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KINGand CROWN 4-Sea Fight 5-Martinique 6-Hall of Mirrors
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Coagula
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 8:21 pm    Post subject: KINGand CROWN 4-Sea Fight 5-Martinique 6-Hall of Mirrors Reply with quote

4

LOG OF PELIGROSO
Like great white clouds the billowing sails of my galleons scud across the sea. I patrol near Martinique and hope to intercept the pirates to prevent their landing. The French forces have been spread thin due to continuous and concentrated harassment of English adventurers who take advantage of the chaos created by the pirates. They have pleaded for assistance and my king has appointed me Viceroy of Land and Sea, so today I command this flotilla of Spanish and French warships. French Captain Baton Rouge, with three frigates, leads in the van. We have reviewed our ship to ship signals and I hope that between flag, flares or lanterns we will hold together. My greatest hope is that re-enforcements arrive soon.

A glorious sunset; the sails reflect the pinks and purples so perfectly they seem to blend and disappear into the sky. Night falls; a full moon; stars pierce the dark blanket of heaven. The lanterns are lit. The ships maintain the line. I rest, but cannot find sleep...because of the moonlight on my bed...I keep hearing a voice calling out of nowhere...nothing answered yes...
I am called back to the deck. Carlotta joins me and begs to mann a cannon. I'll allow it this once. The lanterns in the van have been hooded, they have seen ships. Their port lanterns flash twice then go dark. I order this same signal to my ships and we all tack left. This is the hard part; the waiting. Ten minutes must pass, then we will unshield the lanterns again. I order the guns run out. The familiar bustle calms me. A flare from Baton Rouge then two blinks from his starboard lanterns. Attack eminent ? Tack right? Reform battle line! All lanterns are lit. The ranked ships slowly pirouette right, and the battle file has reformed exactly as planned. Nothing, i see nothing, no enemy ships, yet my lead ship has let a broadside and it is returned. AHh.....a ghostly line...close-order ships or clouds on the horizon? The helmsman steers to close the range but we get no closer, the enemy keeps distance; no wonder, he is out numbered, my seven ships to his five. We strive to close and I see the spacing between his ships get longer. Coward! He prepares to flee! FIRE! I order, hoping for a lucky hit. Spouts of water gush near a ship..."Closer helmsman. please." "Reload cannons." My ship is wreathed with smoke. I try to see through... AHH...we are clo.....WAIT... WHAT?
From the spaces between his ships, speeding directly at the center of my line, in a V formation like migrating geese, war canoes, cannons mounted forward, firing. I'll admit my surprise; the war canoes were hiding on the far-side of his ships. Their deadly accuracy increases the nearer they get, and the targeted ship (4) lurches to a crawl as water swirls into her hull. The canoes pass through the line firing rear mounted cannons. The victimized ship finally lets a broadside which tears a canoe apart. The rear half of my fleet breaks order to avoid the floundering ship as the war canoes speed out of range then tack toward the van, toward the three ships of Baton Rouge.
The pirate main battleships have not been idle and their intention is transparent. They have all turned to the gap in my line and are merging in good order to fire into the split halves of my fleet. Ship (5) to avoid the crippled ship ahead had to turn into the wind. She was wallowing with barely perceptible forward motion as the pirate line passed. She exchanged broadsides with the lead frigate but could not reload in time to respond to the next. There was slaughter by grape-shot,. She was helpless as the next three frigates pounded her mercilessly. Passing through the gap they ignored the ship that the war canoes had disabled and manning their starboard cannons laid successive fire into the stern of the trailing French ship, cannon balls ripped through the captains cabin, tore away the rudder completely and laid waste to anything living on the quarter deck.
The first of the French ships, the leader of what was once a line of oaken fortresses is surrounded by darting war canoes. Hounded like a stag at bay she lets ineffective broadsides against the agile canoes. The two ships following rank to each side till they sail three abreast firing into the sea between them, but it is too late, several canoes have latched onto the hapless middle ship and the fighting there is intensely hand to hand. To chase the French two leading pirate ships tack to port, see the French colors hauled down and cheer the victorious canoe sailors and continue after the fleeing pair of frigates.

It is no shame to flee to fight another day, and I prepare to follow the French example-" Steer to port. helmsman," I can easily outdistance the three remaining pirate ships who seem more interested in subduing ships 4 and 5 than trailing my wake. I fix my glass on the stern of an enemy ship and spy that rascal from Port Royal, with his ratty tiger vest, he turns, waves and flashes his famous, toothsome smile; it's that pot belly we call "Big Britches". Faster than it takes to say, Carlotta turns her carronade and fires it.. He ducks, then, on the taffrail, places his buck- naked butt. I slam my telescope closed..Impudence.!..I am certain he will defeat the current Martinique land forces, but I doubt he can hold Martinique against against me once the allied forces arrive.

http://www.voodoo-world.cz/victory/trafalgar.html
http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/the_battle_of_trafalgar.htm paintings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taffrail


Last edited by Coagula on Fri Jul 02, 2010 6:22 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Coagula
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 8:23 pm    Post subject: 5 Defend Martinique Reply with quote

The Franco-Hispanic fleet has dispersed. The young french "savior " Baton Rouge has disappointed many. Coagula as expected, defeated the inadequate defenses of Martinique. The forces Peligrosso expected have landed. As Viceroy of Land and Sea he commands their advance. Coagula strengthened the ramparts of the city yet he chooses to challenge them in the field. A pirate ''DEFENDER'' of a city has not happened before.

LAND BATTLE Game-Play
Standard armies maximum size is 14 units. Units hold up to 50 fighters. Seven major ships are needed to transport an army this large. One galleon or frigate holds 2 regiments. Standard units- officers, pirates, buccaneers, cavalry, guardsmen, any and all types of fighters previously found in the game can be transported to serve your purposes. The costs of the ships or fighters is determined in beta testing. Special "volunteer" fighter units, allies you created earlier, Indians and Maroons, or encountered - Amazon archer cavalry, (remember the Solomon's Key quest ) can be enlisted and cost nothing. For every standard unit you may add two volunteer units. A maximum of four volunteers of each type can be requested. So, if you buy SIX standard units, needing THREE ships, you may call up the maximum (TWELVE) volunteer units. The volunteers transport themselves, so they don't require your ships, and will appear on the battlefield . The largest force you can amass = 14 standard regiments + 8 volunteers = 22 units. This means the Game Field has to be much larger. Natural features like jungles and rock formations remain. Rivers, bridges, roads and houses are significant new features affecting mobility. Also new- fortified breastworks affect mobility, and fire power. Open grounds are larger permitting large scale encounters. Units hiding behind hills, yours and the enemy's, are INVISIBLE until they are brought into the open.
As stated, the battlefield is expanded to accommodate so many fighting units. I propose the action takes place on the "Searching for Treasure - Lost Relatives - Hidden Cities " landscape.(This change transcends SMPExtension since it will also be the battlefield for SMP 2- the World ) Firepower and mobility are transferred to this screen giving limitless terrain for maneuvers. There is still a downhill advantage to fighters charging from heights. Fording rivers affects mobility the same as jungle. Movement on roads doubles mobility.
To distinguish these 'large-scale' battles from other games with this sort of action, like Total War, I want the action displayed in a simple, basic manner; expect no charging or stabbing or gun smoke. Different colored tokens represent units, and numbers on them change indicating casualties. Perhaps a single warrior can stand on the token to identify it. The battle in play resembles traditional "textbook" battle diagrams.This is both primitive and abstract, and cheaper - and faster through the beta testing.( Much of this programing survives the transition from SMPEXTENSION to 'SMP 2 - The World'----It will happen - In 3D - With 360* camera that arcs and zooms - With old European cities sharing the same wire frame used by Arabian fantasy - And land quests within quests like those ivory balls carved inside itself - Rich merchant daughters trapped in harems, guarded by giant eunuchs wielding scimitars.)

Log of Coagula
The No-Mans-Land between us is the same killing field of two weeks ago. The dead have not been buried. The sweet, pungent odors of decomposition cause many to vomit. Looters have stripped the bodies of any valuables. Scavengers, vultures and dogs, roam skulking for morsels. There will be more dead here soon. There braced by a tree, leans the remains of half a soldier. His bones are exposed. Before his demise he carved this into the bark " Kill Roi - (Kill the Royalists) - Vive Coagula." I am not immune to emotion and wipe a tear. A monument here will express my gratitude.
I admire the 'Mongol Bull' attack. Cavalry 'horns' gore repeatedly at the enemy flanks and threaten encirclement. The center attacks in the confusion and tries to divide the enemy in two.
When my cavalry flanking attack seemed eminent I galloped past the regiments waving my sword. The ranks shouted the battle cry, " KILL ROI !!!!! KILL ROI !!!! The cavalry surprised their flank and some reached the rear of the center ! My muskets fired into their center. Amazon archers harried the other flank. Peligrosso senses the threat of encirclement. and orders retreat. Their center receives another volley ! My swordsmen charge as a wedge, BASH at the tip, shouting my name. They are divided in two. His reserves flee to the ships. BASH pursues, slashing at backs and hamstrings. The enemy drops into the putrid, mortified. Their camp and baggage-train is captured.
I watched from the ramparts while my soldiers scoured the camp of the defeated. A troop of Amazon archers herded three figures to the city. They were brought before me, The two men introduced themselves as Confetti and Kolera escort/protectors of the woman, Carlotta. She surveyed the fortress walls, "What big cannons you have," was her only comment. So... This...The Log of Thanatos mentions her...He married her. My interest was academic 'though she'd a lovely neck. I wondered what her blood would show me...pictures of extreme escapades?..spectacular orgies ?...a world grasping, for the next peak, desperately, reaching for pleasures which flee forever out of her reach. (Thanatos mentions her in ''Coagula at the Isthmus'')

http://www.roman-empire.net/army/cannae.html - textbook battle diagrams
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Coagula
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 8:25 pm    Post subject: 6 Hall of Mirrors Ball Reply with quote

Log of Coagula
To commemorate my victory I carved "Kill Roi - Vive Coagula!'' into the bark of all the battlefield trees.
This ball, a Gran Fete, celebrates my success !
Floor to ceiling mirrors panel the walls of the ballroom of the Governors Mansion like Versailles, with chandeliers and floor candelabras; tall, sculpted, and gold- leafed. Of course my ballroom is not as grand, as long, and lacks an elaborate painted ceiling, but I love it. State functions, balls, dinners, I love being in this room, sometimes I move my bed here !
I stand by the mirror, not preening, enjoying the music and the dancers. I've invited shifts of the BASH to the mansion, to dance with the aristocrat ladies while their husbands, each with some militia, mann the bonfires that stand as sentinels along the coast. Unlike King David and Uriah, I don't put their lives at risk. I haven't sent them to their doom for the sake of Bathsheba.
I'm looking at the mirror now. Behind me are the dancers. Nearby Carlotta fans her ample decolletage and confesses to Marta "He excites me so." I'm well aware of Carlotta's' unpredictable nature. I wander to the punch bowl, to contemplate them from a distance. Without any intention to pander to my baser instincts I compared them, obliquely, their reflections. Two beautiful women, Carlotta dark, petite and generously endowed. Blond, slim and more subtly curved, Marta bounces a glance off the mirrors to me and smiles. Carlotta is talking, absently tapping her neck with her fan. I wish she didn't do that. Might they like each other? Impossible ! Of course, they were both power mad and though the powers each desired were different they were identically insatiable. I have all the power and want more. Why can't we all just get along ? Because we all want more - MORE of everything, anything - food, fame, luxuries and power; gold.
As daylight fades more candles are lit. Dusk transports pink, purple and yellow inside. The colors bounce about the ballroom and flatter the women. The band, wine and laughter fuse into kaleidoscopic frenzy. The ladies continue their animated conversation. Marta blushes, even her shoulders turn pink. Carlotta wags a warning finger at Marta who turns away from her. Marta spins back and slaps her face. Carlotta attacks Marta with her fan. Marta rips Carlotta's gown. Carlotta reaches to do the same. Marta dodges and darts around dancing couples. Carlotta chases her. I'm watching this in the mirror and it doesn't seem real, the dancers don't seem to mind and continue. Mad Carlotta laughing holds her bodice with one hand and swoops after Marta with the other outstretched. Marta turns, parries the arm of Carlotta, and stiff-arms her jaw. Carlotta's head snaps back, she teeters and falls hard on her rump. Legs splayed wide she looks like a discarded rag doll. She slams the floor in frustration. In the dreamyness I see my reflection watching.
It's like this; you see a cloud that resembles something and you pause to daydream. Well, sometimes the inner you stands outside yourself observing yourself, and lets you know it - "Hey..you..watching that cloud,"...OKAY?...At a mirror there's you and your reflection. Could there be a similar relationship - the one in the mirror watching you. Can you explain why my reflection seems slower than my actual self. Once I winked with my left eye and the right eye winked back. When I pass he seems to peek to see where I'm going. He is always happy when I return. (Coagula's obsession with mirrors is more complex than contemporary, Carpathian models of vampire lore, and connects to medieval and ancient concepts of the reflected image.)
Confetti and Kolera restrain them. I weave through the dancers to her 'escorts'. I wave to the door " Take her there and wait !" Some heads turn, but as if under a spell the dancers continue unconcerned. Later gossip will be inspired. I dance with Marta and she finds composure, controls sobs, wipes a tear with my hand she holds. She prepares to tell me what happened. I really don't care. Whatever the details the punishment is the same. I lead Marta to the thrones on the far dais. She sits. I bow and excuse myself.
Confetti and Kolera grip Carlotta's arms. She mutters french invitations. I want to beat her but she thrives on that type of attention. They follow me to the slave shed. They fasten metal wrist-cuffs and attach chains to the cuffs. A guard is given these orders.- "Fasten the ends of these chains to the wall of my ship-cabin - Her escorts will hand feed her - they will also attend to her other needs - She may NOT be released."
I return to the Hall of Mirrors, All the candles are lit. Spirits lift, everyone is happy, (Gosh it's fun to be King.) Not everyone is happy. Marta eyes me sourly. I sit next to her. She turns to speak to my profile, but doesn't dare. 'Tis I who start conversation and on what subject. She opens her mouth. Abruptly I stand," It's time for sleep." I give her my arm. We proceed royally, The music stops. Rustling gowns form an aisle for us to exit. The women keep a low curtsy. Marta beams with pleasure. My men bow and mime the curve-id gestures of gentlemen. At the door I nod to the band and music again enchants the room.

At SEA -
I enter my cabin and dismiss the escorts. Carlotta is chained where the painting of me at Maracaibo used to hang. She wears the gown with the deep décolletage, bodice altered by Marta. '' I did not expect such behavior from a guest"
'' Guest ? HA ! I am a prisoner."
"And what would you prefer ?"
"To be your slave." she whispers.
"A slave obeys... Do you understand ?"
" Yes"
"Yes ? That's all ? Yes ?
She searches for my meaning, "Yes master."
" I know ALL about you Carlotta. How is your husband Thanatos ?" Her eyes glaze. She rattles the chains.
"Free me!" Her writhing becomes lascivious. "Please free me." She bang her head to the wall. " Please free me, master."
"Obedience earns a reward.''
She listens, calculates, her eyes narrow, her lashes a spiked, black labyrinth.
"To encourage your obedience you may choose a reward. What shall be your reward ?"
Chewing her lip, Carlotta cautiously responds, " I...Cannon... I love to fire cannons !"
I should have guessed it. "Very well, the reward for your best behavior shall be a carronade to fire." I undid the bolts at the wall. Carlotta sinks to her knees and expresses her gratitude and some gibberish about cannons.

Google Image Result for http://www.visitingdc./images/hall-of-mirrors-versailles.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathsheba
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