Lordaeron Turn 1 Results
[X] Plan do lead, restore the connection
You take a fairly conservative course of action over your first month in Tirasfal Glades, spending your time largely in contemplation, both of a spiritual manner and on more practical matters. The weather is unchanged, a little chilly but still the perpetual unsettled twilight, and your warriors go out into the woods to hunt prey and in turn make themselves at home in the manor. You're lucky that the land is sufficient for your needs as though animals are relatively scarce, they do exist and the woods are vast, rather than the strange mutated plants and undead wildlife which exist further east into the Plaguelands.
Meditation
You attempt meditation, seeking to clear your mind and begin to rebuild your connection to the Spirits, yet you find yourself distracted. You are in an unfamiliar place, a dangerous one and though you've found little but roaming undead so far which have occasionally wandered close to the Manor, you still feel uneasy. The wind whistles through broken boards and holes in the walls and you feel at all time suspicious and agitated. At one moment you'll hear what sounds like a groan or a scream and it'll remind you of the horrific faces trying to press their way out from beneath the Ur'zuhl's skin during the battle, or you'll hear once again the cracking of rock and stone under Forneus' fist when actually you know it's only the floors creaking under the unfamiliar tread of the Orcs. You try to keep to your thoughts but you're too preoccupied with the material work, even small matters like the furniture being too small for for the orcs around you and most of being broken up for firewood. You lie in an unusual bed, sit on strange chairs to take your food, look out through windows of glass over a landscape unknown to you.
Other changes have also been made. The manor is settled and fortified, windows newly rebarricaded with some nails found in the basement, leaving the place much more defensible, though the outbuildings are only explored briefly. Kartha informs you that there seem to have been signs of recent habitation in what seems to have once been a granary. Who exactly was there you don't know, nor, you reflect, does it really matter.
Tirasfal wasn't ever on the front lines of wars and you understand that the nobles of the area relied on some sort of elaborate tribute system that you don't really understand. You know what taxes are of course, you have a reasonable education regarding foreign lands and customs, but you can't really grasp why the serfs of Lordaeron would obey their masters. The peons of the Horde and the smallest orcs, the most cowardly or stupid, an underclass lacking in the will to live free and fight, yet they're cared for and supplied rather than sheared to the bone like a tabuk of Nagrand.
Before your mind wanders to the old stories, you bring yourself back to the present. Tirasfal hadn't seen war in a long time and that was plain enough in the architecture of Cold Hearth Manor, in the impressive but weak construction of the central manorhouse, in the lack of walls, even a palisade, and even in the contents of the manor. There were various rooms including a library of half-mouldered books and a display room of weapons and trophies of hunts, yet there was no armoury, no barracks, none of the spaces you'd have expected to see in an orcish fort.
The humans kept a large portion of their population subjugated in favour of investing effort and resources in a smaller portion, their knights. As you understood it this varied somewhat with different human kingdoms, but for the most part it was accurate. You made calculations mentally as you considered the matter. A single knight of Stormwind or Lordaeron would occupy a manor much like the one you sat in now, and there could only be so many of these manors in a kingdom. In turn each manor would have serfs and a dozen smaller villages around them, some of which you planned to visit soon. A rough estimate would put the number of people required to sustain a single knight and his armour at several hundred. Could magic or the technology of the dwarves and gnomes change this number? Possibly, but it remained that your own people could still put a significantly higher number of warriors in the field than the humans, which likely accounted for the Horde's early successes in the First War.
Only a knight, a professional, armoured warrior with the benefit of a mount, could really stand a chance against even the rudest grunt among the Orcs, let alone the more specialised warrior clans like the Warsong or the Blackrock. Your people (excepting you) were simply so much larger and more powerful that it would take a dozen humans to beat each one of your warriors. Yet in turn, the humans used their weakness as strength, standing together, creating great fortifications and cities the likes of which your people had never created. These same fortifications, as well as the significant power of the humans when roused to war and employing a greater fraction of their populations in warfare, had allowed the humans to win battles and wars after they grew accustomed to the Orcish tactics.
Was the answer then to have a more flexible society? Your people could hunt and fight, but that was about it, there were only a few clans specialised in other activities, notably the Blackrock with their forging and building, but the humans had far larger populations, as far as you're aware driven by their abilities in farming and trade. The mages of Dalaran in its prime were said to have ten thousand among their order, comparably you don't think there could have ever been more than a thousand shaman among the Orcish people, every clan included.
Was the solution then to simply have more Orcs? The most obviously question then became how these warriors were to be fed and provided for. A single Orc would eat in a sitting at least three times what a human would, and in turn an Orc would presumably need three times the territory of a human to sustain it. You own people the Burning Blade were a sort of Orcish knights you mused, investing the majority of the clan's resources in single exceptional fighters, would that then mean a single Orcish knight in the fashion of a human one would take almost a thousand humans to sustain him? Or were your calculations beginning to spiral out of control.
For now you let the matter drop. You've other matters to attend to and set out to visit Vok'fon instead.
Speak to Vok'fon about his experiences as a leader
You learn the Troll has been taught the human tongue by his father and you converse in it at his request rather than in the Orcish language so that he might reacquaint himself with the words. It's unusual to hear Vok'fon speak without an accent, though your ear is that of a foreigner and you certainly couldn't tell a Troll speaking in Tirassian rather than a man of Lordaeron. He still shortens certain words, unconsciously substituting them for certain words in Orcish, but it's a start.
"This isn't the first time I've led troops, but previously I've led only briefly and have little experience in such things. What advice do you have for me?"
Vok'fon considers your question, squatting on the ground in the fashion of his people at rest, pursing his lips around tusks as he considers your question, "Ya party en't like that I led." he replies, "Ya've been exiled, so was I to a'n extent, but like ya I did so willingly, and like ya I took support wit me. F'rty or so fightas joined me, and many more woulda support me when I went journeyin'. The Horde for the most part en't carin' about da Darkspear matters and I know ya people don't seem ta be careful a' caravans being attacked. I would say ma first piece of advice is abut da similarities between our people, a leader must bring victory."
You remain silent, letting him speak.
"Without victory morale drops like a stone in da water, without victory ya warriors will lose heart and even if dey're able to overcome da foe they'll weak. Dey'll turn away and return to their camps, they may even leave ya."
You speak more and Vok'fon relates more points regarding the qualities of a leader, speaking of his position as the director of the band, a figure ordering from the back and from camps, rather than riding into each battle. Vok'fon did after all take to banditry for political reasons, so it doesn't surprise you to learn he acted as more of a political leader than someone like Vark might have.
Meditation 2
You see to some of the minor things, but return to meditation following your discussion with Vok'fon. Did his specific advice apply in this instance? The Orcs of your warband don't really have anywhere to go so it's unlikely they'd desert in the manner Vok'fon suggests, but he's still correct that without victory the morale and cohesion of a force will decline.
Vok'fon led his warriors through charisma and vision. The Troll had a degree of authority already due to his father's position as a respected elder, and Vok'fon himself was known as a skilled warrior and leader, but he had no explicit authority over the warriors he took, other than that which he used in persuasion. Comparably you have always received support from your father and the Burning Blade generally, being furnished with warriors, supplies and expertise as necessary. You wear a sword that you certainly believe you've earned as a son and a warrior, but still a sword you've been given, not one you'd won or taken by your own merits solely.
You know some of the Orcs in your warband, but you've not really spoken to them and you certainly don't know all of their names. This isn't completely necessary for a leader, after all, Thrall doesn't speak regularly with each warrior in the Horde, not even the chiefs speak often with their clansfolk, but you reflect that perhaps it would be necessary to know your people more. They accept your leadership as a captain, and in turn your future responsibilities as the clan's chief, but unlike Vok'fon you didn't really have to persuade anyone to join you.
You intended to lead in future as well. You didn't have any particular idea of when or how, but it seemed clear that if you intended that your clan grow in power you would also grow in power as the clan's heir. In time it was possible that your father step down from his position and leave it to you, retiring to manage the clan's warlocks as he does now, which would leave you in command of several thousands. Certainly at that point charisma and vision would be necessary rather than simply wandering about as you have previously with a band of fighters at your back.
You knew your own purpose, you knew leadership of the Burning Blade could aid you and was likely the fastest and easiest path to greater power and in turn to the success of your goals. The question was how best you could support your path. Here in Lordaeron you intended to fight alongside the Scarlet Crusade, but perhaps you could also acquire greater forces to prove your ability to lead? On the other hand though you could also investigate other traditions of magic or take to diplomatic efforts toward the humans in order to strengthen and provide strength for your clan? What was the best way?
Organisation: Captain
Your next task is to see to the organisation of your warband in the future, and you assemble your officers to discuss the matter.
"I do not intend to simply hand over control of this warband while I see to other matters. I am a shaman," you explain, "but foremost I'm a warrior and captain of the Burning Blade."
There are murmurs of approval from the others.
"I will maintain responsibility for the overall direction, leadership and training of this warband." you state clearly, "In turn, Scorn will serve as my second, and my brother Vark as my third. I have fought with both previously and know you both and your capabilities."
Vark nods and a few of the others also show their agreement, though Sorek looks somewhat less pleased.
"In battle our centre will be the shieldwall of the Burning Blade, commanded by Scorn. Vark, you will lead those Orcs who have recently joined the clan, and you'll train them in battle as well. Teach them what you know of the Warsong, they'll be our scouts and skirmishing force, I've no wish to be surprised by the undead. Sorek, you and your company will be the reserve. 'The blade is sheathed when dry'."
Sorek nods, recognising one of Akinos' teachings of the philosophy of the Blademasters in war.
"No warrior will pursue the enemy without orders, no warrior will break ranks or go where he wills, and no warrior will retreat while the standard still flies."
You describe other matters, occasionally consulting the others on particular points or suggestions such as Kartha's that the new clan members under Vark's new command be investigated for any particular skills they might be able to teach others. You emphasise skill and discipline rather than the simple valour and might that characterises your people, relating the matters you've been considering. You give you warriors purpose, you give them vision.
"It is well that you lead as Blackhand did." one of the older warriors says and those of the Blackrock, as well as many of the other clans agree.
"Blackhand was the greatest general our people have ever had." you reply, thinking back to Akinos' words on the Orc, "You know why I left Durotar, I intend to do what the Forgers made our people for. We are going to war. Lok'tar!"
Your first warband struggled bravely under your command. The fate of this one will be different and you allow yourself a smile as the officers salute, fist striking breast as they return the battlecry.
-1 action per turn to represent your efforts to lead the warband yourself, managing matters more directly and having more of a say over the different affairs of battle and march, as well as greater awareness of emergent issues rather than relying on others to tell you about things.
+2 Warband Actions per turn, representing anything you might reasonably do with the warband from logistical matters, training and exercising, military actions such as attacking places. You are, after all, here to fight a war.
Lead: Search for human settlements to make friendly contact.
Your warriors have already been out for hunting and you find it relatively easy to find a human settlement. You simply walk down one of the roads until you find a track that's more recently worn away and head down it, leading a good part of your warband while the rest remain at the manor.
The village you find is much as you might expect, there's several thatched cottages and a single larger building, possibly a barn or similar, with a wooden palisade around the settlement and a few crude watchtowers, not much more than three pine trunks lashed together with a platform on top.
There's also a horde of several hundred undead outside.
These are the first undead you've seen, well… apart from Jubei'thos perhaps… They're, in a word, rather unimpressive. They paw at the pallisade, some managing to find gaps between the calking of the wall and slowly weakening the structure yet you can only imagine they're dangerous because of their large numbers and unending hunger and resilience. A few carry weapons in slackened grip, some wear the colours and metal of Lordaeron but all are in states of decay.
"What motivates them do you think?" you murmur to Sorek beside you, "Some intelligence of evil or merely the memories of hate and fear they preserve beyond life?"
He looks at you, "Does it matter?"
"'The mind moves the blade'." you reply.
"Yes, I remember," he shrugs, it was another of Ankinos' teachings, "but it seems pointless with those down there. Either they're directed as you say by some intellect utterly beyond us or they're less than animals. It would be like empathising with an ant hive."
You frown, looking down at the undead. "Perhaps you're right."
Scorn though is unimpressed, "If you're both done, do we need to attack anyway? This matter doesn't seem pressing and the humans will certainly report our arrival."
"We aren't trying to hide, and it'll be good to blood the band here." you reply, "Move in cautiously, let them come up to attack us here and make a shieldwall. Sorek, you're in reserve as I've said, get me some prisoners I want a closer look at them."
They both nod and you advance. The march of Orcish feet and the clash of axe on shield is heard immediately and the horde turns, groaning and moaning as they shuffle toward you, one emaciated figure falling into a run on all fours, slavering and hissing like a beast as it leaps toward you.
The peace of the blade falls upon you as you draw your sword.
Purpose fill you.
And you leave only ash in your wake.
+ minor skill increases
