The three Musketeers all show up: Chris (Pawnbroker), Nick (Mungo), and Tim (Laerynthe). Both Art and April are MIA. It is now the 314th day of Abbatine Year 856. Anpago Bosst plans to begin his assault on the 6th day of the High Cold Season of 857, ten days from now.
Pawnbroker and Mungo are at Xod Hive on the 314th day of Abbatine Year 856. Mungo takes the responsibility of moving Elpin and his 1200 deyrey troops down to Paiden. Elpin estimates that it will take seven days to move the army to Paiden, using the trail marked out by Warleader Eloshan's adapoi. The adapoi mark the trail by stripping the bark from trees. During the trip, Mungo regales the deyrey with tales of the Maker Wars around Hegger, and plays his War Drum for them in an effort to build their morale and acclimate them to the War Drum's effects.
Mungo's strategy is to move the deyrey in as fast as possible, not bothering to try and conceal themselves from the Mardakan troops. He camps on the treeline, just short of the battlefield on the upslope side of Paiden.
Along the journey, Mungo asks Elpin and his drones to find neuters skilled in Camouflage. Elpin finds twenty-eight neuters with the desired skills. Mungo forms them into an advance group. They head out in front of the main force and prepare camouflage at the expected staging area to help hide the true size of the deyrey force. After they have completed this task, Mungo has them wait in the wooded area near the mouth of his assault tunnel to serve as a messenger force.
After questioning Elpin and some of the other drones, Mungo determines that 100 deyrey and two drones can shape an earthen tunnel three hexes wide and one kilometer long in a day. After his troops arrive, he details them to digging an assault tunnel towards the Mardakan camps. He is slowed in this by the need to cross a tributary of the Paiden River which the deyrey cannot tunnel underneath. By the 5th day of Abbatine Year 857, the deyrey have produced four tunnels leading to within a half-kilometer of the Mardakan headquarters camp. Unfortunately, the end of one of the tunnels is discovered and attacked by Mardakan earth spirits on the 4th day of Abbatine Year 857. The deyrey work party is routed, suffering ten casualties, while the spirits lose six of their number. Mungo responds by having the deyrey raise their own spirits and post guards with Earth Vision. He decides that the deyrey will not try and tunnel under the camp. Instead, they will use the tunnels to move in close to the camp to maximize their impact.
Meanwhile, Pawnbroker heads back to the ruins of Anab Hive to muster the characters' other forces. He gets there on the 317th day of Abbatine Year 856. Upon his arrival, he musters up all of Fesh's Living Weapons, plus all of the Folk who had served as stretcher-bearers or bowmen in the fight against Lecutor Chen's troops. He spends a day drilling the Holy City Folk, teaching them rudimentary camouflage skills. He also sends messages out to Warleader Eloshan and Taotach Cassand, ordering them to assemble their forces and join with him.
By the 1st day of Abbatine Year 857, both Taotach and Eloshan have appeared with their forces and the combined force heads to Paiden, arriving on the 3rd day of 857. Upon their arrival, they make camp some distance out in the forest, but send a group of Folk in closer to make ladders, vine ropes, and heavy arrow shields. This group is escorted by only a few of Taotach Cassand's partisans and a small group of Living Weapons, and make no particular effort to hide their presence. Pawnbroker's intent is that this group will quickly be spotted by bat-folk scouts, and will be taken to be a much larger force. The bat-folk oblige and spot them within a day, after which the advance group starts hiding itself better. After they have been spotted, Pawnbroker starts bringing up the remaining troops in groups of about 30, while the noncombatant Folk pull back into the forest. The Folk assigned as runners and stretcher-bearers set up an aid station in the abandoned Dillir Family plantation the characters have been using as a meeting point, making sure to protect the place against possible breel attack.
Pawnbroker's adapoi and Living Weapons set up concealed positions near the edge of the forest south of Paiden. Pawnbroker himself leads a group of the twenty sneakiest adapoi and twenty quickest Living Weapons as a skirmishing force. His intent is to make himself an annoyance at the southern fortifications, draw sally forces out and then whittle them to death with his concealed troops.
Laerynthe prepares to infiltrate the Mardakan camp by equipping himself with captured Mardakan equipment (Lecutor Chen's shortsword, a Mardakan shield, three daggers), the bug amulet he was given by the bat-folk, the silver-and-jade statuette he was given by Lecutor Suek, three daggers, leather armor, a bottle of twisting potion, and Pawnbroker's magical suit (to provide the rest of the officer's clothing). To complete the disguise, Pawnbroker makes him replace his belt (which was made in Paiden) and learn all the Lecutor's sigils the characters know about.
Pawnbroker also makes up three official-looking messages from one Lecutor to another demanding various things to provide Laerynthe with some documentation "proving" that he is a legitimate courier, just in case he needs it. Pawnbroker warns him not to use the messages until excitement starts to break out.
Laerynthe's plan is to move in to the Mardakan camp a couple of days before the assault, hopefully once they are aware they are about to be attacked. He hopes that their preparations will create enough havoc to allow him to slip into one of the camps unnoticed.
By the 3rd day of Abbatine Year 857, he sees a lot more activity around the camps and makes his move. His initial attempt, at one of the satellite camps, is less than successful: a sentry spots him and several archers fire on him, though they are unable to actually hit him. He then passes himself off as a courier at the headquarters camp, warning of infiltrators trying to get into other camps. After a few successful Fast-Talk rolls, he gets himself in. He swiftly changes his appearance to look like a low-ranked officer in Lecutor Argun's troop, then checks out the water supplies and kitchens, hoping to slip Twisting potion into one of them. Strangely, he finds that all of them are closely guarded.
Laerynthe finally decides to take his "message" in to Lecutor Amon. He is intercepted at the door of the Lecutor's pavilion by two heavily-armed and well-armed members of the Lecutor's bodyguard. He speaks to them briefly, then gives them one of the forged messages Pawnbroker had prepared. One of the guards takes the message in to the pavilion while the other watches Laerynthe (now disguised as a trooper from Lecutor Suek's camp). After a few minutes, the guard emerges and tells Laerynthe to go into the pavilion. Inside, he is confronted by two more bodyguards (one of them some kind of officer) and a crocodile-head. The officer interrogates him about who gave him the message. Laerynthe swiftly invents a story about an officer in Lecutor Suek's camp, managing to convince Lecutor Amon's man through deft usage of Fast-Talk. Lecutor Amon's officer concludes that this "officer" in Lecutor Suek's camp is probably a spy, and sends Laeryenthe back with a message to Lecutor Suek, escorted by the other bodyguard and the crocodile-head.
Though he contemplates making a run for it between camps, Laerynthe finally elects to tough it out and go with the two soldiers. In Lecutor Suek's camp, he gives the message to Suek directly, then waits through an argument between Lecutor Suek and Lecutor Amon's bodyguard about whether or not this officer actually exists, and whether or not Lecutor Amon's men have the right to arrest him if he does. Finally, Lecutor Suek dismisses Lecutor Amon's men, telling them that they are free to search for this officer, though he probably doesn't exist.
With the two of them gone, Lecutor Suek turns to Laerynthe and talks to him by name, having seen through his disguise some moments before. Laerynthe (still thinking quickly) explains that he orchestrated the whole thing to get a chance to talk to Lecutor Suek before Paiden's assault. He asks the Lecutor if he would be interested in either changing sides, surrendering, or just stepping out of the battle. He bolsters his argument by pointing out just how hopeless Lecutor Suek's position is, and how unlikely it is he will ever see his home again no matter what happens. Lecutor Suek responds that he must think about Laerynthe's offer, but that he is grateful that Laerynthe bore him sufficient respect to take the risks he obviously did just for this conversation. Finally, the Lecutor arranges an excuse to get Laerynthe safely out of the camp.
On the evening before the assault, Patrisha Veka overflies both Pawnbroker's and Mungo's positions, dropping signed messages from Anpago detailing the characters' forces' part in his battle plans, and providing some information on the signals he will use. Anpago intends to use smoke clouds for battle communication, according to the plan below:
|
Smoke Color |
Orders |
|---|---|
| Green | Move to position |
| Red | Attack |
| Blue | Retreat back to the forest |
| Any Other Color | No meaning |
Pawnbroker begins the day by making a probing assault against a small, partially-walled camp to the south of Paiden. He brings with him only a light force of ten adapoi and ten Living Weapons. He intends to irritate the troops in the camp, possibly provoking them into sending out a sally force, but is not particularly successful: his troops are beaten back, taking 29% casualties (3 adapoi, 3 Living Weapons), while the 50 Medium Infantry in the camp take only 5% casualties (3 troops). The Mardakan troops, doubtless feeling conservative considering their recent defeats and the obvious troop movements inside Paiden, decline to pursue Pawnbroker's withdrawing troops.
Just after dawn, Anpago starts to send smoke signals from three different locations in the city. Over the next two hours, his signalmen provide a rainbow of colors, none of them the three key colors. Finally, almost two hours after dawn, Mungo and Pawnbroker see the first puffs of green smoke. As they see them, thousands of fighters emerge from behind the Paiden walls, led by a huge mob of enraged Folk. While the deyrey move into position in their tunnels, Mungo plays his War Drum for them, magically increasing their strength and giving the deyrey force +600 TS.
The Fanatic Folk, magically provoked into violence by the arts of the Spyral Devotee Turku, lead the assault from the Paiden side while the deyrey warriors led by Mungo and the drone Elpin surge from their tunnels and collapse the palisade wall along the far side of Lecutor Amon's camp. During the battle, the characters take personal risks according to the table below:
|
Character |
Survival/Glory |
Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Mungo | -6/+6 | Makes Glory by 14: +1 permanent Reputation as Great Warrior |
| Laerynthe | -6/+6 | Makes Glory by 15: +1 permanent Reputation as Unkillable Fighter |
| Pawnbroker | -4/+4 | Makes Glory by <10: fights heroically, but does not gain permanent Reputation |
The two forces meet with the following strengths:
The characters allocate 3 ES to gaining a +1 Strategy bonus, 20 ES to giving Lecutor Amon a +10 Catastrophe modifier, and 11 ES to reducing enemy morale. Lecutor Amon spends 3 ES on a +1 Strategy bonus, 10 ES to reduce his own Catastrophe roll by &SHY;5, and 11 ES to increase Paiden's casualties.
After several hours of vicious fighting, Anpago wins the contest of skills by 10. Lecutor Amon's force takes an average of 30% casualties, and his Center Phalanx breaks. The force from Paiden takes only 6% average casualties. By the end of the day, the deyrey have completely overrun Lecutor Amon's camp, forcing him to withdraw to Lecutor Suek's camp. All of the Mardakan forces consolidate into two well-defended camps, abandoning most of their pickets around the city.
After the deyrey capture Lecutor Amon's camp, Mungo discovers that the center of the camp holds a huge military hospital, housing almost 1500 Mardakan troops stricken with the chills and other ailments. Though Elpin and his senior drones argue in favor of putting the diseased soldiers to the spear (and possibly eating them afterwards), Mungo manages to convince them that the Mardakans should be allowed to live. He sends word to Anpago Bosst to inform him of the captives and to request guards from the Paiden Militia, to ensure that the deyrey remain at high strength in the next battle. Anpago responds by providing a force of 150 Paiden Militia to guard the prisoners. These troops are in place by nightfall.
After nightfall, Pawnbroker leads a group to parlay at Lecutor Suek's camp. They are initially met by a small group of soldiers obviously ready for anything. Among the Mardakan emissaries is Bashar Apennos. Pawnbroker speaks to him briefly, offering mercy if they surrender their camp before the next morning brings a return to the fighting. Bashar Apennos promises to return with a response, then takes his party back into the camp. Some time later, the group of escorts emerges once again from the camp, this time protecting Lecutor Suek himself. The Lecutor agrees to surrender himself and his troops, but insists on several conditions:
In exchange, Lecutor Suek will open the gates of the camp at dawn. He points out that while he is the senior Lecutor in the camp, there are three other Lecutors present: Faz, Tamin and Banten. Of those three, only Lecutor Banten is a religious liberal, so only his men are likely to give up without a fight.
Pawnbroker points out that simply opening the gates and promising that half the troops inside will not fight is hardly a surrender offer. To compromise, Lecutor Suek offers up Lecutors Faz and Tamin as hostages, and promises to allow Pawnbroker's soldiers to disarm their men. He insists that his own troops retain their weapons, to which Pawnbroker agrees.
As a final point, Lecutor Suek requests that Pawnbroker write all the terms down and get the signature of the Paiden commander in agreement. However, he states that he believes Pawnbroker to be a man of some honor, and will accept Pawnbroker's signature upon the agreement alone, should it prove impossible to get the Paiden commander's signature. Acting swiftly, Pawnbroker is able to persuade Anpago (who is busy planning his assault upon the remains of Lecutor Amon's troops) to sign, and to provide an additional force of 150 Paiden Militia to guard the prisoners Pawnbroker anticipates taking.
Only hours before fighting breaks out again, Laerynthe crosses through the lines around Lecutor Suek's camp to take a place beside Mungo, leading the deyrey horde. They hatch a plan to make a rush for Lecutor Amon's pavilion, hoping to (literally) decapitate the enemy leadership in one swift blow.
Pawnbroker orders his troops to move their field hospital from the woods to the main building of the abandoned Dillir Family plantation, using makeshift shields to fortify the place against possible breel attack.
The morale of all of Lecutor Amon's troops is adjusted down by another &SHY;2 due to their defeat the day before, while all of Anpago Bosst's troops gain an additional +1 morale from their victory.
At dawn, Pawnbroker's troops move to bowshot range around Lecutor Suek's camp and wait. They carry heavy, hard shields to protect them against against arrows. Finally, the gate to Suek's camp opens, but fighting breaks out between the troops opening the gate and a group of fighters manning the tower. Though the two sides are unclear, Pawnbroker and his men rush the gates, losing two Living Weapons to arrow fire. They quickly determine that Lecutor Faz's troops hold the towers, and have decided to oppose Lecutor Suek openly. Pawnbroker is badly wounded in fierce fighting, but his troops provide the edge necessary for Lecutor Suek's men to hold the gates. Before he loses consciousness, Pawnbroker gives the order to bring in the remaining troops (including the detachment of 150 Paiden Militia granted him by Anpago), then tells Ago, "Those men, the ones not reporting to Lecutor Suek? It's okay to loot them."
Two hours after dawn, the deyrey under Mungo and the drone Elpin and the assembled troops of Paiden under Anpago Bosst assault Lecutor Amon's camp. Both Mungo and Laerynthe are on the front edge of the fighting, leading a picked group of deyrey to attack Lecutor Amon's pavilion. They take risk according to the following table:
|
Character |
Survival/Glory |
Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Mungo | -6/+6 | Makes Glory by 13: an additional +1 permanent Reputation as Great Warrior |
| Laerynthe | -6/+6 | Makes Glory by 10: an additional +1 permanent Reputation as Unkillable Fighter |
| Pawnbroker | (special) | Responsible for capturing Lecutor Suek and his forces. Hero of the day, but does not gain permanent Reputation. |
The two forces meet with the following strengths:
The characters allocate 3 ES to gaining a +1 Strategy bonus, 20 ES to giving Lecutor Amon a +10 Catastrophe modifier, and 10 ES to increasing Lecutor Amon's casualties. Lecutor Amon spends 3 ES on a +1 Strategy bonus, and 15 ES to increasing Anpago's casualties.
In the end, the battle is a complete disaster for the Mardakan forces. Laerynthe and Mungo are successful in their fanatic charge upon Lecutor Amon's pavilion, slaying the Lecutor and his staff (including the two spirits Sunder and Shear). Lecutor Amon is slain before the battle is an hour old, halving his Strategy roll and reducing all his troops' Morale by &SHY;5. In contrast, Anpago Bosst's troops are confident, gaining +10% to their TS. Anpago wins the contest of Strategy by a margin of 18. Those units in Lecutor Amon's force that do not simply break and disperse are wiped out, with a casualty rate of some 83%. In contrast, Anpago's troops suffer very minor casualties, only 2% in most units. By the end of the day, the battlefield is filled with the bodies of the dead and dying, most of them from the Mardakan army. As a final coup, Paiden forces manage to capture Massat the Scimitar, the Maelstrom Walker who had served as Mardaka's personal representative on the battlefield.
As the session closes, it is the morning of the 8th day of Abbatine Year 857, in the High Cold Season, and the siege of Paiden has been shattered. Each character gains five experience points. Both Mungo and Laerynthe have a good opportunity to loot Lecutor Amon's pavilion of valuable items. Mungo spends 5 experience to buy himself an additional +1 Reputation, giving him a total +4 Reputation as a Great Warrior (as high as he can buy).