Zhao laughed—a broken, desperate sound. “All this. For dust.” The sultan’s envoy arrived at noon. He declared both lords victors. Neither had held the oasis at the exact moment of the blood moon—Castellan was in Zhao’s keep, Zhao was unconscious by the water. So the prize was split: Greek Fire for the Crusader, Thunder Crash Bombs for the Warlord.
But as he turned back, he saw smoke rising from his own fortress. Castellan’s flag flew from the bamboo tower. stronghold crusader 2 vs warlords
Zhao moved first. He sent his at dusk. They crossed the sand in loose, laughing waves—half-naked, coated in mud to defeat arrows. They climbed Castellan’s outer palisade like it was a playground. Five fell to crossbow bolts. Ten reached the top. They threw down ropes. Behind them, Zhao’s Mounted Crossbowmen circled, firing volleys into the Crusader’s archers. Zhao laughed—a broken, desperate sound
At the water’s edge, he knelt and lit the fuse. The bomb did not explode—it hissed , releasing a cloud of blinding, itching powder. The sultan’s trick: the Thunder Crash Bombs were a lie. They were riot agents , not siege weapons. He declared both lords victors
For one terrible hour, Castellan’s keep was breached.
