seasong's Light Against The Dark II (May 13)
- Thread starter seasong
- Start date
Greybar
No Trouble at All
So this is purely an ego thing, unless I get about 150 more votes, in which case I promise I shall be a benevolent judge-dictator and dole out cake and story as one might sow seeds of mighty grain.
Okay let's see. write a quick automated browser, needs to be able to login to enworld, register, browse to hotmail and make an account to receive the registry, browse back to enworld and vote.
whew, how long do I have before the poll closes?
and then how long do I have before Piratecat or another mod unleases both hot and cold, holy and unholy running hell on me...
John
Your story hour is truly an inspiration to me and has encouraged me to start working on a world building project that has been languishing on a back burner for the most part of the last four years.
Hopefully I will have some of it posted in the plots and places forum soon for the community’s perusal.
Hopefully I will have some of it posted in the plots and places forum soon for the community’s perusal.
In addition to letting you know that I'm still reading. I thought I would pester Mr. Iron DM champion a little. Weren't we promised 5th level stats for the characters? Hmm, I seem to recall. I'm begining to think that you started this whole new thread so that everyone would forget! Well I didn't so stop celebrating your Iron DM win (congratulations by the way) and start updating!
Hey and no more of this namby pamby sneaking around crap. I want to see some serious orc arse kicking vengence. You got that, we want some violent action!
Nuff said
Delgar
P.S. I still need help in my gladiator thread over in the plots/places forum Gladiator Thread
Hey and no more of this namby pamby sneaking around crap. I want to see some serious orc arse kicking vengence. You got that, we want some violent action!
Nuff said
Delgar
P.S. I still need help in my gladiator thread over in the plots/places forum Gladiator Thread
seasong
First Post
Hopefully this makes up for the short posts I've been doing. It also almost catches us up to the present, just in time for this weekend's session.
Assault on the Uhkamah
When the trio returned to Theralis, they met with Captain Agina almost immediately. A basic explanation was given, and Agina turned to Chatham.
"Chatham, we value your aid in this matter, but just so we are clear, our intent is to attack the Uhkamah and free the Theralis citizens currently held by that tribe. We would like to hire you to help guide us back to them, but I understand if you would rather not."
What she didn't say, although Chatham knew, was that she'd be very understanding... and he wouldn't be allowed to leave Theralis until they had completed what they set out to do. He grinned disarmingly, "I'm not of any tribe, and my loyalty is to the silver I can smell in your chests. What should I care about the Uhkamah? Didn't they help smash the Bunahken?"
Chatham then carefully made certain that his loyalties were well known, and while plans were still being made, just casually let everyone know that he would be at the same place Athan, Greppa and Merideth had met him originally. No one thought much of it, and he stepped out into the woods.
Silently, a man called Akeros followed after...
Planning
Agina sat down with the trio and together they sketched out a reasonable map of the Uhkamah region. Agina pointed at a few places and got Athan's opinion of their defensibility, then finally settled on a valley several miles south of the Ukahmah valley.
Greppa gave a full report on their strength, numbers, and rough placement in the valley, but added, "Except for the shaman, the Bunahken changed their placement all the time." That was noted along with everything else.
Agina, it turned out, had put together a list of nearly two hundred soldiers trained as scouts willing to go on the trip, including some Keraunesti soldiers on loan, and two additional healers. Groups were assigned, and supplies were gathered. Within three days, they were prepped to go.
Chatham was waiting in the spot he'd said, and they were off.
Execution
Weeks later, after they had arrived, the soldiers went on cold rations. No fires, no hunting - cold gruel, salted strips of meat and raisins made up the entire diet. Although there was grumbling, the fact that there were 3 orcs per soldier just a few miles north helped keep actual complaints to a minimum.
And then the first part of Agina's plan began. Orc hunting parties who came near the camp were quietly and brutally ambushed and killed. Scouts watched the valley for groups of 10 or fewer orcs leaving the valley, and reported back on the direction... and then a warband of Theralese soldiers would head out, ambush and kill them, then haul and bury the bodies.
When orc hunters began looking for their comrades, much the same thing happened... and after two days and nearly a hundred deaths, the orcs had become paranoid about travelling in the wilderness.
Curiously, however, what they did was simply start packing. And scouts returned with reports that the orcs were calling Agina's attacks "wolf attacks". Instead of fighting it, they were simply preparing to flee.
That left little time for subtlety or psychological warfare. Agina had Greppa watch for the first major group of orcs to leave... and when the vanguard of warriors took off to mark a new territory, the Theralese attacked.
At first, it was a massacre. When the Theralese first came running down the mountainside to engage the orcs, many orcs screamed and ran rather than fight... but when they realized that it wasn't wolves, they began shouting angrily and practically berserking.
It was a rough battle, but the Theralese managed to drive the orcs back far enough to get to the slaves... and as spears were tossed lightly among the slaves, the Theralese became as a swelling tide, unstoppable. Many slaves felt the need to avenge themselves on this or that orc, but most simply killed as quickly as they could and retreated behind the Theralese shields. The orcs fled, but angrily, shouting threats as they increased their distance.
By the end, more than a third of the orcs were dead, and less than a tenth of the Theralese. The shaman had never showed up.
Retreat
Only then did the Theralese retreat, back to their hiding spot. Scouts were sent out to confirm that all citizens were recovered, and two were spotted and quickly recovered from the orcs trying to escape with their slaves.
There were too many injuries to move immediately, so Agina had the healers begin their work and the shield wall kept up, and waited.
She did not wait long. The remaining hundreds of orcs attacked in an uncoordinated and hasty assembly. They had been harried by wolves and cursed in hunting for weeks... and now these humans had come to steal their slaves?
The Theralis shield wall, a bit hastily erected itself, held. Then, abruptly, the orcs began to flee, yelling "BESHA! ETHRAT!". They did not flee straight from the soldiers, but at an angle...
Greppa summoned kinetic forces about him and flew high into the sky. As he soared upward, he realized that he was now higher than he'd ever been... the mountains spread around his feet like anthills, and the trees resembled needles on pincushions. He admired the view briefly, and then checked on the orcs - they were fleeing northwest, and perhaps fifty yards behind him was a pack of wolves... or rather, a horde of wolves, like a vast furry carpet, as there were hundreds of the beasts.
Greppa rapidly dropped back to earth and gave his report, and then rested... as all too soon, the healers were done, and it was time to go.
In all, a successful mission, and all three heroes felt a great weight lift from them. On the way back, they talked mostly of Greppa's mine expedition idea.
And since everyone knew the way back, no one really noticed that Chatham was gone.
Assault on the Uhkamah
When the trio returned to Theralis, they met with Captain Agina almost immediately. A basic explanation was given, and Agina turned to Chatham.
"Chatham, we value your aid in this matter, but just so we are clear, our intent is to attack the Uhkamah and free the Theralis citizens currently held by that tribe. We would like to hire you to help guide us back to them, but I understand if you would rather not."
What she didn't say, although Chatham knew, was that she'd be very understanding... and he wouldn't be allowed to leave Theralis until they had completed what they set out to do. He grinned disarmingly, "I'm not of any tribe, and my loyalty is to the silver I can smell in your chests. What should I care about the Uhkamah? Didn't they help smash the Bunahken?"
Chatham then carefully made certain that his loyalties were well known, and while plans were still being made, just casually let everyone know that he would be at the same place Athan, Greppa and Merideth had met him originally. No one thought much of it, and he stepped out into the woods.
Silently, a man called Akeros followed after...
Planning
Agina sat down with the trio and together they sketched out a reasonable map of the Uhkamah region. Agina pointed at a few places and got Athan's opinion of their defensibility, then finally settled on a valley several miles south of the Ukahmah valley.
Greppa gave a full report on their strength, numbers, and rough placement in the valley, but added, "Except for the shaman, the Bunahken changed their placement all the time." That was noted along with everything else.
Agina, it turned out, had put together a list of nearly two hundred soldiers trained as scouts willing to go on the trip, including some Keraunesti soldiers on loan, and two additional healers. Groups were assigned, and supplies were gathered. Within three days, they were prepped to go.
Chatham was waiting in the spot he'd said, and they were off.
Execution
Weeks later, after they had arrived, the soldiers went on cold rations. No fires, no hunting - cold gruel, salted strips of meat and raisins made up the entire diet. Although there was grumbling, the fact that there were 3 orcs per soldier just a few miles north helped keep actual complaints to a minimum.
And then the first part of Agina's plan began. Orc hunting parties who came near the camp were quietly and brutally ambushed and killed. Scouts watched the valley for groups of 10 or fewer orcs leaving the valley, and reported back on the direction... and then a warband of Theralese soldiers would head out, ambush and kill them, then haul and bury the bodies.
When orc hunters began looking for their comrades, much the same thing happened... and after two days and nearly a hundred deaths, the orcs had become paranoid about travelling in the wilderness.
Curiously, however, what they did was simply start packing. And scouts returned with reports that the orcs were calling Agina's attacks "wolf attacks". Instead of fighting it, they were simply preparing to flee.
That left little time for subtlety or psychological warfare. Agina had Greppa watch for the first major group of orcs to leave... and when the vanguard of warriors took off to mark a new territory, the Theralese attacked.
At first, it was a massacre. When the Theralese first came running down the mountainside to engage the orcs, many orcs screamed and ran rather than fight... but when they realized that it wasn't wolves, they began shouting angrily and practically berserking.
It was a rough battle, but the Theralese managed to drive the orcs back far enough to get to the slaves... and as spears were tossed lightly among the slaves, the Theralese became as a swelling tide, unstoppable. Many slaves felt the need to avenge themselves on this or that orc, but most simply killed as quickly as they could and retreated behind the Theralese shields. The orcs fled, but angrily, shouting threats as they increased their distance.
By the end, more than a third of the orcs were dead, and less than a tenth of the Theralese. The shaman had never showed up.
Retreat
Only then did the Theralese retreat, back to their hiding spot. Scouts were sent out to confirm that all citizens were recovered, and two were spotted and quickly recovered from the orcs trying to escape with their slaves.
There were too many injuries to move immediately, so Agina had the healers begin their work and the shield wall kept up, and waited.
She did not wait long. The remaining hundreds of orcs attacked in an uncoordinated and hasty assembly. They had been harried by wolves and cursed in hunting for weeks... and now these humans had come to steal their slaves?
The Theralis shield wall, a bit hastily erected itself, held. Then, abruptly, the orcs began to flee, yelling "BESHA! ETHRAT!". They did not flee straight from the soldiers, but at an angle...
Greppa summoned kinetic forces about him and flew high into the sky. As he soared upward, he realized that he was now higher than he'd ever been... the mountains spread around his feet like anthills, and the trees resembled needles on pincushions. He admired the view briefly, and then checked on the orcs - they were fleeing northwest, and perhaps fifty yards behind him was a pack of wolves... or rather, a horde of wolves, like a vast furry carpet, as there were hundreds of the beasts.
Greppa rapidly dropped back to earth and gave his report, and then rested... as all too soon, the healers were done, and it was time to go.
In all, a successful mission, and all three heroes felt a great weight lift from them. On the way back, they talked mostly of Greppa's mine expedition idea.
And since everyone knew the way back, no one really noticed that Chatham was gone.
seasong
First Post
Esiminar: Wow, thank you 
. I'll keep an eye out for it!
Delgar: Thanks for the kind words. If you check, you'll notice that I have updated the characters (except for Greppa, who's still trying to decide on one more spell). Athan picked up Power Attack, which I'm sure he'll be abusing in the future, and Merideth can now do heinous inflicts.
. I'll keep an eye out for it!Delgar: Thanks for the kind words
. If you check, you'll notice that I have updated the characters (except for Greppa, who's still trying to decide on one more spell). Athan picked up Power Attack, which I'm sure he'll be abusing in the future, and Merideth can now do heinous inflicts.
incognito
First Post
I know someone that noticed...Question:
"Akeros" - he is a specialized unit, I suspect there are other specialized Theralis units. We may see more later.
Besides shamans, are there other specialized Orc units? I suspect the hero may be one - but Athan seems to be filling that role on the human side, and I was thinking of something mroe along the lines of a skills specialist.
seasong
First Post
Skills specialists: As has been mentioned in the past, the Theralis military is organized and highly developed for the technology they possess. The bulk of the military is broken up into shield carriers and spear wielders, but there are also slingers (cheap missile attack), elite shock troops (like the Keraunesti), healers, spear bearers (replace spears as they blunt), scouts, and captains (standards bearers and leaders, sword-wielders).
Arcanists are used whenever they are available, and could be considered a kind of reserve specialist.
Akeros is a specialist of sorts, but he's actually mostly outside of the military structure. He's officially a scout, but what he really does is "dirty work". To put that another way, he's Special Ops/Black Ops for Theralis. And yes, there are certainly others of his ilk...
Among orcs, most male orcs only have three real specialties: warrior, hunter (scout), and war drummer. Orc women do not go to war, although they are reasonably frightening combatants just for their size and strength. An occasional orc of unusual insight (male or female) may be a shaman, and shamans typically help out in a war effort as well.
Warriors and hunters collect into warbands devoted to one or the other; these warbands may work together internally, but externally they tend to compete with other warbands rather than work together. An orc warfront is thus a fairly confused affair, with some attacking, some relaxing in the back, etc. Each warband has its own war drummers, and many are as reknown for their war drummers as they are for anything else.
War drummers are essentially bards, enhancing their warband, scouting, and allowing communication with other warbands by means of the drum. When you hear the orcs drumming in the mountains, they're actually sending messages back and forth.
The "tattered tribe" with the giants was an astounding exception. Consisting of warbands from a variety of tribes that have been destroyed over the course of the last few years (by the westward march), they've hunkered down together with the intent of surviving as best as they can. Most of the members of the tattered tribe are the strongest of their respective tribes (why they survived), and they actually have several shamans and one "orc hero"... plus the giants, of course. As a result of diverse backgrounds and unusual strategic ability, they have begun to specialize more than most orcs, breaking themselves into wall-breakers, defenders, etc.
Arcanists are used whenever they are available, and could be considered a kind of reserve specialist.
Akeros is a specialist of sorts, but he's actually mostly outside of the military structure. He's officially a scout, but what he really does is "dirty work". To put that another way, he's Special Ops/Black Ops for Theralis. And yes, there are certainly others of his ilk...
Among orcs, most male orcs only have three real specialties: warrior, hunter (scout), and war drummer. Orc women do not go to war, although they are reasonably frightening combatants just for their size and strength. An occasional orc of unusual insight (male or female) may be a shaman, and shamans typically help out in a war effort as well.
Warriors and hunters collect into warbands devoted to one or the other; these warbands may work together internally, but externally they tend to compete with other warbands rather than work together. An orc warfront is thus a fairly confused affair, with some attacking, some relaxing in the back, etc. Each warband has its own war drummers, and many are as reknown for their war drummers as they are for anything else.
War drummers are essentially bards, enhancing their warband, scouting, and allowing communication with other warbands by means of the drum. When you hear the orcs drumming in the mountains, they're actually sending messages back and forth.
The "tattered tribe" with the giants was an astounding exception. Consisting of warbands from a variety of tribes that have been destroyed over the course of the last few years (by the westward march), they've hunkered down together with the intent of surviving as best as they can. Most of the members of the tattered tribe are the strongest of their respective tribes (why they survived), and they actually have several shamans and one "orc hero"... plus the giants, of course. As a result of diverse backgrounds and unusual strategic ability, they have begun to specialize more than most orcs, breaking themselves into wall-breakers, defenders, etc.
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