Chapter 7: Homecoming

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Novus Mane
141

Ok here we go, I could only roll 50 dice at one time so that’s what I have done.

The dice results are here: invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1943065/

Roberto’s initiative: 4+1=5
The commander: 8+1 = 9

Roberto is surprised by the commanders swift move and his seizure of the initiative. The man seems to be a seasoned fighter with plenty of battlefield experience.

The commander strikes out with great skill, he is much more able fighter than Roberto. However the shriek that his blade emits allows Roberto to easily deflect the blow. (Attack total 13+5=18, defence total 19+5+6=30)

Roberto’s swift return blow catches the commander of guard and hits him in the sword arm. The blow if furious in its strength and draws blood. The chainmail protects him from further harm. (Attack total 11+6+7=24, defence total 13+3=16, damage total 5 +(24-16=8) -10 = 8)

The commander emits a shout of pain and thus the duel is over, it is obvious to everyone that Roberto where the first to draw blood.

[color=red]As agreed I yield, the commander shouts his voice now filled with pain. The combatant’s parts and Roberto needs to draw for breath.

[color=red]You have won, a short pause for breath, [color=red]knight of this wormhole and I will retreat with my men for now. Unless anyone of the magi interfere a soldier will help the commander to patch up his wound and then the war party leaves. Once they are moving away Aelianus speaks to his soldaes, his hands still shaking from fury. [color=red]Soldaes we return to the council chamber and speak.

Later in the council chamber the magi are seated and Aelianus takes the lead begins to speak as usual. [color=red]Soldaes, I wish to thank and congratulate you all as you stood beside me against that mundane today. Roberto, Aelianus nods and raise his cup,[color=red] you fought of that brigand with out the use of a single spell. That is great as we won’t be interfering with the mundane, this time. Now speak my soldaes, what comes now? Are we free from peril or…?

[color=blue]Now that duel was a bit of a disappointment, I looked forward to something a little bit more interesting.

142

Disappointment? You had me holding my breath for three days! I found it exhillirating!

Roberto speaks to the comander as he walks away. [color=red]Respect and Honor, brave soldier. You fought well and kept your word. Know that I have no ill feelings, and you are welcome at my table any time you care to make a friendly visit.

143

Halvard:

[color=red]We must prepare to defend the ford and blood them badly or like the hedgehog, we must appear to be spiny so they find easier prey. I do not think any of us are Imaginum masters but perhaps we can fool them a different way with what skills we have.

((Max: How far is the ford from the Walls of the covenant/Village?))

144

[color=red]I am glad we where able to deal with that problem and avoid violence. When they or their fellows come back I do not think we can fight them off . While with the skill of some of our magi and the power of our magic we can easily defat a few expeditions how will we explain this to the order? I think we would be best using this breathing space to avoid futute problems. I fear our location is too well known and too visible to use our magic to hide from the mundanes perhaps we would be best to reach an accomodation with the mundanes. I beleive we can legally sell a small number of magical items to the nobles of this land if we can provide some magical toy of elegance and beauty to them we can perhaps earn silver to solve our financial problems and also prevent any further confrontation. I cannot think of anythign else we can provide to the lcoals which would avoid trouble with the tribunal and buy the mundanes off until we can increase our power enougth to resolve the problem in our own favour

145

:smiley: (this is in character, not player to player)

Robberto scowls at Iolar. [color=red]Avoid Violence? I just engaged in single combat to save this covenant. I could have been killed, ans as it is I was lucky and cut the commander upon his forarm. It was violent, thogh brief, and it could have ended with death. Now you come forth with ideas and solutions, "perhaps this and perhaps that". Where were your ideas when there was trouble? All you did is fly around in cirlces in a panic, a very uncharacteristic panic. I must say I am very dissapointed in you Iolar. I expected more than this from you.

Iolar can engage the debate or ingnore Roberto as she chooses. I am just thinking that, after putting his life on the line, he would be irritated by the advice and suggestions of the one who panicked :wink:
Role Play it from there :smiley:

[color=red]And you underestimate our power. If the gloves were taken off, we could easilly defeat a foce three times that size. We have the powers of Earth, Wind, and Fire at our command. I could have easilly torced the entire force on my own if not for the worry of exposing myself as a magus and violating the code. The only mundanes I am interested in reaching an accomodation with is the villagers that live in our town.

146

Halvard:

To Iolar: [color=red]We have two nobles to deal with and do not have the time to whip up toys for them. We need to get some time to either become independent or buy off a noble.

To all:[color=red]The ford is the best location to scare them away. Notice that just the presents of troops at the ford made the other force leave.

147

[quote="Marko Markoko"]
:smiley: (this is in character, not player to player)

[quote]

[color=blue]No Problem I dont get offended over character arguements
Iolar looks slightly angered and embarrssed by Roberto's speech
[color=red]Roberto I had no doubt of your ability to defeat a single mundane opponent even without magic. I had meant my comments as a congratulation on your excellent achievement in resolving matters without loss of life and without a major battle. I am afraid there was very little I could do to help except cast a pilum of fire at your opponent which would have defeated your good work. I also have no doubt that we could kill or drive off another attacking force I just think that would actually make things worse for us as there would then never be a solution to the problem we would have crusadersm churchmen, quasitors and all sorts of problems .
At Havlard she just looks angry
[color=red]Oddly enougth I know how long it takes to make a magical item. However if we negotiate to deleiver something in the future that will solve our problems now, you may not be used to the idea of talking to people . Which will buy us the time to come up with that better solution you have not suggested

[color=redI will support any plan which does not promise us perpetual and escalating conflict with the locals and the Order , which we will eventuially lose Roberto even if it takes a bunch of Hoplites to bring us down where upon the Village will be burnt to the ground and Everyone killed. Some sort of compromise solution which prevents large scale bloodshed until we have the power to enforce our own solution is what we need .

148

The ford lays a few hundred of paces from the covenant walls and the village is further away. A force could pass the ford without to much damage caused from archers on the ramparts, Novus Manes walls are both low and old. A force does not need to cross the ford to come to the covenant and the village. But if a force would prefer to approach the covenant without crossing the ford then they would have a long walk.

Aelianus speaks: [color=red]Soldaes, now we need to work together. We are out of trouble, at least for the moment. As I see it we can either, pray to the gods and hope for the best, ally with one of the mundane powers or display either magical or mundane power so that we can scare of any would be mundane foe. For the moment we are free but we cannot allow that mundane’s treat us as their subjects. So I suggest that we get enough power to fend of any foe. A roaring magical blaze in front of any mundane foe will make them think twice.

149

Roberto scowls at Iolar, then he softens and smiles.
[color=red]Here is something you can do that will be of great help. Scout out the situation. See how large the force at the ford is, check on the commanders retreat, and see who else is coming at us.

Then he turns to Havlard & Aleianus [color=red]I like Havlard's Hedgehog idea. Let us capitalize on our small victory, and have Marcello round up as many men as are willing to stand and defend now. Then a few of us should form an entourage to go and meet this other force. Talk to them. Look all fancy and official and try and talk to them from a position of authority.

(OOC, check this out! I was lucky to win my single combat because I screwed up my Initiative calculation. I subtracted two because I was considering taking some scale armour, but then I changed my mind and forgot to change it back. Didn’t make a difference, but whew!!!!)

150

Halvard:

[color=red]My idea would be to gather the masons and other laborers and build a dirt wall or rampart ( depending on the availability of the stone) that commands the ford. I will attempt to create soldiers made from earth within the wall. We can mix in our own troops. I think I can create a spontaneous spell that will last moon duration that will shape earth and rocks to look like soldiers. A force coming in may be fooled enough to retreat or at least parlay with us thus buying us some time.

If we go with this solution I would say that I should try to develop the spell since I have some issues with spontaneous magic.

151

[color=red]That is a most excellent idea! Give us a position of (apparent) strength from which we can negotiate.

152

Iolar smiles sweetly at Havlard
[color=red]I thought we did not have time for lab work?

153

[color=red]:wink: I think he means he needs help with his spontaneous spell idea, as he is not good at casting spontaneously. Another one of us perhaps. Hmmm..., I seem to recall that you are pretty good at spontaneous magic :smiley:.

154

[color=red]My spontaneous magic has some....wild effects. I am willing to do it as soon as we can build the rampart but I fear that the other force is going back up river to cross so they do not have the ford to contend with. That is why I fear we have little time. Perhaps 2 or 3 days.

155

[color=red]I have never studied Terram or Imagonem to any degree so I soubt I can do much

156

[color=red]You can tell us what the other force is doing. If they are coming back here then we need to make haste. If not then you will have time to...negotiate with a mundane.

You can tell that Halvard bit back some caustic remark.

157

Carlos Guiterez has a plan!

Relevant Scores: Pre +2, Venus’ Blessing, Leadership 1 (hair brained schemes), Music 4 (guitar), Charm 4 (ladies), Carouse 4 (drinking songs), Folk Ken 3 (covenfolk), Novus Mane Lore 1 (where the party’s at),

He goes around singing songs about Roberto’s duel, portraying him as a brave and handsome hero. He charm’s the ladies and tell them that their husbands and brothers should stand up and join Roberto. He drinks with the men folk, sings drinking songs of bravery and glory, and tries to goad them into joining the defense of their home. He charms some more ladies, gets sidetracked with some discrete indiscretions with Betty VanHalen, and then rounds up as many of the recruits as he can and reports to Marcello.

Roberto has ideas…
Roberto takes Kilica and Wirth to the side and talks about plan Omega. If it comes to the worst case scenario, Roberto wants Kilica to insure Clara’s safety at all costs. I am sure Wirth would agree.

After that, Roberto goes looking for that Tytalus magus; Reginald or Ronald or whatever he calls himself. Wirth told Roberto that he was still hiding around here somewhere and that he formed a secret society with the pirates. Amphoraxis. He is posted on our wiki. Someone else would have to play him if you wat to add him to this story. Otherwise, he is nowhere to be found right now. Either way, it seems logical to try. We paid for the Criminals Boon and we have treated it like a Hook instead. Time to make it pay off for us :wink:.

158

[color=red]I believe that they have departed however if it makes you feel better I will be happy to check on that matter. However I lay no claim to being the best suited for negotiations with the locals indeed my heritage and gender seem to make me poorly suited for the task .

159

[quote="Marko Markoko"

Roberto has ideas…
Roberto takes Kilica and Wirth to the side and talks about plan Omega. If it comes to the worst case scenario, Roberto wants Kilica to insure Clara’s safety at all costs. I am sure Wirth would agree.
[/quote]

While accepting orders Kilica does say to Roberto
[color=red]My Lord while I am in the service of Lord Wirth , I am available to assist you and if you need to have a mundane defeated in a sword fight perhaps it would be best if you gave that task to me as your one abilities in magic did not seem needed

160

[color=red]It was all magic sweetheart. Sword magic :wink:. But believe me, I was considering you. BBut your gender poses a problem. I doubt that our opponents would respect a single combat challenge from a woman. It is an imperfect world.