Re: {HS RP} The Isles of Chaos II - British Isles - Roleplaying AR
"Go!" roared King Henry at the startled knight before him. The knight, once an Englishman, but now... well, perhaps still an Englishman. But a most undesirable sort.
The King sighed as he looked down to his bloodstained blade. He needed this more than anything else. Fury had driven him to mere border skirmishes in his own kingdom. But the times... oh, the times. Dark times indeed for the English crown.
But King Henry was not a man to back down; not 'till his death, and he suspected his son carried the same resolve. Just as all Englishmen would.
His son and trusty men were mobilizing in the south, but in the meantime, an army of rebels had appeared to the north, treading far too close to English heartland. Perhaps it would not be wise to poke the second of two angry bears, but King Henry was beyond such warnings. Hearing that many innocent men had been sunk into the sea by these same traitors. Not the same, the King reminded himself as he slowly returned to his command tent. Cowards. At least these men had the decency to stand and fight when challenged. And that was why he had ordered the release of every single man captured by his troops.
Perhaps it was a weak revenge indeed. Picking a fight on his border even as the rebels had sunk a perfectly good lord that was retreating from Ireland to give them that freedom they were wallowing about for so long. But the idea of chivalry struck him. The idea of being civilized. Would anyone care? Would anyone care that King Henry had a sense of honor, unlike the organized bandits that made themselves enemies of his kingdom? Perhaps not. But he would die a man of honor, and upon his heart he swore, he would bring an end to those who sought to bring terror to the lives of his people. He would not negotiate with terrorists.
Alan la Zouche, an older, loyal lord who was tasked with the defense of lands above Nottingham, was a remarkably good sport when King Henry had rode into his fort just a few days before and assumed control of the local garrison. His men were hardy, honest folks, even if not great in number and discipline. They wouldn't be enough to slay the evil dragons of the Isles, but they had done their jobs well. They did well this day, King Henry thought as he looked upon the men still on the field around him. Honest English loyal to his coat of arms, one that was centuries old now.A force of loyal men. Now, that was the England that King Henry wanted to rule. A short while later, the Baron force received a challenge from Alan's garrison. But this challenge was headed by King Henry himself.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...51/unknown.png
Not the most professional English force to muster, to be sure; largely composed of local knights (though quite capable ones) against the range-biased forces of the enemy.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...31/unknown.png
An abundance of longbowmen, a contingent of well-off swordsmen and knights, and some poor militia from the countryside. A poor example of mustering power, but it was hardly a battle for the ages. Really, the fighting itself consisted of English Knights reaching and tearing into the ranged infantry of enemy forces. A costly charge, but one resulting in ultimate reward, and the rather quick shattering of the enemy thereafter.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...26/unknown.png
King Henry himself was near the front of the charge, braving arrows and armored swordsmen. But with a loyal general at his back and seemingly countless knights before him, the day was won, and the enemy was felled. All that remained was the question of what to do with the unfortunate souls who were left behind.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...85/unknown.png
The bulk of those captured were merely men seeking to make a living; hardly worth killing to avenge the many lives lost at sea. The two armored men were handled by King Henry personally; one a minor noble, with whom King Henry had a short conversation, and the other the son of a well of merchant who had plainly been lured into 'the cause' of the rebels. A shame, it was.
King Henry, after returning to his tent, made rest on the road to Nottingham. It would be a long war to terminate the various enemies of England, and in the end, only result in one or two friends on the Isles if he even survived to shake hands with the lords in question. Still, he was a proud English King, and the mantle fell on him to battle to the end. He would not be felled like a brittle oak so easily.
Onto the Irish,
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen..._Ireland_2.sav
