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Post by Ladorak on Nov 4, 2009 9:59:08 GMT -5
Can you be active enough to play both of them? Battles move generally where you have to post at least once a day, so just making sure you know that before you step up, because otherwise I'd recommend taking one, but if you feel confident you can stay active to keep up with two characters then I'll grant you both.
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Post by ninjasquirrel1 on Nov 5, 2009 17:11:08 GMT -5
You bet.
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 5, 2009 17:39:58 GMT -5
Alright, if you think you can do it and play both I'll go ahead and slot you in. OK, that's it then! We'll be switching over to IC from now on for this. I'll be getting the starting post up for this battle sometime tonight, much later. Can't right now as I'm swamped with work. But be looking for it tonight sometime. And yeah Bookity you're in as Augustine Philip. BATTLE START
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 6, 2009 11:02:26 GMT -5
The day was cold with a good breeze blowing over the open fields and across the Cuesmes Ridge. To Albert's right was the slightly less than blue ribbon of the Haine River. It guarded his right flank, the same as the Trouille River did over on his left. The ridge was five miles long and the polecat Duke had made use of every square inch of available space.
He was sitting on the back of his horse, surveying the scene. Things were not looking good. He was heavily outnumbered by that sea of blue that stretched out before his position. 43,000 Rosferian troops, and the only thing between them and the capital of Eastern Mordenz, the province he was currently Governor of, was his Occupation Force of 13,000. They were enough to keep the populace in line (and indeed, the populace itself was a tricky thing. They had revolted two years ago in an attempt to gain independence, something Kostritz had been forced to deal with harshly) but not enough to stop a Rosferian invasion. So what did the polecat have going for him?
Four battalions on the right under Franz von Lilien, a unit which included his adopted son within it's ranks. The Archduke Darius was the legitimate brother of the current Kostritz Emperor, Francis, but the marbled polecat had been given away by his father at a very early age as an act of generosity because Albert's wife was unable to bear kits. The lad was 21 years of age, and was learning the ways of military tactics and command. He showed promise, but was still young of course. Albert himself had come from humble origins, having been a Gradvarian Prince before marrying into the Kostritz noble family and gaining a much loftier Dukedom. His mate was the aunt of Emperor Francis, which made him the uncle of the young Emperor.
But enough about pedigrees. Duke Albert's center had another four battalions under the command of the so far promising Count Sebastian Clerfayt. The horned lizard was Albert's second-in-command, and was his direct successor should something happen to Albert. On the left was the weakest section of line under Johann von Beaulieu, a Mordenz officer just like Clerfayt. It was only weakest because it had three rather than four battalions, Beaulieu's last battalion having been detached to watch the city of Mons. The fox was ancient, in his upper sixties, but was probably the most experienced and hardened of all the subordinates he had on the field with him. On their left was the city of Mons, and their right the village of Jemappes. Their position was exceedingly dangerous and Albert knew it, namely because of the marshlands in their immediate rear. It would make retreat difficult. The only other way out was through Mons, as they had rivers on both of their flanks. It made their position an excellent one for defense, as flanking would be time consuming to the Rosferians, but at the same time it narrowed Albert's avenues of retreat.
He had to defend this province however! He was the Governor appointed by the Imperial Kostritz Court, and he was responsible for all the happenings that went on here. He had been hoping Duross would not have moved before winter set in, but alas that had not occurred. The crafty otter general had taken him completely by surprise and brought his force to battle before Kostritz's main army was due to arrive in the spring. Duke Albert had heard that the talented Prince Josias was leading it, but they were a long ways off.
"Right.....then let's do this!" the polecat said gamely. He was scared as sin, but trying not to show it. He had no real military experience, save for that siege he'd had to abandon a few weeks ago. The real fighters were his three subordinates, and he was counting on them to see this battle through. His gray clad soldiers were arrayed in a perfect line, and could probably hold their own against the untrained hordes of Rosferian volunteers that now faced him. Whether they could hold long enough was the key, as they WERE outnumbered, and quite badly at that. He just had to hope they could hold out until the sun went down, which was hours away at this point, seeing as how it had just risen.
Gulping, Albert reined in his horse a bit and looked down at one of his aides. "Tell my wing commanders to hold their positions and be prepared to receive any attacks they may throw at us. They'll be coming....and soon at that." Saluting, the aide trotted off to retrieve his own horse and begin distributing the orders throughout the line.
**********
For General Farrand, it was an auspicious day. The elderly weasel was at the head of a good division of soldiers, and was in charge of the Rosferian left wing, facing von Lilien. There was a nip in the air that had changed all of the stoats' coats to white for the winter, though least weasels like him underwent no pelt changes for the different seasons. He still had his brown across most of his body, coupled with the white belly fur.
He knew that General Duross would be pawing out orders soon, and thus he had taken it upon himself to head to the General's position, having grabbed a cup of coffee on the way from one of the dispensers. It was early morning, and the least weasel needed his kick to start his day off. Age made you more weary after all, but Farrand tried to not let it get to him so much. He could still see this through.
Breathing in a grateful gulp of the crisp autumn air, the weasel exhaled happily shortly after that. He had a plan forming in his mind for his section of the battlefield, and wanted to share it with General Duross, though of course would wait and hear what the commander-in-chief had in mind first before voicing any of his own thoughts. He could see the spry otter ahead of him, and taking a smile to his muzzle, spurred his horse a bit in order to move it up to a trot so as to close the distance between his fellow mustelid and himself. "And a good morning to you General Duross sir!" he called out.
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Post by Carrow on Nov 7, 2009 11:00:48 GMT -5
Duross had been deep in thought about quite a number of things, but his sensitive ears perked up when he heard the call. That would be one of his fellow Generals, the otter thought. He focused in on the sound of the voice, and it clicked. Ah yes! Farrand! He smiled widely. The weasel was quite a good companion of his, and they'd had many a good time in each other's company.
The aquatic mustelid had also partaken in a cup of coffee earlier that morning. As a result, the otter General's adrenaline levels had surged even higher. He loved the feeling of heading into battle. And so he would now after how well things had gone for him on the 'field over the last couple of months. It wasn't just Duross' mood that had peaked, either.
Every single one of his troops' spirits were soaring as well. The victory at Valmy, in particular, had done wonders for their confidence. To say that each creature under Rosferian command was looking forward to getting going here at Jemappes was an understatement. They were very much relishing the thought of getting stuck into Kostritz.
In response to Farrand's greeting, Duross, who was also on horseback, brought gradually brought his horse to a stop, calling back over the noise of the chill, wintry wind that howled over the scene. Winter was indeed setting its claws into the land now. It had stolen over all as October had progressed into November, catching everybeast unawares, but would soon be felt in full force all around. The mustelid was quite warm himself, even if his uniform was quite the standard kind, but then, thought he with a smile, that's what having a nice thick pelt will do for you, isn't it?
"Indeed it is a good morning, Farrand! The same to you, and a better day could not have been picked for such an event as this. The air is practically sparking with anticipation."
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Post by bookity101 on Nov 7, 2009 19:20:10 GMT -5
General Marquis Beurnonville rode his horse up and down his front lines, looking over the lines, the smile on his face slightly forced, the guinea pig general had not had much sleep, to busy racking his brain for every detail he could remember when he went up against Duke Albert the last time, and he He had some ideas, but he wasn't sure how they would work out. He rubbed a paw across his face. Time to head to General Duross to pick up orders.
General Augustine Phillip brushed aside his tent flap with a paw, stepping into the sunlight and breathing deeply of the crisp morning air. The young general was excited, and it telegraphed through his ears, which he had covered with his hat. Nobeast needed to know that his stomach was flip-flopping between being excited for his field command and nervous that it was his first field command.... He as he approached his horse he noticed Gen. Beurnonville heading past.
"General Beurnonville!" Plillip rushed to his horse and jumped into the saddle, hurrying to catch up with his elder. "Wait a moment please!"
Beurnonville pulled his horse to a halt. He turned the horse around and called back to him, "Hurry Phillip! We must be going to the command post!" Beurnonville waited for the lad. He had promise that young one, he just needed to stop that ear twitching, it made him look a little silly.
Together the two beasts headed towards the center column, riding up as Duross finished greeting Farrand.
"Hello there, fine morning for a battle don't you think?" Beurnonville noticed the cup in Farrands paw, "Can I get a cup of that?" he asked,pointing at the cup.
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 8, 2009 3:10:24 GMT -5
"Hm? Ah yes of course." the weasel responded promptly, realizing what it was that the guinea pig was asking about. "Over yonder about thirty yards in that direction. They have some dispensers for whatever type of brew you might need." Farrand said, cracking a grin.
Coming down off his horse, he tied it up at a nearby post and strode over to General Duross. "Top of the morning General sir." he saluted gamely. "I'm here for the orders of course. Oh yes....I had an idea too if you'd like to hear it. Sir I know time is of the essence in these types of situations but I was thinking. Their position is a damn good one sir, and well, being the observational type that I am...I was thinking that perhaps a certain movement is in order."
Sweeping his paws out towards the Haine River, the wizened weasel turned in that direction before moving back to face Duross. "I want to split my command. Send half the troops across the Haine, then march them along the opposite bank while the other half attacks from the front. Once they're in position, I'll recross the Haine and have that half hit Mr. von Lilien from the rear. Should be enough to crumple the flank sir."
Farrand adopted a more serious tone. "Of course I realize too...that crossing and recrossing a river is time consuming. It might be a bit before I can actually get into combat. I won't do it if you don't approve of it sir, but I just figured I'd put that on the table and see how you liked it. I don't want to throw off any sort of schedule you may have had after all." the weasel admitted, and clasped his paws behind his back to await his commander's response.
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Post by Carrow on Nov 8, 2009 9:01:09 GMT -5
Duross nodded throughout Farrand's proposal, rudder swishing gently to and fro as he digested it. When the elderly weasel had finished speaking, the otter broke into a grin. He too spread his paws, evidently delighted with what had just been suggested to him.
"Well, whyever not? You said yourself that Kostritz' position is a very good one, such a good one in fact that we are going to have to take risks on the side, as well as proceed with the strategy I have thought up. Your plans do not interfere with mine in the slightest, so do what you will. They won't be expecting a move such as that, I'll wager. I've been doing some observation of my own recently, and I noticed that Duke Albert's forces do not number enough to withstand sustained combat. The flanks are indeed our best option, and your idea combined with mine stands a very good chance indeed of gutting them. And this brings me quite nicely onto said idea."
Duross' eyes twinkled as he noticed that Beurnonville and Augustine Philip had joined them.
"Good morning, gentlebeasts. I must say, your timing is absolutely impeccable! Well done!" The otter chuckled, then his countenance adopted a more businesslike look as he outlined his scheme.
"As I just mentioned to Farrand here, we have quite the advantage when it comes to the number of our troops. I believe it is three to one odds. So, we are going to capitalise on that, way I see it. Hit them with all we've got. Set out our stall and show them what we're made of. Yes, they are in a very good position, but they are also in quite the dangerous one, for behind them lies marshland. They have very few ways to turn if things go awry. "For this very reason, we are going to be targeting the flanks. I believe this ties in nicely with what you've told me. The plan is for you to take the left flank, Marquis Beurnonville to pawdle the right, and Augustine Philip to take command of the centre. Again, hit them with everything thing you have. We are literally fighting an uphill battle here, so that's going to make things a tad more difficult, but this one is far from impossible."
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 8, 2009 19:55:59 GMT -5
"Yes sir! Of course! It might take my column awhile to get into position, but I estimate we'll have plenty of sunlight by the time that does happen. We'll be sure to go in with guns blazing to the east and the west and sandwich that old wolf!" The weasel threw off a salute, and quickly moved to remount his horse, setting it back at a gallop over to his side of the battlefield.
The artillery batteries in his position were setting up. The Rosferians had 100 cannon compared to 56 on the Kostritz. It seemed as if Kostritz really did not stand a chance in terms of numbers for this one. "Commence artillery fire for my sector!" Farrand barked out, and pretty soon the mouths of his 30 some artillery pieces rumbled forth, sending their ordinance over to the Kostritz lines.
"Right! Divide the division into two wings! One half shall cross the Haine, march along the opposite bank, recross behind the Kostritz position and fall upon them from the rear! Meanwhile, the other half will frontally assault von Lilien's defenders. Let's prove volunteers can be just as tough as the regulars! Form up and step to the advance!" Muskets went up, resting on shoulders now as Farrand's wing began to move. Nearly 15,000 soldiers moving against a mere 5,000. The weasel had more troops in his column than the Kostritz forces had on their entire side. But they were going to be split for awhile, and be divided up as roughly 7,500 and 7,500 moved on each side of the river Haine.
The flanking column detached itself and began heading towards the Haine, the river being so shallow that they could easily ford it without much difficulty. The other half of Farrand's troops advanced, being the first to move forward towards Albert's soldiers. Almost immediately as they did so the Kostritz artillery opened up as well, sending a few projectiles in the weasel's direction and landing amongst the troops, who nevertheless continued their advance. They weren't going to shirk...this was their first time on the offensive and they had something to prove. It would be a ways before they reached the ridge. Their immediate objective was the small hamlet of Quaregnon in their front, and then Jemappes which was directly behind that on the other side of the ridge. Their flags fluttering, the Rosferians began moving ponderously forward towards their goals.
**********
Over on the opposite side of the field, the old wolf general Franz von Lilien could glimpse what Farrand had in mind, but he wasn't particularly worried. It would take them all day to try and flank him. They could waste just as much time as they wanted doing that. For now, he was going to meet their advance with fire. Turning to the young marbled polecat on horseback next to him, the canine chewed on his bottom lip for a moment as he considered the situation.
"They'll never be able to flank us in time. Archduke Darius....it's time to prove yourself I think. Make your father and your brother the Emperor proud. Take 3,000 troops and push yourself out in front of Quaregnon. From there form an advanced force to meet General Farrand's troops and delay them as long as you can. You might even be able to stop them in their tracks if you fight hard enough. I'm relying on you....time to show me the fruits of your training."
Archduke Darius, younger brother of Emperor Francis and adopted son of Duke Albert, gave a firm nod. "Yes sir....I'll prove myself worthy of your expectations, as well as my father's." At the age of 21 he was really being put to the test, much as Duke Augustine Philip was, though it was unlikely the two would meet in actual combat. Darius was on the Kostritz right, and Duke Augustine faced the Kostritz center. Different sectors of the battlefield, but it mattered little to the marble polecat. He had something to prove today as well, just as the Rosferians did.
Taking the 3,000 troops that von Lilien assigned him, the youthful Archduke led them down the slopes of the ridge and straight towards the advancing line of Farrand. They were heading for glory today as well, at least Darius hoped they were. It was a collision course that was set now, and soon it seemed general battle would be brought on everywhere....once the two sides came within range of each other.
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Post by Carrow on Nov 9, 2009 16:17:29 GMT -5
Duross growled happily as he nodded his approval at the attitude of his ubordinates. "And so it begins," the otter murmured as he looked to settle in with the frontal assault section. He was greatly looking forward to getting stuck in, and as well as making sure that everything went as well as could be expected (the mustelid was hardly expecting his scheme to go exactly to plan. He knew far better than that), he would lend a paw wherever he was needed. A creature of his years that had as much experience as the General did would of course do their utmost to aid the efforts of his troops. Neither was he expecting a relatively easy victory. Something told him that this skirmish would go right down to the wire. The otter smiled widely. For all the seriousness that was obviously involved with warfare, he was relishing this one more than most other creatures present. He knew that he could only do his best to help, and so decided that he would give his all.
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