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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Al" data-source="post: 109474" data-attributes="member: 2486">I still hold to the MagocracyTime to join the storytelling.The LN wizards' guild has for a long time claimed a dubious piece of land.  The old king who perished had two twin sons, one a cleric and one a wizard, and a civil war has been brewing for some time.  The wizard-prince cannot seem to negotiate the zeal of his brother, and the cleric-prince is unshakeable in his beliefs.  War was inevitable.The wizards' guild had of course been preparing for some time.  The clerics, being good and hence condemning war, were caught on the back foot.  A series of mage-assassinations removed many of the key supporters of the theocracy, but this caused the theocrats to unite.  The wizards were also united- they assumed that total war was enough to unite their people without having to lose key leaders.Shaken by the loss of their chiefs and their lack of preparation, the wizards seized the initiative and went full-flow on the offensive.  Under cover of night and invisibility, they teleported in their ultra-elites to theocratic high command and wreaked vengeance on their foes.  With Hide Life, they knew that they were practically untouchable, and with wands of summon monster blockaded any guards that could come to the rescue of their foes.  The theocratic high command was almost destroyed in one evening.Solving not to get caught again, the clerics split their forces up and communicated using sendings.  However, their first counterattack was clumsy.  Arcane tricksters and a few rogue spymasters agreed to act as intelligence in exchange for gold and magic items.  The wizards set up an ambush when the clerical army marched up to their border fortress.  The clerical armies were in skirmish formation having been warned of the danger of fireballs, but the wizards had anticipated this.  Loosing their elite cavalry divisions onto each flank, combined with a frontal assault, the infantry of the theocracy had a harsh choice.  Remaining in skirmish formation, they would lose the melee.  But by forming into a solid formation, the circling wizards would rain destruction upon them.The clerics groaned.  Their troops were in disarray when the wizards had taken no risk.  The elite cavalry horde were illusions, but the confused infantrymen were either fleeing or forming into a tight square as their martial training had taught them, before getting decimated.  In despair, the clerics tried to convince the fleeing troops that the cavalry was illusory, but at that point the wizards' really troops broke forth, catching the fleeing skirmishers.  Mass Hasted and fully hyped, the cavalry broke through the infantry line and into the clerics.  The paladins were realised at this  point, clashing directly with the wizards' cavalry.  Through morale and stronger mounts they seemed to force the cavalry back but they could not hold back the barrage.  A strategic retreat turned into a rout when a small squadron of invisible magi all targeted their magic missiles on the paladin-general and his senior commanders.  Bereft of leadership, the paladin stuck to what they thought honourable and held their ground.  Then the wizards' cavalry withdrew.  The paladins seized their opportunity and fell right into the trap.  Invisible pikemen skewered the paladins and the cream of the clerical force lay dead.  It was a decisive victory.Despite having expended much of their resources on the initial battle, the wizards followed up the attack with a terror campaign.  Charismatic leaders were assassinated and fields were made to burn.  Created Food and Water could not keep morale and the spartan living conditions made a high rate of defections, swayed by the sweet words of propagandist bards.The tide began to turn and the cleric-prince realised that the blood of so many men was not worthwhile.  Many of his council desired peace at any cost.  In retrospect, the disputed piece of land was not that significant, he tried to justify to himself.  But he knew that the symbolic loss was far greater.</blockquote>

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