NationStates Jolt Archive

The sand whipped up around the long line of men as they marched through the hot, dry desert. The men all wore many pounds of armour as they trudged over the hot grains of sand, some of it getting into their suits and scratching their skin, some of it getting in their eyes, and most just blowing off of their armor. Finally, the men stopped near a water hole. Hericus Redfeather (http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs11/i/2006/253/7/3/Gladus_Tite__Mandalorian_by_CorranFett.jpg), the leader of this army, turned on his horse and ordered his men to set up camp at that spot. He then hopped off of his horse and moved to drink from the water hole, filling his hands and gulping it down.

Back in Paradise City, Emperor Heracletius Blackhelm stood before his people from the balcony of his palace. He was continuing to urge his people to keep joining in his crusade, and to keep praying for the soldiers.

"All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested. O what a disgrace if such a despised and base race, which worships demons, should conquer a people which has the faith of omnipotent God and is made glorious with the name of Christ! With what reproaches will the Lord overwhelm us if you do not aid those who, with us, profess the Christian religion! Let those who have been accustomed unjustly to wage private warfare against the faithful now go against the infidels and end with victory this war which should have been begun long ago. Let those who for a long time, have been robbers, now become knights. Let those who have been fighting against their brothers and relatives now fight in a proper way against the barbarians. Let those who have been serving as mercenaries for small pay now obtain the eternal reward. Let those who have been wearing themselves out in both body and soul now work for a double honor. Behold! on this side will be the sorrowful and poor, on that, the rich; on this side, the enemies of the Lord, on that, his friends. Let those who go not put off the journey, but rent their lands and collect money for their expenses; and as soon as winter is over and spring comes, let hem eagerly set out on the way with God as their guide."

The speech ended with a thunderous cheer and applause from the people below, and many of the men went home to purchase weaponry and join up to become part of the next army to head north and take the land from the Muslim forces that had recently moved in the area. The war that would define the attitudes of a nation was about to be waged.

Intisar al-Jalil (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Hatemibeyazit.jpg), the Emir of the First Legion of the Caliphate Shield, stood surveying his troops. Seven thousand troops, all his. All his to fight against the European invaders. Infidels - so primitive, so barbaric.

The soldiers of Blackhelm lay to the south, or so the scouts had said. He reread the orders given to him by the Caliph.

Emir al-Jalil:
The worst has come to pass. The Europeans are moving towards war. Their kings and emperors threaten our daily existence. Whilst we are not a war-loving people, war must be fought to preserve our religion. That is why you are here. Fight the European fools to the death. Do not give them an inch if attacked. But do not attack unless necessary.

There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger. Good luck, and godspeed.

Intisar summoned his commanders, and told them to fortify their position.

Good morning bump.

"Monsier General, you sent for Me?" asked Cavalry Captain Jean Boisson. He tied off the entrance to the recently set up tent, The sandstorm whipping at the fabric of the small encampment.

"Yes, I wanted to get a status report on your Unit's trip." replied Floridian General Auguste.
"Well, the men and horses are all accounted for, and are all well supplied and in good spirits, considering the whether."
"good, good" Auguste replied. "I have a feeling much spirit will be needed for the coming conflict"

The Floridian Force sent to aide the Crusaders was camped 15 miles to the North of the Main Crusader Army

The Cavalry commanded by Captain Boisson was 100 Men and Horses strong, armed with Lances and Sword.

200 Men at Arms, and 50 crossbowmen and the 100 cavalry comprised the Floridian contigent of the War effort, following the peoples philosophy of multiple small armies, as opposed to one Large Army.

Captain Boisson left the tent, wrapping his scarf around his eyes and mouth to shield from the bite of the sand. he approached his lieutenants and directed them to restrain the horses and prepare to bunk down for the evening. they would rendevous with the Main Army after the storm had died.

"My lord!" cried Commander Karim Apu Abdulaziz al-Filastini, who lead V Regiment.
"What is it?" asked Emir al-Jalil.
The commander handed him a telescope. Intisar looked through it, and saw a small encampment of European soldiers.
"Well, well. This is mighty interesting. The rest of the Europeans are fifteen miles to the south of this encampment," observed Intisar.
"We must attack!" cried the commander of IV Regiment.
"No, no! If we do so, the rest of the infidels will be closer to us, and they will strike. A raid is more in order," countered al-Filastini.

Intisar pondered his options.
"Yes, a raid is in order. Send out fifty mamluks to raid their encampment. Send a courier to the nearest Arab military - tell them we need reinforcements."

The couriers ran off into the distance on their camels. The mamluks tore off towards the Floridian encampment. They wanted blood.

Andre tried desperatly to calm the horses. they had been fine moments ago, but the sandstorm had whipped them into a frenzy. the camps tents were all completly set up, and most of the men were finishing their meals and preparing to go to sleep.

the sandstorm had begun dying down in the waning hours of the day, as the meals had been handed out. visibility was almost possible.

Andre thought to himself about home, had it really been worht it to cme out here?
His thought were interupted however as a strange noise became apparent to him. It was a Low, rhythmic Hissing like the wind on the sand, but coming in steady beats

then he saw them, and understood what the sound was.

"Les Assitance!! Les Assistance! Les Assis---"
his third shout was muffled by the sword of the raiders.


Men scrambled for their weapons as the Raiders entered the camp.
Cavalrymen, without their horses, rose lances into the air, forming a square in the center of camp, roughly 80 men large.

Crossbowmen fired wildy, hails of arrows flying randomly, though many hitting their mark in men and camels.

Captain Boisson had no sooner entered his tent than he was out again, and on his horse.

"Viva Floride!! he shouted as he rallied a group of infantry that were regrouping

We'll put on a show for them, he thought. "Sound the Horns" he shouted. moments later the camp was filled with a din greater than the sandstorm

more cavalry had made it to their horses now, as skirmishes became focused into different areas of the camp

"For allah!" cried the mamlukes as they raided the European encampment.

The European arrows mowed down eight of the Arab horsemen immediately. Fortunately for the Arabs, the Europeans were unprepared for the attack; their cavalry had barely mounted their horses.

The mamlukes split into thirds, one group attacking the archers, the other the horsemen, the last the actual base to steal supplies.

"Bastards!!" someone shouted behind him as Boisson and twenty horsemen combed the camp, quelling skirmishes wherever they found them. He himself had taken three so far, and was looking forward to ending the fight as quickly as possible. The Horsemen descended on the group of Mamelukes attacking the Floridian Crossbowmen. The Heavily cavalry hit the camel riders like a hammer. routing killing or trampling most of them underneath.
He glanced at the pike square the unmounted horsemen had made to protect themselves.

"Follow me!" he shouted to his troops
he galloped across the camp to where the horses were kept. he and his horsemen drove the herd to the soldiers on the ground, subsequently flanking the attacking raiders, once again routing their attack.
the men began mounting their Horses as Boisson rode feverishly through the camp, searching for a commander. he aknowledged the closiest thing he could find to one, as he noticed a single camel rider shouting orders.
Boisson Charged.

OOC: Marmluks ride horses as well, fyi.
IC:
The emir looked through his telescope at the carnage in the European encampment.
"Fuck. They've died, but at least they took some infidels with them," stated Intisar.

A group of some four hundred prussian troops of the House of von Bismarck, nearly all of them in robes and light chain mail marched towards the hell of Ragusa where a spanish army of three thousand men had been fighting tooth and nail to get inside the city.

The House of von Bismarck had fought in nearly every religoius battle on the Christiandom side since the fall of the Roman Republic. As their every growing popularity and succes had mounted, so did their fame. Now with a standing army of four hundred men, three hundred and fifty wearing ragid robes, bit of pieces chain mail, and about two hundred had double sided axes and and the other hundred and fifty held long pike spears. The fifty tuetonic knights Lord von Bismarck had under him where dressed in a mixture of plated armour and chain mail clothing, their broad swords glistened in the sun of the middle easter as did most of thier armour.

The formation of the march was that a hundred pikemen would stretch in a line, four men deep and march forward, these being followed by the rest of the pikemen that were two men deep. The men behind this would be the tuetonic knights guarding the rear. And the flanks would be held by the two hundred Prussian soldiers.

Ragusa was on of the first larger cities they had pumped into during their march to Jerusalem. This town would be needed as a resuppling depot for the reinforcements of the Crusade and it would make Lord von Bismarck a very rich man. As his plans for the crusade where ingenius, as he would take a vitol town and hold it to the last man. In the public's eye he would look like the hero of Christiandom, but in reality he would hold it for the wealth.

Lord Redfeather was enraged by the attack on the camp of his allies, and ordered his men to find the Arab camp. At dawn, the massive army of the Empire of Exponent (predessesor to the Confedreacy) began to move in the direction of the attack. The men, filled with religious fervor, would not have argued any order, and so the order to move through a hundred and ten degree desert at the break of dawn did not even phase them. The rattling of metal filled the air as the men moved out.

On the flank of the main crusader army was the Knights of Ares, a knighthood that Lord Redfeather was part of. These were the most powerful knights in Exponent, and were determined to show the Muslim forces why. Their commander, Rex Mundi IV, sat on his horse at the front of the knights. They would find the arabs, and they would kill them.

"Shit," shouted Intisar as he observed the onslaught of European attackers marching towards their encampments.

His commanders stood around him, waiting for orders.

"We retreat! Advance into Angora (Ankara) immediately; go, go, go!" the Emir cried.

The Knights and their force continued across the desert, chasing down the Arabs through the desert. They would not stop until the Arabs were thrown from their continent, once and for all.