The Dark Lord [Chapter 3] The King's Army

[Old gaming threads: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, OOC]

A few months have now passed. You have seen the fort go from a heap of old stones to a structure that would withstand an attack from an army. The prince’s leadership astounds you when it came to building the fort. He is the complacent leader who sits upon a thrown directing traffic with a scepter but rather he worked along side the peasants that came to see this dream come true. The prince did not allow the classism that usually has plagued the armies of the past for everyman, regardless of class, helped build the fort as well as patrolled the land. Another leader that arose from this time is young Louis. He and a group of young warriors subverted an attempted ambush by a group of goblins living in the area. He was made a squad leader for patrols by the prince.

Remodeling the fort has progressed well; you now are sleeping in cramped quarters with a solid roof over your head and well cooked meals. However, the task at hand is not quickly forgotten. You hear rumblings of men wanting to know why the fort is being built, why they are not attacking the dark lord.

The prince has promoted Throshkar publically to commander of his royal army, Egan to royal mage, Adrian to royal head baker and problem solver, and Regis to oversee the spiritual welfare of the army with a celebration that lasted well into the night. In the morning you meet together to discuss your plan of action for the coming months. The free flowing mead and the dancing have left many with throbbing headaches and tired bodies. The fresh coffee and tea does give you a little refreshment as does the warm eggs and left over ham. The prince rises to address you…

”Friends, I thank you again for your service to bringing me closer to holding the crown on my head. We still have a difficult road ahead of us. This next challenge will test our resolve and our wits in new ways. I will stay here to oversee the building of our emperor and our army while I seen you to the capital to gather support. A few important missions lay ahead. We must locate the remaining members of the counsel and if they support our cause have them return here for safe keeping. We must add numbers to our small army if my brother does listen to reason and prepare for war. I am sure that there are those who are still loyal to the true crown in the city. Be careful when you enter the city as not to arouse suspicion. Meet our contact Olna there; she is a beautiful woman who knows who she can trust within the city. We need at least four of the seven counsel members for me to be elected king. You cannot ask them if they will support me only that I require their service. I have already started to send a small legion of troops to a farmhouse outside the city. You will be able to escort the counsel members to the legion for safekeeping. Only the four of you shall enter the city, we do not have the strength for a war. I look forward to your safe return. Do you have any questions?”

All images used in this game are from openrpg sites and considered to be opensource.

Adrian cracks his knuckles and smiles. It'd been a good few months, and it was getting better. Baking always took the edge off, he'd managed to lure that cute waitress away from her job in the city to come be his assistant, and now he'd be able to go back to his old hunting grounds. He idly racked his brains, but he couldn't reecall which, if any, of the council members he'd stolen from. Then he remebered why he was out here in the first place. Right, Mother and Thad. First thing to do once we're in, find out what happened to them. And swing by the bakery, maybe I left some stuff in the basement.

Throshkar delaBlanche

The past few months had been busy for Throshkar. Named commander of the royal army, responsible for organizing an armed insurrection with a badly weakened military force, had pressed the strapping young warrior to his intellectual and physical limits. In his rare spare time, between cramming the fundamentals of arcane and holy studies well into the night, he savored his accomplishments...

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His father, the Duke Tollikar delaBlanche, had ascended to Commander of the Great Royal Armies when he was a full 20 years older than Throshkar was now. Of course, that had required years of political intrigue in the old king's court, but when had his father ever been uninvolved in political machinations? In his youth, Senior delaBlanche had been a mighty warrior, but it was his tactical prowess in the halls of power where he was beyond peer.

Alas, politics had wrested the position away from the Duke some years ago. But his eldest sons both had long been groomed to reclaim the honor one day -- each carefully prepared to satisfy the predilections of the two princes. Throshkar had never wished it otherwise... and yet, now... he had grasped the reigns himself. It was a victory he longed to share with his father and brothers. Or was it show to them?

In any case, the opportunity had not yet arisen; the delaBlanches were not to be found anywhere in the land. Throshkar was afraid to ask himself whether this meant they had been killed, or worse, had joined the Black Knights... or even worse, were in hiding.

His achievements would have to go without acclaim for now...

The Prince's Cavalier bowed deeply, very deeply. "I thank you for this great honor, O Aseral, Prince and Future King." Naturally, the two of them -- well, with Egan and Sir de Gra, and even that Regis fellow -- had hammered out the plan in detail well before this moment. Still, a formal acceptance was needed; a King must have his Court, lest lesser men question his might or grace. "Your strongest and most loyal subject, Throshkar DelaBlanche, shall serve you well! So too shall my three fellows-in-arms, each of them famed and beloved by thy servants -- and soon, by all the land."

Indeed, a full set of Adrian's amazing, incredible, fantastic cinnamon-laced breakfast pastries still simmered adoringly in Throshkar's belly, along with cold ham and hot coffee. He smiled at the halfling.

He knew already the counsels the Prince preferred they meet with first, and the strategies that lay therein. There was but one question left... "Milord, whom shall you assign to command the legion outside the capital with which we shall rendezvous? I would not intrude 'pon your selections, but might I proffer the skills of one Aantier Salacos? A finer cavalier you will not find throughout the land, excepting myself; his loyalty is undoubted, and his is the sharpest mind and wit ever I have known. He will perform admirably, should you choose to set this task before him."

Aantier had visited the fortifications several fortnights ago, meeting the Prince and Egan before being sent off on a key scouting mission near the capital. The raven-haired man was unusually independent for a cavalier, even secretive -- he actually liked the ambiguity of such covert or "night" missions -- yet he was quite sociable in a crowd. Even crude, really. Regis would like him once he met him, Throshkar was sure of that.

He nodded to the cleric. Throshkar still didn't care for the man, but as he'd grown to understand the basics of magic, he'd begun to see how many spells -- not all, mind you, but many -- were simply augmentations of an individual man's greatness, an exertion of will over matter. It required exceptional men to wield such power, and greater men still to make proper use of it. He was not yet certain of all this, and certainly had not mentioned his studies to the others -- though he worried if they'd figured him out -- but he was close to relenting on his rules about magics cast upon him prior to and during combat.

Breaking into Throshkar's thoughts came Louis' voice: "Beggin' yer pardon, milord, but which one a' these counsels are we goin' to first?"

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I'm assuming that there's a little strategic foreknowledge about the seven counsels, otherwise we're kinda stupid. :smallamused: If the Prince could detail "what we already know" as a little exposition, that would be cool.

Setting up for the Prince to have already sent Aantier to the capital after his "other" mission, unbeknownst to Throshkar perhaps, or for the Prince to accept and reassign Aantier as requested. However you like. :smallsmile: And I'm off for my plane...!

The prince smiles at Throshkar's statements, "I have already placed Aantier Salacos as unit commander of the troops outside the city. His...er...your units are arriving there and laying low to provide any assistance you need in getting the counsel members out.

"Now young Louis asks a good question of who to find first. Olna has been getting info on the whereabouts of the remaining counsel members..." Aseral takes a letter out of his pocket and then reads from the letter. "Dearest lord, things have been scary here for your subjects. The Dark Lord has attempted to crown himself king. He gathered forth the counsel through force carrying them there in chains and asked for their blessing to be king. They asked for the chains to be removed and he obliged. They then refused him and he attacked the speaker of the counsel with his golden mace while the others fled. I know that one member, the speaker, is dead and the others are in hiding. When Throshkar finds me in the city I will have more information. Take care, Olna" The prince places the letter back into his breast pocket and continues speaking, "Find Olna in the city. I am sure her eyes will find you first. I would enter the city discretely, we do not want to start a war just yet. You will pass by the farm on your way to the city, I am sure that they will be watching for you. Any other questions?"

Egan Brahe

Egan found himself very busy over the past months. There were items to be identified and categorized, spells to be researched, components to find, and strategies to consider. He even researched the history of their chosen site using his magics and still made time to tutor Louis now and again. When he suspected the pattern that Louis always talked long into the evening with Throshkar after their lessons, he made sure to find time to continue his lessons with Louis. He also found that Adrian seemed to enjoy each time that Egan had a shopping list of specific items that needed to be found from the nearest merchants. Adrian's love of the city and all of its 'benefits' were very likely the cause. His research proved useful as he improved the enchantment on his bracers.

He lent his magics to the reconstruction efforts when needed, holding up materials with a wall of ice or web spell until they could be properly secured, strengthening the workers with other magics for some critical jobs and for raw materials procurement. An enlarged, strengthened man could fell a large tree for lumber very quickly. Or sometimes it was just plain demolition that was needed with a well placed Lightning Bolt. He had been considering how these same effects would be used in the battles and asked permission from the Prince to train with any of the cavaliers that would volunteer. There were few at first, but the benefits of the training were evident, so he was able to prepare many for the effects and benefits of spells in battle. He used Bull's Strength, Enlarge Person, and had researched Haste to good effect. He had even marked those who seemed to embrace the spells effect to the most benefit during training. These men could turn the tide of a battle if used properly.

His other task was helping the Prince in his research of the counsel members. He was a Diviner by trade after all. The scrying took many hours as much of it was not successful due to the resultant intrigue that surrounded many of the subjects currently. But Egan had learned long ago to be a patient man in these things.

"Discretion shall be important for us. But Olna will surely find us before we find her. It is likely better this way. Her letter confirms our suspicions about your brother's character." Egan rubs his forehead in thought. "Are there any other nobles that can be trusted that we should contact or ferret away from the city? Ones that may be able to rally their troops to your cause? Raising an army to defeat... how did Olna put it... to defeat The Dark Lord, will not be an easy task."

"Egan, I really do not know much of the political structure of the city now. I wish that I did know who to trust and who could lend us some troops. Olna has been directing us troops and new ones have been arriving daily. Olna will know more when you get to the city. However, we must be careful of who to trust when you arrive. I am sure that there are spies spying upon Olna. Be careful. I hope that once I am crowned King we can push our way into the city either politically or by force."

Regis

Regis spends most of the time during the past few months working with the injured men and assisting rebuilding the castle. Wall of Stone and other earth moving spells can really be a boon in these situations. He also travels discreetly to various other small settlements and gathers some servants and squires to come and work for the cavaliers. He also begins to enlist the aid of a few other worthy church members, some small clergy and scribes to gather there also, just a few young and bright fellows to write letters and cure small injuries among the training knights.

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Regis stands to the side during the briefing taking it all in. He had many thoughts on how to travel into the city. We can easily travel into the city carried by the clouds. We can be there in a few hours, as the magics will carry us more than 700 miles in half a day. If that is acceptable to you gentlemen. There are other ways in which to travel but this way we can travel as a small group of five to gather information before we move the main force.

Throshkar delaBlanche

Upon hearing Aantier has already been thusly assigned, Throshkar refrains from the traditional cavalier fist-pump, but smiles broadly. He grows more serious at Olna's letter, but the counsel's honorable dismissal of the... Dark Lord? Yes, that is appropriate... their courage shown lightens his heart. These nobles are good, strong men. Naturally!

"Olna's discretion is widely known," observes Throshkar, unaware of the irony in the statement. "Relying upon her is wise. And Sir Da Gra, whose knowledge of... discretionary tactics, I believe we called them?... have proven extensive, he may have a creative idea or twenty, once we arrive in the city. Provided he is not feasting or carousing from the moment we set foot there! Ha!" The cavalier leans forward and slaps Adrian on the back. The little man's rogue nature has not yet seeped into Throshkar's awareness, despite his advantageous advice on guerrilla warfare, but his predilection for and talent with the ladies certainly has.

Gesturing to Regis, the cavalier adds, "Thank you, holy man of the road. I shall be glad to take to the skies with Arondight, and Louis has long yearned to touch the clouds. Let us hasten forthwith, then, 'pon wings of the gods--eh, 'pon our Lord God's wings! Of course."

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I feel like there's more we should ask about and for, but I can't think of anything. No word on Kilmer?

Regis

let us gather our things and gather in the court yard in an hour then. Regis ows and walks out to gather his stuff.

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Once everyone is gathered he has everyone hold hands and then casts Wind Walk. If Throsh is astride his peg the others can fly around him easily and cover him from sight.

Throughout your time at the fort you hear rumors regarding Kilmer. Some say that he joined the dark knights. Others say he was killed in the courtyard while the dark knights came to take him away. Others say that he is in prison. Regardless of the theory, there is one thing for certain, no one really know what happened to Kilmer.

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You gather together ready to head for the city. The mist surrounds you and you take off heading toward the city at a rapid pace.....

[Awaiting destination]

Regis

Once aloft Regis says to Throshkar Where to? Specifically.

Throshkar delaBlanche

Enjoying the sensation of becoming a cloud, Throshkar takes a moment to recognize the question asked of him. When he does, his smile grows broader. His Bishopness might not give him his due deference, but the occasional respect felt good.

"To Olna's home, I would say. She was warned to avoid it, so is not likely to be there, but we might find her acquaintances, or ladies under her employ." His eyes, if they can be seen, twinkle at the thought... which leads to another idea. "And after that, I would that we would go to Johnathan's home; his wife is a goodly woman, and deserves our protection if she need it." The cavalier, long practiced at hiding his ardor for his friend's wife, delivered this last calmly: it is simply a chivalrous suggestion.

You fly over the city passing over Throshkar's residence that he once shared with Olna. The house and barn are now burned out shells that barely resemble the structures they used to be. You fly over the walls and into the main part of the city and you can see that things are mainly quiet. Regis looks for a quiet place where he can set you all down that is near Jonathon's apartment residence. He finds a quiet alley way a few streets from the market place and you all touch down. You feel it almost instantly, a feeling of cold dread once your feet are upon the ground. What do you do now?

Throshkar delaBlanche

Upon landing, Throshkar aches briefly for the lost freedom of flight. The foreboding that descends is foreign to him, so he shrugs it to the back of his mind and throws his allies a mighty grin.

"Sir Adrian, I believe the next step is yours?"

Adrian nods, and let's his affected accent slip a bit as he finds himself on familiar ground. Right. First off, we keep our heads low, and unrecognizable. Then, I'll head up to Johnathan's apartments, scope it out, and come back to let you all know if it's everything's alright. Now let's see if these slippers work. And with that Adrian climbs up the side of the alley wall, and begins to pick his way accross the rooftops towards the target building.

The first thing that you hear once you arrive in the alleyway is the distant sound of the market. The alleyway runs perpendicular to a major road where you can see people walking and carts rolling by. This roadways is around 30 feet from your current position. Behind you the alleyway ends at a solid wall which separates this alley from the marketplace. The alley is filled with trash and after a few moments you notice an unpleasant smell of rotting meat and old feet. You wait for a few moments as members of your party gather their thoughts.

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Originally Posted by The_JJ

...And with that Adrian climbs up the side of the alley wall, and begins to pick his way accross the rooftops towards the target building.

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Adrian reaches Jonathon's apartment building rather quickly given Thorshkar's direction and his own understanding of the city. He is able to keep a low profile along the rooftops until he reaches the building. He spots the door to Jonathon's apartment, an old wooden door with his crest. As Adrian approaches the door he notices that the red crest has blacken marks upon it as if one had put a torch to the door. The door is also slightly ajar but there is no movement from either window.

The halfling draws his crossbow and carefully slips into the room.

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Throshkar delaBlanche

The cavalier fiddles with his newly empowered gauntlets as the group waits. He remembers the old wizard's words of warning: "Are you prepared for these? I have enchanted them with my magics to enhance your strength. The strength will leave you when you remove them." Magic enhancements cast in the midst of combat remain something doubtful, but these... these feel good.

Really good.

Throshkar notes the mage's -- what was the word? -- familiar peeking out from his robes, and a thought strikes him. "Lord Brahe? Would you consider sending Kaylee behind yon halfling, to observe his success? Should he encounter troubles, we might be made aware of it through your unique bond, might we not?" Seeing surprise touch the wizard's brow, Throshkar hastens to add, "My mentor's daughter is a spellcaster -- she has a raven, yes, I believe it is, that serves her in a like fashion."

"Ah, in the meantime -- have either of you gentlemen an arcanum by which we might determine the Dark Prince's activities, or any of our many targets' whereabouts?"

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Ooh, and we get to spy on the little rogue when he doesn't know it! :smallwink:

I've added the Gauntlets of Ogre Power to Throshkar's character sheet.

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Originally Posted by The_JJ

The halfling draws his crossbow and carefully slips into the room.

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You notice that the apartment has been torn apart as if people were looking for things. There is broken glass on the floor and rubbish around the room. Almost anything of value has been taken from the room. You see places where transients may have used this place to sleep or rest. You guess this place has been vacant of the original owners for at least a month if not longer. You see little of value and little beyond broken furniture to remind you of the previous owner. You get no clues as to where the previous occupants have vanished to.

Adrian pockets his bow, straightens up, and then nods. Alright, that rule's that base out. He then truns around and picks his way back to the group.

It's no good. Looks like the Dark Knights tore it up, left it for squatters. Adrian opens his pack and withdraws his diguise kit. If we're to be here for an extended stay, I think we ought to change our apperences. If we can manage it, we might be able to simply rent rooms in an inn, and use that as a base of operations.

I'd invite you to my place, but I don't think you'd all fit.

Egan Brahe

"Ah, in the meantime -- have either of you gentlemen an arcanum by which we might determine the Dark Prince's activities, or any of our many targets' whereabouts?"

"I have been working with the Prince on monitoring the activities of those in the city. Without a focus on the Dark Lord, I fear there is little we can discern. There be a lot of intrigue clouding these happenings."

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Crimson, I am assuming that since there were no PMs concerning the previous posts about scrying, that little has been found.

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"Lord Brahe? Would you consider sending Kaylee behind yon halfling, to observe his success? Should he encounter troubles, we might be made aware of it through your unique bond, might we not?" Egan considers it quickly conversing with Kaylee. He has never been one to risk his familiar's safety. Egan opens his mouth to respond to Throsh when the halfling softly lands next to them. "Welcome back."

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"If we're to be here for an extended stay, I think we ought to change our apperences. If we can manage it, we might be able to simply rent rooms in an inn, and use that as a base of operations."

Egan activates his hat and changes his appearance to a bit more of a portly man that is a couple inches shorter than he was with dark balding hair. The head of a cat can be seen poking out of the hood of his cloak. "Should this do? I also have a couple of invisibility spells prepared if we need to do some discrete investigation."

Adrian raises a quizical eyebrow. Such enchantments weren't unheard of in his circles, of course, but their use was... controversial. Adrain had no problems with their use, but the thrill of a good con was always, to him, wrapped in the tactile feel of the facepaints, the crisp sensation as a fake beard is removed, and of course the craftsmanship of a well put together disguise.

It'll work for you. Regis, Throsh? Who would you like to be for today? Rich merchants? Traveling nobility? Down on their luck tradesmen?

Throshkar delaBlanche

'Discreet.' It was a foreign concept to Throshkar. Well, not entirely... covert operations was critical to reconnaissance. He just hadn't engaged in that sort of mission in... well, there was that one time. That was about it.

Aantier always said it was fun, an argument echoed by the Prince himself; Egan, meanwhile, had astutely noted that Throshkar could present himself properly and select the "best" enemies to challenge only after he knew who they were.

It was a good point.

"So let's have fun, then!" But merchants? Tradesmen?? The big man shuddered visibly. He looked at his allies. No, they could not pass as mercenaries, here to take advantage of the chaotic state of affairs. Perhaps merchants it would have to be. But they had discussed this before. "I shall be thy bodyguard, gentlemen. The two of you are men of business, merchants of war, and Adrian your -- what is the word? -- fence? Agent? The man familiar with the region, who is introducing the rest of us to potential connections."

It was a good idea. Naturally, Aantier had suggested the initial concept, and the others had expanded on the theme later...

"And, uh, you be callin' me, uh, Jimmy, y'knowhatI'msayin?" he concludes in a terrible, terrible accent.

Regis

I shall be a simple country friar, as soon as I can strip off this armor and shave. He looks at Adrian You know how to cut a tonsure?

Soon Regis is a young looking green around the gills, wide eyed country friar in dusty brown robes and a basic wooden holy symbol and a big back pack.

Throshkar delaBlanche

Throshkar marvels at the stout cleric. Exactly what their group -- a mixed bag already -- would be doing with a country friar is beyond him. They were going to draw enough attention as it was without having a sensible, consistent story to follow.

But he'd given up on directing the man; some commoners just did not know well enough to follow their betters. Perhaps Egan or Louis would better reach him...?

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Seriously, though, I think we should have a consistent group story, or choose to split up. Either way is fine by me, but if the five of us are together, we need a reason.

Does Regis insist on presenting himself as a holy man?

Egan Brahe

Egan watches Adrian work on Throshkar and Regis. "Merchants may seem like cheaters and liars to you, uh Jimmy, but they are still the life blood of many kingdoms. They provide goods, foods, and communications. All necessities for a healthy kingdom. Now I am no expert at subterfuge, but I have had some unsavory associations in the past as well as studied some of the stories of old. It seems to me that the best thing to be is unnoticed. Jimmy, be careful of your words and also your walk. You are a watchful guard, and that only. Do not stride through the market as noble expecting others to remove themselves from your path or business. Adrian is a creative fellow, I'm sure he can help us figure out what to say and how to say it."

"We should not go to any of our normal places of residence or association without great caution. We should find a normal merchants inn for lodging, I think. If we get there, I have brought some of my instruments and I may be able to spend some time looking into matters in this city now that we are closer. The Prince did give me some descriptions of the council members." Egan continues to lay out a plan where they find an inn or apartment to stay. Regis and Throsh could go to the market to get supplies and get a general sense for the mood of the city, but this will be an easy way to let Olna find them. Adrian accompany them or perhaps move into his own circles to find out more. Egan would remain at the apartment or inn and attempt his scrying. Kaylee, with the help of an invisibility spell could accompany from a distance either of the groups, just in case there is any trouble. "I would also suggest that our fair friar here do any talking in the market. He is a man of the people and will help anyone be at ease."

As you are discussing what to do next a man walks partway down the alley way and opens a door. The man is dressed in dark clothing, he looks to be of a commoner but before the man steps through the doorway he gives you a suspicious look. The door closes quickly behind him and you head a board falling behind the door to bar it.

Throshkar delaBlanche

The knight kneels before Adrian, allowing him to apply his red-tinged dye to his hair; once done, they tie his now-strawberry blond locks into a long farmer's braid. His spear and pennon remains with Arondight; his armor's blazon smeared over with soot.

Throsh-er, Jimmy nods eagerly at Brahe's instructions. He may not understand the machinations or dire villainy that runs through the blood of every moneylender and salesthief, but the rest of his words weighed true. "OK, bub. So's I'm's the friar's guard, 'cause he's 'fraid a da big city, 'dat it?" He shrugs and gigles, hardly containing his mirth. He gestures to Louis. "An' Joe-Joe there, he's protectin' you, Mister Merchant. So? Let's go!"

Jimmy strides down the alley, but comes to an abrupt halt. He looks back at Regis.

Regis

Dat works fer me. Lord help us, and bless us awl! Regis drawls a little. The country bumpkin coming back from his past. He says grinning at "Jimmy" Friar Dawls needs a good strong arm to protect him as he brings his offering to the church from his little parish in the East Briar hamlets. Regis follows the big man's lead.