Discipline

Cassius supposed the original defenders thought their walls also to be invincible before his Great Grandfather scaled the walls in the dead of night and earned his title and lands. His fathers men had become comfortable, weak, and complacent overall.

Making their way towards the Large Ramparts surrounding the castle proper, they entered into the largest of the eight towers, directly adjacent the nearby outer gate and after simply waltzing into the place without any security checks whatsoever, Cassius had the opportunity to appreciate the grandeur of the mediaeval fortification while he was led to the fourth floor. The stairwell they were on was centrally located, and featured a tight counter-clockwise twist, after asking Jacobs, he was informed that it was for defenders to have an advantage fighting right handed than any attacker. He spotted multiple storage rooms that also doubled as barracks on his way up, along with numerous guards in various states of disarray, boredom, or haphazardly patrolling around.

Upon arrival at the fourth floor, which was 12 metres above the ground, directly level with the castle walls with which it intersected, he spotted several Guardsmen either walking too and fro from their duties, and a few men more heavily armoured men playing some sort of dice game, obviously drunk on a flipped over barrel.

The sight which made his blood start to boil. These were the men responsible for his life? For his fathers life? For the castle's defence? He would have none of it.

Jacobs, Horace, and Carmen, were about to make their way towards a large room in the back of the castle when they realised Cassius was nowhere to be seen, Jacobs, who had just spotted Cassius marching over towards the group of sergeants with a purpose.

'This can't be good' He thought, he then saw what they were doing while on duty, which in-turn, also pissed off the seasoned warrior.

Without saying a word he quickly caught up with the boy who hadn't bothered to take his eyes off his targets.

As they approached the barrel made table surrounded by five men, the leader of the men and also the most heavily armoured, with what was obviously a set of plate shoulder and neck guards over his mostly chainmail suit quickly noticed the child, and his large accompanying companion. Two startled but grimacing younger men followed them closely, unsure whether or not they should be or not.

"Annd to what do we owe the honour, Lord Captain Jacobs" Slurred one of the men, supported by the type of confidence that only booze can grant, he remained completely ignorant of the duo who was by this point, completely livid.

Now, dear readers you must understand. Being drunk while on duty in the modern world is already a cardinal sin which could get you locked up and fined. In the Middle Ages however, being drunk on duty was generally considered a serious offence. Especially for those in positions of responsibility, such as soldiers, guardsmen. Punishments varied from region to region, but in a border region like this… death or heavy fines and floggings were the norm.

Jacobs drew in a breath, and prepared to thrash the men verbally but was quickly silenced by Cassius who stepped forward with a large smile plastered across his immature features and studied the faces of the men.

"Hello Sers!" He started happily, and with the most sincere look possible clapped his hands together and with all the gusto his immature voice could muster, began speaking as excitedly as possible.

"My Uncle here says that you incredible men are Castle Strums mighty defenders! Is it true? What's it like?" Cassius's entourage were stumped, his tone and his facial features perfectly lined up… But why did it feel so… wrong? Horace and Carmen quickly began thinking that this was going to be a bad time for these men and exchanged a look of pity.

The men, ignorant to the looks Horace and Carmen were exchanging, surged with drunken pride, each of their chests swelling a bit knowing they could essentially do nothing, and get heralded as hero's. "Aye lad, that's us! The mighty defenders of the region!" proclaimed one of the thinner men which elicited a laugh from the rest of the group.

"Oh wow Ser's! That's incredible! My name is Timothy Martins, what's yours?"

"Maron Grant"

"And yours?"

"You can just call me Pill"

"And yours?"

"Lee"

And so on, excitedly exchanging names with the men, all the while Jacobs looked on at the act in disgust. These men were cooked, and they didn't even know it yet.

Finally, after the exchange, Cassius looked back at "Uncle Jacobs" and relayed with the giddiest tone he could, "Now we have their names 'Uncle' Jacobs!"

The leader again grinned ear to ear, "Aye Jacobs! You never told me about this lad? What was his name?"

Ignoring the drunk, Jacobs looked down at an unsettling smile gracing Cassius's features and sighed. "Yes, Lord Cassius. It appears we do."

They of course knew Cassius's, and hearing it uttered from the young man, and the now piecing gaze directed towards them caused all five men to snap their heads and recoil in horror.

"And is there a punishment for drunken idiots? Such as a dereliction of duty charge?"

"There is, My Lord."

"Could you please explain to me, in simple terms, what they are?" His tone gradually turned cold and steely, losing its childish excitement while his eyes narrowed and took on a sharp intensity that made Jacobs, and the group of people around him feel a slight chill.

Jacobs, unsettled by this look stood a little taller and reported verbatim what he knew. "Soldiers, judges, and guards found intoxicated, drunk, or otherwise in direct dereliction of duty can have three punishments depending on severity, My Lord."

He paused, and shot the five men who were now quite literally shaking. They knew what they had done, and they knew the punishments for it.

Cassius, put his arms behind his back and nodded for him to continue.

"The punishments are the following:"

"1. A large fine, and a flogging."

"2. Imprisonment, dismissal from duty, and flogging."

"3. Imprisonment, seizure of assets, and death."

Cassius nodded in response, happy somebody within this garrison was fit for duty, turning around he looked the five men in the eyes and shook his head.

"You all had a duty to protect this castle, to be alert, and to warn others of impending invasion, and defend those who stand within it."

"You have failed me. You have failed your Margrave. You have failed me, and you have failed your families." Cassius berated them, each statement breaking the men a little more, and a little more. Until eventually the skinnier of the men, Lee, dropped to his knees and had started to beg before he saw the look in Cassius's eyes. There was no hope. Anything he said would make things worse. The crowd that this had garnered were fearful, most of them had caught all of this first hand and were watching in anticipation.

Cassius approached Lee, while Jacobs remained close, hand grasping a dagger at his waist tightly should he have to protect the Lord from the increasingly manic looking men.

But, he would never have to. Cassius put his hand on his shoulder and spoke loudly to the men before him. "But I am not without mercy!" He stated.

""You five men will be infront of my door no later than an hour before first light starting from tomorrow morning for the foreseeable future. Fail to arrive three times, and I will have you flogged, imprisoned, and hung."

--/// Authors note ///-- 

The Castle itself and its defensive structure could only be described as "thicc."