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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 1019077" data-attributes="member: 2012">The Alliance (cont.)From the Journal of Bactra Redwind, son of MinonusAgainst the Ogres:The battle had been harsh. If Thessa hadn’t been there too heal everyone, most would now be dead or dying right now. Dabuk had rode into the ogre camp with fury in his eyes, striking at each ogre as he and his horse passed by. His father had tried to ride along with his son but was forced to rein in Hindle when the ogres closed ranks on him and Dabuk. Two of the brutes had moved towards Dabuk while the others pushed back his father.Dabuk had just turned his horse to meet the charging brutes, as the rest of our group and I had started down the path into the valley. I had watched in horror as one of the brutes knocked Dabuk from the saddle with its club. Garth had screamed in anger at the sight of his son hitting the ground and tried to move past the four ogres that had cut him off from his son.The others and I came down the path and as I started to incant an ice knife spell, Dabuk shook off the effects of the blow just in time to avoid being squashed by the other brute’s club. The ogres attacking Dabuk were too far away to hit with the ice knife so I targeted the nearest one attacking Garth. The brute didn’t know it was coming and roared in pain as it took the spell directly in the back. It spun to face us, allowing Garth a chance to concentrate on the other two ugly beasts trying to flank him.Dabuk had then slashed at the second ogre that had attacked him, slicing off several layers of fat and muscle on its leg. The beast roared and proceeded to hammer my cousin with its club. I watched helplessly as Dabuk soared through the air at the force of the impact. He landed in a crumpled heap and didn’t move. Thessa saw him fall, spurring her warpony towards him and the brutes with Mesik at her side.I reined in my horse just out of the range of the ogre coming towards us and tried to decide what next to cast. Hougwarth and Kellin charged the advancing ogre. Hougwarth cut the monster’s giant club in half with one quick motion and then Kellin took its head off. I decided upon sleep for my next spell, just as another ogre seemed to appear out of nowhere and cut Kellin and Hougwarth off from Garth. (The Justiciar had been holding his own but would soon be in trouble without help.) The brute was larger than the others and easily avoided Hougwarth’s next attack, knocking the giant man prone. Only Kellin’s swift reaction and sword block saved Hougwarth from being decapitated.I quickly decided to concentrate my magic on the new menace and cast color spray at the brute, angling the spell just right to catch it in the spell’s cone-like shape, but miss both Kellin and Hougwarth. I was shocked as the beast shrugged it off like water off a duck’s back. Kellin had tried to take advantage but the beast forced him back. Hougwarth had lost his sword when the brute knocked him down. He rolled away towards his weapon and wouldn’t be much use to Kellin or Garth for the next few moments.Thessa and Mesik had been cut off from Dabuk by the ogre who had knocked him from the saddle and his cousin was still down and motionless in the distance. The brute that he had hurt was moving towards him. I felt helpless, as I had nothing prepared with a long enough range to hit the ogre limping towards him. Then I did something I never though I’d do. I ran into the fray past Kellin, Hougwarth, and even Garth. I had quickly drawn my dagger as I ran.Garth lost his footing as one of the brutes slammed into him. Hougwarth came to his aid just in time to take the club impact that had been meant for the Justiciar’s head. Hougwarth slashed out with his sword, which surprisingly hit the mark, puncturing the brute’s thick neck. Both Hougwarth and the ogre fell to the ground in a heap. Meanwhile, Kellin was barely holding his own against the ogres’ leader.I looked at my dagger and then towards Dabuk just as the ogre brought his club down on my cousin’s chest. I watched as the creature roared in triumph and heard someone yell Dabuk’s name. It may have been me. I dropped the dagger and prepared to cast sleep on as many people as I could. Hopefully, more of the ogres would be affected then my friends. Just as I started to incant the spell, Mesik was knocked off his warpony, and Thessa skewered the offending ogre with her halfspear. The creature laughed at her and pulled the spear away from her and out of its bleeding shoulder.One of the brutes, taking it to Garth, then noticed me beginning to chant. It came towards me but I concentrated on making sure the ogre standing over Dabuk would take the brunt of the spell. The beast reached down and grabbed Dabuk by the hair and was about to rip his head off when the spell activated. The ogre slumped over into a deep sleep, as did the one coming towards me and the one fighting Mesik and Thessa.I sighed in relief, as Thessa, who had shrugged off the spell’s effect, moved towards Dabuk to attend him. Garth took out one of the brutes still attacking him and the other looked around to notice its companions lying on the ground. It tried to flee and tripped over Hougwarth. The vonakyndra’s sword skewered the falling ogre and I couldn’t help but smile. Luck had been with Hugh for once. I noticed the ogre asleep next to me and decided to let the brute simply lay there. It wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while.I had then ran towards where Dabuk had been lying. Thessa was just beginning to bind his wounds and cast her healing magic on him. I threw up when I saw his battered body then began to grieve. He had looked dead to me.I had learned later that the ogre leader had tried to retreat but Kellin cut it down. Garth and Hugh had made short work of the other sleeping ogres. Garth had though Mesik was dead until I pointed out he had been in the range of the sleep spell I cast. I will the spell’s effect to end and Mesik woke up, battered and bruised, but alive. Thessa was unable to spare any curative spells for the halfling rogue, as Dabuk had nearly died.I had been relieved when Thessa announced that he would live.We then sent up camp slighting off the path leading down into the valley. Kellin dragged the dead ogres up out of the valley and burned the corpses. Hougwarth had wanted to help but he had taken several telling blows that had broke his ribs. Garth wasn’t much better but insisted on taking a watch, against Thessa’s wishes. The Justiciar seemed better the next day and obviously had access to curative magicks as well.Bactra sighed, looking at his cousin lying a few feet away from him. Dabuk had slept for nearly half a day until he woke up. Thessa has been fussing over him ever since. It would be another day before he is ready to travel again.Bactra had just started to turn his attention back to his journal when Garth appeared next to him in fading light of late evening. Bactra startled slightly internally but didn’t show it externally.“I didn’t get a chance to thank you, Bactra.” Garth stood at attention, as it was his watch, the firelight gleaming behind him. “That sleep spell you cast saved us all.”“Thank you, uncle. It was risky but I didn’t see any other choice.” Bactra looked back towards Dabuk.“He’s more then just your cousin to you, isn’t he? You look upon him as a brother don’t you?”“Yes.”“Good. You’re father and I had always hoped you two would be close. Dabuk and Joshian are just too different to be like brothers. He needs you as much as you need him.”Bactra nodded at the mention of his cousin Joshian. Joshian was a full-blooded forest elf who had been born more than a hundred years before Dabuk, before Dabuk’s mother had lost her first, elven husband. Joshian was even older than Bactra. He had never become close with his full-blooded cousin, as they had been too different.“Did you know he left the Knotwood shortly after the clan elders cut off access to the grove?”“No. I’m not surprised though. He doesn’t like the new elders and was almost as mad as Dabuk was when they betrayed her memory, although he would never show it. That elf is one cool customer.”“So you talked to him while we were at Woodknot? I thought the two of you weren’t on speaking terms.”“That’s true to a point. He doesn’t like me at all and will never forgive me for taking Eiithinia away from him and his family. Even more so then Dabuk, he blames me for her death.”“He’s stubborn and cold.” Bactra sighed shaking his head. “He feels similarly towards me because I feel a closer kinship to Dabuk and your family.”Garth didn’t reply. He just stood there looking at Dabuk with concern in his eyes. Bactra wanted to say something to let his uncle know everything would be all right but words failed him. Garth walked away to continue his watch. Hougwarth would relieve him in about an hour. Bactra closed his journal and began to enter the trance of the Reverie.“Tomorrow is another day.”*                                        *                                        *</blockquote>

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