Turn #67 - Siege of Ilien

[X-Ilien & PCE/GeM (Linde)]

Deep within the cidadel Geraldine is standing over a bowl of water, twirling and twisting in colors, the sound of battle eminates from the bowl.
She smiles all the while the walls of her city turns red by the blood of Diemans and Ilieneese alike.
Her watchfull eyes carefully study the scene as Baron Enlien and Archduke Diem lead the assult on the gatetower. "Damned fool" she mumbles as the closest soldier inside struggles to pull his comrade to safety instead of pushing him aside and shutting the door.
Turning away from the bowl she hastly walks towards the door shouting as she push it open: "The western gatetower is lost! Remove it from my wall so that Diem will know he will not hold anything he take here!" A stunned officer studders:" Buh but.." Furious the countess twirls around and face the unfortunate man "You shall not question my orders! If we are quick we will crumble it on top of him, and if we are not he WILL get the message!" No less stunned than before he nods:"O Ofcause your Excellency, I will send your order to the catapults." As if stuck calm by his words she turns and walks out of the room saying on her way out: "I am going to join the battle. If word reach you that Diem and Enlien have left the tower, you may stop the bombardment short of the towers destruction."

[X-Ilien & PCE/GeM (Linde)]

On the walls Baron Enlien and Archduke Diem have fought their way through the fray and leads the defence against the advancing Knights of Ilien. The sight of both the enemies banners in the front of the line halts the advance and numerous furious blows from both the Baron and the Duke turns the tide of the battle for the diemans.

A steady retreat is turned into a steady advance as the Baron press infront of the Archduke and start to pound on a demorilised Ilieneese knight to his knees. Suddenly a roaring cheer commences  from the back of the Ilieneese lines as the personal banner of Geraldine el-Mesir is raised in the middle of the Ilieneese collum of knights. With renewed strenth from knowing his countess is present the knight swiftly blocks Baron Enliens blow and with all his strength stand still wobbeling a bit from the heavy blows he had taken. Unrelentingly and swiftly Baron Enlien strikes at the knights leg forcing him to his knees again. With a just as swift a motion he moves his sword back and strikes at the knight...

Edited by DM due to power creep/excessive manipulation of events:

*clang* Another sword parries Baron Enliens killing blow as the knight still too wounded to continue fighting drops to the ground. It belongs to is a grizzled muscular knight with the personal crest of General Manders engraved on the chest of his plate. Looking briefly towards the personal banner of the countess, he spots her incanting her vile witchcraft not more than a hundred feet in front of him. Swords flash as Manders and Enlien trade blows. ...

Gracefully Gerladine moves in between the knights advancing to get her eyes and witchcraft in reach of the Archduke...

[DM B]

Catapult fire has never been very accurate - nor is it this time. A number of stones go in the direction of the tower captured by Baron Enlien. A few even strike true (but most do not, ending up damaging building and killing friend and foe alike). But it is too little. Ilien's walls and towers are tall or strong or they would not have withstood the torrent of fire thus far directed at them. This new barrage does no discernible damage.

Meanwhile the melee rages on - the Dieman's have gained the wall and has seized on tower. Now they are expanding their bridgehead and aiming to secure another tower. Once they do that the Ward will be lost. And to be honest, it is only a matter of time - more and more Diemans are pouring onto the wall by the minute...and there are no more reserves available to stem the tide. And the Red-robed wizard has done what he could - his last spells came to nothing as someone, the Sea Witch presumably, countered them.

But even if the outcome is given the battle is not over. Ser Estevan, General Manders, Archduke Diem, Baron Enlien, Countess el-Mesir...they are all caught up in the fighting and in mortal peril. Will any of them make it through the day alive?

[DM B]

Manders overextends or maybe he stumbles. It doesn't matter. Kaven smashes him in the helmet with his shield, sending him reeling. Before he can recover Kaven swings at his left knee - the blade doesn't penetrate, but the knee buckles. With a mighty heave Kaven sends Manders over the inner edge of the wall - a fall of thirty feet to the waiting flagstones below.

Then Kaven discovers something terrible. In the heat of battle he has been pushed back, away from the standard. And where is there Archduke? There he is! In melee with three Ilienese knight and the Green Knight! No no no!!! Another Ilienese knight hacks down the Dieman standard and hurls into the city below. A Dieman armsman bull rushes him over the edge and he falls to his death to land beside Manders and the fallen banner...

And what of Geraldine? Does she finally appreciate the gravity of her mistake? For an unarmored woman to walk into frenzied killing? Steel-clad men, slashing swords and the air is filled with arrows and bolts. She's already bleeding from a cut she received from gods know who.

[DM B]

Meanwhile Dauk Hiriele has take his cavalry - as yet uncommitted - and ridden it straight through to the Dieman assault position. They are dismounting and pushing forward...to gain the ladders and join the melee...

[X-Ilien & PCE/GeM (Linde)]

Geraldine is holding her left arm tight. "Damn my folly" she thinks as she see the reinforcements ride toward the city.

She looks around looking for an escape from the wall and the melee that will surely end her life should she stay........

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

As Ghorien crests the walls he is almost shocked by the carnage on the other side; the frantic chaos of massed melee in such confines, of walls and towers and stairs and courtyard below leave a tangled heaving mob that means to hit the floor is to die. It tooks a short while to focus as his men stream past him, forming ranks and anticipating the order to action. Quickly his eyes scan over the knots, watching for the defining figures within, the points at which the battle might be forced or broken. The odd bolt rams into his shield as he stands there, causing his left arm to twitch in response each time until, with a sweeping gesture of his axe, he clears them from the face, almost causually.

And then he spies her, moving quickly with a party of men close around her hand carefully placed to her arm, trying to find a path off the walls to safety. The smile that spreads behind the bevoir is twisted and there is almost a purr in his throat as he chuckles. With a nod of the head and a point of the axe he marks her out to those men around him and a trumpet bark begins behind him, almost a call to the hunt and the prey of the day. The Ghiestians press forward quickly, fresh legs pushing them into the melee in a wedge, the intention to push through and divide ranks as the drive straight, like an arrow, for the Countess and her probably escape from the wall. Axe and sword cleave and slice as the energy of the thrust starts to cut through the ranks and as the gap begins to close a whistle goes up from the Knights of the Iron Legion, and from behind them the dragoons, now on foot, unleash a wave of javelins, followed by another, and then another, casting a shadow over the bloody combat they fly over.

[DM B]

Geraldine is holding her left arm tight. "Damn my folly" she thinks as she see the reinforcements ride toward the city.

She looks around looking for an escape from the wall and the melee that will surely end her life should she stay........

The Ward is lost. The sooner you accept that the better. Now you must make sure that this breech doesn't turn into an overrun. You must save as man of your men as possible and make ready for the next assault - for it WILL come.

Poor General Manders...so briefly did he hold command....and now you are left without a capable commander.

[X-Medoere & RCS/KE (Thorsten)]

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!"

[X-Ilien & PCE/GeM (Linde)]

Geraldine grabs hold of the nearest officer, grinding her teeth in pain as she lets go of her arm:"Get the pikes to form a line we can retreat behind and get word to the other flank so they can do the same. The ward is lost." 

[X-Medoere & RCS/KE (Thorsten)]

Further down the wall, a wounded General Ghant withdraws from the frontline and pauses to get his breath. His sword is bloody and his armor battered from the battle, and a fresh slash to his temple causes blood to run down his face and into his eye. Wiping it away as best he can, Ghant bellows in his deep booming voice.
"Push forward you runts! The day is ours - now we break their spirits! Run them down like the rats they are! ATTACK!"

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

As the shout goes up for "Pike! Pike to the fore!" Ghorien grunts an acknowledgement. His prey is covering it's retreat at least, or trying to, but the walls and the stairs are not the best place for pike until they are fully formed and so he raises his own voice " On my boys! Onward, break their line before it is formed and this day is ours! Take them, take them all!"

He steps to the side as a lightly armed Ilienese man thrusts forward with his short sword, the Duke turning the stab wide with the edge of his shield and then bringing his heavy axe blade down and straight through the arm that follows through before smashing his shield in the screaming man's face, driving him back into his own ranks, adding to the confusion of those lines as blood pisses freely from the stump of what was his arm. In defiance as he goes forward again, every step pushing them closer to a rout, Ghorien shouts in their faces, his own men chasing his wrath across the field of battle, all pure aggression, "Take them boys, Take them! 5000 Gold to the man who brings me the Countess! Bring her to me!"

[DM B]

Further down the wall, a wounded General Ghant withdraws from the frontline and pauses to get his breath. His sword is bloody and his armor battered from the battle, and a fresh slash to his temple causes blood to run down his face and into his eye. Wiping it away as best he can, Ghant bellows in his deep booming voice.
"Push forward you runts! The day is ours - now we break their spirits! Run them down like the rats they are! ATTACK!"

It's the last thing Ghant ever says. One of the Ilienese catapults...his body...it is never really recovered. Just some bits that MIGHT have been him.

[DM B]

As the shout goes up for "Pike! Pike to the fore!" Ghorien grunts an acknowledgement. His prey is covering it's retreat at least, or trying to, but the walls and the stairs are not the best place for pike until they are fully formed and so he raises his own voice " On my boys! Onward, break their line before it is formed and this day is ours! Take them, take them all!"

He steps to the side as a lightly armed Ilienese man thrusts forward with his short sword, the Duke turning the stab wide with the edge of his shield and then bringing his heavy axe blade down and straight through the arm that follows through before smashing his shield in the screaming man's face, driving him back into his own ranks, adding to the confusion of those lines as blood pisses freely from the stump of what was his arm. In defiance as he goes forward again, every step pushing them closer to a rout, Ghorien shouts in their faces, his own men chasing his wrath across the field of battle, all pure aggression, "Take them boys, Take them! 5000 Gold to the man who brings me the Countess! Bring her to me!"

The Ghiestan's run into a solid block of Ilienese. They are falling back in good order. Getting the Countess won't be easy.

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

The solid resistance of the Ilienese troops draws some grudging admiration from the Duke. They most know now that this ward is lost and within a few weeks the entire city will fall but still they fight, still they hope. He nods at their dreams and then halts the advance of his men. The puzzlement on the faces of the block is clear and then the front rows of the Knights of Ghieste crouch, shields held fore and the javelins thud into the infantry lines of the defenders. Heavy headed shafts of steel, iron and wood where they don't wound the iron of the shaft band on impacts and cripples armour and shield and, it is hoped, turn the line ragged, unready to meet the charge.

Then as fast as they stopped the heavily armoured foot push forwards again, trying to break through the block and push deeper into the heart of the city, chasing the Countess still.