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The garrison commander shuffled about a bit, silently weighing his options before him.
<span class="mu-i"> ''No, I cannot; I cannot surrender Ullsby without a fight. It would be unseemly of me, and King Karl would most certainly demand my head. I hope you shall prove the able military mind you are set out to be, but for now, I must bid thee farewell.'' </span>
<span class="mu-i"> ''A pity, it truly is. Well, let us be off, then. Ere these ruffians decide to take advantage of our vulnerable positions.'' </span> With that, you returned to the lines of your army, which had been busy completing the investment of the city.
Ullsby wasn't the biggest of cities, and as such you could plan out your blockade from both land and sea most effectively. Breastworks were raised in case of a sally, the tents were set up, farmhouses were billeted and abandoned buildings occupied.
For now, the supply lines could give you the food and fresh water you needed to feed your army, which was a good thing; soldiers who can't eat tend to go and find new sources of food, which usually ends with burning farms, dead farmers and the livestock missing.
<span class="mu-i"> ''Careful, careful! That stuff costs a fortune to produce! And if it catches fire, you wish to the gods that it will be quick.'' </span> One of the sergeants overseeing the pouring of ethanol from its brass container into the pots, which in turn shall be placed on the ballista bolts.
It was most certainly true that the alchemical good was expensive to make, but it wasn't that expensive; the alchemical laboratory in the wizards' towers' basement of the Albrechtsburg had produced a rather large reserve, so it wasn't that expensive, though it was dangerous.
Over at the ballista proper, the operating crew was attuning the attitude of their siege engine. <span class="mu-i"> "Right, lower it by about ten degrees, would you? I think we're overshooting if we keep it at its current angle," </span> the captain of the crew instructed. The crew quickly began pulling several levers and gears to adjust the angle of the ballista.
They had spent most of the morning trying to adjust the position of the ballista to aim for the largest block of buildings with thatched roofs. And as the first of the bolts was being loaded onto the ballista, a young man had to light a small fire that would ensure the ethanol would burn upon impact.
<span class="mu-i"> ''Ready!''
''Light the pot!''
''Loose!'' </span>
And off it went, like a sunray flying from its thrower, reaching an impressive height before tumbling down.
<span class="mu-s"> To see the impact of the initial bombardment, roll a 1d100 [DC 60]. </span>
