To War!!

Military action

The Dragon - October 5th 2021   The Dragon stood on the steps of the Palace. The flags of Caer Wen flapping from the poles either side of the doorway behind him. Before him was part of the newly reorganised, re-armed, freshly armored and retrained army. Five hundred men, all resplendent in their armour, the tips of their spears glinting in the light. One of three legions ready to march out to battle.   The Dragon addresses his men.     "More than two thousand years ago, a Roman general gave his life for the glory and honor of Rome. Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo threw himself onto his sword shouting out a single word... Axios!... I. Am. Worthy!     Today, we go to war. A war we neither started, nor wanted, but were drawn into it when hostile forces were raised agaisnt us and took you Princess. They did this to turn an innocent into a weapon. A Dragon who, in time, could have been molded into a force capable of leveling cities and laying waste to all her stood in her master's way.     She was rescued, but the threat remains at large. Those forces, and many others are engaged in a war on the mainland, one that we know very little about, but one that we join tonight!     I will not lie to you. The odds are stacked against us, we are outnumbered in every conceivable way, and our enemy fights against a fractured disunited and unorganised opponent. We will change that. We will liberate one town at a time, one city at a time and push them back one step at a time. It will take time, it will take lives, but we no longer have a choice. War has found us, we did not start it, but by the Gods, we will finish it.     Tonight we cross the bay, land on the beaches on the other side of Bastion Ravine and establish our first beach head there. From that position of strength, we will march out and meet the enemy!     We will fight with honor, we will lead the charge by example, but when either the last of our enemy falls, or the last of us do, we will also be able to claim Axios, that we are worthy.     May the gods watch over us and find virtue in our cause." -Their Lord shifed into his Dragon form, his layered voice echoed over the men in formation, and the crowds gathered to to see them off. Launching himself into the air with a single command to his men- "TO WAR!!!"

The Landings - October 11th 2021   The sun had been gone for hours and thick clouds blotted out the moon as the small fleet of ships made its way down the the western Coast of Bastion Island. The light of the city, bright agaisnt the inky black, northern horizon, glistened and reflected off the water as we circled around the south coast.   Every man on board was silent.   A healthy adult could swim the distance between the beach where Mrywen was taken and the beach on which we would make our landing, if the water wasn't so cold, and the man wasnt covered in plate armor. The ships covered the span in less than 20 minutes.   The two lead ships beached themselves onto the sand and the first men of the Phoenix legion stepped foot onto foreign soil, hoisting themselves over the guard rail and onto the beach.   The Dragon stood on the bow as his men formed up, only the sound if softly clicking armor and feet on sand distrusted the stillness of the night. Between the lateness of the hour and the darkness of the night, the plan had been a resounding success... there was not a soul in sight.   The other three ships would drop anchor, bringing their stores ashore once the beach had been secured.   By morning, a simple palisade Fort would fortify our position and, by late afternoon, another thousand men would have joined their 500 brothers in arms.   The armies of Caer Wen had arrived.

The Scouts - October 12th 2021   The three men who had been watching the Fort from the Northern woods were standing in front of the Dragon. They had been stripped of their weapons, had given up without a fight, and were currently looking around at the heavily armed men surrounding them.   "I am Pete." The Dragon started, "Lord of Caer Wen. And you are?"   The men looked at each other in confusion. "Who?" Asked one   "Where?" Asked another.   -The captain of the Pheonix Legion smacked one of them around the back of the head- "You are talking to the Lord Dragon, you will address him properly or you will remain silent!"   "Wait, Dragon?" The third man said, his eyebrows raising. "Its you... from... from the island... the baby...."   Pete raised a brow at the mention of a baby, an obvious reference to Myrwens kidnapping, but allowed him to speak.   The third man brushing himself off and then took a knee, bowing his head solemnly and formally. "Forgive us, my Lord. You look... different... we had heard the legends that Dragon's could shift, but... anyway, my name is Sebastian, we are scouts with the army of Traveller's Rest. I assure you, we are not your enemy."   The Dragon furrowed a brow. "I don't know Traveller's Rest"   "No, being trapped on that island, that is no surprise. Traveller's Rest is a city, my Lord, about 70 miles South of here. We have been fighting a war for.... generations. Most of us were born into it. We are...   The Dragon held up his hand and the man stopped talking. "You're going to have to back up... tell me what you know of the baby."   "Yes, my Lord" Sebastian nodded. "As I said, Sir, we are scouts. We were tracking enemy movements when we saw a raiding party heading for the beach. We figured they were heading for the Island, they'd grab some supplies and we'd hit them on the way back. A good target of opportunity, you understand. Except when they came back, they were only carrying a baby. Our enemy is.. evil.. my lord, but taking children has been beneath even them before now... so we watched. And then you came in, three Dragons, we watched the whole thing, you torn them apart, rescued the child and then left. None of us had ever seen a Dragon before that. It was... incredible."   "She is my daughter" The Dragon said simply.   "Was she... is she okay?"   He nodded and the man gave a deep sigh of relief. "I'm glad, Sir."   "Who are they?"   "They call themselves the Morganites, but they fight under Lord Kroll" he said after a moment of thought, "I don't know what drives them, my Lord. With all due respect, that is above my rank. I follow the orders I am given, that is all the information I have."   "The Archon would know more." The man to the right of Sebastion spoke up. "If we were allowed to report back, Sir, we could..."   "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Pete finished for them.   "That would be our hope, Sir" Sebastian answered. "Traveller's Rest was once the largest and richest market city outside of the capital, and we had the army to defend it. Its the only reason we have survived this long, but we are losing Sir. Our lines are being pushed back everyday... a single Dragon could save our city. Three, plus your army, could help us drive them out completely. It may not be my place to say, my Lord, but we need your help."   "The Archon is wise, Sire," the second man added. "...and not at all unreasonable. He would see the wisdom of an alliance, if you would be willing."   The Dragon stayed silent for a moment. "This is all very convenient" He said finally, "we make landfall, and the first people we meet are innocent, long suffering, potential allies. How do I know any of this is true?"   There was silence for a moment. "I will stay, my Lord." Sebastian finally said. "Allow the other two to leave and report back, then come back here with... whatever response the Archon chooses to send. If you find us to be anything less than truthful, my life is forfeit".   "And what if they don't make it back, or the Archon chooses not to respond? How will I know if you are speaking true then?"   "Respectfully, my Lord, that's why I didn't say my life would be forfeit if they didn't return."   A smile crept across my lips as The Dragon's nodded. "Smart man. Okay, I will accept your terms. Captain, find this man somewhere to sleep and make sure he is fed, you two..." He nodded to the others "...are free to go."   The three men stood, nodded to each other, said their farewells and the other two men left. "Do you think they'll make it?" The Dragon asked Sebastian as they both watched them leave the camp.   "I hope so, my Lord. But there were 12 of us a week ago, and the quiet one is my son."   Pete nodded solemly. "The captain will show you to your tent. If there is anything you need, let him or me know."   "Thank you, my Lord." He said with a bow, turning and following the Captain deeper into the camp.   The Dragon resumed his place on the ramparts, watching through Dragonsight as the two heartbeats headed for the Southern forest, hugging the coast until they faded from view.   "Gods speed, boys" He whispered to the night. "Gods speed"

Contact with the Enemy - October 13th 2021   The night had passed without event, the morning had passed in much the same way. The Dragon had high hopes for the afternoon as well, but no plan survives contact with the enemy.   The sun was already past its zenith in afternoon sky when the five men on the rise returned, this time carrying a flag of parle and positioning themselves about halfway between their position the day before, and the fort's walls. Gathering four guards, his sword strapped to his back and chewing on an apple, He marched out to meet them.     "Do you lead here?" One of the men asked as I approached.     "I do."     "And your name?"     The man's obvious disdain for Caer Wen's presence was a sharp contrast to the respect and cooperation shown by Sebastian the day before and was starting to irk The Dragon already.     "You'll all come to know it soon enough." He said taking a bite of his apple, making sure the man knew that he was impressed with neither his tone, nor is presence.     "I come with a command for my most esteemed General, Lord Kroll of the Black keep..." He paused, as if waiting for a response to a name The Dragon should apparently revere... Pete took another bite of his apple and waited for him to finish. "...he has ordered that you Surrender your Fort to his grand army. If you do so willingly, your men will be permitted to join his forces and live, while you and the other leaders will be allowed to go home to your little island. "     "How very generous of him" Pete said mockingly, his mouth full and still chewing. "And suppose we decline his... ahem... request."     "It is no request, peasant! You poultry 800 men have no chance against our thousands, you have no archers and no cavalry. You will be crushed like insects!" -this guy was not only grossly misinformed, having missed the army's offloaded of the cavalry the night before and every man in the army being a master bowmen aswell as spearman and swordsman, but he was also an idiot, telling The Dragon exactly what intelligence his leaders were being given.     Pete held up a hand quickly as two of the guards immediately made for their weapons, smiling menacingly at the man in front of him and stepping forward, towering over him from only inches away. "I like you" He said with a menacing smile, "I have always liked people who have far too high opinions of themselves, it is always so satisfying to put them in their place. That goes for your... -The Dragon chuckled demeaningly-... most esteemed general too. You know, the one who sent a boy to negotiate when he didn't have the spine to come here himself."     The man made to speak.     "Be warned, if the next words out of your mouth are anything other than 'yes, my lord' they will be the last words you ever utter... Now, you can tell your General Kroll that we were drawn into this war by forces I KNOW we're under his command... which means he and I are due a very long and very unpleasant conversation. Besides, we just got here, we just finished building out little Fort, and we quite like the views, so I think we will be staying. If he wants it so badly, he can bring his most esteemed, spineless ass down here and try take it himself."     The man's eye widened, part in surprise at my tone, and part in anger at the challenge.     The took another bite of his apple.     "Now, off you fuck."     The five men looked at each other and, realising there was nothing left to say, turned and started making their way back up the rise.     "Sir?" One of the guards said as they watched them leave. "Make ready defences and prepare for battle. They will be back before nightfall."