The Siege Of Southbridge

A record of the prolonged siege.

The **Siege of Haven** was the first main assault, with the Fortress of **Gishdist Rithzâm** enduring a handful of smaller attacks and the **Kobold** Warren proving its effectiveness against invading forces.

Eventually, the **Goblin** forces started to encroach upon the **Human** territories, setting up a main camp on the Iron Mountains. Reinforcements from the other races arrived, travelling around the Iron Mountains to get to **Southbridge**. The Goblins, in the mean time, would destroy the great wall the Humans had built to stop any invaders.

Several raids were conducted against Southbridge over the course of many seasons. Travelling out of the city was incredibly dangerous, as Goblins now ran unchecked over the continent. Some did manage to find routes that the goblins did not know about, but many others died trying to reach their former homes.

As many were now calling Southbridge their home, if only temporary, they realised that defence was of the utmost importance. Human builders and Dwarven architects set upon fortifying the walls and various buildings in the town. The **Elves**, knowledgeable of the Goblin tactics, devised particular defences and the Kobolds, who were well versed in defending from just about everything, lent their aid to the effort.

After a prolonged period of small raids, the Goblins amassed to storm the gates. Breaking through, they quickly met with **Dwarves** who were manning the barricades connected to the gate.

With the combined offensive of the Dwarven military and the Humans who were shooting Goblins from archer nests and across the wall, the Goblins were slowly driven back and the crumbling gate was quickly blocked.

The Goblins constructed impromptu siege weapons that launched TNT into the walls and suicide bombers to try and breach the walls. By doing this, they cleverly avoided the moat that had been dug around Southbridge. Every idle hand was sent to the walls with a bow and focused on trying to eliminate these siege weapons.

A few warriors, mostly Dwarves, guarded the lower city by the gates, to kill any Goblin who might succeed in their goal. Unfortunately, the defence wasn't enough and the Goblins blew a large hole in the fortified wall, gaining access to the lower city. Spreading like a virus, they looted and burned buildings down whilst the combined military forces of the allied races hunted them down.

With a main defensive at the large stone staircase leading to the upper city, which was the only way in unless you were able to scale the sheer stone walls, the Goblins were denied access to the upper city. Wave upon wave of Goblins smashed against the Southbridge Legion's soldiers, each time coming back stronger with more and more troops.

After an eternity of fighting, the valiant soldiers were forced behind the gates to the upper city, allowing a portion of the Goblin forces entry to the most well defended part of the city. Even as the Goblins were slaughtered in the town, more would replace them, eventually gaining access to Ozma Citadel.

At the time, Ozma Citadel was the barracks of the Thunder Legion and the Legate, Azubaki. It is unknown what happened within those walls, but the Goblins destroyed a vast majority of it and took the Legate hostage. Bringing the Legate out in full sight, the Goblins demanded that the Human Commander meet with them and agree with their demands, or else they would torture and then kill the Legate.

Commander Amara Matueius shrugged, took aim and shot the Legate directly, killing him; It would have been foolish to rescue him and a quick death was preferably.

The Goblins in the Citadel were enraged and began a bloody right with the surrounding military. The Citadel itself was now rubble, which meant the engagement was now a bloody hand-to-hand melee, fought over the rocks and crumbling stonework. It didn't take long, but the remains of the Citadel was washed clean of any Goblin presence.

The Goblin forces outside the walls fell back and regrouped, beginning their final assault on the west gate of Southbridge. Rolling out their siege weaponry and their remaining troops, the Goblin leaders taunted the defenders of Southbridge.

However, they did not know what had been built during the time everyone was stationed in the city. In a secret chamber, hidden behind the two gigantic banners on the side of the mountain, facing over the west gate, were the Dominators. Four gigantic ballistae, the largest ever successfully constructed, each with their own loading dock and stack of bolts, waited to be operated.

Due to the unique construction of the ballistae, the unloading and loading of bolts was now a seamless action, helped along with the groups of people manning them.

Commander Amara Matueius ordered the banners burned, with the Goblin leaders now seeing the death that awaited them.

As the Goblins tried to advance on Southbridge, the Commander ordered the Dominator teams to open fire. Working efficiently, the ballistae bolts blew craters in the ground, devastating the Goblin ranks and their siege weaponry.

After a hail of destructive force, the Goblins were defeated outside the city. Small numbers of them remained in the lower levels, but they were soon purged.

The battle for Southbridge had been won, but the war was far from over.