- Pronouns
- They/Them
tomtomgags
Villager
The following is Eyvind Herdsman's recollection of the events in Nid Arach, published shortly after the siege.
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Aleksei and his cohort arrived on the edge of Nid Arach. There were many of them: Melarue the Mage, Kristoff the Dwarf, Faith of the Guild, Sir Albert, Frost of Frostlight lingered nearby. Then there was Lady Valtae and myself, the Wizard Eyvind.
Aleksei rode on his noble steed and surveyed the landscape. A light fog rolled over the land. Aleksei rode forward and shouted out to the Skraagites on the walls of Branko’s Castle.
"Hail, defenders of chaos!” He cried. “Those who serve Jishrim, or the Lord of Undeath! I have come to herald the light and cast out your darkness! Slay me now while I lie at your border, come out in contrition, or die while the mad house collapses around you!"
The Skraagites returned with a booming voice that they would defend this place.
Aleksei ordered a ladder to be built. Kristoff, Faith, and myself went to the nearby trees. I set my hand upon one and offered my sorrows that we would have to cut it, bidding it farewell for the greater good. After many hours, the ladder was constructed.
Faith and Kristoff raised their shields, and I took up the ladder. We moved toward the walls. As we passed into the perimeter of Nid Arach, we found ourselves covered in webs. Spiders crawled all over the ground and over us. I batted them off me as best as I could. We pressed forward.
The Skraagites on the wall loosed testing shots that fell into the bog, that told us where the arrows would fall. We pressed onward, and came into range. As we went, the arrows battered down on us. Kristoff and Faith defended those with the ladder, myself included.
We were battered but arrows, but thanks to our allies we went unharmed. A ballista upon the wall became apparent to us, ready to shoot us on the ladder. The shields would not have defended us, even with Korogs blessing upon them. Aleksei took up the call to arms, and with angelic wings on his back he flew into action.
Aleksei took to the walls ahead of us. The archers on the wall loosed arrows at him, and with the might of Ignis he put up a wall of blazing light that destroyed the arrows and the bolt from the ballista. Then he set upon the ballista crew and cut them down.
Those of us below reached the wall. We put up the ladder, and Kristoff began destroying the foundation of the walls. Then it was my turn, I called upon the fire elementals of great strength. Inferno, Blaze, and Bonfire. I enchanted the blades of Frost, Valtae, and Faith, granting them great fire.
We climbed the ladder. Melarue went first. Battle ensued on the top. Melarue and Albert did battle with those on the left, while Valtae and Faith took those on the right. Unarmed and unarmored, I waited behind them to see if I could be of any assistance.
Soon Aleksei took flight from the upper walls again after escaping from overwhelming odds, taking men with him. He landed back with the party, and I went to him for I had not enchanted his blade.
“Sir Aleksei, allow me to enchant your blade. I will call upon all the spirits to fall under Ignis’ banner.”
And Aleksei allowed me. I summoned forward another fire elemental to imbue Aleksei’s already flaming blade. The fire leapt higher, an intense inferno held over the blade. Aleksei was pleased, and strode forward in his silvery armor.
Then the wall collapsed. Kristoff’s efforts were successful. Despite his warning to those on the wall, Faith had strode forward on the right side and the wall collapsed below her, sending her to the bottom. But being Airblessed, she drifted to the ground safely.
Men were raining debris down on us from further up the wall. After we cleared the first wall, another man poked his head out from above and Melarue shot him through the head.
In a moment of peace, as the Guildmaster and Kristoff remained at the bottom to hew away at the walls, we searched for a way deeper into the castle. Aleksei burned and twisted the metal of bars on a window. Melarue cleared the debris of a stairway and went down. I followed Aleksei through the window, along with Lady Valtae and albert, with the light of his blazing blade to guide us.
We progressed through the dark halls by Aleksei’s light. I slipped into a side room for a moment, and returned almost loosing the rest of our group. I was unsure where the others were. We made our way into a large chamber, with an altar at its heart. There were books on the altar. Aleksei destroyed them with a candle, to be rid of the dark knowledge.
Melarue returned and found us, and with nothing else inside, we progressed down the stairs the way the others went. We entered into some sort of museum on the bottom floor. The others had already looted it, and I do not know what exactly there was. There was all sorts of natural phenomena on display, seemingly affected by chaos of Jishrim’s domain. I found some sort of fungal sample in one of the side rooms.
The entire central chamber down there was framed by a massive rib cage. Melarue identified them as collections of bones, such as whale bones.
A few minutes passed, and I noticed Melarue was missing from our group. Faith guessed where she had went, knowing there were more soldiers that way. Kristoff ordered us to go, while he stayed to collapse the place. We ran ahead. Then we paused in the stairway, realizing Melarue was talking to the cultists ahead.
The fortress trembled, likely from Kristoff’s endeavor. Some lost their footing at the quake. Aleksei moved on the men at the top of the stairs, in Melarue’s defense. He was grand and radiant, standing over seven feet tall in gleaming armor, his broken blade wreathed in a great fire. There was another tremble, but we stayed on our feet. Aleksei made quick work of the men.
With so long spent exploring the castle, most of our magic had faded, and we had few left. All of was spent breaching the walls, and thankfully so.
The castle began to collapse. Kristoff was left at the bottom, to destroy the final pillar. There was a ladder down the wall at the top with us. I grabbed Frost and Lady Valtae and forced them down the ladder before me. We all worried greatly for the brave Kristoff. We were uncertain if he had gotten out before the castle collapsed. He was a strong dwarven man, could he survive a collapse like that?
The fortress was reduced to rubble.
Time passed, there was no sign of brave Kristoff.
Aleksei declared, “The dwarf is still alive. Now we must dig him out.” And so we set about digging. I admit I was not particle to digging, just moving the stone out of the way by hand as much as I could. But Aleksei and I worked hard, and after almost an hour we saw the dwarf’s hand digging out from the other side. We cleared the remainder and I dragged the dwarf out to us.
Kristoff’s first words were “Y’ll find none more thorough.”
Aleksei bid a prayer and cleaned us all from the filth of the endeavor. Things were calm, though the ever present swarms of spiders remained. The deed was done, and we set about establishing a war camp in the rubble.
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Aleksei and his cohort arrived on the edge of Nid Arach. There were many of them: Melarue the Mage, Kristoff the Dwarf, Faith of the Guild, Sir Albert, Frost of Frostlight lingered nearby. Then there was Lady Valtae and myself, the Wizard Eyvind.
Aleksei rode on his noble steed and surveyed the landscape. A light fog rolled over the land. Aleksei rode forward and shouted out to the Skraagites on the walls of Branko’s Castle.
"Hail, defenders of chaos!” He cried. “Those who serve Jishrim, or the Lord of Undeath! I have come to herald the light and cast out your darkness! Slay me now while I lie at your border, come out in contrition, or die while the mad house collapses around you!"
The Skraagites returned with a booming voice that they would defend this place.
Aleksei ordered a ladder to be built. Kristoff, Faith, and myself went to the nearby trees. I set my hand upon one and offered my sorrows that we would have to cut it, bidding it farewell for the greater good. After many hours, the ladder was constructed.
Faith and Kristoff raised their shields, and I took up the ladder. We moved toward the walls. As we passed into the perimeter of Nid Arach, we found ourselves covered in webs. Spiders crawled all over the ground and over us. I batted them off me as best as I could. We pressed forward.
The Skraagites on the wall loosed testing shots that fell into the bog, that told us where the arrows would fall. We pressed onward, and came into range. As we went, the arrows battered down on us. Kristoff and Faith defended those with the ladder, myself included.
We were battered but arrows, but thanks to our allies we went unharmed. A ballista upon the wall became apparent to us, ready to shoot us on the ladder. The shields would not have defended us, even with Korogs blessing upon them. Aleksei took up the call to arms, and with angelic wings on his back he flew into action.
Aleksei took to the walls ahead of us. The archers on the wall loosed arrows at him, and with the might of Ignis he put up a wall of blazing light that destroyed the arrows and the bolt from the ballista. Then he set upon the ballista crew and cut them down.
Those of us below reached the wall. We put up the ladder, and Kristoff began destroying the foundation of the walls. Then it was my turn, I called upon the fire elementals of great strength. Inferno, Blaze, and Bonfire. I enchanted the blades of Frost, Valtae, and Faith, granting them great fire.
We climbed the ladder. Melarue went first. Battle ensued on the top. Melarue and Albert did battle with those on the left, while Valtae and Faith took those on the right. Unarmed and unarmored, I waited behind them to see if I could be of any assistance.
Soon Aleksei took flight from the upper walls again after escaping from overwhelming odds, taking men with him. He landed back with the party, and I went to him for I had not enchanted his blade.
“Sir Aleksei, allow me to enchant your blade. I will call upon all the spirits to fall under Ignis’ banner.”
And Aleksei allowed me. I summoned forward another fire elemental to imbue Aleksei’s already flaming blade. The fire leapt higher, an intense inferno held over the blade. Aleksei was pleased, and strode forward in his silvery armor.
Then the wall collapsed. Kristoff’s efforts were successful. Despite his warning to those on the wall, Faith had strode forward on the right side and the wall collapsed below her, sending her to the bottom. But being Airblessed, she drifted to the ground safely.
Men were raining debris down on us from further up the wall. After we cleared the first wall, another man poked his head out from above and Melarue shot him through the head.
In a moment of peace, as the Guildmaster and Kristoff remained at the bottom to hew away at the walls, we searched for a way deeper into the castle. Aleksei burned and twisted the metal of bars on a window. Melarue cleared the debris of a stairway and went down. I followed Aleksei through the window, along with Lady Valtae and albert, with the light of his blazing blade to guide us.
We progressed through the dark halls by Aleksei’s light. I slipped into a side room for a moment, and returned almost loosing the rest of our group. I was unsure where the others were. We made our way into a large chamber, with an altar at its heart. There were books on the altar. Aleksei destroyed them with a candle, to be rid of the dark knowledge.
Melarue returned and found us, and with nothing else inside, we progressed down the stairs the way the others went. We entered into some sort of museum on the bottom floor. The others had already looted it, and I do not know what exactly there was. There was all sorts of natural phenomena on display, seemingly affected by chaos of Jishrim’s domain. I found some sort of fungal sample in one of the side rooms.
The entire central chamber down there was framed by a massive rib cage. Melarue identified them as collections of bones, such as whale bones.
A few minutes passed, and I noticed Melarue was missing from our group. Faith guessed where she had went, knowing there were more soldiers that way. Kristoff ordered us to go, while he stayed to collapse the place. We ran ahead. Then we paused in the stairway, realizing Melarue was talking to the cultists ahead.
The fortress trembled, likely from Kristoff’s endeavor. Some lost their footing at the quake. Aleksei moved on the men at the top of the stairs, in Melarue’s defense. He was grand and radiant, standing over seven feet tall in gleaming armor, his broken blade wreathed in a great fire. There was another tremble, but we stayed on our feet. Aleksei made quick work of the men.
With so long spent exploring the castle, most of our magic had faded, and we had few left. All of was spent breaching the walls, and thankfully so.
The castle began to collapse. Kristoff was left at the bottom, to destroy the final pillar. There was a ladder down the wall at the top with us. I grabbed Frost and Lady Valtae and forced them down the ladder before me. We all worried greatly for the brave Kristoff. We were uncertain if he had gotten out before the castle collapsed. He was a strong dwarven man, could he survive a collapse like that?
The fortress was reduced to rubble.
Time passed, there was no sign of brave Kristoff.
Aleksei declared, “The dwarf is still alive. Now we must dig him out.” And so we set about digging. I admit I was not particle to digging, just moving the stone out of the way by hand as much as I could. But Aleksei and I worked hard, and after almost an hour we saw the dwarf’s hand digging out from the other side. We cleared the remainder and I dragged the dwarf out to us.
Kristoff’s first words were “Y’ll find none more thorough.”
Aleksei bid a prayer and cleaned us all from the filth of the endeavor. Things were calm, though the ever present swarms of spiders remained. The deed was done, and we set about establishing a war camp in the rubble.
