Solo There is No Place Like...Fort

[Vanator]

Timestamp: 22nd Day of Fall, 513 AV

Vanator stood outside The Sanctuary, arms folded across his chest facing the walled compound, the cliff overlooking the sea behind him. Kavala and done well on her own fortifying the once meager healing facility, raising a wall around it, protected by gates on either end. A year ago, his sister had given him the task of bolstering the defenses of their home, at first a rather odd notion for a man born of nomadic people, from his kin raised in the same manner. But as his Konti half-sister revealed her divine devotions, and the secret ambition to revive the Cytali, the need for security became more apparent.

As it turned out, the need for protection came sooner than either of them had anticipated, and from an unexpected threat. Zith. Not that those wretched creatures were ever overlooked, the winged nightmares a curse upon the Denusks it seemed. But an all-out nighttime attack by a colony of Zith was a complete surprise. Only with the arms Vanator had just purchased, and the fire and geomancy of Kavala and Leo Varniak, was the assault repelled.

But with the memory of that night fading, and no looming threats, the effort to build defenses had slowed. Vanator focused on ensuring the residents had the basics of combat skills, if even just the familiarization with a weapon. He also maintain and added to the djed web woven around the facility and its perimeter, which was monitored. But now, the Drykas began to consider again the threats that would certainly arise once the Cytali were reborn, and inevitably discovered.

Defending a structure was a concept that was not easily grasped at first. The Horseclans were mobile, everything in life designed around the need to keep moving, following herds, keeping ahead of inclement weather and seasons. They did not take positions to fight, they fought on the move, mounted on their agile Striders, a force that struck like lightning and disappeared. To devise the means to hole up behind a stone wall and endure a siege was a task the grasslander would need help in accomplishing. Consideration too, had to be taken for the unexpected aerial attack of the Zith, who bypassed the mighty walls altogether. Kavala and he and already discussed a means to literally light the top of the walls on fire in the event of another Zith attack. Van hoped to work with Kav to execute that plan.

They had a number of ranged weapons in the armory, short bows and light crossbows, which were effective from atop walls. But how to deter those who found a way to scale the walls, or sap beneath them were also concerns of the Armsmaster. Also, a means to alert Riverfall of aggression against the Sanctuary would need to be developed, to ensure the aid of the Kuvay'Nas.

Vanator needed education. Riverfall's Valkalah Library would be his next destination.

[Vanator]

Vanator harnessed Mirrow up to the wagon, the white mare pawing the ground with a wide hoof. The Drykas was very fond of the Frostmarch mare, she was one of the most steady and enduring horses of Sanctuary, a great workhorse and beautiful. Van did not have anything particular in mind to pick-up in the city, but if he came across an idea as he researched in the library, he wanted to means carry home any purchases while in town. The Denusk also carried a full purse of miza's to fund any such purchases.

With a firm pat to the horse's thick neck, Van mounted the wagon and passed through the horse gate to the track that lead to Riverfall. Once within the cities walls, Van guided Mirrow to the stables. The Denusk greeted Nell, the Drykas Stablemaster, with a wide smile and a Pavi salutation, emphasizing a casual familiarity in a simple Drykas hand sign. though Nell had never bonded with a Strider, and therefore not considered full Drykas by tradition, Vanator considered her so. They had chatted often as he left Sirocco or one of Sanctuary's horses with her for the day. Nell too had lost a spouse and children, and the two Drykas had a sort of bond in shared loss, though the spark of romance never seemed to ignite between the two friends.

Having left the wagon and Mirrow in Nell's capable hands, Vanator took the walk down the main thoroughfare and over the bridge spanning the Bluevein to the Valkalah Academy. He skirted the bulding until he came to the back, passing through an entrance that led directly to the library. The Drykas had never been inside the library. Books were a relatively new concept for Van. The Drykas maintained virtually no written records, their the history and information of their people kept through a strong oral tradition. But Vanator's father insisted his son learn to read and write common, for it would only strengthen him once he took over as ankal of the pavilion.

Van strolled to the Akalak behind the desk, who was intent on examining a stack of books. Van did not speak Tukant, but between the two of them using Common, Vanator conveyed his interest in researching certain methods of defense, and the librarian lead the human to a large section of shelves, the military and martial resources. The robed Riverian stopped before an expanse of the books and gestured to them. Van nodded and stared at the formidable collection as the Akalak left him to his research.

The Drykas scanned the spines of the books, looking for titles that suggested they might be helpful. Since siege warfare was virtually unknown in present day Mizahar, with no standing armies as there were before the Valterrian, material on how to defending cities was sparse. The walls of the city themselves and a core of guards armed with bows and crossbows seemed to be sufficient for contemporary Mizahar. Sanctuary, on the other hand, was small and more easily beset by a smaller force, not to mention the unconventional threats such as airborne Zith.

[Vanator]

Vanator ended up pulling out a stack of candidates and carrying them to a heavy polished table. They landed on the wood a bit harder than he intended, the boom of their impact resonating through the massive library. Taking a seat, the Denusk began to peruse through the tomes. Some were fragmented histories, some little more than folklore hinting at military practices, the vocabulary was too advanced for Vanator's basic grasp of Common. Many had sketches, which helped. Images of soldiers on a wall pouring buckets of what he believed to be oil on invaders below, then setting them on fire with torches. One picture showed two men operating what looked like giant crossbow that fired javelin-sized projectiles. Another discussed setting sharpened logs around the outer walls of a fortress to hamper attackers. That seemed to be too visible for a facility supposedly meant only for the care of animals. Besides, Kavala had already shown how she could create similar stone spikes with geomancy when the need arose.

Magic would be a part of any defense. The Denusk siblings had agreed that, at Sanctuary, staff would be required to not only training in skills such as riding and defense, but promising candidates would be encouraged to learn a magic. History, and the expected future, demanded such preparation.

Van continued to pore over the stack of old books, looking for practical concepts he could apply to the Sanctuary, making mental notes. Oil had a lot of potential, his skill with fire could easily turn it into a deadly weapon, and Kavala and Van could implement their plan to line the top of the walls with a flammable oil trench in event of another Zith attack. One strange drawing showed a man throwing what looked like a glass globe with a burning wick, the next sketch showed the globe breaking and scattering fire over enemy soldiers. that too, Van assumed, was oil.

The giant crossbow, they called it a ballista, seemed too large, but there was a drawing of a smaller one called a scorpion, which one man could fire, and was powerful enough to penetrate armor and shield. Such would be a good sniper weapon from a wall. Other easy to acquire anti-siege tools he saw included long hooks for pushing away ladders from walls.