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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 196683" data-attributes="member: 143">Book IV, Part 17“Do you think they’ll attack now, or wait for morning?” Delem asked, as the companions prepared their bastion for an assault from the ogres and orcs pouring into the valley.“Orcs have darkvision, but ogres do not,” Jerral said, as she picked out a sniper position that provided good cover among the boulders and a clear line of sight down the sloping approach up the bluff.  “That said, ogres aren’t known for their subtlety, or their patience.  I’d be ready for an attack at any time.”“Benzan and Lok can see in the dark as well,” Cal noted, “and my eyes are pretty good in low light, although I don’t think we’ll get much natural light tonight.”  He glanced up at the sky, which remained an unbroken bank of dark clouds.“Well, then you three aren’t going to get much sleep tonight,” Jerral said.  “We’d better put someone on watch on both ends of the bluff, in case they try the narrow back route up.”The enemy forces approached the base of the tor—the companions could hear them, now, even if the night concealed their approach—but they did not immediately make a move to ascend toward the summit.  Their adversaries were making no effort to be quiet—in fact, it seemed quite the obvious, as the sound of war chants and metal clashing on metal rang frequently through the night.  “I guess they’re not planning on a quiet evening,” Benzan observed.  He’d taken up a position at the top of the slope running up to the summit of the tor, his darkvision penetrating the night like it was day.  Unfortunately, the range of his special sight was limited, and their enemies would be able to ascend well up the slope before he would be able to see them clearly.  Delem walked over to Cal and Dana.  “Here,” he said, removing a handful of bolts from his quiver and offering several to each of them.“The giantbane bolts we got back at Citadel Adbar?” Cal asked, accepting the missiles.“Yes.  I figure we should all have a few of them… I think they’ll come in handy tonight.”The chaotic sounds from down below became quiet for a moment, drawing the companions’ attention back down to the darkness.  Then, slowly at first, a rhythmic sound shattered the night.  It was the sounding of a deep drum, pounding its mournful beat through the confines of the valley.  The beating became faster, and louder as its pulses were accompanied by the sound of metal clashing on metal.  Soon every creature at the base of the tor was participating in the ritual noise, the pounding filling the night with the promise of the violence that now seemed inevitable.  The companions were all experienced, veterans of many battles, but it would have been hard not to get at least a little rattled at the disturbing cacophony.  But then, as the pounding below began to reach a fevered pitch, the soft sounds of a lute broke up the menace of that evil tune.  Cal’s voice, clear and strong, pierced the night, filling the companions with a renewed sense of purpose.  He sang a battle-song familiar to those who had grown up in the tumultuous Western Heartlands, a song of triumph in the face of evil and adversity.  Pitch for pitch it matched the awful crescendo from below, countering its message of dread and fear with one of camaraderie and hope.  The companions checked their weapons and went over the spells stored in their minds.  Of course they were afraid—only a fool would not be, facing such odds.  But there was no panic, no confusion, only grim determination as they readied themselves for the confrontation.  And then the drum suddenly stopped, and with it the night again grew still.  Cal was the first to see it, his night-adapted eyes cutting through the darkness.  “They’re coming.”* * * * * The companions waited within the shelter of the surrounding boulders atop the bluff, as the shadowy phalanx of orcs and ogres stormed the slope.  From the rear of the bluff, Dana crouched atop a boulder that overlooked the narrow and twisting back way up to the summit.  Although her night vision wasn’t as good as some of the others, even she had to admit that her limited offensive power could be best spared from the main line of defense.  All of the others faced the main route up the bluff, a steep, rubble-strewn ramp that ran several hundred feet from the valley floor below up to the entrenched positions where the defenders waited. The companions had enacted all of the preparations that they had at their disposal.  Cal had summoned mage armor around himself and Delem, and renewed the protection around Dana as well.  The gnome had also cast cat’s grace on Benzan, making him even more nimble and accurate with his bow.  Dana used a spell of her own to augment Lok’s endurance, toughening him even further beyond his normally incredible vitality.  Finally, Cal and Delem summoned magical shields into being in front of them, to serve as effective barriers against enemy attacks. All of them knew, however, that it would ultimately come to hand-to-hand combat.  “I can’t see them coming,” Delem said, holding the power of his flames ready to strike.  Cal stepped over to Benzan.  “Can you put an arrow at the base of the slope?”“No problem,” the tiefling said, nocking the arrow and holding it ready.  Cal called upon the power of a minor cantrip, reaching out to touch the arrowhead as he completed the spell.  The arrow brightened until it glowed with magical light about as bright as a torch.  Realizing that he now made a perfect target, Benzan didn’t hesitate, drawing the arrow and letting it fly.  It landed with a clatter among the rocks at the base of the slope, casting a bright globe of illumination around it.  And revealing the dark shadows that were rapidly approaching, resolving quickly into the snarling faces of orcs as they entered the radius of the light.  “Now, Delem!” Cal cried. But Delem was already lost in the magic, and even as Cal shouted his command he released the power of his most potent spell.  The fireball streaked down the slope, exploding at its base in the general area of the light, blinding them with its intensity.  Screams from orcs caught within the blast filled the night, although it wasn’t immediately clear how many had been taken out by the spell.  The enemy rush continued on.  An ogre stepped into the radius of the light, and a moment later the glow winked out of existence as it found and covered Benzan’s arrow.  Crossbow bolts began to land around the companions, although fired blind as they were, they failed to hit anything but rocks.  Benzan and Jerral had managed to fire a few shots before Cal’s light was snuffed, but as yet they too had failed to bring down any of their enemies. Delem cast another spell, and a row of flickering flames appeared, hovering in the air about one hundred and sixty feet down the slope.  The archers readied their best arrows now as the shadowy length of the advancing enemy line became visible further down the slope, steadily nearing the lighted area.  Thus far the orcs and ogres seemed to be making a simple frontal attack, trusting in numbers to absorb whatever attacks the defenders could unleash upon them.  They entered the radius of Delem’s dancing lights less than a minute later, moving almost recklessly up the steep and rocky slope.  The orcs were in the front, holding crossbows, longspears, or heavy axes as they rushed onward with an almost feral intensity.  Behind them came the ogres in a disorganized line formation, several carrying huge shields covered in thick hides before them.  “Damn, I don’t see the winter wolves,” Cal said, scanning the enemy ranks even as he fired his crossbow and loaded another bolt.  “Dana!” he yelled.“All clear so far!” the woman yelled back from her position, along the far edge of the bluff fifty feet away.  “Do you need me there?”“Stay on watch!” Cal said, not willing to trust that the leader of the enemy force was unaware of the one glaring weakness in their defensive position.As the enemy line rushed past his dancing flames Delem unleashed his second fireball.  This time, the blast was centered on the enemy ranks, and exploded to devastating effect.  Fully twenty orcs fell to the enveloping flames, their bodies charred and blackened, and behind them several ogres felt the force of the fireball as well, though none of them went down. Still, the enemy rush came on. Jerral and Benzan were now able to make their shots tell, firing into the enemy ranks with deadly effect.  Lok, too, had taken his mighty bow from the bag of holding, and launched arrows that penetrated the armor of the leading orcs through sheer mighty force.A wall of sharp spearpoints rose up out of the ground in front of the charging orc battle line, causing the lead warriors to draw up in alarm.  One cried out as its momentum carried it forward into the points, only to pass harmlessly through Cal’s illusion.  It turned to its comrades and smiled dumbly, only to collapse an instant later as one of Benzan’s arrows slammed into its lung.  The illusion only delayed the rush for a few moments, but in that time more orcs died.  Thus far none of the companions had even been wounded, and more than half of the orcs were lying dead or dying on the slope of the tor.  The ogre force was largely intact, however, and Dana’s sudden cry only added to the seriousness of their situation a moment later. “They’re coming up the back trail!”</blockquote>

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