The Forest Citadel
Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 1:46 pm
“I have little time. Give it to me straight,” the duke announced mere moments after he had entered what passed for a war room in the newly refounded Duchy of Goldshire.
What passed for the duchy’s minister of war was prepared for the brief private meeting. “Of course, your grace. Here is how things stand:”
The minister gestured to the situation map (bottom of this post.)
“As you can see, our situation is shockingly grim. Brookshire’s defection to the Leto cause turned a minor rebellion into what is almost certain to become a major civil war. With Elywnn embroiled in its battle against… some sort of insect menace, that leaves us as the sole defenders of Shirekeep and Kaiser Aurangzeb left on Benacia. Brookshire’s armies outmatch our own on the west, the Yardistani navy threatens us from the south, and there are rumors of Hyperborea mobilizing from the north.”
“Harumph,” the duke harrumphed. “So, is there any good news in this?”
“Actually, there may be. It largely depends on the goals of the rebels. If all they wish is the death of the Kaiser, they’ll almost certainly amass in Brookshire and move towards Shirekeep unopposed, bypassing us completely. On the other hand, if they believe they have the upper hand and wish to assault us for our loyalty to the crown, they may attempt to force a direct attack on Goldshire Hamlet.”
The duke’s eyes bulged. “This counts as the GOOD news?”
“Actually, your grace, it does. Shirekeep is a fortress and our regulars have almost reached the city. As long as there are men to defend the walls, the capital can endure any sort of siege. Regarding Goldshire, we believe that a naval landing is most likely - either at Syrelwynn, Wendor, or Elsenar Bay – and have reinforced those areas as best we can. They will not find the going easy.”
The duke didn’t look very convinced. “If our enemies make a landing in Goldshire, it’s only a matter of time before they reach the Hamlet.”
“True. We cannot match the military might of three duchies combined. We can, however, be an incredible pain in the ass and a territory barely worth conquering. Eastern Goldshire, as you know, is mostly forest. Any invaders would be forced to take the main paths and be primed for ambush while our own light patrols could move through the hidden paths in the trees and appear and disappear without a trace. We could never match them in a fair fight, but there’s no sense in being fair when the enemy is at our doorstep.”
“True enough,” the duke replied. “The whole situation stinks though. We seem to be up against the duchies that most supported the creation of Goldshire as a duchy itself.”
“Actually, your grace, that’s another point in our favor – our opponents may be unwilling to engage us due to our past ties. We are, by default, in a defensive position in this war – we simply do not have the means to bring the fight to our enemies right now. But, by defending our territories, we are not directly threatening anyone; they would be forced to threaten us. We’ve been quite clear to state that we only support the Kaiser and Shirekeep, not that we oppose any other duchy. It’s possible that they will regard as a neutral body, at least until they have to remove us from Shirekeep directly.”
“But, we cannot win this war, can we?”
The question hung in the air before the minister answered, “no. We cannot win the war as it stands. We can only prevent ourselves from losing the war for a very long time. But any hope of actually defeating the rebels and securing Shirekeep through force are reliant on the other duchies – Kildare, Straylight, even Elywnn – making bold stands in favor of the Kaiser by deploying their own forces. If they do not, if they hang us out to dry, the best we can hope for is that the victorious rebels will see our loyalty to the crown as a ‘misguided virtue.’ They may even allow Goldshire to retain its independence. Maybe.”
“Enough,” the duke said. “Execute Ducal Decree 25 to the fullest and secure the probable landing sites. I will dispatch envoys to the silent duchies to see if they have any plans on reinforcing our position.”
“Your grace,” the minister said, knowing a dismissal when he saw one.
The duke stared at the situation map for a long time. Red forces seemed to surround him while the friendly blue ones were so far away. “It’s been weeks since we last heard from Shirekeep. I hope the first major decision of my ducal career isn’t the end of my ducal career. And my life.”
What passed for the duchy’s minister of war was prepared for the brief private meeting. “Of course, your grace. Here is how things stand:”
The minister gestured to the situation map (bottom of this post.)
“As you can see, our situation is shockingly grim. Brookshire’s defection to the Leto cause turned a minor rebellion into what is almost certain to become a major civil war. With Elywnn embroiled in its battle against… some sort of insect menace, that leaves us as the sole defenders of Shirekeep and Kaiser Aurangzeb left on Benacia. Brookshire’s armies outmatch our own on the west, the Yardistani navy threatens us from the south, and there are rumors of Hyperborea mobilizing from the north.”
“Harumph,” the duke harrumphed. “So, is there any good news in this?”
“Actually, there may be. It largely depends on the goals of the rebels. If all they wish is the death of the Kaiser, they’ll almost certainly amass in Brookshire and move towards Shirekeep unopposed, bypassing us completely. On the other hand, if they believe they have the upper hand and wish to assault us for our loyalty to the crown, they may attempt to force a direct attack on Goldshire Hamlet.”
The duke’s eyes bulged. “This counts as the GOOD news?”
“Actually, your grace, it does. Shirekeep is a fortress and our regulars have almost reached the city. As long as there are men to defend the walls, the capital can endure any sort of siege. Regarding Goldshire, we believe that a naval landing is most likely - either at Syrelwynn, Wendor, or Elsenar Bay – and have reinforced those areas as best we can. They will not find the going easy.”
The duke didn’t look very convinced. “If our enemies make a landing in Goldshire, it’s only a matter of time before they reach the Hamlet.”
“True. We cannot match the military might of three duchies combined. We can, however, be an incredible pain in the ass and a territory barely worth conquering. Eastern Goldshire, as you know, is mostly forest. Any invaders would be forced to take the main paths and be primed for ambush while our own light patrols could move through the hidden paths in the trees and appear and disappear without a trace. We could never match them in a fair fight, but there’s no sense in being fair when the enemy is at our doorstep.”
“True enough,” the duke replied. “The whole situation stinks though. We seem to be up against the duchies that most supported the creation of Goldshire as a duchy itself.”
“Actually, your grace, that’s another point in our favor – our opponents may be unwilling to engage us due to our past ties. We are, by default, in a defensive position in this war – we simply do not have the means to bring the fight to our enemies right now. But, by defending our territories, we are not directly threatening anyone; they would be forced to threaten us. We’ve been quite clear to state that we only support the Kaiser and Shirekeep, not that we oppose any other duchy. It’s possible that they will regard as a neutral body, at least until they have to remove us from Shirekeep directly.”
“But, we cannot win this war, can we?”
The question hung in the air before the minister answered, “no. We cannot win the war as it stands. We can only prevent ourselves from losing the war for a very long time. But any hope of actually defeating the rebels and securing Shirekeep through force are reliant on the other duchies – Kildare, Straylight, even Elywnn – making bold stands in favor of the Kaiser by deploying their own forces. If they do not, if they hang us out to dry, the best we can hope for is that the victorious rebels will see our loyalty to the crown as a ‘misguided virtue.’ They may even allow Goldshire to retain its independence. Maybe.”
“Enough,” the duke said. “Execute Ducal Decree 25 to the fullest and secure the probable landing sites. I will dispatch envoys to the silent duchies to see if they have any plans on reinforcing our position.”
“Your grace,” the minister said, knowing a dismissal when he saw one.
The duke stared at the situation map for a long time. Red forces seemed to surround him while the friendly blue ones were so far away. “It’s been weeks since we last heard from Shirekeep. I hope the first major decision of my ducal career isn’t the end of my ducal career. And my life.”
