HFQ Official Snippet #19 (I think)

jeremyr wrote:

Larry wrote:There are days I would kill for a good map.


.VI.
Fifty Miles East of Malys,
The South March Lands,
Republic of Siddarmark.

Anybody know where there is a map that shows Malys?
I can't seem to find this on any of the online maps.


Larry

That's what I want to know too. I can't find it anywhere either.

I took that map of the South March lands out of LAMA's print edition, scanned and enlarged it, and then used some of the maps on the fifth imperium web site to mark in Trevor, Evertyn, the Sherdian River. It does help with Hanth's situation and Ahlverez's tactical problem as he retreats from the Kyplyngyr Forest. No help with where he is in the here and now...

I suspect we won't have current maps until HFQ is published.

Don

tootall wrote:We all speculated on the number of troops Sir Rainos still has--30 thou of his own isn't much given what he started with.
Those 10 thou Desnairians "may" be a huge pain for him. Do they try to insist on any of their earlier prerogatives? Are they horse? Are they dismounted horse? Are they those woeful abused infantry? Are they just hungry mouths? Who are their commanding officers? How many of those thousands of his own are his supply train people?

I imagine a fair bit were parts of the supply train and such protection it had from armed troops - you can collect them as you retreat and tell them to follow along. Or try to maintain a shrinking supply chain for the remaining mouths as you head back there, the only bright side.

I'm pretty sure any Desnairian who is with Ahlvarez at this point is (1) finally in touch with this nasty thing we call "reality" and understands that tents with carpeting and champagne are not happening anymore, and (2) welcome to sit down and become comfy heretic POW's if they have a problem with that. Desnairian infantry would be a lot more tolerable, apart from not coming complete with tasty horseflesh for dinner. Someone else with a better recollection of what forces were where at the beginning of Ahlvarez' retreat may have better answers as to composition of those forces.

Food shouldn't be too much of a problem- I'm sure they are butchering their dead animals-(ick).

Hunger makes a fine sauce, and it's not as though the horse has feed either. It's one of you, Mr. Ed, and some ten of us. And we're armed, omnivores, and meaner. (The army mules, those things the squad may be afraid to tackle. For now.)

I am surprised that he hasn't considered abandoning most of his artillery already. He must know that he's only trying to save his troops at this point. He must have transport problems that artillery animals would help with.

Interesting place to end.

Transport problems, and dinner problems both those animals can address!

But still, the heretics will be along. If he has no artillery, he may as well sit down and wait to be a heretic POW himself given what their rifles and mortars can do. Field artillery, set up in a rush, can keep a handful of Charisians from finishing it off. And if he can get back, Dohlar with the artillery park still has an army - something to hold passes, a cadre to re-build around. If the heavy equipment is left behind (the heavy equipment on four legs is already being reassigned to field kitchens), he's got a bunch of starved, shocked guys streaming home with outdated firearms.

Come to think of it, the survivors probably have such a low opinion of proud Desnairian cavalry right now that eating horses just feels like some form of revenge. Not quite as satisfying as cannibalism would be, but probably on a lot better ground Writ-wise.

For that matter, if his mind's been pried open enough, he may realize that a lot of his field guns may need to go back on ships to defend Dohlar from the seaward side, even if the army can manage without them on the landward one.

n7axw wrote:

Runsforcelery wrote:
.VI.
Fifty Miles East of Malys,
The South March Lands,
Republic of Siddarmark.

I took that map of the South March lands out of LAMA's print edition, scanned and enlarged it, and then used some of the maps on the fifth imperium web site to mark in Trevor, Evertyn, the Sherdian River. It does help with Hanth's situation and Ahlverez's tactical problem as he retreats from the Kyplyngyr Forest. No help with where he is in the here and now...

I suspect we won't have current maps until HFQ is published.

Don

True, but we can do a bit better. Malys is not on the map and he is 50 Miles (!) East. Now, the major towns on the Sheridahn are apparently known and named. If he were in that region, RFC could have given direction by referencing them. That RFC didn't is an indicator, Ahlverez's way East of Cheryk and Fort Sheldyn. Given Ahlverez likely target of heading towards somewhere between Trevyr and Syrk - I don't think he would head to or near Thesmar - Ahlverez should be somewhere (South-) West of Malyktyn. So, he's probably quite in the middle of nowhere, as that part of South March was sparsely populated even before the Sword of Schueler. He could well be moving through "unconsecrated" land. This would explain why there seems to be no hot pursuit - and land him in deep trouble on provisions.
Now, if he is where I suspect he is, the important question is of course, what were Eastshare and High Mount up to?
There should be a part of Eastshare's cavalry that guards the back door towards Fort Sandfish. But the rest might be on the advance from Brahnselyk down the St. Alyk and from Roymark towards Cheryk and Fort Sheldyn.
These troops are well poised to trap Ahlverez - and they should be able to.
Now, Ahlverez himself might be able to escape (I think it more likely that he'd surrender with his troops), but how could he save the remainder of his command? The ICA would have to screw up in a major way.

All ther very best for you and your family, their health is all that matters.

Snow and ice being a problem, is not something we face downunder, its the heat that gets you here.

anwi wrote:
True, but we can do a bit better. Malys is not on the map and he is 50 Miles (!) East. Now, the major towns on the Sheridahn are apparently known and named. If he were in that region, RFC could have given direction by referencing them. That RFC didn't is an indicator, Ahlverez's way East of Cheryk and Fort Sheldyn. Given Ahlverez likely target of heading towards somewhere between Trevyr and Syrk - I don't think he would head to or near Thesmar - Ahlverez should be somewhere (South-) West of Malyktyn. So, he's probably quite in the middle of nowhere, as that part of South March was sparsely populated even before the Sword of Schueler. He could well be moving through "unconsecrated" land. This would explain why there seems to be no hot pursuit - and land him in deep trouble on provisions.
Now, if he is where I suspect he is, the important question is of course, what were Eastshare and High Mount up to?
There should be a part of Eastshare's cavalry that guards the back door towards Fort Sandfish. But the rest might be on the advance from Brahnselyk down the St. Alyk and from Roymark towards Cheryk and Fort Sheldyn.
These troops are well poised to trap Ahlverez - and they should be able to.
Now, Ahlverez himself might be able to escape (I think it more likely that he'd surrender with his troops), but how could he save the remainder of his command? The ICA would have to screw up in a major way.

Maybe. However to trap Ahlverez, they have to know where he is. As you say, there is a lot of unoccuppied ground out there. To be 50 miles from someplace is to suggest he is a quite a way from any place significant, especially for armies on foot. It wouldn't be too hard for them to miss Ahlverez altogether. And that assumes they are even looking for him. In fact about the only reliable way for them to find him would be to trail him and right now we don't have an indicator of that happening.

That being said...you could turn out to be right. We shall see.

Don

Very many thanks, RFC — the preface relieves our minds more than somewhat.

Thank you for the snippet, but for me, the preface was more important.

Many thanks for the snippet, RFC - and especially for the bonus last few paragraphs!

And delighted to hear that things are going OK at Chez Weber - we all worry about you!

"After all these months we finally get an earth shattering Ka-Boom!"

Thanks RFC hope things calm down a bit, hang in there.

Poker

Dilandu wrote:

Randomiser wrote:
In Real Life you may well be right, but is there any textual evidence for breech-loading bombards on Safehold? If not, then they obviously didn't follow that track. What happened in RL doesn't necessarily happen on Safehold, as your complaints about the absence of Monitors shows.

Well:

1) The tehcnical progress generally follow the logical path.

2) The "Writ" definitely aren't include anything about artillery, so the pre-knowlege isn't the factor.

3) The major reason for bombards was the need of destruction of heavy fortification; which, obviously, the Safehold also have.

So, logically, the Safeholdian should at least try this concept.

I see. You don't have a shred of textev then. QED

OK, here's a bone. Bagged charges and trunnions are hard to miss too, but they were radical innovations in OAR. Not so hard to believe they missed breach loaders as well, given those failures and the oppressive opposition to innovation in most of Safehold. But the real point is it's RFC's story and he's entitled to tell it his way and you are not entitled to assume he has made a mistake just because his way isn't your way.

pokermind wrote:

"After all these months we finally get an earth shattering Ka-Boom!"

Thanks RFC hope things calm down a bit, hang in there.

Poker

And instead of a BOOM it goes CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!

Don