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Post by Oya on Jun 23, 2014 15:53:33 GMT -6
Oya looked on with both disgust and shame as his arrow assault cut down some of his own men. The arrow assault had some marginal success as a few of the defender forces ended up with a bolt in their chest, but over all it was a failure. It did not give his men the advantage he wanted, nor did it scare the enemy. In fact he was sure it did more damage to them than it did to the enemy forces.
"Shameful", spoke oya as he stared out over the battlefield. The Pirate began to take in the entire field worth of activity. The defenders had reorganized since the first catapult assault and moved their archers back into place. Their blades were cutting through his men like paper and their use of magic was astonishing. Oya had never seen such creativity, nor aptitude of spells. Oya himself had to give them complements on their skill in this battle. If it had been the other way around he and his pirates would have not stood a chance. He had no idea who their mages were or who was directing them ,but their general was far more skilled than he was.
"You have to admit they are quite skilled at using their magic", spoke Oya to his right hand. It was starting to come clear to Oya that victory on the East was not going to come without a cost. Their simple bombardment and charges were not going to work. The enemy was far too skilled and had far too great a spirit for such tactics to work. It Oya was going to gain victory he need to complete two objectives. The first would be to gain some leadership amongst his men. His light infantry were fearsome raiders and had great commanders in their units, but they did not have the skill to fight a uphill battle against the sacean swordsman. Their poor performance in the field told him that enough. The second objective was to break the saceans will. It was a feat not easily done, but Oya had a plan.
"Archers", spoke Oya as he looked at his archer commander. "Return your angle back to normal and continue to fire down upon the enemy"
"Yes sir", spoke the archer commander with glee as he gave his command to his men. Just like Oya he watched the devastation of his men during their last assault. Hitting their own allies in the back with arrows weighed heavily on him. Returning back to their normal angle came as a relief to him. \
"Catapults remove the heavy shots", spoke oya to the surprise of his men.
"Excuse me", spoke the head catapulter.
"You heard me", spoke Oya as he looked the man in the eye. "I want you to load all the catapults up with oil barrels and adjust the angel so that it flies over the enemy wall and hits inside of the city."
"What", spoke the man as he looked at Oya.
"You heard me", spoke Oya. "I want to set the city on fire."
"Wait, but the loot", spoke the man, but a glare from Oya silenced him. "Understood sir", he spoke.
Oya then turned to his right hand man. "Oya if your burn the city we won't have any pay", spoke the man.
"Don't worry about that", spoke Oya. "We will have pay. We can gain loot from the other sides of the city, or gain our coin from the corpses of the men dead on the field. If we do not destroy that city then the saceans will not surrender", spoke Oya as he began to walk away from the catapults. " I am leaving you in charge", spoke Oya as he looked the man in his eye.
"What", spoke the man as he looked at Oya confused.
"I am leaving you in charge of the archers and catapults", spoke Oya as he placed his hand on his shoulder. "You have seen the way I was using them and you have had experiences using catapults before. I am about to head to the field and lead the light infantry. At the rate we are going the saceans are going to break through our ranks. We need a stable force to direct our men from the field and I am going to be it", spoke Oya.
"Understood Little O", spoke the man. Oya gave him a crossed look. The pirate however let it go as he had things to do.
"Hey I can't be Little O forever", spoke Oya as he began to walk away. The pirate detached his magical axe from his side and began to walk toward the city wall.
"True", spoke the man as he walked back toward the spot Oya was. "Well you heard his orders", spoke the man. "Load the catapults up with oil barrels and fire them into the air. Archers you will now fire on my command", he shouted as the archer commander gave a nod of approval. "On my command", he spoke as he turned toward his two ranged units. He first gave a wave to the archers to fire their arrows giving the projectiles time to fly into the air before the catapults. Once they were half way he lunched the oil shots sending them above the arrows with the target to rain down upon the city itself.
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Claire Labelle
Mercenary
It's my moral obligation to help those in need
Posts: 42
Affinity: Light
Profile: Claire
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Claire Labelle on Jun 28, 2014 3:01:47 GMT -6
After seeing the horrors at Ostia, Claire had thought she was ready for anything. The girl was far for correct, seeing countless men brutishly kill each other was... She couldn't comprehend the carnage in front of her. She feared for her own life more so than the safety of this town, her selfish thought conflicted with her desire to live. As she was having her own inner struggle she had watched some of the plainsmen drag in a familiar face, who would have thought she would run into him here?
It didn't take long for them to bring life into his body, which relieved Claire. Now the young woman started to blame herself that Aaron had almost died, along with the countless other men and women, if she wasn't sitting in the safety of the town she could have helped protect them, before she even moved Aaron had started to head towards the gates, such bravery to be heading back into that chaos for the second time in such a short period. It was now or never, giving Ciel the command to move she headed towards the same gates Aaron was at. "Sir Aaron, need a lift?" She gave him a warm smile like she did the last time the two met, waiting to see if he'd take her up on the offer.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Jun 29, 2014 19:55:26 GMT -6
Aaron took in the scene of battle ahead of him, and tried to keep from feeling like he was going to be swamped. It was a useless exercise of course. Looking at all of the battle layed out in front of him made it quite clear that he was going to be wading into a destructive maelstrom of blade and spell, punctuated by volleys of arrows and burning flames. Despite this though, he couldn't think of his violence as senseless. He no longer liked to think of himself as a judge. He'd made mistakes of his own that he wished he could now take back.... At one point he had taken on the pride to think that he could be judge, jury, and executioner. Even with the best of intent though, some of his decisions had gone wrong. Some horribly so.... That was why he'd found a new reason for shaping his flames into the weapon they were:
There was a home under attack here. People's lives were being ruined by an evil force bent on destruction. He had looked for places and ways to make a difference in the past, but he couldn't think of anything more important to protect than the lives and homes of the endangered. That was what fueled his willingness to fight. It gave him the will to act against the attackers, even if that meant setting them on fire while they still thrashed out their death throes. Even if it meant going back out to that menacing death field.
He took a deep breath and started to try and trudge forward again, intent on returning to the battle lines, when someone rode up next to him on a horse. He looked up to meet familiar eyes, but couldn't quite place her until she named him. "Sir Aaron." Not an address he was used to hearing. It was the young cavalier he'd met up with once upon a time around Ostia.
"Claire! I didn't know you were here!" He looked pleased at finding a friendly face among all the other nameless ones here.
"And I don't know where you came from now, but yes I could use some help! I need to help push to the catapults. Can you get me to the front?" The mage grimaced as he saw a flight of arrows falling amidst the defenders. Some hid beneath shields, and some of the sacaens he actually managed to see dodging the arrows as they came down. He could have sworn that he actually saw one of them catch an arrow falling towards him out of the air before casting it aside. The arrow swarm was far from a failure though. The defenders near the front of the fight had to worry about combat with the enemy infantry, and even the shields were being overwhelmed by the constant wearing of the assault on them. Even so, the Sacaen blades continued their press, slicing off weapon heads and bandit heads with gusto.
Aaron witnessed a smaller flight of arrows of their own arcing out and falling into the enemy lines. Someone back there seemed to be trying to group up into an organized defense force. That was good, because he really didn't have much in the way of know-how on that. Nor could he afford to step back from the front lines to try and advise. They had to either make the bandits pay high enough to get them to draw off, or push all the way to the enemy catapult line.
As the oil fire launches arced through the sky, a couple were intercepted by lightning bolts shooting from the sky, but others made it through. They weren't aimed at the defenders though. Instead, they were being launched all the way over the defenses of the city. They were landing in the city proper where they exploded into vicious flames.
"Oh no. Those fires will burn the city down, Claire.... I can't stop them." A pained expression coated Aaron's face as he watched the smoke begin to rise from the flames. It was replaced with a set grimace a moment later. There were too many fires to bring down, but he could still do some good outside
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Dietrich Landrik
Mercenary
GAZE AT MEIN ROLLED SLEEVES, NOOBKOPF
Posts: 81
Sacae Fame: -1
Western Isles Fame: 1
Profession: Mercenary Marine
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Profile - Journal
OoC Alias: Synkkis
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Post by Dietrich Landrik on Jun 29, 2014 23:40:00 GMT -6
Topping off the defenses with sandbags, the defenses in front of the catapults were quite formidable now and would certainly give any sort of attackers a second thought before they would run up and torch the siege weapons. Landrik now knew that those who had completed the defenses would be made to pick up their weapons once more - which is exactly what he wished to avoid if possible. He could certainly make a significant difference on the battlefield without shedding any blood. In that moment St. Elimine must've had her hand on his shoulder, because he found just the perfect duty. A stretcher.
Running over to the abandoned stretcher, the sailor motioned over to his comrades to join him. "Over here! Let's do something a little more helpful. Berg, you've got those archer arms. You get the back. Fuchs and I will carry our own handle. Just up ahead we've got a few guys who've been burned or hit by arrows. Let's get them out of the fight." He ordered, them silently grabbing hold and running ahead with him. They knew exactly what he was thinking and were ready to run into the inferno with Landrik if he deemed it necessary.
The first man they came across was slowly bleeding out from two arrows in his body. They rapidly scooped him up and set him on the stretcher much to the man's protests. Running back to friendly lines they laid him out where the clerics and other medics were treating men's wounds. The job was very physically demanding, but it was saving lives. That in of itself was worth taking the trips.
After a bit, Berg had just about had it with the running. "As much as I'd like to do more of this, ya just gotta let me do what I do best. I'll be at the defenses covering your sorry asses. I won't let anything touch you." he said with confidence and a bit of honest discontent that he just couldn't run like the two. Landrik knew better and allowed his tubby buddy to catch his breath. "It ain't no problem. Just make damn sure you'll snipe any bastard who wants to take potshots at us." he chuckled, lifting the blood-stained stretcher with Fuchs. Berg gave an assuring nod and just let himself breathe for a bit before he could think of doing anything else. He was meant to sneak up to the walls and get a couple good shots in and fading back into the landscape rather than doing marathons across all of it.
The two heading out once more, things were starting to get a lot more fierce. It looked as if the whole Eastern side of the City of Heroes was a hellscape. The more wounded they were able to pick up before nightfall the better chances they had of surviving. Who knew if those inside would allow a truce for them to grab their wounded after all the destruction they faced?
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Post by Valcrist on Jul 2, 2014 8:18:32 GMT -6
"He's right, we need to make a push. We can put out a thousand fires, and it'll mean nothing if we can't stop them from burning it a thousand and one times." This conversation probably wasn't one he was really a part of, but in the heat of battle things like 'social cues' tend to dissolve. So he put his opinion in with them to consider, even though he was basically parrotting what the mage had said. The smith felt a bit guild honestly, he said he'd help keep the mage safe and he managed to get an arrow right in the chest. If only he was a cleric. He wasn't though, he was a swordsman. All he could do is use more sword, and hope that eventually it'll be enough.
"We need to trust that the ones still inside the city can do something to help control the flames, but it won't matter if we don't stop the catapults." Valcrist didn't have the slightest idea what they should do, so he just went with his instincts. Those instincts being 'just kill them all', it seemed like a sound plan. "Can you still move Aaron?" He was an injured man, but still a mage. A powerful mage can make all the difference in a battle like this, injured though he may be.
He looked ahead at the war ahead of him, swordsmen, bandits, catapults arrows, it was all a mess. He still held his windsword with both hands, but none of the arrows seemed to be aimed at them, for the moment, so he could relax. For a second. It felt wrong that he wasn't actively fighting. Maybe if he did, he could save more lives, or something selfless like that. Or maybe his blood was simply boiling and he enjoyed the violence? He didn't really know, honestly things got a little blurred and murky over time.
"As soon as you're ready, I'll move with you." Valcrist told the two, while he wasn't exactly the most... awe inspiring knight, he could at the least do his best to try and keep these two alive. Aaron seemed to know what he was doing, which was rare especially over here in the east, best to preserve that.
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Post by Oya on Jul 2, 2014 10:20:06 GMT -6
Oya looked out on the battlefield as he began to advance forward. The battle at the moment seemed to be in a stalemate as his slight infantry was doing well on the left flank, but on the right they were being cut to ribbons by the myrmidons. They were going to need some keen leadership if they were going to stop the sacean blades. Once you let them start going they are almost unstoppable. It was clear to Oya what side he was needed on, but he did not have a clue on how to stop them. He was as vulnerable to their blades as the soldiers he lead. If he was going to stop the swordsmen he was going to need a little bit more than light infantry armed with axes.
"Hey you all there", shouted Oya as he pointed to a group pirate soldiers forming the guard around the catapults. Oya did not want to remove too many of the troops, but he still needed some men to make a difference. Oya needed units that could get into the battle quickly and make a difference. He chose the soldiers for this very reason. Their spears could give them a edge in length and keep the swordsmen blades at bay. They also gave him a edge as they could shift into formation and press back the enemy with a tightly locked phalanx. Oya immediately gathered up fifty good men and set them up in five rows with ten units in each. He then began to march toward the swordsman line with the intention of breaking their forces and turning the battle into their favor.
"Alright lets see the strength of their blades", spoke Oya as he lead the way. The pirate stood in front of his wall of soldiers as they made their way toward the right flank. As he marched he heard the soaring cry of the catapults over his head and the sound of arrows being loosed onto the enemy. Oya looked up for a moment as he saw the jars fly over the wall heading toward the city. The arrows shot toward the enemy archers and for the first time in a while the wind was no there to dampen their load. Oya was not sure what happen, but things seemed to start moving their way.
As happy as Oya was to see that the wind was not knocking down most of their arrows he was surprised to see the enemy was not panicking. He was sure they would have started to do two things when he began to bombard the city with oil. He thought they would first retreat back into the city and try to put out the fires. This would lower their men in the field and give Oya the advantage, or B he figured they would abandon hope and start to flee as their main objective was being burned down. Neither of these two options was happening. That only meant that they were taking option C. They were planning to fight back. The battle suddenly seemed a bit more interesting as the battle might soon turn into a skirmish in the field. Oya had been in many fights before out at sea and many more on land, but he never really been in a battle this big and open field. It would be a first for him, but that did not daunt his spirit, nor did it cloud his judgement. The enemy might still have another plan up their sleeve. They had already shown their skill with magic earlier in the battle. If Oya underestimated them it would not only be the death of his men, but also the death of himself.
"Spears down", shouted Oya as he and his group of soldiers came withing striking distance of the swordsmen lines. Oya stopped walking and let his men pass by him. He was not going to fight on the front of the line as the action would only lead to his death, but he was going to help fight at its left flank. His formations greatest weakness was swordsmen moving around and attacking the the soldiers from behind. If they were knights it would be a minor problem as they could about face and still fight, but with soldiers it was a bit more difficult. Their armor was not as thick, nor were they as strong as knights. If the enemy got behind them they could probably take them down with a hit or two. Oya immediately ordered the fifth row to pull off and defend the flanks from assault a move that proved quite wise.
When the soldier squad hit the myrmidons everything went as Oya would expect. The first few who rushed in high on their earlier victories we speared down. The more experiences myrmidons pulled back and began to test the line in a attempt to hold it in place as a few of the others tried to circle around and envelope the soldiers. The fifth line however soon cut them off, but it was obvious to Oya that staying in this formation was not going to work. The enemy was simply going to swing around till they completely surrounded them and ended them.
"Phalanx break", shouted Oya as he gave word for the soldiers to break formation and engage the enemy on a one on one basics. As the formation broke Oya rushed forward and began to take on the leader of the myrmidons. When it came to military affairs out at sea the captain, or in this case the leader, was always the best target. If he could take him out then he could break the enemies chain of command and inflict chaos in their ranks. Though that stratagem only truly works when people are organized, but he was sure it would have a effect here even if they were not ranked. Taking out the best fighter still had psychological effects on those fighting around them.
"On guard", shouted Oya as he stuck out at the man with his two axes. The myrmidon dodged the blow with ease and swing his sword to counter the pirate. Oya blocked the blade using the cove between the shaft of his iron axe and the iron head. He then deflected the enemy sword back the two of them began to clash with each other again.
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Post by Willow on Jul 2, 2014 11:15:09 GMT -6
"Oya!"
As her husband led the charge, Willow oscillated, torn between defending their siege weapons and charging to aid her husband in battle. She couldn't decide... There was merit in both. But... She couldn't let her Oya go and throw himself into danger alone, could she? No. She had to go be with him throughout it all.
Turning to Landrique, Brrrg, and Foosh, Willow let her military countenance show again as she barked orders to the soldiers milling about. "Landrique, Brrrg, Foosh. You're in charge of defending these siege weapons. You die before they're taken. Got it? And if you need any healing, you send someone to me and I'll patch you up.
Willow leaped on Storm and raced off towards Oya and his group, who were quickly approaching... Engaging in combat. The formation broke as she approached, which she thought was a wise move. And as she closed in, she took out her prized book, which Nya had helped her find. Luce. It was the power of righteous fear. Willow would weaken the foe, and then they would crumble like dust before them.
Closing in, Willow raised her arms, channeling power, and then swiped them downwards like a conductor. "Luce!" A golden wall erupted and shot through the ranks of myrmidons. Although the rearmost defenders merely felt a twinge and a shiver, the frontrunners likely would feel some fear. As they should... Willow and Oya were going to teach them a lesson they wouldn't get to remember. Willow quickly found Oya, engaging the leader of the myrmidon band.
"YOU WHO DARE OPPOSE THE WILL OF ELIMINE, FACE THE WRATH OF HER FAITHFUL!" Willow spun her hands, crafting a ball of glimmering golden threads, which gleamed tantalizingly in front of her. Blowing and flicking her hands outward, she sent it whirling at the myrmidon captain, who laughingly swung at it with his sword. The ball of light then crumbled into threads and strings of light, which dug into his skin like leeches and worms as Willow focused her gaze on him. Her fury fueled the magic, and the man began to shake uncontrollably as Willow concentrated. Mentally, she was screaming at Oya to hurry and finish the man, but was unable to speak for fear of letting the man free of the living nightmare he was now encased in.
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Claire Labelle
Mercenary
It's my moral obligation to help those in need
Posts: 42
Affinity: Light
Profile: Claire
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Claire Labelle on Jul 9, 2014 19:36:10 GMT -6
War was truly a horrible thing, as Claire talked to Aaron one of his friends joined them and she felt so powerless to do anything. There was people dying all around her while she did nothing to help them, she would have to use this battle learn how to grow stronger to protect those who depended on her.
"I should be able to get myself and one other to their front lines, I'm a pretty good rider but I don't know how wise that would be. As dangerous as it sounds I do think it's the best option we have if we want to help protect these people." Claire moved up a bit on the saddle making room for a second to join her. Looking ever Aaron and the new comer she spoke again. "Also, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Claire Labelle, with that who's going to travel with me to their front lines?"
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Jul 11, 2014 10:47:57 GMT -6
"I'm alright for now, Valcrist. Sacaens got me out of that pinch earlier...." He could still feel his side tingling where the arrow had lodged itself before getting ripped out and healed over. He'd have to check that out later for what damage could be left.
"We have to try. I have to try at the least. I'll ride with you Clair." The green haired sage paused for a moment, and then reached up for a hand up before clambering onto Ciel behind Claire. He'd ridden before, but he wasn't the best while riding. Guiding an animal and casting spells weren't the easiest thing to handle at the same time. That was why he was going to have to concentrate on keeping them alive long enough to get there, while Claire did the steering.
They could hear the sounds of the war erupting around them. firejars shooting high overhead to crash into the city behind them. Aaron could see that something had stalled the brave sacaens from their razor advance further off. The whistle of arrows turned his gaze upwards in time to see a flight of shots heading their way though.
With an upraised hand and three foreign words as cold as the deepest glacier, Aaron dug into the power of the tome he carried. At this point, it was less arcane formulas that Aaron was using and more akin to archaic description that he mimicked. About five feet over his head, cold rippled. He could feel his breath clouding as the cold radiated out from that point. Frost was forming on Claire's armor in front of him. More importantly, a clear plate of ice formed overhead, covering the three of them. It stayed there as he worked with it, both it, and his raised hand glowing an icy blue as he focused on it. Several dull thumps sounded on the other side of the frigid roof, leaving dark shafts sticking out of the other side.
Another word, more violent and aggressive this time, and a flash of heat came, reducing the ice plate to a puff of steam before it could fall on them.
"Go Claire!"
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Post by Oya on Jul 14, 2014 17:39:55 GMT -6
I love that woman, though Oya to himself as she restrained the myrmidon captain. He might as well be dead because there was no mercy in Oya's heart. The Pirate drew out Xigshaw, his magically enchanted battle axe, which was more like a giant hunk of steel in most peoples opinion, but it did its job none the less. As Oya pulled the weapon from his back it felt a bit heavier than before. Oya was not sure why, but the weapon seemed to be holding a slight grudge against him, though it was still excited about being used in battle. With a little bit more force Oya was able to swing his weapon. Xigshaw smashed into the man's skull ending his life and making a bloody mess of things.
"What us with that", spoke Oya to his weapon. He did not expect it to talk back, but he knew there was a spirit inside of it. He wondered what was bothering it since it held back some of its power and made swinging it much harder than it should have been. Still there was very little time for Oya to be talking to his weapon. This was a battlefield and the slightest mistake could equal his death.
"Thanks a lot Willow", spoke Oya as he turned to his wife. The pirate had some of the myrmidons blood on his pants. Oya looked out for a moment on the battlefield. His choice of spear units seemed to be paying off as their group was starting to get the upper hand on the swordsmen. A few of his boys lay dead on the ground, but there were matched by a myrmidon and a half. Still however there was much more fighting to be done.
The sudden sound of a jar breaking brought Oya back to reality. It seemed the catapult were still bombarding the city with fire. The enemy however did not seem affected as Oya though they would. He figured they would be fleeing for their lives or trying to put out their precious city by now. However they seemed more focus on trying to stop the attackers. Oya wondered if they were going to bet their lives on this assault. If so he should have seen this coming. They were assaulting thier homes. Even the meeks of animals will strike back once you enter their din. It was still surprising however. Oya was sure most of their forces were made up of volunteers. Volunteers should not care so much about the city of Heroes as much as the locals did, but then again maybe their village was not far from there. If they fall here then there is nothing stopping them from marching down upon their village, and Oya doubted people would come flocking to defend their little village.
"Alright push forward", shouted Oya as he swung his massive weapon forward. The very sight of him and his iron club of death rallied the men. Their they were being lead by their commander. The bandit forces rallied around Oya as he pressed forward against the city of Heroes defenders.
As the men charged forward a myrmidon pushed his way through the crowd of defenders and rushed straight for Oya.
"Cut off the head huh", spoke Oya as he swung his iron club at the man. The myrmidon blocked the blow, but the weight of the weapon threw him back. Oya did not let up his assault. If he was going to take this man down he needed to attack quick and hard. Oya swung the club horizontal and the myrmidon jumped backwards. His movement dodged Oya's club and put him in a position to counter strike. As he rushed forward and swung Xigshaw returned his power back to Oya. The extra strength enabled Oya to pull his weapon up in time and block the swordsman blow. Calling upon more of Xigshaw power Oya threw the man backwards once again. This time however he attacked with a overhead strike. The myrmidon attempted to block with his sword, but the mass of iron smashed his frail blade into two leaving the man's broken body in the dirt.
"Two down", spoke Oya keeping track of his kills in the war.
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Post by Willow on Jul 14, 2014 23:02:43 GMT -6
Willow was busy herself - after Oya finished off the one myrmidon, she'd immediately retreated a little ways and turned to healing wounded pirates. It was invigorating, and Oya's boys kept up the pressure as they advanced. They were faring very well on the field. Their jars had lit some homes and many areas of the wall ablaze, and the heavy shots had proved useful as well. Hopefully, they would break through the weakened wall soon... In any case, there was plenty to be done. But in a brief lull of healing, Willow saw something that angered her. The men were slowing, and there were some Sacaean savages proving problematic.
Raising her voice, Willow spoke loudly and with icy control as she addressed the troops. "Push forward! Smash through these savages. Are you Nya's invincible troops or not?! We've come this far, and we're not done yet. This city will be ours! Now fight like you've never before! Fight for glory, for honor! Fight for the blood! Kill these Sacaean bastards and send them to their graves, men! Let's show them the might of Nya and LIGHT!"
As Willow finished, her cast sent a blast of potent light magic into a rushing myrmidon, sending him to the ground in his death throes as his body glowed with ethereal radiance. Addressing the defending troops, Willow's voice took on a mocking tone as she spit a string of threats and epithets.
"Do you think you have a chance, Sacaean dogs? Our men are trained and disciplined. See how your brethren lie dead, the flies and maggots already arriving on their slowly cooling corpses? Witness the destructive might of righteousness, my savages! Your city is ablaze, your heroes are all dead, and the great Kenshin is nowhere to save you. Run, fools, run... Maybe you'll escape in time! There is naught but death and terror here for you... Nothing! Be devoid of hope! Cower in the righteous fear of Elimine! Die, savage brutes! Let your nightmares be realized!"
With that, the Valkyrie let loose her full might in an explosion of Luce. The golden power emanated like a sphere, pulsing as she sent the fear-inducing magic slamming into the enemy line like waves upon a flat shoreline. The power swept through the defenders like a tsunami, and Willow was left panting after the five waves had been unleashed.
"Oya! That axe... should be able to strengthen our own troops. It has been enchanted with Ivaldi! Just hold it up and call upon it, and our troops will feel slightly stronger and faster! Of course, you can also power yourself and me up, which I'd recommend, but please use its might to aid our cause!"
The Valkyrie chuckled as she witnessed the fear she'd instilled. Good... Very good.
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Post by Richter Abend on Jul 17, 2014 2:35:18 GMT -6
Richter arrived on the eastern wall just in time to see waves of golden magic pass through front line of his defending soldiers. At first he was expecting an explosion or a disintegration of some sort, but in a subversion of the expect, the Ilian could see that instead of destroying the forces it touched, it made them halt in their tracks, though not in a way that would signify that they were being held there against their will by a magical force. The soldiers still moved, but they did so slowly, hesitantly, as if struck by fear at the sight they had just witnessed. Normally Richter would have been quick to assume the men he had just been given command of were cowards easily impressed by a fancy display of lights, but given the circumstances, the warrior took a second to try to understand the forces at work on the battlefield. It’s what Mavick would be doing, although Mavick probably knew what was going on already.
Richter would be the first to admit that he was not familiar with such magic, or even magic in general, but he guessed that whatever the spell was, it was having an adverse, substantial effect on the morale of his men, and that meant it needed to be dealt with.
“I don’t know who the hell is casting that spell,” Richter barked, making his voice heard over the din of the defending forces, “but it needs to be dealt with! I can’t have soldiers under my command wetting their pants like a bunch of scared children!” A number of men in the back, less occupied than their fellow soldiers yards ahead of them, turned to look at the new presence. Some did so with confusion, not knowing who exactly it was the spoke to them, while others did so with an obedience born of battlefield desperation.
“What do we do?” a voice piped up. “We can’t just walk over there! They’re tearing through our front lines!” The Ilian commander looked at the sight of the explosion, then looked back at the speaker with a look of authority and control.
“Then we’re just going to have to bring them over here!” shouted Richter, lifting his arm up from under his cape with a flourish to reveal his frost-bitten greataxe. He brandished the weapon in his right hand, pointing it at the oncoming attackers that lie before them. “Listen up! I don't care what you were doing before, and I don’t care whose orders you were following! Kenshin says I’m in charge now, and that means we’re going to do things right! As far as you should be concerned, my word is law!” The Ilian looked over the men in front of him. They were all over the place, and were being rightly smashed through the by advancing bandits because of it. There was no sense of formation or layout. It might as well have been an overcrowded gladiator pit.
“Tell the men that aren’t too busy pissing their pants over some magic glitter to clump up into groups and pull back! I want tight groups! I want to see people making friends here! I don't care how you do it, just do it now! We're bringing the battle closer to the wall!” Richter bellowed, thrusting a finger to his right, then to his left, the to the wall in front of him. A couple of soldiers looked at him with incredulous looks, but others began quickly relaying the orders, eager to see some sort of change on an infantry level. The pink haired commander made no pause. They needed to rally. “Bring them right to me! If they want to take a bite of this wall, then let them! I'll give them something to chew on!”
The natural course of action for these men was to push forward and keep the attackers away from the wall, which was understandable, but overextending with an unorganized force like this was only going to result in higher casualties. Richter decided he needed the formations tightened up, and a line wasn’t going to work. It was too easily pierced, and made it almost impossible to respond to a charge if the line broke, and with these men, it would. No, he needed columns that could give a little, sloughing off men as needed to surround overly aggressive attackers with a pincer, but first he needed to get the men in a formation that wasn't "all-out-melee". Hopefully, for all their sakes, the men would listen.
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Mavick
Seer
Little Strategist
"The Darkness... It consumes me."
Posts: 208
Etruria Fame: -2
Sacae Fame: 1
Affinity: Dark
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Post by Mavick on Jul 19, 2014 18:29:48 GMT -6
Mavick observed the field as Richter barked his commands. That was Richter's strength. He was a leader. He could drive men to do things they thought they could not do. His strength, however, was in observation, understanding, and cunning. That was what he could give Richter. He could not provide him with the strength of arms, but he could give him the knowledge needed to use them effectively. "This is light magic," he stated. Even without his knowledge, he could tell simply by how it felt. It reeked of faith and miracles. "It is playing tricks on the minds of the soldiers. The enemy is trying to crush their resolve."
The dark mage raised his hood, peering out from under the lining to observe the troops beyond the wall. "Our enemy seeks the protection of the Light," he almost murmured, raising his hands, "But they shall be consumed by the Darkness." The dark magics swelled, wisps of shadow rising from his fingertips as dark power crackled in his hands. "Their bodies shall be as brittle iron before the hammer, their minds as frail wheat before the scythe." Mavicks eyes raised up, sliding up into the back of his head as a dark haze permeated from his hands. From his lips, one small word was uttered, and for all it's softness, the world buckled under it's weight. "Luna."
The cloud of miasma stretched out to the battlefield before him, enveloping the enemy soldiers into it's folds. The very air they breathed was tainted with darkness, a toxic shroud, enfeebling them in both mind and body. The Shaman lowered his hands, his eyes lowering back into view. "That should buy us some time," he said, looking to Richter, "But it will not last forever, nor is it our salvation. The spell only enfeebles, it does not kill." He looked around, his mind racing. "...Their catapults are out of my range... But I wonder...." He looked at Richter again. "How far do you suppose I could hurtle some of this rubble?"
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Dietrich Landrik
Mercenary
GAZE AT MEIN ROLLED SLEEVES, NOOBKOPF
Posts: 81
Sacae Fame: -1
Western Isles Fame: 1
Profession: Mercenary Marine
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Profile - Journal
OoC Alias: Synkkis
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Post by Dietrich Landrik on Jul 19, 2014 21:03:25 GMT -6
Up ahead where Oya was it seemed the battle was heating up like crazy. The mangonel catapults were continuing to pile on the oil jar explosives onto the wooden palisades, most of the shots landing all around them. There were a few households just outside of the wall that they couldn't afford to build a wall around and were as such abandoned. Most of these had caught fire, billowing smoke into the air and concealing the city's details from view. Pulling another wounded man onto a stretcher, Willow rode by and shouted an order to him concerning the security of the catapults. To be honest, the best thing the defenders could do now would be to place sharpened stakes in the ground, but that was time consuming. It'd have to be worked on immediately once they pulled out of the fight and they could divert the resources and manpower towards it... but wouldn't that also afford the enemy time to do the same, plugging holes in the wall and further fortifying their positions? There really wasn't a winning situation to this, but as long as the catapults were safe and they were adequately supplied with ammunition, they had the upper hand.
"Alright, Fuchs, let's head back to the catapults. It seems we've got more building to do, for better or worse." Landrik said with a bit of pain in his voice. He knew none of this would be easy, but he was really starting to get worn out. He knew nothing of properly patching people up, so at best he threw them on the stretcher and brought them back to someone who knew what they were doing. Perhaps it would be better if he did start throwing stakes in the ground. It'd also be a great deterrent for any cavalry that wanted to storm their position. Finally linking back with Berg, Landrik too a bit of time to wipe the sweat from his brow from all the running around he was doing. It was certainly building his arms with all this work. "Oya's wife wanted us to defend this spot and the best way we can do that is scrap together some wood to build up some stakes halfway up from the defenses and smaller ones at the bottom of the ditch. Also, if we can dig that ditch even deeper and make it really steep it'll help us out even more. I don't know how much us three can do ourselves, but if we start now we may be able to get something going." he said with animosity for all the work they had ahead of them. "We're out on the steppe, so I think most of the wood we're going to be finding will be from the settlements. It won't be anything impressive like back out West."
Berg sighed, stroking his beard. "Just get me some wood and I'll sharpen it to a nice point and stick it in the ground. I can't be running around to be finding it. There's just a lil' bit too much Berg to be doing any of that." he said jokingly. Fuchs, also showing some fatigue, was quick to retort. "You're laughing because you're fat. It's OK, it makes me laugh too." Berg gave him an annoyed look and then shrugged it off.
"Alright, enough you two. Fuchs, start collecting wood and don't be a smartass about it. I'll get to digging." he said energetically. Even though he was about ready to just sit on his ass and get a proper breather, he didn't have an option. He may as well accept the task with a smile. If they wanted nice things they had to do everything they could to protect them.
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Post by Oya on Jul 20, 2014 16:22:35 GMT -6
"Lose", spoke the newly appointed commander of both the catapults and the archers. The archers fired their arrows into the air and began to rain down death upon the cowardly soldiers. The arrows fell like drops of rain down upon them. Some were wounded and others were killed. For once their archers efforts were not dampened by the wind. The sight brought some joy into the men as they completed a successful assault.
"Alright good job", spoke the commander as he waved his hand to the catapults. The catapults had fired latter than usual. This however was not due to a mistake on their part, but rather a change in stratagem. The commander had ordered the stop of oil jars, for the moment. Instead he placed heavy shots inside all the catapults and fired them onto the weaken wooden wall. With a loud thump the stones smashed into the wall breaking away the wood and opening a hole in the structure. It was the first victory for the bandits, though it had little meaning as the field was not theirs. The saceans were resisting and they were putting up a good fight. Oya and Willow had joined the battlefield to turn the tide, but it seemed as if the enemy was pulling in heroes from all over the field. It soon became clear to all the pirates that the victor of this battle would be decided on the grass.
"Press Forward", shouted Oya as he pointed his massive iron rod out. Seeing their commander holding his magical weapon raised the spirits of his men. Like a title wave they charged forward. Oya and his men had halted the advance of the myrmidon unit. The loss seemed to play heavily on the minds of the Saceans, or at least what Oya thought. Out of now where a dark mist appeared from the Sacean ranks and engulfed a portion of the bandit forces. "What is this", though Oya as he stared at the mist. It was magic. No doubt. The enemy was using dark magic to halt their advance. Oya bit down on his lips when he saw it. Magic seemed to be on the side of his enemy this day. Their earlier attempt to crush the enemy with their catapults and archer assaults were thwarted by magic and no it seemed the enemy was using magic again to hamper him and his men.
"Willow do you have any idea what spell that is", asked Oya as he looked back at his wife. The pirate had seen magic before, but he had not seen that spell. He did not know of its name or origins, but it had dark magic written all over it. "Willow is there any chance you can clear that up. We are going to need those men in our assault", spoke the pirate. In the middle of Oya's conversation with Willow Oya heard the sound of horns and the beating of drums. Both clear signs of the return of Farkus and Troy. The two defending forces moved in to join the assault on the city from the left and right flanks. Their eyes were on the goal of piercing through the opening made by the catapults.
"Looks like Farkus and Troy have returned", spoke Oya. "Alright men", shouted Oya as he yelled to the troops around him. The pirate had a crew of soldier and light infantry axe men. "We are going to assault the enemy front lines. Avoid the blacken mist and push forward. We need to find their shaman and eliminate not only him, but also the mages that have been resisting our projectile attacks. No matter what happens we must eliminate them. Is that understood", shouted Oya.
"Understood", they shouted.
"Good then lets go", shouted Oya as he began to lead the way. "Oh", spoke the pirate as he stopped and grabbed one of the axe men. "Take this message back to the catapults. Tell them to send forward the rams and the reserve heavy infantry".
"Understood", spoke the pirate.
"Make sure you mention the Reserve Heavy Infantry, not the Heavy Infantry. I want those catapults protected at all time", spoke Oya.
"Right Boss, the Reserve Heavy Infantry and the Battering Rams", spoke the pirate.
"Good", spoke Oya as he let the man go to do his job. Oya then began to lead the troops forward toward the enemy defending line.
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