LAYING SIEGE TO THE ENEMY

Besieging directs a legion about the destruction/removal of the target/defences set up in the destination location. It is necessary to successfully carry out all appropriate besieging on a target location before you can move onto plundering (looting the contents of the besieged locale) and then razing (final destruction of the plundered location). See HELP PLUNDER or HELP RAZING for instructions on the post-siege stages.

Syntax: DEPLOY BESIEGING <percentage amount>

Directs your legion to deploy the specified amount of troops about the "besieging" trained skill. This will determine the number of men available to carry out the besieging endeavour and is a requirement to proceed. See HELP DEPLOY.

Syntax: BESIEGE <target>/EVERYTHING <direction>/HERE.

Laying siege requires the use of battering rams (or axes if directed against roused trees/huorns) to besiege in-location targets or catapults and mortar-bombs for longer distance sieges. The potency of a besieging task will be determined by numerous factors. These include:

- the number of battering rams, or catapults, or axes (if huorns are the target) held by the legion (up to a maximum of 8 concurrent rams or 30 catapults besieging, per localepoint, in most conditions).

- half as many bombs as the typical maximum can be launched against indoor fortifications, while outdoor fortifications allow double the number of rams to be used.

- the amount of men deployed about the besieging effort.

- the specialist skills of "bombs" (for catapult+bomb sieges) or "melee" (for battering-ram close up siege) skills trained by the legion.

- the overall size of the legion.

Syntax: SIEGES.

Gives you a run-down of the key numbers for carrying out a siege against enemy positions.

Syntax: BESIEGE CEASE.

Orders the legion to withdraw from its besieging task and leave its target broken, but not yet destroyed.

SIEGE TARGETS

FORTIFICATIONS - the main form of location/regional defence, generally built up over important passes (like gatehouses) or as bulwarks protecting significant areas (like outside guildhouses). Fortifications are the only form of permanent defence that strike back agaist besiegers within range, with or without the need for specific orders or being manned by defensive soldiers. NOTE: Forts are either "gatehouse" or" makeshift" type, the former used for city gatehouses and much harder to break down than the latter which can be placed anywhere.

NOTE: fortifications (even if unmanned) will strike back and thus cause injury (and potential fatalties) to the besieger. Fortifications take damage appropriate to their surroundings and battlefield conditions, with a distinction betwixt:

CITY GATEHOUSE FORTS (40% of standard besiege damage taken) vs CITY BARRIER FORTS (200% of standard besiege damage taken).

TOWN GATEHOUSE FORTS (100% of standard besiege damage taken) vs ADHOC VILLAGE / TOWN FORTS (250% of standard besiege damage taken).

RURAL GATEHOUSE FORTS (110% of standard besiege damage taken) vs UNARMED / RURAL FORTS (500% of standard besiege damage taken).

SIEGETOWER - the siegetower is the multipurpose offesive shield/vantage point and defensive augmentation (when attached to, for instance, a trench entrance or a fortification). See HELP SIEGETOWER for detailed info.

BARRICADES - used to create blockages within a location, to raise obstacles, to augment defensive positions, etc.

DOORS/GATES - found throughout the land protecting buildings, guildhouses, storerooms, shops, private homes, government buildings - stronger doors will resist siege for longer.

HUORNS - the awakened trees of semi-intelligent nature, often led by an ent-shepherd and roused to an aggressive state: generally marshalled by a member of the ranger profession to attack legions or fortifications/defences with a supernatural power. Huorns can only be besieged in-location or in adjacent locations. See HELP HUORNS and HELP FELLING for further info.

OILCAULDRONS - the scaffold-rigged oilcauldrons used for pouring burning oil on besiegers (from defensive positions) or from higher positions against lower (into trenches, for instance). See HELP OILCAULDRONS for detailed info.

TUNNELS - all tunnels have a starting point, the basis of the scaffold-fortified tunnel. Besieging the tunnel can be done anywhere but if successful at the startpoint can collapse much of the tunnel (including its all-important entrance/exit).

TRENCHES - the trench is a fortified defensive or pre-offensive position dug into a location. Laying siege to a trench removes it as a threatening tactical location, chasing out whatever is within.