In every Age, in every realm, there has been one eternal truth: anything that can be built can be destroyed. If not by the ravages of Time itself, then by the hand of one's enemies. No city, from the Palaces of Ardan to the Holy City to Mellissar, Cambruin's Capital, is immune. But that's not to say that killing a City is an easy thing ...

Any fool can bang on a wall with a hammer. To batter down a wall or building quickly, you'll need artillery, engines of war. And true, an engine can be enough, provided you've a captain to command it or a golden rod. And the men to defend it from your enemies. And the time to let it do its work before the tide of battle changes ... You see where I'm going? To those who don't know their secrets, even the greatest siege engines are little more than clumsy hammers. But in the hands of an artist, a hammer can work wonders, it can pry the very semblance of life out of a block of marble, or turn inert iron into a masterwork weapon. So it is in battles, with engines as hammers. I am such an artist. I am an artillerist, and broken walls and smoldering ruins are my masterpieces.

The sons of Thurin have always know the ways of stone, and the secrets of gears and pulleys. They first learned how to rig an arbalest to fire double-quick, and how to ward a bulwark against ground attack, or the lash of magic. The first Artillerists were all Dwarves, but now many have learned the craft. I can do all those feats, and even manage to repair a damaged engine as it fires! These are mighty skills indeed. Are you clever enough to learn them? If not, send another who is. Your city will thank you, and your enemies will tremble!