Charles of Tours

Just so everyone knows I am planning to start the end of the first adventure, but once it's over I'll quickly set up the second. So please don't spring anymore battles or ambushes ... unless you think the Duke's "protectors" are really his captors, or if Lord Richard is really the true villain ... or something else that advances the plot a ways like that. Just so you all know, the decisions you make regarding who you think is loyal and who you think is the traitor will have an impact in the future. ;)

"I will take you, monsieurs, to the last place I knew my master to be, the same place where your Duke was hidden, and may be still." He looks around, with no sense of nervousness on his face, scanning the number and strength of his captors before being prodded along. "My master Glynn spoke truthfully. Your duke is held in a cave, a mile within the forest, northwest of here. I shall take you on the easiest route, and I swear that none of my comrades will ambush you for my life's sake ... but before I bring you there, you must know this. You knights of Riverbourne have served both sides in this war, whether you know it or not. I trust that when the Duke is found all your worries and concerns will be answered."

His deep voice comes out with a French accent, as he speaks in a slow, calm voice. "Spare me your threats, old man. You have killed my brother! What should I tell you? You have just found the end of the the tangled string of corruption in the Duke's realm. Now, if you would kindly lower your sword, I'll gladly tell you where you can find my master Glynn, or 'The Phantom', as you Englishmen called him. Better, I can bring you there. But be warned. By killing him, you will only rattle larger snakes ..." [OOC: That last line looks *very* curious ...]

Thanks Nigel! You too! (And everyone else too :P) Well, I won't ruin the plot, but it's up to you all to decide who to trust, and who not to trust ... choose wisely. ;)

Three men on horseback had watched the battle from the shadows of a wooded hill. "That man, he is an outstanding commander, and an excellent fighter. What did you say his name was again?" asked the first. "Brother Goodman," answered the third. "From my time with him he seems to have a pure heart. He was a Templar too -" "A fellow brother? I have long since left the order and their ideals, but it is good to see such a man on our side," responded the first again. "It is unfortunate that some have fallen so far that they join the enemy. Go, ride with the winds behind you, and warn them." The third man nudged his horse onward, down the gentle slope of the hill and through the branches of the pine trees. Once he broke the clearing, he raised his right hand in the sign of peaceful salute, like an old soldier of Rome, and all the Duke's men in the clearing saw a strange figure. A man wearing a straw hat with a bow and quiver on his back. Was it, could it be ... Glynn? [OOC: he's the guy from a lot earlier in the adventure]. "Hail, servants of Duke Christopher! I come in peace! You have no reason to trust me, but I will tell you the truth - what I have seen with my own eyes. The Duke did not make it to the castle. His captors were ambushed en route by myself and my comrades. He is in a lightly guarded cave, deep within the forest, where some loyal peasants, armed with makeshift weapons, and a few yeomen with bows protect him. His leg was wounded and he is unfit to travel on his own, so we must rescue him. Enemy forces scour the forest as we speak, trying to find him, they have even sent trained wolves and dogs after us! "But, my friends, that is not the worst of it. A certain corrupt lord has hired foreign mercenaries and local brutes, these bandits we've been dealing with, to capture the Duke and stage an uprising. That man is none other than Sir Richard!"

One thing you want to be aware of is that there's two "offline modes." One keeps you online but hides you from your friends - this one makes it so you can't play games when you don't have an internet connection. This one can be enabled (when in the Steam library) by clicking on the "Friends" tab in the upper left and clicking "Offline." This can also be done by opening the Friends List, clicking the arrow next to your username, then "Offline." The way to really go offline is to, at the Library, click on the "Steam" tab in the upper left and click "Go Offline." A confirmation screen will come up and after saying Yes, you will be in real offline mode. It will be as if you had no connection to the internet (no friends list, achievements, store, etc) but if you actually are connected to the internet, in many cases you will still be able to play multiplayer even while in this mode.

There are some department stores in the US like Walmart, BestBuy, OfficeMax (maybe even Target and Kmart, it's been ages since I've been in one looking for technology stuff) that should sell tablets. Of course, shipping might be a bit difficult because I imagine not many of these stores being in Serbia (and their shipping might be US, or US and Canada only - you'll have to look into that on their websites). Besides that, you could look at Amazon or eBay which will probably be a lot easier, but you won't be able to actually see a physical copy of the device. I hope listing these options helped. :)

Lord Richard leaned back and scratched his chin. "Hm, very well, take a dozen rangers and do with them what you will, but I expect every man to return alive! We will need every last one of them if we are to enter battle again ..."

Skirgaila is approved! I'll look forward to seeing him in the next adventure. :)

Hi @buddha737! You can post your application here: http://forums.stronghold-nation.com/topic/466-a-call-to-arms-character-creation/. Also, @Narrikis, I haven't forgotten about you! From the looks of it, new people will be joining at the start of the next adventure.

Excellent stuff! Keep up the good work! :D I know a few tricks for SH1 and SHC but I'm interested in learning more about tricks for SH2 that might also work in SHL. This should be a great way for me to learn more.

OOC: You got it. Bit of that and a bit of Roncevaux Pass. :)

OOC: Good job bringing us back up to speed, and [user]Crusader1307]! Great work, both of you. I would've responded more quickly but the paperwork of IRL is not merciful :P The guardsman lifts his head, still clutching his recently bandaged wound. "Thank you sirs, for saving me. Those ruffians would have moved in for the kill sooner had you not arrived. My name is Harold, and I have served to protect the duke for many years. As the army marched towards the castle to reclaim it for Duke Christopher, he were engaged in several skirmishes along the main roads. The duke and some of the other knights thought we'd be better off in the cover of the forest, but I and two others disagreed. "Our formation was forced to thin out in the narrow paths, and many times our rear guard was ambushed, but the enemy forces would melt away, retreating back into the trees, as soon as the men entered a fighting formation. Eventually we marched at a snail's pace, on the lookout at all times, with the occasional arrow picking us off one by one, and sending the rest into a panic. By the time we reached the clearing, nearly a third of our number had been left behind as casualties. "As we were about to continue along the next path adjoining the clearing, eastward towards the castle, as we are now headed, the final wave came. Enemies with large shields on wheels came and blocked off the exits while archers shot at us from between the trees. A great number of our bowmen had already perished, and our only option was to dismount and form a circle around the duke. "What happened next I care not to speak of, as it brings great humility to our brave knights. We were all but wiped out, but we destroyed a good many of their number. Every loyal knight slew at least three of the rebels. As I sat bleeding on the edge of death, I saw the duke struck on the back of the head and taken hostage. Our horses were stolen, and what valuables we carried looted. You arrived only some tens of minutes after the carnage, though I pray you can unsee the sights and smells of that wretched field ..."

OoC: Prepare for some "movie magic." On Goodman's command the fiery projectiles landed in the peat, setting it ablaze just as men wielding swords and spears emerged from the shadows between the trees. The riders mounted their steeds and galloped away from the field, turning their backs to the horror behind them. Some minutes later, presumably safe from danger, the adventurers began to wonder what to do, if they and their handful of soldiers truly were the last remnants of the duke's vanguard. Now their task included not only returning a duke to his rightful throne, but first saving that very duke's life! Perhaps the ordeal would become a lot easier if the adventurers happened upon some unlikely allies ... but who, and how?

(OOC:) Sorry, I've been very busy, but I thought up something ... As the party rides onward, about three miles ahead their senses start to tingle. The gentle breeze feels warmer and carries an odd smell, familiar to many of the adventurers now. The area is strangely silent, until they see why. In a large clearing ahead the ground is littered with shining fragments of iron and steel. Bodies fill the small field, and many of them, loyalist and rebel alike, filled with arrows. Looters and crows scatter as the heroes near the wretched scene, but the sound of their horses triggers a cry of "Help!" Some ten feet from Goodman and Loring, who are in front of the column, sits a man propped against a tree. He wears the armor and insignia of one of the Duke's bodyguards. In one hand he holds his open wound, and the other the remains of his sword. He looks up at the adventurers and his eyes widen ...

@Isaiah mentions one of the many possibilities of the Sav-to-Map trick. For a more graphical / detailed procedure, check out this link: http://www.stronghold-nation.com/article/159-making-savtomap-files :)

Another interesting tidbit (perhaps more historical) is that the calendar Chris is reference was called the Julian Calendar which was altered in 1582 and called the Gregorian Calendar in honor of the pope at that time (Gregory XIII) who supposedly created the reform himself. Many Eastern Orthodox countries (obviously not Roman Catholic) did not adopt the reforms. However, the very slight difference added up over time, and the eastern nations used the Julian Calendar up through the 19th century (and AFAIK into the early 20th). Now here's a fun fact: when Napoleon I started his Austerlitz campaign, the Austrian emperor was allied to the Tsar of Russia and arranged for a certain time for the bulk of the Russian army to aid the Austrians. However, the Russians were weeks behind schedule because their high command didn't take into account the calendar difference. xD

Most .exe files install or "extract" files to a chosen location. One way of eliminating the need of the .exe would be to extract the files from it by installing to an empty folder. Then (in theory) the folder that contains the mod's files can be compressed (made into a .zip file) and sent that way. However, it's a very bad idea to distribute someone else's mod without their permission.

I shall join you in the field of battle! (I haven't touched SH2 in about half a year, so ... xD)

I know that lots of radio programs (most of which are done over the internet now too!) accept VoIP or Skype calls instead of just people just using traditional phones. But the wonder is that both can be used!

"I-I've never seen the mark it leaves ... but it's rumored that the symbol is a sword with five crosses on it. I d-don't know how it looks ex-exactly, but that's what I'm told ..." [OOC] You can use Google for hints, but there's a few dots to connect. ;) Prepare to be introduced to a new important character!

[OOC] I've been taking the back seat a little too much, but good work lads! :) "Please good sir, I've got a wife and two little ones!" The bandit, seeing in Goodman's eyes that his (probably falsified) pleas were to no avail, and fearing another sharp pain, quickly spoke up, blurting words out of his mouth as they came to mind. "Me and the lads went out on patrol. The boss has sent groups of us to watch the perimeter. There's a few layers of patrol routes, more men closer to the center - the castle. We go there to rest up when not on our shift, but our rations have been cut. At least, until ... until The Shadow is captured. That's what we call him, nobody knows who he is. He strikes at night against our ranks, cutting down patrols to the last man, and setting the last fellow free but with a brand on their forehead. I think it's more than one man, but the other lads think it's a deadly phantom! Please, I've told you all I know, let me go! I promise to earn an honest living from now on!"

Glynn, who had been accompanying the adventurers, mounted one of the horses and spoke up. "This is where I leave you, my friends. Swift travels to you all." He politely tipped his straw hat, and galloped off into the distance in search of his own two companions.

Thanks, Chris. I personally set my "max files" to 5 and the interval to 600. I haven't played SHC2 in a while, but from my experience with it (and other games) these numbers are probably a nice place for people to start tweaking with. :)

It was announced today that the English actor and singer, Sir Christopher Lee, died on June 7th at the age of 93. We all knew him for his role as Dracula and Frankenstein's monster in the Hammer horror films, and as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings?and The Hobbit films. Recently, he sang for different types of albums in the "metal" genre, including the parts of Don Quixote and Charlemagne. Sir Lee himself was a descendant of Charlemagne, but an honorable man and skilled performer in his own right. Here is the BBC story for verification:?http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-33098353