Stephen DeRose’s Kingdoms of Men
General Warwick once again stared at the two letters before him as he sat in his tent. He had read each one dozens of time. By this point he had almost memorized either word for word. Lord Charles begged him to return to one of the rebuilt castles and join the Brothermark while Lady Mary implored him with equal fever to join the ranks of the Green Lady. Once again Warwick waited for inspiration, and once again the evening’s darkness set in and he still felt lost.
The Basileans were equipped with the finest weaponry and armor any could ask for, and they were supplying the remaining forts guarding over the Abyss with whatever they needed. But their tactics were as inflexible as their dogma. To the Golden Horn the Brotherhood was just an expendable buffer state there to buy them time whenever invasion came from the north.
On the other hand, the Green Lady was as fickle as nature herself. Sometimes she followed a righteous path but she could also oppose the honorable codes and traditions of men as quickly as the weather might change. For her, man was just another species, and a problematic one at best. She might even prefer it if their race no longer existed. If only the vile temptress had never seduced the leaders of several Brotherhood orders his kin might still be an independent people.
“General Warwick”, asked the deep voice of commander Salisbury. Warwick turned to see his second in command standing in full plate mail. “General Warwick, we have finished our scouting mission. The reports were correct. There are several pieces of unclaimed artillery as well as a variety of weapons and amor left behind on the battlefield.”
The general smiled. “That is very good news. We needed a lucky break.”
Commander Salisbury cleared his throat. “Sir, I’m afraid the situation will be a little more complicated than expected. There appears to be a giant running loose in the area. Apparently he destroyed the battalion. I do believe we could capture the beast, although there are signs of other trackers in the area apparently after the same prize.”
The general nodded in approval. “Excellent work. Take the men you need and subdue the monster. We certainly need more of them since we lost our previous beasts. If all goes well we will have more equipment and a giant. If we find any stragglers from the battle we might have more men too.” The general returned his gaze to the maps before him. A long, awkward pause followed before Lord Warwick asked, “Anything else?”
Commander Salisbury took a deep breath before he continued. “General Warwick, the men are growing impatient. They desperately want to know which side you will choose. But I wanted you to know regardless of whether you bend the knee to the Golden Horn or the Green Lady, these men are your men. You led them against arch demons, marauding orcs, legions of goblins, and countless other foes. They will follow you wherever you lead them.” The general smiled for the first time in as long as he could remember. “Thank you commander, I appreciate that.” Salisbury nodded before leaving the tent.
Warwick began breathing in a deep sigh. He pondered the words that his lead commander had said; let them wash over him. Minutes passed, and then the better part of an hour. “They will follow ME.” Suddenly the general stood up over his desk and began furiously searching through his various maps. Finally, he found his map of northern Pannithor. He ran his fingers across the parchment. “Give me an open space… some place uncontested… far enough from the forests and the hegemon so we can carve our own land, build our own way and uphold our ancient traditions… some place like… THE ADVORKIAN PLANE!”
Now a great grin spread across Warwick’s face. Yes, he had made his decision. He would not bend the knee to a foreign power. No, he would choose his men, the same soldiers who had been to hell and back again with him. They had roamed the countryside long enough. The general breathed a great sigh of relief as he called for his servant boy. Podge appeared a moment later. “Punctual as always. No one could ask for a better squire.” The boy beamed. “Go to each of the commanders. Tell them to grab their torches and round up the men. I have an announcement to make. I know whom we will choose. Soon we will march. Soon we will be heading towards our new home. Podge’s face lit up with excitement. “Certainly, my lord.” He turned to leave, but first spun his head back around. “Oh, general Warwick, Commander Salisbury has already left with a small hunting party.”
Warwick chuckled. “Salisbury does work fast. Well that is fine. We’ll tell him when he returns with cannons and a giant!”
Choosing the Lists
I plan to choose a list that reflects a battered but determined branch of the former Brotherhood (Now Kingdoms of Men) searching for a new home. As such, I will take no siege weapons and plenty of week infantry supported by indominable knights in my first month’s Kings of War list. If all goes well I might be sporting some fancy new artillery or maybe a giant come session two! If it goes badly… then maybe I’ll have some stragglers to take care of. Likewise, my Vanguard list consist of a small number of elite soldiers; in other words, the tuff as nails survivors.
The lists are as follows,
Kings of War 1000 Point List
175 – Shield Wall (Hoard): Indominable Will
175 – Shield Wall (Hoard): Indominable Will
135 – Foot Guard (Regiment): +1 crushing strength, -1 defense
205 – Knights (Regiment): Indominable Will
100 – Mounted Sergeants (Troop)
120 – General: Mounted
90 – Wizard: Fireball 6, Bane Chant 2, Inspiring Talisman
Vanguard 150 List
3 Berserkers
3 Foot Guard with large shields
1 Leader of Men with brew of courage and large shield