Dear Father - A Swadian Freelancer AAR

[Extor]

This is really good and entertaining, please keep it up 

[Kasimir]

Thanks for the replies. This is not an update (still got document work to do), just keeping readers informed.

Good luck on your work, man. German Imperialism souns interesting. 

About the explanation, the first one is good enough to me. The second one is just.... well, It's your AAR afterall, but I doubt that it'll not make your story struck in the future. 

I would appriciate it if you coul put in the reason for his chivalric ideal in the story at some point. 

Thanks. I said not to take the second explanation seriously.

I will try to work the reason in if I can think of a way. It will probably be difficult since he does not realise how brainwashed he actually is, but I will see what I can do.

[Kasimir]

Spoilered these two, because my computer shut itself off without warning, so the game progress was lost.

I am going to have to play these parts again, which will certainly not happen the same way, but here is a little bit of writing to enjoy.

(click to show/hide)

May 8, 1257.

Dear Father.

We are safe. We are in Rheyvadin.

The caravan you asked us to deliver has arrived safely. Has the Count said anything to you since we destroyed the bandits?

I had felt like spending a little longer in the Vaegir kingdom. In the hopes that people will stop asking me to drive cattle for hundreds of miles. On that note, what in the world is it about Swadian cattle as opposed to Khergit cattle that make the other kingdom want them so much? When I last passed through there were countless merchants wanting me to take their cattle to faraway lands, but the merchants those lands want me to take their cattle to Swadia! They clearly have cattle right there! How does this market work?!

Oh yes, I have also gone stark raving mad in my absence. I hope to recover by the time I return.

There will likely be a delay in our return. I made a mistake. I got overconfident against a force of bandits. They seemed lightly equipped, and despite equal numbers I thought it within our means to destroy them. They led us into a trap. We fought our way free, but four of our men died today. Burchard, Cordt, Detert and Jaspar. I never really knew them, and yet they gave their lives putting their trust in me.

I do not know what I am after now, how best to honour their sacrifice. My original intent had been to destroy a bandit hideout near Khudan, in the hopes of encouraging an alliance between our kingdoms, or at least a non-aggression pact, or at least something to prolong the security of Swadia. I do not know if the best course is to avenge the men who died for me, or to learn from their sacrifice and not place the others in danger.

Father, I need your guidance.

In better news, Arjen is performing magnificently. I have found a coat of armour for him, scales from the steppe, and he seems to have held well in battle. Thank you for looking after him so well while I have been away from mission, and thank you for keeping up with his training. He is splendid destrier.

In the meantime, I am going to try escorting a caravan to Tihr. The Great Inn there seems like the best place to send your reply.

Let me know if you hear any word from Herr Tileke and Herr Reineke. I hope they do well in the service of the Count.

I look forward to seeing you again.

Your loving son.

Kasimir von Greyssen.

(click to show/hide)

May 13, 1257.

Dear Father.

Well, so much for that idea. In that case, we will not be lending aid to the Vaegir after all. Not if that could jeopardise our peace treaty with the Khergits. And since war has just broken out between the Vaegir and the Nords then lending support for Vaegir domestic problems would look even more like warfare by proxy.

Guess what we found in Tihr? More bandits! The good news is no good men died in the battle. The bad news is they were carrying your letter. Seriously, your letter was among their loot. They must have intercepted it or something. My prayers go with the courier.

I have many ideas what not to do, but no ideas what to do. I shall try to make it back home soon and see if you can make any further use for me. If it does not involve cattle I shall be eternally grateful.

We did have a stroke of luck. On the tournament circuit recently, there was a tourney in Sargoth, but apparently most of the great magnates and huscarls were away at war. This made things easier for me. I think the most noteworthy warrior of importance attending was Xerina. Anyway, it was foot combat, and what has surprised me is that so few other warriors considered attempting to flank their opponents.

We fought in teams, and it seemed I was the only one who considered teamwork.

From what I hear there is yet another feast in Praven, so that will be my next stop, in the hope of distinguishing myself amongst knights. I shall try not to be long.

Your loving son.

Kasimir von Greyssen.

[Kasimir]

So those two updates... are now lost.

My laptop auto-shutdown with no warning because the temperature got too high while playing the game.

Taleworlds, please develop an autosave feature. This is INFURIATING.

[Extor]

There is one if you play realistic it auto saves whenever you leave a town or come out of a battle.

[Kasimir]

Thanks for that. Now I am more careful to save often.

May 8, 1257.

Dear Father.

We have arrived at Curaw without incident. At least nothing that stands out as worth mentioning.

What has stood out is that the cattle here seem the same as the cattle back home. So why is there such a market for sending large herds of cattle from one kingdom to another? They clearly are not short on cattle, so what is it about Swadian cattle that make other kingdoms want them so much, when these other kingdoms are sending their cattle here?

Arjen remains just as mighty a charger as when I first brought him with me. I have only been able to provide him with a scale coat of steppe make, but he is still a magnificent horse. Thank you for looking after him for me, and keeping up with his training in my absence.

There is a tournament at Sargoth at the moment, we are going to try to reach there. It will be my first tournament as a spurred knight, although it appears the best Nord warriors are away on campaign, which raises my chances. At the very least I can prove myself against swords for hire. I will let you know of my progress.

Your loving son.

Kasimir von Greyssen.

May 16, 1257.

Dear Father.

Rumours of my capture are somewhat exaggerated. I write from Kelredan Castle, where I have been generously provided with shelter.

I returned to duty and joined an army headed by Count Delinard, serving as one of his knights. We fought in two battles, both against similar-sized forces. We won the first and lost the second.

The first was on very broken terrain, making it difficult to use a lance, but the morning star I was given served admirably for this role instead. I am sure I brought down ten men before the weight of arrows required that I and Arjen fall back to rest. We returned and brought down at least three more. I am surprised it drew so little notice from the Count.

The second battle was on flat terrain, and I feel we got overconfident. The cavalry raced ahead and left our support troops behind. Instead of hitting the Rhodoks with all our power, we got overstretched and isolated. Eventually the infantry and crossbowmen caught up, but nowhere near soon enough. In this fight I fought as best I can, but eventually we ran out of reinforcements and were starting to get overwhelmed. We retreated, and got separated in the rout of the army.

Has banditry risen while I was on campaign? I noticed outlaws on the outskirts of the woodlands on my way here. They seemed to be on patrol, consistent with the last group who had a base in the region.

I wonder if I should be approaching this differently. Should I be attempting to support the war effort from other positions? Perhaps by rescuing prisoners, perhaps as a commander myself? Or are my efforts still best as an individual soldier on the battlefield?

When I get back, perhaps we can speak of what to do with that money I left with you. There are so few investment opportunities in Uxhal despite the wealth of the city, perhaps we would be wiser investing in lands further into mainland Swadia such as Suno where our businesses would be more sheltered from the fighting.

Your loving son.

Kasimir von Greyssen.

[MariusThePaladin]

Looks like the lost of save progress strike him hard 

[Kasimir]

Hi guys, had exams for the past 2 weeks, just recovered from them. I thought I had mentioned it in the thread but it might have been an earlier deadline. Thanks for commenting though. It helps to see that people are still reading the thread.

As another heads up, from June 1 to June 20 I will be on holiday and not have my games computer with me. I wont be making updates in that time.

Anyway! Another update!

May 23, 1257.

Dear Father.

My wounds were not severe, although thank you for your concern. I am sorry for not clarifying, I did not wish to leave you worried. Only bruises from blows against the armour.

I have followed up on the bounty and spoken to Count Klargus on the outlaw problem. Remember that hideout Count Delinard asked me to destroy? Well, it looks like this new group has moved into there. I tell you this, and I tell others, to make sure you know where to look if I am captured. My men are not yet ready to launch the attack, but once I have trained up a suitable militia force we will.

Another good sign is that Count Regas has asked me to do some recruitment for him. Apparently those militia who prove themselves and excel are to be considered for fast-tracking into the cavalry.

We should be ready soon. The men are improving steadily. In training it was not long ago that I was able to outfight four at once, but their understanding of the principles of fighting is growing and now it is becoming more and more difficult to defeat a team. A few times the team even defeated me. So far I am letting them outnumber me to encourage them to develop the principles of teamwork in battle, and it appears to pay dividends. Once they have reached the point that each group is a challenge for me, I will mix it up with additional tactical challenges.

Other things are we are working on is preparing suitable equipment. We have been able to make padded vests and outfit ourselves with proper spears and bows rather than farming tools. I want to make their safety a little more secure before I lead them into fighting.

What is this news of lords being captured? Is Swadia faring so badly in the wars? Were they captured by the Rhodoks or the Khergits? I will need to know in case they can be rescued. Clearly Swadia cannot afford to have its lords contained within enemy dungeons when the kingdom is under threat.

If you can help us with suitable equipment for the men I will be most grateful. With luck, our family status should be improved by our contributions towards the public order.

Your loving son.

Kasimir von Greyssen.

[Kasimir]

May 26, 1257.

Dear Father.

This is dire news indeed. If our enemies have brought an end to their other wars that means both can now concentrate against Swadia. I pray for your continued safety.

News is daunting on this front as well. The men are ready, and we have received loans of gear from local Vogt and Schulz who want the bandits gone too, but our scouting has discovered easily over a hundred. My men are good, but fighting over a hundred bandits will be difficult, and Swadia will need the men afterwards considering the threat it is facing. So I must be careful to avoid casualties. Considering the nature of our opponents and their reliance on bows, what we ideally need is heavy cavalry. Then again, there are few problems that heavy cavalry cannot solve.

Count Regas is counting on me to bring him the men, but he wants them seasoned and battle-hardened. I think I should try to seek out the support of the merchants in this, and try to coordinate our efforts. Less glorious, but it is for the good of Swadia. Forgive me father that I cannot do more to uphold the family name.

If you can speak to merchants in Ukxhal on my behalf, I will attempt to enlist further support in Suno. What we need are horsemen. Light horsemen will do. Anything that can make a lightning strike against archers.

I shall write to you again before the mission is done.

Your loving son.

Kasimir von Greyssen.

[Kasimir]

May 29, 1257.

Dear Father.

Suno’s merchant class apparently did not believe in horsemen, so I was forced to extend my efforts to Praven. My word, banditry has become rife. Another band of criminals had openly taken over Azgad. The doorstep of the capital! Clearly more work must be done to bring peace and order to the realm.

All I could get from Praven were low-ranking members of the watch, but we had spare horses and they were prepared to make the adjustments. It is a bit slipshod and improvised, but clearly these are far from ideal circumstances.

The rescue of Azgad at least means I was able to bring some credit to the family name. People know it is the Greyssens who came to their aid. The king will know how much we have contributed towards stability in his absence.

We took our rest after travelling, and prepared ourselves for an early night. We needed to be up by dawn. By dawn, we were marching on the village in Swadian colours. Some of the garrison of Praven recognised me and were willing to lend me gear from the armoury. When we got there, the bandits were still sleeping, having spent so much of their time in indulgence at the expense of the serfs. We took a simple policy, we burst into each house and asked the women to identify the bandits. It is difficult to tell farmer from bandit when both are abed.

It was easy to confirm. The bandits kept their weapons with them rather than risk the farmers getting hold of them. However, it meant most of our fighting was on foot.

There was quick chaos, and then it was just a matter of chasing them down. One bandit was able to survive by hiding behind a market stall. Thankfully he was kept trapped behind it by the troops until I could reach him. I think some of the bandits escaped. We were careful not to kill innocent men, so we probably left opportunities for enemies to flee.

Other good news is we now have swords and horses to have the men better equipped. The bandits relied mostly on hides or leathers for armour, but quite a few wore mail standards that draped across the shoulders. I have been showing the troops an old squire trick, where we use several standards to make a mail shirt. My men are now reasonably equipped at least. Or most of them.

We also managed to get a simple job out of a Praven merchant, taking us back to Suno, where there is a tournament on. Rather unexpected, since there was no word of it yesterday. However, the prize includes arms and armour for a lance fournies. It looks like being ready to face the bandits is possible.

God has smiled upon us.

Your loving son.

Kasimir von Greyssen.

[MariusThePaladin]

Nice method of training, indeed. 

The problem that when player join Swadian army, then they tend to be afraid of going in to any battle upset me as well. 

[Extor]

Kasimir, before you get to far into your story, you should consider ending this one and downloading the floris mod pack and doing this with that mod because it has a lot of cool mods in it, including freelancer, that let the player customize tournament options, set sail, and a lot more. Please consider it, i think we all would enjoy even more.

[Extor]

Oh and if you do decide to play floris, dont choose a noble background because there is a bug with it that you would just get a black screen and you would have to restart warband.

[Kasimir]

OOC: First things first, thanks to everyone for their patience. I had a great holiday, my girlfriend lives the other side of the Atlantic Ocean so it was great to get to visit her. We had a wonderful time.

Extor: Thanks for the tips, I will look into the Floris mod pack in the near future. I think I will probably need to close this AAR soon just because after so long as a knight I am starting to run out of features for this current edition. I will do my research on the Floris mod back and what it entails. I would really like to use the same character for it though, and I want to see if and how backgrounds affect things before I commit to anything. Plan B would be something more sinister, writing an AAR as a Necromancer from Solid & Shade.

For now, an update.

May 30, 1257.

Dear Father.

Several of my men are still weary from our last fight. I deemed it kindest they be allowed to rest before we destroy the bandits in the northern forests. Besides, we have a tournament to fight. Or rather had. I shall regale you with my progress on the matter.

In the first round fortune favoured us, we were the only ones with horses. After the initial charge we became a target hemmed against the walls, but we won. My comrade was struck down by one team, since we made the mistake of allowing them to remain a team rather than take down one from each of the three teams so that our opponents were fighting against each other. However, a few charges dealt with that.

The second round requires some advice to my comrades. Standing in front of your team’s lancer is never a good idea. I only managed to get two charges in despite this being a battle of 7 on each side.

Round three was smaller, 2 teams of 2. I actually fought on foot for a change this time. One horseman and one footman apiece. Our horseman’s horse got injured first, I feel sorry for the poor animals. However, their horseman cantered off and got separated from his support. The pair of us now on foot were able to take down one and then the other.

Fourth round, again I was on foot, fighting 4 teams of 2. My comrade was a lancer, who forgot the most basic rule: a lancer in close-quarters is useless. If your only weapon is for the charge, do not stay after charging. Anyway, since he was taken down quickly after I had dispatched my opponent I was able to borrow the horse he was using.

Next I was given a horse, but it was hatchets versus swords of war. An interesting combination, since the hatchet is far too short to suit a horseman. Still, I was able to get results by bulling up close with my horse and striking while my foe tried to regain his balance.

Finally, a sword duel against a mercenary. I was using a shield, while he had the larger sword. I got a lucky blow at the start which struck him in the throat, and I think he never recovered his breath. Looking back, I wish I had been more courteous, allowed him to recover so skill and not luck won the day. Still, I suppose it is a fair victory and a fine reward.

Since then, I had been patrolling around the forests, looking for small groups of bandits we could catch away from the main group. We chased one group as far south as Nomar, freed the bounty hunters they had taken prisoner, but when we doubled back we could not find the others we had left behind us.

Currently I am resting at Kelredan Castle, ready to launch another strike soon. With luck, we should be able to thin their numbers before the main assault. However, I feel my men are ready. I will look for any return messages there. I hope to win the approval of Lord Grainwad soon. He has been a man of good heart and a kind lord to his people, and I am starting to understand some of his reluctance regarding me. I should say no more unless this message is intercepted, but know that I am safe and well.

Your loving son.

Karsimir von Greyssen.

[Gwerneow]

Karsimir reads like a bit of a sociopath, what with the way he so nonchalantly tells his father about the men he's killed. It would be interesting to see him make a slow descent into madness...maybe after seeing his lord do something particularly wicked and realizing he's not fighting for the good side after all?