Y1105: Island of Chaos [KRAEGER]

raven_179's House Blackwall

---

raven_179

You have lost Blackwall to a force of nomadic barbarian tribes. Being an unstable region and with the Empire's forces being deployed for more urgent matters you have been left to fend for yourself. That is, until Lord Kraeger, the commander of the Empire's northern reaches reached you, promising you not only Blackwall, but the entire barbarian lands.

He sent you the court magician Guthbert to aid you. You first task is to travel south and gather support from local lords, guaranteeing that the rear Lord Kraeger's army is protected and well supplied.

A small fire burned in the hearth of the (not so) Great Hall at Voden. Baron Baltasar Blackwall tried to get comfortable in the chair as he looked at a painting of the great Chapel of the Marquess in Blackwall. He was almost asleep when there was a knock at the door. The door creaked open to reveal the butler and a pair of men. The first of the strangers handed Baltasar a note. Baltasar scanned the document and quickly jotted down a reply. The man took the note and dashed away. Baltasar turned to the second man and said, Greetings Guthbert, I've sent the courier back with my response. Our shared liege is quite generous. He said that he was sending one of his best men in case I accepted his proposal. So why..."

---

His question was interrupted by his aunt storming into the hall. Her face, usually kind, was filled with fury. She glanced at the other mage in the room and then looked at her nephew, saying "Your father is rolling in his grave as you sell what's left of our noble heritage. This gambit will be the end of us.

---

As she left the room, her nephew, consumed by his ambition, started to give orders to move out.

Scenario mission:
Gain control of the 4 northern towns, one way or another

raven_179

You depart with the wizard Guthbert as your advisor, leaving a disgruntled Helena behind to take care of Voden. Guthbert has sent some of his warlocks to prepare the settlement of Black Vein for your arrival. Guthbert and his men will be spending most of their time on the island (T7-8) for their magical studies, leaving you to deal with the three lords in the area: a human, a elf and a orc. The elf is openly hostile and will resist you. He is of little consequence in his corner, so your focus is on putting the other towns into the rebels’ hands, by any means necessary…

As you set up camp and prepare for the negotiations, one of the warlocks sneaks past your bodyguards into your tent. You get a eerie feeling around him, realising these warlocks are far more powerful than they seem. "I have a… let’s call it a suggestion, shall we? We need some, let’s say… resources, you can provide from you mission…" he starts

Baltasar entered the camp's tent, yawning. As he starts to take off his shoes, he notices something is... off. The bed has a box on it. Baltasar approaches the box, and as he does, a man came up from behind Baltasar and whispered in his ear. "The town you are approaching is in desperate need of resources. Help me and I can furnish you with the... necessary equipment.Baltasar turned to see the warlock, and was stunned to see that this warlock seemed to have different interests. He wore a ring on his hand that seemed to perpetually bleed, and carried a staff that was topped with a minotaur's skull. He spoke again, "I am Rannuf Grimwalk and I happen to have a disagreement with the ruling nobility of Black Vein. If you bring me the key to the abandoned crypt outside the town, I can complete my experiments, and my associates will release the town's mines and mills. I await your response at the top of this hill." The necromancer walked out of the tent.

Baltasar went to open negotiations with the town's nobility. The negotiations were unproductive, but nobody seemed to notice that the Blackwalls' 'seneschal' was missing along with half the soldiers Baltasar brought. This 'seneschal' actually was named Harold Quickfoot, a rogue who often managed to find himself in trouble, until he barely made it out of the Blackwall Prison. Harold's men expected a big fight, but the house containing the key in question was filled only with servants.

---

Baltasar approached the necromancer once the key was in his hand, his conscience greatly bothered by this act. He knew that he was committing a crime against nature helping this vile man, but he handed the key over anyway. Besides the necromancer was backed by a small army of skeletons. Baltasar turned away, not wanting to see what horrors the foul man was to raise. The necromancer said "Don't worry, my friend. My new associates are coming with me across the sea to visit an old friend. You make the offer to chase my army away from the town's supplies and I'll 'flee.' Baltasar gulped and nodded slowly.

---

Baltasar's men returned before the second day of negotiations, and the local lords approached him apprehensively. The lead diplomat began saying "We still cannot surrender our city to your oversight, but we... Baltasar interrupted the local lord, pointing to the sawmill where a specter was lurking with a small horde of skeletons and zombies. He said, "My friend, I'm afraid you haven't the option to resist me. We must fight together to best this shared enemy." Just as the necromancer had planned, the two armies engaged in the 'conflict.' When the dust had cleared, the leadership of the town had been decimated, the undead were in retreat, and Baltasar's men, unaffected by the mock combat, were effectively in control of the town, with the remaining baronets too weak to oppose the Blackwalls.

---

Miles away, Helena gathered what was left of her nephew's court. She looked at the gathered courtiers and realizing that all present were her supporters, resolved right there to save her house even if it required the house falling even lower. She addressed the crowd, "Friends, you all supported us Blackwalls when we stood at the height of our power. I know that since you are here with us now that you are true servants of the Empire, unlike my fool of a nephew." She grimaced. She was a good person at heart, unused to treachery, but her nephew's treason painted her into a corner. She began telling the crowd of what they must do, once Baltasar got himself killed.

Raven’s "turn 3"

The Blackwalls army marches, unopposed, through Black Vein. For some, acclaimed heroes who fought off the undead created by the mysterious warlocks and necromancers who have recently settled in Anduran's Skerry. For others, usurpers and opportunists.

Leading his men, Baltasar surveys his new city. The local lords were left powerless to oppose him, giving him a place to start his task. Kraeger needs this region for its strategic value against the Empire and Baltasar would deliver it. A small stepping stone to restore the family’s former glory, maybe even outgrow it!

But not everyone is looking forward to him succeed. Back in Voden, his aunt Helena is already preparing to take over the family when her nephew inevitably pays for his foolishness. The local baronets were forced to accept Blackwall’s rule, a few may still remain loyal to the Empire, others may resent their new liege. To the North, the other Lords have already received news of the events and some, like the elven sorcerers lead by Naivara are preparing to move against these new invaders…

A council of the Blackwall's rebellious faction meets in Black Vein. The usual loyal guardsmen stand at the entrance to the small manor in Black Vein that has been requisitioned after its previous owner's died in battle along with his retinue. The manor house is just a little bigger than the house of Voden, and Baltasar hasn't smiled wider in years to be closer to the wealth he had in childhood. As Harold entered, now in his usual garb, he noticed two new additions to the guard. Baltasar had added two minotaurs to the retinue. Baltasar opened the door to the sitting room, and grimaced smelling the minotaurs. "Come in old friend." He said to Harold. He closed the doors behind him, and immediately his countenance recovered. "Hopefully soon, we will be back home and the guard won't smell like a barn."

The council was about to begin with the various diplomats and mages talking softly, but Harold interrupted them by clearing his throat and pointing at Baltasar. The sitting room fell quiet as Baltasar asked for opinions. Lyonar Brightsilver, the diplomat, immediately suggested "Perhaps we should send an envoy to Woodhaven. Your father was friends with Baron Holceno, and if we send the right person, we might just be able to get the Baron to declare for the rebellion." Baltasar was about to speak when Harold Quickfoot said, "Of course we aren't going to engage with our folk when we can strike right at the heart of our House's dishonor. We are all refugees, and we now have an opportunity to prove that we are made of sterner stuff. We must seize the initiative and strike at the Barbarians in Timberhill. Those orcs will never see us coming. We can build the siege equipment necessary to attack. Just give the order."

---

The catapults were built and the mages poured an alchemical mixture made of mercury on the stones that were launched at Timberhill's wooden walls. The volatile mixture acted as expected and a trio of holes were opened in the wall. The fire spread to the battlements, and the armies met among the burning wreckage. Baltasar watched from the siege camp, as Harold led the assault. The battle lasted all day, but eventually the human knights rallied to the center hole and charged through a line of goblins on their wargs. With the elite cavalry inside the fortified town, the enemy army started to surrender.

In Voden, Helena paced back and forth. She was reading an urgent dispatch that had come in the night. She crumbled the paper and tossed it into the fire. It missed and she scowled in its direction and was about to go pick it up, when Father Alfred Whitemane strode into the hall. "My child, you wound me. I thought I had taught you the value of patience when you were younger." The elderly cleric was dressed in his usual white robes, carried a staff that served as his badge of office as Court Cleric of the noble family. Whitemane was a human of nearly 8 decades. He had taught three generations of Blackwall scions, but he still carried himself with a spirit of joy and youthful mirth. "In all seriousness, you have done well. I am proud of you and I am certain your father would be too. The time for action might have arrived." He passed her a letter and she ripped it open. There was silence in the air as she read the letter. When she finished, she expertly tossed the paper into the fire and said, First he captures Black Vein, and now he sits in Timberhill? You are right, as always. We must act." She sat at the desk and started writing a note

---

Baltasar Blackwall stood in the training yard of Timberhill watching the orcs spar. He was joined by his seneschal, Harold who now wore a silk robe under his thick leather jacket, a trio of human swordsmen, and his minotaur guards, who he now calls Olaf and Oleg. Lyonar strode up to Baltasar and asked, "My lord, I do believe we have a golden opportunity to bring the Holcenos into the ranks of our most glorious purpose. I've done some research and I've put together a list of diplomatic gestures available to you to maybe convince the good Baron to throw in with Viscount Kraeger." Baltasar took the document from the diplomat. He read the document, nodding as he did so, and then turned to Harold Quickfoot and said, "Watch these... lovely townsmen for the rebellion. We will need these shock troops for when we join the Viscount at the front. I'll take most of the men from Voden and my most loyal guards. Feel free to keep Oleg and Olaf with you though. Hopefully we won't need them."