Oozebuchet

The Next Step in Siege Warfare, Awaiting the Coming Conflict of the Next Year

Written by David_Ulph

Those buggers can fly M'lady Lisa, I'm telling you! Oozes have long since been a pain for us in our profession and even more of a stubborn situation to remove from workshops, but I believe I have a use for them that mean we don't have to expend energy getting rid of 'em. Pop down to Custodia in the next full moon and you will be proven that the 'Oozelauncher 5000' (name work in progress) is the right way forward and I am sure you'll be writing up a sanction for production by the end of the week ;)

— Personal notes of Master Artificer Ludgar von Virdis sent to the Arcane Council

Composition

An 'Oozebuchet', or the official name given in the sanction by the Arcane Council being the 'Propelled Ooze Engine' (POE), is a siege engine resembling an extremely large counterweight trebuchet with some magical modifications so that the conventional projectile is replaced with Oozes.

Without any magical assistance, a single counterweight trebuchet of the size of an Oozebuchet takes at least 3 months to complete with the work of five carpenters and forty-nine other labourers for the entire process from sourcing adequate trees to operating during a siege. However, without the presence of at least a skilled artificer, a true Oozebuchet cannot be built. In any case, the presence of other skilled magi will speed up the building process.

The Oozebuchet rises to a height of 300 to 400 feet into the air, towering above other siege engines. The sling is modified in a technological and transmutational way, where it is coated with a thin layer of pure adamantine sourced from the Jewels mountain range to increase its durability. This adamantine and sling in general is modified to produce a minor repulsion shield which allows for four shots to be made every day. This ensures that an Ooze can effectively hover trapped in a sling without any risk of it corroding the trebuchet itself.

Tactics

The Oozebuchet can accurately hurl one large or a group of Oozes the same amount of mass as a piece of rock weighing 300lbs (140kg) at a distance of 600ft (183m). These Oozes, recommended by the inventors to be the extremely corrosive Black Pudding, are flung towards fortifications and curtain walls of castles during sieges.

The initial impact of the Ooze from the power of the enlarged trebuchet corrodes enough into the wall that it will be stuck and slowly devour those sections of the defence without any useless loss of life or excess energy being expended to force the defenders out of their advantageous position.

History

Invention

The Oozebuchet was invented by two artificers who are business partners for their engineering enterprise based in Doldrei - the capital city of the Kingdom of Buerach and ancient birthplace of the Empire of Midland - called Ludgar von Virdis and Edgar von Allen.

The idea was developed by the Battle Smith von Virdis as a means to deal with the consistent Ooze issue which plagues every magical workshop across the Mortal Realm. Oozes are a constant issue for any professional who works with magical energy regarded to be a form of magical mould. They are single-cell organisms which manifest where there is an influx in magical energy or constant flow in one area. A miniscule Ooze generates every time a spell is used, but only becomes large enough to be dangerous when the area is not cleaned properly after some time.

Battle Smith von Virdis had travelled with many armies of the Holy See Territories and had witnessed many sieges in his time before coming to the realisation of a resolution to the Ooze issue along with revolutionising siege technology. To do this, he sought help from his Master Artillerist associate Edgar von Allen. While von Allen designed the new and adapted trebuchet, von Virdis started gaining contacts within the Arcane Council and monarchy of Buerach to allow his experiment to be consented.

Military Service

The first test of the Oozebuchet was to assess whether the actual design of the enlarged trebuchet worked. When a peasant uprising in the mountainous southern Buerach region of Custodia, the Duke allowed the experimental siege engine to be built on its own to attack against rebels who had managed to hole themselves up in a fort. Due to its staggering success to level an entire curtain wall with one strike, the modified Oozebuchet was deemed acceptable.

The Oozebuchet is yet to see official military use by the Grand Army of Buerach, the Holy See have allowed three engines to be sent to non-affiliated factions elsewhere in the Mortal Realm to support their proxy-war with the Kushan Empire in the Pride Lands. Nothing but success has been reported back.

Currently, many Oozebuchets are being built in the Kingdom of Analand in preparation to march armies east into the Kakhabad and weaponise Oozes against the Mampang Fortress. The Crown of Thorns was stolen by the Archmage of Mampang and the Holy See wish to burn and level the fortress to dust by the end of the next year.

Defences Against

As the Oozebuchet has not seen official military engagement, no defences have been able to be developed against such a new piece of technology. The inventors, however, have warned that the Oozes may fail to develop enough traction on to walls if they are wet or slippery, and may not effectively corrode enough to lodge into the walls for intended damage.

Prompts Advent Calendar #10

WorldEmber Article #11

Type

Artillery

Overall training Level

Elite

Assumed Veterancy

Trained

Used By

Grand Army of Buerach

Ogre Flailmen

After being constructed in the Pride Lands, the Oozebuchets could not be returned to the Holy See Territories due to the logistics of carrying such a large piece of equipment over water. The siege engines were granted back to the pro-Holy See Leonin tribes who succeeded the proxy-conflict, but as peace settled they were sold to the coastal city-state of Khasahmir.

The Khasahmiri, with a minor peaceful ogre population, stripped the trebuchet down to only the arm and sling, modifying the design slightly as a means to equip three veteran ogre warriors with a new weapon. The sling piece's repulsion shield was re-engineered to trap the Ooze within the weapon completely with some openings for acid to leak, and effectively turned into a two-handed flail.

After the Crown of Thorns was stolen, the Kushan Empire saw the Territories would be weaker and less-united, and so ignited another proxy-war currently ongoing. The Silverlight Sea has long since been under trading control of the Kingdom of Ruddlestone, a member state of the Holy See. Khasahmir lies on the link between the Silverlight and Siren Seas, and was influenced by Kushan agents to act on the Holy See's weakened state.

As of the Winter of 4E 297, the navy of Khasahmir have blockaded the merchant ships of Ruddlestone and even taken advantage of a republican uprising in the docks of capital city of Monsalvat and sent physical land forces into the city. Official reports speak of a troop of three ogres flailing the acidic corrosion of Black Puddings against anyone or thing in their way.