A Siege of Winterfell Battle

[DwK]WuTang entered the small council chamber with the parchment rolled tightly in his hands. "We're screwed. I guess this is what we get for making it into the Super League. We're up against [BbS]." A silent hush fell over the table as the council members weighed the information, and [DwK]Lord Cron let out a low whistle. "What's the plan, Lord Commander?"

[DwK]Merc cleared his throat. "Our typical strategy won't work in this instance. We're going to have to change it up. We need to take the Hotsprings, its going to be the only chance we have. Forget the Armory for now, let them have it. They out-power us, so our only hope is to dry them out of heals."

"Five more minutes to battle. How many lords have answered the summon?" Asked [DwK]King John. "40. Fewer than half. Not too bad, though, our numbers seem fairly even, 40-47," replied [DwK]Ofex.

"No," said [DwK]Merc, "we're not even, that is 21 more marches than us. Get ready, 30 seconds to war! Spread out, don't clump at one corner, we don't want to give our strategy right away. We need one or two players to stay behind and cap the little castles to start earning points."

The final seconds ticked by, in tune with the heavy beating of the soldiers' hearts, and [DwK]Ofex sounded the charge. "Tattara-ta-ta-ta!" and 35 blue lines burst from Pyke, headed to the HotSprings. [DwK]Lord Cron took the lead, followed closely by [DwK]Wu Tang, [DwK]Galaxy, [DwK]Wazi, and [DwK]Merc, the while earth thundered ahead of the charge. Greyjoy Outpost l and 2 were capped, and Base 4 shortly thereafter, but the real battle was only just beginning.

The tanks rammed into a solid wall of red at the Hotsprings. The roar of battle echoed down the valley as many and more blue and red lines came to merge in a chaotic clash.

"Don't give an inch! There are more coming, but stand your ground! We outnumber them, don't back down now!" [DwK]Merc rallied the troops. Many more were still trickling in and facing a slaughter of such magnitude they had never before witnessed. "Inside the circle! Everybody inside the lines! We need to cap the Springs!" The blue wall surged forward, until the Springs was a canvas of swirling red and blue armies striking wildly at all sides, while [DwK]Lord Cron and [DwK]Merc's dragons shot fire from above, setting the fields aflame.

"[BbS]Ghostrider is down!" [DwK]Wu Tang cheered, and the red wave began to quickly fade, the Springs was ours, and 25 remaining armies rushed to drink up the healing waters before the next wave arrived. [DwK] leaned on his sword and turned to [DwK]Merc. "We beat them this time, because half their army marched to the armory. We won't be able to hold them off again.

Our scouts already report a new army is heading our way. Should we attempt the gold bag?" There were three minutes to the first money bag, but already the [BbS] had swarmed Winterfell. "With our 6,000 points to their 27,000, its the only shot we have at winning." [DwK]Merc shouted a rally cry, and the entire army routed from the Springs, surrendering it with no losses to the incoming [BbS]. Down past Base 4, occupied by [DwK]MrAnderSin and [DwK]Mehllie, the blue lines streamed and army after army raced towards Winterfell. A rider from the South came carrying news from the King. He had smashed all incoming attacks to the Greyjoy Outpost 1, but seeing the change in strategy, he mobilized his army north to Base 3. He would clear the base ahead of the arrival of the money bag so the tank captains could focus on securing the gold. 

GoT Winter is Coming Siege of Winterfell Tutorial Video 7--Winterfell Resources

"Charge as one! Group up for heals, and cover each other to avoid a pincer attack. Keep a tight formation!" The horses strained at the bits, infantry men clash their swords against their shields, and the spearmen pounded the earth with the butts of their spears. The first money bag would drop in less than a minute, and [DwK] held only 2 positions, Greyjoy Outpost 1, and Base 4. The last of the tanks arrived, and then the blue surge began. [DwK]Merc, [DwK]Wazi, and [DwK]Wu Tang pushed through the first lines of defense and opened a path to Winterfell.

"Where are our money bag runners? Forward! To Winterfell." Desi, having lost all her initial troops, was lagging behind by almost 40 seconds. Too long. [DwK]LingChung took the initiative and threw himself into the fray, racing towards the money bag. [BbS]Aurelia and [BbS]QueenOfCups stood in the way and held back the army tanks, while [BbS]Jay Deicide and [BbS]Dust1 cutoff any access to the bag. "They're too strong! Our runners are dying before they can get to the bag. We need a whale to carry it." [DwK]Lord Cron sacrificed the attack to grab the bag and headed towards Base 4. "No!" Cried Wu, "You are going the wrong way! Base 4 is too close to the Hotsprings, we won't be able to hold them off if they try to intercept!"

"But there is no other base! Base 3? That's really far away! But okay." [DwK]Lord Cron turned his cavalry and raced back across the Winterfell battlefield. His first army was ripped to shreds, and Merc and the others were unable to clear a path, under heavy fire themselves.

"Great, [BbS]Ghostrider is back." The words alone were a crushing blow, the [BbS] armies swamped [DwK], and all that was left was [DwK]Lord Cron chasing [BbS]Aurelia as she made a desperate dash with the gold to Base 1. It was a long and lonely chase, as he threw all he had into bashing the enemy, his men fighting to their last, slamming against the money bag holder, until [BbS]Aurelia finally failed and dropped the gold.

"I have it! I got the gold! Can anyone hear me? I got the bag!" It was a lonely moment, as [DwK]Lord Cron looked back, all he could see was the wave of red, and when he looked ahead, all he saw was more red. Suddenly, from the parallel path leading down from Base 3, trumpets sounded and afar on a hill he spotted [DwK]Desi's troops rushing at the incoming army, weapons bared, voices crying in unison, ready to crush the opponents. With his last man finally succumbing to the devastating attacks,[DwK]Lord Cron dropped the bag, hopeful that his efforts had not been in vain. Forward charged [DwK]Desi‘s brave army, until [BbS]SirGwayne intercepted the charge, and with two quick smacks put an end to her heroic attempt. It was done. The bag was lost. [DwK] had thrown its hardest and best, but despite fighting to the last man, they succumbed to the more powerful enemy.

The captains regrouped at Castle Pyke. "What now? We are 15 minutes into the battle. We can't fight anymore unless we can heal." [DwK]King John shot his hard, cold eye upon the map, his fist clenched with determination. "Then we shall take the Hotsprings back, be it what it may, [DwK] does not back down without a fight." His eyes glinted with intense fierceness. "Let them know what it means to cross paths with the [DwK]. We have to be smart about it. [DwK]Ofex, [DwK]Merc, follow me to the Armory. We will launch an attack to draw their troops to us. [DwK]Wu Tang, [DwK]Galaxy, [DwK]Lord Cron, and [DwK]Wazi, rally the remaining troops and when [BbS] mobilizes to defend the Armory, launch our main attack to the Springs. This is our chance, this is what will define who we are. May the strength of the Father be with you. [DwK] 4 Life!" The chant rose, and soon the entire army reserve at Pyke was echoing his words.

"[DwK] 4 Life!" The troops cheered, their mood hardly dented by the defeat, their trust in their king, unwavering, until [DwK]Ofex spoke up. "The Armory? Ain't no way I'm going in there!" Cried [DwK]Ofex, "I'd be dead before I made the outer ring." "Don't worry [DwK]Ofex, we won't leave you alone. Stay behind me. I'll take all the heavy hits, and you focus only on dealing damage, run if they target you, then come back to do more damage. We won't abandon you, brother." The armies departed, and [DwK]Wazi and [DwK]Wu Tang rallied the remaining troops to lead them to the HotSprings.

The decoy worked, upon being attacked [BbS] drew its armies out of HotSprings and charged the Armory. While [DwK] only occupied the Armory for a few minutes, their victory, at the cost of its thousands of hundreds of troops, accomplished its purpose. [DwK]Wu Tang, [DwK]Gal, [DwK]Lord Cron, and [DwK]Wazi stormed the HotSprings, supported by tens of smaller players. The battle was fierce!

"[DwK] for life!" [DwK]Wazi screamed at the gathered armies, as [DwK]Galaxy and [DwK]Lord Cron dashed forward fighting passionately side-by-side, as only true love can inspire. The foes fell to their dragons and fierce attack, and the smaller players rallied against the likes of [BbS]Ghostrider and [BbS]JunChobi. It was a desperate battle, the lines collapsed and the armies swirled around each other, in a chaos of fighting. Meanwhile, at the Armory, Merc took heavy damage as he defended his smaller captains, taking the brunt of the attacks, so that they could in turn counter. Every time victory seemed within each, more armies appeared, refilling the ranks of the [BbS], and [DwK]King John and [DwK]Merc fought back to back. "If this is it, bother, I am proud to have fought beside you," the King said in a brief lull. "No," answered [DwK]Merc, "Our time is not done yet, I believe in our men. They will come through." The HotSprings was a sea of red and blue, swirling and chasing one another over the field. Every inch was bought with blood, as [DwK] continued to stream in a steady tide to replace the troops lost. [DwK]Desi thrust her small head into the fray and found [BbS]JunChobi and rallied her armies against him. Her effort might not be much, but she would give it her all.

The Armory did not surrender without a fierce fight. [DwK]King John, [DwK]Ofex, and [DwK]Merc were down to their last troops, when finally they capped the castle. The attack boost gave [DwK]WuTang the additional thrust needed, and the Springs were captured. Bloody, exhausted, desperate, the troops rushed to the waters at the feet of the Mother, and drank her healing mercy. "Heal! Heal now!" The cry rang out across the map, and all players raced to heal their troops while the Springs was still in their power.

"Is there no more healing speed-ups?" [DwK]MarkDBA asked, desperate for support for his 34 days of healing. "We have purchased all the heals we can, brother. This is it. This is our final healing chance." [DwK]Wazi smeared a bloody arm across her face and watched as the next gold bag marched unhindered into [BbS] hands. She turned to her fellow captains and asked what all the [DwK] lords were wondering, what would the final judgment be? To surrender? Or to keep up the fight?

King John marched out of Pyke. "Brother and Sisters of [DwK], today we may have lost, but we have not lost without leaving a mark. We are 12,000 to 81,000 points. They may win, but they have paid for their victory with blood, and the lives of their troops. Now is time for our final counter attack. We will begin at both Greyjoy Outposts. [DwK]Wu Tang and [DwK]Galaxy go to outpost 2, I will take the remaining troops to outpost 1. Once we have captured it, move north. Do not concern yourselves with holding the posts, just kill as many of the enemy as possible, and move on to the next objective. May the mercy of the Mother and Strength of the Father go with you."

With 15 minutes left to the war, the armies split and marched to their appointed locations. King John smashed the opponents and GreyJoy Outpost 1, and marched on to Base 3, and Wu Tang supported the efforts of [DwK]Mehlliee and [DwK]MrAnderSin to capture GreyJoy Outpost 2, and moved directly to Base 4. With only three minutes to spare, the remaining troops, weak and exhausted as they were, charged the Armory and HotSprings in a final attempt to gain elimination points.

"This is it, lords and ladies, I am honored to have fought beside you," [DwK]King John spoke to his soldiers, "Today, you have made me proud. [DwK] 4 Life!"

The last money bag spawned. [BbS]Jun Chobi grabbed the bag and ran. [DwK] had been beat. 13,000 points, not enough for even a single prize. Desperately [DwK]Desi reached out to the [BbS] leadership, how to reach players you cannot message directly? She did all she was able to do, she sent them kissy emojis. As the timer ticked down, she sent more, and more, and more. Perhaps they would understand. She was willing to kiss their feet for the final money bag.

"Beg them!" teased [DwK]MarkDBA, "Then they will give us everything!" and that was the start of a negotiation. With 3 minutes to spare [BbS]JunChobi carried the last money bag all the way to the gates of Base 4. [DwK]LingChung and [DwK]Desi raced to intercept the prize. [DwK]LingChung arrived first. What were the [BbS] intending to do? [BbS]JunChobi dropped the bag outside of Base 4, they were offering a gold bag of mercy. Desperately [DwK]LingChung grabbed the bag and made a dash for the base, but dropped it. [DwK]Wu Tang raced to the location to help out, grabbed the bag, but in his haste, dropped it as well. Finally [DwK]Desi ordered [DwK]WuTang to wait. There were just 60 seconds left.

"They are laughing at us right now, you know they are. Let's show them who we are. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!" [DwK]WuTang made a run with the bag, and with 30 seconds to spare he scored. [DwK] reached 25,000 points, and the first level of rewards. The [BbS] in their mercy abandoned all castles, allowed us to take over and win all possible points we could.

Our final communications with [BbS] read as follows:

[BbS]QueenOfCups "Many thanks for the SoW event. You gave us a good fight, good luck in the wars to come."

[DwK]Merc "Thanks so much that was nice of you appreciate it. Thanks for the fun & great match :)"