Homebrew system thread II, part 2

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Considering what the state of the art is and how late some of the rare earths were distinguished I'm not sure that anyone would know what Osmium actually is- reckon common knowledge as being, um, what's an element? Professional knowledge at somewhere around the 1700's before the enlightenment started to take off, with a few individual researchers and small groups reaching ahead of that- the dwarves are probably the people to talk to about exotic materials science.

Dark elves are likely to be quite good on exotic light elements (especially the toxic ones) and some good at organic chemistry (particularly the bits that stop someone being organic); surface elves may be quite good at the biochemistry but mostly unlikely to move far outside the wonderful world of carbon.


Anyway. Given that de Berrey is a git, and a slick, smooth one at that- capable of talking what must have been about a quarter of his command before losses to desert the army but remain loyal to him personally; what's his next move going to be? He's not shy of blood, and even less shy of nasty tricks. If he was planning to dive into the chaos and do in the winnder of that fight, but thought better of it when the fighting stopped too soon, what would he do then?

You have left eighteen yeomanry fit for violence, four of them lightly dented; sixteen foot, two walking wounded, mostly it was the spearmen that got hit. A sizable force- you could probably take his thirty in a straight fight, and given how much banked anger they have it would be very fast, hard and nasty- if he stood still for it, which is unlikely.

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

Osmium was isolated chemically from a mishmash of platinum-group metals in 1804. Larric could build the setups and is capable of the necessary discernment- but discovering elements isn't easy and he probably hasn't found more than a few in his career to date. Also, can't afford the platinum.

IC:

Larric frowns. "If we go haring after them in the dark, we might just trip over them all at once. Not good. Wait for daylight?" He looks at Alfred.

[Panzersharkcat]

(OOC: And I don't think Sir Alfred is willing to cough up the money for it, either.)

"Aye. Making plans and preparations before heading back to sleep."

(OOC: Don't think phalanxes will work so hot, especially without many of my own cavalry. Also, not very many people.)

[Kaelan]

Have magic will travel...

"Dirt say go get bad men now. Dirt ask tree where men go. Say hello to men when they sleep"

[Panzersharkcat]

"Still not a good idea. Even with that magic, the chance of people getting lost in the dark is too high."

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Good idea. Wandering out into a possible ambush in the dark, one against thirty, maybe not so good. Larric's geophone (for want of a better term)- the ability to hear people lying in ambush and not making much noise, to pick up breathing and heartbeat and things, is not brilliant; marginal enough that failing to pick them up wouldn't necessarily mean that they weren't there.

Dirt has good night vision, probably the best to send on something like this- but if he's to go at all, Larric's comment about tripping over them all at once applies. There's inevitably going to be some lag time while the wounded are sorted out and immediate treatment applied- would Dirt go without backup? (Typed before Panzer beat me to it. If Dirt does go, looks like it's him and Fifi on their own.)

Captain de Berrey appears to have chutzpah coming out of his ears- as well as possibly other bodily substances once Alfred gets hold of him, which you'd have to do first- you could try guessing your way to a position of advantage, ahead of him? Figuring out what he's going to do next- he's only got about five things to choose between.

[Kaelan]

"Take us, leave rest. Kill 'ebber and use head as hat. 'ebber men get message and change side."

- Dirts view on hierarchy has been jaded from ogre and dark elf living, he also can't quite comprehend how anybody can get lost with so much light about.

[Panzersharkcat]

(OOC: In real life, there's a very good reason night ops weren't very common until the 20th century. From "How to Lose a War" on Pyrrhus, "Before the twentieth century, night attacks were always risky. The possibility of surprising and defeating the enemy was heavily outweighed by the possibility of failure. At night, troops got lost, could not distinguish between friend and foe, or just showed up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Coordination was not possible." We won't have night vision or radio or even flares.)

"None of us are quiet enough for that. de Berrey will likely be guarded and taking down his guards will cause a disturbance that will rouse his whole camp. I doubt, skilled as we can be, we can take on that many at the same time. Frankly, even just killing de Berrey may not work to get them to change sides if they were that personally loyal to him. They may instead rally around a man who will try to avenge him."

[Simon_Jester]

Have magic will travel...

"Dirt say go get bad men now. Dirt ask tree where men go. Say hello to men when they sleep"

"If talking to trees works for you, go for it. Probably flatten half of them all by yourself. Me, I'm for making a plan. I think the bit about wearing Captain de Berrey's head as a hat sounds like it'd work, though." He growls.

OOC:

Panzer- I'm probably a bit more tactically literate than Larric, actually. My impression is that Alfred's surviving men-at-arms are better armored than the villagers and better trained; a few of them might volunteer to fight along with us on their own. With Alfred's archers and the yeomen (think English longbowmen, armed with bow and sledgehammer) factored in, we have a pretty substantial edge, if we fight under conditions that allow for archery.

[Kaelan]

We won't have night vision or radio or even flares

Don't say that too loud or the biomancers may take offence, or worse a challenge.

"Can always dig up 'fun' hole and use on 'ebber. Get rid of bad poison and bad man at same time."

[Simon_Jester]

And if the biomancers don't take you up on the night vision, Larric just might take you up on the flares and radio...

That said, yeah, unless Dirt goes haring off into the darkness alone, we're probably going to wait for dawn, organize, and work out who's responsible for scouting and tracking the dragoons to a probable hideout.

IC:

"So, they know their scheme failed- we didn't kill each other off. They'd have wanted to be near to jump into that, so maybe they've been near. But they'd want to back away- and do what? Leave the land? Fort up and try to hold us off? Find a friend to back them up, maybe some other bunch of bandits?

Larric scratches his head and looks at Alfred.

[Panzersharkcat]

"I don't believe they would attempt to flee the land. They've staked much in deserting and setting up here. They will likely try to fort up and try to hold us off. To my knowledge, which is incomplete, they have no other allies in the area. I will be drafting another letter to Baron de Verett. When light breaks, we'll scout out and find them."

_________ ___, 426*
My Lordship Baron deVerett,

Pardon the sudden appearance of another letter so soon. As before, I am writing this from Old Eleb in de Berrey's land. Shortly after I sent out my previous letter detailing the deal with Captain Sebastien de Berrey, he betrayed us. He sent an agent among the village to the men of the greenwood. That agent deceived the men of the greenwood into believing Captain de Berrey had moved out of his hiding place and into Old Eleb, torturing and terrorizing the villagers. The woodsmen attacked us, believing us to be de Berrey's men. Though the fighting was brief, we suffered one dead, one maimed and four wounded yeomen; two dead and four wounded of my men-at-arms; and five dead, four seriously and six lightly wounded villagers. I shall venture forth in the morning to bring justice to the traitorous wretch de Berrey. If he, I, or both of us have fallen by the time you receive, you will know why.

Faithfully yours in service,
Sir Alfred Norden

(OOC: I think Alfred will have de Berrey beheaded, if he is captured alive, and will have the dragoons decimated. Well, not literally. Probably between 1 in 5 or 1 in 6, depending on how many are still alive.)

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

Holding the troops responsible- BAD IDEA, easy way to get a reputation for brutality.

Also, this is a small unit action between angry men. It's very likely that the deserters will take a lot more than 10% losses just from "are being attacked by Dirt," let alone all the other crap that's going to land on them.

IC:

[If Alfred suggests actually executing captured dragoons arbitrarily like that, Larric will be utterly, utterly shocked. Unless I am MUCH mistaken that's a long way outside the Kuquanese legal tradition. Punishing them for crimes, if those crimes could be proven in a fair way, might not be out of line. Punishing them for following a treacherous git of a man, not so much.]

[Fiji_Fury]

Dale will join the conference once most of the wounded are basically seen to. I am assuming that time is now.

"We should speak with the yeomen and villagers about where deBerrey and his men have hold up before. If they chose to fortify then it must be in a relatively secure place. They could also be planning an attack at dawn. Spirits often hang heaviest in the hour before light, and there is much reason this night for the villagers and yeomen to feel distracted."

"Two other possiblities come to mind, and neither of them is particularly pleasant. de Berrey knows you are here Sir Alfred and may seek to strike at your lands. After all, you have brought him distinct frustration and threaten to unseat him from his self-made throne here. He may also flee to the Baron's employ, hoping to ingratiate himself in service before word of this treachery can darken the Baron against him. What little I know of deVerett suggests this is unlikely. de Berrey wants this place for his own. To do that you and your men must be swept aside Sir Alfred. I think he will strike at dawn and try to wipe out you and your retainers before you can organize these superior numbers in the light."

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Where they were before was the village of Windways Pava, half way up the valley, and it is highly defensible- at some point the hill behind it was basically blown up, leaving splinters and shattered bits of rock, often house sized, over a large debris field- that the village is in the middle of, with trenches and walls turning the broken landscape into effectively a maze. Lots of defensive positions there.

Those two other possibilities are definitely worth consideration, though. Definitely.

[Simon_Jester]

"So Sir Alfred writes the letter, sends it to the baron before Captain de Berrey can get there and make friendly- anyone know where we can find a man with a fast horse? No? How about a normal horse...

"After that, we get ready to be attacked at dawn, if we're not, we go find him and jump up and down on him wherever he goes. His men won't be moving much faster than ours, even though they have a head start; if he decides his thirty men are enough to tangle with what Sir Alfred's family has back at Lillehammer, I imagine that they can hold on long enough for us to make it back and finish the job."

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

If they were to make for Lillehammer that could get interesting, what with the presence of the court sorceress; Lisanna's not a killer by temperament, she'd vastly rather build than burn, but in extremis she could get very nasty.

Moving forwards to just before sunrise, then- getting up with the first of the grey? Everyone standing to, and the sharper sighted among you can notice...

nothing happening. No attack, no real signs of movement except for a few farm animals meandering around. There's maybe an hour from first light to actual sun over the horizon, but they don't seem to be out there waiting to launch a dawn attack, not that anyone can see.

Take a few moments to be sure, but after that- how soon are you moving, and where?

[Panzersharkcat]

(OOC: Oh, fine. That was a Roman and not Byzantine thing, anyway, and I'm much more infatuated with the Byzantines at the moment.)

He starts assigning people to form up before marching out. Archers in the rear and whatnot. He also tries to find somebody with a horse to send the letter out.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

There are the three Norden light-horsemen you came with; the village between them have a few- eight- plough and cart horses, good for weight and endurance, not speed and distance.

I think Alfred might be being slightly overoptimistic about the amount of control he has over the yeomanry; probably in asuming he has any at all. At most- as their leader points out- you have a common enemy. They are not subject to you, and they are slightly embarrassed but mainly angry.

'If they're back in their own village we're wasting time we could be using to attack them. If they've gone somewhere else we're wasting time we need to be using to chase them. We'll go and see if they're home; you get your lot sorted out.'

[Panzersharkcat]

After selecting one of the Norden light-horsemen to deliver the letter, he says, "You may not accept my authority but we're going with you. We both have a vested interest in seeing de Berrey brought down and I am not going to divide what forces we have available so he can fight us and maybe defeat us separately. [Divide et impera.]"

(OOC: Not actually in Latin but the equivalent of it around here.)

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Setting aside that problem for the future, then; Windways Pava- and the broken landscape around it. The village consists of four longhouses, looks like two of them are essentially underground with only entrances showing, two have slate roofs but are mostly dug into the ground; and all in behind rocks, walls, trenches- how are you going about this?

[Panzersharkcat]

He will wish he brought the chemicals with them to toss at de Berrey. They don't really have any siege equipment. Maybe not necessary, though. How high and thick are the walls?

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Drystone for the most part; interlocking, mostly no more than man height (literally- the height of the wall is largely determined by the height of the builder and how much effort they put in), Dirt can see over them without trouble and could probably guide you through- between dodging arrows and sling stones, there are disadvantages too- possible but a lot of sweat and some time to demolish them. Mostly they stretch from one inconveniently placed boulder or snarl of jagged rock to another to break up and canalise access.

Not fully light yet, but no obvious sign of them- they'd be waiting in ambush positions, with what shortbows, javelins, slings and things they could get, in cover from the longbowmen anyway, probably.

The yeomanry are going to do it the sensible way; skirmish their way forward through the obstacles, try to shoot anything they see before it can get them. The men at arms would probably be doing the same if there are no heroic options come up with.

[Panzersharkcat]

OK, so maybe no need for a forlorn hope thing. Hmm. He turns to Larric and asks, "Do you think the magic hammer in Dirt's hands can punch a large enough hole in the wall? If it can, we'll cut at them at a different angle while the yeomen are doing their thing. Try to hit them on two sides."

[Simon_Jester]

"It did for solid masonry, I expect it'll work on a pile of fieldstone."

["Drystone" means the rocks are basically just piled on top of each other without benefit of mortar to stick them together]

If Dirt's axe doesn't have a maul-like back to the head (possible but not obviously the case), Larric will volunteer to re-inscribe his lightning runes on Alfred's hammer. If we're already there he may have a problem- last time he did it with a blacksmith's punch. If we're planning this at the village, he'll do it readily enough, some suitable tool probably being available.