Hmm… This time I'm going with:
[X] Lemuria
[X] Lemuria
[X] Sheliak
[X] Sheliak
[X]We cannot abandon our allies.
-[X] [Write-in]"If a victory can drive off those seeking our destruction, would not honoring an alliance serve to make our agreements hollow, our word untrustworthy? For that matter...If Cyrila offers us aid in our time of need, and we offer aid in theirs, would that not effectively be as good as having both our armies fighting both battles, rather then our army ending up having to do the work of two? That is why I will back this alliance."
-[X] [Write-in]"If a victory can drive off those seeking our destruction, would not honoring an alliance serve to make our agreements hollow, our word untrustworthy? For that matter...If Cyrila offers us aid in our time of need, and we offer aid in theirs, would that not effectively be as good as having both our armies fighting both battles, rather then our army ending up having to do the work of two? That is why I will back this alliance."
Hmm… Maybe start giving some information as part of the narrative. You can always update later an informational post with more details about those same topics, as a sort of "Codex".
Chapter 1.2
Lady Elicia Imrryr and Lady Selene Peake were far from friends. Your military advisor was a foreigner. Her ancestors had reigned in shadow haunted Qadath, a decadent kingdom known for its sorcerers and blood mages. There were many disturbing tales whispered about that cursed land, though you found those tales too fantastic to be true. After all, there were no such things as winged serpents, desire daemons, or philosopher's stones… were there?
Even if there was a kernel of truth hidden in those legends, the glory days of Qadath were in the past. That kingdom had been ravaged by civil war, slave rebellions, and natural disasters. Though some scholars hinted that there was something decidedly unnatural about the fall of Qadath. You did not care much for that mystery, however, for that cursed land was far too distant to be of concern.
Lady Imrryr traced her lineage back to a powerful aristocratic house in Qadath. "My great-grandfather ruled from a silver tower, attended by three thousand slave girls," she had told you once, nostalgic of a decadent past she had never experienced. But that was the life of most of the surviving High Bloods of Qadath. They looked back fondly upon the past glories of their ancestors, even though many of them had never even set foot on the western continent, much less risk a visit to the blighted skeleton of distant Qadath.
Even though her ancestors were from Qadath, Lady Imrryr spent most of her life on foreign battlefields. She served with mercenary companies in Sarnath and Avallon; before joining the King's Own as a commissioned officer. And in the past three years, she had proven herself to be a brilliant general, and was elected acting commander when Lord Marshal Marten passed away last winter.
However, not everyone was happy with her ascent. Many native Lyonessian nobles were displeased with the fact that a foreign-born mercenary was currently leading the King's Own.
Lady Selene Peake was perhaps the most powerful of those nobles. In many ways, she was the opposite of Lady Imrryr. A woman born and raised in Lyonesse, the heir of a powerful noble house that can trace its lineage back to the founding of the kingdom. Your own lady mother had been born a Peake, before she married your father and took his name when crowned queen.
Even though Selene was technically your cousin, you often found yourself at odds with her views. Her greatest allies were wealthy nobles and trading guilds, and she always put the economic interests of the nation first. She was also rather disdainful of foreigners, and suggested an isolationist policy when it came to foreign conflicts, even if it meant throwing a small foreign kingdom to the wolves. Lady Imrryr was hawkish when it came to military policy, so the divide between the two women was growing wider.
You gave a long sigh, as you went over their arguments. No matter what you decided, one of your advisors would be unhappy. No matter how much a ruler wants, he can never make all his subjects happy. If he chooses left, the people on the right are disappointed; if he chooses right, the people on the left are disappointed. If he tries to compromise and find a middle path… he risks disappointing everyone.
"Being a king is easy, but being a good king is the hardest thing you can ask of a man," you whispered to yourself. When you stopped to think about it, the Lion Throne of Lyonesse was a decidedly uncomfortable seat. Perhaps the first kings were wise and commissioned this rigid throne so future kings never grow too comfortable. Or it was just shoddy workmanship. The latter was considerably more likely.
"We cannot abandon our allies." You finally announced your decision, trying to sound wise and likely doing a piss poor job at it. "If a victory can drive off those seeking our destruction, would not honoring an alliance serve to make our agreements hollow, our word untrustworthy? For that matter… If Cyrila offers us aid in our time of need, and we offer aid in theirs, would that not effectively be as good as having both our armies fighting both battles, rather than our army ending up having to do the work of two? That is why I will back this alliance."
"Cyrila is a land of sheepherders, your majesty," Lady Peake grimaced. "They have neither the military strength, nor the wealth to offer us aid. We gain nothing from this alliance. But I understand that you have made up your mind… your majesty."
Lady Peake bowed formally, and then took her leave. She was an experienced politician and a highly capable diplomat. Yet here she was, taking orders from a younger man whose only achievements were having the right father and wearing a golden hat. If you had hoped to gain her respect, today was not the day for it.
Lady Imrryr was considerably more approving of your decision, however. She was the acting commander of the King's Own. A military victory under her command would strengthen her position in the army. She often acted indifferent, but you had no doubts that she was just as ambitious as Lady Peake, if not more so. She carried the dark dreams of her ancestors with her… the dreams of unknown Qadath.
"All five thousand of the King's Own are prepared to march, your majesty," Lady Elicia Imrryr said in a formal voice. "The Ascomanni are mostly foot soldiers. They should break before a cavalry charge, if the ground is on our side."
[] The Ascomanni are battle hardened warriors. Don't underestimate them.
[] I have heard that they are being led by a charismatic new leader. A young woman who excels in ambush.
[] I have heard whispers about northern sorcery. Do you have any safeguards against it?
[] I have heard that the northerners have giants, trolls, and ice demons fighting for them. Is there any truth to those tales?
[] Send an Expeditionary Force north. Enough troops to make a difference and gain some combat experience, but not so many that you will be left defenseless in your own Kingdom.
[] Send 3400-3600 of the King's Own to battle leave the rest to defend ourselves.
[] Custom Option [Write-in any military strategy you have, any question you want to ask, or anything else you want to tell her]
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- Location
- PA
[X] "If the ground is on our side? What can we do if it is not on our side? What if, instead, we assist by manning their fortification walls? As I understand it, we already hold numbers advantage on our lonesome. Unless our allies outright join the invaders, we should have enough might to defeat them, should we not?"
...I REALLY do not like the lack of info this kid has, and all his philosophizing about what it means to be King says to me that the boy don't know jack about anything either. So a general wonderment of a response to try and tease out some thoughts from this military advisor.
Later, if Peake has words to say, and opinions to muster, I will want to hear details.
...I REALLY do not like the lack of info this kid has, and all his philosophizing about what it means to be King says to me that the boy don't know jack about anything either. So a general wonderment of a response to try and tease out some thoughts from this military advisor.
Later, if Peake has words to say, and opinions to muster, I will want to hear details.
[X] "If the ground is on our side? What can we do if it is not on our side? What if, instead, we assist by manning their fortification walls? As I understand it, we already hold numbers advantage on our lonesome. Unless our allies outright join the invaders, we should have enough might to defeat them, should we not?"
Pretty much. The main character is a young king without any experience in politics or military matters. He'll either learn how to be a better ruler, or go down in history as an incompetent, undeserving king.
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We don't have to send everyone. We can even send just an expeditionary force, if we want. The larger the army, the more likely they are to win though.
The King's Own is a highly trained regiment that's completely under the crown's control. We can do whatever we want with them.
The more powerful nobles should have their own smaller military units, but they wouldn't be too happy to send their own troops to a foreign war.
There might also be mercenary companies for us to hire.
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[X] Send an Expeditionary Force north. Enough troops to make a difference and gain some combat experience, but not so many that you will be left defenseless in your own Kingdom.
I like this one.
I like this one.