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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Softwind" data-source="post: 1421829" data-attributes="member: 13893">Upon the wallSession 36 (Nov 03) [Part two] “Master Gotien?” Daladariel raps again on the Guildmaster’s door.  “Are you within?”“Yes, Dal, come in.”  The mage enters the nicely appointed room, and takes a seat before the large desk.  Gotien looks up from his reading, eyes looking over the glass ovals perched on his nose.  “What can I do for you, my student?”“I have questions and concerns.  I have recently returned from a task set the Companions.  I believe I have conducted myself well, yet I have doubts about how I applied the teachings you have given me.  From what my new friends found in the High Forest and near Sumpter, I know there to be greater powers at work in current and not so current events.  So I look for guidance.”Gotien puts down his book and with slow careful motions, removes his glasses and places them on the closed volume.  He looks at Daladariel for a moment without speaking, studying the still-young elf’s face.  When the Guildmaster begins speaking, it is in a firm, low tone.  “When you first came into our Halls, orphaned by violence, withdrawn into yourself, I had great worry for you.  In this century past, you have shown great promise.  An intellect that rivals many of the mages’ here.  Your grasp of subtle concepts is phenomenal.”  The older gentleman leans back, his breath loosed slowly in a sigh.  “Yet you lack the one thing we cannot give you here.  Experience.”  He leans forward again, his eyes focusing on distant things.  “And if I am not mistaken, such a thing is happening right now.”  His eyes focusing on Daladariel perched on the edge of his seat like an errant schoolboy, he continues, “The town that has housed you all these years is under attack.  Your friends most likely have rushed to its aid, if I’m no mistaker of character.  You have journeyed with them a short while.  Will you now continue that journey?  Let me reassure you, my door shall remain ever open to you.  We will speak more, after.”  Gotien waits, expectantly.Daladariel stands up, hesitation plain on his face.  “Good master…” he begins, but is interrupted by Gotien.  “Go, my child.  Learn, and grow.  Come back to me, and we will talk again.”  Daladariel gulps, then quickly turns and hurries out the office, through the Guild Hall, and out onto the street.  He pauses only a moment before rushing northward to rejoin his companions.  Within the Hall, Gotien stares at the empty chair unseeing.  Shaking his head, with a sad smile on his face, he picks up his glasses, and with them firmly seated on his nose once more, begins to read.***Brynn, Athena, Skylar, and Genoa slow their hurried pace as they near the wall surrounding the city.  Atop it already are man guardsmen and women, staring out past the crenulations to the fields beyond.  Dull thumps are heard repeating beyond, with the ground trembling in counterpoint beneath armored feet.  Shouts and grunts can be heard in the distance, as can commands shouted by militia officers.  A shout from behind them reveals its source as Tombit, running to join up with them.  The monk pants lightly as he draws close, and says “It was a choice between a nap in the sun, and some action.  Since we have plenty of daylight, I figured I’d work on my moves.  Hiyah!”  The Companions exclaim their appreciation of his choice, then face towards the wall again.Brynn spares his friends a glance before setting foot on a ramp leading to the catwalk inside the wall.  His progress, and that of the Companions behind him, is halted by a guardsmen with lowered spear.  “No citizens are allowed on the wall,” the guard intones.  “It’s for your safety.  The guards will take care of the threat.”Brynn smiles in a grim fashion, as he pulls his swords out and displays them to the young guard baring the way.  As the sun glints from the blades, the guard cannot help but notice the battlescars upon them.  The young guard looks past the dwarf at the rest of the party behind him.  Seeing that he faces none not used to battle, his spear raises, and he steps to the side.  “My apologies, citizen.  You seem very familiar with those weapons, and frankly, we can use all the help we can get.”  The guard jerks a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the half score of guardsmen on the wall.  Each of the men, although looking ready for the oncoming threat, also look very young, and somewhat unsure of themselves.  Brynn watches as one individual wipes sweat from his brow, and swallows heavily, even though the day is mild.He turns to the guard on the ramp.  “Tell us where you hae need of us, and we’ll do it.”  Brynn waves his group forward, and they gather around the guard.   “The ballistae are undermanned, and we are short some archers.  I see bows on some of you, so I take it you are familiar with their use?  Great!  Based on what we face, the bows will need be dropped afore too long, and melee weapons pulled.  Even with your help, we have small hope of holding off the horde that draws near.”  The man swallows heavy, as the thought works past his hard-won bravado.Brynn begins to ask what manner of foe they face, but stops as he sees the creatures come shuffling out of the forest some three hundred yards from the walls.  His voice is low and full of danger.  “Giants.”  He squints, trying to make out more detail.  The tall humanoids look about 15 feet tall, but walk with such a gait as to indicate they travel hunched over.  “They’d be over twenty feet if they stood up all the way,” he mutters.“What manner of giant are they, Brynn?” Genoa asks, as she mentally reviews the spells Silvanus has bestowed on her.  She selects several, before noticing Brynn has not responded.  “Brynn?”The ranger says nothing for a moment, before shaking his head in confusion.  “Me da told me ov several different breeds, but these are like none I’ve heard ov nor seen.  I know not, and it bothers me.”The guard interrupts.  “I don’t know or care what they’re called.  But I do know, they’re not from around here, even with the movement of the various tribes from the mountains.  And they don’t look friendly…”The party jumps to action then, as Brynn rushes to help man a ballista, Skylar stands by a basket of arrows (filling her quiver while she has the opportunity) and Athena and Genoa pull their slings.  The healers, knowing their weapons to be of limited use at such distances, also keep their eyes out for need of their healing talents.  Tombit carries his light crossbow to another basket filled with bolts, and takes up position there, watching the giants advance in a chaotic mob as he loads a bolt into it.“Ready… aiiiiiim….. FIRE!” shouts the guard responsible for aiming the ballista Brynn assists with.  With a shudder as the weapon’s limbs straighten, the large missile is launched at the oncoming forces, and lodges in the chest of an oncoming giant.  “Hah!” shouts Brynn in triumph, “First blood!”  Then the ranger is forced to return attention to the weapon, helping crank it for another shot.“Don’t you mean second blood?” Skylar calls out, sweetly, as she reloads her bow.  “Huh?” comes the reply, to which she just points out.  Following the finger, Brynn spies a giant staggering with several arrow shafts protruding from its head and neck.  “Bah,” is his only comment as he puts his back into cranking his weapon again.  Skylar smirks before launching more arrows.  Deciding her weapon just won’t reach, Genoa instead concentrates on the words of a spell to summon forth a Briar Web in the midst of a grouping of giants.  Even with their great strength, four giants are unable to break free of the stinging plants that so suddenly surround them.  Their cries of pain and anger drift over the battlefield, but Genoa does not smile as she looks for new targets close together.  She is momentarily distracted by Daladariel running up the ramp behind her, panting from the run.  “Found… hoo hah.. you…hoh ha.” The mage staggers past.  “You okay, Dal?” the druid asks, half in concern, but with a smile in her voice.“Yeah, just.. huff… out of breath.  I’ll be fine.”  The mage straightens up, and looks across the battlements.  “By Mystra!  There are so many of them!”“Aye.  So whatever you can do to help would be appreciated!” a guardsmen shouts.“I can accommodate that, I believe!”  The pea-sized projectile streaks from his outstretched finger to impact amidst a group of giants running forward almost shoulder to shoulder.  Upon reaching its target, the Fireball erupts, searing flesh from bones.  Several giants stumble, severely injured, as others shrug off the injury, yelling in pain and anger.“Slow em down, mage!” Brynn shouts at Daladariel, as the dwarf struggles to crank the ballistae into firing position and load it again.  “We need more time!”“Can do!” Daladariel casts again, this time causing black tendrils to rise from the ground and wrap themselves about several giants.  Believing themselves strong enough to break through any impediment, the giants’ faces show their confusion as they find the tendril material impervious to their struggles to free themselves.  Even so, some of the shadowstuff conjured up shows the strain.“That’ll do!” This from Skylar’s direction, although Daladariel is unable to determine if it was his fellow elf’s throat, or the axe upon her back, that shouted the words.  The elven archer quickly fires a quarter-score of arrows at the captured giants.  Her small shafts are soon joined by the larger bolt from the ballistae, which skewers a giant, felling it to dangle lifeless in the tendrils.“Great shots all!  But our needs are more towards those that still advance!  Focus the attacks on them while the rest are slowed.” The guardsmen shouts.  The man’s shouts are drowned out by sudden sounds of stone against stone, as the closer giants begin to hurl great boulders at the wall, and also at those who stand watch upon it.  With painful screams, some of the guards are struck, knocked from their feet.  A few are unfortunate enough to be knocked from the wall, landing on the ground below with a sickening crunch.“Nooooo!” groans Athena, as she recognizes some of the guards that had been teaching her just minutes before.  She takes a few steps before realizing that nothing could be done for them with the powers granted her.  A quick prayer is intoned, before she turns back to guardsmen that were injured in the initial salvo.  The treated men give her hurried but heartfelt thanks, as they feel their wounds healing in mere seconds.</blockquote>

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