Having donned his armor and arriving, Thesarin joins the soldiers by the gate. The Prodigal count is in a foul mood, but avoids saying too much at this point in time as there is little to be said worth saying at this point in time.

Jael has joined the Ramparts.

Ywaine pauses and peers at the arrows, crouching to eye them, "Y'highness?" he asks Tristram, questioningly.

Vladimir leaves, following Hana.

Tristram looks at Ywaine and says, "There are ten of these arrows left in all of Arvum, Lord Ywaine. You now have five of them. Save them for the biggest targets. Don't miss. They are filled with the holy water of Lagoma."

Silas lifts a wave in Calaudrin's direction, before turning towards Killian as he addresses them. "Word is that they're coming and we should be here to give them a welcoming party," he answers. He looks between Killian and Clover, at their interaction. "A previous acquaintance?" Seems like more than that, but he didn't want to assume too much.

Jael jogs up to the ramparts, bow in hand as the time for battle draws near. There are times for being on the ground, in the fight, but there are times for fighting smart. Right now, that means joining the archers near Tristram and Ywaine.

Calypso arrives to the Seawatch with Anze. She gives him a nod and then heads towards the command tent to check in there. Inclining her head to those present, Niccolo and Darren in particular, she speaks. "Here as reserves. Use me if you need me."

Roland arrives, armored up and visor down. Instead of his usual mace, he wields an unusual longsword, one with the face of a lady inset at the cross guard. He takes up position near the gate, no doubt one of many heavy fighters with shield and arms, intent on doing what must be done to protect the city.

Sophie is positioned where the medical tents have been stashed, but she notices her cousin Clover and responds with a fond smile and quick, wide wave.

Darren tips his head to Calypso, offering her a faint smile. "You're never a reserve. We could use all the help that we can get, I think," he says that firmly, casting his gaze across to the gates, and frowning to himself. "You'll be of great use, Lady general."

Deva has joined the Ramparts.

"Well met, Sir." Calaudrin tips his head towards Tristram. "But I hope we're going to have a beer after this and //not// a joint funeral." He's keeping it optimistic.

Armel kneels in the ground before the knights he helps get into position, a bulwark of silver-edged steel as he bows his head for prayer, an example that most of the knights follow, one knee going into the cold dirt as they begin to murmur out their pre-battle prayers, led by Orazio, who speaks at length of the Gods and their righteousness. Only those close could hear the echoing prayers from within so many helmets as they fill the air with their faith.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Calypso before departing.

Morrighan keeps close to Darren, however she gives him adequate space to move around and do what Ruling Prince's do. The arrival of Calypso captures her focus for but a moment, and though covered by her helm, she dips her head into a brief nod of greeting to the noblewoman.

Kodo and Podo - The Ferret Twins arrives, delivering a message to Wilhem before departing.

Wilhem wields Needler.

Silas wields Dirge, an alaricite longsword with a faint crimson sheen.

3 Grayson Guardsmen arrives, following Barric.

Fernweh Overlander 'Mike', Fernweh Overlander 'Bob' arrive, following Elrych.

Elrych, 3 House Lyonesse Adept Guard arrive, following Demura.


Through the efforts of Marquessa Demura and Duke Cristoph along with many others, the advancing tide has been slowed. While the city has recovered for two days since the attack on the Lower Boroughs, Knights of Solace and other harassing elements have brought word. The armies of the Bringers of Silence will soon arrive.

It's early into the winter day, a crisp, sunny day of pleasant weather with a light snow on the grounds outside Arx. To the north in the Gray Forest, riders begin to approach, bearing word the arrival of the Bringers are imminent. Less than an hour later, the forces begin to emerge from the northern tree line, about two miles away. Far out range of fire, but enough to start to see the massive horde begin to array itself. Distantly, extremely tall banners can be seen as the armies begin to gather beyond the trees. As the horde slowly approaches, it becomes clear that there are thirteen banners, and they are more like thirty foot tall crosses- with a slain knight of solace crucified to each one. The army pauses, eerie in its silence, completely frozen for a moment, and then starts to slam their weapons on the ground, a deep beat loud enough to be heard across the great distance.


Mathias likewise takes a knee, his head bowed in prayer, his voice murmuring something known between he and the Gods alone. He keeps praying, even as the enemy army begins to slam their weapons in the ground, even as the chaos reaches his ears. He won't be distracted from the Gods. When he stands, it's because his prayer is done, not before.

Tobias came in earlier with the main forces that were in the outskirts, along with five hundred Crimson Blade soldiers who get into formation on the Ramparts and along the walls. Tobias himself heads for the Siege Command tent, his blood red armor and flowing crimson cape fluttering with the wind. "Good evening, all. I'm sorry to report the assholes are here." Then the beating starts, and Tobias looks to the wall. "Like to make an entrance, don't they."

As the army comes into view, Calaudrin slowly shuts his mouth and stares off into the distance. His eyes sweep over the crosses, across the slain knights before he spits on the ground. Then he squares his body, readies and arrow waits for the moment when he needs to pull back and release.

Armel checked command + leadership against difficulty 15, resulting in 28, 13 higher than the difficulty.

Wilhem was new to the city, but, though a Whisper, he would help defend it as he could. Newly crafted bow in hand, he was prepared to stand upon the wall.

Barric wields House Grayson Elvesbane Longsword.

Armel stands from his prayers, and although he can't see from down below, word soon reaches him of the gruesome trophies upon the banners the enemy has brought. "Men!" He calls to those near him. "See how the enemy tries to dishearten us by showing our dead brothers! Am I along in restraining my laughter of /pity/ for such feeble tactics?! As if Death would cow us?! Death is one of /our/ Gods, and we welcome her in our own time. They are as nothing to our faith. Praise the Gods, and stand firm!" He shoves the knights into position, ready to flood into the breach, should the gate or any of the area around it fall to a breach.

Niccolo leaves his men briefly to approach the command tents. "Your Grace," he greets Darren and after the greeting from Lady Calypso, incline his head to her as well. However, as scouts start reporting the arrival of the enemy forces, the Velenosa archduke turns to the others at the tent. "I should return to my forces," he says, waiting for a few moments to see if there's anything others have to say.

"How bad is it?" Katarina yells up towards the ramparts where she can faintly see Tristram and Sophie's silhouettes, slowly vaulting down from the last of the ladder wrungs, landing solidly on her feet as golden eyes dart from Armel in the midst of prayers to the others staged in defense of the main gates.

Ford ends up standing near Artorius, "You hear that?" He looks to the man, "They're playing our song."

Deva is looking a little rough around the edges, still bruised and face still healing, when she arrives and takes her place among the archers on the ramparts. The only expression on her face is one of grim determination as she bows her head to the other ranged combatants. As the weapon thumping begins, she stares off into the distance and barely breathes.

Viviana remains quiet as the group prays, respectful even if she doesn't seem to be joining in. She pauses for a moment as the sound of weapons slamming on the ground can be heard, turning her voice towards the enemy outside the walls and yelling as loudly as her voice will carry, "Knock it off and come die already." Sure it probably can't be heard, but it's the thought that counts, right?

Darren casts his gaze outward towards the field as the runners announce the arrival of the horde, his back straightening even as the drum-beat of the enemy begins. "May the Gods and Spirits watch over us all," he murmurs to those at the tent, before he steps over to his own runner. "Ensure Deva's prepped there at the Ramparts. We'll need all the arrows that can fly when they're in reach," he passes that on, before he himself moves to the Redrain men on the ground.

Orazio lowers his arms as his quiet prayer is finished. Afterwards, he turns to look out at the thumping beat announcing the enemy's approach. It's not hard to recognize the marking of the Knights of Solace, and his expression hardens. He calls out to the Knights of Solace, and all others, "Take heart! We are the vengeance of the gods made incarnate. We will bring righteous fury down upon these abominations, and with our blades, send their corrupted shells back to the endless Abyss where they belong. Nothing shall stay our hands!"

Orazio checked command + leadership against difficulty 15, resulting in 42, 27 higher than the difficulty.

Anze remains near Asger and the other northerners as the Abandoned and bringers make themselves known. He has nothing to say, no battle cry to make, just watching the gates and the people around him quietly

Katarina checked command + leadership against difficulty 15, resulting in 54, 39 higher than the difficulty.

Barric comes in with his own retinue of men form Grayson, He nods for them to stay outside for the moment before the Prince enters and looks around the war tent, "I have arrived Your Graces. The exodus into town was like fighting a tide."

A clatter of hooves announce the arrival of Sir Rymarr Lyonesse on horseback at some distances. Once he's within suitable range, he dismounts and ties the horse off somewhere secure and easy to access. Once on foot Rymarr begins to make his way to the gates and his blade is drawn from his side and a shield beared upon his opposite arm, he melds into the rank and file seeing to the defense of the gate itself. Clad in familiar, but clearly distinctly new armor painted in deep green and black, he melds into the formations which have been arraigned to see to the defense of the impending battle.

Rymarr has joined the By the Gate.

Calaudrin checked command + leadership against difficulty 15, resulting in 36, 21 higher than the difficulty.

"Y'hear that," Ywaine calls to the men of Emerald Company, second squad, as he peers out into the winter horizon ahead of them. "They tryin' to scare us, boys. Only this is our house. This is our home. Our town. We don't bend, we don't break. You be patient. You wait for yer shot. They just trying' to spook us. Half up, half down!' he calls, half the men dropping down to keep their shooting hands warm in the cold, "Steady now," calls Ywaine to his men.

Wilhem has joined the Ramparts.

Acacia kept her chin tucked in that reverent poise, absorbing the words of prayer spoken by the Legate. The grind of her teeth is the only signal of how attuned she is to the darker sounds audible from the distance. By the time her lids unpeel, there's little humor left in her features, breath sucked in as she visually accounts the contingent of Mirror Guard formed up around them. Her dark eyes slide towards Franco, holding for a long silent moment. The grouping splits, if only to allow passage for the Archduke Niccolo to join in their ranks himself.

The young ward of House Valardin is not to be left out of the work. As she listens to the shouts of archers lining the ramparts, and their reports, she relays down the information to those on the main ground, shouting words of wisdom and morale, even in her limited grasp of Arxian. "Steady yourselves! Get ready!"

Between the murmurs wending through the crowds and Armel's rousing speech, a grim-faced Sophie asks of the recently arrived Tobias, "Is it true? Have the Knights been defiled so?"

To say that Mathias is angry at the news of the dead Knights of Solace would be an understatement. Yet that fury is contained in his black eyes, and he nods to both Orazio and Armel. "They killed our brothers. They threaten our people, our families. They die." His hand tightens on the hilt of his greatsword.

Ford wields Saffron's Edge.

Aislin has joined the By the Gate.

Calaudrin watches as the cavalary begin to bleed the approaching army. He's not a man of many words, but to the Iron Guard archers in his vicinity, "Hold steady. Keep them in your sights. Every arrow counts. Every arrow is worth one death."

"Gods watch over you, Cris," Jael murmurs a quiet prayer of her own as the army marches closer, taking a deep breath and readying her bow.

Tristram looks over all of the archers, collects the arrows that he has and the ones that he laid by Ywaine, then selects them. Three go to Deva, three to Ywaine, three to Jael, and one, just one, he keeps for himself.

Artorius begins to become angered when hearing the news of the defiled Knights. "They will pay for this defilement with cold steel and swift arrows." he says with a hint of rage in his voice, trying hard to save his composure for the enemy.


The Bringer Army still has a wide field to march through before approaching the gate. In the long field, half a hundred fortifications have been dug, with pits and snares to slow the advance as they move through a killing field to approach the Seawatch gate- the point fo entry as the Bringer army has no visible siege towers or scaling ladders or the like that they'd need to assault the northern walls that make up the Wards of House Thrax, Redrain or Valardin. Oathlands cavalry, many of them the experienced skirmishers that had been under Duke Cristoph, are under orders to try to bleed them with quick archery strikes as the bringer forces march and try to move along the coastal strand towards the gate. Five hundred oathlands cavalry begin their charge...

No one in the Compact are as experienced riders as Valardinian Knights. They wheel in front of the massive bringer formation, pausing to unleash a volley, and wheeling away, scores of shavs in the massive tide dropping, with the hail of arrows launched in response dropping a handful of the Oathlands cavalry. As they wheel again, approaching the center of the advancing bringer army, a single figure in jet black platemail in the front of the bringer forces raises a single hand as the volley of arrows from the Oathlands begins to fall. The arrows all seem to fall apart in mid air. As the Oathlands cavalry turns to wheel away and return back to Arx, they all seem to trip as one and dissolve into dust before they hit the ground. They are just gone.

The bringer army begins to advance.

Barric has joined the Ramparts.

Katarina checked composure against difficulty 9, resulting in 10, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Orazio checked composure against difficulty 10, resulting in 14, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Calaudrin checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 11, 4 lower than the difficulty.

Tobias checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 31, 16 higher than the difficulty.

Armel checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 19, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Aislin checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 14, 1 lower than the difficulty.

Mathias checked willpower against difficulty 10, resulting in 12, 2 higher than the difficulty.

Acacia checked composure against difficulty 10, resulting in 11, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Maude checked composure against difficulty 10, resulting in 21, 11 higher than the difficulty.

Darren checked composure against difficulty 10, resulting in 34, 24 higher than the difficulty.

Wilhem checked composure against difficulty 10, resulting in 14, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Reese checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 8, 7 lower than the difficulty.

Michael checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 17, 2 higher than the difficulty.

Esoka checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 10, 5 lower than the difficulty.

Morrighan checked composure against difficulty 10, resulting in 11, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Viviana checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 15, 0 higher than the difficulty.

Calypso nods to the others at the command tent when the reports of a rider turned to ash reaches them. "No one goes beyond the wall at this point."

Silas checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 23, 8 higher than the difficulty.

Niccolo checked composure against difficulty 10, resulting in 16, 6 higher than the difficulty.

If Tobias is angry, he doesn't show it. Instead, he watches the goings on from the Command tent, his left hand idling on his scabbarded sword. "Prepare yourselves." Tobias calls out to the Crimson Blades. "Emerald Company, Ruby Company. To positions and ready!"

Killian checked composure against difficulty 10, resulting in 19, 9 higher than the difficulty.

Katarina squeezes her eyes shut. "I warned Princess Alis," she murmurs under her breath, when reports of the Valardin Knights simply disappearing into dust reach her ears. She doesn't let it shake her, pushing forward with her cries to rally the troop.

Darren moves to get a better look through the gates across the field, watching the Valardin forces with grim determination. When they turn to dust, he sucks in a breath, but stays composed, returning to his men. "No one goes beyond the wall. Archers, ready your bows. We'll bring them to their knees, one way or another," he declares.

Deva gives Darren a salute once she's in place, nodding thankfully to the runner sent. As Tristram hands out glass arrows, she delicately places them within reach.

Armel hears about /that/ turn of events, and turns to his Knights. "The enemy brings foul magics! They despoil the very ground they walk upon. But we have our faith! We have Father Orazio! We have the Gods on our side, and this magic shall not bring us low!" He stands tall, somehow keeping his composure in the face of five hundred proud men dying instantly with a wave of a hand.

Slowly, the bringer army advances within range of the deployed trebuchets, and then the ballistae along the walls. The assorted Compact soldiers on the wall wait for the word. ((For anyone on the walls that are manning siege weapons, you may roll dexterity + archery at 40. For anyone wishing to give leadership rolls to encourage them, you may roll command + leadership at 40. For anyone wishing to give tactical advice, you may roll intellect + war at 40))

Orazio listens to the report with a confident expression. To those near him, he says, "Be wary of those dark powers, but remember that these Bringers can still be brought down with steel and courage. Which we have in abundance."

Katarina checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 43, 3 higher than the difficulty.

Darren checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 54, 14 higher than the difficulty.

Calaudrin is visibly startled when the cavalry disappears. For a moment he lowers his bow and stares across the empty space to where they used to be and now aren't. He swallows hard and gives his head a solid shake, before attempting to breathe again.

Barric climbs to the ramparts and looks out over , perhaps it was best he had not seen, but the wails as those lost.

Niccolo checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 55, 15 higher than the difficulty.

Maude checked intellect + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 46, 6 higher than the difficulty.

Calypso checked intellect + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 75, 35 higher than the difficulty.

Tobias checked intellect + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 39, 1 lower than the difficulty.

Deva checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 50, 10 higher than the difficulty.

Rymarr checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 43, 3 higher than the difficulty.

Wilhem checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 28, 12 lower than the difficulty.

Calaudrin checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 35, 5 lower than the difficulty.

Barric checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 30, 10 lower than the difficulty.

Armel has rolled a critical success!
Armel checked command + leadership against difficulty 15, resulting in 99, 84 higher than the difficulty.

Ywaine has rolled a critical success!
Ywaine checked composure against difficulty 15, resulting in 52, 37 higher than the difficulty.

"Stand strong!" Katarina shouts encouragingly as she moves across the front lines, pausing near soldiers far taller and older than herself to offer words of encouragement.

Michael checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 19, 21 lower than the difficulty.

Orazio checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 54, 14 higher than the difficulty.

The color bleeds from Jael's face as the riders simply disappear, fingers tightening around her bow. Don't think it, don't think it, don't think it. If her brother sent her back to the walls because he planned on being there... It doesn't bear thinking at the moment. It's time for action.

"Y'heard the general boys," calls Ywaine from the ramparts, "Squad," he calls, the word elongated with the lilt of a military voice, "UP!" The twenty men all rise up. "Stand ready to pull! Sergeant, 'member, five minute checks on quivers, I wanna know when we need runners up with replacements. Alright boys, we don't do it for the wine, women or song, and we're here for a reason. Git yer butts ready." he says as he plants himself midway in the squad, slightly back, but space for him to plant his feet and get ready, rolling his shoulders. His teeth and jaw set. He calls down to Tobias, "Cav is lost, general - black armored fella, waved his hand, stopped arrows, dissolved the knights t'dust. Suggest priority target."

Acacia bites the interior of her cheek hard enough to produce a partial flinch. Remaining silent, there's a small, scarcely imperceptible sway upon her feet when she seeks to force herself to keep her position. Only one stray movement is made, a protective one a touch nearer Niccolo's side.

    Tristram moves away, temporarily, from the archery area. He mans a ballista, with crew, and works with it.

Silas checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 34, 6 lower than the difficulty.

Armel just inspires the HELL out of his knights, walking the line and shouting for them to stand strong, to stand tall. "The Gods are with us! To their powers, a Bringer is nothing! Knights do not bend! Knights to not break! You are the Shield of the Compact, and you will stand HERE. This far and NO FARTHER! Not while a single one of us lives!"

"Archers at the ready," Niccolo calls out to the archers from Lenosia helping man the ramparts and well, any others that happen to listen to him. "We wil prevail, show them the mistake of threatening our homes," the archduke calls out from withing his men, his deep voice booming across. He holds his sword up. "For Arx, for the Compact!"

Tristram checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 43, 3 higher than the difficulty.

Killian hears word down as to what happened and frowns, "Sounds as though Brand is going to make his appearance.." he says quietly..reaching up to pull his visor down. He frowns quietly and begins to pray.

"This is for our home, this is for our families!" Darren's deep voice rises in the chorus to his men and women, and he stands tall. "We will stand tall, we will overcome. To the last!" he shouts, and the words are echoed back to him by the soldiers. There is a moment where he glances up to Deva, and salutes her, shouting up. "To the last, Deva!"

Khanne comes running from the city streets, clad in her armor and already wielding her bow. She is focused, currently, and calm, more so than she would be in this situation usually. She climbs up to the ramparts where the other Halfshav archers wait at the ready, joining them. "To the last!" she shouts towards them as she settles in.

Barric raises Elvesbane and calls out to the troops, but his words are mostly drowned out by most of the shouting, but he still tries, showing the alacrite sword for all to see, the slayer of the twin Bringers at the battle of the Gray River. "Stand ready, stand true... We are the righteous. Arx will not fall."

Calaudrin doesn't encourage anyone to man any siege engines because that would be a not so great idea. Instead he focuses on the archers around him, "Ready yourselves. They'll be within our reach soon." After regaining his composure from earlier, he takes anoter steadying breath and gets himself together.

Calypso stays back where she can see the majority of the fight. The archers in position, the siege weapon drivers and their distance from the oncoming hoard. She sends up bits of information, tactical strategy to those giving the commands. The communication runners run as fast as they can between points to get the messages in time.

The Lord Commander's lip twitches when he hears the news of the doomed cavalry. He remains composed, otherwise, and approaches the ramparts where Calaudrin's archer retinue is positioned. "Keep calm, guardsmen. Keep your aim steady no matter what comes," he urges, then focusing his attention on what his unfolding in front of them.

Maude stands by the command tents, though largely because it seems like a central point to receive orders and dispatch them in turn. The old general looks to the others nearby and nods her head, subtly, "They'll do that sort of thing, won't they? From what I hear, their bodies have been. Their bodies." she says to Sophie, just as a courier arrives with the message. "Hmm. Well, fuck." she remarks dryly, then leans in to give the courier some words in return, "Hold the ballistae until due time. Do not waste bolts on common Shavs. The rest, fire at will. They know their marks. They should."

Reese is adorned in all her silvery steel plate and wielding her pink sword. She is near the gates. When the Oathland army vanishes, she sucks in a sharp breath and then another breath, seeming to be very frightened. She looks toward her cousin as he speaks, nodding in response to his words and trying move closer to him.

Orazio's voice rises in prayer. The Legate begins to recite the canticles of Gloria, reaching back to the very oldest that hint at the horrors of the Reckoning...horrors the heroes of the Compact stood against and defeated, time and time again. His voice carries clear and strong even against the battle calls, reminding each soldier of the strength each one of them possesses, and of the power of the gods against evil.


Panic is, of course, one of the biggest dangers at times like this. Fortunately, many of the most experienced and resolute leaders of the Compact are at the Seawatch gate, bolstering the resolve of the soldiers who had just witnessed something no one could explain, and had every reason to be overcome by terror. While some of the Iron Guard look shaky despite the best efforts of Lord Michael Bisland and Lord Commander Silas Mercier, a number take heart at the unshakable Lord Ywaine of the Crimson Blades. Northmen hear the cry of their highlord, Prince Darren Redrain, and echo the cry, "TO THE LAST!", standing firm on the ramparts. Lycene watch Archduke Niccolo Velenosa speak and stand firm as the bringer army marches on. And Knights of Solace and Templars hear Legate Orazio, and stand ready to do battle with a foe that they could label as truly evil. But would the forces on the rampart have routed for all that? Perhaps, if it was not for Armel, whose words bolstered so many, as soldier after soldier nods in agreement and cry out, "We have the Faith! Stand firm, we have the gods!" There is no rout from the foul magics. And then, in reply, the ballistae begin to fire...



From the gate position, Rymarr's helmet lifts up and to each side while he peers up and onto the battlements of the walls. He considers them before he calls out, "Strike true and hard! You can do it!", he says even as he points the tip of the silver-white blade up toward each side of the walls hugging the Seawatch Gate. He seems to focus in on one archer in particular before he calls out, "Put steel in your spine and fight hard!" Then his helmet lowers again and the blade shifts into an upright position, held at the ready to his right side. His shield presses in against his left side and the plate clad knight prepares for the coming fight. Though the presence of another in the form of Father Orazio, Legate of Concepts, seems to draw Rymarr's attention and he proceeds to try to shuffle through the ranks to approach the Legate.

Tenderhearted but steel spined, Sophie nods in response to Maude's confirmation. The Mercy then murmurs a fervent, silent prayer for the defiled Knights of Solace.


    Elrych, First Knight to Marquessa Demura Lyonesse rides in then with a number of Lyonesse troops and a few of his own Overlanders. "Archers to the Ramparts, blacken the sky with your arrows once the word is given. Polearms, let's reinforce the Guard..." He dismounths his horse pulling his extrodinarily large blade from his back, Mugetsu.

Barric looks to Reese as she nears and he nods, "We shall keep them out cousin. Do not worry, we will repeat or victory." There is a glee almost there eon his face as the wait is over and now they face the enemy finally and all they will bring against them.

    Tristram steps to the ballistae nearest the archery ramparts, and guides it in, taking careful aim, determining windage, and praying to Gloria. In fact, the Prince in Purple is singing, constantly singing hymns to Gloria, at this point. He seems upbeat, light as a feather, before he fires...

It's a known fact that Deva likes hitting things with other things. Arrows. Rocks. Fruit. Catapults. Chairs. Today, it's ballistae from the long list. "You just gotta-- put your arm in it," she tells the others joining her, wincing slightly at the exertion as they take aim.

Reese holds her pink blade at the ready even as she moves to stand next to Barric. She nods in response to his words, seemingly encouraged by them. There is this lingering intense fear in her somber blue eyes that even the bravery of compact cannot fully chase away. "We will." She says, tightening her grasp on the blade's handle. She glances over to Orazio as he prays maybe encouraged by him as well. She sucks in one steadying, bracing breath and then another.

Wilhem took aim on oen of the balista as well. He looked over it, sighting it as he went. "Yeah?... Not much like my bow..." But, he lined it up, and soon enough, sent the huge bolt flying towards the enemy.

"If the demon turns things to dust, hit their outer units, see if you can get more hits in that way." Tobias calls to his men. "DO NOT target the black plated demon. Hit the supporting units as you can, fire at will!"

Armel calls out to his men, "See? Even now, we rain retribution down upon the enemy! May Gloria guide their arrows, and Gild shield them from harm!" He is really getting into the spirit of things...Or just wanting to make sure his men don't have time to think about what's happening out there, clapping them on the shoulder and working up their assertions of the God's favor.

"Throw them back in the Abyss!" Mathias roars as encouragement. Until an enemy actually breaks through the gate, he's really there for moral support.

Alejandra, a snowy white hound have been dismissed.

Justice, an elegant hunting falcon have been dismissed.

Calaudrin turns his head just enough to get a look at Silas when he approaches. "Holding it together." For now anyway. He purses his lips into a line, drawing his arm back. "Ready, ready." And waiting as patiently as he can, given the circumstances.

"Y'heard the general, boys. Do NOT target the black fella, outer targets. Y'know yer range. Fire at will once they are in range!" booms Ywaine to his men. One more roll of his shoulders and he pulls an arrow from his quiver, knocks it loosely - not at full draw yet - and sets himself and waits. There's no more need for exhortion at this point - the men and women in the squad know the drill, having trained this and shoot at targets from the wall. On the wall and on the ground, a small piece of cloth wavers back and forth - giving a sense of the wind. "Section one, west side, front t'back. Section two, east. Fire at will!"

Rymarr offers nothing more than a nod when he moves to stand near Orazio, though the knight does nothing to impede upon the immediate vicinity of the Legate while he is intoning his prayer. Rymarr's helmet bows for a moment, a brief prayer sent to a few select gods, and when his helmet rises anew he shifts his footing in order to prepare for the coming assault. He does not waste time with needless words. He does not waste energy with needless gestures. He stands statuesque, tall and broad shouldered in his black and green armor while he awaits the battle to be joined with sword in hand and shield on his arm. A rubicund morning star hanging from his left side, likely in wait for a suitable back-up should it become necessary. Stern blue eyes peer out from the narrow slit over his visor and his breath barely fogs as it escapes the vertical slit of his helmet's faceplate, given the relatively pleasant nature of the winter day.

Darrow steps up to the side of Orazio, silent and stoic. He folds his arms beneath his stormcloak and looks over to Rymarr, offering a solid nod, and he inclines his head respectfully at the prayer of Orazio.


The siege weapons on the ramparts were largely the work of Duke Gabriel Bisland and Lady Maude Ashford, the latter one of the more experienced generals of the Compact. They were positioned with care, for exactly this reason, to rend apart an enemy advancing towards the Seawatch Gate, that would have to walk along that long strand and come under fire. Out of range of archery from whence the invading horde can reply, the trebuchets and ballistae begin to fire, a ballistae bolt fired by Prince Tristram cutting a swath through an advancing unit, as the ballista under Deva's command appears to turn a bringer into fine paste. The same figure in black platemail waves a hand almost contemptuously, and the ballistae seem to all fall apart, as they aged a thousand years in a moment, with the trebuchets collapsing and crushing men that were manning them. The Bringer army starts to march into arrow range, and a strange mist on the otherwise clear day begins to move from the sea, coating the battlefield in a sudden, inexplicable fog.


Tristram watches the ballista he is manning disentigrate. Frowning, he moves back over to the archery portion of the walls, and picks up his bow. He takes careful aim...and waits.

There's no cries or shouts from the invading horde, no great roar from tens of thousands of voices that would come normally with any great siege. Instead, an unnerving silence as they march closer. Despite the sudden, unnatural fog, figures can still be dimly seen in the mist, and archers can finally begin to fire. ((dexterity + archery at 40, and for those wanting to stop any panic, command + leadership at 40. In addition, arrows are going to begin to rain in -from- the bringers. -Everyone- roll dexterity + dodge at 20))

Michael checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 35, 15 higher than the difficulty.

Barric has some of the Graysom soldiers with shields come up to the ramparts, "Space yourself out... Protect the archers with your shields! Defend the homeland and kill anything that tries to make it over the top!" The sight of the ballista crumbling and then the black mist, evil sorcery where at work again...

Darren checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 46, 6 higher than the difficulty.

Acacia checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 46, 26 higher than the difficulty.

Aislin checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 21, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Darren checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 41, 21 higher than the difficulty.

Viviana checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 15, resulting in 49, 34 higher than the difficulty.

Armel checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 27, 7 higher than the difficulty.

Darrow checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 43, 23 higher than the difficulty.

Katarina checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 48, 28 higher than the difficulty.

Franco checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 33, 13 higher than the difficulty.

Maude checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 46, 6 higher than the difficulty.

Morrighan checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 45, 25 higher than the difficulty.

Ywaine checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 38, 2 lower than the difficulty.

Reese checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 21, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Ford has rolled a critical success!
Ford checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 30, 10 higher than the difficulty.

Armel has rolled a critical success!
Armel checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 101, 61 higher than the difficulty.

Katarina checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 41, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Niccolo checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 42, 2 higher than the difficulty.

Thesarin checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 20, 0 higher than the difficulty.

Clover checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 15, resulting in 1, 14 lower than the difficulty.

Tobias checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 15, resulting in 23, 8 higher than the difficulty.

Maude checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 15, 5 lower than the difficulty.

Calypso checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 20, 0 higher than the difficulty.

Orazio checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 53, 13 higher than the difficulty.

Ywaine checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 21, 19 lower than the difficulty.

Killian checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 19, 1 lower than the difficulty.

Barric checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 44, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Khanne checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 39, 1 lower than the difficulty.

Niccolo checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 22, 2 higher than the difficulty.

Wilhem checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 21, 19 lower than the difficulty.

Tristram checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 64, 44 higher than the difficulty.

Silas checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 39, 19 higher than the difficulty.

Deva checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 25, 5 higher than the difficulty.

Jael checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 41, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Michael checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 35, 5 lower than the difficulty.

Elrych checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 30, 10 higher than the difficulty.

Ywaine checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 28, 8 higher than the difficulty.

Wilhem checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 19, 1 lower than the difficulty.

Edelma checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 39, 1 lower than the difficulty.

Orazio checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 19, 1 lower than the difficulty.

Jael checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 43, 23 higher than the difficulty.

Khanne checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 25, 5 higher than the difficulty.

Edelma checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 28, 8 higher than the difficulty.

Asger checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 21, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Tristram checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 44, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Anze checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 54, 34 higher than the difficulty.

Rymarr checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 47, 27 higher than the difficulty.

Roland has rolled a critical success!
Roland checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 37, 17 higher than the difficulty.

Mathias has left the By the Gate.

Artorius checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 25, 5 higher than the difficulty.

Deva checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 64, 24 higher than the difficulty.

Rymarr checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 67, 27 higher than the difficulty.

Wilhem's go wide. "That's not good...." He pulled up his bow, and started to let launch.

Calaudrin checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 44, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Esoka checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 22, 2 higher than the difficulty.

Mathias has joined the By the Gate.

Tobias checked command + leadership against difficulty 15, resulting in 37, 22 higher than the difficulty.

Calaudrin checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 10, 10 lower than the difficulty.

Silas checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 46, 6 higher than the difficulty.

Barric checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 27, 7 higher than the difficulty.

Sophie checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 22, 2 higher than the difficulty.

Calaudrin checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 33, 7 lower than the difficulty.

"What the--" Deva sputters, quickly jumping backwards as the ballista falls apart. "How did that--?!" Frantic, she looks to the other men around, all while reaching for her bow. She makes haste to join the archers again, ready to return fire. "Gods above..." she mutters under her breath.

Armel stands tall as the arrows begins to fall, merely standing a little closer to the Gate while it lasts so that most rain harmlessly behind him. He turns to his men. "Remember your oaths, Knights of the Compact! This is nothing but fear! A knight does not bend to fear. Gloria powers your arms! Gild will shield your bodies! When the dawn next rises, this gate will be choked with their dead, and the city will be ours! For the Faith! For the Gods! For the Compact!" He raises his hammer, a visible example as he inspires his men, and all the soldiers standing at the gate, to stand tall in the face of the enemy and their devilry.

Ford checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 28, 12 lower than the difficulty.

The groaning of ballistae falling apart into rotted, ancient wood is hard to miss, and Orazio's expression turns grim, even as he nods to Darrow. Maybe it's contagious. Still, his voice rises up, strong and confident. "Never falter, and never fear! May the Sentinel grant us truth, may Vellichor grant us wisdom, and may Gloria grant us courage to never surrender to despair! We are the sword and shield of the Compact, and we will not falter!"

Aislin shifts back and forth, fidgeting despite her best efforts. The pale-haired adventurer is a fighter, yes -- but usually alone, in the wilds, against direwolves or violent shavs. Standing in formation, waiting for the enemy to advance -- this isn't her usual method of conflict, and it doesn't sit easy with her. In fact, the sudden hail of arrows from overhead seems almost a relief to the antsy Ashford; at least it's something she can /react/ to, rather than standing there.

Sophie checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 24, 16 lower than the difficulty.

Mathias checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 69, 49 higher than the difficulty.

Fog or no, as the army marches closer, Jael takes the immediate opportunity to shoot into the mist at the approaching figures, jaw set hard against the thoughts in the back of her mind. She narrows her world to the bow in her hand, the tension of the string, and the target on the ground.

Mae checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 34, 14 higher than the difficulty.

"Move back, get away from the siege weapons!" Darren barks the order as he shouts up to his soldiers, "This is for your homes, your families! Do not bend to fear, do not give in to the enemy! We are righteous, we have the strength that we need. Never surrender!" he calls out to his men. "Ready your weapons, we cannot let them take the gates."

Artorius checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 9, 31 lower than the difficulty.

Edelma may not have much experience leading large groups of men and women, but she does have experience leading people, regardless, so she attempts to calm anyone within her call from freaking out at the arrows coming in and the unnatural silence. "Steady now, everyone...." Her voice sounds a bit shakey as she says this. "Steady..." And then arrows are sent in at them and she moves to find some cover.

The rigid tension had just started to uncoil from Acacia's shoulders the longer she'd stood there. But that was before the morale-bolstering sound of the firing weapons abruptly ceased and that silence reigned. The first downward torrent of arrows had her cursing, formation broken when she'd dodged abruptly to the side with the skid of her boots narrowly avoiding the spread. Those that penetrate the ground are snapped underfoot, with Franco's flask-drinking threatened to be interrupted when her shoulder catches him in the process. "Negotiate later," she snarls in a lower voice towards him.

"Stay vigilant!" Silas shouts out as he begins to weave and dodge out of the way of the raining arrows. His movements conspiciously bring him closer and closer to Clover... though it's likely he's not quick -enough- to shield her completely.

    Tristram takes careful aim. He's singing as he pulls back the bow, aiming for the Bringers with his diamondplated bow. Hymns rise from his lips as he releases shaft after shaft.

Khanne lifts her head from her sights for a moment, startled by the crumbling ballistae. She then looks towards the sea and the mysterious fog rolling in. She lets out a slow sigh and leans her head down again, pulling the string of her bow and taking aim, waiting to see a somewhat clear shot then letting arrow fly when one is within range.

Rymarr calls up abruptly once the arrows begin to rain in, "Shields up!", and he puts those words to action by quickly bringing his shield up and over himself. Quietly he mutters to himself; something about wanting a larger shield, no doubt. He remains tucked away beneath his shield, though he does not falter. He calls out from beneath the cover of his shield, more for the benefit of those around himself, "Stand firm! If they weren't afraid to fight the Compact, they'd charge in without arrows. You don't pepper an enemy you don't fear! THEY are afraid!", he calls out with trumph ringing from within his helmet.

Calaudrin pulls his arm back the rest of the way, picks a misty figure down below aims and... "Fire!" to his fellow archers as well as himself. He lets his arrow loose and is pleased to see it fly true. Well, hopefully. He can't stop stand and stare at it because arrows come raining down on his head. He brings an armored hand up over his head to try to mitigate the damage of not being fast enough to quite get out of the way.

Ywaine lets fly with the rest of the archers that are in his squad. Oddly, their bows ring less than others around them - small circular wooden spheres helping limit the 'twang' of the arrows as they are let loose. And then the arrows are flying back from the other archers and the big Telmar lord - who for a big fella can sure move - ducks and launches himself out of the way of incoming fire, or tries to.

"Steady! Steady, men!" Katarina's girlish shout rings through the fog-shrouded grounds as she rushes for cover. "Take cover! Do not show those -- things fear!" Her bracer-covered arm snatches up a dropped shield, raising it above her head to protect from incoming rain of arrows. "Together! Stand together!"

Mathias dodges out of the way of the arrows flying out from the mist, without needing to move much from his current place in the ranks. He glances back to Orazio. "Ye all right, Prelate?"

"Stand firm! Do not falter!" Niccolo calls out to the forces of Lenosia and anyone else that his deep booming voice can reach. His sword remains high up, even as he weaves around to avoid the barrage of arrows coming their way. Some get so close to just hitting the archduke. "Archers, return fire!" He looks up to the ramparts, his dark brown eyes trying to locate Deva, if only briefly.

Mae comes rushing into the scene, fleet-footed as ever. Nothing can stop her! Of course, she's not keen to get herself killed, so she tries to stay mostly out of the way. Which apparently means ducking behind something for cover!

Killian catches an arrow, with his shoulder..and groans as it digs in incredibly deep. He grabs it by the haft and wrenches it out, but his left shoulder is seeping through his armor as he curses. "Of all the ill luck..."

Orazio staggers as an arrow falls from the sky and hits him square in the shoulder, piercing the leather armor like it was nothing. Orazio can't help the very unpriestlike cursing, but he grits his teeth and nods. "Fine. I'm fine." And he raises his hand to begin to pray again.

Michael, already standing near Clover, attempts to offer some protection to the healer as arrows rain on them. He weaves between the arrows and his grip tightens on his sword if at all possible. "Lady Clover! Stay behind me--" he urges quickly.

Viviana shifts a little as the arrows fall around her unshielded form, though thankfully none of the arrows manage to find their mark on her. Addressing those around her once more, she gives a little smile. "They're going to have to do better than that to kill us! Don't give them the satisfaction."

"Emerald Company, Ruby Company. Back away and get into cover until the fog is gone. Everyone else, Turtle formation!" Tobias calls out as he dodges as best he can in his armor.

Barric seems to step right and left the arrows landing around him like he could foresee where they would strike. He moves closer to Reese and readies for whatever will come over the wall or through the gate if the enemy gets that far, "For Grayson... Fill them full of quills."

Ford stands still, even as the arrows come and fall all around him. Divine providence? Nah, just luck.

"Second squad," comes Ywaine's booming voice, "Back ten, find cover! Sergeant, get me a headcount," as he moves to follow Tobias' orders.

Clover falls unconscious.

Clover hears the warnings and glances upward to see the sky full of arrows coming down. One coming /straight/ for her. She does, indeed, try to get out of the way of the raining arrows but trips over something and lands as on her ass just as an arrow slams down, all but pinning the Wyrmguard healer to the ground.

Reese manages to dodge the arrows. She looks toward Barric, nodding in response to his words. The princess stays braced for the incoming attack.

Sophie does what she can to rally the Mercies once the rain of arrows has ended, but it's not working so well amid all the chaos. All the same, she and a handful of Lagoma's healers are seeking to aid the injured. So far, she seems blessed by the Gods, having avoided being hit herself.

Mae wields a wicked, thin-bladed dagger of whimsical design.

Silas makes a feral hiss when Clover goes down in spite of Michael's valiant efforts to act like a shield. He crouches over her and breaks the embedded shaft and attempts to remove the rest. He applies pressure to the bleeding area, but plucks up the small lady in short order. "I'll be back..."

Darrow wields a deadly flail with three spiked steel teardrops.

Maude receives word of the ballista's collapse, and with a grand gesture, charcoal in hand, crosses every emplacement off the map she'd been pouring over. "Next time, see if an alaricite ballista does the fucking trick." and she marches out of the command tent, only to take an arrow to the arm, pinning mail to flesh. This staggers her for a moment, but she stands, limping towards the gate for a few strides, enough for her voice to carry past the din, "If he could do it alone, he'd be alone! Your choice is this: stand now and make it worth it, or die tomorrow with the rest of the world! I'm ready to go today myself!" she stands out in the open as a Sophie pulls the arrow from her arm.

Clover wakes up.

Silas has left the By the Gate.

Clover has left the By the Gate.

1 Iron Guardsmen leaves, following Clover.

3 Iron Guardsmen, Clover leave, following Silas.

Rymarr and those gathered around Father Orazio, Legate of Concepts, seem to be having a perfectly pleasant conversation amidst the chaos of the siege and the rain of arrows. Alert and prepared to fight on, of course one would take the opportunity to better prepare themselves for the assault in progress.


Twice now, the forces have avoided a rout by the words of Armel as he also uses the example of the legate Orazio and calls to the gods. The Lord Commander Silas of the Iron Guard keeps those soldiers firm, while the Crimson Blades stay stalwart with their leader Tobias' orders being shouted. The former Lord Commander of the King's Own, Lord Rymarr Lyonesse, provides confidence on the field. Arrows rain from both sides, notably the Lady Clover dropping as an arrow finds her in a terrible wound, the woman losing consciousness from blood loss. Deva finds another mark with her archery, shooting a bringer from a horse, while Calaudrin drops one that seems to be a commander, and Jael shoots down an opposing archer before they were able to fire up at the walls. Still they march on, and the 'banners' of the crucified Knights of Solace are lowered as battering rams against the gates.


As the mist makes them nearly impossible to see the forces below, arrows continue to rain up and down, but the battering ram moves to the gate, and passes in range of boiling oil prepared for by Duke Gabriel Bisland. ((Archers can continue to fire (same roll), and Maude can roll her command + war at 40 and pick up to 5 others to add in their skills for the effectiveness of burning oil + murder holes))

3 Iron Guardsmen arrives, following Silas.

Michael's breath rakes against his throat as Clover falls. He reaches downwards her before he nods at Silas. "Of course, Lord Commander," he calls as the Silas takes Clover off the battlefield and attends to her wounds. He turns his attention back towards the coming onslaught and inhales a deep breath.

Wilhem checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 27, 13 lower than the difficulty.

Deva has rolled a critical success!
Deva checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 120, 80 higher than the difficulty.

Orazio breaks the arrow off one-handed, leaving enough to be able to retrieve the rest later, and reaches into his pack for bandages. A small pot of salve is in another belt pocket, and he is able to smear enough on to do a passable field dressing on his own wounds. His voice continues to ring in prayers and exhortations, in between occasional quiet conversations.

Jael checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 61, 21 higher than the difficulty.

Esoka managed to get her shield up quick enough to avoid death from above as the arrows fall. She checks those around her - eyes going to Thesarin first and foremost, then Edelma, then dizzingly around her at the sea of soldiers she's pressed in with by the gate. Her shield stays half-raised, not expecting the torrent of archery to dissipate. Rymarr's words make her set her jaw again, resolved, as they reach her ears.

Tristram checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 80, resulting in 48, 32 lower than the difficulty.

"Spirits...." Khanne says under her breath, her eyes scanning the scene before her while she reaches back for a new arrow, nocking it into place and steadying her nerves as she looks to take aim once more. Her heart pounds in her chest, faster than the beat of the calling drums used in her meditations before, though she breathes steadily, focused and calm.

Khanne checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 19, 21 lower than the difficulty.

Killian drops back to the triage area, his shoulder bleeding where he pulled the arrow out. "I hate to be troublesome, but I fear that I might need this arm soon.." he says quietly to the first healer he can find.

Orazio waves at Killian. "Here, let me help, if I can."

Calaudrin checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 32, 8 lower than the difficulty.

There's an entire army below - Jael doesn't have time to stop and celebrate hitting one soldier below. Keeping quiet as the spelled attackers below, she sets another arrow to her bowstring to fire once more into the mists.

Armel cannot see the Father through the line of knights, and so doesn't react immediately. Instead, he hears the first thumps of the battering rams against the massive doors and lines his men up, with him at the forefront in the middle of the line. "This is it, men! Here we stand! Here, they fall!" And he hefts his warhammer in both hands, ready for whatever comes through that gate...Hopefully.

When the arrows begin to rain down, Morrighan steps next to Darren, preparing to yank the Prince down and out of harms way - if necessary. Luckily she avoids being struck, however she assesses the nobleman to ensure he's unharmed. "You good?" she asks, pausing for but a moment when the sound of the gate being battered reaches her ears.

Silas arrives after speedily transporting Clover to the House of Solace. With him he brings a few rolls of gauze... one of which he casually tosses Killian's way as he retakes his position as Commander of the Iron Guard forces.

"Ruby and Emerald Company, keep firing. If they get inside, pick your targets as visibility allows!" Tobias calls to his men. "Heavy infantry, get ready for a holding action!"

Calaudrin blinks as an arrow hits his helmt and bounces off the ground. He readies another arrow and fires into the mist, this time disoriented a smidge and not firing quite as well. He does take some solace in seeing that his original target from before seems to have gone down. "Lets take down another one..." He readies for a third time, looking for a solid target in the mist.

Seeing Killian being taken care of, Orazio casts around for other wounded. He approaches Wilhem. "Here, let me help." The Legate bandages and salves, his rusty skills coming back to him as he works. "May Lagoma and Gloria bless you, warrior," he adds, when he's done, laying a hand briefly on Wilhem's shoulder.

Wilhem continued to send arrow after arrow, giving thanks to Orazio when the man pulled an arrow from his shoulder. Wilhem just nocked it, and sent it flying as well, not even bothering to aim with the numbers arrayed before them.

Barric leaves the grayson few on the walls to help deflect the arrows from the enemy so their own archers can keep up the volleys of their own. As the rams crash against the gates he meets with Reese and other Grayson troops to stand if the gates come down.

Maude checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 60, 20 higher than the difficulty.

Ywaine checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 28, 12 lower than the difficulty.

Darren checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 55, 15 higher than the difficulty.

Niccolo checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 39, 1 lower than the difficulty.

"I really, really hate these fu--" Deva cuts herself off up there on the ramparts, narrowing her eyes instead as she takes aim once more. Everything but the enemy melts out of her sight, and she holds her breath while steadying herself for another shot across the line.

Calypso checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 70, 30 higher than the difficulty.

Rymarr checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 29, 11 lower than the difficulty.

Tobias checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 50, 10 higher than the difficulty.

Mae dodges arrows left and right, too fast for such nonsense! She quickly beats feat until she can find Acacia, and head to her cousin's side. She doesn't say anything, just gets close, and then turns to look around.

Calaudrin checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 56, 16 higher than the difficulty.

"Second squad. Uuuup! AIM! FIRE!" booms Ywaine as he rises. He nocks another arrow and takes aim - missing again, his logical mind notes as he reaches for a second arrow and nocks it, glancing up and down at his men as if checking in on people. "C'mon boys! Everyone who misses has six hours of PT with the old man after this is done!" he booms.

"Watch yourself," Darren barks to Morrighan as he dances around the arrows, managing to miss the ones that fall to the air. He grabs the nearest runner and pulls him to the Commander's table. "We'll need to focus on the ones with the battering rams, burn those fuckers to the ground. Get the oil, dump it down, and have the archers make sure their mark is true. We can't have them breaking down the gates."

Rymarr remains tucked away beneath his shield, conversing quietly to those settled in around Orazio. The morning star which hangs at his left side is eventually plucked free by Sir Darrow and Rymarr casts a simple nod of his head toward the knight. On the part of Rymarr however he finally pokes his head up from behind his shield and calls out to those on close quarters siege defenses, "Keep that gate up, pour it on them! Don't worry about getting it on yourself; you can't deep fry courage!", he says before his shield comes up and over his head again as he prepares for something more to drop in from above. Sword at the ready, he leans into his armored front foot in a bid to prepare himself for a charge at the gates.

Acacia's solidly aligned within the awaiting Mirror Guard, protective formation near Niccolo and Franco. Traversing beneath the upheld shields and sliding through bodies would have Mae reaching her in due time, but rather than welcome her with open arms, she spits half a curse at her appearance-- one cut short when she'd dodged once more. Standing so near to the gates, the commands and shouts overwhelm her quick reply.

Calypso waits for the exact right moment to let the burning oils pots go. She watches the field and just as the timing lines up she calmly and directly tells those under her watch to light 'em up! "Hold. Steady. Now!"

Elrych weaves through raining bolts as he lines up his command of pole arms to reinforce Armel's at the gate. "Steady kids..." He himself goes to join the man there with his heavy blade in hand. His hair pulled back, he puts on his helm finally. "How long do you think we have..." He asks the Crownsword knight. He looks up to see the archers firing. THen turning towards his line he smacks his helm and they all do in responce but remain silent and ready to push if the gate is to fail.

Franco's positioning had been jostled by a practiced shove from Acacia, but that only likely aided him in getting further into the shade of the walls near the gate. Once in there he does raise an arm to help brace a shield above him. Eyes dart to the newcomer, and his mouth opens for words that are likely drowned out as his eyes settle on her weapon with a lift of his brows.

Viviana tightens her grip on her weapon just a little as the sounds of approaching troops draw near the gate. "Remember everyone... they've marched an awfully long way in order to die here. Let's not make sure not to disappoint them."

Tobias hits the pots as soon as his instincts tell him it'll do maximum damage. "Wait for it.... wait for it... GO!"

Niccolo finds himself about to help call for the oil, but is unable to when one of his soldiers, who has a very marked arrow poking through his chest stumbles against him. The archduke immediately catches the man, rather than let him fall to his feet. "You," he points to another of his soldiers, passing the man over, "Drag him to the mercies."

Darrow wields Calamity, a rubicund morning star.

Khanne is a shaman and a hunter, not a soldier, but she tries relentlessly. If her arrows can hit and take out even one, that is one less others will have to deal with. She sets her jaw and lifts her chin with determination, reaching for another arrow from her quiver. The Halfshav archers she shoots beside are more trained for battle, and she has instructed the most experienced to call the shots, though she is ready to over ride his call if need be.


As the seawatch gate is hammered by the battering rams, arrows rain back and forth. Prince Tristram tries to pick out that same figure in black platemail among the mass that is obscured by the mist, and for just a moment, he thinks he sees the leader that had turned the cavalry to dust. An arrow flies from Tristram straight at the figure, seeming to change into flame as it arcs down, and shatters as if it hit a wall inches from the armored figure's helm. The figure looks up, and breaks the utter silence of the invading army to rumble in a booming voice as it points directly at Tristram, "Die." The rampart Tristram is standing on seems to explode outward, sending him flying backwards. Princess Deva Redrain immediately picks out the fire and fires in return, her arrow lancing down and striking the armored figure's helm right in the eye visor, and it seems to stagger back and falls out of eyesight in the mist, right as the boiling oil is pushed over onto the waiting figures below at the exact time from Lady Maude Ashford's orders. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of shavs manning the battering rams are burned alive, and there are no screams. More begin to approach, picking up the still smoking battering rams that melt their hands. Arrows rain down from the Compact's defenders, felling the approaching shavs by the score despite their kite shields starting to form a turtle around the rams.


Tristram falls unconscious.

Gripping the massive red-steel morningstar, Darrow stands near Rymarr and Orazio, standing watchfully stark near the the wounded Archlector, his pale eyes up and out at the walls.

Orazio laughs at something Rymarr says, and replies quietly. Just as he's shaking his head at a reply, though, the rampart explodes. "Gods' oaths!" The Legate turns, and races in that direction, to provide what succor he can to the fallen Prince and those who fell with him.

Ywaine spins, dropping his bow and pushing himself outwards - for a huge man, he can move like it's bacon for breakfast when he needs to! He gets his arms around Tristram before he can fly off the ramparts and leans over and down, the huge man dangling Tristram down for the healers, grunting with the effort. "Sophie!" Ywaine bellows, "Mercies, man down!"To Tristram, "Less bacon... for ya, y'highness," he grunts.

Tristram wakes up.

Tristram checked stamina against difficulty 10, resulting in 25, 15 higher than the difficulty.

Artorius looks as the rampart explodes into flames. "Good gods...." he states, now seeing the true scale of the powers they are standing against. Although his courage does not wain. "Stand fast!"

Armel tilts up as the rampart explodes, and lifts an arm to shield his face from the debris, many of his knights doing the same. "We stand tall, men! We stand with the Gods! We stand with the Compact!" Until they bust through that gate, he's just trying to ensure his men keep their minds on the task, and not exploding princes or any of the other horrible crap that's happening.

Maude holds her arm close to herself, cared for as well as could be given that she's still wearing her mail. And she paces forward towards the enormous gates, climbing to find a position. She can't see a thing, but she can see the troops, signaling with a broad gesture for the timing, while her voice carries forth, "Doesn't matter if you can't see them, there's only one place they can be! Keep firing! Drop the stones on them!" she orders, because the murder holes are still there, and rocks need only gravity. The ramparts' explosion makes her wince, and bellow out down below, "Easy! If he could do that all the time, the gate would be down already!"

Asger laughs to himself as the gates begin to shake shift his weight between his feet, saying aside to Anze "My friend, they are at the gate and it is almost time. I've got your back if you've got mine, my friend." drumming his fingers against the haft of his axe he watches the gate intensely

Darren's attention is caught by a runner who whispers something excitedly into his ear, and the High Lord's eyes grow wide. He shoots a glance up to the ramparts where Deva is, cupping his hands around his mouth so that the sound is amplified. "Holy shit, Deva, you got him in the fucking eye?!" he whoops a cheer, loudly, encouragingly, before he shouts to his men, "Keep at 'em, let those arrows fly!"

Silas also tosses some bandages up at Calaudrin, once he notices the man was wounded. "Keep firing, guardsman! You're doing great--" Then the rampart explodes and Tristram gets some wicked air. He cringes but thankfully the Legate and Mercies are quick to tend to him. His gaze darts to Maude, then to his men assembled nearby. "Listen to Lady Ashford!"

Mathias doesn't speak, doesn't look away from the gates. He keeps his greatsword at the ready, both hands on the hilt, and ready to stab at whatever comes charging out if the gates break.

As part of the rampart explodes and the horde begins to pick up the rams to assault the gate, arrows fall down on the attackers and back up onto the defenders. ((One last round before a breach. dexterity + archery at 40 for attacking directly, command + leadership at 40 to stop a rout from seeing the rampart exploded))

Darren checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 50, 10 higher than the difficulty.

Katarina checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 37, 3 lower than the difficulty.

Michael checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 10, 30 lower than the difficulty.

Maude checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 26, 14 lower than the difficulty.

Armel checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 34, 6 lower than the difficulty.

Niccolo checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 69, 29 higher than the difficulty.

Viviana checked command + leadership against difficulty 15, resulting in 23, 8 higher than the difficulty.

Orazio checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 47, 7 higher than the difficulty.

Jael checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 40, 0 higher than the difficulty.

Silas checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 49, 9 higher than the difficulty.

Between arrows falling and debris exploding, Calaudrin is starting to not enjoy this situation. That's really an understatement. He hears Silas' voice and catches the bandages in mid-air. The man dips down, leaning his back against the wall and shielding himself while he attempts to bandage up some of his wounds. Once he's not straight up bleeding out anymore, he struggles to his feet. "You got it, sir!" Ready, aim, fire.

Artorius checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 13, 27 lower than the difficulty.

Wilhem checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 24, 16 lower than the difficulty.

Khanne checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 42, 2 higher than the difficulty.

Rymarr checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 26, 14 lower than the difficulty.

Tobias checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 41, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Calypso checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 72, 32 higher than the difficulty.

Barric checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 28, 12 lower than the difficulty.

Ford checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 49, 9 higher than the difficulty.

Deva checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 50, 10 higher than the difficulty.

Elrych checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 46, 6 higher than the difficulty.

Edelma checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 29, 11 lower than the difficulty.

Oh, good. Her cousin wasn't insta-killed. That means Sophie and her fellow Mercies can actually help. So it is that they seek to get Tristram to cover so they may tend to his wounds.

Calaudrin checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 44, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Jael checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 26, 14 lower than the difficulty.

Calaudrin checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 22, 18 lower than the difficulty.

Reese checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 13, 27 lower than the difficulty.

Ywaine calls to Tobias as he gets Tristram handed down to the Mercies, "Young lady up here hit that black armored fella in th' eye, general, he dropped down. We'll watch for 'em but he straight pointed at th' prince here and said die an' boom."That said as he gets up and snags his bow, nocking an arrow to fire down and call to his men, "Keep at it, second squad! Y'think this was gonna be easy? We don' get paid for easy. We don' get outta bed f'r easy. We are here cause this is WHAT WE DO! Now I better hear arrows twangin' or I swear by all that's holy I will PT this entire squad until you DIE!"

Watching in absolute shock, Deva stares after the cry of death is called toward Tristram, watching her shot until the arrow hits the black armored leader in the face. Or eye visor, at least. "I--" Floored, she gawks as the armored figure tumbles out of sight. "Tristram! You okay?" she calls out, worried, looking toward the exploded rampart. "Looks like," she calls out to Darren, and for the first time all day, manages a smile. "To the last!"

Killian checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 20, 20 lower than the difficulty.

"What? She did?" Morrighan remarks in surprised, eyes a little wide at Darren, soon following his light of sight and fist pumps over in Deva's direction. "Right in th'fuckin' face, Deva! Get his other eye!" the servant similarly shouts with encouragement. Turning back to the Prince then, she lifts her helm up just enough to give a proud, impish smile, then down her headgear goes.

Esoka checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 16, 24 lower than the difficulty.

Armel is a little startled from the Rampart exploding, and thus his speech could be a bit better. "Stand firm, men! Stand tall!" He's hoping all those wonderful speeches from before are still keeping the men a bit inspired as he stands, waiting for the gates to explode inward and start the slaughter properly, standing firm himself.

Ywaine checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 21, 19 lower than the difficulty.

Orazio hands Tristram over to the Mercies with a muttered prayer. Then he turns and bellows, "A trifle like that cannot slay a Valardin! Stand strong! For the Compact, and for the gods!"

Ywaine checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 46, 6 higher than the difficulty.

"Take heart men, and prepare to defend your homes! WE ARE THE COMPACT, AND WE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY DEMONS, SHAVS, OF ANYTHING ELSE. FOR THE KING!" Tobias shouts at the top of his lungs as he pulls out his blade, ready to get into the fighting.

Darrow checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 36, 4 lower than the difficulty.

Elrych raises his free hand and ducks a bit as the ramparts explode. Then turning back to his men he shouts, "Hold you savages... when the breach and hit the first line and start to filter in. Flank in and around... SHOW THEM WHAT IT MEANS TO BLEED!" The Lyonesse polearms shout and clank their spears against their shields.

Tobias wields Requiem - an elegant, alaricite longsword with a spiral guard.

Maude wields an elegant steel sword with ornate latten quillons, pommel set with peridot.

Rymarr's humor, fabeled as it may be, quickly evaporates however when the wall explodes and Tristram's sent flying. Orazio moves off in pursuit of that matter, but Rymarr remains stalwart as ever. Though he does share a brief glance toward Darrow. He calls out something that goes lost among the explosion of the rampart and the chaos that ensues. What he does do effectively however he remain tucked in beneath his shield. He glances back over his own shoulder, off in the direction of the palace. He considers that direction, rather than ahead, for a long moment. He shakes his helmed head once and then abruptly turns his full focus forward once again as he calls out a simple reinforcing word to join those of the battle commanders calling for their forces to remain resolute, "Hold! If they want in, we should be proper hosts and welcome them at the door!"

Sophie checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 27, 13 lower than the difficulty.

Darrow strides up to Orazio, keeping near the Archlector as he rushes to Prince Tristram.

Anze shifts his feet, both hands rest on the hilt of his greatsword now, darksteel plate shifting along with him. There is one nod of his head to Asger "Aye, to tha last."

"We have nothing to fear, we will not surrender. Hold your ground, hold steady, we will keep the gates! We will keep this city," Darren's voice booms out to the Redrains, strong and firm, before he flashes a grin up to Deva. "To the last!" he shouts back to her, and to them all, even as he slides his sword out of his scabbard and holds tight.

Niccolo narrows his eyes when he sees the rampart explode. He grinds his teeth. "Stand your ground! Fight for your lives, for your homes!" the archduke cries out. "Show them what happens when the people of the Compact are threatened, make them bleed for every step closer they take," he calls out again, his voice deep and booming and his sword high up in the air.

Calypso moves her position over to the Lyceum militaries, echoing Niccolo's commands to the troops. She gives the Archduke a nod, standing by his side now as there is little that can be done from back at the command tent.

"Nicely done!" Jael calls over to Deva as the other woman's arrow finds its home, quickly firing back down into the attackers when Ywaine moves to rescue Tristram from the exploding battlement, doing her best to cover the retrieval.

    Tristram wakes up--confused, briefly--from where Orazio brought him up after the collapse. Looking to the Legate, and then to Sophie and the mercies, he shakes them off, standing, grabbing his bow and raising it above his head, shouting: "He told me to Die, and...ONE DAY I MAY DIE, BUT TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY, PRAISE GLORIA!"

Esoka ducks behind her shield again as the rampart explodes, to defend against debris as she's been defending herself against arrows. As the boiling oil falls, she braces herself for the screams outside. Her eyes widen when they don't come, at all, from the shavs being burned alive. It's more unnerving, somehow, than cries of pain would've been. "To the last!" she bellows, but her voice falters.

Reese holds her silvery blade. The blonde princess tries to be inspiring to the troops near by, the fear in her somber blue eyes shows. "We got this. Gloria is with us." She says, trying to convince her self and failing to raise her voice loud enough.

Tristram checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 25, 15 lower than the difficulty.

Aislin flinches as the rampart literally explodes, raising an arm to shield herself from falling debris. Futile as that might be. This... this is not the sort of fight the explorer's used to; the idea of facing a charge head-on is usually when one alone in the field chooses to relocate to a somewhat more advantageous position. But this time... here, beside the city's other defenders, she sets her jaw and remains in place. And if she's a bit more pale than usual, well... who's going to notice, amidst all this?

"Stand strong, men! This is it!" Katarina shouts, deft hands working loose her parrying daggers from their sheaths at her hips as the gates buckle under the force of the armies of burning Silent at the other side. She can barely spare a moment to look through the part of the front lines toward Tristram. But when she hears his voice, and he's apparently fine enough to return to battle somehow after that blow, she can only burst with a laughter of relief, turning back to preparing for the final moment.

Silas seethes when it becomes evident that a breach will be inevitable. His men can only do so much on the ramparts. He finally unsheathes his alaricite blade and looks to his men on the ground and at those still at the ramparts. "Alright, men, we've prepared for this..." He raises his sword and calls out. "IRON AND BLOOD!"

"Just a little longer!" Viviana tells the soldiers around her, even if she finds the words perhaps sounding a little hollow even to her own ears. "Stick together, kill what comes through, and you'll have a story you can tell for years to come"

"It might well will be, if you do not heed me and fall back, Tram," Sophie pointedly points out to her cousin.

Rymarr has left the By the Gate.

Orazio gives Darrow a nod of gratitude as he sticks close, then gives Tristram a stern look. "Fall back, and listen to the Mercies. Always listen to the Mercies!"

Michael murmurs a soft prayer to Gloria. "Gods be with us. For Gloria," he agrees as he lifts his sword in the air. "Iron and blood," he repeats, seconding Silas's words.

Chaos and tension build as the Bringers below die in soundless agony, only to be replaced by another group, taking up the horrifying battering rams and slamming at the gates. Khanne tries to focus solely on her aim, breathing in and out and ignoring the thundering beat of her heart trying to drown out all other noise around her. She sees her shot, pulls back the arrow, and releases it with a 'thwunk' of sound as the string vibrates.

"Stand your ground!" Artorius shouts to his men "Let them see the fires in our hearts, and let them see we WILL NOT BE SHAKEN!" he shouted amongst his men, entering his stance once seeing the gates about the breach. It was now in the stories that legends were made.

Morrighan draws a fiery red blade from her scabbard, fingers curled tightly around the hilt while she shifts on her feet. A quick roll is given to her shoulders, loosening what tension she can before the abyss rains down on them. "Tae th'last," she says aside to Darren, giving a brief dip of her head forward. "I'll give it my all, let's show them why it ain't smart tae fuck with a Northern Bear eh?"

Barric seems to shake a little too under the onslaught of the dark magics, he tries though and isn't heard as well as some, "For gods and country!" He is ready for the gates if they are going to fall, waiting to see and rush in with all the troops there to shore the gate and fight for their lives if need be.

Darren tips his head to Morrighan, winking at her before knocking down the visor to his helm. "We're gonna fuck 'em up and make 'em regret coming here," he assures her, "No one should ever fuck with a Bear."

"Gloria be with us! And any other god who chooses to weigh in our side!" bellows Roland -- holding up his sword, keeping his shield at the ready as though things are about to get a whole lot worse.

Maude is good at a few things. Actually inspiring the troops is not her forte. The idea, of course, is not to -need- to inspire her troops at all. "Fuck." she looks to the ramparts, then hurries back down the street, and starts backing away, searching for another vantage point. "Hold the ground! Close ranks around the gate and surround them as they come through! Shit." the old general reaches for her injured arm, tests it, and draws her sword, eyes darting to the ramparts nearby, starting to assess positions to fall back to. Not too inspiring, that.

The gate begins to shatter, and there's some yells of panic. It's like a ripple, a new recruit of the Iron Guard that was standing near Lord Michael looked at the Bisland lord, then dropped his weapon and turned to run. Scores more follow suit, dropping their weapons and just fleeing, stumbling over the rocks from the destroyed rampart that now lies in the street. When a rout looks inevitable, the words of Niccolo, Darren and Calypso seem to give more heart, and the more disciplined Crimson Blades and house forces stand firm, gathering in front of the gate, even as hundreds of iron guardsmen new recruits run back towards the second gate. And then the ram shatters the main gate, and the shavs, silent and dead eyed, start to stream in. ((All right, for anyone fighting directly, roll dexterity + combatskillofchoice at 40. For anyone trying to rally the routing guardsmen, command + leadership at 40, and you -can- make it worse so be warned there. For anyone directing their own troops alone in tactical combat, command + war at 40))

Mathias checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 53, 13 higher than the difficulty.

Aislin checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 45, 5 higher than the difficulty.

Roland checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 33, 7 lower than the difficulty.

Katarina checked dexterity + small wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 53, 13 higher than the difficulty.

Acacia checked dexterity + small wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 46, 6 higher than the difficulty.

Jael checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 44, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Maude checked command + war against difficulty 15, resulting in 65, 50 higher than the difficulty.

Michael checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 38, 2 lower than the difficulty.

Reese checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 34, 6 lower than the difficulty.

Orazio checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 43, 3 higher than the difficulty.

Alas, Arx's Mercies are not accustomed to this kind of situation, and it is starting to show. Sophie is distracted, and, well, also is not accustomed to leading in this kind of situation. She'll be seeking lessons from Armel, fo' sho'.

Artorius checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 44, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Armel checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 58, 18 higher than the difficulty.

Darren checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 58, 18 higher than the difficulty.

Tristram checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 41, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Edelma checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 39, 1 lower than the difficulty.

Mae checked dexterity + small wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 51, 11 higher than the difficulty.

Esoka checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 56, 16 higher than the difficulty.

Anze checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 70, 30 higher than the difficulty.

Killian checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 50, 10 higher than the difficulty.

Viviana checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 61, 21 higher than the difficulty.

Asger checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 53, 13 higher than the difficulty.

Darrow checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 34, 6 lower than the difficulty.

Silas checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 37, 3 lower than the difficulty.

Franco checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 64, 24 higher than the difficulty.

Calypso checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 45, 5 higher than the difficulty.

Elrych checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 50, resulting in 48, 2 lower than the difficulty.

Thesarin checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 32, 8 lower than the difficulty.

Calaudrin checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 64, 24 higher than the difficulty.

    Tristram, as he falls back with the Mercies, looks up as the walls break. He provides them with covering fire as they all move backwards. His cat, Sasha, is not engaging in melee, but standing by hima nd the others, guarding.

Darren checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 40, 0 higher than the difficulty.

Elrych checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 64, 24 higher than the difficulty.

Wilhem checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 20, 20 lower than the difficulty.

Barric checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 37, 3 lower than the difficulty.

Niccolo checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 47, 7 higher than the difficulty.

Deva checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 50, 10 higher than the difficulty.

Ywaine wields Red Steel Tekpi.

Morrighan checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 68, 28 higher than the difficulty.

Asger checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 10, 30 lower than the difficulty.

Calaudrin is getting too old for this shit. The best he can give everyone around him is, "Try not to die!" The wall looks like it's going to be breached and he's probably going to get his ass handed to him the second someone gets within hitting range. He finds a spot on the ramparts that's moderately defendable and plans his next target.

Rymarr checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 51, 11 higher than the difficulty.

Tobias checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 64, 24 higher than the difficulty.

There are no more words of encouragement from Katarina as the wood splinters and shouts of panic ring out through the crowd. Her gaze swings left and right, assessing the buckling morale and resolve of Iron Guard around her before she shakes her head, raising her blades before herself and lancing forward at the first dead-eyed and silent body to lurch through the break in the gates unhesitatingly with a fierce shout.

Ford checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 30, 10 lower than the difficulty.

When the gates are shattered, Mathias steps in to stop the tide of dead-eyed Shav. Moving quickly, he aims his greatsword, the Ember Ruin, with ruthless efficiency, aiming for thrusts that will sever spines and behead. They will die.

Orazio sees the rout beginning to happen, and lets out a most un-Legatelike series of curses under his breath. Rather than engage the warriors directly, he climbs up on a fallen piece of rampart, and bellows, "HOLD! Stand firm and within the sight of the gods, warriors. Trust in Gloria, your brethren, and your steel! We can take these villains back to the Abyss that spawned them. FOR THE GODS AND COMPACT!"

Armel leads his knights from the front, hoping that their training and Orazio's shouted leadership will ensure they follow him, his warhammer whirling into a powerful arc befroe slamming into the first shav he sees in a spray of blood, trying to block the gates with his armored body along with all the others to keep the enemy from getting a strong foothold inside.

Khanne checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 41, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Barric rushes forward as the gates collapse, stabbing with Elvesbane, but not really scoring much of anything in the chaos and trying to keep order with the fighting beginning now.

"Form a choke point," Niccolo calls out to the forces from Lenosia he's part of. He looks in Calypso's direction, with a nod as he sees her about to start inspiring the troops, and then at the Mirrorguard around him including Acacia and Franco. "Mirrorguard cut down anyone trying to slip by!" The archduke barks the orders

As the gate breaks, and the enemy troops begin to stream in... there's no battle cry from Viviana's lips, no primal screams. Just a wicked grin and a simple encouragement of "Let's have some fun" to the troops around her, even as she wades in, driving the heirloom sword of House Pravus neatly through the first of her chosen victims on the day in a quick, efficient thrust.

Esoka raises her sword, that fierce spark returning to her vivid blue eyes as the gates fall and the clash of bodies arrives. "Gloria guide my hand! For Riven! For the gods!" There's a look a glance toward Thesarin, to make sure she's still at his shoulder, before she throws herself bodily into the fray with a high-pitched warcry.

The first damn shav that steps through that door meets Mugetsu's edge and the large and sharp weapons slides its way through the body like it wasn't much of anything. Sir Elrych kicks the dead shav off the blade and looks for his next target, face already splattered in blood.

Tobias marches right up to his men, now out of the command tent, joining his fellow Crimson Blades as he directs them. "FORMATION! THIS IS WHAT WE TRAIN FOR! COLONELS, I WANT LINED PINCER PHALANXES, KEEP THEM IN PLACE FOR THE ARCHERS TO MOW THEM DOWN. THEY GO NO FURTHER." Tobias calls out as he directs Copper, Iron, and Bronze Company.

"Steady.... steady.... RUSH!" Darren lifts his sword as the gates shatter, "Don't let them get any further than this, we will lead them like lambs to the slaughter!" And true to form, he rushes along with the Redrain infantry into the frey, his sword held firm. In the midst of it all, he's probably not going to strike anybody epically in the eye, but he likely gets a cut in or two.

Calypso nods back to Niccolo as he goes on the war path with the tactics calls. For her part she shouts back to anyone who has started to doubt themselves. "Hold strong! Keep steady! We win this together. There is no looking back now!"

Silas curses when he sees his Iron Guard recruits begin to run. "Stay! Stay or ALL is lost!" The command seems to fall on deaf ears, however, and Silas knows he can't spend much more time trying to convince men wetting themselves to stand and fight. He still -doesn't- charge right into the thick of it. Not yet.

Acacia shuttles Mae back some, losing vision of her soon after within the grouping of the Mirrorguard, the battered shield previously in use tossed aside to clatter against the dust-ground. "Unbroken!" The shuffling of the lines adjusts their positioning to the shouted command, weapon twisted within her dagger attuned to the others in the core beside her. Dropping her stance for a practiced balance, each resounding noise upon the massive gate has breath needfully sucked down and those fleeing forgotten.

At the crumbling of the gate, Killian moves forward again, rushing to help fill the breach as he draws his swords once more. The makeshift bandage on his shoulder holds quite well, as he moves to help stem the tide of darkness which washes onward, his blade flashing a shimmering arc as he enters the battle.

The gates are open, and Jael has more than her pick of targets. Time for the hours and hours of daily practice to pay off. Draw, aim, fire. Pick a target, take them down. Try not to think about what happens next. What happens //now// is far more important.

As the gate shatters, Aislin raises her sword into a ready position. She has only moments before battle is joined, but that's time enough for her house motto: "EVER RISING!" As potentially final words go, there are worse.

Artorius looks at his men as he entered his stance. "Prepare yourselves! Fight for your homes, for your freedom, for peace! FOR ARX!" he shouts to his men, his men in turn raise hteir swords and banners, a warcry coming from his battalion and Artorius himself.

Anze had been waiting for this, for the gates to break, it had been silently watching, and then when the gates break the quiet Redrain grips his greatsword and steps forward. Not even a battlecry, just a swing of the greatsword at the first enemy he can see, rubicund cutting through flesh as he wades into combat along with the Redrain and Crovane forces to hold the line at the gates.

As the gates break and the shav's begin to pour through, Edelma raises Titan'sbane up and begins to return attack for attack, but one of the nearest shav's too her manages to sneak their blade past her defenses and slice past her minimal armor. "Ass hat." She mutters.

Wilhem ran along the ramparts, what was left of them, sending arrow after arrow into the crowd of Shav's rushing through the gate. He was more concerned with quantity over quality of shots, doing what he could as he did.

Ywaine has rolled a critical success!
Ywaine checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 75, 35 higher than the difficulty.

Wilhem falls unconscious.

Franco is settled into the center of the Mirrorguard forces, huddled beneath a sheltering wall of shields, and helping support one. But as the gate gives it's final groans and cracks, he abandons that to free the long blade at his side. "Now's the bit of fun, boys. Time for work." He decides, nodding along with the Archdukes orders and spreading out to assist in maintaining the choke. "Unbroken until the Thirteenth's final reap!" He calls after Acacia's own words, falling into a fighters crouch.

Reese is at Barric's side with devotion in hand. The princess seems to be spooked by this battle and her fighting is lacking its normal precise skill. Still she is fighting, bracing for meeting the incoming siege.

Thesarin joins the others in the fray. While he does not wish to see the foes again, but is soon overwhelmed and surrounded, certainly in a situation that he does not wish to be in, his sword failing to provide him a way out.

Ywaine spins around, knocking another arrow as the men begin to flow in. "Second squad. About face. Take your targets as they come!" he booms to his men. "Heavy infantry will stack 'em up, we take 'em down. You let your old man outshoot ya and y'lose drinkin' an' braggin' rights forever!" he booms. He takes careful aim with his red steel bow, letting an arrow fly at a free target.

All it takes is a single word from Darren, and Morrighan is rushing in beside him, her stance guarded, blade ready to strike any enemy that draws near the Ruling Prince. She keeps close to the nobleman, doing her utmost to protect and defend with everything that she has.

Asger grins broadly as the splinters bounce off of his armor from the shattering gate. The man moving forward with Anze, throwing himself into the melee his axe biting deep into the neck of the first enemy he sees, with a spray of blood staining his armor. The Crovane duke grabbing the Shav by the hair to rip him aside and away from his axe before he is swinging his axe at the next nearest enemy.

Michael frowns as the guardsmen run away. He exhales a long breath and he brandishes his sword. He moves to strike one of the nearest shavs, but he misses as his blade cuts through the air, missing as he continues to move forward, taking another slice into the air with his weapon. He twists in an effort to strike his target.

Darrow takes his massive morningstar, swinging at the Shav'arvani running into the gate, taking down one with a swing but overextended, bashed by a shield and stumbling backwards with a grimace, holding his shoulder.

Mae, near Franco and Acacia, ends up just behind the Mirrorguard and Velenosa forces. When the gates crash, her eyes go wide, and maybe the reality of the situation finally sets in. Maybe. She sure seems surprised, yet not exactly worried. Surely not scared! Acacia gives her a shove, and the little messenger does fall back, but only just barely. She ducks behind someone bigger, and waits. Waits until one of the enemies slips through. And that unfortunate soul will quickly catch a very slow jab with a very sharp blade. Right in the somewhere-sensitive.

Maude has had positions prepared nearby, at least. She knows these streets, she's walked them for hours over the past week. So she steps back to the next street over, and begins signalling with her sword. "To your positions! Archers, over the walls, whittle them down! Sergeant, to your marks. Roll the wagons, block the south. If they go anywhere, they trough here." she directs her troops, some to direct high arching fire onto the rearguard of the incoming army. Some rising to prepared positions on nearby buildings to direct fire directly into the horde pouring in through the gates. Foot soldiers and Ashford woodsmen in pale green start to block off the paths to the south and support the defenders at the gates.

Rymarr's shield drops down before himself as the sound of splintering can be heard. The flat of his blade comes to rest over the curve of his shield and he awaits. A prayer at his lips muttered into the air, he waits. Armored shoulders heave upward and the helmet shifts around in order to check both his left and right. Spotting the Iron Guard fleeing the gates, Rymarr's attention quickly snaps ahead once again. When the gate crashes inward, Rymarr immediately begins to step forward to meet the advance of the enemy. He calls out fiercely into the face of the encroaching threats. As he closes, his shield surges forward to ram itself into the chest of one opponent. As that opponent stumbles backward from the blow, Rymarr's blade stabs forward into the chest of the next target in line. He cuts a path forward without a word, no cheers, no war cries. Only warfare conducted with a singular mind for efficiency and, judging by some of the slashes of the alaricite blade gripped within his armored fist, some measure of brutality.

Seeing Darrow stagger back, Orazio breaks off his exhortations, moving to support the other man, and try and staunch the bleeding. The red stands out on his white vambraces, but the Legate doesn't hesitate in his work.

With the gates breaking through and those below rushing in, trying to hold them back, Khanne sends her arrows towards the Bringers as fast as she can while still taking the time to aim as carefully as possible.

What Mercies have remained are busy evacuating the injured.

Roland lowers his shoulder to the fray and fights as best he's able, though the constricted environment around the broken gate makes for a hard slog. He's likely less effective as a result, grunting as he batters foes and tries to stick his shield between harm and ally.

Ford and his men are surrounded rather quickly. He does his best to keep the encroaching forces at bay, but...he's surrounded. It's not looking great.

Whisper the Snowy Owl have been dismissed.

Darren has left the Siege Command Tents.

Reese is fighting a torrent of foes and taking injuries. The Princess winces in pain and keeps fighting.

Barric takes a good hit and the wound is bleeding a little, but it doesn't seem to be too bad as of yet, and he is the midst of the enemy as well. This was starting to look bad, like they would be overrun and yet he keeps fighting on.

The troops form around Lady Maude as she barks orders, a wedge rapidly forming that is in part led by Viviana, the Sword of Setarco cuittng a swath through attacking shavs. Northlands men begin to fill in the gap as Prince Darren directs them, Armel and Asger there besides them, smashing into the shavs, though Crovane show a reckless fury as they follow their new Duke into battle, and their ranks are torn apart as they meet one of the first charging bringers, a seemingly unarmed man who casually grabs Crovane men and tears them to pieces with his bare hands. Another northman, Prince Anze Redrain, is right there to confront the bringer, beheading the beast, while Prince Killian and Dame Esoka lead a counter push of Grayson vassals standing in a wall against the rushing shavs at the gate. One of the Mirroguard, Lord Franco Gilden, steps in between shavs and the now prone Wilhem who was knocked from his feet by a thrown spear, falling from the wound. A large bringer grabs a northman and tears him apart with his bare hands, but is shot through the throat by Caladrin, and then beheaded by Sir Elrych. A bringer reaches to grab Prince Barric, but Mae Culler stabs the pale figure in the back, which is then shot by Princess Deva and it falls under a swarm of Redrain swords. A bringer of silence leaps directly at Prince Darren Redrain, but is cut in the side by Morrighan, as it falls down and is beheaded by Lord Rymarr as it tries to regain its feet. A shav is about to strike down a Mercy attending the wounded, but finds its blade meeting Katarina's, who cuts it down in turn.

Darren has joined the Siege Command Tents.

Ywaine checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 46, 6 higher than the difficulty.

Darrow grimaces, standing with a rub of pain against his shoulder, blood trickling from a wound, and he nods to Orazio, pushing to his feet, standing and watching the swirl of the melee frorm his spot near the Archlector, and his eyes seize on Ford and the Kennex men.


The battle around the Seawatch Gate rages, and while some Iron Guard have routed, others are coaxed back into the battle by Legate Orazio and the fear of eternal damnation, and partly by the General of Southport for the fear of immediate execution. The Crimson Blades, other Iron Guard, forces of Redrain, Grayson, Thrax, the Lyceum, and Valardin all form a wedge at the gate, meeting the shav charges and the bringers as more and more of the shavs come to challenge the wedge blocking entry into Arx. Hundreds of shavs have died, a dozen bringers have been felled, but tens of thousands behind them remain in a long column hidden behind the mist. Strangely, deep in the mist, there's a sound of hooves, as if there's some cavalry fighting deep beyond the gates, and in the mist, it seems as if shapes of animals form for just a moment, a trick of the winds perhaps.


Something seems to be happening in the rear of the bringer lines, that cannot be seen due to the mist blocking all vision past a hundred yards or so. There's a sound of hooves, and what sounds like a bear roar but far louder than any bear could possibly be, and the shaking of the ground. A number of shavs turn from the gate and march back into the mist, while a dozen Bringers of Silence walk forward to launch another assault at the lines. ((Same rolls as last round, for rally, unit command, or personal combat))

Ywaine lets loose another arrow, checking his men after, and glancing ahead. He spies the Iron Guard breaking - his face breaking into a frown. He cups his hand around his mouth to better project, voice booming across the field. "ELIM! JARN! Don't think I don't see y'rennin! Get yer asses back here! Y'got the stones for this. Y'got the guts for this. Don't you go telling' yer kids where you WEREN'T tonight. Tell 'em where you WERE an' that you volunteered t'be here. Turn around, drive th' fear into ya gut and put steel t'shav throats. GET YOUR ASSES BACK IN LINE MEN!"

Tobias has rolled a critical success!
Tobias checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 155, 115 higher than the difficulty.

Katarina checked dexterity + small wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 37, 3 lower than the difficulty.

Viviana checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 75, 35 higher than the difficulty.

Anze checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 45, 5 higher than the difficulty.

Jael checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 65, 25 higher than the difficulty.

Michael checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 60, 20 higher than the difficulty.

Niccolo checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 62, 22 higher than the difficulty.

Mathias checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 53, 13 higher than the difficulty.

Elrych checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 74, 34 higher than the difficulty.

Khanne gasps and stands up straight, her eyes the color of the mist that covers the land before her opening wide. She falters, briefly, in her step, holding a hand out for balance as she looks out at the sound of hooves. Whatever she sees there brings a glassiness of emotion ot her eyes as she whispers, "they came! Oh, Spirits guide and bless!" She wipes at her eyes and reaches for another arrow, suddenly fighting with even more determination and energy, her pale skin flushed where it is visible.

Acacia checked dexterity + small wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 38, 2 lower than the difficulty.

Darren checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 57, 17 higher than the difficulty.

Orazio checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 48, 8 higher than the difficulty.

Armel checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 15, resulting in 50, 35 higher than the difficulty.

Reese has rolled a critical success!
Reese checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 78, 38 higher than the difficulty.

Silas checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 53, 13 higher than the difficulty.

Calypso checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 71, 31 higher than the difficulty.

Morrighan checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 44, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Khanne checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 18, 22 lower than the difficulty.

Thesarin checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 24, 16 lower than the difficulty.

Asger checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 41, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Rymarr checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 45, 5 higher than the difficulty.

Darren checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 32, 8 lower than the difficulty.

Aislin checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 36, 4 lower than the difficulty.

Calaudrin checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 43, 3 higher than the difficulty.

Katarina checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 37, 3 lower than the difficulty.

Edelma checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 42, 2 higher than the difficulty.

Maude checked command + war against difficulty 15, resulting in 40, 25 higher than the difficulty.

Franco checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 25, 15 lower than the difficulty.

Roland checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 61, 21 higher than the difficulty.

Esoka checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 49, 9 higher than the difficulty.

Deva checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 41, 1 higher than the difficulty.

Killian checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 52, 12 higher than the difficulty.

Mae checked dexterity + small wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 39, 1 lower than the difficulty.

    Tristram falls back with the Mercies and Sophie. As he does so, though, he and his mountain lion, Sasha, are staying on the perimeter as the evacuate, the cat standing between Tris and any enemy who approach in melee as the wounded Prince in Purple fires as fast as he can in order to cover the innocent.

Artorius checked dexterity + huge wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 62, 22 higher than the difficulty.

Esoka cuts down the first shav in her path as they flood through the gate, and just keeps swinging at the ones that follow. In the mad rush she finds herself fighting beside Killian, shooting him a sharp, red-lipped grin as her sword //shoves// back against the tide of shavs. The blue of her surcoat is purple with blood by the end of it, but none of it's her own yet. It's only after she fells another that she notices her shoulder is no longer occupied by her count. "Thesarin!" She casts a swift look around the battlefield, to turn her blade in the direction of the shavs surrounding him.

Asger checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 18, 22 lower than the difficulty.

Tristram checked dexterity + archery against difficulty 40, resulting in 37, 3 lower than the difficulty.

Armel isn't going to even hesitate at the sight of the Bringers marching forward. Oh no, he actually laughs at the sight of the shavs marching away from the fight. He rushes forward in an effort to plant the killing face of his warhammer directly between the monster's eyes, still hale and hearty and surrounded by Mathias and his Knights, along with the others at the gate, standing strong.

Elrych checked command + war against difficulty 40, resulting in 31, 9 lower than the difficulty.

Tobias keeps in place, observing the flow of battle behind the lines as he watches the shavs crash again. And again. And again. And again. Tobias still does not join the fray, instead keeping a keen eye on openings he can exploit as he clanks back and forth is his blood red armor, his crimson cape flowing with the wind.

Rymarr checked command + leadership against difficulty 40, resulting in 47, 7 higher than the difficulty.

Ford checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 42, 2 higher than the difficulty.

The bear's roar shakes the air, impossibly loud. Orazio, knowing a good opening when he sees one, scrambles back up on his broken stone pulpit and shouts out, "Petrichor defends these lands with us! The gods stand, and SO MUST WE! Push them back into the jaws of righteous fury!" Hopefully, that won't be a zombie bear out there, or he's going to feel a bit foolish.

Barric checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 66, 26 higher than the difficulty.

"COME ON YOU BASTARDS, LET TITANSBANE TASTE YOUR FILTHY BLOOD" Edelma bellows out loudly and raises the sword up over her head as the bringers begin to push forward into the gates once more. "COME AND DIE!" She begins swinging her sword at the nearest forces pushing through, the Sword of Giants Reach pushes forward into the battle lines.

Artorius leaps into the enemy with a cry of pure rage. He cuts through many of them, ripping shaves all over with the swing of his mighty greatsword. He unleashed another cry of rage as he charged into the thick of the fray, fighting with everything he has.

Acacia visibly lacks the metal armors which might serve her against heavier strikes, relying purely upon speed and the manipulation of the deteriorated surroundings for each bloody, opportune strike. But even the swiftness of her feet is maintained to keep the Archduke loosely encircled, those bearing the glint of the mirrored insignia staggered outwards in effort to divide before each practiced cut. But even as some begin to slip back into the whorling mist, it's hardly enough. A short stumble across one of the fallen upon the trembling of the ground opens up vulnerabilities all too easily.

"Push them back, Bears! Show them we are not to be fucked with!" Darren falls back to the rear of the charge, to get a better vantage of the fight from the wedge that is pushing at the Bringer army. He commands his forces to flank and squeeze, to try and force them back out of the gates and help gain ground. He is still putting up a fight himself, though his sword fails to really make a difference in the clash of swords and arrows.

At the sound of hooves in the distance, the sight of shavs turning back to face them, Jael takes hope. Perhaps her brother wasn't among the knights in the opening charge. Perhaps he's still there, still fighting. She takes aim at the shavs surrounding Ford and the Kennex forces, keeping an eye out for the Compact fighters from above. "I always did like bears," she notes at the roar.

Elrych is nicked a few times here and there but he gives back 100 times harder than he takes. He chops, hacks, and slashes his way through any enemy Shav he can get his hands on. A moment of reprieve allows him to look about the battlefield for a moment. His men spread out and not working at a team. "Get it together you lasses!" He yells but he fears his words go washed amongst the sounds of war.

His job is to keep his fellow brothers alive by killing the most Bringers and Shavs possible. And that's what Mathias does. With thrusts that punch through plate armor along with blows and cuts from the greatsword's edge, he keeps on holding the line, a whirlwind of rubicund cutting apart all that comes close.

Mae spots an opening - a Bringer with it's back turns - and she pounces! She stabs the thing right in the back, right before it can swing at Barric. "Hah!" she yells out, after the stab. Of course, that puts her right beside Barric and Reese. And oh, her eyes catch Reese, who apparently took a heavy blow there. "... Reese?!" she blurts. "Are... are you okay?!" ... And poor Mae is too distracted by staring at pretty princesses to notice whatever is coming at her.

"Keep them surrounded, do not let them through," Niccolo calls out to the Lycene forces, "Reinforce the line, do not let the wedge falter!" The archduke's voice remains deep and booming, and while he has his sword in hand, he hasn't engaged anyone personally, at least not yet. He's right there with his troops, barking orders out however, in an attempt to keep the line from falling.

Maude's sword moves, not to strike any foes, because she's not anywhere near the front, but to issue orders. Though her position's uncertain, and her view of the battlefield limited. The archers continue to fire arrows overhead, and her soldiers continue pressing in from the south to assist in the defense. But a courier comes to her with a message, and she stops to listen for a moment, "What? Animals? How's - just tell them to keep firing and - I don't know, try not to hit any - shit."

Darrow checked dexterity + medium wpn against difficulty 40, resulting in 80, 40 higher than the difficulty.

Deva remains up on the ramparts, at least for now, raining arrows down into the oncoming horde as they breach the walls. The noise of animals in the distance startles her, and she looks up and out as if trying to make it out, watching with wide eyes as some of the bringers retreat. She quickly tries to snap back to work, mostly aiming for targets near Darren, Morrighan, and even Niccolo from time to time.

"Who's next?" Viviana all but taunts the attackers, even as she moves to greet the new wave of them... content to keep her place towards the front of the compact's forces. In fact, she'd likely have it no other way. "Come and find a death on my blade" she adds, her sword deftly striking out at her newest opponent.

As the bringer tears into the Crovane lines Anze shifts towards it, Rubicund greatsword cleaving through its neck in one go. Anze doesn't cry out in vctory though, instead shifting onto the next abandoned and running them through. The plated northerner cleaves through abandoned as they continue to pour through the gates

Franco's movements had him breaking formation to help defend Wilhem, and that's helped in leaving him out of position and exposed from the better part of the Lycene forces and the Mirrorguard. But, he likely stupidly, tries to hold his ground there anyway, armed with a simple sword and armored in basic leather armors, he's not in a good place as the Shav's retreat to be replaced by Bringers.

The sound of cavalry draws Calaudrin's attention and he squints over his bow, into the mist. "Enough already..." He mutters and shakes it off. Forget the whole bear roaring thing even if he does find it highly disturbing. He doesn't want to know anything about what's happening out there. He focuses on what's in front of him. Shavs, bringers, all of that. As his fellow Iron Guardsmen (what remains of them) move into the fray, he hangs back and begins to drop arrows around them. Cover fire. Silas is kept in his eyesight, the Lord Commander the receiver of a decen chunk of his attention.

Silas exhales sharply and now dives into the fray, darting over bodies and vaulting over the debris, aiming to kill the foes already wounded so they they may be cut down being doing further harm. He keeps close to the brave men who chose to stay - many of whom who have been colleagues of his for years, who know what is at stake - looking out for any attacks which may come from behind.

Well, if he's going to die. Now's a good a time as any. Even as he's beaten to shit, Ford and his men don't stop. Although the command was given to push backwards, it's not looking particularly bright, but thank the Gods for Jael and her arrows.

Rymarr Lyonesse, former Lord Commander of the King's Own, growls out to those turning tail from the gates, "Turn and fight! You die with wounds on your back and Gloria'll have a weighty frown for you!". He draws the point of his alaricite blade back from the recently beheaded Bringer which fell before him and he totally kill-stole. A rushing shav is met by Rymarr's shield swinging around and the rim of it is throw up and into the chin of the shav. Soon after Rymarr's armored head throws itself forward, the crest of his helmet smashes into the face of the shav, and only a heartbeat later the blade of his alaricite sword slashes up and diagonally across the front of his opponent. He quickly turns his attention throughout the urban battlefield and calls out loudly for the benefit of those seeking to retreat from the battle, "Fall back in line! Pick up your weapons and show these monsters just how much you want your families to survive!". He then sets himself back into the fighting, thankfully, since he narrowly avoids the plunging axe of a shav as he sidesteps and brings his blade around in a swift slash to the back of the shav's neck.

Barric pushes forward with the rest, the resolve coming back as his blade swings left and right, Elvesbane now taking it's toll on the numbers before them as well, "Fight, fight on..." he knows enough not to go running out if thee city through the gates. and something moves within the mists, "We need pikemen!"

A vicious snarl escapes from Morrighan, blade swinging in a crimson arc at shav and Bringer alike - successfully deterring one from pouncing upon Darren. She cuts through what she can, likely obtaining a few nicks and scrapes herself - but her sole focus is protection, and she does so with great ferocity. The Prodigal takes on a more feral state, intent to slaughter to the best of her ability - not once does she let the Prince out of her sight. "I got you, Darren," the woman shouts throughout all the chaos, following right on his heels to the rear.

Asger 's front is bathed in blood of his foes by this point, and while other nobles might be doing such things as keeping their men from dying or being inspirational, Asger just laughs madly. The northman throwing himself from foe to foe, slaughtering them as he might while to some extent keeping on Anze's rear and keeping any who might approach him at bay or dead.

Reese keeps fighting with her silvery pink blade in hand. The ribboned princess is injured, but pushes past such ignoring the blood dripping from a wound that made it past a chink in her armor. She seems to have found her courage and her skill, the girl now fighting with this intense expert skill and an energetic fierceness.

Wilhem still laid there unconcious.

Artorius fights off many Shavs in his rage, cutting through them like paper. He is covered with blood at this point, his darksteel armor making him look like a demon himself. His tattered robes flourishing around his neck and waist as he flew further into the fray, seemingly wanting to fight every single one of them.

Calypso gives Niccolo another nod as the next wave comes. He seems to have the tactics completely on lock down! She sticks to keeping the morale high and everyone motivated to head in the right direction! Motivation, Malvici Style at least. "Pick up your swords and fight! Die defending your home, or die by my blade here and now. Hold fast! Let none come through those gates!"

Darrow straightens, bleeding, and his pale eyes light with a withering gaze, stark. He tells Orazio, starting to stride forward. "Archlector - I will be back." He starts marching towards the surrounded Ford. He brings Calamity to the Shav's on either side, the red-steel of the morningstar wet with the blood of Shav'arvani warriors of the Silence. He's smashes aside two more, takes a hooked backsword blow on the haft of the weapon and kicks out, stumbling the foe back. Two handed for a moment, he swings the mace, cracking into the shield of a warrior, cutting a swathe of blood towards Ford. "Marquis! Ford! Rally the salt born!"

Once his exhortation is left to ring in the air, the Legate jumps off his stones, and skirts the battle, focusing not on the clash of weapons, but on Wilhem. He grabs the man's unconscious body, and starts to try and move him back to where the remaining Mercies can help him.

Wilhem wakes up.

Michael's weapon cuts hard towards one of the nearest bringers. He cuts hard at one nearby, keeping the weapon on its same track as he moves--and cutting a tight circle around him as he moves, leaving a sharp cut towards the head of his enemy.

Reese looks toward Mae, finding it hard to answer her while in the midst of fighting. She lets her gaze linger upon the Culler woman for only a moment, her expression pregnant with a renewed courage.

Darren raises his blade to Morrighan as she cuts into the first Bringer of Silence that comes after him, shouting out a, "Thank you!" before he dances back into the frey. Cutting and slashing, there is no little raven to save him the next time as a Bringer grabs him and throttles him good, knocking him back onto his ass. "Fuck," he roars out, but hops back to his feet, trying to shake it off.

Thesarin tries hacking his way towards a way out when he comes upon the bringer of Silence and takes a deep breath as the wounds from the shavs bleed and bruises begin to form. Taking his bloody sword up he thrusts with both hands. The bringer responds to this attack by a well-placed punch that sends the Prodigal flying, knocking the wind from the Count.p

Khanne takes aim at one of the Bringers and takes a deep breath, inspired by the presence of Spirits. She pulls back the string and releases, watching as the arrow slams into the Bringers' face.

Killian continues to spin and slash, his steel sword used as shielding blade while the his alaricite swings in flashing arcs and darts in thrusting stabs. He does his best to pull closer to Barric and Reese, trying to shield the Grayson's as best he can in the battle, opening opportunity for either of them where he sees any opportunity, like a good vassal should.

"If you were waiting for an invitation, Darrow. Consider yourself fashionably fucking late." Ford says, silently praying to whatever God was listening at the moment.

"Your Grace!" The louder shout rang like a curse from Acacia when she'd whirled in front of Niccolo, shoving him a bit deeper into the circle of Mirrorguard itself, boots thudding hard against the ground in her haste. She'd spun about in front of him, scarlet curls whipping around her scowling face. A bit too short to be able to heft her own weapon in the most valient of efforts, the attempt to keep her duty for his safety remained.

Spotting one of the pale Bringers, Aislin charges in to try to land a hit. It's perhaps not the smartest thing the Ashford woman has ever done, for an extremely wide variety of reasons. But it's not tactics, but rather ill luck, that dooms her effort; as she brings her sword back to strike a blow, the Bringer, too, moves to attack its target... and catches Aislin on the backswing. It wasn't as if it was trying to hit /her/, but that means little when she gets smacked backwards by the inhumanly strong creature.

"Darren!" the servant bellows, cutting her way through, and those tempestuous sea-blues stare at him with a mixture of worry and anger. "Dunnae get so far from me tha' I cannae help you!" It's almost scolding, really, but Morrighan continues following as if attached to the man. Though adequate space is given to fight, of course, lest she be the one to lose an eye.

Gaius, a Thraxian Confessor, Balanar, a shadowy Confessor arrive, following Alistair.

The Whisper known as Wilhem is unconscious no longer! Sophie manages to rally him back to his senses, setting him aright with skilled hands and a kind smile.

The cold chill of the Knight of Sorrow's feature represent the only joy he seems to find. Austere, lips set sternly, he cracks aside a helmeted Shav with an audible -crack-, the meat of the man's face crumpled. A gauntleted hand snaps out, seizing the throat of the man behind him, and he anchors his metal-clad elbow into the man's nose, shattering cartilage, ruthlessly beating until the Shav drops. And then, he's with Ford, his pale eyes fastening on the Marquis, answering in his own fashion. "Blood's in season."

Mae takes a sharp blow to her side, while she's distracted, and lets out a yelp. "Ow!" she cries. No, she has no armor, and no, she wasn't quick enough to dodge that. But she is lucky! And so, when the blow lands, it seems to catch cloak. Perhaps the Bringer with the blade mistook her for not so tiny? Surely, her cloak obscures her side. So she side steps and ducks back behinde Reese and Barric. Let the knights kill the Bringer, please!

Once Wilhem is safe in the hands of the Mercies, Orazio makes his way back towards the vantage point of the rubble, stopping where he can to pull fallen soldiers back to their feet to either rejoin the fray with a blessing, or get pushed with a rough prayer towards the Mercies.

Silas notices the fallen Wilhem in the corner of his eye and moves to shield him from incoming attack as Orazio tends to him. That's what he does best, after all.

Khanne had no time to celebrate shooting the Bringer in the face. As she was reaching for another arrow, one of the others of Silence grabbed the arrow from the felled one, pulling it from their head and rushing towards Khanne, stabbing her with her own arrow. She gasps, falling to the ground where she stands, blood seeping from a rather grievous wound.

Artorius roars at the retreating Shavs! he plants his blade in the ground as he looks among the dead. shaking his head primally. Eventually he picks his blade over his shoulder and looks back in the direction of the enemy, a low growl coming from him. Suprisingly, despite him leaping into the enemy line, he was unharmed.

Roland swings his alaricite sword, to and fro, and with Artorius takes down one of the tall, pale creatures. He can't hear much over the clashing of weapons and shouting of combat, but adds his own roar to the mix: "Valardin!"

Killian looks around, quickly trying to take stock amidst the chaos, and spots Aislin. He rushes quickly to his cousins side, reaching to try and help her up if she doesn't get up before he arrives, "Are you alright?" he asks worriedly, either way.


Bringers of Silence charge forward, as some chaos that can't quite be seen is ravaging their ranks in the fog beyond the Seawatch Gate. The Crimson Blades under the command of Lord Tobias wheel to meet the charge of Bringers in a perfectly orchestrated maneuver, cutting down several of the bringers as they meet their spears, while the others slam into the ranks of the Compact. One Bringer of Silence moves to kill the injured Prince Tristram, only to find itself face to face with Princess Reese Grayson who for just a moment, seems to glow, and the Bringer of Silence bursts into flame as she slashes it then explodes a moment later. Prince Barric, Sword of Bastion, slices his alaricite sword cleanly through another Bringer which seems to fall apart after being struck, dissolving. Roland and Artorius fight against another Bringer, dropping it low, while Lord Darrow's morning star smashes the head in of a bringer that is then beheaded by Lady Viviana. Lord Michael Bisland, holds a bringer as the Iron Guard rallies, and Sir Elrych cuts down another trying to reach Lady Maude. Through it all, the soldiers at the gate hold firm against the Bringers.

Strangely, the shavs and bringers gradually begin to withdraw, leaving hundreds of Compact soldiers dead, and perhaps a thousand dead shavs and dozens of dead bringers at the gate. Beyond in the mist, it sounds as if there's a herd of deer trampling through the mist, and roar of bears. The bringer army gradually begins to withdraw up the coast as the mist follows, and a trail of several thousand dead shavs is left along it, torn apart by forces unknown. The Bringer army withdraws to within a couple miles of the city and begins to surround Arx to the west, north and east, settling in for a siege... and beginning to construct siege towers from the Gray Forest, leaving the gate alone for now.

The Siege of Arx has begun.


"Oh, thank the gods," Orazio says, quietly, as the shavs and Bringers begin to retreat. But other than that, and a sigh, the Legate doesn't pause. Instead, he plunges into the after battle chaos. Where he can lend a hand to bandage, he does; where last rites need to be given, he does that, as well. For the living and well, Orazio has quiet words, as well, of blessing, thanks, and praise.

Niccolo snaps his head in Acacia's direction, only to find himself shoved by her into the protection of the Mirrorguard. He grunts, and twists around, trying to catch whatever threat forced his protege to do that, only see the Bringer army withdrawing. He grinds his teeth. "It isn't over yet, he calls to his forces. This is just the beginning. Retrieve our wounded and let starts reinforcing the gate and the walls," he calls out the orders to his men and women.

Esoka's single focus, as she cuts through the fray, is reaching Thesarin. Double-time, when she sees catches a glimpse of that Bringer on him. She doesn't even try to fight the thing, rather racing after the flying prodigal lord and falling to her knees next to him. "My lord? Count? Thesarin?" The last is said both sharper and more breathless. "Can you get up? We need to get you to the healers...quickly." She tries to keep her tone calm. But she is not calm.

Armel stands surrounded by the bodies of friend and foe, breathing heavily , breath misting before his face as he turns in a circle, seeing the writhing forms of Compact soldiers and Shavs alike that are trying to get away. "Finish off the Shavs. Bring our wounded to the Mercie's attention. Get yourselves tended. And praise the Gods for this intervention!" He himself is unmarked, save for blood splattered on his weapon and person from barreling into the enemy. He himself moves to the nearest mortally-wounded soldier, reaching for his pouch and pulling free some bandages. "And make sure someone secures the fucking gate!"

As she yanks her blade out of a Bringer of Silence, Katarina is far too slow to move out of the way as another manages to dig its blade into her arm. A pained breath is stolen from her, twisting around to kick the dead-eyed shav back into the warhammer of an Iron Guard. Rolling her shoulder, and finding her limb bleeding freely, but still functional, she pushes forward through blinding pain, and gets back to work in cutting down bodies as they come... Only for them to retreat out the gates. She wavers, slowly reeling her hand back in toward her wounded arm.

Tobias times it perfectly. The charge couldn't be more obvious, and Tobias takes full advantage as he directs his men around and over, destroying the Bringers hitting his Companies. As they retreat... "HOLD POSITION!" Then Tobias looks up to the Ramparts, "Archers, what's going on out there?"

Khanne is down, and Sophie is soon enough kneeling beside her, doing what she can to comfort and tend to the Halfshav. "There, there, dear lady," she seeks to soothe while she works.

Artorius turned his head to Roland, a small growl only, but extends his hand to him after regaining some measure of control. Knights handshake for good teamwork at holding the gate probably.

Mathias steps on the corpse of the shav his greatsword is currently embedded into and pulls, freeing the red blade before turning towards his fellow Knights of Solace. "They're running now, but reckon we should probably repair that gate here." No cheers of victory from the man who somehow managed to come out of the battle unscathed, with all the blood staining his tabard and armor from either Shavs or Bringers. He nods to Armel and begins to walk among the Shavs, making sure they're really dead for good this time, beheading those that aren't.

Wilhem woke in the hands of the Mercies. He blinked, his handsome features dashed with blood. He gave them a thank you, "I owe you one later." And took up his bow, ready to pepper the retreating forces.

Asger just continues to laugh as he buries his axe again and again into a dead bringer, the blood lust thick on the man as he looks up and around to try and spot his next foe. Scooping up one of the severed heads of his foes he gives it a good chuck at one of the retreating shavs with a jovially shouted "Come back and meet your end ya bastard, my axe is sharp and still thirsty."

The Inquisition arrives... late. Perhaps consorting with demons or the forces of Silence while the brave soldiers of the Compact were fighting so valiantly? Or scouring the Lower Boroughs and watching the Walls so more agile Bringers don't simply leap into the Fortress city. Alistair seems... annoyed, which is quite a state for the Inquisitor to be in considering everything. He arrives at the gate just as the Bringer forces retreat, his brow furrowing as he sweeps hsi gaze along the forces of the Compact.

Though bleeding and heavily bruised from getting the shit kicked out of him by a Bringer, Darren lifts his sword up and roars at the retreat of the armies. "This isn't over yet. Grab our wounded, haul them to the Mercy tents, and start work on repairing the gates," he says to his men, before limping off to the Mercy tent himself. He does pat Morrighan on the way, offering her a weak smile and a murmur.

Franco's silly hold had him end up face-to-face with a Bringer. And the young Gilden Lord does his best to hold, and fight, and does spectacularly. The most spectacular part of this particular hold, out of position, was that he somehow survived as the Bringer was brought low by others, leaving a major gash along one side of Franco's torso that leaks blood eagerly. He's gasping, breathing heavy, and immediately moving a hand to brace that wound as he makes his pained way back to the main forces of the Mirrorguard.

"Well-fought," growls Roland, taking Artorius' hand in his own gauntleted one. Warrior fist bump.

Who can blame mae for staring at the Graysons! One of them is /glowing/. So, injured as Mae is, she doesn't seem to mind at all. No, she's too busy staring at Reese, the Knight of Ribbons, alit by the Gods, or perhaps the city of Arx itself, rising to choose it's champion.

Aislin has her right arm pressed to her side, clearly in some pain; her beloved steel sword is lost gods-know-where among the detritus of battle. Still, the Ashford woman waves Killian's concerns away. "I'm fine," she assures her cousin. "Or at least, I'll keep. There are plenty who need the healers more than I do."

Darrow ticks a nod to Lady Viviana, starting to march forward at the retreating Shav'arvani, his reflecting-pool blue eyes hollow. He's solitary, perhaps, stormcloak thrown back, reaching to free his flail.

"They're falling back," Jael calls down to Tobias, looking out over the walls. "Damned if I can tell what happened out there, but they're falling back." For now, she's steady, pausing to look over herself just in case there was something she missed, then taking a moment to make sure Tristram's special arrows are still intact. If they didn't get used now, there will no doubt be opportunities later.

Artorius nods softly to Roland, growling in return with no words, before letting out a primal roar of pure rage out of the gates. Staking the claim animal style that this was their land and it would not be defeated so simply.

Viviana has practically a front row seat for the withdrawl, giving a little grin as she looks around in search of a stray target. Finding none, she instead looks to the dead bringer at her feet, giving it a disappointing frown. "You bled on my armor" she tells the dead creature disapprovingly, before absently cleaning her blade. A nod is offered in return to Darrow, accompanied by a little smile. "We'll call that one half each, hmm?"

Even as the shavs appear to fall back, Ford doesn't stand down -just- yet. He's waiting for some other trick, some other maneuver.

As the enemy pulls back, the Mercies come forward, tending to the wounded and helping with evacs.

Barric flows through with reese, a pushing force as they fight back to back and as one bringer she slashes seems to burst into flames from the strike his own sword Elvesbane slashes through one beside it and it seems to fall apart like a fleshy mummy falling to pieces and dropping parts of itself all over the ground before him. That seems to be the brunt of the armies and looking out the gates The Sword of Bastion is staring at the devastation, "We have some friends we didn't know about before." And he has a thought about that, but will not voice it for now. It was the sounds perhaps that had been heard of a trampling horde of dear and the roaring of bears to go along with it. He looks to Reese and then goes to check on the troops and help any that need it, first Reese though, "Get to the Mercies... I'll be right after you."

Calaudrin stares dumbly as the enemy decides to leave. He straightens and peers out over the ramparts to what's beyond. "They're withdrawing! The fog is going with them! There's a lot of ripped up dead!" He calls down to Tobias. He exhales and leans against the partial wall, slowly slumping down. Now about that wound...

Carissa, a Malvici bodyguard arrives, following Eirene.

Silas sucks in a sigh of relief when the enemy forces begin to retreat and with it the immediate danger. Unharmed, he begins to take stock of his men. Many were wounded, many were dead - it looks like he might be the one in the best shape yet again, which he doesn't find as comforting as he perhaps should. He takes the remaining bandages he has with him and begins to apply basic first aid to those who are in need of it.

There's a gash across Acacia's midsection, but the slide of her left hand covers it well enough that only sparse rivulets of blood stains the digits compressing the leather. The Bringer threat had been cut down thereafter by the Mirrorguard just before the retreat, but her eyes were dark and focused when they met Niccolo's own. Thoughts are abandoned though when she catches sight of Franco's state, a curse when she remains near the Archduke. "... Mae, grab Franco so we can get him to the Mercy's," she utters, voice still hard with just a sliver of pleading present there. Breathing is rough when she stares off into the slowly dissipating mist, her shoulder gently knocking into Niccolo's when she finally turns to confront him. "And so it begins."

Morrighan's armor is flecked and covered with spatters of blood - very little of it her own. Still riding on the tide of adrenaline, she's looking every which way, sword gripped tightly, on edge and preparing to strike. But then? The horde is gradually retreating, pulling back from the city, and it's only then that the young woman begins to calm down, quickly hurrying over to Redrain's Ruling Prince. "Darren!" she yells, blade sheathing, and maneuvers to help him along to the Mercy tent. "You're goin' tae give me gray hair b'fore I'm thirty, I fuckin' swear. Stop doin' tha'," comes another scolding, though it's evident in her tone she's relived he's - for the most part - fine.

Maude holds up her visor, and she waits behind the press of troops, just far enough that she can continue to yell her orders, yet close enough that a Bringer is headed her away, forcing her to back off, sword in hand, until it is fortunately cut down. Meanwhile, a few woodsmen in Ashford green draw around her, only to be batted away. Her eyes narrow, studying the flow of battle, until it seems the enemy forces begin their withdrawal, and she stands still, reaching for her arm, where the arrow split the mail. She sheathes her sword, at last, and stares at the field. "Get word from the the soldiers on the walls elsewhere." she sends a courier off, then limps forward towards the gates.

Michael slices another shav as the Bringer forces draw back. His green eyes scan the area around him and his throat clears, as he sees Mae watching her. "Mae," there's an edge of warmth in his voice. "we need to get you healed." He turns towards her and takes a few slow steps towards Reese, "Both of you. Princess Reese, need a hand getting to the Mercies?" He manages a flicker of a smile that grows when Silas issues a bandage oto his arm.

There is no need for Reese to go to a Mercy; one cones to her and sees to her wound. Another tends to Darren.

Orazio stops by the Count Thesarin, and kneels beside him. There's not a lot that the Legate can do, but he does his best to get the man bandaged, before saying, "You'll need time in the healing tent and a Mercy to recover, but that should help some of the bleeding. May the gods bless your courage, and may Lagoma speed you to a new spring." He smiles, rises, and looks for the next one.

"Or continues. Or--" Acacia drags her tongue over her lower lip, muttering to Niccolo, "I don't really know what the fuck I'm saying. You alright, your Grace?"

Tobias heads up to the ramparts himself, watching the... mist?... withdraw. "What in the thirteen is going on?" Tobias muses as he sheathes Requiem.

Artorius sighed softly as he regained himself. He would remove his helmet, patting Roland on the back as he passed. "Good work." He looked among the survivors of his men "See to the wounded! with haste! that was only the first battle!"

Rymarr tugs his blade clean from the throat of one of the Bringers and a sabaton surges forward to kick it back and off the remaining length of the blade. He stands amidst the carnage for a moment, breathing heavily and his helmet swiftly turns this way and that. He doesn't sheathe his blade immediately, but instead turns within the wreckage of the battlefield. He takes stock of those who still live, but inevitably his attention turns toward the splintered gates and the sound of roars and hooves. He stares for a long moment before he slowly glances around himself again and mutters, more to himself than any other, "What in the blazes is going on out there?", he asks while he attempts to peer through the gates. He huffs a breath, shoulders heaving with exertion, and promptly begins to move toward the wounded to offer his aid. No longer the Lord Commander of the King's Own, he has no true soldiers of his own to command, so he simply sets about the task of assisting where he is able by remaining humble when applicable and reassuring when necessary.

The battle is over. The retreat has begun along with the waiting and watching. While the Mercies set to work, so to the medical forces of the Malvici, with Lady Eirene at their fore. Doing what she does best, she start to treat and triage- and direct people where they must be to get what they need.

Anze works through abandoned with those holding the line, his focus is on the battle at hand and then the battle stops. Abandoned and bringers pulling back and then suddenly there are no more enemies to sink his greatsword into. As the forces pull back and everyone starts barking orders Anze pulls off his helmet and crouches down next to one of the felled bringers to eye it a little closer.

Khanne is soothed by Sophie's calming words, gasping in pain for a moment before she sets to her work. After, Khanne blinks up at her, in awe and appreciation. "Thank you," she whispers, moving to sit up. She looks out to the retreating mist, and the dead left in its wake, smiling in a weary sort of triumph.

Elrych's wounds are superficial and slight for the most part. He cuts down one Shav trying to escape but the others are quick on their feet out the gate. He shoulders his sword and looks over the dead, a grim sor of expression on his stubbled face.

Reese strikes the bringer near Tristram the princess' blue eyes bright with the hope. She stands in front of Mae, seeming to be taken a protective stance toward her. In the heat of the battle though her focus remains upon the gate. She looks toward Barric, blood still dripping from her side. Her cousin is given a nod, but never steps toward the mercies. Instead Sophie is at her side. She seems better after care from the mercy. She then looks to Michael. "I am good, thank you." She scans the area, searching for possible still living foes.

"Hate this mystic crap." Calaudrin mutters as he applies a bandage to his wound, wrapping it up tightly. He struggles to stand again, fighting of exhaustion so he can tend to the other wounded in the Iron Guard before possibly sleeping. Maybe.

Armel tears his helmet free only after it is absolutely /certain/ that the enemy has withdrawn more than a fair distance. He turns, seeking out a couple faces in the crowd as he moves about. He snags Mathias and grabs the man by both shoulders, thumping his forehead to the the other man's and murmuring something to him before he claps hard, then turning to find Orazio, wherever he has gone to, concern on his face.

"Begins," Niccolo says to Acacia, with a dip of his head and a hand that comes to rest on her shoulder, giving it a fond squeeze. He looks at Franco next. "I'm fine," he assures his protege. "Go see to Franco. Have Lady Eirene look at him if needed," he instructs, dropping his hand and turning his attention the ramparts, looking for a particular Redrain princess.

Killian shakes his head at Aislin, "You're stubborn, you know that right?" he asks as he keeps one sword drawn and an eye towards the gate. "Get to the rear and get bandaged up, you never know if they'll make a surprise push or something.." he urges his cousin, urging her along and sticking with her in a hovering sort of fashion.

After a long beat, Katarina slowly draws back from the splintered entry made through the Seawatch Gate with a wearied breath finally released. Her daggers are wiped clean against her thighs before she sheaths them away, slowly peeling back the straps of her sleeves with a grimace to assess the bloodied skin of her wounded arm beneath. "Not look so bad," she murmurs, slowly lowering the bleeding limb to turn her eyes over the grounds.

Ywaine looses one last arrow as the shavs retreat back, lowering his bow and calling to his squad. "Second Squad, fifty percent security. Sergean'! I wan' a headcount an' equipment tally most quick. Get us a refill a' arrows up here and top the boys off. He rolls his shoulder, glancing at Tobias. "Somethin' was ravagin' 'em fierce an' hard from th' back, General," he tells Tobias. "Nicked 'em up good 'an proper. I'll put the boys on half alert an' let 'em get a li'l bit of rest." For Ywaine's bellowed words a few minutes before, some dark elves return with their Iron Guard garb - sheepishly returning to the fight but with gusto. "If'n y'don't mind, I'll go check on' Sophie an' the prince, yeah?" he tells Tobias.

Silas isn't a healer. He just knows how to generally stop things from bleeding. He gives Michael a sheepish grin as he applies the bandage with no true expertise. "Valiant work, m'lord. Good to see you remain intact." He then moves on to inspect the wounded Thesarin and do what he could do. Which was very little.

Barric hasn't put away his blade yet, one may never know if something rises up at this moment, he goes to help those he can. Picking up who might live and helping them to the mercies, before he will get the scratch he took looked after.

As the enemy withdraws, Deva looks out toward the horizon from her elevated position on the ramparts. She grimaces, worry etched all over her face. At a quick pace, she takes the stairs to mingle with those on the ground in melee formation. "Darren? Niccolo? Morri?" she starts calling out familiar names, pushing through to join the bloodied crowd. She seems to have avoided fresh injuries, but still bears the angry red marks of relatively recent, and still healing, ones.

"Nothing good," Jael shakes her head to Tobias, looking out into the fog herself. She stares for a few moments longer, then turns back toward the troops inside the gates, searching the crowd for familiar faces and praying that they're all still alive.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Katarina before departing.

Wilhem let out a last few arrows, and shouted at the retreating enemy. "Yeah! And don't come back!" It was weak, but, he didn't have 'as' much heart into it as when he'd started. Some of it was there... Some of it was over on the ground....

Edelma has left the By the Gate.

Orazio sees the Princess peeling back her sleeve to reveal her wound, and pauses by her. "May I?" he asks, and gets out bandages and salve. If she agrees, he'll patch her up as best he can before sending off to the healer's tents.

Calypso looks to Niccolo and then to Silas. "We need to issue a command that no one should go beyond the walls. You saw what happened to those riders." She removes her helmet and tucks it under her arm.

Mae pulls her eyes off Reese when she hear sher name. Her eyes find Michael. "I'm ok!" she assures, quickly. She then turns back to Reese, and steps in to the woman. A few words whispered, and she quickly turns off, and rushes over to her cousin. Acacia, that is! "What..." she starts, then stops, and just rushes over to Franco. "Mercies!" she calls. Barely necessary, as they're surely already on hand.

Thesarin lays still, having some trouble breathing, before getting some healing from Orazio and Silas, "I thank you both, greatly." He blinks and nods to Orazio and Silas. He struggles to rise and sees Esoka, "I should be able to." He lays an arm across Esoka's shoulder for support, his gear certainly having seen better days. He keeps his sword in his free hand and turns to Esoka, "Thank you. Please get me out of here, I am likely done for a short while. B

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Armel before departing.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm... ugh," Darren assures Morrighan, only to wince and groan as a Mercy puts her hands on his ribs. He does catch Deva's yell and lifts his arm, waving over to her. "I'm alive! ARe you alive?!" he shouts to Deva, only to be shushed by the healer trying to do their job, to whom he grimmaces at.

Killian is overheard praising Maude for: Without her, the war would likely have ended in total defeat at the battle of the Seawatch Gate.

Panting, Asger begins to walk among the carnage reaching down to close the eyes of his brutally slaughtered men, kneeling and whispering something to each of them before clapping them on the shoulder and moving on to the next. When he spots the occasional still living Crovane warrior he bellows for a mercy to come over.

"I swore an oath, I ain't going back on it." Mathias salutes Armel as the man departs before stepping closer to Orazio. "Ye all right, Legate? Reckon I didn't save ye from those arrows that fell on us earlier."

Acacia's head drops into a form nod towards Niccolo, before she splits off from him to leave him in the care of the rest of their guard. Dropping into a crouch near Franco shunts a hiss from gritted teeth, but she thrusts her hand to his shoulder, squeezing as she murmurs, "... Stay safe, love." She tracks after Mae within the concluding chaos, breath sucked down steadily, "Mae's trying to grab someone."

Silas nods up to Calypso. "I gave the order weeks ago, but I will send a helpful reminder." Barric then gets a bandage! He seems to do reasonably better with this one. "There you go, Your Highness."

Orazio is overheard praising Maude.

Did someone call for a Mercy? After smiling kindly to Khanne, murmuring, "You're very welcome," before she hears Mae's voice. "Coming!" And then she and her satchel are off to tend to the next patient.

"No, I'm bloody dead," Deva points a finger at Darren, giving him a brief, disapproving scowl. It softens into a relived smile as she watches the healer get to work, though.

Armel moves to Orazio's side, looking the man over and noting the wound upon his arm. "Father, you are...As Mathias said. You really should go and rest." He seems almost overly concerned with the man's health now that all is said and done.

Orazio is overheard praising Armel for: For inspiring the troops like a BOSS!

Reese is overheard praising Maude for: saving us all!

Killian is overheard praising Reese for: Holy crap she cut that bringer in half and was glowing, and it burst into flames..

Elrych is overheard praising Armel for: Fore Smashing faces

Silas is overheard praising Calaudrin for: Fine shootin'!

Artorius moves amongst his brethren, helping the wounded go where they need to go. Eventually he sees some of the commanders, giving a salute to Calypso. Happy to see her still alive and unharmed. He turns his attention to everyone else.

Without something to bury her blades into, Katarina is easily lost and overwhelmed in the aftermath of the initial siege. Golden eyes flicker over the grounds around her before she's bending down to search amongst the bodies left scattered across the grounds for signs of salvageable life.

Orazio is overheard praising Reese for: Holy fury!

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Katarina before departing.

Darrow is overheard praising Orazio for: 1 The words of the Archlector spoke to shatter the silence.

Silas is overheard praising Michael for: Fine commandin'! ... For the most part.

Calypso nods to Artorius. "Well done out there."

Mathias is overheard praising Armel for: Fine commanding there.

Wilhem is overheard praising Reese for: holy fury! That was awesome.

Killian is overheard praising Tobias for: I've never seen one so trusted by and in such firm command of their troops!

Mae is overheard praising Reese for: She was glwoing. GLOWING!

Artorius is overheard praising Armel for: fine good leadership right there.

Orazio is overheard praising Darrow for: For being terrifying.

Armel is overheard praising Orazio for: For his inspiration, even in the face of foul magics.

Barric is overheard praising Maude for: That was some keen leadership.

Franco manages to bleed heavily, much as anyone ought to. And he uses that ability to draw the attention of Mercy's along with the badgering of Mae when she calls out to help him be guided about. One hand moves to slip about Acacia, and the woman ends up being appropriated next to be used for aiding his standing. "I'm going to say thank you to everyone helping me stay upright. It's a pleasure, really." He explains, as some of the medics get to work on him.

Calypso is overheard praising Niccolo for: A bold and steady commander on the field!

Calaudrin is overheard praising Silas for: For some pretty good command and bandage throws!

Michael is overheard praising Silas for: Way to rescue Clover like a BOSS

Orazio is overheard praising Tobias for: A commander worthy of respect.

Maude recovers her breath. There's a cart nearby, blocking off one of the street exits, and the old general leans on it, removing her helm for a moment and setting it aside. She looks tired, rubbing her eyes, then continues towards the press of bodies, standing and fallen, stepping over the latter. She's holding her face in a stony mask, as expressionless as possible given the circumstances, until she spots Killian and Aislin, and walks over to given them a thorough visual inspection, and allow a slight smile.

"Deva!" Niccolo calls out to the princess, watching Acacia go attend to Franco, his attention turns to the Redrain archer as he makes his way to her. "You look pretty healthy for being dead," he notes to Deva, his expression wry. The archduke has a few scratches, but nothing too serious.

Barric is overheard praising Reese for: She really shined, for like real.

Artorius looks to Calypso "Likewise, cousin. I hope we push them back again. Many ran, too many."

"Permission granted, Lt." Tobias gives to Ywaine. "In fact, Emerald Company, go and get refreshed. Ruby Company can take first watch." Tobias then looks down to the battlefield inside the gate. "They retreated to the Forest. iron Company, Copper Company, Bronze Company, at ease. Go get refreshed. We're in siege." Then he looks over those remaining. "Well done, all. We could have held this gate for a long time, even without the outside assistance."

"Did you see it? Picked up by a damn Bringer, beat to shit, and live to tell about it!" Darren boasts to Deva, trying to keep up his spirits even as the Mercy fusses over him. "And you're not bloody dead, I see you right there. Not even a scratch!" he squints up at her. "You shot that mother fucker in the eye!"

"I'm /fine/," Aislin all but growls at Killian, irritably. Yet the anger she has seems directed more at /herself/ than at her cousin; there's no actual /ire/ in her words, just a sort of deep, simmering frustration. But the angry gesture causes her to inhale once, sharply, with pain; her right arm looks as though it might well be broken. "I'm going to find my damned sword, first." But then there's her great-aunt, and Aislin offers Maude a respectful nod.

Franco is overheard praising Deva for: She shot the black-armored menace literally melting people with his laser eyes. That's just incredible!

Niccolo is overheard praising Calypso for: She has nerves of steel.

Darren is overheard praising Deva for: Shot that mother fucker in the eye!

Esoka gives Thesarin her shoulder and proceeds to haul him Mercy-wards. She tries not to make it //look// like she's doing the majority of the carrying, but she's not about to let him stumble. "You'll be fine." It's said firmly, almost like an order. You //will// be fine, and I will hurt you if you aren't, dammit. Her own armor and surcoat are blood-soaked, but she herself appears unharmed. "It's done now." Though even she can't manage to inject any finality into that statement. It's FAR from done, beyond this battle.

Orazio is overheard praising Deva.

Niccolo is overheard praising Acacia for: I owe you my life.

Once Franco is upright, Sophie smiles. "You're very welcome. Thank you for putting yourself in a position that saved others from harm."

Barric is overheard praising Orazio for: he made sure the gods were with us.

Armel has left the By the Gate.

Mae stays close to Franoc. The Mercies arrive, tending to him quickly (hopefully!), and then to Mae herself. "I'm fine!" she insists, to the lovely young woman who insists on bandaging Mae's little cut on her flank. Huff, huff. But hey, at least Mercies near her mean Sophie near her. Mae leans into press a big kiss to Sophie's cheek. "Mwah!" she says, as she kisses, to make it good as exaggerated. Then she's helping Acacia get Franco to standing again.

Barric is overheard praising Mae for: For saving him from the grip of a bringer.

Calaudrin has left the Ramparts.

"You're nae fine," Morrighan grumbles in complaint up to Darren, nudging her raven-skull helm up to reveal her face, and numerous red curls spill forth from it. She's frowning at the nobleman. Heavily. There's a faint sniff made to the air while the mercies get to healing the Prince, and she half turns enough to sweep her gaze across the field, looking for Deva and Anze.

Niccolo looks over to Calypso as well, and inclines his head. "Agreed," he calls out to the Lady General.

Anze looks over the bringer corpse for a while, pulling one of the gauntlets off of his hand before rising and pulling a towel from his belt and begining to clean any stray blood from his body. He moves to Asger and looks him up and down "you need to clean yourself eh?"

Despite bleeding..a lot, Ford is more worried about getting that gate shut and reinforced than celebrating a small victory.

Orazio blinks at Armel. He looks down at the broken arrow shaft still sticking out of his shoulder, and grunts. "I feel more worried about the armor, really. It may be the Faith's colors, but it is perhaps not the best for a battlefield." Seeing as it's now spattered with bright red from neck to waist. But still, he nods. "A good idea, nonetheless. I can probably provide some help there, and I should get this damned arrow out."

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Ford before departing.

Morrighan is overheard praising Deva for: You don't know the fury of a Northern woman until you take an arrow to the eye.

Mathias has left the By the Gate.

Orazio has left the By the Gate.

2 Faith of the Pantheon trained guards leaves, following Orazio.

Viviana finally lowers her weapon, sliding it back into its scabbard as it becomes apparent that, for the moment, it won't be needed any more. "Well, now that that's over... I think I need a drink" she comments, speaking aloud but mostly to herself even as she moves back towards the city.

"Roger sir. You get some rest too," says Ywaine to his 'boss' and cousin, telling the men around him, "Y'heard him. Get on down, let Ruby take over. Get rest an' water, eat up. Sergean' go into siege protocol like we went over." He make his way down to where Tristram is, reaching into a pouch on his belt. He carefully pulls out and unwraps a paper wrapped object - a soft biscuit with several thick pieces of bacon in between it, handing it to the other man. "Hair a' the dog, y'highness. BTW, y'ain't light. I dunno, mebbe more exercise. Y'know." he tells Tristram. But he's grinning, gripping the other man's shoulder. "Gonna check on th' rest of th' House an folks. Y'just rest know, y'hear? I see ya movin' about I WILL start yellin', young man."

Barric orders some of the Grayson soldiers and his guards still living to help with the wounded.

As the city lets out a breath that was held when those thirteen banners were planted in defiance against the Compact, and the Bringers of Silence marched upon the walls of Arx in a battle the likes have not been seen for a hundred years, all could see the field of dead and dying that stretched out from the gates. And some could see more. And hear more. The ring and clash of sword against sword, a fight still continuing on that tainted battlefield. One of the Bringers, seeming to lay dead upon the field is stirred from its faux slumber as it lets out a roar and lashes out at the air. Sharpened claws meet steel that is not there and then before the eyes of the city of Arx the Revenant forms from a swirl of black dust. The Knight lets out a wordless hiss, its blade spinning and shifting in his grasp with practiced ease as it slices off the Bringer's leg and then drives its hand into the fiend's chest. The Bringer lets out a pathetic choked cry, its essence seeming to be snuffed out entirely as it melts into nothingness. The Revenant stares at the ground, its eyeless gaze lifting up slowly to stare at the walls of Arx before the undead knight disappears into nothingness once more.

Acacia doesn't move an inch until Franco's tended to, standing with only moderate difficulty once Khanne had come that way. She hesitates, visibly, before she cuts a look towards the Mercy, peeling her fingers back from that stray wound across her abdomen. "It isn't terrible. Shoving people back works wonders for evasion, apparently. But if you could look at it, love."

Eirene is getting bits and pieces of story from the wounded men and women. She's not doing much of the medical application herself; the lady Brigadier is more administration. She leaves the immediate triage here and heads to the House as well.

Ywaine is overheard praising Reese for: She GLOWED and chopped like a BOSS.

"I still look like shit," Deva tells Niccolo, her smile faint as she gives him a once over. "You look okay," she tells the archduke, giving his arm a quick pat. "Oy, yeah, I saw it! Good thing your ass is still alive, brother," she gives Darren a tired smile. "My only regret is that I didn't shoot him in the other, too." She gives Morrighan a little salute.

Ywaine is overheard praising Tobias for: Fine, fine commanderin' and leadership. Helped with the other leaders in repelling the assault!

Artorius looks out among the field and sees this. His eyes narrows at the dark knight, identifying his foe. He then moved to aid those who needed it.

Once she's marked where she's headed, Jael makes her way down from the ramparts, moving through the crowd toward Michael. "Michael!" she calls toward the Bisland, slinging her bow over her shoulder. "You all right?"

Katarina drags as many of the bodies of those clinging to life toward the healers that remain, pushing on despite her negligible injuries. Eventually, all that moving brings her near Sophie, to whom she looks up at with a tired smile. "Should I pull soldiers to help bring the injured to House of Solace, Sophie?"

As terribly bad as the wound on Franco was, Sophie's field treatments seem to do wonders. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it appears. "Thank you. And.." He then glances down and aside at Acacia's own wounded abdomen with a lift of his brows. Then glances back down to his own bandaged wound, and seems to contemplate for a short moment. "If these match, that's going to be terribly cliche." He complains to her in a tone that's far too deadpan to be serious, though he manages to keep leaning on her anyway.

Asger grunts at Anze "I'm good, need to see to my men..." Shouting out towards mercy he says "That fucker is dead already, why don't you see ta the living instead of the dead." with a clap to the man's shoulder on the ground beside him he says "Aye, will have you drinking again soon, don't you worry." with a frown to Anze he says "Ya did well, my friend."

Calypso clasps Niccolo on the shoulder before making her way back towards the palace. She stops for a moment and speaks quietly to Darren.

Eirene points at the shadow knight. "The fuck?" That said and acknowledges. She does what she can as a string of curses about things as black as a black cat's asshole in a windowless room at midnight fucking a liquorish.

Rymarr takes a moment to consider the area around the gates. He begins to move among those still attending to the dead, dying, or injured. He crosses the path of Prince Anze and pauses for a moment to toss a familiar nod of his helmet toward the bloody warrior from House Redrain, "Prince Anze, good to see you made it. Told you I'd see you on the other side when the fighting ended," Rymarr says in his usual stern manner. Though there seems to be a tone of triumph in his voice. He remains for a moment, lingering at least briefly while he looks over the carnage at the gates. Taking stock of it all, Rymarr seems to be working to figure out where to apply himself while he pauses nearby Anze.