Running a gauntleted hand through his beard, Ellarian considered the Captain's words. These sub-men...if they were as savage and barbaric as he had said then they had no right to the lives they possessed. A different culture they may be, but to attempt to push onto Empire lands...that was unforgivable. "The king is a fool then," Ellarian stated plainly, taking the Captain by surprise. In all of his epics and legends, Ellarian was fiercely loyal to the king and would abide by his orders no matter what. The large man looked at the captain. "I am loyal only to the Kingdom, not the King himself," he stated plainly, as if guessing the captain's state of mind, "that means I am loyal to the people and their plight." With that, he returned to his strategic planning. "What do we have at our disposal?" he asked after a moment of silence as he began to climb the stairs to the parapet. The captain mentally calculated their forces. "Close to 800 fatigued men remaining in fighting condition, although they will most definitely be invigorated by your presence," he said with a small smile. A look from Ellarian wiped it straight off of his face. Clearing his throat, the captain continued. "Apart from that, we have two ballistae at our disposal and enough equipment to be sure we are not found unarmed."

Looking over the parapet, Ellarian spotted the enemy host. A warband of humanoids, they sneered up at him as he looked down the line. A small rock cracked against his pauldron, and he thought nothing of it until he felt a burning sensation on his skin. "My L- Sir! Are you alright!?" the captain asked as Ellarian's face twitched. Stooping down, the latter picked up the stone. "What is this?" he asked as his cheek continued to sting. It was a white stone which crumbled easily to powder in his gauntleted hand. "We know not sir," the captain admitted, sheepishly looking away, "we only know of its effects." Standing back up, Ellarian looked towards him expectantly. "Men touched by this cursed stone complain of burning sensations and being blinded and choked. They complain of their lungs being set aflame and noses being seared beyond use, as well as burns across their bodies...the subhumans have been bombarding us with these hellstones using their catapults..." Letting the odd white powder run through his hand, Ellarian narrowed his eyes. What was this mysterious substance... Nevertheless, he stood back up. He was a soldier, not an apothecary. The gods had brought him back to defend this outpost, not gawk at mysterious white powder. "Form the men up," Ellarian said as he began to descend the stairs, "I would have words with them.

Arrayed in front of him were 700 odd men, the rest being positioned as sentries on the walls. While they tried to maintain parade standards, he could tell that their bodies were aching with fatigue. Slowly pacing around, Ellarian stopped at the first rank. "First rank, second rank, drop spears," he said suddenly. Initially confused, the men lowered their spears to the ground. "third rank, fourth rank, drop spears," he continued. The second rank did the same. "Congratulations, you are now shieldbearers," he declared, pacing back to the front and adressing the soldiers, "you job now is not to kill, but to protect. Your man on your left is your brother, your father, your comrade, your favourite brewer," he explained, eliciting a few chuckles, "it matters not who they really are, for they are your brethren now. To let him fall is to let you yourself fall. Protect the men to your left and right, and they will do the same. The first and second ranks looked at each other nervously, not sure what to do with this information. "Am I clear?" Ellarian demanded. "Sir, yes Sir!" they unanimously replied. Satisfied,  Ellarian paced behind them. "Every other rank, drop shields," he said commandingly, to which the other four ranks obeyed in a clatter of metal, gripping their remaining spears with both hands. "You are now the spearmen behind the shieldbearers. Trust in them to protect you and focus on killing the enemy. Am I clear?"
"Sir, yes sir!" was the reply again. Ellarian nodded, returning to the front. "Remember your positions now. First and fith ranks will move together to defend the Northern wall. Second and sixth the east. Third and seventh the west, and fourth and eighth the south." Does everyone understand their new positions?" There was a great raucous noise as they confirmed. Ellarian nodded. "Dismissed." As one, they all collapsed to the ground, aiming to get as much rest as they possibly could. He didn't mind. He in fact wanted to join them, but he had other matters to attend to. "Captain," he called as he began to walk off, "Call the work details, equip them with gloves. I want them to collect EVERY one of those white stones..."