Palik looked down from the battlements. The smoke of the enemies' early morning campfires met the fog of the valley in a brown haze. Visibility was not improved by the light drizzle that fell softly on the muddy earth of the fortress, Durag Narr. Here and there lay piles of bodies, mostly those of the invaders, although the heads of several of Durag Narr's knightly defenders also decorated the occasional spear, with hafts thrust into the water-softened soil. The burned remains of siege towers and rams lay about the field like a tribute to some pagan deity.

So far the siege had lasted over a month. In that time the knights of the Tueton Formative Council had sallied forth on daily skirmishes against the besiegers. However, each attempt had been met with markedly increased resistance, and few had managed to break the ranks of those warriors surrounding the fortress.

Durag Narr was an old fortress. Built on the remains of several similar structures before it, the fortress had its roots in a piece of Alamanic history.