Battle Campaign (Mille Sessau)

Prince Rhago, son of Emperor Casimir stood stunned. Agrina was lost, they had arrived just after sun rise, the fresh corpses and the smoke cascading over the city told it's own story. Rhago nearly wept. The cream of the Ezrian army was lost, even if Agrina was retaken..Ezria did not have the resources to replace the troops. Well, not without help at least. His voice nearly faltered as he spoke but he knew it was his duty to rally his troops, even if the war had just changed in a direction very unfavorable to the Empire.

'' Send a messenger..back to my father. Tell him we will be needing the services of the Blood Wing's and that the city is lost. I am to retake it immediately. The Ejrakh when they arrive are to guard are rear from surprise attack '' His face hardening as he turned to look back upon the ranks of his soldiers, drawing his saber as he drew his Gryphon down the assembled line of the battle hardened Nukur.

'' Soldiers of the Empire! The Dwarve's have committed the final atrocity of this war, a war that we did not wish. They have robbed the bread that would feed your wives, brood, mothers and fathers. Retake the city, wipe out the shame of this defeat from our history and bring me the head of their General. For the Emperor, for your families, forward damn you! '' The Ezrian troopers hammered their weapons on their shields or on their breastplates, and soon the surging tide of Ezrian's were moving as one.

'' Have the Nukur and the archers retake the walls and open the gates. '' He barked at Battle Master Kulash, the only senior Ezrian officer to escape the battlefield. He had been the one in command of the light cavalry force that had ambushed the Dwarven infantry outside the walls. A bloody gash, freshly bandaged was stitched across his arm. '' Are you up for the task? '' Rhago snarled, his blade poised to end the Battlemaster's life. But Kulash was not to blame, it was Hulagu and the old fool would pay for not attacking when he should have. Kulash would be spared, for now.

'' I am sire. '' The aged Battlemaster inclined his head in a sign of fealty before pushing his exhausted Gryphon on to order the next round of orders.

The Dwarve's were bound to be exhausted from fighting throughout the night, surely they couldn't withstand another attack..an attack that had to succeed. As the sun began to rise, nearly three thousand Ezrian's took to the sky to seize the walls while the ground troops much like ants scurried through the mounds of corpses that lined the fields. The catapults lining up to shoot in the event they had to break the gates down.

Summary:
The Ezrian relief force moves to retake the city, lead by Prince Rhago.

(OOC: Doesn't change anything just posted it cuz didn't get around to it and nothing I do really changes the outcome in this. Dwarves will still die.)

A sentry atop the walls came running winded and tired from the nights fighting, "General, more crows coming from the hill. There's over 4,000 of them. Think I saw some seige weapons as well." the young dwarf informed bent over.

"Gosh rammit. Too many dwarves had already died this day." the general mumbled then ordered, "Burn whatever you can near the Gate and in other portions of the city without risking it spreading to the buildings. We'll darken the sky with ash and smoke, hopefully it'll provide us with cover. Close the gates and then meet back here ate Central Square when you're done."

Then to the sentry he ordered, "Go tell Commander Strongarm to leave the prisioners and begin city warfare against this new force." The sentry ran off at a jog heading towards the northeast corner where Commander Strongarm was gaurding the prisioners.

Summery:

-Stuff burns darkening the city as the smoke above blocks out the sun (Ezria's post before mentioned it here's explaination)
-Gates are closed and locked
-Forces retreat to Central Square after tasks are done before the new foe begins their assualt.

King Casimir's War
Turn 10

The city had been retaken, and with it a shift of power had come. The Ezrians had retaken the initiative. Their forward momentum ended as quickly as it had come however, as a huge blizzard swept in to the Agrinan Valley. Within hours two inches coated the ground and Avian soldiers were finding whatever they could to keep warm. Huge fires were started, Prince Rhago and his small entourage of officers were given quarter in the Governor's Villa, nice and cozy it was. The 232 Dwarven prisoners were put in a warehouse under heavy guard until Prince Rhago mandated further orders. Rhago and his plethora of lieutenants were overlooking a map of Agrina when an Avian soldier entered, snow across his shoulders and wings.

" My liege! These .. humans, are here for you. "

Behind the Avian soldier, a man stood. He was not silent for long, entering the room and taking stern eye contact with the Prince, usually a cultural faux pas in Avian society.

" I am Suhel of the Ejrahk. Our host has arrived from the steppes to help fight the shortfolk. We are hungry, our horses are tired. "

Three thousand strong. They were tired, hungry and freezing. They wore boiled leather armor and tunics and breeches. Most were without shoes and tranced across the snow barefoot as they dismounted and entered the various buildings and such to rest. The 3,000 cavalry had literally rode over 5,000 miles within four or five weeks ; a feat deemed impossible even by an Avian with no weight and clear skies. Many Ezrians took great note of the beasts the Ejrahkians called horses. They were thin and tall, and exceedingly fast.

Notes
-- The Ejrahkian Reinforcements have arrived. Their status is: Fatigued, Famished, Low Morale.
-- The weather is: -19 Degrees Fahrenheit, Heavy Snow Fall, No Wind.
-- It is about to be night time.
-- New Post Order: Empire of Ezria, Tribes of Ejrahk, Republic of Ever-Winter.

'' Shall we kill them? The Dwarve's butchered our people by the thousands... '' Battlecaptain Sandros, adjusting his Sessauan furs over his broad shoulders muttered as the Prince stared over a map of the valley. Even in the bloody house it was freezing as a fire in the corner raged with a snap, crackle, and pop of burning wood.

'' No, at least not yet. They allowed our own men to live and so we shall return the favor. Keep a company on duty to guard them in the warehouse, ensure that they had food and water but that they are secure. We'll build some proper holding pens after the storm has passed. Sandros, see that the men are billeted comfortably. Commander buildings if you have too, just make sure the boys are resting and warm. We shall see to the corpses after the storm has passed but as of now our concern is to keep the living ready for battle. When this storm passes, send a courier to my father that the city has been recaptured.'' He paused to look up as the leader of the Ejrakh stepped forward. Five thousand miles, it was stunning to think that they had came so far in such a short space of time. It would've taken an Ezrian or Dwarven army twice or thrice that number of weeks to cross, even with good roads.

The fact that the man thing made eye contact with the Prince did not go well with the Prince's staff, several whom stepped forward angrily. '' Silence. '' Rhago said pounding his fist on the table, his golden eyes locking with the man's as he came from behind the table, a bottle of wine in his hand as he handed it to the Ejrakh warrior. The fact that he had made such a journey meant that he was a human worthy of some modicum of respect. Even if his people were filthy barbarians.

'' Drink. You have had a long journey. I was planning on making a counterattack against the Dwarven fort but the weather has prevented that. It appears we shall both be stuck in this city for some time until the cold passes. Until then, you and your men are to be fed. Quarters will be found for you in the city and we shall make arrangements for your horses. '' The sad fact was that the Ezrian army had been defeated here just yesterday and had lost thousands of men. She now had plenty of space for which newly arrived reinforcements could gather.

'' Rest. In a few days, we shall go on the attack. We have been sitting behind these walls for far too long. '' Thankfully, a living breathing city was a great deal warmer and more hospitable place than a cramped fortress. One could only hope that the God's had decided to give the Dwarve's the worst of the storm.

Summary:
The Ezrian Army billets its troops in the city and rests them for the coming fight to keep them battle ready.

The Ejrakh are given fresh rations and orders have been given to billet the human troops to restore them to strength.

When the storm passes, a second courier will leave for Coronne with the news that Agrina has been recaptured with minimal losses.

The Ejrahk were grateful for the shelter. Their tents were hardly protection against the bitter cold. Nothing on the plains or even foothills had compared to this binding chill, though winter was not a strange concept. They first tended to their mounts, painstakingly walking them first, then rubbing them down, then putting them into warm shelter. Their packhorses were offloaded and also tended to. Only after the last horse was settled did the Ejrahk accept the rations. They ate like men possessed. Dried jerky and rice was hardly appealing for such a long trip.

After the meal the Ejrahk dispersed into their quarters. They were careful to remain apart from the birdmen, though their dealings with them were polite. No animals were sacrificed that night in an attempt to remain polite towards the heathen Avians. They washed and tended their leather armor before the majority of them fell into an exhausted slumber. The toll of riding so long so hard had caught up to them. It was a good delay that the blizzard brought, as it would give them time to sleep and rest their horses.

Suhel remained upright and moving until the last of his men were fed and huddled deep in their blankets. He was restless, and soon gave up the notion of sleep until he had words with the birdmen leader. Without preamble or announcement he approached Rhago. "We will need maps, to see the terrain. We need to know where dwarves are. They must travel the roads to this city to attack. We will make these roads .... unsafe. They will fear to step onto them, knowing that it means death. We must find where they live, and raze the very earth. Our horses are not good for fighting men of iron head on, but we can keep them worrying and sleepless."

Summary

The Ejrahk take special care to tend to their mounts and see them settled.
They eat, wash, tend their equipment, and sleep. They plan to spend the duration of the blizzard resting themselves and their horses.
They lay out their basic plan to Rhago, to ambush dwarven reinforcements on the roads.

Commander Irongaurd of the Dragon Scale Shields Tear that had remained at Deth Trap Fortress was summoned to one of the twin towers that they were currently using to keep an eye on the battle. Later when reinforcements arrive those towers would hold dwarves of the Dragons Breath and rain death to any enemy approaching from below, relatively safe due to their higher elevation and the stone that protected them.

"What is it now?" Irongaurd asked knowning that the morning should have brought about the victory of the 3rd Dwarven Legion with General Sid's gambled assualt of the city.

"The Crows were reinforced an hour after the fighting ended sir. They seemed to explore the whole city, the 3rd, what remained of them anyways, fought till the end I suspect. I didn't want to call you till it was certain that none of the 3rd would be coming back. The Avian's had two groups, their numbers are probably equal or greater then that of what the city boasted of before the 3rd laid seige to it Commander."

"Let the stone take me..." the Commander breathed shocked at the sudden appearence of not one large group but two equally large groups of enemy troops. If the 3rd wasn't dead before it was now. Looking over the side of the tower the commander yelled to those below, "Stop the reinforcements when they arrive, the 3rd's been lost!"

Using a telescope the Commander of the Death Trap Fortress scanned the enemy troops untill they completely disappeared within the city of Agrina. Nodding he looked down at the pass below that led to the Agrina farmland. "We'll let the enemy come to us, when they do our superior elevation will allow the Dragons Breath and catapults to rain death down the slope before their own ranged combantants can return the favor. We'll make them pay for ever inch up this slope they make." the long distance to the relitively level farmland took the 3rd Dwarven Legion a day to traverse last winter, with this blizzard coming it'd be that much more difficult for the enemies to take the Death Trap Fortress.

Summery:

-Reinforcements will stop at the Fortress now that the 3rd is beleived to be completely killed off.
-The forces will wait for the clearly larger enemy forces to attempt an assualt on the Death Trap Fortress, which has a large strategic advantage.