Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3143535" data-attributes="member: 3448">Alistair nodded.  “What about if we hired the Order of the Falcon?”“I still don’t want to work with them!” said Kit.  “Their commander ate someone’s arm.”“I’m not sure we have a choice.”“There has to be someone else.”“It may not matter, your grace.  It might be possible to move an army from Canberry at a rapid march to catch the Abomination’s army while it is still battling the Tulani, but the extra distance to Masque would be impossible.”“What about our airships?  Could we use them to get an army into position?”“No, your grace.  We could use them to engage the battlebarges to take away the enemy’s air advantage and to move in magical support.  But the airships can only carry a small number of marines, perhaps a few companies total.  We could not possibly move enough troops that way to make a meaningful difference.”The group pondered the problem for a few minutes.  Alistair finally spoke again.  “I’m still looking at mercenaries as the best option.  We have plenty of money, but we don’t have plenty of troops.  And the Order of the Falcon is still the best mercenary option we’ve identified.  What if we constructed a teleportation circle or gate between Masque and the southern reaches of Canberry?  We could march the Order of the Falcon through in a matter of days.  If they can maintain a fast march, they should be able to catch the Abomination’s army before it has broken through the defenses around Tulani.”Dame Brionna nodded appraisingly.  “It would be tight, but it should be possible.”“There has to be a better option than the Order of the Falcon…”Alistair looked at Kit.  “Then find it.  Even with the Order, I’m worried that we won’t be able to stop the Abomination.  We can’t afford to give up a chance without a better choice.”Mahler tapped his hand on the arm of his chair thoughtfully.  “Moving the Order of the Falcon in will only help if the Archbishop of the Spice Lands can get his army to hold the Abomination long enough.  They have a hundred days to become an effective fighting force, but they’re still green.”Alistair nodded and looked at Dame Brionna.  “What’s their leadership like?  Do they have a general who’s capable of forging them together and getting them as ready as they can be without actual experience?”“Their leadership is part of the problem, your grace.  Each of the individual nobles commands a separate force, and none of them are willing to acknowledge the authority of any of their allies for fear that they would end up subordinated to one of the other city-states.  Tulani can lead to some extent, because its army is by far the largest, but that makes the other city-states even less willing to acknowledge the field army’s general as overall commander.  The only thing uniting them is their loyalty to the temple.  And while the Archbishop is reasonably militant, he’s not a general.”“They might be more receptive to an outside leader,” said Kit.  “If the Archbishop backed a general that they knew could not use the opportunity to become a king...”“Especially if that general arrived with substantial arcane support, since that’s their chief weakness,” added Alistair.  “They have one powerful archmage, but no mage corps to speak of.  We’ll need to send down one of our field marshals-- I don’t think there’s any other Glor’diadelian realm that could supply a skilled enough general.  It will have to be Broadfields… Sir Derrick and Greening are both currently needed in the field.  In any event, neither of them has the political skills the job will take.”“I agree with the analysis, your grace, but we had planned on using Marshal Broadfields as Minister of Defense.”“I know, but I don’t see any other option.  I think we’ll have to leave that post vacant while Broadfields leads the armies defending the Spice Lands.  He can take over those duties when he returns.”  Assuming he survives, thought Alistair.Dame Brionna nodded and made a note to schedule a meeting with the Field Marshal.</blockquote>

Verification