Ngô sat cross legged by the low table the servants had just finished setting up. To her right, the ever impressive Iron Hero of the Batuhuan people, Ganbaatar. He looked intensely at the map before him, running his fingers through his hair every so often. Ngô had come to know this man's personal ticks and various peculiarities well in the past months. The man was a warrior, a wild man of the steppes, adept at the bow and able to ride any beast he put the saddle on. Ganbataar had not asked to be Khan, but he had taken to the task with admirable skill and leadership. “We cannot afford to stretch our forces thin.” The voice came from the old monk and Naijin de facto leader. Naito sat in the white and yellow robes of his order, no regalia or sign of command on his person. He didn’t need it. He was the only reason all of these ancient enemies were sitting down, discussing among each other like equals. “I agree.” The old, raspy voice of the Tau representative. Her appearance placed her in her early forties, but her voice was strange and raspy, and their eyes were deep pools of ancient wisdom. Her body swept in silks to the point only her face showed, she pointed to the map. Her finger pointing onto the Anihara Harbor. “We must first secure Naijins harbors.. The young lady Amatsuna have provided us with boats enabling a co-ordinated land and naval assault on the city of Karaju. Her clan are still the best boat makers on all of the island, this much is certain.“ “Before that, We have to make sure they do not pass the desert into the last of Batuha. If they overtake my people, no invasion will stand a chance. My warrirors are capable of great deads, but they cannot fight to their fullest when Nangs undead hordes simply burn the field and steppes we ride on. Food is already scarce beyond the dessert reaches. “ Ngo considered it for a minute. Then she spoke out, her voice clear and stable, full of authority and years of corralling warring nations into a functional alliance. “The Souther Kingdom is dealing with the Rajah, more so then the Nang at the moment. All of this is futile without Najins harbors. TO strike at the at heart of the Nang, these isles need to become our unassailable stronghold. Lady Jaou, you said that the man responsible for the Naijin invasion is resting in the port city of Karaju, correct?” “Indeed. “ Lady Jaou nodded, folding her hands in her lap and smiling knowingly at Ngo. “Bei Lao has retreated to the heavily fortified town of Karaju, to await his allies for a reinvigorated assault on Najin.” “Then we must first strike at him, for Naijins safety is paramount at this time. “ Naito spoke, pointing to the map. “First, we strike at the Commanders resting place. We take Karaju. Then, we use the boats we have available to sail to the northern most Nang Shores, where we willl assault the Undead from the coast, while the forces of Ganbataar assault form the north. We link up at the City of Timagir, it shall be our foothold in the northern provinces. There was a moment of silence. Then Ganbataar nodded. “I accept this plan. Does the representive of Hang-Jun have anything to provide?” He looked to the old man who untill now had remained mostly silent and seemingly in deep thought. He looked to the other four and shook his head. “The Fortress will hold as long as Ngo and her allies provide us with provisions and materials for the war effort.” He nodded to Ngo. “I to, approve of this plan of action. First, we free Naijin from its would be conquerer. Then we relieve our allies in the north.” The five each nodded, and silently finished their tea in deep thou. -------- [b][i]Five days later.[/i] Just outside Karaju harbor[/b] The boat swayed in the heavy, roiling waves, thunder crashing across the sky above them. The rain clinged to every surface like a angry, jilted lover. Each footstep was a perilous challenge for the crew and its passengers as the deck was slick with water. “Hold it steady!” The voice of a young woman cut over the crashing waves. “I will throw you overboard myself if you cannot keep up. Maybe Raijin will go easy on us then!!” Aiko bellowed to her men and women, who all worked tirelessly to keep the ship steered right. In the mist, the city began to slowly come in sight. No lights, no markers to guide weary ship crews into a safe harbor. Just the dull, damaged wood of a neglected harbor. Aika produced the Rajahn spyglass she had been gifted for this mission specifically. And what she saw made her swear under her breath. Swinging in the wind, was hundreds of hanging corpses, all along the sea wall. Live, writhing corpse. Reanimated with foul magic. And a formidable warning system. They would not be able to sneak their ships into harbor even for a brief surprise. She sighed, put the peculiar invention away and went over to her first mate and second charge. A young man named Raito. “Signal the ships. We are not going in unseen. Everyone needs to be ready to spill out onto the docks the second we reach them. This will get real ugly.” She grabbed her helmet, with its Amatsuna crest. As she slipped it on, she let her hands rest on the hilts of her blades as they drifted between the sea walls, large formation of rocks and logs put in place to make sea sieges like this more difficult. At first, she thought maybe the mist let them pass. But then, the first scream pierced her ears, and then another. Soon the screeching clawing, having corpses let the night know that blood was about to flow. “EVERYONE TO DECK! EVERYONE READY!” She yelled as the ship picked up speed. Tau and Hang-Jun soldiers took up the front, their shields a thing Naijin never really employed in battle. Soon after, their shields were battered by arrows as the undead poured out towards the dock, the archers shooting with little aim and precision in mind. But without having to worry about growing tired, they could empty their quivers at a impressive rate. “HOLD!” She she screamed, “Hold dammit” She saw one of her crew, a young woman who been with her for at least a year, take an arrow to the face and go down like a sack of potatoes. An arrow graced her left cheek but she did not flinch. She felt the shock of the ship hitting the docks with force and the screamed out in bloodcurdling fury. “FOR NAIJIN! FOR THE LIVING!” The Ships let their ramps down as the men and women of the five accord rushed out to meat the enemy that occupied the city. At the same time, a large crashing sound was heard from the northern gate of the city, as the land based force did theri thing. --- [b] The North Gate, [i]Moments earlier.[/i] [/b] The North Gate stood before them. And Bartan considered his options. At his back, he had 50 of his best men, people who had followed him since they were youngins. Steppe Warriors of a people who had managed to take even the great city of Jang from the Nang Dynasty before the sanguine fever. Now, they were in leu with their old enemies, and had allies with knowledge and technology none of his forebears had ever been able to imagine. His large cleaver like saber shone in the night, his sons soul roiling inside the metal blade. One of the men from the fortress city of Hang-Jun rolled a large, heavy contraption of iron and wood up towards the gate. He bit his lip, motioning for his men to slowly inch forward, keeping a low profile. Not that it would matter as the engineers lit a wick on the large contraption and ran away past him. There was a moment, then the wick seemed to slowly die in the rain. He cursed, about to order his men back as he approached it. Then the wick lit back up as if it had a second thought. The explosion made his ears ring and to his great surprise, the gate went with it. Heavy oaken doors, mean to withstand consistent besieging, splintered inward. He heard a roar from the city, as the boats on the other side made landfall. Intent on not letting them get all the glory, He charged the broken up gate even as undead began to pour out. And behind him, he heard similar calls to action by the other commanders and their warriors. His blade cleaved the skull of a half rotten skeletal warrior as his shield shoved another aside. He saw his compatriots wade into battle, striking down the unruly and scattered undead. So far so good. These even those without a holy weapon could put down. The real challenge was further in. EVent: FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE Naval landing: You have been shipped into the harbor as part of the two pronged attack. Your enemy is mainly the unliving hordes of the city. Many which are unarmed and civilian corpses meant to bog you down while archers take potshots at you. Watch your head and make it up the hill and stairs leading into the city proper! Main Assault: The Main Bulk of the forces are holding the northern gate. Heavily armed undead are trying to keep you from pushing into the city. Making it through the gate will be a slog, but if we are to keep the evil from escaping, we must persevere!