Liberation of Enkidu

A young Uridiki conscript stood atop the massive walls that encircled the second city of Urudik, looking out across the vast deserts and watching them blend into the grasslands and fertile river that gave the Erigiresh its food. Tired and hot he had begun to doze off, dreaming of his girlfriend back home and the outcome of the current election. Leaning against his spear so that he didn’t fall over he raised his hand to cover his eyes from the midday sun, sending blinding light over the horizon along with the marching feet of an army the size of thousands. ‘Wait, the sun doesn’t have feet’ he though, looking up again and seeing the massive army covered in the finest bronze armour and positively bristling with pike heads that where atop poles so long it was as though they were reaching for the gods.

The conscript ran to ring on a bell, the quiet tolls being quickly carried by other men who saw the same sign and quickly the walls where manned with many more men raised from farms and slums across the Republic. Even though the city held well over 30,000 men who fought for the Republic they could only spare a mere 10,000 to defend the walls, the rest were caught up in patrols, battles and suppression of the natives with many houses having been flattened or torn down to help make this job easier. Hearing the bells many of the cities’ inhabitants would seek out information about what was going on, getting a range of answers from them having all gone mad to that a dragon had burnt Urudik to the ground. Few knew of the truth and fewer believed it, still remembering the apparent betrayal they had been delt all those years ago when the Republics forces had been crushed and yet they remained unliberated.

Outside the wall Malik Mangkur lead her men front and centre, with her army numbering 40,000 professional soldiers paid for with the rich earth of Yianushir and the promise of land in the south should they serve for their full 20 year contract. A second army had been positioned in Ilkhurinia, planned to march over the river and assault Urudik from behind and thus split the republics forces. Outside the walls they could see the damage they had suffered, covered in cracks and scorch marks they seemed to only be mere imitations of the grand walls her Great-Great Grandfather had assaulted all those years ago. Ordering the army to set up camp they would do exactly this, surrounding the city and having some limited engagements with a small rear guard to the cities west.

Slowly watching his city be surrounded the Urudiki governor would begin to arrange a small party to meet the Kisurani Malik on the field. Covered in bronze plates enbeded with diamonds and gold the governor shone like a small star as he walked across the loose dirt to the Royal tent, being stopped by a few soldiers on the outskirt of the camp. He would demand to see their Malik, and just as he was about to be denied this and ordered back to his city she made her way out of the ranks, clad in her own armour, the same as her men’s except for a golden ring that sat atop her head.

“What is it this man wants captain” Mangkur asked

“He wanted to see you about ending this siege”

“But its only just begun? Where the fun in going home now”

“Mangkur of Kisuran I take it?” The Urudiki interjected

“And since when did you have the right to use my name like that?” She spat back

“Since we abolished the archaic system that put people like you in charge of millions”

“What do you want slave boy? Come here to plead for a comfortable place in my court in exchange for the city?”

“You think to highly of your court Mangkur of Kisuran, I simply come to ask why waste all this effort on a city that in untameable?”

“Because they will yield for me, and they did my father”, She responded, looking at the small man in his armour, knowing he had never seen a battle in his lefe let along commanded one, “My good man, I have an offer for you instead. You surrender this city and I’ll left you keep your tongue”

“And what makes you think you can even take the city in the first place?” the governor replied.

“I have my ways”

“I’m sure the oh so great Mangkur of Kisuan will be able to take the city the Grand Republic took many years to whilst im still the governor. After all you father never managed. I hear it was one of his greatest regrets in his short life. Slaughtered like an animal in his own city I hear.”

“I’m sure you are familiar with this beautiful weapon”, Mangkur said to the man, grabbing a Dreka off of one of the men around her, “Forged from the strongest iron and enough power to piece even the thickest of amours.”

“I have read of their existence yes, a crude weapon for crude people”

“Well I’m sure this will change your mind” She carried on, picking in a glowing piece of rope and lighting the weapon, sending a red hot iron ball right though the chest of one the governors guards, “And you will refer to me as ‘Malik alu Erĭgĭtab, ûlanem alu Varhan’ if you want to make it back to my city and make sure the palace in nice and warm for me when I get in”

The small man scutter back to the city before any of the Kisuranis got the idea to put an arrow for 2 into his back.

The foundries of Medikalib had for the last few months been making casts and pouring molten bronze as they slowly been cooling and shipped off to the siege in Enkidu. Massive iron bands were transported across the mountain ranges in the east to join the siege as well along with a small army of men to construct the machine. Men atop the walls of Enkidu would look out and see these unimaginably large sections of bronze arriving from ships on the river alongside food shipments, at first very confused as to what they were supposed to be, at first thinking it was part of a large bell but slowly coming to see it was part of a bombard that was over 12 foot across.

As weapon begun to take shape many inside the walls begun to get nervous, as a bombard of that size would make quick work of anything put in front of it, including the walls that would keep them safe. The cities governor kept getting up dates on its construction, getting progressively more nervous as to what would happen should the city fall to a conquest, worrying about the promise his advisory had given him. He walked upon the walls, among his men who had grown tired and homesick and would take a final look at the 2 halves of the mighty weapon that where being lifted together and having the final re-enforcements being added and would call down and invited the Malik to come and negotiate his own surrender.

Over the next few hours Enkidu would be under the rule of its new Governor, Addrahasis of Enkidu, with the men who had been fighting for Urudik being allowed to return to their homes in exchange for their weapons and armour. The city would be integrated into the Malikhate of Kisuran, a large contingent of the Kisurani army would be needed to stay behind and help supress the continued revolts and put down the small pockets of the city where the civil war was still going on. The would-be bombard would be taken back to Medikalib and melted down again to be used for something useful. Those who saw the plans for the weapon would note some issues that would affect the bombards usability, such as the fact there would be no way to light the powder once it was loaded or that the amount of explosives needed to make it fire would cause it to crack.

Many believe that this is because the cannon was never designed to fire and was simply a plan to intimidate the cities defenders into handing it over quickly. Evidence for this includes the previously mentioned botched designs and the fact it was never finished but instantly taken to be melted back into its basic elements.