Author Topic: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun  (Read 3348 times)

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Offline Nightblade42

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Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« on: March 18, 2018, 09:24:19 PM »
A number of years ago, I wrote up a War Law Battle Module based around the legendary military campaign known as Ekotai's March.  This campaign takes place in my fantasy world of Nytheun, specifically in the collection of independant states that once made up the Erupuan Empire.  King Ekotai of Ravenstone, the Realm of the Crimson Kings, leads his army on a long campaign against the half-demon armies of Nochtiach.  The final result of this campaign is the reunification of the Erupuan Empire.

You can read the original Battle Module on my scribd page: https://www.scribd.com/document/145318429/Ekotais-March

However, in the last week or so, I have returned to this campaign and started working on the next installment in the series: The Siege of Noch Atiazith.  What follows (in the next post) is an excerpt from this new installment.

Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2018, 09:26:03 PM »
Quote
   1.0 Tactical Situation

   Esideen slipped quietly behind the large boulder that hid the entrance to the cave.  He took a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness, again thanking his mother’s Iperatesi blood for the nightvision he enjoyed.  It was his half-elvan blood that had got him into the Royal Rangers to begin with.  Ebligesh, the Ranger’s recruiter,  had known right away that Esideen would be an invaluable addition to the organization.
   The half-elf cast his mind back to the task at hand.  He was deep behind enemy held territory. His mission was to find information on the fortifications of Noch Atiazith in order to help with the planned assault of the occupied city. He had a feeling that this cave was going to be important.  Esideen explored the length of the cave, the sound of water dripping somewhere in the distance drawing his attention.  He followed the sound to its source: a massive underground reservoir.  But this wasn’t just any underground lake - this was one of the emergency cisterns that allowed Noch Atiazith to hold out through drought or a siege.  The half-elvan ranger explored the reservoir cavern further and found a flight of stairs carved into a passageway that led upwards.  He could detect torchlight somewhere at the top of those stairs.  Esideen smiled.  He had found a way into the Ducal Palace.  His superiors would be excited when he reported in.  But first, he had to make it back alive…


   The former Duchy of Eaglecrest is located to the east of the Realm of the Crimson Kings.  The former Ducal Capital, Noch Atiazith, is located at the north-eastern corner of a large bay that runs north out of the Ethesh Erupua (the Erupuan Sea).  The Atiafin river’s mouth is located on the southern edge of the city and a large man-made harbour front’s the city’s once prosperous port quarter.
   In 1126 of the Crimson King’s Era, the Nochtiachi army began capturing towns on the eastern border of the Duchy of Eaglecrest.  By the winter of 1126, those same forces began an assault on the Ducal Capital.  The forces of Duke Akotuith Atiazith fought valiantly, but knew that their hopes of winning were slim.  With their supplies running out and no end to the siege in sight, the Duke surrendered to Marshal Kekacâc Shyeshople of the Nochtiachi on Arrieniung 27, 1127 C.K.E..   Two days later, Marshal Shyeshople had the Duke and his family executed in the main square of the city.
   Since that time, Noch Atiazith has been under martial law, enforced by the cruel Nochtiachi army.  Marshal Shyeshople has had any rebels and their families arrested and executed.  The surviving citizens of the city live in a state of constant terror. They trust no one because countless informants and spies are rumoured to be working for the Marshal. Informants and spies ready to turn their neighbours in for a monetary reward.  However, a small group of Atiazithi rebels who are known as the Enegon secretly plot ways to gain the city’s freedom.
   Meanwhile, a small flotilla of Royal Navy ships from the Realm Of The Crimson King is quickly making its way to Noch Atiazith with the hopes of taking the city from the Nochtiachi forces who have occupied it.  King Ekotai’s spies have discovered a secret “back door” of sorts to the Ducal Palace.  The plan is to draw out the Nochtiachi forces as a diversion with the main group of Ekotai’s army who is marching in from the north-west.  While this diversion is under way, a unit of elite soldiers will attempt to infiltrate the Ducal Palace and kill the Nochtiachi  leadership.

Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2018, 10:22:01 PM »
For those interested in my world of Nytheun, here is a "Beginner's Guide" to the world.  It is based on a campaign in Ravenstone in the era of my Novel Oracle Awakes, about two thousand years after Ekotai's March.  But it will give you a better idea of the background that this WL/SeL Campaign is built upon.

A Beginners Guide To The World Of Nytheun

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Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2018, 10:35:23 PM »
I've come to a bit of a standstill on The Siege of Noch Atiazith as well as its companion Adventure Module The Enegon Conspiracy due to some computer technical difficulties.  As such, I've sort of switched gears and began developing some of the evil forces at play in the background of Nytheun.  Specifically, I've begun to develop the Iwisar - a cabal of five powerful users of Arcane Magic who are trying to manipulate events throughout Nytheun to increase their own power as well as to satisfy their true master, the female Demon Lord Agotzuhôz.  Agotzuhôz is the power behind the cambions of Nochtiach and the secret mistress of Eqyrega the Black - the Sorcerer-King of Nochtiach.  In fact this nefarious shadow group of archmagi also has connections to the first two Ayrtesi elves to have their souls darkened by the shadow of Ephashra (Demi-God of Shadows). For their leader - Anaysli - is the eldest son of Ayrone, Matron Queen of the Ayrtesi and Aphitowor, murderer of Tesoæpi (the eldest son of Aquishæwo, the first High King of the Iperatesi elves).

I have come to see the Iwisari as perhaps Nytheun's greatest threat.  Most of the chaos and dark plots that engulf the world have been instigated by these five archmagi or their underlings.  I've even begun to think that Nochtiach is perhaps their first (and maybe only) foray into overt warfare against the peoples of Nytheun.  With the conclusion of the Demon Wars (i.e. the defeat and destruction of Nochtiach & the reformation of the Erupuan Empire), the Iwisari begin more subtle mechaniations to gain power and disrupt the stability of the various states of Nytheun.  The biggest question for me right now is: what is their end game?

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Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2018, 10:53:16 PM »
It has been a while since I have given any Nytheun updates.  I've been busy working on multiple things - not only various short stories that are in multiple stages of writing/development - but also revising & repackaging my old Nytheun WL & Adventure Modules; as well as continuing to work on my Nytheun Gazetteer and my Noch Atiazith WL Campaign & companion Adventure Module.

A lot on my plate, but it keeps my creative juices flowing.

At any rate, I've been working away at creating & updating various maps of the region known as Rauzyath - a semi-independant area that sits between the Grand Duchy of Ravenstone & the Duchy of Eaglecrest.  It's an area I first started developing many years ago with my Ekotai's March WL Campaign.  I've created two new adventures that take place in Rauzyath as well as some new maps.  I'm particularily pleased with the map of the area around the Tower of Shaxoch  - a tower occupied by a servant of the Iwisar.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zf8b1amjetc1zfz/Shaxoch%20Region%20Map%20-%20FM8%20Vintyri%20Version%20-%202000x2000px%20JPEG.jpg?dl=0

But what I realized is that I needed to update all my other maps to match the style of this new map - which has been a good thing.  I think making maps is one of my favourite things  ;D

Until next time…

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Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2018, 11:11:10 PM »
As an example of how I'm updating the old maps to this new "style", compare the map for Crystal Falls Pass from the original used in the Ekotai's March: The Battle Of Crystal Falls Pass WL Battle Report to the new version I completed today.

Original Crystal Falls Pass Map

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fjcd7n9anem37u1/Crystal%20Falls%20Pass%20w-Hexes%20-%20From%20FM7%20-%20500%20x%20238%20BMP.bmp?dl=0

"New Style" Version

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v8479nn2k9ct2ng/Crystal%20Falls%20Pass%20-%20FM8%20Vintyri%20Version%20-%202000x1046px%20JPEG.jpg?dl=0

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Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2018, 10:54:04 PM »
More re-worked maps from Nytheun.  This time, a map of the Duchy of Atiazith (the region where The Siege Of Noch Atiazith is set).



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Offline Hurin

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2018, 11:29:49 PM »
Nice maps! I like the new style, but I do also like the hex overlay on the old style ones.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

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Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2018, 11:53:25 PM »
The Hex Grid overlay is easy to add.  I use NBOS' Fractal Mapper 8 & it's just a matter of setting the grid size & turning it on.

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Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2018, 12:08:21 AM »
Same map with 50km Hex Grid added.



…though I did add the Beisash Way Station (located NW of Noch Atiazith) because I was inspired by an idea.

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Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #10 on: October 31, 2018, 10:58:34 AM »
After a long bout of writer's block in regards to finishing the last adventure in The Wraith Of Crystal Falls; I think I finally finished the text.  So now I'm in a post-production mode for the Adventure Module (which is a pseudo-companion to the first installment of the Ekotai's March War Law Campaign).  I'm hoping to finish it up & then complete the updates to The Battle Of Crystal Falls Pass - which come down to updating the maps.  Then I should have these two projects off my todo list.  The plan is then to complete Ekotai's March Part II: The Siege Of Noch Atiazith along with its companion adventure module The Enegon Insurgency as well as my massive Nytheun Gazetteer Setting Source Book.  All this along with still working on a number of short stories and my Oracle Awakes novel.

Lots to do…

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Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #11 on: October 31, 2018, 11:10:53 AM »
Here's a quick list of Nytheun modules currently in production:

Nytheun Gazetter                                                          Writing
Ekotai's March I: The Battle Of Crystal Falls Pass             Post-Production Updates (Maps)
The Wraith Of Crystal Falls - Adventure Module                Post-Production (Artwork & Formating)
Ekotai's March II: The Siege Of Noch Atiazith                  Writing
The Enegon Conspiracy - Adventure Module                    Writing

And here's a list of Nytheun short stories & books in the production cue:

Ravenstone Saga Book 1: Oracle Awakes (Novel)             Writing (Back Burner)
Possession (Short Story)                                                Actively Writing
Pale Runs The Ghost (Short Story)                                  Post-Production (Back Burner)
Early Morning Winter Came (Short Story)                        Writing (Back Burner)
The Outcast Child (Novella)                                            Writing (Back Burner)
Cards Upon The Table (Short Story)                                Writing (Back Burner)
The Sufferer's Pursuit Part II: The Charmed Enigma         Writing (Back Burner)
           (Short Story Series)
False Coloured Eyes (Short Story)                                   Post-Production
Shadow Song (Short Story)                                            Re-Writing (Back Burner)

Yes, I have a lot on the go.  But the way I usually work is that when I hit a writer's block wall on one project; I can usually switch to another to continue creating.  This has the benefit of allowing me to always be writing - but has the problem of giving me many projects in various states of completion (as the above list demonstrates!)

Oh well, it's a lot of fun at any rate!

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Offline Nightblade42

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Re: Ekotai's March - A War Law & Sea Law Campaign in Nytheun
« Reply #12 on: November 18, 2018, 10:06:56 PM »
I think I'm finished with Ekotai's March I: The Battle Of Crystal Falls Pass & it's companion Adventure Module: The Wraith Of Crystal Falls.  I'm back to working on my Nytheun Gazetteer trying to finish it up.

Though I might run after my idea regarding the Beisash Way Station…

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