Targos

Ras' spell of confusion rolls off of these two frost giant warriors like water off of a duck's feathers. With steady determination they lift their end of the tower a few feet off the ground before pausing to shift their weight and pick better handholds. An orc would only be able to pass through the space between tower and ground at a crawl, and an ogre not at all. The smaller goblins, on the other hand, slide through the opening with glee.

Two waves of goblins spew from the gate, one breaking to the left and the other to the right.

Round 1 Player Phase!

The defenders stand against the tide of goblins that wash through the small breach. Though the small critters are numerous, they have little hope of overwhelming the companions and militia set to deter them.

After resistance, Ug takes 13 damage. Zen takes 3, Ulbrec takes 16, militia takes 19.

Alalla and Ug in particular tear through the goblin ranks, and any enemies not mangled by their weapons are finished off by the militia spears riding in their wake.

Magic summoned by druid and warlock churn both the ground beneath the giants' feet and within their minds. As the frozen earth explodes, one of the frost giants stumbles to grasp at its shredded shins. When Vincent's fear spell hits it, that same giant lets out a frightful wail and crawls away from the gate and fallen tower.

The other giant nearly buckles under the sudden weight of its load, but manages to get its knees under it. A a handful of ogres jump in to lend their strength, and the tower lifts high enough to allow more enemies within the walls.

With this foothold established, a squad of broad figures slips out from under the raised tower. Their heavy armor shines in the torchlight, each slab of metal sporting vicious spikes. Larger than regular orcs, the party has seen their kind several times before - orogs, elite and cunning warriors supposedly blessed by the orcish pantheon. In their middle is a tatooed priest garbed in similar armor.

The priest raises his battleaxe high, and it begins to glow with a fell, red light. "I am War Priest Caballus! In the name of Mighty Gruumsh, we will reclaim all that was taken from us. Kill them all!" The light spreads to the weapons of the orogs about him, and a violent, crackling hum fills the air as each wicked axe, sword, or flail ignites.

Round 2 Player Phase!!

The next moments are the bloodiest and most frenzied that the battle has seen thus far. The orogs, weapons alight with nefarious power, lay into the defenders of Targos with heavy, brutal swings. Each of these elite warriors is nearly as strong as an ogre, but far more ferocious and cunning. As more of the militia fall, the orogs growl out praises to Gruumsh.

Ras and Vincent are each set upon by a pair of the fearsome soldiers, and each wound they receive rocks their souls with a flash of wrathful light (Ras takes 16, Vince takes 9, slashing and radiant to both. Vince also loses concentration on his fear spell).

Three of the orogs barrel into Alalla as she reaches Caballus, and she finds herself sorely pressed to land any real hits on the towering priest. The priest only flashes a fierce, twisted grin with each failed strike, the expression twisting the gruesome tattoos on his face.

Ug tears through the middle of the orog ranks, brushing off their blows (after resistance, Ug takes 17 slashing and 9 radiant) as he makes his way towards his true goal - the fur breeches of the frost giant standing outside the gate. As the barbarian disappears from view among the the thick limbs of giant and ogres, he hears the familiar whistle of Zenithral's arrows zip around him, each one planting itself into an eye or throat of the monsters lifting the tower.

As the fighting continues, Lord Ulbrec does not cease calling out encouragement to the defenders, every word punctuated by a swing from his longsword. Under his direction, the militia bring down one of the orogs. Still, the mayor is not a young man, and the fight has been long already with the attempts on his life and the loss of his wife. An axe smashes into his side, creasing his armor there (Ulbrec takes 11 damage).

A sudden *crack* roars over the battlefield as lightning from Ras' fingers paints the scene a stark white. When the light fades, the four orogs near druid and warlock are merely smoking heaps of burly limbs and shattered armor.

Alalla's plight grows worse as her enemies surround her. Orcish faces leer at her even as their weapons come crashing in (Al takes 56 damage, slashing and radiant)). Any lesser warrior would have been immediately overwhelmed, but Alalla manages to keep her feet long enough to take advantage of the opportunity when it shows itself. Two well-placed arrows from Vincent's magical bow hammer into Caballus' shoulders, rocking him hard enough that Alalla is able to cut loose the priest's shield from its armstraps, dropping the shield to the snow and leaving the priest exposed.

Caballus growls as his concentration is broken and the light dims from the orogs' weapons. With his hand now unburdened by the shield, the priest snaps Vincent's arrow shafts free and brings the bloodied projectiles to his lips. He whispers a curse and the air around Vincent begins to boil and steam - but the cagey warlock vanishes and reappears nearby, completely avoiding the retaliatory spell.

The war priest growls again and throws the broken shafts to the ground, then summons a magical battleaxe to his open hand - a spectral twin to the solid weapon in his other hand. He squares off against Alalla, both axes at the ready, but then spies an easier target. He spins and hurls the spectral axe at Ras, and the weapon spins over the bloodied and torn battlefield to slice across the gnome druid's arm (Ras takes 11 force damage), then zips back to Caballus' waiting hand.

Just then, a bellow that is surprisingly high in pitch shakes the air as Ug's maul finds its target. High up on its tip-toes with its hands protectively low, the frost giant is left totally exposed to Zenithral's ready bow. A single arrow flits up towards the giant's head, and then the huge monster topples to the ground, dead.

As the enormous body shakes the ground, the remaining two ogres stagger under the weight of the archery tower. They look at each other in confusion, and manage only a single word in unison: "Duh?" Then the tower collapses upon them, and the gate is blocked once more.

But where is Ug?

War Priest Caballus howls in rage and raises his axes high as he advances on Alalla. "You only delay the inevitable, Daughter of Gruumsh. The One-Eyed God claims us, and gives us power!" The priest begins a prayer to Gruumsh, and the words that Alalla recognizes both chill her blood and enrage her spirit. A red haze appears above the fallen orcs and orogs of the battleground as their lingering spirits are ripped free of their bodies to wreathe Caballus in a crimson fog. This close to the priest, Alalla can feel all about her the corrupting touch of orc spirits enslaved to Gruumsh. "You see? You have no more chance to escape his grasp than these, nor do those you claim to lead!" Their screams, their rage, their utter lack of hope, it all swirls about her and the nearest militia, wilting flesh and curdling blood (Al is frightened for 1d4 rounds. Also, Caballus casts Spirit Guardians as a 4th level spell). Ug stumbles out of the wreckage of the tower, favoring one ankle. To his dismay, Ug finds himself on the wrong side of the walls - on the same side as the army. For the moment, none of horde seem to have noticed the goliath among the nearest bodies and rubble. From his vantage point near the giant corpse's legs, he sees several more ogres push their way through the crowd. These hulking monsters seem more like cattle, carrying small forts on their shoulders brimming with goblins wielding bows. Judging from the lights flickering within the small mobile structures, the goblins within are preparing fire arrows. The ogres press up against the walls, and Ug can see that as tall as the ogres are, and with the added height of the forts, the goblins within will be able to fire over the walls easily.

Meanwhile, a dozen orcs approaches to begin clearing the rubble away from the gate by hand. Ug will be seen in moments. With his ankle the way it is, running will be difficult (Ug's speed is reduced to 10 feet for 1d4 rounds).

Round 3 Player Phase!!!