25 of Hematite Siege of 1056
It took a little planning but we knew we'd have to charge out of our gates at some point. We waited a little while for the goblins to settle down in what they no doubt assumed to be an effective siege. I had picked a time to begin the operation that wasn't perhaps the most convenient. Half the fortress was asleep, including Ragnar and a good portion of our military. But they'd been on active duty for some time and they certainly needed the rest. When I called for the archers and had them position themselves directly behind the main gate protecting the merchants things began to take shape. Tosid and Fath were at the steel doors, Urvad as a backup defender. I didn't want her in the charge directly. She was still carrying her child into battle and I simply didn't want to risk both of them. Only three of our military archers were on duty but apparently others had heard the call. Thorid, one of our rangers showed up, dressed in his gear. To my surprise the shifty gemsetter, Melonius I think his name was, showed up wearing gear and with a crossbow. I didn't realize that he had any skill at arms, but let him stand with the others. I climbed to the top of the northern building to where everyone could see me, but where I could remain relatively hidden from the goblins almost directly beneath me. Pointing to the archers I signalled for the gate to be dropped.
All five of our archers were in position when the gates opened. The goblins must have been taken by surprise, since almost every archer got off at least three shots before the goblins even reacted. By then the single pikegoblin with the crossbow leader had gone down and the leader himself was pinned by fire. He managed to get off two shots I think before he took a bolt in the arm, spinning him to the ground. A second bolt took him through the leg shortly thereafter, then a third. Our crossbowers were backed up by several of the human archers that were firing as well. It wasn't long before the first platoon of goblins had been completely eliminated. As our archers slowly advanced, Fath and Tosid opened the gates and charged into the midst of the crossbow goblins milling almost directly outside them.
It was a spectacle the likes of which I would not expect to see again. Both Fath and Tosid charged like mad, and before the goblins knew what was upon them had closed almost the entire distance. Tosid went for the nearest crossbow goblin, while Fath was confronted by the platoon leader, a swordmaster. Sword rang on sword as the air seemed to be filled with the buzzing of bolts, but Fath proved the more skilled by far. A quick series of blows broke through the goblins defenses and it found itself flying backwards to strike the wall, dead in the air without realizing it.
The clack-clack of crossbow bolts intensified as Fath and Tosid literally danced among the goblins, wreaking death and destruction on all hands. Tosid faltered momentarily when he took a bolt through the hand, but seemed to shrug it off, snapping it on his armor and removing the rest with his teeth as he blocked shots with his shield. Most of the fire seemed intensified on Fath, who had slain their leader, and quite a few bolts were by now being deflected by his armor. Goblin after goblin went down, felled by the deadly pair and soon the goblin platoon began to falter. A reprieve nearly saved them when Fath took a bolt at point blank range directly in the chest. From my vantage I could only see the barest end of it still protruding from his armor and he seemed to pause, stunned at the shot. The timely arrival of reinforcements, in the form of our archers who had advanced far enough to be within range, and of Urvad who, sensing the initial danger past, charged out with Kuli, wielding a spear right behind. The second platoon of goblins didn't hold out much longer than that, but it seemed that the other two platoons, nearer the ramp had been alerted to the activity and were beginning to move towards the gates. Tosid ran back inside to report and get a quick drink while Fath, Urvad and Kuli pressed on to take the intersection of roads.
Our archers began coming up from behind as well, and not a few of them paused at the scene of carnage before them, stunned and nauseous. ((Actually that happened to almost everyone as soon as they would run around the corner to go through the battle site at first))
Urvad led the charge on the third goblin platoon, the other crossbow goblin group. The hammermaster leader confronted the three warriors but stood little chance as Urvad cut him down with a single strike, sending him flying into a crossbow goblin behind him and knocking it down. The goblins seemed almost too stunned by the ferocity of the attack to put up much resistance as the three cut their way through them. The platoon of pikegoblins were now filtering down the ramp as well and joining in the fray. Urvad took a wicked hit from behind in her upper arm, a pike penetrating her armor, but undaunted she turned on it and severed the goblin's arm, then leg, then torso. Kuli was flying about perpetrating equal carnage with his spear, driving it into goblins and bearing them to the ground with it. He had a brief moment of peril when he was caught flatfooted one on one with a crossbowgoblin. The goblin unloaded as Kuli dived to one side and coming up in a roll charged the goblin. A second bolt was deflected off his shield as he speared in, taking the goblin through the arm and pinning the appendage to it's torso. Kuli twisted the weapon in the wound and the goblin passed out, dragging the dwarf closer to it. A quick retrieval of his weapon and thrust later and he was off running to rejoin the others in their fray.
The third goblin platoon was dispatched, along with the leader and a few pike of the fourth platoon. Fath and Kuli undertook the cleaning of the ramp while Urvad retreated to see to her wounds. There were only eight pikegoblins remaining. Fath charged ahead, with Kuli behind him. Charging into a group of three Fath dealt with the first almost as soon as he arrived, sending it unconcious to the ground, missing a leg. Two goblins attempted to flank Fath but were met by Kuli. The first was speared in the leg but the second managed to tackle him and they wrestled briefly before Kuli got the upper hand and stood, grabbing his spear and driving it into the belly of the prone goblin. Fath was slowing down and was doubled over, desperately trying to catch his breath and deflect goblin shots as Kuli finished off his goblin and caught up with the other that had started to flee up the ramp. A few repeated thrusts saw the goblin bleeding from arm, leg and throat, effectively silencing it. Fath by that time had caught his breath and together the pair finished off the remaining few.
And so ended the siege of summer 1056.
We had lost two civilians. Fath's injury was the only serious one. He'd taken a bolt through the lung and though it hadn't incapacitated him, it would certainly slow him down. I wasn't sure if he would ever recover fully from the injury. The skill with which our defenders performed was spectacular however, and that evening a celebration was held in their honor.
Sixty four goblins had come. Only three, who hadn't been caught inside the gates managed to escape. And I've discovered many things about our defenses that I would need to change, in order to ensure better safety in the future. For one, installing doors on the old mined out sections on the ramp might allow dwarves caught out to flee there and lock the doors behind them, ensuring relative safety until the siege was broken. As long as sieges didn't take too long they could survive well enough without food or water.
((That's you Kuli about to finish off a crossbowgoblin. Poor guy. Heh.))
Author
Topic: Geshud Osod, the Fortress of Bones (Community/Story in Legendary Lands) (Read 102247 times)