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Last Stand of the Dorinthians
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<blockquote data-quote="Deuce Traveler" data-source="post: 5879195" data-attributes="member: 34958"><p>Barok and Dartis</p><p></p><p>Barok stepped behind the magic-wielding orc...</p><p></p><p>Dartis and Swift struck at the orc next to them to bring him down, then turned to face the next wave. The nobleman watched as the orc adept came forth from the alley and began to weave a spell. But the orc was quickly silenced by Barok, whose rapier buried itself a few inches into the spellcaster's kidney while the knife slit cleanly across its throat with enough force to almost sever it. The head rolled backwards and with a tear, separated from the body with a gushing of blood that spattered the rogue's clothes.</p><p></p><p>Dartis also attacked, but missed with his blade, although Swift killed the injured orc with a hoof to the head. The next wave of orcs attacked, but the first couldn't break through Dartis' defenses. The second one got luckier, however with a small cut to the nobleman's sword arm.</p><p></p><p>..........................</p><p>..................|.......</p><p>..................<===(alley entrance)</p><p>..............B..|.......</p><p>...........................</p><p>..............oo..........</p><p>..............D...........</p><p>...........................</p><p></p><p>Barok stepped forwards, the limp corpse of the spellcaster sliding off his weapons just before they were thrust once more at the back of another orc. "Kudos to you nobles," he said to Dartis. "You sure know how to throw a party."</p><p></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue">"Hey, I thought they were your friends."</span> retorted Dartis as he and Swift struck at the orcs in front of them.</p><p></p><p>Dartis' blade sung through the air once more, slashing a gash in the orc directly in front of him, while Swift's hooves finished it off. Barok took advantage of the situation and flanked the last orc, but missed. The creature attempted to attack Dartis once more, but also missed. Not retreating was the last mistake the orc ever made, as the noble and scout quickly dispatched it the next round.</p><p></p><p>As Dartis was cleaning his blade, a large number of quickly armed militia under Radnal's direction made it into his intersection with wagons, carts, and barrels that they began to quickly tip over and stack into barricades. <span style="color: white">"Hurry up!"</span> The man yelled to his men, his face calm but determined. <span style="color: white">"They'll be coming back and more organized."</span></p><p></p><p>Barok and Dartis looked around and noticed that they weren't so far away from the town square, after all. That fleeing mob must have slowed them down, and the duo turned away the chaotically charging orc elements and gave them something to think about. Radnal and the militia and guards that were following his direction had made two circular defenses. One outer one that Dartis and Barok were at, and an inner fall back position around the town square.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly, Cal Dorin rode up to Radnal's' position with a squad of cavalry. <span style="color: green">"Damn it, Radnal, open a path!"</span></p><p></p><p>Kyle Radnal looked stunned at this request, <span style="color: white">"Are you mad? This isn't open field combat! Those orcs will cut you and your men down in those streets."</span></p><p></p><p>Impatient and angry, Cal looked down upon the man, his sword on his pommel. <span style="color: white">"I know who your family was, Kyle. Your father was a traitor. Would you add to your tainted family crest?"</span> His men began to dismount to clear a path for their horses.</p><p></p><p>Radnal reached for his own sword, when all parties were stopped by the sound of blaring war horns. The orcs were returning.</p><p></p><p>Barok moved to support Cal Dorin, facing Kyle Radnal and Dartis. <span style="color: SlateGray">"We can't just stand here waiting for them. This will be a massacre if we do, and it will be our people who'll get slaughtered. We have to get out there and kill their leader. If we do they'll have no choice but to run, because any subchief who gets his warriors slaughtered will have no chance to gain the leadership of the tribe, no matter how bravely the ugly bastards fight."</span></p><p></p><p>As the horns had sounded, and Barok had his say, Dartis looked down from Swift at both Kyle and Cal. <span style="color: RoyalBlue">"If any man here draws a sword on his fellow Dorinthian, they will answer to me and the gibbet. There is no time for discussions of history or family, if we do not act as one people, our people will not exist to remember whose family was noble and whose ignoble. </span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue"></span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue">Now Radnal and Dorin you will both put your weapons down. I am the Captain of the Dorinthian forces, so you will both put aside your egos and pride and listen to orders.</span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue"></span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue">Now there are some merits to both a stand and a charge. Barok's suggestion may work, but if we cannot find the chief, they may over run our defenses while some of our forces are off searching willy-nilly.</span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue"></span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue">Additionally I do share Kyle's concern that in the streets our cavalry may be too easily picked off by snipers and shamans. Cal, I cannot bear the though of losing more of our cavalry. We shal lneed them to drive the orcs back out. </span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue"></span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue">So here is what we shall do. We will man the barricades until we can determine where the greatest surge of orcs is coming from. Then we will send the calavry out after them to meet their charge where it will do the most good. In this way we can maintain the defens eof the square, which is vital, but can be best assured of finding the leader of the orcs and driving the remainder away.</span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue"></span></p><p><span style="color: RoyalBlue">Now, gentlemen am I understood?"</span></p><p></p><p>Afterwards Dartis addressed Barok <span style="color: RoyalBlue">"Handy work back there. My thanks again. Now, you are less a soldier than a scout, if you feel you can best be used here, then man the barricades. However, perhaps you would be more at home of the roof tops, scouting locations of orc movements and I have every confidence in your ability to quietly take out their scouts. It is your chioice though."</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: White">"You're the Captain of the army? What army? And by the Rider, sir, who made you king?"</span> Cal sputtered, his attention drawn to a new target.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: green">"What a predicament. I suppose I'll now have to keep two nobles from telling my boys what to do."</span> Radnal's comment broke the ice between the two men, and the other Dorinthians visibly relaxed. That's when they heard the commotion by a nearby upturned cart and other tall debris set against one another. A way was opened up, and Ventus, Nikolos, and Danica came through with a couple dozen refugees…</p><p></p><p>******</p><p></p><p>Ventus, Danica and Nikolos</p><p></p><p>Down to two orcs now, Ventus spared himself a moment to point to the corner around which the first orc dissapeared. <span style="color: PaleTurquoise">"Danica! Catch that orc, we'll handle these two!"</span> Then he resumed his attack against the orcs, stabbing sharply at his foe.</p><p></p><p>Nikolos looked a bit rueful as Ventus was wounded again, and again called upon the power of the Seeker...feeling the prayer of blessing fade, replaced by a small portion of the Seeker's healing power. Then he chuckled, as he took the heavy mace from his belt. <span style="color: DarkGreen">"And now, Master Ventus, try not to laugh at my ineptness. Weapons drill was never my finest hour at the Great Library." </span>Moving to stand beside the soldier, he hefted the mace, and prepared to face the orc opposite him.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: white">"Ok,"</span> Danica yelled and began to run past the combatants, crossbow at the ready. She took a shot at an orc as she went by, but missed.</p><p></p><p>The two orcs attacked once more, but one missed Ventus while the other hits with a nasty cut to his side. Ventus made up for it with a hit that dropped the orc that had injured him. Nikolos cast another spell of healing before moving up and preparing to engage in melee.</p><p></p><p>The last visible orc was beginning to have second thoughts about his situation...</p><p></p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>............o....Da........</p><p>...........NV..............</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p></p><p><span style="color: DarkGreen">"These creatures do seem rather persistent."</span> Nikolos' voice was quite cheerful, as he maneuvered to attack the orc. He took a step forward, in hopes that Ventus would do the same on the other side of the orc and catch the raider between them. Then he swung his mace.</p><p></p><p>The last orc attempted to run, but Ventus cut him down. Danica came back from the side street, with her crossbow empty and a look of grim satisfaction.</p><p></p><p>With great relief, the families on the roof climbed back down from the open upper windows of the manor. Suddenly, one of the last little children gasped and yells, <span style="color: white">"Oh no, my dolly!"</span></p><p></p><p>Her mother yelled, <span style="color: green">"Karen, stop!"</span></p><p></p><p>Before anyone could stop her, the little girl ran up the inside stairs. Danica sighed and rolled her eyes impatiently before chasing the girl. There would be no escorting the families with one of the children missing. </p><p></p><p>Ventus and Nikolos followed Danica in her chase. They noticed that there were sleeping bags throughout most of the house, the result of too many Dorinthians and not enough room to house them all. Pushing such thoughts out, they focused on finding the youth.</p><p></p><p>The girl grabbed a doll in one of the rooms on the upper floors near the windows. As the group reached her to bring her outside, they realized that the house allowed an excellent vantage point of the surrounding area. To the southern edge of town, they saw several lights and what looked to be Dorinthian civilians and militia crouched near each other for protection by a small creek and some houses. In the center of the town it looked like barricades were being set up by more militia, guards, and cavalry.</p><p></p><p>To the north, and on a hill they saw a series of torch lights and what looked to be two large groups of men moving out from underneath the illumination. One group headed for the center of town, while another looked as if it was flanking around.</p><p></p><p>From those torches, they heard once more the sound of war horns.</p><p></p><p>Nikolos watched, his scholar's instinct being to simply observe what happened, and record it. He wondered where Caramip was, and if she was alright, then decided that the gnome was quite capable of seeing to her own safety.</p><p></p><p>Ventus shook his head.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: PaleTurquoise">"The attack was too sudden, there will be no scouts to warn of enemy movements. If I had an army at my back, we could try to outflank them. But the three of us are just not enough. We must make our way to the barricade and warn the others, try and take up a position to defend all sides. We must hurry."</span></p><p></p><p>He scooped up the girl in his arms and hurried down to return to her family. Ushering the group to as much shelter as there was as he hurried himself towards the barricade.</p><p>The first group of humanoids that were headed for the barricades was much larger than the flanking group, which was visibly heading towards the southern mass of Dorinthian civilians and ragtag militia. Nikolos swore he saw a tall, robed human with a staff followed by a shorter figure. He took these to be Silas and Caramip.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: DarkGreen">"This doesn't look good. Even if the barricades in the middle of town hold the first force, the second one will be able to either strike them in the rear, or hit the people at the creek. And if they deal with the men at the barricades first, then both groups can attack the creek. Do you think the Dorinthian leaders know what's going on?"</span></p><p>Nikolos paused in the midst of taking a book from his pack...and shook his head, following after Ventus. <span style="color: DarkGreen">"Right then, off to another bloodletting we go."</span> The book got put back in the pack, and he helped shivvy the family to such shelter as was available before following Ventus.</p><p></p><p>The trio quickly move down towards the central barricades, with the sounds of gathering orcs filling the various streets to the north. It seemed as if they were readying for a massed strike and their targets were the soldiers, knights, and militia in the center of the town. There was no longer any sign of the smaller flanking force, but they seemed to have been moving towards the packed and separated refugees to the south.</p><p></p><p>The three adventurers led the way to the main Dorinthian defenses and were let through the barricades by some of Radnal's town guard, and soon they saw Dartis, Barok, Cal, and Kyle Radnal leading the defenses. From the looks on their faces, the trio of heroes seemed to have interrupted some kind of argument, most likely about their defenses.</p><p></p><p>******</p><p></p><p>Silas and Caramip</p><p></p><p>Silas, quickly assessing the situation and not liking the result, took a step back. Quickly he chanted the words of power to cast <em>Burning Hands</em> and spread his hands before him, trying to position the spell so that he caught all three of the orcs in front of him. </p><p></p><p>Silas unloaded with a fan of flame that issued forth from his hand, killing the two adepts outright, while Caramip moved forward and finished off the third orc. The amazed silence of the crowd behind them was only interrupted by the bizarre laughter of the orc ahead of them.</p><p></p><p>.........................</p><p>........................</p><p>...............o........</p><p>........................</p><p>.........................</p><p>.........................</p><p>.........................</p><p>..........S.C...........</p><p>.........................</p><p>.........................</p><p>.........................</p><p></p><p>Caramip was a bit taken back by Silas’ display of power and gave him a pleasing surprised look. “<span style="color: Yellow">Well… That was easy.</span>” She said as she drew her short sword and quickly made her way towards the remaining orc. “<span style="color: Yellow">We must hurry if we are taking prisoners.</span>” Raising the flat of her blade she struck at the last orc on the back of the skull. “<span style="color: Yellow">Quickly, we will need some rope.</span>”</p><p></p><p>Silas quickly took a few steps forward and snatched up the python rod. Seeing Caramip move forward to deal with the incapacitated orc, he returned to his family and the group of children. <span style="color: orange">"Go to that building over there and see if you can get inside. It should be safer off the streets."</span> He looked over to where Caramip whacked at the held orc. <span style="color: orange">"We'll deal with this orc and see if there are any others. I won't be gone long."</span> He gave his father a brief nod of respect, quickly kissed his wife, and then rushed over to help Caramip.</p><p></p><p>As he crossed the distance between Caramip and the group of children and his family, Silas examined the python rod. <em>It looks ok...</em> Once he was at Caramip's side he said, <span style="color: orange">"I'm not carrying any rope. Didn't think I would need it at a celebration."</span> He grinned. <span style="color: orange">"Didn't think I'd need my crossbow either but my father insisted I be decked out in full 'defender' regalia."</span> He scowled at the orc. <span style="color: orange">"What do we do with him?"</span></p><p></p><p>As the two heroes were contemplating their next action in regards to the newly unconscious orc, they once more heard war horns in the distance. A wail grew from the crowd behind the duo, and the large number of militia men among the people gripped their weapons tightly. There wasn't anywhere else for a large crowd to go, since a deep and wide creek blocked movement to the south. It might have been possible to march back into the center of the town, but stragglers might easily become separated and Caramip and Silas were beginning to hear the gutteral language of enraged orcs coming near. At best guess, the heroes had over one hundred armed men to defend nearly two thousand civilians huddled in a few hastily built refugee shacks and in an open field filled with tents. Luckily, the creek gave some defense to the flanks and rear, but it would also bottle them up for the slaughter.</p><p></p><p>To flee with the crowd would mean that some would be caught and killed. Many would be slaughtered. But how could these militia spearmen give an adequate defense? Most of them weren't true soldiers. They were a pack of leaderless boys and old men.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: white"></span></p><p><span style="color: white">"We must run. We can flee into the woods!"</span></p><p><span style="color: white"></span></p><p><span style="color: white">"Have the children hide in the bushes. Maybe they won't be found."</span></p><p><span style="color: white"></span></p><p><span style="color: white">"It's going to be every man for himself, I say."</span></p><p><span style="color: white"></span></p><p><span style="color: white">"By the Rider, what are we to do?"</span></p><p><span style="color: white"></span></p><p></p><p>Panic seemed to have gripped the crowd around Silas and Caramip.</p><p></p><p>Silas looked around and saw the crowd quickly descending into chaos. With little choice left to him, he jumped up on a log and waved his arms. <span style="color: orange">"Peoples of Dorinthia, hear me! We have withstood the trials of war. And we will do the same today! Stand firm! Your neighbor is there beside you, together we will prevail!"</span> Then he began giving out orders for everyone to move to the edge of the camp and for a barricade to be hastily constructed using whatever happened to be on hand and using the creek as one side of their defenses. Luckily Silas was a master of architecture and engineering. He supervised the work, striding amongst the people, encouraging them and positioning the militia about the edge of their camp.</p><p></p><p>Caramip sighed. “<span style="color: Yellow">The People don’t like to see their Leaders hurt.</span>” Said the small gnome as she handed the mage a small curative from her bag. “<span style="color: Yellow">Take it.</span>” She insisted. </p><p></p><p>The horns continued to blast and she could obviously tell that the villagers only chance of survival was about to end. Adjusting her gear, she quickly grabbed her favorite and only drum and set it in front of her. Speaking softly with her eyes drifting on the shaken men, she leaned towards Silas and muttered, “<span style="color: Yellow">Silas, you remember the tale of when 300 Dorthians stood against an army of thousands?</span>” </p><p></p><p>Without waiting for a response she turned back to her drum. Letting her mind drift, she quickly recalled an old song taught to her by a retired Dorthian Knight. Using the mystical energies taught to her by her family before her, she began to pound on her drum in a rhythmic Dorthian War Chant. The bard's only hope was that it was enough to help turn the tide... if only for a little bit. </p><p></p><p>Perhaps it was that Silas was a known hero and veteran, or perhaps it was because he was the only Dorinthian to show calmness in the face of danger at this critical moment. The spirited talents of Caramip were definitely a factor. Whatever the reasons, the Dorinthians circled around him and listened to his orders, courage igniting in their eyes as Silas' speech was rythmically added to by Caramip's drums.</p><p></p><p>Buildings were stripped of their furniture, tents were torn and piled on top of one another, and soon the 300 foot wide inlet was defended by one hundred newly determined militia men and a roughly constructed barricade. Behind this stood two thousand civilians awaiting their fate with stoic resolve.</p><p></p><p>As Silas surveyed his thin line, Caramip continued to play and did a quick dash around the inventory that the civilians threw into piles. The militia men were wearing leather armor, but the gnome also counted about 60 spears, 20 halbers, 110 bows, countless arrows, 20 longswords, 50 short swords, and a couple hundred knives.</p><p></p><p>The two new commanders of the Dorinthian militia had just enough time to have their men outfit themselves with what they thought was best before the howling horde of orcs appeared from a narrow street. There were hundreds of them, but they came with thoughts of an easy kill as they used no kind of formation the two could discern.</p><p></p><p>******</p><p>Dartis, Barok, Ventus, Danica, and Nikolos </p><p></p><p>Ventus and Nikolos reached their comrades while Danica got the families to the safety of the interior defensive ring. They reported on seeing what appeared to be the enemy camp on a tall hill to the north of town. A large force of humanoids, perhaps numbering as many as a couple thousand appeared to be driving directly towards the barricades. Cal's face was expressionless while he listened, but from his passivity it was clear he was glad he did not ride forth.</p><p></p><p>The men also said that a smaller flanking group seemed to be headed towards the majority of the Dorinthian civilians and some pockets of ragtag militia. The civilians had attempted to flee the incoming invaders, but found themselves at the bank of a deep creek. The creek formed a 'U' and unless the crowd dispersed in all directions, they would be trapped.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: green">"We need to send our reinforcements to help,"</span> Radnal declared, his face breaking into worry.</p><p></p><p>Cal shook his head. <span style="color: white">"It might be too late. I have a total of fifty horsed archers, and you have about five hundred guardsmen and militia. We'll need every bit of those and our defensive positions against two thousand orcs. And if we get overrun there's no one to save those people anyway."</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: green">"We can't just leave them defenseless. I have forty men in reserve. Add ten of your archers and we can stiffen their ability to fight."</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: blue">"They aren't defenseless,"</span> Danica said as she returned to the group and checked her crossbow for the coming battle. <span style="color: blue">"Nikolos saw Silas and Caramip there."</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: white">"This is a hard decision, so I think we can leave it to our self-declared captain,"</span> Cal said, though there was little mockery in his tone or his nod to Radnal as the orc war horns became louder and closer to their positions. <span style="color: white">"Silas may have an elven name, but he is a battle-seasoned Dorinthian veteran, although I know little of him. Can he hold or should I send vital reinforcements we may need to plug breaks in our line? What kind of man is this Silas?"</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Deuce Traveler, post: 5879195, member: 34958"] Barok and Dartis Barok stepped behind the magic-wielding orc... Dartis and Swift struck at the orc next to them to bring him down, then turned to face the next wave. The nobleman watched as the orc adept came forth from the alley and began to weave a spell. But the orc was quickly silenced by Barok, whose rapier buried itself a few inches into the spellcaster's kidney while the knife slit cleanly across its throat with enough force to almost sever it. The head rolled backwards and with a tear, separated from the body with a gushing of blood that spattered the rogue's clothes. Dartis also attacked, but missed with his blade, although Swift killed the injured orc with a hoof to the head. The next wave of orcs attacked, but the first couldn't break through Dartis' defenses. The second one got luckier, however with a small cut to the nobleman's sword arm. .......................... ..................|....... ..................<===(alley entrance) ..............B..|....... ........................... ..............oo.......... ..............D........... ........................... Barok stepped forwards, the limp corpse of the spellcaster sliding off his weapons just before they were thrust once more at the back of another orc. "Kudos to you nobles," he said to Dartis. "You sure know how to throw a party." [COLOR=RoyalBlue]"Hey, I thought they were your friends."[/COLOR] retorted Dartis as he and Swift struck at the orcs in front of them. Dartis' blade sung through the air once more, slashing a gash in the orc directly in front of him, while Swift's hooves finished it off. Barok took advantage of the situation and flanked the last orc, but missed. The creature attempted to attack Dartis once more, but also missed. Not retreating was the last mistake the orc ever made, as the noble and scout quickly dispatched it the next round. As Dartis was cleaning his blade, a large number of quickly armed militia under Radnal's direction made it into his intersection with wagons, carts, and barrels that they began to quickly tip over and stack into barricades. [color=white]"Hurry up!"[/color] The man yelled to his men, his face calm but determined. [Color=white]"They'll be coming back and more organized."[/color] Barok and Dartis looked around and noticed that they weren't so far away from the town square, after all. That fleeing mob must have slowed them down, and the duo turned away the chaotically charging orc elements and gave them something to think about. Radnal and the militia and guards that were following his direction had made two circular defenses. One outer one that Dartis and Barok were at, and an inner fall back position around the town square. Suddenly, Cal Dorin rode up to Radnal's' position with a squad of cavalry. [Color=green]"Damn it, Radnal, open a path!"[/color] Kyle Radnal looked stunned at this request, [Color=white]"Are you mad? This isn't open field combat! Those orcs will cut you and your men down in those streets."[/Color] Impatient and angry, Cal looked down upon the man, his sword on his pommel. [Color=white]"I know who your family was, Kyle. Your father was a traitor. Would you add to your tainted family crest?"[/color] His men began to dismount to clear a path for their horses. Radnal reached for his own sword, when all parties were stopped by the sound of blaring war horns. The orcs were returning. Barok moved to support Cal Dorin, facing Kyle Radnal and Dartis. [COLOR=SlateGray]"We can't just stand here waiting for them. This will be a massacre if we do, and it will be our people who'll get slaughtered. We have to get out there and kill their leader. If we do they'll have no choice but to run, because any subchief who gets his warriors slaughtered will have no chance to gain the leadership of the tribe, no matter how bravely the ugly bastards fight."[/COLOR] As the horns had sounded, and Barok had his say, Dartis looked down from Swift at both Kyle and Cal. [COLOR=RoyalBlue]"If any man here draws a sword on his fellow Dorinthian, they will answer to me and the gibbet. There is no time for discussions of history or family, if we do not act as one people, our people will not exist to remember whose family was noble and whose ignoble. Now Radnal and Dorin you will both put your weapons down. I am the Captain of the Dorinthian forces, so you will both put aside your egos and pride and listen to orders. Now there are some merits to both a stand and a charge. Barok's suggestion may work, but if we cannot find the chief, they may over run our defenses while some of our forces are off searching willy-nilly. Additionally I do share Kyle's concern that in the streets our cavalry may be too easily picked off by snipers and shamans. Cal, I cannot bear the though of losing more of our cavalry. We shal lneed them to drive the orcs back out. So here is what we shall do. We will man the barricades until we can determine where the greatest surge of orcs is coming from. Then we will send the calavry out after them to meet their charge where it will do the most good. In this way we can maintain the defens eof the square, which is vital, but can be best assured of finding the leader of the orcs and driving the remainder away. Now, gentlemen am I understood?"[/COLOR] Afterwards Dartis addressed Barok [COLOR=RoyalBlue]"Handy work back there. My thanks again. Now, you are less a soldier than a scout, if you feel you can best be used here, then man the barricades. However, perhaps you would be more at home of the roof tops, scouting locations of orc movements and I have every confidence in your ability to quietly take out their scouts. It is your chioice though."[/COLOR] [Color=White]"You're the Captain of the army? What army? And by the Rider, sir, who made you king?"[/Color] Cal sputtered, his attention drawn to a new target. [Color=green]"What a predicament. I suppose I'll now have to keep two nobles from telling my boys what to do."[/color] Radnal's comment broke the ice between the two men, and the other Dorinthians visibly relaxed. That's when they heard the commotion by a nearby upturned cart and other tall debris set against one another. A way was opened up, and Ventus, Nikolos, and Danica came through with a couple dozen refugees… ****** Ventus, Danica and Nikolos Down to two orcs now, Ventus spared himself a moment to point to the corner around which the first orc dissapeared. [COLOR=PaleTurquoise]"Danica! Catch that orc, we'll handle these two!"[/COLOR] Then he resumed his attack against the orcs, stabbing sharply at his foe. Nikolos looked a bit rueful as Ventus was wounded again, and again called upon the power of the Seeker...feeling the prayer of blessing fade, replaced by a small portion of the Seeker's healing power. Then he chuckled, as he took the heavy mace from his belt. [COLOR=DarkGreen]"And now, Master Ventus, try not to laugh at my ineptness. Weapons drill was never my finest hour at the Great Library." [/COLOR]Moving to stand beside the soldier, he hefted the mace, and prepared to face the orc opposite him. [color=white]"Ok,"[/Color] Danica yelled and began to run past the combatants, crossbow at the ready. She took a shot at an orc as she went by, but missed. The two orcs attacked once more, but one missed Ventus while the other hits with a nasty cut to his side. Ventus made up for it with a hit that dropped the orc that had injured him. Nikolos cast another spell of healing before moving up and preparing to engage in melee. The last visible orc was beginning to have second thoughts about his situation... ............................. ............................. ............................. ............................. ............................. ............................. ............o....Da........ ...........NV.............. ............................. ............................. [COLOR=DarkGreen]"These creatures do seem rather persistent."[/COLOR] Nikolos' voice was quite cheerful, as he maneuvered to attack the orc. He took a step forward, in hopes that Ventus would do the same on the other side of the orc and catch the raider between them. Then he swung his mace. The last orc attempted to run, but Ventus cut him down. Danica came back from the side street, with her crossbow empty and a look of grim satisfaction. With great relief, the families on the roof climbed back down from the open upper windows of the manor. Suddenly, one of the last little children gasped and yells, [color=white]"Oh no, my dolly!"[/color] Her mother yelled, [color=green]"Karen, stop!"[/color] Before anyone could stop her, the little girl ran up the inside stairs. Danica sighed and rolled her eyes impatiently before chasing the girl. There would be no escorting the families with one of the children missing. Ventus and Nikolos followed Danica in her chase. They noticed that there were sleeping bags throughout most of the house, the result of too many Dorinthians and not enough room to house them all. Pushing such thoughts out, they focused on finding the youth. The girl grabbed a doll in one of the rooms on the upper floors near the windows. As the group reached her to bring her outside, they realized that the house allowed an excellent vantage point of the surrounding area. To the southern edge of town, they saw several lights and what looked to be Dorinthian civilians and militia crouched near each other for protection by a small creek and some houses. In the center of the town it looked like barricades were being set up by more militia, guards, and cavalry. To the north, and on a hill they saw a series of torch lights and what looked to be two large groups of men moving out from underneath the illumination. One group headed for the center of town, while another looked as if it was flanking around. From those torches, they heard once more the sound of war horns. Nikolos watched, his scholar's instinct being to simply observe what happened, and record it. He wondered where Caramip was, and if she was alright, then decided that the gnome was quite capable of seeing to her own safety. Ventus shook his head. [COLOR=PaleTurquoise]"The attack was too sudden, there will be no scouts to warn of enemy movements. If I had an army at my back, we could try to outflank them. But the three of us are just not enough. We must make our way to the barricade and warn the others, try and take up a position to defend all sides. We must hurry."[/COLOR] He scooped up the girl in his arms and hurried down to return to her family. Ushering the group to as much shelter as there was as he hurried himself towards the barricade. The first group of humanoids that were headed for the barricades was much larger than the flanking group, which was visibly heading towards the southern mass of Dorinthian civilians and ragtag militia. Nikolos swore he saw a tall, robed human with a staff followed by a shorter figure. He took these to be Silas and Caramip. [COLOR=DarkGreen]"This doesn't look good. Even if the barricades in the middle of town hold the first force, the second one will be able to either strike them in the rear, or hit the people at the creek. And if they deal with the men at the barricades first, then both groups can attack the creek. Do you think the Dorinthian leaders know what's going on?"[/COLOR] Nikolos paused in the midst of taking a book from his pack...and shook his head, following after Ventus. [COLOR=DarkGreen]"Right then, off to another bloodletting we go."[/COLOR] The book got put back in the pack, and he helped shivvy the family to such shelter as was available before following Ventus. The trio quickly move down towards the central barricades, with the sounds of gathering orcs filling the various streets to the north. It seemed as if they were readying for a massed strike and their targets were the soldiers, knights, and militia in the center of the town. There was no longer any sign of the smaller flanking force, but they seemed to have been moving towards the packed and separated refugees to the south. The three adventurers led the way to the main Dorinthian defenses and were let through the barricades by some of Radnal's town guard, and soon they saw Dartis, Barok, Cal, and Kyle Radnal leading the defenses. From the looks on their faces, the trio of heroes seemed to have interrupted some kind of argument, most likely about their defenses. ****** Silas and Caramip Silas, quickly assessing the situation and not liking the result, took a step back. Quickly he chanted the words of power to cast [i]Burning Hands[/i] and spread his hands before him, trying to position the spell so that he caught all three of the orcs in front of him. Silas unloaded with a fan of flame that issued forth from his hand, killing the two adepts outright, while Caramip moved forward and finished off the third orc. The amazed silence of the crowd behind them was only interrupted by the bizarre laughter of the orc ahead of them. ......................... ........................ ...............o........ ........................ ......................... ......................... ......................... ..........S.C........... ......................... ......................... ......................... Caramip was a bit taken back by Silas’ display of power and gave him a pleasing surprised look. “[COLOR=Yellow]Well… That was easy.[/COLOR]” She said as she drew her short sword and quickly made her way towards the remaining orc. “[COLOR=Yellow]We must hurry if we are taking prisoners.[/COLOR]” Raising the flat of her blade she struck at the last orc on the back of the skull. “[COLOR=Yellow]Quickly, we will need some rope.[/COLOR]” Silas quickly took a few steps forward and snatched up the python rod. Seeing Caramip move forward to deal with the incapacitated orc, he returned to his family and the group of children. [color=orange]"Go to that building over there and see if you can get inside. It should be safer off the streets."[/color] He looked over to where Caramip whacked at the held orc. [color=orange]"We'll deal with this orc and see if there are any others. I won't be gone long."[/color] He gave his father a brief nod of respect, quickly kissed his wife, and then rushed over to help Caramip. As he crossed the distance between Caramip and the group of children and his family, Silas examined the python rod. [i]It looks ok...[/i] Once he was at Caramip's side he said, [color=orange]"I'm not carrying any rope. Didn't think I would need it at a celebration."[/color] He grinned. [color=orange]"Didn't think I'd need my crossbow either but my father insisted I be decked out in full 'defender' regalia."[/color] He scowled at the orc. [color=orange]"What do we do with him?"[/color] As the two heroes were contemplating their next action in regards to the newly unconscious orc, they once more heard war horns in the distance. A wail grew from the crowd behind the duo, and the large number of militia men among the people gripped their weapons tightly. There wasn't anywhere else for a large crowd to go, since a deep and wide creek blocked movement to the south. It might have been possible to march back into the center of the town, but stragglers might easily become separated and Caramip and Silas were beginning to hear the gutteral language of enraged orcs coming near. At best guess, the heroes had over one hundred armed men to defend nearly two thousand civilians huddled in a few hastily built refugee shacks and in an open field filled with tents. Luckily, the creek gave some defense to the flanks and rear, but it would also bottle them up for the slaughter. To flee with the crowd would mean that some would be caught and killed. Many would be slaughtered. But how could these militia spearmen give an adequate defense? Most of them weren't true soldiers. They were a pack of leaderless boys and old men. [Color=white] "We must run. We can flee into the woods!" "Have the children hide in the bushes. Maybe they won't be found." "It's going to be every man for himself, I say." "By the Rider, what are we to do?" [/color] Panic seemed to have gripped the crowd around Silas and Caramip. Silas looked around and saw the crowd quickly descending into chaos. With little choice left to him, he jumped up on a log and waved his arms. [color=orange]"Peoples of Dorinthia, hear me! We have withstood the trials of war. And we will do the same today! Stand firm! Your neighbor is there beside you, together we will prevail!"[/color] Then he began giving out orders for everyone to move to the edge of the camp and for a barricade to be hastily constructed using whatever happened to be on hand and using the creek as one side of their defenses. Luckily Silas was a master of architecture and engineering. He supervised the work, striding amongst the people, encouraging them and positioning the militia about the edge of their camp. Caramip sighed. “[COLOR=Yellow]The People don’t like to see their Leaders hurt.[/COLOR]” Said the small gnome as she handed the mage a small curative from her bag. “[COLOR=Yellow]Take it.[/COLOR]” She insisted. The horns continued to blast and she could obviously tell that the villagers only chance of survival was about to end. Adjusting her gear, she quickly grabbed her favorite and only drum and set it in front of her. Speaking softly with her eyes drifting on the shaken men, she leaned towards Silas and muttered, “[COLOR=Yellow]Silas, you remember the tale of when 300 Dorthians stood against an army of thousands?[/COLOR]” Without waiting for a response she turned back to her drum. Letting her mind drift, she quickly recalled an old song taught to her by a retired Dorthian Knight. Using the mystical energies taught to her by her family before her, she began to pound on her drum in a rhythmic Dorthian War Chant. The bard's only hope was that it was enough to help turn the tide... if only for a little bit. Perhaps it was that Silas was a known hero and veteran, or perhaps it was because he was the only Dorinthian to show calmness in the face of danger at this critical moment. The spirited talents of Caramip were definitely a factor. Whatever the reasons, the Dorinthians circled around him and listened to his orders, courage igniting in their eyes as Silas' speech was rythmically added to by Caramip's drums. Buildings were stripped of their furniture, tents were torn and piled on top of one another, and soon the 300 foot wide inlet was defended by one hundred newly determined militia men and a roughly constructed barricade. Behind this stood two thousand civilians awaiting their fate with stoic resolve. As Silas surveyed his thin line, Caramip continued to play and did a quick dash around the inventory that the civilians threw into piles. The militia men were wearing leather armor, but the gnome also counted about 60 spears, 20 halbers, 110 bows, countless arrows, 20 longswords, 50 short swords, and a couple hundred knives. The two new commanders of the Dorinthian militia had just enough time to have their men outfit themselves with what they thought was best before the howling horde of orcs appeared from a narrow street. There were hundreds of them, but they came with thoughts of an easy kill as they used no kind of formation the two could discern. ****** Dartis, Barok, Ventus, Danica, and Nikolos Ventus and Nikolos reached their comrades while Danica got the families to the safety of the interior defensive ring. They reported on seeing what appeared to be the enemy camp on a tall hill to the north of town. A large force of humanoids, perhaps numbering as many as a couple thousand appeared to be driving directly towards the barricades. Cal's face was expressionless while he listened, but from his passivity it was clear he was glad he did not ride forth. The men also said that a smaller flanking group seemed to be headed towards the majority of the Dorinthian civilians and some pockets of ragtag militia. The civilians had attempted to flee the incoming invaders, but found themselves at the bank of a deep creek. The creek formed a 'U' and unless the crowd dispersed in all directions, they would be trapped. [Color=green]"We need to send our reinforcements to help,"[/color] Radnal declared, his face breaking into worry. Cal shook his head. [Color=white]"It might be too late. I have a total of fifty horsed archers, and you have about five hundred guardsmen and militia. We'll need every bit of those and our defensive positions against two thousand orcs. And if we get overrun there's no one to save those people anyway."[/color] [color=green]"We can't just leave them defenseless. I have forty men in reserve. Add ten of your archers and we can stiffen their ability to fight."[/color] [color=blue]"They aren't defenseless,"[/color] Danica said as she returned to the group and checked her crossbow for the coming battle. [color=blue]"Nikolos saw Silas and Caramip there."[/color] [color=white]"This is a hard decision, so I think we can leave it to our self-declared captain,"[/color] Cal said, though there was little mockery in his tone or his nod to Radnal as the orc war horns became louder and closer to their positions. [color=white]"Silas may have an elven name, but he is a battle-seasoned Dorinthian veteran, although I know little of him. Can he hold or should I send vital reinforcements we may need to plug breaks in our line? What kind of man is this Silas?"[/color] [/QUOTE]
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