Hi folks, I come back to you because I feel like I need people who are really really really into Exalted to come up with the best answers to my questions.
I'm the ST for my group. Next weekend we continue our story after a pretty big hiatus. They're heroic mortals, very combat-optimized. This scenario's set in a small city I placed at the midway point between Chiaroscuro and Paragon after a request for some Classical Greece flavor from one of my players.
What I've prepped is as follows - the city started growing after the Contagion, as a trading center, and as a pilgrimage site to a local dryad who developed oracular powers thanks to a sidereal-aspected demesne. She reluctantly became the city goddess. Also, First Age ruins were found underground, and some Brass Legionnaires were excavated and slowly reactivated by the local savants.
About 2 centuries ago the Realm conquered the city, forced the cult of the city goddess into obscurity, appropriated the Legionnaires and built a Manse over the Demesne.
About 50 years ago a local savant managed to secretly reprogram the Legionnaires to obey him. The Realm's garrison was also quite small at the time - and even though the people still payed homage to the local goddess in private, they mostly obeyed and weren't big on the whole "dying to chase away the foreign invaders" front.
The goddess began to fuel the fires of revolution, sensing the time was right, and as a matter of fact soon Lunars and their beastmen were smuggling weapons to the populace. The Guild, sensing an opening, started secretly sending bands of mercenaries with orders to help the revolt and if needed to make it happen. Everyone wanted the Realm gone.
It worked. The locals rose up, helped by the Legionnaires, the Lunars, the beastmen, the mercenaries and their own goddess' prophetic insights, and routed the garrison. The goddess had the local savants and Brass Legionnaires demolish the manse to have her demesne back.
The Empress decided it wasn't worth getting her panties in a knot - she didn't want to embroil the Realm in a largely symbolic conflict with the Guild, and the Lunars were a tough enemy too. There were other problems she needed to take care of, so this one would have to wait.
Then of course she disappeared.
Now a Cathak matriarch has decided the House could gain even more power from retaking this lost satrapy. Cainan has decided it might work. And they're sending troops to retake the small city and the nearby settlements.
First question: I know Cathak has Harborhead under its rule. Do they have actual legions there? Could they spare one to march from Kirighast, then around Chiaroscuro, and attack the city from the East?
Or would it make more sense for them to send ships from Arjuf (or some other port on the southern coast of the Blessed Isle), while leaving the troops garrisoned at Harborhead there, without spreading themselves too thin on the ground?
Second question: the size of the conquering force. Would they send a full legion? Less? More? Commanded by a general or some less prestigious officer? I know very little about the Realm's war machine...
I was thinking to have them send a field force of about 1,000 women and men divided in 2 dragons, with skirmishers, light cavalry, and a sorcerer. The commander I've statted out is an Essence 2 House of Bell alumnus with mostly melee and war charms, Pyre of Legions and Sozen the Cataphract of Keys. The sorcerer is her brother, another Essence 2 Cathak, with spells like River of Blood and Violent Opening of Closed Portals, among others, and perhaps Water Dragon style if it comes to that. They have some interesting stratagems in store if the city doesn't surrender (and if the players have their say, it certainly won't).
Would it be more sensible for Cathak to send more troops, under perhaps an expert general? I really like those 2 npcs, but if it doesn't make sense to send a couple Essence 2 DBs to retake a city I could leave the commander in charge of a smaller amount of troops and put someone more experienced to lead the whole effort.
Thank you for reading all of this. Now, if you have any suggestions, please do give me your input. I'm very unsure of all this plot I've devised. I'd like it to make as much sense, and to follow as much canon (preferably 3e, although if other editions have some helpful details, why not?), as it possibly can.
Thanks again.
I'm the ST for my group. Next weekend we continue our story after a pretty big hiatus. They're heroic mortals, very combat-optimized. This scenario's set in a small city I placed at the midway point between Chiaroscuro and Paragon after a request for some Classical Greece flavor from one of my players.
What I've prepped is as follows - the city started growing after the Contagion, as a trading center, and as a pilgrimage site to a local dryad who developed oracular powers thanks to a sidereal-aspected demesne. She reluctantly became the city goddess. Also, First Age ruins were found underground, and some Brass Legionnaires were excavated and slowly reactivated by the local savants.
About 2 centuries ago the Realm conquered the city, forced the cult of the city goddess into obscurity, appropriated the Legionnaires and built a Manse over the Demesne.
About 50 years ago a local savant managed to secretly reprogram the Legionnaires to obey him. The Realm's garrison was also quite small at the time - and even though the people still payed homage to the local goddess in private, they mostly obeyed and weren't big on the whole "dying to chase away the foreign invaders" front.
The goddess began to fuel the fires of revolution, sensing the time was right, and as a matter of fact soon Lunars and their beastmen were smuggling weapons to the populace. The Guild, sensing an opening, started secretly sending bands of mercenaries with orders to help the revolt and if needed to make it happen. Everyone wanted the Realm gone.
It worked. The locals rose up, helped by the Legionnaires, the Lunars, the beastmen, the mercenaries and their own goddess' prophetic insights, and routed the garrison. The goddess had the local savants and Brass Legionnaires demolish the manse to have her demesne back.
The Empress decided it wasn't worth getting her panties in a knot - she didn't want to embroil the Realm in a largely symbolic conflict with the Guild, and the Lunars were a tough enemy too. There were other problems she needed to take care of, so this one would have to wait.
Then of course she disappeared.
Now a Cathak matriarch has decided the House could gain even more power from retaking this lost satrapy. Cainan has decided it might work. And they're sending troops to retake the small city and the nearby settlements.
First question: I know Cathak has Harborhead under its rule. Do they have actual legions there? Could they spare one to march from Kirighast, then around Chiaroscuro, and attack the city from the East?
Or would it make more sense for them to send ships from Arjuf (or some other port on the southern coast of the Blessed Isle), while leaving the troops garrisoned at Harborhead there, without spreading themselves too thin on the ground?
Second question: the size of the conquering force. Would they send a full legion? Less? More? Commanded by a general or some less prestigious officer? I know very little about the Realm's war machine...
I was thinking to have them send a field force of about 1,000 women and men divided in 2 dragons, with skirmishers, light cavalry, and a sorcerer. The commander I've statted out is an Essence 2 House of Bell alumnus with mostly melee and war charms, Pyre of Legions and Sozen the Cataphract of Keys. The sorcerer is her brother, another Essence 2 Cathak, with spells like River of Blood and Violent Opening of Closed Portals, among others, and perhaps Water Dragon style if it comes to that. They have some interesting stratagems in store if the city doesn't surrender (and if the players have their say, it certainly won't).
Would it be more sensible for Cathak to send more troops, under perhaps an expert general? I really like those 2 npcs, but if it doesn't make sense to send a couple Essence 2 DBs to retake a city I could leave the commander in charge of a smaller amount of troops and put someone more experienced to lead the whole effort.
Thank you for reading all of this. Now, if you have any suggestions, please do give me your input. I'm very unsure of all this plot I've devised. I'd like it to make as much sense, and to follow as much canon (preferably 3e, although if other editions have some helpful details, why not?), as it possibly can.
Thanks again.
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