Game Thread; Flames of Ketyn Myr

Elyona was raised in the forest settlement of Shaho Thalor near the human village of Ti Foirge. The settlements in the area cooperated with each other and enjoyed a strong trade relationship. When the legions of the Grondurian Empire landed on the coast of Ketyn Myr, the trumpet calls were so loud it shook the earth itself. The Legio XXIV Dobania struck quickly, Ti Foirge lacked the warriors to resist leaving the highlanders laying in pools of crimson mud. Suspiciously, the legion was aware of the Elven settlement and dispatched three Centurian ranks to force them to heel. The battle was great and both sides took heavy losses, but the Elves were vastly outnumbered.

The warriors fought to hold the advancing Centuries while the noncombatants attempted to flee. One Centurian Orok Mountain Tusk, maneuvered his auxiliary units to cut off the fleeing elves, killing them with no regard to their conditions.

TUNNELS of Cruach Dhil (pronounced Kru-ak Dill)

Belar woke up in the morning as usual, nothing out of place. The tunes of metalwork singing a melody of different tones as the village's craftsmen working with the copper, tin, and iron from their ore veins. After breakfast, the noble lord conducted his routine patrol through the mines when IT happened. A low rumbling followed by the shaking of the fortification beams. The source appeared similar to a stampede in sound alone, but the volume and quake were considerably greater. Belar evacuated the areas with the greatest risk, he began patrolling the tunnels closer to the surface to investigate the strange occurrence.

Heading towards the surface gates, Belar notices a sticky liquid pouring from the tunnels ceiling, he hears the horrific cries of unknown victims facing unimaginable horror. The strong odors of copper and sulfur soaking into the soil of holding the great boulders in place.

The guards to the great door had barred the heavy Okoro Pine obstacle. The guards initially protested Belar's order to open the gate; eventually backing down and complying with the noble's order. The doors swung open and a blast of thick smoke rushed into the tunnel system. A gaseous wave of heat, much like the smothering heat of the smelting furnaces below now waved a grim illusion of the surface lands. At Belar's feet lay a female elf, barely old enough to leave her settlement. She was of thin build, covered in ash and soot from battle. Her tunic and breeches cut and ragged, and her unkempt blond hair covered in the thistles and stalks of hay. Standing above her was an orc soldier wearing banded armor, a large rectangular shield, and a long sword. With a deep war cry bellowed by the soldier, he swings the blade at the unconscious girl.

The Orc's attack finished the swing on the fallen Elf, creating a deep wound along her side. Belar's protest caught the large warrior's attention "I am Centurian Orok Mountain Tusk, with the Miqronus Astakara auxiliary. The Twenty Fourth Legion has claim authority of this land and you are hereby ordered to submit to our authority and surrender your city."

The Orc growled with satisfaction, pulling his axe in a defensive posture.

The Orc spins away from Belar, though taking a serious wound to the ribs. The orc responds with a swing from his axe, but the blade swiped too high missing the noble.

The Orc officer shows an expression of shock as the battle axe bit deep within his banded armor. The Centurian's massive arms fell beneath the weight of his large great axe. The shaft of the weapon landed hard onto the ground and the soldier dropped to his knees before slumping prone to the ground.

Belar took a moment to view the images of the surface, Grondurian soldiers thrusting spears into the frail bodies of fleeing humans and elves. In the far distance trails of smoke covered the sky as flames stretched to touch the clouds. The human village of Ti Foirge had fallen to the large force. The the forest groves in the east, trees had fallen over piled into a dragon's size pyre of dancing flames. The Dwarf knew that he could fight, allow his anger to avenge his hold's allies, but not even his people would be enough to deter the well trained formations now building defenses and fortifying the area.

Dwarven guards rush out of the hillside retrieving the Elf as Belar sprints away from the hold to engage the invasion forces. Cresting a small hill he comes face to face with two soldiers stabbing their short swords into a pile of bodies, "Make certain they are all dead" said the older soldier.

and

Belar scans the hills, watching small groups of Grondurian soldiers slaughtering innocent civilians. The bodies of fallen warriors litter the landscape like blades of grass. The Dwarf noble can choose to cross the hills and risk encountering so many soldiers or use the tunnel network that his people use to move their wares to the northern provinces

Belar travels through the tunnels swiftly, familiar with ever nook and cranny within the tunnel system. The Dwarf finally reached the edge of the hold's territory when he heard noises. The first set of noises sounded like leaking drips of water splashing into a puddle, followed by a large clump of clay splashing. The darkness hiding the thorough fare lightened up as light from the late evening lit up an area along the path.


A shadow figure poked its face below the hole to scout the opening, it had long narrow snout with its front teeth protruding from its mouth. Tiny ears twitched in the back of its head and tiny claws widened the hole until the 3' creature slipped through landing on the floor. The creature crouched onto its hind legs, pulling a bright green gem from a pouch "Easy trappings, tell them where the humans are and take my stone. Who cares about the humies, not me" its high pitched chirps proclaimed in common.

The rat squeals in protest "I dig the hole, it is my nest until I leave human!!" it tucks the gem into a pouch which is attached to a bandolier before an imaginary scratch towards the warrior "My business is my own, you want to win the riches? You work like Scruuuba work and tell the big people about the kin people. They pay"