IMPERIAL GUIDE TO SIEGECRAFT

[Zhulik 3559]

 

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IMPERIAL GUIDE TO SIEGECRAFT

Est. 19th of the First Seed, 1576

His Excellency, the Imperial Archchancellor Prince Leopold of House Horen, first Baron of Senntisten and Knight of the Imperium Quintus

 

 

PRELUDE
This document has been authored for the purpose of instructing aspiring sappers and siege engineers on how to properly establish defenses, and/or siege without using bandit and/or savage tactics. For many years, siegecraft has been an oddly underappreciated portion of most militaries despite the fact that those who master the art can win any proper battle. Through training and the knowledge of siege engineering, the Empire may flourish through its quick victories against those who are ignorant in the art.

 

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ON THE MODERN CASTLE
In the modern Empire, keeps are erected for the flare of looks rather than that of proper siege capabilities. The entire prospect of a fortification is to act like one, not to host banquets. Modern keeps are built for families rather than for defense; thus, they modern keep has lost its refined warrior edge. Keeps within Lorraine suffer such a fate as they grow cotton-fields next to sprawling vineyards. The modern Imperial proclaims that the keep is to be his homestead, his manor, rather than a point of defense. Modern walls are commonly but a metre thick with no layers. If one were to build a manor, refer to it as a manor. Furthermore, modern keeps, especially with the design and construction stylistics of the ethnic Raevir, have too short of walls to properly defend against aggers. In other cases, keeps become too large to defend properly, a problem Waldenian stonemasons have encountered time and time again. On average, one can hold out against an army of thirty with only seven defenders if the defenders knew how to properly defend; thus, castles and forts were built to alleviate the task. The modern fort has strayed from its original purpose and it is imperative that it returns to its former course.

 

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THE ARBALEST

 

The following is an example on how to load an arbalest.

Emotes required: 5

Standard Bolt Velocity: 138.7 FPS / 42.3 MPS

 

The arbalest is the prized weapon of the Imperial. Accurate and powerful, the arbalest can prove devastating to an enemy yet must be used wisely due to its long loading process. Arbalest men are generally accompanied by infantry for support.

 

EMOTE 1:

[Arbalest Man] presses the arbalest on to the ground, placing their left foot within its frontal stirrup.

 

EMOTE 2:

[Arbalest Man]begins to crank the string of the arbalest back until a ‘click’ is heard from its firing mechanism and it is locked into place.

 

EMOTE 3:

[Arbalest Man] takes out a [barbed/broad)] bolt and places it into the firing chamber.

 

EMOTE 4:

[Arbalest Man] shoulders the loaded arbalest and takes aim for (Target).

 

EMOTE 5:

[Arbalest Man] squeezes the arbalest lever, firing the bolt at (Target).

 

([Arbalest Man], while training or doing events, should /roll 20. The arbalest is otherwise fairly accurate so there are times when loading, especially at point blank, is not needed)

 

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THE BALLISTA

 

The following is an example on how to fire a ballista.

Number of People Required: 3

Emotes Required: 4

 

The Ballista has two cranks on each side. One person must stand on each side to crank one each. This must be done until you see the locking mechanism lock the string into place. It is used for anti-siege.

 

EMOTE 1

(Simultaneously)

[Ballista Man 1] twists the left crank of the ballista, hoisting the string back.

[Ballista Man 2] twists the right crank of the ballista, bringing the string back alongside [Ballista Man 1].

 

EMOTE 2

[Ballista Man 1] [!] The locking mechanism locks the string into place as both Ballista Men finish cranking the Ballista!

 

EMOTE 3

[Ballista Man 3] hoists a large bolt into the Ballista’s  firing chamber, readying it to fire.

 

EMOTE 4

[Ballista Man 2] raises their mallet and hits the wedge on the ballista, launching the heavy bolt at [Target].

 

([Ballista Man 2] now does /roll 20 for success. Anything less than 15/20 is bad.)

 

                                                                                                                                                                   

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THE TREBUCHET

 

The following is an example on how to fire a trebuchet.

Number of People Required: 3

Emotes Required: 5

 

The trebuchet is very expensive and has ropes that must be pulled in order to lower the arm of the device. Once launched, the projectile will cause extensive damage should it hit its target. Most common siege weapon.

 

EMOTE 1

(Simultaneously)

[Trebuchet Man 1] pulls on the rope of the trebuchet to lower the arm of the device until the basket of the device is lying on the ground.

[Trebuchet Man 2] pulls on the rope of the trebuchet to lower the arm of the device until the basket of the device is lying on the ground.

[Trebuchet Man 3] pulls on the rope of the trebuchet to lower the arm of the device until the basket of the device is lying on the ground.

 

EMOTE 2

[Trebuchet Man 3] Loads the ammunition into the basket.

 

EMOTE 3

[Trebuchet Man 3] Places a big wedge on the on the trebuchet, keeping the ropes from moving.

 

EMOTE 4

[All Trebuchet Men] pushes the arm on the socket, aiming the device at [Target].

 

EMOTE 5

[Trebuchet Man 1] hits the wedge with their mallet, launching the projectile at its designated target.

 

([Trebuchet Man 1] does  /roll 20 for success. Anything less than 15/20 is bad.)

 

 

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THE SIEGE TOWER

 

The following is an example on how to move and operate a siege tower.

Number of People Required: MANY

Emotes Required: 2

The siege tower is a mobile fortress that protects hordes of men in a siege. They are very low maintenance siegecraft and only require a push emote and then that of dropping its bridge. Be wary of fire or counter-siege.

 

EMOTE 1

(Repeat until instructed otherwise)

[Siege Tower Men] roll the siege tower forward and onto the field via hefty pushing, encroaching on the enemy fortifications.

 

EMOTE 2

[Siege Tower Man] lowers the drawbridge, nullifying the gap between the army and the

besieged wall.

 

 

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THE BATTERING RAM

 

The following is an example on how to operate a battering ram.

Number of People Required: MANY

Emotes Required: 2

 

The Battering Ram is a roofed siege engine which soldiers push forth and station near that of a gate in order to destroy and breach.

 

EMOTE 1
(Repeat until instructed otherwise)

[Battering Ram Men] push the battering ram forward, heaving with all their strength, planting it into the dirt.

EMOTE 2

[Battering Ram Men] begin to swing the battering ram back and forth, hoping to break through the gate.

 

[Battering Ram Man] does  /roll 20 for success. Anything less than 15/20 is bad.)

 

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THE TRENCH

 

The following is an instructional guide on how to dig trenches.

Number of People Required: 1

Emotes Required: NONE

 

The trench is the most basic engine, designed to combat aggers and that of enemy fire.

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Dig roughly Four metres down and Five metres wide. (Area of Twenty Metres.)

 

Establish wooden supports to the side and avoid the production of mud via water collection.

 

Apply netting or wire above the trench to prevent enemy charges.

 

Establish Multiple lines of trenches to achieve pure agger safety.

 

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THE PALISADE

 

The following is an instructional guide regarding the swift construction of palisades.

Materials Required: Oak Logs, Spruce Planks, Spruce Slabs

Emotes Required: NONE

 

The palisade is a simplistic siege wall used to funnel enemies or provide temporary and rustic defense to a position. Height may vary.

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Apply a rough outline using the oaken logs to mark your defensive perimeter.

 

Fill the gaps with sprucen planks swiftly. (Take time to ensure no log/plank are directly next to one another.)

 

Top the oaken logs with a sprucen slab to act as simplistic crenulations.

 

(alternatively, one may use entirely logs at the cost of more resource.)

 

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THE AGGER
 

The following is an instructional guide regarding the construction of the agger superweapon.

Emotes Required: NONE

 

The agger is a dreaded weapon. It is simplistic, cheap and highly effective should one have a large army. Keep in mind that the defender, to combat an agger, merely needs to increase the area of the wall whereas the attacker will need to increase the volume of the agger. Coupled with the agger, palisades and other forms of wooden defense may be constructed to aid in the formation of the agger.  To completely nullify an agger, simply build a series of trenches and/or moat. The agger, in layman's terms, is merely a large dirt ramp that reaches the top of an enemy’s walls.

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Pile dirt in a ramping shape in order to construct an agger. Soldiers from an army may collect dirt from a nearby source or bring it with them. The base must be wide enough to support the top, thus the volume issue.

 

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THE WALL

The following is a swift and pinpointed guide on the construction of walls

Size: TALL AND THICK

Necessities: DIRT FILLING/CRENULATIONS

The wall is designed to separate two things. In the case of siege, it is to separate the attackers from the defenders. Walls must be thick and filled with dirt in order to absorb the shock of projectile hits. Crenulations are a must in order to prevent laddering as well as to provide cover to the defenders. Should a wall fail, enemies may climb the rubble to the above portions. It is best to have a series of walls rather than a single one.

 

INSTRUCTIONS

A wall must be, in all cases, at least three-metres thick.

 

A wall’s crenulations must jut out and lip to prevent laddering.

 

The taller the wall, the more agger-proof it becomes.

 

The thicker the wall, the more treb-resistant it becomes.

 

Apply more support to the wall’s rear in order to protect its stability during a siege.

 

Walls dug into a hill, a retaining wall, are the strongest walls in known to man.

 

Styles may vary, thus there is only generalities.

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[Dohvi 622]

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