Chapter 3: One for ten.
As the goblin horde marched the sound of drums filled the air. Most of the villagers working in the northern outskirts were quickly slaughtered by the advancing horde. The treasurer was missing on a business trip and Sir Galahad was wasted. Leaving as the only capable people left the priest and the captain of the men at arms which quickly organized a meeting about how to mount a defense.
As the most experienced in the matters of war. Captain Hank was the first to speak, and he spoke with a solemn voice.
"Markos we only have ten peasant men inside the walls. Together with the ten men at arms, we have a force of twenty men. If we add our lord when he sobers up we have twenty-one. There are over five hundred goblins outside the walls. Our only chance is that some fleeing farmers inform the baron, and he hopefully sends a relief force quick enough to break the siege before we have been overrun otherwise we are doomed,"
The Priest Markos nodded and said calmly.
"Indeed, Let's hope that we can last long enough and that the baron will, in fact, sent reinforcements rather than just hold in Gragon. It is not like we have any other choice. But what do we do with the women and children?"
Captain hank then said with a hint of desperation.
"The women and the girls will hide inside the keep as for the boys the ones older than ten will join the defense that should give us five more fighters give or take we can arm them with slings. As for the peasants we are gonna give the good shots bows and arrows and the bad ones spears to defend the walls lets hope we can survive this for long enough."
Markos then said.
"I will pray for our salvation. Send anyone moderately wounded to the temple I should be able to treat them back up to fighting shape. Tomorrow will be a hard day, prepare for the worst."
After that Markos walked away Captain Hank sighed and went to organize an effective defense. First, he grouped everyone together and split them into five groups one for each side of the wall and one as reinforcements and or replacements. Each group had two men at arms, one peasant archer, one peasant "spearman", and one kid slinger. He also organized the women and children to gather rocks, pottery and other miscellaneous items and stack them close to the staircases in each side of the wall and also prepare fires to boil oil and water. Finally, he gathered everything and anything he could to reinforce the wooden gate from furniture to carts, to even kitchenware.
While this was happening the goblins were happily pillaging the farmlands surrounding the Hamlet. At about noon the goblins stopped ravaging the land and set camp outside the range of the hamlets' archers. Soon after goblin wolf riders started patrolling around the camp changing shifts every two hours for the rest of day and the following night. When the set up of the camp was done the sound of song and laughter reached as far as the hamlet.
Meanwhile, the first survivors reached Gragon informing the Baron about the incoming goblin horde. With that information in mind, the baron declared martial law and everyone quickly gathered inside the Town of Gragon. The baron then prepared a militia of about two hundred men. He also sent five messengers to request the rest of his knights to raise their banners and meet up with him at the town of Gragon hopefully in less than two days at which point they will then march to save or to avenge Highkeep.
In the morning when Galahad woke up and went down to have "breakfast", he was quickly informed of what transpired yesterday. Furious that those subhumans would attack his fief he had his squire help him don his ancestral plate armor and grabbed his two-handed battle hammer storming out.But not before giving permission to his squire to don his old armor and arm himself. The duo then headed for the barracks As the knight went inside everyone stood up and bowed.
After Galahad signaled for them to rest, he asked in a heavy tone.
"Where is the captain of my men at arms Hank?"
A young brown-haired woman said.
"My liege he is organizing the defense on the northern walls."
Galahad smiled nodded and said.
"Thanks, fair lady. I would love to stay in your company but I need to go."
The girl bowed and said.
"I am thankful to be of use to my liege".
After that Galahad left the barracks and headed towards to the northern wall were Captain Hank was sternly looking over the goblin camp. When he reached the base of the walls he shouted.
"Captain Hank why didn't you wake me up. Ah, and how is the situation I am ready to exterminate these green-skinned vermin. Also, my squire joined me I hope he may prove useful and get some experience."
Captain Hank looked towards Galahad and responded calmly but loudly.
"My lord I didn't want to wake you up from your slumber. As for your squire, he is more than welcome after all we are severely under-manned. On the "Green skinned vermin," they number at about five hundred. About a hundred of them are riders. The rest of them are a mishmash of half-assed archers, barely passable swords"men" and spear "men". An average peasant is better than most. But overall thanks to the terrible state of the walls and the lack of a moat we are in quite the situation. Let's hope the gods bless us with a victory."
Galahad nodded and shouted
"Gather the men I have something to say."
In about half an hour all the men taking part in the city's defense gathered at the town square. As the last group reached the town square.
Galahad looked at them with a stern look and said calmly but energetically.
"These men is our finest hour. These vermin have reached our walls. We are the front line of civilization and the bastion of hope for the expansion of humankind. I might not be the greatest ruler. But I will be damned if I can't slaughter every last one of this vermin for encroaching to our kingdom and specifically to my fief and subsequently raiding and pillaging it. Our names shall be echoed for generations as the ones which defended the integrity of the kingdom outnumbered twenty-five to one. We shall take revenge for our lost possessions, friends and family members. But that is only our revenge. We have even more important reasons to fight. We need to defend our families, our friends and we have a duty to ensure our own survival and future for us and for our loved ones. We shall fight on the walls, on the streets, on the houses, and on to the keep brothers. For this is our home. After all do remember our Hamlet's motto, "Prosperity through adversity."
After the rousing speech, the small crowd shouted.
"Prosperity through adversity" Prosperity through adversity" "Prosperity through adversity" "Prosperity through adversity".
After everyone calmed down Galahad gave a gesture to bring out freshly cooked spiced sausages, white bread, yellow cheese and a cup of expensive wine for each combatant. As the food arrived Galahad raised his goblet and said solemnly.
"This may be our last supper. But if we fight bravely even if we die we shall join the hall of heroes and banquet forevermore with the heroes of old."
After the meal, the priest walked up the stage and first gave a short sermon. Subsequently, he blessed the defenders claiming the gods look favorably upon them for fighting a just war and for defending their families and their honor.
As the sermon came to a close. The men felt a burst of energy. With their morale high and their head standing tall they took their positions on the walls.
Galahad was manning the west gatehouse together with his squire and the west defense squad the same direction the goblin camp laid. The south wall was manned by the least experienced group. Made up of the youngest kid, the least competent archer, a rookie guard, and a first time levy. Their saving grace was the veteran guard named Alfred leading them and the hilly terrain it rested upon. On the east laid arguably the weakest point. The wall was slightly shorter in relation to the ground and it was in a horrible state with holes as big as spearheads littering it. The reinforcements were lead by Hank the captain of the men at arms and his squad consisted of the most experienced men. Finally, the west wall was simply average the wall itself was in a decent but not stellar state it had decent but not stellar troops and it was lead by a decent veteran called Martin.
Goblins weren't the brightest folks. They decided to take the "easy" way in by storming the northern wall their attack was quick and fierce. The first clue of the impending battle was the sound of war drums filling the air. The second clue was the goblins massing after finishing their stolen meal and The third and final clue was the sacrifice of their prisoners to their barbarous gods.
The first war action of the green tide or more accurately the goblin spearmen and goblin swordsmen was to rush the wall with their ladders and Subsequently overwhelm the defenders with sheer numbers. At the same time, the goblin archers moved forward with the goal of bombarding the defenders with arrow fire. The Northern wall defenders first used long-range projectiles but soon resorted to using stones and pottery to kill and slow down the horde with the power of gravity. But like fighting a sea by throwing rocks it had no real effect. As the enemies reached the walls, ladders were put up. The green tide finally able to strike at them. The defenders fought valiantly selling their lives for more than they ever hoped to bargain for. The first to fall was a kid barely ten summers old killed by a lucky shot that penetrated his neck killing him in a near-instant. The kid's father then flew into a mad rage slaughtering ten goblins and toppling two ladders. But he broke away from the formation and was soon overwhelmed. Finally falling dead like a wounded bear after a myriad of wounds. All the while his streaming tears mixed with his blood staining the wooden walls. Soon after the second death, the defenders signaled their need for reinforcements. A few moments later Hank reinforced the walls. The fresh units turned the tide of battle into a stalemate.
That was when the goblin cavalry made its move. A large cart pulled by ten wolf riders with a large log tied on it quickly reached the gate. When the riders were about a meter away from the gate, they cut the ropes freeing the wolfs. Subsequently, the riders jumped off their wolfs. Then the wolfs dispersed either towards the northeast or northwest. Away from the battle lines. With the fight reaching its climax nobody had the time to pour the pot of boiling oil to gift hot death upon them. With that, the goblins reached the gate relatively easy and started ramming Luckily a goblin swordsman misstepped falling back first on top of the pot dying brutally from the intense heat and also toppling the pot, in turn, dooming his comrades below to a fiery death. But luck can't always change the inevitable. A new set of riders soon rode up to the gate and took up the mantle of cracking it open. Realizing that the gate would be breached sooner rather than later Galahad ordered a full retreat.
Retreating was easier said than done though. Galahad first raised A yellow flag informing the other wall sections of the impending fall of the first defense line. The order was simple, Retreat and gather at the keep and that part was executed without a hiccup. While the retreat for the other wall sections was relatively simple. The retreat for the ones involved in a deadly melee was a completely different beast. The first to retreat were the archers and the slinger. Then the squire fell back. Last, Sir Galahad and another wounded man at arms managed to disengage. The rest died upon the walls defending their homes to their dying breaths and dyeing the walls crimson.
The losses were also heavy for the goblins. About forty of them didn't even reach the walls. Fifty of them were killed on those very own walls and ten were burned to a crisp before the gate. Overall for every defender that fell twenty goblins followed. But even with a casualty rate like that the future looked bleak for the defenders.
As the survivors reached the safety of the keep. The outer town was already a blazing inferno. The men were heartbroken as they watched with tied arms as the blazing inferno wipe out their and their forefathers' hard work. All the while the goblins sang and shouted in glee with their shrieking voices. The rest of the day flowed just like that. With the fire consuming and goblins pillaging.
After the pillaging was over, they moved their camp inside the walls. When the night came. The men finally relaxed they were first fed and then had their injuries tended to by Markos and the nuns, Galahad tried the best he could to rouse their spirits and comfort the women by recounting their loved ones' heroic sacrifices. To hopefully blunt the pain. Soon almost everyone was sleeping. With the only things disturbing the quiet of the night. The changing shifts and the flickering of the torches.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone