Double Trouble (IC, Closed)

[The Stokes Regalia]

The Southern Kingdoms of the Stokes Regalia and Villeyarde have begun an attack on the Southern Twin. Will the kingdoms of the North defend their neighboring castle or will the South take the whole of the bridge?

Rules:
Normal Rules we usually use

[The Stokes Regalia]

The Stokes Regalian Archers moved into place sniping guards off the Southern most Twin from the furthest reaches of the Forest of the Damned. The Berserkers started to whoop and holler as the once live guards tumbled from their posts. Shushes came from the archers as they sighed and rolled their eyes, the gags they put in the Berserkers mouth's had fallen out and the Roid-Raging idiots were bringing to much attention to the forest. Alarms could be heard and signal fires lit up the Southern Twin's walls. The attack on the Twins had begun!!

[The Voidlands]

Fire?
Fire!
<Post Self Deleted>

[Delvan]

High King Drustan was reading an ancient tome when the doors to his throne room burst open.
"Your majesty! The Stokes Regalia has attacked the southern twins!" cried a Pridewalker messenger
"Really? I've been waiting for one of the southern nations to attack the bridge. If the south has part of the twins then I would not have nations wanting to crawl through my land to get to their enemy." replied Drustan
"High King, if I may suggest that maybe we should assist in taking the southern twins to gain stronger relations with the other southern kingdoms and possibly we will be given the right to help occupy the southern twin." said Archmage Mendor

"Hmmmmhh, that is a fine idea. Would you like to lead the men to battle Mendor?"
"I apologize, my king, but I have council matters to attend too."
"Fine, I will send Diana, commander of the Moonguard with a contingent of a few thousand men with her. Also Mendor, will you send a couple hundred mages along with them to keep the Stokes Regalian beserkers from attacking my men?"

[Holy Inquisition]

The mysterious and isolationist nation of Holy Inquisition stood silent and tranquil as another day passed by. The miners mined, the farmers farmed, the fisherman fished, and the soldiers stood guard along the xenophobic nation’s borders. In the kingdom’s capital of Nacitav, the palace remained silent until one of the scouts came back with word of the world.

The scout calmly entered the King’s Throne Room, an incredibly large room where a massive crucifix of their god takes up the entire rear wall as the sculpted eyes of their dying god look down toward the geometrical center of the floor. At the center is the beginning of a marvelous sculpted floor of gold and imported marble. The center of the room is where the golden plus shape, that takes up the entire length of the floor, intersects and the four squares of ground that are separated by said plus are an elaborately sculpted mural of marble that depict countless themes of the areas’ holy book, something they call the Holy Bible.

The scout walks along the golden cross on the floor, bowing every six steps, until he reaches the center. He kneels and immediately raises his eyes towards the eyes of the statue of their god, which are staring right back at him. A prayer is mumbled and the sign of the cross is made upon the scout’s forehead, chest, and shoulders. Then the scout stands and addresses the king, who is sitting in a ten foot tall throne of pure gold which looks tiny compared to the monstrous crucifix behind it, “Your holiness, another war erupts past our borders. The kingdoms to our south invade the independent town known as ‘The Twins’.” The king smiles at the young scout and speaks,

“Thank you, my son. That is all that I need from you. Please stay as you are invited to eat with my family and I. You may leave this room now.”

“Thank you, your holiness.”

He, without turning around, makes the sign of the cross while looking at the statue and bows towards the king. While remaining in a bow, the young scout walks backwards out of the room. As he leaves, four very old men in robes enter the room following the same courtesies as the scout before them.

“Your holiness, we overheard your conversation and we as the High Inquisitors believe that this is the perfect opportunity to introduce our kingdom and the word of God to the world like we discussed in the past.”

The king smiles, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

One day later in the Southern Twin.

Three knights of the Holy Inquisition speed towards the attacking army of the Stokes Regalia with their shields drawn, weapons sheathed, and a golden flag waving in the air. Just as the Stokes Regalian Army prepares to attack the Inquisitors, all three of them dropped their weapons and helmets. The leader dismounts with his hands raised, “HELLO, EVERYONE! WE ARE ALLIES OF THE STOKES REGALIA AND WISH TO HELP YOU SIEGE THIS TOWN! WE WILL BE ATTACKING FROM THE WEST AS REINORCEMENTS ARE ON THEIR WAY!”

An anonymous voice calls out from the crowd, “And who the hell are you?!”

The leader spoke in a calmer voice, “We are but simple soldiers from the land to your Kingdom’s north, the Holy Inquisition.”

The crowd exploded in talking as they discussed the first ever appearance of those that lived on the Obsidian Peninsula since the fall of the Empire but before Regalian commanders could come to see what all the commotion was about, the Inquisitors grabbed their things and left. Leaving their golden flag planted in the ground.

[Delvan]

The small Delvan army was camped out east of the southern twins and was preparing to help in the siege. Diana, commander of the Moonguard sat down while looking at a map of the area surrounding the southern twins. Diana was carefully studying the terrain when one of her guard walked into her tent.
"Commander, our men have settled down safely and are setting up defenses, but I bring other news. We are not the only nation supporting the Stokes Regalia."
"Well spit it out! Is it Villeyarde? Grande Potenza?"
"No my lady, its uhhh....it is the Holy Inquisition..."
"WHAT! Do you lie? I swear by Devana if you lie to me then I shall cut out your tongue and feed it to the Regalian beserkers."
"No, I swear my lady, they are marching on the western side of the twin."
Diana stood up and marched out of her tent furiously with the guard quickly following her.
"The Holy Inquisition are filled with a bunch of fanatics that have no sense on right or wrong. They kill anyone that is not human and anyone that uses magic. They do this in the name of their false God, and will be no allies of ours because of their views."
"Why do you hate them so? Have they not been isolated for so long?"
"The kingdom itself has been isolated, but my grandparents told me of their religions cruelty in the days of the empire. It is not one that we want in our borders. Go seal the camp from anyone that isn't Delvainic. If they wish to speak to us then they will only speak to me. Also send a letter to the High King, he should know about this."

[Holy Inquisition]

The ground trembled as they approached closer. Massive unified booms of in-cadence steps and in sync clashing of swords upon shields on every fourth step rippled through the air as patriotic and religious chants were sung at the volume of thunder. The reinforcements have arrived as the three hundred men of the Holy Inquisition’s elite Coup de Main Brigade and they inched closer and closer to the now isolated fort.

The Voidlanders had destroyed the Southern Twin’s only hope of receiving reinforcement from the North and the fort’s only free side, the West, was now blockaded by some of the most ferocious Inquisitors that the Western nation had to offer. Why not come into the world with a loud bang?

The Coup de Main Brigade specializes in a warfare commonly known as “Shock and Awe” and that can be seen here today. The first one hundred men were trained archers and they shot volley after volley of unified walls of arrows into the air that rained down upon the western side of the fort. Sparing no one. As the archers subdued the fort, the next one hundred men dragged twelve monstrous trebuchets by oxen and, like falling dominos, they fired in succession with accuracy: repetitively striking the center of the stone wall with stones that weighed near one ton each. The trebuchets were reloading but the enemy didn’t have time to respond for the archers were at it again, shooting volley after volley of arrows down unto the fort through the sky. This pattern repeated throughout three trebuchet reloads and after the third bombardment, a large enough portion of the wall fell for the Inquisitors to be satisfied. It was the knights’ turn.

The last one hundred men, completely dressed in metal, stormed that hole on horseback and brought the fight to the inside. The archers and artillerymen picked up their swords and shields and followed the knights into glorious battle against the already weak enemy. They seized the Northwestern third of the fort and slaughtered anyone that resisted while capturing those that surrendered. Although, interestingly they did not advance into the other two-thirds of the fort as they began to build a wall separating their portion of the Southern Twin from the rest.

All Balmorian flags were replaced with gold ones while troops and supplies are now frequently being brought back and forth from the Holy Inquisition to their captured third of the fort. The Inquisitors were now quiet. Scary quiet. What was happening on the other side of that wall?

[Villeyarde]

King Frederick was spending his time in his library, idly perusing "The Art of Dinner Hosting", a hefty tome that required at least two attendants to safely carry off of the shelf it was perched on, when a young teen dressed in the attire of an royal messenger, interrupted his study with an urgent message from The Twins.

An unknown group of men, claiming to hail from the nation of Holy Inquisition in the harsh, volcanic West, had suddenly joined on the side of the South and had garrisoned a third of the southern fort already. Why these strange inquisitors stopped at only a third of the fort, no one was entirely sure. It was rumored that the Kingdom of Delvan was also tossing their lot in with the South and had sent men to join the assault. With that, the messenger bowed and, not expecting a reply from Frederick, made a brisk retreat out of the library.

Frederick, not once during the message looked up from his book nor made the slightest change in demeanor. Once he was sure the boy had left, however, he let a contented breath of relief escape his lips. He had already made a gamble backing Stokes' idea in the middle of his plans for a feast. That was why he was unwilling to send more than a thousand men, only hired arms at that. If word was spread that Villeyarde was supporting such aggressive endeavors, the chance of his plans ever succeeding was slim at best. Frederick leaned back in his seat, wondering just how it all would play out and just what the North was going to do about it all. They had been disturbingly silent through it all and it made him just somewhat nervous.

[Delvan]

It was night when they attacked. The moon shone bright upon the battlefield as the small Delvan army lined up outside of the castle archer's range. They waited as a group of mages were casting a spell that would hopefully destroy a part of the castle wall. Glowing runes shone brighter and the wind started to pick up the longer the mages whispered their chants. Then with a last word, the head mage slammed his hands on the ground and a part of the eastern wall came tumbling down. The Delvan warriors cheered with joy as the castle defenders stood with shock at how their brethren had fallen. Then with a blow of a horn, the might of Delvan charged into the breach.

The defenders were no match for the army. In less then an hour, the eastern part of the Twin was captured. Many surrendered, and by Delvan law, they were allowed to remain alive. Diana, the commander of the Moonguard, and the general leading the attack walked up to a wall that was not in a likely place.
"Damn them...the Holy Inquisition has already captured part of the twin. They built this wall to mark their territory. A wise decision, and so we shall do the same. Build a wall cutting off our part from the rest. We will leave the Stokes Regalia with some of the castle to take; I would hate to disappoint them."

The Delvan wall cut off a third of the castle from the rest. Two thirds of the Twins was taken, and only one kingdom could take the next.

[Villeyarde]

The Regalia may have made good progress in the opening phase of the assault on the Southern Twin but their forces were beginning to lag behind. Laziness had set in and the Villeyardeans had lost patience. Two other Kingdoms had already staked their claim to the fort and they'd be damned if they'd lose out on the winning table. Making a hurried charge towards the already weakened fort, the front line of men rushed the walls with ladders and began scaling. After multiple attacks, the fort lacked men to garrison the walls, choosing instead to hole up in the courtyard with their remaining men.

This left the Villeyardeans complete freedom to take stock of their rapid progress. Walls blocked them on either side, leaving only roughly a third of the castle for the taking. Descending from the walls, the Vanguard....

(I'll finish later tonight, got interrupted)

[The Voidlands]

Aliar interrupted Steve's thoughts with a persistent squawk. He sighed, stood up from his bedside chair, and walked onto the Balcony. As Aliar was a bird made of pure fire, it rarely entered the room to prevent lighting everything aflame. Instead, Aliar was carefully perched on its Black Iron Stand (with a melting point far higher than the degree at which Aliar burns). "What is it now Aliar?" Steve asked, sitting down in the chair across from the Phoenix. "This better not be another request for burning the prisoners at the stake."
Aliar gave a calm chirp back.
"O, sure, sure. That was only for that one guy that stole your Sweet Roll. Get on with it. You interrupted my plans for a new Assassin Division." Steve took a drink of his Rum. It was late in the day and a headache was starting to kick in.
Aliar gave a harsh snicker (Birds can snicker, right?) in reply.
Steve spit out the Rum. "Why were we not informed of this earlier? Why did I not know of this attack?" He walked back into the Tower and began the long descent. Aliar caught up with him at the bottom. "Ready the troops." Steve said to the bird. "We march to Balmora, and then the Twins!"

* * * * * * * *

Several Days later...

Steve met his brother upon the Walls of the North Twin, looking down upon the bridge and the Battle to the South. David turned when Aliar fluttered around him. David, Captain of the Guards of the Free City (and therefore the Twins, which the City owns), was not happy to see his brother King, and made that very clear with his address: "Who called you?". Steve gave a casual gesture to Aliar, who had flown in the direction of the Southern Twin. "But I said nothing to that stupid bird. What are you doing here?"
"I have spoken with the High Minister." Steve replied. He passed David a letter. "I hereby withdraw the Northern Twin from the ownership of the Free City. You are dismissed, along with all your troops."
David was honestly bewildered. He had withdrawn the majority of the Cities Men, only about a thousand located at the Twins, to the North one after the wall collapsed. The majority now stood ready at the Bridge, should the enemy attempt to take it. "How do you plan to retake the Southern Twin? They have pushed us back to the Inner Keep!"
"I don't." Steve said smiling. "Withdraw your men. I can handle it from here." Already the Voidlanders were moving along the bridge, removing certain unmarked bricks from the bridge.
"What are they doing?" David asked. He had given the message, and almost all the men were being withdrawn from the Southern Twin. Aliar returned and gave a quick nod to Steve, taking off to the center of the bridge.
"We created this place very quickly because we did not know weather or not we had to defend it from Villeyarde. As such, the majority of the walls are hollow, and the Bridge only has a few keystones that keep it stable. I mean to collapse the bridge, and prevent the enemy from taking the Northern Twin. Heck, they may even give up their assault on the Southern after they find out the bridge is useless."
The bridge was fully clear by now, of both Voidlander and Free-Man alike. Only Aliar remained on it, its claws clasped around the last brick. Steve gave a quick nod, then grabbed onto the side of the building as it gave a sudden sway. Aliar had removed the brick, and as quick as that the center of the bridge gave in on itself. The rest followed, up until the flat wall of either Twin.

The Bridge is gone. What will the enemy do now, with the Twins useless?

[Holy Inquisition]

“Your holiness.” The king’s eyes flashed open to find an incredibly beautiful scene from atop the royal palace in Nacitav City. Dark volcanoes and bright red lava could be seen for miles to be remarkably contrasted by the calm blue ocean to the north of the Obsidian Peninsula that hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children call home. King Peter had fallen asleep overlooking the sight in his chair but was just awoken by a messenger.

He stood up from his chair and faced the messenger who immediately bowed for the king. “Hello, my son. What do you wish to say to me?”

“I have but a message from the Southern Twin… The occupation was a success and our wall is complete.” the messengers says without raising from his bow.

“And what of the preparations, my son?”

“They are ready, your holiness.”

The king smiles, “Outstanding, please go and tell Chief Engineer Mathew to begin construction of the fort that we talked about in the past.”

“Yes, your holiness.”

“Thank you, my son. Please have a great day and may God bless you.”

“Thank you, your holiness.”

As the boy left, King Urban leaned against the railing and looked out towards the stunning view with a smile. “The world will surely know what we’re fully capable of soon enough.”

In between the Southern Twin and the Kingdom of Holy Inquisition lies a segment of the King’s Road that, oddly, leads to nowhere. Although, the Inquisitors had a plan for the end of that road. A grand fort will be built in an awe-inspiring amount of time to showcase the forgotten engineering marvels of the Obsidian Peninsula. After all, we were the manufacturing center of the Empire.

[Delvan]

Diana looked upon the wall that they had set up. The wall was inscribed with multiple runes that had many magical purposes, but she kept wondering what was happening on the other side of the wall. It had grown very quiet since the Delvan wall had been built. Word had already gotten out that Villeyarde had taken the third section of the wall, and Diana had already sent a message to them asking for a meeting with all of the leaders who have taken a portion of the twin.

"Guard, send a message to the Holy Inquisition asking for a meeting with their leader on the edge of the broken bridge. Assure them that we mean peace, and we only mean to show them that the taking of the southern twin wasn't in vain. Oh, and make sure its a human who doesn't use magic if you will? Hopefully that will calm them down."

The guard ran off while searching for an appropriate messenger. Diana walked off to the leader of the mages.

"Send your men and prepare the spell...I want no accidents or mistakes. We want to make peace with the other southern nations."

[The Voidlands]

The Crier unfurrowed the great paper and read. "In light of the recent attack on the Southern Twin, the High Minister of The Free City hereby embargoes the Kingdoms of Delvan, Holy Inquisition, Villeyarde and The Stokes Regalia. None of their cargo will be allowed to enter the City, and will be seized should they try." The Crier then climbed his horse and headed in the direction of the Crossroads, to spread his message.

[Egfritis]

The king sat in his throne, throwing knives at the burnt carcass off what was once an assistant of his. Suddenly, he was interrupted by some man wearing the outdated uniform of messaging. Because of this, the next knife thrown was at his neck, and the guards proceeded to take him away. The King picked up the letter and read it:
"The Southern Kingdoms are laying waste to the South Twin. The Southern Kingdoms are being lead by The Stokes Regalia and the Northern Kingdoms by The Voidlands."
The King spoke in disappointment, "For Christ's sake, why can't they get along. Egfritis is peaceful and pacifistic, and its actions are selfless. I'm not even going to intervene. That's how peaceful I am."

[Holy Inquisition]

To His Holiness,

Fort Exodus has been completed and it is ready to be occupied by our men. It looks marvelous and it is as sturdy as sturdy comes; if I do say so myself. I have received word from High Paladin Leviticus that the Villeyardians have given us complete control of their third of the Southern Twin. His letter to me states that he searched the fort for traps of any sort and found none. Also, he took the liberty of tearing down the wall that splits our now greater Fort Genesis. The secret meeting with the kingdoms of Delvan and Villeyarde turned out to be a huge success as peace and understanding is expected to be our future. Should we start Fort Leviticus?

Sincerely,
Chief Engineer Mathew

P.S. The eighty barrels of exploding powder are being removed from Fort Genesis on High Paladin Leviticus’ order for he feels that being prepared to detonate the Southern Twin in case of a Delvainic or Villeyardian invasion is no longer a necessity. Peace does have its perks.

Dear Mathew,

I am very pleased to hear that Fort Exodus is complete and know that, as I write this, the Black Wolf Calvary Regiment is on their way to occupy it. High Paladin Leviticus also wrote me a letter detailing the events of that night and of his actions but thank you for making sure that I am up to date on news of the world. I really am growing fonder and fonder of the Devlans and Villeyardians; especially now that the Delvans have promised to keep their magic and pridewalkers away from us.

Please make your way to the shore of the Forrest of the Damned that is closest to our beloved nation for that will be the sight of Fort Leviticus. I am sending workers, supplies, and soldiers via ferry to the location so that construction can begin as soon as you arrive. Make sure to connect the fort to our land by bridge.

With my prayers,
King Innocent

[Holy Inquisition]

In the concealment of the night, the representatives of the three nations that conquered the Southern Twin held their secret meeting. Out of said meeting, the Villeyardian third of the fort was transferred to the subjugation of the Kingdom of Holy Inquisition, mysterious glowing stones can be seen all over the southern half of the broken bridge, and barrels upon barrels of exploding powder are being shipped back to the Kingdom Holy Inquisition from their original third of the fort. Most importantly, the three nations knew that they had befriended each other; something much more valuable then the tangible gifts that were exchanged.

Now we wait for the Grand Feast of Nations that will be held at the independent town known as Crossroads for the events of the Invasion of the Southern Twin have come to a close. For now.