Post by The Stranger on Jul 14, 2008 10:40:52 GMT -5
The Lord Hand sats in the command tent in Deep Den scribbling letters back to the Capital. The enemy had attacked so quickly, he thought before realizing he would have done the same thing with the numbers they had. Deep Den had to hold but while the enemy had been thwarted this first night they would come back faster and harder the next time.
"Ser Chauncey, work to reinforce the gate." Alexander ordered, "the enemy's ram has weakened it." The knight nodded and then ran off.
Alexander sat and thought, he had to find a way to minimize the enemies numeric advantages. If they were able to throw their full numbers against the wall again they would surely fell the keep.
"Ser Goodwin," Alex called as the tent became silent, "Goodwin," Alex yelled again.
"My Lord Hand, Goodwin fell," Ser Shelton said.
Alex felt cold, had he become so accustomed to death that he no longer saw it when it happened in front of him?
Alex nodded, he had seen so many friends die in these past years. "He is with the Warrior then," Alex said as calmly as if he had just said that Goodwin had gone to the market.
"Shelton, take the extra crossbows from the fallen and have them mounted on wood planks. Then see if there can be a way that one man can fire all seven. If we have 1/7th the men we must do 7 times the work."
Shelton nodded, his men had become used to his odd requests and this one did not seem quite as bad as pouring out all the wine to make a bridge across the Blackwater.
Alexander had wished that Cedric had told him of the parlay with the enemy so that he could have attended. He had expected a full debrief but the enemy had attacked too quickly. He knew little of the man, but Westerners had not developed a particularly good reputation for honor and given the situation he could see how a lesser man would see no hope for victory.
"We must work to repair the breeches in the walls as best we can. Probably won't have time for stone so use wood spikes or other debris to plugs the holes in the upper ramparts."
//////
About and hour later, Ser Shelton returned with a couple of Crownland soldiers who were carpenters by trade. They had taken some extra wood and made a saw horse on which were mounted 7 Crossbows spaced evenly across the frame. Through the triggers a leather strap ran across and came back to a longer strap that a man could hold.
"Here you go milord," the man said "its the best we could do." Alexander looked at the device. It would be hell for accuracy but with a mass of men gathered at the bottom of a wall or a pointblank shot into attackers on ladders it might do the trick.
"Very nice," Alexander said, "How many of these can we make?"
"Were still going through the rubble milord but we'll make as many as we can find. We figure that one man can fire and another man can help reload when the bolts are all gone."
"Wonderful, wonderful, you honor the Smith with this device."
The man beamed with the compliment forgetting temporarily his dead countrymen.
Alexander paced back and forth. "It was a small step, but in Westeros's current position small steps forward were better then none at all.
Results:
The defenders at Deep Den make preparations to bolster their defenses.
"Ser Chauncey, work to reinforce the gate." Alexander ordered, "the enemy's ram has weakened it." The knight nodded and then ran off.
Alexander sat and thought, he had to find a way to minimize the enemies numeric advantages. If they were able to throw their full numbers against the wall again they would surely fell the keep.
"Ser Goodwin," Alex called as the tent became silent, "Goodwin," Alex yelled again.
"My Lord Hand, Goodwin fell," Ser Shelton said.
Alex felt cold, had he become so accustomed to death that he no longer saw it when it happened in front of him?
Alex nodded, he had seen so many friends die in these past years. "He is with the Warrior then," Alex said as calmly as if he had just said that Goodwin had gone to the market.
"Shelton, take the extra crossbows from the fallen and have them mounted on wood planks. Then see if there can be a way that one man can fire all seven. If we have 1/7th the men we must do 7 times the work."
Shelton nodded, his men had become used to his odd requests and this one did not seem quite as bad as pouring out all the wine to make a bridge across the Blackwater.
Alexander had wished that Cedric had told him of the parlay with the enemy so that he could have attended. He had expected a full debrief but the enemy had attacked too quickly. He knew little of the man, but Westerners had not developed a particularly good reputation for honor and given the situation he could see how a lesser man would see no hope for victory.
"We must work to repair the breeches in the walls as best we can. Probably won't have time for stone so use wood spikes or other debris to plugs the holes in the upper ramparts."
//////
About and hour later, Ser Shelton returned with a couple of Crownland soldiers who were carpenters by trade. They had taken some extra wood and made a saw horse on which were mounted 7 Crossbows spaced evenly across the frame. Through the triggers a leather strap ran across and came back to a longer strap that a man could hold.
"Here you go milord," the man said "its the best we could do." Alexander looked at the device. It would be hell for accuracy but with a mass of men gathered at the bottom of a wall or a pointblank shot into attackers on ladders it might do the trick.
"Very nice," Alexander said, "How many of these can we make?"
"Were still going through the rubble milord but we'll make as many as we can find. We figure that one man can fire and another man can help reload when the bolts are all gone."
"Wonderful, wonderful, you honor the Smith with this device."
The man beamed with the compliment forgetting temporarily his dead countrymen.
Alexander paced back and forth. "It was a small step, but in Westeros's current position small steps forward were better then none at all.
Results:
The defenders at Deep Den make preparations to bolster their defenses.