The Memoirs of Tristan the Silver Tongued. (Clash of Kings mod)

[IronHead]

Introduction​

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Who am I...

My life began simply enough, perhaps quite dull. I never knew my parents, I only knew the Septon house I grew up in. There, I had many fathers who taught me the ways of the confusing world I had entered. Looking back on my early days I had absolutely no complaints. Growing up in a stable home with a decent education and food did not sully my young eyes and create a monster, like so many other children not fortunate enough to be abandoned in front of a religious center. I am forever grateful to all who watered this young plant and let him grow.

After I learned all that I needed from there, I left and became a merchants helper. It is here i learned that a quick tongue and charm could almost get you anything. His name was Murcrier and oh! Did I look up to him. I would watch for hours while he made his rounds around Weeping Tower, creating smiles on the most stoic of buyers. His easy prey was pretty women, he always had a quick wit and could win over any maiden. The King himself would have to keep a watchful eye around him. Luckily, Murcrier grew very fond of me. I found out later he was also abandoned as a child but the streets of Weeping Tower were his parents. He started as a thief but realized there was no future in that. He got himself into the trades and taught himself the world of a trader/merchant. All he learned he would teach me and I listened to everything he had to say. I wanted to be a traveling merchant, selling my wares all over the world until i accumulated enough coin to settle down. As a child i never thought much about adventuring or the glory of battle, to me it was all to dangerous. After many years under Murcrier he believed I should start my own life. I was around 17-18 by then, a young man ready to take on the world. He had given me a merchants ledger, a piece of Iron and other various trinkets, and said that should be enough to get me on my way.

"If you listened to anything I had to say, you will create coin with what I just gave you", he said.

I remember very clearly the last day with him, he left rather suddenly but I could hear a little sobbing as he turned. I will also be forever grateful to that man. I never saw him again.

At this point I was at a crossroads. I sat in the Weeping Towers tavern contemplating my next move. I had enough supplies to make the trek to Kings Landing and try to find my fortune there. However, I realized something, there was an important skill my guardians never taught me, the art of the sword. As i sat looking around the tavern, at the tough, rough, scarred men all around me, I knew I wouldn't last a day outside these walls. I didn't have the coin to hire the numerous sellswords that were eager for work either. It was then I made one of the best and worst decisions of my life.

I walked to the nearest recruiting station of Renly Barratheon's army. I picked up the quill and signed for a years service under Lord Gulian Swann, who was the lord of Weeping Towers. At the time it seemed like the most logical decision, the Stormlands were not at war and it did not look like war loomed in the near future. I would be fed, clothed, quartered, and trained through my service, I could even put away the little coin i would earn during my year.

"Ah yes", I thought to myself, this will be perfect.

I postponed my Merchant's lifestyle for the time being.

The year was 299, beginning of the First Moon. My service would end in 300, 6th of the Third Moon. I would learn more than I ever dreamed in what seemed to be the longest year in history. My life really began on the training fields of the army, as a Stormland levy.

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Hello all!

This is my first attempt at a Mount and Blade aar. I figured it would be a fun and great way to get writing again.

Mod: A Clash of Kings (a Game of Thrones mod)
Campaign AI: Hard
Battle AI: Hard

It will be told past tense, as if i am telling the story of my life. I will also try to make it realistic, not showing my "leveling" but describing my growth as a person.

 

[IronHead]

Chapter I.​

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I found army life to be much easier than i originally thought. Through the rigorous training, marching, and endless drills there was a peace to be had. I had been assigned to Lord Guilan Swanns troop. He was a fine a freindly man and did not seem like the warrior type, I saw a lot of myself in him. We trained and camped near the forests of Weeping Tower for a few weeks before learning combat basics. I got to admit the sword handle touching my flesh was very foreign to me. I had a lot to learn. When I began my training the Stormlands were peaceful, any conflict seemed far away. Renly Barratheon (the Stormland King) did not seem interested in warfare for the time being. This was fine to me, the thought of all out warfare sent chills down my spine. I'd much rather lay in fine linens next to a beautiful woman I had charmed(the charm is all thanks to Murcrier).

Renly's army was a volunteer army for now, in times of conflict the Lords would call upon warriors to fight for the Stormlands. There weren't many volunteers and Lord Swann's group was relatively small, just a band of 50 men. The only other volunteer that month was Rodger, a relatively simple man with a huge figure, but he possessed a good heart. We got pretty close being the only Stormland Levy's in the group. The rest of the men had already proven themselves in previous campaigns and have been fighting since I was in the Septon house. They kept to themselves and didn't talk to Rodger and I, when they did it had to do with a prank or joke. Rodger didn't seem to mind, he enjoyed being a part of something. He came from the farm fields just outside Weeping Tower seeking something other then plowing fields. He would talk about his dreams of becoming a Knight and then a vassal to Renly Barratheon, but to me it all seemed silly. Why swear loyalty to one man when you could swear loyalty to yourself. It was a funny way of thinking considering the position I was in, but nonetheless being in the army didn't change my personal views.

A few months had passed and army life dragged on. I had finally finished training sometime mid 299 and we were ready to go on our first real patrol. Lord Swann would lead us out of the safety of the walls and into bandit country. Since we were not at war our task would be clearing out numerous bandit groups that threatened the caravens coming in and out of the city. I was glad my baptism by sword would not be in full battle line against hardened troops of a well organized enemy army. Instead we would be chasing down ill equipped and unorganized bandits who would probably run rather then stand up to our Knights. My heart pounded and skin crawled as we marched toward the last known area of the bandits. I would finally put my training to the test. By now I was no longer a Stormland Levy, I was promoted to Men at Arms and recieved some better gear and a pretty sturdy sword. Rodger was also a Men at Arms, but this accomplishment had a much greater impact on him than me. He was glowing with pride the first night we were promoted, I couldn't get him to shut up. We marched for a day and night before we camped at the edge of the forest. We passed the last reported bandit position and were told that they went back into the forest. Tomorrow we would venture there in search of battle. I had been so nervous the whole time I had forgotten I was among some of the finest fighters in the land. Our group contained 3 Elite Knights, about a dozen regular knights, a large amount of Sergeants, and some elite bowmen. The only men who haven't stuck a sword through a torso, sent an arrow into a heart, or crushed a mans skull with a shield, was us. I walked around the camp looking at these men who seemed to be itching for battle. They couldn't wait to get back into the chaos. I couldn't wait for them to get into the chaos either.

We searched for a few more days before coming up empty. Lord Swann did not bring enough supplies, thinking we would run upon the bandits quickly. My fear turned to relief as Lord Swann announced we were heading back to Weeping Tower. A lot of the men sighed and cursed, our short crusade came to an end. A day later we were back in the city unloading our supplies and taking a little rest. I decided to head to the tavern with the other men for some ale and laughter. Rodger was close by my side, he was a little dissapointed that he couldn't test his skills, but also a bit relieved like me.

That night at "Blossomed Lady" things got rowdy. Our group was in full form, taking down ale after ale and screaming at the top of their lungs songs of lost loves and glorius battles. Soon enough the men were arm wrestling and taking bets. Rodger had gotten bold thanks to the ale in his body and challenged one of the Sergeants to a match. The men all howled and slammed their cups waiting for the Sergeants answer. Finally he gave in and took a seat opposite Rodger whom seemed determined to win. The men glared at each other and another soldier came and gave the simple rules. Rodger and the Sergeant locked hands while the soldier gave time for the other men to make their bets. I stumbled to my seat and watched. The room was spinning but I do remember the Sergeant saying something to Rodger, then Rodger smiled and winked. It was very unlike him, I think the ale brought out some confidence in the relatively timid fellow. Finally the time had come and the men were ready. The anticipation was great! Silence settled over the dimly lit Tavern, all eyes were on the two men. The "referee" asked the men if they were ready and placed his hand over both men's fist. He lifted his hand and the men went at it. A roar could be heard from the drunken crowd, I tried to focus on the duelers faces through my tired, blurry eyes. I remember the Sergeant wincing and tightening as he tried to move Rodger, but then i glanced at Rodgers face, which didn't seem effected at all. While sweat and fear gripped the Sergeant as he turned his head up to look at his opponent, Rodger smiled. He ended it with one swift movement, everyone was silent. Rodger got up and took a look around the room nervously, how would they react to his victory? I watched for what seemed like hours until a roar nearly blew the roof off the tavern. The Knights, Sergeants, and Bowmen all came to lift up Rodger and congratulate him on his victory. Even those who lost the bet couldn't keep a smile from creeping onto their faces. It was a great night, and it would be Rodgers shining moment. When I think of him today, this is the memory that comes to mind.

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[sPOONz]

Oooh, nice. I like AARs that have fictionalized events between gameplay events. Good stuff Ironhead!

 

[IronHead]

Chapter II.



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It would be a few good weeks before we did anything noteworthy. Luckily for me, Lord Swann was a cautious man, he liked staying close to his town and villages.. The time spent in town I would study and research what I would do when my army career was finished. I wanted to buy a few acres here at Weeping Tower as soon as I the got the coin. With the money I accumulated here, I would sell my land after my service was up(hopefully at an increase) and buy some land at the bustling town of Kings Landing. There I would let the land earn money while I traveled from town to town selling goods at a price increase. Sure I would need a few loyal lads to accompany me for safety reasons, but I figured with the knowledge gained from Barratheons army, I wouldn't need to many soldiers. I kept up with the local merchants prices and goods. I took very detailed notes in my merchants ledger what goods were selling at price increases elsewhere, I just didn't want to lose my already plentiful knowledge of goods trading. Rodger would always say something when I had my head buried in my ledger, but usually i always ignored him. I was going to offer him to join me when my service was up and give him a chance at earning coin. It was a far cry considering his devotion to army life, still offering wouldn't hurt.

At around 6 a.m our Sergeant came into the tent to wake us up. It was the 2nd of the 8th moon and things had been very peaceful since my enlistment. He told us to get dressed immediately, a large bandit group was sighted raiding caravans around the city, we were going to intercept them. The sun had barely shown its face by the time we quick marched out of Weeping Tower. Again a fear came over me, perhaps this was the day we would go to battle. We hurried ourselves into the vicinity of the last reported bandit raid. We found evidence of their operations, a slaughtered caravan was still fresh near the road. This was the first time I saw bodies and what a sword could do to human flesh. It was grotesque, death wasn't pretty, neither was the retribution the bandits would face. Lord Swann was definitely phased by the incident, then it turned to anger and resentment. He cried, "We will not stop till these bandits have been punished!", and again we marched in the direction of the bandit tracks.

It was not even a day later before we caught up with our bandit enemies. Everything had become so chaotic as Lord Swann was telling everyone to get into battle line. Once the bandits had realized there was no running, they came charging at us. I quickly followed my instructions and took to formation alongside Rodger and another lad. I was on the far left side with the infantry, the Knights were on the right with Lord Swann, and the archers were behind us all. The bandits were still a good few hundred yards away before we started marching toward their crooked formation. Everything was happening to fast i barely had time for fear, I was just making sure to keep in line and not falter. Once I had focused, I realized the bandits were probably a good 20-30 men strong, this was against our 50. They didn't stand a chance but I would not let my guard down. Suddenly around 200 yards or so arrows started flying into our formation. Being new to battle as I was my shield never rose, luckily the arrows fell short. Then our archers let loose a volley of their own, striking a few bandits as they charged crazed into our formation. My stomach dropped, I looked to the other men for comfort but they seemed a little scared to. Another volley came toward us, I quickly raised my shield clinging to it like a child to his Mother, my body jolted back as 1 arrow hit. I heard a few strike flesh near me and the groaning and gasping of men. I kept my eyes forward however, to our foes who would be upon us in seconds.

"CHARGEEEE!!!!!!!" Lord Swann screamed once they were at the right distance. The Knights rode out at full speed right into the bandits. We infantrymen ran toward them as well throwing ourselves against the bandits. Once the battle had started the formation completely broke, I found myself running with another Sergeant at Arms toward 2 bandits. My god, this was it, I was going to fight man to man. In the chaos of battle I tightened the grip on my sword and gave a mighty swing toward the bandit. His shield rose and blocked it, then he quickly attacked with a stab which I blocked instinctively. I remember his face, painted like a beserker with scars to prove his survival, I was afriad. He attacked nonstop while I cowered behind my shield waiting for an opportunity to counter. It was no use, the man was so fast and strong I nearly lost my footing. I kept my shield up and he kept striking it, it wouldn't be long now before the shield broke and I was left with just my sword. Everything around me had become blurry, the only thing I heard was the terrifying noise of his ax hitting my shield. I don't know how long this went on, but I'll never forget the scream. As soon as I heard that blood curdling scream everything got back into focus. The ax was no longer hitting my shield, silence gripped the battlefield. I carefully peaked around my shield to look at what happened, the Sergeant at Arms who I had separated with from the main group was putting a final blow into the bandit that attacked me.

"Next time Tristan, you should use that." and he pointed at my sword. He walked away as calmly as a man walking to buy bread in the morning. I loosened my grip on my weapons, I had been holding them so tight my knuckles were white. I looked around the battlefield at all the dead bandits. The men were looting for whatever the bandits had that was of worth. I stood over the man who attacked me, studying him. He was about as tall as me, with a wild beard and hair. His body was scarred and damaged from previous encounters, but he would not survive this one. My savior had stabbed him once in the side, then finished him with a blow to the heart. He was a bloody mess and I couldn't help but to feel electrified. I had survived my first battle! When facing death, we realize what a gift life is. Unfortunately I would have to face many more before my time was up.

I walked back to the men who were gathering when I saw it, a man in our uniform down, an arrow sticking out from his head. I changed direction to see who it was. The only time I would ever come close to tears would be in this moment, when i saw Rodger down a few feet from the battle. During our march toward the bandits Rodger too had forgotten to raise his shield when the arrows came down. He died right beside me without me even noticing. To make it even worse, he was the only fatality in our group. Some men got an arrow to the foot or in the armor where it didn't pierce, but Rodger had been the unlucky one. A few men walked over to me and put their hands on my shoulder to offer condolences. We picked him up and brought him back to Weeping Tower where we buried him. I will always hope that he would wake up in the tavern, constantly living the glory of his victory there a few weeks before, when he was happiest.

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[iisbroke]

Ooohhhh.... Neat!

 

[IronHead]

Chapter III.​

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I know I didn't talk much about Rodger, but as i write now I realize why that is. It brought me a lot of pain losing him, I felt then the same as I do now, I took him for granted. He was always by my side, from the first day of training till his last day of battle. I will always miss that man, he still brings a smile to my face when I reminisce about life in the army. His memory is the only thing that made me smile during that time.

Suffice to say I was pretty low for a while after our encounter with the bandits. I would not get much closer to any other men in our group, but I would still fight for them and vica versa. It was quiet in our sector for a while. Lord Swann would take us out on patrols to keep us fresh and stave off boredom, but we never ran into anything. I had been accumulating a lot of coin and was given another promotion. I was now a Sergeant at Arms with some fancy gear and a very nice Arming Sword. With my new pay I would be able to afford those acres in no time. Up till now army life was a breeze, if fighting bandits was all peacetime warriors did then I could get out of this relatively unscathed. However it was not so, very dark news came in the form of a black raven. During one of our patrols outside Weeping Tower a black raven landed on Lord Swann. He carefully untied the message that was on the birds claw and read it quietly. He gave out a pretty large sigh, put the note away, then gathered the men.

"Loyal warriors, the time has come. We all know there was a storm ahead and it appears it is now upon us. Our glorius leader, Renly Barratheon, has declared himself the true King to the kingdoms. We go to war with Stannis Barratheon of the Dragonstone, and Tywin Lannister of the Westerlands. I know you all will perform your duties well, we have trained and worked hard for what war brings. I will now lead us back to Weeping Tower where I will recruit more soldiers, then we head to meet with the Marshall for our battleplans. Lets move out!"

In my head I knew that thus far I had been lucky, it was just a matter of time before my luck ran out. Some men were excited for a new war, most just lowered their heads. These men knew what a war meant, and the look on their faces had me worried if I was going to survive the next few months. I only had to get to the beginning of next year and I would be done with my service. Our march back to Weeping Tower was slow, it seemed like we were already dead men walking. Dark clouds loomed overhead foreshadowing the days to come. My future seemed so distant now. I was at war, the men we would face would be hardened warrior veterans, not unorganized bandits. Men will die and I will either take a life, or have my life taken. Nobody spoke on that march, only the sound of swords softly hitting armor echoed in the misty air. In the tavern these men spoke of the glory of battle, but I guess the memory is much better than the expectation.

We arrived in Weeping Tower and went to our barracks. It was time to wait until Lord Swann had recruited enough men to take into the field. There was no shortage of young farmboys thirsting for a new life and orphans itching to make a name for themselves. These men will all go through a quicker training program than I did, there was no time to tune these young men's skills, war would not wait. It was only a few weeks until we left Weeping Tower to the Marshall's summons. It was now the 15th of the 9th Moon. From now on we would all be on high alert. There was word that the Westerlands were moving south from Kings Landing and Stannis Barratheon was moving from the East. The frontier towns would soon be raided and the peasants either slaughtered or captured. We sat waiting in our bunks for Lord Swann to come give us word. We wouldn't have to wait very long. Only 3 days later we were summoned. We were to head to the Marshall at nighfall to receive our orders.