It seems a straightforward fight.

The Hun Flag Troop has gone up the hill, the ancient Oppidum de Boviolles where once the Celts had a settlement, before the Roman town of Nasium existed.  The earth and stone exterior wall weathered away centuries ago, for the most part.  But the settlement left the hill with a flat, open top, which the flag troop needs for their signals to be seen above the trees.

Further to the north, the Huns dispatch reinforcements, as soon as they see a troop of cavalry headed to the hill.  The fight will have to be a quick one.

There isn't much time for everyone to get to know each other, but at least, the riders are mostly Burgundian- they don't need much introduction, they all came north with Heolstor last autumn.

Maki joins the charging cavalery from the side. He rides with them until he reaches the last few trees. There he dismounts his horse and takes his bow into his hands.

OOC: Maki stops at R22

 Tugdual is ready for a fight, but he does not want to make things too easy for the orcs... they have the higher ground, that is a fact, but he can still deprive them from some of their advantages.

 Despite his freakishly leonine features, the druid casts a spell while the cavalry climbs the hill. For those of the orcs who had had the chance to watch the Sleet Storm, well here comes the sequel : Ice Storm. And as always with sequels, it is disappointing : like a action infused version of the first one, with a lot more explosion and drama...

 A bitter cold bites all on the hill, it is brief but intense, with bits of ice, a sharp blizzard and strong winds.

 The damage dealt should bring enough confusion in enemy ranks to let the cavalry approach and deal with them hand-to-hand.

  ice storm, 3d6 bludgeoning + 2d6 cold damage, centred on the flags

The charge up the hill begins.

Tugdual launches his ice storm.  It catches a few of the Orcs, felling a handful around the flags.  The Orcs are not tightly grouped, however, having adapted their tactics to deal with "Dirty Elf Magic".  The spell has another effect, though- the Orcs realize they are up against a spell caster!  To them, all spell casters are wizards, and wizardry is one of the worst things about Elves.  Or any friends of Elves.  The cry goes up, in Orcish, of course:  "Kill the Wizard!  Glory and Reward for the slayer of the wizard!"

Exactly who is the wizard presents a problem, though.

The Orcs solve it.  There are two Orc riding on Worgs who seem more important, and smarter than the others.  One figures out that Tudual is it.

However... Tugdual now has a wedge of Burgundian cavalry between him and the Huns.  The Worg Riders try to inspire their troops to make a stout defense, but the Ice Storm is blocking the shortest path to where they have to be.  They begin to move, but it seems the horse men will hit a weak line.

From his position, Maki cannot see the leaders except as heads bobbing above the fray.  But he has clear shots against the Orc warriors forming the defensive line.

Nearby, Tavi casts plant growth on the forest to the left flank.  That is where the Orcish reinforcements are headed.

Maki didn't have spells available, like the two members of the cavalery that remained seemed to have. Still he planned on being useful. He fired two quick shots towards the group of orcs that were right in charging cavalery's path. He hoped he'd losen their defence a bit this way.


OOC: Firing at B1 - 14
This message was last edited by the player at 19:01, Sat 14 Sept 2013.

The ice storm helped scatter and disperse the Huns.  They can't form a solid wall against the horsemen, so some of them begin to work their way around the flank.

Maki shoots arrows to soften up what line the Huns do have.
(He does not have bard spells, but he does have other bard powers, including a few that can be very valuable with a large group of troops.)

The two worg riders rally their few troops for a spirited defense, as Tugdual charges in with the cavalry.

The blond girl with the magic looks back at Maki.  She calls out to him in very strongly and strangely accented Germanic:  "Come with us, keep up!"

It takes him a moment to place the foreign accent.  She is one of the Slavic people- Maki has heard of them, but they are rarely seen.

 Tugdual rushes forward with the cavalry, ready to tear through armour and flesh alike with his oversized and magically enhanced claws and fangs.

 He saves his magic tricks for now, and while targeting one of the orcs to pounce on, he wonders who the leader is... a champion, a shaman, a demon ? That would have to be his priority target once they have broken the line of defence.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:43, Mon 16 Sept 2013.

Maki fires one more arrow, before their cavalery hits the defending Orc position. Once they do he quickly puts his bow away and starts to folow big man that casted a spell just moments ago.
He was suprised that the man has not stayed back and fought from the distance. But judging by his size, he wasn't an ordinary wizard by far.

As he moved, he started to sing quite loudly, so even those fighting could hardly over hear him.

Climb into the ring for a battle that you can't win
Swing as hard as you can swing, it will still mean nothing
Should’ve seen it coming
It had to happen sometime
But you went and brought a knife
To an all out sword fight

And the only thing to save
Is the banner that you wave
To be wrapped around your grave....

OOC1: Maki inspires courage to allies

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
OOC2: If you can't guess it, original: This Means War - Nickelback

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This message was last edited by the player at 16:59, Mon 16 Sept 2013.

Backed by Maki’s song, the cavalry makes an uphill charge into a very weak Orc line.  Tugdual goes in with the others.   The Orcs are cut down quickly… except for the two riding Worgs.

One of these makes his own desperate charge, into the flank of the attack, unseating a rider and hurling him down.  The Orc is instantly in the thick of the Human cavalry, outnumbered, by fighting ferociously, with desperation and fury.

The other is… well, clearly not an Orc.  Not an Orc but trying to look like one- Hun armor conceals almost all his features.  But where it does not, bright red skin can be seen.  And the proportions are off, like the big hump on the back. And there is the tail.  Orcs do not have tails.  This one does.

The rest of the Orc troops are moving to intercept, but their position is terrible.  Scattered infantry, facing a wedge of rushing cavalry.  It does not look like there is any

Quite suddenly and unexpectedly, between the horsemen and the flags, a wall of fire shoots up.

Maki continued to sing, though he stopped and took his bow and arrow once again.

"Say anything you want
But talk will get you nowhere
The only thing you've brought was psychological warfare
Well there’s no getting out
And now you got to wonder
Who will dig you out when you’re six feet under"

As the last word is spoken, the arrow flies towards one of the scattered Orcs. Although Maki does not believe they are a match for the cavalery, they could still pose a threat if they managed to regroup and flank. He was going to prevent that.

With a corner of an eye he noticed the fire, and wondered if the Huns might have a shaman on their side.

OOC: Firing at U13, R12

 Tugdual wanted to tell the cavalrymen to go around the wall of fire... but the only thing that came out of his throat was a powerful roar. He did not now what it could achieve, perhaps chill the orc's blood, or cheer up his own allies...

 The leonid druid had found his target. A demon riding a worg. That would make for a fantastic story. And there was a bard there to witness it first hand...

 The oversized lion charged and pounced on the red-skinned rider, his claws aimed for the rider, he tried to bite his head off in the same motion and bring him to the ground in a deadly grapple.

Tugdual engages the Demonic worg rider in a fierce one-on-one battle.  Both combatants have unnatural strength.  There are two cavalry men nearby, but they hesitate to join this fight.  It’s too quick, too fluid.

Instead, one of them attends to one of the fallen, the other keeps a lance at the ready… in case Tugdual needs help.

Tavi uses an Entangle spell.  It creates a “killing field” for Maki, who finds it easier to hit Orcs who are caught up in the entangling brush.  It also further disrupts the Orc response.  They are forced to move around the Entangle spell, and they can only respond to Maki and the cavalry in a scattered, uncoordinated way.

The cavalry reaches the area of the flags, and the opposition is still light.  But they can see… if they wait to long, the roles of attacker and defender will reverse.  From up here they can see the force the Huns have dispatched to counterattack.

 Suddenly, Tugdual was lost in a duel to the death. The battle around this confrontation was still going on, troops were fighting, moving, recovering, decisions had to be made, but on this small corner of hill, the Lion and the Demon were fighting without a thought for all this.

 The two of them had turned into a whirlwind of fur and claws, of blood, leather and pain, and only one of the two would come out standing on its paws...

 The two riders had best stay away from the frenzy of this deadly grapple. If the druid was in serious trouble at some point, he would return to his human shape to recover some of his health ; and surely the two soldiers would then move in to help.

 Lost in his duet, Tugdual had no idea that reinforcements were on their way... and not on their side.

Maki saw and heard the ferocity of the lion. He got gosebumps just from watching, and he was glad he was nowhere near them.

Although he wouldn't mind sitting back and watch the duel unfold, he saw that they had to act quick. More arrows shot from his bow towards his enemy.


OOC: Continue shooting with my bow, until the huns get to 10ft or so.

Tugdual’s Demon opponent fights like, well, a Demon.  One of the two nearby cavalrymen, exploiting a moment of opportunity, hits the Demon with a spear.  It snaps.  Tugdual recalls a warning given to Arctos at the Battle of Beda:  “Conventional” soldiers are not effective, fighting against Demonkind.  Their chances of hurting the Demon are slim amd they put themselves in great peril.

The battle between Tugdual and the Demon is a close match.  Both wound the other, neither can gain much advantage.  But while it is a one-on-one draw, it has wider effects.  The Demon is focused on Tugdual, and cannot rally or command the Orcs.  The cavalry scatters the last of them from the hill.  With a rope and grapnel, one of the horsemen topples one of the flags.

This, the Demon sees, and it is not happy.

Meanwhile, the Orcs on the “lower flank” do not see that behind them, the hill is fallen.  They are after the “wizard”, Tavi.  From what they are shouting, they seem to think she is an Elf, and Orcs hate Elves so strongly it is psychopathic.  Even as Maki hits and kills another one, they run towards the both of them, having bypassed the Entangle spell.

Tavi is strong and quick but not very skilled at close combat.  She wounds and Orc, hitting it with her staff, but then she is wounded, struck hard by an Orc’s mace.

Maki does not hasitate. In a blink of an eye he already has two swords in his hands. He uses speed to his advantage as he tries his best to defend the elven woman.

"Try and move behind me." He said to her, as he slashed with both his weapons towards the two orcs.

 Tugdual relentlessly continues the fight. The large jaws bite through the armour and the demonic flesh... but that hardly seems to be enough. The grapple grows in intensity, but the druid has no choice but to keep on fighting, slashing with his claws, biting with his fangs, and generally hoping that he has not underestimated the might of this otherworldly warrior...

Tavi backs up behind Maki as four Orcs close in.

The cavalry men take the flags down, and break the pennants free from the poles.  It’s not just a pride thing.  They don’t want to stay here, and this will keep the Huns from simply putting the flags back up again.


Demons are not completely invulnerable to the acts of ordinary mortals.  Just mostly.  And the difference between mostly and completely…

Tugdual is fighting the thing to an exhausting, bloody draw.  But after tearing down the remaining flags, the cavalrymen loop back to see what’s going on.  And several of them decide they are going to help.  The captain of the troop, a young Burgundian named Glarigg- with the look of a young glory-seeker about him- rushes the Demon from behind while the horrid thing is focused on Tugdual, and scores a hit with his lance.

It is the opening Tugdual needs to turn the tide.  With the Demon’s attention divided, he lands several mortal blows in rapid succession.

The Demon howls.

At once, the Orcs, who have been closing on Tavi and Maki, sense something has gone wrong.  With a Demon at their fore, they will fight unto certain death, but when that power fades… Orcs can know fear and self preservation and they look around… their hill has fallen.  They turn and flee, as Tugdual and a small knot of the bravest of the riders finish off the Demon.

Maki, although determined to fight, was still glad that the Orcs began to flee. One or two he might handle, but with four he would could be in serious trouble. Luckily it didn't came to that.

"Are you allright?" He turns towards Tavi. "We should return to the main group, before their reinforcements reach us." He added, as he headed to his horse. Once up he went towards Tugdual.

"My good man that was some impressive work worthy of a song. May i learn your name?"

 Tugdual was bloodied. A bloodied lion with overgrown fangs, scary claws and a worn out suit of leather armour.

 The demon fallen, he considered his task done, or almost so. He wished Arctos would have witness the scene. They should talk about this later over ale and a pipe.

 The gathered its strength and roared over the melee, a powerful roar that would be heard all over the valley, chilling the orcs to their bones. The last drops of hie energy had gone into that last stunt, and the king of the jungle resumed his mere human shape.

 Once again, Tugdual was an old man, in grey tunic and worn out armour, resting on his oaken shillelagh.
  "Tugdual, of Vosego Sylva," he finally introduce himself. "Good to meet you, young man."

 Despite the intensity of the duel, Tugdual had noticed the bard and his inspiring abilities. He advised :
  "Spare no details when you recollect the story of flag hill... and get that young Burgundian name ; his lance pierced a demon heart."

  "Gather the flags ! Wave them in all directions, confuse the orcs and their officers. Most of them will not fall for it, but a few will."

Almost instantly as the Tugdual announced his name, Maki got inspired.
With a swift move he already had his double headed lute in his hands. As he striked the strings while still on his horse, it was a good thing the animal heard him perform a few times before, so it did not get spooked.

His wild germanic nature showed as soon as the Skald opened his mouth as the words were rough and hard, aimed at the enemy that has already fleed.

Weil Tugdual, of Vosego Sylva uns gesandt
verkünden wir den Hun's Untergang.

Er ist wie ein Gewitter
er kommt zu dir du kannst es hören
es kund zu tun ist ach so bitter
er kommt zu dir um zu zerstören.

Die Wahrheit ist ein Chor aus Wind
kein Engel kommt um euch zu rächen
diese Tage eure letzten sind
wie Stäbchen wird Tugdual euch brechen.

As soon as the inspiration for the song ended, Maki realised what language he has used. He grinned as he sang the song again, but this time in common language.


Because Tugdual has sent us
we're announceing the Hun's downfall.

He is like a thunderstorm
he comes to you, you can hear it
to reveal it, is oh so bitter
he comes to destroy you.

The truth is a choir of wind
no angel is coming to avenge you
these days are your last
Tugdual will break you like little sticks.

OOC:The original of this song:

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Der Meister - Rammstein

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The troops on flag hill realize they don't have a lot of time for playing games with the captured Hun pennants.  The Hun reinforcement troop is on its way up the hill and the light cavalry is much better suited for raiding instead of defending.  And, they would be very outnumbered.  They know its best that they don't get pinned down.

 They regroup to head back to the main force, but there, just a little way further down the hill, is Gondioque, daughter of Gundobad.

One of the Burgundian riders recognizes her and rides up.

“You would have witnessed a spectacular battle,” he says.  “Not on our part, the Huns could hardly hold the hill against us, and we are hopefully befuddling them with their own flags.  But we must leave, many more are coming.”

Geoff stiffens, but Gondioque takes the lack of honorific in stride. Time to go, but two things are necessary: The Lady Tavi must be taken with you, and the demon's body also. The Huns can make a magic implement from at least one part of it.

Gondioque then turns and starts toward the west and a little south.

 Tugdual whistles and Vurambix comes near. The mighty aurochs had followed the cavalry this far, and his dangerous gore would once again come to service if they were to charge again.

  "Done and done, Lady Gondioque."
 The druid had no idea who she was, but if the riders looked up to her, there had to be a good reason.

 With help from a few solid young men, the old Tugdual loaded the corpse of the demon on his faithful companion. The large bovine did not seem to like it very much, but with the druid speaking in a soothing voice and riding with him, he executed the task pretty well.

 In less than a minute they were ready to leave flag hill.

Maki aproaches as well. "My Lady it was a swift and clean victory on our part. They seemed to have a demon in their ranks as well, but good man Tugdual made short work of him." The skald smiled, and briefly looked over to the man near them.

He sure had a good story to tell from all of this. And thanks to the victory his moral was as high as ever.

Good says "Lady Gondioque." One wonders if there's time to take the flags. Then I think one should worry about being flanked. Ad she adds something strange...Just making observations.

  "Taking the flags with us will not take long... What do you mean, being flanked ?" asks the druid with an air of suspicion.

 He makes sure the demon is properly tied on his aurochs and starts moving towards the small town.

  ooc : is it normal for NPC to appear in the middle of the battlefield ? do we know about "lady gondioque" ?

"I agree, they are getting close. Maybe we should let them recapture the hill, but strike them later again. Though no doubt they will fortify it harder." Maki said, looking around to assess the situation.


OOC: She leads my unit
This message was last edited by the player at 18:32, Mon 30 Sept 2013.

ooc : all right, I did not read your thread from before you joined us, so I was a bit surprised...

Why so few troops with the flags? Stupidity? Hoping to catch you with the reinforcements getting between you and the main body? Distraction? If the enemy has brains, they'll want to partially surround you, at least, or move you in the direction they want, probably into forested land. Has Forestfriend Tavi here (gestures) talked with you or the commanders?

The Burgundian cavalry man who helped finish off the Demon, Heolstor's appointed lieutenant Glarigg, directs everyone's attention back to the Demon.

They look back at the Demon's body.  It's vanishing before their eyes.  Thousands of ants have appeared, as if out of nowhere, and they are voraciously devouring it.  Almost all of it... the teeth, long and black and pointed, are left behind, and fall to the ground one by one.


"Another good reason not to delay," Glarigg says, with a warrior's disgust for the supernatural.  "Let us get away from that."

He turns his horse south, heading down the hill away from the oncoming mob of Hun reinforcements.

And then, at the bottom, west, up towards the positions held by the joint army of Humans, Elves, and Dwarves.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 16:46, Fri 04 Oct 2013.

Gondioque observes, though not without glancing to judge the closeness of danger. Assuming there's time, she rides to the demon's teeth, takes a small sack out of her saddlebag, and (with leather-gloved hands) picks up and stows the demon's teeth. Sir Montcalm, with Geoff and Windfreid holing the horses, may help. Then they canter away south and then west.

Maki observes Gondioque pick up the remains of the demon.

Almost quietly he seems to chant. "From whence you came you shall remain,
Until you are complete again."

Saying that he follows the others away from the hill, and towards their allies main forces.

 Tugdual does not seem disgusted by the disappearance of the demonic corpse. To him, this seems as natural as it can get ; a being of supernatural essence, borrowing matter from the earth and giving it back...

 The druid kneels and gathers what remains of the fallen demon, dust and black teeth, and keeps it safe and sheltered in a flask.

 Without a word, he mounts the heavy aurochs and follows the Burgundian cavalry.

Gondioque, seeing somebody taking care of the demon's remains, fllows her intention of going south by southwest and then west to high ground. And Tavi...?

 ooc : sorry, I missed your post ; I didn't mean to snatch the demon's teeth from Gondioque.
 Although I must say that if it's the same to you, I'd like to extend my collection of demonic remains...

OOC: Done and done.

ooc : very well then.

 Thus equipped, Tugdual lead the way from the place that should henceforth be known as Flag Hill back to the streets of Nasium. This skirmish had been a success, but the battle was not won yet.

Maki continues to follow Gondioque along the paths she choses. His spirits remained high after that little victory, though he hopped he could help more soon.

Gondioque rides back to the high ground where she can observe. As they ride, she turns in the saddle (much easier with Voca's stirrups) and smiles. Well done, bard. A command for you: When the time is right for it, make sure you mention yours among the deeds of this day. She adds Not a princess, but as a prospective auditor.

When they arrive, Gondioque voices some of her thoughts while Geoff and Windfreid (especially) look around to avoid surprises. It may be we'll be involved in caring for the injured or in aiding the return of the Burundians to their homes. Other possibilities there are...unlikely ones, involving negotiations.

She pauses. Strange...I would have thought the Huns would have better generalship.

The group heads south, and up to the high ground just south of the "defended area"  The Burgundian riders who made the charge up the hill with Tugdual really feel as if they ought to be returning to the main battle.

But where, and how?  The Huns seem to have had their attack broken up- the timing of different groups was confused by the flags.

Maybe not for long.  Already, the group can see.. the Huns have retaken "Flag Hill", and with a much larger force now.  And they are putting up new flags!

"Reserve flags," one of the horsemen complains.  "Those dirty, sneaky..."

Or is it too late?  Has the coordination been lost to the point where new flags won't help?  It's hard to tell.  From here, the group can see the east flank of the battle area, but not the rest.  By forcing the battle into an urban area, the allies took a risk.  It is hard to control and observe over an urban area, and Arctos and Anakri gambled that chaos would favor them more than the Orcs.

Still, from the current position, the party can see:

1)  East across the valley, on Flag Hill, a large force of Huns and several Ogres are reestablishing the hilltop flag position.

2)  Northeast of the party's current position is the valley they crossed to reach Flag Hill, and have now left behind.  It is empty.

3)  Due north, further along the slope of the hill they are now on, there is a cemetery.  The defenders are counting on it to be part of the defense, and there are some warriors along the west side of it.  On the east, a few dozen Orcs are tentatively probing it.  (Although one might think "cemeteries... death.. undead.. evil!" the Huns are actually quite cautious about Human cemeteries.  Humans, especially the Roman, bury their dead with a lot of ceremony, sacrifice, outpouring of love and admiration.  And the "holy" dead are considered powerful forces of good- note the importance of "relics".  All of this means, there may be spirits and undead in a cemetery, but they'd probably favor Humans- especially if kin are present- over Orcs.)

4)  Northwest is the "back side" of the allied defensive hill.  There is a large amphitheater there.   With the trees and buildings in the way, no one can see whether or not Huns have looped around to encircle the defenders, but if they did, there might be tracks showing the passage of them and... oh my.  There are.  While everyone was busy at Flag Hill, someone got past and headed for the amphitheater.  Orcs, maybe twenty or so, and something with much bigger feet.  Like a giant, perhaps.

OOC:

Besides the original party, are any Burgundians with Gondioque and Maki? How about Tavi?

 Before heading away from Flag Hill, Tugdual tried to assess the situation. Various options and a lot at stake, but they had to make a swift decision.

 Back to the flags ? No way, the Huns would be wary now.
 The cemetery ? It could take care of itself.

 The amphitheatre... that place was in need of assistance, especially if a colossal creature was lurking there, ready to "sneak" on the allied position in the city...

 The druid mounted his auroch and called out :
  "Riders ! Your officers' position in town is threatened ! With me, let us charge in and bring them our support !"

 Tugdual takes the lead and mentally works in his spell repertoire to define a tactical approach.

"My Lady... It seems that the battles here are far from over. And no doubt is our aid still needed. Although I already made a song about Mr. Togual, I think there is still lots more to be written and the next battle is just around the corner." Maki said to Gondioque.
It appeared Huns tried to take similar advantage of their allies, as they just did with Hun flags.
Ignoring such a threat would be foolish, but Maki saw that Tugdual wasn't sitting idle.

You realize that if I were to take sides and it were known, Burgundy might go to war...which is against my father's wishes last I knew. Yet Gondioque's face, usually self-possessed, reflects her frustration—and her furious rationalizing. In what seems finally, she says Burgundy is neutral between the Huns and the allied forces. Yet giants out of place are the business of all who want peace. We shall ride closer...to see about this supposed giant. Freeman Maki, ride with us...please.

Behind her, Geoff and Windfreid are amused, excited with a tinge of fear. Sir Montcalm at first suppresses laughter, but his face turns somber when he realizes his Princess may soon be in mortal peril.

The party follows the riders with a gap between. (Should they near the action, tlhey wil pause to leave the pack horses...and remove the Burgundian colors. Sir Montcalm takes out others, a surprise. He begins attaching the ivory and blood red cloth. Goundioque begins asking What...? Sir Montcalm answers The Lady Vocaphil had them made for a time such as this.

"If anyone asks, i have no idea where Burgundy even is." Maki replied. But as he saw the princess with other banners, he did get worried a bit.
If she got hurt, he would feel a part responsible.

OOC: I take it ivory and red are Saxon colors

OOC: The colors could be different. I picked them because they seemed appropriate for Gondioque. They could be changed.

Even though they could not see more then the regular Huns, the tracks that indicated something huge made everyone catious of the situation.
Maki then remembered an old tale, which he sang:

David slew Goliath on the field of Elah.
Donny stood there watching. Donny was in awe.

Donny was inspired. He prayed and preyed and preyed.
"May i fight for you a giant, too, like David did today?"

God sent him an answer. God heard Donny pray. God sent him a giant, there were giants in those days.
God sent him an army of all of Donny's friends. The army that said "Donny we are with you until the end."

They chanted: "Donny and Goliath! Mano e mano, Weak against strong, weak against the vile, whore of Babylon."

The morning of the battle Donny didn't last. The collosus knocked him right upon his ass.
Donny's friends ran to the giant, They said "Donny was a fool. We told him not to do it, we told him you are cool."

Donny wept in prison abandoned and condemned. "Oh Holy holy father, what did i do to offend?"
God spoke to Donny: "Donny, how do i begin? I made of you a lesson. A moral lays therin. Weakness isn't virtue. Strenght is not a sin.....Just because you fight a giant doesn't mean you get to win!"

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
The briliant original:
Andy Prieboy - Donny vs Goliath
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX5GOZkBgXU

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Thank you for the caution. My prayer is the the deities be kindly disposed, that my choices are well-reasoned. This spear is for more than show, and peril increases with delay. Are you with us in this venture regardless, Advisor Maki?

OOC: I'm Reminded of Barry Bonds. For many years, he wished to be in a World Series...he forgot to wish to win it.

"Of corse, My Lady." Maki sharply replies. He knew well what his duties were.

Gondioque looks at Maki, and there is the slightest on nods. She turns to proceed, but Sir Montcalm takes the lead, and she follows where he goes. Geoff and Windfreid ride slightly behind her and out a distance, acting as wings. It goes without saying that the formation is intended for Montcalm to attract any giant's attention, Gondioque to act when the foe is engaged. Geoff and Windreid will act as needed, probably to surround. One might find it interesting that the forces of Burgundy have tghe discipline and foresight to have preset formations. Also, by now, Make may have noticed that the party has their feet resting in contraptions they call stirrups, kwchidh proved more control over the horse and allow more secure rider movement.

Having concluded all this, Maki (perhaps) chooses to ride by Gondioque and tell what he might do.

Maki navigated his horse, so that it followed Gondioque and the formation they were all in resembled that of an arrow. He wasn't exacly sure what their goal was. Flank the huns, maybe just attract their attention or maybe try to suprise them, though no doubt soon they would notice them.

One thing was certain. Maki had faith in the leadership, and knew when the time to act was ripe, everyone would know what to do.

OOC: Ah just like the real army. Us soldiers never had a clue what was going on until the last moment. Maki also has a low rank. So i don't think he'll be suggesting any tactics unless asked of course.

Sir Montcalm, his face grim, leads the group more westerly than the group Tugdual leads so as to come upon the melee from the south or even southwest.

Both groups, keeping some ground between them, heads for the amphitheater, following tracks.

The amphitheater is on the southeast side of the hill, on the edge of the perimeter, but in the back, on the far side from the expected attack.

Anakri and Arctos had limited numbers and could not spare many to hold this piece of terrain on the far side of the battle field, but they had to give it a small detachment- it was too valuable to leave empty.  The top of the structure, while not in the best position to view the main town, has a good view of the valleys all around.

But while it has a good long view, the close view is obscured by woods, and that’s where the Orcs went, heading up to the amphitheater with only minimal interference from the defenders.  Now, as the group closes, they see the Orcs at the wall, about twenty of them, breaching the door with the aid of a massive looking Ogre.  The thing is a behemoth, as wide as it is tall, and wearing heavy armor.  It is pounding its way in, one arm holding a shield the size of a dinner table above its head, the other hitting the door with a club.  The amphitheater's door is strong but was made to hold back eager crowds, not this.

”If they get inside, we cannot follow and fight them on horse,” one of the cavalry men says.

”I can use the entangling magic again,” Tavi says, “but it would cut the entrance off from us as well.”

 Tugdual shouts :
  "Dispatch the orcs ! Break their formation, and let me take care of the Giant. Entangle all you like if it helps."

 With these words, the tall druid jumped off his aurochs, and let him pursue the charge alone with the riders. Jumping off a horse is a stunt best not tried without extensive training and superior agility, both lacking in the old druid's repertoire... the fall could have been fatal, but fall there was not. From the cloud of dust, a bald vulture emerged and swiftly flew up above the horsemen, and towards the walls of Nasium.

 Tugdual, now a fantastic albeit graceless raptor, too often associated with bad omen when it is actually a friendly creature, started circling the gate, from a safe distance up in the air (180 feet). A low rumble was soon heard, as electricity gathered in the few clouds above the town. A first flash of light and a thunder sound, the lightning bolt had struck directly at the armoured ogre, and more was to come...

   during the next two minutes, Tugdual will strike down with a total of 8 lightning bolts, one per round, each dealing 3d6 damage (reflex DC16 for half). He directs them at the ogre. If the monster manages to break the door anyway, Tugdual lands inside and changes shape.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:53, Mon 14 Oct 2013.

Sir Montcalm reins up at a vantage point. Gondioque looks and says We shall see. If opportunity offers, I'd like to see the Hun leader of this group a prisoner.

The Entangle spell slows and hinders, but does not trap completely.

However, it is a deadly supplement to Tugdual's attack.

The combination gives the Ogre and Orcs extreme incentive to get through the door and into the comparative safety of the amphitheater.

Usually, that kind of desperate effort to get into a theater involves a "boy band" and 10,000 screaming teenage girls.  But the Orcs manage it, without the level of screaming.  They have left some behind, struck down by the lightning, but the survivors pour into the door once the Ogre gets through it.

The cavalrymen look at each other in some dismay.  They cannot pursue with the Entangle spell active, and going in there would negate the advantage of their horses.

Tavi hastily tries to undue her spell.

  note that the lightning targets only a 5 foot radius (so one creature) and Tugdual targets exclusively the ogre.

 After the first few lightnings called down on the armoured ogre, it seemed that it would not be nearly enough to stop it from breaking through the doors...

 Tugdual came down a few dozen feat to be more reactive if he had to perform an emergency landing.

 He continued raining lightning bolts on the monstrous giant, hoping to slow it down at least, until the horsemen caught up and dealt with the orcs.

Gondioque shifts in her saddle.

Maki aproaches others in a tighter formation. "I'm glad Mr. Tugdual is on our side. He's quite impressive." He commented as he watched lightning strike.
Patiently he waited for the orders on their next move.

Impressive indeed, but remember that we are neutral. As in gray between black and white...though there are at least fifty shades of gray.

The ogre probably was affected by magic which enlarged him. The von Bourgones ran into an orc similarly enlarged in Lingones about a year ago. When the rest of us, plus Sagrem, were traveling to Nanciacum, we came across orc-tilled fields planted with such things as wizards use. Wizards are very smart. That's one reason I'm surprised that, so far, the Hunnish forces don't seem led by one with command of strategy. She turns to Maki. When one is in one's own country and can be supplied, and is facing an enemy that is passing through, especially when it's retreating, get between that enemy and its supply base. Then harass them until they make a stand in a place favorable to you. In my view, they should have nudged them west by having forces on the other three sides. If the allied forces attack, the Huns should give way opening the possibility of a surround. in possibly hostile territory, remember to look around. (If Maki does so, he will observe that Sir Montcalm, Geoff, and Windreid are indeed watching, each covering one-third of a circle.) Have you heard of the Battle of Cannae?

Maki nodded. "It was indeed a great battle from which Romans never fully recovered. It teaches us that a weaker army can still defeat a foe if they use tactics for them. Also just how important a flanking might be. Like the battle earlier, for the hill. Had a Hun detachment laid hidden nearby... i wonder how it would end for us. I guess we were a bit lucky that time."

Maki was still young. He knew his history well, and many tactics. But it still requires a lot of practice, training and self discipline, to act correctly in a battle. As young as Maki was, he lacked on those fields and still had a long way in front of him.

Gondioque, mouth about ready to "teach," subsided...with a smile.

The group looks at the doorway.  The Orc and Ogre survivors of the attack have fled inside, leaving only the bodies of the fallen behind.

"Whatever the cause of the his girth, he looks to be hard to kill," Montcalm says of the Ogre.

"And that was a main door," says one of other warriors.  "He'll have a nasty time squeezing his rump through any of the smaller doors."

"Disgusting animal," Tavi says.

 Tugdual is still flying quite high above the group of riders. He assumes that there will be no roof on the amphitheatre structure, and thus keeps focused on his thunder calling stunt. He still directs the bolts at the oversized ogre, hoping to bring it down for good with the powers of the storm.

 If this plan proves impossible, the druid will land on the upper steps of the amphitheatre and resume his human shape to bring a more physical stop to the monster's infiltration.

Most of the theater is open air, but the small rooms along the sides and perimeters are not.

That is where the Orcs have gone, although one peers out every now and then, just to see if the lightening attack is still keeping up.

Tugdual can also see that up on top, there are three Human warriors- sentries.

It has become something of a waiting game, with the Orcs pinned in the right side chamber.

 If the orcs want to play hide and seek with a druid, they clearly have not idea what to expect...

 Tugdual remains a vulture for a short while, just enough to find a good vantage point in the amphitheatre. He does not wish to play this out as a solo, but communication is always tricky on a battlefield, and even more so when one of the protagonist is a speechless bird.

 From his seat in the middle tier, Tugdual has a nice view towards the right chamber. He resumes his human shape and forms the words of power that will summon a rolling sphere of scorching flames.

 The ball rolls down the aisle and right into the chamber, with the intent to burn everything inside, but a jumbo ogre with a side of orcs.
  "Riders !" he bellows gutturally. "Ready your bows !"

 He is hoping the hunnic  soldiers will not come out towards the amphitheatre. Should they, he would receive them with the appropriate honours ; greatclub and perhaps a few summoned creatures.

 Outside the amphitheatre, alongside the riders, the mighty  auroch is waiting. He strides left and right, scratching the ground with his heavy hooves, and ready to charge and impale the ogre if it tries to come out.

PM

Maki remained quietly watching what was unfolding in front of him. While he did pay the most attention to the amphitheatre, he did take Gondioque's advice, and watched his flanks as well.

As he watched Huns tremble against Thugdual, he understood why Huns hated Elves and any magic wealders so much.

Tugdual uses a flaming sphere to flush the Orcs out of the Amphitheater “lobby” area.

This does force the huge Ogre out into the open… back the way he came.  The route into the seats was where the fire came from, and he can’t fit down the narrow side passages.

He is immediately bombarded by missile weapons from Maki and all the others assembled there.  Just one big Ogre… an easy target.  Very soon, punctured in about a dozen places, the Ogre rolls down the hill away from the Amphitheater.  Several riders turn to chase him.

Inside, the remaining Orcs have fled down the passageway that circles around under the mezzanine seats.  It is impossible to judge how many remain, and how many have fallen, as the survivors are now deep within the interior passageways.    There are a number of them, on several levels:  not only is there a main and upper gallery passage for reaching the seats, there is an underground passage for reaching the stage.

Seated in the theater, though, Tugdual can hear a few of them running beneath him!

There is a shout from the men watching from the uppermost seats, the ones who were posted here as sentries.

”The Huns are giving up, they’re retreating from the upper city!”

Gondioque, with any who go with her, rides around to where she thinks the ogre will be. (She probably riding in an arc with the southwest toward the perimeter.)

Maki puts his bow away. The Huns in the ampfitheater were more or less cornered and not a threat to the others in the city.
So the Skald joined others as they chased the large ogre down.

 Tugdual was satisfied with the way things had unfolded, but the battle was not over. He let the riders take care of the ogre, and decided to hunt orcs.

 With a powerful roar, the druid resumed his might feline shape. He moved from his seat in the second tier to the front stage, signalled the beginning of the hunt in a dramatic howl and started running.

 He dove in the pit, sprung from passage to passage, reached the backstage, and stopped only to slash and bite through orcish flesh. The skirmish could last for a while, Tugdual was ready to pounce, fall back, spring and attack again in the narrow corridors around the amphitheatre.

 If he encountered difficulties or was ambushed, he could always summon a handful of nature's warriors and fly away.

Things are happening in the city.  The watchmen shout down from the high wall of the theater:  "They're on the run!  They're breaking!"

And after that, it is only a matter of time.  Maki and the riders take the Ogre down, and any others that try to flee, as Tugdual routes the last of the holdouts from the corridors.

A few put up a stiff fight.  A desperate Orc might retreat, or if he thinks it is plausible, bargain for his escape.  But up against a beast, they know, there is no bargaining.  If a desperate Orc has no other way, it will fight to the death- at least the lords of the next realm will know it is a fierce fighter and therefore deserving of honors and power in the afterlife.

They make an effort to introduce Tugdual to the afterlife, too.  When it is over, he is exhausted, battered and bruised.  But the day is won, not only here, but throughout Nasium.

Gondioque calls out Well done! to Maki and the riders.

If any orcs are left alive, Gondioque (if possible) suggests (possibly through Sir Montcalm) to the riders that the orcs be allowed to surrender, with the riders taking due care.

Gondioque, if possible, rides to Tugdual. She looks at Windfreid, who also dismounts. Gondioque takes a canteen and digs out a bottle. She goes to Tugdual, working out the cork. A swallow or two of this heavy wine (brandy) might help, and here is water.
Windfreid approaches with first aid supplies and asks Would you like the Princess and I to patch you up?

Rested and recovered, the group can meet up with Arctos, Anakri, and the others in charge of the "allied army" up the hill, in the Homeward Ho, Dwarves Elves and Burgundians thread.

 Tugdual had encountered more resistance than he had expected to, which had resulted in a series of bruises and cuts, but also a few more severe wounds : a few arrows to the flanks, a deep cut on his hind leg and his hairy ear cut in half.

 When he returned to his human shape to meet with Gondioque and the riders, some of these injuries had diminished, but he was still badly beaten.

 At the offer, he offered an intrigued and concupiscent smile. He considered the young captain and the princess with a lewd eye and suddenly realized :
  "Oh ! You mean... healing, right ? Yes, sure. That works too. Probably better ; I'm in no shape to fool around..."

 After an awkward and silent healing procedure, Tugdual stood up and cleared his throat.
  "Thanks." he called his aurochs with a long and strident whistle, and rode to the centre of the small town in search for Arctos.

Geoff takes back the wine when Tugdual is done with it and hands it to Windfreid. Pricess Gondioque, even as she and Windfreid are tending Tugdual's wounds (Windfreid says, "This may sting a little bit," as she rinses the wounds (but the honey balm is soothing), says to Sir Montcalm Please change to Burgundy; and he obediently changes the pennons.

When she has time, Gondioque asks Where will I find the Lord Heolstor? I hope he came through this unwounded.

 "Milady, I'm afraid Lord Heolstor is not presently with us. Duty called him, I am not a liberty to say where."

 The tall druid stood up and donned his armour and his tunic, his short fur cape and his belt.
 "Come with me, you should meet Pater Arctos and Lady Anakri."

Gondioque blinks when she hears the news about Heolster. Her face is still when she hers "Patros Arctos" and blank when she hears Lady Anakri.

Thank you. I have words stored not meant for all ears...and there will be wounded to care for and probably some from Burgundy dead to record. She turns to her party Mount up, and you too, please, freeman Maki.

As they ride, Gondioque speaks to Maki. From now on until you wish to go your way, I shall treat you as one bound to me...and myself as one who owes you your due. That will simplify matters. Privately, speak to me freely.

[To Homeward Ho: Dwarves, Elves and Burgundians]