Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
Nice RP Zenbder, I like the creative way you used the situation
Onwards!
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"The castle is undermanned. Most of the troops are stationed in Newcastle."
The local informants gave their report to Gille Coimded, the general commanding the second border army.
"Can you let us in, like you did in the previous castle?" Gille was getting excited.
"Sure, but this will cost more as the area is full of militia troops". The greedy turncoats were rubbing their hands.
"Done". Gille then gave the order for his men to prepare themselves.
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"This is not a killer. This is a mere informant, a good one to be honest."
The Scottish henchmen just finished searching the cloaked Englishman they have just killed.
"At least our man has no more eyes to show him around. His days are counted."
The young apprentice spoke enthusiastically to his master.
"Never put the cart before the horse", the veteran killer responded quietly as he sheathed his dagger, after having cleaned the blood on the dead man's hoodie.
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
Winter was upon the northern shires, as the campaign in the north heated up , as the scots took another castle north of Newcastle, first occupying it after killing the garrison and then the slow steady buildup of artillery pieces such as three companies of trebuchet and a bombard appeared , as the scots began to prepare perhaps to siege the town of Newcastle . In response to such buildup , John de Warenne made his own preparations, such as he could , to respond if the need arise to counter such actions .
Then as the cold winds of the north seas began to blow across the northern shires, Henry met and left a small bag of gold within a tavern within Lancaster, for the hiring of this personage known as "Waylander" , to deal out death to the scottish in response to numerous personages that had fallen to scottish knifes.
The kill was abit rough , as the local inn, the scottish ambassador was staying at , suddenly caught fire , killing both the ambassador , and a few of the cooks that were staying in the resident , but the assassin grinned slightly in the night as he warmed his hands against the blaze....Beggars could'nt be chosey about the time and means , of the kill ...as long as it was done. There was time enough, to show his skill , in the fullness of time , as he unhitched his horse, and rode off into the night , as his outline was briefly highlighted in the flicking blaze behind his back before his frame melded as one into the darkness.
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Henry of Lancaster announced with a flourish , to the Irish ambassador , near to Lancaster, that he would invite him , to be welcome in the comforts and the honour of his house, both to honour his guest, and celebrate previous victories , but also to hold talks with his irish guest, in the hope of a new treaty , if such terms could be met .
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
England
"For brutes and savages, these Scots behave very carefully. For a horde of filthy screamers they are very thoughtful of their actions." Davy was talking to himself, he had not prepared for this slow progress. It seemed war was only one portion of actual fighting on nine portions of mindnumbing waiting.
"Wretched Scots!" he spat. Now with the capture of another border fort the situation changed, Carlisle would not be the only point of interest and the English had to think of a new strategy. Lord de Warenne had already repositioned his forces to a more favourable area and so would Davy. The sinking of their connection to the homeland by Irish sailors was a serious setback, meaning reinforcements would not be coming as easily as they had been flowing towards the defense of the North before. The peace that had been signed between both kingdoms did not prevent the Irish from sinking the Crown's vessels. Yet morale remained surprisingly high among the troops, them having developed a never surrender mentality. Now that they really felt themselves on their own they would fight to the bitter end for there would be no retreat from these northern lands.
No worries. I prefer not reading RP than seeing you drop out. At least you are putting in the effort to deliver your turn, which I respect.
I agree with this wholeheartedly! I understand that it's sometimes difficult to find time and motivation, PeaMan.
I also agree with Der Böse Wolf on your RP zender, the most difficult parts of RP, I find, are to write about otherwise mundane game mechanics in an interesting way. So well done!
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
In the Scottish camp, near Carlisle...
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"The King is here, The King has arrived!!!"
King Alexander and his veteran army of Highlanders have finally joined the border troops, coming down from the far North after having defeated the last Norse remnants in Scotland.
The royal army comprised solely of kilt-wearing Highlanders and swordsmen.
The Royal Battalions' Bagpipes can be heard from the distance...
There was no noblemen nor clan leaders.
The nobles and the royal pikes were composing the other two border armies, but none served under the King, who wishes to fight with the hard men of the North by his side.
"Did you get my message?" The king asked immediately.
"Yes Sire. All troops remained encamped awaiting your arrival as requested." Gille Coimded, the senior general gave his report.
King Alexander then called the war council and started a long military monologue while moving pieces on the huge map:
"Very well. I ordered you not to engage the enemy for this reason: by not making any moves except controlling the fort near Newcastle, we have fooled the enemy who now does not know what our next move will be. Will we attack Carlisle? Will we assault Newcastle instead? Or maybe both?
So the Barons moved towards Newcastle to protect it while Davy the English general and his men stayed to protect Carlisle.
Now the two armies are separated and divided. They cannot reinforce each other.
Our next move? We shut down their eyes..."
"Then the first army will leave the fort near Carlisle and attack Davy and his elite troops. The English, arrogant and overconfident with their shiny knights and armoured sergeants, will see us coming and prepare for battle.
But with his spies gone, he will not see the reinforcements coming from the fort near Newcastle.
He is trapped"
"He will be defeated and will have no choice but to retreat to Carlisle.
But to his surprise, reinforcements from the North would intercept him and ambush him. The Carlisle garrison, seeing their men getting butchered, will run to save them since the number of ambushing Scots is little.
But to their horror, the first border army, having killed the English prisoners of the first battle, will have also arrived at Carlisle.
The Carlisle militia and the remaining knights will be slaughtered. The remaining survivors will retreat to the city walls."
SORRY, FORGOT AGAIN TO TAKE A SCREENSHOT OF THE RESULTS BUT IT WAS A CLEAR VICTORY AND DAVY SURVIVED
"Davy and his bodyguards will try to escape but the border horse unit, swift and light, will hunt him down mercilessly. I want Davy's head brought back to my tent. No prisoners will be taken."
Gille and his border army will then siege Carlisle until my royal army shows up with the artillery to finish the job."
AGAIN, FORGOT TO TAKE THE SCREENSHOT BUT IT WAS ANOTHER CLEAR VICTORY AND DAVY GOT KILLED...SORRY...
Alexander stopped talking and looked in the eyes of his generals, who were all staring at him in awe.
"What about Newcastle and the Barons knights stationed in the castle in the South?" Gille broke the silence.
Alexander looked at Gille for a few seconds, then he turned and left the tent.
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Elsewhere, on the eastern shores, the royal Scottish navy intercepted an English fleet heading north. The poor sailors ended up in the bottom of the sea...
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
The summer of 1320AD was set off with a bang , as the Scottish surprised everybody with their strategic actions , stealing a march on almost everybody on the isles , making a forced march as the winter began to ebb , using their inbuilt resistance to the winter cold they had gained from the highlands, the fur clad scottish army marched down from the north , smashing into the english crown armies protecting the City of Carlisle on the borders . The news when it reached the capital city of York caused major alarm , and it took calls from the city leaders and many of the council , to keep the peace and the calm in this climate of shock. People also saw the scottish eastern fleet had also sent sail , sailing past Newcastle heading southwards , perhaps to blockade the port of York , much to the alarm again of all.
It was in the state of this panic , that the scottish leader, alexander sent a letter , and had it wildly proclaimed to all the peoples of the north, that his struggle was not with them , but with the english crown , trying to divide the opinions of the northern shires , and to divide the defence of the north, matching the attack of his soldiers in the north . The northern army command had been given to Sir John de Warenne , a ex-southern crown subject who had diverted to the northern cause against what was then the mad king , and he had been selected as perhaps the best to negotiate with the northern army of the crown which had moved nearer Carlisle and had been obliterated by the first scottish army. News from spies however showed that a second scottish army made up more from highlanders , carrying artillery pieces was equally moving towards Carlisle , which had been put to siege by the fragmented elements of the remnants of the scottish first advance armies , mainly made from the armoured pikemen and noble knights , that steel armored fist , that they had carried the attack with.
Looking at the map , and the reports from his agents , Henry of Lancaster wrote to his general in the field , John de Warenne , warning him to be careful for a sally by his forces would be surely defeated , if he moved out into the field , and it might be expedite , to let the scottish weaken themselfs against the walls of Carlisle , whilst further english strenght was brought up from the south , in a flowery letter which had been exaggerated by some religious scribe or scholar.
John de Warenne read the letter in his armies camp, equally grimly receiving the news of the speed of the scottish advance, and equally receiving the news that the scottish king , with his son , had taken to the field , boosting morale of the Scottish forces, with his presence , and perhaps showing the confidence of the Scottish forces, in their invasion . But their was perhaps something the Scottish king had failed to consider with the appointment of Sir John to the northern shires army , was that he had obligation to the english lords [not perhaps to the king] as his life had been saved by Phillip Stratford [#796 page40] , from execution from the Mad King , and he had a debt to pay. With english subjects lives on the line , in the bloody sack of Carlisle that would follow, his conscience was conflicted against his orders ,as he called a quick council of his commanders , and called for reinforcements from Lancaster, of those that could speedly get to Carlisle , as he prepared his army to march. Messages were also sent to other forces that lay in the fortress north of Lancaster asking them to meet them at a predesribed meeting place so that they could join their forces to make a joint effort on the scottish army..
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Back in Lancaster , The young knight Josias Horton , had just turned sixteen , and on coming of age, he was promptly marched up the isle , to marry the rather elegant Joan Heaven [25] a widower of the last war, who still had extensive estates , that were now given to the young knight. After the marriage had taken place, the young couple had left the church , to much merriment , only to have the other bells in the City of Lancaster, ring out. First, Josias was taking aback, thinking the bells were for his marriage [indeed the local church was ringing theirs] but on further inquiry , it was found the bells were a call to arms of all man of valor to ride to the north, as there was urgent need, of reinforcements to enter the battle for Carlisle. Without much though, the young man , kissed his new bride , and placed her in the care of her father , as he sprinted across the church yard , mounted a friends horse, riding to his estate to gather his bannermen , so that he could add his strength to the defence of the kingdom. The bride , Joan , seeing the departing youngman was perhaps annoyed , that her young catch , had moved so quickly to escape on their weddling night , departed with a huff of disdain , that could be heard by all in the churchyard, as she retreated with as much dignity as she could manage , much to the shrugging shoulders and blank looks of her father.
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The spies of John de warrene reported back to him , whilst the army travelled along the western road , that lead to Carlisle, both reporting that Hugh of Lancaster , had likewise taken the reinforcements from the western fort , and even now was marching towards Carlisle on the northern road, with a battlegroup. Satisfied, that all was going as planned, the Knight looked at the reports of the scottish army groups dispositions , as the City of Carlisle was besieged by three different army groups , with two in the southeast, with good commanders, and heavy armoured pikemen and men-at-arms and another smaller group in the far north of the city. It had seemed that most of the scottish army had left Hermitage Castle [#464, P24] near the forest of Inglewood leaving it without a garrison which could be a advantage if he could get some rapid riders to take it , before they noticed. But the Scottish king and his son , likewise stood between Hermitage castle and the northern sieging army group making a network of defences he would have to break through or trespass to reach that objective , making it difficult beyond measure.
A week later however , the two forces of Hugh and John neared , and John's representatives recommended a night attack, a risky feat which could prove advantageous if they could pull it off, as it might limit the scottish defences, so that they could take each in turn, but had its difficulties for if one force got lost on the night march[a easy possibility] then the attack would fail or , be useless, in the morning with tired soldiers.
To minimize the possibilities of error , John had scouts post themselfs , at various steps and terrain features so that they could direct the army in the dark , as they settled down to their staging positions , as he rested his army that afternoon for today's risky action. John [like many] began to dose in the last of the days light, confident in his sentries of the camp , and the need to rest his body for the nights, action , and he faced a disturbed sleep of shorts, as his mind went though all the possibilities that could happen, many of them not pleasant , and he was perhaps relieved when the watch came to wake him , as the time had reached the later evening , the light gone , and he prepared for war, reading his armour and weapons .
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First Battle of Carlisle
The two armies of the northern shires made from Hugh's battlegroup and the northern shires army , crept slowly in the night , as they builtup their numbers in a slight ridge which protected the scottish army from the cold southern wind , that sometimes blew across the plains near the city, and it was this ridge that provided cover and a little soundproofing , as the numbers grew and grew as the northern shires army prepared , to launch its attack into the scottish camp, in the night. The scottish warcamp was well setout and it was clear , that both nearby scottish armies had been placed to protect each other, with various campfires and sentry posts. When John de warenne arrived at the ridge he allocated small companies of troops who were to "snuff" out the lights which were being used to communicate between the two camps , isolating one from the other, when the attack commenced.
Time ticked by and john de warenne grew anxious as the longer the time, the delay on the attack[as all were getting into position] , the greater the chances of being noticed and the surprise broken , but then he heard it , the song of the skylark , tweeted out in the night , and all the nearby companies drew their weapons and began to crouch forward to the edge of the scottish camp. Two or three sentries were taken out without issue, the muffled gurgling , as their throats were cut, and John waved on the armoured spearmen and the armoured swordsmen , to enter the camp , as they slowly fanned out in their part of the enemy positions, surrounding various parts of the tent city. John felt his senses like never before , the crisp smell of the woodsmoke , the smell of various cooking pots , their remnants of their days dinner still hung in the air, as he held his breath , as the major part of two northern shires armies , entered the camp , as he looked up , as a horrible loud scream echo'd out in the night.
All at once , everything seemed to happen as, the large beaconfires , were snuffed out , sparks floated into the skies , as fires were extinguished, as the butchery begun , to the cries and calls in the night. John himself with a small group of swordsmen , began to slash at a tent, as four large scotsmen rolled about, dodging blows that rained down on them , but without much luck , as they were hacked to pieces , the nearby fires which had been extinguished, there was mutiple slashing sounds, as scotsmen who slept in the open , had their throats and necks cut, dealing death , just as they waked from sleep. Other tents were sent on fire, and those that escaped highlighted with the fire at their back , shot down by longbows , the twanging of the strings ringing out in the night. Their was people running around , in the chaos , that followed , and twice , John had to stop himself from swinging his sword , down on another of the raiding parties , as their enemies numbers grew short. Soon after ..there was loud clanging , as the both scottish camps made a call for arms, but the damage had been done , as John made a signal , and one of his bannerman shot fire arrows into the sky, and below the sound of the drum , beating out the retreat signal , as the englishmen ran out of what was left of the scottish camp, as the scottish survivors equally fled into the night , as one of their camps , fell [Gillie and Angus though would fight again thou , as with the rest of their pikemen and bodyguard they retreated into the night , got lost , and eventually found Hermitage castle , where they regrouped and rested] .
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Second Battle of Carlisle
It took most of the morning for both sides to recover, but recover they did, with the scottish forces under Arcill forming new lines to protect his rear from the northern shires , whilst keeping another front on the english garrison they sieged , for fear they would sally. The armies of the northern shires were tired after a nights fighting , and had little stomach for another battle immediately, or at least to start one , and both sides formed up , and just looked at each across the field , whilst the northern shires tried in vain to send a message to the english crown's forces , saying that they would fight for their joint cause as englishmen for where'nt they all one? But to the english crown commander , who had regrouped what was left of several badly battered armies , he was in no mood to open his gates , to sally forth against what was a unknown army group who wished it [england and northern shires hadnt signed a alliance yet due to the ireland diplomacy had'nt been signed and fulfilled their peace and until they had done so , the english crown and northern shires were not allies].
The turning point came at midday however, when a small party of knights in burnished army of silver, with their pennant of red ,bearing banners of Lancaster , came riding out of the west, and without hesitating or sizing up the situation , dropped their lances , and charged into the side of the scottish army. Such a rash move , by a small squadron of forty , as the young knight Josias appeared, caught both sides by surprise and the sudden charge although doing doing some little damage to the scottish forces, caused general panic ,as the scottish army maneuvered to take account of this new force with its troops. Pikemen , lowered pikes, turning to reposition themselfs with new orders , and new locations to march to , when the northern shires armies , began to march , after a blast of a horn echo'd across the field , to the movement of the drum which beat out a dire rhythm .
The beat of the drum stirred fear into the scottish ranks , with some of the number remembering the same sound , as the northern shires had marched against them when Simon de Montfort was alive and marching his men against them , and more than a few, looked to the rear in fear of the heavy horse which did'nt appear. Longbows twanged , launching arrow after arrow into the pike ranks , causing more disruption , as they jostled for room and to avoid falling bodies, and when the main infantry reached about a hundred yards from the scottish battle , they began to charge , led by men , with blazing red banners, and shouts and screams of hate, as some of the northern shires men likewise remembered the harm , the scottish had revisited the men of the north in the past.
The was a mighty clash of arms as sword and spear , met pike , but the disruption of the archers, gave many of the foot infantry a purchase into the scottish pikeranks , enough to take the fight to them , forming into small battlegroups and forcing the pikemen formation to began to twist and bend , to hold the push of the northern shires as they sought to control them.But a full third of the northern shires was made from the bedrock of the english army , which was the heavy knights , who lowered their helms and began to take their horses around the right flank of the battlefield in a massive line of impeding death.
Their were some reserves that Arcill commanded to secure the scottish left flank , but this was mainly noble knights of foot , and there was not many of them , and they did'nt look too enthusiastic about it , as they delayed and dithered, and slowed their movements to secure the left. Arcill sent his last two companies of heavy pike to help out , but this left the rest of his army group pinned and without protection. The struggle of push of pike , and sword and spear continued on the main battleline, as perhaps the scottish heavy pike began to assert themselfs in the battle, their heavy armour deflected blows, where-as other pikemen might have failed and scottish calls of encouragement echo'd around the battlefield to each other, as they fought on.
But the heavy cavalry had the advantage of maneuverability , as they now up'ed the movement from a canter to a brisk jog with as they rode around the hastily made defences for the scottish left flank [much to the nobles relief] , and reached the rear of the scottish army , with their baggage camp , now at their mercy. Hugh raised his visor for one moment and raising his banner high, called for the cavalry to follow him , as he had the presence of mind to ignore the riches of the camp , turning his horse around in a small , one hundred and eighty degree turn , and bought his horse to stop , as the cavalry began to line up to the scottish rear.
Panic and discord began to set into the scottish line , as they had seen this before, and knew what was coming next, and with most of the pikemen pinned down against the northern shires infantry , all they had for reserves was the two pikemen companies and the nobles knights and Arcill ordered them to defend the rear. The northern shires cavalry began to canter towards the scottish rear, as the reinforcement pikemen companies [those that went to the left wing] began to fragment , losing all unity as they ran with those long pikes , as they ran for there lives to move to defend the rear, and the nobles knights of foot decided the better part of valor and began to leave the field , fleeing for the forest of inglewood that stood on the horizon.
This is what most of the nobility of the northern shires had spent most of their time learning , from the early days of youth, learning all the knightly skills and the building up the muscle to move with the heavy armour , as the head of each company called for the gallop , and the cavalry line increased in speed forming a massive wedge line, with Hugh at the front, as he secured the banner and lowered his lance, his face revealing his glee and splendour of the charge.
The some of the pikemen had reached their destination to defend the rear and lowered their pikes , but they were just a handfall , the rest of their companies still streaming scattered across the muddy field as they sought the protection of the rest of the pike company line as the english knights called out.
"Lower!" , came the order, ringing out in the days air , and it almost seemed to many the day turned to a form of slow motion , as many of the pikemen in the scottish main battleline , hearing of the threat and against the orders of many company commanders, began to turn to face the rear, with their large pikes in the air, causing many a jumble , as their weapons clattered against each other in their fright to defend their rear of the main battleline.
"Charge!" came the call , and the drum of hoofbeats all became synchronized with the drum beat of scottish hearts as a steel wall of death approached at speed.
The massive line of cavalry , became a line of death as the lance's lowered one after the other, as the ground began to shake , as they grew as large as giants in scottish eyes, their image of bringing death and dismay. Smash went the line , as the cavalry ran over or past the minor obstruction of the part company of pikemen for without their unity , they had little defence against the heavy knights , which finally smashed into the rear of the main scottish line , which echo'd a unified cry of fear. The centre line of pikemen just disintegrated , others were confused,or frustrated being hit from both sides, many were crushed, others dropped their pikes asking for mercy against the metal monsters, that trampled over them , giving the invaders little in the way of mercy, as the scottish line broke and ran. Only those pikemen that deserted their weapons escaped this field of death , as the cavalry ran down the line ,breaking resistance were they found it , as the old monster , the scottish feared of old, had broken them once again.
To be sure, the situation was by no means , rosy as the death toll had been bitter, for the scottish had fought hard,with heavy resistance at first and took down troops where they could , and more than a few horses ran around the field withour riders, as some scottish troops pulled off their own armour , perfering to fight light , jumping took knights off their mounts , and then finished them once they hit the cold ground, but the day was once more Won with even Josias surviving his first real action but with some of his company dead, but he and his companions were hailed as hero's , much to the young knights delight.
But John de Warenne scowled as he looked across the horizon seeing a even bigger army group on the fair horizon of highlanders[evem with some converted vikings] and with a small group of scottish still holding the siege of Carlisle in the north of the city , and they were protected by the nearby camp of the Scottish King , there was too much to do , and not enough troops to achieve victory everywhere . his and Hugh's weary forces made camp , and posted sentries , as the majority of the army prepared for perhaps one more effort on the next day.
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3rd battle of Carlisle
At day break , John felt the exhaustion of battle of the last few days, as tired limbs refused his own commands to move , it took his squire , and old assistant to help himself out of the rough field bed , into the field , as the daylight hurt his eyes with brightness. There was bad news that some of the men from the armies had deserted in the night, the massive scottish highlander army camped away to the hills to the northeast, were a mark of the death of the northern shires armygroup and the more intelligent amongst the men knew it . Those with the wits and the opportunity left in the night , slipping away into the hills , discarding their armour to return to their homes, sure that there would be little of the army left to tell their particular tale. Some perhaps had thought they had done enough, in routing two of the large scottish armies, and their part was done ...for why risk life and limb one more fatal time, when the Gods and luck had been favorable thus far, and why throw the dice one more time?.
This would make this battle a closer run thing , as between the two armies there was little advantage in men , and indeed the Scottish king had two companies of the strange looking cannons , which had been dug into the hill they were situated on , and the unknown factor of these new artillery pieces could be a decisive factor in the battle to come. Likewise the other scottish commander , still sieging the english city , had dug his forces into position , and there would be no charging these prepared positions with heavy cavalry making this a difficult melee battle, particularly when both scottish forces were fighting in close coordination.
The morning was mostly spent in refreshing the tired men , with food , water , beer or wine , and resting limbs , some roasting whole sheep or cattle with a eye of dying with a full belly whilst others took full advantage of the area of the field , made for sanitary actions of relief , as John allowed his men to regather themselfs for the last effort. Messages were sent to Newcastle asking the Blue coats , to march out , to perhaps engage the new scottish army in the flank , whilst its was appeared to be commanded by a poor commander[the highlanders seemed to be marching and camping with poor discipline] , whilst he and Hugh talked tactics for a full hour . Eventually it was agree that , John would take the main portion of the army , being that he had the most experience , and that he would attack the scottish siege lines , as forcing the scottish away from the City was perhaps the most important objective, and if that was done , then the heavy cavalry would be unleashed on the scottish king and his son , whose banners signified their presence on the field in the north with the cannons. A capture of the king or his son , would be unlikely , but if successful could perhaps even end the war, or even a large ransom if a capture was possible , so Hugh and John were eager to at least try their hand , if the infantry attack went well.
Their was no fighting for most of the day, as the rain began to fall in the hilly northlands, a dizzle that dampened expectation , and soured hearts from attacking or indeed many of the camps tasks , as it became damp , misty and hard to see at times ,when the rain increased in volume. A few hours later, the rain had stopped , but it still took time to ready the troops, and it was only in the last hours of the afternoon when the sun was beginning to set , when all the preparations for the assault were ready.
John de Warenne lead the assault on the scottish siege lines himself on foot , observing the muddy ground was going to be a problem for those like him in heavy armour would be tired, before they reached the main line , but there was nothing to be done about it. Hugh readied his horsemen and ran distraction against the scottish king forces, that thankfully did'nt have any collections of heavy horse, whilst John's infantry began to make their way over the poor ground to the scottish lines , as they came under fire ,from scottish bows and slings. Suddenly there was a great noise like a crack of thunder as a massive cloud of earth erupted nearby , throwing most of it into the air , much to the cries of the nearby men . Many thought that God himself was punishing them for the assault , and it took many threats from John with his sword to get the assault underway again. It seemed the culprit was revealed thou , as the hillside with the new artillery was covered with white mist , no doubt some devilry of the new weapons of war, the scottish king had bought with him.
The next hour was a test of courage as underfire from the new weapons of war, his men , stormed the scottish defences three times, and three times the scottish bitterly fought hand to hand , and threw them back. The light now faded and in the darkness of the torch light , John asked for one more effort, and under the darkness of the night, it was harder for the cannons to find their targets, making the assault a fraction easier. Another hour of tough hand to hand, fighting finally broke the back of the scottish infantry and they began to flee the field, when another nearby blast of artillery threw the soil nearby into the air, and John's head swam, and he fell to the ground , his head seemly swimming from the shock. Thus the command to charge the Scottish kings position was delayed , until John was found on the field, and helped to situp and given water whilst he recovered.
"Has the charge taken place?" , he asked the nearby trooper, who responded with a slight shake of his head.
"Gods breath! Get back to the camp , and order the charge ! For we could win this war at a stroke!", he roared at the man , who ran off in the distance of the camp, as John recovered taking another swig of the waterskin.
The charge went as it came , was perhaps less destructive then many hoped in the dark , and the smoke and fire of the new artillery sent many horses to rear up in terror , throwing their riders. It was perhaps only when one of the new artillery pieces suddenly exploded that saved the northern shires cavalry from disaster , flooding the area in a fiery light , shocklng people in the lack of light, and highlighted the kings army in the dark , as many died from the shrapnel of the exploded weapon , that the cavalry had a chance to charge down the King and princes forces. Hugh himself saw the King and Princes banner began to withdraw back to the safety of Hermitage castle against the light from the torches of his army , as his charge hit the highlanders that stood as a rearguard and although his forces fought well , the highlanders would'nt desert their protection of the Scottish king with their proud faith in him and his son ,as the scottish royalty retreated back to the safety of the castle.
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It had been done , Carlisle had been relieved , although perhaps this was a losing situation as many looked to the irish to stop the fight , but although John had been helped back to camp, Carlisle had perhaps been saved and scotland would need more time to siege the city although most of the northern shires army was sure to be attacked in turn , but he had fulfilled his duty as a englishmen protecting those civilians that he had fought for all of his life. At the back of the tent several of the commanders, including Hugh talked and laughed in the background of the light within the tent, and John smiled at the comradely of his friends and his troops.
Coughing, he called over a messenger , and he slipped him a small wax proofed scroll which he asked to send to the protector of the english crown back in the south , as he called for wine , to perhaps celebrate the victories of today, and commiserate the chance of capturing the scottish royal family. Silently thou under his breath he both praised God for his blessing this day, and cursed him for denying him complete victory in capturing the scottish king. He sighed but hoped God would be with him in the next season , where he hoped he might survive another year when the scottish looked for revenge with their second army.
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The messenger rode, hard during the night, southwards to the safety of the northern shires lines , and in the new daylight of a new day, he raised the message to sky , using the daylight to make out somewhat of the message which was written to the house of Stratford, and the messenger grinned at the name, knowing the tale that one of the Stratfords had saved Johns life, and perhaps this was a personal note , saying that he had fulfilled his obligation that he owed the family , that dwelt in southern england.
----------------
In a tavern , north of newcastle , the scottish assassin kept well to the back of the tap room in the dark of the building , and did'nt share his table with anyone. Dressed in the work cloths of a carpenter, he had kept his accent from being to noticeable, and had orders to kill any english agents he could find , particularly the english spies that saturated this land. His own musing was disturbed when a drunk patron , stumbled against the table, and he cursed himself for his mind wandering , as he focused on the drunk , trying to see whether this was a agent of the crown or of the northern shires, but his stumbling and watery eyes, in poor clothes just revealed that he was another tavern room drunk , and so he took another drink of his ale ignoring the man, and focused again on the people within the tavern to make sure he did'nt have anyone out of sort within his base of operations.
Suddenly he felt the slight pinprink of pain in his neck , and he turning feeling his neck with left hand , he stumbled to his feet unsettled, seeing the blurred look of the drunk had moved closer , and was putting away a small needle [that only he could see from that position] that he struck him with, within his dirty work clothes.
"Waylander sends his regards! Likewise so do the people of York , for all the deaths that have been caused there" murmured the drunk under his breath , before , his face changed , resuming the look of a idiot drunk , as he turned and shuffled his way towards the exit of the tavern. Looking back once at the scottish assassin, he winked and then looked at the tavern keeper as the assassin collapsed off balance to the floor .
"Som' people ca'na hold da drink....Can'nay?" , he said in a slurred manner, to the tavern keeper who nodding as he wiped his cups with a dirty rag.
As for the scottish assassin , his muscles had locked up , and he was having trouble breathing , just the keeping the bare minimum of breath as his lungs had reduced their workload , his vocal chords spasming stopping any cry, as he slumped down in the corner of the tavern , as most people heard his rough breathing thinking that had fallen from his table and fallen asleep......
-------------------------------
Back in Newcastle , the lord received the message from John de Warenne calling for him to rally all his forces and join the attack on the untouched second Scottish army, whilst they were surprised at the main northern armies assault [on the first scottish army remnants around Carlisle] and use the advantage to inflict significant damage on the second army whose generalship seemed poor and in doubt.Looking up , the Lord of Newcastle , looked at the messenger who waited a reply from the northern shires lord.
"Tell John we will march out in the sunrise" , said the lord in a gravelly tone , his voice a little dry from the nearby fire, and nodded for the messenger to take his leave , before he returned to John de Warenne's army with the good news.
As the messenger departed he turned to his aide, and whispered ...
"Make sure he does'nt survive the day....Make it look normal ..I want no problems. Tell the other lords , that no messenger ever arrived here this night", to the grey solid built aide, who nodded and departed the room with ominous silence , as the northern lord, chucked the note into the fireplace watching it , slowly blackening in the flames.
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
England
“What a blunder!” someone cried.
“A catastrophy!” another shouted.
“How is the Lord Protector going to respond to this disaster!” came from yet another.
The Council of Nobles was outraged at the defeat of the Crown's forces in the North and were shouting all manner of unsavoury things into the Lord Protector's face. Lewes was in a precarious position, his judgement and ability to rule being openly questioned. Only by the bravery of John de Warenne and other Lancastrian forces had a complete disaster been averted. Though this meant they still had a fighting chance in the war it also meant that the Crown's prestige had taken another serious blow, much to the dismay of the grumbling nobility. Lewes called for silence, his face not only flushed by anger but from the wine as well. The heralds had to call for silence three times before the nobles descended their shouting into soft muttering.
“My lords, I know you are angry with me.” he stated calmly, many of them grumbling in agreement.
“In my haste to meet the Scottish threat I have sent young Englishmen to their deaths.” he continued in an more strained voice, the room still unaware of the anger building up in him.
“Do not think this does not weigh on my conscious!” he suddenly cried out, startling many.
“It is the crippling responsibility I have been carrying with me for many years now, carrying this nation on my back!” he shouted, his temper rising at these pompous lordlings, gaping at him.
“If anyone here in this room thinks he could've done it better than me all these years may he now raise and take my place and I'll gladly give him it!” spittle flying from his lips, his rage unbridled. The room fell silent and none even gave the illusion of rising, their gazes fixated on anything but Lewes. The Lord Protector had risen from his chair to shout down at them. Lewes unclenched his fists and after stretching the silence a bit further he seated himself once more. In a more constrained tone he continued.
“I did assign a young commander, perhaps not experienced enough to deal with the threat. The army was hastily assembled, many of them no more than drafted peasants. Mistakes gentlemen, mistakes we all made.” Lewes looked round the table and it seemed his outburst had had its effect for the lords had calmed down significantly.
“I will learn from these mistakes and therefore I have decided to take command of the grandest army the Crown has ever seen and march them North, to not only avenge our fallen brothers but also to honour my obligation as Lord Protector of the English Crown and to teach these Scottish bastards what Englishmen are made of!” The lords of England let their agreement be heard by the eardeafening thumping of their hands against the table. Lewes couldn't help but notice that the group surrounding Geiles, Edward's son, thumped also but with a sly grin on his face. There was one who wouldn't be sorry if Lewes never returned. The Lord Protector rose, dismissing his Council and immediatly left for his army camp ready to go north, to war. It was the only way he could redeem himself not only to English people but also to himself, hoping victory would wash away the shame and weight he carried with him.
King's sister Sorcha married to a young promising man named William with a great ceremony.
Despite the army is keeping the ranks tight and strong, people of Wales already have forgotten about the war and suffering they had. Yet, it is peaceful life going on at Wales.
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
In the border castle of Hermitage, in the King's quarters...
----------------------------
The war council was in full swing, with mixed feelings.
The Barons have thrown everything at the Scottish armies besieging Carlisle.
The flower of the nobility of the Northern Shires, except those of Newcastle, took part in the defence of the Crown's trapped survivors and the citizens of Carlisle.
The Barons, using the night to launch their raids, managed to repulse the Scottish back to Hermitage castle and the surrounding countryside.
But their victory was Phyrric. Especially that the Royal army of King Alexander, formed of experienced and hardened veterans, did not even partake in the battles at all and was just around the corner.
The elite knights and armoured billmen composing the only standing army of the Shires suffered heavy causalities.
With the finances of the Shires depleted, it will take a long time to assemble such a mighty force again.
Moreover, the surviving knights of the Crown stayed behind the walls and did not assist their allies in the attack, which caused the Barons to lose more men in the process.
"I gave Henry another chance at peace, yet he throws his men to the slaughter to defend the Crown's men, who did not even join the battle.
The King of England is using Henry as a buffer and shield meat against us, yet Henry is still living in denial..."
Alexander was reflecting on the situation.
"At least the Lord of Newcastle seems wise enough to know not to fight a losing war and not to throw his men to the wolves!", said Gille, as he sipped some wine.
"Sire!, I bring news!" The chief scout emerged in the room, interrupting the conversation.
"Speak up", ordered the king.
"They were quite a few, all heavily armoured knights led a by a nobleman. They were scouting the region.
But we ambushed them and killed them all. It was a massacre. Here is the body of the dirty southerner".
The chief showed the bloodied body of Josias Horston.
"I recognise this knight. He fought valiantly in the 3rd battle of Carlisle and helped turn the tide when our pikemen were winning. His charge saved the day for the barons.
he does not deserve to die in an ambush..."
Alexander felt sorry for the young knight.
He felt sorry for all the fallen men of the shires as he has no grudge against them.
"Who cares! He spilled Scottish blood, they all deserve to die!" Gille shouted and all the clan leaders joined him. "We must strike now, the Barons expect a report from Josias, but they will receive Scottish wrath in return!" Gille was getting more red as he spilled his wine and lifted his sword.
Alexander knew that militarily, it is the perfect moment to strike.
His Highlander army, which did not take part in the battle for Carlisle was ready to hit the encamped Barons hard.
But he was reluctant to give the order as he knew that the Scots will show no mercy after what the Barons did to their brothers and kin.
The King stood up.
"Gather the banners", he finally said.
Loud war cries erupted from the room as chieftains hurried to assemble their men.
As the room emptied up, Alexander called his assistant. "Write down these messages and dispatch them immediately"
---------------------
The bloodthirsty Scotsmen descended on the Barons' camp like a tidal wave.
Highlanders, pikemen and noble swordsmen carved a path of blood in their passage.
The Barons army was shattered and the few survivors retreated to the south, to Lancaster.
The Carlisle garrison, witnessing the massacre from the safety of the walls, did not dare to join their allies.
But the Scots, having plundered the Barons' camps and executed the wounded and the prisoners, besieged the city again.
"You do not dare come out, then stay in and die nonetheless", shouted Gille, lifting his blood-red sword and pointing it at the few remaining knights and militia troops who were trembling behind the walls.
John de Warenne and Hugh survived the carnage however. But Lord Henry has lost his last standing army.
The last significant force in the Northern Shires is the one stationed in Newcastle, commanded by a Lord who disobeyed the orders of Henry...
------------------------
The Barons next: https://www.mediafire.com/file/84xvl71jh5th5bi/TIOC_Barons_64.sav/file
Frei zu sein, bedarf ist wenig, nur wer frei ist, ist ein König.
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
Henry observed the movement of the Scottish armies and wondered with surprise that the banners of the Scottish king , were back on the battlefield ,for he thought that he would still be nursing his losses from the blows that the northern shires army had inflicted , confining him to Hermitage Castle , at least for the next season but perhaps one of those dire witches they tell tales of, in the deepest highlands had made somesort of potion to reinvigorate him allowing him to take to the field .
{Rule 5> If an army is defeated by an earlier player in the turn order, it cannot have any movement points used for one turn by the player that comes later in the turn order. Defeated forces in garrisons are exempt from this rule. ..dont worry about it for now , as scotland was always gonna push the northern shires armies back..but note it for next time }
But regardless of scotland's push southwards and the resumption of the siege, the northern shires was certainly feeling the pressure , with Newcastle. still standing still and even reducing its garrison in somesort of weird uneasy communication with the scots, as Henry feared treachery from the leaders of Newcastle. York was currently now under blockade from the majority of Scottish shipping reducing its trade , but hope remained as the northern shires hoped to open a new land trade link with the newly established welsh kingdom to the southeast.
Whilst the army was being rebuilt in the winter season , diplomacy was the name of the game for the northern shires, as this was really all they could do, with John and Hugh forced back to a lone castle north of Lancaster and Henry appealed both to the irish to convince the scottish to desist , and to the welsh for aid, asking them to remember the help they played in returning their old lands.
Their was also letters to the Scottish warning them , that if they killed the population of Carlisle , that the northern lords would not forgive their transgression , and that the men of the northern shires, would forever be sworn to break the scottish where-ever they lived in vengeance of that deed. The last letter the Lord of lancaster had to write , was to the family and new wife , of Josias , to express his sympathy of his loss of life, in the defence of the kingdom .Money was sent to the newly widowed Joan {Again] , in lue of her troubles , to ease her house . Henry stopped writing as the candlelight began to dim , his face grey and pale at the strain he was, under , both fighting against his own , holding the state together after years and years of all out warfare, then plague, and now another war , his heart, twinged in his chest , as he began to feel his age and years wore heavy upon himself , as he finally put out the last of the candle light , to the silence of blissful sleep .
--------------------------------------
Meanwhile in the middle baronies of the north, a cloaked figure [that of a character so named waylander], observed the Scottish spy taking the old merchants track offroad to the north , and this lone figure , set off alarmbells and warning twinges in the cloaked figures brain, as he considered the setup in front of him. It would be so easy to drop a large rock on this lone unassuming figures head, and then depart with all , none the wiser and it had all the signs of a setup. Withdrawing a little to the nearest village, he employed a rider, to send a message to another northern agent , a spy of sought's to search out the grounds around this lonesome scottish spy to see what he could see.
A letter replied in the next week , revealing disturbing news that the famous scottish assassin "Farquar the Killer" who had several warrants for his arrest , for his deeds in and around York , and was known as a assassin of legendary skill , had been seen obviously lying in wait , to the bait he had sent in motion perhaps even not to the scottish spies knowledge to make it seem all the more convincing opportunity for a kill.
It took a month for the northern shires assassin to pin down his prey , and he revealed in the planning of what would be his perhaps most famous scalp , if he could pull off the difficult kill , and it took several more weeks to call in favors and arrange , all for this his finest work.
----------------------
Farquar knew that he was being watched , for you did'nt rise to the level of a top assassin without noticing the sly glances, and slow quiet pad of footprints following deep behind, and he took a few weeks moving off the beaten path trying to shake his unknown pursuer. From the hills back to the town he went , all the while , stopping occasionally , hoping for a confrontation on his grounds , but without success. Soon he was getting annoyed, knowing with his skills he could kill any that dare face him , and moved out into the far distant countryside, where he mercilessly murdered a small family taking control of their farmyard which was in the middle of nowhere, and prepared the ground , for the visitation , he knew was to come. Weeks he waited, but the farmstead was well stocked with food and water, fair away from anyform of civilization to worry about any neighbours or family members and even had firewood to sit out the winter in relative comfort. Smoke rose from the farmstead, as the well trapped and fortified farmyard yielded but one single route in and out , [although he had prepared the roof , with a removable beam to force a escape from the roof incase of being entrapped with fire] as he awaited his foe.
Eventually the day came, in the mid morning whilst it was still daylight and he heard the steps moving towards the farmyard door , as he smoked his pipe, and adjusted his small crossbow under his cloak , watching the door entrance for his visitor, as the door was knocked upon and slowly opened.
A Man he thought,as it stood , highlighted in the light of day behind , his face, and body shadowed from the thick clothing as he gave a slight cough and took a step inside.
"{Cough, Cough} Are you Farquar?" , enquired the man , coughing a little before he took a step forward.
"No further friend?", said farquar following the man with his other hand on the crossbow under his cloak following his every move whilst smoking his pipe as the intruder came to a stop.
"What do you want with this.....Farquar fellow?" , said Farquar hoping to get some information on his employers before he took this kill and eased his life of this new pain.
"I have a message for him , from York......" , said the heavy clothed man with a cloak, but Farquar hearing of the words of Waylander had been using for his kills, and seeing the cloaked man reaching into his pocket , he fired his crossbow bolt , taking the shadowed man in the heart , for a clean kill . The man slumped forward with a clump sound as he hit the floor and Farquar came over to see his kill of waylander was complete , and to make sure of his target.
He moved swiftly over the still warm body examining the man checking the pockets finding a rough note inside his overcoat, which perhaps he was looking for , and pulled back the rough hood , that protected the mans face, hoping to reveal the face of the killer waylander , but the mans face , was pock marked , and slightly red and sweatladden, causing Farquar to move away from his body for fear of his appearance.
Once away from the body , he observed the body one more time , before opening the note he had found.
I hope Egbert here will find you within the month , for his time on this realm is coming due.....One of the last people infected from the virulent plague that had persisted all over the northern shires for the last few years, it took me , many weeks to find one of the last victim's nearing his end, and promise him that i would take care of his family, for this last gift of solving this last problem i have[and perhaps his own].
Besides I think it fitting that you too , also receive something for your punishment for your work on the people of the northern shires, that you contract this plague , which is painful in its last hours.
yours
Waylander......
Farquar snarled and threw down the note, moving to wash his hands and face in the water bucket, and stepping over the body , he exited the farmyard , grabbing a small bag of food, he had prepared for after this trial . It was only after a week on the road, that he began to cough up blood in the middle of a nearby village , and the villagers seeing the sight , threw stones at the now ill man , driving him from their lands. As he stood on the outside of the settlement , drew up his sleeve of his cloaked clothes to see the rash and small boils beginning to form , showing infected skin , he turned to the sky and cried ...
"Curse you Waylander!" , he yelled at the sky with a clenched fist, which he bought back to see the red blood upon the leathered gloves he wore and that, he had coughed up , and reached for his pouch where he kept his own poisons .....
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
England
Screams, blood and salt water, that was the life of a sailor in His Majesty's Navy or so Anthony thought it must be. After the Irish attack on the ship he had been residing he had been in the company of these brute looking men. The captain of his ship had set sail for the port of Chester and had rejoined with the standing western English fleet. Anthony had wanted to return to Cumberland with the next boat but no ship would leave without the Lord Protectors permission. And then one day they had set sail, the entire fleet. Over the briny sea they had sailed, northbound until they reached the small alcove protecting the bay of Carlisle's port. On the horizon the Cross of St-Andrews was seen flying atop the masts of seven ships, the Scots blockading the escape route of many northerners fleeing the war.
Their adversary was certainly startled to see a fleet of twenty ships bearing down on them. They were trapped. Anthony could not help but grin in the face of their surprise, though his guts clenched at the prospect of battle. He was no sailor, nor a soldier for that matter. It was not the blood or death that made him nervous but the openness of it all. Anyone could kill anyone, no skill was needed, just bad luck. One swing of a blade that missed its target but hit you instead and it was over. Anthony spat into the sea and looked at the nearing ships one last time before going belowdecks, as ordered by Admiral Morcar. All non-combatants were to stay below during combat, not for their safety oh no. It was for, as Morcar had put very bluntly, “to stop them getting in the way of the actual useful people!”. A charming man, Anthony thought but then again having command of so many lives wouldn't that make anyone an ill-tempered bastard. Still Anthony didn't want to anger the man so he complied. Time to sit this one out I suppose. God it's one thing fighting for your life and dying, it's a whole other thing waiting for your death with you not in control of one thing concerning it.
I walked across the quay, completely packed with people trying to board the ships whom they hoped would bring them south but not me. I returned to the north to continue my work. Not far from the porthouse a man approached me, I recognized him as an informant of ours and I was surprised. Many had been killed by the Scottish but it seemed by combining the networks of the Crown and the Shires' the odds had again come to their favour. He just bumped into me, excused himself and made his way to the quay to join the crowd waiting to board. I found a small note in my pocket with directions to a target. Too far away for today I concluded at a glance, but there is something else I can do on my way there. On to the beleaguered city of Carlisle we go.
***
“It was wise of you my Lord to send the fleet on their own.” Augustine said. Lewes merely grumbled in reply. He knew it had been the right decision but he liked it not one bit. He still wanted to believe he could've relieved Carlisle if only he had gone with the navy and gloriously had charged his brave troops into the vile invaders, though in his heart he understood he couldn't have. Another failure I can write on my name, Lewes thought as he took another sip of his wine.
“I'm still resolved to take my army north and fight!” he shouted, like a child who had made up his mind and would not budge in any way. Augustine slightly shook his head, he knew Lewes would not stop until he had dealt a mighty blow against the Scots or until death bereft him of the chance. Even though his hair had greyed and his skin was wrinckled the Lord Protector was still a force to be reckoned with. A strong frame still held him together.
“There is also other news my Lord.” Augustine trying to cut to a new subject.
“Geiles has not been sitting idly in London.” this grabbed Lewes' attention immediatly, his piercing gaze demanding an explanation.
“He has taken command of the garrison of London and rode out to meet with some bandits blocking the road from the capital to Nottingham.” Lewes' eyes narrowed.
“He has made it out as if he singlehandedly defeated this great band of maurauders. The people of Middlesex are portraying him as a hero.”
Augustine waited with bated breath as to how Lewes would react. From all the reactions he had expected a sarcastic snort was not one of them.
“Let the young prince play his little games, I've a war to focus on.”
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
Originally Posted by paladinbob123
{Rule 5> If an army is defeated by an earlier player in the turn order, it cannot have any movement points used for one turn by the player that comes later in the turn order. Defeated forces in garrisons are exempt from this rule. ..dont worry about it for now , as scotland was always gonna push the northern shires armies back..but note it for next time }
I am sorry Paladin bob, you are absolutely right.
I was surprised I could move the beaten troops to be honest.
And thanks for not asking for a replay (you are right the outcome would have been almost the same as I had a full stack army nearby and reinforcements coming from the North and from the fort near Newcastle).
However I will be careful and wary of this rule in the future.
Ps: beautiful RP on the killing of Farqar. You broke my heart, I got attached to him.
He was nearing 55 and had 10 kills to his belt.
May his brave soul rest in Hell.
Frei zu sein, bedarf ist wenig, nur wer frei ist, ist ein König.
Re: [Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Der Böse Wolf
Mad levels of respect paladinbob! 
}
Perhaps Farqar and Aelfgar are now feasting together in the halls of Hell. 
