Aladuchar - Battle for Ostagar

That son of a peasant!

That low born peasant Loghain set us all up. He has betrayed us all and now everyone is dead. I can scarce believe it but everyone is dead. Duncan. King Cailan. They are all dead.

I will rip out his heart and feed it to him raw for what he has done!

*************************************************

It is now several days after the battle at Ostagar. Battle? More like massacre. And all because Loghain betrayed us.

King Cailan's plan was simple. He would stand, together with Duncan and the Grey Wardens, and draw the Darkspawn horde to him. Once the battle was joined, we would light the signal fire at the Tower of Ishal which would signal the Loghain to join the battle with his army. The horde would be caught and crushed between the two human armies.

A simple plan but even from the start, it seemed doomed to failure.

As I was still a little groggy from the Joining , I was sent with Alistair to ensure that the signal atop the Tower of Ishal was lit at the right time. Unfortunately, neither Daveth nor Jory survived the Joining (I would say more but this is not my secret to tell) which is a shame as we could have used their help as the Tower was already under attack by the Darkspawn when Alistair and I arrived.

Nonetheless, we enlisted the help of a circle mage and fought our way to the top of the Tower where we came across an ogre. It was a mighty battle. Even I, with my prowess, was pushed to my limits against that foul beast. In the end though, I proved superior.


Things aren't looking too good for me ...


... but in the end, even the ogre is no match for my skill!

With the ogre defeated, we lit the signal. Alas, instead of attacking, that traitor Loghain pulled his forces from the battlefield. Instead of the darkspawn being crushed between the two armies, they overran King Cailan's position and slaughtered everyone. Even Duncan and the Grey Wardens were unable to escape.


This was the last time we saw Duncan

Only Alistair and myself survived and this was only due to the timely rescue by Flemeth. Yes, it turns out that the old hag we met before was indeed Flemeth. After lighting the signal fire, the darkspawn attacked us in force and if it hadn't been for Flemeth, we would surely have perished atop the Tower of Ishal. As it is, we have been recovering from our injuries in Flemeth's hut but Alistair and I will leave for Redcliffe come dawn.


Recuperating in Flemeth's hut

I have my doubts, but Alistair believes that we can enlist the aid of Arl Eamon. Apparently, the Arl took him in and raised him as a child after his mother died. It seems more likely that he is the bastard son of the Arl but Alistair denies this strenously.

Whatever. With the Blight is advancing into Ferelden and Loghain and his army stacked against us, I will take any aid that I can get. Particularly now that Alistair and myself are the only remaining Grey Wardens in Ferelden.

Aladuchar - Joining the Grey Wardens

I don't have much time as I am about to formally become a Grey Warden so this will, by necessity, be a quick entry.

After leaving Orzammar, I followed the Grey Wardens to Ostagar. We ran into a few darkspawn stragglers on the way and I saw firsthand the fighting prowess of Duncan and his Grey Wardens. Although they were formidable warriors, none of them can match my own prowess.

We were greeted by King Cailan upon our arrival in Ostagar. He talked of charging into a glorious battle to end the blight in one swift blow. The man is clearly a fool and glory hunter with little comprehension of tactics or honour. Nonetheless, I kept a civil tongue. The man may be a fool but he could be a useful ally - and I will need allies if I am to have my revenge on Bhelen.


Duncan introduces me to King Cailan (far right)

Another potential ally is Teyrn Loghain. Can you believe this commoner actually talked to me like an equal! If I didn't need allies, I would surely give this peasant the hiding he deserves. Alas, he commands a sizeable force so once again, I am forced to keep a civil tongue. Bhelen - I will rip out your black heart for the indignities I am suffering!


Teyrn Loghain (middle) - a commoner but commander of a sizeable army

Our first task in Ostagar was to prepare for the Joining - the ritual to become a Grey Warden. Together with Daveth and Jory, the other potential recruits, I followed one of the Grey Wardens (a warrior with the unlikely name of Alistair) into the Korkari Wilds and gathered 3 vials of darkspawn blood. Although Duncan tells us the blood will be needed for the ritual, I suspect this is simply a test of ability for potential recruits. A test which I easily passed of course.


More than just darkspawn inhabit the Wilds

The only encounter of note in the Wilds was with an old woman and her daughter. I have no idea what they were doing in the Wilds but she was clearly addled. The old hag actually claimed to be Flemeth, the legendary witch of the Wilds! Hah! If she hadn't helped me by recovering some documents which Duncan had been looking for, I would have taught her how to be properly respectful to a Dwarven Lord!


This old hag claims to be Flemeth? What a joke!


Although I have to admit that her daughter is a fair looking wench.

Anyway, the hour of the Joining approaches and I should hurry for the battle for Ostagar will commence shortly after. I will show these humans how a true warrior fights!

Aladuchar - Origins

Betrayed.

Betrayed by my treacherous cur of a brother. My honour and rank have been stripped from me. All my efforts, all that toadying to the assembly - wasted. And yet, I can't help but admire Bhelen's skill in out-playing both my older brother and myself. Truely a stroke of genius.

But I get ahead of myself.

I ran across Trian and Bhelen on the way to the Proving Grounds yesterday. Trian has always believed himself better than me simply by virtue of being the eldest of fathers three children. Today proved no different as he gave me a lecture on "responsibility" and "duty" to our father and how I should be at the feast entertaining our Grey Warden guests before their quest into the Deep Roads. Bah - as if that stuck up pig would know anything about honour.

Trian (far left) lectures me while Bhelen (second left) watches on

After he left, Bhelen delivered a warning to me. He had overheard Trian plotting my assassination!

At first, I could scarce believe it. But then, Trian had always feared my growing honour and glory among the Assembly, always feared that father would make me next in line despite Trian being the eldest. Would he really assassinate me to ensure that father named him next in line? Yes, he would try - and he would fail. My fighting prowess is legendary and I have proven myself in the Proving Grounds on numerous occassions.

And so it was that I ventured into the Deep Roads with my man, Ser Gorim, at my side. Our squad was to venture into the nearby thaig and retrieve the legendary Shield of Aeducan. A simple enough task for a dwarf of my talents. And it was on our return when I found out the true extent of Bhelen's treachery.

We were fully expecting and ready for Trian to show his face. It would have been the perfect time for an ambush - after we had retrieved the shield but before we had returned to father. And, although Trian was indeed waiting for us, he was waiting with empty eyes and an open bladder. He was already dead by the time we found him.

And then who should show up but little Bhelen dragging father along while claiming that Trian and I were arguing. I was speechless. I knew immediately, of course, that the whole thing was a setup by Bhelen. With Trian dead and me dishonoured, Bhelen would be the next in line.

I pleaded my innocence but it was no use. Bhelen had already paid off the members of my squad who all swore that I attacked and murdered Trian. My man, Ser Gorim, tried to tell the truth but alas, with him being my man, his witness was tainted and none believed him.


My traitorous squad

Poor Gorim. Stripped of his knighthood in the warrior caste, he has been exciled from Orzammar to forever wander the lands as casteless. He deserved better.

But then, my situation is not much better. Stripped of all rank and honour, I have been made to walk the Deep Roads and to fight the Darkspawn until the day I die. Considering that all they gave me was one measly sword and the rags on my back, Bhelen probably expected my death would occur in short order.

No, little brother. I do not die easily. Fighting my way through numerous darkspawn, I eventually managed to find Duncan and his team of Grey Wardens. I have joined with them for now but know this little brother - I will be back.

And I will have my revenge.


I start my lonely walk in the Deep Roads armed with naught but a sword



At last, a decent weapon!


Gordon and the Grey Wardens offer me shelter

Aladuchar Aeducan

As you know, I'm a huge fan of Bioware and absolutely love their role playing games. In fact, my favourite RPG of all time is easily Baldur's Gate 2. So as you can imagine, I purchased Dragon Age:Origins the first chance I got!

Obviously, I haven't played enough of the game to give any meaningful impressions. However, what I wanted to do was keep a running commentary on my character and how he develops. The advantage of this is that it will allow me to keep track of my character's personality that I am roleplaying and how it gets affected by different in game events.

It also goes without saying that these posts will have HUGE spoilers so you should skip if you want to avoid them (although this post will be spoiler free as its mainly an introduction to the character).

Anyway, if you want to avoid spoilers, you can tell if the post is about the game as it will have Aladuchar as the first word in the title.

So without any further ado, let me introduce you to Aladuchar of House Aeducan.

Aladuchar Aeducan
It is said that the dwarven halls of Orzammar run deep. Certainly, despite having lived there all his life, Lord Aladuchar Aeducan has never fully explored the depths of the largest and proudest of the two remaining dwarven cities.



In many ways, Lord Aeducan is a man of contradictions.

The second son of King Endrin Aeducan, Aladuchar has always enjoyed the privileges that his rank entitles him to. He is royalty and makes sure that none forget this. But despite his nobility, or perhaps because of it, he truly is a noble man in many ways who is willing to overlook the minor slights and insults thrown at him by others of lesser station.

But alas, true nobility in the world of Orzammar is a rare beast. For while others merely made the pretense of being noble, Aladuchar was saddled with the difficult task of actually being noble. Such naivete does not last long in the cut-throat world of Dwarven politics.

A genius at Machiavellian plots, Aladuchar weaved his way through the murky world of temporary alliances and shady assassinations. Loved by the Assembly and a favourite of the masses. Or at least, that is what he believes. The reality is that he lacks the cunning and ruthlessness to truly excel in Dwarven politics. His fame and glory arise from the one thing that Aladuchar truly excels at - combat.

And he will need all of his abilities as King Endrin, his father, has just honoured him with a commission in the army. Indeed, the darkspawn will rue the day they attacked Orzammar and all within will praise Aladuchar's glory, fame and honour.

FM 2006 - Season 2031/32 (part deux)

After last weeks mammoth update, this weeks post will be relatively short and primarily just to finish off the events of season 2031/32.

The Off-season - New players
Despite the success of Tom Murray as a backup striker (he was the Players player of the Year!), the reality is that he is now 31 years old and I'm not sure how much longer he can keep playing at the level that he is playing at. To ensure he keeps playing well, I intend to drop him in the reserves and limit his playing time so that he is fresh in the games he does play (similar to what I did for Tom Anderson.



Mauricio Torres - a young 23 year old striker from Werder Bremen who I signed for GBP12.5M to replace Murray as backup striker. My scouts reported him as a useful addition to the squad and I actually think he will be able to do a good job as back up as he has some good heading stats. Together with Darren Barber (who I intend to primarily use as a striker this year), I think I have a pretty good lineup of backup strikers.

Daniel Santos - another young player. I signed Santos for GBP11.5M from Betis and he will slot in as backup RM behind Oliveira. I signed Santos primarily because I needed more cover at RM as I wanted to play Barber in his natural striker position. Although Santos has been scouted as being a potential superstar for the future, he wasn't actually my first choice signing (my first choice was an established player who was looking for guaranteed first team football).

Giuseppe Pellegrino - a 22 year old GK who I signed for GBP2.5M from Man Utd. NeitherVan Dijk nor Orlando are spring chickens and Pellegrino was signed to give me extra cover at the GK position. To be honest, Pellegrino will probably hang around for a couple of years before moving on. Although I signed him for extra cover, the reality is that GKs can play for longer than outfield players and I don't really see Pellegrino being able to break into the first team. Still, I've been wrong before and even if I'm not wrong, he is still a cheap backup GK option.

Players sold
In addition to Carlos Sanchez, I actually sold quite a lot of players this year.

Marcio - the biggest surprise sell was Marcio. Marcio has been a regular in the side (30+ appearances each year) for six years now. Although coming in as a squad player, he was able to become a key part of my MC after Dembele became too old to play MC regularly. However, Marcio is now 32 years old and when an offer came in from Newcastle for GBP10M, it was just too good to refuse especially considering how well Mike Patterson had been doing in the games in which I played him. Anyway, considering I got him as a free transfer, this ended up being a very nice piece of wheelin' n dealin'.

Andrea de Luca - I was disappointed with de Luca's performance this year. Although he played well, he didn't get many assists (only 3 by the end of the year and the first one in March). For a player who broke into the first team on his ability to create chances by crossing into the box, that is a pretty poor return. Despite this, I wasn't actually planning on selling him. However, when an offer of GBP10M came in from Chelsea, I decided to cash in. Michael Parsons, who has done well in the games I played him in will make the step up to first team.

John Turner - this is an interesting case. A product of the Liverpool youth system, Turner was never able to break into the first team despite showing early promise. When he turned 24 last year, he started to bitch about being in the reserves all the time at which point I put him on the transfer list. At this point, he started playing like a madman. In fact, he played so well that I ended up playing him in a lot of games this year as a backup M LC (10 starts and 9 subs) - particularly in cup games or against poor opposition. When he got his playing time in the first team, he continued to do really well and I took him off the transfer list. Naturally, at this point, other teams noticed how well he was doing and I ended up selling him for GBP2.2M (which was his market value) when Man City came knocking for him.

Other than the above, I sold off a couple of other reserve players but nobody really worth mentioning.

The new look Liverpool squad below.


Coaches
In the last couple of seasons, I've also completely revamped my coaching system. In the past, when players retired, I would offer them a coaching position if they were good players. I used to do this even if their coaching stats weren't particularly good as I was hoping that their stats would improve over time.

However, I don't think this version of FM supports that as none of my coaches actually showed much improvement. After a fairly long while of waiting in vain, I eventually decided to replace all my average coaches with decent coaches as their contracts ran out.

This process has been completed and you can see my new look coaching system below. The only remaining coach who isn't there on merit is Gerry Cheng, who is also my Ass Man. Unfortunately, I just can't bring myself to sack his sorry ass so I guess I will just have to live with the nepotism.