Medieval Legionairre Quest

East of the Levant lies the dormant and wounded giant of the Caliphate, once overwhelming in it's might and now pinioned by the resurgent christian states surrounding it, without the breadbasket of Egypt or the Riches of Persia. It is gradually wilting, ceding more and more every day, but it is still a menace to all of it's christian neighbors, conducting regular raids on Byzantine Anatolia as ever.

To the far east of the Caliphate sits the resurgent Persian state, though it may not truly be called and Empire, it only exists due to unrest in the Caliphate and numerous barbarian invasions allowing Persian resistance to blossom into full revolt and the re-establishment of the pre-islamic Zoroastrian Persia.

To the north of the Caliphate, in Caucasia, lie Armenia and the Knightly order of St.George, kingdom and Theocracy closely entwined in their now centuries old war on Islam, and in their mutual southern march on Baghdad, a long and dreadful crusade that has lasted decades with little hope of quick success.

To the west of these two states is Rome, the Eastern Empire, ruled from Constantinople by the Emperor Augustus Maximian, a genius military tactician and statesman who has, with the assistance of providence and his forefathers, retaken Antioch from the Caliphate, and helped push them out. The ever present threat of raiding is still present, but the Empire remains as it has since the fall of the West. The Slavic tribes never pushed into Greece, and the Avars, while still a threat, are heavily limited by their recent christianization. Constantinople is a bustling Metropolis, and few can say that there is a greater state in Europe than the Roman Empire, resurgent and powerful despite years of hardship and loss.

The Geats and Avars rule separate empires on the fringes of civilization, before them the bulwarks of Ostrogothic power and Byzantine Legions, and behind them thousands of miles of tribal mayhem, along with the scattered knightly orders, spread like jacks across the wasteland.

In the far north, another fringe of Civilization, Britannia is divided. The south is held by a united Brythonic monarchy, pressed hard by the powerful united kingdoms of Gwynedd and Cumbria, which are themselves pushed south by advancing Scottish and Pictish ambitions. Ireland is a tribal place still, and the northern islands are held by great pirate raider bands, as with Scandinavia.

Alas, all but central Europe are beyond our concern. Our concern is fixed on the ancient successor to Rome, the kingdom of Soissons, in it's constant wars with the mass of German states, the Franks and the Visigoths.

Cont.

The Kingdom of Soissons is surrounded on all sides by aggressors. In the south, the Visigoths constantly press for further concessions of land, and push their barbarian ways onto the populace. They are repulsed, either by the legions or by letters, but recently their king, Theodoric Narbonenses, has made overtures towards a restarted invasion of Soissons. In the south east, the mass of small German states push like a tide at the border, washing away any that do not stand firm. It is only a solid shield that holds them back

To the north and north west lie the Britons, they are fellow successors to Rome, and war with them is at least civil, but they desire more and more territory from which to expand, and wish for hegemonic domination of northwestern Europe. To the east is the perennial enemy, the Franks. Ever since Clovis, armies of Franks have forced their way into Soissons, and ever since Syagrius they have been violently repulsed. First with sword, then with pike, and now with Arquebus. The wars with them are uncounted, but peace is only brought by the end of the campaigning season.

For all these threats, solutions had to be found. The Byzantine idea of themes was taken up eagerly enough, and now the Province is defended by landed, feudal soldier-gentry, with the professional soldiers holding small chateaus of their own, and rearing their own peasants to raise their own money to outfit their own levies, which fall in with the Theme commanders to defend the borders, or the Limes, as they are nicknamed. The real walls, on the Rhine, are far into Frankish territory, but their is talk of reclaiming them, if only the forces could be spared.

Within the Province itself an odd system of governance has formed. There is a King, anointed by the patriarchs of Rome, Jerusalem, Antioch and of course Constantinople, but he is not simple a hereditary heir, he is elected, and in atypically roman fashion, he is elected by a Senate. The Senate has found itself a place to breathe and grow in the kingdom of Soissons, and over the years it's offer of meritocratic advancement won over the troops. The last of Syagrius's line to rule Soissons stepped down peacefully. A very roman system rules, as men, in lieu of vast sums of money, need to provide at least two hundred and fifty trained and fully armoured soldiers to their local theme be considered for the Senate.

The men then need to be elected by their peers, the other men who contribute sufficiently to the themes. Quaestors, Praetors, Aediles and so forth still sit, but the consuls are replaced by a King, who is naught but a supreme military commander. Though, at current, the Senate is none of your business.

Cont.

You sigh for a moment as you contemplate the world, before pulling on your helmet once again. The metal is freezing cold in the driving rain, as you had forgotten to leave it under cover. The freezing water is bracing, as you pray to christ and all the saints to ensure the small canopy over the small watch-tower holds firm, for fear of the driving rainstorm. Thankfully enough, the closing days of Autumn approach, and the crops have already been brought in, you should know, you were there, cutting your way through hay and ensuring the little oxen drawn cart didn't fall from the road and spoil the crop.

The landscape, while cloaked in darkness and rain, is still warm and homely, the sprawling orchard of chestnut trees before you reminding you fondly of warmer days. You aren't out here of your own will, you were posted for sentry duty by his lordship, Cassius Strabo (Named for an eye wounded in a skirmish with the Germans), the man who owns this little chateau, all the land around it, and ostensibly, you. His lordship brought your father here to work in the chestnut orchard, and the job fell on to your older brother, Michael, leaving you to beg at his lordships door for lodgings and work.

He must have seen something in you, to hire you as an enlisted man so quickly, and to ostensibly invite you to his household

But, what did he see in you?

>A Bull's Strength, simply enough. You'd been carrying lumber since you could walk, and it showed. Your physique is powerful, though you have little in the way of education
>A Rat's Cunning, easy enough to see. You'd always been a cunning little snipe, and when his Lordship looked over you he could see the perceptiveness in your eyes
>An undeniable Charisma, harder to find. He saw about you all the other children, listening to you as if it were natural. You'd always been the favourite of the family, and your natural charm has got you out of difficult situations, though it has gotten you into a few. You know at least that it's not a good idea to try to consort with the miller's daughter again...
>A Graceful Skill, rare. You were always surprisingly fluid in your movements, a natural dancer or swordsman, with some amazing skill at games of dexterity. When you helped with the hay harvest, the scythe danced in your hands like it were nothing
>Write in?

Perhaps a pastebin would have been appropriate. Woops.

>>423088
*twelve years of reading later*
Not sure how to do the green stuff, but I vote Graceful!

>>423088
>A Rat's Cunning, easy enough to see. You'd always been a cunning little snipe, and when his Lordship looked over you he could see the perceptiveness in your eyes

>>423137
Seriously, how do we do that?

>>423088
>A rats cunning.

>>423150
>Graceful

Is this how? Side note: Why cunning, we ALWAYS play cunning/sneaky D:

>>423147
You just type the small arrow (>) and then whatever you want to be in green.

>Like so

>>423159
>Thank you

>>423147
You put an > In the beginning of the line, newfriend.

>>423038
>Bull's strength.
We will crush them with our mighty roman hands.

>>423165
Thank you, newfriend.

I'm fine with either Graceful or Strong, but I'm bored of cunning and charismatic characters.

>>423088
>Graceful

A natural swordsman we will be.

>>423088
>A Graceful Skill, rare. You were always surprisingly fluid in your movements, a natural dancer or swordsman, with some amazing skill at games of dexterity. When you helped with the hay harvest, the scythe danced in your hands like it were nothing

>>423178
>>423174
>>423156
You always were a dextrous and quick child, darting from place to place with a simple ease. The lord realized your skill at hunting quickly enough, and bestowed onto you an Arquebus, quite a magnificent thing. Slow to reload, but still heavily damaging, and when fired in volleys, so you've heard, it can devastate a line of barbarians. His lordship gave you a special type of Arquebus, a pistol, along with a sabre, in the style of a cavalryman. You've only ridden ponies, but naturally enough you took to it quickly.

It does not suit you, sentry duty, you'd much rather be doing something more enjoyable than sitting in the driving rain, something like...

>Hunting? You've always been good at it and you've always found it very rewarding to feed yourself by your own hands
>Praying? Piety is important to you, vitally so. You are a tool of god, and it is not fitting for such a man with such god-given talents to waste them with frivolity and vice.
>Wenching? You've always had something of an insatiable appetite, and the camp followers, maids, cooks and so forth of the lord's household provide an enticing target, though such things are supposedly full of vice.
>Or something else? (Write in)

>>423197
>Hunting
Let's kill all the Bears!

>>423197
>Praying. Piety is important to you, vitally so. You are a tool of god, and it is not fitting for such a man with such god-given talents to waste them with frivolity and vice.

>>423197
>Hunting

>>423197
>Wenching

Pompei Graffiti VII.12.35 (Vico d’ Eumachia, small room of a possible brothel); 2145: Gaius Valerius Venustus, soldier of the 1st praetorian cohort, in the century of Rufus, screwer of women

>>423197
We could always be >Fighting
Practicing our fisticuffs

>>423210
>>423204
Ah yes, Hunting. After the harvest the fields are all bare, and the animals darting to find food are easy prey, if only you had the freedom to go out hunting rather than wasting away in this miserable little watchtower, but still, his lordship's favour is the only reason you can hunt at all. You have to give him three quarters of what you catch, and it costs you a numma a month out of your wages for the privelidge. Still, the lord pays you well another, three numma a day, a quarter of everything you hunt, food and lodgings, on the provision that you serve as a soldier for him whenever he requires it, and that you serve his family faithfully until you are dismissed.

You are disturbed from your reverie by the sight of movement in the distance, running figures. Probably just peasant beggars trying to steal chestnuts from the orchard. You'd certainly be punished if they got away under your watch. There's another soldier on guard, around the other side of the chateau, a frankish turncoat named Karl, and the chestnut orchard is about half a mile away, downhill. You'll have to be quick.

>Rush to the Orchard and search for the Beggars
>Go and get Karl, hopefully he'll be quick enough getting ready to follow you before the beggars escape?
>Shout for Karl and risk waking the lord and his household, he will likely be unhappy.
>Something else?

>>423271
>Rush to the orchard and search for the Beggers.

We have a higher chance of catching them. Though I'm generally fine with nabbing Karl

>>423271
>Rush to the Orchard and search for the Beggars

>>423271
>>Go and get Karl, hopefully he'll be quick enough getting ready to follow you before the beggars escape?

Arquebus in Early Middle Ages?

>>423276
>>423282
You quickly and gracefully slide down the ladder into the chateau courtyard, before rushing out the small oaken doorway, through the gatehouse and then out the outer gate, across the drawbridge, before bolting down through the long grass towards the chestnut orchard. You regret not having pulled on a thicker coat, as the freezing cold dew and rain washes over you.

You reach the orchard quickly enough, finding some degree of cover under the trees. You rush around, fluidly and carefully, searching for the beggars. After a few moments in the bracing rain, you find some treaded foot-prints in the grass. You follow them carefully, and they lead you into a small, valley like clearing in the wood. Two figures seem to be trying to set up a camp, but on closer inspection, it seems they aren't just beggars, they're likely brigands, from the look of their weaponry, cudgels, they should be dispatched easily enough.

Though, they do look rather ragged, shivering, trying their utmost to find some shelter. Be that as it may, they are still criminals, trespassing and likely about to steal from your lord, even if it is for their own survival.

>What do you do?

>>423307
We're not in the early middle ages. Rome fell more than a thousand years ago, we're in the early 16th century. The Americas are undiscovered.

I'm going to have to pop out for a short while, so ruminate on the moral choice or somesuch while I'm gone. I appreciate the patience, and hope everyone will enjoy this quest.

>>423323
Approach them and ask them why they are trespassing. Then,order them to leave your lord's property or face the consequences.

>>423323
We can be sneaky, we can charge in, or we can give them a chance to surrender. Fleeing is not allowed.

>>423323
draw our arquebus on them and demand they leave at once.

>>423323
Silently draw the arquebus and target one of them from hiding and observe their behaviour for a few minutes. Ready to fire at a moment's notice and calculating if there would be enough time to take out the sword to fight the second after firing the arquebus.

>>423323
Blow a hole in one's chest the size of a cantaloupe, and step out of the bushes with the smoking barrel pointed at the other. "I'm willing to accept your surrender, now." Be ready to drop it and draw sword if he realizes you have to reload

>>423338
>>423367
>>423510
>>423691
Alright, I'm back. So, general semi-consensus for observing them, then stepping out aiming an arquebus at one of them and ask why they are trespassing, fire at one and then threaten the other if their answer is unsatisfactory?

You gracefully duck down into the bushes, unnoticed in the driving rainstorm. The vagrant marauders scramble to construct a tent, and you inch closer to hear their conversation. The two speak in half-shouts to breach the rain, scratchy and exhausted, but clearly as close comrades. You think, as you observe their ragged clothing, they could be gypsies, set to wander by some war in the German states, flowing like a sewer into Soissons to eke out their existence by raiding isolated forts and chateaux. You catch snippets of conversation concerning setting up the shelter, but nothing else for a few minutes, until you hear a fateful phrase.

"Marcus and the others will want to hear about this place"

"So isolated, plentiful with food after the harvest no doubt. I only saw one guard on the walls, too"

"We'll take it as if it were nothing"

At this, you've heard enough, you load your arquebus wand step out into the Rainstorm, shouting for the two men to halt, and threatening to fire at the larger man if the other one attacks. You demand to know why they are here, and the man you are threatening quickly speaks, his tone diminished and frightened, clearly an act given how he had spoken when you had been concealed

"We meant no harm, only to find shelter under the trees.. Please don't tell your lord, he'd have us hanged"

They seem unaware that you'd been eavesdropping. You are also quite suddenly aware that the powder in your arquebus will have been drenched by the rain, rendering it useless. Fortunately, they do not know that, or at least you hope they don't. You have your sabre, at least.

>What do you do?

>>423796
'You could have simply acted with enough grace to ask our lord and request relief to what ails you. You will pay for what you have done though I do take pity, allow me to convince my lord to put you under indentured servitude or face a bloody death in the rain or otherwise on the gallows.'

>>423841
This basically. Lie saying that a good word will be put for them to be taken as servants or some such and offer to escort them to the manor with the purpose to interrogate them to find who the others are and how many etc.

>>423038
Okay, I'm really intrested on this, give me an hour to gain motivation to read this testament, then another hour to read it, and I'm in QM.

>>423796
"If shelter is what you need, you'll be gladly received in the chateau, I could make you some room in the stables, but you'll have to leave by the morning"

Once they are in the chateau, call Karl and the guards, and tell them what you heard, basically, a trap.

>>425500
Btw, if they're intrested in attacking the chateau, they might be also intrested in knowing the place on the inside, so they may be tempted to accept

>>423841
+1, let's lure them in the castle. It will make a good game. But take care of preventing them to speak, for they must not wake up the lord.

Shit OP, you really put some thought into this. Let me catch up, looks interesting.

>>424285
>>423841
>>425500
>>425622

You suggest that they accompany you into the Chateau, where they may talk to your lordship and ask for servitude, hoping that they'll take the bait of scouting out the fortifications. They are lured well enough, and follow you, through the driving rain to the gatehouse. Then, you step through the door, and lock it behind you, leaving them unknowingly incarcerated in the small doorway.

You rush to get hold of Karl, telling him that you've trapped two gypsies in the gatehouse, and that you'll need help to subdue and interrogate them. He nods, being a man of little words, and arms himself, picking up a pair of shackles, and rushing into the barracks to alert the other guards. Now accompanied by Karl and the other three guards, you have them locked up in the gatehouse, unable to penetrate the thick wood and stone to wake His Lordship on the other side of the castle.

>What do you do now?
>Lure them out through the doorway and attack them
>Charge them?
>Attempt to intimidate them into disarming and allowing themselves to be shackled?

>>425771
I apologize that you've ended up reading the thread at 2am.

>>423841
>>424285
>>425363
>>425500
>>425507
>>425622
>>425771
I feel as if, by sleeping, I have squandered the gift of players, I will endeavour to not do any sleeping henceforth.

>>426729
>>>424285
>>>423841
>>>425500
>>>425622 (You)

>>Attempt to intimidate them into disarming and allowing themselves to be shackled

We outnumber them and we are civilized.

>>426780

You pound a fist on the door, and begin to speak to the two marauders, in the most commanding tone you can muster

"We know why you're here, we know there are more of you. If you come out of there, with your hands held on your head, we'll let you live, and you can answer our questions. We outnumber you, and there's no way out of there"

A few tense moments pass, before a shaky reply comes from the two trapped marauders.

"A-alright... j-just unlock the door and we'll tell you whatever you want to know"

You unlock the door, and four of the guards stand with arquebuses at the ready, aimed at head level a few feet back. You and Karl flank the doorway, sabres ready, with shackles in hand. The first marauder steps out of the door, hands on his head, and Karl takes his cudgel, before shackling him. You do the same to the second gypsy, and the two are dragged back into the gatehouse, as the only place that's sound proof.

By virtue of having planned this, you seem to be, at least nominally in charge, and the interrogation is up to you.

>What do you ask?

>>426799
"Tell us your names and where you come from,
Describe to us your group,
who leads it,
how many you are,
where are you settled.
Tell what were your exact orders."

>>426799
>>426830
Backing this but throw in
how many days away/far they are.
If they have any horses.
How long they have been in the area.

File: images.jpg (7KB, 274x184px) Image search: [Google]

7KB, 274x184px

>>426799
>>426830
>>426837
The smaller gypsy speaks for the larger one, heasty and eager to answer any questions, if only to save his own skin and to perhaps escape the gallows. You interrogate them with a demanding tone of voice, questioning them without pause and forcing them to speak without much time to think of lies.

"It's a group of what you'd call gypsies, from Hispania. There's about thirty of us, fifty if you count the babes and women, lead by Childeric, a bastard of a lord of the Visigoths. We're not settled, we wander, we were outcast from the southern lands by a lord on the border, Manuel de Sicorrus. We were ordered to scout out the area for any settlements worth plundring. The main body is two or three days away now, none on horseback but there's a covered wagon with plunder held in it. We've been wandering a long while now, perhaps two months by the christian calendar"

You frown, unsettled by the numbers of oncoming enemy, their short distance away, and that they'd been sent by the barbarians. The two men are incarcerated in the hay-shed that serves as a pantry for the barracks, the men ensuring they are safely away from the biscuit and bread ration that makes up much of your diet. They are not fed. As you leave them, you approach a fellow guard, Justin, and ask him to stand watch for the night.

He grumbles, but performs the job, and you are about to retire when one of the captive Gypsies beckons you

"Wait, wait, there's something more, if you'll give us some food"

You hand over a chunk of your own bread to them, and the small man speaks.

"De Sicorrus paid Childeric to cross the border with Soissons, and to do as much damage as he could to the people and the farms"

>What do you do now?

>>426847
>>426851
Give the snitch some water.

ignore the other man.

Wait till the lords awake before telling him the news, maybe.

>>426847
Also tell us more about our lord, and how big the household is, family, relatives, army size, and population, oh and what our location is. I assume its either German states or re-reading now, it seems to be kingdom of soissons. Sorry its not plainly stated.

>>426847
This >>426869
This >>426881
And quietly verify
how much people we have in the castle,
How many arrows we have,
And organize yourself with the guards to make the prisoners believe we are more numerous than we actually are.

>>426910
LOL, letting them go or live so they can report back? Better if thy don't report back at all.

File: france03.gif (217KB, 1055x972px) Image search: [Google]

217KB, 1055x972px

>>426881

Your lord is Cassius Strabo, a small landowner in southern Soissons, who owns a small amount of property near the border with the Visigoths. He is a fair man of very military style, with a long history of petty noble ancestors. He is generally amiable around his household, but very businesslike in his pursuance of further wealth and power. He is married to a young woman named Gordia Maxima, another petty noble, descended from a rich merchant family in the west. She has borne him a daughter, Cassia, and no other children. She is widely regarded as formidable, keeping a steel hand clenched over the family purse-strings and ensuring her husband's want for valour and glory does not lose him money. Her daughter, Cassia, is a child of three, adorable and friendly as children of that age generally tend to be, for the most part. The household employs a wetnurse, named Calta, who takes up a very maternal position in the household, ensuring the soldiers stay out of trouble, that the maids have ample gossip and that the lord is aware of rumours.

Along with Calta, there are two other maids, Salla and Domna, who are the targets of many of your fellow soldier's affections, and who seem to have repulsed your fellows thus far. They are sisters, and very close to one another, though they, as all maids, pass gossip constantly and are always eager for more. There is a chef, Maliga, who provides cooked food for the family daily, and who manages rations for everyone else. She is a soft, fat older woman, who consorts regularly with Calta, and who is adored by all (Asides the lady of the house) for her gentle kindness and generous rationing.

Then there are the assorted workmen, with whom you are not associated very often, but who are a varied bunch, working to provide masonry, farm labour, cooping and milling as needed to support the little chateau. Then, there are the soldiers, ten in all, with three at work on the borders and seven at home, including you. Among there number is Karl, the dim witted but strong Frank, Justin, widely regarded as a snot nosed little ingrate, but a skilled one, The Gaiuses, Magnus and Parvus, the two men brought together by coincidence that serve as the lord's personal guards. The two are solid and do not talk often, keeping to themselves. Then, there are three peasant soldiers who you do not often see, as they usually patrol the local countryside, and dwell in the nearby villages often enough.

We are in the south west of the Kingdom of Soissons, near Fort Novio on the map included with this post (Excuse my shitty art). Cassius' domains stretch a short distance from the chateau, mostly along the Ayzies river to two nearby villages (Lepida and Locana). The land contains a large chestnut orchard, a small mill for grain and a limestone quarry, which you have occasionally guarded. A few flocks of goats wander and are shepherded in the lord's name, but generally agriculture is centered around rye and wheat.

>>426910
In the castle at current there are:
5 Women
7 Able Bodied Fighting Men
3 Able Bodied Non Fighters (Workmen)

There are enough arquebuses for everyone, along with more than enough ammunition to last a few days.

>>426869
Alright, writing.

>>426869
You retrieve your canteen and give the snitch some water, reassuring him gently enough that mercy could be coming. To emphasize your point, you sit by him for a moment and begint o talk to him in a reassuring tone.

"You needn't worry, his lordship is a merciful man, and an ambitious one. Ambitious lords always have a want for more skilled soldiers in Soissons. You wouldn't know it, but he'll never be more than he is without contributing more men to the borders."

He seems reassured, even smiling very slightly. He's exhausted, both from the strain of emotion and of body the last few days have been.

"Ah.. We can only hope. I'm Theophilus, I'd pray for you if you put in a good word on my behalf, You seem a decent fellow"

What is your name, come to think of it?

(Gothic, Latin and Biblical names are common in this version of Europe. Latin is not the Lingua Franca as it once was, and it has been replaced in this world with a bastardized mix of Gothic and Latin, with some Frankish thrown in)

>>426961
Our name is Philippus Nelius.

>>426961
>Gothic and Latin, with some Frankish
Can you generate some names for us?

I'd either come up with boring Latin names or make things up with a mongrel language.

>>426979
Theophilus Tullius Constantine
Michael Claudius Arminian
Arminius Marcus Novienses
Anastasius Justin Tovarus
I can do a crap ton of these, seriously just think of a Byzantine Imperial name and add in some biblical hero or Constantine.

>>426974
I like the Nelius part, no so much on Philippus

>>426987
Michael Nelius
or
Marcus Constantine

does it need to have 3 parts?

>>426990
Michael Nelius sounds good. I'll back that.

>>426990
Nope. If you go Gothic then you don't even need two parts. Childeric or Theodoric for example. A good reference point is with the lord, Cassius Theodore Caltus Strabo, with Strabo being generally considered Gothic, Theodore geek and so on.

>>426869
I like Marcus Constantine

>>426992
Sweet, I like having a strong sounding name it gives a namesake to live up to sometimes.

>>427004
Hmm, we could.... be called MC for short.....

>>426992
>>426995
Michael Nelius
Lets go with this?
everyone ok with that?

>>427012
Wait no! Ahhh!
Marcus Constantine
Yes, this one.

>>427012
>>427013
I'm fine with either one.

>>426992
>>426990

You nod to Theophilus, rising to your feet and walking off towards the ladder out of the hay-pantry. As you pass Justin, he scowls at you, and you know he's insinuating you as a traitor for consorting with a barbarian and a prisoner no less. By now it is reaching dawn, and his lordship will be waking up soon. He dresses himself, unlike his wife, so he will be alone.

You climb through the stone chateau, briskly ensuring your armour is clean enough. A less nimble man would have collided full force with the large figure of Calta the Nursemaid, and the little lady of the house she is carrying, but through your graceful nimbleness you look up in time to see her coming, and clear your throat to stop her before she pushes past you.

She smiles warmly to you, planting a hand on your shoulder and looking over your armour.

"Oh my, a soldier rushing through the house this early?"

She chuckles to herself a moment before continuing on in her inevitable, matronly tone

"Dear me, you look as if you haven't slept!"

She is momentarily dramatically aghast, her own melodramatic gasp drawing the toddler in her arms to the same exaggerated gesture, something that can't help but bring a smile to your tired face

"I'll make sure that miser Maliga puts some honey in your milk, you'll sleep far easier like that. Of you go on your business then, little legate"

She smiles and taps you on the head with a heavy hand, wandering on down the hall, cooing and giggling to the young child.


You arrive at the Lord's room quickly enough afterwards, and you take a moment to compose yourself and ensure you are presentable in military style before presenting yourself to your commander.

>How do you want to approach him?

>Severely and directly?
>Submissively and gently?
>Another way?

>>427004
>>427005
>>427013
>>427016
Alright, Marcus Constantine, named for the great Saint.

>>427020
>named for the great Saint
Really? Brb google.

>>427018
>Severely and directly?
Knock loudly first, and be at attention after entering his room. This could be very important since we have a large group of foreign backed raiders at our doorsteps that could wipe us out unless we go about this pragmatically.

>>427018
>Severely and directly

>>427026
>>427028

You knock forcefully on the door, before stepping back and standing with your helmet under your arm, at attention. You speak in a stern, military manner, ensuring you are heard through the door.

"Urgent news, Decarch, Requesting Entry"

The response, in a commanding tone.

"Granted"

You step through the door into the Lord's room. He lies in his bed, covered by his sheets but sitting up to talk to you. It seems he has only just awoken, and he rises to dress as you talk.

"My Lord, In the night I apprehended a pair of Gypsies, driven in from Hispania by the Visigothic Lord Sicorrus. They were advanced scouts for a group of thirty able bodied fighting men and twenty invalid women and children, who are around two days away, without any artillery"

"Hmm.. Anything else?"

"They were paid to ravage the borderlands, none on horseback, lead by a bastard of a Visigothic lord, named Childeric. We have two of them captive"

"Hang them"

In that moment you remember Theophilus' request of you, and you feel a twinge on your conscience.

>What do you do?

>Intervene? (How?)
>Allow Theophilus' death.

>>427047
>Intervene? (How?)

Suggest that if we were to keep them alive, we could find out more information regarding the raiding band so as to be better prepared for when they arrive.

>>427020
I can find people name either Marcus or Constantine, but not both.

>Intervene? (How?)
Sir! I had promised leniency to one of the captives for the information provided. I had suggest he serve as an indentured servant until his transgressions are repaid.

>>427047
>>"One of the prisoners believe he could ask to pledge service to your house. I accepted to transmit his request, without giving him any garantee."
It was an error to make Theophilus dreams that he could live, even more pledge service to the lord.

>>427063
No, I meant named for St. Constantine. Marcus is just a generic latin name.

>>427067
Ah, Ok.

>>427065
Agreed. Either we did no know our lord that well or we were leading that poor sob on in order to get more info out or something.

>>427076
We are a man who keep his words. We promised to give a chance to him. We did not promised to protect him against our lord.

>>427063
>>427137
>>427065

"Your Lordship, as I was interrogating one of them, he begged of me to transmit to you that he wished only to pledge services to you. He seemed a skilled hand with the weapon he bore to me, for what that skill is worth"

Cassius pauses to think, pulling on his doublet and stroking at his black beard. It is true that the lord always had need of skilled working men, to better bring in the harvest

"And he'd work for no pay but food and a bed?"

He seems unconvinced, taking a ledger-main from his desk and running through it with his hands.

"You are a good man, a good christian to ask this of me, Alright, If you sponsor him, I'll allow it. Know that any misdeed he commits will have it's punishment visited on the pair of you. Are you willing then?"

>>427225
>Well, are you? You'll have to account for any crime he commits, but it's likely you'll receive a percentage of his wage, when in a while he gets one.

>>427269
Yes, we are.

>>427225
I think he can be useful for the Chateau, but he was just a few hours ago in a recon mission against us. I propose we keep him at fresh until the Gypsie threat is gone."

>>427225
I don't believe we can trust them to fight for us just yet but... Ask that You revive some leeway on your duties so you can spend more time ensuring they do not try to cause problems.

>>427306
Agreed.

>>427269
This smells bad, sadly I just joined this, I would have accepted to hang them.

We're being too nice with these scums.

Also this:

>>427306

Accept their services only after the threat's gone

>>427358
>>427306
>>427299
"I am willing, my lord, if you would grant me the freedom to take him to baptism in Sarlat after the Gyspies have been repulsed, on St. Vitalis day"

Cassius smiles to you, nodding his head in a firm, military manner.

"Now, beyond this all. You are the man who found out about this band of marauders, without you they'd have been a surprise. There will be a suitable reward to you for your steadfast service, once this business is done with. In the mean time, I have a duty for you, that will be announced once this has all been told to the household."

With that, you are dismissed, and rush to enjoy breakfast, hot milk mixed with honey along with a hunk of rye-bread. It's warming and bracing, bringing you to full wakefulness. The other men are glad of the meal, and you gladly spin a magnificent tale about how you lured the brigands in to be captured.

The maids, workmen and your fellow soldiers enjoy the tale, and you continue for a short while, until Gaius Parvus arrives in the great hall, with a message. Parvus is a short man, thickly built with a wolf's gait and a head of golden curls, likened to Aurelius. His olive green eyes are urgent as he summons the assembled members of the household to the courtyard.

"Good Morning"

Your lord speaks boldly and with a sort of jaunty enthusiasm, a trait common to him.

"I have assembled you here this morning with an unfortunately dire purpose. In the night our friend Constantine discovered two men attempting to scout our home. The two were gypsies, part of a much larger party of them, numbering thirty fighting men in total, who are on their way to sack our farms and loot the Chateau"

The crowd, asides the soldiers who already know, is aghast at these words, as the cook desperately twirls her rosaries in her hands.

"We will have to have our wits about us, but by our walls and by the strength of our arms we will repulse this threat. To this end, I must announce a promotion. All of you know that in recent weeks we have suffered for the lack of Longinus, the man who served as my Optio, who managed the soldiers of the chateau in my stead. I have determined a man of sufficient valour to replace him, a man who's vigilance has given us the chance to prepare for these marauders.

I name, as my Optio, and as commander of the troops in my absence, Constantine. It will be his authority to, unless it goes against my orders, command all of the troops in the chateau, along with able bodied workmen. His word can be considered as mine."

The other soldiers seem surprised, but accepting of you, after all, your management captured the brigands last night, and you've displayed yourself as a good christian by your treatment of the prisoners. Justin seems perturbed, but icily accepting. The other members of the household applaud you for a moment, and for the moment all is smiling and warmth. Then, you remember your duty, and the lord dismisses the assembled crowd.

Cont..

>>427433
>>427358
>>427306
You hold him and the other prisoner, and it's now essentially your authority to do as you like with them. Do consider that your lord expects you to deal with Theophilus fairly.

>>427465
He calls you back into his study, and imposing room full to the brim with books and parchment. He shows to you a map of the surrounding area. The chateau is named Cassae, and it possesses thick stone walls, surrounded by a large moat, deep enough to drown a man or a horse. There is one gateway, consisting of a drawbridge, an iron portcullis and a sturdy wooden gate . The chateau sits on a shallow hill, surrounded by farmland for approximately half a mile. Both villages subject to Cassius are downstream, to the north, while the enemy will be coming from the south. The domains of Cassius are surrounded by three other landowners, to the north, west and east, and by the government controlled border territory. The land of the visigoths is around three days ride away.

He tells you that the castle is stocked with enough food to last for months, and that the wells will not soon dry. With this in mind, he asks you what you think the plan should be?

>What is your battle-plan?

File: Barricade.png (317KB, 713x473px) Image search: [Google]

317KB, 713x473px

>>427559

Send a messenger with our fastest horse to the king or any friendly lord asking for aid to the defense of the chateau, stockpile as much food as possible, get our blacksmiths to produce as many arrows as possible, ammunition for our arquebuses if possible.

Try to construct some kind of barricade in case they pass through the main gate, with sharp wounden sticks.

Put all men to work.

>>427627
If they try an assault, we should defend from the walls, with arquebus, bows, crossbows, etc., in case they pass through the main gate or take control of the walls, we should retreat behind the barricades, defending with long spears from behind them, trying to stab them as they strugle to pass the barricade.

>>427627
>>427639
No need to say, every male that can wield a sword should be part of the defense of the chateau

>>427559
Remove anything pretty or expensive from site, bury it if need be, while building some traps and barricades. Dig a trench around the property and fill it with sharp spike sand sticks. and have a second wall of stakes in between the trench and the manor walls. We want to be seen as more trouble than its worth. Ensure the captured prisoners cannot see or hear very well of our preparations.

Do we have any able riders and horses? Maybe we can ambush the next group of scouts to hamper them.

>>427627
>>427639
>>427657
>>427701
And so it begins. The next few days pass with a flurry of activity, as the lord, true to your word, buries a good portion of his sestercii underneath an oak tree downstream of the chateau, ensuring the money will be safe, and a wooden barricade is constructed behind the gate, just in case of an emergency defense. The gypsies will not be able to scale the walls be ladders, and the drawbridge efficiently bars them from the use of a battering ram. It is surmised that they will try to use grappling hooks to scale the walls, and as such you post all of the men on the walls for the next few days. An exception is that occasionally a rider will be sent out to cut down any scouts, usually Gaius Magnus, who does so ably and quickly, dispatching of a pair of scouts. That brings the odds down to two point eight to one.

When the day arrives, all are immensely nervous. The maids and the household wish you all good luck, Domna pausing for a moment to smile up at you before rushing off with the others, her lithe frame less cautious than the rest as they all find their way into the small chapel of the chateau, barring the doors behind them. Your men light up torches, and you wait, as night rolls in.

The silence of the darkness is electric, and you feel your heart pound wildly in your chest as you realize the level of responsibility there is on you. These men have been with you for a long while, and your lord has entrusted you with their welfare. Not to mention that if you fail the household will die too, Calta, Cassius, Domna, all of them.

You patrol to try and escape the feelings of crushing responsibility, focusing on each step around the circumference of the walls. As you take a step, at around midnight, you hear a metal clang against stone, whipping your head around to see a grappling hook land on a crenelation in the walls.

You turn and shout to raise the alarm, summoning Karl and Magnus to your side. You look down along the rope, aim your pistol and loose a shot into the darkness. You hear a damp thud and a scream. The siege has begun. more and more grappling hooks collide with the walls, and each time you heft them up from the stone, fire a shot and attempt to wrench them up inside the walls, to stop the raiders from re-using their hooks.

After an hour or so, the assault abates, and you have time to take reports. To the north Justin and Parvus are hard pressed, to the east, the peasant troops are under a massive amount of pressure, with the gypsies occasionally actual reaching the walls. Magnus and Karl, working with you are handling things ably.

You can reassign troops as you like, or change strategy from the current practice of wrenching a hook, firing and pulling in.

>What do you do?

>>428034
Do we have no .... whats the part called, "walkways"? along the wall? Is it just a wall and we are running back and forth on the ground?

Do we have any firing slits or murder holes to shoot from? Is the house in a higher elevation in relations to the wall with windows?

What about the south and east areas? Where are we stationed? Are we just running back and forth every time we see, or hear a hook land?

>>428073
On the walls refers to walkways. No, you do not, you only have crenelations. Your men are, as explained, pulling the hooks up off the stone of the walls, shooting down at their bearers and wrenching the hooks towards them, out of the hands of the gypsies. They don't seem to be attacking from the south or east, concentrating on the north and east to take advantage of their numbers.

>>428118
Alright thanks.

>>428034
Rotate the peasants, they probably see that we have a weaker defense or men on the east. trade off 2 peasants to the north and move Karl and Magus into their spot. Keep the peasants with us to respond to any area that seems to become overwhelmed. Run around the perimeter to ensure no build up of troops in that direction of the wall, or have snuck into place beside it.

Maybe throw some torches over the wall to provide some illumination of the field if its too dark.

>>428171
You order the peasants to move along around to the north side of the wall, with Magnus and Karl replacing them in the east, Justin and Parvus holding the south. As quickly as the cease in battle came, it abates, and the rush of activity restarts, hooks sailing up through the air and being, with some strain, thrown back. Every few moments another scream, and every few moments more another grunt as the hooks are dredged away from the stone.

The defense seems to be going very well, bullets only seem to be sailing overhead, and as far as you can tell there've been no major injuries, only a few grazes on skin. Parvus' scalp is bleeding rather heavily, but only because a bullet skimmed it. Dawn will arrive in a few more hours. The assault seems to gradually be abating, as more and more gypsies are either dropped to drown in the moat, or killed by one of the vague shots. Magnus boasts rather proudly that he killed one of the brigands with a javelin, and morale is remarkably high.

The peasants, inspired by your precise aim, even through the darkness, are holding fast. You'd say you've killed at least four of the bastards, and you've seriously injured several more. Not a single figure has reached the ramparts, though your men are beginning to tire.

Just as you begin to calm, feeling as if the assault is ending, you hear a shout in pain, and it seems the marauders have sneaked onto the western side of the wall while your men busied themselves on the other sides of the walls. If you don't deal with it quickly, they'll be able to let the other marauders in, but if you take too many men from the walls then whoever is left may be overrun by the men on hooks.

>What will you do????

And on that cliffhanger, I'm going to have to finish up for the night. I'll be around to answer questions for a while, so ask away.

>>428411
You take 1/3 with us to repeal the threzt on the western side

>>428411
Shout for Karl, one of the peasants and Justin to join you in attacking the ones who sneaked in to the west, but attack valiantly before they respond, firing the gun at the nearest one who made it on the walkway and preparing to assault with the sword.

How many of them managed to get on the walls by sneaking in the west?

>>428411
Call Magnus, Justin, and yourself to deal with they, have the 2 peasants that we moved take up their place. Take us 3 to respond to the threat.

relieve one man from each flank to address the new threat and jump in the thick of it.
I'd also suggest doing something brave and stupid like jumping into the ones who just climbed to push them off the wall and attempt to catch the wall with one hand so as not to fall with them. Basically bull rush them off the wall.

>>428411
Where you at, OP? You can sleep in your grave

>>431686
From now on you need to formally request any free time outside of this thread, to the thread posters and take it only if approved.

>>431686
Wait a few days before saying OP is kill

>>431686
>>432596
>>433632
Alright, Tomorrow Morning. I got distracted by Dwarf Fortress and by the book I'm basing the Chateau on.

>>434685
What's the book you're reading?

>>436500
The Brethren by Robert Merle.

Medieval Risk 1200AD

>>>/tg/48586284
>>>/tg/48586284
>>>/tg/48586284

Come play!