Now, your efforts will allow me to finalise my plans; as I discussed earlier with you, I hope you will play a part in my strategy.”
He took us to one of the tables, which showed a detailed map of the approaches to Gallo’s Fend. It was remarkable.
“The enemy can only come at us through one route and we both know this. Therefore, we have placed siege weapons at specific points – here, here, here and here - that will allow me to control the point where we will engage the enemy. Once engaged, we plan to pen them there and attack with archers and crossbowmen. Although it will not be possible to stop their forces there, they will be badly mauled by running through this gauntlet. We will be deploying our forces here, in a line just southeast of Markhold and Wicked Hill; it is close enough to our rear echelons that we can rotate damaged units. Each section of the line will be commanded by an experienced officer and the orders are simple: None Shall Pass!
Commander Hertiage will be in command of one of the sections of this line and you will be part of his forces. Apart from yourselves, these will consist of two chaplains, thirty two combat soldiers and two mages from Lady Timor’s contingent; you will also be given this.”
He produced a little device; it was difficult to describe. I had never seen anything like it before.
“I have been told this is called a thumper; you can use it once and if you do, it will draw the attention of an elemental ally, an elder xorn, Tupof Dzequifs. This ally can travel underground and fight for you, should you need him.
Now as for what we have been able to find out: the enemy forces are led by Konigsmarshall Malkan, who is under the supervision of Advisor Nina Glibglamer. There is also a magical contingent led by a war wizard, Kelkin Thravanvost, who has been trained in Gabal’s School of arcane tactics, whatever that means. Their troops number roughly ten thousand but there are also a number of non-human mercenaries in their forces, including monsters.
Finally, intelligence is still being gathered so in the next few days we may have an opportunity to strike some preliminary blows at the enemy. I hope that you will consider these opportunities as they become apparent.”
Without thinking, I had wondered over to the map where I saw what I presumed was going to be the deployment of the Duke’s forces; or at least some of them. I looked at the map for a time and then I began talking to myself, lost in the topography:
“Let’s see: first of all, it would be good to find out about the enemy commanders, this Kelkin Thravanvost, Koningsmarshall Malkan and finally exactly what Nina Glibglamer is actually doing here; just observing or actually supervising? Then, trying to work out their logistics would also be good; ten thousand men need an awful lot of food, supplies, weapons and other things; where would he put their supply train? Then, monstrous allies were mentioned: I wonder just what those are? Are there any more sphinxes around…..?”
Suddenly, I realised that everyone, the Duke, his advisors and the rest of my friends, had stopped talking; and they were all staring at me, including the Duke. He cleared his throat and said:
“Those are all very good questions and it is good to see you are thinking. We have answers to some of them but others are still unknown. Rest assured that in good time, you will be told all that we know. Now, may I have my map back please? We need to get back to our planning and you need to get some rest.”
A little embarrassed, I joined the others and we all left the war room. As soon as we did, John burst into laughter and Longhelim just looked at me and shook his head:
“I cannot believe you just did that; were you really giving lessons in battle planning to Duke Gallo?”
No one understood: “I wasn’t giving him lessons in anything. I just looked at the map and began thinking about all the questions I would want to know. Look, we are just about to risk our life for this place in a battle that is really nothing to do with us. The only reason we are involved is because we believe that the Ragesians are engineering this and if they are, then by definition it will be bad for Gate Pass and Seaquen. So, if we are taking this risk, then I think that forewarned is forearmed.”
Longhelim just smiled.
“Well, it looked as if you were bombarding him with questions while you were in the war room; that’s why everyone stopped talking.”
John interrupted: “I thought that his staff was going to have collective apoplexy. There was this little dwarf wizard, mumbling to himself while looking at the map and muttering all the questions that they were wanting to ask but didn’t dare; and it was obvious that others hadn’t even thought of them. Faden, that is just……so you.”
Victor did join in then: “Some of them were good questions. I would have liked to have received the answer to them as well.”
Even Drudge spoke up; both he and Victor usually let the others do that talking: “Yes, I would have liked to know if there are sphinxes in that approaching army. I have a little matter to settle with those flying flea bags after Bresk.
So, speculating on the answers, we made our way to our temporary house and settled down for the night.
The next day, I decided to devote to the scholarship of magic; I had a good breakfast, took out my books, ink vials, quills and the spell book which we obtained from Ivellios the mad magician of the steam tunnels under Seaquen. There were several spells which I wanted to copy and now seemed a good time to do so. The others were going to leave and have a look around; possibly help with war preparations if they could.
I also memorized several spells which would allow me to find out more about the magical items which we had taken from the Ragesian war party in the watchtower. Thus the day passed quickly as I first performed the item research and then lost myself in the formulae written by Ivellios. The man wrote in a very strange way; probably something to do with being mad. Anyway, before I knew it, the day had finished and the others were returning and filling the house with noise.
As we sat down to dinner, the others told me what was going on outside. They had all had spent the day drilling and practicing with the troops and others; Gallo, wisely, was exercising his troops incessantly. Both Longhelim and Victor, while experienced warriors in our group, knew that this would be the first time that they would participate in a large battle; therefore, they had all joined in the exercises, eager to learn as much as they could; their survival could hinge on these drills. These were not just drills in fighting but also in movement, order recognition and speed of reaction to commands. Hertiage was going to be our commander and as Longhelim said:
“So, when Hertiage shouts – Victor – front and centre – it would help if we knew what that actually meant. We do now.”
I looked at him blankly and said: “Good, because you can explain it to me then.”
Longhelim continued: “We also met the other members in Hertiage’s command; the chaplains, war mages and soldiers. They’re a good bunch. We will be proud to stand with them.”
“Any news of Steppengaard’s troops?”
“No,” was the reply, “but no doubt Gallo’s spies are busily ferreting around.”
I grunted: “Well, I am going to bed. I had a long day and my head is buzzing with magical script; and will also be tomorrow as well.”
The next day was a repetition of the previous one and I managed to transfer another spell into my book. That evening, when the others returned, Longhelim made an announcement:
“Gentlemen, we have been summoned to another audience with Gallo. No doubt it will be one of these difficult tasks, or opportunities as he puts it, that he was referring to. So, shall we go and see what is on offer?”
We went to the now familiar war room; Gallo was there with his usual gaggle of advisors and as soon as he saw us, he stopped and approached. He was looking incredibly tired, with pouches under his eyes, stubble and a pallor that was the result of too many nights without sleep.
“Ah, gentlemen, it is good to see you. Faden, as I told you a few days ago, we now have a few more answers to your questions; not all of them, but some of them. The monstrous mercenaries present in Bresk’s army include sphinxes, minotaurs, trolls and dragons. Their army is camped by Itnevel Hill and their supply train is within the camp. As you can imagine, they guard it zealously; Konigsmarshall Malkan, although I don’t know him personally, is obviously no fool. However, by the very nature of their layout and composition, their encampment will allow us with a few opportunities to cause havoc: that is where you come in.
Their siege engines are vulnerable. They have guards and engineers but they can be overwhelmed and thus leave the engines at the mercy of a sabotage team. There is one wrinkle though; they are also being guarded by a red dragon from the air. It would be a hard assignment but so worthwhile. Destruction of these engines would be a mighty set-back for the enemy.
There are ten catapults and eight ballistae; each catapult is guarded by four of their soldiers and four engineers. Each group of guards also has an officer in charge. The ballistae are powerful weapons but the most dangerous group there are the catapults and should you choose this task, then they should be your prime targets.
As you know, this area contains a labyrinth of tunnels and our dwarven allies will be able to guide you close to this section of the camp via a hidden exit.
Now the other opportunity is an assault on the leader of their magical contingent: Kelkin Thravanvost. Our spies have obtained a description of this individual. He is a dwarf, richly dressed in a particularly resplendent gray cloak that looks as if it is made of stone. He has a luxurious white beard which is threaded with silver medallions which look like coins. He also wears a gleaming skull cap and buckler. He is said to be powerful and learned in the skills of war magic.
His tent is on the outskirts of the camp and he is lightly guarded; only six soldier and one sphinx. It is one of the more powerful of these creatures with the body of a lion, the wings of a hawk and the head of a woman. My mages have told me it has access to very powerful symbol magic, is a strong combatant and very resistant to magic.
That may seem a light guard but as I said, let us not forget Kelkin himself; witnesses I trust have seen him cast a high order of magic, which would be very dangerous to our forces; I judge he is as dangerous as several siege engines by himself.
Again, our dwarven allies will be able to get you at least quite close his location through the tunnels.
So, to put it bluntly gentlemen, out of my teams you are the most likely to succeed so I will give you the choice of which opportunity you would like to pursue; ideally it would be best if you could exploit both but that would be almost impossible in the time allowed; so please choose one; if you wish to participate at all of course.”
Longehelim said: “Please forgive us Your Grace, while we have a brief conversation between ourselves.”
The paladin then led us to a corner while the Duke turned back to his map.
“The first so called opportunity is problematic due to the presence of the dragon; also, does anyone know how to actually sabotage a catapult?”
Victor replied: “From our perspective, I think you just have to hit it very hard; we don’t have the expertise to be able to cut through a vital piece of irreplaceable leather; we can smash it though.”
Longhelim then mused, almost to himself.
“And there are ten of them? With four engineers and four guards and an officer on each? And a dragon flying overhead?”
He frowned: “The other opportunity is problematic due to the unknowns. The wizard leader of the enemy is very likely to be powerful and it seems very strange that he is being so lightly guarded. Faden, what exactly is symbol magic?”
I had read about this: “It is the magic of sigils, runes and signs. You craft them on surfaces such as doors, walls, floors even shields and they are usually activated by sight or proximity. They are very powerful. I know the theory of how they work but they are beyond my knowledge to cast. I know that among other things, these symbols can blind, stun or even kill.”
John spoke thoughtfully: “I think the magician is a more feasible target for us. He is also potentially the more dangerous and six guards and a sphinx sounds far less dangerous than forty plus guards with a dragon.”
“Half a dozen guards, a sphinx and a powerful magician; we must not underestimate him,” I reminded him.
“I would rather attempt to somehow disable the catapults but I think that realistically, we have a better chance to remove the wizard from the battle. Are we all agreed to do this?”
We all answered in the affirmative and moved to face Gallo.
Longhelim said: “We will attempt to remove the wizard from the battle.”
Gallo looked relieved. It was obvious that both missions were very important to him and that he would count the success of even one of them as a advantage before the battle.
“Excellent! If you succeed, it will aid us greatly in our war effort. Please tell my dwarven allies of your plans and they will guide you into the Iltevel Forest. From there, you will have to negotiate the rest of the journey by yourselves. To aid you, I will allow you to requisition certain items or potions and wands that may help in your mission. Here are the orders.”
He handed us a scroll and we left the War Room.
We contacted the dwarves and they told us that they would be able to get us within a short distance of the camp. Then we all went to bed, mindful that we had a long day tomorrow.
The next morning, we all woke up and began to learn and pray for spells suitable for the mission ahead. Victor, Longhelim and Drudge had also gone to fulfill the requisition order with a series of potions which would be very helpful; they included magic which would toughen the skin of the warriors as if they were suddenly covered in tree bark; the other potions were going to help everyone see in the dark as we planned to strike at night; well everyone except me that is; I could see in the dark already; an advantage of being a dwarf.
We spent the daylight resting and as evening approached we met Gallo’s dwarven allies and were led into the tunnels. These were amazing pieces of engineering. Carved into the earth and rock, they were wide, tall and obviously designed for large amounts of people to use at once if necessary. There were torches and other light sources scattered regularly so darkness was not a problem for the humans. They were also remarkably clean. Suddenly, I could see why Commander Hertiage sounded so proud of this underground network below the environs of Gallo’s Fend. It really was a major defensive and offensive asset; especially if it led to a network of hidden entrances and exits. As such, it would be priceless; as the enemy were about to find out, I hoped.
We followed our dwarven guides until we found the exit in the middle of the Iltevel Forest; there the others drank the potions that allowed them to see in the dark. This allowed us to move quietly into position until we finally were reaching the edge of the clearing which contained the wizard’s tent. At this point, we cast various spells which were designed to both defend and bolster us in the coming conflict.
These spells included two spells for the warriors, which made their skin very hard and resistant to most weapons. I had already cast it on Victor once and he said that the spell was of such importance that it could turn a battle. Felix also bolstered Victor and himself against death magic, mindful of the symbols available to the sphinx; apart from that, several of the more common spells were cast on various members of the group, such as resistance to fire and magical defences and divine exhortations to Farlanghn; personally, I also gave myself the ability to see anyone who was invisible, especially useful against another wizard.
Finally, I cast a spell which rendered all of us speedy, another on Felix, which made us all invisible within a short distance around him and finally Felix cast his spell of magical silence on a stone; thus prepared, we moved into the camp.
Initially, our magical precautions worked. As we emerged from the edge of the forest, we saw the tent, a rather unassuming structure, which was surrounded by a guard of six soldiers, standing in a rough circle. They were well armoured and armed with swords and bows. Facing us, almost at the entrance, was the sphinx, as described; the creature seemed to be staring at the forest and so far had given no indication that it had detected us. There was also a fire pit in the terrain in front of us.
Using our stealth and aided by our trusted spell of magical silence and our invisibility, we moved to the sphinx and tried to strike it; something went awry though. I wasn’t sure whether it was the former or latter magic but both warriors lost their balance and they swung wildly at the monster without managing to hurt her. At this point, the warriors became visible; Drudge began to fire arrows at the soldiers and Felix dropped his stone of silence and moved away, swiftly followed by me.
The soldiers reacted commendably quickly, obviously well trained. Two immediately moved towards the warriors, to block them while the others began to fire arrows at visible members of the group. Foolishly, one of them began an archery duel with Drudge; that was only ever going to finish one way. It was at this point that Victor, facing two of the soldiers, performed one of his flowing moves, one stroke felling one and a follow up backhand slash nearly decapitating the other. I had seen it countless times before, mostly while he was practicing it endlessly in his sparring sessions but in a real battle, it was truly impressive. No doubt, the other soldiers thought so as well; there was a shout and most of the archery fire became concentrated on Victor.
Unfortunately, despite his heroics, the sphinx roared; it was a fearsome, magical sound, shaking one to the core of his being, raising primitive fears which almost demanded to be obeyed subconsciously. Thankfully, my reason took over and I was able to shake off the momentary panic; both Drudge and John were still within the confines of the silent pebble, therefore unable to hear it. Amazingly, Felix, Victor and Longhelim were also unaffected. The sphinx then stepped back to the tent. As Victor stormed after her, Felix cast another spell of magical silence, this time on top of the tent, making sure that she would not be able to use that demonic roar again. Finding herself silent, she ripped a hidden flap of the tent and revealed a symbol! This was hugely effective, as suddenly Longhelim, John and Drudge froze in mid movement.
During this time, I was having my own troubles, as two of the soldiers were advancing towards me. I turned my elemental staff on them and a moment later, they were engulfed in a ball of fire; this hurt them badly but did not put them down and they rushed towards me. Thankfully, I also moved away and before they reached me, I was able to cast my spell of force missiles at both of them and that finally achieved my aim. Just as I finished this, I saw a figure appear from the back of the tent, a dwarf, dressed and equipped in a manner to match our description of Kelkin Thravanvost. He was invisible but not for long, as he cast a spell which produced a bilious green cloud which enveloped everyone except Victor. It was a nasty spell, one about which I read. Against certain individuals, it was deadly; thankfully, we were too hardy to suffer that fate, but it was still a badly debilitating magic. I felt as if I had just crammed my spells; without the advantages. However, this turned the wizard visible and I alerted everyone of his presence. Then I cast a spell at him; a dust of metallic motes settled on the figure. It was a spell which was designed to stop him from turning invisible again; the motes could also settle into his eyes and blind him for a brief period but that was unlikely to happen to a powerful wizard. This was a basic spell that he would have studied in detail and would know how to defend against it.
I turned quickly, looking or Victor but saw that the sphinx had abandoned all pretence of casting spells and had torn into the warrior viciously with tooth and claw. Amazingly though, Victor stood there and took the wounds dealt by the monster and then with his usual economy of movement, proceeded to literally dismember her. His wooden falchion flashed once, twice, three times, dealing deadly slashes each time. She visibly recoiled and crumpled by the time the third struck her. It was quite incredible. Victor’s expertise with that sword was exceptional.
As he began to move towards the direction I pointed, a wall of flame appeared across the field, obscuring the magician. Nothing loth, Victor just moved through it; he was protected from fire after all. I lost sight of him at that point. I shot another ball of fire at two archers, causing them to fall and then followed Victor; I had the same protection.
As I moved through the wall, I was just in time to see Victor moving to the wizard and hitting him with his sword; as can be imagined, if a sphinx could not stand up to Victor’s skill then a wizard was not even close to matching him and a moment later, I saw the form before the warrior crumple. I could also see Felix just behind Victor.
At this point, Longhelim suddenly emerged through the wall of flame so whatever magic had been holding him in place had ceased to function; he quickly informed us that Drudge and John were following up behind him, now also able to move; oh, and that four riders were approaching at a canter.
The decision was immediate. We had discussed and prepared the spells for our escape. As soon as Drudge and John joined us, we cast another spell which made everyone in an area around Felix invisible, while the priest cast another spell of silence and taking Thravanvost’s body with us, we moved into the woods, fast. We concentrated in getting out of the camp unseen and did not look behind us; I breathed a sigh of relief as the trees closed around us. Thankfully, due to another spell cast by Felix, we left no trail in the snow. The forest offered a certain amount of shelter, especially against mounted pursuit, and we navigated the path until we found the hidden tunnel entrance. Once there, we disappeared underground and took a slightly more leisurely pace until we reached Gallo’s Fend.
We brought Thravanvost’s body with us to the castle, leaving it in the entrance hall in front of some gaping servants; then, even though we were dirty, hurt and blackened due to deadly magic, we asked for and obtained an audience with Gallo. He greeted us in a polite, friendly manner although he seemed tense. When we related our success, he looked very relieved:
“Gentlemen, you have lived up to expectations, thank the gods. I did send another team against the catapults but unfortunately, they have not returned. I fear I have lost them, making your victory doubly important. Do not doubt that this will make a huge difference in the battle. Rest assured, your conduct will be remembered yet again when this is over; and I will not forget my promise to guard Seaquen.
In the meantime, you look very tired. Please go and rest now. The battle will begin tomorrow. So far, the Konigsmarshall has not launched any special missions such as our efforts but that does not mean that he will not attempt to do so; so I would suggest you be watchful tonight. Thank you again for your efforts. You will have saved many lives.”
With that, he turned back to the table and just before we left, I saw him reach out and topple one of the small tokens on his map.
We collected the dwarf’s body and we went back to our quarters. There we cast a few spells on him, which determined what the spoils of war were; once we removed these, we buried the body. Finally, mindful of Gallo’s words and after setting watches, we went to sleep.
He took us to one of the tables, which showed a detailed map of the approaches to Gallo’s Fend. It was remarkable.
“The enemy can only come at us through one route and we both know this. Therefore, we have placed siege weapons at specific points – here, here, here and here - that will allow me to control the point where we will engage the enemy. Once engaged, we plan to pen them there and attack with archers and crossbowmen. Although it will not be possible to stop their forces there, they will be badly mauled by running through this gauntlet. We will be deploying our forces here, in a line just southeast of Markhold and Wicked Hill; it is close enough to our rear echelons that we can rotate damaged units. Each section of the line will be commanded by an experienced officer and the orders are simple: None Shall Pass!
Commander Hertiage will be in command of one of the sections of this line and you will be part of his forces. Apart from yourselves, these will consist of two chaplains, thirty two combat soldiers and two mages from Lady Timor’s contingent; you will also be given this.”
He produced a little device; it was difficult to describe. I had never seen anything like it before.
“I have been told this is called a thumper; you can use it once and if you do, it will draw the attention of an elemental ally, an elder xorn, Tupof Dzequifs. This ally can travel underground and fight for you, should you need him.
Now as for what we have been able to find out: the enemy forces are led by Konigsmarshall Malkan, who is under the supervision of Advisor Nina Glibglamer. There is also a magical contingent led by a war wizard, Kelkin Thravanvost, who has been trained in Gabal’s School of arcane tactics, whatever that means. Their troops number roughly ten thousand but there are also a number of non-human mercenaries in their forces, including monsters.
Finally, intelligence is still being gathered so in the next few days we may have an opportunity to strike some preliminary blows at the enemy. I hope that you will consider these opportunities as they become apparent.”
Without thinking, I had wondered over to the map where I saw what I presumed was going to be the deployment of the Duke’s forces; or at least some of them. I looked at the map for a time and then I began talking to myself, lost in the topography:
“Let’s see: first of all, it would be good to find out about the enemy commanders, this Kelkin Thravanvost, Koningsmarshall Malkan and finally exactly what Nina Glibglamer is actually doing here; just observing or actually supervising? Then, trying to work out their logistics would also be good; ten thousand men need an awful lot of food, supplies, weapons and other things; where would he put their supply train? Then, monstrous allies were mentioned: I wonder just what those are? Are there any more sphinxes around…..?”
Suddenly, I realised that everyone, the Duke, his advisors and the rest of my friends, had stopped talking; and they were all staring at me, including the Duke. He cleared his throat and said:
“Those are all very good questions and it is good to see you are thinking. We have answers to some of them but others are still unknown. Rest assured that in good time, you will be told all that we know. Now, may I have my map back please? We need to get back to our planning and you need to get some rest.”
A little embarrassed, I joined the others and we all left the war room. As soon as we did, John burst into laughter and Longhelim just looked at me and shook his head:
“I cannot believe you just did that; were you really giving lessons in battle planning to Duke Gallo?”
No one understood: “I wasn’t giving him lessons in anything. I just looked at the map and began thinking about all the questions I would want to know. Look, we are just about to risk our life for this place in a battle that is really nothing to do with us. The only reason we are involved is because we believe that the Ragesians are engineering this and if they are, then by definition it will be bad for Gate Pass and Seaquen. So, if we are taking this risk, then I think that forewarned is forearmed.”
Longhelim just smiled.
“Well, it looked as if you were bombarding him with questions while you were in the war room; that’s why everyone stopped talking.”
John interrupted: “I thought that his staff was going to have collective apoplexy. There was this little dwarf wizard, mumbling to himself while looking at the map and muttering all the questions that they were wanting to ask but didn’t dare; and it was obvious that others hadn’t even thought of them. Faden, that is just……so you.”
Victor did join in then: “Some of them were good questions. I would have liked to have received the answer to them as well.”
Even Drudge spoke up; both he and Victor usually let the others do that talking: “Yes, I would have liked to know if there are sphinxes in that approaching army. I have a little matter to settle with those flying flea bags after Bresk.
So, speculating on the answers, we made our way to our temporary house and settled down for the night.
The next day, I decided to devote to the scholarship of magic; I had a good breakfast, took out my books, ink vials, quills and the spell book which we obtained from Ivellios the mad magician of the steam tunnels under Seaquen. There were several spells which I wanted to copy and now seemed a good time to do so. The others were going to leave and have a look around; possibly help with war preparations if they could.
I also memorized several spells which would allow me to find out more about the magical items which we had taken from the Ragesian war party in the watchtower. Thus the day passed quickly as I first performed the item research and then lost myself in the formulae written by Ivellios. The man wrote in a very strange way; probably something to do with being mad. Anyway, before I knew it, the day had finished and the others were returning and filling the house with noise.
As we sat down to dinner, the others told me what was going on outside. They had all had spent the day drilling and practicing with the troops and others; Gallo, wisely, was exercising his troops incessantly. Both Longhelim and Victor, while experienced warriors in our group, knew that this would be the first time that they would participate in a large battle; therefore, they had all joined in the exercises, eager to learn as much as they could; their survival could hinge on these drills. These were not just drills in fighting but also in movement, order recognition and speed of reaction to commands. Hertiage was going to be our commander and as Longhelim said:
“So, when Hertiage shouts – Victor – front and centre – it would help if we knew what that actually meant. We do now.”
I looked at him blankly and said: “Good, because you can explain it to me then.”
Longhelim continued: “We also met the other members in Hertiage’s command; the chaplains, war mages and soldiers. They’re a good bunch. We will be proud to stand with them.”
“Any news of Steppengaard’s troops?”
“No,” was the reply, “but no doubt Gallo’s spies are busily ferreting around.”
I grunted: “Well, I am going to bed. I had a long day and my head is buzzing with magical script; and will also be tomorrow as well.”
The next day was a repetition of the previous one and I managed to transfer another spell into my book. That evening, when the others returned, Longhelim made an announcement:
“Gentlemen, we have been summoned to another audience with Gallo. No doubt it will be one of these difficult tasks, or opportunities as he puts it, that he was referring to. So, shall we go and see what is on offer?”
We went to the now familiar war room; Gallo was there with his usual gaggle of advisors and as soon as he saw us, he stopped and approached. He was looking incredibly tired, with pouches under his eyes, stubble and a pallor that was the result of too many nights without sleep.
“Ah, gentlemen, it is good to see you. Faden, as I told you a few days ago, we now have a few more answers to your questions; not all of them, but some of them. The monstrous mercenaries present in Bresk’s army include sphinxes, minotaurs, trolls and dragons. Their army is camped by Itnevel Hill and their supply train is within the camp. As you can imagine, they guard it zealously; Konigsmarshall Malkan, although I don’t know him personally, is obviously no fool. However, by the very nature of their layout and composition, their encampment will allow us with a few opportunities to cause havoc: that is where you come in.
Their siege engines are vulnerable. They have guards and engineers but they can be overwhelmed and thus leave the engines at the mercy of a sabotage team. There is one wrinkle though; they are also being guarded by a red dragon from the air. It would be a hard assignment but so worthwhile. Destruction of these engines would be a mighty set-back for the enemy.
There are ten catapults and eight ballistae; each catapult is guarded by four of their soldiers and four engineers. Each group of guards also has an officer in charge. The ballistae are powerful weapons but the most dangerous group there are the catapults and should you choose this task, then they should be your prime targets.
As you know, this area contains a labyrinth of tunnels and our dwarven allies will be able to guide you close to this section of the camp via a hidden exit.
Now the other opportunity is an assault on the leader of their magical contingent: Kelkin Thravanvost. Our spies have obtained a description of this individual. He is a dwarf, richly dressed in a particularly resplendent gray cloak that looks as if it is made of stone. He has a luxurious white beard which is threaded with silver medallions which look like coins. He also wears a gleaming skull cap and buckler. He is said to be powerful and learned in the skills of war magic.
His tent is on the outskirts of the camp and he is lightly guarded; only six soldier and one sphinx. It is one of the more powerful of these creatures with the body of a lion, the wings of a hawk and the head of a woman. My mages have told me it has access to very powerful symbol magic, is a strong combatant and very resistant to magic.
That may seem a light guard but as I said, let us not forget Kelkin himself; witnesses I trust have seen him cast a high order of magic, which would be very dangerous to our forces; I judge he is as dangerous as several siege engines by himself.
Again, our dwarven allies will be able to get you at least quite close his location through the tunnels.
So, to put it bluntly gentlemen, out of my teams you are the most likely to succeed so I will give you the choice of which opportunity you would like to pursue; ideally it would be best if you could exploit both but that would be almost impossible in the time allowed; so please choose one; if you wish to participate at all of course.”
Longehelim said: “Please forgive us Your Grace, while we have a brief conversation between ourselves.”
The paladin then led us to a corner while the Duke turned back to his map.
“The first so called opportunity is problematic due to the presence of the dragon; also, does anyone know how to actually sabotage a catapult?”
Victor replied: “From our perspective, I think you just have to hit it very hard; we don’t have the expertise to be able to cut through a vital piece of irreplaceable leather; we can smash it though.”
Longhelim then mused, almost to himself.
“And there are ten of them? With four engineers and four guards and an officer on each? And a dragon flying overhead?”
He frowned: “The other opportunity is problematic due to the unknowns. The wizard leader of the enemy is very likely to be powerful and it seems very strange that he is being so lightly guarded. Faden, what exactly is symbol magic?”
I had read about this: “It is the magic of sigils, runes and signs. You craft them on surfaces such as doors, walls, floors even shields and they are usually activated by sight or proximity. They are very powerful. I know the theory of how they work but they are beyond my knowledge to cast. I know that among other things, these symbols can blind, stun or even kill.”
John spoke thoughtfully: “I think the magician is a more feasible target for us. He is also potentially the more dangerous and six guards and a sphinx sounds far less dangerous than forty plus guards with a dragon.”
“Half a dozen guards, a sphinx and a powerful magician; we must not underestimate him,” I reminded him.
“I would rather attempt to somehow disable the catapults but I think that realistically, we have a better chance to remove the wizard from the battle. Are we all agreed to do this?”
We all answered in the affirmative and moved to face Gallo.
Longhelim said: “We will attempt to remove the wizard from the battle.”
Gallo looked relieved. It was obvious that both missions were very important to him and that he would count the success of even one of them as a advantage before the battle.
“Excellent! If you succeed, it will aid us greatly in our war effort. Please tell my dwarven allies of your plans and they will guide you into the Iltevel Forest. From there, you will have to negotiate the rest of the journey by yourselves. To aid you, I will allow you to requisition certain items or potions and wands that may help in your mission. Here are the orders.”
He handed us a scroll and we left the War Room.
We contacted the dwarves and they told us that they would be able to get us within a short distance of the camp. Then we all went to bed, mindful that we had a long day tomorrow.
The next morning, we all woke up and began to learn and pray for spells suitable for the mission ahead. Victor, Longhelim and Drudge had also gone to fulfill the requisition order with a series of potions which would be very helpful; they included magic which would toughen the skin of the warriors as if they were suddenly covered in tree bark; the other potions were going to help everyone see in the dark as we planned to strike at night; well everyone except me that is; I could see in the dark already; an advantage of being a dwarf.
We spent the daylight resting and as evening approached we met Gallo’s dwarven allies and were led into the tunnels. These were amazing pieces of engineering. Carved into the earth and rock, they were wide, tall and obviously designed for large amounts of people to use at once if necessary. There were torches and other light sources scattered regularly so darkness was not a problem for the humans. They were also remarkably clean. Suddenly, I could see why Commander Hertiage sounded so proud of this underground network below the environs of Gallo’s Fend. It really was a major defensive and offensive asset; especially if it led to a network of hidden entrances and exits. As such, it would be priceless; as the enemy were about to find out, I hoped.
We followed our dwarven guides until we found the exit in the middle of the Iltevel Forest; there the others drank the potions that allowed them to see in the dark. This allowed us to move quietly into position until we finally were reaching the edge of the clearing which contained the wizard’s tent. At this point, we cast various spells which were designed to both defend and bolster us in the coming conflict.
These spells included two spells for the warriors, which made their skin very hard and resistant to most weapons. I had already cast it on Victor once and he said that the spell was of such importance that it could turn a battle. Felix also bolstered Victor and himself against death magic, mindful of the symbols available to the sphinx; apart from that, several of the more common spells were cast on various members of the group, such as resistance to fire and magical defences and divine exhortations to Farlanghn; personally, I also gave myself the ability to see anyone who was invisible, especially useful against another wizard.
Finally, I cast a spell which rendered all of us speedy, another on Felix, which made us all invisible within a short distance around him and finally Felix cast his spell of magical silence on a stone; thus prepared, we moved into the camp.
Initially, our magical precautions worked. As we emerged from the edge of the forest, we saw the tent, a rather unassuming structure, which was surrounded by a guard of six soldiers, standing in a rough circle. They were well armoured and armed with swords and bows. Facing us, almost at the entrance, was the sphinx, as described; the creature seemed to be staring at the forest and so far had given no indication that it had detected us. There was also a fire pit in the terrain in front of us.
Using our stealth and aided by our trusted spell of magical silence and our invisibility, we moved to the sphinx and tried to strike it; something went awry though. I wasn’t sure whether it was the former or latter magic but both warriors lost their balance and they swung wildly at the monster without managing to hurt her. At this point, the warriors became visible; Drudge began to fire arrows at the soldiers and Felix dropped his stone of silence and moved away, swiftly followed by me.
The soldiers reacted commendably quickly, obviously well trained. Two immediately moved towards the warriors, to block them while the others began to fire arrows at visible members of the group. Foolishly, one of them began an archery duel with Drudge; that was only ever going to finish one way. It was at this point that Victor, facing two of the soldiers, performed one of his flowing moves, one stroke felling one and a follow up backhand slash nearly decapitating the other. I had seen it countless times before, mostly while he was practicing it endlessly in his sparring sessions but in a real battle, it was truly impressive. No doubt, the other soldiers thought so as well; there was a shout and most of the archery fire became concentrated on Victor.
Unfortunately, despite his heroics, the sphinx roared; it was a fearsome, magical sound, shaking one to the core of his being, raising primitive fears which almost demanded to be obeyed subconsciously. Thankfully, my reason took over and I was able to shake off the momentary panic; both Drudge and John were still within the confines of the silent pebble, therefore unable to hear it. Amazingly, Felix, Victor and Longhelim were also unaffected. The sphinx then stepped back to the tent. As Victor stormed after her, Felix cast another spell of magical silence, this time on top of the tent, making sure that she would not be able to use that demonic roar again. Finding herself silent, she ripped a hidden flap of the tent and revealed a symbol! This was hugely effective, as suddenly Longhelim, John and Drudge froze in mid movement.
During this time, I was having my own troubles, as two of the soldiers were advancing towards me. I turned my elemental staff on them and a moment later, they were engulfed in a ball of fire; this hurt them badly but did not put them down and they rushed towards me. Thankfully, I also moved away and before they reached me, I was able to cast my spell of force missiles at both of them and that finally achieved my aim. Just as I finished this, I saw a figure appear from the back of the tent, a dwarf, dressed and equipped in a manner to match our description of Kelkin Thravanvost. He was invisible but not for long, as he cast a spell which produced a bilious green cloud which enveloped everyone except Victor. It was a nasty spell, one about which I read. Against certain individuals, it was deadly; thankfully, we were too hardy to suffer that fate, but it was still a badly debilitating magic. I felt as if I had just crammed my spells; without the advantages. However, this turned the wizard visible and I alerted everyone of his presence. Then I cast a spell at him; a dust of metallic motes settled on the figure. It was a spell which was designed to stop him from turning invisible again; the motes could also settle into his eyes and blind him for a brief period but that was unlikely to happen to a powerful wizard. This was a basic spell that he would have studied in detail and would know how to defend against it.
I turned quickly, looking or Victor but saw that the sphinx had abandoned all pretence of casting spells and had torn into the warrior viciously with tooth and claw. Amazingly though, Victor stood there and took the wounds dealt by the monster and then with his usual economy of movement, proceeded to literally dismember her. His wooden falchion flashed once, twice, three times, dealing deadly slashes each time. She visibly recoiled and crumpled by the time the third struck her. It was quite incredible. Victor’s expertise with that sword was exceptional.
As he began to move towards the direction I pointed, a wall of flame appeared across the field, obscuring the magician. Nothing loth, Victor just moved through it; he was protected from fire after all. I lost sight of him at that point. I shot another ball of fire at two archers, causing them to fall and then followed Victor; I had the same protection.
As I moved through the wall, I was just in time to see Victor moving to the wizard and hitting him with his sword; as can be imagined, if a sphinx could not stand up to Victor’s skill then a wizard was not even close to matching him and a moment later, I saw the form before the warrior crumple. I could also see Felix just behind Victor.
At this point, Longhelim suddenly emerged through the wall of flame so whatever magic had been holding him in place had ceased to function; he quickly informed us that Drudge and John were following up behind him, now also able to move; oh, and that four riders were approaching at a canter.
The decision was immediate. We had discussed and prepared the spells for our escape. As soon as Drudge and John joined us, we cast another spell which made everyone in an area around Felix invisible, while the priest cast another spell of silence and taking Thravanvost’s body with us, we moved into the woods, fast. We concentrated in getting out of the camp unseen and did not look behind us; I breathed a sigh of relief as the trees closed around us. Thankfully, due to another spell cast by Felix, we left no trail in the snow. The forest offered a certain amount of shelter, especially against mounted pursuit, and we navigated the path until we found the hidden tunnel entrance. Once there, we disappeared underground and took a slightly more leisurely pace until we reached Gallo’s Fend.
We brought Thravanvost’s body with us to the castle, leaving it in the entrance hall in front of some gaping servants; then, even though we were dirty, hurt and blackened due to deadly magic, we asked for and obtained an audience with Gallo. He greeted us in a polite, friendly manner although he seemed tense. When we related our success, he looked very relieved:
“Gentlemen, you have lived up to expectations, thank the gods. I did send another team against the catapults but unfortunately, they have not returned. I fear I have lost them, making your victory doubly important. Do not doubt that this will make a huge difference in the battle. Rest assured, your conduct will be remembered yet again when this is over; and I will not forget my promise to guard Seaquen.
In the meantime, you look very tired. Please go and rest now. The battle will begin tomorrow. So far, the Konigsmarshall has not launched any special missions such as our efforts but that does not mean that he will not attempt to do so; so I would suggest you be watchful tonight. Thank you again for your efforts. You will have saved many lives.”
With that, he turned back to the table and just before we left, I saw him reach out and topple one of the small tokens on his map.
We collected the dwarf’s body and we went back to our quarters. There we cast a few spells on him, which determined what the spoils of war were; once we removed these, we buried the body. Finally, mindful of Gallo’s words and after setting watches, we went to sleep.