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Post by Pitman on Dec 15, 2015 2:28:13 GMT -6
And so after three months of preparation, Field Marshal Uthyr Clarice gathered his forces for the campaign against the usurper King Alan I. It is on this day, the war of the wyverns turned from small scale smirkishes into a full out war. King Alan I would lead his army into battle against a Field Marshal who was considered their greatest military mind of the time. The Consequences of War would cost both sides more then their manpower but... their humanity.
-History of the War of the Wyverns, Historian Correll Zenith
Duchy of Byrius
"So today is the day the campaign begins huh.", Arawn soon stated as he sat in a carriage towards the Byrius Mansion.
"Indeed my lord, it seems your father's preparations are the best they could be.", Rido soon replied back as he sat next to Arawn.
Arawn was in deep thought on the consequences of this war would bring and after all the human life lost would be a petty in general.
"Rido, what you think will happen? The reforms the King is doing is having a lot of backlash since it began. I fear a rebellion would occur before the campaign would be dealt with, is that why my father is doing this campaign?", Arawn soon asked the older man who simply nodded.
"Aye, if we do not put down the Usurper soon, King Fernand will have more to contend with then another King.", Rido soon agreed.
"Typical, as such a civil war like this only weakens us further well Medeen continues its plotting. Rido is the news correct?", Arawn then asked.
"Our Spy is never wrong, in 9 months there is going to be an attack from Medeen regardless the result of this civil war. It seems a new young Paladin has risen in the ranks as of late, we do not know his identity but wears a Crimson Mask over his face. He wishes to crush both Kings when we weaken ourselves.", Rido soon pointed.
"With father busy with this civil war we may need to be the ones to deal with that, even if it only delays them a bit.", Arawn soon stated back with Rido nodding.
"I can guarantee you my lord as you are acting Margrave and the orders of your father the March of Clarice will continue its duty to protect the border. If you wish you can request Duek Byrius to join us at Fort Meltfox at the border. Though it is a bad time to leave in such a civil unrest.", Rido soon pointed.
"Troublesome.", Arawn stated as the carriage soon arrived at the Byrius mansion as the gates opened to the great garden they had.
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At the Edge of the Duchy of Byrius
Uthyr continued to talk to his lieutenants on the plans of the campaign. The War Council on the front lines on what to expect and what to avoid.
"Remember gentlemen we must keep damage to the City to a minimum as much as possible. Even if their rebels now they are still the other part of this city.", Uthyr soon finished up as the lieutenants all nodded.
"Alright dismissed.", Uthyr soon finished.
Soon all but one of Uthyr's second in command left the room with Uthyr taking out brandy to drink.
"You know my lord, I don't think we will have much time.", Sir Tristan soon stated to Uthyr.
Uthyr was skeptical about this man, but King Fernand personally requested and vouched for him to join as his second in command of the Royal Army.
"I know, preparations can only do so much, the use of gold to civilians can only work so much and drafting is also has negative aspect. I know of the unrest in the Duchy of Byrius and I know some of the lords would jump at a moments notice to rebel, well ones who now realize what exactly reforms the King has planned.", Uthyr drank from his glass.
"Ah so you finally caved on that didn't you?", Sir Tristan soon mentioned.
"Aye, I had my own misgivings at first as well but it wouldn't be so bad to demilitarize most of the nobility and force them all to join the Royal Army if they wish to own troops. At least I convinced the King that the need of house guard guards and the need of a few loyal Knights is still required.", Uthyr pointed out.
"That is good, anyways on the morrow we will be engaging King Alan's Rebel Army. Let us hope we bring victory to our King.", Sir Tristan replied as he was just about to leave.
"Victory? Victory is never a sure thing, anything can happen we could win or lose. Or at worse both of us could very well lose.", Uthyr admitted as Sir Tristan left.
The time for battle was coming soon but an unexpected guest was just about to arrive.
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Rabite
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Post by Rabite on Dec 15, 2015 3:05:03 GMT -6
It's been a few months since the Prince-Archbishopric of Gransela was formed, and finally turned into a fully functioning state after many nights of battle versus stacks after stacks of paper to be read and signed. During this time, it was mostly peaceful. The two factions still needed time to prepare their army, and Gransela worked to prevent any unhanded tricks of both sides by carrying out investigations on their actions. Although the winter has finally arrived, starvation could be avoided thanks to the help of the charity work of the faithful men and women of Devanism, even when the two factions are focusing their efforts in preparing for war rather than for their people.
However recently James had received news of Uthyr's campaign, which means a large scale battle could occur. Looks like they hope to end the war with a great victory, which in James' opinion is too risky and would cause great casualty on both sides. Another news that reached his ears is the methods that Byrius had gathered their troops, and he was not happy to hear of the forceful drafting that might have occurred. The more peasants that are sent to battle, the harder it would be for the Kingdom to recover, so he hoped that what he heard is not true. Drafting are also arguably covered in the treaty, where both side promises to keep casualties to peasants to minimum, and sending them off to battle sure won't help with this.
But right now it's just rumors and accusations, he need more information to make his judgment. However being the homeland of such a high ranking noble of the Byrius faction, the person that he should send would be something he'll have to consider. The best choice here is of course James himself, but with the work gathering on his table it'll be a while before he'll be able to go out on charity missions or investigations of his own, so that's not a workable choice. He could send High Paladin Oliver Hampden over... but at the moment he's in charged of training the armies for defending the borders. The other higher ranking men and women he could send are all busy or already assigned with different tasks, so that leaves him no other choice but to have Florina do the investigations. Generally he did not want to send her out to a place so far out, and so close to a possible battlefield, but right now she is the only candidate that fits the situation.
"I'll go, we have plans to deliver supplies to those in needed that lives in the Country anyways, it won't be too difficult for us to also take a look at the area to see if the rumors are true."
"Hm... very well, but there are news of unrest in the area, I'll have some extra Knights go with you. It's cold in that area with the extra moisture, be sure to put on something warm and watch your health while you're there, alright?"
"Of course. Do you want me to bring any words over to the Margrave or his family?"
"....Hm, right, the young man we saw at the feast is one of that family wasn't he? Perhaps you can help me tell him, although the sword can easily cut through your enemies, it is with words that you can stop the conflict."
"You wish for him to convince his father to stop the campaign?"
For a moment Florina thought that this was going to be a diplomatic mission that attempts to defuse the large battle, but James shakes his head in response.
"A little late for that, besides, I don't think the Duchy is stable enough for them to carry out a successful decisive battle like that. I just want to get the man to be a bit more merciful to his possible enemies, that's all."
. . .
As planned, a caravan departs from Gransela, and heads towards the March of Clarice. The caravan continues food and other daily necessaries, but the banner of the Order of Gaia Saber is enough to warn any foolish bandits of their identity, forcing them to choose other targets that won't result in a large army marching towards your doorstep.
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Richter
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Post by Richter on Dec 15, 2015 3:39:19 GMT -6
Across the border Lamarck waited at the head of his own army, waiting the inevitable advance of his foe. The 'rebel' king hoped that a decisive battle here could further shock the fraying support structure of Byrius. Leading all their me into a horrific offensive war could be just the thing they need to really step up the peasant revolts. Their agents would help with that, of course...
But they were a boon at best, not something that could be relied upon to win the war. That was why the du-king was here to command in person. He was still getting used to the title. It felt a bit...big, for him, but fate had handed him the reigns, and noblesse oblige demanded that he take them. Of course that wasn't the entire reason, but it was a significant chunk. The trouble so far was that neither side truly knew where the other one's army was, and that was half of the game. Actually finding the foe to meet them in battle. Luckily, this was something the defender excelled at. They knew the land and terrain, and with the treaty in place, hopefully they could still be relied upon to know the people when all was said and done.
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Further afield Margrave and Margravine were waiting with their own detachment. Smaller than their leige's, of course, but it didn't matter. Their place in this match was to spring a trap, not be a main combatant. The hope was that Uthyr would fall for it, but even if not, he would be suffering a fatal surprise regardless.
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Meanwhile, over in enemy territory, trouble has been brewing beneath the surface. Bandits and general never-do-wells had been snuck across the border to make contact and join with those indigenous to the area. Though piecemeal across the whole of the kingdom, their numbers overall were fairly impressive. Considering their plans, not being together was a benefit. An expected boon came in the form of the protests, revolts, and general displeasure amongst the serfs in Byrius's domains. It'd brought fresh recruits into their bands and, perhaps more importantly, gave them a core of zealous recruits that would fight to the death for reason other than coin.
A fine situation for trouble, this was.
One such group was watching the road that James's emissary came in on, in fact. Coincidentally it was also the road that the levies going to join the new field marshal had left on some weeks prior. It was almost time to move. When the cat's away, the mice will play, as it's said...
Seeing that banner, however, made them think twice. But they continued to watch, curious on how this would play out. If nothing else, they could sell the information for a few coins.
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Post by Pitman on Dec 15, 2015 22:25:21 GMT -6
A Day has passed since the first day of battle, Uthyr sat on a horse as he looked over the entire battlefield. A thick coldness could be felt on his lips.
"So far we have yet to run into our target.", Sir Tristan soon stated as he sat in his own horse next to Uthyr.
"The enemy is not stupid but this fog... was there suppose to be fog today?", Uthyr soon asked.
"No My Lord it seems the weather system hit a bug.", one of the lower aides soon reported from the ground.
"This is not good... we can't see in this well.", Uthyr soon sighed at the problems.
"Maybe we should move a bit forward?", Sir Tristan soon asked.
"No, if we simply charge into their lines it would only be a blood bath. They have the home advantage, compared to ours they only would have to wait. For now continue to do as we did yesterday, if we march into today it will only bring too many unknowns.", Uthyr soon ordered.
Though both sides engaged in battle from the previous day, there hasn't been a major contact between both armies. Uthyr strategy was a long term game and only did small raids into the other army on the other side of the area of the city edges. To make matters worse a thick fog came up in the morning blinding Uthyr from seeing all detachments of his own army. Because of this blindness and because he was not sure what the other army was doing would potentially be quite deadly for the Royal Army. Not arrogant, but playing too safe may or may not be the wisest of choices for the Field Marshal. His own army was mostly made up of infantry with only a few detachments of Junior Mobile Knights and a few detachments of Calvary. Because of this he didn't have the capability to move rapid and he army itself was slow.
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Arawn looked out of the window from the Byrius mansion now that he was in his usual attire now he has stayed at the Byrius mansion it felt too extravagant at least to Arawn.
"Oh Arawn this is where you been.", Duke Ronald soon stated as he had a warm mug of hot chocolate in his hand.
"Yes your home has too much things here.", Arawn commented as he was handed over a mug as well.
"Yes House Byrius is the oldest House of the entire city as you know. We date before the foundation of the Kingdom and even during the Age of Heresy.", Ronal soon mentioned which made Arawn sigh.
Turning over in the room which obviously had great painting and other old things, one thing peculiar made Arawn stop.
"Something caught your interest?", Ronald then asked.
Arawn was completely drawn in the Mural before his eyes, it looked itself very old but it was interesting especially how it looked something out of medieval soldiers but what made it different was the symbols.
"That Mural... what is that?", Arawn soon asked.
Ronald turned to the mural in question then replies, "Ah that thing, that has been in our family for generation which depicts what occurred at the end of the Age of heresy. Yep, its quite interesting seeing it all the time but you at least know why we keep it here?"
"No I don't know, I been so busy trying to get trained up to become Margrave I never really paid attention to things like that.", Arawn admitted.
"Then I will tell you then, the Age of Heresy as you know it was a time called an age where godless men ruled the heavens and Luna. Their greed knew no bounds they believed to not believe in god or in a vessel of any sort. They created many great marvels, great heavenly metal objects which flew from realm to realm. Such an age of prosperity but as you know, man always has a lust for power and it of course leads to only one recourse, war.", Ronald pointed out.
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Rabite
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Post by Rabite on Dec 15, 2015 23:17:43 GMT -6
It took a few days before the caravan arrives near the Marsh, after passing through the borders they head towards the home of the Clarice clan, so they can meet with the Margrave and discuss about their plans here. After all before they could carry out their charity or the investigation they would at least need to know about the current situation, and it would be a lot easier with the assistance of the local lord and with their permissions to move on their own.
As they approach, a squad of the Schutz Cavalier JMS advances towards the castle, traveling faster than the rest of the caravan but slower than combat speed to show they have no bad intentions. As they arrive the squad leader sends a message to the garrison to introduce themselves, showing that they are here on a charity mission, and asking for a meeting with Margrave Clarice.
Soon the rest of the caravan arrives in front of the castle, waiting for a response from the lord of this land. Knights and JMS waits on standby around the transport trucks, keeping away bystanders that wants to get close to see what's going on so they don't crowd up around the caravan.
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Richter
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Post by Richter on Dec 16, 2015 0:08:26 GMT -6
Lamarck's army was playing it safe, they could afford to. Scouts and skirmishers had met with Uthyr's several times, exchanging light missile fire as the two armies tried to maneuver and find one another. It was slow going. Made all the slower by the fog that had rolled in this morning. But that could work to their advantage, as was said, they knew the terrain and all the shortcuts, they didn't need vision as much as the enemy did.
So for now, they had the edge. But the question was, how to press it?
"Still no sign of the enemy, sir." One of the king's scouts reported, snapping a crisp salute right before.
"He's no fool, I'll give him that. Moving into unknown territory in these conditions would be suicidal. But maybe we can force his hand. Go and fetch my messengers, tell them to report to me immediately. We're going to try and turn this to our favor."
Lamarck's orders sent his scouts out into this section of the foggy city in the hunt for the enemy army. While they didn't know the exact spot, they did know what areas in the region were big enough to house the size of Uthyr's force, and from there it was just a matter of systematically checking them off one by one until they finally struck paydirt. His own pickets might be able to track the probing strikes from King Lamarck over the course of a few hours, but the fog made news travel even slower than usual. But something was definitely up.
"We think we know where they are, sir. Scouts see smoke coming from the west, and enemy pickets are particularly heavy in that area. Should we continue to push?" A different scout asked this time.
Alan agreed. "Do so. Send in the skirmishers to confirm. And someone bring me a map!"
One of his aides did, and he looked to the area his scouts had tentatively placed this army at. It was in Baron Fontaine's land. At the center of one of his towns there was a paved traffic circle, wide and large, where many roads from his lands and the ones around them met. The area was a large trade hub, usually manned by temporary sellers in the warmer seasons. The transient merchants had long since moved out for the winter, however. The area had enough space in the center of the rotary for an army to camp, and the road around it provided enough wide open space that an enemy couldn't approach from any side undetected. That is, were it not from the fog. What shops and apartment complexes surrounded it were probably abandoned by their inhabitants when the army arrived, meaning men could also shelter there. It was a good spot.
Within the hour the skirmishing had intensified; soldiers with bows and thrown weapons were engaging Uthyr's own light infantry at range and in much larger numbers than the other day. It seems that Lamarck had found them, first.
More importantly, they laid torches as they went so that each section of the army could keep track of where the rest were, and they slowly moved ahead to maintain cohesion while their lighter forces engaged those of the enemy. The silhouettes of many soldiers, and larger forms, along with their light sources could be just barely seen through the fog.
"Let's hope we can bait him into an attack." The king said as he watched from his own perch. He had brought a spyglass for the occasion, but summarily put it away for the moment. There was little point in trying to use it with the conditions as they were.
"What if he doesn't take?" His aide inquired, playing devil's advocate.
"Then we continue to whittle him down with until he does, or decides to try and go home. And you know what will happen when he tries that. King Fernand's field marshal has already put his foot in the bear trap, he just doesn't realize yet that it has already snapped shut."
"Providing that our army can hold long enough for their messengers to arrive and give him the ultimatum."
That made him grimace, it was the fulcrum on which this entire thing balanced. "Yes, there is that. But that is always the risk when leading men. Making them keep heart. That's part two of why I'm here."
"What's part one then, sire?" The young man asked, craning his head to look up at his liege.
"As bait. Uthyr wants a quick end to the war. When he sees me here, he'll know he has his chance to get it. He's a good man. I'm hoping he'll think with his morality and not pragmatism. Even if he doesn't, he must know that if he doesn't engage me here, the only other choice he has is to retreat. Otherwise, I'll be able to bring reinforcements and surround him. Now please be silent, we must wait and see if he bites..."
The makeup of Lamarck's army was similar to Uthyr's primarily soldiers. They had moved much faster though, because they were more willing to take the roads. The risk of being ambushed in their own lands, while still existent, were much reduced. The area around the field marshal's camp was mostly city park in the center of the rotary, with enough trees and decorations to provide some cover, but not enough to hide an army. At the other end of the highway were actual buildings as it blended back into city.
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Post by Pitman on Dec 17, 2015 23:17:17 GMT -6
The First guard of the March of Clarice came up to see who was down below. Noticing the banners from the new Archbishopic the guard soon yells, "Open the Gates!"
Soon the gate to the castle would open to allow them in. When arriving into the inner part the Steward of the March of Clarice soon was informed of a sudden arrival and went out to the courtyard to greet the guests.
"What brings you good people here?", the Steward soon asks. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"War? So what exactly happened?", Arawn soon asked Ronald who simply chuckled.
"You know there is so many versions of course the Church Version is the most common known there is another, that is passed down in House Byrius since the time of the founding of this city. You see there is a reason my brother can be such an asshole as well. See our House comes before the Kingdom was even created so it predates the whole mess of the Luna Dynasty. Lets start from the beginning... During the end half of the Age of Heresy it was stated man grown arrogant. Those of Gaia ruled the heavens at the top of what was called Olympia, over time no one knows who started it but the people of the time war between Luna and Gaia. The War ravaged everything and brought ruin to all. In the church version of course it is stated that the vessel of God came down and ended the war. But... the real truth, the Church of Babel was formed a good 100 years later from that time.", Ronald admitted which perked Arawn's curiosity.
"So the whole thing with the church...", Arawn was suggesting.
"You know in truth my brother is not a religious man. No he views the church as nothing but a means of control, because to it its built on a lie of the Luna Dynasty. In actuality the Blood Line of the Hero who runs within the blood of Selardia what was truly founded us. Everyone in the Selardia Nobility are in fact all forgotten but their bloodlines could be traced back to the Hero of Selardia.", Ronald admitted which made Arawn more questions then answers.
Arawn turned to Ronald soon asking, "Wait.... wait wait... Hero of Selardia? Who the heck is that?"
"I was getting to that, The Hero of Selardia man who was born of both of Gaia and Luna, Janus Selardia it is he who fought off Gaia, ending the war with his own Chariot. The Chariot called the Gundam of Origin.", Ronald then added.
"Gundam... wait, but my own unit Belomont is a..", Arawn was saying until Ronald finishes, "Yes Belmont, Pendragon, Mordred of Medeen and others of the Gundam type. Their all copies of the original Gundam of Origin. The Ultimate war machine created during the end of the Age of Heresy a unit that was called the unit 'The Gives Death Itself'. Its why all our current Mobile Knights are called that, after all the Gundam of Origin was named The Mobile Knight Gundam. It is with that machine that Janus Selardia ended the war, but the cost was too great. As you can see the world we live in now is the results of the Janus and his followers defeating Gaia.", Ronald finished his tale.
"Brought the world we live now, but why we never rebuilt? Why is the moon in such a state now?", Arawn then asked.
"Sadly we of House Byrius don't even know, we were one of the original followers of Janus and he disappeared soon after the defeat of Gaia. The followers formed the original families of Byrius and to this day almost everyone has forgotten their origins. Its why my brother was so adamant to be King, or at least that was his original intent, I think.", Ronald soon thought still unsure.
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"Field Marshal Report! Skirmishers have engaged our forward light infantry!!", a messenger soon reported which Utrhyr nodded.
"More then yesterday it seems. Does Lamarck's army want to bait us into action?", Sir Tristan soon asked as Uthyr continued to attempt to look around.
"More then likely but still, neither side have yet made any real contact, this is turned into a game of simply testing each other.", Uthyr soon commented as he began to look at his own map on the table not far.
"In other words who shall make the first real movement?", Sir Tristan asked.
"Have the rearguard to cover our backs and sides. Have the Vanguard move to engage the skirmishers and lets see the results.", Uthyr ordered.
He wasn't going to risk the main army but the Vanguard which itself was faster and mounted could help against skirmishers. For now the battle will be played slowly as the initial contact was about to go into an larger battle then the day prior. Uthyr is making the first move but will that move be good or bad?
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Rabite
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Post by Rabite on Dec 17, 2015 23:59:47 GMT -6
"I am Gareth Dipan, Paladin of Order of Gaia Saber. We have came under the orders of his holiness Die Gerade Gransela for official businesses in relations to Clarice... where is your lord? Is he absent at the moment? If so then who is in charge of this land in his place?"
Although it felt quite disrespectful that Clarice had only sent out a Steward to meet them, Dipan decided to not pursuit the issue and simply introduce himself. It did not take long before he notices that not only is the Margrave away, but his assigned regent also seems to be absent from his post, leaving a Steward in charge of business. This kind of management makes Dipan wonders about the stability of the Marsh of Clarice, after all it's wartime, what if someone attacks and lay siege to the castle? If there are ones with hostile intentions in the area, Clarice wouldn't have much ability to handle the problems without a leader.
"What about you? Are you authorized to have the power to carry out all the duties of the Margrave? If so then maybe you could give us the rights to act freely within this land, so that we can carry out the investigations as par the conditions that were agreed on in the treaty. We also hope to occupy some space in order to hand out goods to those in needed, if you have no objections to it."
But seeing that he is the only one here, he'll have to do for now. The Steward is in no position to be of the same standing as the visitors, so rather than asking for permission, it feels more like he is just declaring what the Knights are going to do. If Arawn is at least here like he is supposed to do then he could have made some decisions, but nothing could be done if he's away.
"We would be staying for a few days, I ask that accommodation is provided to us during this time. And if you can, provide us with some sort of written pass so that we can avoid any unnecessary conflicts during our stay here. That shouldn't be a problem, am I right? If there is then lets hear it."
He's willing to listen, but that'll probably be it. It's not like a Steward have the power to actual stop them, as that would step into the borders of military and political decisions, definitely not something that could just be handed over to anyone. Though of course in the case that it does happen, the Knights are already inside with their full numbers, it shouldn't be that hard to deal with unexpected happenings.
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Richter
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Post by Richter on Dec 18, 2015 0:29:29 GMT -6
The lines of battle began to stabilize as the forward elements met and engaged one another. On Lamarck's side, this was mostly composed of light missile troops. Soldiers with hurled weapons, bows, and hunting crossbows - all things that could easily be reloaded by hand and shot while moving. There was a small variety depending on which lords provided the troops and their gear. Likely, the heavier ordnance such as military-grade crossbows were with the actual line infantry. What cavalry came with that force stayed to the flanks, with the footmen in loose formation making out the bulk of it.
"Looks like he's committing his light cavalry." The aide said as he watched both sides clash through the fog.
"Already? Excellent. Tell the main lines to continue forward at a slow pace. Continue to harass, let's see how their resolve holds up." Lamarck ordered. It'd take at least 30 minutes for the messengers and proper signals to be sent to make that happen. When it did, the skirmishing got much more aggressive.
The light infantry primarily busied themselves with trying to take out their counterparts amongst Uthyr's force, sending arrows and bolts into the enemy's picket while they took cover inside of buildings on the far side of the highway, and behind hedges, free standing walls, and other forms of cover. Failing that they knelt, anything to make their forms smaller and harder to hit, and as well making it hard to line up a charge against them. Meanwhile the cavalry in his own army swooped in to threaten the enemy horsemen at any point where they tried to assault the vulnerable skirmishers, they played more conservatively. Lamarck's plan was to box in and slowly roll back their forward elements, cut off their mobility and set up multiple fields of fire. For now deploying his cavalry worked to slow this plan, forcing him to stop advancing, but their pressure got much more intense as a result.
Because Uthyr didn't move forward, the main of Lamarck's force began to come into reach of his own vanguard. More powerful quarrels began to sail out of the fog and into the formations of his advanced cavalry. Notably, they stayed just out of reach of his own return fire. For now it wasn't particularly accurate, but it put him in an unfortunate position: Move up and use his own forces to help take pressure off the screen, and almost certainly let the enemy have first shots at them, or hold back and risk his light infantry being boxed in and mauled. That could have unfortunate implications when the main clash truly did begin.
For now it seemed the rebel king continued to hold the initiative. As well he continued to use it to try and bait Uthyr forward, or submit to letting him win the skirmish phase.
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Post by Pitman on Dec 19, 2015 22:41:36 GMT -6
The Steward was quite annoyed at the way the Paladin addressed him, and didn't know how the Mach of Clarice operated. Though the Margrave was the head of the March, much of the management was not just done by the Margrave. The Steward along with a trusted advisers helped managed internal manners, especially more so then other lands with the March of Clarice. With the Lord almost always away fighting campaigns or whatever required him.
"The Margrave is currently leading the Royal Army as Field Marshal in a campaign against the rebellion. As for his acting reagent he had manner of business with Duke Ronald Byrius, that required his presence. Though he is expected to arrive back after noon today, Sir Gareth Dipan. If you may, your men can relax in the castle until the acting Margrave's return.", the Steward soon bowed, with some respect, even if the man acted arrogantly.
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"Arawn..", Ronald stated as Arawn was about to leave with Marshal Rido.
Turning to the Duke he soon asks, "What is it?"
Looking around he soon came up to his ear and whispers, "Whatever it is Arawn, DO NOT TRUST my brother. Though I hope he is just righting the wrongs of history, he is known to use people. Just like Count Gristo, whatever it is do not allow yourself or your father into any of his schemes."
Arawn nodded as he noticed guards didn't hear, whatever he stated this gave Arawn wonderment. If he cannot trust the King, why was his brother telling him so much? Was it due to the trust both men built since their meeting three months ago? Whatever it was Arawn soon got into his carriage which soon began to ride away back towards the March of Clarice.
"My lord something troubling you?", Rido soon asked from his seat.
"Rido, I got a bad feeling. Doesn't it feel something bad is about to happen?", Arawn soon asked the man.
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The Battle of skirmishing continued as more reports came in to Uthyr as he was sitting down from his command center. He looked at the maps and the fog was still so thick, he was very hard to tell what was going on.
"What lousy luck we have.", Sir Tristan commented from his own end as each aide brought more reports in and flags being used to communicate.
"Sir Tristan if you were King Lamarck what would you do in this fog?", Uthyr soon asked the man from his own horse back.
"Well except trying to find a way to find the enemy, I would attempt to surround you or move troops to encircle the enemy. If I had time put in other obstacles to change the face of the battlefield why?", Sir Tristan asked.
Uthyr pondered a moment until a horse men came up with a message from the front.
"Oh they have intensified their skirmishing?", Uthyr soon asked himself as hearing the Van was running into more and more resistance, and engaged with enemy mounted Calvary.
"If resistance is harder either King Lamarck wants to really really bait you into attack or his arm-", Sir Tristan soon stated which Uthyr soon head clicked.
"This fog was unplanned its both a boon for his army and a bane. If his skirmishers are intensifying their attack... Give order for the army to prepare to make contact with the enemy main force. He is likely using the fog as a cover to advance his army at a slow rate to catch us by surprise!! Have the Van continue to engage then when the attacks grow thicker have them fall back towards our main line!!", Uthyr soon ordered.
Without knowing what King Lamarck's plan was Uthyr soon threw out caution a bit as the fog was perfect cover for the army to advance slower at a quiet pace. The Best option of course was to move the army a bit forward. Once contact between both armies engage Uthyr plans for the second main line to move to the right and left flank. When contact is engage if Lamarck Advances the right and left flank then will enclose Lamarck's central line.
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Rabite
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Post by Rabite on Dec 19, 2015 23:16:43 GMT -6
In other words, this was a waste of time. This man in front of them had no power whatsoever other than those of a butler, at least it seems that way in the eyes of the Knights before him. What's the point of having this man here, if he have no ability to make any of these decisions? The man did not even introduce himself properly, other than with his title. For all they know this could be an imposer, how ever low that possibility would be.
The Margrave is away, his Regent is away, and the only one in charge do not have the power to carry out simple requests. By regular standard this is something unbelievable to the nobles of Selardia. Even if there was something of utter emergency the regent should have someone taking his place while he was away, or at very minimum they should have someone of fair position out to handle such greetings of other nobles. But right now all they're having is someone that's equal to their butler, who does not have the authority to carry out their daily operations as simple as setting areas aside for the caravan to unload their goods.
After hearing the replies, Dipan have one of his followers head back to the caravan and report to the Archbishop. Florina herself did not have much thoughts about the situation, deciding that Clarice have their own problems to deal with, and would be better to not bother them.
"Tell Sir Dipan that if it is a hassle to House Clarice then we can come back another time. If they couldn't find an available area for us then we can take accommodation at a local church, or perhaps rent a location from local merchants for a few days. There is no need to force them to provide us with aid, we have only came to pay our respects. If the Margrave and his regent is away then we meet them when they have returned."
Though still mildly annoyed by the lack of effort from the Clarice, Dipan informs the Steward about the Archbishop being the leader of the caravan, and the decision that she had made to take shelter in the city instead of the castle.
"As such we'll be heading out, good day, 'Steward'."
Before they leave, as they still don't know the man's name, Dipan simply calls him by his title. This is also to remind him of his position as a Steward of the House Clarice, and that it surely won't help for the relationship between the neutral Prince-Archbishopric of Gransela and the Country of Clarice. The caravan heads into the head areas, before the regent could return.
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It didn't take long before they found a local church that follows Devanism, and is willing to let them take shelter for the time while they're here. The priests and sisters helps out in preparing the food that they are going to hand out, while the Knights help lifting goods off the trucks and maintaining order.
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Richter
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Post by Richter on Dec 19, 2015 23:54:34 GMT -6
Lamarck was at the rear of his army rather than sequestered away in a command post as his counterpart was, easier to lead that way. And more helpful, as the force that was doing all of the moving. Even though the fog obscured much, it was also always better, in his mind, to be able to see with your own eyes to confirm what couriers were telling you. Right now he could see cavalry and soldiers in loose formations whirling about one another in dizzying patterns as the battle lines finally began to draw closer. He got a message about that after a few minutes. Though the bulk of the army, and himself by proxy, couldn't see it; his skirmishers certainly could. The same way they likely knew his own army was advancing.
"Looks like today battle will be joined." The king said, exhaling deeply at the last syllable. He inhaled just as sharply, repeating this process a few times to calm himself. It wasn't his first battle, but it didn't need to be. Situations like this would make any sane man anxious, more so now. This wasn't just a fight against some rebellious noble or bandit gang, but one of the better generals to be spawned by the kingdom. So much was riding on it.
"Your orders?" The messenger who brought him that missive inquired.
"Keep moving, and keep our ranks in their current formation. We want to remain flexible. What's going on with their skirmish line?"
"Beginning to fall back and clear the way for the army's main push."
"As to be expected. Light cavalry are to move to the flanks and stay dispersed to watch our sides. Have the light infantry pull towards the gaps in our formation and begin harassing the main army. And do it on the double!" The king said.
The soldier snappily affirmed with an 'aye, sir' and departed on swift feet to bring the word.
As the two armies closed the skirmishers began to peel away from no man's land. The vanguard had moderate success in keeping the bulk of his force from being harried, and when they retreated Lamarck's did the same, but they moved to the sides rather that straight back. Now the light infantry began to pepper the main of his force with bolts and arrows, sending scattered fire into the shadowy figures approaching through the fog. They kept range as they did this, however, to remain out of melee range, though the main of his army could probably reach them with their own missile weapons if they chose to use them. With his own picket retreating, he had left himself open to harassment such as this. How much of a difference it would make remained to be seen, but it was a fair guess the renegade king had more planned that just to sling a few sharpened sticks his way.
Regardless, the two armies would eventually come within rough seeing distance from one another. And as was explained, quarrels from the main of Lamarck's force sailed out through the fog to land amongst Uthyr's army and draw the first true blood. The former duke's army was also composed into two lines:
The first one seemed to be composed of crossbowmen two ranks deep and arranged into staggered formation so that they could all fire without risking hitting one another. They alternated shots, first rank shooting and then second rank, to keep the firepower steadily coming down.
The second line was much thicker and composed of melee troops. What they were armed with, and other composition, couldn't be seen due to the weather. Larger shapes that could be heavy cavalry, JMS, or both were dispersed amongst the second line with emphasis towards the flanks.
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Post by Pitman on Dec 20, 2015 3:46:57 GMT -6
Arawn soon arrived back to the March as his carriage soon began to go through the gates. As He got up he soon came out the steward was there to greet him.
"My Lord you returned.", the Steward soon bowed before Arawn.
"Did I miss anything well I was away?", Arawn asked the Steward who simply nods.
"Yes a couple of rude men of the Archbishop arrived and talk with the lord. Alas you were not here this morning and they went into the city.", the Steward soon replied.
Arawn stopped and sighs, "Rido take care of the place I will go will greet the guests in town. You know where they went?"
"To some church I hear, not like there is many in the March so not hard to miss.", the Steward replied.
"Right, I will head over to them now on horse back.", Arawn soon commented as a stable boy soon gave Arawn a horse which he mounted.
"Do not fret my lord, the paperwork will be waiting for you.", Rido soon joked.
"This is one thing I dread when I do become the actual Margrave. We need to rethink how things are ran in Selardia, maybe a Chancellor for the March or something.", Arawn replied.'
He would soon ride out of the gates towards the town and towards the Church the guests went to. Due to this being the March of Clarice, many people waved and good afternoon to Arawn. Just like all previous lords, Arawn himself grew up in the city portion and was not allowed to enter the castle until he proved himself. Due to that he knew everyone in the March from the basic baker to even some bums. As he soon arrived to the Church he already figured they were inside.
"Well I wonder what brings them here..", Arawn commented as he dismounted.
He walked towards the church door then opens it.
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"Contact My lord!", an aide reported to Uthyr.
"Alright let us see how the second day of battle ends out. Engage!", Uthyr soon ordered as flags were used.
"What you think of the first real clash between armies will be like?", Sir Tristan soon asked.
"The First real clash is always the hardest. We will see the results soon.", Uthyr then stated.
On the front lines under missile fire it was of course the first real clash not just in this battle but in a while for both sides. Though it was not expected to be a decisive battle have some people hoped but the first of many engagements within the day. The Royal Army with their shields up advanced, of course Lamack's army was before them Uthyr using a different tactic then from normal. The Army second file was not at the center, thanks to the fog the other side didn't know that, a shuffle was created thus making hard to guest its composition for this clash. The Second part of the group were in fact divided into the right flank and left flank. The reasoning of this was to force a clash and allow Lamarck to push the center hard. What would look like a buckling of the line is in fact an encirclement trap. The Van which has pulled back stay back during this their goal to charge at Lamarck troops who move forward. During this the right and left flank will push forward and then surround Lamarck's men into a death trap. Though would this tactic be seen by King Alan it is unknown.
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Rabite
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Post by Rabite on Dec 20, 2015 13:41:28 GMT -6
By the time Arawn has arrived the preparation would have been completed. A line starts to form by people that wishes to get a free warm meal from the church, although the charity workers are working as fast as they can, the length of the line just seems to be getting longer and longer. Other than the line for the free stuffs, there's also another line on the side. Although nothing is being handed out here, the Archbishop herself is there to personally hear the words of the people and advise them on problems, and reassuring their faith.
Although the Knights that are by the door sees Arawn, they do not know him personally, so they have no reason to see him as any different from the rest of these people here for help. They do however notice the clothes on the man seems to be of nobility, and informs Paladin Dipan about this. Dipan, who was working with several other Knights and Dames in crunching numbers for their operations, looks over and sees Arawn.
"He can line up like the rest of these people. We will not treat someone differently according to their status, that's the teaching of Devanism. If he wants to use his position to force himself before the other commoners then let him, but tell everyone in the church about it."
Arawn is still the regent of this land so they could not really stop him by any practical means, however it sure won't look good for his image to 'grab money from a beggar's bowl' so to speak, and go against his own people. Though of course the line looks pretty long by now, it could take hours before Arawn arrives where the Archbishop is, seeing the time she takes to carefully hear the pleads of all these people.
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Richter
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Post by Richter on Dec 20, 2015 18:39:16 GMT -6
Bolts from the first line of Lamarck's army, and the skirmishers as they peeled to the sides, would rain down into Uthyr's army as the two groups steadily approached. Drums could be heard by now as they approached, keeping an unusual 1-2, 3, 1-2, 3 sort of tempo to keep the army marching at a pace suitable for the crossbowmen to fire and reload on without the men behind running into them. By the time the Lamarck's men were halfway across the highway the ranged soldiers stopped and pulled back between the holes in the line behind them. Instead they moved to occupy the buildings the skirmishers had rifled through and cleared, so they could have a vantage point to shoot from. It gave Uthyr's men a brief respite from the hail of quarrels, for this turn at least. As they left, the drums took on a more rapid beat to urge the men into combat, and a faster pace.
The majority of Lamarck's infantry was composed of pikemen arranged into blocks, carrying shield strapped to the arm not carrying their spears. Spears were a traditional weapon of the peasants, easy to use and simple to make. Most spearmen could fight two ranks deep, but with pikes, they could fight three or maybe even four, essentially doubling his fighting power. They also provided reach and first strike. Perhaps most importantly, these big blocks of soldiers provided encouragement and reassurance for the troops composing them, strength and power in numbers. The formations also came with two 'wings', on the left were mercenary heavy infantry with kite shields and swords. On the right, was a small group of men with bayoneted blunderbusses; whose thunderous report would be heard long before being seen by Uthyr as they laid out shot into his center all at once in a cacophonous boom. Clearly, he had been holding them back from firing to keep the element of surprise. Followed by the pikemen jabbing his force as they moved to engage, essentially ruining a charge. And when they did finally did get close enough to reach a conventional melee, the swordsmen rammed into the flanks of his troops to keep them offguard and break formation. The majority of both armies were volunteers that might not reach well to fighting one another in melee, being countrymen. Bows and arrows had a certain deniability to them, especially in the fog, a freedom from guilt. Not so much in melee.
The mercenaries had no such compunction and they readily tore into Uthyr's royal army without hesitation, perhaps surprising them, and heartening their levied counterparts and urging them to do the same. While not a warrior himself, Lamarck most certainly did know how to utilize men from his past experience in stewardship. Evidently, it carried through into how best to build an army. If the tactics would follow, remained to be seen. While Uthyr was expecting the center to bow, it might actually break much harder than he was anticipating from the sudden shock applied to it by the king's professional soldiers, pikemen, and guns. To make matters worse, his vanguard trying to reinforce the center would be charging straight to their doom against those walls of spearmen, even if they pulled back in time, they'd likely have to veer to the side and risk trampling their own men. If the horses didn't try to buck off their riders in fear first, cavalry are deathly afraid of spear hedges. All in all, this was probably the most disastrous move the general could have made, and the fog was to blame for concealing the fact that Lamarck had brought the perfect counter to it. Fate could be cruel.
His attempts to encircle would likely not go as well as was planned either. A handful of JMS were at the center of Lamarck's line to work as anchoring, more were on the flanks, as were his heavily cavalry and his skirmishers. The second line that were moving to try and encircle him would promptly get peppered with arrows and then smashed into by the heaviest forces in his army. The JMS would hold them in place and then the knights would charge, shrill trumpets sounding to signal the movements of cavalry through the fog.
In short, the king was trying to reverse Uthyr's tactics. The center didn't bulge outwards, and his own flanks were pushing back to try and break Uthyr's own to get around behind him. The question now was if any part of his army would be able to hold, since he had to spread out so widely to try that tactic. While all this happened, another, lower horn sounded to signal his reserves to start moving. They did not yet join the fight, however, it being much too early for that.
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