"Row! Row!"
Jacos rows among his kinsmen, no longer in rags. He wears a crude klappenrock, green with white woolen trim, his own personal shield slung along the side of the boat with all the others,
He has been with the sea raiders for 3 months now, ingratiating himself among them as a trusty warrior. "Broad armed Jacos" "Tall Jacos" "Jacos The Vland"
Nicknames from their past raids, and of course from where they found him. The vlandian villagers had to watch Jacos, their slave join the ranks of a warband as they were transported to their own life of slavery in servitude in far lands.
Jacos has been on 3 raids so far, kept in the back of formations, able to reach and attack with his axe and generally be intimidating, all the raids were conducted on Vlandian lands so far, rich and ripe for their reaping. His first raids he approached with some fear, what if the sea raiders stab him in the back? What if? What if? But the raiders don't hold much of a grudge for the slaying of their old members for some reason, maybe its because of the bannerlord ui? Being enlisted in their warband through it protects him? He was accepted unnaturally quickly to be frank.
[Two Handed: 48]
My skill, its pretty high.. I mean for a tier 2 troop.
As his level grew he felt more familiar with his weapon of choice, subtle changes in stance and technique automatically adjusted to feel smoother and more efficient.
"The vlandians are still at it with each other I hear, they are taking their troops and throwing them at each other with no regards to their villages."
Sea raiders murmur as they row, rumors of the civil war in Vlandia are not whispered rumors, its a full blown conflict, the royalists duking it out with the eastern barons who want to maintain self control of their lands and themselves. Most don't even know their villages have been sacked and picked clean, even if they win the war they shall return to nothing, their wives and daughters stolen away, and their lands burnt and soiled.
"Land! Land! Beach! Beach now!"
The thegn does his normal routine, walking through the center of the boat, patting each man on his shoulder as he goes, he reaches the front of the ship and waves his arms.
"Come on you dogs, get this ship to land!"
Jacos drops his oar and grabs a hold of a rope, jumping into the cold water below with it around his arms.
I hate this part,
The rest of the raiders pull in unison, beaching the ship onto the coast, like clockwork they begin setting up a small camp, pitching tents and starting fires, another village raid. Jacos throws his damp klappenrock near the fire to dry, his undershirt billows in the wind as he sets down to clean his gear of all the saltwater staining it.
A seax, dane axe, leather belt and a waterskin along side a sack with some dried out meat and bread. All a raider needs to survive. Jacos would like a helmet or some real armor but beggars cant be choosers and slaves cant be housecarls.
"Oy, up there."
A sea raider taps his arm and points at the ridge above, silent figures move in the woods. A bear head shadows among them. The stretching strings of longbows.
"Who is it?"
Jacos turns at his fellow raider.
"I don't know but it cant be good."
The thegn looks up at the people moving in the forest and puts his helm on, the mail coiling down his face like a demonic mask.
"Damned Battani bandits. Arm yourselves they are trying to ambush us!"
The forest bandits emerge in full force, their bows at the ready.
Despite being the same on the social hierarchy: Filthy bandits. they are still out for sea raider blood.
"Sea dogs! You trespass here! No quarter for the craven!"
The forest bandit boss gives the order and arrows rain down, the less fortunate raiders are killed instantly, not able to reach their shields.
Jacos dives for his woolen tunic and slides it on, arrows passing around him as he grabs his shield and crouches down, arrows impact his shield as he crouch-walks to his dane axe.
"Form a line, form a line!"
The remaining sea raiders form a shield wall as arrows continue to hit them, now in formation the archers can do little to harm them.
The forest bandits should retreat and ambush them again but their hard headed battanian nature says otherwise, They draw their swords and axes and trot down the sea side, an idiotic but brave decision on their part.
"Come on you filthy bastards! Fight, fight!"
Forest bandits yip and holler, some howl like wolves and bark like dogs, some of the battanii call them skogarmaors, fanatical animal worshipping bandits living in the forests of Calradia.
"Grant them their wish!"
The thegn takes the helm of the shield wall and marches forward, they are outnumbered, the bandits number in the 70s, a great host of wild men.
Forest bandit axes clang against shields, a forest bandit is caught in the gut buy a spear, his wolf fur armor doing little to stop the leaf headed spear that is wrenched out of him along with some of his stomach liner.
The sea raiders press their advance against the forest men, who had thought the odds in their favor.
Jacos nearly beheads a screaming forest bandit who had charged at the shield wall with a falchion.
"Bastards!"
"Yahh!"
"Come on!"
The battle continues as more forest bandits charge like madmen, some jump onto the shield wall and pound on it like wild dogs.
Some forest bandits begin retreating, realizing they chose the wrong foe, Jacos is now at 7 killed, his axe crimson red and his face covered in blood and dirt.
"Push! Push! Don't let them run! Cut them down!"
The thegn breaks the shield wall and drives his sword into the back of a bandit.
"Kill them all!"
[Two Handed 53]
The last of them scatter into the woods, still whooping and hollering like feral beasts.
"I hate Battania, crazy bastards!"
A sea raider kneels down and pukes, bandit guts all over him peeling off as he shudders.
"Loot them and get back to setting up camp."
The thegn removes his helmet and places it neatly on the ground, ready to be polished later.
Jacos stirs through the bandits he lopped apart, taking some valuable furs and headdresses to sell later, he picks up a crude battanian straight sword, reminiscent of Nord swords but with a smaller pommel.
A sword. This will catch a pretty penny,
He sticks the sword in his belt, sheath less, and continues on, walking into the sea with the other raiders to clean his clothes off.
Bandit blood and guts fall loosely and waft off into the tide.
Jacos takes a fur cloak and holds it around his body.
Warm. Not bad for some forest bandits.
[Enlisted Tier Rank Up]
[Sea Raider --> Sea Raider Warrior T3]
The thegn approaches Jacos.
"I was skeptical of you at first. But after these last raids you have proven yourselves, and you sure did chop those skogarmaors up, Id like you to have this."
The interaction feels scripted, the words coming from his mouth almost like dialogue, more so than just talking. He holds out a simple nasal helmet.
So this is the game part then. I mean this is like when your in the screen clicking rank up on your troops, but I'm the troop and he's the player.
Jacos takes the helmet and holds it in his hands tightly.
"Thank you my lord, I will fell many more men in your name."
I don't even know his name... Actually I think only his trusted guards know his true name.
Jacos closes in on the campfire as the thegn returns to his prior activities, the heat warms his chilled skin. The Battanian shore is cold compared to Vlandia, the altitude creating natural chilling air currents even at low tide.
"We move in an hour, rest and eat."
The orders are loud and clear. Jacos takes some dried out meat from his haversack and chews on it silently, its like meat gum except you have to swallow it.
This is the last raid before the warband disbands. I don't know what will happen afterwards.. If I think too much ill just get stressed out.
"Hey Tall, You- you saved me in the last raid, have this if you want it."
A sea raider he knows as Gundar hands him a forest bandit wolf head helmet.
"Its worth something, or would be good protection."
"Gundar my brother, I thank you, I wont forget this gift."
This is probably part of ranking up too I'm guessing.
Jacos takes the head and places it over the recently acquired nasal helm, using some leather straps to tie it on.
Its kind of.. Badass.. What am I saying this world is life and death not a videogame.
"Alright, march!"
Jacos gets in line, now farther towards the front due to his promotion.
The closest Battanian village is only a mile and a half away, its a relatively new settlement right on the border between Sturgia.
The march is silent, the Battanii woods are treacherous, old clans of warriors have trained in these lands far before Nord or north men had walked the earth. After a half days march the village is in sight, there is no forest to protect them as they approach on open ground. The Battanian warriors appear swiftly.
"Men, these folk are tough, tougher than any Vlandian! Steel yourselves against them!"
A shield wall is quickly formed as broad bladed javelins begin filling the sky.
The Battanian militia have no fear in their eyes, stead fast and hard as iron. They are equipped with spears and ovular shields, unlike the Vlandians they have a formation themselves, a simple shield wall where troops with longer spears and 2 handed axes hide behind, ready to strike.
"We outnumber them, once we reach their lines go for the ones in the back!"
The thegns commands are clear as day, now only some 80 yards away.
Jacos hides behind his shoulder strapped round shield, ducking his head as an arrow bounces off his helmet, puncturing the wolf fur on top.
Fuck that hurt, bastards.
"CHARGE! Deliu'm hulemu!"
The Battanians break formation and charge forward, most of them wear no shirt, no armor, some have painted themselves vivid colors, the Battanians with mail armor clomp forward to face the sea raider chiefs.
The half naked warriors scream against the shield wall, gnawing at it with swords, axes, teeth, fingernails. Spears find their homes in the naked warriors but despite being impaled on a shield wall some continue to fight, breaking spears off and smiling as they bleed.
"Their crazy!"
"Cut them down!"
"Beasts!"
Jacos decapitates a man covered in yellow paint, his head flying into a comrade who grabs it and slams it against a raider.
These people aren't right in the head!
Despite their courage the Battanians are vastly outnumbered. Battanian woman charge forward, some of them also naked and covered in paint, with daggers and spears.
"Just kill them, they aren't woman their beasts!"
The thegns axe cuts a woman's arm off, causing her to scream in pain and fall to the ground.
A Battanian Laoch clashes with a sea raider chief, cutting the raider chief down with a gnarly bearded axe, this is the first chief to fall. The Battanian warrior is no slouch.
[Battanian Laoch (House Guard) Tier 5]
Tier- 5? The thegn is the only tier 5 we have. there are 4 of those Battanians.
Jacos surges forward, the Laoch unhooks his axe from the dead chief.
Death or exp!
The Laoch turns.
"Ulfhedinn!" A sense of respect? Draws from the warrior as Jacos charges him down, his axe rips through the air with a whoosh, the Battanian holds his huge round shield up and blocks it, the axe blade bouncing off the iron boss.
"DIE!"
Jacos like a wheat thresher, pounds into the shield, splintering it. A sea raider chief draws his seax and shanks it into the leg of the Battanian, one of his only gaps, he falters and falls to one knee, Jacos slices his axe into the helm of the Battanian, caving it in along with a chunk of skull, The Battanian screams and raises his sword right as a spear pierces through his eyes.
"Tough bastard!"
The sea raider chief huffs, withdrawing his dagger. Only a few enemies remain, mostly crazed women and the remaining Laochs
"Bowmen! Kill them."
The sea raiders from behind the formation step forward and take aim, pelting the remaining foes with arrows, killing them after a few moments of resistance,
"VICTORY!"
The thegn raises his arms in praise of this feat. Battanians are a troublesome foe.
"Loot them and the village, burn it down and back to the ships!"
In his victory he discards his helmet.
"HAHAA GLORY!'
He waves his axe proudly.
An arrow whizzes from the forest.
A lone forest bandit, he has tracked the group after his own humiliating defeat.
"Aghk!"
The thegn falls to his knees, grasping an arrow that has gone straight through his eye.
"B-bastard!"
____
Author: Any ideas you want implemented or would like to share? I write for fun and don't claim to be good at all so criticism is open always regarding prose, story direction etc. just leave it on this segment, thanks.