Check up on Sansa - I didn't think she'd be this affected by the battle after the fact she was doing those training ones but we should try to get her to focus.

After, go help Aurelies to the Doctor. Might as well take him to the one where we hear the commotion coming from the surgeons tent.

>>12366182
you walk over to Sansa, you may not know all of your mens names, but by your guess the list of names she has is filled with the dead from the Hunter and Scout battalions. You left her to manage their patrols and scouting missions. "Its all my fault" you hear her mumble, clearly not aware that you are standing behind her. "Maybe if I hadnt pushed them so hard we wouldnt have lost so many of them last night..." That confuses you, she was pushing them just as hard as you would have if you'd been running their missions yourself.

>>12366240
Tell her not to question herself, otherwise she'll cripple her confidence and ability to lead. She made no mistakes, we just underestimated our foe. She cannot let the soldiers see her this shaken, otherwise it will drastically affect morale. The burden of someone in command is to maintain the appearance that what was done was the best possible outcome. There will be time for mourning the losses we took but that will wait for our task to be finished.

>quiet again tonight. I'll take one replies for now, but I'd like to get back up to needing confirmation posts again soon, I know the downtime bits can seem boring, and I'm working on that trust me, plot-bombs ahead.

"Perk up Sansa. You did nothing that I wouldnt have. Those in command must always act as if the last engagement went according to plan, lest morale be damaged. We can mourn our dead later; now see to getting the rest of the Maniple settled in once they arrive, they shouldn't be long."

You walk over to Aurelius, opening a flap to the doctors tent "I dont care how 'perfect' that steel bone is, or what you had melted down to make it, I will not be trying to replace a more or less good shoulder-joint with a metal one because some brat of a captain is worried about her combat preformance!" the doctor snaps at Kyria, who is red-faced and holding a rather good steel replica of her left shoulder, the one that was ran through during the battle. Aurelius lands heavily on an open bed, gingerly props his leg up and waits to be helped by part of the Maniples medical staff.

>>12366429
Wouldn't removing her joint and replacing it with a metal one actually interfere in her normal combat abilities? I just don't see it being as quick and flexible as one's biological shoulder and there's the thought on what happens if it rusts up... Not to mention how long she might be out of commission recovering from that kind of surgery.

How bad does Aurelius' injury look?

>>12366502
she doesnt seem to think so owever... and judging by the fact that the joint is nearly split in twain you could see how she could haver that view. Aureilius' woulnd looks fleshy and painful, but not to serious... however most of the doctors seem to have failed to notice either your entry or Aurelius entry.

>>12366592
Catch a doctor's attention and have them see to Aurelius. Ask Kyria why she wants her joint replaced and why she has a metal replica just sitting around waiting.

>>12366627
I'll back this up, although I'm dreading her reaction to seeing us after that battle. Will she blame us or will she not?

>>12366592
Get the doctor's attention and have him tend to Auerelius.
Then, while he's distracted with another patient, grab another surgeon and have them give a second opinion on Kyria's metallic shoulder replacement. Kyria will have to justify to them why a still-usable organic one should be replaced with metal.

>>12366592
if it actually would make her arm better then we should order the doctor to do it. We can't have commanders who are unable to lead their troops into battle

>>12366650
We'd better apologize just to be safe. Even if she doesn't blame us it'll let her know we care about her wellbeing.

>>12366681
Depends on what the potential long term effects are. If it'll screw her in the long run in terms of combat, we shouldn't let her get it.

>>12366681
Agreed, but if she'll be out of commission for weeks after the surgery we'll be out a Captain. On the other hand, her unit should probably be given only light duty and stay out of any battles for the next few weeks anyway, so they can heal up and rebuild morale.

>>12366680
sounds good to me

Steel joints? Hahaha, hell no. We can have the doctors perfect experimental surgery on slaves and prisoners. For now she can let her joint mend normally.

>>12366627
>>12366650
You clear your throat a bit loder than normal, a few of the surgeons and barbers look up, and upon seeing the prone Captain head over to his side to begin work. "Thank you commander." Aurelius says with a hoarse voice as you walk over to Kyrias bed.

"Why do you want your shoulder replaced, and how did you get that replica so quickly?" you ask her, now standing opposite the surgeon she had been arguing with.

"I took the burnt out amulet from one of the passed out prisoners; you wouldnt believe how hot trinkets like that can burn. I'd bought an ingot of [dwarven word for "perfect Steel] before we headed out, and I've seen enough bodies and know my own well enough to get one of my men to make this for me. I just dont want to be a failure in the Legion as well, Commander" she replies, trying to sit up, but wincing in pain as she does, accidental trying to move her left arm to her side, actually crying out when she makes that mistake. She looks genuinely worried, and quite sad...

>>12366771
Yeah, I'm honestly against it. Only reason I might consider it is because I don't know if this type of thing is common in Pax's universe or not.

>>12366782
>failure in the Legion as well
What happened before you joined the Legion, Kyrias?

>>12366782
"Doctor, what are the Captain's chances of successful recovery and return to effective command of a combat unit?
"We can ill-afford losing combat effectiveness; however, if Captain Kyrias will not be able to return to combat duty via natural means, then you may as well implant that joint."

>>12366782
Uhhhhh. On top of asking about her past like suggested, can we also cite examples of famous people in the Legion who are well respected despite not being able to be hardcore fighters? She won't be a failure just because her arm is potentially permanently injured.

>>12366782
Wow, that is load off my mind. I was worried you would be mad at me for how the fighting went. In other words don't blame yourself, you did admirably leading your unit in a battle they were totally outmatched in.

>>12366806
>>12366849
Is it wise to be prying like that into a Captain's personal life like that? And suggesting that she should accept a desk job without even knowing her personality or motivations?

>>12366849
We should emphasize that she's a scout, we made a mistake getting the scouts involved in a front line fight like that. As long as she can command her troops, she's not a failure. We don't want her troops getting melee anyway.

>>12366891
We aren't suggesting a desk job, we're suggesting that a scout captain shouldn't be worried about her melee capabilities when her scouts are meant primarily for scouting and ranged combat.

>>12366891
If it could affect her command, yeah it is worth prying into. And just because she can't use one arm as well doesn't mean she has to take a desk job.

if it cant be helped then by all means see if we can get her back on her feet through unorthodox
methods. worst case she cant fight for a while , cue sansa who will take her position as captain until kyria is fit to fight again.

>>12366891
Hell, we've pryed into the personal lives of at least 3 of our captains so far, we might as well keep the trend going. By the time this campaign is done their kids are gonna be calling us uncle justinian

>>12366942
They're our captains, we should bloody well know their motivations, personalities, and personal histories. How are we to command them in potentially fatal battles otherwise?

"Doctor, what do you expect the outcome of such a hair-brained idea would be?" you ask him, deciding to worry about your commanders physical capacities before her emotional hurts.

"It doesnt matter what quality the metal is, there have only been rumors of some of the greatest of Doctors in the Duchy successfully completing a procedure like the one she wants me, an old man a tenth of the age of the Dwarves who can barely do such a thing in a clean hospice; and she wants me to do it in a dirty surgical tent not 20 yards from a pile of corpses." You nod to the surgeon, who starts stitching the shoulder shut.

"Now Kyria, what do you mean by 'fail in the Legion as well'. I realize that I dont know you as well as my other captains, and I aim to remdy that." you ask the cringing dwarf, pulling a chair up next to your bed.

as Kyria opens her moth to respond, Aurelius cuts her off with a rather effeminate scream, turning your head you see a few surgeons standing over him, one now holding the bloody piece of javelin that was just pulled through his calf. "I inherited my fathers forge before I joined the legion you see. But I must have mismanaged it horribly, it ended up closing down within a month of my taking it over. I spent the next two years on the streets, nothing to eat but the few rats I could kill with my bow. I was hired on by a band of entertainers to guard them in their travels... but the leader kicked me out at the second city we stopped at. I spent the next few years going through the same sort of experiences, nothing working out... always due to my own faults. And now I lost half of my battalion in our first engagement... your going to drum me out of the service when we return to DragonsReach aren't you?" her face, clearly one made for laughter and smiles is deeply set into a frown, a mask of desperation covering it.

Remind her she wasn't the only one leading that unit. We underestimated the ferocity of the raiders and it cost us but that's not her fault. Also reassure her that she is not going to be thrown out of the army. We can't waste good officers and it is thanks to her we've been able to track the rebels as far as we have when they've had such a huge lead on us.

>>12367016
HELL no, you kept your unit together excellently and fought like a (local equivalent of tiger). You fought well and you led well, and you're the only reason we've tracked the bad guys this far. If anything, I'm to blame for misjudging the bandit's numbers and getting you into that mess.

>>12367016
tell her it was our fault for puting her and her unit in that position , she did nothing wrong

>>12367016
Hardly. Honestly, we should never have had our scouts take the brunt of the enemy charge. She followed our orders and did so spectacularly. That was our call, and on our head be it.

>>12367016
"Captain Kyrias, you led to victory over a numerically superior force, ill-equipped and out of position, and not only were you able to pull half of your unit through when they should all be dead, you still completed the orders given to you.
"I would be a fool to let go of such a capable captain."

You raise an eybrow at the blonde dwarf before respoonding "Why would I drum you out? The error was mine in putting your unit in a situation where it had to receive a charge, and you fought like a SaberCat through two wounds that would have put me, Garus, maybe even Uurist on the ground." you pause for a moment, as Kyria finally cries out from the surgeons ministrations, as he puts a set of clamps on her shoulder to push the sliced joint back together for the duration of its time healing, before moving on to immobilize the joint. "You dont have permission to apologize in fact, thats an order that will stand until the day I tell you you've failed to fulfill your orders. And if your worried about your fighting skills, it wont be to hard for me to get you a ratcheting draw for your bow if you left arm cant get enough strength to go through the reloading process. I would be happy to, the job you did in tracking our foes this far was excellent." you finish, placing a hand on her good shoulder as the surgeon steps back, his work finally finished.

Kyrias face lights up at your praise "You really think so Commander?? THANK YOU!" she replies excitedly, surprising you by pulling you down into an awkward, busty, one armed hug for a few brief moments before she remembers herself and releases you, grinning sheepishly. You can hear Sansa shouting orders outside, the rest of the Maniple must have arrived.

>>12367215
Tell the two Captains to rest for now and go out and join Sansa I suppose. Perhaps we should go examine the damage the raiders did on the town while the rest of our units set up camp.

>>12367245

seconding checking out the town

>>12367266
Thirding. Also,
>Sabercat
Awesome.

"you two take this rest while you can, I'm not sure when you'll get another chance to, and I'm going to need the both of you back in action as soon as possible" you say to your injured captains, saluting them before leaving the tent.

The camp is a scene of controlled chaos, men milling about setting their tents up, Sansa moving about and yelling at them for various reasons, trying very hard to keep the camp somewhat orderly and prevent it from blocking access to the village. A few men attempt to backtalk Sansa. She glares at them, raising her draw fingers, the implied threat more than enough to earn her a brisk salute and snappy responses for a while.

You finally break through the camp being set up to the town. You would estimate that the raiders had gotten to the first third of the village from their point of entry, judging by how deep the burnt and smashed houses go. Many buildings are spattered with excessive amounts of blood, no doubt most of it from Jaynes cavalry clearing out the town. the people are frightened, but seem to be in awe of you, even though you are in your battered old chainmail and probably look like hell. The survivors seem to be moving towards the burnt out town square for some sort of gathering.

>>12367409
Join in on the gathering. It's likely being done by whoever is in charge of the village and if we're lucky, they might have some information we can use.

>>12367409

do that , then go see jayne and have her find a wild uursan for us to tame

>>12367472
More like for Jayne to tame while we watch. Besides, aren't we still all sliced up from the battle? And haven't we never even ridden a Uursan, let alone approached a wild one? Riding lessons from Jayne perhaps?

>>12367492

ill setlefor riding lessons for the moment , but jayne can teach us how to tame one , how girly would we look if we let someone else tame our uursan?

I say wait until we are more successful in our campaigning. No point in us having a mount if we can't support our own permanent cavalry unit. Do remember she's only with us for this campaign, so in theory we'd only have the one mount after she's gone.

>>12367522
It was her dream to tame a wild Uursan, remember? Letting her do so before trying it ourselves sounds like a good way to cement her loyalty and ensure she wants to stay with us after this campaign is over.

>>12367547

of course she can tame HER uursan before we try , but how manly would we appear to the troops if we wrestle a giant bear into submission?
instant morale boost

also , does our maniple have a chaplain or something?

someone we can talk to about the gods we awoke last time?

>>12367492
>>12367472
the closest youve ever been to an Uursan was when you met Jayne, and that beast was huge... and quite frankly a bit scary. After Jayne mentioned wanting to tame a wild uursan it WOULD make an excellent gift to her if you were to take care of the catching part. Being able to have some sort of mount would be a good idea, and riding lessons from Jayne could be fun. You push all of these thoughts to the back of your head as you enter the town square.

There seems to be a large, townwide "discussion" occuring, with three major groups. One group worried about future raids wants to flee to AvensGate until further notice, the second group is more worried about replacing their destroyed homes and replenishing the burnt stores of food before winter sets in. the last group, is actually a group of groups, all screaming about who will replace the village elder for leadership...

>>12367609
I think we should step in and get them to quiet down. First thing we should find out is if their militia was all wiped out. Also, I assume the more vocal of the leaders on each side are likely the be candidates for elder or are there others being suggested?

>>12367609

can we install collin as the town leader?
isnt there a governor of this province ?
can we install ourselves as governor of this province?

>>12367678
Collin isn't near us and he lives in another village. They wouldn't accept him. Us being governor of the village would be bad since we have other tasks to worry about and we can't just sit around and take care of these people. If they have no defenses, I'm recommending we escort them to AvensGate and have them stay there while we deal with the rebels. They can return once they are dealt with and the threat of raiders is gone.

>>12367695

Yeah the militia was smashed by the time we got here and with raiders still coming they wouldnt be safe in the village. avensgate looks like the best plan.

>>12367678
no, different village
yes, he lives in HighPass, thers a Regent in AvensGate
no, you have a Maniple to worry on

>>12367664
I do not think it is our place to decide the next elder. The village should decide for itself. From the sound of it, the last one died defending the village from the raiders. Good man, that. Pity to lose a solid piece of good Imperial backbone.

As for the villagers, find out what they know and inform them of our intent to root out and destroy the rebels and, of course, any raiders we should stumble upon in the execution of our mission. Perhaps that would alleviate their fears.

>>12367695
We haven't been to Avensgate yet, we shouldn't promise people shelter there when we don't know the situation there. On the other hand, I'd rather not split our forces trying to cover every tiny village in the area.

>>12367609
Is anyone actually stepping forward/being mentioned or is it just a bunch of people shouting OH SHIT WHAT DO WE DO?

>>12367760
Maybe not decide upon the leader but... Subetly encourage them to pick a leader that would have them head to AvensGate. Staying here is too dangerous with their palisade breached and their militia wiped out. Taking their valuables and heading to a safer place sounds best while we wipe out the rebellion.

Actually, now that I think about it, how the hell did the raiders destroy the palisade? Did they have siege equipment of some kind?

>>12367777
lots of shouting, not a lot of people willing to step forward and take charge, a few graciously accepting the support of the people trying to put them in charge, but not looking to get the spot. A bunch of scared farmers, millers, herders and shit like that who just nearly had their lives taken and their livelyhood smashed, bereft of a leader and trying to figure out what the dick to do next without destroying a generations old community

>>12367744

well what the fuck is the governor doing about these raiders ? nothing?
we need to find him and kick his ass into gear so we dont have to defend his province for him.

>>12367760
>>12367777
you have a point but the fact still stands the village has no militia anymore , its undefended and there are more raiders coming , so its either they stay here and get slaughtered when more bandits come , or they go to avensgate as temperory refugees that would have to spend a couple nights on the streets untill we clean this mess up

>>12367838
Well, that's good. The last person who should have power is someone who actually wants it.

>>12367864
True. Let's see if we can calm the mob down a bit and get the people they suggest as leaders talking.

>>12367896
Yeah, if we get them all talking we can have the most qualified one singled out before we head to Avensgate. Then, the civilians'll have a leader should something happen on the way.

"PEOPLE!" you shout using your 'master at arms voice' again to garner attention. It works, damned well in fact, as the whole adult population of the village silences, turns and faces you... offputting. "I am Commander Justinian Trentz, of the 3rd Maniple in the 5th Cohort of the 10th Legion. I have been tasked with bringing the upstart rebels who have been hiring these raiders to justice, and expect to have the task completed before winter falls upon us in its completeness. As much as I would like to leave a detachment of men to help you train to defend yourselves, I cannot spare the men. I do however intend to go to Avensgate to resupply before I make my final assault on the rebels stronghold. You people are more than welcome to follow my Maniple to the city, and camp near ours, and my men would be happy to defend you. I will speak with the Regent of this area to ensure you are treated fairly in the city, and that efforts are made to watch your town while you are away." at that you step back a few paces to let the people decide what they want to do.

One of the men who was receiving support from the people to succeed the Elder steps forward to tell you that you will know the villages decision before tomorrow morning. As you leave the town square you see a large eagle circling down towards your camp, a jade messengers bracelet affixed to one of its talons, you do not remember the Empire ever using Eagles as messenger birds.

>>12368029
This just gets even more odd. Rebels with amulets that kill their wielders. Unknown presences watching us when we randomly say things due to the dice hating us and now this? Let's go see what this eagle has then.

>>12368029
Obligatory READ NOTE.

You work you way through the camp to where the eagle landed, which isnt hard considering the crown that has gathered round the bird, perched on a hastily emptied armor rack outside of Finians tent. its a fine specimen of a bird, you observe, looking for the carrier package, which is not affixed to the bird anymore... it would seem the message was for Finian, and he is inside his tent reading it.

>>12368146
Curiouser and curiouser...head into his tent and ask him what's up.

>>12368146
Inquire if everything is alright I suppose. It's gathered enough of a crowd that we might have to address it.

You knock on a tent pole to announce your entry before moving inside "Might I inquire as to..." You see Finian hunched over his table, a note in his hands trembling. The canister has a sigil on it, familiar from Finians stories, but you cant quite place it...

>>12368245

Aww shit , finians dad probably wants to murder him or something

>>12368245
Or it's from the person he wanted to show the blade he took to if I remember his story correctly. Wave off the gathering troops, tell them there's nothing to see and then go in and check on Finian. He's way too shook up to leave alone at this point.

You poke your head out enough to wave the gathering men off with a stern look before re-entering the tent, and taking a spare seat near Finian. "40 years I've put my life... my emotions on hold. She told me she'd wait, that everything would go back to how it was. up until last year we sent letters back and forth monthly. I joined the Legion so I wouldn't be tempted to be untrue, stayed aloof... And now she says she's 'moved on'. Found another man, she says, from a more important house. She thinks letting me keep the bird will smooth things over, heh, I hate that thing and it hates me... tries to peck my eyes out every time I see it." He turns his head, seeming almost startled to find you there, a look of utter disbelief and shock on his face, and an unnerving hollowness in his eyes.

>>12368396
Uh, I got nothing. What about you guys?

>>12368396

FUCK her , man , thats it , you , me , and all the other officers are goin' to hit the bars at avensgate and find you a pretty barmaid

>>12368396
Hooboy. The captains in our unit have great luck. Tell the dorf we're sorry for this loss but I don't really see what else we can say to make the guy feel better. He's been waiting for 40 years so he was pretty serious. Only thing I can think of is maybe get him drunk or try to talk some sense into him. Tell him he has a chance to start over and move on now as well. Putting his emotions and life on hold for 40 years - is he really the same person he was when he left and is she the same person? This might be for the best as painful as it is.

>>12368396
Shit, man.

>>12368437
second, "fuck that bitch, I order you to go wenching with aurelius when we get to avensgate"

>>12368509
I think it's too harsh on the guy to say that right now. He's put his life on hold for her for 40 years. Telling him to just say screw her will not work and will make the guy lose it I think.

>>12368509
Except Aurelius is the worst wingman ever.

"This... its been a long time, you may have tried to put yourself on hold but... time changes people. I'm at a loss for things to say, but... if, well, i have a few good bottles of ale if you'd rather just forget it all for a night, I'll have the men leave you your space. Life DOES go on. we dont march until tomorrow morning, I'll have Sansa take over your unit until your feeling up to the task of leading again. You know where to find me." You reply, at a loss for words before leaving the tent, a half-nod the only response you get from Finian. Within half an hour you have the rest of the men warned to give Finian his space, not that you had to once word got around that he just got one of THOSE letters.

>anything else you want to do around camp before you head for avensgate, or skip ahead to that?

>>12368521
True, but it's better that he get over it quick as opposed to moping over it and not being as effective a commander when we get into battle

>>12368556
We need to congratulate Jayne on her absolutely STELLAR performance.

>>12368556
Definitely congratulate Jayne. She was the star of the last battle. That should definitely bring some prestige back to her house when we return from our campaign.

>>12368583

second
also , riding lessons

>>12368556
skip

>>12368610
actuall this then skip

After a little time spent searching you find jayne, and most of her men, still at the smithies tend, fixing the myriad damages their armor and barding took saving their lives. Jayne is near the front, still in the simple, formfitting cloths she wears under the leathers she wears under her armor (think tank-top and gym shorts, but with a modest cut, one piece sewn together than cut to fit type deal), the former hanging on a line near her tent, soaked with sweat and blood, the latter sitting on the forge being repaired. "COmmander" she acknowledges you, saluting "Sorry for my less than decent state, I just got in from the last search for fleeing raiders... and considering how many men walk around in thier undergarments, I thought it would be acceptable for me to be one layer of clothing from that. What did you wish to discuss?"

>you'll need to roll to convince her on the lessons

rolled 8 = 8

>>12368715

BEAR RIDING IS GO

>>12368715
You and your men are the best investment I made on this mission by FAR. Seriously, when we get back to the Capital I'm going to write you a review so shining you'll be able to READ by it.

I don't know if we even want to keep bear cavalry with us. They're stellar in the mountain terrain but if I remember the map correctly, a lot of the empire was more open terrain. We might want a more traditional cavalry unit for ourselves/army when we're able to support our own.

>>12368751
Second this. Praise this lady and her men big time.

"First and foremost I wanted to congratulate on a job VERY VERY well done by you and your men last night. You and your men were an excellent investment. Second... I have a request of you. Would you be willing to, well, this is somewhat embarassing but I failed the riding courses in the Academy... I just couldnt handle horses you see the smell of them I -"

Jayne laughs, cutting you off "Of course, I'd be happy to teach you how to rise an Uursan, I'll teach you on one of the backup mounts I brought along for my unit. and no, I wont charge you... unless you prove to be an especially difficult student. Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about? Or were you just buttering me up again hoping to get something for cheap?" she teases.

>>12368787
Excuse me but allow me to reiterate, IT'S MOTHERFUCKING BEAR CAVALRY!!!!

>>12368855
Yes it is, but I'm thinking more in the long-term here. I'm assuming on average we'll be in more open terrain, where more traditional cavalry will provide a greater speed benefit. Plus, I bet bear cav will be a lot more expensive than traditional cav.

>>12368838
I can't think of anything else to say so I guess just leave with an appropriate response that teases her back and skip to the next day?

>>12368891
Yes, but the bears are a LOT more heavily armored. Just sayin'.

>>12368915
Fair enough. I guess it's a choice of do we want a mobile battering ram or a faster unit for precision strikes against key targets. To be fair, we should investigate into what kind of other cavalry there is before automatically deciding on bear cavalry. We did see raptor cavalry at one point from mercs if I remember correctly.

>>12368944
We will have all of the cavalry. All of it.

>>12368958
I like the cut of your jib sir

>>12368958
If that is even possible, that won't be for a long time. Do remember we charmed Jayne into giving us a discount on her troops and it still cost at least 1/3 of our requisition money.

"No, I do believe that will be all" you manage to choke out maintaining a straight face... looks like she's wise to you game now, haha.

In the morning the townspeople are gathered, a stocky brown haired man seems to be in charge, and is doing an admirable job of keeping the civilians at a pace with your column. Finian is walking off by himself, fingering a shard of jade in his hand, the eagle circling above him, confused by the fact that he hasn't returned to his usual roost above the Duchy. Jayne is walking slower than she normally does, teasing the limping Aurelius with her generous hips, making every step sensual, the human ladiesman grimacing in pain trying to not loose sight of what must be a lovely view.

By early evening you reach Avensgate... and are shocked by what you encounter. The walls have been breached, by themselves. Its as if one segment of wall rose up in violence against the other, there are smoldering buildings everywhere... the city was not sacked but it was most certainly bloodied badly.

>>12368984
I was prophesizing. It's GOING to happen. The only variable is how long it will take. Eventually we're going to be motherfucking GENGHIS KHAN up in this piece.

>>12369006
Holyshittheyhavesorcery.

>>12369006
That explains what the local governor has been up to... Does it look like the city still has hostiles in it? If not, we advance in and find out what the hell is going on while the civilians wait outside.

>>12369031
What was your first clue, the magic amulets that killed our prisoners?
>>12369006
Move in, secure the city. Find out what the hell happened here.

>>12369039
it doesnt appear to have any hostiles in it, jsut a lot of scared people scurrying about. the only properly razed areas are the garrisons and the Regents manor. the vibe of the townsfolk is defianately not positive, but the larger area and taller walls seem to be giving them some false comfort at the moment

>>12369006
Well now.

Have the scouts and hunters canvas the city, bring back reports. Start forming up the main body of the army to enter the city.

>sufficient hartiris
Good thinking Captcha, you can never have enough.

>>12369072
Then we should march in and try to get some order amongst the population. Find out who's in charge/who's the highest ranked person left and see what's what.

>>12369066
That could have been explained as them unearthing magic amulets. This is Saruman shit.

>>12369072
So, whoever did this didn't want to take or destroy the city, just neutralize it as a threat.

Hmmm. We'll need to find out what happened exactly before we decide to stay.

>>12369113
Also we need to seriously up our guard/scout postings. If someone is neutralizing Imperial forces before they can move against them, we're in serious danger of ambush.

You have Sansa lead the Hunters and Scouts through the city ahead of the main force, and set Jayne and her men to sweeping the streets in the district you are entering through more thuroughly.

there are hardly any survivors, nothing was stolen from this place, it seems they were attacked to send a message of some sort. The few survivors have a feral look about them, sprinting from building to building, hiding in dark places where they have preserved and horded food. It looks like the Regents Manor was the last hold-out, judging by the piles of bodies surrounding its burnt skeleton. The attackers removed their dead from the city, but judging by the ammount of blood on the dead soldiers weapons this was not a victory cheaply bought.

>>12369153
If they can pull off stuff like this we're going to need reinforcements.

>>12369168
Someone has to be willing to talk. Try to get some of the survivors to talk to us, letting them know we're here to protect them. Was anything taken from the Regents Manor/obvious message left in it or was it just burnt and everyone in it killed?

>>12369173
It'll take too long to get them. Maybe send word back to the empire about what we've found but we need to handle this before it gets worse. The longer we let these guys run around, the more troops they'll get under their command and the more locations they'll attack.

>>12369168
okay let's find what passes for an authority figure in this place and get a briefing

>>12369226
I think all the authority figures are dead by now.

>>12369196
Sending word to the Capital was really what I was getting at anyway. Also, this brings up another concern of mine. They is a very large number of raiders on the way to join the rebellion. And who knows how many joined up before we got here. It seems this rebellion is magnitudes more dangerous than we initially believed.

>>12369168
Brave men, all of them. The question facing us now is, when we find the perpetrators, do we crucify, impale, or burn?

>>12369244
Simple, we butcher them like the animals they are.

Now now. We need to try to bring the leader alive back for a proper trial. In regards to the rest... We'll decide based on how many people are left alive when we beat them on the field of battle. Also guys, start thinking of how to deal with sorcery...

I would advise against sending back to the capital until we know what the enemy force is like. It could be that they were severely weakened by taking this city and only managed to do so with magic.

No need to torpedo any political aspirations by requesting aid when we could have handled it ourselves.

>>12369266
IS there a counter for sorcery in this setting? Or do we just have to kill him before he can do anything?

>>12369249
Nononono, we don't give these dogs an easy death if we can help it. I favor impalings, along with keeping a few alive as mobile chow for the Uursan.

>>12369240
We DEFINITELY need to send word to the Capital about this. We also need to find out if Highpass got hit similarly and what the Governor there is doing about these raiders.

>>12369275
Oh definitely. I just meant send a message back that this rebellion is a little more serious than we were informed about/they were aware of. It helps for them to have an idea that things might not be as simple where we are than they thought.

>>12369189
after a while searching you find two things. Sansa found a spot in one of the cities courtyards a place where several corpses had been dragged about in such a manner as to leave a strange sigil on the stone.

You found a survivor that seems to have retained his ability to speak, a young boy, still gripping a dagger as tightly as his small fingers will allow. "Th-They came in the night" he stutters "They had a great brazier that was unquenchable, after they tired out the soldiers sending criminals and raiders at them... they sent ghosts. Huge black lizzards with black blades... they killed everything. Then the Dwarf with the bright blue tattoos had them take all the bodies out of the city to burn. Then they all left... everyone but me..." the boy wnaders off again, but one of your men grabs your arm.

"Commander, Collin has returned with the men he took with him." the soldier replies before turning to head back to the main body of the maniple

>>12369275
A fairly major city with troop garrisons was overrun using apparent sorcery, our superiors need to know about it asap. We don't necessarily need to request reinforcements but we DO need to tell them about this threat, remember our original mission was just to find the magic artifact, not to wipe out raiders with sorcerous support capable of something like this.

>>12369283
How about we burn out their eyes, cut out their tongues, and put them in the arena?

>>12369301
Disrupt the sigil? Don't know if it's a trap, though...

I guess we know why they're calling for bandits to come north.

>>12369301
Well Collin went near Highpass so hopefully he has news there. We better talk to him ASAP. Any of our men/dorfs know that that sigil is?

Also, are Lacterans black skinned and the kid just confused them for ghosts or are we dealing with the supernatural here?

>>12369301
>Suprisingly tough raiders are only cannon fodder.
Implications, unpleasant.

>>12369319
Then unleash Uursan upon them? Genius!
>>12369350
Same question, did he mean they sent ghosts AND black lizards or was he referring to the Lacterans as ghosts?

>>12369350
He said black blades, which is the obsidian blades the lizards use. It was just Lacterans using the human scum as a meat grinder to tire the defenders out before attacking.

>>12369357
Indeed. I'm thinking I'm glad we brought two Legions, we're gonna need them at this rate.

>>12369363
He said huge black lizards with black blades. Not sure if the previous ones we fought were black skinned or not.

>>12369350
Lacerta are usually "earthy" greens browns and yellows, colors most common in swamps... but they are also quite fond of warpaint.

There WAS sorcery in the First Age, but that age ended 5000 years ago, sorcery died with the last of the elves born in that age about a thousand years later. There are currently rumors that the gods and magic are returning to the world, and up until recently you had written them off as exactly that.

The temples of the 10 are all but abandoned, and there are very few people still religious, almost no solders, and none of the men under your command. But they all agree its some gods icon, they just dont know which.

>>12369389
Write it down...actually, write one half down on one sheet of paper and the other half on another. We don't want to be carrying the full, complete symbol with us but we're gonna want to be able to refer to it later.

I'm tempted to say disrupt the sigil... I have no basis for this in the setting but part of me is wondering if they're placing these sigils across villages they burn down to do some big ritual. Ask around our men to see if they spotted these sigils in the other burnt down villages we came across. The scouts came across at least.

>>12369344
no leave that shit alone, I don't know if it's a trap or not but it's not a risk I want to take

Anyone recognize that symbol? I tried google to no avail.

>>12369435
I've got 9 more in my binder, one by each of the gods I came up with for this setting

>>12369432
Order some of the villagers we brought with us to wash it away. They can make themselves useful and it won't be using our men if it pisses off a god.

>>12369452
Oh, they're original, damn. I was hoping I could figure out what's going on.

>>12369465
No. Let's not do that just yet and if we are going to disrupt it, we do it ourselves. I think taking out this gods current champion/agent in this part of the empire will make us his enemy anyways so washing away his sigil won't make much of a difference if we do decide to do it. I still want to see if our scouts saw this in other burnt down villages.

>>12369481
Agreed on both counts.
>>12369465
Fuck no. They have no reason to follow our orders and we're gonna be killing this asshole's minions anyway. Keep back from it in case it is a trap, but our own troops are gonna be breaking this damn symbol.

Actually, I say we personally break the symbol.

"What the fokking hell happenhed here?" Collin asks, tossing you a package "Dispatches and letter from DragonsReach for ye. Highpass was sealed up tighter'n'a ticks arse. They got refugees campin out outside the walls... damn near shot at us at first, didnt let us in the city just threw this damned package at us an told us to fuck off. All the goat paths were blocked up, save for one... only me'an me boys know about that path though. Went to tha spot on tha map yer man marked, they camped a few miles upstream... theyd walked through it for at least three miles though. Headed off in two direct'ns, towards the two sets'a ruins yer men marked, massive fokkin' melts through the snow with each group. Sorry Command'r, 'ts all th more I could find out for'ya" Collin reports, glancing about the ruined city nervously.

>>12369481
Man, that's retarded. I don't want Justinian to be godcursed for being a moron. Who goes around poking things with sharp sticks when they can order someone else to poke first with no dangers? Caeser sure didn't run around going "Hey, I will be SUPER NOBLE WOOO!"

>>12369515
Sigh. Well, let's see what they sent.

>>12369515
Salvage from the city whatever we can and try to get the more feral survivors to cooperate if we can. I say we read what Collin just gave us before we decide to do anything to the sigil.

>>12369515
So, they split up. I guess sieging them is out because if we lock one down the other will just bail it out and I'm sure as hell not gonna assume we've got enough troops to trap both groups.

>>12369519
We shouldn't ask our men to do what we wouldn't do ourselves. Also, I'm going from the perspective that until recently magic and gods did not exist and for us to suddenly be fearful of curses and magic just seems a little too quick to me.

>>12369519
We're the goddamned commander, a commander does not order his troops to risk being cursed by a dark god and expect to keep command unless he's shown the troops he's willing to do that kind of thing himself.

>>12369515
Well, guess Highpass is safe until further notice.

>>12369550
I'm more interested in how there are melt marks in both directions... As far as we were told, there was only one magic artifact stolen so either they're doing a lot of moving around or they have more than one. I think a siege is out of the question - either we'll get attacked by both armies as we wait them out or the other will get away. It'll be bloody but we might have to assault one location and siege the other.

>We shouldn't ask our men to do what we wouldn't do ourselves.

Why not? We wouldn't go scouting because we don't know how. We wouldn't ride uursan because we would get eaten.

So we wouldn't disrupt a god's sign in the middle of a campaign because we need to command. That's just how it goes, an enlisted soldier is expected to take the hit for the commanders because the commanders do things they can't.

>>12369588
There's a difference in not doing things that require specialized training and something like desecrating a gods sigil. Our army definitely doesn't have a unit trained at that so there's nothing stopping us from being able to do it just as well as others. To ask our soldiers to do it makes us look afraid and that'll lose us a lot of respect amongst the men. Anyways, we might not even do anything to the sigil yet.

>>12369610
What should we do about the villagers we brought with us? I'm thinking they aren't gonna want to stay here. Direct them to Highpass maybe?

>>12369626
Probably. I was thinking of sending Jayne over the pass Collin knows about and have her harass any raiders and crap they come across while we march around the mountains. It'll hurt to lose her cavalry but it might be beneficial to have her running around in that rough terrain hitting key targets. Alternatively, maybe we should send out scouts across the pass to gather intel on the enemy movements/forces/etc. If we do do that, the civilians can go with them I suppose.

>>12369576
They have entirely too much magic on their side.
Ok, review session.
We are outnumbered.
The enemy cannon fodder is unusually tough and has high moral.
The enemy has a sorcerer capable of destroying the walls of a city.
They have elite "ghost" units of the "perfect warrior race".
They seem to worship a dark god of some sort and are using the slaughter of towns in some sort of ritual.
This is much more dangerous than we originally thought. The Preator should be notified of these developments.

>>12369645
Are we truly outnumbered though? Their victory here cost them a lot it seems. Can we ask the kid how long ago the attack occurred or can we tell based on how the city looks?

>>12369610
What? It makes us look afraid? Ridiculous. Soldiers follow orders, and just because they are ordered to dig a latrine doesn't mean the commander is afraid of digging the latrine. It means he has other shit that he should be doing.

We are commanding the force, if we get cursed that's an impact on the entire army. If a few men (just let the peasants we picked up from that village do it) get cursed instead that's not nearly as dangerous to everyone. I can't believe you are actually suggesting possibly compromising the entire army's strength by getting us cursed over a few men.

Lead by example and do everything they do is noble, but it's only a hard rule in squad level command. Sure we fight, but we don't lead the vanguard. Alexander the great led charges. He also died from battle wounds and had his empire crumble.

You walk up to the sigil on the ground, and drag your foot through the outside line of the daimond. You feel two new presences focusing on you, one dark, malicoius, and irked by your actions. The other warm and welcoming, that seems to approve of your logic behind breaking the mark yourself. "I want all of these marks broken or removed. Imperial law marks this city as a warzone now that it has fallen, and as such the Emperors Legions have priority to any valuables that may be obtained therein. I want our stores of food restored, and any good ore gathered for our smithys. Someone tell the villagers that Highpass is a safe place to take refuge... they don't want to follow where we're headed." By nightfall your weeks worth of foodstuffs is back up to a months worth, your ranged soldiers all have a tripple portion of ammunition, and you finally have time to read your dispatches.

- The truce with Uurlanth has been ended, and fighting has commenced. Complete your mission and return to DragonsReach with all due haste. three score of Endless Torches that can be lit from the Eternal Brazier have been reported stolen from Lowpass. Recover or destroy these artifacts as well. Any surrendering criminals are to be brought to DragonsReach to be given the chance to enlist in the Legion or perish.- the letter bears the seal of the Second Praetorian, and does not leave a good feeling in your gut.

>>12369667
Our Empire has believed magic and the gods are dead in this world. It would look really odd to our men if we suddenly show great fear at this sigil when our people don't even believe in gods - what happened to the walls could be due to an artifact of some kind, rather than it being direct sorcery/magic.

Regardless, if the gods are back and real, I'm sure the gods have rivals amongst each other. If we declare war on this god by desecrating his sigil, we might get some divine help from another god.

>>12369677
Looks like we are on our own.

Time to be a tactical genius.

>>12369677
How many torches would be needed to sustain a normal unit of lacterans? Please don't say one torch per unit...

>>12369677
Praetorian,
While I shall destroy this rebellion with all due haste, there are some *developments* I should inform you of.

>>12369677
Aw shit.well, we definitely can't call for reinforcements now. I'm in favor of
>>12369642
if we send both scouts to explore and Jayne to hit any targets the scouts can pinpoint. The rest of our troops should get headed up to where the trails split, we can decide then which way to go.

>>12369725
one torch has enough heat to keep about 15 Lacerta at combat efficiency.

>>12369760
That's 900 Lacerta. I have no words.

>>12369760
And I believe a score is 20? So they have 60 torches and can in theory support up to 900 lacterans? Holy hell...

Obviously we keep one scout unit with us but I suggest we send scouts up north to determine which temple is smaller or less fortified/defended. We should strike that one and then hope to siege the other/force them to engage us rather than marching into them. Of course, we should probably take care of the nearby camp first.

Has scavenging arms and armor from the slain garrison provided enough equipment for any noticeable upgrades to any of our lighter units?

>>12369760
So 900 Lacertans plus however many can stay near the Brazier itself. Fuck.

>>12369783
Not to mention any raiders, poachers and dorfs that are still with them. We're definitely in trouble... We might want to see if any of the civilians want to join us in this fight or get help from Highpass but I don't think we can rely on that...

I'd suggest that we not split our forces at all, if we move somewhere we move in force.
Captcha: for datilion, you bet captcha REMEMBER DATILION! ALWAYS!!!!

>>12369804
Yeah... Sending Jayne on her own might not be a good idea now. We'll still need to send out the scouts for intel but I don't think we can afford to split our army until we have a better idea on where their troops are.

>>12369781
you could refit the 65th Scouts into Dwarven Rangers:

Dwarf Rangers: ++++, Chainmail, Crossbows, combat/climbing picks, battle axes.

and thats about it at the moment. the 65th has the skill, would lack some of the more outstanding woodcutting and mountaineering abilities that Rangers normally have, but the survivors of the unit are the best so they would learn pretty fast... especially if you helped train them at the deforestation/fortification skills rangers are known for

>>12369817
That's got my vote.

>>12369817
Let's do this, we might need Rangers as head deeper into the mountains.

>>12369817

Have them upgrade their equipment to this "ranger" level.

find out if any members of our army have experience as lumberjacks or building field fortifications. If they do, have them share this knowledge with the squad or just have them join the new ranger unit.

Any equipment upgrade is plus if the 65th is forced to bear another charge or engage in a charge.

>>12369783
>>12369778
>>12369774
as for fighting from the Brazier: its big and unwieldy, takes 20 abnormally strong Lacerta to haul it around. fighting FROM it is an act of desperation, it is the heart of their camp and survival in the north, they will DEFEND it but cannot use it very well offensively.

Would they lose their scouting ability if they're Rangers? I think we'd be fine with the 1 scout unit and the hunters but I just want an idea on if they'd still be able to fulfill that role.

Well, it's been a spherical object, but I gotta sleep. Remember guys, real threads never die even when they 404.

>>12369868
>>12369850
>>12369843
"Kyria, what would you say to commanding a Ranger battalion instead of a Scout battalion? you ask the dwarf point blank at the dawn of your third day in the city, still trying to come up with a plan. Most of the townsfolk have fled, but about 100 strong men, about a quarter of the adults from the village have stayed around, after rumors of what you would be facing reached the civilians camp.

"I'd be honored Commander... when will the unit get here, and who will lead the 65th?" She asks, her usual optimistic smile plastered across her face.

"The 65th will become the Ranger unit... we'll be receiving no help from DragonsReach. Have your men go to the scavenge house immediately and change out their gear... I do believe that the Ranger units are only up to the high 60's, so you can keep your unit number. I will be instructing them on the finer points of erecting fortifications every morning until further notice, you will be in attendance as well. I have planning to do, dismissed." You give the bubbly dwarf a salute and turn back to your disheveled table, discarded plans littering its surface

>>12369950
Hookay... We strike the nearby camp that the raiders mentioned the night before. No point leaving that standing and it might have intel we need. From there, we need to scout the two ruins and determine if one is smaller or easier to assault. We hit that one first, hard and fast. We can't perform a prolonged siege in the event we get pincered. Then we deal with the others. That's what I think we should aim for for the moment until things change. Opinions?

Also, I have to hit the sack. I almost died today from staying up too late following this last night so I will see you all next time whenever that is.

>>12369885
they still have their scouting capabilities, they just have more piled on top of them. Its a rarer unit, normally only the best of Commanders are allowed to requisition them, raising one in the field not only gets you the unit guaranteed, but it looks DAMN good on a service record

>>12369950
Let's organize the volunteers and get a leader for them, preferrably one of their own. I assume they can form an undersized, undertrained Light Infantry unit if they equip from the salvaged weapons?
(Light Infantry: +++. equipment varies. Harassment/faster attacks (150 or so head))

are the 100 villagers offering to enlist?

> menstea command

The captcha supports our cause, I imagine.

>>12369995
I'd actually recommend making them a ranged unit rather than light infantry. Maybe basic archers. They lack the training for them to be used as a proper front line unit. They'd break far too easily. At least as a ranged unit, they'll remain in battle for longer.

>>12370001
yea, thats why they hung around. and it is gettin late, once you guys know what your gonna do with the villagers lets call it. saturday at 8ish again for next time

>>12370004
Go to sleep, you!
Good point, though. LEt's equip them as archers and keep them back, I imagine villagers like them would know how to use a bow for hunting and we have the entire city's worth of scavenged arrows.

Thread archived.

>>12370036
>>12370004
archers it is then. It doesnt take much organization... in fact Sansa does most of that for you, while you, while you work through your command staff fishing around for ideas. this is gonna be a very tough battle, thats for sure.

>thats it for tonight, I'm beat. MULTIPLE battles saturday, someone archive please

>>12370024

Do we have the equipment to possibly integrate them into our legionary forces?

If not, could we equip them as a light infantry force with bows? Even inexperienced men could be used as skirmishers so long as they don't attempt to hold their ground.

>>12370077
Awesome, looking forward to Saturday then.