[WFRP] The Bloody Crown XIV

[rax]

Bardhyl, 16th Sommerzeit

"Well then, all's well that ends well," Bardhyl replied with a smile. "Just remember to stay out of trouble until we call on you, eh?"

Rising to his feet, he took his leave and left Roza's home, then made his way back to Marjan's to see if any of his people were still awake.

[-Sentinel-]

"Look here," he said, holding his hands up "I'm not going to try broker a loan from the Dwimmulsons for you. They'd laugh me all the way down the Rock. Alright?" He took a breath, and composed himself. "But everything else ... well, if you say you need it, I'm sure they'll want to assist. I only hope Sieghard and Ludo's finances can support it, what with the season the Reaches are having."

"I understand," said Elsa, nodding. "I can respect you not wanting to put your honor at stake on my behalf. All I'm saying is, draw upon whatever resources you need to get me everything on that list. Start with whatever takes longest to acquire. And if there's something that seems just too hard to obtain, I want to know about it as early as possible. I can pull some strings... I'm sure Sforza will let me have the contents of Duke Wulf's library, if we need books to burn."

"But that leaves you here with just the Prince's men, and no other expert in your craft to assist you. You're sure that that's something you can take on? Safeguarding, let alone investigating, the Book, without us?"

"What lies ahead for me is mostly research," answered Elsa, "and neither of you is especially bookish. All Tatiana knows about magical theory is what I've taught her. As for safeguarding the Book, that's what the soldiers are for."

She raised a finger. "Another thing, Urgi. Do you think you can commit that list to memory? I'd like you to be able to destroy it quickly, if there's any chance of it falling into the wrong hands. The enemy can't know what we're looking for."

[LCP]

Bardhyl, 16th Sommerzeit

By the time he got back to Marjan's, most of the band were fast asleep. Only Grim was still up - perhaps it was paranoid, perhaps it was justified, but it looked like he was keeping watch.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Unless you're averse to waking your follower NPCs up, you don't need to break for questions like this - you can go straight to whatever you want to talk to them about.

[rax]

Bardhyl, 16th Sommerzeit

"Well, we may have our inside woman," Bardhyl said to Grim as he sat down. "Either that, or I'm about to hand Sforza his easiest win since he arrived in the Reaches. I must admit, it feels odd trying to get strangers to do things without paying or threatening them," he chuckled.

"Come morning, I want you to set a watch on her when she's not working in the hall. I'll talk to Wadim about getting some locals to help out with that, so that it's not too obvious that we're doing the watching."

"She also told me something useful that I want us to follow up on. Orso has his men split into three squads, with two on duty at any time. One on-duty squad patrols the town, the other handles incoming stores or does drills and training at the hall. The off-duty squad, though, they come and go as they please, and sometimes they out into the town. I'd like to know if there's any pattern to what they do and who they see in town, because if we end up moving during the day, we're going to need to run them down and take them out before they can reinforce their friends or make a break for it if they notice things going badly for them."

[LCP]

Bardhyl, 16th Sommerzeit

Grim gave a curt nod. "We can watch them," he said. "They shouldn't be too hard to spot."

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Since Bardhyl's been on the 16th for a while, and this observation might need to span a few days, maybe now is a good time for a plan to cover the next few days of Bardhyl's activities?

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard lingered in the camp for about another unproductive hour, talking to who he could. On the ride back to town, he spoke with Sussman about how things had went. "They're still every bit as stubborn as you said. It's a bad situation all around... Even if you can convince them to give up the grain, things will just grow harder as the months pass and there's less and less of it to take."

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Elsa

Urgrim scratched his beard as he considered Elda’s recommendations. ”Seek the stranger things first. That makes sense, I suppose. Still, reckon we still ought to head east first. From the Thornwood it’ll be easier to organise messages to allies – even to the opposite end of the Reaches, if we are to collect a bundle of bird bones from Morr’s Seat.”

“Won’t be a problem committing it to memory,” he continued. “It’s no bardic lay. And if I have need to rewrite it, I won’t use mannish letters.”

“I’ll make up my pack, and ready Gil. We can leave by midday, if you’ll be ready by then,” he said to Tatiana. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Long as – long as you’re happy taking this up with me.”

[LeSwordfish]

It was heartening for Ludo to hear Jarla on his side: he had been seriously doubting which side she would be on. "I don't mind if she comes for me... I can take care of myself, but who knows what she was planning with Rudi? Sooner or later she'll get fed up with clever things and just send some mercenary after my family, and I can't protect them then."

"I was just in Arrow Heap. They weren't paying their taxes and Sforza sent in... the iron company and the ogres. It sounded like somebody got eaten. I want to go back to them soon, after the next full moon, and see what we can do to help. Get them on our side."

[LCP]

Urgrim & Elsa, 18th Sommerzeit

Tatiana nodded. “More than happy,” she said. “I don't have much to take with me. I can be ready when you are.”

---

Sieghard, 20th Sommerzeit

With the eyes that had been following him since his altercation with Lottie, Sieghard could not leave the camp as inconspicuously as he had entered. As he headed back to rejoin Sussman, the singers struck up again.

The gentry have come down, stand up now, stand up now!
The gentry have come down, stand up now.
The gentry have come down, to fright poor men in town,
Their wisdoms so profound, for to cheat us of the ground.
Stand up now, one and all!

Sussman greeted Sieghard again with a chagrined smile.

"They're still every bit as stubborn as you said. It's a bad situation all around... Even if you can convince them to give up the grain, things will just grow harder as the months pass and there's less and less of it to take."

“Don't I know it,” he said. He sighed, and turned to walk back towards the soldiers’ camp with Sieghard. “I keep looking for the angle, you know, a way out. People I can deal with… usually, anyway. But locusts…” He sighed again. “You can't negotiate when you're taking the food out of people's mouths. I don't know what his Highness expects me to do.”

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"He expects you to take it," Sieghard replied, keeping his tone neutral. "And I imagine when people start starving, he'll expect the same. Then when those peoples families are mad over the dead, he'll likely expect you to deal with that as well." He gave Sussman some time to ponder that before continuing. "I'd help more if I could, but he expects the same from me. I'm trying to stockpile what stores the Thornwood has and make it last, but as times grow more and more lean, supplies and men will be stretched thinner and thinner. It may not be enough but I've done all I can. What about you? What do you plan to do?"

[LCP]

Bardhyl, 19th Sommerzeit

Over the next few days, Bardhyl and his band did their best to blend in to the day-to-day activities of the town, always keeping a sharp eye on the comings and goings of Orso’s men. Afrim and Kreshnik shadowed the Tileans’ street patrols, while Bardhyl loitered in the shadows close to the gate, watching the sentries about their work.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Observation & information gathering results:

1. The street patrols form 3 groups of 3, each covering a small beat:

• The streets nearest the gate, where people bring goods to market.
• The streets around the great hall.
• The streets behind the hall, which lead up to the forge (the highest point of the town).

This doesn’t cover every street - the fringes of the town close to the wall are left pretty much un-patrolled - but covers most of the important locations and businesses in Morr’s Seat.

The patrols eat on the hoof (cold rations, supplemented by the occasional free lunch extracted form the locals), and rotate beats once or twice a day. They seem fairly confident of their own safety; unless there’s an incident for them to deal with, they spend most of their day idly standing or walking around, occasionally checking in on local businesses or randomly stopping and questioning people they think look suspicious (or perhaps just for fun).

2. The gate sentry spends most of their time in one of the small wooden watchtowers that flank the gate. These are little more than rain-shelters and don’t offer any protection against an arrow in the back from the inside of the wall (except elevation). They do wear their armour on duty however, and it would be difficult to approach close to them without being noticed (since you’d have to come up onto the parapet of the wall). They do also have a good view over the inside of the town. They change shifts around noon; Bardhyl notices they have a small brass clarion that changes hands when they change shifts, presumably to signal back to the hall if they want to raise the alarm.

3. Roza informs you that the Iron Company have their local ‘help’ serve two square meals in the hall per day - usually something like bread and stew. Every soldier not on patrol duty can eat, but sometimes the off-duty soldiers choose to eat elsewhere.

4. The movements of the off-duty soldiers aren’t particularly predictable. Some of them like to stick to their own and spend most of their free time up at the hall; others go down into the town, although usually in groups of two or more, and usually still armed with a shortsword or dagger. Since Orso’s taking charge they rarely get very drunk, but they still throw their weight around in imposing on the locals’ hospitality. They never leave the town itself.

Their attempts to observe the night watch arrangements outside the hall were less successful. With almost no people on the streets, Bardhyl’s men couldn’t help but look conspicuous. Catching sight of their skulking watchers in the moonlight, the soldiers called out and tried to accost them. The outlaws had beat a quick retreat into the shadows of the night.

On the evening of Festag, Wadim spread the call to meet. Marjan’s was too public - instead, they gathered in the cave-crypt under the forge, where the old man had first taken Bardhyl to broach the subject of rebellion. So as not to arouse suspicion, the conspirators were brought there one by one, so as not to arouse suspicion. Bardhyl arrived last.

There were nine faces waiting for him down there in the dark, crammed into the narrow crevices in the rocks. A couple of dark lanterns gave just enough light to see by, without giving away their presence to watchers above ground. Their light glimmered off the bones and blades of the chiefs, resting in the alcoves above their heads.

Bardhyl counted off the faces that he knew. There was Wadim, of course, and Danut the smith. Valmir was there, with two other men who from their scars looked like veterans of Rorik’s battles. There was a grizzled man in shepherd’s clothes, with sideburns bushier than most men’s beards, and a younger woman beside him - Bardhyl blinked as he recognised Senka, her hunting bow strung over her back. Finally, an old woman with snow-white hair and a deeply-lined face sat in the corner, regarding Bardhyl with keen, dark eyes. Roza wasn’t among them - Wadim said that she could be sent for once Bardhyl gave the word.

“I think we all know why we’re here,” said the Raven Speaker, in his usual manner. “Why don’t we begin by introducing ourselves?” He grinned, his teeth gleaming through the gloom. “I’d start, but I think you all know me already.”


The others gave their names, quickly and quietly. The men with Valmir were called Jakov and Zef. The old shepherd was Shkodran, of the Ostok clan. The old woman was called Vjolka.

“Each of us gathered here speaks for more than just themselves,” said Wadim. “Between us all, we can muster fifty fighting men and women within these walls - that's if we count young Bardhyl’s friends from out of town.” He nodded to Vjolka. “And, if we're willing to risk those not of fighting age… twenty or thirty more. We have weapons to hand for twenty-five or thirty of our fifty, and more stashed outside the walls - given time, we could bring in enough for all.” He looked to Bardhyl. “The burning question is, what do we mean to do with them?”

---

Sieghard, 20th Sommerzeit

Sussman gave Sieghard a guarded look. “Well, of course, what his Highness wants. I’m just a humble, loyal steward.”

He cast a glance back at the camp. “I’ve sent word to the city for reinforcements. Most people down here don't have too many dealings with the Prince’s law. I think when they see his soldiers, some of them might sing a different tune.”

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

“Well, of course, what his Highness wants. I’m just a humble, loyal steward.”

"Oh, I wasn't doubting that," Sieghard said, trying to sound sympathetic "I was asking more about how you'll manage it. Saying you'll do as he wants is easy. It's actually doing it that's the hard part. And I've found even after you manage that, there's usually more to come after."

“I’ve sent word to the city for reinforcements. Most people down here don't have too many dealings with the Prince’s law. I think when they see his soldiers, some of them might sing a different tune.”

"Just some?" he asked. He paused, pretending it was the first time he had considered that. "I suppose men will do reckless things if they think the only other choice is starving. That lot is certainly stubborn enough to try it." He paused. "Better to find an answer before it comes to that if you ask me. Leave it to the soldiers and maybe you'll get the grain, but things'll just be harder next month when there's less to eat and more anger. I wonder... If you can't convince people when you're taking food out of their mouths, would it be easier with the man you're giving the food to?"

[LCP]

Sieghard, 20th Sommerzeit

Sussman raised his eyebrows at Sieghard. "Are you volunteering?" he asked.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"He wouldn't listen to me even if I was," Sieghard replied. " 'What do you know about Manaan's Keep? Worry about your own lands, Sieghard.' "

"It's the reality of the situation we're in, though... Both of us. Even if we do everything we can to follow the Prince's order, in time there'll be nothing left to send. You know the situation here better than I do. Am I wrong?"

"Better to deal with that now while there's still something to give him than let the problem fester," he continued after Sussman had answered. "I'm sure he'll be angry either way, but you know what Manaan's Keep can spare. His anger will be less if each month you can say you're doing all that's possible than if one month you're suddenly able to do nothing at all to meet his demand. Gods willing, it may even help to avoid rioting."

Spoiler

Show

I feel like there's probably a bit more to hammer out in this conversation, but I'll throw in Sieghard's charm roll now to try to get Sussman on board.

(1d100)[27] vs 54 Charm +10? (would Schemer apply?)
(1d100)[18] Sieghard still has one unused FP reroll.

[LCP]

Sieghard, 20th Sigmarzeit

Sussman slowed his pace, and looked hard at Sieghard.

"Didn't you just tell me we were up the same creek?" he said. He'd lowered his voice, as if wary of being overheard. "That you'd help if you could, but things in the Thornwood were the same as they are here? I mean, if I misunderstood, and you can help us out here, then obviously I'd be delighted. Over the moon. Jumping for joy." He leaned in closer, lowering his voice still further. "But it does sound to me like you're asking me to stick my neck out for something you want. Am I wrong?"

[-Sentinel-]

“Won’t be a problem committing it to memory,” he continued. “It’s no bardic lay. And if I have need to rewrite it, I won’t use mannish letters.”

"Good idea. I doubt anyone working against us knows Dwarven runes."

Elsa unrolled a fresh piece of parchment and began writing a letter. "You'll deliver this to Savonne whenever you get there. To the Prince if he's there and will receive you; to Al-Makir if not. I think Sforza is in the best position to help me with this part of the ritual."

In her letter to her employer, Elsa requested a small cartload of books to burn as part of her ritual—around thirty ought to do it. She stressed that quantity mattered more than quality, and therefore that poorly-preserved and moldy volumes, printed novels, and outdated tax records were perfectly acceptable for her purposes, and even preferable to more valuable tomes of knowledge. I trust there are enough such books in the castle, she wrote, but if you need to look elsewhere, it may be best to let the owners decide which books they are most willing to part from. I do not wish to be the bane of Savonne's booksellers.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Something I'd think we both would want," Sieghard said. "This is one way that we could help each other - It wouldn't be only your neck."

[LCP]

Sieghard, 20th Sommerzeit

Sussman paused for a while in reflection. "Well," he said, "if it's not just me we're talking about... it's something I'd consider."

"Of course, his Highness is a smart man. He's not going to let himself be cheated out of his taxes unless he believes there's a good reason." He looked back at the camp again. "It would help if it didn't look like we were folding to the demands of a revolt. And if we had Lord Valdes on our side. If I put my name to this without him, it would look like I was going over his head."

[rax]

Bardhyl, 19th Sommerzeit

On the evening of Festag, Wadim spread the call to meet. Marjan’s was too public - instead, they gathered in the cave-crypt under the forge, where the old man had first taken Bardhyl to broach the subject of rebellion. So as not to arouse suspicion, the conspirators were brought there one by one, so as not to arouse suspicion. Bardhyl arrived last.

There were nine faces waiting for him down there in the dark, crammed into the narrow crevices in the rocks. A couple of dark lanterns gave just enough light to see by, without giving away their presence to watchers above ground. Their light glimmered off the bones and blades of the chiefs, resting in the alcoves above their heads.

Bardhyl counted off the faces that he knew. There was Wadim, of course, and Danut the smith. Valmir was there, with two other men who from their scars looked like veterans of Rorik’s battles. There was a grizzled man in shepherd’s clothes, with sideburns bushier than most men’s beards, and a younger woman beside him - Bardhyl blinked as he recognised Senka, her hunting bow strung over her back. Finally, an old woman with snow-white hair and a deeply-lined face sat in the corner, regarding Bardhyl with keen, dark eyes. Roza wasn’t among them - Wadim said that she could be sent for once Bardhyl gave the word.

“I think we all know why we’re here,” said the Raven Speaker, in his usual manner. “Why don’t we begin by introducing ourselves?” He grinned, his teeth gleaming through the gloom. “I’d start, but I think you all know me already.”

The others gave their names, quickly and quietly. The men with Valmir were called Jakov and Zef. The old shepherd was Shkodran, of the Ostok clan. The old woman was called Vjolka.

“Each of us gathered here speaks for more than just themselves,” said Wadim. “Between us all, we can muster fifty fighting men and women within these walls - that's if we count young Bardhyl’s friends from out of town.” He nodded to Vjolka. “And, if we're willing to risk those not of fighting age… twenty or thirty more. We have weapons to hand for twenty-five or thirty of our fifty, and more stashed outside the walls - given time, we could bring in enough for all.” He looked to Bardhyl. “The burning question is, what do we mean to do with them?”

Bardhyl rose to his feet and nodded in acknowledgement to the others. "The answer to that, I think, is straightforward enough - we take back our town, then the Hills, and we do it the vrani way, like Mavros once did. No shield walls or push of pike - we do it from ambush, striking when the men in the hall are most vulnerable," he began.

"We know the garrison's movements, we know when they change shifts, and we know when they eat, drink, and sleep. I have the makings of a plan that builds on all those advantages, but it requires the we use every resource we have available, including the young and the old. There's nothing like being trapped and outnumbered to make a soldier think carefully about how willing he is to lay down his life for some coin and two square meals a day. That's even more true if he's sick with the runs when he's surrounded and staring at the sharp end of a spear," he said with a wicked grin.

"I have someone on the inside who's willing to do her part to make the last bit happen, but she wants to be here to hear the plan and see who else is willing to risk themselves to get rid of the Tileans. What say you? I know you're all taking a risk just by being here - shall I send word to bring her to hear the plan in detail?"

OOC: I've assumed from Wadim's speech that Bardhyl didn't need to introduce himself or make the case for why they should listen to him.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Not cheated," Sieghard corrected, "I wouldn't suggest anything like that. But if there's no food, it can hardly be called cheating if we can't collect it for him. Just look at the fields," he said, doing exactly that. "Maybe a few more scraps could be collected with more men to strong arm them away from the farmers, but would it even be enough? And would those men still be around when the farmers grow truly desperate?"

"Would bargaining be better than folding?" he asked. "You certainly have to send the Prince something. Maybe they could be convinced to go back to their farms if they were given assurance that they won't be made to starve. You said there's still going to be a harvest in the top part of the Vale, didn't you?"

[LCP]

Bardhyl, 19th Sommerzeit

The conspirators looked around at one another, waiting for anybody to speak up. No-one seemed to object. Wadim nodded to Jakov, who got up and went out in search of Roza. It took him about ten minutes to return.

Roza looked nervous but in control of herself. Holding her woollen shawl tight against the night's chill, she looked around from face to face, taking in each of them in turn. Wadim gave her his most reassuring smile.

"Welcome to our little gathering," he said. "Young Bardhyl said you wanted proof of our strength. Well - here we are."

Roza took a long moment before responding. "Nine?" she said. "There's nine of you?"

Wadim laughed. "No, miss Roza," he said. "Each of us here speaks for more than just ourselves. Isn't that right?"

At his cue, each of the assembled conspirators piped up with how many they could speak for. Bardhyl could see Roza doing the sums in her head, and was relieved to see she looked impressed.

"So," said Wadim, "now that we're all here - Bardhyl, perhaps you'd favour us with your plan?"

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Correct - they wouldn't be here if Wadim hadn't already recruited them to the cause. Bardhyl might still want to make a good impression though - the fact that they're willing to rebel against the occupation doesn't necessarily mean they trust him as a leader yet, or don't have ambitions of their own.

---

Sieghard, 20th Sommerzeit

Sussman sounded a little exasperated now. "I've been bargaining, Lord Sieghard. For days! You think some vague promises to ask a question to which I don't know the answer is going to budge them? If you were them, how much trust would you put in Prince Sforza's future mercy?"

He took a deep breath. "Look, if you want to ask for relief, I'm on board. I'll write to Lord Valdes, and together maybe the three of us can petition Savonne. But that'll take time - more than we have until this tax is due. And the Prince knows about this uprising. If I don't deliver, you know how he'll see it. He's not going to listen to me if he thinks I'm being pushed around by peasants."

"If you have a weak hand, you play it when you're strongest. The Iron Company should be here in a few days. Then I can give that lot over there the choice - pay what they owe now, and we work to make it less in future. Or else..." he shrugged "...have it taken. They're trying to call our bluff. We can't be afraid to call theirs."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Maybe you're right," Sieghard said, not liking it, "But better that it not come to that. The Iron Company might have no problem taking what they want and cutting down whoever thinks to stop them, but the prince won't keep them long. The other soldiers in town are mostly from here and those farmers are their friends and neighbors... maybe even kin for some. If there's anything more solid you can offer the farmers, that's better than forcing those men to think about their loyalties."

[LCP]

Sieghard, 20th Sommerzeit

Sussman clapped his hand to his forehead. "Of course!" he said. "Something solid. Well, now you say it like that, let me just have a good old rummage in my big bag of treats and see what I've got!"

Dropping the act, he gave Sieghard a long stare.

"I've got nothing they want. They want food, and if I had food, I wouldn't be having to take their food. You understand?" He set his jaw, compressing his lips into a thin line. "You and me, Lord Sieghard, we've both got pretty far riding Sforza's wagon. Sometimes, he's going to ask us to take things from people who don't want to give them over. But unless we want to get off that wagon, which I don't think we do, we've got to take them all the same. That's all there is to it."

Turning back to his horse, he heaved himself awkwardly back up into the saddle. He clearly wasn't a natural horseman.

"Trust me, my lord - I'm not a man of violence. It won't come to that on my watch. But sometimes, you've got to show people you're serious." Getting his feet in the stirrups, he looked back south towards Manann's Keep. "I'll see you back in the town, yes?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard had meant something solid in terms of concessions rather than something physical, but kept quiet. Quibbling over things like that wouldn't get him anywhere... Nor would voicing just how much he had been considering that he might need to 'get off that wagon'

"Yeah," he said, "I won't be long behind you."

Spoiler

Show

I imagine it wouldn't really be possible for the Iron Company to reach Manaan's Keep without crossing Sieghard's path. Let's say he stays here until morning before heading back north. I feel like someone's going to need to be present to avoid bloodshed, but I've also held up the others long enough. He'll let Hanna know that he intends to return before anything can happen involving the Iron Company, but if he's unable to and it does come down to violence against civilians, the Thorns aren't to be any part of it.

[rax]

Bardhyl, 20th Sommerzeit

The conspirators looked around at one another, waiting for anybody to speak up. No-one seemed to object. Wadim nodded to Jakov, who got up and went out in search of Roza. It took him about ten minutes to return.

Roza looked nervous but in control of herself. Holding her woollen shawl tight against the night's chill, she looked around from face to face, taking in each of them in turn. Wadim gave her his most reassuring smile.

"Welcome to our little gathering," he said. "Young Bardhyl said you wanted proof of our strength. Well - here we are."

Roza took a long moment before responding. "Nine?" she said. "There's nine of you?"

Wadim laughed. "No, miss Roza," he said. "Each of us here speaks for more than just ourselves. Isn't that right?"

At his cue, each of the assembled conspirators piped up with how many they could speak for. Bardhyl could see Roza doing the sums in her head, and was relieved to see she looked impressed.

"So," said Wadim, "now that we're all here - Bardhyl, perhaps you'd favour us with your plan?"

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Correct - they wouldn't be here if Wadim hadn't already recruited them to the cause. Bardhyl might still want to make a good impression though - the fact that they're willing to rebel against the occupation doesn't necessarily mean they trust him as a leader yet, or don't have ambitions of their own.

"Thank you Raven Speaker. A few nights ago, I spoke to Roza here to learn all I could of the Tileans' routines inside the hall, and over the past few days, my men and I have been watching their patrols and the gate sentry to learn their routines outside the hall," he began.

"We now know the following: Orso has his men divided into three squads of ten. At any given time during the day, two are on duty and the soldiers in the third are free to go where they please. Some stay up at the hall, some go down into town. The squad which is tasked with patrolling does so in three squads of three, and the tenth man stands guard at the gate. The second squad on duty stays up at the hall, training and or doing whatever work Orso requires of them."

"We know that the Tileans confine themselves to patrolling the streets nearest the gate, around the great hall, and the streets behind the hall leading up to the forge. We know which routes they typically take and when they switch beats. We know that the gate guard changes at noon and the guard always has a brass clarion on hand which they can use to raise the alarm."

"With our superior numbers, we would have little difficulty ambushing the patrols in the streets and bringing down the gate sentry, but that would still leave Orso in control of the hall with the balance of his forces on hand to hold it and all the food and other "taxes" he has stored there. So, I had to devise a means to knock him and as many of his men out of the game at the same time."

"Roza has helpfully informed me that the Tileans' local helpers prepare and serve two square meals a day in the hall - usually something like bread and stew. Every soldier not on patrol duty can eat, though sometimes off-duty soldiers choose to eat elsewhere. Even so, at least ten men will be eating that stew."

"I propose that we make the Tileans a meal they'll never forget - one with enough spoiled meat in it that anyone who eats it will be ****ting themselves within the hour. While the meal is being prepared, we use part of our forces to set up ambushes for the three patrols and make ready to take out the gate sentry. The rest of our fighters will wait near the hall, ready to rush it once the sign is given."

"This is where you come in Roza. Besides making sure the meat goes in the pot, I need you to come out and signal our forces at the hall once the Tileans have started getting sick. As soon as we get the signal, we send runners to the groups waiting to ambush the patrols and the gate guard, then we storm the hall, quickly and quietly, and catch Orso with his breeches down."

"Meanwhile, our fighters in town do their part. It's important that the sentry is the first to fall. He's got a good view of the town and can alert the patrols and the off-duty soldiers with that clarion of his, and we need to secure the gate so that none of the Tileans can escape. Since the sentry is going to be in the same place the whole time, taking him out first should not be difficult."

"Once our ambushers have surrounded the patrols, we offer them surrender, but if they won't take it, they die. Any survivors will be placed under guard while runners go to the hall and report. If all has gone well at the hall, we will have plenty of men to scour the town for any off-duty soldiers who weren't there. If things aren't settled yet, the ambushers will start the search themselves - once they see which way the wind is blowing, I suspect many of the townsfolk will be glad to help, so the numbers will still be on our side," Bardhyl finished.

"And in case you're wondering, my men and I have pulled off similar tricks many times before, though admittedly on a smaller scale," he said with grin. "There are still some issues that need to be resolved if the plan is going to work, though. First, we will need to move our people into position well ahead of time, probably the night before. Hiding this many men will require the cooperation of the townspeople. Is that likely to be a problem?" he asked the assembled leaders.

"Second, to take the hall, I think we will need about thirty fighters. The remainder, including those not of fighting age, will be split into roughly equally sized squads to ambush the patrols and the sentry, though the gate squad will probably benefit from being smaller but with more experienced men. But even with our people in place, there's the matter of arming them all. You spoke of weapons stashed outside the town. Is there any way we can bring them in ahead of time without them being detected?"

"Third - and most important - there's you, Roza. Now you've heard what I'm thinking - are you up for it?" he asked the young woman.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Does making a good impression require a Charm test?

[LCP]

Bardhyl, 19th Sommerzeit

Roza took a deep breath, and nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me," she said. "I'm in." Wadim smiled; Valmir and his two companions grinned like wolves.

"A plan and a half," said Valmir. "Lowlanders won't know what hit them."

"You won't have any trouble finding your hiding-places," said Vjolka. "Most of them who's fighting for you live inside the wall. And them inside that aren't, they want revenge just the same."

"We may need those hiding-places earlier than the day of the attack," said Wadim. "It'll take a few days to bring in all the weapons, if we don't want to give the game away. Probably best to stash them where each group is going to gather."

Danut, meanwhile, had raised his hand. "I've got a question," said the smith. "Suppose this all goes to plan. What happens next?" He looked around at the others. "I don't doubt we can take Orso and his men, with a good plan - and it is good. But there's a lot more where they came from. What happens when the Prince marches up here with the rest of them? Or his deputy in Alvarran?""

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

It can't hurt!

---

Sieghard & Urgrim, 21st Sommerzeit

Sieghard was leaving the fort on the morning of Aubentag when he saw a pair of familiar figures in the square, outside the Star of Marienburg. Urgrim and Tatiana looked to have just arrived, and were bargaining with the stable-keeper of the inn when they caught sight of Sieghard. Sieghard rode over to them, his own massive horse rather dwarfing Urgrim's mule and Tattie's pony.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

I'm going to assume Urgrim's arrival doesn't change Sieghard's plans to head back to Painford.

Assuming Urgrim doesn't drop everything to follow him, Thragka if you can give me your Gossip roll + any other investigation rolls you want to make in Manann's Keep, I can give you the results for the following day.

---

Marktag, 22nd Sommerzeit

Sieghard, Ludo & Jarla

Two full days on the road brought Sieghard back to Painford late on the evening of Marktag. There he found Ludo and Jarla waiting for him in his manor. He'd spotted no Iron Company men on the road, and there were none in the village; if a response to Sussman's request was coming, it must still have been on the road from Savonne.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard & Urgrim, 21st Sommerzeit

Sieghard watched the pair for a moment to make sure it really was them (which didn't take long - there weren't many dwarves in the Reaches outside of Savonne) and then made his way directly over.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, "I wasn't expecting to see the two of you again so soon. Is Elsa with you?"

Sieghard, Ludo & Jarla, 22nd Sommerzeit

"Glad to see you're back, Ludo. Everything went well, I hope." Jarla's presence was a surprise, though not an unwelcome one. He let the two of them recount events in Savonne before explaining what had happened in Manaan's Keep. "I've tried all I can think of, but they won't budge. You know as well as I do how things'll end if it cant be sorted before the Iron Company arrives."

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo, Sieghard, Jarla, 22nd
Ludo told Sieghard about the events in Savonne and the north plainly. "My plan is to try and start selling timber as soon as I can. Gather everyone in town tomorrow, get volunteers to start chopping and transporting wood."

"After the next full moon, I'm going to Arrow Heap again. Find out more about what's happening there, and cut a deal with them - they give us people to cut and send the wood, we cut them in on the food."

He sighed. "It might not be the Iron Company heading south. In Arrow Heap... I think the Ogres ate someone. That was what one of the Tileans implied."

[RossN]

Ludo, Sieghard, Jarla, 22nd

Jarla shuddered at the news the Ogres were beginning to eat people, but felt she had to stay on track. "What about Irene? I think we'll have to get rid of her very soon or she'll get rid of you too Ludo and of Elsa. I don't think I can string her along for much longer and if she starts distrusting me we won't have much early warning."

[rax]

Bardhyl, 19th Sommerzeit

Danut, meanwhile, had raised his hand. "I've got a question," said the smith. "Suppose this all goes to plan. What happens next?" He looked around at the others. "I don't doubt we can take Orso and his men, with a good plan - and it is good. But there's a lot more where they came from. What happens when the Prince marches up here with the rest of them? Or his deputy in Alvarran?"

Bardhyl nodded approvingly at Danut's question. "That's a fair question, and it's true - dealing with the garrison is the easy part. As it happens, I have some ideas for what comes next. A lot will depend on how our coup here goes, but as far as the Prince and his deputy are concerned, we must maintain the initiative. We need to bring the fight to them, on our terms. I'm confident we can work something out on that front once we're done with our current business."

"I'm sure of one thing, though - we won't be able to win this by ourselves. Our supply situation isn't the best and we don't have enough trained fighters, so we need allies who'll stand with us against the Prince. Fortunately, he's squeezing the common folk all over the Reaches, and it's only a matter of time before others start getting the same ideas as we have. That's why I believe our next target must be Shepherd's Valley - only this time, we come as friends. We need the people to fight with us and we'll all do better if we share supplies."

"If we can take the Valley and Alvarran from the Prince, we'll have cut off a large part of his food supply and we'll have control over one of the main trade routes in the Reaches. We'll also be holding one of the strongest fortresses in the land and we'll have shown people everywhere that the Tilean can be beaten. He'll fight, of course, but if we've taken Alvarran, he'll be doing it without Carraciolo and his troops, and we'll have the Karst, the Giant's Teeth and all of the Valley between him and the Hills," Bardhyl concluded with a wicked grin.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Ze Charm test (1d100)[79] vs. 68 (Fel 58, Charm +10)

And a re-roll if needed: (1d100)[61]

Edit: Yup, definitely needed that re-roll...