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[Shootandrun]

Raeric stepped besides the Chancellor, in a slightly awkward fashion. The wound seemed to bother him, but not overly so - as long as he walked slowly.

"More money for the troops would always be nice, but I am not certain we still have the time to further train our forces. If we do, I'll work on that, but otherwise..."

He hesitated, then grinned.

"I have a few ideas of my own to deal with Alving, although having a report on what exactly is going on over there would help me indeed. Still, before I can even think of what I'll do exactly, I must ask... Your Highness, do you hold the kingdom's bridges dear?"

[Ardas]

The words of his chancellor were, as usual, one of wisdom and careful deliberation of the matter. The safety of the kingdom was at stake, no other option was available to them at the moment.

"I think this would be the most prudent choice. I am interested however about Raeic's project. I have no special attachment to these bridges, however we have built them at great expense and I don't see a good reason to do anything with them. But If you supply me with one, I might be swayed. Talk."

[Shootandrun]

Raeric lowered his head in his equivalent of a bow and started speaking, the grin fading but not disappearing completely.

"Right now, that Alving chief has the initiative. He will be the one to decide where the fight will start, and where it will end. If we had a damn report on his current actions, we might be able to predict where exactly he intends to be, though it's relatively easy to guess. If he attacks, he'll either go for the capital, or Highreach. I met some hillfolk back in the day - they have some kind of holy site there, or maybe it's more of a cultural thing than a religious one... Well, it doesn't matter. We know he'll march east. I want him to do so on our own terms."

He started pacing, slowly and awkwardly, but pacing all the same.

"I say, we send our fastest and best troops in Alving lands. We set a few villages on fire - nothing fancy. Since the chief is probably already planning to go to war, thanks to our dear spymaster, he won't hesitate to give chase into our lands. That's good. We'll get him to march through Breen, and if he stops to loot we'll fall back on him and bloody his nose again and again until he gathers his forces in one host and resumes the chase. We'll lead him to the bridges in eastern Breen. There, behind the southern bridge, the rest of the royal army will be waiting. We'll stop there and hold for him - if he attacks us there his forces will be massacred, but I don't want to bet on him being dumb, so I'll assume he picks a wiser choice.

At that point, he has three options. He can start looting Breen, in which case we'll fall on his marauding forces and defeat him in detail. He can also go back to Alving lands and interrupt the campaign until we can fight on his terms - but I highly doubt he'll do that. The Hillfolk respect strength, and for the same reason the chief won't be able to ignore any raids on his homelands, he won't be able to turn around and go back to his homeland while the enemy he promised to kill breathes. So that leaves him with one last choice - he can race north and try to take the second bridge directly into Highreach. But while his troops cross that bridge, I say we order one of our so-called mages - or, if you trust them as much as I do, a team of sappers - to make the damn thing collapse while the hillfolk are crossing. That way, we divide his forces in two - all that remains is massacring the first half and then pursuing the second half all the way to Alving lands.

That's what I was thinking of doing, anyway. It's not a perfect plan, but considering the information we have on our enemy I think it's not too bad. If he reacts the way western warlords always do, we'll be pulling him on a leash during the whole campaign. He'll despise that - grow hot with hatred and anger. That's also good - an angry man is not a wise man. We'll narrow down his possibilities to three choices, and all of those choices end with us turning him around, defeated, and sending him back into Alving land. After that, depending on our momentum, we're free to mount a counter-attack if we so desire."

He stopped talking and pacing at the same time, and turned towards the king.

"So, your Highness, do you like what you've heard?"

[Ardas]

Arcadius smiled. It was a good plan. But few details bothered him.

"This plan is the best one we have at the moment, for we are not strong enough or in the knowledge of the enemy's forces. While the most honorable and glorious way would be an open battle, only a fool would go to meet his foe openly without force to do so and we have the advantage of rivers, as you pointed out. This will be our plan and we shall take to the field with this arrangement. I also approve of putting the whole treasury into the war effort."

Arcadius then pondered the options given to him by the Chaplain.
"I am wondering, if papal law isn't already in force, since believers comprise majority of the country. What else could we do to appease them, if we are on the brink of a barbarian invasion? Bishops are leaving my greatly unsatisfied with their position. My chancellor, no doubt there are missions you have yet unfulfilled" he indicated the emissary mission to the east that was left unattended so far, "but for now, it would be wise if you could visit bishops and encourage them to deliver us the money for the "crusade".

"Well, instituting mandatory church attendance would be a good start, considering the pagan problem. Converting them all into the one true faith would no doubt prove your loyalty to the church.
Another would be instituting papal law across the realm, which would also benefit the peasants too, if only because they would be allowed to enslave their neighbors. Would certainly help the faithful pay their taxes and such."

"Explain to me shortly, what would the papal law comprise of, apart from clause allowing us to enslave heathens. If anything, it will be up to you to enforce it, as I am busy with other matters as you can see. If it proves successful, I hold you responsible for delivering me the money from bishoprics. Chaplain or not, I won't have time for praying when the churches will be set ablaze by Hillmen."

He then turned to his Librarian and Lord Mayor.

"As for your projects, they must be withheld for the time of war, however they shall not be forgotten. I want to make a ruling on the college however - its seat shall be in the northern town of Penters. Its desolate right now and it needs investing. It has also plenty of free space and has good river connection with the capital. Penters shall become a university town and a model for other colleges in the future."

[Iituem]

Send a letter to each earl, asking them to send more troops than the fifth of their levies the king is entitled to in the event of a war, for the sake of the kingdom as a whole.

[6, 1] You receive less than perfect responses to your letters.  Earl Gol seems insulted by your tone, while Earl Breen notes that in addition to the recent road contributions supporting the present levy is already taxing his resources.  He certainly can provide another two hundred men, but would require a contribution of £8 to cover his costs.

Use my £2 to hire a half dozen experienced woodsmen to carry messages, scout areas and investigate tax issues on my behalf.

You gather together a team of four veteran rangers, each of whom you can send to deliver messages, investigate troubles or scout areas for information.  (No bonus to rolls, and on a 1 it is assumed a ranger dies or is incapacitated, but this should allow you to project your power accordingly.)

Hm...prison and execution or spell...prison or spell...spell.

"If you see Alexandra in the afterlife, tell the stupid whore that I regret not being able to kill her myself."

Spell.

It's far from easy casting on the fly, without implements or preparation, and casting quickly is even harder.  It is certainly possible, though and you send out a quick, improvised net to catch a destructive spirit... to no avail.  You catch nothing, and the chief simply takes offence at your words.  The guards grab you and throw you to the floor, kicking you in the ribs a few times for the insult before dragging you off to a hut and barring the door.

You lose consciousness for a few hours.  When you wake it is dark outside.  You experimentally try the door, but it is securely barred.  The guard outside tells you to stop the racket in a rather harsh Westernhill accent.

You have at least graciously been provided a bed of straw on top of the muddy dirt, so you slump down onto it and try to ponder your next move.  As you clear your mind, you become aware of a presence nearby.  You sit back up, wincing from the pain in your ribs, and scan the room a few times before you spot it - a faint distortion that nobody but a wizard might pick up.

Flitting around the air above your head is the formless spirit of the demon you summoned and failed to banish earlier.  It "buzzes" soundlessly, grabbing your attention and trying to communicate something to you.  It takes a few efforts, but you hear a soft voice in your mind.

Pact.  Pactpactpact.  pact.

The demon is weak, has so little sense of self it barely can think more than one word, but you recognise the offer.  It wants to make a pact with you, and there is only one possible thing it can want.  A body.  In exchange for binding it to a corporeal body, the demon is offering to help you escape.  It's within your power, especially with a willing demon, and any body would do - from a fly to a sack-cloth doll, so long as it resembled a living, mobile form.

On the one hand, you would be unleashing a demon (if a tiny and rather weak one) upon the world.  On the other hand, it seems like a valid way to get out of this mess alive.

What do you do?

[2-2]

Hulen stared blankly into the smoke for a long time. Warmth flowed from the spear as it sat in his hands, alive and bloody. He grunted as he pushed himself up, pain emanating from his wounds. He hoped this had been worth the trouble - these had been good servants, for one. He cursed the spirits as he forced himself to start walking, holding to the Wildspear for support. He'd find a village, enlist a few peasants to care for his wounds, as well as they could, and then return to the king.

He considered the wolf that had flown into the woods once again. Perhaps it deserved to be free, then... or perhaps he could return later to seek it out once more. It had not looked like a simple, brutish beast.

Hulen makes his way to the nearest peasant village to rest and then returns to the capital with the Wildspear (never letting it out of his sight).

You return to the capital with a fresh entourage and [1] sick with fever.  The peasants weren't able to treat your burns properly and now they are weeping.  [3+1-1] Physician Kyle does his best, applying poultices and ointments, but you stink of rot and will likely be sick and in pain for weeks as you heal.  You do at least return with your boon, and an oath to fulfill.

[kj1225]

"I am becoming increasingly alarmed at the amount of patients in the infirmary..."

[10ebbor10]

Your Majesty

I must Excuse myself for my tardiness, but there were some pressing matters, now resolved, considering the roads construction. These are progressing fairly well, foundations for the  bridges have been laid out, and the woodcutting teams are also making progress. If construction proceeds without incidents, we should be able to see the first travelers by next year.

[kahn1234]

In her turn, Anastasia stands:

The training of the levies is going well. They are slowly but surely being turned into a better fighting force. I wont say powerful as at the moment a strong wind could blow through their lines, let alone a barbarian or, fate forbid, a civilised force. More investment, a proper schedule and the conversion into a full time military force will be required to have a world beating military, My Lord.


She glances disdainfully at the papal emissary.

And, as an adviser to the crown, i would like you to know that I advise against trusting any man or woman of religion, especially the advocates of a religion which supports the barbarian practice of slavery. I would like to think my lord is a better man than that.

[Taricus]

"I could return with the money Lordship, But since the defense of the realm is at stake, I shall endevour to have them raise whatever troops they can, given the circumstances. It would also be possible to ask for the aid of the region's archbishop himself for assistance, but that may have a high requirement for him to get involved personally.

As for the slavery Madam, it is a simple case: Those who turn from his holiness' light shall not benefit from his protection, nor shall they broker any gain from his children. If his lordship captures any infidels, it is his decision alone to decide what happens to them, and if that happens to be slavery then the church shall condone it as a proper punshiment for rejecting the one true faith."

[GreatWyrmGold]

((Whoops. That was...actually pretty good for that roll. For a 0, I would have expected accidentally unleashing an unbound major demon on the camp. Well...I can work with this.))

Grewie noted the presence. "You wish a body, demon? Would you be able to take a human body?"

[griffinpup]

Send a page to find the mercenary captain, inviting him to the castle grounds for an audience.

What'cha need?  Accept his invitation.

[Iituem]

((Whoops. That was...actually pretty good for that roll. For a 0, I would have expected accidentally unleashing an unbound major demon on the camp. Well...I can work with this.))

Grewie noted the presence. "You wish a body, demon? Would you be able to take a human body?"

The presence doesn't seem to understand your question.  It doesn't matter, though, as you know the answer to this - yes, but only if it's dead or while it's sleeping.  A powerful demon could steal a waking person's body outright, but this isn't a powerful demon and anything with a human-like mind can resist its attempts to possess them.  A corpse wouldn't put up any resistance, and a sleeping man would be a valid puppet until they woke up, but the best options are dead things, animals or things that were never living to start with.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Attempt to determine the time of day.

[Ardas]

Your Majesty

I must Excuse myself for my tardiness, but there were some pressing matters, now resolved, considering the roads construction. These are progressing fairly well, foundations for the  bridges have been laid out, and the woodcutting teams are also making progress. If construction proceeds without incidents, we should be able to see the first travelers by next year.

"You are excused, for you are carrying out fine work, from what I heard. The roads and bridges will prove most useful. I have another task for you in the near future, as soon as war is over - Penters will host first royal college in the country, as well as massive reconstruction effort will take place there. It will be your job to raise the city from the ground, so I would be greatly pleased if you could look into reducing costs ofr consturction of college and city restoration.
Be ready to be called in by me or marshall however, if our campaign will require a siege engineer."

"I could return with the money Lordship, But since the defense of the realm is at stake, I shall endevour to have them raise whatever troops they can, given the circumstances. It would also be possible to ask for the aid of the region's archbishop himself for assistance, but that may have a high requirement for him to get involved personally.

As for the slavery Madam, it is a simple case: Those who turn from his holiness' light shall not benefit from his protection, nor shall they broker any gain from his children. If his lordship captures any infidels, it is his decision alone to decide what happens to them, and if that happens to be slavery then the church shall condone it as a proper punshiment for rejecting the one true faith."

Arcadius then turned ot both the emisarry and his mistress at arms.
"The matter of what will happen to the captured hillmen is one to be discussed after we actually have them in our grasp. Its foolish to divide up hide on a live bear. We are of course faithful believers but our faith alone may not be enough to hold the bear off. I am willing to involve higher officials, for defense of my kingdom is a mater involving all its inhabitants."

What'cha need?  Accept his invitation.

"We have orders for you, mercenary. You shall scout the Alving forces and find out their numbers and predisposition. Once you gathered that information, you shall return ot my marshall and join forces with royal army for battle with Alvings."

[Iituem]

Attempt to determine the time of day.

You can only see light through cracks in the door, but it's dark out.  It's some time at night, but you haven't been fed yet, so you can't be too close to dawn.  The hut is damp, and you think there are bugs in the straw; the floor is basically dryish mud.  The roof appears to be straw on a wooden frame and the walls are thick daub.  There is no window, and there is a hearth hole in the roof about a fist's width in diameter, above your reach.  The door is solid wood, of what type you aren't sure, and you are pretty certain it is barred from the outside rather than locked.