Begin planning

Naturally, the defender in this situation will have an advantage. To mitigate casualties to your forces, a clever plan must be ascertained.

You and your council bounce ideas off of eachother, but for hours nothing is agreed on. Then, an idea hits you like a bolt of lightning. "We will out send a fraction of our troops on horses. They will make camp on the opposite side of the fort. We will assign each man as many torches as he can carry, which they shall light at night. The barbarians will think that our forces are concentrated there while the scouts bring the rest of our troops to the walls under cover of darkness. They'll never know what hit them." The council approves of your plan, and your little army stirs into motion.

It is midnight, and all has gone smoothly. Your keen-eyed scouts spot a reduced patrol on the fort walls near your attack ****. Slowly but surely, your forces creep forward, trying to make as little noise as possible. Each platoon is guided by a scout who knows the treacherous terrain. By some miracle, nothing goes wrong. Withing striking range, you give the signal. Arrows and crossbow bolts rip apart the patrols lining the walls. A thunderous noise goes up as swords, mail, plate, and all manner of equipment scrambles to the wall. Grappling hooks go over the ramparts, and your forces climb the fortunately short walls. The barbarian camp is in chaos as they struggle to ready for their attackers. Many of them did not have time to put on armor, a few are even shirtless. Your much readier forces begin cutting a bloody swathe through their disordered ranks. In the middle of the fighting, you find yourself across from their leader.

This man is the infamous Vetrix, a veteran of many raids and one of the most wanted criminals in your realm. He stands before you in a hastily donned suit of chain mail, long dark hair and beard flowing free. There is a arrow or bolt in his leg, which is leaking a great amount of blood. He charges you in a rage, but you deflect him. You engage him in close quarters, sword to sword. To your chagrin, you soon realize that he is a much better swordsman than you, but you have your own advantages. Your quality plate deflects several otherwise fatal blows. His wound slows him down, furthering your chances. Finally, hunter's instinct takes over as you subconsciously notice a flaw in his defence. With a quick thrust you drive your sword past his block and pierce his mail, ending his life.

The surviving raiders surrender as they see their leader fall. Your men let out a wild cheer of victory and begin looting the camp. Soon, you find out why Vetrix attempted a furious defence despite the odds.