It took several minutes for all of the adventurers to start picking up what Jack was trying to explain to them.The Testudo was an old combat formation Roman legions would use to protect themselves against arrow fire as they approached an enemy position, typically during a siege. When a unit performed the manuever, the soldiers to the front and sides of the formation would raise their large rectangular scutum shields to eye level in such a way that they covered each soldier"s entire body. They would then layer their shield slightly onto the shield of the soldiers adjacent to them, completely removing any gaps that an arrow could penetrate. Then, all soldiers in the center of the formation would raise and interlock their shields over their heads and the heads of the soldiers providing coverage to the front and sides. Once every soldier"s shield was in place, the resulting formation was functionally arrow-proof, with the whole group operating like a giant shield-covered turtle.
After he explained the intricacies of the formation and how it would need to be a.s.sembled, he left the group to decide which position each adventurer would a.s.sume, and how they would coordinate their advance.
As he watched the group practice, Urien walked up beside him.
"I didn"t peg you for knowing anything about army formations. You continue to surprise me." He said.
"Well, I don"t technically have any real experience with commanding real troops. I just used to play a lot of real-time strategy computer games. Rome was always one of my favorite factions, and I learned a lot about how they commanded their armies while playing, I guess." Jack said.
Urien looked at like he only understood about half the words he"d just heard, and gave Jack a look that indicated a need for him to explain further.
"I know theory." Jack said. "I have no practical experience myself. But I know that the theory works because other people have used it. So, we"re gonna give it a shot."
"If you say so. I trust your judgment." Urien said.
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After about twenty minutes of practice, the group seemed to be able to move relatively in a cohesive whole with the shields in place. Once it appeared everything was as coordinated it was going to get under the circ.u.mstances, he called Urien and Farlo back over and had the group demonstrate. Satisfied, the three of them met with the other leaders, and set about planning the rest of the attack.
After some deliberation, it was agreed that the Testudo would be flanked and accompanied by the majority of the attacking force as it was far more likely to draw attention from the defenders. What archers they had would remain towards the back of the battlefield and rain as much fire as possible into the camp defenses until the Testudo reached the bridge, at which point they would transition to skirmishers and provide melee support. While this primary offensive would draw most of the camp"s attention, a small group of adventurers, led by Jack, would cut their way into close proximity to the camp, and once in place, would focus on targeting the arrow towers on the right side. Urien and Abigail would lead an attack on the left towers, while Farlo commanded the center. Once numbers were accounted for, there were half a dozen arcane casters available on the adventurers side capable of casting fire magic. To increase the chances of success, they would be divided equally between the two flanking attacks so that the burden of taking down the towers didn"t rely solely on Jack or Abigail.
Once the towers were taken down, the flanking parties would then attempt to punch holes in the barrier surrounding the gnoll defensive line, and put pressure on the defenders from two other angles while the main force drive into the center across the bridge, following the Testudo.
That was the general idea, anyway.
The key issue would be if the gnolls had any tricks planned that the scouts hadn"t been able to uncover ahead of time. Considering they had been less than accurate about the total number of defenders, Jack didn"t know what to expect. So it was better to plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised than to expect nothing to go wrong.
Once the defenders were routed, the survivors of the attack would rendezvous at the base of the mountain and prepare for the next wave of the a.s.sault. That was, of course, a.s.suming they were successful in their attack. If their attack failed, however, he wasn"t sure what the next move would be. If an actual armed force couldn"t succeed in breaking through the gnoll llines, how could he as a single man hope to do any better? He couldn"t entertain that thought. They HAD to break through if he was going to save Ellie. There were no other options. He had to make sure the attack succeeded, even if it might kill him in the process. At this point, he"d do anything to get her out of there, even if it cost him his life. That would be a small price to pay to make sure she was finally okay.
Once all of the plans were finalized and disseminated among the attackers, it was agreed to take thirty minutes for final preparations, and then the attack would begin. Just enough time for him to meet his support team, and mentally steel himself.
He noticed that with every consecutive battle, the nerves leading up to them seemed more distant and detached. They didn"t ever go away, but it seemed like his ability to separate himself from being overwhelmed by them continued to grow and grow. Perhaps it was acclimation. Perhaps he had just become too innured to care anymore. Either way, he felt his belly flopping like always, but this time his hands were steady, and his mind mostly clear.
Hold tight, Eleanor. We"re almost there. Don"t lose hope.
I will be there soon.