Surface- Storm Break Bay Region
Anchorhead- Sea Lords Keep
Captain Adrian Riptide watched as the Council argued once again deep into the night. He was disgusted that they were still fighting over the White Cap Throne. By the time someone finally occupied it, Adrian would die of old age. Ever since Lord Eadwin Saltrake had been assassinated, his former advisors had fought tooth and nail over who would be elevated to Lord of the City.
Suddenly the doors were pushed inward and black armored soldiers started marching in, Adrian started to draw his sword but a knife suddenly appeared at his throat and back. "Please do not do anything stupid Captain, you are one of the good ones in this snake pit." Someone hissed in Adrian's ear. Adrian nodded his head and let his arms relax to his sides. Although the blades were not moved, Adrian could tell the wielder relaxed somewhat.
Finally, an armored man entered with a cloaked figure, he wore plate and chainmail that looked like it was covered in blood. His helm was topped with pointed Rubies that made it look like a crown of some sort. "Gentlemen and Ladies, I thank you for your time but this discussion is over. None of you will be taking the White Cap Throne, this man is the reason why." He gestured the cloaked figure forward who withdrew the hood revealing...Lord Eadwin Saltrake?!?!
The Council exploded but the black armored soldiers quickly moved forward pushing them back into their seats, "Settle down please everyone, Lord Eadwin Saltrake will explain everything once you settle down. Once he tells you his story everything will become clear. Lord Saltrake..." The man ushered him forward.
Lord Saltrake stepped forward bowing slightly toward the armored figure, "My friends as you all know, some weeks ago rumors reached our ears that the Slavers Union was planning to assassinate me. At first, they reached out to the local Assassins Guild who instead of taking the job, declined it and informed me directly that my life was in danger. They also informed me that my family would also be killed. So I desperately searched for a way to counter their power here in Anchorhead. In my search, I came across whispers of a people that had outlawed slavery and imprisoned or executed those who profited from the enslavement of others. So I sought them out and found their King. In secret correspondence, I told him of my families plight and begged for his assistance. Working with him we duped the assassins while smuggling out my family, me, and all those the Slavers Union oppressed." Lord Saltrake stated as he walked around the council and toward the White Cap Throne.
Lord Saltrake did not sit on it though, his hand caressed the armrests activating a secret compartment that opened revealing the Sword of Storms. The blade was supposedly a powerful Artifact weapon handed down from one Sea Lord to the next. It was beautifully crafted and had an ivory hilt with a gilded and jeweled sheath. "Like many of you, I profited from the suffering from so many others the Slavers Union has brought here. Today the Anchorhead turns its back on Slavery, we will never again allow slaves to be chained, whipped, abused, collared, or sold in this city. Today I, Lord Eadwin Saltrake swear an oath of allegiance to King Jacob Longstrider. I bind my city, my people, my fortune to a greater cause that you represent. Let it be known that Anchorhead has joined the Empire of NIght." Lord Saltrake finished his oath as he took a knee and extended the Sword of Storms.
This King Longstrider picked up the blade and inspected it, taking it in and Adrian could almost swear the man smirked at what he saw. Before he extended it back to Lord Eadwin Saltrake, "I Jacob Longstrider King of the Empire of Night, accept your oath of allegiance on behalf of the Empire of Night. As our fortunes increase, so will yours, your enemies are our enemies. Rise Lord Eadwin Saltrake. I appoint you as Regent of Anchorhead and Governor of Storm Break Bay Region, do you accept these responsibilities and privileges?"
"Gladly my king, and I thank you for thinking me worthy of such an appointment." Lord Eadwin Saltrake responded.
King Longstrider almost sneered, he knew what kind of man Eadwin really was, "Rise and take your place as Regent of Anchorhead. Council of Anchorhead I thank you for your patience if you do not realize yet but the time of the Slavers Union and all the corruption that came from it is now over. The vast fortunes you made from the suffering of other people will be seized by the Empire, any further corruption will result in you being stripped of your offices and exiled from the Empire. As we speak any remaining officials of the Slavers Union are being rounded up. Their mercenaries are being arrested, ships are being seized, cargo confiscated, their crews and captains imprisoned. Any slaves found will be freed immediately. Any collusion with them in the future will result in harsh penalties including imprisonment. General Brox!! Please join us." King Longstrider called out over his shoulder.
One of the biggest Orcs Adrian ever saw walked into the room, he was covered in blackened Plate, Chain, and Leather Armor, "My KIng?" The Orc intoned in a gravely voice.
"I am appointing you as Military Commander of Storm Break Bay Region. The First Legion will be staying here for now. Regent, General Brox is second only too you and will be working closely with you to weed out ALL corruption within your government. I expect to receive reports from both of you on a consistent basis. Captain Adrian Riptide a moment of your time." The King spun on his heel and left the room. General Brox glowered at the room and the Rogue behind Adrian released him and pushed him toward the door.
Jacob read the Regional Alert while minimizing his personal ones, so many things could go wrong starting today. Taking one of the major ports on the White Cap Ocean was a large step, but a necessary one.
Regional Alert...
Anchorhead has joined the...Empire of Night.
Regional Alert...
Jacob looked at the Legionnaires of the First and Second Legions spread throughout the city. The only resistance they had faced was in the Slavers District but the Legion had been given strict orders to put them down hard if they resisted. Jacob knew they might have been reinforced since the raid, but from what he could see the district was mainly a ghost town. "You asked for me King Longstrider?" Captain Riptide asked behind him.
Jacob turned and looked at the human, Adrian Riptide was about 5'6", 175 lbs and a wiry build. He was definitely a swordsman based on the way he stood and carried himself, "Please join me for a moment, Captain.' Jacob gestured for the man to come closer to the wall next to him. 'Did you know out of all the senior leadership of the city, only 3 members did not receive bribes from the Slavers Union. You are one of those people. I want you to join the Empire, we need you, Anchorhead needs you. In a little over an hour the guards of Anchorhead are going to be permanently dissolved, their arms and armor taken and they will be offered a chance to join the Legions or become normal citizens. I want you to be the first to signup and join."
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"So you are going to fire me, then rehire me? Why dissolve the city guard at all?" Adrian Riptide asked as he studied the city below.
"The Empire does not allow personal militaries over 100 men. It also does not allow cities or towns to maintain large groups of soldiers. Another reason is your guards are just as corrupt as the government, some more so. I will not have men like that in the military of the Empire of Night. The two most important things to the Empire is family and honor, help me and join the Legion. Help me recruit the good men and women of your guard while keeping the corruption out of my Legions. You are a good man, you have proven that time and time again." Jacob told him as he studied him out of the corner of his eye.
Adrian slowly drew his blade and placed it on the nearby wall, "That is the sword I was given when I joined the city guard 15 years ago. I will no longer need it. If I join your Legions, I expect a new weapon."
Jacob smiled and turned while offering the man his hand to shake. Adrian looked at it then smiled as he shook the offered hand, everything begins with one single step Jacob thought.
Underdark-Unending Abyss Region
Tomb of Eternal Night
Palace of Night- Outer Gardens
Jacob watched as the distant portals slam shut as the remainder of the Second Legion finally arrived. With all the other Legions assigned to garrison duty, the Second Legion was his only mobile force currently. However, of the 6,000+ guards of Anchorhead, they had managed to salvage just over 4,000 to be enlisted into the Legions. It boosted the numbers in training from 8,000+ to over 12,000+ in training. The Bloodscorched Fortress now had a training camp and had a steady stream of non-combatants moving too it like New Dawn and Midnight now. Jacob was sure all those former soldiers from Anchorhead would be surprised they were going to be living in the Underdark for the next couple weeks to a month. Jacob pulled up the Settlement page from his Kingdom tab to review everything there.
Spoiler: Spoiler
Note* Population centers and military fortresses listed below are considered loyal to the Empire of Night, it does not include Allied or Enemy cities or fortresses
Note* Contested Regions are regions that the majority of the population are NOT loyal to the Empire of Night or active war is being fought.
Underdark-Black Basalt Region (Contested)
City of Gahlin (Region Capitol)
Fortress of Hope
Fortress of Redemption
Underdark-Unending Abyss Region (Loyal)
Tomb of Eternal Night
City of Ineford (Client State)(Region Capitol)
Fortress of Midnight
Fortress of New Dawn
Fortress of Bloodscorched
Surface-Arathia Basin Region (Contested)
Town of Middlebrough
Town of Aramore
Surface-Storm Break Bay Region (Loyal)
City of Anchorhead (Region Capitol)
Jacob frowned at the status of the Arathia Basin, but considering how widespread the population was, it was not that surprising that it was still contested. However, the percentage of those loyal was climbing as more settlements were started. Flooding the basin felt like cheating, but they needed the food, wood, and it provided an outlet for all the former slaves they freed. Jacob dismissed the screen and pulled up the alerts he had received earlier in Anchorhead.
Kingdom Alert...
For capturing a Region Capitol and Level 6 Stronghold-City, your kingdom has gained...500,000 Kingdom Experience.
Kingdom Alert...
Kingdom Alert...
The Empire of Night has reached level 2. You now have 3 Kingdom points, See Kingdom Tab to use points.
Kingdom Alert...
Jacob dismissed the alerts and brought up the Kingdom tab and started looking at the Kingdom Skills. Tier 2 would not be unlocked until they leveled up to Kingdom level 3. Jacob didn't even hesitate, he immediately purchased Nations Lifeblood, Battlemaster, and Basic Training. Once the purchases were complete he dismissed the kingdom tab. Tomorrow they had plans to make and a war to win.
Kingdom Name: Empire of Night
Ruler: Jacob Longstrider of House Lightsbane
Capitol: Tomb of Eternal Night
Government: Monarchy-Expansionist
Settlements/Forts: 11 (See Settlements/Forts page for details)
Population: 90,000+ (including Military assets)
Tax Rate: 5%
Tariffs: 5%
Export Tax: -
Experience Tax Rate: 5%
Kingdom Level: 2
Kingdom Experience: 255,000/2,000,000
Allies:
Bloodfang Clan
Earth Splitter Tribe
Darguun Clan
Eneimies:
Sisters of the Damned
Cult of the True
Kingdom Status/Effects: Cursed (See wiki for more information)
Allies...
Spoiler: Spoiler
Bloodfang Clan- The Bloodfang Clan was one of the first subservient peoples to surrender willingly to the Empire of Night during their great expansion. They served faithfully for nearly 3,000 years until Rexxar Skullcrusher became Chief of the Clan campaigned for more rights for his people. Originally he did this through peaceful means, but of after years of his requests going nowhere, his resistance against status-quo became all-out rebellion. The war was fought in and around the Tomb of Eternal Night until the Immortal Jacob Longstrider interfered and gained recognition and independence for the Bloodfang Clan. Due to Jacob Longstriders interference the Bloodfang Clan although independent, maintains close ties with the Vampire race.
Earth Splitter Tribe- The Earth Splitter Tribe is an off-shoot of the Bronze Tooth Clan. They separated from the Bronze Tooth Clan a little over 300 years ago and settled into what would later be named Kiera'tan. The small city of nearly 2,000 Kobolds is growing slow and steady. Around 2 years ago Braxus Earthcracker's, the current head of the tribe, sister led a rebellion that killed hundreds.
Darguun Clan- This fierce Clan was founded over 1,000 years ago by Hobgoblins. Eventually, it grew to incorporate Goblins, Orcs, even Trolls and mixed blood species. It is ruled by a High-Chief that oversees the Clan, while other Chiefs run the day-to-day operations of Clan Darguun and its Holds. Currently, the clan has 7 Holds and can field over 10 thousand warriors.
Enemies...
Spoiler: Spoiler
Sisters of the Damned- Outcasts and the Forgotten are those that founded this clan over 1,200 years ago. Some say the Matriarch of this clan was so disgusted that her younger sister was appointed head of her family over her, that she left and founded this clan. If this is true or just a story told to young Drow trying to inspire ambition, it is unknown. Drow society although it does not respect or except this clan within the greater Drow society, they utilize the assets and services of this clan on a continued basis.
Cult of the True- This society takes in any and all species as long as they willingly worship the Titans. Once the paramount of the Pantheon before a massive civil war drove the Titans from power and ultimately split the gods between Light and Dark gods with a few gods maintaining a grey area between the Pantheons. The Cult was founded by the last worshipers of the Titans nearly 3,000 years ago. When the City of Night and the Vampire Race was Cursed by the Pantheons, several Houses sought protection and guidance from the Cult to combat the other gods. They hoped to raise the Vampire people and the fallen gods together, but they forgot an important lesson, most gods are selfish and usually care only about themselves.
Statecraft...
Spoiler: Spoiler
Tier 1
Name: Secret Police (Rank 1 Available for Purchase)
Description: A network of spies will report any hints of rebellion or sedition within your kingdom to either your spymaster and/or you
Name: Man of the People (Rank 1 Available for Purchase)
Description: Civilian morale losses from War, Natural Disasters, Acts of gods, etc...are halved
Name Silvered Tongue (Purchased)
Description: Doubles diplomatic gains with foreign powers while halving losses
Industry...
Spoiler: Spoiler
Tier 1
Name: Mad Genius (Purchased)
Description: Increases the rate (+25%) that your researchers produce Smithing blueprints/Alchemic Formulas/Building plans, etc... and increases the chance(+5%) that rarer plans will be produced spontaneously
Name: Nations Lifeblood (Purchased)
Description: Passively increases the amount of taxes and tariffs your nation will accrue (+10%) without the negative morale effect.
Name: Armor and Arms Masters (Purchased)
Description: Increases production(+10%) of Armor and Weapons Smiths as well as the Quality of goods produced(Increases chance (+5%) that Common armor/weapons will upgrade to Uncommon)
Military...
Spoiler: Spoiler
Tier 1
Name: Battlemaster (Purchased)
Description: Increases your armies Armor Rating (+5%), Attack Rating (+5%), and movement speed (+10%)
Name: Basic Training (Purchased)
Description: Decreases the time (25%) to train basic army units
Name: Unit Tactics Training (Rank 1 Available for Purchase)
Description: Unlocks advanced tactics for your army commanders to train your units in
Note* Know this, some parts of the skill trees will be locked if you do not purchase the pre-requisite perks.
