Bathsheba’s Diary part 14: The Battle of Vine Street

In The Doom that Came to Amber

2^nd Snake 3658 - late morning

Rioting broken out in City sometime in the early hours. No immediate threat to the castle as yet but intelligence poor.

Cause of rioting: as far as can be ascertained, anti-Miran sentiment, mixed with fundamentalist Unicorn motivation.

Morwaith contacted – sent to Cathedral to attempt to quell the violence.

Peter Thrice sent to scout with 5 guards (4 halberd, 1 crossbow) and report back. First step to speak to Lords Grim & Henge as likely to have relevant intelligence – given letter of authority to negate any problems of rank.

Orders to Light cavalry (away from castle at this time) to ride for Kolvir – several officers brought through to castle for briefing & logistics.

Initial analysis: insufficient info to formulate a comprehensive overview but existing data points to infeasibility of frontal assault due to lack of manpower on our part. Subject to further developments, monitor risk to castle & await intelligence reports.

Early-Mid afternoon

Report back from Peter – 2/3 of the city affected, predominantly southern sector. He had contacted Grim & Henge – Henge had a message for me ‘The straying sheep had returned to the fold’. Guards returned to castle with Henge – Peter decided to reconnoitre alone.

Morwaith now in Cathedral. Nobles & retinues gathering at the castle.

Intelligence from Peter – no sign of any concerted Miran presence, mobs dragging out ‘Mirans’ (some of them maybe even genuine) and killing them. Two were dragged into the cathedral but didn’t come out.

Late afternoon

Fresh information from Peter – mob has gathered and is moving up Vine Street towards the castle. Either they want to get on to Kolvir or to the castle. Threat to castle sufficient to act – requested bad weather from Jewel for as long as possible, moved Palace guard and household retinues to two points on Vine Street (fallback ½ way down 3rd stretch and primary just after 3rd bend). I take command of primary post, Danesh at fallback with 250 reserve.

Peter Thrice given charge of 50 bowmen – orders shoot to kill.

Khitan with me.

Evening & night

Unbelievable bad luck – dozen troops lost in landslide, straps breaking at most inopportune times, rockfalls from previously stable rock-faces. Troops are hard pressed; mob is not acting as a mob, more a single indefatigable unit. We are outnumbered four to one, the household retinue suffering heavy casualties – the pattern of cavalry charge, infantry backup to consolidate painfully slow, encroachment continues for about two hours, casualties high.

Khitan advises he can cast a sleep spell which would take out the front half of the mob – when cast, this is over-optimistic but not dramatically so – about a third fall over. Cavalry charge forward but can’t maintain momentum so I lead infantry to support and push back the mob a good few hundred yards (biggest gain today). Ordered sleeping enemy to be killed.

After half an hour more, mob breaks. Position consolidated, I contact Asmark and advise weather no longer required. Am advised that Julian has collapsed with the strain and Asmark has taken Jewel into safekeeping.

Pass command of posts to Peter; send order for 200 of the reserve to relieve primary post with fresh supplies of ammunition. I go through to assist Asmark.

Julian Critical Stage One – extreme exhaustion. Nothing terribly useful I can do, so collate intelligence.

Mob has apparently gone off to loot the Northern quarter – few civilians left so loss of life not likely to be that great.

Khitan contacts me – there is a large, non-Pattern power source moving through the city, almost certainly Miran. Warn Peter, orders to hold ground and not to advance seeking the enemy. Also advised re standing orders on Alaric.

Mirans have seized the Cathedral – Alaric is leading them. There is an explosion which blows the windows out. No further developments.

Current analysis: initial threat still extant but not immediate. Miran threat now revealed, their exact goals unknown but likely to be inimical to Amber itself.

The Miran threat needs to be dealt with swiftly and decisively by removing its leader and his 2IC, Paulo. Although Aylwin has been involved, I do not rate him a credible threat.

Realistically, we are under-strength to achieve this at the moment – in the long term; this incident may have civil order ramifications.

3rd Snake 3658

Provisions sent down to troops, I relieve Peter. Not long after, Aylwin rides through – still unable to Trump. He advises that the North Gate is open and unmanned.

Detail the Marquis of Eastgate and unit of men to secure the gate. He sends back a message that the reason for it being open is that Morwaith led a large number of militia and rioters out of the city. Gave orders that entrance is to be refused to them until further notice.

Mid-morning

Advised that the Light Cavalry is at the foot of Kolvir. Although immediate threat has passed, it is highly likely they will be required.

Conclusion: although the immediate rioting has been dealt with, not least by Morwaith’s recent action, it highlights Amber’s woeful inability to deal with internal strife and, more worrying, its apparent weakness in these treacherous times when confronted by external machinations.

The disappearance or non-functionality of all but two of the Elders underlines this more than anything. However, this is not my remit and I would conclude that the most immediate threat to Amber is Mira and her puppet, Alaric; to be dealt with as a matter of the utmost urgency.