Keymonus Posted September 28, 2020 (edited) King's Port Batteries, Terraversa, 16 August 620 (T-DAY-1) "And all around the shore, where cannons still roar, they're haunting my dreams, they're still there when I sleep" The Terraversans called them "Oldis' Fist", according to the intelligence. Probably it was one of the heaviest souvenirs left by the Mardierian army... and everybody could easily guess why it was left behind. That massive 64-pounder was for sure quite difficult to move by itself and, furthermore, it was on top of a steep cliff. For sure, it represented a real threat for an attacking fleet: that beast could throw a roundshot up to three kilometers far, or a shell filled with dozens of musket balls on a shorter range. If the defenders had the chance to make those "gift" rain on the ship decks or on the crowded longboats, it would have been a massacre. Moreover, the small promontory was surrounded by reefs and shallow waters, which made the approach difficult for bomb ketches... running aground in range of enemy batteries wasn't a great perspective! This was the reason why, the night before the main landing, Tristan and his men were in those small canoes, rowing towards a coast just slightly darker than the night sky. As several other times in the past, darkness was a good friend for them: they couldn't see the landing point, this was true, but they were also hidden from their enemies... and, if everything had gone as planned, they didn't need to find that small beach on their own. Flashes of light broke the pitch-black night, as a man waved a lantern on the coast... two flashes, a pause, two more flashes. The conveyed signal! Their man on Terraversa was telling them that the way was clear... or somebody had captured him, and now was dragging them all in a trap. Trying to be as quiet as possible, the rowers headed towards the shore, while the other soldiers, Rimbaud's Raiders and mountaineers of the 5eme regiment Pride of Guelph, grabbed muskets and sabers, ready to fight tooth and nail if they had been betrayed. The canoes scraped on the shoals, avoided some surfacing rocks and, at last, reached the small beach. Their man was waiting, hidden among the rocks and, fortunately, alone. That beach was too small for a proper landing, with only an old, half-crumbled mule track leading to the top of the cliff. A patrol checked it, now and then, but they were almost outside King's Port defensive system... if they had met a few soldiers, they would have easily got rid of them without noises, with knives or bows: some of the Raiders had spent years living with the natives and could use that weapon quite well. That night, however, they didn't meet anyone, either on the beach or along the trail. After a few hours of climbing, sliding and muffled cursings, the commando reached the top of the cliff. It would have been almost impossible without their local guide, and this explained that little hole in the Terraversan defenses. It was dawn. Below them, on the shiny sea, they saw the spectacle of the Oleander fleet: an endless row of ships of the line, frigates and galleons, with support ships and bomb ketches moving around... sails and flags waved in the wind, and hundreds of cannons shined in the gunports under the morning sun. It was impressive, but it also meant that they were late: they had to take the battery immediately, before it could fire on their comrades. There was no time for a plan, for a flanking attack, for a reconnaissance. A few cannonballs, fired from the distant fleet, stopped right in front of the battery, hitting the low wall with almost no force and sinking in the soft ground... Damn! A frontal assault was a bad perspective even without the risk of friendly fire! Reloading would have taken a few minutes, so that was their chance... hoping that down below they had good spyglasses! The Terraversans artillerymen were surprised as they were loading the first shot, but reacted quickly, grabbing weapons and tools. However, they were only a few, and they were not trained at all for close-quarter engagements... the fight to take the battery would have been fast and relatively easy. At least, in theory, thought Tristan as a Terraversan tried to split his head in half with a shovel. The bluecoats climbed the low wall and charged forward. That cannon would have not fired that day: whatever the cost, they would have taken the battery, and would have held it against the enemy counterattacks. Meanwhile, along the coast, dozens of cannons were blazing, and at least as many had been destroyed by the massive artillery barrage. One of the forts was burning, but also one of the largest battleships was tilting, and the sailors were jumping in the water. That day was going to be the longest in the whole life of hundreds of men. That day they were making history! Spoiler Overall view: as you could imagine is a tiny build, just a little more than minifig posing. I planned something bigger, but parts and, even more, time were taken in other projects, including some important IRL things. Edited September 29, 2020 by Keymonus Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fraunces Posted September 28, 2020 Those poor terraversans! Farmer boys slaughters for the imperialistic ambitions... Seeing cruelties like this makes me want to help the poor surpressed victimized self-governing people... Cool build though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Khorne Posted September 28, 2020 Nice cannon! Even though it might be a small build, it still has plenty of action and a good story to accompany it. I like it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keymonus Posted September 28, 2020 43 minutes ago, Fraunces said: Those poor terraversans! Farmer boys slaughters for the imperialistic ambitions... Seeing cruelties like this makes me want to help the poor surpressed victimized self-governing people... Cool build though Matter of semantics... here I see the henchmen of a tyrant who brought Terraversa to ruin, and brave soldiers bringing back peace and order to the oppressed people of Terraversa! OOC Yes, this is an imperialistic act of invasion of a nation sending its soldiers to die in a foreign land for mere reasons of money and power... exactly as happened in a good half of all BoBS events! In real life it is terrible, but here as a game it's different, something like Star Wars Empire invading planets and conquering the galaxy! 19 minutes ago, Khorne said: Nice cannon! Even though it might be a small build, it still has plenty of action and a good story to accompany it. I like it. 16 minutes ago, JintaiZ said: Fantastic build! Thank you guys! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LM71Blackbird Posted September 28, 2020 A great story and and that cannon is awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NOD Posted September 28, 2020 Nice big Kannon, this is my first time to see one like this. Good build and interesting story. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Genaro Posted September 29, 2020 What joy! Always nice to read about the boys in blue victorious over their wretched foe. A very nice action scene with good posing of the minifigs. I always like a brick-built cannon, and this one is no exception. Very well done all around. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bodi Posted September 29, 2020 Very nice scene, and good job with the accompanying text. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
merc Posted September 29, 2020 Good job on the scene. I especially like the cannon as well as the poses and expressions that many of the minifigs have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mesabi Posted September 30, 2020 Great story, and nice build. I like the minifig selection and posing, and the cannon looks quite good as well. That being said, I hope Terraversa kicks your blue butts! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blackdeathgr Posted September 30, 2020 Excellent cannon, writing and above all photos that really make this vignette looks way bigger! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
