Report from the Frontlines [Assault on the Charr Fortress]

Report from the Frontlines

The battlefield was chaos! The Charr fortress seemed impregnable as the rag tag revolutionaries and the heroes of Cantha and Elona rushed headlong toward the horrific seige machines. The Homeland Charr were relentless in the defense of their fortress with archers high in the cliffs above, but the Charr were too few in number outside their main gate.

Pyre Fierceshot's war band slaughtered the Charr to the right while the Canthan hero Gi Shin Toi Dan took on the Charr to the left. In moments the siege machines were theirs! Turning the great lumbering devourers onto the Charr fortress they had once defended, thundering blasts and thick smoke curled above the wooden structures beyond the great fortress wall. The smell of burning flesh and the screams of the dying Charr were chilling, yet the rousing cheers from the revolutionaries and the foreign heroes drowned out all else.

Moments passed as the Homeland Charr attempted to retake their siege machines, each wave cut down before the next could rally. Pyre Fierceshots' warband tore at their brethrens' flesh with teeth, claws and steel while Gi Shin Toi Dan's war band to the right sliced through the attacking beasts with precision and well practiced authority! From this humble Ascalonian news reporter's stance above the back cliff, I swear I saw Gi Shin, a ritualist, snarl like a great bear! Not content with being in the back line, this tall, imposing ritualist thundered into the middle of a pack of Homeland Charr with incredible speed. I could see his tall frame resplendent in his Kurzick-style armor and Norn woad towering over the crouched bodies of the Charr - his hands reached to the sky and he let loose the Bear of War - it is only how I can describe it! I could not tell if he was man or bear; a terrible bear's roar broke the tight ranks of Charr, scattering them as he slashed at them in actions mimicking a bear's maul! I saw a Charr's backside sliced open and it fell to earth at the feet of Gwen - even from this distance I could see she did not smile, instead stepping over this torn body to take on more Charr.

The ground beneath my feet shook, and I heard the snorting of a great beast as it lumbered toward the main gate of the Homeland Charr. It was massively armored, but slow. It could not possibly survive the archers on the cliffs - the siege machines were doing their best but could not stop the waves of Charr that replaced the broken, burning bodies of the newly dead.

The battlefield was chaos!

Gi Shin Toi Dan and his war band abandoned their siege machine! I was aghast, and apparently so too were the revolutionaries who shouted to him to man his siege! The human group rushed headlong towards the Charr archers preparing their arrows. Surely the battle would be lost. Along the left wall they creeped, then unleashed long distance attacks on the archers high above as well as defending against the Charr troops approaching their position. Surely all was lost!

Then this reporter saw the cunning plan - oh yes, quite clever. The two siege machines were targeting the far cliffs, taking out the thick grouping of archers above the gate. Gi Shin's war band occupied the closer left archers, leaving only a few archers to the right to attack the thundering armored monster! Their arrows could not stop it. It dashed through the gate, and in moments the gate fell!

The revolutionaries cheered, then ordered everyone to take out the main contingent. The few remaining Charr on our side of the wall died in moments, and the two war bands rushed the gate. Homeland Charr died right and left as the siege machines lobbed their fiery explosives, black smoke filling the valley. Fearing I would not be able to report further as the battle moved into the fortress, I took afoot to the cliffs around the fortress. I wish I had not, and yet I stand here transfixed!

The two war bands made quick work of the homeland Charr in the front areas of the fortress, but whole legions of troops awaited them beyond. I cried out to them to retreat! They could not hear me, I doubt they could hear each other, but nonetheless a grating, booming voice called to them from within the fortress, mocking them. No doubt the commander of the fortress. I could not make out the entire taunt, something about new Gods teaching them a lesson.

A gate opened, its creaking massiveness revealed horrors I could not describe - monsters from the depths were unleashed to take down the two war bands! How could they survive! I cried out as the Homeland Charr cheered!