Take it further
We've noticed we haven't included the list of which characters went on the Spring Raid and plan to add that in the morning.
"Rena!" hissed Suvi White Eyes, trying to shout whilst also keeping his voice low. He repeated her name when she didn't respond and this time she heard him, her thane's voice pulling her from her thoughts.
"Would you care to join us?" he asked sarcastically as she turned to look at him. Behind the scop, the rest of the hall were unloading their supplies from the launch. It was dark on the cove shoreline, not yet too late to see, but the sky was overcast with stormclouds. The group were sitting ducks, they needed to get inland and quickly. Still, she hesitated.
"Look Suvi" she said and pointed at the shipwreck washed up on the beach next to them. The hull had been torn open in five places; what was left was nothing more than a lifeless carcass.
Suvi squinted at the wreck in the dim light, peering at it, but not really seeing. To be fair, they'd picked Suvi because he was the best damn scop in the Hall, but he was no shipwright and it was clear he couldn't see it. "It's a wreck Rena, it's broken up on the rocks and washed ashore. It's worthless and we have to go... Now!".
Suvi looked back once last time at the dead ship. She stared at the large gaping holes in the slain vessel's side - two below the water line and three above it. None of it looked even remotely like the kind of damage a ship suffered when it hit rocks.
"I don't think it did hit the rocks Suvi..." she said, shaking her head. But no-one was listening, they were all focussing on getting their supplies and heading inland. Suvi was right about that bit at least - they had to get off this beach and quickly....
Overview
The raid into Skallahn has been something of a disappointment. There were simply not enough fleets and military units to achieve a meaningful outcome that would impact the Jotun's war efforts. However, the raid has provided valuable experience and intelligence, and the Empire could try to capitalize on that, if they are ready to mount another attack before the Jotun have had chance to shore up their defences.
The Spring Raid
In the end half the Imperial Nations chose to eschew the raid. The Varushkan Assembly had higher priorities - agreeing with Boyarina Nisha Melinka Rupeilia Strazcovich that resolving the Isember problem was more important. Mandates from Killian Mortére of Dawn, Lochias of Urizen and Raphael i Zamora i Riqueza of the Brass Coast urged their people not to take part. Even the Navarr assembly - who had initially supported the raid - endorsed Meredith Nighthaven when they renounced the enterprise as unwise. And it seemed that the Marcher assembly themselves - the initial source of the enthusiasm for the raid - seemed ambivalent, with Friar John of the Mourn bowing to the Imperial Military Council recommendation that other courses of action were more important.
Despite this, there were still people prepared to risk the dangers of Skallahn. A score of ship captains and a roughly equal number of military leaders took their people west into Skallahn. They were supported by Jarvey "Strongoar" Oddsboy of Odd's End (thanks to bold action by Imperial heroes to head off a Jotun raid against Steward's Landing), and by the hylje (following decisive aid proffered to their people in Lansipar).
Ships captained by bold Highborn, Winterfolk, and Marchers ensured that Imperial forces were able to safely reach the coastal region of Greenwall, and to explore along the coast toward the Kongegőr causeway. The warleaders of the Marches and Wintermark, supported by a handful of League companies and the Imperial Orcs lead by Ergot, pressed deep into Skallahn, with some managing to get as far as Iron Stand, bjarkey or even Ulfrsmoor before being forced to retreat. The Jotun defenders were on the back-foot, slow to respond to the Imperial raid, meaning both ships and soldiers were able to raid numerous settlements and claim a bounty of valuable materials before the tide inevitably turned.
The Military Council call on us to prioritise other courses than raiding Skallahn. For those who feel that their virtue demands them to go, we ask that you seek out and raid military targets. Treat Jotun graves and spiritual sites with the respect you would have ours treated. Though they are our foe, the Jotun have often shown us such respect.
Friar John of the Mourn, Marcher National Assembly, Spring Equinox 384YE, Vote: Greater Majority 152-0Unfortunately, the raid lacked the sheer force required to secure any Bourse resources. It was also unable to achieve any lasting strategic damage to the Jotun territory. Fortunately, thanks to the effort of the Imperial fleets, and with the aid of the hylje, once it became clear that the raid had achieved as much as it could, everyone was able to make it safely back to Imperial lines.
Given the scale of the initial ambitions, some might consider the raid a failure - but others argue it has laid the groundwork for future triumph.
Ambition teaches that "it is better, by far, to try and fail, than fail to try." The raid may not have achieved it's lofty goals, but given the odds stacked against it, it's arguable that it was never going to. Although in the end, the Empire had more intelligence about Skallahn than they ever had when they attempted the raid on Dubhtraig, the impression of many that this intelligence was too little and too late fatally undermined enthusiasm. No-one need have any concern on that front now the Empire has had months to study the maps recovered from the Skallahn spy network, but now they have something much more valuable - first-hand experience of testing the territory's defences - something not even the Empire's skilled scout can provide. Provided they act before the Jotun have time to shore up their defences, a second raid could capitalize on the invaluable insights brought back from the first foray and triumph where that ill-fated expedition stalled.
Launching another raid in Skallahn so close on the heels of the failed attempt seems unwise but the mystics confirm that the omens for such a thing are auspicious. Having driven off the Empire without great loss, the Jotun Jarls are feeling over-confident. They are already planning to build new defences to make such raids harder in the future, but having defeated the raiders, they have assumed they have a little time before the risk returns. Perversely then, now might just be the perfect time to strike.
A Summer Raid
The Marcher Assembly may not have been enthusiastic, but they set the tenor for the raid. The proposed Summer raid would focus on military targets, and take pains to avoid burial sites and shrines to the faðir - except obviously for the fortified and garrisoned Kirkja temples where the elite warriors of Narkyst live and train. The experience of Imperial captains who took part in the earlier raid, is that the thralls will not fight against anyone raiding their settlements. Most will flee and hide; they will try and conceal their wealth; and they will certainly alert nearby Jotun warriors to the presence of raiders but they will not raise weapons to defend themselves. Most are orcs of course, although there are human settlements in eastern Skallahn. Neither of them will voluntarily cooperate with Imperial raiders - even the humans seem to feel no particular connection to the people of the Empire and flee or hide alongside their orc neighbours.
Thanks to the first-hand experience of the Spring raiders, the Summer raid looks very different to its previous incarnation - with more time to plan the risks of attacking an essentially unknown territory have been mitigated. The effectiveness of the raid will still depend on how much force can be brought to bear, but this time the raiders can agree a common target and so the actual results of the raid are more much predictable.
Soldiers and Sailors
- Both fleets and military units can support the raid
- Military units can be supported by enchantments that aid independent action; fleets can be supported by enchantments that aid privateering
- Only Marcher and Winterfolk fleets can operate freely in the Gullet; fleets from other nations receive a penalty to their effective strength
Both military units and fleets can participate in the Summer Raid on Skallahn. Following the event, the Raid Skallahn option will continue to appear in the independent action dropdown for both fleets and military units. Military units from any nation can contribute to the raid at full strength; fleets from nations other than Wintermark or the Marches (that is, from nations without easy access to the Gullet) will suffer a one rank penalty, losing 20 from their effective military strength.
Military units can benefit from those enchantments that improve independent action such as Merciless Wrath of the Reaver, while fleets benefit from those that improve privateering such as Blood and Salt
Rewards
The first raid into Skallahn had the advantage of surprise, and coupled with the wealth of the territory meant that those who took part in it were richly rewarded, Now the Jotun understand the potential for another attack, even if they aren't expecting the Empire back again so soon.
As such, in place of their normal production, each standard fleet or military unit that takes part in the raid will receive 2 ingots of green iron, 2 ingots of orichalcum, 2 ingots of weltsilver and 2 measures of random natural materials. A fleet or military unit that has been upgraded or enchanted will receive proportionately more wealth (or less wealth if it is operating below standard effectiveness).
However, the more soldiers and sailors take part in the raid, the greater the potential reward. This will include wains of mithril, white granite, and even weirwood if the raid is strong enough. Who is lucky enough to grab a Bourse resource will be entirely random, some citizens will get lucky, and some won't. Unlike the previous raid, fleets and military units will have an equal chance to gain wains.
In addition, the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies could choose to apportion the Guerdon to the action providing additional wealth to military units and fleets.
On Land
The total effective military strength of all fleets and military units applied to the raid, as well as any strength gained from special bonuses, determines the overall success of the raid on land. In each case, the benefits of each level of success are cumulative, especially the rewards.
Whatever happens, this is likely to be the last opportunity for a grand raid for a while. The orcs of Skallahn will be ready for any attack after this season, meaning there is no chance for another such raid into Skallahn for at least the next year or so.
The raid will be turned back
Up to 5000 total strength
The Summer raid will be no more successful than the Spring raid was. The Jotun, led by Jarl Asbjørn Dalgaard, will scramble to respond, bringing enough strength to bear to turn the attackers back in Greenwall. Participants will be able to loot some wealth from the Jotun, but they won't have the numbers to achieve any strategic aims.
Overrun Greenwall
5000 - 10000 total strength
Most of the major strategic targets in Greenwall can be hit - smithies, forges, and the smattering of mines in the region will all be raided by Imperial warbands. The raid will be strong enough to scatter the warriors of Jarl Asbjørn Dalgaard and fire his hall. With the defenders scattered the Empire will be able to plot routes through the saltmarshes and islands of south-eastern Greenwall, and until the end of the Autumn Equinox 385YE, Imperial armies will require one fewer victory point to capture Greenwall should they decide to attack Skallahn. In addition, every military unit and fleet that takes part in the raid will receive an additional 4 ingots of random materials captured during the fall of Greenwall. Finally, the disruption to the region will be enough to ensure that if the Jotun lose control of Tanikipari, they will be unable to resupply the Fortress of Kalant in Stark, or any of their armies defending it, until the start of the Spring Equinox 385YE without providing the Empire with a battle opportunity to stop them.
Hit the Broken Chasm
10000 - 12500 total strength
The raid will press deep into Iron Strand and Ulfrsmoor. Imperial heroes will clash with the Jotun warriors of Jarl Ebbe of Overgaard and Jarl Alvilda Ottesen but have the strength to defeat them. In accordance with the guidance of the Marcher Assembly, the raid will give the temple of Ulfrskelf and its herb gardens a wide berth, and skirts the rich market town of Overgaard, but that will mean they reach and raid the Broken Chasm. Doing so will allow them to secure 20 wains of white granite (which will be distributed randomly as mentioned above), and if a Marshall has been designated, they will also receive 5 wains of white granite. Furthermore, the disruption to this wealthy territory means the Jotun will be unable to carry out emergency resupply or raise a new army for two seasons following the Autumn Equinox.
Empty the Ottesen Stores
12500 to 15000 total strength
In addition to raiding the Broken Chasm, the raiders will be able to carry out a successful attack against the fortified hall of Jarl Ottesen of Ulfrsmoor and empty the large storehouses that are the source of his wealth. Every military unit and fleet will receive two further measures of random materials - from mines or forests - and 20 rings worth of valuable goods. 10 wains of weirwood will be added to the random pool, and if there is a Marshall then they will gain 3 wains on weirwood. Finally, although the Jarl of Keriheim knows about the spy network in Skallahn, the chaos in the wake of the raid will mean he will be unable to do anything about it before the start of the Winter Solstice 384YE at the earliest. This will allow the Imperial Senate or the Imperial Spymaster to take advantage of the confusion to extend their intelligence gathering operations into any territory in Narkyst at a cost of only 5 weirwood for each spy network as long as the Skallahn spy network persists.
Breach Eyrarfell
15000 to 20000 total strength
Imperial captains will be able to push through Ulfrsmoor into the hills of Eyrarfell. There will be stiff resistance here from Jarl Gilla Sverrisdóttir and her heavily armoured ulvenwar. The land in this region is rich with prosperous mines worked by the Jarl's thralls. Breaching the region's defences will provide every military unit and fleet taking part with two additional ingots of green iron, weltsilver, and orichalcum as they lay claim to the Jarl's wealth. If a Marshall has been appointed, they will also receive 10 ingots each of these three magical metals, to keep or distribute to those who have supported the raid. The raiders won't quite have the strength to overcome the defenders of Einarshal - but threatening one of the richest and wealthiest Jarls in Skallahn will send a salutary message to the others that none of their wealth is safe from the Empire.
Loot the Shining Caverns and threaten the Steelweaver's Crucible
20000 or more total strength
If they can amass enough support, then the Imperial heroes will reach the Shining Caverns, the great mithril mine in among the mountains of north-western Eyrarfell. Everyone who takes part will receive a measure of warm ashes, and 10 wains of mithril, and 5 rings of ilium will be added to the raid pool. If a Marshall has been appointed they will gain 10 measures of warm ashes and 5 wains of mithril to do with as they see fit. The disruption to this valuable mine, and the threat to the great forge of Steelweaver's Crucible causes the Jotun to overreact. No Jotun army will receive natural resupply for two seasons following the Autumn Equinox as the Jarls try to conserve their supply of mithril.
By Sea
In addition to providing crucial military strength to determine the final outcome of the raid on land, the effective military strength of all the fleets taking part will provide the following additional benefits. These results are based solely on how the total fleet strength, military units can not help here. Again, the benefits of reaching fleet strength thresholds are cumulative.
Dominate the Gullet
At least 5000 strength of fleets
The Empire's fleets, and their allies, dominate the Gullet for a season. There will be opportunities to create new downtime options for Marcher and Wintermark fleets, relating to raiding and aggressive fishing respectively.
Reave Kierheim
At least 7500 strength of fleets
Imperial fleets will be able to bedevil Jotun boats the length of the Skallahn coast, as well as launching a lightning raid against the docks at Kierheim. This will provide a significant boost to those fleets that take part - each fleet (not military unit) will receive 20 rings and 2 ingots or measures of random metals or forest materials in addition to the other wealth they manage to secure. It will also tweak the nose of the Jarl of Keirheim - one of the most influential Jarls in the entire Jotun nation
Burn the Kongegőr
At least 10000 strength of fleets
Imperial fleets will be able to attack the Kongegőr - the land bridge that connects Narkyst and Kallseaby linking Skallahn and Hordalant to the south. They will fire bridges, burn watchtowers, and inflict lasting damage on the causeway. From the start of the Autumn Equinox, Jotun armies moving between Skallahn and Hordalant will need to stop as soon as they reach the other territory, greatly restricting the ability of the western orcs to move their armies between the northern and southern theatres. It will take at least six months for the Jotun to repair the Kongegőr and will cost them a significant amount of white granite and weirwood.
Reach the Sea of Snow
12500 strength of fleets or more
While Marcher and Wintermark fleet captains occasionally pass through the sea west of Jotun lands when travelling to distant ports, they know to head for open waters as quickly as possible, giving the coastline a wide berth. In the unlikely event the Empire is able to amass this much fleet strength, in addition to raiding Keirheim and burning the Kongegőr they will be in a position to push out into the Sea of Snow. This will create an opportunity during the Autumn Equinox for the Senate to commission Imperial fleets to scout the seas west of the Empire, along the coastlines of Kallsea, Narkyst, and potentially the Faraden lands, as they once did with the Bay of Catazar. If successful - and it will be a lot more difficult than it was to secure a map of the relatively balmy Bay - then the resulting maps will not be as detailed as those secured with a spy network but they will provide with the shape of the coastline, the nature of the waters and territories west of the Empire and descriptions of key settlements, just as efforts to map the Bay did.
Advantages and Complications
Lay of the Land
- Military units and fleets that took part in the Spring raid have an advantage if they participate in the Summer raid
Those adventurers who risked Skallahn after the Spring Equinox had the frustrating experience of being able to identify targets and opportunities they lacked the numbers to attack. At the same time, they gained first-hand experience of the terrain, and were able to reconnoitre the Jotun defences. This gives them an undeniable advantage if they choose to return to Skallahn immediately after the Summer Solstice.
Every military unit and fleet that took part in the Spring raid receives a +2 rank bonus if they choose to take part in the second raid.
The Marshal
- The WIntermark and Marcher Assemblies can cooperate to name a Marshall to organise the raid
One criticism aimed at the Spring raid was that it lacked concrete targets. After some discussion, priests from both the Marches and Wintermark suggest that the Wise course of action would be to appoint a marshal - to provide leadership and coordination in the same way as the successful Raid on Ikka's Tears of Autumn 383YE. The Marshal would rally people, secure resources, and otherwise act very much like a field-marshal might on the battlefield. As with the Raid on Ikka's Tears, the task of naming a Marshal falls to the priests - but there immediately lies a problem. Which nation should appoint the marshal? It needs to be someone who commands the support of both nations, otherwise they won't be able to lead. Given this need, the Wintermark and Marcher assemblies will need to show their cooperation by appointing a Marshal together. It doesn't matter what nation the Marshal comes from - as long as the two assemblies are seen to be supporting them there's not even a requirement that the Marshal be from either nation.
To appoint a Marshal, the Wintermark Assembly and the Marcher Assembly will each need to raise a statement of principle naming the same citizen. As long as they both pass a judgement naming the same person, then things will go off without a hitch. If they cannot agree on a single individual, none of the people named will be able to offer a unified vision to lead the raid. In the event that a single assembly raises more than one statement naming different marshals, the one that passes with the highest margin of success will take precedence. If either statement gains a greater majority, it may even lead to a further opportunity of some sort at the Autumn Equinox - just as with any other statement of principle.
Assuming the assemblies are able to cooperate to name a single character to act as marshal for the raid, then the named character will receive additional loot from the Skallahn raid, depending on how much strength is recruited to take part.
Odd's End
- The steward of Steward's Landing continues to offer support to the raid
- If the Marcher assembly recognises the work of the Marches' boat captains they will be able to recruit additional aid
During the Spring Equinox, Imperial heroes stopped a Jotun raid from destroying Steward’s Landing, a coastal village that lies close to Odd's End in Mitwold. Jarvey "Strongoar" Oddsboy, the steward of the small Marcher household who oversees Steward's Landing repaid that aid by throwing his full support behind the raid. While it might ultimately not have been as effective as might have hoped, Jarvey and the rest of House Oddsboy have by all accounts done quite well out of it. Their enthusiasm for the attack is undiminished, and the wealth they managed to secure has enthused a number of their neighbours as well.
Regardless of what else happens, Jarvey will continue to support the raid with his own yeomen, adding 1000 strength to the raid (split evenly between 500 strength in military units and 500 strength in fleets). A friar who advises house Oddsboy has privately let her peers in the Marcher National Assembly know that if they are prepared to endorse a statement of principle recognising the Courage of not only House Oddsboy but also Bea of Kings Stoke, Ebenezer, and Oslac Windrider - the captains who took their boats into the Gullet to support the action - that would certainly encourage more boat and ship owners along the coast of the Marches to commit to the raid. The effect would be to add another 500 strength to the raid (in the form of additional fleets).
Furthermore, if the fleets assigned to support the Skallahn raid have at least 5000 military strength, Oddsboy and his fellow coastal stewards believe that they will be able to scout out to waters of the Gullet sufficiently that they could turn Steward's Landing into a permanent staging post for Marcher ship captains - such as they are - to raid the coastline of Kallsea and take the wealth of the Jotun. This would create a permanent option, available only to Marcher fleet captains, to raid settlements and boats along the Gullet during downtime securing both valuable metals and money.
Westerhal
- The fisherfolk of Westerhal can't offer much direct aid to the raid
- if it is successful then there may be an opportunity to expand the fishing grounds of Winterfolk - provided there are ships prepared to protect them
The Winterfolk of Westerhal in the West Marsh helped transport warriors into Skallahn, but these days they are mostly fisherfolk rather than raiders. For the most part their ships stick close to the eastern shores of the Gullet - for obvious reasons. They aren't interested in fighting with the Jotun thralls for fishing rights, and while the Jotun might on the whole eschew the sea not all of them share that reticence and there have always been cases of unwise fisherfolk pressing too close to the shores of Hordalant and Skallahn being taken as thralls. This is a shame, as the Jotun-dominated regions of the Gullet teem with fishing stocks so rich that they risk breaking your nets when you haul them in.
While they can't offer more support to the raid than they already are, should at least 5000 strength of fleets be assigned to help the raid, they believe that it would be possible to transform Westerhal. With the support of Winterfolk war-vessels, their fishing boats could fish the rich waters of the western and northern Gullet, and bring in a great deal of Prosperity to western Kallavesa. This would create an opportunity to give Wintermark fleet captains a permanent downtime option to Escort the Fisherfolk of Westerhal, an action that would reliably generate money and small amounts of magical metals taken in battle from Jotun sailors.
Hylje
- The hylje are prepared to offer assistance to the raid as long as the hostage taken by the Jotun is freed
- if the Mediator of Hyljehal calls in the special boon offered by the hylje, they can provide mysterious allies to help in the raid
During the Spring Equinox, Imperial heroes dealt with a warband of Jotun threatening the hylje - the seal shifters - of the Lansipari lake. Along with their kin in other parts of Wintermark, the grateful hylje provided escorts and waterborne aid to the military units returning from the raid. Unfortunately, as a result of that aid the Jotun have captured.a hylje noble, holding them hostage to ensure that the seal-shifters do not offer further aid to the Empire. The hylje are outraged - but they will not risk the life of Koskinen (the captured scout). However, if the Mediator of Hyljehal is able to rescue the Palliko's son, the hylje are finally prepared to do more than just support - they will take up arms against the Jotun. They are not great warriors, but they can attack from beneath the waves. They can exploit the Jotun fear of drowning, and they can ensure that no Imperial hero loses their life in the salt embrace of the Gullet. This will add 500 strength to the raid, as if they were an additional fleet.
However they are prepared to go further. A few years ago as a sign of renewed friendship between the Winterfolk and the hylje, and in recognition of a great service done for their people, the seal-shifters gifted the people of Wintermark a statue crafted by the Aetheling of Atkonaroq. Kept beneath a pillow, it grants lucid dreams of swimming in the lakes of Sermersuaq as a seal. However it has another purpose - once only it can be invoked to call the hylje to discharge a debt. The intention was that it be used when Sermersuaq was under threat - yet the Empire is winning the war there. And the hylje are very angry with the Jotun. Without ever saying as much, they have let it be known that if the Mediator of Hyljehal were to call in that boon, then they would honour it. Not by providing more hylje to the raid, but by speaking to creatures they refer to only as their bloodthirsty cousins who apparently live in the Gullet. They will not elucidate, but they believe that these "bloodthirsty cousins" would aid in the raid against Skallahn with great enthusiasm. While they are not to be trusted, they will easily provide 1000 points of strength toward the raid, counting as fleets.
They are prepared to offer this support even if Koskinen has not been rescued - they are confident the Jotun will never know of their role in bringing the black and the white into play. They are also quick to reassure those Winterfolk who ask that these allies are not agents of the Jaws in the Deep - who the Suaq know better as Blood-on-the-Snow.
Design Notes
Last season we offered an option to raid Skallahn, but we screwed it up. The penalties were too great, the rewards too abstract to excite or interest anyone and the flavour text suggested that it was all very badly planned. It wasn't really any different to any other raid in terms of effectiveness, but by trying to build on the story that the maps were "arriving at the event", our story gave a strong impression that the raid was poorly timed and poorly conceived. We sold short the players who had worked hard to set up a chance to give the Jotun a bloody nose.
Despite those errors forty-odd players still sent their military units and fleets on the raid - eager to give the Jotun a taste of their own medicine. More players risked their characters on skirmishes in support of the raid. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to reach one of the "thresholds" we'd set, so we were faced with the unedifying prospect of weaving a story in which the troops go off on a raid and essentially come back empty-handed. While that's dreadfully realistic, it's no fun for players to read and it's no fun to write either.
So we took the decision to simply offer the raid again - this time with a much more traditional approach that we've used with other raids that have got a lot of interest from players, coupled with some potentially invaluable opportunities to gain military intelligence and scout the coast of the Sea of Snow. The moment we did that - the story of what happens with the Spring raid on Skallahn writes itself - the brave Imperial heroes didn't have the numbers to overcome the Jotun defenders but they did come back with crucial intelligence and experience about what is happening on the ground. That is our justification why this time the prognosticators can produce a raid that follows the traditional plans of other raids - but it also means those units have a bonus if they choose to return to try their luck against the Jotun once more.
Of course, it's crazy to launch a second raid against the Jotun barely weeks after the first one failed. And that's why the Empire can be absolutely certain that it is the very last thing the Jotun will be expecting...