I'm super happy with the level of engagement that has followed the last update, and I'm hoping this one will have similar results. Short update this time, which is probably why I have only taken less than a week. It'll get longer, I promise you that.
Do I mean word count or update time when I say "longer"?
...Yes.
[x] ...Neianne.
"...Neianne."
The announcement goes over your head at first. In fact, for a moment, you swivel your gaze back towards the instructor in mild embarrassment, thinking that perhaps the instructor saw you losing yourself in your own thoughts - which you admittedly were - as opposed to paying attention to the announcement of squad leader selections.
Then, along with several surprised exclamations around the Great Hall, the apprentices start politely applauding in your direction. Stephanie is patting you on the back, and Sieglinde claps politely. Elizabeth is also clapping, but more slowly and sardonically with a wry smirk on her lips.
You blink. You blink again. Then your eyes begin to widen, and your mouth begins to work up and down in your incomprehension.
Even if there wasn't the round of applause drowning them out, it's entirely possible that you would missed Elizabeth lean over to Sieglinde and whisper, "And in three, two, one..."
"W-Wait," you stammer, your words lost beneath the applause to all but those seated with you, your wide eyes turning from squadmate to squadmate, your back ramrod straight, having only just understood exactly what had just happened, "wh-wh-
what!?"
But even your squadmates don't seem to pay you much heed as the applause finally dies down, and the instructor at the front of the Great Hall is already moving on, heedless of the sudden shock she's left you with: "Squad Five..."
"Congratulations, our fearless leader," Elizabeth declares sarcastically, even as you look helplessly at the instructor; it's not as if she was looking at you before, but the fact that she's blithely moved on makes you feel like that the powers that be have left you to the wolves.
"I-
I can't be squad leader!" you insist with a whine.
"Why not?"
"I c-can't." You feel that the answer is pretty self-evident.
Elizabeth, evidently, does not feel the same way as she rolls her eyes. "
Reasons, fearless leader. Give them."
"
Any of you would be a better squad leader!" you squeak, oblivious to the fact that another round of clapping echoes through the Great Hall as yet another squad leader is announced.
"No," Stephanie and Sieglinde say simultaneously, entirely deadpan.
"True," Elizabeth casually acknowledges at the same time, drawing an even more deadpan looks from the other two members of your squad. "But it sounds like a lot of work. So you'll have to do it."
"B-But..."
"And Rastangard already said this is not up for negotiation. So give up already."
Watching you sink in helpless disbelief into your seat, Sieglinde at least looks sympathetic as she promises, "We'll do what we can to support you."
"As long as you don't make stupid decisions," Elizabeth adds, earning her a small sigh from her taller elven counterpart.
Applause rises from the body of apprentices as the last squad leader is announced. Aside from you, the picks haven't really been all that surprising; Lucille and Aphelia have already been selected, and Azalea and Wilhelmina have similarly been chosen to be squad leaders. A few exceptions exist here and there - you and Azalea among them - but by and large, it is as Sieglinde predicted: Although a level of intersection exists, most squad leaders are from the low aristocracy or merchant families, and most of them are elven. At the same time, however, from what you know about most of them, they are generally also the most capable and talented of their respective squads. Certainly, aside from Lucille,
you feel like you're the exception; under no metric can you envision yourself as being
more capable or talented than your squadmates, never mind "
most".
Tragically, you don't have time to think about it
now - even though every minute that passes feels like the possibility of contesting your instructors' decision steadily slipping away - in part because Headmistress Rastangard has stood up again, waiting for applause and excited chatter from the apprentices to die down. "You have had last year and summer vacation to consider who you are and what kind of Caldran mercenary you wish to be," she eventually says to the rapt attention of the seated apprentices before her. "Some of you may end to be weaponmasters of the battlefield, claiming proficiency in a wide number of weapons to meet any combat situation. Others will strike from the shadows, gathering information, silencing enemy leaders, destroying their supplies, ambushing their convoys. And never forget that a Caldran mercenary is not just a whore of the battlefield; just as there are Caldaran mercenaries who fence with blade and subterfuge alike, so are there Caldran mercenaries who fight with intellect and wit. Caldran mercenaries have advised the confederate armies on strategies to best resist the Tennies. Caldran mercenaries have made off with enemy battle plans by infiltrating parties thrown by their leaders. And, of course, Caldran mercenaries have decimated entire platoons on the field of battle. These are all things that one day you may find yourself doing, something you may have spent the last year deciding you will move towards. Starting tomorrow, you will begin to put your decisions into practice. As I said, your training from here on out will be self-guided, and it will be your responsibility to choose the courses you wish to take, what weapons you wish to train in, and what kind of Caldran mercenary you wish to become." She pauses to let her words sink in. "Consider carefully, move forth, and honor what it means to count yourself among our ranks."
The feast lasts for just a bit longer before the apprentices begin trickling back to their old dorm rooms, returning to their beds in preparation for their training tomorrow. You spot familiar faces as they stand and rise. Nikki is talking with Vesna, the former having a smug "told you so" look on her face as she looks in Wilhelmina's direction. Aphelia is having what seems to be an amicable conversation with Azalea, which you suppose would've surprised you more - they didn't seem particularly close during the first academic year - had you not spotted them chatting before during the political season in Stengard. Mia is loudly and happily chatting up a crowd, as always. Lucille seems to be trying to talk with the rest of her squad, but Penelope seems to angrily say something - her words are entirely inaudible at this distance - before turning and walking away, leaving Lucille looking stunned; Trudy follows along, although Wendy at the very least has the grace to give the Celestia a polite bow before returning to the dorms. To the side, Ashlyn again sighs, while Melanie's look of concern has transformed into one of murder.
Eventually, you too return to the West Wing with your squad, with you and Stephanie bidding Sieglinde and Elizabeth good night before returning to your rooms with full stomachs. It doesn't take the two of you long to change into bedclothes, wash up, and wish each other sweet dreams from your respective beds. Not that you think you'll have any sleep dreams, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness, your anxiety keeping you awake in your bed. Your life has been one wild thing after another since you've enrolled in Faulkren Academy. Sure, you always knew you were signing up for a war, but over the last year, you've encountered a wyvern, survived an attack by a Tenereian saboteur team, and spent a good part of your summer as a guest of a noble house. And now you're
squad leader.
Maybe it's just you, but
maybe you could use a bit
less excitement in your life.
On the morning of the first day of the second academic year, the apprentices of Faulkren awake to a routine that they have almost become entirely accustomed to: Carefully-tailored food intake, studies, and calisthenics. It's back to the usual pace for most of you, although it's clear that no small amount of apprentices are struggling a little bit. It could be that the skies are still overcast and the ground wet even though the rain stopped in the morning. Or it could be that aforementioned no small amount of apprentices really let themselves go over the course of summer vacation, either perhaps they feasted with family, friends, and neighbors who welcomed them back, or perhaps because they just got lazy.
Maybe they'll learn from this mistake next year. Maybe they won't.
It is during one of your trips in and out of the Great Hall, however, that you spot a small, grave-faced crowd surrounding the bulletin board just at the front doors, murmuring anxiously among themselves. With a sinking feeling in your stomach, your suspicions are proven correct as you approach and spot a piece of news that has been pinned for public consumption while you weren't looking.
Siege of Halissen Enters Third Month
It has been two months since the armies of the Tenereian Union began besieging Halissen, Elspar, after nearly a year of gruelling skirmishes and battles. Although the city's defenders no longer have the manpower or resources to hold onto the surrounding countryside, reports from House Nornfel indicate that the city walls continue to hold strong in spite of continuous Tenereian attacks, and that Halissen is in no immediate danger of falling to the enemy.
Major hostilities between the confederacy and the union began in the countryside around Halissen last year in what has been speculated as an attempt to interfere with the autumn harvest. What the union must've expected to be a swift victory with numerically-superior forces were instead hampered by major skirmishes, cavalry charges, and clandestine sabotage. The Tenereians were forced to dig into what bloody ground they did gain during the winter season. Enemy reinforcements were brought in during spring, however, and in spite of valiant defensive efforts, the Caldran armies were forced to retreat to the city walls.
Owing to the complicated local topography, the Tenereian encirclement of Halissen is spotty, with small units, scouts, and messengers having successfully made multiple trips in and out of the city, albeit in limited numbers. Relief supplies have similarly been smuggled into the city by Caldran mercenaries using these routes. This has also allowed Tenereian conscripts to sneak into the city, with four known attacks thus far, all of which were swiftly repelled. The city stores are said to be filled with enough grain to resist the enemy for at least another half year.
The defenders at Halissen include armies from all five regions of Caldran and their appointed commanders, including members of the houses of the Caldran Countesses. Demands for surrender by Tenereian General Sofia Fraul Clionn were refused by Viscountess Dolores Hadea Nornfel. The confederacy is accepting new recruits to reinforce our brave defenders at Halissen. Enlist with the army today.
It's hard to feel optimistic about the Battle of Halissen. Sure, Caldran bravery and ingenuity in the field has kept a numerically-superior enemy at bay for practically a year now. But you've also studied the history of warfare through the course of the last academic year, and wars in Iuryis over centuries have consistently favored the side with the most soldiers, the most wealth, the most materiel. The optimistic tone this piece of news attempts to take with the latest from Halissen - coupled with the sneaking suspicion that the patriotic-sounding "enlist with the army today" is in fact a sign that manpower for the war has again become a serious issue - does not comfort you.
It certainly doesn't comfort the other apprentices talking with each other in hushed voices, as if afraid that sounding too negative about the war would doom it to failure. "I heard rumors all throughout summer vacation back home," someone whispers. "Nothing but bad news."
"My neighbors lost a cousin," another apprentice murmurs. "They say casualties in the armies are piling up all day."
"Didn't the Caldran mercenary warbands already flee?" yet another voice asks.
"No, they're supposed to be out in the field. Caldran mercenaries don't just hole up behind walls."
"How long do you think they'll last?"
Four years ago, Wynholm lasted an entire year against a massive Tenereian attack in a campaign closer to the enemy supply lines. Halissen, you want to believe, will last longer. But Wynholm at the time was also the regional capital of Elspar, the seat of House Cenoryn and the most fortified city in the entire region, built over centuries with the expectation that it would have to hold the line against any Tenereian invasion should the forts of Ainellen and Cherlith fall. Yes, the armies sent to Halissen are the largest the confederacy has ever assembled. But will it be enough?
But when a new voice suddenly speaks, you recognize the voice to be Aphelia's, and there's something solemn and steady in her voice that almost seems to put at ease at least
some of your unease. "It'll be alright," she declares, and heads swivel to see her standing in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by her usual posse of friends and admirers, looking at the piece of paper pinned onto the bulletin board. "Viscountess Nornfel has had a decade now to fortify Halissen and reinforce the walls. So long as the stores hold, a siege favors its defenders." Her graceful posture straightens even further. "It won't be like Ainellen and Cherlith, or Wynholm."
"Yes, Lady Aphelia," a few voices around her say, even as Aphelia turns and leaves the Great Hall with her followers, heading for her selection of courses. There's something reassuring about Aphelia's statements about the war efforts, someone from the region itself, who must've returned to Arnheim over summer vacation, surrounded by people with intimate knowledge of how this conflict is going. It has always been Aphelia's gift, the reassure and bring the best out of others.
But even this time, as the few apprentices who remain by the bulletin board look on, you can't help but feel that not even Aphelia can dispel the unease amongst you who will one day march on the enemy. That for all your efforts, for all your preparations, for all your bravery, for all your righteousness against a foreign invader, nothing the confederacy can bring to bear will prevent the Tenereians from taking Halissen.
But you are neither at Halissen or the frontlines; you are still an apprentice, training to become a master of war. And that fact that you're still here instead of on the front is a little awkward when Elizabeth receives a letter during lunch, and her face actually betrays surprise when she reads its contents.
She doesn't automatically volunteer information, though, as she simply folds the letter and tucks it back into its envelop, returning to her meal. Concerned, you awkwardly ask, "I-Is something the matter?"
"Just a letter from my mother," Elizabeth quips in between bites of vegetables. "Diana has run off to join the army."
"Sh-She's
what!?" you exclaim, staring. Certainly, plenty of highborn daughters have joined the war effort at this point. And your impression of Elizabeth's younger sister has always been someone who feels a little inadequate - stuck between Elizabeth and Anya - and is trying to prove herself. Still, Diana Sofia Zabanya is even younger than
you are. The daughter of a viscountess is unlikely to be put in a frontline combat position, but this still feels excessively foolhardy to you.
But Elizabeth doesn't seem nearly as concerned. "I suppose I'll receive a second letter soon detailing where she ended up.
If Diana decides to write back." The elf smirks. "She may very well not, if only to prevent our mother from sending our soldiers to drag her back home."
You hesitate for a moment before asking, "Aren't you...w-worried?"
"I have no real reason to. She's privileged and not talented enough to actually be put in any
real danger. And whatever else, it'll be some time before we can deploy a second army to relieve our defenders at Elspar." Elizabeth snorts. "Maybe she'll run home crying before then because of a sprained finger or a chipped nail."
Already the apprentices at Faulkren Academy are beginning to tailor their own training regimen for the coming academic year. You, too, are required to choose your own path to become a fully-fledged Caldran mercenary. Although you have been taught the basics of all aspects of warfare, you
do need to start polishing a skillset that will make you truly valuable on the battlefield. And, if nothing else, you will also need to master at least one other weapon before your instructors see fit to allow you to graduate.
Weapons
[x] Greatsword
[x] Great Swordstaff
[x] Dual Greatswords
[x] Straight Sword
Derivatives: Dual Swords, Falchion, Gladius
[x] Katana
Derivatives: Katana and Wakizashi, Naginata, Odachi
[x] Spear
Derivatives: Glaive, Lance, Poleaxe
[x] Mace
Derivatives: Axe, Maul, Warhammer
[x] Dagger
Derivatives: Dual Daggers, Rapier, Throwing Knives
[x] Bow
Derivatives: Crossbow, Longbow, Shortbow
[x] Tome
Derivatives: Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind
[x] Staff
Derivatives: Enhancement, Enfeebling, Healing
Courses
[x] Alchemy and Botany
Staves may be the fastest and easiest way for healing wounds, but not everyone gets a nice staff and learns healing magecraft. In far-flung villages without dedicated healers, finding herbs and plants, and brewing them into potions, is still a time-honored tradition that also treats illnesses, something that healing magecraft can't touch.
[x] Beastiary
The world is filled with animals, beasts, and monsters, some gentle and majestic like the pazyryk and some ferocious and deadly like the wyvern. Learning to deal with these fauna is more than just surviving dangerous encounters with them, but also to handle them with care when the time calls for it.
[x] Espionage
There are many ways to win victory, not all of them through strength of arms. The art of deception and covert intelligence gathering, of managing spies and discerning information, has been practiced since time immemorial. These skills may not be traditionally considered honorable, but few would argue their uses.
[x] Etiquette
Etiquette is an important part of society across cultures and nations, but learning it isn't just about being able to pass yourself off as an aristocrat or impressing your hosts at a major social function. It's about being able to blend yourself into a social environment, or at least not being too conspicuous about it.
[x] History and Lore
Iuryis is a continent of wonder and mysteries, with fabled artifacts, hidden treasures, and forgotten kingdoms. What is legend and what is history is often indiscernible to the uninitiated. Having knowledge here may help you sift fact from fiction and, if nothing else, has the added benefit of making you look smart to your friends.
[x] Law and Politics
Attaining power often means tapping into the practices of leaders and the powers that be. The understanding of the systems of the powerful, of the politics within the echelons of power and the laws that keep them in check, is the key to understanding how civilization really works.
[x] Sabotage and Trapping
Not all warfare is about hitting people with sharp things, and sometimes battles are won before they even start, mostly by figuring out how to best destroy their supplies, how to bring down small buildings and fortifications, and how to best rig together traps to target soldiers and material alike.
[x] Scouting and Tracking
There's more to finding people and monsters than just looking really hard. Hunters, scouts, and trackers learn to find and discern telltale signs in the wilderness and urban environments alike, identify areas most likely to be of interest from afar, pick out details under chaotic situations, and find even the most elusive of targets.
[x] Stealth
You cannot fight what you cannot see. Whether you skulking through the shadows, crawling through mud and leaves, or simply disappearing into the crowd in plain sight, stealth offers you the ability to evade danger, getting into places where you really shouldn't be, or to stalk your enemies when they least expect it.
[x] Strategy and Logistics
While Caldran mercenaries are not expected to lead armies into combat, a sound understanding of strategy and logistics allows them to understand what grandiose plans enemy armies are up to, how they intend to execute such strategies with the materiel they have, and how to hit them hardest where they hurt most.
[x] Tactics and Command
At the base level, warfare is about being able to competently lead small bands of fighters to victory in the field. Learn not only how to concoct and execute sound plans to outmaneuver the enemy, but also how to competently command those under your responsibility to carry out your vision in the heat of combat.
[x] Trade and Commerce
Trade and commerce is the lifeblood of civilization, and being able to identify the linkages between production and finances opens up many avenues in terms of political maneuvering and asymmetrical warfare. If nothing else, you'll be able to find a way to make a quick tenner so as to not starve.
Other
[x] Advanced Unarmed Combat
[x] Buster Sword
Choose one from weapons, and four from courses and other. Votes will be counted by set. Provide primary and secondary preferences.
See Also:
Interlude 4: Responsibility and Privilege
I am doing my best to simplify something that is perhaps needlessly complicated, so let me try to explain what I'm trying to go for here.
On the Elsparian Road is a narrative-based quest, and I am making every reasonable effort to shy away from having complicated tabletop RPG systems that I do not feel would add significant value to this quest, and which may in fact be detrimental to the narrative. As such, the list of classes above does not translate directly to specific skills that one may find on a character sheet for a RPG. Rather, the classes chosen here is meant to represent a broad direction of the types of skills that you want Neianne to have. Or, more specifically, this vote isn't so much "choose your skills" as much as it is "choose your archetypes". This is, as usual, a narrative vote as opposed to a minmaxing vote. The broader story will be adjusted to match the skillset and/or archetype Neianne ends up with. She does not need to be a super special Mary Sue, nor do I intend to take her in that direction.
What you're aiming to do with this vote is to fill up Neianne's regular schedule for this academic year, aside from the more routine requirements that she must fulfill that we're presuming is happening off-screen. This includes courses at Faulkren, weapons training, and blocks of free time to spend with your friends on a more regular basis. You can select any option more than once, which will represent added time and effort - and therefore added mastery - in that specific area. As such, choosing buster sword here again - despite having spent last year learning how to use it - will elevate Neianne's skill with the weapon, and so on and so forth.
Two reminders: First, you will be asked to create another academic schedule in the beginning of the third year; and second, you are required to master at least one other weapon. Advanced unarmed combat does not count towards the two-weapon requirement. So you may plan accordingly if you wish.
Social time can also be picked as many times as you want within that six slot limit, although that perhaps begs the question of why you should pick it in the first place at the expense of picking up new skillsets. The answer, obviously, is because On the Elsparian Road is a character-driven quest, and that strengthening your relationships with different characters is going to be very important to the plot moving on. You will have interactions with your circle of friends - especially your squad - as Arc Two moves on regardless, but social time represents the social commitments you are going out of your way to make time and energy for. And if you absolutely must be a minmaxer, time spent with friends may help with certain personality traits or competencies.
Because I may have missed out on really important ideas, I am accepting suggestions for other potential courses or weapons if I feel like 1) they are sufficiently distinct from the options already provided, and 2) they fit with the tone and themes of this quest.
Please check Addendum
#1,
#2, and
#3.
If she was being insubordinate or subordinate purely on whim or something else, eh.
