Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Ixarys]

Taking advantage of your newfound popularity, you announce a recruitment campaign to support the future Nenubilanurian’s campaign, enrolling enthusiastic young men in the army ranks.

While the recruitment and hastened formation take place, you take advantage of a well earned rest, managing the current affairs of the city.
It’s during one of these days that a delegation of slave-soldiers, chosen by their peers, ask for an audience. Once inside the throne room, one of them starts speaking.

"My lord, our kin fought bravely for you in the last battles, yet we are still treated as barely better than the dregs of the city. We ask for a better status, lest we cannot guarantee our brothers will fight as hard in the following wars."

A) "Are you slave really trying to blackmail me?"
B) "Alright, you will have a pay, and more rights than civilian slaves."
C) "You will be freed after a service of, say, ten years."
D) "Your children will be free Gedurians."

[Maximum Spin]

Do slaves generally have the ability to buy their freedom in this setting? If so, B would be the best motivator, otherwise I think D would.

[Ixarys]

Do slaves generally have the ability to buy their freedom in this setting?

They do. Each city and culture have their own customs on if and how should slaves be free. Since many slave systems coexist in the region, none of the options would be shocking (for your free population, that is).

[Maximum Spin]

Then B, which essentially forces them to do a good job in order to keep their benefits. If it were only a matter of serving a certain number of years, they might be tempted into cowardice while "marking off time" and would have to be policed for that specifically, but offering pay lets us reward or punish individuals the same way we would ordinary soldiers. Plus, it means the more dissolute ones will probably waste their money and end up being stuck as soldiers forever.

[King Zultan]

B

[NUKE9.13]

Eh... last we checked, our treasury was in a bad state, no? While I agree that B would give us the best soldiers, C or D would be cheaper in terms of cash. Of those, I think the free children option is best, cos it still invests the slave-soldiers in the fate of the city- after all, if the city is conquered, their free children might suffer.

D

[Ixarys]

Offering them a small pay and better rights seems enough to placate them.
After they leave, you order your treasurer to manage the details.

Autumn, 306 AC

After enough preparations, you muster your army and move back to Nenubilanur.
Exactly like six years ago, you follow the Purantu river, towards your first obstacle: the city of Ewadd, tributary of your rival.

Albeit somewhat small in size, Ewadd still has primitive, but stocky stone walls to defend itself. Thus, it offers you your first dilemma of the Nenubilanur’s campaign. Besiege Ewadd to add it to your realm, or rush towards Nenubilanur, hoping to keep the element of surprise?

A) "Let’s put some pressure on Ewadd!"
B) "We will keep moving towards Nenubilanur."

[NUKE9.13]

I feel like taking Ewadd is a fair and balanced compensation for Nenubilanur's treachery.

Which is to say, we may not have the resources for an extended campaign needed to subjugate Nenubilanur itself (especially if we're leaving a hostile garrison sitting on our supply lines)- a shorter campaign that still offers a tangible reward is probably better than gambling on a big victory.
Additionally, while imposing our dominion over this small city is probably feasible, it would be harder to maintain suzerainty over Nenubilanur- we'd probably have to deal with a rebellion as soon as our backs are turned.
Finally, if Ewadd is an obstacle to us, then it would also be an obstacle to Nenubilanur, so taking it would provide a buffer against future attacks.

A

[BlackPaladin99]

B

it's like WWII island hopping.  We can cut off their supply lines while they are holed up in their walls, and if they come out, we can conquer them more easily. 

[NUKE9.13]

This isn't WW2 though. Ewadd is not a small tropical island dependent on imports, it is a self-sufficient city. Your analogy doesn't work at all.

[Maximum Spin]

A

Yeah, this is like... the reverse of island hopping. Ewadd is more like Nenubilanur's supply line.

Although realistically, both of them are supplied by their own surrounding fields, which means that if you want to cut their supply lines, you have to siege them. Otherwise Ewadd is camping on OUR supply lines, which is... only good if it turns out they actually hate Nenubblelanders and want to take the opportunity to declare independence.

[Ixarys]

You decide to install siege on the nearby city of Ewadd.

Military roll: 1 (Critical Success)

You sense that Ewadd’s leaders might be open to negotiations, given their status of tributary and the gap of power between you and them. Fearing they would be harder to convince if your army looted the area, you successfully rein back your troops, who only limit themselves to burning a few houses on the neighboring small villages, giving ample time to their dwellers to retreat into the city.
In fact, your officers impose your will so wholly that the soldiers show exemplary behavior during the operations, further cementing your reputation, and probably impressing the Ewaddians in the process.

A few days later you surrounded the city, and as you guessed it, a dozen of representatives of the city’s council, under the vigilant watch of your guards, ask to meet you, desiring to negotiate the surrender of the city.

A) Let’s talk then
B) We will negotiate when the city is taken!

[Maximum Spin]

if it turns out they actually hate Nenubblelanders and want to take the opportunity to declare independence.

Which, as I hoped, they could really do either way.

A

[NUKE9.13]

Perfect.

A

[Maximum Spin]

By the way, Ixarys, what would you say is the approximate ratio between their population and ours?