Originally posted by cadwahmmmm ... lady ogres ... whose charm is that every orifice looks the same! 😲
I fear for my suzerain, I last heard of his majesty rallying his troops north but this was two seasons ago and since... well... nothing!
It may be his penchant for lady ogres got the better of him and he is lying bedraggled at the bottom of a pit right now but I will wait for conformation.
Glad to hear that the evil King of Elandor has been deposed.
To keep the spirits of the populace up, the Forkbeard Herald has written about the taming of Stonehelm.
[i]The outlaws in the hilly land of Stonehelm, near the well fortified city Dwarfholt of Thunderpeak, looked like any other Dwarven force. They had a sizeable force of infantry carrying heavy axes and well armored in ring mail, boiled leather, and the like. Supporting the infantry were Dwarven cavalry riding on tame black bears. These outlaws lived off a combination of "taxes" taken from the poor peasants of the region and what they could forage off the land. Unfortunately for these criminals Clan Forkbeard had recently taken control of Thunderpeak.
One cool misty morning a bear rider who was watching the road to Thunderpeak came riding back to the small collection of huts near an abandoned mine that the outlaws were based out of.
"ARMY INCOMING FROM THUNDERPEAK!!! GRAB YOUR AXES - NO TIME TO GET OUT! THEY'RE ALMOST HERE AND THEY KNOW WHERE WE ARE!!!"
The bandits quickly mobilized. Their infantry chose a position on a high point of the road anchored by rocky cliffs on their left flank. On the right were heavy woods patrolled by the bear cavalry. The infantry did what they could to dig into position, felling trees across the road ahead and the like.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much time. The Dwarves furthest along the road to Thunderpeak died quickly as the opposing cavalry materialized out of the mist and slammed into them. However, these weren't lightly armed scouts on small black bears. These were heavily armored shock troops on huge grizzlies, three times the size of the outlaws' bears! They savaged their targets brutally, claws tearing guts out, massive jaws crushing skulls, and long poleaxes and spears striking Dwarves down left and right.
As the outlaw infantry formed up into a line and did what they could to stop the charge, their bear support hesitantly began to throw javelins from the woods, clearly afraid to engage. Then the enemy infantry arrived.
The difference between bears was mirrored in the difference between the infantry. These were no common axedwarves. These were the finest foot in the world; Dwarven Runeguards! Their heavy layers of mail and plate were engraved with countless wards against every assault known to Dwarvenkind; blades, flame, arrows...They carried spears, hand weapons and heavy, runed tower shields and marched in a disciplined line along the road, methodically cutting down those outlaw footdwarves who had evaded the bears but were too slow to get back to the rest of the infantry.
By the time the outlaw foot had formed into what now seemed to be a second rate imitation of a line the Runeguards were on them. Despite the great difference in troop quality, the outlaw line was able to hold once the Forkbeard bears had moved to the woods in an attempt to neutralize the outlaw javelin and sling fire coming from within.
When the bears left, the outlaw foot were able to utilize their greater numbers and lighter armament to advantage. They gave ground on their left and focussed their attacks on the Runeguards' left flank at the edge of the woods. Their attacks for the most part bounced harmlessly off the Guards' magical armors but the numbers were such that occasionally lucky shots began to add up. In addition, the Forkbeard heavy cavalry failed to neutralize the more agile black bear cavalry the outlaws were using and the missiles continued to fly from the woods. The outlaws' confidence skyrocketed.
Then the grizzlies came back out of the woods. The outlaw right flank quickly folded under the weight of the Forkbeard cavalry and the rest of the line turned to flee only to be trampled to death.
Once the foot had been dealt with, the woods were combed for the outlaw bear riders, many of whom unfortunately escaped to parts unknown.
Once again, Law had been brought to the land, and the people rejoiced!
Originally posted by AThousandYoungYou're a damn fine writer! 🙂
Glad to hear that the evil King of Elandor has been deposed.
To keep the spirits of the populace up, the Forkbeard Herald has written about the taming of Stonehelm.
[i]The outlaws in the hilly land of Stonehelm, near the well fortified city Dwarfholt of Thunderpeak, looked like any other Dwarven force. They had a sizeable force of infantry carry ...[text shortened]... ts unknown.
Once again, Law had been brought to the land, and the people rejoiced!
