Chapter 2: fire and flame
7 years later
The Pitt (formerly pittsburgh), tony's scrap service
What a beautiful day, my first day on this job. As much as i liked university i need to make money, and a degree in history, pre-fallout pop culture and military weapons and tactics will not pay off my student loans. "Hey bob" "hey thun, we are hitting the mini-mall today" salvage is big business in the Pitt, i help the team figure out what is worth taking intact. There are a lot of rich gentry who would love an antique mickey mouse figure or a poster of the last star wars movie. Hey, we may not be able to watch it anymore but it is a fun piece of pop culture that looks good on a wall. I hear that there are scientists that are trying to make limelight and hand-crank operated projectors, i can't wait to see what they come up with. I wonder what movies they will…"earth to thun, where do you go when space out like that." "i don't know bob" "all right university boy where first." hm the tabletop gaming store may be worth a look, it has been making a comeback. "Board games have been becoming popular lately, let check out the toy store". We put our hands on our weapons, the urban tribes are not that much of a problem these days, but it pays to be careful. Bob is using an army style short sword, gladius blade and basket hilt. I have a infantry shete, a blade a long as my forearm, curved blade, sharp tip, and a hilt that fits into my hand rather well. "There appears to be no one here." this breaks my heart, such waste, so many toys that could have brought such joy. The plush toys and cardboard has long turned to dust, but most of the plastic toys and the some of the metal ones remain and in the cool dry places you can still find the stuffed toys. The board games are the worst places hit by decay, forests of mushroom and mold. "Hey i think i have found a piece to a game of.. What was it, clue" he is not that far off "it is a 2015 collector's edition painted "game of thrones" variant of professor plum, i know a guy that will love to get his hands on this." amazing what a small plastic figure with all the paint worn off would go for. The store had a few miniatures for warhammer, but not much, still it will go for a few dozen dollars on the open market. "I want to check the oil change place, their may still be some car parts their" out of all the things the ancients did, cars baffle me the most. Why did everyone seem to have them, and why did so many seem to obsess over them. Horses can love you back if you treat it right, cars never would. "Thun we have to ask the boss for permission to scavenge car parts, they are to useful to waste". Taking our modest spoils of 12 eldar figures, 3 sets of various board games, and a luna totem (for myself of course) we walked to the camp. "Thun i have to ask, do you have any other ambitions than this job, i have known you for 3 weeks and i still don't know" i sighed "i have alway thought that being an equestrian knight would be fun, but they have education and physical requirements that i don't fit. Yet".
The appalachian foothills
"Hold, hold" captain silver spirit is worried, the raids from the mountains have been getting worse and worse everyday. His equestrian hoplites are not enough to stem the mountain hordes, the once divided tribes and clans of appalachia have been banding together more and more. Thousands of warriors shouting war cries, raining death on the peaceful kingdom. The viceroy has been getting the electors together to vote for choosing a new prince, but with how big the principality has become that it will take a long time to get them all and the candidates are still need to be chosen. The knights do their best, but with the northern and eastern raids, we are spread thin. The armies clash, the steel armor clashing with the ancient rusty blades. The savage mountain men dying in droves, 5 for every casualty they inflict, but the numbers are 6-7 to one. The crossbow men fire again and again with seemingly no effect on the enemy's morale. 'This battle will end badly' "lieutenant, take a letter"
Prince's palace, former pennsylvania state
The mountain garrison has fallen, if they defeat the dwarf king in karak zule their will be no stopping them from splitting the realm in two. "I have no choice"
Dear people of sylvania
A state of emergency is declared until the election is complete, all young men are encouraged to join volunteer militia forces. All military personnel are called into active duty. State factories and farms are to increase output to the limit. All taxes will be increased to wartime levels. Fortifications are to be erected around any communities that do not have them. Any tribe or city state with defensive obligations to the sylvanian government are now considered in effect. War has come, we must destroy the appalachians, push the northmen out of our waters, and crush the lone stars.
For the survival of the nation
Viceroy bartholomew beck
I hope this works, i just hope this is as bad as it gets.
Little do the men of sylvania know that a great war for the continent is looming and it's victor will be the master of the americas. In the north, the british plot with the northern raiders to create a fleet the size of which has never been seen before. The king of montival is almost done digesting the dominions. The lone stars are forming the largest raid in their history, and the iowans dream of fusing the midwest to the high kingdom through a marriage. The tide turns, but it will turn back thanks to a girl and a crown.
The Pitt
What is that, i have never seen a iowan this far east before. "Thun you coming" "i will be their in a minute". the women was young, maybe a year younger than i am. her clothing though ripped and torn are expensive. She carried a satchel and a well sharpened shete, covered in jewels and gold. Her attire is rather standard for the midwest, jeans and a tunic that they copied from the protectorate (though they would never admit it). She was a tall blonde with the rather imposing musculature of someone that exercises often. All in all rather attractive, especially with her rather lar.. Stop that thunderhoof, you are in control of your own hormones. She heard me and turned to me "who's there, i..i.. I will cut you if you don't come out" she said with a nervous twitch "whooh… by celestia's golden light, i won't hurt you. What is a girl like you doing in a necropolis like this". She seemed to relax a bit at my well educated english "my name is… samantha. My friends call me sam. I am trying to get away from an arranged marriage". She is clearly hiding something, but it is also clear that she needs help. I may not be as strong as an equestrian knight, but i am as virtuous as one (i hope). "No other explanation is necessary, we have to get moving to the camp. I may not be a savage but the urban tribes sure are"
"Whooh thun, you really found a treasure out there. I mean look at those boobs, and that ass" as always carl is being a bucking perverted creep. He is right of course, but i wouldn't actually say it. I am a gentlemen, at least i hope to be one. The gentry is rather hard to get into but it is better than trying to get a noble title in the bucking protectorate, especially under high king-protector-bear lord edward. Sam seemed out of place at the camp, it takes a rough sort to come into the dead cities. I only came here to but my knowledge to use "sam, stay with bob i have to get my stuff. I am going with you to fillydelphia" the route to the capital is dangerous, over the appalachians, with war now declared it will get even more difficult. But the equestrian high master can undo marriage contracts. The young lady told me of how she got to the pitt, after her father tried to marry her off she hired a band of mercenaries to get her as far away from iowa as possible. The mercenaries died along the way defending her from the lone star war bands until they made it to the sylvanian border where a merchant took her as far as new castle when she ditched him after he tried to look in on her bathing. She got as far as the Pitt where i picked her up. Let's see, i have my chainmail shirt, my shoulder pads, my breastplate, my model 14 crossbow (it has a lever-reload system instead of pump action and is getting fazed out), my infantry shete, my spear, my helmet (greco-roman style), and the most important part the shield. The shield is about the size of a pre-change garbage lid, not big enough for a spear wall but better for travel. Now, what snacks should i bring.
So they began their journey, it will take many months to travel to philadelphia with the rail lines cut off due to mountain raids. The viceroys call to arms was sent and heard by everyone, from the timberjacks of the new york wilderness to the mercantile/pirate/mafia families in charleston. Hundreds of thousands of fighters now converge on the dawi citadel to extinguish the appalachian threat permanently. But with all the fighters away to the mountains, who guards the roads? And they are not the only ones mustering their strength.
Norrheim, Kalksthorpe
"My warriors, for too long we have had to let the weak southerners remain in control of lands that are rightfully ours." king olaf stirs the hearts of his followers, and dreams of one day being called olaf the conqueror "we have let them be for though we are stronger, we are a few, but now they are leaderless, attacked by hordes of trollmen from within, fending off western horse raids. We may never get such a odin's blessed chance again. With the saxons at our sides we will not loses" . the warriors cheer, baying like so many feral dogs, "we have worked hard these last 7 years, we have enough long boats to flood over their pathetic navy. We have enough swords to arm every single northmen. And we have enough will to crush their weak hearted horse fucking equestrians" the boats were filled to the brim with eager young warriors, and the roads were choked with feet. Beware the fury of the northmen.
The citadel of peace, Montival
"My king, i have troubling news" the king was in front of the mirror as usual admiring his new black finery. "What is it, i do not have much patience lord herick" he never forgets a name, or a slight. "Sire, the princess mia, your future bride, has gone missing" the king did not look to concerned, he began to speak "we are not concerned, she has always just been a means to an end. We will put up a reward for her return, how is 4000 dollars sound, and send my my concubine. we am feeling a bit randy". The king went back to his mirror unaware that the thing he has been searching 7 years for is with the bride he ignored.
De moine, the "republic" of iowa
The 2nd most powerful king in america is nowhere near as calm as edward "i want her back, you hear me. DO YOU HEAR ME."