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[Maldevious]

Let's just nip this particular line of discussion in the bud. No good comes of it.

[GreatWyrmGold]

No arguments there.

[10ebbor10]

Yup, poetry is evil.

[Gamerlord]

Don't get the poetry bit, but sure.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Poetic justice. I need to stop being subtle, evidently.

[Gamerlord]

Yeah, you overdo subtlety.

[Maldevious]

You explain to Joral that her people cannot be allowed their freedom, as her kinsmen are rampaging through your lands. However, you state that they will be treated fairly, and that, perhaps at some future time, be allowed to work the land if they prove to be pliable subjects. She nods her head, and soon you find yourself on the outskirts of Torchester.

The fields are muddied and put asunder by the passing of the army that has been assembled, an army that, if Joral is to be believed, is woefully inadequate to relieve the Capital and save the King. You inquire around, and find that the majority of the army, save your band, has ferried across the bay and is marching at a leisurely pace towards the siege.

Feeling that you must reach the Duke with word of the potential size of the enemy host, you are torn. On one hand, you have given your word to Joral that you will see her people safely guarded. This fact is further compounded by the reality that Torchester is not set up as a military camp anymore, lacking a dungeon or stockade large enough on hand to hold the nearly 100 refugees, let alone feed them and tend to their needs. Given the animosity towards the Sea Raiders, that would likely entail marching them back to your own lands.  Marching back, however, would put you well out of range of reaching the Duke before his men potentially walk into horrendous odds.

You glance over at the bright, informative woman whose fellow villagers you have promised to protect. Sighing deeply, you begin to ponder your next move. It seems your sense of duty has put you into a bit of a bind, as it were.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Hm...how many soldiers do we think we'd need? Three or four dozen seems like it should be enough, if no unusual circumstances arise and if the villagers don't all try to run at once. Hence it probably won't be enough.

[Gervassen]

Three or four dozen... Men that cannot be spared. Is there no urgency being felt?

Take the women and children to the priests of the cathedral, tell them that the safe holding of these heathens is crucial and that their souls are in need of salvation. Every priest harbours a bit of the Jesuit within, and teaching to savages is how Christianity spread. Common people will respect the authority of their church elders. Forgiveness is divine.

Put the men in the Keep. I'm sure the dungeon there is large enough for a handful of men. We only need a tower cellar with a strong door. Even ordinary towers became makeshift prisons easily, like the Bastille or Tower of London itself. As for the precautions against the men being harmed: we will tell the castle guards in a firm voice that the prisoners should not be harmed.

We cannot spare men to do anything else, and in fact, we can quickly go into the slums with press gangs while we're here and rouse out the last dregs of the local scoundrels and put them to the King's service. If good men have to die, we may as well sprinkle the worse among them.

Keep in mind Joral is coming with us. We show her the quarters into which the prisoners are going, tell her they are safe, and the rest of the story is in god's hands. She and we will find out later.

[GreatWyrmGold]

It's not an option to leave them here.

This fact is further compounded by the reality that Torchester is not set up as a military camp anymore, lacking a dungeon or stockade large enough on hand to hold the nearly 100 refugees, let alone feed them and tend to their needs.

Unless I'm reading the above wrong, we pretty much need to send them elsewhere.

[Gervassen]

False dilemma in a bustling metropolis. We can make improvised quarters. Priests can supply the wants of less than 100 women and children in need of salvation. It's their job. We throw the handful of men in a locked cellar, and the women in a convent. Maybe they'll only eat quarter rations, maybe their various unspecified needs will go untended, but they'll survive. Fairer deal than our peasants got.

[kaian-a-coel]

Ouch. We need to split up. Have some of our soldiers (a couple dozen) escort the prisonners back to Feroshire, with a hastily written letter to Marna bearing instructions. Meanwhile, we shall run to the Duke with all the information.

[evilcherry]

We are keeping them as war prisoners, and as long as they don't have metal we don't see how can they try to revolt.

Take 10 or 20 mean and lead them back instead to our new county seat (the city which starts with a C?) and resettle them asap. Deprive them of metal implements, of course.

[Gervassen]

Split up. Brilliant strategy in a war. Divide and be conquered, then get slaughtered by enemies clearly more ruthless and bloodthirsty. Darwin wins again.

[Gamerlord]

Gervassen, reign yourself in. You'll get the thread locked.