Cyre

[LordBlades]

You'll have to do a lot better than that!Valar taunts his opponent trying to distract him from the incoming blow

1d20+4=20, 2d4+3=8

[Sohala]

That is enough to finish him off.

The soldier is baited by the taunt, and is struck.

Valar foe collapses after long hard fought battle.

[LordBlades]

His last remaining foe fallen, Valar takes a quick moment to survey the battlefield.

Anything still going on nearby?

[Sohala]

Valar spies nothing in the immediate vicinity, but he is stand in the middle of a great conflict.

That ends the first part...

[Sohala]

It was not long before the tide of the battle was shown.

The might of Aundair had crush and scattered the levies of Thrane. The Thrane cavalry, said to be the best troops on the continent and who had been held in reserve, scattered the Wardens of the Woods just as handily. To make matters worse Mishann had fallen in battle, bearly being saved by her brother. It was rumored that Wroann had fallen to an assassin during the battle, when in truth she had merely unsaddled by a stray crossbow bolt from one of her own troops.

With little other choice, the combined Audair-Cyre force retreated south over the Thrane river, having fared better than they could have hoped. Shortly after, the troops of Karrnath arrived, but too late, their quarry had made good time, crossing the sound north of Aruldusk. Once across they reformed at the fortress of Eston, where the queen, having recovered to enough lead again, order the bulk of her standing forces to hold the city, for its key location, the crucial iron and adamantine mines, along with House Cannith’s base of operations.

With these tasks taken care of, Mishann returned to Metrol to oversee the mustering of greater armies.


Fortress of Eston

The race to safety after retreating had been fraught with danger and exhausting, to say the least. The forces of Thrane and Berland had swift scouts, ambushing their foes whenever possible. Casualties were few, but injuries were high, and with each one their quarry slowed. It was too little, too late though; the Audair and Cyre soldiers had finally made it to the sanctuary of Eston.

You pass through the giant steel gates of Eston, all around you there are panting and sweating soldiers of all races and dress. Average citizens are either staring from beside the buildings or attempting to help the tired soldiers. Gnomes hustle about with wands drawn and wearing bloody robes, tending to the most grievous of wounds. One is kneeling over a soldier on a stretcher, who appears to have been burnt badly. He is weakly struggling and crying in pain as the gnome tries to tend to him. Next to the gnome is a thick line of ash, the remains of an expended wand. Even as you watch the soldier’s strength seems to fade until his movement ceases. The gnome bows his head in sadness, giving a brief prayer to the Host before covering the soldier and moving on to the next.

As promised, some RP.

[LordBlades]

On the road to Eston, about two dozen men march, a group among many others. Their armors are dusty, bent, and some parts are missing altogether. Their weapons are a bizarre collection of everything one could find on a battlefield, from the regular Cyrian infantry  swords to spears, picks, maces and battleaxes. Every single one of them brandishes at leas one hastily bandaged wound.  These men look like they have been to hell and fought back with everything they could get their hands on. Exhaustion and despair reads in the eyes of all but the column leader. He looks no better than the other men, but he holds his head high, his eyes filled with unyielding resolution. He's seen much worse.  As the group passes through the iron gates of Eston, he lays a hand on the shoulder of the comrade walking next to him, little more than a teenage boy and tries an encouraging smile We've made it Samuel, just like I promised you. Everything's going to be all right now. We just need to find somebody to report to.


In the aftermath of the battle, the volunteer brigade Valar was part of had been involved in heavy rearguard fighting against the Brelish and Thranish forces. Eventually all the officers were either killed, wounded or taken prisoners. Unable to find anybody to tell them what to do, Valar, which had become the 'de facto' leader, decided the best course of action was to take his surviving comrades to Eston.

[Sohala]

Tears started to well up from the kid's eyes. "We made it...we actually made it back." His legs seem to give out as he goes to his knees. Audible sobs come from his covered face.

[LordBlades]

Wait here guys. Valar points the group to a dead end side street I'm going to find an officer. He looks around and spots a man in military garb wearing the rank signs of captain that's organizing a newly arrived group of men with stretchers. Valar approaches, and gives the customary salute. Excuse me for interrupting Sir! Can you please direct me to the nearest staff officer please?

[Sohala]

The officer looks Valar up and down, sizing him up. "Where is your commanding officer soldier?" He asks in a sharp tone.

[LordBlades]

Dead, wounded or prisoner all of them. Me and the boys back there Valar points at the group in the alley are all that's left of the 2nd Volunteer Brigade. 23 men total.

[Sohala]

"Then should I assume you have taken it upon yourself to lead them here?" The edge of his tone has softened considerably.

[LordBlades]

Indeed sir. Without any standing orders or information about the enemy's current whereabouts and intentions I figured heading to Eston was the wisest course of action.

[Sohala]

The officer gives a nod, "Very well, the barracks have been converted into hospitals, and so larger units can find temporary lodgings at the marketplace for now. There will be a large command tent in the middle you should report to first." He points further into the city and then makes a gesture as if making a left turn. About this time you notice a pair of ragged warriors running in your direction, one a dwarf and the other an elf.

[LordBlades]

Valar offers him a respectful salute. Thank you sir! I'll be on my way. then heads toward his group Up lads! Off we go toward clean beds and warm food

[Sohala]

A weak cheer goes up from the group. Intermingled in the cheer are a couple groans.

[LordBlades]

AS they approach the crowded marketplace, Valar spots the command tent the officer told him about, and motions his men to stop at the side of the road. Wait here lads. I'm gonna go and see what I can do about getting us some quarters and food. He then approaches the tent's entrance.

[Sohala]

The once bustling marketplace of Eston was now a rather somber looking jumble of tents. Even so, there was the touch of military discipline in the layout. In the center was clearly the command tent, being large enough to be visible from anywhere in the marketplace. From the command tent there are four wide paths, each leading to the city's main streets. The smaller tents look to be divided up into their own groups. For its size, the encampment is rather quite.

The entrance to the tent has its flaps tied back and there is a pair of large, but tired looking soldiers guarding it. Inside there seems to be a fair amount of activity going on. There are several large tables dominating most of the tent, with ranked individuals gathered around them and people dressed in courier outfits moving between the tables and sometimes leaving the tent. Off on the left side there are three tables with clerks behind them. In front of these tables is a handful of ragged soldiers. Every few minutes one of the clerks will wave one forward.

[LordBlades]

Valar approaches one of the two guards. Hello. Me and what's left of my unit just got here from the frontline. I was told I can find a staff officer I could report to here.

[Sohala]

The guard's voice is gruff, but bored sounding, "You want to talk to the fellows behind the tables." He inclines his head towards the clerks.

[LordBlades]

Valar heads to one of the clerks and when he gets called forward he explains: I'm here on behalf of what's left of the 2nd volunteer Brigade. 23 men in total. All our officers have fallen. Dead wounded or prisoner. I was told this is the place to report in.