822IC Spring

War with Ghoere

Four years before the current events, Mhoried was at war. The Baron of Ghoere was threatening the country of Roesone, who the Mhor had a defence agreement with. Mhor Archibald warned the Baron not to attack Roesone, but was ignored.

In response, the Mhor rallies his lords and their bannermen, declaring war on Ghoere. The clans of Torien’s Watch are mustered and march south, under the leadership of Count Torien.

This campaign is the first one for Samuel Allardice, Banquo FitzBaird, Malcolm Laphroaig and Logan MacRuaidhri. While they fight with their clan, the clans are part of Count Torien’s regiments. Banquo does not fight with his own clan, in case he is murdered. Instead he stays next to his friend Samuel, who is not that much of a fighter but is expected to be on the campaign.

Invasion

The Mhor invades the Ghoere county of Conallier and strikes a line for Bhalaene, the capital. His only strategy though is to march south as fast as he can, to try to force a battle and settle the matter. Baron Tael of Ghoere is a skilled commander and has no intention of confronting the Mhor’s army directly, as the Mhorians have a reputation as tough fighters.

The Ghoereans retreat before the invaders, only standing fast at fortified strongholds. Mhor Archibald has no patience for sieges and marches on towards Bhalaene. As a result, Mhorian supply lines stretch out and wagon trains become stuck in the spring mud. The Baron harasses his supply lines with cavalry.

As they approach Bhalaene, Archibald sees that it cannot be taken without a long siege. His army is exposed and far from home. He turns back to shorten his supply lines, just as unusually heavy rains begin.

The Battle of the Ford

The resulting trudge back north is a nightmare of mud, rain and increasing raids by Ghoerean cavalry. When the Mhor’s army approaches the river that marks the border with Mhoried, the Baron’s soldiers are blocking their way.

A horrible, blood and messy battle ensues. A lot of soldiers die on both sides and there is no clear victor. The Mhor is able to cut his way through and cross back into his own lands, but the casualties are terrible.

Confidence in the Mhor is badly shaken and he knows he can no longer sustain the war. Fortunately, his actions helped Roesone, who were able to defeat the weakened army of the Baron and force him to turn south. Facing a war on two fronts, Baron Tael soon sues for peace.

The battered survivors of the war return to their home counties and recover as best they can.

Their First Campaign

Retreat

The young Companions Sam, Banquo, Malcolm and Logan are initially enthusiastic and excited at being young and at war, hoping for glory. This slowly gives way to disillusionment and despair as the campaign drags on and the situation deteriorates.

During the Battle of the Ford, they find themselves cut off from their regiment and surrounded by Ghoerean soldiers. They try hiding in a barn, but they are discovered and the barn is set on fire. Samuel attempts to use his magical skills to keep the fire at bay, but the flames are just too strong and slowly the fire spreads.

A Shadowy Escape

They resolve not to surrender and fight their way out, even though their chances of survival are slim. Then Malcolm tells them he has a special alternative. He gets them to gather around him in a shadowy corner of the barn.

He uses some sort of blood ability that allows him to step through the shadows into the Shadow Realm. He is able to bring his friends with him. They walk a short distance in the dark and eerie Shadow Realm, before Malcolm takes them via another shadow back into the real world.

When they emerge, they are outside the barn and behind the Ghoerean soldiers, who think they still have them trapped in the burning barn. They sneak away and are able to re-join their regiment.

The experience has a lasting effect on the Companions and they end up becoming friends, having shared adversity together. None of the others questions Malcolm too closely, out of gratitude that he was able to rescue them.

High Casualties

There are a number of key deaths during the campaign. The most important to Torien’s Watch is the death of Alistair Allardice, Samuel’s Father and powerful leader of the Allardice Clan. His oldest son, Cormac, Samuel’s older brother, takes over the clan.

Malcolm Laphroaig’s father Maghnus is very badly injured and is unable to continue to rule the clan, handing over to oldest son, Connaugh, Malcolm’s older brother.

Much to Banquo’s disappointment, Liddell and Mathers Baird-MacGregor both survive, as do Logan and his older brother Dougal.

822IC Summer

Recovering From the War

That summer Count Connah Torien calls his County Council together. Samuel, Logan and Malcolm are all there as senior members of their clans and Samuel brings Banquo along.

The Count’s primary goal for the summer is to help those wounded and widowed by the war, aided by his senior advisor, County Minister Malcolm Greenwood. He finds himself relying more on Minister Greenwood’s advice, as he sees that most of the leaders of the clans are now young and inexperienced, apart from Liddell Baird-MacGregor, who he does not like.

822IC Autumn

Reunion and Celebration

Being the social type, Malcolm Laphroaig calls his three friends together for a reunion and celebration that they survived the terrible events of the war and the four Companions become firm friends. This reunion becomes a yearly event for them.

823IC Spring

Helping the MacRuaidhri Clan

By spring of the following year, the county has begun to recover from the shock of the war. Count Torien now acts to help the MacRuaidhri Clan, who he has clearly felt sympathy for since they were defeated in the conflict with Clan Allardice.

He arranges for Clan MacRuaidhri to be relieved of their garrison in the Five Peaks village of Greenest. The village has been garrisoned since the Bandit Raids in 804IC, an obligation that Clan MacRuaidhri kept to even when they were battling the Allardices. Their watch is over and the Count hands over the responsibility to Clan Allardice, thus allowing the MacRuaidhri soldiers to come home and Allardice is forced to send some of its military strength away from home.

Count Torien also fills the role of Chief Forester, vacant since the death of the office holder in the war. He appoints Dougal MacRuaidhri to the position, raising his prestige but angering Cormac Allardice.

823IC Summer

Neglecting Clan Duties

It soon becomes fairly clear during his first year as Clan Laird that Cormac Allardice is not a great leader. He tends to neglect “boring” administration tasks, preferring to hunt, fight and drink. His mother, Olivia, starts to take over the day to day running of the clan, encouraging her son to do things her way. He initially acquiesces to this as it relieves him of tedious duties, but when it comes back to him that he is thought of as a mummy’s boy, he begins to contradict his mother publically, in order to show he is his own man.

Count Torien chides him at the Council for the lawlessness in his clan lands, especially on the Great North Road and also in the lands that were taken from Clan MacRuaidhri.

Cormac returns home and leads a company of armed men into the former MacRuaidhri lands, arbitrarily arresting and hanging some known trouble makers. He then burns a few houses to teach the trouble makers a lesson and heads home for a feast. The whole thing is done rather clumsily and only makes the lawlessness worse.

824IC Summer

Clan Rivalries Return

The following year at the Summer County Council meeting, Chief Forester Dougal MacRuaidhri, trying diligently to do his job, reports, amongst other things, that the forests are not being looked after properly in Allardice lands.

Cormac Allardice explodes in rage at this. He accuses Dougal of trying to discredit him and brings back up old Clan grievances. Count Torien himself and his guards are forced to intervene in order to stop a fight breaking out in the Council chamber.

Count Torien resolves then to try to end this feud between the clans, though he is unsure how to do so.

825IC Summer

A Wedding Proposal

There is a simmering tension between clans Allardice and MacRuaidhri for the following year. The Count insists that the clans behave and keeps a large number of soldiers on watch in Medinie to intervene if conflict breaks out.

At the Council meeting in the summer of 825IC, Count Torien suddenly proposes a marriage between the two clans to help settle the dispute. Initially, both clans are opposed to the idea. Cormac Allardice does not see why it is necessary, while most of the MacRuaidhri clan have too much hatred for the Allardices.

Dougal MacRuaidhri though is keen to see the conflict resolved and obey the Count, so he begins to work on his clan to accept the idea.

Count Torien approaches Olivia Allardice and asks her to work on her son to get him to come round, which after some uncertainly, she agrees to do.

825IC Autumn

The Wedding Is On

After a lot of wrangling and negotiating behind the scenes, mainly handled by Count Minister Greenwood, both clans agree that Nairne MacRuaidhri, younger sister of Dougal and Logan MacRuaidhri, will marry Cormac Allardice himself.

Count Torien puts a lot of political capital into this wedding and calls in a lot of favours to get it to happen. He agrees to host it in his personal castle in Medinie and he will help pay for it.

Nairne Accepts

Logan speaks with his younger sister, who was planning to join the Priesthood of Eric. She tells him that she does not like the idea of marrying an awful man like Cormac Allardice and would very much have preferred to become a Priestess. However, for the sake of the clan and because Dougal has asked her as Clan Laird to do this, she will go through with it.

Logan promises to protect her as best he can and will accept her decision either way.

Some in the MacRuaidhri clan are still very angry though, especially Fraser, Logan’s nephew.

Friends Pledge Support

During this time, Malcolm Laphroaig calls the yearly reunion of the four of them to celebrate surviving the war. During this meeting, they chat and talk about things, including the wedding. Logan mentions his reservations about the wedding and particularly the safety of his sister.

Logan promises to protect her as best he can and will accept her decision either way.

First Meeting of the Betrothed

During the autumn, the first meeting between the betrothed is arranged, with Cormac visiting Nairne in the MacRuaidhri town of Leathen. Samuel, with Banquo in toe, accompanies his brother and tries to counsel him as best he can.

Cormac is initially determined to show he is going to be the man of the relationship, show the MacRuaidhris who is the boss and may be shag her at the first meeting. Samuel manages to talk him out of that and temper this just enough that the initial meeting goes quite well.

Nairne a little shy and Cormac a little nervous and full of bravardo. The groom-to-be soon relaxes when he sees how nice and charming Nairne is, with her laughing at some of his jokes. Cormac soon changes his approach completely, continually telling Samuel how beautiful she is and asking him how to behave.

Some MacRuaidhri Still Hold Grudges

Fraser MacRuaidhri soon becomes the voice of those in the clan who oppose the wedding and continue to hold grudges against the Allardices. At one point he insults Cormac and Dougal demands that he apologise, but Fraser refuses and instead storms out. Cormac, much to Samuel’s surprise, laughs it off.

Logan consults his mother, who is still alive but living in an enclave of Erik, the equivalent of a nunnery for nature followers. She only has simple advice for him.

Cormac Smitten

The meeting goes well and it becomes clear to Samuel on the way home that his brother is smitten with Nairne. He immediately asks Samuel to help him write a love letter to her and assist him in buying a present for his fiancé.

Nairne is soon invited to Whinnyfold to see her new home and Cormac pulls out all the stops to make her welcome and have the place made clean and smart. He sternly tells his fellow clan members that they are to behave in the company of his beautiful wife-to-be and no insulting the MacRuaidhri clan.

Logan escorts his sister to Whinnyfold, along with Malcolm. The visit goes well too and the four Companions start to think the wedding may go well.

825IC Winter

Wedding Preparations

During the winter, preparations and arrangements for the wedding occupy much of the county. Dresses and outfits are made, presents are purchased, food ordered and invitations sent out.

Samuel is Cormac’s best man and finds himself very busy making arrangements for the wedding. Logan is closely involved in helping his sister, pledging to protect her.

A Blind Eye to Objections

Fraser MacRuaidhri continues to speak out against the wedding, but not in front of Dougal. Publically, Fraser says to Dougal he accepts the wedding is going to happen and he will do nothing to stop it. The MacRuaidhri Laird decides that is acceptable.

End of Pre-Game Events