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The Kistek Campaign
Topic Started: Feb 9 2011, 12:33 AM (928 Views)
Lord Sithums
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The night had been fraught with heavy combat but no Atavian found himself in dire straights against the petty human foes before him. Duke Arinan himself had found easy victory fighting the disorganized mess these men had turned into simply from the surprise attack. While he had not fought against this tribe of men before he remembered that at the very least these men were at least capable of forming coherent attacks. The disadvantaged pressed upon them during a night attack in an unwalled settlement seemed to prove too much for these simple warlike folk. It was far from a perfect or methodical plan but circumstanced had afforded the Atavian force too much to pass up. The Duke continued his journey through the settlement as the men who followed him took the attack at their own pace.

Vladimir had found himself with a blood soaked piece of cloth in one hand and a torch in another as the flames of the town no longer illuminated the majority of the settlement. He tossed the flaming torch into one of the Kistek huts before continuing onwards and repeating the process but a few more times before retiring to seeing the deceased. The Duke was disappointed that these men fell all but he felt these few men were a better end to what could have been much worse. He found himself watching the ever devout Locklair preparing the dead men as if he himself were a holy man himself, soldiers assembling funeral pyres around him as the rest of Tusglen was consumed by shouts of victory and crackling of flames. Arinan finally sighed and left to return to the company of his sergeants and Lord Hauclir as the men were burned in honor of their service to his Majesty.

It was a simple meeting place with a simple tent draped over makeshift table at its center surrounded by both the small contingent's sergeants as well as Lord Hauclir. Sprawled across the table was a map of the surrounding areas and the approximate areas the remaining Kistek were hold up. ”Alright Gentlemen, now that we are all here I believe we begin composing a plan to deal with the rest of our barbaric foe. We can present his Majesty and Count Harcourt with our strategy when they arrive.” With that they clustered even more around the small piece of wooden furniture as the town around them continued to be slowly dismantled and cleaned of its 'filth.'
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Chris
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Morgan quickly dismissed Arinan's messenger and sent him on his way, despite the outright rage he felt at the news, he did not show it to any of his soldiers nor even his squires. A runner was quickly dispatched to the Lords who had not left against the King's wishes and still remained with the primary host. One thought ran through the King's mind, and one thought only, what would his form of punishment be against the Duke and Viscount, they had committed treason.

As he assembled his armor and donned his fineries, King Morgan Lane III stood within the royal pavilion and waited for each of the Lords in turn. Upon their arrival, he spoke in a hushed and clearly upset tone.

"I am filled with grief over the direct disobedience displayed by the good Duke, he has marked himself with ambition and despite the victory he apparently has housed, he has gone against direct orders and jeopardized the success of our campaign. Had he been Marshall and appointed this plan of action as the primary cause, then we would not be in council at this very moment discussing the possible charges that I may be forced to issue against my vassals.

To all of you present, I give my love and honor to, for I know that you have not tarnished my trust nor put your own ambition above the good of the Kingdom. We shall ride for Tusglen and immediately set the Duke and his conspirators on trial - save for Lord Duncan, however, this is to be done without the knowledge of the men, Grand Marshall Jaime, give the men their orders to begin the execution of the surviving humans within Tusglen, I want a party dispatched to locate any foul idols to Ordutan to have them brought to the priests and properly disposed of before they could spread their taint."


He nodded to the Lords and set a heavy heart on what decisions he may have to make. A mix of gratitude and great despair filled his chest, for on one hand, the Duke had claimed an overwhelming victory, on the other hand, it was treason and a foolish move to act against the command, trust had certainly been thrown out of loop for Morgan... but he did not yet know if he could bring himself to truly punish his own blood.
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Leon

Following the battle, Lord Isak Hauclir met back with his force, who had received only a few casualties to their number. Isak's commander of his guard, Carel, as he was known, and Isak shared their stories of the rest of the battle. Having worked even for Horman, Carel was a man who saw his responsibility as protecting the head of House Hauclir, which left him at unease when Isak had disappeared during the battle. After they discussed somewhat the battle, Isak and Carel discussed somewhat their expectations of the King, and how gravely they wondered the punishment would be for his decision to join this attack. Knowing he would most likely receive the worst of the punishment, being in a higher position of power than the other three, but not related to the king by blood, as Duke Arinan was, Isak had to come to a decision as to how to address this with the King.

After the discussion and arrangements were made as to how he would make the case for himself with the King, should the need arise, Isak was met with a messenger from Duke Arinan, asking to meet in a simple tent. He arrived shortly before Duke Arinan, and waited with his own commander, Carel, as well as the sergeants of the Duke.
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NinjaSheep
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"If it is your will, I am your hand your Majesty." Jaime's men, who had been so incompetent as to fail to notice an entire army making preparations and leaving the camp (along with every other person present, and with their superior Atavian senses to boot), marched upon his orders in conjunction with King Lane's own. They were to follow their liege's order's to the letter. Lord Harcourt feared for his arrogant and foolhardy cousin the Duke. The Lane's were neither known for their mercy nor prone to countenance treason.

Though he doubted even they would be so deviant as to attack the King's party he ordered his sergeants to be prepared.
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Lord Sithums
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Arinan nodded to those surrounding the makeshift table, lieutenants of both his house and those who had joined him in securing victory over the first Kistek encampment. It was a victory to be proud of as they had both slaughtered the defenders of the settlement with few casualties so to did they eliminate the majority of the population, the remaining survivors being expunged from their former homes. While he did not find it to his liking to slaughter those unable to defend themselves it had always been the goal of this campaign to clean the filth from the southern countryside. Arinan returned his attention to the map of the surrounding areas once again as he did all those present here for that very reason.

"Now that we have captured and eradicated most of Tusglen we must turn our attention to the two remaining settlements. As this outpost was closest to the kingdom's borders it resembles that of a simple scouting location rather than an actual war camp. While we have no detailed information pertaining to the two remaining settlements, I would suggest striking toward Kithmol due to its its proximity to his majesty's own lands." He motioned toward the note on the map marking the location of the general area of the settlement. "While it would be advantageous to seek out more detailed information I fear that any delays may lead to the war hosts of Kithmol and Crimthol combining to oppose us. Our own host may be able to achieve victory against such a host but I fear it would lead casualties to be too high."
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Morse
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Suibhne, the sergeant in charge of House Morcant's troops, now stepped forward. "I would take the floor now, if it be allowed." He was a quiet man, not overly muscular or broad. He was, however, a squad leader for a reason. "As has been established there are two encampments left which must be conquered, and the Duke Arinan believes that the combining of these hosts could well prove a threat to our own. So what I propose is an act of sabotage." He pointed to the further of the two encampments, Crimthol. "My men will don armor and weaponry pillaged from this town, and assume the disguise of a human patrol. Near dusk we shall enter the proximity of the camp, potentially slaying an outlying patrol on its way in for the night. In the night we shall set fire to the encampment in as many locations as we see necessary. While most of us will attempt an escape in the chaos, several will remain behind to strike at their leader in the chaos."

"While this likely would not halt the entire host from marching, it would, if successful, supply us enough time to march upon Kithmol without their hosts uniting."

There was, of course, a catch. "While it is truth I have experience in these matters, they often take time. It is unwise to rush too quickly into an enemy war camp. We will need as much time as possible to learn the patrols, and then to plan the escape routes and assassination procedure. How much time do you believe we have? We do, of course, have alternative plans." The man flashed a smile, finally having decided to take an active part in this military campaign.
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Lodwin
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Duncan was rather distracted as the other leaders discussed war plans, his mind still probing and puzzling the stone he found on the old man. "What if it's some evil force, some power they had? Maybe its something we can understand and use against them?" These thoughts flew in and out of Duncan's mind, blocking out pretty much everything being said around him. Finally shaking his head Duncan snapped out of his daydream and focused back on the group, listening in to Suibhne's plan as he spoke.

"Certainly an interesting plan, however I'm no true tactician of warfare on this scale, I pass over to Duke Arinan for decision. However I wonder our plans for the King? He'll surely be on his way, and I'm not sure what his reaction will be. As well he may be even more against any ideas we propose for having come here and taking victory by ourselves."

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Leon

Lord Isak thought the plan over for a while, turning over the pros and cons in his mind. Should this plan be successful, it would leave the horde with no central leadership and leave Crimthol in disarray. On the other hand, if the plan fails, the troops of House Morcant would be sacrificed and the enemy would be alerted to our plans. The greatest reason Isak saw as to how it could be unsuccessful is the amount of time it would take to prepare for this as well as the possibility that the men would be discovered due to their height.

"Suibhne, how long would this plan take to implement? I believe that if we give them too much time they will reorganize and this plan will end up serving no purpose. Also, in order to make this plan a success, we must find a way to hide your height, as humans are much shorter than ourselves." Isak then took a moment to contemplate what would happen when the King arrives. "I believe when the King arrives, we must not let him take advantage of us. If he decides to punish us, we cannot let him punish us for outrageous claims, just to satisfy his desire to get vengeance for the fact that our plan of attack has been proven to be far superior to the one he had outlined. If he decides to give punishments out that are far more extreme than necessary, none of us should be afraid to stand up for one another, as we made this decision as a group. I do not however, believe that we have truly done anything that he directly commanded us no to. He simply ignored most of our ideas, not expressly telling us to not attack during night, only telling us that we would attack during the day. Therefore, we never actually defied his orders."
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Chris
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The King's Host arrived at the outskirts of Tusglen and his sergeants immediately set the horns and orders to begin the dismantlement of any remaining civilians, they were to be rounded and executed without mercy, genocide against those whom worship Ordutan is the only method to insure that further corruption does not spread. While the men were busying themselves, King Morgan Lane III and his troop of royal guards made way for Arinan's command post. He kept his visage firm and did not betray the thoughts that were running through his mind. A runner made way before the King arrived shouting,

"Make way and ready yourselves for His Majesty's arrival!"

But a few moments later the King and his troop arrived and Morgan dismounted his charger, he gave a solemn nod to the Duke and flashed his gaze over each of the Lords in turn whom had gone with Arinan's plan.

"I am filled with honor at the news of your victory, however, I have but one charge to make, never again disobey the direct orders given by the Grand Marshall or myself during campaign. Despite the overwhelming victory we have gained, had you fallen prey to some device of the enemy, you would have jeopardized the entire campaign and the lives of hundreds. I will look over the actions and rather praise you three with the victory that you have claimed. Now then, Duke Arinan, my cousin, give me a full report as to what news you have gathered, I am eager to be done with these Kistek."
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Lord Sithums
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The Duke gave a gracious bow to the King as he entered what remained of Tusglen with most of the smoldering ruins continuing to burn lightly as bodies were moved and soldiers patrolled. Vladimir listened to the King's words idly as he was convicted of military disobedience, though he had felt that there had never been an order to refrain from attacking or hindering the settlement before the official plan was set in place. He picked up on the last few lines of the King's rather long-winded speech and began formulating his response to his majesty's request as he continued on. He was glad to some extent that those that had put their reputation on their line to follow him were not to be punished but at the same time felt a possible conviction as such would have been out of line especially considering the circumstances.

As the King finished the Duke Arinan began his report and response at his majesty's request. "Well my lord, early this morning the military force garrisoning this settlement was pacified through means of execution and combat. We have continued to exercise such measures on the populace and have eradicated most of those who inhabited Tusglen. In addition, most of the structures have been deconstructed or outright destroyed." The Duke took a quick breath as he recomposed himself for the continuation of his report, slightly worried that his majesty would not take the proposed ideas into consideration. Though even as he worried of such denial he was both confidant and firm in his position.

"During the battle we suffered eighteen casualties while the Kistek have suffered near three hundred casualties from armed individuals alone. Adding the local extermination into account we have expunged more than six hundred individuals from the local Kistek-Human population. In addition, we have come to a census about moving the war host to eradicate Kithmol before the other remaining settlement." Vladimir looked sternly to the King as he wished to emphasize that this strategic decision was not just a simple suggestion. "Kithmol lies closest to your own lands your majesty and should we delay any significant period of time we will suffer unneeded casualties from the enemy hosts combining. A quick and decisive move must be made to prevent unnecessary losses."
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Leon

Lord Isak was glad to know that nothing bad would truly come of the battle, which they had so much success in. Whether his diplomacy with the King had suffered or not, Isak had showed his abilities in battle, dispatching all who came his way, even when outnumbered in direct combat. He was proud of the overall success they had in the previous nights attack, reminding himself to congratulate his men and celebrate with them when this was all over. Being a man of his height, he was easily picked out as an Atavian noble, making him have been targeting often when fighting, making his personal guard mean even more to him than most men.

Feeling slightly relieved that this time his willingness to do what he felt was right, despite urging otherwise, had not caused him much trouble. Losing himself in thought, Lord Isak began to think of strategies for the next battle. A night raid would not work twice in a row, but still, an attack on the town would be necessary, and the enemy would not be willing to charge out to meet the atavians. Devising a plan that all would agree to is not an easy task for any lord, let alone one who had recently angered not only the King, but the Grand Marshal, but that would not hinder Isak. Quickly a plan was hatched within his mind, one that would take advantage of all the Atavians had at an advantage to the humans.

Shortly after Duke Arinan finished, Viscount Isak stepped forward, "Again, I find myself agreeing with Duke Arinan, as I believe most will in this situation. I have devised a stratagem of my own as to how to deal with this next settlement. My plan will be implemented in a few steps. The first step will require the forces of House Morcant, as they have already suggested a similar plan, sneaking into the settlement, but unlike Suibhne's proposal, I believe they should infiltrate Kithmol supplemented possibly by some of our own human troops. Once inside, they will commence a plan to assassinate leaders of the settlement. I have been led to believe based on this town's layout that there will be a grand hall of sorts. In Tusglen, this building contained a human that seemed somehow different from the others, possibly a leader or a shaman. By sending this force into the building, we will either successfully maim the leader, or cause a significant diversion to allow us to attack. This will set off our second step in the attack. We will split up our forces into two separate groups, one headed to the opposite side of the town, and one attacking from this side. They will attack simultaneously, causing the enemy forces to have to split their forces to defend both sides as well as to protect themselves from within. In addition to these two forces, we should have two significantly smaller forces ready for when all their troops are occupied on the two fronts mentioned before, who will then invade from the two flanks of the settlement, getting in behind the primary lines of defending humans, cutting them off. The final portion to this plan involves using our cavalry as a rearguard to allow us time to be aware of the possibility of enemy reinforcements from Crimthol. This is how i believe we should proceed with this battle. What say you?" Lord Isak then looked to the King, attempting to gauge his reaction to the plan.
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Chris
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King Morgan remained silent for a short moment as he mulled over their wording, to him, it was almost akin to an insult that they would so freely begin on attending to some strategy of sorts when they were previously reprimanded. Order must be kept, of this, he was sure.

"My good Duke, and Viscount, hear me when I speak with understanding and having properly considered your plans. The losses were great indeed, and I applaud the bravado of your previous fight. However, with the presented information I propose a different course of action. Duke Arinan, you seem capable of leading an army to war, thus, I shall send you as well as Grand Marshall Harcourt to strike at Crimthol, accompanying you shall be the good Viscount and his men." He remained silent for a moment before nodding sternly, his decision was made in such a short time.

"Yes, this shall be the course of action, from the remaining hosts I shall strike at Kithmol, accompanying me shall be the good Moffs and the humans we have under our banner. In this matter we may quickly eradicate both armies. I am more than positive that considering your successes, we shall succeed in an open path now. We are on their planes, we cannot be ambushed especially with regular scouts and patrols as we march."
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Lodwin
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Lord Duncan bowed to the King after hearing his plan and excused himself to the section of the camp his soldiers were. Picking up a large goblet from the table, Duncan sniffed with contents, noting it was a rather delicate wine, it would seem his soldiers were celebrating their victory.

"Drink up lads, but don't overdo it, the King's plans are in and we will be attacking Kithmol, this settlement here." Duncan points to a position on the map laid out on the table. "I am not sure when the specific time to march will be, however I will see to it your all brought some hearty food, we should have time for it to settle at least if our King decides to move out shortly."

Raising the goblet still in his hand, Duncan proposed a toast among his soldiers. "To Odeum and Atavia!"


After speaking with his troops and sending food their way, Duncan mounted his horse and rode a short ways away from camp, just to somewhere where he could be alone with his thoughts. Ever since he found the strange stone in the longhouse he had been unable to take his mind off it. Seeing his soldier, his friend, burned to death by the old man's vile concoction riled up feelings of extreme disgust and hatred for the worshipers of Ordutan and their vile magic. The stone however, though almost undoubtedly evil in Duncan's mind, held the possibility for a one of a kind study on such evil magic, if done properly by clergy. Still unsure whether to let anyone know of his find or not, Duncan decided to allow it to remain a secret, as he figured it was most safe with him, it would be something to deal with after the campaign. With that thought Duncan rode his way back to camp, back to the gathered lords to learn of any new updates.
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Leon

Lord Isak knew he had done enough speaking out for the time, and accepted the plan with a resigned fate. Should they win or lose because of this plan, it was out of his hands and he could do little to change it. Isak looked to the King and the other lords present, wiping the lack of sleep from his eyes.

"Your highness, I accept this plan of action, as you leave me little option. The only question I have now is when we will be leaving for battle? As the last battle was only last night, and my troops are still yet to truly get any rest, I feel we might benefit from a small amount of down time to get rested and refreshed, lest our troops loose the ability or good judgment and work sloppily in the upcoming battle. Shall we be given this opportunity, or shall I prepare my troops to ride to battle soon?"
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