We've Got Hostiles

[Shyriath]

Shyriath, Count of Benacia, looked out over the harbor from the window of his office in the Government House in Port Benacia. There, in the market square, a line of red-and-black-uniformed figures marched toward the staging area, where the Knights of the Burning Claw were gathering, preparing to be loaded into transports and sent away to fight in Elwynn.The half-dragon sighed wearily, feeling the weight of many years pressing upon his shoulders. Though his heritage afforded him a lifespan much longer than any human, he had never inherited the attitude that allowed him to deal with it as a dragon might. He felt old, terribly old. Especially at this moment.Shyriath tells himself that, all in all, he has been a good vassal. As Count of Naudia'Diva and as Baron of Naudia'Diva, he has done his best to remain faithful to his Duke. But this time, he has been forced to choose between his feudal lord and the chance to fight against those who once attacked a good friend of his... and though it pained him, he felt compelled to answer the latter call, though it would set him against his Duke. (And in alignment with the fun-but-raving-nutters in Yardistan.)He could only hope that the inevitable Ducal envoy would not manage to arrive in time to try to stop the dispatch of his Knights to Elwynn. Babkhans he can fight against without qualms, but he does not wish to start this by fighting his own Duke directly. Oh, please, let it not be so."B'caw forgive me," mutters Shyriath, as he turns away from the window.Summary: The Knights of the Burning Claw prepare to leave for Elwynn, unaware of the Hunters' approach.

[Fax Celestis]

Fax Celestis stood in the Temple courtyard and adressed his beloved Hunters of the Stag:"My friends, I have heard some disturbing news. There is wind of war, and it is heading our direction. The Yardistani have decided to avenge their elven bretheren in Elwynn."Our Duke has asked us to fight for his cause and defend the holy lands of Brookshire. I have told him we will. We set sail tonight, Hunters, headed for Benacia, where our Benacian countrymen will join us and help us fight against the treacherous invaders!"Not all of you are to come. Only a thousand of our best shall sail eastwards to Benacia. The rest of you are to stay here and hold down the fort, or Temple as the case may be."Now, as to who is coming with me? Let me tell you:"And he spent the next hour hand-picking every Hunter who was to come with him on their journey.When this was finished, he told the Hunters to disperse and prepare, and they did so without question.Half an hour later, they had all returned, prepared for war."Alright, my Hunters! Let us sail!"Summary: The Hunters of the Stag take off from Naudia'Diva headed for Benacia. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Fax Celestis]

Projected movements of the Hunters of the Stag, en route to Benacia. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Sebastien Alexandre]

Ozarka's eyes, usually a defiant neon blue, were now a light baby blue, the color faded from his fatique. He had been spending far too many hours awake, planning, meditating, concentrating and strengthening his magic abilities. So much he had been forced to do with so little time to do it. Yet, his work had been done.His Dragon riders had been dispatched to the skies, where they would be able to spot something quickly. His Light Mages had been given local clothing and had taken to hiding amongst the populus, their staffs hidden as walking sticks - yet ready to blind others at a moment's notice.His water mages, all b ut 100 had taken to above the damn, near the sea, where they stood on vigorous alert - ready to rain hell and make travel useless on the seas once the enemy approached.His earth mages, as well, had taken up their abilities and earthen walls were being built, and boulders collected to be thrown.Halluci would not be on the losing side- not after Jaris

[extreme007]

Quote:"Lord Shyriath! We are here to go to war! Come! Let us lay waste to the invading Yardistani heathens together!"um, i am confused.. are you trying to lay waste the Yardistanis? or the ones who shall invade Yardistan? if you are attacking Yardistan, i assume you are on elwynn side?Apart from that.. carry on boys. Discover, Invent, Theories, Experiment,Advance Science,Advance Extremism,(in Karnali, Republic of)

[Fax Celestis]

Quote:OOC: Extreme, I'm the Duke of Brookshire. Elwynn is in Brookshire. Of course I'm on Brookshire's side.That being said, Shyriath would be on Brookshire's side if he went territorially; however, he is instead going with his morals and siding with the Yardistani. As such, he and I are probably going to come to blows.By the way, I'll be putting OOC stuff in brackets like this. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[extreme007]

Quote:OOC: this is a good wayso, i take that you (in story) are not aware of shyriath's intensions... hmm. perhaps, i should just wait and watch... CARRY ON! Discover, Invent, Theories, Experiment,Advance Science,Advance Extremism,(in Karnali, Republic of)

[Fax Celestis]

Though the Hunters muttered aboard the ship about "Leviatan", Fax knew it was idle banter. A few even fished off the side of the boat.No one caught anything spectacular, unfortunately.It became foggier the closer the ship came to shore. Some of the more traditional (or astrally oriented) Hunters proclaimed this to be an omen, but whether or not it was a good or bad omen was never truly defined.The ship sailed into port, unmolested, but every Hunter aboard noticed the same thing: the streets were silent.Immediately, the Hunters broke up into small units of about twenty. A full three hundred dove over the side of the ship noiselessly, while the other seven hundred disembarked from the ship as quietly and stealthily as possible.Only Fax walked out alone, weapons sheathed and hands raised above him. One who looked closely could see blood clotting on his wrist and a streak of blood quickly evaporating above his head. He made a quick scan of the harbor.Seeing no one, but expecting the worst, he cried out: "Lord Shyriath! We are here to go to war! Come! Let us lay waste to the invading Yardistani heathens together!"Summary: The Hunters of the Stag land in Benacia and are starting to become aware of their opposition to the Benacians. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink RegigoraaukEdited by: Fax Celestis  at: 10/5/05 22:20

[Shyriath]

At the time of Fax's call, Shyriath was not far off... not far enough to avoid hearing it, though he immediately wished he had been.He stood, along with the few Knights not yet loaded onto the transports, near the very tip of the long, narrow harbor, discussing the last details, when Fax's voice came almost echoing through the fog, from one of the larger docks a bit further down the harborside.Shyriath inhaled deeply, as if preparing for a heavy burden. He turned to the three lieutenants near him. "Tessen, begin informing the Knights to come back onto shore and be ready for trouble. Shindè, Cular, follow me. Make no threatening gesture, raise no weapon, stand back from me at least ten paces. And wait to hear my next command."Leaving his own preferred weapon, the black staff named Ouchmaker, behind, Shyriath straightened himself up and marched through the fog to meet Fax Celestis.----The three figures approached through the fog, one a good bit ahead of the others, and came to a stop just far enough away that the foremost could be seen clearly. The green-scaled half-dragon stared at the Hunters' leader with an expression that lingered somewhere between resolve and pain."Lord Fax," he began, with a slight creak in his voice. "I had not expected you to come here in person... a ducal courier would have been sufficient for such a message..."He steels himself. Now is not the time to let his regrets show through."I am afraid," he continues, trying to sound resolved, "that Benacia cannot enter this war on the side that allies with the butchers of Ardashir. Too well we remember what they did, we who sent medical teams to combat the blights they unleashed. Too well we remember the pain caused to our good friend the Baron of Amity and Mirioth, and the suffering of innocents. We feel compelled to fight the Babkhans and punish their leader for his crimes."After a pause, he continues, more softly, "But we have no quarrel with the rest of Brookshire, nor can we blame them for taking the stance they have. We are on opposite sides of this war not by any dislike for each other, but by the allies we have chosen. Therefore, we offer you safe passage away from Benacia. You may continue on to fight on other fields, as we will do in turn; there will be no need for our meeting here to become unpleasant."Summary: Shyriath refuses the call to fight for Brookshire, but not wishing to fight the Hunters, offers them the chance to leave and fight without Benacian aid.

[Fax Celestis]

Fax sighed the sigh of a man who was about to do something he could not stand, but had no choice."My good Baron Shyriath. It saddens me that you would choose to fight for the invaders. But I understand where you are coming from entirely."He paused, apparently deep in thought. Appearing to come to a sudden conclusion, he stepped forward and put his arm around Shyriath."Tell me, how are the callamenni this time of year?"Shyriath shrugged. "They've just started coming in to the markets, but being Baron gets you a few special treats, like first pick of the markets." He smiled.Fax nodded. "Good. Perhaps we could retire to your keep and discuss things over a meal?"Shyriath smiled and put his arm around Fax's shoulder. "Perhaps discussing this as civilized men will be a good thing." He thought for a moment. "I'm certain you remember where my home is, my Duke. My men will retreat to there for now. You and six of your finest are welcome at my table tonight."I understand that you are obligated to keep your weapons on you; that I have no problems with. But my men will be armed as well."As long as we remain civilized men, as I know we are, they shall remain ceremonial in nature, and no problems will arise."I hope we can settle our differences without bloodshed, my Duke."Fax nodded and sighed. "I hope so too, my friend. I hope so."Summary: Fax and Shyriath attempt to settle their differences in a civilized fashion. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Shyriath]

So it was that, later that night, Shyriath and his Duke met again at Shyriath's manor house, north of the city. The Baron had few visitors here, and many of the rooms intended for official receptions had never been used by Shyriath himself, instead being rented out to private functions and small conventions. But for this occasion, he had chosen one of the more elegantly furnished halls in the west wing; it was large enough to be roomy for the Duke, the Duke's six men, Shyriath himself, and two Knights that Shyriath had chosen to join the dinner, by now also two of his most trusted friends. As per his orders, they were only lightly armed.Perhaps he would have been justified in bringing more; but he expected no treachery here. And even if he was proven horribly wrong, there were Knights downstairs who would avenge him.Despite not being a room the Baron commonly used, it was one he liked. On the top floor, the ceiling overhead was topped by glass, allowing a view of the emerging stars; the wide windows in the walls gave a commanding view of the sea, punctuated by a small rock where an old lighthouse stood.As the servants brought out the first course of the feast, a sort of salad with a mildly spicy dressing, Shyriath sat in relative silence, gazing out the window. Turning then to his liege lord, he decided to speak, feeling that a certain amount of candidness was called for. "I must admit, my lord," he began, "that this entire war has thrown me into a position I did not wish to be in. Although I have always hoped to avenge the Amity Massacre, I did not think that this would place me in an alliance opposite to that of my own Duke. And whichever choice I make now is fraught with dishonor. To go against the wishes of my rightful lord, or to forego the chance to right an old and serious wrong... no, far from what I would have wished."He sat back, as if trying to relax himself somewhat. "But in the absence of a course that satisfies my sense of honor, I tried to choose one that satisfies my sense of justice."Summary: Shyriath and his Duke have dinner, with Shyriath explaining his view of the impasse. Edited by: Shyriath  at: 10/6/05 11:31

[Fax Celestis]

Fax smiled, raising his glass. "Honor and justice. At least you've got your priorities straight." He took a drink. "You know, you should come visit us on the island when all this is over. We could teach you our ways, make a Hunter out of you. But we are not here to daydream, are we?" He picked up his hunting knife, which lay on the table next to his plate, and began toying with it. "No, we are here instead to talk of men and murder. It is unfortunate we must meet under these circumstances, but now there is no real other option." He fumbled and dropped the knife. "Ouch! Would you look at that? I've cut myself." He wiped his hand on a napkin, then stood.Quote:Fax has just cast Fact or Fiction. Shyriath, anything you say for the rest of the scene must be true (as you believe in character)."You see, my dear Baron, you leave me in a precarious position: you have noble reason for your choice, and I respect that, but I cannot have an enemy this far into Brookshirian territory unaccosted, and indeed unknown to any but myself."Further, the Orer of the Burning Claw is formidable, as I have seen from my previous visits. I do not entirely approve of their use of these new pellet throwers...oh what are they--guns! Yes, guns. As I was saying: I do not entirely approve of their methodology, but I do approve of their spirit."But as you can see, I am left either with the option of converting you to our side or entering into combat with you. And since I am not the kind of man who would force a man against his morals, I am afraid I am left with needing to hold you and your men here."Fate has placed us on opposite sides of this conflict, my Baron, but by no means does that mean we must be bitter enemies. Let us go about this like men of honor, not thieves."I understand you have some largely empty territory here, mostly populated by callamenni and their farmers. Let us purchase their land and their livestock--I will pay sixty percent of the amount personally--and we will settle this outside of civilian grounds."Beyond that, I ask that you grant my Hunters a day--a single day--to prepare, simply to make this a fair and honorable fight.''What say you, good Baron?"Summary: Fax describes his side of the situation and barters with Shyriath for preparation time for his Hunters. Shyriath is subjected to Fact or Fiction. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Shyriath]

Quote:Just to confirm the effects: All that I say for the rest of the scene is, in fact, truthful and honest to the best of my character's knowledge and belief.Shyriath mulled this over, weighing it in his mind, and he found himself liking the idea quite a bit. "Find an empty stretch of land, buy it up... the Hunters and Knights get a battlefield of their own, with no collateral damage to anything that hasn't been paid for already. "If the area's in reasonably good shape afterwards, it could even be sold back to the former tenants... at a discounted price, perhaps, to make up for any damage that is there. They'd get their land back, slightly the worse for wear, but still have more money than when they started." Shyriath glanced up at his Duke. "It sounds perfect. And, in fact, I know the perfect stretch of land... to the west of here, far from the shores, there is a place where the land rises up into hills, and then into a high, rocky plateau. Though flat and solid underfoot, it is strewn with boulders of various sizes, behind which fighters may take refuge. It would make a good battlefield... and as an added bonus, is not well suited for grazing or agriculture. Its owners will be less reluctant to part with it, it will be less easily damaged... and," he adds, with a slight smile, "it will be less expensive to buy up."He pauses for a few moments, and then, with a look of inspiration on his face, leans forward. "And I have an idea that may make this battle beneficial for both of us, my lord, regardless of the outcome. We both have a greater war we wish to fight, and losing too many valuable men here will ultimately hinder both of us, no matter who wins."So I suggest that, instead of fighting to a conventional defeat, the two sides do battle only until some percentage of one side or another is dead or otherwise incapacitated... let us say, one-fifth, or two hundred men. The first side to have that damage upon it shall have lost."If the Knights lose, then I and the remaining Knights shall answer your call and join the war on the side of Brookshire; I will ask only, in that event, that you not direct us to defend the Ardashirians in the Elwynnese theater, so that we do not compromise our honor.""But if the Hunters lose, then I and my Knights will go to fight in Elwynn. We will go the long way, by sea, and shall not set foot in any other part of Brookshire; and we shall do our utmost to avoid collateral damage, save only around Ardashirshahr. All we wish to do is fight the Babkhans; the other Elwynnese, and the rest of Brookshire, we have no quarrel with. The Hunters of the Stag would be allowed to leave Benacia unmolested and go where they will, so long as they do not disrupt our voyage to Elwynn." Shyriath smiles wryly. "Although once we make landfall, I imagine all bets are off if our forces met again."So what do you think?" he concludes.

[Fax Celestis]

Fax smiled and laughed lightly. "My good Baron, I knew I put you in your office for good reason. You have a sharp mind and think for the people. I like that."I like your idea as well. The terrain sounds favorable to our ends, we will not exhaust ourselves for the larger battle, and the rewards sound...well, the rewards sound a bit unfavored."Forgive me if I boast, but I do not think my Hunters will lose." He paused, took a deep breath, and began again, "But if we do, I do not see why we should be allowed to go about our business when you would have to serve my end should I win."Therefore, I propose that if we do lose--we won't, mind you, but given the possiblity--we will follow your lead and attack the Babkhans."I believe that is a bit more fair. And, as the civilized men that we are, fairness is a luxury we can afford."You say two hundred incapacitated? I find that agreeable, especially since after the battle--regardless of who wins--our combined forces will still be more powerful than we are divided now."Yes, Sir Shyriath of the Dragon, I do find those terms agreeable." He stood and shook Shyriath's hand. "Now, shall we eat?"Summary: Fax and Shyriath agree to terms of victory and results thereof. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[extreme007]

Quote:OOC: you both are online.. and so am i.. along with gryphon and scott.. you want to carry out the battle in the chat? or through posts? i am online right now.. so, it will be easy for me to be present.. Discover, Invent, Theories, Experiment,Advance Science,Advance Extremism,(in Karnali, Republic of)

[Shyriath]

Quote:OOC: Sorry about that, extreme. We'd already agreed to stop for the night when you posted, and I didn't check the forum again till just now...But it might be better to do this out in the open anyway. It may be an arranged battle, but it's still a battle... it wouldn't be fair to others in this war if we got to get it all over with quickly.The following day, each side marched west into the Benacian highlands, threading their way through the hills onto the rocky plateau. The sky was covered by a thin haze, giving the sun a strange halo; there was a light wind in the air, and it was cool and exceedingly dry.The land itself, whatever its value as a battlefield for this day, was amazingly stark. Though strewn with boulders, as if a great flood had tossed them all here ages ago, the plateau was flat, with a floor of nearly solid rock, as well as a few pockets of gravel. The color was a uniform light gray for almost as far as the eye could see, broken only by distant views of the green lands below on the horizon, and by a single hill of hard, black rock rising above the plateau far to the west. From the peak of that hill rose an impossibly high, impossibly thin tower, gleaming silver even in this slightly shrouded light, kept aloft by the power of inexplicable technologies left by the ancients. The Sky Pillar.Thankfully for all involved, the Pillar was off-limits to both sides during this battle. No one would be permitted to even approach it, much less enter it, hide behind it, or attempt to use its technology; since the death of Mors, Shyriath had forbidden access to anyone, even himself. Its only use in this battle would be as a landmark for orientation (of which there were few; everywhere looked more or less he same here).The Knights had begun their day of preparations by shifting boulders around. Although many of the larger boulders were too heavy to move with any amount of manpower, somewhat smaller ones (large enough for one or two men to hide behind) could, with some effort, be pried loose and pushed or rolled into new positions. Working from early morning until midday, the Knights formed a rough circle of defence by establishing lines of smaller, moveable boulders between pairs of the larger, immobile ones. Though nowhere near an impenetrable wall (there were considerable gaps between the boulders, enough for five men to walk though side-by-side without crowding), they seemed to be enough to form a sort of ground-level battlement.Some two hundred of the Knights carried light machine guns, and these were deployed around the perimeter, generally evenly spread but with slight concentrations at the corners formed by the larger boulders. Of the infantry equipped with rifles, twenty were chosen to go out and patrol individually beyond the perimeter as scouts once the battle began, to watch for approaching Hunters.The remaining 780 men were split into ten groups of seventy-eight each. One was assigned to guard the small amount of reserve ammunition, mostly for the machine guns, in the center of the battlement; five others were assigned as rapid-response teams for the perimeter, to back up the machine gunners in the event of an attack; and the remaining four teams would be offensive units, intended to go out and hunt the Hunters.And all the while, elsewhere on the plateau, the Hunters were making their own plans...

[Fax Celestis]

Several of the boulders had been arranged into three general lines, though most of them remained where they had started. All four hundred dedicated archers stood behind the largest grouping of rocks, while the other Hunters were as scattered as the natural dispersal of the boulders.Most of the swordsmen had cast spells on their weapons to help them retain their sharpness, but the berserkers were standing around, leaning on their pikes.Someone who didn't know his men would have thought that the berserkers were being lazy. Fax knew, however, that they had no battle preparations. Their weapons were sharp, their minds were steeled, their few necessary spell components close at hand. Fax had no doubt that he would see at least one sandworm on the field today.He paused, then lifted his voice. "Hunters! We are not here to kill!" The berserkers looked at him like he was insane, but Fax continued. "Our enemies are further from home than this! Baron Shyriath is a noble man, and he has chosen a noble course of action. However, his course of action and ours differ on a few key points, such as who the enemy is." A few laughs."My good men, all we must do is incapacitate two hundred of theirs before they get two hundred of ours. That is not so hard a goal. And when we win, they will fight at our side against the invaders!" A smattering of cheers. The Hunters, though enthusiastic, were tired from moving around boulders. The haze was not to their liking, and the surprise opponent in Benacia had them unsettled.They knew, however, that they would succeed, that they would go off to the real war, and that they could go back home when they were through.Fax continued, "Good fortunes, Hunters, and may Horjin guard you!"He drew his hunting knife and walked over to an area where the Hunters could desperately use some boulders. Fax motioned off the few that were moving rocks into the area, paused, and ran the knife down the back of his arm. Blood spattered onto the ground in a rough semblance of a line, and a rumbling sound emitted from the ground. A few backed up, but most stood their ground.Moments later an earthen wall, nearly twelve feet in height, sprung forth from the ground."I do believe we are prepared now," he said quietly, "but all the preparedness in the world is not worth ten seconds of instinct on the battlefield." He turned back to the group. "Are you ready?" he cried.A cheer came in response.Summary: The Hunters prepare their own defenses, leaving the majority of the natural placement of the boulders. There is a large U shape with archers inside, with the rest of the Hunters strewn about. About half of the berserkers are behind a wall Fax erected with Earth and Sky. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Shyriath]

Before heading out, Shyriath assembled his Knights."Today, my friends, will be a day when valiant warriors fight for honor... not merely ourselves, but the Hunters yonder in the rocky waste." He gestures out into the flat, dull expanse. "Remember that we both fight to serve as far as possible the sense of duty that guides as all, in the name of our respective Gods."Now remember, all of you," Shyriath reminded them sternly, "that the men that we face are of Brookshire, even as we. We would not be on opposite sides but for the vagaries of war and loyalty, and we are not enemies. When you go into battle, all you must do to count towards our victory is incapacitate a Hunter... incapacitate, but not necessarily kill. And I want to see as few deaths here as possible. When you fire your weapons, aim to disable, to render a hand, an arm, nonfunctional, or aim to discourage an attack, but do not shoot to kill if you can merely knock out, for they will be showing us the same mercy."ANYone," adds Shyriath with emphasis, jerking a few of the Knights even more alert than before, "whom I discover killing wantonly shall suffer grave consequences. Am I clear?""Yes, sir!" clamor the Knights."Who are we?" intones Shyriath."The Burning Claw!" reply the Knights as one."Whom do we serve?""Our God, our Kaiser, and our country!""Then let us go forth!" Shyriath draws a sword. "Knights, to your units! Let the offensive force follow me!"-----Despite the showy beginning, the four offensive units of the Knights moved fairly quietly. Though the red of their uniforms would be impossible to disguise against the landscape, they made sure to keep cover as much as possible behind boulders, each Knight shifting from one to another, the whole group making its way along but slowly.A brief, piercing chirp, like that of some insect, came off from their left. One of the lieutenants answered with a similar chirp; it was one of the scouts. The lightly armed Knight flits between boulders, finally huddling behind one with the lieutenant."What have you found?""Haven't seen anything yet, sir. But I thought I heard an odd rumble, off in the distance.""Hmmm. Go and see if you can get a look at what might have caused it. I'll notify the Count."Summary: Main offensive force goes out in search of Hunters. Scout reports hearing rumbles off in the distance (though no visual contact), is sent on ahead while offensive force stays put.

[Fax Celestis]

The Hunters waited in silence until the appointed time, then moved quickly and quietly. Their brownish clothes would offer slight camouflage in this terrain, but not nearly enough to warrant extensive note.But colored clothing was not the only trick the Hunters had up their sleeves. Well, that assumes they have sleeves: most of them don't.Regardless of whether or not they had sleeves (they didn't*), four of the berserkers pulled a small object--at closer examination, a mole's claw--and held it in front of them, mumbling. The claws disappeared into the air, and the offering Hunters dove into the ground, digging faster than most people could run. Somehow, they managed to take their polearms with them. Quote:The four Hunters have just cast Ambush, which grants them the burrowing power of a sandworm.Other Hunters, those who walked the Path of the Hero's Regalia, did a similar motion, offering pieces of iron. Their armor glowed blue slightly, then faded. One Hunter produced a shard of ice from parts unknown and offered it. His armor frosted over and the area around him dropped a good sixty degrees.The archers remained in their positions while the swordsmen and pikemen skittered forwards behind boulders.Fax stood atop the boulder formation in front of the archers, looking out at the battlefield. He paused, thought to himself a moment, then climbed down and readied his bow.He was expecting something. And he was not long in waiting.He heard the terrified screams of Benacians a little ways away.Four Hunters, the berserkers who had burrowed into the ground earlier, popped out of the ground right in the middle of a group of Benacians.Its indeterminate who was more surprised, but it wasn't really necessary. The Hunters immediately began striking about them with their polearms, disabling three Benacians before anyone else reacted.Two of the Hunters made the unfortunate mistake of leaving their backs open and immediately took blunt objects to the head, collapsing noiselessly to the ground.The two remaining Hunters dispatched another five before the fight came to a standstill...Summary: The Hunters launch an attack on the Benacians, disabling eight, while losing two. The fight itself continues, with twelve Benacians against the remaining two offensive Hunters.*well, most of them anyway Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Sebastien Alexandre]

Ozarka waited in a newly erected tower - an earthen tower, compliments of a traveling earth mage, his water mages, and his fire mages he had been able to erect the two story adobe house - tower, as he called it, for he longed for the safety of his mage tower in Hallucidagrad. A man came through the door :"Sir, Anticans are marching north from Musica and are making their way up the Elwynn river Sir"Ozarka nodded. "Send out a group of 50 archers. I want hit and run tactics here General! Have the archers in the trees. Pick off the Anticans. Have 10 dragons nearby, but hidden - use branches to camouflage them until they are needed. But do remember, keep them away from Howitzers. If a cannon or tank comes upon them, you are to have the dragons circle, dive, and burn, understood?Anyways, have the archers practice their guerilla tactics. Dragons should destroy any artillery they can and take out every vital supply the Anticans need to survive - or atleast all the supplies they can get too. Have the earth mages take up arms. I want 100 to make their way into the woods, pebbles, boulders, quicksand. Sink the Anticans while a group of 30 water mages drown them.You have my orders, now go. "Summary:30 Water Mages, 10 Dragons, 100 Earth Mages, 50 archers to ambush Anticans as they march with guerilla hit-and-run

[extreme007]

Quote:OOC: Oz.. wrong thread... keep your "musica" war stuff in the musica thread.. Discover, Invent, Theories, Experiment,Advance Science,Advance Extremism,(in Karnali, Republic of)

[Kaiser Yarad I]

Half a continent away from the field where the two cults would soon do battle, Kaiser Yarad sat in the Golden Mango Throne, shifting occasionally in an attempt to revive the feeling in his backside. The smaller though not less splendid Spouse’s Throne beside his lay vacant, the Kaiseress was busy entertaining her guests. It seemed she regularly entertained guests whenever she would otherwise have to listen to petitions by Yarad’s side. Convenient, that.“So as I was saying, your Niftiness, the situation is growing dire. Our business interests in Cibola are constantly prey to pirates and bandits, most of them under Grand Commonwealth authorisation. All we would require would be two, maybe three militias, and our Corporation’s interests would be secure!” said the intolerably earnest, corpulent young man standing on the rich carpet before the raised dais on which the Golden Mango Throne rested.May all the gods save me from businessmen, the Kaiser thought. “Mister Pliskin, I have no doubt your situation is dire, but I fail to see what relation it has to Shirerithian affairs. These unsubstantiated rumours,” the young fellow began to bluster, but the Kaiser held up a finger to silence him, “these unsubstantiated rumours of GC-sanctioned activity are far from the proof we require before we can get involved. We are not vigilantes, after all, despite the various tarry brushes flung about by the international media. We protect our own interests. Our interests, Mister Pliskin, not those of…” Dammit, he had forgotten the name of the outfit this young eejit was representing…ah, got it. “Ozymandias Corporation. Now sir, do not let me detain you.”The young man, still attempting to make yet another plea, was led out by two of the Kaiser’s personal guard, one holding each arm. At that moment Yarad heard a cough in the shadows to the right of his Throne. He knew that cough by now, and turned expectantly to the darkness. “More news from this national fracas, Calbruss?” “I’m afraid so, m’lord,” the dark intoned. Calbruss was the Kaiser’s personal sorceror, an adherent of Maju. At first, Yarad had supposed the man’s tricks all to be mere illusion, but he had proved invaluable recently, as the dispute broke down lines of communication that would otherwise have existed. Yarad refused to let the words “civil war” enter his mind. Just thinking of the dam at Ardashirshahr being destroyed kept him awake at night, he didn’t want to contemplate a national split at the same time.“My lord,” Calbruss murmured, bringing the Kaiser back to the present, “I have seen the Isle of Benacia. Hunters of the Stag and Knights of the Burning Claw are preparing to face each other. Brookshirians fighting against Benacians. There is a wager hinging on the outcome, on which depends the loyalty of the Knights in the coming conflict.” Calbruss, too, avoided the word “war”. “They will begin their battle soon.”The Kaiser sat back in his throne, startled by the news. He had wondered himself how the loyalty of the Count of Benacia would fall, who he would side with, and how the Duke Fax would deal with any insubordination. But this was worse. Disputes between fiefdoms were commonplace in the history of Shireroth, although actual violence had been rare in these past years. But now it came to warring factions within Duchies, and especially Brookshire? This “War of Vengeance” as the Soloralists were calling it could tear the Imperial Republic apart! He ran his hands through his curling brown hair, thinking hard.“It will be impossible to dispatch any force to prevent the battle…” he stated more than asked, though he saw the robed Calbruss nodding absently, “but we could send a message to them?” Since he mentioned this in the sorceror’s presence, it was obvious to both that the Kaiser did not mean a message tied to some hapless pigeon-bird’s foot. “Perhaps, my lord,” the follower of Maju responded. “Good. Leave me for a while, I will pen a message. Then we will handle how it is to be delivered.”With a bow, Calbruss departed his Kaiser’s presence. Once he was gone, Yarad peeled himself out of the Golden Mango Throne and made for a sidechamber to the courtroom. So much to do, so little time…Summary: Kaiser Yarad has received word of the coming battle in Benacia and plans to appeal to both sides through magical means.

[Shyriath]

The remaining twelve Knights, having had enough time to recover from their ytter surprise, began muttering in low voices, in a strange, tonal tongue, and darted forward into the fray, the butt-ends of their rifles forward.Quote:The remaining Knights activate their protection spells. This forms a magical shielding around one, capable of blunting the force of physical attacks; the shielding will dissipate by degrees, weakening in proportion to the absorbed force. Once a Knight's shielding is gone, it can only be replaced through a process involving intense meditation.The Knights tried breaking up into a circle to surround the berserkers, only to face a sudden charge from the two pikemen; two more Knights found themselves thrown aside almost like paper dolls. As they passed by, the the ranking Knight managed to knock one of them out with the butt of his rifle.One of the remaining ten Knights in the group attempted to grapple the single Hunter from behind, but is thrown off, slamming into a rock. But before he could turn around to make another attack, he found the rounded knob of a black iron staff rammed into his solar plexus. Doubling over, the Hunter was promptly knocked on the back of the head.Shyriath, at the other end of the staff, offers his men a small, grim smile. "Once this is over," he informs them, "we will need to learn some more potent magicks."But until then, we need to be sure we aren't taken by surprise so easily again. I'll spread the word to the other units; I want you all to spread out more. Don't cluster in groups that can be so easily knocked out all at once. Troops in the front, ready your rifles for Hunters approaching en masse, and see if you can listen for those... those mole-men burrowing; be sure to have your shields up."The rest of you, leave at least five yards' space between yourselves and the front lines. You can cover their rear... no laughing, gentlemen... and they shall provide you with an extra layer of defense.""What if some of the burrowers come up even behind US, lord?""Be watchful of your own flanks, then! ...Now, with the ability to pop out of the ground like that, we don't want to just rush forward to let them pop up behind us. Let us try to draw them out to us. The scouts, and a few others, will go on ahead, find some good vantage points, and take potshots from behind some boulders."Summary: The Knights disable the two other attacking Hunters, but three more of their number are taken in turn; in total, the Knights have lost eleven to the Hunters' four. Shyriath orders that the twenty scouts, plus ten other riflemen, scatter out closer to the Hunters and try to draw them closer to the waiting main force.

[Fax Celestis]

A group of seven Hunters (three archers and four swordsmen) ducked forwards from boulder to boulder. They were not used to working in such close concert as this, but they had been trained. All one needed to do was put the presence of the others out of one's mind, and then the rest became clear.One Hunter saw a flash of red between boulders. He smiled, readied his bow, and fired an arrow over the top of the boulder he was behind.It angled up and down sharply, striking its target without error.But the thud of his prey dropping to the ground, or the suprised noises of his associates didn't happen. The Hunter paused, confused, then let loose another arrow.This time, listening more closely, he heard a slight tinging noise."Ahem," a female voice came from behind him. Startled, he turned and reached for an arrow. The fist of the Benacian who had spoke stopped him, however, when she struck him in the forehead.She vaulted onto the boulder, spun, and tackled another Hunter, slamming the pommel of her sword into the side of his head.'Two down,' she thought, 'so many more to go.'A Hunter, hearing this, turned round the boulder, sword raised, and chopped at her shoulder. She tried to dodge, but was too off-balance from the scuffle that she wasn't able to entirely get out of the way.The Hunter's blade glanced off what appeared to be nothing, but that didn't stop him. He stepped forwards and lifted the base of his hand into her chin. She fell backwards, out cold.'One down,' he thought, 'so many more to go.'He turned and called to his friends: "They've got armor of some kind! Beware!"Summary: Two Hunters and one Benacian are subdued. The Hunters become aware of the Benacian's magic.Total Incapaciated:Hunters: SixBenacians: Twelve Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Shyriath]

The female Knight that had just been taken down was not the only one in the vicinity. Three others, taking cover behind boulders several dozen meters away, overheard the noise of the scuffle and the shouted words of the Hunter to his comrades.Being unable to get close enough for effective melee combat undetected, the Knights instead took aim with their rifles; remembering the admonitions of Shyriath, they took care to aim only to wound or incapacitate, setting their sights on arms and legs.Even such soldiers as the Knights, with bolt-action rifles of the design they carried, could only manage one shot each, every two seconds. Although two Hunters fell quickly, the others within range had time enough before the next few shots to dash behind the nearest boulders.The three Knights began to zigzag between boulders, shifting from safe spot to safe spot but slowly making their way backwards, taking occasional shots at the nimble Hunters pursuing them. One of the Knights managed to wing a third foe, but himself got an expertly aimed arrow in his arm, forcing him to drop his gun.The remaining two Knights began to move faster, attempting to pull back fast enough to evade the pursuing Hunters convincingly, but slow enough to keep the Hunters in pursuit until they were within range of the main attack parties.Summary: A group of three Knights take potshots at the Hunters to draw their attention; three Hunters are winged, one Knight is taken down. The remaining two Knights try to keep ahead of the Hunters and draw them out toward the waiting attack force.Total Incapacitated:Hunters: NineKnights: Thirteen

[Fax Celestis]

After hearing the scuffle between the burrowing Berserkers and the Knights, Fax turned to the archers around him. "Come with me," he said, and they nodded.He darted out behind his manufactured wall, ten Hunters trailing behind him, heading in the opposite direction from the berserkers. He knew, somehow, that the Knights were going to be trying to force a pincer attack. They knew that the Hunters were largely dependent on archery, and archers pinned between melee units would be helpless.Thus, he had to circumvent the attack he knew was coming.He led the ten Hunters behind an outcropping of boulders, then motioned for one to move out and get behind a different boulder. The Hunter nodded assent, darted out, and suddenly changed direction, shooting arrows outside of Fax's field of vision. A thunk confirmed a hit, but there were the tings of arrows striking the magical Knight armor and bouncing off. Lots of tings.When the Hunter went down from a shot to the knee, Fax motioned for the other Hunters to run out from behind the outcropping and attack. Trusting in their leader, they did, firing arrows as they ran outwards. Four of them caught bullets in disabling, though not lethal, locations, while the other five were met in melee range and subdued.Fax swore.He reached into his pocket and grasped a bay leaf. Holding it in front of him, he offered it to the spirits, and they accepted. He felt his will bolster as the bay leaf browned and curled.'Horjin, give me strength,' he thought as he offered a quartz crystal. The Knights were closing on his location; Fax had made sure to make noise to ensure that they would come to him.The quartz was accepted, and Fax watched his hands disappear in front of him.He had five seconds.He pulled out his blade talons and spun out from behind the boulder, fighting down the rage he knew would consume him. If it took him over, there would be blood today. There could be no blood.Quickly, he took note of the situation. Four Knights were down, arrows protruding from various parts of their bodies. The Hunter's aim was true: they would all live.Another sixteen approached his position. He sighed, steeled himself, and dove forwards. The back of his talons were dull, so the swift cracks that three Knights met with them did nothing more than render them unconscious and net them a few strange bruises. They fell.One.He spun, dropping his blades and picking up the rifle of a Knight. He cracked it against the skulls of one, two, three Knights, then threw it at a fourth, cracking him square in the forehead.Two.Fax jumped, his foot catching one Knight in the chin with enough force to flip her over backwards. He grabbed her rifle as it spun from her hands and smashed it into the knees of another Knight. He swung it round his head and brought it into the side of the neck of a third Knight.Three.He rolled, grabbed his talons, and threw them at two more Knights. They spun and collapsed as the blunt ends of the talons smacked into their heads. Fax jumped again, striking a Knight in the side of his head with his fist.Four.Three Knights remained standing, two together and a third a short distance away. Fax dove for the pair, grabbing the rifle of one and smashing it into the forehead of the other. He spun, pulling the rifle with him, and threw the second Knight onto the ground. The butt of the rifle met the back of the Knight's head, and he lay still.Five.Fax felt the fury melt away and his physical form return to visibility. The last remaining Knight stared at the prone bodies of her comrades and raised her rifle, shaking. She fired at Fax, but her fear caused her to miss horribly. With nothing left to her, she turned to run.Fax reached down into his boot and drew his hunting knife, throwing it with expert accuracy. The pommel struck her in the back of the neck and she fell face first into the dirt, unconscious.He gathered his equipment and went back to get more of his followers.Summary: Eleven Hunters, including Fax, ambush twenty Knights, but to a minimum of success. Ten Hunters are immobilized, while only four Knights are disabled. Fax, in desperation, casts Mission and Sneak Attack, and disables sixteen himself.Total Incapacitated:Hunters: NineteenKnights: Thirty-three Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[extreme007]

Quote:OOC: uhhhhhhh........ 1 beats 16 in five seconds? that is some magic.. if shyriath agrees, then fine.. we'll go.. but seriously, 16? in 5 seconds? are they all standing together within a second of each other or something? i dont know fax... shyriath? you okay with this? if yes, then just continue.. if not, then continue with what you feel is the right amount of casualty.. although it has to be more than *edits it*..and both of you.. i hope you are not going to curs.. er.. bless us with all 200 deaths!!! Discover, Invent, Theories, Experiment,Advance Science,Advance Extremism,(in Karnali, Republic of)

[Fax Celestis]

Quote:Extreme, I discussed this with Shyriath beforehand. I was going to put a note in at the bottom of my post saying so, but I'd forgotten.We're probably going to start stepping up the number of incapacitations per post soon. That is, unless the Kaiser intervenes... Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[extreme007]

Quote:OOC: if that's the case, then i am fine... and i am also fine with you mentioning how each of the 200 (or 399?) people died.. Discover, Invent, Theories, Experiment,Advance Science,Advance Extremism,(in Karnali, Republic of)

[Shyriath]

Quote:Yes, I'm fine with it... like Fax said, we discussed it beforehand. For that matter, we've been discussing most of our battles beforehand.In a different section of the battlefield, larger groups of combatants were beginning to meet, as the main battle groups of the Knights began moving forward to combat the Hunters coming within range.A group of some fifty Knights moved to attack a smaller group of Hunter swordsmen, some thirty strong. Some hidden behind boulders, some simply waiting, they charged the Hunters with bayonets forward, shouting war cries and glorying in the chance at melee combat that their forbears had first trained in, before the advent of firearms.But to their surprise, they discover that their opponents, though numerically inferior, have a different strength on their side. Most of the Hunters in the group had already cast Electrify and Harden, increasing the strength and durability of their armor and giving and electric charge to their swords. Two of them, meanwhile, had given themselves some kind of ice shield, protecting the Hunters within them while cooling the air to subzero temperatures within a thirty-foot radius of each caster.Though the Knights were not completely unfamiliar with fighting in the cold, these inhabitants of Benacia had little chance to acclimate; even here, on the high plateau, the altitude was too low for significant snow, and Benacia too far south. Those of them caught within the subzero temperatures found themselves laboring to fight at their usual peak, their breath turning to a visible vapor as they pant in the frigid air (though their opponents, too, seemed to be feeling the cold as well).Slowed by cold, hindered by their opponents' hardened armor and stung more powerfully by the electric charges that their shields could not stop, the Knights suddenly found themselves with a tougher battle than they had expected. Though ten Hunters fell under the force of the charge, fifteen Knights found themselves also out of the battle.Realizing the loss of their advantage, the Knights began to fight differently. Some of them ganged up on the ice-shielded Hunters, attempting to remove the sources of the cold air; those fighting the swordsmen began using the wooden butts of their rifles to catch the electrified swords on and try to knock the weapons out of their opponents' hands.Summary: A group of fifty Knights attacks a group of thirty Hunters, but is surprised by their magical capabilities. Ten Hunters and fifteen Knights fall; in order to try to gain the advantage again, the Knights begin switching tactics.Total incapacitated:Hunters: Twenty-nineKnights: Forty-two