The Homecoming 146.

Pressure...

While Helbe the elven thief confronts Palvarc the dark druid upon the roof of the central keep of castle Lé Dic, where Narladene the ground pixie eventually kills the advisor to baron Harkonin.
The attack upon the south wall of the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family, intensifies.
For the simple reason that Dorc da Orc, Shur Kee the monk, and sir Percavelle Lé Dic are behind the Harkonin soldiers and others, who are on this side of the castle.
The large ork, the short, statured monk and the heavily armoured knight are attacking those from the fief across the border to the east, who are yet to get onto the water.
As well as those who are already on the water, trying to get up to the battlements along this side of castle Lé Dic.
They're putting pressure upon those in baron Harkonin's army who are on this side of the massive castle.
Forcing those who aren't already on the moat, onto the water. And those already on the water, up one of the scailing ladders to the parapet along the south side of castle Lé Dic.
One of those who immediately saw the danger posed by the former earl of Lé Dic, the ork creature and the short fellow in the strange clothing, and wearing an even stranger looking hat. Was the Harkonin army commander, sir Taevar.
Who doesn't know it, but with baron Raevar Harkonin captured and hidden away in one of the stables within the massive castle that's been the home of the Lé Dic family for centuries.
And with the baron's advisor, the dark druid Palvarc about to meet his fate upon the roof of the central keep of castle Lé Dic.
It's he, sir Taevar who is in overall command of those from the fief across the border to the east.
What the Harkonin army commander does know. Is that it's not safe here on the water's edge with the former paladin, the large green creature, and the short fellow in the odd, conical shaped hat running this way.
So he jumps on one of the rafts that has come back to this side of the moat. And with others from the Harkonin fief, starts polling and paddling to the south wall of the massive castle that they're tying to take over.
The landed knight who is the brother inlaw of baron Raevar Harkonin. Who was sending soldiers and camp followers across the moat to the massive wall on this, the southern side of the Lé Dic family's ancestral home.
Now finds himself amongst those hastily making their way to the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
Hoping that no one up on the battlements shoots an arrow or bolt at him. Or that something worse comes over the top of the wall to the hit the raft, that has ten others onboard of it at the moment.
And when something fairly large, exactly what, sir Taevar isn't too sure. Hits the water off to their left. Splashing many upon the raft, and sending it rocking from side to side.
The Harkonin army commander isn't exactly sure he and the others are going to last all that long.
Especially him, as he's in a suit of full plate armour. And if he goes into the water, he'll sink to the bottom of the moat fairly quickly.
The nobleman knows that his best chance of survival is to get to the south wall of castle Lé Dic. Then climb one of the scailing ladders to the battlements above.
Where some of the others have had a fair bit of success clearing the defenders off sections of the wall. Until those from the Lé Dic fief rally and push those from the Harkonin fief off the top of the wall.
Sir Taevar knows that if he gets up onto the parapet of the south wall of the massive castle.
He along with those with him, can hold a section of the wall. Allowing for others to gain the top of the wall.
The brother inlaw of baron Harkonin winces behind the faceplate of his full helm. And he looks back when he hears a roar.
And he sees the ork creature at the water's edge, throwing a spear. Which the Harkonin army commander, thankfully sees is going towards those climbing up one of the ladders further away to his left.
The nobleman from the fief across the border to the east, shakes his full helm head when he sees the spear slam into the back of a camp follower halfway up that particular ladder. He falls down, knocking off another climbing below him, and smashing down onto those on the raft that the scailing ladder is on.
Sir Taevar hopes the gods, as he doesn't particularly care about the old ways. Look over him, and keeps him safe as he and those with him. Assault the south wall of the massive castle that's been the home of the Lé Dic family for generations.
The landed knight looks quickly around when he hears someone back on the otherside of the moat, shout something that sounds like "Bru Li spirit!".
He blinks in surprise at what he sees. It's a white ball of what looks like to be a magical energy of some kind. About nine foot wide, coming across the surface of the moat at an angle. In what sir Taevar first thinks is towards the raft he's on.
But it passes behind the raft he's on, and continues on it ways to the right. Where it ends up hitting those upon another of the makeshift rafts being poled towards the base of the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
When it hits the raft nothing happens. Not so when it hits the nine or so from the Harkonin fief who are on that raft.
They all go flying off that raft in all directions. Some hitting the south wall of the massive castle at speed.
While others go barreling and skipping across the water. So fast that some go up to forty to fifty feet from where they were on the raft.
One passes over the raft the Harkonin army commander is on. Almost knocking off a couple of the men at the front of the raft sir Taevar is on.
The brother inlaw of baron Raevar Harkonin hopes to the gods one of those glowing white balls of energy doesn't hit him and others on the raft they're on. As he knows that there's nothing to defend against something like that.
The commander of the army from the fief across the border to the east breathes a sigh of relief when he spots sir Percavelle Lé Dic and the two with him. Hurrying along the bank of the moat, towards where an empty raft is floating back near the water's edge.
Though he can't hear them over the noise of the battle. Sir Taevar can clearly see the former paladin is arguing about something with the ork creature running beside him.
The big, burly green creature who the Harkonin army commander clearly sees is at least seven and half foot tall, and must weigh as much as four large adult men.
Is keeping well away from the water as he jogs alongside the heavily armoured ordered knight who was once the earl of the Lé Dic fief.
Sir Taevar looks ahead again, and uses the pole he's holding, to help propell the raft he's on, closer to the south wall of the massive castle.
The nobleman who is married to the younger sister of baron Harkonin, looks ahead, and sees they're headed towards a raft already up against the base of the wall on this side of castle Lé Dic, where a scailing ladder is being held up against the wall.
"Almost there men!" calls out sir Taevar the army commander by way of encouragement "Let's get up that wall, and take this damn castle from them!" adds the landed knight, which illicits some cheers from those on the raft with him, and from others close by on other rafts who hear him.
As a camp follower infront of the Harkonin army commander falls screaming into the water with an enemy arrow in his guts. The raft bumps up against the south wall of the massive castle that's been the home of the nobleborn Lé Dic family for centuries.
"Across to the other raft, one at a time now" orders the commander of the army from the Harkonin fief "Let the others go up the ladder first" adds the heavily armoured knight, who soon finds himself stepping over to the other raft that has one of the scailing ladders on it.
After a quick glance up to the top of the wall, hoping nothing gets dropped down on top of him, sir Taevar looks back across the moat.
And he spots sir Percavelle Lé Dic and the short fellow wearing the strange looking hat. Wading through the first few feet of water, to the empty raft that's near the bank.
They quickly get onto that particular raft, while the ork creature paces back and forth, gesturing with his hands, while saying something to the other two on the raft near the water's edge.
The Harkonin army commander is pretty certain he's never seen such a look of disgust upon anyone's face before, compared to the one right now on the face of ork creature.
Who is pointing at the raft the other two are on, or the water itself. Sir Taevar isn't too sure.
What is he sure about, is that big, mean looking green creature is definitely not happy about something.
The nobleman from the fief across the border to the east wonders what's got the ork creature so worked up.
Then he looks back to the ladder on the raft he and some of the others are on. When an experienced soldier, who is in charge of those holding the scailing ladder steady, says to the nobleborn knight "Commander you want to go up now?".
After looking back across the moat, where he spots the large green ork creature looking totally outraged, not to mention the look of disgust still plastered on it's face, step into the water, take another step, then step up onto the raft sir Percavelle Lé Dic, and the short fellow wearing the odd conical shaped hat are already on.
He says to the experienced soldier in the baron's army "I'll go up after whoever's next".
The next person to start up the scailing ladder on this raft. Is a young soldier in the baron's army, who is a member of a crew of one of the war machines.
The youngster is fairly nimble, and he's over a third of the way up the ladder behind two others, when sir Taevar puts a foot on the first rung.
Don't fall off and drop into the water Taevar, the Harkonin army commander dryly thinks to himself, as he can't think of a worse way of dying in a battle like this, than falling into the water, and sinking like a stone due to the heavy plate armour he wears.
Trust the damn Lé Dic's to have a such a bloody deep moat, the landed knight sourly thinks to himself as he starts up the scailing ladder, that's on the eastern half of the south wall of the massive castle, to the right of the main gates on this side of the castle.
The brother inlaw of Raevar Harkonin flinches as a crossbow bolt skims across the wall just above his head as he goes up the scailing ladder one rung at a time.
The commander of the army from the fief across the border to the east who hears what must be the ork creature roaring somewhere upon the moat.
Looks up to the top of the wall, where he sees one of those further to the top of the ladder. Jumping up onto the top of the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
And the next moment later he disappears over the top of the wall, and onto the battlements along this side of the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
Though just a few moments later, that same soldier in baron Harkonin's army comes tumbling off the top of the wall from between the two merlons further to the right.
Sir Taevar watches as the soldier hits the water to the side of the raft he and the others used to reach the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
The commander of the army from the fief across the border to the east, continues up the scailing ladder. Looking up as he does so, where he sees the next person near the top, one of the camp followers, climb up onto the battlements of the massive castle.
The heavily armoured knight who is married to the younger sister of baron Harkonin, hurries up. As above him, the young soldier who went up just before him.
Scampers up the last few rungs of the ladder, and follows the camp follower onto the top of the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
The nobleman from the Harkonin fief has one last look down to the moat. Where he spots the raft sir Percavelle Lé Dic, the ork creature and the short fellow wearing the strange, conical shaped hat coming towards this part of the south wall of the massive castle that's been the home of the Lé Dic family for generations.
Then sir Taevar climbs up a couple more rungs of the scailing ladder, then basically lunges up to the top of the wall, and starts hauling himself up and over.
A pair of hands grab him, and help pull him up and over. The landed knight looks up, and sees it's the camp follower who got up onto the battlements just before the young soldier from the Harkonin fief did.
Who the commander of the army from the fief across the border to the east, sees is busy fighting the enemy with another Harkonin soldier to the left along the parapet.
"Thanks" a near breathless sir Taevar says to the camp follower once he's standing upon the battlements of the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
Then baron Harkonin's brother inlaw draws his broadsword and moves off to the left "Drop down!" orders the nobleborn knight.
The two soldiers from the fief across the border to the east, immediately recognise the voice of their commander, and they duck down.
Sir Taevar swings his heavy broadsword over the two of them, from right to left, cutting down two of the defenders of castle Lé Dic.
Once the two Harkonin soldiers get up, the commander of their army tells them "We have to hold this section of the wall to allow the others to get up".
"Yes sir" say the two in understanding, while behind them, the camp follower helps another person from the Harkonin army up onto the battlements of castle Lé Dic.
"Harkonin!" shouts sir Taevar as more of the defenders on the south wall of the massive castle hurry along the parapet this way, shouting "Lé Dic!".
The Harkonin army commander who as the brother inlaw of the baron, and as far as he knows, the only nobleman from the fief across the border to the east, to get up onto the battlements of castle Lé Dic.
Feels the pressure to succeed and take the south wall, and eventually the castle itself. As he knows there's no going back now. As it's either victory or death from now on . . . . . .