378YE Autumn Equinox winds of war - Revision history

Twiggy at 13:21, 16 July 2025

2025-07-16T13:21:50Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:21, 16 July 2025
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	It is not all bad news, however. The Imperial forces defending [[Holberg]] city against the [[Druj]] face a sea of orcs supported by immense siege engines and terrible beasts but [[#The Walls of Holfried\|walls of Holfried]] have never been breached by enemy forces ... and the barbarians are forced to retreat from the walls after a fierce and protracted siege.		It is not all bad news, however. The Imperial forces defending [[Holberg]] city against the [[Druj]] face a sea of orcs supported by immense siege engines and terrible beasts but [[#The Walls of Holfried\|walls of Holfried]] have never been breached by enemy forces ... and the barbarians are forced to retreat from the walls after a fierce and protracted siege.

	Finally, along the western shores of the Bay of Catazar, a supernaturally potent [[#The Tempest\|Tempest]] rages for several months, smashing the coast of [[Spiral]] and devastating the [[Grendel]]-held port of [[Spiral#Apulian\|Apulus]]. Garbled eyewitness reports suggest the quayside there is reduced to splinters, damaging the ability of the sea-faring barbarians to funnel supplies their forces there in the shadow of the Black Plateau.		Finally, along the western shores of the Bay of Catazar, a supernaturally potent [[#The Tempest\|Tempest]] rages for several months, smashing the coast of [[Spiral]] and devastating the [[Grendel]]-held port of [[Spiral#Apulian\|Apulus]]. Garbled eyewitness reports suggest the quayside there is reduced to splinters, damaging the ability of the sea-faring barbarians to funnel supplies their forces there in the shadow of the {{Black Plateau}}.

	Victory in Holberg, then; and while the campaigns in Sermersuaq and Karsk are not going well, no territory has been lost. Autumn is a season for reaping what has been sown - and it remains to be seen precisely what is going to grow from the rocky ground of a year of warfare.		Victory in Holberg, then; and while the campaigns in Sermersuaq and Karsk are not going well, no territory has been lost. Autumn is a season for reaping what has been sown - and it remains to be seen precisely what is going to grow from the rocky ground of a year of warfare.
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	Away from the coast, the storm is equally fierce but easier for individual vessels to ride out. Trading ships passing too close to the Spiral coast risk having their sails torn or their rigging ripped apart, or in the worst cases being dragged to their doom in the hungry maw of a swirling maelstrom opening without warning beneath its bow. While the storms are focused on pounding the waters around Spiral, the weather across the entire western Bay of Catazar is atrocious for most of the Summer months - and as the supernatural storm slowly ebbs it is simply replaced with the more natural yet equally dismal weather of the western Bay in Autumn.		Away from the coast, the storm is equally fierce but easier for individual vessels to ride out. Trading ships passing too close to the Spiral coast risk having their sails torn or their rigging ripped apart, or in the worst cases being dragged to their doom in the hungry maw of a swirling maelstrom opening without warning beneath its bow. While the storms are focused on pounding the waters around Spiral, the weather across the entire western Bay of Catazar is atrocious for most of the Summer months - and as the supernatural storm slowly ebbs it is simply replaced with the more natural yet equally dismal weather of the western Bay in Autumn.
	{{CaptionedImage\|file=Blood.jpg\|title=Nothing great without cost.\|align=right\|width=650}}		{{CaptionedImage\|file=Blood.jpg\|title=Nothing great without cost.\|align=right\|width=650}}
	Inland, the Highborn army of the Valiant Pegasus is sheltered behind the solid stone walls of the Fist in Spiral, and the Grendel are mobile enough to abandon their makeshift camps and forts along the southern coast. While the worst of the storms are restricted to the coastal region, the weather deteriorates across the entire territory. Both Imperial and barbarian armies are more concerned with defence than attack - while there are occasional clashes between scouts and patrols, neither the Grendel nor the Highborn seem to want to seek a direct confrontation. Barbarians outnumber those of the Empire, it is true, but ''both'' sides are outnumbered by the bandits, monsters and insane cultists that gather in the dark places of the lost territory or brood in the shadow of the Black Plateau.		Inland, the Highborn army of the Valiant Pegasus is sheltered behind the solid stone walls of the Fist in Spiral, and the Grendel are mobile enough to abandon their makeshift camps and forts along the southern coast. While the worst of the storms are restricted to the coastal region, the weather deteriorates across the entire territory. Both Imperial and barbarian armies are more concerned with defence than attack - while there are occasional clashes between scouts and patrols, neither the Grendel nor the Highborn seem to want to seek a direct confrontation. Barbarians outnumber those of the Empire, it is true, but ''both'' sides are outnumbered by the bandits, monsters and insane cultists that gather in the dark places of the lost territory or brood in the shadow of the {{Black Plateau}}.

	==The Walls of Holfried==		==The Walls of Holfried==

Vsabo: /* The Walls of Holfried */

2022-07-11T20:37:13Z

The Walls of Holfried

Vsabo: /* Interlude */

2022-07-11T20:19:29Z

Interlude

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	Reikos still labours under the lash of the Druj. The territory has fallen ominously silent - no word has come from the scattered resistance groups in the ruined Highborn territory since the Summer Solstice. Scouts risking the barbarians to try and make contact have not returned, or have come back with stories of homes and camps emptied and no sign of the inhabitants.		Reikos still labours under the lash of the Druj. The territory has fallen ominously silent - no word has come from the scattered resistance groups in the ruined Highborn territory since the Summer Solstice. Scouts risking the barbarians to try and make contact have not returned, or have come back with stories of homes and camps emptied and no sign of the inhabitants.

	The forests of the Navarr are silent - or as silent as they ever are. The Jotun still control northern Liathaven. The vallorn still squats at its heart. The southern settlements still in Imperial hands continue to be isolated from the rest of the Empire by distance and predatory bandits. The last few Thule in cold Hercynia try to drive off the thorns defending rebuilt Treji. but they are ridiculously outclassed, and retreat into the deepest parts of the wood nursing their wounds. The damp forest of Therunin is safe again - no Druj out of Reikos trouble the shadows beneath the trees. The dredgers of Feverwater in the south-east bring up occasional treasures, and have seen nothing of the threats the civil service predicted. So far. Only in Brocéliande is the silence broken - the orcs have left Elerael but the forest has not remained empty for long. Monstrous insects have swarmed through the empty glades from Dark Ranging and Vale's Lament, and wicked ettercap hunt where once barbarians hunted.		The forests of the Navarr are silent - or as silent as they ever are. The Jotun still control northern Liathaven. The vallorn still squats at its heart. The southern settlements still in Imperial hands continue to be isolated from the rest of the Empire by distance and predatory bandits. The last few Thule in cold Hercynia try to drive off the thorns defending rebuilt Treji, but they are ridiculously outclassed, and retreat into the deepest parts of the wood nursing their wounds. The damp forest of Therunin is safe again - no Druj out of Reikos trouble the shadows beneath the trees. The dredgers of Feverwater in the south-east bring up occasional treasures, and have seen nothing of the threats the civil service predicted. So far. Only in Brocéliande is the silence broken - the orcs have left Elerael but the forest has not remained empty for long. Monstrous insects have swarmed through the empty glades from Dark Ranging and Vale's Lament, and wicked ettercap hunt where once barbarians hunted.

	The Barrens are a hive of activity - with the aid of the Dawnish at Drycastle, hidden places and remote outposts have been resupplied and Imperial scouts scour the territory, hoping at last to uncover its secrets and the details of the war being fought there between rival orcs. The first reports from the field are beginning to trickle in - of the Spires of Dusk under siege, of orc slaughtering orc, of shapes in the Great Forest, of stranger things to come.		The Barrens are a hive of activity - with the aid of the Dawnish at Drycastle, hidden places and remote outposts have been resupplied and Imperial scouts scour the territory, hoping at last to uncover its secrets and the details of the war being fought there between rival orcs. The first reports from the field are beginning to trickle in - of the Spires of Dusk under siege, of orc slaughtering orc, of shapes in the Great Forest, of stranger things to come.

Vsabo: /* Interlude */

2022-07-11T20:18:17Z

Interlude

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:18, 11 July 2022
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	Reikos still labours under the lash of the Druj. The territory has fallen ominously silent - no word has come from the scattered resistance groups in the ruined Highborn territory since the Summer Solstice. Scouts risking the barbarians to try and make contact have not returned, or have come back with stories of homes and camps emptied and no sign of the inhabitants.		Reikos still labours under the lash of the Druj. The territory has fallen ominously silent - no word has come from the scattered resistance groups in the ruined Highborn territory since the Summer Solstice. Scouts risking the barbarians to try and make contact have not returned, or have come back with stories of homes and camps emptied and no sign of the inhabitants.

	The forests of the Navarr are silent - or as silent as they ever are. The Jotun still control northern Liathaven. The vallorn still squats at its heart. The southern settlements still in Imperial hands continue to be isolated from the rest of the ~~empire~~ by distance and predatory bandits. The last few Thule in cold Hercynia try to drive off the thorns defending rebuilt Treji. but they are ridiculously outclassed, and retreat into the deepest parts of the wood nursing their wounds. The damp forest of Therunin is safe again - no Druj out of Reikos trouble the shadows beneath the trees. The dredgers of Feverwater in the south-east bring up occasional treasures, and have seen nothing of the threats the civil service predicted. So far. Only in Brocéliande is the silence broken - the orcs have left Elerael but the forest has not remained empty for long. Monstrous insects have swarmed through the empty glades from Dark Ranging and Vale's Lament, and wicked ettercap hunt where once barbarians hunted.		The forests of the Navarr are silent - or as silent as they ever are. The Jotun still control northern Liathaven. The vallorn still squats at its heart. The southern settlements still in Imperial hands continue to be isolated from the rest of the Empire by distance and predatory bandits. The last few Thule in cold Hercynia try to drive off the thorns defending rebuilt Treji. but they are ridiculously outclassed, and retreat into the deepest parts of the wood nursing their wounds. The damp forest of Therunin is safe again - no Druj out of Reikos trouble the shadows beneath the trees. The dredgers of Feverwater in the south-east bring up occasional treasures, and have seen nothing of the threats the civil service predicted. So far. Only in Brocéliande is the silence broken - the orcs have left Elerael but the forest has not remained empty for long. Monstrous insects have swarmed through the empty glades from Dark Ranging and Vale's Lament, and wicked ettercap hunt where once barbarians hunted.

	The Barrens are a hive of activity - with the aid of the Dawnish at Drycastle, hidden places and remote outposts have been resupplied and Imperial scouts scour the territory, hoping at last to uncover its secrets and the details of the war being fought there between rival orcs. The first reports from the field are beginning to trickle in - of the Spires of Dusk under siege, of orc slaughtering orc, of shapes in the Great Forest, of stranger things to come.		The Barrens are a hive of activity - with the aid of the Dawnish at Drycastle, hidden places and remote outposts have been resupplied and Imperial scouts scour the territory, hoping at last to uncover its secrets and the details of the war being fought there between rival orcs. The first reports from the field are beginning to trickle in - of the Spires of Dusk under siege, of orc slaughtering orc, of shapes in the Great Forest, of stranger things to come.

Vsabo: /* A Tale of Fog and Ravens */

2022-07-11T20:17:30Z

A Tale of Fog and Ravens

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	Varushka is a magical land, and the hills of Karsk are no exception. In the hills of Nitrost, the Northern Eagle take up a defensive position around a glittering castle of polished ice and stone drawn from the frozen plains of the otherworldly realm of Cathan Canae. Arrayed against them in the broken terrain of Krevsaty around the ruins of Oloy, an answering citadel of orichalcum and bronze rises seamlessly from the ground, called by Thule sorcery from the glorious fields of Eleonaris.		Varushka is a magical land, and the hills of Karsk are no exception. In the hills of Nitrost, the Northern Eagle take up a defensive position around a glittering castle of polished ice and stone drawn from the frozen plains of the otherworldly realm of Cathan Canae. Arrayed against them in the broken terrain of Krevsaty around the ruins of Oloy, an answering citadel of orichalcum and bronze rises seamlessly from the ground, called by Thule sorcery from the glorious fields of Eleonaris.

	Spring magic flows through ~~every~~ the rivers, streams, and springs and even the early Autumn rain. It brings life, and healing and surcease of care. It promises that while Winter is coming, Spring will follow after. Like much magic of the Spring realm, it does not differentiate between friend and foe, aiding Imperial and barbarian alike.		Spring magic flows through the rivers, streams, and springs and even the early Autumn rain. It brings life, and healing and surcease of care. It promises that while Winter is coming, Spring will follow after. Like much magic of the Spring realm, it does not differentiate between friend and foe, aiding Imperial and barbarian alike.

	Not so the pall of fog that rolls down the side of the Broken Barrow in Branoc. The dark sovereign of that haunted mound has joined its might to that of the Empire. An army of men and orcs marches under a fluttering, tattered banner of bone and raven's feathers. Shrouded in fog and accompanied by a swarm of fat black crows, the magic knows precisely who the enemy is and strikes without mercy. Where the Golden Axe fight with mortal weapons, the Charnel Lord's banner brings merciless death to the orcs - the shroud traps and confuses the barbarian troops caught within it, and leaves them easy prey.		Not so the pall of fog that rolls down the side of the Broken Barrow in Branoc. The dark sovereign of that haunted mound has joined its might to that of the Empire. An army of men and orcs marches under a fluttering, tattered banner of bone and raven's feathers. Shrouded in fog and accompanied by a swarm of fat black crows, the magic knows precisely who the enemy is and strikes without mercy. Where the Golden Axe fight with mortal weapons, the Charnel Lord's banner brings merciless death to the orcs - the shroud traps and confuses the barbarian troops caught within it, and leaves them easy prey.
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	And if that happens, the Thule will once again be in control of the ruined hills.		And if that happens, the Thule will once again be in control of the ruined hills.
	{{CaptionedImage\|file=Epic.jpg\|title=Epic heroes turn the tide of battles; one soldier can make a difference.\|align=left\|width=650}}		{{CaptionedImage\|file=Epic.jpg\|title=Epic heroes turn the tide of battles; one soldier can make a difference.\|align=left\|width=650}}

	==Interlude==		==Interlude==
	The Empire has always been at war and this Summer is no exception ... yet even in war there are moments of silence. A stolen breath between beats of the drum, a chance to pause and take stock.		The Empire has always been at war and this Summer is no exception ... yet even in war there are moments of silence. A stolen breath between beats of the drum, a chance to pause and take stock.

Vsabo: /* Blood on the Stonefields */

2022-07-11T20:16:48Z

Blood on the Stonefields

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	Having begun to secure the upper passes, the Thule now focus their attention to the Stonefields themselves. The attempt by the Thule to claim the Stonefield Ice Caves was turned back by the swift action of the Empire's heroes; now they seek to claim the broken plains scattered with rich deposits of tempest jade and the rocky sanctuaries where crystal mana pools.		Having begun to secure the upper passes, the Thule now focus their attention to the Stonefields themselves. The attempt by the Thule to claim the Stonefield Ice Caves was turned back by the swift action of the Empire's heroes; now they seek to claim the broken plains scattered with rich deposits of tempest jade and the rocky sanctuaries where crystal mana pools.

	The Thule fight under the banner of the white hound - fight to the pounding of drums with a savage abandon that matches the cold fury of the Winterfolk, the disciplined might of the Imperial orcs and the passion of the ~~Fires~~ of the South. Their armies are wound around with sorcery. Their leaders seem preternaturally astute, predicting the moves of their opponents with uncanny accuracy, while the savage hunters of the Ice Shard Banner move through the foothills and broken terrain like ghosts, striking deep into East Floes and Suaq Fount. More dramatically, the warlocks fighting under the Lightning banner twist the weather itself to their command, sending blizzards of unseasonal snow to bog down the defenders and leave them vulnerable to deadly ambush.		The Thule fight under the banner of the white hound - fight to the pounding of drums with a savage abandon that matches the cold fury of the Winterfolk, the disciplined might of the Imperial orcs and the passion of the Fire of the South. Their armies are wound around with sorcery. Their leaders seem preternaturally astute, predicting the moves of their opponents with uncanny accuracy, while the savage hunters of the Ice Shard Banner move through the foothills and broken terrain like ghosts, striking deep into East Floes and Suaq Fount. More dramatically, the warlocks fighting under the Lightning banner twist the weather itself to their command, sending blizzards of unseasonal snow to bog down the defenders and leave them vulnerable to deadly ambush.

	The Thule sorcery does not go unanswered; Imperial magic causes the snowfields of Sermersuaq to glitter in the summer sun. Potent healing magic drawn from the Spring realm means that any wound short of a killing blow heals almost overnight. The magic is indiscriminate - it affects Imperial and barbarian, orc and human and beast equally. It helps reduce the death toll in the mountains, and all across Sermersuaq lives are saved and sicknesses healed. The herds of mammoth and deer will be especially rich and healthy come the Spring.		The Thule sorcery does not go unanswered; Imperial magic causes the snowfields of Sermersuaq to glitter in the summer sun. Potent healing magic drawn from the Spring realm means that any wound short of a killing blow heals almost overnight. The magic is indiscriminate - it affects Imperial and barbarian, orc and human and beast equally. It helps reduce the death toll in the mountains, and all across Sermersuaq lives are saved and sicknesses healed. The herds of mammoth and deer will be especially rich and healthy come the Spring.

Dre at 21:31, 14 August 2020

2020-08-14T21:31:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:31, 14 August 2020
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	The barbarians are unprepared for the counter-attack; the banner of the scorpion dips and falls into the mud.		The barbarians are unprepared for the counter-attack; the banner of the scorpion dips and falls into the mud.

	As the first night turns to day, and then toward night again, a more insidious enemy begins to prey on the defenders of Holberg. The wicked magic of the Rivers of Blood curse means that minor wounds fester and steal the life from soldiers who might otherwise survive; worse, those troops engaged with those who fight under the banner of the Deadly Blade wield poison and venom against the defenders. The Urizen sentinels and ~~magi~~ of the Citadel bear the brunt of these attacks - the healing power of their magic helps to counter the worst poison, but they also keep the orcs from the wall by the simple expedient of unleashing magical force against any orc that claims the wall - dozens of barbarians are hurled from the ramparts by the seemingly-gentle touch of a battlemage's staff.		As the first night turns to day, and then toward night again, a more insidious enemy begins to prey on the defenders of Holberg. The wicked magic of the Rivers of Blood curse means that minor wounds fester and steal the life from soldiers who might otherwise survive; worse, those troops engaged with those who fight under the banner of the Deadly Blade wield poison and venom against the defenders. The Urizen sentinels and mages of the Citadel bear the brunt of these attacks - the healing power of their magic helps to counter the worst poison, but they also keep the orcs from the wall by the simple expedient of unleashing magical force against any orc that claims the wall - dozens of barbarians are hurled from the ramparts by the seemingly-gentle touch of a battlemage's staff.

	As the second night falls, the Druj assault slackens. A single echoing horn-blast rolls across the corpse-strewn battlefield. The Druj are retreating! The defenders are too stunned, too exhausted to understand what is happening at first. They just stare, silently, as first one then a dozen then a hundred than a thousand orcs retreat away from the walls of Holberg. Retreating back to the other side of the Holmauer, back to Rebeshof, back to the forests and marshes of Utterlund and the Morass.		As the second night falls, the Druj assault slackens. A single echoing horn-blast rolls across the corpse-strewn battlefield. The Druj are retreating! The defenders are too stunned, too exhausted to understand what is happening at first. They just stare, silently, as first one then a dozen then a hundred than a thousand orcs retreat away from the walls of Holberg. Retreating back to the other side of the Holmauer, back to Rebeshof, back to the forests and marshes of Utterlund and the Morass.

Rafferty at 18:14, 13 October 2019

2019-10-13T18:14:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:14, 13 October 2019
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	[[Category:Military Council]]		[[Category:Military Council]]
	[[Category:Recent History]]		[[Category:Recent History]]
	[[Category:378YE]]		[[Category:378YE Autumn]]

Rafferty at 11:43, 1 November 2018

2018-11-01T11:43:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:43, 1 November 2018
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	The walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not in the earliest days of the Empire, not in the hundred battles fought since ... and not today.		The walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not in the earliest days of the Empire, not in the hundred battles fought since ... and not today.
			[[Category:Military Council]]
	[[Category:Recent History]]		[[Category:Recent History]]
	[[Category:378YE]]		[[Category:378YE]]

Rafferty at 11:43, 1 November 2018

2018-11-01T11:43:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:43, 1 November 2018
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	The walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not in the earliest days of the Empire, not in the hundred battles fought since ... and not today.		The walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not in the earliest days of the Empire, not in the hundred battles fought since ... and not today.
	~~[[Category:Military Council]]~~
	~~[[Category:History]]~~
	[[Category:Recent History]]		[[Category:Recent History]]
	[[Category:378YE]]		[[Category:378YE]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:37, 11 July 2022
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	Still ... the walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not by the orcs, and not even by the Empire.		Still ... the walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not by the orcs, and not even by the Empire.

	Mud is everywhere. It is smears the faces of the Highborn scouts. It steals the bright sheen from Dawnish plate and Marcher harness. It tracks across every floor, caked on the boots of the bravos from the Free Companies. It stains the hems of Urizen robes; the siege is especially loathsome for the sentinels and magicians used to having space to breathe. The Imperial Orcs of the Summer Storm seem to mind it least, seem almost to appreciate the way everyone is packed together. It suits their temperaments.		Mud is everywhere. It smears the faces of the Highborn scouts. It steals the bright sheen from Dawnish plate and Marcher harness. It tracks across every floor, caked on the boots of the bravos from the Free Companies. It stains the hems of Urizen robes; the siege is especially loathsome for the sentinels and magicians used to having space to breathe. The Imperial Orcs of the Summer Storm seem to mind it least, seem almost to appreciate the way everyone is packed together. It suits their temperaments.

	Spirits raise briefly when news reaches the city that several hundred soldiers, believed lost in the retreat from Holmauer last season, have reached safety in Drycastle on the edge of the Barrens. Few take more than a day and a night of rest, marching instead to rejoin their armies, ready to continue the fight.		Spirits raise briefly when news reaches the city that several hundred soldiers, believed lost in the retreat from Holmauer last season, have reached safety in Drycastle on the edge of the Barrens. Few take more than a day and a night of rest, marching instead to rejoin their armies, ready to continue the fight.
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	Then one night the storm breaks. Just after sunset, immense bonfires explode into light near the base of the walls, sending up great gouts of stinking eye-stinging smoke. The barbarians come through them like a tidal wave, a tsunami of screaming, howling, merciless savages. Great siege engines built on the plains of Rebeshof advance on the last bastion of Imperial presence in Holberg. Makeshift siege towers creak slowly forward, rickety siege ladders slam into place against the walls. Crude trebuchets and catapults rain down rocks and filth and flammable liquid. Great battering rams, each drawn by a dozen ogres, begin to pound against the walls. A thousand snaking tendrils of rope slap against the ramparts, crude iron hooks questing for a purchase. Under the great green-and-yellow banner of the scorpion, the Druj attack.		Then one night the storm breaks. Just after sunset, immense bonfires explode into light near the base of the walls, sending up great gouts of stinking eye-stinging smoke. The barbarians come through them like a tidal wave, a tsunami of screaming, howling, merciless savages. Great siege engines built on the plains of Rebeshof advance on the last bastion of Imperial presence in Holberg. Makeshift siege towers creak slowly forward, rickety siege ladders slam into place against the walls. Crude trebuchets and catapults rain down rocks and filth and flammable liquid. Great battering rams, each drawn by a dozen ogres, begin to pound against the walls. A thousand snaking tendrils of rope slap against the ramparts, crude iron hooks questing for a purchase. Under the great green-and-yellow banner of the scorpion, the Druj attack.

	After the initial wave has struck the wall, the Druj unleash a hidden weapon - a dozen immense marshwalkers, no doubt drawn up from the marshes of the Morass and turned into living weapons by Druj alchemical sorcery. These magically bound elemental horrors tear into the walls, their unnatural hatred for anything built by the hands of man focused on tearing down the walls of Holberg. Each one is as deadly as a half-dozen catapults; a shiver of fear runs through the defenders ... but the Summer Storm are here. The discipline of the Imperial Orcs in the face of this monstrous assault helps steel the defenders against it. They pour out through the sally ports and open a path for the Bounders and the Golden Sun to strike against these primordial behemoths and against several of the battering rams threatening to breach the portals. Marshwalker ichor and hot ogre blood mixes with gallons of Druj blood in the muddy quagmire outside the walls. As soon as the marshwalkers fall, the Imperial forces retreat behind the walls again - the Seventh Wave have been planning routes and fallbacks for weeks by this stage, and while the ~~empire~~ loses troops they lose only a fraction of their strength.		After the initial wave has struck the wall, the Druj unleash a hidden weapon - a dozen immense marshwalkers, no doubt drawn up from the marshes of the Morass and turned into living weapons by Druj alchemical sorcery. These magically bound elemental horrors tear into the walls, their unnatural hatred for anything built by the hands of man focused on tearing down the walls of Holberg. Each one is as deadly as a half-dozen catapults; a shiver of fear runs through the defenders ... but the Summer Storm are here. The discipline of the Imperial Orcs in the face of this monstrous assault helps steel the defenders against it. They pour out through the sally ports and open a path for the Bounders and the Golden Sun to strike against these primordial behemoths and against several of the battering rams threatening to breach the portals. Marshwalker ichor and hot ogre blood mixes with gallons of Druj blood in the muddy quagmire outside the walls. As soon as the marshwalkers fall, the Imperial forces retreat behind the walls again - the Seventh Wave have been planning routes and fallbacks for weeks by this stage, and while the Empire loses troops they lose only a fraction of their strength.

	The barbarians are unprepared for the counter-attack; the banner of the scorpion dips and falls into the mud.		The barbarians are unprepared for the counter-attack; the banner of the scorpion dips and falls into the mud.
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	As the first night turns to day, and then toward night again, a more insidious enemy begins to prey on the defenders of Holberg. The wicked magic of the Rivers of Blood curse means that minor wounds fester and steal the life from soldiers who might otherwise survive; worse, those troops engaged with those who fight under the banner of the Deadly Blade wield poison and venom against the defenders. The Urizen sentinels and mages of the Citadel bear the brunt of these attacks - the healing power of their magic helps to counter the worst poison, but they also keep the orcs from the wall by the simple expedient of unleashing magical force against any orc that claims the wall - dozens of barbarians are hurled from the ramparts by the seemingly-gentle touch of a battlemage's staff.		As the first night turns to day, and then toward night again, a more insidious enemy begins to prey on the defenders of Holberg. The wicked magic of the Rivers of Blood curse means that minor wounds fester and steal the life from soldiers who might otherwise survive; worse, those troops engaged with those who fight under the banner of the Deadly Blade wield poison and venom against the defenders. The Urizen sentinels and mages of the Citadel bear the brunt of these attacks - the healing power of their magic helps to counter the worst poison, but they also keep the orcs from the wall by the simple expedient of unleashing magical force against any orc that claims the wall - dozens of barbarians are hurled from the ramparts by the seemingly-gentle touch of a battlemage's staff.

	As the second night falls, the Druj assault slackens. A single echoing horn-blast rolls across the corpse-strewn battlefield. The Druj are retreating! The defenders are too stunned, too exhausted to understand what is happening at first. They just stare, silently, as first one then a dozen then a hundred ~~than~~ a thousand orcs retreat away from the walls of Holberg. Retreating back to the other side of the Holmauer, back to Rebeshof, back to the forests and marshes of Utterlund and the Morass.		As the second night falls, the Druj assault slackens. A single echoing horn-blast rolls across the corpse-strewn battlefield. The Druj are retreating! The defenders are too stunned, too exhausted to understand what is happening at first. They just stare, silently, as first one then a dozen then a hundred then a thousand orcs retreat away from the walls of Holberg. Retreating back to the other side of the Holmauer, back to Rebeshof, back to the forests and marshes of Utterlund and the Morass.

	The ground beneath the walls is a vast, open cemetery scattered with broken and burning siege engines. Perhaps three thousand Imperial troops will not fight again. Some perished to poison, or to infected wounds, or fell from the walls to lie broken amongst the orc corpses. The walls of the upper city have taken a pounding, but they endure still - the Wolves of War countering the best efforts of the Scorpion Sting war machines - and they have saved hundreds of lives.		The ground beneath the walls is a vast, open cemetery scattered with broken and burning siege engines. Perhaps three thousand Imperial troops will not fight again. Some perished to poison, or to infected wounds, or fell from the walls to lie broken amongst the orc corpses. The walls of the upper city have taken a pounding, but they endure still - the Wolves of War countering the best efforts of the Scorpion Sting war machines - and they have saved hundreds of lives.
	{{CaptionedImage\|file=ComeAndHaveAGo.jpg\|title=The Druj run! See how they run!\|caption=The Walls of Holfried have never been breached.\|align=left\|width=650}}		{{CaptionedImage\|file=ComeAndHaveAGo.jpg\|title=The Druj run! See how they run!\|caption=The Walls of Holfried have never been breached.\|align=left\|width=650}}
	The barbarian dead cover the ground outside the walls like a carpet of broken flesh. The Druj losses are almost incalculable, but might be as high as ten ''thousand'' casualties. The groans of the dying orcs persist through most of the night and into the next day; one by one they fade away and by dawn the battlefield is silent. ~~bodies~~ lie everywhere, where they fell, where they dragged themselves, half buried in stinking mud. The power of Spring magic, foolishly applied to the wrong battle, has proved the undoing of its makers; minor wounds turned savage by the very magic the Druj sought to use against the Empire, to break their spirit.		The barbarian dead cover the ground outside the walls like a carpet of broken flesh. The Druj losses are almost incalculable, but might be as high as ten ''thousand'' casualties. The groans of the dying orcs persist through most of the night and into the next day; one by one they fade away and by dawn the battlefield is silent. Bodies lie everywhere, where they fell, where they dragged themselves, half buried in stinking mud. The power of Spring magic, foolishly applied to the wrong battle, has proved the undoing of its makers; minor wounds turned savage by the very magic the Druj sought to use against the Empire, to break their spirit.

	The walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not in the earliest days of the Empire, not in the hundred battles fought since ... and not today.		The walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not in the earliest days of the Empire, not in the hundred battles fought since ... and not today.