by Dean Henegar
“Sir, scouts report a large force approaching from the northwest with a second larger force behind. The dark prevented the scouts from seeing too much detail, but I thought it best to stand the men to, sir,” Brooks reported.
“Well done, sergeant. Light the observation fires and send out some more scouts. Let’s see who or what is coming to visit us this evening,” I said while moving to the northeastern corner of the camp. Alpha company had responsibility for the north and west sides of the camp. Three platoons manned the longer western side and one platoon manned the north. Their fifth platoon was held in reserve to fill in any losses the others took. Bravo company held similar positions to the east and south. Ignominia platoon was being kept as a legion-wide reserve and the engineers had their siege weapons spread out to cover all the avenues of attack. At this time of night, there were four scouts out anywhere from five hundred to one thousand yards from the camp perimeter.
Earlier in the evening, large piles of logs and dried brush had been placed at regular intervals fifty yards from the defenses. A squad from the reserve platoon ran a circuit around the perimeter, lighting the fires. Soon after, the fires illuminated enough for us to be able to make out anyone approaching within a hundred yards of our camp. Four more scouts wove their way through the caltrop field and made their way to the northeast. There were several safe paths through the defenses, but all were slow to traverse; any attacker trying to weave their way through would be shredded by fire from our lines as they approached.
“Sir, reporting all positions manned and ready,” a soldier advised. I nodded and waited to see what would happen next.
“Sir, engineering detachment reporting. The catapults are sited to hit any target in a three hundred sixty-degree field of fire around the camp. We can range to anywhere within sight. The scorpions are divided up so that there are always two able to target any side of the encampment,” Corporal Tavers reported. I hoped the AI would promote him to sergeant as our siege train grew; the man was exceptional at his job.
“Well done, corporal. How quickly can we shift the scorpions if we need to bring them all online to target a particular front?” I asked, wanting to get all four onto our enemies if they attacked from only one direction.
“Not long, sir. A few minutes to strip down and few more to reassembled. I can cut it to four or five minutes if we’re able to get some extra hands to help haul the pieces,” Tavers replied. The scorpions and small catapults we had could be broken down into smaller sections to make them easier to transport.
“Good to know. I’ll see about getting more help for you if we need to move them. Keep them in their current positions for now,” I said and then thought for a moment as a new memory surfaced. Real world images of third-world technical vehicles entered my mind. I remembered various militias mounting heavy weapons in the back of pickup trucks to provide a rapid moving and elevated platform to fire from.
“Corporal, for the future, would it be feasible to mount some of the scorpions in the back of the wagons to more mobile as well as raise their height to give them a wider field of fire?” I asked, hoping to apply real-world ingenuity into the game. Tavers thought about for a bit and I could see the gears of the engineer’s mind turning.
“That just might work! We could use the smaller and lighter supply carts, that way the crews would be able to pull them around the defensive line to where they were needed the most. The extra height would give a better field of fire over the shield wall and may even add a bit to the range,” Tavers said, already improving on my initial idea.
“Looks like it will have to wait for another day, corporal. We have incoming,” I said, watching as the scouts emerged back into view. Tavers returned to his post as I watched the four scouts approach to just inside my field of vision and then kneel, their crossbows pointed back into the darkness. Another scout ran into view with a large unidentified force just on his heels. The scout raised his hand and motioned to cease fire, indicating the force following him was friendly.
Dwarves followed the scouts out of the tree line. Looked like Lhargen’s forces had arrived to join us. The dwarves followed slowly behind the lead scout; they looked to be at the point of exhaustion and were barely able to maintain a slow trot. I counted around one hundred of them once the whole force made it into the light. Many were wounded and could only walk with the assistance of their comrades. A half dozen were being carried in on improvised stretchers.
“Sergeant Wrend, have your men help our allies through the line. Your medics can assist with the injured,” I ordered. Sergeant Wrend moved his men toward the defenses to assist.
The dwarves arrived at the caltrop field and began to weave their way slowly through with the assistance of the scouts and some of Wrend’s men. Back at the edge of the firelight, two more scouts appeared next to the four that were already holding there and were soon joined by a dozen dwarves armed with their strange, double crossbows. The line knelt together and after a few moments they loosed a volley, the human scouts hustling back toward our lines first while the dwarves loosed their second shots and then joined them. The two groups leapfrogged each other, alternating their shots while making their way back to the line, trying to gain more time for the dwarves that were slowly winding their way through our defenses.
“Sergeant Brooks, we really need to see about getting some of those crossbows for our scouts,” I said as I jealousy watched the strange contraptions. The design gave a strong initial attack with two nearly instantaneous volleys, then was reduced to a normal rate of fire unless the shooter had time to load a bolt into the second set of limbs.
“Sir, I was just thinking the same thing. Wouldn’t mind acquiring one for my personal use either,” Brooks replied.
“Interesting concept, I wonder if it could be scaled up in size for the scorpions?” Tavers mused. The engineer had somehow snuck up to watch when the skirmish line of scouts and dwarves began to fight.
I was interrupted from my jealous thoughts as our foes finally came into view. Stepping into the firelight, a horde of creatures pounded after the dwarves. The beings were vaguely humanoid in appearance, possessing grotesque extra appendages and tendrils growing from their bodies. They charged at the pace of a slow run; their overall speed hampered by their deformities. Nevertheless, they were gaining on the dwarves who were slow to make it through the caltrop field. The scouts and dwarves stopped just outside the caltrop field and fired as rapidly as they could. The creature information appeared before me just as the scouts fired.
Gul Dorg Drones, Level 8 (200).
“Tavers! Do you see those things?” I shouted to the engineer.
“Yes sir, I do!” he shouted back while helping to load one of the catapults.
“Well, corporal, I don’t want to see them any longer. Take ‘em out,” I ordered. The corporal grinned and gave the order for the siege engines to fire. The two scorpions that could sight in on the approaching horde and both catapults launched as one. The scorpions were essentially huge crossbows and their giant, fast moving bolts hit first. Both scorpion shots hit targets, killing the creatures instantly, and the falling bodies tripped up several of the others. The sagittarii then joined the party, firing precise shots into the mass of attackers.
“At fifty yards, prepare to throw!” the sergeant in charge of alpha company ordered. The creatures were coming in from the west, right at the top of our defensive rectangle. Around one hundred of the soldiers on the western side, along with a score of troops at the northern line, had an angle to hit the creatures. The men threw at the fifty-yard extreme range just as the stones from the catapults landed. The catapults were less effective than the scorpions, only killing one of the creatures but causing several others to slow as the large stone dropped down among them. The first wave of javelins hit, dropping down from their long arc to obliterate the leading edge of attackers. The momentum of the Gul Dorg slowed, checked by our fire and the need to weave around or clamber over the bodies of their dead comrades.
The last of the dwarves made it through our lines and my scouts along with the dwarven crossbow wielders began their journey through the gaps in our defenses; their smaller numbers made for a quicker trip. At twenty-five yards, another javelin volley landed, killing dozens and distracting the Gul Dorg just as they reached the caltrop field. The drones howled in pain as three-inch-long bronze spikes drove through their feet, damaging them and causing many to fall. Those that fell landed on several other caltrops, causing horrible wounds. A final volley of javelins landed among the drones as they reached the stake filled pit and tried to climb out to engage my soldiers. Many of the creatures were pushed into the pit by those following behind, impaling their allies as they mindlessly tried to get at my men.
The catapults thumped again, the shots landing among the drones at the rear of the mass. The catapults were at their minimum range and had switched to bundles of smaller fist sized stones instead of a single large rock. The results were impressive, causing several casualties with each shot. The two scorpions continued to snipe at any target they could reach.
Meanwhile, the men facing the drones drew their blades and engaged the foe. The defensive berm, protective shields, and new armor gave them an advantage over the horde they fought. The Gul Dorg gave no thought to defense and blindly clawed, grasped, and bit at the closest soldier they could find. The men assisted each other while fighting and any drone attacking one of my men opened itself up to strikes from the soldier to its side.
Despite our advantages, we still suffered casualties. I watched as several of the drones used their strange claw like appendages to pull soldiers down into the stake pit where they were torn apart by the horde. Men from alpha company’s reserve platoon were quickly filling in any gaps. The enemy had originally numbered around two hundred and now they were down to only seventy or so; we were winning the battle handily.
And then the drones stopped. All of them went rigid, standing stiff as a board before turning and running back into the dark. By the time they made it to the trees, only a few dozen of the drones were left alive. It appeared they had broken, but we keep the men at their posts for the time being.
“Sergeant Brooks, if nothing happens in the next thirty minutes begin to rotate the men back to get some rest. I’m going to check on the dwarves,” I ordered Brooks. He could easily manage the legion while I debriefed with the dwarves. I asked one of the dwarven soldiers to bring their leaders to my tent as I waited inside, grabbing some food and water in case the dwarves needed it. Rollox and another dwarf I didn’t recognize soon entered the tent. I shook hands with Rollox as the new dwarf introduced himself.
“I’m war leader Bhartak. We were sent by Stonefinder Lhargen to give you boys a hand. It looks like we needed a hand from you instead,” Bhartak said while shaking my hand in a crushing grip; dwarves were strong, and they liked showing it off.
“Glad we were here to help. What happened out there?”
“Ahh, we were just a day or so from the mines and heading toward the road when our scouts from Holdfast came charging in, yelling that they were being chased. Seems like these beasties finally spotted the scouts and a horde of them chased the boys all the way here. We formed up a shield wall and waited for ‘em. We weren’t kept waiting long. Hundreds of the things swarmed us. We were holding our own until another batch attacked from the rear. We eventually fought ‘em off, but then the pathfinders advised an even bigger group had gotten between us and the mines. We hustled as fast as we could ta’ the rendezvous with your forces once we realized the beasties were chasing us and not ‘eading to attack the mines,” Bhartak told me, pausing to catch his breath and wincing in pain as blood began to drip from a rent in his chain shirt.
“You’re wounded, Bhartak. Let me help you with that,” I told him, grabbing a bandage from my pack as Rollox helped him remove his armor. I applied the bandage and the bleeding stopped, the dwarf’s health slowly ticking up as the heal over time effect began. It wasn’t enough to restore him completely as he was down to sixty five percent, but it would stop the bleed effect and allow the rapid, out of combat healing to start; the rapid healing, I had learned, ceased when in combat or when under any negative status effects like bleed, poison, or disease. I handed them both some food and water, giving him a moment to compose himself.
“Thanks for that and for seeing ta’ my men. We’d have lost a few more dwarves if your medics hadn’t been so on the ball. We’ll have to ask you how they do it. Very efficient,” Bhartak said.
“Perhaps we should exchange some skills and gear that will help us all defend the zone better,” I suggested, still drooling over the dwarven crossbows.
“Aye, we should after this mess is dealt with. We started out with over 220 dwarves, now I have 112 reporting for duty: seventeen pathfinders led by Rollox here, ninety-one stonebreakers, and four runesmiths. I thought it a strong force, considering. Lhargen figured your troops numbered around 150 based on what he heard about your battle with the ghoul lord. Wish you would have let us in on that fight, too. I’ll hold it against ye if you cut us out of another fight,” Bhartak advised. I was frankly shocked at the numbers they had mustered so quickly. The dwarves must have expanded the mine or had more of their clan arrive since I had been gone.
“We’re glad to have you with us. Did the pathfinders find anything else about our foes? Numbers, dispositions, where they are living?” I asked.
“I was just about ta’ get to that. They are holed up at the town of Holdfast. Bands like these,” Bhartak gestured toward the dead drones, “are moving about, gathering any poor souls who wanders into their path. Still no word on the leader. These things are like an insect colony and the queen will be well protected. Our best bet would likely be to destroy the infestation at Holdfast and follow the scattered creatures after that to find any others,” Bhartak offered.
“I agree. The first order of business is clearing out Holdfast as it sounds like it’s the main source of these things for now. After that, we’ll have to play it by ear. Thanks for the information. I’ll let you get back to your men. Orderly!” I shouted. Blevins immediately popped in; the guy was like a ninja and could almost sense when I needed something. He was helpful, but he approached me with what I suspected was disdain . . . the feeling was mutual.
“Blevins, see that our guests are fed and given some spare tents to bed down in,” I ordered.
“I’ll see to it immediately, sir,” Blevins replied, directing the dwarves away as Brooks approached to report the butchers bill for the battle.
“Sir, we lost twenty-two men and have several wounded. All the wounded should be ready for duty by the morning. I’ll have the men scour the battlefield at first light and recover any javelins and caltrops that we can. Your new toy proved to work pretty well, sir,” Brooks advised as he left my tent. Thinking about some of the things we might need, I opened my campaign map, spreading it out over the small worktable. Once unrolled, the interface for it became available. I jumped into the section on replacements and resupply.
Current Funds/Resources: 7 gold, 52 silver, 28 copper. 122 resources.
Replacement troops: When in the field, the commander can manually set the way that replacements are sent to the front, or even if he would prefer them to stay behind and garrison an area until further orders are given.
The interface showed the replacements that had already spawned and the timer for the next spawn. I closed that section and then opened the section on resupply after setting the replacements to march toward the front once per day; no point in sending them out one or two at a time to get picked off easier. I intended to use them to help guard our supply runs. I only had limited resources so I chose the supply tab, holding out hope I would get more resources for better upgrades soon.
Resupply: You can order a resupply for your forces through this interface. A resupply in the field costs 5 gold and 50 resources. The resupply will ship ammunition for both personal and siege equipment, medical supplies, and foodstuffs
equal to half of what your forces left the garrison with. After ordering, a supply train will form and begin to move toward your troops. The supply train does not stop, traveling both night and day toward its destination. The caravan will be lightly protected, and the commander is encouraged to only order a resupply if your rear area is safe from enemy attack. Supplies lost enroute will have to be repurchased.
After seeing what we expended in this first fight, I had a feeling the battles ahead would consume more resources than we had brought with us. I ordered a resupply with my meagre resources, though I was encouraged to see my gold and resources had replenishing a bit from the last time I checked. I also assigned some of the incoming replacement troops to help guard the convoy and added an order for any other replacements to wait until they were at least at squad strength before leaving toward the front. Traveling both day and night, it wouldn’t take long for the caravan to reach us.
I spent the rest of the night walking the perimeter, joking with the troops and seeing their reaction to our new foe. The men were a bit creeped out by their appearance and the fact they had once been people, yet at the same time they were encouraged by our easy victory against them. Once morning came, the camp bustled with activity. Wagons were loaded and sometime during the night Tavers had jury-rigged four of our smaller supply carts to hold the scorpions. The modified carts lost some of their cargo room, but with the dwarves here we had more strong backs to help carry any supplies that wouldn’t fit in the carts. First Sergeant Brooks sent a detail to gather up the caltrops as well as any javelins that were still useable.