| o-----------o |
| | | | |
___| | o--| |__
| |
___ | | __
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
___| o----| |----o |__
--- --- --- --- ---
| | | | | | | |
|_| |_| |_| |_|
You propose something of a mix of strategies; to row in to the port by night with muffled oars and take the guards there by surprise. There are boats enough to take a bit less than half the company at a time, so you propose your own and Captain Twine's bands first. Twine's band has half a dozen skilled archers to it and the other half are still being trained, and you yourself have some skill at range. Once the harder fighting starts, your spearmen can surge in to provide melee support while the boats row back to collect the rest of the crew.
The plan meets with approval, and Dens and Parris are more than willing to hang back and let you tackle the initial approach. You anchor out of sight of the port and wait for night to fall.
God apparently chooses to favour you. The skies are overcast as evening draws in and by the time midnight has passed a constant rain dulls sound and obscures the eyes. Darkness is on your side as you and your men board the rowboats and approach the docks. With the cover of dark and rain nobody spots the four rowboats slink through the turbulent waters, and you are easily able to spot the guards at the dock with their lanterns; you count four, two patrolling the docks and two standing guard by a harbourmaster's hut (using the lip of the hut's roof to keep out of the rain).
You make eye contact with Twine and signal a halt to the boats. Twine's two best archers and himself nock their bows, you ready a javelin. You mark your targets and when Twine nods you loose and throw respectively. There is the soft twang of bowstrings and the meaty thud of a javelin making impact, but you have grown quite proficient in your skill and the shaft takes your target through the chest, robbing his lungs of the air to cry out. All four lanterns fall to the ground and two go out.
You hear someone call from somewhere in the darkness and curse under your breath. Searching the harbourfront you spot a fifth guard, unseen and lanternless. He makes his way toward the harbourmaster's hut, calling out to his friends in a raised but unalarmed voice. You draw your javelin, take aim and throw, but he stops moving where you expected him to keep walking and your javelin thuds into the wood a few feet to his left. Time slows as you see him realise, react and open his mouth to cry out an alarum. Then Twine's arrow catches him in the throat and he goes down silent as the grave.
You give Twine a salute across the water and he responds in kind.
You row the rest of the way to the docks and send the boats back with an oarsman each to fetch more men. You give over the more experienced half of your men to Mord and keep the greener troops and John at your side. Twine does the same with his men and you split into four groups of about half a dozen.
You approach the compound in four spaced out groups, scanning the palisade and the huge pair of banded oak doors that serve as the gate. You pick out twelve soldiers total; four macemen standing guard at the gates, six archers on walkways at the top of the palisade and a pair of macemen walking in a patrol around the compound exterior. You hold back for a minute and as the pair on patrol round a corner another pair walk into view almost immediately.
You still have the advantage of stealth and a good view of the enemy defences, at least from the front. Do you want to try an attack now with the forces you have, or hold back and think of something else?
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Topic: Courtier: A Suggestion Game (Read 12019 times)