Like a storm from the east, the Crusader army descended upon the city of Nicaea without warning and surrounded the city save for the western side, which bordered on Lake Ascanius. Not willing to give up without a fight, the garrison within the city put up a rugged defense against the attacking Crusaders, who tried to smash the city gates with battering rams, breach the walls with catapults, and storm them with ladders. The Crusader army had been well supplied by Emperor Alexios with troops, siege engineers, and equipment, but the gates and walls were holding strong. Multiple storming attempts by the Crusaders over the last few days had failed, and the number of tents containing the wounded began to increase.
Rodrigo, Geoffrey, and Jean stood by their mounts and watched the battle from afa
