Post by Dungeon Master on Apr 14, 2007 10:34:51 GMT -5
The Axis of Evil:
Winter Deep
One-Shot
Outside of Solace, at the 113th War Wagon Brigade’s fixed AA emplacement.
Wolverine Private Klein packs his things for a two-night stay in Solace where he has chosen to go for his 3-day pass. He makes his way into town, and climbs the stair to the treetop level of the Vallenwoods and walks along the shops, buying a few items. He walks to the Inn of the Last Home and gets a room.
Nightfall comes and Private Kline leaves the Last Home, now wears commoner clothes, and appears slovenly. He makes his way to the darkened edge of the tree town, and enters the Trough, sort of the anti-Inn of the last home, a seedy bar where the undesirable cutthroats and cutpurses are known to congregate.
He enters a booth already occupied by a darkened individual.
They spend time drinking and hardly saying a word to one another, but under the table, a package is passed under the table from Kline to this other gentleman, who receives it without making an utterance. A scroll case is handed over to Kline, who opens it and reads thru it quickly. He burns the scroll after he has read it twice with the table’s candle.
Kline gets up, and leaves the Trough, making his way back to the Inn of the Last Home.
Later, the individual known as Tosk, gets up from the table and leaves the Trough, and descends the spiral staircase to the ground level and heads north, down an old road that runs along farming fields. He evades Wolverine guards posted on the northern boarder of Solace Vale, and soon is far away from the civilized world. He comes to a field and he takes out a whistle and blows, yet no sound is emitted. It is a whistle of summoning, and soon a Wyvern drops thru the clouds and descends and lands. Tosk attaches the package to the Wyvern’s leg and bids it to leave and take the package back to its master.
Sometime later, the Wyvern lands on a landing pad on Twin Peaks, the mountain strong hold of the Black Brood. Baaz retainers attend to the Wyvern, while a Kapak known as Zealot approaches the beast and unties the fasteners that has kept a package in place.
Zealot takes the package into his work chambers and sits at a desk, and goes over the package’s contents. Collections of maps and letters denoting troop placements of the Wolverines and Knights of Solace Vale. He reads over the reports of his spies located throughout the Wolverine army, at least twelve Sivaks in total, all very attentive to detail.
The Intelligence officer smiles, he formulates his own report, breaking down all of his current information and presenting it in a coherent, readable tale of the Wolverine Army that he will take to Lord Ortaz in the morning.
In the dank marshes near Skullcap, known to the Dwarves as the Bog,
The Sivak spy known as Zen arrives with his platoon. Ferro Dunskull creeps from the shadows and approaches the Sivak.
The Dark Dwarf bids the draconian spymaster greetings, causing the platoon to curse their senses.
“Twitchy aren’t we?” The Daergar muses.
“What have you got for me Dwarf?” The Sivak demands.
“An Alliance between Thorbardin, Qualinesti, and the Wolverine army.” Ferro says.
“What? What trick is this?”
“No trick my scaly friend, the Wolverine General met with envoys of Qualinesti and Thorbardin at Pax Tharkus a day ago.”
“This is madness, Elves and Dwarves working together?”
“My associate told you this was going to happen, I see you did not take him at his word, no matter, he is Theiwar after all, I understand your reluctance, but this confirms it. Do not despair though, plans are in the works to see that the Thane won’t be able to see out his folly mission to save the elves.” The Daergar says.
“I will pass this information to my Overlord. Keep your ears open. I will be back this way in two weeks. See that you meet me here then.” Zen responds.
And the two leave the Bog. The Draconian Zen looks to Skullcap, and smiles, then trudges on.
I have to do something with this information. And what, continue living as a slave to another master? Beryl doesn’t deserve my loyalty, none of them do. If I could turn this somehow to my advantage . . . maybe I could rid of the Ortaz and Beryl in one fail swoop . . . yes . . .
Back on Twin Peaks,
General Moldova looks out onto Solace road, to what is now a DMZ between the Wolverines and his own army.
“Your spies have not found out if there is to be a push here then Col.?”
Zealot shifts and answers, “No, It has been static all winter. They have switched out regiments and battalions. Trained up for an assault, but no clear proof that they will come in this way. Intelligence suggests they are building up troops in the south, to go to war on Qualinost. They have a large military buildup on the White Rage.”
“Don’t you think though that if they attack Qualinost, they will still have to worry of this flank? They would have to know we would not look favorably on such a hostile act on our friends in the south. If they go in the south, they will come in here as well. It only makes since that if they are to have to fight a two front war, better to have the element of surprise on your side, and strike like lightning.” Moldova says.
“Their goal would Haven, and we will have to deny it from them, for if they take it, it would be a religious experience for their troops. For us, it would spell the end of our domination in the North.”
“An insightful scenario sir, not one I would like to see.”
“Nor I, but does it not seem inevitable? 200,000 troops on their side, and we have goblin subordinates? The General sighs. We will have to use everything in our bag of tricks to make these Wolverines wish they never advanced. They have four options of attack, Haven Road, around the north of Twin Peaks, from the sea on our rear flank, and from the air, using airborne troops.
From the intelligence reports, it would seem they are capable of all of those tactics. They have the armor, the manpower, and these War Wagons to make a push, yet they have a weak supply availability to support their ground army. A Army is bound by its stomach, we shall exploit that weakness. They have a navy, which could bring many Marines, but there is the Kharolis Mountain they would have to cross to reach our rear flank. Draft a report to King Agog and inform him of that possibility. He should have scouts in the mountain passes, and Hordes capable of holding off several Brigade sized units for a length of time until help can come. We will reinforce the north flank, and sets a swath of traps that will hinder their advance.
They obviously don’t know of the command center here in the peaks, as they have not hit it yet. We must allow for that continuity. It is only a matter of time before a main force of these Airborne Wolverines drop on our heads. Which reminds me, position 400 goblin archers here on the peaks within bow range of Command, with orders to fire on anything that doesn’t look like a dragon or a wyvern. I will talk to Ortaz of moving the command center; you get those messages out to the goblins and our frontline commanders and I’ll meet you at Dinner.”
“Yes General.” The chief of Intelligence replies, the two separate from the balcony
In the Kharolis Wood, south of Wayreth-
Major Glock approaches the lair of Beryllinthranox; the Overlord of lower Abanasinia is awake for once, and deep in thought.
“What do you want Glock?” The Green asks.
“I have come to see what you have decided to do, the winter is nearly over, and units must be put in place my Overlord.
“And what did I tell you the last time you came and asked me about that? I said I would call you when I had made up my mind. You irritate me with your constant whining. Go away fly, or I shall squash you.”
“Of course my Overlord, but the Wolverines are within striking distance of Qualinost. The longer we suffer these humans and elves, the more time they have to ally against you.”
“What makes you think they haven’t already allied.”
“Do you know something my Overlord, have they?” The Military Advisor asks with shuddering surprise.
“No, but do they not have minds dear Glock. Does it really matter if they unite? Can’t we still yet destroy them where they stand” They pose a danger, but not one that can be dealt with. I fought hard in the Vale, but they have not moved. We have given them pause with the last lashing we gave them. They simply have nowhere else to go. If I wanted to destroy Solace? I could. Wolfgaard? I could. They make a move, and we crush them. We have other difficulties to worry about, like crushing this Rebellion before it gets out of hand. What are doing about that?
“We have destroyed the suspected Rebel hangout near Pax Tharkus. Many towns have been raided and cleared for sympathizers. The camps are growing in size; we hold thousands of dissidents and their families. The Marshall has put a human in charge of finding a place called the Sanctuary. He is rather brutal if I may say so.”
“Sanctuary, A word I am not accustomed to.” The Overlord asks her advisor.
“A hiding place, safety, um, hidden, uh, where comfort can be given.” The advisor replies.
“A Sanctuary in my domain? Destroy it.” The Overlord says at once.
“Yes my lord, at once. Glock leaves her quickly to do something about the rebellion.
In the Goblin kingdom of Esker,
The Warlords of the Hordes have been called together to meet with the Goblin King, Agog.
Kvor, Warlord of the Worg Wolf Riders
Heltz, Warlord of the Skull Pig Horde
Ragat, Warlord of Blood Ripper Horde
Zelk, Warlord of the Balefire Horde
Galzin, Warlord of the Soul Reaper Horde
Along with others that make up the Warlords of Esker. King Agog and his subordinate, Silik go thru the war plans as they have funneled down from the Marshal Medan of Qualinesti, Lord Ortaz of the Black Brood, and Major Glock, advisor to Overlord Beryllinthranox.
It is a night of drinking, planning, scheming, and eating for this will be the last time they meet before the Spring campaigns begin.
Qualinost,
Marshal Medan reads over the reports from his spies within the Queen Mother’s household and sighs. The Mage Palin Majere has shown up and is hiding in her homestead. He takes a drink, then another. Does she know what this is doing to him? Does she like that thought? He burns the reports and throws them into the fireplace and goes to his garden to relax and think.
Sending Sir Ekill to hunt down the rebellion was not a decision he liked, one he wanted, or took pleasure in. He was going to have to save the elves from themselves, since their Queen Mother was acting foolhardy and irresponsibly. If Beryl caught wind of the Golden General’s activities, she would lose her head, and Qualinost would be razed to the ground, and the elves would be buried in a mass grave with no headstone. The attacks on the knights had to be stopped. Four more attacks on the wagon trains headed south with Beryl’s taxes in the last month. Medan has had to dip into his personal fortune to repay the collection and send them dragon back to the Overlord as not to raise her ire.
It is all hopeless . . .
The Marshal stared into his garden and tries to find comfort as he sips his feywine.
The Storm is coming . . .
Winter Deep
One-Shot
Outside of Solace, at the 113th War Wagon Brigade’s fixed AA emplacement.
Wolverine Private Klein packs his things for a two-night stay in Solace where he has chosen to go for his 3-day pass. He makes his way into town, and climbs the stair to the treetop level of the Vallenwoods and walks along the shops, buying a few items. He walks to the Inn of the Last Home and gets a room.
Nightfall comes and Private Kline leaves the Last Home, now wears commoner clothes, and appears slovenly. He makes his way to the darkened edge of the tree town, and enters the Trough, sort of the anti-Inn of the last home, a seedy bar where the undesirable cutthroats and cutpurses are known to congregate.
He enters a booth already occupied by a darkened individual.
They spend time drinking and hardly saying a word to one another, but under the table, a package is passed under the table from Kline to this other gentleman, who receives it without making an utterance. A scroll case is handed over to Kline, who opens it and reads thru it quickly. He burns the scroll after he has read it twice with the table’s candle.
Kline gets up, and leaves the Trough, making his way back to the Inn of the Last Home.
Later, the individual known as Tosk, gets up from the table and leaves the Trough, and descends the spiral staircase to the ground level and heads north, down an old road that runs along farming fields. He evades Wolverine guards posted on the northern boarder of Solace Vale, and soon is far away from the civilized world. He comes to a field and he takes out a whistle and blows, yet no sound is emitted. It is a whistle of summoning, and soon a Wyvern drops thru the clouds and descends and lands. Tosk attaches the package to the Wyvern’s leg and bids it to leave and take the package back to its master.
Sometime later, the Wyvern lands on a landing pad on Twin Peaks, the mountain strong hold of the Black Brood. Baaz retainers attend to the Wyvern, while a Kapak known as Zealot approaches the beast and unties the fasteners that has kept a package in place.
Zealot takes the package into his work chambers and sits at a desk, and goes over the package’s contents. Collections of maps and letters denoting troop placements of the Wolverines and Knights of Solace Vale. He reads over the reports of his spies located throughout the Wolverine army, at least twelve Sivaks in total, all very attentive to detail.
The Intelligence officer smiles, he formulates his own report, breaking down all of his current information and presenting it in a coherent, readable tale of the Wolverine Army that he will take to Lord Ortaz in the morning.
In the dank marshes near Skullcap, known to the Dwarves as the Bog,
The Sivak spy known as Zen arrives with his platoon. Ferro Dunskull creeps from the shadows and approaches the Sivak.
The Dark Dwarf bids the draconian spymaster greetings, causing the platoon to curse their senses.
“Twitchy aren’t we?” The Daergar muses.
“What have you got for me Dwarf?” The Sivak demands.
“An Alliance between Thorbardin, Qualinesti, and the Wolverine army.” Ferro says.
“What? What trick is this?”
“No trick my scaly friend, the Wolverine General met with envoys of Qualinesti and Thorbardin at Pax Tharkus a day ago.”
“This is madness, Elves and Dwarves working together?”
“My associate told you this was going to happen, I see you did not take him at his word, no matter, he is Theiwar after all, I understand your reluctance, but this confirms it. Do not despair though, plans are in the works to see that the Thane won’t be able to see out his folly mission to save the elves.” The Daergar says.
“I will pass this information to my Overlord. Keep your ears open. I will be back this way in two weeks. See that you meet me here then.” Zen responds.
And the two leave the Bog. The Draconian Zen looks to Skullcap, and smiles, then trudges on.
I have to do something with this information. And what, continue living as a slave to another master? Beryl doesn’t deserve my loyalty, none of them do. If I could turn this somehow to my advantage . . . maybe I could rid of the Ortaz and Beryl in one fail swoop . . . yes . . .
Back on Twin Peaks,
General Moldova looks out onto Solace road, to what is now a DMZ between the Wolverines and his own army.
“Your spies have not found out if there is to be a push here then Col.?”
Zealot shifts and answers, “No, It has been static all winter. They have switched out regiments and battalions. Trained up for an assault, but no clear proof that they will come in this way. Intelligence suggests they are building up troops in the south, to go to war on Qualinost. They have a large military buildup on the White Rage.”
“Don’t you think though that if they attack Qualinost, they will still have to worry of this flank? They would have to know we would not look favorably on such a hostile act on our friends in the south. If they go in the south, they will come in here as well. It only makes since that if they are to have to fight a two front war, better to have the element of surprise on your side, and strike like lightning.” Moldova says.
“Their goal would Haven, and we will have to deny it from them, for if they take it, it would be a religious experience for their troops. For us, it would spell the end of our domination in the North.”
“An insightful scenario sir, not one I would like to see.”
“Nor I, but does it not seem inevitable? 200,000 troops on their side, and we have goblin subordinates? The General sighs. We will have to use everything in our bag of tricks to make these Wolverines wish they never advanced. They have four options of attack, Haven Road, around the north of Twin Peaks, from the sea on our rear flank, and from the air, using airborne troops.
From the intelligence reports, it would seem they are capable of all of those tactics. They have the armor, the manpower, and these War Wagons to make a push, yet they have a weak supply availability to support their ground army. A Army is bound by its stomach, we shall exploit that weakness. They have a navy, which could bring many Marines, but there is the Kharolis Mountain they would have to cross to reach our rear flank. Draft a report to King Agog and inform him of that possibility. He should have scouts in the mountain passes, and Hordes capable of holding off several Brigade sized units for a length of time until help can come. We will reinforce the north flank, and sets a swath of traps that will hinder their advance.
They obviously don’t know of the command center here in the peaks, as they have not hit it yet. We must allow for that continuity. It is only a matter of time before a main force of these Airborne Wolverines drop on our heads. Which reminds me, position 400 goblin archers here on the peaks within bow range of Command, with orders to fire on anything that doesn’t look like a dragon or a wyvern. I will talk to Ortaz of moving the command center; you get those messages out to the goblins and our frontline commanders and I’ll meet you at Dinner.”
“Yes General.” The chief of Intelligence replies, the two separate from the balcony
In the Kharolis Wood, south of Wayreth-
Major Glock approaches the lair of Beryllinthranox; the Overlord of lower Abanasinia is awake for once, and deep in thought.
“What do you want Glock?” The Green asks.
“I have come to see what you have decided to do, the winter is nearly over, and units must be put in place my Overlord.
“And what did I tell you the last time you came and asked me about that? I said I would call you when I had made up my mind. You irritate me with your constant whining. Go away fly, or I shall squash you.”
“Of course my Overlord, but the Wolverines are within striking distance of Qualinost. The longer we suffer these humans and elves, the more time they have to ally against you.”
“What makes you think they haven’t already allied.”
“Do you know something my Overlord, have they?” The Military Advisor asks with shuddering surprise.
“No, but do they not have minds dear Glock. Does it really matter if they unite? Can’t we still yet destroy them where they stand” They pose a danger, but not one that can be dealt with. I fought hard in the Vale, but they have not moved. We have given them pause with the last lashing we gave them. They simply have nowhere else to go. If I wanted to destroy Solace? I could. Wolfgaard? I could. They make a move, and we crush them. We have other difficulties to worry about, like crushing this Rebellion before it gets out of hand. What are doing about that?
“We have destroyed the suspected Rebel hangout near Pax Tharkus. Many towns have been raided and cleared for sympathizers. The camps are growing in size; we hold thousands of dissidents and their families. The Marshall has put a human in charge of finding a place called the Sanctuary. He is rather brutal if I may say so.”
“Sanctuary, A word I am not accustomed to.” The Overlord asks her advisor.
“A hiding place, safety, um, hidden, uh, where comfort can be given.” The advisor replies.
“A Sanctuary in my domain? Destroy it.” The Overlord says at once.
“Yes my lord, at once. Glock leaves her quickly to do something about the rebellion.
In the Goblin kingdom of Esker,
The Warlords of the Hordes have been called together to meet with the Goblin King, Agog.
Kvor, Warlord of the Worg Wolf Riders
Heltz, Warlord of the Skull Pig Horde
Ragat, Warlord of Blood Ripper Horde
Zelk, Warlord of the Balefire Horde
Galzin, Warlord of the Soul Reaper Horde
Along with others that make up the Warlords of Esker. King Agog and his subordinate, Silik go thru the war plans as they have funneled down from the Marshal Medan of Qualinesti, Lord Ortaz of the Black Brood, and Major Glock, advisor to Overlord Beryllinthranox.
It is a night of drinking, planning, scheming, and eating for this will be the last time they meet before the Spring campaigns begin.
Qualinost,
Marshal Medan reads over the reports from his spies within the Queen Mother’s household and sighs. The Mage Palin Majere has shown up and is hiding in her homestead. He takes a drink, then another. Does she know what this is doing to him? Does she like that thought? He burns the reports and throws them into the fireplace and goes to his garden to relax and think.
Sending Sir Ekill to hunt down the rebellion was not a decision he liked, one he wanted, or took pleasure in. He was going to have to save the elves from themselves, since their Queen Mother was acting foolhardy and irresponsibly. If Beryl caught wind of the Golden General’s activities, she would lose her head, and Qualinost would be razed to the ground, and the elves would be buried in a mass grave with no headstone. The attacks on the knights had to be stopped. Four more attacks on the wagon trains headed south with Beryl’s taxes in the last month. Medan has had to dip into his personal fortune to repay the collection and send them dragon back to the Overlord as not to raise her ire.
It is all hopeless . . .
The Marshal stared into his garden and tries to find comfort as he sips his feywine.
The Storm is coming . . .