Tsar Ivan’s scouts had returned with a message that Tigranes would soon arrive to break the siege of Dyrrhachium. Facing a choice he broke his army into three parties and ordered an immediate storming of the castle.
 
The cataphracts were expected from the north so Ivan’s northern attack party was given only two ladders and expected mostly to raise a feint and be on the lookout for Tigranes. The main assault, by Ivan’s turncoat Varangian guards, would utilize a battering ram against the castle gate. Another strong assaulting force, armed with 6 storming ladders, formed on the south face.
 
The approach took three turns during which Nicetas’ 20 archers did their best, killing 16 attackers. The Slavic archers were much less effective, killing only 5 defenders.It was a good start. But, when the attackers attempted to raise their first ladders only Nikos, on the northwest curtain wall managed to push his back down. Simeon from the northern attack group and Aspaurakh from the southern secured ladders and up they went!
 
Turn 4 was decisive. The cavalry failed to appear, rolling an even number, leaving Nicetas and his shrinking band without succor. For Ivan’s attackers things developed swiftly. The southern attack group succeeded in getting three more ladders up and, even more decisively, pushed three men over the battlements. The Varangians began to batter the gate and rolled an incredibly high damage number (9).
 
The Byzantines had three heroes of Turn 4. Nikos, again, successfully kept the assault ladder from being set. Hylax, defending the northwest corner, was assaulted by two men at arms and felled both. Finally, Stenech, above the gate, began hurling his stack of small boulders on the heads of the Varangians, crushing the skulls of two.
 
On turn five the cataphracts, delayed by the need to detour around some swampy ground, arrived off the northeast corner of the castle. They immediately charged, riding down three men-at-arms who had been set as a flank guard.
 
Stenech felled two more Varangians, but there seemed to always be another to step forward. The ram got another exceptionally high roll and the gate came crashing down. Hylax fell as more Slavs surged up the only ladder set by the northern force. (Perhaps spurred to get away from the heavy cavalry!) On the south wall more Slavs cleared the parapets; only the southeast tower still held. By now Nicetas had lost 16 men, but all his lightly armored defenders were now confronted mano a mano by their more heavily armed and armored attackers.
 
Turn six saw Stenech’s last hurrah, killing one more Varangian with his rocks before an attacker from the southern party forced his to defend himself. The cataphracts continued their charge, riding down another 5 Slavs, but the first horseman was also slain. Inside, eight of Nicetas’ defenders were cut down and they only killed two .
 
The medium infantry of the northern party took their pound of flesh turn 7 when they killed 4 of the cataphracts and only lost 5 themselves. Inside the Varangians cleared the courtyard. Only a handful of the defenders survived, scattered amongst the part of wall and tower not yet reached by the assaulters.
 
One more turn for Tiganes to finally push to the gate, but by then there was no one left to save. The archer, Ephedius, killed the cavalry captain by driving an arrow through the horse’s eye and then a Varangian cleaved helm and head from shoulder and neck. The last three cataphracts turned and made for Tirane at their best speed. Nicetas threw himself from the east tower to avoid the depredations of Ivan’s horde. Six hapless defenders were all that surrendered.