"Fortification is one thing, Jargg, but this land needs to be inhabitable if we plan on moving to Cedarburg without these people. That's the problem here... Where are survivors, how many are there, and do we bring them with us?" Lamont looked around. "No doubt there's still some good wood and tools here from which to make homes if we choose to leave survivors here. But if we let them follow us, my biggest worry is the journey to Cedarburg; provisions and defense."

"Me, I think we should bring them with us to Cedarburg. But... how?"

__________________

Goten is dead!

“It seems to me clear that we must take at least some of them with us if we go,” Endil said “For if we must face the empire’s army in battle, we will need all the help we can get. It seems certain that we will find battle, wherever we go. If we head to Cedarburg, Let us take those that are willing, and have some skill in battle with us. But we must also provide some form of defense for those that we leave behind, those that cannot fight.” He looked around at the ruins of the great city “But first we must learn how many have survived. Perhaps we should divide up and search the ruins?”

__________________

"It was not fortification I had meant... Our forces even with the village, are quite small. Constructing a super-long range weapon would then allow us to barrage their main base several times before they find where it is. Then... phase 2, the area around the grand trebuchet will be riddled with traps and hidden archers. Upon reaching a marker, the trebuchet can be disassembled and moved before they arrive. We can do this as many times as we care to. We can build them here and then set them up at a long range from their key points." Ouur'mm says standing up surveying around him. "I know not the lay of the land. As I mentioned, the range is quite long, if we keep the shots far spaced. It can demoralize the enemy and confuse them."

__________________
"The good warrior knows when to fight, and when to withdraw."
- Sun Tzu

I'll smith anything up to 93 smithing if you have the material for me to make it with
My Story, Horrors of Myron County
RV's Drawing archive topic, post yours or comment on others

=================
Thank you guys for keeping this going.
=================

Gualbert surveyed the rubble quietly. He had not spoken since the party left the woods; deep within himself Gualbert was fighting the growing feeling of despair. Since this all began he hadn't given much thought to the party failing, of not being able to save the exiles. Now he wondered. There are exiles all over the Kingdom, he thought, what hope do we have to save them?

Lost in his thoughts, Gualbert only heard the voices of his friends as if they were whispers: "I don't think fortifying this place... Cedarburg.. Where are survivors... Our forces even with the village, are quite small... Constructing a... weapon would... then allow us to barrage their main base several times before they find... can demoralize the enemy and confuse them."

Gualbert was sick of war, of fighting, of bloodshed. He tried to recall a favorite childhood memory about his mother to bring up his spirits, but he could not. Finally he said, "We could go to Cedarburg, or stay here and do what we can. I do not know what to do. We have already lost a great deal of time. Every day there will be even more killing, more villages and towns burnt to the ground... We need something that would gather the attention of the whole Kingdom, but then we would have the whole Kingdom's armies focused on us..."

“To stop the army it will require something drastic indeed.” Endil said. “Only one possibly do I see, though others may see a wiser path. My thought is this- assail the Emperor’s city. Those who lead the empire are cowardly at heart and will do anything to save their own lives. They will call in the army to defend themselves, and we will buy a few weeks time for the exiles. But also there is this: The traitor is ever afraid of treachery. They may well be prepared for such an event”.

__________________

"I like Ouu'rmm's idea" Jargg said, he started pacing back and forth. "Build a catapult, fill it with Wolem's...whatever it is that he uses, then fire it. As long as we get the range right we should be fine. Use the tree's for cover and ambush any forces coming near, traps would work too, any Guerrilla tactics would work really." He scratched his beard, "meanwhile, a small group of men may be able to infiltrate the Kingdom. The focus would be on the catapult and I do not think there would be much of a defense especially after a few shots. And if the catapult would be as mobile as Ouur'mm makes it out to be, well, that'd be very beneficial." He said with a smile, it seemed to him that everything was going to work out.

__________________

============================
Hope to the Hopeless
Chapter Five: Falling Kingdom
============================

"A terrible battle was fought there, and a nightmarish arm reached
out to knock the dragon off it's throne in the mist of shouts of jubilation.
It is for this reason we call that place Dirgejurney, or Cries of Joy."
Battle of Dirgejurney, Vol. 1, Part 5

Every day exiles would come to Tempos hoping to find friends or relatives they lost when the city was besieged. When they saw the ruins of the city and the apparent hatred with which its destruction was carried out they became infuriated. Men and women cried out that whoever did this should pay for what they had done. While some set off to seek vengeance on their own, many joined the adventures hoping the Grand Trebuchet would bring King Pendare to his knees.

Gualbert wiped the sweat off his brow. Today was the hottest day it had been since they came to Tempos. Ouur'mm had worked with exceptional speed so that the catapult was almost completed in only a short while. Endil and Jargg had gone on patrol with one of the scouting parties to investigate a newly discovered cave about half a mile from the catapult. They had hoped it would be a good place to hide a few archers. Gualbert was helping Lamont search the broken city for survivors and administering aid to the injured. Vevis and Wolem were helping Ouur'mm gather the supplies he needed for the amazing machine.

Gualbert stood at the edge of a large building. He thought that by its size and abundant use of stone before the siege it must have been the courthouse. Gualbert looked over toward Lamont, "here's one" he said as he pushed a large stone out of the way. A weak smile appeared on the poor man's lips as Gualbert reached down to give him some water from the jug he was carrying. Gualbert sighed, "could you give me the medicine bag, Lamont?"

Lamont looked over at the man and his injuries quickly. It didn't take a second glance to see most of the cuts and scrapes from being buried. Lamont handed over the bag, but deftly took out disinfectant (meaning alcohol) and cloths to tie around the man's body. Whatever Gaulbert wanted to do, he could, but Lamont took one cloth and dabbed it in alcohol, pressing it into the softer wounds before pouring drops straight into larger ones and cleaning them away. "He needs to get food when this is done, but if these wounds heal, he will make it." As soon as the cleaning was done, Lamont propped the man up and wrapped him in the bandages, covering the wounds from being infected again.

His attention to the wounds blotted out the rest of the world for a while, but now Lamont's attention went to the rest of the city. The catapult was truly proving to be amazing, and everyone's attention to helping others was a welcoming, heartwarming sight for sore eyes. But when would the beginning of the end come? Running, waiting, and biding time were not things Lamont was used to.

__________________

Goten is dead!

OOC: Alright, I'm going to stop being so inactive in this RP soon. Soon enough, I'll read up on what has happened since my last dissapearence, find somewhere to come in, and do so. Sorry >_>

__________________
Feel free to add me on Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/Topsummoner

Join us at the RV Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/DgtPWPM

Ouur'mm continued hammering away constructing the key components of what would be the Grand Trebuchet. He hammers in some round cylinders between a set of rings to form the large bearings standing a few feet tall themselves. His team of craftsmen were quickly working securing the latches to the beams. Each latch designed to quickly and securely fasten together. He holds up the middle of the bearing and spins the outside. "All is in working order it should appear. Not too long now, will it take. As soon as the bearings are fitted, all other parts should be a simple task." He thanked the men working on the main section and dropped the bearings in their slots. "Secure these in place and finish the rest. Many fates rest on the construction here."

__________________
"The good warrior knows when to fight, and when to withdraw."
- Sun Tzu

I'll smith anything up to 93 smithing if you have the material for me to make it with
My Story, Horrors of Myron County
RV's Drawing archive topic, post yours or comment on others

Endil was making a careful search of the cave. He was searching for a few arrows used to scare skunk out of it's den in a corner of the cave, an effort that had left several of the humans with a distinct odor.
He bent down to retrieve an arrow and spotted something. On the floor of the cave were several large black rocks. He picked one up and discovered it was a piece of graphite, a type of rock that made things very slippery when ground into a powder. “This would be a great help for the trebuchet” he thought and , bundling several of them into his cloak, set off to inform Ouur'mm of his find.

__________________

"Thank you Lamont," said Gualbert as he again wiped the sweat from his brow. "He looks like he's goin' be fine." As Gualbert spoke a dark cloud passed over his face. He leaned himself against one of the large ruined columns. "Still it hurts," murmured Gualbert, "still."

Behind Gualbert stood the great Trebuchet rising out of the chaos of Tempos. The arm was swinging up and down in a rhythmic pattern. Ouur'mm must be testing the smoothness of the swing thought Gualbert as he glanced over toward it. It's almost ready. He pondered on the rag-tag rabble gathered together to defend what was left of the exiles. "This will be our last stand, though I guess I've seen situations more desperate," he said to Lamont.

Jargg had watched Endil start walking back to the trebuchet, he stayed back in the cave, searching every nook and cranny he could find. The cave went back a ways, archers could possibly lure some enemies into it and then drop back and some sword fighters could charge through the darkness and cut down the enemies. Jargg pulled out one of his short swords and started digging in the wall, it was solid rock. He continued this practice all through the cave and he found a small cavern, big enough for about 5 men to stand but the entrance had to be crawled through, it would be a good place to hide if the cave was overrun. Jargg pointed this out to another scout, he took note of the location. Jargg felt that the cave was pretty well scouted and headed back to the trebuchet to make his report.

__________________

Lamont smirked a bit as he stood up. "More desperate than refugees against an empire? You have me curious." In the short time he'd been with this group, Lamont felt that he had grown a lot from his horribly impulsive, slightly stupid ways. He knew how to think as well as react, which was very important to him now. As Gaulbert helped the wounded man, Lamont put the alcohol and un-used bandages back in the bag. Looking around, the exiles definitely looked determined to get back on their feet... He didn't know if it was awe-inspiring to see the rally or pitiful to see the odds, but regardless, he was here. So, he would help.

Endil came running back into view, and Jargg soon lumbered out from a different direction after scouting. Ouur'mm was at the catapult, and most people were raising a large hunk of wood to fit somewhere Lamont didn't understand. He couldn't see Vevis and Wolem, so they probably had little luck on finding materials to expand the great machine (wouldn't explosives work anyway?)... "Gaulbert, what happened to Gregory? I didn't see him get killed when we fought days ago, but I don't see him now."

__________________

Goten is dead!

"Gregory..." Gualbert paused at the mention his name. He too had almost forgotten about him. "He is at the village in the care of Natonya," said Gualbert. "He could rejoin us when he has healed, but we should not wait for him. Time is too precious to us." Gualbert took the medicine bag from Lamont and walked over toward the Trebuchet. He yelled up to Ouur'mm, who was busy preparing the main throwing arm, "Ouur'mm, is it ready?"

"Mmmhmmmm the crew is now in place to do the test assembly." Ouur'mm says to Gaulbert. The crew around the beams on all the carts waits looking to him. He raises an arm and gives a signal to everyone. Within a matter of minutes the beams rise up quickly along rails built into each other of the beams and slide into their places easily. "We would like to get assembly time under mmm 20 minutes. It should also compact equally as well." He says watching over the men loading up the the sling part and preparing for the shot as another man climbs to a small lookout built into the top of the Grand Trebuchet. Ouur'mm signals to the men and the trebuchet swings to life abruptly and powerfully launching a boulder into the horizon.

The targeter watches it with a sextant-like device until it impacts into the water and calls down. "Just under 8 miles. 7.8 roughly."

"That is not quite as far as I had hoped, although, we can get better. This I do believe, over time. I am aware our time is limited. We can refine the mechanics a bit more until we must set off." Ouur'mm says examining the trebuchet.

__________________
"The good warrior knows when to fight, and when to withdraw."
- Sun Tzu

I'll smith anything up to 93 smithing if you have the material for me to make it with
My Story, Horrors of Myron County
RV's Drawing archive topic, post yours or comment on others

Lamont cupped his hand out from his forehead, shading his eyes from the sun as he watched the ammunition soar further than he could keep track of. As soon as he heard the report of "roughly eight miles", Lamont couldn't help but let out his amazement. "Whoa-a-a-a..." He was speechless past that, staring at the catapult and walking absentmindedly, and very slowly, to the catapult. How did it work? How did it manage to hurl stone so far? What kind of power could it muster? How efficient could it truly be? He wanted to ask everything, but he knew both that he had no time and that the words wouldn't form...

Only one word came out. "Wow." Saying that brought him back to his senses. "I... think we're ready to fight."

__________________

Goten is dead!

"Benezel is a good fourteen miles from here, Ouur'mm," said Gualbert as he watched the device hurl the stone. "And her walls are good and thick. I hope this catapult can do as much as you say it can, or we're lost." Gualbert crossed his brow. "There is also the matter of the Knights of Benezel." Gualbert stepped onto on the of the gathered stones piled about the Grand Trebuchet. "Five of the greatest warriors in the Kingdom, armed with some of the finest craftsmanship in the known world. Weapons and armor from lands far away: trophies brought from the Kingdom's days of conquering, wretched from the hands of dying kings." Jumping down from the stone Gualbert grabbed Jargg by the collar and drew him near, "the blades thirst for the blood, as much as their masters," he whispered. Releasing Jargg, Gualbert spit on a large piece of rubble. "The mark of the Knights is all over Tempos. They are as savage as they are cunning and evil. Although I do not think they will see our attack coming. They think the exiles are broken and hopeless peoples. We must make them see they still have hope."

Gualbert then turned toward the direction of Benezel and murmured lowly under his breath, "if only I could see it."

===========================
OOC: We'll make the attack after any parting remarks!
===========================

Jargg squirmed away from Gaulbert's grasp and looked him square in the eye. "Their blades may thirst for blood, but our hearts thirst for freedom" he said, "and that is what will give us a victory". Jargg let his sentence trail off before dusting off his shoulders and walking away to check his weapons and scout out a tree that he could climb into and wait for the incoming attack that would come as soon as the trebuchet was fired.

__________________

Within a day everything that needed to be prepared for the coming battle was ready. The sun fell slowly that evening as the refugee army passed from the cruelty of the world into a peaceful slumber. Gualbert stayed awake. He kept checking and rechecking the weapons and going over the map of the Castle of Benezel. The darkness that had been growing his mind was consuming him. What was Gregory doing, why isn't he back yet? Thought Gualbert. Had they been betrayed again? Usually the Kingdom will send some royal patrols out to secure a destroyed city, why haven't we found any yet? "King Bleazon Pendare is a man of unspeakable cruelty... what have I gotten myself into this time?" muttered Gualbert quietly to himself. He starred at the orange dusk sun. "This is it, this is our time. This is our final battle."