Logs > Gamma Logs > A Bloody Horde

A Bloody Horde

I suppose it started when Ghuk strolled into Breen's sometime yesterday evening to deliver news about the jhakor alliance. He stayed for awhile, talking, joking, and declining Bait's many offers to dance with him. He cut the visit short citing that he needed to get back to his tribe. He was worried about them. On his way to Kaezar he smelled orcs; lots of orcs. "A short jogging distance away," he told us.

After that a few of us wandered up to Jael's for a nice friendly dart tournament. I crushed Saebra and Jurion without much effort, and Tracker just barely squeaked past Illuriel. Sae, expressing her anxiety about Ghuk's warning, and voiced her desire to head back to town. Jurion and Illuriel, having been eliminated already, agreed and the three of them set out. Tracker and I stayed behind to finish our drinks and our dart game (which, contrary to anything he might tell you, I won.)

He was lining up what ended up being his final shot of the night when his eyes glazed over and his face contorted. He said something about sensing trouble and told me that we had to go back.

I had previously considered myself to be in good shape, but it was damn near impossible to keep up with that guy. I kept asking what was happening and what he felt, but he would repeat the word "trouble" and just kept on moving. I soon understood why.

We headed south on the Trenkin Trail until we came to the foothills. The place looked like a warzone.... Alright, maybe that's not such a good simile, as the place WAS a warzone. But still. There were limbs and bodies everywhere. Most were orcs, but some were Kaezarians. I recognized a few of them.

We pushed south and walked through more areas, each one looking more ravished than the last. That's when we saw it. A bloody horde. Dozens of orcs fighting a handful of men. We whipped out our blades and joined the melee.

I dropped a rock-thrower and turned around in time to see Tracker and a huge gharkin knocking out the tallest orcish sergeant I can remember seeing. Nearby, Aljeron was taking on two brain-smashers and somehow winning the fight, and Khregen and Saebra were working on darkly-dressed acolyte. It bloody-well made me proud.

We cleared the area and turned our attention southward, finding another group nearly twice the size of the one we'd just beaten. There was a shaman in this group. I heard someone utter a prayer to the gods.

Saebra called for us to regroup before we pushed forward. She wondered aloud why the orcs weren't advancing and then smiled and thanked the gods for it. The injured ones dropped back to the empath post a bit up the trail. The rest of us waited.

A darkelf standing near me made idle conversation by asking if anyone knew how far back the army went. I guessed it reached all the way back to the mountain and he flinched.

When the rest came back, freshly healed, Kaezar's army pressed south. There we stopped, mystified at the fact that the whole region had been sanctified. None of us could swing. The shaman cast a few times at out helpless soldiers. I heard the call to retreat shortly before feeling a hot energy pressing into my back.

I woke up in the Underworld, praying that there was a guardian nearby. There was, and the tall beast send my Thrael-bound with a haunting smile and a parting wish of "Good luck."

I woke up in the Ossuary still feeling worn from the run from Kemstead. I stood up and walked outside where several of the town's children were gathered. They grinned at me as I passed and nodded hopefully. One held out a glass of water which I tried to accept graciously. I stood there, and drank slowly, trying to regain my composure. The kids asked questions like, "How are we doing?" and "How much longer?" I smiled at them and told them not to worry about any of it. It'd be over soon.

I jogged southward until I came upon the empaths. Illuriel and Deloria spit out fetish after fetish after fetish and still were strong enough to take wounds from friends and give blood. How they can do it, I'll never understand.

I was walking southward when I saw a wounded soldier who must've been heading back to the empaths. He grinned past his broken arm and told me, "The shaman's dead. The mages took him out."

Still weakened from my skirmish with death, I knew I wouldn't be much help fighting. When I came on the battle scene I hid myself and started sneaking southward, wondering how many orcs we were expected to kill. The column stretched all the way back to fallen kirche tree by the stepping stones where the bonemenders and acolytes were waiting for the wounded. Those bullish flummog were mixed in with the ranks.

I counted over a hundred and thirty enemy soldiers scattered around the southernmost portion of the trail.

The night was terribly slow. I fell too many times to count and while resting and regaining my strength, I'd gathering limbs for fetishes. Successes were measured in minutes, sometimes seconds. We'd push them back a mile and they'd retaliate with more troops and push us back to the starting point. We stayed in this standoff for what seemed like hours until a runner came with the news. The jhakor were coming.

Ghuk arrived with his ranks of warriors and they joined the frey. Kaezar's offensive picked up momentum and the orcs were pushed back into the trees.

The best way to measure the ferocity of a war is to check the local pawnshop when the fight is through. Rock-thrower pouches were piled yards high. Boxes, scrolls, vials and flasks lined Brom's shelves and tables. His small countertop was home to dozens of blades and weapons. I had to laugh when I saw the place.

I imagine the Talone will need a few days to regroup his warriors after a fight like that. Kaezar's soldiers should be proud. They did a good thing last night.

By Boreas Notus (Boreas) on Sunday, March 11, 2001 - 07:58 pm

An unsigned note in stylized writing is tacked under Jayden's notes on the battle.

Amazing coincidence that the slaver knew about the orcs that made him look good when they were south of the city and he comes from the north.

By Saebra Souleblade (Saebra) on Monday, March 12, 2001 - 03:54 am

A signed note found below the other two.

Crushed Saebra in darts? In your dreams, my friend. I will take a rematch and kick your backside again anytime you want.

As for the one who left the previous note, I would make only one statement. The Jhakorian Ambassador did not have to bring reinforcements nor stand at our side in battle, fighting to defeat the orcs, in order to do what you are suggesting. He could have simply issued the warning and walked away.

Something I find necessary to add at this point. Near the end of the battle, a jhakor warrior raged into our area, attacking Ghuk. He was killed almost instantly by the Jhakorian Ambassador and the others of us there.

Commander Saebra Souleblade