Chapter I - Otremer - II/11

II/11

Anis was sitting under an ashed beam in the dusk. Alaid's  ruins encircled him. Suddenly he heared horse pounding. He jumped into cover and pulled his hood onto his head. A smaller band of nord horseman appeared in front of the ruined gatehouse.

- Holy shit! What happened here? - asked one of them.

- They are so frightend they burnt themselves. Hahaha!

- Bakris go back to the Huscarls and report them that the city was burnt down and we begin to look around.

- Yes! - Bakris turned back and begun to ride.

- Spread out. Let's check the ruins and the horizon. Meet here within an hour...

Anis hided in a half burnt down house. When the night fell he got out of his cover and sneaked on the streets to reach the southern gate. When he reached the gaet he saw that the horde was to arrive to Alaid. More and more flags and soldiers appeared on the horizon. Some of the rear forces reached the city and begun to make thir camps. Anis could sneak out the city under the dark night.

He passed the southern gate and made his way towards the sand dunes. He jumped behind the first sand hill but unfortunatelly he driven up a nord soldier trying to pee. Anis acted first. He draw his dagger and tossed it into the surprised nord's neck. He fell down without making a single noise. - Huhh, Fortuna favors me! - Anis pulse was pumping heavily. He nearly falsed himself. He fast buried the dead body into the sand. He could win a few hours with this. He knew that he must go with haste before someone discovers the dead soldier.

As he reached the king's main road he saw that nord guards standing on it. He decided to hit the road a bit later when the nords cannot see him. Till he have travelled on the snad dunes next to the road to stay in cover.  

Chapter I - Otremer - II/10

II/10

The road to Akbar took 4 days to a caravan. It took 7 to Nomak with the citizens of Alaid. Many of the unprepared population fell down dead during the trip. They had to survive 2 sand storms. Most of the soldiers did the travel without any harm. Nomak catched up with the crowd within a half day...

Akbar is the last city of the desert. It's the bigest fortress city within the Kingdom. It lies on the border of the desert and the fertile southern pasture. As Nomak leading the refugees of Alaid entering the city saw that it has well built tall and thick walls with hundreds of towers. A lot of soldiers were on the street. At the main square he saw the royal archers of King Korak. - So the king is here - he thought. 

After he gave back the leadership above the king's forces ha sat his orders to their guildies. Than some guards stepped to him and asked him to follow them to the king immediately. They walked through the main square towards the centre of the city, the citadel of Akbar, grand castle of the King. However Akbar wasn't the capital of the seven cities but it was the largest city.

As they stepped into the citadel's great hall the King urged to Nomak and begun to question him.

- What have you done? I did not hire you to destroy my city! You are a fool! You are a damn traitor!!... How many the Duke paid to you? Or the nords? The mamals? ANSWER DOG! - the guards pushed down Nomak to his knees.

- It was a must liege! We had no other option to slow the horde and win some time. - said Nomak with the greatest calm.

- You lie! You must have fight and die if necessary! TRAITOR!

- No sliege! You paid for the Guild services. We are doing our best to win this war for you. It is the time to make hard decisions. Yes, we could fight and die, but if we do so, the horde gets a city to rest and to plunder adn fresh water in the desert to continue it's campaign.

- SHUT UP! You lie! You killed the sick and the weak. You betraied me. You betraied the cause. You get nothing just jail and pain! - the king was nervous as his head gone red - Lock him up! Catch all the members of the Guild in the city and hang them all! Declare that the kingdom do not tolerate any presence from the Guild of Daggers and declaire that we are their enemy! TRAITORS! - the king rushed out from the hall. The guards brought Nomak to the dungeon...

Chapter I - Otremer - II/09

II/09

Nomak, Anis and the officers of the troops had a council of war whole night after the messenger brought the bad news. The king's officers were not so happy after the decision at the morning.

- Anis get the warriors to the main square. We must make haste.

- As you wish sire! - replied Anis.

After an hour the whole army of Nomak stood on Alaid's main square. They were a bit hasty and frightend because the closing nord horde.

- Listen up men! I want you to follow the orders promptly and without any hesitation. In hard times we must make hard decisions. So... First of all gether all the people of Alaid and make 'em move. We must empty the city within 3 hours. Get the whole population move towards Akbar. - The soldiers begun to mour that they will either leave with the citizens or die on the walls. - QUIET! Silentio bastardi! - Shouted Nomak - As you geather the people I want you to bring me the sick and the elders. All of them! Now move! 

The soldiers made the necessary movements to accomplsih the orders. The populace was screamig and tried to hurry towards the south gate to leave the city as soon as possible. Carts, crying children, screaming womans and worrying traders were waving at the streets. The soldiers tried to systematically collect the sick and the elders. The doctor's office were under blockade by the field assassins.

At late afternoon the city became empty. Only the soldiers stood at the main square with the sick and elder citizens. Nomak made his orders:

- Soldiers of the King. You leave immediately to Akbar. Follow and protect the innocents and ensure their arrival.  - The soldiers begun to helop to the sick and old people to get up and some of them got into formation and begun to march.

- No! Stop! The elders and the sick stay here! Leave tham and GET MOVING! - shouted Nomak. - After a couple of minutes when all the soldiers left the city Nomak gathered his assassins. - Listen up members of the Guild! What we do we do for the truth for justice and for the greater good... Encicrle the citizens and kill them all! - The sick begun to struggle and scream while the elders just watched what hapenning. The field assassins gave swift death to all of them. Their blood colored red the main square...

- Drop the bodies into to wells! We must poison all the water source!! - The men took all the bodies and dropped them into the great wells of Alaid. There were no more fresh water within the desert.

As Nomak and his warriors left Alaid they only left poisoned water and ash in their prints... The city burned for 3 days. The Guild had done what had to be done...    

Chapter I - Otremer - II/08

II/08

The days passed but there were no message from Urak. Nomak begun to worry. It was more than 15 days from now when they've splitted.

- You think they got killed? - asked Anis

- I cannot be certain. But one thing is sure...

- What?

- Our eneimes are far closer than we thought...

As Nomak and Anis were standing in one of Alaid's tower they glimpsed a horseman riding towards them.

- HORSEMAN! - a guard shouted.

- Open the gates! I want to hear news - stated Nomak.

The old wooden gates opened slowly as the horseman reached Alaid. The massanger dismounted and hurried to Dahan:

- I bring news sire!

- Let me hear!

- 4 days before massangers came from every direction to Said. They were all brought to the Duke. As I saw he got good news. He ordered his man to prepare. Than a day before ... gulp ... the Horde arrived to Said.

- As I thought... - Nomak let the massenger go - Anis! With me! - They begin to walk back to their headquarters in the small wooden castle next to the marketplace.

- The Horde arrived. We are doomed... The Duke will wait his mercenaries to arrive furthermore the Horde needs to rest. We may have a week or so before they arrive under Alaid. These walls and our tiny force will be no match for them. They could smash us in one attack.

- So what now? - asked Anis

- We either pray for the king to arrive much sooner with a force that is a match for the Horde or we burn down this city and fall back to Akbar to save some time. We have no chance in an open battle. ...

Chapter I - Otremer - II/07

II/07

Urak and his men left the camp to the north. They've reached the mountains in a few hours. They must search for a passage to get through. As they moved higher in the mountains they saw the city of Said and it's lockdown by Nomak.

On the next day they've found a short passage leading throught a mount. At the end of the way they saw a huge valley encircled by high mountains. The valley were full with nord barbarians. Thousands of carts, horses, soldiers and tents. Urak ordered two of his men to stay guard at the passage and he went down with the others to got a closer look on the camp.

As they got closer they noticed some guards. They must wait till night before they could go on. As darkness lied down to the valley thousands of torches lighted up. Urak left two more of his men at their waiting point to watch out. The others sneaked into the camp. They move easily in the forest of tents without being noticed.

They saw huge number of weapons and armors inside the tents and on the carts. Food, live animals and many more kind of goods and stuff to maintain an army. Hundreds and thousands of soldiers. Horseman, shield bierers, pikeman and huscarls. As they closed to the centre of the horde's camp they saw the fancy huge tents of the warlord's surrounded by strange black tents. Black armored soldiers stood guards at every tent. They were the inner guardians. Suddenly some black robed people came across the guards. Witches and Warlocks. Magicians of the nords.

Urak and his companion explored the whole camp. At late night they had the opportunity to sneak out of the camp. They've reached the spot where they waited a day before but the 2 assassins whom Urak left there were nowhere. They must blown out the torches so they saw close ot nothing in the moonlight. They begun to climb back to the passage in the dark. When they arrived they saw that their 2 other comrades are lieing on the ground covered in blood. Suddenly about 50 fully armed huscarls surrounded them...   

New schedule ahead

Hi my dear guildies!

We are thinking on a new schedule to took up your interest and let your story thirth to flourish :)

First of all we try to to post more frequent. On this week we will post at least 2 new story line posts in following days. We try to make our best to reach daily posting.

Till we work towards we wish you a happy reading to ensure you are up to date with the storyline.

Keep on reading us :)

Cheers,
wazzeh

Chapter I - Otremer - II/06

II/06

After three days Nomak and Korak's forces gathered up and left the city of Said to Alaid. During the three days Nomak made a good friendship with one of his sergeant. His name was Anis. He was one of the new recrutes of the Guild in the Otremer.

- Nomak please tell me about you and Urak coming to the Otremer. I know you lived here before but I also know thath the Guild wasn't present here.

- The Guild's roots grown here. But it wasn't above the ground. Urak and me, we have our reasons why we come to the Otremer and the Guild itself have it's reasons why we begin in an active appearing in this region recently. You are new in our ranks don't you?

- Yes liege! That's why I asked about "our history".

- It's a long story to tell and we have a war to fight now. If we stay alive at the end of this gathering storm I'll tell you "our story".

- Yes liege, and thank you.

The king's forces were marching in coulums on the road to Alaid. The half desert landscape made it monoton and boring. The sun heated the whole area. It was hot like hell itself. Nomak made Anis his deputy while Urak was away. They stood on a small hill next to the road watching the marching army. They had around 500 spearman. A hundred archers followed them and the remaining assassins after them. The lost numbers were not high but the rates were. The field assassins lost only about 20 men. Still this army was way too small to wage war with. Nomak's only hope was that king Korak's realm army will be much greater in at last numbers.

The travelling was quiet and calm. Nothing really happened like there were no storm clouds above the kingdom. On the third day at late night the small force arrived to Alaid. A small merchant city between Said and Akbar in the middle of the half desert. Alaid had the only water source on the way from Akbar to Said. The city itself was very important strategically by the way it was only defended by wooden stockade and some wooden towers. Nomak knew that if the nords are already preparing or even they are on their way and the king does not hurry enough even the Duke could take Alaid easily.

Nomak was right. The Duke of Said were sending letters to north right after the king's army lifted the siege. Furthermore he sent massangers to the east to hire Mamal mercenaries. The Mamals are half nomedic people in great numbers. They live east of the Seven cities in the great steppes. They are not tipical mercenaries. They live in peace if they are not bothered. However land and gold always came in handy and the Duke is willing to give them prosperous lands on the south of his new kingdom...