FE: Drums of War <v. 1.0 - COMPLETE! 22-chapter campaign>

[Parrhesia]

CURRENT PATCH v. 1.0

A familiar sun set over foreign soil. The Aulestri pulled back, leaving swathes of their own behind, their fierce legions left broken against the rag-tag militias of the Federal Guard.
It wasn't enough. It would never be enough. Tomorrow, the legions would resume the attack; rested, reinforced, against starving, demoralised and desperate conscripts. Tomorrow, the Guard would break.

"Hey."
Kirsten glanced up at the sound of a voice. "Ah, Radu..." It took everything she had left to force a smile. She'd never seen Radu with one, but she was the type who felt she ought to compensate. "How're you holding up?"
Radu only snorted, pressing his weight against the wall, trying to smooth his hair over the vicious, jagged cut running blood into his eye.
"Ought to get that looked at," Kirsten added.
"Kadri's busy. I've not seen hide nor hair of Chasimir." Radu shrugged. "I'll live. Shouldn't waste your time worrying about me. You've been staring at your hands the past ten minutes?"
"Have I... ?" Kirsten's smile eroded. "It's just... it was a close thing today, right?"
"Close as I've been in. Damn miracle none of us--"
They jolted as muffled, duelling shouts echoed down the hall.
"The captain?" Radu asked.
"Yeah." Kirsten ran her shaking hand through her hair, prising sweat-drenched strands apart. "She wanted to... she told me she wanted to discuss the promised reinforcements. With the senator."
Radu clicked his tongue. "Bet she did."
"They are coming, right? They have to come for us. They have to. Even if we aren't citizens, they still... ?"
She looked back up at him, and he down at her, legs pulled tight against each other as she huddled against the wall with her unstrung longbow stave lying by her side. She had not hesitated when the time had come. None of them had. But now that the red mist had subsided, and they were left with their thoughts...
"Sure," he lied. "They'll show."
The shouting did not subside, though the jangle of jewellery cut through it from the other side. Both bowmen turned to see the dancer Calista, who had never picked up a blade, yet always been in the heart of the fighting, though nobody could quite place what exactly it was she did.
"The captain?" she asked.
Radu jabbed a thumb down the hall. "Might be best to give her some space, eh?"
"Perhaps." Calista kept on walking, not breaking stride until a sudden stop as a memory flodded back, raising a long, elegant finger as the specifics came to her. "Oh, Renate was asking after you both. She said she saw some dark figures snooping around the outskirts. That they might--"
Radu grunted. "Got it." Even Kirsten sighed, though she did her best to suppress it as she got to her feet.
Calista watched them go. "Too young," she murmured. "All too young."
She would not be left with her thoughts for long, as the door burst open down the hall, the sturdy figure of Captain Roxelana Kallaste stomping out, chased by the senator's caterwauling. "-- not presume to doubt the wisdom of your betters, auxiliary! We will hold out. To the last man, if necessary!"
The captain turned, and for a moment Calista feared she'd reach for the blade at her hip... but she snapped off an impeccable salute. "Understood, sir," she hissed, through gritted teeth. "With your permission, I'll--"
"You're lucky I haven't had you horse-whipped."
The question was writ clear on Roxelana's expression. By whom, sir? "I'll see to the defences, Sir. Of course the Guard will hold."
"Just so. And now you are dismissed."
The door slammed in the captain's face. She let her salute die away, by inches.
Calista took a few hesitant steps forward. "Captain..."
"No surrender," Roxelana murmured. She shook her head, her ringlets skittering along her armour. "No retreat. No time-frame. Reinforcements will come."
The dancer wasn't sure what to say. She fell back on her pretext. "The magistrate's been asking after you."
"I'm sure he has."
"... But I only came as an excuse." She worked an arm around Roxelana's shoulders. "To see how you're doing."
The captain shrugged, but did not reject the contact. "I'll be fine. It's my people I'm worried about. How are they holding up?"
Calista smiled tightly. "Well... nobody's yet run."
"Mm. Great. So they're still taking their chances this side of the walls." Roxelana sucked her teeth. "Damn it all, this isn't how it--"
"I know."
"I told them I'd bring them home safe! I told their families!"
"I know." Calista turned, rested her other hand on Roxelana's shoulder, and pressed her forehead against the captain's scalp. She could feel the captain's sweat seeping onto her, mixed with the blood of a cut reopened by stress and exertion. "But I believe in you still. Even now. And I think they do, as well."
They stood there for a time. Draughts whistled through the cracks of the delapidated, ill-used keep. It would be a colder night here than under the stars.
At last, Roxelana pulled away. "Tell the magistrate I'll meet him in my quarters."
Calista chuckled, mirthless. "I can imagine his reaction to being ordered around by a mere officer. You aren't interested in keeping friends, captain?"
Roxelana grunted, as she stalked down the hall. "Got other things on my mind, right now. I'll live."

They'd found a bottle of wine in the quarters they'd reserved for her, when she'd arrived. The senator and magistrate had only sniffed at it, though she suspected had it been to their liking it would have ended up shared between them. As it was, it smelled too strong and sour, but it was hers.
There was no glass. She pulled out the cork with a knife and drank like it was water, before opening the desk drawer. She pulled out a piece of paper, a long vow tailed by names, signatures and X-marks, and she read and re-read the names of the people who were counting on her.

Spoiler

I the Undersigned pledge my life to the Confederation. I shall devote myself to the Great Cause, for the betterment of a suffering world. I have found a cause worthy of dying for.
Through unity, we survive. Through survival, we triumph. In triumph, we prosper. In prosperity, we grow united.
Signed,
Calista Berenguer, 29, courtesan
Pavel Iscander, 18, vagrant
Felice Gartner, 16, miller's daughter
Radu Prijef, 27, daytaler
Petras Ugarkoff, 32, farmer
Renate Scharner, 33, farmer
Hesterine Dimitrijef, 19, squire
Vivica Harnik, 24, student
Gerhard Smycer, 30, barman
Jaro Degenek, 29, conscript
Kadri Jaerviste, 21, curate
Goran Harkoff, 20, squire
Kirsten Lillekuela, 22, hunter
Alessander fitzCabriol, 22, vagrant
Helje Kreida, 29, conscript
Alarik Ostler, 25, sailor
Etienne Marchand, 37, conscript

All here, so far from home, to die for the Confederation. Giving everything in the hope that lowly backwater Rijesca could, someday, earn citizenship in the greatest power in the land.
It had seemed so worthy a cause, only a day ago, back when they thought, they genuinely thought, they'd be saved. That the Confederation's regulars would win the day, if only the Guard could hold the line. That was before she realised how stacked the deck was, that it didn't matter how many auxiliaries had to die for the front to creep forward one inch someplace else. How could that be a cause worth dying for, so far from home?
Three knocks at the door, spaced eerily evenly. "Captain?"
"One moment," she murmured reflexively, as she pressed out the paper on the desk. Methodically, she worked at pressing it flat, before taking the two halves - the pledge, and the signatures - and slowly, painstakingly, tearing them apart.
The knock repeated, more insistent, as Roxelana admired her handiwork. "Yeah," she muttered. "That looks right." A flick of her wrist sent the oath skidding under her bed.
"Captain!" came the plea from the other side of the door. "I really must insist that--"
"Come in," said the captain, slipping her dagger from its sheath.
She told her company she'd bring them home.
She would not be made a liar.

CREDITS

Spoiler

MISC
Parrhesia

MUGS
Aeorys, Amelia, Luminescent Blade
Andrea, Baros, Chasimir, Connacht, Donagh, Estrelle, Gerhard, Jaro, Kalevi, Karolas, Kestut, Pavel, Rioghain, Rowland, Roxelana, Tiimo, Saszkia

Alusq
Lasker

Flasuban
Wildbrand

Garytop
Hoscutt

HyperGammaSpace
Carmilla

Jordan
Thill

Meat of Justice
Littbarsky

PlantAcademy
Merarch

L95
Deadeye, the Great Dragon, Ochulo, Vasja

Laurent Lacroix
Jurechka, Mad Kolar, Tethra

LaurentLacroix, Vlak
Gisela

Levin64
Auclair, Metaxa

Vlak
Ancamna, Debreszen

Wave
Gianluce

XVI
Jenson

Zarg
Auberdin

Class Sprites
Assassin (Mapsprite)
ArcherBias

Archer (F)
Feaw

Captain / Warlord (FE15 Myrmidon)
Nuramon

Ironclad
SALVAGED

Dreadnought
TBA, Der the Vaporeon, Nuramon, The Big Dedester

Soldier
FireEmblemier, Flasuban

Fighter
MK404, Glenwing

Cavalier
SALVAGED, Flasuban, Pikmin

Paladin
SALVAGED, Leo_link, Flasuban

Mercenary
SALVAGED

Champion (Hero)
Nuramon

Sentinel
TheBlindArcher

Music
7743 (The Long Patrol, Your Sacrifice I’ll Make, The Big Push, Take the Shilling)
AlexArtsHere (Judge, Jury and…)
Alusq (all other track improvements, general behind-the-scenes wizardry)

Major Patches
7743, Aera, Agro, Brendor, Circles, Contro, Gryz, Venno, Vesly, Zane

Special Playtesting Thanks
Alusq, Epicer, Harudoku, Integrity

If your work appears in the game and I’ve failed to credit you, please let me know! The last thing I want to do is deny anyone credit, as this game could never have been made without the repository.

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by Parrhesia

[Parrhesia]

After lying dormant in Concepts for months, I can now proudly announce that v. 0.6 is released! Containing 14 of the planned 21 chapters, a playable cast of up to 39 - if you're feeling merciful - a complete set of supports viable for that stage of the hack, a variety of objectives and a focus on character-driven story.