Peasant War Quest testrun

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>>1640917
>Maius 1124: A peasant army, led by the former duke Halberstadt, the new minister of defence of the Schmitling republic, invades Nordingen. Most of the Nordingen peasants celebrate them as liberators from the rule of the king's men, but refugees to the central provinces speak of atrocities being commited on the upper classes and monarchists. Duke Karl Schmiler of Nordingen is reportedly killed by having him, along with his family, run the gauntlet.

>Summer of 1124: The rebellious provinces formally unite as the Westmark Peasant's republic. A first, hastily raised royal army, mostly consisting of conscripts, sent to put an end to the rebellion, has been lured in an ambush and destroyed near Wassermark in Nordingen.
King Gerhardt orders count Hoffstedt of Markingen to prove himself to him once again by ending the uprising once and for all.

>(2/3)

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>>1640917
It is the summer of 1124, and the border provinces are in an uproar.
The peasant uprising has been successfull in establishing a new republic from the Saxonian provinces on the border to Francy, but still the breakdown of the old order leaves much to be desired in terms of organisation. Units of peasants, so called Rabbles and Hosts, have succeeded in driving the king's men from their country and even triumphed over an army sent to reclaim the provinces in the battle of Wassermark, but you hear that casualties have been high. For the last few weeks, you have seen more and more "recruiters" lurking around the village, trying to draw in new fighting men for their cause with promises of glory in battle if people join them, or broken bones if not. Word is that a new Army is on the marsh, led by the "Wolf of Malaugny", sent to destroy everything the rebels have fought for in the last months.
As you make your way across the marketplace of Schindersheim, your home village, you hear somebody call out to you:

>Hey, you over there! Who are you?

>>1640923
I am Alda, daughter of a wealthy merchant.

>>1640933
You turn around to face the man who shouted at you. Sure enough, you are face to face with the ugly mug of one of the recruiters you have seen around.
"I knew right away that somehing was up with you", he sneers.
"Your clothes seem a bit to fine for such a backwoods village such as this" He spreads his arms while grinning sarcastically.
"Tell me, young lady, what gives us the pleasure of having you honor us with your presence?

>>1640943
>The sponsorship of my father, of course. Why, don't the rebellion accept donations anymore?

>>1640948
The ugly face of the recruiter takes on a look of surprise, then his grin returns, but this time it's a genuine one.
>"Forgive my manners, young lady, but we had quite a lot of bad news in the last few weeks. Really drags a man down, that does. If you bring the wares round our camp outside town in the afternoon, I and my employer would be ever thankful. Now excuse me, I still have my job to do."
With that he walks off, back to shouting at the people about how the chancellor needs every man.

>what do you do?
>explore the market for a bit
>return to your fathers cart, tell him about your contact
>write in

>>1640956
Lets go full on diplomancer

>explore the market, burn some cash

>>1640957
As you make your way across the market, you notice the poor quality of most of the things on sale. Well, it IS a war going on, so most of the good stuff probably goes straight to the frontline troops.
You do, however, notice a fine looking knife on sale at the local blacksmith, as well as a candleholder that looks like it would make quite a nice addition to your fathers dining table.

>Do you approach any of the vendors?
>Better return to father, he was talking about urgent business earlier
>write-in

>>1640964
Father is quite defensive of his dining table, and merely trying to change the composition of the silverware has gotten many a maids fired.
>no candleholder

>approach the knife vendor, buy it with your super haggling skills
>go back to father

>>1640964
Find a tailor/clothing merchant and buy a fine dress for yourself

>>1640969
>>1640970
For a moment you consider buying a new dress, your old one seems a bit off-season. However, you soon realize that in Schindersheim the finer things of life and luxury aren't easy to get by at the moment and settle for a new knife. The old kitchen knifes got requisitioned by the Peasant's Army after all.
You approach the blacksmith, dodging some nasty stares by some old crone. Probably angered by your good looks and fine clothes.
As you come to his stand, the blacksmith looks up from the horseshoe he was just putting in his stand and smiles at you.
>" Ah, Alda. back in town I see. Sure hope you and your father got those Francynian blades he was talking about. The rebellion is in quite a bad place, I fear, what with the Wolf on the march and all."
He pauses and looks around as if he said somethin he better shouldn't have.
>"Well, I am blabbering again. So what will it be?"

>Roll me a d20 + 4 (2 for Merchant's daughter, 2 because he knows and likes you) to haggle for the knife. Best of three wins.

Rolled 3 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>1640980

Rolled 13 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>1640980

>>1640980

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>17. Good success:
You smile a bit at him
>" You know, Gernot, I think my father and I can satisfy your need of fine steel. However, we still need some new knifes for ourselves. What do you want for this one?"
You hold up a fine, sharp looking long kitchen knife that caught your eye.
Gernot takes a long look at it, than sighs.
>"Take it. I actually made it as a weapon to sell the recruiters in town, but now that you are back I doubt anyone will need to use cooking utensils as a weapon anymore."
He passes you the knife, confusing you. Usually people had to haggle with Gernot for quite a while.
>"You don't want anything?"
>"No, Alda. It's alrigt, really. I think I will be closing up soo, most likely forever."
He leans a bit closer
>"Don't tell my wife, but I actually intend to join the recruiters when they leave town.You heard what the people say? With the Count and his men on the way, everyone has to fight so our rebellion doens't end the same way Malaugny did. What those monsters did there..."
He shudders visibly, then forces a smile back onto his face.
>"Listen, I don't want to bore a young lady with old war stories. Just go and take the knife. And try not to get too wrapped up in this war. I have a feeling it's not going to go to well for anyone who does."
You thank him profusely before taking your leave.
>What now?
>Father is probably already looking for you, time to go back
>write in

>>1641021
>Father is probably already looking for you, time to go back

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As you return to your fathers cart, currently standing next to your house on the edge of town, you are greeted by Gerd, your father's assistant.
>"Alda, there you are. Your father was already worried that you had run off to join the peasant army."

He stares at you in fake anger, then bursts out laughing.
"Well, you know how he can get. But it's still good that, you are back. One pair of hands more means we can load off the weapons all the faster. I hear the troops are marching off early tomorrow to Beckenburg. Halberstadt plans to meet the Wolf's men there in favourable conditions"

As you make your way the rest of the way back, several questions come to mind:
>How do you know this? shouldn't this be secret?
>How is Beckenburg favourable?
>Write-in

>>1641047
>How is Beckenburg favourable?

>>1641047
>How is Beckenburg favourable?

the style of this quest is really cool

>>1641047
>How is Beckenburg favourable?
While helping dad out

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>>1641055
>>1641057
>>1641058
"How is Beckenburg favourable?", you ask Gerd as the two of you make their way back towards your house and the cart.
"Well," Gerd answers," The river Mulde runs right next to a stretch of the Beckenburg forest near the town. My guess would be that they plan to ambush the king's men while they cross the river. Those mercenaries in their fancy armor won't like that, that's for sure."
As you contemplate that importance of being dressed right for every occasion still applies in the military, you arrive home. Infront of your home, your father is currently engaged in a discussion with two men in ragged clothes.
When he spots you, he excuses himself and comes over.
"There you are. I was worried sick about you. You better have a good excuse for being gone so long."
He takes a deep breath.
"But first, you can help us load our merchandise onto their carts."
he gesticulates toward the two men.
" They are leaving tomorrow morning, and so are we, so get to it."
>"Leaving? but we just got back"
>"I got this knife from Gernot..."
>unload the cart wordlessly
>write in

>>1641057
Thank you. It's my first time running anything, so if any of you have any critcisms or suggestions let me know.

>>1641078
>unload the cart wordlessly

You start unloading the cart, along with the two peasants your father was talking to and Gerd.
You brought quite a fine haul from Francy, no wonder, after the war with Saxonia the Francynian monarchy is probably very much in favor of establishing a buffer zone between them and their hated neighbours.
You got a decent amount of swords and pikes, a few dozen crossbows and even about about half a dozen arquebuses. You have heard several times that these weapons are able to make short work of even the most heavily armored knights and find yourself nodding to yourself. Those will be a fine asset at Beckenburg.
Before long the weapons are unloaded and the peasants pay your father and say their goodbyes.
Your father looks after them until they round the corner with their cart, then turns around towawrds you.
"Now that that's taken care of, would you care to join me for dinner?"
Indeed, the work has left you hungry, and so you and gerd follow your father into the house and to the dining room, where a small roast is already set up, alog with some dark bread and mugs filled with clean water.
As you sit down, you can't help but feel a bit disappointed. The candle holder WOULD have really looked good on that table, but you know how he can get if you change things around the house.

>"You said something about leaving tomorrow?"
>Write in

>>1641115
Ask where we will be going to. Complain that you're tired of spending time in villages and that you want to go back to the city.

"So, what was that about leaving tomorrow?"
you ask, while casually cutting up the roast with your new knife. If your father notices the new instrument, he doesn't show it, instead sipping from his cup.
"Good riddance,I say," you say. "It's time we got back to our summer home. All this time on the road and in the villages is quite tiring. Also, I haven't seen mother in half a year. I..."
"We aren't going home," your father interrupts you. You are stunned by this revelation.
"What? Why not, you were talking about it yourself, not two weeks ago."
"Yes, but the situatuion has changed. If we stay here or go home to Oldenhafen, we are directly in front of the kings army if they break trough at Beckenburg."
He stands up and walks around the table, laying his arms around your shoulders.
"Listen, your mother and our staff will be joining us in Stedten. She and our staff from Oldenhafen will start travelling tomorrow as well."
He strokes your hair.
"Look, honey, it's just for our security. Once the battle is over and, so God wills it, the rebels are victorious we can get home"
He goes back to his seat:
"So eat up. Gerd packed most of our things while you were at the market, so you only need to get your things collected, and tomorrow morning we start travelling south."
You shoot Gerd a glance for not telling you earlier, but he just shrugs before turning his attention back to the roast.

And I will have to cut this short here. I will however be running again tomorrow after making some adjustments to my plans. The daughter of a merchant was not what I had in mind as a PC, and while the idea is growing on me, I need to change some things.
As mentioned above, this is my first time running a quest, so feel free to criticise and make suggestions.
I will stay around in the thread for a while to answer questions or talk.

Also, I made a twitter to keep you up to date.
https://twitter.com/PeasantWar

>>1641166
Stick with our character. Not many quests with this perspective.

>>1641199
I will definitely stick with the character. I just have to find a way to tell a story from this perspective.
I had thought people would want to play a soldier in the kings army or a peasant, so I have to come up with a way to keep this interesting from this perspective.

Seems cool. Keep it going, wanna see were we end up.

>>1641208
we arms dealer now

Bad news guys, something came up in real life, so I will be unable to run today. On the upside, I found a way to take the story that I think will work out fine. If things work out the way I want them to, I will be able to continue the quest on saturday.

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>>1643186
Excellent.

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Peasant War Quest is a go.

After a rather frustratingly silent dinner, you retreat back to your room. It is by no means as big or well furnished as your room back home in Oldenhafen, but you won't spend much more time here either way.
You pack your clothes and other personal effects, so that they can be thrown on your coach in the morning, before falling into a troubled sleep.
The morning brings salvation from your dreams of the horrors of war (and loss of wealth). Gerd helps you loading your luggage, and your father goes to pick up your families trusted travel guards from the local tavern they stayed at. the last few days.
You estimate that it is about 10 in the morning, when your little carawan starts on its travel southward.
It consists of your families coach, as well as three carts loaded with your personal effects and merchandise. While your father, Gerd, and yourself ride in the coach, which is steered by one of your guards, the other seven of them take care of the valuables.
As you make your way down the road, you can see a lot of women working the fields along the way. The few men you see are almost universally missing a limb or bearing pronounced scars. It seems most of the ablebodied male population has left the town to fight, the last of them this very morning with the recruiters, now making their way to Beckenburg, to face the king's men.
You shudder a bit when you think of Gernot the blacksmith, your old family friend, now on his way towards an unknown fate in the north.
Your father, noticing your unease, leans towards you.

>"What is it, Alda? You aren't getting sick, are you? Or are you still mad that we can't go home just yet?"

>>1650239
Nothing. I just can't wait to see mother again.

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>>1650321
"Oh, it's nothing", you reply, shifting slightly in your seat.
"It's just that we've been on the road for almost a quarter year now. I can't wait to see mother again."
Your father smiles at you. "I know how you feel, darling. There is no better feeling in the world than coming home after a long time of travelling to see your family again. Even if we are not really going home right now, I like to think that Guillaume's house is good enough for the time being."
You are inclined to agree. Jean Guillaume was an old friend of your father and practically family. Father had met the Francynian immigrant on one of his travels, and together they had managed to become rich by conducting some not entirely legal cross-border deals. You smile a bit as you reminiscence about the time you spent with
"uncle", as you had called him, Guillaume as a little girl.
"Yes I think that will be..."
You are interrupted by shouts from the guard riding the coach, seemingly adressing someone outside the cart.

>Lean out of the window. You want to know what's happening out there
>Let the guards handle it. If it's something important, they will call for your father
>write-in

>>1650346
>Lean out of the window. You want to know what's happening out there

>>1650380
Roll me a d20 please

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>1650385>>1650385

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>>1650394
You decide that you want to know what is happening outside the coach. The first thing you notice as you lean out of the window is that you arne't on the road anymore. The guard on the coach notices you looking and gestures towards the front.
"I had to make room for them", he explains.
"Make room for whom?" You ask, but before the last syllable has left your mouth, you see it yourself. A large group of people is coming up the road, drawing behind them a big cloud of sand from the dry road.
As they come closer, you are able to make out more details: It's a peasant host, obviously on the way north. They carry a wild mix of weapons, from repurposed farmtools to crossbows. Most are dressed in their peasant's clothing, but you can make out some pieces of armor as well. some of them wear colourful flowers on their chest, probably charms of good luck given to them by the women of their villages.
As you stare, your father and Gerd exit the coach from the other side and walk around towards the road.
"Where to, brothers?", Gerd shouts towards the column of men.
"To Beckenburg, to skin the Wolf", a man on a horse riding in the front shouts back. "To send him back to his master with his tail behind his back. Ain't that the truth, lads?" His men answer with cheers and thrust their weapons in the air.
"We are Rodriks Reavers!" The man says explanatory. "Remember the name well, for soon everybody in the republic will know us."
He turns towards you. "What about it, young lady?" he asks.
>"How about a token of good luck for your brave soldiers?"

>>1650410
>how about a handkerchief graced by the kiss of a maiden?

>>1650410
A metal bracelet with charms for good luck sir. Bring everyone home!

>>1650419
Actually change to this. It's easier and better

>>1650419
>>1650421
>combining these two

You give the man, who you presume is Rodrik himself, a wink. Gerd looks like he unfazed by the man's behaviour, but you notice that he has his hand on his sword and give him a small gesture with you hand to make sure that he doesn't do anything hasty.
"Well, good sir", you say, realising that most things that come into consideration are stowed away further down your little convoy on the carts, "how about a handkerchief graced by the kiss of a maiden?" you lean a bit further out of the window and whisper in a conspiratory voice "It's all I have with me, except my god kitchen knife."
Rodrik laughs at that, a loud and sudden bark.
"Take good care of that one", he shouts to your father and Gerd, "she sure is a clever one."
Turning to you he says, grinning: "By all means, young lady, spare the knife for the king's dogs. However, I would be delighted to take you up on your offer of a handkerchief to remember you by."
A bit surprised by his sudden change of demeanor, you quickly fulfill his wish.
He laughs again and lifts the handkerchief in the air as if he captured an enemy standard.
"I owe you thanks, young lady", he shouts, back to his theatralics, "sleep well the coming nights, in the knowledge that Rodrik and his men fight all the harder for the your beauty and grace!"
"It is an honor, sir", you reply, playing along with his theatralics, "to have made a gift to a warrior as noble as you. Be sure to take good care of your men and bring them all home safely, you hear?"
Rodrik looks around, confused. "What, this rabble? No worries, my lady, the monarchists will surely flee the field as soon as they see that Rodriks Reavers are the meanest, toughest men of the Westmark. Isn't that right, lads?"
Again, his men cheer him on, and with a salute he rides back to the front of the column. You still hear him shout from afar: "How about a song to lift our spirits and thank the young lady for her good wishes, men?"
The men march past your coach, singing loudly and happily
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6hgy6MhmPE ), until all you see of them is the dustcloud in the distance.

>(1/2)

>>1650448
As you get back into the coach, and the guards get your convoy moving again, your father looks at you worriedly.
"Are you alright dear? Did that man have you do anything?"
You shake your head. "No need to worry father. All he wanted was a good luck charm for the coming battles. Also, I still had my knife on me." You grin, showing him the knife you hid in your sleeve.
Gerd shakes his head. "Young men who fashion themselves heros. I have seen it before. I would bet the end fate has in store for them is nothing like they imagine it." He sighs, the goes back to looking out of the window.
You haven't seen him this melancholic since he got drunk on your father's business anniversary celebration three years ago, and back then he broke a prying guests nose, so asking doesn't seem like a good idea.

After a few hours of travel more, you make camp for the night. The guards prepare a fire and pitch some tents, while you and your father make preparations to sleep in the coach. After all is done, there are still some hours of daylight left.

>What do you do with the rest of the evening?

>>1650462
If we brought some books read them. When it's night already stitch new clothes for yourself.

>>1650468
You take out the Saxonian-translated copy of The Holy Book you read during the travel and continue reading by the fire.
When you were younger, Guillaume had told you that in Francy the Book was only available in its original, untranslated state and that only the priests and nobility could read it. that always struck you as weird. Why would you believe in something that might as well be made up by the preacher as he went along?
As it turned out, this was part of the reason Guillaume had come to Saxonia. He had been selling translated versions, until the clerus had caught on to him and he had to flee.
You guess you had to thank them for that, otherwise your father and "uncle" might never have met.
As it starts getting too dark to read properly, you retreat back into the coach and light a candle to finish the shawl you have been working on for the past few days before your short stay in Schindersheim

>Give me a d20

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>1650491

>>1650495
You are already done with most of the work, so you put the finishing touches to the shawl. When you think you are done, you hold it up to the candle to look it over and nod, satisfied with your work.
You have crafted a good-looking scarf that will compliment you nicely.
Your work done, you settle in for the night.

I am going to call it here for today. Next time, we will arrive at our "uncle's" place and get to know some new characters and a new city.
As always, feel free to leave criticisms, suggestions and wild accusations.

Also, I threw together a character sheet. Let me know what you think of it: https://pastebin.com/xM5ueu7X

>>1650515
I would add age and some description of her. Maybe add a picture too

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>>1650527
I personally have two candidates that I think would be nice character pictures, but feel free to post your own candidates. In he end, I think the players should make that decision.

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>>1650543

>>1650543
I'm fine with either

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I've got far too many character art images, so I'll nominate one of my images.

first change pov to male char, then make Alda into qt protestant waifu

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For something other than a photograph

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>>1650543

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>>1650543

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>>1650544

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>>1650543

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>>1650544

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ITT: how to turn a quest to character art thread.

Pic related - we scholar now.

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>>1650543

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>>1650544

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>>1650543
>>1650544

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>>1650543

>>1650508
OP dead? Next run when?