Swamped

"Private Burgundy," you say, after some thought. "I have a plan to capture the Rider. I'll need Captain Long's help, and yours as well."

It's important to get Burgundy's support. If she believes the plan will work, she'll be invaluable in persuading Long, should he harbor any doubts.

She seems intrigued at the word "capture". As though she wasn't expecting that from you. You've already got her interest.

"So what is this plan? Not a head-on assault, I should hope. We were both there the last time Captain Long tried that."

"No, of course not. Though the appearance of a head-on assault will be useful in outmaneuvering the enemy."

You take out a planning map of the swamp.

"There's only one place where the Marshguards can really bring all their forces without drawing our attention. That's here, the large patch of shallows just on the edge of our territory. What we want to do first is draw the Rider's attention with a diversion in the deep water, over here." You circle it on the map. "With his beast, he's more capable of handling the water than his troops, so he'll have them stand down while he investigates. My plan is for a diversion team of three swimmers to make a lot of noise..."

"Now hang on a minute! Only two of our senior swimmers are rested enough for a plan like this. Stacey's the only junior I can see who might be able to keep up, and..."

"It's not a particularly risky task. All she has to do is swim away. She doesn't have to be anywhere near the fighting. There shouldn't be a problem having a junior on the team."

"And she hasn't been seen in more than an hour," Burgundy continues. "Did you not read the report on how we have seven knights unaccounted for?"

You glance at the pile of reports on your desk... well, Long's, technically.

"There's been a lot of reports tonight. That one must have slipped past me."

"We've had some knocked out, too. I hope you didn't miss those reports."

"I'll double-check once I finish explaining the plan. If Stacey is unavailable, then our best option is to use a fast runner instead. The runner should aim to be visible, to draw the Rider's attention, while the swimmers attempt to separate him from the rest of his squad. Once he's separate, the strike team will engage him on the Knob."

You mark that with an X.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the Knob and its tactical advantages."

"Yeah, the tactical advantage it gave Rider last time around! If we could hold it, sure, that would be a big help, but that's wishful thinking. Rider will take the Knob as soon as he sees an opening."

"That is precisely the plan. If we know where the Rider is going to be, we can prepare for him. Once Rider takes the Knob, the strike team's objective will be to keep his attention on them until Private Grinnes has a clear shot."

"Grinnes?"

"Yes, it seems his juggling practice has given him a deep insight into the trajectory of thrown objects. I've had him working for a while with one of Flame's donations, a launching device. I believe it could fire a properly prepared net, and Grinnes has the knowledge to ensure it lands directly on the Knob."

"He's also recovering from unconsciousness," Burgundy snaps back. "Seems Mudviper caught him when she escaped. He's awake now, but hardly alert. You really ought to read those reports a little more closely."

That is a significant setback with the plan. You only have one shot before the Rider realizes what's going on. Grinnes wouldn't miss under normal circumstances, with enough time to prepare; but if he's still recovering from unconsciousness, that could easily throw off his calculations.

But no one else has experience with the launcher. You can't easily find a substitute.

"I'll do that right now," you say. You can't get caught off guard again; she doesn't think you're ready. She doesn't think you care.

What does she know? You scour the reports for the words "MISSING" and "INJURED" so you know just who isn't available.

Hmm. Seems Squib was knocked out by Mudviper when she escaped. Minor injuries, as she didn't have her gloves at the time, but the medic's encouraged him to stay off duty until morning.

Well, that's a mild inconvenience. You'll just have to ask someone else in his squad to be the rat rider - not that you can discuss that part of the plan in front of Burgundy.

In any case, now you know your options for amending the plan. What have you come up with?

There is another option, one that you wanted to hold off using.

You can't let this plan fail. Rider will fall here under your watch. You have all the resources of the Bogknights. You will do what Long never could...


Peppershot. Grinnes might not be able to launch a net, but he could cover a large enough area with peppershot and you could send...which Tom is the tinkerer? Eighth? Tom Eighth can assist with the calculations. Given the signal the striketeam would equip their masks and the Knob will be covered in peppershot. The Rider will likely have a mask on, but the peppershot would target the swampbeast. You'd have to fire a lot, possibly your entire stock. Pest control will have to do some extra rounds to make up for the lost deterrent but it would incapacitate Rider's beast.

But taking out the beast is not the same as taking out Rider. Once the shot lands, Rider would target the strike teams' masks and try to force them to give him an opening to free his beast from the cloud. Long and Burgundy could hold their own, certainly, but with the terrain at the Knob it would only be a matter of time until Rider's advantage allowed him a solid shot at their masks.

But that time would give Grinnes and Eighth the chance to adjust the launcher for a more accurate shot. Rider would be worried about the peppershot and the welfare of his beast. Even if he expected another volley, he wouldn't be able to incapacitate the entire strike team and get his beast out of the way in time. But that's if Eighth and Grinnes can adjust the launcher, and if nothing else goes wrong.

Wait...

This report says that one of the captured marshguards carried a satchel of powdered rustmoss. Rustmoss is known partly for its blood red color, but also for the fact it degrades most metals very quickly. Typically fighters who mainly use hand-to-hand techniques use it to disarm their opponents. A strong dose can weaken a spear to the point of breaking, but the delicate metal of a mask's filter would only need a light dusting before breaking down.

If you equipped the striketeam with the rustmoss, and instructed them to target the Rider's mask...That would give them the advantage in a peppershot cloud.

You'll need to organize a quick recovery squad to retrieve Rider and any wounded from the cloud. The night medic will need to go out herself to treat them. The members of Squib Squad could come in as well (once their ruse was completed). You'll need to tell them to equip cloth masks (not good for prolonged exposure or combat, but enough for a simple grab and get out).

IF the Rider still gets the upperhand on Burgundy and Long, you'll have boat crew position a series of lifeboats along the deepwater while the cloud is up. An escaping Rider will head right into a miniature blockade.

fuckton of words

btp announced co author of Swamped.

btp is official overthinker of swamped

a52 you should suggest something too!

"All right, new plan," you say, after some thought. "Pest control should have some peppershot reserves, right?"

"Hang on a second. You're not suggesting..."

"Fire capsules of it with the launcher. It doesn't have to be as precise as the net; I'll still want Grinnes to advise, but someone else with a good head on their shoulders can do the work. As for how it affects the battle, your masks will protect you, as will the Rider's, but the beast won't fare so well."

Especially if you quietly give Penelope some of the confiscated rustmoss to degrade Rider's mask. Purely as an emergency measure, you'll explain to her. You can trust her not to tell anyone you provided it; and of course, you'll stand up for her if there's any trouble.

"Could make him desperate. I'm not sure about this."

"I'd prefer the net, honestly. But we don't have many other options..."

WHACK!

You find yourself losing consciousness.

You're now Private Burgundy. Much as you wish you'd delivered that knockout blow to Sergeant Ash, the credit has to go to a sudden appearance by Captain Long.

"Peppershot!" the Captain says, shaking his head and taking back his staff. "Not on my watch."

"Captain! Are you resuming command then?"

"Not formally. But it wouldn't be proper to face Rider without this." He heads for the office's shutters. "Be sure to write up a full report on my actions, Burgundy. The officers really should know what sort of man is leading them."

"Where are you going?" you shout, but you already know the answer.

The damn fool's going to challenge Rider alone again. Did he forget what happened last time?

Well, it's too late to stop him. So what do you do now?

>Order some knights to accompany him, just in case things go pear-shaped, then get a lookout to watch his little expedition.

Your first instinct is to get the poor fool some help. If he's going out there, he'd best not be alone.

Technically, you've got no authority to issue orders. But the Captain's gone. His acting commander is unconscious. Normally command would go to the senior sergeant, Vera Greenwoods, but she's been knocked out too. You do send off messengers to the other officers telling them to figure out who's in charge and fast, but until that's sorted out, you'll do what has to be done. There's no time to wait for someone else, not with Captain Long charging off.

You call out three squads of knights to either drag the Captain back if they catch him before he reaches the Rider, or to help him out if he engages. You also order a lookout to the North Tower - it's the best vantage point available, though it's too exposed for general use.

Then you rush to the infirmary. You know John won't be in the leadership meeting; he prefers to stay out of that business.

You step in, and give him a firm hug. You don't know what's going to happen next.

---

You're now Captain Long.

Rider isn't far from here, but you can't help but notice the force with him is smaller than you saw at the last big attack.

Are the other Marshguards hiding? Or are they, perhaps, withdrawing?

If you could talk to Mudviper, you might be able to get a sense of what's going on. But Rider more than likely won't let her out of sight. He'll want a full debriefing on the mission he gave her personally. That means he can't risk anything happening to her, including some of the more aggressive Marshguards blaming her for the fact they haven't advanced yet.

No, you're going to have to come forward and parley. If they intend to fight, you'll challenge Rider; if they're leaving, you'll encourage them to do it faster.

But you have to approach this carefully. You can't let on just how much you know about Rider, not in front of the rest of the Marshguards. Or any Bogknights that might be rushing to your aid, for that matter. You're not even sure how much you really know, just that it's more than they do.

So. Exactly what are you going to say? You don't want to antagonize the Marshguards needlessly, but you can't exactly say you don't have a problem with them gathering in large numbers on the edge of your territory.

"Marshguards, what is your purpose for gathering and proceeding here?"

Unfortunately, no particular ideas are forthcoming. All you can think of is a direct request.

"Rider!" you shout, making a forceful tap on the walkway with your staff. "What is the meaning of this? I doubt you've got this many troops gathered here for a training exercise."

You see fierce whispering among the other Marshguards as Rider's beast swims forward. No doubt they find it hard to believe you're really alone - or perhaps they're whispering about the rumors you've allowed to spread about your wizardry.

"I'll tell you the moment you explain to me what a group of Bogknights are doing in our territory. Evidently, with intent to infiltrate our fortress."

"I've issued no such orders," you say. Of course, for all you know, Ash might have, but there's no reason to let on about that.

"Then if we were to find such an infiltration team, you'd have no objections to expelling them from the Bogknights entirely? Such disobedience cannot be readily tolerated, I'm sure."

"It is not your place to decide how we discipline our troops, Rider. If there is such a rogue team, I will issue a punishment that I believe appropriate to the situation."

"It will strain the already-tense relations between our groups if you punish them inadequately, Captain."

"It certainly would be a factor in my decision. But it seems rather odd for you to raise such a concern when you have this large force gathered not far from our territory. I should think relations would be more strained were you to attack."

"I imagine they would. Of course, you know well that whatever my intentions in that regard, the decision is not mine alone."

"And once it's made, you'll abide by it. So let me be blunt here. Is this an attack force?"

Rider doesn't answer immediately.

"We're awaiting clarification on our orders," he says cautiously after a while. "I think it would be ill-advised for a Bogknight to be here alone, under those circumstances."

So he's warning you to back off. How do you respond?

Ask to resolve the challenge with 1v1 combat. The winner gets captured regardless of what the battle orders are.

You can't simply leave and hope the orders are favorable. But you know Rider won't back down, and you won't either.

"I know how we can settle this."

You lift your staff up and point it at Rider.

"Single combat. First to submit or fall unconscious surrenders, to be taken prisoner. If you have me, there's no need for an attack; you can address any grievance with me directly. And if we have you, well, your troops are without a commander. I think that more than warrants sending them back, if they don't run back of their own accord after seeing your defeat."

Rider raises his lance.

"You could save yourself some time and pain by surrendering now," he says. "Very well. We'll fight on the Knob. On foot, unless you care to find and train your own mount. You have ten minutes to prepare, understand?"

"Of course. I'll be ready."

You sound confident, but of course, you've faced Rider before and you know how fierce he can be. If this fight is going to turn out any different from the last few, you'll need to come up with something to change the battle in your favor.

But what?

Get some extra-heavy-duty armor. It may restrict your movement, but since you've never won against him anyway, it may be worth a shot.

The tip of your staff is a thrusting weapon - much like a modified midpike. You prefer to use it as a blugdeoning tool - non lethal. The flint-steel you keep the top covered in creates a great deal of sparking and heat - which partly is why your reputation as a swamp wizard has grown.

Unbeknownst to Captain Long, while Ash was in possession of the staff, he modified it slightly. The tip of the staff has been hollowed out and the inside has been replaced with darkwood - a highly illegal substance banned from both Marshguards and Bogknights. Darkwood is said to "enhance" the innate abilities of one it punctures - but at great expense to their own health and willpower. What or who Commander Ash intended to use the darkwood on, or where he managed to acquire it remains a mystery.

As Rider's beast swims back to the group of Marshguards, you start heading back towards your own side. You haven't much time to prepare, but you have a few ideas...

"Captain!"

You turn towards the voice. It's Corporal Alexander, along with three senior knights.

"Captain, are you all right? It's been chaos back at the base, Burgundy's been issuing orders because we don't have anyone specific available..."

He's concerned, but as he speaks, you can't help but notice Alexander's special heavy armor. He's one of three knights equipped with it; it limits mobility, of course, but you can't help but think that it would throw Rider off. Of course, it would be reckless to use it for the first time under the circumstances; fortunately, you still remember your test session with it from when the armor first arrived.

Hopefully you remember enough.

"I'm challenging Rider at the Knob," you say. "Corporal, I'm requisitioning your armor; I believe I'll need it for the fight."

"Sir?" He pauses for just a moment, then nods and starts taking off his gear. "Understood. There's not much time to ask questions if the challenge has been issued already. You three, help me out of this, and help the Captain if he needs it!"

As he takes his armor off, you make a few practice swings with your staff, taking some quick mental calculations as to how it will move differently when you're wearing the heavy armor.

That's odd - the weight seems to be off in the staff's hook. It should be... Did Ash do something while he had the staff? Why on earth...

You don't have time to think about it. You've already worked out how to compensate, though you'll need to make a few more swings to be sure once you have the heavy armor on. You start taking your own gear off, and dress in Alexander's soon after. Though you put your cloak around your shoulders afterwards; it's important to you, after all.

Time's nearly up. Alexander heads back to base, and the knights help lead you to the Knob. You arrive with about a minute to go, and make a few more swings to confirm that yes, you can fight like this.

Soon, Rider turns up. You can't help but notice onlookers from both sides gathering as he arrives.

"An interesting choice," he says, looking you over. He dismounts, and stands a few paces from you. "We'll begin soon. Ready yourself."

You take a position on your side of the hill and steady yourself, as Rider does the same.

"Ready!" you declare, staff raised.

"Then on the count of three," he says, lifting his spear.

"One," you say.

"Two," he says.

"Three!" you shout together, and advance.

What's your first move?

do a sherlock style breakdown of your enemies weak points and then deliver a quick but deadly series of strikes

Conjure up some WIZARD TRICKS

Not outright offensively (probably too easy to avoid), but more as counter-attacks to throw him off balance and create openings for yourself

You've fought Rider a few times before, so you might have a general idea of his style? Maybe there's something you can exploit there.

You need some solid footing. The Knob is difficult to move around even without heavy armor - Rider knows this and will try to cut you off from the center. You excell as a close range fighter - Rider is more mid range (which complements his use of a mount).

The footing of the Knob is bog-like and flammable - the dome at the center however (John Recordkeeper says that it's the remnants from a dormant gyser) is solid. Spark the base of the ground as rider approaches - it should ignite whatever swamp gas is nearby and give you the advantage in reaching the high ground. The risk, of course, is that you might sustain some burns.

Your ploy with the heavy armor has bought you a few precious seconds while Rider considers how best to attack you. He needs more force to either move you or pierce your armor, and most of the ways he can get the extra force will leave him open to attack.

However, his lance gives him more range. Your staff is only about two-thirds of its length, and as it's primarily a blunt weapon, it's more effective at closer ranges.

So, following standard tactics, he has to extend himself to attack you, and you have to extend yourself to attack him.

But you know Rider. Given enough time, he'll find a way to break that stalemate. Your only hope is to think of something first.

The battlefield itself is a key variable - the more stable center of the Knob offers better footing and the advantage of height. But, since the fundamentals of the battle favor Rider, he'll be less concerned with taking the center himself than with keeping you off it.

Ah, and now you spot your first advantage. You can force Rider to react. You step towards the center, and he quickly rushes your way.

The spear doesn't pierce your armor, but he knocks you down. There are loud gasps and cheers in the distance, but you tune them out. You can't waste time worrying about what the crowd thinks. As you fall, you swing at his feet with your staff, and it's enough to knock him off-balance as well.

You plant your staff in the ground, just fast enough to let you get back on your feet sooner. But Rider's regained his footing as well, and he's holding his spear in a more defensive position. You can't use this to land a blow.

He's letting you set the pace of the battle. He's that confident he can win, and it's not misplaced.

That's why you have to work outside the confines of the battle. You may not work real magic, but there's a reason beyond your outfit why your reputation as a wizard lingers.

You back off, enough to make him reconsider his next move. Then you swing the staff, and he blocks it with his lance. As expected.

He starts pressing on the lance, and you press on the staff in turn. If one of you succeeds, you'll disarm the other and claim a great advantage. On the other hand, if either of you backs down, you'll be exposed long enough to take a blow... but that's better than losing your weapon.

Which is why, a little after you feel the staff start to give way, you disengage. Long enough for him to think it was reluctant.

He lunges, and you block the pole of his lance as best you can. It's not very well, and he pushes you back... but you're still standing when you manage to shove his lance away. You start backing off.

More importantly, with all the swinging around you've done, it doesn't look deliberate when you turn the staff so its hooked portion will be towards the ground. You don't want to give away your trick too soon, after all.

Rider backs off, re-evaluating the situation. You're sure he'd have won by now if not for this heavy armor, though you can't say you appreciate how much it's making you sweat. Still, you just need one more apparent "bad" move and you can turn this around.

And Rider gives it to you when he decides to press an attack. He's seen enough of how you fight in the heavy gear to reason that you won't be able to hit back well, and he's right.

So as he strikes, you plant the staff in the firmer parts of the ground, in what looks like an attempt to brace yourself.

You make a few futile, but plausible, swings at him with your free hand to divert him from what you're really doing. You twist the staff around as you fight, and the flint-steel in the hook soon finds something solid enough to make a spark.

"SPARK!" someone shouts from the crowd. Rider pauses to look down, just a moment before it hits a plume of gas.

You use this chance to rush for the high ground, but all of a sudden, everything goes black.

---

You are now Mudviper. And if you didn't know the fool better than anyone here, you'd have a hard time believing Long just did that.

Mercifully, the blast didn't go far beyond the hill. You yell at the panicked Marshguards to hold position until the smoke clears; the battle might be over, or it might just be getting started.

On the other side, you can see a Bogknight corporal, in a uniform that seems a bit too small for him, yelling at his own troops. It takes some time, but everyone settles down before too long.

Until, that is, the smoke clears and there's no sign of either Long or Rider.

What in the hells.

Darn swamp wizards and their wizard tricks

Check it out--burrower tunnels!

Well, even if Rider isn't there, his beast sure is. And it doesn't much care for fire, apparently.

Well, its time to make good on your deal with marshall, call for a retreat, or if you dont have the authority to do that, politely suggest it to a superior.

Run/swim to the hill. You're not the only one going either. You need to know what happened.

Right. You've got two priorities here.

First of all, you need to check out the hill and see if you can figure out what's going on.

Second, you need to stop this from escalating. Tensions are very high right now, and an ill-chosen word could start a fight. And you're not sure you'd be able to stop it.

You hear a loud thrashing sound in the water, and add a third objective: calming down Rider's beast.

Well, first things first. Defuse that powder keg.

"Bluesight! Your squad's with me. Everyone else, stand by. I'm going to talk with the Bogknight officer."

There's some grumbling, but nobody's really eager to move while the swampbeast's having a tantrum.

You and Bluesight's squad head closer to the Bogknights, and you call out to the officer. He waves to his troops and heads your way, with three knights accompanying him.

"What do you want?" he says.

"The same as you, I suspect," you reply. "I want to know what happened on the Knob. But I doubt we'll get anywhere if we've got a few dozen angry and confused soldiers standing around while we do it."

"Won't be able to find out much while that beast is in the water," he grunts. "But one thing at a time. You've got a point. So here's my offer; everyone leaves but our two squads. We'll work out what to do from there."

"Agreed."

"Back to your posts, Bogknights!" the officer calls out. "We'll handle things from here."

"Marshguards! Return to base!" you shout back. "And someone tell the search party to get back, as well!"

Both groups head back, amidst a lot of murmurs and grumbling. You may have to answer to the command council when this is done, but finding out what happened here is more important.

"Right," the officer says. "So with that sorted out, we may as well work together on the investigation." He extends his hand. "I'm Alexander. As for you... well, your reputation precedes you."

You shake his hand, though not with any particular enthusiasm.

"I'm sure it would be a pleasure to meet you under other circumstances," you say. "For now, though, we have work to do."

"Right. Starting with that beast in the water."

You look down. Rider's beast is clearly upset by its master's disappearance. It's bound to attack anyone who dares to enter the water, unless you can find some way to calm it. Unfortunately, you lack Rider's talents with animals.

So how will you get past it to search the Knob?

well, the rope bridge is in disrepair ever since the rain, but if you stick to just one of its ropes...

You glance around, and spot the old rope bridge passing by the Knob. It's not as secure as the walkways at the best of times, and it's far enough from the bases that it tends to be a low priority for repairs after the rain. It usually takes a couple of months after the storm for it to be in good shape.

But you're nimble enough that you don't need the bridge proper. You grab one of the ropes, and carefully climb across without even touching the rotting boards at its base. When you're close enough, you hop over to the Knob.

"Hey!" Alexander shouts. "That works well enough for you, but I'd like to see the hill for myself. And I'm not light enough to get there the same way you did."

"I'll see what I can do from over here," you call back.

Maybe there's something you can do about Rider's beast on this side. Or maybe there's some other way you can help him across.

There's a log you could push into the water, I guess?