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The Gate Pass Irregulars: A War of the Burning Sky Campaign
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<blockquote data-quote="Cafu" data-source="post: 6911900" data-attributes="member: 6692807"><p>It was at this point that Foebane took us to one side and said: </p><p> </p><p>“As I said before, I plan to use you for a variety of roles; one of these is as raiding forces against the enemy. I and my advisors feel very strongly that the Torch should remain in the camp while you conduct these missions. It will be highly protected within our command post.”</p><p> </p><p>I drew in my breath while John hid a grin. No one else said anything but Longhelim took his pipe out of his mouth and said softly: </p><p> </p><p>“Thank you for your advice. I shall consider it.”</p><p> </p><p>Foebane began to open his mouth when John interrupted: </p><p> </p><p>“This command post of yours? Who’s protecting it? How is it protected magically? This camp is riddled with spies and agents of the Ragesians; you know it and I know it. What’s to stop them from just going in and taking it?”</p><p> </p><p>Xavious replied: </p><p> </p><p>“Simeon assures me that the magical protections are as secure as they can make them and the guards are the most skilled warriors we have.”</p><p> </p><p>John just asked: </p><p> </p><p>“So, so do the guards have access to the command post and if they do, what’s to stop them from taking the Torch?”</p><p> </p><p>For the first time Foebane looked a little put out: </p><p> </p><p>“I would trust those guards with my life!”</p><p> </p><p>John answered that with a very simple sentence: </p><p> </p><p>“Never forget, you are trusting them with your life!”</p><p> </p><p>I interrupted at this point, asking quietly: </p><p> </p><p>“ General Foebane, let me ask you this: would you have trusted Lee Sidoneth with your life?”</p><p> </p><p>The general turned around to me, with a look of shock on his face. </p><p> </p><p>I continued: </p><p> </p><p>“Yes, your harbour master in Seaquen; whom you had all known of years; trusted for years; the one that was given one of the most responsible positions in the city; who then proceeded to kill several hundred people; destroy most of the town and nearly handed you to the Ragesians on a platter.”</p><p> </p><p>He shook his head: </p><p> </p><p>“That’s not the same.”</p><p> </p><p>I looked at him sadly and said: </p><p> </p><p>“No, it never is, is it?” </p><p> </p><p>At this point, a runner came up to and began: </p><p> </p><p>“General, you must come to the command post at once!”</p><p> </p><p>He motioned us to follow him as we hurried to this tent. Obviously, it had not been set up yet as at the moment it was just a simple tent. The others were already over there and several scouts were obviously waiting for us before they began their reports: </p><p> </p><p>“Sir, a large sandstorm is on its way, but instead of sand, it is actually fine grains of glass. Definitely magical in nature but so far our spell casters have been unable to identify the spell or the ritual. The enemy is also making a move, using the storm as cover. A column of infantry approaches from the east, a cavalry army from the north and a swarm of magical monsters from the west.”</p><p> </p><p>Xavious rolled out his map and began to place the relative positions of the armies on it. He was muttering to himself something about pincer movements and then began to issue instructions to the various commanders. There was one tricky problem when he ordered Shaaladel to confront the swarm of magical monsters in the west and the elf initially refused, stating that his army contained an element of treants who were highly susceptible to flame and thus particularly vulnerable to the monsters. </p><p> </p><p>This didn’t quite make sense to me on various levels, the first being as to why treants should be worried about fire from magical monsters as opposed to anyone else and the other being that if he was so worried about this, why didn’t he just order them to stay out of the engagement; the treants formed a very small contingent of his army but surely they could be excluded from one engagement; however, I suspected that the Elven King had a different agenda as he challenged Foebane’s orders. </p><p> </p><p>Thankfully, Longhelim interfered, politely but firmly: </p><p> </p><p>“Your majesty, you agreed that Xavious Foebane would be in overall command. Lyceum spell casters will be happy to cast magic on the treants that will protect them against fire. That should protect them; now please use your vast military skills against the swarm of monsters. They will be the most challenging of opponents and your knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses will be invaluable. Our other commanders do not have the knowledge to exploit these.”</p><p> </p><p>Shaaladel looked torn between this mixture of flattery and rebuke but in the end gave Longhelim a slight smile and a nod, leaving the tent with his entourage. One by one, the other commanders left, ready to face the enemy onslaught. </p><p> </p><p>Foebane approached us and said quietly: </p><p> </p><p>“Initially, I want you to go with the Sindairean infantry. They are not as battle tested as the other forces and I believe they will react well to your presence. As you know, they are commanded by General Gaspard. Wayfinder Tiljann will go with you. Good luck!</p><p> </p><p>Be ready, though. I may need to call you for other services during the battle.”</p><p> </p><p>We left the tents, all of us busy with our thoughts. </p><p> </p><p>Finding the Sindaireans was not difficult as they marched briefly and formed up to meet the enemy infantry. Although they were quite a mixed army, consisting of well armoured infantrymen wielding sword and shield, there were also groups of woodsmen, wielding bows and slings. Slightly to one side, there were also mixed groups of men who were mainly dressed in furs and hides and who had the most enormous swords, clubs and hammers. They were bearded and looked quite ferocious although they were milling around in apparent confusion. Finally, there were an inordinate amount of animals around; mainly wolves, dogs, various birds and several bears. These seemed to be sticking close to the bowmen. </p><p> </p><p>The armoured men had formed in squares, with the archers in the center; the warriors in hides had no formations but looked like a formidable mob. </p><p> </p><p>The storm of glass that was raging through our ranks proved to be more irritating than anything else and I could see that most of the army had wrapped themselves up in cloaks or clothes. This seemed to forestall the worst of its fury. </p><p> </p><p>Tiljann had joined us and she looked every inch the wayfinder. She greeted us warmly and when I asked her how she had been and what she had been doing, she went into a detailed description of her time under the Wayfinders. It was obvious that they had a convert and a new member. She had been a very diligent student and her Wayfinder abilities would become invaluable in moving us around the battlefield. General Gaspard was with us, listening with interest and obviously trying to calculate our most tactically effective role when a shout was heard and the enemy appeared…….</p><p> </p><p>And they literally appeared as there was a shimmer in the air and suddenly a Ragesian formation was shockingly close to our lines. Somehow, the Ragesians, or Leska had found a magic which allowed her to mask an army! Again, this was magic that had never been recorded before and for a moment, I regretted that magic in general had lost such a gifted individual as Leska. The research that she had been doing, the speed of her advances, the sheer power of her abilities easily made her Coaltongue’s rival. </p><p> </p><p>This was only a brief thought though as Victor shouted: </p><p> </p><p>“There, that’s their command group!”</p><p> </p><p>As usual, I had let myself be distracted. I would never make a soldier. I looked up but didn’t see anything except more soldiers; there was one group looked different than the others and then I realised that it was because they were not human but rather, they were devils; bearded devils to be exact, their distinctive, stiff, strange tusks jutting from their chins. There was also a pair of very distinctive creatures; huge humanoids….giants. </p><p> </p><p>Gaspard looked at the infantry in front of him and smiled confidently: </p><p> </p><p>“Right, we have this lot. You go and take out their commanders! That lot!”</p><p> </p><p>The others were already drawing their weapons and loosening clothes and implements when Tiljann asked: </p><p> </p><p>“Where do you want to be?”</p><p> </p><p>Victor and Longhelim looked at each other and the latter said: </p><p> </p><p>“Right on top of them, if you can manage it.”</p><p> </p><p>So, we crowded around the Wayfinder and a moment later we were in the midst of a several formations of Ragesian infantry and next to another formation of bearded devils. The two giants were coal black, making them members of the sub-group known as fire giants due to their affinity to that element. They were among the most powerful of their kind. </p><p> </p><p>We had managed to put a little magic just before we moved and that served us well now. Drudge let off a volley of arrows immediately and that disrupted one of the Ragesian formations as he expertly picked off their officers, making them lose cohesion. Victor and Longhelim began to swing expertly at another of the formations and they quickly waded deep into their ranks. Felix held, waiting for his healing to be called upon but unfortunately, he was badly hurt by one of the formations; John kept still; I was aware that this only the beginning of the battle and mindful that I had only so many spells per day, I decided to use a different approach. I turned myself into a dragon; a green to be exact, remarkably similar to Your Highness, the green dragon we had met in the great swamp just outside of Seaquen. </p><p> </p><p>Using my bulk and the corrosive acid breath granted by the magic, I sprayed the enemy formations; all of this allowed Longhelim and Victor to concentrate their skills on the giants and then the devils, both of which they had done admirably. After I finished by tussle with the infantry, I saw that one giant was down at Victor’s feet, while Longhelim had carved a large hole in the formation of the devils. One giant was still facing him but he looked decidedly uneasy about this; Victor was using their momentary distraction to decimate another infantry formation before turning to the devils as well and between them, he and the paladin dispersed that formation as well. </p><p> </p><p>I was not sure if the commanders were in this group as I could not see anyone who looked like a general but they certainly looked like a formidable force in comparison to the infantry columns facing the Sindairians. That left just a couple more squads of infantry and one fire giant. Victor and Longhelim turned as one and began to lay waste to them. The giant was felled by Longhelim without striking a blow while Victor waded into the infantry and proceeded to decimate their ranks. The two last cohesive squads were dispersed and ceased to exist as effective fighting units, joining a general rout.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cafu, post: 6911900, member: 6692807"] It was at this point that Foebane took us to one side and said: “As I said before, I plan to use you for a variety of roles; one of these is as raiding forces against the enemy. I and my advisors feel very strongly that the Torch should remain in the camp while you conduct these missions. It will be highly protected within our command post.” I drew in my breath while John hid a grin. No one else said anything but Longhelim took his pipe out of his mouth and said softly: “Thank you for your advice. I shall consider it.” Foebane began to open his mouth when John interrupted: “This command post of yours? Who’s protecting it? How is it protected magically? This camp is riddled with spies and agents of the Ragesians; you know it and I know it. What’s to stop them from just going in and taking it?” Xavious replied: “Simeon assures me that the magical protections are as secure as they can make them and the guards are the most skilled warriors we have.” John just asked: “So, so do the guards have access to the command post and if they do, what’s to stop them from taking the Torch?” For the first time Foebane looked a little put out: “I would trust those guards with my life!” John answered that with a very simple sentence: “Never forget, you are trusting them with your life!” I interrupted at this point, asking quietly: “ General Foebane, let me ask you this: would you have trusted Lee Sidoneth with your life?” The general turned around to me, with a look of shock on his face. I continued: “Yes, your harbour master in Seaquen; whom you had all known of years; trusted for years; the one that was given one of the most responsible positions in the city; who then proceeded to kill several hundred people; destroy most of the town and nearly handed you to the Ragesians on a platter.” He shook his head: “That’s not the same.” I looked at him sadly and said: “No, it never is, is it?” At this point, a runner came up to and began: “General, you must come to the command post at once!” He motioned us to follow him as we hurried to this tent. Obviously, it had not been set up yet as at the moment it was just a simple tent. The others were already over there and several scouts were obviously waiting for us before they began their reports: “Sir, a large sandstorm is on its way, but instead of sand, it is actually fine grains of glass. Definitely magical in nature but so far our spell casters have been unable to identify the spell or the ritual. The enemy is also making a move, using the storm as cover. A column of infantry approaches from the east, a cavalry army from the north and a swarm of magical monsters from the west.” Xavious rolled out his map and began to place the relative positions of the armies on it. He was muttering to himself something about pincer movements and then began to issue instructions to the various commanders. There was one tricky problem when he ordered Shaaladel to confront the swarm of magical monsters in the west and the elf initially refused, stating that his army contained an element of treants who were highly susceptible to flame and thus particularly vulnerable to the monsters. This didn’t quite make sense to me on various levels, the first being as to why treants should be worried about fire from magical monsters as opposed to anyone else and the other being that if he was so worried about this, why didn’t he just order them to stay out of the engagement; the treants formed a very small contingent of his army but surely they could be excluded from one engagement; however, I suspected that the Elven King had a different agenda as he challenged Foebane’s orders. Thankfully, Longhelim interfered, politely but firmly: “Your majesty, you agreed that Xavious Foebane would be in overall command. Lyceum spell casters will be happy to cast magic on the treants that will protect them against fire. That should protect them; now please use your vast military skills against the swarm of monsters. They will be the most challenging of opponents and your knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses will be invaluable. Our other commanders do not have the knowledge to exploit these.” Shaaladel looked torn between this mixture of flattery and rebuke but in the end gave Longhelim a slight smile and a nod, leaving the tent with his entourage. One by one, the other commanders left, ready to face the enemy onslaught. Foebane approached us and said quietly: “Initially, I want you to go with the Sindairean infantry. They are not as battle tested as the other forces and I believe they will react well to your presence. As you know, they are commanded by General Gaspard. Wayfinder Tiljann will go with you. Good luck! Be ready, though. I may need to call you for other services during the battle.” We left the tents, all of us busy with our thoughts. Finding the Sindaireans was not difficult as they marched briefly and formed up to meet the enemy infantry. Although they were quite a mixed army, consisting of well armoured infantrymen wielding sword and shield, there were also groups of woodsmen, wielding bows and slings. Slightly to one side, there were also mixed groups of men who were mainly dressed in furs and hides and who had the most enormous swords, clubs and hammers. They were bearded and looked quite ferocious although they were milling around in apparent confusion. Finally, there were an inordinate amount of animals around; mainly wolves, dogs, various birds and several bears. These seemed to be sticking close to the bowmen. The armoured men had formed in squares, with the archers in the center; the warriors in hides had no formations but looked like a formidable mob. The storm of glass that was raging through our ranks proved to be more irritating than anything else and I could see that most of the army had wrapped themselves up in cloaks or clothes. This seemed to forestall the worst of its fury. Tiljann had joined us and she looked every inch the wayfinder. She greeted us warmly and when I asked her how she had been and what she had been doing, she went into a detailed description of her time under the Wayfinders. It was obvious that they had a convert and a new member. She had been a very diligent student and her Wayfinder abilities would become invaluable in moving us around the battlefield. General Gaspard was with us, listening with interest and obviously trying to calculate our most tactically effective role when a shout was heard and the enemy appeared……. And they literally appeared as there was a shimmer in the air and suddenly a Ragesian formation was shockingly close to our lines. Somehow, the Ragesians, or Leska had found a magic which allowed her to mask an army! Again, this was magic that had never been recorded before and for a moment, I regretted that magic in general had lost such a gifted individual as Leska. The research that she had been doing, the speed of her advances, the sheer power of her abilities easily made her Coaltongue’s rival. This was only a brief thought though as Victor shouted: “There, that’s their command group!” As usual, I had let myself be distracted. I would never make a soldier. I looked up but didn’t see anything except more soldiers; there was one group looked different than the others and then I realised that it was because they were not human but rather, they were devils; bearded devils to be exact, their distinctive, stiff, strange tusks jutting from their chins. There was also a pair of very distinctive creatures; huge humanoids….giants. Gaspard looked at the infantry in front of him and smiled confidently: “Right, we have this lot. You go and take out their commanders! That lot!” The others were already drawing their weapons and loosening clothes and implements when Tiljann asked: “Where do you want to be?” Victor and Longhelim looked at each other and the latter said: “Right on top of them, if you can manage it.” So, we crowded around the Wayfinder and a moment later we were in the midst of a several formations of Ragesian infantry and next to another formation of bearded devils. The two giants were coal black, making them members of the sub-group known as fire giants due to their affinity to that element. They were among the most powerful of their kind. We had managed to put a little magic just before we moved and that served us well now. Drudge let off a volley of arrows immediately and that disrupted one of the Ragesian formations as he expertly picked off their officers, making them lose cohesion. Victor and Longhelim began to swing expertly at another of the formations and they quickly waded deep into their ranks. Felix held, waiting for his healing to be called upon but unfortunately, he was badly hurt by one of the formations; John kept still; I was aware that this only the beginning of the battle and mindful that I had only so many spells per day, I decided to use a different approach. I turned myself into a dragon; a green to be exact, remarkably similar to Your Highness, the green dragon we had met in the great swamp just outside of Seaquen. Using my bulk and the corrosive acid breath granted by the magic, I sprayed the enemy formations; all of this allowed Longhelim and Victor to concentrate their skills on the giants and then the devils, both of which they had done admirably. After I finished by tussle with the infantry, I saw that one giant was down at Victor’s feet, while Longhelim had carved a large hole in the formation of the devils. One giant was still facing him but he looked decidedly uneasy about this; Victor was using their momentary distraction to decimate another infantry formation before turning to the devils as well and between them, he and the paladin dispersed that formation as well. I was not sure if the commanders were in this group as I could not see anyone who looked like a general but they certainly looked like a formidable force in comparison to the infantry columns facing the Sindairians. That left just a couple more squads of infantry and one fire giant. Victor and Longhelim turned as one and began to lay waste to them. The giant was felled by Longhelim without striking a blow while Victor waded into the infantry and proceeded to decimate their ranks. The two last cohesive squads were dispersed and ceased to exist as effective fighting units, joining a general rout. [/QUOTE]
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