Year 5, OctoberAs the end of September rolls around, you send off a rider to recall Alan from the Abbey. You are confident that you have seen off the immediate trouble, and instruct him to return with any women who wish to reunite with their husbands and pull in the harvest despite any remaining danger. You also send word to Marna, that you are alive and engaging in a campaign against the invaders. You also fashion some crude fire rafts, and lash them to the longships for towing downriver, as well as a few which are to be left at Feroshire for defense.
Gathering your troops, including a healthy portion of levy soldiers to fill out your ranks and man your newly acquired navy (captained by the stalwart Finn), you set out for Curbiston with much haste. You ask Sirs Percival and Denton to scout south of your main body of troops as you move downriver, and they obliged. They report that the lands to the south seem to be untouched at the moment, but refugees are streaming north out of the Duke's lands on the coasts.
When you arrive at Curbiston, you are surprised that the Count does not greet you, but are instead instructed to confer with Sir Lope. Curbiston is locked up tightly, with a large force of men warily guarding the walls. Your host encamps outside the city. You are itching to get more information, so you petition Sir Lope to set up a forward base, and he grudgingly ascents to your request. He is waiting with the Count's force of heavy cavalry to rendezvous with the King's men, who he expects at the end of the month at the latest. He tells you that a force of spearmen will also be arriving from Carshire shortly.
Desperate to move, you bring your forces, which numbers includes the light cavalry from the Knights, downstream. You send outriders out, hopping between thorps, thowns, and villages, until you reach what you feel is the edge of the enemy's depridations. You are still a few day's ride from the Duke's capital. There have been no encounters on the river, and you wonder if perhaps your rout of the enemy raid has something to do with that.
You set up a base at the leading thown, a sleepy hamlet by the name of Sowsberg. From this town, you begin to probe towards the enemy strength, with the hope of drawing enemy scouts into ambushes set in advance. These prove to be quite effective, and your men seem to be quite skilled at this work, slaying several groups of scouts over the remainder of the month. After a week or two of this type of action, however, the enemy scouts start to get wary and fail to pursue your men as rabidly... perhaps that has something to do with the way that you have your men line the roads with the corpses of the fallen. Either way, you consider this a victory.
On the river, Finn takes his complement downriver, and doesn't encounter any resistance all the way to the estuary around the Duke's lands. What he finds there, however, is an overwhelming number of enemy craft moored in the waters bordering the Duke's capital. He catches a glimpse of the capital before he turns back, however, and the sight he sees is disturbing: smoke pours out of the lower part of the town, and it appears that the outer walls have been breached. The keep still flies the Duke's banner, however. Your ships manage to discourage pursuit by setting a few flame barges downriver, and escape unharmed.
This makes you nervous, and you attempt to sneak some Rangers through their lines to verify the situation and get an exact count of the enemy forces and disposition. Unfortunately, you lose several Rangers in this attempt, but a few do manage to get close enough and manage to sneak back out undetected. The besiegers have somewhere in the range of seven to twelve thousand men, it appears, but they seem to lack any sophisticated siege equipment. As your small navy confirmed, the region is crawling with hundreds of ships, discouraging an approach by seas.
***
This continues for the remainder of the month. Your men harass patrols, and you await word from your superiors. One day in early November, you see a dust cloud rise in the distance. Riders approach, and instruct you to arm up and prepare to ride out in force. The King has arrived, and with him comes an impressive host drawn from the Lords of the land. Battle will be joined in a few short days.
Any final plans or wishes before you test your mettle on the field? Will you ride with the heavy cavalry, or stay with your men? Will you disembark your navy, or leave them on the river? Battle calls!
Age: 23 (February birthday)
Spouse: Lady Marna Stone - Four months pregnant
Average Health
Elite Fitness
Literate
Natural Archer
Fine Man of the People
Above Average Swordswman
Above Average Rider
Above Average Woodsman
Average Etiquette
Average Lancer
Average Shield User
Average Armor User
Poor Legal Mind
Poor Rhetoric
Poor History
Weapons
Militia-grade Short Sword
Fine Longsword
Iron Lance
Armor
Steel Plate Armor
Mail Shirt
Brigandine Armor
Fur cloak and leggings
Iron Shield
Steel Barding for Destrier
Transport
Felucca
Mottled Grey Hunter
White Destrier
Housing
Brick and Lumber Manor
Fine Furniture
Stag Skull
Falconry Mews
Misc.
Average Clothing
Silver Sun Necklace with Gold Pendant
Bound New Testament
Book of Laws
Cask of Beer
Stone Weights
Treasury - Low
220 Citizens
Services and Housing
Nice Communal Housing
Mix of Wood and Brick Housing
Nice Inn
Rowdy Inn
Small Courthouse
Small School and Scribe
Defense
Wooden Palisade with watchtowers
Cleared and graded area for tower
Cleared and graded area for walls
Three longboats
Fake Town for river defense
Trade and Travel
Brick Roads
Medium Brick Paved Market
Medium Dockyard
Two-way Ferry
River Parlon (being dredged)
Industry
Large Clayworks
Smokehouse
Watermill (Lumber Mill and Grindstone)
Growing Shipyard
Brewery
Stables - Large herd of horses
Small Furniture Workshop
Medium (5x city size) population (Loyal)
River Parlon (fertile banks on both sides, light forest to the north)
Farming
Nice parcel farms south of the river (four field crop rotation)
Fine Communal Farm (four field crop rotation)
Medium Vineyard
Large Flock of Sheep
Communal Grazing Land
Defense
Fortified Average Barracks, Armory, and Obstacle Course with Furnaces and Forges
Jousting practice field
Trade and Travel
Gravel Roads
Medium Warehouse
Industry
Medium Fishing Fleet
Fortified Mines north of river (silver, copper, gold, iron, gems)
* Small community of miners in communal houses
Misc.
Trash Pit
Graveyard
Ranged - Longbows, iron short swords, fur armor, mounts
Four veteran Archers
Six regular Rangers
Nine regular Archers
Melee - Iron halberds, iron brigandine armor, iron short swords, mounts
Sixteen regular Halberdiers
Reserve - Iron short swords, fur armor, wooden shields
Ten regular Watchmen
Mandatory Bow or Halberd Training for Able-bodied Men
Skilled Potters
Above Average Jewelers
Above Average Trappers
Above Average Miners
Journeymen Metalworkers
Journeymen Masons
Journeymen Furniture Builders
Journeymen Wine Makers
Novice Horse Breeders
Novice Weaponsmiths
Novice Armorers
Market Town of Carshire - Gravel Road
Folesden - Land of Count Foles - Downstream
* Curbiston - County Seat of Folesden
Land of Sir Denton - Upstream
Land of Sir Percival - Adjacent to Sir Denton's land, across the river
Hemswood Abbey - Far Upstream - Known for dark beer
Lands of Duke Erran - Across the river to the north - Used for hunting
Duke Erran's Capital - Sprawling metropolis with a bustling port located on a wide estuary
King Edward Geronos IV, Lord of the Falls, Keeper of the Flame, Seer of the Dawn - Vaguely remembered
Duke Erran - Pleasant
Count Aaron Foles - Your Liege Lord - An angry drunkard - Antagonistic
Count Gorgan - A fine fighter - Introduced
Count Zanders - Introduced
Sir Blake Denton - Friendly
Sir Alan Percival - Friendly
Sir Uriel Lope - Count's Marshall - Unsure
Sir Melvin - Lady Marna's brother, Duke Erran's nephew - Friendly
Sir Ivanson - A renowned jouster - Introduced
Sir Owen - A household Knight of Count Zanders - Rival
Lady Marna - Wife - Loving
Lady Iris - Lady Marna's mother, Duke Erran's younger sister - Cordial
Alan Alanson - Squire, Captain of the Watch
Fin - Captain of the Militia
William Dent - Steward, Mayor
Victor Irlof - Master of the Market, Treasurer
Curtis Stumpf - Miner, Councilman
Ian Wood - Carpenter, Councilman
Marge Kannity - Brewer
Shipwright
Architect
Armorer
Weaponsmith
Horse Breeder
Scribe
Healer