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A powerful Dwarven Lord with many connections on the surface of Coroleya has sent out the call to all warriors of courage to come to the Mountain Stronghold of Stonefold to aid in the eradicating a nest of feral Dwarves that have attacked the City of Torfiol. Sensing the opportunity for more adventure and gold, you take the next caravan out from the village of Brolen as a caravan guard and head towards the Dwarven Realms to make your fortune. The road to the Mountains, however, is long and treacherous with many perils to be faced, before you can reach your destination.
After traveling along the roads for several miles. The caravan leader, a short portly creature, decides now is the perfect time to set up camp for the night. The caravan of wagons form up into a tight-knit circle and start up a fire at the center of camp. Seeing how close you've made your camp to the nearby woods of Doranmere worries you. Anything could be hiding in there and no one would know it. Still, it's not like they had many options going off-road or traveling in the darkness was equally dangerous. While your thinking about what might be lurking in the woods, you smell wood smoke coming from the direction of the forest. Tensing up at the possibility of danger you rise from sitting position and stare off into the darkness. Wondering if there was someone or something out there watching you.
Either way, it seems more sensible to get away from the roaring campfire the caravaners have going, as it might attract the wrong sort of attention. You tell the other caravan guard a strong well-built Orc warrior named Merkel that you're going out to go check on something and leave the campfire alone. Entering the dark woods. The further away you get from the campfire, the more you realize that you're being watched. Smiling wolfishly at the challenge, you use your hunting skills to try and lose whoever is tailing you. Once you believe you've lost them, you circle and go back the way you've come. Curious to see, what had been following you. Hearing voices whispering, you softly creep towards the sound, till you catch a glimpse of your hunters. And find to your surprise a band of Redling bandits heavily armed to the teeth, wearing leather jerkins. They seem to be discussing, what to do about you, when the leader of the group a tall, brutish looking warrior with an assortment of scars tells them all to shut up.
Then without warning the leader calls out to you. "You've done well to avoid us warrior, but I think it's time we talked. There is no need for us to fight here. After all, all we want are the chests of gold stored in the back of the carriage the merchants have kindly brought with them." You say nothing. "The way I see it is, you can either join us and attack the caravan? Or you can die here with the rest of them? We could always use an extra blade, seeing as there is an Orc with them." You stand there for a moment thinking. And take a look again at the Redlings waiting in clearing. There's at least four of them out in the open, with god knows how many more waiting in the shadows. One of the raiders a short wiry man with grey leathery skin is holding a small round metal object in his hand. Familiar with Dwarven weaponry, you know it to be a combust ball that can create a small explosion. Probably not enough to kill all the caravaners outright, but enough to blind and wounding multiple enemies.
Choice 1. Do you step out of your hiding place to join the raiders?
In the end the decision was an easy one to make, either join the bandits or spend more sleepless nights wishing you’d had the guts to kill the fat fool that had landed them all in this mess in the first place.
Determined to come out of all this slightly wealthier, and still very much alive, you step out into the clearing ignoring the upraised blades, and stride over towards the leader of the bandits.
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Much taller than you with skin the color of hard leather, and a face that could breakstone. You look into his dark blue eyes, and say, “I accept your offer on one condition. I receive a share of the gold.”
Grinning from ear to ear to expose his rotted yellow teeth, he nodded his head in agreement. “Then let’s be off then.”
With a wave of his arm the tall warrior sent his men fanning out to either side of them and began advancing back in the direction you came from. However before you could take another step to join them, a well-concealed archer moved out from the darkness to trail out from behind. The hooded figure smirking at you as she passed by, her bow half lifted.
Snorting in amusement at the close call, you push through after them, the bandits silently stalking their way towards the campfires that glittered like gems in the darkness. The bandit leader nodding his head to his men to get ready.
Tense with excitement at the thought of seeing Halthane’s terrified expression, you nod your head back impatient to begin the slaughter, and wait for the signal to attack.
Sword hilt warm in your palm, you smile as the bandits let out a chilling howl, the cool wind lifting their voices into the clouds, before the band of raiders surged forward from the undergrowth, their howls transformed into battle cries as you race forward with them. Your blade ripping through the belly of a startled caravan hand as you speed out into the starlight. The campsite a mess of scrambling bodies as men and women try to getaway.
Flushed by the taste of first blood, you let out a howl of your own, one to chill the bloody heavens themselves and lay your sword about the campfires where a few remain frozen in fear. The battle a chaotic massacre with guards rushing towards the danger, while caravan hands and merchants attempt to flee in between. The blast from the combust balls blinding and wounding dozens of guards as you wade into the thick of the fighting. The sweet kiss of death the only mercy you offer to those that try to surrender.
With more than half the camp dead in an instant, you cut down one last fleeing merchant before turning to watch the remainder of the guards' break and run. The quick and bloody victory soiled by the orc bursting onto the scene with shining red eyes as he lets out a mighty roar that shook the very air and raised his battleax to the sky. The huge muscle-bound warrior, knocking down a raider with a single swing from his ax before cleaving the warrior’s head evenly in two. The bandit’s swift death at the hands of the orc’s galvanizing the few surviving guards who turn to rejoin the battle.
The bandits cutting them down easily enough, before moving to surround Jydor, when the orc suddenly begins to transforms. His arms, legs and chest muscles swelling up in size and skin becoming darker than midnight.
Heart lurching at the unexpected turn of events, you race across the blood-soaked ground and roll forward to hack away at the berserker’s Achille's heel, the powerful orc warrior collapsing to one knee with a thunderous crash.
Springing back as the orc swept it's war ax in wide sweeps to kill a second unlucky bandit, you pause and allow the archer to rain down multiple arrows into its chest, before scanning the ground around for a weapon to use.
Grinning at the sight of a combust ball in the hands of the dead bandit, you duck down to avoid the orc’s scything ax, sprint across the rocky open ground, and throw the ball into the orc’s face. The ball exploding in a brilliant burst of light that briefly blinds you as unwanted tears burst out from your eyes.
Head shaking from side to side at the ringing blast, you wipe clear your eyes and see Jydor’s face all torn up, the huge warrior falling backward onto the ground, a part of you wishing the orc had run as you end his life with a single thrust to the heart.
Kneeling beside him, you place an arm on the dead orc. “Sorry, my friend, but it was either you or me.”
Battle Results
- 40 Health Points(Remember to take into account your resilience)
Loot
+ 200 Gold Pieces