At first glance everything seemed to be in order. The gear was well maintained and the supplies were well stocked. A defense such as this should have been a breeze; for chadz had even bestowed upon the defenders a gracious hill. The only thing left was for a good commander to seize the initiative.
The defenders waited for 5 minutes before a commander was chosen. No orders were given for the first 5 minutes of battle, which is often the most crucial for the defense. As you know, the defense spawns first, giving them time for defensive preparations. Stakes, siege shields, ladders. BRD used to make a siege tower. SS/Occitan used to make a catapult. Pikers to position themselves on the flanks to stop cav. Archers to array themselves in order to launch lethal volleys into the oncoming attackers.
But for whatever reason Marcus and Reinhardt refused the responsibility. The first thing acre built was a forward spawn. At the bottom of the hill. As defenders. 5 feet from the flags. They had 2 siege shields with no ladders. There were no stakes. There were no pikeman organized. Archers were slaughtered ruthlessly by the enemy cavalry. Men charged into the valley only to be overrun by horses and shot. The battle went just about as well as you'd expect.
As Cikel lay dying, his ears were filled with the cheers of the attackers. Bile filled his his mouth and he pooped his pants.
Better luck next time.