Gundar nods as he strolls back to the barricade and hops back to the other side. He hadn't caught sight of the orcs yet, but he could hear the tromp of their boots and the jangle of weapons. More enemies, eager to die. The dwarf takes out his crossbow and reloads it once more, ready to loose a bolt at the first orc he sees, before they can close to melee.
Belir's aegis wears off, as does Thuradin's good blessing.
Four orcs appear, with a monitor lizard in the lead. Three of the orcs have large, curved blades (shotels), and carry philums for throwing. The fourth (orange) carries a large orc double axe. Gundar promptly plugs one, causing a fatal wound, but the orc screams and retrieves a potion from his belt.
Kragmyr shouts in orcish ”Ye ugly sons o’ that lizard, kiss me hammer! I’d say come fight me, but I know yer too yellow! That’s why ye cowards let yer kin die while ye hid!”
Thozar begins swirling his arm in the air, drawing a small tuft of cloud from the sky while he pulls energy from the earth to help fuel the spell. "You orcs never learn and now the earth shall teach you!" With a peal of thunder, he slings the cloud at the orc trying to quaff a potion.
________
The red orc drops dead.
Ulark looks at the solid fortifications in front of him. Then at the injured dwarves beside him (including Belir who is chomping at the bit to rush forward - at least in Ulark's mind). He closes his eyes, then whispers. "Forge it"
Angradd's champion makes his way to the other side of the barricade and sets his longaxe towards the lizard.
for
The lizard charges at Ulark, who is ready and cuts the creature deeply. Unfortunately, the axe blade gets caught and causes him to be unable to use his reach effectively.
The blue orc moves around the other side of the pit, and throws a pilum at Omast. Luckily, the barricade provides decent cover.
Ulark winces as the lizard's fangs dig into him. Cor! This is what you get for being reckless. Angradd's frownin on you right now.
|
Belir leaps past to hold the line. "Let 'em come!" he growls and begins a rhythmic beat against his shield to intimidate the orc clan. A song begins to form on his lips.
"Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
The dwarves of yore made mightly spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.
For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sward.
On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeouns deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
To claim our long-forgotten gold.
Goblets they carved there for themselves
And harps of gold; where no man delves
There lay they long, and many a song
Was sung unheard by men or elves.
The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night,
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.
The bells were ringing in the dale
And men looked up with faces pale;
The dragon's ire more fierce than fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail."
As Belir sings a grin breaks over Kragmyr’s face. Before long he was singing away with his companion.
”The mountain smoked beneath the moon.
The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.
They fled the hall to dying fall
Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.
Far over the Misty Mountains grim,
To dungeons deep and caverns dim,
We must away, ere break of day,
To win our harps and gold from him!
The wind was on the withered heath,
But in the forest stirred no leaf:
There shadows lay be night or day,
And dark things silent crept beneath.
The wind came down from mountains cold,
And like a tide it roared and rolled.
The branches groaned, the forest moaned,
And leaves were laid upon the mould.”
The dwarven song stirs a memory in Torith as First Belir then Kragmyr sing the ancient tale.
Torith can't help but join in too.
"The wind went on from West to East;
all movement in the forest ceased,
but shrill and harsh across the marsh
its whistling voices were released.
The grasses hissed, their tassels bent,
the reeds were rattling--on it went
o'er shaken pool under heavens cool
where racing clouds were torn and rent.
As he sings Torith gathers up more earthen matter to make it easier to hurl further. On the word 'rent' he fires the rock at the orc beastmaster.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I've never been much for song, much less those of our forefathers. I would have learned more if I stayed at home... Thozar reaches deep into his soul and draws forth the deepest, most ancient song of his ancestors. "I AM A DWARF AND I'M DIGGING A HOLE! DIGGY DIGGY HOLE! DIGGY DIGGY HOLE!" he sings out, flooded with the power of his earthen lineage.
________
Orange moves forward cautiously, double axe at the ready.
Hopping over the barricade, Kragmyr ran to support his kinsman against the blue orc. Singing loudly, he jumped at the orc, and using momentum to bring him forward, swung with all of his might.
Kragmyr kills blue outright. Pink moves in, charging Belir.
Then the pit disappears, and the boulder (and several dead orcs) rise back to the surface.
Wincing as the lizard's bote bleeds, Ulark places a hand on his chest as he steps to the side. Healing energy pulses through his and restores some of his wounds as the dwarf re-grips and strikes out at the orc
for
After loosing his bolt, Gundar moves back over the barricade once more to join in the battle, rushing to Ulark's aid.
"That's a nasty bite Ulark, teach it the error of it's ways!" Thozar reaches across the barricade and taps Ulark with the wand and part of his wounds close up. He then directs his thundercloud towards the nearest orc!
________
The lizard again tries to bite Ulark.
'S what I paln to do if the thing'll stop biting! Ulark roars to Thozar as he begins to feel unwell.
Torith continues humming along to Thozar's catchy tune as he summons some more rocky matter and hurls it at the lizard creature.
After getting buffeted by the windstorm, Belir steps in and puts pink out of your misery.
Torith tries to smack the lizard with rocks and dirt, but the lizard moves quick and avoids the attack.
Thuradin casts Guidance on Ulark.
The orange orc swings its double axe at Gundar, striking him. She tries to reverse the weapon to cut him again, but he pushes it aside.
Kragmyr runs over to the last remaining orc and swings once more...
The hatred for his people’s ancient foes filled him as he strode across the field of battle. This is what his ancestors had done in their quest for sky. This is what his ancestors had done in defending their grand cities. This is what his forefathers had done since before recorded time. He felt one with them as he continued the unending cycle of violence and hatred. The hammer connected without mercy or pity...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Gundar snarls as the axe marks him. It had been a long, painful few days. But he was alive, and many of his enemies could make no such claim. He brings his axe around hoping to add another to the list...
Still feeling ill from the pet's bite, Ulark takes another step back and lashes out at the lizard.
for
Sorry scaled one. the dwarf mutters under his breath. No choice of yours to fight with 'em. But you pass for the greater good.
He then slaps himself again as Angradd's combat medicine pulses through him.
While the dust begins to settle, Thozar sends his thundercloud over to the nearest standing foe. "We've done it again Dwarves! IS THAT THE BEST YOU'VE GOT, ORCS?!" he challenges while pumping more healing into Ulark.
"Those bites looked rancid, let me know if there is anything else I can do to ease the suffering Ulark..." he worriedly begins fiddling with his beard, something he hasn't gotten the opportunity to do in what feels like eternity.
________
Gundar kills the last orc, and Ulark takes care of the lizard.
As you finish these up, the engineers in the tower get the gate back in place again! No more waves of orcs will get through.
You have to climb the wall now, but then you can get to the last fire to light it.
|
|
Belir cheers as the last of the orcs falls. "Well done lads!" Seeing fresh blood pooling down his arm he clenches his fist. [b]"Now let's tend to these wounds and get over that wall.
Once everyone is ready Belir takes to the wall and slowly begins to scale it, even to the hindrance of his full-plate armor.
"I didn't think they were going to stop coming. Let's get that last fire lit and see if we need to help anywhere else."
Torith heads for the wall and starts to climb.
"Haha! Trunau is safe once again! At least from the orcs on this side... I thought we would eventually get worn down too Torith! Our dwarven blood has certainly been a blessing this day."
Thozar attempts to scale the wall, but barely makes it off the ground before falling on his butt. "The first one up should drop a rope, eh? Might make it easier for us less inclined towards vertical movement."
________
It's not safe yet. Thozar, Ulark says as he moves towards the wall. Not until the last of them are driven out. And the hole there's fixed at the least.
The warrior looks up at the tall wall and frowns. Omast! There a ladder about?
Belir and Torith make the climb look easy.
Ulark and Thozar: Well, the good news is that you didn't climb up far enough to get hurt from the fall...
There was some climbing gear back at the aid station. Maybe that can help you...
Once you exit the inner quarter, the final beacon at the Hopespring is finally within reach. Trunau’s lower quarter is surprisingly peaceful for now, as most attackers have already passed through, though the sounds of battle still rage throughout the town.
You see the Hopespring (O), and the final bonfire up ahead (M).
"Hmph, that was a climb. I hope I don't have to do that too often," he mutters. "Looks to be relatively ok out here, let's quickly light that fire and then check for townsfolk in the houses. What do you all think?" Thozar offers as they start moving forward.
”I’m nay built for climbing. Bah! But aye, let’s light the last bonfire. Let no oath go unfulfilled.”
His wound giving him a bit of trouble, Gundar still makes the climb without too much difficulty. Walls weren't quite the same as trees, but in the end climbing was a matter of persistence.
Gundar listens for a moment, hearing the clashes of combat and cries of orc and Trunauan. "Still fighting going on. I'm with you, lads, let's get that last beacon lit right quick, then get to chasing the rest of the scum out of town."
Can't imagine anyone hasn't noticed the assault yet. Ulark says )huffing) as he finally reaches the elevated area. But at least the light'll give humans a fair chance.
The wood pile for the beacon is still intact and ready to be set alight. As you approach the wood pile to light it, many of you notice a yellow-white powder coating the logs and stones of the fire pit.
”Bah! Let’s light the damned thing and be done with it.”
"Aye, let's get on with it then," Thozar grumbles as he sets his sights on the nearby houses. May there be no orcs or dead townsfolk behind those walls... I suppose orcs wouldn't be that bad for a band of dwarves!
________
"Was this stuff on the other piles of logs? I don't remember."
Ulark sees the yellow flakes on the wood, but not having been paying enough attention when the other signals were lit, assumes its merely some form of accelerant of smoke enhancer.
As you light the fire, it explodes!
Full HP
Full HP
Full HP
Full HP
Full HP
Full HP
Full HP
13 charges total. I removed them from loot sheet.
The good news, though, is that the beacon is now burning bright!