- Joined
- Jul 18, 2013
- Messages
- 258
- Reaction score
- 1,764
- Points
- 0
- Age
- 23
- Location
- your dms
- Website
- forums.massivecraft.com
A Story Written By @LanternArchon
Shapes loomed in the evanescent mist, forming and reforming with every gust of wind. Nothing seemed normal to the Asterian guards, as their normal points of reference were obscured by the rolling fog. While mildly interested by the fog as an escape from the tedium of guard duty, none were particularly concerned. After all, Asteria was unchallenged in the waters of the east. Their control of the only water route to inland Essalonia had made them richer than any in this god-forsaken land. They were unprepared for the storm which was about to engulf them.
"Halt!" The guard shouted at a figure which was beginning to emerge from the mist.
The figure continued onward, not seeming to heed the captain as its form became more distinct to the guards lining the ramparts.
As it grew nearer, the sound of bowstrings tautening was audible to everyone on the wall, as the guard shouted again "Halt! Before this act becomes your last!" Tensions were near a breaking point until the wind shifted, revealing the shape to be nothing but a rather bewildered deer. Snickers accompanied the release of bowstrings, as the now relaxed guard settled in for what they believed to be yet another night of guard duty.
Hours later, some of the guard had begun to nod off, the featureless landscape taking its toll on the weary guards.
As the night wore on, pinpricks of light began to appear in the distance, first in ones and twos but then in groups of four or five. The guard captain, noticing the points of light, rubbed his eyes, not believing what his eyes were telling him. Other guards awakened and began to wake their fellow guardsmen, sounding the alarm.
Another gust of wind brought into focus a torch-lit host amassed at the walls. Two men led the column, one toting a battleaxe and shield and the other a bastard sword. Bearing banners emblazoned with a snarling griffon, the force continued its advance.
"Asterians..." muttered Theon, standing with Raylen as the column advanced: "They wallow in luxury, hiding from the sins of the past; but we have not forgotten Hadar."
This discovery of the assailants, prompted a flurry of activity on both sides as defenders scurried to reach for waylaid weapons, and siege ladders were moved to the front of the column.
Theon Athius and Raylen threw up their shields as the first wave of arrows arced down toward the column of Insani warriors, beginning cries of pain which would continue throughout the conflict.
Gesturing wildly with his sword, Theon began a battle cry which was quickly echoed by the rest of the Insani host as they surged towards the defenders "For King and Country!"
Once the siege ladders reached the walls, Theon, Raylen and the rest of the Insani force wasted no time in clambering up the ladder, beginning a violent melee atop the embankment.
Hack. Dodge. Parry. Life. Death. This was the only language Raylen knew during that short and bloody melee. As the corpses of friend and foe piled at his feet, and the ground beneath him became slick with blood; only the presence of the soon-to-be king kept him in the present. Seeing his king-apparent engaged in the melee made him redouble his efforts, pushing him to strike harder, faster, and more accurately. The flow of bewildered guards rushing at him never seemed to end ... until, all of a sudden, it did. The clashing of swords and shields had stopped, only the screams of the wounded and dying reached Raylen's ears.
Theon parried the strike of the guard captain, and with a swift riposte pierced the other man's armor. As the guards saw their captain fall, they began to flee, first in ones and twos, and then in a wholesale rout. Seeing Raylen occupied with the guards who hadn't fled, Theon shouted to his remaining warriors, ordering them to maintain their position atop the rampart. And there they waited, able to do nothing but watch as the guards regrouped in the city proper.
Messengers ran throughout the city of Asteria, ordering guards from all areas of the city to abandon their posts and defend the city from the Insani warriors who had just breached the wall.
"I hate sailing." Silvanus Aalto said to the first mate of the Lamplight as the ship glided into the Asterian harbor. "I'd rather die with a sword in my hand than a mollusk in my a**" he remarked as he and his men disembarked onto the now deserted Asterian jetty. Silvanus, torch in hand, and his band of fifty men made their way to the dock warehouses, cutting down any guards they passed on the way. These warehouses contained the valuable trade goods that were Asteria's lifeblood. Carrying what they could, and burning what they couldn't, they pillaged their way through the warehouse district, making their way to the quay that housed the Asterian navy. Silvanus boarded and commandeered an Asterian battleship, throwing overboard any crew members who remained on the ship.
By the time the Asterian leadership noticed what had happened, it was too late, the damage had been done. A smoky haze lay over the city, as the docks and the warehouse were consumed by the blaze set by Silvanus. As the regrouped guards marched towards the wall where the breach had occurred, anxious to retake the rampart, no Insani warriors greeted them. When they reached the rampart, all that remained of the vicious fighting were the corpses of their compatriots.
Characters
Theon Athius - @Genecide65
Raylen D'Aramitz - @LanternArchon
Silvanus Aalto - @Cae_22
OOC
We slaughtered Asteria lol.
Last edited:
