Coalition Wargame's blog listings.

6th Phyrexian War; Week 17

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 00:29:05 -0500

The Coalition's march continues across the planes. By now, Mirrodin is firmly under control of the troops from Dominaria. The local Mirrans given freedom and weapons to join in the fight to drive off the final few Phyrexian holdouts. Only the Radix and the Seat of the Synod remain as realms of compleation - while the Radix has been under Phyrexian control for much of the war, the Seat has been hotly contested. The once huge Vedalken structure of knowledge and learning, reduced to little more than rubble.

A story much the same holds upon Dominaria itself. A couple of holdouts from the previous occupation persist. But cut off, but deaths are mounting, without reinforcement from their home plane, it is unlikely that the Phyrexian forces will be able to maintain their failing grip. Once that crumbles, nothing will stop the Coalition forces from rampaging across the face of Phyrexia itself.

Already, Coalition numbers upon Phyrexia grow. Now hardened veterans, the Coalition soldiers have stubbornly held the grounds of Wrath. Nothing Phyrexia has thrown at them has broken their hold for long. Elsewhere, attacks upon important installations increase. Already the plane is under siege, it is only a matter of time before the final two strongholds fall.

As a cause to boost Coalition morale across the planes, Grand Admiral Kelket has successfully annihilated three Phyrexian commanders. Gwendlyn Di Corci, Vorinclex, and the Patron of the Moon all lie dead from armies beneath his command - and one for each planar battlefield. This has done much to bolster his fame amongst the soldiery, with spontaneous celebrations breaking out across the lands.

The noose draws ever tighter for Phyrexia. But the Coalition has only stratched the surface of Yawgmoth's plane. Who knows what terrors lurk within, and what may yet be unleashed?

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Destruction of Sheila's Lair

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:50:54 -0500

One of the final Coalition bases to fall in the last war, Sheila and her brood had been compleated by Phyrexia. Yet, this land had changed hands once more. Under the guiding hand of Myril, the forests were retaken for the Coalition, and signs of its past holders destroyed.

(Tale by Myril)

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Damia growled slightly, peering up at the massive, rotting husk of Sheila's lair... conflicted. As a being of both death and rebirth, a part of her rejoiced at the conversion between her two identities, as the once-verdulant tree sat converged into a epitaph of finality, a massive structure celibrating the finality of death.

Still, the sight of so much life corrupted made her stomach turn... the metal plates upon Sheila's husk and the tainted scent of iron and filth which had been hammered into every inch of the sprawling lair. Sheila's Brood has dissipated with the death of its mother, none of the spiderlings having any taste for the perversion the location had become... even her own men felt unnatural here, an absolute stillness...

Death was not still, she knew. Death was a time of renewal and reclaiming... a transmutation where the individual became one with the everything, and the body decomposed into the etherial... and yet... this? This was stagnant and wrong.

She turned to her men, the assembed creatures that had fought so hard to drive the great Coalition Bane from his roost, smiling severely. "Today is the day we depart this battlefield... a battlefield I'm not sure that any of us thought we would ever leave. As you look over my shoulder... I want you to see two things. First, see the true face of Phyrexia. The face that comes and consumes... a face which takes everything it sees and squashes it into the same mold. Phyrexia has changed our world... forever. Time immortal it seems they have come marching across our landscape... and no longer can we continue simply holding our line! The time has come first... to rest... but second to enter the Phyrexian homeland and put an end to all this! Countless worlds have they marched across... countless worlds have they defiled... and countless worlds shall we reclaim! The power of technology is vast, but the power of innovation is always vaster." She hesitated, a sly smile moving across her lips.

"Though the battle was won... Coalition Bane slipped away and has gone back to his own homeland to lick his wounds... which I think means we have a party to crash... come on lads... the hunt is on!"

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6th Phyrexian War; Week 14

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 15:11:47 -0500

The last uprising upon Dominaria under Capashen Dawn has proven to be one of the most deadly to Phyrexia thus far. Already, the new Coalition forces have advanced across their home plane, destroying the main Phyrexian holding of Shiela's Lair. While it is not certain what happened to the giant spider that made the land her home. The forests are still filled with her brood. Despite the destruction of the stronghold, the scars upon the creatures and land will not heal nearly so easily.

Even on the plane of Mirrodin, Phyrexian presence has been wanning. Their stronghold Gehenna in the Oxidda Chain was destroyed by Grand Admiral Kelket. Rubble and ruins are all that remain of the once proud fortress city. Meanwhile all attacks to secure Mirrodin's Core where the Coalition maintains their toehold have failed. Yet unlike Dominaria, the forces upon this plane are still great and potentially hazardous. The Coalition may have made retaining hold of this land difficult, but it is still far from impossible.

In the final theatre of war, the first sphere of Phyrexia, the Coalition has pushed forward eagerly. Of the three strongholds found within the portal zone, one has already fallen. The others are yet to be threatened, but Coalition numbers grow every greater. It may be hoped however, that those audacious foes who so dared to build a base of pure white mana upon the face of Phyrexia will be punished. The base has yet to fall, but for many weeks it has been under siege by the Phyrexian hordes. It is surely merely a matter of time before it falls - and that would free up numerous armies to make a counterattack.

Yet, there is more at stake than the planar castles. Unlike previous wars where resources were plentiful, the constant battles have drained the planes. Places where access to strategic resources are important to the war effort. As it stands, for the removal of their own constructed strongholds, it is Phyrexia that holds many of these resource points. Unless the Coalition can capture some of these holdings, they may find that their march across the planes has left them too battered and bruised with nothing but wastelands to call their own.

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The Destruction of Gehenna

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:06:19 -0500

[i]After rather a long time of dozing, the not very good chronicler at last awakens with a snort. Destruction walks the planes, and the first ruin lies in the wake of the everlasting planar war. With quill in hand, the day of end is noted in the tale of the 6th war.[/i]

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Kelket stood atop a ruined wall of the Grand Fortress of Gehenna, staring down at the battered mountainside. His forces had finished salvaging whatever supplies they could from the Phyrexian stores, and had already rendezvoused at a camp set up among the steppes well away from the three mountains that made up the stronghold of Gehenna. The Dice Gods only knew, this war was far from over and the Coalition would need everything they could get. While the armies surrounding Gehenna had held off the Phyrexian forces attempting to take back the base, Kelket had ordered Deathbringer Thoctars to topple the walls of the Grand Fortress, which had inevitably led to its ceiling falling in. As very little of the structure surrounding the Altar of Black Flames, which created the endless smog around the mountains, and the Portal to Phyrexia remained.

Kelket took one last look around at the destruction constant battle and purposeful damage had wrought. Though the enemy had not had time to bring their stronger armies to bear, the forces they had sent at the base had fought just as viciously. But Kelket's wrath would not be held back, and he had done what was necessary to ensure that Gehenna would fall. Forces from both the Blades of Kelket and reinforcements sent from Dreams of Yore had just finished sealing Gehenna's forges shut less than an hour ago, activating the lava flow controls and setting it to flow beyond safety limits set by the operating equipment. The Grand Admiral looked to the smog-filled sky, knowing soon that this damaged land would soon be cleansed, and saw Darigaaz the Igniter fly just below the cloud cover towards the camp.

Kelket planeswalked down to the edge of the camp, his back facing the mountains that Gehenna was built upon. All those among his Blades had gathered here to see the destruction of the enemy's foothold on Mirrodin, and he would not disappoint them. The Igniter swooped down to take his place among the leadership of Red Faction, which Kelket had called to this place for just this occasion. Gathered on either side of him was the commander from each army of Red Faction: Daarigaaz, Tarox Bladewing, Karrthus, and Skyfire Kirin to his right and Rokkesh, Elith-Dral, and Ib Halfheart to his left. This would be a day to remember.

"Warriors of the Coalition, you have all served well in the brief time of this Sixth Great War against the forces of Phyrexia. And today, you have done Red Faction proud! On this moment, we make it clear to all Phyrexians that we intend to win this war. We'll march right into the depths of Phyrexia and show them what we're made of! Glory to the Coalition!"

As Kelket finished speaking, he turned around to face Gehenna and all those gathered turned to look as well. Already, a bright red glow could be seen at the tops of the mountains even from this distance. In only a few more moments, the ground began to shake. Then, the forges having been forced to overflow against sealed outlets now glowing red-hot, and with the earth coming to life beneath them, lava erupted in a great gout above the Second Mount that could be seen for miles around. The blast obliterated the forges and annihilated the mountaintop, sending huge chunks of molten rock into the sky. The lava then came crashing down, blanketing the rest of the mountains as well as some of the surrounding terrain. The First Mount was completely coated, with a portion of it that was closest to the Second Mount blasted apart, the outpost set up to resupply passing warriors now gone forever in the face of such destruction. The Third Mount was not spared either. Lava, rock, and ash tumbled down onto the ruins of the Grand Fortress, smashing the Portal and completely obliterating the Altar of Black Flames. Munitions for the Phyrexian cannons that were left behind ignited, going off like exploding fireworks, helping the eruption tear apart whatever was left of the Grand Fortress.

The earth calmed and what was once a defensible Phyrexian stronghold was now a glowing mass blanketing the mountains. The Second Mount was all but gone, its upper half having exploded outward and upward; the remaining mountains had taken the punishment such a volcanic eruption could give. Gehenna had fallen, and with it, Phyrexia's main source of opposition on Mirrodin. As those gathered looked on at the fiery destruction of Gehenna, the clouds of smog covering the landscape began to fade as the magic supporting them died. The sun broke across the landscape, signaling that Phyrexia's time on Mirrodin would soon be at an end.

(Tale and destruction by Kelket)

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Warfare and Glory

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:01:14 -0500

After returning to the plane of Dominaria the Phyrexian leadership found its armies in disarray. Trying to shift the tide of the war, the Chief Praetor organised a war council with his Praetors and Evincars as well as lower ranked officers who showed promise. An urgent plan was devised and set into motion. The Phyrexian armies were to release control of border territories, leaving behind scarce troops to perform skirmish attacks during the night, hopefully buying enough time to regroup the forces and strengthen the inner defences. Four plague bomb supply routes were created, one for each remaining portal and conscription was ordered throughout all occupied territories to increase the troop count.

The skirmish attacks worked like a charm and bought Phyrexia more than enough time. Completely abandoning the open spaces, skirmish points were created throughout the mountains of Zerapa and forests of Jamuraa. With plenty of room to hide, travelling light and sacrificing themselves once caught, the skirmishers dealt considerable damage to the Coalition forces and managed to hide the retreat of the main forces for many days.

As Coalition forces realised the deception and attempted to pursue across the waterways, they met the next layer of the defence. Flowstone sculptures lurked beneath the surface with the priority to sink as many ships as possible - and they were good at it. Attacking from below, where the Coalition were unable to defend, they quickly drilled holes into the vessels and vanished into the deep; severing the Coalition supply lines.

It wasn't expected that a skirmish could win the war, but the goal was met. The Coalition armies were delayed and bloodied, yet the inner Phyrexian defences were fortified, nearly impenetrable and with properly constructed and manned equipment.

The Coalition siege lasted for weeks on end, but now Phyrexian supply routes were running smoothly, allowing them to stand tall before the onslaught. One by one, the besieging Coalition armies were forced to retreat and regroup - and that's what Phyrexia was waiting for.

The months that followed witnessed indescribable horrors with armies as large as one can cover with one’s sight clashing into epic battle. Neither side was willing to give up an inch of land, yet fighting even more valiantly to recover lost territories. It would have continued for many more months if not for a decisive victory just off Suq’Ata.

With careful planning, a bit of luck, and a lot of wits a young plaguelord snuck his army behind enemy ranks and found himself on the outskirts of the mighty palace of Tarakhe. Without hesitation he charged and pushed out the unsuspecting enemy, a foe that only managed to retake the palace in time to see it crumble. The victory was immense and news of it travelled throughout Dominaria. The brave plaguelord was eventually caught and killed by a Coalition admiral he encountered on his retreat route but was awarded great merits post mortem.

As news of the defeat at Tarakhe reached the raging fronts, Coalition morale started to fall. Taking the opportunity presented by the faltering line, Phyrexia pushed forward to lay siege to bases of Tovarna, Karesta and Naideia. It was all part of the Phyrexian plan to push through northern Jamuraa and cut the Coalition forces in twain.

The Coalition could barely put itself together and they took another heavy blow when the Admiral Kyoki was killed in an attempt to capture the portal Abis. While the assaults on Naideia failed countless times, the base of Tovarna fell quickly under the swift might of the Phyrexian Praetors, and with the path opened even more forces were pushed towards Karesta, the last standing Coalition bastion in middle northern Jamuraa.

However, Karesta proved to be much more resistant under the watchful eye of the Coalition General Kelket. It was left to Praetor Tevish to make the difference with a great victory over the most powerful Coalition army led by Ulasht in the North Jamuraa Blight. Praetor Tevish, with a small force, managed to catch the army by surprise, and in a suicide attack inflicted severe casualties. As Ulasht was fighting for his life, Karesta’s defences were slowly worn down until it eventually fell. In recognition of the occasion, a monument was erected in honour of the great praetor Tevish Szat at the site of his victory.

With the northern Jamuraa under Phyrexian control, the leaders decided to regroup and reinforce their armies. But with their successes in the centre, the war didn't go as well on the other fronts. To the north, the base of Naideia was resisting everything Phyrexia threw at it. While the Coalition was unable to push back them back forces due to constant reinforcements coming from the nearby portal, Phyrexia was unable to conquer the base and push the Coalition west. The situation didn't change greatly even after extra reinforcements came from Jamuraa, Phyrexia had to keep on trying.

As bad as things were on the northern front, in the south things were even worse. Taking advantage of a slip in the defensive lines, the Coalition managed to infiltrate the Crater and destroy the portal; cutting one of the most important Phyrexian supply lines and forcing armies north towards Urza's Guilt. Attempts were made on Urza's Guilt also, but with reinforced numbers the Coalition was unable to push through the lines and was sent packing.

After one full year of constant war, Phyrexia was beginning to gain the upper hand, controlling the northern Jamuraa and holding the line in the northern and southern regions.

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Tale written by Murica, Chief Praetor of Phyrexia in the Coalition/Phyrexian War Game (with some editing).

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