NationStates Jolt Archive

MMM Hub thread:
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13752807&posted=1#post13752807
Factbook (still work in progress):

Frozopians are a simple people. They accept hardship as part of the life that the God's chose for them. Their superiors are a constant, comforting in some ways and a harsh reality in others. Change is something only the young and adventurous talk off but typically it is these who are among the first to enlist in Frozopias vast army.

To serve in the army is a great honour. Any history that is taught to the peasantry either involves war, religion or both. From birth the children are fed stories of glory and wealth earned on the battlefield. In reality either for soldiers from their background is unlikely but not unheard off. Even without this there is the promise of a priveledged afterlife for those who serve and die in battle.

The Frozopian religion is a polytheistic belief system with 100's of different God's with massively varying statuses, best measured by the the number of temples they have. For example there are six God's of war and hundreds if not thousands of temples honouring them. Only one God, Thor the God of thunder and leader of all the God's recieves more worship then them.

Worship normally means animal (very rarely human) sacrifice and prayer. Nothing is written down so there is no consistency in the religious beliefs. However the religions 'enforcers' are the Wise men. The Wise men are chosen from the young by other Wise men. Generally it is those considered fortunate or blessed by the god's. Perhaps they were born on a portent day or perhaps they had a near death experience. They are then given 10 years training and when they finish they are given a staff and with it a inflated status. From then on they will travel spreading the religion untill they are older and given a temple. All are expected to house and feed any passing Wise men. Even the nobels are expected to treat the Wise men with respect.

The Nobility of Frozopia, when they are not feuding or conspiring, put most of their energy into war and maximising what profits can be made on the land they own. They rule as they see fit and this may result in the abuse of their subjects: However the nobility are not niave and they know at the very least they need the serfs more then the serfs need them. Most of the nobility are very comfortable leading men into battle and are at least educated about war if they havent experienced it. All of them will have a experienced and skilled Captains to assist in command.

Frozopia is Governed by the King Rolf and his cabinet. Although the King has the final say on anything significant, his cabinet can be left to manage separate area's of the country's ruling. This heavily centralised system means that the Nobility will listen well to the King and his Cabinet.

The Frozopian Army is possibly the best and largest around. It has a vast pool of volunteers to recruit from and the heavy economic emphasis on war has lead to cheaper equipment that in no way sacrifices in quality. However the army's offensive tendencies means any artillery is rarer and more expensive.

The Frozopian Navy is at the other end of the spectrum. Full warships are rare and sub par. Few crews have any great skill in battle and this weakness means Frozopian shipping and trade is too frequently lost to pirates. However the marines are just as good fighters as their land equivalents: Boarding the enemy and fighting them face to face is probably any admirals best chance of winning a sea battle.

Frozopia also has a strong spy network. In war this network will sow disarray among the enemy while feeding important intell to the military commanders. In Peace this network will closely observe Frozopia's allies and enemies alike, although occasionally feuding nobils will abuse it for their own means.

Resource wise Frozopia has healthy amounts of agriculture and timber. It also has mineral deposits, although the metal demanded by the military can be a strain on these resources.

Saranac island lay to the East of the peninsula of Hinton, which had itself been Incognitian since time immemorial.
Saranac had itself lain vacant, or nearly so, for long, for long-and-long – but at some point, people had come.
The island was claimed by Frozopia, but with that nation's paltry interest in matters maritime, the claim had long lain abeyant, and Incognitian people had slowly arrived...for the forests, tall trees from which could be cut down substantially to form the masts of the biggest ships in Menzerte's yards.
They had come for the fishing.
They had come for the grazing, in those areas cleared of trees – small those, even now, but it saved importing salt meat from the mainland, and milk would never last the voyage.
As the population had grown, the place had eventually gained a reputation as somewhere a man could stand free and walk tall, without having to be a heathen savage per se, nor even live amongst them.
Eventually the place had grown enough that substantial merchants would come through, even settle. These people had demanded a couple of things, namely a Mayor and a local Watch, which had slowly, and grudgingly been provided.
It only took a few years before there came a Mayor with wider ambitions, and Mayor Thomas Brock had, after careful consultation with his aldermen, set off for Nescia.
There he had requested the Assembly to formally recognise his title as a Mayor, and to make provision for the protection of his people on the island.
In return he had offered a large part of the Customs revenues; after all, the Watch could be scaled back if the Navy could be relied upon to keep down piracy, right?

Ultimately, the whole thing had come down to a small committee, which met in the depths of the Assembly, and whose membership was...uncertain to those not part of it.
Their names are unimportant. All that matters is that these men were able to make the decision.
They did remember that Frozopia had once claimed the place, but firmly expected that it would be unimportant to Frozopia; after all, at most a few dozens of fishermen and cotholders had lived there, and most of those had long since died or been assimilated into the Incognitian population. It was doubtful whether a representative of the Frozopian King had ever been there.

And so it was resolved, and a few days later passed into statute, that the Mayor of Saranac would be a Lord Mayor, with all the honours of that title; that Saranac's Customs-House would henceforth send three-fifths of it's takings to Nescia, likewise that censuses, head-taxes, poll-taxes and other exactions and levies would apply to Saranac similarly to the rest of Incognitia; that the Navy would be instructed to base at the least sufficient frigates and jachts for anti-piracy duties in the surrounding waters; and that a Company of the Hinton Foot would be sent to Saranac for 'purposes of public order and safety'.


It was only a few days later that word came to Menzerte, home likewise to the Hinton Foot, and to much of the Fleet, of this decision.
A small flotilla commanded by Captain Charles Firth was soon put together; it took with it the company of the Hintons, commanded by a Captain Richard Fairfax.
Their first order of business on arrival on Saranac – to build themselves a barracks. When completed it would be only the third spot on the island to fly the Incognitian flag.
The first was the Town Hall, as soon as Brock let on that his petition had been successful.
The second was the harbour, as soon as the Squadron arrived and Firth, now technically a Commodore, raised his flag along with it.
The third was the log-work barracks, to be replaced with stonework when possible, and with it the Republic set it's feet firmly on this forested splash of rock in the midst of the Narrow Sea.

"Well Gentlemen. It seems Terra Incognitia has over stepped the mark."

The King's most trusted advisors had all been gathered to listen to Abel, Head of Espionage, and his report. The news had caused a wave of anger among most of them: To the Frozopians this was a blow to their pride. However some retained a certain amount of cynicism. One spoke up:

"Your majesty I may also be overstepping the mark here but when did we start caring about Saranac? We cant have sent a Royal representative there in what.... 50 years? We have invested nothing into building the island. It offers little what we need..."

Another interrupted:

"The Incognitian settlers have turned the island around. It now see's alot of trade and agriculture. But it is still our land! And those bastards are profiting on it. It reflects badly on us. I say we denounce them as traitors, burn the barracks and seize the island. The Incognitians will swallow the embarrassment."

"Easier said then done. It is no easy task getting our soldiers past the Incognitian navy. In their eye's they will at least have a legitimate right to defend the island. Although I agree its unlikely they will provoke our wrath by attempting to reclaim it."

Finally Lord Harald, overall commander of the Frozopian armed forces spoke:

"If we cross where the gap between Frozopia and Saranac is the narrowest there is no chance the Incognitian navy will intercept our forces. Half a battalion of infantry and some light cavalry will do the trick. Maybe one of those blasted gun to go with them. Then we strike inland and seize the town. Of course they will be given the opportunity to hand over the rebel ring leaders. Who we will then hang."

The room fell silent. The King stood.

"We can finish this planning tomorrow morning. These plans must not leave this room."

It hadn't taken long for the people of Saranac to settle down to being part of Incognitia; after all, most of them had thought of themselves as such anyway, and it was merely that the government had caught up with them.

The company of the Hinton Foot settled into a regular routine; Captain Fairfax had half of them out in the forests at any one time, familiarising themselves with the island - he realised that if Saranac ever had to be fought for in any serious way, his men could be invaluable as guides.
Most officers wouldn't have bothered, but the very reason Fairfax was trusted with the independent command was that he was quite diligent about finding out what should be done, and seeing to it that it was done.

Captain Firth's men were busier, meanwhile; there were always pirates to be found, and he was keeping his four frigates quite busy cutting around the islands; both familiarising themselves with the shoals and channels, and flushing out the various brethren to be found. Word was quickly spreading that the Navy was in town, so soon enough the sea-scum would return to harrying Frozopia's meagre ship-borne trade where they belonged; for now however there were a few gibbets kept busy 'neath the high-tide line and an occasional prize-court convened to sell off a captured raider. The guns - four small ageing cannon so far - were retained in the barracks, and Fairfax began to train a crew for each, so that they could fire a salute for the inauguration of the new Mayor the next month.

And so, as Nescia's writ settled gently over Saranac, the islanders liked it well enough; well, except the pirates, but there were few enough of them based on the island itself.

EDIT: OOC note: some back-of-envelope calculation suggests that the island of Saranac would be about 50 miles from one side to the other, making the strait there, narrow as it appears, around 15-20 miles. Might want to factor that in to your planning; of course chances of avoiding my ships are still reasonable, given that they're only four frigates in the immediate area.

Lord Francis stood on the deck and looked over the galleys currently transporting his men across the strait to Saranac. Five hundred foot soldiers and another hundred cavalry, along with two light cannons, made up his force. More swordsmen than was usual, but the nature of the fighting to come made that a reasonable proposition.

He paced as he thought. everything about this mission relied on stealth and remaining unseen. His men had loaded into the ships tucked into a bay out of site, and were now crossing the strait under oar power alone in the darkness so as to reduce the chance of being seen. Once on land they would move quickly into Saranac’s forest and out of sight of the shore, while the galleys would disburse and going about more usual business. Then it was a case of marching overland to the incognitian town on the far side of the island.

All going to plan, the enemy would not know they were coming until it was far too late to reinforce their positions from the mainland.

Ooc: force break down =
125 musket infantry
200 pikemen
175 sword and buckler infantry
100 cavalry [sabre and pistol]
2 four pound guns win crew
sundry officers.

The Frozopian plan called for secrecy in two stages.

The first was to cross the straight undetected so that the landing of troops could be conducted unmolested.
The second involved the landings continuing unnoticed until the island's garrison itself was being hit.

As the Hazel, commanded by Lieutenant James Price, changed from the Middle to Morning watches, they were sailing West through the Channel between Saranac and Frozopia.

It was some time later that the day became light enough that they could see a substantial distance; at this point the watchman atop the main-mast cried that he could see ships to the South.
On being pressed for further information, he eventually said that they were Frozopian galleys, and that they were heading South.

On the face of it, this made no sense; after all, where could they be heading south from? And besides, Frozopian galleys didn't exactly leave port regularly, and hardly ever at night.
Putting together the near-impossibilities caused a horrible realisation for Lt Price, however - what could a group of Frozopian galleys want with Saranac in the middle of the night, except to land troops, after all?

An inspection of the island's shore soon displayed the sites where the galleys had beached themselves to off-load.

Price immediately sailed for Saranac Town; the squadron must be warned, to patrol the straights, word sent to Menzerte, and the garrison readied.
With wind conditions as they were, they could expect to beat fast-moving soldiers to Saranac Town by a day, no more.

OOC: It would probably be just as, if not more, reasonable for no-one to discover it until your guys run into some of my soldiers, but I figured it wasn't too bad; you've successfully landed 4* the force I have on the island, and the ships that brought them have got away scot-free. It'd be one hell of a feat if a strong infantry company managed to defeat that little lot, even forewarned.

Jandor, watching from his campsite high in the hills of Saranac, observed the Frozopians unload the galleys unto the shore. The hunter yawned and stood. It was time to make his way down to Lord Francis. Careful as always the hunter spent the next ten minutes making sure that no one would ever know his campsite existed before he proceeded down the hillside and towards his countrymen.

His countrymen. Jandor had been raised by his father. He had never known his mother. All he knew was that she was a Incognitian and she had died when she birthed Jandor.

Jandor's father had been a Frozopian. It was he who had trained Jandor to replace him as both a hunter and a spy. Corin had been a patriot and he had raised Jandor to be equally loyal towards a land the boy had never even layed his eyes upon. Corin had taught him the language, the land's history and its customs. Later he taught him how to shoot a rifle and never miss, how to track a prey, how to skin and gut the corpse as well as the hundreds of applications each part of any animal could be used for. As Jandor entered puberty he was finally taught the ways of a Frozopian spy: How to cover ones tracks, how to decipher the dozens of different codes used by the spy networks, how to memorise vast amounts of information in a short period of time and the other important spy methods.

The pigeon had arrived days ago. Jandor had been expecting it. Even from his life of nigh-isolation he had noticed the sudden upsurge in Incognitian patriotism. Finally his country needed him for more then just letters. He would lead the Frozopians into the hills with his expert knowledge of the local area and they would head inland to capture the town of Saranac. Perhaps Jandor would even be given the opportunity to fight. Jandor smiled. His descent was finished. Holding his arms high he called out in Frozopian and announced himself to the sentries...

The column of soldiers set out at a rapid pace. Although Lord Francis was pretty sure they had not been detected yet, his orders were strict. Show nothing but the utmost care while maintaining a rapid pace. Jandor made this task easier. Alot easier. But Lord Francis made sure to place double sentries at night and kept a large group of guards with the supplies at all times. On a wooded island like Saranac they were vunerable to guerilla warfare and with no promise of future supply shipments, defending the supplies was a priority.

With luck the six days march would pass without event. If not the Frozopians would be ready.

They grumbled.
They groaned, they moaned.
And oh God, did they complain.

Soldiers always had, of course; the men of the Hinton Foot were no exception. A veteran outfit, they were no strangers to campaigning. One thing they weren't so used to was being sent abroad and NOT being at war.

"I shoulda joined that Black Torrent company. Then there'd be tribes to pacify, bit of excitement."
"Well, that's one way about it Jim, but I'd say I'd go for the Northern Foot. Sitting around a few miles from Nescia in barracks constantly, that's the life."
"Either way Bob, not tramping around some flea-speck on the arse end of nowhere. Why're we even here in the first place?"
"Quiet you two, what's that up there?"

They hushed, and sure enough, up ahead they could see horses and riders.
"Uh-oh...that's cavalry. What's cavalry doing on Saranac lads?"
"I'd think that'd be obvious, Jim lad. Come to take it over, haven't they?"
"What, you mean invade?"
"Will someone slap him? Anyway, we need to get word back to the Captain. The quickest way'll be along the valley, but that's probably the way that lot are going, and once the ground opens out the cavalry will move faster. Still, Jim, if you leave your sword with us you can probably pass as a farm lad, and make good time that way. Meanwhile we'll cut along the hills; should still beat 'em to the town if there's lots of 'em."

"But..."
"Hop to it lad! Your sword, now!"
"Yes Sergeant."
Jim set off at a brisk jog up the path; the other two headed up-hill before hooking left to parallel him in the more difficult terrain just over the ridge.
"Now Bob, as Jim makes his run, me and you are going to scope out these dirty bastards down in the valley."
"Isn't that a bit risky Sarge?"
Fortunately Bob didn't expect an answer to that question.

OOC note: you can play these three as you please, I'd rather the Sergeant didn't die, but otherwise not too bothered.

***

The Hazel had found plain sailing on her way to Saranac. Price was still tense, but impressed with how well his crew had worked to do their part of the job.
Now here, ahead of them, was Saranac; unsullied by battle, the Incognitian standard still flapping gently in the breeze.
Even before Hazel had reached the harbour, he ordered the signal made "Important Message", and the longboat lowered for him to go over to Firth's ship.


The bosuns' pipes shrilled as Price clambered aboard Firth's flagship, the Oak.
"What is your urgent message, Lieutenant?" Firth asked immediately.
"At dawn three days ago, passing the Narrows, we sighted Frozopian galleys rowing south. Examining the shoreline, we saw traces of where several of them had beached on Saranac the night before. A guess from the number of galleys would be that they landed at least two companies of infantry and a squadron of cavalry, possibly more."
"Ah. Captain Fairfax will be most displeased. We had better break the news to him; you will then take Hazel to Menzerte to inform the commanders there; I will take Oak, Beech and Ash to patrol the Narrows and prevent a repeat performance."

Oddly enough, Firth was right about Fairfax's reaction.
"Those honourless cock-sucking bastards! No declaration of war, merely sneaking in like a thief in the night to steal a man's gold and molest his daughters!"
"The question is Richard, what are you going to do about your nocturnal visitor?"
"Not decided yet Charles; there are two basic options and a few variations. First is to pull the company out, planning to bring 'em back as the guides and local knowledge for the rest of the regiment later on. Second is to keep 'em here and try and bleed the bastards with banditry, cos if what your man here" pointing at Price " is right, there are far too many of 'em to fight up-front."

He stomped around his office for a moment, considering.

"Alright, here's what my lads are going to do. Most of 'em disperse into the forests now, to come out in small bands and cause trouble; burn Frozopian stuff, kill their horses, kill anyone they catch alone, all that. About twenty stay here for now, to put up a token resistance when the heathen bastards rock up, then run for the woods if they can."
"Then maybe a dozen of my lads go with your frigate to Menzerte - they know the island by now, they know the regiment, they can help the rest of the Hintons when they come back. How's that sound?"

"I suppose it really is impossible that the town be held?"

"Against numbers of 3 or 4 to 1? Yes. It's unwalled, on low ground, and primarily constructed of wood. Even if we made a fight of it, they'd easily burn the place around our ears, and likely we'd lose more than they did."

"Very well. If your Sergeant Woodward and his men report to the Hazel in the harbour swiftly, they will sail immediately for Menzerte. Is there anything else you want from the Navy?"

"No, noth- oh, wait, yes. Take the museum-pieces, those cannon out there, out of the reach of any grubby heathen mitts. We don't really have a use for them right now, but the Frozopians might."

"Very well Captain. I wish you luck with your travails in the forests; I admit I don't envy you. We will go and close the straights, prevent your job from becoming any harder."

They shook hands and went their separate ways, Fairfax to give orders to his men then speak with the Mayor, Firth to get his ships on the way out of the harbour. Neither of them had chosen, or expected, that there would be fighting, but both were professionals. They would play the cards they were dealt.

OOC: Ten days? How lazy are your guys? I'd expect at least ten miles a day from hardened troops.

Jandor carefully sighted the distant soldier. Like every shot he had ever taken he would only have one attempt so he took his time....And fired.
Perfect.

The Incognitian fell back in a spray of blood. Seconds later the rest of the Frozopians fired their volley.

"Forwards!" Sergeant Williams roared.

The Frozopians charged forwards into the trees. However it was too late. The enemy had abandonned their wounded to retreat deeper into the forrest. The Frozopians had no time for mercy. They finished off the enemy wounded, collected their own and regrouped around Williams and Jandor.

The fight through the wooded hills of Saranac had been bloody but the tough Frozopians had impressed Jandor. The men did not panic nor lose morale. Naturally they were frustrated by the behaviour of their enemy which they percieved to be cowardly but they vented their frustration by taking the fight to the enemy.

Jandor had helped their efforts. He had worked with Sergeant Williams to drive the bands of raiding Incognitians away from the marching Frozopian columns. Jandor had lead the thirty men under his command down the dozens of trails and into the various boltholes or ambush points. Sometimes he just lead them wherever his instinct took him. He used his tracking skills to turn the hunters into the hunted.

Finally the march was almost over. The lead column was hours from the town. A group of Frozopians not unlike Jandor's men had driven out what little resistance the town offered. It would now be upto Lord Francis to reassure the locals that they would be treated fairly under Frozopian rule before hanging those they deemed traitors.

The Frozopians final task would be to reinforce the town. This would be far more difficult then anything else. The Frozopian navy could not protect the port and that left those on the ground vunerable to bombardment. A fort would eventually be constructed but untill then the Frozopians would warily watch the sea and prepare a basic defense of the town.

A diplomat had been dispatched for Incognitia days ago. His purpose would be to reassure the Incognitians that the Frozopians had no intentions of war and that seizing the island had been a internal issue. If the Incognitians deemed this unacceptable pigeons would be despatched back to the mainland. And the Frozopians would prepare for war.

OOC:

Losses:
30 infantry.
5 cavalry.
20 wounded infantry

-These losses need recalculating probably. I need a better idea on how fierce your men are going to fight.

They had been driven back relentlessly over the last few days.
After an initial disbelief had faded, it had been replaced with rage; who did these Frozopians think they were, murdering and pillaging on Incognitian soil?

The garrison had acquitted themselves well, causing losses frequently as they withdrew through the forests. Captain Fairfax was proud of his men, merely disappointed that the numbers had prevented his making a real stand.

The detachment left in Saranac Town had built a log palisade over the days available to them. They had been instructed to sell the palisade dearly and then take to the forests, if such was at all possible. In the event, it had been eminently possible, and while some had been dragged down by the Frozopian swordsmen as they fled, the cavalry had been impeded by the trees, and so most had escaped.

The Mayor himself had taken to the forests, with some of his Aldermen; the rest had remained in the town; after all, Aldermen were men of substance in the community, traders and landowners, and they did not make shift lightly.

So the state of things was shortly over one hundred Incognitian soldiery scattered across the island in small groups, aiming to harrass any Frozopian movement out of the town of Saranac in numbers smaller than their own.
Most of the local people were prepared to shelter and feed them where they could, and there were sufficient isolated farmsteads to make this eminently possible.
Some of the civil populace had taken the one step further of actively fighting the invaders, but this led to a swift and painful end for all but the fortunate; the majority settled down to wait out the occupation, but helped the erstwhile garrison where they could, with information, supplies, and concealment.

The naval contingent of the garrison was now patrolling the straight constantly. They would encounter problems when their victuals ran low, but Captain Firth confidently expected that relief would arrive before that became a serious issue.
More concerning was that in any prolonged calm, Frozopian galleys could cross the straight uncontested to land reinforcements or supplies. Fortunately any calm of more than a few hours was rare, and his frigates did carry the hated sweeps, if such really became necessary.

When the Hazel arrived in Menzerte, the news she brought sent shockwaves through the local establishment. Word was immediately sent via both despatch rider and jacht to Nescia; meanwhile the local commanders began preparing their forces. The entirety of the Hinton Foot, the Menzerte Trained Band, and the North Hinton Yeomanry were all called up to full strength and placed in readiness to embark; the ships of the Menzerte Station were victualled and prepared, including the great ships Menzerte (60) and Nescia (64), and their smaller brethren of the second and third rates.
They would await word from the capital, but it was expected that they would soon be ordered to sail for Saranac and eject the scum who had dared to taint it.


***

In Nescia, as word reached the Assembly of what had transpired, it was soon evident that the preparations for the defence of Saranac had been inadequate.
While recriminations over this began immediately, there was a determination amongst all but the pacifist fringe that this was unacceptable behaviour on Frozopia's part. Both Admiral Foster and General Boulton in Menzerte were ordered immediately to make shift for Saranac, to retake it and guard against any further invasion. The land contingent was to consist of the two foot regiments, the Hintons and the Menzerte Trained Band, along with the Yeomanry as cavalry.
The naval part would be led by the Nescia and Menzerte, backed by the second rates Derno, Dunkennen and the hastily renamed Saranac, half a dozen third rates, and assorted frigates and jachts.

When the Frozopian ambassador arrived, he was not recognised by the Assembly, while they attempted to discover his purpose.
Once discerned, he was permitted to unofficially meet with an influential member of the Assembly, whose words were recorded in his personal diary, later published.
"You have conducted an unprovoked invasion of Incognitian territory; as a result the Assembly refuses to recognise any diplomatic representation from Frozopia until you return to discuss the terms of peace.
I can tell you what one of these terms will be immediately; the immediate, final withdrawal of Frozopian soldiery from Saranac. Since this is not in your power to grant, please convey this message to your government.
This meeting is now concluded, and I see no further purpose in your presence in Incognitia. I wish you safe journey home merely because it would be troublesome to send another to carry the message."

Somewhere in Nescia, Midnight

Two shadowy figures in a alleyway. Each wore long robes and in the darkness their faces were hidden. If they somehow met within their every day lives as Nescians they wouldnt recognise each other.

"Do we have any leverage on the Assembly?"

"That is what I'm going to find out tomorrow. They are men of power. And like all men of power they have made deals and performed deeds they would rather no one else knew. Perhaps to buy our silence they would happily sacrifice a island like Saranac."

"My thoughts exactly. This....I do not believe this is what our masters wanted to happen. The ambassador seemed surprised by the Assembly's resolve."

"Our Masters will never give up the island. If we do not succeed war will happen. Perhaps it will happen anyways. And when it happens both countries will be ravaged. Thousands will die. We must prevent this. Be careful brother. These are dangerous times. Do not let your guard down."

"You also."

And the two men strode off into the darkness....

***

Another burning farmstead. Jandor's informant had been right. The farmstead had clearly been sheltering traitors. Now its owners would pay with their lives. The Frozopians did not hesitate to kill the family who had lived there. This was war: There was no room for mercy. All the Frozopians could do was make there deaths swift. Jandor had refused permission to rape the women.

Jandor's hunts did not end when the Frozopians took the town. His men barely had time to stuff food down their throats before they were sent out with information bought with Frozopian gold. As Francis had said: Every man has a price. The towns inhabitants were no exception to this.

Back in the town Lord Francis was overseeing the construction works. For the moment it was nothing but wooden walls surrounded by a deep ditch. It also doubled as a storage area for Frozopian supplies.

In the distant future Lord Francis envisioned a huge stone fort towering over the harbour. Guns large enough to strike fear into the enemy, a fleet of ships ready to drive away the legions of pirates that inhabitated the local waters. Such hopes were optimistic but the King of Frozopia had talked of similiar things. Of pushing Frozopian dominance unto water when it had once been contained on land.

It wouldn't last. They were fighting on, but there was no way they could last.
The Frozopians had been brutal, and acted extremely quickly. They had beaten the locations of the fighters out of local people, then thrown gold at them as they left. A few were willing helpers, but they were less numerous; after all these were Incognitian people, expecting Incognitian soldiers to arrive soon and save them.

Some of the smaller farmsteads were being wiped out, and word of the atrocities was spreading. More and more, Captain Fairfax and his remaining men were having to urge the locals not to lash out against the Frozopians, but to wait for the army to arrive. More and more, they were being ignored.

***

On board the Nescia, Admiral Foster and General Boulton regarded Saranac.
They could have brought the troops on board the Great Ships, but they had not, with good reason; the ships were immediately to take up patrols up and down the channel between Saranac and Frozopia. Only the Saranac, two third rates and three frigates would remain to ensure the soldiers of the Hintons, the Menzerte Band, and the Yeomanry landed safely, and to batter anything within cannon-range of the shore.
It would take all day to off-load, but they had found a broad beach two days march from the town, which was perfect - they could be sure of finishing disembarking the men and horses before the Frozopians could come upon them, and were thus likely to heavily outnumber the Frozopian forces when they encountered them. They would have to march through forest to reach the town, but this remained true wherever they landed besides in the harbour of the town itself...

Once the three regiments - one of horse, two of foot - were on shore, General Foster went to join them. Picquets of yeomanry were set, a camp built, and the little army settled in for the night. They would march for the town at dawn.

***

Meanwhile in Nescia, some voices had begun to be raised against the expedition; a little late, since it had already been sent, but raised they nonetheless were.
They tended to cite the tension with Angepas, and the distance and small size of Saranac, as reasons not to seek war with Frozopia.
Small though their support remained, at least at present, it was taken as cause for concern amongst those who tended to shape the Assembly's business. They had made their control by carefully managing the interplay of factions, and one of the prime requirements in doing so was knowing exactly which players were in the game.
This appeared to be a new player, and the links between those they were influencing were few and far between.
And so, word was quietly passed, to a man of certain...specific...talents, that his usual employers were concerned, and that he was to find them the information to lay their concern to rest.
Thus, William Scott began once more to ply the Nescian undertows, looking for players in political games. They couldn't hide forever, at least if they were ever going to act...and his prime attribute was patience.

The news of the landing was a blow to morale among the Frozopians. Lord Francis had tried to contain it but the scouts who discovered the Incognitian landing site were impossible to silence. The Frozopians all knew they were heavily outnumbered and in all likelyhood trapped on the island. The fort constructed to protect them simply wouldnt do the job...The Frozopians simply hadnt the time nor skill to make it workable against the numbers they would face. Worse it was vunerable to naval bombardment.

But all was not lost. The Frozopians would abandon their position in the town and make a break for the woods. They had enough time to carry their supplies (and cease some more off the civilians) into the woods before the Incognitians arrived. They also had Jandor to guide them through the tree's. Perhaps a opportunity would arise to strike back at the enemy. Lord Francis was already thinking of a few ways to do this. Or perhaps they would find a way to get off the island. Jandor had despatched pigeons with the news.

Things looked bad. But Lord Francis would not let this become a disaster yet.

As they marched, they marched through villages which welcomed their arrival, farms where they were ignored, or looked at warily as they trampled fields of crops.
It didn't take too long before word of the Frozopian withdrawal reached them.

General Boulton cursed. "Damnit! We'll have to chase them over the whole damn island now! And we can't even split up too far to chase 'em down, lest they stay concentrated and turn to destroy us piecemeal."

"But sir, if we hold the major settlements, surely we can send word back to Nescia that our job is done and they can talk to Frozopia?"

"Not enough! We need to clear the scum off this island!"

"Yes, sir. Surely the simplest way to achieve this would be inducing them to surrender?"

"How will we do that, exactly!?"

"Well, if they take up a fortified position, and we besiege it, we can offer them terms including passage home, disarmed obviously, and then they can surrender their force intact rather than fighting us in small bands all over the island."

"How exactly do you suggest I induce them to sit in a fort and await our arrival?"

"Of that, sir, I have no idea."

They moved out of Saranac on the Frozopians trail that very day, picquets still out to clear the route and watch for ambushes.


***

Meanwhile in Nescia William Scott was working hard. He'd not been able yet to track down the instigators of the change of heart in certain Assemblymen, but he was getting closer; someone working out of Southwold was involved, of this he was sure; in the meantime he was still waiting to see if any other Assemblymen suddenly changed their minds on the war, or anything else for that matter.

OOC: I'm working on a little story on Scott and his...adventures...so an elongated version of this may follow.

"Its feasible." Jandor was exhausted. In the last two week he had averaged four hours sleep a night. Currently he hadnt slept for twenty two hours. After leading the Frozopians into the forrest and ordering the scouts to continue on the route he had planned for them, the spy was ordered by Lord Francis (who Jandor was beginning to take a distinct disliking too) to backtrack along the way they came and observe their pursuers. Now he sat on a tree root, listening to the Lord's latest plan. Around them the forrest was alive with the chitter of animals and insects who crawled, climbed and stalked in the darkness.

"Im glad you agree. You've performed admirably throughout this....Mission. Your efforts will not be forgotten."

"Thank you my lord."

"Go get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."

***

The sun had barely crept above the horizon before the Frozopians were up and at work. Jandor disapeared into the tree's with nearly a hundred and fifty men behind him. Their orders were to combat the Incognitian picquets untill the Incognitians had sufficient numbers gathered to push them back. Then they would fall back, fighting all the way, untill they joined the rest of the small army. In the meanwhile the rest of the Frozopians would spend the morning setting up a rough defence in a artificial clearing. Ditches and a rough square barricade consisting primarily of felled tree's would be constructed. Francis was careful to send out sentries all around the small base to make sure they couldnt be surprised before Jandor joined them.

***

Frozopian spies were good. For all the nations stupidity and arrogance, it had a cunning side perhaps born from xenophobia and paranoia. But despite all this cunningness and carefulness, the spies were being watched. And perhaps a few of them knew. It wouldnt be the first time. And the spies who had survived these 'times' knew how to look after themselves. If the hunters werent careful in their inquiries they might find themselves in a dark ally all alone but for a few desperate, armed thieves. Perhaps something in their dinner will stick in their throat, slowly suffocating the unfortunate diner. Or they may misjudge a step and suddenly fall off a roof top. Such tragedies are not uncommon.

They advanced steadily throughout the morning. In the mid-afternoon, the picquets started coming under attack.
General Boulton ordered the picquets strengthened, so that they could sweep aside their irritating opponents, and in response the opposition strengthened.
His best scouts reckoned their opponents were at minimum 100 men, and Boulton immediately realised this was a major delaying action by the Frozopians. He was tempted to send his cavalry to find out what was so vital, but that would probably be expected, and cavalry in forests without infantry close at hand didn't strike him as a good idea (or rather, his aides advised strongly against it).
Instead, he committed more men to the picquets, to drive the enemy before them; using both cavalry and infantry, the aim was to maintain a steady pace, and keep a reasonable separation between the main force and the picquets. As a result the pace of the force as a whole slowed, and so the attacks on the picquets slacked off a little. An equilibrium was soon struck where both sides found the pace maintained acceptable. The Incognitian commanders merely hoped that accepting the slower progress wasn't going to hurt them later...


***

William Scott continued his...inquiries...
He was working his way closer to someone. Circumstantial evidence, of course, and as he got closer he would have to take care, but if he got close enough it would act as a strong warning to whomever was responsible about getting involved in the Assembly's internal politics.
For what it was worth, his hunch was that it was a Frozopian. Ordinarily he wouldn't suspect foreigners, they tended to influence the Assembly directly, but the Incognitian merchant group directly interested in the Frozopian trade was small and lacking in influence, and worked very slowly and gradually to boot.
What was more, his inquiries were leading him back not to one of the great merchant princes, or even a grouping of smaller merchants, but rather to a part of town known for it's artisans and small traders.
Fortunately for his personal safety, it wasn't somewhere one regularly encountered foot-pads, or known for violent crime, so any irregular deaths tended to be remarked - not that this would be much consolation if the next death were his, of course.

As the Sun sunk below the horizon the Incognitians halted their progress and set up camp. In the darkness Jandor ordered half of his detachment to carry the wounded back to the Frozopian camp with a request for reinforcements to harass the Incognitian picquets from the north. Sergeant Williams would command these.

Jandor lead the rest of his detachment around the Incognitian camp where they would attack from their rear. Jandor did not expect any great success. The Incognitians were very, very wary. But he did not want to allow them any sleep tonight. In small groups the Frozopians darted through the tree's stopping only to fire their weapons and hack at the enemy with sharpe blades before dispersing again. Tomorrow Jandor hoped the Incognitians would wake up with a distinct feeling that they had been cheated out of any real sleep.

Before dawn the Frozopians would regroup back at their own camp where they would be replaced by more skirmishers who would harass the incognitians for the remaining time it would take them to reach the Frozopian camp. There they would get some vital rest before the real battle began.

Once the Incognitians arrived they would find find a roughly circular clearing ridden with debris but no cover for any advancing foe. At the centre of the clearing a wooden barracade roughly four and a half feet talls was ringed by a ditch and pointed stakes facing outwards and upwards. There was also a rough "gate" to the north and south. The two guns possessed by the Frozopians were positioned on the east and western flank of the defences although for the moment they both pointed south.

OOC: Using North, East, West and South to make things simpler. Assume my base is in the north, your guys are in the south.

The Frozopian harrassment was effective, as far as it went. The fact was that, now on the defensive themselves, the Incognitians were able to take full advantage of their numbers; most of the men, while woken by the occasional musket blast, were not required to actively stand watch.

The Frozopians fought well, but there were simply not enough of them employed in their efforts to disturb the entire force.
Their main coup was in cutting loose and stampeding a squadron-line of horses. Over 100 horses sent off into the night, with by dawn only 27 of them recaptured, and even those too tired to be ridden. One of General Boulton's six squadrons of cavalry was thus of use to him only as sub-standard infantrymen for, in all probability, the entire day.

Nonetheless camp was struck, and the army moved out only a couple of hours after dawn.
By midday, they were within sight of the Frozopian position. General Boulton surveyed the prospect with one of the new-fangled spyglasses, and grunted to his aides 'well, perhaps we shall get our wish'.
"Captain Fairfax to me, please."
Captain Fairfax was duly produced from his company of the Hintons, and brought to the General.
"Captain, I want you to take a parley to that" he coughed lightly "fortification over there."
"Under what terms, sir?"
"Well lad..."
Here he tailed off, having clearly thought no further. One of his aides rode up to him, and spoke quietly in his ear.
"They can march out with everything but their arms, and a safe passage home, if they surrender."
"Very well sir."


Fairfax marched forwards, with two of his men behind him, and a third behind them bearing the white flag. Behind them could be seen the rest of the Hintons, formed up in a heavy line formation, about 8 deep. A few of the Yeomanry could be seen, still mounted, on the wings. The Menzerte Band could not be seen; if the Frozopians didn't know they were there, they could be used as a secondary assault on the fortifications, and if they did, well, the Band could equally well reinforce the Hintons at need.

In hailing distance of the gate, he halted.
"I am Captain Fairfax of the Hinton Foot. I bring terms for the rendering of this fortification from my commander, General Boulton.
Upon surrendering your arms and ramparts, you will be given safe passage to Frozopia.
He will await your reply within the hour, or else assume that no quarter is expected, as none has been given, by you, to the people of Saranac."

He waited briefly for an acknowledgement; after all, it would be terribly rude to kill them all just because the demand to surrender hadn't got to the commander in time.
If none came swiftly, however, he would return to the lines, and the hour-long wait would begin.

"Captain Fairfax." Lord Francis called back over the barricade.

"Tell General Boulton that his offer is generous but we Frozopians do not give up so easily. This island is Frozopian territory and you Incognitians had no right to come here and take it for your own. My name is Lord Francis and I promise today is the day of your destruction."

His men werent happy but Lord Francis didnt care. So long as they were ready and willing to fight the Frozopians stood a chance of succeeding today.

The hour would be allowed to elapse. That...and maybe a couple more.

Cavalry patrols were sent wide around the Frozopian position, to cut off any retreat.
Meanwhile the Menzerte Band would work their way around to both sides, until they nearly surrounded the fort.

There they would stop, for a while, as ladders were built from nearby trees; then they would burst forth, and assault the Frozopian fortification in strength from all four sides at once.

It was conventional wisdom that one needed at least three attackers to every defender in order to take on a fort; that was allowing for a full fortification, and even allowing for the cavalry, who would be remaining mounted in order to ride down any escaping Frozopians, they had four.
It would be sufficient, or General Boulton would know why...


OOC: I resisted the temptation to have someone say in response "we need guns. Lots of guns."

At last, all was in readiness, and so the signal was given; a bugle, sounding out loud and clear across the clearing in the forest where the Frozopians had established themselves.

Four distinct groups, each nearly as big as the garrison of the little fort, began advancing with ladders and ramps in their midst towards the battlements. The advance was steady; the number of muskets within the fort was reckoned at less than two hundred, which, even reloading twice a minute, would only get a few shots before things got up close and personal.

The groups were led by pikemen - a 17-foot pike could put a real crimp in your style even if you were on top of a measly 5-foot palisade. These would clear the top of the barricade, assisted by the groups of muskets flanking them.
The ramps would then come through, with swords and halberds, to rush up them onto the cleared ramparts and into the fort.
Each group had 100 men of mixed armament held to the rear, to exploit any opportunities, or send in to deal with a sally by the Frozopians.

Meanwhile the cavalry, in patrols of about a dozen, scoured the forest around, pistols loaded, in hopes of catching any Frozopians who fled.

The Frozopians had used the remaining hours to make a few tactical changes. The four pounder guns were pushed into the gateways where they could fire freely into the advancing troops. This section of the defences would be carefully watched just in case anyone was brave enough to lead their troops right into a potential head-on cannon blast. At last the attack begun.

The Incognitians pressed in from all directions, a fearsome mass of pikes and guns that threatened to overwhelm the Frozopians in one wave. But the Incognitians would find their pikes a awkward weapon to attack with, so long as the ditch and stakes kept them at a distance within which the Frozopians could use their matchlocks. After that they would be forced to cower behind the walls or meet them head on with their own pikes.

The two guns fired, whipping round shot into advancing formations. As they got nearer the Frozopians would switch to canister with which they would flay the enemy. But first the enemy would run into a little surprise.

A sudden roar erupted across the battlefield as a explosion lit up the leading Incognitians to the south. Earthen debry and smoke instantly engulfed the clearing. A shocked silence reigned for a few seconds before two more equally large explosions sounded to the north and then the east. The mines were working....Or at least three of the four were. The remaining four, a little closer to the fort, still awaited the enemy ready to devour them full.

OOC: dude...mines? Where have you got *tons* of gunpowder from?

IC: The assault went in. The fire they took was heavy, heavier than expected, and the casualties to the first salvoes were proportionally higher...but it wasn't enough. They marched on, and the first men came within reach of the ramparts; as pike-men thrust at anyone they could see above the ramparts, swordsmen approached to begin going over and gaining access.
Every man knew the momentum must be maintained; they pressed on.