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| Plains of Nairio | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 28 2010, 05:50 PM (1,233 Views) | |
| Hotshot | Oct 28 2010, 05:50 PM Post #1 |
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The Lord Castoden
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--Entering from Nairio-- After about an hour of marching, they were within sight distance of the necromancer's fortress. "Bring the army out of column formation, get them up on line," said James to Mardis. "Keep the Royal Battalion, the cavalry, and two other battalions in reserve. Have the mages dispersed as evenly as possible amongst the troops." "Yes, my liege," said Mardis. He sent the orders down the column, and the army began to form up. |
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| chadden | Oct 29 2010, 09:57 AM Post #2 |
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High Advisor to the Archmage
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--Enters from Nairio-- Yndalla moved with the rest of the Weissland forces. He had two of his students with him, and was following behind a battlemage. Ellen had taken the rest of the students and left for another part of the column. Yndalla could see the stronghold of the necromancer up ahead, and he could feel the great evil that radiated from that place. |
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"Stand against me if you must, for of course you will. Conflict is just another part of this flawed reality. You need to cling to your concepts and purposes, your feeble honour and glory. None of it serves any purpose in the end. And the end draws close." - Krodalis Thaendil. "It really is amazing; she killed Kelan Wealer, not that I am complaining, but then the order welcomed her as their new leader. It makes one wonder if I were to ram a blade down her throat, would the monks then follow my commands?" - Mordain Thaendil. One of the Last Guardians. Suck it. | |
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| Hotshot | Oct 29 2010, 01:23 PM Post #3 |
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The Lord Castoden
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As James sat atop his horse at the center of the formation, he saw a massive host begin to march forth from the stronghold of the necromancer. The army was indeed nearly twice the size of his own, but looking around, he saw no fear in the eyes of the men of Weissland; instead he saw resolve, determination, and confidence, and James could not help but agree. They had faced this enemy before, countless times. These men were all veterans of the war with the Defiled Kingdom, and had cut down countless undead and necromancers before them. This would be no different. ((Thinking about the war with TDK, could we call it something? Maybe the Great War?)) |
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| Gorfang | Oct 29 2010, 01:27 PM Post #4 |
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Nathaniel Drakkon
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((The Great War sounds good. I'd just referred to it as the Defiled Kingdom War, but I suppose Weissland will have had wars of some scale with them before.)) |
![]() Anubis, IPU is dead, long live IPU! A-Team member. "If a loyal servant of Weissland is threatened, I will aid him to my dying breath, with every drop of my blood. There are older and more powerful things in the world that have faced me and underestimated my resolve, to their end." - Nathaniel Drakkon "For what is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger!" - Aeron Damphair, a Song of Ice and Fire. Visit the Drakkon Grimoire - The Collected, Completed Nathaniel Drakkon Fiction | |
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| chadden | Oct 29 2010, 03:03 PM Post #5 |
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High Advisor to the Archmage
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--Enters from Stronghold-- With his elite guard in toe, Azzhrak rode through his army to find his necromancers gathered atop an outcrop in the middle of the vast force. There, they had laid out all sorts of trinkets, reagents and catalysts. "Are we ready?" asked Azzhrak. "Yes, Master." replied one of the necromancers. "Then send out the command. Begin the advance." Moments later, the undead horde began to move forward once more, straight towards the enemy. Over to the sides of the outcrop were a series of cages. The cages shook and thrashing could be heard from within. Fleshlings. "Have the undead move forward. Wait for my command before unleashing the fleshlings. We will need them to break open the Weissland formation." |
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"Stand against me if you must, for of course you will. Conflict is just another part of this flawed reality. You need to cling to your concepts and purposes, your feeble honour and glory. None of it serves any purpose in the end. And the end draws close." - Krodalis Thaendil. "It really is amazing; she killed Kelan Wealer, not that I am complaining, but then the order welcomed her as their new leader. It makes one wonder if I were to ram a blade down her throat, would the monks then follow my commands?" - Mordain Thaendil. One of the Last Guardians. Suck it. | |
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| Hotshot | Oct 29 2010, 04:20 PM Post #6 |
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The Lord Castoden
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((What exactly are fleshlings?)) As the undead force began to advance, James dismounted and allowed an attendant to take away his horse. He then slid the visor of his helmet down and drew his sword, reading it and his shield. Taking his place in the first rank of soldiers, he shouted, "Spears!" With a loud shout, the Weisslanders leveled their spears and prepared for the oncoming waves of undead. The first rank of undead broke upon the Weisslander lines. Comprised of skeletons and zombies, the undead line was made short work of by the Weisslanders. Zombies were impaled on the row of shimmering spears, while the veteran soldiers were able to place strong, well-aimed strikes at the heads of the skeletons. At the front of the line, James was in the midst of the melee, cutting down undead as they came at him. |
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| chadden | Oct 29 2010, 04:37 PM Post #7 |
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High Advisor to the Archmage
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((They've been used in pretty much every battle in 'The Great War', to scale walls and make quick assaults. Do you not remember them? At work at the moment by the way, will make a proper post when I have more time.)) |
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"Stand against me if you must, for of course you will. Conflict is just another part of this flawed reality. You need to cling to your concepts and purposes, your feeble honour and glory. None of it serves any purpose in the end. And the end draws close." - Krodalis Thaendil. "It really is amazing; she killed Kelan Wealer, not that I am complaining, but then the order welcomed her as their new leader. It makes one wonder if I were to ram a blade down her throat, would the monks then follow my commands?" - Mordain Thaendil. One of the Last Guardians. Suck it. | |
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| Hotshot | Oct 29 2010, 04:44 PM Post #8 |
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The Lord Castoden
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((I was pretty sure, but wasn't entirely; it's been a while ))
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| chadden | Nov 1 2010, 09:26 PM Post #9 |
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High Advisor to the Archmage
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The undead horde continued its assault. The Weisslanders were holding, however. Some had lost their lives against the sheer weight of numbers that the undead possessed, but their formation was still holding. "Release them." said Azzhrk, keeping his eyes fixed on the enemy as he spoke. The cages were thrown open and the fleshlings burst forth. There were only a hundred or so, but they were fast. It them mere moments to reach the Weisslander line. They made their attack in a number of places. Some were struck down and driven back, as this was not the first time Weisslanders had faced fleshlings. But the creatures were reliable; some of the attacks went through and, if only in a few places, the Weissland line was torn open. The undead pushed through instantly, making the fighting a lot less one-sided. |
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"Stand against me if you must, for of course you will. Conflict is just another part of this flawed reality. You need to cling to your concepts and purposes, your feeble honour and glory. None of it serves any purpose in the end. And the end draws close." - Krodalis Thaendil. "It really is amazing; she killed Kelan Wealer, not that I am complaining, but then the order welcomed her as their new leader. It makes one wonder if I were to ram a blade down her throat, would the monks then follow my commands?" - Mordain Thaendil. One of the Last Guardians. Suck it. | |
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| Hotshot | Nov 1 2010, 10:12 PM Post #10 |
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The Lord Castoden
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As the fleshlings broke through the Weisslander lines and the undead filled them, James's officers found themselves in a tough situation; they tried to shout commands to their troops, with their sergeants barking in repetition, but over the screeching of the fleshlings, the clang of metal on metal, and the screams of dying men, much of it was lost in the din. The result was the well-ordered Weissland formation being broken into disorganized blocks, with battalions being split in two, sometimes three pieces and sergeants and captains separated from their troops. From the front of the center battalion, James could not have an accurate assessment of the whole army's status, but as he looked around at the situation around him, he knew it could not be good. Cleaving a zombie in two with a single strike, James turned to a nearby sergeant and shouted, "Find General Mardis! Tell him to bring up the cavalry to clean up the fleshlings, and plug the holes with the reserve battalions!" "Aye, my liege!" shouted the sergeant, and he pushed his way through the formation to the back. Turning to some of the other men, James shouted, "Keep together! Form into a square and keep the undead from getting around to the rear! Draw swords! Pass it along!" The commands rippled throughout the formation James was a part of, and the men managed to slowly come together, refusing into a tight square and defending themselves against the undead. |
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| chadden | Nov 3 2010, 07:44 PM Post #11 |
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High Advisor to the Archmage
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The undead continued their advance. Some breaks in the formation had been unable to recover and were taking heavy casualties. The soldiers seemed ready to withdraw, but fought on, stubbornly waiting for an order on what to do next. Azzhrak kept his eyes fixed on the King's formation. He could sense the stench of the man's holy weapon from where he stood. That formation would have to break if the battle was to be won. "Prepare a spell to disperse that formation." he commanded. The other necromancers wasted no time in preparing their sorcery. |
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"Stand against me if you must, for of course you will. Conflict is just another part of this flawed reality. You need to cling to your concepts and purposes, your feeble honour and glory. None of it serves any purpose in the end. And the end draws close." - Krodalis Thaendil. "It really is amazing; she killed Kelan Wealer, not that I am complaining, but then the order welcomed her as their new leader. It makes one wonder if I were to ram a blade down her throat, would the monks then follow my commands?" - Mordain Thaendil. One of the Last Guardians. Suck it. | |
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| Hotshot | Nov 3 2010, 08:02 PM Post #12 |
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The Lord Castoden
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It seemed like ages before the sergeant returned, pushing his way to the front of the formation. "My liege!" he shouted. "Report!" replied James, taking a step back from the front of the line. "General Mardis reports that the cavalry have dispatched some of the fleshlings and are trying to secure the rear of the lines, but it is difficult!" shouted the sergeant over the din of the battle. "The left flank is weakening, and the right is beginning to curl back to try to compensate for the breaks in the line!" James looked back to the front of the formation, where his men were holding off the undead and keeping strong, but he knew there was little else that could be done. Their movement forward had turned into a standing defense of open ground, and that was dangerous. If they remained here, trying to grasp a hold of the other formations, it would take too much time and leave themselves too open. Looking back at the sergeant, James said, "Tell General Mardis that we are quitting the field!" "Aye, my liege!" shouted the sergeant, and he was gone again. Looking around, James found a bugle player and shouted, "Sound the retreat!" The bugle player put his instrument to his lips and played the tune, and from across the battlefield, other musicians took up the call. James moved his way to the front of the formation, sweeping a zombie down to the ground with a swipe of his sword and finishing it off with a downward thrust as the soldiers began to fall back. He parried the strike of a skeleton and disarmed it with a twist of his wrist before bringing his sword up around again to send its head flying away. Slowly but surely, the Weisslanders were disengaging from the undead army that still pressed them, beginning to put distance between their lines and the enemy. |
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| Gorfang | Nov 4 2010, 08:29 PM Post #13 |
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Nathaniel Drakkon
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--Entering from Wehnfield-- Sindrila had just arrived with the forces she had gathered as the battle was beginning to end. She quickly took stock of the situation. With the Weisslanders withdrawing the zombies would not reach them in time to do anything and the skeletons would be isolated without them, even with the great numbers gathered from the graves. She ordered the necromancers to pull the zombies and skeletons into cover to the south of the stronghold where they had entered the field from. From there the skeletons with bows fired a few parting volleys against the Weisslanders, but this was mostly ineffective and provided only a distraction to the Weisslanders in their strong armour and shields. Sindrila herself took up a crossbow which was on the saddlebags of the skeletal horse she rode and took aim. Firing the crossbow bolt with her keen elven sight she struck a Weissland Sergeant in the neck. There was little more she could do. |
![]() Anubis, IPU is dead, long live IPU! A-Team member. "If a loyal servant of Weissland is threatened, I will aid him to my dying breath, with every drop of my blood. There are older and more powerful things in the world that have faced me and underestimated my resolve, to their end." - Nathaniel Drakkon "For what is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger!" - Aeron Damphair, a Song of Ice and Fire. Visit the Drakkon Grimoire - The Collected, Completed Nathaniel Drakkon Fiction | |
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| Hotshot | Nov 4 2010, 08:58 PM Post #14 |
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The Lord Castoden
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As the army was withdrawing, there were scattered and disjointed efforts by undead forces to regain contact with them, but James saw his cavalry officers quickly responding and screening the infantry retreat. Those undead who dared rush forward and attempt to attack the retreating Weisslanders were suddenly and violently cut down and trampled by the swift cavalrymen who now rode back and forth in front of the army, falling back with them and ensuring their safety. |
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| Gorfang | Nov 5 2010, 03:18 PM Post #15 |
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Nathaniel Drakkon
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Seeing the enemy getting away and defeating all efforts to catch them again Sindrila violently pushed one of the necromancers to the ground, growling "Out of my way fool." She stormed off to find her master. |
![]() Anubis, IPU is dead, long live IPU! A-Team member. "If a loyal servant of Weissland is threatened, I will aid him to my dying breath, with every drop of my blood. There are older and more powerful things in the world that have faced me and underestimated my resolve, to their end." - Nathaniel Drakkon "For what is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger!" - Aeron Damphair, a Song of Ice and Fire. Visit the Drakkon Grimoire - The Collected, Completed Nathaniel Drakkon Fiction | |
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| Hotshot | Nov 5 2010, 04:33 PM Post #16 |
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The Lord Castoden
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Once the army had completely withdrawn from the field and had formed up once again, James mounted his horse once again and rode off to get General Mardis. He found the General being tended by one of the battle medics, wrapping up one of his arms. James dismounted and walked over, asking, "General, what happened?" "Eh, one of the bastards got me," said Mardis. "It's light though, nothing to worry about, sire." "Good, good," said James. "So what do you think happened out there?" "They knew exactly how to hit us," said Mardis. "They waited until we were engaged with the main body and then sent those fleshlings at us." James nodded. "Once our line was focused on fighting their front line, the fleshlings busted right through and cut off the sections of the line." "Command broke down," said Mardis. "We need to think about changing that," said James. "Sire?" asked Mardis, standing up. "The Weissland Army has always been disciplined and fought as a single force, but our enemy knows that as well," said James. "And today they used it against us; if they split off captains from their battalions, men keep fighting, but without orders. They revert to their training and their discipline, but that can only take them so far. The battle ground to a halt, and without orders the men just stood there, fighting but not advancing. They revert to defense, but we need to take the battle to the enemy. We were able to withdraw today, but things could have been disastrous." "What are you thinking, sire?" asked Mardis. "We need to change the way we fight, at the lowest level," said James. |
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| Hotshot | Nov 8 2010, 03:33 PM Post #17 |
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The Lord Castoden
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James and Mardis had gathered the captains of the six battalions together, and had them arranged in a semi-circle around a map table on which there were a number of small blocks. "Gentlemen," said James. "This army has been trained to fight as a single unit, a single line, to push and pull against the enemy as just that. But that needs to begin to change. Weissland's defeats often come as a result of a failure of that line. Today I am going to teach you a new way to fight, a new formation. I've been thinking about this long and hard, and it may be a little clunky and risky implementing it at first, but I believe that the payoff will be enormous." He arranged the blocks now in a single line, extended across the table. "This is the standard Weissland line. When the enemy causes breaks in it, as they did today," he said, as he began to scatter the blocks with a few swipes of his hand, "command and control breaks down." "But what if," continued James, now purposefully separating and arranging the blocks in parallel lines, "we allowed ourselves to split, or even split ourselves beforehand." The blocks on the table were now arranged in three lines, with spaces in between the blocks covered by blocks in the line behind. "This is the new formation you will be teaching your men before we take the field again. Lieutenants will now have direct command of their companies, so the army will be operating in units of 500 rather than as a single line. The companies of the second line will be aligned so as to cover the gaps in the first line, and the third line will likewise cover the gaps of the second. The lines will keep a good distance between them, about the length of one of the companies." James took a moment to allow the captains to soak up the information he had just given them. "This will allow the army much greater flexibility than it has ever had, and allow us to deal with a much greater variety of situations, enemies, and terrain without fear of the line being broken and the army compromised. It also allows us to more easily rotate troops to the front to replace the tired ones, so we can sustain our combat power in the field much longer than the enemy." James paused again and then continued, "The archers will no longer begin the battle behind the formation; they will now begin the battle in front of the first line to fire upon the enemy from the outset. As the enemy closes, they will then withdraw through the gaps in the formation to the safety of the back lines. The cavalry's purpose will be twofold. First, they must serve as a screening force between the lines; if the second line is unable to deal with any breakthroughs of the first line, the cavalry must use the gaps between the lines to mop up the enemy. Second, as usual, they will serve as a flanking force." After a final pause, James asked, "Are there any questions?" He looked around at his officers, meeting each one's eyes, and then, not seeing any confusion or hearing any speak up, he nodded and said, "Very good. Brief your lieutenants and sergeants and order them to begin training their men. This should not be too difficult of an adjustment, as the tactics and formation of the companies is simply a smaller version of the shield wall line. If you run into any difficulties, inform me at once. Dismissed." As the captains dispersed to their battalions, Mardis looked over at James and smiled. "It looks good, sire; it looks real good." |
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| chadden | Nov 9 2010, 11:12 AM Post #18 |
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High Advisor to the Archmage
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Azzhrak glared across the plains. He knew the Weisslanders had retreated to their camp. Perhaps now would be a good time to pursue, and finish what was started on the battlefield. He had seen Sindrila's force arrive upon the battlefield, and now wondered where his trusted second-in-command was. He needed the opinion of someone he respected. |
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"Stand against me if you must, for of course you will. Conflict is just another part of this flawed reality. You need to cling to your concepts and purposes, your feeble honour and glory. None of it serves any purpose in the end. And the end draws close." - Krodalis Thaendil. "It really is amazing; she killed Kelan Wealer, not that I am complaining, but then the order welcomed her as their new leader. It makes one wonder if I were to ram a blade down her throat, would the monks then follow my commands?" - Mordain Thaendil. One of the Last Guardians. Suck it. | |
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| Gorfang | Nov 9 2010, 04:33 PM Post #19 |
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Nathaniel Drakkon
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Sindrila rode up to her master on her skeletal steed. Dismounting she walked over and inclined her head "Master." |
![]() Anubis, IPU is dead, long live IPU! A-Team member. "If a loyal servant of Weissland is threatened, I will aid him to my dying breath, with every drop of my blood. There are older and more powerful things in the world that have faced me and underestimated my resolve, to their end." - Nathaniel Drakkon "For what is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger!" - Aeron Damphair, a Song of Ice and Fire. Visit the Drakkon Grimoire - The Collected, Completed Nathaniel Drakkon Fiction | |
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| Hotshot | Nov 9 2010, 04:40 PM Post #20 |
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The Lord Castoden
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Once the army had set in their camp, the captains and lieutenants began to drill their troops as night fell. Mardis had sent he cavalry out on constant patrols, as was custom, and some of the archers stood as sentries. The infantrymen, however, drilled continuously, stopping only to rest and ensure they were not overworked. As James watched them, he was impressed and proud of their progress; as he had suspected, there was some confusion, but the troops adapted to the change well, and as the night continued on, the small units began to act more and more coherent and independently, while still keeping the larger formation in mind. |
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