OOC:

-1 in Heal as Darren's character has developed in such a direction that the Healing Arts are an innappropriate choice.

Therefore +2 in Melee equalling V total.

By the way thanks to all the other posters in the RP for including awesome Darren references and actions when I couldn't. So far Stradia has been alot of fun and I wish I could participate more. For now however, you guys are really helping out and well, pulling my weight. Thanks.

"So what do you think that print in the clearing meant?" Darren asked as he caught up with Raenor, who was scouting the thinning forest a short ways ahead of the group. The only reason Darren had actually approached the ranger was because he had recently annoyed Aieris - something which he found was all too easy to accomplish - and he decided it would be wise to stay far away from her daggers and arrows for a time.

Raenor smiled as Darren glanced apprehensively over his shoulder. "The print could mean any number of things. It has been troubling me since we left the clearing, so I have given the possibilities some thought: the first two are the most obvious. We can start by assuming that the Venurian horde is preparing to march south, and have sent out some scouts to reconnoitre the area." he frowned. "We could also assume that the Venurians are already marching south, and this gargoyle is on a form of sentry duty." he shrugged his shoulders. "The print could also represent less dangerous possibilities: the print could indicate the presence of a hunting party, or the tracks of a deserter, or the tracks of a lost and confused soldier."

"So this is a very elegant way of saying 'I'm not sure'?" Darren asked as he plucked at the fingers of his gloves.

"More or less," Raenor answered as he resumed his quiet watch, with Darren practicing invisible sword sweeps next to him.

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OOC: I'm adding +1 to Melee, putting Raenor at Melee III, Ranged II.

The wisps of flame faltered the front line of the advancing company momentarily. The spell had weakened from such a distance, and the trolls set themselves to a furious charge in retaliation. Knowing Wistria's defense would not hold long without more men and more defensive structures, everyone that stayed was given a shortbow or longbow and a quiver of twelve arrows.

The company of defenders mounted on the horses and gathered at the southern end of the village, glancing at the charging horde of trolls as it reached the northern end and nervously at the villagers to the south who were not even distant yet.

The tremor in the ground increased as troll feet pounded on the ground in the center of the village of Wistria, some slowing to wreak havoc and chaos on the deserted buildings, others continuing their charge in hope of spilled blood. Two hundred arrows filled the air between the defenders and the advancing trolls. Most missed their mark, landing somewhere between the five hundred foot gap, but a precious few hit home. There was a momentary glimmer of hope as a dozen trolls slumped down and ceased moving after the volley.

Many of the trolls had stopped moving in amongst the charge, but they did not slump. A few moments later, arrows and bolts whizzed through the air again, this time in the opposite direction. Jacen watched, in what seemed like slow motion, as the man beside him was struck by an arrow in the chest and fell off his horse. There were other nearby screams as the man fell and refused to get back up.

Time returned to its normal speed, and the threat was closer than ever, the lead trolls wielding greataxes, greatswords, and vicious-looking hooks were now only three hundred feet away.

---
OOC:

I should take a moment to mention...Wistria, as you may have guessed, is not a big place. The size of the village is already implied. It has no walls, no gates, and no defensive structures. There is a town hall, maybe a shop or four, and the rest consists of small hovels and huts.

Get used to fighting, use some strategy to thin a few numbers, but in the end, two hundred won't beat several thousand, so don't strain yourself. Be weary of the innocents behind you, good luck. Nath, you would be respected as a spell caster among these defenders, that pretty much makes you a leader.

Wistria guards/Kenshurian mercenaries: Melee I/Ranged I, just in case you need a reference.

Elmric felt a slight disturbance in the song of Avelia, a discordant note.

"I...I'm not sure, but I think that the Gargoyles have advanced upon Wistria..." Elmric said to the others.

"We need to get there as quickly as possible...without killing ourselves. I don't think Jim and Rini will be able to hold out too long without us if the note meant what I believe it to have been...and I'd hate to lose them." With that said, Elmric began to trek forward with massive determination, ignoring his fatigue to save his relatives.

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"Jim! Let's do a spearhead formation as we did in Gole. We must hold out as long as we can, and it looks like we'll need all the tactical advantage we can get!" Rini shouted out to Jim as the sounds of battle grew increasingly louder.

Jim nodded to Rini and gathered his men into formation with Rini's, Jim and Rini forming the tip.

"Don't charge until the archers fall!"

Looking at the men gathered around him, Jacen swore. Several had already fallen and the rest were sure to follow soon. Yelling above the rolling thunder that washed over them, Jacen began giving orders. "Those of you with arrows still left, take out their archers. The rest of you, defend our archers. We need to give Jim and Rini's men a clear charge without fear of enemy fire." With that Jacen moved forward, summoning a spell as the few who had arrows remaining formed up and prepared to fire. His pulse racing, the magical energy building in him as he made the spell, Jacen called out again. "Fire!"

As the arrows flew over head, Jacen began setting them on fire. As the flaming missles sped on their way, Jacen was silently praying that if even one found its mark, it would be a miracle.

The threat of disorganization among the defenders of Wistria was averted as Jacen, Jim, and Rini took charge. The guardsman were not properly equipped, even a buckler was a rare sight. The archers moved to any cover they could find and continued their volleys. Jim and Rini formed a rough spearhead consisting of one hundred and twenty swordsmen. Those with shields took up the front position and did their best to block enemy missiles.

Jacen stayed near the clusters of archers and focused on lighting their arrow tips on fire. The magic was effective, creating a persistant flame that wouldn't extinguish by simple patting or rolling. In the time it took the front lines of the trolls - now reduced to a dozen straddling survivors - to near the spearhead nearly a hundred of them were slain. Several buildings had caught fire, though, and the cheap wooden design of the houses allowed the destruction to spread quickly.

The archers used their last arrows to stop the front line charge while others dropped their bows and switched to their swords and axes as the second and third lines charged towards them.

The fight finally came down to close combat. So far, Jacen had been using simple fire spells on the arrows, but the time was coming when he would need more complex ones. That meant he would need time to cast them and that was looking like it would not be possible. Picking up his staff, he twirled it in front of himself and held it at the ready. As the enemy lines charged over their fallen allies, the charred corpses disintegrating under the weight, Jacen acted. Leading his men forward, he charged the trolls. They had to delay the horde as long as they could so the villagers could escape. Ducking under a wide swing from an overanxious troll, Jacen tripped it with his staff, then swing it around, driving the shaft down with as much force as he could muster on the creature's head. Please, oh please let some help, anything, come soon or we won't last long

As they trecked along, rested and in much better shape than the day before, it was Gorn who first broke the silence.

"I feel that the battle has envelopped Wistria. And I fear that we are still more than twenty miles away. We will not make it till nightfall I think, but we must still press onward. Fear not, I'm sure everyone there will remain safe"

As Gorn finished, silence once more envelopped the group, each of them keeping their thoughts to themselves.

Chaos ran rampant. The buildings were engulfed in flame, and a heavy smoke filled the air. That was nothing compared to the slaughter that taking place on the streets. No matter how hard Jacen and his men fought, the trolls fought back harder. For everyone they killed, more came to take it's place.

Launching a bolt of lightning at two charging trolls, Jacen dropped to his knees, off balance. He had been able to get spells off, but they were taking their toll now. The strain they placed on him mentally was making him dizzy. Sweat trickled down his face from the heat of the flames, stinging him as it ran through a cut on his cheek. Standing once more with great difficulty, he continued to fight. His staff sweeping through the air, he hit a troll in the side, the sickening crunch of breaking ribs heard over the roar of battle. The defenders were loosing this battle. They knew they would, but living it was worse then knowing. Seeing another of his men sliced in half be two trolls, Jacen ran at them. Knocking them to the ground, he grabbed one of their dropped weapons and stabbed them, gore splattering his face. Releasing the blade, it stood straight up, standing at attention, stuck in its owners lungs. "Regroup. Rally to me and prepare for an assault." he called out to the defenders under his command still standing.

Jim and Rini gathered the twenty men between them and formed rank behind the spellcaster.

"Shouldn't you be in the back, preparing a massive fireball, and ice slope, an earthquake, something of that sort? I don't think you should be in the front of all of us...you don't look particularly sturdy to me." Jim said from a few inches behind Jacen.

Jim had a thin line of blood running down his arm, and Rini had two slightly thicker lines running down his, both from arrows, but Rini had been hit with a broadhead.

"Well Uncle, it looks like today may become the day we're remembered as heroes, either for our death, or because we held out to let the women, children, and elderly escape."

A sigh escaped both of their lips as they readied their weapons once more, and prepared to fly into the fray.