- Location
- Back in Cali
If he wasn't so hurt and weaker then that would be a larger concern. He is lacking in power to wipe everyone out there hasn't been enough time for him to recover.
Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest
- Thread starter Questor
- Start date
- Location
- Kansas
Maybe, but it's been about three weeks, and he has the crystal heart. It's very likely he can still do something to screw us over, but we simply do not know yet. Personally, I think it's very likely he will flee, or did what he did in canon.
- Location
- Back in Cali
The Heart is one of the things that can kill him he either destroyed it already or it is what is under the castle in the catacombs.
- Location
- Kansas
Thought he corrupted it... oh well, I'm sure he has a whole bunch of tricks up his proverbial sleeve. Who knows, if we roll really bad, he may have an infinity stone equivalent.
- Location
- Back in Cali
The orb is something else. There are only a few things that he would be scared of that he would have locked away in the catacombs. One is the crystal heart because it can kill him, the other is the old ruler who he couldn't actually kill and faked it but turned her to a statue, the last is his old friend who he couldn't kill and is only afraid because he doesn't want to face her.
- Location
- United States
[] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
A bit of a risk, but an acceptable one. We have heirs already after all, and while they're not as old as we might like, our current advisors are trustworthy enough to run things for a few years. The populace and vassals also seem content enough (aside from Brochard who is now dead) to not start a civil war or anything.
A bit of a risk, but an acceptable one. We have heirs already after all, and while they're not as old as we might like, our current advisors are trustworthy enough to run things for a few years. The populace and vassals also seem content enough (aside from Brochard who is now dead) to not start a civil war or anything.
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- Location
- Kansas
Hmm, while this isn't exactly canon, I do see your point. Granted, there is still a possibility that he will do a last Hurrah on us... unlikely as it may seem. Still believe that putting all our eggs in one basket is a really good way on getting screwed over by the dice. Even worse, if the situation topside goes lopsided, we won't be able to do anything about it, as we would be on a deep strike mission.
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- Location
- Back in Cali
no voting yet. we are on a discussion only period
- Location
- United States
Fixed it.
[X] The all Grandmaster Party: Maybe you don't want to send you Wife off on what might very well be a suicide mission into enemy territory. Maybe you want her out here so that you have another Black Blade besides your own outside of Sombra's castle. Maybe you just think that this job is better left to the Knights. Regardless, you and Gabriella will remain on the battlefield while the Knight commanders lead the charge into the heart of Darkness.
jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
It's only been three and a half hours since the QM posted. Not time to vote yet.
DevilsAdvocate
Always follow the golden rule.
[]
The all Grandmaster Party
: Maybe you don't want to send you Wife off on what might very well be a suicide mission into enemy territory. Maybe you want her out here so that you have another Black Blade besides your own outside of Sombra's castle. Maybe you just think that this job is better left to the Knights. Regardless, you and Gabriella will remain on the battlefield while the Knight commanders lead the charge into the heart of Darkness.
I honestly think that we would be worse than useless and we need a "Hero" unit to rally the troops in the trenches, to keep them from faltering.
Otherwise, The King Sombra will get help.
I honestly think that we would be worse than useless and we need a "Hero" unit to rally the troops in the trenches, to keep them from faltering.
Otherwise, The King Sombra will get help.
- Location
- Missouri
It's a dilemma for sure, but to truly insure His death I would say we take everyone on this, even if we are a bunch of muggles Equestria the world, does work off the harmony and tale of the hero with his plucky band of allies facing off against the dark threat. If we want to really settle this we should send in everyone. Not to mention I feel that we're more of a supporting character for Hardbeak since the dude is pretty much the hero of the generation as far as I know, our king has the administration and diplomatic charm well in hand, but in the end of our tale, the king is the quest giver not the hero.
- Location
- Somewhere
Link to the last time I did this.
Archival purposes: "The Crystal Invasion, Part 2 (posted by QM on Saturday, April 13, 2019)"
OR
The Front Page as it appeared to me on Sunday, April 14, 2019.
Character Sheet (last edited by QM on Wednesday, April 3, 2019)
- Not Changed
Informational: State of the Nation (last edited by QM on Wednesday, April 3, 2019)
- Not Changed
Informational: Diplomatic Relations/Persons of Interest (last edited by QM on Wednesday, April 3, 2019)
- Not Changed
Archival purposes: "The Crystal Invasion, Part 2 (posted by QM on Saturday, April 13, 2019)"
OR
The Front Page as it appeared to me on Sunday, April 14, 2019.
Character Sheet (last edited by QM on Wednesday, April 3, 2019)
- Not Changed
Name: Garrick Golden-Feather
Age: 44
Titles: Emperor of Gryphus, King of Griffonia, Inheritor of the Imperial House of Gryphus, The Unifier, Great Winged Alpha
Description: Before your wife got her talons on you, you were a fairly typical example of the Griffon species. An unmistakably masculine build, a strong, prominent beak, feathers and fur that seem to be perpetually well-groomed, and a pair of piercing amber eyes hiding a fierce intelligence. Not anymore though. Oh, you still have all those qualities, they're just overshadowed by the massive amount of muscle you've put on since you started your wife's "enhanced training regimen". Your wings can lift dumbbells, and your legs are like tree-trunks supporting a barrel chest rippling with abdominal muscles. In short, you have the build of a person who has been lifting heavy objects his entire life.
Martial: 9+2+1+2=14
Diplomacy: 14+2+2=18
Stewardship: 13+2=15
Learning: 16+2=18
Intrigue: 11+2=13
- Trait-Attractive: You are a very handsome fellow. +2 Diplomacy, better spousal relationship
- Trait-Genius: Smart doesn't even begin to describe you. +2 all skills
- Trait-Strong: Working out with your wife has done great things for your body. +2 Martial
Inventory:
- Blade of the King: an ornate and deadly sword you had forged for yourself after being crowned King of Griffonia. +1 Martial
- Royal Armor: Serving to protect you as well as display your royal status to onlookers, this armor is both durable and aesthetically pleasing.
- Orichalcum Sword: A blade made of an extremely durable, magic resistant metal
Wife: Gabriella Golden-Feather
Opinion of You: 10/10
Age: 43
Martial: 15+1+2=18
Diplomacy: 11+1=12
Stewardship: 8+1=9
Learning: 13+1=14
Intrigue: 10+1=11
Trait: Strong - Born stronger than most. (+2 Martial)
Trait: Experienced - Has been a mercenary for several years, ranging across the lands of the former Empire. Knows much about the world. (+1 All Stats)
Son: Gawain Golden-Feather
Age: 13
Martial: 14+2+2+1-5=14
Diplomacy: 13+2+2+2-5=14
Stewardship: 14+2-5=11
Learning: 10+2-5=7
Intrigue: 11+2-5=8
Status: Teenager-Malus to all Stats (-5 to all Stats)
Status: Designated Heir. Will become player character in event of Parent's Deaths.
Trait: Strong-Born stronger than most. (+2 Martial)
Trait: Attractive-A cute kid, and eventually a handsome fellow. (+2 Diplomacy, better spousal relationship)
Trait: Genius-Smart doesn't begin to describe him. (+2 All Stats)
Trait: Game Master-Years of playing games of strategy and wits with members of the Imperial Court has honed his sense of strategy and taught him how to read others. (+1 Martial, +2 Diplomacy)
(Adopted) Daughter: Gwyndlyn Golden-Feather
Age: 9
Status: Child-No Stats
Status-Designated Regent: In the event that no heir is capable of taking the throne, or in the event the rightful ruler is otherwise unavailable, she will take control of the kingdom until the situation can be resolved.
Trait: Dragon-A fire breathing reptile. (+4 Martial)
Daughter: Gilda Golden-Feather
Age: 6
Status: Child-No Stats
:origin()/pre11/44a7/th/pre/i/2015/224/7/c/skipping_jade_by_queencold-d95b8oy.png)
Informational: State of the Nation (last edited by QM on Wednesday, April 3, 2019)
- Not Changed
Informational: Diplomatic Relations/Persons of Interest (last edited by QM on Wednesday, April 3, 2019)
- Not Changed
[ ] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
- Location
- Germany
[] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
- Location
- England
This is going swell! We just need to keep up the pressure now!
[] A Knightly End to Tyranny
[] The all Grand-master Party (We send our 3 knight Grandmasters to end Sombra, even if they can't for whatever reason they will at very least be able to hold their own against him and if he's busy trying to deal with them he can't directly control the Crystal Heart or work on large scale ritual Magic to blow us up with him, the three knight leaders and a brigade of elite troops/ what the underling knights follow the 3 for a Spot of Tyrant Slaying).Since Sombra probably has his Phylactery in his Throne Room in the Central Tower peak we can't directly end this by destroying the Phylactery Till we Murder Sombra's Physical form... Again(even he wouldn't be stupid enough to not guard his Phylactery with his life))
[] The Ruling Couple-Garrick and Gabriella lead the army to take and suppress any notable strongholds (and destroy any military infrastructure so if for whatever reason we get pushed back (doubtful of it happening but again SOMBRA), taking the city will be easier if any surviving military installations (which Kaboom didn't level completely) are razed. (Leave any agricultural stuff as when we liberate the enslaved we will need supplies to keep them fed, using Sombra's own will limit our Supply line strain so make starving less likely).
[] The fear of my enemy... is a catacomb? ( The Crystal Heart and Something Sombra greatly fears are in the Catacombs under the castle, we continue to have the main army smash and distract the enemy army while our Diamond Dog backline assault teams breach the catacombs and recover/ activate what Sombra fears so much and Destroy/Deactivate the crystal Heart (Secondary options are preferable to the first as activate the relic Sombra fears may lead to release of a party who wants nothing more than to obliterate Said Umbra until even his Soul is dust, as for the Crystal heart I would rather we shut it off as I wouldn't put it past Sombra to have the enslavement Helmets his army wear be rigged with a Kill-switch that activates if the Crystal heart connection is severed or destroyed).
[] A Knightly End to Tyranny
[] The all Grand-master Party (We send our 3 knight Grandmasters to end Sombra, even if they can't for whatever reason they will at very least be able to hold their own against him and if he's busy trying to deal with them he can't directly control the Crystal Heart or work on large scale ritual Magic to blow us up with him, the three knight leaders and a brigade of elite troops/ what the underling knights follow the 3 for a Spot of Tyrant Slaying).Since Sombra probably has his Phylactery in his Throne Room in the Central Tower peak we can't directly end this by destroying the Phylactery Till we Murder Sombra's Physical form... Again(even he wouldn't be stupid enough to not guard his Phylactery with his life))
[] The Ruling Couple-Garrick and Gabriella lead the army to take and suppress any notable strongholds (and destroy any military infrastructure so if for whatever reason we get pushed back (doubtful of it happening but again SOMBRA), taking the city will be easier if any surviving military installations (which Kaboom didn't level completely) are razed. (Leave any agricultural stuff as when we liberate the enslaved we will need supplies to keep them fed, using Sombra's own will limit our Supply line strain so make starving less likely).
[] The fear of my enemy... is a catacomb? ( The Crystal Heart and Something Sombra greatly fears are in the Catacombs under the castle, we continue to have the main army smash and distract the enemy army while our Diamond Dog backline assault teams breach the catacombs and recover/ activate what Sombra fears so much and Destroy/Deactivate the crystal Heart (Secondary options are preferable to the first as activate the relic Sombra fears may lead to release of a party who wants nothing more than to obliterate Said Umbra until even his Soul is dust, as for the Crystal heart I would rather we shut it off as I wouldn't put it past Sombra to have the enslavement Helmets his army wear be rigged with a Kill-switch that activates if the Crystal heart connection is severed or destroyed).
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Omake: Hannibal at the Eastern Gate (Semi-Canon)
Ardyn
The true Chosen King
- Location
- Insomnia
@Questor finally decided to write this omake as i promised since i finally have some free time.
Then, this accursed Winter War began, and the mindset of Imperial citizens changed after the first battle with The Abomination. now, no man volunteers with such foolish thoughts on their mind, from the very beginning of their training they were fighting for The Empire and it's citizens,and it showed in the shortened training time necessary before they could be deployed.
When Hannibal finished his training, he thought he would be standing shoulder to shoulder with the griffs that trained beside him, fighting on the frontlines against Sombras abominations, what had happened was as surprising to him as it was to everyone else, his sheer military brilliance on all aspects of warfare, from personal combat skill to military tactics and logistics, Hannibal would excel at it all, and as such saw a meteoric rise through the ranks of the imperial army.
Which lead him to his current situation, sitting at a table on the Eastern mountain pass alongside the local garrison commander, the commanders of the archers, artillery and diamond dogs, the Grandmaster of the Knights Panther, and despite the sheer talent in this room, despite having served the army for the shortest amount of time among these individuals, he had been given overall command of the Eastern flank by the General.
It came as a shock to him, having only expected command of the infantry, not the entire army, but even more surprising was the acceptance of his peers. Despite his youth, all of them had agreed with the decision, only asking him to take their advice seriously and not ignore it. now all of them were gathered on the eve before the enemy was expected to arrive, to plan the defence of the flank.
"my men have already begun digging pitfalls as the Emperor commanded, though i wouldn't expect something as dramatic as last time we fought these fiends, we don't have the same luxury of time now as we did then" spoke Trench, the commander the the Diamond Dogs.
"nevertheless, every advantage we can reasonably achieve will aid our chances of victory, and could very well be the difference between victory and bitter defeat, Frederick, how are the artillery looking?" Hannibal spoke with a tone that commanded respect and obedience, despite his relatively short time as commander.
Frederick was quick to reply. "we have checked, cleaned and prepared every piece of artillery on the walls including the local Garrison pieces, all are in perfect condition and ready to unleash hell on the fucker"
"excellent, and how are the archers Robin?"
"drilling every day and maintaining their bows and arrows, thankfully the walls are stocked to heaven and back with ammunition so neither the archers nor the artillery should run out of ammo bar an invasion force thrice the size of the Imperial population." Robin was far more casual than any of the other commanders, looking as though this was all a game to him, but he knew to act serious when the actual battle began.
"and what about the knights, Dawnquill?"
"as usual we shall serve as a shock reserve, supporting any flank that would require it"
"and the infantry has drilled to the point some are doing drills in their sleep, well then Gentlemen, i believe we have done all we can to prepare, lets have the men rest for the remainder of the day, and order the kitchen staff to prepare a hardy meal for them in the morrow, though only allow small amounts of alcohol, we need our men focused not drunk."
with nods all around the commanders left to spread the order and rest themselves.
Hannibal stood at the ready beside his infantry, despite the protest of the other commanders he had decided to fight alongside his old regiment who were jokingly being referred to as the Generals bodyguard, ridiculous not only because Hannibal wasn't a general, but also because if anything he would be Guarding them. it was nice to fall into an old routine of joking with his old friends.
Sombra had apparently picked up the basics of basic tactics and sent a probing force to see if there were any more traps waiting to be triggered before the fodder turned back, and for a moment Hannibal wondered if Sombra had somehow convinced even a rookie strategist to command his forces. Of course the Abomination then decided his quota of strategic thinking was done for today and once again decided on staggered waves.
First came the crystal golems, towering and lumbering giants, and the flaws were obvious even to the slower members of his army.
they were big and terrifying, however they were slow which combined with their size made them a wet dream for the artillery griffs, who demonstrated exactly why. As the pitfall buried the first wave, the artillery slammed into the remainder and tore them to shreds before they covered even half the distance.
Despite humiliating the enemy, Hannibal was proud to note that his army remained disciplined and alert, having been taken to task by himself for the past few weeks, none would dare step out of line to taunt an enemy that couldn't react to it.
This was what saved him from Sombras latest surprise, the lookout began shouting about an attack from the air, and the army moved before even looking at the approaching enemy,the archers moved to the center, each group surrounded by polearms to protect them, and then the Ballista and arrows tore the approaching enemy to shreds. Only a few managed to land on the walls and were killed by dozens of polearms only managing to kill a few men.
A screeching tore Hannibal from the Manticore he just killed. looking to the right he was greeted by a face full of claws. Shouting from the surprising and agonizing pain he buried his sword into the mouth of the roaring Manticore, through the roof of it's mount and piercing the skull, killing it.
Behind the manticore dozens of men from his regiment lied dead or injured, the Manticore had an equal amount of polearms buried in it's body. How it managed to cause more damage than the rest of it's brothers combined Hannibal could only contribute to it's size, the manticore was at least twice the size of the others, possibly being the alpha of whichever pack Sombra corrupted.
It was only then that Hannibal noticed the difference, reaching up he confirmed that the Manticore had indeed not only cut his face, but taken an eye in the process. Using the lull in the fighting he went to the medical rooms inside the walls and sent a flyer to notify the commanders and Dawnquill to meet him there, mentaly noting that if Sombra had an ounce of stategic thinking, no, an ounce of common sense he would have sent these two waves at the same time, using the blizzard to cover the approach of the Manticores from high in the sky instead of flying at the same height as the wall and having them attack the walls, distracting the defenders as the golems lumbered forward. If he had things might have gone very wrong for them indeed, and Hannibal mentally noted to have watchers flying above the walls and watching the skies in case sombra hadn't sent all his flyers and decided to do exactly that.
however, no amount of preparation could have prepared Hannibal and his forces for what came barreling down the pass, two massive hyrdas, which wouldn't have been any trouble normally, however their skin was pitch black and a black smoke trail was left behind them, making it obvious that Sombra had corrupted them with his foul sorcery. having seen the effect of Sombras magic with the Manticores Hannibal knew these hyrdras would be far more difficult than their normal cousins to kill.
Knowing that the artillery would have some difficulties killing a normal hydra, and knowing that these were certainly far stronger, Hannibal made his decision. "ARTILLERY, TAKE AIM ON THE CLOSEST HYDRA, I WANT AT LEAST ONE OF THEM DEAD BEFORE THEY REACH THE WALLS".
Dutifully obeying, the artillery fired almost as one, and just as Hannibal expected, while each bolt and shot had less of an effect as they should have, sheer firepower managed to down at least one, the other however was going to be a battle hard fought. It slammed into the gates, shaking the entire wall, and while it's body continued to pound the gates the heads attacked the defenders on the walls. Hannibal himself had the distinct displeasure of having a head roaring at him. He showed it just how unappreciated its efforts were by slamming his polearm into it's mouth. Sadly he missed, only managing to cut off a tooth instead of the debilitating strike he was aiming for.
Looking around and seeing how his spearmen were having no better luck, Hannibal had an idea. Seeing the heads were having trouble looking straight up at the flying spearmen, he realized that these hydras had the same weakness as the last hydra he and his regiment faced, and killed with a rather unorthodox tactic.
"GET UP ON THE HYDRAS BACK!". while the other regiments looked at him as if he were mad, his bodyguard knowing what he meant dutifully followed him, flying past the heads to try and attack its vulnerable back, where it's heads couldn't reach, for while they were flexible, they were also too long, so while the hydra could reach the base of its tail, it couldn't reach higher on it's back. In moments, they carved their way through it's back to it's heart. How it survived such grievous injuries Hannibal attributed to sorcery, but when they reached the hydras still beating heart and began cutting it into ribbons, it thankfully died, or he would have been forced to turn it into minced meat to kill it.
Returning to the wall, he ordered the hydras heads pushed off the walls, the bodies taken to the morgue and injured to the infirmary, though he had to shout his order again when most of the men just stood there looking at him like he had grown multiple heads.
He then noticed the black tooth he had cut off before lying on the walls, and decided to place it in his satchel as a trophy, and then returned to directing his men. The hydra had done a lot of damage to the defenders, so he had to rotate his injured and dead with what little reserves he had, just in time for the scouts to report an army of trolls were running towards the walls.
Sadly there was little he could do about the few artillery pieces the hydra had damaged, thankfully repairable but not in time for this battle. The artillery that were still operational opened fire on the trolls but apparently the crew were still shaken from the hydra as while most shots hit, they were still far fewer than in the previous waves.
As he prepare to lead the infantry in a sortie to try and save the gates form the trolls, he was surprised seeing roughly half the trolls using their weapons to scale the walls. Rotating the archers to the rear of the walls he order the spearmen to the front and send a message to Dawnquill, Hannibal didn't have the men to spare in a sortie and without it the trolls would certainly damage the gates severely or even break through, so instead of using the knights Panther to reinforce the line he were ordering them to kill the trolls attacking the gates.
The trolls armor and naturally tough hide, combined with magic made them a hard fight for his men, and while they did kill them to the last his forces took a beating. Thankfully Dawnquill returned with good news, having managed to save the gates at a minimal cost to his knights.
Another lull in the fighting gave his men a much needed rest to clear the dead and injured, and Frederick sent a messenger with fantastic news, the few damaged cannons were apparently knocked off their stands and after the hydra was killed he had the crews of those cannons work together to lift them back onto the stands, and secure them, so while not repaired they are now serviceable. He also tore into the artillery crews and promises that they will perform up to standard from now on.
______________________
When the final force of twenty thousand Crystal pony slaves begin to march down the pass, the artillery crew are eager not to make a liar out of their commander, and reap a bloody toll on the enemy.
As they come into range of the archers they too seem eager to prove their worth, and also kill slaves by the thousands, though apparently the flamethrowers suffered a mass malfunction as only half of them fire into the enemy.
When the enemy finally docks their ladders and start climbing up the walls, Hannibal noticed a glaring issue with the slave army. The ponies had no way to grasp anything in their hooves. As such, they had lances fastened onto their armor, however that alone presented more issues. without the maneuverability that the gryphons talons allowed them, they could only attack straight ahead, and the only way to make their lances dangerous was to charge at speed. against a wall of spearmen, this was a suicidal tactic at best and pure unfathomable stupidity at worst, add the fact they were charging up a ramp and the battle was over before it began, their charge broke at the wall of spears that greated them, stopping those behind them, though not for a lack of trying. The end result was that the front of the enemy was being killed by griffons and their center was being killed from the rear, by their own fellows carelessly charging into their own lines. Needless to say, this insult of a battle was over before long.
Having confirmed that the last of the enemy has been dealt with, Hannibal gathered the knights panther and a few hundred of the best flyers still fit for fighting, archers and spearmen alike, along with his bodyguard, and fly as fast as the wind can take them to the center, which is facing an army thrice the size of the one attacking the flanks, and no doubt Sombra will be there as well, Hannibals wings beating faster and his blood roaring at the thought of killing the abomination and finally avenging his father.
When his reinforcements make it to the wall, the battle is still ongoing though it seemed almost over, and he could see the western reinforcements had also beaten them to the center.
Ordering his archers to hang back at a safe distance and fire on the enemy flank, and Dawnquill to reinforce Hardbeak, Hannibal led his regiment and spearmen into the eastern flank of his enemy, the surprise attack allowing them to quickly kill what was left and gather their fellows on the center to follow them, acting like a wave, never stopping their advance down the wall, killing the few enemies that remain before moving on, and seeing the western forces having adopted a similar strategy, the two flanks slowly converging on the center, where most of the enemy forces were consentrated.
About halfway towards the center Hannibal saw him, the abomination was charging at Hardbeak, and Dawnquill was to far away to assist him, though such thought proved unnecessary, as Hardbeak lit his sword on fire and stabbed it right between the abominations eyes.
While the retreating mist proves he isn't dead yet, Hannibal is filled with joy at seeing his most hated foe injured, sorrow that he couldn't be the one to injure him so, and hopefull, that with the enemy so weakened, this war would hopefully come to a close soon, and maybe, just maybe, he could have the honor of killing the abomination for good.
In a few more moments the last of the slaves were killed and the battle came to an end.
After a week to transport the injured to proper facilities, and resupply the ammo, medical and food stockpiles, Hannibal was left with little to disturb what he felt was his most important duty at the moment.
Dear mrs. Blackbeak.
I regret to inform you of the passing of your husband...
Hannibal had already written dozens of these letters, and had hundreds left before all the families of the dead were notified of their loss. While normally the duty of the General and his staff, he had asked for, and been given permission to write the letters for all those who died under his command.
He made sure each letter had a personal touch, making sure he didn't write the same cold letter hundreds of times with a different name. He began with his own regiment, having known them for almost 2 years now, and then he began on the rest, in order to give the letters a personal feeling, he had visited each regiment in order to talk to them about their lost comrades, and could tell this had a positive effect on his men, seeing him caring about them even after death. Thanks to this he felt that each letter contained enough emotion to at least convey that his soldiers were not just another number to him, and that he also mourned their loss.
Sadly there was one regiment of spearmen that fought to the last man, and he was forced to emphasize their bravery and sacrifice on the battlefield instead of stories our of the field. Even after a hundred letters each one still weight as heavily on his heart as the first.
Once he was finally finished, he visited the infirmary, to speak to the men who would soon be leaving when the supply train left the next morning, some going to the military hospitals would be returning within the year. For others, this was their final campaign. He made sure to personally thank each and every last one of them for their service and for fighting beside him, and to his surprise, while each told him it was a honor, most also told him they would happily do so again. He left feeling lighter and proud.
Finally in his quarters with nothing to occupy his mind, he let his thoughts drift to unimportant matters.
'...Diamond Dog knights riding armored Manticores, hmmm...'
______________________
i was planing on writing an omake for each update but then life kicked me in the balls, so instead i give you the battle of The Peregrine Line in the eastern pass.
hopefully it's ok.
Hannibal at the Eastern Gates
When Hannibal first decided to join the army, it was with thoughts of glory, honor and prestige on his mind, as was the case with many young volunteers. Such notions were stripped away during the training each young man had to go through before joining the army proper. Each man was broken down and remade into a peerless warrior of The Empire, fighting not for personal glory, but to safeguard The Empire, not for personal prestige, but for their families whose lives would be at risk without their sacrifice, not for personal honor, but for the honor of The Empire.
Then, this accursed Winter War began, and the mindset of Imperial citizens changed after the first battle with The Abomination. now, no man volunteers with such foolish thoughts on their mind, from the very beginning of their training they were fighting for The Empire and it's citizens,and it showed in the shortened training time necessary before they could be deployed.
When Hannibal finished his training, he thought he would be standing shoulder to shoulder with the griffs that trained beside him, fighting on the frontlines against Sombras abominations, what had happened was as surprising to him as it was to everyone else, his sheer military brilliance on all aspects of warfare, from personal combat skill to military tactics and logistics, Hannibal would excel at it all, and as such saw a meteoric rise through the ranks of the imperial army.
Which lead him to his current situation, sitting at a table on the Eastern mountain pass alongside the local garrison commander, the commanders of the archers, artillery and diamond dogs, the Grandmaster of the Knights Panther, and despite the sheer talent in this room, despite having served the army for the shortest amount of time among these individuals, he had been given overall command of the Eastern flank by the General.
It came as a shock to him, having only expected command of the infantry, not the entire army, but even more surprising was the acceptance of his peers. Despite his youth, all of them had agreed with the decision, only asking him to take their advice seriously and not ignore it. now all of them were gathered on the eve before the enemy was expected to arrive, to plan the defence of the flank.
"my men have already begun digging pitfalls as the Emperor commanded, though i wouldn't expect something as dramatic as last time we fought these fiends, we don't have the same luxury of time now as we did then" spoke Trench, the commander the the Diamond Dogs.
"nevertheless, every advantage we can reasonably achieve will aid our chances of victory, and could very well be the difference between victory and bitter defeat, Frederick, how are the artillery looking?" Hannibal spoke with a tone that commanded respect and obedience, despite his relatively short time as commander.
Frederick was quick to reply. "we have checked, cleaned and prepared every piece of artillery on the walls including the local Garrison pieces, all are in perfect condition and ready to unleash hell on the fucker"
"excellent, and how are the archers Robin?"
"drilling every day and maintaining their bows and arrows, thankfully the walls are stocked to heaven and back with ammunition so neither the archers nor the artillery should run out of ammo bar an invasion force thrice the size of the Imperial population." Robin was far more casual than any of the other commanders, looking as though this was all a game to him, but he knew to act serious when the actual battle began.
"and what about the knights, Dawnquill?"
"as usual we shall serve as a shock reserve, supporting any flank that would require it"
"and the infantry has drilled to the point some are doing drills in their sleep, well then Gentlemen, i believe we have done all we can to prepare, lets have the men rest for the remainder of the day, and order the kitchen staff to prepare a hardy meal for them in the morrow, though only allow small amounts of alcohol, we need our men focused not drunk."
with nods all around the commanders left to spread the order and rest themselves.
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At midday, the scouts reported seeing the enemy force approaching, not that anyone needed such a thing, as the wall of snow was a pretty good indication that the enemy was at the gates.
Hannibal stood at the ready beside his infantry, despite the protest of the other commanders he had decided to fight alongside his old regiment who were jokingly being referred to as the Generals bodyguard, ridiculous not only because Hannibal wasn't a general, but also because if anything he would be Guarding them. it was nice to fall into an old routine of joking with his old friends.
Sombra had apparently picked up the basics of basic tactics and sent a probing force to see if there were any more traps waiting to be triggered before the fodder turned back, and for a moment Hannibal wondered if Sombra had somehow convinced even a rookie strategist to command his forces. Of course the Abomination then decided his quota of strategic thinking was done for today and once again decided on staggered waves.
First came the crystal golems, towering and lumbering giants, and the flaws were obvious even to the slower members of his army.
they were big and terrifying, however they were slow which combined with their size made them a wet dream for the artillery griffs, who demonstrated exactly why. As the pitfall buried the first wave, the artillery slammed into the remainder and tore them to shreds before they covered even half the distance.
Despite humiliating the enemy, Hannibal was proud to note that his army remained disciplined and alert, having been taken to task by himself for the past few weeks, none would dare step out of line to taunt an enemy that couldn't react to it.
This was what saved him from Sombras latest surprise, the lookout began shouting about an attack from the air, and the army moved before even looking at the approaching enemy,the archers moved to the center, each group surrounded by polearms to protect them, and then the Ballista and arrows tore the approaching enemy to shreds. Only a few managed to land on the walls and were killed by dozens of polearms only managing to kill a few men.
A screeching tore Hannibal from the Manticore he just killed. looking to the right he was greeted by a face full of claws. Shouting from the surprising and agonizing pain he buried his sword into the mouth of the roaring Manticore, through the roof of it's mount and piercing the skull, killing it.
Behind the manticore dozens of men from his regiment lied dead or injured, the Manticore had an equal amount of polearms buried in it's body. How it managed to cause more damage than the rest of it's brothers combined Hannibal could only contribute to it's size, the manticore was at least twice the size of the others, possibly being the alpha of whichever pack Sombra corrupted.
It was only then that Hannibal noticed the difference, reaching up he confirmed that the Manticore had indeed not only cut his face, but taken an eye in the process. Using the lull in the fighting he went to the medical rooms inside the walls and sent a flyer to notify the commanders and Dawnquill to meet him there, mentaly noting that if Sombra had an ounce of stategic thinking, no, an ounce of common sense he would have sent these two waves at the same time, using the blizzard to cover the approach of the Manticores from high in the sky instead of flying at the same height as the wall and having them attack the walls, distracting the defenders as the golems lumbered forward. If he had things might have gone very wrong for them indeed, and Hannibal mentally noted to have watchers flying above the walls and watching the skies in case sombra hadn't sent all his flyers and decided to do exactly that.
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Unsurprisingly, the commanders reported pretty much what Hannibal expected, minimal casualties, all ranged units were at the ready, and the diamond dogs were recycling the crystals from the golems into shrapnel explosive traps. So having what remained of his ruined eye removed, disinfected and bandaged, Hannibal returned to his regiment, despite heavy protest from his fellow commanders.
however, no amount of preparation could have prepared Hannibal and his forces for what came barreling down the pass, two massive hyrdas, which wouldn't have been any trouble normally, however their skin was pitch black and a black smoke trail was left behind them, making it obvious that Sombra had corrupted them with his foul sorcery. having seen the effect of Sombras magic with the Manticores Hannibal knew these hyrdras would be far more difficult than their normal cousins to kill.
Knowing that the artillery would have some difficulties killing a normal hydra, and knowing that these were certainly far stronger, Hannibal made his decision. "ARTILLERY, TAKE AIM ON THE CLOSEST HYDRA, I WANT AT LEAST ONE OF THEM DEAD BEFORE THEY REACH THE WALLS".
Dutifully obeying, the artillery fired almost as one, and just as Hannibal expected, while each bolt and shot had less of an effect as they should have, sheer firepower managed to down at least one, the other however was going to be a battle hard fought. It slammed into the gates, shaking the entire wall, and while it's body continued to pound the gates the heads attacked the defenders on the walls. Hannibal himself had the distinct displeasure of having a head roaring at him. He showed it just how unappreciated its efforts were by slamming his polearm into it's mouth. Sadly he missed, only managing to cut off a tooth instead of the debilitating strike he was aiming for.
Looking around and seeing how his spearmen were having no better luck, Hannibal had an idea. Seeing the heads were having trouble looking straight up at the flying spearmen, he realized that these hydras had the same weakness as the last hydra he and his regiment faced, and killed with a rather unorthodox tactic.
"GET UP ON THE HYDRAS BACK!". while the other regiments looked at him as if he were mad, his bodyguard knowing what he meant dutifully followed him, flying past the heads to try and attack its vulnerable back, where it's heads couldn't reach, for while they were flexible, they were also too long, so while the hydra could reach the base of its tail, it couldn't reach higher on it's back. In moments, they carved their way through it's back to it's heart. How it survived such grievous injuries Hannibal attributed to sorcery, but when they reached the hydras still beating heart and began cutting it into ribbons, it thankfully died, or he would have been forced to turn it into minced meat to kill it.
Returning to the wall, he ordered the hydras heads pushed off the walls, the bodies taken to the morgue and injured to the infirmary, though he had to shout his order again when most of the men just stood there looking at him like he had grown multiple heads.
He then noticed the black tooth he had cut off before lying on the walls, and decided to place it in his satchel as a trophy, and then returned to directing his men. The hydra had done a lot of damage to the defenders, so he had to rotate his injured and dead with what little reserves he had, just in time for the scouts to report an army of trolls were running towards the walls.
Sadly there was little he could do about the few artillery pieces the hydra had damaged, thankfully repairable but not in time for this battle. The artillery that were still operational opened fire on the trolls but apparently the crew were still shaken from the hydra as while most shots hit, they were still far fewer than in the previous waves.
As he prepare to lead the infantry in a sortie to try and save the gates form the trolls, he was surprised seeing roughly half the trolls using their weapons to scale the walls. Rotating the archers to the rear of the walls he order the spearmen to the front and send a message to Dawnquill, Hannibal didn't have the men to spare in a sortie and without it the trolls would certainly damage the gates severely or even break through, so instead of using the knights Panther to reinforce the line he were ordering them to kill the trolls attacking the gates.
The trolls armor and naturally tough hide, combined with magic made them a hard fight for his men, and while they did kill them to the last his forces took a beating. Thankfully Dawnquill returned with good news, having managed to save the gates at a minimal cost to his knights.
Another lull in the fighting gave his men a much needed rest to clear the dead and injured, and Frederick sent a messenger with fantastic news, the few damaged cannons were apparently knocked off their stands and after the hydra was killed he had the crews of those cannons work together to lift them back onto the stands, and secure them, so while not repaired they are now serviceable. He also tore into the artillery crews and promises that they will perform up to standard from now on.
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As they come into range of the archers they too seem eager to prove their worth, and also kill slaves by the thousands, though apparently the flamethrowers suffered a mass malfunction as only half of them fire into the enemy.
When the enemy finally docks their ladders and start climbing up the walls, Hannibal noticed a glaring issue with the slave army. The ponies had no way to grasp anything in their hooves. As such, they had lances fastened onto their armor, however that alone presented more issues. without the maneuverability that the gryphons talons allowed them, they could only attack straight ahead, and the only way to make their lances dangerous was to charge at speed. against a wall of spearmen, this was a suicidal tactic at best and pure unfathomable stupidity at worst, add the fact they were charging up a ramp and the battle was over before it began, their charge broke at the wall of spears that greated them, stopping those behind them, though not for a lack of trying. The end result was that the front of the enemy was being killed by griffons and their center was being killed from the rear, by their own fellows carelessly charging into their own lines. Needless to say, this insult of a battle was over before long.
Having confirmed that the last of the enemy has been dealt with, Hannibal gathered the knights panther and a few hundred of the best flyers still fit for fighting, archers and spearmen alike, along with his bodyguard, and fly as fast as the wind can take them to the center, which is facing an army thrice the size of the one attacking the flanks, and no doubt Sombra will be there as well, Hannibals wings beating faster and his blood roaring at the thought of killing the abomination and finally avenging his father.
When his reinforcements make it to the wall, the battle is still ongoing though it seemed almost over, and he could see the western reinforcements had also beaten them to the center.
Ordering his archers to hang back at a safe distance and fire on the enemy flank, and Dawnquill to reinforce Hardbeak, Hannibal led his regiment and spearmen into the eastern flank of his enemy, the surprise attack allowing them to quickly kill what was left and gather their fellows on the center to follow them, acting like a wave, never stopping their advance down the wall, killing the few enemies that remain before moving on, and seeing the western forces having adopted a similar strategy, the two flanks slowly converging on the center, where most of the enemy forces were consentrated.
About halfway towards the center Hannibal saw him, the abomination was charging at Hardbeak, and Dawnquill was to far away to assist him, though such thought proved unnecessary, as Hardbeak lit his sword on fire and stabbed it right between the abominations eyes.
While the retreating mist proves he isn't dead yet, Hannibal is filled with joy at seeing his most hated foe injured, sorrow that he couldn't be the one to injure him so, and hopefull, that with the enemy so weakened, this war would hopefully come to a close soon, and maybe, just maybe, he could have the honor of killing the abomination for good.
In a few more moments the last of the slaves were killed and the battle came to an end.
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While the enemy was confirmed to have been slaughtered to the last, that didn't mean the army could leave just yet. While the repairs were still ongoing, and until the garrison had sufficiently recovered, the army was tasked with assisting the garrisons of three passes.
After a week to transport the injured to proper facilities, and resupply the ammo, medical and food stockpiles, Hannibal was left with little to disturb what he felt was his most important duty at the moment.
Dear mrs. Blackbeak.
I regret to inform you of the passing of your husband...
Hannibal had already written dozens of these letters, and had hundreds left before all the families of the dead were notified of their loss. While normally the duty of the General and his staff, he had asked for, and been given permission to write the letters for all those who died under his command.
He made sure each letter had a personal touch, making sure he didn't write the same cold letter hundreds of times with a different name. He began with his own regiment, having known them for almost 2 years now, and then he began on the rest, in order to give the letters a personal feeling, he had visited each regiment in order to talk to them about their lost comrades, and could tell this had a positive effect on his men, seeing him caring about them even after death. Thanks to this he felt that each letter contained enough emotion to at least convey that his soldiers were not just another number to him, and that he also mourned their loss.
Sadly there was one regiment of spearmen that fought to the last man, and he was forced to emphasize their bravery and sacrifice on the battlefield instead of stories our of the field. Even after a hundred letters each one still weight as heavily on his heart as the first.
Once he was finally finished, he visited the infirmary, to speak to the men who would soon be leaving when the supply train left the next morning, some going to the military hospitals would be returning within the year. For others, this was their final campaign. He made sure to personally thank each and every last one of them for their service and for fighting beside him, and to his surprise, while each told him it was a honor, most also told him they would happily do so again. He left feeling lighter and proud.
Finally in his quarters with nothing to occupy his mind, he let his thoughts drift to unimportant matters.
'...Diamond Dog knights riding armored Manticores, hmmm...'
______________________
hopefully it's ok.
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Considering how I think it's the Crystal heart down in the catacombs, I do think having both us and our wife there would give a better chance to start whatever its magical activation protocols are, simply because of the love between the characters.
Funnily enough, I'm going to be MLP Genre Savvy.
[ ] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
Funnily enough, I'm going to be MLP Genre Savvy.
[ ] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
- Location
- USA
[x] The all Grandmaster Party: Maybe you don't want to send you Wife off on what might very well be a suicide mission into enemy territory. Maybe you want her out here so that you have another Black Blade besides your own outside of Sombra's castle. Maybe you just think that this job is better left to the Knights. Regardless, you and Gabriella will remain on the battlefield while the Knight commanders lead the charge into the heart of Darkness.
Moratorium is over.
Moratorium is over.
- Location
- United States of America
[X] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.
- Location
- Germany
[x] The all Grandmaster Party: Maybe you don't want to send you Wife off on what might very well be a suicide mission into enemy territory. Maybe you want her out here so that you have another Black Blade besides your own outside of Sombra's castle. Maybe you just think that this job is better left to the Knights. Regardless, you and Gabriella will remain on the battlefield while the Knight commanders lead the charge into the heart of Darkness.
- Location
- kfc
[X] Everyone? Everyone!: All hands on deck. You, Gabriella, and all three of the Knightly Grandmasters. The Shogun Tadakatsu can take overall command in your absence. While this will give you an advantage and full control over the assault on Sombra's command center, it will leave you unaware of any developments in the larger battle.