GURPS Fantasy Warriors Session 11: The Treaty of Gebirg's Pass

Characters:

Granmarg The Striking Vanguard, The Boulderstruck, Member of the Earthling Triumvirate
Pomegranite The Treefallen, The Spymaster

Mielikki The Field Marshal, Member of the Earthling Triumvirate

Thicket The Grandmaster Terramorpher, Member of the Earthling Triumvirate

Last Gasp

The axeman chopped away at Mielikki and was joined by Dietrich who glided forward on a wave of sand, while the rest of the earthlings were on the ground, either unconscious or reeling from their injuries.  On the verge of collapse, Mielikki signalled and horns began to blow as the remainder of the army charged forward as he and the rest of his advisors retreated.  Dietrich gave chase, attempting to end things by eliminating the commander, but ended up being captured by the common soldiers as the rest of his troops were forced into a rout and he surrendered, alone.

 

On the far side of the battlefield, Drirtollor made a heroic effort to stop Hans Hessen, the Imperial Marshal, launching a surprise attack.  With the aid of earthling terramorphers, they surged across a bridge that suddenly jutted out and across an otherwise impassable ravine.  Unfortunately, the Marhsal was too skilled a commander, and the earthlings were, despite their valour, sent fleeing.  At the end of the day's battle, both sides found their camps razed, and would come to meet at a neutral pavilion to discuss terms.

Negotiations

Curiously, Tharivol was absent, having been replaced by a red-headed Knight of the Blazing Sun, but the rest of the Imperial commanders, including Dietrich, who had been captured, were present.  Similarly, Granmarg and Pomegranite, who had likewise been captured earlier in the day, rejoined their comrades, now sporting some new scars from their battles earlier in the day.  For now, at least, high-ranking prisoners were still being treated with honour.  

 

Hans commended the earthlings for their bravery on the field and a battle well-fought, and Thicket did likewise while also complimenting the Imperials on their strategic genius which had almost won the day before weapons were even drawn.  With the pleasantries out of the way, Hans then questioned what they had hoped to gain in this battle.  Even if they had won and claimed the Imperial seat, that would cause a devastating civil war.  Thicket denied the accusation: the earthlings simply needed land, and had taken an available opportunity.

 

Tugging one corner of his moustache, Hans began to lay out the terms they were seeking.  First, the recognition of Ulrich as the rightful Emperor, and a pledge to support him in the next election, when it was held.  Second, repayment of all pillage taken during the march of the earthling army down from the north.  Pomegranite cut in, stating that before they could move on, the matter of the assassination of Emperor Friedrich must be settled.  After all, he claimed, the earthling delegation had been in the dining hall when the murder had been carried out.

 

Ulrich, holding the bloody bandages covering his side where he'd been pierced by Thicket's spikes of stone, replied in a weak voice that they were still the most likely suspects.  He made to continue, but winced in pain, and fell silent.  The earthlings were in a bit of a stir, but before Pomegranite could reply that the dwarves were to blame, the Knight of the Blazing Sun introduced himself as Siegfried Kircheis, second in command of the Knights, and requested, as part of the peace settlement, that a council of earthling magisters be granted to the Imperial forces in the Segretan campaign.

 

Through clenched teeth, Mielikki, a staunch traditionalist who opposed Imperial thinking, informed him that the earthling terramorphers were indeed well-renowned for their abilities, and that that exact renown was why they were putting forth one of their number, Cliffside, as a candidate for Emperor.  Except for Dietrich, who had been idly flipping a knife in one hand the entire meeting and not paying any attention, the Imperials all reacted in shock.  Hans Hessen blurted out that surely no other kingdom would support an earthling emperor.  What were they trying accomplish?

 

Now in control of the conversation, Mielikki relaxed and stated merely that perhaps the Empire could use the stability and long-term planning that a long-lived people such as the earthlings would bring.  Hans, still unconvinced, questioned how they would avoid a civil war.  Would Lumene support this?  Pomegranite replied that Edelina, the current Queen of Lumene, whose use of magic was theoretically impossible by Imperial understanding, had a more open mind than they might think.

 

He continued on that, since an election had not been held, the Province of the Highland Forests and its representatives in the Triumvirate of the Earthlings could not recognize Ulrich as Emperor.  Perhaps in the future, that could change.  Ulrich groaned back that, by their own reasoning, Cliffside, who wasn't even present, was equally illegitimate, and the two sides moved on to further negotiation on the details of peace.

 

Mielikki, through some tricky wording, was able to phrase the treaty such that they would only repay half of what they'd pillaged, and Granmarg later followed through by pointing out that all of the payment for the northern lands of Tauschun, which would be given over to Halberst, should go to the College instead.  The lending of terramorphers was also politely refused, while Tauschun retracted its accusation of regicide.  Overall, the earthlings came out well ahead of the Imperials in the talks, but it was harvest season, and Ulrich needed peace with them so that he could march back into the Segretan League once winter had passed.

 

On the return march north, Thicket was the first to notice that the sun was setting later and later the further they went.  Dusk was many hours long, the sun hanging red and dull in the sky before rising again all too soon.

 

Notes:

Unfortunately, Granmarg's player had to deal with an emergency and had to leave 10 minutes into the session. 

 

Another draw: ~600 dead earthlings, ~1700 dead imperials.  You'd think that'd be a decisive earthling victory, but there are so few of them that proportionally they suffered more losses.

 

The personal combat between Mielikki and Dietrich was a huge risk that almost didn't pay off.  Mielikki was down to -30HP by the end, but managed to survive (thanks to Luck) and then won the strategy quick contest with a crit, wiping out Dietrich's entire stack of troops.  He still would have won with the penalty, but not as decisively.

 

The terms of the treaty presented by the earthling side were to recognize Cliffside as emperor, clear the names of the PC of assassinating Emperor Friedrich, and for Tauschun to cede lands to Halberst/the College.  Another option that didn't end up being pressed was to force peace between Tauschun and the Segretan League, in an attempt to curry favour with the League.

 

The Imperial terms were for the earthlings to recognize Ulrich as emperor, for a full repayment of the pillage they had committed in the northern countryside, and for terramorphers to be sent to aid in the war with the Segretan League, in particular in navigating/utilizing the province-wide Labyrinth underground.

 

Big gameplay changes happening behind the scenes.  Should make characters able to level up much easier (as opposed to almost not at all), and duels are going to be 1v1.  Plus some changes to pre-battle intrigue to balance some options.  We'll see how it goes.