AurianaValoria1 Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share Posted September 6, 2015 The sword sister rolled her eyes, "I know how to use a bow, thank you very much. And have fun perched atop that thing...you might get a surprise or two yourself, Vaegir." =================== The following morning, Mirchaud began mustering his men together for the siege. He called everyone into formation with the siege tower standing before them, a massive wheeled behemoth that loomed over them in the thick fog. Not even the castle walls were visible, so dense was the dawn mist. Nevertheless, the baron would not wait a day longer. He had his knights and men-at-arms act as shields for the archers, forming ranks in front of the marksmen who would be firing into nothingness before them - in frail hopes of downing a few of the Nordic defenders before the belfry reached the walls and the true battle started. Jarl Haeda's soldiers had anticipated the fight, and were now laying in wait for them...oddly silent. Thus, the air was filled with a tension as thick as the fog, as the Swadian men knew the opposition was there, they just could not see where their enemies were hidden. Bellatrix stood with the crossbowmen, sighing forcefully and shaking the jitters out of her limbs as she readied her shortbow. The men around her seemed to share her anticipation, though they said nothing, making sure their first bolts were in position and ready to fire. Mirchaud made one last riding round about the army, helm in his hands, then called out, "Sergeants! To the tower!" The Swadian sergeants immediately obeyed, rushing forward to begin the long and daunting push towards Knudarr's walls. The belfry creaked a little as its wheels moved in the damp grass and it steadily rolled forward. "Archers!" Bellatrix removed an arrow from the quiver at her hip and knocked, lifting her bow higher than the crossbowmen readied their own weapons. She could not see the crenelations of the castle, however, and so she had no idea if she would hit man, stone, or nothing at all. "Fire!" The arrows and bolts whistled through the air, whizzing past the siege tower as it slowly crept forward under the power of the infantry. The army could hear the distant clatter of wood against stone as most of their projectiles missed and harmlessly fell to the ground. But there were a few heavy thwocks and even satisfying cries of anguish...which meant some of the men had hit their unseen marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreemasonGamer Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 (edited) The impenetrable fog shrouding Knudarr Castle proved to be quite the source of anticipation among the ranks, and Komolov leered constantly into the hazy wall of mist; such hindering weather conditions were among a bowman's worst adversaries, which concealed any sight of their quarry. Regardless, the Vaegir was quick to follow orders alongside his comrades as they unleashed arrow after arrow, bolt after bolt into the fog, the near-constant clatter of iron and steel glancing off stone reaching their ears. A frustrated grimace adorned Komolov's features as he soon loosed his third arrow into the fray, and he held a futile hope that at least a third of their shots might reach their intended targets who skulked silently atop the fortification's ramparts. Edited September 12, 2015 by FreemasonGamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrueMaster Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Aidan had a grim countenance as he stared into the fog, listening to the dulled whistling of projectiles in flight, followed by various shushed sounds of impacts and the occasionally scream of pain. The air itself seemed dead, as if matching Aidan's sentiments about war and protesting to the very sound of battle by softening its crude calls but failing to mask it completely. Conquest will not be denied... the smith mused ruefully, before shaking his head and shifting in place. He was nervous, Aidan had to admit; though they were firing into the fog, and clearly hitting at least a few targets, the Nords had yet to truly respond in kind. Perhaps they are waiting for the tower to close with the ramparts and will send a volley of throwing axes and arrows into our troops once they begin to charge, or maybe they are preparing to sally forth once we are committed to the tower? He thought, mulling through possible strategies. What I would do, probably... wait for the distance between them to close, then commence an attack on the choke point of the siege tower's point of egress... The bone smith then sighed mentally and shrugged away the thought, focusing instead on his surroundings. I'm a doctor, not a tactician... He had taken his place in the ranks of the men-at-arms covering the archers, shield readied in his left hand to intercept any incoming projectiles, and hammer laying in wait in his right. It would be useless for him to join the marksmen with his crossbow, being only passing with it at best, and thus he elected to provide protection for them before the call to march into the fray came. Aidan sighed once more as he continued to listen to the steady din of battle, growing ever so slowly for the moment, but prepared to burst out at any moment. It is going to be a long day.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurianaValoria1 Posted September 12, 2015 Author Share Posted September 12, 2015 Just when Bellatrix was wondering if any retaliation would come from the Nords on the walls, a hail of dark shapes sailed through the fog, straight towards them... Throwing axes hurtling end over end at the army with frightening speed. The horsemen barely saw them coming in time, bringing up their shields just fast enough to prevent the marksmen from being downed where they stood. Axe-heads landed into the wooden shields with cracking smacks; a few men-at-arms stumbled backwards with the force of the impact against them. A couple of unlucky folk managed to catch a few axes in the legs as they bounced upwards from the ground, the blades biting into unarmored shins and kneecaps. The unluckiest were two of the infantry pushing the siege tower, who took axes straight in their chests, the weapons unchecked by their hauberks. As the crossbowmen knelt to reload behind the forms of the horsemen, Bellatrix knocked arrow after arrow, varying the angle of her bow slightly to ensure they never fell in the same place twice. She could only hope and pray that a few of her arrows found marks in the ones who had thrown those damned axes... All the while, the minutes dragged on like years as two more infantrymen moved forward to replace their fallen comrades in pushing the belfry to Knudarr's walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreemasonGamer Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 (edited) Komolov had fired a swift ten arrows—a feat only achievable with the cunningly agile bow as opposed to the lacking finesse of the crossbow—before the lurking Nords atop the battlements of Knudarr Castle finally retaliated with a fearsome shower of hand axes raining down upon the slowly advancing Swadian forces below them. A resounding array of thuds and cracks quickly erupted as those axes pounced upon shield, flesh, and soil without preference or mercy, forcing the archers to shield themselves behind their fellow horsemen who braced themselves whilst deflecting the deadly projectiles. As he slid down into a crouch beneath the protection offered by those horsemen, the Vaegir noticed Bellatrix as she varied the trajectory of her shots slightly to cover a wider area in hopes of quelling more Nords, and he soon intended to do the same in an effort to make better use of his depleting arrows. However, progress seemed all but nonexistent as the unluckiest Swadian troops fell to the rain of Nordic axes, one such weapon even plowing its iron head into the earth within a mere arm's reach of Komolov. Frowning, he notched his eleventh arrow after hastily counting those remaining in his belt quiver; at this rate, the Vaegir feared draining his quiver of arrows before they even penetrated the fortress. "If this drags on too long..." Komolov mumbled under his breath, begrudgingly loosing his eleventh arrow. Then, the Vaegir's frustration ignited when two of the footmen pushing the belfry forward at a snail's pace collapsed with fresh sprays of crimson ushering forth from the axes embedded in their chests. Cursing, Komolov had a thought a few moments later; it was incredibly daft, far from wise, and borderline mad, but the idea appealed to him nonetheless. Once a lapse in the inconsistent storm of hand axes warranted an opportunity, he leapt from the safety of cover and dashed through the Swadian ranks, keeping as low to the ground as possible while occasionally hopping over a wounded soldier or two. Soon, Komolov had reached his destination at the foot of the belfry and began to climb up its backside in spite of those who barked and cursed him for doing so. Indeed, the Vaegir recognized how treacherous his actions were, but something had to be done aside from cowering beneath shields and aimlessly feeding arrows to the foggy abyss concealing the enemy. The structure of the siege tower groaned and swayed lightly as it was nonchalantly propelled towards Knudarr's walls, faintly reminding Komolov of a lonesome pine laid bare by the howling winds of a desolate moor. On occasion, the infrequent collision of a hand ax rattled the front of the towering siege engine, easily persuading the Vaegir to tighten his grip until his knuckles were bone white as he continued to climb. Within a few mere minutes, he pulled himself onto the highest platform of the belfry, shrouded in the fog that almost completely concealed the ground below him; gripping his bow and ducking behind the oaken barrier crafted to provide at least some coverage facing the belfry's front, Komolov listened silently for a moment as he drew his twelfth arrow. With blossoming surety, the Vaegir rose from behind the barrier and promptly loosed an arrow where he believed the Nords were upon the fortress's walls before ducking back down again. Edited September 15, 2015 by FreemasonGamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrueMaster Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Aidan barely managed to lift his shield in time to intercept the Nord retaliation, grunting in irritation as a pair of throwing axes embedded themselves into it and the Swadians around him. Damn it all! He cursed, as a third ax came flying in, lagging behind the others before he could check his shield. Though the weight from the axes slowed him down, the bone smith was able to block this last one. However... *CRAACK!* He winced as his shield broke, the final ax breaking it asunder and managing to bite shallowly into his left arm. Can't even go to war with a Nord without something being broken! Aidan rued, remembering the conversation he had with Komolov the first time they met. Rrrrgh, need to fix this before it gets worse! As he tore a piece of his tunic to treat the minor wound on his arm, another unfortunate man pushing the tower fell, an accursed ax sticking from his neck, and the tower slowed in its progress again. Ugh, this is taking too long! Picking up a shield from a downed Swadian, the smith rushed forward and began pushing the siege tower as well. Shoulder straining against the wooden war engine, Aidan kept the shield propped up over his head and pushed with all his might, the siege tower beginning to close the distance once more. Move, you confounded machine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurianaValoria1 Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share Posted September 19, 2015 Seeing Aidan rush forward, Bellatrix began to grow impatient as well. As long as it took an eternity to push the belfry to the walls, the men would keep falling to axes. Shouldering her bow, she shoved her way through the ranks of horsemen and ran up to the tower, throwing herself against it with all her strength and half using it as a shield against any more projectiles. More bolts whistled overhead, most clattering harmlessly against the walls, and again the Nords retaliated with a wave of throwing axes. The shields of the knights and men-at-arms couldn't take much more of this... "Hold your fire!" Mirchaud's shout came closer than she had expected. The baron had dismounted and come up behind her, adding his own brawn to that of the sergeants pushing the siege tower. He seemed to sense that raining projectiles on the Nords would not be effective...not until the marksmen were at close enough range to see their opponents through the fog. For several long, agonizing minutes, they pushed the tower on its path to the parapets of Knudarr Castle. At last, they came close enough to lower the bridge; the engineers dropped it over the walls, squarely between two sets of crenelations, and Mirchaud let loose an inspiring cry, "ADVANCE! Let nothing stand in your way!" The horsemen were the first up the ramp and across the bridge, pressing forward with such speed that neither Mirchaud nor Bellatrix could find an opening to fall in among them. As the sword sister drew her weapon, she watched the knights slam through the shield wall of the Nords that was just now visible in the grey mist above. Maces crushed shields, splintered axes, and smashed helms as the baron's horsemen released pent-up anger, frustration, and adrenaline on the heads of their foes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreemasonGamer Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) Komolov's left shoulder was tossed into the oaken barricade he used as cover atop the belfry when the massive wooden structure made contact with the stone of Knudarr Castle eight or so feet below; a moment later, the Vaegir heard the satisfying crash of the siege tower's bridge anchoring itself onto the ramparts of the fortress's walls. Almost immediately, he saw Mirchaud's forces as they charged restlessly across the bridge into the shield wall of Nords waiting for them. Loosing arrow after arrow into the fractured formation of Nords, Komolov smiled weakly at the progress being made. Perhaps there was hope after all, he thought to himself as one of his arrows skewered the neck of arguably the unluckiest Nord throughout the entire fortress. "For vengeance, for fortune, for ashes!" The Vaegir marksman rallied like the fearless shriek of a bird of prey to his companions below him. Edited September 21, 2015 by FreemasonGamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrueMaster Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 Feeling the thump as the tower finally made it to the wall followed by Mirchaud's shout, Aidan stopped pushing and began his own ascenhorsemant. Though he figured Bellatrix would join the assault, he was still surprised to find himself beside her as they pressed forward. "How did I guess?" he shouted off-handed to her, a sardonic grin flashing quickly on his face as the mass of soldiers pressed slowly forward. "I thought you said weren't one to be making the same mistake twice?" This disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, as a couple of horsemen fell in front, with a few bold Nords now trying to push forward and stop the momentum of the attackers. Time to plug the hole... Rushing forward, Aidan deflected an ax blow to the side and swung his knight-hammer in response, battering the lead Nord as he was thrown off-balance with enough force to swat him from the ramparts head-first, the man not even having time to scream before he impacted and broke his neck. The smith swung again, this time upward, clipping the second defender in the chin as the Nord was too slow to raise his shield in time. The second Nord tumbled back into the third and both fell back into the mass of soldiers ahead. The defenders' push dulled for the time being, Aidan took his place in the gap, doing his best to hold his place in the formation. This is getting to be intolerable... he thought grudgingly as he deflected yet another ax. This needs to change soon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurianaValoria1 Posted September 27, 2015 Author Share Posted September 27, 2015 As Mirchaud's horsemen managed to clear enough section of the ramparts for the rest of their men to follow, Bellatrix watched as the crossbowmen brought up the rear. When they came level with the walls, they fired a volley of bolts that cleared one of the nearby turrets of archers. A few of the crossbowmen paid for such an attack, however, when marksmen from the top of the keep felled two of them...both with arrows through the neck, between the straps of their helms and the collars of their jerkins. "Dammit," the baron cursed, mounting the ramp of the siege tower and pushing forward, claymore at the ready. Bellatrix followed on his heels, half using him as a shield against possible arrow fire, since she had none of her own... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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