Early January, 1504- City of Urbino, Duchy of Urbino
A member of the species Felis Catus, whose exact meaning is hotly debated.
"Relax, Giuseppe, I think he understands he has done wrong," Ludwig says as he puts a hand on Giuseppe's shoulder.
"He has yet to apologise to the bartender, and by rights, he should apologise to the rest of his company too, seeing as he's breaking the damn laws that they're upholding!" Your fellow Italian refuses to be calmed, becoming more red-faced as he starts digging in to the perceived injustice.
"Now, Giuseppe, I think we-"
"No! No molly-coddling my men! Let me handle this!" Giuseppe shakes off Ludwig's hand and grabs the back of the young crossbowman's shirt.
Ludwig grimaces, but backs off as Giuseppe drags the poor fool out on the street, and you can slowly hear Giuseppe's voice fade away, still berating the young man. Ludwig looks back at you and shrugs.
"Well, that didn't go as I had hoped."
"Could have been worse," you say, shrugging back at him, "at least he didn't start another brawl in the process."
"There's no pleasing some people, huh?"
--
"There's no pleasing some people…" you hear one of the men mutter as you finish your explanation. You feel as if you got your point across to most of them, but you decide that enough seem uncomfortable with the matter that you give it another swing.
"Look, think of this as an insurance policy. I know some of you like your affairs private, but when I as a company leader have to step in and pay out of our common reserves like this, it's not a good solution. All this policy is meant to do is make sure your money stays yours, and isn't stolen by some two-bit merchant writing in obscure dialects."
A few hours later, after answering half a dozen questions worded slightly differently using two dozen euphemisms for "taking a loan so I can pay the brothel", you assure the men you are not interested in preventing them from visiting the brothels Johannes has given the go-ahead on.
--
Ludwig walks into the officer's planning room with a great big smile on his face.
"I've done it lads!"
"Oh?" You look up from the inventory list.
"Recruitment was a breeze," he says, pulling a chair out and sitting down by the payroll lists. "Got more than ten dozen to sign up!"
"Excellent, excellent, well done Ludwig!"
--
The late morning sun is pleasant, and the wind is gently blowing. Surely, this is an excellent morning.
"I'm telling you, he's bad luck!"
"You're an idiot! He's just a cat!"
Never mind, men are apparently doomed to cause you trouble on this week, and there appears to be no end to it either.
"Paolo's got a cat! He's got a cat, and it's bad luck!"
"There's nothing wrong with a cat! It's black cats that are bad luck, you dolt!"
"Is not!"
You sigh in exasperation and decide to...
[X] Ignore it.
[X] Intervene.
-[X] Write-in
Inventory
Arms
Food
Support
Coin
Capacity
Capacity
Upkeep
175
265
80
410
Taken
Remaining
Reserves
4
159
72
6908
235
2215
After 1 Fortnight
−171
−106
−8
6498
−285
2735
At the end of the fortnight, Ludwig reports that he has recruited 150 men to his company, bringing him up to 250 total. (-54 Coins)
[X] Resupply (Gain 978 Coin)
-[X] Arms
-[X] Food (-30% cost)
-[X] Support
[X]Write-in
[X] Time Skip until Borgia arrives, or Spring (or Write-in)
Fair Warning: If you decide to timeskip, you would not be able to react to things like random event rolls. Most of the time, this won't be a problem, but should it become clear that you need to react (i.e. something like a crit-fail), I will drop you out of the timeskip.
The coin sums listed in parenthesis are not included in the table's calculations.
Notice a spelling or grammar issue? Let me know, and I'll edit.
Scheduled vote count started by KlinkerKing on May 29, 2021 at 9:47 AM, finished with 22 posts and 8 votes.
[X] Plan Borgia should just arrive -[X] Resupply (Gain 978 Coin) --[X] Arms [300] --[X] Food (-30% cost) [300] --[X] Support [160] -[X] Got to the library and take Johannes with you, read some books about war and tactics. -[X] Continue your customary meeting with the Duke. Ask about his plans in the spring and about his allies in Pesaro -[X] Have your men continue their drilling, especially the new recruits. They should be up to standard. -[X] Talk to the merchants of Urbino see if it's possible to gain any discounts on prices. -[X] On our banner is a rooster, we should get a real one for the company. (To raise morale and make ourselves memorable lol) -[X] We shall he interacting with various members of the nobility. It would both practical and beneficial to educate ourselves in the finer arts.(Arithmetic, Rhetoric, Logic, etc)
Late January, 1504- City of Urbino, Duchy of Urbino
[1] Cinquedea, a type of Italian short sword popular in the late 1400s and early 1500s
"It's just a cat, just leave well enough alone. What's it gonna do, shit in your bed?"
The man grumbles angrily and you send him a stern look, after which he raises his hands. You eye the cat briefly and tell Paolo to keep an eye on his cat. With the excitement over, the small crowd that had assembled disperses.
You take a deep breath after the situation resolves and head out of the company quarter. Today, you are meeting up with a merchant named Marino. The Urbinoan merchant has informed you of a shipment of cloth coming in from Milan that your men are keeping an extra eye on, so you saw an opportunity to make some closer connections by going the extra mile. To that end you have ordered a doubled garrison at the gate, so that half of them may escort the goods and make sure that the large transactions involved are all happening safely and securely.
"Ah, Iacopo, I've been expecting you! I'm glad you made the offer, there's some odd rumours about one of my rivals going about, you see…" The colourfully dressed merchant is mildly positive in tone, but the concerned frown on his face remains. You personally doubt anyone would be dumb enough to assault a dozen and a half of armed and armoured men in broad daylight, but you have been wrong before.
"As ever, there are dishonest men looking to make a profit off of honest men's work." Some might call a few of your own colleagues little better than thugs or bandits, but you pointedly choose not to mention that.
The two of you watch as a large caravan makes its way through the gate and apparently the Milanese wagon is at the back, as your soldiers form up around the rearmost wagon in short order. A set of 18 soldiers clad in red and shining steel make an impression, and the crowds that might normally hinder a cart swiftly move out of the way.
You and Marino fall in line behind the formation on horseback, alongside one of the Milanese traders, who introduces himself as Piero. Marino makes introductions, and tells Piero that you will be escorting them through the city. The three of you make smalltalk while scanning the streets for any suspicious activity, but the trip to Marino's warehouse is largely uneventful.
After arriving, the Milanese traders dismount from the wagon and after a quick bit of smalltalk and pleasantries, the payment is demanded. Marino orders a chest brought out, and Piero and one of the other Milanese traders open the chest and inspect the silver coins inside, apparently finding them satisfactory, because the men by the carriage begin to unload the goods.
About half an hour later, the wagon is unloaded and the chest of silver coins has replaced its cargo. The cart is once more on its way, this time without Marino, who stays behind.
As the cart passes through the afternoon crowds on the main street, chaos breaks out. "Fire, Fire!" you hear, and one of the stalls selling cabbages is visibly aflame on the square the wagon is approaching.
Your soldiers scramble, and two groups are quickly formed to solve the problem, twelve of them heading off to put the fire out and the remaining six adopt a looser formation around the wagon. The panicking crowd starts to run past and knock into your remaining guards; the pair of soldiers in the front are almost bowled over by the crowd suddenly turning from a complacent stream into a raging river, and the guard formation quickly dissolves as the crowd turns unmanageable. You spur your horse forward, predicting a surge of people coming around the sides of the wagon, and beside you you see Piero do the same.
As the crowd surges past the wagon, two men shoot out from the mass of people, and quickly dart up towards the wagon. Piero, being closer to the two men, lets out a shout and tries to grab at one of them, who draws his cinquedea[1] into a wild ascending swing.
His companion jumps onto the wagon and grabs for the chest. Your sword cleaves down through the cinquedea holder's shoulder close to the neck. The cinquedea clatters against the paving and its owner slumps to the ground clutching his grievous wound.
The thief holding the box drops it and slowly raises his hands. Quickly, your guards surround him, and with the excitement over, you check on Piero. His sleeve is seeped with blood close to his shoulder.
"Let's attend to that." You motion at his arm, and only then does he notice the spreading darkness on his sleeve.
"Ah, yes, I probably should have it seen to."
[X] Perhaps I can be of assistance (Superior Surgeon)
[X] Send for a doctor
--
"Johannes, I'm going to the palace library, would you like to join me?"
The Swiss captain looks up from his game of cards and thinks for a moment, before agreeing. To his right, Ludwig grumbles good naturedly about Johannes not managing to dig any deeper into his coin purse.
Soon after, you find yourselves in the palace library, reading through a Spanish text about the specifics of river crossing, how to quickly organise men into sections for building pontoon bridges, as well as a chronicle detailing the battles of Giovanni Acuto, a famed mercenary captain. It is an educational read, and both you and Johannes pick up a number of tricks.
--
On your walk to the Duke's palace during the cold morning after your trip to the library, you find yourself accosted by a strange man near one of the pubs your soldiers frequent. The shady man asks to speak to you in private several times, and you tell him that you are unfortunately busy, and need to go meet with the Duke.
The man insists he has important information to tell you, something regarding information about San Marino, which does make you pay a lot more attention than you might otherwise. You eye him for a moment, looking at his disheveled hair and the stained shirt.
"Very well, in that," you point at a pub where two of your men are visible through a window, "pub we can talk."
The man unhesitatingly takes your suggestion, and walks into the pub immediately. You follow closely behind, and get a nod from the two soldiers sitting by the window, as well as one sitting further in.
"Talk."
The nervous man begins to explain his situation. He is a mercenary that has committed a few crimes in Urbino before, and is a wanted man, but he has information on his former employer, Cesare Borgia, that he is willing to give up in exchange for a pardon for his previous crimes.
You think for a moment, and say…
[X] "I will bring it up with the Duke."
[X] "Arrest this man."
[X] "You shouldn't be here. Leave Urbino while you're still able."
--
"Ah, Iacopo! Welcome, I have some interesting ideas to discuss with you!"
"As do I with you, my friend."
"And you must also tell me about this recent robbery you've stopped!"
The Duke talks briefly about his idea to hire a Florentine engineer for an upcoming construction project, and you nod along, mentioning your own recent reading about pontoon bridges making you appreciate the difficulties of engineering a lot more.
The conversation next turns to your swift heroism rescuing Piero, who turned out to be a bit more influential than he had let on. His brother is apparently the owner of the silk manufactory that had produced the cloth you had been escorting, and he had promised to put a good word in for both Urbino and your company.
The Duke hands over a small package from Piero, which contains all the standard thank-yous and such, but also a nice silk handkerchief. He mentions that the package was delivered to him alongside a letter addressed to him, and that he too thanks you for your service to the city.
"By the way, I wanted to know about your plans this upcoming spring, and if and how you intend to coordinate with our allies in Pesaro?"
"Well, d'Aragona doesn't exactly command the largest force, and I trust him about as far as I can throw him. However, I know him well. Well enough to know that he fears Borgia, but I also know that his pride won't let him surrender, not after Cesare got his marriage annulled.
"Given half a chance, I imagine he'd stab Borgia himself, never mind that with 1500 soldiers at his back he's spoiling for a fight. If Cesare presents for battle, I have no doubt he and his will be first to the field. For broader plans, I have no broad plans beyond a wait and see approach. I imagine Borgia can't stay in San Marino for much longer without things falling apart around him."
--
Your quest for a tutor is fairly successful; you find a colourful fellow who offers you several options for tutoring services, depending on how much time you hope to spend learning:
[X] Have him with you all day most days, teaching you academic subjects as you go about your day (20 coins/fortnight)
[X] provide hour or two long academic lessons for you daily (10 coins/fortnight)
[X] meet once a week for an academic lesson (2 coins/fortnight)
[X] Hm, that's all over budget, I'll pass
"I want to buy a cock."
"Excuse me?"
"I want to buy a male hen, as it were. A chicken."
"Ah, a rooster."
"Yes, one of those."
The merchant passes by a number of cages holding pheasant cocks, and then presents a selection of various roosters, some red, some black and red, and others entirely in black. You find three that you think are good picks, and decide on…
[X] The smaller red rooster, who is demonstrably hostile to the world in general, and the merchant in particular.
[X] The large red rooster, who seems less than pleased at being woken from his nap by a tap on his cage.
[X] The large black and red rooster, whose decision to engage in an intense staring contest with you gives him his own charm.
Having made your decision, you pay the merchant and head off. Arriving in your quarters, you find Louis and Giuseppe discussing the day's drills, and what should be on tomorrow's schedule. You involuntarily interrupt the conversation when the rooster in your cage chimes in with a loud squawk.
"The new mascot, lads!"
Inventory
Arms
Food
Support
Coin
Capacity
Capacity
Upkeep
175
265
80
410
Taken
Remaining
Reserves
304
459
232
6770
995
1455
After 1 Fortnight
129
194
152
6360
475
1975
At the end of the fortnight, Ludwig reports that he has recruited 100 soldiers to his company, bringing him up to 350 total. (-36 Coins)
[X] Resupply (Gain 978 Coin)
-[X] Arms
-[X] Food (-30% cost)
-[X] Support
[X]Write-in
[X] Time Skip until Borgia arrives, or Spring (or Write-in)
Fair Warning: If you decide to timeskip, you would not be able to react to things like random event rolls. Most of the time, this won't be a problem, but should it become clear that you need to react (i.e. something like a crit-fail), I will drop you out of the timeskip.
The coin sums listed in parenthesis are not included in the table's calculations.
Notice a spelling or grammar issue? Let me know, and I'll edit.
[X] Plan: Wake me up when Winter ends -[X] Resupply (Gain 978 Coin) --[X] Arms [46] --[X] Food (-30% cost) [71] -[X] Go to the library, we have some skill as a surgeon. See what else we could find that could improve our medical skills/knowledge. -[X] Drill the men, the Duke thinks Borgia will make a move before his time runs out. We want our men to be in shape for anything. -[X] We have a mascot now, the symbol of our company. We should probably train it or something(Don't wander away, don't bite at people, things like that)
Early February, 1504- City of Urbino, Duchy of Urbino
Torre Cotogna, a fortified watchtower overlooking the river crossing near Ca Mazzasette Image Source
(Late January)
[-] Perhaps I can be of assistance (Superior Surgeon)
You wash the wound with some strong wine, and dress it with a bandage. Soon a physician arrives and, impressed by your quick thinking and technique, praises your application of humour balancing reagents alongside proper wound-dressing techniques.
Feeling slightly awkward, you smile and nod along as the man starts rambling about Hippocrates and temperaments that you have only the vaguest ideas about. Eventually, having made sure that Piero is in good care, you go back to your men.
--
You head over to your lesson with your tutor. Giuseppe stalks behind with a complement of crossbows, as if paranoid that you would get into another altercation like the one with the robbers who wounded Piero. You imagine Giuseppe is just spoiling for a fight.
Your tutor draws up elaborate plans on a chalkboard, a lesson on the Roman Empire's most famous victories and defeats. The tutor runs through a number of famous battles, some you already know, others you have never heard of. As the lesson comes to a close with a discussion on the strategy of Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus and his dogged pursuit of Hannibal of Carthage. You feel the reading and discussions you and Johannes had, as well as your earlier digging in the library, fall into place. Like the final pieces of a puzzle, they complete a picture that was missing something vital.
[Gained Skill: Skilled Skirmisher]
--
"Oh, I had an interesting man come up to me on the street the other day."
You swirl the wine in your glass, steeling your nerves in case you have upset da Montefeltro
"I'm slightly worried by the implications of those words." Da Montefeltro's tone is dry, and his pursed lips tells you that his worry is more than just slight. You chuckle in response and explain the odd encounter you had with the man who wanted a pardon in exchange for information.
Montefeltro considers your words for a moment, before asking a number of questions about the man's crimes. Having decided that the man could reasonably be pardoned, the Duke hands you a stamped letter, officially pardoning the man for crimes committed.
After finishing your discussion with da Montefeltro, you head for the pub you know the man is waiting for you in with Giuseppe and his crossbows in tow. You make your way through the doors and greet your soldiers on the way in, before eventually finding the man you are looking for. Giuseppe orders the crossbows to take up positions guarding the door, and settles down outside of earshot but still within sight.
"Good news. I've got your pardon." You flash the letter with the seal, and the man nearly bursts into tears, grabbing the letter and running his fingers over the wax seal to make sure it's real.
"Now, you said you've got some information for me as well…"
--
"Iacopo! How did it go? Was this pardon worth the paper it was written on?" The Duke greets you with a gesture towards an armchair by his desk. On the other side, Maximillian raises his wineglass in greeting.
"I'd say so, sir. We've got ourselves a man with good memory. He says Borgia is planning to break camp in early March. He knows that d'Aragona has a vicious grudge against him and wants to avoid an engagement if at all possible. Cesare plans to march around Urbino, even with us in the way, to avoid being harassed. D'Aragona's troops in Pesaro has the other route locked down otherwise, so he doesn't have much of a choice."
Da Montefeltro sighs, and motions to the map on his desk with the wineglass.
"I'll have a missive sent to d'Aragona, then. We should concentrate our forces here if Borgia tries to take the western route."
"I assume we can count on Pesaro to aid us in this endeavour?" Maximilian asks, frowning down at a wooden token representing pike units that has been placed next to the crossing by Montecalvo.
"Yes, d'Aragona's grudge against the Borgia won't let him stay out of this." Da Montefeltro gives Maximilian a brief explanation of the various incidents between Giovanni Sforza d'Aragona and the Borgia family that laid the foundation for the grudge, and Maximilian visibly winces when the impotency charge and marriage annulment is brought up.
"Small wonder he's got an axe to grind…"
"Quite. Now Iacopo, please continue."
"Right," you say. "On the matter of crossing the rivers between us and San Marino, we know that a stop is intended near San Giovanni, to determine whether to cross Foglia River in the east, by Montecalvo, or in the west, by San Donato."
"Not by Ca Mazzasette? I assume they know of Torre Cotogna already, then?" The Duke's watchtower by the river is something that you know Borgia has already accounted for, and you say as much.
"Yes, Cesare will make sure to keep out of view of the tower."
"Shame. Well, that will keep him off the biggest crossing at least."
Maximilian weighs in on the matter by moving wooden tokens across the map, placing them at the two most likely crossing points.
"Hm. I think these are the only expedient routes then. Unless you locals know of another way across?"
You chuckle, mentioning that Rome is hardly local to Urbino, and both you and the Duke admit to knowing no other way to cross the river without taking unfeasible risks.
"Speaking of expediency, now that the two of you are both here, I would like to extend an invitation to the Carnival Ball here at the palace, two weeks from now, to the both of you."
You and Maximilian share a look. A Carnival Ball is a big occasion, and although masks are worn, it's usually a fairly open secret who is behind which mask, and the opportunity to make connections at a ball hosted by the duke himself is undeniably a great boon.
"Of course sir, we'd be honoured to attend," the two of you chime in unison.
Large Red Arrow: Confirmed Plan
Small Red Arrow: Possible Plan, crossings at San Donato and Montecalvo (left to right)
Small Blue Arrow: Unfeasible Crossing at Ca Mazzasette
"I have some ideas," Montefeltro says. "A force placed at San Donato can intercept Borgia's forces as he crosses the river, and should he decide to go through Montecalvo our scouts can report back and we can reposition, catching Borgia before he can reach Urbino."
[X] You have nothing to add.
[X] Write-in Suggestions
--
"There's no question. The Pyrrhus should have continued." Giuseppe's voice is noticeably agitated, but he's not yelling.
"Oh? Overstretched, far from home and friendly territory? With no safe harbour and no place to sleep without a nightwatch?" There's a certain smugness to your tutor's voice as Giuseppe's mien grows steadily more annoyed.
"But he was victorious! He had won the battle and had an excellent opportunity!"
"Ah, but the Romans had him by the balls. Continue to attack, and face irreplaceable losses, or admit that discretion is the better part of valour, and fight another war, another day."
"Bah, stop being right you bastard."
Your tutor scoffs at Giuseppe, and strides off past you imperiously but you hear his soft chuckle. You get the sense he enjoyed the banter more than Giuseppe intended him to.
"Having some intellectual sparring, Giuseppe?" You hear a crossbowman snicker in the back, and Giuseppe shoots a sharp look at his subordinate.
"Where to next, boss?"
--
"Johannes! Johannes, sir, someone's walked off with our wagon!"
Your eyebrows rise in surprise as you overhear the report your second-in-command gets in his office.
"Eh? What was in the wagon when it was taken, and under whose watch?"
"During the unloading of the food supplies, sir. Ulrich was responsible, but thought the wagon wasn't worth stealing since it was empty, and focused on getting the grain into storage."
"...Someone stole an empty wagon?"
"Yeah, we didn't expect that either."
"I can't really blame you for that. Ulrich will be reprimanded and asked to keep a better eye on his wagons, even if they're empty, in the future. I'll go report it to the commander."
You knock on the open door and make your way in after receiving an affirmative. "No need for a report Johannes, I think I got it. You left the door open."
-20 Supplies (Missing Wagon) Pick 1
[X] "We'll need to replace the wagon as soon as possible." (-20 Coin, +20 Supplies)
[X] "We'll track down the wagon." (one of your commanders will be busy next turn)
[X] "We'll increase the patrols and find the wagon that way." (-10 Coins)
Giuseppe, Ludwig and Louis are all watching the men with wide eyes, as the drill they had planned has now turned into "yes, but drill the rooster". A dozen or so men have trained the rooster by this point in time, and you grow more amused by the second as both Giuseppe and Ludwig are drawn into the training of the rooster.
Soon enough, the pike square moves with a solid rhythmic beat of boots on the ground, the rooster's head bobbing along to the beat as it marches alongside. When the regiment comes to a halt, Johannes lets out a shout of glee as the rooster flies up and sits on the banner's crossbar, mirroring the image of the rooster below it.
You are not exactly sure how it happens, but sooner or later, you are informed that the rooster's name is Augustus, because of its regal and commanding presence.
Your day in the library is surprisingly fruitful, and you stumble on two separate Greek texts translated to Latin, a Latin text and an Italian manuscript left behind by one of Borgia's engineers (judging by the fortress drawing), one "L. Davunc", or something to that effect. A surprisingly insightful medical text for an engineer, you think, especially considering the detailed diagrams of anatomy.
You take notes and draw some interesting conclusions yourself regarding the usage of alcohol to harmonise otherwise unclean water by mixing the two well, before corking the container and waiting a full day.
[Gained Skill: Superior Surgeon II]
Inventory
Arms
Food
Support
Coin
Capacity
Capacity
Upkeep
190
280
86
437
Taken
Remaining
Reserves
165
255
148
7196
568
1912
After 1 Fortnight
−25
−25
62
6759
12
2468
At the end of the fortnight, Ludwig reports that he has recruited 50 soldiers to his company, bringing him up to 400 total. (-18 Coins)
[X] Resupply (Gain 978 Coin)
-[X] Arms
-[X] Food (-30% cost)
-[X] Support
[X]Write-in
[X] Time Skip until Borgia arrives, or Spring (or Write-in)
Fair Warning: If you decide to timeskip, you would not be able to react to things like random event rolls. Most of the time, this won't be a problem, but should it become clear that you need to react (i.e. something like a crit-fail), I will drop you out of the timeskip.
The coin sums listed in parenthesis are not included in the table's calculations.
Notice a spelling or grammar issue? Let me know, and I'll edit.
Scheduled vote count started by KlinkerKing on Jun 23, 2021 at 12:51 AM, finished with 11 posts and 6 votes.
[X] (Write-in Suggestions), We should definitely extensively scout both areas regardless of where we place our men. Cesare is a prideful man, we could start a rumor to get him to cross the river of our choosing when its time for him to break camp.(Fake plans of our armies, rumors involving his family, rumors about himself) . We should leave enough men in Urbino that Borgia won't simply take it without an assault.
[X] "We'll need to replace the wagon as soon as possible." (-20 Coin, +20 Supplies) -[X] Resupply (Gain 978 Coin) --[X] Arms[380] --[X] Food (-30% cost) [560] --[X] Support [110] -[X] We are going to a ball, we definitely need some lessons on dancing and etiquette. We don't want to embarrass ourselves and a good impression will be vital to advancing any ambitions. -[X] Johannes should go with those scouting, he has an eye for terrain and him having prior knowledge of the terrain prior to a battle will only help us
Late February, 1504 - City of Urbino, Duchy of Urbino
Renaissance Carnival
"Get the wagon replaced, as soon as possible." You toss a coin purse to Johannes, who catches it with both hands.
"Yessir!"
--
You've trained your dancing skills for 6 hours a day for the past 10 days, and you thank Christ for your foresight of hiring a tutor. A passable dance is the best you can do, and that's after your tutor put his considerable pedagogic talent to bear on the problem.
Overall, it's not a bad job, you don't feel like an expert at the end of your training session, but you can get through the dances without stepping on your partner even if you're hardly going to win any competitions.
Eventually the day of the ball comes, and you arrive at the palace in your party getup. The silver bird mask attached to your wide-brimmed, white hat feels cold on your skin, and even your thick blue coat can't quite keep the chilly winter night out. Soon enough, you reach the front gate, presenting your invitation letter to the guards alongside a man in yellow and black wearing a lion mask.
The ballroom itself is massive, not to mention ornately decorated with precious metals, gemstones, and silk in all colours. Prominently displayed is the diagonal stripes of azure and gold belonging to da Montefeltro, as well as the Papal Regalia, with its gold, silver, white, and red. This is the kind of fortune one only sees in families that have owned land for a long time, and you are hard pressed not to stare openly at some of the finery.
Not much time passes before music starts playing, and the singing and dancing begins. The partying itself melds together a little, and after a few cups of wine, the order of events begins to blur, but you remember things eventually moving out to the courtyard and the streets outside of it, with colourful carts stocked with the earliest blooms of the year and ridiculous songs, making fun of you and yours, merchants and traders, and even the Duke himself. At one point, the stage is taken by a choir boy dressed in a farcical Papal outfit, who dubs another choir boy "the saint of gamblers and drunkards" to the roaring laughter of their audience.
After the first round of partying has died down, and after a nap of a few hours in one of the palace's guest rooms, you meet with Maximilian, da Montefeltro, and his wife, a tall woman introduced as Elisabetta Gonzaga. She is surprisingly sharp and, although she looks tired, she is more than able to keep up with your conversation about the merits of the terrain around Urbino, and makes several suggestions about how and where the Foglia river might be crossed.
It makes for an interesting conversation, and after several back and forths, you retreat into the duke's office to make use of the map. The four of you reach a conclusion about the best way to discover any scouts Borgia might send out. Elisabetta in particular seems to know the smaller crossings well, and she informs Maximilian when he asks that it is because of her frequent hunting expeditions near Montecalvo.
Eventually, the drinking and the entertainment must end, and you head back to your quarters with a note of instructions and some hastily drawn maps for Johannes. Your second-in-command takes your fairly drunken appearance with good grace, and merely nods at the written orders.
[+1 Relation with Urbino]
Inventory
Arms
Food
Support
Coin
Capacity
Capacity
Upkeep
190
280
86
437
Taken
Remaining
Reserves
355
535
192
6787
1082
1398
After 1 Fortnight
165
255
106
6350
526
1954
At the end of the fortnight, Ludwig reports that he has recruited 50 soldiers to his company, bringing him up to 450 total. (-18 Coins)
[X] Now that we had a night out, it's only fair that our men do as well. If the schedule allows, let them have two days to relax at half-strength, meaning that half the company rests in town while the other half continues their official duties.
You are Johannes, Second in Command of I Galli Rossi, and you are embarking on a mission. You and your men set out early in the morning on the 4th of March, with the Duke's light cavalry. The Montefeltro men are heading to the bridge at San Donato to intercept any scouts there, while you and your soldiers, a mixed group of pikes and crossbows, make their way across the river at Montecalvo.
At just after noon, you receive a report: Borgia scouts have been spotted marching down the main road towards the bridge. An ambush is prepared behind a hillside near the bridge, but as soon as you sound the attack, a yell sounds from the column. The Borgia troops rush to form up as the Roosters charge down the hillside and onto the road.
Borgia's men do an admirable job at getting into formation, and by the time your quick-march down the slope reaches the enemy, they have their pikes lined up and ready. It creates a strange situation where the pikes on both sides are trying to open gaps in the enemy hedge. The thwup of crossbows firing, followed by clangs and screams in both hedges sends your adrenaline spiking, and you feel almost disappointed as you see the Borgia pike hedge slowly move its way back, away from your formation.
If they can drag the fight on for long enough, Borgia's heavy cavalry could show up and annihilate your entire scout group, and you realise you have no time to waste. You make a split second decision, "Charge!", and suddenly, the halberdiers and pikemen at the front of your formation are pushing their way forward. Another crossbow salvo is fired, but you are not sure what, if anything, is hit as the air is now riddled with curses, clangs and yells.
You are not sure exactly how much time passes before it happens, but in short order the Borgia pike hedge trips and falls over itself in its attempt to back up, and a dozen men swinging two-handed weapons are in the middle of their formation in an instant. They scatter, fleeing every which way, and you motion with your sword. "Hunt them down! Attack!"
What follows is the bloody work of war, and by the end of it all, you've captured or killed a hundred men with only a handful of seriously injured of your own. It's a glorious victory.
--
Author's Note:
Sorry guys, RL's been kicking my ass. We're gonna be on a slow mode for a bit - I hope to have gotten into a better headspace by the time I push out next update, but it would be unfair to leave you without the results of the current vote.
Rolls:
You scouted successfully, prepared an ambush but failed to execute properly. Luckily, Johannes was quick on his feet and managed to beat back the enemy counter attack. The enemy then attempted to retreat, but failed their roll and you beat the snot out of them.
