Bay 12 Games Forum

Well, we're leaving with those men, one way or another. A small village has needs, iron goods, beer, clothing, so let's make a deal for the men that we need. If that fails, simply tell him that his village is still a part of the kingdom, and he is required to gather said militia. Either way, let's move on to more important matters.

hold off on offering him knighthood until we have the rat verify his story.

Meh, the irony is that if he were a more dangerous man, he'd be better material for knighthood. Knights were not village administators but specifically granted land in order to arm themselves for war. This guy simply isn't bloodthirsty enough.

This guy is a real downer, isn't he? Utter sad sack. I dub thee King Eeyore.

First: Share some sympathy. Stone has a family, he can guess what that must have been like.

Yeah, Stone's an orphan actually. Lost his family to a different sickness before he joined the war. He can rightly say he's lost loved ones in a plague. The rest of GWGs questions.

Heheh, Origami, I'm just taking the piss. In reality, I think your intelligence must be several levels beyond me, since I still don't entirely follow you.

You're a wonderful guy, Origami, with a lot to live for. This talk of splitting your brain is alarming and utterly premature. Hopefully you'll reconsider?

Anyway, I'll be travelling for a good part of this week, so I'm going to speculate on tactics a bit further on.

This turn, Percival and Denton should be on the move toward Curbiston. Meanwhile we are negotiating with BK. Say then that we get BK on our side, we meet up at Curbiston, and rush down to crush the new raider settlement before it is properly established and defended. The Duke can't leave before he feels safe on the homefront. Hopefully Count Zanders and Gorgan also converge on Torchester.

Here's the more uncertain part. Fallsberg is near a large waterfall, so I assume that it's inland on the main river. The raider settlement is basically the coastal supply point. While the Duke oversees the gathering of a relief forces, we enter the region between Fallsberg and RS. The raiders probably have a great deal of supplies being carted up that corridor. We harrass them for a bit and, perhaps, recapture one or more of the strongpoints between Fallsberg and RS. The raiders have to peel away enough troops to engage us and re-establish their supply, but not enough to allow their siege lines to grow porous. It's a balancing act for them, and the result weakens them at the siege and in chasing us.

Finally, the Duke will arrive, and we take the RS from them. They will have to fight us somewhere between Fallsberg and the sea on a ground of our choosing. Otherwise, they are cut off. Unless the circumstances change, we don't want to ever fight a battle at Fallsberg, where the King has only a small and beleaguered force to join us and the enemy is undividedly strong. It's better to use their siege to split up their forces.

Wherein Feroshire is assaulted from the River, and how Sam Stone gains Vengeance; The Invasion of the Sea Raiders and the Inaction of Count Foles.

---

Good turn. Happy GM. Well done, everyone.

The rider didn't have time for a count of the enemy troops, but he says they stretched around the entire settlement in a thick band of tents and banners. The Duke's capital is the largest city you've ever seen outside of the King's, for reference.

Year 5, September

Immediately, you send off riders to all the nearby Lords, the Mayor of Carshire, and three riders to the King warning them of what your rider has told you. You have the scribe draw several likenesses of banners for the note to the King, and explain that you plan on taking your forces downstream shortly in order to harass the enemy supplies. The riders are off, and that is that.

With the harvest fast approaching, you feel your people beginning to grow uneasy. The refugees continue to trickle in, and you decide that you will send the women, including Marna, upstream to the Abbey. You tell Alan that he is to lead this expedition, and privately explain that if things get hairy, he is to spirit Marna away to the King's court. He agrees to this, and quickly moves to lead the women away from the town. You bid Marna farewell, and tell her to care for your child. She nods stoically, and tells you to watch out for yourself.

You spend the next two days calling up the levy, arming the remaining men as best as you can with crude halberds, bows, and fur armor. In total, there are around another 140 men of fighting age, eighty of which fight with the bow and sixty of which wield the halberd.

The next morning, you gather all of the men, preparing to give a rousing speech before starting to prepare your defenses. You have a great speech in mind, full of tawdry jokes and challenges towards the refugees to take up arms and join your levies. You gather in the town square, which is packed full of your soldiers and levy, when suddenly an alarm goes up.

The gate is flung open, and a group of your Rangers tears into the town, yelling a warning. Six longboats are headed up the river, and are only just behind the Rangers. Your stomach drops. All of your men are behind the palisade. The farms, the barracks, your manor, the mines... these are all unprotected. Your only consolidation is that your forces aren't spread out. But if you let the riverboats past your lands, the womenfolk are only a few days travel north of your town, and likely not to the abbey yet.

What will you do? You had grand plans for river chains, ballista, and riding out to harass the enemy, but the situation has evolved rapidly.

Roleplaying, go!

---

Quick question: Did we institute that impromptu navy at least? Because they need to very much fucking delay those longboats at least until we can get archers to assault them.'

Nope. You had grand plans. You rolled a 1. Raiders pre-empted nearly all your plans.

Let's get our archers down to riverside, behind buildings, in riverside woods, behind fences. Deployed in a dispersed fashion and not visible. Our advantage is that they are bundled up in packed ships, while our archers can spread out and be a difficult target from range. The halberdier levies we keep back for when the landfall point is determined, then they rush foward to knock the bastards back into the river.

The levy archers should have some lanterns or make small fires where they position themselves, small strips of wool torn from their clothes or capes and daubed in oil, and stick them to their arrowheads, if possible. They are to set fire to the longboats.

Our trained retinue of rangers, archers, and halberdiers are a flying squadron. When the trap is sprung, the archers can race to add their arrows to the volley, and we and our halberdiers can race to the landfall point to hold the disembarkers till the levy halberdiers join us.

We want them to feel confident enough to come close to the town, well into bowshot, fire their ships, hold their disembarkers till our levy led by Finn can rush up to throw them back into the river.

You spring into action, ensuring that all of the recently called up levy is armed properly, which for the most part they are. You below out orders, interspersing a few seasoned men among the levies to put them in good form, but retaining a strong core of your experienced soldiers to strike a hammer blow.

Acting quickly, you order strips of wool and garments to be cut, and supplied to each Archer. They also are to be supplied with a small lantern, candle, or torch. You bellow out for the Archers to spread themselves along the banks, behind fences, up in the watch towers, on small hillocks, and wherever else they will be difficult to hit. They are to try to set the boats aflame and force them to decamp downstream from the town. Your men scurry about, with the trained soldiers ensuring that your levy goes quickly but doesn't panic.

You form up your Halberdiers, a total of 80 men, inside the town, and explain that they will drive the enemy back into the river. The men seem to take heart at your bold and decisive action, and a sense of confidence runs through them.

As the Archers rush about, you pull aside one of the Rangers that gave the warning, and ask him how many men each boat held. He notes that they were shallow drafted river-craft, and he can't imagine more than twenty men being on each of them.

You nod, steeling yourself, and yelling for someone to help you into your armor. The battle will be coming shortly.

***

A flaming arrow arcs out into the river, sailing down onto the first longboat that has come into view. It thuds into the side, blackening the wood around it as a stout, bearded man leans over and attempts to bat out the flames. At this signal, a huge volley of arrows erupts from the banks, ripping into the longboats. From your position atop a hill just short of the town, you see several leather-clad men keel over in the assault.

The flames fail to catch the boats aflame, but the attention of the raiders has been drawn. You see the longboats angle over towards the shore, and you hear a guttural war-cry rising from them. You glance behind you at the eighty-odd Halberdiers tucked out of sight behind the hill. You sit astride your destrier, sword in your hilt, ready to command the battle. Your archers start to skirmish backwards, remaining out of range as several score of crude throwing axes fly towards the shore.

Your plan seems to be working. What will be your next step?


Let the peasant archers do their work still, but deploy our horse-mounted archer and ranger retinue to an area on the riverbank downstream of these craft, to give them withering crossfire and an inability to set their shields against the fire. When the craft are beaching, we and our horse-mounted halberdiers ride out to hit them while they are struggling in the shallows and trying to disembark and form up. This action will further delay them, and Finn leads the peasant levy over the hill and relieves us.

I imagine most of our peasant archers being slightly upstream of the boats, we racing out with our dragoons in the center, Finn marching behind us, while our dragoon archers are hitting them from the downstream angle.

Your levy archers continue to pepper the boats with fire, falling back in a skirmishing line to draw the enemy towards your forces. You give a gruff order to your Rangers and Archers to mount up, and ride downstream, swinging around to provide flanking fire after the enemy splashes ashore.

Turning to Finn, you tell him to march at the head of the levy halberdiers, and you will lead the mounted Halberdiers to confront the enemy as they struggle out of the shallows. Finn nods, and turns to take charge of the levy.

Some of your levy archers are being felled by flying axes, and you grit your teeth in anger. Unfortunately, the river at this point is quite deep nearly to the banks, so you begin to ride forward with the mounted Halberdiers as the first of the longboats beaches itself around ten paces from the banks.

You arrive in time, dismounting and forming up into a block, with you dismounted to one side with your sword and shield drawn. You get your first up-close view of the men spilling from the longboats, and are impressed by their stature. They are short, but strongly built, and they wield wicked hooked axes.

Several are felled by your Archers and Rangers as they disembark, but they are so close to the banks that only a few arrows land home before the melee is enjoined. Your disciplined Halberdiers perform brilliantly, keeping the wildly swinging axmen at a distance and cutting them down with a predjudice. You easily slay a few undisciplined opponents, not even taking a shot off of your formidable plate armor.

In a few short seconds, the men off the first boat begin to rout, and splash back towards their boats. You hold your block of Halberdiers tight, and the fleeing men are cut down by arrows from your Archers and Rangers. The first boat remains empty, beached near the banks of the river.

A second boat arrives, its men clearly less enthusiastic as they disembark and stumble through the shallows towards your men. The results are nearly as fantastic, with a few of your Halberdiers falling, but your block holds and you drive them off. You only manage to kill one of the bastards, this time, but they are slain as they retreat just like the first boat.

With a moment to pause, you see that a third boat landed, but was met by the large force of levy halberdiers and likewise driven off. The remaining three boats, you see, have turned back, and are heading back downstream. As a few remaining arrows splash into the river as they pull out of range, you raise your sword and lead your men in a throaty cheer. You have seen the raiders off competently, and your lands remain untouched.

Does this change your plans, or would you like to still ride out to harass the invaders? Should you wait for a response from the other Knights? Or will you hunker down and await word from the King?

That first boat is empty and we're right here. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? If we get us and ten good archers in that boat, we can chase them downriver for good measure

Let's give them to understand our mettle, and show them that they are not the only wolves in this land. Grab the longboats, grab our felucca.

Just to be clear, there may be upwards of 60 warriors in those three boats.

Unless I read that wrong, we also killed everyone on the other two boats, so we have three of their craft. If we follow them at a two hour's delay, we would go in fully loaded boats and our felluca, since speed is no longer a factor. As many as 70 men.

They probably don't expect the usual sheep and peasants around here that they've been slaughtering to give chase even after a victory, so they'll feel safe after putting some distance between us. They'll make camp, tend their wounded, etc. We'll spot these campfires and hit them again, for good measure.

This time, I would recommend our boats dropping us and 30 halberdiers off on whichever bank we see the campfires in the distance, then they float out to where the boats are, anchoring midstream there, and launch fire arrows into the lightly guarded boats, setting them ablaze. That will be our cue to rush into the camp as the vikings panic and run to douse their ships.

I bet they've never had the people around here actually fight back. They'll be in their nightshirts, confused, running about.

Let's dash off this letter to our friendliest neighbors:

"To Sirs Denton and Percival, greetings and grave tidings,

My dear sirs, I am honored to have been granted your friendship over the years, and now must draw upon your goodwill to request that you come to Feroshire with such fighting men as you are able to spare. No doubt you have seen the women and children streaming past your lands of late, including my own dear wife heavy with child. Yet unknown to you and any other god-fearing man beyond my fief, the first of many victories against a strange host has been won this day. I write this letter with blood on my surcoat, having repulsed a formidable invading force of six score or more sea-devils swarming in from the river. The Duke is besieged, this much you know--but the Count is also strangely no avail in protecting those of us upstream. Therefore let us all gather to stand at Feroshire together, or perhaps we shall all fall on our separate fields.

Wishing to remain, Sirs,
Your earnest friend and servant,
Sir Sam Stone, Armigero de Feroshire"


Your blood is up, and you immediately decide that this aggression will not stand. You check on your men, and find that four of your Halberdiers fell in the conflict, as well as two Archers. You instruct Finn to find enough competent levy Halberdiers to bring the number up to 35, and to prepare to depart downstream after them in a few short hours.

You yell out to gather supplies - lanterns and wool - for fire arrows, and instruct your head Ranger to find enough levy archers to fill out the three longboats and your felucca. You tell them to resupply their arrows, because you are going on the hunt.

Rushing off to the town, you find the scribe, and dictate a rousing letter to Sir Denton and Sir Percival, asking them to join their banners to yours, as the Count has failed to act to this mortal threat to the land. You send the letter with riders, and then tell the Council that their number one priority is to get in the harvest. You tell them to press the refugees into service, and to start getting as much food in as possible.

You return within the hour, and find that you have your 35 Halberdiers, along with around 30 Archers and Rangers milling around the boats. Your felucca has been pulled up, as well. You explain your plan to the gathered men: you will head downstream, aiming to catch them when they camp. When you see campfires, you will put the Halberds ashore with you on lead. The boats will anchor midstream, and then begin firing on the camp. When the boats are aflame, you will charge in and put them to death. The archers will stop firing at a specific battle cry from you.

The men seem to grow in stature as they hear your plan, standing straighter, nodding heads. They will not stand for this aggression. You push off a short while later, and begin slipping downstream. The longboats take a few minutes to get used to, but they are just boats with oars in the end.

***

You put ashore 45 minutes after dark, when you spotted a large series of campfires around a bend. You stand with the Halberdiers, watching flaming arrows streak through the night into the camp. You already see one of the boats aflame. You wait for a few minutes, to let the confusion sink in, and then march forward, giving a specific whoop to warn off the Archers.

The battle is brief and bloody. You caught them unawares, apparently, and a giant block of Halberdiers marching into a chaotic camp is a recipe for a slaughter. They were scrambling for cover from the arrows, and were in various states of inebriation and dishevelment. You personally slay three of the crude men, and the fight is over practically before it begins. All three remaining longboats are on fire. There are no captives, but from what you heard during the din of battle, their language is so different from yours it may not have mattered had you captured one of them.

With the bloody business done, you board boats and begin a slow journey back upriver. Progress is slow, but the men's spirits are high: you took no casualties in the butchery.

***

You arrive in the twilight of the morning to find a small host camped outside of Feroshire. Your pulse races, before you make out Sir Denton and Sir Percival's banner. They ride at the head of around 150 men: 50 light cavalry, the rest a mix of spearmen and bows. You greet them warmly, fighting off exhaustion and the call of your bed to confer with them. What will you plan? What is the next step?

First, our forces go to sleep. Second, take Sirs Denton and Percival inside your manor and explain them in detail what happened and all you know (and havent already told them). After that, devise a plan to march on the Count's city and either liberate it (if it's being besieged), or join forces. PS: does anyone though of checking carshire's state?

"We have burned their ships and captured the rest. Their route of escape has taken a vital blow I can assure you, thus they will be routed by land and can not pester via river. Would you like a look at one of the recently killed. These are a different breed of man. Not like ourselves. Short and strong, wearing unkempt beards, and fighting with axes, both throwing them and swinging them. Weapons like the bow and halberd cut them in twain, due to their lack of distance fighting. They speak absolute gibberish so capture is not worth the effort. No quarter, in my opinion."

More Allies: Inquire of these knights if there are others nearby that they can call up through informal entreaties.

Remembrance: Let the honor of our first battle be shared publicly. Call everyone to the town market, thank the levies for fighting, read the names of the fallen levies, tell the crowd that we owe them our freedom and safety, read the names of the fallen retinue members, and remind everyone that we will support the families of fallen retinue with a stipend. Read the names of the grievously wounded and announce that we will give them a medal, which will ensure our patronage in whatever affairs they seek. Introduce the other lords, and give a more rousing speech about how we're gonna kick some arse, then lead everyone in blessing the King.

You tell your men to go rest, and that you will speak with them again in the morning. You invite Sirs Percival and Denton to your manor, and crack open a cask of ale that you have been saving for a worthy occasion. Wearily, you settle down, a fire crackling in your hearth, and tell your two friends what has transpired thus far.

Your friends are impressed by your mettle, and toast your victory. However, they are troubled that the Count let these raiders through his land... although not surprised. Sir Denton does posit, however, that given the timing of the battle, they may have slipped by Curbiston in the night, choosing to avoid such a strongly fortified position. Sir Percival nods, and says that may in fact be a possibility.

When you ask if there are any other nearby Knights they can call upon, they shake their heads. They do recommend getting in contact with Carshire, however, as they generally can provide a sizeable levy of spearmen in a pinch. They also recommend that one of them rides to Curbiston on the morrow, in force, so that they can ascertain what is happening with the Count.

They also express some reservation, saying that the weather will soon become inhospitable for campaigning. An army could only survive in the field for another month or two before the bitter cold of winter began to take a toll.

With that, you retire for the night, saying a prayer for those who fell and one of hope for your wife and unborn child's safety.

***

In the morning, you hold a service of mourning, naming all of the dead amongst your soldiers. You also commend the wounded, and explain that your Steward is commissioning medals to provide to them, that will show that they carry your thanks and favor.

You give a rousing speech, claiming that you have smashed their first advance up the river, and you will smash their next advance, and any more that come thereafter. This is your land, and you you'll make sure that anyone who encroaches on it dies learning that lesson. Your people are heartened, although their mood is still stoic.

Sir Percival rides with a small guard to Curbiston, and you spend the next two days preparing a false townfront downriver for defending the river. With fake buildings, fences, and other pieces of cover for archers. A rider also arrives from Carshire, telling you that they have called up their spearmen, but that they cannot leave their walls undefended and join you at the moment.

Later that week, a small courier boat arrives from Curbiston, bearing Sir Lope. He tells you that he comes on behalf of the Count, to call your levies up. He explains that the Count is battling a fierce episode of gout at the moment, but that he has sent Sir Lope to gather forces to join up with the King in relief of the Duke. You are to bring as many men as you can spare to Curbiston, in order to quickly march on the enemy host.

The month is waning, and it will soon be October and the harvest month. Your harvest is already being pulled in, but there are no extra men to work on your tower and wall at the moment. Will you leave? Do you have any orders for October before you travel off? What comes next for the battle-hardened Sir Samuel Stone?

Actually, scratch meeting Uriel. You know the best way to make sure our abilities are properly used? Show them off. Also, let's pull Alan back from the Abbey. He's itching for some action, I can palpably feel it.

Preparation:Convince Denton and Percival to send their foot soldiers duly to Curbiston, but help us scout southward with their light cavalry while waiting for other lords to muster the remainder of this month. Scouting is a good excuse, and they are more apt to follow our lead than remain with Foles, whom they also dislike. Many of the other lords haven't been planning for this, so it will take them time to respond during such an important season. This means our land force will be about 115 armed mounted men, plus messengers and scouts.

Establishing a Base: We can ask locals and refugees about where the enemy has been and travel faster through relatively safe areas. Find the farthest river-town untouched by raiders, and make that place the base for our scouts and navy to coordinate our probing downstream. If none, then find a safe place to hide some supplies offloaded from the boat, and make this a rendezvous point. Ideally, it would be up a minor tributary river. Then we take our advance slower from there.

Open the Way: On land, scouts on fast horses go a few hours ahead of our main body to find where the enemy scouts are posted, and draw them into pursuit. These appear to aggressively have pursued our earlier messenger, so plan a good ambush along a roadside copse or hedgerow or abandoned village. We ambush them with our dismounted dragoons and our cavalry allies mop up. Then with better knowledge of the lands up ahead, the scouts can give us even closer ambush points to repeat this. We creep closer this way and open the land approaches to deeper scouting.

Scouting the Main Strength: Some well-planned ambushes will put the fear-of-god in their outriders that hunted down our earlier messenger so aggressively, and they'll become more passive to direct scouting of their main encampment. Then we get detailed information on them. We want force strengths and dispositions, where their baggage camp is, how it is supplied, whether they've build siege engines, and of course the status of the city itself.


We're not attempting to attack their main force. Just their outriders, which will be limited in number anyway. Even if they wisen up, that'll hamper their scouting effort, as they become paranoid of ambushes.

Yes. We are utilizing our troops well, creating a group of quality recon troops, able to kill large numbers of off guard or shoddily armored enemies, moving quickly and offensively retreating when possible. We do not have numbers, so we will use tactics

pick off the outriders and display them in horrific poses on a place visible from the enemy camp. Lets go Predator on their asses.

---

Continued Below

Wherein Sir Stone seeks justice at the Duke's Court, and how Count Foles escapes an Inquiry; The blissful Wedding of Sir Stone and Lady Marna

---

I appreciate that the debate remained civil and impassioned. Good job team! And a slight correction of misinformation in the thread... the wool merchant wed one of the Count's nieces, not one of his daughters.

Year 5, February

The month of your birthday rolls around, but you are not concerned with celebration. The latest intrusions into your land have raised your choler, and you decide that now is the time for action.

Strapping on your armor and gathering your longsword and shield, you march to the barracks, where your two prisoners are being kept: the man who initially attempted to assassinate "Sir Rock" last year, and the man who was surveying your land last month. You tell Fin that you need an honor guard of his five best Rangers, and his presence as well, for you are going on a trip upriver to see the Duke.

You and your men, plus the prisoners, board your Felucca and set out, despite the chill in the air. You travel downstream, making good time to the Duke's main holdings. The journey takes three days, and you put aground a few times to stretch your legs and set up camp at night. You arrive at the Duke's capital city at dawn on the fourth day, a sprawling metropolis with a bustling port sitting on a wide estuary.

You dock, and then move your prisoners with haste into the inner city. You arrive at the Duke's castle and make your way inside, requesting and receiving an audience. After a perfunctory greeting, you launch into your tale, weaving the story together masterfully. The Duke furrows his brow, nodding along and grimacing as the two prisoners tell their tales. He winces as you tell of your near "accidental" death during the tournament. When you finish, a hush hangs over the air.

After a moment, he seems to have decided. "Your story is convincing. This wool merchant must be detained, and I will give you a warrant to do so. I fear what he might say regarding Count Foles. I cannot abide treason by one of my vassals. If these allegations and insinuations are corroborated by the wool merchant... well, we will cross that bridge when we get there. I will retain custody of these men for the time being.

"I would also charge you with locating the citizens the wool merchant took hostage to work his latest scheme. I will not abide my subjects being captured and held under my nose.

"That being said, watch your back, Sir Stone. These are troubling times, and it seems that someone is quite intent on ending your life..."

With that, you are dismissed, and are put up in a room for the remainder of the day. Lady Marna pays a visit, and you spend an afternoon with her walking in a frost-covered garden, which she tells you will bloom wonderfully in the spring. A steward arrives with your warrant a few hours later, and you depart first thing in the morning.

You return to your lands half-way through the month, and with a specific mission in mind. The rest of February passes with a strong blizzard, but the weather shows signs of breaking at the end of the month. What will you do in March, and how will you carry out your task?

---

Executive decision time: I'm going to go ahead and lock the thread for a bit, we're just spinning our wheels here and getting off track. Will unlock when I update, probably tonight or tomorrow morning.

... and we're back. I think we were getting a bit out of hand there. Remember, this is a game, and it should be fun. Don't get too worked up about it, and we'll have a good time. And, if I may make a suggestion, it would be to focus more on providing constructive suggestions and less on debating one another ad infinitum.

Year 5, March

With the warrant in hand, you set a few plans in motion. You send a letter to The Rat, asking him to observe the wool merchant's habits, and attempt to arrange a meeting near the Count's docks under false pretenses. You plan on meeting The Rat at the docks in two weeks time, with a small group of soldiers, in order to rightfully imprison the treacherous merchant.

You set your workers to fortifying the area around the mines, putting up some crude earthen berms and sharpened stakes to make the area more defensible. The barracks are fortified in a similar fashion, giving the men some easily defended positions.

The next two weeks, you drill with your men on the arrest, as you see it playing out. You will rush in, guarded by your best Halberdiers and Rangers, and remove the wool merchant cleanly from the city late at night by Felucca. The days tick by, and you find that your skill with a shield has improved due to the constant sparring and drilling.

The set date of your departure comes, and you depart in the morning with eight soldiers on a mild day. Alan and Fin are told to be on high alert at home, and to be wary of any retaliation by the Count. The trip downstream is tense, but you pass the time with simple dice games. The journey would take a day, but you time it so that you arrive late the following afternoon.

You have some pretenses about traveling up towards the Duke's lands for wedding preparations, and you enter a tavern where you agreed to meet The Rat that evening. The man's shadowy figure slips into a booth with you, and he leans in towards you, speaking in low tones.

"The situation has evolved in a most unexpected fashion, M'Lord," he whispers. "It seems as if the Count has arrested the wool merchant on charges of kidnapping. He has... hanged the man without a trial, and his household guard have freed the hostages."

This news takes you aback. The Rat takes you to a nearby square, where the body of the man still hangs lifelessly. Returning to your Felucca, you are left dumbstruck as to how to proceed next. After a few moments, you decide to continue on your stated purpose, journeying upriver to see the Duke.

When you reach the Duke, he has already heard the news. "I am not sure what to tell you, Sir Stone. All of your evidence points towards this dead man, and dead men tell no tales. The hostages have been freed, and I cannot see any other course of action other than to return to your lands and prepare for your wedding. Perhaps this is all for the best."

Slightly unsatisfied, and still uneasy about the events that occurred, you return home. The rest of the month, you dally about in the fields, overseeing plantings and trying to piece it all together. Perhaps it is time to put these shadowy dealing behind you and refocus yourself on being a Lord.

What are your priorities for April?

---

Year 5, April

Early in April, the Scribe arrives from the Abbey, with a small pack of math, poetry, and craft-related books. Mr. Wood has already constructed him a small building to work from. He is amenable to teaching some basic classes to children who are free from planting duties (likely the children of merchants). He asks for a small stipend for ink and paper, and you grant that to him easily out of the income from your mines.

Turning your attention to your wedding preparations, you purchase some fine clothing for your immediate retinue of Alan, Fin, Dent, a few Rangers, and a few Halberdiers. You make certain that the Mews is prepared, and you commission some small baubles from the jewelers for gifts. You think of visiting Marna, but Alan tells you that it would be bad form to see her so soon before the wedding. You also order some nice furniture for your house, to make it more liveable.

You set Wood to enlarging the dockyard, in order to expand the ability for trade in Feroshire. You also oversee the implementation of a four-field crop rotation in your communal farm, and many of your private farmers take up a similar plan after you explain its virtues to them.

Speaking with Irlof, you tell him that there is a new opening in the wool market, and ask him if he knows any aspiring wool merchants. He tells you he has just the man in mind, and soon you meet with the young wool merchant and tell him you will subsidize his flock of sheep and provide a communal grazing land. He gladly accepts, and you find your lands in the possession of a nascent wool industry.

When touring the town, you see that, of her own volition, Marge Kannity has expanded her winery on her own and taken on some apprentices. You taste a few vintages, and they are actually quite excellent. The fishing fleet has also expanded, as well, and a second inn has been constructed near the docks, catering more to the ribald merchant crowd.

Your wedding is early next month. What will you do in May?

---

Year 5, May

May is the month of your nuptials, and you gather your party for the journey to the Duke's lands up and head off. Before you go, however, you instruct Irlof to make some overtures towards Carshire in an effort to draw their trade away from Curbiston. You as him to also discuss improving the road between Carshire and Feroshire in an effort to improve trade. At first, this will most likely mean a simple gravel road, but you hint that eventually it could become paved with brick if the trade is present.

With that set in motion, you depart on your Felucca for your wedding. The trip is relatively uneventful, and you arrive in good time, two days before the ceremony is set to take place. While you do not see Lady Marna, you reacquaint yourself with Sir Melvin, and spend an evening with him and his mother, the Lady Iris. She reminds you of Marna, but slightly more reserved. In the depths of her laughter, you sense the scars of losing her husband several years back still lingering.

Then the day arrives. You put on your finest garments, and arrive at the church in the late morning. Garlands stream around marble pillars, drawing the eye up to the vaulted ceilings. Light filters in softly through stained glass windows, supplemented by several candles strategically placed around the room. You take your place at the front of the room, with Alan standing up with you, given your lack of living relatives. You feel a pang of loss on this auspicious day, as you think of your parents, and how far you have come from your beginnings as a simple farmer.

An organ begins playing a simple wedding march, and the doors of the church are opened, revealing Marna, resplendent in an elegant, flowing wedding dress. Sir Melvin, your soon to be brother-in-law, walks her regally down the aisle, giving her a brief hug at the end of the aisle as she is handed off to stand with you. You beam at her, and she smiles widely back at you.

The ceremony is a blur, and then it is done. You are married. You kiss your bride, for the first time, and it is fantastic.

The evening comes, and there is a feast the likes of which you have never attended. There is music, dancing, and much mirth. Marna is stunning, and you are happy. And then, when the feast is over... the night is equally pleasant.

You stay at the Duke's court for a few days, as Lady Marna prepares to travel to your lands with you. The Duke pulls you aside one day, explaining that he has gifts for his new Nephew-in-Law. He presents you with a fine set of steel plate armor, and a matching set of barding for your mount. He also has sent a fine destrier to your lands, as well as a groom to care for him. He also hands you a writ, allowing you to fortify your lands to properly protect your growing demense: you have his permission to build stone walls with crenelations, and up to one tower.

He lowers his voice as he speaks one final word of encouragement to you. "Continue to strengthen your position, Sir Stone, and steward your lands wisely. If events play out as I hope they will... well, perhaps you can make my niece a Countess one day soon..."

You return home late in the month, after the feasting and parties have concluded and Marna has packed. Marna's goods are sent overland via wagon, while you enjoy a leisurely cruise up the Parlon. Marna is a delight, and when you arrive at your home, she is overjoyed to see the Mews you set up for her. You find that having a wife is quite to your taste.

Irlof says that Carshire is interested in making Feroshire its port of choice, and work has begun on laying gravel out on the road between your two towns.

May was a month you will remember for the rest of your life. How will you spend June?

Wherein Sir Stone proposes Marriage, and a strange Scout is captured on his Fief.

---

Year 4, September

With Marna's arrival imminent, your thoughts are scattered. You want to re-arm your troops, but a thousand different ideas run through your mind, and you can't decide what you want them to bear. You'll have to think on it later.

You spend an afternoon mediating amongst your townsfolk, but most of the grievances are quite minor. A stolen chicken, a lover's quarrel, mischievous teenagers, things of those nature. Your people seem to be relatively peaceful, which is nice.

One morning, you take Alan aside, and tell him that you are going to place him in charge of a town watch. He will have access to out-dated weaponry from the armory, and be in charge of training and recruiting his own men. He takes to the task with a gusto, and by the end of the month has 10 watchmen patrolling in shifts every night at the town and the mine.

After consulting with the metalworkers and Stumpf, you attempt to begin steel production, but your craftsmen have no skill in it at all. You may need to bring in an experienced smelter who has dealt in steel from the outside before you can set things up. Stumpf tells you that he believes there may be some limestone in the ground, as well, but they'll have to explore for it.

With a few days to spare, you decide to work on your skills in interacting with the common folk: clapping backs, telling jokes, and listening to stories with attentiveness. You have a great aptitude for it, and your practice only hones your edge. By the end of the month, you are considered a fine "man of the people."

One last task, before Marna arrives, is the commissioning of a golden pin, consisting of a bow and two crossed arrows, that will be the reward for the winner of the archery contest next month. You send runners to nearby towns to spread the word, and you also let them know that you will be recruiting archers for your guard as well.

Then, one day late in September, with the leaves turned golden, Marna arrives. She brings with her Sir Melvin, as well as her Lady's Maid. You spend a day enjoying your time with her, taking walks and talking of the world, and you feel as if she truly does care for you. On the second day, you bring her (and her escorts) with you on a cruise on the river.

You bring a cask of wine from your winery, which Marge tells you is a nice vintage, although still young. You drink to health and happiness, and then present her with her gift. She loves it, and you tell her you have a question for her. You feel your face flushing, and your heart is beating at an incredible rate.

The words seem to stumble out of your mouth, but you manage to say them all: "Will you do me the honor of marrying me?" A smile spreads across her face, and she practically yells out "Yes!" She throws her arms around you, but a loud clearing of her Lady Maid's throat keeps you from anything more. You separate, still holding hands, which seems to be acceptable.

Sir Melvin congratulates you, and you spend the rest of the cruise talking about the wedding. You have to decide when you wish to get married, and she tells you that she plans on staying through to the end of the festival next month, as she had such an amazing time last year.

All is well. You are now engaged to be wed to the Duke's niece. What will you do in October? When would you like to get married?

---

Year 4, October

Automated armor factory is a bit beyond your people's expertise at the moment. Remember, assembly line was a big breakthrough (Venetian Armada then not until Henry Ford, really). Not saying it can't happen, but you'll need to search the land for some of the smartest, most creative, and most technically sound craftsmen to do something like this. Huge undertaking.

Overcome with joy, you decide with Lady Marna that you will be married at some point in May, and, as is tradition, the ceremony will take place in the Duke's castle. You'll be responsible for a small party of your personal entourage, and the wedding rings, but that is it.

With the harvest happening and the festival, you don't have much time for other projects. You manage to find a work crew to replace your crude mud roads with gravel roads throughout your land, however. You also find that, when you ask about the warehouse, the merchants from the town have enlarged it on their own.

The harvest is fine, quite average really. Taxes are collected, and you pay them in turn. The festival begins, and you notice a much larger contingent of archers this year. Throughout the festival, you introduce Lady Marna to your people formally, announcing your engagement. The people seem to take to her quickly, as she has a great personality and is comfortable interacting with commoners.

Once again, people from all across the County, and even the Dukedom, arrive for your festival. Your merchants make a killing off of it, and you have more money in your coffers than you can ever remember. The archery contest is a smash hit, and five of the competitors actually sign up for your militia on the spot.

At the end of the month, Lady Marna bids you farewell, and tells you that she will write you every week until your wedding. What shall you do for November? You still haven't decided on how to reform your militia, so that'd be a good spot to start.

---

Year 4, November

I apologize in advance, as it's quite tough to synthesize so many opinions on the military. I am sure some of you will be upset, but... this is my best effort, and if I got it wrong, keep making suggestions.

In November, an early frost strikes, but you manage to get a few projects rolling. You build a Mews for falconry near to your manor, as a surprise for Marna when she comes to live with you. You receive a few letters from her, and in your replies you attempt to get to know her daily life more intimately. She is an adventurous soul, taken to falconry as you already know, but she also enjoys reading the classics, engaging in debates, and learning more about the world around her. You tuck this information into your memory for later use.

You decide that, with no major projects occurring currently, you will provide citizens with a subsidy for replacing their wooden huts with brick. Even with the subsidy, it is still expensive, but a few of the wealthier merchants and craftsmen take you up on the offer.

While planning for the future, you go to your city council, and put forth two suggestions. You have thought of building either a public bath, or a public school and library. The councilors debate it one evening, and the result is quite unanimous: they would prefer the school and library, as the river serves the hygiene needs of most citizens. It is too late in the year to start building, but as with the information on Marna, you file it away for later use.

You spend the majority of the month working on changing the footing of your militia. You decide to replace your spearmen and axmen with halberdiers, which you have forged in iron to go along with Brigandine armor. Training begins immediately, and is overseen by Fin. You also recruit five new Rangers from the ranks of your archers, and spend a generous sum of money (nearly emptying your treasury) to purchase mounts for all of your troops, and have them begin training as riders.

Another edict is passed, stating that all able-bodied men must spend a couple hours each week working on either the halberd and line formations or the bow. Alan oversees this process, and feels these men will be capable of emergency duty in a few months.

While reforming your militia, you also spend some time on your jousting. You make some progress, and feel that you are about an average-skilled lancer. However, with the winter looming, you probably won't have much more time to practice until the spring.

December beckons. What would you like to do?

---

Don't have an exact number in mind, but in my head, your "Medium" population in your lands equates to about 5x the population of your city... so, at the moment, you have about 850 people living in your land outside your city, or about 1,000 combined urban and rural.

When I said training as riders, I meant for transport and maneuvering, not for battle. If I'm wrong, let me know, and you'll stop next month.

---

Year 4, December

With December comes a cruel snowstorm, sending you inside your new manor. You spend the days in consultation with the Council, working on a few basic tenets for the planning of the city. You agree that you need to have some flexibility, but that houses should be built along roads, and that roads should intersect at 90 degrees. You also reserve space every few streets for public buildings in the future, should you desire to build them. You also set aside a parcel for trash hauling, with a pit to be dug there in the spring, and a separate graveyard. The Council is amenable to these suggestions.

You dash a note off to The Rat, as well, and he tells you that he has gotten a few sworn statements that the Count was connected to your initial assassination attempt, as well as the "accident" at the joust. He is collecting evidence for your use at a later date. He also tells you that there is some rumblings of some shady business regarding the Count forging a claim on your mines, but nothing seems to have come of it at the moment.

You send letters out asking for a trainer of horses, and to your surprise, a man and his family shows up despite the storm. He is an expert horse trainer, and he tells you that in exchange for a good house and land, he'll train and run your horse breeding program. You take him up on the offer.

There are some thoughts of holding a winter festival, but the weather is simply too wicked. No one would want to leave their houses, so you tuck the idea away for a later date. Similarly, your search for an apothecary and a sculptor are postponed by the weather.

You spend the majority of your time out hunting and training with your Rangers. You move to appoint a Captain, but find that one man is already the de facto leader, so you simply formalize his title. Your ranging grows your skill as a woodsman.

While out one day in your forest, you stumble across what seems to be the remnants of a camp. You find several of the camps over the next few days, and conclude that there are either bandits or poachers operating on your lands again.

Any plans for January?

---

Please keep all discussion related to other games in another thread, thank you. And, for ease of my comprehension, please put all actual suggestions in bold from now on, so I can make out what is a suggestion and what is just a discussion or debate...

Year 5, January

You spend January plotting what to do about these camps. Part of you wishes to go investigate yourself, but you ultimately decide that discretion is the better part of valor, and you send out mixed patrols of Rangers and Archers into the snow to find out what exactly is going on.

As those patrols are sent out, you send a messenger to Hemswood Abbey, inquiring about purchasing old books from them. After a week, you get a note in return, saying that they are ammenable to not only sending you books that are poorly copied or otherwise unusable for their purposes, but they also are willing to base one of their scribes in your town. You heartily agree, and are told that he will be arriving when the weather breaks.

You also decide that you will open a school for children in the spring, offering lessons in basic counting, letters, and different jobs that are available in your lands. Mr. Wood says that he will build the building when the snow melts, and you are hopeful that the scribe can teach a lesson or two between his other work.

By the end of the month, your men report having encountered several bands of men, usually in groups of no more than five. These men seem to be quite efficient woodsmen, and generally slipped away before your men could close on them.

However, late in January, you find that an armed encounter took place. A group of the interlopers were surprised near the mines, and attacked your Rangers with sword and staff rather than flee. The fight was swift, and your men took no casualties. They captured one man alive, and they also captured a map detailing the holdings on your lands, with a particular attention to detail surrounding the mines. There is also a focus on the barracks area, which is correctly noted as being unfortified.

The prisoner quickly breaks and tells you that he was employed by a certain wool merchant you are all too familiar with. He tells a tale of how his sister disappeared three months ago, and he was approached by someone representing the merchant and told that, unless he scouted out your lands completely and thoroughly, his sister would be killed.

He was told to resist capture, but avoid conflict if possible. He begs for his life, asking clemency.

Fin and Alan are worried by these developments, and try to station more guards in key areas, although the biting weather makes an attack unlikely.

February calls, and with it your 23rd birthday. However, this information is a poor present. What will you do?