From Priory to Burning Hill

[Ibn Khaldun 7729]

𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅮

Spoiler

 

 

 

The sound of a mallet echoed.

 

"Pray for us!"

 

 

With three more corners came three more strikes of a mallet whose refrain was 'Pray for us!'. The Priority of St. Jude swelled in numbers that evening; the recesses of its church and feast hall filled with members of the Order, clergymen & women, and families from the surrounding Veletzian country. The Grand Master of the Order, Halston, made the rounds followed by a select few of his members with carts and plates. Both food and talk they exchanged as they made a beeline through the feast hall to see to every person getting their fill of meal and drink.

 

A page pushed through the crowds, poking his head over shoulders enough to look to and fro. "Halston! Halston!" the page cried, at the same time as a burly Highlander whose salt-and-pepper hair and aged features beckoned Halston to defer to him first. The page discreetly pushed towards Halston as the Highlander unsheathed his falx and pivoted the end of its blade against the floor and knelt. Halston felt a scroll of paper push against his closed hand and took hold of it. As the Highlander spoke, of avenging his dead kinsman and of pledging himself to the Order, he drew his gaze down to the scroll then unrolled between his two hands.

 

Halston motioned for the Highlander to rise. The Grand Master embraced the Highlander by the shoulders and bade him meet him next day. He turned to find a table to stand on and stood.

 

"Lemon Hill is under attack!"

 

"To Arms!"

 

"This heresy cannot stand!"

 

As quickly as both church and feast hall filled, it emptied. Pages and squires ran from stable and armory, retrieving horse and armor for those men and women who composed the Judite contingent. Within the hour, a column of knights, spearmen, and archers rode away orderly from the Castle Priory towards Lemon Hill. As they passed Winburgh and Stassion, hedge knights and rangers decided to join. With night fully cast across the sky, navigating became difficult until the light cast by burning barns on the western face of Lemon Hill led them the rest of the way.

 

 

Halston commanded the column to divide in three as they approached the burning structure which the Undead decided to take up as a defensive position. He gave the command of two columns to Sir Gaspard and Father Nerium while he took command of the third. Knights and soldiers advanced with one column marching around the building with its walls to their left, one column carefully entering the structure itself, and the last marching a wide flank around the foot of the hill and marching in behind the Undead force.

 

Oblivion described the willingness the Undead fought with, they fought with an unwavering morale despite their defense being forlorn. As axe-head, blade, and spear bit into their bones and with a slowly caving barn-roof over their heads; the af Død dead-men with Deadmund as their leader tried as they could to oppose the Judite advance. Halston faced Deadmund, the former choking for breath with the barn filling with smoke yet the latter unmoved. A cavalryman crashed through the brittle barn-doors from the other side and tossed Deadmund forth; hoofbeats prying away ribs and appendages from his body as it stampeded in fright at the fire above.

 

One of the soldiers grabbed Halston from the back, tackling him just outside the barn as the structure collapsed in on itself. They both looked up as soldiers chanted, cheered, and prayed with their foes dissembled and piled before their feet all around the destroyed barn.

 

 

Spoiler

Thank you so much for the RP @Petsch2k & co.! Absolutely enjoyed the cooperative work and screenshots shared @FashionBeard@M1919@Ryanark @milkyi

[Ryanark 1990]

Sir Hannibal recounted the battle, flashes came of an image of that unsuspecting owl who raised his armies and vowed revenge. The knight rose, it was time to prepare.

[Petsch2k 1100]

[!] The sound of sinister laughter boomed throughout the caverns of the lair

 

"NYEK NYEK NYEK"

"FOOLS! Let them get overconfident.

They don't know what is coming.

The Great Horde! O' Great Ones!"