[D'rek]

Daily Summary - Day 16

[D'rek]

Role PMs (1/2)

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Xia

Emurlahn (Mentalist) - Yuan Tan

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 01:55 PM, said:

Role: Yuan Tan
Role Type: Emperor
Faction: Xia
Title: Emperor of Xia
Starting Location: Luo Yang

Yuan Shao was the greatest warlord in the waning days of the Han. He rescued and reestablished the court, conquered foes in all directions and reformed internal affairs. The Emperor, seeing the greatness of Shao and his own lack of merit, wisely begged Shao to succeed the Han as the new Son of Heaven. After the third time the Emperor offered, Shao respectfully agreed and the world rejoiced for the new age of wonder to be born. Alas, not even the Son of Heaven may live forever. Rule of the Xia has passed to Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan. With great support from the populace, Emperor Yuan Tan has decreed that he will finish his father's dream and unite north, west and south into one great Xia Dynasty.

Abilities:

Reports from the Field - Every Dawn you receive the role names and locations of all Xia Dynasty Prime Ministers, Civil Officials and Military Officers.

Exemplary Service to the Xia - You know your Prime Minister, Shen Pei, is Kessobahn and he knows you.

Imperial Guards - You have a one-time BP which protects you from all actions that would kill you on a single night. This ability auto-activates and you will be told when it is used up.

Healing Catapults - Each night you may target one Location. If there is at least one Xia player in that Location, all players there will be Healed. This ability cannot be Blocked.

Arrange Blood-Oath (one-time only) - Choose any two role names, alts or one of each. If role names, you must have gained the information that they exist and are still alive via PM or in the game-thread (ie: reading the character list and guessing is no good). If they correctly correspond to two living players, these two players become lovers. You cannot use this ability on yourself or Shen Pei. This action cannot be Blocked or Guarded. You can use this ability at any time.

Kessobahn (Obdigore) - Shen Pei

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 01:55 PM, said:

Role: Shen Pei
Role Type: Prime Minister
Faction: Xia
Title: King of Zhong
Starting Location: Luo Yang

Shen Pei is the brains behind the brawn, a master strategist, minister and advisor. Enemy soldiers throw down their weapons and flee upon news that Shen Pei has devised the Xia tactics for an upcoming battle.

Abilities:

Exemplary Service to the Xia - You know Yuan Tan is Emurlahn and he knows you.

Mastery - You win all Duels and Debates.

Spy Network - Each night you may do one of the following:
>> Pick any Location. You will hear all Notices from that Location the following day.
or
>>
Send a message of up to 100 characters to Yuan Tan (he will get it at Dawn)
This action cannot be Blocked or Guarded.



Defence of the Realm - Each night you may use one of the following abilities:
Find (std)
Guard (std)
Heal (std)

Omtose (Vengeance) - Qu Yi

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 01:56 PM, said:

Role: Qu Yi
Role Type: Assassin
Faction: Xia
Title: -none-
Starting Location: Luo Yang

He's an assassin. He assassinates people.


Abilities:

Service to the Xia - You know Yuan Tan is Emurlahn.

Infiltration - You can move to any location, regardless of other players' positions. (Note: as a result you do not prevent any other players from moving)

Find (std) - you can perform a standard Find every night.

Espionage - Activate this ability on any night and you will receive at Dawn a list of the Alts of all players in your current Location. This ability cannot be Blocked or Guarded.

Assassinate - Target any player. If they are in your Location, you kill them. This ability cannot be Blocked.

You can only use one of Espionage and Assassinate each night.

Atrahal (Bubba) - Peng Ji

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 01:59 PM, said:

Role: Peng Ji
Role Type:
Faction: Xia
Title: Imperial Libationer
Starting Location: He Fei



Abilities:

Service to the Xia - You know Yuan Tan is Emurlahn.


You are currently a ____________

You may change between Civil Official and Military Officer during the Day if you are in the same Location as Yuan Tan (only once per day).


Abilities while you are a Civil Official:

Find (std)
Guard (std)


Abilities while you are a Military Officer:

Heal (std)
Kill (std)

Tiamatha (Edrigan) - Cen Pi

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 01:58 PM, said:

Role: Cen Pi
Role Type: Civil/Military
Faction: Xia
Title: General of Chariots and Cavalry
Starting Location: Xin Du




Abilities:

Service to the Xia - You know Yuan Tan is Emurlahn.


You are currently a ____________

You may change between Civil Official and Military Officer during the Day if you are in the same Location as Yuan Tan (only once per day).


Abilities while you are a Civil Official:

Find (std)
Guard (std)


Abilities while you are a Military Officer:

Heal (std)
Kill (std)

Hood's Path (MTS) - Yan Liang

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 01:56 PM, said:

Role: Yan Liang
Role Type:
Faction: Xia
Title: Chief Field Marshall
Starting Location: Chang An

Yan Liang was one of Yuan Shao's top generals throughout Shao's career, from the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the southern campaigns into Jing. His courage, intellect and martial prowess are unquestionable, no matter his age.


Abilities:

Service to the Xia - You know Yuan Tan is Emurlahn.


You are currently a ____________

You may change between Civil Official and Military Officer during the Day if you are in the same Location as Yuan Tan (only once per day).


Abilities while you are a Civil Official:

Find (std)
Guard (std)


Abilities while you are a Military Officer:

Heal (std)
Kill (std)

Lu


Osseric (Jump Around) - Zhang Xiu

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:02 PM, said:

Role: Zhang Xiu
Role Type: Emperor
Faction: Lu
Title: Emperor of Lu
Starting Location: Han Zhong

Zhang Xiu is the nephew of Zhang Ji, a lieutenant of Dong Zhuo who became a major warlord in the north-west. Zhang Xiu was an accomplished officer under Zhang Ji. After Zhang Ji was killed by Ma Teng's forces, Zhang Xiu took control. Though the Emperor and court hated Zhang Ji for his abuses of the court with Fan Chou, chasing off Ma Teng earned Yuan Shao's favour. Without fear of a court-sanctioned invasion to his rear, Zhang Xiu conquered the land from Chang An to Cheng Du, far surpassing his uncle's legacy. Now past the prime of his life, it is time for to crush his rivals so he can retire as the first Emperor of a world-uniting Lu Dynasty.

Abilities:

Reports from the Field - Every Dawn you receive the role names and locations of all Lu Dynasty Prime Ministers, Civil Officials and Military Officers.

Exemplary Service to the Lu - You know your Prime Minister, Jia Xu, is Galain and he knows you.

Old Friend - Whenever you are in Han Zhong, you can communicate off-thread with Jia Xu.

Imperial Guards - You have a one-time BP which protects you from all actions that would kill you on a single night. This ability auto-activates and you will be told when it is used up.

Suppression - Each night you may target a Location. If there is at least one Lu player in it, all players in the Location will be Guarded. This ability cannot be Blocked.

Avalanche (one time use) - You may activate this ability on any night. The following day, enemy players will be unable to move out of He Fei or Yong An. This action cannot be Blocked or Guarded.

Galain (Kurt Montandon) - Jia Xu

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:02 PM, said:

Role: Jia Xu
Role Type: Prime Minister
Faction: Lu
Title: Esteemed Chancellor
Starting Location: Han Zhong

Having served Zhang Ji before Zhang Xiu himself was old enough, Jia Xu is the senior-most official in the Lu kingdom. Old and frail, but still sharp of mind, Jia Xu is Zhang Xiu's closest advisor. He has expertly advised Xiu on military and civil affairs for over (((______num)) years.


Abilities:

Exemplary Service to the Lu - You know Zhang Xiu is Osseric and he knows you.

Old and Frail - You cannot leave Han Zhong.

Old Friend - Whenever Zhang Xiu is in Han Zhong, the two of you can communicate off-thread.

Augment - Each night you may target a player. If they are a member of the Lu faction, any standard Night Actions they perform that night cannot be Blocked. You may not target yourself.

Defence of the Realm - Each night you may use one of the following abilities:
Find (std)
Guard (std)
Heal (std)

Thyrllan (King Lear) - Lady Zou

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:03 PM, said:

Role: Lady Zou
Role Type: Lover
Faction: Lu
Title: -none-
Starting Location: Tian Shui

Lady Zou is the widowed wife of Zhang Ji, cared for by Zhang Xiu since Ji's death. She has an extensive network of contacts and spies throughout the Lu and beyond.

Abilities:

Service to the Lu - You know Zhang Xiu is Osseric.

Sultry Affair - Each night you may establish 1 and break 1 Lover connection to any other player. You can only have up to 2 Lover connections at a time. This ability cannot be Blocked or Guarded.

Forgery - Each Day you may forge one secret message of up to 100 characters and send it to any non-Lu player of your choice. The message will only fail if you send it to a Lu player, but you will not be told of its success/failure. You may say whatever you want in it, except for claiming it is a message directly from Path-Shaper. The recipient will not be told who the message comes from.

Ruse (Shinrei) - Wei Xu

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:08 PM, said:

Role: Wei Xu
Role Type: Civil/Military
Faction: Lu
Title: General of Divine Might
Starting Location: Yong An



Abilities:

Service to the Lu- You know Zhang Xiu is Osseric.


You are currently a ____________

You may change between Civil Official and Military Officer during the Day if you are in the same Location as Zhang Xiu (only once per day).


Abilities while you are a Civil Official:

Find (std)
Guard (std)


Abilities while you are a Military Officer:

Heal (std)
Kill (std)

Rashan (Gust Hubb) - Zhuge Jin

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:08 PM, said:

Role: Zhuge Jin
Role Type: Civil/Military
Faction: Lu
Title: Chief Minister who Promotes the People
Starting Location: Tian Shui



Abilities:

Service to the Lu - You know Zhang Xiu is Osseric.


You are currently a ____________

You may change between Civil Official and Military Officer during the Day if you are in the same Location as Zhang Xiu (only once per day).


Abilities while you are a Civil Official:

Find (std)
Guard (std)


Abilities while you are a Military Officer:

Heal (std)
Kill (std)

Gamelon (Sir Thursday) - Ma Liang

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:08 PM, said:

Role: Ma Liang
Role Type: Civil/Military
Faction: Lu
Title: General who Defends the North
Starting Location: Chang An



Abilities:

Service to the Lu- You know Zhang Xiu is Osseric.


You are currently a ____________

You may change between Civil Official and Military Officer during the Day if you are in the same Location as Zhang Xiu (only once per day).


Abilities while you are a Civil Official:

Find (std)
Guard (std)


Abilities while you are a Military Officer:

Heal (std)
Kill (std)

This post has been edited by Path-Shaper: 20 October 2011 - 11:53 PM

[D'rek]

Role PMs (2/2)


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Yan


Tennes (The Dude) - Huang Zhong

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:28 PM, said:

Role: Huang Zhong
Role Type: Emperor
Faction: Yan
Title: Emperor of Yan
Starting Location: Jiang Xia

A former general of Han Xuan, Huang Zhong fled into the wilderness with his troops after Han Xuan's death, then began accumulating his own power in Jing. Soon he became a more powerful warlord than Han Xuan had even been. His lack of funds and forces hindered his ablity to recruit soldiers, but his noble character attracted numerous skilled officers to his cause. His good reputation with the common people gained him favur with the court, but when he joined Liu Bei's plot against Yuan Shao it began a fierce rivalry that would span decades and thousands of li.

Abilities:

Reports from the Field - Every Dawn you receive the role names and locations of all Yan Dynasty Prime Ministers, Civil Officials and Military Officers.

Exemplary Service to the Yan - You know your Prime Minister, Wei Yan, is Barghast and he knows you.

Imperial Guards - You have a one-time BP which protects you from all actions that would kill you on a single night. This ability auto-activates and you will be told when it is used up.

Illumination - Each night you may target a Location. If there is at least one Yan player in the Location, all players in the Location will receive at Dawn a list of Alts that were in the Location that night.

Emergency Fleet (one-time use, Day Ability) - Pick any Location. All Yan players are moved there and cannot use Move or Notice for the rest of that Day.

Barghast (Tapper) - Wei Yan

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:31 PM, said:

Role: Wei Yan
Role Type: Prime Minister
Faction: Yan
Title: Chief High Pimp-Minister of Badass
Starting Location: Jiang Xia

Wei Yan was a fellow general of Huang Zhong under Han Xuan and joined Zhong's band in the wilderness after Han Xuan's death. The two swore a blood-oath to be brothers and have rarely ever been apart since.


Abilities:

Exemplary Service to the Yan - You know Huang Zhong is Tennes and he knows you.

Detailed Report - Every Dawn Huang Zhong will receive a list of all roles present at your Location

Fearsome Reputation - Each night, pick any 2 standard Night Actions (Heal, Guard, Find, Kill). You block both. (No point in picking Heal - it never blocks)

Defence of the Realm - Each night you may use one of the following abilities:
Find (std)
Guard (std)
Heal (std)
--You do not Block with this ability unless it is also one of the abilities chosen in Fearsome Reputation.

Meanas / Mockra (Khellendros) - Meng Huo / Lady Zhurong

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:33 PM, said:

Role: Meng Huo / Zhu Rong
Role Type: Nanman
Faction: Yan
Title: King of Kings of the Nanman / Queen of the Nanman
Starting Location: Eight Fan

The Nanman King of Kings, Meng Huo, fought the southern expansion of the Yan for years. After Gu Yong captured and released him seven times, he pledged his loyalty to Huang Zhong and the Yan. Now he leads his elephant-mounted warriors againt the foes of Yan to show his gratitude to the Yan.

Zhu Rong, wife of Meng Huo, is said to be a descendant of Zhurong, the ancient Goddess of Fire. True or not, Zhu Rong certainly has a fiery temper and is not afraid to show it on the battlefield. Since Meng Huo did so poorly against the Yan while she stayed at home, she's determined to keep her husband from making a fool of himself on the battlefield again this time.

Abilities:

Contractors for the Yan - You know the Prime Minister Wei Yan is Barghast.

Warrior Duo - You control 2 alts, Meng Huo (Meanas) and Zhu Rong (Mockra). Each night, each alt may use any of the standard Night Actions (Heal, Guard, Find, Kill). Both alts may not use the same ability. The alts may use abilities on each other, but not on themselves. Each alt may Move independently during the day and act independently of the other alt.

Say That to Her Face - Zhu Rong has 0 vote power - her vote will not affect the lynch.

For Better or For Worse - When either of your alts dies, they both die.

Silanah (JLV) - Gu Yong

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:36 PM, said:

Role: Gu Yong
Role Type: Civil/Military
Faction: Yan
Title: Imperial Tutor
Starting Location: Yong An


Abilities:

Service to the Yan - You know Huang Zhong is Tennes.


You are currently a ____________

You may change between Civil Official and Military Officer during the Day if you are in the same Location as Huang Zhong (only once per day).


Abilities while you are a Civil Official:

Find (std)
Guard (std)


Abilities while you are a Military Officer:

Heal (std)
Kill (std)

Serc (ansible) - He Qi

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:39 PM, said:

Role: He Qi
Role Type: Civil/Military
Faction: Yan
Title: General Who Tames the Deep
Starting Location: He Fei


Abilities:

Service to the Yan - You know Huang Zhong is Tennes.


You are currently a ____________

You may change between Civil Official and Military Officer during the Day if you are in the same Location as Huang Zhong (only once per day).


Abilities while you are a Civil Official:

Find (std)
Guard (std)


Abilities while you are a Military Officer:

Heal (std)
Kill (std)

Sorrit (Tattersail) - Ma Zhong

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:38 PM, said:

Role: Ma Zhong
Role Type: Civil/Military
Faction: Yan
Title: General Who Preserves the Realm
Starting Location: Jiang Xia


Abilities:

Service to the Yan - You know Huang Zhong is Tennes.


You are currently a ____________

You may change between Civil Official and Military Officer during the Day if you are in the same Location as Huang Zhong (only once per day).


Abilities while you are a Civil Official:

Find (std)
Guard (std)


Abilities while you are a Military Officer:

Heal (std)
Kill (std)

White Riders


Karosis (dktorode) - Gongsun Zan

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 06:04 PM, said:

Role: Gongsun Zan
Role Type: Warlord
Faction: White Riders
Title: Chieftain of the White Riders, Warlord of the Far North
Starting Location: Xin Du

Gongsun Zan's last invasion stalled and failed. Will this one?

Abilities:

Galloping Messengers - You may communicate off-thread with Zhao Yun (Korlat) at all times.

Heal (std)

Selfish - You can use your Heal on yourself.

Vengeance - When Zhao Yun dies, you acquire his Kill ability. You can only use one of Kill and Heal in the same night.

Empowered - If you move to Luo Yang before any other non-Xia and non-White Rider player moves to Luo Yang throughout the game, you immediately gain a 1-time BP. All Gongsun Zan players have this ability.

Korlat (Mott) - Zhao Yun

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 06:04 PM, said:

Role: Zhao Yun
Role Type: Champion
Faction: White Riders
Title: -none-
Starting Location: Xin Du

Gongsun Zan's combat, Zhao Yun's reputation for noble but unstoppable skill in combat began at an early age. Though he has lived a long life, he has maintained a youthful appearance and shows no signs of retiring.

Abilities:

Galloping Messengers - You may communicate off-thread with Zhao Yun (Korlat) at all times.

Kill (std)

Empowered - If you move to Luo Yang before any other non-Xia and non-White Rider player moves to Luo Yang throughout the game, you immediately gain a 1-time BP. All Gongsun Zan players have this ability.

Xiliang

Okaros (Trull's Son) - Ma Chao

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 06:05 PM, said:

Role: Ma Chao
Role Type: Warlord
Faction: Xiliang
Title: Guanxi Warlord
Starting Location: Tian Shui

The son of Ma Teng, Ma Chao now leads Teng's former forces in a renewed assault upon the Lu Dynasty. Defeat or drive out the Lu and the nine provinces will be open to your pillaging horde.

Abilities:

United Force - You know that Pang De is Kaschan and Ma Dai is Sheltatha Lore. They each know you and each other. You all start in Tian Shui.

Heal (std)

Selfish - You can use your Heal on yourself.

Vengeance - When Pang De and Ma Dai have died, you acquire a Kill (std) ability. You can only use one of Kill and Heal in the same night.

Empowered - If you move to Han Zhong before any other non-Lu and non-Ma Chao player moves to Han Zhong throughout the game, you immediately gain a 1-time BP. All Ma Chao players have this ability.

Kaschan (Gwynn) - Pang De

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 06:05 PM, said:

Role: Pang De
Role Type: Champion
Faction: Xiliang (Ma Chao)
Title: -none-
Starting Location: Tian Shui

A fierce warrior who served Ma Teng and now serves Ma Chao, said to be unbeatable in a fair fight.

Abilities:

United Force - You know that Ma Chao is Okaros and Ma Dai is Sheltatha Lore. They each know you and each other. You all start in Tian Shui.

Kill (std) << you share this ability with Ma Dai, alternating each night which of you gets to use it. You can use it on odd-numbered nights only.

Empowered - If you move to Han Zhong before any other non-Lu and non-Ma Chao player moves to Han Zhong throughout the game, you immediately gain a 1-time BP. All Ma Chao players have this ability.

Sheltatha Lore (HiddenOne) - Ma Dai

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 06:05 PM, said:

Role: Ma Dai
Role Type: Champion
Faction: Xiliang (Ma Chao)
Title: -none-
Starting Location: Tian Shui

Ma Chao's cousin, a master of unorthodox combat revered by his men.


Abilities:

United Force - You know that Ma Chao is Okaros and Pang De is Kaschan. They each know you and each other. You all start in Tian Shui.

Kill (std) << you share this ability with Pang De, alternating each night which of you gets to use it. You can use it on even-numbered nights only.

Empowered - If you move to Han Zhong before any other non-Lu and non-Ma Chao player moves to Han Zhong throughout the game, you immediately gain a 1-time BP. All Ma Chao players have this ability.

Jin

Telas (Morgoth) - Sima Yi

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 02:34 PM, said:

Role: Sima Yi
Role Type: Usurper
Faction: TBD (hidden: Jin)
Title: unknown
Starting Location: -none-

You are Sima Yi, a high-ranking civil official, military advisor and master strategist in one of the three kingdoms.


Currently:

-You have no location.
-You are immune to all NAs.
-You cannot perform any NAs or DAs.
-You can still be lynched.


On any Day of your choosing, pick one of the three kingdoms (Xia, Lu or Yan). The Emperor of that kingdom must still be alive. You will immediately join their faction (while still truly being loyal only to yourself) and will be moved to their capital location. It will be announced on-thread that Sima Yi has begun usurping a kingdom (but not which one).



Once you have joined a kingdom:

You become a member of that faction and will appear as such in relation to all abilities except for any abilities that would automatically reavel you to the Emperor or Prime Minister (if they have abilities which report on their underlings).

You may use the Move and Notice abilities during the Day. Your movement is restricted the same as for any player in your new faction.

Recruit - Each night you may choose a player to recruit. If the player is in your location or a location adjacent to yours, they will secretly become loyal to you and learn your identity, but their abilities and reported faction will not change. You will learn whether you succeeded or failed at recruiting, and if successful you learn the role name of the player. This ability does not work on Emperors, Prime Ministers or Warlords.

Talent - You have a one-time BP which preserves your life for a single night against all fatal attacks. It auto-activates and you will be told when it is used up.



When your Emperor dies:

You become Emperor of Jin. All players you previously recruited become part of the Jin faction, and their location changes and other effects are now Jin-influenced accordingly.

You may no longer use Recruit.
You do not lose Talent if it has not yet been activated.

You gain the following night abilities, and may use one of them each night:

Reports from the Field - Every Dawn you receive the role names and locations of all Jin Dynasty players.

Kill (std)

Guard (std)

Eight Gate Formation - Select another player. If they are in your location, ALL actions against you will target them instead. (Note: this will redirect, but not confuse finds: if you are Alkend and you target Omtose, a finder will learn that "Omtose is ______")

You can only use 1 of Kill, Guard and EGF each night.

This post has been edited by Path-Shaper: 20 October 2011 - 11:53 PM

[D'rek]

Scene Collection (1/3)

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Day 1 - Lynch Scene

Quote

With reports flooding in of war preparations in Xia and Yan, the Emperor of Lu, Zhang Xiu, summoned all those could spare time from their duties to court for a council on how best to defeat the two other kingdoms. A senior general, Song Xian, said "If we commit ourselves to battling Xia in the northern slopes, our armies cannot be quickly recalled should Yan boats race up the river into our kingdom. If we send our troops on ships into the east, our soldiers will be ill-prepared should they need to suddenly return home and fight on land against the Xia. Why risk ourselves fighting one or the other? Send an envoy to the Yan emperor suggesting a joint attack against Xia to begin immediately. They're forces will quickly engage the enemy while our armies slowly traverse the northern mountains, giving us plenty of excuse to wait it out and see which side is winning before we pluck our advantage from between them."

"This is wise counsel," said Zhang Xiu, "but who among us can serve as envoy to Huang Zhong?" "No man can accomplish this but Ma Liang," replied the council. So Zhang Xiu entitled Ma Liang as Master of Ceremonies and sent him to Jiang Xia. Upon arriving in Jiang Xia, Ma Liang felt so confident in his position as emissary that he did not come down from his carriage after passing through the capital gates. The Yan general, He Qi, who was prone to bouts of rage, was furious and shouted at him, "There can be no disrespect in ceremonies, nor levity in protocol. What are these high and might ways? Don't think the Yan is a kingdom without swords!" So saying, he pulled out his sword and thrust it through the wall of the carriage into Ma Liang's chest.

The alliance talks broke down rapidly after that...

Gamelon (Sir Thursday) is dead. He was Ma Liang, a Civil Officer and Governor of Tian Shui/Master of Ceremonies of the Lu Dynasty.

Night 1 - End of Night

Quote

The first year of renewed hostilities saw little actual bloodshed. Armies massed at every border, defensive barricades were erected, spies performed reconaissance deep within enemy territory and resources were accumulated at strategic points. Both Zhang Xiu and Yuan Tan were plagued by news of renewed fighting along their outer borders, including many reports of enemy attempts to penetrate deep into the center of each kingdom.

The atmosphere was oppressive, with the constant feeling day after day that a storm was just over the horizon.

Night is over. No one has died.

Day 2 - Serc is lynched

Quote

After Ma Liang's death, alliance talks broke down between the Lu and Yan. Yuan Tan, seizing this opportunity, had large forces of cavalry and light infantry moved to Tong Pass and Ru Nan in secret over the winter. In the spring of 226 AD, these armies made a series of rapid marches into unprepared enemy territory. At Chang An, the infantry scaled the walls, opened the gates and routed the defenders completely. The armies in Ru Nan launched numerous guerilla assaults across the border, stealing supplies and burning farms near Xin Ye, Gu Shi and Shi Ting.

That summer, the general He Qi was in Jiang Xia recovering from an illness he had received on the front lines. When news of the northern troubles reached Huang Zhong, he summoned He Qi and told him "Your lack of temper in killing Ma Liang has brought the Xia armies down on us before we were prepared and we cannot turn to the Lu for assistance. It is only fitting that then that you lead the vanguard of the northern army into Ru Nan and destroy these guerilla fighters' base of operations." The court physicians cried out and told the court that He Qi could not go due to his illness, but the general brushed their concerns aside and set out the next morning. Each day He Qi's condition grew worse until he fell off his horse 30 li south of Ping Yuan. His commanders stopped the army to let him recuperate, but after two days he passed away.

Serc (ansible) is dead. He was He Qi, General Who Tames the Deep, a Civil Officer of the Yan Dynasty.

Night 2 - Telas joins the Yan

Quote

It is the midsummer's eve of 226 AD. By the Xia calendar, it is the 2nd reign year of Tai He ("Virtuous Growth"). By the Lu calendar, the 9th year of Huang Wu ("Prosperous Harmony"). By the Yan calendar, the 4th year of Jian Xing "Avenging Flame".

Despite the wars raging through town and city alike, the court and common folk alike take time to celebrate midsummer with festivities raging long into the night. In one city, a prominent high minister is whispering to his sons before they head off to separate court officials' parties: "What we are about to begin may quickly spell our doom, but if we succeed our glory will rise to the heavens. Be cautious, but do not falter."

His eldest son, Shi, replies "Do not worry father, I shall be as discreet as a snake but as steadfast as the dragon." His younger son, Zhao, added "But it is the phoenix that spurns us, rising from its own ashes just as we shall bring the return of the Han."

Sima Yi smiled. "The return of the Han? I suppose that is one way of phrasing it..."

Sima Yi, a high minister of one of the middle kingdoms, has begun searching for followers to his secret cause.

Night 2 - End of Night 2

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The Yan ruler, irate at being roused in the middle of the night, eyed the dishevelled and poorly dressed man accompanying his general disapprovingly. "And what, exactly, is this dirty peasant supposed to do for us, general?" "My lord, this is Guan Lu, the famed diviner of heaven's secrets and master of the stars. He sees events and people far away. He's already described for me the Lu emperor's castle defenses at Han Zhong!" Suspicious but intrigued, Huang Zhong asked Guan Lu to describe portentious events occuring in the world.

The mystic, who spoke only in riddles as mystics are wont to do, said to Zhong "A winged shadow descends upon a deserted village. Is it surprised? In the ancient capital, a man swallows and chokes on a phoenix. He dies and is born anew, but perhaps there are some who can tell the difference. The oxen charge against the wall again and again but they cannot find the door handle."

Huang Zhong, unimpressed, dismissed his general and returned to bed.

Night 2 is ended. No one died.

Day 3 - Tiam is lynched

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By the beginning of the summer of Tai He 3, Xia forces were firmly entrenched in Chang An. Reports from the southern border detailed numerous victories over Yan armies and the border with Liu Yao's was quiet as alawys. At Shen Pei's suggestion, Yuan Tan summoned his generals to Luo Yang to discuss the next major offensive. The assembly gasped when the high-ranking general Cen Pi appeared at the entrance.

"We are honoured that the veteran general has come to educate us on matters of strategy," the other commanders said, "but what able general have you found that you could leave in charge of such a great responsibility as the entire northern border?" Cen Pi laughed and said "Gentlemen, rest your fears! Gongsun Zan's rabble has not moved even a span south in over fifteen years! Furthermore, His Excellency's own brother, the Prince of Xin Zhou, was eager to serve the dynasty by temporarily taking charge of my soldiers."

"What idiocy!" came a cry from the rear entrance of the chamber. The Emperor stepped in from the doorway "My brother Shang is a craven and selfish man who knows as much about military affairs as he does of farming. Your army, general, will be completely drunk in three days, then dead of dysentry in three days more."

Cen Pi, realizing his error, begged leave to return north and immediately fled the capital. His retinue only made it to the river crossing at Chao Ge. As Pi stepped off the river ferry, he was met by a man riding a silver horse and bearing a spear eleven spans long. The man may once have had a youthful and handsome appearance, but now his skin was hard and his face was wrinkled.

Cen Pi said "You sure got old."

The man replied "You sure got dead." and thrust his spear into Cen Pi's torso.

Tiamatha (Edrigan) is dead. He was Cen Pi, General of Chariots and Cavalry, a Civil Official of the Xia Dynasty.

Night 3 - end of Night 3

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It is a year of chaos for the middle kingdoms. Armies trample farms as they march back and forth across the land. Enemies arrive where they are least expected, but disappear before one can swing a sword at them. Heroes are everywhere, but so is the plague. It is a time when those in power must make hard decisions.

In Xia, Gongsun Kang appears outside the walls of Luo Yang to denounce the Emperor and flees before the capital army can respond. Forces gather to chase down the Gongsuns but the Emperor also sends out a different sort of solution. In the west, Zhang Xiu is faced with the enormous Yan fleet in front and Ma Chao's legions of cavalry advancing from behind. Caught between the two, he must choose which border to preserve and which to let fall. The Yan armies, expecting an overwhelming victory on their borders and to rush into the enemy kingdoms are stalled by the enemy fortresses and are forced to settle in for what could be a very long siege.

In a tower in the remote city of Shang Jun, the deposed Emperor Xian watches distant fires rage as he reads news from the realm, brought to him by a few loyal informants. "Well fuck, glad I'm not you guys." he says, before heading back inside to "meditate" with the former Empress.

Oh, and also Zhuge Jin dies.

Rashan (Gust Hubb) is dead. He was Zhuge Jin, Chief Minister who Promotes the People, a Military Officer of the Lu Dynasty.

Day 4 - Tennes uses Emergency Fleet to take all Yan to Xin Du

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In the summer of Jian Xing 6 (by the Yan calendar), Lu, Yan and Xia were all engaged in battle for northern Jing. Eventually, the Yan forces around Xiang Yang withdrew, leaving Lu and Xia to fight over the city. The next afternoon, clear and sunny, saw both Lu and Xia soldiers alike scaling the walls of Xiang Yang. Shortly after noon, news spread like wildfire throughout the city - soldiers on the walls could see hundreds of ships sailing up the Chang Jiang and the Yan army crossing land to meet it at the shore.

The generals of both sides were skeptical, knowing the Yan did not have any such naval force. When the generals themselves panicked upon seeing the fleet, the soldiers threw away their weapons and deserted the city. With no Lu or Xia to witness, the ships came to shore, but not a single reinforcement stepped out. Instead, the entire Yan army boarded this third of Liu Yao's navy and the ships sailed away again...

Day 4 - Osseric is lynched

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From Chang An to Cheng Du, the citizens of Lu were dressed all in white. Day-to-day work did not cease, but was performed without a single unnecessary word spoken. Aged scholars and children alike wept openly and shook their fists at the heavens.

The Emperor was dead.

The mountains of Lu had kept out the Xia legions, Yan ships and Xiliang hordes, but could do nothing to hold back fate itself. In 228 AD, the 11th year of Huang Wu, Zhang Xiu's favourite horse, who had fought beneath him in battles for decades as its father before it had, suddenly reared and charged while Xiu was nearing the gates of Cheng Du. Xiu was thrown, struck his head and lost consciousness for five days.

The generals accompanying the empeor, Song Xian and Hou Xuan, saw the horse's charge as an omen of warning. While Hou Xuan tended the Emperor, Song Xian entered Cheng Du and slew the appointed governor, Liu Zhang. They then brought the Emperor into the city and personally guarded his door day and night, as well as sending out a call for a skilled physician.

It so happened that the famous physician Hua Tuo was in the region. The generals allowed Tuo to observe the Emperor and he immediately observed "His Excellency received only a light bump on the head. Ordinarily he would have recovered within a day, but there is a tumor growing in the left hemisphere of his brain, right where he struck the ground. I will require a sharp, narrow knife to cut open his skull and remove the tumor, after which he will awaken healthier than before." Song Xian shouted "What madness! You propose to cut through Hix Excellency's skull?! You must be a secret Xia agent like Liu Bei tried to use on Yuan Shao!" Hou Xuan hefted his spear and killed the protesting physician immediately.

The next day, the ministers, generals and other high officials arrived from Han Zhong. Aghast at the killing of Hua Tuo, they had Song Xian and Hou Xuan seized and placed in jail. The Emperor awoke, weak but still sharp of mind. He had a private conversation relating to the succession with the Prime Minister and the Empress Dowager, Lady Zou, before summoning the court back to his bedroom. Alas, before the court could assemble the Emperor had already expired, leaving the question of a legitimate heir unanswered. The Prime Minister bid all officials return to their posts and exercise extra vigilance in the kingdom's time of grief and weakness.

Osseric (Jump Around) is dead. He was Zhang Xiu, Emperor of the Lu Dynasty.

Night 4 - end of night

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A great battle has begun in Luo Yang. Squadrons of the White Riders charge the defenses of cities like Luo Yang, Xu Chang and Hong Nong. But the old adage that horses cannot climb walls holds true, and every attempt to bring forth siege weapons is thwarted by Xia catapults fired from within the cities. The artillery is fired so often that Xia forces can do little but hold their positions, for to step outside their walls would put themselves under fire as well. Teams of elite commandos are sent out from Luo Yang under cover of darkness. Some are caught and trampled by Gongsun Zan's patrols, but others slip past the barbarian forces, only to be caught and killed by other circumstances...

Night 4 is over. Nobody died.

Day 5 - Meanas is lynched

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The steppes of Bing Zhou, bordered by numerous nomadic cultures, has long been seen as a wild and untamed land where the mightiest man is the one with the mightiest horse. Knowing this, the Lu and Xia dynasties had both garrisoned numerous cavalry squadrons in their Bing Zhou cities and spent vast quantities of gold to foster the capture and training of the plains' wild horses. In the wake of Ma Chao's incursion from Wu Wei, his ally King Midang of the Qiang brought his barbaric warriors riding across Bing Zhou to suppress the garrisons and trade routes of the region. Once Ma Chao had advanced to Tian Shui and began harassing Han Zhong, Zhang Xiu's ally Liu Bao of Xiongnu himself rode out. A great war of raids and ambushes began between the two mounted cultures, as Qiang and Xiongnu fought across the entirety of the steppes. Those in the middle kingdoms might think that each was supporting his ally, but in truth it was a resolution of generations of dispute over which culture was superior.

Into this fray, Huang Zhong sent his Nanman allies under the command of Meng Huo, the King of Kings. On a bright afternoon in 229 AD, King Midang and Liu Bao's personal armies clashed in the hills south of the great wall and each side strained to prove that the horses of their people were superior. As the battle raged, suddenly the earth began to shake and stones began to fall from the hills. Warriors on both sides were thrown as their horses reared and fled. Liu Bao and Midang, less a bowshot apart, faced one another, then turned towards the eastern hill where the tremors were growing louder and louder. Cresting the ridge and then pouring into the valley came a line of elephants, all twice the height of the tallest horse. Mounted on the grey beasts were warriors painted with savage patterns, firing crude bamboo arrows and javelins.

The elephant charge flattened the first ranks of horsemen but the remainder broke ranks and fled up the valley sides. At both the northern and southern summits, Midang and Liu Bao each found the remainder of their forces arriving as reinforcements. Each then lead their own charge back down into the valley, and from there a bloodbath ensued. Men were trampled beneath the feet of elephants while others leaped off their mounts with daggers to climb up the elephants sides and throw the riders off. Rider-less horses and elephants alike ran crazed through the press knocking men aside. A lithe Nanman woman was spotted running through the chaos, dodging under the stomachs of horses and elephants alike, tossing daggers in every direction which invariably ended in a Qiang or Xiongnu throat. Liu Bao personally lead a charge into the center of the Nanman line and rammed his horse into Meng Huo's mount, knocking the elephant off its feet. The Nanman king, enraged, grabbed two of Liu Bao's bodyguards by the necks and beat the Xiongnu leader to death with them. King Midang, seeing the Nanman leader distracted, rode closer and shot an arrow through Meng Huo's throat. Before Midang could ride off, the Nanman woman tackled him off his horse and planted a knife through his eye, and then she was run down by Midang's trailing bodyguards.

In the end, neither Qiang horse, Xiongnu steed nor Nanman elephant proved itself the superior mount. The weighing of the scales had cost all three forces the entirety of themselves.

Meanas (Khellendaros) is dead. He was Meng Huo, King of Kings, a Nanman of the Yan Dynasty.
Mockra (Khellendaros) is dead. He was Zhu Rong, Queen, a Nanman of the Yan Dynasty.

Night 5 - end of night

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The middle of a battle was not usually seen as the best place for a political discussion, but Ma Zhong was confident enough in his martial skill to divert some attention to another commander who approached. "What you say may be true, sir, but there are definitive tactical benefits that we have gained from this manoeuvre as well." "But why here? This same thing could have been launched from Jian Ye, Shou Chun, even Xiang Yang! If Liu Yao does not return, there is no way out by sea." "Then we shall cut our way out by land, with spear, dagger and tooth! Besides, Liu Yao has been our ally for decades, he would not turn on us now." "For decades indeed. He presents himself well when visitors are present, but outside the public eye he has become old and crippled. If he dies, will his successor still help us?"

Unfortunately, the discussion ended there. Ma Zhong, confident of his martial abilities indeed, had remained out of range of any of the enemy soldiers. He had not noticed the arrival of general Yan Liang, who could wield a longbow 8 spans tall, nor had he noticed the general stringing, nocking or firing the bow. He most certainly noticed the arrow embedding itself in Zhong's gut, after which he toppled from the saddle before he could give response to the other commander.

Sorrit (Tattersail) is dead. He was Ma Zhong, General Who Preserves the Realm, a Civil Officer of the Yan Dynasty.

Day 6 - Omtose is lynched

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It had taken five years. It had forced him to spend uncountable nights soaked in the rain and cold. He had hunted down and killed the guilty and innocent alike both for information and to cover his trail. But now the search was over. After dozens of decoys and lieutenants, this time Qu Yi was sure he had found the target.

The target was meeting with his subordinates. Qu Yi waited half the night before the meeting adjourned and the lights were extinguished. Then he started making his way across the street via rooftops and back alleys. The house had no roof hatch, so he stepped into the chimney and began working his way down the shaft inch by inch. He was nearly at the fireplace when soldiers dashed into the common room, shouting the alarm. The target was roused and immediately began preparing to depart. The mission blwon, Qu Yi began ascending the chimney even slower than he had descended. The inside walls were nearly perfectly flat and climbing up was almost impossible. Inside, the target departed with his men, then ordered his men to burn down the house to conceal any evidence he had left behind.

Qu Yi tried to scramble up the chimney but end up sliding down to the bottom instead. As he rolled out of the fireplace, torches were hurled through the windows and flames sprang up on all sides. Yi had no time for anything but to dive through the side window into the alley. He landed on a cat, which yowled, alerting the soldiers in the street. Before Qu Yi could get up he was pinned back down by arrows from four arbalests and lay in the alley unmoving.

Omtose (Vengeance) is dead. He was Qu Yi, an assassin of the Xia Dynasty.

Night 6 - end of night

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"My lord, is it not time to abandon this course of action? The siege has lasted years! The people outside the walls are struggling to survive and the enemy shows no signs of running out of provisions!"
"Such insolence! I will not let the enemy within range of these walls even if they try for an entire lifetime!"

and out on the western plains...

"Hey, shouldn't you have destroyed the Lu defenses by now? Their Emperor's been dead for years!"
"Sorry, I keep getting distracted banging your sister."
"We're cousins, so that makes her your cousin, you know. Gross."
"Better than our horses!"


Night 6 is over. No one died.

This post has been edited by D'rek: 23 October 2011 - 09:54 PM

[D'rek]

Scene Collection (2/3)

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Day 7 - Galain is lynched

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After the death of Zhang Xiu, affairs in the Lu dynasty slowed to a crawl. By 230 AD, the aged Imperial Secretary had passed away and the Grand Commandant Wei Xu was leading the Lu military forces against the Yan, so the power of the Three Excellencies was consolidated in Jia Xu. Jia Xu, now 84 years of age, could only manage to attend court for a short duration when healthy and was frequently too ill to conduct any affairs of the realm at all. However, his acclaim and rank were so high and well-known that no one at court dared to suggest that a healthier minister act as regent in his stead.

Of the three children Zhang Xiu had borne, two had died in childbirth. Xiu had doted on his surviving daughter and she had often accompanied him to court and even on some military expeditions. But, there being no sons to be Xiu's heir, the matter of succession was unresolved but Jia Xu was unable to exert himself into debating such an emotional issue at court. Thus, no one was raised to the throne for over a year while the court maintained the kingdom. Gradually discontent began to form in the minds of many of the court officials.

In the autumn of 231 AD, Jia Xu grew progressively more feeble until one morning his attendants could not rouse him. A physician was summoned who reported that the Prime Minister had died in his sleep.

Galain (Kurt Montandon) is dead. He was Jia Xu, Esteemed Chancellor, the Prime Minister of the Lu Dynasty.

Night 7 - end of night

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As news of Jia Xu's death spread the following morning, some officials saw that an opportunity for them to assert themselves over the court and kingdom had arrived. Before they could begin gathering their troops, however, a messenger arrived bearing an Imperial summons to the court. "An Imperial summons? What folly! Some lowly commander has declared himself the new Emperor. Let's go along and strike him down by surprise, denouncing him as an usurper. The people will praise us and raise us to the highest Imperial positions themselves!"

At court, all the officials were ushered in to find sitting on the throne Lady Zhang, Zhang Xiu's daughter. Some of the men laughed, some were angered and others contempt. At a signal from Lady Zhang, the officials' entrances were sealed and guards entered from behind the throne to usher the officials to either side. Lady Zhang stepped between the two lines and said "Since the death of my father, this kingdom has grown small, weak and incapable of serving its citizens. Surrounded by enemies and on the verge of a famine, it seems you ministers, commanders, inspectors and dignitaries are incapable of meeting the needs of our great dynasty without proper leadership. The same blood of our August Emperor you served before runs through me and you will continue to serve it." During these words, the Inspector of Yanzhou, Feng Xi, had pushed past the guards and grabbed hold of Lady Zhang's arm, intending to hustle her out for a stern lecture on her place in politics. As soon as he had grabbed hold of her, Lady Zhang whipped out her bodice dagger and with a few strokes Feng Xi's fingers fell to the floor. As the inspector passed out and bled on the floor, Lady Zhang turned back to the assembly "Any questions?" All the officials immediately knelt in fealty and cried "Long live the Empress!"

Feng Xi has lost his fingers and maybe died! He was an NPC I made up for this scene. None of you died.

Day 8 - Ruse is lynched

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What would later come to be known as The Great Siege of Si Zhou had drawn on for years. In Luo Yang, Xu Chang, He Nei and other walled cities the Xia forces held firm and bombarded any enemy approach with catapult fire. The White Riders disappeared into hiding and were only ever seen in their numerous well-executed supply raids and ambushes. The invading Yan armies based themselves out of the conquered Dong Jun and repeated a constant cycle of building siege weapons, attacking Luo Yang or Xu Chang, losing their siege weapons and retreating to build more. Though locked in a bitter struggle with no easy end in sight, each of the three leaders was determined to win through honourable means, without needing to resort to trickery or profit from external influences on their enemies.

On a bright Spring morning in 232 AD, soldiers from all sides of the conflict were shocked to see their respective leaders setting out from their main camps with only a handful of commanders, leaving their bodyguards behind. Each of the three leaders made their way to Wu Chao, on an island located equally distant between all three forces. At Wu Chao, the three leaders met and each confirmed that their scouts had spotted the advance of the Lu Dynsty's central army, now leaving Shou Chun and heading closer. The three leaders, pledging themselves to an honourable and isolated conflict, agreed to each others' terms and departed without a drop of blood being shed.

The next day, at each main camp a general ceasefire was announced lasting one month. Villagers sighed in relief and soldiers cheered and feasted. From each of the main camps an elite force of cavalry and saboteurs set out that very day. The strike forces met near Wu Qing, combined, and headed southeast. A month later, just as the ceasefire was coming to an end, the combined force returned, having ambushed and routed the Lu army.

The task force split, each side returning to its camp, for tomorrow they would be enemies once again.

Ruse (Shinrei) is dead. He was Wei Xu, General of Divine Might, a Military Officer of the Lu Dynasty.

Night 8 - end of night

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After a month of ceasefire, the Yan, Xia and White Riders renewed their war with a great fury. Despite the month's respite, it soon became the bloodiest year of the conflict so far.

Atrahal (Bubba) is dead. He was Peng Ji, Imperial Libationer, a Military Officer of the Xia Dynasty
Silanah (JLV) is dead. She was Gu Yong, Imperial Tutor, a Military Officer of the Yan Dynasty

However, news of these northern battles was completely overshadowed by the events occuring in the west...

Tall, raven-haired, fierce-tempered and usually sitting above a crowd of cowering officials, the spreading word of Lady Zhang's ascension was confident in her ability to rule rather than doubting her competence. The general populace gossiped with great enthusiasm about what great changes would soon be coming to the Lu Dynasty. Her first order of business, however, was military rather than civil.

"I don't care if he's conquered Jiang Xia!" she was shouting at her generals. "He could conquer Xin Du, Eight Fan and Jian Ye in the same day and I wouldn't care! Get Wei Xu back here so I can rip his head off, figuratively, or I'll rip your heads off! Literally!"

She was about to start another tirade when horns began sounding from the city walls. Jia Kui, the son of Jia Xu, dashed to the entrance and shouted back to the rest of the court "A horde of cavalry is descending from the mountains! They bear the banner of Ma Chao!"

"They've broken through our western front!" Lady Zhang shouted as she rose, then turned to her generals, "Gao Pei, launch a harassing squadron of cavalry from the south gate immediately. Yang Huai, take the palace guards and reinforce the western gate. Ma Chao will try to break in there." A shout came from Jia Kui: "Empress, Xiliang warriors have just broken through the palace gates! Run!" Before Jia Kui could turn away an arrow struck him in the throat and he collapsed. The officials panicked and the generals drew their swords, beckoning Lady Zhang to flee by the rear entrance. Windows in the courtroom exploded inwards as black-robed figures leaped into the room and began cutting down officials with long knives as they advanced towards the Empress.

At the frist signs of trouble, Lady Zou had rushed to the rear door and opened it, coming face to face with a short, plain man dressed as an officer and bearing a double-sided sword. Taking advantage of his surprise, Lady Zou slammed the door and dropped the cross brace into place just as heavy battering of the door began from the other side. She held herself against the door, trying desperately to keep it closed while she saw the black-clothed assassins reach the throne.

Lady Zhang's bodyguards had stepped forward to confront the assassins, and so were easy targets of the poisoned darts shot by flanking assassins hidden in the shadows. The trio in the center then leaped forwards at the Empress, who kicked her table upwards into them mid-leap and then, producing a knife from... somewhere... cut the assassins' throats in mid-fall. As she ducked the darts which were fired at her right after, she grabbed the daggers of the assassins at her feet and as she rose hurled them into the shadows where grunts of disbelief were heard, followed by the thumps of falling bodies.

Still holding back the door, Lady Zou was in a great vantage to see Lady Zhang face the crowd of assassins, Xiliang warriors, Lu generals and cowering court officials mixing below. From behind the Empress, one of the cowering handmaidnes suddenly straightened, pulling a pair of dao out of her long sleeves, and padded toward the Empress without a whisper of sound. Lady Zou screamed a warning just as the top of the door broke inwards. It was enough for the man beyond to see both Lady Zou holding back the door and the handmaiden strike out at the Empress, who had heard the warning and leaped low between her attacker's legs, dodging the dao and hamstringing her foe in one move.

"No! Yunlu!" came a great cry from the non-descript man, then his great sword was thrust through the planks of the door, breaking the cross beam and disembowling Lady Zou. The honourary Empress Dowager collapsed to the floor and from there she saw Lady Zhang beaten down by a rush of Xiliang warriors from the courtroom floor. Then she died, her heart filled with grief and sorrow.

Thyrllan (King Lear) is dead. She was Lady Zou, Empress Dowager, a Lover of the Lu Dynasty.


The Lu Dynasty has been eradicated.

Day 9 - Kaschan is lynched

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As Xiliang warriors plundered and burned Han Zhong to the ground, the command staff of the Guanxi forces held a private ceremony on the summit of Mount Ding Jun. Wrapped in silk, Ma Chao's sister Ma Yunlu who had infiltrated the Lu Empress' personal staff was laid to rest. As the ceremony concluded, a weeping and drunken Ma Dai (whom it was whispered had had secret affairs with his cousin Yunlu) turned on the general Pang De. "This is your fault you know!" he accused. "I saw it myself, your assassins were supposed to grab the whore but they were so weak you needed Yunlu to do your dirty work for you!" Pang De, a man who spoke few words even when he gave a rat's ass (which he did not), shrugged his soldiers and walked away. Infuriated, Ma Dai charged after him and tackled Pang De. The two fell to the side of the path where they began rolling down the steep slope. Commanders raced after them and managed to grab hold of Ma Dai just as the pair fell over a precipice. The commanders pulled hard on Ma Dai, who was still holding onto a dangling Pang De who gripped hold of Dai's wrist as tightly as a crane holds wood. Ma Dai could not shake him lose, so with a bellowed, crazed laugh Ma Dai drew his sword and severed his other arm at the elbow, leaving Pang De to plunge into the rocks below. The whole assembly was aghast.

Kaschan (Gwynn ap Nude) is dead. He was Pang De, Flaming Phoenix of the West, a Champion of the Guanxi invaders.

Night 9 - end of night

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As events in the west were reported back to Xia lands, the fighting in Si Zhou became more and more furious. Yan Liang rooted out and captured Gongsun Kang, then publicly hung him from the walls of Xu Chang. In answer, Zhao Yun brought an army to Xu Chang with the prisoner Yuan Shang, the Emperor's brother, and slew him in front of the whole city. Furious, Yan Liang had a letter sent challenging Zhao Yun to single combat. The letter angered Zhao Yun, who said, "He dares express such contempt for me?" He swore to kill Yan Liang the next day. Word spread and soldiers on both sides eagerly awaited the upcoming duel.

On the morrow the opposing armies deployed. Zhao Yun, silver spear high, rode swiftly to the front of his line and cried, "Let's have the old General!" Yan Liang rode out to battle, his blade dancing. "What, you think you're another Lü Bu?!" The warriors closed and fought a hundred bouts, but neither could prevail. Each got a fresh horse and returned to combat. Another hundred clashes produced no victor. Yan Liang's blood was up. He dashed back to his lines and stripped off helmet and armour, revealing muscles that stood out all over his body. Sword in hand, he remounted and came for Zhao Yun once again. The armies watched, breathless.

After another thirty passages, Yan Liang swung a mighty blow in a burst of energy; but Zhao Yun ducked, then charged, leveling his spear at Yan Liang's heart. Yan Liang threw down his sword to clasp the oncoming spear under his arm. The riders struggled for the spear. Yan Liang, the more powerful, roared and snapped the shaft in two, leaving them each with a fragment with which they belaboured one another. Separating, Zhao Yun pulled out a knife and threw it. Yan Liang tried to block it with his spear end but missed and it lodged in his shoulder. Zhao Yun, already readying to block a counter-thrust, turned it into a slash which met Yan Liang's own slash. Liang's slash turned into a stab which Zhao Yun dodged easily. As Zhao Yun turned to stab towards his foe, Liang plucked the dagger out of his shoulder and threw it into Yun's leg.

The pair continued to fight another hundred bouts but at the end only one remained standing...

Hood's Path (MTS/twelve) is dead. He was Yan Liang, Chief Field Marshall, a Military Officer of the Xia Dynasty.

Day 10 - Telas is lynched

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As the years of campaign went on and on, Sima Yi had ample opportunity to meet with generals and ministers within and without the Yan court. A masterful speaker, he convinced most that the Yan Emperor's rule was cruel, corrupt and was losing its legitimacy as a contender for following the Han. For those whom he could not convince he arranged misfortunes of one sort or another. His influence and rank rose and he began plotting his usurpation of the Yan throne with his sons. Sima Shi said, "Yuan Shao did not make the rule of Xia continuous with that of Han by receiving its last emperor's abdication, instead forcing the Emperor from the throne and proclaiming it himself. From this came rival claims of legitimacy, the Lu and Yan." "That indeed is a precedent we should not follow," Sima Yi agreed. "Let us instead build an altar to receive the abdication of Emperor Zhong by his own word. Once he sees he has last all and it is his only way to survive he will agree to it."

Delighted, Sima Yi took his sword and entered the palace the next day. He stepped onto the stairs leading up to the throne and spoke to the Emperor loud enough for all to hear "In my judgment Your Majesty has proven ill informed as to the true way of government and is unable to defend the kingdom militarily. Should you not step aside for a ruler with the necessary talent and virtue?" Huang Zhong was dumbfounded. A courtier, Zhang Jie, protested but Sima Yi shouted "The dynamic altars belong to the great Han, have you forgotten? The Yan now possesses half the empire by the strength of the house of Sima, not of Huang - as the world well knows. Why should I not inherit the reign of Yan?" So saying, Sima Yi ordered his guards to beat Zhang Jie to death in the throne hall with the golden ceremonial mace. Huang Zhong shouted for the apprehension of Sima Yi, but the majority of the guards and officials alike held back their comrades and supported Sima Yi. Satisfied, Sima Yi rose and left the hall, followed by his supporters.

On the first cyclical day in the twelfth month Huang Zhong, the seal of state held high in both hands, ascended the altar in front of a grand congregation of civil and military officials. Next, Sima Yi was requested to ascend the altar and accept the abdication. Sima Yi received the seal and then, as protocol dictated, invited his supporters onto the altar where he began assigning rewards in rank and land to those who had assisted his usurpation. Ignored by the crowd, Huang Zhong slowly edged towards the altar entrance, then turned and bolted as fast as he could. Sima Yi noticed and called for guards to chase after him, but before the words had left his mouth one of the outer guards dropped his helmet, revealing himself to be Wei Yan. Yan quickly lit a torch he had concealed in his sleeve and hurled it at the altar. The alchemical munition powder, rubbed into the wood of the altar by Huang Zhong's saboteurs during the night, immediately burst into flame. In moments, Sima Yi and his supporters were nothing but ash.

Telas (Morgoth) is dead. He was Sima Yi, King of Jin, an Usurper of the Yan Dynasty.

Night 10 - end of night

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Having routed the usurpers within Yan, the renowned Wei Yan sought to use his army's high morale to take Luo Yang and end the Xia-Yan stalemate. He moved all the troops in Dong Jun down to the banks of the RIver Wei. Between the hills on one side and the river on the other lay a flat stretch of barren land, a perfect battlefield. Wei Yan had expected the Xia forces to remain behind the walls of Luo Yang, but arrayed across the barren plain was a large army bearing the banners of Shen Pei, King of Zhong, said to be Yuan Tan's greatest servant with the mind of a million men. As the two forces faced each other, the archers got ready to pin down the flanks of the opposing side. After three rolls of the drums the Yan line opened at its center, and Wei Yan rode forth, his commanders in train.

Shen Pei, seated erect in his four-wheeled carriage, cried out: "My emperor's legitimacy rests on the model of Shun's election by Yao. Our house, now in its second reign, rules the northern realm securely, tolerating the kingdoms of Lu and Yan because our sovereign's liberal compassion and ample benevolence make him reluctant to bring suffering to the people. You, a mere plowman from Nanyang who knows nothing of the Heavenly-appointed course of events, will meet with the fate you deserve if you insist on pursuing this aggression against our realm. But you and your commanders can still save yourselves if you will reflect and alter your course, withdraw now and let our kingdoms defend their borders in a settled order, thus sparing the common souls of our lands the miseries of war."

Wei Yan, his face flushed with shame, replied, "Soon the house of Yan will crush the Xia clan. Your grandsire and your sire were vassals of Han; for generations your people made their living from the Han. But you forget the debt you owe and aid the usurper. How ashamed you must be now! Let the two of us decide here and now which is the rooster and which the hen! If you win, I swear to resign as general. If you lose, you must return to your village - under my guarantee of safety, of course."

Shen Pei said in response: "Do you want to fight with commanders? With troops? Or with orders of battle?" "First with orders of battle!" Wei Yan answered. Shen Pei said, "Then let me see your array." Wei Yan went into his command tent and took in hand a yellow standard that he waved in the wind. Left and right the troops moved, deploying into line. Wei Yan remounted and rode forth from the position. "Can you name this array?" he demanded. Shen Pei answered, "Our lowliest commander could do that one - the 'Beginning of Form.'" "Now you display your line," Wei Yan said. Shen Pei went back among his men, waved his fan, and reemerged in front of his order of battle. "Do you recognize it?" he asked Wei Yan. "That has to be the 'Formation of Eight Hexagrams,'" came the reply. "Entirely correct," Shen Pei said. "Do you want to try and attack it?" "I know what it is," Wei Yan responded, "so why not?" "Do so!" Shen Pei dared.

Shen Pei and Wei Yan are having a debate (with armies)!

Wei Yan returned to his line and summoned three commanders, Dai Ling, Zhang Hu, and Yue Chen, and told them, "Shen Pei has deployed his forces in a square with eight gates - Desist, Survive, Injure, Confound, Exhibit, Perish, Surprise, and Liberate. We will attack through the eastern gate, Survive, and fight our way through the western gate, Desist, and then back to the northern gate, Liberate. His formation can be broken, but you must use all due caution." Wei Yan leading, the commanders proceeded to attack through Survive with a force of thirty cavalry each. The opposing armies cheered their forces on.

When the Yan commanders entered the Xia formation, they found it a continuous wall which they could not penetrate. The commanders hurriedly led their men around the base of the formation in an attempt to break out from the southwest, but Xia archers checked their advance. The formation was like a maze, with multiple and intersecting lanes, each having its own entrance and exit. Who could tell the four direction any more? The commanders lost contact and could only hurl themselves wildly along the lanes. But all they saw were brooding clouds that struck fear in their hearts and a dense mist closing in on them. As war cries rose around them, the southern troops were seized and bound one by one and then delivered to the main Xia camp.

Shen Pei was seated in the command tent before which Wei Yan, his three commanders and their hundred and twenty followers stood captive. "Do not be surprised that I was able to capture all of you," Shen Pei began. "I will send you back. Brush up on your military manuals and pay greater heed to tactics. There's still time to decide which of us is the rooster and which the hen!" Shen Pei had the southern soldiers stripped, their faces blackened; then he let them leave the formation on foot. Halfway back across the barren plain, surrounded on one side by his own army and on the other side by Shen Pei's, Wei Yan, overcome with embarrassment, found a pile of rocks and dashed his head upon them until he died.


Barghast (Tapper) is dead. He was Wei Yan, Vice-Chief of State, the Prime Minister of the Yan Dynasty.

This post has been edited by Path-Shaper: 20 October 2011 - 11:52 PM

[D'rek]

Scene Collection (3/3)

---

Day 11 - Tennes is lynched

Quote

After the death of Wei Yan, the Yan armies suffered one devastating loss after another. Over the winter of 235 AD they retreated from Dong Jun to Peng Cheng, and in the spring again to Shou Chun. Meanwhile, Gongsun Zan's horde had been recruiting more northerners and bringing them south to swell their numbers. Leaving enough forces constantly around Luo Yang and Xu Chang, his remaining forces spread far and wide raiding towns and pursuing enemy forces. In Shou Chun, Huang Zhong saw his escape routes cut off while finally learning that the armies and supplies left behind in Yan had been routed by Wei Xu. Surrounded and running low on both men and supplies, Huang Zhong brought in his best remaining counsellors and generals for discussion. A privileged attendant petitioned: "We have neither the men nor the commanders to resist. The remaining soldiers must distract the enemy while we flee to the seven southern districts. There we can borrow troops of the Man nations and try to recover the northern part of our kingdom.

The Director of Bureaucracy said, "That will never work. The southern Man are inveterate rebels who have never shown us kindness. If we seek refuge with them, it will end in disaster." The officials then petitioned: "Liu Yao is still an ally. Our situation is critical. We can take refuge there." But another official retorted "There is no historical precedent for a Son of Heaven seeking sanction in another kingdom. Sheltering ourselves with Liu Yao would be only the first disgrace. If his forces then fall to the Xia or White Riders, will Your Majesty suffer disgrace a second time by declaring allegiance to them? Why not submit directly to the northerners, which will endow Your Majesty with some fief land to maintain your ancestral temple and provide for your people? I bet your Majesty, consider this carefully." The Emperor withdrew to consider the matter and did not sleep all night.

The next day the White Riders arrived in force. The Emperor led his heir apparent together with the other princes and a court retinue of more than sixty officials a distance of ten li outside the north gate of Shou Chun. Facing the victor, his hands bound behind his back, the Emperor walked beside a carriage bearing a coffin. Gongsun Zan rose to support the Emperor and personally untied his bonds, then he burned the coffin and rode back into Shou Chun with the Emperor beside him.

With incense and flowers the people of Shou Chun came forth and welcomed the northerners. Gongsun Zan honoured the Emperor with the generalship of the Flying Cavalry; other civil and military officials were granted rank in the White Rider hierarchy in keeping with their status. A proclamation was issued to calm the populace. Huang Zhong ordered Master of Ceremony Zhang Jun to travel south with the Emperor's seal, where possession of the granaries, arsenals, and treasuries of Yan would be transferred to the conquerors. And so the Yan ceased to exist.

Tennes (The Dude) is lynched. He was Huang Zhong, Emperor of the Yan Dynasty.


The Yan Dynasty has been eradicated.

Night 11 - end of night

Quote

In Luo Yang came news of the fall of Xu Chang, and the next day more White Riders appeared from the east to surround the walls. In the gallery of the highest tower in the city, Yuan Tan feasted with the last veterans of his father's campaigns: Shen Pei, Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang. Together they ate, drank and sang boisterously until dawn, enjoying the celebration for they all knew it might be their last. As the sun rose in the east, the rays of light glinted back from the armour and weapons of a new force arrayed across the western mountains...

Night 11 is over. No one died.

Day 12 - Kessobahn is lynched

Quote

The Xia officers had been hopeful that the newly arrived Guanxi troops would engage the White Riders, providing some relief for Luo Yang, but there was only light skirmishing between the foreign factions. Seeing no other option, Shen Pei called for his remaining forces to form up at the north gate ready for battle with the White Riders. Lü Kuang said "We cannot engage the enemy, my lord, while our troops are still fatigued and impaired." "We have neither grain to feed them nor medicine to cure them. Our only hope is to win an impossible victory with surprise initiative and kill Zhao Yun; that'll give the foreigners a good scare!"

Shen Pei emerged, vigorous and fearless, appointed with sword and armour. As he rode, he inspired confidence in the Xia soldiers who saw him. He brought the army out of the city and called out his challenge: "Zhao Yun, where are you!" Where banners parted at the entrance to the White Riders' camp, Zhao Yun rode forth. He bowed deeply, then he took on Shen Pei in direct combat, his silver spear whirling. In a fury Shen Pei met him with circling blade. After some eighty bouts, SHen Pei felt his right arm beginning to weaken. Fearful for the prime minister, Lü Xiang hastily sounded the gongs, and Shen Pei rode back to the army by the walls.

Zhao Yun rode back to his side shouting "A thousand pieces of gold to the man who takes his head!" As word spread a defeaning clamor rose up surrounding the Xia forces as the White Riders charged in a disorganized mob. Shen Pei and the Lü brothers lead a counter-charge, resulting in a chaotic melee a bow's shot from Luo Yang's walls. Zhao Yun's sub-commanders lead a mounted charge into the Xia soldiers nearest the walls, surrounding Shen Pei's force. Amid earth-shaking yells and drums and horns that filled the sky with noise, they closed in. Shen Pei's lieutenants were slowly being eliminated as the fighting wore on into the sunset. Together with the Lü brothers and a core force of three hundred followers, they tried to fight their way to Zhao Yun. Once they were near, Shen Pei's commanders let out earth-shaking cries and charged in for the kill. After three clashes Zhao Yun fled in defeat; but Shen Pei could not afford to continue fighting, and headed out toward the eastern hills. A lieutenant reported that Lü Xiang had falled in the melee.

Shen Pei came to a place called Breach in the Rocks where the hills squeezed the road. The fifth watch had nearly ended. Suddenly a voice cried out, springing an ambush. Spear-length hooks and loops reached out and yanked Shen Pei from his feet. Zhao Yun's sub-commander took him prisoner. Lü Kuang rushed to his aid and slew the sub-commander, but Zhao Yun arrived, mounted, and rode past while slashing a sword down into Lü Kuang's neck. Kuang fell to the ground, lifeless, and Shen Pei's remaining followers surrendered.

The prime minister of Xia was brought before Gongsun Zan, who pondered for some time what to do with him. Frustrated with having had little personal involvement in the battle so far, Gongsun Zan opted to indulge his bloodlust and had Shen Pei beheaded in his tent. And so Shen Pei, the last of the generals with whom Yuan Shao conquered most of the empire, died in the twlfth month of the sixth year of Qing Long (by the Xia calendar).

Kessobahn (Obdigore) is dead. He was Shen Pei, King of Zhong, Prime Minister of the Xia Dynasty.

Night 12 - end of night

Quote

With no army left to defend its walls, Luo Yang was soon breached by Gongsun Zan's forces. The common folk fled in all directions while the foreigners went wild in the streets. The very same day, Ma Chao's camps on the western mountains sprung into action and charged down the slopes towards the city as well. Inside and around Luo Yang, Guanxi fought White Rider while Xia peasants screamed and ran. Both Gongsun Zan and Ma Chao personally lead their own elite troops against the palace guards in the city centre. By sunset, Gongsun Zan was still being held back but Ma Chao's warriors had broken through and charged into the palace. They found the halls eerily deserted. Checking rooms, they saw not a living soul but found plenty of servants and officials who had hung themselves. Reaching the throne room, they at last found the Royal Personnage. Dressed in fine lavender silk belted in jade, he sat upon the throne at ease as Ma Chao and his warriors battered their way through the door. Not a word was spoken, not a gesture was made, as Ma Chao marched across the hall, unsheathed his sword and with one stroke knocked the Emperor's head from his shoulders.

Moments later Gongsun Zan entered from a side entrance. Ma Chao lifted the Emperor's head and tossed it towards Zan, shouting "Too late, Zan, looks like I took my revenge and yours as well. The world will see that I am a dragon and you are just a hare!" Gongsun Zan took a good look at the severed head and said, "We shall see, Chao," and walked away, leaving the head of Yuan Xi bleeding on the floor.

Night 12 is over. No one died.

Day 13 - Okaros is lynched

Quote

Ma Chao, troubled by Gongsun Zan's parting words, paced the wreckage of the Luo Yang palace restlessly. Returning to his camp, he forced himself to sleep but dreamed strange dreams of being caught in a maze of burning hexagrams. He awoke soaked in sweat and over the next few weeks grew ill. At the advice of his subordinates, he invited the travelling mystic Guan Lu to interpret his dreams. Guan Lu was brought to Ma Chao's camp outside the razed city of Luo Yang where Ma Chao explained his dreams and the symptoms of his illness.

Guan Lu said "The hexagram represents the ordered streets and walls of civilization. Just as you burned this city, so do the hexagrams of your dreams burn. Now, the Han dynasty was aspected to earth and the Xia aspected to water. The Xiliang revere ancient deities of fire. That you are disturbed by dreams of fire but awaken covered in water is a sign of the heavens that you must cast aside your Xiliang ties and take on the responsibilities of the Xia you have conquered. It is time for you to declare your own dynasty and re-establish an imperial structure which brings the realm under one rule once again."

Convinced by this counsel, Ma Chao declared the next day that he was the Son of Heaven and the legitimate successor of the Han. His native Xiliang warriors, who represented over half his fighting force, cried out in dismay at the news. The Xiliang had been spurned as barbarians and worse by the people of the middle kingdoms and they revered their leader, Ma Chao. For him to set them aside to establish a bureaucracy in the middle kingdoms was deemed a great insult. The Xiliang battalions gathered their plundered riches and began marching west back to Wu Wei that very evening. Ma Chao, seeing his desperately needed military departing, sent messengers ordering them to return. The second wave of messengers were given the heads of the first to bring back.

Furious, Ma Chao lead his remaining troops in pursuit. When the Xiliang soldiers ignored his own shouting for them to halt, he ordered his troops to begin cutting down the rear elements. The Xiliang force then turned around and struck back. The battle escalated into a full-blown civil war between Ma Chao's forces. Ma Chao, gone berserk with rage, cut his way through hundreds of Xiliang, intent on reaching and killing their commanders, after which he believed the warriors would stop fighting. Charging on his horse he forced his way into the center of the Xiliang force where he suddenly came upon over twenty commanders and lieutenants. Wielding his half-moon halberd, he began cutting down officers left and right, felling six of them before they could react. The remaining officers charged Ma Chao and as he cut down four more they threw themselves onto his halberd, holding it fast. With knives they cut him out of his saddle and dragged him up onto a hill over the battle. They tried screaming for the soldiers to stop, offering Ma Chao as a hostage, but were ignored by the soldiers fighting all around them. Suddenly a wave of Ma Chao's soldiers charged over the hill, cutting down everyone in their path. The soldiers were so full of battle lust that they did not distinguish Ma Chao from the Xiliang commanders, and so Chao was cut down by his own soldiers and lay bleeding to death in the midst of battle.

Okaros (Trull's Son) is dead. He was Ma Chao, the Summer Dragon, Warlord of the Xiliang.

Night 13 - end of night

Quote

Soldiers lined up, arrows were nocked, horses stomped restlessly. Commanders called out stirring speeches to their men. Ambush parties snuck out of camp through the hills and forest. On one side, Gongsun Zan's White Riders. On the other, Ma Dai and the remaining Guanxi forces. Soon, there would be a showdown...

Night 13 is over. No one has died.

End of Game

Quote

Ma Dai and Zhao Yun are engaging in a Duel!

Zhao Yun is victorious!

Sheltatha Lore (HiddenOne) is dead. She was Ma Dai, Ghost of Wu Wei, a Champion of Ma Chao's forces.

Ma Chao's forces have been eradicated

After crushing all his opponents in the field, all that was left for Gongsun Zan was to chase down the fleeing Xia Emperor, Yuan Tan. Scouts reported that Tan had fled west and was on the road beyond Luo Yang. Gongsun Zan dispatched one squadron of cavalry to harry the fugitive while another raced past and intercepted Yuan Tan at the entrance to reach Han Gu Pass.

Victorious, Gongsun Zan brought his forces to Xu Chang, the city that would be his new seat of power. Gongsun Zan had the former Xia ruler moved to Xu Chang and brought to a compound surrounded by luxurious outer walls giving the impression of a palace within. Yuan Tan was brought into the walled, guarded compound where there was nothing but plain buildings. He saw a frail-looking Huang Zhong being forcefully escorted somewhere by guards. Gongsun Zan showed him to a small one-room shelter devoid of furniture or hangings and with not even a trough for bodily waste. Zan said, "This home has been waiting for you for some time. Here you will live out the rest of your life with all the world knowing I am treating you well but none but me seeing you slowly starve in your own filth." Yuan Tan replied, "Had I been victorious and you become my vassal, you would have received far better treatment than this." The Emperor laughed mercilessly and left. Gongsun Zan and his commanders spent coin from the public treasury on the richest food and drink that could be found and feasted long into the night, exchanging stories of killing, humiliating and raping the people of the middle kingdoms. Gongsun Zan jokingly enfeoffed Zhao Yun as King of Yi, then outlined to his commanders his plan for a new system of nobility and privilege for them across the realm. Surviving high ministers from the Xia, Yan and Lu were brought to the celebration and forced to perform humiliating acts for the northerners' entertainment.

Thereafter, the three kingdoms came under the rule of the White Rider lord, Gongsun Zan, who rode roughshod over the people and travelled about the realm inventing stories of rebellion to excuse his raiding of various cities. The realm, run out of soldiers and heroes alike, submitted to the tyrannical rule of Zan and his commanders, thereby fulfilling the saying, "The empire, long united, must divide, and long divided, must unite." Huang Zhong, the Illustrious Emperor of the Yan, passed away within the year. Lady Zhang, ruler of Lu, continued to live in captivity in Wu Wei, abused daily by former commanders of Ma Chao who had fled there with their prize after news of Ma Chao's defeat reached them. Yuan Tan, ruler of Xia, calmly accepted his captivity in Xu Chang for two decades until a drunken Gongsun Zan decided to have him flayed alive for amusement.

Gongsun Zan's forces are victorious!

Unused - the parallel Xia victory (a Yan, Lu or Jin victory would've looked similar)e]

Quote

After fleeing from Luo Yang, Yuan Tan made his way to Wan Cheng and then into Jing Zhou. He well recalled how the Yan, Lu and Xia had been at each other's throats over Jing Zhou until the Yan retreated by sea. He also knew the Xia garrisons left behind had not been ordered to leave their posts and join any of the fighting elsewhere in the war. He approached the junior general commanding the garrisons, Zhong Hui, at night and they spent the next day formulating a plan. By dawn of the following day messengers were en route to every Yan, Xia and Lu garrison with soldiers ordering or asking them to march at once to Xin Ye. From Xin Ye the army set out in bands of twenty to a hundred men, dressed as labourers headed north to work at building Gongsun Zan's new palace in Xu Chang. Disguising their weapons as tools, they were unaccosted by any of Gongsun Zan's forces and entered Xu Chang without incident.

Gongsun Zan, confident that there was no armies remaining to match him, had sent most of his forces far away on patrols, asserting his will across the realm and looking for a fleeing Yuan Tan. He kept his personal army at Xu Chang just in case, but they were camped outside the city's walls. At midnight on the fourth day of the eighth month of [[[year]]], Zhong Hui and a select band of men ran amok through the neighbourhoods around the palace setting fires. While the palace guards rushed to put out the flames and capture the arsonists, Yuan Tan and the remaining men stormed the palace walls and rushed into the main buildings. Gongsun Zan's personal bodyguards were cut down in the halls and Yuan Tan himself entered the bedroom to confront the White Rider lord. Drawing swords, the two leaders clashed in a whirling exchange of blows. Gongsun Zan tried to use his bulk to push back Yuan Tan, but the Xia Emperor used his swiftness to sidestep Zan's offensives and hammer at his flanks in rapid succession. After fifty bouts, the White Rider lord was too slow to block a slash and took a deep cut in his thigh. Yuan Tan followed with a quick feint to the other side while he kicked the cut. Gongsun Zan sagged and Tan stepped in to finish him off with a sword through the chest.

Karosis (dktorode) is dead. He was Gongsun Zan, Tiger of the North, Warlord of the White Riders.

Victorious, Yuan Tan brought his forces home to Luo Yang. His forces found Huang Zhong in the White Rider. Yuan Tan had the former Yan ruler moved to Luo Yang so that he could come before the sovereign of Xia. Huang Zhong ascened the royal hall and touched his head to the ground to acknowledge his loyalty. The Emperor granted him a seat and said, "This seat has been waiting for you for some time." Huang Zhong replied, "I, your vassal, had a similar seat waiting in the south for Your Majesty." The Emperor laughed. The Emperor, Huang Zhong, Lady Zhang and the gathered officials and generals feasted on what food and drink could be found, exchanging stories from all sides of the conflict. The Emperor enfeoffed Huang Zhong as lord of Guiming and posthumously honoured Zhang Xiu as King of Yi. All the surviving high ministers from the Yan and Lu which could be found were made honorary lords. Prime Minister Shen Pei having died in battle, his descendants received fiefs. Zhong Hui was made Commanding General Who Guides the Kingdom. The remaining commanders were duly elevated and rewarded.

Thereafter, the three kingdoms came under the rule of the Xia Emperor, Yuan Tan, who laid the foundation for a unified realm, thereby fulfilling the saying, "The empire, long united, must divide, and long divided, must unite." Huang Zhong, the Illustrious Emperor of the Yan, passed away in the seventh year of the Xia reign period Tai Shi, "Magnificent Inception". Lady Zhang, ruler of Lu, passed away in the fourth year of Tai Kang, "Magnificent Prosperity". Yuan Tan, ruler of Xia, passed away in the first year of Tai An, "Magnificent Peace" and was succeeded by his son. All died natural deaths.

This post has been edited by D'rek: 23 October 2011 - 09:53 PM

[D'rek]

Alt Passwords:



Emurlahn - jubilant
Kessobahn - explode
Omtose - garden
Atrahal - style
Tiamatha - profound
Hood's Path - pokemon


Osseric - lamora
Galain - arrow
Thyrllan - neutrino
Ruse - forever
Rashan - ocean
Gamelon - cuddlefish


Tennes - gondola
Barghast -
Meanas - photon
Mockra - flower
Silanah - carrot
Serc - tiger
Sorrit - mountain


Karosis - ping
Korlat - mobile


Okaros - bunny
Kaschan - silver
Sheltatha Lore - tactics


Telas - asbestos

This post has been edited by D'rek: 28 September 2011 - 12:10 PM

[Path-Shaper]

it begins!!!!!!!

[Path-Shaper]

Sheltatha Lore (HiddenOne) - Ma Dai

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 06:59 PM, said:

Sheltatha Lore, on 28 September 2011 - 06:58 PM, said:

Am I allowed to talk in PM to my leader or kill partner?

Nope.

Korlat (Mott) - Zhao Yun

Korlat, on 28 September 2011 - 07:03 PM, said:

ThrowKnife
Block
Slash
Dodge
Stab


I might change this it is just to get something in as quickly as possible.

Serc (ansible) - He Qi

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 06:39 PM, said:

Serc, on 28 September 2011 - 06:34 PM, said:

Question, can I heal myself?

No.

On a given day can I use the Move ability and then attempt to switch roles after?

Yes, you can switch roles before or after a Move (or Notice).

I am thrilled to be back in the same role I had in the previous Rot3K game. This game is looking to be epic, D'rek.

I hope you're right!

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 07:16 PM, said:

Serc, on 28 September 2011 - 07:15 PM, said:

Question - the OP says:

Quote

Civil Official
Civil Officials can use the standard guard and find night actions. They know the alt and Location of their Emperor. During the day, if they are in the same Location as their Emperor, they can change into Military Officers.

However, in my role PM, it states that I know the alt of Huang Zhong but that I can only change roles if I am in the same location as Yuan Tan. Is this a mistake or did I misunderstand? I thought that I needed to be in the same location as the Emperor, whom I know, and whose location I know.

Yeah, its a mistake. I amde sure to change the line where it told you what alt your emperor is (or else that'd be reaaaally bad) but forgot the other line.

Omtose (Vengeance) - Qu Yi (Assassin)

(really likes his role)

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 07:21 PM, said:

Omtose, on 28 September 2011 - 07:14 PM, said:

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 07:06 PM, said:

Omtose, on 28 September 2011 - 07:04 PM, said:

MUhahahahahahahahaahahahahahhahaahahah........


Now the super evil laugh.....


Muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Now the super duper evil laugh


MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Oh happy day. Now I feel that it is a shame that I am not going to be able to play this to my top level.

I figured you'd like it.

I can't remember if I did it deliberately, but I like how your avatar is so very un-assassinlike.

It looks like a old Chinese porn star picture (or what I imagine one would look like)

Blame the mustache.

Omtose, on 28 September 2011 - 08:34 PM, said:

I am going to be the dirty dirty porn chinese guy.

I don't think porn in ancient china was all that great... not only is there no video format, but all the walls in your house are made of silk or bamboo, so people can see what you're doing through it and they can definitely hear you...



(Debate setup:)

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 07:20 PM, said:

Omtose, on 28 September 2011 - 07:12 PM, said:

So if my first action is insult (I like people) and someone elses is Logic then I would lose right away. Why would anyone want there list to be anything other then what you are showing?

No, insult beats logic (the list is circular, the bottom ones loop around to beat the top, so every one of the 5 beeats 2 others). Also, you stat with 5 HP so you won't lose right away just for losing the first round of actions.

Omtose, on 28 September 2011 - 07:13 PM, said:

Right away

Wit
Logic
insult
ignore
Sophistry


Of course if your answer is that logic will always win out then I want to default to your list above.

Tiamatha (Edrigan) - Cen Pi

Tiamatha, on 28 September 2011 - 07:21 PM, said:

Duel ::::

Dodge
Stab
Slash
ThrowKnife
Block



Debate ::::

Insult
Logic
Ignore
Sophistry
Wit

This post has been edited by Path-Shaper: 28 September 2011 - 08:40 PM

[Path-Shaper]

For reference, the Debate/Duel setup post (players that only debate or duel got something similar but a bit reduced):

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 06:26 PM, said:

You must now set up a Duel Cycle and a Debate Cycle. These are an ordering of the five Duel/Debate actions which will be used to automatically resolve any duel or debate you get into.

The five actions for Duels are:

Stab
Block
Slash
Dodge
ThrowKnife


the five actions for Debates are:

Logic
Wit
Ignore
Insult
Sophistry


Every action beats the next two actions below it,

ie:
-Ignore beats Insult and Sophistry,
-Stab beats Block and Slash,
-ThrowKnife beats Stab and Block


all you need to do is put the five actions from each into an order. When you duel/debate, the first actions are put against each other, then the second ones, then the third, and so on, repeating as necessary until one of you is dead (if an infinite loop is established with neither player dying, the duel/debate is a tie and you both live).


You need to create these right away, but you can change them later. Please use only this thread for modifying your Duel and Debate sequences and for asking duel/debate-related questions.

[Path-Shaper]

Silanah (JLV) - Gu Yong

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 07:05 PM, said:

Silanah, on 28 September 2011 - 07:00 PM, said:

Newb questions incoming:

Do I get to both Find AND Guard, if I choose Civil Official? Or do I choose 1 each night?

Also, does my "notice" ability include my name when I send the message out?

Whether military or civil, you can only do one night action each night.

Notices are anonymous.

Silanah, on 28 September 2011 - 07:24 PM, said:

I choose civil official.

All the PMs and Civil/Milits got one of these and gets them every day:

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 06:58 PM, said:

Reports from the Throne - the Emperor is in Luo Yang this year.

Tiamatha (Edrigan) - Cen Pi

(he chose military, btw)

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 07:41 PM, said:

Tiamatha, on 28 September 2011 - 07:31 PM, said:

Day One Action :: Move from Xin Du to Luo Yang

Night One Action ::: Heal Emurlahn


Question :: Every time, at the start of the day , I will be getting this <Message from the Throne> , stating where exactly my Emperor is on the map?

Yup. That way you know where to go to change b/w Civil/Military if you want to.

Actions noted.

Moving to Luo yang was probably a bad idea, leaves Xin Du open to Gongsun Zan and Zhao Yun, who, if they are bold, can immediately come to Luo Yang and snag BPs, not to mention giving them a wide open shot at the Emperor.

[Path-Shaper]

Serc, on 28 September 2011 - 07:44 PM, said:

Ok, got it. I'd like to start the game as a Civil Official.

Ok.

[Path-Shaper]

Tiamatha, on 28 September 2011 - 07:54 PM, said:

Aha, so I have to hound Emurlahn errrr Yuan Tan so I can benefit from it. Reading the rules about moving

Quote

Move - If there are no enemy players in your location, you may move to any adjacent location. If there is one or more enemy players in your location, you may move to any adjacent location at which there is another player from your faction. You will be told if it fails or succeeds. If the move fails, you may not try again on the same day.

Emperors may only move at Dawn and must submit a provisional for the Move in advance or they will not Move. All other players may not submit provisionals for Move - it resolves via Ironman rules (no provisionals, actions are globally resolved in the order they are submitted).

This basically means a first-come-first-serve basis, and the only condition (apart from any sneaky NA that some roles might have that I might not know or something) that could cause my move to fail, is if I choose to move to an adjacent location without knowing if there is a player of my faction currently there, while there is a player of an enemy faction currently on my starting tile. So, basically I need to dog my emperor or else I risk having my move action fail, if I decide to make a risky/blind move.

The basic gist of it is that you can't move past your enemies - you can move the "border" location your enemies are at (and maybe some of your own guys are there already, maybe not), but you can't move past that territory further into enemy territory while there are still enemies alive in the same location you are in.

Of course (as far as you know anyways) you are un-movable, so once you get to a spot you like you can camp there while the Emperor goes off doing other stuff.

[Path-Shaper]

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 07:53 PM, said:

Sheltatha Lore, on 28 September 2011 - 07:47 PM, said:

You've outdone yourself on this one, D'rek.

Thanks! Not sure it'll all actually get used but *fingers crossed*

Sheltatha Lore, on 28 September 2011 - 07:56 PM, said:

With this many people it should all get some play time. The blocking thing has still got me scratching my head

If there's any more illustrative examples that you think would benefit the OP, let me know and I can make some more up. at the same time, working out the crazy rules is good discussion material for day 1 to get the thread going, too, so you could get that going, too!

[Path-Shaper]

Silanah, on 28 September 2011 - 08:00 PM, said:

ThrowKnife, Stab, Dodge, Block, Slash.

Wit, Ignore, Sophistry, Logic, Insult.

Gamelon, on 28 September 2011 - 08:02 PM, said:

I will be a Civil Official to start.

ST

noted.

Gamelon, on 28 September 2011 - 08:04 PM, said:

Question: If I send out a notice, do the people who receive it learn that it was sent from this alt or not?

ST

No, it is anonymous.

Tiamatha, on 28 September 2011 - 08:01 PM, said:

Another Question about Moving ::::

Quote

Moving and Notices:

Moving between Locations is accomplished during the day using the Move ability. All players have access to this ability.

Move - If there are no enemy players in your location, you may move to any adjacent location. If there is one or more enemy players in your location, you may move to any adjacent location at which there is another player from your faction. You will be told if it fails or succeeds. If the move fails, you may not try again on the same day.

Emperors may only move at Dawn and must submit a provisional for the Move in advance or they will not Move. All other players may not submit provisionals for Move - it resolves via Ironman rules (no provisionals, actions are globally resolved in the order they are submitted).


<Players with the role type Civil Official, Military Officer or Usurper are able to use this ability:>

Notice - All players in your location, regardless of faction, are given a message of your choosing. The message can consist of anything non-meta (ie: you may not say "Fener is Silencer!") but must be 6 words or less.

Notice also resolves via Ironman rules.

All players may only use Move or Notice once per day (total - they cannot both be used on the same day).

All players can use Move or Notice. What ability is meant for Civil Official, Military Officer or Usurper to be?

You is reading it wrong. All players can Move. Notice is available to Civils, Militarys and Usurper.

Tiamatha, on 28 September 2011 - 08:17 PM, said:

Can I bitch and moan about our map's starting location? And the fact that those Gongsun Zan dogs and Lin Yao jackals don't appear to have a starting tile on the <TILE> map, but they clearly have locations on the <China> map, so we're basically cockblocked and bottlenecked, and everything in between and don't know when the heck will those pissed off SOBs move into our map?

And I see your answer about moving, and you just made me consider sticking back into Xin Du, simply to protect our backs from treacherous/lepherous daggers from those Gongsun lackeys... They happen to hate us too, don't they?

Everybody hates everybody, more or less. There are few exceptions.

---

of course if he looked at the faction list he'd see there is no Liu Yao faction...

[Path-Shaper]

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 08:29 PM, said:

Omtose, on 28 September 2011 - 08:04 PM, said:

I would like to move to Jan Xia tonight then do a inspection thing that tells me who is there.

Say the title! SAY IT!!!

Omtose, on 28 September 2011 - 08:32 PM, said:

Espionage tonight please in Jiang XIA....

On a given day you can only move to one adjacent location. You are currently in Luo Yang.


-------

Emurlahn (Mentalist) - Yuan Tan (Emperor):

Emurlahn, on 28 September 2011 - 08:33 PM, said:

Path-Shaper, on 28 September 2011 - 01:55 PM, said:

Role: Yuan Tan
Role Type: Emperor
Faction: Xia
Title: Emperor of Xia
Starting Location: Luo Yang

Yuan Shao was the greatest warlord in the waning days of the Han. He rescued and reestablished the court, conquered foes in all directions and reformed internal affairs. The Emperor, seeing the greatness of Shao and his own lack of merit, wisely begged Shao to succeed the Han as the new Son of Heaven. After the third time the Emperor offered, Shao respectfully agreed and the world rejoiced for the new age of wonder to be born. Alas, not even the Son of Heaven may live forever. Rule of the Xia has passed to Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan. With great support from the populace, Emperor Yuan Tan has decreed that he will finish his father's dream and unite north, west and south into one great Xia Dynasty.

Abilities:

Reports from the Field - Every Dawn you receive the role names and locations of all Xia Dynasty Prime Ministers, Civil Officials and Military Officers.

Exemplary Service to the Xia - You know your Prime Minister, Shen Pei, is Kessobahn and he knows you.

Imperial Guards - You have a one-time BP which protects you from all actions that would kill you on a single night. This ability auto-activates and you will be told when it is used up.

Healing Catapults - Each night you may target one Location. If there is at least one Xia player in that Location, all players there will be Healed. This ability cannot be Blocked.

Arrange Blood-Oath - Choose any two role names, alts or one of each. You must have gained the information that they exist and are still alive via PM or in the game-thread (ie: reading the character list and guessing is no good). If they correctly correspond to two living players, these two players become lovers. You cannot use this ability on yourself or Shen Pei. This action cannot be Blocked or Guarded. You can use this ability at any time.

oh my

[Path-Shaper]

Okaros (Trull's Son) - Ma Chao

Okaros, on 28 September 2011 - 09:00 PM, said:

Throw knife (obviously a coward's opening move, but we can't all be heroes).
Block (see above)
Dodge (dip then dive)
Stab
Slash (finishing strong).

I'm not entirely clear on the duel rules, but I've yet to read through the game rules thoroughly. Might have some questions for you later on.

Okaros, on 28 September 2011 - 09:03 PM, said:

Two questions, both stupid.
Am I correct in assuming that all players have the ability to move to an adjacent territory (so long as it conforms to game rules)? Or is this just for the faction leaders?
Second question (actually third, sorry): What is BP? I'ts been a while, and I do not immediately recognize the term.

Thanks!

Everyone can move locations.

Bp = bullet-proof. Once you have it, the next time someone tries to kill you it automatically activates and you're saved from all killing effects on you for that night, after which the BP is gone and can't be used again. You'll be told when you get it and when it is used up.


Serc (ansible) - He Qi

Serc, on 28 September 2011 - 09:21 PM, said:

Duel:

Block
Stab
Dodge
ThrowKnife
Slash

Debate:

Ignore
Logic
Insult
Wit
Sophistry

You have to use all five, right? Unlike my first attempt...

Yeah, you have to use 1 of each (in theory it makes it less likely to create an infinite loop scenario)


Tennes (The Dude) - Huang Zhong (Emperor)

Tennes, on 28 September 2011 - 09:26 PM, said:

oh shit... I am an emperor... my poooor team >.<

You're not going to let down your WHOLE KINGDOM are you?

No pressure...

[Path-Shaper]

Sheltatha Lore, on 28 September 2011 - 09:57 PM, said:

Sequence:

Throwknife
Block
Stab
Dodge
Slash

[Path-Shaper]

Hood, on 28 September 2011 - 10:08 PM, said:

Could I please be a Civil Official to start with?

Sure thing.

Tennes, on 28 September 2011 - 10:13 PM, said:

Notice:

Ma, Halt! Go Militay. Need Protection.

As an Emperor, you do not have the ability to use the Notice action.

Tennes, on 28 September 2011 - 10:03 PM, said:

Yeah... no preassure!!

ok, some questions. I have only read the rules once... so If this is answered in the rules, tell me to shut up and go read them again.

When I use illumination, It will show who was in the space that night. When does movement take place? When does the annomoyous area message go through? If I use illuminate, then throughout the day, people can be coming and going...correct?

Illumination is a night action, so you use it at night (let's say night 4). The next Dawn (between night 4 and day 5) all the Yan players get a list of all the alts that were in the location you targeted on night 4 (and they are still there because it is just dawn - they can't have moved yet).

Players can Move during the day (at any time during the Day). The exception is Emperors who need to give me a provisional for their moves and they move at Dawn (so their underlings know where they'll be and can move to the Emperor to change role types).

Make sense?

Tennes, on 28 September 2011 - 10:25 PM, said:

hmmmmm.



So tempted to use emergency fleet right now... having all my people on one tile at the begining, would make us pretty invincible, and we could all move as a group. Damn.. that sounds real tempting. I mean... how could any action affect one of our people? If we have a killer, finder and guard all on one spot... no actions to any of us would go through. Guess there would be a lot of duels because we wouldn't be able to be touched by conventional NA's. But if I move us to..say, one of the outpost locations.... oh wow. I mean, one of the warlords is probably there, would be nice to take them out early and build a nice little base of operations. I have to think on this.

That sounds pretty crazy. Just crazy enough to work...?

Gamelon, on 28 September 2011 - 10:15 PM, said:

Interesting. So I could potentially broadcast mis-information to the other team without them knowing the source. Will bear that in mind.

ST

Gamelon, on 28 September 2011 - 10:33 PM, said:

OK, next question. Let's say I try to make a move, but fail. Since I haven't made a successful move, can I still send a message?

ST

Nope. Ironman rules, ergo you only get one try at your day action, whatever it may be. You will get told eventually if it succeeded or failed (might take a while if lots of day actions are queued up, but the action is considered to have occured when you submit it).

[Path-Shaper]

Ruse, on 28 September 2011 - 10:57 PM, said:

So, this rule "Every action beats the next two actions below it" holds regardless of what order I put them into?

I like: Ignore, Wit, Logic, Sophistry, Insult

and: ThrowKnife, Stab, Block, Slash, Dodge

as my first order, Bob.

Each action beats the next two below it in the lists *I* posted (looping around to the top so every action beats two others). The order you put them into doesn't change what actions each action beats and loses to, it just defines the order you use them in.

Order noted.