Alternate history: the Anarchy of King Stephen.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Why kill him? Are you all tired or bored?
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[Lord Winter]

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Why kill him? Are you all tired or bored?
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I just don't want it to be unrealistic, I hope we win but, for it to be any fun we have to be able to lose too.

[King Henry V]

Stephen may lose eventually, but I feel that now is a bit too early on in the story to kill him off. Furthermore, I feel that there should be one option which will make him lose (eventually) or win (eventually).

[King Henry V]

Well here's the continuation. There are no options from which to choose from at the end, as there are many possibilities and I'm to tired to think of them now. That and there may perhaps be a need for secrecy.

Into the Welsh rear slams a tiny force, barely fifty men. They are the garrison left behind in the castle and they now commit themselves to the fight. The Welsh raiders, unnerved by the heavy casualties they sustained as they desperately tried to claw open your line, panic and break as the garrison cuts into the Welsh rear. The lightly armoured warriors flee and you shout in triumph as your pursue them mercilessly.
You mount your horse again and call off your soldiers from their pursuit of the Welsh. Despite this small success, the battle is yet to be won and must be won quickly.
Your soldiers charge into the exposed rear of the overlapping enemy flanks. The shield wall collapses rapidly like a straw hut in a strong wind and soon everything is turmoil, a mass of panicking men dropping all weapons as they flee for their lives from your avenging army.
The teulu, seeing the rout of the majority of the army, decide that now they must retreat and disengage from your soldiers. Out in the river, Robert fitz Roy sees the break of his allies and calls his forces back, not wanting to risk heavy casualties.
The household warriors of the Welsh princes edge back slowly, keeping their shield wall tight. Slowly but surely, they approach the river while the rest of your soldiers pursue the easier catch. You realise that if you do not act soon then the best of the Welsh warriors will escape and so your adversaries will remain strong and will continue to pose a threat.
You gather all the knights, men-at-arms and spearmen that you have at hand and throw them against the teulu. They waver under the weight of the new attack and their line bends back in an attempt to protect their flanks, all the while trying to shuffle back to the river.
However, it soon becomes apparent that the growing number of troops attacking them will swamp them. They now face two uncertain choices: abandon the shield wall but risk being slaughtered as they flee or stand and fight but where they will most likely be butchered.
They choose the latter.
The rearmost ranks of the teulu drop their shields and run for the ford. Soon nearly all the teulu is broken. Only the two front ranks of the shield wall, where the bravest men always stand, hold.
However, their fate is sealed as your soldiers engulf them. They fight their last moments with bravery, with one fearsome warlord cutting down three of your men-at-arms before finally a sword thrust to his ribs brings him down. The rest are massacred to a man.
Those who ran are soon overtaken by your knights and speared like game. Others join the crowd of men desperately trying their way across the river. Some even hack a path through their own countrymen in an attempt to flee. Many slip and drown, their heavy armour weighing them down.
The chaos is further enhanced as you order your surviving bowmen to shoot their volleys into the panicked crowd.
As the last of the Welsh are pursued from the field, you suddenly collapse to the ground from sheer exhaustion. Some soldiers nearby help you to sit down in a more dignified manner. Baldwin of Clare rides up to you. He too looks tired and his arm is blood stained from a spear wound near his shoulder. He bows his head at you.
“The day is yours, sire.”
“Yes, I believe it is.”
The sun’s light now fills about a third of the sky and the horrors of the night’s events soon become apparent. Most of the corpses are arrayed in a deformed oval, showing where the Welsh surrounded your army. In the centre there also many bodies, testimony to the early pursuit of the levy men. Near the ford are the bloody traces of the last moments of the teulu; whilst further along down the river some corpses are washed ashore. Already the fields reek of the stench of death.
You are helped onto your horse and you slowly ascend the steep hill to the castle. Some of the wounded are being carried up to the castle on makeshift litters. Others, mostly Welsh, cry piteously for mercy on the bloody fields, shouting for their mothers and praying that they may be delivered from their agony. Some of your men put them out of their misery with a quick stab in the ribs with a dagger before plundering the dead of any valuables.
Within Dinas Bran, your few doctors are busying themselves with the many wounded. Those who have no hope of survival are quickly despatched with a blow to the head.
Your physician leaves a man with a badly cut leg to attend to your face wound. You dismiss him with a curt wave of your hand before throwing yourself into the pile of straw that is your bed. All you want is sleep.
You wake up several hours later when the last of the darkness has been chased from the sky.
The wails of the wounded and the dying are still loud. Your doctor insists on attending to you and you finally allow him. You glance into a bucket of water and you see that your face is indeed a horror of crusted blood. The blood is scraped away and the wound cleaned, before a pungent green paste is spread across the gash.
Robert of Leicester appears after you eat a light meal of bread and dried meat.
“Noble King, this day the Lord God has truly smiled on us. The Welsh army has been crushed! The few survivors run for the hills like whipped dogs! This day shall be remembered throughout history for your great victory.”
You smile wearily. “What of the casualties?” you ask.
Robert’s face darkens slightly. “Many men have died on both sides,” he says softly.
“Many brave men. Lord Roger fitz William, Lord Alan de Tracy, Sir Roger of Asnelles, Lord Henry of Lieurey and Lord de Rougehavre. All dead. We fear that we may have lost as many as three hundred soldiers and another two hundred wounded.”
You say nothing. Four hundred men is a heavy toll for such a small army.
“And what of the Welsh? How many men have they lost?” you ask.
“Our reports have counted not less than fifteen hundred men and our highest counts are of two thousand. However, sixteen hundred seems a more probable.”
You laugh. Even now, with the Welsh army in ruins, they still outnumber you. Of your original army of twelve hundred men, five hundred are dead or wounded. With Gloucester to bolster their numbers, the Welsh army is almost twice your size even now. However, their spirit and no doubt their alliance is broken. Robert fitz Roy effectively deserted them. Even during the final stages of the battle, his fresh troops could still have defeated you. But then he ran the risk of committing soldiers that was almost lost. His army could have been sucked into the whirling chaos of the routing Welshmen.
In The Welsh camp you have also found four carts filled with food, which will be enough to see you back to England if you march down the Usk valley, as the casualties you have sustained will mean less mouths to feed.
You are about to ask Robert on what should be done next when a sergeant-at-arms comes into the ancient keep.
He bows. “Lord King, among the remains of Gloucester’s camp we have found several chest full of letters. We thought it best that we should bring it to you for your inspection.”
“Bring it in,” you beckon him.
Outside in the yard several spearmen negotiate their way through the sea of casualties with the heavy oak boxes. As you open them you see that they are brimming with papers and correspondence. You pick one out of the pile and read it. The writing is in a crude hand and the Latin is poor and clumsy.

To my Lord Robert of Caen, Earl of Gloucester,

I bid you greetings, noble lord, and bring good tidings. The castle of Ludow, in compliance with your wishes, has been readied for war. The granaries are filled with much corn, vegetables and meat and we have provisions that would last up to three months if Ludlow were to be attacked. The garrison of the castle currently boasts a strong garrison of forty knights, four and fifty men-at-arms and as many spearmen. We have also recruited a company of seven and thirty Italian arbalesters. I have over sixty horses at my disposal, with which I may use to swiftly attack any lands that may still remain loyal to the usurper, if he stills lives upon your return from the Welsh mountains. I await with glee the coming campaign and the long due arrival of the Empress, our sole rightful sovereign.
May God grant us victory,

Richard de Lacy, Lord of Ludlow
You drop the parchment into the chest.
“Have you read any of these?” you demand the sergeant.
“No, sire, I have not. I cannot read.”
You proceed to rummage through all the letters, rapidly skimming through them. Your heart sinks after reading each piece of correspondence. The contents are shattering. They are letters from nearly all the castellans, barons and prelates of South Western England. Almost all resemble that of Richard de Lacy. They talk of sedition, of conspiracy, of treason. Letters from Miles, castellan of Gloucester; Brian fitz Count, Lord of Wallingford; Nigel, Bishop of Ely; Ranulf, Earl of Chester; from the castellans of Berkeley, Trowbridge, Harptree, Castle Cary, Marlborough, Tetbury, Winchcombe, South Cerney, Oxford, Hereford, Dover, Corfe, Wareham, Malmesbury and Bampton. There is even an ambiguous letter from Robert, Bishop of Bath and Lord Chancellor of the realm, saying that he may not have use of the castle of Sherborne, Salisbury and Devizes “under the present circumstances. However, should the situation change, your forces may be admitted to the aforementioned castles”. The rebellion, it seems, is far greater than you had ever thought.
You try to compose your thoughts and look calm.
“Take those chests and load them onto wagons. Place two guards to watch them day and night. I want no one to view these coffers without my express permission. You dismiss the others from your company and think on what to do.

[King Henry V]

Come on, post people, post!

[Ludens]

Come on, post people, post!

The way I see it, we are faced with two problems, and if we solve one the other will become more of a problem. Either we return to England and try to bring the rebellious nobles to heel, but that would mean leaving our job here unfinished. The campaign would have been for nothing and we could suffer a hit in prestige. The other option is to take advantage of the scatted Welsh and smash them as fast as possible. We do not even have to hit them all: a quick and decisive victory over one lord might even be sufficient. This would gain us much prestige, but the longer it takes, the more chance the rebellion has.

Whatever we do, we have to act quickly and desively. I would like to know who are within easy striking range, and how strong they are.

Off course, all my suggestions rely upon a show of force, and force is something we do not have an abundance of right now. I would be interested to know if some patrons can suggest a political or diplomatical approach. However, I think my point still stands that we need to score a quick and clear victory.

[Flavius Clemens]

What further loyal forces - if any - can we hope for back in England? Having made a serious blow against the Welsh elite I think we need to leave the remnants to themselves and get back to assert authority, or there won't be a kingdom left.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Hard to speak without further data aat hand but I would force the Welsh to peace and maybe allegiance. A decisive blow reminding them of the cost of their struggle and possible profits from your friendship...

We have to finish the job at hand but we have to hasten, while even our own brother is pondering treachery!
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[Just A Girl]

Whats the treasury like?
you guys didnt listen earlier when i told you to keep the money we made in the 1st chapter...

can we hier mecenarys?
and will they be loyal?

It seems to me We would need to Re group. and reinforce, before mooving on,
our men are hungry and have bearly enough previsions to get home.

We should be weary of stray welsh bandits attacking us on the way back to england.
They now know were here so they can easily watch us and wait for us to moove.

the welsh have always been The type who will sit and wait out the enemy.
hopefully starve them out.
Its possible that our retreats could already be blocked off,
if the welsh deviode there forces in to 2.
and place 1 group along each of our possible routs home.
they could eaisily use gurilla warfare tactics on us and leave us hoplesly outnumberd hungry, and above all.
out in the open.

the situation looks bleak.
And thats Just getting home.

[Lord Winter]

We should of attacked the scots, that was our first mistake. Now it looks like we are forced to fight and finish off the welsh. So what i suggest:
1. Keep up the campaign against the welsh try to force them to swear allegiance. The bottom line is we need to get out of there quickly.


2.Outlaw any nobles in rebellion strip them of there titles land ect put a price on all of there heads. Maybe some of the (more) loyal nobles could be bribed to attack them? Not exactly in the form of gold but maybe the promise of there land and titles?

[Just A Girl]

my sudgestion would be,
(IF WE HAVE ANY FREINLY FORCES IN ENGLAND)

Send a small ligtly armoured group of horse men back to england with Minimal suplys of food and water.
Tell them to march as fast as they can day and night.
And try to get more men and suplis up to the castle.

the small group should be able to travel quickly with light armour, And hopefully would not be seen by the welsh,

If they sucseed Then our forces can be replenished slightly and we can feed our soldiers.

The food we have is equivelent to the food we need for the march home,
With carefull rationing.
We should be able to hold out untill the suplies and the releif troops arive,
and then we can re asses what to do with the welsh.

I beleve this is the Safest way of keeping our king alive.
However,
Doing so will let the rebels have more time to rise against us.
And taking the few remaining loyal troops out of england could be enough to give the land over to the rebels without a fight.

a nother thought is,
if the releif columb arives and says they will fight the welsh with us,
how do we know they wont turn on us as soon as we find then attack the welsh?

It seems as if we are stuck in this castle,
with no food,
and 1/2 the forces that the welsh have.
We need to get home to stop the rebellion,
but attempting to do so could lead us in to a welsh ambush.

These are my sdgestions. and fears.
hopefuly they will be of value.

[Lord Winter]

Can we get a map of welsh territory? How many men is it estimated that the welsh have total? How many (in percent) were at the battle?

Like Just a Girl i am worried about ambushes on the way back. Reinforcement is not an option in terms of men, supply lines are iffy and with the rebellion failure here is not an option. We must come back with the prestige of victory not the weakness of defeat. It looks like we have not avoided the anarchy that is in the title.

[AntiochusIII]

Of those people who are moaning the anguish of perceived past mistakes, of the overall difficulty of the game, and how hopeless King Stephen of England's position is right now, I'd like to remind you that, sir, the rebellion has not officially started -- I believe, or so I hope, that it will not until Robert of Gloucester managed to return to England...in a few days, that the English nobles will start rebelling en masse. We might even be able to disengage some of the nobles early on if we play our cards right, either by decapitation, bribe, or just plain old Amnesty declaration after a prestigious victory.

King Henry not giving us the clear-cut choices seem to put many of us into chaos and despair, lol.

Until more information of the Welsh territories in the area -- their composition and position of forces, fortresses, and such military assets -- and the overall picture of the English nobility -- there must be loyalists among the throng of wolves, but I currently have no clue who are they and what are their strengths -- are forthcoming, I will hold back my choice. There is yet to be a picture clear enough for me to elaborate what should be the right path. Would you please provide us with such a picture (metaphorically)? It would be of utmost help.

If none is to come, however, I would advocate returning to England at once, much to my misgivings about not finishing the Welsh once and for all.

I am pleased with the way this game is going, keep it up, King Henry!

After all, I've remarked some time ago that, after the Welsh campaign, we should return back for some major baron purging ala Vlad the Impaler or Peter the Great. If they are to die, it's For God and Country, hey.

[King Kurt]

Robert of Gloucester is key - snuff him out and the rebellion will die. Here is my cunning plan - the nearest source of troops are the Welsh themselves - let us offer them a treaty of leaving them alone and the lands of Robert of Gloucester in exchange for hunting down the usurper with us - we can point out his inaction in the recent battle and how he had left the Welsh to die. So the Welsh will help us hunt him down and we can ensure that their forces do most of the fighting. This will leave them weakened so they are not a threat and who knows, we might even snuff them as well!! The Welsh must be in need of resources - remember the valleys had been stripped bare to prevent them being used by us - so the prospect of Robert's land would be tempting.
What do they say - keep your friends close and your enemies closer

[Mouzafphaerre]

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That sounds like a good plan indeed, if it works! But we're not sure about the uniqueness of de Gloucestre in the plot. If it's anything like the real Stephen era, more and more will pop up and delivering the fiefs of a Norman nobleman to barbarians wouldn't help but hinder our cause in the long term.
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[King Kurt]

Ah - but part 2 of the cunning plan is to turn on the over stretched, battle worn Welsh when their usefulness has past - small pause then devilish laughter is heard.

[King Henry V]

Right did someone request some pictures?
Here we go.
Legend: the red shields indicate the castles and towns which you know for certain will join Robert of Gloucester.
The Yellow shields are the strongholds which you know that will declare for you (Chepstow and Usk castle are both fiefdoms of Gilbert of Clare, Worcester and Leicester are held by Robert Beaumont). Gwent will also be loyal as that is where most of the army comes from.
The white flags are towns and castles of whom you are not sure of their allegiance, or whether they have been captured by the enemy.

General overview:


The rebellious area:


The Marches:


South of England:


The The North West of the rebellion:


Whilst, I know which places are still loyal to Stephen, I'm not going to tell you because, your in the situation of being stuck in the middle of Wales with absolutely no information.
However, the treasury is still strong and it can still afford to raise a mercenary army. However, since you miles behind enemy territory it is difficult to say whether that army will remain loyal for long or just mutiny and plunder the countryside. Also remember that no amount of money will pay someone to die for you.
In your recent battle, the Welsh have been firmly and resoundly trounced. Over half of their levy perished, which will mean there will be a shortage of men to harvest the crop s in autumn and possibly famine in winter. This will be especially true in Powys, as you have devasted their main valley where the most important farms are, and it looks as though you will pillage the Usk, since the Wye will have no food left and will be a difficult route since it seems that the castles of Clifford and Hereford will block. The Usk also both castles of Gilbert of Clare there, and there is no apparent sign that Monmouth will also join the revolt.
Most of the teulu was slaughtered at Dinas Bran, which means that the Welsh nobility and their followers have been decimated. Their chain mail and the best weapons of the Welsh princedoms have also been lost.
The raiders were the first to flee the field, so their casualties were the lightest, relatively speaking.
The Welsh are severely weakened. However, if you continue your campaign in Wales, they will not make the same mistake twice. The Welsh will do what they do best: harry and retreat, drawing their enemy deeper into the country until the enemy is without food and the army ready to collapse. Then they will strike and the invader's army does break there will be no escape.
Anymore info required (apart from that which I will not tell).

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Then it seems that we should seek a quick ceasefire, advantageous as best we can, and strike right de Gloucester. His demise might uninspire the co-plotters and strengthen our positin with the loyals, and even maybe win some of the wait-and-see scum. Whatever we decide we must do it swiftly for we're already burried in deep colonary produce.

Seek parley with the Welsh and use the fact that we're holding Dinas Bran. Then move swiftly onward de Gloucester and meanwhile summon the help of the most surely loyal.
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[Lord Winter]

Declare victory and leave

[Flavius Clemens]

One of our problems is that Robert of Gloucester has a pretty good idea that
a) that the battle was close fought, and we must have taken heavy casualties
b) that having scorched the Wye valley we will be forced down the Usk for supplies and to avoid his castles
c) we will have found the letters and know the extent of his support.

He will presumably be racing to get together enough troops to face our relatively weak army as we head back down the Usk, before we can reach loyal reinforcements.

King Henry, is there any other route we can feasibly take to get back to loyal territory, thereby surprising Gloucester? Given the terrain and our supply situation I suspect not. If not then speed is of the essence. I suggest we send a few loyal messangers ahead by fast horse to alert Usk and Chepstow Castles, and find out the status of Monmoth - if still loyal, and if so to be put on their guard. Get whatever forces can be mustered to meet us en route as reinforcements.

As there is a ring of rebel castles between Chepstow and the more loyal heartlands perhaps we should aim to take ship there and outflank Gloucester - possibly sailing to Chester where there is (it seems on the map) at least some chance of finding loyal support. A lot depends on what forces are available where - if Gwent can provide enough loyal troops to face Gloucester head on then that can be our base.

[AntiochusIII]

Thank you very much, King Henry! Excellent maps they are!

Seek immediate parley with the Welsh with generous terms so to quickly conclude the negotiations--but still to our advantage as much as is possible. If we are able to gain what's left of the Welsh forces to hunt down Gloucester, then do it, even if it means we'll be shipping spare grain for the Welsh this year against the upcoming famine. A bogged down Robert of Gloucester, or better yet, a dead Gloucester, is a good Gloucester. From King Henry's description, the Welsh are now decimated and any future campaigns will be much easier with larger forces and better supplies, especially since Gwynedd, the most dangerous of all Welsh principalities, is practically on the other side of Wales, not too far from the English border there, if we ever seek more fighting. While many of the border raiders survived, what is there for them to raid but the lands that now belong to the traitorous barons? Wales, from now on, will not be our concern for a long time to come.

The more pressing matter at hand, however, is much more dangerous and the picture, despite King Henry's most helpful maps, is stil very blurry (intentionally so). As I've said, if we gain the Welsh's temporary aid, hunt him with impunity. While it is true that the plot is too large a scale to be one man's work, Gloucester is the practical leader of the rebellion and his death would do much damage to it, leaving the stronger lords scrambling for leadership and the weaker ones wavering.

From what has been indicated, the rebels are concentrated along the Welsh Border Marches and the Southwestern shore, while the heartlands would most likely be loyal. Therefore, I suggest, if hunting Robert of Gloucester is not a choice with realistic success possibility, to march at full speed through Usk towards Chepstow, where no doubt there will be forthcoming information. Also, send emissaries to Monmouth and, if it is on our side, has it plan for a full-scale siege defence. The rest of the nearest loyalist forces are to come to join our main army as soon as possible, along the way to Chepstow or at it. Though we will not wait if they can't make it. Time is of the essence.

After reaching Chepstow, if there is no extra information indicating loyalist concentrations in England as I'm hoping it will, then sail towards Chester and from there, gather the forces in which we would reconquer the Kingdom.

Any major offensive against the rebels themselves are not feasible without proper supplies and siege train with which to conquer their castles quickly.

[Lord Winter]

We must not seek parly with the welsh
The nobles will see as a sign of weakness and we need every advantage we can get not a disadvantage. We have dealt the Welsh a major blow they will leave us alone probably for a at least a couple years,

[Just A Girl]

Lol.
If the "welsh" in the dtory are anything like, me...
Yo better believe they wont lay down and let you just walk out of there :P

In all prbabilaty. the welsh wil starve you out of the castle. And draw you far in to the country side, where you will be outclassed due to diferent fighting stiles. giving the welsh the upper hand.

a few groups of short welsh bow men. along both valeys back to england, could easily use gurilla warefare tacktics to deplete our units.

but there ya go. Im from gwynedd and those sotherners may be diferent.
But i dount it.

[King Henry V]

Chester is the caput of Earl Ranulf of Chester, son-in-law if Robert of Gloucester. Let me put it this way, he had no love for King Stephen, as the latter granted Carlisle, Doncaster and much of the honour of Lancaster and Cumberland to King David of Scots at the treaty of Durham in 1136, which Ranulf insisted were his by right of birth.
However, despite his family connection with Gloucester, Ranulf is not so keen to join the Angevins either, as one of Matilda's chief supporters is her uncle, King David.
He is pretty much your rogue baron, and during the real civil war he both fought against Stephen at the battle of Lincoln and later joined him and brought three hundred knights to besiege the Angevin castle of Bedford.

As for the ring of enemy castles around Chepstow, Hereford, Bristol, Malmesbury and Gloucester are all stout castles with high stone walls and large keeps, not to mention the town walls. To sustain a siege, you must also have good supply lines and have enough troops to stop the enemy being supplied. As Gloucester and Bristol are the chief strongholds of the Angevins, they are most likely to have large garrisons.
Clifford, on the other hand, has wooden walls (and a stone keep). Since it is right on the edge of the Welsh border, it is not likely to be well supplied, and the garrison might be depleted after the Welsh raids. HOwever, even if you do manage to take it there is still Hereford, and you must still go down the Wye.

[Ludens]

I am a bit pressed for time, so I have not read all post in detail. My apologies if I have missed something. I second Antiochus' first proposal. We cannot linger long in Wales, but if the Welsh are unlikely to seek battle there is little we can do. If they will swear us fealty (perhaps in exchange in for food to avert the famine), our mission here is accomplished. As for the next offensive, I am not quite sure. Why are it the Welsh marcher lords that are revolting? It sounds like a bad idea to launch a revolt when your own home land is threatened. Perhaps the Welsh are aware of the traitors' intentions and are co-operating?

Whatever it is, I think that a quick minor victory against a rebel lord may go long way to restoring order, but I am not sure what would make a suitable target.

[Lord Winter]

I would like to apoligize i feel like i have been doing the equivilent of calling all of you Idiots. sorry

[King Henry V]

Are you still in favour of sailing to Chester?

[Flavius Clemens]

Are you still in favour of sailing to Chester?

I think whether or not we sail depends heavily on what we find when we get back to home turf. If Monmouth is still ours and loyal, and we have a reasonable balance of forces against Gloucester's then staying put to fight may be the best option. However if - as still seems likely - we'd be outnumbered and surrounded by a ring of rebel strongholds taking to the sea to outflank them still appeals.

I initially suggested trying Chester as it was showing as one of the closer options not definitely marked as against us. As Canterbury and Dover refused us entry on initially arriving in England to take the throne, I saw heading east as too risky. If there's a sensible option of a loyal port to aim for on the south coast I'd consider that, but if not then Chester still has to be under consideration. If we do it presumably means throwing Ranulf some big incentives to side with us - large chunk of the rebel lands when we win or restoration of some of what was lost to King David. The former means taking from his own relatives, so it depends on how mercenary Ranulf is, the latter will provoke the Scots, but they may well want to take advantage of the rebellion to attack anyway. As ever, sounds like the whole world is against us...

But back to the immediate question - I say get down to Chepstow asap and decide on the next move on arrival there. (Trying to recruit the Welsh seems risky and timeconsuming, so I'm not inclined to try it.) Also I still suggeste risking sending a few loyal messangers ahead at speed to warn the loyal castles.

[King Henry V]

Just a quick question, should you tell the army or only the barons of the situation? Or should you perhaps keep it a secret as long as possible.

[Just A Girl]

I may have read this and now forgoten already...

But are the town walls of chester in good codition after the romans in the story?...
Also a good % of the wals do date from medieval ages.
When to be precice i dont know.

cos Honestly if Chester was like it is these days back then.
I would NOT want to attack it.
(and most of chester town walls have fallen down these days)

The place has town walls surounding it.. "i think romans built them"
It would not be a good idea to attack it imo.
It would be as silly as to try and attack caernarfon castle.


Il show you what i mean... (And the walls could be in MUCH better condition in the story)







There Maby a rethink is in order.