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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tumakhunter" data-source="post: 941624" data-attributes="member: 12191">THe Siege of TolkWe made camp in the woods that night, in order to plan what we should do next.  The bridge was the only way across the water, and we needed to get across.  It was at this time that our prisoner, Tumak (which I'm told is not a personal name, but what the race call themselves), decided to try and flee.  He did not make it more than 50 feet before being felled by the arrows of our chim companions, who shot a very smug look back at Mor'Gan when the deed was done.After burying the body where it would not be found (I assume that's what they did), the chim returned to the camp, and began discussions with Tarion, Feldon, and Mor'Gan in their language of forest noises.  Victor and I both watched uncomprehendingly, until Mor'Gan turned and told us that the chim warriors would be continuing with us to warn the northern peoples of the coming incursion.  Victor was not pleased, but no one paid him any heed.The next morning, Feldon and Tarion decided to scout around the area.  There was an old duer miner nearby, and they wanted to find him to see if he was alright.  They did indeed find him, but he was extremely hostile and cantankerous, not at all as they had described him before.  It was decided that I would talk to him, given my race and status.  Feldon led me to the mine where the old duer was staying, then faded back into the foliage.  I walked out and greeted the old duer, staying as polite as I could.  He was suspicious at first, but my armour and heritage very quickly put him at his ease.  We talked for awhile, and he told me that he was protecting the local homesteaders and their families, who even now are hiding inside his mines.  I invoked the blessings of the Forger upon them, and told him we would bother them no more, and would erase our trail so that they would not be found by anyone tracking us.During this time, our three remaining chim companions had been sent inside the stockade on a scouting mission.  How they crossed that mile-wide clearing without being seen by the guards, or got over the bridge, I'll never know, but they managed.Shortly after I returned to our camp, a great trumpeting sound came from the road to the south.  We all went to look, and what we saw sent a shiver down my spine.  Twelve Tumak riders, dressed quite finely, and armed with swords and guns, rode proudly down the road toward the bridge, banners flying from spears they held aloft.  They were obviously marching for show, to impress any observers from the fort, and moments later we could see why.  A great carriage drove up the road, gilded and decorated as though to indicate someone of great importance were within.  Another six riders surrounded it, and in the distance behind, we could see trace of another large group of riders following.  The guard at the bridge snapped to attention as this contingent approached, and they all crossed the bridge and into the now-open stockade.When they had all passed by, we slipped as quietly as we could back to our camp, there to make plans.First, we needed the report from the chim, so we had to wait until they returned, which wasn't until the early morning.  According to Mor'Gan, my only real translator, they looked for signs of great industry, and were quite surprised by the arrival of the carriage.  As I surmised, it was someone of great import, a priest-general, from what I could understand of the multiple translation.  The chim had not found any sign of what they had been asked to seek (something about trains?), so returned to us as swiftly as it was safe.We decided we would have to try to sneak past Tolk later that night.  Fortunately, the moon was only at half the last few days, and it would not be too bright, but nevertheless, I was forced to concede to removing my armour ang carrying it, as it would be both noisy and might catch the light.  Mor'Gan loaned me a spare outfit of his, and I changed away from the others.  I cut myself a new veil from the excess pantlegs, as my holy vows as a Varnus prevent me from showing my face to any but my direst enemies or my closest friends - my face is the only thing truly mine, after all.  All else belongs to my people.We wrapped my sacred armour up in a great sack Feldon had, and devised a means for me to tie it onto my back.  My weapons, all except for the Gednyr of my dear Giljak, were tied into the sack as well, and then we waited.When evening fell, the chim slipped out ahead of us, and, using their blowguns, knocked the bridge guards out.  One by one, we slipped over the bridge and up to the stockade wall.  Everything was going well so far, and once we had everyone across, we slowly made our way along the wall to circle the town.  Just past the guardtower at the corner, something shifted noisily in the sack on my back.  The sky lit up with some kind of searchlight from the top of the wall as everyone began a mad dash for the forest beyond.  But it was a good mile away, and the guards began shooting at us as we crossed the clearing.Mor'Gan decided to create a distraction, and ran back to the wall, digging some small, foot-long sticks out of his coat and putting strings on the ends.  I didn't understand, but turned with him and followed him to the wall, where he began to place the sticks along the bottom of the logs in bundles of five, igniting the strings as he went.  Feldon had turned and was returning fire with his rifle, when a great fog rose up around him.I was uncertain what I should be doing, but suddenly a huge explosion tore out of the first bundle of sticks, creating a large hole in the wall.  Another quickly followed, and another, as troops began to pour out of the first hole.  I ran towards them with the Urukslayer's Gednyr, screaming his ancient battlecry.  Cursing, Mor'Gan followed, drawing his pistols as he ran.A few rounds were fired, and I had felled a few enemies as well, when Tarion's owl flew by and dropped something at Mor'Gan's feet.  Picking it up, he ate it, and I saw his skin take on a barklike texture.  This gladdened me, as he had already been shot several times, and, while not sorely wounded yet, was beginning to slow.  As more enemies poured through the gap, Feldon shouted to us, and Mor'Gan grunted "Go.  Now!"  Turning, he ran back to the rest, as I held the flank as best I could until he was clear.  Feldon gave me covering fire while I retreated, and soon we were in the woods, safe.  Quickly, we arranged to seperate and meet several miles north, so that a coordinated attempt to track us wouldn't catch us all.</blockquote>

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