Post by Horas on Nov 16, 2008 21:44:34 GMT -5
Ser Samuel watched his father’s throw themselves at Lord Rowan’s army with gusto, the Reachmen eagerly seeking the fight that they had been denied since the war began. Ser Derick Cuy had ordered a full assault on the retreating flank of Rowan’s army, as the Mander troops who had stayed loyal to Tyrell augmented the Reach army from the left. Samuel rode next to his father, each man mounted on an enormous black destrider that was covered in a sheet of shimmering scale-mail that hung to the horses’ knees. Lord Tarly and his heir lived up to their House’s motto, and were indeed among the first Reach knights to crash into the jumbled lines of the retreating loyalist Mandermen.
Their charge momentarily shattered the lines of Rowan’s troops, and it looked like they would rout, but the famous Mander general could be seen from the rear, bellowing the orders that forced his troops back into formation. Lord Tarly’s cavalry had pierced Rowan’s lines, charging ahead of the Reach infantry, so by the time the two infantry forces clashed, Ser Samuel, his father, and the knights of Horn Hill were all surrounded amid a melee of swords and spears and shields and corpses.
Lord Robert shouted several quick orders to his men, and the knights immediately began to bunch up into a group, running over and mauling Lord Rowan’s infantry as they went, though a few of the knights were pulled down off their horses and butchered on the ground by the hordes of loyalist soldiers. The knights fought tooth and nail but eventually cut their way free of the melee, where both armies were hacking each other apart amid a growing cloud of dust.
The smells of blood and grass and shit assaulted Samuel’s nostrils as he struck viciously downward with Treason, splitting open the helm and skull of an unfortunate Mander pikeman. The group of cavalry fought free of the main battle, and they wheeled their horses around, attempting to flank Rowan’s troops, but a well placed hedge of spears repulsed their efforts. Ser Samuel saw, in the center of the battle, a Mander knight had cut his way toward Lord Hightower and gored him with a spear before Ser Osney Santagar jumped in and drove the man back with a flurry of sword blows, his blade nearly invisible at the speed which he swung it.
Ser Samuel raised his sword and bellowed, charging back into the fray, his father and their knights close on his heels. Suddenly a pike was thrust up into his face, and he dodged to the side just before it tore through his chainmail gorget. His horse was not so lucky, and another spear thrust send the beast to the ground, throwing Ser Samuel off its back and into the mud. An arrow flew out of nowhere, and slammed into Samuel’s left bicep, piercing the leather that protected his arms and driving him to the ground. He snarled, and snapped off the fletching, looking at the blood that had began to seep from the wound.
He took a deep breath and then pushed the arrow completely through his arm, so that the steel head came through the other side. He bellowed in pain, and then grabbed the arrow by the head and pulled it out, blood washing over his uninjured hand. He pressed a linen cloth into the wound to staunch the blood, tied it tight, and then stood. Samuel looked around and saw that his father had been unhorsed, and blood was smeared across his breastplate though the armor itself was undamaged.
Samuel and Lord Robert charged forward, Samuel’s wound forgotten. The father and son fought together, never far from each other, cutting men down in a graceful dance. Ser Samuel parried a spear aimed at his head and hacked off its tip before his father stabbed the man holding the now useless haft. The Lord of Horn Hill and his heir spun and slashed and parried until both were awash in sweat, and their Valyrian blades were caked red with blood. Lord Tarly beat back three men wearing the arms of House Oakheart and cut them down before Samuel could even come to his side to help.
The two heard trumpets, and saw that a light retreat had been called. Samuel’s face twisted with confusion, until he saw a man with a rainbow flag riding forward from Rowan’s retreating army; he had called a parlay.
Ser Samuel Tarly improves to Grandmaster Swordsman
Ser Samuel Tarly improves to Expert Horseman
Their charge momentarily shattered the lines of Rowan’s troops, and it looked like they would rout, but the famous Mander general could be seen from the rear, bellowing the orders that forced his troops back into formation. Lord Tarly’s cavalry had pierced Rowan’s lines, charging ahead of the Reach infantry, so by the time the two infantry forces clashed, Ser Samuel, his father, and the knights of Horn Hill were all surrounded amid a melee of swords and spears and shields and corpses.
Lord Robert shouted several quick orders to his men, and the knights immediately began to bunch up into a group, running over and mauling Lord Rowan’s infantry as they went, though a few of the knights were pulled down off their horses and butchered on the ground by the hordes of loyalist soldiers. The knights fought tooth and nail but eventually cut their way free of the melee, where both armies were hacking each other apart amid a growing cloud of dust.
The smells of blood and grass and shit assaulted Samuel’s nostrils as he struck viciously downward with Treason, splitting open the helm and skull of an unfortunate Mander pikeman. The group of cavalry fought free of the main battle, and they wheeled their horses around, attempting to flank Rowan’s troops, but a well placed hedge of spears repulsed their efforts. Ser Samuel saw, in the center of the battle, a Mander knight had cut his way toward Lord Hightower and gored him with a spear before Ser Osney Santagar jumped in and drove the man back with a flurry of sword blows, his blade nearly invisible at the speed which he swung it.
Ser Samuel raised his sword and bellowed, charging back into the fray, his father and their knights close on his heels. Suddenly a pike was thrust up into his face, and he dodged to the side just before it tore through his chainmail gorget. His horse was not so lucky, and another spear thrust send the beast to the ground, throwing Ser Samuel off its back and into the mud. An arrow flew out of nowhere, and slammed into Samuel’s left bicep, piercing the leather that protected his arms and driving him to the ground. He snarled, and snapped off the fletching, looking at the blood that had began to seep from the wound.
He took a deep breath and then pushed the arrow completely through his arm, so that the steel head came through the other side. He bellowed in pain, and then grabbed the arrow by the head and pulled it out, blood washing over his uninjured hand. He pressed a linen cloth into the wound to staunch the blood, tied it tight, and then stood. Samuel looked around and saw that his father had been unhorsed, and blood was smeared across his breastplate though the armor itself was undamaged.
Samuel and Lord Robert charged forward, Samuel’s wound forgotten. The father and son fought together, never far from each other, cutting men down in a graceful dance. Ser Samuel parried a spear aimed at his head and hacked off its tip before his father stabbed the man holding the now useless haft. The Lord of Horn Hill and his heir spun and slashed and parried until both were awash in sweat, and their Valyrian blades were caked red with blood. Lord Tarly beat back three men wearing the arms of House Oakheart and cut them down before Samuel could even come to his side to help.
The two heard trumpets, and saw that a light retreat had been called. Samuel’s face twisted with confusion, until he saw a man with a rainbow flag riding forward from Rowan’s retreating army; he had called a parlay.
Ser Samuel Tarly improves to Grandmaster Swordsman
Ser Samuel Tarly improves to Expert Horseman