Cain, the Seneschal, and Bales Isle

Cain walks into the council room, sets his documents on a stand, and makes his way to present himself to the Seneschal and the Privy Council he proudly gives a knightly bow. He then stands and stands at attention for a moment taking a deep breath before being asked to speak. Seneschal and the council thank you for taking the time out of your day and allowing me to stand here before you. My name is Cain Immortui of Rathaka I came here many years ago at the beckon of Sol from a country years from the empire and found my way to this island. Over the almost two years now that I have been here I have grown to love this islands people and grew very weary of how they were starving, so me and a company sought out the aid of the Vale, and though we have brokered a deal with the Vale for these potatoes and have filled our bellies it is not a good thing to be entirely reliant on another country to provide your food. I hear that they are also unable to grow the wheat we can, due to the crop not being sturdy enough to grow in their land. I am thinking that in the same way potatoes are booming here our wheat will dominate their food trade boosting our economy. The only problem is these blasted rebels that are the cause of all this strife in the first place and their fleet is not to be trifled with if they have this wild fire ballista, Cain pulls out a diagram of the ballista that he has drawn awhile back in his notes and has re-drawn it to be more easily seen on a large parchment. This is what will destroy any fleet we send at it and it will take much planning to overcome. If you think this some joke read the reports of when we mistakenly burned a ship that a black and white banner commander had requisitioned from us. The boat was destroyed in a matter of a minute and that was from only a vial of the substance hidden in a trap chest that we had set off by mistake imagine if a barrel landed on the deck. After these events I have been pulling information together that may give us a winning tactic against this strange substance. I assure you of the quality of this plan. In the kingdom I have come from we waged wars from the day I was born it is all I have known and tactics are in my blood, this plan will not fail you. Cain pulls out a map of Bales Isle and places it on a board for the council to see. If the companies pull together and hire some of the freelance ships this mission will go without a hitch I will explain what I ask of the each of you. Each roll is vital to the success of this mission. I know some companies do not have seats here but we will still need them and their resources to make this successful. Iron Fist Brigade, My fellow brothers of the Rising Sun, The Blue Sashes, the Brotherhood of the Rose and The Red Dragon Brigade: These groups will have the honor of taking siege to the enemy boats as part of group two and have some members on the other groups to protect against assault. The unicorns, and any archers of the Red Dragon Brigade and the Blue sashes, You will be part of group one and group three meant to harass and try to set alight the wild fire on the enemy ships with flaming arrows it may be a good idea to have these siege crossbows mounted to stay out of range of that ballista (I am talking about the 250g ones Cain recommends that three of these are mounted on ships of group one and three.) White Horses, I ask of you to lend us any mages that can use Thaumaturgy and spells that can snuff out even the greatest flames. Brothers of the Rising Sun, It will also be our duty to have some of our members on each ship and keep the others alive and well this mission will not work with people falling dead and I know we can prevent that from happening. The Company of the Black and White Banner, I know I do not have the best reputation with you due to the boat incident but your group has the most to gain from this mission you run Balesport and opening this up will return trade to you. I need you to have your forces at Balesport use whatever ships/fishing boats they can muster or have or attack from the shore. Cain now turns to the map and starts explaining the points on it. Preparing, for this to be successful six ships will be needed I know that the companies have five and we can hire some free lance ships that are brave enough to join us, any extra ships will be part of group two. We need to have each ship whetted down to avoid any flames to spread that land on the boat and have the railings lined with buckets to splash out the fires, and that is where the White Horses come along any of your group that can control water will be used to dowse the wildfire. This will be taken care of during the night to reduce the accuracy of their ballistas. Stage one, our fastest ship will be group one and will be carrying a large group of war drums with the sound amplified with Thaumaturgy past the light house getting any ships there to give chase to them thinking they will be attacking a small fleet from behind. Ship one will then drop lighted barrels showing the rest the position of the enemy ships. Group two will then come in swiftly behind the enemy and crush them, the ballistas are mounted on the front so the more lined up with the masts in the rear you are the harder target you will be. There should be three ships posted at the lighthouse. and group three will come in and finish any straggling enemy boat that stayed behind a ship of group two assisting them if only one boat gives chase. This should crush any attempt they give by the lighthouse. Rally, assigned groups will go to their rally position rally two has the task of checking the small inlet to the south east for hidden ships and will send a messenger bird to the commander at Balesport to commence their attack at their end. Stage two, The war drum ship and the ships of group three will hopefully have siege crossbows mounted on them like I ask, do so on the rear so they may stay at range an harass any Enemy ships at Balesport trying to draw them out to give chase. Once they do two ships from group two will come and flank them crushing them from behind. The third of group two will wait for any enemy straggler ships trying to run or flank the main group two and act as a counter flank. During this time the members of the Black and White Banner at the Balesport castle will attack from any ship they have built there or from the coast if they have none driving the enemy out more. Stage two alternate, They may try to avoid the hail of siege crossbow bolts by going further up into the channel which is a stupid idea for them because members of the Black and White Banner will be waiting for them where it narrows raining a hail of arrows on a sitting target easily finishing them off. Cain then again gives a knightly bow Thank you again for hearing my plan and I hope it brings everyone here in Haven a victory.

Written by Stephen. The Seneschal of Haven looks you up and down for a moment Cain. You do realise Cain, that if this plan fails, it will open Haven itself to attack. Oh Yes; I can see by your face you are wondering why we ourselves have not dealt with the situation before, and the problem is simply one of risk. If we fail, then it may be that the pirates can attack the Lower City and burn it. Without our ships, we would be at their mercy. That's why I am going to have to be very convinced by this plan before I'll commit so many of our scant rescources to it. Lord Ulrich; what do you make of this?Ulrich has been standing, gazing out of a window in the White Tower that overlooks the harbour. He turns and says We must relieve Bael's Isle but there are several points from your plan that require alteration. The first is the idea that we can simply snuff out Balefire with water. I think experience shows that this will not work; indeed, water seems to spread the fire as it is composed of materials that do not mix with aqueous solutions. Sand however, may work and we should arrange for all of our vessels to carry barrels of sand for that purpose. The question of magic is also a vexed one as Thaumatugy can only alter fires, not snuff them out and in any case, Balefire is not like normal fire. It is composed of several sticky and highly flammable substances. There may be a way that we could use a ritual to prevent fires on the ships and snuff out new ones, but that would mean exposing at least 12 of my apprentices to intolerable danger. I will see if we can create a ritual that lasts long enough that your action could take place without the presence of my young students, as they would be ill suited to such violence. One problem with such a ritual is that torches and fire could not be kindled on our ships, as all fires even magical ones would be affected. Also, six ships against six is not good odds Master Cain. The enemy have the advantage of Balefire and some of our ships are not even armed. I know you propose to attack the enemy in two groups, but I know enough of the vagaries of the sea to know that they may have changed their positions and groupings by the time we arrive. Indeed; they may even have word of our arrrival. I suggest that if we are to try this, we would need every ship in Haven; including the merchantmen. That is, unless I cannot count any more, about 9 ships.............. And as for carrier birds; there we do have some good news. Using a crystal substance Master Boone recovered from a nearby cave, we have managed to create magical ink. The ink can be used to send messages over great distances; though I warn you there are some problems with this method of communication. Nevertheless, a pot of ink has already been smuggled onto Bael's Isle and we are now recieving regular reports from Lord De Courcey. There is also the problem of Wind Master Cain; I am no sailor but I do know that one usually faces a headwind going towards Bael's Isle, suggesting that the prevailing wind is west to east. That means that ships appraoching from the east will be at a disadvantage in terms of speed and maneverability. It might be best to sail around the isle and come at the enemy from the southern tip. That way, the wind will be in our favour. Attacking at night may also be possible because I could put a number of mages on one boat; which stands well away from the conflict, but which use their familiars to search for the enemy ships. Familiars that can be either aquatic or can see at night or both..................

Hmm, Cain grabs his chin for a moment, I wish I would have had this information while planning I am no sea man but I do know battle and when to take advice. Thank you master Ulrich you have pointed out some good information there also if you are speaking of the crystals from the cave I would like for you to share with me the method later on I still have a large sack of them laying around. Yes Seneschal the risk is great as is the reward, I promise you this mission was created tactfully so that minimum lives are lost and haven comes out more powerful than it went in. At masters Ulrich's information I would alter this plan to make it more successful my plans are still of use its just likely we will need to change the order of the attacks. Replace the water with sand and use the mages more cautiously at Ulrich's behest. I was making this plan doable with six ships but the more we use the better. Also if we manage to capture even one of these ships we can start learning the secret of this fire weapon to use against foolish pirates that attack later on but that is secondary the safety and lives of our members is what comes first. Cain grabs an extra map and starts writing down a revised plan.

Cain puts this map up and clears his throat once again. Preparation we now realize we need sand instead of water to quell the fires along with the ritual done by the white horses to muddle the flames. This crystal substance will be useful for coordination I will give up the crystals I have so that each boat may have an ink well of it and the white horses several. This mission will be carried out at night when their ballistas are least accurate. And our ships the most unseen. On our initial run underneath the isle we should travel closest to Maladon coast as we can to avoid detection and the southwest rally point is closer than it should be due to map space it is a few miles out from shore. Attack one: Stage one, The white horses boat will use their anti fire ritual on the fleet when they reach the first rally point at the south west of the island instead of before leaving haven so that it may last as long as possible, unless this takes longer than an hour we do not want to give the enemy a chance to have scouts tell our position. They will then set out as close as they need without the possibility of getting spotted to gather information with their familiars, this ship will act as the eyes for the others with ink wells of this crystal and will be the information hub of sorts. Stage two, three boats with our archers will set out the long way and prepare themselves for stage three to commence and at that time they will fire arrows and use the siege crossbows I spoke of to stay out of the reach of the ships and once group four slams them from behind the melee members of those ships will also join pinning the enemy. Stage three, our fastest ship will have drums on them using the Thaumatugy to amplify them and sail past the harbor at a safe distance with the wind to draw the enemy boats out when they think it is a single fool trying to goad them into a trick. They will likely think this single ship is trying to trick them into thinking its a fleet and chase after it to destroy any who mock them. Once they are drawn out a bit the ship will drop flammable barrels and one of the mages familiars will set it alight showing the positions of the enemy ships freeing the archers to make accurate shots on the ships from the darkness. The drums will also act as a mute for the ships in stage four. Stage four, The ships with all our melee heavy hitters will be waiting for the enemy from behind and use the drums to hide there presence of their rocking ships until the last moment when they slam into the rear of the enemy and decimate them in combat this group will have the most dangerous job and most glory in this endeavor let us sing the names of whoever do so. Also part of this stage archers from bales isle will be waiting where the river narrows in case the rebels decide to take refuge there and will destroy the sitting ducks. Stage five, A ship will hang back after group four leaves and wait for any enemy ships that may have been hiding in the harbor still and act as a counter flank if they attack group four this will also be when any ships the Balesport castle has managed to muster up will join the battle with the remaining ship. Attack two: Preparation, we will take any enemies prisoner that we can and send them to be interrogated I am not a fan of torture so I ask you do so with just words but that is not my decision just my plea to you. We will also commandeer any in tact enemy ships having members from Balesport man them and aid us in the last attack with their own weapons. Two ships from group four and any ships we commandeer will go back under the island and attack from the other side. Stages, The plan for this attack is more or less the same as the last so there is no need to waste breath explaining it again except the field has changed. you can see from the map where I would have each ship positioned. Instead of having a front line and a rear flank we will have a front and a flank on either side. Ulrich this battle lies in your hands I would say you and your mages have a hefty burden to keep everyone where they need to be but with this new ink for communication we shall fight as a single unit. Men of the council and the Seneschal I tell you that with this plan the enemy will be crippled and our waters free of them for the time being this will allow us to feed our people and initiate what I think will be a successful trade with the Vale bringing in more goods and prosperity than Haven has ever seen perhaps the lower city will start looking like the upper and the upper like the abode you are used to in the empire. Once the companies Haven unite under one banner for one battle we will be unstoppable. I have seen most of your companies with my own eyes and I have to say I am impressed at what you lot can do and it will the greatest honor if you allow me to be the strategist for this mission of importance. Seneschal I await your answer and thank you for having me here today. Cain then gives a bow and steps out of the room so that the council may debate the plan.

Cain also adds before waking out. I know of a man who can cast a form of water breathing this may be wise to use as well to save more lives that get thrown overboard in heavy armor it has saved me more than once. He has agreed to do so and will be waiting at the docks to cast it on any who are willing when the day comes. Another wanted to have men sneak aboard a ship in the harbor with row boats but I think this too risky and may thwart my plan what I propose instead is to have members of the thieves sneak and tamper with their flame barrels, making it look like they were trying to steal them if caught , instead so that when they try to use them they explode on themselves and destroy the ballista. I do not like that guild much, but their talents may be of use if you decide to use this as a tatic.

This meeting is adjourned until tomorrow Master Cain. Be here again at 9 am and bring such fellows as you deem fit with you. It is clear this matter needs some thought and debate.

Cain brings Syvil, Boon, and Meren the next morning and tells them of his plan and asks them what they can add to the plan if they wish. Make sure you speak respectfully to these people and do not speak ill of their companies if you do they will be less inclined to help and the plan will be ruined.

Master Cain; we have considered your plan carefully. No plan survives contact with the enemy is an ancient maxim. What will you do if the enemy shift position or fail to follow your ship beating the drums? What will you do if the ships are all together? These things need to be planned for.

Boone: "Er, yer honors... I'm not much of a seafarer but I was one of the people on that ventured to the island before. The ship we encountered and captured... and that got sunk, well, I wanted to say if it's a typical one of their fleet then they are crewed by six to eight hands, perhaps ten at the most. If it were possible to come upon them in the dark from small boats, a squad or two of well trained men might be able to board and capture their ships. Or atleast give a good accounting, I dont think one of them ships would work with just one or two left aboard to run it. Every ship that has to leave the area is one less we need to fight, every one we capture is also a double blow should it come to a battle."

There is a knock at the door and a rather harangued looking guard begs the councils pardon, admitting a young woman of pale golden hair and regal dress; Lady Aurelia Donau: "My honored lords and ladies, I cannot help but note that the docks have been locked down, writs for ships issued and there is much activity. It is obvious to all that something is afoot and the word on everyone's lips is Bael's Isle. I have perused the minutes of your previous meeting and read with some interest the plan presented by Ser Immortui to break the blockade though there are some issue I believe might have been overlooked and therefore I beg leave to address this esteemed council on the matter of these in this coming battle."

I have already set up a plan for them not following the drums they will be harassed by the archers and the siege crossbows on our ships to the point where it is fight or run the drum ship was just to draw them out more quickly. Their ballistas may be powerful but they will not have as much range with the fire due to the size of their projectiles we need to fit the archer ships with something a bit lighter and with more range so that can stay out of their reach and keep them harassed. If you meet them on open water somewhere where there is no plan layed out the same method will work it will just take more time for us to scramble an organized attack but this ink Ulrich speaks of is what will win us the battle, information rules all. As for rules of engagement with these ships we need to stay spread out as much as we can to avoid attack from the ballista and when possible hit them from behind. That is why my plans have so many flanking maneuvers because it takes them time to turn these devices and it is near impossible for them to aim into their masts. And when attacking from multiple directions they can only shoot at one target at once. I have an idea for the the light we will have fire dampening on the ships but not some barrels we bring along filled with oil and we have the mages familiars bring them out of the dampening spells range and set the barrel alight and have some aquatic familiars drag them to the enemy boats to light them up as easy targets or possibly even setting them ablaze (Cain then explains where he found the fire barrels on the ship we commandeered if they wanted to try to do so) for our archers firing from the darkness tearing them to shreds. So in short stay in a loose formation while going to each point harass them with ranged weapons from safe distance and use the melee ships to smash them from the sides or behind if they are foolish enough to attack head on. Our mission is to take over bales isle so it is no problem if a ship or two flees we will have decimated their fleet and have there technology to use against them to thwart any counter attack they plan in the future. Also since our mission is at night they will likely be at usual posts in fear of loosing sight of each other. When we saw them while boarding the ship we took they were in a fairly tight formation during the night another reason I planed the mission at this time.  Is there anything else you would ask of me?

Also council the White Horses familiars will be invaluable during this battle they will be able to stay ahead of the ships and confirm positions and the numbers of enemies before we even move on them so if they do indeed all come together for some reason they will be easy to spot and it is six versus our eight minus the command ship we will be able to harass and flank accordingly destroying them.

You make some excellent points Master Cain. Mistress Donau, what did you wish to say?

Lady Aurelia Donau: " My Lords and Ladies, Lord Ulrich of the White Horses and Ser Immortui here talk of this strange Entanglement Ink that allows us to communicate nigh instantaeneously, perhaps before comitting to any plan we should first send some spies equiped with this new tool to ensconce themselves on the coasts and report on the Rebellion's movement and perhaps capture any shore parties should we be able. For while I believe Ser Immortui has laid before you an excellent plan, I think it will only succeed if the enemy and the weather are content to play along. Forgive me Ser Immortui but what if you are wrong in how the enemy will behave? You have said you think it likely they will keep tight formations at night at their usual posts? Do you actually know their usual posts and do they in fact keep to a tight formation at them? If they are not where you expect them to be, then how will you find their positions at night if they decided to forgo running lights, as the ship that attacked you did? What if they are not in the harbour waiting to be drawn out as you plan, but elsewhere and able to swoop in on your individual squadrons in force and destroy them before their friends can close to assist? Indeed, if they are infact in the harbour, why draw them out at all? Would it not be better to simply lay a boom across the estuary and therefore trap the enemy within?

Well miss Aurelia I have set things up for those very reasons my plan is one that can be applied anywhere they do happen to lay think of it as just a guideline it is set up for the most likely situation but is not concrete and I do not expect everything to go perfectly. We also are not going in blind, I am sure the White Horses are capable enough to use night sighted creatures such as Syvil's owl to spot any ships that have the running lights dowsed then using my method described earlier to keep them alight for the archers. I am just pulling off information that I have learned it is hard for companies to kick old habits they are trained for so the tight formation is likely what they are using if their ships are away from the cost. If they are using a looser formation it will not make much of a difference in fact the center ship will be a much easier target if they do so. And as for attacking them at the harbor I am sure they have their ballistas at the ready facing towards the sea if we were to send in our fleet directly at them without opening their flank we will be torn up. The key to success here is getting behind them where they can not use their weapon effectively. If they were in the harbor the black and white banner men at the castle will have easy shots at them driving them out. While our archer ships harass them as well. If they try escaping into the canal refer to my plan once again. Entrapping the enemy is very dangerous because it would either require us to get withing firing range or take more materials than we have and also cost time. We do not have the luxury of keeping nine ships out at sea for too long as they do.

I do have one revision that I may have looked past is to have the white horses closer behind the archers of group two to speed up information and to have them protect the White horses if anything unknown pops up during the battle from off coast. I recommend you use that fog spell to cover your ships escape if an enemy singles it out.

Syvil stands up, and then sits down, and then stands up again. He does not speak but remains standing; hoping to be addressed.

Hmm; the idea of trapping the enemy fleet in the harbour is an attractive one Mistress Aurelia; but bait is what is needed in order to set such a trap. Bait and secrecy. What bait would you suggest we use? Master Dernsson; there is something further you would say?

Marokin hearing of the plan contacts Von and all the other Tieflings he has heard of and directs them to Ulrich: Master Ulrich, Thaumaturgy runs in our blood... this is a chance for my people to show that we are not the "devils" people make us out to be. I ask you to grant any Tiefling willing a position on the ships to use our knowledge of Thaumaturgy. We might not be able to sniff out fire but we can at least diminish it and perhaps prevent it from spreading while we can increase the fire on the opposing ships.

Aurelia frowns slightly at the faux-pas of being addressed so casually in this setting, "Ser Immortui, I of course welcome your input and criticism for I am not a seafarer with years of naval experience, nor did I have the advantage of being tied to a ships mast to observe a crew at work as you did but I did not actually suggest the fleet enter the harbour to attack the enemy, if indeed that is where the enemy are. I actually suggested laying a boom across the estuary mouth to prevent their fleet from coming out .  If there was some way we could keep their attention directed up stream towards Baelsport then with coordination on the shore from pre-prepared elements already in place, a good stout chain could be lain across the river mouth quite quickly to bottle the enemy in, siege engineers could put up pre-assembled engines which have much greater range and power than their ship-bound counterparts to protect our new barrier from counter attack. In such a case the sea would instantly fall under the control of Haven once again and w hat choice would the enemy have then other than to surrender, attack on land where we are the stronger, or simply wait to be destroyed by more engines we can assemble on the banks?"

Stephen Dove said: Hmm; the idea of trapping the enemy fleet in the harbour is an attractive one Mistress Aurelia; but bait is what is needed in order to set such a trap. Bait and secrecy. What bait would you suggest we use? "That my Lord is a good question. I remember reading one of the theories as to why the Rebels attacked, they brought their full fury first against the hulls of three ships under construction at Baelsport. If as I suspect the Rebel fleet does not dwell within the harbour of Baelsport, we could carefully send three fully constructed and prepared warships in to tempt the fleet to come after them. If the Rebel fleet does in fact dwell in the harbour as Cain suggests, perhaps we could initiatie some more ship building further down stream and tempt the Rebels to venture up there to give us the time to lay the trap."

Madam Aurelia, Cain gives a bow, excuse my rudeness earlier I have a 100 scenarios of this battle playing through my mind currently trying to pick the best, but my mention of the harbor was in a what if situation in a reply to your comment. I think them to be near the coastline it would be quite foolish for them to get any closer than that. As for your plan it is indeed a good one but will take quite awhile to design and build the specialized machines you speak of. Then have them transported to Bales Isle dodging the blockade and not getting destroyed while also dodging spy lines that may be in place here while loading them onto the ship. It may be possible if the people of the Isle were able to make these weapons quickly but I do not know how they are doing on engineers and if they can get the materials together with the constant attacks against them while also building these decoy ships. Last I was there dead were laying on the docks from a recent attack it may be hard for them to get the resources together with attacks like this.

They could steal a chain crank from a castle door if Balesport castle uses one but once that happens the door will be stuck open or closed until it returns and I do not know the number of siege weapons they already have I am guessing the time it takes to make one from scratch is long and hard, if they have the stock already this may work. This is all I can offer to this plan but a lot has to fall together to make it work.

Cain adds to the map where the White Horses ship should be after their initial scan so that they are in the protection of friendly ships at all times and where their familiars should be checking on the way to the first rally point and the way to the second. There is also a point I need to make about our own flanks there is a chance that an enemy could come up from the north and try to pin our archer ships, in this case group two and the horses will brake off and harass them keeping their distance and pulling them northeast while our melee units use the wind after defeating the port enemies to catch up and once again flank the foes after group two. Same plan goes for attack two. On our approach to the initial southwest rally point the mages familiars should check out any port we pass so that we do not get spotted and flanked by any enemy ship hiding in a cove there. Most of our forces will then after attack 1 will be heading up the north side of the island for safety in numbers and should be enough to crush any remainders they come across on the way to attack two. If more than we can handle show up there we will have the wind with us and be able to avoid them until we meet with rally two to overtake them. Rally two should be relatively safe after the White Horses check the ports I have circled for hidden foes. And will be joined by any ship we take for extra strength. Council I ask that this mission be done in haste but not foolishness. Most plans are destroyed by information and the longer we take to act and keep the ships barred from leaving the more time the enemy will have to wise up and set up counters to this plan or any we decide to set.

"This City once served as the staging ground for the Empire's invasion of Maladon, I would be rather surprised and dissapointed if the Citadel did not possess siege workshops and that we lacked the men skilled enough to use them. Are there not also some weapons already present on the towers around upper city and the citadel? Perhaps some of thouse could be borrowed, in any event once assemlbed here it wouldn't take too long once their parts and mechanisms were transported across to be reassembled on the Island, hours at most. If the enemy fleet can be persuaded to sail up the river then there is no blockade for them to run at the river mouth. You raise the issue of spies here which is a fair one but as I said when I entered, the news that Haven will attempt to break the Rebelion's blockade now quivers on the lips of every fisherman and washerwoman in the city by now. If such a spy ring exists and it is capable of getting news to the blockade, then it is an obstacle for whatever plan we enact."

You misunderstand me Madam I know Haven can handle building these the problem lies with transporting them to the island safely that plan is thwarted if the blockade happens upon the transport ship we use to send them. So to avoid that Bales Isle would have to build the machines which is what I questioned the ability of.

"I think it is you who misunderstand me. Why do you suggest we rely on a lone transport ship when we have atleast six ships in the fleet to use? Each one with cargo space we could fill with timbers, ropes, parts and the like? Also why would they need to thwart the blockade when the entire point is that the enemy fleet already be busily engaged up-river when our own fleet arrives?

Cain gives a slightly annoyed sigh . I will let you have the stand then Madam so you may speak this plan to its fullest and how to implement it to the council if you wish, in the end they will decide what to use. Council I will be waiting here listening if you want me to elaborate on any of my plans I have been preparing for this battle and its contingencies. Cain bows to the council and takes a seat listening to the ladies idea.

"I think largely this potential idea has been teased out through our discussion. In essense, it is simply this - we lure or tempt the enemy into sailing up the Baelriver and then trap them in it. Denying their access to open water and regaining control of the sea for ourselves. To expand: Using our new communications tool lookouts on the island can inform us of the locations of enemy ships even as we approach. With that information we can send three warships of ours flying imperial regalia past the enemy and up the river to reinforce Baelsport. Such a lure would be most likely tempt the Rebels into gathering in force and persuing I think. Once they do our bait ships and our shore agents can use the same entanglement ink trick to inform the rest of the fleet, that part containing our equipment which in the meantime would be safely hanging back, exactly whether and when the Rebels take the bait. Whereupon it can then move in behind and unbeknownst to the enemy to place a chain-boom across the estuary and offload our engines to the shore for assembly. Pre-arranged placements of men and supplies for our advantage on arrival would greatly smooth that process, there are people there who no doubt know the estuary intimately and could well conceal small boats and barges to aid us. Once we have that secured the fate of the blockade is sealed and we can deal with their ships almost at leisure. Though I would not leave it too long, if rest of the Rebels are much like the woman your Master Boone interviewed, then once they know that they are undone they will likely blow themselves to smithereens. Now I could stand up here all day and try to concieve of every possible permutation and contintengency, but I will not for I think such a task impossible. As I said before, I am not a naval commander, I am merely presenting a possible alternative strategy for the council's consideration. The tactical details and minutia of it's implementation I must leave to our esteemed captains for their experience and expertise would be far more valuable on that matter."

Matters have taken an interesting turn; last night, the Grey Wing was sent to Bael's Isle to test the enemy defences. We already knew she was faster than most of the enemy ships as long as she made sure the wind was in her favour. Most interesting is the fact that Lord De Courcey recorded a change in the behaviour of the enemy ships near the mouth of Baelsport harbour long before Grey Wing came in sight of Bael's Isle; from this I think we can safely say that the Rebels have their own watchers stationed somewhere. They may have seen her leave Haven but more likely is that the rebels have a shore party on Bael's Isle somewhere towards the northern tip. This complicates matters, but it is good we know.

Boone: "What ever the plan then, we should smuggle a small group across quiet-like to the island first to find that lookout" Aurelia: "I very much agree with that, we will need a number of days to prepare in any event so during that time our people could be making their way there and tracking down and blinding the Rebel's eyes. There is a woman Sharleen who desires to go the island, her combat prowess is more than considerable, her and a number of other agents would be able to eliminate any rebels on the island-" Boone: "Wait, wait, I know they are our enemy and we have to fight if it come to it but have we tried any talking yet? These rebels think the empire is nothing but a monster and frankly the empire doesnt always do itself any favours in that regard. Maybe if we tried to show them that we ant the monsters they think, they'd be prepared to come to terms? We could have peace without any more blood." Aurelia: "Are you serious, Master Boone? You think showing mercy and kindness to traitors and murderers like these will actually bring peace?" Boone: "Is it really not worth a try? Will spilling these Rebel's blood bring back our dead? No, it won't! Death for death is just more death all round. I suggest if we find this group of lookouts we capture em with little bloodshed as possible. Then we use them to send a peace offer. Someit like a pardon for any Rebel that surrenders peacefully, something to show them they have a chance to live a good an honest life yet." Aurelia: "Even if you were right in this case, would it not just encourage the next group of malcontent ne'erdowells to go on another rampage of murder and destruction knowing that if they fail they will just be allowed to return to life as normal?" Boone: "Perhaps there wont be another group of malcontents if we follow this path..."

Cain steps up and clears his throat It seems we need to add to this plan of ours. I wanted to keep the ships as close to the Maladon shore as possible to avoid this but its likely hard to hide a flotilla of nine ships. The nighttime should slow them down but will likely not stop them from noticing us and I am sure the scouts will be carrying some type of messenger bird. I agree that we should send a group to deal with these enemies before the fleet passes or keep them occupied while they pass but there is still the problem of a possible message bird does anyone in the companies have some type of trained hawks or owls to chase down and kill their messenger bird? It is best if we have this battle on a new moon when the night and sea is at its darkest to help aid our ships in stealthily passing as well we do not know how may lookouts they have posted. 

Hmm; you make an excellent point Master Cain! The next new moon is on the 45th of Havis; that is 11 days hence, though we could go a few days earlier, as the thin crescent of the waning moon is very dim. The tides are favourable on those dates also. Ulrich stands and says The new moon will limit the effectiveness of our familiars mind. Even those with darkvision can see a very small area and it will be easy to miss enemies if we lose sight of them because of the vastness of the ocean. I still agree though, that it is better this way. The ink should give us an advantage, though communication is still not real time because of the need to have a different ink for each pairing.

Yes Ulrich that is why I am setting it up so that you and your students have their own boat out of sight and protected. Under the deck where the lights will be unseen we will set up eight desks where the students can use their familiars and send out information out to each boat. Think of it as a spider web your students catch the enemy with their familiars, then they relay the information to the proper desks for each boat, and send it out to our commanders on the other ships... our eight spiders. Information is a powerful thing and is the reason why I devoted an entire boat to this and is what I think will win us this battle. I will also be on that ship giving commands to the fleet accompanied by our best naval captian if I am allowed. There will be no need for each ship to communicate to each other slowing the process because we will be doing that for them allowing us to act as a single unit. As for the familiars I am no expert in this field I will let you pick a day that will give us best cover and a balance of sight.

I wanted to make a nice RP post about suggesting we use Shark familiars to break the enemy rodders; haven't had the time.

After the battle with the boats when Cain returns to Haven walking through the streets dragging the rebel flag at the he goes to the Iron Fists and asks the ones who had helped him in his task to follow him to the council. If they join he walks with them to the gates of the castle and asks to be permitted as he wishes to speak to the council of the rebels demise. If Cain is allowed access he bends out a knee and puts the bloodied rebel flag in front of him and kneels in front of the council bowing his head. I have brought to you the flag of the rebel commander that I helped slay on this past noon along with his patches I think his name was Black Jack Gorden. But I will start from the beginning. Me and my comrades found a way to cut off the enemies food supplies allowing us to break the blockade without having to shed much of our fleets blood so I jumped on this opportunity although it made us rely on the help of the pirates which I was not too afraid to loose from our fleet for the reward that this could have brought. Adolpho of the sashes was kind enough to distract the the captain of the pirate vessel whilst the first mate of the ship who we trusted not much but more than we could the captain to sneak us to attack the enemy. We made our way around the top of the Bales Isle and I noticed it was a changing of the guard and two enemy vessels were west of the Island way out of position. I saw this as an opportunity for our fleet to hit them when the weary were leaving and their watch posts left open. Cain looks morose at the point where he sent out the fleet looking as to almost shed a tear. We crashed into an enemy trap of a boom crossing a river we were entering and the pirate ship was destroyed. We were forced to go ashore and over a long battle we managed to finish off the enemy there mostly with the help of these men of the Fists. We also found the information that my thoughts were correct they do indeed use messenger birds to communicate and hopefully the storm has taken most of them but it may be wise to keep falcons and owls patrolling to cut off the rest. We then made our way to a shepherds bothy to get away from that freak of nature that was the storm that day. After it had passed there were three riders of the Black and White that told us that Bales port castle was under attack so we made our way there and found the rebels burning the city. We tried to parlay with them offering them to either lay down their weapons and get fair trial by the council under the premise of being warriors or fight and die. They felt it important to die like men of war and so they did. The men of the Fists were also instrumental in taking down the rebels and that is when I helped slay the enemy leader Black Jack Goran and took this flag and his patch from him to give to you as a gift. Cain still on his knees once again looks solemn and clenches his fists tightly to the point where blood can be seen dripping from between his fingers. Lord templar, Ulrich, and the Black Lions.... I am sorry... I am a fool who has sent our ships and our men to their deaths because of a stupid decision and I can not bring them back but what I can do is repent for getting them killed. Please punish me as you see fit for my folly. I take full responsibility for I am the one who gave the order. But I do ask of you to commend these men of the Fists for they have fought more bravely than any other I have seen and our success was on thier shoulders.

Lord Linden the Seneschal looks at you for a moment. His face is haggard and it appears as if he has not slept in a long time. Master Cain; you have done Haven and the Empire a great service. Haven will survive this winter because of your efforts. The loss of the ships was regrettable and has perhaps taken the shine off of your glory, but you have our thanks nonetheless. I would like to know how this freak weather was not foresee Master Ulrich. Ulrich clears his throat and says; I fear the storm was the result of some kind of magic. It was too intense and blew up too quickly to be natural. I am not suggestion that the destruction of our fleet was its aim; in fact, given what we learned today, I think the Imperial Fleet was the target. Yes; that's right Master Cain. The Empire sent a fleet of fifty ships to Maladon through the Myst Tide ere it closed. Those ships and indeed many others that were due to arrive as a normal part of the colony effort, were likely all sunk. The loss of life must have been prodigious, besides which our own losses must be counted as a drop in the ocean.................. Enough of this talk! says the Seneschal! This should be a time of mourning. The Empire has suffered a great blow; and we must look to our own for another year, for the Myst tide is due to close today or tomorrow. There is little time for any new ships to come through to us and there are many vital supplies we will need if we are to last until the Empire can relieve us through the Medaran Myst Tide. This is a bittersweet day indeed, but I grant Cain Immortaui The Order of the Empire medal is recognition of this victory. I am sorry that circumstances prevent us from awarding you a triumph but you have the thanks of this council.

Cain's face seems to relax a bit after the tension is eased Thank you Seneshchal I will take the victory with the defeat and leaning of this meddling I will do everything in my power to find those who are responsible and bring them to justice for sending my brothers of the light and other members of the companies to their graves. I wish to build a funeral pyre in the lower city for the lost so that each who has lost someone may come to mourn. And perhaps if you would allow we could build a monument over the ash in honor of them and a day of great victory and loss. If I am needed for anything you can find me there arranging it and giving prayer for the lost. 

Permission for an Imperial Monument is hereby granted. Now council members; I propose we collect a new tax with the aim of building a fleet of 10 new ships before the spring storms render us vulnerable to fresh attacks....................