[X] Continue your advance to Gundrak.
[X] Recall Maexxna to support the 1st army if she's able to.
Half-a-dozen Nerubian fliers are sent back to Drak'Tharon Keep to the part of the 3rd army besieging the aged stronghold. They carry orders to send Maexxna over to the 1st Army for the coming battle against Malakk's own. That is, if she is willing or able to do so. You doubt she'll come in either case, and even if she does it is likely she won't make it in time for the start of the battle.
To the Third Terrace: Needed: 55/100. Rolled: 37+5+5=47/100
As those fliers dart off the 1st Army continues its assault on through the second terrace. Its progress slows down noticeably as heavy resistance is encountered. Your army is massive, and would have flatten any opposition against it were it not for the blocks of buildings place throughout the area, homes, obelisks, ziggurats, and the like. They broke up your assault into piecemeal attacks instead of one unstoppable tide of chitin, allowing the Drakkari to focus their strength in numerous key areas and impede your way to the next set of stairs. With the support of a number of new groups consisting of Drakkari casters, golems, and dire trolls, they were able to turn aside the first attacks. They still suffer for it, and fought to the bitter end as the rest of the army and its elites shortly overtook them.
(1st Army Losses: -1,000 Nerubian Warriors, -500 Greater Carrion Beetle Swarms, -750 Nerubian Webspinners, -200 Nerubian Archers, -400 Armored Giant Spiders, -100 Greater Jormungars, -1,000 Nerubian Flyers, -500 Greater Locust Swarms, -25 Nerubian Seers, -1 Nerubian War Golem.)
(2nd Terrace Drakkari Losses: Irrelevant)
With the way to the 3rd terrace clear you press your army faster, unwilling to lose its momentum. It veers right, curving around the empty Amphitheater of Anguish. Its gladiators are dead, slain in previous battles. Their corpses serve as food and nesting grounds for your carrion beetles along with their brethren. A portion of your army swarms into the coliseum. Its height and its tiered structure serve as an excellent platform to bypass the defenses and flank them once they reach its top.
Drakkari Counterattack: Needed: 50/100. Rolled: 25+5+5=35/100
A Drakkari host rises to meet them as the rest of your army reaches the base of the stairs. Over a thousand mainly comprise of heavy infantry, golems and dire trolls carrying large multi-ton stones. They hurl them across the paved, snow covered ground at the Nerubians making their way up the narrow set of stairs to them. It crushes those it hits, and blocks further access to the stairs till they can be cleared out. The Nerubians still ascending are quickly taken care of by spear-welding headhunters and more boulders.
(1st Army Losses: -300 Nerubian Warriors, -250 Nerubian Webspinners, 50 Nerubian Archers)
Nerubian Counterstrike: Needed: 50/100. Rolled: 8+5+5=18/100
The casters and archers and fliers there strike back, with volleys of cobalt arrows and elemental spells. Many go wide or are cut off as another wave of boulders and even spiked tree trunks are tossed in. Forcing the Nerubians to flee and find themselves colliding with each other to do so, their numbers working against them for once and hundreds die. Though the initial volume of firepower launched ensures that some attacks hit, but most do too little damage. All of it reversed by the numerous healing wards planted around the host. And the fliers sent there are quickly exterminated by totems and wards and spells.
(1st Army Losses: -500 Nerubian Warriors, -400 Nerubian Webspinners, -300 Nerubian Archers, 1,000 Nerubian Fliers, -1,000 Greater Locust Swarms -75 Nerubian Seers, -10 Nerubian Viziers, -2 Spider Lords)
Your forces retreat from the Amphitheater of Anguish, reforming up with you shortly after your assault on another base atop the stairs begins. This one is bigger, almost a fortress, though your scouts report that parts of it are still under construction. But it's still has a large and stronger garrison than the one you wiped out before. And it grows as Malakk is sending in a stream of reinforcements to it, mostly his elites and casters.
Formidable, you thought, idly wishing you had better and more siege weapons or stronger fliers, or both, preferably.
Your webspinners start weaving their webs to form silk bridges near the right wall as the Jormungars burrow into the ground, digging towards the Drakkari base. And all the while your archers and mages form up once more and start launching their attacks.
Bombardment II: Needed: 50/100. Rolled: 31+5+5=41/100
All the while your archers and mages form up once more and start launching their attacks. And unleash a massive, rolling bombardment that carpets the defenders with roaring blizzards, pillars of fire, and blasts of arcane energy. Much of it splashes against the walls or misses and hits below it, the bases' high elevation serves as a protection in and of itself. And thousands of cobalt arrows arc to and past the walls, striking at the Drakkari running for cover. Hundreds die instantly by the sheer number of arrows alone. But many more survive hiding behind Drakkari colossus and golems, the injured are quickly healed by healing wards and a troll's natural regeneration.
(Malakk's Army losses: -300 Drakkari Drudges, -100 Drakkari Warriors, 50 Drakkari Headhunters, -50 Drakkari Raiders, -100 Drakkari Berserkers)
Assault: Needed: 65/100. Rolled: 75+5+5+17=102/100.
Even before the bombardment ends your war golems' rush up the stairs, led by Anu-Surket. Hundreds and hundreds of Nerubian of all castes follow after them, dozens of ranks deep. Nothing opposes them. Your mages and archers cut off their fire just before it could hit them. The Drakkari are only given scant seconds to recover before nine war golems burst through the weakened wall shoulder first.
They stomp down on fallen Drakkari and smash aside others with their fists in their charge across the base. Anu-Surket blinks in, swinging her Furysword and Zerat again and again through flesh, bone, armor, and stone. None turn aside her enchanted blades. All are cut equally in a whirling blur of motion, unable react to her haste-buffed state. Dozens die, thousands on both sides follow within minutes of ferocious and chaotic combat as the rest of the Nerubian assault pours in and jormungars burst out the ground.
Unable to hold the Drakkari garrison flees, or tries to anyways. The hastily formed vanguard of war golems and dire trolls and others locked in combat is easily bypassed. The greater mobility of your forces easily allows you to encircle and wipe out those unable to acquire raptor mounts. Even then only a few managed to do so. The havoc wrecked by your mages and archers earlier sent a majority of their mounts into a terrified frenzy, turning them against their handlers before being put down.
As are the remaining Drakkari in the base, but losses are heavy, even in a great success like this. Lacking in expendable heavy units and in trapped in the confines of the base, the Drakkari dire trolls and war golems of various kinds reap a bloody toll on your infantry. Only Anu-Surket and concentrated fire from your mages and archers were enough to put them down for good after the healing wards and numerous buffs were dispelled.
(1st Army Losses: -3,000 Nerubian Warriors, -750 Greater Carrion Beetle Swarms, -400 Nerubian Webspinners, -200 Nerubian Archers, -600 Armored Giant Spiders, -200 Greater Jormungars, -1,000 Nerubian Flyers, -500 Greater Locust Swarms, -50 Nerubian Seers, -50 Massive Jormungars, -5 Nerubian War Golems, -20 Viziers, -10 Spider Lords.)
(Malakk's Army losses: -1,700 Drudges, -900 Drakkari Warriors, -400 Drakkari Headhunters, -400 Drakkari Raiders, -400 Drakkari Berserkers, -150 Dire Trolls, -75 Drakkari War Golems, -25 Drakkari Colossus, -5 Drakkari Witch Doctors, -5 Drakkari Shamans, -5 Drakkari Frostweavers, -5 Drakkari Fireweavers )
And amidst the ruins of the former fortress you order the tired 1st Army to rest as fresh supplies come lugging up the stairs by Nerubian workers. Sealed cauldrons of various brews, chests of spare weapons and arrows to replace those lost, and bags of cured Jormungar meat for hungry Nerubians unable to find a corpse to eat. Your dead are gathered up by the workers, and are sent back to Azjol-Nerub for burial in its many crypts under heavy guard.
Something you are hesitant to order, faintly wishing to burn the corpses instead, the disturbing reports from Icecrown flashing in your mind. But you are not your King. It is not right for you to break tradition and honors given to the Nerubian dead.
Sighing, you turn around and gaze down at the lower levels of Zul'Drak and listen to reports coming in from the other armies.
2nd Army Status: Needed: 40/100 Rolled: 5+5+5+15=30/100
Maexxna isn't coming. The continued lack of success in breaking into Drak'Tharon Keep has somehow driven the Broodmother into a maddening frenzy. The portion of the 2nd Army in charge of assaulting that keep has wisely retreated to safer grounds as Maexxna literally rips apart the fortress piece by piece. She isn't coming to the 1st Army's aid anytime soon, if ever. No progress is made on the other keeps is made other than continuing the bloodbath, the commanders there cite a lack of decent siege weapons as the main problem.
If you had hands you'd be palming your face now.
3rd Army Status: Needed 60/100. Rolled: 79+5+5+12=101/100
But thankfully the progress on the 3rd Army's task is going well, better than expect even. The teams of assassins led by Imuruk have already cleared the three Loa altars here in the third terrace before your army even began assaulting its base. The prophets and priests within both are all dead, slain before they could commence with their rituals on their Loa gods.
One of them, a leopard spirit by the name of Har'Koa angrily informs Imuruk that the Drakkari were reading to steal his power, and that of the other Loa gods. A betrayal that none were expecting, done a mere day ago. Right before your army marched here from Azjol-Nerub. Somehow knowledge of it leaked out and drove the Drakkari to these desperate measures. Their goals are to empower themselves and awaken the great serpent that slumbers in the depths of Gundrak, a snake akin to Maexxna. Granting them enough strength to throw your army out of Zul'Drak entirely, even threatening Azjol-Nerub if worse comes to worse.
It won't happen now, not with four Loa gods still safe and alive. Only two are left, the mammoth Loa called Mam'Toth, and the rhino Loa, Akali. Their physical bodies are chained in Gundrak. Har'Koa would be somewhat grateful if your forces could rescue them before their powers are stolen. She is willing to… forgive your kinds transgressions against her and the rest of the Loa for denying their mass sacrifices a year ago.
You put aside that thought, it isn't important.
A low growl rumbles out your mouth.
There are traitors in your army.
And they will be purged, they will all be purged! You thought, turning around and warily eye the thousands of Nerubians in-front of you.
They can't be trusted. None of them!
Anub-Rekhan Gains trait, Paranoid: -1 Diplomacy,
Regretfully, you can't do anything about this. Yet.
The Drakkari come first, and to breach the fourth terrace you'll...
[] Assault it right now. Time is of the essence if you want to complete Har'Koa's request.
[] Wait for the 3rd Army to arrive and join up with the 1st and attack Malakk's defenses together.
-
Current Status of the 1st Army of Azjol-Nerub: Total Strength 54612. (26,300 Nerubian Warriors, 1,700 Great Carrion Beetle Swarms, 8,450 Nerubian Webspinners, 4,250 Nerubian Archers, 2,600 Armored Giant Spiders, 1,200 Greater Jormungars, 6,500 Nerubian Flyers, 1,600 Greater Locust Swarms, 600 Nerubian Frost, Fire, Arcane, and Shadow Seers, 4 Nerubian War Golems, 238 Spider Lords, 220 Nerubian Viziers, 450 Massive Jormungars, 500 Nerubian Assassins.)
Heroes: Anub-Rekhan, Anu-Surket
Current Status of the Malakk's Army: Total Strength 22280. (8,000 Drakkari Drudges, 4,000 Drakkari Warriors, 2,050 Drakkari Headhunters, 1,550 Drakkari Raiders, 1,550 Drakkari Berserkers, 2,400 Frost Wardens, 1,350 Dire Trolls, 100 Drakkari Earth Shakers, 675 Drakkari Golems, 225 Drakkari Colossus, 100 Enraged Gorloc Slaves, 70 Drakkari Shamans, 70 Drakkari Frostweavers, 70 Drakkari Fireweavers, 20 Drakkari Witch Doctors, 25 Drakkari High Priests, 25 Drakkari Shadow Priests)
Heroes: Frost King Malakk, Trollgore, Eck the Ferocious,