Homebrew system thread II, part 2

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Yes; when someone offends badly enough against the law, the protection of the law of the land is withdrawn from them, you are no longer required to pay your debts to them, their property is considered ownerless and free to take, you can offend or injure them however you please, the normal rules of civility no longer apply, they are public enemies- without the law. (That looked like it got cut off in mid- post).

Technically in Kuquan, the law of the land is two parts pre- Tower survivals, three parts incomer, one part borrowings from dwarvish and two parts borrowings from elvish law, and the other two parts, like making sausages, better not to know. The other races have their own law and reciprocal agreements usually exist; most of the svartalfven are, strictly speaking, outlaws.

'The, I presume they're natives from around here, the lordless and landless; drawn to the empty lands here, where they could be free of obligations. A rabble, but numerous. We pick them off as we find them unsupported; whittle down the problem. With your aid we could extirpate it entirely.'

The long sighted among you can tell that this, too, is a fib.

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

...Ahem. What I meant to say:

"Outlaw," gentleman, is a technical term, not just a word for 'men I don't like in the woods.' It's a legal status, if someone uses it descriptively it implies that some duly constituted legal authority has declared them beyond the bounds of civilized society- the enemies of every law-abiding person.

[Panzersharkcat]

(OOC: I have not, actually. I've been intending to but it's not on Netflix. I was going to snark about the cornet being landless as well. Wasn't 100% sure it was accurate and couldn't quite fit it in anyway. I was also going to write something about Alfred not agreeing until he discovers the truth and spotting the grins on their faces. Decided to excise that.)

"You haven't answered the question wholly. Who outlawed them?"

[Fiji_Fury]

Dale continues to be silent and does a wide scan of the surrounding terrain and country side. No sense in risking any flanking nonsense if this exchange heats up. As he does so he'll rest his hand on one of his knives. Not a threatening gesture if its noticed, but not a friendly one either. Are there any signs of close movement in the area surrounding our groups? Also, how close are their armed men and Alfred's?

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

So what are you going to do when you've backed them far enough into a corner that they can only start fighting?

'You are aware of that hole in the ground? Their lord is dead and they have taken full advantage of it to live without the law, to do as they please, to pay nothing and organise themselves as they see fit- damn' anarchists. They outlawed themselves, they reject the law.'

Footsoldiers shuffling for position- do you actually want this to kick off here and now? They're about ten, twenty yards apart, more of you than there are of them, no spectators close enough to matter.

[Kaelan]

OOC - just been watching Judge Dredd (the new one). Will try to refrain from saying 'I am the Law'

IC
Humans!
Dirt is trying hard not to laugh at the situation.
They're arguing over the remnants of a burnt out village over who gets to own the last semi pile of rubble after they've already been pounded into the ground by a greater force who came by to stop the arguments in the first place. He's seen goblin tribes rebuild faster than this and show more cohesion.

It doesn't really help that Dirt has an ogre's sense of law and justice, Law being what can be enforced within arm's reach or the arms reach of somebody working for you.

"Humans dumb. Take too long to see truth. Dirt take law from Sir Alfred. Better than take law from Johanna. No law as Sir Alfred away."

"Sir Alfred back"

"Law is back."

Looking over the terrain and ruins Dirt will ask Alfred "Dirt say cut off arm of no-law men. Town no make anything good. Man with one arm still make food from ground."

Getting his axe ready
"You tell Dirt which men here are no-law men, or no-law men not here?"

[Panzersharkcat]

"I appreciate the sentiment but put the axe back down, Dirt. We're not fighting yet."

(OOC: Hurray, character growth? Not so willing to sacrifice red shirts, at least, it seems.)

[Kaelan]

Intimidation achieved Dirt lowers his axe, but still keeps a wary eye on both bands.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Yes, but goblins have two major advantages; they breed like vermin, and their buildings tend to be a lot more ramshackle to begin with, it's not that hard to put a hovel back up.

'We don't have this heir, they must- if they haven't killed him already. Are you going to fight to get him back?' the cornet asks.

[Simon_Jester]

Larric nods. "I'm with Sir Alfred in this, we're going to get the boy back one way or the other. But I won't promise to try and kill a man I've never met. We're not starting a fight with you, and I doubt we'll start a fight with them, either, not without cause."

[Panzersharkcat]

"Aye. I will fight if I must but enough blood has been shed here. Any more will only prolong recover and inhibit unity."

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

They look somewhat relieved by that; 'We will consider your words.' and turn to go.

Someone watching their backs as they do, of course; and their front. They may be scruffy deserters but they're still capable of doing some kind of job. They're probably going to pass by the ruined village you saw movement in earlier. Doing anything before that happens?

[Simon_Jester]

Before they get more than, say, a few hundred feet off, Larric has a realization.

"Hold!" Larric calls out, cupping his hands so his voice will carry. "Unless you have a dozen or so friends in those ruins that you know about-" he points at the burned-out hamlet in question- "You might want to swing wide of them."

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Interesting tactics there, if tactical thought there was; they hear, wave their thanks, and start to move at the jog- the ambush party in the ruined village will realise they've been made and start running for it before they get there.

I think Dirt's idea may have some merit in general terms, though. (Just picked up Dredd on DVD myself. Considering some of the things that happen to him in the comics, though, that really was just Tuesday.)
Don't forget he will also have seen the other end of the process, the "black bitter tangle" phase where the law has grown so far out of control it becomes cancerous; so complex, layers piled upon interlinked layers, that it passes comprehension and original intention entirely and becomes another weapon, another battlefield for the parties to contend on. (Svartalfven, again.)

So-one side, one dubious claimant and his largely not from 'round- 'ere minions have tried to get you to attack the other claimant who probably has the child the document was about; after politely declining, you warn them about an ambush set by the seocnd lot.

What now?

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

If the cadet branch asks, we can plausibly deny having told the dragoons about the ambush. The dragoons could have spotted it on their own. But the dragoons will like us later for having done it, if we decide we don't want to fight them.

Now, arguably it would have been smarter to let the ambush succeed and weaken both sides, particularly the dragoons. Sir Julian might have done exactly that. Larric wouldn't; he picked the option that results in less dead bodies.

IC:

Larric turns to Sir Alfred. "Well, milord, it sounds like they were really eager to get us into a fight with this other bunch, the side of the de Berreys that doesn't stand to inherit. So eager, I wonder what they're really like..."

[Panzersharkcat]

"Well, we'll find out soon enough. Let's get going." He motions to move to where the peasant woman indicated the boy is likely to be held.

[Fiji_Fury]

Dale shoulders his shield so that it's resting like a back-pack.

"Perhaps we should have a scout forward and on one of our flanks? Maybe both? If either party to the local conflict sees you as a threat, they may try an ambush against us. Sending a man out to either side to recon the area as we advance could be prudent. If you agree, I'll go myself on the right, and keep within visual distance but move up and around to look for any surprises."

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Where the boy is likely to be held is with the second faction, the natives- that would be heading towards the town meeting in Old Eleb.

Dale has several interesting moments of nervousness on the way; a good scout needs three things- needs a lot more than that really but three are critical. The ability to spot things, the ability to not be spotted, and the ability to run really fast when the first two let you down.

At one point he ends up with one foot hovering over a hole in the ground trying to remember if there are such things as burrowing owls, and if there are what terms he's on with them; and whether or not they have too much sense to be doing this. Looping out and round the village may be a fool's errand- falling back to the party may be smarter at that point. No ambushes encountered, but lots of hair standing on end.

Bits coming back, too, nervous not because he hasn't done this before but because he has. Hunting things in the dark and the mist, things which seemed part of the mist, alone and far from help.


It's not a large place, three farms with low drystone walls around the inner parts to keep the wild animals out and the tame ones in, and a few barns here and there further up the hillsides; a professional would probably say it was indefensible, the shortest circle around it is too large for the number of people within it, but the locals obviously aren't professionals because they have tried to dig ditches and throw up mud barricades. Could probably be scrambled over.

Many more than three extended families here, though, about a hundred people in total most of whom are at least armedish, some spears and slings are about the best they've got- lots of farm implements, then down to knives and quarterstaffs. Most of the people who were part of the ambush earlier ran to here.

It's an interesting experience for Alfred; he wants to be a leader of the people, and they really don't look like they want to be led- in fact, they're manning the barricades against him. They recognise the family coat of arms, being your neighbours, but they don't exactly do it honour. In fact the first thing any of them says is 'What do you want, tinhead?'

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

Please, Alfred, don't go 'pretentious dickhead' this time...

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

It's actually quite unfair really- Alfred was one of the relative handful who did exactly what the noble class is supposed to do, stood between their people and harm, and managed to come out of it without either being dragged back from death's door or wetting himself and running for the hills; probably just as well that he doesn't have enough reputation to advertise that fact though, because whatever the people would think, it would not make him popular with the rest of the local upper class.

For one thing he wouldn't have this opportunity if they did. For another, the sargeant- major and her squaddies would probably have tried to kill you all. Before this, in peace, a certain pretension, a certain swagger, a conscious, rubbed in superiority would not be out of place- imagine what Selene d'Avariel would be doing in this situation- but since then the people's mood is a lot uglier. When you get right down to it though, the baron's writ is to establish your authority over them. What's the plan?

[Panzersharkcat]

He opts to ignore the insult. "We are here to restore order to the land placed under the care of my family by Baron de Verret until the boy de Berrey reaches maturity. We are also here to ensure the safety of the boy. Am I to presume you are the leader here?"

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Actually I have to ask- no stated location- so what is your local time, how far ahead or behind GMT are you? It's not the time zone difference as such, it's that they're arriving at the single worst possible time. And again; deVerett, one R two T's.


Anyway- that gets a somewhat angry reply. 'Restore order? What the bleeding hell are you doing not hitting them then, or is it that you don't like to pick on people who are properly armed?

Screw all leadership, screw all pompous, bullying, posturing, worthless bastards- like you, like them- who believe in it, who never keep their end of the bargains, who treat us like animals. Gods damn you all.'

Same one who delivers it, but there is a general murmur of agreement. 'Probably not going to let us in without a fight.' the vintenar- senior man with the archers- says to Alfred. 'Don't know but that this could spread.'

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

Based on everything he's said, he's in California: Greenwich minus eight hours. You see his problem- your eight PM is his noon. It's at least broadly practical for him to get a post in at the right time for you to react, respond, and have him react and respond in turn for multiple decision loops per day. But he has to get his posts in during a fairly modest window, between, say... morning coffee and four PM. Which are his peak working hours, and I can't remember if he's in high school or college, either, to make matters worse.

[looks befuddled] Thought you knew...

Same goes/went for Rohal, unless they moved him for Air Force training. Meanwhile, I'm on the Eastern Seaboard, Greenwich minus five. Don't know about Fiji.

IC:

Larric waves an arm, in a gesture in the general direction of the village the dragoons headed back to. "Hey, we've only met that lot of deserters the once. They're good at making people want them dead, sounds like- but not that good. Why don't you tell us why we should be tangling with them?"

OOC MK II:

To other party members:

Inference- assuming the cadet branch of the de Berreys is still alive and in the picture, bear in mind that they'd be considerably poorer than the main family line that inherits the baronetcy. Probably by quite a lot. The baronet himself was just rich enough to afford a good-sized manor that supported roughly a hundred people in the surrounding community. His poorer cousins would be a step further down the line, to where "country squire" and "rich farmer" start to blend into each other. So the de Berrey-cousins might not have any trouble merging into a peasant revolt; their yeomanry credentials are good.

So yeah, this is a (small) popular revolt, of the sort ECR has been implying could happen all along.

[Fiji_Fury]

OOC: I am in Alberta, Canada. Standard Mountain Time (7 hours difference from London, England).

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

I may be north of the Hadrian Line- in fact I'm north of the Antonine Line as well, Floreat Alba Libera- but still on Greenwich time. Until the summer when things actually get worse. Hm.

The main reason I'm getting cranky about this at all instead of letting it come as it flows, the way we've been doing up until now, is I want to get some kind of resolution to this before Panzersharkcat goes away on the 29th. I can hear the calendar ticking.


Anyway, the response Larric gets to that is 'Those thieves? I suppose we can't absolutely blame them for backing down from that fight, but we sure as the sky can for what they did afterwards. Instead of going home they stuck together, followed Captain de Berrey- descendant of the last lord but three, but half of us have got as good a claim as he has, which if such things ought to matter which they don't. Old Bernold had a wandering eye, he did.

Decided to come here and live off our backs, make us all work for them to keep them in meat and beer and warmth, tried to enserf the lot of us. Well, the hell with that.'