To War 82.

Summer. The Province Of Corlinda.

The next morning, and the enemy army have pulled back their campsite.
Still on the south side of the road, but way back from Castle Measum. Out of range of the trebuchets that the engineers in the first army of Farque are using.
The site of their previous camp that was bombarded during the night. Is a mess of burnt out wagons, carts and tents.
As well as quite of few bodies lying among the wreckage of the previous campsite.
As the sun rises, on what's a relatively cool morning for the summertime here in the northeast of the province of Corlinda.
A yawning Tovis the war engineer makes his way up a set of steps to the parapet of the west wall of the large castle.
Once he's up on top of the wall, the young engineer originally from the kingdom of Druvic.
Who is now a captain in the engineering corp of the armies of Farque.
Makes his way to above the main gates of lord Measum's castle.
Once there, Tovis looks down at the twin guard houses on the otherside of the moat, or what's left of them.
The war engineer, who previously served in the army of a baron Harkonin in eastern Druvic. Before joining the group who travels with lord Farque.
Had Heinë the sorceress destroy the guard houses across the moat from the main gate during the night.
So the enemy, if they got close to the castle again, couldn't use them as cover.
And though the large stone pillars and archway on the otherside of the moat from the gates still stand.
The guard houses to either side of it, are just burnt out shells now. Not even that really, piles of burnt debris more than anything else.
The commanding officer in the armies of Farque doesn't regret whatsoever ordering that to be done.
Even though it was the first real argument he's had with lord Measum concerning the defense of the large castle that's the local nobleman's ancestral home.
Tovis who sees that more of the enemy are moving out, to head around to the othersides of Castle Measum.
Looks to his right, and down into the open ground behind the west wall.
Where he has had one of the two trebuchets moved to.
As he figures, as well as Dorc da Orc telling him. After last night, the enemy won't concentrate their attack upon the southern half of the west wall today.
The ork warleader is of the opinion the enemy, made up of soldiers predominantly from the province of Olind. As well as the provinces of Moleau and Mofosild.
All loyal to the crown and king of Melaurn. Who are at war with lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
The nobleman from the province of Karricaw, who leads his province. And by default, the province of Corlinda. Who he defeated in the recent war between the neighbouring provinces, here in the south of the kingdom of Melaurn.
Will spread out this morning once they eventually attack. Or so the ork general believes.
Tovis then looks away to his right along the top of the wall, all the way to the northwest tower of the large castle. Where he suspects Dorc da Orc is this morning.
As the young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic spots Teabagger the Goblin Cunt.
And a couple others in the goblin battalion, that serves in the armies of Farque. Just outside the tower room.
Which his suspicions are confirmed just a few moments later, when the large ork steps out of the doorway, and onto the parapet of the west wall of lord Measum's castle.
A couple moments later, the ork weaponsmith is followed out of the tower room by his bitter rival, sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
And as they head this way along the parapet, Tovis looks the other way. Southwards along the west wall battlements. And he spots Shur Kee the monk heading in this direction.
The short, statured monk who is from beyond the Southlands. The far east coast of the continent, where his homeland, the kingdom of Wah Lee is located.
Is joined by Heinë the sorceress, who has just come a set of steps to the top of the west wall.
Then the captain in the armies of Farque looks out at the enemy again. And wonders when they'll attack. He knows the brunt of their attack will come against the west wall of Castle Measum.
For even with the moat, it's the longest wall of the large castle by far. And also the shortest, by over twenty feet compared to the north wall, which stands close to fifty feet tall along most of it's length.
Tovis knows the enemy will spread out today when they attack. As the defenders can't be everywhere once the fighting gets underway.
The war engineer, who is in charge of the defence of lord Measum's castle.
Who has been charged by lord Farque to keep the enemy here in northeastern Corlinda occupied. So that they don't continue southwards into the heart of the province of Corlinda. Or to the southeast, into the neighbouring province of Karricaw.
Tovis takes out his brass, cylindrical eyepiece and looks at the enemy army as he's joined by his adjunct.
While a group of runners, and the signalmen stand nearby.
The captain in the engineering corp of the first army of Farque is watching the enemy as the others start arriving, here above the main gates of Measum Castle.
"A fine day for a battle, wot" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic after he walks by his bitter rival, Dorc da Orc, who he glares at.
As the large ork scowls in return, the large, heavily armoured knight then adds "I say there engineer, what are these miscreants up to?" followed by a belated "Wot".
"They are already moving" says the young engineer, who just like the nobleborn knight, hails from the kingdom of Druvic.
"They're moving some of their men around to the othersides of the castle" adds the captain in the armies of Farque as he continues to look through his eyepiece.
Then the war engineer takes the eyepiece away from his face as the sorceress Heinë quietly says to him in the elven language "That lord Measum is coming captain".
Tovis looks to their left along the wall, and sees the local nobleman lord Measum, and his guard captain Domall and others walking along the parapet, heading this way.
The young engineer sees the local lord look down to where the guard houses once stood on the otherside of the moat.
A look of bitter disappointed crosses the face of lord Measum as he slightly shakes his head, seeing in the morning light, those guard houses burnt to the ground.
Tovis glances at both the sorceress Heinë, and Shur Kee the monk, who both saw that reaction from the local lord.
Quietly in the common language, Shur Kee the monk says "You did the right thing Tovis concerning those guard houses out there".
The softly spoken acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li, who killed not one, but two enemy spellcasters during the night, then adds "They were a liability to us and the defense of the castle".
"The honoured councilor is right" says Heinë the sorceress in the common language, the subaltern in the engineering corp then adds in the elven language "If Measum doesn't like it, tell him to take a jump off the walls, and have someone else defend his damn stupid castle".
"I see diplomacy isn't one of your strong points subaltern" dryly says Tovis in the elven language, who then adds "Please don't voice those opinions in common infront of lord Measum and his men".
The sorceress, who has a bit of an attitude to say the least, sourly smiles, but she does nod her head yes in acknowledgment to her commander.
Then she steps aside, and stands next to councilor Kee as the local lord walks up to captain Tovis.
"Captain" says lord Measum in greeting.
"Lord Measum" replies Tovis the war engineer.
The local nobleman who is still obviously not happy about the guard houses on the otherside of the moat being destroyed.
Looks out at the enemy army who are allies to the crown and king of Melaurn, and he asks "What do you expect them to do this morning?".
"They'll attack us" says the young engineer originally from the kingdom of Druvic.
"You can see it already" adds the captain in the armies of Farque, who continues on with "They're spreading out, sending men around to the othersides of the castle".
"So to spread us out as well?" asks the local lord, whose family has called this large castle home for centuries.
"Yes" says the commanding officer of the Farqian first army's engineering corp, who follows that with "But they'll concentrate their attack upon this wall".
Tovis doesn't mention the obvious, in that the west wall is the longest wall by far, and at just twenty five tall along the length of most of it, it's the shortest of the castle walls.
In the early morning light, the trebuchet behind the southern half of the west wall of Measum Castle.
Can be seen sticking up over the top of the long west wall.
If the catapults were closer to the wall, the tops of them could be seen from the otherside too.
The war engineer briefly looks through his eyepiece, and after taking it down from his face, he points and says "See there".
The captain in the engineering corp of the first army of Farque continues with "They're putting together their siege engines".
The young engineer, who prior to joining the group that travels with lord Farque, served in the army of a baron Harkonin in the east of the kingdom of Druvic.
Follows on from that with "They have plenty of ladders already by the looks of it" he continues with "I expect them to attack before they've completed their siege towers and catapults".
To the right of captain Tovis, the ork warleader, Dorc da Orc grunts in agreement with him.
Already the enemy, who are sending men out to the othersides of the large castle.
Are now sending men forward towards the west wall of lord Measum's ancestral home.
"Think they'll parlay?" asks Domall, lord Measum's captain of the guard.
"Maybe" says Tovis the war engineer, who continues with "We'll ignore it of course".
The commanding officer of the engineering corp in the first army of Farque, looks at the local nobleman and asks him "If that's okay with you?".
Lord Measum nods his head, and says "That's fine".
The captain in the armies of Farque, nods and looks out at the enemy again, as do the others.
And it's not too long before a rider comes forward holding a spear, that has a flag of truce flying from it.
Once the enemy envoy, stops just back from the moat, opposite the main gates of castle Measum. He calls out "Lord Measum!".
That's all he gets to say, as captain Tovis says in elven to one of his rangers "Shoot him".
An arrow shot from a longbow slams into the enemy negotiator, knocking him off his horse, which bolts, and heads back the way it came from.
While the enemy envoy, a member of the household of one of the nobles in the army that's crossed over the border into the province of Corlinda.
Lies there dead on the ground, with a yard long shaft through his chest, easily penetrating his leather armour.
There's shouts of outrage, and a chorus of yells that come from the enemy ranks.
Who have started to move forward towards the west wall of Castle Measum, on this clear but cool morning for the summertime.
"I was kind of hoping they'd break ranks and rush forward" states Tovis the war engineer, who shrugs his shoulders and in the elven language tells his adjunct "Signal the crews to ready to launch".
The more junior Farqian officer does so, as he does Tovis says in common to lord Measum "They'll be here soon enough".
The war engineer follows that with "If you like, you can stay here on the west wall".
Where the fighting will be heaviest, silently adds the young engineer, who then says "Or you can go to one of the other walls".
Tovis leaves it unsaid, that it will be much safer on one of the three other walls of the large castle.
After a sharing a look with his captain of the guard, lord Measum says to the war engineer "I'll stay here for the meantime, if that's alright?".
"Of course" says the young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic.
Who has already made it clear to the local nobleman, that he is to obey his orders when it comes to the defense of Castle Measum.
"They're in trebuchet range captain" quietly says the war engineer's adjunct in the elven language.
"Give the order to launch when they like" says Tovis in the same language.
And a few moments later, the thunk of a trebuchet launching it's first load of the morning, can be heard right across Castle Measum, and outside it's walls too.
As barrels of rocks go flying through the morning sky in netting, which rips apart in flight, sending the barrels raining down upon the front ranks of the advancing enemy.
Barrels that shatter apart when they hit the ground, sending rocks flying into the ranks of the enemy soldiers, hitting them hard enough to shatter bones with ease, and kill others from the impact.
Tovis the war engineer says to those near him on the parapet of the west wall, above the main gates of Castle Measum "This is going to be a long day of battle".
The young engineer originally from the kingdom of Druvic, who is now a captain in the armies of Farque, continues with "Get ready for them to storm the walls" . . . . . .