Ekumene (An Original Fantasy Quest)
- Thread starter 4WheelSword
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
NothingNow
Corpse Wrangler
- Location
- Tampa
[X] With me! - Without your voice at their head, the men will quail (Willpower+Leadership)
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
[X] With me! - Without your voice at their head, the men will quail (Willpower+Leadership)
The shock effect of hitting an attacking force from behind can break armies. Let's apply some.
The shock effect of hitting an attacking force from behind can break armies. Let's apply some.
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[x] Charge! - The men will follow where you fight. (Strength+swordmanship)
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Inserted tally
Prologue; part 4
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
http://orokos.com/roll/543425 - Willpower+Leadership - success
"To the Fight! With me!" She shouted, increasing her pace, breaking first into a jog and then into a run. They could cross the forts thin courtyard in a matter of moments and be up on the wall in no time at all. With the soldiers she had brought there was no way the wall could possibly fall.
She knew the men would need her to lead them up and into the melee or else they may balk in the face of such brutality, and thus she would lead them. That did, however, mean that she would have to place her trust in her companions that they would do what was necessary to win them the day. She would have to trust that Theodore would find safety from which to sing his deadly songs, that Fredo would join her on the wall and that Thomas would respond where he was needed.
She had fought with them all for long enough to know that she could trust them with her life, and so trust them she would. She had no other words for them. No other words were needed.
For the men, however, encouragement could never go amiss.
"To the wall! We will repel the enemy!" She called, shouting so loud her lungs almost burned just so she could be heard over the ever increasing sounds of battle. She was running, the shapes of her men just that, shapes, half seen flashes of steel and the panting grunts of the charge wrapping her in a wall of energy, rushing towards the enemy. Her foot hit the bottom step of the stairs that led to the top of the wall and she fairly flew upwards.
Then, suddenly, she was in the thick of the fighting. Almost before she'd drawn breath, almost before she'd reached the top of the stair, her shield came up to block an axe swung savagely. It struck the leather wrapped edge with a dull thunk, burying itself an inch into the thick wood. Josephene didn't stop to imagine what it would have done to her skull, even with the helmet that fit her head so snugly. Her sword lanced out without a second thought, skewering the poor soul who had decided to try to end her days.
"Spread out. Find a space and stand strong. This fortress cannot fall!"
The men and women she led spilled out across the wall, filling gaps where it was necessary and joining the fight against the invaders. A ragged cheer went up from those they had come to relieve as those exhausted soldiers who remained realised their salvation had arrived.
The raiders were vicious fighters, armed almost entirely with blades and hook and pole-arms repurposed from tools. Some carried small round shields but mostly they relied on speed and skill to dart past the better equipped but less experienced men and women Jospehene had brought to the wall.
She met another of them, a snarling woman with thin scars that marred both of her cheeks. She swung a spiked club at her, smashing long spikes through the wood of Josephene's shield that barely missed the meat of her arm. Another swing and a third from the woman battered Josephene backwards towards the open drop that yawned precipitously at the rear of the wall. The fourth she blocked confidently, planting her shoulder in her shield as the strike rebounded and driving the other woman back with a shove. A swing of her sword was parried, but a second thrust the blade into the muscle of the woman's shoulder. Another swing and the scarred woman's head came clean off of her neck.
Josephene stepped back from the clamour of battle and breathed deeply. The air was cold, harsh, and tainted with the smell of steel and sweat and blood. The momentary pause allowed her the time to breath, the time to assess.
When they had joined the fight she had feared that the wall was about to fall, that the defenders were almost spent. Now she could see the beginnings of a victory forming in the struggle. She could see Fredo further up the wall, hammer glowing brightly as he swung it again and again. Each swing would be a deadly blow, each matched with a shouted prayer to his gods. She could see Thomas down in the courtyard, directing those who remained in reserve, sending them where they were needed. He had a master's eye for seeing where reinforcement was needed, even if it meant his sword wouldn't taste blood this day. Finally, she could feel the closeness, the faint static and the first swirlings of cloud overhead, plunging the valley beyond the wall into the half-darkness of an overcast day. Theodore would be singing high in a tower, his words seducing nature and turning her against their enemy. On his best days he could spit lightning into their midst, or plunge rain so hard their feet would sink into the ground.
The men themselves were fighting hard, forming walls of stout shields to cease the raiders advance and allowing those with long spears to plunge them over and into the mass of bodies. Where the spears failed, axes and wicked knives came out to do the work that so many balked at. None of hers turned away when blood needed to be spilled. She was proud of them.
And there, in the thickest of it, was Gillaume. His mail shone so brightly it glittered, and his sword was flashing back and forth faster than she could believe. He roared, his voice filled with confidence and strength, and the men around him picked up his cheer. It echoed up and down the line, a blasting expression of determination. He was awe inspiring.
Throwing herself back into the fight, Josephene cut down another raider and blocked a blow with her shield that would surely have cut down the spearman next to her. The stone wall walk was bloody, slick but for the grit that had been laid down thick in anticipation of the battle. She pushed forwards, flanked on either side by her own soldiers, and found herself facing out over the valley. Her sword lanced through a man's throat as he made to climb onto the platform and he fell back, down the sheer drop that his ladder had carried him up.
"The ladders! Push them down and we will have won the day!" She called, taking the heavy ladder in on hand and heaving with all her might. With the help of another she pushed it backwards and watched it topple backwards onto the valley floor.
More ladders feel, more raiders were cut down or pushed back, just as the rain began to fall. It stopped just short of the wall, a plunging downpour hanging like a curtain twenty feet in front of their eyes. If she hadn't had theodore, she'd have wondered which god was smiling on them that day. A downpour like that would end the battle, forcing the raiders to retreat and regroup.
They would be back, she knew that well enough. Their leaders needed to die before they would break, and none she had faced had been skilled enough to be named that. But, she thought as she took deep breaths and finally became aware of how her clothes were soaked with sweat, with the numbers now present her at Armand's Fort, they would be repelled as well.
The last ladders fell and a final cheer enveloped the worn soldiers who had just faced Katma, she who took the dead, and survived her gaze. Bodies lay in piles where they had fallen, prostrate across the crenellations of slumped against the inside of the wall. Josephene wiped her sword clean on one's tunic and steadied her breathing, looking for her fellow Housecarls to reassemble. They would have to plan for the raiders return before the rain stopped falling. Then;
"Hello, little sister." A tired but familiar voice said from behind her.
How does she respond?
[ ] Excitement! Her brother is alive!
[ ] Business-like! The battle is just won and the enemy remains.
[ ] Sarcastic! He's six months younger, however much he's grown.
[ ] Write in.
What preparations should be made?
[ ] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
[ ] Put look-outs on the wall and in the towers. We must retain our strength.
[ ] The fort will not hold. We should retreat and reinforce the King.
[ ] Write in.
"To the Fight! With me!" She shouted, increasing her pace, breaking first into a jog and then into a run. They could cross the forts thin courtyard in a matter of moments and be up on the wall in no time at all. With the soldiers she had brought there was no way the wall could possibly fall.
She knew the men would need her to lead them up and into the melee or else they may balk in the face of such brutality, and thus she would lead them. That did, however, mean that she would have to place her trust in her companions that they would do what was necessary to win them the day. She would have to trust that Theodore would find safety from which to sing his deadly songs, that Fredo would join her on the wall and that Thomas would respond where he was needed.
She had fought with them all for long enough to know that she could trust them with her life, and so trust them she would. She had no other words for them. No other words were needed.
For the men, however, encouragement could never go amiss.
"To the wall! We will repel the enemy!" She called, shouting so loud her lungs almost burned just so she could be heard over the ever increasing sounds of battle. She was running, the shapes of her men just that, shapes, half seen flashes of steel and the panting grunts of the charge wrapping her in a wall of energy, rushing towards the enemy. Her foot hit the bottom step of the stairs that led to the top of the wall and she fairly flew upwards.
Then, suddenly, she was in the thick of the fighting. Almost before she'd drawn breath, almost before she'd reached the top of the stair, her shield came up to block an axe swung savagely. It struck the leather wrapped edge with a dull thunk, burying itself an inch into the thick wood. Josephene didn't stop to imagine what it would have done to her skull, even with the helmet that fit her head so snugly. Her sword lanced out without a second thought, skewering the poor soul who had decided to try to end her days.
"Spread out. Find a space and stand strong. This fortress cannot fall!"
The men and women she led spilled out across the wall, filling gaps where it was necessary and joining the fight against the invaders. A ragged cheer went up from those they had come to relieve as those exhausted soldiers who remained realised their salvation had arrived.
The raiders were vicious fighters, armed almost entirely with blades and hook and pole-arms repurposed from tools. Some carried small round shields but mostly they relied on speed and skill to dart past the better equipped but less experienced men and women Jospehene had brought to the wall.
She met another of them, a snarling woman with thin scars that marred both of her cheeks. She swung a spiked club at her, smashing long spikes through the wood of Josephene's shield that barely missed the meat of her arm. Another swing and a third from the woman battered Josephene backwards towards the open drop that yawned precipitously at the rear of the wall. The fourth she blocked confidently, planting her shoulder in her shield as the strike rebounded and driving the other woman back with a shove. A swing of her sword was parried, but a second thrust the blade into the muscle of the woman's shoulder. Another swing and the scarred woman's head came clean off of her neck.
Josephene stepped back from the clamour of battle and breathed deeply. The air was cold, harsh, and tainted with the smell of steel and sweat and blood. The momentary pause allowed her the time to breath, the time to assess.
When they had joined the fight she had feared that the wall was about to fall, that the defenders were almost spent. Now she could see the beginnings of a victory forming in the struggle. She could see Fredo further up the wall, hammer glowing brightly as he swung it again and again. Each swing would be a deadly blow, each matched with a shouted prayer to his gods. She could see Thomas down in the courtyard, directing those who remained in reserve, sending them where they were needed. He had a master's eye for seeing where reinforcement was needed, even if it meant his sword wouldn't taste blood this day. Finally, she could feel the closeness, the faint static and the first swirlings of cloud overhead, plunging the valley beyond the wall into the half-darkness of an overcast day. Theodore would be singing high in a tower, his words seducing nature and turning her against their enemy. On his best days he could spit lightning into their midst, or plunge rain so hard their feet would sink into the ground.
The men themselves were fighting hard, forming walls of stout shields to cease the raiders advance and allowing those with long spears to plunge them over and into the mass of bodies. Where the spears failed, axes and wicked knives came out to do the work that so many balked at. None of hers turned away when blood needed to be spilled. She was proud of them.
And there, in the thickest of it, was Gillaume. His mail shone so brightly it glittered, and his sword was flashing back and forth faster than she could believe. He roared, his voice filled with confidence and strength, and the men around him picked up his cheer. It echoed up and down the line, a blasting expression of determination. He was awe inspiring.
Throwing herself back into the fight, Josephene cut down another raider and blocked a blow with her shield that would surely have cut down the spearman next to her. The stone wall walk was bloody, slick but for the grit that had been laid down thick in anticipation of the battle. She pushed forwards, flanked on either side by her own soldiers, and found herself facing out over the valley. Her sword lanced through a man's throat as he made to climb onto the platform and he fell back, down the sheer drop that his ladder had carried him up.
"The ladders! Push them down and we will have won the day!" She called, taking the heavy ladder in on hand and heaving with all her might. With the help of another she pushed it backwards and watched it topple backwards onto the valley floor.
More ladders feel, more raiders were cut down or pushed back, just as the rain began to fall. It stopped just short of the wall, a plunging downpour hanging like a curtain twenty feet in front of their eyes. If she hadn't had theodore, she'd have wondered which god was smiling on them that day. A downpour like that would end the battle, forcing the raiders to retreat and regroup.
They would be back, she knew that well enough. Their leaders needed to die before they would break, and none she had faced had been skilled enough to be named that. But, she thought as she took deep breaths and finally became aware of how her clothes were soaked with sweat, with the numbers now present her at Armand's Fort, they would be repelled as well.
The last ladders fell and a final cheer enveloped the worn soldiers who had just faced Katma, she who took the dead, and survived her gaze. Bodies lay in piles where they had fallen, prostrate across the crenellations of slumped against the inside of the wall. Josephene wiped her sword clean on one's tunic and steadied her breathing, looking for her fellow Housecarls to reassemble. They would have to plan for the raiders return before the rain stopped falling. Then;
"Hello, little sister." A tired but familiar voice said from behind her.
How does she respond?
[ ] Excitement! Her brother is alive!
[ ] Business-like! The battle is just won and the enemy remains.
[ ] Sarcastic! He's six months younger, however much he's grown.
[ ] Write in.
What preparations should be made?
[ ] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
[ ] Put look-outs on the wall and in the towers. We must retain our strength.
[ ] The fort will not hold. We should retreat and reinforce the King.
[ ] Write in.
Last edited:
NothingNow
Corpse Wrangler
- Location
- Tampa
[X] Sarcastic! He's six months younger, however much he's grown.
[X] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
[X] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
Acatalepsy
Firewall Proxy
- Location
- The Diamond Age
[X] Excitement! Her brother is alive!
She's just fought a battle in which she could have died, or he could have, or he could have already been dead...showing some genuine emotion wouldn't be the worst thing in the universe here.
[X] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
We need to know what we're dealing with here.
She's just fought a battle in which she could have died, or he could have, or he could have already been dead...showing some genuine emotion wouldn't be the worst thing in the universe here.
[X] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
We need to know what we're dealing with here.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
A business-like approach would fit more for a strategist - this battle was won more on the wings of passion. How one shows that, though, could differ from person to person. I am perfectly fine with friendly sibling rivalry.
[x] Sarcastic! He's six months younger, however much he's grown.
[x] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
[x] Sarcastic! He's six months younger, however much he's grown.
[x] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
Teloch
ಠ_ಠ
- Location
- The middle of nowhere
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
[X] Sarcastic! He's six months younger, however much he's grown.
-[X] Business-like! The battle is just won and the enemy remains.
Just a bit of familial snark, then to business.
"Ah, look how much you've grown! It's a good thing I was not an hour later, or you'd be a head shorter, too!"
[X] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
Never give a beaten enemy rest. They're reeling in defeat and off-balance right now. So this is a good time to harry them a little. And if there's more loitering out there headed for us, we need to know.
-[X] Business-like! The battle is just won and the enemy remains.
Just a bit of familial snark, then to business.
"Ah, look how much you've grown! It's a good thing I was not an hour later, or you'd be a head shorter, too!"
[X] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
Never give a beaten enemy rest. They're reeling in defeat and off-balance right now. So this is a good time to harry them a little. And if there's more loitering out there headed for us, we need to know.
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Thanks for the reminder ^^
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Too late, I already did it!
Mwhahahah!
Teloch
ಠ_ಠ
- Location
- The middle of nowhere
- Location
- SV's Only Complete Persona Quest
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Excitement! Her brother is alive!
[X] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.
[X] Send scouts out as soon as the rain stops. The enemy must be measured.