The Annals of History [Closed/IC]

[The Eastern Dominions and Vassals]

Early Dawn, Imperial Holy City Varnathox - Palace of the Living God Incarnate, 33rd Year of the Reign of Gaius Menethos (73BC Revisionist Date)

The Holy Empire was progressing boldly across the world. Indeed, the entirety of Hiremus was solidly under Imperial control, and the northern part of Nuweld secured by Gaius's son, Ptolemaius in the form of the Third Dominion. Of course, there were always minor obstacles, such as the Empire of Tamriel to the south of the Third Dominion, which had been at war with Ptolemaius's Dominion for almost three years, but Gaius was certain that they would would crushed and incorporated as the Sixth Dominion soon.

Gaius was satisfied that, for the most part, his reign would be seen as a good one. His satisfaction dwindled as he realised he had yet to begin his daily chores as Holy Tyr of the Dominions. He returned from the balcony and returned to his quarters, preparing to don his clothes and perform his daily routines of the management of the confederation of city-states, tribes and the empire at large.

[The Western Dominions]

Suppertime, City of Baydock - Royal Quarters of the Imperial Nurweld Palace, 12th Year of the Reign of Ptolemaius I (73 RE)

"And I don't ever want to see you in here again!", Ptolemaius shouted at some petty Governor's Guard (GG), who had spilt wine onto his laterst theorem. Reclining thoughtfully on his comfortable bearskin-lined couch, the Third Dominion's ruler was very perplexed. In fact, his temper had risen all in on fortnight alone. The theorem had taken a turn for the worse when the proof had been found to be misaligned and had to be corrected, in its entirety. Imagine the rage at such erroneous actions! Ptolemaius then turned his eye away from his thick tablet, and grinned at the family portrait. He would be riding out to the front in two days, and his motivation? The Holy Empire's power. No fear, O Father, he stroked his beard, I'll take Tamriel faster than you can say "parallel"!

[The Eastern Dominions and Vassals]

The Tyr gestured his Chamberlain forwards and motioned for him to pass the scroll. The Chamberlain did so with a bow. The Tyr opened the scroll and read. It would seem that the final offensive against the Tamrellians was to begin in 15 days. Seeing how it was a 13 day voyage between the Dominions in the West and Dominions in the East, this meant that it would begin in two days. The Tyr was satisfied and used his godly powers to bless his son and company in their endeavours.

[The Western Dominions]

Afternoon, City of Baydock - Royal Quarters of the Imperial Nurweld Palace, 12th Year of the Reign of Ptolemaius I (73 RE)

The Governor waved his hand slowly as the last of the military reinforcements warily marched west of Baydock they were due to arrive at Concor in 10 days if the weather was fine, and a further 7 days to Welsar, where they would spend two nights. After Welsar, it was straight to the front at Fort Wanderer where army rank 1 through to 10 were camped and had already laid siege. Ptolemaius himself would take 5 of his own professional ranks with cavalry reinforcement to the heat of it all, at Blackwall, where most of the Third Dominion Militia were situated. The last tablet received had been from Captain of Rank 30 stating that about 60% of the wall had not given way yet, but the rest were being fought out most bravely by the Tamrians.

This was, truly, a raging war.

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

Fort Wanderer, North Eastern Tamriel

The siege had been ongoing for almost two weeks now....

The defenders of the fort were few in number - just 1,200. But the fortifications were immaculate, and the terrain - mainly a mountain pass - made it difficult for large numbers of troops to move around. This was what had allowed them to hold out for so long. There was a strange lull in the fighting. The archers looked nervously over the ramparts of the mountain fort, and saw a field strewn with arrows, corpses, and fallen ladders. They could hold. However, if reinforcements for the enemy arrived, the fort would not last for very long.

Speaking of which.....

Captain Orvelus stormed down the stairs from the battlements and went over to the storehouse. He opened the door and looked inside. There was roughly three weeks worth of supplies here. After that, they would have to capitulate. Hopefully this would buy the Emperor enough time to counterattack. Little did he know that the Emperor of Tamriel was under siege himself at Blackwall, the capital......

[The Western Dominions]

Nor-Commander Custus led his men up the mountain near the rear of Fort Wanderer's battlements. The secret operation had always been a favourite of His Excellency's, and they began taking their ruler picks and scaling up the dangerous walls, heart thumping in their mouths.

--

Narax-General Pimpell groaned. His three 'Equis II' units had gone left instead of right. Well, at least they were keeping in formation. The archers, on the mountaintops, were already firing, too early. Pimpell shouted "UP!...UP!", his voice was going to go, at this rate. The shields went up as the archers shot just the right distance, a little over the ramparts. Cavalry charged in the centre, through the opening at the front, and the infantry seamlessly re-formed. The training had paid off. Pimpell sighed with relief, now anticipating the report on the Wall effort.

--

Nor-Commander's cavalry had joined the Equis', however, the bowmen and infantry were now using iron picks to pick at the base foundations of the castle. Any moment now, the front wall would collapse and a victory would be sure, but as they hit harder stone in the layers behind, he wasn't so sure...

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

The captain observed as the Dominion ranks chipped away at the Fort's walls. He ordered his archers to take aim. He then turned around and walked away before signalling to fire, feeling no pity for the men below......

[The Western Dominions]

The first cries of death brought the others to look around sharply. Unfortunately, this brought about a much worse effect, for the arrows plunged headfirst into the eyes of those who looked up. However, the fortunate few who likely had the divine protection from the Tyr himself, began drawing their own bows, and the infantrymen shielding them, and soon, a few of those who had met their so very untimely death, were avenged.

---


Blackwall City, Tamriel

The Governor had arrived at the front, and immediately took control of the situation. A large clump of peasant/untrained warriors were thrashing out at all that were around them, which was most unwise. He first commanded three Nor, with shields held high, to take bales of straw and light them (from the Supplies caravans from Weldar), and then throw them at the walls. He then took a Norax (Cavalry II unit) and placed them in front of them in a linear sort of parabolic curve and on top of this, ordered another two Noraxi to charge on either side of the already burning walls.

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

Fort Wanderer, North Eastern Tamriel

The Captain smiled as screams and moans of pain filled the air, but turned around when he heard thumping sounds of a volume much larger than he had anticipated. His archers were under fire! He quickly called for infantry with shields to the battlements, and was about to rally more men when a stray arrow hit him on the throat....

Tamrellian Capital - Blackwall

The Emperor watched as a segment of the Black Wall came crashing down, along with the troops manning that particular segment. He himself was safe in a tall tower near the center of the city. It was hard to see from here, but it appeared that the enemy were preparing to attack. He signaled his trumpeter to order reserve troops forward, in order to plug the gap in the wall with a line of steel.....

[The Western Dominions]

Fort Wanderer Front

The captain, it seemed, had given a strangled gasp and had, by some strange means, fallen straight toward the Dominion troops below. He fell with a sickly thump upon one of the archers, a good opportunity for the archers up on the wall to shoot at him as they were retreating rearwards. And so ended another brave life.

Meanwhile, further back upon a hilltop, the wood which arrived weeks earlier from Weldar by way of the Governor's train, had been successfully manufactured into a trebuchet, but, seeing as the whole arm fell down a couple of hours back, the setback had to be resolved and then ... perhaps the next day, tried...

--
Blackwall Front

The Governor grinned when he heard the trumpeter's call and then the desperate scrambling of the enemy forces. Their armour would not help them against the poison-tipped iron spears wielded by the front and side lines of the accelerating charging force, fully trained warriors against what looked like a less specialised defender. The Governor sighed, and said to himself, "But...then again, my assumptions are not nearly 50% accurate!"...

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

Fort Wanderer

With the Captain's death, there was absolute chaos within the fort. The men had no idea what to do. They would fight, of course - for that was their duty. But how would they fight? Who would direct the archer fire? Who would set up the ambushes? Who would organise the retreat once the supplies ran out? The troops were getting nervous. And nervousness is not something desirable in a soldier, as the enemy can then break them psychologically with one swift, decisive action......

Blackwall

The reserve troops were running towards the wall, formationless and scattered. When they arrived, the officers quickly tried to form them up into a line three ranks deep. This was not to happen however, as the enemy cavalry was upon them. First their lances picked off soldiers in the front rank. Then the horses crashed into the second rank. While this happened, the lances found new targets in the third rank. Seeing so many of their friends die all around them, the men fled in horror, back towards the city square.....

[The Western Dominions]

Fort Wanderer Front

For a fortnight now, the hilltops provided a good vantage point, and this operation had been planned carefully. There was a supply section in the open, and undefended (obviously because the fort's troops were not to be trusted with entering the supply area. Custus, wiping the beads of perspiration off his forehead, crouched low and beckoned his small group of soldiers forward. Their job? To light the supply area, what with grains, straw and hay for animals, the place was quite flammable. How foolish of the enemy to leave this location unguarded. And so, they began...

---

Blackwall Front

The Governor commanded a Weld, this time, to take the soldiers, and crush them (that is, if the last group hadn't done so already). This time, the archers rode on horseback, upon the horses which joined them after the Wall effort had ended in failure. The deadly arrows were not aiming at the infantrymen, but those who were shouting orders, in the hope of confusion and miscommunication.

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

Fort Wanderer

The men were flabbergasted. Not only had they lost 346 comrades and their leader, but now the supplies were all burned up.

And the downpour of arrows continued.

The choices were obvious, really.....
A conscript was sent with a white flag to the battlements, but he was hit by an arrow just as he had reached the ramparts....

Blackwall

The reserves were chased and cut down by the charging Dominionite cavalry. The troops on the walls saw this massacre and were unnerved. They continued to fire arrows at the enemy troops not yet through the breach, but prepared themselves for the inevitable fight for the walls, as the stairs leading to the battlements could now be reached by the enemy....

[The Western Dominions]

Fort Wanderer
Commander Custus and his men strode through the stairway which led to the Main Courtyard to assist the reinforcements which had breached the front walls, and stumbled across an enemy twitching most awkwardly. Rather than let him die in pain and misery, Custus drew his longsword and swiftly dealt a final blow to the unfortunate man, but not before the man lifted his left arm feebly, and, trembling slightly, it fell to the ground with a clatter. Custus' eyes widened in amazement. It was a white flag. He quickly but sternly shouted to his men to bring the message. "You know what to do..."

The Nor scattered and almost half an hour later, Ten commanders stood at the entrance, the whole army behind them. "Surrender has been acknowledged. All who resist will be killed. May the great Tyr reign over this place!. The Dominion army cheered as the flag of the Empire was hoisted up on the ramparts.

Blackwall City
The infantry re-formed and the cavalry split off to the side, and the frontline charged for the stairways, shields held at their side and archers with bowstring drawn. Meanwhile, the cavalry began making their way back outside where enemy troops had spilled out in confusion, hoping to finish them off.

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

Blackwall

The walls were in chaos as troops who were taking aim with their bows found themselves charged by enemy infantry. Many had died before they could draw their swords. It was a dangerous game of footholds, as a single stumble could sending one falling off the wall. A desperate fight ensued, and for now, it appeared that the Tamrelliams held the advantage, being fresh whereas the Dominionites were winded from running......

[The Western Dominions]

Blackwall City

The soldiers were tired. Many were either slipping down to their deaths, or otherwise, being mercilessly slaughtered. When the generals below the stairway had no reporting soldier come back, they feared the worst. The only ones who had any substantial energy left were those who were untrained. The mismatch of peasants. It was indeed worth a try, so providing most with shields, the mixed group went bounding up the stairwells, where cries of agony were exuding...

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

The troops on the wall had survived the onslaught, but they had been killed man for man. But lo, a fresh wave of shielded enemies were incoming! The troops broke and ran for their lives to the opposite staircase, abandoning the wall. This happened in almost every sector of the city, save for a few holdouts who were forced to retreat anyway due to the threat of encirclement. The troops congregated at the city square, near the Tower of the Emperor, to hold off the eventual attack....

[The Western Dominions]

Finally, the specialist tent guarding the Governor and an extra Weld had been notified, as it had taken more than an hour for the small Nor to trek up the mountain (Ptomelaius had wanted to see all the action from a high point).

Immediately, they began the descent, the cavalry riding down first.

Meanwhile, within the city, about 70% of the peasants had returned, out of breath, but otherwise alive. It had seemed that this plan had been a success. The commanders ordered two formations, and waited for the messenger who had been instructed to bring the Governor and his reinforcements down from the mountains...

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

Out of the mighty garrison of 12,500 men, only 900 stood in the Square this day. The Emperor assumed that the rest had all died in the fierce fighting.... or had fled like dogs. It did not matter, however. With 900 men, he had to stop a force of perhaps some 2,000 enemy survivors. He barricaded all but one side of the square and formed his men up at the open side. Then he waited.

[The Western Dominions]

As the Armies heard a thundering, which signalled the arrival of the Governor, 1,000 men (Weld) as well as a specialist Royal Guard consisting of the best in the Dominion, 50 elite infantry, 20 elite bowmen and 10 elite cavalrymen.

The commanders who were waiting immediately bowed their heads low...

First came the support, "Stand tall!, Fight for our beloved Empire!", and then came the command to fight!

--

And so, it came to be that Governor Ptolemaius came face to face with three deadly swordsmen, and quickly calculated that the angle of their swords would hit, at the current velocity, at precisely the same place as his shoulder, and so darted out and back, the men slaughtering each other. As they fell to the ground, Ptolemaius looked up. Behind these men, it had seemed, was ... The Emperor.

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

The Emperor impaled a Dominion soldier with his longsword. He twisted the blade, observing the man's expression of pain. He then slid the blade out of the man's gut. Looking up from the corpse, he spotted a man clad in finely crafted armor befitting those of the status of higher nobility. Assuming correctly that the man was the commander of the Dominionites, he approached him....

[The Western Dominions]

Ptolemaius paused for a moment. And then, he applied his theorem with which he had been working on. He quickly pointed beyond the Emperor, "Quick!", as loud as he could muster. As expected, the Emperor turned his head... This was the moment he had been waiting for, and, with split-second precision, he dived under the legs of the enemy Emperor and plunged his sword upwards...

[The Tamrelliam Empire]

The Emperor stiffened as the blade shot up from under him, destroying his genitals, intestines, pancreas, stomach and spine. He felt an indescribable pain before promptly blacking out. He hit the ground with a rather loud thud. The Emperor was dead. The Tamrellian troops nearest to him panicked and fled, causinga chain reaction. But they were trapped between the Dominion army and their own barricades. Many tried to surrender, dropping their weapons.....

[The Western Dominions]

And so, it was made known that the Sixth Dominion with its new capital, Rylis was heretofore established officially.

A Weld as well as twenty messenger horsemen were immediately commanded to ride to Raum city to bring the tidings to the Tyr over the oceans.

EDIT 1: However, the armies were only resting, for after this rest, they were to go ensure that the other forts and towns would pledge loyalty, if not, then they would impress upon them the might of the Holy Tyr's Empire.

EDIT 2: The Governor himself began ordering the cleaning and rebuilding of the city, and the civilians who had been captured were given pardon, full citizenship and a chance to start life afresh.

[Faheria]

Flames bloomed across the sky in a mocking cacophony of coppery orange-yellows and dull blood red as the cannons fired yet again. Once! Twice! And then the walls were silent, as the men reloaded the guns, though on the field below them the soul shaking screams of dying men were still screeching into the air. Horace ducked behind the crenelations and took advantage of the short lull in the killing to catch his breath. Taking a short look at his scroll of orders, he thought about the job he had been given. The Confederacy was a relentless enemy, and Faheria's superior technology could only hold off an invasion of this size for so long. Swords and arrows still pierced human hearts, regardless of whether Faheria equipped its men with flintlocks or not. Horace had been unpleasantly surprised by the sudden invasion from the Confederacy when he had taken control of the garrison for the small and lazy town of Kindel that lay in the foothills just above the Naru Tablelands and just below the craggy mountains that made the natural boundary between Faheria and the Confederacy. The Confederates had simply marched up towards the town and demanded surrender of all their weapons and that Kindel pay taxes to the Konfidar, as they had called their government.

You can guess what occurred next.

However, Horace was starting to regret his decision. Their ammunition was running out and the numbers of the Confederacy seemed endless. He raised his head skywards, searching for a distant speck of white among the russet sunset red. Hopefully the carrier dove would arrive quickly and quietly at Brindle. War had come to Faheria at last.