A Land Dragon is a huge war machine commissioned by Lord Lar to be constructed by his son Tolgen Lar in exchange for money and men. Each Land Dragon is a mobile fortress, capable of bringing down a small city. The Land Dragon’s were also constructed to be able to withstand a small siege.
Each Land dragon rests on massive, spherical wheels that are held in place by large, shifting, wooden axels. The axels are bound together by a complex assortment of heavy ropes that allow the axels to move up and down. The axles are hosed with grease to ensure smooth travel. This makes it possible for the Land Dragon to be able to move through rocky or uneven ground. The Land Dragon cannot however maneuver through hilly or mountainous terrain. The sheer size of the Land Dragon makes fast travel an impossibility. Long, heavy, cured hides hang down to the ground from the lower walls to hide the complex axle interior. These hides have been studded with steel peices to increase durability.
The outer walls of the Land Dragon are covered in thin skins of steel. The interior of the walls are held together by green palm which has a tendency to bend rather than break. This causes the Land Dragon to absorb most of the impact from blunt siege weapons such as catapults or trebuchets. The broadsides of the Land Dragon are covered in siege doors. These doors are designed to be quickly opened and closed using simple levers after a payload has been delivered from within the structure. Up high in the front end of the Land Dragon is a grand window which is reinforced by thick, steel bars. On the interior side of the front window is a stacked command deck, where officers can observe the battlefield from a relatively safe height. A disadvantage to this is that during a broadside siege the officers would be unable to see the battle. Not to mention that the steel cage around the window would be unable to stop a large catapults delivery. The entire exterior of the Land Dragon has been given a thick, protective coating of wax that
prevents the exterior from catching on fire.
The top of the Land Dragon is a flat platform that has room for multiple siege armaments as well as a high tower that rises out of the back. This tower acts as a lookout, as well as another observation post for the commanding officers to issue commands from. This tower offers a three-hundred and sixty degree angle view of the battlefield. The main platform has multiple oak panels along the outer railing that can be pulled up to protect the archers from enemy volleys.
The interior of the Land Dragon is held together by huge support beams that run from one end of the Dragon to the other, as well as several smaller beams running up and down along the wall. There are several crew quarters located in the lower front of the Dragon as well as a main officer’s wing located behind the frontal observation decks. The officer wing is where the Land Dragon’s Captain lives. The primary armory is near the center of the Dragon, while several other smaller armories are scattered about. The hind third of the Land Dragon is where siege munitions and food is stored. One would also find in the upper hind interior, under the observation tower, the main tank and pump for the Land Dragon’s adhesive fire chemicals.
The Land Dragon carries all the tools needed to bring down a hostile village or town. The doors on the sides of the Dragon open to reveal a cacophony of heavy weaponry. Ballistae litter the lower firing decks where they can easily punch through enemy shielding and armor. A long archer deck wraps around the mid section of the dragon, where crossbowman can pick off the ranks of an attacking force. At the upper levels of the siege decks, the doors open to reveal the hiding places of Lord Lar’s adhesive fire cannons. These cannons pour liquid fire on incoming soldiers as well as make short work of buildings and protesters. A line of trebuchets wrap around the top siege platform. These are the Land Dragons long distance bombardment weapons. By the time the adhesive fire cannons come in range of a building or wall the work of reducing them to rubble would have already been completed.
The craftsmanship of the Land Dragons is by itself an awe inspiring site. Sir Lar employed his top debt smiths into creating the iron embroidery that covers the siege decks as well as the observation windows. Lar’s sculptors created terrific, metal beasts that hang over the railing of the dragon’s top platform. These beasts glare menacingly at any force that would oppose these grand behemoths.
The Land Dragons are pulled by hundreds of armored war oxen. These teams are bound to the Dragon by an array of heavy ropes. Each fan or section of rope is managed by a cattle driver, who directs the oxen’s movements. During the event of an attack on a Land Dragon, these cattle drivers can easily detach their section from the group and either retreat to safety or unleash them on the attackers. The oxen have been trained to regroup at the sound of a horn which is located atop the observation tower.
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wow! great description! I didn't realize they were the size of castles, I thought maybe a large hut or something. someone would have to be crazy to attack this thing. getting past the oxen alone would be a daunting task.
ReplyDeletewell not really cause you see the wheels are the weakness, they can be either greased (and susceptible(sp) to fire or waxed, which would just melt as the friction gets too high and therefore pointless and if you destroyed only on side of axles, well the oxen COULD keep pulling it and the wall would crumble under the stress imposed by doing so.
ReplyDeleteBasically, yes it would be stupid for a full frontal assault, sneak attack would be the only way.
The axles are heavily greased which, I agree, would be a fire hazard. However, as I mentioned in the description, a heavy curtain of studded leather(which is given a fireproof sealant) drags along the outer walls. It would be a death trap to get stuck between the Hides and the ground. You would have to crawl on your stomach in order to get under the hides, while receiving a compliment of archer volleys. There is also the risk of getting yourself squished by one of the 12 boulder sized wheels(assuming the Land Dragon is in motion). The problem of a collapsing outer wall due to stress caused by the oxen wouldn't even be an issue because, in the case of an attack, the oxen would immediately be disbanded. In the case of a partial axle collapse, the other axles would shift to compensate. Though the Land Dragon would not be able to move, it would not suffer any major interior or exterior damage. It would then require extensive repairs which could buy time for an enemy force to organize and attack.
ReplyDeleteBut yes One would approach a land dragon in a very similar way one would attack a castle. Either with a sneak attack or a massive force with siege weapons.
These Structures are not supposed to be used as a primary attack force. They where primarily designed to be used as an oppressive fortification that can be moved to overlook most cities. These structures are also able to provide heavy support to an invading army in a city siege.
Actually, you know what I don't mean to get so defensive. Just remember that its not easy to destroy a Land Dragon.
ReplyDeleteoh of course :P
ReplyDelete