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Message: <blockquote data-quote="s/LaSH" data-source="post: 764973" data-attributes="member: 6929">What's to say we can't fast-forward a little bit? Think of a tactic, think of a counter-tactic - or a logical progression, at any rate. That's what we're about here, and don't really need to delve much deeper. The culture builds itself, as we've discovered.In the interests of this:The Ta'jinn consolidate their control of Stempa. The elementals are their supreme weapon in this territory, able to cross rough terrain and wreak grievous havoc upon the fortresses that the Thelians value so much. To make a point, they lay siege to and destroy an entire city-state's capitol on the Thelian side, one with many Cresian units in its garrison. (Someone more familiar with Stempan geopolitical structure decide this one, please?)Fortresses are suddenly no longer valid tactics.The Auselen stage a mock battle over an unimportant town near the front lines, between 'rival' captains. The battle is an impasse, and very few casualties are taken by either side. Both Cresia and the Ta'jinn are convinced that the Auselen are still just fragmented raiders (they have no idea of the existance of the High Lords of Ausel, and less of the Accords of Helg).It looks like Stempa is the battleground for now, and the Auselen are quite willing to foster this situation - after all, they might be able to start selling defensive creatures and technology to the Stempans too, but they have to keep the war going in Stempa or they lose that market. And frankly, the Cresians seem to be too well-defended, and the Ta'jinn too distant for counter-attacks (so far, at least).But before the messengers can reach their captains, telling them to sell defences to Stempa, the survivors of the destroyed city have spread to other states and begun to spread an anti-war sentiment - for the very good reason that they're now caught in the middle of a very big conflict. This isn't going anywhere soon, but in a few years of eternal war, I see the Stempans getting sick of this and calling it quits with their own internal war, then going to scout out Ausel itself - and possibly blowing this thing wide open.EDIT: Tonguez got there first. Who says the war has to go on immediately? A generational war, ignited every so often by petty intrigues or vengeance plots, or even the Auselen manipulating someone, could last a hundred years and prove fertile ground for many a tactic. Or not, but does anyone else feel we've finished Round 3? 'Cause I'm itching to throw a monkey in the works for Round 4...</blockquote>

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