Uskicia-Two weeks ago
Soldiers rush through the streets to man the walls. The sound of cannonfire fills the air, and the air is dark with smoke and ash. Swords clash, men die, horses flee in terror. In the midst of it all, Harkon sits upon his faithful steed, rallying his men, shouting orders, and hacking at any Saracen that comes near.
A lucky cannon shot crashes into the gates, cracking them open. With a shouted order Harkon gathers his cavalry behind him, and charges. The Azure Skull flies forwards, between the ranks of footsoldiers, crushing through the Saracen defenders, and through the gates. The rank follows as the knights dismount and open the gates all the way, and within minutes, the walls are overrun. The defenders pull back to prepared barricades, and a week of urban warfare follows.
Uskicia-One week ago
Harkon wipes his blade on his equally filthy robe and sheaths it, as underlings rush to pull down the Saracen flag and replace it with the respective flags of the King, the Church, and House Shurgem. Harkon leans on the battlements, and looks over his conquest. Much of the city is obscured by smoke and flames, but the heathen spires of the Saracen temples are clearly visible, contrasting against the sturdy, east-european architecture of the old Uskicia. They would have to be destroyed. He grunted, rolled his shoulders, and turned round.
"Commander!" he barked. His second in command saluted. "Find the body of that pitiful excuse for a leader that these filthy towleheads had, and have it preserved. The people will be happy to see it paraded around the capital." The man nodded, and, shouting orders himself, headed back down through the castle to where the enemy commander lay.
Later that week, the Royal troops begin their long march back to the capital, leaving Harkon with a small band of inexperienced men, who spend most of their time dragging corpses outside of the city to be burnt.
Uskicia-Now
Amongst the smouldering ruins, Harkon does paperwork. Reports to the king- how many dead Saracens, how much arable farmland, what damage to defences.
'I am pleased to report that the sand-eaters appear to have had some respect for the beautiful horses bred here. The stables are filled with fine warhorses, who, though skittish from the recent siege, and trained in the arabic tongue, should nevertheless make decent mounts for me and my soldiers. I intend to delay my departure for the pass for a week, as that I may select suitable mounts and train my men in their use'
True to his word, Harkon spent the rest of the week outfitting his men. Horses were merely a part of the preparations- the 'soldiers' wore no uniform, just leather armour and a shield with the dual symbols of the King and the Church on them. Shirts were died blue as a temporary uniform, Saracen weapons and armour were re-purposed and distributed. At the end of the week, they were still a rabble, but at least they had horses, a Shurgem Uniform, and decent weapons.
Actions:
Harkon Unit A is outfitted with horses.