((..Every. Goddamn. Time. Oh well, Its still a victory in my books. Terenos gains trait: Unfavored in Command, by the Gods themselves.))
Still gathering the regiments to move out, Terenos only has a few moments to meet with the captains of the Privateer sloops. But he has plenty of time to give them his instructions
Terenos orders the sloops to link up with the rest of the navy, but act as forerunners, striking at the merchant ships of Preston. Any booty is to be conveyed to the warships, for safe transport back to Miring. Miring warships will lurk in order to catch Preston ships unawares
(Tactic attempt: Piracy as bait to draw the enemy forces out carelessly)
[1] The privateers make a few strikes at Preston's shipping, even capturing some goods, but Preston seems willing to let the ships sink rather than expose their forces. In fact, whilst the privateers are separated from the fleet, the fleet is attacked!
There are five warships moving to attack your fleet (2 carracks, 2 warships). The foremost ship is bearing additional standards, indicating the likely presence of a commander, and has two banks of oars on either side. They are building up speed to ram.
Advance or abscond?Drua draws her sword, preparing herself for a fight. She had three men against what was likely a fair number more, but they had the element of surprise and the guards were distracted. What better time to strike, like cobra venom pouring into the veins of a naive traveller. Motioning to her two archers next to her, grimacing as the third executes the guards and a shout is let out, she rushes forward. Time to fight...
Attack the outpost!
Drua: +1 Weapon, +1 Armour, +2 Poison [x4], +1 Guards. 6/6hp.
Encounter One: Through the Gate[6] You charge for the gate, praying to the gods that only a few enemies make it to the gateposts before you can push into the camp and lose them in the tents. As it turns out, only one gets to you in time - but this is because he is mounted. You and yours will have to take him out before he can chase you down and alert your position.
Cavalier: +1 Weapon, +1 Armour, +1 Horse, 2/2hp.
[1+5 vs 2+3] You stand your ground until the last moment, arrows flitting past you, when you leap to the side and draw your shortsword across the horse's legs. The horse stumbles and convulses wildly, throwing her rider from her back. She continues to thrash about, presenting a danger whilst the fight continues. [Cavalier: 1/2hp]
[1+5 vs 2+3] The cavalier struggles to his feet, slashing at you with his sabre. You duck back and take advantage of his overswing to slash your sword across his arm. As he jerks back involuntarily from the poison's effects, an arrow catches him in the throat and he goes down.
(2 poison doses remaining.)Encounter Two: Through the Camp[4] You run into the darkness of the camp, rushing past tents and hoping that the confusion of men rushing towards the assaulted gate will provide cover. It doesn't work perfectly, but you catch them with enough surprise that many are still trying to get their sword belts on when you pass them. Three soldiers manage get in front of you and form a wall before you can get through.
Guards: +1 Weapon, +1 Armour, 3/3hp.
[1+5 vs 3+2] You stop your charge just in time - they have their swords readied to intercept. One of them advances, forcing you into the defence, but you slash him across the cheek with your sword and he immediately jerks away, shuddering and convulsing as the poison works its way through his system. [Guards: 2/3hp]
[6+3 vs 5+2] You hold your ground for a moment, fighting defensively and trying to save the last few drops of poison on your weapon. One of the two guards drops when a pair of arrows catch him in the face and shoulder. [6+3 vs 5+2] His companion falls likewise a moment later. Before you run onwards, you take one of their swords.
Encounter Three: The Watering Hole[5] With all the chaos and confusion provided by your entrance, most of the guards protecting the well were already dispatched. Only a single guardsman remains, though the guardhouse's low walls provide him with a defensive advantage against your archer companions.
Guard: +1 Armour, +1 Weapon, +1 Ground. 1/1hp.
[5+5 vs 6+3] You don't leave anything to chance. You have the archers fire a volley first to force him into cover, then leap over the low wall and jam the poisoned sword into the guard's chest. He starts to jerk and convulse like the rest, but you are still able to grab both him and the poisoned shortsword and throw them down into the well.
The body crashes down through the deep pit and you hear a heavy splash. The last of the poison on the sword will seep into the water, as will the natural poisons in the fresh corpse. This well will remain unusable for years.
You have lost your poison advantage, though you will continue to fight with your 'borrowed' weapon.
Encounter Four: Escape![1] Your luck finally runs out. The soldiers that were drawn away from your target have been covering the exits, so when you run for one you find yourself facing literally dozens of armed men. This is going to be tough, no matter which way you look at it.
Regiment: +1 Weapon, +1 Armour, +1 Numbers. 6/6hp.
[3+3 vs 5+3] The regiment charges straight away and you quickly force a retreat in the hope of finding better ground to fight on. One of the archers isn't fast enough and gets caught by a soldier, dragged into the mob and slaughtered. (Drua 5/6hp)
[6+3 vs 5+3] Seeing one of your allies go down does something to your head. Without entirely realising why, you signal to turn to the attack and charge the mob yourself. The archers think you are insane, but fortunately so do the enemy. The shock of your charge (coupled with the arrows being shot by your allies) lets you force your way into the front of the mob. You bring down several with a series of maddened sword strokes. (Regiment 5/6hp)
[4+3 vs 5+3] The danger of this tactic strikes you soon enough, as blows rain down on you from every side. Your armour turns most of them, but you are taking a battering you cannot sustain. You pull back, bloodied. (Drua 4/6hp)
[4+3 vs 2+3] The regiment presses down on you, but you take advantage of your smaller numbers and pursue a fighting retreat through the tents. The obstacles presented by the tents themselves and their guideropes trip or delay several of the regiment, giving you and the archers openings to attack. More men fall. (Regiment 4/6hp)
[3+3 vs 4+3] You can't keep up this sort of retreat forever, and you find yourself back in open street again too soon. Some of the soldiers are able to flank you and slaughter the second of your archer companions. (Drua 3/6hp)
[3+3 vs 3+3] Pressed from all sides, you see red again. You and your ally fight like dervishes, hacking and slashing at anything that moves within range. The cost of such a strategy is high, though, for when the mist clears your ally has fallen. More than two dozen of the enemy lie dead around you. (Drua 2/6hp, Regiment 3/6hp)
Drua has lost her Guard advantage. The Regiment has lost its Numbers advantage.[6+2 vs 3+2] Your rampage has left less than a dozen men to challenge you, though you are still outnumbered heavily and surrounded. You decide to forge an escape route and pick a direction at random, slicing your way through the men in your way and making a break for it. (Regiment 2/6hp)
[2+2 vs 2+2] The exit is within sight. Half a dozen men are at your heels. One of them sinks a handaxe into your left shoulder - the blade bites, making you scream with pain. You stab backward with your sword and, nearly fainting from the pain, pull the axe out and hurl it at your pursuers. By luck, it strikes one in the chest and brings him down. You finish another that was too close with your sword, then make a break for escape. (Drua 1/6hp, Regiment 1/6hp)
All or nothing time.
[3+2] You run through the open camp entrance, only roughly aware of the sound of heavy footsteps chasing you. Darkness creeps at the edges of your vision, and you see bright spots of light flickering in the air ahead. You make for the brush, then a dip in the terrain as your eyes start to fail you - [...vs 3+2] and feel a cold, sharp pain in your side. You slump to your knees and the cold turns to a blazing agony as the spearhead is wrenched out. You twist as you fall, landing on your back and gaining sight of the dark figure above you. He raises the spear for a final thrust.
Some last reserve of strength reacts before you can think, and your sword arm jerks upward, spearing him up through the gut and behind the ribcage. He quivers and falls, dragging the sword from your limp hand. Everything turns to black.
You wake, eventually. The sky is grey, it is raining, and there is a corpse in a pool of stagnant blood and water nearby. Everything is pain.
Drua has been left grievously wounded in hostile territory, close to death. She may still die as a result of her injuries.
The water source of the Preston advance post has been poisoned, almost certainly with repercussions to their eventual attack plan. The scout regiment sent ahead is unable to maintain the post and in any case lost so many men in Drua's last stand that it has disbanded.Kain grinned to himself in his room. But now no spies were in his ranks and and the people properly scared.
"Now its time for the cherry..."
Give out a decree that this year's tax will be cut by 50%.
Kain stood on a balcony and gave a small speech.
"People of Lonemine, I hear you are scared. Do not fear! Those were traitors to the crown and they got what they deserve. You are not! And for your loyalty, taxes will be cut by 50% for one year, or more if I so deem! Thank you for your loyalty!"
Kain turns aside and tells a captain to send a messanger to Sir Taric's village and ask how the village fares.
[5+1] The proposed tax cut will cost you
1.5 Ducats in your next year's collection, but the thinly veiled bribe is tremendously well-received. Whatever concerns the soldiers might have are smothered by the outpouring of support from your tenants, preventing any nasty morale issues that might crop up later on. Furthermore, the gesture relaxes a few of the people in Lonemine who knew the executed scouts. [5] They share some information about the most likely candidates of who the turncoats actually were, and the evidence points to those members of your own guard who returned with you from the palace at Sheepstead. Since your guard's movements were restricted to being close to your own, you are able to deduce that the source of the corruption must have been someone within the king's own court; most likely a fellow noble.
[2] Word of your butchery, though not your generosity, reaches the town of Stonewood ahead of your messenger. The inhabitants are decidedly reticent, and Taric's steward only gives a very short reply that the village is quite safe and will not be needing assistance. Sir Taric himself appears to have not yet returned (at this point in the timeline).
The Doctor nodded at Donald, "Yes, make them draw lots. We'll have more soldiers and it will have the same effect." He stayed watched the 'Parting' even though he despised of the idea that some of them were to be executed, but their fate was already chosen. At least he got something out of it. He flinched as he watched every tenth man be beaten to death by his comrades but tried to cover it up so Corv would not think him cowardly. Barbaric... He thought after the ritual, walking away from it all. "Donald, I am head to the newly conquered land to make sure everything is going smoothly." He called behind him.
Action: Travel to the McEwan's land.
You arrive at your new demesne where you are shown to your residence, the most spacious and well-equipped building in the former McEwan home village. Like virtually every building here, it is a burned-out shell, but it has a semi-intact roof and you can sleep without getting rain in your face.
The soldiers inform you that they found a bedraggled wanderer, lost in the foothills. They bring him to you to decide what to do with him.
Sir Jormundr is brought to the new Hond, Dr Johnston.[1] Unfortunately, your lands are right on the border of both the Munros to the West and the McKinleys to the East, making you the most likely target for a strike. You only have to hope that you will have sufficient time to raise new troops, and that perhaps they might delay an attack until after the coming winter. [2] Worse, the local survivors (twice-enslaved, by yourselves
and the McKinleys) report that the last few weeks the outer reaches of McEwan land were beset by strange happenings - illness, disappearances, animals found beaten to death in the mornings. This is now your responsibility to deal with, if you believe the tales.
Author
Topic: You are King! (Spring 315a) (Read 187668 times)