Let's not go with Curo's plan

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Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Sir Baris » Sat May 17, 2014 7:29 pm

There is another way.

Curo wants to depose Brandis. Brandis is our friend, trusts us, owes us. Also, Baris likes him.

What if the armies of Tharda supported Brandis after or before he was deposed. They just want to reinstate the rightful king. It's all legit.

Then Brandis is in our pocket. We should arrange this so Brandis's and the Curo alliance's armies are weakened, prob by battle w/each other. Then we swoop in.

Now, obviously this idea needs massaging and development. But what do you think?
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Sir Aeomund » Thu Jun 05, 2014 12:50 pm

The Brandis plan does have some merit if the plan is to usurp a weak ruler. The Firith's would not be weak rulers.

Other things to consider.
I think its wise to prepare for war in multiple facets.

1.) I think there needs to be a Death Plan.
As soon as the king dies pre arranged plans should be executed. Turnau needs to be locked down. Heru needs to be activated. Etc. I think we should decide what those things are that need to occur and develop a plan.

2. Preparation:
We might want to consider some other preparations as well. War can not be conducted without resources and legitimacy.
I think we should stock pile some lumber in order to erect and establish strong points in critical positions. Buy up the available horse flesh. Prepare a legal platform in which ousting Brandis is legal and legitimate, and for good measure start spreading rumors about the people we need to destroy.

Bottom line we need to be ready to move when the King dies, and we should know about it immediately.
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Sir Baris » Fri Jun 06, 2014 11:55 am

I second the idea of stockpiling supplies and coming up with a pre-set plan.

Regarding knowing about the King's death immediately:

I imagine Clairvoying the King is right out, as he's probably one of the nobles with a protection charm. But Ewen has been to the castle enough times that he must have met a fair number of functionaries and servants, and he should be able to clairvoy a fair number of them. Perhaps he (and Rahel) should as a standard practice clairvoy these people once a day so that we can have as much warning as possible that the king has died, or is about to die.
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Lord Ewen » Wed Jun 11, 2014 11:05 am

Even can certainly experiment with clairvoying various folks he knows in the castle, although experience suggests that it is not always easy to discern things like news just by getting a glimpse of the person for a few minutes, and he only gets audio with a critical success. A more mundane approach might be necessary. Have we exhausted Sotor's connections with the various physicians?

I am intrigued with the general idea of cornering the market on some resource that will prove critical in the event of civil war, aside from the mercenaries we have already retained. But timber is fairly ubiquitous, and are we talking about building palisades around manors without royal leave? Constructing abatis behind river fords or bridges, like at Ternua? And horses are an expensive commodity to stockpile, and are bred elsewhere in the kingdom...

As for factions and Prince Brandis, I would suggest that while Brandis might be a weaker candidate for the throne than Firith, his supporting faction may prove the stronger. If, for instance, Balim and Vemion rally to his side and Harabor tries to play both sides (just inventing a possibility here), then Firith will be the underdog. I agree that we should aim for a war where both sides wear the other down, but that will require the underdog to be bolstered, and we just don't know enough to anticipate which side will need the help. Or do we?

Meanwhile, here at Varayne, I think we all agree that we need to regain the initiative from Meden Curo. Any ideas?
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Matt » Thu Jun 12, 2014 1:41 pm

Sir Ewen wrote:horses are an expensive commodity to stockpile, and are bred elsewhere in the kingdom...

Horses can, of course, be bred almost anywhere, but the principal area of Kaldor where horses are bred is the southwest. Jedes (a Balim keep) is the focal point with a well-known horse fair. The majority of the warhorses in the kingdom come from this area.
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Sir Aeomund » Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:12 pm

Materials for war can be developed from the resources at hand yes, but this takes time. Lumber needs to be seasoned cut dried, etc. particularly large frame stuff takes time and can't be green when its used. Horses are expensive, horses are more expensive during a war.

The idea would be along the idea of the silver caravan. We know there is a war coming, lets speculate on the commodities and sell them to our allies.

I'm saying we should look and see at what is relatively common and unimportant now, but will be hugely important later.

As for wood, the examples of the English baronial wars shows us that hasty improved fortifications can hold out and buy a significant amount of time. Also, strengthening and fortifying existing positions, or for siege warfare. No one is going to be suspicious if we buy up wood supplies. Its like buying up all the sulphur before people realize they need it for all the gunpowder we are going to need.

As for plans....William Marshall shows us the advantage of prelaid plans to be executed by a trigger. All kings die.
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Lord Ewen » Thu Jul 10, 2014 3:04 pm

Buying sufficient lumber to improve existing fortifications at a few locations should be well within our means. Cornering the market on lumber, on the other hand, is likely beyond our ability even with Sir Ewen plundering Thilisa's life savings. Part of the problem is the ubiquity and dispersal of the resource. The timberwright's guild has rights to cut and harvest timber, but so does every significant landholder in the kingdom on their own property. Now perhaps only the timberwrights actually season and stockpile the stuff, I don't know, and that would limit the resource considerably. Nobles have to obtain royal clearance, I believe, to make improvements to their fortifications, so that would disincline them toward stockpiling. But even so, for us to make a dent in the general availability, we would have to buy up a tremendous amount of wood, no?

I believe the anachronistic way of doing this would be to leverage the purchase of the targeted commododies by obtaining loans, buy up the resource and then sell high when the war kicks in and prices soar, paying back the loan with the proceeds. But that's more a Rennaisance era innovation, I think, and therefore probably not within our intellectual arsenal. So we are stuck with cash on hand, right?

Note that we have already flirted with one important cornering of a market, by retaining the Blue Boars both for our own use and to prevent others from accessing them. Should we consider expanding this venture?

I do like the idea of identifying and buying up critical resources. Aside from lumber, any other potential targets?
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Sir Aeomund » Fri Jul 11, 2014 5:00 pm

Braintstorming:
Oil, coal, carts, horses.

Have agents prepared to destroy the grain supplies of our enemies.

Poison wells, burn bridges. We could also do that to our own stuff and blame vemion.

Get a chain made to block the Kald.

Recruit the Paegelin to invade.
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Matt » Wed Aug 20, 2014 12:57 pm

Sir Ewen wrote:I believe the anachronistic way of doing this would be to leverage the purchase of the targeted commododies by obtaining loans, buy up the resource and then sell high when the war kicks in and prices soar, paying back the loan with the proceeds. But that's more a Rennaisance era innovation, I think, and therefore probably not within our intellectual arsenal. So we are stuck with cash on hand, right?

Yes and no. There is a limited money-lending business in place through the Mercantyler's Guild. Certainly nothing so sophisticated a concept as 'banking' but borrowing for short-term needs is well established. (Consider Erone's roof debt.)

Now, that having been said, ironically you would be borrowing much of your own funds from a guy like Pesera, and other mercantylers might be loathe to lend to people they don't know that well and/or don't have an existing business relationship with. And then there is the matter of collateral: manors, houses, jewels, plate, etc. You could probably raise as much as £500 by putting up everything. Interest is simple: 10% is common over a specified term or annually.
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Sir Baris » Thu Aug 21, 2014 10:00 am

Matt-

That's creepy. I was in the process of navigating to the forum to see if anything new had posted, or to jumpstart the conversation. I had the forum open, when my phone beeped to let me know I had a new email telling me you had posted. :)

Speaking of raising money, what about the mine? I know it technically belongs to the king, but is there any kind of subterfuge we can run to extract some of that wealth? I'm thinking of hiring miners with no tongues to work in the dead of night...

Or is the mine played out?
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Sir Baris » Thu Aug 21, 2014 10:08 am

Also- I picked up HarnWorld and HarnPlayer at Gen Con! Now I have my own Harn map and binders! I mentioned you, we talked about the upcoming tournament a bit. I didn't get anything signed or whatnot because I just wasn't thinking, but it was so cool to see all the Harn stuff. I almost picked up the two dwarf books, but I said, "let me read what I have first."

Dorsey and I played a Harn game Thursday night- we were vikings who were swept ashore in enemy territory after their boat sank! It was a lot of fun. I beat up an old woman with leprosy, fell into a cavern full of gold, fought some zombies, almost got eaten by a goose (not all in that order). I had the combat tables in front of me and had fun realizing all the looking up you do behind the screen. I even have a picture of a limerick a fellow player wrote inspired by the events in the game.
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Lord Ewen » Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:25 pm

Sir Baris wrote: I beat up an old woman with leprosy...


Comforting to know there are levels of depravity beyond those achieved to date in the Melderyn Campaign. :shock:
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Sir Baris » Fri Aug 22, 2014 6:48 am

In fairness, she was stabbing a barely conscious man because he was struggling as she tried to steal the pants off his legs (we had washed up on the beach). Also, I didn't know she had leprosy until I was grappling her, (trying to get the knife away) and I quickly let her go and ran into the ocean.

Although, now that I recall, the GM said we had no idea who the stabbed guy was; he wasn't on our ship. We never followed up on that mystery, as we were more focused on survival.
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Re: Let's not go with Curo's plan

Postby Matt » Mon Aug 25, 2014 1:02 pm

I knew about that adventure! Cool that you played in it.

I echo Van's droll comment. :roll:

As to the mine, well you never got that far ...
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