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Post by cerdigon on Oct 22, 2017 1:19:09 GMT
Third Battle of Gusko's Rest
The Battle of Suvaneh Plains had left the army of High Chief Artog Aedsword battered, bloodied, and in full retreat back towards the city of Gusko's Rest. Emperor Aonag's army short on supplies and exhausted alongside there Esharan counterparts were in no immediate position to pursue. High Chief Artog arrived in Gusko's Rest four days later, with the combined Sacryan / Esharan forces a few days behind him after pausing to resupply.
The High Chief found a city in chaos. Orcish militiamen had gone house to house, killing, looting, and murdering. Entire city blocks were being torched while small pockets of Sacryan giants that hadn't surrendered fought hopeless battles against the green sea that surrounded them. Order was only restored when Artog gave orders to shoot looters in an effort to restore discipline. The sobering effect was not lost on his army when dozens were shot within the first hour and briefly culled the bloodlust burning throughout the horde.
Artog immediately turned his position to fortifying the ruined city, which was no easy feat. Much of the city had been bombed or burned in the last month, leaving a bare husk of blackened ruins that the Firetooth called home. It was a dead city, a necropolis. Yet one that the Firetooth and her allies had spent too much blood and treasure capturing. The Third Battle of Gusko's Rest began alongside the first major snowstorm of the war.
The mighty Johor River had also begun to freeze, forcing the Stonefoot gunboats and mortarboats that had provided invaluable fire assistance to withdraw south to warmer waters. They would not be available until spring. More worryingly, the defeat at Suvaneh had meant that the Firetooth had abandoned many artillery shells and gunpowder in their haste to withdraw.
The Sacryan's had mustered all of its available manpower for a final and decisive battle while the ailing King Aulus had maneuvered his army for one final supporting push to decide the cities fate.
EFFECTS: -- A heavy snowstorm blankets Gusko's Rest. Esharan and Firetooth forces are penalized for visibility and attrition. Sacryan forces are immune.
-- Johor River has frozen; Stonefoot gunboats and mortarboats have withdrawn.
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Post by zurajai on Oct 30, 2017 5:59:12 GMT
The night roared to life with gunfire. Under the cover of darkness the joint forces of the Esharan and Sacryan armies had moved into position in and around the outskirts of Gusko's Rest. To their credit, the maneuvers had mostly gone without a hitch and now they were being rewarded for their effective movements. Artillery pieces, swiftly pushed into position by their gunners and often into the furrows left by the Orclanders all those months ago, thundered magnificently towards the city. As it had been before, the city gorged itself on the incoming missiles as what few buildings left standing were annihilated in the oncoming barrage. In an ironic twist, however, it seemed that the two sides had simply traded places. The sonorous call of heavy guns rang true from the fortifications of Orclander-occupied Gusko's Rest, lighting up the battlements with their fury.
All around the city giants and Esharan men, dwarves, and elves marched into position. Their exact numbers were impossible determine, in large part due to their horrendous snowstorms, and the defenders were placed in a similar position; in this battle it seemed no one would know anything about anyone. These maneuvers went either unnoticed or without response as orclander troops simple dug into their foxholes and earthworks and prepared for the onslaught that came. In a fantastic show of the cruelty of gods, on each side priests could be seen marching between their flocks telling them of the righteousness of their cause; perhaps both were, or neither.
For now the Orclander lines were holding resiliently before the incoming fire. Their positions were at least moderately fortified, helped by the sheer amount of material they had available from the ruins of the city and their morale was at least moderately high; they had taken the city and their officers assured them they could hold it. Their enemies seemed the same as the endless report of cannons showed their intentions clearly. It would be a battle of wills and the winner would be the only one left standing after the hurricane to come.
SUMMARY
-- Both forces have begun the engagement at range with cannon emplacements bombarding both sides.
-- From the Orclander positions it can be determined that the enemy HAS moved into position but their numbers and disposition is almost impossible to determine.
-- The Orclanders have dug into the city (or what's left of it) with their exact locations beyond cannons firing from the walls of the Military District being unknown.
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Post by cerdigon on Nov 4, 2017 23:26:02 GMT
Moderation Mark
The assault commenced under the cover of heavy guns. Orclander artillery fired hammered the Esharan and Sacryan positions but the snowstorms made accuracy for both sides impossible. The result was a cacophony of noise, with any damage that was dealt coming primarily from luck (depending on who was doing the shooting and the dying) then skill. The Orclander forces had set their rear lines in the military district. Sappers had hastily repaired the breaches and for the moment the primary defenses seemed to be holding well. Witch light danced as Esharan and Sacryan shells 'burst' or careened off the invisible warding of the defenses. The main Firetooth line was concentrated in the ruins of the city proper. A thin perimeter line known formed an outer guard to harass the Allied armies as they made their assault upon the city. The first major action of the battle came in a bold store from High Chief Boarsplitter, who struck through the swirling maelstrom of the blizzard with thousands of cavalryman at his back. The Chief hoped to take advantage of the Sacryan southern flank, which he gambled was weak. In fact, the attack in the South was under the personal command of Emperor Aonag and was reinforced. Unaffected by the snowstorm, the Sacryan giants with their massive muskets cut down Boarsplitter's cavalry like a scythe cuts wheat. The glorious charge turned into a disaster, with hundreds of cavalrymen dead or dying before the horsemen clashed. Chief Boarsplitter had miraculously survived the barrage, his bodyguards turned into a red smear in the snow. When he saw the Emperor's personal banner, he rallied what horsemen were around him to challenge the Emperor himself in personal combat. In the swirling snow, the Emperor and his bodyguard met the Stonefoot Chieftain. With one stroke, Boarsplitter had a chance to end the war and the Sacryan attack in one fell swoop. Yet one by one, Boarsplitter's men were dragged from their horses. The Stonefoot Chief hacked his way forward, killing three of the Emperor's personal bodyguard before Aonag moved forward to check his advance. The two figures clashed in the snow, until Boarsplitter toppled from his mount. The Emperor's blade had 'split' the Chieftain nearly in two. With Boarsplitter dead, the shattered cavalry withdrew. The Stonefoot Chief's head was hacked off and paraded on a bayonet before the cheering troops before the advance continued. The advancing Sacryan giants swept aside the piecemail resistance of the outer guard and were held in check by the stubborn defenses of the Firetooth mainline. However, the Northern attack spearheaded by the Esharan's now meant that the Firetooth were steadily being driven back and back. The Esharan's having fought the Orthodox Aedekom foe for decades were driven by their zealotry and hatred. The Firetooth were now under pressure from the North and Northwest and soon panic had begun to spread throughout the ranks. The outer guard struggled towards the rear of the Firetooth line. Only the presence of Nortag Willowise and High Chief Aedsword prevented the retreat from turning into a bloody red route. A fighting withdrawal was organized, bleeding the Esharan's and Sacryan's as they retreated. The Jaggedfist Gladiators lead the rear guard action, holding the enemy for two long hours as the Sacryan's and Esharan's charged their positions again and again. It was on the fifth attempt that the last of the Jaggedfist banners were dragged down into the sea of pagans. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Defeat. It was a bitter pill to swallow. But perhaps the one piece of good news for High Chief Aedsword as the sky turned to night was the reports of the Ikegami arriving from the West. Thousands of Ikegami clansman and infantry had completed their long march. The Lost Army of the Ikegami Clan had finally arrived but what shape would they be in for the Battle? The Ikegami were not the only forces to arrive. They had battled Brorog "Blue Skin" and his army for hundreds of miles as the Sacryan's fought a long fighting withdrawal. It had delayed the Ikegami till now until Ikegami Sayoko had managed to drive the Sacryan's back in a series of minor engagemens. Running low on ammunition, General Brorog chose instead to reunite with Emperor Aonag for his assault on Gusko's Rest rather than continue to fight. Both reinforcements armies were now arriving on different roads, but would it be enough to tip the scales? RESULT:-- Firetooth have been defeated in the North and Outer Perimeter. A fighting withdrawal has begun towards the 'anchor' of the Firetooth line centered around the military district. -- Nightfall will be upon the city in an hour. The attackers can choose to PRESS the assault (suffering cohesion and fatigue penalties) or wait until dawn. -- Ikegami Clan have arrived (casualties from march will be noted in PM) -- Sacryan reinforcements have arrived (casualties from march will be noted in PM) |
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Post by cerdigon on Nov 8, 2017 18:49:46 GMT
Moderation Mark
The Third Battle of Gusko's Rest raged into the night. The pitch darkness only illuminated by the bloom of discharging cannons and muzzle flashes as muskets were hastily fired and reloaded. The arrival of the Daimyo had changed the balance of power on the battlefield. With the Firetooth in full retreat, Emperor Aonag was in no position to force the full weight of his forces onto the Firetooth anchor. Instead, he made the decision to send the bulk of his army to confront the Ikegami to the East. The force that moved to confront the elves was an impressive one -- on paper. In reality, the Emperor had to send orders to his various commanders across a wide front, units that only hours before had been in furious street to street combat through the crumbling ruins of Gusko's Rest. The result was that the first Sacryan attack was done in a piece mail fashion and they were unable to bring their full numbers to bear on the advancing Ikegami. Nevertheless, Sacryan muskets far outranged their Ikegami counterparts. The difference was that the Ikegami were well trained and well led professional soldiers. In contrast, the Sacryan's were composed almost exclusively of conscripts that were hastily raised with limited equipment. The famed Samurai continued their march, absorbing the hammer blows that had sent the Firetooth reeling only hours before and unleashed their own volleys onto the Sacryan's, backed by their own field guns and light cannons. The results were devastating, hundreds of giants were cut down in the first few minutes as the elite foot guard of the Daimyo calmly and carefully reloaded. The Sacryan's for all their great range and superior abilities in the raging snow were unable to keep pace with the rate of fire and the morale effects of having so many comrades cut down. The Giants began to wilt. Then came the charge. Screaming, bellowing war cries, banners flapping in the wind, the elite warriors of the Ikegami charged across snow stained red. The Ikegami cavalry, originally having been sent against Brorog's troops, had instead turned back when the Sacryan's had launched their hastily prepared attack. Now they slammed into the right flank of the Sacryan line, hacking and killing. It seemed that the line would snap at any moment until the arrival of Brorog after a long an arduous march to get his men into position. The Sacryan's responded with a charge of their own to stabilize the line. The fight raged into the night until finally the Sacryan's pulled back, leaving their dead and wounded on the field. The Ikegami for their part were too exhausted to pursue. The combination of both the night and the swirling snow meant that precious hours that could've been used to reach Gusko's Rest were squandered as the army recovered. It wouldn't be until early morning that the Daimyo's exhausted troops would be able to move again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elsewhere, the Firetooth main army had successfully pulled back to their strong point within the military district. Esharan and Sacryan artillery fire was ineffective due to the night and weather conditions. Firetooth counter battery fire fared just as poorly, more pressing for the Orclander forces was his massive army was now confined to a narrow strip of territory within the city. The Firetooth army that had withdrawn towards the last Orcish strong point was now suffering from a lack of cover, shelter, or wind breaks. More Orc's would die from exposure then an actual engagement with the Sacryan's. Despite Emperor Aonag and the Esharan's attempts to put pressure on the Firetooth, they did not have the manpower to contend with the Firetooth reservists. Against all odds it seemed that the Firetooth would survive the night. Yet the morning would bring its own complications. The Orclander forces had taken horrendous casualties the first day and its only fresh troops were its reserves within the anchor. A large part of the Firetooth force would be combat ineffective for the second day after their hasty retreat. SUMMARY: -- The Sacryan main attack on the Ikegami FAILS. The Ikegami are two miles away from Gusko's Rest and are threatening to break through the depleted Sacryan lines from the EAST. -- The Firetooth successfully withdraw and consolidate their army but a large portion of its troops are combat ineffective for the second day of the battle. (Details in PM) -- Second day the snowstorm has lessened. Visibility is now CLEAR but movement penalties remain. |
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Post by zurajai on Nov 16, 2017 22:44:58 GMT
 Moderation Mark
The sun that rose above the wind swept ashes of Gusko's Rest glared down upon the corpse-ridden battlefield with all the profane rage of those dark gods once worshiped in Orcish past and still rightly feared in Sacryan temples. Smoke mixed with soot and clouds of ice-fog to create an orange miasma of hateful light that speared through the breaking clouds to illuminate portions of the battlefield. Yet, despite the sun's appearance, it seemed that day's conflict had already begun in earnest well before. By all accounts the battle had been even fiercer on the second day and had proven to be all the more bloody for its work. Across the outskirts of the city the bodies of nearly every race known to the peoples of the world lay strewn about in morbid repose. The Day of Red Snow would go down in infamy among the soldiery of all sides for the ferocity of the soldier's business on that most fateful of days.
The battle had reignited with the order of advance by the the Sacryan command and their Esharan allies. The very lifeblood of the giant nation had been poured out to see the orcs suffer for their transgressions and the morality of the Esharans saw to it that there was no other choice but intervention on their behalf. Here, however, they were most tested. The advance had been met with the thunder of guns practically recalling the booming thunder and crackling lightning of the night before in some homage to the terror the weather caused. Despite the wall of leaden death vomited from the battlements the Sacrye and Esharans were determined and proved all the more implacable for it. The strode forward on legs unyielding with weapons bared and their own cannons offering up retorts of equal violence. What little was left of the fortifications of the old-city fell beneath the onslaught while the enchanted wards of the orcish fieldguns scoured ordinance from existence with flashes of mage-fire.
From the east came the Ikegami host, roused to purpose with the sound of gunfire and moving fast to reinforce their beleaguered comrades. Their march was swift as it was loud, the sound of thousands of hooves crashing into the snow mixing with the tumultuous cries of the Ikegami samurai-elite. CHARGE! yelled the warriors, CHARGE! yelled their Captains, CHARGE! bellowed the very earth as they closed the distance like a lightning bolt. They were met with a weakened line of Sacryan giants, poised to stop them with the roar of their rifles. The range of their enemies was deeply punishing, hurling fist sized projectiles at the speed of sound to strike down even the most honorable and dedicated of samurai. No matter. The Ikegami will was as iron and to them, death was as light as a feather. The order to fall back was given as the Sacrye retreated towards the rear of the invading host, firing as they went. Casualties were horrendous on the Ikegami but their glorious charge would not be denied its meeting.
Within the confines of what was once a city, fighting proved equally brutal. Gunfire cooked the snow into steam and the constant pitter-patter of rounds skipping off pavement and rubble made the morning come alive with the sound of metal rain. Weakened by the weather and with morale at an all time low with the loss of their king, the Stonefoot orcs led a retreat underneath their captains in order to remove themselves from the brunt of the conflict. For their part, what Firetooth troops that remained in those positions held with bared teeth and stubborn determination. Alas, beneath the jackbooted giants there could be no resistance. What orcish troops held the line outside the fort were trampled, ground to dust beneath heavy footfalls. It was clear now that the giants had put everything into this; they would find victory or take their own lives before defeat, even if at the guns of their enemies.
The Esharans reached the walls first beneath the covering fire of nearly fifty thousand giant muskets. The ferocity of each wave of leaden murder pushed all but the most brave of defenders at bay, leaving only the cannon crews of the enchanted guns free to throw back their rage. Through the great gouts in the walls of stormed the Esharans with Corin Aqard leading the way. The Esharan Foot Guard met with their hated enemy with teeth bared like primal creatures, each side laying into each other without relent or mercy. Those orcish troops outside of the walls were overrun beneath a tide of giants or fell back before the horde while those above the walls fought with the Esharans as they entered. It was then that the giants entered the fray and all was chaos. The giant elite climbed the walls and got stuck in like something out of a fairy tail, lashing out with oversized mauls that might be misconstrued by smaller races as muskets or stabbed cruelly with bayonets the size of arms. Aonag, the terrifying mountain, was there for all to see.
Outside the walls came a second charge as Orcish infantry sallied forth with weapons bared and howls echoing from their throats. They were met and outranged by their giant rivals, throwing out volleys tens of thousands strong. It became apparent now that the sheer density of the fighters present, all packed in to the confines of a city's corpse, would lead to nothing but rivers of steaming blood and sons left fatherless in distant lands. Each volley from the giants tore into the close packed orcs and each retort saw the lumbering creatures punctured in a hundred places. Gusko's Rest, if still habitable before, would only be the ken of ghosts and ghouls for a century.
Outside of the city the Ikegami had proven their worth. Mountains of dead giants lay at their feet while a host of their own dead clearly marked the path of their travels. In the charge Hakui Chinami and Kurosawa Tatsuharu had been slain with the Daimyo herself left bleeding from a vicious wound. Their pain was not without response. Above the army of the Ikegami was held aloft the head of Brorog "Blueskin", who had died valiantly in personal combat with Ikegami Sayoko after grievously wounding the elven warrior-daimyo. The defensive line of the Sacrye had been ruined and scattered, only to be caught by an advancing outguard of Orcish troops who laid into them with a score to settle. In desperation, many turned swiftly about and surrendered to the Ikegami rather than be taken by their hated Orcish foes.
The once seemingly impregnable defensive fortifications of Gusko's Rest were left a charnel house. In the tight confines of melee even the most hardened of giant warriors had been turned to mincemeat by a hundred orcish bayonets. The walls ran a deeper red than had ever been witnessed and in death the bodies of so many enemies seemed as brothers, huddled together to offer solace for their shared pains. In the middle of the carnage hunched a wounded king of giants, heaving blood and bile onto the pile of dead that surrounded him. He had been met, face to face, with his most hated enemy and had been found wanting. Though far from dead, even his oaken arms tired and breath came short. Beside him lay the body of Corin Aqard, a smile left on his face as he stared up into the face of his god. Frozen monstrosities the size of houses were left in all manner of decimation, at last seeming still and calm.
Yet, despite their vigor, it was the orcs who lay defeated in the center of the fortress. Surrounded by hundreds of giants and their vile allies and faced with the option of surrender, Gortan Wargchaser threw himself into melee and met with Aonag himself. Their battle had been legendary. It was Gortan himself who had laid Aonag low, having cut out the hamstring of his foe. Locked in combat, Gortan Wargchaser was struck down by the injured Corin Aqard only to be slain at the hands of the giant king moments later. His trusted comrades in arms, Geroth Whiteshot, Tovenaar Aldroth and Aegon Aedsword fought on beside their Chief, lashing out with pistol and blade. A top an upended cart Geroth spotted the fall of Wargchaser. Inflamed by faith and knowing what might come if they were to stay, Geroth ordered the others to retreat, holding back with the valiant sappers of the Firetooth army. Aldroth and Aegon Aedsword led a fighting retreat with as many troops as they could muster, pulling out of the western gate just as they saw Geroth brought down. Above the battlements were raised the flag of Eshara, flickering in the baleful light of that most profaned orb in the sky.
The battle was over. The orcs, upon seeing the defensive position of their beloved Chief fall to the enemy, began a full retreat. The Ikegami, realizing their tenuous position despite the glorious success of their charge, joined in a well controlled withdrawal. Zural Dura, commander of the Esharan forces, would later go down in history for falling to his knees before the slain, so moved by the events as to be brought to tears. A demand was made by the Esharan general of his own forces and his ally that all further conflict be stopped, additionally sending a rider under the white flag of truce to offer the same to Orcish forces; this day was not one to be celebrated. Geroth Whiteshot, thought to have been slain in the city, was revealed to be prisoner of the Esharan forces by the messenger's word alongside a vast number of prisoners taken during the advance, much the same for the Ikegami.
Victory in Gusko's Rest had fallen to the Sacrye and Esharans but the cost had been higher than could have possibly been imagined. One monarch slain, three grievously wounded, and tens of thousands of good men dead for a miserable plot of land and an even more decrepit ruin.
SUMMARY
-- Gusko's Rest falls to the combined forces of the Sacrye and the Esharans.
-- Orcs mount a successful retreat to one mile outside of the city, unmolested by either of their foes.
-- Ikegami complete a well-controlled withdrawal to join the Orclander forces, holding a large number of Sacrye giants prisoner.
-- Geroth Whiteshot and a large number of Orclander forces are captured by the Esharan-Sacrye force, though nominally held by General Zural Dura.
-- Corin Aqard, Hakui Chinami, Kurosawa Tatsuhara, Brorog Blueskin, and Gortan Wargchaser are slain.
-- Zural Dura, acting by moderator intervention to represent character morality, has declared a ceasefire in mourning of the tragedy of Gusko's Rest. |
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