Primal End (BotR IC)

[Valiance]

The field of battle between Lord Darius your employer and his neighboring Lord Rovil

Spoiler: Baron Darius of the Black Jackals

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Spoiler: Baron Rovil

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After an intense battle which ended in Lord Rovil rapidly retreating with his small retinue. The battlefield is quite. The miasma of death and a river of blood. Lord Darius troops stand in formation some fell from the battle but due to the lords tactics and use of mercenaries to buffer his loses he didn’t lose hardly any troops at all compared to the hundreds Lord Rovil lost.

Lord Darius in his dark armor mounted on his horse gazes over the battlefield. Troops seize the dead and take them back to the keep. Mercenaries my attendant has your reward for the battle. If you want a greater reward talk with them. Turning from the battlefield he leaves with his retinue of knights. Leaving behind a battalion of troops behind to collect carts and reward the few dozen remaining mercenaries.

A tall silver haired man walks up followed by a cart with two dozen soldiers around him. Opening his mouth he says “Your reward for this battle is 10 gold a head. For those who want to continue to fight under Baron Darius collect your reward and wait until the others leave. Then we will proceed with a higher reward.”

[WarDragon]

"A small enough reward for the day's battle, but it's what was agreed upon. I'm amenable to more work for more pay," Nails tells the attendant with a nod, as he cleans the blood and brains from the head of his flail.

[Esprit15]

Mentha takes in the smell of the battlefield. There was something... refreshing about part of it. The ferric scent mixed with wet grass was head clearing, though the rest - the scent of organs torn open, for example - was still nauseating.

The gnome stows her crossbow and rubs an arrow wound in her leg. She had been hired more for ranged support and alchemical supplies than any sort of up close fighting, but when the enemy is in range of you, that does mean that you're in range of them, usually, and errant arrows sometimes make there way to the rear lines rather than the main fighting force. Yanking out the arrow, Mentha rubs the wound gently, a pale energy causing the wound to slowly close.

"Hm, what further work is he interested in? If he's willing to purchase more alchemical goods, I'm willing to keep brewing them," the redhead says cheerfully.

[Cygnia]

Sloane's expression was pale, with a sheen of unhealthy sweat as he took in the carnage around him. He stared, grey eyes wide, barely hearing what the silver-haired man said. He could leave, leave this place of death and never look back.

Except he would see it again and again in his sleep. Hear the screams of the dying, smell the copper tang of blood, feel the thunder of hoofbeats nearly running him down.

Instead the young man nodded, still frozen in shock, and said nothing.

[WarDragon]

"What's the matter with him?," Nails wonders out loud. "First time in a real fight?"

[Esprit15]

"What's the matter with him?," Nails wonders out loud. "First time in a real fight?"

”Maybe. Might not be used to front line fighting,” Mentha says thoughtfully. “Fighting a guy because him and his buddy started something, it’s a bit different than everyone to your left and right trying to kill each other.”

[BelGareth]

Rorschach stood up, he didn't have viscera or blood on him, no, he was farther behind the line, casting spells, and targeting officers, snipers, and other fellow mages. His training had been excellent, and he had not faltered.

But this was a nightmarish scene, they had not gone over the smell of fresh blood, of guts, and offal, of grown men, young boys, and all between, crying for their mothers, of limbs torn, and cut off...it was....a lot to take in. He hardened himself, and picked his way through the grisly macabre scene to the mercenary handler, his father had sent him here for a reason, for whatever that was worth now. He nodded to the man, "Additional work sounds good to me" he manages to get out.

He turns to the others "Leave him alone, not everyone is born into the muck of murder, or used to it when they first see it." There is no air of authority in his voice, or belittlement, just honesty, he seemed a little shocked himself.

[Valiance]

As you received your reward from the battle and stand to the side waiting for further instructions. More mercenaries gather some take the gold and leave not willing to risk their lives. Other join you standing. Some looking well season while others were extremely lucky greenhorns that barely received wounds and just a little shaken but excited.

Minutes pass as the last mercenary walks away leaving about twenty men standing off to the side. Waiting for the Silver haired man to speak.

“My Lord Baron Darius of the Black Jackals tasked us to hunt down the remaining troops of Lord Rovil. Whom ever brings My lord his head will be reward 500 gold for their service. With an additional 1gold per head of each of his troops. If you fail to find Lord Rovil your second task is to reclaim Lord Rovil’s keep and deliver it to us. The reward for this second task will be an additional 1000g pieces.”

The Silver haired man informs you that his keep is to the east but his troops left towards the southwest. He informs you that two dozen of Lord Darius’s men will accompany your party. A dozen each way. The mercenaries try to decide which way to go. Some of the veterans are leaning towards pursuit while a majority of the rest and youths are wanting to charge towards the keep for the larger rewards.

(What do you do?)

[Esprit15]

Mentha listens for a few moments as the groups mumble and chatter, frowning. Trying to stand as tall as she can, the gnome woman tries to loudly clap her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Rather than approach this problem like greedy dogs chasing a flank of meat, let's approach this like wolves. Lord Rovil is on the run - let's make use of that. As long as he is fleeing, he is growing tired, running out of food for his men, and running out of medicine to treat his wounds. He will want to return somewhere safe. That he doesn't immediately return to his keep means that he presumably has somewhere else that he would rather go. If we have some of our men harass him away from that direction, we may direct him back toward us.

"'But what of the keep, you small and brilliant gnome?' I hear you ask. Well, where else should we direct him to? With fewer men, another battle in a field is difficult, and he will simply flee again. That we did not capture him on the rout is already a disappointment, but if we can take the keep and make a trap of it, then we can have both parties be successful, and make a more efficient use of our men and women. Take the keep, dress as his guards, welcome him in, and spring the trap when he and the rest of his men are exhausted from being chased by our own valiant guerrillas. Those who are most mobile - archers and riders - should be part of the group that chases him down. The rest should help us take the keep.

"Does that sound like a good plan?"

[Cygnia]

"...no..."

Out of one nightmare and into another. Sloane's throat was dry. But he shook his head. Soldiers were one thing (conscripted or not), but at least they could defend themselves. But at Rovil's keep...

"The keep -- the keep would have non-combatants. Servants, family -- maybe even children! That's probably why he's not heading back there! If you take out his family, then he'll have nothing left to lose. And a man with nothing left and nothing left to live for...that's dangerous. Just finish him off now and end it quick..."

[Esprit15]

"...no..."

Out of one nightmare and into another. Sloane's throat was dry. But he shook his head. Soldiers were one thing (conscripted or not), but at least they could defend themselves. But at Rovil's keep...

"The keep -- the keep would have non-combatants. Servants, family -- maybe even children! That's probably why he's not heading back there! If you take out his family, then he'll have nothing left to lose. And a man with nothing left and nothing left to live for...that's dangerous. Just finish him off now and end it quick..."

"Then better you to be there to keep a tight leash." Mentha looks at Sloane oddly. "Jeez, we don't have to kill them. A keep is worthless without the people in it. Guards and reserves are our targets, and even then, only if they resist us. We're not even being paid for anyone other than his troops. Our employer will attack the keep regardless, and based on what I saw in that battle, he has none of your reservations about lives lost."

She motions him down to whisper in his ear. "You think those greens are going to have any real plan? The only thing in their eyes is gold, and without competent leadership, it's going to be a blood soaked mess."

[BelGareth]

Rorschach nodded, he liked the plan, and was happy for someone else to lead, he was tired of other people looking to him, even if it was in the class room, some following was definitely what the doctor had ordered.

"Sounds like a solid plan, though, I'm not sure how good I am at pretending to be someone else" he said, smirking.

"I'm not very mobile, so I'll go to the keep."

[WarDragon]

"I wasn't hassling him, though I object to those who call the art of battle murder, mage. The enemy absolves us of that guilt by taking up arms of their own. The smell aside, there is no more honorable death."

"A cunning plan, little one. A great warlord once said, all warfare is based on deception. Yes, let the Baron try to retreat to his keep, and we'll welcome him with open arms when he thinks himself safe."

[Cygnia]

"...gods above and below...!" moaned Sloane. He didn't want to think that the others actually thought this was a good idea! "And you really think Rovil and his men could be harried like sheep to go where you want?! You don't know where he's going now! He could be regrouping with allies -- and you really then want to risk going after his keep now, with gods' only know what how THAT is being reinforced and protected -- and think he's going to stroll back home afterwards without suspecting a damn thing OR restocking his men AND supplies beforehand?!"

Gods protect me from those hungry for blood and stupid for carnage... Not even a greenhorn would listen to his protestations if he tried to make them see reason, the man feared. Rovil's family would be doomed.

[Esprit15]

"Kid," Mentha says, yanking at the taller man's shirt in a (weak) attempt to pull him to somewhat eye level. "Are you a mercenary, or are you a damn baker? We were hired to kill people and get a job done. If I am going to work with you, you damn well better be watching my back as much as I am watching yours. If you don't have a spine in that back of yours, then go get someone else killed.

"Either make a better plan, or shut your damn trap and get back in line." The gnome pushes the younger human back (again, very weakly) and looks more to the other two. "I have some ideas on how we could go about this, if this is the plan that we want to go with. Either way, I'd say we're burning daylight. Do any of you," she says, speaking more toward some of the veterans, "want to make this something that we do? I think we would be more successful going about the two missions this way, rather than splitting into fully independent teams. If not, we won't plan for your arrival."

[BelGareth]

Ror shakes his head, "semantics, you tell yourself whatever helps you sleep at night."

Looking to the Mentha and Sloane, "She's not wrong, you are here to be paid, do you want to be paid? it's this, or move along with the others, taking your gold pieces and going to the next job, but for us, this is the next job." He moves to Sloane after Mentha was so rude to him and quietly talks "why don't you come along, and you can make sure those care about will be protected?"

Turning fully to Mentha "There is nothing binding us together except the coin promised, we should plan for them to come, but also plan for them not to, they may get their quarry and coin, and then leave. Let us leave now and we can plan on the road?"

[Cygnia]

He could leave, never look back -- but it wasn't so easy. Donnabella -- or worse, one of her people -- would find Sloane and "remind" him of what he had to do.

The young man looked up at Ror, trying to shut out the gnome. "Can you help -- help me make sure nothing happens to the family then? Hostages, ransom -- I get that..."

[Valiance]

Seeing the argument rising to a higher point the silver haired man stands silently watching alongside the troops. Waiting for the set off. An elderly veteran mercenary glances at them from time to time while looking towards the arguing bunch. Walking forward he says. If you cant decide split up. I personally want to go towards the fleeing Lord. If we move quickly enough we can try to ransack the keep that you youngsters are trying so hard to die at. With a wave of his hand a few of the other vets move closer. While also casually glancing towards the silent troops time to time.

The Greenhorn mercs laugh at the foolishness of the five and start discussing attack plans and some even start daydreaming about what they would spend their gold on.

(The group heading to the keep would be 12 soldiers 15 mercs. To chase after Lord Rovil 12 soldiers 5 mercs.)

(What do you do?)

[Esprit15]

Mentha looks at the man likes she wants to argue, but thinks better of it half way through speaking. "Do you expect to take the lord when you have half the men that he does? ...whatever. You do what you think will work for you. I'll be going with the party that is taking the keep." After all, there will be far more to loot there, plus a better reward.

[Cygnia]

Sloane weighed the words of Rorshach and the implied threatswords of the gnome. If he headed to the keep, he could try to keep Rovil's family (well, maybe his wife and daughter) unharmed.

The cold and impotent lump in his gut told him otherwise and an image of him skewered by "friendly fire" flashed before his eyes if he tried to halt the eager greenhorns from their blood orgy. He suddenly swallowed.

That one veteran though...

...maybe...

Sloane nodded to himself as a tiny bit of steel strengthened his spine.

"I'm trying for Rovil...you wanted us to harry him in a certain direction if we can, which way?" he grunted.

[WarDragon]

"There you go," Nails says with a nod to Sloane. "Had me worried you didn't have the stomach for a minute there, and I was going to say there was no shame in backing out, but looks like you found your drive after all. I'll go to the keep, myself, try to keep these greenhorns alive to fight another day, and stop a bloodbath of the non-combatants. No glory in that."

[Esprit15]

"Toward the keep. Shouldn't take but a day once we get there to take the place."

[Valiance]

The Veteran Mercenary looks at Sloane with a slightly surprised look. He says First thing first we have to follow his tracks and find him. Then we use their injuries to our advantage. He stares deeply at Sloane and says Always be ready to attack when we attack you attack as well. Don’t hesitate don’t question just attack. He nods his head towards the other vets while rechecking his weapons and gear. Nodding in satisfaction he turns with the rest of the vets and waves his hand towards Sloane as they move at a rapid speed despite their age. As the dozen soldiers follow in trained unison.

Seeing them leave the other mercenaries the greenhorns start heading towards where the keep is wanting to be the first ones to draw blood and get their promised reward. As another twelve soldiers split off after you.

The Silver Haired man silently turns around and heads towards the north with the corpses and his soldiers.

[Esprit15]

Mentha speaks up as the group begins heading toward the keep. ”So, I’ve been thinking about how we want to go about this. Do we have anyone who has any tact in subtlety? My thought is that we have a small group head into the keep, posing as nobodies who just need a place to stay for the night. We also will use that time to get a lay of the building, and figure out who we can leave alive and who will get in our way.

“At night, we’ll take out the night watch and let the rest of the group in. We may have to kill his sons, but the fewer people of theirs that we have to kill as a whole, the better. Most of the people in the keep will just be servants, only loyal because of pay. Unless they fight us, we can largely leave them alone.”

She turns a very critical eye toward the greens. “We will be outnumbered, and we will die if any of you run around trying to r***, kill, pillage, and burn. Is that understood?” she asks, voice loud and speaking the last line very slowly to emphasis.

[Cygnia]

"Yessir..." Sloane's head bobbed obediently as he followed after the veterans. ...stay with the people who know what they're doing... If Rovil could be stopped, then hopefully the keep would just surrender. No sense trying to siege the place when the head was fleeing elsewhere.

He whispered a silent prayer that Nails and Rorshach could stem the greenhorns' bloodlust and that non-combatants would be spared the violence.