Eternal
While you don’t agree with the idea that Roldan won’t be able to get the job done, you’d rather have him replaced than get an influx of svelk troops. You’d try to suggest yourself again, but you know the Emperor has made his mind up on the matter.
“If you believe General Roldan cannot get the job done, then I suppose it might be better if he’s replaced.” You remark which gets Jacob’s disapproval.
“But he can do it! Replacing Roldan at this point would be folly!”
“Enough Jacob! The decision has been made! General Roldan will be replaced and demoted!” the Emperor remarks.
“Demoted?”
“Yes demoted! Be happy he isn’t being executed for incompetence on the battlefield!”
“But I thought he was just going to be replaced! My Emperor I beg you not to do this! Roldan has worked so hard for his position!”
“Jacob, is there some sort of reason why you keep arguing this point with me? Delusions? Stupidity? A death wish perhaps?” the Emperor asks and Jacob shuts up immediately.
Mistress stretches and yawns before commenting on the situation.
“If you all are done in this pointless exercise male ineptitude, is there anything else I need to waste my time with here?”
“Yes, we’re done. Get the hell out of my chambers and take Jacob with you. And while I wish I could chat with you my son, I still have to speak with Marik. I sometimes wonder if he just uses his madness as an excuse to be absent minded and claim he didn’t know there was a meeting. I just hope he’s actually made progress on his project he convinced me to proceed with.” The Emperor remarks and the rest of you leave his chambers.
You expect Mistress to make some sort of remark as you’re all walking out of the palace, but she ends up quickly walking ahead of you instead. Jacob doesn’t speak with you either, he glances at you a couple times, but he’s obviously a little upset that you supported the Emperor’s decision to have Roldan replaced.
Really though, you can’t worry about it. As far as you’re concerned hanging on to your sanity is a lot more vital. You can only imagine how the svelk would’ve grated on your nerves if they had been transferred, especially since you’re not actively advancing any more, but rather just defending against gnoll attack. Idle svelk mercs in between the down time isn’t something you want to deal with.
Alison is certainly happy to hear about the close call of playing host to a bunch of svelk.
“Well I’m certainly glad you supported the Emperor’s first decision, I don’t think morale would’ve been great around here with dark elves in the camp.” She says.
“No, but I can’t say they’re that great now.” You reply.
“What do you mean? There hasn’t been any major complaining that I know of, and I tend to keep apprised of the situation with my troops.”
“Well, maybe it’s just me then. I’d like to be actively DOING something other than sitting around waiting to be attacked.”
“Welcome to the army. You do know that boring waiting around in between battles is what we do right?”
“I’m well aware that’s part of it, but its not like we need to sit here. We could at least be attacking the gnolls so as to make them no longer a threat. I mean we should be doing that anyway. After all, we’re going to have to deal with them eventually, better to do it now when we have the strength rather than later. I’ve heard other soldiers commenting about feeling something similar. And I would think that you probably would like to take the fight to the gnolls as well.”
Alison nods.
“Well, I can’t argue with you on that point. The troops are a little restless in that respect I suppose. I admit it would be good to get some of this pent up violence out of everyone’s system, but as you’ve said, the Emperor’s orders are to stay here.”
“I don’t know, but I’m starting to think that maybe we should just NOT stay here.”
“Seriously? You’d go against a direct order from the Emperor?”
At this point you don’t know. You want to be loyal and follow orders, but your desire for battle is still there. Not to mention you know you could win if it came down to it. Surely the Emperor would approve if you were victorious.
You decide you’re going to do it, you’re going to make a full attack on the gnolls.
“It’s about time we took the fight to those mongrel dogs.” Alison says with a little enthusiasm, but then her cautious side comes out. “But what about the Emperor?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I will take full responsibility if he gets angry about it. I’ll just say I took command of your battalion.”
“Hah, I always knew you were going to do that some day, anyway.”
“Sorry, but I can’t think of any other way.”
“Don’t apologize to me, I won’t have to face the Emperor’s wrath, well I hope I won’t at least.”
“Like I said, don’t worry about that. And don’t worry about me either. I don’t want to sound prideful, but I’m fairly confident the Emperor won’t even get too angry with me, especially since I intend on wiping out the immediate gnoll threat.”
A month goes by and you’re initially successful on your promise. The gnolls are no match for you in straight up combat. You even manage to save a few of the occupied Felkan communities from complete destruction and are welcomed as liberators.
Just when you think you can drive the gnolls out entirely you’re dealt two big blows.
One, the siege of Yaquan has not gone well since Roldan was replaced. It seems that General Ackerson has not only managed to fail in taking the city, but he’s also managed to lose so many soldiers that there has been a call for your battalion to support his losses.
This couldn’t have come at a worse time mainly because now the gnolls who you thought you had on the run were craftier than it seemed.
The gnolls have been breeding and training a large group of wyverns within a small mountain in the area. They’ve also been bringing reinforcements from beyond the Felkan borders. You’re taken off guard enough that you actually have to fall back before you’re completely overrun.
If you leave to go to help General Ackerson, the gnolls are going to not only take back everything you gained, but will take your territory as well. However, if you stay to fight back the gnolls, you’d really be defying orders, not to mention possibly costing the Empire a needed victory against the Felkans.
There isn’t much for it, you’ll have to split the battalion with Alison and decide which front you want to fight on.
“If you believe General Roldan cannot get the job done, then I suppose it might be better if he’s replaced.” You remark which gets Jacob’s disapproval.
“But he can do it! Replacing Roldan at this point would be folly!”
“Enough Jacob! The decision has been made! General Roldan will be replaced and demoted!” the Emperor remarks.
“Demoted?”
“Yes demoted! Be happy he isn’t being executed for incompetence on the battlefield!”
“But I thought he was just going to be replaced! My Emperor I beg you not to do this! Roldan has worked so hard for his position!”
“Jacob, is there some sort of reason why you keep arguing this point with me? Delusions? Stupidity? A death wish perhaps?” the Emperor asks and Jacob shuts up immediately.
Mistress stretches and yawns before commenting on the situation.
“If you all are done in this pointless exercise male ineptitude, is there anything else I need to waste my time with here?”
“Yes, we’re done. Get the hell out of my chambers and take Jacob with you. And while I wish I could chat with you my son, I still have to speak with Marik. I sometimes wonder if he just uses his madness as an excuse to be absent minded and claim he didn’t know there was a meeting. I just hope he’s actually made progress on his project he convinced me to proceed with.” The Emperor remarks and the rest of you leave his chambers.
You expect Mistress to make some sort of remark as you’re all walking out of the palace, but she ends up quickly walking ahead of you instead. Jacob doesn’t speak with you either, he glances at you a couple times, but he’s obviously a little upset that you supported the Emperor’s decision to have Roldan replaced.
Really though, you can’t worry about it. As far as you’re concerned hanging on to your sanity is a lot more vital. You can only imagine how the svelk would’ve grated on your nerves if they had been transferred, especially since you’re not actively advancing any more, but rather just defending against gnoll attack. Idle svelk mercs in between the down time isn’t something you want to deal with.
Alison is certainly happy to hear about the close call of playing host to a bunch of svelk.
“Well I’m certainly glad you supported the Emperor’s first decision, I don’t think morale would’ve been great around here with dark elves in the camp.” She says.
“No, but I can’t say they’re that great now.” You reply.
“What do you mean? There hasn’t been any major complaining that I know of, and I tend to keep apprised of the situation with my troops.”
“Well, maybe it’s just me then. I’d like to be actively DOING something other than sitting around waiting to be attacked.”
“Welcome to the army. You do know that boring waiting around in between battles is what we do right?”
“I’m well aware that’s part of it, but its not like we need to sit here. We could at least be attacking the gnolls so as to make them no longer a threat. I mean we should be doing that anyway. After all, we’re going to have to deal with them eventually, better to do it now when we have the strength rather than later. I’ve heard other soldiers commenting about feeling something similar. And I would think that you probably would like to take the fight to the gnolls as well.”
Alison nods.
“Well, I can’t argue with you on that point. The troops are a little restless in that respect I suppose. I admit it would be good to get some of this pent up violence out of everyone’s system, but as you’ve said, the Emperor’s orders are to stay here.”
“I don’t know, but I’m starting to think that maybe we should just NOT stay here.”
“Seriously? You’d go against a direct order from the Emperor?”
At this point you don’t know. You want to be loyal and follow orders, but your desire for battle is still there. Not to mention you know you could win if it came down to it. Surely the Emperor would approve if you were victorious.
You decide you’re going to do it, you’re going to make a full attack on the gnolls.
“It’s about time we took the fight to those mongrel dogs.” Alison says with a little enthusiasm, but then her cautious side comes out. “But what about the Emperor?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I will take full responsibility if he gets angry about it. I’ll just say I took command of your battalion.”
“Hah, I always knew you were going to do that some day, anyway.”
“Sorry, but I can’t think of any other way.”
“Don’t apologize to me, I won’t have to face the Emperor’s wrath, well I hope I won’t at least.”
“Like I said, don’t worry about that. And don’t worry about me either. I don’t want to sound prideful, but I’m fairly confident the Emperor won’t even get too angry with me, especially since I intend on wiping out the immediate gnoll threat.”
A month goes by and you’re initially successful on your promise. The gnolls are no match for you in straight up combat. You even manage to save a few of the occupied Felkan communities from complete destruction and are welcomed as liberators.
Just when you think you can drive the gnolls out entirely you’re dealt two big blows.
One, the siege of Yaquan has not gone well since Roldan was replaced. It seems that General Ackerson has not only managed to fail in taking the city, but he’s also managed to lose so many soldiers that there has been a call for your battalion to support his losses.
This couldn’t have come at a worse time mainly because now the gnolls who you thought you had on the run were craftier than it seemed.
The gnolls have been breeding and training a large group of wyverns within a small mountain in the area. They’ve also been bringing reinforcements from beyond the Felkan borders. You’re taken off guard enough that you actually have to fall back before you’re completely overrun.
If you leave to go to help General Ackerson, the gnolls are going to not only take back everything you gained, but will take your territory as well. However, if you stay to fight back the gnolls, you’d really be defying orders, not to mention possibly costing the Empire a needed victory against the Felkans.
There isn’t much for it, you’ll have to split the battalion with Alison and decide which front you want to fight on.