A Nabstrian Test Firing!

And so, Mittelheim shifts, like a fat Christmas drunk sliding from chair to floor, into another new year.  Over the past few weeks, the gentle folk of Mittleheim have been celebrating the festivities according to their respective traditions. In Saukopf-Bachscuttel, Christmas mostly was spent larding the traditional festive monkeys; then trying to catch them; and then queuing to have the bites treated with leeches. In Nabstria, the rich as usual took fine cooked geese, had them dressed and decorated, and then took them outside to the poor and the homeless, before bringing all the food in again and eating it. In Vulgaria, it was much the same, except it was the poor and homeless that tended to be dressed and decorated before being fed to the Christmas geese. The gentle folk of the various  electorates, burgravates, landgravates, duchies, and principalities of the region now climb blearily from their beds (or wardrobes, depending upon how seriously that they have been celebrating), and contemplate the traditional Christmas present delivered to them by their rulers: another year of war. In Nabstria, the Burgrave, a sensitive man with a keen sense of responsibility for his subjects, has contemplated long and hard the most effective response that he can make to the continuing poverty and suffering of his people. His conclusion is that the only responsible answer to the continued distress of his subjects is to fire off some really big guns ...

Tired from a long campaigning season and an unprecedented run of victories, Buggrave Falco and General von Rumpfler snatch a few days of well deserved rest at Falkensteinburg.  Yet even while on leave from the battle front, the Burggrave has much to do to prepare his forces… Pippin fort must be besieged and taken in the least amount of time. Long held Nabstrian plans are finally beginning to bear fruit, as the Burggrave and von Rumpfler survey the fine artillery park of newly cast siege guns made in the foundries of the noted Nabstrian gun-founder, Herr Frupp (It has been suggested that ‘Frupp’ is a mere cover name for ‘Minden Miniatures’, a small artisanal purveyor of finely crafted military figurines, based in Gelderland; but this can be discounted as Rotenburg propaganda).[1]

'As fine an artillery park as I have ever seen!' the Burggrave exclaims.

'Yes, Herr Frupp has excelled himself this time,' agrees von Rumpfler.  ‘These are all twelve pounder "Brummers" of Prussian pattern.  They should be highly efficient at siege battery work.’  

‘Well, then we must have a test firing of one of these pieces tomorrow morning!’ replies the Burggrave.  So it is agreed: early on the morn, the new gun will be put through its paces …

The Following Morning:

As the Burggrave and General Von Rumpfler look on, a hand-picked gun team go through their well-practised military evolutions…

 Make Ready!  Aim!

 Fire!  The Gun Captain steps forwards with his linstock to touch off the powder and fire the gun…

There is a satisfyingly large report as the ‘Brummer’ fires its large charge of gunpowder… The test is declared a resounding success!

---

[1] Fitzbuttress is, of course, entirely mistaken here.  These fine guns are indeed from Minden Miniatures, proprietor Mr Jim Purky.  They are surely the finest artillery models available today.