IC Scene - The Duke's Wharf

The exchange of arrows and bolts lessened, largely becoming irrelevant as the orders hunkered down.  The injured among the Radiant Cross weren't life threatening, though they required patching before they would be combat effective again.  Alm was in worse shape.  He could barely walk, his knee badly damaged from the arrow it took.  He might fight from horseback, but on foot, he would be all but useless otherwise.


Javier's charge interrupted what was otherwise a calming situation.  His horsemen charged into the rebel lines, trying to dodge scrambling troops.  Unfortunately, the best laid plans tend to go awry.  This applied doubly to the unplanned charge by Javier, which got tangled in the relatively disorganized rebel knights.  Horsemen stopped suddenly and dangerously, the wounded, horses and Wyvern shieldwall turning the path into a maze.  It quickly became apparent that the charge wasn't going to work.  Javier himself was brought up short near Lucius.


Barbarossa's arrival heralded yet another change in the dynamics at High Street.  Even though his men were weak, they were bolstered by being in the presence of their leader.  Behind them, Lord Kilnam had joined the procession.  Several minutes earlier, he had chosen to join the self-styled captain, along with his knights and archers, inviting Thane Alatin to join him.
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Rayvs made it to the siege line at the Duke's Wharf easily enough.  The smoke, still a thin column, had been rising for some time and not expanded.  He was informed of Lord Kilnam's departure just minutes ago as rebel reinforcements, mostly Vanskerries and other mercenaries, joined the siege line.


Aboard the Maelstrom, Kharad's crew urged the ship on as fast as it would go.  However, it remained slow going as the ship was forced far from the city to round the docks and the peninsula's tip.  It would be some time yet before he was in position to act.
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The smoke continued to rise over the Duke's Wharf, eventually stopping altogether.  Whatever it was seemed to have been resolved.

Rayvs examined the situation, perplexed by what was happening.

Finally, he looked around for some sort of leader. Not finding that, he turned to a group of rebels and asked, "What exactly is happening here?"

Sir Lucius just finished exchanging words with Sir Aelos when he watched as the Eventide charge rapidly came to halt. Part of him was disappointed that he didn't get to see the Griffons slaughter the heretics, but he was certain he would witness that eventually. He simply stared at Javier as he stopped nearby.

After several moments, he broke the silence, but not to Javier. "Sir Jofrid," he said to his second-in-command. "Get the men reorganized. The Griffons could strike at any moment." A few more hushed words were spoken but they could not be heard. The Knight-Brother then departed and left Lucius to stare.

Javier never got to cause the chaos he anticipated. Instead, the horses refused to go any further once they ran into the rebel lines. Reluctantly, Javier ceased the order and had his men position themselves to the left of the Dawn Shieldwall. The Eventide Knights were up front while the Ghilmen positioned themselves behind

Several of the Eventide glared at the Dawnite Wyverns. No doubt that goddess of theirs thwarted their attempt at battle. As for Javier himself, he remained silent on his steed, remaining watchful on enemy lines.

Meanwhile, an odd trio of two Ghilmen and an Eventide Knight made their way up the Bay Road, intending to investigate the battle. Once at the intersection, the scouts found Javier positioned at the conflict, and the three men rejoined Javier's group after some discussion.

The Butcher-Captain marched his men forward, at a steady pace.  The massive cleaver rested on his shoulder, and several smaller blades hung from his belt.  None had decorative handles, nor even fine leather wrappings.  It hardly took a seer to realize that this was a man of practical means with no sense of prestige.

His company kept pace with him as he approached the Dawn wall.  He stopped only a few paces behind the Order knights, in effect standing right with them.

"You've not bled with me, and I ask Astraea that you not.  Those men haven't bled with me either, and I ask Astraea that they do."

He stopped his speech to look at the sky for a moment, then over his shoulder to his own men.

His mouth opened and his eyes seemed to shine with inspired light.

"Now let's go kill them!"

With that, the Butcher-turned-Captain lifted his pole-cleaver in the air and let out a brutal war cry.  He did not wait for the knights to part for him, but charged ahead as if they weren't even there.

Help Alm on his horse! NOW! Aelos yelled at his knights as the self-styled captain started his charge. He took Icebreath from its scabbard and watched Barbarossa run passed in his ridiculous outfit. 

The young Dragon didn't charge with the crazed butcher, but instead looked at the men that had come with him. They looked inspired and probably eager to fight, but how long would that last once the Griffon archers take down their beloved butcher...

"Dragons, protect Captain Barbarossa!"

Wulven and Karstan had barely managed to get Alm on his destrier when Aelos issued the order. They mounted their own in haste while Alm took a sip of dark ale against the pain. With their shields and swords ready, they quickly catched up with the running butcher and formed a formation around him, preparing for the worst.


Aelos himself would wait to join the charge after most of the lightly armored rebels had passed him. He figured a commanding figure should keep the rabble together once the fighting started.

Sir Lucius had been watching the Butcher-Captain when he ordered his charge. It was clear to him that Astraea blessed this man. There was no other way he could be so reckless and still live. A divine hand was clearly at work.

That realization made his orders all that easier to issue.

"Dawnites!" Lucius yelled. "For Astraea!" His Knight-Brothers and Wyverns quickly joined Barbarossa and his men, along with the Dragons, with their shields to protect against the inevitable hail of arrows and swords to bring down foes.

Javier watched idly as the Rebels began to move forward with renewed vigor as Captain Barbarossa arrived. However, the fact still remained, Javier's men were up against archers and an enemy shieldwall was in the way. If only there was some way to get past the wall and hammer on the fragile archers...

Javier's thought process was interrupted by an inquiry from one of the knights,  "Should we join the charge, sir?"

"I fear it is a bit late to be reckless, we lost the element of surprise. These damned roads weren't as wide as I thought they were..."

Javier glanced around, observing building after building in his wake. It was then he formulated a strategy.

"Everyone, dismount. Have the horses run rampart and charge into enemy lines, that should cause enough chaos to help in our favor.

We will not be joining the charge. Sweep the buildings on the inner curve of the road, I want to find a spot where we can flank or catch the rear by surprise. Ghilmen, as we move along, feel free to take a quick shot at enemy troops as we move forward. Knights, if there is no route, make one where possible.

Should we encounter any hostiles inside, slay them like any other.

Move out!"

Klaus spun on his heel as Gilaver countermanded him, but with a grin gave him a close fisted salute in acknowledgement.
 
“City watch! To me! Inside, schnell!” he shouted as he reached the door, then without waiting for a reply disappeared inside, followed shortly by the city watch rushing after him. Seconds later there were a string of shouts, mostly in a strong Mettenheim accent, and audible movement from inside. The door slammed shut after the last City Watchman, then the only noticeable change from the building was a spear thrust out of an upper window, a bloody bandage tied to it.

Everything had seemed to happen at once, the Eventide had halted their charge before a horde of reinforcements showed up and began a charge of their own. Morek swore beneath his helmet, a collection of choice words that one would not have expected someone of his upbringing to have known. 

"Radaints, forwards with the others! Plaguewardens, stay with your wyvern, target windows and fire when you have a shot, make those archers fear the skill and training of your corps!"

Morek raised his shield and began the advance forwards with the others, his conquistadors joining him whilst the three Radiant Cross Knights who were still available followed close behind the trio in cover of their shields. The other radiant treated the injured plaguewardens as best he could, trying to get them back on their feet and able to use their crossbows. The Plaguewardnes witht eh wyverns obeyed Moreks command, loosing bolts at the windows if an archer appeared while their leader tried wrapping his head around what was happening one last time.

Men! Hold together! 


William was suspicious of the goings on around him, he did not trust anyone but the Dragons around him. His head felt dizzy and light. His eyes wouldn' focus, the world a blur around him. The world began to grow dark around him.

Barbarossa's charge was met with a hail of arrows from the front.  Fortunately for the unshielded captain, the volleys were obstructed by Dragons and Dawn.  Plaguewardens responded, but moving with the charge did not help their accuracy, as they were forced to keep up with the wyverns.  The charge finally cleared the bend, only a pair of unlucky rebels taking arrows in the process.


The first wave of arrows crashed into the flank of the charge, away from the protective cover of the shields.  A line of Clarion Call waited down the road, mere Larian Outriders, but a powerful line regardless as their volley sent half a dozen rebels to the pavement.  Two of the Dawn wyverns joined them and Wulven's horse hesitated, already hurt from the longbows in both attacks.


Barbarossa was unperturbed and the knights tried to make the best of the situation, half of the remaining wyverns scrambling to cover the exposed flank.  Three rebels took arrows from the windows and another two from the outriders.  Javier's horses joined the charge suddenly, but were riderless and mostly stopped behind the charging troops and scattering along the road.  Six were shot by gryphons and outriders.


Javier's men were unmolested by the archers in the house, the bowmen more concerned with the quicker moving horde before them.  The ghilmen didn't try to shoot at the windows, content with being ignored for now.  The knights pointed to a barricaded alley, which they quickly smashed crates and scrap wood to force entry.


Above them, though none saw it, a column of smoke rose from the chimney of the house they had now reached.  Even farther on, completely invisible to the attacking rebels, another column of smoke rose from the direction of the keep.
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One of the rebels piped up.  "There's fighting to the east," he told Rayvs.  "Lord Kilnam joined Captain Barbarossa just a few minutes ago."

"We're here ta balster th' line," added a nearby Vanskerry.  "Th't Kilnam is afraid the Doochess' troops might somethin' with all the fighting."
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The Maelstrom continued to sail, her impatient captain able to see those columns of smoke from sea.

As Javier's forces moved throughout various houses and alleys, the knight himself took a quick glance out a window. The Rebels were slowly dwindling in number, enemy archers peppering them without fear of retaliation. The horses, dimwitted as they were, also did not carry on as was originally planned.

"So much for disciplined warhorses," Javier muttered under his breath.

The Eventide knights, finished with their task, moved further along to continue the order. The Ghilmen and Javier followed not far behind.

[OCC: Continue with the previous order, Ghilmen fire when needed and Knights slay hostiles and destroy obstacles. Javier aims to flank the enemy.]

Rayvs sighed and examined the siege lines. However, something else caught his attention. Looking up, he squinted, and noticed two thin trails of smoke, with one being very close to his position, and another further into the city.

Confused, Rayvs ran the options through his head then decided to ask the rebels.

Turning to the men who informed him, he asked "What happened when the smoke began rising from the wharf? Right before, and right after?"

Barbarossa remained determined in his charge. A few specks of iron on sticks were not worthy of fear. Despite his falling comrades the charge continued. Each step brought the Butcher-Captain closer to the house of the City forces, and a step closer to victory. He had no care for the shields the knights attempted to push in front of him, they'd simply slow him down.

"Push on! They don't have enough arrows for all of us!" the cleaver-wielding man shouted, without bothering to look back.

That butcher was either an idiot or insane, probably a little of both considering his wasteful strategy and disdain for putting something between himself and the arrows. Morek scowled under his helm at his place in the small shieldwall made of him and his conquistadors, the militias morale was likely based around him, and he didn't know if the citizen soldiers of windholm would panic and run if he was felled or be provoked to an insane beserk fury. He secretly hoped it was the latter as a random arrow glanced off his shield to embed in a nearby doorframe.

"Sir, I reconmend we do something about the outriders. The charge is splitting, the archers in the house are only one threat." The voice of one of the radiant knights taking shelter behind him reached his ears and he grunted.

"Fine, I've been a bit busy keeping up with these two." The conquistadors grunted in acknowledgement. " Plaguewardens! Outriders, target and fire at man and beast! Make your damned shots count, show those prancing horse archers what its like to be on the receiving end of crossbow quarrels!"

As the group of radiants advanced towards the line of cavalry morek tightened his grip on his morningstar, the leather wrapped handle protesting at his tight grip. His conquistadors and knights readied their weapons as a volley of drossbow bolts flew overhead, aimed at the lightly armored outriders sitting atop their horses. Morek turned his head as a conquistador spoke up.

"You take my brother and I to such nice places valren, almost as fun as that time a serpent priestess almost drove that spear through your thigh."

"Shut up mautista and move faster, I want to hit them before we all die of old age." He turned his head to where the dawnites were in the rebel lines and gestured to the house where the griffons were. "Sir lucius! Show those cowards that being a guard of the king does not make them immune to the displeasure of the gods! Cleanse them with holy fire!"

Quote :

"Fall in with the Dawn, Plaguewaradens draw crossbows. All Plaguewardens." Morek took Melka from her minder and cut her bonds from her hands, taking the weapons she had carried before her detainment and returning them to her before stepping back and addressing her.

"You are free to do as you please, though keep this in mind, you owe me a debt for not turning you over to the tender mercies of the Eventide. I imagine your friend is dead by now and yet here you remain, whole in every way. Fight with us and your debt is paid, or flee and be damned by the divines for cowardice. I may end up owing you if you fight." With that he returned to his men, who had integrated themselves in the Dawn party, the plaguewardens each pairing off with a shield bearing Dawn Wyvern as the Knights kept their polehammers ready yet lowered so as not to reveal their presence to the enemy as a new battle line was formed. Morek turned to look at Lucius.

Melka watched Morek for a few seconds, and then answered.

"I will fight with you, with a condition that i will always stay close to you.And no my intent is not to assassinate you, you are valuable source of information and possible ally."

While the ambush had been initially succesful, Gilaver found himself worried at the situation. Despite the inflicted casualties, a great host of enemies was still standing and ready for a fight. The situation wasn't helped at all by the sudden presence of supposedly Eventide horses, suggesting the presence of the grim order from Singal. However, the sudden separation of the Radiant Cross from the main host presented a sudden variable in the skirmish.

"Griffons, let no bolt hit the Outriders. You were trained to be bodyguards, act like it! Rangers, I suggest focusing fire on the knights and other unshielded opponents."

Gilaver brandished his own shield with his smaller sword, ready to catch any bolts and arrows. Inaudible to others, he whispered.

"4 Wyverns cannot protect them all..."

A pair of Barbarossa's men, brandishing axes, began to hack away at the building's door.  They each only got through their second swing before furniture started to rain on them from the floor above.  Chairs, tables and dangerous kitchen implements plummeted from the windows smashing even more rebels on the head.  A few smaller pieces were pitched at the plaguewardens, who had just unleashed their volley at the Larian outriders.  A particularly heavy stool sent one of the knights of the Dawn crashing to the ground.  Even with the rain of furniture from above, however, the door wouldn't hold forever.

As the Radiant Cross broke off for their attack, the plaguewardens launched their attack.  The Griffon Knights were fast enough to catch most of the volley, but a pair of outriders fell from their horses.  As the plaguewardens reloaded, Morek and his men began to close the distance between them and the line of horsemen.  Despite being sharply outnumbered, they moved with determination and fearlessness.  The Outriders released a volley into whatever targets they could find.  A few more rebels went down and an arrow found a gap in the shoulder joint of a Cross knight.

But they advanced on.
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Javier's men advanced into the alley hoping for a flank attack.  Then moved quickly, knowing that every second counted with Barbarossa's reckless charge.  Emerging into a wider road, they were suddenly halted by a clear voice.

"Grey or gold?" announced a well-armored man of regal bearing.  Though Javier did not know it, his group had just cut off Lord Kilnam.
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The soldier Rayvs had spoken to shrugged.  "I don't know, sir.  We've been trying to keep the line organized while the Captain pulled his men to High Street."

Before he could answer further, the blaring of a clarion cut through the air.  Up by High Street, soldiers could be seen marching across Bay Road, bearing the banner of Greysword.

"It's an attack!" shouted the Vanskerry.

Javier paused for a moment to address this new interruption. Why does nothing seem to go his way in this cursed city...

"Gold. There is an engagement going on at Bay Road, and I intend to reinforce our allies by catching our enemies unaware."

Javier motioned for his men to form up behind him. As tempting as it was to have them carry out the original orders, these new arrivals warranted more attention.

"... I would prefer if I was not interrupted any more than I already have. Ever since I set foot in this city every tactic I use falls apart. Based on my previous attempts, I would assume you are here to slay my men and I."

The knight just stood there, hand on his rapier, awaiting a response. His Eventide soldiers did the same, prepared to retaliate if the situation required it.

Except for the odd grunt, and rare yell the house was remarkably quiet, so intent were its defenders on their work. After the furniture blizzard slowed, a familiar Mettenheim voice rang out, loud and clear so that even those outside could hear.

"They come in through door soon, and when they do, battle will be make. Outside they are criminals, nothing more than vermin, they rise against duchess, against order, against king, against Pendor! Until now, we just move position, try to make advantage. We have the advantage! We are men of Windholm, we are here to defend our homes. Many probably look like this one, think of it now! Think of the families those familiar walls shelter. Think of your mothers, your wives, your children. Be under no illusion, if rebels take city then they will make dead all you love. The city will burn, your families will be butchered. Stand now! Stand for your city! Stand for your families! Stand for Windholm!"

Rayvs cursed.

"Form up the men Haroun! Ghilmen in the back, knights at the front with me. Reinforce the line!"

The Dragon knights were standing for a difficult choice, they had been ordered to accompany and protect Barbarossa. Their heavy armor and shields made them possible while still protection themselves, but Sir Alm would not be able to enter the building and fight on foot with the Griffons. It had been Sir Karstan, clever as always, that had found a solution that he told Alm while they did their best to shield the butcher from any harm.

"If we enter the building, You stay mounted and join the Radiant Cross knights."

Sir Alm nodded and Sir Karstan was content knowing that Alm wasn't as stupid as he looked and would find the most opportune moment to do what was ordered by Aelos' second.

Meanwhile, Sir Aelos Odheas, still unarmored but wielding his magnificent masterwork longsword known as Icebreath, advanced in the rear of Barbarossa's force of rabble.

In the midst of the group of rebels stood Sir Lucius, carefully avoiding the rain of furniture and hoping that the Goddess would protect him. He was certain of what he was about to do and thankful that he instructed Knight-Brother Jofrid to acquire what he needed before.

"Sir Jofrid!" he shouted loudly and clearly, while sheathing his sword. The Dawnite knew precisely what Sir Lucius wanted and immediately sprung into action. Behind his shield and strapped to his arm was an unlit torch; Sir Jofrid removed the torch, turned to his nearest Knight-Brother, and watched the man ignite it. Quickly, he approached Lucius and firmly placed the torch in his outstretched hand, watching as his leader weaved and pushed through the mass of men to the house before them.

"Cover the exits!" Sir Lucius shouted, hoping all would see what he planned. As he approached the house, he reached out with his torch and attempted to bring fire to it. If he succeeded, he would continue trying to light it in numerous places.