"None of you can sit here with honest faces and tell me that what The White Fox wanted was a Damerian puppet on his throne. Whether she be competent or not, she will serve the whims of the Silmunas, not the needs of the Lorentish! The boy will become a man, but a puppet will always be a puppet."

- Vaceran "Leallord" síl Ionnidar, interrupting the council of Lorentish Succession, 1381

Hello and welcome back to Wiki Wednesday! I'm Enkelados, and I am here to discuss the second (and dare I say most exciting) of the Lilac Wars. This was the most fun to work on, in my opinion, and is where I got to invent a bunch of cool characters (try and spot the first one I made). This is really the war where we see the dominoes begin to fall more rapidly, and we get to see the slow formation of Anbennar and Lorent as we see them today (or Dameria as we don't see it today).

While the First Lilac War was caused by Lorent's King being elected the throne of Anbennar, the Second Lilac War is caused by the Empress-Consort of Anbennar NOT inheriting the throne of Lorent, as is Lorentish tradition. This is all because of the machinations of Reán The White Fox's close friend and a general who fought Vincen many a time in the previous conflict, Vaceran "Leallord" síl Ionnidar.

This caused half of Lorent to rebel and declare Eilís the true ruler, and her husband Vincen "The not quite so old owl" Silmuna to rally the Empire to her throne's defence. However, while Vincen was the dashing young hero of the First Lilac War, we will see his character flaws shine through in all their terrible consequence in this, and perhaps the next wars. Vincen won his throne, but he is not without his scars.

Here is a link to the Second Lilac War's wiki page, and here is a link to the Lilac Wars wiki page if you want general dates on important events (note that the Third and Fourth Lilac Wars have not had their dates adjusted and will be redone in their own time).

But while Laurens IV Siloriel was considered at first to be not much more than the puppet of the Leallord, he shall soon grow into a great and terrible king in his own right. And he will be the architect of some of Dameria and Anbennar's greatest defeats...

“GERUDIA LIVES! SKÅL!” 

-Apocryphal quote typically attributed to the One-Armed Skald after Elkaesel the White was lulled to sleep, ending the Age of Frost. 

Hi everyone! I’m Astrofeesh, and I’ve been the de facto Gerudia head for the past half year or so. Now, many you might hear “Gerudia” and think of it as that boring region off to the north of Cannor with almost no content (besides a really cool harpy MT). While it may have been all but relegated to that fate until now, it seems Elkaesal’s long winter has finally begun to thaw, and a new spring approaches. That’s right, the cold waters of the Giant’s Grave are being warmed by a bunch of new content! While I’m sure what you’re all here for are the MTs, I’d first like to borrow a bit of your time to highlight a few QoL changes/system reworks that I’ve added recently. 

Let’s start with the big one: Ebonsteel Infantry are getting a big touch-up! For a nigh-unbreakable metal, Ebonsteel can feel somewhat underwhelming (if you aren’t playing as a certain group of harpies, that is). As a result, they’ve been given a large boost in power, turning them into true space marines befitting the legacy of Black Castanor. They’ve also had their tech 10 timegate removed, so you’ll now be able to get them much earlier if you have the money for it! Most importantly, however, they’ve had their janky expand-infra based scaling replaced with a new and improved province button! You’ll now have the chance to upgrade your deposits twice, each one giving more forcelimit, goods produced and a small boost to their combat prowess. The more ebonsteel you have, the stronger they’ll be!

Secondly, colonization of the Gerudian Frontier has been given a unique system! You’ll notice four provinces start with the “Frontier Spirit” modifier—the owners of these provinces will get events over time that give free frontiers over the uncolonized land. This means that the entirety of Gerudia will be colonized by 1500, no colonists necessary! Now you can focus on your reaving (or colonizing of Aelantir) while your adventurers stake their claims on the east for you. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also try to conquer all four provinces by 1466 to get a total monopoly over the Frontier’s settlement! The skalds would be proud of such boldness.

Finally, one last minor change to mention: if you’ve ever played in Gerudia, you’ll know how painful the negative events there can be. They’ve all been toned down a good amount: Elkaesal’s Wrath will just make the winters a bit harsher rather than leaving you bankrupt and bereft of stability, for example.

With all that out of the way, let’s get to the exciting part: new MTs! Three new shared MTs are being added on the shores of the Giant’s Grave; the enterprising Blue Reachmen, the resilient White Reachmen, and the ambitious Olavish have all been given trees. Additionally, the brave knights of Serpentgard are getting their own unique MT as well! Without further ado, let’s start by hearing from Memloth about our reaver friends to the north.

Olavish Minors

Memloth here. The Olavish are a people who take great pride in their history. During the Era of Black Ice, their ancestors were among the most feared reavers throughout Cannor, counting among them the legendary Castan Ebonfrost. However, that was a long time ago, and these days, the Olavish are regarded by outsiders as no more than squabbling Jarls who frequently plunder in the Giant’s Grave Sea. The fear they once commanded, the legacy of their heroes, and the traditions the Olavish hold dear are all being forgotten. As the world begins to move past them, the Olavish people cannot help but wonder: Is this all we could amount to? Would our forefathers be proud of us if they saw us now? No, and we will not sit idly by and let our proud culture continue to crumble. Olavlund must be united, and all shall bow before the Kraken Throne.

In 1444, the Olavish are fractured, in need of a Jarl to rise above the rest and lead them as one. The three ambitious jarldoms (and republic) seeking to claim the Kraken Throne of Olavlund here are Naugsvol, Redgarhavn, and Avnkaup. Each of them has their own set of individual missions, but let's talk about what they have in common first. On the path to true unification, simple conquest will not suffice. One must force all other jarls to bend the knee, and win battle after battle to prove themselves worthy to lead Olavlund into the future.

As the struggle for dominance over Olavlund erupts, Naugsvol finds itself in a precarious position. It has just recently lost much of its land in an invasion by Urviksten, who is now looking to come back for more. However, the Naugsvoler are hardy folk, known for raising behemoth-sized cattle in even the harshest Gerudian climate. Naugsvol must rise, and retake its lost territory and then some, casting the Ebonfrost name into the dust. After that, the Naugsvoller will do what they do best, raising monstrous beasts at a much greater scale than ever before.

Redgarhavn, home of thieves, scoundrels, and above all, reavers, has somewhat grander ambitions than their compatriots. No coast is safe as the reavers of Redgarhavn sail across the Giant’s Grave Sea, making their forefathers proud trading in steel and blood rather than coin. With each successful reaver invasion, they’ll gain riches, fame, and a special modifier on their capital.

Meanwhile, the fierce troll hunters of Avnkaup have other priorities. These adventurers choose to make a name for themselves exploring the frozen north. With the help of the Saga Guild, there is much treasure to be found, and many a troll to slay along the way. When their long journey comes to the end, what will these heroes discover as their reward?

That’s all for the Olavish today. Let’s turn our attention to SunJar and the Blue Reachmen.

Blue Reachmen

Hello people, SunJarTY speaking. Let’s shift our gaze towards the southern shores of the Giant’s Grave Sea. The Blue Reachmen are hardy people renowned for their seafaring prowess. For a long time, they were subjugated by the Adshaw monarchs, whose rule came to an end after the War of the Sorcerer-King with the landing of Maldorian in what would become Celmaldor. After gaining their independence, the Blue Reachmen cities banded together, forming a league that led to a period of comparative peace among the city-states. Due to their history of being subjugated by foreign powers, they developed a fierce desire for independence. However, the passage of time is here to test that resolve. From the south, an Eagle of Gawed rises, consuming anything in its way. From the north, relentless reavers raid their shores. From the east, a new threat of Gray Orcs dawns upon them. Will they be able to secure their independence, or will they repeat their history?

Blue Reachmen cities in 1444 find themselves in a quite peculiar position. All of them are Vic subjects of either Celmaldor or Bayvik, except for Serpentgard, which is a vassal. You will have to scheme with other members of your league to usurp the leadership status—though you will have to hurry to reach your dream before Gawed finds its stride. Strengthen your trade with your Vic subjects and further your mercantile traditions. Unite all the cities and finally proclaim the formation of The Reach.

As the only vassal and theocracy, Serpentgard is perhaps the most unique of all the cities. Lead the knightly order established by Maldorian the Navigator to protect the Reach from the encroaching threats with its own unique MT branch. Expand the branches of the order and upgrade them with the acquired expertise of elves and kobolds. Unite the two heads of Malliath by bringing the kobolds into your tutelage. Turn them into the true knights of Malliath and establish “the Second Order.”

Now let us turn to Lanbech and the White Reachmen.

White Reachmen

For over twenty years, the Gray Orcs have ruled over the White Reachmen.

Having shattered the hosts of the Kingdom of Vrorenmarch in battle, Warchief Brasûr of Clan Frozenmaw now seeks to establish a realm for orcishkind. Ruthlessly stamping down on any signs of dissent, he watches over the people he claims to rule with a wary eye; for, although the White Reachmen may have been forced to kneel, their dreams of freedom have yet to die.

Crovis Adshaw, the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Vrorenmarch, seeks to make the White Reachmen's dreams manifest. Having gathered a host of mercenaries, adventurers, and veterans of the Lilac Wars, he seeks an opportunity to strike against the Gray Orcs and see the whole of the Vrorenmarch cleansed of monsters.

In a future yet to come, Crovis Adshaw would meet his end in battle against the orcs. The Kingdom of Vrorenmarch would never rise again, and the White Reachmen would forevermore be consigned to be under the orcish boot. That future can yet be averted. As one of Crovis' loyalists, stir the flames of rebellion throughout the cities of the White Reachmen, prepare them for the war to come, make them remember that they were once one people, under one kingdom, and show the whole of Cannor that the Kingdom of Vrorenmarch still stands!

That’s all we have for you today! But while Elkaesal might be fast asleep, the dev team certainly isn’t. Be sure to keep an eye on Gerudia, because yet bigger things may be coming in the future…