As you may or may not have clued into. It is exam period and I have been very busy with both my dissertation and with exams at university. I have managed to find some time to update. But do not expect more immediately.

Chapter 10

The walls of Alam stood imposing and fortified in front of Hawke. The fortifications made of strong and well laid granite blocks. The reports he had from his agents indicated that they were at least a spear length thick. On top of them the battlements and ramparts were teeming with Qunari soldiers manning the walls.

He could see the karastan with armour freshly polished and cleaned, and weapons no doubt freshly sharpened. Archers lined the walls with the quivers full to capacity as they held their bows constantly at the ready. Behind them in a silent formation were the infantry of the Arishok's army. The walls stood at roughly 80 feet tall and the towers that dotted it stood at just over a hundred feet above the ground.

Even now he could hear the extra fortifications being laid against the massive oak gate that led into the city. The Qunari were hammering extra pieces of wood and metal to the gate to give it extra strength in the face of battering rams and other methods of forced entry. This was an added obstacle in his plans, but at the same time it was a good sign. The fact that the Qunari were well and truly sealing the gate showed that they were digging in deep for a defensive siege. If they had felt more confident, they would have held on to the option of sallying out to attack his siege fortifications. But they had clearly despaired of that idea, and were standing purely on the defensive.

The city was almost completely hidden behind the wall except for the tallest buildings in the city. The temple of Koslun, the administration centres, and the acropolis were visible over the rim of the ramparts. The tall towers made of gold coloured bricks rose into the sky, with shining spires that pointed to the heavens. The roofs were designed with a segmented quality that Hawke had seen in a few Tevinter buildings, but not many. But since Seheron was a Tevinter province before the Qunari claimed it. It was hard to tell the difference between Qunari and Tevinter architecture. The only purely Qunari built city he knew of was Qunandar, and few Bas had ever seen it and returned.

The walls bore the scars and cracks of his siege catapults attempting to weaken the walls. There were a few sections of wall that had slightly crumbled, but they still remained formidable at their core. In the city smoke columns rose up here and there, as a result of his fire artillery.

He had offered the city the chance to surrender when his army had first arrived at its walls. His terms were very generous. They lay down their weapons, open the gates to his army and swear loyalty to the Empire. In return for this they would not be harmed, their houses and possessions were left untouched. He also made it clear that those in positions of power would be allowed to retain it under imperial rule. He made this last concession because he knew very well. That no matter how humanitarian he was, it was how he treated those in power, that determined if they would surrender or not.

But it didn't really come as much of a surprise when the city rejected his offer. In fact they had cast the heads of his envoys over the walls for their answer. That action had come as a surprise, and it had made Hawke shake with fury. In all the rules and conventions of war, the envoys and diplomats were to be heard and treated with all respect. For the Qunari to murder his messengers and defile their bodies was intolerable. They had even refused to return them for a proper burial or funeral rites. That proved to be the last straw.

Hawke had assembled a dozen Qunari prisoners in front of the walls, just out of bow range. He had then had them tied to poles and left them facing the walls. He had then ordered their throats to be cut and the bodies set alight. As the corpses had burned while the Qunari on the walls watched, he had yelled out to the defenders. He promised that any more killing of Tevinter prisoners or messengers would result in more of the same. Only next time the Qunari would be alive when he set them on fire.

At the time Hawke had meant it as a bluff. But now he was not sure if he would do it or not. The days when he had been a simple man of fortune were gone. In those days he could make his money were ever he could and he could maintain his moral compass. Now with the responsibilities of waging a war and commanding an army, he was sometimes forced into these things these days. He had killed many people, either by his own hand or by his orders. He had sent people into slavery, but always of their own violation. Right now he wasn't sure if he could say in all honesty if he was a good man or not.

Turning away from the wall of the city he began moving back up the side of the ditch that his soldiers had dug to defend against attacks on the camp. He took care to avoid the large wooden stakes that had been placed in the side of the ditch. Once he was able to walk up to the top of the ditch he crossed over to the other side on the wooden plank that was extended over the trench that acted as an extra defence.

Flanked by his two bodyguards, he moved through the camp as his soldiers went about their duties. As he passed his soldiers (in common fashion) fell to one knee and bowed their heads. He gave small nods of acknowledgements but at the moment he was occupied with matters of war.

He ducked under the flap to his command tent and sat down at his desk, with uncountable documents and letters. He dismissed his guards with a wave of his hand and as they resumed their place at the entrance, he picked up his battle plans.

He had had his shifters scout the city from above and sketch a very detailed map of the city of Alam. He had notes giving him vague idea of how many troops they had and wear they were or would be deployed. He had conflicting reports and incomprehensible messages from spies. He was ready to set the whole damned pile alight.

Closing his eyes and taking a relaxing sigh, he returned to his plans. His Tal-Vashoth mercenaries were still in Alam. The last raven he had received from them indicated that they had been accepted as loyal members of the Qun and were set to work manning the city walls. He was confident that they could open the gates to his men in the dead of night. But the Arishoks strengthening of their gate had stopped that plan. There was no way for those reinforcements on the gate to be removed in anything that remotely resembled silence.

Alam had supplies to last for months even in peacetime. With the war on, the Qunari had doubled the supplies of the city. And with his victory at Zenium he had relieved the Arishoks of thousands of months to feed. At this rate Alam would be starved out of food in just over a year. And by that time the Qunari could have sent relief forces to the city. This would sandwich his army between two hostile forces and spell doom for his campaign.

His captains had asked if Alam might run out of water, if not food. But a quick conversation with this Tal Vashoth had ended that suggestion. Alam was built on top of a well spring that connected to an underground river. The city had an unending supply of fresh water with no way to cut it off.

As it was, the situation demanded that Alam fall quickly, but the city was a fortress. And with a still large army of defenders protecting it, it was not going to be easy. The only option open to him seemed to be taking the city by storm, but he was reluctant to do that. If he attacked and was repulsed then he would have lost thousands of soldiers and possibly his entire war.

The army of the north was in danger of being smashed against the walls of Alam and broken in the battle. The Qunari for all their faults were not guilty of giving up the fight. Destroy one Qunari army, and another will take its place. But take a Qunari city and their supply lines are cut, their man power reserves damaged, and their food sources removed.

He had no doubt the Qunari would continue to fight without Alam. But it would be a bitter blow to them and their morale. And despite their image of not caring about such things, the Qunari did feel loss.

Hawke weighed up his options and their possible outcomes for a moment longer before he ordered his guards to summon a war council. A while later he was sitting at his seat at the head of the war council table. At his side was Merrill, and around the table his captain generals.

"As you are all aware, we need to secure Alam soon. We cannot starve them out and a Qunari relief army will be here shortly. I am open to other suggestions, but I can no longer see any option to us, then to attack the city directly. This will cause losses and it may not even be successful, but I see no other option. Opinions"

For a moment none of the commanders made a noise as they searched their minds for any other option available to them. Then they began conversing with each other to compare their theories. Then Captain Julian spoke up.

"My lord, if you and other mages of our army used their magic to create earthquakes under the walls of the city. Then couldn't we use this to bring the walls crashing down and open our way into the city?"

The captains looked hopeful at that and Merrill turned to her lover with a questioning, but hopeful look on her face.

Hawke shook his head sadly "Ordinarily that might work. But the foundations for the walls of the city are set fifteen feet deep into the earth. They are supported by the sloping fixture at the base. And this gives them added stabilisation against such natural disasters. No, an earthquake would do nothing. And this design of the wall also prevents tunnelling under the foundations.

The council looked dejected for a moment and once more the floor was open to discuss how to capture the city without massive loss of Imperial life. Another captain named Quintus spoke up next.

"My lord, couldn't the shifters enter the city in the forms of birds and infiltrate it? They could be thousands inside the city and the Qunari would never know until it was too late."

"No captain they couldn't" Hawke said "Because in their fanatical hatred of magic, the Qunari have taken it upon themselves to place magic supressing wards on many buildings in the city. The shifters would be unable to maintain their chosen forms and they would be defenceless against the garrison."

Quintus scowled in frustration as his idea failed.

Hawke let the silence continue for a moment until he was sure that was the end of the suggestions. He then stood up, and as he did all the council stood up with him.

"Gentlemen, lady" He said with a small smirk at Merrill "At dawn in two days we will launch an attack against the walls of Alam. We will use ladders and battering rams as well as magic. And if the Maker is with us. We will be sitting in the office of the Arishok while the fallen soldiers sit in the halls of heaven."

Placing his hand against his chest in the Tevinter salute he said "Glory to the Empire."

The council imitated his action "Death to its enemies!"