Author Topic: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien  (Read 15116 times)

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Offline DM B

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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #45 on: June 13, 2010, 07:59:34 PM »
The Ghiestans finally come to a halt as they are taken under heavy crossbow fire.
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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #46 on: June 13, 2010, 08:01:32 PM »
A myriad of thoughts run through Kaven's head as he sees the Archduke belaguered by the Green Knight. Around him time almost seems to slow down as the adrenaline rush through the Baron's head and his features set in grim determination.
"NO!" He yells, and starts forward, using fist and sword to press towards his liege. Scratches and wounds visible on the Paladin's body close, as the divine energy of Haelyn course through him. "With me to the Archduke!"

Leading what support he can gather in his push to save his lord, Kaven raises his voice in a loud and clear shout "Ser Estevan! Face me!"

Battle is joined. Ser Estaven and some black-skinned men as well as the Ilienese knights...versus Duke Diem, Baron Enlien and the knights of Diemed...it's been a while since something like this happened in Anuire. An entire war in the balance.
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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #47 on: June 13, 2010, 08:17:11 PM »
The men of Ghieste form shield against the crossbows and take secure postion to minimise casualties from the incessant fire.

Ghorien looks around again, trying to work out where the pockets of resistance within the ward holds and then his eyes linger on the man in the green armour and those that face him. His breath leaves his body in a long exhale and he knows now is the telling moment. A step forwards, then another, quicker and his immediate guards take a second before the realise he is moving again, at speed and give chase. Although he does not show it he worries that he will not make it before it is all over, but he will not have it said he did not try.
His Grace Ghorien Hiriele,
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Viscount of Whyrthe.
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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #48 on: June 13, 2010, 09:56:29 PM »
The archduke is fighting shield to shield now as there is pushing and shoving on the walls.  One of his men-at-arms uses his kite shield to swing open "the barn doors" on an unfortunate Ilienese soldier fighting with a center-boss shield, allowing the archduke a swift and fatal stab with his sword.  Many more men are pushed off of the crenelations than are ran through that day.  He shouts to Ser Estevan, who is forbiddingly hacking his way nearer... "Ser! you have been duped! the Mistress El-masir with her foul witchcraft does not serve one god, or many, she serves none!  Search your heart! Look to Drago's teaching's if you must, but she serves the unmaker! both Enlien and I can attest to this!"
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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #49 on: June 13, 2010, 10:25:07 PM »
Kaven does his best to stay close to the Archduke, using sword and blade to defend the man. He doesn't spare any time on words this time - accutely aware of the danger the Green Knight poses on a field.

Having faced this man before however, he is ready as a strike darts out towards his Liege: With a resounding clang of metal on metal, Kaven's sword intercede and prevent the deadly blow from landing, before the Baron quickly returns to his intial position, maintaining his balance and dodging the lightning quick riposte from Ser Estevan by a hairs-breadth.

A knight take the opportunity to launch himself at Ser Estevan, and interposes himself between the green Knight and the Baron only to find his head removed cleanly from his body by he swift strike of his foe. Kaven's handiwork is a lot less pretty, as he turns on another enemy, slams a sword to the side with his shield and cleaves his sword into the mans neck. The soldier dies screaming, his life fountaining into the air and painting Kaven's fair skin a bloody red.

Dropping back as another Diemean knight takes his place, Kaven raises his sword into the air and chants a quick prayer to Haelyn, feeling and seeing the limbs of him and the allies close around him infused with the blessings of the Lawmaker. Rejuvinated and emboldened he steps into the swirling melee once more, raising his sword to mete out judgement on those who close with him.

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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #50 on: June 14, 2010, 01:28:39 PM »
Headlong now, almost a sprint, the Duke of Ghieste plows forwards, his blackcloaked guard fanning out around him, pushing through the mass of what are now mostly Diem's troops. The odd Ilienese man is dropped in an almost forgetful manner as they pass with axe or sword or steelshod foot crippling them for someone behind to stab through armpit or visor or under breastplate ensuring they will not rise again. But not all of it runs how Ghorien would like it, as he must pause as he runs into a mountain of a man. Dressed in burnished plate, soaked now in the blood of those his blade has already claimed, the Duke has to duck under the point of his blade as it works it's way over the top of the lion emblazoned shield and threatens to rip out his throat. Ghorien tries to break the man's defences, with one, two and then three strikes to knee, hip and elbow, but each one is guarded against well and the series of parries both men enter becomes frantic as each works out that they have met a broadly equal opponent. The exchange continues for what feels like an age, but no more than about ten seconds in reality until both men take a step back, a deep sharp breath in wonder, curious as to what will happen next. Around the pair has grown a space, as though no one wishes to interfere, afraid that ally and foe are both at risk here.

Standing upright again Ghorien nods at his opponent, acknowledging his skills. When the other nods in return he speaks aloud, "Apologies Sir, I do not have the time for this, as amsuing as it is." And while the knight looks at his curiously he gazes over his foes shoulder and gestures sharply. There is a loud series of thuds and the knight tries to reach around to pull out the bolts that now stick out from his spine, but his grip on one of them grows weak and he falls to his knees. The duke steps forward and pulls a long thin dagger from his belt, wraps his shield arm over the man's back and drives the the blade under his breastplate, before standing fully again and starting to run on.

As they gain pace again Ghorien checks his lines and they seem to be moving well, a few injuries here and there but given their late arrival to the fight they have more legs than most and he hopes that energy will help finish this matter. He steers them through the press and they have to push both sides out of the way as they go, keen to reach the place where a fatal knot has grown and then suddenly they are in and on them, the force of the run pushing them deep into the side of the dark skinned men and Iliense knights. In desperate haste they stab and strike, bound and beat, trying to overrun the flank and drive them from the Green Knight's side, exposing him. The Duke ducks and dodges incoming blows as he cleaves and splits arms, hands, heads and shoudlers in return, though a trailing sword point manages to pierce the mail in the shoulder joint above his shield as it skitters off. As he feels it scratch and draw bloods he growls in anger, smashing his shield into the chest and backhanding his axe across the face of the man who had just struck him, ripping the nose from his face and then he sees the Green Knight and Kaven fighting close by, just feet away.
His Grace Ghorien Hiriele,
Duke of Ghieste,
Grand-Maester of the Highland/Overland Traders,
Viscount of Whyrthe.
Down Right Evil Bastard!

Offline DM B

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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #51 on: June 15, 2010, 08:48:05 AM »
Rationalization. Denial. Faith. Different words for the same phenomenon, no? The human need to make sense of their surroundings, no matter how unnatural or horrendous.

But I digress - despite having seen the Green Knight in action, despite having fought him, despite the fact that he is hacking and stabbing his way through the Dieman ranks the fatal skill and unflinching determination...still Kaven Enlien's mind tries to cope with this unnatural thing. Trying to explain away the facts and bring order to chaos. Surely no warrior, no mortal warrior could fight with such skill? Perhaps if there was time to analyze the situation an explanation could be found...but instead the mind settles upon that age-old mantra, that of 'divine guidance'...if so then his change of faith has dulled none of his potency.

Another knight goes down, undone by a shield strike by the Green Knight to the inside of his knee, sending him stumbling over the edge and to his death in the city below. It must have been a lucky blow? No mortal man could have planned for such an outcome!

Ser Estevan to Carvaloen: "I serve not the witch, I serve the One. He has taken this city as His, and I will not let it fall!"

Then he is upon Kaven and Carvelon blade flashing...from the very first exchange you find yourself in trouble, for however much you try you cannot seem to support one another properly, you keep getting in the way of the other...but luckily more knight arrive to back you up, staving of disaster - for a time...
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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #52 on: June 15, 2010, 03:58:12 PM »
"Haelyn shield me," Kaven mutters, as he barely manages to deflect a slash for his throat. The man was a roaring tempest, slicing into anything that came too near. The Baron grits his teeth as his return blow is countered seemingly without conscious effort from the Ser Estevan.

As Kaven’s world narrows down to the Green Knight, he begins to pray. Not loud and boisterous chants to the glory of the gods, but a soft mumbling prayer in rhythm with the flow of the battle.

His eyes seem to glaze over momentarily and then suddenly he goes on the offensive. Kaven’s sword and shield lash out time and time again in an attempt to drive Ser Estevan back and away from his liege lord. Blood seeps from more than one joint in the Baron’s armor and from several nicks and cuts to his face, a telling sign of the Green Knights skill.

As his shield is ripped away by a brutal riposte from the Green Knight, Kaven finds himself breathing heavily, all but spent. He offers a weak almost apologetic smile to Carvaloen Diem before he looks to the Green Knight once again.

 “… Thy will be done!” the maimed knight whispers ending his prayer, as he levels his shoulder and rushes towards Ser Estevan, using his last vestiges of strength to batter at the Green Knights sword in an attempt to drive it to the side, as he charges forward.

Offline DM B

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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #53 on: June 15, 2010, 08:47:58 PM »
Once again the Green Knight uses the power which only he possesses - the ability to coolly and accurately assess the situation, plan an appropriate response and execute flawlessly. All in the blink of an eye. Gift of the gods? Arcane secret? Freak of nature? Take your pick. Regardless of his source of power - rushing headlong to meet with Ser Estavan is inviting disaster...

A step so. A parry like this. A shield moved just so. A plate-armored elbow to the temple. Ser Kaven Enlien drops like a rock. Unconscious, but not dead. Exactly as intended. Then over the edge he goes...not to his death, but to land upon the roof of small stable upon which lies many slain men already. Quite the lucky fall.

The next few moments are rather confused. The Green Knight step in close to Lord Diem, disarms him in the process, then uses his shield to lift the Duke of his feet...Duke Hiriele rushes in with a ready blade to rescue his ally...ad the suddenly the red wizard appears on the wall, unleashing a magical barrage of epic proportions against the three of them. The trio already has momentum and Duke Diem is actually up in the air when the blast strikes - they are thrown over the edge of the wall and down into the murky waters of the moat far below. The blast also blows away both the top of the wall and the battlement and kills everyone within fifty feet...

...then crossbow bolts start chattering around the wizard and more soldiers are gaining the wall - he steps of the inner edge of the wall and disappears...
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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #54 on: June 16, 2010, 11:16:09 AM »
Over to more practical issues; WM 11 starts now so there are still the possibility of more combat. If there are to be more assaults, for example, it needs to happen right now.
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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #55 on: June 16, 2010, 12:51:41 PM »
As the three armoured bodies hit the dirty, oily, fetid water of the moat there is an enormous splash, followed sharply by a series of smaller ones as chunks of the wall, projected from above by the explosion, land in that same dark, dank ditch. Then there is stillness. While the ripples hit the earthen walls and are relected back across the broken surface one could be forgiven for thinking that is the end of the matter - that in those precious seconds there is no more war and this is the finish of it all. Unfortunately the watcher should be reminded that there is no luck in this world, except that which you make.

It is over ten seconds since the three, tumbled around each other, struck the glossy pool, when there is a breaking of those few minutes of silence. A bloodied Duke of Ghieste pushes clear, gasping for urgent desperate air for his battered lungs. His left arm is wrapped around the shoulders on another figure, armoured and still in his armlock and as he kicks for the edge of the moat, for the safety of it's refuge the figure coughs and splutters it's breath still. The distance is no more than 10 yards from where they broke surface but every inch is a struggle as Ghorien strives to save them both. Men of Diem and of Ghieste who were ready to climb the wall turn and watch for a moment, some then moving to help them, throwing ropes and lowering a ladder to aid the escape of the two from the stake strewn open sewer that was once the pristine moat of Ilien.

Almost as soon as he is out the Ghorien hands the ArchDuke to the care of his men, saying he is well enough but that there are matters here he must attend to, and taking command of a small number of men he quickly strips off the heaviest pieces of his armour and begins the rapid search. Between them they duck and dive within the mess of the moat, keenly searching for the body of the Green Knight, with orders to do all within their ability to save his life, to let him die such an ignoble death as drowning in this cesspit. It is but a few minutes later when one of the number, a young lad with curly blonde locks that would like fine about some small girilish child, brings up first a gauntlet, then the helm and then the breast plate of the Green Knight, The later with a lump of stone from the walls imbedded deep within it, like a rocky fist driven far into it's steel strength. It is not long before the search is called to a halt and a Council is called to assess the progress of the siege, the losses taken and the sadnesses felt.

Many have been lost. How many more have still to fall?
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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #56 on: June 16, 2010, 01:15:27 PM »
The cawing of a crow was the first thing the drifted through the haze. Kaven blinked and groaned. Why was he lying on his back staring into the sky? Hadn’t he been in some fight? Trying to get up he found himself pinned down by something heavy. Kaven tilts his head slightly and glances down. The full weight of an armoured body was splayed out on top of him. By the looks of the scorched clothing and flesh, something very unpleasant had been the cause of this particular individual’s demise – Kaven couldn’t even determine if he had been friend or foe.

“Lord Kaven,” the corpse said as it twisted about and moved closer, its empty eyesockets staring at him and the jaw dropping open to reveal a lolling and blistered tongue. Kaven’s eyes went wide as he found himself glaring right at the thing mere inches from him.
“Lord Kaven, are you hurt?”
The corpse jerked and moved away, as a Diemean soldier heaved it to the side to reach the prone form of the Baron.
Kaven blinked twice and shook his head to clear the blurry images he had just had. Something he immediately regretted as the movement sent jagged shards of burning metal through his head.

“I think… I am fine.” Reaching a hand out, he found himself assisted to his feet and down from the roof that had somehow graced him with an easy fall. His right hand hurt from where he had clenched it unconsciously around his sword for the last few hours. “Well, at least I managed to hold on to that…” he found himself mumbling.
“What was that, milord?” the soldier asked, as he helped the shaky Baron get his bearings.
“Nothing, just me rambling. What happened? I only remember fighting Ser Estevan.”
“I don’t know, milord. I was fighting further down the wall. An explosion tore the entire section of the upper rampart – killed dozens. “
Kaven directed a blurry eyed stare in the direction of the wall. True enough a sizeable section of it was missing.
“And the Archduke?”
“He was thrown into the moat by the blast – as was the Green Knight and Duke Ghorien. The Duke managed to pull him out of the water.”
Kaven gave a sigh of relief and then a thought struck him – his prayer. He had asked for forgiveness for something. For forcing the gods to decide between himself and...
“The Green Knight… is he..?”
“Dead, milord. They say his chest was caved in by a rock thrown from the blast, though I haven’t seen it for myself. “
Kaven stopped dead in his tracks and closed his eyes as he steadied himself.
“I see… thank you. Could you point me to Duke Ghorien and Archduke Carvaloen?”

The man gave a worried look at the state of Kaven but in the end resorted to nodding and extending an arm to point in the direction of the command-tent. Shaking his head as he watched the Baron limp forward he found himself chuckling at the sight of a highborn noble massaging a sore tailbone. You had to cherish the little things in this royal mess.

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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #57 on: June 16, 2010, 02:36:14 PM »
The conversation within the heady scents of the command tent is as heated as it is pungent. There are few who do not bear the scratches and scrapes of battle, bruises and bandages on significant display. Those who do not share in these badges of honour seem resolutely clean; clearly the ones who remained within the lines rather than as part of the assault. As the Baron enters though it is the Duke of Ghieste's voice that is raised, seething with barely controlled rage

"And let me tell you Sir Whateveryournamemightbe that, if you continue to attempt to impune the honour and courage of my forces on this field, I shall be showing your friends and colleagues just how guts you actually contain; is that clear? Given that the Iron Legion of Ghieste bore the brunt of the casting from that Mage, after having marched hundreds of miles to your aid, I think we can all agree there is no need for blame or cowardice to be thrown the way of me and mine. As is we are now inside the main walls, having seized this ward. There is a major breach in their exisiting walls still. They have no General anymore and" with a gesture that highlights to Kaven the battered helm upon the table within the tent, "The Green Knight will trouble us here no more. It is time to offer the City their chance to surrender before Winter means they eat each other and then freeze themselves to the death."
« Last Edit: June 16, 2010, 02:46:00 PM by Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt) »
His Grace Ghorien Hiriele,
Duke of Ghieste,
Grand-Maester of the Highland/Overland Traders,
Viscount of Whyrthe.
Down Right Evil Bastard!

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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #58 on: June 16, 2010, 03:18:05 PM »
 Kaven blinks a few time as he enters the gloom. An angry purple bruise is visible on his forehead, almost giving the resemblance of a horn growing out from one side of his head.
He clears his throat.
“Eh… gentlemen? Excuse my tardiness.” Walking towards the gathered men, he indicates his bruised brow.  “I seem to have been trying to open the gates of Ilien with my forehead.”

As he stands next to the table, Kaven rests two fingers on the helmet and lets them follow the contours of the green knights headgear, looking at the thing with a sad smile on his lips. He gives an almost imperceivable shake of his head before he moves towards a chair, and eases himself into it with an audible groan.

Removing his gloves he hands them to a soldier nearby, and leans back while someone brings a bowl of water and a soaked cloth to dab at the bruise. Kaven grimaces momentarily, but then relaxes.
“You were talking about surrender, Your Grace? I agree that it would certainly be the honourable thing to do. I have no wish to watch the city starve as the weather gets worse, and even Geraldine should realize that it is all but over now. The shell has been cracked and it is only a matter of time now.”
He waves the soldier with the water away and sits up straight, looking from the Duke to the Archduke.
“I would be honoured, if the duty of providing terms for Ilien would rest in my hands, Your Grace – Sire.”

Kaven massages his temple.
“There is also the matter of reinforcements. Should this continue further, I believe I can draw in the vicinity of thousand men into active duty in the siege again. It’ll be mostly archers, to be honest – but they’re battle-hardened and should fill the ranks amply.” He offers a wan smile to Ghorien. “And I can assure you they’ll be instructed to target anything wearing red robes first and foremost, Your Grace. ”
« Last Edit: June 16, 2010, 03:19:44 PM by Medoere & RCS/KE (Thorsten) »

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Re: Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien
« Reply #59 on: June 16, 2010, 03:37:47 PM »
With a sip on a goblet of wine Ghorien winces as he swallows past a bruise on his neck.

"Aye, it is probably better it come from you than it comes from I Baron. For one I am only here as an ally of the Arch-Duke and secondly my terms would no doubt be significantly more brutal and less polite than yours, I have no doubt. And at this point trying to scare the frightened children within those walls would just result in more anger and extra hate, things that if we wish them to surrender then it is best not to do just yet. Though if they do continue to try to maintain this facade I would prefer we make it clear to them that there is no opprtunity for mercy beyond this point."

He nods and smiles.

"I also have more troops to call in, should we deem it necessary."
His Grace Ghorien Hiriele,
Duke of Ghieste,
Grand-Maester of the Highland/Overland Traders,
Viscount of Whyrthe.
Down Right Evil Bastard!