1. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    Help me plot this battle

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by rktho, Mar 4, 2017.

    In a world of dragons, there is an order of wizards called the Shuzirons that have existed for longer than many can remember. They protect the Elder Swords, which when combined give the user unimaginable power, but not many dragons know that. They do know that the Shuzirons use their abilities to keep the peace in Anthradraca and act as diplomats. When diplomacy fails, the orchestrate and fight in Anthradraca's wars, striving to ensure the war is as short as possible and purely defensive.

    The Shuzirons are led by the Riphalaron, a dragon whose magical power is inherently greater than that of other dragons and whose calling is to commune directly with the Ristlaron, creator of the universe, writer of all history and plotter of all decisions. All is as the Ristlaron wills it. What he writes, it was so, or is so, or will be so. The current Riphalaron is an old Anthradracan named Pryzodor, who keeps the Knalga in which he records history and expounds upon the will and nature of the Ristlaron. Pryzodor is no political leader. In Shuziron matters, Dantharid the emperor defers to him, and in political matters he defers to Dantharid.

    Dantharid is a Shuziron and a proficient one, and one day he takes his two sons, Knizor and Phyandarst, to be initiated and have their azulors awakened, so they can perform magic. Knizor is the eldest and next in line for the throne. Phyandarst is the younger and thirsty for knowledge. To unlock one's azulor, the candidate must enter a room, where they are transported to the parallel world of Azulorn, where the rare metal azulorum is found. A forged object of azulorum will call to the candidate, who will bring it back into the physical realm. The object will bond with its finder and endure for three generations before returning to Azulorn. (The Elder Swords are Azulornian artifacts that endure forever and cannot be returned to Azulorn.)

    Phyandarst goes in to take his test and sees an alternate vision where he succeeds Pryzodor as Riphalaron. His Azulornian self gives him his azulorum helm, which is identical to his father's golden one, leading Phyandarst to believe he will either be Riphalaron, emperor, or both. Knizor takes his test but is unable to find any object made of azulorum. Pryzodor follows him into Azulorn and escorts him back to the physical realm, explaining that this is a sign that he will be the next Riphalaron and his azulor must awaken with a physical experience, not the test of awakening.

    Several decades later, Phyandarst has become a proficient wizard, while Knizor can only use implements enchanted to do magic, and not perform magic himself. Pryzodor summons Knizor on his deathbed and tells him he will become the Riphalaron when Pryzodor dies, and will be able to hear the voice of the Ristlaron in time shortly afterward. Accepting the responsibility despite not having his azulor awakened, Knizor takes Pryzodor's place.
    Two decades later, Dantharid dies and bequeaths the throne to Knizor. Now jealous that he is neither emperor nor Riphalaron, Phyandarst seeks to soothe his anger through study and discovers forbidden writings of dark magic. Phyandarst begins to dabble in it and feels no ill effects. He soon becomes proficient in the dark arts. He collects his closest friends and teaches them his new powers, forming a secret order called the Kenjai.

    Two years into his reign, Knizor decides to strengthen an old alliance between Anthradraca and the neighboring land of Kaldras, and selects Phyandarst as his ambassador. The Kaldred chief, Figo Kaldras, is away on a voyage cartographing the land, but fortunately returns in three days. While he is away, Phyandarst meets with Chief Kaldras' brother Ragul.

    Ragul expresses his discontent to Phyandarst as he is not chief of the Kaldred tribe. Phyandarst hatches a plot with Ragul to set him up to lead the Kaldreds on condition that he assist Phyandarst in overthrowing his own elder brother from the throne. Carrying out his side of the bargain, Phyandarst assassinates Ragul upon his return in front of a throng of Kaldred witnesses, and Ragul angrily gives chase. Phyandarst flees safely to Anthradraca, saying that he has been framed for the murder of Figo Kaldras and that Kaldras has declared war on Anthradraca. Knizor prepares for war and begins to defend Anthradraca, while Phyandarst secretly aids Kaldras in its cause.

    The battle: three-quarters through the war, Phyandarst decides Ragul is a loose end and arranges to force him to meet Knizor on the field of battle where Knizor will be forced to kill him. At this point, Knizor's azulor has awakened and he is growing in his powers. Once Ragul is dead, Luhorn will succeed him, and Luhorn is more loyal to Phyandarst and will effectively act as his proxy, stirring up the Kaldreds in anger over Ragul's death to rally them against Knizor. Help me plot this battle.

    Here's what Phyandarst has to work with:

    Anthradracan forces
    Knizor's battalion
    Rishta's battalion
    His own battalion

    Ganadarian forces (Ganadar was a Vrakardian colony of the island of Dalkras, but Dantharid helped them win their independence. In return, they are assisting Knizor in defending Anthradraca from their Kaldred cousins.)

    Acbaradus's battalion
    Mudglubar's battalion

    Dralish forces (The Idrakagar are quadrupedal dragons. They are massive in size and helped Dantharid drive Furuzor out of Anthradraca. They don't lend an army, but they do lend a small squadron of Idrakagar to be used as steeds. Being sentient, they are just as capable warriors as the dragons riding them.)

    Momanadon (Knizor's steed)
    Itholorin (Rishta's steed)
    Drathlinal (Phyandarst's steed; note that he is loyal to Knizor and Anthradraca, not Phyandarst and his secret combination)
    Moncolamar (Acbaradus' steed)
    Hurgablor (Mudglubar's steed)

    vs.

    Kaldred forces
    Ragul's battalion
    Luhorn's battalion (secretly commanded by Phyandarst; Luhorn succeeds Ragul and towards the end of the war Mudglubar and Rishta assassinate him)
    Amalorum’s battalion
    Zarum’s infiltration squadron (masterminded by Phyandarst, commanded by Luhorn, they pretend to be Ganadarians, ready to strike from the inside at Phyandarst’s command, and are about fifty in number)
    Phyandarst’s forces
    The Kenjai (at this time, there are fifty members, and they are posing as Shuzirons. Well, not exactly posing, since they still are at this point.)

    The terrain can be anything we need it to be, really, except a desert. I'm thinking the battle takes place on very hilly terrain with lots of grass, maybe a forest nearby. The double agents (the Kenjai and Zarum's squad) don't strike yet; that has to happen when Luhorn succeeds Ragul. So at the moment they're fighting as their false loyalties dictate. So, Kenjai are in the Shuziron army and Zarum's drakes are in the Ganadarian army.
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2017
  2. Jane with dyslexic flag

    Jane with dyslexic flag Member

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    Dear rktho, I think you may have to ask certain people who are known for battle/military story making to help you or I suggest looking up historical battles and stratrigies to help as an brainstorming/ using bits a pieces to create your battle scenes/ part of your story.
    I wish I could help more however battle stratigies are not my forte, as far as I go is fight scenes is between a few characters fighting each other.
    hope I helped a little
     
  3. Toomanypens

    Toomanypens Member

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    I find it is best to plot battles with a simple followable theme first and arrange what kind of accuracy you want the battle to hold

    Do you want gore for example?
    Do you want the element of shock?
    Do you want unexpected details that add immersion?
    Do you want logistics?


    Logistics in the old day were organised by having guys set out to manage certain tasks of the battle,
    The brother of the general might command the flanking operations
    The general headed up tactics in the center or in pursuing the enemy commanders
    A captain organised flanking along the ridges and high ground for skirmishers to add support

    Each would have messengers to run to the leders of each maniple (a maniple is say 120 men, but you can alter it as you like)


    I believe you want your elite forces FRESH, so you keep them in reserve to PIERCE through a weakness in the defenses,
    Weaknesses develop where an enemy is in a "backwards position" due to the vanguard getting a great charge, and maybe it corners them off from controlling the center, so an elite force can get through.
    But you have to understand that a great skirmisher captain will focus fire on the hole, and that could definately cost you the elite troops.
    So maybe they are best on the flank in order to pinch in the wings of the fighting formations, allowing your side to cover a greater surface area and bow around the opponent.

    Flanking tactics can be detered by issuing a detatchment of men, capable of screening and interfering with charges and shock tactics.
    Lets say wizards are great flanking forces due to the horror of their spells, well maybe lesser wizards can disrupt casting with stun spells? This would allow the army to maneuver better to counter the flanking forces. Maybe you have like dogs or something you release at the flankingforces when stunned and they cant deal with the numbers and have to flee to a rock formation to defend themselves, which then frees the opponents flanking forces to flank themselves since the wizards are driven out of the way.



    Maybe you seend an elite force to get secretlyy behind enemy lines, so as their wizards attack your flank, and only a few lesser wizards remain to stall them, your elite units succeed from behind the enemy lines, creating chaos and disarray which forces the wizarrds to retreat to support the back of their own forces
     
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  4. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    So, how would Knizor be forced to meet Ragul in person on the battlefield and fight him one on one?
     
  5. Stormburn

    Stormburn Contributor Contributor

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    Honestly, more detail would help. I'm asking specifically about the capabilities of the forces involved. The first capability that I have to ask is can any/all of the dragons fly? Dragon on dragon combat, that sounds like that could be very cool.
    I remember reading an old, old story written maybe in the 60s. It had a group of humans who had bred and mutated dragons into war machines. Some were fast with razor claws, some were huge and building smashers. They fought against a force of dragonoids who had bred and mutated humans into war machines. They had giants and the like. Wild premise that was very well developed and executed.
    The battle went back and forth. I remember one part where the giants smashed through a group of fast razor dragons but then got into a giant monster rumble with the titan dragons. Really wish I could recall the name of the story.
    Godspeed!
     
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  6. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    The dragons can all fly and have human intelligence. At the Anthradracans' disposal are a squadron of Dralish steeds, lent by the Idralogor, which are large enough to ride on. Each general on the Anthradracan and Ganadarian side has one. The Vrakardians are smaller than the Anthradracans by about a quarter. (Remember-- the enemy is comprised of Vrakardians, but another Vrakardian nation is aiding Anthradraca.) There should be ground and air combat, probably happening simultaneously depending on the battle. I'd say yes for this one. Aside from the Idralogor, which are very large (if an Anthradracan is a human, an Idralogor is a bear) and the Shuzirons' magic, there aren't particularly special forces like giant crushers or swift dragons. Those qualities would be inherent in a certain dragon's talents. (Examplke: Mudglubar is a spy, so he is very quick.)
     
  7. Stormburn

    Stormburn Contributor Contributor

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    Every military has a goal of what they want to accomplish against an enemy. That can be doctrinal and subjective. For example, Mongol, German and Zulu battle doctrines were centered around not just defeating an enemy, but destroying that enemy. So, their tactics involved flanking and encirclement. I know this sounds obvious, but an offensive force capable of not only engaging an enemy but also moving and communicating well enough to move and trap that enemy has to be highly trained. Not everyone could do it.
    For a battle, it may be enough to just halt and enemy advance. In the battle of Kursk, the Germans had a armor force moving towards the Soviet's rear. The Soviet's had great tanks, but, very little training. Also, they were very brave. So, it was decided that the objective was to stall the German advance long enough for more forces to move in. This resulted in the Soviets basically using their tanks as infantry and charging right into the German formation. Gave the Germans fits and halted their advance.
    Godspeed!
     
  8. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    Here's the thing: Phyandarst has to pull strings for this to happen. It's not the objective of either army to have Knizor and Ragul face each other. Knizor wants to negotiate and defend his homeland, and Ragul wants to conquer Anthradraca (under the guise of avenging his brother.)

    Actually, I just had an epiphany. Phyandarst will get Knizor to kill Ragul in defense of him! Ragul "wants" revenge on Phyandarst. If Phyandarst can incentivize Ragul to ACTUALLY attempt to kill him in battle, Knizor can rush to his defense and fight Ragul. Phyandarst can secretly kill Ragul with a spell so Knizor and the Kaldreds think Knizor killed Ragul.
     
  9. Transylvanian Amnesiac

    Transylvanian Amnesiac Member

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    I have an idea that might help. It's probably quite simplistic and something you've considered, but I thought that I'd try to point out some things that seem to be workable because of your characterization of particular characters in your description.

    Phyandarst has plotted with Ragul, and he would have likely helped him strategize his course of attack in his invasion-- at least the bare bones of it. Also seeing as he is the brother of the leader of his nation and was given the role of ambassador and even has his own battalion, he would likely have a prominent role in military strategy as well. He has an innate advantage of intimately knowing both of his enemies' minds and how to appeal to their sensibilities. I do not think that it would be at all surprising if Phyandarst had already had a contingency plan in his discussions with Ragul to set him up-- not being from the land where the war is occurring, he would rely on Phyandarst's knowledge of the landscape.

    I take it for Ragul to truly become a loose end, he would be on the offensive when Phyandarst decides that he needs to be eliminated. I know that you mention grasslands and forests, but other scenery could prove a lot easier. Ragul could have been goaded into seizing a particular "vantage point" that Phyandarst would know to actually give the Anthradracan forces the high ground-- the foothills of a mountain range that Ragul was not aware of being in that location. Then, Ragul's forces could be pushed back into a corner, with another force coming from the side to act as a pincer. Ideally this would be a coastline at the foot of a mountain range (maybe it's even volcanic, making things more dire?) I'm not sure of your characters' limitations on flight-- as in the distances they could fly before tiring, but losing territory by backing off to the sea completely or flying into the peaks of mountains to be met with a barrage of projectiles would be too risky for them. Then maybe a siege begins.

    Things could then play out in a predictable manner, if you'd like. There is historical basis for this type of thing though-- it's reminiscent of ancient Japanese warfare. I figure that both Knizor and Ragul are proud characters, with the former being particularly concerned about defending his people. Knizor could call on Ragul to come out and face him in single combat so other lives need not be lost. Whether or not Ragul comes out or sends a champion doesn't matter; a series of single duels could follow from this, with the Anthradracans not backing down until Ragul either surrenders or is eliminated. I don't know enough about your dragon cultures to know whether or not it might even be feasible to one side that the other would surrender/retreat to their homeland after their leader is defeated.

    Now I see your epiphany when I was midway through writing this. Thought I'd still offer my two cents anyways :p
     
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  10. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    If such a duel occurred, Ragul would be bound by his ruse to insist on facing Phyandarst instead. However, Phyandarst knows his brother will offer himself up in his place, and Ragul would accept because he actually wants to kill Knizor so he can conquer Anthradraca. (After the duel, however, Ragul would be out to dispose of Phyandarst next.) This would be good, but I want the Kaldreds to be outraged and continue the war, and Knizor to feel guilt, so an organized duel wouldn't fit as it is fair and contractual.
     
  11. Transylvanian Amnesiac

    Transylvanian Amnesiac Member

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    You mention the use of magic. I do not know the magical capabilities in this universe, nor am I feeling particularly imaginative at this point, but would it be possible for Phyandarst to conjure something in this duel so that it looks to both the Kaldreds and Khizar himself that he did something dishonourable/he cheated? Would that be enough to incite the outrage of the Kaldreds? It would probably be hard to make Khizar think that such a thing was his fault but it's something to consider.
     
  12. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    That would require great power. The only thing that could do that is in Knizor's possession.
     
  13. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    @Transylvanian Amnesiac @Stormburn since you're here, would you mind critiquing my chapters in the novel section?
     
  14. Stormburn

    Stormburn Contributor Contributor

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    I'll be happy too.
     
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  15. Transylvanian Amnesiac

    Transylvanian Amnesiac Member

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    Just provided some input on chapter 1; hopefully it can be of use.
     

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