EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It was nice of the hunters to create a killing field, though I anticipate things could get difficult, depending. Ahnasha is banking a lot on the overhand flanking angle, which could be pretty effective. Can't really run in with your shield held above your head, not if you don't want a spear to the gut. But, escape could be a definite issue.

At any rate, I should get to bed. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While it did not seem like they would be able to stop the enemy from getting through the gate, Ahnasha certainly did not intend on letting them through without giving them as hard of a time as possible. For those directly underneath them, manning the ram, there was no real defense against the archers above. It was not as if they could hold their shields above their heads while carrying the ram. Some of their allies attempted to do just that, but they could not cover enough angles to protect them fully. Enemy archers and crossbowmen attempted to strike her down, but she only needed to expose herself for a brief moment to fire an accurate shot at such a short range, and always from a different spot on the fortifications.

Ahnasha did not even bother to keep track of how many of the ram-bearers she and the other archers killed, or at least wounded beyond the ability to fight. Some were armored and harder to kill, but even most steel suits were not designed to handle extremely close range longbow shots from such a high angle. Ram-bearers were hit left and right, but regardless they made progress. The gate beneath them weakened with every successful hit, and Vera was already preparing the secondary defense. Ahnasha had hoped they would be able to repel the hunters at the gates, but at least their defense so far had not been useless. The hunters had been stalled for a while on their fortifications, and had likely taken many more casualties than they had been expecting for the first stage of their attack. Comparatively, the defense's casualties had been fairly light, and most of their fighters were fresh and unfatigued. They had their plan for a fighting retreat mapped out to give as few flanking options as possible. Galsek had likely mapped out the interior of the ruin, so at least their commanders would know the layout. Though, Vera and Darahil would still know it far better than they, and could possibly use that to their advantage, as there could be features of the ruin that even Galsek was unaware of. However, Ahnasha knew of no such traps or surprises which they might have planned and would just have to trust in their orders when and if it came time.

Ahnasha elected not to abandon her position just yet. When the attackers broke through the gate, they would be charging through directly beneath her. They would be entirely unprotected against arrows from above, and if they did turn their shields to face her, then they would be exposing themselves to the other defenders. She would be free to kill essentially as fast as she could nock and release an arrow, though it was a choice that would pose considerable risk to herself. The fortifications would protect her from being shot from behind, but staying above the gate made escape a risky proposition. As long as Vera's frontline was close enough to the gate, she could jump to safety in an emergency, but if they were pushed back too quickly, she would be jumping straight into the enemy. She hoped that her choice would be effective enough to allow their defensive lines to hold, or significantly impact enemy morale. She had to wonder how many of the attackers would be willing to charge through the gate if they saw enough of their allies being felled in front of them by arrows from which they could not defend.

As the ram landed another solid hit on the gate, Ahnasha glanced to her left and right at the other archers on the fortifications with her. The more of them remained to attack from above, the better chance they had of holding them at this position. Ducking behind cover, Ahnasha tapped her bow against the planks beneath her to grab their attention, then aimed her bow down at the space just behind the gate and gave a nod to try to signal what she intended to do. She wondered how many would be willing to take the risk to remain with her.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

One of them is open book, at least. As long as I can use my ebook.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Unfortunately, I have three midterms coming up on the same day. Luckily, it is six days from now, so I can space out my studying.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Overall, the battle was not going terribly, but it could certainly be going better. Ahnasha's arrows had been ineffective against the mage, so she had been able to extinguish the flames. Smoke still lingered in the cave for the moment, but it would now begin to diminish. As well, the ram was at the gate, but the fire trap had been effective in either killing, or forcing the retreat of those carrying it. Honestly, even though the ram was right next to the gate, Ahnasha felt that it would make it that much easier to defend. If the hunters wanted to grab the ram, they would have to run up so close to their fortifications that even a novice archer would have a hard time missing. And, since they were directly beneath them, they could not use a shield wall to effectively protect the ram bearers. Anyone who grabbed it would be extremely exposed, as long as the defending archers could continue to shoot back. That mage, however, could potentially disrupt that plan.

With a keen eye, Ahnasha could see the crossbowman taking aim, and she did not even need to look in order to guess at whom. Darahil had the power to incapacitate, or even kill the biggest threat on the battlefield, which meant he needed to be protected. Her arrow was at the ready, so with as quick of a reaction as she could muster, she loosed it at the crossbowman, though she did not stop there. She did not have time to make her aiming subtle, so the crossbowman would certainly have seen that he was her target. So, he could either accept death, or evade. Assuming he took the latter option, he would likely be able to re-aim and shoot Darahil before Ahnasha could shoot again, so as soon as she loosed her arrow, Ahnasha cast another illusion spell, this time at Darahil. It was a spell of chameleon which turned him mostly invisible, though not completely. However, it would remain active while he charged his spell, and would mask him and his magical aura. The crossbowman would had to have looked away if he dodged, but looking back, Darahil would no longer be readily visible, and with some of the smoke still in the air, it could be difficult to spot or shoot him accurately. He might even think that another had eliminated him. And of course, Ahnasha was not going to let up her volley, though that did make her a more obvious target. She did not have the magicka pool of someone like Meesei or Darahil, so she would need to give her magic a rest for the moment.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Good evening, how have things been with you?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Taking no excessive risks, Ahnasha ducked behind cover to avoid the incoming crossbow bolt. Just as the attacking crossbowmen could hide behind their shield wall, the defending archers could use their fortifications to the same effect. Though, the enemy archers and mages were the only ones who could actually harm the defenders at this point, and since most of the others were focusing on halting the ram, Ahnasha decided to focus on them.

Ahnasha peeked out for a moment to get a sense of the enemy positions, then charged a different spell in her hand. It was one she had been reluctant to use in public view, given its nature, but given the situation, she felt it was necessary. In studying that tome during the journey to Bruma, she found that for life extension, she would have to understand necromancy. As such, she had learned from the tome a particular spell: reanimation. She still only knew a weaker version of the spell, so it would not last that long, but she hoped the surprise of it would be enough. Exposing herself for just a moment, she stood up and fired the spell at a corpse in an area that was still somewhat covered by smoke. Ducking back into cover, she directed her new thrall to attack one of the crossbowmen. She hoped that no one who was close enough to react had noticed the reanimation, since the hunters making the shield wall had their faces mostly or completely covered by their shields, and the crossbowmen were hiding behind them.

Once more, Ahnasha shifted her position slightly while behind cover, then nocked her bow. The smoke had diminished somewhat, but there were still fires present, and the smoke they created could still open up opportunities for the defenders. However, she had saw the mage trying to extinguish them. She was in front of the ram and bore no shield, so she was a target Ahnasha could hit. Even if there was a shield bearer in front of her, Ahnasha had elevation. She leaned out of cover, loosed an arrow at the mage, then ducked back, shifted positions slightly, and nocked another. She repeated this as quickly as she could to fire reasonably accurate shots in rapid succession. Her target was armored, but Ahnasha was using a bound bow, which meant it was made from daedric materials. The arrows flew faster, hit harder, and were let apt to break than standard wood and steel. It could still not penetrate sufficient quality steel, but if the arrow hit any weakened area, such as the joints she was aiming for or thinner points in the metal, then they could pierce through into the flesh. And of course, they could pierce all but the highest quality of light armor. If she could take care of the mage, then she would move on to focusing on the crossbowmen. Even if she could not kill them outright, preventing them from firing on her allies would hopefully allow them to keep the ram at bay. If not, they still had the oil trap they could trigger.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

<Snipped quote by EliteCommander>

Looks like a orange or darkorange

@Fallenreaper

They both look about identical to me. Mine might be a bit on the darker side.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I always use this color, if I can figure out which one it is exactly.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

"I do believe I can relate to that, actually." Ssarak responded, looking over the cupid rose which Meirin had given him. In the strictest of terms, Djarkel and the Scorched Lands were quite different from one another, but they held similarities in the ways that outsiders viewed them. Both of them were often considered harsh places to live, where beauty is but a foreign concept. To the former, he could agree, but for his homeland at least, he knew it well enough to know its redeeming qualities.

After pausing a moment to eat some of his meal, Ssarak continued. "I believe your homeland and mine are similar in at least one respect. I think visitors have a hard time seeing it for anything beyond what it appears to be, though it is understandable. Both are harsh, barren; they do not have all the color and vibrance of a place like this garden. I know for my homeland, one has to look far beneath the surface to find its admirable qualities, and for Djarkel, I will admit that even I could not see the beauty you describe when we were there. Although, we were only there for a short time. Perhaps, in the future, I will have the chance to see Djarkel in the same way you have; perhaps you can be the one to show me?" He commented, smiling at the prospect.

"Regardless, for your question, I can say that the Scorched Lands are a...complex place. It is a greatly difficult place in which to survive, certainly. Everything of use is scarce. I know it is somewhat different in the city, but in the villages, like where I lived, we are taught from the day of our hatching to make the absolute best use of every resource we have. Wastefulness is quickly punished as a child. Food, water, clothing, supplies, weapons, and even living space are all given to each individual according to what is absolutely necessary to survive. Anything in surplus is saved and stored for use when it is truly needed. The villages move around with the shifting landscape, following the underground sources of water we use to sustain ourselves, as there are no significant bodies of water on the surface. No rivers or lakes, unless you are counting lava, of course. I believe that is why I find myself so obsessed with swimming now." He said, interrupting himself with a chuckle. "In my village, we both traded for and hunted our food. It is impossible to grow plants, or at least useful ones, in the Scorched Lands without the aid of a skilled herbamancer, and even then, it is better to grow them on the more stable land around Felldor. All of that does make it seem like a wasteland, and in a literal sense it is, but, just as in your homeland, I can say that there is a certain grandeur and majesty to the landscape. The jagged mountains and valleys, the shifting plains and sprawling lava fields, it is a land unlike any other in Tiien. The animals can be even more impressive. The predators are exceptionally resilient and deadly, while others can consume plants that would kill even an Esyire if we were to attempt to eat them. Those few kinds of plants and fungus that do grow in my homeland often thrive in hot springs and thermal vents that would melt my scales if I ventured too close. It is a...different kind of beauty, to be sure." As he thought more on his homeland, he did wish that Meirin could have the ability to experience the land in which he grew up, but unfortunately, the air itself was lethal to non-Esyire. To travel in the Scorched Lands, they had to rely entirely upon specialized runes to keep them alive, which carried its own collection of risks.