21.16 The destructive side of legions and warfare.

One of the most significant differences between the consequences of
warfare and the fall-out from a combat between two individuals is the
extent and permanence of harm done to the defeated, the scale of spoils
afforded to the victor, and - for some as important as any material wealth
- the indelible mark made on the ever unfolding history of the land.
Although treaties and divine negotiators tend to involve themselves in
aiding peace settlements long before anything so serious as a complete
annihilation of one party is countenanced, the theory remains that if a
victorious group was so inclined they could chase down and slay every last
defender, besiege, raze to the ground and plunder every construction, all
the opponent's wealth, possessions, commodities and artifacts; burn down
and pillage, to an irretrievable extent, the homeland of the defeated foe.
Guilds could be closed down, academies destroyed, city councils and
ministries rendered homeless and impotent... whole cities can be made
vassals to the victor; the possibilities and stakes of War are
near-limitless and should cause even the most staunch of warmongerer to
reflect a moment on the spectrum of outcomes - victory to defeat -
merciful occupation to sadistic conquest - futures unknown. Warfare, even
more so than the divine ordination, can have the mightiest impact on the
land and thus there are many commands/orders to deal with the process of
conquest, plunder and reordering enemy soil freshly laid bare and
undefended.

Syntax: ... BESIEGE <direction>/HERE <target, e.g. GATEHOUSE/BARBICAN/ALL>.
Laying siege sets your legion the task of breaking the resistance (in whatever
form that might be) of the specified target. It uses, primarily, the
specialist skill of "besieging". Any fortified target must first have the
fortifications destroyed first before any damage can be undertaken against
the well-defended object of the siege. Be careful to direct your besieging
against your foes rather than mistakenly send your loyal fellows against
your own defences. Size of legion, potency and size of defences and quality
of any manning of defences; these, and terrain/environmental modifiers, all
play a part in the speed and potential costs of the siege. Manned fortified
defensive positions, for instance, will likely have occupants whose orders
will be to attack back against any siege and thus your legions will
suffer casualties/losses as the siege continues.

Syntax: ... PLUNDER <direction>/HERE <target, e.g. GATEHOUSE/BARBICAN/ALL>.
Plundering is one of the most enjoyable of exercises for the soldiery,
a great boost for morale. It employs, for the most part, the specialist-skill
of "plundering" to dictate discipline, speed and efficiency of the
action. To plunder is to strip an undefended target or locale of its
contents, passing the possessions/valuables/livestock out from the
defenceless positions back into the inventory of the plundering aggressors.
This is used to decimate enemy treasure chambers, commodity stores, bank
vaults, etc. It can be used to empty the deepest, darkest stockroom of its
booty - providing you have your legions in place and all defences (and, of
course, defensive legions) have been fully destroyed.

Syntax: ... RAZE <direction>/HERE [<target/ALL>].
Bringing to bear the most destructive specialist-skill of all, that of
"razing", this command-order leaves a potentially indelible mark on the
landscape of battle. Most commonly it is used within the citywalls of a
defeated foe and as part of a broader strategy to force a surrender or
strengthen a bargaining position preceding an occupation. Quite simply,
razing a target or a direction destroys it completely. The target or
location in specified direction must be completely defenceless and plundered
of all its goods before it can be razed but, once it lies at the mercy
of your legions, you may raze it and thus wipe it from the land. Short
of divine intervention there is no way to recover a razed target; it must
be reconstructed from scratch. Ministry buildings, commodity stores, guilds,
shops, great palaces, gatehouses, barbicans: all are potentialy vulnerable
to being razed. To be used, however, with a certain respect for it, more
than any other aspect of military warfare, engenders a long-term emotional
impact - an entry on the pages of the land's history that is never easily
forgiven; and never, no matter the honeyed words of mediators after the
event, never truly forgotten.

Syntax: ... SABOTAGE TYPE <type>.
Syntax: ... SABOTAGE TARGET <target>/<direction>/<loyalty>/HERE.
Syntax: ... SABOTAGE FOCUS <percentage>.
Using a blend of covert and direct measures (depending on the circumstances)
will you will able to use this command-order to initiate the sabotage
of target equipment, actions, specific obstacles. It employs a blend of
the "sabotage" skill and then often, in tandem, a further specialist-skill
depending on the type of sabotage undertaken. This blend determines speed,
efficiency and success rates as compared against the size, strength and
applicable potencies of the target. The sabotage method is more commonly
used by smaller legions when outnumbered or in the period of invasion
preceding battlefield clashes, or as a component of an organised
retreat. Listed following are the types of sabotage a legion can be
commanded to undertake. It is important to specify the percentage of your
legion's focus to devote to the specified sabotages - since it can
be performed alongside a retreat (if focus is low) or can be fully
occupying (if focus is high). Naturally the lower the focus, the less
resources are devoted, the less instantly effective the sabotage will
be; but then a legion may wish to perform many actions concurrently rather
than focus solely on a single task.

I - "lumberjacking"
Employing the specialist-skill of "lumberjacking" and greatly enhanced
by use of the correct equipment, the lumberjacking command-order directs
the attentions of the legion against those targets suitable for cutting
down (and thus speedier destruction) or cutting through (and thereby negate
some undesirable influences on your locale). You can target a direction or
a specific enemy, or the very locale about you. Targets for lumberjacking
include trees, forest growth/obstructions, towers erected using stilts, etc.

II - "scorching"
The commmand-order of scorched earth uses the specialist-skill "scorchedearth"
to bring about the destruction of farmlands, fields, anything suitable
that might be the result of the farming or labours. Targeting a direction
scorches indiscrminately, as does HERE, but you can also dictate
the scorching is commenced only against specific targets (your enemies
being an obvious one). Many use scorched earth as part of an invasion tactic
to force a foe out onto the battlefield, while others employ its long-term
destructive effects as part of a retreat pattern.

III - "rustling"
This command-order employs the "rustling" secondary-skill as its sabotage
partner and attempts to rustle livestock - either frightening them to
panic or, if overwhelmingly successful, bringing them into the possession
of the rustlers themselves. Rustling is particularly effective against
an opponent making heavy use of cavalry and/or mounted positions in its
dispatches - although generally also doubly difficult to achieve against
such a foe since their defensive mindset towards their precious steeds will
make a rustling all the more complex. Timing and terrain can prove pivotal
in such contests.

IV - "thievery"
The most basic of sabotages of an opposing legion is the theft of their
possessions since it requires only a modicum of thieves to achieve a
potentially legionwide effect (e.g. stealing artifacts crucial to the
execution of some dispatch). Needless to say it is difficult for a small
group to carry out a theft from a vigilant opponent of great size - the
more so if they have specifically posted watches against such an inflitration
but, so saying, sending out advance parties to carry out judicious thefts
can be tip the balance when eventually the battlefield is reached. Legions
do, after all, require a great deal of equipment to carry through their
missions abroad - from rations to coins for field wages to the stockpiles
of the quartermaster. Thievery is most effective when targetted in the
most direct, specific way possible.

V - "mines"
Employing, to an extent, the skill of 'minefields' you can use this type of sabotage to destroy/detonate mines in the immediate vicinity. It is generally used in conjunction with the MINEHUNT command order as described in the HELP SCOUTING helpfile since hunting out the mines initially places them vulnerable for sabotage/diffusing. If you go sabotaging mines without first having unearthed them via hunting you risk detonating them unexpectedly or without proper precautions - and thus would be likely to cause harm to the legion. Find the mine first nd then sabotage becomes far more straightforward and likely to succeed.

VI - "globestaves"
Here your legion may use the 'globestaveblast' specialist-skill to bring about the destruction of opposing globestaves fixed in the locale. Different guilds boast different approaches to stave destruction but primarily those of the Loremaster profession are advantaged in this art. City-based legions, despite their affinity with the divine globe itself, are lacklustre in their development of stave destruction techniques. A globestave is not destroyed immediately but, if sabotage is attempted, occupies a legion for some time about the business of removing it from existence. See HELP GLOBESTAVES for further documentation on the globestave and the player-initiated commands available relating to its empowerment, use and removal.

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