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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tokiwong" data-source="post: 1104098" data-attributes="member: 961">The Black MirrorThe plan was set.The course was made as Vykos gathered the insurgents in the main room of the tower.  All were present now, including Borca, Salas, and Valthis.  There were also several Erenlander youths looking for a chance to prove their mettle against the Shadow.  Vykos glanced around the table, besides Borca, the faces were young, and idealistic.  Hope sparkled in their eyes, the caravan had been spotted, now it was only a matter of time before the ambush was to be staged.  A major blow would be struck, if they could somehow take the Black Mirror without destroying it, and perhaps find out what makes them so important.  But either way its destruction could not be done, the death would be too widespread.  Or so he had been told, and read, and despite his arrogance, Vykos was not one to tempt fate.  He had made it to the title of Archwizard, even if the title was self-proclaimed.He turned his attentions to Corine, young and beautiful, though most would see her as an athletic beauty, she was strong.  Her skin was somewhat weathered, and her brown hair was worn short.  She rarely smiled, but then there was very little to smile about, he supposed.Next to her sat the halfling, Tuk, his skin was a light mahogany, and he seemed to smile about everything.  He was a slim form, a slave, with tattoos across his body, obviously from his previous employer.  He was no soldier, but he seemed to want to fight the Shadow if for no other reason then because he really had nowhere else to go.Across from Vykos sat the dworg, Malstrom.  He was a large figure for a dworg, and a scar split his face, a remnant of his youth.  He wore chainmail armor, and despite his fierce demeanor, the dworg was well known for his nobility, and use of manners.  Vykos admired that fact, it was a pleasant change from most dour and grim warriors.  Next to him sat the large Dorn, Dae.  He was neither particularly handsome nor ugly, but he was large, and powerful.  He wore a long coat of wolf’s fur, and wielded two weapons better then most men could wield a single blade.  He was not overly bright, but he did fight well, and that suited him fine.Borca spoke breaking the long silence, “Our scouts report they are bout two miles east of us, Vykos.  Are the elves and the Sarcosan riders in position?” speaking in the Erenland tongue with a strong accent born of the Kaladrun mountains.  Borca’s scalp was balding, and his dark hair, against his pale weathered face, made him seem older then he ought to be.  Creases of weary formed wrinkles in his face, and his beard was thick and full, layered with braids.  His dark brown eyes, always gave Vykos pause.Vykos replied as he reclined in his chair, “The elves are in position, and the Sarcosan riders will strike when I give them the signal.  It will be unmistakable and quite flashy.  The middle wagon is our target, we will have to strike it first.  That is the wagon that carries the Black Mirror.  It must not be destroyed, or no one will survive.  We must capture it, at all costs.”Valthis nodded, his slim boyish features made him handsome.  He glanced around the table, before speaking, “We will not have much room for error, but with faith, we will prevail.”Malstrom nodded, “Then I believe we are committed.”Corine agreed, “Today we strike a blow for the resistance.”Semmarin remained silent.  The dark skinned elfling, wore his dark hair in short dreadlocks, and pulled his elven cloak close around him.  He was small, perhaps the smallest of the group outside of Tuk, but he knew that his size did not matter when it came to the fighting the forces of the One God.  The thought cause him to speak, “Then lets get out and prepare.  We have orcs to kill, and a Black Mirror to steal.”***********************************Runt scanned the road as he marched at the point of the caravan.  A cold wind blew over the distant plains, and the moon hung fool, giving a soft glow to the plains.  He sniffed the air, and paused to feel the ground.  He placed his ear to the ground, causing the other orcs around him to pause and stare curiously at the strange little orc.Runt listened, he could hear the telltale signs of riding animals.  Not the rumbling behind him, but something distant, he stood satisfied, and marched ahead.  Whatever was going to happen was going to happen soon.  He had thought it was odd to call a retreat so soon, and form up with the caravan, but the pieces were coming together for the orc scout.He and his brethren were bait.The thoughts made him curl his mouth with distaste, the rest of his kin did not realize that they were only here to die.  The Priest Mother surely knew, along with his chief, Garnak, but the rest.  But Runt just grinned, being the bait would just be more challenging.  It was at that blessed moment that the wagon just in front of the center wagon exploded into flames.  Runt dove for cover, and rolled to his feet, drawing his bow, and instinctively moved for cover.  He could smell the odor of burning flesh, wood, and worse.  He could hear screams, and war cries.  He saw a human charge from the trees, and let an arrow fly, it was straight and true, right into the man’s breast.Runt turned, already lining up another target, an elf that had foolishly moved from cover.  He smiled and let the arrow fly, but scowled, when the arrow fell short, and stuck the elf in the leg.  He ducked, as a barrage of arrows slammed into the wagon.  An orc screamed, clutching at his throat.  Runt reached down and ripped the arrow from the orc’s throat, it was still whole, and he grinned as he knocked another arrow.  Runt ran towards another wagon, and dove clear as the wagon exploded.  He felt the rush of heat, followed by the smell and the screams.  He closed his eyes because the flames were almost too bright for his eyes.  He turned, and allowed his vision to clear and spotted a riding Sarcosan rider, he let the arrow fly, and placed the elven wrought arrow right into the Sarcosan’s breast.  The warrior continued to charge and raised his lance.  Runt ducked to the side, and rolled forward drawing a kukri, and slashed across the rider’s leg.  Runt rushed after the warrior as he turned his horse about, he sprung up into the air, and tackled the warrior with a mighty blow.  Runt and the warrior landed hard on the icy ground, but the orc had the advantage.  He stabbed his kukri into the warrior’s neck, with precision, the warrior struggled, reaching for his sword, but it was too late.  Runt crawled forward, and grabbed his bow, and moved for cover.  He could hear the chaos around him, as he crouched and got his bearings.  Runt drew another arrow and looked for another target.***********************************Malstrom and Dae charged across the field, they rushed through the broken ranks, their weapons at the ready as they cut down the wounded orcs and human.  They gave no quarter and expected none.  Malstrom hefted his blade with skill, as he cleaved his enemies in two, causing the orcs to give him pause.  Dae wielded his blades in a dangerous dance, bastard sword in one hand, the shortsword in the other.  He kept his foes off balance, feinting with one blade, and killing with the other.Near the tree line Corine, took aim with her longbow.  The Erenlander sent an arrow flying, and brought down an orc in a spray of black blood, as the elves followed suit, tearing into the orcs with a fury of arrows.  They rained death, and the screams below, spoke volumes of their success.Malstrom shouted to the other insurgents, “We must take that wagon,” as he brought his greataxe into the back of a retreating human.  Spilling his lifeblood onto the icy earth.  Dae nodded, as he parried a vardatch with his shortsword, and used his bastard sword to take the head of his opponent.  Black blood spewing forth covering the large Dorn as he moved forward to face more orcs, it was to his credit that some paused, considering to tackle the large warrior.Following them Semmarin shout his bow at close range and then changed to his shortsword, as an orc charged towards the small elfling.  Using his size and strength to bully the elfling back, a murderous gleam in his eyes.Tuk followed in the wake of the two large warriors, flanking their opponents and doing what he could to keep them safe.  It was all he could do not to flee in terror, but there was bravery in the small halfling.  He jabbed his spear into an orc, distracting him long enough for Dae to finish him.Victory looked to be in sight.*************************************Garnak glanced to Vuna from underneath the large tarp, on the wagon.  His men packed close together, as they heard the fighting grow even fiercer.  Vuna gave the chieftain a nod, her consent.  Garnak grabbed the tarp, and pulled it aside, revealing to the charging and weakened insurgent forces, that their sacrifice, all the bloodshed, was for not.  There was no Black Mirror, only death.Garnak shouted “Onward brothers, crush these fools, and bring me their heads!”  The orcs poured off the wagon in a fury, the insurgent forces looked to each other in shock, and confusion.  Before they realized what had transpired many of them were cut down.  Garnak glared at the charging dworg and Dorn, and stepped off the wagon moving towards them, as Vuna watched with a satisfied grin.  Her wolf sat beside her mimicking her demeanor, as the icy wind, made her cloak billow in the wind, framing her lithe form against the moon. The dworg, was bleeding from several cuts as he locked eyes with Garnak.  The Dorn was fending off several orcs, but he was losing ground, even with the help of a halfling.  Garnak drew his vardatch, its blade was midnight black, and its edge was sharp.  The dworg shouted a war cry and charged, slamming his axe down on the orc chieftain, he raised his shield, and the axe blade slid harmlessly away.Garnak seemed amused, the dworg was incensed, but he had much to learn.  He stayed on the defensive as the dworg pressed the attack, slamming his blade against the orc’s shield and blade.  Garnak dipped forward in a feint, and the dworg stepped to defend against it, realizing too late the fate he had made.  Garnak swung his blade high and carved a path across the dworg’s chest, cutting through bone and flesh.  The dworg stumbled and then collapsed, black-red blood oozing from his mortal wound.Garnak looked up to see a large orc, Yuth, cut down an elfling with a powerful slash, sending the fae to the ground in a spray of blood.  He would have to remember that Yuth would be well rewarded for his kill.It was too easy.Garnak looked around and saw the insurgents fleeing towards the trees.  He raised his shield to fend off some arrows.  The elves were going to cover the retreat, how noble for them.  He pointed and shouted, and a drummer drummed out his commands to the rest of the orcs, as they pressed the fight to the elves.  Garnak turned and saw the Sarcosan riders trying to retreat, it was a route.  The ambush had worked better then he could have imagined.Garnak turned back, and saw the Dorn dragging the dying dworg away, he moved to follow, but another blast sent him sprawling.  He scowled, it had to be the outlaw wizard, Vykos.  He rushed to his feet and scanned the tree line, but the blasted human was gone for sure, and left a little parting gift.***********************************Corine helped to cover the retreat, as Dae scrambled up the hill with Tuk guarding his back.  The elves fought bravely, but it was obvious that if there lines were breaking.  Corine scanned the caravan, and could see corpses, many orcs, but many more insurgents.  She turned from the scene, and followed her allies.  The mood was somber as they retreated back to the tower.  They were fewer in number; Borca, Valthis, Vykos, Tuk, and Dae had survived the battle.  She shook her head, as Dae placed Malstrom’s corpse on a bed of hay, his eyes staring up at the sky.  She noticed those missing and looked to Dae, “Where is Semmarin, where is Salas?”Dae replied, “An orc slew him, I could not help him.”Borca replied to Corine as well, “Salas died at the hands of an orc as well.  He died with his sword in his hand, as a warrior should.”Corine scowled, “That was an ambush.  They knew.”Borca nodded, “Seems that we may be dealing with a spy in our midst.”Vykos sat down, “We can’t begin to point fingers, Borca.”“There was no Black Mirror,” Dae said, glaring about the room.“I think that was obvious,” Vykos replied.Corine turned curiously as she noticed a small dove sitting next to Malstrom.  The bird scampered up onto Malstrom’s chest and gently pecked at his flesh.  The rest of the room watched as a soft glow, filtered over the warrior, and his wounds sealed, and he drew a breath.  His eyes opening as the bird flew up fading from view.Corine gasped, “A miracle?”*********************************The forces of the insurgents were scattered to the four winds before Garnak Mansplitter, he grinned, as much as his tusks allowed a grin.  The corpses littered the ground all around the supply wagons, the trap had worked better then he had hoped, if only they had succeeded in slaying the Archwizard, Vykos then all would have been perfect.  But alas the crafty wizard had proven to be a worthy adversary for the forces of the Shadow.An orc soldier grunted as he approached Garnak, human and elf blood splattered on his black scale mail armor.  Mixed with a smattering of his black blood, he saluted before speaking in the tongue of the orcs, “We have the heads of the Sarcosan leader, and elves, although a few escaped,” he paused looking around, “shall we burn the corpses?”Garnak glanced to Vuna as she gently rubbed the mane of her wolf, she spoke sternly to the soldier, “Our Lord, Izrador demands that these corpses join his embrace, leave them, and let them become the fell,” she spat the words through her yellow teeth.Garnak nodded, shifting his weight as he turned and looked out over the plains, “At least we know that we have a spy in our midst,” his visage growing stern, “this ambush is evidence enough that somehow the insurgents are monitoring our communications.”Vuna turned to Garnak and nodded, brushing her black mane from her face, for an orc she was in a word beautiful, to the lesser races, she was a brutal lethal creature savagery.  Her lips curled in a sneer as she spoke, “Garnak the tribe will have many honors for this victory, we have taken many heads, and nearly crushed the resistance in this region.  The spy has been a boon, if anything.”“We still do not know who it is,” Garnak spat back, as he cleaned his black-bladed vardatch, the edge was never dull, even so out of habit he inspected the edge“It does not matter, we have our own spy in their midst,” she replied with a vicious smile,  “it is only a matter of time, the Shadow favors his children this day.  We will know only victory.”Garnak grunted in reply, he did not have Vuna’s confidence, but there was little he understood about the Priest Mother.  He just knew that she had the power to keep track of their enemies.  But he knew the gleam of ambition burned in her breast; it would only be a matter of time, before he would have to put her in her place.  That was the way of the Shadow, only the strong survived.  Overhead amidst the scattered black birds, and scavengers, a white dove surveyed the scene of carnage, the smashing of a thousand hopes as Shadow prevailed on the battlefield.  Yet hope lingered on, as the remnants of the resistance regrouped.  That much was certain, the war would not end.Garnak looked up as if to gaze upon the now darkening skyline, the moon was a beautiful sight, in the sky.  Unlike the burning sphere that burned his eyes in the day, the darkness was comforting, and welcoming.  He squinted slightly as he spotted a white flicker among the black flecks of birds in the sky.  Garnak paused and looked to Vuna who had busied herself with ordering the soldiers about, as they prepared to move out, he opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it.  He was tired, and he doubted that Vuna would even know what the significance of the bird would mean.  Not that she wouldn’t posture and lie to that effect, but he knew she was not much smarter then the rest of his blessed race.  Something that sadly Garnak was not blessed with, his mind was sharp, and it was as much a curse as it was a boon.  His men fell into orderly formations as Vuna assumed her place on the wagon.  Garnak, reached his seat, and ordered the caravan forward.  There was never any rest for the wicked…***********************************The white dove landed next to Semmarin’s corpse and gently pecked at him.  His form glowed slightly, as he took a breath, it was painful.  It was strange it was like waking up from nothing.  There was no dream, there was nothing, he just opened his eyes and regarded the bird with a curious look.The dove spoke, “Treachery is the way of Shadow.  There is evil in your midst.  What I have done for you, I cannot do again, but you must try and have hope.  If it is lost nothing will survive.  The Shadow will have won.  Now go, they wait for you in the tower.”The bird then flew off into the distance.  Semmarin stood, and made his way towards his companions.</blockquote>

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