>>867526
>>[Military/1d8] Send someone to harass the enemy as well.

>>867526
He is aggravated enough where a mongol strat of pulling him into a an encirclement would probably do wonders

>>867526
>[Military/1d8] Send someone to harass the enemy as well.
So we can either further enrage him with harassment, or bait him into "things are looking up" mentality straight into a trap.

>>867526
>>[Military/1d10] Restrict yourself to a simple scouting force.

>>867526
>[Military/1d8] Send someone to harass the enemy as well.

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>>867526
You call up a team of scouts along with a few archers. Muskets are a little too loud for this job, but bows should be fine.

"Your task is simple," you say. "Find the enemy and track their movements. Send two people back to report to camp every hour. The rest of you will harass the enemy to stall their movements. If it gets too dangerous, abandon the mission and return immediately."

"Yes, your highness!"

>Roll 1d8, best of three.

Rolled 4 (1d8)

>>867597

Rolled 8 (1d8)

>>867597

Rolled 2 (1d8)

>>867597

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>>867597
"Now what?" Connor asks.

"Now," you say, "we wait."

And wait you do. The sun goes up, hits its apex, and then goes down, the same way it always does. At least you have plenty to do to keep you busy. The pikemen need to be perfectly organized, you need to get a measure of how far the archers can reach at which angles to command them properly and, of course, you need to review your periodic updates on Duke Ferrid's army.

According to your scouts, Duke Ferrid hasn't slowed down their march since they crossed the border. Their lines are stretched thin and they are apparently very tired. The arrows flying over - and into - their heads are not helping matters. You place pins on a map to track their movements; they're slowing down.

"They'll have to make camp soon," you say. "They'll reach this place until late tomorrow, so the battle won't start for another two days at the earliest."

"We can launch an attack during the night to weaken their morale," Connor says, "but it'll make our own men tired as well. It might be best to just use the extra time to set traps."

Traps don't guarantee the same level of damage as soldiers do though, but if you go through with a nocturnal attack, you won't be able to do much tomorrow. The general must rest as well."

>"I'll launch an attack at night."
>"We'll put some traps in the field tomorrow."

>>867697
>>"We'll put some traps in the field tomorrow."
traps always help

>>867697
>"We'll put some traps in the field tomorrow."
>Have any spies we have introduce hallucinogenic poison into the water supply/food of the enemy officers

>>867697
>"We'll put some traps in the field tomorrow."
Make some notes, we need Ninjas. (historical/classic ones, not anime/manga ones) They would be perfect right about now.

>>867697
>"We'll put some traps in the field tomorrow."
Keep things impersonal. Heck, make it look like we're trying our hardest to just get them to go away instead of fully defeating them.

>>867697
>"We'll put some traps in the field tomorrow."

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>>867697
"We'll put some traps in the field tomorrow," you say. "What about you? Are you coming back to the supply camp?"

"I think I'll stay here," Connor says. "I'm assuming you didn't bring me here for my pretty face, so one of us should stay here and be ready to assume commend if something goes wrong."

"My face is prettier," you say, "but you bring up a good point. What are you comfortable doing around here?"

"You mean as an officer?" Connor shrugs. "It's not like I personally care about Ferrid one way or the other, but the princess ordered me to assist you and act in her father's name to give your side legitimacy so Olstren's dukes are at least a little reluctant to come out in full force. I'm perfectly willing to do that, so I suppose it depends on how much you want me to do."

Keeping Connor as an officer will make it look like he's your subordinate, which is technically inaccurate as Reagan's position as heir to Olstren is higher than yours, but it will make things easier for you. Putting him in charge, even nominally, would make it clear that this battle is part of Olstren's internal affairs and that you're only supporting him in your capacity as Reagan's husband, but your own reputation would take a hit. Finally, you could just tell Connor to stay out of the way. There might be some grumbling about the legitimacy of your cause in Olstren, but you're not in Olstren and winning here on your own will strengthen your position later on.

>Keep Connor as an advisor. Reagan won't mind.
>Use Connor as a figurehead. He's not as pretty as you or Reagan, but he'll do.
>Tell Connor to stay out of the way for now. You'll call him later if it's necessary.

>>867829
>>Keep Connor as an advisor. Reagan won't mind.

>>867829
>>Keep Connor as an advisor. Reagan won't mind.

>>867829
>Keep Connor as an advisor. Reagan won't mind.

>>867829
>Keep Connor as an advisor. Reagan won't mind.

>>867829
>Keep Connor as an advisor. Reagan won't mind.
And we can keep a short leash on him too. we don't want him to take our title of knocking up as many women in short time.

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>>867829
"That's fine," you say. "Thanks for staying around. Sorry about the lack of camp followers though."

"So am I," Connor says, "but at least I don't have to lie about not paying for it."

You leave him with that thought and return to your temporary home in the supply camp. Since you need to carry books, maps, notes and other items with you, you had a proper shack built rather than a tent. It's not much, but it gets the job done and it comes with a woman sleeping on your bed.

Eleri is curled up under the sheets, still in her day clothes. You work on some of your daily paperwork under a lightstone before tossing your clothes away and joining her.

>Let Eleri sleep.
>Wake her up.

>>867938
>>>Wake her up.

>>867938
>>Let Eleri sleep.

>>867938
>Let Eleri sleep.

>>867938
>Let Eleri sleep.

>>867938
>Wake her up.

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>>867938
You decide to let Eleri sleep. You can catch up later when you have something to celebrate.

Or when you wake up in the morning with Eleri sitting on top of you. Whatever suits her mood.

"How are these on the battle front?"

"Quiet for now," you answer. "We're expecting guests late in the day, so we'll need to prepare a welcoming celebration."

"I'm sure they'll enjoy."

"They won't," you say. "That's the point."

You finish and clean up so you can get dressed. Eleri puts something decent on in case someone drops by and gets to working on her own writing. You kiss her on the cheek and return to the defenses.

It's much as you left it yesterday. The soldiers on duty are alert, the ones off-duty are resting and Connor is up and looking around.

You've decided to make some traps, but you still need to decide where you're going to put them. You know which road the enemy will be using, but putting traps there won't be too effective, as they'll be on the lookout for more once they hit the first few. The enemy camp is a more effective choice, but you'd need to guess where they're going to make camp and there's still a chance that they'll take the time to look for and disarm the traps. You could also put traps on the battlefield, but you'd need to hide them so that the enemy isn't scared away, which might prove tricky.

>[Military/1d12] Trap the road.
>[Military/1d10] Trap the enemy camp.
>[Military/1d8] Trap the battlefield.

>>868041
>[Military/1d10] Trap the enemy camp.
Give them no rest. Continue the harassment.

>>868041
>>[Military/1d10] Trap the enemy camp.
We're not letting these guys sleep.

>>868041
>>[Military/1d10] Trap the enemy camp.
Campfire mimic.

>>868041
>>[Military/1d10] Trap the enemy camp.

>>868041
>[Military/1d10] Trap the enemy camp.

>>868041
>>[Military/1d8] Trap the battlefield.

>>868041
>[Military/1d12] Trap the road

>>868041
>[Military/1d8] Trap the battlefield.
I would say trap EVERYTHING if we could.

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>>868041
It's still early, so Duke Ferrid's forces are still moving. They won't rest for another few hours. It might be a little tight, but you should have enough time for some decent traps. You wrangle some scouts, a few engineers and some soldiers and go looking for whichever spot the enemy is likely to use as a camp.

>Roll 1d10, best of three.

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>868116

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>868116

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>868116

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>868116

>>868117
>>868119
>>868121
we wore so close in having it in order

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>>868116
You find a clearing that you would use if you were in Duke Ferrid's choose. It's not quite large enough for an army the size of the one that's coming for you, but it won't be a big deal if a few people are willing to put up their tents in the forest, and there's a lake nearby to provide drinking water.

The scouts disperse to look around. You wait behind with the guard in case the enemy's scouts arrive, but you're not interrupted.

The reports are promising. There are a few wolf dens nearby, and you could hunt some game and use it to lure wolves to the camp during the night. A surprise wolf attack will ruin most people's sleep. Alternatively, you can kill as much game as possible to deny the enemy food and then drop the bodies in the lake to poison the water. It might not take immediately, but it'll make them sick eventually.

The engineers also suggest that some trees could be cut in such a way that they wouldn't fall for several hours, when Duke Ferrid's soldiers would be resting. More than a few of them would probably be crushed, and the chaos would ruin their schedule.

>[Intrigue/1d12] Place some bait to attract the wolves.
>[Intrigue/1d10] Poison the lake with corpses.
>[Intrigue/1d8] Cut the trees to make them fall later.

>>868177
>>[Intrigue/1d12] Place some bait to attract the wolves.

>>868177
>>[Intrigue/1d10] Poison the lake with corpses.

>>868177
>[Intrigue/1d12] Place some bait to attract the wolves.
We shouldn't really be poisoning water sources in our own domain unless we are commited in using scorched earth tactics.

>>868177
>[Intrigue/1d12] Place some bait to attract the wolves.
Poisoning the lake works against everyone who uses it, not just the Ferrids' people.

>>868177
>[Intrigue/1d12] Place some bait to attract the wolves.

>>868177
>[Intrigue/1d8] Cut the trees to make them fall later.

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>>868177
Someone you don't want to kill might drink from that lake one day, or maybe you'll build a village around here or something. In any case, poisoning the water supply isn't something that's done easily, no matter how convenient it might be in the heat of the moment.

"Bring me some bait," you say. "We'll give the wolves something to do."

>Roll 1d12, best of three.

Rolled 9 (1d12)

>>868287

Rolled 6 (1d12)

>>868287

Rolled 8 (1d12)

>>868287

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>>868287
You snag a few hares and some deer. The trick is making sure the corpses are still fresh enough when you hang them up to make a trail; you wouldn't want crows or other carrion getting to them first.

Then the noises start. You quickly move away from the camp and hide in the forest. It's a little difficult with the size of your party, but no one notices you or your guards.

The soldiers come in, weary and almost limping on. Some of them don't even stop properly; they just drop to the ground. Those who are still conscious start working on setting up their camp. Some soldiers, however, form into small groups and head into the forest. These must be scouts. Not all of them are going in your direction, but some of them are.

>[Military/1d10] Ambush some of the scouts when you can.
>[Intrigue/1d12] Withdraw immediately.

Rolled 11 (1d12)

>>868287

>>868329
>[Military/1d10] Ambush some of the scouts when you can.

Add their bodies to the bait for the wolves.

>>868329
>>[Military/1d10] Ambush some of the scouts when you can.

>>868329
>Withdraw immediately.

No need to attract attention we're out here.

>>868329
>[Military/1d10] Ambush some of the scouts when you can.

>>868329
>>[Intrigue/1d12] Withdraw immediately.

>>868329
>>[Military/1d10] Ambush some of the scouts when you can.

>>868329
>>[Military/1d10] Ambush some of the scouts when you can.

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>>868329
You're not going to let these scouts skulk around, especially not when they're heading in your own camp's direction. If an opportunity presents itself, you'll have to kill them. Hopefully, everyone will just assume they were killed by wolves.

You motion for your escort to follow you and stalk after one of the scout groups.

>Roll 1d10, best of three.

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>868411

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>868411

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>868411

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>868411

>>868411
These people are the worst scouts ever, but that's great for you.

"Fuck the general. We need to scout at night and then we need to be up for a surprise attack at dawn? After the march we had?"

"I know. We're professional soldiers, too. Imagine what it must be like for all those conscripted farmers."

They don't look around, they don't hide, don't do anything scouts are supposed to do. All they do is complain about how stupid their commander is and spill their secrets for you to overhear them. It's absolutely amazing.

You surround them and they go down with barely any fight. It's unfortunate that you can't risk taken a few captive, but you're not sure they have any more secrets to tell anyway. Your escorts dispose of the corpses while you think about what you learned.

The enemy commander wants to launch a surprise attack at dawn. Those plans might not last too long - you can already hear the howling of the wolves getting closer and closer - but it's not like the man has that many options.

>Do nothing special.
>[Military/Autosuccess] Have your men rest so they can get up as soon as possible.
>[Military/1d10] Prepare an ambush in case there is an attack at dawn.

>You have an active crit on military.

>>868477
>>[Military/Autosuccess] Have your men rest so they can get up as soon as possible.

>>868477
>>[Military/Autosuccess] Have your men rest so they can get up as soon as possible.

>>868477
>>[Military/Autosuccess] Have your men rest so they can get up as soon as possible.

>>868477
>>[Military/Autosuccess] Have your men rest so they can get up as soon as possible.

>>868477
>[Military/Autosuccess] Have your men rest so they can get up as soon as possible.

>>868477
There's no point in being overly cautious with this. The enemy doesn't even have enough morale left to measure it, you know what their plans are, and the wolves are getting closer and closer, so clearly things won't be getting better for them any time soon.

So you just go back to your camp and order the men to rest so they're ready to battle at the crack at dawn. The attack might get called off - if the commander is smart, the army will just withdraw entirely, but that's not likely - but if it does happen, you want to be prepared for it. A quick and easy win will boost your men's morale and turn the war's momentum to your side.

"Feeling optimistic about our chances?" Connor asks.

"It's more like I'm pessimistic about their chances," you say. "They had a rough time of it even before I decided to get involved. It won't get much better for them."

There's nothing personal about it, but for the sake of your wife and child, you need to crush them.

Rolled 1, 8, 10, 9 = 28 (4d10)

>>868574
And that's as good a spot as any to call it a night.

Time for bonus XP.

Rolled 2 (1d12)

>>868582
And now Enchantment.

Rolled 6 (1d8)

>>868591
Dilettante.

>>868598
And here's the last one.

Beleaguered Prince Quest will return on Friday December 2nd at 7PM EST. I'll also be running Relic Quest this Sunday, also at 7PM.

Goodnight and thanks for playing.

>>868604
Thanks for running OP.

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>>868604
cheers, boss

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>868604
Damn it.

>>868604
Good night, QM.

>>868611
Night, thanks for running.