Difference between revisions of "User:Nightstar The Bright"
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Sieges are rare in Alethkar, and often last only a short time. This is due to soulcasters, which make it almost impossible to starve a city out. Instead, the Alethi break down the walls quickly, seize the high ground to pound the city for a while or simply attack, attempting to scale and conquer the walls.{{book ref|sa3|19}}{{book ref|sa3|11}}
==== Shardbearer tactics ====▼
Nets, ropes. Destroy the plate and then kill them with arrows. Shardbearers generally duel with eachother, without interference, or at least, until your lighteyes is losing.{{book ref|sa3|11}} ▼
Shardbearers often lead formations themselves, cutting a hole in enemy ranks with their overwhelming force.{{book ref|sa1|68}} This creates a gap that well-trained men can exploit, which can allow for an army to overcome superior numbers. The usefulness of this tactic is twofold. Few regular men can put up an effective resistance against a Shardbearer, allowing them to lead a spectacularly effective charge, and also this tactic puts the Shardbearers at the front of the regular soldiers, often giving them a boost in morale as well.{{book ref|sa1|56}} Shardbearers will also sometimes be used in defensive fights to bolster the gaps in their own lines, moving quickly between weak places to give soldiers a chance to recover and return to their formation.{{book ref|sa1|67}} When a Shardbearer has Plate and Blade, they can also easily cut their way behind enemy lines, where they can wreak havoc with impunity and cause confusion that their own soldiers can then exploit.{{book ref|sa1|65}} Unlike fighting in a duel, the most effective way to combat large groups of soldiers is to maintain momentum and keep the Shardblade in constant motion, always cutting.{{book ref|sa1|56}} Practiced Shardbearers will use their control over their bond with their Shardblade to make use of it unexpectedly. They may throw their Shardblades in a more ranged attack than an enemy is used to and then dismiss it once the damage is done so that they can summon it back to their hands.{{book ref|sa2|35}} Another uncommon tactic is unexpectedly dismissing the Blade, which can surprise an enemy who is preparing to dodge the Blade or parry it.{{book ref|sa1|i|9}} This works particularly well when the Shardbearer is wearing Plate.
Due to their awesome power, Shardbearers fighting together often have to be careful that they do not inadvertently hurt one another or their own men.{{book ref|sa1|56}} Fighting in tandem with Shards is a skill all its own, keeping close enough to support one another but just far enough away to avoid interfering in the other's fight.{{book ref|sa1|67}} While the skill is uncommonly practiced, two Shardbearers supporting one another in combat can achieve incredible success.{{book ref|sa2|26}} Many times a Shardbearer will wade into enemy lines, bolstered by an honor guard fighting a few steps behind them.{{book ref|sa1|56}} The honor guard does not spend time defending the Shardbearer directly, but rather stays nearby to support the Shardbearer, so if his Plate is severely damaged or he is seriously injured, the Shardbearer can retreat to safety and not risk their life or their Shards.{{book ref|sa1|28}} Bolder Shardbearers will leave this honor guard behind and will attack enemies alone, either on foot or horseback.{{book ref|sa1|26}} Such a move is a tactical risk, as an isolated Shardbearer is at his most vulnerable and the loss of a Shardbearer in combat may prove disastrous for their own forces.{{book ref|sa1|56}} Shardbearers may also fight alone when capturing a wall or taking down some other fortification. Narrow wall tops are ideal for Shardbearers, as they are able to easily kill the clustered soldiers.{{book ref|sa3|11}} They must take care when scaling walls however, as some handholds are designed to be retracted by the defenders.{{book ref|sa3|66}} Unexpectedly pulling in a ledge that a Shardbearer is hanging from can be enough to send them spilling to the ground, cracking their Plate or killing them.
As Shards are often passed down family lines,{{book ref|sa2|14}} many times it ends up in the hands of someone that prefers not to be involved directly in combat. Aged warriors, those who lack a talent for fighting, or those who prefer to lead tactically from the rear{{book ref|sa2|8}} may not desire to engage directly in combat themselves, but also do not want to deprive their army of a Shardblade.{{book ref|sa1|52}} Shardbearers can will their Blade to remain and still remain fully bonded to the Blade.{{book ref|sa2|8}} This has lead to the practice of highprinces and other lighteyes lending their Blades to skilled officers. This tactic relies on a great deal of trust on both sides though. As the owner of the Blade has the ability to recall the Blade at any moment, the person fighting with it must trust that the owner will not dismiss the Blade, leaving them unarmed. For their part, the owner of the Blade must trust that the person wielding it will not interfere with the gem on the Blade or allow it to be damaged, which would prevent the true owner from being able to summon it until it is replaced with a new gemstone.{{wob ref|1844}}
The most effective way of countering a Shardblade is to send another Shardbearer against them.{{book ref|sa1|24}} By leveling the playing field in this way, the overwhelming power of a Shardblade is negated and victory is left to the most skilled of the fighters.{{book ref|sa2|54}} However, when going up against a full Shardbearer, a person with both Blade and Plate, a Blade is often not enough to ensure victory.{{book ref|sa1|24}} In fact, in a duel between someone with only Plate and someone with only a Blade, the person with Plate will more often be successful, as they only need to get in one good strike on their opponent.{{book ref|sa3|11}} This is why most Shards are won by people who are already full Shardbearers.
{{sidequote
|In fighting a Shardbearer, everything became about that Blade. The Blade that nothing could stop, the Blade that didn't just kill the body— but severed the soul itself.
|[[Kaladin]]'s thoughts on Shardblades{{book ref|sa2|18}}
|side=right|size=300px
}}
As swords and arrows are practically useless against a Shardbearer, heavy weapons such as war hammers and axes are often used in an attempt to shatter the plate.{{book ref|sa1|56}} The most common tactic is to simply drown a Shardbearer in enemies.{{book ref|sa2|85}} Enemy forces attempt to attack from all directions, hoping that the Shardbearer may grow distracted or disoriented.{{book ref|sa1|56}} Despite the fact that most regular soldiers are afraid to face a Shardbearer, when they attack in large groups the weight of the army can force even the reluctant forward,{{book ref|sa1|56}} and there is always the chance that someone will get in a lucky blow.{{book ref|sa2|85}} Shardbearers are vulnerable if they can be separated from the soldiers supporting them, so if an army can separate a Shardbearer from their honor guard and limit their mobility, they have a decent chance of killing him.{{book ref|sa1|28}} One tactic to reduce a Shardblade's effectiveness is to get in close to the Shardbearer, staying within the Shardbearer's reach{{book ref|sa3|11}} and taking advantage of the Blade's long, non-lethal hilt.{{book ref|sa1|56}}{{book ref|sa2|89}} Fortifications may be constructed with this principle in mind, keeps built with narrow corridors to prevent a bulky Shardbearer from maneuvering.{{book ref|sa3|66}} There are also soldiers trained specifically to deal with Shardbearers. They utilize ropes and hooks to try to unbalance or trip the shardbearer, though this isn't always successful as shardplates are heavy. As the Shardblades cut through corpses instead of knocking them away like a normal weapon would, Shardbearers often become surrounded in corpses, which can lead to unstable footing and decreased mobility.{{book ref|sa1|56}} In extended battle, Shardbearers are rarely the last fighting, their enemy focuses on bringing them down first so that their Blades can be turned on their own men once they have fallen.{{book ref|sa1|67}} This means when a Shardbearer is killed, recovering their Blade and Plate are a higher priority than even retrieving the highlord's body.{{book ref|sa2|82}}
==== Planning and army movement ====
After centuries of warfare the Alethi have become adept at effectively moving their armies around. While highstorms are a problem, good planning prevents an army from needing to be out during one, except in some rare cases, in which case the army will search for a lait to set up camp.{{book ref|sa3|19}}{{book ref|sa1|4}} If a campaign takes longer then anticipated, the army can split and retreat back to a number of close towns for shelter.{{book ref|sa3|19}} Due to highstorms, the Weeping is a common time for military campaigns.{{book ref|sa2|79}}
▲==== Shardbearer tactics ====
▲Nets, ropes. Destroy the plate and then kill them with arrows. Shardbearers generally duel with eachother, without interference, or at least, until your lighteyes is losing.{{book ref|sa3|11}}
==== Bridge Crews ====
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