THE SIEGE OF ANTHILL

[Ramon 3965]

 

The story of the Covenant victory at Stassion in the year of our Lord, 1959

 

---

 

The infantry reached the foot of the mountain, the slope upon which the castle of the House von Theonus was located. It was an old, stone keep that bravely stood guard on the Petran border; and it was in the early morning that the arrayed banners of the Crown of Aaun, under the command of King John, arrived beneath its walls, ready for battle. Anticipation lingered, tense in the air as the two forces soon destined to slaughter one another began their preparations, the land already swept clear of all vegetation to allow the Stassionites their haphazard bolstering of fortifications. King John, together with his bannerman Lodewijk, climbed upon a rock whilst his soldiers made camp below. The Alstion patriarch took out his spyglass and observed the battlefield for a moment, handing it then to the Batavian. 

 

"What do you see?” asked the King.

"An anthill?” answered the Batavian bannerman.

"Indeed, those who dwell inside are like ants and there are many of them swarming inside,” the monarch offered in reply.

"What will we do, your Majesty?” Lodewijk inquired.

 

"In the name of GOD - what we do best, good soldier. Stamp them out.”

 

The words of the Aaunic King seemed prophetic as soon after the silence was broken by the sound of war horns, heralding the march of thousands from over the horizon - the allies had arrived. All of them came to the aid of the Godwinite realm just as they had many years ago, when King Charles fought the Anathema, Heinrik of Adria. They did not fail Alstion then, and so they did not now. The King took back his spyglass to view the incoming armies - he saw those of Haense, Balian, Petra, Numendil, Norland, Hyspia and Urguan arriving. Gladdened to see them all.

 

SOON THE BATTLE WAS TO BEGIN.

 

---

 

King John observes the forward elements of the Covenant’s forces, c. 1959

 

THE BATTLE - 10th of Tobias’ Bounty 1959

 

It started as the sun was slowly dawning. The King of Haense stood firm upon the ramparts, gazing at the Castle Aurelian where the forces of Stassion, Veletz and Krugmar had united to defend the oathbreakers’ land against the forces of the Covenant. The outcome of the battle was not yet to be known by either side: much was at stake upon that day. Aleksandr II looked solemnly at the united armies of Canondom and dipped his head, giving the signal to start firing. So then did the symphony of cannons echo through the Lowlands. 

 

Veletz responded with their own artillery - however they stood no chance against the superior numbers of the Covenant’s own siege engines. Men died, walls crumbled, and the bombardment continued for an extended period of time before finally falling silent. The two parties awaited the dust to settle and the smoke to dissipate, so that they could see what had become of each other. The Veletzian cannons had successfully destroyed some of the Covenant’s cannons and trebuchets, but it was the Covenant that breached the walls of Stassion and cleared out their counterparts, destroying the only line of defense they had. The time of the charge had come.

 

As one, all the leaders ordered their respective armies to climb over the ramparts and storm the ruined castle. The combined forces of Haense, Hyspia, Urguan, Numendil and Norland formed a vanguard of 11000 soldiers flanked by the 2600 soldiers of Aaun and 3000 of Balian. They rushed to claim Castle Aurelian and the village of Fredericksburg while the scouting parties of Numendil and Norland, under the command of Captain Banjo, circled the enemy camp, looking for any breakouts. The rear, guarded by the 3600 Petrans, fought off the incoming Veletzian cavalry allowing for the main force to enter the ruined keep unimpeded. 

 

"PUT THOSE LADDERS ON THE WALLS, NOW!” 

 

"SHIELD UP!”

 

"TAKE THAT ARCHER OUT!”

 

...Shouted the soldiers of the Covenant, now braced against the walls of Stassion. The true fight had begun. Ladders lifted upon the walls, arrows were exchanged, and soon a great mass of infantry surged into the castle proper, now committed to a merciless slaughter of its inadequate defenders. Room to room, hall to hall, Covenant soldiers chased down their counterparts, butchering all, even those resistant - the fight had finally been brought to the enemy’s own lands once more, and retribution was spent upon its frantic defenders. So fervent was the fury of the Covenant, that the Principality of Stassion and their allies - humans and orcs alike - fled the castle and into the city of Fredericksburg. Chased down to the last by the former, their corpses left strewn about to rot under the sun. 

 

With the fighting now brought to the streets, houses burned around the combatants as strongpoints were set to the torch, a great inferno now claiming most of the city as its inhabitants were collectively put to the sword along their defenders - the rage of soldiers, specifically those of Aaun, incapable of telling combatant and citizens that hadn’t fled to the safety of the settlement’s church apart. That same church that, despite such a blaze, remained untouched, housing a few dozen frightened refugees, spared the lust of battle and raging fires.

 

As the heat of the siege now settled, the Yachtmen of Captain Banjo led the chase across the countryside, scouring any fleeing remnants they could, and sparing none. The battle had been won.

 

---

 

Depiction of the Razing of Fredericksburg, c. 1959

 

King John had taken a stand between his soldiers amidst the ruins of Castle Aurelian now, his expression not hiding the shock of the sight below. His energy quickly sapped from his bones as his exhilaration faded away with the significance of the events coming to realization. He, along with his worthwhile allies, had just reunited the Kingdom of Aaun, restored order to the Heartlands, put down the Stassionite traitors, and avenged his nephew Edmund II - the Heartlands had endured, and order to the damaged lands would soon be restored. The Grand Prince of Minitz and Prince of Merryweather now neared their King, offering their liege respect as they stood triumphant alongside him and those of the Grand Covenant, prompting him to action after prayer.

 

With the Mace of Horen raised high, the King of Aaun finally shouted, his compatriots doing the same,

 

“TANDEM TRIUMPHANS!”

 

 

---

 

Edited January 14 by Ramon

[Olox_ 3380]

Charlie Alstion stood on a hill, glancing at the fight from a distance - his head was full of dreams of becoming a knight one day. Despite the fact that he was not able to fight, due to his age, the Prince stood proudly with his bagpipes at hand and played for those who went to Stassion to avenge Edmund II and other Martyrs who fell in the attempted coup of 1952.

 

 

 

[Crymson 481]

Old memories flood Hali's mind from Heinrik's rebellion. "A day of vengeance has been had, but it's not over. On to Veletz. We shall avenge you, Sigismund, my old friend."

[Mady 3037]

 

 

As she was being attended to by the Royal physician, PRINCESS ELENA would sip a well-aged brandy upon her return home from yet another victory. "We can count on my hand how many battles is took to defeat those Novellen claimants." Remarked the Countess of Rosemoor to her niece @HIGH_FIRE . "Let the title division begin and AVE BALIAN!" A smirk rose upon the aged Amiratus's features as she cheered aloud. 

[ToodIes 1188]

“Whitespire, Breakwater, Brasca, Hippo’s Gorge, and Castle Aurelian.” Faeryel strolls home with another Chamber of Fire member in tow, laden with the spoils of victory. “Why labor in the mines when the good men and women of Veletz seem so willing to do it for us?”

 

“You’ve got to give them some credit,” her companion chimes. “They’re very good at dying.”

[Mio 3771]

Amidst the debris of yet another successful conquest, there stood alone a man, his figure a striking presence against the backdrop of the conquered castle; there stood Aleksandr II of Haense.

 

He was now an aged King – practically the product of war. The Haeseni King’s armor bore the marks of countless battles past and battles new; Godan, he was an ugly sight. He set eyes upon the castle's ruins, gone silent amidst somber reflection. His thoughts drifted to the echoes of the past, to the voices of the historians and educators who taught him the tales of his forebears who had clashed with the ancestors of Prince Richard I and Frederick II. 

 

Now, finally, they were vanquished and erased from the continent.

 

Emperors to naught. The King was pleased.

 

 

Despite the passage of generations, the struggles of man endured. “Victory,” he mused. How it came at a great cost, tempered by the bitterness of loss. How the world was an ever-turning wheel, and Aleksandr was but one of its countless spokes. He grew old and tired, yet duty called, as it always did. He stood as the protector of his realm, the guardian of his people, commander of the Covenant. His duty was to ensure the safety and prosperity of his lands and those beyond, regardless of the cost – for he would pay it. The fourth victory now, and while the thrill of battle may have faded, the weight of responsibility had only grown heavier.

 

With a deep breath, he straightened his posture, longing upon the horizon that rose. The cries of his victorious allies echoed around him – TANDEM TRIUMPHANS – a chorus of triumph that reverberated through the land. The legacy of his family had been upheld once more, and the Heartlands given room to endure. The King was pleased.

 

And so Aleksandr II plucked Svjetlast from the ground, and finally, as those cries waned, the King shouted late:

“ T A N D E M  T R I U M P H A N S. ”

[Sarven 1715]

Battered, crippled and armless, Gottfried, the Duke of Kanunsberg lay on the battlements, his vision failing him.

Awaking in the bed of a hospital, family at his side he'd comment;

"I guess I flew pretty good..."

@Gandhi@BuilderBagel@MadOne

https://imgur.com/a/AzZUPlb

 

 

 

 

[Deets 682]

In the aftermath of the battle, Konstantin pinned a rabbit’s foot to a charred post which marked the entryway into the burnt remnants of what was once Fredericksburg. “The Rabbits have come. And now look what remains of your wretched realm. “ Konstantin said quietly as he looked upon what remained of Stassion. His voice held a great deal of both anger and sadness as he spoke. With a glance cast upwards to the sky, he spoke once more. “A debt has been repaid tenfold, dear cousin. Those who murdered you in cold blood now lay within the ground, their home turned to ash and timber.” With that said, the name Ghorm was then carved into the post, just below where the rabbit’s foot now hung before the knight departed in the direction of Vissingren.

[TaytoTot 1167]

Monika von Augusten marched to Stassion, a tiny portrait of her dear Alessandro in her hand. She used the image to get her though all the battles, all the tough days.

 

Now, the squire stood in her own lands Petra, preparing for yet another battle. Orders were barked and the woman scurried about the wooden keep, finally making her way to a cannon with two Theonus. Then it became repetiton. Fire. . . Reload. . . Fire. . .

 

"CHARGE!"

 

Monika almost froze at the order, but knew her duty. Charge she did. Her sword quickly became stained in crimson along with her armour, but it did not matter to her. The Stassionites must die, she told herself. And die they did.

[HIGH_FIRE 4118]

Queen Sybille would smile as her distant cousin's home finally falls. She'd hum a song written by her allies, proiud of what they all achieved this day.

[LithiumSedai 4837]

"If you hang, no tears we'll shed

Run to save your Stassie head..."

Thus hummed Father Jean as he watched the Stassies do just that - they shambled aimlessly among the burning ruins and found themselves trampled under Yachtmen's horses, dying frequently and most brutally in defiance of their own supposed creed.

There would be a time for God's mercy and humility. But not now - this red day was a day of righteous retribution.

 

[tcs_tonsils_ 2829]

"I am glad we got that eyesore out of the world" Marius smiled brightly, wiping off the blood from his armor. He then kicked his feet up as he hummed a tune to his latest poem. "A good day indeed."

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Enlightenment 1470]

Emilio looked to his victorious sons, a proud smile upon his roachly visage, though he was rather confused, "I thought stassies never died? Though it must-a be the other way around."

[zuziee 3219]

Marlene von Reuss welcomed her husband home from battle with pride - gathering her children around to hear the stories. 

[Andustar 2118]

"At last, the opportunists and their house of cards have come tumbling down,"

Prince Marcus stated, returning home to recover from his wounds.