The next morning the group wakes to find a line out the door to meet with them. The first in line are the craftsmen and carpenters led by Morgouse.

"Alright so right now we can get things fortified again. We will have to do a full inspection but given the description I've heard and a cursory inspection I think you've got three options.

The first is to not spend any money. You're going to cede a lot of the outer keep as just being undefensible but there's enough intact to keep provide defensive positions in the interior.

The second is we can just repair the existing structure. This will result in a good sized keep but will likely mean knocking down the towers. Rough guess in total this will cost about 10,000gp in labor and material but for 500gp we can get started as a downpayment, so to speak, and get those walls repaired so you have some real fortifications to work from.

The third option is to expand it further. Repair the towers, build out the temple in the basement, maybe even throw up an inn in the yard to make it a proper castle. It actually won't cost that much more, about 11,000gp in total but will require twice as much upfront because we can't just salvage stone from the towers. In addition it will be a tight fit getting all that in so there won't be quite as much space for training troops and whatnot but it will be more versatile. I know the wizard types like towers and such.

Anyway it's up to you, and you don't need to make a full decision right now except on that outer wall. Like I said, 500gp will get us started and you can figure out the rest in a week or two."



FYI:
Treasury: 4,281gp

This message was last edited by the GM at 05:23, Wed 08 June 2022.

Over the course of the day the village quickly fills up with soldiers. A unit of cavalry have arrived and seem to be milling about. Their standards mark them as disbanded units that once served Lord Spire. When Saxton came into power the loyal nobles were dismissed and their units scattered but it seems that the whispers of the thieves guild have brought them out of retirement. It seemed a bit unusual that so many soldiers could arrive so shortly but being mounted on horseback meant they could pour in from all over the barony.

In addition the hunters and farmers of Ashford offer themselves up as archers to man the walls. They might be green but thanks to the heroes saving the town several times over, they are willing to help without any coin.

In addition there are early riders from three mercenary companies.

The first, called the Band of Ash, are known sellswords in the area. They're known and nothing flashy but they're close and they can hold the line for 175gp a battle.

The second is one that nobody is familiar with calling themselves The Blood Rain. It seems likely they formed from the remnants of some other mercenary company. They're a sizeable force of professional archers who will man your walls and towers for 300gp.

Third is Voland's Venators. Light cavalry that is notorious for their drunken debauchery but they have been in the bard's tales for hundreds of years and despite their unprofessionalism they have the reputation of getting the job done and are offering a small detachment for 250gp.


Finally the various farmhands and laborers in Ashford could be assembled into a levy fighting force. It wouldn't be the greatest unit to hold the line but they would be dirt cheap and would provide bodies on the battlefield for 100gp.





OOC: The end result is that you will have a medium unit of Regular Cavalry and a small sized unit of Green Archers.

So that puts the force composition at:

You	Saxton
1d4 Light Archers	1d4 Regular Cavalry
1d6 Regular Cavalry	1d4 Light Archers
-	1d6 Medium Infantry
-	1d4 Gnoll Light Infantry

Talia's mind was not used to command or making important tactical decisions. That wasn't to say that she didn't see the patterns, just that she lacked experience. As the carpenters laid out their plans, she had only one thing on her mind: time. They had precious little time to get ready. That meant stopping up the gaps in their defense for now with an eye toward more permanent things later.

"Get the keep defensible first thing. Concentrate on the main hall. If time, do what you can with the walls. We need places for archers to fire, from the roof if we can make temporary cover? Umm, aren't they called mantlets? Salvage stone from the towers for now if needed but leave as much of the wall as we can to slow them. Does that work? If you have any more questions about the defenses, talk to Orila or Alyssa. Alyssa should be able to point out the best places in the keep for archers to position."

That taken care of and delegated, she pursed her lips at the cavalry floating around in her city. She started asking around for the commanding officers to find her in the inn they seemed to be using as their headquarters. Once located, she would have them organize the cohort and prepare for inspection. She felt odd asking to inspect troops, she even blushed deeply, but used Edmund's name to assuage her embarrassment by saying the inspection was by their rightful lord. Truth to tell, she just needed the men organized and under control so friction with her friends and neighbors was avoided.

Pursing her lips, she then considered the military forces at their disposal. She'd prefer loyalty to cause over loyalty to coin, but right now she was beggared for choices. Considering their position, that they were seeking to defend primarily, she felt that infantry and archers were the key. They already had a small force of cavalry, so more seemed excess. She looked at Angel and Yry, "The Band of Ash and The Blood Rain to defend the keep for now? Angel could you negotiate their fees as much as possible into our favor?" Pursing her lips she then looked to Yry and asked, "What do you need to contribute the most to our defense. I cannot know, but I expect that Lord Saxton will have his own mages. How best to deal with that?"

Adjusting for what Talia said:

You	Saxton
1d4 Light Archers	1d4 Regular Cavalry
1d6 Light Cavalry	1d4 Light Archers
1d4 Medium Infantry	1d6 Medium Infantry
1d6 Light Archers	1d4 Gnoll Light Infantry

Treasury:    4,281gp
Band of Ash:  -175gp
Blood Rain:   -300gp
Repairs:      -500gp
=====================
             3,306gp
>
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:36, Tue 14 June 2022.