- Location
- Singapore
Wait a minute. Are we using Edition 3, or 2?
Cause that changes things up.
Cause that changes things up.
That discount is negative, because everyone knows that sorcerers are rich and can afford to pay extra. Never wear your stupid-looking fancy clothes if you want to be charged reasonable prices."No, love," the second one answers, "we work as the same house the curtains came from. Come by, when you have some extra time and money. We'll give you the sorcerer discount."
Unfortunately this sounds like a much more difficult problem to solve than the invading wyld barbarian army. Forming a stable state generally is, for someone without high-powered social and bureaucracy charms."Yeah, lots of ways it can go to hell. Not my problem. Moral of this story is, if you ever find yourself ruling a city, and you want to keep doing that, don't have a damned civil war. Bar-Path used to have a decent guard force, but the Sultana's oldest kid got grabby and rebelled. Got most of the army on his side, killed his sister, came real close to winning. Would have, if the Vizier hadn't found enough mercenaries to drive him out of the kingdom. Then they purged the army, which worked, but leaves them sitting on a crate of firedust, waiting for a spark. Bad politics means good money, though."
I wonder what the relationship between these two is, as the most visible power figures and clearly closely allied with one another (from the sound of it, the Vizier basically won the civil war on her behalf). The Sultana gives the impression of letting the Vizier handle things while she's merely visible, but no one gets "weathered by responsibility" unless they've actually been paying mind to their responsibilities, so she must take at least some parts of her job very seriously.The inner gate opens into a courtyard, paved with flagstones, where the Sultana gives audiences. At the head of it is a jeweled throne, holding the Sultana herself. She is an older woman, weathered by years and responsibility. She sprawls on the throne in daze, paying no mind to the events unfolding in front of her, as servants fan her and offer her refreshments.
The Vizier makes a sharp contrast to her listlessness. He buzzes confidently between the different groups like a pollinating bee, an immaculately groomed and coifed figure of striking good looks and boundless energy. He instantly notices you and the captain entering, although he continues his current discussion without missing a beat.
Okay, so we have three mercenary captains: One who takes drugs and is in charge of a swarm of unreliable rabble; one in charge of a group of cavalry (light are mentioned, but not necessarily only light; more data needed) who are about as skilled as one would expect given that horses are damned expensive to keep alive and fighting fit and more so in the middle of the desert; and then our employer, who is in charge of a group of skilled and reliable infantry, plus one sorcerer."Vizier Jahal," Zuobi greeted. "Captains."
"I may have to promote myself," the loud man returned. "Recruiting is going well. I may be commanding a legion soon!"
"A legion of green recruits that don't know which end of the sword to hold," the tattooed woman sneers. "If you even have enough swords to arm them. They'll scatter the first time they see a barbarian."
"Enough of that," Vizier Jahal interrupts. "This isn't the time for squabbling. We have a siege to plan. Captain Ceera, have you managed to learn anything new?"
"Not enough," the cavalry-woman admitted. "The invaders don't seem to be spreading out as quickly as anticipated. I thought they'd be burning and looting through the outlying villages by now, but they've stayed concentrated pretty close to the fortress. I don't have a good count of their forces, but it's looking like less than two wings, right now, but growing quickly. And they're cagey. I have a lot of scouts who went out and never reported back in. The ones that made it back tell me they've only seen infantry, no mounts. But some of the soldiers look big. May be mutants. And they're catching my people somehow. I've pulled most of the observers back; we can't keep throwing away trained scouts and mounts for nothing."
"So the light cavalry is as useless as ever," the thin man hissed. "We hardly need the scouting; they have to be coming here. The city is the only prize worth attacking. We just wait here, well supplied, and let them break themselves on the walls, and afterwards push them right back into the tainted lands. A bunch of screaming savages can't lay siege to a city."
"They couldn't lay siege to a fortress either," Zuobi observed, "but somehow they control it now. Waiting for them to attack is stupid. If they are patient enough to bottle us up here, every day means we're getting hungrier and they're getting reinforcements. That's going to get ugly real fast."
"And I suppose you'd rather go meet them in the field, then? Foolishness. Even if you get an advantage, they can fall back to the fortress to defend. I'll have no part in it."
"You're not invited, anyhow. I don't need a bunch of green conscripts slowing my troops down. Your rabble would just get in the way. Although, Ceera, I COULD use some support from your cavalry. I'll cut you in on the spoils. We're going to take the fortress back, then crush the barbarians against it in the field."
"I'm listening," Ceera answered. "But it better be one hell of a plan. I'm not getting chopped up because you're thirsty for a fight."
"Oh," Zuobi smiled, "It's a hell of a plan all right. Allow me to introduce my trump card. Step forward, Sorcerer Fleet-Foot…"
This is a pretty important line to remember for the vote. There are however many barbarians fit in "a multitude of tents" standing ready to pour directly into the fortress if we can't get those gates closed.Great bronze gates, operated by mysterious magics of the ancients, have been swung wide, and a multitude of tents have been pitched right outside.
I had the impression that Fadi was more experienced than that, but maybe when saying "first battle" he's just not counting anything with a couple dozen people as one. Fighting off bandits hitting a caravan or whatever is certainly very different from true warfare."Same thing, I guess. Don't know how I could sleep. First time I've been in a battle. Besides, I have some preparations I can do. Magic, you know."
Aw. The heroic impulse is live and well; see that people need their lives made better and act to make it happen. Fadi is certainly powerful enough to make a huge difference here."Don't figure I do know, really. All that sorcery stuff is over my pay grade. But really, why are you here? Why are you on this mountain? You're not from Bar-Path. You're some big muckety-muck from far off, throwing magic around like bad ale. Why, when you saw there was a fight coming, didn't you whistle up a tornado and ride it back to somewhere nice and safe?"
"Well, you are paying me. Paying me quite a lot, I think."
"Yeah, and for a throat-cutter like me, that's enough. I got a few very specialized skills, and I'm not too squeamish to put them to work. But you could make money anywhere. Yozi-spit, you can make water. There's a dozen cities in the South where that alone would make you a rich man, and nobody would try to stick a knife in you."
You pause to consider for a moment.
"I saw the people in Bar-Path when I reached the city. All those farmers and herders and merchants. Packed in the city tighter than kernals on an ear of corn. This invasion is costing them. A farmer leaves his farm, he loses everything but his life. And maybe even that, if the barbarians reach the city. And they can't just whistle up a tornado and run. Doesn't seem quite right for me to."
"Bleeding heart, huh? Well, this is going to suck for you, then. Taking a fortification not a very nice battle to cut your teeth on."
I am of sharply divided feelings about this scene.You rip open the man's trouser leg around the puncture, to expose the wound. Arak dives head-first into the soldier's leg like a pelican chasing a fish into the water.
The wounded man screams, from fright or from pain, but is prevented from thrashing too much by the efforts of his comrades and you bracing the injured leg. Quickly, the blood stops spurting from his wound, and looking closely, you can see a collection of spidery appendages around the gash, pressing the flesh together, while other limbs neatly join the sundered flesh with stitches so tiny they're hard to make out. All the while a rhythmic chirping sound fills the corridor; Arak singing happily while he works. In fewer than a hand of minutes, Arak has completed his sewing, and pops back out of soldier's thigh.
"Should heal cleanly," he announces, scuttling back to your should with a satisfied air. "He shouldn't exert himself, or he might pull it open again., and he needs to make more blood."
"Good work, Arak. NOW, you two can carry him up to the roof. You heard Kalla, hurry! And tell him not to walk on that leg. Get him water."
Sure, less than five minutes isn't that long in an absolute sense. But it takes a lot less than five minutes for that army of barbarians just outside the gate to realize that they need to be getting the heck into that fortress and killing their attackers. There is no time whatsoever to pause for surgery. Even if Fadi doesn't realize this (and while he's clearly high-Compassion I don't think he's so foolish as to forget that all fifty of them will likely die if they stop while one is tended to), Kalla certainly wouldn't forget it... though she might be overawed by Fadi's sorcery and demon, unwilling to object to his will in spite of the tactical foolishness. That would have left them being attacked mid-surgery in all likelihood, though.
These, together with the first line I quoted, seem like pretty hefty indications to me that we should be cutting loose with the glass shards ASAP, cutting off their reinforcements and allowing us to immediately seize the gates. We can't afford to demand surrender because the enemy knows perfectly well that they're not beaten yet and we aren't exactly swinging around solar-tier social charms, here. We also can't afford to get tied up by the huge number of reinforcements they have to pour in, and Kalla knows it which is why she's telling us to use whatever we have left right now. Once we win this immediate conflict and get the gates closed our side will have the huge environmental advantage of giant walls on our side instead of being forced into a field engagement against massively superior numbers.Now, if you have any tricks left, would be a fine time to use them."
...
This fight will decide the success or failure of the assault.
That discount is negative, because everyone knows that sorcerers are rich and can afford to pay extra. Never wear your stupid-looking fancy clothes if you want to be charged reasonable prices.
Unfortunately this sounds like a much more difficult problem to solve than the invading wyld barbarian army. Forming a stable state generally is, for someone without high-powered social and bureaucracy charms.
I wonder what the relationship between these two is, as the most visible power figures and clearly closely allied with one another (from the sound of it, the Vizier basically won the civil war on her behalf). The Sultana gives the impression of letting the Vizier handle things while she's merely visible, but no one gets "weathered by responsibility" unless they've actually been paying mind to their responsibilities, so she must take at least some parts of her job very seriously.
Okay, so we have three mercenary captains: One who takes drugs and is in charge of a swarm of unreliable rabble; one in charge of a group of cavalry (light are mentioned, but not necessarily only light; more data needed) who are about as skilled as one would expect given that horses are damned expensive to keep alive and fighting fit and more so in the middle of the desert; and then our employer, who is in charge of a group of skilled and reliable infantry, plus one sorcerer.
While likely to be effective against the barbarians, our plan has also arranged for the higher-quality troops to take all the damage while, presumably, leaving a swarm of rabble holding the city. When they're led by a druggie who has a poor relationship to the others, and there are no significant forces left directly in the service of the Sultana. This seems like a setup for things to go horribly wrong immediately after we barely eke out a win and are trying to return to the city, wounded and tired, but perhaps I'm overly paranoid.
That said, Ceera seems professional and competent, which is always important for an allied commander. She and Zuobi can probably be relied upon to win the field battle unless they pull out a Lunar or something (in which case they're fucked, we're fucked, everyone's fucked). I'd like to have gotten a better impression of the Vizier but he seems competent enough, so maybe he'll be on top of things in the city and prevent any issues from arising.
I am of sharply divided feelings about this scene.
On the one hand, Arak is great, and the reaction to seeing him at work from others is also great. Good characterization, world-building, all of that. I enjoyed reading it quite a bit.
On the other hand, they just flew fifty guys over a fortress wall in full view of that "multitude of tents". They slaughtered the initial defenders quickly and at least one shouted as they fell to their death. The defenders are charging up the stairs, and doubtless the barbarians in those tents are mobilizing in response to the fairly obvious indications that they need to do so.
Yet not only does Fadi order the assault team to stop their advance while medical treatment is applied, Kalla doesn't object, and everyone stands around watching for...
Sure, less than five minutes isn't that long in an absolute sense. But it takes a lot less than five minutes for that army of barbarians just outside the gate to realize that they need to be getting the heck into that fortress and killing their attackers. There is no time whatsoever to pause for surgery. Even if Fadi doesn't realize this (and while he's clearly high-Compassion I don't think he's so foolish as to forget that all fifty of them will likely die if they stop while one is tended to), Kalla certainly wouldn't forget it... though she might be overawed by Fadi's sorcery and demon, unwilling to object to his will in spite of the tactical foolishness. That would have left them being attacked mid-surgery in all likelihood, though.
So on first read this is great, but on second I feel like it's an unrealistically long cutscene in the middle of what was a fast-paced action sequence. Those barracks they're trying to lock down should have long since emptied and the courtyard be poured full of the army outside given the scene as written, but those facts are conveniently ignored because it was, admittedly, a very cool cutscene.
Not sure how to resolve that, really.
I'd note if we lose the gates it won't really matter how many motes we have banked.I have the slightest inkling that we will have more than a bit of trouble when the barbarian reinforcements arrive. Best to have back-up.
Always a beauty to see.Oh, I love it when circumstances align to allow scenes where a large amount of people are obliterated by sorcery. That was awesome.
double 'with'My family has spent ten generations cutting deals with with demons for more power.
'razor'?each as light as a a floating feather and as sharp as a rumor.
'knee', 'light'You sink to one need, your energy reserves exhausted by this last spell. You couldn't like a candle with sorcery right now, much less cast another spell.
Excellent chapter.
I wonder about the utility of the spell though... for all its power, it seems like we are completely vulnerable while casting? If any of the barbarians kept their wits about them, we would be a pincussion before we finished the chant. And we can't have anything between us and our target that also wouldn't be shredded.
Are there ways to deal with that sort of risk?