The Edessan campaign.

[Mary The Quene]

The royal army of Edessa came to the city of Manbij coming from a direct route North, leaving the castle of Turbessel behind. Thousands of Italians coming from the far cities of Genoa, Milan, Venice, Salerno and others have rallied behind this march, under the guide of Countess Annalisa Borsa. After days of marching to Manbij the Italians arrived and prepared to storm the city. Still the countess of Edessa personally carried a white flag asking for a peaceful takeover rather than bloodshed. The sight of the Italian army was rather impressive, noble's and high standing knights with the finest armour were all gathered under the banner of Edessa, even the vassals of the countess were present, including Stefano D'argenta.




12,000 soldiers :

2,400 Footmen
2,400 Spearmen
1,800 Bowmen
2,400 Men-at-Arms
3,000 Knights

[Stildawn]

Manbij was a small backwater town, it served no real purpose other than to service the local shepherds and farmers. Thus it had a simple curtain wall only a man and a half high.

Numbers:

Total: 600 250 - Footmen 250 - Bowmen 50 - Spearmen 50 - Men At Arms

The white flag seen a muslim contingent made its way out to meet the Countess.

The stopped a few yards from the Countess and awaited her response.


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Meanwhile to the south of the town, five riders set forth to the south, hoping they would be undetected the rode straight out hard and fast to the south. Unfortunately for the riders, a Edessian picket saw the riders leave and called out to his commander.

[Mary The Quene]

Manbij was a small backwater town, it served no real purpose other than to service the local shepherds and farmers. Thus it had a simple curtain wall only a man and a half high.

Numbers:

Total: 600 250 - Footmen 250 - Bowmen 50 - Spearmen 50 - Men At Arms

The white flag seen a muslim contingent made its way out to meet the Countess.

The stopped a few yards from the Countess and awaited her response.


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Meanwhile to the south of the town, five riders set forth to the south, hoping they would be undetected the rode straight out hard and fast to the south. Unfortunately for the riders, a Edessian picket saw the riders leave and called out to his commander.

The lady gave a letter written in Arabic (by a translator) to the leader of the Muslim group.
As you may notice, resistance is useless against our superior army, we outnumber you by far and you stand no chance. I offer you a chance to survive, hand over Manbij peacefully and i shall spare the town from looting and destruction and allow to civilians to stay. If you refuse then the consequences may be dire and you shall face death and your town shall be sacked. It is your choice, either give us peacefully this town or die inside it and see us sack it. I advise you to choose wisely.

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The commander immediately answered the call and sent out 200 knights to intercept the hostile riders.

[Stildawn]

The leader of the group read the letter then muttered quickly between his aides.

He turned back to the Countess, and speaking through a translator responded.

"We will surrender the town, but you must allow the local leaders and the garrison to march out unmolested with what ever we can carry with us?" He posed his counter offer.



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The Knights gave chase to the riders, but the odds were against them as the riders had swifter steeds and were lighter equipped. Two of the riders were caught and slain, but three managed to disappear to the south.

[Mary The Quene]

The counter offer is being discussed between the Countess and her advisers and generals. Some said to refuse and some said to accept. It took a while before a decision was made and the Countess returned to the Muslims with a suitable translator.

I seek no bloodshed so i will let your leaders and small garrison depart unmolested from the town, however you shall leave the riches and wealth of Manbij untouched and leave it for us. This is the price for being allowed to depart from the town unmolested. If you have any sense of value then i'm sure you will choose your men live's over wealth that is to be found in the town.

[Stildawn]

The muslims talked amongst themselves for a moment, there were a few heated exchanges before they settled down, the leader turning back to the Countess.


"So be it, we accept" Without another word the spurred away back to the town.

About a quarter of an hour later, the gates to the south opened, and out marched the 600 men from the garrison, followed by a small train of leaders and their families.

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Requesting moderation on the eco points for the town. See mod request forum for the debate.

[Mary The Quene]

After the garrison departed the Italian crusaders entered Manbij and seized it. The countess ordered the troops to spare the civilians and not to loot the town, no bloodshed shall be shed today. The capture of Manbij serves a greater goal, capturing the city of Aleppo further west. The countess departs back to Turbessel, leaving behind a garrison of 1000 soldiers, to guard the new town. A bigger campaign is to be planned and launched very soon.

Garrison :

200 knights
200 men at arms
200 bowmen
200 spearmen
200 footmen

[Mary The Quene]

After the royal Army arrives back in the Castle of Turbessel, the countess and her generals discussed plans to renew the campaign. Some said to strike directly at Aleppo while others wanted to secure the surrounding towns of Aleppo first. There were some heated discussions between the generals but ultimately the countess wants to isolate Aleppo first by capturing its surrounding towns. Speaking to the generals she spoke calmly during the heated discussions.

I shall strike the towns surrounding Aleppo first. I shall advance from the North and cut of any escape routes. Generals, i order scouts to be sent to Aintab, while not included in our initial plans, i feel that it would secure our northern flank. Send 50 knights as scout to Aintab and assemble your armies before we head north.

[Stildawn]

The scouts approach Aintab covertly, getting close enough to see the camp fires and get a good looks at the enemy numbers.

After completing their mission the best they could they returned with their information, enemy forces at Aintab number between eighteen hundred and twenty six hundred strong.

[Mary The Quene]

After the scouts returned from their mission they reported their information to their generals and and countess. They number more then expected but the Italians still outnumber the barbarians by far. After some discussions they departed from Turbessel to Aintab. Once arrived the countess ordered that six groups of forty men at arms were to be used as patrols to prevent anyone escaping, in case of hostile riders, they were to take them captive or kill them. Just like in Manbij the countess wanted to avoid useless bloodshed and went to the walls of Aintab with a white banner asking for a peaceful negotiation. The countess is protected by 50 heavy knights.

[Stildawn]

The leaders of the town rode out to meet the Countess... Waiting patiently for her to speak...

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Four light horsemen sprung from the town also heading west... The were immediately set on by the patrols, three were slain almost instantly while one made a break for it shamelessly using his fallen friends as a diversion. The now lone rider got ahead of his pursuers and thought himself to be in the clear, but then his horse stumbled on a loose rock, throwing the rider who crashed to the ground, found himself surrounded by Edessian troops... Alive...


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Meanwhile to the south at Manbij a relief force had arrived, the muslim army a field of green banners took up positions around the small town, preparing themselves for an assault.

[Mary The Quene]

The countess stood next to an Arab translator and dismounted from her horse. She and the translator started the conversation with a slight bow.

Greetings in the name of the Countess herself, we seek no useless bloodshed and want a peaceful negotiation. You are outnumbered by far and stand little chance, i offer you a way out of this, hand over this town peacefully and i shall spare the civilians from killings and prevent any sackings to happen, those of the civilians who want to depart unmolested can do so freely if they desire. If refused then the repercussions will be harsh and i only have to raise my hand and our soldiers shall be free to do with the town and its civilians to what they desire. I hope for the sake of your town and civilians the wisdom prevails. I even offer amnesty to the hostile troops and allow them to live on if they desire so.

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The Edessian troops took the wounded rider back to the camps and tortured him to reveal exact information of the hostile numbers and fortifications and possible of other armies near the area.

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By god!said a soldier at the walls of Manbij
Sound the alarm! he shouted and in a matter of time the garrison had been assembled.

One of the commanders of the Garrison immediately sent out scouts to determine the hostile numbers and wanted to estimate whether reinforcements from the Royal Army had to be dispatched.
Send out our best 30 knights to determine the hostile troops he shouted. These dogs don't give up so easily he said

[Stildawn]

When the translator finished a messenger came to the Countess bringing news from the captive, two thousand strong was the garrison.

The muslims discussed amongst themselves before turning back to the Countess

"We will surrender the city if we and the garrison are allowed to leave in peace"

OOC: Troop wise you got the worse possible roll for this town lol

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The Muslim army surrounded Manbij, the scouts sent were simply cut down by the patrols.

A lone rider approached the town with a large sack, simply throwing it over the walls.

A Christian soldier opened and almost vomited when the heads of the scouts rolled out. There was also a letter inside.

To The Christian Commander

Surrender Manbij immediately and you and your men will be taken prisoner and be unharmed.

If you don't we will slaughter you all.

[Mary The Quene]

When the Muslim finished talking, the countess raised her right hand as a sign of approval.
A wise decision indeed, she quietly said. So far she had captured two towns without a single inch of blood shed. After a few seconds the translator spoke to the Muslims.

Our honorable countess agrees, let your people know that not a single shed of blood shall be wasted today and that peace will reign over this town by the will of god. No harm will be done to its civilians or infrastructure. You people have chosen wisely.

OOC : i'm first going to deal with this before i move on to the next events, unless that's a problem? if so then let me know

[Stildawn]

OOC: We can do one at a time, just so you understand the time locks on the two situations. The relief army to Manbij was a rolled result of the escaping horsemen. The relief army has arrived at Manbij most likely slightly before your forces arrived at Aintab.

The muslim leaders nodded slightly surprised at the Countess's mercy. They didn't remain long for her to dwell on her decision the said their translated thanks on headed back into the town.

About an hour later the southern gates opened and the garrison host marched out in good order essentially handing over the town to the Christians.

[Mary The Quene]

The Christians entered the town after the Muslims left. The Christians were ordered not to harm civilians or loot properties as the countess promised, the Countess used the house of Muslim leader , who left hours earlier, as a headquarter. Both good and bad news had been brought to her attention, the bad news is that the Muslims have returned with a host and lay siege to Manbij, while the good news is that additional reinforcements from Europe have arrived in the lands of Edessa. No exact information was available about the besieging force. The countess summoned a special meeting with generals and advisers to discuss the fate of Manbij. After a short introduction of the latest events she would bring up the matter of Manbij.

The barbarians have returned to Manbij and are currently laying siege of it, the garrison commander of Manbij wrote me that they were unable to determine the hostile numbers and received a latter of the muslims asking to surrender, ofcourse i wrote him not to do so. However word has reached me that some 4 300 additional reinforcements have arrived from Europe. I can not allow our men in Manbij to be left alone, i shall aid them and struck the enemy a mortal blow and they shall realize that i will not tolerate attacks on my brothers. Therefore i will garrison this town with the reinforcements coming from Europe while the royal army will relieve Manbij. We will depart as soon as possible, we can afford no time to loose if Manbij is to be saved from slaughter.

Hours later the reinforcements arrived at the town of Aintab and reported their presence to the countess. Once arrived in full numbers the royal Army assembled its soldiers and set course to Manbij. Hoping to arrive in time to relieve the soldiers in Manbij they walked as fast as they could.

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The garrison commander of Manbij, Ascanzio Batufolli, wrote a letter to the hostile commander as a reply to their letter from the Muslims. The countess made it very clear NOT to surrender during their correspondence.

Letter

You must be a fool if you think we will surrender, our Countess will undoubtedly come to relieve us and bring you to justice. Your words mean nothing seeing what you have done with our Scouts, you can't even respect the dead. Leave this town of Manbij you creatures of Satan or see this town turn out in a massgrave for your men.

Signed by,
Ascanzio Batuffoli, commander of the garrison.

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Aintab to be reinforced with the reinforcements :
4,300 soldiers
860 Footmen
860 Spearmen
645 Bowmen
860 Men-at-Arms
1,075 Knights

The royal army heads back to Manbij :
11,000 soldiers
2200 footmen
2200 spearmen
1600 bowmen
2200 men at arms
2800 knights

[Stildawn]

OOC: Not entirely comfortable with the rapid communication back and forth breaking through the siege but I'll allow it. As it doesn't really matter in this case due to this post technically happening before you take Aintab. Just don't get to free and easy with communication.

The muslims prepared for the assault, it wasn't pretty they didn't wait to build siege weapons, it would be a quick and dirty escalade over the meagre defences of Manbij.

The attack was pre-empted by a massive arrow volley, incorporating not only standard archers but also dismounted horsearchers. Under this excessive fire the heavy and standard infantry advanced, scaled the small walls and brought their overwhelming death upon the defenders...

It was over all too soon, the Christians as promised were slaughtered to the last man by the enraged muslims.

The small town retaken, the muslim leadership ordered the evacuation of the towns populous, the citizens packed what they could easily carry and set off south. The muslim army burned all food sources and then departed also.

[Mary The Quene]

Once the crusaders arrived at Manbij the town was already fallen to the heathen barbarians. What they encountered was unseen to many, remain of corpses laying scattered on streets, holy symbols desecrated, and infrastructure destroyed. Many had lost lives and the first real conquest was effectively undone. Once the countess looked down upon the slain soldiers and burning corpses she felt a real sense of anger, she ordered the burial of the slain soldiers and vowed revenge in a public speech among the common soldiers. This dishonorable slaughter would change the course of war, no more generosity would be expected from the countess as revenge and the countess would use way more lethal methods to get rid off her enemies. She was no longer the joyful and innocent girl she was before the slaughter, she would turn in a monster, a monster whose hands are shapen by unfortunate events.

Soldiers of Christ, we have lost many, we have lost friends and family members. But i shall not leave it here, i shall bring justice to the fallen, i shall do everything to avenge our fallen soldiers. The Muslims want war?, they shall have it, i will bring the war to their very doorstep and i swear that by every inch of Muslim blood shed you shall avenge our soldiers. Let them know that blood shall be paid with blood and an eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Done with christian generosity and kindness from me, we shall not tolerate barbarians in our realm anymore. We shall meet them in battle soon enough and when they are defeated i shall personally slice their leader's throat for vengeance and send him to hell.

After the speech concluded, the countess ordered to pursue the hostile forces with whatever possible. Hundred of men at arms were send to search for the hostile forces and the Royal army would assemble itself back when information of their direction reaches them. This battle had to be fought, for vengeance.

ooc : send 150 men at arms of scouts to locate the hostile forces.

[Stildawn]

OOC: You know you started the war right lol



The scouts search south, east, west and north. However they never sight the enemy.

Feeling failure, the northern scouts at least had something to report to the Countess, they saw evidence that an army had moved to the north, slightly north east, but the tracks were cold, a few days old at least.

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The muslim host came forward as one over the crest, the green banners striking fear into the hearts of the Christians on Jarabulus.

The leader of the muslims looked down upon the town below him with a smile... A wicked smile... For he was about to get justice, at least a little justice for the first crusade.




OOC: Technically you rolled a 10 on the scout roll which means your not ment to get any info, but due to the sake of the RP you need to know something lol, so yeah hence the posts above.

Gonna ask for a bit of community guidance on the next part though so yeah see the moderation request thread.

[Mary The Quene]

The countess displeased with the lack of information is enraged, she dismissed her informants and replaced the scouts.

Is this what you have?, you are amateurs. I shall send more competent scouts in every direction and from the meager information we have the bulk of the scouts will be send to the north east. I want to know everything of the enemy, their numbers and their leaders.
Moments later the countess spoke to one of the generals
Prepare the royal army, we will head to the north east as from the information we have the enemy is heading somewhere north eastern, we better hope this is correct information from our incompetent scouts or things will go gruesome.

OOC :

150 scouts to the north, particularly the northeastern part.
50 scouts west
50 scouts south
50 scouts east
(all are men at arms)

This is going to be a very long thread lol