Siege Engine

**Siege engines** are weapons or warbeasts used to break a siege or battlefield stalemate, either by destroying fortifications and barred entrances, or dispersing large waves of enemy forces. Although the term "siege engine" in historical usage was applied only to weapons or warbeasts which would end sieges, the term has become more inclusive to apply to any such tactic which ends static fighting of any sort, such as trench warfare. They can range in size from small, hand-held cannons to giant, wheeled battering rams.

## History

Siege engines have a long history in Akilos, but are relatively unknown or underdeveloped in other parts of the world. As a result, siege engine usage is almost uniquely a development of the continent. As peoples began to settle in lands after the development of agriculture, cities were founded and grown. When war came to these new settlements, the walls of the largest of these settlements would endure through the harshest of battles, and would secure their peoples' survival. When combatants tried and failed to capture these locations, the siege engine came to be, although the earliest of siege engines were created exclusively for siege warfare, where they would either tire out or break down the doors of the besieged.

## Modern Usage of the Term

The modern usage of the term siege engine is derived from the arms race which began after the devastating effects of siege engines was made known to the world, which led to new emboldened tactics to take hold in opposition to the weapons. One such tactic utilized by the larger city-states was to simply deploy their own forces as a human wall, utilizing their superior numbers against their aggressors to create a battle of attrition where the enemy was doomed to fail, regardless of their technological might. With this startling development being unprecedentedly effective, masters of the siege engine began searching for more creative solutions to the problem. Using the mobility, intelligence, and ferocity of warbeasts, the newest iteration of siege engines was born. Used to break sieges just as their progenitors, the warbeasts were also well-suited to ground battles, which both surprised and intrigued the combatants. This new use of siege engines was then reflected in their modern definition, as they are used equally in true siege warfare, but also in battles where there is little to no advancement. In tandem with warbeasts, man-made siege engines were still employed, which led to the subclass of handheld siege engine, thereby granting a trained footsoldier similar power of the much larger siege engines of yore.

## Types of Siege Engines

### Manmade

#### Catapults

Catapults are one of the best known examples of siege engines. Although not often used under the newer usage of the term, catapults are highly effective at ending sieges and, occasionally, dispersing enemy footsoldiers. Catapults can range from simple to complex, small to large, and even materials used. The most common way to utilize this siege engine is to transport the pieces to a battlefield, build the weapon far away from any distance to be retaliated, then launch heavy projectiles at the general location of the target. Catapults are still commonly used, and are one of the only siege engines where every culture has developed some form of it.

#### Battering Rams

Battering rams are the most common form of siege engine around the world, due in no small part to the ease of construction and use. A battering ram can be as simple as a log used to strike with force by several strong soldiers, or as complex as towering constructions pushed by entire regiments that are powered by gravity. The battering ram is simple, and regardless of how advanced they are, the premise is still the same: walk up to a fortification, and hit it as hard as you can. Battering rams are never used in field warfare.

#### Ballistae

Ballistae are large missile weapons developed by the Luscus Estasteras during the Sistan Crusades. Ballistae can essentially be summarized as giant crossbows, although that isn't entirely accurate. Ballistae were designed in response to the weaknesses of the catapult, as counterattacks against catapults due to their limited range made them vulnerable and potentially huge wastes of funds. Ballistae are more accurate and shoot farther, but suffer in that their payloads are not as destructive as the catapults. Ballistae can occasionally be used in field warfare, due to their smaller size and higher accuracy in comparison to the catapult, it can be used to wound or kill high-value targets, or even enemy siege engines.

#### Moving Walls

Moving walls, as the name implies, are essentially giant walled structures made to move large waves of allied soldiers without the serious risk of injury or death. These siege engines are unusual in that they do not deliver the payload themselves, and rather rely on the men utilizing the siege engine to deliver powerful blows against enemy soldiers. Moving walls are also unique as they aren't traditional siege engines, and were developed precisely to end field warfare stalemates. The moving wall has many iterations, and has multitudes of uses, but the most common way is to use a cart or human power to move the wall whilst hand siege engine masters, as well as strong men-at-arms, work in tandem to destroy large swathes of combatants or structures.

#### Spearcages

Spearcages are siege engines designed exclusively for field combat. Spearcages are used to offer protection from warbeasts or catapults whilst also having many openings for spearmen to retaliate against their aggressors. Despite the name, spearcages are not truly cages, but instead provide many openings for spears to be mounted, making them almost like carriages. Spearcages are used by simply walking into a battlefield and breaking pike or shield walls by attacking or blocking line of sight.

### Handheld

#### Hand Ballistae

Hand ballistae are ballistae that are designed to bridge the gap between the man-portable crossbow and the devastating power of the ballista. Hand ballistae were common during the First Nost-Ts'ivlkan War, and are occasionally used by hunters to bring down the largest of game. Hand ballistae are often seen as obsolete, bringing together two weapon systems which was simply unneeded. However, despite this obsolescence, hand ballistae have seen renewed interest in Ingrastel, where they are often used to quell wolfmen plagues, as crossbows often haven't enough power to handle large beasts such as those.

#### Hand Cannons

Hand cannons employ the destructive power of magick greypowder without the technological issues associated with firearms. Hand cannons are often employed alongside moving walls, utilizing their close-range destructive power to destroy even heavily-armored structures. Hand cannons can also be deployed as a weapon called a mortar, which grants the user the range of a catapult alongside the destruction of one. Hand cannons suffer from being unable to be reloaded, as their reliability does not allow room to permit functional reloading.

### Living

##### Siege Warbeasts

Siege warbeasts are a subtype of warbeast which, naturally, falls under the definition of a siege engine. Warbeasts can be small, mobile creatures strapped to explosives, to large mounts used as steeds, to even uncontrollable colossi that destroy everything in their paths. Siege warbeasts are prized for their intelligence first and foremost, as they can utilize their own problem-solving in unprecedented situations. Siege warbeasts can be used in any type of siege battle, but are relatively uncommon due to being expensive to train, maintain, and replace should they be lost.

## List of Siege Engines

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> *This list is incomplete, as there are simply too many items to list. You can assist this page by expanding the list.*
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* Great ballista
* Trebuchet
* Lever catapult
* Gravity catapult
* Spearcage
* Moving wall
* Ballista
* Flaming Faceguard
* Urnish Thornspike
* Kehjel
* Siege wurm
* Ugovan war dragon
* Living barbed wire
* Mortar
* Ogrins