Discipline
The PCs are hired to remove splinters of discontent and desertion from the feet of the Prince's Army...
Diary of John Corlestone, spy for the Prince's Army. 1592, the fall of Neles, Franusia.
The whelp. Utter lack of experience. The only reason we pulled through was because our generals knew what they were up to and took little notice of his arrogant orders. And he has the gall to call his 'his little victory'?! After the city fell, he rode through the streets, fresh from the battle tent with his combed hair and sweet-smelling armpits. The streets full of his injured soldiers and he told them how fortunate they were to fight for such a great leader as Himself. They spat at him. And a Prince who cannot command the respect of his army is no fit Prince.
One would think that now that we have Neles, the rest of Franusia would be well within our grasp. But the men are a shambles. Weary of the four year siege they've taken this catharsis to heart and are looting the surrounding countryside. Raping, burning, stealing. And he does NOTHING to stop them. It is beyond him and he knows, but still he smiles and says he will humour the men. If this is how he hopes to regain their trust and respect it is entirely the wrong way to go about it. Some of the more hot-headed lieutenants have led bands of soldiers off to nearby towns to take control and set up their own little lordships. No better than DESERTERS! With Allemonia to the East ever wary of our war against their neighbours, this behaviour is dangerous: on seeing the disorder of our men they could march on us and take the damned whole country. It is an intolerable situation. Measures must be taken...
The PCs could be hired by John Corlestone or another of the generals to help sort out the mess. This is more of a campaign setting with a number of possibilities for development:
* They could help assassinate the Prince. This could lead to yet more problems as the generals themselves started quarrelling over power.
* They could go out on missions to bring back the errant soldiers and instil some sense of duty into them, forever wary of pockets of Franusian resistance and on the lookout for Allemonian spies. This might prove difficult if the lieutenants have fortified the small towns they occupied and won't let anybody in.
* Some of the more chaotic characters could join in with the looting.
* In the long term, they might end up being spies or tactical advisors against a possible Allemonian attack. Or maybe there's a double agent among them who's already reporting back to Allemonia on the disarray of the Prince's Army...
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? Responses (6)
Short and sweet. I enjoy greatly.
4/5.
While well-written, it is but another variation on the classical 'incompetent superior' plot. If there was some added twist, as why the prince is incompetent, a choice of successors for him, or the very same choice of successors strictly ruling out a removal of the prince (talking about lesser evils here). They could be even hired teachers for the prince, trying to bring him to at least average level. So: 3/5
I likes :)
Personally, I'd hire the PCs to perform a kidnapping - kidnap the prince (out of the middle of the army), take him away and basically abuse him - toughen him up. Once he is 'rescued' he'll be a bitter man, and will use his anger to take control of the army again. Either that or he'll curl up in his tent and wont come out again - either way, He'll either be fixed, or out of the way for the general to take command. The best way to chop down vain, arrogant men, is to tear that arrogance forcefully from them by belittling them.
Harsh. Cruel, perhaps, but effective. ^^
'I want you to kidnap the prince of this field. I am the only one who knows of you doing this, and if you are caught, I will deny ever knowing you. You must get him out of the camp and hold him hostage in the forest nearby Until I come for him in a few days. The rougher you treat him, the better.'
Aaaand just for that added twist - one of the PC's is a double agent? He gets word to the enemy that the prince is by himself with only a few other people in the forest - There'll be mercenaries and bands after them to kill the PC's and capture the prince for a 'hostage'.
4/5
Ah, I hadn't considered those possibilities. Perhaps the Prince is working for a foreign power and intentionally disrupting the plans for conquest. Perhaps the power has promised to get rid of his father and install the Prince as King (without any suspicion falling on the Prince).
ephe!
Or maybe another twist:
The general who hires the PCs takes the ransom money to ransom his own son who has been kidnapped but the King has refused to help.
The comments added greatly to this one. A simple idea with many possibilities.