Twenty Eighth day Eleventh Month Four Thousand and Six Hundred and forty-four rings of the Great White Tree.

Ulian Radulescu escaped prisoner of the union.

He could hear the two hill giants arguing, Biff and Bash had been his protectors in the mine for so long. The haflings had gained the hill giants protection by supplying the giants with food.

They had bribed guards with precious metals and gems that they found in mine to get the food. Then good old Chief would cook up a meals. Chief had no other name he was a old fat hafling who spent most of life down the mine was one best cooks in realm.

He could even make roast rat a tasty treat. Which was handy because most of the time that's all the haflings could get their hands on to feed the giants. The dog sized rats infested the mine and preyed on solidarity haflings.

This is why the haflings had been a tight knit group. There were twenty five haflings that had survived been locked up by the union. Everyone of them had been sentenced on trumped up chargers.

Sure he admitted to himself he was a thief, in fact had been the head of his own guild. The town guard had planted evidence in his home. As if he would have kept any of the loot at his own recidence. He had thought he had bribed the magistrate to drop the charge, but one of his enemies must of given the magistrate more gold.

Justice for non humans in the union was hard to find. Lately many of the halfling community had been forced to sell up and leave. Or they found themselves on trumped up charges and sent to work in the mines.

He had been locked up in the mine for fifteen years. He looked up at the night sky above a few stars could be seen through the canopy of the trees. It was good to see the stars again.

He had to dodge as projectile was flung his way from one the hill giants.

Not for the first time he wished that they had sought protection from the stone giant instead of the unpredictable hill giants.

The stone giant preferred the company of the four gnomes. He was a quiet artistic soul. The hill giants followed the stone giants commands, it something to do with the urd or ord, which he gathered was giant social standing.

He suspected the hill giants would have teamed to remove of the stone giant if it hadn't been for the fire giant. Both hill giants were intimidated by forth giant that had been kept prisoner in mine.

The fire giant was even now working at a forge. He and the dwarves were fixing weapons broken in the battle to escape from their prison. The traditional enemies were working together to make more weapons to wage war on the union.

Finally the hafling he had been waiting for appeared before him. He wore a cooking apron. He had just come from cooking a meal for the elves. He had also wore a black cavalier hat and wore brown leather armour.

He learned that this hafling had fought with the elves in a great battle against the union.

"Tosbar thank you for meeting me, were you able to make the introduction to the General as I requested."

He asked the confederate hafling.

Tosbar answered him

"We call him Cyffredinol not General. Yes he agreed to see you so follow me and I will introduce you to the Cyffredinol."

The Hill Giants and Haflings were at the edge of the army camp. The stone giant Steinsmed was not far away keeping an eye on both the hill giants and also the eight orges. The orges were almost as bad as the Hill Giants arguing amongst themselves.

There were about five hundred humans who had been kept as prisoners at the mine. Humans that had resisted integration into the Union, or political prisoners who fell from grace from the ruling powers.

The humans were mingled with the elves. Although the elven confederation was at war with the union there were fewer elven prisoners.

The elves did not fare well in mine, most did not adjust well to constant darkness and physical work. The mass graves outside of the mine were full of elven dead.

Tosbar lead him to the centre of the camp where the elven General was engaged in a conversation with the orc warchief. That alliance had surprised him elves and orcs fighting together against Union.

The General was not what he was expecting, still dressed in combat armour the General was covered in dirt and blood. He fought with his troops.

The General spotted them and waved them over.

"Toby you wanted to speak with me"

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He asked Tosbar giving him the shortened nickname.

"Cyffredinol I wanted to introduce you to my fellow hafling, he here to pledge his loyalty to conferacy."

Tosbar tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let me introduce myself I am Ulian Radulescu, but you can call me Rad, I am here to pledge the loyalty of myself and my fellow prisoners to you and your army."

The General nodded his head

"You and your fellow haflings will be a welcome addition to our army. I am sure Toby can show you around and we will be able to use your skills."

"When I say my fellow prisoners I am speaking for the all prisoners well except for the orcs, gnolls, kolbolds, goblins and the troll they have already joint the warchiefs warband."

He said pointing to the orc warchief

"I speak for the giants, orges, elves, humans, dwarves, gnomes as well as my own kind. We want to fight against the union."

The General looked like he did not know what to say.

"I don't know if I'll be able to accept you all I mean giants fighting with elves. That has never happened before."

Then the old elf that stood next the General spoke.

"Actually your wrong giants fought in the prince's war. They helped the king win his throne."

The old elf paused as if he was remembering the past. Then he continued.

"We already have one mercenary group lead by the warchief. Why not two?"

He asked

"So Rad will you be leading our second group?"

The hafling called Rad looked at the old elf and then spoke.

"No I won't be commanding we already have a leader."

At that moment the six meter tall fire giant loomed over the group. The hafling continued.

"May I introduce you to Brannkjempe we have voted him as our war leader."

The Fire giant voice boomed at the group.

"I Brannkjempe will have my revenge on the Union."

Second Day Tweleth Month of the forty third year after the foundation of the Union

Leftenant Llysgennad Iard Longau Llwyd

Once discharged from the union hospital he had begged General Deallusrwydd Milwrol to be attached to the force that was going to finally crush the Elven Confederation army.

The union armies scouts had finally located the enemy and the army had formed up just outside of the white woods.

Almost ten thousand humans, dwarves and elves stood ready to fight for the union. He was up on hill a good vantage point he could see the whole battlefield.

He felt a few droplets of rain fall on his mask. Then the rain started coming down harder. As the soldiers prepared to receive the enemy the rain was really coming down hard.

He looked over at the score of Cannon's they had prepared to halt the enemy advance. Skilled dwarven artillery soldiers manned the Cannon's. Manned that was such a human turn.

Then the enemy appeared they charged out of the forest. He had expected the orcs and the elves but he was surprised to see a number of humans lined up with the enemy.

They were all armed with muskets, there were no rows of archers or pikes like the previous battle.

Then from the forest emerged the orges carrying a cannon under each arm. These orges were followed by dwarves who loaded up the cannons.

He saw the two hills giants followed by a score haflings carrying two cannons each. Then there was the five metre tall stone giant who also carried two cannons but it was followed by four gnomes.

The cannons were all set up. The enemy had only a few more cannons then the union but they would have the same problem as the union artillery the rain made impossible lite their chargers.

The two armies faced it other waiting for something to break the deadlock. He looked over at the General who commanded the union army. He met General McKinney berore a competent leader.

He sat on his white charger sword raised high. It looked like he was about to order a charge and break the deadlock.

However before he was able to do that a large figure emerged out of the forest. Another giant he was massive six meters tall with bright red mane. A fire giant.

The giant moved gracefully to the first cannon lent down and suddenly it fired it's cannon ball into the union army.

Down the row cannons the giant moved using his power to lite the fuses and have the cannons blow holes in the union lines.

A large boulder flew threw the sky and hit the union lines crushing a dozen soldiers. The boulder had been thrown by the stone giant.

In reply the union soldiers fired their muskets, because of the rain only about a third of muskets fired.

The enemy returned fire. The forest canopy had kept their muskets dryer then the union forces and more of the enemies muskets discharged their load.

He spotted the Cyffredinol, the elf that had been his mark. Standing next to the Cyffredinol was the old elf that marked his face with its terrible scars. It took all his will power to stop himself from a sucidial charge at the enemy.

Another barrage erupted from the cannons. Causing chaos in the union lines. Then he saw the Cyffredinol raise his sabre and bring it down.

In that moment he spied his childhood friend Lancia. Lancia was standing next to a priestess. Then the enemy charged and he lost sight of Lancia.

The enemy army crossed the rain soaked field and collided with the union army. He watched as union army buckled under the pressure of the charge.

But this was a union army of professional soldiers. They still out numbered their opposition. They stood firm. Lines of soldiers armed with muskets with bayonets.

Then the fire giant charged. The six meter high monster. It was armoured in black plate armour and carried a large sword that was at least three metres long.

With one swipe of the sword he made a hole in the union line the giant pressed forward, flanked by the hill giants and orges.

He could see the union general frantically giving orders. Then a large boulder smashed into ground knocking the general from his steed. He could not tell if the general was alive.

Then the union army broke. He drew his sword ready to join the fight. No duty came first he would need to report this defeat back to General Deallusrwydd Milwrol.