By the Lust of Men - M&B Warband AAR (Chapter 11 Posted)

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karviteri

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By the Lust of Men
A M&B Warband AAR

Index
Prologue
Part I - Calradia
Chapter 1: Zone Zero
Chapter 2: Unfinished business
Part II - A new warrior
Chapter 3: The battlefield
Chapter 4: The one
Part III - One step forward, one step back
Chapter 5: Dear Sanjar
Chapter 6: A secret admirer
Part IV - A new beginning
Chapter 7: From the ground up
Chapter 8: Gladiator
Chapter 9: The commoner
Part V - The wars of Calradia
Chapter 10: For sale
Chapter 11: The raid

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Hi, my name is Karla and this is my first AAR of all times. I just bought this game after reading some pretty good AARs based in Mount & Blade: Warband (specially Me, Floris which I enjoyed a lot).

This is my first playthrough so expect lots of mistakes, since I am playing with "realistic mode" active (must save on quit). Please note that English is not my native language, so understand if there is some funny grammar :oops:

I found a lot of AARs out there but most are based on male characters and thought it would be an interesting twist to write about my female character.

I will try to update as soon as possible and, as most AARs, expect the first chapters to come quicker. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.

Mods used:
Floris Expanded Mod Pack v2.4
Barf's Face Models

Gameplay Options:
Control Block Direction: Automatic
Control Attack Direction: By mouse movement
Lance Control: Automatic
Damage to Player: Normal
Damage to Friends: Normal
Combat AI: Good
Campaign AI: Good
Combat Speed: Slowest
Battle Size: 150
Giving an overall difficulty rating of: 91%

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On a side note - this is my first post  :grin:
 
By the Lust of Men
Prologue

Nobody knows the exact date, but it is said to be during a winter night of 1239 in a faraway land - so far that it was winter in summer and fall in spring - when she was born. In the end of a dark alley the rain slided down the front of a thief who was holding the hand of a courtesan while her cries of pain were obscured by the fierce sound of a lighting storm.

"It is a girl!" - the thief exclaimed,  as the sound of moving steel warned the man that the city guards were coming. "Run you fool!"- said the courtesan to the thief, and as the man ran away with the baby in his arms, he heard her last wishes before the sound of steel ended her life -  "Let her know my name!"

The thief ran as fast as he never did, and his tears were lost in the fierce rain. It was a friend the one he lost, but a daughter the one that was born. He was not of the same blood as the child, but a father is the one that breeds and not who gives birth.

In time, the baby turned into a child and the child turned into a thief. She had no house to sleep in, but with her father she was always at home. Some say she used to cry in the streets so that her father could rob the purses of the distracted noblewomen. Some say she was so thin that she could escape the tightest prision, but some even say she robbed the King's crown to get some food. 

The years passed by and her short body turned into a well curved body, her green eyes into a sensual look and her smell into a temptation for every man. No one knows how or why her father disappeared, but she promised not to steal and she never mentioned her father's name again. Little by little she learnt how to use her beauty in her advantage and with time it became her livelihood. She was a dancer that anesthetized men with her sensual moves. She was a troubador that charmed the audience with her lovely voice. In a couple words, she was a master of the stage - but all that would change one day.

Dancing and singing was how she managed to stay alive, but her dream was to adventure the dangerous lands of the bedtime stories her father used to tell, and become rich and feared by the men that once took advantage of her poverty. It was how fate smiled to her and one day a rich traveller came to town. After doing her show in the tavern this man approched the beautiful young woman and said -"Let me present myself young lady, I am Charles Applewood, the most visionary man in Praven". "Pleased to meet you, Alissa is the name" - said the attractive woman with a smile on her face. They talked for a couple minutes when he said - "We could be making millions together if you were to be interested" - and after a short pause she let him continue with a suspicious eye - "You are the most beautiful woman my eyes have crossed with, your moves make your body hard to forget even for the most straight woman, and your voice, well, it is just a miracle. I have a place in Praven where we could set a show and make ourselves  with an interesting sum of money". At first she thought it was antother man trying to convince her to go to bed with him, but before she was able to say anything the strange man added - "My caravan will leave tomorrow morning back to Calradia, you can find us in the inn just across the street, but please consider my humble offer" - with that said the man left.

She couldn't sleep that night - the opportunity to travel and make her dreams come true was there - but she wanted adventure, not sing and song. Finally she made up her mind and decided to accompany the man to the strange land he mentioned before, and early in the morning they left to never come back again.

First they had to face the harsh fall of the southern lands. As they travelled north they arrived to the desert, where more than once, they were close to run out of food or water but luck was always on their side. After a month of travell, they crossed the Sarranid desert in the south of Calradia, but they were still days away from their final stop - Praven in the Kingdom of Swadia.

It was in the spring of 1257, March 22nd to be precise, when the caravan arrived to Praven during midnight. This day was not to be known by the men across Calradia but it was to be remembered as the day when it all began, and this was the woman that - by the lust of men - Calradia would never be the same.
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Pretty good start, and don't worry your English is very good. Just a couple very minor spelling errors, but they are so minor they can easily pass as a typo. :grin:
 
By the Lust of Men

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Chapter 1: Zone zero

It was midnight - the streets were cold and you could see steam coming out of the mouths while people was breathing - when the Caravan arrived to its final destination . Charles, who was born in Praven, invited Alissa to have a drink  - "With this cold we better drink something to warm ourselves" - the wealthy man said. "No thank you Charles, it has been a long journey and I am very tired. You should go to sleep as well, so we can talk about our profitable future tomorrow morning" - she replied. "Haha! A couple drinks and I will be sleeping like a baby!" - the man joked.

The next morning Alissa woke up before dawn - it was the first sunrise in her new life and she was ready to take on all the challenges to come. The morning breeze dew the woman's face as she came out of the inn, and in the distance a man was walking towards her. It didn't take much time to notice the man had been drinking all night. "Beautiful!" - the man could barely pronounce. The woman greeted in an unwelcoming tone, at the time she realized it was Charles the man in the street. "Why don't you come upstairs with me?" - purposed the drunk man with ill intentions. "Get off me!" - she warned as her hand approached her sword. "Oh! You like it rough don't you?" - the man said while he unsheathed his sword and tried to subdue her, but  it was not the first time she had to fight for her life. And so - by the lust of men -  the ones that would once forge a great future, were forced to kill their partner or be killed. The sound of steel against steel was heard by a well-known merchant in town, and he hurried to warn the city guards. Unfortunately by the time he arrived she was standing before Charles' dead body, and covered in blood she was asked if she was okay. Afterwards the merchant took her back to his shop so she could clean herself.

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After taking a bath, the woman thanked the merchant for his kind help, but the man could not contain to say - "I see you are quite good with a sword, and may be you could earn some denars while returning me the favour. Are you interested?" - "And what is it that you need?" - she replied - "My brother and the blood of his captors" - the man said as he explained how his brother was being held hostage by a group of bandits and how she could be able to help.

After thinking about it for a couple minutes, she accepted the task given by the merchant, but before leaving town she asked - "How will I find you?" - to what he responded - "Ask for Ulric Fugger in the tavern. I will be there" - and she left.

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She gathered some brave men from the nearby villages, men who were willing to join her cause and save the merchant's brother for some denars. Once she had enough men at her side, she searched for a group of bandits that used to lurk around Praven, as indicated by the merchant.

Finally they came across the bandits and, attracted by her beauty, they approached the girl - "Hey boys! Look what we got here!" - the bandit leader said - "Yes, look! It is the ones that took the merchant's brother" - said the woman, and after a short pause she added - "I know you are taking prisioners and demanding ransoms for their freedom. You better tell me where you are holding them". "Well, you better pay the ransom or all you are going to get is a blade in your throat" - the bandit warned, to what the woman responded -  "I have no money, but I brought steel". 

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She took her crossbow from her back and fired at the leader's leg, severly wounding him. Her men immediatley attacked the remaining bandits, who were slaughtered by a well organized team. They turned victorious, and a frightened bandit leader agreed to describe the location where they were holding the merchant's brother as long as his life was spared.

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They learnt the location where the bandits were hidding - it was a cave a couple miles away from a nearby village called Azgad, belonging to the Kingdom of Swadia. After spending a night back in Praven, our heroes' party headed to the bandit's lair before dawn. It was early in the morning when they approached the site and, without being spotted, stormed the place to release the merchant's brother.

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Back in Praven and with a smile on his face, the merchant showed his gratitude to Alissa and her men by paying good money, and it would never be forgotten how all of them fought bravely to bring his brother back. But the nightmare was far from being over. During Alissa's absence the merchant learnt that a corrupted Captain was helping the bandits to kidnap people for an extra money. "Bastard!" - the merchant exclaimed and added - "My men are waiting outside so we can bring the Captain to justice by force. However I'm no fighter and need some one to lead my men. I'm ashamed for asking but, could you lead the assault? I will pay you good denars". Alissa was in Calradia for one thing - a future filled with money and power - so she took her weapons and came out of the builiding with one thing in mind - capturing the evil Captain.

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It was not long before the town turned into a battlefield - dead bodies on the street and people fighting the guards, and the Captain trying to escape his fate. That was a scene Alissa would never forget. Soon the Captain was captured by the men led by the girl - "The Heavens alone grant us victory today" - she said - "They will not forget the day when the people showed the King that only us know real justice".

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She was yet to know that this was only one of a thousand victories to come, only a dozen of a thousand men to lead and only one step forward of a thousand remaining to reach her dream.

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By the Lust of Men
Chapter 2: Unfinished business

It was the year of 1257, during the last days of March. The flowers showed their brightest colors and the weather was perfect. It was during those days that Alissa started with the quest of building a renown for herself. In Calradia - a war torn land - the fastest way to achieve such thing was thorugh the battlefield. Everyday hundreds of men lost their lives in the field and dozens of stories based on the most epic battles were born to increase the winner's renown. 

Nobody really know why Alissa chose the path of war, but she was willing to fight to the end for her own cause. She started to raise a small armed unit by recruiting people from the nearby villages inside the Kingdom of Swadia, and even when they were not professional soldiers , hard training turned the fresh recruits into worthy fighters.

After a week of continuous training, she decided it was time to make some denars. So she went to talk with the Guild Master in Suno - a remarkable town belonging to the Kingdom of Swadia. "I haven't seen you around before, do I?" - asked the Guild Master, "No, but you and your friends will do from now on" - said the beautiful young lady - "You sound like a determined woman. I could use someone like you" - added the man, who required people for an important matter - "It has been almost 2 months since a group of bandits came to the area and don't stop robbing the incoming caravans and travellers. They are now out of control and if you are able to kill or capture them, I will reward you with an important sum of denars". "Consider it done" - said Alissa.

With their limited tracking skills, the group was able to identify and follow their target and, judging by the tracks, they were behind a party of aproximately 20 infantry men. It took them almost one day to get close enough for combat and, as soon as they reached the point of no return, things started to go all wrong. Given the lack of combat experience, Alissa tried to surprise the enemy, but she  led her men too close and the bandits were able to spot them prematurely, losing the upper hand in combat. The ground began to shake as the enemy cavalry approached them - our heroes were expecting to have the numbers against them, but they were not expecting to fight mounted units. Nevertheless, Alissa and her men charged the enemy valiantly, but one by one, our heroes began to fall.

Although they were greatly outnumbered and were fighting against cavalry units, Alissa and her men caused great damage to the enemy squadron, but soon she would end up surrounded by the enemy and being the last on her feet. She managed to bring a couple of enemy soldiers down before a mounted bandit dropped her unconscious with his wooden lance.

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After several days she woke up surrounded by her fellow soldiers - "Where are we?" - she asked, "We have been taken prisioners. We travelled for days but we have now stopped and set a camp. It seems our captors were running away from the military patrol". "What happened to the rest of the group?" - she asked, but somehow she already knew the answer - "Most of them fell in battle or died from combat injuries on the way, we are the only ones still alive. We have tried to escape but security is too tight" - said the man.

As soon as the guard heard the lady's voice he moved her to his boss' tent, where she was supposed to wait until he returns so that they could have a word - but she knew how to use her beauty to her advantage. The guard and the lady were left alone in the boss' tent and she knew it was the opportunity to escape. She unbuttoned her shirt to form a sensual cleavage in her chest and called the man - "What are we doing her?" - and the guard replied intimidated by her beauty - "I... I am to wait until my boss arrives". "I'll need a doctor, my back still aches from the hits received in battle. Or perhaps you could give it a look by yourself?" - she said inciting the guard to come close, while removing her shirt and showing her naked back where she was hit. The guard stunned by her beauty, listened to the girl and approached her. When he was close enough, she used her shirt and wrapped it around the man's neck, pulling as hard as she could until he stopped to breath. 

By the lust of men she was able to escape, but before leaving, she wrote a note and passed it to the imprisoned men saying "I am going for back up. I am not leaving you here".

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She took her saddle horse and rode away from the enemies, who didn't realize she escaped until the next morning when the boss came back. She went to the nearby villages to gather enough men to rescue her soldiers, but by the time she gathered a good amount of recruits, the bandits were already gone.

She travelled around the land crushing any bandits that crossed in her way, looking for  her men without any luck. It was after weeks of searching that she received word that the bandits she was looking for were killed, but that no prisioners were found with them. She failed her fellow men and she would never see them again - there was no way to describe such pain and sadness. She settled a camp and slept for days.

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The road to her dreams would be full of victories and defeats, of happy and dark times, but she - she still had to walk the way.

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By the Lust of Men

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Chapter 3: The battlefield

The battlefield is indeed a difficult place to describe. For some, it is a place of death and hatred. For others it is only a profitable business. Even for some people, it is a drug that flows trough their veins and keep them alive. However, for everyone, it is definitely not a place for women - but Alissa would prove them wrong.

Along the way she would get more than one wound,  but in exchange, her name would shake the most skilled warrior. Every battle and every success was a step forward, but the price of war was to be paid. Oh yes - she would lose loyal men, close friends and, with their blood on her hands, she would also lose a part of her humanity with each life ended by her own sword - As they say, no pain, no gain. But for now, this was just the beginning.

It was during April of 1257 when everything changed, not on the outside, but in the inside, not in the people or in war, and not even an inch of our big world changed - but something happened in the heart of our beautiful lady. Let me tell you the story.

During a short stay in Suno, to recover a wound received during battle, Alissa met the men who planted the seed of battle in her soul. "Please bring me a cup of your best wine, my good man" - Alissa said to the tavern keeper - "What are we drinking for?" -asked a strange man in the other side of the bar - "To my doctor's health" - she said - "Haha! That is a large bandage on your leg.  You seem like one who has seen combat" - the man replied - "Yes, Indeed. But in the end all I got was myself getting injured..." -  when the man interrupted - "Oh no my lady. I must beg your pardon, but I must disagree. Calradia is a place of great opportunities, at least for an adventurer like yourself. You see, every wound is a profitable lesson and every battle opens, inch by inch, the heavy door that leads to the circle of Kings".

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After hours of listening carfully to this wise man, the tavern door hit the wall as it was opened fiercely. It was an exauhsted man that, covered in sweat, cried for help. You could tell he ran for hours beore arriving the place, but people didn't care and quickly continued with their drinks. "Come here young man" - said the wise man to the exauhsted farmer as he approached the table - "Please tell me, what is it that you need?" - he asked - "It is my people, my home - you got to help us!" - the farmer said with great concern, to what the wise man replied - "Calm down and explain yourself" - and after recovering his breath the farmer said - "A band of brigands have taken refuge in our village, they take everything we have and do us much evil. I escaped and ran to my Lord, but his guards didn't let me talk to him. I beg your help" - after thinking for a seconds the wise one said - "Oh my dear man, I am old and I have no experience with a sword. But you might be the opportunity that this young lady has not realized yet she is expecting" - "Where is this town?" - Alissa asked - "It is the village of Lyindah my lady, it is not far from here. Will you help us?" - asked the farmer with an obvious hope in his eyes - "Tomorrow I will ride to the place. I beg your prayers" - Alissa said while holding the farmer's hand - "Thank you my lady.  I can see it in your eyes, you are one of great goodness!" - and after finishing her cup of wine, she returned to her room to take some rest.

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Still with a bandage in the leg, Alissa and her men rode to Lyindah, where they would deal with the band of brigands. With no mercy our heroes charged the evil men who took the village by force, and when the rest of villagers realized it was their opportunity to strike, they joined in the name of freedom and brought an end to this nightmare.

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With blood in her sword and a fast heartbeat, Alissa had this feeling that cannot be described with words - the feeling that is only produced by the drug of war flowing through the veins of a true leader, the drug that would make her feel alive, and the drug that would never set her free.

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This was the point of no return, the point when the seed planted by the wise man in the tavern, grew in her heart and turned the girl into a new born warrior.
 
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