>>4064223
>The Inquisition kills people for almost any perceived fault. Keep that in mind.

>>4064223
>>The Inquisition kills people for almost any perceived fault. Keep that in mind.
Currenlty they are after us 'witches' but it won't stay like that for long, groups like this need an enemy figure.

>>4064223
>The Inquisition kills people for almost any perceived fault. Keep that in mind.
>They even make up lies to make people kill their own family members.

>>4064223
>>4064321
This.

>>4064223
>>4064321
I'm good with this.

>>4064223
“Just keep it in mind that the Inquisition kills people for almost any perceived fault,” you observe grimly. “Even now their agents terrorize the streets of the capital in the night, and I caught them once spreading misinformation to convince family members to kill one another over the slightest suspicion of yōma activity.”

“Their rule is one of fear, death, and self-righteousness. That is what these defenses are meant to keep at bay… though ultimately, it’s up to you to accept them or not.”

[He looks like he’s going to piss himself.]

Serana’s right. The mayor seems shaken, knowing full well that the town of Scaithness has previously rejected the Inquisition’s agents… as well he should be. But the question in your mind now is how that will influence his judgment.

“I’ll accept these soldiers and their walls,” he declares. “But let us be clear, we would rather avoid any battle at all.”

“Sensible,” you nod curtly, “and I agree with the sentiment. I’d prefer fewer people dying than more as a matter of general principle.”

“I suppose you also want the soldiers to stay here long-term?” the mayor guesses. “Since you Claymores can’t kill humans yourselves?”

“They have their own rations,” you explain, “and it shouldn’t be a problem to stretch them.”

“As for my people?” he asks. “What do you expect us to do in the event of an attack?”

Serana shrugs. [The castle isn’t big enough.]

>We could prepare to evacuate by boat. Stash supplies and horses at the ruins across the loch.
>They would need to shelter in place. Hitting those buildings with cannon would require a logistical and tactical miracle.
>We could select the most defensible structure in Scaithness and have it reinforced against cannon shot.
>Other?

>>4064609
>We could select the most defensible structure in Scaithness and have it reinforced against cannon shot.

>>4064609
>>We could prepare to evacuate by boat. Stash supplies and horses at the ruins across the loch.
this long term
>We could select the most defensible structure in Scaithness and have it reinforced against cannon shot.
short term, or in case of a surprise attack

>>4064617
I'm in with this.

>>4064609
>>We could prepare to evacuate by boat. Stash supplies and horses at the ruins across the loch.

>>4064609
>>4064617
supporting

We're going to have to kill humans eventually

>>4064609
>We could select the most defensible structure in Scaithness and have it reinforced against cannon shot.

>>4064609
>They would need to shelter in place. Hitting those buildings with cannon would require a logistical and tactical miracle.
>We could select the most defensible structure in Scaithness and have it reinforced against cannon

>>4064609
“We could prepare boats to cross to the ruins on the far side of the loch,” you declare. “Stash provisions and horses there. That way bystanders can be evacuated. We could also reinforce a likely-looking building into a shelter.”

“Rammed earth and split timbers?” the kentarch asks thoughtfully. “That way the timber cladding also serves as the framework.”

“That would be ideal,” you agree. “Have the outer layers absorb the impact of a cannonball and protect the stone or brick structure within.”

“Would that be acceptable?”

The mayor nods in agreement. “It would go a long way towards making my people feel safer.”

“Then we’ll work on that at the same time as the improvements to the main gate,” you decide, “since the process is going to be similar.”

[We’ll see how far we get before the Inquisition decides to try stopping us.]

[One step at a time, Serana.]
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 1, 6, 5 = 12 (3d10)

>>4066204

Rolled 8, 10, 4 = 22 (3d10)

>>4066204

Rolled 2, 6, 3 = 11 (3d10)

>>4066204

>>4066204
Work progresses quickly at first. The soldiers eventually construct low stacked-stone huts with waxed cloth peaks, each with a hearth and easy access to a covered latrine line running to a covered cesspit well out of anyone’s way. With the help of you and your cohort of half-blood warriors to cut and drag timber, they also finish putting up the new forms for the rammed earth additions inside the main gate. One outer wall three feet thick and three high set atop a six-foot-thick rampart turns the front gate to Scaithness into one hell of a trap.

One small building, actually a stables, proves to be in a perfect defensive position. Those livestock are relocated, and the stables are made fit to hold evacuees. The outer walls are also reinforced as you had previously discussed.

New stonework goes into the shoreline defenses, making it damn near impossible to deploy cannon there, and a combination of mud and timber alongside low trenches turns the area around the toll gate into more of a defensible location.

But that’s about the point where one morning a patrol drags two badly-battered men before you and the kentarch, each bearing Inquisitorial insignia.

“Spies,” one of the men declares. “We found them snooping around the town gate.”

The two Inquisitorial agents direct venomous glares at you.

>We should question them thoroughly. I’ll leave that to the kentarch to handle.
>They aren’t going to tell us anything. Just lock them up for now.
>Speak with the kentarch privately. This could be a good opportunity to draw out any potential traitors.
>Other?

>>4066230
>Speak with the kentarch privately. This could be a good opportunity to draw out any potential traitors.

>>4066230
>>Speak with the kentarch privately. This could be a good opportunity to draw out any potential traitors.

>>4066230
>Speak with the kentarch privately. This could be a good opportunity to draw out any potential traitors.

>>4066230
>>Speak with the kentarch privately. This could be a good opportunity to draw out any potential traitors.

>>4066230
>>Speak with the kentarch privately. This could be a good opportunity to draw out any potential traitors.

>>4066230
[I need a moment,] you signal to Serana. [Keep them busy?]

Serana nods to you in silence. [I can only promise to try.]

You quickly take the kentarch aside, speaking to him faced away from the prisoners.

“This would be a good opportunity,” you suggest quietly. “To draw out any sympathizers within the defensive lines around Scaithness who might undermine our efforts.”

The kentarch nods curtly. “I like it.”

You then return to the group and the kentarch gives his orders. “Blindfold and gag them. We’ll take them to the barracks and detain them.”

“Yes, sir!”

Once the captives are out of sight, the kentarch turns to you. “Shall we handle it?”

>Yes, please. But be sure that your guard is subtle.
>I’ll send someone to back you up, one of my cohort.
>I’ll go. Overwhelming force if you need me, intimidation factor if you don’t.
>Other?

>>4068195
>>I’ll send someone to back you up, one of my cohort.

>>4068195
>I’ll go. Overwhelming force if you need me, intimidation factor if you don’t.

>>4068195
>Yes

>>4068195
>>I’ll go. Overwhelming force if you need me, intimidation factor if you don’t.

>>4068195
>>I’ll send someone to back you up, one of my cohort.

>>4068195
>I’ll go. Overwhelming force if you need me, intimidation factor if you don’t.

>>4068195
“I’ll go,” you decide. “I can serve as overwhelming force if it turns out you need it, or just as intimidation if you don’t need it. Maybe just the sight of me will be enough to scare any traitors into giving up.”

The officer nods in agreement. “I’ll make the public statements.”

…

That night you find yourself sitting atop the stone wall of one of the barracks structures, waiting under the canvas top like a gargoyle. The space itself is lit by little more than a few candles, not even a hearth that would require tending. It’s cold inside, but the prisoners have been provided with blankets that cover them underneath their arms and the manacles on their wrists, so that they’re unable to hide from a watchful observer.

It’s either very late in the night or very early in the morning when you hear movement outside the building, and hushed, indistinct whispers. The canvas door rustles slightly, before someone outside opens it ever so slowly. They have no idea that you’re watching them even now, eagle-eyed, from the corner of the roofline.

“Here they are!” you hear a man’s voice in a hoarse whisper as two figures cross the room towards the prisoners, who seem to be trying to indicate your presence.

>Knock out the intruders before they realize you’re here.
>Wait as long as you can, see if anyone else comes in.
>Try to quietly slide between the ropes holding the canvas to the top of the walls.
>Other?

>>4068376
>>Try to quietly slide between the ropes holding the canvas to the top of the walls.

>>4068376
>Have the men apprehend them while you search outside for any backup

>>4068376
>Try to quietly slide between the ropes holding the canvas to the top of the walls.

>>4068376
>Wait as long as you can, see if anyone else comes in.

>>4068376
>>Wait as long as you can, see if anyone else comes in.

>>4068376
Will continue tomorrow, until then feel free to continue voting.

>>4068376
>>Wait as long as you can, see if anyone else comes in.

>>4068376
You hold your position, waiting as long as you can with held breath and muscles as still as stones to see if anyone else enters the room. Sure enough one more does sneak in through the flap as the first two intruders begin to realize what they’re looking at in the dark.

Now is the only moment you’ll have, one chance to get this right.

Your knee hits the man immediately below you in the shoulder and you slam him into the ground, guiding his fall perfectly so that he hits his head on the hard dirt floor. The two men in front of you have begun to move by the time you look back up, unable to rush them at full speed… hitting them at that speed would carry a real risk of breaking all their ribs at once, which in turn raises the possibility of bone fragments hitting their internal organs. Even a simple shoulder-blow at that speed could be fatal.

So you have little choice but to shift your body so that the pistol shot hits you just above your left breast instead of in the head, and you simply have to take the hit. But thanks to that the second man doesn’t get a chance to fire before you gently strike him in the chest with your palm. The blow sends him crashing across one of the handmade cots and into the stone wall, while your elbow strikes the first man’s outstretched arm above the wrist. Since the end of the ulna doesn’t compress, your blow struck with it is enough to shatter one or the other of the bones in his forearm.

A low kick takes his legs out from under him and he too crashes to the floor, hitting his head on the edge of the cot.

You take a moment to check that all three are still breathing before seeing what the commotion is outside.

“Two more got away!” one of the soldiers declares. “My partner’s been stabbed!”

“Get him to a surgeon!” you order, “quickly! Others will be here soon to help me!”

The two Inquisitorial agents are still struggling to get free from their restraints, which their would-be rescuers hadn’t managed to even release yet, so you go ahead and knock them both out as well.

…

“You’re bleeding,” the kentarch observes in his quarters several minutes later.

“I was,” you correct him. “I pulled out the ball and closed the wound. Only took a minute or two, it was just a nuisance.”

“And how is your man?”

The kentarch’s face is unusually expressive, perhaps thanks to the dancing light of the hearth… that is, if “grim” can be counted as “expressive”.

“He was dead before he hit the ground,” he declares. “His body just took a while to realize it.”

“Heart?”

The kentarch nods.

>No retaliation. Understand?
>The first of many I’m afraid. This is a crucial moment for all concerned.
>I was hoping to avoid casualties, at least as long as I could.
>Other?

>>4070013
>>I was hoping to avoid casualties, at least as long as I could.
i can understand how hard this must be, but
>No retaliation. Understand?
We can't be seen escalating at the moment

>>4070013
>The first of many I’m afraid. This is a crucial moment for all concerned.

>>4070013
>The first of many I’m afraid. This is a crucial moment for all concerned.
>The first arrow or rather bullet has been fired. No doubt the Inquisition will try to escalate things from here onwards.

>>4070013
>I was hoping to avoid casualties, at least as long as I could.

>>4070013
>The first of many I'm afraid.

>>4070013
>>The first of many I’m afraid. This is a crucial moment for all concerned.
>I was hoping to avoid casualties, at least as long as I could.

>>4070015
>>4070013
In with this, I don't think escalation is a good idea.

>>4070013
“The first casualty,” you muse sadly. “I know that men dying in war is the first rule of wars, but I was hoping that we could delay this a little longer. It’s a crucial moment.”

“How so?” the Kentarch asks.

“We need to decide what to do now,” you explain. “I know most in my cohort would choose to spare human lives on principle… but we’re not the ones in charge.”

“From the military perspective they know too much,” the kentarch observes.

“And from the political perspective showing mercy can have a strong impact,” you counter, “not the least of which because of the religious connotations. It gives us a chance to show the enemy who we truly are… are we proud and forthright, or are we craven and cowardly?”

“You forgot practical,” the kentarch shakes his head.

“Define practical,” you counter. “Many options can serve many ends.”

The kentarch nods thoughtfully. “What did you have in mind?”

>An open public tribunal. Put them before the whole of Scaithness to present their cases, and let the whole of Scaithness decide their fate.
>A trial of peers. Find a few neighbors who don’t know them well, present them with the evidence, and ask them to decide if a crime has been committed and whether there is a suitable punishment.
>Exile them. Gather their belongings in a few carts and get them out of here before things have a chance to get ugly.
>Other?

>>4072364
>>An open public tribunal. Put them before the whole of Scaithness to present their cases, and let the whole of Scaithness decide their fate.

>>4072364
>Trial of peers

Gathering everyone seems impractical

>>4072364
>>A trial of peers. Find a few neighbors who don’t know them well, present them with the evidence, and ask them to decide if a crime has been committed and whether there is a suitable punishment.

>>4072364
>>A trial of peers. Find a few neighbors who don’t know them well, present them with the evidence, and ask them to decide if a crime has been committed and whether there is a suitable punishment.

>>4072364
>>An open public tribunal. Put them before the whole of Scaithness to present their cases, and let the whole of Scaithness decide their fate.

>>4072364
>Trial of peers

>>4072364
>An open public tribunal. Put them before the whole of Scaithness to present their cases, and let the whole of Scaithness decide their fate.

>>4072364
>An open public tribunal. Put them before the whole of Scaithness to present their cases, and let the whole of Scaithness decide their fate.
But first check the population's sentiments, because if the tribunal exonerated them that would be just embarrassing.

>>4072364
>A trial of peers. Find a few neighbors who don’t know them well, present them with the evidence, and ask them to decide if a crime has been committed and whether there is a suitable punishment.

Calling it, will update again around 10am PST.

>>4072364
You decide on something rather unusual. Normally in Hazaran a local administrator serves as a justice of the peace when someone breaks a law, collecting evidence relevant to the complaint and deciding on a list of punishments. But these are far from normal times. The town of Scaithness is in a position to deal with traitors within its midst, five men who have taken it on their own initiative to help hand the settlement over to the Inquisition’s authority. In other words, to expose their own neighbors to the madness that the Inquisition’s zealotry brings in its wake.

There’s really no regular law for that, and so what sort of measures you make up in this critical moment will have a lasting impact for the region and its people.

The members of your close cohort interview around town that day, finding three men and two women who don’t know the five would-be traitors and bringing them to the town’s small public forum where the usual shop stalls have been cleared out for the purpose.

It’s on you to address the assembled crowd, curious and restless as they are, while the soldiers stand vigilantly behind the chairs set out for the five accused and the two Inquisitorial agents. The latter two have been bound and gagged.

Of your cohort only two have come to watch: Valentina, whose Hazari heritage has left her intensely curious about the proceedings, and Laura. The others remain on their guard at the castle.

You clear your throat loudly.

“Last night, there was an incident,” you declare. “Five men from the town entered the military camp with the intention of freeing the two Inquisitorial spies. I was shot in the scuffle, but for me it was a mere nuisance. One of the soldiers who apprehended two of these suspects, who had fled the scene, was not so lucky. He was killed.”

There’s a loud murmur in the crowd as you continue. “These events are not in doubt. The accused were apprehended in the middle of their scheme, caught quite literally red-handed. The next step in this process rests with the five of you who have been selected as jurors.”

“You will hear the evidence and testimony of witnesses to these events, and you must decide if they rise to the level of a criminal offence against the citizens of Scaithness, what their most likely results would have been had they succeeded, and how each man who stands accused of wrongdoing is to be dealt with.”

You next have to make an honest admission. “I… don’t actually know how this will turn out. Criminal cases have never been resolved in such a manner in Hazaran, or anywhere else to my knowledge… only civil disputes.”

“But we do not find ourselves now in normal times,” you conclude. “Military justice cannot be applied to civilians in a time of official peace, nor is it appropriate to veil these events from the public whose safety was put at risk by them.”
>1/2

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>>4073503
“Mister Mayor, please prepare to register pleas. Defendant One, Mr. Blaken,” you declare, turning to the accused, “you stand accused of trespass, interfering with a military operation, and negligent endangerment of the public. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty!” the man insists.

“Defendant Two, Mr. Pierce, you stand accused of trespass, interfering with a military operation, and negligent endangerment. How do you plead?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Please record that as “not guilty” for the record,” you instruct the mayor. “Defendant Three, Mr. Hakkon, you stand accused of trespass, interfering with a military operation, negligent endangerment, and the involuntary murder of the soldier Hastus Grimnes. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty to the first three...” Hakkon replies, looking downcast, “but guilty to the last.”

“Please record that as “not guilty” to trespass, interfering with a military operation, and negligent endangerment of the public,” you instruct, “and “guilty” to the count of involuntary murder.”

“Defendant Four, Mr. Blackstone,” you continue. “You stand accused of of trespass, interfering with a military operation, negligent endangerment of the public, and of being an accessory to the killing of Hastus Grimnes. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty!” the fourth man shouts. “I’m not guilty!”

“Please record that once as “not guilty”,” you continue, before turning to the fifth man. “Defendant Five, Mr. Brigus, you stand accused of trespass, interfering with a military operation, negligent endangerment, and attempted murder. How do you plead?”

“Can’t ‘murder’ what’s not human anymore,” the man declares, completely unrepentant.

The mayor spares you a glance. “How should I record that one?”

“As a plea of “not guilty”,” you instruct the mayor.

>Begin by recounting the events in detail, from the capture of the two spies to the capture of the last two traitors.
>Begin by defining the crimes that the five defendants are charged with, under Hazari customary law.
>Call witnesses from among the soldiers who were there that night.
>Call for character witnesses, for example from their neighbors.
>Other?

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>>4073534
>Begin by defining the crimes that the five defendants are charged with, under Hazari customary law.
The jurors might not know the precise definitions.

>>4073534
>Begin by recounting the events in detail, from the capture of the two spies to the capture of the last two traitors.

>>4073542
>>4073534
Good point, supporting

>>4073534
>Begin by defining the crimes that the five defendants are charged with, under Hazari customary law.

>>4073534
>>Begin by defining the crimes that the five defendants are charged with, under Hazari customary law.

>>4073534
>Begin by defining the crimes that the five defendants are charged with, under Hazari customary law.

>>4073534
>>Begin by defining the crimes that the five defendants are charged with, under Hazari customary law.

>>4073534
“I understand that not everyone present here is versed in the laws of Hazaran,” you continue, “so at the risk of further monopolizing our time I will explain the definitions of each accused crime.”

The first crime is trespass, which is a less severe charge than “breaking and entering” in that it only means that the accused is present in a place where they are not legally allowed to be. Typically this means entering into private property without permission, but it can also mean entering a militarily or politically important area under public control such as an encampment or official building without permission.

The second crime is “interfering with a military operation”, which is also a less severe charge than “treason” but which in this case is very similar. In this case Hazaran has not declared a war, so “treason” would be difficult to prove under Hazari customary law. There was no sabotage either, which could have been a separate charge had that occurred. But it is also illegal to hinder a military unit engaged in following lawful orders from their superiors, so this too can be counted as a crime if proven.

Negligent endangerment of the public is a charge which alleges conduct that either places members of the public at risk of injury or death or that risks serious property damage… which could itself lead to such injuries or deaths. This differs from reckless endangerment in that the offender need not be aware that their actions would have such consequences, while recklessness at least in Hazari law implies such awareness.

Involuntary murder differs from regular murder in that the death of the victim cannot be firmly established to be the result of deliberate action taken by the accused. There is still a victim, who DID in fact die, but generally in Hazari law a case for “murder” must also establish clear intent and premeditation. That latter point informed your decision to lower the charge to “Involuntary”.

An “accessory” to murder is a person who, through their deliberate presence and involvement, facilitates the killing of a victim either accidentally or with premeditation. This is itself a crime in Hazaran, albeit one which typically carries a less severe sentence.

“Attempted murder” is just that: someone who knowingly attempts to kill another person unlawfully.

“Mister Mayor, is the information I have given supported by Hazari customary legal interpretations, so far as you are aware?”

The mayor nods thoughtfully. “That was actually a remarkable breakdown of the different technicalities… usually such matters are left to bureaucrats assigned such duties. For a Claymore to know them in such detail is uncanny.”

“Thank you,” you bow politely. “I appreciate your kind words, but could you please keep your official records more on-topic?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you again,” you bow a second time before continuing.
>1/2

>>4073777
“Thank you again,” you bow a second time before continuing. “Do any among you jurors have any reason to declare that might disqualify you as an impartial participant in these proceedings?”

With no one coming forward, you continue.

“Do any among you wish to serve as defense for the accused?” you ask. “And do the accused wish to name a counsel for their defense?”

Again, no one speaks at first. But then the fourth accused, Mr. Blackstone, shouts “the Priest!”

Father Vincent, who naturally is present in the crowd, steps forward to join you. “I fear that I cannot.”

There’s a murmur of confusion before Father Vincent continues. “I have a known bias against the Inquisition, and would be among the first to be targeted by them were they to take over here. I will also be needed to continue the proceedings when miss Noel herself is called as witness.”

The murmur continues, so you interpret his words. “I was shot by one of the defendants, so I logically can’t be considered as an impartial participant where his crimes against me are concerned. I’d need to hand the matters off to someone else with a command of Hazari customary law.”

“Then who?” you muse.

“There is no precedent for a defence counsel,” the mayor observes. “Neither in criminal nor civil jurisprudence.”

>It’s a good principle to introduce though, and it SHOULD be someone impartial.
>I guess it’s consistent to have an arbiter instructing the jurors and admitting evidence.
>With words like those I think you just volunteered for the job.
>Other?

>>4073797
>It’s a good principle to introduce though, and it SHOULD be someone impartial.

>>4073797
Where did we even get the idea of a defence counsel if there's nothing like that in Hazari judicial system?

>I guess it’s consistent to have an arbiter instructing the jurors and admitting evidence.

>>4073797
>I guess it’s consistent to have an arbiter instructing the jurors and admitting evidence.

>>4073818
It would make sense from the perspective of optics: having a Claymore standing up there dictating Hazari law against people accused of helping the Inquisition might be a bad look to some people.

>>4073797
>>I guess it’s consistent to have an arbiter instructing the jurors and admitting evidence.

>>4073797
>>I guess it’s consistent to have an arbiter instructing the jurors and admitting evidence.

>>4073797
“I suppose it’s consistent with Hazari law to rely on a single arbiter,” you admit, “so the principle of a defense counsel would be something entirely untried.”

“So I suppose the first item to add into evidence would be statements from the soldiers who initially captured the Inquisitorial spies...”

Those statements are followed by statements from the soldiers involved in the capture of the would-be traitors from Scaithness, statements from the Kentarch regarding the current situation in the capital caused by the Inquisition’s presence, a transcribed copy of his orders, statements by the town’s priest regarding previous attempts by the Inquisition to set up shop in Scaithness. Everything that demonstrates the background of the events under discussion, setting the stage for the attempts to free the prisoners.

Next you hear from the five men’s neighbors, who testify broadly as to their character. Most are surprised, at least in terms of the distance they would go to serve the Inquisition, though in some cases there’s not as much surprise… specifically for the man who shot you.

You also hear from the town’s surgeon, who describes the final moments of Hastus Grimnes in rather excruciating detail.

Finally, it comes time for you to testify.

The priest introduces you briefly, before asking the key question. “What happened that night inside the barracks?”

“I was waiting for any would-be servants of the Inquisition to try and free the two captives,” you explain. “I waited until it seemed I could not wait any longer, before I moved. I knocked one man out, then took a single gunshot to the torso.”

“Will you testify that the man who fired was indeed Mr. Brigus?”

“I can see better in the dark than any normal human,” you explain. “I could even calculate the trajectory of the round based on the angle between his eyes and the sights on the pistol. Yes, the man I saw shooting me is the man identified to me later as Mr. Brigus.”

“If you could guess the line of the bullet, why didn’t you dodge?” the priest asks.

“Not practical,” you declare. “I couldn’t rush him at my full speed because that would have killed him from the force, and the interior of a marching barracks is small… easier to heat with a small hearth that way. So small that the men dress and undress in a back room so they’ll have space.”

“So there was nowhere to go?”

You nod curtly. “Unless I wanted to crash through the wall… but that would have caused a new set of problems. Much easier to just make sure the bullet didn’t hit anything important.”
>1/2

>>4075694
“And where did the accused aim his weapon?” the priest asks you.

In truth… he had AIMED at the middle of your sternum. He was clearly trying to kill you.

>Gut. He was sloppy about it. (Lie)
>He was aiming for my heart. (Truth)
>He was panicking. I think he aimed at center of mass without thinking. (Protect)
>Other?

>>4075697
>>He was aiming for my heart. (Truth)

>>4075697
>He was aiming for my heart. (Truth)

>>4075697
>>He was aiming for my heart. (Truth)

>>4075697
>>He was aiming for my heart. (Truth)

>>4075697
>>He was aiming for my heart. (Truth)

>>4075697
“He was aiming for my heart,” you admit, understanding that you can’t predict how the jurors will respond to that. “I managed to lean slightly out of the way.”

“If it hit you in the heart,” the priest continues, “would it have killed you?”

You have to think about that for a moment. “Having never been shot in the heart, I can’t be sure. But even we half-blooded warriors are mortal. We can be killed just like anyone else can, it’s just a fair bit harder.”

“So there would be a chance that it would have killed you?” he presses.

You nod. “It’s nonzero, yes.”

…

“You have heard the evidence,” you eventually announce after several hours. “The case as presented is that the five accused men entered the military barracks, several of them armed, with the intention of freeing two spies for the Inquisition. When they were caught there was a scuffle in which one soldier was killed, and one Claymore was shot.”

>The one missing piece is to hear from the Inquisitorial agents themselves.
>The case has been presented in detail. The jurors will now be allowed to deliberate in private.
>If anyone can disprove this case as it has been presented, now is your time to speak.
>Other?

>>4077180
>If anyone can disprove this case as it has been presented, now is your time to speak.

>>4077180
>If anyone can disprove this case as it has been presented, now is your time to speak.

>>4077180
>>If anyone can disprove this case as it has been presented, now is your time to speak.

>>4077180
>>If anyone can disprove this case as it has been presented, now is your time to speak.

>>4077180
“If anyone can disprove the factual account of what took place, now is the time to speak,” you declare.

The crowd is silent for several long minutes.

Not a single person rises to your challenge, and in the end the version of events you presented is the one which stands.

“Please note into the record that the facts of the case remain unchallenged.”

…

After several minutes of private deliberation, the jurors return their verdicts.

“Defendant One, Mr. Blaken,” you declare, turning to the accused, “on the charges of trespass, interfering with a military operation, and negligent endangerment, this court has found you guilty of all charges.”

“Defendant Two, Mr. Pierce, on the charges trespass, interfering with a military operation, and negligent endangerment, this court has found you guilty of all charges.”

“Defendant Three, Mr. Hakkon, on the charges of trespass, interfering with a military operation, and negligent endangerment, this court has found you guilty on all charges.”

“Defendant Four, Mr. Blackstone,” you continue. “On the charges of trespass, interfering with a military operation, negligent endangerment of the public, and of accessory to murder, this court has found you guilty of all charges.”

“Defendant Five, Mr. Brigus, on the charges of trespass, interfering with a military operation, negligent endangerment, and attempted murder, this court has found you…”

You pause as you read the verdict a second time, this time more closely to make sure you haven't mis-read it.
>1/2

>>4077232
“… guilty on all charges.”

Brigus seems as surprised as you were, before turning his venom towards the jurors. “How could you do this!?”

“The defendant will restrain himself,” you growl, “or he will be restrained instead.”

“The final phase of this trial is to be sentencing,” you continue. “The jurors are encouraged to consider the situation in its entirety, both the testimony regarding the defendants’ character and prior behavior as well as the likely results of what they were trying to do. Their motives should also be considered, whether the killing was done with malice or not, and so forth.”

>Publicly instruct the jurors what the typical punishments for these crimes would be.
>The basic sentences are obvious. Have the jury focus instead on the presence of mitigating factors.
>Other?

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>>4077241
>Publicly instruct the jurors what the typical punishments for these crimes would be, but encourage the jury focus instead on the presence of mitigating factors.

>>4077241
>>Publicly instruct the jurors what the typical punishments for these crimes would be.

>>4077241
>Publicly instruct the jurors what the typical punishments for these crimes would be.

>>4077241
>Publicly instruct the jurors what the typical punishments for these crimes would be, but encourage the jury focus instead on the presence of mitigating factors.

>>4077241
>Publicly instruct the jurors what the typical punishments for these crimes would be, but encourage the jury focus instead on the presence of mitigating factors.

>>4077241
>>Publicly instruct the jurors what the typical punishments for these crimes would be, but encourage the jury focus instead on the presence of mitigating factors.

>>4077241
“The typical punishments for these crimes are, in order of severity,” you instruct the jurors.

“Trespass is usually punished by a fine not to exceed one-tenth of the guilty party’s assets. Interfering with a military operation is usually punished by a prison sentence not to exceed twelve months in duration. Negligent endangerment of the public is punished by a fine not to exceed one-tenth of the guilty party’s assets, which typically goes towards repair costs.”

“Murder is a potential capital punishment, however involuntary is typically punished by a fine not to exceed one-third of the guilty party’s assets AND a prison term not to exceed twelve months in duration, with the exact punishment determined by taking into account a variety of factors. In this case contrition, or the sincere understanding and regret shown by the guilty party, will play a factor in your sentencing.”

“Attempted murder is typically punished by six to twelve months’ imprisonment and a regimen of monitoring by the authorities for a set duration.”

“In lieu of a one-year prison sentence, banishment under penalty of death is also acceptable in Hazari law.”

>I recommend imprisonment, given the current situation with the Inquisition knocking on the door.
>I recommend banishment. Get them out of here, let them go to the Inquisition as failures.
>Other?

>>4077505
I forgot one option, so
>I recommend imprisonment, given the current situation with the Inquisition knocking on the door.
>I recommend hard labor. Put them to work protecting the town they would have put at risk.
>I recommend banishment. Get them out of here, let them go to the Inquisition as failures.
>Other?

>>4077507
>>I recommend hard labor. Put them to work protecting the town they would have put at risk.

>>4077507
>I recommend hard labor. Put them to work protecting the town they would have put at risk.

>>4077507
>I recommend hard labor. Put them to work protecting the town they would have put at risk.

>>4077507
>>I recommend hard labor. Put them to work protecting the town they would have put at risk.

>>4077505
“My recommendation is that any prison term be replaced with hard labor,” you declare. “Putting them to work protecting the town their actions would have endangered seems to be a much more suitable punishment.”

“But that, of course, is up for you the jurors to decide.”

The jurors are led to a side room, really the front shop space of a business of some sort, and deliberate in private for several minutes. But almost as quickly as they left they return with the sentences.

“Defendant One, Mr. Blaken,” you declare, “this court sentences you to forfeiture of one-fifth of your total assets and to six months’ hard labor.”

“Defendant Two, Mr. Pierce, this court sentences you to forfeiture of one-fifth of your total assets and to six months’ hard labor.”

“Defendant Three, Mr. Hakkon, this court sentences you to forfeiture of one-fourth of your assets, six months’ labor, and six months’ imprisonment, to be served consecutively.”

“Defendant Four, Mr. Blackstone,” you continue. “This court sentences you to forfeit of one-quarter of your total assets, six months’ hard labor, and six months’ imprisonment, to be served consecutively.”

“Defendant Five, Mr. Brigus, this court sentences you to forfeit one-quarter of your assets… and banishes you from the town of Scaithness under penalty of death.”

A murmur runs through the crowd… the jurors must have favored banishment due to his total lack of contrition over trying to kill you.

“You… you can’t do that to me!” Mr. Brigus protests angrily. “All I did was for the protection of our homes! Our families!”

“Guards,” you declare, “take the guilty parties into custody. They are to remain imprisoned until such time as the seizure of assets has been concluded. Mr. mayor, you and the kentarch should discuss the best means for ensuring the cooperation of misters Blaken, Pierce, Hakkon, and Blackstone for the duration of their sentences.”

>This court is adjourned, the Inquisitorial spies are to be remanded into military custody pending tribunal.
>This court will temporarily adjourn, until preparations for the trial of the Inquisitorial agents have been made.
>This court is now closed. [Speak with the kentarch about the spies’ fate]
>Other?

>>4079314
>This court is adjourned, the Inquisitorial spies are to be remanded into military custody pending tribunal.

>>4079314
>This court is adjourned, the Inquisitorial spies are to be remanded into military custody pending tribunal.

>>4079314
>>This court is adjourned, the Inquisitorial spies are to be remanded into military custody pending tribunal.

>>4079314
>>This court is adjourned, the Inquisitorial spies are to be remanded into military custody pending tribunal.

>>4079314
>This court is adjourned, the Inquisitorial spies are to be remanded into military custody pending tribunal.

>>4079314
“This court is adjourned,” you declare. “The two spies are to be remanded into military custody prior to a full tribunal.”

…

It’s another two weeks before anything consequential happens.

The whole of Scaithness is shocked by a murder: specifically by the murder of Mr. Brigus, the man who was found guilty of trying to kill you. This is significant enough of an event for you and your cohort to call an emergency meeting to share the news.

“It seems likely that it’s what you might call a ‘false-flag’ crime,” Helen concludes.

“What does that even mean?” Jenna asks in exasperation.

“It’s an old military strategy where an armed force will operate under a false banner,” you explain. “So that people will believe they’re something they’re not. In this case, Helen means it was someone who wanted us to be blamed for the murder of a man who was public in his… DISTASTE for our kind.”

“We need to consider our image among the public,” Helen continues.

>I respectfully disagree. The real question is why there hasn’t been any serious attack yet.
>I agree, but we can’t let that have an impact on our preparations for an attack.
>We need to redouble our efforts, unless we can FIND the actual culprit.
>Other?

>>4081108
>>I agree, but we can’t let that have an impact on our preparations for an attack.
although finding a culprit would be the best outcome

>>4081108
>This means the town still has an Inquisitorial network, and we need to root it out. Finding the murderer would be a first step.

>>4081108
>I agree, but we can’t let that have an impact on our preparations for an attack.

>>4081108
>I agree, but we can’t let that have an impact on our preparations for an attack.

>>4081108
>>I agree, but we can’t let that have an impact on our preparations for an attack.

>>4081108
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 10, 7, 2 = 19 (3d10)

>>4081528

Rolled 8, 5, 5 = 18 (3d10)

>>4081528

Rolled 3, 5, 2 = 10 (3d10)

>>4081528

>>4081528
“The ideal would be to find the one responsible and clear our names,” you shrug, “but I feel like that’s not going to happen. So that leaves us to continue as we have been doing, and make sure the town is prepared.”

There’s nothing but agreement with that statement.

One week later, the construction has nearly been completed. The pincer gate is ready, the gatehouse and its associated defenses are now ready, and the shoreline defenses have been hardened. So far as you’re concerned the Inquisition has given you all the time in the world to prepare… and THEN they committed to their attack.

A scouting patrol returns from the road south of Scaithness with word of a large formation of soldiers moving north, and not uniformed as Hazaris. They outnumber your defenders maybe ten to one, and have ten cast bronze cannon drawn by horses. This prompts an emergency meeting.

“We’ll need to determine our response,” Helen declares, turning to the kentarch. “How long do we have?”

“Two days,” the kentarch replies.

“Still plenty of time,” you frown, the wheels in your head already turning. “I’ve held off suggesting the most vicious defenses until the attack was imminent.”

“What do you mean?” the kentarch asks.

“Wolf-hole traps,” you suggest.

“That’s a bit underhanded,” the kentarch observes.

You shake your head dismissively. “They outnumber us ten to one and intend to kill or torture most of us, then subject the survivors to rule by terror. I don’t think they deserve any regard from us.”

After a moment, the kentarch shrugs. “I’ll have my men put a few out on the road starting immediately.”

“We’ll also move two bronze cannon to the gate,” you declare. “Jenna, Lucia, Alexa, Nessa, please see to the transfer.”

“We’ll need to deal with those cannon,” Helen muses.

“I don’t disagree,” you agree.

>We’ll wait for them to set up camp, then go out ourselves. We can easily foul the bores.
>We could always set off their magazines. They’ll likely be outside their encampment.
>We can kill their horses easily enough, though I’d feel kind of bad about it.
>Why destroy them when we can steal them?
>Other?

>>4082434
>Why destroy them when we can steal them?

>>4082434
>Why destroy them when we can steal them?
Train on the cannons we have.

>>4082434
>>Why destroy them when we can steal them?

>>4082434
>>Why destroy them when we can steal them?

>>4082434
“My father once told me it was unwise to destroy what you could put to use,” you muse, somewhat amused that this is even a possibility you’re considering. “What do you think the chances are we could commandeer some of those guns?”

“They wouldn’t be expecting it,” Helen admits.

“What size were the guns?” you ask the kentarch.

“Our reports say they were the Hazari standard,” he tells you.

“And could you have ten men ready with ten charges of grapeshot?” you press.

It takes him a moment to see what you have planned, but when he does he grins and nods. “Aye… that can be arranged.”

“What are you thinking?” Helen asks as the kentarch departs with a devious chuckle. “Lure the Inquisitorial forces into firing range?”

“Of their own guns, yes,” you clarify. “Especially at night they’ll probably be taken by surprise. We use that surprise to have the troops hammer our pursuers with the guns we just stole, then continue our heist.”

“Wouldn’t that… kind of skirt the rules?” Valentina wonders aloud.

“Point,” Justina admits.

[The rules aren’t specific, and don’t cover this sort of scenario.]

>Just translate what Serana said. She’s technically correct.
>Ten to one odds, remember? These people need our help.
>Tipping the odds means more Inquisitorial deaths in any event.
>Other?

>>4083270
Just translate what she said

>>4083270
>>Just translate what Serana said. She’s technically correct.

>>4083270
>>Just translate what Serana said. She’s technically correct.

>>4083270
>Inquisition attacking us is already skirting the rules.
>The intent of the rule was to assure the common people they're safe from us, not to give anyone a way of killing us.
>If they're breaking the spirit of the rules, so can we.

>>4083270
>Just translate what Serana said. She’s technically correct.

>>4083270
Why don't we sneak into their camp at and and zip in and grab the cannons and run off with them over our or backs?

>>4083270
“You’re right,” you admit to Serana. “The rules don’t cover any of this, because they weren’t intended to actually serve as guiding principles but to create as much pain and conflict within the Organization’s own warriors as possible.”

“But what else should be do?” Lucia asks quietly.

“Think for ourselves,” Laura counters, her voice decisive. “Olivia and I would speak about this from time to time… about the place of independent thought within the Organization.”

“I haven’t,” you admit. “Please, by all means.”

“With your leave as well, Helen?” Laura asks.

Helen nods silently and waits for Laura to continue.

“It was Olivia who asked the question first,” she continues to explain her reasoning, “why indoctrinate warriors at all? Why is independent thought such a danger?”

“I follow you so far,” Helen nods along.

“I don’t,” Valentina admits.

“I mean,” Laura clarifies, “it’s clear that they know that there are other viable ways of operating a group of half-blooded warriors. They just don’t want us to think as much… so Olivia and I began to consider ways to falsify what the Organization tells us about the world and our place in it. It started as a mental exercise, really… at that point I knew of no ‘half-awakened’ warriors and did not know the extent of the Organization’s duplicity towards our kin.”

“You came to a conclusion, didn’t you?” you muse. “Tell me, Laura.”

“Our realization was that our rule of not killing humans only mattered to ourselves,” Laura declares boldly. “Every other human either Olivia or myself ever encountered already feared us beyond all reason or accepted our necessity. So there’s literally no reason to have such an extreme rule of “never” killing humans, regardless of what sense it could make in context to do so.”

“Humanity has already made their decisions about us.”
>1/2

>>4086235
That’s… certainly a bold proclamation. It flies in the face of everything you’ve been taught… by the Organization, at least. And it defies the sense of face validity you always had regarding the “no-killing” rule’s place in easing tension between your kind and baseline humanity. But has it worked?

The presence of the Inquisition currently knocking at your proverbial door seems to indicate that it hasn’t. They’re not just here for Scaithness, they’ve amassed because they know you and your cohort are here. They’ve brought cannon and muskets and swords to eradicate you, and to kill or convert any who disagree with them about you.

They are, in essence, no less an existential threat to you than the yōma are to humanity: but only because you have thusfar refused to lift a hand against them yourself.

>The rules don’t apply here, but I still think we should avoid taking lives ourselves if we can.
>We’d be skirting the rules… so perhaps covering fire from the wall would be more appropriate.
>We’re facing a thousand-man firing squad. If we don’t stand up for ourselves now… then when?
>Other?

>>4086242
>We’re facing a thousand-man firing squad. If we don’t stand up for ourselves now… then when?

>>4086242
>We’re facing a thousand-man firing squad. If we don’t stand up for ourselves now… then when?

>>4086242
>>We’re facing a thousand-man firing squad. If we don’t stand up for ourselves now… then when?

>>4086242
>The rules don’t apply here, but I still think we should avoid taking lives ourselves if we can.
If we slaughter a human army, we'll be made into bloodthirsty monsters by the Organization't propaganda, and any hope of convincing other warriors will be gone.

>>4086242
>Other?
>The rules don’t apply here, but I still think we should avoid taking lives ourselves if we can.Lets not discard these rules so quickly but gradually ease into them.

Remember, we and another claymore slaughtered an entire village of infected people.

Perhaps we mention that to the others as well.

>>4086242

Damn, that escalated quickly. Before we go full Keyser Söze on people, let me make some relevant points as near as I can reckon them:

A Claymore is no more threatened by a human than an adult is threatened by a toddler. Yea, one could kill the other in the right circumstances, but it's not likely. If a toddler has it in for you, you'd do well to be circumspect about your response. We should do similar with the ultimately futile tantrum the inquisition is throwing here. I acknowledge there are extenuating circumstances, but I'll get to that.

The Claymores themselves aren't in much danger here. There is nothing stopping us from just disappearing into the wilderness and setting up base somewhere more clandestine, and no human or horse alive could ever catch them let alone find them. Justifying deadly force in self-defense doesn't hold water if you have a reasonable way to avoid it.

Losing our home? Again, hard to justify killing to defend something we don't especially need. A Claymore has little need for food or shelter and isn't overly bothered by roughing it for days if not weeks without it when necessary.

On the other hand, the people of Scaithness do not have such advantages. They are in major jeopardy. However this goes, they are the ones most likely to suffer any consequences. If this whole thing could be avoided by our leaving and finding a new clubhouse, it's worth considering to prevent all the loss of life and property that might result otherwise. Negotiating that would be tricky at this point, but letting the townspeople know we'd be willing to go that far for them if necessary would go a long way to obviate who the bad guys are here.

"Sure, yer honor, c'mon in. Take a look around. Them witches up and left when they heard y'all wuz a comin'. The soldiers sent by the capital are a mite nervous though, so watch where you point that thing. Somebody high up seems to think it's important to hold on to strategic locations. Like we're bein' invaded 'r sumthin'."

Chances are, though, the inquisition wouldn't care and even if we left, their real goal is to clamp down on the area to expand their holdings. Well, there's a whole town of people and more than a hundred soldiers who might have views on that, but they might still try anyway. That being the case, I'd say our superhuman capabilities would be best put to use helping noncombatants get out safely. And at that moment it'll be clear to all who the inquisition's enemy really is.

Alternatively, we could probably send two or three Claymores to simply kill all of them, sparing the town and the soldiers from any losses at all. And that would be one or two more than necessary just to play it safe. See, if we're willing to get our hands dirty: why take half-measures? But then we'll be the monsters, and the Inquisition will be right to consider us such.

Just remember: we are more than strong enough to play God with people's lives. Doesn't mean we should.

>>4086596
>The Claymores themselves aren't in much danger here
Oooh boy. Noel and the higher-ranked warriors may be able to dodge bullets to a degree, but saturation fire IS one method humans have that CAN kill a Claymore. The Inquisition wouldn't have committed troops if they weren't certain of that.

Never walk into an encounter assuming that you or the people around you are safe. Yes that's a warning.

>>4086578
>>4086242
yeah, i am surpporting this

>>4086242
>We’re facing a thousand-man firing squad. If we don’t stand up for ourselves now… then when?

>>4086242
>>The rules don’t apply here, but I still think we should avoid taking lives ourselves if we can.

>>4086746
Okay. I'm sorry, but your response is frustrating to me.

Was I that unclear? Why would they be getting shot at? None of that was about being immune to bullets, it was about how good Claymores could be at evasion and hiding and making efforts to hunt them down fruitless; at preventing their guns from being relevant. The only way Claymores end up getting shot without catching them by surprise is if they themselves choose to put themselves in harm's way in the first place. They'd spot an armed force from miles away. That's why I suggested they would be best at evacuating people or something should we choose to stay.

Even if they did decide to go full manslayer, which is a whole 'nother can of worms itself, it doesn't take much creativity to spot they wouldn't want to fight conventionally at the town. They'd want to do things like asymmetrical warfare and night strikes to take maximum advantage of their abilities. Target leaders, supplies, that sort of thing.

Soaking bullets doesn't sound like a good plan, so don't do anything to make it easy for them. Use speed to engage and disengage before they can form a proper firing line. If you do somehow get stuck in, move to stay towards the middle so that they have to risk shooting at each other.

I really hope you aren't dead set on having this battle scene at the town with Claymores participating directly in it, because that's the most damaging thing they could do. They'd be most susceptible to dying by pinning themselves down and they'd have forfeited the opportunity to prevent the deadly conflict in the first place, ensuring heavy casualties on all sides.

Assuming they couldn't be stopped by learning the Claymores are gone and staying out of human fights, which I freely admitted wasn't likely, there are still much better options if we decide this is our problem.

We could draw them off with distraction attacks, steal their supplies, kidnap leaders; literally anything besides letting them get close enough to actually set a town on fire. Again.

>>4086242
>We’d be skirting the rules… so perhaps covering fire from the wall would be more appropriate.

>>4086862
My guy, your exact words were
>the Claymores themselves aren't in much danger here
I simply pointed it out, for anyone who's still in any doubt, that the Inquisition IS a threat here.

Second, nobody in or out of character - not even Laura - is advocating an open shooting match or a slaughter like you seem to think. The only strategy on the table is to even the playing field by addressing their artillery pieces. Laura's argument ISN'T that this should involve the Claymores charging in and chopping necks.

She and Olivia simply reasoned that no one but a Claymore actually CARES what rules Noel's cohort stick to because they've already made their minds up. In fact, the Inquisition is banking on that self-imposed rule playing to their favor. She's saying that no one should wring their hands over helping tip the scales of battle against the Inquisition because the Inquisition already views their extermination as a matter of religious principle.

I'm happy when people wanna discuss in-thread, but what you're saying seems to have taken off on a tangent from what's actually happening, right from the Usual Suspects reference onward.

>>4086242
>>The rules don’t apply here, but I still think we should avoid taking lives ourselves if we can.

>Because mass killing WILL give everyone more propaganda against us.

>>4086242
“If we don’t stand up for ourselves now, then when?” you ask, almost purely rhetorically. “I don’t like the idea of killing humans in the abstract, but a thousand-man firing squad with their own artillery support demands a response.”

“Even if we fled right now, leaving Scaithness to the Inquisition’s reign of terror… they would just track us down again. And again. And again… for as long as we live.”

“I feel the same way,” Jenna admits.

“Me too,” Justina agrees.

“Same,” Valentina throws her own thoughts into the mix. “This is the first place I’ve felt at home since I was a girl… I kind of don’t want to give up that feeling of attachment. That sense of having a home.”

“It’s the people that make the home,” you sigh, “but I get what you mean.”

“And I don’t disagree,” Valentina agrees. “Honestly if you and Helen and the rest are there too I’d be able to deal with it… but still… you know?”

[It’s protecting something that’s OURS that matters.]

“I… think so?” Valentina tentatively agrees. “Yes, this is a home we’ve carved out for ourselves. It SHOULD matter to us.”

“The Inquisition would kill many of these people,” Laura announces quietly. “If it’s half as bad as that marshal suggested, and judging by their force deployment, that is.”

“So we’re in agreement in principle,” Helen nods curtly. “At least I have heard no disagreement so far.”

“And I don’t think you’re likely to,” Jenna interjects.

“So this mission to steal or destroy the Inquisition’s cannons is not controversial either,” Helen continues.

Again, no dissent.

“Then I believe that the best course of action is to steal or destroy as many cannon as we can,” Helen declares. “But… I still believe that most of us favor less lethal methods.”

“So not seizing the moment to strike a blow at the same time,” you translate her words into tactical implications.

Helen nods curtly. “Pursuing more of a support role for the town’s defenders is a good balance between our desire to avoid abusing our powers in ways that directly kill ordinary humans and to hold to our responsibilities to this settlement and to each other.”

>I can agree to that.
>I can agree to that. I can’t speak for the Kentarch or his men.
>I disagree. Striking an ideal opening is basic tactics.
>Other?

>>4087377
>Other
>Being non-lethal doesn't mean we can't deal an overwhelming first strike. We have a lot of things we could target beside the cannons. Free the horses, destroy the supplies, steal holy symbols, slash up the tents. Deal a blow to their logistics and morale.

>>4087377
>>I can agree to that.

>>4087388
>>4087377
>I can agree to that
yeah, i support that
the cannons are obvious first targets, but sowing dissent and disrupt anything on the way out is good

>>4087377
>I can agree to that. I can’t speak for the Kentarch or his men.

>Other?
Can we have the soldiers screening for the Organizations men and spies? Since we can't for the life of us spot them if they hide.

>>4086956
Okay, fine. Without context, that could be interpreted to mean they didn't have anything to worry about if they stayed. I will concede that I could have been clearer.

Would you consider also conceding that the very next sentence makes that interpretation hard to credit as the point that was being made? That's what frustrated me.

I wrote too much, I get it. Let me distill things a bit:

The Claymores can leave and have little chance of being caught. The amount of force humans have to muster to be dangerous is just too obvious and slow to be a threat to a Claymore who doesn't have to stay put. That's what makes the inquisition futile: how slippery Claymores can be.

And if ditching the town is all it takes to spare them the attacks, that's worth knowing.

If it's not and they are coming anyway then this is officially a war between humans and that's worth knowing too. Ditto the fact that apparently
any humans who associate openly with us are marked for death by a bunch of fanatics. Should probably plan accordingly for that, but whatever.

The thing that triggered me so much is the "thousand man firing squad" line. That's just bogus.

It's making it out to sound like more of a do or die situation than it really is. That's what had me worried this was escalating needlessly.

The Usual Suspects thing and the rest of that hyperbole stuff was a reaction to the thought that we were considering doing something excessive or drastic in a situation we could easily avoid.

Questioning or reinterpreting the no killing humans policy sounds like drastic action is in the offing. Especially when "standing up for ourselves" is so vague a term.

>>4088003
dude, stop

>>4087377
>I can agree to that. I can’t speak for the Kentarch or his men.

>>4088003
>I wrote too much, I get it. Let me distill things a bit

>Proceeds to write another dissertation.

>>4087388
>>4087377
this.

>>4088586
>>4088711

Yes. Yes I think I will.

I tried to make a point, and it was an airball. Feels bad.

Have a blessed day.

>>4087377
“You know I can agree with that?” you muse. “And now that you mention it, I feel like I have something that’s perhaps simultaneously meaner AND more effective to follow this planned raid with?”

“Oh yeah?” Justina wonders.

“We leave them some of their cannon,” you suggest. “They’ll be moving into a siege position the day after the raid, then they’ll set up field fortifications along the road into Scaithness to fire from. During that point they’ll be watching their remaining cannon like hawks.”

[So you want to attack something else?]

“They say an army travels on its stomach,” you muse in response to Serana’s question, with an almost devilish grin. “And how much you want to bet they leave their food supplies under-guarded after losing a number of cannon to us the night before?”

“Outgunned, outwitted, and under-fed,” Helen smirks. “It’ll practically reverse the siege situation, and their morale would be non-existent. I love it.”

…

You present your modified plan to the kentarch, who listens along with great interest before you conclude your suggestions.

“I’ll admit I was dubious when you mentioned wanting NOT to follow through with an attack,” he admits openly. “But I also have to admit that depriving them of food as well would be a crushing blow.”

“I agree with your proposal. I’ll deploy my troops accordingly to support you.”

>3d10, best of four

Rolled 8, 8, 5 = 21 (3d10)

>>4089219

Rolled 7, 10, 3 = 20 (3d10)

>>4089219

Rolled 2, 8, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>4089219

Rolled 3, 9, 5 = 17 (3d10)

>>4089219

>>4089219
The night of the raid soon approaches.

You and your cohort of half-blooded warriors have worked your way around the far side of the loch through the dark of night, approaching the Inquisitorial encampment in the small hours of the morning and from behind. It’s not difficult to slip past their sentries, who are too exhausted to be aware of what’s slinking through the marshland adjacent to the loch. Between the raised clumps of grass and heather lie lower pools of standing water, too miserably cold for normal people to navigate but perfect for half-blooded warriors who don’t feel cold or suffer from its effects.

That’s how you’re able to sneak up to the edge of the marshalling area for the bronze cannon undetected. The horses are none too pleased, but nobody seems to pay them any attention as the guns are at the heart of the Inquisition’s sprawling, disorganized encampment.

In three teams of three, with two watching over the whole process with keen silver eyes in the darkened, cloud-cloaked night, you work to free the bronze guns from their wooden mounts. It takes hardly any effort, as they’re only resting in the mounts until tomorrow when they’ll be re-loaded into horse drawn carts.

Three guns you free from their mounts and lower into the muddy water… that will be a real pain for any regular humans to retrieve. The next three your teams carefully lift onto their shoulders, two on one side and one on the other in the center, and begin to carry away.

There are a few moments where you find yourself waving at your companions frantically, directing them to duck behind tents or lower themselves into ditches, weaving behind rocks and other natural features, until one of the sentries eventually does a double-take at the dark moving masses he noticed out of the corner of his eye.

“Oi!” he shouts. “They’re making off with our cannon!”

“Forward scarper!” you shout, and your cohort raise the cannon high over their shoulders and abandon stealth to sprint down the road, bowling over drowsy men and knocking over canvas tents to leave the men inside frantically fumbling to find an exit.

Some are even obliged to cut their way out.

A few manage to get off some panicked shots in your direction, but nobody gets hit and the first man to come chasing after you falls in a wolf hole prepared by the troops at Scaithness the day before, having missed the signs of it in the dark.

“I can’t believe we pulled that off!” Valentina laughs triumphantly as you deliver the three bronze guns to the defenders at Scaithness.

“Let’s get these in position!” you order loudly.

>Order the civilians to take shelter in place. There may be an immediate nighttime counterattack.
>Order the troops to deploy caltrops in front of the defensive walls: the last step to sealing off Scaithness.
>Order everyone to hold until sunup. The Inquisitorial forces still need to sort themselves out before taking up siege positions.
>Other?

>>4089338
>>Order the troops to deploy caltrops in front of the defensive walls: the last step to sealing off Scaithness.

>>4089338
>>Order the civilians to take shelter in place. There may be an immediate nighttime counterattack.
>>Order the troops to deploy caltrops in front of the defensive walls: the last step to sealing off Scaithness.

>>4089338
>Order the civilians to take shelter in place. There may be an immediate nighttime counterattack.
>Order the troops to deploy caltrops in front of the defensive walls: the last step to sealing off Scaithness.

>>4089338
>>Order the civilians to take shelter in place. There may be an immediate nighttime counterattack.
>>Order the troops to deploy caltrops in front of the defensive walls: the last step to sealing off Scaithness.

>>4089338
>Order the civilians to take shelter in place. There may be an immediate nighttime counterattack.
>Order the troops to deploy caltrops in front of the defensive walls: the last step to sealing off Scaithness.

>>4089338
“Have the civilians shelter in place!” you continue to bark orders. “Kentarch, have your men deploy caltrops in front of the curtain wall and the gatehouse to close off the anti-infantry defenses!”

“So we’re finally sealing ourselves in,” Helen muses.

You nod curtly. “Yeah, we are. I want us to be prepared for a hasty retaliatory attack, even if I think that the Inqusition is more likely to spend all day tomorrow preparing positions to bombard the main wall.”

>3d10, best of four

Rolled 4, 7, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>4091215

Rolled 5, 1, 2 = 8 (3d10)

>>4091215

Rolled 6, 9, 2 = 17 (3d10)

>>4091215

Rolled 10, 4, 5 = 19 (3d10)

>>4091215

>>4091215
No attack comes that night.

However at first light, you see the first Inquisition scouts moving in through the pre-dawn dim.

The defenders of Scaithness are on high alert, quietly bringing up cups loaded with powder and shot in preparation to blast at any attempt by Inquisitorial troops to amass. Just after sunrise you hear a few musket shots, which leave an Inquisitorial scout propped up dead in the blackthorns. Several others who have been tangled up in the ‘soft’ barriers limp away, ripped up by the thorns as well as the caltrops sewn across the ground in front of them.

That’s about it for the scouts, at least for the morning. Basically they figured out that it’s pretty much impossible to go around the walls on foot, between the thorns and caltrops, as well as the musketeers positioned to shoot at anyone trying to remove those obstacles.

Next you see a group of soldiers, perhaps as many as you have defending Scaithness, amassing in front of the walls at a distance.

This time, it’s the kentarch’s turn.

“Six rounds,” he orders. “Short the powder.”

“Six rounds short aye!” comes the artillery master’s reply.

Six cannon shots, two from each of the stolen guns, kick up fountains of dirt and blood as the defenders of Scaithness fire on the Inquisitorial troops, who quickly fall back and away from where the rounds fell. The last shot doesn’t hit anyone, and the total number of casualties was low, but you realize that they served the purpose.

Another round of Inquisitorial troops arrive as reinforcements, all of the men frantically digging holes and building up dirt embankments around those holes. Next they begin digging trenches between what you understand to be pits for their guns… only five of them, in fact.

“Seems that they only managed to recover one of the cannon we sank,” you smirk. “That’s good.”

Night falls, and it seems that the trenchworks aren’t finished yet. But even still, they’re quickly inhabited by at least three times as many men as you have to defend Scaithness with. The cannon are also emplaced under cover of night.

>We should wait for now. They’ll bring up more forces tomorrow for us to act against.
>Their reserve forces are guarding their food and munitions. We should strike those tonight.
>What are the odds of flooding their trenches somehow by directing water from the terrace fields?
>Other?

>>4091353
>>Their reserve forces are guarding their food and munitions. We should strike those tonight.

>>4091353
>>Their reserve forces are guarding their food and munitions. We should strike those tonight.

>>4091353
Why did the kentarch have an artillery crew without artillery?

>Their reserve forces are guarding their food and munitions. We should strike those tonight.
>What are the odds of flooding their trenches somehow by directing water from the terrace fields?
If we could wet their powder, they would've been reduced to infantry assaults

>Their reserve forces are guarding their food and munitions. We should strike those tonight.

>>4091353
>>What are the odds of flooding their trenches somehow by directing water from the terrace fields?

>>4091368
There's no dedicated crew, but there are several officers capable of serving as an artillery master.

It's not like a modern military where artillery often falls under a separate command hierarchy.

>>4091353
“We should strike at their provisions tonight,” you decide. “Those will be kept by the reserve forces at the end of the loch.”

“How?” Helen asks curtly.

“Two ways,” you begin to reason. “The first would be to destroy their food supplies. The second would be to steal their powder and throw it in the loch.”

“Both would be sneaky and effective,” Helen agrees.

After discussing the various merits of the two approaches, you come to a consensus: since the powder supplies will be in one munitions dump well away from the tents, it will be easier to get to it. However that will be under heavy guard, while the mess and kitchen will not be. So the idea is to locate their staples, probably straw packages of dried rice and crates of hardtack biscuits, and set fire to them.

That, as panic-inducing as it will probably be, is only the distraction.

The second move will be a group of warriors that will begin opening barrels of gunpowder and dumping them into the river flowing out of the loch. That will be easier since the guards at the powder dump will either be distracted or outright abandoning their posts to save the foodstuffs.

But that’s not where the fun ends. If the Inquisitorial forces are truly foolish, they may well move their powder stores up to the gun trenches, which are actually in range of your own cannon.

“It sets a lot of mental traps,” you admit. “You’re more devious than I gave you credit for, Helen.”

“I blame you,” she replies with a smirk.

“Not unfair.”
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 10, 6, 7 = 23 (3d10)

>>4091517

Rolled 8, 4, 3 = 15 (3d10)

>>4091517

Rolled 4, 9, 10 = 23 (3d10)

>>4091517

Rolled 10, 9, 2 = 21 (3d10)

>>4091517

>>4091517
It’s another quiet and dark night, and you sneak through the marshwaters into the heart of the Inquisition’s encampment. With you are Serana, Justina, and Alexa, the three warriors you deem to have been the quietest in your raid the night before. Helen is waiting now with Valentina, Laura, Lucia, Sabrina, Nessa, and Jenna to move in and start dumping the powder as soon as Helen sees a good opening to do so.

There’s a second tent next to the kitchen, and the guard is completely unaware of your presence. So you and your company unload small barrels of lard within the tent. You spread it all over many bushels of dried rice and around the bottoms of the stacks of hardtack crates. Some also goes onto the canvas for the tents.

Then you wave your team off, before striking a match and setting a rag covered in goose fat.

…

It takes a few minutes, which gives you time to slink back through the shallow waterways, before the fire gets going in earnest.

You hear loud bells ringing and panicked shouts as both tents go up in flames, the dried rice, straw, and wooden crates burning merrily and the light of the flames dancing across the obsidian-black surface of the muddy waters.

It takes you about a quarter of an hour to get to the powder dump, where you find the rest of your cohort hauling off barrels of powder and reorganizing them just above the nearby river.

“They’ve noticed us!” Helen shouts. “Crack the barrels and dump them!”

Your compatriots begin smashing and rolling the barrels with an almost gleeful abandon… a few you shatter and send flying with punches of your own. It’s not all the powder, but you’d say you got somewhere between a third and half of what was stockpiled here.

“Run!” you shout. “Just cut with what we’ve got!”

“Fuck!” Sabrina swears loudly as she takes a shot to the leg in the dark. You quickly scoop her up and carry her off into the night.
>1/2

>>4091598
Once around to the far side of the loch you take a moment to let Sabrina begin healing her leg.

“We’ll rest here a moment,” you insist.

In the distance you see the center of the camp still lit from the burning kitchen and food supplies, the light glinting off the cold surface of the loch. That will be a painful blow for the attacking forces.

>Tomorrow morning we’ll send an emissary to speak with the Inquisition, tell them to give up.
>Tomorrow morning the Scaithness bulwark will bombard the Inquisition’s frontline.
>We should discuss with the Kentarch how to proceed, perhaps drawing in an infantry attack.
>Other?

>>4091610
>>Tomorrow morning the Scaithness bulwark will bombard the Inquisition’s frontline.

>>4091610
>>We should discuss with the Kentarch how to proceed, perhaps drawing in an infantry attack.
we should keep the reach of our own cannons a secret to make the best use of them

>>4091610
>>Tomorrow morning the Scaithness bulwark will bombard the Inquisition’s frontline.

>>4091610
>>We should discuss with the Kentarch how to proceed, perhaps drawing in an infantry attack.

>>4091610
>We should discuss with the Kentarch how to proceed, perhaps drawing in an infantry attack.

>>4091610
>Tomorrow morning the Scaithness bulwark will bombard the Inquisition’s frontline.
>While we go on a raid again,looking for targets of opportunity. They should not be expecting us in the morning after two night raids, and the cannon fire will distract them.

>>4091610
>Tomorrow morning the Scaithness bulwark will bombard the Inquisition’s frontline.

>>4091610
“Tomorrow the stolen guns will fire on the Inquisition’s trenches and firing positions,” you decide. “But not until such time as the Inquisition has had a chance to move their remaining powder forward.”

“Will that set off the powder?” Valentina asks you curiously.

“Not reliably,” you admit. “The powder usually needs an ignition source… simple shrapnel won’t do it. However...”

Helen glances at you in the dark. “You have an idea?”

“We need to return to the castle,” you insist. “Someone will have to carry Sabrina while she heals.”

Then you turn to Sabrina. “Sorry about that.”

…

“Here,” you smirk as you uncover a small crate of chain shot in the vaults underneath Blackthorn Keep.

“Chain shot?” Helen recognizes what you’re showing her. “Chain-and-cup construction… what are you thinking?”

“Help me pull out the chains,” you urge her, “Serana, go get a hand drill!”

About two hours later you arrive at the wall in front of Scaithness with twelve modified chain shots, each with a hole drilled in one half. In a second crate, you have lead stock for casting musket balls.

The Kentarch stares at you like you’re out of your mind. “What is this?”

“The lead can be melted over a campfire then poured into the shot, and cools slightly to form a plug,” you declare. “Add some wet cloth for wadding between the cup and the shot, just to be safe, and you have a cannon shot filled with molten lead.”

“That will set off any gunpowder it hits,” the Kentarch realizes.
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 4, 3, 4 = 11 (3d10)

>>4093070

Rolled 2, 7, 8 = 17 (3d10)

>>4093070

Rolled 10, 2, 9 = 21 (3d10)

>>4093070
You're having too much fun with this, QM. Usually the players would be expected to produce clever ideas.

>>4093076
To be fair, I don't expect anyone here to know much about naval projectile construction. Most people would just assume that a solid cannonball sets stuff on fire.

>>4093080
It actually does, if it gets stuck in something flammable. But for general combustion, IIRC, bombs were preferred.

>>4093080
I wonder though what chain shot is doing in the fortress. It stands on a lake, not the seaside after all.

>>4093103
If the lake is big enough, or has a sea connection ships might be an issue

Rolled 8, 8, 8 = 24 (3d10)

>>4093070

>>4093109
Nice!

>>4093070
At sunrise, you catch sight of the Inquisition’s troops assembling in the trenches beyond Scaithness’ walls. Barrels of powder are set up near the guns for quicker firing and tighter security… it seems that they intend to put as many rounds as possible into the gate and the flanks of the wall, then send in a massed infantry attack.

Just fifty men assemble along the top of the wall to man the cannon and counter with musketfire, fifty men against what must be five hundred. Five guns down in the flatland in front of the gate, with four guns defending… one at each flank, and two at the hardened gatehouse defenses.

The Kentarch gives the order to heat the lead and cast the first four molten shot. It takes several minutes, during which time the Inquisitorial shots begin to land. Three smash into the trees protecting the outer walls, probably doing unsustainable damage to the defenses, while one sails into a residential building just behind the walls.

“Fire!” the Kentarch orders as the first of the molten shot you designed sail through the air. Two break apart midflight, having been given too little time to set properly, but the other two land in the trenches near the guns.

The cannon are quickly loaded with fresh cups as another round of shot hits the walls, with one ricocheting into the iron-shod gate itself and cracking it severely. Another hit would bring it down.

“Second volley, fire!”

This time, one of the molten-core shots finds its target.

One of the guns erupts into flames and shrapnel, the blast catching more powder in the open and setting off a chain reaction between three of the cannon emplacements. One bronze gun on the far end is blasted into the loch, while earth and bodies rain down on the troops in the rear trenches who haven’t been killed by the blast.

“Fire at will!” the Kentarch orders. “Knock out those last two cannon!”

This is done with brutal, literally military efficiency. More prepared powder loads are set off, and the other two cannon are blasted skyward with their crews. Dozens if not hundreds of Inquisitorial troops are dead, the exact number obscured by the ferocity of the blasts and the separation and wide dispersal of their constituent parts. You can hear the screams of their wounded from here.

>Let the Kentarch continue fighting as he sees fit.
>Head to the “rear” defenses. Make sure the Inquisition isn’t trying to turn your flanks.
>Tell the Kentarch to hold fire. Give the Inquisition time to withdraw their wounded.
>Tell the Kentarch to give you cover fire. You’re gonna ram some molten lead down the cannons’ barrels.
>Other?

>>4093118
>>Head to the “rear” defenses. Make sure the Inquisition isn’t trying to turn your flanks.
No chances, only pure unadulterated victory.

>>4093118
Head to the rear

>>4093118
>Head to the “rear” defenses. Make sure the Inquisition isn’t trying to turn your flanks.

>>4093118
>Half to the rear, half attack the cannons. Use the gun smoke as cover.

>>4093118
>>Head to the “rear” defenses. Make sure the Inquisition isn’t trying to turn your flanks.

>>4093118
>>Head to the “rear” defenses. Make sure the Inquisition isn’t trying to turn your flanks.

Rolled 1, 6, 9 = 16 (3d10)

>>4093070

>>4093118
Roll call: 3d10, best of three

Rolled 2, 9, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>4094651

Rolled 10, 7, 6 = 23 (3d10)

>>4094651

Rolled 7, 5, 4 = 16 (3d10)

>>4094651

>>4094656
Phew.

>>4094651
>will update some time around 9am PST

>>4094651
“I’m heading to the gatehouse,” you announce to no one in particular. “Kentarch, have some of your reserves keep an eye on the fields uphill. Helen… I’m sensing something off.”

“Off?” she muses, looking away from the gory spectacle on the field before you. Then, she herself quickly frowns. “Actually, now that you’ve got me looking for it...”

You rush towards the gatehouse, grabbing Valentina, Serana, and Jenna along the way. Atop the small fortlet, you wait for what’s put you so on edge. It isn’t long before even Jenna can hear it… the gunshots grow distinct from the ones to your backs, and then the same is true of the screaming. Around the corner in the road and the steep slopes to your right flank come panicked men in light armor, some having already abandoned their muskets while others stumble over themselves trying frantically to load.

“Ma’am, what the hell IS that!?” one of the soldiers manning the gatehouse asks wide-eyed.

“A moving slaughter,” you reply, stunned at what you’re seeing.

The Inquisitiorial troops probably sent a detachment around the loch not long after you, marching into the morning to catch Scaithness in a pincer movement. But as they did so, perhaps two or three hundred of them strong, they were caught by something else: an unexpected third force.

Yōma.

A trained battalion of yōma, not a slathering incoherent horde but something with an actual sense of cohesion. And they’re slaughtering the Inquisitorial troops as they flee.

“Jenna, raise the alarm with our cohort!” you shout an order at her, the sound of your voice almost seeming to blast her off the low tower as she scrambles to do so. Not even stopping to question you… either she’s grown up, she respects you as a commander, or this is such a bizarre and upsetting situation that even she has found herself affected by it.

Yōma are supposed to hunt, not attack in formation… it probably reminds her of how you met. How they all nearly died.

>Charge in with Valentina and Serana, try and get the yōma off those poor Inquisitorial bastards.
>Order the fort’s guns to open up with grapeshot. Everything in front of you is an enemy.
>The three of you here are half-awakened… you can charge in under cover fire and survive, while sparing who you can.
>Other?

>>4094742
>>Charge in with Valentina and Serana, try and get the yōma off those poor Inquisitorial bastards.

>>4094742
>Charge in with Valentina and Serana, try and get the yōma off those poor Inquisitorial bastards.
Hearts and minds.

>>4094742
>>Charge in with Valentina and Serana, try and get the yōma off those poor Inquisitorial bastards.

Yoma are the enemy of all, even if some of that all are ungrateful bastards.

>>4094742
>>Charge in with Valentina and Serana, try and get the yōma off those poor Inquisitorial bastards.

>>4094742
>Charge in with Valentina and Serana, try and get the yōma off those poor Inquisitorial bastards.

>>4094742
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 4, 3, 10 = 17 (3d10)

>>4094871

Rolled 2, 9, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>4094871

Rolled 10, 6, 4 = 20 (3d10)

>>4094871

Rolled 4, 6, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>4094871

>>4094871
“Hold fire!” you shout. “We’re going in!”

“Right!” Valentina shouts in agreement. Serana merely joins you silently.

Swords are drawn and raised as the three of you leap from the tower and take off running the instant your feet touch flat ground. The Inquisitorial footsoldiers are too panicked to even understand what’s going on, and so they continue fleeing towards the gatehouse while you leap into the fray.

A high sweeping hew splits a yōma open before it can pounce onto a terrified man. An upward thrust impales another yōma through its ribcage, and a downward hammerblow forces your blade through that yōma and into another. Serana’s blade sweeps through two yōma at once in a shower of limbs and purple blood. Valentina’s nails impale a yōma through its eyes before it can rip the head off a man it had pinned, then shred their way up through its skull.

The three of you scythe your way into the yōma battalion like a cold steel wind, giving the Inquisitorial force a chance to rally… to your backs.

“Form a line!” one of the surviving officers screams his order. “Your lives depend on it you bastards, form up!”

“They’re going to fire on us too!” Valentina calls out.

>On my orders, drop low. Let the volley pass over us.
>Dive for the water, let the cannon and muskets on the gatehouse open fire.
>Keep fighting, use the yōma corpses as cover.
>Other?

>>4094955
>On my orders, drop low. Let the volley pass over us.

>>4094955
>Dive for the water, let the cannon and muskets on the gatehouse open fire.

>>4094955
>On my orders, drop low. Let the volley pass over us.

>>4094955
>>Dive for the water, let the cannon and muskets on the gatehouse open fire.

>>4094955
I can't help but expect the officer doesn't intend to shoot at us and this is a setup for a grave misunderstanding for further political drama.

>>4094955
>>On my orders, drop low. Let the volley pass over us.

>>4094955
>>On my orders, drop low. Let the volley pass over us.

>>4094955
>>On my orders, drop low. Let the volley pass over us.

>>4094955
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 5, 9, 3 = 17 (3d10)

>>4095112

Rolled 10, 9, 6 = 25 (3d10)

>>4095112

Rolled 5, 3, 10 = 18 (3d10)

>>4095112

>>4095112
“On my order, drop!” you shout over the din of battle, looking over your shoulder at the amassing Inquisitorial survivors. “Aaaand… DROP!”

On your order Valentina and Serana both drop to the ground and let the shots fly clean over you, where they pelt the yōma… somewhere between fifty and a hundred rounds en masse.

“Shit!” the officer shouts. “How did we miss!? Load the second volley!”

“They really were aiming at us!” Valentina protests loudly.

“Move forward!” you shout.

Turning low you sweep the legs out from under the nearest yōma, then turn through the air to drop your heel on its chest hard enough to collapse its ribcage using the White Fist technique. Valentina and Serana both follow your lead and work their way through or around several yōma so that the second volley of musket fire also hits the yōma.

“They’re pushing the wall!” you hear a shout somewhat faintly through the din. “Fire! Don’t hit the witches!”

Then the cannon behind you go off.

…

Between the grapeshot, the musket balls, and the mowing blades of your own swords, the battalion of yōma who tried to assault the gatehouse are wiped out. But caught between the yōma to your backs and the defenders of Scaithness, most of whom were far less willing to make nice with the Inquisition in the face of a shared enemy, the Inquisitorial troops are also wiped out. Looking along the road you see their torn bodies stretching into the distance… they must have started with more than two hundred in their company, now slain to a man.

“How is it looking here?” you ask Helen upon returning to the castle’s fortified courtyard, the sounds of battle having died away in the evening dim.

“Bodies everywhere,” she tells you. “Probably three fifths of the men attacking the main curtain wall were killed or maimed, as were half the contingent who tried to attack through the flooded fields. The locals are still pulling bodies out of there… many of them simply drowned.”

“How were things at the gatehouse?”

“Grim,” you admit. “Probably around two hundred and fifty Inquisitorial troops and fifty yōma, all dead. Losses on our end?”
>1/2

>>4095174
“Ten dead, about twenty wounded,” Helen tells you. “Thirty, for what sounds like as many as seven hundred killed and wounded… tonight isn’t going to be pleasant at their rear encampment.”

“The three hundred remaining also have lost much of their food, powder, and all of their cannon,” you add. “They’ll probably have to resort to eating their horses… they don’t need them for the cannon anymore.”

“I can handle that so long as they don’t start eating EACH OTHER,” Jenna chimes in.

“Why are you the way you are?” Nessa sighs wearily.

>We should plan to destroy their horses next. No respite.
>We should just leave them be. The cries of their wounded will be bad enough.
>It may pay to extend a proverbial olive branch right now.
>Other?

>>4095178
>
>We should just leave them be. The cries of their wounded will be bad enough.

>>4095178
>>We should plan to destroy their horses next. No respite.

I don't know if I'm willing to trust the rationality and willingness to just go away from a group of fanatics. I mostly just want to hammer it in at this point.

Wait... can we steal their horses instead? Though I imagine they'd be super protective of what supplies and logistics they have left...

>>4095178
>>We should plan to destroy/steal their horses next. No respite.

>>4095178
>>We should plan to destroy their horses next. No respite.

>>4095178
Normal people would've retreated long ago. How did the Inquisition manage to brainwash them so much?

>Steal their horses
>Send the best sensors to try and track the Abyssal One who sent the yoma battalion (but don't engage)

>>4095178
“The next step is to deny them their horses,” you declare. “And for that we’ll need a bow.”

“You want to either set them free or destroy them?” Helen swiftly follows your logic. “Eventually anyone with any sense left will flee or surrender, and those who flee will spread rumor of how disastrous the campaign was. That will undercut the Inquisition’s support in Hazaran, and perhaps encourage others to drive them away where Lord Sigmunt has refused to do so.”

“That was my thinking exactly,” you confirm. “I will ride along some of the smaller trails outside their encampment, and loose a fire arrow into the horse corral before fleeing.”

Helen sighs dramatically. “I’d argue with your choice in riders, but you’re the only one capable of making that shot at a sufficient distance to flee afterwards, all in the dark.”

“Again, our unusual abilities are coming into play...” you frown, taking a moment to appreciate that fact yourself. “SHOULD I be comfortable with this?”

Helen shrugs. “Probably not. Are you?”

“I’m confident that this is the best strategy,” you admit. “Beyond that I can’t really say. But again, in point of fact, we’re not directly killing anyone.”

“Is that enough?” Alexa asks quietly.

“Yes,” Justina counters brusquely.

[They tried to kill us today, even after we saved their lives.]

“Serana’s right,” Valentina agrees with a bitter frown. “Even with yōma before them and cannon to their back, even when we personally saved some of their lives, those same men fired at us.”

“We’ll have to see what they do after this,” you admit. “But I can’t help thinking we’re wrong to anticipate the Inquisition to act sensibly.”

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 8, 2, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>4096064

Rolled 1, 3, 4 = 8 (3d10)

>>4096064

Rolled 3, 8, 10 = 21 (3d10)

>>4096064