NationStates Jolt Archive

Dirt flew through the air and horses hoofs thundered against the ground as the small group of cavalry rounded the edge of one of the small hills that served as a forward outpost of the Filian army. The vast mountain range that encircled the entirety of the island was impassable except at a bare few low points, serving as perfect protection from invaders but also keeping the Filian people bottled up at the interior of the island; the army had to keep the majority of its personnel stationed outside the boundry so as to be ready for any situations as may arise. With high-mounted mirror relays and a sophisticated flash-code the seperate outposts could keep in near constant communication with one another across the entirety of the island, but that wasn't always enough to insure that their territory remained free. The island was large, able to hold the five million Filians and more besides, and there weren't enough outposts to keep all of the island under observation at once. So, regularly as clockwork, patrols such as this left each and every outpost to make sure there were no unwanted visitors in one of the hidden harbors.

The five horsemen, bows strapped to their backs and swords sheathed at their sides, began to journey southward towards the 'bottom' of the island. Glancing about themselves they saw, out on the Westward Ocean, one of the ships of the new Filian Navy; recently captured from the invaders that had only just been defeated. It, and its companions, were busy patrolling the waters off the Filian coast but, with newly trained crews and even newer commanders, none were under the illusion that they would be effective at keeping out any but the most amateur of explorers. For now, and likely for years to come, the army would need to maintain its patrols for the safety of the Autarch and the Filian people. This was a duty they took quite seriously.

"Lord Haut? I believe I see something. Jenkins, pass me the eyeglass, will you?"

Jenkins, quickly unpacking the delicate and primitive telescope, passed it to his compatriot who raised it to his eye and squinted into the distance.

"Well, Lotir?"

"It's a ship, sir."

"One of ours?"

"No, Lord Haut, definitely not. No Filian markings anywhere on her."

The first thing the navy had done, having aquired several new ships, was to slap their flag on every part of them that was large enough to sport it.

"Have they come for war?"

"It is only one ship, and not particularly large at that. Perhaps twenty or thirty men. Forty if they packed the hold, and those men wouldn't be in any position to fight if they did."

"Well, let's go see who they are and what they want. Could be they've come to trade, the mountains carry enough ore for us and many others. Jenkins, ride back to camp and Flash the Autarch, let him know we have guests. Lotir, you saw them first so lead on."

With one man less, Jenkins already heading back the way they had come, the cavalry began the rather lengthy journey to the new arrivals.

OOC:

My first RP! w00t!

I'd like for this to be my introduction to the world, friendly outsiders encountering my government and its people for the first time since they defeated an enemy which had been plaguing them for years. Logically, those outsiders are the people this patrol has just stumbled upon. Be here under orders to contact the government, be exploring, be trading, whatever. You could even be hostile if you like, just keep in mind that I don't want this to be a war RP and, as the patrol said, you're not here armed to conquer the entire island.

As you could probably tell from the horses and light-communication (And the title), this is past-tech. Pre-gunpowder. Swords, bow and arrows, catapaults and trebuchets, etc. No magic, please, though of course it's perfectly fine for your people to practice it (Just don't have the sky start raining fire because your priest started chanting).

My first post, the victory over those oft-mentioned enemies, is here: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=10350423&postcount=1

Enjoy!

OOC: Nobody wants in on my first RP?

OCC:I hope you don't mind the arrival of another ship.

The large Ravean frigate buckled to and fro in the waves, throwing the men on deck around like rag dolls. Normally the ship would have been able to handle the roughest ocean, but it could hardly handle calm sea at the moment. The frigate had been badly damaged by pirates only hours ealier, and was taking on a huge amount of water. It would certianly sink soon without a place to dock.

Regina Spektor grimiced as she almost lost her balance again; she had to hang tightly to the ropes of the ship to prevent from falling into the sea. The Ravean captian was desperate at the moment; her sixty men were made up of mostly disiplined and expert soldiers, but all but the crew were dismal ocean-goers. The frigate was meant to transport soldiers to some far-away war. The pirates had changed all that.

Regina suddenly caught sight of a huge land mass up ahead; she only hoped that the ship could make it before it succumed to the ocean.

OOC: It looks like Kanami decided not to involve himself, so I guess you could be that first ship they saw. And anybody else who wants in is welcome, the more the merrier.

IC:

The four horsemen slowly approached the ship roughly docked on the coast. Obviously wary, decades of warfare will leave anybody cautious of the unknown, they nonetheless saw that the ship was severely damaged. That calmed their spirits somewhat, nobody who planned an invasion would launch one with a ship that could obviously barely remain above water.

With the other three men grasping their bows, aiming them almost but not quite directly at the unknown ship, Lord Haut dismounted and approached on foot.

"Hail the Camp! (The traditional Filian greeting) I am Lord Luton Haut, Overseer of the Autarchs Army and Mayor of Anac. I bring greetings and a welcome to Filia, is there someone of authority with whom I may speak?"

Behind Haut, high in the mountains, one of the giant mirrors began flashing with reflected sunlight. Beyond that mirror, even further into the distance, another mirror began flashing in identical ways. Jenkins had arrived back at their outpost and had begun to signal the Autarch. Soon he would be fully appraised of the situation.

Regina, deciding that the ship was too badly damaged to stay in the water, gave the order to "Dock" the ship uncerimoniously into the shore of the island. Sure, ramming the frigate directly onto dry land wasn't techniclly "Docking," but at least there was no more danger of sinking into the sea. Regina considered heself lucky that she even made it this far.

Regina was about to unload her men off the ship when she spyed a trio of archers, bows taught. Apparently this island was well-inhabited. Perhaps it would be best not to reveal her full force and accidently intimidate these people into a fight. She took twenty of her men and exited the ship onto the warm sand of the beach. These soldiers were Ravean Jeager fighters, the cream of the Ravean infintry. Armed with steel sabers and long, light lances that could ward off calvary attacks and break through the heaviest shields and armor, these lightly-armored and quick soldiers were experts at dividing and destroying much larger forces. Regina had thirty more were these came from, as well as ten Yojimbo-well paid, well disiplined Mercenaries from other lands who used a variety of weapons and fought as individual warriors.

Regina and her twenty men waved at the men on the beaches; Regina shouted at the man who had spoken.

"I am Regina Spektor, the Captian of this vessel and the highest authority around. I come from the distant land of Ravea, far to the east. Our ship was attacked by Pirates a short time ago; would you be so kind as to lend us a place to stay until we can repair our vessel?"

Glancing behind himself, checking to see if any of his men had previously heard of the professed 'Ravea' (They hadn't), Haut also checked to see if the mirrors were flashing a return message (Also a no). Turning back to the newcomers, eyeing the obvious show of force, he stepped towards the leader.

"We might be able to provide you with adequate housing and repair facilities until you are ready to depart, but first I must clarify certain matters. What was your purpose in these waters before the pirates waylaid you? We are aware of no Ravea colonies in the area and have received no word of such a trading partner; especially one who travels with such companions. If you have come for war tell us now; we will permit you to leave at once if you wish and will possibly allow you to remain for repairs, but your intentions must be clear from the beginning."

In the distance one of the mirrors began to flash again, stretching out a long and complex message.

"I have been authorised to bring you to the Autarch for this discussion, if you so wish, but we must wait for an official escort before we embark."

His tone, though carefully non-threatening, was also clearly not the request it seemed to be. Regardless of what the Raveans wished, they would not be leaving before the 'escort' arrived.

"We Raveans are involved in a great war far to the west of here. My ship was in a group of six vessels charged with sending reinforces across the ocean to help the cause when we were hit by a storm; four ships were sunk. Pirates claimed the other after we had been knocked off course, and I was barely able hold off repeated pirate attacks. I eventually was able to outrun the pirates, but at great cost to my ship. Do not be alarmed, we mean you no harm. If we had wanted a fight, you would probably all be dead by now. Ravean Tactics stress speed when invading an enemy."

Regina grimiced. Perhaps it was a mistake to bring along armed soldiers.

"We thank you for your offer of shelter, and will gladly take you up on it. We'll meet this...Autarch, as well."

"Speed or not, your throats would be slit before you even passed within the boundries of one of the Inner Cities. Nobody passes the mountains without us seeing them."

Unhappy with the suddenly hostile turn the conversation had taken, Haut glanced in the direction of the outpost from which he had come before turning back to the Raveans. The outpost was far out of sight itself, but he hoped that the 'escort' would be visible and approaching.

"Regardless, neither of us is here for combat and I hope it will remain as such. Please, leave whatever war you are in out on the seas, here you are guests."

In the distance, invisible as all but a tiny speck of movement, Lotir caught a glimpse of what he hoped were additional members of the Filian Army. With the best eyes of the patrol it was clear that none of the other members had seen the speck yet, so he reached forward and tapped Haut on the shoulder.

"My lord, I believe we are being approached from the rear."

Ravea?

OCC:Christ, I forgot about this! Sorry.

IC:Regina frowned. She would like to see these people face a full Ravean regiment, complete with Calvary and Heavy infintry. Very little could stop a large Ravean unit in full charge. Still, Regina knew she had nowhere near the amount of men to take on this entire island; perhaps she could gain something using guile and diplomacy. She relaxed slightly as Haut accepted them to the island.

"Thank you, Haut. Your generosity will not be forgotten; perhaps I will send trade ships in your direction after my men and I get back home. In the meantime, perhaps you could lead us to this...Autarch?"

OOC: I wanted to join your RP, but my nation is primarily run by werewolves so if you have a problem with that I won't join.

OOC: I wanna join this RP, but I can't see another feasible entry into it... considering that there was only one ship... if you can think of a way, TG me or post it in here...