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Post by sleepingdragon on Apr 19, 2008 17:55:34 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: Ecberhdt knocked on the door and they waited for a few moments until the door was opened by a broad-shouldered young man wearing the livery of Caer Arrath.
Within was a large sitting room adjoining to King Aelle's bedchamber. It was large and undecorative, with only a simple rug and plain, round wooden table around which sat six men, facing the door and Aelle, who stood looking at the party as they entered. "Here they are," said Aelle, turning back to one of the men, who they guessed must be Eifion's brother Glethin, for they resembled each other strongly though Glethin was far broader. "My friends, some introductions," said Aelle to the party as the footman closed the door. "These are King Glethin of Machynlleth, King Rhys of Rheged, and King Gruffydd of Blwych," Aelle indicated the men - Rhys a one-eyed young man with fiery red hair, Gruffydd in his mid-fifties with steel grey eyes and hair. "And these are King Owain of Arynys, King Trystane of Daragwr, and our host," Aelle's voice turned somewhat mocking, "Captain Gwydioin the Brave, of Caer Arrath." King Owain was a bull of a man, six and a half feet tall and muscled like an ox, looking uncomfortable in his finery. King Trystane looked old and tired, though they knew he was only thirty, pale and gaunt. Captain Gwydion was in his late forties, with a bushy beard and thick eyebrows over observant, intelligent grey eyes.
"Common soldiers of yours then?" Rhys of Rheged said sharply. "What are they likely to know of anything?" Aelle held up a hand. "Be courteous, King Rhys, and allow our friends here to at least relieve themselves of their gear before they speak." Lalia: Lalia nodded at Aelle as she relieved herself of her borrowed gears. “Your Graces and Excellence. We are the group that Morrol allegedly sent off to North. But instead, we are here, just journeyed from Morrol's tower. My name is Lalia of Garydhsing.” Owain: Owain set his weapon down "It is as the woman says. I am Owain from Daragwr and we witnessed Morrol's betrayal first-hand" Khalisar: Relieved be finally allowed to drop the equipment he was not used to, Khalisar set down the spear and shield. "Indeed. After we helped him with restoring the crown, he fleed with it leaving us to fight vicious monsters." Khalisar: edit: to be finally allowed... Sleeping Dragon: King Owain stood. "What manner of treachery is this, Aelle?" he began, but he was interrupted as another King stood. "Brother!" King Glethin exclaimed, seeing Eifion remove his helm. Glethin strode over and embraced his brother. "I knew that Morrol was lying! Never trust a word a sorcerer says, unless he's on a rack," he said.
"He fled with it?" said Captain Gwydion, and the room went quiet as he spoke. "When did this happen, and how? Tell us your full story." Gytha: Gytha set by the borrowed shield and armour with relief, but held onto the spear as she looked to others to speak. Khalisar: Khalisar hesitated for a moment, perhaps thinking that he had already spoken too much, but then decided to keep on talking "Some time ago, Morrol gathered us and told us that he needed our help to restore the power of the Crown of Ice, so that it could be used to save Andros. "Khalisar paused for a moment "Just how we did that is....well, a somewhat long and complex adventure involving the Masters themselves. In the end, about a month ago we found it and brought it back to him. All of the crown powers were restored successfully, however just after that happened he used the crown to vanish and left us to fight some horrible creations of his." Sleeping Dragon: Aelle interjected. "Morrol has pulled the wool over the eyes of the Kings of Andros for a hundred years. He is actually a First like myself, called Olorin, who served Master Imbrund, the creator of the Crown."
"Is this your notion of bravery, Aelle?" Owain of Arynys sneered. He looked around. "Where is your proof? And why not summon Morrol here to answer these charges himself?" Gytha: "We have proof!" Gytha growled. "A man we rescued from the keep of ice, where Imrund held the Crown." Sleeping Dragon: "Bring this man here then," said Captain Gwydion. "Where is he?" Khalisar: "He's quite...distinctive looking, Excellence. We had to leave him behind, waiting for us."replied Khalisar Lalia: Lalia nodded at Khalisar's word, "Yes, Sergeant Clovis. I am sure he is waiting for such summon." Sleeping Dragon: "Where is he waiting?" said Captain Gwydion. "I can send a messenger on a fast horse to bring this Sergeant Clovis here by a secret way so that word does not reach Morrol." Owain began to object, but Captain Gwydion waved his hand. "I know that it is not right to accuse a man in secret, but the fate of Andros is at stake." Lalia: Lalia nodded as she replied, "Back at the stable where we changed into our disguise. I am sure His Grace, Alle would give more precise location of the farm." Sleeping Dragon: Aelle told the Captain where the farm was and he nodded and spoke to his footman, who left the room. "The Sergeant will be here shortly. The question is, if what you're saying is true, then what should we do? Morrol has the Crown, whether he stole it or not," said the Captain Gytha: "He can't be allowed to keep it. He gained it by lies, and has been lying about what he will use it for. He's in league with the giants!" said Gytha. Eifion (enter): 20:50 Owain: "We may not know his true motives, but he bluffed his way into obtaining the artifact, and it must be recovered" - Owain interjected. Khalisar: "And the horrors he sent against us...They didn't look like anything a trustworthy man would create." Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (9297) Eifion... Sleeping Dragon: "In league with the giants?" Lalia: "Indeed" Lalia replied, "We spoken most firmly with Culhwych the butler and he said that he seen Morrol meeting a small giant which then headed for north" Khalisar: "That he is. We have a witness of him speaking to a very tall figure, though not as tall as a true giant - possibbly an half-breed who is the leader of the giants" Sleeping Dragon: "Is Culhwych with you, or did he remain at Morrol's tower?" Lalia: Lalia frowned for a moment and told them, "No, we left him behind at Lalia: Morrol's tower." Sleeping Dragon: "Pity," said Captain Gwydion. "Certainly, the leader of the giants is a half-breed, Gorroth. He is in the north now, our reports tell us that he's besieging the remnants of the Berenician army at a fort called Bredonn. Most of the giants have dispersed, however." Gytha: "After doing Morrol's work for him." Gytha scowled. "The threat made us all believe he needed the crown." Sleeping Dragon: "You said Morrol had monsters attack you...what manner of creatures were they, and how did this happen?" asked the Captain Gytha: "He rejuvenated the crown, and disappeared laughing, and then his creatures attacked. They were monstrosities created from man-eaters, but changed - given extra legs and all scarred about the heads." Gytha said. Sleeping Dragon: "Presumably this is why Morrol said you were on a mission in the north - he thought his creatures had killed you but needed to cover this up." Gytha: "Fortunately he underestimated us." Gytha said with a grim smile. Sleeping Dragon: after a short while, there was another knock at the door, and when it opened Sergeant Clovis entered, wearing a cloak with a deep hood. He threw it back and the kings looked at his blue skin in astonishment. "Sergeant Clovis, I presume?" said Captain Gwydion Sleeping Dragon: Sergeant Clovis looked confused and spoke to Lalia. whispering to Lalia, "Is he speaking to me? What's he saying?" Lalia: Lalia smiled slightly and replied back in same language and then said, "Clovis cannot speak today's language. He can only speak Ancient Speech. He came from the time where Masters once ruled" Lalia: (whispering): "He asked if you are Sergeant Clovis." Sleeping Dragon: "I speak the tongue of the ancients," said King Trystane. He spoke to Clovis. whispering to Lalia, "You are from the time of the Masters?" he asked Clovis. Clovis nodded. Sleeping Dragon: Clovis nodded at what the King said. "He is Sergeant Clovis and he is from the time of the Masters," said Trystane. He spoke again, and Sergeant Clovis replied. "He is agreeing with Aelle's charge that Morrol is actually a First." Sleeping Dragon: "Well..." said Captain Gwydion. "I believe you are all telling the truth, and certainly Morrol lied to us when he said that you had gone to the North. I don't know if he is really in league with the giants, but at the least he's stolen the Crown and tried to murder those who helped us recover it in the first place. So." Captain Gwydion sighed deeply. "How do we go about recovering the Crown then?" Gytha: "We need to keep Morrol in ignorance until the last moment for a start." Gytha said. Khalisar: "He could already know about us." said Khalisar "Not that I'm suggesting there's a spy among us, of course."he added though he looked a bit worried "Morrol is a powerful sorcerer, if we could attack him by surprise - perhaps after finding some way to weaken him - it would greatly help" Sleeping Dragon: "That will not be easy. Morrol is staying in the quarters of Prince Glenwyn of Deira. Prince Glenwyn has soldiers with him. Though they are relatively few, we could not really bring numbers to bear against them. I'm also very wary of using force against other human soldiers. The situation here is fragile. If we begin to fight amongst ourselves many kings may leave, and we might find ourselves fighting a protracted war with the giants instead of driving them out and being able to resettle the North." Gytha: "Is there no way of tempting Morrol to come out?" Gytha asked. Sleeping Dragon: "Morrol should be at the Council meeting tomorrow," said Gwydion. "But he'll be surrounded by his supporters." Sleeping Dragon: "I think we should attack him now," Aelle growled. "I had to send messengers to fetch all of you, and they were seen and no doubt identified. Do all of you six trust all of your servants absolutely?" he asked the kings. "Can you all be certain that no word of this has got out? If Morrol has any idea of what has happened, he'll flee Caer Arrath and go to the giants. It's bad enough to be facing an army of hundreds of giants, do you really want them led by a man wearing the object that's meant to save Andros?" Khalisar: "If he flees to the giants though, all of his human supporters will abandon him. Well, they should if they know what's good for them, at least. Something I just thought...."said Khalisar "If we had to actually fight Morrol ourselves, it might be useful to somehow get him to waste the crown powers, which would consume both his and the crown's energies." Sleeping Dragon: "Does it matter? Our men will look across at him and see the Crown of Ice on the head of someone fighting for the other army and it will demoralise them," said Aelle. Gytha: "The Crown is too dangerous for any man, even the best." Gytha said. "It needs to be destroyed." Lalia: Lalia nodded, "Yes, this must be." Sleeping Dragon: "Destroyed?" said Captain Gwydion. "That can't be, at least not until after the giants are defeated. That would be worse than letting Morrol get away with it." Eifion: "I'd say our most important concern right now is Morrol. We can have these arguments after we've dealt with him." Khalisar: "While I agree with keeping the crown and using its powers for good, we should discuss that after Morrol has been dealt with. I just considered...In case it matters, Morrol has arrived here using possibly the most useful of the crown powers, the ability to become as light as snow and travel at great speeds. However, unless I'm wrong...he will not be able to use the power again to escape until a couple of days have passed." Khalisar: "So there would be a concrete advantage in attacking now" Sleeping Dragon: Captain Gwydion nodded. "There is just one issue...Prince Glenwyn has been worried about treachery and assassination ever since Deira fell. He refused to attend this Council unless I agreed to give him quarters which included a secret escape route that wouldn't require him to go through the rest of the Keep. If we attack, unless we can reach Morrol very quickly and cut him down, I suspect he will flee through that route. There's no way we can muster a large number of men to send out there quietly enough that Morrol won't notice." Gytha: "Is there no way that we can use the escape route ourselves?" Gytha asked. "To gain access to Glenwyn's quarters?" Eifion: "Or block the escape route?" Sleeping Dragon: "Yes, you can," said Captain Gwydion. "The route is very narrow, but I'm afraid it has many ways out. Blocking it would prove very hard. I suspect our best option would be to send a small force in to attack from that way. We cannot inform many people of what's happening anyway. Every person we speak to increases the likelihood of Morrol hearing and fleeing." Gytha: Gytha nodded. "A surprise attack from the rear. With the main force at the front door of Glenwyn's quarters. That might work." Sleeping Dragon: "Yes," said Aelle. "Captain, my men are all very disciplined and will follow orders as they're given. Take them and attack the front and let me and these seven," he indicated the party, "attack from behind. Even if Morrol takes the route out, if we move quickly enough we'll be able to catch him inside and force him to fight past us. I swear that I will cut him down!" Gytha: Gytha looked at Aelle with suspicion in her eyes, obviously keen to say something, but she kept her mouth shut. Sleeping Dragon: Captain Gwydion eyed Aelle warily. "Perhaps. Are you sure your men willl follow my commands? Perhaps you should lead the attack and I will go with Prince Eifion, Princess Lalia, and their companions." Sleeping Dragon: "The men of Gathburg are real soldiers, not just drunken fighters," said Aelle dismissively. "And don't weary me with your suspicion, I'm not going to steal the Crown. If I do, then these fellows here will cut me down. I can't fight all seven of them - six, maybe." Aelle grinned. Gytha: "Be assured we will." Gytha said, without any trace of humour. "If there is any sign of the Crown exerting its evil influence." Sleeping Dragon: "Is that settled then, Captain Gwydion, or do you suspect that I can kill seven powerful warriors all on my own?" Aelle said mockingly. Captain Gwydion said nothing and Aelle bowed. "We should get on our horses at this instant then and make for this secret passage." Gytha: Gytha spoke quietly to the others as Aelle moved off. "These First are all keen to gain power at the expense of each other. Like cats in a sack they are. I don't trust this one any more than the rest." Owain: "We shuld be on our toes at all times, that's true" Lalia: Lalia nodded back to Gytha and whispered, "These First are not only dangers around here" Khalisar: "We need Aelle's help - at least for now." Sleeping Dragon: Captain Gwydion supplied them with horses and spoke to them. "The nearest entrance to the passage is a few miles northwest of that farm, it's hidden in a stand of apple trees," he said. "Search in the rocks near the roots of the tallest tree and you'll find the way down. There are numerous side passages, but you'll want to keep going straight. The passages are very narrow except for a few pockets. If you keep going you'll reach the largest pocket, which you'll know because there is a small pool there. I'd recommend you ambush Morrol there, if possible. It's the largest space in the passages, and it's beyond all the side ways out so Morrol will be forced to get past you in order to escape." Gytha: Gytha nodded. "We'll await him there. You are sure he will flee your attack?" Sleeping Dragon: "No, but I believe he will," said Gwydion. "There are too many of us for him to be able to fight his way out, sorcerer or not, and he'll never be able to use the Crown to make himself our ruler after this." Gytha: "Well, let's get to it." Gytha said, mounting her horse. "And we will see you after the fight." Sleeping Dragon: "Good luck," Captain Gwydion said grimly. Lalia: Nodding back at Captain Gwydion, "Yeah, may we get luckly!" Gytha: "Never mind luck. Fight well." Gytha said, turning her horse towards the farm. Sleeping Dragon: they rode off hastily towards the farm, Aelle along beside them. "It's no good, really!" Aelle laughed. "For once I genuinely want to cooperate with these useless bastards, and they still squint suspiciously at me! Completely useless! It's not as if the Crown would help me much, none of these bastards would accept me as their king. That was Morrol's great mistake, you know. He assumed that if he put the Crown on that everyone would just instantly bow to him. He and his Master always had a low opinion of the intelligence of the thrallborn." Gytha: "And you don't?" Gytha asked as she rode alongside. Sleeping Dragon: "Not especially. Some of you are probably brighter than I am, I was made for war, not lore." Gytha: Gytha laughed despite herself. "I know how that works." Sleeping Dragon: "Of course I still want to rule Andros, but I don't skulk around about it like Olorin. I don't need any bloody magic crown to help me conquer." Gytha: "Getting rid of Olorin...Morrol, whatever he calls himself, won't do your campaign no harm either." Gytha said, with a snort. Lalia: Lalia looked smug for a moment, "Still, we got far more pressing concerns than someone like Your Grace. Beside, it will take long long time." Gytha: edit* any harm not no harm Sleeping Dragon: "Very much so." Aelle kicked his horse's flanks and they pushed on. Shortly they reached the farm and Aelle strode up to the barn roaring orders to bring the party's equipment out to them Sleeping Dragon: the soldiers came out with their equipment and Aelle quickly filled them in on what was happening Gytha: Gytha took back her sword and ran her hand lovingly along it. Khalisar: Khalisar happily removed his heavy armor and dropped his spear to wear his padded armour. Lalia: Lalia looked happily at her family sword and armour and after removing these crappy inferior equipements, she put these sword and armour on. Owain: Owain switched his weapons, leaving the shiny chain mail on. Sleeping Dragon: "Alright, let's go kill Morrol," said Aelle, remounting Khalisar: "That's quite a direct way of putting it."laughed Khalisar as he mounted on his warhorse Gytha: Gytha laughed too, as she rode along with them. Sleeping Dragon: they pounded on through the night, Aelle leading them on at a reckless pace. At one point the King's horse nearly stumbled over a tree root in the dark, but the First simply laughed and pushed his horse to go faster.
Soon, they reached the grove of apple trees. Aelle quickly dismounted and headed over to the stones concealing the entrance to the secret passage Lalia: Lalia also quickly dismounted and looked around with some wariness Gytha: Gytha moved rapidly towards the stones. Khalisar: Khalisar idly looked around, but didn't put much effort into it Sleeping Dragon: "Here," said Aelle, brushing some stones away. The entrance was a sheer drop ten feet down into darkness, sloping down further into the earth. Aelle simply jumped down without further comment. Gytha: Gytha looked down into the darkness, then jumped down. Khalisar: Khalisar crossed his fingers and muttered something as he jumped down Eifion: Seeing that everyone was being a show-off, Eifion jumped down nimbly as well. Lalia: Lalia jumped down and hit something solid, causing great din. Sleeping Dragon: Aelle began to push into the tunnel, crouching down. "We'll need a torch," he said. "Pass it on up, I can carry it." Eifion: Eifion passed his torch up to Aelle. Sleeping Dragon: they strode into the tunnel, which was very narrow, little more than a crack beneath the surface of the earth, though it had plainly been enlarged by human hands. The walls and floors were rough and very damp, the air musty and stale. For most of the first minute or two they were forced to crouch before the passage widened and they could stand and walk comfortably in single file. They walked on for some time. Here and there they passed side passages which wound off in other directions, but, heeding Gwydion's words, they continued on straight ahead, Gavin carefully marking the path they had taken off behind them so they didn't get lost if they came back this way. They passed about a half dozen side passages before at length coming to the large chamber Captain Gwydion had described to them, a reasonably sized natural cavern with a small pool off on the left hand side. "Are we going to wait for Morrol here then?" said Aelle. "We could hide in the water there and leap out and surround him. I don't know that I fancy the idea of fighting a sorcerer in a narrow passage where any men with him can block me off while he blasts me with his spells. If we can get him into the open we might well kill him before he can react." Khalisar: As they reached the place, Khalisar got out his staff and the two crystals, preparing to use them if there was the chance Gytha: Gytha looked around the cavern. "A good place to ambush him. Some of us can hide in the entrances to the passages." Gytha: edit* passage Eifion: Eifion hid in a shadowy corner near the water. Eifion: He made sure to be close to the entrance from which Morrol would be arriving. Gytha: Gytha stood in the passage entrance from which they had emerged.
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Post by sleepingdragon on Apr 24, 2008 17:31:21 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: Aelle strode into the water. "I'll be noticed straightaway if I try to hide up there, just tell me when you hear them coming and I'll pop my head under," he said. Eifion: Eifion nodded, smiling without mirth. Lalia: Looking at Alle, spotting a flaw there but do not mention it. She glanced around at the site, noticing possible hiding place in a site between poole and dark passage. Owain (enter): 19:26 Lalia: Taking a decision, she strolled over to it and starts considering how to hide in this part. Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (1713) Owain... Khalisar: Khalisar placed himself behind the others, quite away from them, in the corridor before the open area Gytha: Gytha slipped into the pool, only her head above the chill water. Gavin: Gavin hid behind the turn by the far end of the cavern, testing his bow as he waited and watched Khalisar's preparations. Khalisar: Khalisar concentrated, tensing himself to gather all of his mystical energies for the oncoming fight. He wielded the magical staff they had found in the tower in one hand, and his knife in the other Sleeping Dragon: "Everyone in position?" Aelle asked, holding the torch up. "I'll need to put this out." Owain: Owain nodded, ready for the ambush Khalisar: The sorcerer viciously cut himself in self-sacrifice, chanting and preparing to cast terrible spells Gavin: Gavin looked at Khalisar before calling to the others softly. "We're ready." Sleeping Dragon: Aelle nodded and put out the torch and dropped it into the water Khalisar: The sorcerer's servant hid near the others, its small size helping it greatly whispering to Gavin, after about ten minutes, Gavin heard something coming nearer, from the passage to the north. There were heavy footprints, though they did not sound booted, and also a fluttering...wings? Gavin: "There's sounds coming, footfalls, as well as what sound like wings. We should be ready for anything." Gavin softly informed the rest of the group, pressing up further against the rock. Sleeping Dragon: Aelle ducked his head beneath the water Gytha: Gytha let herself drop lower into the water until it covered her. Sleeping Dragon: soon those above water heard it too, the tread of heavy feet and a few sets of fluttering wings. Four figures came around the corner. In the dark they could not see them well, only enough to know that one was tall and thin and the others were small and were fluttering off the ground. The flying creatures came forward a few paces and began to look around, chittering in a thick, ugly language whispering to Lalia, Lalia heard two of them speak quietly as they passed by her. They spoke in Infernal, the tongue of demons. "What was that? I thought there was something there..." one muttered, glancing in her direction. "No, no, there's nothing there," said the other Sleeping Dragon: underwater, Aelle put both of his hands on his sword and peered upwards, but did not move yet Gytha: Gytha crouched ready to spring from the water, but waited for Aelle to move first. Sleeping Dragon: the creatures did a circuit of the cavern, glancing in nooks and crannies. One went a ways down the passage, passing almost directly over Khalisar and Gavin, but didn't see them. Then they returned to the tall creature, which had waited back a ways up the northeastern passage. It nodded and called back up the passage in the same language the others had used. whispering to Lalia, "Clear, Master!" it said in a thick voice as if it were choking Sleeping Dragon: the large creature stepped forward suddenly and stopped, then looked where Lalia was concealed in the shadows and screamed. Sleeping Dragon: Aelle burst up out of the water with a roar, swinging out his huge sword and smashing one of the flying creatures with a powerful swing. It fell stone dead Sleeping Dragon: the demon rushed at Aelle. As it came near they saw it was a bit taller than a man, with an elongated body. The hideous creature had no face, only a giant gaping maw full of teeth and large red slits for eyes. It clamped its teeth down on Aelle, but the King was not badly hurt. Another of the creatures rushed forward from up the passageway Sleeping Dragon: with a cry of fright, the smaller, winged demons flew up out of Aelle's reach Owain: Owain ran out and slashed the closest imp, almost splitting the chattering demon in two Sleeping Dragon: another imp came from around the corner, chittering and muttering under its breath as it flew. It pointed a finger and suddenly the ground beneath Aelle and Owain's feet became slippery and dangerous. Aelle kept his footing, but Owain slipped and fell clattering to the ground Khalisar: Squeezing around Gavin to get a view of the battlefield, Khalisar pointed at a spot behind the imps, screaming a magical word. Meanwhile the raven flew towards one of the little devils, clumsily trying to hit it Eifion: Eifion struggled through the line of enemies, taking a hit on his side as he did so, before ineffectively stabbing into the nearest demon. Gytha: Gytha rose from the pool, water streaming from her as she ran into the fray with a howl, almost skating accross the slippery ground and flinging herself at the demonic thing. Her sword slashed into it satisfyingly deeply. Lalia: Lalia stepped forward to beside Owain and glared at the enemies. She devoted most of her threatening movements toward a demon back in the passage. Sleeping Dragon: they saw Morrol move from around the corner, the Crown of Ice on his head. Perhaps it was some trick of the light, but they thought he seemed to have grown younger since they had seen him, as if the possession of the Crown had caused some of the years to flee from him. "You bloody fools! You have damned your isle, and yourselves with it!" he cried. He extended a hand, and arcs of lightning flashed forth to strike Aelle and Gytha Sleeping Dragon: Aelle raised his sword to strike at the demon in front of him, but misplaced his foot on the greasy floor and slid to the ground. With an angry yell he tried to stand again, but slipped again and fell to the ground. "HAHAHA! Behold the mighty King of Gathburg!" Morrol laughed Sleeping Dragon: the large demon lashed out at the fallen Aelle, tearing heavily into him with his claws Sleeping Dragon: the imps flew forward screaming, rushing at Khalisar. One raked a claw across his face, and he felt the wound burning with a weak poison. Owain: Owain managed to stand up, his feet sliding all over the place nonetheless. He swung the glaive around his head and brought it crashing down on the closest demon, cleaving into its shoulder. Sleeping Dragon: the imp near Morrol murmured arcane words, and the air near Gytha shimmered. A red sword appeared, wielded by some invisible hand, slashing out at Gytha and biting deep into her. Khalisar: Behind Lalia and Owain, a massive creature appearead. It was a massive bear whose fur was as white as snow, and it stood tall and proud yet threatening, glancing at the demons Khalisar: Khalisar glanced at the two puny, sorry "demons", and spat at them in defiance. The creatures quivered in fear. Khalisar: As they were too afraid to lay their filty claws on him, he advanced towards the others. Khalisar: The bear, unable to reach the demon, menacingly swung its powerful claws and growled at it. Gavin: Gavin watched one of the demons closly as he fired a shot at it, the arrow biting deeply into the creature. Eifion: Eifion stabbed weakly at the injured demon, but the creature was already badly injured, and his strike caused it to fall. Gytha: Seeing the demon fall, Gytha leapt over its recumbent form and belted down the passage, swinging her sword into the frightened demon standing in front of Morrol. "Damned indeed if you are allowed to rule!" she shrieked at Morrol. Lalia: Lalia then starts singing some old song of encouragement for her allies that she fought with over last few months Sleeping Dragon: Morrol's eyes flashed as he glared at Gytha. His hands wove patterns in the air as he chanted arcane words. Sleeping Dragon: Aelle stood up, barely gaining his feet, and moved up behind Gytha Sorry I don't know what /go is! Owain: Owain skidded through the greasy patch, ran up to the remaining demon and slashed it from behind Gytha, scoring a hit. Sleeping Dragon: the imp near Morrol cast another spell, greasing the ground in the narrow passage where Gytha, Aelle, and Owain were clustered. Aelle slid to the ground again, screaming in frustration Khalisar: The polar bear nervously moved around, nervous at not having any foes to face, though it looked at the imps with some interest. Meanwhile Khalisar tried to get closer to his allies, squeezing down the tigh tunnel. Khalisar: The raven furiously charged at the demon in front of Morrol, but the creature avoid its beak Khalisar: edit:avoided its beak Gavin: Gavin moved forward, stopping to fire a shot down the crowded corridor. The arrow wizzed past Morrol and sunk into the demon behind him. Eifion: Eifion charged up next to Morrol, dodging a bite from the demon as he went. But he was filled with (rational) fear in the sorcerer's presence, and turned to strike the demon instead, with a hard blow. Gytha: Gytha smiled horribly at the demon as she wielded the great sword with frightening speed and ferocity, chopping her enemy virtually to pieces. Gytha: She stepped up to stand with Eiffion and gave Morrol an icy smile. "Are you ready to die now Olorin?" Eifion: "What she said..." muttered Eifion, glancing at the berserker who seemed to not be affected by the terror that had siezed him. Lalia: Lalia kept on singing her son as she glared at this strange flying beast with annoyance Lalia: Lalia kept on singing her son as she glared at this strange flying beast with annoyance. Lalia: [1d100] => [28] = (28) Lalia: Disconnecting from server... Lalia (exit): 23:29 Lalia (enter): 23:31 Sleeping Dragon: "I have killed two Masters, you hardly threaten me, girl," said Morrol. His earlier spell completed and two huge wolves suddenly appeared in the mouth of the cavern. One bit heaviliy into Khalisar, tearing his feet out from under him, and another closed its jaws on Lalia, who was able to keep her feet. Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (1823) Lalia... Sleeping Dragon: Morrol stepped away and his hands crackled with electrical energy. A burst of lightning lashed into Gytha and Eifion near to him. Gytha rolled aside just in time and was only singed, but Eifion was struck full by the blast Eifion: "Oh bugger," said Eifion to himself, staggering. "I never thought I would die this way, electrocuted by an insane sorcerer that turned out to be a First in disguise, in a battle in a dark cave. Really, it didn't cross my mind..." Sleeping Dragon: Aelle tried to stand, slipped back to the earth, screamed in frustration, then was able to regain his feet Gytha: "Bear up man!" Gytha said to Eiffion. "We have the bastard on the run." Sleeping Dragon: the two imps, which had been paralysed with terror of Khalisar, saw him badly injured and this stirred their craven hearts back into action. They dove down at Gavin, but he ignored their clumsy attacks Owain: Upon hearing the growling, Owain spun around on his heels, braced for an attack and promptly landed on his arse. Cursing, he managed to slither to the side of the greasy puddle and stand up, panting. Sleeping Dragon: the sword of force flew over to Gytha, striking her deeply, guided unseen straight past her defences. Meanwhile, the imp near Morrol flew this way and that, trying to confuse Gavin in his attempts to line the creature up, but he saw through the demon's tricks Khalisar: As its master was on the ground, the raven tried to distract the wolf. Khalisar: The bear squeezed clumsily between the Lalia and the wolf to attack the latter. After clawing it viciously, it tried to grab it and squeeze the life out of it, but the creature nimbly avoided the grapple Khalisar: Khalisar looked at the wolf, perhaps hoping to somehow influence it into not tearing his throat, but he also concentrated on avoiding any incoming attacks Gavin: Gavin stepped away from the imps, firing another shot down the hallway, his arrow striking Morrol. Gytha: Her eyes burning with fury and hatred for the evil Morrol, Gytha threw herself on him, wounding him badly. "How do you like that, sorceror?" she shouted in his face. Lalia: Lalia danced around the bear and slashed her sword into the wolf, causing some damages to it's skin. Sleeping Dragon: suddenly uncertain, Morrol gathered his energies and cast another bolt of lightning at Gytha. She rolled, and the bolt that should have brought her down merely crackled past her Sleeping Dragon: Aelle stood and rushed one of the wolves, but his sword slashed furiously wide Sleeping Dragon: the imps continued to attack Gavin, landing one weak slash Sleeping Dragon: Morrol's imp summoned another magical weapon, which appeared near Gytha and sliced past her harmlessly Owain: Seeing Aelle rise from the ground, Owain turned around yet again. Jumping over the puddle, he ran up behind Gytha and tried to slice Morrol, but the hit went wide Khalisar: Crawling away from the wolf, Khalisar fumbled with his staff, but then managed to activate it. Sparks of electricity flew from the top of the staff to Gytha's body, magically hastening her Khalisar: The bear, still laying on the ground, furiously clawed and bited the summoned wolf, tearing it to shrreds Khalisar: edit:shreds Khalisar: The raven too attacked the wolf it was facing, dealing some light wounds to it Gytha: cool Gavin: Gavin moved forward, taking a light hit from one of the imps, and fired a shot off at Morrol, his arrow striking a stalactite. Eifion: Eifion, mastering his fear, hopped up onto a small jutting ledge on the side of the cavern, balancing on one foor, and pushed at Morrol with his spear to distract him for Gytha. Eifion: *edit: one foot Gytha: As Morrol turned to deal with Eifion, Gytha lashed out, the magic Khalisar had lent to her making her attack deadly. With a cry of triumph she saw Morrel drop to the ground in a bleeding heap. Eifion: Eifion stared for a moment, then began laughing manically. "I guess this girl I see in front of me is tougher than the Masters!" Gytha: Gytha grinned through the blood and gore, not all of it Morrol's. Lalia: Lalia went around polar bear and stepped toward one of these demons but failed to strike it Sleeping Dragon: with a scream of frustration Aelle leapt over the grease and then bounded up at the flying imp. His huge blade flashed out, cutting the unfortunate demon in half Eifion: Eifion tossed aside his spear and pumped his fist in the air in triumph. He pushed past Aelle, clapping him on the shoulder. "Well, you killed something. He reached Gytha, and then without warning grabbed her in a hug not unlike the bear's before kissing her on the forehead, coming away with blood and gore on his lips. Sleeping Dragon: Aelle wiped his almost spotless blade off on the ground, almost vibrating with rage Eifion: edit: something." Lalia: Lalia stopped singing and walked back toward Aelle and the group Gytha: Caught unawares, Gytha blushed furiously, then punched Eifion's shoulder. "We did it." she said with a wide smile. Khalisar: Seeing the imps flee, the raven decided to give chase to them. Meanwhile its master Khalisar got up from the greased ground Owain: Owain jabbed what was left of Morrol with the tip of his foot critically. "That was quite... a zeal" - he said to Gytha Owain: *jabbed critically at what was left Gavin: Gavin shouldered his bow and picked up his missed arrow. "I must apologise for not seeing through him before. But all debts have been cleared now." Khalisar: "Indeed!"said Khalisar approaching the victor "The crown is ours!"he said happily, forgetting the wounds he had received Lalia: Lallia finally reached the group and smiled at them, "Well, have we been luckly." Eifion: Eifion grinned just as widely. "The bards will be singing the tale of Gytha's mighty axe for years! In fact, we should get Lalia working on the song right now. I hope to get at least a mention." Eifion: *edit:sword Gytha: Gytha leaned down and picked up the crown from where it had rolled off the remains of Morrol's head. She handed it to Khalisar. Lalia: Lalia laughed at Eifion's words, "Well, maybe I should starts on it later." Sleeping Dragon: "Don't do anything stupid, sorcerer," Aelle warned Khalisar. "You realise after this that no one is going to just accept whoever's carrying the Crown as the Lord and Master of all Andros. Especially not a foreign sorcerer." Eifion: "No, I imagine they'll want the most handsome among us as their lord and master..." said Eifion, striking a pose. Sleeping Dragon: "Who, the bear?" Lalia: Lalia rolling her eyes, "Well, we got slightly more concern. Gaints" Khalisar: Khalisar dismissed the staff's magic as he took the crown in hand, bringing Gytha back to her normal speed. He raised the crown to look at it again, and then raised his eyesbrows as he heard Aelle's words "Of course. How could you even suggest that?"he said, looking offended by the remark. Eifion: Eifion laughed and clapped Aelle's shoulder once more. "Well, the bear at least has the qualification of not lying in grease for the whole battle." Gytha: "They want someone to bring peace, get rid of the giants, and stop the people being killed in border disputes." Gytha said, looking at Aelle. Khalisar: Khalisar couldn't help but laugh as he dismissed the bear, which vanished into white mist which rapidly dissipated Sleeping Dragon: "I'm working on it," said Aelle, "but these thrallborn kings don't seem to like me, so I must needs smash their armies in the field. Fortunately none of them have imps in their vanguard. Faugh!" Gytha: "You go north to drive back the giants next?" Gytha asked. Sleeping Dragon: "Yes, now that the armies of the lords have all arrived we're going to go and relieve the siege of the remaining Berenician forces at Fort Braddon, and I'm not going to let that bastard and his Old Folk flunkies steal all the glory." Gavin: "I can think of one among us who would be qualified to lead Andros." Gavin stepped over to Morrol, checking for anything of interest on the sorcerer. Sleeping Dragon: edit: that bastard Gwydion Gytha: "Isn't it time that the differences between Old and New Folk were settled, and we all saw ourselves as citizens of Andros?" Gytha asked. "Look at us here - old and new folk together, and even a First among us." Sleeping Dragon: "Who are you thinking of?" Aelle asked Gavin. "If I'm expected to scrape to this person then forget it. I only bow to Master Mythal, and he's gone." Lalia: She smiled slightly at these words which seems to be rather naive, "Maybe, only time will tell" Gytha: "I hope so." Gytha said, turning away towards the tunnel down which Morrol had come. Gavin: "Even with a leader, I don't think Andros is ready to unite yet. Like she said, time will tell." Gavin: "Even with a leader, I don't think Andros is ready to unite yet. Like she said, time will tell." Gavin said, avoiding the question. Khalisar: "We'll see."said Khalisar, who at the moment looked a bit more concerned with checking if Morrol's body has anything interesting hidden on it Lalia: Lalia nodded at Gavin's words and looked with intrests as Khalisar checking Morrol's body. Sleeping Dragon: Aelle stood and walked down the hallway. "Truth be told, we'll probably defeat the giants and then go back to the way things were before, except we'll be weaker than we were. I expect those kings who were too cowardly to come north to fight the giants will pounce on us while we're weakened," said Aelle. Sleeping Dragon: "So once we've dispersed the giants I'm going to fortify Gathburg, and d**n any fool who tries to take it from me." Lalia: "Old Folks and New Folks alike will no doubt pounce" Lalia replied Gytha: Gytha shook her head. "Stupid fools. More ordinary folk will die or have their homes and livelihoods taken from them, and for what? Some acres of land that will be taken back in a few years time." Lalia: Lalia nodded back, "Yes, that is fate of every realms in this island. We take their lands, they managed to take them back and we managed to recover it. On and on" Eifion: "Ah, but you fail to see the most valuable aspect, my dear Gytha. Because those acres of land contain our most valuable natural resource: people to be killed. We can never have enough of those, it seems." Khalisar: Disconnecting from server... Khalisar (exit): 01:25 Sleeping Dragon: "Always more where they came from," Aelle grunted. Gavin: Disconnecting from server... Gavin (exit): 01:26 Gytha: "That's because none of you understand the life of the people you rule over." Gytha said sharply. "If you did, maybe you would do things differently." Lalia: "Lands are more valuable than people on it in some cases. That is why it is so sad. People can always be found to exploit these rescoures" Sleeping Dragon: "What don't I understand? I don't bloody wish harm on my peasants, but if I don't defeat my enemies then they'll surely try to defeat me. One way or another people die. I try to reduce the number of my people that die by fighting well and training them well. Do you have some alternative approach to suggest?" Gytha: Gytha shook her head sadly. "Without trust between the lords and princes there will never be peace. But surely the threat of the giants has brought old and new folk together, even if for a short time? Can't you build on that?" Sleeping Dragon: "Trust? You did see how Captain Gwydion reacted when I suggested I come with you to fight Morrol, didn't you? I believe we were in the same room." Eifion: Disconnecting from server... Eifion (exit): 01:31 Lalia: "There never going to be any peace as long rulers are equal to each other. There need to be single ruler or none." Gytha: "You think that war now will lead to a peaceful future?" Gytha asked, but she didn't sound as though she believed it. Sleeping Dragon: "Well I'm not going to surrender my throne to some thrallborn princeling, I was made for war and I was made for rule. Master Mythal created me specifically for it. He created dozens of us. Most were failures and he discarded them, until a dozen remained, then he made us gather men and fight. I killed the other eleven and now there is only one Aelle." Aelle glanced at Gytha. "No. I don't believe anything will lead to a peaceful future. We are made for war." Gytha: Gytha looked him in the eye. "Maybe the times are changing, and even the First must change with them." Sleeping Dragon: "You're not stupid enough to believe that. Do you think a few hundred giants will change how people are? Half the kings on this f**k**g island aren't even bothering to help us fight them. More than half." Gytha: "You're the fighter." Gytha said coldly. "Made for it you say. Make them join. We defeated Morrol despite his Crown of Ice and his hellish creatures. Kings are only human." Lalia: "I can understand that. I have not heard anything from my folks and I thought better of them." She shook her head sadly Sleeping Dragon: "Make them join by how, war? That's what I'm already doing." Aelle looked at Lalia. "You are of Garydhsing, aren't you? The King there is ill and he's had to deal with border raids, so he sent only a few warriors. That's better than most nonetheless, it's not a northern kingdom." Lalia: Lalia winced and turned slightly pale at the new that King is ill, and replied, "Well, from my point of view, if northern kingdoms are overran, rest of the kingdoms will fall. Well, at least there are some warrors from back home here."
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Post by sleepingdragon on Apr 27, 2008 17:31:22 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: they continued along the passageway, making quickly for the secret door up into Prince Glenwyn's chambers. About halfway along they stopped. Ahead of them in the passageway, they saw a grim sight. Two young children lay dead, their throats cut, and their chests torn open. Strange symbols were drawn in blood upon the floor and walls. Gytha: Gytha ground her teeth as she looked at the sight. "Innocents murdered by that monster. Never did a man die more deservedly!" Lalia: Lalia nodded sadly as she saw these corpses. She said, "Poor children. Their lives were cut short merely that monster want to summon these demons." Sleeping Dragon: Aelle sniffed the air. "They've been dead a few days. I wondered what Morrol was doing when he showed up to the Council meeting, then went off again...this must have been his backup plan." Khalisar: Khalisar looked at the murdered children with some uneasiness "That's horrible."he just said Gytha: Gytha gave Khalisar a look. "It is good that you still think so." Owain: "How can we be sure that it's the sorcerers handiwork though?" Gytha: Gytha frowned. "He may not have held the knife himself, but this is his work." Khalisar: Khalisar looked slightly ashamed of the woman's words ""It's a sorcerer's work."said Khalisar "He sacrificed them to summon the demons that we fought." Sleeping Dragon: "Well if anyone doubts that Morrol was planning something evil, we can bring them down here," said Aelle, continuing on. Gytha: "These children must be given a proper burial," Gytha said. "And their families informed, if they have them." Sleeping Dragon: "Presumably they're locals of some sort...I'm sure Captain Gwydion will make some enquiries." Gytha: Gytha nodded. Khalisar: Khalisar looked like he was pondering something for a few moments and then said ""I was thinking...what are we to do with the people who sided with Morrol? Are we going to tell them all about this?" Sleeping Dragon: "I would assume so," said Aelle. "Gwydion's word will probably convince most of them, and anyway, most of them are weak. When the lords of Caer Arrath, Gathburg, and Daragwr all tell them the same thing, they'll go along with it even if they don't believe us." Gytha: "We should go on." Gytha said. Sleeping Dragon: they continued along the hall and came to a ladder leading up to a trapdoor. The smell of blood wafted down from above. Climbing up, they found themselves in a large bedchamber. There were several bodies lying on the floor, and a handful of soldiers in the livery of Caer Arrath who stood guard over some prisoners. Just as the party climbed up the stair, Captain Gwydion entered the room. "Did you kill him?" he asked. "Prince Glenwyn was slain, unfortunately, but we overcame his men quite quickly." Gytha: Gytha nodded. "That mostrous man is dead." Lalia: Lalia smiled slightly at these words and said, "Indeed, the world is slightly better without him" Sleeping Dragon: "Good. You recovered the Crown, I assume?" Khalisar: "We did."said Khalisar showing it to those present Sleeping Dragon: Gwydion looked at the Crown distastefully. "That object does strange things to people. I expect a large part of its spell will be broken when we reveal Morrol's duplicity, however. Keep it, for now. I am going to go and summon a Council meeting, and we will explain what has happened to the Lords who weren't at our meeting." Lalia: Lalia eyed the crown and looked at Gwydion, "Carefully, no doubt. At least we dealt with Morrol and Glenwyn." Khalisar: "That is good."nodded Khalisar "But we still have the giants to deal with...." Sleeping Dragon: "We do," said Gwydion. "Now that this unpleasant business is over with, and all the lords are here, I'm going to suggest that we march north to the relief of the fort at Braddon at once. Garroth is there, we hear. Hopefully, he gathers as many of his giants together as he can, and we can kill as many of them as possible in one battle. If they scatter we may be fighting them for years to come." Lalia: Lalia looked thoughtfully for a moment and said, "We should cut the head off in that possible battle. I would rather have the current leader killed" Gytha: "Count on us in your fight against the giants." Gytha said, her eyes shining at the thought. Owain: "What and how many troops are you sending?" Khalisar: "And how many giants are there? An hundred?" Sleeping Dragon: "As many troops as there are here," said Captain Gwydion. "Our numbers are close to three thousand. We are not certain of the number of giants, reports are uncertain, but the best guesses I've heard put their numbers at between seven hundred and a thousand." Sleeping Dragon: *unclear, not uncertain Gytha: Even Gytha gasped at that. "A thousand giants?" Sleeping Dragon: Captain Gwydion nodded grimly. "An unprecedented force. Fortunately, some have probably returned north after plundering, but the greater part are still active we think." Sleeping Dragon: "At least twenty are dead," Aelle smiled. "We found them loitering too near to Gathburg." Lalia: "And are they mostly there because of Garroth?" Lalia mentioned. Sleeping Dragon: "We believe so. Certainly there has never been any other such force, and they have never stayed south for this long. Garroth, it seems, intends to stay." Khalisar: "A thousand giants might be more than what the combined armies could handle, I fear. But still, we have no choice but to try and defeat them." Gytha: "We must change Garroth's mind for him." Gytha said with a grim smile. Lalia: "Or remove his mind from rest of his body" Lalia grinned back Sleeping Dragon: Captain Gwydion nodded. "We will depart soon. The faster we put this foul business behind us, the better," he said. He spoke quickly to his men, giving instructions to escort the captured Deiran soldiers out into the courtyard, and headed out of the door. Sleeping Dragon: the next few days passed in a blur of activity. As Aelle had predicted, the combined words of himself, Captain Gwydion, and King Trystane sufficed to convince the assembled Lords of Morrol's treachery. The very next day came the word that they would be marching north through the Hills of Gath and up to the rescue of the garrison of Fort Bredonn, upon the southern marches of Berenicia, where the Berenician Prince Aethelred was mounting a desperate defence against Garroth and his giants. Aelle invited the party to march with his men, who, as the finest soldiers of the army, would be positioned in the vanguard. Gytha: Gytha said she would be honoured to do so. Khalisar: "We would certainly be happy to be in the first line against the giants." Khalisar: edit: said Khalisar who looked kinda excited at having to face the ferocious behemoths Lalia: Lalia reckoned that she would rather go back to her homeland but seeing a chance to remove a dangerous threat to her homeland, she replied, "I would not mind. Beside, we might get luckly!" Sleeping Dragon: "Captain Gwydion thinks to get as many of us killed as he can, so we won't be around to face him later," Aelle laughed, "but instead we'll just make sure we take all the glory!" Khalisar: "And all the clubbings!"added Khalisar grinning Lalia: Lalia groaned at the terrible pun that Khalisar made Sleeping Dragon: "Pah, they're not so strong, I've been hit by giants before," Aelle waved a hand dismissively. Gytha: "What's the best way to deal with them?" Gytha asked. Sleeping Dragon: "Hit them really fucking hard," said Aelle. "They're the size of a tree and they don't make much of an effort to get out of the way when you take a swing at them, but they're so big they can usually take a few hits and most can't take more than a single blow from them." Owain: "Swarm them then. With spears" Gytha: "Is there any way we can even the odds?" Gytha said, frowning. "Trip them up?" Lalia: Lalia's eyes alight as an idea occured to her, "If they are gathered in one location, how about poisioning their water supplies?" Sleeping Dragon: "Giants are fucking hard to trip," said Aelle. He nodded at Owaine. "He's got the right idea. If you're any good with them, use long weapons like that glaive of yours. Poison?" Aelle rubbed his chin. "Giants are big and tough. You'd need a LOT of poison to affect them much." Gytha: "How about tricking them in some way?" Gytha suggested Sleeping Dragon: "Or also pelt them with arrows, but they've got long legs and can close the gap quickly." Aelle smiled. "The Captain and I are intending to do just that. Giants are dumber than week old shit, though this Garroth must have some kind of brain in his head if he's gathered this many together." Khalisar: " giants aren't very powerful mentally, are they?"said Khalisar hopefully Khalisar: add: "I'm sure I can use some of my...'tricks'on them" Lalia: Lalia nodded and replied, "What about traps?" She dismissed that idea, "No, that would not work, it takes far too much efforts." Sleeping Dragon: for three weeks they marched north, slowed by the huge baggage train trailing behind them to keep them supplied with food, for the giants had burned and plundered the north and there was little forage. The stench of sweat and horse shit became a familiar companion as they trudged along. Frequently, scouts reported seeing giants or man-eaters ahead, but the creatures were fast and kept a cautious distance so only a handful were shot down as they spied. Walking along the column they found the men's spirits were low, save the soldiers of Gathburg and Caer Arrath, who were veterans of many campaigns and whose leaders circulated freely amongst them. Two weeks into the march, Aelle emerged from the tent where he had been meeting with Captain Gwydion in a flaming temper, and from then on the troops of Gathburg marched further ahead than they had before. "Have no worries," Aelle assured them after he gave the order. "Captain Gwydion and I are no more angry than each other than before, but we thought it would be good if our friends out there believed we were not acting in concert." Sleeping Dragon: *angry at each other Sleeping Dragon: as they came near to Bredonn, Aelle returned quietly from another meeting with the Captain and several other military commanders and pulled the party aside. "Our scouts have returned, they've been reconnoitering the enemy position," he said. "We have a plan to trap Garroth." Gytha: Gytha listened eagerly. Sleeping Dragon: "Bredonn is about a day from here. Garroth's forces are split into two - he himself is besieging Bredonn with about three hundred giants, and another five hundred or so are camped a few miles to the east of there. He must be a proud bastard, Garroth, he could overwhelm the fort if all his giants attacked but it would make him look weak if he needed so many men to take such a small fort. I expect his giants are getting restless as it is," he said. "We're going to march ahead a bit and build a stockade where our supplies will be stored for the campaign, and we men of Gathburg will be defending it. The site will be a hill about five miles from Bredonn. Anyhow, during the night, I'm going to lead a raid out on Garroth's eastern giants. This will leave the supply depot weakly defended," Aelle smiled, "but everyone knows that I'm a bloodthirsty gloryhound who thinks little of taking huge risks and doesn't get along well with Captain Gwydion. Anyhow, our hope is this - Garroth, seeing our supplies lightly guarded, will lead out a quick raid on the depot, hoping to destroy it before anyone can react. Due to the bad blood between our forces, Captain Gwydion's men will be too far away to reach it in time. At the depot, we can ambush Garroth and take him down, and that, we hope, will throw his army into disarray." Aelle gave the party a sideways look. "Of course, such an ambush will be incredibly dangerous and difficult. We will need our very best warriors to launch it." Khalisar: "That sounds indeed like a good plan."commented Khalisar "We have to hope he falls for it, though..." Sleeping Dragon: "If he doesn't, then me and my men will be cut to pieces," Aelle said casually "But that's one of those risks I'm fond of taking." Lalia: Lalia considered this plan carefully, "But this plan got best chance of working compared to other plans?" Sleeping Dragon: "It certainly has more chance of succeeding than hoping to defeat eight hundred giants in mass combat," said Aelle. "Of course, we'll be sending word to the garrison in Bredonn, they'll launch a sally as soon as they see that Garroth has been taken down, and the Captain's men will also advance to engage the enemy alongside us. We couldn't think of any other ways to separate Garroth from his men, however. We could try sneaking into the camp and assassinating him, but frankly that's more dangerous for the poor fools who have to try it than this ambush would be. For such a raid I doubt Garroth would bring that many giants, it would simply slow him down." Owain: "Aren't you a First? I thought those are demigods in human flesh?" - asked Owain. Sleeping Dragon: "Of course I am. I'd quite like to be at the ambush myself, but if I'm not present with the men that launch the raid then Garroth might not fall for the trap." Owain: "I was leaning towards the cutting into pieces - wouldn't you ressurect in a halo of light if that happened anyway? Or is my knowledge a little rusty?" - he scratched his head. Sleeping Dragon: "I don't know, I've never been cut into pieces before." Khalisar: "And we certainly hope that it doesn't happen soon."snickered Khalisar at Owain "Anyway, while I think your plan is quite good, have you considered that from what we know this Gorroth is quite cunning?" Sleeping Dragon: "Yes, but he's also plainly quite proud and stubborn, and eager to prove his strength, or he'd have simply swarmed Bredonn with all his men so far. He hasn't, and the Fort has held out. I imagine morale must be dropping in his camps. The garrison in Bredonn is less than two hundred, but they're still holding out. It must grate on him and the giants terribly, they've had no plunder for weeks. Even if Garroth was cautious and didn't want to raid the camp, I bet some of his giants might try simply to have something to do other than lay siege to a place. Have you ever been in a siege? I tell you, they're fucking boring." Khalisar: "Sounds like we have a chance then, although I really fear this Gorroth will have some kind of surprise for us." Sleeping Dragon: Aelle shrugged carelessly. "We'll have to improvise then." Gytha: "It sounds as though Garroth listens more to his giant side, despite his cunning." Gytha said. "Hopefully that will be his downfall." Lalia: "He will die." Lalia stated as matter of fact Owain: "I wouldn't start dividing the skin of the yet-not-dead bear if I were you. The giants are a fearsome force, and nobody should underestimate them" Gytha: Gytha nodded in agreement. "Hope we must have, and faith in our ability to fight them, but overconfidence is a weakness." Sleeping Dragon: with this plan in mind, they marched on and soon they were within sight of Bredonn, a small fort on a steep, sheer hill, the red eagle banner of Berenicia flapping defiantly from its high tower. Around Bredonn was an army with a far grislier banner. King Edwyn of Berenicia, they said, had fallen into the giants' hands along with several of his lords, and their ends had been long and painful. In contempt and rage, Garroth had ordered the King flayed alive before the gates of Bredonn, with his son Aethelred watching helplessly from the walls, and the dead King's skin was preserved and run up a long pole to be Garroth's banner. Gytha: nasty Gytha: "It will be a pleasure to kill this Garroth." Gytha said grimly looking on the sight. Sleeping Dragon: cresting a large hill some five miles from Bredonn, the soldiers of Gathburg began to build a camp while the supply carts were wheeled up to them. The trees had been burned for miles around, but, anticipating this, Captain Gwydion had been ordering his men to cut trees as they camped for the last week and a half, so they had a plentiful supply of lumber with which to build a strong stockade. They made a wall ten feet high and very long, and around it, the soldiers of Gathburg dug a deep trench into which they scattered nails, broken glass, fragments of tools and weapons, caltrops, and any other sharp items they could get their hands on. As night came on, they finished their wearying work and had time to rest for a few hours before they were to launch their surprise attack.
That evening, the soldiers gathered and Aelle emerged from his tent wearing long, hooded black robes. "Before we go out to battle, it is our custom to invoke the aid of our Master, mighty Mythal," he explained to the party. For once, Aelle's voice had little mockery in it. "You can attend if you wish, but I must ask that you do nothing to interrupt the ceremony once it's begun." Gytha: "I shall be making my own prayers." Gytha said, looking rather discomforted. Khalisar: "I will attend, shouldn't there be any harm in it. Well, I hope..."he said looking at the black-robed Aelle with some worry in his eyes Lalia: Lalia shook her head, "I am not going to attend it. I am going to have a rest before we will go" Gytha: "I'll pray for you too." Gytha said solemnly to Khalisar, "And for all of you." she added, looking at Aelle. "Vilya and Tathius have love enough even for the unbeliever." Owain: "I'll be sharpening my weapon for - you know, battle" Sleeping Dragon: Aelle gave Gytha a grin that could have meant any one of a dozen things and walked off towards the north wall of the stockade, beckoning Khalisar to follow Khalisar: Khalisar followed, interested but also a bit anxious Gytha: Gytha found a place where she could make her devotions privately, out of earshot of any weird rituals. whispering to Khalisar, Aelle and the soldiers of Gathburg gathered in a wide circle near the north gate of the stockade. The men had donned simple black masks, and Khalisar, along with Sergeant Clovis who had also decided to watch, were also given masks to don. Aelle gave them spears and asked them to join the circle of men. Aelle stepped into the centre and shortly four men came out leading two beautiful warhorses. Khalisar knew one was Aelle's own, and after a few moments he recognised the other as Captain Gwydion's horse. The circle parted to allow the men and horses into the centre of the circle near Aelle. The four handlers spoke soothingly to the horses. Lalia: Lalia relaxed as she prepared herself for conflicts to come whispering to Khalisar, Aelle raised his hands and began to chant in the tongue of the ancients.
“Master Mythal, Lord of Hosts, hear me! Hear the prayer of your son, Aelle!” At this, the assembled men of Gathurg screamed in unison. “AELLE! AELLE! AELLELLELLELLELLELLE-" and on and on, screeching frenziedly. They raised their spears into the air above Aelle like a canopy, banging the heads together.
“Master Mythal, Forger of a Million Blades, hear your sons of Gathburg! Fortify our hearts, strengthen our spears, harden our shields!” “-LLELLELLELLELLELLE-” whispering to Khalisar, “Master Mythal, Breaker of Shields, hear us! Stand above us, cast your fearsome shadow upon us! Let us know your terror, overwhelming all other terrors! More than the foe, more than shame, more than wounds, more than death, let us fear you!” “-LLELLELLELLELLE-”
"Master Mythal, Father of War, hear us! Let us not be seduced by false peace! With peace comes deceit and weakness, but with war comes strength, nobility, and trust of your comrades-in-arms! Give us no seductive peace, until we have perfected the lessons of WAR!" Aelle reached up to touch the tips of his men's spears as they cried out with him; "WAR! WAR! WAR! WAR!" The horses whinnied nervously, looking like they might spook, but their handlers gathered about them and spoke to them and stroked them, and they were calmed. whispering to Khalisar, "Master Mythal, Eater of All Flesh, hear us! We offer up our foes as sacrifice to you! Blunt their blades, weaken their resolve, bring fear into their hearts! We will spill their blood to be your drink, smash their flesh to be your food!" Aelle's voice rose, and then two men emerged from the crowd with long daggers in their hands. whispering to Khalisar,
"Master Mythal, Drinker of Blood, hear us! Upon this field, life and death are your province! All souls are placed in your hands! As a token to you, we offer you these lives, in promise of more to come!"
Aelle's prayers ended, and the knife-men stepped up behind the magnificent horses. The crowd banged their spears together feverishly, and Aelle cried out; "MYTHAL!" His men roared with him, the handlers quietly spoke to the horses, and the knife-men suddenly slashed out. whispering to Khalisar, The horses screeched in agony as they were hamstrung by the razor sharp blades. The handlers leapt down on the horses, grabbing at their legs and holding them down as they cried in terror. King Aelle drew a knife as well, and he ran the blade across his palms, drawing a trickle of blood. He gripped the blade in his bloody hands and he knelt over his horse, which thrashed and writhed in agony. Aelle slashed out at his horse's throat, and its blood spilled onto the grass. As it died, Aelle went to Captain Gwydion's horse and cut its throat too, letting its blood spill out in a torrent over his hands and robes. whispering to Khalisar, Ecberhdt stepped forward, bearing Aelle's sword, and the King drew it and plunged it into one of the horses. His men surrounded him, driving their own spears in, covering them in the horses' blood, smearing it upon their armour, shields, and faces. Aelle discarded his sodden clothes, revealing his full battle armour underneath. He took his helm from Ecberhdt and pulled it down, concealing his face altogether. "Now, men of Gathburg! With me, to battle!" Sleeping Dragon: there came a sudden roar from the direction of the ritual, and when they looked up they saw the soldiers of Gathburg beginning to march out of the gate. Aelle spoke quickly to Khalisar as he went. whispering to Khalisar, "I am leaving a few men up in the watchtowers, they will be here to fight with you," he said. "Incidentally, those horses' carcasses are now under Master Mythal's influence. Dip your blades in them and they will be keener than before. Cover your armour in them, and you will survive blows that should kill you. Good luck." Khalisar: (whispering): Stunned but fascinated by the bloody ritual, Khalisar dipped his knife in the steaming, bloody corpse of the horse, and then placed his hands on it to smear his robe and the padded armour under it with blood. His raven servant also dug it's beak in the bloodied flesh and covered it's feathers in the scarlet liquid Sleeping Dragon: the men of Gathburg left the stockade and rushed out, leaving behind only the party and a scant number of archers to man the watchtowers they had constructed at intervals around the walls. The party, joining Khalisar at the north gate, were greeted by the sight of two very dead warhorses in the clear space near the gate. Their throats had been cut, and their bodies stabbed and slashed repeatedly. Khalisar: Khalisar robes, dagger and hands were smeared with blood, as was his raven. Gytha: Gytha looked at the horses and then at Khalisar. "Better than children." she said. Khalisar: Khalisar shrugged "Well, you may think it was a shame to sacrifice two beautiful beasts like that but..."he paused for a few moments "It was quite fascinating to watch what happened when they invoked the Master of War and blessed their weapons and armor in the blood." Owain: Owain smirked. Should have been sharpening them instead, the fools. Owain: "Should have been sharpenign them instead, the fools." Lalia: Lalia rolled her eyes at this silly rituals Sleeping Dragon: Sergeant Clovis paused, then shrugged and dipped his own spear into one of the dead horses, and smeared the blood on his armour, then waited near one of the walls Khalisar: "It can't hurt to dip your blade there."said Khalisar as he licked some blood from his fingers "The Masters's blessings can be mighty indeed!" Gytha: Gytha turned away. "War is what you have when all else fails Khalisar. Not a god to be worshipped." Lalia: Lalia nodded as Gytha's words, "Indeed, Masters are no gods to be worshipped." She then went off Khalisar: Khalisar started to chant and meditate near the dead horse, at one point cutting himself, his blood falling on the ground and mixing with the equines' Sleeping Dragon: in the distance, they saw the soldiers of Gathburg bearing down on the giants of the eastern camp. A disciplined force would have formed lines, but the giants were no orderly army, and a few ran out to fight, leaving their fellows behind. These were cut down quickly as the Gathburg men used their long spears to counter the giants' reach. They rushed on, plowing into the eastern giants. As this occured, the party saw a stirring in Garroth's own camp near the fort. They saw the human banner rise from its place and up into the air, heading towards them. As the force detached, they saw that perhaps twenty-five giants were heading for the stockade, long legs quickly eating up the distance. Gytha: "Here they come!" Gytha called, excitement flooding her. Owain: "Keep your head down! We need the suprise so stay down till the last moment" - Owain barked Lalia: Lalia drew her sword, preparing for the coming fight. Sleeping Dragon: in the watchtowers, the crossbowmen knelt down. One of them tossed some quarrels down to Khalisar. "Hey, stick them into the horses for luck, will ya?" Khalisar: His eyes and hands glowing with arcane energies, Khalisar walked to Lalia and Owain and lightly touched them. As he did that, the glow from his hands disappeared. "It's a mighty spell of protection."he said simply Khalisar: Khalisar grinned back at the crossbowman, and happily dipped the bolts in the horse's blood before giving them back to the men Gytha: Gytha stood quietly, her sword still in its scabbard on her back, seeming hardly moved, apart from a slight quickening of her breathing. Khalisar: Khalisar continued gathering his energies, breathing slowly and looking like he was quite concentranted Sleeping Dragon: the giants barrelled forward. As they came to the bottom of the hill they saw the shortest of them - seemingly Garroth - stop them and speak. About a half dozen broke off and moved to circle around the stockade towards another gate where several soldiers stood guard, while Garroth and his force continued on towards the gate where the party lay in wait. "Stay hidden there, we'll shoot at them as they come close," said the crossbowman. "They'll be suspicious if no one fires at them at all." Gytha: Gytha was muttering inaudibly to herself. Gytha: Eiffion suddenly ran forward and dipped his spears into the blood of the horses, and smeared some on his cheeks. "Can't hurt to try it" he said with a grin at Gytha. Gytha: He also put some on his armour. Sleeping Dragon: Garroth's giants came on, running beneath the grisly banner. They stood between nine and ten feet tall, were garbed in matted furs and hides, and carried clubs the size of small trees or big javelins. Garroth himself was the shortest of his force, standing about eight feet tall, but he was very broad. On his head was an undersized crown and he carried a huge two-handed axe. Flanking him were the two largest giants, massive, hideous scarred creatures with mauls. Garroth shouted out in Giant. "Smash the gate, fast! Burn it all down!" As he spoke, several giants came forth to do just that, and with that, the crossbowmen stood and fired at them. Khalisar: Bracing himself for the fight, Khalisar got his magical staff out and looked hopefully at the others "Well, it's time..."he whispered Khalisar: Looking like he had suddendly remembered something, Khalisar dropped his knife to get two of the crystals they had found in Morrol's tower from his backpack, and crawled towards Gytha. As he smashed the crystal on her sword, the weapon was enchanted, and crackled with electricity Sleeping Dragon: the archers fired, striking two of the nearest giants as they rushed to smash down the gate. Gytha: Gytha started, then gave Khalis a broad and rather frightening smile. Khalisar: remove: Khalisar and Gytha's last post Sleeping Dragon: the giants rushed forward, roaring bloodthirsty cries, raising their clubs. Several, unable to reach the front, stowed their huge clubs and readied javelins to throw. Sleeping Dragon: their leader moved up behind them, urging them on Sleeping Dragon: Gavin eyed the battlefield, advising those in his tower with him on how to best take cover from the javelins that were about to be flung at them Gytha: Gytha was grinding her teeth, her eyes staring at the gate, muttering and moving from foot to foot. Gytha: Eifion moved up. Sleeping Dragon: readying sword and shield, Sergeant Clovis moved to stand beside Lalia Khalisar: sword?!? Khalisar: didn't he have a spear? Sleeping Dragon: the archers peppered one of the giants with bolts Sleeping Dragon: correction - spear, and you're in the wrong window so NYAH Sleeping Dragon: the bodyguards moved up behind Garroth, keeping their mauls at the ready Lalia: Lalia prepared her sword for any attacks. Sleeping Dragon: the gate shuddered as two of the giants struck it heavily with their clubs. Another reached forward and tore violently at the palisade. With a mighty tear part of it was torn up, right in front of where Owain stood. The giant looked in and saw him and roared. Several others moved up into the trench to copy their comrades. Meanwhile, the giants behind hurled enormous javelins forward. Three of the crossbowmen were struck, one being pulled down by Gavin just in time to turn what should have been a deadly blow into a graze. Sleeping Dragon: Not yet realising that there were more than the crossbowmen in there, Garroth continued to move forward, raising his axe protectively, screaming curses in Giant Khalisar: There was determination in Khalisar's blue eyes as looked warily at the giants. "Let them come..."he muttered Sleeping Dragon: Gavin continued to give advice to those near him, patting the shaken crossbowman on the back as he reloaded Gytha: "Get back Owain." Gytha said, knotting her fingers and grimacing as she barely stopped herself running forward at the giant now visibly in the gap. Sleeping Dragon: Clovis readied himself for battle, holding his spear and shield up protectively Sleeping Dragon: the crossbowmen continued to fire, dropping the giant directly in front of the gate with their hail of quarrels Owain: Owain moved back so as to be next to the tower and hit one of the giants from afar, scoring barely a scratch. Lalia: Lalia then starts singing a song to inspire her allies. And as she continued, she watched wary at these giants Sleeping Dragon: the giants pressed against the walls. Javelins raked the air, injuring the crossbowmen severely, but they remained on their feet. The gate took two heavy blows and smashed inwards beneath the weight of the giant clubs Khalisar: Khalisar waited eagerly, his body trembling from the stress of having to contain arcane energies Sleeping Dragon: continuing to give advice, Gavin nocked an arrow and fired at the giant through the gap in the palisade. The shaft struck home and the giant fell bleeding in the trench Gytha: Unable to hold back any longer, Gytha rushed towards the giant that had appeared in the gateway and whipped the sword from behind her back, striking the giant a massive blow that drove deep into it. It dropped like a stone. Sleeping Dragon: Clovis strode up to stand at the gate next to Gytha Sleeping Dragon: the crossbowmen continued to fire, striking one giant with a weak shot Owain: Owain moved up and swiped at the giant twice through what was the gate, cutting him deeply once and the other blow going wide. Gytha: "Why are you hiding back there?" Gytha shouted at Garroth in the giant's own tongue. "Lost your nerve?" Sleeping Dragon: "Swarm them! Climb the walls!" Garroth shouted, ignoring Gytha Lalia: Lalia moved forward beside Clovis Sleeping Dragon: several of the giants moved forward. Two scaled the walls near one of the towers, one taking a vicious slash from Owain as he clambered over. Others swung to the sides, meaning to scale the walls there Khalisar: Screaming, Khalisar cast a mighty spell which stunned two of the giants Khalisar: Khalisar suggested they try to aim for the Giant's knees and heads, which were probably their weak points. Meanwhile his raven flew in the face of the giant near the tower, wounding him with it's beak. Khalisar scream angry words at the giants threatening the western side, but somehow their leader was able to give them some courage Sleeping Dragon: Garroth moved away from the main gate, joining one of the groups attacking from the side Sleeping Dragon: Gavin fired, sending one badly wounded giant reeling and stumbling back into the trench, then swung around and drew a bead on Garroth, who had temporarily moved away from his bodyguards. The old veteran aimed well and his shaft streaked like a comet from the bow, striking Garroth with thunderous force in the shoulder. Gytha: Filled with rage Gytha stepped up and swept her sword about her, dropping another giant to the ground, and then massacring its fellow on her other side. "See what a coward you have for a king!" she shrieked at the giants. Gytha: Eifion tried unsuccessfully to frighten one of the giants at the pallisade but it stood firm. He leaped at the fence and prodded down with his spear at the dazed giant beneath. Sleeping Dragon: stepping into the trench, Clovis stabbed up at one of the stunned giants viciously with his spear, tearing a great gash in its middle Sleeping Dragon: the crossbowmen continued to fire bravely, striking the giants heavily with a trio of bolts Owain: Owain moved towards the giant that climbed over the palisade, mangling it with two well-placed slashes. The giant didn't know what hit him. Sleeping Dragon: with more room to move now, Garroth's bodyguards sprang into action. One rushed forward and flung itself into the air. With a great leap, it cleared the wall and then swung down at Lalia, but she avoided the vicious blow. Another stepped up to attack Gytha, but she also dodged away from its huge maul Sleeping Dragon: the giants continued their advance. Gytha took two heavy blows from strong clubs, while Eifion and Owain dodged aside. Several of the giants swarmed angrily over the walls. One swung its club at one of the archers in the towers. It struck heavily and the crossbowman was pitched out, snapping his neck sickeningly as he landed Khalisar: Khalisar's attempt to gather enough energies for another spell was feeble, but his servant performed better, scoring some serious wounds on one of the giants attacking the towers, which was quite shaken by the bird's ferocity. Sleeping Dragon: raising his axe high and bellowing a war cry, Garroth sprang over the wall and landed near the watchtower. Eying it contemptuously, he bent and struck it heavily with his huge axe. The crossbowmen gave a scream of terror as Garroth struck a weak point in the tower's base. Owain and Gytha looked up to see the watch-tower hurled down and the debris come smashing down atop of them. Gytha, further away from the tower, was only lightly scratched, but Owain was badly hurt. "Come here then! Or have you lost your nerve?" Garroth mocked Gytha in Aldiluvian Sleeping Dragon: Gavin shouted some advice to Khalisar, then whirled and fired at the giant nearest to him. His arrows thudded powerfully home, nearly dropping the astonished monster Gytha: Gytha ignored the giant leader and concentrated on hitting the bodyguard in front of her. Unlike the other giants this one had some defensive skill and although it took a mighty blow was able to avoid her killing stroke. Gytha: Eiffion made an attempt to browbeat another of the giants, and this time he succeeded. With an agile back-flip he shot over the top of one of the stunned giants and stabbed it in the back with his spear. Gytha: Eiffion grinned as the giant fell to the ground. Sleeping Dragon: Clovis stabbed up with his spear, jabbing it up into the giant's guts. It fell stunned in the dirt with its entrails spilling into the trench Sleeping Dragon: the remaining crossbowman took a weak shot at Garroth which the giant leader ignored Gytha: YAY! Owain: Owain stood up from the rubble and swung methodically at Garroth. He missed at first, but the second strike hit home, nearly ripping out the half-giants left side. Sleeping Dragon: one bodyguard rushed Khalisar, but the sorcerer rolled aside. The other struck at Gytha but he also missed. Gytha: Gytha laughed. Lalia: Lalia charged toward Garroth and launched an attack on him but failed to hit. Instead, Garroth responded with nasty attack that made even her flinched Sleeping Dragon: the giants pressed their attacks, Gytha and Eifion taking heavy blows from their powerful clubs Khalisar: Khalisar focused his energies. Flames rained down from the sky, incinerating one of the giants, scorching another and slightly burning Garroth, which also had to face the raven's mighty beak which almost peeked out one of his eye. As he crawled away from one of the bodyguards, he glared at him fiercely and shouted in Giant "You'll end up just like the others!"and laughed madly Sleeping Dragon: Garroth leapt up into the air and came down slashing his axe viciously at Lalia's head. The blow rang heavily off her helm, nearly sending her reeling, but Lalia kept her feet. Sleeping Dragon: Gavin aimed coolly with his bow. His first shot struck the nearest, frightened giant, bringing it down, and then he whirled and took aim at the creature menacing Eifion. The arrow tore straight through the giant's throat, and it fell stone dead Gytha: Gytha coolly swung the great sword and the bodyguard fell mortally wounded. With a smile she swung again, destroying one giant and slicing into another. She laughed. "Come and get me then king of the giants!" Gytha: Relieved to see the giant chasing him fall to Gavin's shooting, Eifion ran and tumbled behind one of the giants and stabbed it throught the back, with a wink at Gytha. Sleeping Dragon: inspired by his comrades successes, Sergeant Clovis charged fearlessly in, swiping a giant's club aside with his shield as he went. However, his spear stabbed well wide of the giant Sleeping Dragon: the remaining crossbowman took aim and sniped down one of the giants with a well placed shot Owain: Wanting to bring down the dangerous half-giant quickly, Owain charged recklessly. The spiky club met him somewhere halfway, flinging him to the ground. Almost blind with pain and on his back, Owain swung his weapon reflexively and tore through Garroth's gut. The half-giant squealed as he tried to stuff the slithering entrails back to where they belonged. Moments later, the squealing stopped. Owain: *the axe met him somewhere halfway Lalia: As the half giant laid down, unable to block her attack, Lalia delivered sharp slash. Khalisar: Khalisar laughed with joy as he witnessed the giant king being slaughtered, and a cast spell of flame on the last remaining bodyguard. The sturdy, desperate creature was burned, but survived, and even managed to dodge Khalisar's raven attacks as it came to end his miserable life Sleeping Dragon: Gavin fired, striking the surviving bodyguard but it remained up Gytha: Gytha viciously drove her sword into the remaining giant outside the stockade. With blood running from her wounds she moved inside the gate, staring unblinking at the one remaining bodyguard, like a cat watching its prey. Sleeping Dragon: eager to bring down the final giant, Clovis rushed in, but his spear slithered wide Gytha: Eifion followed them slowly, keeping back from the killing zone. Sleeping Dragon: the crossbowman's bolt whizzed past the unfortunate bodyguard Owain: Owain got up, still shaking and on the verge of losing his consciousness, and ran the remaining giant through. He then promptly collapsed on his ass Khalisar: Khalisar stood up, having been on the ground for most of the fight to avoid being pierced by the javelins. He had several bloody wounds, but they had all been self-inflicted Gytha: Gytha limped over to the dead body of the half giant and looked down at it. Lalia: Lalia smiled as she now knew that giants will no longer be a serious problem. Sleeping Dragon: Gavin examined the crown that had fallen from Garroth's head. "That's the crown of Berenicia," he said. Lalia: Lalia smiled at she looked closely, "Well, I didn't notice that." Gytha: "So much fighting for a piece of metal." Gytha said mournfully. "Even the damned giants can't resist the lure of it." Sleeping Dragon: Sergeant Clovis strode out of the gate and pulled down the disgusting banner which the giant king had left planted in the earth. From the fort, they stood and watched. They saw the soldiers of Gathburg fighting wildly, unafraid though they were surrounded. The main part of the force under Captain Gwydion surged forward, and from out of Bredonn Prince Aethelred sallied forth. Outflanked and demoralised by their leader's demise, the giant army dissolved and fled in all directions, and the angry men of the North pursued with vengeance in their hearts, ruthlessly cutting the giants down as they fled. Though their casualties were high, the men of Andros refused to relent and allow the giants to escape beyond the Wall where they might return and trouble them again. Only a small handful of the great creatures were able to elude the pursuit.
Aethelred was crowned the new King of Berenicia shortly afterwards and resettled his kingdom. No immediate heir to the throne of Deira was forthcoming, so Captain Gwydion determined that the land would be split between those who had claims on the land, and they would be bound in alliance to defend the land from the giants for ever after.
As soon as the announcement was made, he came to speak to the party. "You have played the central role in our victory, my friends, and all men recognise it. I would reward your bravery and skill. If any of you desire a kingdom out of what was Deira, then it's yours to take." Owain: "That is quite a proposition. I would gladly accept - if no one else is up for grabs" Khalisar: "I too think I would be fit too rule"said Khalisar after some thought "However, I'm sure we can split the land between us."he said glancing at Owain Lalia: Lalia looked thoughtfully at idea, "I am tempted, Very tempted to accept such offer. Well, I do desire a realm to rule. I will like to accept such offer." Sleeping Dragon: "There is frankly too much land on offer. If I don't have willing people to reward with it, then people will decide that maybe they should take it by force. I'd rather have strong, trustworthy people in charge there." Gytha: Gytha's first reaction was to reject the offer out of hand, but the more she thought about it the more she came around to the idea. "A place where people are not treated as mere tools to further the ambition of their ruler, and where the true faith can flourish. Very well, I will take up the offer also." Sleeping Dragon: "So your kingdoms will be...sizeable...though somewhat empty of people at first. Soon they'll return Sleeping Dragon: "Excellent. Together, we can make sure the North is never threatened by the giants in this way again, and I can go back to simply worrying about what Aelle is doing." Captain Gwydion smiled.
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