>>12317162
inspect the troops
also FUCK YEAH COMMANDER QUEST

First thing we should do is get woken up, bathe, eat, etc. Then let's go to the courtyard and see what's going on.

We should also talk to Sansa alone at some point. A) I'm still curious on what her supposed crime is so we should approach that subject. B) What exactly did she say/do to the womanizer captain since he was pensive when we introduced her to the rest of them.

Also, hells yeah more Commander Quest.

>>12317178
>>12317191
You gather a fresh set of cloths, and throw on a robe before heading to the officers bathhouse. You see Sansa helping Jayne into one of the curtained washrooms "No Jayne, you cant stay in bed today, we have work to do." Sansa is chiding her as you walk past, admiring both of their backsides through their shaped robes as you pass. It seems Sansa took to your introducing her as your aide seriously.

Upon walking out you see Aurelius chasing Finian and Cornelius around the common washroom with a wrapped up towel, snapping it behind them. The former looking angry about something, the latter two looking unhappy about their peril but amused with something else.

Upon walking out the door from the kitchen of your barracks you see Uurist and Garus running their men through a rigorous series of inter-unit drills.

"BY THE TEN, YOU ACTUALLY DRANK THAT!!" you hear Jayne exclaim through the window you are leaning next to.

>what do?

>>12317367

act loik a sneaky git and find out what sansa drank

>>12317367
Yell, "DRANK WHAT?"

>>12317367
I say find out what the hell Aurelius is on about. Most likely Sansa drank her anti-hangover thing again and if Aurelius is being isolated amongst the captains, we need to find a way to stop that.

"What did you drink Sansa?" you toss back through the window.

"My usual cure for a hangover. I'm mixing one up for Jayne right now actually." Thinking back to yesterday morning you remember the concoction of Juiced tomato, eggs, vinegar, milk and what was hopefully juice she drank, you feel your stomach turn a little bit.

"What no, I..." you hear Jayne stutter out before you hear feet rapidly approaching the window you are standing near. >roll 1d100, low is good.

rolled 6 = 6

ROLLAN

rolled 82 = 82

>>12317475

oh shiiiiit , we about to get puked on nigga

rolled 51 = 51

>>12317475
I should be in good form today.

>>12317487
And this is why I play Godhand music when I roll.

rolled 95 = 95

>>12317487
>>12317489
will these balance out or did i just get us puked on?

>>12317512
Usually it's first to roll unless we use our once per session botch to cancel one roll.

>>12317487
you realize what is hapening almost as quickly as you start moving, a jet of recently swallowed apple, milk and what must have been some sort of pastry slam into the ground where you just were.

"Merciful Nyeteri what is in that cup?" you hear Cornelius exclaim through the window. Realizing that there may be something amiss with Aurelius you decide to head him off before he hits the commons room. Circumnavigating the putrid pile steaming in the brisk morning air and straightening your shirt you enter the barracks through the entrance near the wash-house.

You hear Uurist curse loudly from the group of men drilling. You turn your head to see him square on his back, training axe in hand, Garus holding a training sword and extending a hand "Two out of three!" you hear the dwarf demand through the doorway as you closed the door behind you.

You find Aurelius exiting his chambers, his complexion back to normal. "What was going on in the bathhouse before?" you ask bluntly.

"Those damned fools are under the impression that I was out-drank by a woman last night. I couldn't stand for that, so I was chastising their smear against my character." he replies straight-faced.

You repress a laugh, as he HAD been out-drank by a woman last night; Sansa to be precise. As had everyone else save you and Uurist, the latter beating the both of you, who were once again tied with each other on that score. "Dont take yourself so seriously, Finian, Cornelius, and Jayne were all beaten by her too. And at least you walked home." you reply, smirking at the end of the response, Jayne had been heavy after she passed out halfway back to the barracks.

You can hear the drilling troops breaking apart as you make your way back to the officers commons area. Uurist and Garus will likely be along in short order...

>mouste Alcohol, yea, thats what they were drinking captcha... I think

>>12317661
Wait around and ask them how the drills went.

>>12317661
Hmmm. I say we get to business first thing so the rest of the day can be used to sort out anything we need. Tell the captains we'll be having a briefing after breakfast, so people have time to recover a bit.

After about twenty minutes of eating and socializing, you lead the now complete group of Captains, and Sansa, into the briefing room, laid out on a table in the center of the room is a more specific version of the Empire than the one you saw in the Second Praetorians office. "Ladies and Gentlefolk, its time we got down to business. All we know of this rebel band is that it is comprised mostly of Lacerta, that they are headed northnorthwest, and that they seem to be gathering the disgruntled of all of the cities, mostly lacerta mind you, but there are others leaving as well."

"So what is your plan then, Commander?" Garus asks, looking down at the map, while wetting a quill with a strange color of ink, waiting for you to speak.

>the lighter green areas are major forests, the darker green swamps, the faded green area east of the large river is the valley that you will be fighting over again soon enough.

rolled 67 = 67

>>12317873
where are we?
and also aren't they going to some sort of ruin that was the castle of a dragon king?

>>12317920
we're in Dragons Reach, the city with the yellow dot in it. (I havent gotten around to properly labelling cities, that should be in the next map though) and yea, they were predicted to be headed towards some mountain ruins.

>>12317873
A little unclear on where exactly the valley is. Also, we're in the red square with the yellow circle yes?

At this point, I'd say we should aim to meet up with the scouts in the field who went to track them. As well, we might want to send some of our own scouts to see if they had forces splitting off from the main group. To be able to steal this artifact, they had to of had a fair amount of people and support to gear and feed themselves. Some towns must be supplying them and we need to find out which towns might be doing this. If we're lucky, some of their tracks might lead to towns but otherwise we might need to visit some towns on our own and do some investigating.

>>12317957
seconded

>>12317944
We believe them to be heading toward a the ruins of a fort located in the here, in the mountains. There is a unit of Dwarven Scouts trailing them, we will rendezvous with these scouts in the field and see what information we can gather from them. The rebel have a large lead on us and we will be unlikely to catch the bulk them before they can hole up. Best case scenario, we trap them in the ruins and starve them out while eliminating any units that ride out to meet us and they surrender the Brazier peacefully. Worst case scenario, we are forced to assault an entrenched position. However, even should it come to this they are untrained rabble and will likely break once the battle turns against them.

>>12317873
Right. We might want to ask our vets if they've fought in the area we're headed. If they're familiar with the terrain or the ruins we are headed to.

>>12317957
>>12318032
"Since they are most likely headed towards some of the ruins in the north near Highpass, we are going to meet up with our scout battalion that is currently tracking them. Due to the likely size of the group, I'm going to want smart men heading out to the villages we pass while on their trail to look for signs of the village having had supported them. Since they have a good lead on us the best we can hope for is to starve them out in the hole in the mountains of their choice, and recapture the Brazier that way, at the worst, we'll storm them out."

Garus makes a few marks on the map, Uurist tilts his head to the side before adding a few more. "Those are the general loacations of the ruins in the direction they are headed. Thank you for marking the ones I missed Uurist." Garus says taking the quill back from the fiery haired dwarf, rinsing it and putting it back in the pot he took it from.

"Who will be leading the missions to the villages we pass, commander?" Finian asks, leaning over the table.

>Orange x's are the ruins, cities now labeled.

>>12318137
the map, gah.

>>12318137

can we trust anyone of our captians to do this?
i dont think so , us and sansa should go to the villages while garus keeps the rest of the maniple marching to meet the other scouts , at which point we'll rendezvous at the site of the ruins the rebels are at.

also , take a couple hunters with us as an honor guard.

>>12318137
I'll throw my lot in with Rex and Finian.

>>12318137
If the villages are predominantly Dorf, I say we send Uurist. If they're more human, then I'd recommend ourselves if it's not too out of the way. If it's Lacertan cities, I'd also say we should go.

What do you guys think on that? I'm still not sure how well we can trust our other captains on diplomatic matters and I only suggested Uurist for predominantly dorfen cities because he seemed to have a pretty level head from what we've seen so far.

>>12318137
I'd suggest Aurelius paired up with someone a little more responsible, maybe uurist or our veteran legionary commander?

>>12318235
okay then , a combo of us , sansa , and uurist
an all in one package

Ok, if the vilages are predominantly human: Aurelius and Rex
Dorfen: Uurist and Rex
Lacertan:Us and Uurist
Sound good?

>>12318268
that'll work too

>>12318308
Which unit was Rex from again? And I'm hesitant to use Aurelius because he seems to lack tact and isn't afraid to voice his beliefs and mock you for yours. That might be bad for us if he says the wrong thing.

>>12318308

im leaning towards this>>12318268
we could handle any situation better than any of our captians could , and with uurist we can persuade the dorfs as well as humans , snasa being there purely because shes our aide and should be with us at all times. leave wrex in command and follow this>>12318199

>>12318340
Rex is our veteran Legionary. I'm hoping he can keep Aurelius quiet in situations that require tact.

>>12318375
I'm not sure if we should risk us hoping he can keep him quiet though since we'd likely be able to handle it better. Plus, it'd give us more exposure across parts of the empire and make us a man of the people. At least willing to deal with the people.

>>12318387
Yeah, we probably could handle it better. I just didn't want to give our captains the impression we didn't trust them. Alright, lets take Uurist with us and leave Rex in charge on account of him being the most experienced captain.

>>12318439
Fair enough with that. But it's either we risk making them think we don't trust them and do it ourselves or we let them do it and risk putting someone bad for this job into that role because we don't know them well enough yet. I mean, we just met them yesturday and we still have no idea on what each of them think. For all we know, half of them could be hardcore humans are awesome, dorfs should be paying more taxes and such.

>>12318387
ok so maybe >>12318308
but for human villages we replace aurelius with us and for dorf villages replace rex with us

>>12318462
I'm cool with that. And if we take Rex we leave Uurist in charge.

>>12318462
no , we have to be present in all encounters , uurist is there to make sure we have some ties to dwarves , and sansa is there to to aide us

We can also spread our hunters to search the woods for old campsite and/or tracks.

"Uurist, Sansa and Myself, with a small group of hunters and scouts. Garus will lead the column in my stead, Aurelius and Finian; you two will most likely be quite busy along with the other scout captain scouting reported sightings of the rebels and trying to discern their loacation and possible campsights for the Maniple to go on what will most likely be minor, uneventful checks. Cornelius you are to help Garus keep the column moving while I'm gone, you will be in command should anything happen to him during my absence."

"When will we be leaving then?" Cornelius replies rather stiffly, almost as if he has something he was hoping to take care of before the Maniple left.

>>12318531
tommorrow morning should be fine , so we can see whats up with cornelius

>>12318531
We should really get going as soon as possible. But, if whatever he is wanting to do won't take long it'll be good for morale to let him take care of it.

>>12318531
The next day. That's when we were expected to leave and I doubt our logistics will be ready if we left early. Mental note: We should make sure our logistics for the army are good for what we need. Commander has got to look out for his man.

>>12318531
"why, you have something you need to do?" If he does, help him out, if not move out as soon as possible.

"Tomorrow morning, Captain Hoursch. I'm going to see to the logistics situation, then I'll be, well... its not that big of a barracks complex." You finish, nodding your dismissal. Cornelius glances nervously at Jayne before shuffling out of the room, the latter mumbles something about making sure her idiot sister doesn't run the house into the ground while she's gone before leaving out a different door. Finian and Aurelius walk to a side corner with a table and quill, both looking apprehensive but open. Sansa is waiting at your side, the Legionnaires and remaining dwarf walk out in a group headed towards the training grounds.

>go check on requesition/supply status, or check on something else?

>>12318661
We should check on Cornelius, see what he needed to do.

>>12318661
requisition/supply then find out whats eating cornelius

>>12318679
second, then to logistics

>>12318661
Find out what's up with Aurelius and Finian first. Why would they be apprehensive?

Aurelius and Finian, then Cornelius, then logistics. Y/N?

>>12318679
>>12318710

okay fine , cornelius first then logistics

>>12318733
OKAY FINE this then

>>12318733
Makes more sense since they're right here.

>>12318733
second

>>12318661

Hey Pax, what does the flag of the empire look like? do we have our own flag/family crest?

"Cornelius just left, headed to the nobles district, if my memory of the streets serve me right." the man currently stationed at the gatehouse responds after you are unable to find him in the barracks complex.
>I'm not snubbing you guys, just setting up another plotline

You and find Sansa in the Maniple archive room, its mostly empty, as ithis is reset every time the unit is re-set as it just was with your escalation to its command.

"We have enough dried meat and fish to last us one month, four kegs of mead for the men, and enough trail biscuits and hard cheese to last with the meat. Its bland but its campaign food. between that and the supplies for our surgeon, his aids our smiths and their aids thats about a third of our requisition for this campaign... and I doubt it will last us all the way to the mountains. After what we owe House Garlian we've used about 60% of our requisition. We could add more food, raw material for the other support elements of the Maniple, cut out the waiting and hire on some other camp followers... I'm new at this job Justinian, but I should pick up on the rest of it pretty quickly."

>>12318858
Food is the most important thing. We need to be sure our army is well fed for this campaign. If we can get the other things, that'll be great but I maintain we prioritize food stocks.

>>12318858
Does requisition carry over between campaigns?

>>12318782
I'm no drawfag, but its a deep crimson with a snarling dragons face in the center, a white sword piercing the face, through the top of the head.

You dont have a family crest, but on your right arm is the spear and circle-shield of a light spearman battalion, the battalion number scoured off, and a dragon curling its body along the spear (sheila is at the middle of the spear)

>gah!! at the decision changes after I start typing

>>12318894

seconded

once we sign the requisition forms and send them away , take sansa with us to the noble district to get to the bottom of cornelius's beef

>>12318901
no, but it is assumed you want the same unless you specify otherwise

>>12318920
i thought that shield was destroyed by a berserkers blade in our test battle so we took the other commanders steel kite shield?

>>12318936
Right then, thirding>>12318894

>>12318920
It's okay Pax. You can just have us talk to them later about it i guess unless it's impossible.

>>12318967
that's your tattoo, if you want to change your commanders tattoo your free too, but it'll take time, personal funds and time

>>12318985

no , but can we come up with our own crest and put it on a flag to be carried by the regiment we personally command in battle?

"So, food first commander? well, if we double our stocks we'll last the trip to the ruins, and probably find it before we run out. Were we given permission to resupply from forts and city garrisons? if not we'll need to work on foraging and gathering food before we get too far north. What do you want to do with the last bit of requisition funds?" Sansa replies to your request to take more food, absentmindedly pulling and errant strand of her hair back behind her ear while shifting beads on an abacus to keep track of things

>>12319032
yes, yes you could. buying it would be on you though. (you do have a nice chunk of change from your first months pay at this rank, and your promotion bonus.)

>>12318858
is this enough to get the job done? what else would we need? what was up with aurelius and finian

>>12319052
Save it for now. We might need it in the field or at some of the villages we come across. Money might loosen lips or helping out villages that need it might get us more support.

>>12319052
Put the rest into raw materials for the support elements. Then, go see Aurelius and Finian.

>>12319052
give the last bit to sansa as a gift and then spend some of our cash to buy our command flag at the noble district when we go there to find cornelius. i'll have the crest itself when we get there

>>12319096
Actually this, unless requisition is different from regular money.

>>12319096
second this

>>12319119

yeah , this is better , but my request for a flag still stands

I'm tempted to say use requisition money even if we can use our own. That way we can say the empire on a whole is helping out these villages rather than just a commander. So we look good and the empire looks good.

>>12319126
>>12319122
>>12319096
"Have it sent to us in dragoons, bronze silver and gold, we may need it to get some lips moving. If not... well I have a few ideas. Take the rest of the day off Sansa, you've done well. Remember, you need to be able to leave early on the morrow." Sansa smiles ruefully before thanking you and heading off.

You make your way to the room you left Aurelius and Finian in, to see them quietly planning. "How goes it?" you ask nonchalantly.

"Better then I expected" Finian replies in his too-perfect imperial accent "I had though Aurelius for a scoundrel and a loafer. He simply believes in his own infallibility a bit much... provided I keep him on task he isnt that bad to work with."

"I... I think that was an insult, but you complimented me as well so I'll let that one slide. What is it you need Commander Trentz?" Aurelius replies, almost cracking a smile... but still mindful of the talk you had with him last night.

"Just checking to see how you two are doing..." you reply.

"It's damned hard to plan fair patrolls, rangings and scouting parties without knowing how many of the 50th'll be available at any given time, the the Captains views on these things, but forward nonetheless. We'll be ready by the morrow." Finian replies, poking Aurelius as his eyes follow Sansa as she passes through the room to return a scroll to its place. You hear the side door to the main complex slam shut, smack against the wall, then slam shut again outside.

>>12319276
That gentlemen is the sound of drama.

>>12319276
We need to find out what exactly went on between Aurelius and Sansa. Whatever it was, it seems to be a lot worse than what happened with Jayne and him. I recommend asking Sansa but if we do end up asking Aurelius, ask him privately.

>>12319276
Let's go check out the noise. Slamming side-doors are usually not a good sign.

Lets investigate the noise. We will have plenty of time to sort out Sansa and Aurelius but for now lets try to keep the apart till we know what happened

>>12319276
alright now lets locate cornelius and see whats up

You walk out into the courtyard expecting tears, maybe some angst. but not this. Aurelius running like a madman, his pants on backwards, fleeing from a furious looking Jayne. "I did nothing wrong!" he shouts, dodging a rock Jayne had lobbed his way.

"What did ye do laddy?" Uurist asks the young legionary captain as he runs past.

"Not what, who. And if you could meet her for more than five minuites you would too." he stops long enough to reply, before dodging a flying boot.

"She's my baby sister you pig!!!" Jayne shouts, chasing the young captain sans one boot.

"She's of legal age, and I assure you she's NO baby. Nor innocent or stupid mind you" Aurelius shouts, only digging what is likely to be his grave deeper. Uurist realizes what has happened and almost immediately keels over laughing...

Can you run through the names of our captains again I am a bit confused.

>>12319464
damn it aurelius! stop trying to fuck people who are important to our mission. are we going to have to castrate a motherfucker before we start the campaign?

>>12319499
gah
>>12319464
sub out Aurelius (hunters, last scene) with Cornelius (green legionary, this scene)

>>12319464
"Aurelius, stop talking. Jayne, you said something about having to make sure she could lead the house in your absence, maybe you could take it up with her then?"

>>12319520

That makes so much more sense.

Get in between the two and tell them both to back the FFF down and to go their private chambers where we will be talking to them shortly.

>>12319464
damn it, ok in the future aurelius is not allowed near a town. also see if we can fix him up with someone or at least buy him a pleasure slave to keep him laid

>>12319538
>>12319585
I fear I totally mangled the possible humor of this last scene with my name swap. damn, oh well.

>>12319464
So it was Cornelius that did this? Huh... Calm down Jayne as best we can then I suppose and separate her from Cornelius for now.

>>12319614
second, also talk to the two of them seperatly and maybe jayne's sister as well

sighing and repressing a laugh yourself you step away from the door and shout "BOTH OF YOU STOP IT THIS INSTANT!! GO TO YOUR QUARTERS AND WAIT FOR ME!!!" damnit Cornelius, why did you have to actually LISTEN to advice from Aurelius? Everyone in the courtyard snaps to attention, Jayne and Cornelius both start heading towards their quarters the former glaring at the latter, who is looking quite sheepish now that the poster military man image he had been trying to put forward has been cracked.

>who do you talk to first?

>>12319699
Jayne. That's twice she's been annoyed by our staff in some way and we better talk her down out of her angry mood. Might as well hear what she has to say on the matter too. Let Cornelius wait and ponder what will happen for awhile.

>>12319699
Cornelius first.

>>12319699
Jayne probably needs to be talked down far worse than Cornelius does.

>>12319699
Jayne first before she kills someone.

>>12319699
All that matters is that when we DO talk to Cornelius, we have to quite our mentor once again. I'm sure he has said something along the lines of this topic at some point. Heh.

>>12319716
second, the pissed off bear cavalry commander is the one who needs to be talked to first

You walk into Jaynes room first. She has changed out of what you now recognize as her "noble" clothes, her hair pulled out of the tight bun she wears with them... but not yet pulled into the tight braided tail she wears with her riding leathers, the garb you have seen her wear the most. The wavy auburn hair reching down to her chin, pulled back behind her ears at the moment.

"Yes Commander?" she asks as you enter

I'd like to hear your side of things first. I think I've grasped the... general situation from that wonderful display of officer-like discipline outside, but maybe you should fill me in on the details.

>>12319792
"I get the feeling you need to vent. Go ahead, let it out."

>>12319792
Also apologize for the 'professionalism' of the captains of our army. Hopefully this campaign will straighten them out a bit.

>>12319792
"care to talk about that little incident?"

>>12319823
>>12319831
>>12319833
>>12319835
"I think I've grasped the... general situation from that wonderful display of officer-like discipline outside. However I would like to hear your side of things first... you probably need to vent and I doubt any of the other officers under my command will be very good for that; and in the defense of the two you've had, um, encounters with so far... one is a green Captain, younger than me, and the other was in a reserve Battalion for the last few years... and paid to be a terrible womanizer from what I've been led to believe."

Jayne sighs, running her hands through her hair before falling back onto her bed. "It's not all Cornelius' fault to be honest. Kylee has always been a flirt, and better looking than me to boot. I know how most men stare at me... so I give them cause to draw back, that I can better devote my time to my duties. Kylee was always the opposite though, ever since she tuyrned of age my father and I have been trying to keep men from her, we kept her away from the talkative sort, the diseased, the lecherous... but she always got a few through. And now when I'm leaving to try to rebuild our houses honor, I have no choice but to leave her in charge... and I fear she may undue all my hard work and blood by throwing debauched parties at our manor the whole time I'm gone. Cornelius didnt deserve the treatment I gave him... he is definitely far from the worst she has brought home. I honestly didnt expect anything of the sort from the man."

>>12319942
As much as it would likely fail and would be a horrible idea, part of me thinks it would be amusing if we sent Aurelius to her and he turned her off the whole being a flirt thing.

Ask her if her sister has ever shown any care towards the welfare of their house. If so, while she may not pursue it the same way as her, she likely will help them in whatever way she can and she'll have to trust in her for now since she has a campaign to go on.

Do we have any personal information on Cornelius? Is he from noble birth ect ect ect....

Lets give Jayne a few moral boosting words so she doesn't get to depressed over the entire ordeal. Then go talk to Cornelius

>>12319942
"So, you were mad at your sister and, being unable to yell at her you settled for the next best thing, perfectly understandable. As for leaving her in charge, you just need to emphasize how if she screws anything up there'll be HELL TO PAY. That oughta keep her from doing anything too stupid."

Houses are not built solely on military skill, there needs to be a diplomatic side to it all. I feel that is what her sister might be good at but she seems to be going about it the wrong way. Maybe if Jayne were to talk to her about this. Having parties at the house is not a bad idea but the parties need to have a goal of furthering the house not for her own pleasure.

>>12319942
in that case , lets go to cornelius's rom , we'll chat it out like adults , you tell him your sorry for chasing him with a boot , and in turn we'll get him to leave your sister alone so she can focus on managing your house while your gone

>>12320007
I think we should probably phrase that differently if we say it.

Maybe we should offer to visit her sister and speak with her if Jayne wishes. We can give a mean inspiring speech, after all!

"Dont wory about it overmuch. Just make sure she remembers that she loses all the perks of being noble if she mismanages the house, while you would still be able to function perfectly well as a mercenary captain... who already has a lucrative contract set up. And dont let her forget that you are MUCH stronger than her if it comes down to that. Now I have to go see what... or more likely who, got into Cornelius' head. Maybe I'll be able to use him to help keep your sister in check."

Jayne gets your attention as you reach the door "I... thank you, for listening and for helping."

As you reach Cornelius' door you hear voices emanating from within... at least one of the voices is outside his window... you are totally unsurprised by the lewdness of the topic

>>12320086

proceed to kick door in like a boss , and then invite this vulgarous trollop up to cornelius's room so we can discuss the future of their relationship

>>12320086
I think it's Aurelious talking to him... Go around to his window and see who it is without being seen. Then just walk into his quarters and see how he reacts and how honest he is when we question him.

>>12320107
Indeed. Someone needs an ass-kicking, and it isn't Cornelius.

>>12320086
In as loud a voice as possible:"Oh wouldn't it be terrible if the Commander heard us, Cornelius and Aurelius, talking about such things?"

snickering, you do your best imitation of your maniples resident womanizer "Itd really suck if the Commander heard us, wouldn't it?" before kicking the door in. You are not surprised in the least by whom is outside the window. "You,, away from the window, keep your damnable mouth shut on this manner, and get out of Cornelius' head!" You order the sand-haired hunter, who stumblingly obeys. "You do realize the potential damage your tryst could do to Lady Jaynes household should word of it get out among the military men, right?"

"I, well... yes I do. What is my punishment Commander? I have no excuse, nor any defence." The reamaining captain asks, his head hung low.

>>12320212
" I'd prefer an explanation, what were you thinking cornelius?"

>>12320212
Well we should keep this private so an open punishment wouldn't be appropriate... I don't even know what kind of things were done in the Roman army. Damnit, someone come up with a reasonable idea.

>>12320212
"Pfft, you should have seen your face. I'm just screwing with you, Jayne isn't even that mad at you. Just remember, discretion is key. And everyone is now formally forbidden from taking advice from Aurelius."

Have him explain.

He won't be able to.

Tell him you expect a real answer by the time we're back in Rome.

Ask him when he is going to propose

"There will be no punishment... provided you keep this QUIET. Also, no more advice is to be taken from Aurelius, by anyone... EVER. I expect a better reason for this follishness by the time we return to Dragons Reach, you will keep a respectful corespondance with her to help ease Jaynes worries on how her sister will run the house in her absence." You reply.

"Y-tes sir, thank you sir." Cassius replies, as you leave the room.

>anything else you want to do today, or skip ahead to tomorrow?

>>12320326
I can't think of anything, what about you guys?

>>12320326
skip

>>12320326
Were there any survivors at the place where the artifact was guarded? If so, did they spot anything unusual about the forces that attacked them or did they hear anything maybe if they were wounded on the ground and the enemy were taking the item and ignoring them. If not, I can't think of anything at the moment... Other than send a silent prayer to our previous mentor for strength with dealing with our captains and this campaign, heh.

>>12320212

cornelius , i think you should stop seeing lady kylee until jayne can return from this campaign to retake control of the house. kylee needs to focus on keeping her family afloat while jaynes gone , and having you in the picture just makes things more complicated.as for when we get back.....well i'lll leave that up to you and her.

>>12320369
damn my slow typing

I think we should stop by Jayne's house. We can give her sister advice on how to manage a royal household seeing as we come from one. Give her advice about politics, parties, and various noble society things. This, hopefully, will help ease Jayne's mind and let her focus on the mission.

>>12320379
and on that note , skip

>>12320396
That has the downside of the sister possible trying to come on to us. Which could piss of Jayne more. I say, if we DO go visit her, make it after our campaign. We need Jayne focused. I personally think we shouldn't bother unless asked. It's family business and thus not our business unless asked to be our business.

>>12320366
no survivors, and the prayer makes you feel a bit awkward, but hey if the dwarves get mild ancestor worship, why cant you?

The Maniple moves out a few hours after dawn with no incident. You notice that none of the Uursan are as large as the one that Jayne had with her when you first met her, though they all are larger than a Warhorse... just not by anywhere near as much as the massive beast of a bear she had that day. You meet a few of the scouts from the 50th waiting for you, and they keep you on course.

After a few days you encounter the captain of the 65th Scouts, a slight she-dwarf, shapely through her thick fall cloak. "Kyria Esfelda, Captain of the 65th Dwarven Scouts Commander. My boys are keepin' on these bastrds tails, but theyre a sneaky bunch, already a few times they nearly shook us from their trail... but we'll get'em no worries." She seems totally unworried about the lead they have as she shows you the trail they are following, a few miles further from the road you were when you ran into your last captain.

>not letting me upload the map, next post will have it
>you can ask her any questions you want, I'm gonna keep pressing time forward towards action unless you ask me to stop now.

>>12320544
Any idea on their numbers? Have they been splitting up their forces? Have they passed near any towns?

>>12320544
can we go to some villages now , or are we too close to catching the rebels?

>>12320564
It's only worth going if it seems like they might be sending people to them or meeting someone near them. Also, ask her if she would like our scouts to assist.

>>12320555
"We've been staying in groups of five. A few villages, most of them razed to the ground however." Kyria responds to your question. Your scouts and runners are reporting much of the same as you proceed. You stop in a few villages along your path, most of them having seen nothing of the band of rebels you ask after, Only an endless stream of raiders and thieves headed north.

Until you are nearly to the foot of the mountains. Outside the village you, Sansa and Uurist see a strange sight indeed. A large man with a bastard sword fending off a group of raiders, at least 9 of them. The lone swordsman in one of the Seven Stances that Uurlanthian myrmidons are so damned proud of. "Come on then!!" he shouts to them, in a thick northern clansmen accent "I'll gut all of'ya. Aint a damn one of you bastards gettin through to this village!" they all rush him at once, the kilt-wearing warrior, not noticing the biting wind as it pulls at the kilt slashes his sword in a wickedly tight ark, cleaving the head off two of the rushing raiders. A third swings his axe at the swordsman, who blocks the blow as if it were a child coming at him. Swift kick to the chest sends the raider flying, and buys the clansman enough time to part a different raider from his sword arm, before plunging his blade into the criminals chest. The leader of the group blows on his horn before charging the clansman as well. The raider and Swordsman seemingly evenly matched. You spot another handful of raiders emerging from the forest to your right...

>your Maniple is at the forwardmost dark brown dot, the village you are near is the reddish-brown square.

>>12320684
rush to his aid , we can take em' on our own , but leave a couple alive for questioning

>>12320684
Hmm. Map didn't post so I'll just have to make do. Are our Hunters near us? Have them rain arrows upon the newly arrived raiders and engage them in close combat if necessary while we go assist the clansman.

>>12320684
I concur with this course of action

>>12320712
This, but take Sansa with us. And have the rest of our Maniple head off the rest of the raiders. If they can have our ranged units start firing as soon as the emerge from cover.

rolled 45 = 45

>>12320712
rolling for good measure

>>12320724
the map. damnit, lol

rolled 23 = 23

>>12320731
i meant have sansa and uurist come with us

>>12320684
I think the general plan remains the same. Ranged on the incoming troops while we move forward to make sure the clansman doesn't die.

Nodding to your companions you bellow out "For the Empire!!!" before charging towards the clansman and the raiders. Off to your right you can hear Sansa bow twanging, and Uurist busily hacking away at the less skilled raiders. As you approach the Clansman he sweeps at the legs of the raiders, knocking two over, and forcing the rest to back up or leap his blade. You easily dispatch one of the downed raiders, the Clansman doing the same. However, as you pull your blade from the body you find yourself beset by a pair of raiders and ground down to a standstill, the clansman once again occupied with the chief of the raiders.

>1d100 for fighting

rolled 21 = 21

>>12320809
To battle.

rolled 45 = 45

>>12320809
see>>12320751

rolled 59 = 59

>>12320809

You loose a wildly powerful slash, nothing that would give a skilled warrior pause, but these raiders back away from it nonetheless. as they come back at you you are able to literally disarm one, kicking him to the ground, beheading the second on the backswing. A third man is coming at you, but an arrow erupts from his neck before he can get inside your reach. A screaming dwarf dispatches the last common raider in the group. You kick the feat out from under the chief of the raider leader, and level your blade at his neck...

>>12320872
prisoner get!!!

>>12320872
Most excellent.

>>12320872
Interrogate him.

"And just who the hell might ye'three be?" a gruff voice asks you, you turn to see a winded, but most defianately not happy swordsman, still in a ready stance staring at you "Another bunch'a deserters? cus I'll run you three through just as easy as the last lot'o'deserters I found; Or my Name aint Collin McManerhan."

>1d100 to interact with collin, 1d100 for the interogation

rolled 94 = 94

>>12320928
This is for Collin. "We've been detached by the Empire to hunt down thieves and we think these men might be involved. Stand down."

rolled 40, 58 = 98

>>12320928
LET'S DO THIS

rolled 78, 30 = 108

>>12320928
here goes

rolled 82 = 82

>>12320928
emperor preserve me.......SCOTS!?

rolled 52 = 52

>>12320943
>>12320952
can these not count?

>>12320928
And tell him "We're not deserters, we were dispatched to wipe out this rebellion."

>>12320967
We like low in this quest so we want them to count... My dice roll was not very good.

rolled 76 = 76

can we use our botch roll for this>>12320942

also , can the guys who used 2d100 not count

"We've been detached by the Empire to hunt down thieves and we think these men might be involved. Stand down." you reply bruskly, glancing to your side to see sansa's backside, bow drawn and pointed at the prone raider.

"So you bastards finally got around to dealin with all these raiders headed north? Dont know what you lot down in'tha cities'r doin ta send'em runnin like this, but its givin me one hell of a headache keepin my village safe." Collin replies, wiping his sword through the few inches of snow on the hard ground before sheathing it across his back.

"Aside from the influx of raiders, have you seen anything else out of the ordinary lately?" You question. Uurist executes the raider you de-limbed, a mercy killing no doubt, but still unfortuanate.

"Aside from the huge-arse fire they musta-been dragin behind'em the other day; nothin special. Just a month'a me and my sword keeping this rot from me'clans village. Ma boys got jumped after the raiders been comin after us fer naught but three days, so its just been me'an them since then. Hopefully my boys'll be able to fight again come tomarra but..." Collin replies, glancing nervously at the horizon. He must see your Maniple approaching.

You turn to face your prisoner "Who hired you, where are they based and what was your mission?"

"ummm... I aint been hired by anyones yet" the head raider replies in the thick accent of the southern villages "All I knew was that there was word put out that a stron man without many scruples could earn some good money workin' fer a man somewhere in the ruins near HighPass... Please dont kill me cap'n I can be usefull as a tracker fer ya, I wont do no more killin I promise."

>>12321046
We can hardly trust a man like this. Inquire into what ruins 'they' spoke about and then execute the man. He's a deserter. No forgiveness and we don't have time to worry about prisoners for now.

Also, ask Collins from which directions they've been attacked the last few days.

>>12321046
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you, yet. But hopefully, you'll understand that I don't trust you as far as I can throw you. So you'll be staying under lock and key for the forseeable future. No hard feelings right?"

rolled 66 = 66

>>12321046
have manple set up camp so we can analyze the stuation , take prisoner into our tent for interrogation , accompany collin to his village and offer protection in exchange for his service

>>12321073
Maybe if Collin's has intimate knowledge on the mountain area we can take him. If all he can offer is his military skills, I think we're better off keeping our troops with us if the village will be fine without protection. Otherwise, it might be best if we station troops to defend it to improve the empire's image in the region.

>1d100 to try to recruit Collin

"well, I know the mountains pretty damn well, and I'm prboably a sight getter swordsman than any'o'the sorry lot ye got comin over the ridge. These damned raiders an thieves been comin on from the south all month like I said. Even a few damned crazy 'certa come at me. Had these wierd penants, all orange an glowing... was cold as hell but they didnt show no sign o'it in their bllod. moved damned fast to be honest with'ya"

>waiting for a consensus on the raider leader

The punishment we give should be determined by his citizenship. If he is a citizen then we hang him.. if he is not then we gut him here.

rolled 17 = 17

>>12321127
FOR SCOTLAND!

rolled 27 = 27

>>12321127

alright collin get , and also make an example of the raider roman style

oh yeah baby crucification

>>12321129
Maybe it the Justicefag in me but I think he should be kept locked up until he can stand trial for his crimes. Executing someone who has surrendered just strikes me as wrong.

>>12321127
Assuming we can't get anything else out of the raider leader, he should be eliminated. No point keeping him around since he knows nothing and he should be an example to other deserters.

>>12321127
He just told us that "stron man without many scruples could earn some good money". The fact that he wanted to join this means we can't trust him.

Cruxify him and before leaving the area, grant him the mercy of death.

He'd just run off first chance he got if we employ him.

>>12321147
If we had more time I would agree but we still have a rebellion to crush. Leaving him around just takes up resources when we already know he's guilty for basically being a bandit.

>>12321153
You're right, he admitted his guilt. Let's make it quick though. Just chop his head off we got shit to do.

rolled 81 = 81

>>12321166
no , if raiders coming north see a crucified raider , they'll go "oh shit better not raid here , lets get the fuck outta her"

>>12321179
Or maybe it'll just piss them off.

>>12321184
I'd be willing to wager make them bugger off. A sign like that means troops of the Empire were nearby recently and since the body is fresh, relatively recently. Too risky for them to raid in a situation like that.

rolled 24 = 24

>>12321184
THEN BRING THEIR BITCH-ASSES ON THERES PLENTY OF WOOD AROUND HERE
CRUCIFIXES FOR EVERYONE

>>12321200
>>12321202
Goddamn we went from fresh out of the academy to jaded sociopath quickly.
Well honestly Quintus, you're more of the dark end of pragmatism.

>>12321129
>>12321133
>>12321140
"Well Collin, I just may be able to use you and your skills in my Maniple. We need a guide through the mountains, I could use a good swordhand in my retinue, as well as someone to train a few of my men. The pays good, you'll have a hot meal and a solid tent near a warm fire every night" you glance at Aurelius and then Cassius, a smile creeping across your face "and the womenfolk are pretty agreeable as well."

Colin strokes his bushy brown beard in thought. "If ye help get me boys back on their feet an leave a few men ta guard the village until these raiders fuck off youv got yerself a deal."

"Welcome to my staff Collin, I'm Commander Justinian Trentz." You respond, extending your hand and motioning for a surgeon. "See to the men in this village, they are to be fighting fit by tomorrow." you order. Finally you turn to the captured raider. "Now you havent been a whole lot of help to me. now tell me, are youa Citizen, a Plebian, or some damned fool indentured servant run off from his masters house?" you ask him, once again sword to his neck.

"I... I'm a plebian COmmander. I can be a'use to you, I swear." he pleads, seeing where this is going.

"Pity for you, I already have someone who can do everything you can do, and more, she's better looking and loyal to boot. BRING ME THREE STURDY BEAMS AND A CARPENTER!!!!" you shout so that you can be heard from your camp...

>I'm gonna call it for tonight at this post. I'll be on again Wednesday at the sameish time. battle(s!!) iminant. SOmone archive please.

>>12321226
Thread is archived.

>>12321226
I'm sad we didn't agree with him and say it will be as a warning to others.

>>12321223
Not necessarily. We're dealing with someone who has been openly raiding a village of the empire and we're busy with a rebellion. We don't have time to lug around a prisoner who doesn't need a trial and can't help us out in any way. I figured it would be appropriate for the setting honestly.

>>12321284
Well yeah, you're the pragmatic one. It's dark as hell but totally justified. That other dude's just bloodthirsty.

>>12321309
Mayhaps. I promise you though that if we can capture the head of the rebellion alive, I'll be all for taking him back to be tried for his crimes.

>>12321336
Fuck Yeah. Sounds to me like that jackass is just making a power grab anyway. Let's drag that fucker through the streets in chains as an example. Hiring raiders and murderers means he deserves whatever's coming to him anyway.

>>12321358
And if he's executed, we should recite the names of every Lacteran in the army that may of died due to the fact that the artifact that was stolen. And the names of the men who were guarding it that were murdered. The magnitude of his crimes should be announced to all that would watch it.

>>12321368
Oh man, the people are gonna eat that up. now THAT'S a plan I can get behind.

>>12321226
>>12321226

The modern definition of plebs and patricians is not the ancient one.

patricians = old families of Rome. thus exclusive members only shit.

plebs could be richer than patricians themselves. and in fact were not mistreated if the patricians wanted to get their ass kicked by a mob.

>>12321398
See? I can be non-dark pragmatic. It all depends on the situation. Heh. I'm trying to aim to make us appear as fair and just to our own people but harsh to those that oppose us.

>>12321404
Ah, but we're in a fantasy world based loosely on Rome. The nation was founded by killing a dragon and the Imperial Palace is the dragon's skeleton. We can afford a little slippage where words are concerned.

>>12321413
Seemed fair to me. This guy was the leader of this little bandit group after all, it's not like he's some innocent who got roped into this. Crucifixion is practical for its effect on others and a realistic punishment for his crimes.

>>12321413
Well, in this situation that works perfectly. I came in thinking this was gonna be a rebellion led by someone trying to make life better for the abhumans. Then we'd be able to out optimistic him, show him how his actions hurt whom he was trying to help, and erode his power base out from under him.
But, it turns out its just some douchnozzle using the war brewing in the east and political unrest to increase his own personal power. So now, he and all of his followers get to die.
Well, its been fun, but I need to go to bed 2 hours ago, see you Wednesday.

>>12321493
It's possible he is doing it for his own people and is just desperate to get troops. I'm assuming otherwise though really but I won't be biased and conclude he's a complete jerk for now.

See you Wednesday. It's definitely too late where I am too.