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[Iituem]

"You do have an unfavorable position, as you -must- know. Elbrethian forces dwarf what you can call on. An army rides on Preston at this very moment, Reinforcements coming from the south. How the devil do you plan to survive? Conflict between Preston and Miring armies saps your resources. Do you intend to rely on Suulian mercenaries? Weyland rabble?

Elbrethian forces will not answer to you, but they might answer to me.
You need me alive and cooperative. If this were not the case, I would already be dead. You need me, to manuever Elbreth forces out of your lands so that your return to your crown will go cleanly. In truth I doubt you have anything more to draw on than what remains of Preston's and Miring's armies and navies. These may not prove sufficient.

So you need me. And I am rather attached to life. As such, I offer my fealty.
But I must know a few things. What acts will this entail? Who stands beside me with the dagger, ready to prevent me from rescinding my offer? Or shall I be a prisoner in all but name, confined to this castle?"

"Reinforcements from the south?" says Chicane. "Thank you very much for the information, my source in Eelspine went silent two months ago.  Last I heard Lord Vadud just went on a killing spree and took the spy purely by chance.  Charming man, wouldn't you agree?

"But you're right.  I'm not in an enviable position.  Even once I claim the loyalty of both sides, Elbreth's forces still have a fine advantage and you have no doubt assessed that I can hardly leave this place completely undefended, yes?  So I face a pair of dangerous choices; split my forces and risk being wiped out here whilst I try to assist 'my' men in Preston's capital, or betray them and offer my allegiance to your King.  The first will see me destroyed, the second will see me betrayed, then destroyed.

"However, you seem to assume that I need you for your ability to command Elbreth's forces.  What forces?  The two regiments you brought died under your command, and your comrade's squadron is populated by Mirish soldiers whatever their loyalty to him might be.  I'm not going to believe you can hoodwink your 'reinforcements' into joining me either, and if I did I'd use Drua for that instead.

"No, I need you for what you do best.  I need you to kill a man, and in return I'll let you have what you want - a kingdom of your very own.  I want you to kill King Erik of Elbreth.  Nothing more, nothing less.  My men will be the dagger at your back until you succeed, and after that I won't need it - you'll have the reward I've promised.  I may be a treacherous, deceitful bastard, but I always pay my man."

Chicane lifts the crossbow slightly.

"But if you won't do that, I'm sick of playing the game where everyone waits for the opportune moment to backstab the other.  You either agree to kill your own king, or we have this out here and now.  The choice is yours, d'Avistral."

Drua calls out for the nurse, demanding her to tell Drua how long she'd been unconscious for, where she was, and for a stack of paper and a quill. One she has the paper and quill, have the nurse go and get her the little book of contacts. Once the book has been retrieved for her, Drua will write to her friends and contacts in the Order of Thyme, updating them on her situation and asking for healing and help.

[5]  You speak to the nurse, who freely retrieves the stationery for you, though you cannot escape the feeling she is not telling you something.  You quickly draft a letter to the Order of Thyme and, knowing the difficulty of getting a message out of a potential warzone, pass it to one of your bodyguards who is willing to make the dangerous trek south to Suul.  He smuggles himself out of the city with your letter.  With luck, he should return around the middle of the season - about the same time that Sir Taric's force (if you knew about the details) will arrive in Miring.

[3]  Your own healing has only progressed at a bare minimal rate.  Whilst you are in a state to be carried on a litter, it will be weeks before you can walk at length with the use of a crutch.  If only you had materials to tend to yourself - but you suppose you will have to wait for the Order to return with a trained physician.

Attempt to capture one parcel of land from the Munros. Retreat if the odds of us winning seem unlikely. Use the berserker raider regiment and the personal guard. (Would Corv take the personal guard? He only mentioned taking the heavy regiment, and he didn't keep them with him during the battle.)

Anxious to make good on your earlier misfortune, you decide to try and claim a vale on the edge of Munro territory.  [1]  To your great fortune, the Munros seem otherwise occupied at the moment and your forces have only the local clansmen to fend against, a band of light axemen.  Since the odds seem pretty much in their favour, the raiders attack.

McJohnston:  1 Berserker Raider, 1 Infantry Guard  (Str 3)
Munro:  1 Infantry  (Str 1, +1 Hill bonus)

Fight:  [2+3 vs 5+1+1]  Marginal Defeat!  (All forces destroyed, land not gained.)

The scattered survivors report a tactical disaster.  Although they fought to nearly the last of their men, the poorly armed Munro clansmen shamed the Manskinner raiders by retreating to the crest of the hill and simply outlasting their opponents.  Powerful as their berserker charges might have been, the charge ran out of steam up the steep incline and the raiders lost their vigour and eventually tried to beat back a retreat.  The Munros pursued, turning their pyrrhic defence into a technical victory and utterly decimating your forces.

The Jarl, should he hear of this, will likely not be pleased.  You may end up having to resort to outside forces to keep your skin, especially since the rumours of strange happenings to the north have only been growing in intensity.  Some terrible force is brooding there, and you wonder how long it will be before it spills southward.

Have the soldiers enslave villagers from the land they take. Give the slaves to Jormund to help improve the land if they get any.

The utter failure of your forces makes this an impossibility.

Ask for aid to improve the land from Dr. Johnston. If approved, attempt to develop the land again. Continue asking around about ways to find slaves.

With the recent military failure of Dr Johnston's raids, it appears he won't be giving you any slaves.  He might still be able to give you some help setting that parcel of land, though.

The general consensus is that the ideal way to get slaves is to capture them as part of a successful raid on a settlement.  Alternately, you might try and get them through trade.  If that fails, you could defeat a few Lendemadrir in single combat and take their slaves, though you would probably have to defeat three in short succession if you wanted to get enough slaves for a full Ducat.


I'll be working on rewriting the rules into a clearer format this evening, as well as making the OP a little more user-friendly. 

[Terenos]

"I die, Elbrethian forces cascade through your new kingdom sacking, burning and pillaging, to make amends for my death. I live, and you sacrifice maybe a single regiment of 'Preston' soldiers, And I lead Elbreth forces out on a wild goose chase or another. A little land lost, but closer relations with Elbreth. Smoothed over of course by my silver tongue. And then I'd still have the position to do the task you set to me.

Or I get shot, some shenanigans happen, you die, And I go out a window via a curtain. Possibly after lighting something on fire. I haven't decided that part yet."

[Iituem]

"Short version, assassin.  Will you kill your king for me, yes or no?"  Chicane gives you a nasty little grin.  "Because unlike you, I've figured out a way I can still win - with or without you."


Ruling:  You can upgrade units on the fly, provided time is not critical (i.e. they have at least a week, to retrain and re-equip with new equipment or tactics) and you have sufficient money.  You can even build siege equipment if you brought the specialists with you, since they aren't dependent on manpower usage.

[Terenos]

Didn't figure I'd get shot when I woke up today. Might as well make the most of it.

"Yes."


Terenos lunges forwards, picking up a chair and using it as a shield against the crossbow bolt. If he fires, well, its a chair. Or I get missed. If not I will use the CHAIR AS AN IMPROVISED WEAPON. If he does fire, I drop the chair, use my sword.

((If I shall die, I SHALL MAKE IT SUCH AN END!!! No regrets, No remorse.))

[Mr. Dwarfinton]

After the talk with Jormund a messenger runs into the longhouse. "Sir, be seemin' that the soldiers have been wiped out. I was in their camp and saw the fight, horribly tragedy. Everyone was slaughtered by several of the Munro's men." The messenger slowly backed out of the longhouse, prepared for the usual treatment cowards get. "Thank you. Begone now." He said, a tone of frustration in his voice.

Leaving the longhouse he beckoned a man over. "How can I be helpin' ya, sir?" He said, noticing the anger on the Doctor's face. "Round up twenty able-bodied men and send them to the man who has appeared recently. The one working with the veteran. Tell Jormund I want one heavy berserker regiment raised immediately." The man nodded at him, taking a moment to memorize it. "Yes, s-" He tried to say, but was caught off by the Doctor's screaming about how he should move and not talk.

Attempt to have that guy find some villagers who can improve the land, and send them to Jormund. Have one heavy berserker regiment raised if Jormund manages to improve the land.

[Taricus]

((Terenos, the dead don't take thrones, or object to being looted ))

[Iituem]

After the talk with Jormund a messenger runs into the longhouse. "Sir, be seemin' that the soldiers have been wiped out. I was in their camp and saw the fight, horribly tragedy. Everyone was slaughtered by several of the Munro's men." The messenger slowly backed out of the longhouse, prepared for the usual treatment cowards get. "Thank you. Begone now." He said, a tone of frustration in his voice.

Leaving the longhouse he beckoned a man over. "How can I be helpin' ya, sir?" He said, noticing the anger on the Doctor's face. "Round up twenty able-bodied men and send them to the man who has appeared recently. The one working with the veteran. Tell Jormund I want one heavy berserker regiment raised immediately." The man nodded at him, taking a moment to memorize it. "Yes, s-" He tried to say, but was caught off by the Doctor's screaming about how he should move and not talk.

Send Jormund some villagers. Have one heavy berserker regiment raised if Jormund manages to improve the land.

You'll need to give him something more substantial in game mechanics terms if you want to have an actual effect on his roll.  Each Ducat provided will give him a +1 to the roll, or every 2 regiments (regardless of strength) sent to help with the task will provide +1 to the roll as well.

[Yoink]

((Well, if Chicane dies, who will the people of Miring look to as their new ruler but the rightful heir?  Who will they look to to usher in a new age of peace and prosperity... On the other hand, I wouldn't mind getting Terenos out of the way, either. ))

[Terenos]

((If this works, Im taking credit for both kills. Elite Elbrethian Diplomat powers ACTIVATE!
If Chicane dies, and ..Percy tries anything, I'll have killed a 3rd king of Miring.))

[Mr. Dwarfinton]

Give him 3 1 ducats to help improve the land.

[Mr. Dwarfinton]

Ignore this, since I need to pay attention to what I'm doing.

[Jormundur]

((Holy cow that's significantly more than I was expecting, but I guess it is kind of important.))

Jormund was still attempting to figure out a way to get some slaves for his own use. He figured that fighting Lendemadrir could work, but it would take a lot of luck for him to win three such fights unless he had some other type of advanta--. His thoughts were cut off by a man leading a large group of villagers with him. The man approached him and said, "Are you the one that was looking to develop the land around here?" Jormund hesitantly responded and said that he was. "Well it's your lucky day," the man responded, "the doctor direly needs that land to raise some troops immediately and has sent these villagers along with 3 ducats." Jormund realizes that the villagers themselves probably wouldn't do much but the three ducats could certainly go a long way.

Jormund again attempts to settle the land using the villagers and the three ducats.

Use whatever amount of ducats I've actually been given. It looks like it's been changed to 1 now.

[Mr. Dwarfinton]

((It was, since I was checking out how much I had left and noticed that I should stop using so much money.))

[Iituem]

Didn't figure I'd get shot when I woke up today. Might as well make the most of it.

"Yes."


Terenos lunges forwards, picking up a chair and using it as a shield against the crossbow bolt. If he fires, well, its a chair. Or I get missed. If not I will use the CHAIR AS AN IMPROVISED WEAPON. If he does fire, I drop the chair, use my sword.

((If I shall die, I SHALL MAKE IT SUCH AN END!!! No regrets, No remorse.))

Chicane von Trubaldsome:  Weapon +1, Armour +1.  3/3hp  Ranged Weapon (1 free shot.)
Terenos d'Avistral:  Weapon +1, Armour +1.  3/3hp  Cover (+1 vs ranged shot)

[1+2 vs 5+2+1]  Chicane pulls the trigger on the crossbow and the bolt strikes home - straight into the chair thrown towards it.  The chair spins, careening off and crashing into the side of the room.  Chicane yells for guards, [2] who are likely to arrive within three exchanges.

Both of you draw your swords and advance upon one another, blades meeting just over King Leuki's cooling corpse.

[4+2 vs 6+2]  Chicane proves to be an accomplished swordsman, but your father didn't force you into months of swordfight training for nothing.  The pair of you leap at one another with a furious exchange of blows, then dart back.  Chicane is bleeding freely from his off-hand, but nothing major has been severed.  [Chicane 2hp]

[3+2 vs 6+2]  You press the advantage, executing a series of perfectly timed strokes against which Chicane cannot manage to defend completely.  He sustains more wounds and you recognise a little more of the Trubaldsome madness in his eye.  [Chicane 1hp]

[2+2]  Chicane lunges at you with a thrust aimed directly for your heart, [...vs 6+2] but catches his footing on his brother's corpse.  As he falls, you sweep your longsword in a clean arc and sever the head from his shoulders.  It hits the polished stone floor with a strangely hollow clatter and rolls away into the distance.

Chicane's personal guard reach the entrance of the throne room, greeted with the sight of you completely unharmed, standing over the corpses of the two best claimants to the Mirish throne.  They gape in utter silence, uncertain how to proceed.


Curses.  But the rules of the game are the rules of the game, and when the RNG gods give Terenos three sixes in a row even I cannot go against them.  Especially when it was a death-stakes combat.

Incidentally, had Terenos gone along with Chicane or had Chicane won, the intended strategy would have gone like this:

1.  Rally both sides of the fight and bring them together, increasing the force at Chicane's disposal.
2.  Sack Port Sleen (since Miring town had already been sacked) for every last ducat it was worth, utterly ruining the tax income for the next year and probably decreasing its future income as well, but also making it worthless for when Sir Taric arrived.
3.  Use the ducats to make every single unit Ambush, and some of them Heavy as well.  Make one Tactician.
4.  Abandon Miring.  It's too dangerous to defend against Taric's troops and future attacks from Elbreth's forces to the north.
5.  March on the nigh-undefended capital of Sheepstead, capture it and the surrounding lands, thus denying Elbreth the money to pay for its large army.  This alone would weaken Elbreth to the point where Chicane would actually have a chance for survival.

Alas, this will never be.  Damn you, RNG gods!  But that's the way the game goes.

Your next NPC adversaries will learn from their mistakes, though.

[Taricus]

((HOLY SHIT!, Terenos, you mind teaching Taric to fight like that? PLEASE!))