>>12951673
Silently move over there, and pop up behind the Legionnaires.
"Is there a problem here? Wulf?"

Go check on what Wulf thinks is so important.

>>12951685

Let's not.

We should watch abit more. We won't always be there to hold his hand. It's good character development.

Watch from the shadows. If he can't convince them to stop, then we step it.

>>12951714
Really? While I agree with character development, it seems that a stalemate has already been reached and our interference is needed.

>>12951685

seconding

>CommanderQuest XXX

XXX huh?

do we finally bed sansa?

>>12951733

If he can get them to back off, the soldiers will take him more seriously next time.

Only if it starts to become physical does it become imperative that we step in.

"The commander left me in charge of this, so thats an order, soldier." Wulf adds, his gaze never moving from the larger man. the second legionnaire grudgingly salutes and turns to leave, his companion however, does not.

"What seems to be the matter?" you ask, announcing your presence. "I heard this disputes start from across the camp." you add, after acknowledging the salutes, the younger man looking suddenly apprehensive, the larger sweating profusely.

"I, I found something that I think may be of importance going through the bodies of the slave handlers, Commander. I thought it best to save the corpse so that I can show you in the morning. The men you left me to oversee the policing of the corpses thought otherwise, the situation has been handled." Wulf replies, his voice carefully metered.

"Very good then. I would expect the men you're overseeing to follow your orders. Since I'm already here, you might as well show me what caught your interest."

Hopefully that gets the message across to this soldier.

>>12951800


good work men, i'll see you on the morrow

now, what did you find wulfe?

>>12951800

"I see. What was that which you wanted to show me?"

Later when we're done, dismiss the men with light punishment, cleaning duties for a day or something. Impress on them the need for discipline and following the chain-of-command.

Before we dismiss them, tell them to inform their superior of their punishment for us. Just trusting them to deliver this will nullify some of the ill feeling they will harbour as well as signalling to them our trust in them.

>>12951819
Agree, but take out the part about expecting the men to follow Wulf's orders; imply it instead.

>>12951842
I wanted to imply it but I couldn't think of a decent way to do that so I agree with that idea. Just not sure how to word it.

>>12951800
It would have been better had you called me to show me immediately.

Can't have rotting corpses lying about, after all now, can we?

Now what is it that you think is so significant, Wulf?

>>12951836
They were trying to ensure proper disposal of dead bodies, I strongly oppose punishing them for that.

>>12951858
"Very good, then. As long as it's been handled. Now, since I'm already here, show me what caught your attention."

>>12951872

Not following the chain of command, since Wulf was left in charge, is a serious offence.

Light punishment is getting off easy.

>>12951836
The two legionnaires were attempting to carry out a General Field Order, and shouldn't be punished for trying to carry the commander's order versus a conflicting one from someone who's not even gone through the Academy.

>>12951889
As I understand it, Wulf is a part of our Retinue, not a commissioned officer in the Degnarian Imperial Legions.
If he's not a commissioned officer, then those soldiers would be in the right to ignore his orders and instead follow a General Field Order.

>>12951907

I'm following off :
>12951800
>"The commander left me in charge of this, so thats an order, soldier."

That some time ago we placed him incharge (Out of thread), making the soldiers answerable to him.

Unless hes bluffing?

"Very good, I'm glad that I can trust my men to follow whomever is put in command of a detail they are tasked to. It would be unfortunate if I had to dole out punishment for such a trivial manner." you reply, dismissing the soldiers. "Now, since I'm here Wulf, you may as well show me what it was that caught your interest." you add as the soldiers walk off.

Your ward noticeably deflates as soon as they are out of eyesight. After a deep sigh and slowly shaking his head he looks back up to you, more or less the same resolute young man you saw standing before you moments ago. He toes the corpses arm, so that a tattoo on the inside of the forearm is visible, it is in the likeness of an ebony hammer over an anvil of blood. "I saw several other slavers with this tattoo amongst the corpses, more than a few had the black star and bloody hammer painted or enameled into the chainmail beneath their plate." he informs you, nodding his head sideways towards a smaller pile of armor, the young man suddenly silent.

>>12951940
Do we recognize the emblem?

>>12951940

what does this mean?

>>12951940

Pic please.

And his thoughts and inferences.

Better to get his brain thinking first before we say anything.

>>12951956
>>12951951
>thread V, you en countered raiders with this emblem. They were in Khaless' employ

God symbol, right?

>>12951984
No it's not. I think this might be some sort of organization. Maybe a sort of medieval megacorp with interests in war and slavery? A sort of dark ages war profiteer?

>>12951940
"Good. Now, let's see what you've gleaned from this. In your opinion, what is the strategic significance of these raiders being the same ones that were employed by Khalless?"

If they're here, then it's possible that the Second Wife has entered this conflict. Otherwise, it means that Stant has hired a band of slavers and raiders as mercenaries.

>>12951940
We'll need to make a not of these for the meeting tomorrow night.

Have Wulf prepare illustrations of the emblems he's seen. In case we don't recognize them we need to pick our captains' brains.

So, agenda for the meeting tomorrow night:
1. Debrief Sansa and Laelith on the respective away missions.
2. Brief the nomad leader on our plan to attack the enemy on the Festival of the Black Sun (also, on Blackbird's raiding efforts, don't want any friendly-on-friendly incidents).
3. Demonstrate the use of the NV paste Blackbird showed us using the sample we got from the physicians.
4. Pour over the intelligence that the RapidRider scouts will have brought back by then.
5. Formulate an attack plan.
6. Ask around about the emblems we found on the slavers' bodies.

And then afterward we hit on the girls.

Tell Wulf he did good to show this to us, and uh... practice your command voice. Speak from your chest, not your throat. Let it reverberate. Have him copy down the symbol and task him with asking our other commanders and retinue about it, as well as the prisoners. I think this would be a good task to give him to help learn about vital information gathering.

>>12952017
Shouldn't we hit these points first thing tomorrow morning, instead of leaving them for nightfall?

>>12951964
>>12951984
>>12952002
Could be some kind of secret society involved with mysticism and the arcane.

The symbols might indicate a base in the Dwarven Duchy lands.

>>12952017
We also need to train with Laelith in combat. It has been a while since we worked on our spear skills and she even commented that she needs to work on hers as well. It can double as a bonding time, but I personally think it would be smart to do it and improve both our skills. She was pretty wasted after melee last time and we are constantly stabbing things.

Plus, time with one of our ladies.

>>12952028
We need to wait for Sansa to get back, and allow her some time to get rested before the meeting.

Also, waiting for night time would allow us an opportunity to demonstrate the NV paste.

>>12952017
Let's do some of this during the day, how about? Why save it for the night? Also, I agree with letting Wulf take care of the emblems. We don't have time to micromanage everything. Time to train him to do some stuff for us.

Pax, can we get a full map of the places we've been to?

All our other maps have been piecemeal and I'm having trouble piecing them together.

Also require a clarification on your maps. You usually have a light blue background surrounding the area you want to show. I used to assume they were the sea but I see it's wrong. Does it just depict areas you don't want to show yet?

>>12952052
Valid points, but it still feels like we're wasting an entire day.

>>12952059
Second this. Guys, how about we try to get our retinue to start doing some of this trivial information gathering work for us? Doing everything ourselves is going to slow the quest to a crawl.

>>12952028
>>12952059
We need to check up on Janos and Kaitlyn in the morning. We'll likely also need the time to make arrangements should they make their decision to defect.

And like I said before, Sansa will only be arriving tomorrow. This'll be a general staff meeting.

>>12952052
Then we just spend time with Laelith training, debriefing, and flirting until Sansa gets back. It's a whole day of that. Also I disagree with divulging the plan to the Nomad leader yet. We should do it before the attack, but not long enough that any nomad spies could sneak back to our foe.

We should also ask Laelith for an update on Cornelius' situation at some point if we don't get updates from the other commanders soon. I'm curious to see if things are going as well for him as he claimed. That and I want to see if he gave her any problems, considering he wasn't a fan of us.

Do we have our own Guard to aid us with this? either official defensive units or hired weapons answering to us

>>12952091
You mean Jayne?

>>12952099
Laelith. She went to his front to assist against that air elementalist in the valk unit he was facing.

>>12952044
Agreed. If we can schedule a session tomorrow, lets.awn

Gentlemen, we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Investigation first?

Else we'd better dictate what to do with the bodies.

I'd say, get Wulf to put aside the bodies and their equipment. Hopefully tomorrow we can get a good idea of who and where these vile vermin came from.

You think back to the raiders, odd... "Good work Wulf. Copy down these emblems and finish up your task." you reply "And for your command voice, speak more from the chest, not the throat. I expect the illustrations ready by evenfall tomorrow, and as accurate as possible. Any ideas you have on their significance will be appreciated by then as well." you reply, clasping your ward on his shoulder before making for your tent.

Sleep comes easily for you. Early in the morning however, you find yourself awoken by a mighty metallic clatter. Once the racket dies you hear the clang of a small foot connecting with metal, followed by a series of angry sounding noises in a shrill whistling, clicking language you dont understand. After dressing yourself you walk out to see the sun just beginning to rise, and Degrian still spouting what you can only assume are expletives, standing over a pile of metal and wood that can only have been a miniature wagon, barely reaching Degrians head at its tallest. To the east the first rays of red light are gracing the sky.

>>12952107
Ah, was mixing him up with our commander Cornelius.

The problem is that without some kind of assurance, what's to prevent the nomads from going rogue and attempting to rescue their kin on their own?

>>12952121
"Problems with creating the new wagon Degrian?"

>>12952121
Kicking it doesn't generally help, Degrian.

>>12952128
Let's wait and see how they act first before assuming that will happen. If they actually did go rogue to try to save their kin, they'd be utterly retarded to do that. If he comes up to us soon and demands more info, perhaps we can do it then but I'm with those who think we should keep it under wraps just in case. This plan is too risky to let slip to our enemy and it's out best chance to harm them a lot on our terms.

>>12952121
"Ah, I see you're working on the prototype for the mechanical wagon. How goes the work, Degrian?

>>12952128
Nothing, but it will be their choice. They can either be smart and stick with us -- the people who saved them and are assuring them that we will rescue their kin -- or they can be hotheaded and go die. To be honest, if they are stupid and uncontrollable enough to charge off like that will they REALLY be an asset in the coming fight? They would likely break ranks and throw our forces into disarray if they can't even stay put and wait for an assault.

>>12952067
>orange dots are your camps, brownish ones major battles. Red = Degnar, blue = Uurlanth, yellow = Guild Lands, brown = Duchy trade cities (the nation is under the mountain range

"So Degrian, how is the mechanical wagon working?" you ask the Kaskyana engineer as you approach him.

"Thought had found solution. Was wrong." he replies, his capability to speak in the modern tongue clearly degraded by his frustration. "Next trial will work more, inertia difficult to control, wood not strong as metal." he kicks the device again before walking over to his board and parchment. "Did I wake you?" he finishes asks, scribbling at his pad furiously.

"And half the camp as well I would imagine" you reply in good nature.

"Early start good for military operations." he replies jokingly. You open your mouth to reply, but are cut off by a handful of screams emanating from your small forts walls. you look up to see three scouts and two legionaries falling off the wall, single arrows protruding from their heads or chests.

You sprint up to the wall, glad to see no more casualties "Glass!!!" you order, holding out your hand, a few moments later cold brass fills it as you recieve the telescope. You scan the horizon, until you see a group of no more than six figures, barely visible in the morning light, their cloaks the color of the tall grasses of the plains, though flashes of brown leather with hints of sky blue can be seen through the cloaks periodically. Already the attackers seem to be joining a group of similarly garbed figures. With this much of a head start your chances of catching them are slim. Were that you were better prepared.

>>12952282
Earth spikes. Not tall ones, just short sharp ones. Screw up their feet but don't kill them.

>>12952282
well, shit

if we cant catch them, then i guess double the wall patrols and get on with life

>>12952282
Crap. Looks like Stant is pulling out all the stops and got ahold of a spec-ops unit.

Get a medic up here to see if any of the sentries are still alive and can be saved.

Are the Rapid Riders able to sortie out and attempt to attack that unit?

rolled 87 = 87

test roll

>>12952282
>>12952321
Are they still within elementalism range? If so, we should attempt to capture them by collapsing a large pit underneath their feet.

Send orders to do controlled burns on the grasslands out to a distance of 500 meters. Not even elves will be able to get accurate bowshots from that distance.

>>12952329

Sounds good.


>>12952321

Stab their legs.

rolled 23 = 23

>>12952335
Ok my rolls still suck for this quest as I've never gotten below 60 so far.

>>12952282
Crap. These are those Elven archers we've been dreading, no doubt.

Likely on either a recon mission...or something else.

Have the men check the premises. Be wary of any traps they may have left behind. Let's find out what they were here for.

>>12952344
>>12952341
>>12952329
>>12952327
>>12952321
the camp is mostly asleep as it is sunrise, and yea, these guys are waaaay out of elementalism range

>>12952342
Agreed. That should what our soldiers are occupied with during today; turning the entire area outside of our fort out to a distance of 500 meters into a no-mans-land of pits, tiger traps, and burnt grass.

rolled 32 = 32

>>12952344
You cant run with the earth fucking your ass!

>>12952360
Okay, time for preventative measures then. The controlled burns out to 500 meters is a good idea, do that. Make sure we have a bunch of scouts and rangers out there with crossbows to shield the people doing it, though. Make sure they know to keep a sharp lookout.

Shouldn't take more than a day and will immunize us from stealth arrows to the head.

Then let's go do our talk with Jayne about her unit until Laelith wakes up, then we can debrief/train/flirt with her.

>>12952360

Curses. Rouse the medics and Jayne.

We need to save those men.

>>12952360
Oh, nevermind then, well in we're in range of arrows, they're in range of Crossbows, wake the rangers!
Where is our usual escort of Shades?

>>12952387

Oh wait, how bout our longer ranged ballista?

There should be a duty team on standby.

If so, order them to open up.

>>12952360
Get the medics and the surgeons up; we need to save these soldiers so that we can find out if they saw anything.
We may need to wake Jayne, to see if her life elementalism can assist with the surgery.


We need to check the fort to see if that spec-ops team did any kind of sabotage, stole anything, or set any kind of traps.
Check the prisoners, but do it quietly, to not arouse their suspicions.

>>12952342
I agree to this plan of setting up a kill zone.

Though we may want to adjust the disguise of the traps close to our fort, if we're gonna burn down the grass for several hundred meters out.

I suppose we could have Laelith do it. With an escort, of course.

>>12952397
That reminds me, given the fact that the enemy has such good archers, we ought to have shields on those ballistae , to protect the gunners.

>>12952445
What we do is we have the soldiers create the traps, with varying levels of camouflage. Some obvious ones, and the non-obvious ones located where the you would have to go to avoid the obvious ones.
We have several teams, an entire shift, sleep in.
At night, we have them put the NVG paste on, and create even more traps, which we will then go out and cover with earth elementalism.
This way, if Stant's spec-ops team is staying out of visual range and continuing to monitor our movements and defenses via hidden scouts with telescopes, they won't expect this second set of traps.

You fire off your signal ring, three times in the direction of the retreating archers, once at the tower. The heavy repeaters take a few moments to find their targets, then the two operating balistae start arcing fire at the retreating group, though between the extreme range, and, judging by their speed; elves increasing distance at what is no doubt a dead sprint you doubt any of them were struck. At the foot of the wall you can hear your surgeons rushing to the bodies. By the time you make your way down the wall they are lined up, eyes staring lifelessly into the dawn sky. Between the cloaks, longbows weilded by elven archers (and the possibility of their having arrows produced to extend flight time) you have the sinking feeling that the only reason you saw the attackers this morning was because they were under orders to allow you to see them. Nonetheless you order a group of riders and scouts to look for any clues to their intent.

You see a groggy looking Jayne, and a curious Laelith approaching you.

I nearly forgot:

Pax, can we get an estimate on Lord Stant's forces given his casualties after the last battle?

I'm not sure if I kept an accurate count.

>>12952473
Agreed. They need to be protected so they can continue to bring their volume of fire to bear.

>>12952529
Extreme range that modified balistea couldnt reach but longbow men could?

You could at least give us a roll.

>>12952556
Special elven longbows?

>>12952556
soldier reaction times, they were already running flat out, and had scattered. the balistae had range, but didnt land any shots (there were 10 guys tops, spread out and running like hell, and yea I did make a roll on my end (consider the computers my gm screen for things that need rolling in the blind))

>>12952570

Or some form of elementalism.

We need to go to find our merc elf captain to find out what exactly could get that sort of range.

>>12952556
I presume they had long since moved out of their own firing range since they were running.

>>12952529
Brief them on what's up. Also, get to cracking on having the men work on those precautionary measures. Laelith will probably speed things up with her abilities.

Let's have breakfast and then make the announcement for the staff meeting tonight.

We ought to check on Janos and Kaitlyn latter in the morning. Let's be courteous and knock first. ...Or what ever you would do before entering a tent.

Well then. If they're that accurate at long ranges, I don't see how the hell we're going to beat these archers without taking massive losses in our next battle...

I think we should speak to Laelith about her elven kin and ways we may be able to deal with them. That and just get more details on what went on with Cornelius' front.

>>12952610
Seconding all points, and please include ordering the mass manufacture of the NVG paste, enough for at minimum, 2 continuous nights of usage for the entire maniple.
We'll need some made for the trap-layer teams tonight, as well.

>>12952633
We should be careful with how much of the paste we use. Do remember it can cause permanent damage with excessive use and we should really save those uses for the next week.

>>12952619
Yeah, that troubles me as well. Hopefully they don't have large numbers of Elven Archers. If they are present at the next battle I think the only thing we can do is make sure we keep as many of our men out of range and send the velociprey cav after them

>>12952686

2 units of 150 elven bowmen.

We're in abit of a pickle.

>>12952680
Yes, which is why I stipulated only 2 days' worth. We definitely need to keep our doctors working on this stuff, coming up with safe schedules for use. Such as how long a person needs to go without using the paste after 2 days, before they can do another 2 day stint.

>>12952686
Sorry to burst your bubble but not only do they have two units of elven archers, they are sized at 150 men each. Better archers than ours and bigger unit sizes. Stant still has trump cards up his sleeve sadly.

>>12952686
>Hopefully they don't have large numbers of Elven Archers.

Yeah, uh, according to the intel we got during the previous threads:

>2x Elf bowmen: 150 strong 300/300

So yeah.

>range Fiurde

>>12952686
Honestly, I don't see what we have at all that would be useful for dealing with the elven archers. They're going to be behind enemy lines so our legionaries can't approach them easily and cavalry will get picked apart trying to approach them. I also imagine they have greater range than our ranged units so they're not going to be useful unless we don't mind them getting whittled down like mad with the mass archer fire.

>>12952723
At present, the only way I see of dealing with them is slaughtering them in the night, while they're sleeping.

Night terror mission?

Take small groups of prisoners and send them towards the enemy camp. Sound the trumpets to confuse the prisoners and the enemy about the situation, while our raiders burn whatever we need burned on other places

You sigh as you approach Jayne and Laelith "Archers. they struck our watch, five dead." you inform them, both look concerned, but continue to listen. "Laelith I'm going to need you to oversee the creation of a 500 yard dead-zone outside of the fort. I want grass burnt away, and for you to work with Degrian and Kyria to set more traps. You can do the burning by day, but take care not to immolate any existing traps. Jayne, inform the captains that there will be a command staff meeting this evening." you order, wishing Sansa were back already.

"Why 500 yards, captain?" Laelith asks, clearly searching for clarification, not questioning you.

"Balista can reach 500 yards, albeit without accuracy. Our repeaters can only reach 400, but I dont want our foes to know that. If they are in fact elven archers and I remember my numbers correctly they can fire a flight arrow to 500 yards as well, but are only man accurate at 250. I wish to deny them the ability to safely draw on my guards with any accuracy. If Stant wishes to continue this game he will need to risk more than a handful of men." you reply. Laelith nods understandingly before leaving you for the front gate.

>so, Janos and Kaitlyn then?

>>12952746
One potential idea but it's really out of our hands on if it'd work. Wulf needs to become a lot more skilled with air elementalism and use wind to cut down their range/accuracy. Maybe even extend the range of our arrows with the wind if that's possible but I doubt it. Otherwise I agree but that's going to be next week at best.

>>12952754
>post took a bit due to using wiki/tweaking for setting shit, dont be petrified, just afraid.

...

Swamplizard's toadstool

>Elves get drunk off of smoking it

Gentlemen, we'll be literally throwing pot at them.

Chemical Warfare fuck year.

>>12952754
Yes, check up on those two. But don't mention Stant's spec-ops team or the death of our watchmen.

>>12952771
... We need to confirm if that would work but that just might be brilliant. Burning toadstool might have to be directly inhaled as in smoking rather than just having burning forms of it flung at them.

Also, yes let's go see the two love birds.

We still have to go say hello to the noble son we're attempting to defect and tell him his cunning brother lost, quite badly.

Readjusting traps will be an excellent tactic, and Can we look up in the sky? or did we kill All the sky knights? Did we capture any of them?

Why're we completely throwing all our ranged units out of the window as well? Kryria's modified crossbows in the hands of our own specialized soldiers, that can also have a high rate of fire, not to mention our siege placements, meaning catapult and balistea (which we would have more in the coming future) we should be able to say Fuck You to that smug elfs! Dwarf Power!

>>12952771
We would need to move a ballista or mangonel into range, though.
And there's still the issue of getting enough of it that it could actually affect an entire section of a battlefield.

>>12952785

Was thinking more of burning it in clay pots and flinging it at their formations with our catapult.

When they burst at their feet, they'll be breathing it in anyways.

And with that I bid you all good night. I need sleep. 10 page paper to finish up tomorrow. Keep fighting the good fight.

>>12952750
can we merge this with our plan to rescue the captives

>>12952811
I rather not. If we spring an assault on their base, it will ideally be when their forces are lured out of it and in that case we want to hit hard and fast rather than alarm anyone there something is going on.

>>12952754
Breakfast first. (Have some sent to them as well.)

THEN we check on them.

You make your way over to the block of small wooden cells you had constructed for high value prisoners. You knock on the only one occupied "I will be entering shortly, and would prefer some decency from the two of you." you announce, before proceeding to wait for a handful of minutes.

"Did you come to bring us breakfast?" Janos asks, a series of muffled giggles emits from the enclosed cell. No doubt they recognized your voice...

>>12952848

unless you want your breakfast to include your own teeth, i'd suggest stowing the insolence

>>12952848
"Indeed, among other things. But I am pleased to hear such happiness in your voice Janos, can I take this to mean that you have come to a decision as to your father's letter." or something to that effect

>>12952807
Hmm. We need to test how much of this inhaled would work on the elves right? As amusing as it is to suggest it, maybe we should ask Laelith to test this with us to see just how much inhalation is needed to cause an elf to go drunk from the effects... If it's too much, this plan won't work.

>>12952878
Whoa whoa whoa. After the way we've been speaking to them, that's suddenly too aggressive.

"While I'm glad you two have been enjoying your time together, at least try to remember you're in prison and not on a honeymoon. I'm here to tell you your time together is almost up."

I assume that's why we're here at least.

>>12952878
Now, now. Calm down.
We've been wearing them down slowly with our 'Senator Palpatine' routine.
We don't want to go Darth Vader on them. Doing so would destroy our progress up to this point.

>>12952878
Jeeze, hostile much?

The guy was just making a joke. I suggest we return with one of our own.

>>12952900
>>12952901

I know, I know

the little bastard got to me for a couple seconds there

>>12952925
Also, have the men bring us some breakfast.

When they're decent we can eat with them.

>>12952931
I find the concept that Justinian secretly hates and despises his prisoners but does the whole humorous friendly troll thing as part of a manipulative ploy incredibly awesome. Your reaction is Justianian's first reaction, and everyone else's reaction is his conscious mind restraining himself.

>>12952962

so Im the hate-filled and violent voice in justinian's head?

fitting

"No," you reply as you enter the cramped cell, the couple dressed and propped up against the back of the cell. "but I would be willing to break my nights fast with you, should your manners remain amiable." you reply, signaling for the couple to follow you. They look more than eager to leave the cold cell for one of your more insulated tents.

Once the three of you reach the tent and you have arranged for food to be brought, it is Janos who breaks the silence. "Will you truly be sending Kaitlyn off with the other prisoners?" he ass.

"Unfortunately, yes. I cannot hold this many men at the front, and it would be improper for me to keep one with my camp for the benefit of one of my prisoners." you reply, adding a hint of sadness to your voice "I truly am sorry that it must be this way for the two of you." you add.

"I, well, it seems to me that the war will be long, and if my release is not to be until the end of it..." Janos lets his sentence trail off, judging by his face he has many things on his mind, most of them recently resurfaced no doubt.

>>12952962
We are becoming more and more sideousesque as this continued
>imokaywiththis.jpg
>lituffi defence
yes, captcha, we must consider lituffi's brilliant writings on defence

>>12953059
"I can't send you back with the rest of the prisoners if that is what you were thinking. If Lord Stant changes his mind, you'll need to be here. Besides, you may have other company soon in the form of your siblings after how the last battle went."

>>12953059
"Well the way your brother has faced me, he'll either die horribly as I smash through his lines yet again, or go into a hit and run battle for years. Your brother, has a quite, Sickening sence of humor, sending essentially slaves to my lines to fight as their women and children are held hostage back at your camp. Course, I'm sure you already knew that." Say with a hint of anger, biting into an apple quickly, "I'm rather hurt that you didnt decide to share that with me. They turned on their handlers you know, They could see who would win, especially when each one of your eagles fell to the ground dead in a heap."

Pause.

"Now, was there anything you wanted to share, ask?"

>>12953059
Look at him expectantly, then say "...then what? There is unlikely to be a better time to speak, should you have any requests."

Guys, what exactly is our goal here? Are we trying to just hook him up with his girlfriend in order to mess with how our enemies' noble things work and gain divine favor, or are we actually trying to get him to turn to our side and give us advice on how those of his nation think, or the specific personalities of those involved, or other military intelligence? Because the latter seems like a much more worthy goal, but also much more difficult. And we'd need to move on it probably this conversation.

>>12953132
I had assumed trying to recruit him but maybe I was wrong on that part.

>>12953129

i endorse this

i endorse this as if my life depended on it

>>12953059
There are courses of actions that can be taken that can... Hasten your release. Although they will not be likely to curry much favor with your father.

>>12953108
Seconding this one.

>>12953132
I was intending for the latter, though if the former also occurs, I won't complain.

>>12953129
I like this one, it is excellent.

You take an apple from the bowl that was sitting on the table "With how your brother wages war, I will either slay him as I smash his lines next we meet, or continue these piddling hit and run skirmishes for years. " you announce, allowing Janos to agonize over his own thoughts "I am surprised that you found my humor the other day so, distasteful. Considering your brothers. Sending slaves to assault a fort, while holding those dear to them prisoner." you take a quick bite from your apple "I am hurt that you neglected to inform me of them, to be honest... I thought we were closer than that Janos. They turned on their handlers in the end however, seeing those Valkeries fall from the sky dead must have convinced them of who would win out." you finish the apple.

Janos mumbles something that you cant quite hear, and Kaitlyn elbows him, the look she sends his way clearly reprimanding him for not speaking up. He looks at her and shakes his head, denying her unspoken message. You are about to ask what Janos had wished to say, when Jayne enters, with enough food for four.

>>12953295

ah, jayne! you came just in time to hear what janos has to say to me

>>12953295
"Jayne, how lovely you're here, pull up a seat, I could use a Noble's ear in this conversation." Go ahead and pat the seat next to you with a smile, completely different from the stern look you were giving Janos moments before.

"Now Janos, I couldn't quite hear that..." Back to the stern, "Speak up."

Ah, Jayne. Glad you could join us. Thank you for the breakfast. Have you been practicing your cooking?

Give her a winning smile and maybe a peck on the cheek.

>>12953295
"come Janos, speak clearly so that we can get past this unpleasantness and break our fast in a manner more suited to four friends, if you will allow me to presume the title."

>>12953295
Has Jayne been introduced to them? If not, this would be the opportunity to do so, making full use of her title and Janos'. Re-emphasize that Janos is awaiting but unlikely to receive random his intro and will be staying for the foreseeable future, and introduce "the lovely Kaitlyn" in a way that's respectful but emphasizes the fact that she's nobody and not going to stick around. Just to twist that particular knife in the pair of them and hopefully prod them into doing something about it.

Then mention that Janos was just telling you his thoughts on the situation with the nomads and their families. See which way he jumps.

>>12953346
Second this I suppose but not overly stern. Don't want to be too harsh and damage all the work we've done so far.

>>12953346
Supporting this, but maybe lighten up on the sternness.

>>12953372
Ooo, we could also say 'how sweet their relationship is, a simple soldier has captured the heart of a noble' With a Very, Big, Grin.

>>12953423
I like the cut of your jib sir.

>>12953423

add appropriate eye-lash fluttering

>>12953423
I dunno, that sounds rather...insincere, if not a bit dickish when you say it like that.

I propose simple introductions, as well as prodding Janos for what he was going to say.

>>12953470
>>12953469
That's because i forgot the Eye fluttering, thank you evil voice.

>>12953470
I agree. We don't want to go overboard; we want to stay subtle, so that Janos continues under the illusion that his choices are his own.

>>12953470
I'm going to have to agree with you on this one.

>>12953502

its not a slight on them, its a hint towards jayne you dense sprogs

eye-lash fluttering makes everything less sinister

"Ah Jayne, I'm so glad you could join us." you greet her, pulling out the chair next to you "Have you been working on your cooking then, or simply come to join us for a meal?" you ask, giving her a light kiss on the cheek as she sits, causing a slight blush to rise to her face. "Ah, but my lack of manners seems to have embarrassed you, my apologies. Lady Jayne Garlian, this is Janos Stant, fourth son of Lord Aaryn Stant, upon his eventual ransom he will be wed to Wendis Osbirith. I'm not sure how familiar you are with Uurlanthi nobility Janyne, but his father has arranged for him to marry up." you introduce the lordling "And this of course is the lovely Kaitlyn, a member of Janos' personal bodyguard, and I suppose our prisoner for quite some time, considering the letter Lord Stant sent." you introduce the women, giving Janos a sympathetic look as you do so.

"Are you betrothed to Justinian then?" Kaitlyn asks, reading rather deeply into the manner you greeted Jayne, and the fact that you pulled her seat as close to you as the captive couples seats are. Jayne looks from Kaitlyn to you, her face like that of a deer frightened beyond motion, clearly unsure of how to respond.

Once again, can I request an update on the estimated enemy numbers, Pax?

Because I'm pretty sure I got SOMETHING wrong:

Elf Skirmishers: DEAD

2x Armored Sergants (pikemen): initially 200 men strong 80/200

2x Knights (Valkeries, horses): initialy 50 men strong 55/100

Levied Halberdiers: 300 strong 200/300

Levied Swordsmen: 300 strong 300/300

2x Elf bowmen: 150 strong 300/300

Longbowmen: initially 200 strong 80/200

Mounted men at arms: initially 150 strong and fought as two seperate wings of 75 105/150

Footslogging men at arms (heavy armor, shields and maces): 150 strong 80/150

5 mercenary units, all medium infantry or better: two destroyed by traps, one fought, was 200 strong initially. the other two are at least 150 men strong 2/5 (300)

>>12953547
>you over-guessed the mounted men at arms by a little over half. otherwise your nearly spot-on.

>>12953579
So how many of them would there be left?

>>12953543
"I would say such a thing is impossible to consider at this point. Jayne is from a noble house with a well known reputation while I'm a commander on his second campaign and nothing beyond that. From what I've been lead to believe, the results of my first campaign weren't seen as impressive by a number of the nobles in the empire."

>>12953543
Give a laugh. "A commander as young as myself couldn't possibly wed a lady of Jayne's stature at this point in my career- and politically betrothal would be quite similar. It would be a poor move on both our parts. No, I am merely exceptionally fortunate enough to have her company."

>>12953599
>40ish

>and, response?

>>12953543
"No, nothing like that, the empire is much more liberated when it comes to matters of the heart. We are, at least to some extent, allowed to marry for love and failing that, concubines aren't frowned upon nearly as much as they are in more... Prudish societies"

>>12953600
Let's go with this. It moves the focus to Justinian and makes him look humble and a bit self-deprecating.

That is good, because it helps keep Jayne from talking about her noble house's less than prestigious current status. Also, we can avoid an uncomfortable discussion of Justinian's womanizing ways.

>>12953600
Talk about throwing a wrench in the presumptions I like it.

>>12953543
"I met Lady Garlian on searching for noble cavalry to use in my first campaign, She quite literally fell into my lap and was hired within minutes. But no, I've not yet know Jayne for long, and I am... taking it slow."

"But we are going off subject, Janos. You were saying?"

>>12953600
Mixed in with this of course, very nice.

>>12953543
Not yet, I am afraid. Lady Jayne is the inheritor of her house, and there are certain ah... complications that must be addressed before marriage vows are exchanged. Fortunately she is a goddess of patience and forbearance and does not hold these delays against me. *wink*

We can't just beg off saying we don't have the status to marry her, guys. We're a legion commander. I imagine we could marry quite high in the nobility from that alone.

>>12953614
Ah, thanks. Changing my records to reflect that now...

>>12953646
First, any "yet" talk implies that we intend to do so, something which we cannot do to our relationship with Jayne. Second, legion commander is decent status already, but it's one with very powerful upward mobility- the longer we wait, the more attractive the prospect of someone wedding us becomes (as long as we can avoid fucking up). Saying "we can't wed her at the moment for status reasons" means that we're planning to play the political game for a while and gain in power before disposing of the option to marry as an available tool, not that we don't consider ourself worthy.

Jayne will understand that, even if the people from a different culture miss the subtext.

>>12953646
umm... Perhaps I am missing something but I was under the impression that we hadn't proposed to anyone yet. Or is this merely for Janos and Kaitlyn's benefit? On the subject of marriage, I am for marrying Jayne, provided Sansa is willing to be a concubine.

>>12953681
Astute observations. I was gonna mention something along those lines that as well.

That's why I say we ought to go with something along the lines of Maximus' suggestion.

>>12953693
I was thinking the same thing, but including Kyria and Laelith, since I believe the consensus was go for BEST END.

"No, such a thing would be impossible to consider at this juncture in our lives. As Jayne is the head of her house, and I am but a Maniple commander just into my second campaign; whos first was not well received by the nobility." you reply "While the Degnarian culture is far more, liberated, as far as marriage is concerned, than yours; allowing for choice at the very least in the form of concubines should a marriage be arranged for you, that liberation is by no means an excuse for one to hobble another social by entering a marriage at a, disadvantageous time. Especially when the couple in question are both in possession of certain amounts of power." you reply, playing the patient host. "Now Janos, I do believe you had something to say about your brothers use of slaves in battle?" you add, pushing the conversation back in the direction you want.

You look back from a now very relieved looking Jayne to your prisoners in time to see Janos and Kaitlyn exchanging glances, the latters clearly readable as 'what did I tell you?' or some variation thereof. Janos clears his throat, glancing from his love to you several times "Well, I, um... you never asked, Justinian..." he replies a look of terror on his face.

>>12953726
Hell, Im all for having as big(and multi-cultural) of a Harem as possible;)

>>12953764

they were your family's slaves, weren't they?

>>12953764
I say we be silent for a couple of moments.
"Never asked? Of course I wouldn't of asked. The enslavement of people and forcing them to die to defeat a foe is a damn war crime in the empire. I didn't think my opponent would resort to such cowardly tactics and unless you saw no problems with ripping people away from their loved ones and forcing them to die against someone they have no business fighting, you should of damn well told me. Honestly, I had hoped you didn't know about it since my empire very well could demand I put you on trial for war crimes after this campaign is over."

Heh, I wonder if he'll get the connection of ripping people away from their loved ones with his own situation with Kaitlyn. Not sure about that last part since it might make him go back to his father but it might also make him ask us for protection and thus defection?

>>12953764
"ah, very well then. However, I am asking now, if there is anything you can think of about your brother's style of command that would be helpful for me to know?" Perhaps imply that the more cooperative he is, the longer we can manage to keep Kaitlyn around.

>>12953822
>>12953817
Combine these two suggestions.

>>12953764

"And you never asked on how much of a happy life you and beloved could have in My Empire, but I decided to be Helpful and tell you. Far be it from me to separate loved ones, especially hold them hostage without rights. Do you have any idea what your men could be doing to those women and children back at your camp! Their Husbands and sons are sitting in my camp, waiting for the chance to fight for their loved ones. While you do Nothing to help me, to help you, to help Her!"

"What does that say Janos?"

"why would I have asked? The Empire looks on slavery as one of the most deplorable acts a man could sink to... even most of the larger cities in your Kingdom eschew it... To rip one from his loved ones, force him to fight a war he has no business with, is almost as cowardly as the act of taking a mans choices in his life is abominable. And now, I feel that I must ask you, friend, for your own good mind you; as I would be forced to take you to trial if you had prior knowledge that this tactic may be used. did you know that your family was going to use slaves in battle?"

Your brief tirade left Janos looking ashamed and frightened "No, I did not expect my father to risk such a..." Janos suddenly looks ashamed "profitable catch." he replies, you can hear Jayne shifting in her seat next to you.

>if your gonna directly ask him to help you against his family roll for it

rolled 81 = 81

>>12953885

rollin'

rolled 66 = 66

[Be nice /tg dice.]

>>12953885
"Janos. Though your family's crimes are great, there is still the chance at redemption. For them, and you. Especially, you," looking to Kaitlynn, "and your future."

"But I need you to help me, Your standing by my side, would be more then a boon to the Empire, to our morale, and would turn the tide of battle, in an instant. Join me, Janos. Join, The Empire."

>>12953885
Honestly, I'm against asking him to help out in this manner. If we can convince him to join us, he'd likely help us then wouldn't he?

>>12953928
>>12953935
one more for a botch

rolled 97 = 97

>>12953935
Well that wasnt very nice, i mean, we do have a botch dice saved for this session though.

>>12953928


why?

WHY!!??

rolled 8 = 8

>>12953941
Argh... Noooo. You guys are going to ruin all the work we've done by doing this.

rolled 56 = 56

>>12953948
WHY!

maybe a bonus... a Big bonus, for the right speech?
course some people are still typeing i bet.

>>12953885
Look, now is not the time to ask him to help you against his family- instead, keep pushing his buttons. We need to get him into a situation where he feels that he owes us something. Something more than petty comforts and the chance to fuck his girlfriend a few times, that is. Once he's got the sense that he's in our debt in a significant way, THEN we call in favors. Just telling him his culture is doing a monstrous thing and he should therefore help us kill his family? Not going to fly.

>>12953956
I'm not gonna bother typing something up now that you guys went ahead with this roll... Next time at least get a consensus or something? I seriously think this is going to botch everything up but whatever. Too late now except to see all that work go down the drain.

>>12953968
Erm, in case it wasn't clear, I meant keep pushing his buttons to get him to request that he and his girlfriend get given special treatment of some kind, to make him feel that we're treating him special/doing him favors. Or that he's asking a lot of us, something for which it would be reasonable of us to demand some small recompense... like a few simple bits of military intelligence.

I don't think we should ask him to work against his family until after he has requested asylum. It could be a condition for his new life, to prove he is sincere.

"Is there anything else you wished to share, or ask me?" you reply hoping for some form of aid against Morwayne and Aaryn.

"E-everything my family employs is a trap in one way or another, I... I cannot bring myself to... I seem to have lost my appetite, and fear that I may incriminate myself or... cross a line I could not return from. Would you return me to my cell?" Janos responds, judging by his manner he is being torn asunder by the weight of his situation, and the forces trying to pull him about.

>I took the 8, if you guys had gotten two tiers better on your roll result you could have turned him right there. :(

>>12953981
Exactly what I was thinking...

>>12953984
Let the man go. Maybe we can talk to Kaitlyn and salvage something from this but I doubt it...

>>12953984
"If that is what you want."
Rise, and indicate to the guards outside to have Janos and Kaitlyn escorted back to their cells.


Goddamn, you guys rolled terribly. Get some more consensus before pulling that kind of shit again.

>>12953984
Don't return him to his cell. If he's lost his appetite, he can sit there while Janye and Justinian make bright, cheery conversation with Kaitlyn. He can stew on his own later; for now, we've gone to all the trouble of setting this up and he can watch how kind and charming his captors are... while being reminded of our power over him by the fact that he can't leave.

>>12953885
>No, I did not expect my father to risk such a..." Janos suddenly looks ashamed "profitable catch."

Well, now we know what the Stant's family business is.

>>12953968
>>12953980
I agree. We ought to only ask for him to aid us once we've gotten him to defect for the sake of his and Kaitlyn's love.

In case, let's dismiss him and Kaitlyn, and let them have their breakfast. After this let's check on how the troops are doing on the precautions. Then, we wait for Sansa to get back, great her and then move on to tonight's staff meeting.

>>12953984

sad face indeed, Pax

rolled 55 = 55

>>12953984
"Very well, I'll have a guard bring you back to your cell.

Kaitlynn, could you please stay a moment?"

Well, we just need to put some more work in it. At the rate we've been going it shouldn't take much longer to turn him completely.

>>12953984
>E-everything my family employs is a trap in one way or another
All the more reason NOT to tell the Cossacks about our plans until the hour before the attack begins.

>>12954021
second

"If that is what you wish, then yes. I do believe I will remain and finish my meal with Kaitlyn and Jayne however. Are you certain?" you ask, suddenly glad you had not been more, direct, in your questioning.

Janos looks to Kaitlyn, who gives him a pleading look, and he returns to his seat. "I suppose I will finish my meal." he replies, sitting.

"You said your last campaign was not well received, why is that?" Kaitlyn asks, grasping Janos hand in hers on the table, her knuckles white from the grip. Janos meanwhile is pecking away at his food, clearly considering the line he mentioned, weighing each side of it against the other... realizing just how close to that point of no return he is

>I am asking now, if there is anything you can think of about your brother's style of command that would be helpful for me to know?
>was in a seconded post, with a pretty large gap between the second and my post.

>>12954063
And to summarily execute everyone related to this guy instead of taking ransoms.

>>12954063
>until the hour before the attack begins

Yeah, that's not gonna work out.

I also severely doubt that the nomads will turn on us, considering that the Uurlanthians took them as slaves. More likely the trap will involve Lord Stant using the hostages as bait.

All the more reason for us to plan carefully for the assault. We need to ensure that the hostages are safe and that we don't get caught by surprise when the inevitable happens.

>>12954074
"I had to deal with an exile of the Duchy stirring up a rebellion in the north of our lands. Despite the fact we were heavily outnumbered and facing superior opponents at times, the nobles back home felt we took too long to deal with them. The number of raiders who had some odd emblem on them he called to his side was odd to be honest. I'm still curious how he got all those men to flock to him so easily."

Let's see if Janos picks up on us mentioning those ebony hammer over an anvil of blood emblems we saw on the raiders and slave handlers today.

>>12954076
That's a bit extreme.

I was thinking more a quid-pro-quo agreement. In exchange for NOT hauling them off to the capital to be tried as war criminals, Janos is kept as our captive. (I imagine some sort of staged event where we threaten that they'd likely be executed, and then Janos exclaims that he'll take their place instead to save them. We can call it insurance against any future acts of aggression by House Stant. But considering that his father knew of his relationship, they may see through it.)

That way we can ensure his defection (I assume by that point we'd have convinced him to do it already.)

>>12954074
And in regards to the seconded part of your post, I didn't realize that would result in the big question of making him betray his family that would require a roll to do. I thought it would just be the kind of question where he might give up some information freely at this point and I was against it when you asked for the roll. It's too late now though so it doesn't matter.

>>12954096
Second.

>>12954096
"This is after he attempted a failed rebellion in his own lands. Anyone in his employ proved very dangerous. It would be, quite dangerous to... lets say, let a woman of his into their court."

>>12954096
Seconding this. Let's see how he responds.

>>12954074
"It was a largely internal affair. A man with more charisma than ethics had gathered up a startlingly large number of followers and started slaughtering villages. I put a stop to it... but it's tough to be a war hero when there's no mass of foreign captives and stretches of new land afterward, just the burnt-out shells of those towns I couldn't save. Few wanted to believe the true extent of the threat posed, afterward."

A moment of silence. "My great duty as a commander is to see to the welfare of those under my protection- which is effectively the entire nation, as well as anyone else who requests it. It is sometimes difficult, but I trust that my heart, mind, and reliable companions-" nod to Jayne "-shall see it done, even in the face of the greatest threats."

>>12954096
Seconding this.

Also mention that we got special recognition for that campaign from the Emperor himself. Nonchalantly, of course.

"I was tasked with the quashing of a rebellion being stirred up by a Duchy exile, fully shaven, very ill tempered. He had drawn an alarmingly large number of malcontents to his banner, leaving me vastly outnumbered. Though I effectively dispatched him, the nobility felt that I took too long in my dealing with the rebel. One of the few things that still puzzles me about the campaign is the large number of men bearing a rather specific, and incredibly odd emblem he brought to his side." you reply, surreptitiously watching Janos, who is still brooding.

"Do you think it was Uurlanthian?" Kaitlyn asks, clearly looking for something specific from you.

"No, I know the banners of my foes, and this device was not among them." you reply plainly.

"So, were you lenient with the rebel once you brought him to heal? did he receive the same treatment as Janos and myself, being a prisoner of importance, was his trial a fair one?" Kaitlyn asks, sounding... hopeful; Janos perks up, clearly listening for your response.

>>12954219
"This rebel destroyed many villages and even a major city up in the north. Many innocent citizens of the empire were butchered by his command. Upon his capture, I locked him in a wooden box and brought him to his trial where he was executed by being burned to death."

>>12954245
Gah. Forgot to mention.

"During his trial we went through all his crimes and his verdict was decided by those presiding over the trial. With his charisma, I wonder if he might of been able to get away with it if I hadn't been there to speak against him and what he had done to the empire."

>>12954219
I am afraid he attempted to kill me while he was in captivity. Needless to say, this did not endear me to him and I had to keep him confined until his eventual trial. The courts found that he had made no effort to be anything but an enemy to the Empire and, unfortunately, he was then executed... unrepentant and laughing.

Fortunately one of his retinue was held in thrall, and I managed to save her from the same fate. Unlike the rebel leader, she repented and was given no punishment at all, save a probationary period of three years to ensure she was genuine in those feelings. Indeed, that was most probably a result of aiding me against her erstwhile husband at the time, though I would scarcely call him that after the horrors he put her through. She is now one of my most valued advisers, working towards the benefit of all.

(True, remember the stone at trial?)

>>12954219
"That depends Kaitlynn, has Janos here raised villages to a man? Slain hundreds if not thousands and broken the life of a very fair woman, hired bandits and brigands to attack, kill, enslave, not to mention stolen a quite large amount of arcana from both Duchy and my empire?"

"If he has, I'm afraid i'll have to turn this conversation into a whole different direction. It was really not simple 'rebellion'."

>>12954245
Add in that "This rebel leader ordered the butchering of women, the elderly, and even children. No civilized nation fights in such a manner. He was locked in isolation, not as punishment but as simple necessity, and he was given a fair trial. Considering his crimes, he was executed by one of those he had nearly destroyed."

>>12954273
This this this this! Do it! Super Palpatine!

We could even have Laelith meet them later.

>>12954219
Cold voice. "No. He did not receive such treatment. He had slaughtered entire cities of those citizens I have sworn to give my life to protect. I locked him in a box until I could hand him over, and when he tried to murder me during his trial, I personally ordered him burned alive."

Presumably they'll be looking horrified at this point. Meet their eyes; we are scary Justinian at the moment. "A dark fate is the proper result of dark deeds."

>>12954245
>>12954262
Also mention that he was a powerful elementalist.

Important detail, that.

We may or may not want to mention Laelith. Her example might give them hope that they could live a life in the Empire.

>>12954273
I'm agreeing with this one.

"He was, too powerful, to be treated as well as I have treated the two of you." you reply honestly "I was forced to keep him confined. As to his justice, I gave him over to the Empire for that; however myself and one of my advisers, whom had been enthralled to him until I intervened on her behalf, were present for the trial. He was executed for his crimes, amongst them the sacking of several small villages and one city, all of which had their inhabitants slain nearly to a man by the rebel. It was fitting that one who;s life he nearly destroyed, one that he called wife was his executioner. She was so helpful to me during the campaign, and loyal after the end; to the point of helping me keep her husband confined, that I arranged for her pardon, provided she does nothing to call her loyalty to myself or the Empire over the next three years." you reply honestly. Kaitlyn, whos grip had loosened, gives Janos' hand a squeeze.

"That seems very, magnanimous, of you." Janos replies, after sharing a glance with Kaitlyn, though he immediately goes back to his brooding. You finish your food, and notice that the others have done the same, you will be without a reason to continue this conversation soon.

>>12954419
I honestly can't think of anything else to say at this point. We're not going to get much out of Janos in his current state and anything we ask Kaitlyn is risky since Janos is sitting right here. Should we just let them leave and hopefully they talk to us to keep us here?

>>12954455
Yeah, I think we should let them stew a little more. It seems that Kaitlyn is trying to convince Janos to defect. Let's give her an opportunity to try some more.

>>12954419
"Though in all likelihood things would be much easier for you, you dont seem to have been as, aggressive as that dwarf.

Though I warn you Janos. report say of skills akin to his used on the warfront here. If any of his associates escaped to here, I can assure you that for them it is not with your peoples best intentions in heart."

>>12954419
Now would probably be a good time to move on.

Let's dismiss them, then look at how the precautionary measures are up. Unless anything else arises lets timeskip to Sansa's arrival later in the day. After we greet her, timeskip to the staff meeting tonight.

>>12954419
If we're without a reason to continue our conversation, bid them good day and have them returned to their cells.

The terrible thing about this is that even though we threaten to send Kaitlyn away, we can't at the moment because those elves would raid any prisoner caravan to gain additional troops.

Anyway, discuss the matter with Jayne after they're gone, explain what we're trying to do and get her thoughts on it. Then move on to our other tasks for the day- weren't we going to have a staff meeting, discuss options and plans?

>>12954486
It's actually gonna take about a month for the relief force to get here to pick up our prisoners. We still have a lot of time to get them to defect.

That said, I posted an agenda for the staff meeting here: >>12952017

>1. Debrief Sansa and Laelith on the respective away missions.
>2. Brief the nomad leader on our plan to attack the enemy on the Festival of the Black Sun (also, on Blackbird's raiding efforts, don't want any friendly-on-friendly incidents).
>3. Demonstrate the use of the NV paste Blackbird showed us using the sample we got from the physicians.
>4. Pour over the intelligence that the RapidRider scouts will have brought back by then.
>5. Formulate an attack plan.
>6. Ask around about the emblems we found on the slavers' bodies.

>And then afterward we hit on the girls.

With the warning from Janos we ought to put forward the possibility of a trap during the meeting.

You rise from your seat and bid the couple farewell, reminding them that so long as they are well behaved you will allow them more time together. After seeing both of them to their cells, Jayne informs you that the RapidRiders sent out during the night are ready with their report.

You make your way to where the scouts are waiting, as you approach them they salute. "What did you find?" you ask the scouts.

"Well, only two big tents in the enemy camp, none big enough for a full Lord, likely he went somewhere. Only 45 Valkeries tethered in the camp, an we counted 5 in the sky on our way in. I mighta saw some flying nor'east, but I cant be sure." one of the other scouts elbows the speaker "Oh, we met some of Blackbirds men, they claim to be getting to two in every five wagons, the others are either too heavily guarded or not worth hitting, they claim. Anything else you need to know, sir?"

>>12954524

Wow. 2/5 is pretty good O.o I suggest we bid him farewell and then go with Girder's plan

>yintron actually

Hmmm, Yintrons crashlanding in ancient China and opposed by Yangtrons? Sounds like a concept :D

>>12954524
Any sign of the people who were captured? Also, I imagine the elves have seen our scouts so they likely we know we were scouting them..

Also, I'm still against bringing the Nomads into our general meeting unless they come to us and demand it. If they're content to wait without hearing our plans, it's all good. No point risking telling more people than necessary in this case.

>>12954524
"Yes, i do have one question, How do you think we're doing in this part of the battlefield? Also, do you think we'd be able to get close enough to that camp to poison the birds?

>>12954524
Good to see that Blackbird's doing fine. Did they say anything else about their activities?

How about the nomads being held captive? Are they being held outside the camp like we were told?

Also have them draw an illustration of the enemy camp as best as they can. We'll need it for tonight's staff meeting.

Did we send our hunters out to Stone Fort or are they still around?

> the theops

Captcha calls for the blood of those elven archers through the use of special ops.

>>12954561
We DID promise the Vozhd that we'd tell him of our plans.

It IS their families on the line after all. And having him on the planning table would be helpful, both in terms of gaining their trust, and planning the attack.

We make it clear to him that we need this to be hush-hush and on a need to know basis, though. (Does that sound good to you? Honestly I think we can trust them not to do something that would endanger their families and and help the previous slavers.)

>>12954613
I guess but my main concern is the fact we can likely trust most of them but not all. There might be some amongst them that would gladly sell out the rest if they can save their families. And if this plan fails because of an intelligence leak, we have no other way of hurting them and we'll be forced back onto the defensive game. And I imagine the reason Lord Stant isn't in his camp is because he's finding a way to bring something painful back to fight us with.

"Yes, they are holding the slaves outside the camp. We saw a few groups rush in to try to save their families... they were captured again. I could have a basic illustration ready for you by tonight, sir." the scout replies. At that, you dismiss them.

You talk to your surgeons, having ordering them to start creating the nightsight paste, in a large enough quantity to last the entire maniple two days. as you exit the surgeons tent, you hear the shout that your caravan is returning. Smiling, you head for the gate.

>I'm bone tired, I think I'll call it for tonight.
>someone archive please
>I'll be back monday at 9pm server time, and be around until we get archived if you have any questions.

>>12954636
How bad did we screw up with Janos?
Thread archived.

>>12954673
not terribly badly. Had you been one degree higher in your roll he would have been pissed, but as it is you just made him aware that you would rather he defect than be a "good prisoner" of course, dropping the pretense would still be a horrid idea.

>>12954636
About what time will Sansa be expected to be back?

Besides that I really can't think of anything else. Good session, Pax.

>>12954687
Thankfully I got that 8 then... Otherwise all our work really would of gone down the drain. Since we're on for Monday coming up, does that mean it's back to normal schedule or are things still hectic for you?

Also guys - let's start brainstorming on how to deal with the elves.

>>12954690
her caravan just arrived
>>12954697
yea, things have evened out. I'm down to a speech, a paper a handful of programs and a few self-paced lessons and I'm done for the fall semester (which means all I'll have to do is work, drink, and this for the most part)
...
(well there is partying and warhams as well, but thats kind of a gimme)

>>12954732
Would it be possible to salvage wood from the shield the enemy was using in the last battle? Maybe divide it up and try to make it more man sized so we can arm our ranged units or the light infantry with them so they have some arrow defence during a pitched battle?

>>12954749
that or the forest behind you, yea

>>12954732
What range is out modified catapult?

Can we assist Wulf (bonus now that the Trained elementalist is back) to working air currects, there in boosting the range of out crossbows, While blowing against the arrows!

the cunning son will have to deal with the Fires Of The Empire next battle. With earth wind and fire against him, he doesnt stand a chance.