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]

[He might be old, but his ears are sharp: he hears the scattered sound of an animal rushing through the underbrush, its footfalls soft— and then its yelp as it retreats. Back home, he might've rushed after it, but here he doesn't ration his every meal, doesn't starve any time he's too busy to hunt.

But when she emerges from that same patch of foliage without any noticeable warning (no footsteps, no approaching sound other than the moment she steps clear of the treeline), his attention snaps upwards. If his furrowed brow and hard set jaw are any indication, he's just as wary as she is.

Joel's not a bleeding heart, after all: the sight of blood on her cheek doesn't spark a need to make sure she's all right. Still, a second later his eyes drop to the colors she's wearing. Familiar enough.]

You one of ours?

[courtintrigue]

Enough of one.

[ For about two seconds longer she eyes him as though they are territorial animals of the wilds stopping to drink from the same stream. ]

I can show you my collarbone if you like.

[ That should only mean something to people like her -- taking the time to look others up in this system she has been connected to does not come reflexively -- but the man before her can think what he likes as long as that wariness does not give way to threatening. Slowly, her breathing begins to even out. ]

The trap is your handiwork?

[i_swear]

I'm good. [Reflexive, dismissive. He takes her word for it because anyone else from the outside wouldn't give that kind of offer in the first place, and they both know it.

Instead, he turns back to winding a taut section of cord around a few sharpened shards of metal and wood, all of them already tucked down into the loamy earth.]

Somebody's got to even the odds. [It's what they're here for, after all, but Joel's not about to take a few extra hands on deck as a sign of surefire victory for France.] That ain't gonna happen if all we're using is a handful of antiques that don't shoot for shit.

[courtintrigue]

[ She watches as her breath normalizes. Her shoulders and chin know nothing but pride, but without his scrutiny her posture relaxes a bit.

Even if her own scrutiny continues. There is a lingering desire to aim her irritation at him, but she does not disagree with his assessment. ]

You would be far more likely to use a bow in my world. But we are not all limited to antiques here.

[ Her hand rises to her face again. Just as she is unwilling to die for this cause, she has no need of its scars. The slice in her cheek is minor enough and the skin knits neatly when her palm presses against it. ]

I can drive the enemy toward your trap.

power slides back in here after an unexpected rl hiatus

[i_swear]

And get yourself killed in the process.

[He isn't looking at her when he says it— only glancing up after she's already done the work of fixing her cheek (and he's done the work of tying off a few more knots, covering the rope with a section of loamy earth). There's a second where he doesn't react at all, and in the next moment, his dark eyes narrow just slightly.

He's old, sure, but he's not blind, and fighting for his survival means his ability to spot even the smallest details is well above average.

Or at least, he thought it was. Now he might just be going senile. Shit.]