Chapter 1: Forgotten Empire

Yep. Everything was set! All that needed to be done was to wait until the morning, then blammo! Assassination and a bunch of easy minions thereafter! In the morning. In about... 14 hours. Just gotta wait.


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...Lootbox forgot how lonely it was to be the only rogue in a band of thieves. A few pets under his belt, yes, but they weren't much for chatter. Adorable as they were, they just weren't the same as walking, talking, idolizing fellows.

Perhaps this is what pained the most from the mimic's fall from grace. No longer did he have an endless supply of underlings to flaunt wealth, power, and prestige to. All he had were two fellow gods and an ascended asset manager, neither of which were likely to be swayed. This wouldn't do at all. Godhood had no perks without the congregation.

Forget tomorrow! Shuma will not live to see another sunset! Lootbox would follow the castle's wall until he found Iwakashi, intent on getting backup for the worst. "I'm expediting my assassination schedule. If I don't return in a few hours or so, assume the worst." Regardless of the golem's support, Lootbox would head off in the direction of the Croagunk tribe to enact his plan.

"Feyra was this kingdom's name. My people were high spirited folk, known for living life to the fullest, a love of pranks, occasional flippancy, and a surprising vindictiveness when slighted. We dealt in the bounties of the sea, and traded the rich silts from the freshwater portions of the marsh to lands like Terrera where farming is bountiful and land plenty."

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Time passes with the new acting bodies of Dreadmarsh garnering their strength, fortifying their holdings, and swelling their ranks. The castle is drained, and restored to a defensible position. Leeks and fish make up most of the larder, but steady food is at last available. Lootbox's assassination of Shuma goes according to plan, lending itself to two squads of Croagunk joining the war effort. Crimson finds a slow but steady ally (and conversation) in the Slowpoke. Basic needs met, and their fledgeling kingdom prepared as it is likely getting, the hour for the first assault grows near.

In the Great Hall, once under a dozen feet of water, around a stone table, the unlikely alliance begins setting about plans to invade Yaksha. Representatives from their squads present, as well as their collective vanguards.

"Iwakashi, you were a general in your time, what do you suggest here?"

(Croagunk are +1 Sabotage or +1 Combat. They don't task switch well. Slowpoke are +1 Scouting and +1 Stealth, but take twice as long to return from away missions.)

The time spent repairing the fort and securing some small amount of resources, passed all too slow. Impatient as Iwakasi is to begin the conquest, he'd still been unable to escape from the fact that they were woefully unprepared. Outmatched some might say. But he was tired of waiting. It was an ambitious undertaking; making his blood grow hot, well hotter, at the thought. He trained the group of Croagunk as best he could. They learned well but soon became set in their ways....troubling but he did what he could.

The day for final preparations came and all eyes turned to him. "If we manage to find their faces then I will account us lucky. They are an illusive foe. If we are to defeat them, we need to decimate whatever resistance they have before it can escape. Capture the castle before the defenses can be mounted and secured."

He considers their forces. Small as they were they would still be useful. "Our Slowpoke are likely to be little use to us in battle. They might be good to scout out where the Yashkan forces lie. They will delay our endeavor until their return." He pauses, growling, "They might provide a good distraction, allowing us to take any important cities." The group would likely be lost in this endeavor but it might be the only thing they are good there.

"The Croagunk we should use to capture and hold anything that we can. We need warriors. Sappers will have to wait for another time."

"Knowing our foe is important. But the denizens of Yaksha are not blind. There is every chance that they will notice these slow moving Slowpoke. They may not know why the Pokemon are there but it will turn eyes towards us." Iwakashi speaks confidently. "We can't afford mistakes but all we do will be a risk until we are established. Revealing ourselves just before we strike would be the gravest one we could make. That said...sending them to scout is likely our best option. It is a...calculated risk."

"Well, being under siege here would still almost be a better situation than we were in before," Crimson says. "At least we'd have a good grasp on what would be happening. We have forces here, and I feel like those invading would not particularly like the terrain. I know I do not." She crosses one of her sets of arms, shaking her head.

HE would know the true nature of this place? Now that's a laugh! Lootbox gave a croaking chuckle, having maintained the Croagunk form over the past few months. Their was but one type of soldier under their nation's command; bearing their shape was likely to increase morale. A brother in the high chair so to speak. At least that's what kept his own band of thieves entertained, swapping faces to best appease whatever troops were under his immediate leadership.

"I can't say I know Yaksha's tactics from personal experience..." Lootbox started, attempting to explain his own line of thinking as example. "...but if I were the leader of Yaksha, I would be keen in recognising my entire army consists of backstabbing, no-good rogues! And since any one of my generals could be a potential usurper, it would be wise to keep them too distracted fending each-other off as to not turn knives towards me."

"Not decoy-strongholds as Kingsy suggests, but ACTUAL strongholds. Each one claiming to be the main, because for practical purposes they're all equal. I would then have no permanent capitol seat of power, instead jumping between each stronghold as I so willed it. No one general could kill me, as my death would turn the other generals against the killer. Thus balance is maintained between rogues in having no winning option towards ascending leadership."

That was the principle governance Lootbox himself used in maintaining his own Empire of Thieves. No one government could take his headquarters down because there WAS no headquarters; only his removal could cause a total collapse of his holdings. Anything less than the death of the leader by external forces could collapse the system.

"That kind of governance has two weaknesses, however. Chopping off Yaksha's head brings the entire structure down. However, throwing our support behind a general would dismantle that precious balance keeping rogues together as friends. He could usurp the head without fear of being alone, as he'd be relying on our support to cover his flank."

"...which we could then withdraw at the last minute, allowing the system to implode on itself due to infighting. Claim what scraps are left for our own kingdom."

Quite the predicament. So many options, so many tactics. To play chess around chessmasters. Rogues against rogues. It was as if he were uniting the criminal underground again!

And oh how the mimic loved to play dirty.

"An ultimate plan depends on how many Major Strongholds are in play." Lootbox commented, taking a number of small rocks to their planning table as markers. One rock for each base. "Regardless of number, we want to capture one Major Stronghold for ourselves. This we likely have the resources for. Rather than claim it for us, however, we will want to maintain its banner. Make it seem uncontested, even as we control its inner workings."

Whether they then killed its original holder, or take him on as a patsy was up to the table to decide. SOMEONE had to maintain Yaksha while the gods sorted more important businesss. Maybe they would luck out and find a non-human to start an alliance with! Or, find a human for Crimson to practice her mind-slaving. The details ultimately didn't matter too much.

"Our plan from there depends on how many other forts are in play. If there are Three or fewer, we take out whichever fort holds their leader. Interrogation or bribery to our fort's original holder may give us a direction. With the leader dead, and half of Yaksha's forts in our control, we could then intimidate remaining Yakshan strongholds through our majority control. After all, throw the Dreadmarsh in and that's three VS two." And no thief in their right might would attempt usurping one with majority control. Not with the mind-control panic in Cragspur at their backs; there would be no avenue of escape.

Of course, that assumed a majority control could be held. Things became more complicated with more forts in play. More stones would be tossed to the table. "With Four or more major forts, we cannot assume a majority control. At this point, we will want to sacrifice our patsy to the inevitable retaliation from Yaksha's remaining seats of power. Let them duke it out among themselves, then strike with our own forces against those that are left. If we can maintain our false flag, they will be entirely unprepared for a third party to make a play."

Either plan guaranteed minimal damage to Yakshan assets, which would be the best-case scenario. There was no value in a country of cinders after all. The more Strongholds they can capture without combat, the stronger Yaksha would be under Dreadmarsh control.

"Can't say anything about messengers. We may want to strike in a way that cuts them off." Lootbox commented. It was a pain, but there was nothing that can be done about messengers outside of shooting them. His plans for an initial strike, however, were more solid. "Historically-speaking, there has been NOTHING in this marsh. Not when I was around 200 years ago, and not for however long since Kingsy's kingdom. No country wastes resources guarding an uncontested boarder. Unless we strike from the north, our first move will not be expected."

With a plan decided on, Lootbox is deployed with the Slowpoke scouts along Yaksha's south border. The Mimic is able to press further inland, but the squad otherwise keeps to rivers and the ocean-side for the sake of expediency. Five strongholds are identified. While most of these are feudal castle-towns by design, the fifth, within a ten minute courier sprint of Sumizome, is sequestered amidst the river bank and is stumbled upon by the squad. There is no apparent structures above ground, but it appears to have several entrances over a very wide area. Its purpose may serve as a meeting hall or a power base, but with Lootbox's mission of scouting and not infiltration it is best left for the assault, or an elite squad.

The remaining towns are arranged as Lootbox had suggested they might be. A tentative balance of power between rivals vying for favor from a high lord. The guard heckle the peasantry from towns not in their province, though some attempt to persuade influential merchants or figures that appear to have value to move. There is clearly a lot of political jockeying going on. On reconvening, it is again put to vote most of a week later.

False Flag Route / Invade the Highlord's Sanctum