Jump 062: Master of Magic

>Jump 62: Master of Magic
>Seven of Cups, reversed (The contemplation of many options leading to a conclusive choice. Inner clarity that dissipates illusions and false choices.)
>Location: Myrran (-100)
...Actually, shouldn't that be Myrror? Oh well, nothing for it.
>Race: Draconians (Free, Rolled)
Every twenty thousand Draconians in my future Empire means I get one point of mana by dint of them simply existing. Oh yes, I will most certainly be making use of this.
>Background: Life (-100)
I know, the irony of a vampire lich choosing life is palpable, but with limited exceptions I'm not running around draining life and energy from everything. Honestly, when I'm a skeleton, it's just because it amuses me. When I end up teching up I'll probably end up being a T-800 or something. Why? Because then I can go to Mad Max and tell them I'm fresh from Valhalla, shiny and chrome.
>Drawbacks: Ascendency (+100), Ascending From Hell (+600)
I've played the game. This isn't actually as much a hurdle as you might think. Obviously being -part- of this game is going to be different, but with a lucky dice roll for my race, I should be in an excellent position... plus I like the Draconians, anyway.
No, more importantly, if I were to take the Gaming Classic drawback, it means I cannot manifest Carcosa. And while it's just there... it's not so much as a part of the setting or anything I can exploit mechanically in this jump, it's just something that's THERE. But it means, when all is said and done, I can pack up my Empire and bring them with me at the close of the jump.
An unintentional combination of things, but a useful one. If I am to lead them, I'll not abandon them.
Anyway.
>The Weight of the Years (Free)
A useful thing, but one I'll use only minimally.
>Place of Power (Free)
I'm going to assume that I cannot use this in the warehouse. That would be too easy to cheese. Why are wizards always building towers, though? Tsk.
>Archmage (1300)
Now this is what I'm talking about. The stronger I can cast, the better my odds of surviving and achieving victory.
>Channeler (1100)
This is really for things that require constant expenditure or upkeep, but damned if it isn't useful to make it four times as efficient overall.
>Artificer (900)
A pity I'm not a Runemaster, but I simply can't spare the point to get that one. I suppose I'll just have to live with being able to craft hero-level artifacts for everyone.
>Alchemy (700)
So... I can convert gold to mana, I can convert mana to gold, and I can convert everything else more easily. Shoot, I should go Fullmetal next jump. Also now is not a good time to point out that I have functionally unlimited gold being generated, is it?
>Magic-Forged Arms (500)
Crafting artifacts is one thing, teaching mass production of magical materials is quite another. Sure, these aren't going to be anywhere near the quality of hand-made materials I crank out, but they will definitely suffice for the army.
>A Righteous Ruler (Free, Life)
The divine right of kings? Sure, we'll go with that. If I've got a population I'm responsible for, I'm going to do right by them.
>Life Link (x5) (0, Life)
If I'm going to choose a school of magic, I'm going all the way. From all the choices available to me, Life is definitely the best.

Now, in a sense, I got very lucky early on. Three opponents existed with me on Myrran and each was convinced of their righteousness - Ariel and Horus were pure life wizards and Sss'ra was a life and chaos wizard. Draconians meant flying units early, which was great for aerial scouting... and the ability to blitzkrieg against my enemies. Razing the towers of other Life mages gave me quick access to all my spells. Honestly, it went a lot easier than I expected to - with what I provided early on, the Draconian army was able to deal with things with admirable efficiency.

Now... back on the Arcanus side, things were different. I had five opponents over there, who existed in an uneasy alliance with Rjak at its head, a death wizard who knew of me and what I was. The others of his circle included Tauron, a chaos wizard; Jafar, a sorcerer; Kali, a death sorcerer; and Oberic, a wizard of both nature and chaos. I found it hilarious that Myrran was the world with wizards dedicated to life, while Arcanus had those dedicated to death, but I suppose that was the way of things.

That was fine; I made no secret about who or what I was. Even the Draconians and the rest of the civilizations within my empire knew I was from another world, one further away than Arcanus.

The wizards were happy to open diplomatic relations on condition that I do nothing to cross over into their realm, though it was apparently just fine for them to cross over into mine. I was less than pleased with that, but generally turned a blind eye to their scouting while the civilization upon Myrran grew steadily, my powers slowly returned, and my magic... well, I may not be able to cast other spells natively, but I could most certainly study them to try and understand them.

Of course, further demands came across through diplomacy. My armies were too big. My civilization was itself too big - they demanded that I curtail the Draconian growth, that I cease letting beastmen, dwarves and trolls build conclaves, that the beastmen be "repatriated" in their entirety to Jafar's civilization of nomads and barbarians, and the Dark Elves be turned over to the High Elves to "face justice" for some slight that allegedly happened millennia before.

There is many a maxim I live by. It is rare that this particular one must be exercised: I must never give into rage. But should my anger be too much to contain, I must make sure that my anger be three things.

My rage must be cold.

My rage must be reasoned.

And my rage must be legendary.

It was no surprise that they all recognized me as a threat. I knew their desire was to weaken my civilization, simply so that they could destroy me. Whether they hoped for a lasting peace between themselves or simply were planning on annihilating each other afterward, I don't know, nor do I care. No, I feigned weakness, but only in certain places. A rotating schedule, easily predictable, of weak points. When they struck, and they struck together, I was ready. As soon as I knew their invasion was underway... mine began.

While they were still marching on my cities, I was assaulting their capitols.

While they began besieging the outlying enclaves, I was personally teleporting from tower to tower, their Arcanus-bound armies in tatters from my airships and Draconian magicians raining death from above. Their armies fell apart when the enclaves were revealed to be protected by Doom Drakes and heroes with squads of summoned spirits.

I was merciful in my victory. I left Arcanus free, and while the wizards' towers were craters, the rest of their cities were intact. Occupied by Draconians, and then turned over to conscripted peacekeepers, still intact.

It does turn out that I missed one, though. A city of undead - of course they were undead, this was Rjak after all - but a city nonetheless, and Rjak had managed to return. (It had surprised me that my time hadn't ended, but it made sense.)

I eradicated the city from above, and razed it to bedrock.

The Lady was kind enough to permit me time to get my affairs in order before the end of the turn; I felt it fitting that with the worlds' other masters gone, I should likewise disappear. With the gold reserves I had, I had all Draconian civilians convert to settlers, all of their military abandon their arms, and all of them ascended to the city in the clouds. Many had visited, but all had chosen to join me, to ascend to greater heights.

No longer would it be known as Carcosa. Now it has become Kondasse. A most fitting name.