For the Glory of Baccus Offical Mini-Event RP Thread

Jareth was thinking hard about their possibilities. They cant go south due to the fire, to the west would be to long of a way and there might be an ambush in the Park. To the north must be a trap because the commander with the yellow eyes was looking way to confident even though they outnumbered them too much.


"Sir Mitchell, move to the east along the Baracks. At the end turn to the right towards the river, there should be small bridge where we can cross." All the time Jareth was keeping his eyes on the enemy. Watching everything he is doing.

Your troops move slowly through the street, constantly expecting ambush. You arrive safely to the end corner of the barracks. It seems that the traitors are not interested in following you, yet. The rain pours on as normal.
When all of your troops have passed corner, you hear the sound of galloping coming to your way from east. The men are wary and prepared for anything. Their anxiousness doesn't last long however as you see that the riders are a group of Clarion Call rangers with one Silvermist among them. The lone ranger jumps from one of the horses in front of you.

"Greetings Sirs Jareth and Mitchell, I've been given orders to aid you and your troops in the attempt to rescue Kyros Dux. Our skills are at your disposal."

"We are in dire need of your help, Friend." A smile appears on Jareths face and a bit of pressure falls of his shoulders. "Our plan right now is to move to the south from here through the buildings, there is small bridge to cross the river, from there we can easily access the castle." Jareth takes a small pause before continuing.

"We need your sharp eyes to scout ahead and warn us of enemies along the way. This is the best chance of an ambush they get around here. The Shadow Legion will guard the rear and we keep the Cavalry in the middle. They are of not much use in the narrow streets."

Jareth gives orders to his men and they slowly start to move again.

The Silvermist ranger nods and moves ahead of you. You slowly make your way through the streets towards the stream. Before you get through the third block, the ranger appears again.

"Sirs, the route to the bridge is clear"

He pauses for a moment, thinking, before continuing.

"Although, I did notice a legion patrol, around a dozen men, on the other side of the stream, few blocks away from the bridge. They were moving towards the bridge. The weird thing was that they seemed to carry a couple of bodies with them. Judging from the handling way, wounded."

Jareth thinks about his options.

We don't know if they are friendly or not, we have to be very cautious. Jareth takes a look over his troops and then faces the Ranger again. It is better we approach them alone. Only me the Legionaires and the Retainers. You take your men around the houses to the other side. If they want to flee you cut of their escape way. If they want to escape back over the bridge shoot at their legs. We want them alive. Jareth looked into the eyes of the men around him waiting for a response.

A single Silvermist sneaks his way to Theo. They exchange a few words, then the ranger quickly leaves, probably returning to where he came from. A few moments pass; the captain then takes something from his small bag and handles it a ranger by his side, who, on his turn, brings it over to Marcus. It reads:

"Scout reports more than 20 large ships. Visibility at sea is currently poor. Furthermore: if someone has enough gold to build so many ships, I infer their soldiers will also be well equipped and should present significant resistance."

At the sea:
The commander of the ship looks at the beach through a spyglass. Seeing no one at the beach she came to decision.

"Juliusss, give a command for all the ssshipsss to prepare their troopsss for landing. Sssend two waves of Armsssmen firssst."

The armor-clad man next to her, likely Julius, nods but asks hesitantly the woman before getting into action.

M'Lady, may I inquire your divinity about this decision?"

The woman lets out a hissing laugh.

"Alwaysss the curiousss one Juliusss, are you not? It'sss very sssimple, you need to tessst the watersss before jumping in."

The man hesitantly nods and blows a horn in simple rhythm.

At the sea:
The mysterious ship is getting closer to the beach.

Cez:
The men around you seem to have no qualms with it. However as you reach the end of that road, the legionnaires on the other side have already reached the bridge but are continuing past it.

As Jareth and his men came around the corner they saw that the other Legionaires where moving to the east across the Market and to the Chapterhouse. "As long as they didn't notice us its ok" Jareth thought to himself as they continued across the bridge.
As they reached the other side Jareth gave hand signals so that the Cavalry and the Silvermists got out of cover and followed them.

He then gave orders to two of his men.

"Eli and Finn follow the Legionaires that just went to the Chapterhouse and see if someone is coming our way. If not, come back as soon as possible."

In the city:
Eli and Finn nod to Sir Jareth and move to follow the patrol. As they disappear to the labyrinth of marketplace you continue over the bridge to the other side. The path seems clear.

At the sea:
The armada is bustling with activity as men get to the landing boats, ready to fulfill the will of their goddess. The commander looks at the work with amusement. Soon they would take the area. She gave a few more orders to Julius who noddded and blew the horn several times.

South of Cez:
The group of five Clarion Call Rangers notice a ship heading their way. It is already very close but they can't see clearly who is there. The design of the ship differs somewhat from the rest of the navy and seems familiar in a way they can't decipher. The men look at each other worriedly before one of them writes a small message to Theo and sends it with a messenger bird.

The camp:
The men look worriedly toward Cez, not believing their eyes as smoke rises from the insides. The men talk to each other, theorizing about what must have happened. An aura of worry has spread over the camp for the men are unsure about what to do and what is happening.

Theo reflects on the news: "In the midst of a battle a ship enters our borders unidentified, avoids the harbor of Cez and heads to our unprotected flank. We cannot take our chances. If he is an ally, he must suffer the consequences for not attending to common sense".

Theo writes back a message to the five scouts:

"Knights, get ready for combat. The ship probably contains elite troops in greater number than you. You will harass them from afar with your fast horses and delay them as much as possible. Ride defensively* and be careful with their crossbows. Do that unless they give a clear sign of friendship.
I have sent 10 foot rangers to cover your retreat, they should take some time to arrive at the scene, so be careful."

and then turns to his men:

"I need two squads (=10 rangers) running south as fast as you can to meet our outnumbered scouts. Once there, provide cover fire against whatever they are facing, then head back to the gates of Cez. Do not die."


*. As I imagine, riding defensively means that 3 riders ride with their shields up, protecting the 2 others behind them, who will fire their arrows under their cover.


Orders update:
- 110 rangers in the forest.
- 10 rangers running to southern Cez.
- 5 Clarions ready to engage the enemy.

Jareth orders the men to continue further down the road. They stay in cover of the Houses but they still see the river flowing to their right. After two blocks Jareth calls the Silvermist Brigadier to him.

"I need you to scout ahead again my friend. We need to know if the Castle Gates are open and how many men are on the walls and in front of the Gates. We will continue slowly from here on until we reach the next bridge."

"I have to talk to Sir Mitchell as well. I might need some of his Immortals." Jareth thinks to himself as the Ranger moves past him.

Marcus eyes the shorelines from the forest. The Cult Navy is barely visible, but he sees that they are already preparing for the first waves - the soldiers on the ships run around, some organizing into units, some doing their work - whatever it is. Sighing, he turns to his men.

"We have a long fight ahead of us, men... but so we had last time. And against much greater odds! We will prevail today, mark my words. Let's return to the camp. There is no need to stay here, just to be picked off.."

He takes the last courier pigeon, and takes a letter from his pocket. It reads:

Quote :

Captain Theo.

We need a few of your rangers to the forest's edge. They have to scout for the enemy. They probably won't charge with their cavalry right in, and they will send infantry - so we need a lot of them there, ready to ambush their infantry. I will send some of my men under the command of Centurion Catullus - he's a veteran of the Veccavian Invasion. We have to discuss this soon - I'm on my way to the Legion camp.

He sent the pigeon on it's way, and sprinted towards his men. After he had gathered them, they began marching double-time towards the main camp.

In the forest:
The scouting legionnaires notice the first landing ships moving towards the beach before taking off with Marcus. The bigger ships stay at the sea for the time being. One of your men swears that he saw a cloud that resembled a snake with its maw open and fangs visible.

Cez:
The ranger nods and sprints away. Your troops however notice some Pendor Soldiers on the walls on the other side of the stream. They seem to watch your every move but restrain themselves from doing anything else.

With the ship:
The ship itself hits the beach inside the bay which provides a natural harbor. The troops inside start getting off the ship and form a phalanx under the command of a masked person. The Clarion Call rangers notice the troops but don't do anything yet, having noticed the soldiers. The ranger squad arrives to the position of the riders safely and are surprised to see their brethern inactive. One look to the bay reveals the reason, however.

"This is bad, this is very bad..."

One of the Silvermists takes out one of the never-ending messenger birds of Silvermists and sends a message to Theo.

Theo writes back a message to the scouts, impressed that the birds are still alive and functional under this rain. He makes a mental note to congratulate whoever is taking care of the ravens in the Silvermist chapterhouse.

" One of you rides to them with weapons sheated, while the others stay back from a safe distance. The speaker must ask them the following: 'Legionnaires, you are not accounted for by the general. State your ranks, names and disctrict so that we can peacefully find an explanation for this.'."

Some of the men point out that there are troops atop of the Castle walls which are just looking at them but aren't doing anything about them.

Jareth approaches Sir Mitchell among his Immortals and starts talking to him about his plans.

"Sir Mitchell! I have a bad feeling about entering the Castle, it might be a trap. We haven't been approached by the enemy yet even though they know we are inside the city. When and If we are allowed into the Castle I want you and all the Cavalry to stay outside under cover. The Cavalry has not much room to move inside the city. They could easily be taken down from atop the walls." Jareth pauses for a short time looks down for a few seconds and then up again into Sir Mitchells eyes.

South of Cez:
The Clarion Call ranger arrives at the scene and tells the legionnaires what he was told to say. The man who appears to be the commander of the ship looks amused if slightly surprised by the appearance of the ranger. Quickly analyzing the situation he starts to speak with a smile on his face

"Ah, my friend. No need to worry. There must have been a some sort of mistake. Sadly I don't remember the names of everyone of them but you can go through them if you so wish.

Unknown to the ranger, the commander has sent hand signals to the legionnaires while speaking.

In the forest:
The legionnaires continue through the forest and arrive at Theo's position.

At the beach:
Some of the first ships landing hit the hedgehogs. Many drown due to their equipment and the element of surprise. Despite these, several people made it to beach. In the main ship, the commander has noticed this developement.

Ssseemsss that we are expected. Juliusss, give command for all the landing ssshipsss to sssail through the confirmed holesss. We are to organize the troops upon landing.

Cez:
To be made...

Johan and few combat fitted healers left the camp with few wagons for the wounded. They tried to travel as fast as possible to reach the defensive positions. They carried supplies in small bags some on their backs and rest were put into wagons. Johan spoke to them:

"Today we shall stand side by side with our fellow comrades. We might not be in the frontline to pushing the Cult back but our comrades can trust to us that we will keep them standing against the Cult. Today we march to victory!"

In the end of his speech Johan raised his hands in the air to get others in better mood. he sat down and took his pipe and started smoking to relax a little. His hands were shaking for the first time in his life.

By now Marcus had arrived at the main camp of the Legion, finding it in the process of a well-organized chaos. His men left on their business, some joining on the formation at the middle of the camp and some entering their tents. He left his horse at the stables amongst the other ironbreds, muttering something to it, and continued towards Lucius's tent. The heavy rain poured in, endlessly, and Marcus grimaced. "What is wrong with this storm... it's almost unnatural..", he thought, as he stepped through the rain. By now the rain was so bad that he couldn't see but for a few meters ahead. Suddenly he stopped, and looked around him. He saw nothing except the rain. He heard nothing except the rain. He felt the rain around him, like a tight rope tightening around his neck and mouth, suffocating him. Marcus fell on his knees, gazing around himself in panic. Suddenly he spots something from the corner of his eye. "Wait, what is that..", he thought, squinting his eyes while trying to see something ahead of him. He focused very hard, but found hard to maintain the concentration. He tried to calm himself, but the panic took over him again. Now he spotted the thing again, and either it was his imagination or it had just became a little bigger. He tried to focus again, using all the last bits of self-control he had left, and finally he saw it. It was only a shadow leaning on the heavy rain... in the shape of a tent. His heart began beating fast. Marcus stood up quicker than he ever believed he could, and spurred towards the shadow, breathing heavily and clutching his chest. The rain was so heavy...so thick...just like on that night when Marcus betrayed his commander, just as thick and just as heavy.. but the rain had started only after Marcus had spotted the Cultists. A nagging doubt grew in Marcus's head.. something in the back of his head.. but he couldn't remember what it was. But now he was too relieved, too happy to be inside again.

And after a time that felt like hours, Lucius entered the tent. He saw Marcus sitting in there, staring straight in his eyes. Lucius startled, and for a moment Marcus saw true fear in his eyes - something Marcus had never witnessed Lucius feel. "Does he fear me?", Marcus thought, smiling to himself. As quickly as he became startled, Lucius calmed and seemed just like his regular self. He gazed ridiculingly at Marcus, and asked with a voice that mirrored the same feeling: "I've never seen you waiting for me at my tent, Marcus. Is this a sign of respect, perhaps a growing friendship between us?" Lucius chuckled and sat down, raising his gaze from the floor to meet Marcus's eyes. Marcus answered the gaze, and spoke with a somewhat lazy, cold and calculative voice. "No, Lucius. It is not a sign of respect this time. Here's a war going on, and where were you? Not with me, that is for sure. And time is precious in war. From now on, I want you to stay with me AT ALL TIMES. No exceptions, Lucius."
Marcus tried to speak with a scolding tone, but he found it hard due to Lucius's ridiculously stupid gaze. Marcus let his eyes fall on the floor, thinking: "I were just about to have a heart attack out there, and there was nobody helping me. I need to keep him close to me, too." Marcus raised his gaze, sensing a change in the air. For a moment, Marcus could again see that fearful look in Lucius's eyes.. "like a wild animal looking for a route to escape", Marcus said to himself. Marcus anticipated that there was something Lucius was hiding from him. "I can only hope that it isn't anything bad.. I don't have time for stuff like this."

Marcus stood up and left the tent, followed my Lucius. The rain had weakened for a moment, and they moved towards the stables again. They saw a part of the legion standing in formation at the middle of the camp, despite the heavy rain. Marcus called out to them:"Centurions Cato and Darius, call the rest of the Legion! The whole army has to be ready at all times from now on!" As they both were about to mount on their horses, Lucius turned around on his horse with near unmatched skill, quickly followed by Marcus. Four riders with bows in their hands appeared through the rain curtains. They all looked very troubled, although in a controlled way. The tallest and fairest of them showed his armband to Marcus, who read his name, rank and order from it."Sir Aldor I of Laria, sergeant of the Clarion Call. Thank gods, you are here. I am very happy that you are! Please, tell your news. They are surely at least informative, if nothing else." Marcus waited for the sergeant to speak..

[OOC] Saeros, please RP him. You can do it better than me, since you know the order better

“General Marcus, Sir! We come from the beach northeast of here. A large vessel with centurions and legionnaires has just landed and taken defensive formations. One of our squad riders went on alone to ask for their names and jurisdiction, since they were not accounted for in the battle plans you handed Commander Theo, while the four of us stayed behind. Something must have gone wrong, since Sir Alfred, our squad leader, sent us a message to flee. I do not know about his fate.”

“I beg you to tell us if they are yours. We are expecting the arrival of 10 Silvermists that will engage the enemy as soon as they see something out of normal, and with your permission my squad and I would like to support them, or give them the message to delay that order. And if things do go wrong, we want to either save or avenge our fellow Alfred.”

Marcus stared intensely at the ranger. "They are not my troops. I give my permission to shoot at them on sight, if they don't have the ranger with them."

Lucius nodded agreeingly to his words.

"Understood. We are leaving right away."

He bowed and was ready to mount his horse, but then stopped and turned back to Marcus:

"By the way, their numbers are 3 to 4 times higher than ours. If you have horsemen to spare, at least to scare them, they would be more than welcome".

Cez:
Sir Mitchell looks at Sir Jareth, listening to to what he had to say.

"Indeed, this situation is rather suspicious. Extreme caution will be needed."

He stops for a while deep in thought. Soon he shakes his head and looks at Sir Jareth again.

"However, I will accompany you to the castle if we are allowed inside. Legion in Cez has done a betrayal and Kyros Dux may not see you very favorably."