The Rebels of Westwall (IC Thread)

[tigerusthegreat]

You travel through the snow-strewn paths of Westwall, looking for the elusive rebels. Your group makes slow progress, the wagons getting caught in snowbanks. As you are about to give up hope, you find yourself in a sunken road, wagons stuck once again, and the eerie feeling you are being watched. Looking up, you catch sight of several men in brown, snow-covered cloaks, aiming taught bows at you and your group.

[esorscher]

The soldiers ready their own bows, but Adam raises a hand. "We mean you no harm. In fact, if you are the men we seek, we mean quite the opposite."

[tigerusthegreat]

The men on the sides of the road do not relax their bowstrings. From ahead on the road, a single man, similarly clad in brown clothes covered in snow steps forward. On his back is a frost-rimed shield, and the long sheath of a longsword drags in the deep snow. He pulls back the cloth protecting his face, revealing long brown hair, tinged white with age and snow. His sharp blue eyes size you up in an instant, and you feel how dangerous this man is.

"What manner of fool are you, who seeks us with armsmen and weapons of war? You are too disorderly to be a legion, but if they are desperate enough they will hire any mercenary to find us. Speak if you be a friend, or stain the snows red if you dare risk treachery."

[esorscher]

"Not a fool," Adam quotes, "but a faithful. A believer in the divine Lord Cuthbert of the Cudgel, who commands me to 'come to the aid of those who fight for the same cause, though they do not know it.' I interpret this to mean the men of the woods here who fight against the tyrant Daramund."

[tigerusthegreat]

The man considers you for a moment, and says something to the archers you do not understand. "Anethro Lockannan. Ju tran tri'lack." They slack their bowstrings, and disappear beyond the crest that hides the road. The man nods to your wagons. "Your wagons are poorly suited to this ground. My men are bringing runners to turn them into sleds. With that, you might make it to our camp before nightfall." As he turns to look down the road, you notice the gilding on his shield represents a dragon. Once probably set in gold, it is dented and scarred in more places than you can count. "What brings servants of the Justice-seeker out this far? The Temple is officially neutral to the conflict in this land, and sending such a party is a clear declaration of its intent. I doubt the Tyrant will come down easy on you if you are found out."

His breath creates a heavy mist on the air. "The Tyrant has disowned his own son, claiming he is a devilspawn and his long-dead queen a harlot who consorted with devils. All that so he could marry the Queen of Archranas, and unite those two kingdoms and conquer the rest of us."

[esorscher]

"We are not so widespread in this land as to have anything to jeopardize by our mission here," Adam explains. "If we fail, the elders will amount it to a failure of my person--suffice it to say they are in a position to do so, though doing so would be a betrayal of reality. When we succeed, the elders will amount it to a success of St. Cuthbert, purifying me in this (to them) backwater realm."

"I know better. I know that St. Cuthbert has sent us for the very reasons you proclaim--Daramund the tyrant, Daramund the betrayer, is deserving of retribution."

"Tell us about these people. We are new to this land and know only a little."

[tigerusthegreat]

Quickly men bring up long runners, and begin the process of attaching them to the wagons and removing the wheels. The action will take some time, but less than getting the wagons unstuck time and time again from the deep snow.

"We are farmers, craftsmen, woodsmen, and peasants of all kinds. Balifs, butchers, cooks and carpenters. Every kind of man, and some women have joined us, all united by the common cause, of sending the legions back to the east, and restoring our nation to its rightful place."

"Even with your armsmen, the task is great. We face an organized army. Our estimates place the number of the one legion still present here at four thousand heavy infantry, five hundred cavalry, and another two thousand conscripts of various kinds. Their general, Maxon Giglimansh, is a skilled commander, and one I am not eager to face on the open field. To win the war, we must strike from the shadows, and gather our forces."

[esorscher]

"Then that is what we will do. There are others here, surely, who feel the same sentiment as you. We will recruit them, covertly, and train them. Meanwhile we will harry and harass Giglimansh's troops. 7000 men is a great number, but it is not infinite." Adam says before quoting from the scripture, "Infinite is St. Cuthbert's providence, and unending is his judicious gaze."

[tigerusthegreat]

The man grunts at your quoting scripture. His men finish putting the runners on, and your wagons begin moving again.

"We are far from infinite as well. With your men, we have close to three hundred at this time, ranging in skill from great archers to those who have never held a weapon. Our equipment is sparse, mostly farm impliments and bows. About twenty of my men have swords, about ten real shields, along with a handful of wooden shields. If we were to fight a true battle now, we would be slaughtered. The only defense we have is the wilds themselves, which our trackers know better than anyone. The most we have been able to do is raid a few supply wagons here and there. I wish we could capture the pay chest of the legion, but it is protected by almost five hundred well armed men, and opportunities for ambush are rare."

[esorscher]

"I have brought smiths with me," Adam says. "With some help from your men and some resources, we can craft weapons and armor for our army. Tell me more about this pay chest."

[tigerusthegreat]

"Unless you've hidden stockpiles of metal and ores in those wagons, your smiths won't do much except keep the weapons we have in good shape. Not that your intention isn't welcome."

"The pay chest is dispatched from central command every month with the salaries of the local legions. The money would help our cause greatly, not to mention demoralize the enemy forces as they have to work without pay."

[esorscher]

"We've got trees," Adam says. "Trees will make spears, and shields. When is the next dispatch?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"The next paychest is due in the area in a week."

[esorscher]

"Then we spend the week preparing. Have your men cut down some trees, and my men will turn them into longspears, shortspears, and shields. That should be some improvement over what we're fighting with now."

He turns to John the Barber (halfling Ranger) and tells him to scout the surroundings, looking for signs of the Imperials route through the forest, such as a well-traveled path leading from their command center.

"Are your men hungry?" Adam asks.

(Taking 10 on the Craft Check each smith can produce 19 shortspears, 4 longspears, 2 heavy wooden shields or 6 light wooden shields. Per week)

[tigerusthegreat]

Shortly you arrive in a wooded clearing. Fires burn, and a few women tend pots that boil over them. A few deer hang from the trees, being skinned by a couple of young boys. There are probably fifty people in the camp at the moment, but the tents around its edge suggest closer to one hundred could lodge here.

"We have food enough for our purposes, help yourselves if you are hungry. Building an army isn't an easy thing. We are small, not enough to be considered much more than a raiding party."

The man turns to you, and laughs. "The name is Barlenor, former Watch Captain of Celendon, until the legion came. Now I'm to be hanged for crimes against a crown I do not recognize. There is Faustus, my adopted son. His father is dead, and the poor lad was lost in the world until he stumbled into my camp. Poor bastard, I would have sent him away, but they were after his hands for stealing a loaf of bread, and he had barely skin over his ribs." He points out a black haired boy of maybe fourteen. He is very twitchy and nervous, and there is definitely something strange....even unnatural about him.

(Sounds about right, the spears especially are easy as they are cheap. Are you wanting to speed ahead, or continue more roleplaying?)

[esorscher]

Adam nods, and introduces himself. "Adam Hardy," he says, placing a hand on his chest. "His father--a victim of the Empire as well?" He tries to sense if there is anything peculiar about the youth. "What do you all call yourselves? Barlenor's Bandits?"

Sense Motive: [roll0]

The 5 smiths do as directed, making 95 shortspears for the week's work. These are given freely to any able-bodied man or woman who wishes to fight for the army.

(I'm fine speeding up)

[tigerusthegreat]

"Bandits implies what we are doing is wrong. We are the Freemen. We fight a tyrant, and so we will remain free, until we are freed in death itself, whether it is our death, or the death of the tyrant."

You sense the boy is keeping a great deal to himself, but what exactly you will not know without talking to him. Most people avoid him, and he isn't very social.

Your forces begin the work of arming those that they can during the week up to the next pay delivery. All told, there are now ten swordsmen (including Barlenor), fifty spearmen, fifty longspearmen, twenty bowmen, and your forces. Barlenor mentions that an ambush would be the best way to take the pay chest, but an ambush would require a good deal more ranged firepower than they can wield. Facing five hundred trained soldiers with a handful of ragtag men, armed with hastily crafted wooden weapons, would be certain suicide.

[esorscher]

"Unless we could use the geography to our advantage, I certainly agree," Adam says. "My men are as skilled with the bow as they are the spear." He turns to John the Barber who has long since returned with the results of his search. "Did you find any terrain suitable for an ambush?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"Only one decent spot, sir, its a bit of a canyon the road descends into, about a days march from the garrison. If we could block the far end of it, they would march down into it,and be trapped. A small force could hold the opposite end while we rain down arrows from above. The danger comes from them scouting the way, if we keep the blockade in place long before they reach it, they will just go around, but if we block it after they enter the canyon, they will be none-the-wiser. "

[esorscher]

"That sounds like a fine plan," Adam says. "How wide across is the canyon?"

Meanwhile, Ethan (who has not been introduced to anyone, still clothed in his garments that conceal his face and skin) surreptitiously walks over to the boy sitting by himself. At first he simply observes, then goes over and introduces himself. "Hello," he says diplomatically. He attempts to strike up a conversation with the boy about whatever he is doing, and thus befriend him.

[esorscher]

Diplomacy roll (unhurried): [roll0]

[tigerusthegreat]

"The canyon is about forty feet across at the exit. It will be a squeeze for the wagon and its escorts, and they will have to squeeze out when leaving the canyon."

"What do you want, newcomer? Did Barlenor send you to keep me from being sullen and antisocial?"

[esorscher]

"Eight men across," Adam says. "They will not leave the canyon. Would you draw it out for us, John?" The halfling ranger does so with his finger in the dirt.

"They enter the canyon here," Adam says, pointing to the entrance. "And here is where we will end them. Once the last man is through, we deploy the blockade." He pointed to the opposite end. "Eight spearmen on the frontline. Eight longspearmen behind them, with shortspears as well, to take up the position if a man on the front falls. Another eight longspearmen with shortspears behind them, to move up in the formation. Archers on either side atop the canyon walls. I have arcane support as well; I'll deploy it here, at the ambush, along with ten of my men. The other thirty will be with the bulk of our forces at the entrance. After they are out of sight, we will begin to march--chest to chest across the canyon floor, the hammer against the anvil of our ambush. When they flee in fear of our ambush, they will turn to find our spears smiling at them. Let them charge--we will be ready. We will force the fight into the range of our archers on the cliffs."

Meanwhile, Ethan continues his conversation with the boy. "Barlenor?" he says. "I have no idea who that is."

[tigerusthegreat]

"It could work, a wall of spears.....we would loose people, but if we keep the local force strong enough, they won't be able to use their superior numbers against us, and with archers on the canyon walls, we might be able to slaughter them all before they can do much."

Map scratched into the dirt
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm285/tigerus2004/westwall1.png


"Sure you don't.......what do you want anyway?"

[esorscher]

"It will work," Adam says confidently. "With Cuthbert's blessing, it will work." More accurately, he is thinking about the damage Ethan will be able to do to the enemy soldiers in a confined space like the canyon. "I'll go ready my men.

"Nothing," Ethan says to the boy. "I just wanted a place to sit with my thoughts. You looked like someone who'd understand that." Ethan is silent for a few moments, inviting the boy to speak, but Adam walks over to them both and tells Ethan to prepare for battle. "Til next time, Kiddo."

(I'm ready to set the ambush)

[tigerusthegreat]

As you set up your troops, preparing for the ambush, Barlenor approaches. "The men I sent scouting have returned. It seems that we are in luck, the enemy force is only four hundred horsemen, and if their ill-fitting uniforms are any indication, fairly new conscripts. The Legions must be running low on men, or they think this front is a safe one. It seems everything will be going according to plan. Are you ready?"

[esorscher]

(John will serve as scout and not partake in battles)

"Yes." Adam says. "In the night I had a dream. A dream of our victory. Cuthbert showed me leading the ambush, and you, Barlenor, leading the charge." (This way Adam will be more effective I think.)

At some point, Adam addresses the army as a whole before splitting off with the Ambush team. "Freemen, Freewomen. Today you fight for your freedom, and more than that. You fight for the freedom of your children, of your nieces and nephews. For the freedom of every man and woman living in these lands. And you are not alone.

"You fight with the strength of the divine St. Cuthbert in your arms, with the swiftness of his judgment in your feet. He has blessed us against this wicked enemy, and we will be as the hammer of justice against the evil tyrant and his lackeys.

"Do not fear, do not falter. If you die, you die for your fellows beside you, for your families here at this camp. Know that your death will not be in vain. And know this--the enemy will quake in terror at the very sight of us, they will flee before their fiery demise. Today will be a good day, and you will all want to live to see the end."

As close in time as they can to when the ambush begins, Adam and Ethan casts the follow buffs (w/ 10 min duration) on the following units:

Ambush:
A: Bless, Shield of Faith (Legion's)
B: Bless, Shield of Faith (Legion's), Reduce Person (mass)
C: Bless (same casting as B)

Ethan: Bless (A casting), Shield of Faith (Legion's), Shield, Fly

Adam: Bless (A casting), Enlarge Person, Bull's Strength, Magic Vestment, Shield of Faith (Legion's)

[tigerusthegreat]

(Having some trouble with my map program, the next update will have the map in place, sorry about the difficulty). I realize that the map is a little wrong, so I'm going to say that every square represents a 10x10 area instead of the usual 5x5, this makes the area 60ft wide where you are defending, but we can finagle that and call it 50ft. This will make the end of the enemy line enter the canyon as the front of the line reaches the soldiers blocking it.

Allied Units
Ambush:
Unit A: 25 Spearmen (with long and short spears) + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless]
Unit B: 20 Bowmen [+1 to attack from bless] [+2 Dex, -2 Str, +1 attack and AC from size]
Unit C: 10 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless]

Hammer:
Unit A: 24 shortspearmen + 25 Longspearmen + Cuthbert NCO
Unit B: 1 Animal Handler (on Riding Dog) + 20 Dogs
Unit C: 10 Swordsmen
Unit D: 30 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO


Enemy Units:
400 Legionaires Divided into 8 Units of 50 men:
Legion 1
Legion 2
Legion 3
Legion 4
1 Wagon with Pay Chest and 4 soldiers (Also has a Command Officer)
Legion 5
Legion 6
Legion 7
Legion 8

The legion is in a column stretching 400 feet long (80 squares)

[tigerusthegreat]

Round 1

The column of enemy troops enters the canyon. The front edge of the massive column quickly reaches the ambush point. They don't know what to make of the ragtag band that is holding up their progress.

(You have won initiative. Your Ambush A unit is in contact with Legion 1. If Barlenor is following the plan, Hammer A unit is in contact with Legion 8)

[esorscher]

Ambush A readies against charge.
Hammer A regular attacks Legion 8.
Ambush B, C fires arrows into Legion 1 (aiming at the ranks behind the first)

Ethan casts Greater Invisibility and flies directly overhead the wagon.
Adam casts Prayer on the front lines of the Ambush (+3 bonus to allies/ penalty for enemies)

[tigerusthegreat]

Round 1 Continued

Ethan casts his invisibility spell and flies above the battleground. Between the fourth and fifth legions, he spots the wagon with the pay chest on it. Also onboard are four soldiers, and a fifth with golden armor, who seems to be in command.

Adam casts his spell and bolsters the frontline defenses.

The battle commences, arrows flying down from the sides of the canyon. The arrows pepper the legionaires, decimating the back ranks of the first legion. Twelve soldiers fall with arrows puncturing their armor. The Cuthbert soldiers behind the front ranks fire their bows, bringing down another handful of soldiers (17 total soldiers have been removed as casualties).

The Hammer group is in a bit more trouble. The initial charge of group A meets legion 8, inflicting only three casualties on the unit.

Legion 1 decides its best course of action is to try to break through Ambush A, attacking. The readied soldiers hold fast and stab hard at the enemy soldiers as they come at them. Nine front-line soldiers drop at the spears, leaving only 24 left in the first legion. Armed with only longswords, very few of the legionaires get attacks in, and none manage to strike a Freeman. The legion, in disarray, seems to falter for a moment, but an NCO orders the men to hold, and they reform, ready to turn the combat around.

Legion 8 turns to face the Hammer. Hammer A holds its own, a single shortspear soldier falling to a legionaire's sword. The battle there is far from decisive, and neither side seems to have the upper hand.



Allied Units
Ambush:
Unit A: 25 Spearmen (with long and short spears) + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless, +3 from Prayer]
Unit B: 20 Bowmen [+1 to attack from bless] [+2 Dex, -2 Str, +1 attack and AC from size]
Unit C: 10 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless]

Hammer:
Unit A: 24 shortspearmen + 25 Longspearmen + Cuthbert NCO [1 shortspear casualty]
Unit B: 1 Animal Handler (on Riding Dog) + 20 Dogs
Unit C: 10 Swordsmen
Unit D: 30 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO


Enemy Units:
400 Legionaires Divided into 8 Units of 50 men:
Legion 1 (24/50) [-3 from prayer]
Legion 2
Legion 3
Legion 4
1 Wagon with Pay Chest and 4 soldiers (Also has a Command Officer)
Legion 5
Legion 6
Legion 7
Legion 8 (47/50)

The legion is in a column stretching 400 feet long (80 squares)

[esorscher]

Adam joins the front line of the ambush and begins attacking (buffs factored in): [roll0], [roll1]. "By Cuthbert!" he cries.

Hammer A continues to attack.

Ambush A readies against charge, unless there is an enemy adjacent in which case they attack.

Ambush B, C, continue to pepper with arrows.

Ethan casts Fireball, empowered with the metamagic rod, centered on the wagon. [roll2]+50%=[58] damage to anyone in a 20' radius circle. He then flies 30' toward the Hammer.

[tigerusthegreat]

Round 2
Adam easily kills a pair of soldiers. In the back of the line, Hammer A continues to slog it out with Legion 8. 6 Legionaires go down in a flash of spears.

At the front of the line, the ambush units continue their attacks. Arrows rain down, the unit on the side of the canyon felling 11 men, and the Cuthbert soldiers behind Unit A dealing 2 casualties. The Unit of Legionaires holds together, until Ambush A finishes them off with a final series of spearthrusts.

Ethan's Fireball destroys the wagon and the paychest. Gold coins litter the ground around the middle of the canyon, some beginning to melt from the intense heat of the fireball. The four soldiers are gone, and the commander is still alive, clearly angered by the attack. He begins to issue orders to the legions around him, who have lost a few men to the fireball.

Barlenor joins his unit with Hammer A, ready to take up position in the front line should the shortspears all fall.

Legion 2, seeing the fall of Legion 1, charges at Ambush A. The charge is a flop, only one spearmen falling to the sword of a legionary.

Legion 8 continues fighting Hammer A, with 2 spearmen falling to the swords of the legion.

The Commander orders Legion 3 and Legion 7 to loose a volley of javelins into the units blocking the canyon. 7 soldiers (4 longspears and 3 short) fall to the ground in Hammer A, and 7 more (3 longspear and 4 short) fall in Ambush A. The good news is the legionaires seem to have limited amounts of javelins.

Ethan can see from his vantage point a dark figure approaching the edge of the canyon. He is hard to see, as if the light around him is distorted somehow.

Allied Units [Total remaining: 152/170]
Ambush:
Unit A: 25 Spearmen (with long and short spears) + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless, +3 from Prayer] [5 shortspear and 3 longspear casualties]
Unit B: 20 Bowmen [+1 to attack from bless] [+2 Dex, -2 Str, +1 attack and AC from size]
Unit C: 10 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless]

Hammer:
Unit A: 24 shortspearmen + 25 Longspearmen + Cuthbert NCO [6 shortspear and 4 longspear casualty]
Unit B: 1 Animal Handler (on Riding Dog) + 20 Dogs
Unit C: 10 Swordsmen [joined to unit A,] + Barlenor
Unit D: 30 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO

Unknown
Dark Figure

Enemy Units:
400 Legionaires Divided into 8 Units of 50 men: [Total Remaining: 329/400]
Legion 1 (24/50) [-3 from prayer]
Legion 2
Legion 3
Legion 4 [44/50]
1 Wagon with Pay Chest and 4 soldiers (Also has a Command Officer) Destroyed, soldiers killed, Command Officer Injured (58 damage)
Legion 5 [44/50]
Legion 6
Legion 7
Legion 8 (41/50)

The legion is in a column stretching 400 feet long (80 squares)

[esorscher]

Ethan throws a fireball at the border between Legion 2/3 (the backside of Legion 2/ the frontside of legion 3 from the perspective of the ambush). [roll0]
Adam continues to attack. [roll1], [roll2]; [roll3], [roll4].

Ambush A repeats its maneuvers from last round--ready against charge unless there is an enemy adjacent.
Ambush B attacks Legion 2 with arrows. Ambush C also attacks with arrows, unless they need to take the place of a fallen Ambush A (I don't think any of them do)

Hammer A repeats its maneuvers from the last round--attack Legion 8.

[tigerusthegreat]

Round 3
Ethan's fireballl wipes through the enemy forces, decimating a large portion of legion 2 and 3. (44 enemies killed total, 22 from each legion)

Adam leads the attacks of Ambush A, bringing down one legionaire. Ambush A brings down another 2 soldiers.

Ambush B and C fire into legion 2. Their shots bring down the last of that legion.

Hammer A continues to attack legion 8. Their spears find 6 legionaires, and bring them to the ground. Hammer C joins the fight, launching arrows over the heads of their allies. The volley fells 10 legionaires.

The two available legions fight back. Legion 3 charges forward to fight Ambush A, their swords felling 5 shortspears. Legion 8 fights against Hammer A, but their swords fall short of their marks. Legion 4 and 7, seeing the dangers of the archers, loose a volley of javelins into Ambush B and Hammer D. 9 bowmen of Ambush B fall to the javelins, wiping out most of the northern B group. 3 Cuthbert soldiers fall to javelins in the Hammer D group.

The dark figure continues to approach.

Map:
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm285/tigerus2004/Westwall3.png

Allied Units [Total remaining: 135/170]
Ambush:
Unit A: 25 Spearmen (with long and short spears) + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless, +3 from Prayer] [10 shortspear and 3 longspear casualties]
Unit B: 20 Bowmen [+1 to attack from bless] [+2 Dex, -2 Str, +1 attack and AC from size] [9 dead]
Unit C: 10 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless]

Hammer:
Unit A: 24 shortspearmen + 25 Longspearmen + Cuthbert NCO [6 shortspear and 4 longspear casualty]
Unit B: 1 Animal Handler (on Riding Dog) + 20 Dogs
Unit C: 10 Swordsmen [joined to unit A,] + Barlenor
Unit D: 30 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [3 dead]

Unknown
Dark Figure: 300ft distant

Enemy Units:
400 Legionaires Divided into 8 Units of 50 men: [Total Remaining: 258/400]
Legion 1 (24/50) [-3 from prayer]
Legion 2 [25/50]
Legion 3 [28/50]
Legion 4 [44/50]
1 Wagon with Pay Chest and 4 soldiers (Also has a Command Officer) Destroyed, soldiers killed, Command Officer Injured (58 damage)
Legion 5 [44/50]
Legion 6
Legion 7
Legion 8 (25/50)

The legion is in a column stretching 400 feet long (80 squares)

[esorscher]

Ethan flies down to a position where he can catch the Armored Commander, Legion 4, and the tail-end of Legion 3 with a Cone of Cold, and then does so, not bothering to substitute cold for fire. [roll0], 60' cone. His priority is the legions, not the commander, and if need be he will ignore the commander to catch more of the Legions.

Ambush B, C fire arrows.
Ambush A attacks (if enemy in reach), else readies against charge. (In my mind the first row is readied against charge with longspears, second row is attacking through the first row with longspears)

Hammer A follows same orders as Ambush A.
Hammer D fires a volley of arrows at Legion 8.

[esorscher]

Adam attacks as usual: [roll0], [roll1], [roll2], [roll3]

[tigerusthegreat]

Round 4
Ethan attacks Legion 4 and 3 with the icy cold of a cone of cold. 10 legionaires of legion 3 and 20 of legion 4 are caught in the cold.

Ambush B and C fire arrows into legion 3, felling 7 legionaires.

Ambush A presses the attack, killing another 6 legionaires, and Adam kills another 2. After the contant attacks, the unit breaks, scattering back to their lines, as broken men. Legion 4 also panics, fleeing back to the burnt wagon.

Hammer D fires arrows into Legion 8, felling 12 legionairies in a volley of arrows. Hammer A follows the volley with spearstrikes, bringing down 2 additional legionairies. Legion 8 breaks and flees through its own lines to its commander.

Legion 7 charges forth in Legion 8's place. It attacks fiercely, killing 3 shortspearmen. Legion 6 looses the last of its javelins at Hammer A, killing 5 longspearmen.

The dark figure continues to approach.

Map:
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm285/tigerus2004/Westwall3.png

Allied Units [Total remaining: 123/170]
Ambush:
Unit A: 25 Spearmen (with long and short spears) + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless, +3 from Prayer] [10 shortspear and 3 longspear casualties]
Unit B: 20 Bowmen [+1 to attack from bless] [+2 Dex, -2 Str, +1 attack and AC from size] [9 dead]
Unit C: 10 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless]

Hammer:
Unit A: 24 shortspearmen + 25 Longspearmen + Cuthbert NCO [9 shortspear and 9 longspear casualty]
Unit B: 1 Animal Handler (on Riding Dog) + 20 Dogs
Unit C: 10 Swordsmen [joined to unit A,] + Barlenor
Unit D: 30 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [3 dead]

Unknown
Dark Figure: 250ft distant

Enemy Units:
400 Legionaires Divided into 8 Units of 50 men: [Total Remaining: 196/400]
Legion 1 (24/50) [-3 from prayer]
Legion 2 [25/50]
Legion 3 [3/50]
Legion 4 [24/50] *Broken*
1 Wagon with Pay Chest and 4 soldiers (Also has a Command Officer) Destroyed, soldiers killed, Command Officer Injured (58 damage)
Legion 5 [44/50]
Legion 6
Legion 7
Legion 8 (11/50) *Broken*

[esorscher]

Ethan flies up, and hurls another fireball, this time at the center of Legion 7. [roll0]
Adam leads Ambush A to press against the fleeing units. While Ambush A attacks routed soldiers, Adam charges for the commanding officer (PA -2): [roll1], [roll2]

Ambush A is attacking the Legion 4. Ambush C moves forward, still firing arrows overhead at Legion 4. Ambush B moves its movement speed toward the center, staying on the canyon walls, and fires down at the broken Legions below.

Hammer A readies against charge.
Hammer D fires a volley at Legion 7.

[tigerusthegreat]

Round 5
Legion 7 crumbles around the blast from Ethan's fireball. The Commanding officer exchanges blows with Adam, not getting hit yet.

Ambush A attacks the broken Legion 4, causing 7 men of the retreating army to die to spearthrusts. Ambush C follows the attack, raining arrows down on Legion 4, felling another 4 soldiers. Ambush B focuses on Legion 5, loosing a volley of arrows that downs only 2 men.

Hammer D fires arrows into Legion 6, killing 8 men.

The commander, still dodging attacks from Adam, bellows out. "Parley! Parley, damn you! I can see when I've been beaten, and there's no need to loose more men."



Allied Units [Total remaining: 123/170]
Ambush:
Unit A: 25 Spearmen (with long and short spears) + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless, +3 from Prayer] [10 shortspear and 3 longspear casualties]
Unit B: 20 Bowmen [+1 to attack from bless] [+2 Dex, -2 Str, +1 attack and AC from size] [9 dead]
Unit C: 10 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless]

Hammer:
Unit A: 24 shortspearmen + 25 Longspearmen + Cuthbert NCO [9 shortspear and 9 longspear casualty]
Unit B: 1 Animal Handler (on Riding Dog) + 20 Dogs
Unit C: 10 Swordsmen [joined to unit A,] + Barlenor
Unit D: 30 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [3 dead]

Unknown
Dark Figure: 250ft distant

Enemy Units:
400 Legionaires Divided into 8 Units of 50 men: [Total Remaining: 175/400]
Legion 1 (24/50) [-3 from prayer]
Legion 2 [25/50]
Legion 3 [3/50]
Legion 4 [13/50] *Broken*
1 Wagon with Pay Chest and 4 soldiers (Also has a Command Officer) Destroyed, soldiers killed, Command Officer Injured (58 damage)
Legion 5 [42/50]
Legion 6 [42/50]
Legion 7
Legion 8 (11/50) *Broken*

[esorscher]

Ethan's Belt of Battle glows, and he is able to throw two fireballs, one at Legion 5 for [roll0] and the other at Legion 6 for [roll1] (using all three charges for a standard action).

Adam scowls at the commanding officer. "Your tyranny is at an end," he shouts. "The only thing you have left to offer Cuthbert is your life." He brings his club down with all his might. [roll2], [roll3], [roll4], [roll5]

Ambush A, B, C continue to attack Legion 4.
Hammer A attacks Legion 8. Hammer C attacks 8, and Hammer B looses the dogs to attack 8, or the survivors of 5 and 6. Hammer D attacks the survivors of 5 and 6 or 8.

[tigerusthegreat]

Your forces make short work of the remaining enemy troops. Adam cannot seem to harm the commander in any way.

"If you won't listen to parley, then there's nothing left for me here. I will give the King your regards." With a twirl of his red cloak, the general seems to step into the garment, which pulls itself into itself after him, in a dimensional paradox. It clearly was a magic item of some sort.

As if sensing the end of the battle, the dark figure that was running towards the battlefield simply vanishes as well. There are many unexplained things going on.

All told, you have lost 19 shortspears, 12 longspears, 9 longbows, and 3 Cuthbert soldiers. Early guesses are that about half will recover, if given time, but there are a good number of dead or crippled among your men now. The vast majority of the Legionaires are dead, a few still cling to life, and several have surrendered outright, being taken prisoner by your men. The Ambush seems to have been a complete success.

Allied Units [Total remaining: 123/170]
Ambush:
Unit A: 25 Spearmen (with long and short spears) + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless, +3 from Prayer] [10 shortspear and 3 longspear casualties]
Unit B: 20 Bowmen [+1 to attack from bless] [+2 Dex, -2 Str, +1 attack and AC from size] [9 dead]
Unit C: 10 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [+1 to attack from bless]

Hammer:
Unit A: 24 shortspearmen + 25 Longspearmen + Cuthbert NCO [9 shortspear and 9 longspear casualty]
Unit B: 1 Animal Handler (on Riding Dog) + 20 Dogs
Unit C: 10 Swordsmen [joined to unit A,] + Barlenor
Unit D: 30 Cuthbert soldiers + Cuthbert NCO [3 dead]

[esorscher]

Ethan flies down next to Adam and whispers many things to him before his invisibility ends. Before his invisibility does end, he flies up and stands on the cliff on one side of the canyon, then stands on the ground so that when the spell ends he appears to have been there the whole time. He then takes his time getting down from the canyon. Once on the canyon floor, he goes about the process of creating 16 zombies out of the corpses of the imperial soldiers.

1 Cuthbert NCO oversees the looting of the imperial corpses. "With their equipment we'll be much better prepared for the next fight," Adam says as he orders the man to do so.

2 Cuthbert NCOs and a handful of the Cuthbert soldiers take count of the surrendered prisoners and strip them of their gear (they are stripped to their underwear).

Adam converts his 5th level Plane Shift to a Cure Light Wounds, Mass, and targets the 10 Freemen closest to death.

Adam himself converts his 0-level spells to Cure Minor Wounds to stabilize the imperial soldiers clinging to life. Other cuthbert soldiers prepare them for transport using 10' poles and bedrolls (carried standard on their person).

Fremont the cleric of Yondalla converts all his 0, 1st, and 2nd level spell slots to cure spells to administer additional healing to the Freemen.

The other cuthbert soldiers gather up the gold from the paychest and give it to Adam.

[tigerusthegreat]

From the Legionaires you recover 400 sets of short swords, breastplates, and large steel shields. Most are in good repair, but a good number have damage to straps and other flammable parts from the fireballs. They can be repaired in short order with the craftsmen that you brought with you to camp.

With the pay chest, and money found on the corpses and looted from the soldiers that still live, you've netted 20,000 in gold, mostly in Imperial Crowns (though some of the Legionaires had coins from other lands, the entire paychest was in the Imperial Crown).

Your efforts to heal the wounded help greatly. You have lost 5 freemen, all shortspearmen, badly trampled during the fighting, but the rest of them are in no danger of dying, and will recover from the battle in the next few days (if not already).

You have captured (with healing) twenty five legionaires, including one that is marked as a First Legionaire, the equivalent of a squad commander. He is not pleased at being captured. He is even less pleased at seeing a handful of his comrades rise as zombies.

You have gained 16 Medium-sized Zombie (stats are per MM 1). You have lost Onyx Gems worth 400gp

[esorscher]

Ethan speaks to the captured prisoners. "You are lucky to have survived. Do not spit in the face of your good fortune. What seems like chance is in fact Cuthbert's divine will, offering you a chance to redeem yourself. You do not want this Empire. You want freedom. That is what we offer. Swear fealty, or die. Either way you will have your wish."

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[tigerusthegreat]

The soldiers seem very willing to die, instead of becoming traitors to the Empire. One goes so far as to actually spit into Ethan's face at the mere thought of joining you.

[esorscher]

Meanwhile, Adam goes to Barlenor. "I have a few questions, now that the battle is over and the men are tended to. Cuthbert's glory and favor be upon us and our cause. Now, to practical matters. Where can we spend this coin? I know my squire will want to acquire more arcane ingredients, and and I know my men will thirst for ale and women. As for me, I seek simply a map of the region, or as accurate a description as you can provide, with notable geographical features and settlements and with attention to size and allegiance. If this is not possible, as near as you can provide."

[esorscher]

Ethan coup-de-grace's the prisoner that spit in his face with his longbow, firing an arrow casually, almost flippantly, into and out the back of the man's throat. Blood sputters from his lips and trickles out the hole left by the arrow. With a gesture Ethan signals to the Cuthbert soldiers to execute and they do so, bringing down longswords on the skulls of the Imperial soldiers.

"Cuthbert bows to luck," Ethan mutters as he walks over to listen to Adam and Barlenor's conversation.

[tigerusthegreat]

"I have a map at the camp, but I am afraid it isn't very detailed. The largest settlement near here is the small city of Amonsfeld, you will be able to find just about anything you'd need there, and the Imperial Coin spends well anywhere in the Empire, there included. Most merchants will take it as a matter of course, especially with the empire expanding as well as it can. As per the rest of the area, Amonsfeld is the largest settlement. There are scores of smaller towns and villages around, but you'd have to go fifty miles in any direction to get a larger city than it. Besides settlements, there are two major rivers nearby, one to the west and one to the east. The forests continue to the west of here, and much further to the south are the barrier mountains, and far to the north there are hills and the plains that eventually lead to the frozen waste."

Ethan's cruel execution of the prisoner startles some of the men, and clearly terrifies the remaining prisoners.

[esorscher]

"Let's head back to camp, then." Adam says. "I'll head to Amonsfeld in the morning."

[tigerusthegreat]

The way back to camp is much slower than trip out to attack. It takes several hours to return to camp, dragging so much looted money and equipment. The escape of the command officer, and the dark figure that was approaching the battle, only to break off once that command officer disappeared, are both strange events, and they fill your mind as you head back.

Once back at the camp, the men are exhausted. Some of the Freemen take to questioning the captured legionaires, but get little out of the enemy soldiers.

[esorscher]

The smiths set about the process of repairing the damaged legion armor and weapons.

Adam speaks to the legionnaire commander, away from sight of the rest of the prisoners. "Do you want to die?" he asks calmly.

[tigerusthegreat]

"I wish I had died in battle. I do not fear you. You have beaten a legion, but many more will come for you. You have too few men to defeat an empire, and the King will see you hanged for this treachery."

[esorscher]

Adam talks to Barlenor. "How do you feel about taking prisoners?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"Prisoners in general will be trouble, but if we just slaughter them instead of taking those that surrender, then the enemy has no reason to honor our surrender should anyone get captured. Its a dangerous line, as a single escaped prisoner can reveal the location of our camp and other valuable details, but killing them all just means no mercy from the empire....not that we'd get much in the first place."

[esorscher]

"The kind of mercy they'd show us would likely be a life of slavery, or worse." Adam says. "We have Cuthbert's mercy." He nods to a Cuthbert NCO, who leads the prisoners with the Cuthbert soldiers away from the camp to execute the prisoners one-by-one. "Heartless, but the heart has no place in justice." Adam says coldly, darkness in his eyes.

"The legionnaire raises a good point. We need more men. Are the people of Amonsfeld amenable to our cause? What about the other villages and towns--which of them support the Freemen, and which support the Legion? Also, regardless of distance--what is the largest city on the continent?"

Ethan, now that they are back at camp, tries to find the disaffected youth. If/ when he does so, he watches him from afar before approaching.

[tigerusthegreat]

"The problem is, those that have been under the King's control for a little while have seen the benefits of it. They have roads, armies to protect them, hospitals, universities....they King invests quite a lot to keep the people happy, but he still has no right of rule here. People seem to forget that fairly quickly....I'm not sure if they can be shown, or how..."


Ethan finds the boy off to himself. Other seem to avoid him, and he appears to be arguing with himself. It is very hard to hear the conversation (listen and hide checks if you want to eavesdrop)

[esorscher]

Listen: [roll0]
Hide: [roll1]

Ethan attempts to overhear what the boy is saying without being seen.

"Are there any loyal to our cause? Where did these men come from?" He gestures to the other freemen. "If we were to conquer a small town, would we have to stay and govern?" Adam asks Barlenor.

[tigerusthegreat]

"Most of the people around here have given up, those that haven't are already with us. Perhaps word of our exploits today will get more support for us, but that is uncertain. Taking a town back from the legion would be the best option."


The boy seems to be talking to himself. he doesn't know you are watching him. "The storm is brewing. How can I face it, father? How can I face the tyrant?" He nods to himself, as if he is talking to someone else. "Yes....yes that is right. Killing anyone who gets in my way will be the best course."

[esorscher]

"Alright, then. Let's look for a town that is nearby and conquered by the legion." Adam says.

Ethan continues to listen unobserved.

[tigerusthegreat]

"I think that Amonsfeld would be our best target. It is a city, and well defended, but if we take it, the people there should support us as well as they did the Tyrant. If you want something smaller, there's a few villages around here we could secure. We might be able to convince a few hundred more to join our cause, especially with the coin we have recovered."


"But why did was I not consumed by the Larnok....it tried, and failed to kill me. The Tyrant seeks me still."

[esorscher]

"I'd like to have more men at my command before I try and take a city." Adam says. "How well defended is Amonsfeld--how many men, catapults, and so on?"

Ethan keeps listening.

[tigerusthegreat]

"Last estimates I know of were five ballistae on the walls, and five hundred men defending it, about half legionaires and half native guardsmen. That could have changed by now, we haven't focused on something we lacked the ability to take. With a couple more catapults we could siege it, but that may just be an utter failure, if reinforcements find us. The villages, on the other hand, aren't walled, have a handful of guardsmen and maybe a company or two of soldiers at best. The real problem is that there's a patrol that frequents the countryside of a few hundred horsemen and a few hundred mounted archers. If they hear we have secured a village, they may try to cause trouble, and when they cause trouble, villages get burnt."

The boy stops talking, and stares at the air in front of him as if listening intently. (Make a will save)

[esorscher]

Will save: [roll0]

"I'd spare the villages, if I could. Ethan and I will go into Amonsfeld to resupply and to examine what we face."

[tigerusthegreat]

The boy sitting on the log disappears in a mist of smoke. You can tell that there's a magical effect making you think he was still there, acting like he was listening. Where he went is a mystery, until you hear breathing behind you. Turning around, you see him standing there, glaring at you.

"I asked you to leave me alone....how much plainer can I make that? Or do you lack the intelligence to understand the common tongue?"

[esorscher]

Ethan looks at the boy. "What is the Larnok?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"A prison. One that consumes the magical essence of those trapped there." He turns and walks away from you at a quick pace.

[esorscher]

Ethan lets the boy go, making a mental note to investigate further. He finds Adam. "How far is Amonsfeld? Are you ready to go, now?" Adam nods. "If you have anything you'd like me to pick up, write it down," he tells Barlenor.

[tigerusthegreat]

"We have what we need here, and intel is the best commodity you can bring back. What bothers me most is that my men reported four hundred horsemen, mostly conscripts, when what we faced was four hundred legionaires, all from the eastern countries....very disturbing to know my intelligence gathering is that poor."

Amonsfeld is about 20 miles away. Unmounted, you can move about 3.5 miles an hour. Mounted you can do 7. It will take about 6 hours to reach Amonsfeld by foot, and 3 by horseback.

[esorscher]

Adam nods. He and Ethan take 2 horses to Amonsfeld.

[tigerusthegreat]

The journey to Amonsfeld is quiet. Nobody seems to be on the snow-swept roads until you nearly reach the town. There a bustle of merchant activity, and more than a few red-cloaked legionaires, await you. The city has a large stone wall rising above it, with five towers in view from the gate you enter. Each tower has archers patrolling it, and siege equipment that could be ballistae, it is hard to tell from this angle. One thing is certain, the city is well fortified, and you estimate there are at least one hundred men on this half of the wall.

Entering the main gate, you see even more cloaked legionaires. There are dozens of them patrolling the streets and keeping the peace. The common folk seem to barely notice them, a sign, perhaps, that they accept their presence as ordinary now. The main thoroughfare is bustling with activity, as every kind of shopkeep shouts about their wares, despite the frosty breath that spews out when they speak. The town seems friendly and inviting, and true to Barlenor's word, almost anything imaginable is available here. There is even a temple to Cuthbert, among other dieties.

[esorscher]

Adam first makes pilgrimage to the temple, to offer his rites of worship to Cuthbert. Ethan joins him briefly before heading to the main thoroughfare. He listens to the shopkeeps hawk as he walks from one end to the other, then goes back to the shopkeepers most likely to have black onyx gems for sale.

[tigerusthegreat]

Adam is confronted by one of the clerics of the temple. Though he does not know the man, the man clearly recognizes him. "You bring dangerous tidings here, son of vengeance. I do not think the legionaires would appreciate knowing a rebel leader has come to us."


Ethan is able to find a vendor selling all sorts of jewels, and another who sells reagents, also selling onyx gems. They seem to have a fair amount (together they have 40 gems worth 25gp each)

[esorscher]

Adam frowns. "I would think here, of all places, one would recognize the nature of the 'rebellion' as you call it. There is no order but Divine, no Law greater than our Saint's. How can serving His will be rebellion?"

Ethan buys all the onyx gems. He then looks for a weapons vendor, or several rather, and inquires how many shortbows he might procure.

[tigerusthegreat]

"There can be no justice while rebellion ferments, no rule of law while the crown fights the commoner. Only when the war is over can the Great Justicar see that justice is doled out." Several of the other priests who overhear this nod in agreement with the first priest.


In the marketplace, there are very few weapons vendors. One, however, claims to be able to procure one hundred bows, but only if he is paid half of the price ahead of time, and they will take a week to arrive (total cost; 30gp per each = 3000 gp, 1500 up front)

[esorscher]

Ethan shakes his head. The city has plenty of other streets, perhaps down one of them, he'd find a weaponsmith. "Thank you," he says, and walks away. A handful of stalls down the road, he asks a vendor, "Where can I find a smith to shoe my horse, and which one crafts the finest knives?"

Adam, meanwhile, continues his learning from the clerics here. "That is different from what they teach us in the East. There we are taught that when the war is over, the time for justice has passed. Our Saint is a warrior, he does not hide behind words. He ensures justice is done with his own hands, and we are taught to follow his example. I know why Our Saint supports what you call rebellion. Why would He support what you call order?"

[esorscher]

Gather Information about smiths from this vendor: [roll0]

[tigerusthegreat]

The older priest just smiles. "Be careful, priest, the fog of war clouds justice first of all." He turns and leaves you, and the others go back to their duties.

You are quickly pointed to a blacksmith, who makes all matter of tools and equipment, including horseshoes. Another smith a few stalls away is known for his throwing knives, which are said to be things of great balance and agility, usable even by a child.

[esorscher]

Ethan nods, and disappears into a shadowy corner. The small-sized creature that emerges is not Ethan, but gnome trader Waldred Cobblepaver, one of Ethan's many disguises. Disguised as this gnome, he asks around the marketplace for the following information:

1) Who is in charge of Amonsfeld? [roll0]
2) Is there a Mage's guild, or similar seat of magical power in Amonsfeld? If not, where is the nearest? [roll1]
3) What is the Larnok? [roll2]
4) How do the people of Amonsfeld feel about the Empire? [roll3]
5) Where do the smiths do their smithing? [roll4]

Adam heads away from the marketplace in search of an inn or tavern.

[tigerusthegreat]

The leader of Amonsfeld used to be the City Council, but they have been supplanted by a Military Governor, Octavius Bruton, who is also the head of the defensive forces of the city.

There was a Mage's Guild, but once the occupation started, it was dissolved. Magic is under the purview of the Ministry of Magic, and they have not yet set up their offices in the city yet. Until then, there are only a few, disgruntled ex-Guild Mages, but no organization.

The only information you can get on the Larnok is that it is a severe punishment handed out against magic users. It is the only way to safely destroy devils and demons, and those that worship them.

The people of Amonsfeld feel indifferent about the occupation. Their lives have largely been unaffected. Some of the magic users of the area are a bit disgruntled, but most are highly intelligent and old, willing to wait it out until the new administration gets their act together. Many of the blacksmiths are happy to have work making weapons for the legion.

Most of the blacksmiths have forges within the city (one of the shops you were referred to is set up in the front parts of a forge, an is very hot and smoky). A few have forges outside the city, and bring in their products.


Adam finds a Tavern named the Green Dragonrider. It is a fairly busy inn, with a bustling common room.

[esorscher]

Disguised as Cobblepaver, Ethan goes to the smith with the hot and smoky shop and inquires about bows. "How many, and how soon can you have them? There's a demand in Verdren I'd like to capitalize on, with the hunting season coming up. The sooner I get there the better." He also asks about the number of weapons and types of weapons the Empire has ordered. Gather Information [roll0]

Adam casts Eagle's Splendor before entering the bar (+4 to Cha for 10 min). He then orders an ale and sits down at an empty table, preferably in the corner but wherever he can get a good view of the room. He takes a hearty first drink of his ale when it arrives and watches the room, listening and trying to spot anything he can tell about the patrons. He is particularly interested in anyone wealthy or powerful looking, or any apparent magic users (perhaps carrying a spell component pouch or spell book). Anyone with a weapon sticks out as well. Listen [roll1] Spot [roll2] Sense Motive [roll3]

[tigerusthegreat]

The smith laughs at your little gnome, saying that he can make crossbows, but isn't very skilled at it, and that you'll want a carpenter or a bowyer for bows. He also recommends that your market tip may not work, as most farmers and hunters make their bows themselves, and only the nobility would want one otherwise (and they commission theirs).

The weapons he's made for the legions sound fairly familiar: javelins and short swords, but he's been making lances and more javelins than usual lately.

At the Green Dragonrider, Adam's vigil is soon rewarded when a very drunk man with a white beard starts making a ruckus in the corner. He seems to be speaking in draconic, muttering loudly.

[esorscher]

Adam watches the man for a moment. If he seems to be in danger of hurting himself or others, Adam will try and bring him outside the tavern. If he seems harmless, Adam will watch how the other patrons react. If no one seems to mind him, Adam will order another ale, and bring it over to the man, and sit down on the side of the table adjacent to him, still watching the room.

Ethan (as Cobblepaver) asks the smith, "Do you know a bowyer who you'd trust with such an order? And don't worry about me. I'm confident I can turn a profit on them."

[tigerusthegreat]

The smith gives you the name of a carpenter who lives outside the city, claiming he makes the best bows and is trustworthy. He isn't sure how many bows the man can make, but they will be good quality, and the man is honest.

After watching the man for a short period, Adam gets near him. He can smell the large amounts of alcohol on the man. Eventually the man speaks in common, slurring his speech badly, complaining about the dissolution of the Mage's Guild, and the revoking of his license to sell scrolls and potions.

[esorscher]

Ethan (as Cobblepaver) heads to the carpenter suggested. Once there, he asks substantially the same questions, keen on finding out how many this carpenter can produce.

Adam asks the ex-Mage why he needs a license to sell such goods.

[tigerusthegreat]

The mage explains in no uncertain terms that the only reason he needs a licence is because the Crown wants to tax the living daylights out of his business.

The carpenter says he can produce a longbow a week by himself, and he has two apprentices that could probably double that production to two a week. He's not had any weapon orders at all from the legionaires. He gives fairly similar answers to those the blacksmith gave you about the other questions you asked.

[esorscher]

"I'm more interested in shortbows," Cobblepaver says. "But if you can make me 4 or more per week, I'll buy them."

"Oh, are you a crafter?" Adam asks, purposely naive.

[tigerusthegreat]

"Potions, wands, scrolls....you name it and I can make it."



The carpenter agrees that he could make four shortbows a week with help from his apprentices.

[esorscher]

"I'll be back at the end of the week, then," Cobblepaver says. "Thank you." Cobblepaver heads to the market to find the man who told him he could have 100 bows at the end of the week.

Adam smiles. "Well, my friend, it sounds to me like you have a reasonable grievance against the Empire, and that if they weren't in charge here, your life would be better. Is that correct?"

[tigerusthegreat]

It isn't hard to find the merchant willing to sell 100 bows. Of course, when you ask as a gnome, he mentions something about a "hot market on bows" and that you're the second person to ask about it today. His offer is unchanged, half up front, half on delivery.

"My life was better without the Empire tying strings to me, yes. If they were gone I could have my shop again."

[esorscher]

"I'm trying to get rid of them," Adam whispers. "I could use some help."

Cobblepaver feeds him the same line about demand across the continent. "How do you intend on acquiring these bows?" he asks.

[tigerusthegreat]

"When the scent of war was coming before the invasion, I stockpiled various weapons at secure locations. It will only take a few days for me to bring them here."

"Best of luck to you with that." The mage says, throws a few coins on the table, and starts to wobbily leave the inn.

[esorscher]

Ethan tries to tell if the man is lying: Sense Motive: [roll0]

Adam pays as well and follows the man from a distance to watch where he goes.

[tigerusthegreat]

The merchant seems to be telling the truth.

The mage heads for the guild district. He quickly heads into a building that is the base for one of the wall towers. You don't think you can follow him in without being noticed.

[esorscher]

Adam suspects that the man is going to rat him out, and saddles up his horse and heads back to the camp. He has little else to accomplish here, anyway. He takes a circuitous route in order to avoid being tracked.

Cobblepaver determines the man to be trustworthy and says, "If you already have the weapons, why do you need the money up front?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"Because hauling a large amount of weapons is dangerous work. I need to hire the right people to protect the weapons on their way here, and grease the wheels a little to ensure certain officials look the other way. Its quite illegal to purchase large quantities of weapons when the area is under a military governorship....even if they are for resale to...hunters."

[esorscher]

Cobblepaver smiles. "Very well." He hands him the requested gold. He pauses, and then says, "I'm not the type of person you want to disappoint," with a wicked smile.

Once the transaction is complete, Cobblepaver will continue up the street, turn the corner to a dark alleyway, and cast Fly and Greater Invisibility. He will then fly up into the air to get an aerial view of Amonsfeld, in order to get a better count of the defenses.

[tigerusthegreat]

Ethan turns invisible and flies above the city. As he reaches about eighty feet, well above anything but the tallest tower of the city, his skin prickles, and a bolt of lightning strikes from one of the towers, hitting him squarely.

Make a reflex save.

[esorscher]

Ethan dismisses the disguise self as an immediate action, and does his best to dodge the lightning. Ref: [roll0], spellcraft [roll1]

[tigerusthegreat]

The bolt hits, and partially glances off Ethan, (20 damage). It was definitely a spell, and cast by a powerful arcane spellcaster. If he had to guess, he would say it was from one of the watchtowers nearby.

[esorscher]

Ethan shrugs off the electricity as he counts the number of towers as well as the number of people on the walls. Once he has completed his count he flies, invisible, in a bee-line for his horse. Once he is able to make contact with it, he teleports it and himself back to the camp. If he is attacked again en route to the horse, he will make a conscious effort to identify where the attack comes from.

Back at camp, Adam issues orders to the NCOs to begin training the other freemen to be warriors. He orders one smith to make arrows, and the other four to make padded armor. At the end of the week there should be 480 arrows and 12 padded armors. He orders the alchemist to begin crafting potions of CLW and Magecraft.

[tigerusthegreat]

A few moments later, another bolt strikes Ethan. It is coming from the tower closest to the gate. There is a soldier staring right at you, as if he can see you, though you are invisible.


There are a total of eight towers, all with ballistae.

[esorscher]

Ethan reaches his horse and teleports back to camp with it. (?)

[tigerusthegreat]

Ethan is badly injured (43 total points of damage, you made the second save as well) but makes it to his horse, and back to the camp.

The camp begins getting busy, as the workmen start on their ordered tasks. It will take time to get everything ready.

[esorscher]

Adam meets with Ethan and Barlenor. Seeing that Ethan is injured, Adam calls for Fremont to administer healing. "What are the results of your scouting?" he asks Ethan. Ethan, happy to play the part of Adam's sidekick in the presence of Barlenor, answers,

"The city is held by a military governor, Octavius Bruton. The walls are high and thick. There are eight towers, each with ballistae, and at least one soldier on the walls who is a powerful arcanist, capable of seeing through my invisibility and not concerned with the loss of his magical power to cast the spell repeatedly throughout the day. I would imagine that there are more, perhaps one atop each tower. I estimate 200-300 on the city walls, probably as many patrolling the streets. It's unlikely we'll have much support from the locals."

"What do you advise?" Adam says.

"If we were to take the city, I would say we should enter it in ones and twos as travelers, hunters, traders and swords-for-hire and attack from within, in the dead of night. It will be much easier to scale the walls from the side that have stairs and ladders. The presence of high-power magic users makes me nervous, however, about our chances of success. Does the church support us?" Ethan asks.

"No," Adam says sadly. "They are blinded by their comfort. How many bows were you able to procure?"

"If all goes well, 104. I'll need to return to the city to retrieve them, but that shouldn't be a problem." Ethan says. I'll disguise myself, teleport in, get the bows, and teleport out.

"100 bows, firing from low ground, against 300 on the walls. I don't like it either." Adam says. He turns to Barlenor. "You mentioned small villages?"

[esorscher]

(post didn't show up)

[tigerusthegreat]

"Yes, and I also mentioned that taking them means trying to hold them against a roving cavalry band. Doesn't do our cause much good if we capture a village or two only to let the enemy burn it to the ground because we aren't doing anything to protect it."

[esorscher]

Damnit! Adam muses to himself. I need more men. "On the face it seems we have two options: attack Amonsfeld, to our likely doom, or capture a village and wait to be attacked by the cavalry. Unless..." he pauses, thinking about the captured gear from the legionnaires. "Unless we disguise ourselves as Imperial Legionnaires and raze the village ourselves. Doing so would spread anti-Imperial sentiment, perhaps enough to rally the other villages to our cause. Or perhaps that is an even stupider idea than any of the others." He thinks for a long time before turning to Ethan.

"You can fly," he says. "For how long?"

"12 minutes," Ethan answers. "At full-speed, I could fly for a little over a mile (7200 feet to be exact)."

"Hmmm..." Adam says. "I was going to suggest you fly out and destroy the cavalry before they attack us, but with that limited range, I doubt you'd find them before the spell ends." Ethan nods. "But, if we knew where they would be," his eyes brighten. "Here's a plan. We take a village, and we offer the villagers a choice--join up with us, or leave town. Either way the village is emptied of noncombatants. Then the bulk of our force returns to camp, leaving behind Ethan with the villagers who have joined us and a few of our own men. When the cavalry come to take back the village, Ethan will work his magic before they reach the village, giving our small force time to escape into the forest. If the cavalry pursue into the woods, they'll lose much of their advantage. We hide behind trees and snipe with bows while they trample through the snow. It takes training to be a cavalryman, moreso to be a mounted archer. The Empire will not weather the loss of such forces easily; it will take time for them to be replaced. In that time we will conquer more villages, in order to raise an army against Amonsfeld."

He looks at Barlenor. "What do you think of these ideas?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"If you can convince the villagers to join us, then it has merit, but only then. A village abandoned of its people isn't of much use to anyone."

[esorscher]

"It's still useful to us in order to draw the cavalry in to our trap, but I see what you are saying," Adam says. He turns to Ethan. "We'll need those bows, though."

(I'm happy to time-skip to the end of the week so Ethan can pick up the bows/ the smiths will be finished.)

[tigerusthegreat]

Work in the camp proceeds quickly, but when Ethan goes to meet his contact for the bows, he finds the shop closed, with an order from the military governor posted over the stall. Asking around, he finds that the man has been jailed for selling weapons to rebels and spies.

[esorscher]

Ethan heads to the carpenter, thinking at the very least he can pick up 4 more bows.

[tigerusthegreat]

The carpenter has the four bows ready, and hands them over in exchange for his payment. He asks if you'll need more for the next week.

[esorscher]

"I'm afraid not," Ethan (as cobblepaver) says. "I've got to head to Verdren" Last time I ever pay upfront for anything, he thinks as he teleports back to Adam's side at the camp.

"We have a problem," he says, handing him the four bows, rather than the hundred and four, and explains how the seller was arrested. "The Empire seems to be near omniscient. I don't know how he got caught--far as I know, he didn't tell anyone what he was doing, and I know we didn't."

[esorscher]

Adam gathers together the freemen and begins drilling them in martial training. Once they have a basic understanding of forms, attack, and defense, he divides them into two groups, based on skill level (A - most skilled B - least skilled (including unskilled)) He orders these groups based on skill and assigns the lowest skilled in A to the lowest skilled in B and had them practice against each other. He spends his time monitoring the groups, and reorders them based on skill at the end of the day.

Ethan sends John the Barber (wearing simple clothing and without any identifying items) to explore Amonsfeld. John will act as a tourist on a walking tour who is completely unaware of the military goings-on and their recent stepping up. He will walk around the city apparently aimlessly, taking in the sights and sounds without paying special attention to any one area. He will cover ever foot of the city streets that is available to the public. He will try and walk the walls but will follow anyone's orders/ suggestions to the contrary. If he is unable to walk the walls he will try and climb the tallest building he can from the inside (if it is available to him, if not he will not). He will then spend the night in the Inn and leave the following morning, first heading north toward the delta before, once out of sight of Amonsfeld, doubling back to the camp. Adam and his 30 followers pray to St. Cuthbert, Fremont to Yondalla, and Ethan to Wee Jas (in secret) for his success.

The smith that was making arrows is reassigned to crafting slings. At the end of one week he will have crafted 192 slings. One of the smiths crafting padded armor is reassigned to craft sling bullets and crafts 1920 of them at the end of the week. The other three continue to make padded armor and craft another 9.

While all this is going on, Ethan tracks down the boy. "I have not lied to you, and I will not lie to you. I think I can help you tap into your power, if you are interested. I understand your trust is not easily won, and I have no illusions that I have earned it at this point. But I do know that I have power, and if that is what you seek, that is what you will find. If you wish the blunder about in the darkness, feel free, but I," Ethan says, casting a Light spell on his hand, holding it there, and then dismissing it. "Can offer you light."

[tigerusthegreat]

(slings are going to be free, but bullets, unless you just use stones at a -2 penalty to attacks, are going to cost 1sp per 30 bullets (or 3.33 copper per 10)

Your training nets you another 200 soldiers, 100 of whom have basic skills (basically warriors) the rest less skilled (100 commoners) [these are in addition to those you already have]

John the Barber returns. He wasn't able to walk the walls, but reports counting at least 200 unique soldiers on the parade grounds, along with 200 cavalry that came to the town late at night and left the next morning. He was able to tell that the walls had 8 towers, each with a ballistae, two clustered around the north gate, two at the south, and the other four spread along the walls. Each tower appears to be manned by 20 archers, and a command officer of some kind. The total of troops he saw was 360 soldiers and 200 cavalry, though more could be in the barracks.

[esorscher]

(Okay, so my calculations work out to: craft sling bullets 16x12=192/1=192x30= 5760 bullets/week/smith. Is the youth interested in training?)

Adam is so overjoyed at John's successful reconnaissance he considers throwing a celebration before Ethan reminds him they are in no position to do so. He offers his thanks to St. Cuthbert instead, and Ethan does the same to Wee Jas, and Fremont the same to Yondalla. He gives the Freeman the afternoon off, but then continues training them in the same way. He also begins a nightly tournament where any Freeman can challenge any other Freeman in combat to submission (dealing nonlethal damage), with Fremont providing healing to the injured.

The smiths are all assigned to craft padded armor while Adam and Ethan formulate battle plans.

[tigerusthegreat]

(The youth avoids you at all costs. Padded armor will cost 1.67 gold per suit to make).

[esorscher]

At the start of the week, Adam sends John the Barber to scout the area for villages and other settlements of populations less than 500, and to find where the Legion cavalry (and how many they are), and to return at the end of the week with his report.
Adam orders the six smiths to produce shortspears, and at the end of the week they will have produced 115.
Training continues as previously described over the course of the week, as well as the nightly fireside fights. Depending on how many commoners advance to warriors, the battle plan may change slightly.
Adam calls together his war council--the four Cuthbert NCOs, Ethan, and Barlenor. He presents the following plan:
"When John the Barber returns with his report, we will know our target. The plans may change then, but the basic idea will remain the same and is as follows:

"We will take 250 Freemen, plus the 40 Cuthbert Soldiers, to the town. We will take control with minimal casualties. Once the population is rounded up, we will force them to leave, heading away from the nearest cavalry position. We will loot the town and leave, leaving behind 20 pikemen and Ethan as arcane support. The rest of us will return with our pillage to the camp.

The plan for our assault is simple. We will divide the army into five platoons of fifty Freemen + 7 Cuthbert Soldiers + 1 Cuthbert NCO.


Platoon A:
1 Cuthbert NCO
7 Cuthbert Soldier
50 standard infantry (breastplate, heavy steel shield, shortsword, shortspear, sling, bullets)

Platoon B:
1 Cuthbert NCO
7 Cuthbert Soldier
50 standard pikemen (breastplate, shortsword, longspear, sling, bullets)

Platoon C:
1 Cuthbert NCO
7 Cuthbert Soldier
20 bowmen (breastplate, shortsword, shotbow, arrows)
30 standard infantry (breastplate, heavy steel shield, shortsword, shortspear, sling, bullets)

Platoon D:
1 Cuthbert NCO
7 Cuthbert Soldier
50 standard slinger (breastplate, heavy steel shield, shortsword, sling, bullets)

Platoon E:
1 Cuthbert NCO
7 Cuthbert Soldier
50 Standard slinger (breastplate, heavy steel shield, shortsword, sling, bullets)


"Over the course of this week, choose the best warriors to divide into these groups. Once John the Barber returns and a location is chosen, we will meet again to devise a battle strategy. Are there any questions?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"I worry the effect that forcing people from their homes will have on the area's friendliness towards us. At the moment, our men and women can shelter in many of these villages without many questions being asked, but if we start ransacking villages, that will not be the case."

[esorscher]

Adam ponders Barlenor's concern. "That is valid. They will be armored in Imperial armor, wielding imperial swords, but that may not be disguise enough. What if they wear cloth masks?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"Maybe then, but only so long as none of the Freemen speak in earshot of the villagers. Have your soldiers do the talking, they sound foreign enough to be Imperial Officers. I recommend sending a couple of my Freemen into the village seeking shelter first, though. Let them stay the night and we execute your plan in the early hours. The men then search the village, find the hiding freemen, and put them in chains. That should drive home the message that it is Imperial Forces driving these people out of their village."

[esorscher]

"An excellent idea," Adam says to Barlenor. "I will leave that task to you. Select the men and inform of their duties. Also, your idea as to when to strike is perfect, and one we will use. If there is nothing else..." Adam let's his voice trail off. (I'm ready to time-skip?)

[tigerusthegreat]

Several Freemen leave that night with Barlenor's instructions. In the early morning, the rest of the troops set out, garbed as Imperial soldiers. Only a few people are awake in the village when you come marching up, and those that are out quickly flee into their houses. Nobody comes out to meet your forces.

[esorscher]

The men follow previously discussed instructions dutifully, with the soldiers of St. Cuthbert giving orders when necessary. Each contigent of Freemen led by a Cuthbert soldier goes door-to-door, rounding up the people inside and bringing them into the village center, while two soldiers stay behind to loot the homes of any valuable goods, but leaving behind any food and drink. Their priorities: 1) weapons and armor, 2) manufactured goods, 3) coins, jewels, other valuables.

In the village center, villagers are forced onto their knees while soldiers disguised as Imperials point their melee and ranged weapons at them. Ethan flies overhead, invisible, scouting the horizon for signs of anyone approaching.

[tigerusthegreat]

None of the villagers fight back, and they are all quickly gathered in the village square. The village is fairly poor, and not much is found in the way of gold (74g 9s 8c), but a large number of bows are found (65 longbows, 10 shortbows), and a small handful of other weapons (20 battleaxes, 4 longswords, 10 daggers). The hidden freemen are also found, and seperated from the villagers.

[esorscher]

The fake imperial soldiers take the weapons and gold, and leave with their "captives." Only Ethan stays behind, invisible and flying, watching the townspeople to see their reactions, and wait to see what happens with the town.

[tigerusthegreat]

The villagers are marched out of town with all the loot in tow. Ethan watches from above. It appears nobody got out of the village, and no troops are coming.

[esorscher]

Hmm, that was successful, Ethan thinks. He flies off after the rest of the troops to share the news with Adam.

Upon learning of this, Adam sends John the Barber to scout another village, and asks Barlenor what he thinks about how their expedition went and what their next move should be.

[tigerusthegreat]

"I think it went very well. I don't think there is a way to lure the Imperial troops into a conflict with us, but we might be able to get them to do our work for us. If we raid a village or two, but let a couple villagers run to spread the word of what is happening. Then the next time a Imperial patrol goes into a village they get met with swords instead of cooperation. It will lead to villagers dying, but at this point I don't see a way around it. Once the Imperial patrols stat getting attacked in the local villages, many will come to our cause."

[esorscher]

"Excellent idea," Adam says. "Inform the men that we will be having a feast tonight to celebrate. Fremont the Cleric prepares a feast that evening with the help of his Create Food and Water spells. Adam is seated at the head table with Barlenor on his right and Ethan on his left. Individuals who distinguished themselves during the mission are also seated at the table, selected by Barlenor.

Ethan seeks out the youth during the feast and apologizes for his previous behavior, and attempts to talk with him again.

The smiths finish producing 115 shortspears and begin produce longspears. By the end of the week, they will have produced 19.

[tigerusthegreat]

The youth seems more sullen than usual, and doesn't reply to Ethan. He doesn't tell him to go away either.

The feast is a success. You can tell some of the men are bothered by ransacking the village.

[esorscher]

Adam finds the men uncomfortable with their ransacking and inquires further as to why they are uncomfortable.

Ethan asks the youth what his name is.

[tigerusthegreat]

The men are uncomfortable because they just ransacked a village similar to the ones the have come from. They are still willing to do what is necessary, but more actions like this and morale will suffer.

"I am called Faustus."