Dragnar mumbles his thanks, but his normally even and calm countenance appears troubled.  The troubled look remains until the party reaches the outskirts of the town.

What those troubles are, the skald does not reveal.

_________________________________________________________

"We cannot dally long, though -- if we are to rescue the survivors, that is."

Klaengr nods in agreement with the skald's assessment. "We need at most one good night's rest somewhere dry and warm. We will not be idle, to be sure. We will forge a plan to do just that. Rescue the survivors...and slay every last orc who does not have the good sense to turn and run!"

The cleric rubs his hands together to warm them from the chill. "If we could be assured of not drawing the ire of the entire clan, it might be worthwhile to attempt to quietly pick off orcs that have strayed away from their main lot. But, great risk lies in that route."

"The safer measure is to expect a massed response. Orcs may be stupid, but make no mistake, they have keen battle sense."

In reply to Klaengr Aegirson (msg # 398):

Erik with his short legs struggled to keep pace but at least his immense stamina meant that he was not too puffed when they came to a halt. even though the speech was stuttering he did enjoy conversing with Sigurd and correcting the grammar as he saw fit. Although tired and wet from an uncomfortable night, Erik wasn't comfortable in making comment on what to do next. Happy to follow everyones lead till such time as he deemed that it may be better for him to part ways. But that would not be now.

"While I agree that we are in a battered state, friend, we simply cannot wait an entire day, or even an evening.  Those people down there will surely be tortured and killed, at least the lucky ones.  No, we need to find a way to deal with this.  I believe we need to watch and wait.  Wait for the darkness.  Find a vantage point so that we can observe them and make a plan.  We may be few in numbers but a well thought out approach under the cover of darkness may just give us the advantage we need."

Looking over the scorched and smoldering city, he attempts to look for any means of entering without using the 'front door'.

"What about that mote?  The town must receive its water from somewhere."

"Ahk, nevermind.  My eyes are playing tricks on me for their is no moat.  Still, there must be some method of entry we can exploit."

Sigurd looks grim. "I fear the prisoners may not survive the night. The orcs and ogres look to be readying a grand feast. I know of a safe place on the far side of town where our party could recover...or at least the most wounded among us. Those of us that were not so badly hurt need to act. What's left of my town may not survive, otherwise."

To Vermundr, Sigurd adds, "There are several wells around town where we get water."

Klaengr nods in understanding of Vermundr and Sigurd's points.

"If we are to strike before resting, we need to come up with a plan. Can you draw a map? Show us where the orcs have set up guards." He holds out a stick with which Sigurd can sketch out a crude map on the ground."

He also asks if Sigurd thinks it possible to reach and free the captives without the orcs detecting him? If the captives can aid in the fight, or even add confusion, it might go a long way toward improving their chances of success. Finally, Klaengr suggests he has a spell that can be used to either silence enemy casters, or aid Sigurd in freeing the captives.

"Amund and Geri can scout the area and you, Sigurd, you seem able also.  As Amund said, Amund could scout and get a count of what Amund is up against."  He pulls out his bow and plucks the string.  "And maybe pick off one or two of those Jotunn loving bastards at the same time.  Sounds like a good hunt, doesn't it Geri."

Still sore from the previous night, Geri isn't as eager as usual to go a-hunting...

"I can send Davion as well.  He's got good eyes."

The raven on Dragnar's shoulder looks at everyone with an expression suggesting he's waiting for something.

Sigurd nods at Amund and Dragnar. "I wish I had my bow, still. The sn'orks are likely using it for kindling in their bonfire. If we move silently, we may be able to take out a few sentries and if we're lucky, we may find a path to get the prisoners out and to safety."

"We can't siege the Bailey, and I hate to think of using it as a position, but if the victims could recover there while we held it, a day or two, we might could recover the entire town." Ludvig looked to Klaengr for his input, but was addressing the entire group.

"I may be beat up but don't count me in the grave quite yet.  Get me to a higher position...my axes are just as deadly from a distance.  Worse case, I serve as a distraction."

Many plans and suggestions are offered, but no one leaps into action, all awaiting some consensus, or commanding presence.

Although the distance is great, Sigurd explains that what Ludvig cannot see is that many sections of the bailey have been knocked down. Wulfgar, who had actually been inside the walls, tells a terrifying tale of the ease with which the mighty Blue Jotunn had smashed, kicked and knocked down sections of the wall without effort.

It seems clear that Davion could soar above the ruins and scout, would the bird be able to share the information gleaned? Could the strange skald actually talk to animals? The battle between accepting him, and pushing away his strangeness rages on within much of the party, only Geri (and perhaps Amund) accepting him fully.

"Dragnar, can you send your raven to scout?"

Klaengr's god, Aegir, spoke to the seabirds often, so such feats were not startling to him. The ability to speak with animals if a gift from the Gods.

"Any news we can gain before making our assault would go a long way toward quickly settling the issue so we can set out to slay orcs and liberate the survivors."

While awaiting the skald's response, Klaengr studies the lines and figures of Sigurd's crude map.

"If we can approach the outlying buildings and slowly pick off groups of no more than four orcs at a time, this might be doable."

Scratching the back of his neck he adds, "The key is to not bite off more than we can chew all at once. As much as I would like to wipe all of them out at once, and The Gods know I do! I much prefer to kill small groups of them at a time rather than face a throng of their numbers."

He further explains the plan as such...

He will first chant, before the party enters the outlying village. He has a single silence spell. He would like to save this to drop on spellcasters, after they fight their way into the village, but can use it also to mask their approach, if the party feels this is a better use of the spell. The group needs to establish a rally point, in the event the battle becomes lop-sided. He of course considers other input, but the majority seem compelled to act now rather than wait.

"Fight strong. Fight well. Fight victorious!" he chants slowly in an effort to steel the parties nerves before taking on their mission.

"Yes I can.  I'll send him to locate and report back about their scouting party.  Or parties."


Dragnar whispers a few words to the bird, which looks at him with seemingly expressionless eyes.  It then emits a croak, extends its wings, and takes flight.

"Use the cover of night...we can glide right up to the walls themselves.  Easy entry and viewpoints through the smashed sections."

The Raven returns from his scouting. The party can take out one or two scouting groups if they wish, and are confident that none will get away. The are actually enough of you that should be able to lure a group of four or five into an ambush with a good chance of none getting away.

If one does get away, however, it blows your cover, so it's really your call, winnow down their numbers and hope for the best, or stay hidden and face their full complement later.

Vermundr's suggestion seems sound, Wulfar and Sigurd will both tell you that the earthen motte was not designed to defend against people trying to climb there, the palisades had been the defensive structure.

The question now is, has the party stayed out from the center, or moved in to the building Sigurd marked out as a good waiting point. It is about half way thru the town on the way to the stronghold.

Klaengr listens closely as Dragnar relays the Raven's tidings.

"A keen friend you have there," he comments to Dragnar in reference to the magnificent raptor. "You do Huginn and Muninn proud," he says while addressing the raven. He is of course referring to the pair of ravens who routinely report to Odin the All Father on doings within Midgard.

Returning to the discussion of strategy, Klaengr suggests they attempt to make it to the stronghold within town, using the Raven as a spy to help them arrive there without being observed by packs of roving orcs.

Once at the stronghold, the party hunkers down, observes activity in the village and quickly eliminates any orcs who might come rummaging through the stronghold. The party might also use this stronghold as a base of operations for covert activity to take out small groups of orcs milling through the town.

The orcs are likely to be less active during the day, so any eliminations will be helpful come nightfall.

"Is this agreeable?" he asks of his companions.

"The orc leaders and most of the troops are inside the fortress. I know of a safe house - a former inn with places we can hide if needed. There may even be some food or supplies left. Who can say? I say we move there, and take out any patrols of orcs we find along the way.

"Also, I'd rather not wait for night to rescue the prisoners. Orcs tend to see well at night, and I'm not sure how long the prisoners will last if they hold a victory feast."

Dragnar smiles at Klaengr's praise.  It's the first time in a while that anyone has been cordial since Dragnar helped bring about the Jotunn's demise.


"Davion reports there are many dead and decaying bodies . . . and many orcs. He thinks he has spotted what appear to be casters, but I instructed him to stay clear of them if he found them, lest they use their arts to discover him.

The ogres are presently asleep.  He also found approximately twenty prisoners, some of whom are hurt.  And, worst of all, it appears that a human sacrifice is planned for after dark.  This isn't uncommon among those who worship the darker god; part of their victory feast, as Sigurd has said.  So I suppose that sets a time frame for whatever we plan to do."

Dragnar turns back to the bird and chats with it while the others digest the information.

"Did you say the ogres were currently sleeping?!  While I think Sigurd may be on to a good plan, that is almost an opportunity we cannot pass up.  If we can find a way to dispatch the ogres we could seriously turn the tide in our favor."

Vermundr drags his fingernail back and forth across one of his throwing axes, the metallic ring punctuating his comments.

"I have never met a man who speaks to animals," turning towards Dragnar, "but I shall nay speak ill of one from this time on."

The debate as to timing progresses, with options being bandied about.

Dragnar favors Vermundr with a nod and a smile.  He then reports: "There may be only two casters; one wanders about but the others prefers to stay indoors.  Sadly, it doesn't appear he stays in any particular building.

The prisoners are not caged; they are shackled to spikes driven into the ground and spread around the town. This could make things difficult, as rescuing them is going to be a time consuming affair."

Dragnar's look turns grave.  "And worse . . . they've already sacrificed some last night.  So that's obviously going to continue."