|
|
Post by The Black Dread on Jun 20, 2014 9:15:10 GMT -5
Camped ten miles south of Qohor, the Valyrian army is made up primarily of sellswords, hired from the coffers of the Rhoyne Cities; Selhorys, Volon Therys, Valysar, and Volantis. There were perhaps a thousand black-clad Valyrian citizen-soldiers, drawn from the wealthier classes who could afford their own armor and weaponry, but who were not quite wealthy enough to afford the lifestyle that the Equestrian classes enjoyed. Four times as many sellswords joined them, as well as an half that number in slave-soldiers purchased from Meereen and Yunkai. The army lacked cavalry, but it had something that no other army in Essos could boast; three dragons.
The Burned Rider had appointed the most trusted of his Freeholders to command, Marquarro Malvassar who was the Freeholder of Volantis. Assisting him was the Freeholder of Selhorys, Daenys of the Flame, and the Freeholder of Volon Therys, a surly older man called Vaemon Qoherys.
Qohor, 'the City of the Black Goat' as it was sometimes called, was unique among the Free Cities, relying wholly on slave soldiers rather than sellswords for its defense. They were no ordinary slaves, however; the Army of Qohor was a standing force, kept at a constant number of 3,000 men, each and every one of them Unsullied bought out of Astapor. Dozens of Khalasars had crushed themselves against that phalanx of spears over the years, and Qohor wielded more power on mainland Essos than any of the Free Cities save Pentos and Norvos.
|
|
|
|
Post by Marquarro Malvassar on Jun 21, 2014 16:17:24 GMT -5
Marquarro Malvassar had risen with the dawn. He put the first few hours of light to use wandering the lines of his camp, the gold-white tiger skin slung across the Freeholder's shoulder providing some protection from the early morning chill found this far north in the autumn. Speaking with the taskmasters of his slaves, as well as sergeants from the Volantene citizen-soldiers and captains of the sellsword companies in his employ, Marquarro ensured all had been quiet throughout the night and that the troops under his commanded would be prepared to break camp within the day.
As the sun crept higher, there was time yet in the morning before the meeting Marquarro had requested at midday with the Freeholders of Selhorys and Volon Therys. The handful of scouts he had dispatched the previous night to survey Qohor had not yet returned either. Marquarro would wait to hear their report before meeting with Daenys and Vaemon.
Walking a short distance outside the lines of their camp, he came to the clearing where he had the dragon Malvos chained to the earth. As he approached he could hear the beast screaming as it struggled against its chains, and only once it had scented Marquarro's approach did it subside into silence. A number of the men tasked with overseeing the dragon had scorch marks on their shields and armor, and Marquarro could see the black scars where grass and leaves had been burned away. The Freeholder approached as Malvos settled onto its haunches, and while the dragon's burning gaze followed the movements its rider, Marquarro lay a becalming hand across the gold-bronze scales of its muzzle.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Black Dread on Jun 21, 2014 22:59:13 GMT -5
The Freeholders of Volon Therys and Selhorys were Vaemon Qoherys and Daenys of the Flame respectively, and they arrived promptly at Marquarro's pavilion. Vaemon and Marquarro had known each other before the Burned Rider's arrival, and while they had not been friends, neither had they been rivals. The Valyrian priest was an enigma to both, and he spoke little, preferring to watch and listen, with eyes that clearly absorbed everything around him, down to the last detail.
|
|
|
|
Post by Marquarro Malvassar on Jun 22, 2014 15:11:03 GMT -5
A long table had been erected in the center of Marquarro's pavilion. Platters of gold and silver were placed at either end, laden with dried fruits, soft cheeses, and spiced flatbreads. Alongside them were glass goblets and decanters of red Volantene wine and fresh water. In the midst of the food and refreshment were a collection of parchments, charts and sketches detaling Qohor and the surrounding forests.
Marquarro Malvassar stood leaning down over the center of the table, studying the maps before him while sipping from a cup of wine. As the other Freeholders arrived, Marquarro stood, and gestured towards the spread of refreshments. "Please, you are welcome to help yourselves. Daenys, Vaemon, I trust your men will be ready to mobilize by nightfall? We should enclose the city under darkness, and deliver Qohor their terms for surrender at dawn."
|
|
|
|
Post by The Black Dread on Jun 22, 2014 16:20:58 GMT -5
Daenys of the flame declined wine and food, taking one of the expensive glass goblets carefully as one of the saves filled it with water. Vaemon Qoherys on the other hand, waved his hand at the slave pouring the wine, filling himself up a goblet and drinking it in one gulp, before ordering the slave pour him another. He loaded up a plate with a large pile of food, and approached the table with the maps. "The Aeksiotidaryssy, commanded that we burn the Great Forest to ashes, as a message to those who would resist Valyriarlie," he reminded in a gruff, gravelly voice. "That can come once the city is taken, however."
When the Valyrian Priest spoke, he sounded mild by comparison, but there was no mistaking the steel in his demeanor. "I flew over the city as the sun set; their Unsullied were drawing up in formation before the gates, is is there that they likely intend to meet us, when we give battle, within range of their bowmen on the walls."
|
|
|
|
Post by Marquarro Malvassar on Jun 24, 2014 21:25:19 GMT -5
Plucking a dried fig from the table, Marquarro chewed the fruit as he contemplated the map before them. "Arrows are a poor match against dragon scale," he spoke, then maneuvered a few black colored tokens on the map into position approaching the key city gates. "We demand surrender, and when Qohor nobly refuses the three of us should mount up and bring flame down upon the archers on the walls. With their ranks burned and broken we turn our dragons' attention to the Unsullied below and have our troops advance. With the support of our numbers we should be able to eliminate them swiftly and take the gates."
Marquarro gestured at one of the slave attendants and had a glass of wine poured. He took a sip that seemed restrained in contrast to Vaemon's own. "Unless you have other ideas in the works, we should move out while we still have the sun with us."
|
|
|
|
Post by The Black Dread on Jun 24, 2014 21:54:43 GMT -5
"They have been given many chances to surrender already," Daenys of the Flame said quietly. He seemed far more calm than one ought to be, and it was clear that he cared little for the tactics of the battle. This man took a strange pleasure in burning others to death, as if he were giving them the greatest gift he could think of. "Aesiotidaryssy has given you the command, and has wisely done so. They will quail beneath our shadows like rabbits before a hawk, in the moments until they become one with the ash."
The other Freeholder watched the map and the tokens carefully, for Vaemon Qoherys, though noble born in Volon Therys, had served as a sellsword captain for many years and was well versed in both combat and battle. He said nothing as Volantis spoke, but his tiny nod of approval said more than words could have. "I will inform Groundlord Voheryn to ready our men, and to distribute your orders to the free captains," he said in his gravelly voice, naming the commander of their ground forces. In New Valyria mercenaries were not treated with the same contempt as they were elsewhere, and they were commonly called "Free Companies" rather than the negative-sounding term 'sellswords'.
"They will be ready to march within the hour and we shall arrive outside the city walls by the sun's zenith. Plenty of time for limarior," he added, using the Valyrian word for 'burning', with a pointed look at the priest.
|
|
all alone and also really bored 
Hopefully going to kickstart the festival too