Western Anuire, Erntenir 1585 H.C (Haelyn's Count), Reign of Emperor Kendar Kalien the I
Imperial Side:
Boeruinean Side:
- Lord Mourde Daelor, Commander of the 1st Avanese Horse Company, Marshal of the Offensive , often reffered to as General of the armies.
- Lord Agelmore Taliern, Lord of Glocaester, Captain of the Imperial Heavy Cavalry.
- Jarod Thalles, the Pirate, Commander of the Mieran Mercenaries.
- Slevan Klingea, former Captain of the Five Star mercenary company. Captain of the Mieran Cavalry.
Boeruinean Side:
- Commander William Noeld, Captain of the Archducal Guard, Right Hand of the Archduke Boeruine.
- Alexander Katleaf, Seargent of the Archducal Guard
- Lord Endre Reanlien, Lord of Caelwyn
If there was one thing halting the Boeruinean advance into the
Heartland, it was the reformed Anuirean Empire; the brightest remnant of the once great Anuirean
Empire. The Boeruineans had a sound foothold in the Bindier and Coere Regions,
but the angry majority of the populations made it no easy task for the militias
to maintain public order.
Bindier had faced many strikes and riots, while Coere had
already suffered two revolts, both of which resulted in widespread crop
devastation and created an opportunity for the Imperial forces along the
borders. Though both revolts had been crushed, they left the surviving forces
based in Coere diminished and low on morale. The Imperial Leader, Lord Mourde
Daelor, seized the moment to strike, and marched his forces west in order to
lay siege to Nicaea. His army was 3,000 men strong, consisting mainly of Spearmen,
Peasant Archers, Cavalrymen, and his General Bodyguard. Once Daelor's army
crossed the border, word had already reached the officer in charge of Coere's
defending Captain Noeld.
Captain Noeld had only led the Coere town militia once
against the second revolt following the death of the late Captain Daeron, son
of Lord Anders, during against the first revolt. Defeating an angry mob was one
thing, but defeating a fully armed Imperial army led by its General was a
completely different matter. Reinforcements could not be available either
because the Boeruinean armies were fighting against the revolting forces at Bindier.
Captain Noeld was in command of several Town Militia, Peasant Archers, and a
unit of Boeruinean Infantry which acted as the commanding unit of the garrison.
Nicaea's defence was only 1,000 strong, and did not nearly had as much battle
experience as the Imperial forces. The Imperial
army was expected to be outside the town wall by the end of the month, but they
had sent a small emissary ahead to demand the town's complete and unconditional
surrender.
William let his eyes roll along the vast plains as he
strolled along the wooden wall of the settlement. He watched the Boeruinean
emissary ride across the outlying field, two cavalrymen on either side. They
slowly grew from small black specks in the sun-scorched grass to normal size as
they approached the gate. William called the guard to open it, and made his way
to the staircase. He began to feel his heart pound against his chest as his
anxiety grew. He even felt his temples throbbing when he the bottom of the
stairway and made his way outside the gatehouse to greet the emissary.
The emissary had already dismounted from his horse. It was
black and grand looking, like the man who was now approaching him.
"A fine looking horse." William said politely.
The emissary stopped and looked back at his steed before
replying,
"It is a Basarji horse. I purchased it from the grand
bazaar in the Imperial City."
William pondered for a moment. This man was definitely not
of Anuirean blood, nor did he look Khinasi. From the skin colour William
guessed he may have been of Coeranyean origin, or some other tribe beyond the swamp
plains of the Eastern Empire.
"Am I correct in thinking that you are the commanding
officer here?" the emissary inquired in a slightly impatient tone.
"I am." William replied. "William Noeld of
Seaharrow." he added.
The emissary eyed him down meticulously, scanning his
posture and attire. William knew he didn't look much of a commanding officer in
his nearly torn chain-mail armour, then again, it was not uncommon for a Boeruinean
birth to have such a status.
"I see." the emissary said finally, "In that
case, my Lord wishes for me to tell you that he has graciously offered you all
a chance to surrender."
By this time, the soldiers that had all gathered around William
and the emissary began to murmur and whisper amongst one another. All eyes were
on William; awaited his response uneasily. William thought about his next words
carefully.
"Is the mighty Lord willing to accept our terms?" he asked.
The emissary could not help but scoff at the captain's
question:
"I am afraid that your surrender is to be
unconditional." he answered.
The murmurs grew louder and even more uneasy.
William then said, "Then I am afraid that surrender
will not be possible."
Gasps of disbelief erupted from the surrounding soldiers.
They could only think that the captain had just signed their death wishes.
Shouts of anger came from all directions.
Abuse was aimed at both William and the emissary.
"Who the hell put you in charge of us anyway,
Boeruinean?" another bellowed.
The emissary smirked and spoke above the shouts of
offensiveness.
"It appears that your fellow soldiers disagree with
your decision."
William remained calm under the pressure that was bearing
down on him. He smiled and repeated his last words;
The emissary grew annoyed at William' stubbornness. His lips
went thin with impatience and his hands clenched into fists. The shouting had
died down now; everyone was once again listening in on the conversation.
"My wise Lord expected such a foolish reply." he
said sternly, "As a result, he told me to tell you that if he is
victorious, you will all be his slaves until the day you die, and will make an
example of you all for the rest to come! You will all wish you had never been born.”
The surrounding area went deathly quiet. William took a step
towards the emissary, but a lance stretched in front of him, blocked his path.
The emissary raised hand, and the cavalry man backed away. William never took
his eyes off the emissary. He took several more steps until he was right in
front of him. There was a long as William began to think to himself. He thought
of the Boeruinean history and how they fought and lived. How the soldiers
responded to orders and threats of attack. Then he remembered the famous response
his dear friend gave many years ago to the Prince of the Empire threat of
invasion. William leaned over the emissary's shoulder and whispered something
in his ear. Nobody heard it; only the emissary who, in turn, proceeded to walk
towards his horse with a new found mixture of uncertainty and disbelief on his
soldiers noticed the change in the emissary's stance. It looked as if he had
just been slapped across the face. Even his guards looked taken aback by the
emissary's change.
The emissary never said a word from the time William had
whispered in his ear to when he rode out of the town gates with his bodyguard.
As the soldiers watched ride off into the distance, one of them asked the
captain,
"What did you say to him?" Alexander shoved a
couple of mean aside taking his place next to his commanding officer amongst
the crowd.
William didn't look away. He just continued to gaze out into
the fields.
"I gave him a short response." he told him.
Alexander looked at him in disbelief.
"What does that even mean?” He asked.
"A concise statement." William said, "Do you
recall what the emissary told me after I refused to surrender?"
Alexander was known to be quick and hasty in response and
did not take long to answer that question.
"Of course! He said that if they beat us, they will
make us wish we were all dead men."
"Precisely." the captain said. Making Alexander was
still confused.
"So?" he asked, "What did you say to
him?" William finally turned, looked the soldier in the eyes, and said,
"If."
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