- Messages
- 3
To say she was tired would be an understatement. Days of marching through forests and over hills, fording rivers, and lugging equipment all the way had taken a toll on the Black Guard. Thankfully, between constant training marches, conditioning, and the vast majority of the Guard consisting of former slaves accustomed to hard labor, spirits were high and while her body ached it was nothing compared to a week of forced labor underground to meet a late ore quota.
The 3rd Regiment and various Dominion support elements had been sent on a surface probe to test Belgrath's defenses and determine reaction time, strength of troops, and to determine the best route and method of attack: below, above, or a combination thereof. At least, that was what Vahra had gleaned from bits and pieces she'd picked up from orders and snippets of conversation between superior officers. The march so far had been uneventful in the extreme as miles passed by with no real contact with anything even close to being deemed an enemy. Rural villages made up most of the landscape aside from hills or woods, though scouts ranging ahead and on the flanks had reported what they'd thought to be enemy outriders, though such things were unconfirmed at best and rumors at worst.
That was, at least, until one of the scouts galloped by her column, their horse kicking up clods of dirt and grass as it passed. She knew from the day's briefing that there was a small farming village ahead - a place unimaginatively named Hillfar if her memory served - but it wasn't even a mark on the map. A scout moving that quickly usually carried important news and, the other soldiers of the Guard picking up on the obvious, perked up as the march continued. Suspicions ran rampant as the column continued on and it wasn't long before information followed.
Orders were shouted down the line and the drums they used to signal started beating a new tune. The moderate beat switched to a quick staccato and the training ground into the Guard's very essence took over. Vahra knew the tune - Battle Order, Six Ranks - and noted with pride that her platoon reacted accordingly. Around her the men and women of the Black Guard followed their orders and fell into ranks as officers bellowed orders. One by one the drums fell silent as officers and scouts galloped to and fro, relaying information and orders. After what felt like an eternity, but could only have been a handful of minutes, the drums and bellowed orders began again.
Advance.
As the sounds of boots marching and drums beating took over all else, Vahra could only speculate at what lay ahead as the trees thinned and gave way to pasture and crops. Ahead lay the village itself, the ramshackle hovels arranged in a haphazard cluster amid a modest expanse of field. Beyond could be seen what had warranted the call to battle. Banners sporting the crest of Belgrath were arrayed before them beyond the village itself and, if the number of flags was to be considered, they were outnumbered. Vahra mentally shrugged and began to steel herself for the fight to come as her feet moved forward on their own.
It seemed Belgrath would meet them at the foot of the Spine after all.
Dominion
The 3rd Regiment and various Dominion support elements had been sent on a surface probe to test Belgrath's defenses and determine reaction time, strength of troops, and to determine the best route and method of attack: below, above, or a combination thereof. At least, that was what Vahra had gleaned from bits and pieces she'd picked up from orders and snippets of conversation between superior officers. The march so far had been uneventful in the extreme as miles passed by with no real contact with anything even close to being deemed an enemy. Rural villages made up most of the landscape aside from hills or woods, though scouts ranging ahead and on the flanks had reported what they'd thought to be enemy outriders, though such things were unconfirmed at best and rumors at worst.
That was, at least, until one of the scouts galloped by her column, their horse kicking up clods of dirt and grass as it passed. She knew from the day's briefing that there was a small farming village ahead - a place unimaginatively named Hillfar if her memory served - but it wasn't even a mark on the map. A scout moving that quickly usually carried important news and, the other soldiers of the Guard picking up on the obvious, perked up as the march continued. Suspicions ran rampant as the column continued on and it wasn't long before information followed.
Orders were shouted down the line and the drums they used to signal started beating a new tune. The moderate beat switched to a quick staccato and the training ground into the Guard's very essence took over. Vahra knew the tune - Battle Order, Six Ranks - and noted with pride that her platoon reacted accordingly. Around her the men and women of the Black Guard followed their orders and fell into ranks as officers bellowed orders. One by one the drums fell silent as officers and scouts galloped to and fro, relaying information and orders. After what felt like an eternity, but could only have been a handful of minutes, the drums and bellowed orders began again.
Advance.
As the sounds of boots marching and drums beating took over all else, Vahra could only speculate at what lay ahead as the trees thinned and gave way to pasture and crops. Ahead lay the village itself, the ramshackle hovels arranged in a haphazard cluster amid a modest expanse of field. Beyond could be seen what had warranted the call to battle. Banners sporting the crest of Belgrath were arrayed before them beyond the village itself and, if the number of flags was to be considered, they were outnumbered. Vahra mentally shrugged and began to steel herself for the fight to come as her feet moved forward on their own.
It seemed Belgrath would meet them at the foot of the Spine after all.
Dominion
