File: Stracus Report, October 1545.png (2.15 MB, 2362x2081)

2.15 MB PNG

You turn to the man on your left, your trusted second in command and former guard captain who joined you in your self-imposed retirement, Hugues Regnard. The middle-aged Montcherian soldier seems to be handling the sun rather well for someone from a temperate region such as his.

"What is it, Hughes?" you ask.

"Far be it from me to question your decisions, meu seynor, but are you very much certain that this Mariotto di Golla can be trusted? Whatever his dealings with Don Carles, I am doubtful he and his fellows hold much care for the idea of being ruled by a human. After that man spoke of alternative candidates and other mercenary armies, I have begun to wonder whether or not they intend to make cannon fodder out of our forces."

You stop to consider his words as you trot along the road atop your horse. It is true that your former liege, Prince Carles, had told you that you held the advantage of being an outsider "untainted" by local ties, you are nonetheless a human, a foreign stranger not of the same race as the kite-eared Straccians, however similar they may be. Although this man had been seemingly chosen by Carles to act as your liaison to Garino, it could very well be his goal to use you as a bludgeon against Niccolo, before installing one of his own Garinoans, perhaps even himself, on the Despotic Throne. Of course, perhaps you are worrying too much - you were never quite the most skilled in matters of politicking and intrigue. Being born the only elligible heir to a small yet wealthy family in a land unbothered by the courtly disputes of the mainland, you were quite well insulated from such matters...and as a consequence, not very experienced in them.

Straccia, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. Where the noblemen of Mirevale were bound ultimately still by the rule of the crown and the societal imperatives of the noble class, no such thing existed in this land of merchants and city-states. Although some remnants of noble blood remained, such as Duke Giovanni of Silenia and his daughter,Lady Joanne, whom you had met some odd months ago, most of the states in this land, the Despotate amongst them, were ruled by coalitions of urban aristocrats, their power founded not in blood and heritage but silver and gold. Indeed, that a nation such as Senucco whose most common form of inheritance would be the hostile takeover could exist is a matter most indicative of the ignominious state of the politics of this land.

And now, you have been thrust into the depths of this cloak and dagger conflict. Still...what, if anything, is there to do in regards to your advisor? Is he to be trusted - or shall you plant your eyes on the back of your head every time he walks behind you?

CHOOSE YOUR OPTION
>Work to gain his trust, if only for so long as you need his support
>Trust the judgement of Don Carles for now, and assume him to be truthful
>Maintain some degree of doubt over his words, but nothing more
>Assume him to be hiding something. Study his every act and keep him at a certain distance from your plans.
>Write-in

Thread I - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6153604/

Thread I (Conclusion) - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6189036/

Thread II - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6231466/

Thread III -
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6275844/

Thread IV - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2026/6326513/

Thread V - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2026/6388307/

Field Handbook - https://rentry.org/TercioQuest

Welcome to yet another installation for Fog of War! My apologies for the extended length between threads. Although I intend to update as often as possible, I may not have the time for it in the middle of the week - but we'll see how things turn out.

>>6463120
>Work to gain his trust, if only for so long as you need his support
Thank God this ain’t dead.

>>6463120
>Work to gain his trust, if only for so long as you need his support

>>6463120
>Work to gain his trust, if only for so long as you need his support

Good to see this back!

>>6463120
>Work to gain his trust, if only for so long as you need his support
Hughes is right to be skeptical I think, though honestly our Senucco contact is being plenty open about the nature of our relationship instead of trying to gaslight us into thinking we're a chosen one, so I doubt he has anything more than opportunistic deceptions in mind. I doubt other mercenaries are any more appealing than we are, perhaps even less so depending on their social pedigree, so our best bet is to make ourselves look like the best choice early. Which entails not pissing him off. That way we can delay the inevitable attempt at our replacement.

>>6463120
>Maintain some degree of doubt over his words, but nothing more
I do not trust these people even a little bit, but right now our plans are aligned and, with our massive artillery, we should be in a strong position to win the peace

>>6463120
>Work to gain his trust, if only for so long as you need his support

Aw yeah this is back. Now, onto politicking!

>>6463120
>Trust the judgement of Don Carles for now, and assume him to be truthful
Even if he is lying through his teeth we have a common interest: the defeat of the despot. If he isn't he is doubtless going to be one of the big power moves in our new regime, and fostering pushing him away now would backfire; I think waiting until we see the rest of the mercenaries and comparing ourselves to them should come first.

It's good to see that people still want to follow this quest. Sadly, I'll have to postpone the update to tomorrow because quite frankly, I am just not in the atmosphere to do it today and it would end up pretty bad.

In the meanwhile, please feel free to continue voting.

>>6463120
>>Maintain some degree of doubt over his words, but nothing more

>>6463732
Thanks for the heads up and I know I'm not alone when I say I was very happy to see this quest up

>>6463146
>>6463189
>>6463247
>>6463315
>>6463510
Working to gain his trust wins! Writing....

Although he had told you directly of the presence of other candidates, it is prudent indeed to consider whether Mariotto may have less than positive plans for you. You are a man isolated, deep in a foreign land, with but a few hundred soldiers whom you can truly trust. Your money reserves, however plentiful for the moment, shall certainly run out eventually. To wait for your weakest moment and replace you with someone more useful to the city of Garino would be a mere matter of time, if you even managed to overthrow the Despot by yourself in the first place. Knowing all that, however - what can you do?

In the end, you need Garino's support. They are the key to your ascension to the lordship of Senucco, and the maintenance of your seat upon it. And though for the moment he has departed off to his fellows in the city, to tell them of your departure and hopefully to fan the flames of their crafted revolt, you have little option but to gain Mariotto's trust (or at least, his interest) for he - through his position as liaison - shall be your link to the city of Garino. You are not all too certain how exactly you might bring this about, but in time, an opportunity is certain to reveal itself.

Your travel through the backlands of Nera continues for several days more after this, even crossing a stone bridge that fortunately did not buckle under the heavy weight of your artillery train. When you finally arrive within sight of Vivanna, it becomes clear to you with what accuracy it had been described as a border town. Colorful clusters of travel tents are set up outside the city walls, banners high showing the symbols of dozens of mercenary groups. Your own regiment, easily detected, is quickly approached by a city clerk that assigns you a spot to set up your own encampment. It would seem that, out of a desire to maintain order in the city, the varying mercenary companies that would often find their way to the city were to be kept at some distance from one another - though those with coin could still find proper lodgings inside the walls...

After being lead to your designated location, you split off from your army, going into the city as the troops began to set up their camp. After so many of days marching in the sweltering heat, proper lodgings and a bath would be greatly appreciated indeed.

File: Campaign Map - Road to Garino.png (6.85 MB, 7475x3363)

6.85 MB PNG

It is the 4th of October, and you are currently standing in front of a great map. To your good surprise, it would seem that on his path to Garino, Mariotto had left you a gift of sorts - a list of all the castles and fortresses on your path to the city, and a map to accompany it. You had little doubt that there were more, scaterred on the countryside here and there, but these, for the moment, would be the ones that concerned you.

"How might we proceed, Hugues?" you say, turning to your Sargento Mayor.

"Well.." he begins, clearing his throat.

"There is little doubt that we shall have to follow among the road. We have been fortunate for now, but a single day of heavy rain would be more than plenty to turn less-kept roads to a pile of mud that would see our cannons and wagons sink into the earth. The river, of course, is right out - perhaps if we had access to proper warships, something could be done, but without them, we would have little way of dealing with any naval fortifications alongside it. In the main route, the papers say that most of the fortifications are older works from before the age of artillery, with slight modifications. Those, I am certain our firepower could make quick work of. The issue comes with La Grande Rocca."

"A foreboding name for sure." you add.

"It is, from these reports, a modern fortress, built at the orders of Niccolo himself. It is his center of power in the region, and built in the style of the Trace Colibrenne. Though I have not seen firepower of such quantity brought to bear myself, If what I know about these manners of forts is correct, it will not fall easily."

"We do not have much in the way of time - might it be possible to ignore it? To go past, as we did with some of the cities in Tilano?" you question

"It is...not as easy, sire. This is no mere castle or town - this is a true fortress. Though we are not reliant on a supply line, it would leave us open to strikes from the garrison. And even if we were to succeed and reach Garino - then the region itself would remain still at the mercy of these men. They could coordinate with other castles in the region - perhaps even form an field army of their own, and bite us at the heels when we least expect it. It is a risky maneuver. Though I am not certain we have much choice..."

"What else can be done, then?"

"I would have to see this fortress in person to give an answer, sire. There is little else that could be said at the moment."

"Very well..." You say rubbing the bridge of your nose in frustration. "What other business have we in this town before departure?"

"There are some decisions to be made - our supplier, Cambino Veni, has made it clear he will supply us no further beyond this point. We must choose how many weeks of supplies we shall carry at a time. Furthermore...though I doubt we shall find any companies not bound by a Condotta here, perhaps there may be Independent Mercenaries who have come to this city in wait of a coming war. There are also labourers, of course, who though perhaps not capable of fighting, could be used for construction efforts in a siege."

"We can simply order our soldiers to do it, as we had in Montechia." you reply, raising your hand.

"It is not so simple, sire. We have less soldiers, for one - and the ones we have, shall certainly not like it if they were made to do the work of a commoner after having been made knights and musketeers."

Questions, questions, and more questions. Once again you are faced with decisions that shall impact not only your own life, but that of your army, of the fate of an entire war. Weirdly, however...it feels good.

CHOOSE YOUR OPTION - SUPPLY
>5 Weeks; The opportunity to fill out your supplies entirely is not an easily found one. This will considerably slow you down.
>4 Weeks; You'll not risk your army running on an empty stomach, but you won't let yourself slow to a crawl either. This will somewhat slow your speed.
>3 Weeks; It is an even and reasonable amount, neither too full nor too empty. This will not affect your marching speed.
>2 Weeks; It is better to be swift than to be safe, but you still wish some assuarance. Due to your large artillery train, this will not affect your marching speed.
>1 Week; This is a land of plenty, and your army will feed from it with ease. Due to your large artillery train, this will not affect your marching speed.

CHOOSE YOUR OPTION - VIVANNA
>Attempt to recruit Independent Mercenaries
>Hire manual labourers for construction work
>Do nothing, you're fine
>Write-in

>>6464248
>3 Weeks; It is an even and reasonable amount, neither too full nor too empty. This will not affect your marching speed.
2 weeks and below would only be useful if we split the artillery from the army. Which we probably can do, but with the forts there won't be much point.

>Hire manual labourers for construction work
More mercenaries won't help against forts and bridge crossings.

>>6464248
>3 Weeks; It is an even and reasonable amount, neither too full nor too empty. This will not affect your marching speed.
Time is not on our side. There could be an argument for having spare supplies to send a detachment further ahead on a very long range strike, not slowed by our artillery, but that's a risky and situational maneuver.

>Hire manual labourers for construction work
As lovely as having even more mercenaries would be to create the perfect unit for a big decisive battle, I doubt having more at this point when our main opponents are stone and earth rather than flesh and metal will be of significant use to us when most of our casualties will be to our gold reserves.
Plus, we have a fancy smarty pants engineer. The more he has to work with in complicated siegeworks or fortifications, the better, I think.

>>6464248
>4 Weeks; You'll not risk your army running on an empty stomach, but you won't let yourself slow to a crawl either. This will somewhat slow your speed.

>Hire manual labourers for construction work

>>6464272
+1

>>6464248
>3 Weeks; It is an even and reasonable amount, neither too full nor too empty. This will not affect your marching speed.
>Hire manual labourers for construction work

>>6464248
Is it possible to attack the river forts from the land to free the river for navigation?

>>6464399
While it would be possible to do so, I don't exactly understand the logic behind it. Aside from the fact that you would need to go through the minor rural roads to get there, which was talked about in the updates, you would be going through the land to get to a fort...to free up a river you aren't using? If I've misunderstood your idea, please explain.

>>6464455
The idea is that we could use the river if we removed the forts on it

>>6464248
>3 Weeks; It is an even and reasonable amount, neither too full nor too empty. This will not affect your marching speed.
>Hire manual labourers for construction work

>>6464463
Okay, but, anon, how exactly would you use the river if you were travelling by land? Is your plan to go all the way to the castle, then back to Vivanna? Or is your hope that you'll find a fleet capable of carrying your ships there?

Please help me understand.

>>6464466
capable of carrying your army*

>>6464466
In my dreams, we take just enough supplies to reach La Grande Rocca, take Forte Fiume and establish a riverborne supply line to Vivanna. The army marches on land, but the supplies go via the river and don't slow us down.

>>6464470
Well, that's your prerogative, but in regards to sailing, you would know that you'd have to acquire the ships capable of doing such in Vivanna, and that loading and unloading anything in considerable quantities, especially troops and cannons, requires capable docks.

If you believe that's still worth it, you can use a write-in to go look for ships in your Vivanna action.

>>6464475
I have a feeling that you don't want us to use the river

>>6464481
Alessandro, as a character, would have the knowledge of the material limitations of your current situation. What you choose to do with that knowledge is entirely up to you.

Alright, I'll still leave the vote open for a little while longer but regardless of what you do, I'll be asking for you to
>ROLL 1D100, AVERAGE OF FIRST THREE
For success in your endeavors

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>6464577

>>6464578
>>3 Weeks; It is an even and reasonable amount, neither too full nor too empty. This will not affect your marching speed.
>Hire manual labor

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>6464248
>2 Weeks; It is better to be swift than to be safe, but you still wish some assuarance. Due to your large artillery train, this will not affect your marching speed.

>Do nothing, you're fine
Mercenaries are paid to be soldiers and sometimes soldiers do some hard work. Time to beat some classic legionary belief into them!

>>6464577
Good to see you back! Finally caught up right as the last thread ended. (Apologize for tripcode, usually don’t take it off since it’s a pain in the ass to add back on)

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>6464577

I guess the ongoing rapee of the economy has lent a healthy amount of Neran itinerant workers to the cause.

>>6464248
>3 Weeks; It is an even and reasonable amount, neither too full nor too empty. This will not affect your marching speed.
>Hire manual labourers for construction work4

Since our artillery slows us down, might as well take as many supplies as we can before it slows us down. And laborers, that way we can have our troops rest and not exhaust themselves before a fight.

>>6464252
>>6464256
>>6464272
>>6464348
>>6464465
>>6464465
>>6464767
I'm just gonna go and close the vote for manual labourers and three weeks.

File: Stracus Report, October 6(...).png (2.08 MB, 2362x2081)

2.08 MB PNG

Although acquiring some more mercenaries for your cause (and especially so those who may not be sworn to some independent company far more capable of defiance and self-interest) may sound wonderful, it is a fact that your greatest enemy in this war seems to be not flesh and steel but stone and brick, and if your cannons are not enough to bring down these fortifications, then sieging and sapping shall be your only choice. Knowing this, you called Vincenzo Sfolari, your newly hired master engineer, and told him to gather himself however many strong labourers he found necessary to aid him and his assistants in his endeavours. The man thanked you for your genereosity, and went on, while you continued to oversee the acquisition of your supplies - with a little extra, for whatever number he came back with.

To your surprise, the number is...a lot. You had expected a hundred or two hundred men at best - certainly, in a land such as this, there could not have been so many urban poor desperate for work. From what you gathered, however, it would seem that the Fortelli War had left Nera in direr straits than you had thought - not only had they incurred much debt with the expenditures of the war itself, and the acquisition of the Famiglia before that (to a much disappointing result you had caused), the addition of Don Carles's remittance as well as the reduction of tariffs for Segoman merchants had lead to a rather steep loss in revenue for the state - a loss which they had no choice but to compensate for with a rather steep raise in taxes for the common man. As a result, a lot of urban tradesmen, and especially those outside the city of Montellegaria, where all wealth of Nera was ultimately funneled, had gone out of business. And so...Vincenzo was able to hire a whopping six hundred labourers for a measly 300 Imperii per month - or around half a coin's worth for each man.

It is the 6th of October when your regiment leaves the city, now accompanied by hundreds of weary labourers, and the ever trailing shadow of the sutler, those merchants ever so happy to provide services and goods to your soldiers. With this last stop surpassed, you are but a few more days of travel away from finally, at long last entering the territory of Senucco. To your good surprise, as you cross yet another bridge on the Vietta, you find yourself trodding not upon a bed of dirt, but a true road, with gravel and stone, and drainage ditches. Indeed, this road is a finer road than any you had seen on all of Nera save for perhaps that of the streets of Montellegaria itself. You are not sure why exactly such a road would exist solely in this stretch of border, or which nation had built it, but you shall certainly be thankful that they have.

Following this, your travel becomes easier by an considerable amount. Your wagons roll along the road with much greater ease, and when rain begins to fall, it comes not as a worst case scenario, but as a splendour-given refreshment from the heat. As you begin to prepare the first assortment of assignments for when you finally enter "hostile" territory, you can only hope that such fine road will be upon your feet for the entirety of this war.

RULES

Welcome once again to the 'Strategical' Theater of the conflict. From this moment onward, we will once again return to seeing the events of this conflict in a format of weeks. As the Captain of the Lance of Stracus, It shall be your duty to steer your army as you move towards your ultimate goal of overthrowing the Despot of Senucco, Niccolo di Lorena. Although there is no 'timer' for this conflict, your vital wealth resources are both finite and hard to acquire.

Events
During each week, a number of events may occur. These range from positive to negative and anywhere inbetween. Your foraging parties may be attacked, or your scouts may find an enemy force marching on its way to attack you. Keep in mind, however, that not every event will have an immediately obviously outcome..

Units
They are your army; your soldiers. Your units are the smallest formation you can effectively use at an independent level during this time and age. Outside of battles, they shall be responsible for accomplishing tasks. You should keep it well in mind, however, that these are independent men, with goals and wills that could very well conflict with yours...do not expect them to be follow you mindlessly.

Supplies
It has been said that an army marches on its stomach, and this is no less true here. Your supplies are what determines whether your army shall be fed, and starvation can be a far more fearsome foe than bullets or spears. Keep in mind these terms...

Local Availability represents the physical wealth of the region. It can range from Very Poor, Poor and Average to Rich and Very Rich. This value determines the ease with which your soldiers may forage and sack supplies from the countryside, and is heavily dependant on both your location and season of the year.

Supply represents any 'consistent' stream of supplies being received by your army. There are various levels of supply. Insufficient means your supply is wholly unable to support your army; it shall only barely slow the decrease of your storage. Lacking means they are far more decent, yet still not enough; they will somewhat slowdown your supply consumption, taking two weeks to burn through a single week's worth of supplies. Sufficient means you have enough to feed your entire army and will suffer no supply loss whatsoever. Finally, Plentiful means you are receive all you require and then some; actively increasing your supply storage every month.

Status represents how well your army is doing at the moment; a well-supplied army is not only happier, but more capable as well. It is in your best interest to maintain this value as high as possible.

Stored represents how many weeks of supply you hold in your baggage train; It is what ensures you will continue to eat even if your foraging parties fail. Lose it, or let your supplies run dry, and your army will begin to starve. It should be kept in mind, however, that losing your stored supplies does not spell instant death; as long as your troops are capable of foraging from the land, you may continue to remain afloat.

Finances
The general who does not pay his soldiers will not remain a general for much longer. In this age of warfare, no soldiers holds loyalty greater than to that of cold, hard cash. It is what motivates them, and it is what keeps you in charge.
Warchest represents the wealth you have stored. It can increase or decrease as a result of events or purchases, but its main usage is to pay the wages of your soldiers at the start of each month.
Upkeep represents the total sum of the wages demanded by your army; this includes not only your recruited soldiers, but your mercenary companies and specialists as well. Failing to pay them in time will have grave consequences...
Months Until Bankruptcy reprents how many months worth of wages your warchest is capable of paying.


WILL YOU ASSIGN UNITS TO SCOUTING? CHOOSE YOUR OPTION.
>Yes. (If so, which?)
>No.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER TASKS YOU WISH TO ASSIGN COMPANIES TO? (Examples may include Vanguard, Rear Guard or Guard to Specific Components Such as Warchest or Supply Train)
>Yes. (If so, which task, and which companies?)
>No.

Finally, there is one last matter which you must consider - and it is the matter of your first strike. In this coming week you shall sure cross the border to Senucco, where, if the information you have been given is correct, the first castle in your path to Garino stands - Forte Biezzo. It is not a great fortress, according to Mariotto's info, but a simple border castle, built quite a while ago. Nevertheless, it is a hostile fortification, manned by troops loyal to the Despot, and thus, enemies of your cause. You must choose a way to deal with them!

The first of such options would be the standard - to prepare your guns, and fire until they either surrender, or until they are softened enough for your shocktroops to lead an assault without worry - though losses are always inevitable. The second is to put to test the full power of your artillery detachment, and obliterate the fortress until nothing but dust and rubble remains, though some might call such an action Unnecessary and Unsplendoran. Thirdly, you could perhaps simply threaten them with your guns with the hope of a peaceful surrender - though your campfires shall surely announce your presence by your first night in their territory, the enemy knows not of the cannons you hold, something you'd rather keep hidden for a while longer. Finally, you could simply avoid the castle entirely - after all, a fortress as small as this is very doubtfully capable of launching a raid that could threaten an army as large as yours.

Whatever your choice, it shall be the first shot fired in this war for the throne of Senucco.

CHOOSE YOUR OPTION
>Carry out a normal attack against them
>Obliterate the castle entirely, leave none alive
>Attempt to frighten them into laying down their arms
>Ignore the fortress and move on
>Write-In

>>6464970
>Attempt to frighten them into laying down their arms

>>6464968
>WILL YOU ASSIGN UNITS TO SCOUTING? CHOOSE YOUR OPTION.
>Yes. (If so, which?)
May as well put the Banda Grisa and the Stradioti Mabriana out there. Get their feet wet while the going is still easy and get a feel for the terrain, also a matter of testing our opposition to see how good they are without their boss. If their good officers or troops are present and all.

>DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER TASKS YOU WISH TO ASSIGN COMPANIES TO? (Examples may include Vanguard, Rear Guard or Guard to Specific Components Such as Warchest or Supply Train)
>Yes. (If so, which task, and which companies?)
Vanguard: Keusiger Kompanie
Rearguard: Condottieri Avonesi
Warchest: Lance of Stracus
I doubt we'll need a dedicated watch over our supplies so early.

>>6464970
>Attempt to frighten them into laying down their arms
No need to be Mongols about setting an example.
But if they stall we absolutely should just flatten it.

>>6464970
>>WILL YOU ASSIGN UNITS TO SCOUTING?
>>Yes
Both troops of Skirmishers of the Stradioti

>>DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER TASKS YOU WISH TO ASSIGN COMPANIES TO?
>>Yes
Rear guard should be composed of Pikemen and the full wing of Knights. That's also where our money should be.

Logic there is that our artillery is out most valuable asset and we should be protecting it with the units best suited to static defense (pikemen) as well as having our best all-around combat troops there to protect it.

Van should be composed of the Stradioti cavalry acting to screen the column. I guess the Keusigers should be the next closest to the front

>Attempt to frighten them into laying down their arms
I think we might be able to accomplish this withiut revealing the full extent of our cannon arsenal too. Maybe we get laborers to cut some trees and construct blinds to hide some of our larger guns while we're outside the fort? And, if now its too few and they aren't frightened, we can also shoot at them and then ask them again if they'd like to surrender

>>6465018
Supporting this

>>6464970
Scouting
>Skirmishers from the Sradioti
I can't remember if regular cavalry is any good at scouting but I doubt we need to be putting that many scouts in the field until we're past the forts.

>>6465018
Supporting this anon for our column organisation.

>Attempt to frighten them into laying down their arms

>>6464970
>Attempt to frighten them into laying down their arms

>>6465018
Support

>>6465018
+1

I also think we should have multiple teams foraging and hunting..

We should also have a wing of our knight secure any gold or valuables during the conquest so they don't go missing in any mercenary pockets

>Attempt to frighten them into laying down their arms
I'd offer extremely reasonable terms of the surrender

>>6465018
>>6465029
>>6465056
>>6465255
>>6465425
I'll lock this down as the winner, but post is tomorrow because it's a big one.

File: Mama mia itsa a problemisimo.jpg (167 KB, 720x855)

167 KB JPG

While QM is writing the update, I want to discuss with my fellow anons something that has been worrying me: the river forts

There are two, Forte Fiume and Castello Atto. We don't have to encounter them as we go along the main road. But, that also means that if we forget about them, they'll just be there unconquered when we reach La Roca. My fear is that they'll send out raiding parties to harry our supply line. And I don't see a super easy way to solve the problem because they're off the main road, so dragging the guns there would be a bitch and a half.

So, what do we do? Do they even pose a threat? My only idea so far is that we should probably send a cavalry detachment to Fiume at some point to see what the fort and garrison actually look like

>>6465518
They will also suffer the problem of having no direct roads to us, so we do have an advantage there, and it would also depend on if they have cavalry. I doubt it considering they're river forts, but only QM knows.

>>6465518
>So, what do we do? Do they even pose a threat? My only idea so far is that we should probably send a cavalry detachment to Fiume at some point to see what the fort and garrison actually look like
I doubt they're an actual threat for a couple of reasons. One is that we aren't using that river- depending on what way it flows, it's not actually more useful than the road we already have for our purposes (our traffic needs aren't too much) and also because long range communication is still a matter of rider and horse, or in the very odd case one of homing pigeon (not nearly as common as sometimes portrayed), so the most likely scenario so long as we're fast enough is that these outposts won't even know there's an invasion occurring until we're already besieging La Grande Rocca.

I imagine that their garrisons are not very imposing beyond what makes holding a castle necessary, a few hundred men at best, meant to hold until a response force from the Big Rock is assembled. Given that their distance from the main road and that the river is still an asset to *somebody* (receiving forces sent down it, for example) their orders in this situation would be to hold steady and not risk losing their positions.

>>6465563
>>6465589
I wasn't clear. My worry is that the garrisons of those forts, not the forts themselves, could pose a threat to our supply lines. And that, if they do, it would be difficult for us to attack those garrisons.

My worst case scenario would be us beseiging La Roca and having our supplies lines harassed by men stationed at Fiume and Atto, forcing us to take valuable men away from the siege in order to guard supply convoys

>>6465594
That also isn't much of a concern. Their garrisons are probably not larger than our individual regiments (unless the Despot is fond of spending unreasonable amounts of money on soldier wages for obsolete castles) so if they do choose to do that then we send the Banda Grisa or our Cavalry forces (who won't be doing anything in a siege anyways) to crush them.
They could be irritating but we're not without ways to effectively deal with them if they do choose to sally out.

I have the written part of the update ready, but I am struggling with finding a fitting image for the castle. My apologies.

>>6465915
Jean-Claude Golvin has some images of castles. Even if it doesn't help, there are pretty: https://jeanclaudegolvin.com/en/gallery/

>>6465921
Hmhmmh, well it's some nice art, but I can't say any of it fits for this in specific.

Ah, whatever, I don't wanna keep things held up. I'll just post without an image this time...

File: Crossing the Line.png (448 KB, 1277x1162)

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It does not take you much time to know that you ought to keep your most valuable of assets protected by your own, loyal men. Whatever the loss to their reputation would be, you are not certain these mercenaries could resist the urge to take your warchest for themselves should they be left alone with it, even less so those capable of fleeing by way of horse. And so it is with little difficulty that you assign your own pikemen and knights of the Lance to guard your rear, where your warchest is to remain. The rest of the cavalry you send forthwards, the skirmishers off to scout while the cavalry remain at the front. You shall enter these hostile lands ready and prepared for whichever threat may exist!

It is the 8th of October when you enter Senucco at last. There is little to mark this change of territory, save for some small sign by the roadside, but the symbolism of such acts cannot be underestimated. You are now in the land of the enemy, a land which you must take, where every castle and city and town holds a foe to be defeated. Yet in the same time, it is a land which you plan to rule, a land whom you shall, at least in name, fight to "free" from a tyrannic and unjust ruler. Certainly, then, your every action shall be weighed against his - every village pillaged a crime against those you intend to call subject. Every slight a matter to be remembered even in success. Although these people may be used to these changes of power - these civil wars that by some splendour-sent grace have not destroyed this country in the centuries it has existed - you, human that you are, shall be judged beyond all others, held to a standard much finer, and given sentence much easier.

Whatever you do from now onwards will be remembered. You must take care to ensure that they are the right things...

As your army is crossing the border, you spot in the distance the form of the castle; and you certainly expect they have been able to do the same. Certainly by now, they have already sent off a courier on his horse, galloping at full speed towards La Rocca to inform them of your army. Though you might have liked to reach them in secret, it would simply be impossible to do so unless your men were able to march through the midst of night with neither lamp nor candle. Yet though your general presence is known, all that which is specific is not - not your musketeers, nor your guns. You hold the advantage still, and you intend to keep as much of it as you are able. With a few orders, you make your plan known - the artillery detachment is to move to the front, and prepare to unload within viewing distance of the enemy's walls!

It is...early in the afternoon, whichever hour you know not, when you finally arrive where you wish. In the distance, now ever-so-closer, is that first of castles which stands in your path, Forte Biezzo. It stands proudly, defiantly, yet all the same lackingly in comparison to what you have seen from a modern fortress. Your reports had been correct; it is an old castle indeed, from the age of trebuchets and battering rams. All that it holds from modern times is but some humble earthworks, much like that one town you had once met in the outskirts of Nera, in Tilano.

You stand at the forefront of your army, seven thousand strong, your cannons at the front. It must be a terrible sight for those men, up in those towers, gazing down at the challengers below them. They must know, certainly, that there is no blow which they could deliver us, no resistance which might be meaningful. What logical course of action, then, is there, but surrender? They, who do not fight for faith and country, but for a transient figure, have no reason to perish foolishly so. And as such, when the last of your Kartouwes and Culverins are lined up against their walls, you do not fire. You wait; that they might see. And then, you send off a messenger, one amongst the brave, with a loud and boisterous voice, to ride up to their walls, and tell of them your goal.

You see the man approach the castle walls, unharmed, and then yell out in the distance, almost unrecognizably to you yet certainly loud enough for them. He waits for a while, the silence thick, before riding back. The enemy, it would appear, have yet to answer. Certainly, they must have heard it. With nothing else to do, you wait for a while.

And wait.

And wait...

It is when you finally notice that the angle of the sun's shadow has perceptibly changed that you decide you have had enough of waiting. These men must be either mute, brave beyond words, or simply unknowledgeable about the power of your cannons. If that is the case...then they must be made to learn.

CHOOSE YOUR OPTION
>Wait a while longer - they must give an answer, eventually
>Fire off a warning blank shot, enough to show them our power without exposing our full numbers
>Allow one of your guns to fire at them once and ask them again (If so, specify which type)
>You have given them enough time, fire a full barrage!
>Write-In

I had originally hoped this would be a bit longer, but I'll have to draw something to make up for the lack of an image, so think of this as the first half of the fortress scenario.

>>6465926
Can we actually see anyone in the castle? They may have just abandoned it.

>Send a light company of greatsword from the Banda Grisa backed up by a company of crossbow from the Keusigers to scale the walls.

If they get attacked, retreat and we'll fire a full barrage, but I have the sneaking suspicion that nobody's home. Why wouldn't they respond to us otherwise?

Alright we tried diplomacy.
>>6465926
>>You have given them enough time, fire a full barrage!
They may fear the Despot too much to not make a token effort or roll the dice on a bluff. We don't need this place intact, we need it out of our way. We can set a good precedent here- to not toy with the man with cannons. They might learn early our strength, but, perhaps in some cases we want them to know.

>>6465926
>You have given them enough time, fire a full barrage!
Provided that we stop again and invite them to surrender after the next barrage. Or find out the fort is abandoned, lol

>>6465926
>>Wait a while longer - they must give an answer, eventually

>>6465937
+1

>>6465926
>Allow one of your guns to fire at them once and ask them again (If so, specify which type)
One of the mortars, to show that the walls mean nothing.

>>6465937
Supporting this, I don't want us to get Zhuge Liang'd

>>6465926
+1 >>6465937

Alright so I'm going to put a damper on this idea to "scale the walls" by asking, firstly;
With what, exactly? Do we have ladders we keep stuffed up our asses? Grappling hooks we can even hurl up the sides of the wall?
This is without getting into the fact that it is patently absurd to risk even a single one of our men ending up finding this place defended when we have thousands of gold invested into things that make walls like these worthless. If the assumption about the castle being empty is wrong, our men will think we're intellectually disabled for basically sending them to commit suicide. They don't have a final fantasy reflect spell cast on this place to make our cannonballs bounce back and destroy our artillery. We have no reason whatsoever to even risk a five percent chance that the epic prank gone wrong is that we fell for the actual oldest trick in the book where the other guy pretends he's not home.

>>6465967
>>6465969
Barrage

>>6465937
>>6466024
>>6466057
>>6466069
Send Light Swordsmen and Crossbowmen up the Walls

I'm going to keep it up a while longer before I lock in.

>>6466192
Alright, locked in.

>>6466072
Well my logic goes:
They're light troops, and it shouldn't be too hard to find handholds to climb up on, especially if this is an older fort. And while it is a risk betting that they don't have anyone inside, they didn't respond to our threats, no jeering, no telling us to fuck off, which means one of 2 things:
>They've got something planned
>Nobody's home

If they do have something planned I doubt they're bluffing that it is abandoned, they can see the size of our army and unless they're so loyal they're willing to all die for the despot there's nothing they can do. Which means that something else is afoot. The despot is smart, and my suspicion is that he's ordered these obsolete forts to be abandoned and concentrated his forces at La Grande Rocca. He knows the artillery guilds have it out for him, and anything that can't stand up to what they bring is obsolete, and not worth manning. Why else wouldn't they respond? What could they possibly be hiding that could threaten us?

File: Forte Biezzo.png (8 KB, 1600x1200)

8 KB PNG

As you are about to give the order to launch a barrage of gunfire against this fortress, you stop, your hand frozen halfway across the movement of rising. Something about this entire situation gives you great unease. It is true that one might remain out of sight when upon a besieged castle, if only to avoid giving away your position to the foe. Yet with ramparts of dirt such as these, which in exchange for some security against cannons make them all too easily climbed, could they truly move their defenders fast enough to prevent an assault? Furthermore, what do they win by ignoring your declaration entirely? If their goal had been to buy some manner of time for themselves, they would have been much better off by attempting to drag negotiations of a surrender out slowly. To ignore you would only incense your anger, of course! And if they were so ignorant as to not know the power of the artillery you hold and truly believed themselves safe, would they not have spoken in a defiant manner, at least?

No, there is almost certainly something odd underway, and you have no intention of falling to their trap. If they will not defend their castle - then you have just the men who could take advantage of that.

"Call the Banda Grisa! Call the Keusigers! Give to them these following orders..."

After what you assume is a dozen minutes of repositioning, your troops are in place - a light company of greatswords, from Lucon's Company, and a standard one Keusig Crossbows. Though one might normally hesitate to attack a fortress on their lonesome, these men, trusted by a veteran such as Lucon, are sure to be made of stronger will. With another sign from your hand, a horn is blown, and the companies begin to march towards the dirt-covered wall as you stand from the distance atop your horse, watching, looking for the smallest of signs that might drive you to call a retreat.

Yet as they approach the wall...there is nothing. The rampart grows closer, and yet all the same, there is nary a sound. When the swordsmen finally make it to the rampart, you almost expect a line of musketeers to pop up from the wall and drown them in fire. Yet nothing happens. The men sprint up the rampart, and closing the distance between the dirt and the wall, they climb through the parapet! Within moments, the walls of Forte Biezzo have fallen, with not a single drop of blood or grain of powder spilled.

Now all that was left was to open the gates, and let yourself in.

==== CAPITÁN CRISTOBAL =====
You are Cristobal de Bellona, Captain of the 1st Light Company of Greatswordsmen of the Banda Grisa. You have fought your way through four wars, killed over two dozen men, and slain a giant. You have done this without losing a single limb, eye, finger, or teeth.

And your day has been a steaming pile of shit.

When you had been ordered by the old graybeard to reposition for an assault, you had assumed that it would be as part of an all out attack. When you were told that you would be sent in alone, with but a single company of some poltroon arbalest-toting Keusigers, you had assumed that it would be a matter of waiting for those colossal guns you had seen on the march to tear down the walls to pieces, then walking over the rubble. Of course, given you were currently alive to complain about the matter - and with your bill of health still clean - it had seemed as though the Esplendor himself had coalesced upon this hill to make this idiotic madman's dash into a total and utter success.

Your men, shitbrained lot they were, had taken this miracle as some sort of sign that the noble bastard in charge had known of the abandonment of these here walls. You of course, knew that if the Viscount had any lick of knowledge, he might have told you lot of the matter before sending you over the walls. You had been sent out as a probing strike, that he might check for the truth with the expendable lives of a mercenary rather than wasting a single piece of cannonshot to bring down the gates. Of course, you knew this to be the lot of your trade. There was little loyalty held between a mercenary and his employers - coin for your death, and nothing more. A man who'd piss and moan about his first brush with death had no business wielding the double-soldier's blade.

What you could not accept, however, was the utter fucking lack of loot!

When you had been once again sent ahead of your lot to take the abandoned fortress citadel, you had hoped it to mean a chance at taking some war spoils for you and your men. But you had found nothing! Not a single room left that had not been picked clean. Whoever had ordered the abandonment of this castle had done so with plenty of time to spare. Not even the storeroom was spared - but a small pile of crates and bags had been left, and those they had burnt to a crisp.

But you weren't one to return empty-handed so easily, and you still had some time before they began to question your stay. You had been in the field long enough to know most men would hesitate to burn down their belongings simply because they could not take it with them, and so...

"CAPTAIN! IT'S HERE!"

You had sent your men searching.

You pushed your way through the crowd, forming around the small hole on the ground that one of your men had found. A single loose stone brick, hidden in some corner behind an empty crate, in a wall that lead to nowhere. Yet on the other side...a walled in room! Inside where you could see more than a dozen sacks and a few barrels of what you hoped to splendour was more of that kite-ear wine. It would seem that your day had gotten a whole lot better after all...

>ROLL 1D100, WORST OF THREE

Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>6466369
Looks like the enemy knows these old castles are dreadfully obsolete too.

Well I'm willing to take the L on being wrong here.
Though it makes me wonder on whether this was desertion or a planned concentration of force, which would mean two very different things.

Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>6466369

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>6466369

>>6466368
We either continue to have the element of surprise or have no element of surprise.

We should act as if we still have the element of surprise

>>6466380
I think we should take the cautious approach and assume it is a concentration of force. Which means that other anon was right that they're probably waiting for us with a few thousand men at La Grande Rocca

>>6466418
It's pretty concerning considering we'vd only just crossed over. I'm seeing three possibilities, one, that this place was either deserted or abandoned, either one a good sign for us (either meaning costs cut or fading loyalty due to internal instability) because we've yet to be detected.
The second possibility is that the Despot predicted a coup attempt and pulled all his forces inwards early so that they wouldn't be defeated in detail and would reinforce strong points. Not so good, but we still have come in largely unannounced.
The third possibility is that the Despot knew we were coming, earlier than the actual uprising would be prepared to act, and that he's busy conducting a preemptive assault against our allies before they've been able to get ready. This would be a catastrophe in the making, though at least one mitigated by our early action.
Personally I'm hoping for the mundane explanation rather than the Despot having thoroughly infiltrated Nera due to its long period of shifting allegiances and instability.

File: Stracus Report, October 9(...).png (2.08 MB, 2362x2081)

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==== ALESSANDRO GALLIOTA =====

You are Alessandro Galliota, the newest pretender to the throne of Senucco. You would like to say that you have just won the first battle of your war without a single shot fired or a soldier lost, but it would be a stretch to call the capture of an abandoned castle to be a victory. What you do know is that Forte Biezzo has been wiped clean. Whether it had been abandoned quite a while ago and your contact's information was out of date, or whether they had known of your army's advance before you even crossed the border you are not sure, but you do know that they have done too good a job to have done in that short period of time between your crossing of the border and your arrival at their position. There is nary a single document nor weapon nor left-behind sack of grain. All that's left is empty cots and empty halls.

It is a bad sign. You know, from the success which you had seen during the Fortelli War, that information may win or lose a war almost entirely by itself. Yet without any informants of your own on their territory, what could you possibly do? Nevertheless, you have taken the first castle, and you suppose that is good enough.

The following day after the conquest of the castle, your army departs once more, leaving the fortress as empty as you had found it once more. You continue to march along the main road, a light drizzle showering you without much other threat. The only problem you run into is a rather bad case of what appears to be food poisoning from soldiers across several of your companies. Without being able to know the source of the problem, you have no choice but to discard all the week's rations and hope that it will be enough.

- RESERVE DECREASED

The subject of supplies had also borne another question, one which you would have to decide yourself. You are now truly on the territory of Senucco. You have seen plenty of villages by the roadside, and you are sure that far, far, far more are around. To acquire supplies from them would be among the easiest of subjects. Your mercenary cavalry could, with hardly any difficulty, take as much or as little as you wanted. You very much doubt that you shall be the first in one of these civil wars to have done so, but nevertheless, those who suffer from this choice shall most likely not be the greatest of your supporters. But what else is there to do?

CHOOSE YOUR OPTION - FORAGE
>Assign some of your forces to foraging efforts (If so, which)
>Attempt to acquire the supplies peacefully (Expense may vary)
>You've got enough for the moment, wait more before doing anything
>Write-In

The march continues, and eventually you realize that soon enough, you shall be arriving in the second of your "targets" along the road - Forte Buono, and after it, La Grande Rocca is next. Though normally you might have approached it as you would, the state you had found the last castle in leaves you to wonder whether it is worth it. It is almost certain that the men of Biezzo would have retreated to where they might find allies - that is to say, further inland. And if they have passed through this road, then they must have warned their fellows as well. It would not be that great an assumption to presume this fortress to be just as empty as the last one.

Though at the same time, such a manner of thought could be exactly what they hoped you to think.

If the worst has come to happen and the Despot has learned of your little plot, then you have not even a single day to waste! Garino itself could, at this moment, be under the siege of the man, or perhaps an army could be gathering to attack you when you list expect. Though you think yourself a capable enough commander, this Niccolo has defeated entire coalitions on his lonesome, and almost certainly has greater forces than what your own personal funding could afford. All the same, even a few odd companies of raiders at your back could prove troublesome.

Ultimately, of course, the choice is up to you...

CHOOSE YOUR OPTION
>Treat it the same way you had treated Biezzo
>Waste no time and bombard the thing from the start
>Ignore it and move onwards
>Write-In

>>6466811
>Attempt to acquire the supplies peacefully (Expense may vary)
But more than supplies we need information.

>>6466813
>Write-in: Send our cavalry ahead to ask around in the surrounding villages. These are the peasants that supply the fort with food so they should know if it was abandoned and when, and hopefully where the garrison went. If by the time the main force reaches the fort we get no info, keep marching.

>>6466816
Supporting this.

>>6466813
>Ignore it, but send one of the Stradioti cavalry to check it out
Basically march the army past but the cavalry pops in and out to confirm that there's nobody there

>>6466816
Supporting this.
Considering this half of the country is going to be the closest we get to a base of support it'll be good to seem agreeable early. It's hard to follow Machiavellian theory when you're still trying to win the throne you're seeking. It's just before the harvest (if I'm remembering right) so they'll certainly not be in any need, but we'll also know quick if any troops seized supplies to drain the countryside ahead of us or not.
All else being said I think we would all prefer not to eat any more poisoned white castle specials.

>>6466813
>Attempt to acquire the supplies peacefully (Expense may vary)

>Treat it the same way you had treated Biezzo

>Write-In
Send cavalry to observe the forts at nighttime. Send some scouts to La Rocca and to Fiume as well, camp there a night or two, and report back whether there are lights within the castle. And, obviously, anything else could can report

I think looking for lights would be a good way to tell if the fort is occupied. And hopefully using a small force would avoid any changes in habit that might result from approaching a castle with a large force.

>>6466816
+1

>>6466813
>>Assign some of your forces to foraging efforts (If so, which)
Best mercs for the job?

>Ignore it and move onwards
Send a wing of Calvary at night when we camp (as we pass)to check for any lights.

>>6466856
+1