The Siege: Section 3 (South)

Fitzmerwill just frowned and turned back to the ballista. After another bolt going astray he sighed.

Give me that sextant and handle the aiming mechanism, he said to the ranger at the ballista. Now let us see whether we can actually pick some of these fanatics off the walls. Two and a half degrees to the left and half a degree lower!

Ana finished her apple and tossed it towards the retainer to her left.

Send that at them as well, they must be starving by now.


She watched as the ballista fired again.

That was much better, Captain. Perhaps we don't need the Noldor after all.

Ana watched the Silvermist arrows reach the walls

Captain. How is it that your archers can send their arrows so far? Not even the Sarleon longbows go so far.

Fitzmerwill turned around between two ballista shots.

Years and years of training, mylady, and being taught by the Noldor as well as deep mediation before battle that lets us concentrate on the bow alone.

But surely your bows are superior, correct?

Ana looked over the walls again, starting to feel uneasy about the siege.

My shield.

Ana commanded one of her retainers, who promptly provided the the simple, round, wooden shield, painted with her sigil. Ana took hold of the shield in her left hand, unsure what caused her to feel the sense of dread.

As soon as the first shower of arrows hit the wall, the defenders return fire. But even with the advantage of higher ground, their hail of arrows plunges harmlessly into the ground before the Silvermist Rangers. Either by stupidity or the blinding effect of the rising sun, the defenders seem to remain oblivious to the fact, and fire second volley, with the same result. In the meantime, the Silvermists second and third volley fly towards the walls, piercing the armor and flesh of those unlucky enough to be in the open in that particular moment. After that the defenders cease firing, and hide behind the battlements and shields, waiting for the charge and something to shoot at. The shots of the ballista, hammering against the wall though sure keeps them from relaxing too much.
You see several small billows of smoke rising into the air from the tannery, not far away from the gate.

With the rising sun behind them, the Dragon's formation begins to advance into range. Being proud cavalrymen, the knights advance is not as flawless as what the Fierdsvain are used to, but it does force the defenders into action. Soon the first arrows descend from the wall once more, not only from the gate, but also from the southern walls of district 11, just what the Silvermist Rangers have waited for. But shooting at the top of their bows capabilities makes it hard even for them to make precise shots, and it gives the defenders much time to duck behind cover before the deadly missiles arrive. Together with the Rangers of Rane, they still somewhat thin out the enemies lines, but at this pace, clearing the walls is going to be a strength- and time-sapping endeavor.

The 35 dragon knights act as if they would not even notice the arrows with which the enemy is trying to pepper them. Their shields are too small to protect their entire body, but their armor is strong and so they simply take the punishment. A single arrow manages to burst throw the mail protecting a knights neck, injuring him and removing him from combat. The defenders focus more on the Rangers of Rane, though, and the dragon knights find it hard to protect them from the enemies fire. Despite their good armor, several of the rangers fall, but not without taking at least as many enemies with them.

Then a deep, loud creak sounds from behind the wall, and a few moments later a large stone smashes into the ground a dozen feet away from the dragons formation. This turns some heads, even among the fearless soldiers of the north.

Apparently the enemy had a catapult.


Casualties: 5 Rangers of Rane (3 dead, 2 injured), 1 Knight of the Dragon (injured)

Ana steadied her horse after the large rock crashed far closer than she would ever have liked.

Captain! Can the ballista arc over that wall? What about a spotter on the wall, can you see one?


Ana took a deep breath, calming her natural fears and adrenaline.

First we need to avoid getting hit by the next rock, Fitzmerwill said.

Darelor, you've got the best eyesight of my men. Shoulder your bow and watch the catapult's shots, so you can warn us where they will land.

Hugh, take ten men and especially search the walls for people acting as spotters for the catapult. There must be some, since they won't just fire blind shots over the walls.

Four rangers with me, we will operate the ballista.

Zachariah, you take the rest of the men and keep up the fire. Tell the Dragons to stay in shouting range. They shall move around between their volleys and listen to Darelor's warnings, so they do not get hit.

Lady Sulran, make sure the Dawn forces listen to Darelor as well. I don't want to have to explain several dead knights to Sir Aranor.

You there - he turned to the militia at the ballista - go and collect medium sized stones and bring them to the ballista.

Finally he turned back to the four men accompanying him.

Ferwen, you will be our spotter and watch where their shots come from, so we know where to aim. You two prop the ballista so it shoots at a 45° angle. We will adjust this properly after the first shots. The militia shall tie the stones they found to the bolts so they become heavier. We will try and see whether we can achieve a shot that goes in an arch over the walls, hopefully near their catapult. Ferwen, you take the sextant.

He tossed the instrument over to the ranger who snapped it out of the air.

The rest of the militia, help getting the wounded behind our lines and out of range.

Now get moving, men, the enemy isn't waiting!

Ana didn't wait to look for the boulder, but kicked her horse forward and lowered her head. She quickly regained control of her horse after the boulder smashed close behind her.


You've a good eye for artillery, Captain.

Well, thank you, mila...

Incoming, rear left, yelled Darelor and the troops quickly cleared the area. Seconds later a boulder smashed into the ground where several men had been standing.

Ferwen, have you got the aiming?

Four and a half degrees left of the gatehouse.

Are the stones properly attached?

Yes, Sir.

Very well, ready! Fire!

The projectile bolted off towards the walls and went down somewhere behind it.

Having received your orders, the men rush to comply.

After the impact of the second projectile, your ranger begins to shout at the Dragon's formation, telling them to chance their position after each fired volley. Yet still the enemies archers harass them from two directions, and the next couple of minutes see a few additional Rangers of Rane fall.

You men indeed spot a person that seems to communicate with the crew manning the catapult, but the man is careful, carrying a shield and only risking brief glances from his cover behind the battlements.

Meanwhile, the first and second ballista bolt fly over the wall, only to be answered by another stone smashing into the ground near the Dragon's formation. Again you make adjustments, load the ballista, and fire a third bolt, praying that this one might hit, and indeed you think to hear the distant sound of something being shattered to pieces. Impatiently you count the seconds to when you expected the next projectile to be thrown over the defences of Javiksholm. It comes...and passes.

Darelor watches the walls without daring to blink, or breath. He turns towards his fellow rangers at the ballista and a weak smile appears on his lips. He nods at you.

In that very moment, the next stone rises into the sky.

Darelor's eyes widen in terror, as he spots the black dot that grows in size as it plunges towards the Dragon. "They have changed positions!" he cries, and turns towards the Dragon, yelling at the top of his lungs. "To the right, move, move!"

The Rangers of Rane are in the middle of another volley, but rush to comply as fast as possible. This time, though, it is to no avail. The stone smashes into the left flank just seconds before the men would have marched out of harms way. A small fountain of earth and dust rises into the sky, and in its wake, 4 more Rangers lie on the ground.

Casualties: 8 Rangers (3 dead, 5 wounded)

Get the wounded behind the lines and give half of your board shields to the Dragons for better cover, Fitzmerwill yelled to the militia.

Tell the Dragon forces to move more to the right, out of range of the tannery gatehouse and further away from the catapult. Keep up the ballista fire.

Hugh, take that spotter under constant fire. Don't fire volleys, take your time to aim and fire at will. Snipe him out of his damn cover!

While the Rangers of Rane and the Silvermists keep up the fire on the walls reinforcements seem to have arrived for the enemy, more arrows coming down from the walls and some crossbow bolts, too. Some of the men swear to have spotted the heavy steel plated leather armour of Barclay sappers on the battlements and the precision of the bolts coming down supports that claim.

The Rangers of Rane are now under heavier fire from the walls but the large board shields the militia gave to the knights accompanying the rangers protect them from the worst. However, two militia men and another knight are hit by arrows and bolts just when they exchange the shields and three more rangers are wounded or killed while firing themselves. Three more militia men are killed or wounded as they carry off the wounded and a wounded ranger is hit by an arrow, putting and end to his pain.

Behind the lines the Silvermists loose arrow after arrow, at the walls. Hugh and his men concentrate on the spotter, but the man hides carefully behind his large shield and the merlons and is hard to hit. Yet, as the catapult suddenly changes its targeted area and starts firing over the walls to the east, the spotter hurries along the wall to get a better view on the new area, and as he tries to climb the wooden stairs to a turret his doom is sealed. One of the rangers has anticipated his movement and loosed his arrow just in time to find its target as it is exposed on the wooden stair, no longer protected by the crenellation. The arrow takes the man in the head, throwing him off the stairs, and he vanishes behind the wall.

Just then a messenger arrives at Fitzmerwill's position, bringing orders from Sir Aranor. Having given them a quick read, Fitzmerwill, calls for his sergeants:

Hugh, take 30 men and accompany me to the eastern assault. Zacharia, you and the remaining 15 rangers keep up the fire. Have the ballista pound the tannery gate with the heavier projectiles we made. Perhaps you can break it from afar.
Sir knight, he turns to the Dragon commander, withdraw your men a bit so they do not suffer so many casualties. Our work here is mainly done. Best keep them in the reserve and wait for an opportunity to assault the tannery gate should it be breached.

The man nods and calls his troops back behind the lines. Carefully the Dragons start to retreat under the cover of the shields, while Fitzmerwill, Hugh and 30 rangers rush north by east to meet with the main force, living up to their reputation of being fleet of foot.

Casualties: 2 militia dead, 1 wounded ranger dead, 1 ranger dead, 1 knight of the dragon dead, 3 militia wounded, 2 rangers wounded

[OOC Note: In order to make the success of killing the spotter transparent: I gave each of the ten rangers involved a five percent chance (>95 on 1d100) to hit the man with any of his arrows during the whole time they fired until the messenger arrived. The numbers rolled were 75, 97, 18, 22, 29, 60, 76, 17, 15, 23, so the second ranger got him.]

On the walls Merzinas and his men charged at the militia holding the southern wall. Under the command of a knight they had retreated to the gatehouse leading into the city from the tannery district. When they drew nearer they could hear commotion coming from the gatehouse and angry voices. They had just reached the bulwarks when they heard a commanding voice shout: You go fight or I slay you one by...argh.

Merzinas rushed in with his sword drawn to find the red knight impaled by several spears at once while the rest of the militia had cornered his miserably looking squire.

At this moment a crash sounded over the walls.

In the field the ballista crew had kept firing their heavied bolts at the tannery gate. With each shot that hit the gatedoors shuddered more. In the distance they saw some men moving on the walls but could not make out whether they were friends or foes.
Load - Span - Aim - Loose! the ranger in command shouted and another bolt flew off towards the gate. The hit was central and this time it crashed right through the gate, obviously breaking the bar that had held it closed. The Dragon and Dawn knights cheered and charged towards the open gate with the rangers and militia on their heels.

Merzinas glances quickly at the impaled corpse before him and looked at the cowering squire. Turning away from the sad traitor he faces the militia.

"I take it you have yielded to the rightful dawn, good then. Are there any wounded among you, we have some basic medical ability here, if you surrender your arms we'll place you in the locker here I suppose. Unless of course you would march with us. Your friends are enslaved by the knights, your sons, brothers and friends. They fight and die in the streets for a false prophet against their will. The rightful dawn does not want that. We are here as liberators, march with us, calling for your fellow citizens to turn on the red dawn masters and no one innocent has to die."

Merzinas lets them talk amongst themselves and he turns back to his force. "Leopold, fly the banner, let the rangers know where we are, after that we continue down the wall and get the southern catapult tower at the harbour entrance." As Leopold pulls out the flag, Merzinas lifts a lantern from the wall and douses the billowing red dawn flag in the oil, striking flint and steal and lighting it, the red flames lighting out in the distance. Leopold then hurls the new flag in its place, proudly billowing in the wind.

Merzinas then approaches the red dawn squire and grasps him by the neck. Glaring into his eyes he growls out his question:

"Do you deserve to live?"

"Y-yes my lord" the terrified squire cries, squirming under his grip, Merzinas ties his hands up in a cruel knot, and pulls them up above his head and tying the other end to a fixture.

"Then you should have nothing to fear by being left here like this, when I return I will deal with you then"

Merzinas turns back to the militia.

"What is your choice?"

We're sick of fighting, the obvious spokesman of the militia said, but we will help you this one last time to drive the red devils away. But don't you try to keep us in your army after that, he added warningly and the others nodded grimly.

The Dragon and Dawn knights from the south had taken the tannery district and now swarmed through the southern main gate into the city proper, while the Silvermist and Ravenstern rangers occupied the gatehouse bulwarks.

Any particular orders, Sir? they demanded of Merzinas. Before the latter could answer, however, the knight-commander of the southern Dawn force approached him.

What are the news from the city?, he asked, do you know where the grandmaster needs our lances most?

"If you can convince the other militia to surrender, none of them will have to die in the fighting, thank you, and don't worry about conscription, the Loyal Dawn does not want press ganged soldiers. If you want my word of that you can have it." Merzinas quickly shouts to the militia as the cheering of the Dawn force in the tannery started rising drastically in volume. "Tear the red and signs of your lord from your uniform so no other soldiers get any funny ideas!"

Merzinas flies off a quick salute to the commander walking up the stairs of the gatehouse and beckons him to the top of a tower overlooking the city. Merzinas points to the eastern gatehouse, now with Loyal dawn flags billowing and archers firing volleys into the city. "The gatehouse is breached and dawn forces are entering the city, more than that I cannot say. The Red dawn will be concentrated around the river where the keep and there chapter house is. (OOC district 1 and 4)

Merzinas looked back to the commander: "How they will react to Aranors force I don't know, I'm continuing orders and will go the whole way down the wall and secure the docks, we may need the catapults for the siege of the keep."

"Either you can support me and move through the warhouses towards the harbour, securing one of the bridges there. (OOC district 10, then 9, then 5 and hold the bridge) Or you can move east through the temple district and unite with Aranors force." (OOC 10, 2, 3)

The knight-commander looked over the city and furrowed his brow in thought.

Very well, he finally said, we will move with you to the harbour. I will rely on your better overview from the wall to direct us.

He glanced past Merzinas at the militia and their now slightly torn tabards. Can these men be trusted?

"They killed their own commander and surrendered to us, I won't expect them to fight for us, but having them along will make the other militia surrender easier. Are all the soldiers through the gatehouse? The archers would do well up here on the walls."

The Silvermists and Rangers of Rane reported to Merzinas and the knight-commander. Shall we stay here, or follow you to the docks? Zachariah asked.

"Rangers with me on the walls, Silvermisters, if the roofs look like you can cross them, fan out across them so you can support the ground team and ferry information between the Justicar and me. For all the archers, prioritise the knights, with any luck the militia men will break when the whips behind them do."

The houses of the southern slums were crooked and the alleys narrow. After climbing one roof the rangers easily followed the knights and militia high above the ground. Warily the whole force moved along the southern wall towards the harbour, always expecting to encounter enemy troops. Yet the city was strangely quiet. The populace had locked itself up in their houses as it seemed. Only in the distance the bells and tocsins kept ringing.

Look, suddenly one of the rangers shouted, pointing towards the harbour.

Merzinas quickly climbed the next tower to get a better view over the houses and then he saw them: In the harbour, looking like birds of prey grown out of their nest, lay four huge Barclesian war caravels, their decks crawling with soldiers and seamen. Towards the warehouses he saw a detachment of soldiers marching towards the catapult bastion at the wall's seaward end.

Merzinas leant far over the battlement and shouted down to the force below: "Ships in the harbour, get everyone on the walls where they wont be able to outnumber us while we take that catapult tower!" Looking back up at the silvermist rangers on the rooftops Merzinas shouts out again.
"Rangers, does it look like there will be much cover for your men on the rooftops, the Barclay crossbows are going to be deadly, and I'll need people to ferry troop movements. Finally, who amongst your men is best suited to manning the catapult?"

The knights dismounted reluctantly and joined the forces on the walls together with the Silvermists.

We find a tower's battlements far more comforting than an open rooftop when facing these crossbows, the sergeant said. And any of us can handle a catapult.

So you think we should attack that catapult tower? the knight-commander asked Merzinas when he joined him on the wall, when several of the soldiers pointed at the slums, alarmed looks on their faces.

Behind them smoke was rising from the slums in the south and cries mingled with the sound of the temple's bells. They had just perceived this when a ranger pointed back at the harbour.

Look!

A large column of red knights moved out of the city towards the ships, splitting in four smaller columns and commencing to board.