The attack on the town.

You link up with Seki in the town below as Khaliq heads off to join the fray. Together with the erstwhile leader of the Oro Elide, and a group of other non-combatants, you ascend the battlements, taking in the melee below. Evidently, the regent had learned her lesson from the battle of the Fens, and would be endeavouring to cramp her son's style on the field less in the future.

The Deanians are few in number, but have seized the element of surprise, and fight with a ferocity unheard of in most continental troops. You observe the skirmish with great interest, despite your usual disinterest in martial matters. It occurs to you that this is the first time you've ever seen the northern raiders in action. Hells, you hadn't even seen Roland's men in their little masquerade, cutting down the soldiers of the White Torch.

“They fly no banner.” Seki observes. “No doubt the Serpent King sent them to harass us, but why?”

Since the Deanians seemingly have their hands too full with Beathan, mercenary and Itherian forces to squeeze off a shot at an unarmed and unarmoured target, you risk leaning over the battlement to get a better look at them.

The raiders are clad in black furs, they jab at your forces with spears, slash with longswords. Some of the Beathan forces, clad only with war-axes, suffer from less reach than the invaders, and are struck down.

The leader of the warband issues a fearsome cry, his men rallying, even as two companies of men, one commanded by Khaliq, the other by Roland, surge towards them from either side, taking the pressure off of Rana and Juhi.

“Heh. A futile attack.” Seki says, staring down at the raiders coldly. “They'd need a battering ram just to get inside the town.”