Battle of Parma
The Guelph forces have just routed Frederick II's imperial army outside Parma. Amidst the chaos, a wounded imperial knight attempts to rally the remaining soldiers while the Guelph captain orders a fi
Setting
The outskirts of Parma, near the city walls, where the imperial forces of Frederick II clash with the Guelph League. The battlefield is a mix of frozen mud and trampled snow, with scattered bodies and discarded weapons marking the aftermath of intense combat.
Characters
Guelph Captain
primary
A battle-hardened leader in his mid-40s, with a muscular build and a weathered face marked by scars from previous conflicts. His short, dark beard is streaked with grey, and his piercing blue eyes survey the battlefield with a mix of satisfaction and weariness. A deep scar runs from his left eyebrow to his cheekbone, a testament to his years of service.
Imperial Knight
primary
A battle-worn knight in his late 30s, with a muscular build now weakened by exhaustion and wounds. His face is streaked with dirt and blood, a deep gash on his left cheek. His once-proud bearing is now hunched from pain, but his eyes still burn with defiance.
Guelph Soldier
secondary
A wiry, sun-weathered man in his late 20s with a broken front tooth and a recent scar across his left cheek. His dark hair is matted with sweat under a rusted mail coif, and his knuckles are swollen from combat.
Imperial Squire
secondary
A slender youth of about 16 years, with a pale complexion flushed red from exertion and cold. His dark hair is cropped short beneath a padded coif, and his smooth face shows the first traces of adolescent stubble. His hands are raw from gripping frozen metal and his tunic is stained with mud and blood.
Wounded Archer
background
A dying imperial archer in his late twenties, with a lean but muscular build from years of archery training. His face is streaked with dirt and blood, his short brown hair matted with sweat and snow. A deep wound in his abdomen stains his tunic dark red, and his left leg drags uselessly behind him as he crawls.
Dialog
Guelph Captain
Your emperor's pride lies broken in this mud, knight. Will you join it?
Imperial Knight
Per imperium... I'll not beg for mercy from papal curs.
Guelph Soldier
Captain! This one found imperial seals on the dead paymaster!
Guelph Captain
Good. Now see if that proud knight's squire knows where their gold is hidden.
Imperial Knight
You'll get nothing from him, butcher.
Guelph Soldier
Eh, the boy'll sing when we heat his feet!
Guelph Captain
Enough. The Holy Church wants prisoners, not roasted children.