Post by Horas on Dec 22, 2008 18:05:49 GMT -5
Monterys looked at the men sweating in the sun before him. Again and again he had drilled them. Over and over and over again. Dudley had been beside him also directing them and shouting at them when they had got it wrong, but it had been the young Velaryon giving the orders and training them in strategy, courtesy of his new found knowledge of siege-craft.
He had sent to his mother Alessa, asking for his father’s notes on the subject. Alessa had managed to retrieve them, from the spoils of Lord Redwyne’s successful assault on Dragonstone nearly twenty years before. Cedric had been the Hand then and he had granted the young widow, his own cousin, what appeared to him to be worthless documents.
Now as they planned the attack that would win him back his lands. Monterys thanked the Seven for his mother’s foresight. ‘Uncle Avery’ had spent hours studying the advanced, Valyrian techniques of masonry the written records of which, had been largely lost in the Doom. Luckily for Monterys, Avery had had his scribes make copious notes, apparently meant for his father and those who would come after him. Despite the loss of many of these ancient works, the techniques of Valyrian masonry apparently were very evident in the walls of Driftmark which according to his mother was a smaller version of the imposing edifice of Dragonstone. Now Monterys read Avery’s notes as well as his mother’s recollections of Driftmark’s defences, patchy though they were. Armed with that information he had consulted King’s Landings masons and engineers on the best way to take the castle. His brother Lyonel already had some small experience in constructing fortifications and he was able to offer explanations and nuggets of advice from his experiences, as well increasing his own knowledge due to Monterys' reading.
Monterys had been even motivated to read some of the books that had also once belonged to his father. The Strength of Armies by Maester Cui had been one of Avery’s favorites, his mother had told him, although she also told him his father had disliked it, thinking it ponderous. Monterys smiled as he had been reading it. He agreed with his father, but some of the information on siege-craft was useful.
Monterys himself had spent hours training the men of Ashemark on siege assault tactics, driving and extorting them until they understood exactly what had to be done to assault fortified walls without unduly losing numbers. Monterys designed mock-battles using tourney weapons. Arrowheads were replaced with dyed cloth balls that would mark any spot they hit. Drills were run daily, the men were divided into cohorts of 150 and the teams were pitted against each other in different training scenarios where one lot would assault a stone wall and the other would defend.
Today Monterys was leading a group of one hundred men in the defense of a small tower with a small stone wall, just to the north of Kings’ Landing. The tower represented a castle and the goal of the opposing team was to capture it. Dudley had taken the harder job of attacking the castle, but Monterys wanted to see how he would command his soldiers. Apparently Barclay was equally inexperienced and Monterys wanted to see how he himself would react to an attack to try and see how Barclay would think.
Monterys had taken great precautions to ensure that no soldiers were killed in his drills, and three maesters were kept near by to tend to the more serious wounds. Most men left only with scrapes, bruises, and damaged pride, but occasionally a concussion or broken limb would need to be treated as well. One hundred and fifty men lay on the ground, a third of them unconscious and the rest catching their breath. More men had ‘fallen’ on his side than Monterys would have liked. The sweating men who had been eliminated began to carry away the inert bodies of the unconscious men, while Monterys organized his remaining soldiers around the opening in the small wall surrounding the tower. Dudley had taken his men into a nearby small wood and would attack when he was ready.
He barked out more orders, gesturing with the longsword that was his preference. The open span of the wall was wide enough for eight men to pass through abreast. Of his one hundred odd men remaining, three quarters wielded spears. Monterys arranged them into four lines, presenting a bristling hedge of spears and shields to any approaching enemy. The spearheads were replaced with the same cloth and dye as the arrowheads, though a hard thrust would still leave a mark on the skin beneath the dyed cloth.
The remaining twenty five men, who had a mix of swords and axes, he placed directly behind the lines of spearmen, divided into two groups with a space in between them, and every man had specific orders.
With a roar, about one hundred and twenty men charged out of the tree-line, brandishing a variety of blunted tourney weapons. Dudley led the charge, and together with his closest retainers they crashed into the wall of spears, knocking them aside with their shields. The spearmen began to back up, taking a few steps, then several more, jabbing ineffectively as they went. ‘Hamstringing’ was popular because even though the weapons lacked a bladed edge a blow to the leg would still drive a man to his knees making it easier to ring a blow on his head. Monterys spearmen were dropping out of the fight quickly, as marshals disqualified them, and those still standing began to lose cohesion. They began to back away more quickly from the onslaught, though a few landed blows knocked attacking men out of the fight, more defenders were disabled. Monterys’ spearmen broke and began to flee back towards the tower. The attackers surged forward until the young Velaryon found himself surrounded by Dudley’s men attacking him. He blocked blow after blow and was even driven to his knees at one point but regained his footing and cracked his attacker across the helm with his sword.
He raised his sword above his head and whirled it around, shouting his House’s motto and his men with swords and axes leapt into the fray, pushing into the line of attacking soldiers. Monterys’ fleeing spearmen turned, as one, and reformed their line in seconds to Monterys’ roar of approval. They moved forward grimly and met Dudley’s force in willing hand to hand fighting. Monterys moved in amongst them, laying about with the flat of his blade and disarming others with his superior skill. At last Dudley waved the retreat and saluted Monterys with a jaunty wave of his hand.
An hour later, Monterys, Lyonel and Dudley sat in the small tower discussing the day’s mock siege while the maesters tended to the men whose wounds needed care. A few broken bones, some shattered teeth, and several dislocated shoulders and knees was the end tally. Not too serious. Monterys brooded about his siege tactics. They worked well enough in the mock fights, though he had not tried them against heavily armed determined opponents. That would come against Driftmark.
Monterys sighed inwardly. He had done what he could in terms of tactics. His next task was to train the men in assault siege weapons. If he had time that is. Lord Stafford Mallister was likely to move soon.
Results:
Monterys Velaryon moves to Beginner in Siegecraft
Monterys Velaryon moves towards Master Longsword
Lyonel Velaryon moves to Noteworthy in Longsword
Lyonel Velaryon moves to Novice in Engineering (Fortifications)
Dudley Marbrand moves to Apprentice in Leadership.
The 300 men of Ashemark improve their siege-craft tactics in assaulting fortifications
He had sent to his mother Alessa, asking for his father’s notes on the subject. Alessa had managed to retrieve them, from the spoils of Lord Redwyne’s successful assault on Dragonstone nearly twenty years before. Cedric had been the Hand then and he had granted the young widow, his own cousin, what appeared to him to be worthless documents.
Now as they planned the attack that would win him back his lands. Monterys thanked the Seven for his mother’s foresight. ‘Uncle Avery’ had spent hours studying the advanced, Valyrian techniques of masonry the written records of which, had been largely lost in the Doom. Luckily for Monterys, Avery had had his scribes make copious notes, apparently meant for his father and those who would come after him. Despite the loss of many of these ancient works, the techniques of Valyrian masonry apparently were very evident in the walls of Driftmark which according to his mother was a smaller version of the imposing edifice of Dragonstone. Now Monterys read Avery’s notes as well as his mother’s recollections of Driftmark’s defences, patchy though they were. Armed with that information he had consulted King’s Landings masons and engineers on the best way to take the castle. His brother Lyonel already had some small experience in constructing fortifications and he was able to offer explanations and nuggets of advice from his experiences, as well increasing his own knowledge due to Monterys' reading.
Monterys had been even motivated to read some of the books that had also once belonged to his father. The Strength of Armies by Maester Cui had been one of Avery’s favorites, his mother had told him, although she also told him his father had disliked it, thinking it ponderous. Monterys smiled as he had been reading it. He agreed with his father, but some of the information on siege-craft was useful.
Monterys himself had spent hours training the men of Ashemark on siege assault tactics, driving and extorting them until they understood exactly what had to be done to assault fortified walls without unduly losing numbers. Monterys designed mock-battles using tourney weapons. Arrowheads were replaced with dyed cloth balls that would mark any spot they hit. Drills were run daily, the men were divided into cohorts of 150 and the teams were pitted against each other in different training scenarios where one lot would assault a stone wall and the other would defend.
Today Monterys was leading a group of one hundred men in the defense of a small tower with a small stone wall, just to the north of Kings’ Landing. The tower represented a castle and the goal of the opposing team was to capture it. Dudley had taken the harder job of attacking the castle, but Monterys wanted to see how he would command his soldiers. Apparently Barclay was equally inexperienced and Monterys wanted to see how he himself would react to an attack to try and see how Barclay would think.
Monterys had taken great precautions to ensure that no soldiers were killed in his drills, and three maesters were kept near by to tend to the more serious wounds. Most men left only with scrapes, bruises, and damaged pride, but occasionally a concussion or broken limb would need to be treated as well. One hundred and fifty men lay on the ground, a third of them unconscious and the rest catching their breath. More men had ‘fallen’ on his side than Monterys would have liked. The sweating men who had been eliminated began to carry away the inert bodies of the unconscious men, while Monterys organized his remaining soldiers around the opening in the small wall surrounding the tower. Dudley had taken his men into a nearby small wood and would attack when he was ready.
He barked out more orders, gesturing with the longsword that was his preference. The open span of the wall was wide enough for eight men to pass through abreast. Of his one hundred odd men remaining, three quarters wielded spears. Monterys arranged them into four lines, presenting a bristling hedge of spears and shields to any approaching enemy. The spearheads were replaced with the same cloth and dye as the arrowheads, though a hard thrust would still leave a mark on the skin beneath the dyed cloth.
The remaining twenty five men, who had a mix of swords and axes, he placed directly behind the lines of spearmen, divided into two groups with a space in between them, and every man had specific orders.
With a roar, about one hundred and twenty men charged out of the tree-line, brandishing a variety of blunted tourney weapons. Dudley led the charge, and together with his closest retainers they crashed into the wall of spears, knocking them aside with their shields. The spearmen began to back up, taking a few steps, then several more, jabbing ineffectively as they went. ‘Hamstringing’ was popular because even though the weapons lacked a bladed edge a blow to the leg would still drive a man to his knees making it easier to ring a blow on his head. Monterys spearmen were dropping out of the fight quickly, as marshals disqualified them, and those still standing began to lose cohesion. They began to back away more quickly from the onslaught, though a few landed blows knocked attacking men out of the fight, more defenders were disabled. Monterys’ spearmen broke and began to flee back towards the tower. The attackers surged forward until the young Velaryon found himself surrounded by Dudley’s men attacking him. He blocked blow after blow and was even driven to his knees at one point but regained his footing and cracked his attacker across the helm with his sword.
He raised his sword above his head and whirled it around, shouting his House’s motto and his men with swords and axes leapt into the fray, pushing into the line of attacking soldiers. Monterys’ fleeing spearmen turned, as one, and reformed their line in seconds to Monterys’ roar of approval. They moved forward grimly and met Dudley’s force in willing hand to hand fighting. Monterys moved in amongst them, laying about with the flat of his blade and disarming others with his superior skill. At last Dudley waved the retreat and saluted Monterys with a jaunty wave of his hand.
An hour later, Monterys, Lyonel and Dudley sat in the small tower discussing the day’s mock siege while the maesters tended to the men whose wounds needed care. A few broken bones, some shattered teeth, and several dislocated shoulders and knees was the end tally. Not too serious. Monterys brooded about his siege tactics. They worked well enough in the mock fights, though he had not tried them against heavily armed determined opponents. That would come against Driftmark.
Monterys sighed inwardly. He had done what he could in terms of tactics. His next task was to train the men in assault siege weapons. If he had time that is. Lord Stafford Mallister was likely to move soon.
Results:
Monterys Velaryon moves to Beginner in Siegecraft
Monterys Velaryon moves towards Master Longsword
Lyonel Velaryon moves to Noteworthy in Longsword
Lyonel Velaryon moves to Novice in Engineering (Fortifications)
Dudley Marbrand moves to Apprentice in Leadership.
The 300 men of Ashemark improve their siege-craft tactics in assaulting fortifications