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Completed [LP] Bleed for your Kingdom, officer! Codex plays Guns of Infinity

Major_Blackhart

Codexia Lord Sodom
Patron
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
Messages
18,303
Location
Jersey for now
3.

We are the new generation, one of soldierly life, noble and honorable. We command our men, order them to die fecklessly. And when they ask what the cost will be, we reply solemnly 'It will cost what it shall cost'.
It is fitting that we take the same risks that they would. It is honorable that we too should be expected to one day perform that ultimate sacrifice.
We wear the uniform of the Dragoon and wear it proudly.
 
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
1,832
Indeed. Although there will be situations where a flaming sword and bulletproof plate may prove useful, there are also ones where such assets become hindrances; a loud, obvious suit of armour would certainly not help if you needed to ambush the enemy or sneak about.

You make arrangements to have the armour added to your allotment of personal baggage, to be carried with your squadron's pack animals on campaign.

-

It is in the first month of 608 that a convoy of warships carrying the ensign of the Royal Tierran Navy sails into the ice-scudded waters of Noringia's harbour. Onboard are replacements for the line infantry, new guns for the artillery, and most preciously of all, a score of bright young officers in the grey-green tunic of the Royal Dragoons.

Out of the twenty, Cazarosta's Third Squadron is to receive seven. Another six are bound for Lieutenant-colonel Keane's First Squadron. The remaining seven are for your own Sixth Squadron. After being the sole commissioned officer in a squadron of nearly two hundred men for nearly a full year, the relief you feel as your new subordinates report in is palpable.

Unfortunately, of the seven new officers you receive, not all are suitable. Only three are lieutenants fit to command the five troops that your squadron is divided into. The remaining two troops will have to be commanded by cornets: bright, newly minted boys with a life of potential but precious little experience.

With each section of your command now led by its own officer, your men begin to show improvement very quickly. Over the next few months, your squadron becomes better drilled, more spirited, and even begins to redirect any resentment over punishments and long exercises from you to their new junior officers.

You also take the time to appoint a personal servant; the commanders of infantry companies and cavalry squadrons are permitted to retain an enlisted attendant, or 'bat-man,' to see to your personal needs in exchange for easier duties and a substantial pay bonus. You pick out one of the more loyal of your men, a Corporal Marion, to serve in this purpose. You soon find that having someone else available to shave you, see to your uniforms, and prepare your tea makes life much easier.

-

As the seasons turn once again and your officers settle into their duties, you find yourself facing another decision. When you were the only commissioned officer in the squadron, you led the entire unit as a unified command. Now, with each troop led by a commanding officer of its own, you must choose which troop to accompany into battle should you ever be deployed separately.

In addition, the commanding officer of the troop you pick would be the one most likely to be at your side on the field. You spend some time going over your officers' strengths and weaknesses. The two cornets commanding their own troops are too inexperienced for the job, which leaves your three lieutenants.

First, there is Lieutenant Sandoral, commander of 1st Troop, a lanky figure with a stooped back and glasses. Every day, he reads lines of Kian philosophy and M'hidiyossi poetry to his men before they drill. One would think that such a habit would make him an object of ridicule amongst his men, yet the dragoons under his command seem to respect and even almost like their soft-spoken, bookish officer.

Second, there is Lieutenant Blaylock, commander of 3rd Troop, a powerfully built young man who joined the army after he had been thrown out of Aetoria's Royal University for duelling. Abrasive and often crude, you must admit that the young man is an exceptional swordsman, a crack shot, and a gloriously skilled equestrian.

Lastly, there is young Lord Renard, or rather, Renard d'al Findlay, the Duke of Cunaris's eldest son and commander of 4th Troop. He is slim, dashing, and possesses a personal magnetism that even you find hard to resist. His aristocratic upbringing has made him eloquent and a fine horseman. He is also, unfortunately, profoundly dense.

Which troop do you decide to attach yourself to?

1) 1st Troop, under Lieutenant Sandoral.
2) 3rd Troop, under Lieutenant Blaylock.
3) 4th Troop, under Lieutenant Findlay.

As of the Summer of the 608th year of the Old Imperial Era

Sir Alaric d'al Ortiga
Age: 20
Rank: Captain
Wealth: 730
Income: 15

Soldiering: 74%

Charisma: 40%

Intellect: 1%

Reputation: 24%

Health: 65%

Idealism: 84% Cynicism: 16%

Ruthlessness: 31% Mercy: 69%

You are a Knight of the Red, having the right to wear bane-hardened armour and wield a bane-runed sword.

You have no decorations as of yet.

Sixth Squadron, Royal Dragoons
Senior NCO: Staff-sergeant Hernandes

Discipline: 52%

Morale: 43%

Loyalty: 43%

Strength: 96%
 

Reinhardt

Arcane
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
29,239
3. We will take duke son as apprentice and mentor him how to survive in battle while being retard.
 
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
1,832
Starting the next day, you begin attending drill exercises with Lieutenant Sandoral's 1st Troop.

The diffident young officer adapts to your presence with surprising adroitness; that is to say, he doesn't seem to change a single thing, continuing the routine you've already seen him establish. He continues to read high literature to his men, and he continues to give orders in that same quiet, firmly polite tone, though with a few hints of deference when he orders his commanding officer to fall in as well.

Indeed, you find that it is you who must adapt to seeing your dragoons in drill and not leading them yourself. Still, you wouldn't be alive were you unable to keep steady under changed circumstances. Within a week, it is as if you have always been attached to Sandoral's troop.

-

Noringia swells with fresh reinforcements as the seasons begin to turn once again. Regiments that had been devastated after Blogia are once again at near full strength. Indeed, even the losses you took in that first action as squadron commander a year ago have been entirely made good.

However, despite the rejuvenated state of the army, His Majesty, in direct command of his armies, refuses to take the field. Instead, he merely sends out enough forces to maintain control of the small strip of the southern forest under Tierran control. The bulk of the army remains at Noringia, training.

Surely you must have an opinion on that.

1) With our ranks refilled, we should be attacking. Blogia must be avenged!
2) I'd rather not try to second-guess the decisions of my monarch.
3) We need the extra time to train and make ready.

As of the Summer of the 608th year of the Old Imperial Era

Sir Alaric d'al Ortiga
Age: 20
Rank: Captain
Wealth: 730
Income: 15

Soldiering: 74%

Charisma: 40%

Intellect: 1%

Reputation: 24%

Health: 65%

Idealism: 84% Cynicism: 16%

Ruthlessness: 31% Mercy: 69%

You are a Knight of the Red, having the right to wear bane-hardened armour and wield a bane-runed sword.

You have no decorations as of yet.

Sixth Squadron, Royal Dragoons
Senior NCO: Staff-sergeant Hernandes

Discipline: 52%

Morale: 43%

Loyalty: 43%

Strength: 100%
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
1,832
Absolutely. There is certainly a difference between freshly raised units and well-drilled troops. It takes weeks, even months of such training to turn a mob of civilians with uniforms and muskets into a real fighting force. The extra time is a blessing, if you view it that way.

Still, perhaps the King has his own plan as well.

-

Soon, winter comes again, a particularly harsh one this time. For the first time since you arrived in Antar, you witness Noringia covered in thick blankets of snow.

The sheer amount of the stuff on the ground makes any sort of equestrian drills or marching exercises impossible. It is only through the efforts of some of the Line Infantry units, roped into clearing the roads with shovels, that the town is able to function at all.

As a result, your men are restricted to practising close-order drill in the cleared squares of land set up specifically for that purpose, along with musketry practice. It is during an instance of the latter that you notice something of a problem.

The King's regulations demand that each soldier in service be capable of firing three rounds a minute from their weapons, in any weather. While such requirements were somewhat loosened in the frantic months after Blogia, Grenadier Square seems once again insistent that this basic standard be met, enough to send inspectors to each company and squadron of each regiment.

Your squadron is not to be inspected for another two weeks; however, you can already see that the men are not up to the job. While you've always been rather proud of your ability to load and fire five or even six—on a good day—shots a minute, your men are less able; the veterans can generally work their carbines fast enough, but most of your men are still short. Worse yet, a few can barely even manage their second shot before time runs out. Surely, if your squadron is to pass the upcoming inspection, you must do something.

1) I order extra drill until all the men can get it right.
2) I offer rewards for the fastest shots in the squadron.
3) I find some way to speed the reloading process.
4) Hopefully, the problem will work itself out.
As of the Winter of the 608th year of the Old Imperial Era

Sir Alaric d'al Ortiga
Age: 20
Rank: Captain
Wealth: 820
Income: 15

Soldiering: 74%

Charisma: 40%

Intellect: 1%

Reputation: 24%

Health: 65%

Idealism: 80% Cynicism: 20%

Ruthlessness: 31% Mercy: 69%

You are a Knight of the Red, having the right to wear bane-hardened armour and wield a bane-runed sword.

You have no decorations as of yet.

Sixth Squadron, Royal Dragoons
Senior NCO: Staff-sergeant Hernandes

Discipline: 52%

Morale: 43%

Loyalty: 43%

Strength: 100%
 

ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
Patron
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
28,238
Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
1. Fuck rewards, the ability to load and shoot can make a difference to their living and dying.
 

Kipeci

Arcane
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
3,027
Location
Vicksburg
2

Their discipline is actually half decent for once, its the other stats that are lagging a bit. They’re already a bit grumbling from their drills, a contest could drive them to further improve in a way that makes then no more resentful of us.

We know that what’s peanuts for us can set them up pretty comfortably, so it shouldn’t be hard to afford it.
 

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