After a short convention between you and the other leaders you finally come to something resembling unanimity. All the members of the meeting heartily agree on the plan you've formulated except for one: a large man by the name of Gorgamus, one of the company commanders, and a fellow knight. He's of the opinion that the entire band ought to move in at once, instead of waiting for the archers to provoke the raiders, citing '
the element of surprise'. He quickly finds himself backed by a small following of supporters, mostly his own juniors but several of the other officers join in as well, none from your company though, which is a small consolation. You argue for several more minutes before finally reaching a stalemate. The individuals opposed to your plan finally agree to follow it, albeit reluctantly, and the meet dissolves as the officers move back to their respective companies. You spot Gorgamus talking quietly to some of the others as you and your captains walk back to your part of the line.
The troops rise from the tree line and make a brisk march out onto the field. The archers break into a run, stopping at extreme range as planned and loosing their first volley. The lookouts hardly have time to shout let alone run before a shower of arrows rain down, wounding two of them and killing one outright, with the rest landing on the outermost ring of tents, punching through the canvas with ease. A clamour goes up on the rising wind as the raiders gather their weapons, and the gaggle of troops on the perimeter slowly begins to grow into a mass. The archers manage let one more string of shots fly before the enemy skirmishers, a dozen men who rushed out from the shredded tents howling like madmen, some with arrows sticking out of their legs and shoulders, begin to close. They crash into their formation, tearing into the front ranks and leaving nine men dead and several more wounded before the archers finally managed to break away. The skirmishers continue to charge and target the centre company, your group. Four of the junior knights step out of line and close with their foes. The combat is short and bloody. The berserkers fight hard but are soon cut down. Despite their skill, one knight still manages to have an axehead buried in his un-armoured throat, and he kills two more Litelachians before succumbing to his wounds. The remaining knights let out a cry of victory and leave their brother where he has fallen, as he or any of them would have wanted, returning to the line without another word.
You grimace, there's already been quite a few losses and things keep getting worse. You've drawn the Litelachians out into the open, and they stand in ranks, shouting insults at your men from across the field. Every time the archers attempt to reduce their numbers, they heft great wood bulwarks above their heads, as wide as four men, that the shafts simply glance off of. Mavro gives you a concerned look, and her eyes ask a question.
Now what?
Player CharacterName: Nerev "Kell" Kelarn
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Home Region: Kiltrar
Affiliation: The Gray Blades
Armour: Full Reinforced Gantinite Plate - impervious to piercing damage, high slashing defence, average crushing defence; heavy - jumping, dodging and sprinting is impossible; become tired more quickly
Weapons:
Black Iron Kite Shield,
Light Silver Long SwordEquipment: None.
For stored gear see the Extra Character Details subject line at the bottom of the OP.Wealth: 1040 Silver Coins
Health:
WellStatus: Gray Blade Mercenary
Main Non-Player CharacterName: Alexendria "Mav" Mavro
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Age: 14
Personality: Intelligent and eager to learn. Brave of heart, brazen and chivalrous. Honour is a huge inspiration, being the type of person that would throw her entire self into a conflict, even when faced against tough odds. Prideful, especially when challenged but when broken has a tendency of temporarily assuming a defeatist attitude. Well versed in hand fighting and weapon combat, but tends to favour a spear.
Appearance: Lean and athletic, her height is above-average for her age. Long brown-blonde hair surrounds her smooth, sharp features and lightly freckled cheeks and accents her jet black irises well.
Armour: Training Leathers
Weapons: Polished Steel Spear, Light Banded Buckler
Equipment: None.
Wealth: 10 Silver Coins
Health:
WellStatus: Sir Kelarn's Squire
Locale: Oceania, Bané Bané Peninsula - Hiketo Wood
Contractor: The Republic of Oceania
Mission: By the Hand of the Official Emissary to the Mainland - Despite our efforts to eradicate the encroaching Litelachian forces, they still maintain a token force on our borders, and they constantly harry our vanguard companies patrolling the area. We will allow enough silver to satisfy a hundred mercenaries and their company in order for them to wipe out all trace of these interlopers. Our estimates indicate a small standing force. It should not be a problem for the Gray Blades.
Compensation: 500 Silvers + 200 Silvers if the Litelachians are "wiped out"
Conditions: The invading force must be reduced by at least half their original numbers in order to receive pay. If the attacking party is reduced to below 10% of their original strength upon conducting their first assault, the remaining members will be given a 100 Silver consolation bonus, regardless of whether the original condition was fulfilled or not.
Estimated Duration: Less than one week
Deadline: The band must set out by [tonight].
Locale: Varen Confederation, West Fesil Region - Borma Peak
Contractor: Borma Garrison
Mission: Defeat the Jet-Steel Knights visiting the region.
Compensation: 1000 Silvers + 100 Silvers per Knight killed
Conditions: The knights must leave the immediate area and the garrison cannot be harmed. There is no compensation pay should the applicant fail, though all medical expenses will be covered in either case.
Estimated Duration: Two days of travel time.
Deadline: [one month from now]- Former Kiltran Noble - no standing amongst the court
- Survived the Battle of Hiketo Swamp
- Defeated Hokuta Vvoric in single combat
Duncan the Contractor - Affiliated - Unfriendly
Kippa the Blacksmith - Friend
Senator Hokuta Vvoric - Amicable
Located on a low knoll just outside Bané-Bané Peninsula's castle.
- Main Hall: Meet with officials and hire professional troops
- Smithy: Improve and apppraise weapons and equipment
- Contract Office: Obtain Gray Blade contracts and collect payment for completed ones
- Carrier Stable: Rent a carrier to take you somewhere
- Apothecary: Rest and heal your wounds
- Officer's Mess: Speak to knights you know and purchase information
- Chapel: Bless items and gear and banish unholy forces
The Kingdom of Oceania's only territory on the mainland. There is a single castle with a pitifully small village outlying it where some of the poorer merchants reside. It houses one of Oceania's three Legions, a massive standing army made up of their mightiest troops, as well as one of the most expansive ports in the known world. The Oceanian Queen allows the Gray Blades to have a fortress in the area, as all Oceanians loathe setting foot beyond the sandy coast and take advantage of their services often.
- Keep: Meet with the court
- Tavern: Hear local news and hire unprofessional individuals
- Market: Purchase and sell items
Hires
1 Armoured Car - 1 Driver, 2 Guards
Personal Force (Contracted)
12 Knights
- 9 Medium (Experienced)
- 3 Light (Veteran)
42 Footmen
- 8 Archers (Green)
- 28 Swordsmen (Green)
- 6 Lancers (Veteran)
Gallus (green archer - lead scout) is being held in the Litelachian Raider camp, and is not counted amongst the troops.
Allies
192 Mixed Infantry - confident, fresh
33 Heavy Infantry
44 Light infantry
29 Archers - lightly wounded, morale shaken, warmed up
86 Knights