Wild tribal onslaughts

[bunn]

I have just realised that although I have read innumerable descriptions of situations where an isolated fort or outpost is assaulted by a wild tribal onslaught, I don't think I have *ever* read a description of a wild tribal onslaught from the point of view of the onslaughters, rather than the onslaughtees.

During that bit where the people inside the fort are biting their nails, patching things up, putting out fires, eating emergency rations and trying to snatch some sleep etc - what are the assailants *doing*? Touching up their war-paint? Barbecues...? Are they napping too, or are they formulating some complex and carefully-planned strategy that comes over to the onslaughtees as 'suddenly there were attackers everywhere'?

Comments

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Actually, there is something similar to this in the first book in the Codex Alera by Jim Butcher. (Spoilers) A lot of the latter half of the book does indeed feature a small Roman-inspired outpost assailed by vast waves of barbarians. However, we do also meet said barbarians, and learn that A, they're not really barbaric, and B, they're not monolithic. One clan chief has manipulated the other clan chiefs into gathering together for war, but the other clan chiefs are quite desperate to find some honorable excuse to bugger off home.