Deuce Traveler
Adventurer
Memorial Day Weekend Update
Silas and Caramip
With a grim and determined look, the remaining militia took up their weapons once more. There was a job to do, and the abjurer's words motivated them to finish this part of the battle. These few were not left to fight alone, and old men, lads in their early teens, and women whose husbands were fighting for their lives in the center of town all picked up some of the weapons left over by fallen orcs and men. Silas was reminded that these were Dorinthians, their entire history one of almost continuous war with either an external enemy or each other.
Following the lead of the abjurer and gnome, the mass of militia and civilians roared as one as they scrambled over the battlements and into the mass of confused orcs below. Since the front orc ranks were being reinforced with the rear ranks, there was some resistance, although brief and violent as the invaders lost the momentum from the surprise attack. Caramip could see that the force she had been engaged with was mostly comprised of young orcs, and their will to continue the struggle snapped under the onslaught. The force fled from the attack, scattering and running back from whence it came. During this, a small group of ten horsed Dorinthian archers finished off the stragglers and came to join Caramip and Silas. It was led by a smiling Dartis, who looked relieved that they were safe.
****
Dartis
Dartis’ troops continued their harassment of the orcs, crying out 'Dul-Keyar' while doing little overall harm, but sowing great confusion and fear. That's when Dartis saw a sight that lightened his heart. The civilians and militia members that were pinned by the orcs suddenly rose over the barricades and came crashing down upon the confused invaders. This was enough to finally break the orcs, which began to flee back from whence they came. Dartis’ men rode down stragglers as they united with the southern defenses, and Dartis could see the worn but smiling Silas and Caramip in the lead.
****
Silas, Dartis, and Caramip
The trio meet in front of the southern defenses, while a victory cry rose from both the small group of horse archers under Dartis and the thousands of saved civilians under Silas. Most of Silas' militia had been wounded or killed, but a number of women, young teenagers, and old men had taken up weapons to strengthen his ranks.
As the heroes congratulated each other, however, they saw that the main Dorinthian military force was falling back from its outer defenses and into the last ring of interior barricades.
Silas smiled broadly when he saw Dartis and his small force of horsemen. "Lord Kalnian, the Dorinthian Irregulars are under your command!" The relief that accompanied that statement flooded through Silas though he knew the battle wasn't over yet...
“Greetings!” Beamed Caramip as Silas and her made their way towards Dartis and his mounted warriors. “Hope everyone is enjoying this rousing game of Hide’n Go Seek!” She said in witty banter.
She looked between the civilian force and the mounted cavalry with an excited smile. Shifting her gaze, she turned to the two leaders of the pack and asked, “So, Generals, what’s the plan?”
Dartis grinned back, noticing the blood-stained staff Silas held in his hand
"If you continue to insist on participating in combat my friend, you must let me teach you the sword" said Dartis with a broader grin as he reached down to clasp the Caernite's hand.
"Likely I would just cut my own fool head off. Much harder to do with a stick," he said as he returned Dartis' firm hand clasp. Quietly he said, "We would have been overrun if not for Caramip's quick thinking and action..." Now if anything happens, thought Silas, and I don't survive this, she'll at least get some recognition for her actions today.
"My thanks to both of you for your valiant leadership and valor in saving these people. But come, much remains to be done and our brothers are solely pressed."
Addressing the mass of people around them Dartis drew his sword and called out, "Dorinthians! I know you are tired and wounded. I know that you are scared and weary. I know another enemy has arrived on our doorstep. But just as we fought the Tallione, so shall we fight against any who dares march on Dorinthia! You stalwart citizens have already driven off a large horde of maurading orcs. Your bravery and courage is an inspiration and a fitting tribute to our great ancestors. But the time for rest is not yet. We must get you to safety. And yes we must still fight! Our brothers hold the city square, but are falling back. We must go and save them, we must go save our brothers, and mothers and children! As you have fought here, go and fight one more time. Follow the leadership of Silas Eyrstan and Caramip Ashhearth who have lead you to victory here. Follow them to the city square and join our kinsmen and let no orc stand between you!" Cried Dartis brandishing sword and activating his magical shield.
To Silas and Caramip he added, "Take them to the square, break through orc lines into the square if you can otherwise take to the buildings and harass the horde with the archers. But get these people off the street. My men and I will ride vedette and make sure there are no surprises and hold off any incursions against you as you move. But you must lead them hence."
Silas listened with admiration and not a little trepidation as Dartis addresses the gathered Dorinthians and nearly groaned when the nobleman tossed leadership back into his lap. Taking a deep breath he again buried his dismay and presented a collected front. "Not far now. So ready yourselves. We have work to do!"
With a smile Caramip looked up the mounted warrior and said, “General!” There is a slight pause so as to be sure that she had Davik’s attention continuing. “I am wondering if remember Commander Naissirlac’s little maneuver at the Battle of Tanaab?” She flashed Silas a wink before continuing her story.
****
Ventus, Nikolos, and Danica
Cal had been anxious to take the fight to the enemy, and at Nikolos' prodding he rode up to take command of the front ranks from Ventus and ordered a general counter-attack. With a yell the men surged over the barricades, surprising the demoralized orcs and stopping their encircling movement. The Dorinthian forces caught the orcs by surprise, and the immediate gains by the Dorinthians were impressive. Still, they were too heavily outnumbered, and the counter-attack ground to a halt thirty yards past the outer barricades. The orcs used their numbers to push back, and out in the open the Dorinthians began to take heavier casualties. Radnal realized that the line could not hold and caught up to Cal. After a brief discussion they agreed to pull back to the interior defenses where they could consolidate their forces better.
Ventus took some men and acted as a rear guard, buying enough time once back over the barricades and behind the outer defenses to get almost all the men to safety. Danica took control of the archers and led a walking, yet firing retreat. The orcs didn't pursue the retreating Dorinthians as hard as they could, most likely because of the shock of the counter-attack. Nikolos helped the wounded where he could to get back up and to the safety of the interior defenses, but in his doing so nearly became separated from the rest of the Dorinthians. The cleric knew what would happen to stragglers once the orcs reached them, yet the rough hands of Kyle Radnal grabbed him by the arms, "Leave them, priest! We need your skills for those that may survive!" As Radnal pulled him away, Nikolos looks into the man's stern face and knew that he found the situation as wretched as Nikolos felt it was. Pulling the priest over the interior defenses, Radnal told him, "It was a good plan, priest. We may not have won that little skirmish, but it did bloody their nose and buy us time enough to retreat to our stronger defenses. Now we got to bleed them out some more before trying it again."
Two sights gave heart to the worn defenders. First, it appeared that the southern attack on the civilians on the inlet had been broken. Second, Baron Dorin appeared in armor and a bow in hand despite the protests of his concerned son, Cal. "I'm not here to command, I just want to help," the balding noble said in an almost embarrassed manner.
****
Barok
Barok traveled through dark streets and by burning houses, making his way up north and into the hills where it seemed that orcs were moving back and forth from. Occasionally he saw what he thought might be a messenger heading towards or away from the main force besieging the center of the town. Barok’s blade ensured that some of those messengers never reached their destination. On one of the closer, tall hills he could see a campfire, and what looked to be a series of banners and tents. Following the trees and shrubs, he got close enough to see the center of the camp and several large, older orcs watching the battle in silence. They didn't seem happy with the way it was going, and from his hidden area Barok could see that the southern defenses with the civilians on the inlet had routed the orc forces. On the other hand, the central defenses had fallen back to their interior lines after a failed counter-attack of their own.
Suddenly, Barok heard movement from the brush near him as something stealthily moved in his direction. Thinking that a scout may have discovered his location, Barok readied his blade. The sneak stopped near him, but not close enough to get in the path of his strike and whispered, "Your name is Barok, isn't it? I must say, I barely saw you sneak up this way. You're pretty good. What are you thinking you can accomplish up here, anyway? There is no way you can assassinate that chieftain from here if that's what's on your mind." In the darkness Barok could barely make out the speaker’s form, but from its shape and the voice he could tell it was Rix, the kobold adventurer that was badly injured and brought back safely.
"The party was getting dull down there, and I thought the orcs might have better booze. They like the strong stuff, don't they, the kind that burns..." he smiled at the kobold. "You've been up here longer than I have, do you know the weak points of their camp? Where they keep their food, drink and draft animals, their wounded, their women and children? If we can cause a distraction there we could throw this camp, and that army down there, into a panic and buy our people victory."
Rix moved closer so that the two could observe the encampment while being able to speak in quieter voices. He tugged at his dark goggles absentmindedly. "Actually, I haven't been here long. I thought I had seen large forces of movement coming towards the town before they struck and decided that you humans were done for. Ummm... speaking of which, I hope Danica is alright. I... umm... I figured I'd escape to the local kobold tribe, which had been trading with the Dorinthians ever since we came to this place. And guess what I found... the idiot leader of theirs was negotiating with the orcs to help pillage the place in exchange for giving aid during the attack. Luckily for us, the orcs figured him for a weakling and killed him and his second right then and there. I ran into a small tribe both angry and leaderless... and I'm kind of in charge of them right now. I'm not sure if this is such a good thing, since I got to consider them a pack of fools. Can you imagine, siding with orcs for quick profit when they had a good thing going with open trade and a settled life? The humans welcomed them, damn it all!" Rix spit in confused frustration and Barok wondered how much his time with humans had changed this humanoid's outlook. He might not have belonged to the human community, but he definitely was no true kobold.
"Anyway, just on the other side of this hill I have a few dozen very angry fellow kobolds with a score to settle. Some wanted to try hit and run tactics, while others were for trying the ridiculous and near-futile, like rolling large rocks at the orcs as if I had some boulders in a back pocket. They are desperate for revenge, but I told them to wait and let me check this out in order to find a weak spot and a decent plan. And now you come with the simple idea of setting the camp on fire... brilliant. And my kin have the supplies to do it, the rage to help, and the craftiness to get close to that series of supply wagons and tents ringing this camp. So let's do this, Barok. We all have our personal reasons to wreck hell this day."
"Hey, we're all fools, or else we wouldn't be here. Now, let's show those savages what a pack of brave fools can do.
"Let's divide your kobolds into two groups, those who have skills in stealth and those who don't. Divide the stealthy group into several groups of three, arm them with the gear they need to set their fires and have them spread out in a ring in the woods around the camp. When they hear the war-cry 'Dul Keyar' from the side of the camp facing the town they should then advance and set fire to the wagons and tents in the rear and to the sides. Then they should retreat and hide. If they then hear the war cry 'Eroll' they should advance again, evade any groups of orcs that may have been sent out to hunt them down, and attack the rear of the camp with hit and run tactics, advancing stealthily and setting new fires until they face serious opposition. Tell them to run if they face bad odds, but to exploit any weakness and confusion to cause maximum damage. If they find any women and children they should use them as hostages, but if that's not possible it's better to kill them than to leave them behind."
"The second group should be held in reserve at this position. If the orcs weaken their defenses to the front in reaction to the threat to their rear this group, under your leadership and with my aid, will then launch a fullscale attack on this sector. If our attack is successful we will press it, and call in the first group to attack again. If our attack encounters impossible odds we will retreat, setting fire to the camp as we go, and scatter into the woods."
"It's risky, but even the success of the first part of the plan may be enough to demoralise our enemies and weaken their attack on the town. A complete success will get us both glory and riches (it damn well better), and perhaps some noble titles as well. Either way, your people and mine will have bound their futures together, and the trade will flow as thick as the orcish blood on our blades."
"Are you with me?"
Barok took two groups of kobolds and placed them on different parts of the hill, both with a dozen humanoids. Rix headed the other group and split them into three packs of four firestarters while Barok led the other dozen into a spread out group of crossbowmen. When the scout yelled "Dul-Keyar" he was rewarded with the yipping of angry kobolds and the surprised looks on the orc leaders' faces as the wagons and tents behind them began to catch on flame. The orcs yelled at each other in the orcish language, and en masse they all drew weapons and raced towards the small humanoids, murder in their eyes. That's when Barok and his irregular formation sprang forth with his kobolds firing into the backs of several orc leaders before racing back into the woods.
Chaos erupted in the camp, and as the orc leaders were trying to figure out which threat to worry about more, Barok yelled "Eroll" as he retreated, causing the braver kobolds to burst forth again for another go. A couple were cut down by random orc camp followers, but a handful got through and lit up a few more supplies before fleeing for good into the forest.
The orc chieftain and a four of his right hand men charged towards the direction of Barok's voice and the rogue decided it was time to go. Yelling to his kobolds to scatter, the scout found that the enraged group of barbarians were quickly gaining on him. The thief heard the crash of a large orc and the whistle of a blade behind him and tumbled forward in time to avoid being cut into two. Instead, the side of the tree near his head exploded from the barbarian's sword swing, throwing wood chips into the night air.
As the rogue retreated down the hill and back towards the town, with five barbaric orcs on his heels, he suddenly realized that he was in trouble...
"Ah, bloody hell" Barok cursed as he rolls out of the way of another swing. This wasn't going quite the way he'd planned. "Rix, buddy, a little help here..." Looking around he found he was on his own and therefore turned deeper into the forest in an attempt to shake off his pursuers and hide, hoping to use the terrain, his smaller bulk and greater dexterity to his advantage.
****
Dartis, Silas, and Caramip
The trio watched as the central defenses almost became overrun and realized that their force might be able to harrass them, but not break through. Caramip suggested going after the leadership and chopping off the enemy army at the head in order to bring this battle to a quicker end. The three heroes agreed to lead a small contingent of a couple hundred young lads, militia, and old men to seek out and destroy the camp. The archers were all taken, but fifty women were given spears in the hope that they could deter any force from taking the inlet and civilians within. It was a gamble, but one that the party was adament about trying. Besides, Dartis had a general idea about where the enemy camp was after listening to Nikolos' report.
The group did not travel unimpeded, and several skirmishes were won over small bands of orcs that were occupied with looting and setting fire to several houses. Despite the street to street fighting, the group finally made it through the majority of the town, only to suddenly see several fires springing up in the area that the enemy camp was believed to be located. Like a beacon, it drew their attention and, from the shouts on that fiery hill, the three could tell that chaos had just broken loose in the orc camp.
The three heroes thought that they saw a man being chased down the large hill by five others, but they could not tell who they were. It was evident, though, that they intended to kill him as he tumbled away from one of their blades. He was about two hundred feet away, at the base of the hill.
****
Nikolos, Ventus, and Danica
"Here they come again!" Radnal yelled out a warning as the orcs came at the interior barricades with strong force and better organization. It's as if they were being led by barbarians with better experience than the last group, and the heroes noticed that older, more experienced orcs were now appearing in greater frequency. A few dozen broke through where some of the milita are unable to hold them back.
It was Cal who rushed forward with some of Radnal's town guard under his command and plugged the hole, but the orcs that made it through either snuck into the administrative building where Alexander and Syra were or took the time to attack behind Dorinthian lines. Cal engaged these also with the help of Ventus and a handful of men. The Imperial and noble Dorinthian fought hard, but were eventually separated by the brutality of their conflict. Ventus was able to hold back two orcs at once with his shield, but Cal went down to a large and scarred barbarian. As the muscular orc was about to drive his axe into the fallen noble, his father, Baron Dorin rushed forward and swung his longbow like a club, splintering it against the barbarian's face and throwing off its aim. With a roar, the orc attacked once more, mortally wounding the baron with a blow to the chest. Cal screamed in shock and drove his longsword upwards with two hands as he rose back up, impaling the large orc in the heart with such force that he actually lifted the dying enemy inches off the ground.
With the threat halted for the time being, Nikolos and Cal rushed to the dying baron's side in a futile attempt to save his life.
"Ah, son. I see why you enjoyed riding so much with the men. This... this made me feel alive... Still... I would ... would have preferred to... have seen my old garden... than war..." With that, the mild-mannered baron closed his eyes and died.
A pitiful wail burst forth from Cal's lungs, and the dryad's necklace began to glow around his neck. The wail was taken up by others, as they noticed their baron had fallen. Instead of falling to despair, however, rage burned in the eyes of the Dorinthians. It was all Radnal could do to hold them back from a tactical mistake in the midst of the battle. As the heroes watched Cal, however, they saw his skin become like bark at the same time that the necklace began to dim. With his new protective hardened skin the noble picked up his blade and looked as if he is ready to go over the barricades by himself. It was Ventus who first gained the courage to grab Cal before he did something foolish, magic protection or not.
That's when Nikolos suddenly spotted the fires that now erupted all over the suspected location of the orc camp on a hill to the north. Absolute chaos had broken out in the enemy encampment and the attackers began to slow down as all wonder what it means.
****
.
Dartis, Barok, Silas and Caramip
Dartis left the militia to continue their march as he took five of the cavalry (leaving five with the militia) and rode quickly to investigate the commotion at the hill.
“Looks like someone got themselves into a loosing game of ‘Kill-the-Carrier’...” Mentioned Caramip to both Silas and Dartis as she spotted the small man running for his life. “You think you might be able to help even up the odds while Silas and I get everyone in position?” Asked the Gnome to Dartis.
As Barok continued to flee down the hill, tumbling and dodging blades along the way, he used the vegetation and rough terrain to keep just ahead of his pursuers. Unfortunately, the vegetation began to disappear and the ground became flatter as he reached the base of the hill. Then he heard the sound of hooves thundering upon the ground. Coming quickly at Barok was Dartis and five Dorinthian horse archers. They had bows drawn. Right behind them were more riders, and some armed militia under the command of Silas and Caramip. The cavalry had arrived.
As one, Dartis and his five men commenced fire, slaying two of the orcs outright and injuring several others, including the massive older chieftain in the lead. With a panicked look, the orcs quickly turned and ran, but the cavalry was able to run down two more before a severely wounded chieftain and a lieutenant fled up the hill. The chieftain blew several notes on a war horn, and the heroes saw the mass of orcs attacking the center of the town begin to withdraw.
The withdrawal became an outright panic as everyone in the town could see the cavalry and militia swarming over the remnants of the camp. Dartis and his men rode through the fleeing orcs, using up most of their arrows to rain death down. The yell of Dul-Keyar delivered more chaos. Barok, Caramip and Silas led an assault that swept the remnants of the camp off the hill, while Rix and a few dozen kobolds leapt upon the injured fallen and murdered helpless orcs with such brutality that even the most stout Dorinthian turned away. Once the hill was cleared, the Dorinthians rallied together to hit retreating orcs left over in the town, while the kobolds looted the orc camp. But Barok, Silas, Caramip, and Dartis found in the town center changed everything...
Ventus, Nikolos, and Danica
Nikolos looked around, seeing the dead noble, and shaking his head. Then he looked at the somewhat faltering orc attack, and a frown crossed his normally cheerful face. "Well, nothing like witnessing events from the middle." Then he moved towards the orc that seemed to be giving the most orders, grabbing as many loose Dorinthians as he could manage, trying to get close to the leader chosen.
Danica turned, and it was like her eyes suddenly came into focus for the first time throughout this whole enterprise -- her silent demeanor and blank face are replaced with a small smile, curving up at the corner of her lips, as she began to engage with the chaos that surrounded her.
She was ready to fight, and she was looking for a target amidst the many lights in the darkness. For Dorninthia.
A scream from the administrative building reminded everyone that not all the orcs that got through were killed. Ventus and Cal enter the administrative building that some of the orcs were able to enter in order to protect Syra and the severely injured Alexander. They were able to slay three of them that stopped to loot the lower floors and found the bodies of several more, fallen near the bodies of butchered men and women who were able to put up somewhat of a weak resistance. Cursing, the Imperial tightened his grip on his blade as he reached the top floor and saw Alexander standing weakly before five orcs, a couple fresh wounds newly scarring his body. Amazingly, the half-orc was still standing with blade in hand, and protected a frightened knife-wielding Syra. The orcs taunted their kin and leered at the noblewoman with sadistic intentions.
Ventus and Cal drew the attention from their prey when Ventus slammed into the closest orc and buried his short blade into the creature's ribs. Another quick strike to the throat finished the badly wounded orc barbarian off, but not before Ventus got a deep cut in his thigh. The Imperial was used to such pain, however, and grimly stuck down a second, younger orc warrior. Cal handled two others, his barskinned flesh deflecting several blows while he hacked up the enemy in rage. Alexander took advantage of the final orc having turned to face Ventus, and grabbed the creature by the arm and throat. With a twist, the incredibly strong Alexander tossed the screaming orc through the nearby window, where he landed with a crunch by the feet of Danica. The sorceress looked surprised, but quickly recovered and moved her weapon to the stunned orc's face and released a bolt, finishing him. Looking up, she saw Alexander waving from above, a crying Syra holding him tightly. The half-orc turned to give Ventus a silent nod of thanks, and Cal sighed in satisfaction, glad to see that if his sister found a man to admire it at least be one who would fight to the death for her.
Suddenly, the orcs attacked in one more wave and all able-bodied men moved to solidy the defenses. Nikolos even saw his servants Redd, Shirte, and Gnaden near him close to the fighting. The scribe held a spear and yelled to him, in embarrassment, [color]"Sorry, master! Your books are safe in the basement of the building if it's any consolation."[/color] Then added with a slight touch of surprising humor, "How goes your research thus far?"
The assault was weaker than the last one, and the Dorinthians were both better prepared and angrier. The orcs saw that their attacks were failing when a war horn blew once more from the hill to the north. All turned to see the sight there, and that most of the orc camp was now on fire and that Dorinthian cavalry and militia were swarming over it. The orcs panicked and fell back, while Radnal found that he could not control the enraged men any longer and Kyle Radnal was unable to hold back the men. He gave command to Cal who came forth from the administrative building and turned the flight to a rout. The orcs were still numerically superior, and often stronger, but their disorganized withdrawal allowed packs of Dorinthians to butcher them mercilessly.
The Dorinthians that raided the orc camp came down from the hill, and joined the slaughter.
****
The attack had been stopped, and the swarms of orcs began to flee in all directions. The seven heroes met up in the center of the town, but the happiness that should come in victory was nowhere to be found. A couple of hundred Dorinthians were believed to have been killed in the fighting, nearly five percent of the refugee population. The numbers would have been much higher if not for the efforts of the party. What is more, Baron Dorin had fallen in battle, giving his life to save his son. Confusion reigned as the angry Dorinthians questioned who would lead them now? Cal, Syra, and Dartis were all candidates, but none of them were yet willing to make a declaration and all three seemed to want the position. Kyle Radnal stayed out of it, and began to create work details to bury the dead, put out fires, and rebuild. His militia and some of the people spoke aloud that he should lead the Dorinthians, and rumors swelled that he himself was of noble blood. Cal and Dartis also looked to see what remnants of cavalry could be put together to run down the surviving orcs, but the men were exhausted and the prospects questionable.
The biggest question, however, was why this happened. Why had the orcs come back? And why did it seem that they expected to find elves, not Dorinthians? And if this was an attack on the elven nation, how fared Saleentra and the Silver Forest? For a moment, Alexander, Rix, Silas, Danica, and Dartis recalled the prophetic words of the Mad Gnome:
Saleentra will burn.
Silas and Caramip
With a grim and determined look, the remaining militia took up their weapons once more. There was a job to do, and the abjurer's words motivated them to finish this part of the battle. These few were not left to fight alone, and old men, lads in their early teens, and women whose husbands were fighting for their lives in the center of town all picked up some of the weapons left over by fallen orcs and men. Silas was reminded that these were Dorinthians, their entire history one of almost continuous war with either an external enemy or each other.
Following the lead of the abjurer and gnome, the mass of militia and civilians roared as one as they scrambled over the battlements and into the mass of confused orcs below. Since the front orc ranks were being reinforced with the rear ranks, there was some resistance, although brief and violent as the invaders lost the momentum from the surprise attack. Caramip could see that the force she had been engaged with was mostly comprised of young orcs, and their will to continue the struggle snapped under the onslaught. The force fled from the attack, scattering and running back from whence it came. During this, a small group of ten horsed Dorinthian archers finished off the stragglers and came to join Caramip and Silas. It was led by a smiling Dartis, who looked relieved that they were safe.
****
Dartis
Dartis’ troops continued their harassment of the orcs, crying out 'Dul-Keyar' while doing little overall harm, but sowing great confusion and fear. That's when Dartis saw a sight that lightened his heart. The civilians and militia members that were pinned by the orcs suddenly rose over the barricades and came crashing down upon the confused invaders. This was enough to finally break the orcs, which began to flee back from whence they came. Dartis’ men rode down stragglers as they united with the southern defenses, and Dartis could see the worn but smiling Silas and Caramip in the lead.
****
Silas, Dartis, and Caramip
The trio meet in front of the southern defenses, while a victory cry rose from both the small group of horse archers under Dartis and the thousands of saved civilians under Silas. Most of Silas' militia had been wounded or killed, but a number of women, young teenagers, and old men had taken up weapons to strengthen his ranks.
As the heroes congratulated each other, however, they saw that the main Dorinthian military force was falling back from its outer defenses and into the last ring of interior barricades.
Silas smiled broadly when he saw Dartis and his small force of horsemen. "Lord Kalnian, the Dorinthian Irregulars are under your command!" The relief that accompanied that statement flooded through Silas though he knew the battle wasn't over yet...
“Greetings!” Beamed Caramip as Silas and her made their way towards Dartis and his mounted warriors. “Hope everyone is enjoying this rousing game of Hide’n Go Seek!” She said in witty banter.
She looked between the civilian force and the mounted cavalry with an excited smile. Shifting her gaze, she turned to the two leaders of the pack and asked, “So, Generals, what’s the plan?”
Dartis grinned back, noticing the blood-stained staff Silas held in his hand
"If you continue to insist on participating in combat my friend, you must let me teach you the sword" said Dartis with a broader grin as he reached down to clasp the Caernite's hand.
"Likely I would just cut my own fool head off. Much harder to do with a stick," he said as he returned Dartis' firm hand clasp. Quietly he said, "We would have been overrun if not for Caramip's quick thinking and action..." Now if anything happens, thought Silas, and I don't survive this, she'll at least get some recognition for her actions today.
"My thanks to both of you for your valiant leadership and valor in saving these people. But come, much remains to be done and our brothers are solely pressed."
Addressing the mass of people around them Dartis drew his sword and called out, "Dorinthians! I know you are tired and wounded. I know that you are scared and weary. I know another enemy has arrived on our doorstep. But just as we fought the Tallione, so shall we fight against any who dares march on Dorinthia! You stalwart citizens have already driven off a large horde of maurading orcs. Your bravery and courage is an inspiration and a fitting tribute to our great ancestors. But the time for rest is not yet. We must get you to safety. And yes we must still fight! Our brothers hold the city square, but are falling back. We must go and save them, we must go save our brothers, and mothers and children! As you have fought here, go and fight one more time. Follow the leadership of Silas Eyrstan and Caramip Ashhearth who have lead you to victory here. Follow them to the city square and join our kinsmen and let no orc stand between you!" Cried Dartis brandishing sword and activating his magical shield.
To Silas and Caramip he added, "Take them to the square, break through orc lines into the square if you can otherwise take to the buildings and harass the horde with the archers. But get these people off the street. My men and I will ride vedette and make sure there are no surprises and hold off any incursions against you as you move. But you must lead them hence."
Silas listened with admiration and not a little trepidation as Dartis addresses the gathered Dorinthians and nearly groaned when the nobleman tossed leadership back into his lap. Taking a deep breath he again buried his dismay and presented a collected front. "Not far now. So ready yourselves. We have work to do!"
With a smile Caramip looked up the mounted warrior and said, “General!” There is a slight pause so as to be sure that she had Davik’s attention continuing. “I am wondering if remember Commander Naissirlac’s little maneuver at the Battle of Tanaab?” She flashed Silas a wink before continuing her story.
****
Ventus, Nikolos, and Danica
Cal had been anxious to take the fight to the enemy, and at Nikolos' prodding he rode up to take command of the front ranks from Ventus and ordered a general counter-attack. With a yell the men surged over the barricades, surprising the demoralized orcs and stopping their encircling movement. The Dorinthian forces caught the orcs by surprise, and the immediate gains by the Dorinthians were impressive. Still, they were too heavily outnumbered, and the counter-attack ground to a halt thirty yards past the outer barricades. The orcs used their numbers to push back, and out in the open the Dorinthians began to take heavier casualties. Radnal realized that the line could not hold and caught up to Cal. After a brief discussion they agreed to pull back to the interior defenses where they could consolidate their forces better.
Ventus took some men and acted as a rear guard, buying enough time once back over the barricades and behind the outer defenses to get almost all the men to safety. Danica took control of the archers and led a walking, yet firing retreat. The orcs didn't pursue the retreating Dorinthians as hard as they could, most likely because of the shock of the counter-attack. Nikolos helped the wounded where he could to get back up and to the safety of the interior defenses, but in his doing so nearly became separated from the rest of the Dorinthians. The cleric knew what would happen to stragglers once the orcs reached them, yet the rough hands of Kyle Radnal grabbed him by the arms, "Leave them, priest! We need your skills for those that may survive!" As Radnal pulled him away, Nikolos looks into the man's stern face and knew that he found the situation as wretched as Nikolos felt it was. Pulling the priest over the interior defenses, Radnal told him, "It was a good plan, priest. We may not have won that little skirmish, but it did bloody their nose and buy us time enough to retreat to our stronger defenses. Now we got to bleed them out some more before trying it again."
Two sights gave heart to the worn defenders. First, it appeared that the southern attack on the civilians on the inlet had been broken. Second, Baron Dorin appeared in armor and a bow in hand despite the protests of his concerned son, Cal. "I'm not here to command, I just want to help," the balding noble said in an almost embarrassed manner.
****
Barok
Barok traveled through dark streets and by burning houses, making his way up north and into the hills where it seemed that orcs were moving back and forth from. Occasionally he saw what he thought might be a messenger heading towards or away from the main force besieging the center of the town. Barok’s blade ensured that some of those messengers never reached their destination. On one of the closer, tall hills he could see a campfire, and what looked to be a series of banners and tents. Following the trees and shrubs, he got close enough to see the center of the camp and several large, older orcs watching the battle in silence. They didn't seem happy with the way it was going, and from his hidden area Barok could see that the southern defenses with the civilians on the inlet had routed the orc forces. On the other hand, the central defenses had fallen back to their interior lines after a failed counter-attack of their own.
Suddenly, Barok heard movement from the brush near him as something stealthily moved in his direction. Thinking that a scout may have discovered his location, Barok readied his blade. The sneak stopped near him, but not close enough to get in the path of his strike and whispered, "Your name is Barok, isn't it? I must say, I barely saw you sneak up this way. You're pretty good. What are you thinking you can accomplish up here, anyway? There is no way you can assassinate that chieftain from here if that's what's on your mind." In the darkness Barok could barely make out the speaker’s form, but from its shape and the voice he could tell it was Rix, the kobold adventurer that was badly injured and brought back safely.
"The party was getting dull down there, and I thought the orcs might have better booze. They like the strong stuff, don't they, the kind that burns..." he smiled at the kobold. "You've been up here longer than I have, do you know the weak points of their camp? Where they keep their food, drink and draft animals, their wounded, their women and children? If we can cause a distraction there we could throw this camp, and that army down there, into a panic and buy our people victory."
Rix moved closer so that the two could observe the encampment while being able to speak in quieter voices. He tugged at his dark goggles absentmindedly. "Actually, I haven't been here long. I thought I had seen large forces of movement coming towards the town before they struck and decided that you humans were done for. Ummm... speaking of which, I hope Danica is alright. I... umm... I figured I'd escape to the local kobold tribe, which had been trading with the Dorinthians ever since we came to this place. And guess what I found... the idiot leader of theirs was negotiating with the orcs to help pillage the place in exchange for giving aid during the attack. Luckily for us, the orcs figured him for a weakling and killed him and his second right then and there. I ran into a small tribe both angry and leaderless... and I'm kind of in charge of them right now. I'm not sure if this is such a good thing, since I got to consider them a pack of fools. Can you imagine, siding with orcs for quick profit when they had a good thing going with open trade and a settled life? The humans welcomed them, damn it all!" Rix spit in confused frustration and Barok wondered how much his time with humans had changed this humanoid's outlook. He might not have belonged to the human community, but he definitely was no true kobold.
"Anyway, just on the other side of this hill I have a few dozen very angry fellow kobolds with a score to settle. Some wanted to try hit and run tactics, while others were for trying the ridiculous and near-futile, like rolling large rocks at the orcs as if I had some boulders in a back pocket. They are desperate for revenge, but I told them to wait and let me check this out in order to find a weak spot and a decent plan. And now you come with the simple idea of setting the camp on fire... brilliant. And my kin have the supplies to do it, the rage to help, and the craftiness to get close to that series of supply wagons and tents ringing this camp. So let's do this, Barok. We all have our personal reasons to wreck hell this day."
"Hey, we're all fools, or else we wouldn't be here. Now, let's show those savages what a pack of brave fools can do.
"Let's divide your kobolds into two groups, those who have skills in stealth and those who don't. Divide the stealthy group into several groups of three, arm them with the gear they need to set their fires and have them spread out in a ring in the woods around the camp. When they hear the war-cry 'Dul Keyar' from the side of the camp facing the town they should then advance and set fire to the wagons and tents in the rear and to the sides. Then they should retreat and hide. If they then hear the war cry 'Eroll' they should advance again, evade any groups of orcs that may have been sent out to hunt them down, and attack the rear of the camp with hit and run tactics, advancing stealthily and setting new fires until they face serious opposition. Tell them to run if they face bad odds, but to exploit any weakness and confusion to cause maximum damage. If they find any women and children they should use them as hostages, but if that's not possible it's better to kill them than to leave them behind."
"The second group should be held in reserve at this position. If the orcs weaken their defenses to the front in reaction to the threat to their rear this group, under your leadership and with my aid, will then launch a fullscale attack on this sector. If our attack is successful we will press it, and call in the first group to attack again. If our attack encounters impossible odds we will retreat, setting fire to the camp as we go, and scatter into the woods."
"It's risky, but even the success of the first part of the plan may be enough to demoralise our enemies and weaken their attack on the town. A complete success will get us both glory and riches (it damn well better), and perhaps some noble titles as well. Either way, your people and mine will have bound their futures together, and the trade will flow as thick as the orcish blood on our blades."
"Are you with me?"
Barok took two groups of kobolds and placed them on different parts of the hill, both with a dozen humanoids. Rix headed the other group and split them into three packs of four firestarters while Barok led the other dozen into a spread out group of crossbowmen. When the scout yelled "Dul-Keyar" he was rewarded with the yipping of angry kobolds and the surprised looks on the orc leaders' faces as the wagons and tents behind them began to catch on flame. The orcs yelled at each other in the orcish language, and en masse they all drew weapons and raced towards the small humanoids, murder in their eyes. That's when Barok and his irregular formation sprang forth with his kobolds firing into the backs of several orc leaders before racing back into the woods.
Chaos erupted in the camp, and as the orc leaders were trying to figure out which threat to worry about more, Barok yelled "Eroll" as he retreated, causing the braver kobolds to burst forth again for another go. A couple were cut down by random orc camp followers, but a handful got through and lit up a few more supplies before fleeing for good into the forest.
The orc chieftain and a four of his right hand men charged towards the direction of Barok's voice and the rogue decided it was time to go. Yelling to his kobolds to scatter, the scout found that the enraged group of barbarians were quickly gaining on him. The thief heard the crash of a large orc and the whistle of a blade behind him and tumbled forward in time to avoid being cut into two. Instead, the side of the tree near his head exploded from the barbarian's sword swing, throwing wood chips into the night air.
As the rogue retreated down the hill and back towards the town, with five barbaric orcs on his heels, he suddenly realized that he was in trouble...
"Ah, bloody hell" Barok cursed as he rolls out of the way of another swing. This wasn't going quite the way he'd planned. "Rix, buddy, a little help here..." Looking around he found he was on his own and therefore turned deeper into the forest in an attempt to shake off his pursuers and hide, hoping to use the terrain, his smaller bulk and greater dexterity to his advantage.
****
Dartis, Silas, and Caramip
The trio watched as the central defenses almost became overrun and realized that their force might be able to harrass them, but not break through. Caramip suggested going after the leadership and chopping off the enemy army at the head in order to bring this battle to a quicker end. The three heroes agreed to lead a small contingent of a couple hundred young lads, militia, and old men to seek out and destroy the camp. The archers were all taken, but fifty women were given spears in the hope that they could deter any force from taking the inlet and civilians within. It was a gamble, but one that the party was adament about trying. Besides, Dartis had a general idea about where the enemy camp was after listening to Nikolos' report.
The group did not travel unimpeded, and several skirmishes were won over small bands of orcs that were occupied with looting and setting fire to several houses. Despite the street to street fighting, the group finally made it through the majority of the town, only to suddenly see several fires springing up in the area that the enemy camp was believed to be located. Like a beacon, it drew their attention and, from the shouts on that fiery hill, the three could tell that chaos had just broken loose in the orc camp.
The three heroes thought that they saw a man being chased down the large hill by five others, but they could not tell who they were. It was evident, though, that they intended to kill him as he tumbled away from one of their blades. He was about two hundred feet away, at the base of the hill.
****
Nikolos, Ventus, and Danica
"Here they come again!" Radnal yelled out a warning as the orcs came at the interior barricades with strong force and better organization. It's as if they were being led by barbarians with better experience than the last group, and the heroes noticed that older, more experienced orcs were now appearing in greater frequency. A few dozen broke through where some of the milita are unable to hold them back.
It was Cal who rushed forward with some of Radnal's town guard under his command and plugged the hole, but the orcs that made it through either snuck into the administrative building where Alexander and Syra were or took the time to attack behind Dorinthian lines. Cal engaged these also with the help of Ventus and a handful of men. The Imperial and noble Dorinthian fought hard, but were eventually separated by the brutality of their conflict. Ventus was able to hold back two orcs at once with his shield, but Cal went down to a large and scarred barbarian. As the muscular orc was about to drive his axe into the fallen noble, his father, Baron Dorin rushed forward and swung his longbow like a club, splintering it against the barbarian's face and throwing off its aim. With a roar, the orc attacked once more, mortally wounding the baron with a blow to the chest. Cal screamed in shock and drove his longsword upwards with two hands as he rose back up, impaling the large orc in the heart with such force that he actually lifted the dying enemy inches off the ground.
With the threat halted for the time being, Nikolos and Cal rushed to the dying baron's side in a futile attempt to save his life.
"Ah, son. I see why you enjoyed riding so much with the men. This... this made me feel alive... Still... I would ... would have preferred to... have seen my old garden... than war..." With that, the mild-mannered baron closed his eyes and died.
A pitiful wail burst forth from Cal's lungs, and the dryad's necklace began to glow around his neck. The wail was taken up by others, as they noticed their baron had fallen. Instead of falling to despair, however, rage burned in the eyes of the Dorinthians. It was all Radnal could do to hold them back from a tactical mistake in the midst of the battle. As the heroes watched Cal, however, they saw his skin become like bark at the same time that the necklace began to dim. With his new protective hardened skin the noble picked up his blade and looked as if he is ready to go over the barricades by himself. It was Ventus who first gained the courage to grab Cal before he did something foolish, magic protection or not.
That's when Nikolos suddenly spotted the fires that now erupted all over the suspected location of the orc camp on a hill to the north. Absolute chaos had broken out in the enemy encampment and the attackers began to slow down as all wonder what it means.
****
.
Dartis, Barok, Silas and Caramip
Dartis left the militia to continue their march as he took five of the cavalry (leaving five with the militia) and rode quickly to investigate the commotion at the hill.
“Looks like someone got themselves into a loosing game of ‘Kill-the-Carrier’...” Mentioned Caramip to both Silas and Dartis as she spotted the small man running for his life. “You think you might be able to help even up the odds while Silas and I get everyone in position?” Asked the Gnome to Dartis.
As Barok continued to flee down the hill, tumbling and dodging blades along the way, he used the vegetation and rough terrain to keep just ahead of his pursuers. Unfortunately, the vegetation began to disappear and the ground became flatter as he reached the base of the hill. Then he heard the sound of hooves thundering upon the ground. Coming quickly at Barok was Dartis and five Dorinthian horse archers. They had bows drawn. Right behind them were more riders, and some armed militia under the command of Silas and Caramip. The cavalry had arrived.
As one, Dartis and his five men commenced fire, slaying two of the orcs outright and injuring several others, including the massive older chieftain in the lead. With a panicked look, the orcs quickly turned and ran, but the cavalry was able to run down two more before a severely wounded chieftain and a lieutenant fled up the hill. The chieftain blew several notes on a war horn, and the heroes saw the mass of orcs attacking the center of the town begin to withdraw.
The withdrawal became an outright panic as everyone in the town could see the cavalry and militia swarming over the remnants of the camp. Dartis and his men rode through the fleeing orcs, using up most of their arrows to rain death down. The yell of Dul-Keyar delivered more chaos. Barok, Caramip and Silas led an assault that swept the remnants of the camp off the hill, while Rix and a few dozen kobolds leapt upon the injured fallen and murdered helpless orcs with such brutality that even the most stout Dorinthian turned away. Once the hill was cleared, the Dorinthians rallied together to hit retreating orcs left over in the town, while the kobolds looted the orc camp. But Barok, Silas, Caramip, and Dartis found in the town center changed everything...
Ventus, Nikolos, and Danica
Nikolos looked around, seeing the dead noble, and shaking his head. Then he looked at the somewhat faltering orc attack, and a frown crossed his normally cheerful face. "Well, nothing like witnessing events from the middle." Then he moved towards the orc that seemed to be giving the most orders, grabbing as many loose Dorinthians as he could manage, trying to get close to the leader chosen.
Danica turned, and it was like her eyes suddenly came into focus for the first time throughout this whole enterprise -- her silent demeanor and blank face are replaced with a small smile, curving up at the corner of her lips, as she began to engage with the chaos that surrounded her.
She was ready to fight, and she was looking for a target amidst the many lights in the darkness. For Dorninthia.
A scream from the administrative building reminded everyone that not all the orcs that got through were killed. Ventus and Cal enter the administrative building that some of the orcs were able to enter in order to protect Syra and the severely injured Alexander. They were able to slay three of them that stopped to loot the lower floors and found the bodies of several more, fallen near the bodies of butchered men and women who were able to put up somewhat of a weak resistance. Cursing, the Imperial tightened his grip on his blade as he reached the top floor and saw Alexander standing weakly before five orcs, a couple fresh wounds newly scarring his body. Amazingly, the half-orc was still standing with blade in hand, and protected a frightened knife-wielding Syra. The orcs taunted their kin and leered at the noblewoman with sadistic intentions.
Ventus and Cal drew the attention from their prey when Ventus slammed into the closest orc and buried his short blade into the creature's ribs. Another quick strike to the throat finished the badly wounded orc barbarian off, but not before Ventus got a deep cut in his thigh. The Imperial was used to such pain, however, and grimly stuck down a second, younger orc warrior. Cal handled two others, his barskinned flesh deflecting several blows while he hacked up the enemy in rage. Alexander took advantage of the final orc having turned to face Ventus, and grabbed the creature by the arm and throat. With a twist, the incredibly strong Alexander tossed the screaming orc through the nearby window, where he landed with a crunch by the feet of Danica. The sorceress looked surprised, but quickly recovered and moved her weapon to the stunned orc's face and released a bolt, finishing him. Looking up, she saw Alexander waving from above, a crying Syra holding him tightly. The half-orc turned to give Ventus a silent nod of thanks, and Cal sighed in satisfaction, glad to see that if his sister found a man to admire it at least be one who would fight to the death for her.
Suddenly, the orcs attacked in one more wave and all able-bodied men moved to solidy the defenses. Nikolos even saw his servants Redd, Shirte, and Gnaden near him close to the fighting. The scribe held a spear and yelled to him, in embarrassment, [color]"Sorry, master! Your books are safe in the basement of the building if it's any consolation."[/color] Then added with a slight touch of surprising humor, "How goes your research thus far?"
The assault was weaker than the last one, and the Dorinthians were both better prepared and angrier. The orcs saw that their attacks were failing when a war horn blew once more from the hill to the north. All turned to see the sight there, and that most of the orc camp was now on fire and that Dorinthian cavalry and militia were swarming over it. The orcs panicked and fell back, while Radnal found that he could not control the enraged men any longer and Kyle Radnal was unable to hold back the men. He gave command to Cal who came forth from the administrative building and turned the flight to a rout. The orcs were still numerically superior, and often stronger, but their disorganized withdrawal allowed packs of Dorinthians to butcher them mercilessly.
The Dorinthians that raided the orc camp came down from the hill, and joined the slaughter.
****
The attack had been stopped, and the swarms of orcs began to flee in all directions. The seven heroes met up in the center of the town, but the happiness that should come in victory was nowhere to be found. A couple of hundred Dorinthians were believed to have been killed in the fighting, nearly five percent of the refugee population. The numbers would have been much higher if not for the efforts of the party. What is more, Baron Dorin had fallen in battle, giving his life to save his son. Confusion reigned as the angry Dorinthians questioned who would lead them now? Cal, Syra, and Dartis were all candidates, but none of them were yet willing to make a declaration and all three seemed to want the position. Kyle Radnal stayed out of it, and began to create work details to bury the dead, put out fires, and rebuild. His militia and some of the people spoke aloud that he should lead the Dorinthians, and rumors swelled that he himself was of noble blood. Cal and Dartis also looked to see what remnants of cavalry could be put together to run down the surviving orcs, but the men were exhausted and the prospects questionable.
The biggest question, however, was why this happened. Why had the orcs come back? And why did it seem that they expected to find elves, not Dorinthians? And if this was an attack on the elven nation, how fared Saleentra and the Silver Forest? For a moment, Alexander, Rix, Silas, Danica, and Dartis recalled the prophetic words of the Mad Gnome:
Saleentra will burn.
