Historic Enchanted Weapons of Tamriel: The Nibenay-Pattern Siege Tower

(Taken from the Imperial Legion Codex, IX Edition, published 3E 420)

While siege towers have been the mainstay of conquering militaries for millenia, most have been relatively simple devices, usually no more than a ladder with scaffolding and wheels. Nevertheless, kingdoms have risen and fallen thanks to these machines, with the various Empires of Man being no exception. The peace currently enjoyed by Tamriel has resulted in the downsizing of Imperial siege battalions however, and what used to be the ultimate expression of Imperial might has long been forgotten by soldiers and laymen alike.

In spite of this peacetime downsizing, the Empire is believed to still maintain surviving examples of the famed 'Nibenay-Pattern' Siege Tower in the Imperial City and various sundry fortifications. So what makes this particular item so valuable to the Legion?

The first 'standardized' siege towers were simple wooden towers with a basic defensive enchantment - usually a resist-fire spell or some similar ward. Like their predecessors, these towers were man-powered, with their cumbersome designs continuing to restrict their movement. Indeed, some battles saw up to 80 per-cent of the towers being lost before even reaching the city walls.

While the Legion were content with more 'conventional' methods of besieging, the Fourscore War of 1E 2840 only reinforced the need for more refined siege tactics. Again, the siege tower saw extensive use - and just as widespread losses. The Imperial War College thus sought to refine the design even further.

Supposedly it would be a Tharn battlemage who would provide the solution for the Empire's problem. The unnamed Tharn conceived of a siege tower manned by a small squad of battlemages. Through powerful enchantments the tower could not only deploy defensive wards, but even move itself through the battlefield. While the Imperial High Command were initially skeptical of the idea, Tharn nevertheless constructed his own tower as a proof-of-concept. The few surviving reports (read: two scorched pages from the Imperial Library and a random battlemage's journal) describe the machine as being a hulking construct brimming with so much magicka that some swore it was signing. Whatever the case may be, the machine was indeed capable of moving on its own and was practically impervious to fire. When missiles were launched at the machine, not even those fired from trebuchets could penetrate the wards the battlemages deployed. Tharn's brainchild was subsequently lost and presumably scuttled somewhere in Morrowind, but the initial demonstration had impressed the High Command enough that Tharn led the production of the 'Nibenay-Pattern' Siege Tower.

Tharn's design was downsized for strategic reasons, though the base design retained the capabilities for independent movement and defensive enchantments. The physical structure was reinforced, allowing for the installation of enchanted ballistae and catapults, and the forward bulwark was lined with steel one and a half cubits thick. The topmost deck was capable of mounting a smaller tower which could be easily installed to breach taller fortifications. Interestingly enough, the Nibenay Pattern was never designed to be collapsible unlike its predecessors. While the specifics remain classified, scholars believe that the tower possessed some sort of enchantment which conferred basic suspension, allowing for radically-increased maneuverability. This theory is corroborated by numerous accounts depicting the siege towers being transported intact along roads and plains; in fact, these towers were used as mobile fortifications as often as they were used to breach city walls.

These powerful constructs were typically manned by four battlemages, with more being added depending on the addition of extra levels and weaponry. Movement itself was supposedly controlled by a battlemage who submerged himself in a bath of some form of magickal water - again, the specifics remain classified - and through a sort of tonal-aquatic interface could maneuver the machine as if it were merely a (rather cumbersome) extension of his body. The additional battlemages provided magickal support for the motive enchantment, as well as ancillary enchantments for weapons and, eventually, even dynamic warding.

These machines saw an attrition rate of almost 20 per-cent, compared to the staggering 80 per-cent of previous patterns, and were an instant hit among the legionnaires. Individual towers soon gained an almost mythical reputation with their respective units, almost as if they were physical manifestations of divine power. Chaplains even prayed to the machines, and various litanies of praise were carved into the walls of these machines by priest and soldier alike. The machines' magical longevity also saw a rather extensive customization of individual units, with some centuries-old towers covered from parapet to foundation with (arguably flammable) banners, prayers, and other sundry decorations. The mages manning the towers even developed personal attachments to their machines; notably the gubernators (the mages maneuvering the towers) claim to have felt exposed and vulnerable when detached from their charges.

With individual units capable of surviving for centuries, a few examples became legends in and of themselves. For example, the XXVII Legion's combat engineering regiment supposedly worship their first tower, the Wrathful Citadel, as part of their regimental pantheon. Meanwhile, the Imperial Cult retain stewardship of the Whitestrake's Aegis, which boasts victories such as The Sack of Sancre Tor in 2E 852, and even the Second Akaviri Invasion.

While the exact number of extant Nibenay Towers is unknown, it is generally believed that the Empire still maintain a sizeable stockpile of these machines, ready to be fielded should a time of great crisis emerge. Visitors to the Imperial Cult headquarters have even claimed that the Whitestrake's Aegis exhibit is being dismantled, and the tower itself being readied for battle. The conspiracy theorists claim that this is but one sign of the impending opening of the 'jaws of Oblivion', though the more likely explanation is that with a machine so old, it likely needs a tune-up or two.