The Lands of Sanetch - Alpha

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

When Marius notices Löcé again as he approaches, Marius speaks up. "Ah, there he is!" Raising his voice a bit towards Löcé: "Hey, over here." When Löcé eventually arrives, Marius will continue speaking. "There you are. Löcé, it seems that most are out because of the harvest. This.." He motions towards Samir with the empty cup in his hand. "..is Samir. He is the innkeeper."

[Skjaldbakka]

"Greetings, Samir. I am glad your people are doing well. When we arrived to an apparently deserted city, I feared the worst."

[iop]

"Ah I am sorry about this disconcerting welcome. I hope the rest of your stay is going to be much more relaxing. Now that all of you are here, please follow me to my inn so that you can move into your rooms and relax. Also, please forgive me for only providing limited service until the evening, as I will help the rest of the village in bringing in the hay. I am sure you will be able to relax well in your rooms, and I will try and organize a dinner with the mayor for you in compensation for the inconvenience."

Samir leaves his things on the village square and beckons you to follow him into the inn.

[ooc]I assume you all follow[/ooc]

The entrance hall is not large, but its walls are covered by expensive wood, and there are decorative carpets on the floors. Samir steps behind the counter to retrieve a large golden key that is decorated with most likely fake, yet impressive jewels, and he leads you up the staircase that is in a straight line with the entrance. You can see a second staircase at a right angle with the first that starts climbing right after the door to the dining room. The counter, the door and the other stairs are all to your left (in this order) seen from the entrance.
Upstairs, there is a single door that Samir opens with the key. It leads to small room that has a beautiful door to the right and a door that is almost invisible to the left. You assume the door to the left must be a servants' entrance. Samir leads you through the decorated door into a L-shaped hallway that opens to a living room that faces the village square, and, after the sharp turn, to three lush bedrooms facing the river. There is a bathroom next to the three bedrooms, and, again, a door for servants, and, as expected, there is a door for servants at the far end of the living room.

"I hope this accommodation is to your likings. I can bring bath water upstairs for you, should you want to take a bath right now. However, I hope you will understand that I must join my fellow villagers right afterward."

[Skjaldbakka]

(after he leaves)

"Does anyone else find it odd that we are being treated so well?"

[Job]

Hector

"I find everything about this continent odd" then realizing he is not being helpful Hector adds "yes no doubt, do you think we should abstain from their offerings, and perhaps see where they have gone?"

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Marius was quite overwhelmed by the luxury. He was led through the inn and when Samir finished speaking, Marius replied. "Ofcourse, ofcourse. Go right ahead, I do not think we will require a bath immediately, right?" He asks to the others. Assuming they say no, Marius adds. "Uhm.. do you.. have something a bit more simple for me? Or perhaps we can discuss accommodations further when you return?"

When he leaves, he looks at the others and listens. "Uhm, I actually think he is being so friendly to get costumers. This is a luxurious place and most likely will cost some coin. In short, he could be hoping to get coin from us. Other than that, his friendliness could just be in earnest. Also, this is a bit too luxurious to my likings.."

[iop]

"Ah, don't worry. For the four of you, taking the master suite is actually less expensive than if you all stayed in a separate room. Of course, if your beliefs prohibit enjoying life, there is always the Pilgrim's inn, where you can share your room with plenty of pilgrims who haven't washed in a while", Samir replies to Marius. "Since you aren't taking a bath yet, I will leave you for the rest of the afternoon. Should you find the accommodation too comfortable, you can always decide to move out tonight, at no charge."
With that, Samir leaves you alone.

[Job]

Hector

“Now that we’re alone…” Hector pauses for a moment before continuing, perhaps not sure if that’s truly the case. “I need to talk to you two. There is something very wrong with our situation, and I would like to know a little more about you if we have to work through it together.”

He sits on the nearest available surface and fiddles with the joining on his armor, a cleaning of his equipment is very much past due. “As you know I serve the lady, Wee Jas, but not in the usual capacity. I’m not a cleric -no- a failed one in fact.” Hector shift uncomfortably, then continues “I was unable to commune, to borrow power, while the others in my master’s tutelage moved on. However the lady did offer me another path: to be her knight, her paladin. If you know of my church then you would find this unusual; to my knowledge very few have ever existed and I have never met another. This is important because I was given something precious, a tool of the lady’s will, but in my carelessness it was taken by the aranea in the same melee that killed him.” He nods to Marius in directing his next comment “You saw it, when I fell to my knees speaking nonsense, I had just lost my link to the shadow. I was using it then to control the aranea similarly to when I used it to scout the carriage we found before the forest.”

“I came to this land to spread the word of the lady, or to find my people here, something I do not discount even given Cuthbert’s dominance. Now it is even more important I find them, I have damaged the link, and I must make amends before my god proper.” Hector sighs heavily “That may be a bit much to tell, and I have more, but I would like us all to share something. Now, to the point, something is very wrong in those woods, even more so then the elves suspect. When I stood beside ‘Ruudi’ I sensed a great power, a festering evil more intense then anything I have experience, and I say that having gone toe-to-toe with a Vrock” he cringes a bit a the demon’s name, as if he hates to have to mention it lest he be called a liar “I know such auras can be faked, but I’m not sure what motivation it could have to use such a spell, especially when it was vital in my detection of the fraud. I fear there are powerful outsiders in play.”

Hector looks up expectantly “Either of you seen anything I may have missed, or any questions?”

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Marius had been listening carefully as Hector spoke, nodding at several times, amongst which was the time he mentioned that Marius saw him speaking nonsense. He seemed to think momentarily when talking about the religion of Wee Jas, but afterwards nodded as well. Now that Hector is finished, Marius seems to ponder a few seconds before replying.

"Then what do you mean that there is something very wrong with our situation? After all, we have left behind the evil you speak of, even seen it fall before our eyes. And perhaps that evil Ruudi.. impersonator had done some great evil recently? It does sound disturbing, I agree, but we know little of the area there and the real Ruudi did not gave me the impression that we were very welcome there. So what would you have us do? And, what must you do to make amends before your lady, Wee Jas?"

[Job]

Hector

“That’s just the thing; I don’t think we have left it behind. There were more fires when we arrived here then when we were in the forest. The elves might be loosing this confrontation, I’ve never seen an army as well equipped or organized as those hobgoblins, or that have aranea whom they can call allies… I know there is little we can do now that the elves –in their infinite wisdom- have bared us from their lands” he stammers a bit and glances nervously at Loce as if expecting him to take offense, but he continues quickly thereafter. “’let’s just say I want to get to Malager quickly, safer for the child, safer for us, and maybe we can warn of potential danger from the forest as we go.”

“I’ll try to commune with the lady tonight during meditation, that might give me some insight in to what to do next.”

[Skjaldbakka]

"Agreed. I, for one, could use some rest."

*ready for advance*

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

"Alright, sounds good. I suppose we will rest here since it is relatively easy and accepting of the offered hospitality." Adds Marius, after which he looks at Hector. "I hope your communing will bring you that insight." And with that, Marius has nothing else to add.

[iop]

You spend a relaxing afternoon. Since there is not much to do in a deserted village, and since it is way too hot and humid outside, you stay in your suite that is, apparently, equipped with a temperature spell to keep it comfortable. Furthermore, the sofas in the living room are so wonderfully soft that you'd need a really good reason to get up - which you don't really have while you are chatting over a chilled drink or two from the very reasonably priced liquor cabinet (there is also more of the house-made lemonade).

When Samir comes back, the sky has turned pitch black. This time there is no doubt that there will be a thunderstorm.
Samir is glad you decide to stay at his place. He mentions to Marius that if his convictions require him to sleep in a somewhat less luxurious bed, there is always the servant's room. Samir asks you to write your name into the guest book. When he sees Marius' name, he asks Marius whether he has a sister, and when Marius confirms this, Samir gets a letter out of a cupboard, which is, indeed, addressed to Marius Thanador. There is no mail for Lócë or Hector.
Samir lets you know that he has managed to arrange dinner with the mayor, Hitasp Dansar for you tonight. Unsurprisingly, Samir would be able to provide you with fresh clothing, and of course, he could have a babysitter take care of the baby while you dine with the mayor.

Spoiler

Show

If you want to give a false name or deviate from what I wrote in any other way, please tell me and I change the story accordingly.
Will you require clothing and/or a babysitter? Do you want to take anything special with you when going to the mayor? Does Marius want to read te letter right away? In public or in private?

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Marius thanks Samir for his efforts after having written his name in the guest book and taken the letter. He tells that he would like to make use of the service of a babysitter. Further, he accepts the luxurious bed and the fresh clothing, the latter in light of the meeting with the mayor, for which he thanks Samir.
After that, Marius takes a few steps away to open the letter and read its contents. He looks very curious as to what might be contained within.

[iop]

Spoiler

Show

Letter has been PM'ed. If there is no other response to Samir's offer, I will move on.

[iop]

Walking through your suite in the fine clothes after a hot bath makes you almost forget the arduous journey that lays behind you. From the servants' room, you hear the baby squeal in delight as the babysitter plays with him, and so it is without worry that you exit the inn.

As you glance over the village square, the contrast to your arrival is striking. Instead of a silent, deserted place under a merciless sun, the village square is full of people streaming toward the square tower that is both the mayor's home and the last line of defense of the village. Frequently, the villagers glance at the sky - the menacing clouds and the strong, humid wind strongly indicate that the thunderstorm is imminent. And they are right. You haven't gone half way across the square, when there is an almost simultaneous flash of lightning and a deafening thunderclap. Everyone freezes. Though as you hear the incoming swooshing sound of the approaching rain, everyone runs for the large gate at the bottom of the tower. It is only with sheer luck that your clothes don't get damaged with all the pushing, but you do make it just in time. People who enter the tower just seconds after you are already soaked to the skin.

You find yourself in a large hall at the foot of the tower. The floor is covered with rough stone slabs like the village square, and there are long wooden benches and tables to accommodate everyone. On the far side of the hall, opposing stairs lead to a small balcony, where two men and a woman are talking. One of the men is a cleric of St. Cuthbert, the other is most likely the mayor. Thus, the woman may be his much younger wife.

The villagers - especially the soaked ones - hurry past you without giving you too much attention while they hunt for a space at one of the tables. However, when one of the villagers, a guy in his late teens with a scar on his cheek, bumps into Hector, he turns around and sneers: "What is cityfolk like you doing here? This is a celebration for all who helped with the harvest, not for fine people like you who are too soft to do real work!"
"Shut up, idiot! They are surely Hitasps invited guests", admonished another villager the teen. "Go sit down and don't stir up trouble."
Turning to you, the villager apologizes. "The boy just doesn't know how to behave. We hope he'll join some band of ragtag adventurers some day to annoy people elsewhere. Anyway, Hitasp will make a speech - a short one, as always, and then Farivar, the cleric, is going to make a way too long blessing. After that, I will bring you upstairs to meet Hitasp. And... if you don't mind, please stand against that wall over there for the moment, so that the others can come in more easily."

You do as suggested, and indeed, Hitasp, the mayor, doesn't speak for too long. He welcomes everyone, says how proud he is that everyone helped, which allowed bringing in the hay just in time... with St. Cuthbert's help, of course. He wishes everyone a nice party and hands over to Farivar. The priest speaks surprisingly well, smartly mixing praise for the people with praise for St. Cuthbert - except that he fails to stop until the audience grows restless. Finally, there is the blessing, and no sooner has he stopped speaking that there are several men and women stepping onto the balcony from the door in Farivar's back carrying steaming food. It is not clear whether the loud cheers are only directed to Farivar or rather to the food, but the priest doesn't seem to care.

The helpful villager stands up as promised, and leads you up the stairs, where you meet Hitasp.

"Welcome to Darsh, travellers", Hitasp greets you, "It is a great pleasure for us to dine with you tonight. Please follow me."

You are led two floors upstairs, where you cross a long spartan hallway with portraits of probably all the mayors the village ever had. Only at second glance you realize that this must be the banquet hall. There are several doors to the left and right, but you head straight ahead. When you arrive at the last portrait, the one of "Hitasp Dansar", the mayor, you turn and pass through a door. Before entering, both Hector and Marius notice the family crest the mayor is holding in the picture. It seems to have the exact same pattern of the cloth that was around the baby.

The new room is a library. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming here, unlike in the banquet hall. The tall room is lit by two chandeliers that seem to float freely in the air, and the walls are covered with rows upon rows of books, some of which appear to be quite ancient. In the center of the room, space has been made for a dining table that would sit eight. There are five covers. One for each of you, one for Hitasp and one for the young woman who couldn't be much over twenty. There are two servants waiting.

Hitasp walks behind the chair at the end of the table, the woman behind the other one.

"Welcome, travelers, to my humble table. Before we sit down, please let me introduce you to my daughter, Barsine." As you want to reciprocate, he shakes his head. "Please, there is a time for everything. Barsine and I have the peculiar custom to invite travelers to our table so they may share some news and knowledge with us. Once we sit down, I ask you to introduce yourself. Explain who you are however you think characterizes you best. Over dinner, Barsine and I will gladly answer questions you may have about the Kingdom of Malager, and we hope you will allow us to satisfy our curiosity. Finally, as your way to thank us for the meal and the company, we ask each of you to tell us a story - about you, about your homeland, or whatever else that comes to your mind. We are not taking any offense if you do not want to share anything about you, but in that case, we would like to ask you to leave now."
After an near imperceptable nod of Hitasp, the two servants move to him and his daughter to pull back the chairs and to let their masters sit down.

[Skjaldbakka]

"I am Silquë'mahtar'urulócë. I am traveling to Maleger to fulfill an ancient debt of allegiance, passed down to me from my ancestors. I am the descendent of the grey elf hero whose name I bear, who fought side by side with Sirdan and Mordekin at the battle of Myrrdin, where many a vile orc and brave hero met their end . . . (he continues to talk about the battle of Myrrdin for awhile - he is somewhat lacking in storytelling ability, but has a great amount of historical accuracy, for anyone who can tell)"

OOC: I had to make up a name for the battle, since we never actually worked any of the details out on that. /OOC

[iop]

OOC

Spoiler

Show

If any character doesn't want to participate, please mention it. I don't mean to railroad you into this (I do actually expect a (short) story from you, if your character participates), I just wanted to take the opportunity to reveal a little bit of background.

/OOC


"Ah, I do remember that story", Hitasp says, interrupting Lócë. "Recently, a bard has come to this table, who told it to us. I suggest that we listen to it while we enjoy some appetizers. The food is not quite ready, since the kitchen is serving the village first."

Hitasp helps himself to an olive which he eats with a bit of bread that he dips in oil, while one of the servants follows Barsine's instructions to remove a crystal ball from a chest in the back of the room and to bring it to her. With a few caresses of her white hand, Barsine brings the head-sized crystal ball to glow, and as soon as the ball is put on a small pedestal in the middle of the table, the face of an aged bard appears in the crystal ball and starts telling the story of Orcbane. The voice sounds as if it was coming from afar, but it still has a lot of power and expression. Truly, with such a storyteller, the evening must have been memorable for Hitasp and Barsine.

This is the story the bard's face tells:
OOC: Story spoilered for length. I was debating to give you a summary only, but then, why not tell you everything? I/OOC

Spoiler

Show

A long time ago, before Orcbane was built, a great evil befell the lands of Sanetch. Some say, the stones were brought to life when the evil sorcerer cursed his persecutors. Wherever they came from, they were ugly and brutal. They had dark skin, black hair, and red, glowing eyes. They spoke a language that hurt the ears and wielded axes and spears that hurt the flesh. Be glad that they have been wiped from the earth so that not even their people's name survived, only the name by which we cursed them: Orc.
Like the plague they came over the cities of the north, and like the plague they did not leave but a handful of survivors. They destroyed the elven city that stood higher than the mountain, and collapsed the dwarven tunnels; they sank the ships in the harbors and trampled the crop on the fields. Not even the hobgoblins and ogres were able to stop the onslaught.
Whoever was able to, fled south, and soon Sdanek grew from a handful of houses into a moloch of tents and huts. The winter that followed was the most terrible ever. People were dying from hunger and cold, because the prairies of Sdanek did not provide wood for heating nor enough food for the masses. And every day, more people were arriving, humans, elves, dwarves and everyone else who survived the orcs.
We people of Sanetch are tough, though, and as soon as spring came, we started to fight back. We tamed the lands south of the river Sdanek. We tamed the horses roaming the prairies. And we let ourselves become untamed, forgetting the old ways that kept us all peaceful and separated, to become the fierce fighters that the times required. The elves shared their lore with the dwarves, and the hobgoblins taught us to fight with abandon.
We fought the orcs in the hills, and we fought them in the swamps, and even though our losses were great, we were able to stop them from advancing. Tourak, Hero of Mugdal, and Mordekin, the elven lord were the great generals who instilled the troups with courage, and outwitted the enemies’ commanders. Soon, we learnt that the orcs did not build ships. This is when the shipbuilders of Malager shone: Within a month they had turned the forests guarding the delta of Kalote into a fleet of ships that was able to carry our troops behind the enemy lines, and before the year was over, only the forest of Orbain was still in the hands of the enemy.
Even though the winter was cold, the fire inside the hearts of our soldiers never diminished. We built two massive towers, one to the east and one to the west of the forest. Nowadays, the Inns of the West and of the East Tower are the only thing that reminds us of the extraordinary will of our people to build despite the cold and the enemy arrows.
When the winter was over, there were not only the rains of spring, but also the blood of the orcs and unfortunately of many a good man to soak the earth. Fighting in the forest was not only much more difficult, but the forest itself had become dangerous, too. Scores of monsters had followed the orcs, above all the spiders with their lords, the aranea. The elves wept hot tears when they learned how their homelands had been defiled. When it became clear that there was no way to push the enemy out of the forest with an all-out assault, we settled on another strategy: Led by the elves, the rangers learnt to become invisible in the woods and to send deadly arrows into the hearts of the enemies, especially their leaders. At the same time, the dwarves started to hollow out the mountains to eventually resurface next to the paths the enemy used to cross the mountains. It was a drawn out battle, but at least our losses diminished, and we were steadily gaining ground. Of course, all of it was too slow for the hobgoblins and the ogres - every now and then a tribe would lose its nerve and venture into the forest to confront a camp of orcs, usually never to be seen again.
It took the dwarves twenty years to dig their tunnels from Darreh to the mountain pass over which the orcs had come pouring. But on the day they broke through the last layer of stone, every single hour they had toiled was rewarded: The tunnels opened to an enormous camp of orcs, a city almost, and the enemy was caught completely unawares. Our forces were heavily outnumbered, but thanks to the surprise effect and the fierce determination of the warriors charging out of the tunnels into the weak underside of the city's belly, our victory was decisive. Maybe a handful of orcs was able to flee into the forest, but compared to the countless numbers that were purged from out land it did not matter. No orc was spared, tall or short, strong or weak, ready or not. However, they did not burn the enemy camp. Instead, they cleaned the houses from all the filth, and they piled the bodies on the main square, and they burned all trace of the orcs in the center of what would soon be called Orcbane. The fire was seen from the two towers, and the pillar of smoke was visible even in Sdanek, and there was great rejoicing. Aside from a few pockets of spiders and their lords infesting the forest of Orbain, Sanetch was ours again.
How I wish the story would end here. Alas, these were the dragonwars, and the worst enemy is therefore yet to appear. Not that they would catch us unprepared again. Not ever. Therefore, when the garrison on top of the mountain pass reported that the limitless plains in the north were crawling with orcs, the fort of Orcbane was built, partly at the foot, partly on top, but mostly within the mountain. Ah, Orcbane. Why did it have to disappear? But I digress. First, it was built, which took thirty years. Never were there more highly skilled masters joining hands, and their work was a marvel to behold, Some say that there was talk about giants joining our side, some say that the dwarves had found lots of ore, fact is that the ceiling in the main hall of Orcbane was three hundred feet high, with pillars decorated with sculptures of the mighty deeds of our heroes. Some of the pillars were hollow, and inside, a magical fire was burning to light up the hall, but most of the illumination came from the ceiling that was bright as the midday sky the day after a rainstorm. This hall was at the heart of the mountain, and through the corridors and rooms that surrounded it flowed the blood of the lands of Sanetch - our mighty heroes. Stronger and stronger this heart began to beat, and further and further we penetrated the mountain, until, finally, we opened a gate to the limitless plains of the north. Like the waters of purification, the blood of the lands of Sanetch poured out of the mountain and started washing away the orcs. Some of our tunnels collapsed the fortifications that the Orcs had built on the flanks of the mountain, killing the garrisons stationed there, but most of the Orcs died by the sword. Seven days and seven nights we fought, and the orcs fell like grass under the scythe of the farmer, until there was no enemy alive within our reach. Tourak, Hero of Mugdal, who by now had become old and frail, wept for the second time in his life - this time with happiness and relief, and many of those who remembered the bitter winters of the occupation did the same. We believed that with this crushing blow, we had once and for all banished the threat posed by the orcs. We knew, of course, that the orcs would come back, and that the victory would not be as easy. But we were ready. We were not afraid.
This changed all too soon. Five years later, the Watch of Orcbane sent out an alarm, and when Mordekin, the elven lord, climbed the tower of Orcbane, the blood froze in his veins: The orcs had arrived with an army that stretched as far as his keen eyes were able to see, they seemed to be highly organized and disciplined, and they were not alone: the orcs were accompanied by such terrible monsters as chimeras, or two-headed giants, and as was learned later, they were commanded by frost giants. But the worst of the enemies' allies where the dragons. Maybe we were to confident, maybe we had forgotten to fight back when the battle was not in our favor, but I think we were just too little prepared for the ferocity of the onslaught, when the day of the battle arrived. And we were definitely not prepared to lose Mordekin the elven lord, our great commander. He was directing our troops from the tower of Orcbane, when suddenly the dragons swiped down from the sky and covered the tower in fire and ice, until finally a huge dragon came down and simply bit off a chunk of the tower. Our losses were terrible on this day. The fortifications we had built on the limitless plains were swept away like sand castles are swept away by the water, and our soldiers were killed as if they were unarmed. Even the mighty gates of Orcbane would not have withstood the onslaught if it hadn't been for Aitan. She had gathered a group of fearless fighters that floated like a boat on the waves of enemies, leaving nothing but death in its wake. Aitan herself killed three of the enemy commanders, one through a falling dragon, and her men killed four more, until the last frost giant standing called back his troops.
There were many tears for the fallen and no shouts of joy when Aitan was given command of Orcbane and all its forces, for everyone feared her. Aitan’s family had been killed when she was nine, when the caravan bringing them to Orcbane had been ambushed by the spiders. Aitan survived buried under the corpses of her loved ones, and when she was found, she was unable to speak. Some say that her soul had died that day; others even claim that she had made a deal with the devil. At any rate, Aitan was adopted by one of Mordekin's guards, and she grew up fighting the aranea in the forests, never speaking, until she butchered an aranea that had disguised itself as her mother with her bare hands. Her first word was DIE!, and starting with this command, all orders she ever gave were immediately obeyed. And orders were all that ever crossed her lips. Most people were terrified of her, if not because of her reputation then of her icy stare and her commanding voice, but those she allowed to fight alongside her spoke with tears in their eyes of how she fought like a lioness to save their lives if ever they were in danger. Soon, there was a saying that "The safest place in the world is next to the hilt, the most dangerous place next to the tip of Aitan's sword". Even her most loyal comrades, however, never reported any sign of kindness from her side. The closest she probably came to showing emotions was toward Mordran, her adoptive father, who was the only one - aside from one powerful healer, Rhador - whom she allowed to touch her skin. It was Mordran, who suggested giving Aitan the control of Orcbane, saying: "We have learned that our enemies do not give up and always come back stronger. We need a leader who can do the same". Of course, there was great opposition to the appointment of Aitan, not the least because she was a woman, which was a problem with some of the races, especially the hobgoblins, and also because she was human and therefore not expected to live long enough to see the end of the battle. But after the devastating loss, where Aitan had been the only island in the storm, there seemed to be no alternative. During the deliberations, there was one very critical moment: The son of an important hobgoblin chief, considered the strongest of all the tribes, tried to touch Aitan, whether it was to rape her or to ridicule her or just to congratulate her for her deeds, no one can say for sure, and Aitan never told. What is known, however, is that the hobgoblin ended up pinned to the wall with his own sword through his head. When the body was found, there was a great clamor - the hobgoblins wanted Aitan's head, and several others were glad of the opportunity to rid themselves of her. Imagine the shock when Helis, captain of the guard, took his sword and rammed it through the dead hobgoblin's heart. And mind you: This did not just mean that he was defiling the corpse of an ally, he was in fact symbolically killing the hobgoblin again, indicating his complete agreement with his killing. One by one, the comrades of Aitan, all highly esteemed heroes, did the same, until it was clear that Aitan was never to be tried by the hobgoblins, and that there would be no obstacle to her ascent. Afterwards, the hobgoblins wanted to leave the alliance, and they most certainly would have dragged the ogres with them, Thanks to the diplomatic skills of the Paladins of Malager, however, who had always had a very good understanding with the other races, the alliance withstood this test, and Aitan became commander of Orcbane.
It became clear very quickly that Aitan had no intent of respecting taboos. She decreed that the infantry, trusted backbone of the army, was useless against the new foe, and that they either needed to become cavalry, archers, or operators of her massive war machines. She also called upon all the mages of the lands of Sanetch for help. So far, they had only served to enchant weapons and to heal the wounded; Aitan used the seers, especially those among the ogre mages to spy on the enemy, and made most of the other mages into warmages. A few select mages were ordered to start researching the elements to summon elementals to fight on our side. She also promoted the use of poison that was extracted from caught spiders and araneas to weaken the enemies, and she started to send small teams of men into the enemy camp to sabotage their supplies. Many resented these changes, most of all the Paladins of Malager, who claimed that she was performing evil acts, at least until the next battle.
The enemy came with large siege equipment to break the doors of Orcbane, and the dragons charged ahead to eliminate any resistance. When the enemy was near, the Paladins of Malager, led by Sirdan the one-eyed (but, as some say, double-tongued), the hobgoblins, the ogre warriors, the lancers of Mugdal and many of the riders of Sdanek made a sortie. Sirdan had claimed that there was no need of all of Aitan's changes, and she had given him the opportunity to prove it. Sirdan's army fought bravely, and they caused a lot of damage whenever they were able to engage orcs or some of the lesser monsters, but as soon as the dragons let fire and ice rain from the skies, our fighters were in grave danger. When the dragons coordinated their attacks on the Paladins of Malager, Sirdan seemed lost. Fortunately for Sirdan, Aitan never allowed herself to lose a good fighter, not even one who openly opposed him. She commanded Sirdan to call for a hasty retreat, and he obeyed. As our troops approached the gates of Orcbane, chased by the dragons, the air suddenly seemed to erupt with arrows, spells, and such winds that instead of fire and ice, it rained dragons. The enemies who had dared to come into the range of our archers died like flies, and all Sirdan and his troops had to do was to take care of those that somehow managed to pass through the curtain of death Aitan lowered in front of the foot of Orcbane. Seeing that it would be impossible to to push this curtain aside, the enemy turned around before they even sent in their main troops. Aitan had won two battles in one: The attack had been repealed, and Sirdan admitted the superiority of her methods.
Yet, Aitan was not happy. All she had done was to defend Orcbane and the lands of Sanetch, she had in no way defeated her enemy. She feared that people would claim that all Orcbane needed was archers and mages, that it would be enough to sit back and defend, and that the other troops should come home. But she knew that unless the enemy was thoroughly defeated, they would come back, stronger each time. She was sure that the decisive victory could only happen during the next confrontation, because later she would not have enough troops at hand to win. This lead to her most daring and probably most dangerous decision: She went with a handful of her most trusted lieutenants and searched for the hideout of the other most dangerous person in the lands of Sanetch: The evil sorcerer. It is rumored that they found him in the swamps between Naregal and Silute, and what they negotiated will forever be the source of endless speculation - what do you offer to a man who once had an entire town under his spell, who knew the secrets of the philosopher's stone, and whose only goal was to become immortal? All that is known is that a few months later, a group of hooded and masked people arrived in Orcbane, who carried leaden chests, and that an entire sub-section of Orcbane was turned over to them. Rumors spread like wildfire, of course, but nothing was known at all about the newcomers, their sub-section was declared off-limits for everyone else, and they never ventured outside. Eventually, the rumors died again, buried under the heavy workload Aitan put on everyone's shoulders to prepare for the final battle.
Two years later, the day of the final battle of Orcbane had arrived. This time, there were no enemy troops that would perish easily under a hail of arrows - they all were heavily armored, or rode in covered siege engines. And the skies were filled with dragons and other foul flying creatures, such as harpies, manticores, and even demons. At the generals' meeting, everyone had at least a lump in his throat. Except for Aitan, who broke one of her rare smiles. Her plans would come to fruitition. Yet, when the generals left the meeting, under strict orders not to speak of what they had heard, most of them were pale, even though they claimed they were confident of winning. The troops were told to wait for the enemy at the gates of Orcbane, and not to move unless ordered. They waited for several hours, watching the supremely equipped much more numerous enemy approach. Yet they stood fast, not flinching despite the seeming hopelessness of their position. As the flying creatures approached, they waited for the arrows and the rays of magic energy - but that never came. Instead, they saw four bright flashes of light, and moments later, the dragons started to attack their allies. The troops stared in awe as they witnessed the most extraordinary battle ever fought in the skies, and slowly it dawned upon some what weapon the mysterious strangers had brought: The evil sorcerer had found a way not only to control humans, but apparently dragons as well! And the dragons were now fighting to defend Orcbane and they were winning. Still, the enemy advanced on the ground, and the battle would have been honorable, but hopeless, had not suddenly the earth begun to tremble opening huge fissures in the ground that swallowed even giants. Those who did not perish on the spot, which were still many, were often panicking, so that when our armies started to attack, it was more of a butchery than a battle. Yet, the enemy was so numerous still that many of them had the time to regroup and fight back. The battle lasted a week with no interruptions, and even with dragons on our side, it was not clear who would win. On the fourth day, the dragons had killed all the enemy flying creatures, but they, too, had been heavily decimated. On the fifth day, Sirdar fell, killed by the great Jarl of the frost giants, but not without wounding him. On the sixth day, Aitan avenged Sirdar, and the battle was won, yet it took another entire day to kill all of the enemies.
Victory was ours. An army so enormous that the glow of the fire from burning the dead was even seen on the other side of the mountains had been utterly annihilated. We controlled now even dragons. But why is my voice not filled with joy? It is not because of the heavy price we paid for peace, even though the deaths of many heroes should sadden us and always remind us of the immense cost of war. No, it is Orcbane that was lost on that day. Exactly what happened, I cannot tell. Was it an accident or a secret weapon of the enemy or an evil machination of the evil sorcerer? All we know is that when everyone was getting toward the great hall of Orcbane, an explosion shook the base of the mountain, and strange poisons filled the air. Few escaped, and those who eventually made it to the cities made very conflicting claims: Some said that the poison still lingered around Orcbane, making it deadly to approach. Others said that some of the heroes had risen from the dead and were now haunting the lifeless fortress. Some even said that the Watch of Orcbane had survived the disaster, but that they had gone mad, and were now killing everyone who approached Orcbane. The only thing that was clear was that it was not a good idea to approach the former pride of the lands of Sanetch, and everyone hoped that our victory had been decisive enough to make it unnecessary to ever do so again. Thus, Orcbane slowly disappeared from the people's memory, and now there is no one who exactly knows where it lies. Fortunately, it seems that our enemies have been defeated for good. But can we ever be sure that there won't be a time when orcs come climbing over the mountains again?

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

"It is an honour to be your guests, Sir Hitasp. I am Marius Thanador, a Healer. If any healing services are required and they are within my powers, I will be happy to offer them. I am currently travelling to meet my sister, who I have not seen in years." After the introduction, Marius' attention is towards Silquë'mahtar'urulócë who continues to tell part of his tale, after which his attention shifts towards the medieval televisio- crystal ball, listening to the tale of the story teller. Afterwards, Marius speaks up. "An amazing tale, I thank you for allowing us to listen to it." Marius leaves some room for further comments from his companions before he tells a tale of his own.

"This is a tale of something I experienced quite some years ago. I was travelling alone, hoping to offer healing to those in need and to go where the light of Pelor would lead me. I came across the village of Ternagee, a small rural village where cows and sheep adorned the grassy hills around it. All seemed well as I passed through the village and sought a place to rest. I decided to stay at the local inn and the people were friendly. I asked if my services would be needed, but the innkeeper knew of nobody who would immediately need aid.

At the first sign of dusk, however, the windows were shut. I thought it was a little early, but it seemed that the villagers feared those who wandered the night. They told of evil hags who would visit the village at night and turn all those still wandering about in bushes and trees. While I found this odd, there were three others residing in the inn who found this strange as well and wanted to act upon it. They were travellers as well, adventurers in fact. A strong and rough human, Roderick Gruck, a nimble elven ranger, Vadanthia Meliamne, and a cunning half-elven tribal mage, Fred Marker. While the innkeeper would not let them out to explore the area at night, I overheard them setting up a plan for the day after.

They, in turn, heard of my capabilities and invited me to join them in their efforts to find out what was going on. I accepted, for I felt that I could help the people in the village with it. The next day, we stayed outdoors, waiting for anything to come. We waited throughout the eve and night, but nothing appeared. The villagers were scared and wanted us to go away, but one old man was helpful enough to point us to what he suspected to be the source of the trouble. In a forest near the village, one of the hags was supposed to live.

We went to the forest and explored it, eventually finding a small path that would lead to a small and old house. We approached it cautiously, but when we entered we only found a deserted home, with cobwebs and dust. We returned to the village, but dusk had already fallen. As we moved through the forest, we heard something move near us. Wary, we called it out. Moments later, we found ourselves attacked by a fierce wolf. It attacked with a howl and sped by the trees to attack us in our midst. With a swift attack, it had tripped Roderick and threatened the likes of Vadanthia. What followed was a fierce battle, as it seemed that the attacks of Roderick and Vadanthia only caused wounds which the wolf swiftly healed from.

As I healed my companions, Fred Marker prepared his tribal magic to confuse and overpower the wolf. This was no ordinary wolf, as his magic showed. As confusion beset the wolf it changed to become a wolf in the shape of a man. Vadanthia and Roderick tried to beat down the wolfman and they did seem to have success after much strenuous efforts. Vadanthia used a handful of silver-tipped arrows, and these proved to cause lasting wounds. The wolfman manage do strike down fiercely upon them, however, but where the wolfman healed swiftly of the physical strikes of Roderick and Vadanthia, Roderick and Vadanthia healed swiftly with my back up. Eventually, the wolfman turned into a wolf once more and fled. We were unable to catch up and so had to retreat further to the village.

On the way back, we also met an elderly lady. She was almost blind, and told us that she could not handle light very well. She offered to sell us plants, amongst which were flowers and bushes and she seemed happy to finally see some people at night. We thanked her kindly for the offer, but we were in no need of that. When we saw she wanted to go deeper in the forest, we offered to accompany her because of the wolfman threat. She said she did not need aid, but we insisted.

Protecting her, we moved back in the forest, and eventually came back to the cottage we had visited before. It was her cottage, but she never used the normal floor. Instead, she used the cellar, which we had not found and which had been locked anyway. At least, it was supposed to have been, as it was open now. Entering, we found a bleeding man. She moved quickly to him, and we found out that her son had been injured. He told it was because of a wolf, but when I examined his wounds they were not that of a wolves attack. They matched the wounds we had given to the werewolf.

Apparently, her son was a werewolf who had been killing and eating people at the nights of the full moon in town. When the people closed their homes at night, the time the woman sold her plants every so often, she found no more costumers. She left a few bushes, hoping that they would remember her. Instead, they believed her to be a hag who turned people into bushes, since the corpses of the killed people were dragged away..

Unfortunately, a cure for his affliction was not within our reach immediately. We decided to take him along to a bigger city and seek for a cure. Roderick wanted to kill the werewolf, but it would break the mother's heart, so we stopped him from doing so. I was able to provide the lady with better eyesight before we left, so that she was able to see Pelor's light in greater glory again. We explained what had happened to the villagers, but they were still wary. Luckily, the woman was now able to sell her plants during the day.

We travelled to a greater city and there, with divine help, the curse was broken. The son was relieved and returned to Ternagee. I travelled a while with Roderick Gruck, Vadanthia Meliamne and Fred Marker, but eventually our paths separated again."

[iop]

"This is a very interesting story. Indeed, things are not always as they appear, but it is often difficult to see past the façade", says Hitasp as Marius finishes his story.

Time flies when there are stories to listen to. Therefore, you have almost finished the main course, "trout in a bag" - fillets of trout that has been caught in the river in the morning that have been baked together with various spices inside a thin, now crispy, envelope of yeast dough, served on crispy salad leaves with a '28 hobgoblin white that perfectly rounds off the dish.

"It is fortunate that there aren't any werewolves around here", says Barsine. "Although it is said that some of the aranea from the Dragonwars still haunt the forest of Orbain. But we haven't heard of anyone sighting these... could one call them were-spiders?"