Nioca

Emperor: I basically assumed that the shades would each have a unique message to appeal to each faction. But yeah, open to the idea of a meeting.

Night had fallen over the Mera-Tev. And Penta was in turmoil. Inside the city, flames could be seen as serviles and humans rioted, rebelling against the harsh Erosss. But the riots were starting to die out. People were fleeing in all directions. Erosss stood over the city square. Most of the pathetic lesser creatures were fleeing, scared by her presence. Or perhaps it was the Unbound standing behind her. Either way. "FOOLS!" Erosss roared. "YOU DARE STAND AGAINST ME?!" Only a few brave souls remained now. Each and every one of them was terrified out of their minds, holding rather pathetic weapons and wearing questionable armor. The servile leading them stammered, "We-we are your servants no more! We get freedom, or die free!" Erosss glowered at them. "You want death?" She hissed. "I can agree to that!" She clicked her claws, indicating the rebels to the Unbound. Its mouth parted wide, and dancing energy was visible within. A kill spell flew from the woods, striking the Unbound in the face. The Unbound staggered, its blast flying off and taking out several trees. There was a thwipping sound as a storm of thorns perforated Erosss and her Unbound. Cryoglaahks and clawbugs charged out of the woods, stinging the now screeching Unbound and bringing it down. A woman, wearing blue Shaper robes with poorly concealed platemail underneath, stepped out into the plaza. A wicked-looking Puresteel Blade was wielded in her right hand. Her left was held aloft and filled with energy. "I am Learned Cameron of the Enlightened Shaper Confederacy!" She shouted. "Surrender, or be destroyed!" Erosss scoffed, but she looked worried. "Never." She hissed. A glowing light appeared in her clawed hand as she started an incantation. All at once, blasts of energy flew from the surrounding woods. A blast of yellow energy in the shape of an arrow leapt from Learned Cameron's hand. All the spells struck Erosss over the heart, and the raw energy knocked her back into a building. There was a loud crunch as Erosss collapsed, looking thoroughly like a massive ragdoll. Then all was still. Through all this, the servile rebel hadn't budged an inch. He was staring, petrified, at where the Drakon had been standing It was only as the Enlightened's army filled the plaza that he finally started to move. "...how? Who?" Was all he could manage. Learned Cameron looked around. "Okay, according to Learned Qariusss, it should be close by..." Another shaper approached. "What's close by? I thought we were just taking control of Penta?" "No. Tell the locals the score here. Then help me out with the search." Learned Cameron stated. Looking thoroughly confused, the Shaper approached the rebel servile. People were starting to filter back into the city. But Learned Cameron didn't care about that. Time was of the essence. She knew that Antares could only stall their opponents for so long. -------------------- The Drakon army marched purposefully toward the Mera-Tev. Going through the swamps, they were forced to split into groups. One such group was led by a rather young, cocky Drakon by the name of Rastasss. Surrounded by an army of creations and several lesser creatures to back him up, he felt invincible. That was, until a massive cloud of flame washed over his group. Screams echoed across the fens as the less flame-resistant creatures were incinerated. These screams were answered by cries of alarm from the other groups, as they rallied against the new foe... Or tried to. For the perpetrator was nowhere in sight. Clouds had chosen an unfortunate time to cover the moon, and the surroundings were almost completely dark. Rastasss tried to rally as well. Unfortunately, the number of humans, serviles, wingbolts, and glaahks in his group had dropped to zero. The cryodrayks he commanded were crippled from burns, the rotgroths looked ready to collapse, and everything else was thoroughly seared. As he desperately tried to shield them from attack, he felt a rush of air and a sharp object pierce through his back. He was carried for several yards before dropping back into the fens, where he drew his last breath. Moonlight graced the fen, revealing the Icaran as it swung toward another group. Now with a target, hundreds upon hundreds of projectiles filled the air, firing at the new creature. Drakons commanded their wingbolts toward the Icaran. The air quickly became filled with hundreds of serpentine creatures as they lofted toward Talonfire. Talonfire started to flee, pursued by the wingbolts. As the army watched tensely, Talonfire suddenly banked. Making a hard turn, it came about and opened its beak. Golden flames enveloped a large number of wingbolts, and glowing bodies fell from the sky. As the wingbolts opened fire, Talonfire launched an attack run on them, spewing orange flames all the while. The battle between Talonfire and the wingbolts was decided quickly with one last gout of flame. The army started throwing everything it had against Talonfire. Rocks, thorns, magic spells, and clouds of essence lightning filled the air. A screech indicated that something had found its mark. Talonfire banked toward one group of creations, flaring its wings. Landing at a gallop, it charged the leader of the group. It reared back in front of the unfortunate Drakon and smashed him aside with its deadly talons. Another Drakon in the group launched a kill spell at the massive creature. However, the grey bolt of energy struck some sort of magical shield a few inches off the Icaran's hide. The bolt diffused, and when the light faded, there was only a small, smoldering dot on Talonfire's feathers to indicate where the spell had struck. Blasts of essence lightning from the Kyshaaks were suffering the same fate, striking the same invisible barrier. The only thing ultimately accomplished was attracting Talonfire's attention and wrath. Talonfire quickly swatted aside the second group's forces and lifted off again. Blasts of flame hit a similar shield on Talonfire's skin, though it seemed somewhat more effective. Attempts to daze or charm the beast were getting nowhere. When a rotgroth struck, its acid had rolled off. Indeed, the only thing that was proving halfway effective were the War Tralls. Which was why, when Talonfire advanced on the third group, they took advantage of their new-found knowledge. Rocks flew at the Icaran, hard and fast, while the ineffective creations were sent deeper into the army's ranks to protect them. However, it still failed to slow Talonfire down. A gout of flame enveloped the War Tralls and Beta Tralls, igniting them and causing panic. Talonfire then charged the group, slashing the creations with its talons and beak. But it was becoming clear that Talonfire was slowing down somewhat. The rocks were now causing tangible harm. Talonfire took off, banking up toward the night sky. For a moment, it looked to be over. Then Talonfire swerved and struck at another group. It was Warmaster Kepma's turn to experience the wrath of this beast. Talonfire landed, trampling several serviles and drayks. As the War Tralls started fighting again, Warmaster Kepma noticed something different. Despite it being to the beast's advantage, the Icaran was not using its deadly fire attack. A glimmer of hope had appeared for the Drakons; Talonfire's breath was out of flame. But it still was little consolation. War Tralls were thrashed left and right by the increasingly angry Icaran. Warmaster Kepma started getting worried; the beast would come for him next, and it seemed that it wasn't being stopped. A rather brazen Cryodrayk leapt forward, its jaws parted. A blast of frost and ice flashed from the cryodrayk to Talonfire, and a rending screech of pain filled the air. A particularly nasty hole was visible in its feathers from where the ice had struck, and the thick skin underneath was burned from cold. Seeing an opening, Warmaster Kepma started casting spells of magical ice, firing blasts of cold at Talonfire. Each hit was causing the Icaran to flinch or shudder in pain. After two more hits, Talonfire decided it had enough. Making one last charge, it took a swipe at Warmaster Kepma. The Ur-Drakon leapt back, but wasn't quite fast enough. One talon caught, digging a massive, searing gouge across his chest. Turning, Talonfire took off at a gallop and leapt skyward. It flapped its wings furiously, struggling to get air on its damaged wings. But slowly, it managed to get lift and head back out toward Mera-Tev. -------------------- The sun was starting to rise. All in all, it had just been a very bad night for the Mera-Tev Drakon population. Learned Cameron winced as she felt the burn on her hip. She had gotten a little careless with an Unbound, but it didn't matter. It had been a simple matter to find the Shadow Road. Everyone knew the legend of it, of course. An old, underground road that creations had used to travel across the Mera-Tev. But Learned Qariusss, having been around at the time of the Rebellion, knew where the two points it connected were. And, more importantly, that a sidebranch of the road led right into the back of Gorash-Uss. They had locked the fortress in the sights of a quick and brutal surprise attack. They had lost several Outsiders, and one rather careless Guardian, but they had otherwise kept the losses to a minimum. More than that, they had discovered something else. A Drakon, kept locked away in a cell. Yokarisss was his name. He had been imprisoned for arguing with a higher-up, and then disobeying an order to kill a camp of disobedient serviles. They were planning on executing him. But now, Learned Cameron was at the crux of a dilemma. On one hand, it was a Drakon. A dangerous and unpredictable creation, to be certain. On the other, Yokarisss could prove helpful. And if the others had locked him away, it seemed like a good a reason as any to assume he might be willing to help. A rather enthusiastic servile ran up to her. "I can't believe it! We've got the Mera-Tev!" "That's because it's not true. We've got Mera-Tev's main fortress. But it's no more than a foothold in the Mera-Tev." The servile glared at her. "You really know how to drain all the life out of victories, don't you?" He muttered as he walked away. Learned Cameron shrugged. When it came down to it, they needed all the help they could get... even if it came from a less-than-trustworthy source. "Servile! Tell them to release Yokarisss and have him meet me!" Happy with her decision, she pulled on her essence. A wispy shade formed. A messenger. -------------------- Talonfire snoozed next to outdoor healing and essence pools. Essence slowly reached out to the numerous wounds on the Icaran's skin, healing them and pushing out debris and the occasional thorn. New feathers started sprouting on its wings and hide. Antares stared at the creature. He knew of its success through the bond Shaper and Creation shared. He also knew that he had commanded it to come see him when it had arrived back in the Whitespires. A command Talonfire had received... and duly disobeyed. It had instead chose to come here. Resting by the pools to receive healing before coming to him. Antares had feared it upon seeing the intelligence in the creation's eyes, and now he knew it. Talonfire was sapient. It obeyed commands not out of the compulsion of a Shaper, but out of loyalty and devotion to Antares. Ultimately, Talonfire was free-willed, and Antares could not force it to bend to his will. Thankfully, Talonfire seemed loyal. If it was the old Shaper Empire, Talonfire would have been destroyed in short order. As it was, Antares simply noted that future Icari needed to have their intelligence scaled back slightly. He supposed that it wasn't the worst flaw that could show up in this prototype. A wispy, vaguely humanoid shade appeared. "Great Shaper, this is Learned Cameron." Cameron's disembodied voice began. "We have taken Gorash-Uss. Furthermore, the people of Penta have agreed to help us in any way they can. We've received some reinforcements from their population, along with food and weaponry. We also found an imprisoned Drakon who has agreed to help us. Minimal losses. We should be able to hold the fortress should we be attacked. We've also got people exploring the other end of the Shadow Road, and hopefully liberating and making contact in Kaz. Give Learned Qariusss my thanks. Cameron out." The shade dissolved. But as Antares pondered their victory, another shade appeared. This one was more substantial, and appeared as robed man. "This is Grandmaster Dantius, of the Eyes." It croaked. "I send you this message in hope of an agreement. You, of the Enlightened Shaper Confederacy, are of interest to me. I hope to purge this land of our Drakon oppressors and return it to its rightful owners. I believe you want the same. I believe that we can work together toward a common goal." The shade stopped. Antares stared at it. It was as if the shade was waiting expectantly for something. Then he realized that this was some sort of upgraded shade. Rather than deliver a simple message, it also waited for a reply. "This is Grand Shaper Antares." Antares started. "Your offer is of interest to me. However, I must know whether or not I can trust you. As such, I will meet with you or a representative. Such a meeting must take place either here or in neutral territory. If you are who you say you are, then I look forward to working alongside you." When it became clear that was all Antares would say, the shade turned and departed.

Originally Posted By: Master Ackrovan Plus, you need to make sure the tunnel is actually stable enough to transport troops through. This includes making beans to support the ceiling ...I didn't know beans could do that. Or are these specially-grown Shaper beans?

It'd probably take a lot of time. Not only do you have to worry about dull claws, but if the clawbugs hit a bad patch of rock, it could bring that part of the tunnel crashing down.

Not meant to, but that's sort of the way it's turning out. Not that it's a problem. SD: Got it.

Seeing as we're starting to introduce several creation variants and such, I thought it'd be useful to have an article on them.

Well, I can't help but notice the addition of wings to the Arbors... Anyway, I think the Spike Roamers need to be toned down slightly. Not in terms of damage, though, but in terms of the spike's lifespan. I'm guessing those spikes move about as fast as a thorn from a baton. If so, giving them a life of 10 minutes just flying around searching for a target is a very bad idea. They could wind up hitting a target clear cross Terrestria, which is sort of stupid, considering that the target could be you, your armies... so forth. But if they're experimental, I suppose it could be a flaw they only discover once they deploy them (and promptly wind up getting chased by a cloud of spikes). But when you do tone it down, I recommend something like 10 seconds. Still reasonable, but it won't let them travel too far from where they started.

Yeah, but it required an incredible amount of energy just to transport one person a distance of a few yards. It's specifically mentioned that such a spell has a short range. There'd be no way that any number of shapers could teleport themselves and an entire army several miles.

Corrupted Thahds. They do a good amount of damage, and are freakishly resistant to the wingbolts' attacks. If you can get to the room on the other side, it's quite easy to create an army, have them all regenerate, and then send 'em out to kick some tail.

Well, the Enlightened, realizing they have no food, are headed south. Those Mera-Tev drakons are in for one nasty surprise...

"Shaper Antaresss." A sibilant hiss reached across the room. Antares looked up from his text. Learned Qariusss was standing at the door to the throne room. "Yes?" Antares asked blandly. "We're encountering some issues with the Icaran." Qariusss stated. "What kind of issues?" Antares asked, his hairless brow furrowed. "We're having trouble feeding it." Qariusss continued. "It just ate five Ornks for a single meal. And it's still hungry. Food is already going to be an issue for us, but at the rate this thing is eating, we'll be starved out within the week." "I see... And what would you suggest, friend?" Antares stated casually. "I don't know. This thing is powerful... isn't it? Wouldn't it be capable of feeding itself?" Qariusss offered. "I suppose that could work... In fact... that could work very well." Antares stated. Qariusss shifted his weight slightly. "That still leavesss the food issue, though. Asss much asss I'd like to, we can't stay in these mountains forever. We don't have enough food to support the number of creations and people here." Qariusss shook his head. "We've only got enough for about a month. Maybe two, if we stretch it." Antares looked down, running a hand across his bald head. He hadn't wanted to take aggressive action against his neighbors. But it was quickly becoming apparent that there was little choice. "Gather the Learned again. We've got things to discuss." -------------------- It was a small gathering this time, yet it was infinitely more noisy. The three Learned Shapers were bickering back and forth, discussing options and simultaneously shooting down others. Antares, meanwhile, was reclining on the throne platform. Generally, whenever a meeting like this was held, the three Learned Shapers would bicker, and Antares would reach a decision. This one was no different, and Antares had no interest in keeping any air of dignity. His back hurt from sitting in that accursed chair. "We need to hit Gorash-Uss with everything we've got. We take that fortress, and the Mera-Tev will have no choice but to bow to us." Learned Cameron insisted. "No!" Learned Qariusss hissed. "Taking that fortress would weaken us substantially. With Kywhyiss-Uss in Okavano and Cali-Uss in Nodye, our forces would get cut off from the Whitespires, surrounded, and killed." Qariusss paused ever-so-slightly; he couldn't afford a long one without getting cut off. "We need to take a cautious approach. Spread our influence out from the Whitespires slowly over Mera-Tev. That way, we get the needed farmland, and can easily defend ourselves from Drakon attack." "Yes, and have three fortresses full of angry Drakons pounding us from every conceivable angle?" Learned Haron intoned. "We'd wind up no better off than if we just stayed up here. We have a month's supply of food. I say, we stay up here, build our strength, and let them fight each other. Then we'll be able to move in and take them all down in one massive strike." Cameron scoffed. "We don't have the time. Scrying from earlier today indicates that Kywhyiss-Uss is already mobilizing forces into Mera-Tev. If we don't take it now, we never will. Look, from what we can gather, Nodye is in total chaos right now. We could march into Mera-Tev blowing an army's worth of trumpets, and they wouldn't even blink. The Storm Plains are having their own problems right now, so there's no enemy reinforcements available from there. The only direction we'd have to worry about is the Okavano Fens. And possibly..." Antares perked up. "And possibly what?" "Great Shaper..." Cameron said, suddenly more humble. "We noticed strange activity from an uninhabited isle in the center of Lake Terrestria. We couldn't gather much because our scrying was blocked..." "...but the fact it's blocked provides damning evidence that something powerful is on that island." Antares finished for her. "Which is why we need to stay put." Haron spoke again. "We need to stay hidden in shadow, keeping the full extent of our power-" "Which will become negligible if the Drakons reassert a foothold on Mera-Tev!" Cameron cried. "Quiet." Antares raised his hand, sharply cutting off the argument. He stood up and paced back and forth. He was getting an idea. "Learned Cameron is right. We can't sit by and let the Drakons regain control of Mera-Tev. But Learned Qariusss is right in that, by assaulting Gorash-Uss, because of the great attrition that'd result from taking the fort, we effectively suicide the forces we send if reinforcements arrive. And Learned Haron is right as well... We need to stay hidden." Learned Qariusss hissed, irritated. "We can't all be right, Shaper." "Oh, but you are." Antares smiled. It was an attempt to show confidence. Unfortunately, the effect landed somewhere closer to creepy. "Learned Qariusss... I think I need to brush up on my history." -------------------- The sun was starting to set. An army of Shapers, all of various species, marched out toward Mera-Tev, escaping the cold icy mountains. They were accompanied by a glorious array of creations, ready to tear apart the enemy on the slightest command. Podlings, War Tralls, blue Glaahks that left a trail of frost, roamers with what looked like thorn batons mounted on them, and many others... all marching to take on whatever Mera-Tev had to offer. Upon reaching the crossroads at the mouth of the Whitespires, the army turned west toward the Murkwood. Meanwhile, up in the mountains, Antares was staring at the evening sky. He had sent the Icaran out to hunt. Hopefully, it had gotten its fill and caused some carnage while it was at it. But he had hoped it'd be back by now... A brief flicker of shadow on the ground caught his notice. Squinting, he looked up in time to see what looked like a massive bird come swooping down toward the road. Antares smiled as the massive creature pulled up, flaring its wings and bringing its six massive legs to the earth. Despite its size, its landing was fairly gentle. It trotted up, folding both pairs of massive wings. Its feet made a distinct clicking sound, as a result of its bizarre combination of hoof and long, razor-sharp talons. A long, sharp orange-and-black beak accented its face, bloody as the result of some kill it made. Antares became vaguely aware of the fact that he only just came to the tip of its beak. What unnerved Antares, though, was its cunning. He had seen it before, and now he was sure. There was a gleam of intelligence back there. He had made the Icaran intelligent, so as to keep it from going rogue or easily falling prey to mental tricks. But whenever Antares looked it in the eye, he couldn't help but suppress the notion that he may have overdone it. That's when he noticed the burns. "What did you get yourself into?" Antares asked. He put a hand on the creature's shoulder and closed his eyes. Flashes of vision... of strange colors... through its eyes... Antares broke the contact. The Icaran had accidentally gone through an unexpected test; it had encountered a wandering, rogue Unbound in its journey. And it had prevailed. The small burns were from the Unbound flinging its powerful magics at the new creation. But its wards had been stronger. The Icaran was specifically built to kill Unbound, with powerful wards against raw energy and caustic substances. Other wards provided a protection from fire, to enable it to fight Drakons without going up like a woolly Ornk. Antares let his eyes meander to its talons. There was a yellowish-green liquid dripping off of them, causing the snow to melt underneath. A concoction Antares was particularly proud of; Discipline venom mixed with a potent acid. And of course, the talons themselves were both fatally long and sharp. The Icaran shifted slightly and squawked. Opening its beak wide, a bright yellow flame poured from its mouth. Antares leapt back, surprised. It then closed its beak and settled down onto the massive, now-smoldering spot it had created on the ground. Antares looked it over carefully. He was becoming increasingly enamored with his creation. He had worried that the beast was just a massive waste of essence; He could have easily created six or seven War Tralls with the essence he had poured into it, and indeed, seven War Tralls could probably take down an Unbound as well. Yet they lacked the utility of this creature. Or just the sheer power this creature's presence conveyed. "I haven't given you a name yet, have I?" Antares said casually. "Hmm... Talonfire, perhaps?" The Icaran looked up at him, as if listening carefully. "Yes, I think that's fitting. Well, Talonfire, I have an assignment." Antares ran his hand down Talonfire's body, healing the wounds it had sustained. "The Drakons in Okavano are sending forces to Mera-Tev. Their purpose, I don't know. But they musn't gain too much ground. We need to buy our group time. So... I want you to find the enemy group, and attack them. Don't try to kill them all, but slow them down. Buy us time. Kill a few, if you can, but get out if it starts getting serious." Antares, for a moment, could swear that Talonfire had nodded. Then it stood, spread its massive wings, a leapt into the air. It flapped its wings hard for a moment, struggling to gain altitude. Then it started rising toward the sky.

*Emperor uploads new map* HOLY- *modem crashes* I take it you've never heard of PNG compression? That's roughly a 2347% jump in filesize! Also, why are there two lines linking the Island of the Eyes to Drypeak? It's one section, and I'm fairly certain there's only the one access point.

Uploaded. I wanted it to be an RLE bitmap, but w-dueck has limitations on that, so... Also, the ASG article is now up-to-date.

Oh, and Emperor: I've got a new version of your faction map. It now includes the Ashen Isles. Additionally, it now has land and sea routes marked, and is slightly smaller. Do you mind if I upload it?

Actually, I count the Western Passes as being on the border between Lethia and the Storm Plains. So, from that perspective, you are correct.

Originally Posted By: Shaper Spddin Yeah, that would be very very time consuming. But i agree with ackrovan in the fact that there are 4 passes into the citadel. Nodye coast, Lethia province, stormplains, and the Mera-Tev all feed into the Citadel. The Citadel can't be accessed from the Storm Plains. That one I know for an absolute fact. There's no pass from the Citadel to the Storm Plains.

Well, one of the earlier posters now posts.

Both. It's an upgrade the Drakons created to bestow upon the Drayks of their choice, not an upgrade to the entire species. The Enlightened are simply applying it to those deemed suitable to Shaping.

Quote: No, the Citadel cab be accessed from Lethia or Nodye with ease, look at the map. According to the territory map, yes. According to an actual map of Terrestria... not so much. It's the same way that the Whitespires can only be accessed from Mera-Tev, or Greyghost can only be accessed from Burwood. Territory map probably needs to indicate where the natural barriers are. Quote: Nioca: You do remember that Drayks can't shape, right? Then how do you have Drayk Shapers? The same way you had servile magicians in GF2. They were re-shaped to handle it. Note how its stated the Drayks were glowing (specially-built Drayk canisters or direct self-shaping would do the trick).

Spddin: You are aware that, in order to retake the Shaper Citadel, you'd have to get forces through the Storm Plains, up through one of the two mountain passes, and into Mera-Tev? Considering that's the only place the Citadel can be accessed from, taking Dera Reaches might be the easier task than marching through Drakon-infested territory and a choke-point the Drakons likely guarded well.

Okavano. Or if you meant "Were you", then yes. (Well, honestly, no. I came up with the plan before I knew you were in Okavano. But it works either way)

Done. I intend to actually reveal the Icaran next post. And no, there won't be in army of them, in case you were worried. In fact, there's probably only going to be the one for quite a while.

At long last... Success... Grand Shaper Antares leaned back, letting his golden robes caress the floor. How many iterations? How many wastes of essence had he created to reach this moment? How many melting messes before he had finished his father's vision? A legitimate answer to the Unbound... and then some. But it wasn't easy. Not by a long shot. And it still was untested. Examinations of the new creation were underway now. Dozens of serviles surveyed it, noted imperfections and flaws, possible improvements... This was the first prototype to survive, but only time would tell whether it actually worked. Still, there was much to celebrate. His and his crews' month of hiding from, collecting samples of, and examining the Unbound had paid off. They had discovered how to turn off the inherent failsafe in the Unbounds' essence that allowed the Drakons to quickly dissolve those Unbound who went rogue. From there, it was a simple matter to nudge their already unstable minds into full-out rampage. The look of shock and horror on one arrogant Drakon's face as it was quickly brought down by an uncontrollable creation was a worthy reward in and of itself. But now, they had the Foundry. One of the leading research areas of the Drakon regime was now in their hands. Experimental creation ideas, an excellent number of resources. And, not to be forgotten, only one way into the mountains. Perfect for defense. The uprising had quickly overthrown any Drakon resistance. The only area left unsecured was the Repository. "Great Shaper." A hesitant, sibilant voice said. Antares paused for a moment, then stood up to face the arrival. It was a young drayk. But this was no usual drayk. Its skin glowed slightly with power, as if something within yearned to be unleashed. An odd blue coat was wrapped around its torso, embroidered with the ancient gold Shaper symbol upon its back. "Yes, Shaper Triss? How goes the cleansing of our new home?" Antares said blandly. His eyes opened, revealing a bright silver light behind them. If the chamber wasn't as bright as it was, the glow on his skin would be visible as well. "Sir, the Repository is secure. All Drakon resistance has been eliminated." The drayk stammered. "Excellent!" Antares exclaimed, a wide smile on his face. "Clearly, we are favored by fate! This has gone flawlessly!" Antares was almost giddy with happiness. "Now tell me, where is Warmaster Uhitsss? Were you able to bring him alive?" The drayk swallowed. "Actually... we've got a problem." "Problem?" Antares asked, the joy rapidly disappearing from his visage. The drayk was almost trembling now. "Sir, we finished off the last pocket of resistance, but it leaves six Drakons unaccounted for. Including... Warmaster Uhitsss." Antares swore loudly, pitched into a rage. "That... that reptilian scum slipped through our fingers?!?" He was utterly enraged. He had thoroughly looked forward to experimenting on Warmaster Uhitsss. After all, how often could you get a real live Ur-Drakon as a specimen? He calmed down. "How." He commanded bluntly. "That-that-that's the other problem." Drayk Shaper Triss was now utterly terrified. If Antares had used even a quarter of the canisters everyone said he did, delivering news like this was taking one's life into one's own hands. "A-after we-we finished the d-Drakons, we scoured the area for..." He took a shuddering breath. "for any remnants. O-one of our serviles got lucky a-and found tracks leading into the east Repository cliffs. There's a secret passage back there. They m-must have left the last bit of resistance to distract us and keep us from finding it." Antares showed no emotion. "They tried to keep the passage hidden." It was a statement, yet the question was there. "Yes." Triss nodded, terrified. "I see... So they expect to come back in through it." Antares started pacing. Then he whirled about to face a servile tech. "Servile!" He snapped his fingers and pointed at the ground. The servile shuffled to him obediently. "Find the Learned and tell them we're calling a meeting. Tell them it's urgent. Then report back to your usual duties." He fired off. "Dismissed." The servile hurried off. -------------------- Antares stood tall as he looked over the crowd that had gathered. The crowd was gathered into three groups, each headed by a representative of their species. All of them were wearing heavy shaper robes. "Shapers. We have a situation." Antares intoned. "We had hoped to have a week, maybe more, before our presence was discovered. Unfortunately, that is now down to a day or less." The crowd murmured at this. "Six Drakons escaped to the Okavano Fens using a secret escape passage in the Foundry Repository." He paused. "They do not know that we have found this entrance. I suspect that, soon, they will attempt to retake the Foundry, likely using this secret route. We need to be ready. Learned Cameron, have we retaken control of the Unbound?" The woman leading the human shapers stepped forward. "Yes, Great Shaper. There's a total of twelve Unbound out of the original forty. But..." She added ominously. "I thought we were to destroy them? They're too dangero-" "Yes, I know, but there's a change in plan. You're to turn the Unbound loose in the secret passage. Turn them loose, and try to make them go rogue. Then seal off this side of the passage." Antares cut her off. Cameron nodded. "Learned Qariusss," Antares brought his attention to an elderly drayk wearing Shaper robes. "we need four things. Manpower, intelligence, resources, and chaos. Now, I want to send agents down south. Each of these agents needs to Shape, therefore, they must be drayks to avoid detection by the Drakons. Now, four agents will each go to the Okavano Fens, Mera-Tev, and Nodye coast." Antares paused, making sure that everyone was comprehending his orders. "The agents for each location will be in two groups. Two agents will run reconnaissance. They'll keep an ear out for information and possible recruits. The other two will run interference using the information, taking out important caravans, killing important people, stealing supplies, and running information back to us. This group will also be accompanied by a small group of heavily-armed serviles to provide extra support and to get messages back." The elderly drayk leading the others nodded. "It shall be glorious, Shaper." He said, his eyes glowing from self-modification. Antares nodded again. "Finally, Learned Haron. You were the one who found the method that deactivated the Unbounds' failsafe, correct?" "Yes, Great Shaper." The young servile stated. Her skin glowed with the many canisters she had used. "Would it be possible to create pylons that emulate that effect?" "Um..." Learned Haron looked startled. "Well... no." "No?" Antares cocked his head. "The modifications involved require a living being to make them. Specifically, one that can Shape. A pylon just couldn't do what was required. Great Shaper." Learned Haron looked nervous. "I see. Very well, would it be at least possible to create pylons that would drive any Unbound that approached rogue?" Antares asked, disappointed. "Yes." "Then do so. You have any and all resources at your disposal." Antares nodded with a bland smile. "Now, as for the rest of you. We're going to turn the Whitespires into a fortress. I want mines, pylons, turrets, anything that can make this place impregnable. I also want some of you working on the Foundry's texts. The Drakons likely made some interesting developments here, and I want to take full advantage of it. Finally, and this one goes for all of you. If there are any creations your essence can spare, create them. We need to be as ready as possible for whatever the Drakons send at us." The crowd murmured slightly. "That is all." As the crowd started dispersing, a servile approached Antares. "Sir, Shaper Goit sent me to tell you that the Icaran is ready for testing. He wants to know how you're going to test its combat abilities." Antares smirked. -------------------- Those... foul... Karissss opened his eyes, returning to consciousness. How dare they? How dare those pathetic worms treat a Drakon this way? Kariss slowly pushed himself up. He was in a wide open field of snow. Surrounding him were numerous lesser creatures. Over three dozen serviles, humans, and drayks surrounded him, along with a myriad assortment of creations. The humanoids were holding batons and blades. The drayks were working magic with their jaws parted. A bald man wearing gold robes approached him. "Creation!" He shouted. "Do you know why you are here?" Karissss snarled. "Creation? I am your master! You should bow to me now, so that I can be merciful when consuming you!" "I think not." Antares stated. "A Shaper should never bow to his creations. However," he said with a sly look, "I am willing to offer you a deal." "A deal?" Karissss sounded mortified and disgusted. "What trick is this?" "No trick. I have a creation that I need tested. You kill it, I let you go. You can run off to whatever Drakon lord is closest and tell them all about us. Bring back an army to crush us. And we won't lift a finger to stop you." Karissss stared at him. "You cannot honestly expect-" "If you refuse, you die." Antares stated harshly. He made a curt signal. The serviles and humans raised submission and reaper batons. Karissss looked about. Finally, he decided. "Fine. I will destroy your pathetic creation. And then I will feast on your blood for this insult." As Antares walked past a Shaper, he muttered, "I sincerely doubt that." Indeed, it was true. If Karissss had been paying attention, he'd have realized that there were far too many guards for just one Drakon. Far too many weapons to keep just him in line. And, most importantly, how each and every person was putting as much distance between themselves and him as possible. The sound of snow crunching came to Karissss's attention. Haughtily, he looked toward the other end of the valley. He could see a shadow at the other end. An odd sound came to his attention, something between a coo and a squeal. The shadow grew as a large creature's footsteps could be heard. He watched the shadow. It was growing. So it might be a challenge. The shadow was getting larger... Much... Much larger... "HOLY SALISSAR!" Karissss exclaimed, terrified. The sound of a fireball being launched and a large creature charging echoed through the valley. It was followed by a screech of agony, and the sound of flesh and bone being deftly rended. The snow was peppered scarlet for yards around. Then three thunks as Karissss's body fell to the ground. Antares, who had showed no emotion during the brief fight, now beamed widely. "That should do quite nicely, I think!" Everyone watched, staring at the new creation. They were waiting, on edge, for it to go berserk and charge at them. But it didn't. Instead, there was a soft crunching noise as it settled down into the snow. "Very nicely indeed." Antares repeated. He stared into one of the great orbs that constituted eyes, finding a hidden cunning there. A new weapon was born.

I got one underway. Let the games begin!

Emperor: The map looks like a Risk board. Which, actually, sort of works. I think the areas should have their default names as well as who controls them, though. Oh, and making it a .GIF would be a good idea. With the solid and simple colors, it'd look better than a .JPG, and be considerably smaller to boot. Actually, even a RLE-compressed bitmap would be smaller and look better.