Chapter III - Fort Shippel

The word of Hellcanon being brought to Fort Schippel ran through the camp like a mad dog. The Old Campaigner was having nothing of the Feast of Dismay. He strode to the generals pavilion and entered brusquely.
"Have all my comrades in arms turned to Nancy boys and sissies?"   All conversation stopped. The Old Campaigner continued. "Warriors Fight! Warrior of Light do not fear the Darkness!! It is our Life to fight Chaos. It is for the life of our children and their children we fight Chaos."


There were some commander who bristled at the words and others knew that the old man was grumbling again. His daughter stepped forth,
"What papa is saying is rather than sit here and wait for the Hellcannons to arrive and set up, let us sally out and attack before expect resistance!"   She turned to her father and admonished him “Papa, you must curb thy tongue when with friends.  You are cursed with putting your foot into your mouth and biting down hard again and again and again.”  Her words stilled the stormy waters.  Some men laughed.  An Empirical commander siffed how at lease Empirical Ladies knew their place and AndreaLyn strode to him and looked him square in the eyes.  He marveled at how tall she was.
“Under a bed, terrified with a pillowcase for a bonnet?”  She asked wide eyed and innocently.   The officer acquiesced.
By mid morning the Marquis was in his tent and before him a table with a large map of the fort, North wall. Small blocks of wood, brightly painted were strategically placed. The Old Campaigner was planning his strategy.
"I and the Grail Knights will hold in reserve while you, my oldest daughter will sally out and distract the enemy. Have them chase you about. Taunt them. Lead them  far away from the path of the Holy Grandfathers."
His daughter nodded and studied the map.
"Then the Grail Knights will strike out against the enemy, destroy the depot and all return to the Fort"  He turned to leave his tent.  “Etien De Rochefort,  Robert de Giselles and Baron Ivan Loben are assigned to destroy the Hellcannon
And so the plan was set. However his daughter had the last word. "Papa, tis a pity that wars could not be fought on such a table." Her father looked apprehensively at his oldest child. She continued, "Maybe miniature figurines to represent warriors and small hills and trees and structures."
The Marquis laugherd "Child!", he declared, "This is WAR, not some Gaming Workshop!" He left to check on his men while his daughter made a note about what she had proposed.
It had gone smoothly and the Lady was thanked profusely at evening prayers.  Not one Bretonnian  knight had died.   The Hellcannon were no more.   Lances had attacked the things violently and there was the matter of a Comet crashing out of the sky destroying a battery.  Yet no knight was killed, although many sets of armor were repaired in a massive effort by the smithies.