Re: siege engines

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 11:48:47 -0700

> > Read in the suggested events/timeline about the Lunars building siege
> > towers. Well what about the good TREBUCHET?
> >
> I suspect that's beyond their seige technology, too medieval. Ballistas,
> scorpions, catapults and towers woild probaly be the extent of their
> equipment.

Heavy siege equipment is well within ancient technology. Just becaise the Romans, Greeks, Arrysians, etc., didn't have the specific form of the trebuchet, they had "heavy rock throwers" sufficiant to besiege cities and other fortified places.

However, how tall is the tor that the actual city sits on? If tall enough, most siege engines will be useless. Even (especially) mobile siege towers.

Also, making things move through the Air (even Earth things like big rocks) isn't the best idea when facing Air magics. Works fine against other Solar cities, of course, so they might *try* it, only to have it fail dramatically..... The Lunar army doesn't seem to have a dearth of commanders that think they know better. (Starting with Jorkandros and working down to Jane's "Junior Officer who lets Kallyr go".)

I think keeping things "grounded" is a better plan - an earth ramp to reach the plateau, so troops don't have to "leave the Earth" to reach the walls, tunelling by Earth elementals (plenty people in the army can work with them - native Dara Happan Lodrili; Red Earth faction Esrolians, etc.) Earth beats Air, so ground-hugging gives Mythic aid to the attackers. Of course, it might take the Lunars a while to catch on to this idea (leading up to the ramps by the Seven of Vistur).

One siege group I've been idly thinking of is a unit of huge glass, crystal and mirror "engines" that take the power of the sun and direct it against the walls of an enemy fortress - think "Star Wars Turbolasers", then: "We count thirty Rebel flyers, Lord Jorkandros. But they're so small they're evading our Sun Beams!"
Jorkandros: "We'll have to destroy them one on one. Get the crews to their wyverns."

To destroy siege engines requires a sortie (traditionally at night) to burn them. Cutting ropes only gets you so far. Most siege equipment was carried only as gears, pulleys and other specialized parts, with local wood used to create the body of the siege engine. With luck, burning the timbers will melt or distort the important metal parts (of course, trying to melt something made by Fire worshippers is probably useless...) Local stone is used as missiles. Unlike cannons of the gunpowder era, you don;t need to carry the entire engine and it's ammunition in your siege train, leaving room for camp followers, cases of wine, fine tents with soft comforttable beds for commanders, etc.

Killing the engineers who can build the engines is a good idea too.

RR
It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has done what he has done.
- Richelieu

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