Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 4.2 Myre
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 4.2
Myre Fort Attood
The party is going to send a message to the fort to call for an attack on the centaurs while the caravan prepares to attack the herd from behind.
The decision was made and the caravan did not have long to prepare. The afternoon's light was dwindling and everyone was hoping for a definitive victory before nightfall. Bahrla reassured the caravan leaders that the centaurs' night vision was no better than anyone else's, but nobody liked the idea of waging war in the dark.
At Lady Marion's insistence, Anor-Roc made use of his unique magics to summon a small bat. He affixed a tiny, written message to its leg and told it quite plainly to deliver it to Attood Keep. The thought of a summoned animal understanding imperial common seemed absurd, and I know I know I wasn't the only one surprised when the bat took to the sky and flew right toward the Wayside.
"Josh... I want you somewhere safe." Lady Marion announced to the young lion, "Even with the garrison's aid I can't imagine that the battlefield will be safe for you."
"I want to help." the cub insisted, his body enlarged, filling out with muscle far greater than what would be normal for his age. I watched with rapt attention as I was given another chance to see the Moon Blessed choir cub undergo his change, albeit this time from a much closer vantage. The ripple of the muscles filling out his enlarged frame and the stretching of his skin and bones looked like it had to have been uncomfortable, but he didn't seem phased in the least.
When I saw his neck extend and his head expand I couldn't help but feel sick to my stomach, but I still couldn't look away until after I saw his new head emerge through his wide-open muzzle. The Josh-beast's eyes focused on me even as I stared, "Do I make you uncomfortable?" the deep, rumbling voice inquired, head cocking to the side. In that moment I could see elements of Josh within the creature he had become.
"A little." I admitted despite myself.
"Then imagine what they'll think." he grinned, tail lashing playfully. I laughed, as did several soldiers around me. Josh moved to join Anor-Roc and asked, "Do you think the bat will make it?"
the coy-wolf nodded, "I do." he confirmed, "I haven't seen any real long range equipment within the centaur camp... in fact, I'm fairly certain they're not equipped for a siege at all."
"So you think it would have been smarter to have just left them to helplessly bang their head against the keep's wall?" Liam asked the mage.
"I don't know about that." Anor-Roc responded, "A siege can be perfectly effective at starving out a garrison."
"Good answer." Keeland responded, patting the coy-wolf on the shoulder, "We're doing this to save the people inside the walls... don't start second guessing whether we're needed or not, because we are." he passed Anor-Roc and came to me, offering a paw. Not knowing what else to do, I gave him my hand.
"You're that confident?" I asked him quietly.
"I'm that confident that we're needed, yes." he nodded, "I just don't like the idea of having all of these people on the field of battle... we're guards, not soldiers."
"At least the centaur aren't soldiers either." I offered with a smile.
The shepherd laughed at that, "That's thinking like an optimist." and he patted my shoulder. Something felt good about being able to make someone smile, Miri... especially in a situation like that.
"Alright..." Valda's willful tone caught the attention of those of us toward the front line, "What's the plan?" I didn't miss the fact that she had found herself a bow... and apparently neither had Keeland.
"Miss Corwin..." the Sergeant began, but Valda held her paw up, palm out.
"'Miss Corwin' nothing. I'm here to help break the siege." the squirrel noted definitively, "You need every last person you can get... and I don't think they're going to say no either." she motioned with her head behind herself and Keeland's jaw dropped... I'm pretty sure mine did too. Following the squirrel was at least thirty of the caravan's laborers, caretakers, and workers, "We're not useless." she stated in a tone that permitted no objection.
The edge of Keeland's muzzle quirked into a faint smirk and one of his ears flicked, "Alright then, Miss Corwin... if you're going to be commanding the irregulars then you'll need to join us for our briefing."
The groups of warriors gathered together quickly. All in all we had perhaps two dozen soldiers, sixty or seventy guards, and maybe as many armed workers. We also had a siege engine named Bahrla, and she was quick to take control of the planning.
"They outnumber us almost two to one and they have the advantage of mobility." she noted, "The Waysiders will add to our numbers, but even so we'll have to establish a strong front line." she hefted her axe, "If their first charge is a good one, we will have significant losses." The minotaur woman glanced around at those gathered, "So either we put our trained soldiers and guards up front and hope their armor accounts for something, or else we put some fodder up front to absorb the attack."
"Everyone here is someone special to someone else." Valda stated flatly, "There IS no fodder."
"Sometimes it's impossible to get by without making sacrifices." Bahrla countered.
"Josh." Lady Marion spoke up.
"Matron Marion?" the large beast inquired, head turning almost 180 degrees to look at her; it made me a little queasy but I said nothing.
"Brother Bynde had been teaching you Geomancy, is that not correct?" the priestess inquired.
"Yess, Matron." Josh nodded, his deep voice and feral-shaped jaw giving him a faint hiss to his 's'.
"Can you create a slope of land, or a berm, or a ditch to break their charge?" she questioned, motioning with a finger in a line.
The large lion-beast grinned, "Yep!" and he cracked his knuckles.
"Alright." Lady Marion nodded, "Then wait for the signal, and that should help keep them from charging effectively." she glanced to Bahrla, "Good?"
The Wild Lander nodded, "That will help."
"Even so," Liam added from the side, "We should have a reserve line ready to engage any of the centaurs that break through." a series of nods went up throughout the meeting.
"Alright..." the Sergeant nodded, "A front line will keep them busy and a secondary reserve line to help pick up the slack but we should consider having a few of us flank the centaur herd... that should keep them from being able to mount an attack."
"Isn't that the whole point of having the garrison come out and attack them from behind?" Valda asked the shepherd.
"Attacking them from two sides is good," Keeland nodded, "But attacking them from four is better..." he motioned back toward the wagons, "We have some mounts that the best handlers can use... if we can mount enough outriders then we can harry their sides."
"That sounds dangerous." Anor-Roc noted.
"Dangerous? It's more like suicide." Valda noted, "You'll have to find some pretty damn crazy people who are willing to do that."
"They might not be crazy..." Josh pointed out, "They might be heroic."
"The difference between crazy and hero is a thin line." Keeland smirked, "We might not even have enough troops to do it, but surrounding the enemy is still something to consider... it limits the benefit of their mobility and keeps them from flanking us."
"That leaves our archers and spell casters." Lady Marion offered.
"In the rear, obviously." Liam noted flatly, "They'll be behind the reserves."
"Having a few swords distributed among their ranks will hopefully buy them some time for the reserves to come to their aid if any centaurs punch through," Keeland nodded, "Yea... that will be our best bet."
"And what are you leaving to protect the caravan?" Bahrla questioned.
"Protect the caravan?" Liam asked, "Fuck..." he slapped his forehead with his palm, "We're in the Wild Lands."
Bahrla smirked, but only a little, "We cannot forget that we need to protect our own as well as the wayside."
"Speaking of..." Valda noted, motioning toward the keep. Everyone's eyes went to the gate, which was raising. The portcullis began to lift, and several armed and armored warriors began to show on the field of battle.
"They're gonna do it!" Josh noted joyfully.
"I'm glad they were willing to listen." Anor-Roc nodded.
"Don't celebrate yet." Balda noted flatly, and, a moment later, her pessimism made sense; after about two dozen troops emerged, the portcullis closed again.
"Well... fuck." Liam huffed.
"I'm really not liking this."Anor-Roc stated.
"We need to help the garrison... but... is that REALLY all they're sending?" Valda questioned nobody in particular.
"It may be all they have." Bahrla pointed out, "This far away from a City State the Waysides aren't always well guarded."
"Twenty-something soldiers are going to get swamped in no time flat." Keeland noted, "Which means we have to decide here and now-- either we're going to bear the brunt of this combat and let them attack the centaurs' back line, or else we call it, and get the hell out." Something about the Sergeant's blunt matter-of-fact comment made the decision-making process that much less comfortable.
"We can't let them get massacred." Valda insisted, but her voice held a little less conviction than before a measly two dozen soldiers emerged from the keep.
"I don't think we can't to do nothing." Josh noted, pointing to the centaur herd... which was coming right at us.
Keeland sprang into action beside Bahrla, "Get into ranks!" he barked, "Guard company 1,2,3, and 4 with me!"
The minotaur woman was, at the same time, gathering up the few soldiers we had. Her directions were specific and achievable, shouting out her orders with clear-cut authority as if she were born for the battlefield. For a moment, I almost considered joining her troops, but that was a passing thought since I realized she had every intention of being the front line.
I saw Valda gather up the irregulars, talking to each of them as if they were her close personal friends. She encouraged them to hold fast, reminding them that they were fighting for the safety of the caravan. The squirrel's leadership was not so much orderly or directed as it was charismatic... I was actually very surprised at how well she adapted into the role and her words seemed to have an effect on those who looked to her. They raised their bows, slings, and axes into the air, shouting out their reaffirmation to the task at hand-- it wasn't just about surviving... it was about helping others to survive.
Anor-Roc and Josh meandered from group to group, apparently trying to find the best place to fit, and I watched as Lady Marion joined the reserves. My main focus, however, was Liam. I saw indecision written on his muzzle as if he were trying to keep himself on an even keel. I could tell that he was still suffering from Grace withdrawal and I knew it would inhibit his ability to make decisions... I just hoped it wouldn't be severe. In the end, I went over to him, "Are you alright?"
He shook his head, "I've never been on a battlefield and I can't figure out where I'll fit best."
I smiled despite myself, "I know I'd fit best OFF the battlefield, but I don't think we really have that as an option."
He smiled back, and held out a paw, "Then why don't we keep each other alive so we can live to be off the battlefield later."
Reaching my hand out, I took hold of his paw, and we made our choice together.
* * * * * *
The Myrenese Caravan has elected to stop and help Attood Keep... and they have quite a fight ahead of themselves.
Unlike most contributing reader choices, each member of the caravan will actually be choosing a place for themselves in the fight. The significance of each spot is listed below along with the option:
1) Join the outriders and strike at the centaur herd's flanks. This is an incredibly aggressive option and guarantee a lot of bloody combat. Stance must be 4 or 5... or 6 *evil cackle*.
2) Stand on the front line of combat. There will assuredly be a large amount of combat and the rate of engagement will be high. Stance must be 3, 4, or 5.
3) Join the reserves for the main battle. Combat is inevitable, but shouldn't be quite as deadly or prolonged as on the front line. Stance must be 2, 3, or 4.
4) Find a place in the back row. This is normally reserved for missile troops, casters, and cowards. There is minimal chance of direct engagement and low casualty rates, unless the front line is broken. Stance may be 0, 1, or 2.
Contributing readers may also spend a Willpower point at this time to improve character relationships between their contributed character and a character of their choice. Liam and Keeland may also elect to pursue a romantic interest in Laijh (assuming they survive) with this willpower expenditure.
Since you may end up in combat based on how the votes (and rolls) go I will require a Stance from each of you. Stance is given on a rating of 0-5 where 5 is full offense, 4 is aggressive, 3 is neutral, 2 is conservative, and 1 is reserved, A rating of 0 indicates that the character will NOT be taking part in combat (not even in a support role). Please bear in mind that these ratings will increase your Offense the higher your Stance number and increase your Defense the lower your Stance number (or, in the case of 0, have the character try to avoid combat altogether)-- the opposite sub-trait decreases conversely (Defense goes down if the number is high; Offense goes down if the number is low). Remember, your stance must coincide with options for the location on the battlefield you've selected.
I will also require a Utilization number for those characters that have an 11 or higher in combined Magic + Sub-Trait or Faith + Sub-Trait. Like Stance, Utilization ranges from 0-5. Utilization is a numerical equivalent of how free your contributed character is with their magic and/or prayers-- a charater with a higher Utilization is more inclined to use their abilities often and more powerfully while a character that elects a lower Utilization is less likely to depend on them (Utilization of 0 will result in the character foregoing any such abilities). Bear in mind that the higher the level of Utilization the more likely a character is to suffer from fatigue. Characters with higher Attribute + Sub-Skill totals are able less likely to be affected by fatigue unless they use a higher score of Utilization. Utilization is not affected by your place on the battlefield.
For an example of how to declare your combat location, Stance and Utilization, please view the actions taken by the Author-Contributed characters below.
Contributing Readers, make sure you make your stance and utilization selections before midnight (pst) on Thursday, August 11th.