The Homecoming 108.

The Battlements...

On the south wall battlements, sir Percavelle Lé Dic says to the ballista crew "Alright chaps, just shoot straight down as much as possible". As an enemy arrow clangs off his armour, the former paladin continues with "There's quite a few of those Harkonin swine in the moat again, best we get as many as when can before the blighters start climbing to the top of the wall wot".
The crew manning the ballista, lift it up from the rear, to get it to point down as much as possible. The soldier who has been shooting the war machine. Drags over a bench, and gets up on it, to fire the war machine.
There's the familiar thunk of the ballista shooting off it's missile. And the heavy spear goes down at an angle, hitting a floating raft that's just been put into the water by the Harkonin forces attacking this side of the massive castle that's been the home of the Lé Dic family for centuries.
Further along the battlements, Riley Hait the mercenary ranger says to the crew of one of the two small catapults on the south wall "Just drop it straight down" then the human ranger who was raised and trained by some of the elven warders in the principality of Envadarlen, calls out to others along the top of the wall "Start dropping those rocks and debris on top of them!".
The ranger Hait momentarily pauses as he grimaces, then he adds "And that crap in those troughs too!". The mercenary ranger who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of Riley Hait. Doesn't know what's worse.
Having a rock fall upon you? Or a trough of runny looking shit? He knows what he'd preferred to get hit by if he was a Harkonin soldier. And it's definitely not the shit!
Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman looks down into the main courtyard here in the south of the massive castle. And he sees that Tovis the war engineer has already had the war machines roll back, and shorten their range.
Their shots are barely passing over head now. And more of them are hitting the moat, or the bank just on the otherside of it.
Baron Harkonin's former war engineer has taken it upon himself to decrease the range of the trebuchets and catapults in the south courtyard. For the simple reason the enemy war machines have stopped firing. Now that quite a few Harkonin soldiers are on the water, and some are lifting scaling ladders, or have lifted them, and have started to climb them to the top of the battlements.
The ranger Hait calls out to the other ballista here on top of the south wall "Shoot at that siege tower!" as he points to the tower in question that's being rolled forward into the moat.
Then the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen, who is low on arrows in his quiver. Hurries along the battlements to join the former earl of Lé Dic, who has made his way back to above the south gates of the castle that's his family's ancestral home.
The ranger Hait has to hop over a soldier who has just dropped, clutching at his left arm that has a crossbow bolt in it. Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson makes it to the heavily armoured knight. Pretty sure than an enemy arrow just narrowly missed him as he did so.
"Think they'll get onto the drawbridge housing and cross that?" asks Riley Hait "Let us hope they do" says the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che, who continues with "And in numbers too wot".
The mercenary ranger nods his head in agreement, and hopes the same too. As the next little surprise for the enemy has to do with the drawbridge housing. And that surprise will only be successful if quite a few of them get up onto it, and cross it at the same time.
After sir Percavelle Lé Dic lifts up a heavy rock, and drops it off the top of the wall, to have it crash down onto the edge of a raft in the moat below. He looks around, then loudly mutters "By Narille".
Then in his loud voice, the former knight of the first class calls out "Push those ladders off with the polearms!" then lifting the shield of Saint Mar-che, and drawing his longsword and brandishing it, the nobleborn knight calls out "For Lé Dic!".
Over on the west wall battlements, where there's been little if any action. Apart from when Harkonin soldiers get too close to this side of the town of Massic.
Tamric Drubine has to order some of the townsfolk on the battlements to remain where they are. And not run off to the south side of the castle, which once again is under heavy attack.
While here to the west, the town of Massic continues to burn. The entire town isn't up in flames. But much of the western, and southern sides of the town right next to castle Lé Dic, is well and truly ablaze.
One of the soldiers further to the right above the gates where Tam stands. Draws his bow back, and lets the arrow to it fly. A Harkonin soldier sneaking between houses, on this side of the town. Is struck in the back by the arrow, and he falls to the ground, screaming in pain. Dropping the bundle of unlit torches he's been carrying.
There's very few of the Harkonin soldiers in the town of Massic now. As most of the squads, predominantly mounted. Who came around to this side of the castle to set fire to the town. Have made their way back to the south side of castle Lé Dic, to help with the attack there.
The nobleborn teenager who is in charge of the defence of this side of the massive castle looks over to the battlements along the south wall.
There he spots the familiar figures of sir Percavelle Lé Dic, and Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, leading the defence of that side of the castle.
By the looks of it, Tam suspects they'll be in the thick of it soon. With Harkonin soldiers climbing to the top of that wall. As the enemy war machines to the south of castle Lé Dic have ceased firing. A sure sign that the attacking army will be topping the wall with as many men as possible.
The former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine in the north of the kingdom of Sarcrin then looks eastwards. To the otherside of the castle that's under heavy attack.
The nobleborn teenager can't see as clearly that way, due to so many towers, not to mention much of the main keep is in the way.
But what he can see in the distance that way, is soldiers and townsfolk hurrying along the battlements. Picking up heavy stones and rocks, and bits of broken masonry, and dropping it onto the enemy down in the moat, who presumably have started to climb scaling ladders that they have on floating rafts.
Tam slightly grimaces as he also sees them picking up the troughs full of human and animal faeces. And dumping them off the battlements, to the enemy on the otherside of the wall.
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, is just glad that there's very few of those troughs here on the west wall of castle Lé Dic.
And those few that there is, are located at the southwest corner. Near the tower that sits upon that corner of the massive castle that's been the home of the Lé Dic family for multiple generations.
"Stay in position!" calls out Tamric Drubine, making sure that the townsfolk on the west wall battlements stay where they are. For he knows once the enemy sees that there's less of them up here on this wall.  They'll come around to this side of the massive castle in numbers. Knowing that the defenders will find it near impossible to fend them off,
"And pick off any of them you see on this side of town!" adds the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin, reiterating his orders from when the battle for castle Lé Dic began.
Then Tam as he's most often referred to by the rest of the group, looks away to his right, to the north side of the massive castle. Where there's been even less action than there has been here on the west wall.
The son of the former knight of castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin, can't see her at the moment. But he knows that Lisell Maera is on the battlements over there somewhere.
He wonders how she and those few with her, are doing at the moment as they help to defend castle Lé Dic.
On the battlements along the north wall of the massive castle, Lisell Maera helps two townsmen push a large rock off the top of the wall.
It drops down, and smashes into a floating raft down in the moat. Creating a fairly decent sized hole in, causing it to sink, and the four Harkonin soldiers that were on it.
To jump into the water, and swim to the bank opposite the north wall of castle Lé Dic.
As one of the few soldiers with a bow on the northern battlements of the massive castle starts to shoot at the four Harkonin soldiers in the water,
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury makes her way along the top of the wall, looking down at the enemy.
There's not many of them, and those that are here to the north of castle Lé Dic. Have made their way around from the eastern side of the castle, which once again, is under heavy attack.
The orphan teenager from the west coast of the Southlands, stops next a pair of the more senior of the soldiers. Veterans really, who have taken it upon themselves to act as her officers. Which isn't saying much, as there's just over a dozen soldiers along the top of the north wall of castle Lé Dic. And about twice as many townsfolk, who are helping them out.
"They're still pretty light on this side" quietly says Lisell Maera to the two veteran soldiers she's stopped beside.
"They won't attack in force around here until some of us skip off to help along the east side" says one of the two older soldiers in the Lé Dic army, who nods towards the battlements along the east wall, then he turns and nods to the south of the massive castle and adds "Or along the south side of the castle".
The attractive teen from the city-state of Brattonbury nods her head, as she too looks to the east side of castle Lé Dic, then across to the south side of the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the nobleborn Lé Dic family.
Off to the east, Lis as she's commonly referred as by the rest of the group. Spots the elven spy Dalinvardél Tanith upon the battlements along that side of the massive castle.
He's helping a couple of soldiers, and a townsman use a couple of polearms to push a scaling ladder off that wall.
The teenage orphan from the largest city on the coast of the Southlands, sees no sign of Dorc da Orc anywhere along the east wall battlements. She saw him a little earlier, and she suspects he's around. Most likely down in the main courtyard on that side of the massive castle.
Lisell Maera then turns, and looks directly to the south. To the side of castle Lé Dic that's directly opposite to where she is. The attractive young woman who is in charge of the defence along the northern battlements of the castle.
Can't see the south wall in the distance all that clearly. As the main keep is directly in the way. But where she's walked to. She can see part of that side of castle Lé Dic.
And she sees that there, like the eastern side of the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family, is under heavy attack by the Harkonin army.
Lis knows that both Riley Hait the mercenary ranger and sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who are leading the defence on that side of the castle. And who she presumes are most likely above the gates on the southern battlements. Are undoubtedly in the thick of the battle.
Lisell Maera is just wondering how they're doing, when one of the veteran soldiers she's standing beside here on the north wall of the castle, says "Some more of them have come around".
Lis turns again, and looks down off the battlements, and sees a trio of Harkonin soldiers. Followed a few moments later, by two others. Run around from the east side of castle Lé Dic "Wait until they're in range!" calls out Lisell Maera to those with ranged weapons as they watch the Harkonin soldiers run to the rocky ground to the north of the massive castle, that offers them a bit of cover.
Meanwhile, back on the southern battlements of castle Lé Dic. Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, who has just shot off one of the last of his arrows. Hitting a Harkonin soldier who has climbed up onto the gatehouse on the bank across from the gates, murmurs "Come on you lot, make a push for it".
As he watches to see how many of the enemy soldiers climb onto the roof of the gatehouse across the moat, so that they make their way across the housing that covers the drawbridge, which has been pulled in since before the battle began.
"Push that ladder off!" calls out Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman as a scaling ladder hits the wall, further to the right of the main gates along this side of the massive castle that's been the home of the Lé Dic family for many generations.
The ranger Hait winces as the enemy siege tower is pushed into the water, and starts to float forward before sinking. Until a bunch of heavy rocks and stones fired extremely shortly from a catapult in the main south courtyard. Pepper the front and top of that tower in the moat. Sending chunks of wood flying, and shattering bits of it everywhere.
Still, it's more or less in one piece. And the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen sees the enemy putting rafts in the water behind it, so that soldiers can cross from the bank, to the steps at the back of the siege tower.
"I do believe a bunch of the miscreants from across the border are going to climb up onto the roof of the gatehouse yonder at once" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic as he joins the ranger Hait "So they cross over to the wall" adds the heavily armoured knight, who then yells out "Lé Dic!" in encouragement to the defenders upon the battlements.
"Let's hope so" quietly says Riley Hait, who then slightly grins as two, then three, and four, then five and six, and more and more of the enemy, climb up onto the roof of the gatehouse across the moat.
Beside him, the former earl of Lé Dic chuckles as they watch those Harkonin soldiers who have got up onto the gatehouse roof, start crossing the peaked roof of the housing that covers the drawbridge, that's been drawn into the castle.
"As that smelly green beast is want to say so often" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic with a chuckle, who after a pause, and to the surprise of the ranger Hait, and to himself if he's honest, adds "Surprise fuckface" . . . . . .