The Væringjar Conspiracy (Quest for Capua: for Bastard Feudalism)(Others can Join)

[Dirty Chai]

I should note that I am not opposed letting other players join this, but their character can't just show up and decide to help/fight the Varangians.
There has to be a decent explanation for their presence and involvement. for example, it's not plausible for some Duke in Germany to just ride down to Capua and involve himself.
If anything, most lords in Italy would only have heard some rumors about the Varangians at this point, although the Emperor would have more awareness, especially because of his geographical proximity to Capua.

The party landed in late spring, setting up in the Roman ruins outside of Gaeta, foraging and looting the nearby countryside for food and supplies. For a month, the men stayed there, and began to grow anxious, being left in the dark about their leader's plans.
An early summer night, Canute called them all to a war council in the upper levels of the amphitheater ruins.
The men had been wondering what he planned, and numerous theories had been circulating.

Canute revealed to all of them, standing around a small hearth in among the dark Roman stone, the information a few of the men had gathered from the countryside:
The Latin capital was in uproar and rebellion, grabbing the attention of all the Italian hierarchy, occupying the Emperor himself even though he was just north of them in Latium.
It was clear to all of them that this was the time to strike.

Although Canute has their fealty and trust, the Varangians always decide what to do with the band in votes and discussions, including every warrior in the band.
This goes back to the original band of Norse and Swedes who left Gotland a few decades ago.

The plan that they agreed upon was to first draw the Gaetans and the Capuans to battle, and use some form of trickery to overwhelm their large field levies.
A few suggested to fortify the ruins, lure them into that, trapping them in it. A few others were under the opinion that they needed to search the countryside a bit more for such a place suitable for such a plan.

Next they would take Gaeta and Capua respectively during dark nights afterwards, sweeping in before word of the Varangian's victory reached them.
The two cities would have to be infiltrated somehow, and taken with quick actions.



Mod: Shankbot12

[Dirty Chai]

In the end, the band opted to fortify the Roman ruins, believing its circular structure could be of use if they were able to draw the enemy into it.

They spent a week and a half cutting down trees, foraging and looting, and building barriers and stakes, palisades and gates, to place upon the open holes in the amphitheater's walls and stone pillars.
After the work was over, only one open entrance into the ruins was existent, where no barriers were placed.
It was the main entrance, which conveniently faces the road to Gaeta.
Upon the upper parts of the amphitheater, they placed rafters and scaffolds, places for archers to stand and loose their quarry upon a surrounded and cuckolded host.
Under these upper ramparts would sit the rest of the Varangians, behind stake barriers in the shade,
waiting to charge in and surround the foe.

The trouble was fooling the Gaetans into the trap. After a few long debates, the majority decided that no exact plan could be reached at that time, and they decided to improvise, for now sending a small group of a dozen men to find some way to further anger and hopefully infuriate the Gaetans into making a few rash decisions.

[Dirty Chai]

The dozen men attack a few small hamlets on the furthest outskirts of Gaeta.
They plan to keep moving closer until the Gaetans become angered and fooled into pursuing them.


I'd like to have a roll here to see whether the Gaetans are tricked into coming out and marching on the Varangians. That can be a roll right? If it fails then I have to keep going.
Here's my idea: 3 tries on this plan to get the Gaetans out. If all three fail, then I must devise a new plan to lure them out. How bout it?

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

1D20 Roll.

1-10 = They fall for the plan.
11-20 = They remain ever vigilant.

10 - The bait is too irresistible...

[Dirty Chai]

Thanks Shankbot.

The dozen riders, ecstatic with the knowledge that the Gaetans were falling for their trick, rode far in front of the advancing Gaetan garrison, but managed to stay in view so that they would continue their pursuit.

After a certain distance, they rode fast to the amphitheater, leaving the Gaetans to continue on towards the ruins without a "guide".

The Varangians went into position immediately, archers above, warriors below, and the dozen riders waiting in small shieldwall at the entrance, planning to retreat slowly into the arena, luring the attackers into the circle.

Should I/we open a battle thread? If so, we need to figure out exact troop amounts here.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

No we can do it here as it isn't like a battle affecting loads of different parties.

In terms of troop numbers you'll have an idea of how many Varangians there are, and when you let me know I'll come up with some enemy numbers if you are okay with that?

[Dirty Chai]

Since the dozen tricksters should be 20%, I'd say 60 Varangians in total.
Broken down:
- 20 Archers.
- 40 Footmen.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Okay.

So I'd suggest 120 Gaetans?

20 Horse
70 Infantry
30 Archers

Is that okay, or were you thinking more/less?

[Dirty Chai]

I think you've got the picture pretty well.
Do you want to roll for every little part of this skirmish? How should we proceed?
Perhaps start with a roll to see if the shieldwall successfully lures the Gaetans into the center of the arena?

At the sight of the Gaetans marching in sight of the ruins now, getting very close, and eventually coming within bowshot, the shieldwall trap began to move slowly backwards into the arena, goading the angered Lombards to give further pursuit.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

We''ll roll when every a fight occurs yes, of course you can RP it in me detail but I'll just post the casualties as and when. I'll let you RP the enemy but don't go doing anything unrealistic with them.

[Dirty Chai]

Okay then.

The dozen men in the shieldwall retain expressions of despair and imminent defeat, giving the Gaetan army some further encouragement.

The 70 Lombard infantrymen form into a short and thick column with a wedge at the front, and begin advancing towards and through the Amphitheater's entrance.

The 20 horsemen follow behind the column, while the 30 archers remain outside the ruins.

As the Varangian shieldwall reaches the far end of the arena, the Lombard column has completely entered the arena. After a few moments, as the column breaks and begins to attack the shieldwall,
a horn is blown. Loud drums begin to beat around the ruins.
The Lombards stop in confusion, with the wedge continuing its fight with the shieldwall.

The rest of the Varangians appear from the sides of the arena, giving out loud and vicious war cries as they charge onto a surrounded enemy.

Arrows fly from the upper levels of ruins down upon the Lombards, but not many. Most hit their mark due to the angle and advantage.

Is this fine?

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Yeah that is great.

62 Lombardy Infrantry
36 Varangian Guards

No other casualties.

How long or short do you want the battle to last, I can increase the casualty rate if you want?

[Dirty Chai]

Yeah that is great.

62 Lombardy Infrantry
36 Varangian Guards

No other casualties.

How long or short do you want the battle to last, I can increase the casualty rate if you want?

EDIT: That's actually how many are left, not how many perished right? I see. Increase the rate a bit then, perhaps around 20% more?
Don't forget the 20 horsemen who followed at the back of the Lombard column.

As the battle rages on is a big cloud of dust appearing at the horizon. An army of 500 men is advancing, bearing red and yellow banners with a white bull on them. At the head of the army rides a blond man.

Canute steps backwards, staggering a bit, from the brutal melee, with a call from above from the archers, to look to the northeast where a line of silhouettes was spreading down a hillside, the air behind it grey and brow with dust. His eyes squint beyond his spangenhelm's nose-guard into the heightening eastern sun, trying to make out the banner hung high above the newcomers.

Canute keeps staring inntensely at the sweeping wave of armor from the west with a look of slight fear, realizing his major tactical error in not anticipating interference in his master plan.
He then calls up to a few archers to raise the Ischyros banner of St. Georgios high above the ruins.

The bloody scramble in the arena continues on, the Lombard contingent sent in effectively surrounded by a thin line of Varangian veterans attempting to brawl their way through a Gordian knot.
Some of the Væringjar hefted large Danish axes, carrying their Byzantine shields on their backs, burying the
the mighty Danish axe heads into the mass of steel and flesh like laborers hammering upon steel.
Others held their large shields in front of them and stabbed and slashed away with their swords at will.
The Lombard schiltrom held a lot of spears and shortswords with round shields, smaller than the Væringjar shields and made of wood and leather. The Lombard capitano's deep voiced orders barely sounded over the cacophony of steel and warcries, calling for his men to form into a thick and compact schiltrom formation, holding shields and swords on the outside and spears overhead to aid them. Although the Gaetan warriors evidently heard him, it was too late, and the battle was already beginning to completely fall into a chaotic melee. The Lombards began to yell in their southern dialect that the Væringjar were cowards and murderers, evidently infuriated that such treachery would be committed against them.
Before returning to the brutal clash, Canute idly wonders if this is what the Romans intended for such a structure: scenes and displays of death and brutality?

The archers continue to rain down upon the combat below, quite a handful aiming at the red-plumed nasal helm near the middle of the Lombard circle which appeared to be the the Gaetan capitano.

[Jokern]

As the battle rages on is a big cloud of dust appearing at the horizon. An army of 500 men is advancing, bearing red and yellow banners with a white bull on them. At the head of the army rides a blond man.

[Jokern]

OOC: The numbers mean how many are left

[Dirty Chai]

OOC: Thanks for that distinction Jokern.
I'll just fix that.

Shankbot, don't post 'till I fix that.

Edit: Fixed.

[Jokern]

Army of Spoleto

500 Levies

200 Sword Levies
300 Spear Levies
100 Archer Levies

The army marches forward and stops on an open field close to the amphitheater. They form a triple line; Archers at the front, Swordsmen behind them, making a shield wall, and the Spearmen at the back, sticking their spears in the ground and pointing them forward, creating a lethal wall of defense. When the army is done they sound the battlehorns. The sound travels loudly over the amphitheater.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

43 Lombardy Infrantry
14 Lombardy Cavalry
30 Lombardy Archers (not engaged)

21 Varangian Guards
20 Archers (protected)

I'll add in the Army of Spoleto when they start to engage.

[Dirty Chai]

Canute again leaves the mass of brawling Italians and Norsemen at the sound of battlehorns from outside the amphitheater.
This time he pulls back far enough so that he can watch the newcomers' approach and behavior, climbing a few stairs to stand upon a scaffold.

After a few moments of squinting at the formation being formed by the new Italian force, and then a quick glance at the mutually-destructive melee below, gave an order to the archers around him to take down the Lombard captain below. He hoped to rout the Lombards in here quickly, as the newcomers appeared to be very hostile.

Looking at the bull standard held above them, Canute says aloud to himself "What an obnoxious banner.."

OOC: Rolls for killing the Lombard captain?

He looks back to the newly arrived force, its size alone would have been enough to wipe them out in matter of moments.

He notices that the Lombard archers who were left outside were obviously a bit perturbed about the approach of the newcomers, but didn't appear to be expecting a fight.

Canute looks back to the bloody work being made below.
He watches the conflict of goals, the surrounded Langobards trying to keep up a solid defense, and the enveloping Væringjar attempting to maul them to bits.


Roll:

32 Lombardy Infrantry
11 Lombardy Cavalry
30 Lombardy Archers

14 Varangian Guards
20 Archers

~ Shankbot12

[Jokern]

After the horns sound once again, a voice as loud as thunder speak. He uses a special horn that amplifies his speech.

Men of Capua, surrender now, or we will attack, in the name of Duke Cesare of Spoleto! No one will be spared if you do not agree to this!