Hey again. Yes this time I got something entirely different for you. No more smooching or anything like that. Raw battle this time! As I wrote this RP about the battle at Nebel I got entirely carried away. It became way too long but I just rolled with it. Let it be long if my inspiration to write continues. Here is the result of that inspiration. I try to do the other players justice in my RP's in accordance to what the battle reports details and asked for their opinions at the end of the RP via an OOC message attached.
First days of Winter
It was days since anyone enjoyed a hearty meal. Now with the cold of winter in the air the men and woman of Port Nebel longed even more for a full, steaming plate of food. Dogs were but a memory already, cats long gone and the only game left in the streets were the rodents. Their tricky ways had saved them so far but many a desperate soul had taken to rat hunting. The streets looked empty now, people couldn't leave the city and neither could anyone really reach it. D'haran soldiers with the occasional Fissoan company had formed a warhost that camped outside the city walls.
The previous morning the Lurian Soldiers had emptied the city. They had marched through the western gate under the curious gaze of the common born people of the port. Were they deserting them to starve? Did they leave a dying city? Questions they dared not ask anymore. Riots had been ruthlessly put down. By the sword and by the spear were the people of Port Nebel brought to heel.
At the front of the Lurian warhost rode the Emperor of Luria himself, his Imperial Majesty Seoras Madigan Nifelleisca. A short distance behind the man rode Aldrakar. He quietly reflected on the hardships of hunger and the siege they had endured so far in Port Nebel. Atop a brown horse he rode next to Lord Marshal Amyclas who was to lead the coming battle. The man was impressive of build and had a widely known taste for blood, for battle.
Even though the three of them had regularly spoken and at length there was little indication of friendliness and much of formality and proper conduct. The Lurian soldiers that marched with them were hungry, not for vengeance but mainly just hungry for food. From that anger often sprouted which in turn was directed at the D'harans. It was a nasty situation that didn't sit well with Aldrakar and he guessed neither with the other nobles, be they Lurian or otherwise.
The future battlefield upon which they would fight lay before them as they trudged down the muddy road. Snow didn't really form this far to the south of Dwilight but still the clouds overhead conspired to inundate the land in cold rain. The day was grey, the sun far removed from thought and the fields of Nebel long bereft of tranquility.
The D'haran camp was ahead, they had naturally known the Lurians would sally forth at some point. Expected it perhaps, planned? The natives of Nebel stayed indoors and waited till the violence of nobles past them by. That was really all they could hope for. The D'harans brought many infantry with them. Line upon line of shield and sword or spear awaited the Lurians. The faces of D'haran shields linked with the occasional Fissoan shield as they moved to present a shieldwall to the approaching Lurian attackers.
His Imperial Majesty rode off to the side to look out over at the forces arrayed against his warriors. The Marshals followed him. Amyclas who would lead the fight for the Lurians, Idesbald, the previous Imperial Marshal of Luria and Aldrakar the current. A few quiet words were spoken and the Emperor assented with his Marshals. The forces were drawn up in battle formation. Aldrakar knew a moment of surprise as the Emperor took up position with his loyal spearmen. Not only because Seoras would participate but also because the Emperor choose to fight in a forward position within the army.
Aldrakar himself left his horse with the servants and stood with his shieldguard. Men he had been with for years by now. Swordsmen each and all. It wasn't Aldrakar alone that stood bravely with the Emperor that day. Great warriors of Luria where among the army. Some of the names that stood out were Kamron Lorganson, Robert De la Gardie and Eddard Huntington.
The rain had stopped since an hour past. The grey of clouds had never left the skies and the two hosts faced one another on the muddy plains of Nebel. Boots covered with dirt already, greaves stained with mud and faces red from the biting wind. Lord Marshal Amyclas rode ahead of the Army as he delivered a short speech. Colorful in his descriptions and full of rough humor. The soldiers of Luria grinned and gave a cheer for their Marshal. A keen observer might've discerned a private look the Marshals and Emperor exchanged.
Bodies transformed into units of moving steel, leather and fabric as the armies began to move towards one another. The D'harans and their Fissoan comrades kept their ground. They stayed in close formation and kept their shields close to their bodies. Ready to take the impact of Lurian aggression. The sound of crunching wed soil underneath the soles of his boots rose up to Aldrakar's ears and he tried to focus on that sound. He tried to ward his mind against fear, against love, Lucini's face skirted past his mind's eye but was quickly locked away in the depths of his mind.
As visors were lowered and banners held more erectly faceless men let out roaring battle cries as they started to charge. The D'haran formation resolved its unity and held firm. They were wise to do so for a hail, not from the clouds or heavens, descended upon them. Hundreds of arrows shot from Lurian Bows pounded onto the D'haran formation. Many shields held but the lesser of their kind gave way and got punctured. The first screams of pain, anger and shock were torn from the D'harans as the Lurian arrows ripped into them. Not once, not twice but many more waves washed over them. They never gave an inch.
The Imperial Banner was among the first to crash into the Shieldwall. A raging beast of spears and armor battered at the shields and defenders of D'hara. Quick to join them was Amyclas who with his superb warriors, handpicked for their loyalty, gave a deadly display of swordsmanship as they hacked at their enemies.
As the initial crash of steel and blood passed did Aldrakar perceive an opening, a waning moment he seized. Together with Idesbald and Kamron they rushed the weak point in the D'haran formation and like a hammer smashed through the shieldwall. Wildly screaming Kamron dismembered a Fissoan man at arms and kicked the stunned man to the ground. With deadly accuracy Idesbald leapt to Kamrons aid as he drove his sword deep into the guts of a D'haran spearman. Parrying the spear before he did so. With their valiant action Aldrakar was able to move on ahead and press the advantage.
Only half a dozen steps past his noble allies was Aldrakar faced with a colorful and masterfully armored foe. His own face in wonder at the craftsmanship but one he couldn't maintain for long as the D'haran swung his weapon at Aldrakar. One sweep, aimed high at his head. Another at his thigh and them the mightly warrior rushed forwards to drive the point of his weapon through Aldrakar's chest. panic rushing through him for a heartbeat Aldrakar jerked his body to the right and angled his own sword to meet his attacker.
The Margrave of Chesland, Gaidin Sorandil gave an unnatural sound as he sped past Aldrakar. The flaming broadsword Aldrakar employed nearly ripped from his grasp with the force of Gaidin stumbling to the ground, splashing mud over his wondrous armor. There was no time to check who it was or even to deliver a finishing blow. Gaidin’s weapon failed to touch Aldrakar and was hurt in turn. A man down was a man out of the fight and the fight was still very much going on.
The Lurians were overrunning the D'haran shieldwall. It was clear to all in hindsight perhaps. Too many Lurians and too few Fissoan's to assist the D'harans. Arrows had found the new Prime Minister of D'hara. A shot fired from Tanin Levine, a young Lurian Knight with a promising future surely.
As the battle raged on Kamron was seen in all his battle furry as he took on way too many enemies at once then any sane man would and managed to kill or drive them off with furious blows! Weapons rained down on him but harmlessly bounced off his armor or were expertly dodged or parried. Idesbald continued his killer discipline and held the center of the Lurian infantry together. Lord Marshal Amyclas wasn't seen much but from all the unseen places screams rose intermingled with maniacal laughter.
While fighting Aldrakar couldn't help but feel dread at the thought of finding Soren Argent. The Price-at-Arms of Fissoa. He had grown to like the man and both had come to noble understanding on how to conduct warfare. If only they never had to fight one another. This day was kind enough to never reveal either of them to the other. The same couldn't be said for Rynn JeVondair.
Still punching through D'haran lines like the trust of a masterwork spearhead through a feeble shield Aldrakar's Shieldguard came upon one of the Royals of D'hara. Momentum drove the two bodies of men together and neither backed down. Stubborn pride drove both sides to viscous fighting and the flaming sword of Aldrakar found its mark again. Rynn managed to parry a string of precision strokes aimed at his armpits and lower leg. The two were a ray of sunshine in a downpour of brawling as the two fought man to man for two dozen heartbeats.
Their fight was interrupted as so much fighting is in mass melee. They were crushed together by the sheer weight of other combatants around them. When they untangled Rynn let out a yelp of pain or was it a cry? There was too much noise to tell but it was clear he had no heart to continue their fight. Rynn limped away as he cradled one of his limbs, blood pouring from a wound.
After that the battle became a slaughter. The D'harans and few Fissoans were overrun, butchered as they refused to surrender and the day had true reason to be grim again, save for the season of winter.
