Update Archive/25/1

Marius lazily eyes the terrain. He did not expect to battle even the soil of this land when he moved here from Alterac as a young man, desiring to be a great warrior.
In Alterac, the standards of warfare are different. In the uneven terrain and great forests of that land, cavalry rushes are foolish at best. Heavy armour on infantrymen is likewise unpractical. In there, it is all about... bows. While the crossbow was invented in Venege, Hesperia, Alterac is the native land of the composite bow, the strongest version of the "classic bow" which exists in modern times.
Because hunting is a way of life rather than a sport up in the mountains, every noble learns to use a bow from childhood up. Likewise, there will always be abundant amounts of bowmen to bolster one's army with. What horses can be spared for warcraft are given to especially skilled archers, who can ride circles around a foe while pinning them full of projectiles. The mounted archers of Alterac are feared by all its neighbours.
Here in Hesperia most armed forces are militiamen, drafted or hired from the populations of its many city-states. Because they can not be given very extensive training, the crossbow fits their ranged troops all the better. With it, all one needs to do is to aim and fire. The reloading time is slower and the weapons are more expensive to make, but in most cases the range and power of the shots are better.
But enough of that. Marius turns back to his retinue. The woman in green robes meets his eyes. "Archmage Augusta," he addresses her, riding his horse a few steps closer. "Do you have any spell to protect us from possible attacks to the back were we to travel through the mountains? Possibly something to see them before they attack?"
She thinks about it a moment. "It depends on how great their numbers are. It is easy to detect a force of thousand from a mile away. Of course, we live in Hesperia; All armies have at least one mage in them, and if they are any talented, they might be able to hide from our detections."
Marius strokes his beard. It's probably not worth it. Even if he manages to make it past the highlands without sufficient losses, the army he would be trying to avoid could come and fight him there in any case.
He nods his head. "We are going by the coast. It's better if we face Saadhal's forces soon rather than later. With his major trump card stolen from his sleeve, Dosantos' power over the towns in this region will wane.
As the army begins to move north, Marius ponders the strategy for the battle, as far as it can be pondered without knowing the field of battle. The enemy will mostly be formed of inexperienced and ill-equipped brutes, people blinded by their faith. The general's militiamen can easily fight them face-to-face. Hesperia does not have a strong knightly tradition, but is does have the versatile and agile mounted militias. They can be used to flank the enemy and strike down their ranged support and wizards if the battlefield is favourable at all. Augusta will deal with the tactics of magic. That's her field.
[I'll do the rest later today]
Category:Updates
Category:By Kerrah