Cry, Havoc
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 66809
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Fredrigo D'Honaire looked out at the grim faces of the army, his
army, and smiled. Three months ago, when he had first begun this
rebellion, they had been naught but poor, uneducated countryfolk;
farmers, tradesmen, even beggars and thieves. There had not been a
professional solider amongst them. His alliance with Duke Mollari had
changed that somewhat, along with defections of Allarian regulars. But
turning those to his cause would not have been possible without some
early victories. For those, he had only his talent and the dedication of
the few who were brave enough and foolish enough to follow.
Fred couldn't remember what had set him on this path, nor even how he came to be in Obsallom from the Dragon's cave. All he knew was the Emry Exultaine had to die - but whenever he tried to come up with the reason, his brain would seemingly shut down, as if someone had placed a powerful mental block in his head. All his attempts to overcome it were met with thoughts of torture and pain. Fred had immediately ruled out assasination. There was no honor in it, and in any case he was never one for intrigue. But in the eastern duchys, at least, he hadn't had trouble inciting the people to revolt. They were already groaning under massive conscription quotas the highest tax burden in Allaria, as they were forced to staff and support the large garrisons on the eastern borders. In addition, a poor harvest had left many with not enough to eat. There had been a food riot in progress when he first arrived. Fred had jumped right into the fray and led the storming of the Allarian army grain storehouse. That fight had been the first in what eventually became a civil war. Fred spurred his horse to the front of the army, riding up the line as he spoke. "Men! Before us stands the last concentration of loyalist forces in the province. A victory today, and nothing will stand between us and Camelyn itself! We have all the advantages! We outnumber them! We hold the high ground! Their army is as fragile as a house of cards! Hit them, and they will collapse! Now, Onward to victory!" A rousing cheer rose up from the army, clanging their swords and shouting. It wasn't far from the truth, what he had said. His army did hold a small but noticeable numerical advantage. The force opposing them had been cobbled together from a variety of broken brigades, as a last gasp to slow their advance. When the rebellion had began, the Allarian army had foolishly thought sending lone companies or battalions were enough to quell them. When the first three had been swallowed up, they didn't know how to respond. They could have crushed the rebellion in its infancy if they had brought sufficient power to bear, but they had not. This only reinforced Fred's low opinion of Emry as a fool who couldn't understand the danger his reign was in. Of coure, rumors abound that Emry had abdicated some two months ago, perhaps pushed by his advisors. His daughter now wore the crown, they said, after a hastily arranged 'coronation', Fred didn't put much stock in rumors. While it was true that the Allarian army's performance had improved, it was scarcely possible for it not to have improved after the disastrous first month. Whatever the case, if Emry and his handlers thought they could escape judgement by installing Exotica as a puppet queen, they were sadly mistaken. Fred galloped his horse up the battle line to the right flank, to join the Mollari heavy cavalry. Fred acknowledged Duke Zular with a curt nod, where he stood astride his horse towards the rear of the formation. Of course, he wouldn't take part in the battle himself. Fred didn't care for his alliance of conveinence with the young noble, but it served its purpose. As the power of the crown waned in Trescent and the other eastern duchys, Zular had brought legitamacy to the rebels by being the first noble to actively sponser them. Also, he was a skilled political player and had convinced several of his fellows to break with Camelyn as well. On paper, fully two thirds of the provinces had agreed to support Zular and Fred. In reality, most of the north of the country was in flux - the leaders, such as Lord Sarlo and Lord Croix, had agreed to Zular's terms, seeing which way the wind was blowing. But the royals still had support amongst the populace in those lands. Still, low level conflict in those regions meant that Emry and his allies couldn't draw support from them. Fred drew his sword and gave the signal. The infantry began to advance, archers prepared their volleys, and he himself, at the head of the cavalry, began the charge
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Xavier
4/22/2007 10:59:29 AM
Extending Enabled
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