Forum Brawl #6 - Round 4 - Voting

[CleanOnion]

Time until voting for Round 4 ends:
Time's up!

How to vote
All you have to do to vote in Brawl #6 is to follow these four simple steps.
Note that unlike previous Brawls, Brawl participants are not allowed to vote.

1. Read
Read through all the submissions below to see what you actually want to vote for. Be sure to not accidentally miss one!

2. Decide
After reading, decide how you want to vote. Remember, you have 10 voting points ('voints') to split up between teams for each task. If you really like two of them but not the others, you could vote 5-5-0-0. Or if you have a clear ranking in mind, you could vote 4-3-2-1. Or split it up in any other way you want. The only limits is that you cannot give more than 5 voints to any one team, and you have to spend all 10 voints on each task you vote on. Any votes that do not fulfill these conditions will not be counted.

3. Vote
Use the form in the spoiler below to actually vote! If you are a member of the Voting Panel, you should definitely try to vote for each task, but if you are not, you can if you want decide to only vote for some tasks. You may submit some votes then come back later and submit the rest of them, if you want. You may also vote as many times as you like, but only the most recent will be valid.

Spoiler for Voting form:

4. Write
Write a post in this topic where you tell the rest of the community why you liked who you liked (Or why you didn't like who you didn't like). You have to give at least some reasoning for your vote on whatever team you gave the most voints, but feel free to give some feedback to all teams if you want! Be sure to not reveal your exact votes to anyone, to help avoid strategic voting. You are supposed to tell who you liked and why, but not how you spent your voints. This will however be revealed at the end of the voting, together with the totals to see who actually won!

Please note that in order for your vote to be valid, you MUST do step 4. If you don't, we will assume that your vote was submitted illegally by one of the Brawlers and it will be ignored.

In the event that you decide to change your vote, please ensure you do one of the following after submitting the form again: Send us a PM to notify us, or write a new post saying you changed your vote, or add a line about it in your explanation post. This is to confirm that it's really you who's voting.

If you have any questions about the voting procedure, don't hesitate to ask!

Feel free to scroll down to see the submissions for this round...

Spoiler for Hidden:

Civil War (Or Not, Depending) | COMBO TASKCrusader: Create a deck that represents your country's government! Create a deck that represents your country's people!
Royalty: Which of the two would beat the other? What consequences might that have, should the situation arise?

Spoiler for Pyrocloaks:

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

5ii 6u1 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 71d 747 747 77a 7ae 7ag 7ah 7dj 7dj 7dj 7dj 7dm 7dm 7dq 7dq 7q5 8po

The People of Zyarhelm. A very diverse group of metalsmiths and miners, most of the population is of Fire and Life, the local peoples of Zyarhelm. Even with the differences, they are used to working with one another.

Strategy: A SNbow with a focus on the Fire element and growth creatures, this deck can ramp damage quite quickly. Even without the growth creatures, however, it has the well-stat'd Graviton Guards and Steel Golems. A fair portion of the creatures are also beefy enough to survive single target CC.

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Deck import code : [Select]

5fb 5fb 5fb 5fb 5fc 5fc 5fc 5fc 5fc 7an 7an 7b0 7b0 7b0 7b0 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 8pn

The Crown of Zyarhelm. The union of two tribes, the King and Queen represent unity in our land. They are just and reasonable, until you anger them.

Strategy: Using the interactions between Adrenaline "sweet spots" and Rage Potion, this deck is very flexible, and can going for a more control-heavy style, with Rage Potions as CC, or use those Rage Potions to boost the attack of the Life Nymphs to 8. Adrenaline, however, already buffs the 3-attack Nymphs and 7-attack Phoenixes very well.


In the end, the people would have found victory, working together makes them just slightly faster, unlike the crown, which can often be isolated from the separation of elemental affinity. Should such a situation arise, the crown must set aside their difference in mindset and behavior to take control once again. Alas, should the people of Zyarhelm overthrow the government, they would most likely create a few new rules in addition to bargaining with other countries for supplies and whatnot.

Spoiler for Free Ranged Organized Guerilla Soldiers:

Spoiler for Crusader:

Controlling Government

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Deck import code : [Select]

4vm 4vm 4vm 4vm 4vm 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6tt 6tt 6tt 6tt 6tt 6u5 6u5 6u5 6u7 6u7 6u7 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 7aj 7aj 7aj 7ba 7ba 7ba 7ba 7ba 7ba 8pn

The Government controls its people until the end of time. By utilizing Thorn Carapace's chance to poison opposing creatures and then using Maxwell Demons paradox to kill of the enemies. The Druids can mutate the creatures to help aid in killing or bringing the creatures into paradox range. SoG works as a great means of simple healing and stalling while the other creatures are mutated and killed off.

Citizens of Growth

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7ac 7ac 7af 7af 7af 7af 7ah 7ah 7ah 7ah 7ah 7ah 7al 7al 7ap 7ap 7ap 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7hi 7hi 7hi 7hi 8pp

The Citizens are but simple farmers who grow their crops, and try to grow their society. Leaf Dragons utilize photosynthesis like the many crops that the people tend to everyday growing their food. The Forest spectres grow like the crops always getting bigger and ready for harvest time. SoP creates nice big creates for some heavy damage and to avoid CC range, this represents how the farmers must be pateint throughout the summer working their butts off to create such a nice and plentiful harvest before the winter.



When faced in the simulator, the Government has just over a 90% win-rate over the towns people, showing that the rulers will forever be rulers and are unlikely to be overthrown by the simple farmers of the land.

Spoiler for Royalty:

The Government was a high and mighty council of elite F.R.O.G.S. ancestors, who kept their townsfolk in line and order with the many rules of the law. They passed down the secrets of order and control through the family from generation to generation. The people of the amphibious dwellers realm were simple folk, who enjoyed farming their many crops. The land was flat and there was not much of a landscape, so the many acres of land were perfect for the countryfolk to grow their crops. Stregth was in the numbers that they had, as that always meant more workers to seed the crops in the spring, and harvest the crops in the fall.
The revolutionary war of 5Z-26 was one that is recorded in all the history books, and remembered by all of the townsfolk. Some remember the mighty stance the farmers played trying to pull down the government, while others remember the controling power of the governments grasp.
The sun was shining like any other day, bright and hot, the heat was intense and the humidity in the air increased the heat for the many farm-hands tending to the crops on the otside of town. The workers had been getting moody and annoyed due to the heat, and there had been whispers among the people about a possible uprise but it was only words and mumurs up until now. The day had come, a day the government would regret, a day for the uprising of the people to overthrow the government into chaos.
In theory it all looked good on paper, however events never go the way they are planned. The farmers would create a siege on the royal king's court to overthrow the leaders and restore order to those who tended the crops in labour. The attack was fierce and swift, the famers had stockpiled their equiptment and made modifications to use as weapons on the kings guards. They managed to sweep past the first and second sets of guards on the exterior and imediate interior of the gates. Alarms still had not been sounded, surprise was on their side for now but the farmers were not stealthy assassins, not stealthied warriors, so they would take what advantage they had. They managed to get into the inner court and into the hallways of the caslte. alarms still had not sounded, but the farmers were enraged too much to care about the oodity of not hearing any alarms. The hallways were lined with many trophies from the royal conquests and the farmers destroyed them all as they passed by them, ripping the tapestries and bludgening the golden statues.
They made it all the way to the doors outside the kings throne room without any trouble, stopping for a breif moment to regroup the scattered men and women ready to fight the king. The leader of this group of rebel siegers led his rag-tag group of farmer into the king's throne room and froze.
The place was empty, the king was not there, there were no guards or servents anywhere in the field of view. All that could be seen was a small scroll of paper sitting on the seat of the throne. Upon inspection it stated:

"Hello my subjects, it is I your faithful king and humble ruler, King of the Amphibious Dwellers Realm. We have heard through our loyal servants that a revolution was in the planning and that an uprising would soon occur. When I get back with my lovely countess, a wrath will be instilled upon your heads and crops to remind you and your descendants of the day you failed to overthrow the kingdom."

Spoiler for Super Secret Shadow Shielders Simply Standing Still:

Government :

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Deck import code : [Select]

5io 5io 5io 5io 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 7n3 7n3 7n3 7qc 7qc 7qc 7ri 7ri 7t8 7t8 7td 7ti 7ti 8pp

The different queens, and the pharaohs, are the nobility of other countries that helped found the country. The vampire is Joey, our king. Dusk mantle is the artifact covering the country, and the cloaks are a by-product of the hiding.

People :

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4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4vh 4vm 4vm 4vm 4vm 4vm 4vm 52m 55n 58u 596 596 5f3 5if 5le 5og 5og 5v2 5v2 626 8pj

Fallen elves, for their effects on others, have been very ostracized by their brethren, and as such were a large group of the refugees that constitute Ombrella.
Other creatures are other despised or disregarded groups.
The fog and the cloak are both by-products of the Dusk Mantle, hiding the people in the shadows.

In this matchup, the people deck is a bit faster, able to get momentum faster and beat the government.
This means that in the event of an upheaval, the people will most likely take power. However, in the current political climate, it is likely that civil war level tensions won't happen, and that if they do the government would rather abdicate than fight.

Spoiler for The Tentacle's Grip:

In politics, always look under the surface...

The Frostkracken Government

Eternal Rule

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7gr 7h2 7h2 7h2 7h2 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q5 7q5 7q7 7q7 7q8 7q8 7qu 7qu 7qu 7qu 7qu 7qu 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 8pp

The Inner Cabinet
The squid represents the Emperor and the whole inner cabinet. On its own it would be vulnerable to many forms of attack, and thus, like any good empire based around a single leader, possibly a dictatorship, the rest of the government has been formed mostly as a protection of the leader.

Ideology
First, it has been made clear to everyone that JonathanCrazyJ will reign for eternity, which in itself 'turns away' many threats.
Time flies when you have eternal reign, and this allows the emperor to take my time over offensive and defensive decisions, turning the sands of time on a whim.

Parliament
The two houses of parliament, The Shell of Anubis and The Shell of Steam are mainly puppets.
The Shell of Anubis are the highest level of government beneath the Emperor, simply agree with whatever JonathanCrazyJ tells them to, protecting his interests.
The Shell of Steam is less aware of their true role. They argue and fight amongst themselves, unaware that all their discussion will be overruled or twisted by The Shell of Anubis and the Emperor to suit the Emperor's wants. However, they are at their most powerful when their arguing reaches fever pitch, because even though they are ultimately puppets, they believe so strongly they are part of a democracy that they fiercely fight any uprising, thinking they are doing good.
With all of these clever devices in place, they emperor is always ready to squash any uprising...

The Frostkracken People

Hoards of the Abyss

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74a 74a 74c 74d 74d 74i 74i 74i 75m 75m 75m 75m 75m 75m 75m 7an 7ap 7ap 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7gm 7gm 7gm 7gm 7gm 7gm 8pp

Keep Them Satisfied
While there are many enslaved and colonized areas under our rule, our true people are the creatures of the deep.
The Emperor likes to make them feel like they matter. It is easier to control a civilization who believe their voices are being heard. However, when voices of decent are heard, it is possible that their number will grow.

Keep Them Small
Feelings of resentment breed and multiply, and soon enough whispers become shouts, and the rebellion goes into overdrive.
Ours is a strong people. They are proud and brave, and when excited, their adrenaline can make them feel unstoppable.

Keep Them Happy
The force of their anger can break their enemies if they go unchecked.
The sheer multitude of creatures of the deep, and strength of their numbers make them a titan of an enemy.


The Regent's Diary
*All words hereafter have been written by the most trusted royal scribe, as the Emperor-Regent is illiterate*

'The Emperor's Fourth Sucker' they call me. Right now I feel like 'The Emperor's Last Ink-Splat'.
The people are unhappy. Somehow The Emperor's absence is giving them a sense of unrest. While I was respected and loved as a champion of the people, now that it is I alone at the helm of their government, I worry that they will see through the measures our leader has in place for keeping the rabble peaceful.
I spoke with the Shell of Anubis today, away from the prying eyes of the Shell of Steam. They explained the intricacies of the Emperor's 'government'.
Essentially, it's all down to him. He is not a cruel leader, at least not to those in his original kingdom before the colonies started, yet he knows the importance of keeping the people in a balance of love and fear.
First, to stop them from even thinking of rebellion, it has been made clear to everyone that the Empire is eternal. It will endure forever. This gives the people a sense of acceptance, quashing the idea that another way of life is even possible. Then the government itself it seems is mere puppetry. In the public's mind, all laws the emperor comes up with are put before The Shell of Steam, which is made up of elected representatives of the people. They argue their arguments and speak their speeches, and pass on a glossy version of the law to The Shell of Anubis, who make final tweaks using their experience and knowledge of the empire (as ex-members of The Shell of Steam) and publish it as constitutional law.
What actually happens is that once the law reaches The Shell of Anubis, they are bribed, pampered and threatened to essentially turn the law back to what The Emperor originally proposed. When I spoke to them, they seemed quite happy with the situation.
The pretense of democracy is the important thing, and the people respond to this. It's a good system.
Yet now, with The Emperor absent and war rationing in place, I hear grumbles rising from the abyss. I look at the sheer numbers in our dominion, and wonder what would happen if they were to truly revolt en masse.
The Shell of Anubis seemed to dislike this hypothetical, but answered me, grudgingly. They appear to think it's a 50/50 fight. Essentially our defenses against the masses would be in quelling the uprising by propaganda, reinforcing the eternal nature of the Empire. While we would work in that way, the Shell of Steam would shout louder and louder that they were indeed representatives of the people, and eventually their voices would allow the rebellion to falter and fade out.
Of course, if our words of eternity were unheard, and The Shell of Steam acted too slowly, a rapid, explosive riot could be our end.

It's all rather worrying. The important thing to think about is that an uprising is unlikely to ever begin in the first place. Very unlikely. Surely close to impossible. Nobody would try it.
Surely.

All the same, I'll have the Military Intelligence Laboratory run some simulations of how an uprising might go down...

Rebellion Simulations from the Frostkracken Institute of Military Intelligence

Spoiler for First 5 Simulations of Victory In Event Of Uprising. Findings showed 3/5 chance of government succeeding in quelling an uprising, should one arise.:

Spoiler for Sim 1. In this sim, the cabinet and Shell of Anubis successfully released propaganda, eventually backed up by The Shell of Steam:

Spoiler for Sim 2. This time, despite The House of Steam being ready quickly to refute the rebellion, militants multiplied too quickly, and propaganda was released too late:

Spoiler for Sim 3. Once again, propaganda was too slow to reach the masses, and the establishment was overrun:

Spoiler for Sim 4. This time, despite a powerful uprising, the propaganda and Shell of Steam succeeded in quelling the militants just before they reached the palace gates.:

Spoiler for Sim 5. In the final sim, all measures put in place by the government worked in tandem, quickly and easily quelling the mutiny:

Spoiler for Hidden:

Charting The Territory | BASIC TASKMake a map of your country! You may include as much or as little detail as you like, and it doesn't have to be a geographical map if you don't want to!

Spoiler for Free Ranged Organized Guerilla Soldiers:

Spoiler for map:

= City
= Town
= Dungeon

Spoiler for The Tentacle's Grip:

Our Empire consists of the whole ocean, most of which is uncharted, and all of which is impossible to fully demonstrate on a map with any detail.
So we provide you with the map of the most important part of the Empire: Frostheart City and the surrounding area.

Click image to enlarge, but I recommend clicking this external link for better viewing: Frostheart City Map

Spoiler for JCJ's song - compare with the map :):

The tentacles are slithering across the seven seas,
The leagues they cross are dangerous to all but them it seems,
For with them is the Emperor, and all who swim with me
Have nothing to fear from all the wondrous sights that they shall see.

First, leaving the city,
The reef I call my throne,
The coral gardens call to me,
As we pass the Whale of Stone,
A mighty, sacred statue,
Reminding all who see,
The weight, the boundless grandeur,
The glory of the sea!
Now, we reach the border,
Through the Sharksbite Gate,
Careful not to harm ourselves
on the teeth that line the way,
The Seaweed Fields below us
And the ocean lies before,
Come, we must make haste, there's still
A thousand leagues to shore!

The tentacles are slithering across the seven seas,
The leagues they cross are dangerous to all but them it seems,
For with them is the Emperor, and all who swim with me
Have nothing to fear from all the wondrous sights that they shall see.

Moving through a misty chasm,
Of depth and darkness vast,
The water feels so cold here,
And shadows flicker past,
But the gloom seems to be shifting,
And a giant eye appears,
With gleaming scale, and mighty tail,
The Leviathan is here!
He drifts upwards before us
From the fathoms of the deep,
And rests upon a plateau
To coil himself and sleep..
Alas, we must disturb him,
We scale the crumbling crag,
Now, I survey my kingdom,
Riding on the Leviathan's back!

The tentacles are slithering across the seven seas,
The leagues they cross are dangerous to all but them it seems,
For with them is the Emperor, and all who swim with me
Have nothing to fear from all the wondrous sights that they shall see.

We pass the bubbling crevices
that scorch the southern reach,
great pillars of living, burning stone
like fingers come from each,
Now reach The Glittering Curtain
where jellyfish writhe and wring.
tendrils stroke us gently
They know better than to sting!
See! The sea has beauty,
its landscape never still
A twisting, swirling, maelstrom,
Ever bending to my will!
And as we surge across it,
its majesty rushing past,
with golden sands, it's glory stands
as a violent work of art!

The tentacles are slithering across the seven seas,
The leagues they cross are dangerous to all but them it seems,
For with them is the Emperor, and all who swim with me
Have nothing to fear from all the wondrous sights that they shall see.

Spoiler for Credits:

https://pixabay.com/en/paper-parchment-frame-worn-file-2032145/
https://pixabay.com/en/compass-map-direction-north-south-32477/
https://pixabay.com/en/octopus-sea-creature-street-art-1164938/
https://pixabay.com/en/german-crown-royal-king-queen-1837391/
https://pixabay.com/pl/ba%C5%84ka-niebieski-wody-ciecz-mokre-2009029/

Spoiler for Pyrocloaks:

The map of Zyarhelm and stuff around it.

Spoiler for Super Secret Shadow Shielders Simply Standing Still:

Done with http://fantasynamegenerators.com/map-creator.php

Spoiler for Hidden:

A New Threat | BASIC TASKWhile the King/Queen and his/her army has gone to slay the dragon, something new has shown up. Make a card that depicts something dangerous that is causing problems to your country...

Spoiler for The Tentacle's Grip:

Card Notes:

Does not grant negative attack. "Sacrifice" means destroying the shield in order to take control of a targeted enemy creature.

Pacified

Spoiler for TL;DR: Grasputin is a holy cleric who has gained favour with the emperor's wife. His manipulative cunning and charisma allows him to weaken the zeal of all who attempt to argue with him. When they've been calmed down enough, Grasputin finds it easy to manipulate people to his side. After all, who would doubt the word of a noble priest of the gods? ... If I have to explain the Rasputin pun, I'm going to cry. "Grasputin!" The army general stormed into the plain room, a contrast between the royal filigrees of the other palace rooms. "How DARE you siphon away forces from the streets to watch over an insignificant dragon threat, without even so much as consulting me! I DEMAND you explain yourself! This instant!" The cleric noted his anger, then looked out of the window and saw the tranquility of the leviathans. Such ire should not be reciprocated. "Please look outside, general. I trust that you can see the hysteria this dragon has created." As always, Grasputin's tone was soft and passive, always resisting violence. The general snorted in open disgust. "That is no excuse to even discuss it, yet alone do it without my permission! You may have Lady Tendrillia under your mangy cups, but if you think everyone else is, you better think again!" The general's harassment was met with a stoic smile. "I can understand why you're angry, general. Please understand, though, that the people are happier as a result of the bulked forces in the north, warding off any danger of a monstrous, winged lizard." There was a pause, of both sentence and tension. Grasputin followed up. "What is the point of an army that does not keep the peace?" The general flustered. The dolphins twirled. The servants calmly walked. For a moment, it seemed that the only rage in this world was the general. "You have no right to meddle in my affairs." "I'm afraid not. My apologies, general. I only did what I thought the people wanted." ... The general sighed. He had nothing to say. "I hope that I was right." Grasputin broke the silence with a calming tone. Despite all the allegations and sudden rise to power, it was just impossible to be angry at the cleric for long. Another long pause. ... "Fine, you were right." "Thank you, general. You're more than capable to continue, but is my assistance needed?" ...Yet another long pause. The incandescent rage inside of the general but a few minutes ago had diminished entirely. He quietly left, equal parts frustrated and satisfied. Grasputin, waiting for the doors to shut, let out a long but quiet laugh. Fool.

Spoiler for Super Secret Shadow Shielders Simply Standing Still:

NAME: Tornado ELEMENT: Air COST: 5 TYPE: Spell ATK|HP: TEXT: Target creature takes no damage. Others take 5 - X, where X is the distance to the target.	NAME: Cyclone ELEMENT: Air COST: 4 TYPE: Spell ATK|HP: TEXT: Target creature takes no damage. Others take 5 - X, where X is the distance to the target.

ART: IDEA: kaempfer13 NOTES: Nearest creatures to target take 4 damage. This includes the ones adjacent at the top/bottom. The next one over take 3 damage, then 2, then 1. We considered both rain of fire and thunderstorm in our balancing decisions. Example : Hover over cards for details, click for permalink Deck import code : [Select] 4t9 4t9 4t9 4t9 4t9 5lg 5li 5li 5li 5lm 5lm 5lm 5lm 5lm 5lm 5og 5ol 5ol 5ol 5on 5on 5on 5oo 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 8pq SERIES:

Over the last few days we received increasingly alarming reports of high-speed winds. One of our wizard divined that a tornado would soon be forming. Running wouldn't be a possibility considering the speed and unpredictability of the tornado's path. We hence decided to have an emergency meeting with the dwarves, and they finally agreed to let us use their caves for temporary shelter. The evacuation order has been given sufficiently in advance to have everyone leave well on time, but we will not know if that is the case until after the disaster has struck.

Spoiler for Pyrocloaks:

NAME: Vapour Serpent ELEMENT: Water COST: 4 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 0 | 5 TEXT: Gain +1|+0 for each you own. Max +6|+0. : Generate . Can be used multiple times per turn.	NAME: Vapour Serpent ELEMENT: Water COST: 4 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 0 | 6 TEXT: Gain +1|+0 for each you own. Max +8|+0. : Generate . Can be used multiple times per turn.

ART: IDEA: NOTES: For clarity, max +6|+0 / +8|+0 means that if quanta goes above 6/8, it does not gain more attack. Active ability works the same as Rustler. Passive checks on-hit, so it will gain attack before hitting. SERIES:

Spoiler for Free Ranged Organized Guerilla Soldiers:

NAME: Siege ELEMENT: Gravity COST: 5 TYPE: Permanent ATK|HP: TEXT: Your opponent may not cast active abilities of creatures. Lasts 5 turns.	NAME: Siege ELEMENT: Gravity COST: 3 TYPE: Permanent ATK|HP: TEXT: Your opponent may not cast active abilities of creatures. Lasts 5 turns.

ART: IDEA: DoubleCapitals NOTES: Mass, Lobotomizer-like CC for 5 turns, nothing more, nothing less... SERIES:

Spoiler for Hidden:

Falmer Blood Elixir | BASIC TASKA Scribe who chose not to go on the quest to Aurdinas is a little short on money. Write a pitch to attempt to scam the public into buying something!

Spoiler for Free Ranged Organized Guerilla Soldiers:

Dream Machine Sales Pitch


Do you ever find yourself sitting up in the morning trying to remember the dream that you just woke up from, but failing? Well, not anymore!
The Dream Machine is a wondrous device that records your dreams while you sleep, and allows you to go back and watch them like movies the next day! The Dream Machine will even record your nightmares, allowing you to find out what is bothering you whenever you feel necessary.
Starting at the low price of $199.99, the Dream Machine is a steal, and takes up hardly any space at all! The Dream Machine simply looks like a mini projector, and uses the energy put out by the neurons in your brain to recreate your dreams in a watchable format.
The dreams play out as if you were the main character of a movie, in a first-person style. Events happen around you as your bedroom is turned into the scene in which the dream took place!
Get your Dream Machine now, as supplies are limited, and the first 50 purchases are half off!

Spoiler for The Tentacle's Grip:

From The Emperor Himself

The ulitharid stood at the door, waiting for a response.

He knocked again. Finally a young tentacle gingerly opened it; the visitor wasted no time.

"Good morning little one, are your parents home?" A quiet wiggle of assent, then the young one shut the door and went to find its parents.
Moments later, the salesman faced a larger tentacle at eye level. "Good morning! How are you today?"

The homeowner simply provided a "Fine," in reply.
"Great. Today I'd like to offer you some hope in the face of the troubles our nation is dealing with out in the battlefield and here at home. By chance, do you have any family in the military?"

"An uncle in the navy. What of it?"

"Please make sure to pass along my thanks for his service. Fighters like him are the reason it's even possible to have the expedition to Aurdinas. I assume you've heard of it?" Another wiggle indicated yes. "However, the dragon will potentially become a sea hunter when it's driven off, with the mountain range so close. Then the talk of rebellion in the capital, with the Emperor away..."

At this, the tentacle scooted back slightly. "The Emperor...isn't in the capital? Surely you jest."

"I do not, my friend. He is leading in battle in Aurdinas even now; what better way to bring glory to the empire? However, he need not be far, which is why I've come to speak with you today..." From his small cart the peddler pulled a vial of black liquid and a waterproof parchment. "The Emperor's own ink, carefully preserved from his glorious victories."

"As though that's really his ink."

Not to be discouraged, he waved the parchment at the prospective buyer. "Verified by the Royal Scrollmaster."

The certificate bore the right markings and signatures, but this still didn't quite make the sale. "Okay, I get it, it's valuable and real. What difference does it make?"

"What difference does it make?! Surely you jest! The blessings this will bring to your household are manifold...

"First, we are all aware of the power The Emperor has over all sea creatures. He can move through The Glittering Curtain without a sting, he could slap a shark if he wanted to without fear! Well, the enchantment in his blood is passed through his ink! If there is a rebellion while he is away, you'll be able to put off anyfish that comes raiding with just a whif of this!

"Next, the Emperor, praise his slime, is blessed with the thickest, blackest ink in existence! Should you choose, you could paint it on any object you salvage from the surface, and make it impervious to water!

"Finally, its fragrance is irresistible! No doubt you have seen the beauty of Lady Tendrillia? Well, this will make your wife... or anyone else, for that matter... go wild!"

After the successful exchange of coins and a few shells, the ulitharid thanked his customer, wishing him the best of the Emperor's blessing, then moved on towards the next door. As he went, cart rolling along, he pulled out another vial of muddy water and another forged certificate from a hidden compartment on the cart. At the next door, a knock.

The ulitharid stood at the door, waiting for a response.

Spoiler for Pyrocloaks:

"Ladies and gentlemen of the crowd, may i please have your attention? Yes? Thank you."

"Now not many of you may know this, but outside the walls of our city there lurks a deadly beast, whose vicious incursion has been terrorising our countryside for weeks now. You may have heard of this creature, in tales passed down from your Mum and Dad, tales of its killing breath and glistening scales--"

"What? No, its not a dragon, its a vapor serpent! Even as our finest fighters and jarl are on their quest to slay one of the big lizards, its smaller yet just as deadly brethren has slipped in, and begun wreaking a havoc of its own. Crops die of thirst, animals reduced to so much skin and bones, ponds and even small lakes all but disappear overnight wherever it ventures! Were it to attack the city as we are now, deprived of our best soldiers, weapons, and armour, Zyarhelm would fall into chaos under its scalding mists."

"Just picture the scene in your mind: Running through the streets, the air around you covered in thick, billowing mist, clutching the hands of your loved ones as you help them over pools of boiling water. A street over, you hear a scream, but knowing theres nothing you can do, you keep walking and hope it wasn't someone you knew. Suddenly, the temperature begins rising, and you hear a hiss from the fog in front of you, and as you press into the cover of a nearby building, hoping, praying, it doesn't see or hear or smell you, you think to yourself: I wish this wasn't happening."

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, I promise that i can make that wish, a reality, with the help of this pendant i hold. Whats that? How? Well, let me tell you a little story first."

"You see, some ways south of here is a little village that goes by the name of Kerace. My old grandmother, bless her soul, lived there before the family moved here, and she told me the time they were attacked by a vapour serpent. She had been leading a pair of oxen, trying to save them from the boiling clouds, when the vapour serpent had slithered out of fog in front of her and opened its mouth to eat her. Just as she thought she would have been snapped in half, her necklace, of which i hold before you now, lit up, and the vapour serpent jerked as if hurt. Whenever she went near it, it retreated further, and she eventually ran it out of town. For you see, this was no ordinary pendant: it had been given to her by a nymph of the lake, who had not only wanted to save her own home, but prophesied to my grandmother that it would one day save a great city."

"Ladies and gentlemen, i believe that that city, is this city."

"Now, at great personal cost, I found an enchanter who could replicate the effect, so if you could please form an orderly line, i'd be more than happy to begin handing them out. Just ten electrum is all it takes to protect you and your family from the terrible vapour serpent, and insure the survival of our lovly city. Here you go, thank you, here's yours, there's yours..."

"Huh? Yours has a sticker? Uh, hold on a moment, just give me that. What? Look, its clearly not the jeweler's logo, it was made by water nymphs, remember? The jeweler probably based their logo off of the water nymphs, thats why its confusing. Don't ask me why, go ask him yourself, I'm busy saving all these good people from horrible deaths, so could you just bugger off already? Ok, bye."

"Where was i? Ah, yes, here you go..."

Spoiler for Super Secret Shadow Shielders Simply Standing Still:

Hello friends, and welcome at Wilburt's Wand Emporium!

Are you tired of your parties not having that magic touch making them so special? Don't want costly, costly wizards for your son's birthday? Look no further, for we have the item for you : fickle wands!

Wizards have thrown these away for generations, as they don't live up to their incredibly harsh standards. But for the layman, like you or me, it is the perfect, affordable solution to add some spice to life. Indeed, while their effects are random and unpredictable, each of our items will create magic falling in a specific spectrum!

Take this one, for example. It's in the cake category, which means it will do something related to cake. Will it make cupcakes, or create a cake castle, or a cakeplosion? No one knows until they give it a solid whack! One of our very satisfied customers said it produced cakey bacon - would you have ever thought such a thing possible?

But what if cake's not your thing? There's plenty others! Take the lightshow wand. Dancing spots of light, fireworks, and more exciting, glowing opportunities are just at the tip of this wand.

Maybe you don't like showmanship. Maybe, just maybe, you wish to explore the world. But you're a busy... individual, you don't have the time or money to spend on a long, long trip, and even if you did, you wouldn't know where to go. Then you should give a look at the teleportation section. 100% guaranteed to place you somewhere safe, with a simple return wand included, go on a trip to unknown lands, and be back home for dinner.

There are myriads of other categories! Prank (or scare!) your friends with the illusion wands, find inspiration for your next book with random divinations, make new, exciting pets with summoning, all of these possibilities and much more are here for you to buy, for the low price of 1 silver piece per wand! 10 uses each!

Browse the spices for your new exciting life here, at Wilburt's Wand Emporium!

[CleanOnion]

Spoiler for Hidden:

Way of Life | BASIC TASKThe temporary ruler of the kingdom hasn't looked at the required reading material! Explain to this silly person the basics of your homeland's culture and/or history.

Spoiler for Pyrocloaks:

A young apprentice was summoned by the acting ruler. Upon entering his quarters, the temporary ruler tried his best not to look stressed. The apprentice could tell he was, however, and the badly-hidden paperwork only helped further proved this. Pretending not to notice, the apprentice politely asked what he was summoned for.
"A-ahh yes… Um… Dominic, was it?"
"Y… yes sir," Dominic responded, still scouring the room for more evidence of the ruler's lack of organisation. Dominic didn't think too highly of the new ruler, and still hadn't learned his name. This was easy to fake, however, by just calling him "sir".

"I've called you here to discuss some… events that have been brought to my attention. Now, as you may or may not know, I have not lived in Zyarhelm for very long; in fact I have only lived here for 10 months. However Queen Zyardran has held me in high enough regard to put me in this position."
"Yes sir" the stand-in ruler had stopped to gather his words, so the reply was merely to fill the periodic silence.
"Due to this, I am mostly unfamiliar with the apparent upcoming festival."
"The Baric Festival, sir?"
"Yes, yes. What does this festival entail?"
"In this is the history of our nation, that which the festival is based upon" Dominic says, putting an envelope on the ruler's desk.

Spoiler for The History of Zyarhelm:

The citizens of Zyarhelm are a proud race, seeking to distinguish themselves from the cruel and greed-driven country they originated from, Baric. Originally they were just another band of settlers, sent out to establish a foothold over the mountain range for the Baric kingdom to spread its influence and power. The leader of the settlement was a court official, who made them work and build until many of them fainted or dropped dead. This official had been given a magical helmet, that slowly turned whoever looked at the wielder to stone. One day though, a brave worker named Zyar stopped working, and, before she was paralyzed, picked up the bag she had been hauling and placed it over the official's head. Even as hands choked her neck, she held on tightly, which gave the rest of the settlers the courage they needed to grab whatever they could and beat the official to death.

Having revolted, they set to putting out the word about their plight to many other nations, and by the time the army from Baric had arrived to quell their mutiny, they found not a creaky small shantytown, but a well-fortified city. Unable to counter the varying attacks from the different peoples of the city, they retreated. Even though they continued to send forces over the mountain for several seasons, they never learnt enough to conquer the city walls, and eventually stopped trying.
Thus do they remember what they escaped from, and always strive to put the people first.
Thus do they remember the aid they received from the countries of others, and always try to give help in return.

The ruler reads to himself the letter, while Dominic opts to discuss the events held at the festival. As he starts, the ruler quickly summons an amateur scribe to write down the information.
"As you can see, the event is based off us diversifying from the Baric. As such, we dedicate 2 days of the festival to diverse culture, where people from other lands tell us tales of what their homeland is like"
"How long does the festival last, exactly?" The ruler queries, emphasising his foreign background.
"The festival lasts 6 days, with the seventh day being used as a holiday, where we commemorate the people who died to make all this possible."
"I see, and what happens on the other days?"
"The culture diversity show happens on the last two days, allowing us to showcase all different parts. The first day is generally arts, with music provided by bards and showcases of armour and weaponry throughout. The second day is more for stories, provided by scribes, with other warriors telling tales of wars they have been a part of. Foreign cuisine is, of course, served during these days"
"Is there enough of a showing to handle this?"
"There are many people living here from different places, however we get a lot of visitors during this time, many of which are aspiring scribes wanting to learn stories from other nations."
"And what of the other days?"
"The first 2 days are much like the last 2, only just encompassing our own culture. As such, there are foods, arts, songs, and stories from our people. We get a lot of visitors here as well, not quite as much as the international days, but still plenty."
"And on the other 2 days?" The substitute ruler puts down the letter given to him, having now finished reading it. He was only half paying attention to what Dominic was saying, but the scribe was writing down everything anyway.
"The third and fourth day of the festival include some things for, or by, the youth. The third day has many parades, with young bards playing songs. The fourth day is the scribe showcase for the youth, with drama pieces, the speaking competition, and the short stories."
"Do visitors stay for those days?"
"Yes, definitely! People love watching the future of our world, and there are a lot of people who even help the kids with some of their works! Providing feedback, and some tips to improve.""Wow… I never knew…" his voice trails off for an instant, Dominic is trying to hear what the temporary king is muttering, but to no avail. "Thank you…"
"Dominic, sir"
"Y-yes, Dominic. I will take this into consideration and hopefully prepare one of the best festivals we have ever held"

Spoiler for Super Secret Shadow Shielders Simply Standing Still:

Hello, sir... John Smith. I have been told by my superiors that your knowledge of our country is a bit patchy, and to update your culture so as to make sure your temporary leadership goes smoothly.

Since I've been told to start from the absolute beginning, the stuff we teach elementary school students in history class, let us begin with the founding story. 14 years ago, a group of nobles from various countries gathered to meet up with our currently absent benevolent leader, Joey the First.
They all had been disgusted by the treatment of the lower classes of their folks, and this was the last meeting before the self exile. They renounced their money, their standing, for their people.
Joey had, after heroically completing a grueling quest the like of which are unlikely to befall you, found the Dusk Mantle, an artifact to cover our country from discovery, casting a shadow on it all. And so the trip to find deserted lands could start.
After a long trek, harassed by the countries they passed through, they found a stretch of wilderness that had been claimed by no being. Or so it seemed.

They settled there.
At first, it was hard to have so many beings of so many different cultures together. Eventually, though, a common agreement was met. The government would continue being the original nobility, however they would interfere only with the most important tidbits of governing. As you should know, this we be your task, coordinating these different nobles for the common good.
The rest of the tasks, concerning only town-level stuff, would be discussed at length by everyone willing to throw in a little time and their opinion. This quickly dissolved tension, compromises were met. The first example of this in action was when the guardian angels agreed to heal the skeletons, in exchange for the skeletons not reanimating other species' corpses.

With those tensions resolved, the country had ample potential for new blood. Some of our agents dropped the hint that there was a country for the miserable, the hated.
This generated a much needed influx of new people, which boosted economy. The country rapidly hit sustainability, then overproduction. The union of differing cultures also allowed the elaboration of new technologies, new magicks. One that you really should have used is our knowledge duplication, resulting from collaboration between a mindflayer and a phase salvager. We musn't have had the time to use that one on history yet.

In any case, things were good for a few years. Then we met the dwarves.
They were horribly suspicious at first. We were the first beings they saw in decades, and they thought we were there to steal their riches. But carefully, we toured them through our land, showed them how we had formed a tightly knit community. Eventually, we came to a tense agreement, where the lower caves and the mountains belonged to the dwarves, whereas the surface was to us.
As you have seen, this agreement blossomed in trade. Many fire spirits went to the lower caves to thrive and provide much needed heat for the dwarve's metalworking.

And that is where we stand. The nation, on the whole, is mostly stable, and not much governmental intervention is needed. The next big thing is to continue pushing for more innovation, as you know, to make our country thrive before an accidental discovery by foreign powers puts it in shambles. We do get a lot of information from newcomers, suggesting that so far our agents on the outside are operating correctly.. But we have to prepare for the worse, which is where you (hopefully) come in.

Spoiler for The Tentacle's Grip:

The Emperor's Fourth Sucker

Murmurs stuttered into silence as a figure slithered into the royal court. This was a tentacle to be respected, for it was he who now held command of the Frostkracken Empire in the Emperor's absence. He was known by many names and titles. The Slippery Tentacle, Champion of the Frostkracken Army, Hero of the Imperial Order, Scourge of Thieves, Warden of The Thrown Ink. Renowned for mastery in all forms of underwater combat, veteran of a thousand battles. The Emperor's Fourth Sucker!

As he approached the Urchin Throne, an adviser scurried forwards, nervously presenting a small parchment. "The Emperor's instructions, milord."

The regent took the message carefully, holding it up with great care to inspect it.

A moment passed. Two moments. Then, it came.

"What do you mean the Emperor left behind written instructions? I CAN'T READ, YOU WHALISH BLUBBERING IDIOT!"


This was a disaster. The only thing the Emperor had actually told him before appointing him regent, was not to trust anyone in parliament, only himself and the cabinet. Unfortunately, the whole cabinet went with his royal sliminess on this blasted golden crusade, so if he wanted anyone to read this note, he'd have to trust someone from parliament.
The regent weighed it up, and decided he'd rather not risk it. Better no instructions at all than potentially doctored orders from the mouth of a greedy noblefish.

Everything was different in the capital. The Emperor's Fourth Sucker he may be, but he had grown up in a small village called Darkfin, and in adolescence had joined up with the Frostkracken Army. He had spent more of his life raiding outside the Empire than he had within it, and only stepped inside the Sharksbite Gate twice to receive Shells of Valor. You learn little of culture and history when perpetually caked in blood and glory. He feared not assassination nor rebellion. What he feared was mistaking a priestess for a whore or forgetting which breeds of sea slug were sentient and which were succulent.


"FILTHY INBRED SCROUNGERS! I'll not have anyone making a mockery of me... how dare you expect handouts? Do I look such a fool that you can brazenly ask for slaves and gold with nothing in return, you..."

A small cough came from his left hand side, and as the bubble floated past his head, the regent's 3 hearts sank. That cough could only mean one thing. He bent low, for the Emperor's First Assistance Crab to scuttle up to his ear.

"Milord. These are emissaries from the plankton... surely you know..."

"Lets just assume I don't know." He interrupted gruffly. This was the fourth time that phrase had been clicked in his ear.

"Well plankton feed and shelter us all, milord. They willingly sacrifice themselves in their millions for the whales, they surge past our reefs cleaning them constantly, and they line the Seaweed Fields with their dead, fertilizing the earth. There were centuries of war between the plankton and the rest of sea-kind until a decade ago. We used to aggressively harvest them for treaties with the whales, and murder them in millions with electric eels just to have clearer water. In retaliation, they would form matted webs of themselves, and block our gills and scratch out our eyes. Emperor JonathanCrazyJ, praise his slime.."

"Praise his slime" echoed the regent, a second later..

"He brokered a deal with the plankton, where they would willingly sacrifice just enough of themselves to serve us, and in return each month we would provide them with as much gold as a million of them could carry, and 30 slaves to carry their dead to The Seaweed Fields, and carry back Phytoplankton - that's plankton food - back to Planktopia."

The regent sighed, and waved forward the slaves and gold. Who knows what they needed gold for, but he couldn't face another culture lecture now. He headed out of the throne room and went for his enforced daily prayers ("DAILY? You mean I have to suffer an hour of this dull fiction a day?!") stopping off for an algae lunch ("But this is krill-food!") because once a week the Emperor shows his respect for all sea life by abstaining from living creatures.


All in all, he was bored, hungry and frustrated by the time he arrived at the theater that low-tide. He struggled with himself not to snap off his adviser's claws and suck them for crab-meat when it coughed at him before the show was about to start.

"It is customary, milord, for The Emperor to open the low-tide show with a song or poem. Will you be adhering to this?"

"No. Oh go ink yourself, fine..."

"Fish, folk and tentacles here,
good luck with your show....
..."

*click click* "...let's give them a cheer." *click click*


It was incredible. At the lowest tide every month, it turned out the Royal Theater School (of Fish) put on a production of the Emperor's choosing, but today the little genius adviser crab had organised to give the order for the show himself.
It was beautiful, a decadent, detailed and dramatic history of the Empire. Everything from the Ritual of Shark-Tooth (where The Emperor had subjugated the sharks, and each young shark offered a single tooth in penance for the Sharksbite Gate) to the Bloodwater Sacrifice, where Sea-Priests go to the underwater volcano, The Great Bloodwater, and fry off their extremities to appease the gods so the Volcano won't erupt further and swallow any of the surrounding cities.

The regent wiped an ink-drop of pure emotion from his sucker, and turned to the adviser crab.

"Thankyou. I understand now the sanctity of my position. Will you continue to aid me, despite my rudeness today?"

"It is my duty, milord. Now, it is customary for The Emperor to perform a naked dance or backflip at the close of the show..."

The regent looked horrified, until the crab clicked exuberantly, and he realized it was all in jest.

Spoiler for Free Ranged Organized Guerilla Soldiers:

Dear non-permanent ruler of the Amphibious Dwellers Realm,

I recently had the bad luck to discover that you have no idea what it takes to be a good leader since you lack a truly viable aspect; the knowledge of local culture and history. So, let me explain in detail some of the basics...

1st:
Our calendar is simple but viable. Each day and each month is called according to their respective number. So, the fifth day of the sixth month is called exactly like this; 5th day of the 6th month. Its so simple than even you, the great ruler of the Amphibious Dwellers Realm, can not possibly screw this up! Our weeks always have 10 days, our months always have 30 days and our year always have 360 days. Our festivals include the New Year Day or Mother Nature's Day (1st day of the 1st month), the Day of Winter (15th day of the 1st month), the Day of Spring (15th day of the 4th month), the Day of Summer (15th day of the 7th month), the Day of Autumn (15th day of the 10th month) and the Birth of Ferox (25th day of the 12th month).

2nd:
Our capital city is Frogopolis. A marvel through the ages, reknown for its tall walls, magnificent structures, mighty architectural achievements (like its legendary hanging gardens) and, of course, its big ponds swarmed by both Horned and Giant Frogs, the mascot-creatures of our kingdom! Our politics are run by the five major noble houses of Frogopolis, each one representing a specific Life deity. The 1st day of each year (a.k.a. Mother Nature's Day), they vote for their Supreme Councelor who is the person with the highest status in our country, excluding the F.R.O.G.S. elite squad that form The Royal Court that is above the law and everything. The Supreme Councelor may act as the ruler of the kingdom in case of a king's absense, but since you are the Supreme Councelor I suppose you know that much, don't you?

3rd:
Our army is mostly made of human infantry (mostly halberdiers). Our cavarly include human riders that ride Elite Cockatrices. Our Forest Spectres are our navy. Our Giant Frogs are our siege engines and, finally, our Jade Dragons are our superweapon! Our religion includes Ferox (god of nature and protector of our army), Serket (godess of spring), Fire Queen (godess of summer), Miracle (god of autumn) and Elidnis (god of winter). Mother Nature, also known as mother of all deities, sometimes is also worshiped as a seperate super-powerful entity. Each deity, excluding Mother Nature, is followed by its respective noble house that plays major role in the politics of the Amphibious Dwellers Realm.

4th:
Our economy is based primarily on using recyclable energy sources, especially solar energy harvested by Rustlers and Leaf Dragons and hydropower produced by Forest Spirits and Forest Spectres. However, that does not mean we don't cut down trees or mine stone, but we do that in harmony with Mother Nature and we never take from the ecosystem more than it can really offer to us. Our currency is the "Giant Frog" (a.k.a. GF) with a Giant Frog sculpted on the heads' side of the coin and the coin's value on the tails' side of the coin.

5th:
Our population is mostly human and Nymph (mostly Green Nymphs) with the exception of some magical creatures, like the Horned Frogs and Giant Frogs of the ponds, the Cockatrices and Elite Cockatrices of the valleys, the Rustlers and the Leaf Dragons of the plains, the Emerald Dragons and Jade Dragons of the mountains, the Forest Scorpions and Scorpions of the woods and the Forest Spirits and Forest Spectres of the rivers. Moreover, some people of these species are of significant intelligence, allowing them to meddle with the rest of the human society as equals and are even able to take humanoid or human forms! A good example is me, a human-form Cockatrice that managed to advance to the status of a Royal Wizard, a rank that enables me to look down on the intelligence of many human beings, including you!

6th:
Our F.R.O.G.S. (a.k.a. The Royal Court) is the most royal and powerful force in the entire kingdom (stop laughing, I can hear you!) including six members in total; the Elite Cockatrice Wizard Arthanasios, the Elite Firefly Crusader Timdood, the Elite Deja Vu Enchanter DoubleCapitals, the Schrodigner's Cat Scribe Lunaris, the Forest Spectre Bard Fabian and, of course, the mighty King Mathman, the rightful owner of the throne. Never forget that!

Yours "sincerely",
Elite Cockatrice Royal Wizard Arthanasios

778 words

Spoiler for Hidden:

The Royal Court | BASIC TASKTell us about your Royal Court! Points you could cover:

• Is your King/Queen popular with the people?
• Has your Bard written any good songs?
• Is your Crusader a weathered veteran or a shiny-armored poster boy?
• What's the biggest sword your Enchanter has enchanted?
• Has your Scribe written for anyone famous?
• What's your Wizard's greatest achievement?

Spoiler for Free Ranged Organized Guerilla Soldiers:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ollxuckbj34x3yd/TheRoyalCourt.exe?dl=0

Story:
You are a brave adventurer who wishes to see in private the elite squad of the Amphibious Dwellers Realm, the mysterious F.R.O.G.S. and ask them various questions about themselves. So, you left your hometown and went to the area where the isolated castle of your King Mathman lies. However, an undead infestation is taking place in the meantime...

Q: What is it? Is it a virus?
A: Nope, it is a video game!

Q: Why a video game?
A: Why not? Video games are a form of art you know.

Q: And what does this video game tells about the royal court?
A: Play it and you will (hopefully) find out.

Spoiler for Super Secret Shadow Shielders Simply Standing Still:

For I am the king, I believe I am responsible for my people. Which does not mean I do not have a team of people I trust around me. Which is why I created a team called the S7. We're spies, so I considered S007 but thought it would be a bit cliche. But all my team knows how to be sneaky, and no pictures are ever sent outside our country. Someone from the Tentacle's Grip could meet our mighty wizard, and think it is just a mere soldier. I have an artist for my personal pleasure called Amashi, who paints like a goddess out of thin air. I have no idea how she does it. Our bard danil makes awesome music, which very few are allowed to hear. My right hand and wizard Jenkar knows the most secret spells of our country. Crusaders Kaempfer13 and MrMuffin are the greatest assets to our army. They lead our men like no others. I intend to keep this circle very close, not because I cannot trust my people, but because I really do not need any more people around me.

Am I popular with the people? You'd have to ask them. I'm not forcing anybody to anything. Though, if anyone has a problem with me, they've never said it to my face. I go to the village nearly everyday and know each of my citizen personally. My bard has written amazing songs, you can even listen to one here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwJ0JYY7ZTU0OWlkOHVpQkY3U28/view
My crusaders are not veterans, but I have full trust in them. I'd bring them to any war, any day. Our scribe has indeed written for someone famous : me, duh. As for my wizard's greatest achievement, I really cannot tell you. To be honest, all his magic tricks are way beyond me. But I guess setting up the dusk mantle has to be the most important thing he has done for our everyday life.

Spoiler for The Tentacle's Grip:

The Frostkracken Council Emperor JonathanCrazyJ and his five most trusted advisers make all the decisions of import in The Empire. Yes, there is an elaborate puppet government, and yes, they hold a sort of court where the public can come and feel like they are being listened to, but in the below image is all that is important in the Royal Imperial Court of the Frostkracken Empire. Read about the council clockwise!

Emperor JonathanCrazyJ Herald of the Tides: Legend has it, when he first slithered his way to land, he pulled with him the whole ocean so as to allow other sea creatures to come further into shore. The Voice of the Ocean: He speaks for us all, and we praise and glorify him for representing us to the world! Coast-Scourge: He has battled ceaselessly to increase our borders, colonizing and raiding the coasts of Elementia! The Empire is strong and the land is weak!

Bright-Tongue Krzysiekxd To call this luminous tentacle a bard is not to do him justice. Krzysiekxd is chief of propaganda, map-making and inter-species relations. He is a master at taking the Emperor's gruff laws, decrees and speeches, and portraying them to the public in a way that all, from shark to shrimp, will feel as though they are being spoken to directly. When he goes to make a speech in one of the villages of Frostkracken, he literally lights up the room. He is the Emperor's most trusted advisor.

The Great Elbat The giant, mute sea turtle that aids the Council. Elbat is so old now that he cares not about staying motionless for hours on end while the Council hold meetings. He acts as a royal barge when the Council or Emperor need to make public address, and ferries instructions from the capital to the mayors of other cities in the Empire. A titan, and one to which the empire owes a huge debt.

Scrollmaster Silver Emerald The Scrollmaster founded the three institutes and academies that make the Frostkracken Empire more intellectual and cultured than any other civilization in Elementia. His greatest work was a compendium of writings from all around the world, all carefully rewritten on water-proof parchment, and stored by category in the Frostkracken Library. He minutes every council meeting, and knows more of the inner workings of The Emperor's vast mind than any other.

Espithel, Resplendent The most popular member of the council with the people. He always has the most alluring robes, trinkets, or enchanted cloud of jeweled fish of any of the council. More practical than the Cracklefin Wizard, he is not afraid to leap into battle, though usually with some trick up his sleeve. He has created many time and life saving inventions for the people of The Frostkracken Empire, understanding far more than The Emperor the importance of pleasing his subjects. His most useful invention has been Gill-Gel, a porous coral infused with power which allows one to breathe air outside of water.

General rob77dp The Emperor has never been into battle without his most powerful and valiant warrior. rob77dp has been known to depart camp in the middle of the night, while on a mission, and return to his battalion with a nearby city's leader's head on a spike, simply because he couldn't sleep. He is a master of tactical planning, and as such was the one to proclaim the best way to take Aurdinas would be a crack squadron rather than a full scale military assault.

Aves, Cracklefin Rather a maverick member of the council, to start with he was mistrusted, as it is hard to understand a wizard's sprawling mind. However, after saving the entire Tentacle's Grip from a rampaging banshee on a raid, by manifesting a gramophone to sprout from the banshee's mouth, over her head so she was deafened by her own scream, The Emperor warmed to him. In meetings, he tends to sit quietly, occasionally creating the perfect solution to a problem out of thin air.

Spoiler for original hand-drawing:

Click an image to enlarge.

Spoiler for Pyrocloaks:

Two maidens were walking through the hallways of the royal palace. The older one was talking, while the younger one looked confused.

"So, what you're saying is that the guard thinks the bard hates him."
"No! Are you even listening? I said, the bard made fun of the guard in a song in order to get on the good side of the alchemist, who the guard hates. He's friends with the bard."
The younger one wrinkled their forehead."This seems complicated."
"Oh, never mind. So what do you think of the current King?"
"Not as good as Zyardran," she sighs, "he almost seems as clueless as a child being taught the butterfly effect. I heard the co-wizard had to teach him about the Baric festival."
"That must be humiliating, but I get your point. At least Zyardran knew what she was doing."
"It's a shame that she had to leave..."
"Speaking of the quest, what do you think of the Crusader?"
"He'd almost look like a shiny armored paper boy if it weren't for what I've seen he can do with his sword" they both laughed, but seemingly seemed flustered for a moment.
"Even so, you think he has a chance against a dragon?"
"He's not alone, he's got others to back him up."
"Like that Enchanter..."
"I heard he holds the record for the most weapons enchanted in a day"
"I heard that he once enchanted a sword when he was 10, and it's still strong today"
"Wow, incredible" they both say at once. In awe, rather than aspiration.
"She has a Wizard with her too, right?" the younger one says to spark the conversation again.
"Yeah... He was with that group of people who..."
"Who made the Dragon's Demise right?"
"Yeah. It's a shame what happened to him, though it's good to see him out, trying to fix his mistakes"
"That scribe though... Fantastic..."
"Best I've ever seen"
"Absolutely amazing"


"Watcha writing there bud?" The crusader asks, appearing in front of the scribe who is sitting on a rock. The scribe shyly hides his writing. Portraying his team the only way he knows how; through story.
"N-nothing..."
"Haha!" the crusader lets out a boisterous laugh. "Come with us and grab a drink!"
The scribe scrunches up the letter, and follows the crusader to his friends. Maybe he'll try again another time...

[CleanOnion]

To F.R.O.G.S, from Pyrocloaks Excalibur of Our Own Make a visual depiction a legendary weapon that would represent our team's country/city/team.

Spoiler for F.R.O.G.S.:

Spoiler for The Dragonslayer:

Spoiler for Pyrocloaks:

Zyarhelm's two main elements, which are Fire and Life, found their expression in form of rare mineral Alexandrite, which then became this legendary sword. It symbolyzes the dualty of Zyarhelm's elements united to protect the kingdom from any and every threat possible.

[Aves]

I'm pretty sure that every wizard task submission is longer than its scribe task counterpart. Now, which role had the word limit, and which didn't, and you tell me, Brawl Master, dear voter, or completely ignored lazy spectator, where which task makes sense. 

Also, those are some sick maps from everybody.

[ddevans96]

S7's map is close to perfect in my opinion. My only complaint is I'm not certain if it's surrounded by land or by water (the placement of the forest and mountains suggest it's part of a landmass and not an island). 9.5/10 easily.

The other three are varying levels of 'close to great'. All very solid, 7/10 minimum, more depending on what features are valued. I'm willing to give feedback about specific features if asked but I found that typing complete, constructive, and fair feedback for all four is hard to offer.

[Calambar]

S7's map is close to perfect in my opinion. My only complaint is I'm not certain if it's surrounded by land or by water (the placement of the forest and mountains suggest it's part of a landmass and not an island). 9.5/10 easily.

The other three are varying levels of 'close to great'. All very solid, 7/10 minimum, more depending on what features are valued. I'm willing to give feedback about specific features if asked but I found that typing complete, constructive, and fair feedback for all four is hard to offer.

Yeah, it looks nice, I agree, and plus for them they provided the source what they used for creating that piece of art.

That took me just a few minutes:



I know it looks much worse that S7's work, but it's not submission, I just played with the map editor they used a little.

I don't want to say it's bad thay used that tool, they probably spent much time to plan and create that, but still, is it art or just putting some ready puzzles together? Not that drawing from scratch is much more harder and time-consuming, but I believe what matters is the end product, no matter if it is original or not?

If so, I wasted my time on drawing all of that (almost, ok, but I used only a few pre-made art, I provided credits).

[Jenkar]

As you said last round, art is subjective
The rest of this is probably biased, considering this is our task, so to take with a grain of salt.

I would say arranging little pieces to make a whole is a form of art at least in some case (electronic music does it often).
On a more personal note, one of my favorite book (ever), the atrocity exhibition, is composed of very loosely related paragraphs, due to the main character being psychotic. There is an underlying "main story", but you can easily play around for hours with each new paragraph you read, fitting it with what you read so far to create myriads of world. In my opinion, this is art.

Also on a sidenote, i'd like to mention that the task was "Make a map", not "Draw a map", the distinction may be important for some voters.

[Calambar]

As you said last round, art is subjective
The rest of this is probably biased, considering this is our task, so to take with a grain of salt.

I would say arranging little pieces to make a whole is a form of art at least in some case (electronic music does it often).
On a more personal note, one of my favorite book (ever), the atrocity exhibition, is composed of very loosely related paragraphs, due to the main character being psychotic. There is an underlying "main story", but you can easily play around for hours with each new paragraph you read, fitting it with what you read so far to create myriads of world. In my opinion, this is art.

Also on a sidenote, i'd like to mention that the task was "Make a map", not "Draw a map", the distinction may be important for some voters.

I'm just mad at myself I spent so much time on it and I could just use a map editor and it would look better heh

Yeah, art is subjective, is it actually possible to judge art (not that judging per se is probably bad).

[ddevans96]

You definitely make valid points, if I was actually voting I would dock them a small (maybe even medium) amount for using a tool. In fairness, I could say the same about you using pre-made art, even though that's less of an issue to me.

So yes, your map visibly has more effort put into it, but I'm not discussing the submission as a whole, but instead the quality of it in relation to principles of map design. It hits basically every checkmark. It's easier to list what it doesn't have:

-what I mentioned before, the unmarked area not being defined as either land or water
-a legend/key (which barely matters because the purpose of every symbol and word is clear)
-could benefit from a less generic font

Every other principle of map design (that I value, I should say) is there. Too simple and too complex can both cause difficulty of use, this strikes a perfect medium. Directions and distances are very clear. The map is realistically built but remains interesting and thought provoking. It has a strong sense of aesthetic that doesn't detract from its contents...I could go on for a while.

It does have flaws, for sure. But I was given an atlas full of maps like it, or if I played an indie game with maps like it, I would be pretty happy, only wanting a few improvements before professional quality is approached (and that's not what Brawl is about for me). The other three maps are all very good in their own right, but I can't make those statements about them.

I like your map second best and would give it 2-3 points if I was voting. Would you like more specific feedback?


Regarding the subjectivity of art - I see a middle ground. My other artistic passion is vexillology, and the design of flags has five widely-accepted guidelines. But they're just that, guidelines, not rules. If a flag breaks 1 or 2 it's probably still good (and how good is in the eye of the beholder - there's your subjectivity), 4-5 is probably not good, and 3 is probably iffy. Very good and very bad tends to be obvious and even non-negotiable, but everything between is strongly up to interpretation.

[Calambar]

No, it's ok.

It's just my personal opinion using an editor is a short-cut, but it's ok. Still you need to put an effort to make it look like a map.

It just irritated me that you said it's close to perfect even though it was made in editor. I don't want to say it's worse than my map or you should not vote on that. Not at all. It's a good submission. Only that particular word 'perfect' irritated me

My map is far from perfect and it's not a standard map, I wanted to be original and creative and I'm also unhappy with the fact that even though I spent so much time on it, I run out of time to properly finish it. But that's my problem (freaking deadlines )

[andretimpa]

There's a fairly minimum difference between using a purpose built editor and just using a brush pack in photoshop (though you may have to pay to get the latter). Using texture packs falls on the same category (the background in this, from last Brawl is an example of what you can pull off with a texture pack http://elements.alanbeam.net/Brawl5/Round3/). In both cases the tricky part, is making it all flow naturally.

[MyNameIsJoey]

nonvotes again, yay

Spoiler for royalty:

none really impressed me here. In fact, I pretty much disliked them. I went into tl;dr mode on TTG's submission, and wordcounttools.com count it at 1209 words.

Spoiler for bard:

TTG's doesn't really feel like a map to me, neither does pyrocloaks. I quite like FROGS map though, good job

Spoiler for enchanter:

Not sure why TTG feels entitled to make this enchanter task a scribe task. As for the actual card idea, it's nothing original or new, with an added spin that makes it even stronger than it already is. Vapour serpant is interesting. I think for balance I would have it with lower HP, in the likes of rustler, not only because it becomes a strong attacker, but the fact that he creates air quanta makes it very strong in a duo environment, or even only to power off toadfishes. But I really like the idea, I really do. FROGS card, however ... mass lobotomize for all game long isnt really creative to me, and also, I don't see how it affects a frog, and therefore fail to see how it creates a danger.

Spoiler for scribe:

Frogs, I love you mathman. However, I believe you may be speaking a little, or way, way too quickly in that one. This also feels like a real sales speech, not to mention I'd probably be interested to buy the damn thing. TTG : I dislike how the actual sales speech is like 40% of the whole text. But that may just be personal opinion.PC: having a link to the terror from the enchanter task? absolutely wonderful, this is pure genious. Good job.

Spoiler for wizard:

PC, well done. I had a hard time reading it all, but was good. TTG 1003 words from wordcounttools, ill have to re-read it later I guess, cause I somehow can't concentrate on it right now, it doesn't catch my attention. Frogs that was ok, not incredible, but good.

Spoiler for bonus:

FROGS: I dislike having to download stuff. I might do it later, if I am convinced to.TTG and PC: I quite like both, really.

Spoiler for challenge:

I think pixel art really did you no good this time. I much prefer frogs weapon.