Warbringer! – Attempt 1, Part 6

Before I say anything else, thanks to my new reader from Singapore, who must have read the entire archives in about a day and a half.  Thanks for your support!  Try the veal!

Our last ‘cliffhanger’ involved me inviting a messenger / travelling minstrel to my Throne Room to presumably deliver some kind of threat / ultimatum from Honoric.

Gwyneth introduces this fine fellow as ‘Naught but a popinjay’ which is my new favourite quasi-medieval phrase to use in polite company.  The next time the opposing lawyer makes a ridiculous submission, I will simply look down my nose at them and murmur ‘naught but a popinjay’.  I assume the judge will approve.

This is a point where I’m REALLY sorry about the black-and-white illustrations, because his outfit is described as being ‘pink and green’.  I feel a great disturbance, as if millions of fashion designers cried out in horror, and were suddenly silenced.

The hits keep on coming, as the pink / green combo supposedly indicates that this dude is from the school of Dithyrhambo (!)

I think the Awesome Name meter just exploded.

He introduces himself as Fidelio (Beethoven reference alert!) and hints that he has information about Honoric and the Legion of the Sword of Doom.

I can either pay him some gold, invite him to sing at dinner or order him to tell me what he knows.

Cheque-book journalism it is, as I pay for the story.

The rumours are as follows :

• Honoric has sworn vengeance against me.

I already read the note, please go on.

• Honoric is preparing to ride out to war on the first day of ‘Grimweird’ (whatever the heck that it.
• The City of Spires of Foreshadowing, the long-time enemies of the Legion are debating whether to wage war against Doomover, but they are concerned that if they do this, the Death soldiers from Mortavalon will then join the Doomover forces against them.

I let Fidelio go, and the tail ordered to follow him reports nothing suspicious.  I vow to hold a council of war the next day.

My council (no mention of the Star Chamber, surprisingly) consists of :

• Antocidas the One-Eyed, leader of the mercenary forces.
• Solstice from the Temple of Time
• Hengist from the Temple of Kwon
• Gwyneth from the Temple of Dama
• Lackland, the new head of the Temple of Nemesis, and nominal commander of the remaining 3,500 or so members of the Usurper’s army.  They were notably unhelpful during the war against the Rift forces, although they didn’t exactly fight against us either.

My forces are as follows :

• 1,800 soldiers of Dama.
• The afore-mentioned 3,500 men and orcs of the old Usurper army.
• The citizen militia of around 10,000 – enthusastic but poorly trained and equipped

Just because things weren’t going well enough, I get casually informed that the leader of my Samurai soldiers (remember them?) has died and they’ve decided to return home.  I’m sure its just coincidence that this return home is happening immediately before a major battle.

Hmmph.

It is common ground that I will have to seek an ally from another city.  There follows a series of paragraphs where my different advisers suggest different cities.  That will be a question for another day, as (like Avenger) I’m running out of energy.

Stats: Endurance : 11, Punch Modifier : +2, Kick Modifier: +3, Throw Modifier : 0, Fate Modifier : +1, Inner Force : 0

Awesome names : Dithyrhambo.  I have no words.