Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Noticing someone come in from the change in air currents in the forge as one of the doors opens, Venna notes that most of the aprentices and the like are already busy hauling smithing coal and metal objects about the smithy. Being the closest smith to the door that opened, Venna calls out, while not looking away from the breastplate she's fixing a hole in, There's a pile of breast plates in various sizes and a barrel of swords by the door, so unless you need something specific, grab em and leave.

As she says this, Venna continues hammering away at the armor, focusing more on making it do its job rather than look pretty. At the rate she and the other smiths had to work, she isn't even to focused on making the armor comfortable either.

 

[DeMatt]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Lily moves up next to the black-haired smith, giving a slight jump every time she brings her hammer down. She thought the kitchens could get hot... the forge felt like it was connected to the fires of hell.

"No, ma'am, we're here to carry crossbow bolts up to the battlements. Could you tell us where to get them? And the quivers to carry them in?"

Her voice, unlike the gravelly smith's, is soft, so she's nearly shouting to make herself heard over the noise, even beside the smith as she is.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Slipping quietly between the tents of the enemy encampment, Ako'orzyne finally came across what appeared to be the command tent. He circled the area slowly, appraising the guards around it's perimeter. After a moment's consideration, he decided that they were too aware, and that there were too many unknowns inside the tent to risk slipping in. If he couldn't clear the inside before they made a sound, the guards would rush in and he'd be hard-pressed to get away with his life.

Shaking his head slowly, the drow turned and began to sneak his way back to the castle.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

You could tell I'm a woman? Huh, most assume I'm male unless they see me cleaned up after work. Venna starts, slightly surprised at the break from the normal pattern of people's reactions. We don't do more than deal with arrowheads and bolt heads right now. We don't have enough metal to do whole shafts. The fletchers should have a good supply, though. She finishes, still focusing on her work.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

The Orcs roar as they charge across the field. Archers fire down into their ranks, watching as the green skinned invaders fell to the ground with arrows piercing their flesh. But still they come, their own bows launching arrows back at the castle. The occasional unlucky guard would catch one in a chink in their armour, but most of the arrows glanced off steel pauldrons, or bounced against the stone walls. It wasn't long for the ladders to be pushed up against the walls, latching into place. Guards used spears with hooks on their tips to push the ladders away. Orcs fell back into the crowd below, but didn't give up, starting to crawl up en masse.

Alysha stood above the gate house, the first Orc to poke his head above the rim of the battlements getting decapitated by her sword. As blood spurted into the air and splashed across her armour she called out to the defenders. "Hold them back. Kill them all."


Luckily for the Drow amidst the enemy camp, he went by unnoticed. Until something caught his attention, a totem he'd missed before with some kind of figure hanging from it. Upon closer inspection he saw it was a fellow Drow, the man's hands nailed to the wood of the totem above his head, while he was tied in place around his midsection. Ravens had been pecking at his flesh for a meal for sometime it appeared.

 

[lurker]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

A ladder slammed down in front of Kemi, having her give a grin as a brutish Orc stuck her head above the battlements.

With a quick heave of her whip, the slice of braided leather gripped around the Orc's throat, before slinging the brute- weapons, armor, and anything else- over the wall, giving another flick that removed her whip, causing a sickening crack as it whiplashed from the orc, left to sail to the cobblestone below.

"Next!"

 

[Copper]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

As the ladders started latching on to the walls, Rohn let out another curse. With them returning fire, the prospect of taking shots at them was getting dicey but she still did so. Of course, in between shots, she'd taken to clubbing any of the things in the face if they actually managed to poke their heads over the wall. If it didn't knock them back, it usually stunned them long enough for someone to stick something pointy into them. Still, she wasn't getting enough time in between clubbings to reload properly.

"All right, all right. I can take a hint," she muttered to no one in particular. Slinging her crossbow over her back by means of a strap, she pulled out a pair of daggers, one from her hip and the other from her boot. With the limited space on the wall, she'd do better with these than her blade, which needed room to be swung. Instead, she merely had to stab and slice, which is exactly what she did to the latest unlucky victim that tried clambering over the wall. Between the wounds she inflicted and the blows from the guard beside her, the beast was sent toppling off, only to be replaced by another, just as mean and just as ugly.

"This is why I like shooting you bastards from a distance. Don't have to worry about your carrion breath."

 

[DeMatt]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Lily blinks at the smith. "Um... you don't have any stubble on your face. Even the soldiers are getting a bit scruffy these days."

But with the attack beating on, and the kitchen help's goal not here, there's no time to chat. "Well, thank you, we'll go check there next." And Lily heads back outside. There's an indistinct bit of speech from outside, covered by the noise in the forge, and then the closing door cuts it off.

 

[Rule 34]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

An especially ugly orc makes his way up the ladder on a comparatively sparsely guarded part of the wall. The greenskin swings himself onto the battlement and roars out in triumph - overlooking the knight that's charging him. With a surprised squeak he gets punted into the gut and thrown back into the growling flood below him.
Lady Sharyn doesn't bother to check if the Orc was impaled on a spear (which he was). The Dragon Slayer almost jumps into her hand as she draws it. The next greenskin that shows its noggin is going to get split open.
The foreign knight laughs out. This will be a good day.

 

[Mirchie]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Grunting, Roy drew his sword, the metal glittering in the dull light. "Good. Now at least we can hurt them back. Come, let's send 'em back to hell!"

Regardless of the troops response, he walks briskly over to the nearest ladder, grabbing the axe of the climbing Orc, and turning it on his foe, driving the blade into his shoulder, and shoving him down the ladder, judging by the yells, knocking his friends below him off as well. He spat over the wall. "Scum. No Orc is breaching these walls today!"

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Ako'orzyne stopped in his stealthy retreat, noticing the black flesh hung up along his way. At first glance, the dark elf appeared dead, or at least far enough gone as to make no difference, but there may still be something to be learned.

The sound of a footstep drew the Drow's attention behind him for a moment, just in time to see a lone orc come around the side of the tent towards him. Ako'orzyne drew a knife from a brace at his thigh, and lept at the orc right as it opened its mouth to raise an alarm. The drow silenced it before it had the chance, burying th knife in its throat and catching the body, letting it sink to the ground slowly.

Cleaning the blade off and hiding the body, Ako'orzine turned back to the Drow on the post. With no other orcs in view, he cautiously started searching the body, alert and ready to silence it if it turned out to be alive and loud.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

With a malicious grin, Deagan hides just below the stone overlooking the horde below as a ladder lands just above him. One of the guards, an official of Alysha apparently, looking at Deagan's neglect to toss the ladder down scolds him in words unable to be understood among all the noise. Deagan meanwhile gives no response, both because he didn't want to waste his attention on a brown noser guard, and because he wanted to try a little sneak attack first.

The Orc stepped up, and was about to make his way over the ladder, before, suddenly, it found Deagan's blade running through it's gut in an instant. It snarled at Deagan, it's spit and saliva launching from it's mouth, and into Deagan's face as it growled a curse at him. Deagan laughs at his success in the meantime, "Hello, Gorgeous!" he taunted the Orc, before hefting his blade upwards, lifting the greenskin over his head, vaulting it over his head, before it flew off of his sword, and into the still burning pile of corpses, where it cried out in agony as it burned to death.

"That's one! But I'm only getting started!" he said to himself, although he half hoped Rohn would hear him. However, he focused a little too much on his first small victory, to notice another orc coming behind him, up the ladder. The Orc quickly grabbed his shoulder, spinning Deagan about, when it slammed it's gauntlet fist against his forehead. Deagan saw stars for only a moment, before he managed to duck out of a punch aimed for his temple, and slammed the hilt of hit claymore against the Orc's own forehead, knocking it back, where it fell off the ladder, taking several of it's comrades with him, and finally landed on the back of it's head, where it broke it's neck, and died. "Fuck you to!" he shouted to the now dead Orc.

Then, Deagan lifted his finger in front of his face, and pointed at each Orc he saw had died as a result of falling with it's friend; a surprising three, who fell on uplifted spears carried by their comrades. Technically, kills belonging to Deagan. "Nice!" he said aloud, "That's five, I'm off to a good start!" he congratulated himself with almost psychotic, highly amused laughter.

 

[Copper]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Concentrating as she was on the ladder, Rohn missed Deagan's display, but some of his shouts managed to reach her ears. She'd kept count of her shots, but the horde trying to spill over the ladders was distracting her from keeping a running tally of their corpses. She knew of a definite two. Or was it four? Had they knocked any of the other's down? She really wasn't close enough to see, though the one she'd stabbed just a second ago had taken another one with it. That was six. She was sure it was six. Plus the ones she'd shot...

"Argh! I'll figure it out later!" She vented her frustrations on the next green face that she saw, her blade actually cutting across the things eyes, causing it to let out a shrill squeal, it's hands instinctively thrown up in response to the injury. As such, the guard beside her used the time to shove it off of the ladder.

"Eight and a half!" They were going to need to do something about these ladders, and soon, or all the tallies in the world weren't going to matter much at all. Where was a good axe when you needed one? Chop the holds away and they could be pushed back, taking away one method of entry for the orcs. Of course, the problem with that was keeping the orcs away long enough to do just that, something she and her blades were all the more willing to help with.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

The suspended Drow was most definitely dead. His stomach had been carved open as the intestines removed, leaving the ground stained in blood. The Orcs must have used the organs for some kind of ceremony with their shamans. There were no clues as to why the Drow was here, save a pouch on his belt, filled with golden Minthe coins, the face of the emperor staring back at Ako-Orzyne.

Meanwhile the battle at the castle was descending from order into the chaos of fully pitched conflict. Orc and Imperial blood splashed across the walls as Orcs desperately attempted to clamber onto the battlements. Alysha's sword flashed in the sun as she cut down whatever green skinned bastard got in her way.
Guards pushed ladders away with spears. One with an axe ran up to Deagan and brought his weapon down on the ladder's latches, before kicking it away, and moving on with a nod to the paladin.
Alysha however, noticed something else. The Orcs had used the chaos of the walltop fight to bring up a battering ram. They began to pound on the sturdy gates of the castle.
"Oil!" Alysha called out.
Just above the gate of Fort Barthone was a large cauldron, filled with simmering oil. Two guards tipped it, spilling the contents down over the Orcs with battering rams. The bastards screamed in agony as their flesh melted. Before the guards could tip the cauldron back into position a crossbow bolt struck one through the face. He fell to the ground and his comrade was unable to hold back, and the remainder of the oil spilled free.
"Shit," Alysha said as the Orcs braved melting boots and feet to grasp the battering ram once more.

 

[Keylo]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

And amidst the battle, while everyone was fighting for their lives... there was one elf who was...standing idly by and watching the entire thing, making vague commentary on the chain of events when it suited her.

I say, good call on that oil there. Forgot to watch out for the crossbow bolts though. Probably would have been best to duck a bit lower while dumping that oil. That or wear some better armor. Common sense really. Why- Did that orc just shoot an arrow at me?

Narrowly avoiding an arrow that would have clipped her ear off thanks to her "barrier" of wind diverting its trajectory to the ground, Enigma became slightly fumed.

"Oh dear... I really do have to teach them some manners don't I? Shooting at a pacifist during a siege, honestly. And with such a lousy shot too. Oh well, an eye for an eye. Let me borrow that bow for a second...Thank you, that's a good boy."

Tripping one of the archers close to her with her staff and "borrowing" their longbow, Enigma notched the arrow that had been shot at her to it, taking only a brief moment to aim lackadaisically before letting it fly, whistling sharply as she did so.

Flying true, the arrow strike one of the orc archers straight in his eye...then proceeded to combust as a small spark and oversaturation of various gases in the air surrounding it created an explosion. Effectively killing the orc that was shot, wounding those around him, and raining blood and gore over anyone nearby.

"And that~ Is how you shoot an arrow. Boorish creatures."

 

[lurker]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Spotting the spilt oil, Kemi gave a curse. Stuff like that was vital to a solid defense. With much of it wasted... still, not much she could do to fix it. She continued to deal with ladders in her vicinity, alternating between whip and daggers as the brutes continued.

 

[Rule 34]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

The veil of Sharyn spins around as the oil guard is shot. With a grunt she hooks the saw-teeth of the Dragon Slayer into the ladder and grits her teeth as she pushes it off with muscle-straining effort. Scared squeals, not unlike a pig's, forebode the death of the orcs below.

The Knight of Bearskard runs towards the gate, screaming orders at the few people in the courtyard. "Reinforce that gate! Bring up some beams! Come on, move your useless feet! I've seen sleeping grannies moving faster!" A soldier nearby looks at her disrespect in bewilderment, and Sharyn doesn't hesitate to land her fist in his gut. "Eyes on the enemy," she growls.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Ako'orzyne pocketed the coin with a smirk, and finding nothing else on then body, slinked back off towards the castle, a little heavier, but no less quiet.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Kara had hung back, fighting off orcs near Lady Alysha's position when everything started going to hell. Sputtering a curse that the Lady most likely heard, she instructed several guards to give her some cover for a moment.

The Lady might wonder why she was asking such a thing, until a sudden greenish aura surrounded the seemingly young woman. After a moment, strangled 'screams' came from a bunch of orcs below as the bodies of their fallen comrades ... and the dead soldiers who had fallen to their deaths, suddenly rose with new life. It quickly became clear that Kara was not what she had seemed, and was a necromancer.

The first wave of undead minions began marching in on those attempting to utilize the battering rams, even as a strange greenish glow surrounded each new minion.


The young woman let out a soft grunt, and muttered something that only the lady might fully catch.

"Plenty of damn bodies for this. I don't know if I should be greatful, or appaled."


Then she went back to fighting, periodically taking the time to raise another minion when a new body became available within her range.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Chapter 1: Fort Barthone

Deagan, after having been robbed of his ladder that he was using to gain some many good kills, growled at the guard as he ran by. "This won't do! I need to-" His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a battering ram coming from the gate. And after witnessing the oil fall down below, allowing the orcs to charge in, and mount the device once more, Deagan shook his head, "Ah, bugger... Not good." he said aloud.

And after he waited for the oil to cool down, Deagan sighed, clenching his teeth as he quickly hefted himself over the wall, falling down just over an orc helping move the ram, "GERONIMO!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he fell, which likely everyone could hear.

Sword first, Deagan landed on top of the orc below him, with his claymore going straight down it's skull, while he used it's quickly dead body to brace his fall. "Sorry, boyo!" he said to the dead Orc.

And the next thing anyone knew, the battering ram stopped for the moment, leaving the soldiers bracing the door with a little breathing room, and on the other side, the Orcs that held the door drew their swords, axes, and even their own claymores threateningly at Deagan, while Deagan himself felt backed into a corner. "Oh, come on, just how well did you know that guy anyway? No need to get violent!" he said to them, while he referenced to the dead, crushed Orc.

Deagan scorned at the Orcs around him, lifting his sword just high enough into a defensive stance, while preparing to fight this horde within the funnel leading to the gates, the Orc's lack of ability to surround him being the only advantage he has...