Campaigns
PargAddi

The PargAddi Annals - XVIII

"On Our Way"

Black Moon/27 7/52
After the PargAdarch's briefing, I spent the next couple of days making preparations. I spoke with my veterans about what we were going to do and what I expected of them. Abby got a crafty look on his face and the Kastori Hagrid smacked him up the side of the head.

On Black Moon, Sengeresh, the PargAdarch gave me some new information. Our contact in Brolia would be Tyrius Iron-Shield. He was a Doctrinaire and would be waiting for us in Rogia. I also noted that the paychest had been moved into the Quarter Master's tent.

I requisitioned 36 horses for a night training exercise and moved them out of the camp. Hagrid, Upstanding and Verakus were to acquire the paychest. Abby wanted to help but seemed just as interested in grabbing off anything else that he could lay his hands on so I left him with the horses. Maloven was sent with a dozen horses to lay a false trail.

Once night fell and the camp had settled in for the night Verakus murmured a spell and the boys vanished into Gerra's moon beams [1]. They made their way to the Quarter Master's tent where Hagrid cold-cocked one guard with his staff and Upstanding had a quick struggle with the other.

"And the Quarter Master?" I asked.

Well, Upstanding walked into his tent. "What do you want soldier," the man asked.

"I have a message for you," Upstanding replied.

"From who soldier? What is it?" And Upstanding punched him out. To help confuse the regiment, the two guards and the Quarter Master were stripped and entwined with each other on the Quarter Master's cot. Wine was spilt on them and the floor.

Hagrid took the pay chest's key from the Quarter Master's neck and opened the chest. They quickly transferred the 32 clinking sacks into bags that they had brought along; relocked the chest; and draped the key back around the man's neck.

Once they joined us beyond the picket line we rode to Relain in Lakrene. With 3 horses each, we rode hard. I wanted to be far beyond any pursuit that Sengeresh would launch and also wanted to keep my beaters too busy to think about what was happening. I was having enough grief from Abby bitching about the continued discipline without having anybody else stop to think about it.

I couldn't afford to lose any warm bodies and would be quite annoyed if I had to kill anybody to keep discipline.

We did take the time to count our haul on the first night that we stopped: nearly 12,000 lunars in gold, silver and bronze.

Empty-1/2

"I'm going to communicate with the spirit in my foot" - Abby

It took us two days to reach Relain on fairly good roads. Along the way Abby had worked on controlling his impulses.

He sat holding his new foot and chanting a quiet mantra over and over while we rode through villages along the road. We didn't have any trouble with women or his penis as we went.

Relain itself was a town of some 3000 people on the upper Erinfarth River. These people were officially Sylilan but were little better than urbanised brunners - storm-barbarians. There were a couple of weapon-thanes warding the gates to the city as we rode up.

Now, we may be deserters, but I'd left on my symbols of rank as it should speed our way - we were planning on out-riding any news of our supposed defection and an Adarch and noble with his file of troopers gets a lot more respect and co-operation than a vagabond war-captain.

The thanes were respectful and polite when they asked our business in Relain. "We are conducting an exercise and need to arrange transport down river for my Eleventh," I replied.

"Well, the Commander, Molak Jarlsblood will want to meet you and he will probably be able to help with your travel requirements."

I sent Hagrid down to the docks with the Eleventh to find stabling and accommodations. I went to speak with this Molak. "Watch the money," I hissed at the Kastori, "and stay out of trouble."

Molak met me at the gates of the citadel and invited me for dinner. "I don't really have time for that," I explained. "We need to be moving as soon as we can."

"Well, it will take a couple of hours to arrange transport, so surely you can relax with me in that time?" I smiled happily and agreed to join him. He recognised my Adarch badge and even named the PargAddi as my unit. "We see a lot of the Hunter Corp here, headed into Billini or Dorastor," he explained. We spoke of the happenings in Lakrene and spoke of our families. He told me that he had arranged transport on a wool barge headed down stream in the morning.

I thought about that. I could easily ride out tonight and probably make it to the next city by morning but my beaters were tired and the horses were exhausted so I decided to rest that night.

"I may be able to do you a favour in return," I said. "What have you got in your dungeons that I could take off of your hands? I need to recruit my unit back up to strength."

"Well," he said, "rumour has it that the Bat is due to visit here shortly but we would be happy to let you take a look and take what you want."

When I found my boys later that evening Abby had a lump the size of my fist on the side of his head and a glazed look in his eye. "Hagrid?" I growled.

It turned out that Abby had decided that he was now rich and wanted to go drinking. Hagrid and Upstanding went along to watch him. The other beaters were detailed to watch our baggage and the horses.

Abby settled on a place called Dorub's River Inn. "Innkeep!" he shouted. "A flagon of your finest wine." For a while he was doing fine, drinking with Upstanding and flirting with the waitresses - without having any trouble with his self-control. A bunch of river toughs toasted my "glorious soldiers of the Empire," and Abby bought them a round in thanks.

Then things started to go bad.

Abby continued to drink and started showing more interest in the waitresses and one of the waitresses started to give him very meaningful looks. Hagrid shifted his seat so that he was sitting behind Abby with this staff in hand. Suddenly, the waitress planted herself on Abby's lap and started to squirm. He pulled open his pants and had her skirt lifted before a large man ran across the room and took a swing at him. "That's my wife!" he shouted. He missed.

Well, Abby stood up, grabbed the waitress and used her to club the man over the head. Both fell unconscious on the floor and Abby leapt on the woman thrusting like mad. Hagrid stood up and belted the irdexmot with his staff. Upstanding dragged Abby outside and threw him in a horse trough. Hagrid retrieved Abby's purse and pondered the 30 lunars in it. He bought two rounds and dinner for the entire bar. Angry faces quickly turned to grins and the trouble was quickly forgotten.

Hagrid paid over 10 lunars to the husband and wife when they woke up - to keep them happy as well. All in all, the evening cost Abby 20 lunars.

Full Moon
In the morning Molak and I went down to look through his prison. The first man was an idiot, drooling like a babe so I left him there. The next four were very attentive when I explained that the Bat was on its way but that I was recruiting for a free company. They signed up without hesitation. They were not military trained - besides some time in the militia, but they would learn.

We rejoined the rest of the Eleventh as Hagrid supervised moving the horses onto the wool barge - wool was Lakrene's most important resource - and stepped aboard after placing the drubbers into Upstanding's care.

With that, we cast off and began the 7 hour sail to Urnandle.

I decided that this auxiliary vexilla would be trained in spear and shield and sword and shield. In Urnandle I would need to think about getting a stock of weapons to equip the drubbers. While Upstanding and Hagrid began working with the recruits I thought about working on awakening a davu or guardian for the vexilla.

Abby was bitching about not being able to beat and torture the drubbers. Hagrid hit him again and explained that we were not with the PargAddi and didn't have the sheer numerical mass to impose that kind of discipline on a free company. I guess Abby wanted to play dominance games. I reminded him that he wasn't in the chain of command and to leave them alone. "We'll keep our eyes open for some new irdexmots that you can boss around," I growled.

Upstanding also bitched a little about wanting a promotion. "We'll need to form additional elevenths so you may get your chance then," I told him.

[1] Black Moon isn't the absence of moonlight, it is dark moonlight.