Action 1
Kokam was a bit caught off guard by the Queen's sudden presentation of lands and titles to her and her friends.
Still she took a knee, realizing that this was one way that the Queen could show her appreciation , as well as legitimizing The Chosen in the eyes of , perhaps, many of her soldiers.
Her face solemn in the face of the honor granted her, she calmly stated, "I will endeavor to honor your trust in me, and the title you've granted me. "
Then she stood and watched as her friends were likewise honored, unable to prevent a tear from welling up in her eyes. She was so proud of what they've accomplished!
Action 2
Kokam slowly grew bored with the review of the troops, her limbs growing antzy after the ceremony and interminable chats with the soldiers. She respected them all, but she reminded herself that this was part of her duties now, but at that moment it grated on her.
Removing herself some distance from camp, she found a nice flat area and began to practice her forms, crisply moving from stance to stance, working up a nice sweat.
After a moment or two she realized she wasn't alone. Stopping, she looked up to find several of the Queen's...no, her Paladins watching curiously.
Smiling , she invited them to join her, showing those interested a number of techniques they were unfamiliar with. Prompted to demonstrate...she chose a willing volunteer and elicited cheers when she quickly pivoted and deposited the warrior on his back.
Several more joined the demonstration, cheering her successes, but even more so when a volunteer successfully turned the technique on her, putting her on her back.
Smiling, dusting herself off, she looked about and saw the acceptance on the face of the Paladins...they saw in her a fellow warrior, different but respected. Then and there she vow to learn each of their names; Serrif with the wild blond mane, Ananna with the scarred cheek, and the 98 others...all of them were now her brothers and sisters.
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Damon took care to say goodbye to those allies they made in Kenabres, especially Lann and Onyx. He invited Onyx to go with them if he desired, but understood if the man wanted to ensure the safety of a rebuilding Kenabres as well.
He visited Horgus, Aravashnial, and Anevia to wish them well and see if especially Aravashnial had any advice for the journey ahead. He spoke with Irabeth about the responsibilities of leadership and tried to gain the benefit of her crash course in leading an army.
Hurrying back to the camp, Damon arrived just in time to participate in the planning session, seeing the wisdom of the planned route and considering how it might be improved in any way. He watched the advisors and tried to learn what he can about the logistics and strategy involved.
Roscoe nodded along with the planning. Trusting the expertise of those who have had a longer history with army movements.
Roscoe made a point to spend some time trying to get to know each of the experts. Though he was happy to see another halfling in the crew. "Happy to see someone else standing on their chair at the table." He smiles, "I am Roscoe, Roscoe Tosscobble, of the Burrowdown Tosscobles. Pleased to meet you."
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BTW: PF has the option of doing mass scale combats, but I find them to be too limited (i.e., only one person makes decisions or makes rolls) so it’s not really well suited to be played through PBP. We will have ‘something’ but it may just be me making some rolls and letting you know the results so you can RP...
The young man took time to visit with only other the sole survivor of the long march from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Leif Longarm.
By the Queens favour I am made a Jarl this day... gifted with lands I know not and will not likely live to see. If you head home or see others of our lands? Speak well of me, tell others of my deeds and sing of my saga so that if I fall I might live on in the memory of our people, like I will in turn speak of you and our band.
Hallvardr took some time to learn the signals and camp signs of this force. Learning of most things that didn't pertain to his craft taxed him sorely but when it came to studying anything related to war or battle? He had endless patience... even if it took longer than some to learn.
Again, he tried to gauge the morale and confidence of the small army... and thought what he could do to maximise supplies. Maybe magic could help? He would consider this some. The margin of error seemed too small... even if they did lose some men and horses along the way.
Hallvardr approached Damon, who seemed the most trained of the group, but mentioned in the others so they could hear.
Five and a half days food and water? Little chance of resupply? This worries me. Is there any spell or such we can use to widen this margin? I have some experience with this... our people are sea raiders. Bad navigation, ill weather or unhelpful winds can lead to starvation.
He held up a hand.
Do you know what Surströmming is? We use juuuust enough salt is used to prevent raw herring from rotting while allowing it to ferment. We eat this because we are not always well fed and because preserving food is hard for us. It's one step away from rotting fish. The meat almost drips off the bones. How about Kæstur hákarl? It's fermented then cured shark meat. It smells like piss and best consumed with harsh liquor that burns worse than the taste of flesh. This is what our people eat to ward off dying for want of food. Trust me... we do not want to be in a similar situation unless you fancy trying demon meat.
We of my lands don't fear dying in combat... we fear the choice between our food and starving to death, he said with a grim smile.
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Inviting the advisors into his conversation with Hallvardr, Damon said, "You mentioned the tight food supply, Sosiel. My companion speaks wisely of the need for care in this area. Is there any way we could increase our carrying capacity for food stores?"
Turning to Aron, he added, "You were introduced to us as a cleric of Shelyn. I have heard there are some divine spells that can summon food and drink to feed many--perhaps you could supplement our mundane supplies with magical ones at need?"
"Nurah, you are the expert on Drezen. Do you think there will be opportunities to resupply in that city, or is it solely occupied by fiends that have no need of food and water?" asked Damon.
Stella stayed quiet and listened at first as the group discussed best strategies to approach the city of Drezen; she had zero military experience and knew that any expertise she may have would lie elsewhere. At the mention of food though, Stella spoke up and added, "If food's gone rotten, I could 'cleanse' it using my magic, though creating food from scratch is beyond my capabilities at this point." Pausing for a moment she continued, "I do have some concerns though with parts of this plan. For one, as the others mentioned, rations seem particularly tight and leave none for a return trip. What is the plan if we successfully reclaim Drezen? Second, do we have any idea how large of a force might be remaining in the city?
And lastly, while I know we're a small force, we're still 100+ crusaders wandering into the Worldwound; I would be shocked if we weren't found out before arriving close to Drezen."
Upgraded armor and barding is fine for PCs so let me know what you want. You are 5th level and magic is 'scarce' so any 'mundane' item is available to you.
No ulterior motive detected in any of the experts.
Recapping now...
Questions?
Game on!
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Smiling at Nurah, Damon said, "That may be just what we need to make this work," as he started doing some sums on a scrap of parchment...Looking up, he says, "It looks like traveling quickly with 50 units of food will get us there with more provisions than traveling more slowly with 53 units."
"Do you want to check me, Sosiel?" asked Damon, with a glance including the others to comment if they wished.
Sosiel stepped in, “The goddess blesses me with magic and I can conjure up food enough for a dozen or so. However, it’s not unknown for the food to be spoiled when conjured within the Worldwound so I would not bet my life on this resource.”
"Do we have to worry about our normal provisions spoiling as well once we enter the Worldwound?" Stella asked the advisor.
The halfling perked up, “Yes, I know for a fact that the Citadel is manned by cultist in addition to demons. These people must eat, right?”
"Based off the enemies we've battled with so far, I don't know if we can say for certain that any food they have there would be edible. Many of them were deformed or changed in someway. It could've changed their typical diet as well..." Stella replied to the Halfling woman.
Nurah added, “Despite the name, the Sword of Valor is not a sword. It’s a battle standard—an artifact once used by Iomedae herself during the Shining Crusade. The church loaned the banner to the First Mendevian Crusade and allowed it to hang in Drezen, where it bolstered crusader morale and, perhaps more importantly, warded against demonic attacks, deceptions, and even teleportation.”
"Speaking of the Sword of Valor, do we have any idea where in Drezen it might be located? It probably makes the most sense to activate it as soon as possible to use it's power to assist in reclaiming the city." Stella asked the advisors.
Smiling at Nurah, Damon said, "That may be just what we need to make this work," as he started doing some sums on a scrap of parchment...Looking up, he says, "It looks like traveling quickly with 50 units of food will get us there with more provisions than traveling more slowly with 53 units."
"Do you want to check me, Sosiel?" asked Damon, with a glance including the others to comment if they wished.
The man scratched his chin, "That sounds about right. My gut told me to ride hard and fast rather than use mules."
tag?
"Speaking of the Sword of Valor, do we have any idea where in Drezen it might be located? It probably makes the most sense to activate it as soon as possible to use it's power to assist in reclaiming the city." Stella asked the advisors.
Nurah spoke as if from memory, “Somewhere inside Citadel Drezen. At one point, it was held in a special vault, but our divinations have only revealed that the banner remains in the Citadel somewhere. Alas, the same wards that protect it against demons also hamper divination attempts—but we know it’s still in there, likely kept as a trophy.”
tag?
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OOC: I'll hold off recapping to give the others a chance to post.
Questions?
Game on!
Kokam watches and listens as the others discuss the logistics of getting from here to there with enough food and water. She knows that alone, she'd be able to move much quicker than the bulk of the small army.
With that in mind, she thinks back to their first introduction to the army of Paladins, trying to remember if there were any who were less armored, more mobile that the others.
"I am in favor of fast and light. Our success sounds like it hinges on it. If we carry more we move slower. Slower means more time to be seen. More time to be caught in the open. If we have to fight on the way because we fail to evade and get caught be the enemy that is going to make the fight once we make it harder."
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Actions 2
Rising early, Damon took his time in his morning prayers and donned his new Iomedaen Plate Armor. Heading to the stables, he communed with Magnus and made sure his barding, saddle, and supplies were ready. Finally, mounting his noble steed for the first time, Damon rode out to take his place with the others who were already assembled.
...
A knight in shining Iomedaen Plate Armor rode out to join the army, his pure white steed clad in gleaming Breastplate Barding, eyes betraying an intelligence beyond that of a mortal horse. As he rode to the head of the army, the warrior lifted up the visor of his helm, revealing Damon, Paladin of Iomedae and Chosen of Terendelev.
Surveying the gathered Chosen, Advisors, and Paladins, Damon took his place in the formation and looked to his friends, asking, "Well, are we ready for the next great adventure?" When the time was right to begin, Damon drew Radiance, the holy sword of Iomedae, and signaled the beginning of the march. It was time to take the fight to the demons...
Action 1.
Hallvardr watched Damon ride up at the last minute, resplendent in new armour and riding a magnificent steed. As Damon trotted by to take his position at the head of the column the Viking murmured, Nice Horse, just loud enough to be heard.
Action 2.
The circling carrion birds hinted at the destruction of the settlement, and gave indication as to what to expect as the force drew near. Well... that can't be good, on multiple levels. Send in a scouting party to look for survivors?
"Hmmm, Damon's not usually late." Stella mused to herself. Turning to Kokam, she asked, "Any ideas where he might be?" the faintest hints of a raised eyebrow and a smile on her face."
"That's quite the horse you've got there. Does he have a name?" Stella commented after Damon revealed himself as the masked rider. "I'm assuming he's not a gift from the Queen right? He seems a little bit... more than the typical horse." She couldn't quite place it, but as she gave the horse a scratch behind the ears, Stella could sense that the horse had an unnatural feel to it, as if it was not from this world. She would have to speak with it at some point to get to the bottom of it she decided.
"That probably a good idea Hal. I think just the five of us, and perhaps 3-5 other paladins should be enough to check the village quickly." Stella replied
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Actions 2:
”Indeed, you have quite the discerning eye,” responded Damon to Stella with a smile. ”This is Magnus, a friend granted to me through Iomedae’s grace to aid us in our quests.” Damon leaned over and spoke to the horse in Celestial, and the intelligent creature nodded in understanding as he indicated each of his friends in succession.
”Magnus, these are my friends and fellow Chosen of Terendelev. Stella, Kokam, Roscoe, and Hallvardr. I trust them with my life, so if I am unavailable, seek them out and listen carefully to their counsel.
Actions 3:
”Good thinking, Hallvardr,” Damon responded, then looked to Sosiel, saying, ”Sosiel, you are the expert scout, and our group is used to operating as a squad. Perhaps we should follow your lead here?”
I do like most players involved but I'll move things along later today even if they don't post.
Game on!
Action 1
The hustle and bustle of an army of Paladins getting ready to ride distracted Kokam enough that she didn't have time to talk with Aron about setting up some kind of scouting party.
Action 2
Then, Damon and his horse made their appearance. After Damon spoke to the horse and the horse acknowledged him, she approached shyly, lifting a hand up to stroke Magnus's broad nose. 'He's beautiful, Damon. Truly a divine gift..."
Action 3
Seeing the smoke drift up from the town, Kokam frowned "Indeed, a small team might be more effective at finding out what happened down there. Aron, what are your thoughts?"
When Sosiel mentioned creating food Roscoe chimed in and suggested, "I can prepare the opportunity to purify such food as well."
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Question: Your writeup on the advisors called Sosiel the expert scout:
"Sosiel Vaenic is an expert on
siege tactics, traps, infiltration,
scouting, and the like; he’s
where you’ll be getting your
map of the Citadel."
Where Aaron is more knowledgable about demons and their tactics:
"Aron Kir was a cleric of Shelyn
here in Kenabres before the
temple was destroyed—he
can help with healing as
needed, but he’s also quite
knowledgeable about demons
and their tactics."
Am I missing something here?
Question: Your writeup on the advisors called Sosiel the expert scout:
"Sosiel Vaenic is an expert on
siege tactics, traps, infiltration,
scouting, and the like; he’s
where you’ll be getting your
map of the Citadel."Where Aaron is more knowledgable about demons and their tactics:
"Aron Kir was a cleric of Shelyn
here in Kenabres before the
temple was destroyed—he
can help with healing as
needed, but he’s also quite
knowledgeable about demons
and their tactics."Am I missing something here?
Sort of. I think the AP confused the roles in the writeups of the NPCs so I 'cemented' them this way.
Sosiel (army-type expert): siege tactics, traps, infiltration (forts, compounds, etc.), army-type stuff, and also a priest of Shelyn (healing).
Aron (demon-fighter scout): demons and their tactics, scouting
Nurah (Drezen expert): bard magic, Drezen and its surroundings and inhabitants
Questions?
Game on!
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"While I am not particularly stealthy, Magnus can carry me relatively quietly and quickly. Still, a specialized group of scouts would be very useful, and we could be nearby to charge in as needed," answered Damon, knowing his own limitations when it came to stealthy reconnaissance.
"Have you forgotten Damon? I can help in that matter..." Stella piped in. "Aron, bring those you wish to join us forward and I'll do what I can make our infiltration a bit more discrete."
When the scouting party was assembled and ready to move out, Stella began to concentrate, mumbling words to herself in Sylvan, before a kaleidoscope of light blue butterflies poked their way out of her hair. Each one flying to a different member, they landed on each person's shoulders before fading away. "That should do it! Even you three should have trouble making too much noise now." Stella exclaimed lightly once the spell had taken affect.
Walking through the wreckage that was Valas' Gift, Stella couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness for all the innocent lives lost to the assault. When it was determined that village was enemy free, she turned towards one of the paladins and asked, "Can you all help me with the bodies? They shouldn't be left like this.
Stella spent a good portion of the day respectfully collecting the bodies with anyone who would assist, moving the bodies to an open area near the village. Once that was accomplished, she looked to the others and said, "One of the things I used to do before I joined you all was perform ceremonies, including funerals, when I traveled around Avistan. I've never done one for this many people before... so I'll need a bit of time to prepare. If there's anything you'd like to do or add beforehand please let me know.
Reconvening with the rest of the leaders after the scouting trip, Stella asked the advisors, "So what does this mean for our plan? Could there be more demons in the North than originally thought?"
The Viking spent his time searching for how the demons might have gotten in besides obvious assault. The place was defended after all, how could it not be, but if the small army was going to spend any significant time here (and it made sense to use it as a base for the night), he wanted to make sure that they didn't enter via somebody's cellar or that there wasn't some sort of open summoning circle in a demonologists bedroom.
He roved through the houses with only a cursory glance at any wealth. He didn't have any particular moral issue about looting, it was one of the ways his people made their way in the world, but instead it was because he had little interest in riches. Gorum would provide, and what He didn't? Well, that's why the Lord in Iron gifted his followers with weapons...
Roscoe unsure how to greet a horse tipped his head and waved. He looked rather dashing in his new half-plate. He looked at the horse at Damon and then the others, "I'm a half-ling not his squire." He shook his head as he walked to his pony, "Matching out fits. Can you believe that."
As the group got sight of the ruin Vasa's Gift. "Not how I wanted to meet a city that we hoped would be teaming with life and potential food." He looked forlorn and whispered a prayer.
When talk of scouting came up Roscoe nodded. "I am happy to go. Armor might not be as quiet as we want but if there are foes remaining we likely won't be quiet anyway."
As he and the other scouts gave their report Roscoe concluded "Do we need to send word back to anyone that a village is gone and won't be supplying anyone food any time soon."
Roscoe then moved among the troops inquiring if any knew anyone form Vasa's Gift. He did his best to be a chaplain; listening, praying & steering commiseration toward resolve that would serve morale and away from despair.
Later while with the others he confided in Hal, Kokam, Stella & Damon, "I feel out of my depth. Priests of Cayden are celebrators, prone to levity and distraction. When that time comes I will be happy to serve. But facing this with this stern lot. I pray I can do right by them."
OOC: Yes, I will need a commander and Damon is a very strong candidate.
From an in-game perspective, it could be argued that Hallvardr could also be the commander but his style is more for individual combat.
From an out-of-game perspective, you are the player that consistently posts (pretty quickly at that) so that will be an advantage if I ever need to ask about tactics for the army and such. I'll try to make it generic enough such that I get the information I need in the turn recap break.
I'll move things along later tonight.
Questions?
Game on!
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Actions 3:
After joining the other paladins in searching for survivors or useful supplies for the army, Damon heard Stella's request and said, "Of course, Stella," and set about organizing a large contingent of the paladins to do the heavy lifting to facilitate the ceremony.
As Damon left the house he was searching, the perceptive Stella may have noticed a small tear running down the paladin's stoic face. Behind him, a broken rag doll, splashed with blood, lay on the rail of an abandoned crib.
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OOC: Yes, I will need a commander and Damon is a very strong candidate.
From an in-game perspective, it could be argued that Hallvardr could also be the commander but his style is more for individual combat.
From an out-of-game perspective, you are the player that consistently posts (pretty quickly at that) so that will be an advantage if I ever need to ask about tactics for the army and such. I'll try to make it generic enough such that I get the information I need in the turn recap break.
I'll move things along later tonight.
Questions?
Game on!
From an in-game perspective, it could be argued that Hallvardr could also be the commander but his style is more for individual combat.
OOC: Oh, she's commander worthy but not just commander type. :)
Recapping...
Game on!
Turn 207 - Kaleidoscope of Butterflies
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
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Actions 2:
"We did right by the people of Vasa's Gift today, my friends. All of us," Damon said at Roscoe's confession. "We all feel inadequate in the face of this massive evil. Yet I have faith that, if we do our part and stay true to each other and our gods, we will prevail."
Actions 3:
"This is grim news," responded Damon to the scouting report, "Not only could this army of Tieflings be dangerous to us, it could rampage and attack more defenseless towns like Vasa's Gift. We should destroy them."
Turning to Sosiel, Damon asked, "What is their relative tactical strength against our own, Sosiel? Do they have ranged weapon or magic capability? What is the best time to attack the demons when they are least on their guard?"
Looking to Aron, Damon asked, "Can our scouts get in advantageous positions and rain arrows of death upon them from cover--perhaps from the roofs of the bunkers along the east bank? What do you know of these brimorak demons that we may be able to use to our advantage?"
"Nurah, is there a brimorak general operating out of Drezen that you know of? Perhaps what his tactics might be? Can you stir the hearts of the soldiers during battle to better defeat the enemy and protect the innocent from further butchery at the hands of the demon army?" Damon asked of the bard.
As they discussed the battle plan--and the wisdom of engaging the tiefling army at all--Damon contributed his thoughts to the plan but listened carefully to each advisor as well as his own friends.
1) His thought was a flanking maneuver with as many expert archers as possible having sneaked into the buildings along the river behind the tiefling encampment, perhaps accompanied by any irregular forces who preferred fighting on foot and were stealthy enough to join the scouts in the flanking maneuver.
2) Once the arrows fell on the enemy from the west, Damon would lead a bold cavalry charge from the east to catch the enemy while they were unprepared, pushing them under the arrows of their scouts or into the river before they could effectively respond.
3) As the battle raged on, Damon wanted to track down this demon general and kill or take it prisoner, though he would need the full support of his friends to make that a possibility given the power of the demons they had faced so far.
Looks like an even fight... good in a wrestling ring, bad in a battle, he just says. We need to change their numbers.