Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: RedEve on 30-06-2013, 13:42:17</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedEve</strong> on <strong>30-06-2013, 13:42:17</strong>
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				Rémy La Roux stared out his window as he struck a match to light his pipe. He drew in smoke from the bit and a deep groan escaped his mouth. The inner yard of his farm was full of activity. Soldiers were cleaning their weapons and tending to their uniforms. Their fine animals were brought from and to the stables, which had been commandeered. It was an understatement to say that Rémy had not much enjoyed these last few months. Most of his horses had been commandeered by the French army, which had twice passed through his property. Once in the optimism of their forward march, a second time in the shame of their retreat. Ragged, wounded men had trickled past the farm house, and those that were offered a glass of wine and a meal told tales of horror, blood and death. <br><br>The way the Prussians had been described to Rémy, he was expecting a pack of half human, half monstrous beings to ride through his gate one day. What he got instead was unit of Hussars commanded by a stern-faced but mostly respectful commander. He had been forced to give up the use of his stables, which didn’t really bother him much, as he had no more own animals to put in them. The fact that a large group of the soldiers had taken up temporary residence in his farm was more of a concern. What little of his farming operation that was still active was significantly hampered by the presence of the soldiers. Not to mention that they walked around like they owned the place. Which they did, to a certain extent. Rémy was keenly aware of the fact that if he or one of his workmen became too much of a problem, they would be rewarded with a nice round bullet between the eyes. <br><br>He hadn’t worked up the La Roux name to one of some standing to lose everything in a war he never asked for. As far as he was concerned, he was going to ride this thing out by keeping his head down and then see where the dice might fall once the dust settled. The people of this area would still need horses and crops regardless of whether they were part of France or Prussia. Rémy took another drag from his pipe before calling out for Marie Claire. <strong>“Marie Claire, ma chère, go and get us some firewood from the shed.”</strong> As the girl readied herself to go out, her employer seemed to reconsider. <strong>“Actually, it might be best if you stayed in… Crapaudvigne, va aller cherche du boix pour le feu.”</strong> The man whom Rémy ordered to perform the task instead of her was Crapaudvigne. His name was as unusual as his appearance. He was a very tall man, certainly the tallest that Marie Claire had ever seen. No one knew exactly where he had come from, the story was that he had turned up at Rémy’s farm as a young man and Rémy had taken enough pity on the lad to offer him a job and a place to stay. <br><br>A gentle giant of a man, Crapaudvigne spoke in hushed tones and wore his dark hair long. It always appeared slightly greasy and often times clung to his face. He was missing his top two incisors and the teeth he still had were in a terrible state for his age. No one knew exactly how old he was, but Marie Claire guessed he was no older than 30. Rémy had soon found out that Crapaudvigne was unsuited for work on the fields, let alone with horses. Which is why he was one of the few male staff members who worked in the big house. Mrs. La Roux mostly allowed him to assist in the kitchens. <br><br>Crapaudvigne nodded his head at his boss’ request and was out the door almost immediately. Marie Claire joined her boss at the window and saw Crapaudvigne cross the yard towards the small shed where they kept their firewood. He returned a couple of minutes later with his long arms filled with the logs. Marie Claire opened the door for him upon his return and assisted him in stoking the fire. Rémy watched them work for a bit before tapping out his pipe and putting on his coat. <strong>“Marie Claire, I am going into town for a few hours, inform mrs. La Roux of as much when you see her. And make sure to take care when you do go out yourself, the officers seem to run a tight ship but these men have been away from home for a long while now and harsh discipline alone cannot always dull blind lust.”</strong> He let his maid figure out the meaning of his words on her own as he took his cane from its usual spot by the side of the door and departed his house. Before the war he would have traveled the few kilometers into town on horseback, but the French regulars had even taken his own pride and joy of a horse, which meant that he had been forced to do most of his commute on foot since then.<br><br>He would never admit as much, but the reality was that he quite enjoyed these walks. He tipped his hat as he passed one of the Prussian officers and passed under the old, stone archway that lead into his farm’s inner yard. He caught himself humming an old tune as he descended towards Falquemont, already visible in the distance. <br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Oldknight</strong> on <strong>02-07-2013, 18:13:50</strong>
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				For a young man that had been brought up to be a nothing but the stories of Fredrick the Great, and the heroics of Prussia and the need for Unification of the German speaking peoples, being a officer was the natural course of action. He was raised in a elite well off family, one which was required by tradition as much as anything else to serve the state and to fight for the state in its wars against its enemies. He had battled against the Austrians whom once long before even own the land his family worked. He had seen his fair share of battle, and his fair share of killing as well.<br><br>Now he was not even in the front lines, he was stationed in the back in an area that was considered for the most part secure, and safe. Yet, that wasn't always the case, one always had to be sure and careful when in enemy lands, secure or not, something he made sure that anyone whom served under him knew, which wasn't many but still, he made sure his cannon was secure and that the horses that he used were as well.<br><br>Discipline was a natural worry when stuck, having nothing to do, idle hands were the devils playthings after all, thus in order to keep his people from being idle he would come up with jobs for them, maybe simple, but something to keep them productive, preparing for situations that would most likely never come, the french army was incompetently led, this wasn't the army of the great Napoleon that they were fighting, but his foolish nephew. Still, one could never be sure in war what could happen.<br><br>He happened to be standing looking at nothing really, he had had his unit put into an pretty much abandoned stable on a farm, the army was making use of the town for boarding the men and officers each given different places, he man walking by him, and turned his attention towards them, watching them, to see what they happened to be up to. He wasn't quite sure of whom the person was, but he had a gut feeling which told him that he might be someone at least somewhat important. It wasn't till a moment later he realized whom the person happened to be. <br><br>Watching, he heard the man humming something as he walked, he didn't know the tune, though he did know the language they were speaking in, part of a proper education was learning languages including French and the classical languages. Deciding to not make anything of it at that moment, Fredrick walked back into the house and looked around, he remained quiet till walking around he noticed the maid, he figured he might as well ask. He also noticed a giant of a man with her, and figured that he was a servant based on his appearance, but didn't want to jump to conclusions before he knew for sure about the facts of the place.<br><strong><br>"Do you happen to know where La Roux is happening to be traveling to, and on what business,"</strong> he asked the two of them with a calm causal tone, just curious what was going on, not threatened per say, just trying to figure it out mostly. He wasn't sure that either of them would be able to give him an answer to his question, but he figured it was best to ask, to be sure, not sure if even if they knew, if they would tell him or play dumb about the matter. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AlexStone</strong> on <strong>05-07-2013, 15:24:03</strong>
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				He had arrived at the expansive farmstead ahead of a column of smoke, astride a pale horse.<br><br>Well, a column of dust, and the horse was perhaps more off-white than truly pale.&nbsp; Still, it seemed appropriately dramatic- riding up to claim the farmhouse, and, more importantly, its stables and open pastures, as room for the mounts and men of the 5th Squadron of the Guards' Hussars, and, of course, a room at the farmhouse for his own use.&nbsp; He had wanted a black mount when he first signed on with the regiment, the better to match his uniform, but as the most junior officer at the time, he was stuck Rozencrantz as his main mount.&nbsp; It turned out to be a good choice for him- he was a good, but not excellent rider- and he consoled himself with one of the few bits of religious education they had tried to cram at him back in the Academy- death himself rode a pale horse.&nbsp; Or was it War?&nbsp; Did it matter?<br><br>In some ways, he'd been looking forward to the break, once it became clear they had swept the French up into Metz. Since he and the regiment had gotten off the train from Potsdam, it had been nearly constant campaigning, skirmishing, and even a few big charges.&nbsp; Though, as a Hussar it had been mostly skirmishing.&nbsp; He couldn't help in the siege, so he and his men spread out to lighten the logistical load and prevent the spread of disease.&nbsp; With luck, the countryside would rise, and von Keitler and his men could ride down some stragglers and over-enthusiastic volunteers. <br><br>Until, then, though, they had the area to patrol to stay in shape, and the farm to get into trouble with.&nbsp; He ran his finger down his dueling scar on his cheek- he was rather proud of it- and took a deep breath, smelling the fresh smell of the horses.&nbsp; He had just finished inspecting them, and his ribs were still sore from that fall he took in a skirmish on the road to Gravelotte, right after he'd struck that <em>Chasseur</em> right down the chest with his sabre.&nbsp; So much for their efforts to find the 2nd Army!<br><br>Well, he'd had enough inspecting.&nbsp; The Sergeants knew their job, much better than he did.&nbsp; He just did it for form, to let the me know they were being watch.&nbsp; "Top shape, soldiers," he said, nodding to the men as he headed out.<br><br>Back to the farmhouse.&nbsp; &nbsp;Josef was hungry, and there had to be some food he could requisition up there.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>JackWhite</strong> on <strong>06-07-2013, 10:39:57</strong>
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				<div style="text-align: justify;">When a country is living in peace with its neighbours, one can easily join the army and make promises about his loyalty to his priors. Henri was one of those idealistic men, believing that France is superior to any other nation in the world, as chauvinistic as any French citizen could be. Other than that feeling of doing something good, he thought that getting an opportunity to brag about what he did to his friends and the attention from the female gender were nice bonuses too. So together with many other young men he was eager to give his all for the country that he loved, willing to die for it while defending the grounds that were theirs. <br><br>When war came those soon to be warriors weren't as eager anymore. Some proved to be cowards but not Henri. This young fellow did really want to prove what his country meant to him. As his family had always lived close to the borders of the French territory, he soon had to take off to protect his country against the Prussian army. Having heard that the diplomacy with potential allies has failed, Henri knew already that the battle was going to be tough but he still felt that their French spirit would blow the enemy armies away. Not a moment he doubted that.<br><br>But that all was before he had seen the efficiency of travelling at the other side. When arriving at the battlefields he immediately noticed the advantage in troops for the Prussians and from that moment on he wasn't quite so sure anymore about the victory of the French. Henri got in battle though, where he fought hard and took out some opponents but they couldn't blow them all away. There were just too many men fighting at the Prussian side and the young man felt as if he had betrayed his country because he hadn't been able to stop the ones that hadn't French as their mother tongue. He knew that he had done everything he could to protect his country but that just wasn't enough. The fight wasn't over yet though and there were still a few things that they could do to slow the enemy down while waiting on newly arriving troops.<br><br>All of a sudden there was all kind of action in their camp. Usually the mornings were quite silent, fights went on but not as much as during the day. This time it was different, Henri woke up to shootings, lots of them and when he got out he saw quite some people doing the same all trying to figure out what was happening. Apparently the Prussians had used the early morning silence of the last few days as an element of surprise for this attack and the French troops had fallen for it. Quickly he went back inside to grab his armour and got to one of the places of where shots could be heard. <br><br>While he fought there, trying to push the Prussians back to where they came from, he could easily see that their French army was no match for their opponents. Even though him and his mates had eliminated several attackers, more kept coming. They could've killed fifty each and it wouldn't have made a difference. The only thing that they could do was retreat and help forces on a different location because this battle would be an easy win for the German attackers. If they stayed the others would've just killed them without having a chance to make a difference in this war.<br><br>The command came, French troops should reunite in Metz but as soon as Henri wanted to do so, he got shot. Being turned around he hadn't seen those coming but still he ran, not wanting to be left alone in the camp amonst with all those corpses of dead soldiers. The young man really did his best to keep up with all the healthy soldiers but his shot wounds didn't make that easy. One wound hurt as hell but he knew that he had been lucky. The wound was in his chest, very close to his heart. Although that one was the most dangerous, the other gave him more trouble keeping up with the other. A shot in the leg made him limp which took away all the speed he had.<br><br>Seeing a farm in the distance, he made up his mind. Henri would never be able to keep the same pace up as the other soldiers and he probably would be killed by pursuers if he kept going on his own. That or he would just die because of his wounds. He didn't have a choice, the man had to search for an alternative. His only hope was that the farmer agreed to keep him save and help with his wounds. Else he would have to drag himself to somewhere else with the same question, hoping that someone would eventuelly say yes.<br><br>When arriving at the door, Henri was exhausted and he probably looked terrible too. He knocked on the door while he hold himself at the doorpost, trying not to fall. After having waited a few moments he was guided inside by an employee of Monsieur La Roux. Feeling the seat was wonderful, for the first time in two days he could really rest and that did him good. As the man himself came to visit the young warrior, only a short conversation was enough to convince the man. From that moment on Henri could only hope that he wouldn't be found by Prussians because it wouldn't only hurt him but the fair man La Roux too.</div>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>10-07-2013, 21:32:21</strong>
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				Yvette Toneller knew how to handle herself. You don't work in a rural bar in France and manage to keep your virginity at the age of twenty without being able to deliver a swift <em>coup aux billes</em> to any patrons who got overly adventurous.<br><br>With the outbreak of the war, most of the young men had, to Yvette's relief, marched away to war. But When they straggled back through the village, exhausted, wounded, weapon-less, she feared the worst. To her surprise, the Bosch, when they arrived, were<em> très gentille</em>, most polite, and the one time she had been grabbed and molested by a drunken Prussian soldier, she had screamed, he had been dragged off her and dragged out of the bar. A few moments later she heard a single shot, and the officer who had rescued her came back in, holstering his revolver, and apologised to her in faltering French.<br><br>That had been weeks ago though. Yvette had gotten used to the Prussian soldiers occupying her village. Once the main army had moved away to surround Metz and then attack the Emperor Napoleon III at Sedan, things had settled down. She made her way, this morning, from the little hamlet of Adelange, riding her bicycle North, through Falquemont, and then heading east along a narrow track that ran along side the Chemin de fer, that ran from Saarbrucken to Metz.&nbsp; There was a bridge where the tracks ran over a shallow stream, the track simply dipped down into it. Yvette looked around and grinned. This was the perfect place...<br><br>Half an hour later she was cycling to the La Roux farm to visit with her friend marie Claire. She had literally just arrived and was flirting her way through the Prussian hussars and Horse Artillerymen billeted there, when the explosion echoed from the North East. She stopped and turned, looking towards the sound, as everyone else did. They were used to the pounding of the heavy siege guns from the West, when the wind was in that direction, but this explosion was from the wrong direction.<br><br>"Mon dieux, qu' est-ce que c'est ça?" She exclaimed, even though she knew exactly what it was. The first blast was followed closely by others, some softer, some louder. Even as she feigned horror, inwardly, Yvette rejoiced that anothe train of munitions would fail to reach the besieging Prussian forces surrounding the fortress at Metz.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedEve</strong> on <strong>11-07-2013, 10:29:07</strong>
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				Marie Claire was startled when the voice suddenly came from behind her. Crapaudvigne was also surprised, as the large man leapt a foot into the air upon hearing it. She put her hand on the arm of the large lad to calm him down. She turned to face the voice, knowing already it was one of the Prussian soldiers, as his accent was hard to hide. She always had to concentrate to make out what they were saying, even though this one had spoken clearly enough. She straightened her dress and averted her eyes from him, then answered. <strong>“Monsieur La Roux is going into Falquemont on business. What business this might be, I do not know. I am merely the servant here, such things are not discussed with me.”</strong> Even though the Prussians had for the large part been respectful and courteous – as well as an invader can expected to be – there was still a constant, underlying threat of violence, and it wasn’t any different with this current conversation with the soldier.<br><br>She was growing quite nervous when they were saved quite literally by a loud bang. It wasn’t rare for them to hear explosion, but this one was much closer than usual and it seemed to come from the wrong side. Marie Claire went to the window and stared outside, seeing that the bang had caused some commotion amongst the Prussian soldiers as well. As she stood by the window, she eventually recognized a familiar figure amongst the people at the main gate. Marie Claire opened the door and neared the archway that lead out into the dirt road in front of the farm. She waved at Yvette and explained to the Sergeant on guard duty that she was a friend. <strong>“Come on in Yvette. Did you hear that explosion? It sounded so close!”</strong> After Yvette had been waved past the entrance, Marie Claire gave her a hand and they proceeded to walk towards the main house together. <strong>“I need to speak with you about an urgent matter.”</strong> She kept her voice hushed and nodded her head at the farm house, to signal the fact that there was a Prussian inside at that time. <br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>13-07-2013, 21:41:54</strong>
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				Yvette heard Marie Claire call to her and excused herself from the Prussian cavalrymen, heading in to kiss Marie on both cheeks, then as soon as the door was closed behind her, briefly on the mouth. "I heard the explosion indeed!" She exclaimed, keeping her face worried for the benefit of any hidden watchers. She had taken the signal that the house was not a safe place to talk right now, but she couldn't help a whispered boast into her friend's ear "J'en y fait".<br><br>"I have no idea what it was, but it was certainly close! A lot closer that the siege guns!"<br><br>She followed the servant down into the Farm kitchen, where the cook was busy preparing a meagre luncheon for the farm workers from what little the had that the Prussians had not commandeered for themselves. Bonaparte had been right that an army marches on it's stomach, and part of Yvette's job in the <em>Franks Tirreurs</em> was to gather information regarding the Prussian supply lines, so that they could be disrupted or destroyed. Yvette greeted the cook with a smile and looked around. A raised eyebrow and a flick of her eyes towards the cook asked the question: <em>Here? Is she safe?</em>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AlexStone</strong> on <strong>16-07-2013, 22:17:43</strong>
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				&nbsp;Josef could hear the rumble of the explosion in the pantry he was inspecting for mice.&nbsp; He set down the knife he was using to carve up a wheel of cheese, tossing it as he reached over to grab up the sandwich he'd been making, carrying it out with him as he walked out, past the kitchen and down out into the garden behind the house.&nbsp; Munching his sandwich as he scanned around, then saw the smoke rising from the bomb.&nbsp; What over there was worth blowing up?&nbsp; He had to think a bit, sketching the map in his mind- he was still new to the area- before realizing that was in the general direction, at least, of the railroad.&nbsp; <br><br>That wasn't going to be good.&nbsp; <br><br>He looked around, and started grabbing up soldiers that weren't doing anything useful on his way to the stables.&nbsp; If there was some sort of attack underway, they would have to reinforce the troops there to repulse it.&nbsp; If not, well, they could lend a hand, at the very least.&nbsp; Without much concern for whose it was, Josef climbed aboard the first horse he found bearing a saddle, drew his sabre, and rode out to rally up the troopers that followed him. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedEve</strong> on <strong>21-07-2013, 13:03:44</strong>
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				The explosion had caused a torrent of activity amongst the Prussians. Already several of them had saddled their horses and something of a unit was forming just outside the gates. Soon enough, a large group of riders left the farm and went in the direction of the source of the ruckus. Marie Claire gave a side-way glance to Yvette. The woman had alluded to knowing more about the explosion, possibly even being involved? It sent a brief shudder through her frame. Even talking about such things was enough to get shot. But Marie Claire had no grounds to call Yvette reckless, as she was taking a similar risk herself. It was precisely because of this that she had wanted to speak to Yvette in private.<br><br>With the Prussian meddlers gone, Marie Claire sat down at the empty kitchen table. She poured herself and Yvette a glass of wine and then proceeded to speak. <strong>“I am glad that I get a chance to talk to you in private, mon amie. I have something important to discuss.”</strong> Marie Claire nodded towards the large barn which stood at the far end of the farm. <strong>“I have another friend who has taken up residence in there. In the attic. The kind of friend who would be in a lot of trouble were he found by our guests.”</strong> Her voice was hushed even though there was no one around to hear them other than Crapaudvigne.<strong> “I need help… I have been bringing him food and water whenever I can, but it’s getting more and more difficult to do so and not be noticed by the Prussians. They seem to be naturally suspicious of us, even though we have not given them reason to be.”</strong> She took a sip from her wine and continued. <strong>“I’d have tried to sneak him out but he is wounded and in no condition to run on his own.” </strong><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Intrigue in Falquemont - the Franco-Prussian war - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>04-08-2013, 09:21:11</strong>
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				Yvette listened to Marie-Claire tell her about a <em>friend</em> staying in the hay loft in the barn, who would be a lot of trouble if found by the Prussian troops. She sipped her wine also and sat thoughtfully for a while. Hiding a French soldier, wounded or not, was something the Cabbage-eaters did not take kindly to.<br><br>"I don't know, my dear. The sensible option would be to turn him in. The Prussians are looking after prisoners of war quite well, from what I hear". but that was not really an option. She ran her fingers through her long, dark hair that betrayed her gypsy blood and shook her head. "Non. That is not what we should do. While the Bosch are distracted, can you take me to him?" She hesitated and looked around. "I may know some people who could help."
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