by Dean Henegar
Recruitment Center: 100 resources/10 gold. The recruitment center allows for more rapid replacement of lost forces. It increases the replenishment of standard soldiers to three per hour, advanced soldiers at two per day, and elite soldiers at two per week. Further upgrades may unlock the recruitment of auxiliary units. Auxiliary units are specialized soldiers drafted from other parts of the Imperium. Common auxiliary formations include specialized ranged, skirmisher, magical, or cavalry forces that are not common to the standard Imperium legion.
The level two garrison was still out of my price range, but the aid station and recruitment center were not. I checked my coin situation, as well as how many resources I had.
Current Funds: 71 gold, 93 silver, 50 copper.
Current Resources: 325
There was no point in holding back resources or coin at this time. My soldiers pay differential was going to be covered for quite a bit longer and the taxes from the town were sure to sustain my payroll needs before then. If the taxes didn’t sustain the funds, it would mean I had done something wrong and failed in my duty to protect and grow the town. I activated both the upgrades that I could afford and the sounds of construction were heard throughout the garrison. According to the system, both upgrades would be finished in the next half hour. I scanned the war table interface looking for anything I could do to improve defenses. I found a greyed-out tab labeled fixed defenses, but it required a level two garrison to unlock. Until I came up with 100 gold and 500 resources, I was maxed out as far as upgrades went. Checking on the war table recon reports, I could see there was nothing showing except for the same rise of the ghoul lord event. I made a mental note not to become overly engrossed in the war table in order to avoid future unnecessary assassinations. While I finished up at the war table, the sound of yelling and angry voices was heard coming from outside the barracks.
Stepping outside my barracks, I could see that the sergeant for the defensive garrison and several of his soldiers were disarming a dwarf at the garrison entrance. The sergeant for the defensive garrison forces was labeled as a generic sergeant elite npc and didn’t have a name like my own Sergeant Brooks. The AI seemed to do this with a lot of the military forces, as there were only a few of the soldiers that ever were named in my unit. Sadly, all the named soldiers were gone, killed in action. Sergeant Brooks was the exception, surviving all our encounters so far; an exception that I hoped would continue. The dwarf became increasingly angry as he was being disarmed, shouting and complaining in an urgent voice that was somewhat hard to understand due to his thick accent.
“Acckk, why do ye need to take me weapons when I have an important message from one o’ your own,” the dwarf squawked. I looked at his information as I walked over to see what the commotion was about.
Rollox Foe-hewer: Dwarven Pathfinder Level 4. The dwarven pathfinders are experts at stealth and tracking in the wilds. They scout for forgotten dwarven ruins and provide advanced warning of any threats to their clans.
“Hold up, soldier,” I said to the soldier stripping the dwarf of his weapons. The pile of weapons contained a strange looking crossbow, two throwing axes, a battle axe, and a war hammer. The soldier was just getting to the numerous knives the dwarf had concealed about his person when I interrupted. “I’m Lieutenant Raytak, in command of the garrison. You said you had a message for us?” I questioned.
The dwarf looked up at me and then grunted.
“Heh, I guess you’re the one Ty told me ta speak at. He sent me ‘ere with a message,” Rollox said as he handed me a note.
Raytak:
I’m about a day’s travel west from the main road leaving the transition point. Here at the base of the southern border mountains I discovered an ancient dwarven mine. The quest that I was following triggered an update, when I discovered what has turned out to be a band of mercenary slavers. They are holding a large band of goblins prisoner, forcing them to work the mine. Just a short way out from the mine, I came across Rollox and his band fighting with some npc gnolls that were looking to join up with the slavers. Rollox was sent by his clan to search for a lost prospecting band and believes they may have also been taken prisoner. I helped take care of the gnolls that Rollox and his party were fighting, and together we set up an observation point. I estimate the current enemy forces present in the area are as follows.
20-25 npc gnoll slavers, level 3
15-20 npc human slavers, levels varying from 2-4
1 level 3 player, rogue.
1 level 4 player, mage/type unknown.
An unknown number of opponents are likely inside the mine guarding the prisoners, but we’re unable to get close enough to find out without alerting the slavers to our presence.
It appears the players and the humans are in charge. Gnolls are just the hired muscle. The pc mage seems to be the big boss of the whole operation. Rollox said that he and his three companions had already been here for a few days scouting the area and have noticed an increase in the number of gnolls arriving. Initially there were only a half dozen here; now their numbers are up to 20-25 as small bands of four or five continuously trickle in. The rogue arrived today and seems to be staying to help out the mage. The AI notification is saying this a zone-critical location and I can see there is a respawn graveyard here. Should a significant hostile force of players begin to gather here, they could threaten Hayden’s Knoll and have a close by-point to respawn and regroup if they die.
Rollox can act as a guide for you and knows the location we’ve set up as a meeting point. Come quickly and bring all the troops you can spare. This is our best chance to end the threat of these slavers before they reach critical mass. We should in no way allow a band of slavers anywhere in the zone. Should we fail in the attack, the quest says the slavers, and the threat they represent, will multiply.
Confirmation code is Zulu, Seven, Quebec, Foxtrot, Uniform.
Ty
I checked the message against the confirmation codes that Ty had given me before he left on the quest. The codes matched, letting me know the message was true and the messenger could be trusted. I copied the note to my log as a quest prompt appeared.
Quest Issued: Smashing the Slavers. A band of pc and npc slavers has been spotted occupying a critical location in the zone. Eliminate this scourge and free the slaves. Failure to defeat this foe in the next five days will result in the threat escalating.
Reward: 1000 experience, 100 resources, 25 gold. Other unknown rewards may be received based on performance.
I contemplated for a few moments before hitting the accept button. I was concerned about leaving the town with fewer defenders, but this was a threat that I refused to ignore. It was time I started to act decisively. It was time to assemble my forces and march to battle, holding nothing back.
“Let Mr. Rollox have his weapons back. He is an ally, not another assassin, Sergeant. Thank you and your men for your diligence,” I said to the soldiers, as I watched Sergeant Brooks approach. “Sergeant Brooks, assemble all the troops we have. Everyone that can carry a blade is to fall into formation. Full battle rattle, rations for ten days, and make sure every soldier brings at least two extra javelins... I have a feeling we’re going to need them. I’m heading over to the town hall to find Mayor Delling. I need to let him know we’re moving out. Have everyone ready to go when I return. Carry on, Sergeant,” I forcefully stated before double-timing it to the town hall.
I found Delling in his office, going over the town planning table. He looked up as I entered, more cautious, as well, after being assassinated.
“I just received word from Ty. That quest he was sent on has turned out to be another threat. Just a day’s travel from the main road near the transition point he found a group of slavers working an old dwarven mine. They are mostly npc’s but there are also a few players that seem to be running things. If we don’t remove this threat, we’ll have more trouble than just the Bloody Blades on our doorstep. The location is showing as zone critical and has a graveyard there for re
spawning. Allowing another hostile group to take up residence so near to us can’t be allowed to happen. I’m heading out right now with everything I can muster,” I told Delling and watched to see his reaction. Delling appeared concerned, but then steeled himself before responding.
“I was going to ask you to leave some of your forces behind to help guard the town, but I agree we need to be bold in our response to threats. Show these slavers, the Bloody Blades, and anyone else who’s watching, that we aren’t just going to hide within the town and wait for them to burn it down around us again. Between the town guard and your defensive garrison, we’ll be fine. I’ve squirreled away a few coins and will prepare some quests asking for players to help us in the town defense, if things get bad.” Delling smiled before continuing. “Take them out, Raytak…but try not to die this time.” We both had a laugh at my recent string of deaths before I hustled back to the garrison.
Sergeant Brooks had the men lined up in ranks. We were only missing three squads that should link up with us out on the main road. The two squads guarding the transition point and the one squad at the crossroads hadn’t made it back yet after being replaced by the defensive garrison forces. I took my place at the head of the formation and addressed the troops.
“Soldiers of the Imperium! Sergeant Ty has discovered a force of slavers on our very doorstep. This evil cannot be allowed to continue in our zone. It is time we began to take this entire zone back into the arms of the Imperium. Today we march not only to defeat our foes, but also to free the oppressed. Today we march to show our foes that we will not cower in fear while hiding in the town. Today we march to blood and glory. Today let everyone know that the 1st Legion of Hayden’s Knoll marches to war! Sergeant Brooks, post the standard.” The soldier assigned to carry our battle standard marched forward, taking the battle standard from Brooks and moving to the front of the formation. The bronze wolf atop the standard gleamed in the torchlight as I had the soldier place our first battle banner on the standard. Turning to the sergeant of the defensive garrison, I ordered, “Sergeant, we have several of our scouts that will spawn here over the next few days, as well as replacements for any casualties we may have during the fight with the slavers. The standing order is for all of my troops spawning here to join up with our main force as quickly as possible. They are to join the legion at the best possible speed they can.” As I gave my order, the sergeant of the defensive garrison snapped to attention and saluted. It was time to move out.
I looked at the gleaming bronze battle standard and saw the Latin word Primus engrave itself on the standard as a system prompt appeared.
New Unit Created: Your discipline and honorable service to the Imperium has allowed you to forge your first named unit. The forces of the Imperium, commanded by Lieutenant Raytak, have been named the 1st Hayden’s Knoll Legion. *Note: Units of the Imperium are usually named for the regions in which they were originally formed. Soldiers belonging to named units have a higher level of morale and the unit may unlock further honors, through their actions, that can increase other abilities.
I tried to maintain my military bearing and not show the smile that threated to break out on my face. It was such a joy to have this chance to lead brave soldiers in battle. This game has given me another chance to experience so much of what I had thought was lost in my life. The soldiers formed into a column of two, the only formation that would fit down the somewhat narrow streets of the town. The sound of over seventy soldiers marching in unison was just what I needed to hear. A flood of long forgotten memories unlocked themselves from my damaged mind and began to cascade in front of me as we began to march.
I saw myself as a raw recruit, struggling to march in unison with other newly minted infantry soldiers, under the hot, muggy sun of Fort Benning, Georgia. I saw my forces marching off the transport plane and then into the arms of loved ones after a difficult deployment. I saw the faces of men and women I had served with over the years; some lifelong friends, some dying too soon in the vagaries of battle. While viewing the memories, tears began to stream down my face as I belted out an old army cadence. To my surprise, the npc soldiers knew the cadence, despite its modern references, and began to take it up, repeating each line of the cadence loudly after I belted them out.
“Oh soldier.
Oh soldier.
Combat soldier.
Combat soldier.
Pick up your weapon and follow me.
Pick up your weapon and follow me.
I am Infantry…
I am Infantry…”
The sergeant took over calling cadence as several whisper messages from nearby players appeared in my interface.
Dude, what’s going on? Is this some kind of event?
Woah, how do you unlock the commander class?
That’s awesome! Can I join the quest you guys are going on?
We had gathered quite a crowd of spectators as we exited the town; the guardsmen at the entrance coming to attention and saluting as we passed. Once on the main road, we were able to shake out into a column widened to four soldiers across. I had the few scouts and Rollox, who had volunteered his services, out in front to warn us of any potential danger. The complete 1st platoon, which had all five squads assembled, was in the front. I had the two squads from the depleted 2nd platoon trailing us. They would fill out as we gathered the remaining squads on the road to our destination. I walked in the front of the column alongside the standard bearer and Sergeant Brooks was marching in the first rank of 2nd platoon. We maintained a brisk pace as we marched to face a new enemy.
Chapter 18
We made good time, due to traveling on a road instead of the cross-country route my last adventure had taken me on. After an hour on the road we came across the squad from 2nd platoon that had been assigned to defend the crossroad. They had been relieved by the defensive garrison troops and were making their way back toward town. Sergeant Brooks had them fall in with the rest of the depleted 2nd platoon and we continued on our way. Our forces arrived at the crossroads and we called a halt to the travel until morning. We would be pushing hard again tomorrow and I wanted to keep the troops from becoming too exhausted. We built the fortified camp in an open field south of the crossroads.
Looking to the north, the ruins of the first town of Hayden’s Knoll were a bleak reminder of the seriousness of our work. The garrison troops, despite only being on post for a few hours, had begun to create an actual defensive checkpoint at this critical road juncture. Lumber from the old town had been used to create a small observation tower, as well as some simple barricades across the road that could be moved aside quickly to let legitimate traffic through. A small, yet fortified, guard house for the troops to sleep in was the next step. Once they had finished the basic defenses for the crossroads, the troops would begin to construct roads within their area of responsibility. Their area of responsibility would extend for about a half mile out on each of the three directions that the roads occupied. The road would eventually begin to extend from the town and link up here at the crossroads before continuing to the transition point.
Just before dawn, we broke down our fortified camp and formed up to continue our journey. The road turned to the south just past the crossroad and would eventually end at the transition point. We passed a small caravan of eight wagons that were heading toward Hayden’s Knoll. The garrison squad tasked with patrolling the road marched alongside them, happy to provide security since their patrol was taking them back to the crossroads from the transition point anyway. The caravan consisted of a merchant with his five wagons of goods, along with three new families that were looking to join the town. After briefly chatting with the npc’s, I discovered that the AI-controlled settlers considered the area to be “dangerous”, but the families had been attracted to a life with more freedom and lower taxes than they faced in the “safe” areas of the Imperium. We were several hours from the transition point when the last two squads from 2nd platoon joined up with us. All the critical locations in th
e zone now had their own defensive forces and my men were finally all together for the first time in a long time. Rollox led us off the main road here. There were the remains of an old road that led in the direction in which we were heading. Rollox advised us that in the distant past the mine used this road to reach the transition point. It had fallen into disuse when the dwarves at the mine were wiped out. We headed southwest toward our foes, paralleling the road and attempting to remain out of sight as much as possible. Ty hadn’t mentioned that the slavers were sending out any patrols, but I wasn’t taking any chances. We pushed hard, wanting to be close to our objective before we stopped for the day. We did finally stop for the night and I was pleased when an advanced scout joined our forces. He had respawned back in town and ran hard to reach us before the battle. The advanced soldiers were the ones that would take the longest to replenish, at only one per day. We were now at a full 100 standard soldiers, and 4/10 of the advanced scouts.
Shortly after starting out the next day, Rollox had us slow down and move more quietly...as quietly as over 100 soldiers of the Imperium can be. The land around us held a few small trees and waist-high, thorny, scrub brush. The harsh and prickly brush was a real pain to walk through and we all found ourselves picking the thorns from our hides every few minutes. The scouts and Rollox watched our antics smugly, their class abilities letting them avoid the annoying plants. After picking the latest thorn from my leg, I looked up to see Ty towering over me. The one-armed half orc gave a stupid looking grin as he spoke.
“Just like the army to make too much noise and not know how to move through rough country. Good thing this marine is here to hold your hand…good to see you again, Raytak,” Ty said as he slapped me on the shoulder. With him were the other four dwarven pathfinders, all level three. I ordered everyone to crouch down out of sight while Ty debriefed us.
