The Memories of Unknown No. 27

[RadiumKnight]

The military has always been a traditional family career, and when it became my turn, I didn't go against my heritage. At the age of eighteen, I was enlisted into Waterdeep's forces. My father had been leading a successful career and managed to climb up to the rank of Major during his life. Major Robert Kienan was my father's name. Shortly after I was recruited, and still green around the gills, an intelligence report suggested that a massive number of orcs were congregating inside Kryptgarden forest, just north of Waterdeep. That's where the company was deployed to. Four platoons, consisting of fifty men each. Given our relative proximity to the capitol, we brought along an array of siege equipment. The platoon I was assigned to marched towards the brim of the forest, we were due to meet up with the rest of the company for the assault on the orc stronghold. I didn't know it at the time, but this was the beginning of the end of my military career.


"We're losing day light," barked the Captain. "You girls better move your asses, less I regret outfitting you with overly-expensive heavy armor, and not aprons! Do you hear me!? MOVE!"

"Hooah!" shouted the column of soldiers. They were the bulk of the infantry, with the vanguard of cavalry leading the way, and the rear guard hauling along the remaining siege onagers and the star of the show, the battering ram.

Private Jack Kienan stumbled on a slippery rock and crashed into the soldier ahead of him. He was assembled within the core of the infantry, right behind Private Cabot. The two of the young, enlisted men were friends.

"If this is an attempt to fondle my ass, Kienan, then you need to try harder," muttered Cabot as he looked over his shoulder.

"Not really. I plan to leave your ass for the orcs, as it were," replied Jack.

The platoon continued into the forest to rendezvous with the rest of the company. Along the way, they began to see the first signs of the battlefield. The trees were clear-cut, and trebuchets set up and ready to hurl fiery death into the stronghold.

"Look alive, men! All eyes vigilant. We're almost there and we don't want any unexpected surprises from our relative-screwing mountain friends," shouted the Captain. He was a grizzled, cranky veteran. As if they came any other way.

"Look alive, for what?" muttered Cabot as they marched along. "Are we expecting the trees to uproot themselves and rebel for our trespassing?"

"I believe we were told to look out for unexpected surprises. A poor choice of words, actually, as I'm now expecting the entire infantry to watch you, Cabot."

"Meaning?" asked Cabot as he occasionally glanced into the distant perimeter of remaining trees in the area.

"I suppose you're right," said Jack as he watched his own two feet to avoid falling again. "You, are an expected relative-screwing mountain friend."

"Two hundred yards ahead! Upon arrival, dig in straight away," barked the Captain. The platoon was approaching the rest of the army, who were split between fortifying dugouts and supplying ammunitions to the siege equipment.

"Welcome to the war," called one soldier from a dugout. "Good thing you guys showed up after most of the fighting, ey?"

Some of the men from the incoming platoon grinned, and others called back, "Yeah, they called in the real soldiers to deal with this. What are you all doing, building forts over there?"

As the Captain went off into the command tent, no doubt where Jack's father was sitting comfortably along with the rest of the brass, Jack walked with Cabot to an empty dugout and climbed down. Despite their joking around, they exchanged brief looks of worry about what they had seen. Without a single word being uttered, a thousand things had been said between the two young men...

Beyond the company's outpost, and slowly winding up a long slope sat a fortress of palisade walls. The roughly cut trees that lined the stronghold stretched up and into the night sky like twisted claws. Within the massive garrison, the enemy prepared silently, and with ruthless efficiency.

[RadiumKnight]

The day of the war itself will always be burned into my memory. People always try and picture themselves in the situation, but few can really understand the heart-stopping fear and adrenaline that overcame us. The sun had risen by the time I had woken up from my fourty winks, but it was definitely not bright. A thick fog hung in the atmosphere and cast a dull shade of grey across the entire landscape. Sometimes this day returns to me in my dreams, and it always starts with that familiar, frantic screaming.


Private Jack Kienan shoved his helmet on his head and peeked over the barricades that lined the brim of the dugout. All along the outpost, people were yelling and rushing to the front of the outpost and assuming a defensive position. Jack was both frustrated and confused as to why the line was undecided. Half the men dropped into a Phalanx formation, while others let their equipment fall to the ground, forgotten as they scurried about. Archers were pulled to the very front, with minimal cover from the line.

"What the fuck are they doing? This is ridiculous," seethed Jack. "Come on." Slapping a hand down on Cabot's helmet, the young soldiers approached the perimeter to see what was going on.

As they both joined the front line, they came face to face with something very unexpected. Coming down from the slope was a mob of peasants. Prisoners that had been torn out of their homes in a small village that bordered the forest. The peasants were frantically crawling on their hands and knees towards the soldiers, with iron weights and restraints attached to their arms and legs. Their torsos were completely cased with iron and a powdery compound was sifting out of the mechanisms at a steady rate. They seemed desperate to reach us for help, and we could see why. There was a blazing, controlled inferno that was following them down the slope. Many of the soldiers had already darted across the field to try and help them get way. What they failed to realize was that the peasants were rigged and would only pull the fire anywhere they went.

"I don't believe it," mumbled Jack, for he realized the situation for what it was. There was no winning this fight. Either the peasants were going to be put down, or they'd smoke the company out of the forest. This was an obvious attack to undo morale, and something that was far too sophisticated for inbred orcs.

"Hold your positions," yelled the Captain. "Hold your damn positions!" He continued to fight for control over his confused troops. He hastily assembled any archers that were present and ordered them to aim their weapons at the peasants. The soldiers, most of which were trying their best to keep a cool composure, had a look that reflected horror in their eyes.

Amidst all the confusion, Jack saw his father exit the tent and head off in the opposite direction. "Where the hell are you going?" he said aloud.

"Aim, dammit! Keep your aim steady, eyes on the target--If I have to tell any of you again, I will have you arrested for disobeying a direct order! Now AIM!"

The moment seemed like it would go on forever, and if the archers had it in them or not was never known, for at that very moment a huge ball of fire came soaring through the sky from our direction and crashed down into the field. There was an explosion that showered the peasants and soldiers stuck in the middle with debris. All movement ceased, and the inferno slowly enveloped the bodies.

Minutes later, Jack's father, Major Kienan returned and said pointedly to the Captain, "Do not waste those arrows. We're going to need them to deal with the orcs, not the obstacles. We have equipment for that." He turned on his heel and walked back towards the tent.

Jack watched the inferno rage across the field. He tried to forget about the fiery fates of the unfortunate peasants and the soldiers who tried to help them. Instead, he forced himself to take comfort in knowing that an attack would have to wait for now. They would all have to wait until the fire ran its course.