S04E08

## The Front

### Summary:

House Gaz travel to the Disputed Lands to observe a military trial and respond to a sneak attack.

## The State of the War

It had been two weeks since House Gaz's run-in with the Cult of the Hooded Wayfarer, two weeks travelling to the Disputed Lands to join Lord Hamza in the war effort.

For Arrokko, it had been a three week journey on the poison waters of the Summer Sea, returning from personal business in the great city of Qarth.

The mercenary armies of Volantis, Lys and Tyrosh had been maneuvering for a month, never fighting, just trying to gain an advantage. The Volantene army was well-equipped and in good order. Morale was high.

## Murder in the Camp

Upon arriving, the courtiers of House Gaz were invited into the officer's pavilion for a luxurious breakfast. Soon into their meal, they were approached by Baxos Zannar, now serving as the Grand Marshal of the army of Volantis.

"Good morning," he said politely, "I have a mission for you. Last night, one of my best sergeants, a man named Donos, was murdered. And to complicate matters, two of my suspects belong to the Elephant Party. As my most gifted Elephant lord, I need your people to act as defence attorneys for the accused."

"There are three suspects, and I intend to prosecute all three. I want for only one of them to be found guilty. Two or three convictions will make us look like fools, and no conviction will make us look weak."

## Investigation

The three suspects were:

- Lord Tregen, a high-ranking Elephant Party member and a celebrated warrior.

- Elector Nakio, a merchant and voting Elephant Party member, but with no land holdings to raise him to nobility.

- Joqora, a soldier in the Sergeant Donos's company with no political association. She had been born a slave, but had bought her freedom working as a mercenary.

The group immediately went to investigate the murder scene. They discovered that he had been stabbed to death by a competent warrior with a strong, right-handed attack. Good sergeants were essential to battlefield command, and Donos had been a good one. An Elephant looking to lose the war would do well to assassinate this man. They also discovered the murder weapon, a knife thrown into the bushes - a knife owned by Elector Nakio.

Interviewing Joqora, they discovered that she was left-handed and unlikely to have committed the murder. And even if she had, there was testimony that Sgt. Donos had abused her, and she would be justified in challenging him to a duel.

They next spoke to Lord Tregen. Tregen was right-handed and a competent warrior, he could have easily surprised Sgt. Donos and murdered him. But he had an alibi, he was drinking all night with his friend Captain Naxos, and had the wine-stained lips to prove it. He also let it be known that Elector Nakio had been previously convicted of murder.

They went to Elector Nakio, and immediately observed that he was right-handed but had absolutely no skill in combat. It was very unlikely that this man could overcome a professional soldier like Sgt. Donos. Elector Nakio explained that he had lent his knife to Lord Tregen the night before. And as for his murder charge, it was for accidentally leaving a group of slaves in a hot shack, not intentionally murdering anyone.

## The Trial

When the trial came that day at noon, the group found it difficult to come up with a defence strategy.

Surely, Baxos Zannar wanted them to intentionally see to that one of the suspects be found guilty, but they didn't want to misuse their evidence to frame anyone. In the end, they chose to defend all three of the suspects, as honour dictated.

Lord Tregen, Elector Naxios and Joqora were declared innocent. Baxos Zannar was insulted and felt betrayed.

## Surprise Attack

Soon after, the regular doings of the camp were interrupted by the sounds of war horns. The Lyseni and Tyroshi had mounted a surprise attack! A wave of cavalry archers rained arrows into the camp.

"How did they know our position!?" Baxos screamed.

The Marshal General grabbed Lord Hamza by the shoulder and bid him, "For a sneak attack like this, there must be a command carriage. It will have maps, war plans, communications, codes - everything we need to win this war. If you head West fast enough, you may be able to find it."

## A Command Carriage

Lord Hamza and his courtiers rode West immediately, shifting and dodging through the battle to find the command carriage. After an hour of riding, they spotted it, a single carriage travelling slowly and defended by six heavily armed guards.

The group charged downhill to meet the carriage and its guards. Alon and Fiyona used their whiles to confuse and trip-up their opponents as Rook threw his knives, Hamza swung his ball & chain and Arrokko made use of his arakh. The first few soldiers were dispatched easily, including the carriage's driver. Now that they had the carriage stopped, it was only a matter of time before they could overcome their enemies.

An elite warrior emerged from inside the carriage, wearing expensive armour and carrying an enormous sword. The fearsome man took a great swing at Arrokko's horse Hanna, killing the prized animal with a single slash across her neck. Arrokko was knocked to the ground and splashed with blood. The group turned their attention to the warrior, attacking him on all sides. But it was Arrokko, seeking revenge for his prized horse, who slew the man with a vicious swing of his Dothraki blade.

A small wing of Tyroshi cavalry noticed their attack on the carriage and road down the same hill to counterattack. Their deadly lances came down in a line, but didn't strike. The cavalry were then killed in short order.

## Victory

The group discovered that the command carriage was filled with all of the valuable intelligence Baxos had promised. They had the other side's entire strategy in their hands. They even discovered proof that Elector Nakio was a double agent. But as Elephants, it was there duty to see to it that Volantis lost the war, shaming the Tigers and weakening their power in the city. So, they gathered a few documents to please Baxos and burned the rest.

They travelled back to the Volantene camp to discover that the sneak attack had failed. The army of Volantis, Tigers and Elephants united, had ordered themselves quickly enough to mount a defence. The Lyseni and Tyroshi had been driven back, taking heavy losses.

Baxos Zannar approached Lord Hamza with a great smile. He was covered in the blood of his enemies, proclaiming, "We will win this war yet!"

## Experience

Each character gained 3XP.

The group gained 3 Glory, spending that and last sessions 4 Glory to purchase 2 Influence, 1 Land, 1 Law, and 3 Wealth.

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