[WFRP] The Bloody Crown VIII

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa

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<Morrslieb can't find the Jarl's men among those leaving Savonne,> reported Elsa, alarmed.

Her stomach felt heavy as a stone. Things were not going according to plan. Alvarr was being more cautious than Sforza gave him credit for.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Ludo, find Makeda and tell her the enemy is approaching. And Viktor after you've told her," Sieghard ordered.

While Ludo ran off he rounded up his own men and ordered them to get up on the wall and ready and load their crossbows.

[RossN]

Narcisa

Narcisa had been staying around in Arrow Heap largely to think through her options. She rather liked her new companions, especially the halfling who had graciously paid for her room and board but that didn't mean she was about to become a soldier in the pay of some idiot trying to take over Savonne.

Then the cavalry came over the horizon...

"Um," she said intelligently. "There are a lot of them." She added shrewdly.

Turning her big green eyes to Sieghard and Ludo she said. "I'm not interested in politics but if you need someone to keep an eye on the villagers I'm your woman. If Big Rolf gets out during the fight he'll wring my neck first, then go for the rest of you."

[LeSwordfish]

"Just don't get in the way." Ludo suggested, before running off with Sieghard's orders.

[RossN]

Narcisa

Narcisa nodded, and throwing a hand to her beloved hat with ostrich plume to make sure it was still there, walked towards the storehouse, her own former gaol and current residence of Big Rolf. She wasn't entirely sure what she was going to do but she had a nasty feeling the fight would push past the walls soon enough.

[LCP]

Elsa

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<Gone, then,> said Sforza, clearly thinking fast. <If he's gone to the Uplands, this plays to our advantage. If not...>

Shaking his head, he looked back to Elsa. <Stay with Alvarr. Follow the army, warn Makeda when they are within striking distance of the village. She will know what to do.>

Spurring his horse off down the line, he shouted for Abdul to double the scouts. The army was already moving at a rate of knots - it was going to be a hard day's march.

It didn't take long for Ludo to find Makeda - she had already heard the commotion. By the time the running sentry reached the gates, the ahosi were already forming up behind them, Sieghard and his crossbows lining the top of the palisade. Stirred from where they had been snoozing in the shade, the ogres hefted their enormous weapons and lumbered into the light.

Opening the gate just enough to let the running man through, the Southlanders slammed it shut and barred it behind him. Panting fit to collapse, he was in no state to report - not that was much he could have said that Sieghard couldn't already see. Ascending the ladder to stand on the wall beside him, Makeda squinted at the approaching riders.

"Where is the bird?" she demanded, angrily. "The sorceress was supposed to send us warning."

The riders were close enough now for Sieghard to pick out individuals among them. There were maybe fifty that he could see, armoured and armed with heavy lances. The banner that flew at their head showed crossed swords on a field of red - beneath it were two smaller pennants, one bearing the boar's head of the Duke, the other the wolf's skull of Jarl Rorik.

As they approached the village, they broke from the tight wedge in which they were riding, fanning out with admirable discipline to form a line abreast roughly a bow's shot from the palisade. Once the entire formation had come to a halt, two of the horsemen rode forwards - the banner-bearer, and another with a bloody body slung over the back of his horse. It wasn't clear from this distance whether this unmoving passenger was alive or dead - but Sieghard immediately recognised the uniform of the Thorns.

Reaching up, the lead rider removed his helmet. Sieghard had only met Roland de Bohun the once, but he remembered the man well enough to recognise his face. Shaking out his sweat-matted hair, the cavalryman looked up at the faces peering down at him from the palisade and grinned. He did have very good teeth.

"Hullo the village!" he called up. "Do I have the honour to address Captain Muzio Sforza?"

"The Captain is not here!" was Makeda's curt reply. "Who are you?"

"I did think you were a little darker than I was expecting," said de Bohun, still grinning. "Darker and more womanly." He turned and gestured to the banner-bearer beside him. "We are the Red Company. Perhaps you've heard of us? I'm sure your hosts have."

He reined his horse in as it took a few steps forwards, tossing its mane. "Where is the Captain then? Don't tell me we rode all this way just to pick a fight with women and farm boys."

"He is coming!" called back Makeda, confidently. "Stay here if you want to meet him!"

Bohun took a moment or two to consider the response. Making up his mind on whatever it was he was considering, he turned in the saddle and pitched his unconscious passenger onto the ground beside him. As the limp body of the Thorn sprawled on the ground, Ludo immediately recognised the blood-streaked face as Boldo's.

"We caught your friend here trying to spy on us. Tried to run... didn't get very far." He scanned the faces at the parapet, looking for a reaction. "The Duke is marching here with his whole army. You can do the sensible thing, and surrender... or you can hold out, and end up like this poor fellow." He raised an eyebrow. "So what's it to be?"

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa

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Elsa wished she shared Sforza's optimism, but she kept thinking the Jarl's men might have a nasty surprise in store. She spurred Bastard onwards.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"I've no clue where the bird is," Sieghard said. His stomach dropped. "It's possible something happened to it" or to Elsa.

On the wall, he watched silently, trying not to pay attention to the fallen man. He glanced at Makeda, waiting for her orders.

[LCP]

"It's you who should be surrendering to us," barked Makeda. "The Captain will be here soon. Sooner than your Duke."

"Oh, I'm trembling in my boots," was de Bohun's retort. "And what's stopping us burning you out of your little hidey-hole before either of them get here?"

Makeda turned to Sieghard. "Give him a warning shot," she said, quietly.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Him, his horse, or the ground?" Sieghard whispered without turning his head. As soon as he had his answer, he took aim and fired.

"The next shot goes through your eye!" he shouted as he reloaded his crossbow. He sorely wished he had the cannon. "Surrender or run back to your master, I don't care which."

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Since he can do it in one round, I'm assuming Sieghard gets the benefit of an aim action. He aims fires at whichever Makeda specifies. I'll hold off on rolling damage for now. If she does want him or his horse hit, I'll roll it once she says so.

(1d100)[62] vs 79 (59 Base +20 Aim w/ Sharpshooter)

If she does want him/the horse hit, I may opt to reroll a failure. Wasn't a failure. Glad I aimed. Doubt it will make any difference, but I'll roll intimidate OOC.

[LCP]

"Him, his horse, or the ground?"

"Ground," was Makeda's whispered answer. The bolt thudded into the rich earth, and de Bohun's horse reared in alarm. As if on cue, the other Thorns raised their crossbows and pointed them over the top of the palisade.

To his credit, de Bohun didn't look scared. He brought his horse back under control with a savage yank of the reins, and narrowed his eyes at Sieghard.

"You know what they say about the Duke!" he shouted up. "You only get one chance. Don't waste yours."

Turning his horse around, he spurred it back out of range. The banner-bearer followed, the rest of the Red Company falling in behind. Watching them go, Sieghard felt sure they weren't going far.

~

As dusk drew in, the remaining sentries returned two by two to the village. They had seen the horsemen coming, and used the tall grass of the surrounding meadows to make good their escape - all, that was, except for Boldo. De Bohun had left him where he had fallen outside the gates - when they brought him in, the Thorns' newest recruit was very definitely dead. The back of his head had been all but caved in, leaving a permanent look of surprise fixed on his blood-streaked face.

When Karlott confirmed that the last of the sentries had returned, Makeda called a meeting in the longhouse that had previously belonged to Big Rolf, evicting the womenfolk who were looking after it. Her war council consisted of Sieghard, Viktor, Karlott, and Gorg. Sitting cross-legged a foot or so further back from the fire, the ogre still loomed over them all, his shoulders practically rubbing against the rafters.

"We need to leave," was Makeda's blunt assessment. "They won't try to storm the village. They only need to hold us here until their main army arrives." Sketching a crude map in the dirt floor with her dagger, she indicated the Red Company encircling their position.

"It's half a mile across open country to the ford," said Viktor, sounding more than a little nervous. "How are we supposed to get past them? They'll ride us down."

"We go tonight, when it's dark." said Makeda. "They've been riding all day; their horses will be tired. My warriors and Gorg's will be more than a match for them when they can't see where they're going." She looked to Karlott. "Can you find us a way to the ford without being seen?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard found it hard to focus during the meeting. Part of it was remorse for the miserable way Boldo had died; The rest was concern for why Morrslieb hadn't warned them of the approaching cavalry. If the bird had been shot down, then they had lost the single most valuable tool at their disposal. Worse yet was possibility that the main force had been intercepted and defeated.

"So we're still sticking with the original plan then?" Sieghard asked skeptically. If Sforza had already fallen, then it would be for nothing - though there wasn't much in the way of other options. If Alvarr had already won, there would be nowhere to run. "If a single bolt is enough to spook de Bohun's horse, I can't imagine their mounts would do well with a pack of ogres charging at them." He gestured towards Gorg. "Not sure how you're planning on getting them there unseen though. He's a hell of a fighter, but I can't imagine him being all that sneaky, even under cover of night."

[LCP]

Gorg leaned forwards, so that the fire underlit his slab-jawed face. "Ogres can be quiet, little man," he said, in a voice like two boulders rubbing together. "You will see."

[RossN]

Narcisa

While the meeting was going on Narcisa (who had been eavesdropping) approached Ludo.

"I want to help. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a soldier and I don't care about your bosses boss," she began with her usual amiable bluntness. "But I'd rather not be here when those walls come down. Me and de Bohun have a bit of a past and didn't part on the best of terms. Have you got any ideas to allow us out of here with our skins intact?"

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo rubbed his jaw carefully. "I was wondering if a few people on their own might be able to make enough of a ruckus in the camp to help everyone else get through, or close enough. Spook the horses, set a few fires... I bet the Ahosi and the Thorns could do some real damage when they're spooked, let alone the ogres."

He shrugged. "But Sieghard and Makeda are the experts. If they say something's the best strategy, it probably is."

"I don't think we've been properly introduced in all the fuss, have we? Ludovic Stubbs, of the Sermena Stubbs." He extended a hand for the woman to shake. "Quartermaster of the Thorns."

[RossN]

Narcisa

Narcisa smiled and shook Ludo's hand. "Narcisa of Savonne. Just Narcisa. I am a..."

She hesitated, looked around and lowered her voice. "Have you heard of a Halfling called Jasper Greenapple?"

[LeSwordfish]

"We met him once." Ludo said honestly. "And I think his family was local to Sermena. Why - did you work for him at the docks? What's happened to him, after the city fell?"

[RossN]

Narcisa

Narcisa looks relieved. Obviously she'd been concerned Ludo's reaction might have been a little less friendly.

"I did work for him yes. Not at the docks but a bit more classy." She grinned. "I guess you could say I was sent after things than needed more brains and sneakiness than ole Kragg."

Her grin faded a little at Ludo's second question. "I don't know what happened to him during the sack of the city. When the Norscans raided the Warren it was every man - every girl - for herself. I don't know what happened to most of the old crew, just that No-Nose Dragos is in charge now. You're lucky you never met him."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Right," Sieghard said, surprised. It was the first time he could recall Gorg speaking directly to him. He had been more concerned with Gorg's size than anything, but he certainly wasn't about to argue with someone twice his size.

"The halfling in my company is good at sneaking about," He offered. "He doesn't know the land like Frau Tannhöfer, but he could prove useful."

[LeSwordfish]

"Wearing a metal nose?" he asked. "I, uh, I ran into him, yes. His insistence that Greenapple was alive but had escaped was why I asked, actually."

[RossN]

Narcisa

Narcisa looked surprised. "That's him. With Jasper gone I should have been in charge but you don't argue with No-Nose. Anyway I decided that things under both No-Nose and the Norscans where not healthy for someone like me so I left. And ended up here."

She eyed Ludo with a bit of sympathy. "You're lucky you escaped with your health. No-Nose isn't like Jasper. Jasper respected people. With him gone I could see things sliding back towards the Wolf Pit."

[LeSwordfish]

"He was very keen on throwing me in the river with my throat slit, yes," Ludo admitted.

[RossN]

Narcisa

Narcisa winces in sympathy. "Yes, that sounds familiar. Not the sort of person I'd be happy working with, or for. So... these 'Thorns' do they pay well?"

[LCP]

In the longhouse

"He can help Tannhofer, then," said Makeda. "Two sets of eyes are better than one."

OOC:

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If you want to suggest your surprise attack, best suggest it - Makeda isn't going to canvass for alternatives to her plan.

[aberratio ictus]

Karlott Tannhöfer

Karlott had kept a sombre countenance throughout the war council. She didn't immediately answer after Makeda's question, squinting her eyes and looking at the floor in thought.

"Me? Definitely. You? Certainly. Your men? Very likely. Your men and the ogres?" She paused for a second. Like Sieghard, she wasn't too convinced of the ogre's ability in stealth.
"Hard to tell. How many do you want to take?"

[LCP]

In the longhouse

"All of them," said Makeda. "We cross the river and return to the Captain. Tomorrow all they will find is an empty village."

[aberratio ictus]

Karlott Tannhöfer

"I mean, at once." She stopped for another second. "If we are going to do this, we do it in groups. Me and Herr Stubbs - " - Karlott shot Sieghard a glance - "I trust your judgement on that. Mostly his, I'll ask him." Her eyes set on Makeda again. "I'm confident we can take care of a group and get them out unseen. The whole lot at once - that's impossible. We get one group past the Red company, we go back, fetch the next. It'll be tedious, take a long time, and be dangerous. But as I see it, it's our best chance."

[LCP]

In the longhouse

Viktor looked doubtful. "What if they find us, though?" he said. "If we're split up we'll have no chance."

"How hard do you think they will be looking? We have the walls, we told them reinforcements are coming. They aren't expecting us to leave." Makeda seemed much more sure of herself than the free company commander. "We go now, or we stay here. Once the Duke arrives, there'll be no getting out of this village."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"If they aren't expecting us to move, why not strike at their camp instead?" Sieghard suggested. "We rely on stealth either way. If we can catch them unaware, out of their armor, and off their horses, they stand no chance."

[LCP]

In the longhouse

Viktor looked conflicted. On the one hand, the idea obviously appealed - on the other, he hadn't forgotten the last time he had lent his men to one of Sieghard's plans.

"If it meant we could stick together... mightn't it be safer?" he said. "There's more of us than there are of them."

"Our orders were not to give battle," snapped Makeda. "We're trying to get away, and you want to go towards them?"

"Good eating on a horse," rumbled Gorg, baring his tombstone teeth in a hungry grin. "Got to have a full belly for the road."

OOC:

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Makeda has the deciding vote here, but I'll leave it to Karlott to give her input and Sieghard to finish making his case before she makes up her mind.