The encampment was calm. It seemed the men were accepting Tyros' actions, although some of his higher officials were still debating the whole ordeal. He had to be careful of his actions further into the campaign. It was enough work to bring all these people together, but keeping them like this may be a tricky situation. Allowing officers across Umbri to command the units from their homelands made it all even more fragile. In a heartbeat, these men could break away and turn right back home, reigniting the regional conflict until Piran finally made his move against all of them.
Cornelius approached his tent after sunset, and began inquiring about Tyros' choice to handle the situation alone.
"Honestly, Cornelius, I have never cared much for magic, or sorcery, or whatever any of you choose to call it. It is unnatural, playing with the elements and wielding powers not inherently given to man. I can appreciate that you and several others in this group possess those kinds of powers at high levels, and that does give us an advantage over Piran, if not just put us on a level playing field."
"As for the half-bred sorcerer, I am not afraid of a man with those powers, because he is still merely a man. At first, I only wished to retrieve some information out of him. Bringing an entourage could have either intimidated or insulted him, and I was not going to take any chances on him closing himself off to me."
When sunrise finally came around, the army composed themselves and began their march through the second leg of the Umbrian Gap. He had his cartographers keep track of their location, giving routes for messengers back to Umbria and marking potential re-supply areas.
After only about 2 hours, an intricately-designed stone gateway came into view. It stretched from mountain to mountain, and had to be at least 30 feet tall. On either side of the gateway, Dumnonian idols were carved into pillars, and a double-headed eagle was engraved above the arch. Surely, we will be in Piran's domain soon.
They stopped a quarter-mile short of the gateway, and Tyros began gathering a delegation to approach the governor of this territory.
He left his generals and a few other commanding officers to supervise the army. They were to stay attentive, and be ready to march in if the delegation was met with hostility. Besides, he was not trying to appear threatening to these people in his first entrance.
"Ramia shall be my key advisor in this discussion. For the majority of the coming discussion, only me and her shall speak. If anyone else wishes to voice themselves, I you will request permission from both I and whoever governs this place. I do not plan on fucking this one up, especially if it happens to be a military stronghold."
"Accompanying us into their chambers will be Thallus the Thaldorian as scribe,... Cornelius Nerva the Sorcerer,... and my own personal guard. Captain Hunter and the Brass Boars will explore the city and provide any useful information pertaining to this city, and the path that lays past this one."
At noon, the delegation set off towards the gateway. Even his escort seemed like a formidable force for this city. As they passed through, they were met with the loud voices of merchants and traders. Kiosks decorated in a multitude of ways, carrying a hefty variety of products, lined the streets. Many were familiar to Umbri, which seemed to lay on this transnational trade route. The architecture, however, was clearly alien to them. All there were were high walls, gateways, and a single capitol building sitting at the center of the city.
It looked like a fortress, at least 3 stories tall and capable of possessing a barrack and armory of its own. They walked towards it, and the Brass Boars were ordered to depart from the group and wander the city until they were finished. They were given odd looks, but still the merchants hassled them for business.
The delegation reached the base of the capitol, and made their way up the stairs. In all, there could not have been more than 8, with 12 of them being part of Tyros' bodyguard waiting at the base of the structure. Tyros took off his helmet, and held in under his left arm, whose hand also held his spear. It was an odd sight indeed: an man only donning heavy armor followed by 7 properly dressed individuals.
They reached the top, passed the door guards, and found themselves standing in some sort of lobby greeted by a young eunuch. "I am Tyros, King of Umbri. My delegation and I desire audience with your governor."
"Let me inform him of your presence, sir."
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No worries. I'll keep the story going, but the offer is still open.
But even the small observations and occurrences, you all can add them into the story at your will.
But even the small observations and occurrences, you all can add them into the story at your will.
My plan was to make the adventure aspect of this partially collaborative. Are any of you interested in writing this piece of history after my next post? It'll pretty much be dealing with describing a city's culture, government, or whatever your character deems relevant to the situation.
This will potentially be a recurring thing, so I'm just curious as to who would like to partake is setting the scene for some of these.
This will potentially be a recurring thing, so I'm just curious as to who would like to partake is setting the scene for some of these.
"The sorcerer was son of a traitor. We could not put the fate of our entire army in the hands of that half-breed!"
King Tyros could feel the backlash of his actions. Many of his advisors berated him for slaying the sorcerer, insisting that he should have left him alive and made him some kind of ally. Even Ramia, who was recruited as a high-ranking strategist despite being a woman, had challenged his leadership style.
He tried to explain his reasoning to her: "His father was a mercenary of Piran's father, and rather than coming back to Umbri, he was granted the Umbrian Gap as settlement."
Tyros knew everybody had already made up their minds about the situation, but the cause ahead was greater. He had no desire to negotiate and take the chance on this man's loyalty to a nation he had never known. Even in his talks in the copper house, Tyros had made up his own mind as the sorcerer spun the tale of his origins as the son of an Umbrian mercenary and a royal Dumnonian concubine his father received as payment.
"Nonetheless, what's done is done. It is a shame the man knew nothing of the Dumnonian landscape. It may have been a sort of redeemable quality we could have implemented, but there is now no question that the Umbrian Gap is available to us."
"At dawn, we will continue our march. Eat and rest up, we will not stop again until we find civilization. Captain Kaylen Hunter and his Brass Boars will be marching at the head of the army, behind my guard."
King Tyros could feel the backlash of his actions. Many of his advisors berated him for slaying the sorcerer, insisting that he should have left him alive and made him some kind of ally. Even Ramia, who was recruited as a high-ranking strategist despite being a woman, had challenged his leadership style.
He tried to explain his reasoning to her: "His father was a mercenary of Piran's father, and rather than coming back to Umbri, he was granted the Umbrian Gap as settlement."
Tyros knew everybody had already made up their minds about the situation, but the cause ahead was greater. He had no desire to negotiate and take the chance on this man's loyalty to a nation he had never known. Even in his talks in the copper house, Tyros had made up his own mind as the sorcerer spun the tale of his origins as the son of an Umbrian mercenary and a royal Dumnonian concubine his father received as payment.
"Nonetheless, what's done is done. It is a shame the man knew nothing of the Dumnonian landscape. It may have been a sort of redeemable quality we could have implemented, but there is now no question that the Umbrian Gap is available to us."
"At dawn, we will continue our march. Eat and rest up, we will not stop again until we find civilization. Captain Kaylen Hunter and his Brass Boars will be marching at the head of the army, behind my guard."
Rafa lunged forward from his position, halberd in hand. He stabbed at one of the orcs, surprisingly puncturing its armor. He focused more on avoiding blows to himself. He knew that once he was hit, he would be done for. Because of this, he let out a relentless offensive stance, constantly swinging and thrusting his weapon. He tried to keep his blows at head-level, unsure of how well continual swings would do against their armor.
With his quick movement, Rafa played his strategy of circling the orcs and striking when they were distracted. Aim for the throat. He could hear Arthur's orders, and stepped up his game. Apparently, my plan isn't coming along quickly enough.
Just go for it.
Rafa retreated to the edge of the pack, so no orc would catch him from behind. He then reset himself and lunged forward once more, except this time majoratively swinging the axe head of his halberd against the armored monstrosities.
With his quick movement, Rafa played his strategy of circling the orcs and striking when they were distracted. Aim for the throat. He could hear Arthur's orders, and stepped up his game. Apparently, my plan isn't coming along quickly enough.
Just go for it.
Rafa retreated to the edge of the pack, so no orc would catch him from behind. He then reset himself and lunged forward once more, except this time majoratively swinging the axe head of his halberd against the armored monstrosities.
After several more emergency meetings with various corporate executives and Incultan officials, Tama set sail for New Beginning on a corvette. For this meeting, he chose to put on a black-and-white suit and packed several changes in case he were to stain his attire. He also brought with him several charts and figures on all nations present, and his phone to call his ship to retrieve him on the case it would not end at the predetermined time.
Tama opted to go alone: no bodyguards, no advisors, just him. He did not feel it necessary to bring an entire delegation. He was no head-of-state; rather, he was a professional. He always thought politicization of economics tended to overcomplicate the whole system, and the professionalization of politics caused corruption. He would not pretend he was some President or King. Tama was just a businessman, proving privatization of every industry sector was optimal.
Within a week, Tama's ship was within view of New Beginning. He saw he was not the only one to arrive, with ships belonging to various other nations heading towards the port like he. Magnificent. He saw decorated vessels, both of the sea and air, with flags found across the globe. His corvette was a fogged black, and he flew no flag. He enjoyed keeping his presence simple. Once he was dropped off, the ship left to circle international waters for the week to avoid being stuck within the port. The crew was on alert, in case anything suspicious loomed.
Tama hopped on a steam car with his suitcase and luggage, which led him to a massive hotel within the city. The efficiency and speed of their service had Tama settled in to his suite nearing the top of the hotel. He had only one bedroom and one bathroom, but within it he also had a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room. It reminded him of a Western condominium, and he was settled in within an hour.
The space does not matter so much. The decorations were complex, and he felt a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by so much culture in his living space, even if it was considered traditional around these parts. His own home had very minimalist modern decor, with open spaces and majoratively glass-and-steel furniture. Nonetheless, he was not planning on spending much time in his room. Tama did not come all this way to be a hermit until the meetings began.
He made his way down to the lobby, where he planned to converse with all the other leaders who stayed in such luxury alongside him.
Tama opted to go alone: no bodyguards, no advisors, just him. He did not feel it necessary to bring an entire delegation. He was no head-of-state; rather, he was a professional. He always thought politicization of economics tended to overcomplicate the whole system, and the professionalization of politics caused corruption. He would not pretend he was some President or King. Tama was just a businessman, proving privatization of every industry sector was optimal.
Within a week, Tama's ship was within view of New Beginning. He saw he was not the only one to arrive, with ships belonging to various other nations heading towards the port like he. Magnificent. He saw decorated vessels, both of the sea and air, with flags found across the globe. His corvette was a fogged black, and he flew no flag. He enjoyed keeping his presence simple. Once he was dropped off, the ship left to circle international waters for the week to avoid being stuck within the port. The crew was on alert, in case anything suspicious loomed.
Tama hopped on a steam car with his suitcase and luggage, which led him to a massive hotel within the city. The efficiency and speed of their service had Tama settled in to his suite nearing the top of the hotel. He had only one bedroom and one bathroom, but within it he also had a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room. It reminded him of a Western condominium, and he was settled in within an hour.
The space does not matter so much. The decorations were complex, and he felt a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by so much culture in his living space, even if it was considered traditional around these parts. His own home had very minimalist modern decor, with open spaces and majoratively glass-and-steel furniture. Nonetheless, he was not planning on spending much time in his room. Tama did not come all this way to be a hermit until the meetings began.
He made his way down to the lobby, where he planned to converse with all the other leaders who stayed in such luxury alongside him.
Tyros marched at the front of army, followed by all else in orderly fashion. He was partially surrounded by his personal guard who chose to ride on horseback, along with a few other officers; some even chose to ride on chariots or carriages. He kept his helmet on, and carried both his shield and spear in his left hand. Tyros remained relatively quiet, and kept his answers brief when his officials would occasionally inquire about his plans for the campaign.
The King was swarmed with various feelings about what his journey held: curiosity about what lay beyond his lands, awe towards both his army and Piran's, excitement to see his power clash against Dumnonia, and most of all ambition to conquer the massive composite military that would surely oppose him. He could only hope that his men could empathize, but nonetheless they were all present out of duty to their country, out of honor to themselves.
After a morning's walk, the army reached a valley at the end of the Umbrian Gap. Before them was a lake right in the middle of the valley. The army began moving along the southern edge, and soon found that the mountains only continued about a quarter-mile inland. A few scouts to go around and make about the same distance around the northern edge as the rest of the army put on the current one. The rest of the army took a second to rest and hydrate from the apparently clean lake, and Tyros consulted with his officials.
A few hours passing, the scouts returned. They reinforced Tyros' suspicions of the lake being within the mountains. He put his army back to their feet, and had them continue their march long the southern edge. If merchants use this to cross over to Umbri, the other portion of this gap must be directly on the other side of this lake. It will most likely be a clear path if it is so commonly used. He could only hope he was correct, and refused to look like a fool in front of 30,000 Umbrians.
At about what seemed like meeting the half-way mark, an island within the lake came into view of the troops. On it sat a shining copper house, whose foundation seemed to be embedded within the island. Some also began gossiping about a large shadow moving through the water, which seemed to be following them. Some officers directed their subordinates to march a bit further inland for their safety.
Word eventually got to Tyros up front, yet he still continued his march. He had noticed it a while back, but concluded that whoever resided in that copper house had some control over this beast, if he had managed to settle peacefully there. He may have thought the beast was harmless, but he has talking the worst-case scenario, and this seemed the most rational. He did not want to worry his men with such suspicions, but he felt others among his ranks were coming to similar conclusions.
A man stepped out of that house. He looked somewhat Umbrian; probably a mixed-breed of some Dumnonian vassal. He motioned for Tyros to approach, and ordered his men to quickly construct a boat from two of their carriages. In about an hour, Tyros was already paddling his way to the island. He wished to go alone, fearing the presence of his advisors would only work to over-complicate the situation.
The man seemed welcoming, and he and Tyros stepped into the copper home.
The sun began to set behind them, and Tyros finally came within sight from the shore. He tossed an object into the waters, and appeared to be washing himself for a second before paddling the rest of the way back. He ordered his army to rise up once again, and ordered them to complete their march to the mouth of the other side of the lake, even if it took all night.
In only about 2 hours, they found their way to the other passage. Tyros set up camp by the lake, with his army extending settlement nearly to the entrance of the passage.
When asked by his historians for his biography, Tyros stated "I negotiated passage with the man, who cast a spell to settle the beast. He was to reverse it once we have fully crossed."
When asked by a handful of officers about his disposal of the object before he reached shore, Tyros said "I cut off his head. The spell will not be reversed, and the men that shall join us have no need for such a trivial matter."
The King was swarmed with various feelings about what his journey held: curiosity about what lay beyond his lands, awe towards both his army and Piran's, excitement to see his power clash against Dumnonia, and most of all ambition to conquer the massive composite military that would surely oppose him. He could only hope that his men could empathize, but nonetheless they were all present out of duty to their country, out of honor to themselves.
After a morning's walk, the army reached a valley at the end of the Umbrian Gap. Before them was a lake right in the middle of the valley. The army began moving along the southern edge, and soon found that the mountains only continued about a quarter-mile inland. A few scouts to go around and make about the same distance around the northern edge as the rest of the army put on the current one. The rest of the army took a second to rest and hydrate from the apparently clean lake, and Tyros consulted with his officials.
A few hours passing, the scouts returned. They reinforced Tyros' suspicions of the lake being within the mountains. He put his army back to their feet, and had them continue their march long the southern edge. If merchants use this to cross over to Umbri, the other portion of this gap must be directly on the other side of this lake. It will most likely be a clear path if it is so commonly used. He could only hope he was correct, and refused to look like a fool in front of 30,000 Umbrians.
At about what seemed like meeting the half-way mark, an island within the lake came into view of the troops. On it sat a shining copper house, whose foundation seemed to be embedded within the island. Some also began gossiping about a large shadow moving through the water, which seemed to be following them. Some officers directed their subordinates to march a bit further inland for their safety.
Word eventually got to Tyros up front, yet he still continued his march. He had noticed it a while back, but concluded that whoever resided in that copper house had some control over this beast, if he had managed to settle peacefully there. He may have thought the beast was harmless, but he has talking the worst-case scenario, and this seemed the most rational. He did not want to worry his men with such suspicions, but he felt others among his ranks were coming to similar conclusions.
A man stepped out of that house. He looked somewhat Umbrian; probably a mixed-breed of some Dumnonian vassal. He motioned for Tyros to approach, and ordered his men to quickly construct a boat from two of their carriages. In about an hour, Tyros was already paddling his way to the island. He wished to go alone, fearing the presence of his advisors would only work to over-complicate the situation.
The man seemed welcoming, and he and Tyros stepped into the copper home.
The sun began to set behind them, and Tyros finally came within sight from the shore. He tossed an object into the waters, and appeared to be washing himself for a second before paddling the rest of the way back. He ordered his army to rise up once again, and ordered them to complete their march to the mouth of the other side of the lake, even if it took all night.
In only about 2 hours, they found their way to the other passage. Tyros set up camp by the lake, with his army extending settlement nearly to the entrance of the passage.
When asked by his historians for his biography, Tyros stated "I negotiated passage with the man, who cast a spell to settle the beast. He was to reverse it once we have fully crossed."
When asked by a handful of officers about his disposal of the object before he reached shore, Tyros said "I cut off his head. The spell will not be reversed, and the men that shall join us have no need for such a trivial matter."
FinDragon said
I'll take it upon myself to inform that both Marcus are occupied for the weekend, So just carry on at Will.
No worries. Ya'll won't miss out on much.
"Once we pass through these mountains, none of us will be turning back until Dumnonia is conquered." King Tyros walked between the ranks of his 30,000 men. He carried his spear in his right hand, and his helmet under his left. "No longer will Piran's abominations linger over us. No longer will his shadow creep along the edges of our cities. No longer will we fear an empire he can barely control."
"Now, we all know of the thousand nations of the Dumnonian Empire and the force that comes with it, but the Umbrian is the greatest warrior this world has ever known," and it was true. Each and every man standing around him had been fighting since birth. Many present had even fought each other at some point in time, but that did not matter now. Right now, they were all Umbrian.
He kept walking, chills making their way down his spine as he took in the full power of his army. Umbrians from all over the region stood together, in uniform, with the exception of a few specialists and officials here and there. The mountains that stood before him were taller than the eye could see. The only passage out lay directly in front of him: a half-mile separation travelers often called the "Umbrian Gap". He had never gone through there, but he knew what lay on the other side. An army of millions defended a vast territory encompassing many races and cultures. Tyros was determined to conquer it all.
"They say Piran has the Kings of Dumnonia feeding out of his open hand. He has subdued them, humiliated them, stripped them of their freedom... all so they may retain what is left of their pride and power. I will be damned in any Umbrian must live under Piran's rule. Our way of life has never included dominion under some foreign nation."
"No longer can we ignore what lays beyond the borders of our lands. We have proven enough to one another what we are capable of. It is time to show the world our true power."
He came to the foot of the gap and turned. Tyros put on his helmet, and motioned for his people to follow him into the unknown.
"Now, we all know of the thousand nations of the Dumnonian Empire and the force that comes with it, but the Umbrian is the greatest warrior this world has ever known," and it was true. Each and every man standing around him had been fighting since birth. Many present had even fought each other at some point in time, but that did not matter now. Right now, they were all Umbrian.
He kept walking, chills making their way down his spine as he took in the full power of his army. Umbrians from all over the region stood together, in uniform, with the exception of a few specialists and officials here and there. The mountains that stood before him were taller than the eye could see. The only passage out lay directly in front of him: a half-mile separation travelers often called the "Umbrian Gap". He had never gone through there, but he knew what lay on the other side. An army of millions defended a vast territory encompassing many races and cultures. Tyros was determined to conquer it all.
"They say Piran has the Kings of Dumnonia feeding out of his open hand. He has subdued them, humiliated them, stripped them of their freedom... all so they may retain what is left of their pride and power. I will be damned in any Umbrian must live under Piran's rule. Our way of life has never included dominion under some foreign nation."
"No longer can we ignore what lays beyond the borders of our lands. We have proven enough to one another what we are capable of. It is time to show the world our true power."
He came to the foot of the gap and turned. Tyros put on his helmet, and motioned for his people to follow him into the unknown.
Marcus XVI said
Made some very minor changes to equipment
Word.
Halvtand said
Name: Cornelius Nerva
TimasheTiger said
Name: Thallus Galdorian
Both approved.
Getting the first post up now.
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