|
Post by Marlow on Feb 26, 2016 14:50:44 GMT -5
Standing on the bow of his great flagship, Kalvin Sucks the Iron Imperator, Harwyn stared at the growing coastline of Sothoryos with a quiet grumble. With a war fleet carrying over one thousand men at his back, the jungled continent ahead still gave him an uneasy feeling. The last time he had been here, he'd fled from a demon with a magical book that taught wizardy shit, and now it was time for his revenge. He was going to tame this bitch or die trying.
Turning to his first mate, Harwyn gave the orders for scouts to find the nearest suitable landing sight before searching further inland.
(Scouting 52)
|
|
|
Post by The Forgotten God on Feb 26, 2016 14:57:31 GMT -5
+2 Scouting. His men find a small river delta. He could build an outpost on the delta island and move inland, guarded by the river.
|
|
|
Post by Marlow on Feb 26, 2016 15:01:46 GMT -5
Harwyn does precisely that, sending out four teams of scouts with fifteen men each while the outpost is built. Two are to focus on the terrain, looking for anything valuable and the best way for a large force to travel, while the other two teams are to find any signs of dangerous wildlife or locals.
|
|
|
Post by The Forgotten God on Feb 26, 2016 15:03:54 GMT -5
The river seems the best way to travel, but there is low ground that can be traversed on the east side. The wildlife is gone during the day; likely the predators are nocturnal.
|
|
|
Post by Marlow on Feb 26, 2016 15:36:44 GMT -5
Harwyn leaves half of his men behind at the outpost before sailing up the river, keeping a wary eye out for danger. "We'll spend the first few days fortifying the outpost and looking for somewhere to begin a true settlement. There's likely to be more diseases and predator than the rest of the world combined here, so look at the bright side of it. We won't die old and bored, men."
|
|
|
Post by The Forgotten God on Feb 26, 2016 15:40:18 GMT -5
No one seems to particularly enjoy the thought, not when thirty foot crocodiles swim in the river, and on shore the men see gorillas fifteen feet tall. It's six hours downriver when Harwyn sees a spot; a fork in the river, with a defensible spot in between the tines of the fork. It's not perfect and depending on the animals could be very dangerous, but it's as good as he's seen.
|
|
|
Post by Marlow on Feb 26, 2016 16:03:07 GMT -5
Eyeing the spot and surrounding wildlife, Harwyn orders the men to put to shore. Work begins immediately on constructing defenses, primarily directed at the water, and parties are sent out to gather what they would need for fires to last throughout the night. At this point, trying to sail back upriver would probably be just as dangerous. "I want a constant watch, and if one of those apes gets too close, greet them with a torch. We'll send word back to camp at dawn to have more supplies and men sent down."
|
|
|
Post by The Forgotten God on Feb 26, 2016 16:08:49 GMT -5
The men nod and the camp starts being erected. Night falls with only a thin wall and some tents, and Harwyn can hear the mosquitoes, so loud his very sleep is disturbed by the buzzing. By daybreak they have a slightly better wall. "No apes, m'lord," a soldier said. "But we've been seeing something else. Weird figures at night, we think they're men."
|
|
|
Post by Marlow on Feb 26, 2016 17:03:45 GMT -5
"Strange people-things watching us sleep. Why does this not strike me as a protective ally? Send a boat back up to fetch more men and supplies, and send word back to the Islands that we've began building and need more. I will lead a party out into the jungle until then. If there are people, there will be a camp of their own, and nearby. We should introduce ourselves." Harwyn grinned as he laid one hand on his axe, intending use the exact form of diplomacy that got him sent on this mission to Westeros-Vietnam.
|
|
|
Post by The Forgotten God on Feb 26, 2016 17:08:53 GMT -5
The men nod and send two ships back to the main camp to send word for supplies and soldiers. Harwyn can muster about one hundred men if he wants to keep his new little fort guarded.
|
|
|
Post by Marlow on Feb 26, 2016 18:04:10 GMT -5
Harwyn will bring one hundred, heading off in the direction the soldiers claim to have seen the men, or the highest frequency of sightings. A sweaty march through the jungle only intensified the longing for the cold, barren rocks he called home.
(Scouting 54, associated combat skills if necessary.)
|
|
|
Post by The Forgotten God on Feb 26, 2016 18:25:14 GMT -5
Harwyn sees primitive trail roads, all leading southeast, parallel more or less to each other. Something big must be that way. He sees no people in a days' travel.
|
|
|
Post by Marlow on Feb 26, 2016 18:35:33 GMT -5
Harwyn debates placing men along the trails as advance sentries, but decides against it considering the unfamiliar terrain, and them being natives. He'd probably never see the men again. "We know now where they will come from, I want a fire built outside of our defenses to see if we can get a better look. Parties will continue to gather wood and stone with fifteen guards per group. Let's see if we can all make it back home."
|
|
|
Post by The Forgotten God on Feb 26, 2016 18:54:44 GMT -5
The men nod. For two days nothing happens, but on the third day, when reinforcements arrive, Harwyn hears a weird sound, a low, dull roar, like he's never heard before. It could be an elephant but it is far, far too loud for that.
|
|
|
Post by Marlow on Feb 26, 2016 18:59:42 GMT -5
Harwyn has a feeling that he hasn't had since he jumped off of the boat onto the shore of Myr, raiding a fort. The feeling that this can't possibly be a bad thing. "Boats at the ready and weapons up! Our neighbors might have sent their welcoming party, so let's show some Ironborn manners."
|
|