyfag

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Edit: and since nothing interesting in China hasn't been going on for a couple of decades now, I'd say we have time. The Tree needs some time to mature as well, so if we're smart, we'll get out of there in time.

Where do you get this? The only news we have received was when Artemis came back from there. And Artemis has been helping us to map the miasma, so we haven't get any news. That doesn't mean there aren't any news.

We're getting this from treave's answer to my question about the Gieloth information network:

Regarding the questions:
3) The Gieloth network is long range. As most of the ones that matter are in China, they aren't using it much nowadays. What news you know is usually sourced from Artemis. If there is no news, there are no changes to the situation.
 

Baltika9

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I have a feeling that the same tactics that worked before won't work now. The reason for this is that the miasma has given the enemy a cover of darkness and allows them much more opportunity to strike without warning. I know this is baseless speculation, but I'm worried about the possibility of a new Terasphagos form appearing, specifically designed to tear down our fortifications. Whatever greater being is sending these things must realize that the swarming tactics it used for the prior incursion were a failure, so I believe that they'll begin to switch things up now.

Actually, they don't need a new breed:
Still, with the number of Terasphagos rampaging mindlessly, even your reinforced fortifications would not hold for long, and even with 70,000 soldiers in Greece, you did not have enough men to hold every location along the line. The miasma had expanded to such an extent that you could not tell where they would strike from; you could only hope your men moved swiftly to respond to the threat if they diverted their attentions from Fort Aspis. Still, you had to be prepared for the eventuality of the Terasphagos breaking through at a point in your defenses.

Going from this, Lictors would be redundant for them, since they are able to swarm their way out of there.

As for this:
  • Actually making it there in the first place is going to be really hard. We might not even make it that far.
  • Why go on a solo mission now when we already had the option to before? There were less Terasphagos then, so now it's an even more dangerous proposition. This might be flip-flop induced stupidity.
  • We didn't pick a power boost in the beginning of the chapter, instead focusing on getting more control over our hunger. While I don't regret that choice, it's going to make doing this way tougher.
  • The assumption that we'll be able to walk through the other side of the rift safely. Pretty reasonable given our mastery of Vajra. We definitely can't close it, but we can probably walk it.
  • How the fuck are we going to deal with whatever is on the other side? The assumption here is that the "Queen" for lack of a better word creating these things is sending most of her spawn to Earth, leaving herself relatively unguarded.
  • Is Vajra even in Terasphagos land?
  • We might not. No guts, no glory. And Ean is all about the guts.
  • Because now is the time to do it. I have this feeling that delaying these problems and LARP'ing the IG will eventually lead to both problems getting way out of hand, and we'll have to choose between anal penetration, fellatio or being spit-roasted. We'll be fucked is what I'm trying to say. Besides which, this horde is obviously too big for our men to handle. Even if they win, they will sustain very heavy casualties and even if the Terrasphagos don't break through, we'll loose a lot of our army right there and then, decreasing their faith in their Emperor. And why would we waste life and resources like that?
  • No, but this fragment is almost mastered.
  • Again, risky as hell. Isn't that what Ean is about?
  • Isn't that what Ean is about? Taking on the most impossible of odds and winning? And besides, treave already confirmed Artemis will be coming with us, so Ean is not going in alone, though her presence does little to comfort me.
  • Well, we won't find out standing here, that's for sure.
Edit: A also means that we leave Lil' E to the whims of circumstance an since he's a demigod with the power to shape nations, that is a rather big decision. Abandonment issues ahoy.
 

newcomer

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A is just going to be flip-flop disaster. How come you guys are convinced that we can fight a horde of Terasphagos IN THE MIASMA while we can barely hold them when they're out of it? Heck, C is a better option compared to A, honestly.

EDIT: FLOPPING TO ANYTHING AS LONG AS A DO NOT WIN
 

Baltika9

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A is just going to be flip-flop disaster. How come you guys are convinced that we can fight a horde of Terasphagos IN THE MIASMA while we can barely hold them when they're out of it? Heck, C is a better option compared to A, honestly.
Because Ean isn't going out to scout alone, if understand treave's words correctly. And, like I said many times, this is not the "safe" option, but given the numbers of the Terrasphagos and that they, again if I understood correctly, are capable of breaking through, it may be the most "Ean" option: great risk, and what a risk it is, for the sake of lives.

Edit: which is actually a good question: treave, does A mean Ean is taking his team and going off alone, or will he use the men to scout the thing out?
 

treave

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Codex 2012
You, Artemis, Edem, and maybe a hundred of your best. You can't afford to move any more troops than that from defensive positions.
 

Baltika9

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Seems solid enough to me. As solid as can be. Two Immortals, a Gieloth and one hundred crazy-ass Green Berets.
 

treave

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A2 - 2
B1 - 8
B2 - 5

***

Chapter 6.12: Son of a Breach

"Iason, we are leaving!"

The bastards could climb. Akakios wouldn't have thought it possible, but he saw it with his own eyes; the hound forms, the kon, clawing their way up as if their feet were stuck to the wall.. All the Emperor's arrows wouldn't have stopped them - the Emperor didn't have that many arrows. The curly-haired young warrior under his charge continued hurling rocks down at the Terasphagos, ignoring his shouts.

"Iason!"

"Just a bit more, Akakios! The Emperor is still down there!"

"The Emperor is a god, you fool, and he is down there so that you can escape with your sorry hide intact. Now move it!"

As Akakios went to grab Iason by the shoulder, the skies suddenly turned dark. A large streak of lightning crashed down mere meters from there, where the Terasphagos had been gathering under the wall. The thick smell of charred flesh filled the air.

"Holy Emperor..."

As the smoke cleared, they saw a young man, holding one fist aloft. In it a three-pronged scepter glowed a bright blue, crackling with energy. An ornate cloak a colour of deepest purple that could only belong to royalty billowed behind him, stained with the dirt of battle. His eyes turned to meet Akakios's - those ageless orbs appeared to reflect his own soul, laying bare all his deeds and misdeeds to the world. Akakios involuntarily bowed his head, a nervous grin spreading over his lips. He had been one of the lucky few with the opportunity to see the Emperor in battle more than once, and despite that, every time it made his heart jump with a thrill. He could understand how Iason would be tempted to stay, but that would not be what the Emperor wanted. Looking at his eyes, Akakios knew. His fingers tightened on Iason's shoulder.

"Iason. We are leaving."

His charge could only nod wordlessly as he was pulled from the wall, his sight still fixed on that shining figure holding off the endless horde.

***

The Terasphagos had turned out to be more than your soldiers could handle. It was not a matter of armament, discipline, or the will to fight. Your men had plenty of that. The problem was much simpler - numbers. You just didn't have enough men. In the first week, a thousand men died. In the second, five thousand. By the end of the first month, ten thousand of your men had been lost along the walls, and the previous Terasphagos incursion had lasted for nearly six months. For every ten Terasphagos that fell to the coordination and tactics of your men, one of your own would be killed. For every Terasphagos that fell to the tenacity and strength of your men, a hundred more would appear. For every hundred Terasphagos that you personally slew, a thousand more showed up. You would normally not tire by merely chopping and dicing your way through the swarm, but even you would be overwhelmed by their sheer mass eventually if you did not do something more drastic.

The winds blew strongly, whipping your cloak around you. More Terasphagos appeared from the miasma, replacing those you had roasted.

Ean, duck.

You ignore the voice. A wave of fire ripples outwards from behind you, scorching the first row of the monsters. Despite the raging firestorm, you remain unsinged. Edem lands by your side, a wry look on his face.

"I told you to duck."

"Why?"

"Well... point taken. Time to leave, Emperor?"

"You know, I've been wondering. Is this a talent of the Gieloth? She does the same when she addresses me... it's annoying, even after some seventy years."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I always address you with the utmost respect, Emperor."

"Ha, well... there's no time for this argument. It's time to leave."

The storm you had called grew stronger. With Edem's help, you telekinetically boosted yourself over the wall. The Terasphagos had begun to swarm over the top of it. At the same time, your storm unleashed its full fury. Lightning began striking indiscriminately into the mass of Terasphagos. They shrieked as they fell, but there was always more to come.

Suddenly, you feel your knees buckle as your strength gives way for just a bit, the fatigue hitting you like a sack of bricks.

"The Vajra?" Edem looks at you, entirely unconcerned.

"Yeah. It's not something I can exert myself with. I can use all of its functions, but they take quite a bit out of me if I play with the more powerful bits."

Your storm would occupy the Terasphagos for a while, preventing them from passing this way. As the rain began to fall, you shake off the tiredness and will your leaden limbs back to life. The Terasphagos had amassed a number that no one ever had any reason to count to. At numerous points they had breached the fortifications and rampaged across the countryside in hordes tens of thousands strong - you could not defend every single part of the wall, and neither could your immortal and Gieloth allies. It would not be long before you were forced to retreat the army or risk having what was left of it entirely encircled by the Terasphagos.

Luckily, you had already evacuated the populace down south, past Korinthos. This saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. They would be safe there, and even now Athena was overseeing the construction of the strongest wall the empire had ever seen to secure the land route to the Peloponessus peninsula. Although you would have liked to have her fighting here, her presence was sorely needed amongst the Greek civilians. They now adore their goddess whole-heartedly, certainly more than they adored you, who they merely respect and trust. Athena would be busy showing herself and ensuring that they felt safe. After all, having panic rise up amongst the citizenry behind your lines would surely do wonders for troop morale and logistics, you thought acidly.

And Sekhenun had told you Fukayna was expecting a son. She seemed to enjoy telling you immediately instead of not letting you worry about it until you finished with the incursion.

"Sadistic bitch," you mutter.

"I know who you mean," Edem grins.

***
A. The imperial army will fight on, no matter how many enemies there are to kill. Never give up, never surrender! Besides, retreating now might inflict even more casualties on your men as they make their way down south.

B. The walls will not hold. It is time to give up the majority of Greece for lost and retreat the army back to Korinthos. The Terasphagos should not reach that far, given the spread of the miasma.

1. The rift really concerns you. You have no idea how long this incursion will last, or how many Terasphagos will appear, or if your assumptions about their operational distance will hold true. You need to get to that rift now and find a way to close it, with all the resources you have available to you.

2. You will not take the risk of wandering into the miasma at this point in time. Any exploration will be held off until the incursion blows over.
 

Baltika9

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treave, two questions. Do the Terrasphagos fear fire/any elements and had we chosen to plunge into Olympus, would we make it?
 

Baltika9

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A retreat is not something that should be done in conjunction with riftwalking, which is what we should do. Besides the already mentioned fact that showing your back to the Terrasphagos makes it easier for them to eat you, we must also consider that someone needs to hold the bastards back for long enough, to give Athena time to construct and fortify her wall, and that is what the soldiers are there for. We made our bed, now we lie in it, hence potentially sacrificing Ean and the rest of the Guard.

And we must get into the Rift now. It's still just as risky as it was last update, maybe slightly more, maybe slightly less, but it's the only right choice here. Ean, even with his powers, can't to anything here.

A1.

Also:
"Iason, we are leaving!"
The bastards could climb. Akakios wouldn't have thought it possible, but he saw it with his own eyes; the hound forms, the kon, clawing their way up as if their feet were stuck to the wall.. All the Emperor's arrows wouldn't have stopped them - the Emperor didn't have that many arrows. The curly-haired young warrior under his charge continued hurling rocks down at the Terasphagos, ignoring his shouts.
Sacred Band of Thebes confirmed.

Edit:
Baltika9: No, and why don't you give it a try? The choice hasn't been ruled out.
Nah, I just wanted to fish out material to make another cheesy one-liner.
 

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