Pod 2--Warpath--In Character

[Benionin]

So, you think you can run a faction, eh?

This is the thread for in-character interactions for the second pod of my forum RPG, who are playing as the Warpath. Try to limit the discussion to your budget proposals or other important in-character interactions (for instance, if someone calls for a vote). Otherwise, please direct all comments to the out of character thread so this one stays as clean as possible. To learn more about this game, check out the Rules Thread.

Our players are Prozac, LargeNuggets, Sonicx110x4, and Number11. If you'd like to join in, let me know.


Aleta hasn't been the same since the arrival of the Overseers. Something about her eyes seems harder, the way she furrows her brow in anger at their mention or sight. You all understand.

We were betrayed.

"Caretaker," Sonic begins, using an honorific she has discarded since the betrayal. "We have been hurt by the deathless and the angels. With the loss of Hehkeem, I call upon the Warpath to unite against this new threat."

She nods and swallows. "The Warpath will follow your lead, packleaders," she says, her voice tense. "We have been reduced to near nothingness, our world razed time and again, squabbled over by greedy humans and careless angels. Now we shall reclaim what is ours. We no longer control the rifts, nor the crater. It does not matter. Life finds a way. We will rebuild and regroup, stronger than before."

You howl in agreement, beating your chests and stomping your feet.

"We have no strong places to retreat to, and our packs are scattered. Broodlord, what packs remain?"

"5 mighty packs still walk the wilds," he replies. "The first, 200 Vulpines, the last of their kind. The second, 50 of Skraar's proud lineage. The third, 300 Hulkers. The fourth, 250 of various breeds. The fifth, 350 various smaller beasts. They're spread throughout the continent, with the fifth roaming particularly far to the south. Compared to the angels our beasts are strong but few, and isolated."

"We have no allies," the Prophet intones, Karani's successor. "And war with the Overseers will be costly."

"They betrayed us," Aleta growls, and you roar in agreement. "They will not go unpunished. We must reclaim our land, defeat the Overseers, and ensure the continued survival of this beautiful world. The Warpath will survive."

"There is no time to waste," the Swift Hunter intones. "Let us be prepared to meet again by the 22nd with our budgets, packleaders."

[sonicx110x4]

"Packleaders, we are in a war with the overseers. Because of that, we need an army, a strong army that can reach them. We may be atacked so we should spend some budget on fortification, just in case of an atack.We dont have any allies so spending budget on diplomatics seems uneeded. I dont think we need to atack yet, instead we could spend points on exploration. Bellow is my budget proposal. "

Sonic

Exploration: 3
Diplomacy: 0
Fortification: 3
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 6 (+1 override)
Industry:
Research: 3
Security: 1

[largenuggets [BoD]]

Greeting fellow ancients,

I am honored to be here today to discuss our current predicament with the winged creatures who call themselves the Overseers. As I'm sure you are all aware, these ruthless creatures have spread chaos and destruction upon our sacred land. The forest is our home and we must protect it at all costs, even if that means temporarily setting aside old rivalries for the sake of peace. I have seen the future, and I know what will happen if we fail to overcome this threat. Our families will be torn apart and we shall be bound and forced to work under whip and chain. These winged beasts think we are savages below their level, but we know this is not true. We have a way of life older than the trees in these forests and traditions to uphold. I call for a mass unification of all tribes in this world immediately. I understand this is no easy task for many of our brethren have a deep seeded hate and rivalry for each other stretching back for generations. But I have seen the future, and I know there is a way. We must travel far to the north and seek out The Mountain. Only he who is above the clouds can unite us all under his almighty strength. His ancient wisdom will speak to even the most ruthless clan leaders, and only then will we unite to crush those disgusting angels.


Resource Allocation:
Exploration: 5
Diplomacy: 4
Fortification: 0
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 4
Industry:
Research: 2
Security: 1

[prozac]

Friends, Colleagues for too long have we suffered injustices to our land and people. When the humans began to settle on our land we allowed them because land is to be shared. When the Genesis Industries settled and began making their machines that raped the land we let them, because they were stuck in their ways and we hoped to teach them in time.
When the Angels came and demanded a cooperative truce we agreed for the good of both our people and when they betrayed us we were left desecrated and nearly destroyed.

No more.

No more shall we endure such indignation such as that which has come before, we are the proud, we are the strong, WE ARE THE WARPATH.

I do not speak these words lightly, we have been severely injured and we are on our last leg as it stands, I am not so short sighted as to propose we simply lash out and die in one glorious act of resistance. No, what I suggest instead is that we cower like the meek, cower like the weak all the while sharpening our claws and building back our ranks, we will be completely nonthreatening up until the point we slit their traitorous cowardly throats and rip out their entrails.

To that effect I have proposed a budget for what little resources we have, this is a war gentleman and a war is a race, not a sprint, I understand not everyone may agree with this allocation of resources but I feel it will give us the best path to victory in the future.

We shall have our revenge but first we must rebuild.

Resource Allocation:
Exploration: 0
Diplomacy: 3 (With focus on keeping other nations at bay by appearing cooperative and nonthreatening)
Fortification: 0
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 8 (Focusing on breeding/recruiting One of manys and Skraars)
Research: 2 (Focus on researching defensive abilities for the one of manys)
Security: 3 (Focus on killing spies, prying eyes must not be allowed)

[Number11]

I will send out only the quickest of beast to explore the unknown lands and to keep watch over our own. We need to research the unknown lands of our enemies to find the best hunting routes for when we need to fight our enemies. I will personally be on patrols myself.

Resource Allocation:
Exploration: 5
Diplomacy: 0
Fortification: 0
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 0
Research: 5
Security: 6

[Benionin]

TURN 2

Aleta's expression has been hard ever since the betrayal, but now she let a smile slip, seeing you assembled. "Greetings, friends," she said. "I bring news of the war. Our explorers have, following the Prophet's guidance, discovered a location to the north, the Mountain you spoke of. Already the packs move towards its protective heights. However, the Swift Hunter's scouts also bring word of the Rift to the poisonous land known as Reish."

The Swift Hunter nodded. "Our scouts did not get close enough to tell, but the fortifications around that rift seemed small and easily overrun if we so chose. Solace's Gate, however, located in the epicenter of the Calamity, is much more heavily fortified. Closing the doors that Karani opened with her death will seal the Overseers away forever, but it will be very difficult."

Aleta nodded. "But the betrayers must be brought to justice." You howled in approval. "Our scouts have reached the Flame Dawn and even now are speaking with them, insisting that we mean them no harm. Although they remain unconvinced, those warlike people have not yet declared war upon us. Meanwhile, in spite of several attempts by the Overseers to sabotage our operations, they were stopped at every turn and no spies were able to successfully carry out any mission."

The Broodlord growled. "Caretaker, I bring news of the packs. The first pack, the Vulpines, located north of the Calamity's epicenter, is now working its way across the isthmus towards the center of the continent and the Mountain the Prophet spoke of. They are still 200 foxes strong. The second pack, Skraar's proud lineage, located between the central and southern portions of the continent, is now working its way north, numbering 55. The third pack, the Hulkers, was located near the mountain in the north of the central region of the continent and is even now there. They now number 300. Our fifth pack, roaming the far south of the southern portion of the continent, has travelled hard and reached the isthmus between the southern and the central regions. It still numbers 350.

"Of the fourth pack I bring grave tidings. Its were the scouts that explored the rift to the dark world and Solace's gate, and it is even now located in the northeast of the eastern part of the continent, near the rift--in the angels' territory. The Overseers attacked the group and 100 beasts were lost, though they took 200 of the angels with them.

"A sixth pack has arisen in the isthmus bridging the central and eastern regions of the continent, beasts we call One of Many. 200 of them there are, and our researchers have helped them to toughen their hides for added protection when defending against attack."

Aleta smiled. "Thank you, Broodlord. Packleaders, we leave the further running of the Warpath within your capable hands. Never forget the fallen, brothers and sisters."

You howled in approval before departing, determining to be prepared to meet again by the 29th.

[Number11]

Fellow beasts. Being the only ones living in the untamed world, our enemies need to approach us from the rifts. Therefore I believe the best use of our resources for security and fortification would be around the rifts. And we sould place extra high security and fortification at the epicenter where Solace's Gate is. We will stop the Overseers no matter what.

I would like to refrain from sending more beasts scouting to the angels' territory for the time being in order to avoid casualties. We could look for breeding grounds to help grow our numbers. We should also take a better look at the rift to Reish and get a better look at who is guarding it. If it is some other group than the slavers, then we may be able to negotiate peace.

Resource Allocation:
Exploration: 4
Diplomacy: 1
Fortification: 1
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 4
Research: 1
Security: 5

[sonicx110x4]

Fellow leaders, as number noted our enemies can approach us only from the rifts so we should forrify them. We should conyinue to expand our numbers, the more the meerier. If we can gain any allies, we should try negotiate.We should also get a project going if possible. Below is my resource allocation:

Exploration: 3
Diplomacy: 1
Fortification: 2 (override +1)
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 5
Research: 0
Security: 5

[prozac]

Friends, Colleagues, we have turned back the Overseers at their nefarious spying and Flame Dawn seems thankfully otherwise occupied with other mindless wars to wage, Now is the time to build our strength even further.
The one of manys are a valuable resource, they breed quickly and are fairly resilient, we can use them as our initial assault force to bring down the Overseers when it is time. Towards that goal we should focus on growing as quickly as possible while still focusing on stopping the Overseers from learning of our actions.

Below is my budget, I hope you will all agree the best way to win this war is with patience, first we grow, then we attack.

Exploration: 1
Diplomacy: 0
Fortification: 3
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 5 (One of manys/Skraars/Hulking Snipers)
Research: 3 (One of many speed/offensive power)
Security: 4

[largenuggets [BoD]]

Welcome friends,

Thank you for joining me here today to discuss our budget. I do apologize for my tardiness to our meeting today, my party was caught up in a small skirmish with a band of overseer scouts on my way here, but fortunately we outnumbered them and crushed them with few casualties. In this dark time we must take advantage of what few resources we have, and band together to crush the threat from the overseers. I call for a massive increase in recruitment measures and focus on amassing enough force all together to launch an assault on the gate to solace within the near future. I'm glad to hear the rest of you wise pack leaders have come to a similar conclusion, and I am confident this is our best path towards victory. None shall oppose the Warpath!


Budget:

Exploration: 2
Diplomacy: 0
Fortification: 3
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 6
Research: 3
Security: 2

[Benionin]

TURN 3

Aleta looked around. "Vengeance," she growled. "We will avenge the fallen."

You howled into the sky. The news had just arrived from the scouts. The fourth pack, which had so bravely ventured towards the rift to the dark world of Reish, had been pursued west and brutally hunted down by the Overseers. The pack had been all but wiped out, with the last few survivors spreading the word of the battle. 150 beasts lost, fighting desperately and taking over 100 angels with them, although the angelic casualties were unconfirmed. Their sacrifice was not in vain, however, as they uncovered important information about the Rift before they were forced to flee and hunted down. The rift to Reish was poorly fortified, defended by 500 monks of Jade and 500 Overseers, led by the venerable Gao Han.

"I remember the Jade Ones," the Prophet intoned. "They most assuredly can be reasoned with, even if the traitors cannot. Even now, with their allies the angels hunting us down, the warriors of Jade are at peace with us, even friendly. Perhaps this can be used to our advantage." He paused. "However, I also bring ill tidings. The Flame Dawn Empire, no longer content merely to fight against its human brethren in the world of Talich, has declared war upon us. Soon their forces will begin pouring through the rift to invade."

The Caller of the Warpath nodded. "We must prepare. To that end we have begun to fortify the Mountain and the isthmus between the central and southern regions. Both have now received moderate defensive fortifications granting our forces stationed there an advantage in battle. Broodlord, how are the other packs?"

"The First pack, the Vulpines, has reached the isthmus between the central and eastern regions, still 200 strong. It was they who brought word of the Overseers' attacks. The Second pack has joined the Third pack at the Mountain. They number 60 of Skraar's mighty lineage and 350 of the Hulkers. The Fifth pack has hunkered down at the central-south isthmus, where as the Caller has said they have fortified the land. They number 350. The Sixth pack, the Many as One, has grown to be 400 strong and has moved closer to the Mountain. It is expected to arrive next turn at the current rate if it is not directed elsewhere. Our researchers have also found a way to enhance the swiftness of these beasts, allowing them to traverse the world more quickly in the future."

Seeing that the Broodlord had finished, the Swift Hunter spoke up. "The treacherous Overseers tried to sabotage our forces, but their spies were stopped by our agents. If we can take control of the regions near the rifts, we can set up cordons to limit the movement of our enemies--especially if we are to seize ground near the Epicenter of the Calamity."

Aleta nodded. "I will compile a map of this world for your future use tomorrow. Please return with your budgets for the next council meeting by the 5th."

Sorry about rolling out the turn so late today, things came up earlier. I'll make a clean copy of my annotated map for you guys tomorrow and upload a picture of it so you can see where the packs are/were. If I forgot to include anything in the write-up, let me know in the Out of Character thread and I'll fix it.

[prozac]

Friends, Colleagues, I know it is tempting to try to make peace with the DoD, they were allies once, but they have alligned themselves with the angels, they have not attacked us personally no, but they are guilty by assosciation!
No treaty can be found with them, none but the Warpath can be trusted anymore.

My budget you can find below, our time of growing is almost at a close, we shall be ready to strike at the overseers soon.


Exploration: 0
Diplomacy: 0
Fortification: 0
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 12
Research: 0
Security: 4

[Number11]

I agree with strengthening our forces.

Resource Allocation:
Exploration: 0
Diplomacy: 0
Fortification: 4
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 7
Research: 0
Security: 5

[sonicx110x4]

I agree on strenghtening our forces aswell and i think that we should use them soon. As of allying with the DoDs, i think it might not be possible.

Resource Allocation:
Exploration: 0
Diplomacy: 0
Fortification: 4
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 6
Research: 0
Security: 6

[largenuggets [BoD]]

Friends, I also agree that we must focus on strengthening our own forces. We must take every measure possible to ensure we are able to recruit as many of our brethren as possible so we can overcome the overseers with our sheer power. We must also not lose sight of our side goal of searching out the one who is Hidden by Clouds, for he may be our key to victory. I propose we further increase our recruitment efforts, but also push forward in exploration and remain friendly with the Descendants. I don't trust them either, but we should at least remain at peace with them as well. We also must fortify our defenses to prepare for an assault from the Flame Dawn.

Resource Allocation:
Exploration: 2
Diplomacy: 0
Fortification: 5
Offense: 0
Recruitment: 5
Research: 0
Security: 4