THROUGH STRIFE AND FAMINE AND WAR AND PEACE,

[agogemod]

WHO? Everybody!
WHAT? Fight in the historic Battle of Valmy.
WHEN? September 20th, 1792. Valmy.
ANYTHING ELSE? Violence, as always. Please warn in subject lines for anything beyond physical violence, and move to a personal journal if things go beyond PG-13.

it'll be fine;

between sainte-menehould and valmy,
1792: revolutionary france.

read the valmy setting infopage

MISSION OBJECTIVE

Win the day!

Historically, Valmy was an unexpected victory for France that really kicked off the French Revolution. Make sure this holds true! Don't let the Prussians break through French lines, take either Dumouriez or Kellerman, and survive.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO GOETHE

The life of Goethe was saved by those who volunteered to keep him from the clutches of Regency assassination, though it was a near thing; they were not able to leave completely stealthily, and had to run back to French lines as dawn broke.

Most important after saving the life of Goethe, they were able to apprehend and capture the Regency spy. She is in holding, restrained in a tent hidden far behind enemy lines. You can speak with her, if you wish.



SHARPSHOOTING

Famously, Kellerman had his troups climb up a windmill and the nearby farmhouse to shoot down at the valley below and the Prussians attempting to run through it from the cover of the forest. Take out as many Prussians as you can. Alternatively, if you're not much for shooting but you're quick fingered and organized, you can help reload the shooter's muskets, hand them supplies, more musket balls and powder, fresh muskets when one of theirs becomes jammed, or simply keep the rain out of their eyes.

Battery

You hear that? It's canonfire! Cannons take at least two people to load, aim and fire, making it a steady process requiring teamwork and balance. You want to go as fast as possible so the attacking army doesn't get right up to your nose, after all. Be careful! Don't drop a cannonball on your foot.

COMBAT

Get into the thick of it! There's less armor in this era, more quick jabs with sabers and bayonets, and your pistol can only hold a single bullet at a time. Unless you've got time to reload, you're better off just throwing the thing aside after firing a shot-- you'll see this tactic is popular among troops on either side, not wanting to be weighed down by a now-useless hunk of metal. Horses are not uncommon either, though they're largely reserved for officers who are more than happy to reach down and stab you while they ride by… if they don't just run you over in the first place. And did I mention the cannonfire occasionally making the ground explode into huge chunks? Try to avoid those.

MEDICAL

As always, wounded soldiers require assistance. The medical tent has a steady supply of the wounded, many with injuries from cannonfire, where limbs have been blown off almost in their entirety, and blood gushes readily from damaged major arteries. Act quick, and don't be afraid to, uh, amputate. Nobody else is.

STEALTH

There is reason to believe some Regency spies are undercover as French officers, and intend to kill either Kellerman or Dumouriez. Stay near the generals and protect them... without letting on. Capturing the spies alive would be a serious boon for COST, so if you could manage not to kill the spy, please? ...Please?

INFORMATION is worth its weight in gold

The way these battles work is reliant on the generals sending information down to their troops from the hills they're using to overlook the fighting. Fast riders or runners are essential for this task, and it affords you an opportunity to be near either general should you need to protect them against spying. Or maybe the runners are the spies? Who knows. Regardless, try to preserve the flow of information, and fix any tangles that may appear. If a runner with vital orders gets attacked, back them up; if they get killed, replace them; if they disappear… figure out what happened?

cannon killer squad

For the fast, stealthy, and / or magically gifted, Takatora has set up a 'Cannon-killer' plan, intending to weaken Prussian artillery through magic, speed, and the application of giant hammers. It's risky-- you'll have to get pretty close to the Prussian lines-- but it's worthwhile if you can weaken them even a little.

I'm going down I'm yelling timber

At some point late in the day, just when the worst of the rain has finally stopped, Prussian artillery finally gets aim good enough to send a volley of cannonballs straight at the windmill and farmhouse on the hill. There's a reason this strategy was considered a bold move; stationary targets are never safe in wartime. The windmill comes down in an explosive crash, and the farmhouse begins to collapse. Were you caught in the crossfire? Are you coming to pull bodies out of the rubble? Do what you can to recoup from this loss.

MORALE

When all else fails, keep spirits high. This battle will be impossible without enthusiastic troops committed to the cause. Give rousing speeches! Inspire people! Sing a song! Do whatever you need to.

read the valmy setting infopage

NAV NETWORK LOGS OOC PLURK DISCORD

Comments

[i_swear]

If you know what you're doing.

[He scavenged these supplies himself— from their own side, and from the enemy's scraps wherever they could be found. It wasn't easy going, and he sure as hell didn't work up a sweat to burn the last of his resources on some neophyte that's never had to lay a good pitfall in the middle of a fight.

Which is why he doesn't move to offer any of those supplies to Arthur just yet, watching him from out of the corner of his eyes.

If Arthur can find his way through that figurative minefield to the safe space sitting at Joel's side, he'll have earned it, he figures.]

[pointedlook]

Pitfalls, easy.

[ In theory, but he's not going to mention that. Arthur's navigated at least five of these types of traps in dreamshare; most of them crafted by himself or Cobb. It helps that he's read possibly too many books on warfare, old and new. Whatever tricks they could use in a dream to get them ahead, he was more than willing to research.

Joel doesn't make a move and he figures there's a test involved. Alright then.

Calculatingly, cautiously, he picks his way over, sharp eyes looking for the merge of grounded grass and the parts that had been carefully laid over to blend. It's a good job, he has to admit, as he re-distributes his weight so as not to fall into a ditch.

Eventually, he's a couple feet away from the other man, hands stuffed in his pockets as he raises an eyebrow at him. ]

I'm impressed.

[i_swear]

[There's only a dismissive grunt in response; Joel's never been the kind of man to accept a compliment gracefully— doubly so from a stranger at a time like this, no matter what side they're on.

When Arthur gets entirely caught up, Joel picks up the satchel full of improvised materials and broken shrapnel at his side, and dumps it expectantly down on the ground in front of his new partner-in-sabotage.] Make yourself useful.

We got five, ten minutes tops to put a dent in their numbers before they hit the field.

[The words 'better make it count' go unspoken.]

[pointedlook]

[ Not talkative much, is he? That's perfectly alright with Arthur, honestly. Better than incessant chatter when people are trying to work.

So, he wastes no time in picking through the items dumped at their feet, pulling bits of shrapnel out. Moving up a little, he sets the shrapnel up just on the other side of a small ditch. Hard to see when someone is charging forward. Especially when they may not be looking where they're going.

There's a soft rumble of approaching hooves and he leaps back towards the bag of materials, yanking out a length of rope and two sturdy looking bits of wood. As he hurries off to the side, he ties the rope to both ends of the wood, searching briefly before he sticks the bits into the ground, rope pulling taut.

The ground is a little soggy, but it should still trip someone up as they come through. ]

Let's go. They're close.

[i_swear]

[To that, Joel says nothing. In tune with his work, he waits a half beat longer before securing one last bit of rope and burying it beneath a long line of grass before whipping around to rush towards the treeline behind them: once he's there, he drops to one knee, already working to load up one well-weathered gun.

Getting it ready to fire takes so long, he doesn't intend to wait until their enemies start to close in.]

Hurry up, get your ammo going. You're not gonna get a better chance than this.

[pointedlook]

[ As he's retreating for the same treeline– just a bit further off, sticking too close is a bad idea in a situation like this– he starts prepping his gun. It's off his shoulder and he's got the cartridge in hand for when he hits his position.

From there, it's a matter of twist, rip, pour, load, aim. It's still slow, but with the two of them firing off at the same time, it'll go better than just one.

Arthur keeps his sight aimed down the barrel, watching the soldiers come in closer. He breathes out as one of the cavalry suddenly pitches forward and there's the horrible squeal and shout of both horse and rider going down. It's the first of many similar sounds as the shrapnel, pitfalls, and string traps do their jobs.

The middle portion of the unit is a mess, which leaves the sides. Arthur looks sharply to his left, spotting a footman who's made it through the chaos. Too far for him but– ]

Ten o'clock!

[i_swear]

Get low, take point! [It's a command that leaves little room for misinterpretation or debate— one loud, clean shot ringing out as the footman buckles and falls lifelessly into the brush. A clean shot through his skull.

As Joel works to reload, he keeps himself upright. Cover for Arthur.] These assholes don't know about fighting dirty yet.

Teach 'em.

[Scattered cries ring out, and it's not long before a spattering of return fire heads their way as their current adversaries fight to recover and regroup. Only a handful compared to the swath from before, if anyone's counting fired rounds...]