|
Post by Gamemaster on Nov 8, 2007 7:20:19 GMT -5
Kast Gorumyva Glantogran Province, Zekresh Empire
22nd day, 1st month, 41 Cledman VI
The Helmarie troops have seized the castle and there has been much looting.
The Helmarie troops have captured two unwounded men and about a dozen wounded. They look like local people, not Zekresh. They are taken to Ekanor Falan Andien. He turns to Ulor Esinie, "What shall become of them?"
|
|
Esinie
Junior Member
The master sword
Posts: 78
|
Post by Esinie on Nov 8, 2007 23:33:26 GMT -5
"We shall let them go too their families after they promise not to fight us again, this will show the public and the remaining enemy that we are merciful with prisoners and will make our advance into Zekresh lands a easier prospect." Esinie said looking apon the prisoners.
"the wounded shall be carried and be given a proper burial when they die though they may have fought for the zekresh the empire poisoned their minds, let them at least rest in peace. I know it greatly annoys some of you soldiers but we are here to rid the zekresh not to start another tribal war. I hate what the Glant ogra did a long time ago, but it was their Fathers and grand fathers fault to choose that path, not this generation they choose their own path as we have now."
|
|
|
Post by Gamemaster on Nov 19, 2007 22:51:48 GMT -5
Kast Gorumyva Glantogran Province, Zekresh Empire
26th day, 1st month, 41 Cledman VI
Four days pass during which the Helmarie troops complete the looting of the fortress. Then, a small army of Imperial Army troops arrives from the East and deploys in the town.
Trond sentries in the guard towers notify Ekanor Falan Andien and Ulor Esinie.
|
|
|
Post by Gamemaster on Nov 20, 2007 18:13:37 GMT -5
Kast Gorumyva Glantogran Province, Zekresh Empire
27th day, 1st month, 41 Cledman VI
Ekanor Falan Andien reports to Ulor Esinie in the Kast Gorumyva fortress, "Your excellency, I sent our huntsmen out as scouts to find out what we might about the enemy army. They have now returned and they learned much from talking to nearby farmers. The enemy numbers about five hundred men, perhaps a few more. A few of them are remnants of the force we drove from this fortress, but most of them are the 3rd Kantora Glantogran. They were stationed at a fortress in the eastern part of the province called East Fort. They have come here to assist in the defence of the provincial capital, but arrived too late for the battle. Shall we attack them?"
|
|
Esinie
Junior Member
The master sword
Posts: 78
|
Post by Esinie on Nov 20, 2007 20:08:50 GMT -5
"No send a messenger one of the wounded men that we captured too send them a message the message will be this, We have spared every man who has been captured by us too show our mercy if you surrender you will be spared by the Tronds, should you fight us may your gods have mercy on your souls!" Esinie said too Andien.
|
|
|
Post by Gamemaster on Nov 21, 2007 17:31:44 GMT -5
Andien finds that, indeed, there are some wounded enemy still in the fort who did not leave when the captives were released the day before. Nearly all of them are too badly wounded to walk, but several of them are willing to try to limp out and join their comrades when they are informed that imperial troops now hold the town of Kast Gorumyva. One of them carries the message.
Shortly afterwards, an Imperial Army soldier arrives at the shattered gates of the fortress bearing a reply. The answer is this, "You insult the honor of the Imperial Army to suggest that we would surrender to a rabble of barbarians and traitors. If you abandon the fortress now, the Empire may refrain from killing you all."
Upon receiving this message, Ekanor Falan Andien seeks out Ulor Esinie and passes on the message. Then Andien says, "I estimate that we outnumber them seven to one. It will be harder to fight them in the town than on open ground, but we could overrun them if we attack now. Should we attack now?"
|
|
Esinie
Junior Member
The master sword
Posts: 78
|
Post by Esinie on Nov 21, 2007 19:37:15 GMT -5
"No a show of force would be better these men are cowards and will likely surrender apon sight of our army and capabilities." Esinie said confidently.
|
|
|
Post by Gamemaster on Nov 28, 2007 7:09:35 GMT -5
On orders from Ekanor Falan Andien, the troops of the Helmarie army march out from the fortress by the thousands. They do not attack the imperial forces, but merely array themselves in battle lines to show the imperial troops how large their force is.
A Trond soldier is sent to inquire whether the imperial forces would like to reconsider their refusal to surrender. He is told that it is out of the question. However, a number of imperial troops are seen breaking ranks and fleeing eastwards. It is about fifty. Most of the imperial troops hold their ground.
Ekanor Falan Andien asks Ulor Esinie, "What shall we do now?"
|
|
Esinie
Junior Member
The master sword
Posts: 78
|
Post by Esinie on Nov 30, 2007 4:11:41 GMT -5
"Launch a volley and get the drummers too drum, and after the first volley have our men march towards the imperial army." Esinie said too Andien.
|
|
|
Post by Gamemaster on Nov 30, 2007 8:11:19 GMT -5
Andien gives the orders and the drummers begin an ominous drumbeat. The archers advance to within range of the enemy and loose a volley of arrows.
There is shouting from the enemy ranks. It is clear that some imperial soldiers were hit by arrows, but it is not clear how many.
Andien gives an additional order and the army from Helmarie begins to advance.
Imperial soldiers are seen fleeing from the far side of the town. (The east side.) At first it appears that their courage has failed them and they are simply running away, but then larger numbers of imperial soldiers begin heading east from the town. The first hundred or more were running, but the rest are marching in good order. It appears to be an organized withdrawal from the town. It is very clumsily done, but the troops appear to still be acting under orders from their officers.
Without waiting for instructions from Esinie, Ekanor Falan Andien orders his troops to seize the town. This they do, but the enemy is already gone and there is little left to loot since the town has already been sacked.
Andien asks Esinie, "I suggest we pursue them and attack, but if you want a more diplomatic solution, we can just let them run away and hope they don't come back. What shall we do?"
|
|
Esinie
Junior Member
The master sword
Posts: 78
|
Post by Esinie on Dec 7, 2007 15:01:36 GMT -5
"We shall pursue them and kill every man who fights us." Esinie said grimly as he glanced at Andien and looked back too the fleeing enemy.
|
|
|
Post by Gamemaster on Dec 8, 2007 5:52:17 GMT -5
Ekanor Falan Andien gave the order and the Helmarie Army began to advance on the enemy.
The fleeing Zekresh Imperial Army troops increased their pace and more of them broke ranks and ran. About half the enemy troops remained together in one group in some disorder while others scattered in all directions.
The Helmarie troops pursued for at least ten talong, finally overtaking a small group of several dozen imperial soldiers who promptly surrendered without a fight.
At this point Andien ordered the 3rd Kantora Helmarie to return to the fortress to hold it in case enemy forces got behind the main army. He sent the prisoners with them.
The pursuit resumed and it was clear that the imperial force, which prisoners indicated was the 3rd Kantora Glantogran, was dwindling in size as more and more men deserted or were separated from the main force. At this point, however, the farmlands around Kast Gorumyva had been left behind and the pursuit was continuing eastward into the forests.
By nightfall, the Helmarie Army's main force was about twenty talong east of Kast Gorumyva. On Andien's order, they made camp. Sentries were posted. Some of the archers, with a lifetime of experience at hunting and tracking, requested permission to seek out the enemy's position in the dark. Andien granted permission for this. Some of the auxilliary troops also went looking for the enemy in the dark without asking permission.
|
|
|
Post by Gamemaster on Dec 8, 2007 6:04:44 GMT -5
Kast Gorumyva Glantogran Province, Zekresh Empire
28th day, 1st month, 41 Cledman VI
The Helmarie Army's main force had a quiet night at their forest encampment, but in the morning, they found out that it had not been a quiet night for everyone.
The auxilliaries returned to report that they had found the enemy and had made a small raid on their camp during the night. They spoke impressively of their bravery in charging into the enemy camp, but upon being pressed for details, they admitted to having done little in their raid other than run through the camp shouting, knocking over a tent and hurling spears that may or may not have hit anyone.
The auxilliaries reported that the enemy camp was five talong northeast of the Helmarie camp. Andien ordered his army to break camp and march on the enemy position immediately.
This was done, but upon arriving at the enemy campsite, they found that there were only four men there. These were promptly captured, but turned out to be hunters/archers from the Helmarie Army who had been sent out the night before. They had already located the enemy camp, determined the direction the enemy went, but had also determined that the campfires were cold, meaning that they had been out for many hours. The scouts concluded that the enemy had fled the camp in the middle of the night and had a substantial head start.
The scouts also determined that the main enemy force had gone east, but that about a dozen seem to have gone off in various other directions, possibly as messengers or scouts, or perhaps deserting their unit.
Ekanor Falan Andien ordered the Helmarie Army to pursue the enemy eastward. The pursuit continued all day through forest and some farm lands. Helmarie troops seized food and horses from the farms they passed. Andien gave the horses to the scouts and sent them out to find the enemy. Late in the day, scouts returned saying an enemy force of about two hundred men was camped in a rocky clearing on a hill about seven talong to the east. They also reported that there was a road south of the hill running approximately east-west.
The scouts also reported more farms ahead and indications that local people were reporting the presence of the scouts to the enemy.
Andien ordered the army to march and try to reach the hill before dark. Upon reaching the hill, it was found to be abandoned. The ground was not good for tracking there and there were signs of men and horses coming and going from various directions. The scouts were in disagreement as to which direction the main enemy force had gone.
Andien ordered the mounted scouts out in all directions to find the enemy and allowed his own men to make camp on the hilltop in the meantime.
Most of the scouts returned at dusk. At first, one reported finding the enemy force marching east six talong distant. Andien sent the scout back out to try to find where they camped, but decided to let the Helmarie Army rest for the night. Then, just after dark, another scout claimed to have located the main enemy force camped nine talong northwest of the Helmarie force. He reported the enemy's strength at about a thousand men, more than the 3rd Kantora Glantogran had when they occupied the town at Kast Gorumyva. Prisoners from the 3rd Kantora Glantogran had said the whole unit only had six hundred men.
Andien sent the same scout and two others out to attempt to confirm this report. In the meantime, he informed Ulor Esinie.
|
|
|
Post by Gamemaster on Dec 8, 2007 6:37:14 GMT -5
Glantogran Province, Zekresh Empire
29th day, 1st month, 41 Cledman VI
The morning of the 29th, was cold with light rain and some fog.
Disbelieving the reports of a large force to the northwest, Andien ordered the Helmarie troops to march east on the road.
Due to unnecessary delays, it took until mid-morning for the Helmarie troops to get on the road. They noticed a man on horseback watching them discretely from the forest. Andien wanted to sent mounted scouts after him, but all five mounted scouts were already out spying on the enemy.
Around noon, the Helmarie troops encountered two of their own scouts coming west on the road. By then, the mysterious horseman suspected of being an enemy scout was gone. The Helmarie scouts reported seeing at least a hundred enemy troops on the road about a dozen talong ahead.
The Helmarie Army pressed on. Andien sent the scouts back out for fresh reports of the enemy's position, and tried to get his own troops to increase their pace.
In the early afternoon, the rain stopped and two more Helmarie scouts returned from the northwest. To Andien's surprise, they confirmed the report of a thousand imperial troops. They said the enemy force was now heading southeast towards the road, coming up behind the Helmarie Army.
Andien cursed, "If I'd known this was going to happen, I would have waited for them on the hilltop. It's a good defensive position."
Andien went to Ulor Esinie, explained the situation and said, "Our best information is that the force we are chasing is small and demoralized. The one behind us is the greater threat. Unless you disagree, I'm going to order the army to turn around and march back to that hilltop. If we can get there in time, we'll fight the enemy there. If not, we'll fight them where we find them. The scouts can go back out and give us an update on the location of the larger force. Even if they do have a thousand men, we still outnumber them."
|
|
Esinie
Junior Member
The master sword
Posts: 78
|
Post by Esinie on Dec 10, 2007 1:09:49 GMT -5
"I do not disagree I hope it is a good decision." Esinie said.
|
|