AAR: Tale of a Rhodok

"NOO!"

Alvaro ran towards the burning wreckage of his home, he had seen the smoke pillars from miles away.

As he ran, he saw the dead bodies of old friends and dying cattle. They littered the ground, like autumn leaves on a forest floor.


"Father!" yelled Alvaro, upon seeing his father on the floor.

Alvaro ran towards his father and cradled his head in his arms.

"Who did this to us? What happened?"

Alvaro's father looked, with glazed eyes, into his son's face. "Harlaus. Harlaus came to collect his dues."

and with that, Alvaro's father passed from this world.

Alvaro buried the bodies of his old friends, the ones he had not seen for years. He buried his father separately.

and with that, the small village of Ruldi burned to the ground. Alvaro could not stop it.

Alvaro returned back to his new home, Jelkala.

As he walked there he reflected on his life.
His father was a veteran warrior, he had served in King Graveth's personal guard for years before retiring to Ruldi.
As a youth, Alvaro had been an apprentice to the local carpenter, one of Ruldi's only craftsmen.
As an adult, Alvaro went to Jelkala, to seek his fortune in the university there. He was a gifted student, and learned much there.

And now, he will wander... In hopes of revenge..

"We must start a new campaign! Rally the forces, we cannot let another Swadian invasion into our lands occur!"
stamped Count Matheas. Count Matheas was outraged, the squabbling lords had disobeyed Count Laruquen, and while they were off having a feast in Yalen, King Harlaus had led a campaign to Jelkala, ravaging villages along his bloody path. Only after the Rhodok lords were able to get together was the invasion stopped.

"While they are weak, let us take the mountain passes and take Vyincourd castle. It is moderately defended, and the Swadian army is depleted right now. I call for a vote of no confidence in Laruquen, I demand a new marshal to lead our forces."

The council of lords in Jelkala was abuzz with activity. They were already picking sides, choosing candidates, taking bribes..

King Graveth scratched his chin.

"And who would you say would be worthy of the marshal-ship Matheas?"

"Well, I say I would be the best candidate. I nominate myself!"

the lords that day voted in Count Matheas as Marshal of the Rhodok army.
===

"So you wish to enlist in my army?" said Count Matheas.

"Yes, my lord. I feel a sense of duty towards my home country, and I want to make those Swadian bastards pay."

Count Matheas smiled. "Welcome aboard. Grab your equipment and rations from the quartermaster and report to our camp."
===

And with that, Alvaro became a tribesman in the army of Marshal Matheas. He was armed with simple arms and armor, befitting

The army moved north-wards, towards Ergellon Castle. They were planning on besieging Vyincourd castle to gain a foothold on Swadian soil and possibly move onwards towards Uxkhal. 

Alvaro's contingent camped near Pagundur, the army taking a rest before heading onwards towards Vyincourd.

Alvaro was chopping wood in the camp when a young soldier came up to him.

"Hello there, another fellow recruit I see! It's nice to meet you. My name is Marcello, I'm a village lad, from Ibdeles. I joined up about a week ago. Where are you from?"

Alvaro kept a grim face, and responded tersely "Ruldi."

Marcello had heard what happened to Ruldi, and put his arm around Alvaro,
"Don't worry friend, they will get what's coming to them."

Alvaro and Marcello, even though they were contrasts of each other, became friends and bunk-mates. Alvaro's grim expression and introverted personality attracted Marcello with his smiles and extroverted personality. Even though he was annoying sometimes, Alvaro started to learn to be friends with Marcello.

Later on that night, as Alvaro was trying to practice using his pitchfork, an old soldier came by.

"Hello there recruit. I see you are practicing."He said.

Alvaro stopped and wiped the sweat off of his brow.

"I just can't get handling this spear right. And who are you?"

The old soldier, without answering, grabbed the pitchfork and showed Alvaro how to do a variety of trusts and moves with it, almost transforming the Pitchfork into a weapon of elegance and awe.

"My name is Moretti. Alfonso Moretti. I am a sergeant in the marshal's personal guard. I was walking around making sure everything was in check. Now that you have learned how to properly use your weapon, I will bid you good night soldier, I can see in your eyes that you have the will to fight, but first, you need your rest, there will be marching tomorrow."

Alvaro nodded and went off to go to sleep. The next day would be a big one, for they were off to siege Vyincourd.


===============================================================================================
Author's notes-

Hello everyone this is my first AAR!

Our cast (so far)
1. Alvaro Calderon- The protaganist!
2. Marcello Marino- New recruit alongside Alvaro.
3. Alfonso Moretti- Rhodok sergeant, one of Matheas's old war buddies and guards.
4. Marshal Matheas- Newly elected marshal of the Rhodoks
5. King Graveth- King of the Rhodoks

Several notes I shall be making.
1. This will be played on my first playthrough of Freelancer 1.3
2. I will be writing this story in narrative form, novel-style. No 4th wall jokes or jokes about the bugs etc.
3. I will NOT be becoming my own king in this AAR. My character is meant to be more of a Rhodok nationalist and supporter of Graveth, kind of a nod from me to my favorite king of M&B. I usually do become my own king, but I am going to switch it up this time.
4. No screen-shots. This is going to be read as a narrative, and I always found screenshots annoying, plus too much of a hassle to put up.
5. No, don't worry I am not staying a common soldier forever.

I hope you enjoyed my first chapter of "Tale of a Rhodok". Have a nice day 

Not bad.
But could you just write in black letters? I find the coloured ones annoying.

Other that that, I like AAR's about common soldiers. Keep it up.

Ok, I only wrote in the colors to separate the different voices.

Please don't. Proper stories (and I believe your AAR is one) don't need that.

At the break of dawn the soldiers packed and made their way to Vyincourd.

As they marched, Alvaro thought about what he had learned in the university about the realm.

He remembered being in class one day, they were being lectured by an old professor. He was an immigrant from the Khergit Khanate, but he sure knew his stuff.

The professor told them about the fall of the empire, the Old Calradic empire that is.

"After having spread itself too thin", the professor said, "the provinces started to fall into disarray". "The final straw that broke the camel's back", one of the professor's favorite sayings, "Is currently unknown, it may have been the fact that the last emperor of a united Calradia was non-Swadian, unlike what had always been the status quo. Whatever it was, it caused the imperial province to split off from the empire. Without the capital of Suno, or the economic center of Praven, the empire truly began to falter. The emperor was kicked out of Suno and forced to the city of Reyvadin. The Nords were the next to separate, they no longer felt a connection to the empire, a good excuse to start wars immediately, and seized almost the entire northern coast. The Khergit tribes, once loyal citizens, were then united by a Khan, who rallied them together to form the present-day Khergit Khanate.

The old hill peoples of the Vaegir province then split, executing the emperor, remembering the subjugation that they had suffered at the empire's hands. Sarranids voted to split away, and the empire was gone."

Alvaro remembers asking "When do we come in?"

The khergit professor had responded "Years later, a warrior known as Grunwalder came about. He was able to rally the highlanders to secede. He showed them how to resist the heavy cavalry of the Swadian nobility, and told them the old Calradic constitution. The highlanders were outraged that the Swadian kings were trampling over their rights that were promised to them. As time passed, the kingdom you know now as your home was able to successfully secede, and form the elective monarchy we have today. Grunwalder, unfortunately died. He fought the Swadians to his dying breath."

Back in the present, Alvaro marched with the rest of the recruits, a motley bunch of farmers, craftsmen, merchants, and sailors. They neared the castle of Vyincourd, now owned by the snake Count Mirchaud.

Vyincourd castle used to belong to the Rhodoks, before the last war. They were about to take it back.
===
Hours later-

Alvaro ran with the buckets of water to the siege engineers, dodging bolts from the defenders on the wall.

The siege works had been hastily constructed, crossbowmen from the Rhodok side had set up about 30 mantlets around the perimeter of the castle, protecting the siege engineers and the army from the sharpshooters on the defending side.

"Here is the water guys, anything else you need me to do?" said Alvaro, setting the water buckets down, sploshing them a little.

"Do not worry recruit, go back to your unit." said the Engineer in a gruff voice.

Alvaro, on the way towards his camp, was unmindful as a bolt came towards his way. It would of hit him too if it wasn't for a veteran crossbowman who tackled him to the ground.

"Are you mad boy? You could of just been done for right there!"

Alvaro was hyperventilating, he had never come that close to death before. "T-Thank you kind sir, I shall never forget it, I will be in your debt."
Ithel
The crossbowman helped him up to his feet behind a mantlet.

"Do not worry brawd. No man shall be in my debt, all rhodoks are equal in my eyes. My name is Ithel. Splendid to meet you. Seems like these Swadian bastards don't let up do they?"

Ithel then took out his crossbow and fired a bolt at the defenders, then quickly getting back into cover, just in time to dodge the counter-volley.

Alvaro was a little puzzled. "That accent.. You are from Yalen no? My family is Velucan, but lived in Ruldi. I am Alvaro, nice to meet you.

Ithel smiled, and nodded. "Yes I am from Yalen, I hope we could have met under better circumstances. Go get yourself back to your unit recruit, this is no time for banter."

Alvaro made his way back to his camp, just in time to see the sunset.

The siege continued on for another day, with the siege engineers making slow progress at making the ladders.

The word among the soldiers is that the Swadians are to preoccupied by the Nords to come fight the Rhodoks.

As Alvaro laid in his bedroll for the night, he thought to himself

"Would I run in a battle? Am I brave enough to stand with my fellows?"

The question remained unanswered as he drifted off to sleep.

===
Author's notes:
1. New character! Ithel from Yalen. Vet rhodok x-bowman.
2. For the flashback to the university, I put forward my own theory of how the empire fell. (gathered from companions and claimants)
3. 'Brawd' is welsh for brother. In my mind the Rhodok cities show different cultures (due to their names), with Yalen being the rebellious Welsh/scottish hills people producing most ranged troops, Veluca being an idyllic italian city-state being the economic center, and Jelkala, being a swiss canton (of sorts) producing all of the kingdom's hardy militias and sergeants.
4. For about 2 days I sat waiting for the siege to start. I thought to myself "might as well introduce a new character and make some development."

Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of "tale of a rhodok."

Very nice. My favorite faction is rhodoks too, and being an enlisted soldier always makes for a good story. 

I'm a little hooked on this. Brilliant stuff!

awsome work!  Love it.

Man, you're awesome. I like this aar as much as Me, Floris

nice AAR cant wait till next chapter ;P

Lord Duck said:

nice AAR cant wait till next chapter ;P

Click to expand...

Yeah me too 

"Charge! Kill them all!" Yelled out Commander Matheas.

The army burst out from it's camps. Yelling out war cries such as "death to the Swads!" and "For the highlands!"

Several men ran forward with the ladders and were able to place them against the walls.

Alvaro was overwhelmed, his unit was staying back to protect the crossbowmen, who were now picking off the Swadians from the walls.

Alvaro looked around, he saw Ithel with the crossbows, yelling out orders to the younger men who were stumbling while reloading their crossbows.

Alvaro raised his shield with the group, blocking another volley of bolts and arrows that would of decimated the archer lines.

Alvaro looked to the ladder, he saw the sergeants and counts breaking into the breach. Alvaro was starting to become dazed, the sounds and sights and smells of his first battle slowly bewildering him.

"Snap out of it Alvaro!" yelled Marcello, bumping Alvaro with his shield. "We're moving up the ladder!"

Alvaro snapped back into focus, and started to climb the ladder along with his unit. He looked left and right at the guard towers, watching the Rhodoks overwhelming the Swadian positions. As he looked to the right, he saw an unhelmeted Alfonso crushing a Swadian knight's skull with his military pick.

As Alvaro got on the wall with Marcello, another batch of the garrison were coming out of the keep and barracks coming straight for the Rhodoks. The tribesmen and recruits were rushed down the stairs, now mixing in with the other troops, to beat off the Swadians.

As they spilled into the courtyard, the castle became filled with one on one duels and fighting, blood everywhere. Alvaro became lost in the confusion and almost froze as he saw a Swadian footman charging towards him. The two fought, a flurry of sword strokes and stabs.


After about 4 minutes, Alvaro stabbed forth with his pitchfork, stabbing the Swadian footman through his torso, on his face a foul grimace, his life slowing leaving his eyes as he fell to the ground. Alvaro couldn't believe it, he had just killed another human being. With shaking hands, he picked up the footman's sword, and rushed off into the crowd, crazed and in a frenzy. He swung to-and-fro, cleaving enemies with his new found scavenged sword.

---

After what seemed as hours of bloody fighting, it ended. The last few Swadians had fallen, and the wounded and unconscious enemies were being rounded up for capture. Alvaro was exhausted. His limbs now useless appendages that hung lifelessly at his sides. He never imagined to become a fighter, he was a scholar. He sat down on the ground against the castle wall, gazing upon the numerous men around him, scurrying around. He held his sword, bloody but still sharp, next to him. He lost his pitchfork in the battle.

He looked over to Marcello, coming towards him.

"Alvaro! We've been looking for you! The entire army's talking about you!"

Alvaro made a puzzled expression, "What do you mean?"

Marcello laughed, not even a bloody battle could weigh down his personality.

"Everyone's talking about how you rushed forwards in front of everyone and took down 12 men! You even killed a Swadian knight! The army is amazed, a simple recruit picking up a sword and dealing out death like the most hardened sergeant."

Marcello pulled him up from the ground.

"The unit's prepared a little surprise for you, well.. what's left of it."

Alvaro responded, "What do you mean?"

"We lost about 12 of us. We all got separated during the battle. One of those damned sharpshooters got Dewey on the way up the ladder. Straight through the cheek. Then one of those knights got about 4 of us in the gatehouse with that damned morningstar. If Alfonso didn't get him, he might have gotten me too."

Alvaro put his hand, still numb, on Marcello's shoulder. "It's ok Marcello."

"Well anyways Alvaro, let's go see your surprise."
---

At the messing hall, the remains of the unit raised their mugs to Alvaro "Hail!"

The surprise was on the table, an entire deer, freshly hunted by Ithel in the Swadian forests.

As they ate and drank, a chain-mail clad figure entered the hall.

It was Alfonso.

"Hail Alvaro, may I have a word with you?"

Alvaro excused himself and left with Alfonso to the walls.

"Alvaro, are you the son of Dante Calderon?"

Alvaro bowed his head, and slowly nodded, remembering the wreckage of Ruldi.

"He was a battle-companion of mine, many years ago. I am sorry for your loss. You do know what rank he was right?"

"Yea he was a sergeant like you was he not?"

"In a sense. He was a personal sergeant to Graveth, and was part of the Knights of the Bear."

"Knights of the Bear, what  is that?"

"The knights of the Bear are a knight order, founded by Grunwalder's followers to protect the king of the highlands, they are the greatest foot-knights in Calradia, only matched by the Raven Reavers of the Nords. Your father was one, one of the best actually. As you are his son, you have the chance to become one when you become a sergeant like me."

"If I even last that long."

"God willing, Alvaro. Just know, that the knights of the Bear, even though they are commoners, can become vassals to the king."

"I am not interested in that, I just want to serve my country."

"And that is why you should become one."

----------

Author's notes:

1. I am considering, after becoming a sergeant, of making Alvaro a count. But that would be way out in the future. I would not accept any offers of property except a castle and the initial village. I would make Alvaro a count that would fight alongside his people.

2. Due to my superior skills in this game (it happens when you play POP), I mean i took down like 12 swads at like level 2. I am instituting a new element in this AAR. Everytime I am knocked out, i will roll a pair of dice, if I roll snake eyes or double sixes, the AAR ends and Alvaro dies. I will post my final chapter and that will be that. As of now, if I don't die, then the AAR will last until the Rhodoks take over all of Calradia.

Shadow-Seeker said:

if I roll snake eyes or double sixes, the AAR ends and Alvaro dies. I will post my final chapter and that will be that. As of now, if I don't die, then the AAR will last until the Rhodoks take over all of Calradia.

Click to expand...

Uh-oh. Alvaro better be cautious then. If he dies really early on, would you start another AAR?

If he does, I'll start a poll here and see if people appreciate this. But don't worry, I have braved the horrors of Pendor, Calradia is a like a cake-walk to me. If I die, it will probably be something like me fighting off like 200 Swadian knights.

OR maybe let him get married and his son take over?  XD

That's kind of stretching it 

Though romance will be included in this AAR.

Shadow-Seeker said:

If he does, I'll start a poll here and see if people appreciate this. But don't worry, I have braved the horrors of Pendor, Calradia is a like a cake-walk to me. If I die, it will probably be something like me fighting off like 200 Swadian knights.

Click to expand...

Be sure that I'll downvote any of your attempts to die. I don't want this AAR to stop. It's very good.

Also, I like how you look at the different 'cultures' of the Rhodoks. I'm pro-Swadian, and I like how you portray them here too. Please continue!

Well, It would be bad, too bad for Alvaro to die. I like your idea to fight alongside Rhodoks, they are also my favourite faction. This is my suggestion. Become marshal of Rhodok army and crush Swadian scums!

It would be a nice story, to first fight with the commoners, then rise to the role of a count, (or tribune), reject the intrigues, and become the king's right-hand man, with the power as the Marshall.

Also, the story's not going to end with just the Swadian's defeat (if i don't die.) it will probably end with the Rhodok's victory over all of Calradia. Then, i'll make an epilogue.

The army marched away from Vyincourd, several counts drew away, their armies had lost too many troops for them to continue.

The Marshall Matheas, in all his wisdom, decided to not press forth with the plan of sieging Uxkhal. He decided to raid the plains and outlying hamlets around Yaragar, the local county seat.

Alvaro marched with his unit alongside Matheas's main attachment. Marcello was once again cracking jokes, Alfonso was with the count.

Alvaro was looking at the treeline when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked and met an exuberant Ithel.

"Ithel, arn't you supposed to be with Count Estroq?

"I got transferred in, Estroq had to leave to go check on his household and Matheas asked him for some reinforcements."

"Well it's good to have you."

The Army marched on to a near by hamlet known as Redshaw, barely a hundred villagers manning the fields and populating the collection of huts.

The fields were the first to be raided, the Rhodoks reaped what they could, taking as much wheat as they could. The livestock were slaughtered and captured for the army's eventual consumption.

As Alvaro looked upon the hungry army gorging itself on this poor village, he looked towards the center, and saw the banner of King Graveth.


He walked closer to the banner and saw the king accompanied by the knights of the bear.

The knights of the bear wore heavy chainmail surcoats, emblazoned with the king's heraldry of the Bear. They all had war cleavers and face plates, the personal knights of the king.

king Graveth was talking to a crowd of young men.

"Villagers of Redshaw! Do not look upon us as your conquerors, look upon us as your saviors. Do you want to live your lives as serfs to your ruler? Do you want to be constantly beset upon by the numerous enemies of King Harlaus? That despot? Do you want to live lives of torment? I would say that you shouldn't. Join us! Become members of the Confedaracy, we are the true heirs to Calradia's throne! We still follow the empire's old constitution, we still hold councils of nobles and commoners alike. We extend our hands to you, join us!"

Many of the villagers, hearing the man's words, stood and stated their new alleigance. King Graveth sent most of the old men and non-combatants to Ruldi, for rebuilding efforts, and the young men were outfitted to join the recruits.

Ithel laughed, "Graveth does this all the time."

Alvaro looked at Graveth, perhaps this was the man, who should hold the realm together afterall.

~~~~~
Authors notes:
Hey guys sorry for the smaller chapter, the army is pretty much just roaming around the river Lyennes right now.

The reason I said "County" yaragar is because of the following:
1. The ruler of a a county is a count.
2. Market towns (such as Praven, Suno etc) cannot function off the 2 or 3 villages that they support. Therefore, I presumed that there are many different villages, that are just smaller hamlets, and that the major villages are the ones that show on the map, and are the county seats where the lords preside.

That is all for now.