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[Truean]

Just idle thoughts. I wonder what we will run into when we get to the county seat. Well, in the first place, I would say that we might encounter resistance, at least initially, perhaps persistently. Second, we look into things like who and how will the takeover of the county be done. Sure, we are hoping that our guy will work in there but then we wonder how he will rule and in whose favor. Wwe are basically installing our boss. Not sure how to handle that, or if there is even anything we could do.

[GreatWyrmGold]

No objections I'm willing to push to current plan.
However, what're we gonna do if this is a trap? I'm hearing, "not the whole army but just a few guys, ride off to the town of the guy you don't like." This isn't a trap, trust me.
I guess we just have to chance it, but do we have any backup plan in case things go south? I may very well be overthinking this, which is why I'm still going along with it but, meh. Just simple food for thought. Any ideas?
P.S. Don't hold up on my account.

Hm...
Well, a trap from whom? If it's from Owen, we'll just need to fall back on our plan from before we heard of Uriel's defection (there were a bunch of people wanting us to attack even before then); otherwise...well, who knows?

Just idle thoughts. I wonder what we will run into when we get to the county seat. Well, in the first place, I would say that we might encounter resistance, at least initially, perhaps persistently. Second, we look into things like who and how will the takeover of the county be done. Sure, we are hoping that our guy will work in there but then we wonder how he will rule and in whose favor. Wwe are basically installing our boss. Not sure how to handle that, or if there is even anything we could do.

More like appointing our new boss forcefully, but yeah.

[Gervassen]

Riding a bull. Hmm... That's thinking outside the box. Unless our cattle are kept in rectangular pens. 

There's a risk that Uriel could be playing us, Truean, but he'd have to be a good actor. Once Arthur is with us, it would be easy to verify that everyone is committed by pulling up halfway to Curbiston, telling Uriel that we should reveal the boy and our mission now while swearing fealty. If we're ready to die for his claim, we're ready to give fealty. He would hardly swear fealty that he didn't mean. That makes him a rat.

So we stop everyone mid-march, give them the propaganda that we've already practiced by now, perhaps adding his contempt of commoners for the benefit of our men, and then each lord there swears fealty as the men watch and acclaim him Count as a group.

As for resistance, that's land to be distributed to our supporters. Imagine Finn and Oswald as knights in their own right, placed in the fiefs of persistent rebel knights. Let a few fools support Owen, the better to strengthen us. Also, how Foles rules does not reflect on us because the popular conception will be that Uriel led this claim. Particularly if we try to be low-key in the open. Among more astute watchers, it will be obvious that we were involved at the bottom floor and deserve reward and general goodwill. You'd think that people would respect a leader who doesn't play favorites with old backers like us, but then who would back a leader who doesn't reward backers? In practice, it never works that way.

If he's bad in this way, it appears we'll eventually have to switch him out again, and no one will find his advantage on the side of an ungenerous lord who can't be trusted to give them favors for service. That said, I think this won't happen.

[GreatWyrmGold]

There's a risk that Uriel could be playing us, Truean, but he'd have to be a good actor. Once Arthur is with us, it would be easy to verify that everyone is committed by pulling up halfway to Curbiston, telling Uriel that we should reveal the boy and our mission now while swearing fealty. If we're ready to die for his claim, we're ready to give fealty. He would hardly swear fealty that he didn't mean. That makes him a rat.
So we stop everyone mid-march, give them the propaganda that we've already practiced by now, perhaps adding his contempt of commoners for the benefit of our men, and then each lord there swears fealty as the men watch and acclaim him Count as a group.

As good a plan as any.

As for resistance, that's land to be distributed to our supporters. Imagine Finn and Oswald as knights in their own right, placed in the fiefs of persistent rebel knights. Let a few fools support Owen, the better to strengthen us.

Hm...interesting train of thought.

That said, I think this won't happen.

Same here.

[Maldevious]

The next few days are busy. You have a conversation with Marna, instructing her to call up the levies and man the walls as soon as your men are out of sight, as well as sending a letter to her Uncle via the Carshire road asking for assistance in this matter.

You also dash off a cryptic note to The Rat, explaining that "The Game is Afoot." You assume that he will react to this letter in an appropriately devious manner, laying the grounds for your arrival.

To explain the presence of Sir Lope, you go through the pretense that he is here to observe your troops drilling. During the days, he watches your dragoons mount and go through exercises, and comes away impressed. At night, you feast him, although he seems uncomfortable with the pretense you are forced to adopt. Nevertheless, the time passes, and the third day brings arrivals.

First to arrive is young Sir Denton, at the head of twenty light cavalrymen. He tells you that he is not sure precisely what is afoot, but he intends to back his father's dear friend come hell or high water. When you explain the situation, he murmurs his agreement that a hostile Count is unacceptable, and looks forward to meeting with this Arthur Foles.

Later that evening, Sir Percival arrives at the head of a column of fifteen spearmen, with young Arthur riding out front with him. Arthur has been fitted with a plate cuirass, and rides with a sword strapped to his hip. He seems to be struggling with his new role of Count, riding with a sense of unease that is apparent to all.

With all arrived, Sir Lope asks for a few minutes of conversation with Arthur. When the two return, Lope seems a bit more at ease, and Arthur looks a bit more sure of himself. You take this time to gather all of your men, and to give Marna one last kiss.

The host then rides for Curbiston, totaling nearly 100 men altogether. Your Rangers ride out front as outriders with Denton's Light Cavalry, while your Halberdiers and Archers march with you, Arthur, Denton, Percival, and the Heavy Cavalry.

***

After a day's ride, while you are setting up camp for the evening, you put a small gambit into play. You approach Lope, and explain that you believe that now is the time to reveal Arthur's true nature, while explaining your mission and swearing fealty in front of the men.

Lope readily agrees, and you gather the men. In your loudest, most official voice, you explain that you are gathered here not on an exercise, but on a mission of justice. You gesture towards Arthur, explaining that he is the true Count of Folesden, and that you are here to install him in his rightful place that is currently occupied by a usurper.

You kneel down, swearing your fealty to him, and are joined by the other three Knights. The men follow along, chanting "Foles!" and "Justice!" loudly as they rise up and whooping. Morale in the camp is high this evening, and Arthur seems to be brimming with confidence now.

You have another day's travel before reaching Curbiston. Will you approach tomorrow evening, or wait until the third morning to commit to your gambit? Any other final plans?

[Gamerlord]

No. We approach now. This must end.

[Plato Play-Doh]

Approach immediately, under the cover of night. That's our best bet.

[Tomcost]

Approach immediately, under the cover of night. That's our best bet.

+1. We need a mob with torches!
Also:
Night=less visibility=less accuracy for enemy archers

[kahn1234]

I've just thought, once this is over, we really should start to drill our levy and retinue archers in night battle. Get them used to shooting their bows at night.

Might give us an advantage should someone ever tries to take advantage during the night.

[Gamerlord]

I've just thought, once this is over, we really should start to drill our levy and retinue archers in night battle. Get them used to shooting their bows at night.

Might give us an advantage should someone ever tries to take advantage during the night.

Hm, yeah. And maybe train young boys in the basics of marching and discipline, you know, over the winter.

[mcclay]

Attack now, blood for the blood god! Skulls for the skull throne!

[Tomcost]

If you want to have an advantage during sieges, we should have guards with a means of repelling ladders or even siege towers. The answer to both: the medieval equivalent of molotov cocktails:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_fire#Grenades. Deadly effective, really terrifying, but hard to make in large quantities.

[10ebbor10]

Boiling water/oil works too, you know.

[kahn1234]

i always thought that a good way of stopping ladders would be to put a metal guard that sticks out from the wall near the battlements that would stop ladder resting on the walls, holding them away (roughly 2 feet?) away, which would make them easy pickings for our archers.

[Tomcost]

Boiling water/oil works too, you know.

I'm not saying that you should use greek fire, just something that burns. Also, siege towers can only be stopped by first soaking them in something flammable. Boiling water won't destroy the ladder, but burning stuff will. Just sayiong that we should be prepared in the future.