Valkur
The True Valkyria, Valkur!
- Location
- Fólkvangr
1. Good to know thank you!
2. A hell of a General to take on Ouki? Hmm.
Does anyone have Renpa's number?
Uniting All Under Heaven (Kingdom AU CK2 Quest)
- Thread starter Japanime
- Start date
1. Good to know thank you!
2. A hell of a General to take on Ouki? Hmm.
Does anyone have Renpa's number?
- Location
- USA
No, but do you really want to take him on in his prime with him commanding a Zhao Army?
I will let you know that in the next update you guys will be voting on whether to continue the prologue, through which you will be experiencing Riboku's childhood and training, or voting to skip it and simply allocate votes to training options until he reaches the age where he can actually fight in a battle. Keep in mind that both options will give you the same amount of points which you use to train, but one will have more detail on what is done, and potentially more action, while the other will allow you to skip to the part where you can actually make a difference.
- Location
- USA
Vote Tally : Uniting All Under Heaven (Kingdom AU CK2 Quest) | Page 2 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] Courtier
No. of Votes: 20
Hannz
Alex pears
AZATHOTHoth
bryanfran36
Crowhunter
currymajs
DannyboyZero
edboy49
giodan
Knightking
maximorph
openbookworm
Random Member
Satar
StarkDemise
Taka
Usernames
Vanguard_D
Void Stalker
zup
[X] Martial Prowess
No. of Votes: 15
Crow
Alex pears
AZATHOTHoth
currymajs
edboy49
JamesShazbond
Knightking
openbookworm
Random Member
Skjadir
Taka
Usernames
Vanguard_D
Void Stalker
zup
[X] Tactical Insight
No. of Votes: 7
Hannz
bryanfran36
Crowhunter
DannyboyZero
giodan
maximorph
StarkDemise
[X] Merchant
No. of Votes: 3
Crow
JamesShazbond
Skjadir
[x] Martial Prowess: In spite of his upbringing as a traditional staid noble, your father discovered later in life that he was prodigious when it came to warfare. So, no matter if he did not spend as much time studying tactics as other commanders, or trained as much in a particular weapon, he still was able to dominate the battlefield through his sheer genius alone. However, while that genius of his may help him against ordinary opponents, when it comes to opponents more experienced than him, he struggles. (Inherit trait, "Genius": +2 to all stats, +10 to all learning/training rolls. Inherit trait, "Martial Prodigy": +2 martial, +10 to personal combat rolls, +10 to martial training rolls)
No. of Votes: 1
Satar
Total No. of Voters: 23
Here is the vote, such as it is. I will give you guys couple more hours, until I come back, to vote.
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] Courtier
No. of Votes: 20
Hannz
Alex pears
AZATHOTHoth
bryanfran36
Crowhunter
currymajs
DannyboyZero
edboy49
giodan
Knightking
maximorph
openbookworm
Random Member
Satar
StarkDemise
Taka
Usernames
Vanguard_D
Void Stalker
zup
[X] Martial Prowess
No. of Votes: 15
Crow
Alex pears
AZATHOTHoth
currymajs
edboy49
JamesShazbond
Knightking
openbookworm
Random Member
Skjadir
Taka
Usernames
Vanguard_D
Void Stalker
zup
[X] Tactical Insight
No. of Votes: 7
Hannz
bryanfran36
Crowhunter
DannyboyZero
giodan
maximorph
StarkDemise
[X] Merchant
No. of Votes: 3
Crow
JamesShazbond
Skjadir
[x] Martial Prowess: In spite of his upbringing as a traditional staid noble, your father discovered later in life that he was prodigious when it came to warfare. So, no matter if he did not spend as much time studying tactics as other commanders, or trained as much in a particular weapon, he still was able to dominate the battlefield through his sheer genius alone. However, while that genius of his may help him against ordinary opponents, when it comes to opponents more experienced than him, he struggles. (Inherit trait, "Genius": +2 to all stats, +10 to all learning/training rolls. Inherit trait, "Martial Prodigy": +2 martial, +10 to personal combat rolls, +10 to martial training rolls)
No. of Votes: 1
Satar
Total No. of Voters: 23
Here is the vote, such as it is. I will give you guys couple more hours, until I come back, to vote.
- Location
- Brazil
[X] Martial Prowess
[X] Courtier
[X] Courtier
williams1996
Alba gu bràth
- Location
- Scotland
[X] Martial Prowess
[X] Courtier
[X] Courtier
#2 Battle of Shunran Plains
- Location
- USA
[X] Martial Prowess
[X] Courtier
Even on top of this fort, from a mile away, you can feel the tension in the air. Your father had told you that this sort of thing was normal before a battle. It appears that even the camp followers, noticed that the time was near for the battle to being, as they were all on their knees praying.
As the Qin army came closer and closer to Ei, the telltale signs of a conflict became more and more pronounced. With homesteads looted, and grisly remains of entire villages put to the sword, your father decided to make due with all haste for surely the rebels and the Chu army were not too far away.
(Qin Army Roll: 69+26/2=82)
After a series of small skirmishes between the Qin and Chu army's vanguard units, your father had ascertained the location of the Chu Army. With that in mind, he managed to launch a number of raids on the vulnerable Chu supply train. With their army in danger of being cut off logistically, the Chu General had decided to engage the entire Qin army on the field, for he knew sending out units to hunt down the raiders would end in his forces being destroyed piecemeal.
Having successfully caused the Chu army to leave the city of Ei, your father then drew them to a location of his own choosing. Hopefully, his choice of terrain will ensure his victory, for it appears he will need it if the size of that Chu army is anything to go off of.
The Chu and their rebel allies from the city of Ei had apparently gathered in force, for their army appeared to outnumber those of your fathers by a good margin. As you peer down at the forces arrayed on the field, you try to estimate the number of troops held by each side. However, all you can really discern is that the Qin army's force in the center appears to be thinner than the opposing Chu formation. Thankfully, your current bodyguard, and one of your father's retainers, Sou Ma, was able to give you the details.
According to Souma, whose family has been in service to yours for generations, the opposing Chu army seems to number around forty thousand men compared to the Qin's thirty thousand. Of those forty thousand Chu soldiers, approximately ten thousand are militia, with twenty thousand infantry, seventy-five hundred archers, and twenty-five hundred cavalry. Your father's army on the other hand had only twenty thousand infantry, six thousand archers, and four thousand cavalry in comparison.
In order to offset the problem posed by the number of Chu soldiers, your father has decided to thin the ranks of his center formation while leaving his left and right flanks with the standard number of ranks. Seeing this, the Chu General has responded by massing his militia troops on both of his flanks, with his infantry supporting them from behind.
All you can see at the moment though, is the mass of humanity arrayed before you. Qin and Chu flags flutter in the breeze, while the clamor of men and horse can be heard even from this far away.
(Chu Army Roll: 65+20/2=75)
It is at that moment though, that you notice a change in the Chu army. After a period of seeming to mill about, the Chu lines have suddenly stilled, as a lone horseman emerges in front of the army. As you begin to ponder about who that could possibly be, you notice the horseman galloping down the Chu lines, and as he does so a growing crescendo of sound seems to be coming from them.
"So, it is him." Souma says, his gruff voice having broken your concentration. As you turn to give him an inquisitive look, he continues as if having anticipated your response. "This Chu General is no ordinary commander. While most Chu commanders are relatively unknown to us due to the size and scope of the Chu military, this man is someone who has proven to be a hindrance to Qin's efforts to expand southwards into Chu lands. His name is Raizen, and while he may not be the most intelligent general, his overflowing charisma and ferocious strength have crushed his many opponents in the past."
By now, what was once a loud shout has now turned into a deafening roar that even you can hear from this far away. As General Raizen gallops further down the line, his features seem to come to clarity to you, and he appears mighty indeed. The General himself appears to dwarf his own troops, and that towering battle-axe of his seems to reinforce the image you have of him being a brutal warrior. As you watch that brute continue to thunder down the line, you can feel your heart pounding in your ears, as you start to fear for your father's life against this monster.
A commanding voice breaks you out of your own thoughts through an uttered, "Young Master."
With your attention on him, and not on the potential death of your father, your heart begins to calm down as you listen to what he has to say. With his hand now resting on your shoulder, he looks you in the eyes and says, "Trust in your father Young Master, for he has led us through worse situations than this, and I am sure he will do so again today."
Souma's reassuring words in mind, you turn your attention back to the battlefield.
After the cheers from the Chu army die down, you see a figure you would recognize anywhere start to trot out in front of the Qin army, your father. In ornamented, iron lamellar armor your father cuts a striking figure compared to the rest of the Qin army, especially with his glaive in hand. Through his gesticulating and the ever-increasing sound emanating from the Qin army, you can guess that he is giving a speech to his men.
(Qin Army Rolls: 58+26/2=71)
And as your ear drums can attest, they seem to at least match the cacophony caused earlier by the Chu army. With morale seeming to be about even for both sides, it seems the only advantage today lay in the Chu numbers.
It is then that you see flags being raised by both armies. And with that both armies start to advance towards each other.
However, after a short period of time the Qin army stops its forward advance. Considering how much the Chu seem to outnumber the Qin, it is not surprising that your father has decided to go on the defense against them
That doesn't seem to bother General Raizen much, as his troops continue their steady advance in order to close with the Qin army. At first they simply marched towards the Qin lines. Suddenly, however, the Chu army bursts into a charge that seems to eat up ground surprisingly quickly.
(Qin Left Volley: 73+10 (no armor) =83)
(Qin Center Volley: 35-10 (armor) =25)
(Qin Right Volley: 79+10 (no armor) = 89)
Then a volley of arrow seems to fly from the Qin archers. On the flanks the archer volley seems to have decimated the ranks of the militia troops, with many being turned into pincushions due in no small part to their lack of armor. In the center, however, the Qin arrows seem to find no purchase on the trained Chu infantry, whether it be due to their armor or the volley seeming have largely missed the fast-moving troops.
With the forward troops moving too fast for another volley to be fired, all the troops in your father's army could do was brace for impact.
(Qin Left Army: 65) vs (Chu Right Army: 49)
(Qin Center Army: 73-10 (thin ranks) =63) vs (Chu Center Army: 78)
(Qin Right Army: 42) vs (Chu Left Army: 35)
Carnage, that is all that you can see before you.
It is utter chaos as the two forces collide with each other. On the Qin left flank the Chu charge seems to have been heavily blunted with the Chu militia troops having skewered themselves on the wall of spears that faced them. On the Qin right flank, a similar story is being told as the Chu militia seem to have been cut down by the dagger-axes that rose to meet them, with their brain matter and skull shards littering the battlefield.
In the center, however, the Qin forces are struggling under the weight of the Chu onslaught as these troops are not the inexperienced fools fighting your men on the flanks, but instead crack troops who have had a taste of battle. With the advantage in numbers beginning to tell in the center, the Qin center line seems to be bending.
With the infantry being engaged in a melee, the archers from both armies try to contribute to the battle.
(Qin Archer Volley: 59) vs (Chu Archer Volley: 35+10 (numbers) =45)
To middling effect, it seems. While the Qin archers manage to let off a volley, some of the shots seem to have soared past their intended targets, with only some having managed to bring down men. The Chu archers on the other hand, seem to have fumbled their shots as most actually seem to have fallen short or even into the backs of their own men.
You can see it, even from a mile away, the blood red mist that seems to be hovering over the melee. The screams of the men fighting and dying are something you begin to notice as the cacophony of the battlefield seems to echo across the land. Even the tangy scent of blood and the putrid stench of shit begins to waft over to you.
As you watch all of this, you ask yourself why is this necessary? Why do men who must have children and families of their own, like father, fight and die? Do they not want to live, or is there more?
A sharp squeeze of your shoulder brings you out of your dark thoughts. As if seeming to notice your dark mood, Souma asks you, "What troubles you, Young Master?"
Collecting yourself, you ask what is on your mind. "Why is this happening?"
With only a raised eyebrow to show for your question, Souma replies, "Well, as your father told you, King Sho bade him to reclai-"
But, before he could finish his sentence, you interrupt saying, "No, that is not what I meant!"
"Then what do you mean Young Master?" Souma replies, with a curious expression.
"I mean, why do men kill each other like this?" You immediately respond.
He pauses for a second to think of the best way to answer you. After a moments more of thought, he tells you, "Because that is the way things have always been."
"But why?" You ask plaintively again.
With a furtive expression, he answers, "I do not know, men have always killed in the name of their King and State."
Not seeming satisfied with his answer, you continue to probe him and ask him, "What would it take to end all of this killing?"
Looking taken aback by your question, Souma looks around as if trying to divine the answer to your question. After seeming to have found an answer he replies to you, "I do not know the answer to that, but it is rumored that King Sho does, are you willing to accept a rumor for an answer?"
Without hesitating you immediately reply, "Yes!"
"Very well then, rumors have been circulating around the Qin court that all of these wars of expansion are ultimately in order to unify all of China." He succinctly tells you.
With a thoughtful expression, you say, "The unification of all China…how would that fix all of this?"
"Well Young Master, the most learned scholars speak of a time of legend before this age of constant strife where the Son of Heaven ruled all of the land in harmony, and where brother would never have to fight brother." He says, voice reverent.
With your curiosity mostly sated, you ask him for the final time, "Do you really believe that will work?"
With a patient expression, he says to you, "Who knows? We will only find out once someone has done it."
Your question sufficiently answered, you turn your attention back to the battle at hand. And, from what you can see It appears that…
(Qin Left Army: 55) vs (Chu Right Army: 43)
(Qin Center Army: 68-10 (thin ranks) =58) vs (Chu Center Army: 85)
(Qin Right Army: 78) vs (Chu Left Army: 71)
The melee remains as it was before, with Qin advantages on the flanks but with a Chu advantage in the center. However, while the flanks appear to be relatively even, you can see that the Qin center line is being forced further back, almost to the breaking point, by the Chu.
(Qin Hold the Line! 67+26/2= 80)
But, in spite of all the force being brought against them the Qin line seems to hold together. It appears that the veteran glaive armed troops have managed to plug up all of the holes and are cutting the Chu troops to fleshy ribbons.
With a start, you begin to notice a trail of dust being kicked up in the Chu center, with the thundering of hooves seeming to reach your ears a moment later. That can only mean one thing to you, cavalry, and it appears that General Raizen is leading the breakout attempt personally. With around a thousand horseman following in his wake you can only hope that the Qin line holds or your father reacts in time to this, for if a break is achieved in the center then the battle is lost for the Chu will exploit their numbers and pour through to assault the vulnerable flanks and archers.
(Chu Cavalry Charge: 80+20/10=90)
As the charge impacts your father's men, the damage is tremendous. With each swing of his axe, General Raizen seems to fell more and more soldiers, the heads sent flying along with the torsos cloven in half seeming to be the mark of his passage, while his own cavalry simply plow through your disoriented infantry. If nothing is done to stop him here, then the battle appears all but lost.
(Duke Ten's Gambit: 92+26/2=105) Crit!!!
(Qin Cavalry Left: 75+10 (crit)=85) vs (Chu Cavalry Right: 79-10 (outnumbered)-10 (enemy crit) =59)
(Qin Cavalry Right: 83+10 (crit)=93) vs (Chu Cavalry Left: 85-10 (outnumbered)-10 (enemy crit) =65)
Just as the battle seems to be turning irrevocably in General Raizen's favor, a loud series of gongs can be heard resonating across the battlefield.
As you watch from above you can see the field swiftly changing as it appears the Qin cavalry have recognized the signal conveyed by the gongs and have begun to move. Your father, with his own bodyguard of a thousand cavalry, can be seen quickly charging towards an area where a breakthrough is likely.
The Qin cavalry on the other hand, charged and met their targets with brutal results. As horses and men fly about as they collide head on into each other, you can see that the Qin cavalry are getting the better of those from Chu as with each strike of their spear or slash of their glaive another Chu cavalry soldier is slain. Some have been decapitated by Qin blades, others have been filled with holes due to Qin spears.
(Chu Cavalry Right morale: 49-10 (outnumbered)-10 (great casualties) = 29)
(Chu Cavalry Left morale: 33-10 (outnumbered)-10 (great casualties) = 13)
Taking massive casualties and being outnumbered by more than double their number, the Chu cavalry forces have begun to rout. While the Chu cavalry on the right seem to be fleeing with some semblance of order, the Chu cavalry on the left however are fleeing for their lives due to their commander having fallen to the sword of the opposing Qin commander.
As for your father, however, he and his bodyguard seem to have met General Raizen and are currently locked in combat with them, with your father engaged in a duel with General Raizen himself.
In the center of their little dueling circle, each of them seems to simply stare at the other for the moment. However, as if on some unseen cue, both charge towards each other blade raised ready to strike.
(Duke Ten: 54+20=74) vs (General Raizen: 58+30=88)
It is your father however that is blown away, horse and all, by General Raizen's axe blow. But, he recovers soon enough to try another charge.
(Duke Ten: 67+20=87) vs (General Raizen: 49+30=79)
Which is good for him that he does, for he manages to parry an overhead slash from General Raizen's axe as his glaive manages to cut a shallow furrow in General Raizen's chest piece. With first blood having gone to Duke Ten, General Raizen circles around to go for another pass.
(Duke Ten: 74+20=94) vs (General Raizen: 68+30=98)
This time however, both men clash, with neither apparently able to gain the advantage over the other as they exchange masterful strokes with their blades. Each parry carefully angled to avoid injury, each riposte designed to be the last. Their bodyguards watch the duel with anxious eyes, for they know that this could signal the end of the battle. But at the same time they are powerless to interfere for a commander having to be saved from a duel by his own men would be the ultimate disgrace. The duel seems to teeter back and forth, blows continuing to be exchanged, until finally at last…
(Qin Cavalry Charge: 86)
(Duke Ten: 92+20=102) vs (General Raizen: 34+30=66)
The Qin cavalry have arrived! Having swept the Chu cavalry from the field, the remaining Qin cavalry charge in to deliver the finishing blow to the Chu army. Unbeknownst to the Chu Army they had slowly, but surely, allowed themselves to be enveloped by the Qin army. With the bending, but never breaking, Qin center army continuously falling back, combined with the overwhelming power of the Qin flanks, the result seemed almost inevitable.
To the Chu soldiers trapped in the middle of this formation, it was a death trap. With Qin soldiers left, right, and center there was no escaping the blades of the vicious Qin as they cut down Chu soldier after Chu soldier. The continuous bombardment of arrows from their flanks didn't help either, as the tightly packed confines of this tightening formation made it so that a hit was almost guaranteed. But, what turned this from a battle into a massacre was the return of the Qin cavalry. Their ferocious charge crushed the last fighting spirit of the Chu army, for now the box was closed and the only way out would be through either escaping the Qin soldiers or the cold embrace of death.
With the sudden thundering of hooves becoming clearer to him by the second, General Raizen knew he was outplayed and his army lost. However, before he perished, he decided he would take his opponent with him. Unfortunately for General Raizen, his momentary lapse of attention was all Duke Ten needed to finish this duel. With a quick thrust of his glaive, Duke Ten buried it in General Raizen's torso.
As your father would tell you later, the last words General Raizen would speak to him were, "Well fought."
While General Raizen's bodyguard would fight to the last man, the rest of the army, upon having learned of General Raizen's death, simply gave up their will to live and died to the last man to Qin blades. While some of General Raizen's army had ended up escaping, there was no doubt that this battle was a crushing victory for Qin.
For many, this would simply be one of the many battles that would occur this year. It was not the largest battle, nor the most well-fought. However for you, you would always remember this battle as your very first.
==========
Battle of Shunran Plains
Qin Casualties:
7,000 infantry
2,000 archers
1,200 cavalry
Chu Casualties:
6,000 milita
14,000 infantry
4,500 archers
2,000 cavalry
General Raizen
Results: Crushing Qin victory. Subjugation of the rebellious city of Ei, with the root and branch extermination of the families of the rebels within Qin territory.
==========
Story Progression Vote: Essentially I am asking all of you whether or not you would prefer to skip forward to when Riboku is of the age to actually participate and fight in a battle, which actually does vary due to the standards about child soldiers of the time, or would you prefer to continue with an extended prologue where you will be able to see more of Riboku's childhood. Both options will have the same amount of points that can be allocated for learning/training/socializing.
[] Skip forward to Riboku's soldier years.
[] Continue with an extended prologue.
AN: Yeah, that took forever. The stat sheets for Riboku and his family have been posted on the front page.
Just in case you were wondering, this is what a battle looks like from the perspective of a General. You probably will not be able to execute or plan battles on such a large scale until later on into the quest. I understand that most of this looks pretty simple at the moment, but those were only the rolls you did see. Later on things will get much more complicated as I allow you to build up your unit and sometimes make your own battle plans.
Anyhow, I'm tired after having written all of this, so I will probably be available for a short while after I post this. I am willing to answer any questions you may have, though mechanics questions I may defer as I am still deciding how to do some of that.
As for the vote, I will give it around 24 hours give or take before I close it.
[X] Courtier
Even on top of this fort, from a mile away, you can feel the tension in the air. Your father had told you that this sort of thing was normal before a battle. It appears that even the camp followers, noticed that the time was near for the battle to being, as they were all on their knees praying.
As the Qin army came closer and closer to Ei, the telltale signs of a conflict became more and more pronounced. With homesteads looted, and grisly remains of entire villages put to the sword, your father decided to make due with all haste for surely the rebels and the Chu army were not too far away.
(Qin Army Roll: 69+26/2=82)
After a series of small skirmishes between the Qin and Chu army's vanguard units, your father had ascertained the location of the Chu Army. With that in mind, he managed to launch a number of raids on the vulnerable Chu supply train. With their army in danger of being cut off logistically, the Chu General had decided to engage the entire Qin army on the field, for he knew sending out units to hunt down the raiders would end in his forces being destroyed piecemeal.
Having successfully caused the Chu army to leave the city of Ei, your father then drew them to a location of his own choosing. Hopefully, his choice of terrain will ensure his victory, for it appears he will need it if the size of that Chu army is anything to go off of.
The Chu and their rebel allies from the city of Ei had apparently gathered in force, for their army appeared to outnumber those of your fathers by a good margin. As you peer down at the forces arrayed on the field, you try to estimate the number of troops held by each side. However, all you can really discern is that the Qin army's force in the center appears to be thinner than the opposing Chu formation. Thankfully, your current bodyguard, and one of your father's retainers, Sou Ma, was able to give you the details.
According to Souma, whose family has been in service to yours for generations, the opposing Chu army seems to number around forty thousand men compared to the Qin's thirty thousand. Of those forty thousand Chu soldiers, approximately ten thousand are militia, with twenty thousand infantry, seventy-five hundred archers, and twenty-five hundred cavalry. Your father's army on the other hand had only twenty thousand infantry, six thousand archers, and four thousand cavalry in comparison.
In order to offset the problem posed by the number of Chu soldiers, your father has decided to thin the ranks of his center formation while leaving his left and right flanks with the standard number of ranks. Seeing this, the Chu General has responded by massing his militia troops on both of his flanks, with his infantry supporting them from behind.
All you can see at the moment though, is the mass of humanity arrayed before you. Qin and Chu flags flutter in the breeze, while the clamor of men and horse can be heard even from this far away.
(Chu Army Roll: 65+20/2=75)
It is at that moment though, that you notice a change in the Chu army. After a period of seeming to mill about, the Chu lines have suddenly stilled, as a lone horseman emerges in front of the army. As you begin to ponder about who that could possibly be, you notice the horseman galloping down the Chu lines, and as he does so a growing crescendo of sound seems to be coming from them.
"So, it is him." Souma says, his gruff voice having broken your concentration. As you turn to give him an inquisitive look, he continues as if having anticipated your response. "This Chu General is no ordinary commander. While most Chu commanders are relatively unknown to us due to the size and scope of the Chu military, this man is someone who has proven to be a hindrance to Qin's efforts to expand southwards into Chu lands. His name is Raizen, and while he may not be the most intelligent general, his overflowing charisma and ferocious strength have crushed his many opponents in the past."
By now, what was once a loud shout has now turned into a deafening roar that even you can hear from this far away. As General Raizen gallops further down the line, his features seem to come to clarity to you, and he appears mighty indeed. The General himself appears to dwarf his own troops, and that towering battle-axe of his seems to reinforce the image you have of him being a brutal warrior. As you watch that brute continue to thunder down the line, you can feel your heart pounding in your ears, as you start to fear for your father's life against this monster.
A commanding voice breaks you out of your own thoughts through an uttered, "Young Master."
With your attention on him, and not on the potential death of your father, your heart begins to calm down as you listen to what he has to say. With his hand now resting on your shoulder, he looks you in the eyes and says, "Trust in your father Young Master, for he has led us through worse situations than this, and I am sure he will do so again today."
Souma's reassuring words in mind, you turn your attention back to the battlefield.
After the cheers from the Chu army die down, you see a figure you would recognize anywhere start to trot out in front of the Qin army, your father. In ornamented, iron lamellar armor your father cuts a striking figure compared to the rest of the Qin army, especially with his glaive in hand. Through his gesticulating and the ever-increasing sound emanating from the Qin army, you can guess that he is giving a speech to his men.
(Qin Army Rolls: 58+26/2=71)
And as your ear drums can attest, they seem to at least match the cacophony caused earlier by the Chu army. With morale seeming to be about even for both sides, it seems the only advantage today lay in the Chu numbers.
It is then that you see flags being raised by both armies. And with that both armies start to advance towards each other.
However, after a short period of time the Qin army stops its forward advance. Considering how much the Chu seem to outnumber the Qin, it is not surprising that your father has decided to go on the defense against them
That doesn't seem to bother General Raizen much, as his troops continue their steady advance in order to close with the Qin army. At first they simply marched towards the Qin lines. Suddenly, however, the Chu army bursts into a charge that seems to eat up ground surprisingly quickly.
(Qin Left Volley: 73+10 (no armor) =83)
(Qin Center Volley: 35-10 (armor) =25)
(Qin Right Volley: 79+10 (no armor) = 89)
Then a volley of arrow seems to fly from the Qin archers. On the flanks the archer volley seems to have decimated the ranks of the militia troops, with many being turned into pincushions due in no small part to their lack of armor. In the center, however, the Qin arrows seem to find no purchase on the trained Chu infantry, whether it be due to their armor or the volley seeming have largely missed the fast-moving troops.
With the forward troops moving too fast for another volley to be fired, all the troops in your father's army could do was brace for impact.
(Qin Left Army: 65) vs (Chu Right Army: 49)
(Qin Center Army: 73-10 (thin ranks) =63) vs (Chu Center Army: 78)
(Qin Right Army: 42) vs (Chu Left Army: 35)
Carnage, that is all that you can see before you.
It is utter chaos as the two forces collide with each other. On the Qin left flank the Chu charge seems to have been heavily blunted with the Chu militia troops having skewered themselves on the wall of spears that faced them. On the Qin right flank, a similar story is being told as the Chu militia seem to have been cut down by the dagger-axes that rose to meet them, with their brain matter and skull shards littering the battlefield.
In the center, however, the Qin forces are struggling under the weight of the Chu onslaught as these troops are not the inexperienced fools fighting your men on the flanks, but instead crack troops who have had a taste of battle. With the advantage in numbers beginning to tell in the center, the Qin center line seems to be bending.
With the infantry being engaged in a melee, the archers from both armies try to contribute to the battle.
(Qin Archer Volley: 59) vs (Chu Archer Volley: 35+10 (numbers) =45)
To middling effect, it seems. While the Qin archers manage to let off a volley, some of the shots seem to have soared past their intended targets, with only some having managed to bring down men. The Chu archers on the other hand, seem to have fumbled their shots as most actually seem to have fallen short or even into the backs of their own men.
You can see it, even from a mile away, the blood red mist that seems to be hovering over the melee. The screams of the men fighting and dying are something you begin to notice as the cacophony of the battlefield seems to echo across the land. Even the tangy scent of blood and the putrid stench of shit begins to waft over to you.
As you watch all of this, you ask yourself why is this necessary? Why do men who must have children and families of their own, like father, fight and die? Do they not want to live, or is there more?
A sharp squeeze of your shoulder brings you out of your dark thoughts. As if seeming to notice your dark mood, Souma asks you, "What troubles you, Young Master?"
Collecting yourself, you ask what is on your mind. "Why is this happening?"
With only a raised eyebrow to show for your question, Souma replies, "Well, as your father told you, King Sho bade him to reclai-"
But, before he could finish his sentence, you interrupt saying, "No, that is not what I meant!"
"Then what do you mean Young Master?" Souma replies, with a curious expression.
"I mean, why do men kill each other like this?" You immediately respond.
He pauses for a second to think of the best way to answer you. After a moments more of thought, he tells you, "Because that is the way things have always been."
"But why?" You ask plaintively again.
With a furtive expression, he answers, "I do not know, men have always killed in the name of their King and State."
Not seeming satisfied with his answer, you continue to probe him and ask him, "What would it take to end all of this killing?"
Looking taken aback by your question, Souma looks around as if trying to divine the answer to your question. After seeming to have found an answer he replies to you, "I do not know the answer to that, but it is rumored that King Sho does, are you willing to accept a rumor for an answer?"
Without hesitating you immediately reply, "Yes!"
"Very well then, rumors have been circulating around the Qin court that all of these wars of expansion are ultimately in order to unify all of China." He succinctly tells you.
With a thoughtful expression, you say, "The unification of all China…how would that fix all of this?"
"Well Young Master, the most learned scholars speak of a time of legend before this age of constant strife where the Son of Heaven ruled all of the land in harmony, and where brother would never have to fight brother." He says, voice reverent.
With your curiosity mostly sated, you ask him for the final time, "Do you really believe that will work?"
With a patient expression, he says to you, "Who knows? We will only find out once someone has done it."
Your question sufficiently answered, you turn your attention back to the battle at hand. And, from what you can see It appears that…
(Qin Left Army: 55) vs (Chu Right Army: 43)
(Qin Center Army: 68-10 (thin ranks) =58) vs (Chu Center Army: 85)
(Qin Right Army: 78) vs (Chu Left Army: 71)
The melee remains as it was before, with Qin advantages on the flanks but with a Chu advantage in the center. However, while the flanks appear to be relatively even, you can see that the Qin center line is being forced further back, almost to the breaking point, by the Chu.
(Qin Hold the Line! 67+26/2= 80)
But, in spite of all the force being brought against them the Qin line seems to hold together. It appears that the veteran glaive armed troops have managed to plug up all of the holes and are cutting the Chu troops to fleshy ribbons.
With a start, you begin to notice a trail of dust being kicked up in the Chu center, with the thundering of hooves seeming to reach your ears a moment later. That can only mean one thing to you, cavalry, and it appears that General Raizen is leading the breakout attempt personally. With around a thousand horseman following in his wake you can only hope that the Qin line holds or your father reacts in time to this, for if a break is achieved in the center then the battle is lost for the Chu will exploit their numbers and pour through to assault the vulnerable flanks and archers.
(Chu Cavalry Charge: 80+20/10=90)
As the charge impacts your father's men, the damage is tremendous. With each swing of his axe, General Raizen seems to fell more and more soldiers, the heads sent flying along with the torsos cloven in half seeming to be the mark of his passage, while his own cavalry simply plow through your disoriented infantry. If nothing is done to stop him here, then the battle appears all but lost.
(Duke Ten's Gambit: 92+26/2=105) Crit!!!
(Qin Cavalry Left: 75+10 (crit)=85) vs (Chu Cavalry Right: 79-10 (outnumbered)-10 (enemy crit) =59)
(Qin Cavalry Right: 83+10 (crit)=93) vs (Chu Cavalry Left: 85-10 (outnumbered)-10 (enemy crit) =65)
Just as the battle seems to be turning irrevocably in General Raizen's favor, a loud series of gongs can be heard resonating across the battlefield.
As you watch from above you can see the field swiftly changing as it appears the Qin cavalry have recognized the signal conveyed by the gongs and have begun to move. Your father, with his own bodyguard of a thousand cavalry, can be seen quickly charging towards an area where a breakthrough is likely.
The Qin cavalry on the other hand, charged and met their targets with brutal results. As horses and men fly about as they collide head on into each other, you can see that the Qin cavalry are getting the better of those from Chu as with each strike of their spear or slash of their glaive another Chu cavalry soldier is slain. Some have been decapitated by Qin blades, others have been filled with holes due to Qin spears.
(Chu Cavalry Right morale: 49-10 (outnumbered)-10 (great casualties) = 29)
(Chu Cavalry Left morale: 33-10 (outnumbered)-10 (great casualties) = 13)
Taking massive casualties and being outnumbered by more than double their number, the Chu cavalry forces have begun to rout. While the Chu cavalry on the right seem to be fleeing with some semblance of order, the Chu cavalry on the left however are fleeing for their lives due to their commander having fallen to the sword of the opposing Qin commander.
As for your father, however, he and his bodyguard seem to have met General Raizen and are currently locked in combat with them, with your father engaged in a duel with General Raizen himself.
In the center of their little dueling circle, each of them seems to simply stare at the other for the moment. However, as if on some unseen cue, both charge towards each other blade raised ready to strike.
(Duke Ten: 54+20=74) vs (General Raizen: 58+30=88)
It is your father however that is blown away, horse and all, by General Raizen's axe blow. But, he recovers soon enough to try another charge.
(Duke Ten: 67+20=87) vs (General Raizen: 49+30=79)
Which is good for him that he does, for he manages to parry an overhead slash from General Raizen's axe as his glaive manages to cut a shallow furrow in General Raizen's chest piece. With first blood having gone to Duke Ten, General Raizen circles around to go for another pass.
(Duke Ten: 74+20=94) vs (General Raizen: 68+30=98)
This time however, both men clash, with neither apparently able to gain the advantage over the other as they exchange masterful strokes with their blades. Each parry carefully angled to avoid injury, each riposte designed to be the last. Their bodyguards watch the duel with anxious eyes, for they know that this could signal the end of the battle. But at the same time they are powerless to interfere for a commander having to be saved from a duel by his own men would be the ultimate disgrace. The duel seems to teeter back and forth, blows continuing to be exchanged, until finally at last…
(Qin Cavalry Charge: 86)
(Duke Ten: 92+20=102) vs (General Raizen: 34+30=66)
The Qin cavalry have arrived! Having swept the Chu cavalry from the field, the remaining Qin cavalry charge in to deliver the finishing blow to the Chu army. Unbeknownst to the Chu Army they had slowly, but surely, allowed themselves to be enveloped by the Qin army. With the bending, but never breaking, Qin center army continuously falling back, combined with the overwhelming power of the Qin flanks, the result seemed almost inevitable.
To the Chu soldiers trapped in the middle of this formation, it was a death trap. With Qin soldiers left, right, and center there was no escaping the blades of the vicious Qin as they cut down Chu soldier after Chu soldier. The continuous bombardment of arrows from their flanks didn't help either, as the tightly packed confines of this tightening formation made it so that a hit was almost guaranteed. But, what turned this from a battle into a massacre was the return of the Qin cavalry. Their ferocious charge crushed the last fighting spirit of the Chu army, for now the box was closed and the only way out would be through either escaping the Qin soldiers or the cold embrace of death.
With the sudden thundering of hooves becoming clearer to him by the second, General Raizen knew he was outplayed and his army lost. However, before he perished, he decided he would take his opponent with him. Unfortunately for General Raizen, his momentary lapse of attention was all Duke Ten needed to finish this duel. With a quick thrust of his glaive, Duke Ten buried it in General Raizen's torso.
As your father would tell you later, the last words General Raizen would speak to him were, "Well fought."
While General Raizen's bodyguard would fight to the last man, the rest of the army, upon having learned of General Raizen's death, simply gave up their will to live and died to the last man to Qin blades. While some of General Raizen's army had ended up escaping, there was no doubt that this battle was a crushing victory for Qin.
For many, this would simply be one of the many battles that would occur this year. It was not the largest battle, nor the most well-fought. However for you, you would always remember this battle as your very first.
==========
Battle of Shunran Plains
Qin Casualties:
7,000 infantry
2,000 archers
1,200 cavalry
Chu Casualties:
6,000 milita
14,000 infantry
4,500 archers
2,000 cavalry
General Raizen
Results: Crushing Qin victory. Subjugation of the rebellious city of Ei, with the root and branch extermination of the families of the rebels within Qin territory.
==========
Story Progression Vote: Essentially I am asking all of you whether or not you would prefer to skip forward to when Riboku is of the age to actually participate and fight in a battle, which actually does vary due to the standards about child soldiers of the time, or would you prefer to continue with an extended prologue where you will be able to see more of Riboku's childhood. Both options will have the same amount of points that can be allocated for learning/training/socializing.
[] Skip forward to Riboku's soldier years.
[] Continue with an extended prologue.
AN: Yeah, that took forever. The stat sheets for Riboku and his family have been posted on the front page.
Just in case you were wondering, this is what a battle looks like from the perspective of a General. You probably will not be able to execute or plan battles on such a large scale until later on into the quest. I understand that most of this looks pretty simple at the moment, but those were only the rolls you did see. Later on things will get much more complicated as I allow you to build up your unit and sometimes make your own battle plans.
Anyhow, I'm tired after having written all of this, so I will probably be available for a short while after I post this. I am willing to answer any questions you may have, though mechanics questions I may defer as I am still deciding how to do some of that.
As for the vote, I will give it around 24 hours give or take before I close it.
Satar
Xetares, Third Redeemer; World Drinker
- Location
- Sesh
We must be top cheeken.
To bring peace to the land, we must definitely be top cheeken. And to be top cheeken we must have an extended prologue. No main character worth his salt (and no cheeken for that matter) ever does without an extended prologue.
So!
[x] Continue with an extended prologue.
To bring peace to the land, we must definitely be top cheeken. And to be top cheeken we must have an extended prologue. No main character worth his salt (and no cheeken for that matter) ever does without an extended prologue.
So!
[x] Continue with an extended prologue.
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- Location
- Virginia
[x] Continue with an extended prologue.
williams1996
Alba gu bràth
- Location
- Scotland
[X] Skip forward to Riboku's soldier years.
Satar
Xetares, Third Redeemer; World Drinker
- Location
- Sesh
You bad cheeken.
Valkur
The True Valkyria, Valkur!
- Location
- Fólkvangr
Hmm
Only because I think this prologue can do with us training obsessively and learning as much as possible in order to help the State Unify the Land.
So first of all Glaive Training, Horseback riding, tactics, and of course how to be a pleasant fellow in court.
[X] Skip forward to Riboku's soldier years.
So first of all Glaive Training, Horseback riding, tactics, and of course how to be a pleasant fellow in court.
[X] Skip forward to Riboku's soldier years.
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Satar
Xetares, Third Redeemer; World Drinker
- Location
- Sesh
Do sons of nobility even have courtesy titles? I seem to recall Prince John being called John Lackland because in his time sons of Kings had no titles- not even Prince.
Also, we should sail east and discover the Americas at the earliest possible chance.
Valkur
The True Valkyria, Valkur!
- Location
- Fólkvangr
Tecnology/Logistics aren't at that point yet. In order for the chinese theory of them being the first to South America to be correct it would have to be under an Emperor who could commision such a large trade mission. As of now, no one has that ability.
- Location
- Philippines
[X] Extended Prologue
Because fun as it may be to get into the thick of action, and though we'll get the same point allotment regardless of the choice, there's a sense of 'growing up together' if we ourselves see how the brat lives his life.
That, and maybe we can trigger flags as "The General's Son" or something.
Because fun as it may be to get into the thick of action, and though we'll get the same point allotment regardless of the choice, there's a sense of 'growing up together' if we ourselves see how the brat lives his life.
That, and maybe we can trigger flags as "The General's Son" or something.
- Location
- USA
He'll probably gain another village or two along with a lot of gold (will quantify later).
You don't really have a courtesy title.
From what I know of Zhou to Warring States Period China, sons of nobility did not have courtesy titles. Chinese nobility in this period is defined weirdly, with Qin having two different ways of ranking their nobility. The 5 ranks of nobles that was from the Zhou Dynasty, where the top rank was King, and the 20 noble ranks invented by legalists in Qin with the top rank being Maquis.
You might want to work on strength training, or training some other weapon, before you try the glaive. All of the glaive wielders in the setting tended to be big, strong guys.
- Location
- Philippines
Will there be a significant probability of an option to Defect appearing If we play our cards right?
And @Echo 101 , if we wanna do training then we obviously have to do 100 push ups, sit ups, squats, and 10km worth of running everyday. If we gonna be best hero, then there's no other recourse beyond this.
And @Echo 101 , if we wanna do training then we obviously have to do 100 push ups, sit ups, squats, and 10km worth of running everyday. If we gonna be best hero, then there's no other recourse beyond this.
- Location
- USA
AZATHOTHoth
༼ つ ☀️_☀️ ༽つ
[X] Extended Prologue
So would good plans during future wars where we are the commander/general add modifiers to our rolls?
So would good plans during future wars where we are the commander/general add modifiers to our rolls?
- Location
- Classified
[X] Continue with an extended prologue.
We got those bonuses to training rolls, time to take advantage.
We got those bonuses to training rolls, time to take advantage.
- Location
- Philippines
[X] Continue with an extended prologue.
- Location
- California
[X] Skip forward to Riboku's soldier years.