Varmach Upgrades are hopefully caught up !

>Time to go to work

I am prepared for any duty you need of me Death Marshal. Though I must ask, in the coming engagement what upgrades do you recommend I acquire for my craft.

>>18151391

How about a passive FoF system for letting friendlies in and out of your craft ?

>>18151445
Of course that system would require 20 xp....

>>18151453
Elaboration is requested on the functions of such a system, though at this time I have accrued a total of 22 Experience and would in fact be able to afford such a purchase..

Only 4 exp *sigh* perhaps after the next battle I will have enough for an upgrade.

>>18151692
All units received bonus experience based on active rounds during the mission as per post. no >>18146777

I don't know too much about this game and I don't want to play it but I'll be damned if this isn't the finest game running on /tg/.

The production values and the plots are insane. Great job, OP!

>>18151727
yeah, I was only in for two rounds.

>10xp to DR
>20xp to Ppppummmppkinnsss

A hard-edged young man climbs out of the cockpit of the battered Firestorm tank and surveys the aftermath of the aftermath of the battle of Darderon. The Voss children, likely orphans like himself, huddled close to eachother, eyes wide, with the haunted look of those who have felt death breathing on their necks and only just slipped away. He clenched his fists and trembled in fury... using children as meat shields was despicable. His eyes caught on the crimson letters that were blazed across the side of his tank.

Never had it seemed more appropriate.

He wanted to comfort them, to tell them it'd be ok. But he couldn't, and it wouldn't. He brushed his fingers along the puncture wounds in the heavy metal hull of The Vengeful, unexpectedly slicing his fingertip on the jagged metal, transfixed as this fluid of life welled into a drop before breaking free and falling to the ground.

The sand devoured it. His fist clenched again. This place... this desert... it would strip the flesh from their bones, grind them to dust and keep on blowing if they gave it half a chance.

They wouldn't.

He gestured imperiously to his mechanic, a woman covered head to toe in oil, grease and sand.

"Come with me. I have an idea."

He stomped off to the smouldering ruins of the tanks they had salvaged from the battle, and with her assistance begin carving grisly trophies from the metal carcasses. After ripping plate after plate of armor from them, they set to work welding them onto The Vengeful. Jagged, twisted metal jutted out from every angle, but the vital systems were now protected behind layers of extra metal.

As the mechanic eyed her completed work, the pilot nodded slowly.
"I like what you've done with it."

The young pilot Tao exits his vehicle into the fresher air of the open battlefield. As the reek of blood fire an oil reach his nostrils he begins cleaning the hull of his Iron Skull to parade finish.
"If I am to be of any use to my prince in the future I need some form of ranged armament other than my standard flamethrower. My retrieval of the Ritter Elfriede was also far to close to failing. I must find a way to expedite this"
Glancing over at the newly armored tank body of his ally the young private makes his way to the requisitions officer, and after an hour of sparks, fire and occasional grunts of effort completes the application of his upgrades. Returning to his pilots chair he tests the aiming and firing mechanisms of the machine gun housed at the fore of his craft firing on an empty oil can.
"This should handle any foes I can not immediately reach."
He then sets about the business of listing all friendly units in his new boarding system's computer. By evening he is finished.

>20xp spent on FoF identifying automatic boarding and exit systems.
>Applying varmach machine-gun upgrade.

Bumpan

Bamp.

>Spend 25 remaining terror to buy "Go Ahead"
>Spend 20 xp to buy "P-Pumpkin"
>8 xp remains

"Tell the corpsiers they can do whatever damn research they want with the bodies of those Kashirn heathens. I'm washing my hands of Dar from this point on."

bump before class

>>18152307

the IS machinegun attachement can be safely applied in the Occiptal or mouth region.

The FoF upgrade as I have heard it, is a dorsal trap door attachement triggered by magnets.

> Units can now enter and exit the IS through a passive "Boarding Action" and may move out of it at any time [unless overriden by the pilot]

>>18152307
Ah... Y-you don't really need to put the "mg" in your t-tag. The MG is basically the a-armor equivalent of the p-pistol. All armor is automatically assumed to have them...

Y-you know, I k-kinda had this thought. Those islands c-can't be floating by themselves, r-right? They have t-to b-be using some kind of magic or t-tech to achieve it. If w-we find out how they do it, we can find out h-how to stop it and just send the w-whole island crashing down...

>spend 10 exp on Go Ahead
>12 exp remaining

The sound of laughing children can be heard.

Lennox awoke in a medical tent, bandages covering most of his torso.
"THE CHILDREN!" His sudden exclamation startled some Zcifax in the tent. A Zcifax rushed to him, and reassured him. "Relax, it's all over now. Rest up."
"No! What about the children?! Are they safe?"
"You've been in a coma for the last couple of days! Don't move too much, your burns might re-open!"
With that, the Zcifax pulls out a syringe, and injects Lennox with it.
Darkness falls to Lennox's eyes once again...

>>18155333
Understood, I will adjust my tag accordingly.

>>18155563

Soldier, the corpsiers already came by asking about what it was like to ride a living creature compared to a machine. I think they're already on the task.

>I already purchased Go Ahead with my XP, you don't need to throw more at it

>>18156455
Then redirect that 10 exp to haunts.
The ghosts of those dead children are haunting me, sergeant...

Disembarking down the Halberd's loading ramp, the Ritter, Elfriede, turns and faces the east. As she is bathed in the first light of the rising sun, her monstrous form twists, flesh and bone warping as she reverts to her original form. Human once more, fully armed and armored as befitting a Ritter, she wearily marches off into the forward base.

A thin mortarman with half-lidded eyes looks around the supply dump.
"There's a tool for every job. I'd like to make sure we have as many as possible. Here, take this - get us an edge."

>25xp to lab

Iceheart, looking even more pale than usual, goes to congratulate the officer of the successful training mission. "Damn fine work Sergeant von Claude, I'm surprised you managed to pull it off. Your siblings would be proud I'd suspect."

She brings out something uncommon for her, a cigarette pilfered from one of Cotton's guards, and lights it, flicking away the match and watching it extinguish itself on the sandy ground. "How was it, and the recruits, not too rough around the edges I hope?"

The Fae have accepted our tribute and are willing to lend their reaches into the nether realms to make pacts with your best pilots.

These pale riders share a kinship with your motorized cavalry in a way that I can't place. But all the more, I am pleased that your warrior souls are the same.

> Working on the Dullahan ! Pumpkins are next !

Lying dazedly in the command chair of his Halberd, Otso at least had the presence of mind to be startled when he heard someone walking up to him. It was genuinely surprising when he heard his Captain speaking to him, and he looked at her through bleary eyes. Staring at the cigarette, he cautiously replied, "Y'sure you ought to be smoking those, ma'am? What with your coughing all the time - I'd expect you get enough smoke in your lungs firing off all them fireworks."

He turned to the window, out to the open sky and sun, and sighed. "They're good kids, captain. Them Krieger recruits have hearts of iron - didn't even hesitate to try and save the children when under fire. Glad I got to that Ritter out of there. Couldn't help but get flashbacks when I heard she'd fallen."

Metzger squad had mostly been cleaning their rifles, polishing their bayonets, and exchanging glances to each other but not once did they say a word. They didn't really listen to anything the other squads had to say either. As soon as Captain Iceheart arrives they jolt up, and place their rifles to their sides. They give Iceheart a salute as the head of the Metzger squad, Vasily, says,

"Ma'am, permission to speak."

>>18157360
She exhales, the smoke hanging under the ceiling of the cabin. "Feh, I'm dying anyway, no sense in delaying the inevitable." A shrug. "Keep that to yourself though."

"And yes, I was glad to see how they all pulled through, the Ritter especially. I suspect she'll go far, if she manages to stay alive." She takes another draw, and moves to leave. "You did fine Sarge, take it easy."

>>18157450
As soon as she leaves the Halberd, she passes a trio of new Kreigers, one of whom calls out to her. "Ah, Recruit, or should I say Trooper, what can I do for you?

Dulahan training has begun. Those wishing to visit the forests of the dead in their dreams before entering their steed may do so at their own risk.

> Dulahan Armor HP is equal to their Soul Counter
> All other stats other than Ammo is replicated when a dullahan Transforms their steed into another tank. Assume that vanilla stats are being used as a template.
> Death Korps. Units can ride the steed with no carrying limit.

>>18157817

About Soul Burns.
The Dulahan can use accrued souls to activate any of the Soul burn options to the left of the card at no action or movements costs.

Imbue Dark Damage:
Burning a soul to imbue dark damage alows the attack to have Dark properties, adding more increases the base damage of the shot.

Ghost Armor:
Soul fuel is expended to increase the realness attribute to a Dulahan's armor allowing it to withstand even the most unreal assaults.

PolterGeist:
If there is armor parts present, friend or foe, the Dulahan may repair itself spontaneously using these dead parts- or use weapon systems and integrate it onto itself. Weapons on a ghost armor are self sufficient- acting only once, however.

Ella stepped off the the transport jeep, Abilene hopping out of the vehicle's empty rear bed. She gave an appreciative nod to the driver before he sped off, the burbling of the small vehicle's engine soon lost in the din of the base. Her thoughts momentarily drifted back to the small village the Terrible Children's newest recruits defended some time ago. The recruits performed quite well, she had to admit. The bandits were driven off and the village was secure. The children's casualties, though unavoidable, were still saddening; Ella had spent the past hour filling small graves with dirt.

She shook her head, sighing. 'Death gods and child sacrifices,' Her thoughts buzzed as she started off on a relaxed pace toward the Command tent, Abilene following behind her. 'What could motivate people to follow such terrible deities?' she furrowed her brow, pursing her lips. Too many questions, not enough answers. This war, this bloodshed, it seems like everything is going to reach a flaspoint--

"You look ugly when you're in deep thought like that, you know." Ella twisted her head to the right, seeing her Vulcan bodyguard staring at her, her straight black hair held in place by a faded grey headband. "You think too much and you'll get worry lines."

"Yeah, well," Ella began, "burying children shot in cold blood tends to put one in deep thought." She dug her hands into her pockets.

"Yeah," Abilene said, adjusting the machinegun holstered on her shoulder.

Silence between them.

>>18157966

Ella sighed again. "I don't know, Abby--it just rubs me the wrong way when they can just shoot children in cold blood like that. I mean, those villagers were under Kashir rule for a long time before we came in." She turned to her head toward Abilene. "What could drive men to do something like that?"

"Faith, I guess." Abilene shrugged her shoulders. "Faith makes the weak strong and the courageous stronger. It makes the benign seem monstrous, and the ghastly insignificant. Faith can move mountains, start wars."

"But what does faith in such malevolent deities guarantee?"

"I wouldn't know." Abilene shook her head. "Victory over your enemies? I wouldn't think that child sacrifice would be a component of ensuring a good annual harvest."

"Yeah," Ella said. "Bastards." Over the course of their conversation, they had arrived at the entrance to the Command Tent. "Do you wanna come in with me or--?"

"Nah, you know how well I respond to tactics talk--remember that one time in Miss Contzen's class?"

"Heh, yeah." Ella gave a smile.

"Besides, I kinda wanna have a smoke. Have fun, though."

"Right, right." Ella gave another smile before raising the tent's flap and entering.

Abilene sighed, leaning against the rickety supports of the tent. She dug her hands into her pockets, pulling out a matchbook and a slightly crushed, lightly worn packet of cigarettes. She popped open the lid of the packet, looking inside. "The hell? I'm pretty sure I had four of these last time I checked."

>>18157978

The Command Tent remained as dark and as dank as ever, the ramblings of radiomen mixed in with the light melodies of jazz coming from the radio. Yet again, she was greeted with the sight of the Marshal Beatrix, eyeing the map like a hawk. Lieutenant Iceheart was absent, however--no doubt attending to the new troops. Ella dodged out of the way of an aide, making her way to the large table dominating the center of the tent. "Good to see you again, Marshal," Ella began. "I, um, was wishing to inquire about the state of the campaign. I hope that Major Kane didn't have *too* much trouble handling things while our newest recruits were defending the village. Also, how go the preparations towards assaulting the air temple? Is there any way we could weaken their battleforce before assaulting the main structure?"

For those unaware of how xp expenditure works, there are two ways you can use you can benefit the army:

>Infantry spend xp to buy upgrades in the varmach (commie xp)

See: >>18151360

Infantry no longer purchase upgrades for their own squad, instead benefiting the army as a whole with their works. Should you not wish to make this decision yourself, xp can be placed in a general pool to be spent by an officer. This has allowed us to field you with the best equipment available, so I don't want to hear griping!

>Armor may purchase upgrades which increase in cost linearly (usually 10, 20, 30... etc.)

Armor upgrades can be things such as increased damage reduction, to-hit rating, and so on. Make certain that only one aspect of the craft is increased per upgrade, then propose the upgrade for approval by DeathMarshall. Armor pilots are expected to provide fluff for their upgrades, from a simple engineering scene for reinforced armor to the mad antics of the late Axel and his mineflails. Alternately you may also donate to the varmach.

Here are two examples:
>>18151692: Weizegger, you have 4 xp that you can contribute towards one of the projects in the varmach.

>>18151865: Vengeful has purchased increased damage reduction, a common first upgrade for armor pilots. His next upgrade will cost him 20 xp. He has also donated towards development of an Undead Spec for Destroy Hazards.

. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . .

So.

It would seem that Laboria's new death sentence was actually taken seriously when I told them about Pumpkin heads.

I mean...

What can I say ?

They tended the fields ?
They expolde on impact ?
I don't get them.

At all.....

Their Method of spreading, and even their dubious talent for spontaneous combustion are only made more dangerous when paired with the habits of a criminal mind. When their seeds embed in any protein rich environment... well ...

>>18158885
They're quite cute and they explode, what's not to get Anne?

>>18158835
>Will contribute my 4 exp towards Varmach Iron Helms, or just to the Varmach war effort in general.

Weizegger sat alone his body was a mess of crisscrossed scars from his first battle at the small village. He pulled a wrinkled cigarette pack from his pocket, and tenderly moved it towards his wet face. The brutality of the battle had taken a toll on his mind as well as his body. Taking a long drag of the cigarette Weizegger tried to relax, but couldn’t. His mind was reeling with regret.
If only I have been stronger…
If only I have made it to the front sooner…
If only I had reached those children sooner…
If only…
The pain in his heart was all too tangible. He was blaming himself for their deaths, but then again they all did. With a heavy sigh he put a glove over his tattooed hand and wiped the tears from his eyes. Swearing to himself that he would never be that weak again Weizegger ascended with renewed strength. “I swear that my fate shall be bound to this land and its people”. He made this pact with vigor then made his way to rejoin the rest of the unit.

>>18158885 lets see if i have thsi right

Jack/StrangerWithNoHat (this [J] or [JS], also, replaces hat?)
2 act, 4 move, 3 hp (this extra or repacement stats?)
Ignore explosions, other pumpkin actions and melee
Vulnerable to fire, medicine (that's easy), mean looks (?)
Can throw head? Range 5, roll 6 to hit, 6 to detonate
2 extra damage, 1 hex radius
Kills auto-seed

Mooks (grown seeds? how long does that take)
1 act, 4 move, 2 hp
Launch head, detonate, lay mine, grow back head (auto in daytime)

>>18157989

Logistics on the Skylands are worrisome.
The science division surmise that the Kashir have a stable ecosystem up above. On top of that, their ability to defy gravity is due to yet another gravity well. Simply put, things from that island /dont/ fall down even after multiple missile barrages. This also means that flying to them will become unintuitive and dangerous. In the event that the islands decide to move on us, we're instructed to chain ourselves to the ground. " She sips from her cup.

However, our first and foremost concern is the fact that the Kashir have considerable aerial superiority due to their flying creatures. We suspect that the surrounding islands have eco systems of their own designed to raise creatures capable of such feats. She points to an orbit of about 4 island groups.

We suspect that taking down at least one group would allow us a path into the central chain and on their holy grounds. Jack and Rai have pointed out some very interesting points themselves about them.

>>18161492

The Northern Island Chain is uninhabited even by Kashirn forces due to its dangerous weather and terrain. If we are able to secure a holdout base we can launch a small assault into their base unimpeded. If making a base there is possible at all.

Other surrounding islands are a wellspring of lush forest and bodies of water respectively, one supplies the kashir of their food supply and ground creatures, the other is a hold out for their supposed aerial assets.

And lastly this red island here is a supposed sacrificial grounds. A place where we suspect the deathgod ceremonies are taking place and where the Kashi Stargazers are also resident to. Rai suggests that attacking in force would only bring about their most worrisome abilities.

Once we have the findings about the DeathGods research we can act soon.

Upon arrival to the staging ground the young private seeks out his commanding officer.
He waits standing at attention until permission to speak is granted, wincing at the harsh cough that accompanies the captain's words.
"I wish to express my opinions and tactical analysis of our current developments and intel if only in the hope that my personal insight will aid those above me in the chain of command in any way."
>>18157817
"It is good to hear that even in death I will be able to serve my prince, though the consumption of the souls of the dead worries me to a slight degree as I wonder what will happen to those who take the oath of the Dullahan."
>>18158885
"The addition of the pumpkins into our forces is... interesting, I have no doubt about the degree of shock and awe such soldiers can supply but the dubious factor of their rampant growth worries me. I wonder if the mind of a man will be able to handle the repeat shock of cranial reconstruction each time they wish to be effective in combat."

>>18157204
"I would humbly suggest after the establishment of our staging area that we target either the enemies food supply or air base first. A safe assumption would be that the enemy has ample fortifications at each island but if we target either of those locations we cripple them in a highly crucial manner.
If the debate comes to some form of poll I would cast my vote towards assaulting the enemy airbase first to cripple their ability to reenforce their other locations as well as acquire and analyse any technology we might find post battle."
With this said he snaps to a salute.
"That is my current analysis and opinions on these matters, I humbly request permission to return to my quarters, my agoraphobic condition is slowly-"
His voice catches a little as a Halberd flys by,
"I am sorry, slowly manifesting."
The young private's saluting hand appears to be shaking slightly, and his eyes regularly shift to the side glancing at the door he had entered from.

>>18158885
Huh. What does placing pumpkins on mushroom fields do?

>>18161561

Ella crossed her arms. "If we want this invasion to be successful, we'll need to establish a foothold on one of these islands, it seems. Marshal, might I suggest a strategy? What if we were to establish a base on one of the outlying islands, build up, and then continue to attack and secure the outlying islands, before ultimately launching an attack on the main structure from all sides? Cut off from air support, food, and water, we could, alternately, starve the bastards out, given enough time."

"Of course, that leaves the problem of which island to assault first. It would be a grand first strike to cut off their air support from the beginning, though securing the sacrificial grounds could be a massive morale blow to them. On the uninhabited island--just what are we looking at in terms of geography? Mountains? Deserts? Lush jungles?"

>>18163414

Mountains, plenty of it. It's said to catch all the cold fronts due to it's magnetic pull but it's also said that there is a dormant volcano within. The possibility of make a base using its geothermal powersource is being looked at as a cost effective option.

It's possible that we can take out all other islands from any one of these bases- granted that we can /hold them/ for about a week.

========
Encoded Message Wafer.
Priority: Armageddon
Protocols enclosed at the end of message
Read carefully. Memorize. Destroy Wafer.

Witnesses: Oderkonn

As you are reading this. The scientific staff, Jack and even the presiding members of your unit, Elizabet. Have undergone a memory wipe.

The Subject Beelzebub is under containment in an undisclosed unit only to be recalled if Oderkonn, DeathMarshal Basilika Beatrix, and Vilkas Von Voss combine their code words.

Yours is Cross.

The information you will read will soon be sequestered into a special memory as soon as you have swallowed the memory pill and down it with a particular taste of coffee.

Swallow the Pill. And Continue Reading past this point.

========================

>>18166202

The information I will disclose to you will be one appropriate for your standing, as you are a lady of war and command the arms of nearly a thousand soldiers,

I will postmnemonically tell you how to destroy a deathgod.

Deathgods as they will be properly addressed, occupy an incorporeal space in what is known as the divine void, accessible through Vinculum gates.

In these voids, the collective observations of many sentient minds intersect and create what we see as the known universe. The Sky is blue, grass is green. Color can be considered as an evidence of these divine voids. Everyone knows what color red looks like. But is it the same color red to everyone else ? Will a blind person ever be affected by the color red ? Surely he must be because everyone keeps talking about it.

Deathgods exist as one of those colors. The more solidified their collective belief, the stronger the Deathgod becomes. Sacrifices, and shaman self-trickery are methods useable to instigating the existence of one. This is one of the key pieces of information that you will forget. Read on.

To destroy a deathgod, one must sever their realness from the vinculum gate, override its existence with a stronger belief [that we have killed it], Another noteworthy method of destroying it, is paying carefuly attention to /what/ memetic meaning it inhabits. In this case, Beelzebub is the lord of the flies, and so, insecticide, fire, or even a comically large fly swatter would be sufficient in damaging its meaning if one was to entertain its existence.

> > >

The easiest method of destroying a deathgod would be to intercept its conjurer, or have them deny its existence altogether- or destroying that conjurer. However, it's very likely that deathgod, conjurer and medium may be one in the same.

Another deathgod would be capable of consuming another and gaining its astra [body of power]. Deathgods that inhabit conflicting meanings or shades will naturally antagonize each other by existing. Vilkas must never know this fact as his health maybe an issue of concern.

Once you have finished your coffee. You will soon forget what is told to you. And this information will abstract itself into a simple reflexive memory whenever you drink this cup of coffee and hear the words. This is that information that you will recall in full clarity.

" Good news everyone. The Deathgod's weakness has been found out. Quite simply, we've been fighting them with it those whole time:

Iron. "

>> Iron Weapons now deal double damage to Deathgods.

>>18165041

"Geothermal generators? Definitely sounds useful. If we could find a flat enough valley inside the island, we could probably establish a good-sized forward base--generators, airfields, and a proper defensive perimeter to boot. The thought of an underground volcano is unsettling, though. Is there a chance that the Kashir could, well, cause the volcano to erupt? I'd suggest we get a reconnaissance Halberd to do a flyover of the island to find appropriate places to start building a base.

"Also, it would be good if we could get into contact with Major Kanes and Miss Fierstrom--if we could receive regular army assistance in holding the islands, it would be greatly appreciated, maybe even make our jobs easier."

>>18169031

At the current- our limited airforce are only big enough for one or two massive air raids and not a simultaneous mass attack. The current feasible strategy is to spearhead a skyland, secure a drop position and hold them just long enough for a regular sized army to pour in drop by drop. Once this is achieved , regular army units may occupy any territory and suitably hold on to them.

After a day at the lab where she went to ask jack question about death gods and delivering them a sample. Elizabet inspect her trap kit to make sure.everything was in order. Strangely a portion of wire a bit of paper and some waterproof cloth were missing from it not enough for anyone else to notice but still...

She would later find out that the wire was tied to one of her tooth along going down her throat and inside cloth coffin a piece of paper with only the word Carmelia.

rolled 3, 4, 4 = 11

New lab assistants ! Surely there'd be more who are interested in researching this flying oddity !

>>18169031

"As for a plan of action in accordance with an island-hopping strategy, here is my proposal: first, we make our initial landings on the uninhabited island, establish a base with proper air defenses, geothermal generators, and large enough to accommodate both our forces and the regular army. From there, we move onto the Kashir's air support's island, take it for ourselves. We build up our forces there, maybe make another base. From there, we move onto the islands supplying their food supply and water, take them for us, and then just start building up our forces on all the islands. Air defense, machine guns, rockets--anything. It's here that we our forces, supplemented by those of Major Kane and Miss Fierstrom, will hold the islands against any counterattacks that the Kashir could send out. We beat their counteroffensives back, maintain our holdings, and harden our fortifications.

>>18169409

"It's here that the plan can have two different paths: Our first choice entails simply starving the Kashir out, possibly using heavy rocket bombardments and loudspeaker propaganda to demoralize them further while their citizens waste away from lack of food and water. This step can go on for quite some time until they either simply give up or we stage an offensive to claim the flying temple for ourselves.

"The second choice entails building up our forces immediately after taking all the islands, and then attacking the flying temple from all sides. With support from the regular army, Landing Halberds will be supported by fire support Halberds loaded with artillery tanks and rocket artillery. We breach the wall, and fight step-by-step from all sides, eventually seizing the entire island.

"I realize that this plan is quite vague, though, and is pending approval from the commanding officers. Also, I believe that we could use some more intel before we start mobilizing anything. Could we get in contact with the priestess Rai, see if there's anything else she knows about the island cluster? Maybe she could help us with relations to the island wherein her people reside?

> 1 in Geophysiques
> 2 in AlChemistry

Just the types we need ! Now we can determine what elements are involved in surveying the make-up of Skylands

>Yet another Ironhearts thread
In all seriousness, do you guys have enough fluff and crunch to make a complete RPG corebook yet?
What little I've seen (and half-way understood) over the months has had my interest piqued, and though I'm not into wargames, I see now reason why a wargame couldn't into a role-playing game, since you guys roleplay to hell-and-back anyways.

>>18169484
attempts to mine, refine and collate DM's brain unsuccessful so far, but we remain optimistic and continue our efforts

>>18169663
Screw his brain, it's simpler just to data-mine the dozens of old threads and just rebuild it from scratch, archaeologist style.

Just like SWGEmu.

==============
=Science Initiative=
Cpt. [Redacted] 'Iceheart' Konnair

>1 Paranormal, 1 AlChemistry, and 1 Thanatosmy are to look into ways to improve, or at least remove the negative effects, of our certain Death Korps being active in the day, (night for the Pumpkins).

>1 Medical is to look into ways to cheapen the cost it takes to call in reinforcements (mooks) in the middle of battle.

> 1 Geophysiques and 1 in AlChemistry are to, as Oderkonn said, determine what elements are involved in surveying the make-up of Skylands

>2 Energy Physicists, 1 Micromechaniks, and 1 Genius Savant are to improve the range of our MLRS for units, and to begin production on making it available to call in as off-site support in battle.

As for the issue of our next move, an attack on one of the outlying islands is a safe bet. Sgt. Cotton's suggestion of island-hopping has some merit to it, but it is unknown if we have that much time available to us. Until further information is available, my personal decision wil

==============

Iceheart glances down at the typewriter in confusion. Did the key just break? She tries to hammer it down once more, but to no avail. A sigh of frustration as her hand moves to pull the sheet out so she could finish it by hand. Or she would if her hand would decide to start working. Odd, she didn't feel that tired, yet her body felt so sore and exhausted. She'll finish this up, then retire to bed, but her body has other plans, and in a moment she finds herself looking sideways at the top of her desk as her eyes grow heavy, then slowly close.

>>18169803
>>18169663

Data mine huh, we're gonna need logisticians for that

>>18169803
... gonna need a grant for funding this

rolled 8, 1, 9 = 18

>1 Paranormal, 1 AlChemistry, and 1 Thanatosmy are to look into ways to improve, or at least remove the negative effects, of our certain Death Korps being active in the day, (night for the Pumpkins).

Rating 4.
Difficulty: 2

>>18170375

It would seem that this team has only succeeded in creating the base for a sun repelling lotion used mostly for topical applications .
... Unfortunately, Sun Tan Lotion is only effective on humans. At least the common voss soldier will be protected of sunburn.

> Voss Human Soldiers are now immune to Sunburn.

rolled 8 = 8

Operation Coin.

>1 Medical is to look into ways to cheapen the cost it takes to call in reinforcements (mooks) in the middle of battle.

I don't know how a medical practitioner would reduce the cost of units in terror... however...

Rating: 2
Difficulty:1

>>18170475
HAHA! Now I'll never have a problem with sunburns ever again! Wait...

rolled 5, 3 = 8

Operation Babylon

> 1 Geophysiques and 1 in AlChemistry are to, as Oderkonn said, determine what elements are involved in surveying the make-up of Skylands

Rating: --
Difficulty: --

>>18170475

rolled 1, 10, 10, 9 = 30

Operation V2

>2 Energy Physicists, 1 Micromechaniks, and 1 Genius Savant are to improve the range of our MLRS for units, and to begin production on making it available to call in as off-site support in battle.

>>18170635
There's been another incident.
The good news is that the Rocket system required to launch at sub-strata targets has been perfected with the discovery of a new material found on these Skylands. The findings have been encoded safely to my database allowing for a now streamlined replication.

The bad news is that the project has only yielded one sole survivor. And one model for a massive rocket delivery system capable of being called in at the cost of Terror. Unfortunately, this system requires an on-site control tower to guide its flight path on the scene.

[Varmach to be updated]

Destroyer Missile Unlocked.
20 Terror to call in.
Control Tower reduces costs by 2.

>>18170575
=================================
Encoded Message Wafer:
Priority: Gold

The field reports have come in just in time, and after much poking and prodding on local islands as well as Heaven's Gate we have surmised that the Skylands were once constructed of an unknown material resident in these floating masses.

Let me re-iterate. So far, these islands generate a gravity well that stably keep them fixed as a psuedo planetoid, on top of that, they happen to have whatever appropriate ecosystem desireable resident in these Skylands.

We surmised through deduction that the only thing capable of doing this is a substance capable of having variable atomic densities and properties capable of replicating any other existing substance in the known universe.

How they are manipulating these substances, and the depth of their mastery over its properties can be traced back to the same technique that created the Voss Death Crown [it kills other wearers if they are not blood related to the previous wearer ! ]

I hope this news finds you in good spirits, Iceheart- this is certainly groundbreaking discoveries that can allow Voss to flourish further !

>> Ibonyte Discovered. Gustav is now moving to acquire heavy construction kits

>>18171127

The applications for this new metal could be limitless--however, we'll need to make sure any vein of "Ibonyte" we come across is secure before we start a serious mining project.

And, since we've found what could be a very large vein of this new "wonder metal" on the uninhabited island, I propose that we land there first and establish a large installation with 3 main objectives: (1) A military installation, and our main springboard onto the other islands; (2) a geothermal energy project, utilizing the power of the underground volcano to fuel the base's systems; and (3) an eventual large-scale Ibonyte mining project, the ore of which, after being refined, can be used for research and applications to our military campaigns both here and abroad.

Ema sits in her medical tent, lost in a forest of vials and test tubes, a centrifuge spinning quietly beside. Before her yet another test rat stiffens and dies. She looks at it with glazed over eyes, her mind distant from her work. She knew this was a simple problem, as a veteran scientist she should know the answer, but grasping any thought in her mind is like wading through a mire of thick molasses.

Her mind isn't here, it's back home with her little sister. It'd been so long...When was the last time she got a letter? Her heart sinks as she realizes how long it had been since she'd sent anything home aside from a paycheck. What are you supposed to say to someone you haven't seen in years, and never lets you know how she's doing? Maybe tonight she would try to write something. Use that typewriter as a reminder of life, rather than a revelation of death.

>>18173237
"Do you get a kick out of rapid onset cancer, or are you just stupid?"

Ema jumps in her seat, barely catching a number of bottles before they hit the ground. Behind her sitting in front of the fan, wavy black hair blowing in the artificial breeze is a girl, surely no older than 16. She's tall and wiry, lean muscles belying a life of hard work. Ema looks dumbly into her heavy lidded brown eyes.

"Well? Sure'd be a natch thing to see a full grown man do that, but I'm under the impression that that isn't your goal" she says, flipping lazily through one of Ema's notebooks. "You sure do have an odd way of treating your patients though anyway..." the girl says grinning wolfishly. Ema lunges, snatching the notebook from her, face burning.
"Wh-why are you here! Who are you?!"
“Kraus.” she states. “One of the rats you fished out of the river. Y'know a rapid congealing agent would be more effective. Well, anything'd be more effective than cancer, really.” she speaks slowly, with a bit of a drawl, this language clearly not her first. “Anyway, I came in because I saw the fan on. I wanna join the army to kill people. You know how I could do that?”

>>18173243
Ema is speechless, her mind tripping over itself, unsure what to think. One thing she knows, though, is that this Kraus girl seems to know her stuff, and would certainly be a massive boon to getting her out of this slump. It would be a waste for her to join the grounpounders in the meatgrinder. More than anything, it would just be nice to have someone to talk to in the science department, even if she does seem a little touched in the head...
“Uuuh, well, I think you have to be recommended to the regular army by an officer. How about you join as my assistant, until I can give you word to become a proper part of The Terrible Children?”
She made it up on the spot, she actually had no idea how a regular soldier came to join the ranks of the riflemen. But Kraus seemed to buy it. She smiles, and motions to follow her to the CO's tent.

She feels a sudden pang in her gut as she thinks lately how resistant Iceheart has been to her medication. Worse yet, with so much work to do about the new recruits, and assaulting the floating Islands, she hadn't had the time to properly attend to her mistress. Chances are, her mistress hadn't taken that time to attend to herself, either.

Her fear is realized before her eyes, as she steps into the tent, seeing her CO slumped over the desk

“Gods! Kraus, go get help, or help me, or do something!” she spits out in a panic, running over to try and help the collapsed woman

bumping

>>18173245
Her one cold blue eye flutters open, dimly aware of the blurry figure standing before her.
"Marshal, Beatrix ma'am, is, izzat you...?" She pauses, coughing up a few speckles of unnaturally dark blood. "I, I'm..."
And with that, her eye closes again.

>>18170575
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6BQKFs3-VM

Beatrix reads through the message wafer as soon as it has spontaneously baked from the chattering printer. She didn't even have to read it due to the stochastic morse code it was generating- only confirmed it.

" Finally took you 5 and a half years did it ? " She says grimly.
" Adjutant, make a change to the invasion roster, Captain Iceheart is to not participate in the next battle " Beatrix unbuckles the slack around her sidearm , fishes out the clip and slides out all but two irons.

" Ma'am ? " The adjutant would ask. But she would be gone

The gun was heavy in her hand, and when she was seen marching through the camp and onto the medical tent, it was quickly realized what she was gaining to do.

She swipes open the flaps to the medical tent. Dust billowed, the red of her half cape flailing like red wings and she walks up, one step in front of the other towards Iceheart's bed. The scene looking exactly as how she pictured it in nightmares. Ema standing over her, Iceheart half conscious but quickly gaining lucidity and like all misplaced dreams, another child bearing witness whom she never had met before.

With her back to the light, Beatrix keeps her proper distance as bedside manners would dictate and simply let the words come out.

" Give me one reason why I shouldn't execute you right now for negligence of duty, Iceheart."

She cocks back the hammer but doesn't raise the gun.

" Or would you rather you participate in this war from now on as a headless horseman ? Should that be the case, raise your gun against mine and we shall do battle. I'll even let you shoot first "

>> you're up.

Within a nearby clearing where a landing pad had been hastily deployed, a halberd touches down. As flight crew go to work refueling an checking the halberd, the gangplank is lowered and troops begin to disembark. Upon reaching the bottom, one of the soldiers steps off to the side and watches the others continue their march off the ship.
The young man, with his pointed helmet and cape draped over one soldier, is easily identifiable as a field officer. The cape is propped up by his right arm, his hand resting on the holster at his side, giving him the appearance of someone doing a pose.

>>18178760
He is approached by a scrawny man with a clipboard. "These are from the 26th?"

Though his gaze does not leave the troops marching to the edge of the landing field, the officer's head turns just enough to bring the other man into his peripheral vision.

"Ja, this is the 'Penitent Shields'."

"The 26th 'Penitent Shield'..." He jots it down on the clipboard. "That's one of the penal units, correct?"

The officer nods.

The man with the clipboard finishes writing and pulls out a map. "Escort the troops here," he traces a path "to the barracks here, there are guard tower set up here, here, and here." Passing the map to the officer, he turns to the crew performing maintenance on the halberd. "Pick up the pace! We've got another ship of transfers in a few hours!"

Encoded Wafer:

From the desk of the DeathMarshal, in the event of her absence. This is to be forwarded to all relevant tactical officers to be briefed on.

Due to the surrounding territory comprising of known unknowns and due to our surveying officers still at work at counting out our assets, the map is considerably void of active pieces.

A plan of attack to take over one of these islands is all that is left to decide on.

This message will be left blank at the bottom so that one may fill out a proposition of attack as per DeathMarshal's instruction.

Current disposition:
> Northern Mountain range looked at as a forward base.
Cons: High Chances of Aerial interception, Bad Terrain, and lack of suitable manpower to construct a base .

The Vengeful's pilot surveys the map and limited intel available to him.
"Perhaps I'm mistaken here, but isn't the easternmost floating island their breadbasket? I have no great taste for the suffering of innocents but if we wanted to put a chokehold on the Kashirn then wouldn't that obligate us to cut them off from their food supply? Seeing as our alternatives are a desolate, unforgiving and questionably defensible rock and an air base that apparently puts our current airforces to shame, we should at least consider taking the breadbasket for ourselves.

Also: the terrain is presumably more forgiving for armor."

>>18176840
Somehow, somehow she expected this, that as soon as her illness reared it's ugly head for good, something like this would occur. She tries to remain stoic as she returns the Marshal's gaze, her eyes of tan and blue locking on those mirrored shades. But try as she might, they begin to waver, betraying her and hinting at her true emotions.

"I haven't been negligent to this unit, only myself. I made a promise when you recruited me, and I've kept it, giving my health, and nearly my life for you. I've nearly died, putting myself in front of harm's way and Vilkas, I've worked my hands to the bone digging graves for the troops under my command..."

Her own sidearm, the very one the Marshal herself gave to her, is withdrawn but not pointed anywhere Deftly she thumbs the magazine release, depositing it on the bedsheets next to her. The slide racks back, ejecting the cartridge, light glinting off the metal as it spins through the air.

"I'm not going to beg ma'am, nor am I going to act proud and tell you to pull the trigger. I'm just going to say, thank you. For everything."

She closes her eyes, waiting...

>>18180408

" If you are willing to accept death for your duty. Then I will give you a new one to follow on your own. " She holsters her sidearm and instead removes the long leather of her gloves. Her hands and forearms covered in shapeless scars. Before she could even garner a response from this- Iceheart is struck squarely across her cheek. Her blow stinging sharply like a fiery whipcrack.

" You are not to participate in the next operation until you get better. The prince must never see someone else he loves die before him without that mask on unless he himself orders it. "

She bends down and retrieves Iceheart's sidearm from the ground. The pieces collected methodically and assembled. When you are ready to fight me for your gun and your command, feel free to do so anytime.

I will be ready "

>Iceheart cannot participate in the next operations indefinitely until her condition is resolved.

bump

>>18180013
Johann unrolls and pins his copy to a wall. "While I have not been briefed in full, I do not know that we have the time to starve them out. To do so, we would also need the air power to intercept any supply transports they may send from elsewhere. I do not think a prolonged siege is feasible.

Since we will not have the man power to construct a base, we may consider storming one of the islands occupied by an enemy base already. Perhaps the one with the airfield? We will then have a ready-made base from which to operate.

Although the casualties may be heavy, such a move will severely weaken their ability to fight us in this region and may save us more in the long term." Johann puts away his pointer he had been using to indicate spots on the map. He looks over at the pilot and any others assembled before clearing his throat.

"Thoughts?"

>>18180595

Heart pounding, Ema silently draws her own pistol from her hip as The Marshal bends to retrieve Iceheart's. She swallows her weakness, her frailty. This was her fault, and Gods damn her if she does not take responsibility. She speaks slowly, evenly, forcing herself not to quiver like the naked autumn leaf she felt like.

"Marshal. In my professional opinion this whole matter is my own fault, and my own duty to rectify. She is my patient, and no matter her own unwillingness to cooperate with treatment, her health is my responsibility. This collapse is a failure solely on my part as a doctor, and as such I should be the one to resolve this situation."

"I am willing to fight you to take up her command until such time that she is well enough to lead again. I /will/ fight you if you deny me this."

>>18180013
>>18183323

While assaulting an enemy's base right out would be an ideal first strike, I'd rather we try first focusing on making a firm foothold before making an assault. That is the reason why I proposed we make a base on the northern island first. It's uninhabited, and though vulnerable to attack, the high mountains could hamper a Kashir aerial assault if we make a base either deep in the mountain ranges or in a flat enough valley.

Assaulting their food supply would also make for a good first assault, though I'm assuming that for both the airfield *and* the breadbasket would be heavily defended, and we cannot afford to have an offensive pushed back due to heavy defenses. We need a fallback point and a springboard, a base that can function as both.

>>18183850
"In that case, northern mountainland it is. I would advise we carefully select our strike force for the environment, to ensure that if we encounter resistance we won't have our hands tied by terrain. Will our Halberds be able to maneuver in the weather?"

"Also, the Deathmarshall herself raised a strong concern. Do we have skilled manpower to construct a base? To the best of my knowledge we do not have a great wealth of defensive emplacements at our disposal, other than our standard infantry and perhaps those mechanical weapons platforms..."

>>18183850
Johann listens to the other officer. As he is finishing, someone hands him some notes which he skims while checking the map.

"No, this doesn't look good. Not at all. Even flying to the northern island will, the winds and harsh weather will put much strain on the halberd. Both as they land us there and if they must join combat. The terrain will inhibit our armor to an unacceptable degree. We will be hard pressed to establish a base on even the calmest island, the weather and terrain is no good for it.

Worse, if we are spotted flying in, they can keep patrol around the worst of the weather and bottle us in. It would be most disadvantageous.

I'd suggest the easternmost island before the northern one.

Still I must insist that taking the island containing the bulk of their aerial assets first, while not as safe a bet as the breadbasket island, would insure the rest of this operation proceeds more smoothly. If we to hit the air base with a barrage of ghoul bombs before closing in on it, I think the lower estimate of casualties would make the risk far more worth it."

=======================
Sender: R
Priority: null

Seeing as we are going to assault heavily defended position with next to no outside support, I'd like to petition for the creation of a temporary unit assigned to the royal guard, temporary label for this unit will be "Ghoul Corps". "Ghoul Corps" composition would be three(3) modified Puma*, six(6) medic squad under one(1) corpsier. The objective of the unit would be to act as support for the main attack force, allowing to quickly send back the wounded back to the front, while transforming those that are unfit for any reason**. I understand that the relation between the royal guard and the regular army is strained, but for us to end this war we will need every man, alive or dead during the creation of a stronghold.

annotation
*: seeing as the enemy is likely going to field flying units, the puma should be issued anti-air weapon instead of the regular one if possible.
**: I know that some people may find the idea of transforming still living soldier in ghoul abhorrent but in this kind of mission, we can't afford to waste any body.

rolled 7, 7 = 14

>>18183677

In her nightmares it went like this...

" You raise a gun on me unannounced and with my back turned and you're going to talk to me about a proposition ? " Beatrix laughs.

" You know we don't have a death korp opening for your kind right ? "

Before Ema could answer, Beatrix whips up her sidearm and fires it at collar bone, a millisecond too early from raising the sights right on her neck.

Ema, skitterish fires back twice, a shot hitting Beatrix square in the thigh. Between these ring of shots, Beatrix manages on instinct to fire the last round of her gun, and uses Iceheart's pistol in combination. 7 shots.

Holes puncture the tent light waxes everyone's faces as Ema stares back at her attacker. Murderer. Blood seeping from her mouth as she loses air. Beatrix remains standing and limps out of the tent, blood pooling inside her boot until an ocean of blood reddened it.

And she laughed. Laughed until the red trail faded

In the present where the nightmare took her she laughed. And in the tent of 10 bullets ago she laughs again.

The gun still trained on her. Ema's heart still trembling visibly. Beatrix, still replaying the nightmare in her head,cracks a smile at Ema as she looms right over her.

" You raise a gun on me unannounced and with my back turned and you're going to talk to me about a proposition ? " Beatrix laughs, " You have one week to claim a Skyland for me. Can you do that ? Or should I execute you for negligence ?"

>> Armitage somehow appointed CO powers

Iceheart watched the standoff with trepidation, letting out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding as the confrontation ends, thankfully without bullets flying everywhere. Waiting for the Marshal to exit, she swings herself out of bed, slowly and deliberately rising to her feet. A hand is placed on Ema's shoulder, "You're a goddamn idiot, good luck." And with that said, she leaves the trembling girl alone.

Beatrix may have forbidden her from leading, but that didn't mean she couldn't advise in other ways. Pushing aside the flap to the command tent, she finds others already discussing their next move, what island to launch the attack on.

"Zcifax Armitage is in charge now, no questions. Ideas for attack, now." The others share their plans, most leaning towards the airbase or the so called 'breadbasket' island.

"We hit the airbase, plain and simple. Take out their major military power and their main water supply in one swipe. We try our best to keep the facilities intact for our own use, and have other troops arrive to reinforce us once it is secured. From their we either hit more islands, or dive right in for the main temple."

>>18184579
Good plan, but you'll have to request those extra forces from Gustav.

>>18185010

"So a brave first strike it is. We might be looking at some heavy resistance, though. Infantry, anti-air, monstrous creatures--we could be looking at all that *and* more, far as I can see. Do we have intelligence reports on enemy strength and force composition on the island? Just what are these air support units like? Are we looking at dragons, griffins, large birds?

"As for securing the island itself: if we're trying to take as much of the island intact as possible, it might be worthwhile to use Ghoul Bombs to eliminate all the squishy targets and just move in for cleanup. But if collateral damage isn't an issue, I say we should just go whole hog and shell the bastards to Kingdom Come before sweeping up the rubble. Makes our job easier, leaves some bodies for us to Ghoulify by the time boots get on the ground, and keeps our boys alive. Another thing we should look into is seeing if the Ghoulifying chemicals can be released into their water supply. If we're cutting the head off off this snake, might as well use a machete."

>>18185135
"I suggested an initial ghoul bomb barrage earlier because not only would it make resistance lighter, but it would leave more of their facilities intact than if we use more conventional artillery.

Collateral damage IS an issue, we want to take this base to use for ourselves. Why would you suggest contaminating the water supply?!? We will need that if we are forced to hold the island longer than planned."

>>18185135
I t-think that we should g-g-get a lot of V-Vulcan troopers for AA purposes. They seemed p-pretty effective at the g-gate...

>>18185244

If we're planning on a long-term occupation, then we should probably see if the current Ghoulifying agent has a sort of decay point if we were to release it into a body of water--some period of time after which it would be safe drink any contaminated water. Alternatively, it should be seen if there's a way to eliminate the toxin through other means--water purification tablets, perhaps?

>>18185346
"I think there is a very good reason why the ghoul dust was made so that it would not mix with water. The issue can simply be avoided by just using the ghoul bombs to disperse the dust in the air, it should be sufficient.

If the dust could be dissolved in the water, and we were to try to drop it in the water supply, that would likely have required an infiltration mission. An unnecessary risk that could potentially tip the enemy off.

Quite simply, the ghoul bomb delivery system is the best option for this."

Bump

Iceheart leans heavily against the map table, regretting that she forgot to grab her cane before she left the medical tent. The drugs Zcifax Armitage and the medics gave her are beginning to wear down, she was back to feeling as weak as ever.

"Hrm, we /should/ now have the resources to call in rocket attacks. If possible, we should try and have some hit the airbase the moment before we attack."

A sudden cough escapes past her lips, her hand covering her mouth just in time to hide the sight of any blood. Damnit, she'd have to actually do something about this soon, if only the researches and scientists weren't busy already. The thought inspires her to look over their initial results again, and it's the report from the team looking into the floating islands that catches her eyes. More specifically, a photograph clipped to the paper, of this strange element, 'Ibonyte'.

"Familiar..."

>>18185547
>>18186354

"Hmmm, perhaps you're right, Johann. Just trying to account for all possibilities and take any opportunities that present themselves--can't be too careful with these bastards." Ella allows herself a small, assured smile.

"But, if we were to initiate a rocket barrage/Ghoul Bomb attack, I'd rather we attempt it with some amount of accuracy--to minimize collateral damage and maximize effectiveness, of course. Do we have any reconnaissance photos of the airfield in question? If we could direct rocket barrages and ghoul bombs to hit key locations around the base, we could win this battle before it's even started, softening or outright eliminating hardened targets and defensive structures while keeping the airfield and all it entails intact.

"Also, because they have just came to mind, I must ask a few questions: Firstly, is Pandemon out of hospital yet? If not, do we have the possibility of seeing Major Thane assisting us with the regular army, either during our offensive or further on, possibly supplemented by Miss Fierstrom? Secondly, will the Young Prince be joining us in battle again? I am hoping that his scars after Heaven's Gate have healed appropriately."

Ella let the questions hang in the air before the lieutenant's coughing interrupts the scene. Ella had then noticed the distinct cane that the lieutenant walked about with around the base was missing. "Lieutenant Iceheart, are you okay? Do you require assistance, ma'am?"

You do realize that even if we assault the "airbase" island the chance chance of finding a airfield, let alone a runway is rather low seeing as they don't use aircraft but native creature right?

>>18188402
"Perhaps not a takeoff/landing strip, but almost certainly an aerie of some kind. To the best of my knowledge, our Halberds are VTOL anyway. Any port in a storm."

>>18185010
She smiles softly "Don't worry, commander. Good luck and idiocy run strong in my family."

As soon as Iceheart exits the tent, Ema collapses onto the bed like a puppet cut from its strings. She breathes heavily into the bunched up sheets, clutching her pistol like a scared child might hold her mother's hand, as if it alone could give her safety.

"Hey, you shouldn't keep your finger on the trigger. You might accidentally set it off. Here-" Kraus delicately plucks the heavy steel gun from Ema's hand "Have you ever even shot this before? You can't hold it so dainty. It'll just fly out of your hand. See? Like this"

Ema just watches the young woman in a daze, saying nothing. Kraus sheepishly hands back the sidearm, before mumbling "So um, does this mean I'm in?"

She smiles, looking small and soft, nothing like a proper Voss officer "I...I suppose it does, Kraus. As current acting commanding officer of The Terrible Children, I promote you to the rank of Soldat. You will act as my personal guard in the coming assault. Tomorrow you will report for a uniform and your rifle. Meet me back in my tent, I need your assistance in formulating a new medication for Commander Iceheart. Dismissed."

Kraus straightens her back, nodding firmly at the small officer, before leaving the tent. Ema takes another deep breath, checking the magazine before sliding her sidearm back into the holster. Empty, as always. The issued munitions still safe in their wrapping on her desk. She can't help but laugh

>>18189658
Noticing her commander's cane still leaning against her desk. She rises, grabbing it, and walking to the command tent where everyone was planning the next battle. Sliding up behind Iceheart, she taps her on the shoulder with the cane. “Report to my tent directly after this meeting. I need to have a full physical, to formulate a new medication for you. It's time we both took this illness of yours seriously.”

“I like this plan so far. Precision ghoul bombing would indeed minimize any collateral damage, it's only a matter of getting full reconnaissance of the area to prioritize targets and make sure there are as few civilian casualties as possible. Even if there isn't a proper airfield, if we can cripple their air capabilities that would be a major boon to us. What's most important is getting an entrenched presence on the islands to operate out of. Moving island to island seems to me the most effective sle astrategy here, as it will allow us to keep our forces concentrated on one area at a time. The Islands are certain to be heavily entrenched, and we know the Kashir to fight to the last man. We'll need as many good men in every battle as we can get.”

>>18185346

Ghoul Powder or Fungus-3XG exists in warm water environments inherent in warmblooded creatures. Below 80 degrees fargo it begins to die out. For this reason however, Thermite bombings in the water may cause the lakes to rise in temperature provided that a sustained halberd or artillery bombardment keeps the temperature up.

Ghoul Powder delivery through Doom Missiles maybe possible pre mission.

The Royal Guard can have one launched as an NCA.
All subsequent launches will cost Terror

Gustav may have 2 launched.

Nibelheim has no missiles but may MARK an area pre mission as an NCA.

Alternatively.

The Assisting units' NCAs can be exchanged for
a unit presence on the field. Only one can be fielded for this mission.

For This, your options are.
> 66th Armor [MotorPool Lvl 2 Training Program lvl1]
> Nibelheim: Training Program 3, Anne Hel, 5 Units
>13th Unit: 9 Infantry Special Ops action.
> Gustav's Terror Guard: Starting Terror +30, Vilkas Fan Club no.02

>>18189666
>>18190364
>>18190500

"Commander, I didn't see you step in. Congrats on the promotion, by the way." Ella offers a half-salute.

"So it would seem we have a few options for this deployment. Given our current opportunities, I say that we either pool our resources with Miss Fierstrom and launch some Ghoul Dust at the airbase, or we could just deploy with Fierstrom and her soldiers in tow. Commander, any preferences?"

Unless I've misinterpreted this, I think it would be best to use an NCA to launch one ghoul missile, and then deploy with Gustav's Terror Guard. Being able to start with terror would allow us immense flexibility to respond to whatever threat we find on the field.

As for the long term plan, it's vital we find out exactly what is on each island. Ultimately, we don't need to capture every single one, but make our way to the leadership and cut it off. If we can stick to attacking the less well defended islands, and cut off the supply lines to the more entrenched ones, we'll be able to do a lot more damage with far less casualties on our side. In the immediate term though, we'll need to set up a rapid transportation network to effectively get to those islands. As well, a larger, heavier transport than the Halberds would be ideal for transporting ground support to the islands, and getting large amounts of our forces into an area at once after capturing it. Cheap light support bombers would be a massive boon to softening forces before striking.

Note from Command:
Units can be called in on Halberds for 12T, which is reimbursed if the Halberd returns safely. They can also be launched in on a rocket for 20T. Rockets can hold up to one platoon, and their cost can be reduced by a Zcifax building a Control Tower on the field.

Royals may now be deployed for 6T, or 12T for a platoon.

>>18192258

How would the Royal deployment work for Officers who wished to deploy with a platoon of mooks in addition to the mooks they initially have?

As I'm still quite ill, and have a paper to write, I can't do my duty as CO for a couple days. Mission delayed until post-weekend.

>Mission set for Monday evening

>>18192698

As there is no mission start tonight, a pre map will be pending.

and why the fuck not, maybe some drawings/fluff about the IH universe.

>>18192991
*bated breath*

About Valknyre Clans.

At the pillars of Voss society is the rich history that the wars of Valknyr have burned in their very pages. The living testimonies of those once remembered battles and wars rest with the proliferating clans of the Valknyr War Clans, known today as the GranKinn or " Great Descendants "

While many nations and empires have came and went in the Valknyres, it is in the genes of the Grankinns that the history of the region lives on through the Voss. From the north are the Belarusa clans comprising of the Urs ,VonClaudes, and Reiders, who were said to have played a key role in the demonstrification battles that reached its high point during 1st Von Voss's lifetime.

From Heartlands of the Valknyres is the Thanes, the Reins, the Sturm clans and the noble families connected to the Von Voss. Who created the first sparks of revolution to overthrow the black kings that ruled tyrrannically over them for centuries.

As the Valknyres is a region vulnerable to invasions and is doubly attractive for its richness of resources and access to all other areas of the Midland kingdoms, aspiring nations from all corners have risen, trampled, and taken and settled on these lands populated by these white-haired ancestors.

Because of these recessive traits, genetic dominance became an all too clear sign of foreign invasions, on top of that, the Valknyres that lived in a region with no need to advance technologically was simply outright repressed by the warring powers that came to visit them from distant corners.

Very quickly did the situation develop an "us and them" mentality that the invading lords tried to appease it's citizens by scape-goating and even attempted to fight the local inhuman residents there.

At the center of such racial strifes impostor kings indoctrinated the Valks with their own brand of anti-monster propogandas with neighboring tribes and clans being turned against each other. It was here that the bloodshed reached a turning point and the one they would call Killer King would arise from the killing fields to restore the Valks to their former peace.

Ascheron VonVoss, or the first of the Killer Kings started like any warring clan in the Valknyres looking to overthrow any self serving baron or count. At the time , at least 4 nations were vying for dominance in the region. One of which were the Aeon Holy Empire, then known as Cruxtania. Predatoria, Kashir and the Machine city of Labrese.

Residing in the Valknyres were what was once the majority of Iffram's demihuman population, and the various clans in the Valks themselves. Those who were a resident valknyre in these times survived a thousand years of monsters and beasts that only their legends could speak of. It was through these common bonds that Ascheron took on the black mask, forged by castors and cursed by witches to befall on the head of a true Valknyrian Hero that will lead them to victory or certain death.

With such words to accompany the meaning of the Black Crown, the numerous warring clans of the Valknyres took up arms, settled their differences and found the only true king they will need to topple these impostor kings.

The first Valknyre army was formed then. So prolific were their presence that it was said that even Valkryes, Demons, and Dragons joined hands to fight all 4 opponents simultaneously fighting them back all the way to their homelands and turning the cultural invasion inside out.

Today the Valknyres are said to only exist in meaning within these Clans and it is through them and the so called Ancients that the Voss retains its name as the true ruler of the Valknyre region.

bump
Anyway, could someone post the rest of Monday's posts by writing as 'Monday's Spokesperson'? Somehow he got banned because of 'referral'.

>>18196121
1d4chan will be updated as I do not wish to risk being banned myself. You'll also get a group shot later in the night.

>>18196312
but i don't want to be shot!

>>18196542
If only that was up to me... Sadly, Monday is only drawing everyone. Enjoy being shot at by the enemy in a future mission though.

>>18196688
Everyone? That's alot of people!

>>18196542
Hush, you. I'm sure it won't hurt too much!

A quick sketch of your new CO. Are you not inspired to march to victory?

Promotions have finally come through.

Scientist Armitage: Sergeant First Class: Battlefield commission of 2nd Lieutenant as Acting CO.

Tank Officer Blitz: 2nd Lieutenant

Pilot vonClaude: Staff Sergeant

Officer Cotton: Staff Sergeant

And lastly, all other Royals are reminded to add their Sergeant insignia to their dress uniforms. That includes you Hunter Elizabet. (You don't need to put it in your tag if you don't wish to everyone.)

Acknowledged.

Staff Sergeant. Looks like I'm moving up in the world!

(earlymorningbump)
(goodnight)

Since the person I wanted to piss off went to sleep I can post this.
(also please QQ to monday about me using his nick and trip)

>>18199860

What am I looking at here?

>>18201423
The unfinished group picture that should be posted once it's finished.
(also I'm the one that posted since monday is banned)
(and I really got scolded because I used his nick and didn't make one myself)

This is going to be a very difficult battle ahead, that will require utmost communication and teamwork for every one of us. It is not enough to look at the field, and assume everyone knows what to do. All players organize yourselves into squads of 3-5 immediately. Anybody who does not belong to a squad by Monday afternoon I will sort myself.

Report into #Skirmishquest on the Rizon IRC network before battle. Seperate rooms for every squad will be created for minimal cross-chatter and confusion. You will report your actions to the main room. Failure to comply will result in non-efficiency, which will in this case almost certainly result in death. Under me there will be little preservation of terror for the sake of spending. When the time comes I will spend it to reinforce positions and aid forward pushes. Communicate with me for any specific needs, otherwise your position will be flooded with basic infantry.

If you have any doubts or questions, address them specifically to me. To do my job I need to be able to know my soldier's needs. As well, if there are any preparations you need for the battle (ie: Qemists need medic mooks, I know someone will have need for Corpsiers) let me know immediately so I can take them into account.

bump

Lennox awoke, again, two days and a few ranks high later.
He doesn't feel the extensive network of scar tissue on his back, nor of the bandages that were removed from it a few hours ago. He doesn't feel the wind outside the medical tent, or the bits of Kashirn sand that's carried with it.
Still, he hears the distant laughter of children.
And he felt their hands clinging to his uniform, although there's nothing there to be seen.
"Don't worry. You all shall be avenged. Soon. Soon..."
The monotonous whisper is quickly lost in the sand-laden winds of the Kashirn desert.

>>18199860
Wonder when it'll be finished...

status update on the image

From The Desk of Monday,
You cannot make IRC mandatory.

You can stress its importance to the board but mandatory participation in a chat client outside of the  /tg/ boards can't be acknowledged as canon and in fact can be construed as metagaming if abused to a certain extent. While it is encouraged to interact with your fellow players and coordinate with them with whatever means you see fit, you can't set the minimum standard of participation nor discriminate against those who do not meet those extraneous circumstance.

That is my job.
As You were.

Do voss have TA's or TA equivalents?

>>18207758
Not really. The only officers that are respected in Voss lead from the front!

>>18205004
I'll be first to go ahead, it seems. Anyone wish to volunteer to join my squad?

>>18209329
Aye?

>>18209349
"Welcome to Squad Ramrod-

>NO

"Ok, what should we call ze squad?"

Progress !
[I should be drawing the next map, I know....]

>>18205004
I am prepared and ready for battle in the near future. I would also like to know which squad it would be recommended for me to join. I will fight by the side of anyone for the glory of Von Voss.

>>18209684

Interested in creating a lightning occupation force ?
We should prolly pack on up some footsloggers that can deal out the mad caps from your transport.

Elfriede, you interested in joining the Blood and Thunder ?

As not everyone can, or wishes to, use the IRC channel, I'd like to ask everyone in that case to do their best to organize otherwise, such as on this board, through instant messaging, telegraph, smoke signals, or crop circles. As such, it would be prudent to post any observations or plans you come to in the thread between phases. To get the most out of this army of ours, we need coordination. Coordination requires communication. Image boards are on the low end of the spectrum in terms of mode of communication, but with proper effort it is possible to be made to work.

a lycan joins the table !

>>18210544
Okay...when can we play as those?

>>18212243
Lycans have been available for quite a while already. The trick is that you gotta die first...

>>18212243
Go [R]itter, die, become one with your wolf. Simple as that. (See >>18157817 for info)

Anyway, for the upcoming mission a Corpsier will be invaluable, it would be a great help if one of our [CO]s took one along.

>>18210544
>>18209653

So wait--this is gonna be a group shot thing?

>>18213088
It is shaping up to be one yes. So far we got, (going clockwise from bottom left)
[D] Gustafo
[FOlt] Blitz
[Hd] vonClaude
DeathMarshal Beatrix
[Hy] Iceheart
[LR] Elfreide (The lycan)
[H] Elizabet (In the mask)
[Btl] Alfie (By the beam)

>>18209932

"The Blood and Thunder, sir?"

The Royal Guard vehicle pool bustles with activity, mechanics checking over tanks, drivers testing engines. Even just outside a Halberd sits, bombs and missiles being loaded on board. Off in one corner sits the trio of Captain Iceheart's self propelled guns, and it is around Hydra #2 that a crew works on their tank, lovingly dubbed 'Deuce is Wild'. The Gunner and Driver are currently painting those very words along the side of the tank, the two girls idly chit-chatting.


Their third crew member, Loader comes running into the vehicle pool, out of breath and shouting, "Hey! Didja hear? Captain Konnair's been temporarily relieved of command. Apparently she collapsed or something, and the Marshal got super pissed, slapped her, and took her gun."

"Slapped her? How'd the Captain take that?" asks Driver incredulously.

Loader shrugs her shoulders, "Probably liked it for all I know, Iceheart is weird like that."

"And why in Voss would you think that?"

Another shrug in response, "Dunno, doesn't matter, she wants us to take her place in the next mission."

Gunner sets her brush on the paintcan, stepping back and admiring her handiwork, "Well then, grab your guns and let's see what we can do while slogging it on foot, eh?"

I've just gotten word from the top brass that mission is most likely due tonight around 10pm EST. Plan accordingly.

>>18214617

It's a dive in dive out force, kiddo. We clear the area and move right for the next one. Dont worry about bullets cause my tankers can take a hit.

Who else is balls enough to give a Kashirn footsoldier a bottle of Kashi suntan eh ? This little club won't mind dying once or twice.

>>18215660

"Very good, sir."

Vasily stood, looking at a mirror in the public quarters. He continued to stare at his Sergeant pin, and thought if his Father would be proud of him or not. Probably not. He wasn't Officer yet, so he was still a disappointment to him.

"Sergeant Metzger reporting for duty," Vasily said into the mirror another time with a salute. "Sergeant...Metzger...reporting for...duty," He said in a pseudo-Shatner accent. "I'll never get used to saying that. Ok one last time-" Christina cut him off by walking into the room. She said, "The fick, are you doing." Vasily spurted out, "I'm just well you know...practicing." Christina just stared at him with cold northern Voss eyes. "Fick sie Vasily now get ready to move out. Your heading alone with Blood and Thunder remember." Vasily nodded and walked out the room.

After some jogging he stepped infront of Blitz, he saluted him and said, "Second Lieutenant, I heard you were recruiting. I'd like to join you."

>>18209932
>I'd love to join this force, me and Elfriede already agreed to join it. Tao would be a nice addition to have if you don't mind.

>>18216263
I am capable of joining any group I am requested in, as no other group has asked I am currently assuming that I am in the Blood and Thunder Group or forming my own group.

If I were to form such a group who would join me?

>>18216489

Spying Sergeant Tao, Elfriede greets him with a brief smile and a respectful nod. "You have my sincere thanks for saving my life in the last operation, sergeant."

Hm. I'll take volunteers fer an occupation force to be flown in on my Halberd. We'll be providin' air support until we find a good opportunity to dock and provide a forward base. Likely we'll be followin' in Blood and Thunder's wake.

>>18216723
You are welcome, Sergent and I sincerely hope I will not need to do so again. Though the cannon blast did not pierce my armor I would prefer not to have to join the ranks of the Dullahan Knights.

I'll be happy to lend my assistance to any squad that needs me.

Buuuuuump

>>18216793
You can count me in.

Bump... I can join another squad if Johann isn't in today.

Sgt. Vengeful falls under my command so there's only one space left on this Halberd. Jump on if you like.

>Also using the new trip this time

>>18212290
Since I don't see any CO's, I'll switch over to that. Is there a game tonight?

>>18216793
"Confirmed for riding a Halberd into glory."
The pilot clicks off his mic, then cracks his knuckles as he goes through his pre-combat systems check.
"Guess it saves us the trouble of walking in their ourselves eh?" The mechanic rolls her eyes and bats him on the back of his head.
"I'm letting you get away with the vehicle cannibalism, but I swear if you start stringing shaman's skulls around the turret I will make sure you're walking."
"... Sorry, what? I get sidetracked when you started talking about stringing skulls... Can you imagine how demoralizing that would be?"
The mechanic sighs heavily and smacks him again.

>>18220370
"Obviously you need to look harder." he says, mere inches away from the Sgt's ear. He grins, and proceeds to the nearest chair.

"So what did I miss, Alucard was demonstrating the many different ways one could ghoul a person. I must say, rearranging the facing of the limbs and head produces a rather terrifying visage." he says with far too much joy in his eyes.

>>18220554

Mm ? if you're here I better adjust my roster. I could use a bit more pow per tanker.
[Since I'm Lt. my extra squaddie and myself share the same stats :> ]

>3rd LTs dont exist

:<

>but you can doublestack same type buffs

: >

>>18221163
"Yes, more value out of our tanks is good, I'll see to it our footsloggers don't tear apart like tissue paper."

>Corpsier and a Light tank as guards, Light Tanks, Vulcans, and +2hp buff as cards.

All units report in, along with associated squad if you have one. Those not yet in one will be sorted

>Reporting
>vC's squad

"Vengeful reporting in, attached to Von Claude's Aerial Kill Team."

R-reporting! I'm n-not with any s-squad though...

>>18221600
Present and ready for combat. Attached to Finale Squad as transport and armor.

>>18221600
"Reporting for duty, who will join my symphony of death?"

>waiting for squad assignment.

Reporting in. It seems that Johann isn't available, so I'll be joining any squad which still has room for me.

Von Claude reporting in, leading the aerial kill team. Gustafo and Vengeful are with me, and there's one spot open. Who's up for it?

"Lennox, chances are you're looking to either deploy with Blood and Thunder or the Aerial Kill Team. Choice is yours."

"Tao could also use a friend, if you've a mind to keep pace with a metal juggernaut that feeds on its victims."

>>18221702
Sergent Lennox would you like transportation for this encounter?

>>18221702
I'm here after all.

"Reporting for duty, Kommandant."

Allright, so Johann is with us. I'll be with Tao and his iron ball of doom.

>>18221804
Sergent Johann Finale Squad has a dire lack of small arms, I request you join us in our unit.

>>18221843
"Excellent. Remember to step out if Tao has any intention of using that compacter."

Were we going to get an early look at the map before deployment?

Ready to do some field testing.

Gunner checks her revolver for the umpteenth time, spinning the chamber and listening to the satisfying whirl. "Finish zeroing in your scope you two, we're getting ready to move. We'll be moving on our own, acting as forward recon."

If there is anyone who still needs a squad, feel free to join mine. Suggest a name, even. If not, we'll just see how the commander organizes us.

>>18221903
I think we're clumped together. You, me, and Tao.

>>18221941
"You're correct, currently you three are a squad. Unless there's an issue?"

The story so far

Vicker (Von Claude's Aerial Kill Team)
[HD1]Ssgt. Otso von Claude
[FM1]Sgt. Vengeful
[CO1]2Lt. Reginrave

Finale
[Is1]Sgt.Tao
[CO2]Sgt. Johann
[K1]Sgt. Lennox


B&T
[LR1]Sgt. Elfriede
[Btl1]Sgt. Alfie
[FO1]G&D&L
[Zday1]White

Nearly forgot my hat!

>>18221957
>>18221941
Finale Squad is good.

Gah! Hope I'm not late!

Put me in Finale Squad; looks like they'll need the firepower.

>>18222039
"Convenient. You're in it."

>>18222024
>Goddamnit be more precise when you do your roster, or at least that you got confirmation for the mission. I've been talking with monday for the last hour
>I don't need any squad fielding alone

Requesting deployment by way of Doom missile if possible.

>>18222024

Reporting in and all that

rolled 2 = 2

Vicker
=Gb=[HDmg]Ssgt. Otso von Claude
=GC=[FM1mm]Sgt. Vengeful
=BB=[CO1clt-lt.a+2hp]2ndLt. Reginrave

Finale
[Is1]Sgt.Tao
=Bb=[CO2-c-avs+hp]Sgt. Johann
=Bb=[K1]Sgt. Lennox
=Bb=[FO*vv*+hp] SSGT. Cotton

B&T
=GC=[FO2lt+2Hit] 2ndLT. Blitz
=Bb=[LR1]Sgt. Elfriede
=Gc=[Btl1mm]Sgt. Alfie
[FO-ss+hit]Gunner, Driver, and Loader [Benched for rocket deployment]
[Zday1]White

Etc.
[H]Elizabet
[[M]CO*] VIP. Fierstrom

>Rolling for ghoul bombing
>+30 Terror from Gustav's terror guard

rolled 4 = 4

>>18222728
Edit: Cotton is FO1, G&D&L is FO3. I would delete the post for editing, but no way I'm wasting that 2.

>>18222793
>>18222728

Adjusting tags

Game to Occur Tuesday.

Starstress Rai has graced us with "scouting" data from her recollections.

Note that her last memory of this place was roughly 5 months ago. So size, and even composition of the skylands might change.

>>18223394

Some intel is better than none; at least we have an idea of what terrain we're gonna be fighting in. I can't help but observe one thing: these smaller islands don't look like they're connected. Unless we want our Halberds flying back and forth like armed buses, is there an alternative way to hop about the islands in this little cluster?

>>18225124
Depending on how rapidly the islands move around, perhaps a zcifax can build a bridge or two across?

The center island overhangs the southeastern ones. If islands are in similar enough position once we are deployed, we can rappel down from the higher islands or get any zcifax to construct a tower up from the lower ones.

>>18225976

I noticed too that some of the islands have those odd runes painted on them--they look like arrows, and they're pointing toward different islands or to different parts of the same islands. What significance could they have?

>>18226424
Iceheart looks over the map deep in thought, rapping her fingers against the tabletop. Over in the corner of the tent the crew from one of her tanks stand idly, fiddling with their weapons. "Possibly some sort of jump pads, might be a way they move from island to island? I'll have someone ask the Starstress, see if she might know."

Any room for me on this little excursion?

>>18227358
Of course, just show up these evening, mission is planned to start then.

bump

>>18227400
Awesome, thanks man

Bmup

All players report in, time for roll call

>>18233082
Weizegger reporting in

I am here.

>>18233082
Johann salutes, "Reporting in!"

>>18233082
I am present

Hey

Gus is here.

Reporting in.

>>18151339

"Here I am, Kommandant."

H-here!

Reporting.

>>18233316
here

Here, deploying later into the fight by Doom missile.

>Reporting In

Vicker
=BB=[CO1clt-lt.v+2hp]2ndLt. Reginrave
=Bb= [K3] Weizegger
=Gb= [HD1mg] SSgt. Otso von Claude

Finale
[Is1]Sgt Tao
=Bb=[CO2-c-avs+hp] Sgt. Johann
=BB= [K1] Sgt. Lennox
=Bb=[D2] Gustafo

Blood&Thunder
=GC=[FO2lt+2Hit] 2ndLT. Blitz
=Bb= [LR1] Sgt. Elfriede
=Gc=[Btl1mm]Sgt.Alfie
[Zday1]White
[FO-ss+hit]Gunner, Driver, and Loader

Etc.
[[M]CO*] VIP. Fierstrom
[H]Elizabet

>>18233660
Move out!