CYOA - Seasons of Sorrow

You wave Alyssa over.  "Alyssa, take Bud, Jessup, and John up that hill.  Rain!  Take...  Cecil, Rosalin, and...  Doran, go with them."

"Just about what I was thinking," Doran agrees.  "No time to waste, people!"

As your flanking teams make a mad dash for the cover of the hill, you start forming ranks in front of the bridge.  You glance at the others.  Maybe it's because you already know where to look, but the mist doesn't hide them as well as you expected.  With the trees for added cover, you're fairly sure an unaware enemy will overlook them.  Still...  We need to grab their attention.

"Mages to the front!  One volley, then drop back to the rear!"  Anyone that can sling a spell joins you in the front.  The dragon joins as well, taking its place to your left.  You're surprised to see Ferris stepping up as well, but you don't question it.  You ready your own bow as the sound of hoofbeats begins to echo through the hills.  You scan the road ahead, until it disappears into a veil of fog.

"Here they come," the dragon hisses, his voice distorted by his transformation.

"Lead your target," you mutter.  A mass of grey appears in the distance.  All too quickly, it shapes itself into several mounted soldiers.  "Take aim, and...  fire!" you call.  With your forces split, your barrage is hardly impressive.  Paen hurls a gust of wind, Praven a lightning bolt, with a fireball each from Fumiko and Paen.  Ferris swings his massive sword, unleashing another wave of energy.  The shadow knight ducks your arrow, and it clatters uselessly to the ground.  The combined magic of the rest of your group is enough to unseat one of the leading mountain knights, and he falls, only to be trampled by his allies.  The dragon's timing is off, and he unleashes a small jet of flame as the rest of your group, aside from Paen and Mary, scramble to the rear.

Mary remains in the front of everyone else, even as the enemies close the gap.  You see her chanting to cast some spell, but you start to consider hurling her backwards.  Just as you decide to step in, she raises a hand.  A dark disk opens just in front of her palm, rapidly expanding to beyond her size.  Lightning crackles along the edge, though all you can see is a flat, purple plane.  Suddenly, what looks like a tiny skeleton with an axe leaps out.  Then another, and another.  A half-dozen of the beasts launch themselves at the heart of the enemy formation as Mary retreats.  As she slips past, you finally recognize the tome she wields - the Goetia.

With the enemy horde only a few yards away, you can hear their cries of alarm.  Another of the mountain knights is grievously wounded when the phantoms surround him, hacking with axes.  The five mage knights and the enemy commander stay calm, slowing their charge enough to hurl spells at the monsters.  They vanish as suddenly as they appeared, though the wounds they inflicted remain.

You ready Armads in preparation for the enemy frontrunners.  You're vaguely aware of a stream of arrows and spells issuing from the mountain side, but it's too late to completely break the enemy's charge, even as three of the troubadors fall in rapid succession.  A mountain knight tries to charge over you, but you take a few steps forward and strike him first.  Another cuts in through the side, only the be struck by one of Praven's lightning bolts.

Holland forces one knight into a stop, only to be sent sprawling by another.  Sherry is the first to jump to his aide, thrusting her lance at the first of the knights.  He swats her thrust aside, but she holds her ground against his attack, managing to deflect the worst of it. Zephyr cuts off the second knight, giving Sherry a fighting chance.

Harrow and Fumiko each stop a knight by tackling the riders from their mounts.  The dragon draws a pair of mountain knights and a mage knight into attacking him, while Paen, refusing to be upstaged, blocks the enemy leader.  Ferris baits one knight into charging off to one side, only for Haley to charge into his flank.  Cynbel and Jayce are driven back, withdrawing to heal themselves.  Charlotte meets one of the mage knights head-on, driving her axe into his mount before whirling around on the rider - again, you notice blood appearing where she wasn't wounded.

On the whole, the enemy's charge was broken.  A few managed to cut their way through to your rear line, only to find Charon and Taika waiting to pick off anyone that made it through.  Charon only manages to get himself wounded, but Taika gives as good as she gets, distracting the enemy while Praven drives them back.  In the end, a few of the enemy's troops find themselves enveloped by your own.  The enemy's rearline is torn to shreds, and the wounded enemy commander signals for a retreat.  A single troubador, two mage knights, and two mountain knights manage to break free to follow him as he takes off hugging the river's edge.  The rest are too wounded, too deep in your formation, or too dead to follow.

(A) Order a pursuit
(B) Clean up the corpses (from both battles) before they become Risen
(C) Split your force (choose pursuit units)

B but what happened to our flanking fource.

B b/c the last thing we need is too have to refight the same enemies we just defeated.

B. Obviously.

B

I fail to see how information about a battle travels faster than it's fighters if there are no survivors. I suppose you must be right in allowing enemy forces to know the size of your army, it's exact position, what it is comprised of, and what tactics they employ. It seems you know best "commander".

We are on the offensive now, which is a great deal different from being on the defensive. The enemy ha no idea on how we would approach, which is why the forces accross the bridge were so sparce. If they knew we had been coming this specific direction, there would have been no need to wait for us to cross and set up a trap. It would've been far easier to send a bulk group to slaughter every person in Junes camp before Dorans reinforcements arrived. The only reason we got the jump on the enemy reinforcements is because thy believed we had not made it accross the bridge yet. The giant fire we made before the battle is what tipped them off on our location and why reinforcements were sen to that location, not some predetermined idea that they know everything about the group.

It seems the we will disagree on the importance of stealth when invading enemy territory. I also apologize if my respond seemed unwarranted. I was simply using the terminology you brought forth initially.

"It's not worth the risk.  Let them go!"  You call off the handful of troops that had been moving to pursue the retreating enemies.  "We need to deal with these corpses before we have another fight on our hand."

No one argues, and your force starts destroying the fallen as Doran and Alyssa bring their teams back.  Your friends use this chance to start catching up with each other after their week apart.  While you wait for Doran to return, the dragon shifts back into his human form.  You recognize him instantly - the boy you freed from Mihal's manor.

"You..." you begin, stunned.  "You're that manakete from..."

His smirk vanishes suddenly.  "Don't remind me of that," he growls.  "And I have a name, though I'll keep it to myself.  You can call me Drake."

"But...  How...  Why are you here?" you ask inarticulately.

He shrugs.  "After I left you, I went looking for my family, and ran into some of these... Risen, you call them?  Your little friend rescued me."

You shake your head.  "You don't have to..."

"Fight for you?" he asks.  "No, I don't.  I'm only here because I wanted to make sure he wasn't forcing those two."  He gestures to Fumiko and Harrow.  "But they seem to be here of their own free will, so I figured I may as well lend you a hand.  Not like I can go searching for my family until with all these damned Risen around."  He laughs grimly.  "Still, when that Doran guy said we were meeting some friends, I really wasn't expecting it to be you, of all people."

"Well," you say, stunned.  "We're glad to have you.  Just remember you're free to leave at any time."

"I know," he says with a shrug.  "And I will, if you give me a reason.  Just don't give me any stupid orders and we should get along fine, though."

With that, he casually strolls away, making a beeline for Zephyr.  You consider following, but Rain and Doran's arrival stops you.

"Not following them?" Doran asks.  "Well, it should be fine.  We're here to kill this Bune thing, not slaughter an entire country's military.  We can't forget our goal."

Rain nods, while Paen joins you.  "While we're all here," he begins, "I have to ask.  Did you get it?  Falchion, that is?"

Rain gives a cheeky smile.  "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."  Paen is actually stunned into silence for a second, then bursts into laughter.  He glances your way, and starts laughing harder.  Only then do you realize you're face feels a bit flushed.

Rain rescues you by drawing Falchion from its sheath.  "Impressive," Paen admits.  "Sleek, clean.  And it looks light."

"It's not, really," Rain responds.

Paen draws Flamberge, its dark, thick, curved design a stark contrast.  He brings it up slowly, allowing it to lightly touch against Falchion.  He scowls.

"Something wrong?" Doran asks.

"Grima doesn't really like me being this close to Falchion.  'Without an heir,' just in case you're worried he cares too much."  You catch him steal a quick glance in your direction.

From Rain's reaction, she noticed as well.  She chokes back a laugh.  You can feel your face getting even redder.

It's Cynbel who comes to your rescue this time.  "We're done cleaning up," he announces.  "There's a village not far from here.  We can take stock of things and reorganize there.  Maybe even rest a bit."

"You know it?" Doran asks, fumbling for a map.

"I know it well," Cynbel answers.  "We won't need a map."

"Well, then."  Doran stops wrestling with the map and returns it to his coat.  "Lead the way."
--------------------
The trip isn't long, and it passes quickly as Doran explains how they managed to recover both Falchion and Charlotte.  You remember Thrace and Adam mentioning a force heading to reclaim Antea.  When you tell Doran, concern flashes across his face before he can force a smile.  "Well, all we can do is take out the ones controlling the Risen and pray for their safety."

When you first catch sight of the village, it appears to be nothing more than a few abandoned houses.  As you get closer, you realize the villagers are simply hiding.  Windows open slightly, then close just as quickly, a few people quietly step around corners.  Cynbel calls a halt in front of one house, and your forces comply.  You look at Doran apprehensively, half expecting an ambush to come flooding out of the houses.  Instead, a middle-aged man steps out of the nearest house, limping towards you with a simple cane.  His left leg is deformed, bent at an odd angle.  Cynbel walks to meet him, and the two embrace.

The two break apart, and share a few whispered words.  Cynbel calls for you and Doran.  Quietly, he introduces the man as his father, the head of the village.  The man eyes you wearily.

Doran gives a slight bow, then extends his hand.  "I am Doran, of Antea's Holy Knights."

The man extends his hand in exchange.  "Aeden," he offers gruffly.

You follow Doran's example with a small curtsy.  "June," you answer.

"I suppose you're here to fix what's wrong up in Altos?" he asks.

"Altos?" you whisper to Doran.

"Their capital," he answers quickly.  Aeden ignores you, instead observing your army.

"Hrmph.  Wish you were a few more," he complains.  "But if you were able to get through those fools they posted at the bridge, you stand a chance, I suppose.  Well, not much we can do for you.  Offer you a bed for the night, I suppose.  Everyone's pretty sick of babysitting those knights you ran off, but I figure they'll put up with you lot for a bit."

"We'll have to take a few minutes to consider your kind offer," Doran responds.  "For now, we just need somewhere to catch our breath, check our supplies, and plan our next move."

"Better manners than the ones you're replacing, at least."  Aeden shrugs.  "As for your next move, I can already tell you.  You'll find what you're looking for up in Altos."

"You're sure?" Doran asks.

"The high council hasn't left their chambers in months.  I dunno what they're planning, but I doubt it'll be pretty."

Doran nods.  "Thank you," he adds earnestly.  Aeden nods.

Your curiosity gets the better of you.  "Forgive me if I'm being rude, sir, but... Why are you helping us?"

"Think I'm betraying my country, huh?" he asks, anger subtly flaring in his voice.  "Let me tell you something, young lady.  I fought for this country's freedom when I was a young fool."  He slaps his leg for emphasis.  "And now that we've won it, the new young fools making up this council think they have to finish what we started or something."  He spits.  "Hell if I know why.  Frankly, I don't care.  Doing anything to risk our country, sending our boys off to die...  Far as I'm concerned, they're the traitors."

Cynbel pats his father on the shoulder.  "If you don't mind, I'd like a few moments."

"Of course," Doran says.  "We won't be ready to march for a while yet."

Cynbel and Aeden turn and walk into the house, closing the door behind them.  A few of the more curious villagers begin to creep out of hiding, some even speaking with your troops.  You join Doran as he gathers Rain, Saul, Anna, and Paen.  

Doran calls the meeting to order.  "Cynbel and I laid out some routes last night, tried to figure out where the enemy is most likely to ambush us, the safest places to travel.  We should be able to make it with a half-days march, even accounting for bumping into a few enemy patrols.  Still, I'm sure the enemy's going to have most of their forces around Altos itself."

"What can you tell us about the city?" Paen asks.

"It's not much of a city.  Not like Antea or Tartan, anyway.  No giant walls, thankfully, though the back of the city overlooks a massive cliff.  We won't be able to attack from that direction.  Not from the ground, at least.  Let's see...  the population's only about 200, and there's only a handful of buildings.  They're more or less laid out in a half-circle, with roads leading towards a large church in the center, backed up against the cliff."

"A church?" Saul asks.

"It used to be a major religious center for the cult of Grima," Paen answers.  "After Meridia declared independence, they made it their council's headquarters."

"So, that's where we need to get?" you ask.

"Seems that way," Doran answers.  "We won't be able to nail down the plan until we see the enemy, but I wanted you all to know where we're going.  Just in case we get split up somehow."  Doran looks thoughtful for a second.  "Speaking of split up...  Anna, I think this is as far as you go.  We might not be able to protect a baggage train if this battle gets too far out of hand."

"I can hold my own," Anna argues.  After a few seconds, she finally concedes.  "But maybe not while protecting Jake and the wagons..."

"With how close we are, we shouldn't need to resupply from here on," Doran explains.  "This is our last chance to arm everyone, so let's go over everything one last time."

This is the final camp screen.  You'll be voting for any last-minute class changes, where all of your heavy-duty equipment ends up, whether to use the Aum staff, and for supports.  I'll divide it into sections to make things less confusing.  I made a document with everyone's current stats and support levels, which can be found here.  Note that the stat cap is 13.

---------------------
CLASS CHANGES
---------------------
Current class is listed, followed by each unit's available alternatives.  If you don't want to change a unit, then vote for their current class.  A unit with a * after their current class hasn't gotten all that class' skills yet - but remember you won't be able to change classes again.

June - Dark Bride*
Free Knight

Rain - Pegasus Lord
Great Lord, Knight Lord

Bud - Warrior
Marksman, Reaver, Champion

Haley - Paladin
Seraph Knight, Wyvern Lord, Guardian, Sentinel

Wendy - Manticore Rider*
Seraph Knight, Wyvern Lord, Guardian, Sentinel

Ferris - Champion
Trueblade, Whisper

Alyssa - Whisper
Thief Lord, Marksman, Trueblade

Jessup - Archsage
Saint, Warlock (tier 3 druid)

Syrene - Hero
Wanderer, Champion, Thief Lord

Agni - Templar
Archsage, Warlock

Dan - Griffon Rider
Dracolord, Sentinel, Marshall

Walt - Guardian
Marshall, Sentinel, Mountain Knight

Jayce - Marshall
Guardian, Sentinel, Mountain Knight

Holland - Sentinel
Guadian, Marshall, Mountain Knight

John - Saint
Archsage, Templar

Taika - Thief Lord
Archsage, Witch, Templar

Mary - Shadow Dancer
Witch (tier 3 druid), Archsage

Fumiko - Ninetails
Witch

Charon - Rogue
Whisper, Artisan (tier 3 dancer), Thief Lord

Cynbel - Dread Fighter
Mountain Knight, Guardian, Shadow Knight

Doran - Leader
(any)

Paen - Baron
Marshall, Mountain Knight

Claudia - Dracolord
Griffon Rider, Guardian, Reaver

Charlotte - Templar
Archsage, Saint

Saul - Shadow Knight
Saint, Archsage, Templar

Rosalin - Warrior
Reaver, Champion

Cecil - Wanderer
Champion, Marksman

Praven - Archsage
Saint, Warlock

Harrow - Wolf Priestess
Saint, Templar

Zephyr - Taguel Rex
Trueblade, Thief Lord

Drake - Fire Dragon
(none)

Sherry - Recruit
Cavalier, Knight


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EQUIPMENT
---------------------

June - Armads (pref)
Rain - Falchion(pref)
Bud - Nidhogg
Ferris - Ragnell
Syrene - Baselard
Agni - Forblaze
Taika - Dime Thunder(pref)
Mary - Goetia
Paen - Flamberge (pref)
Rose - Garm
Claudia - Wolf Beil


---------------------
AUM STAFF
---------------------

(A) Revive Rowan
(B) Revive Lane
(C) Revive Vine
(D) Save it


---------------------
SUPPORTS
---------------------

Supports will be done a bit differently this time.    Any supports are fair game, except ones in green (maxed), or black (self).  Choose 15.

-Available X supports (will change character endings): Praven x Taika X
-Fumiko x Doran S is available, but will lock out reviving Vine with the Aum staff
-3 more support opportunities remain after this, though depending on how the next chapter goes not everything may be available


---------------------
PLOT
---------------------
Note: there isn't a chance of being killed in your sleep.  This is just to determine the next chapter's conditions.

(1) Set out immediately (next chapter will occur at night)
(2) Rest a while (next chapter will occur in the morning under fog)
(3) Rest for the night (next chapter will occur in the day)



Whoo...  That is a lot for you guys to vote on.  I'll be out of town all weekend, so you'll have plenty of time to break any ties.  I may or may not have a chance to check for questions, but don't count on it.