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Author Topic: Vanderfall Bloodbather's Battle Journal (a loose collection of observations)  (Read 3220 times)

willhoff

Been at Center now for a good while.  Not as orderly as the Gate which is nice for a change.  I do enjoy my freedom.  The town is dirty and meager with dangers everywhere outside the town proper and even below!  Huge underground rats, deadwalkers in a nearby crypt.  Gnolls and Orcs in the fields and plains.

I met up with some kins and other good folk and we set out to explore this dangerous land.  Callin' ourselves the Crimson Tide.  My dwarven waraxe, Gatekeeper, has found plenty of action. 

I've learned from those around me and have attempted to train and learn in the ways of battle.  Proper fighting stance,  how to move in battle as to avoid my enemies takin' cheap shots, and most of all train' my butt off with me waraxe.  The blade cleaves well enough but with more training I'm certain I can get more out of it.

I've heard of those who have walked this path of weapon perfection.  Maybe I'll seek one out that is worthy.  Until then I'll keep trainin' and focusing on me axe.
 

willhoff

Finally found Deadman's Pass.  No sign of them Stonesmashers though.  Bron, one of the kin of the Crimson Tide left a note with the pawn merchant for us at the Fort nearby, North Fort I be thinkin' it's called.

More trainin' on me war axe.  Tryin' different angles of attack, different grips, and such.  I've studied some of the kin in battle. 

Jinn gots a good stance with his footin' which means he don't get hit alot but he suffers in his swing...hmm.  Could be useful for holdin off the enemy and keepin our wall. 

After much trainin' and practice I've mastered how to move about in battle and avoid cheap shots from those I pass by so I can focus on battle more. It's all about situational awareness I like ta call it.  After so many battles you learn what is a threat and what is not and train yer eye and body to spring to the threat.

Need rest for now.  Resume trainin' in the morn.
 

willhoff

His shield lands on the ground and skips clanging against a nearby wall. Well dat  whirlwind swing nae went as planned.  He grumbles a bit but picks up the shield and tries a reverse grip.  Maybe dis will keep me shield from flying cross de room. He continues to practice the special whirlwind attack he's seen Wimpkin perform with varying levels of success

While he's at the Vehl arena he also take the time to get into the stance he's seen Jinn use so many times in battle.  He continues to practice this as well on the combat dummies

By the end of each training session his hands are blue and knuckles sore after the constant swinging at the dummies.  He does his best to incorporate the style of swinging that he's seen from other weapon masters he's fought with and against.

At the end of his training he sits in a corner and meditates on his training and jots a few notes down about his travels including his trip up the mountains near Storans crypt to help the girl get her oil flask back.  He went with Khrom and Gumbo and met a new gnome named Jay.  Good fighter and seemed in tune with his kukri's he dual weilded.  He jots some notes down about what he learned from studying his battle technique.  He also recounts a trip they went to in a misty bandit holdout with another gnome named Wimpkin who truly was learned in the ways of a weapon master.  Various scribblings are written down about him as well including blade grip, stance, angle of swing etc.

 

willhoff

Some notes are jotted down with a few blood stains

Foinally mastered de whirlwind attack and de defensive stance (expertise)!  Oi nae lost me shield except once of late and Oi was toired after all de trainin'.  De key on de stance is te set ye feet in a loine with ye power soide back a bit and den ye gota anticipate de blows and cleave after de come through wit der swing.

More trainin on me waraxe.  Oi be takin it te bed with me and cookin' on it and erm even talkin te it sometoimes.  Specially in battle.  De waraxe has grown on me so dat Oi nae even realoize Oi holdin' eht sometoimes.

Met another weapon master of late.  Johnny he called himself.  Real quick with his dual weildn' on de scimmies.  We along with Ke and Gumbo went on  jog through Dregar and deadmans pass.  Fought goints, a nasty drake, bugbear warlords, huge snakes and aye trolls at de end.  Johnny given me some pointers on me swing and troid gettin me te swing sneaky but dat nae me way.  Eht worked gud for him though.  Oi go practice somemore with me waraxe  after watchin and listenin' te Johnny.
 

willhoff

Assault on the Lizard King:  Oi ventured inte de blackdog moors off Hlint with a gud party.  Me, Gumbo, Johnny n' Nile.  We slugged far and whoide in mud and sloime te foind em'.  Foinally we came across eht.  De lizard critters hold up in clusters with crossbowmen, warriors and usually a shaman.  De fought well but by Vorax we overcame dem. At de lower level we met the king and his minions and through tactics and proper warfare felled him.  Der was tin and gems also der.

Oi kept me left eye on Johnny and his weapon foitin' when Oi could.  He also encouraged me and gave me further pointers while we battled.  Der was also some strange rune stones we came across dat appear te be craftable.  Oi need te investigate further.

The day after Oi resumed me trainin with the pointers Johnny gave me along with what Oi learned from other weapon masters...including the dark elf warriors in de Rift.  Oi now feel a comfort level with me waraxe Oi nae felt before.  The swing be more natural and be part of me hand.  Oi can practice longer te without getin swore nuckles.  Oi feel der be a breakthrough close in me trainin'.  Soon de waraxe be part of me.
 

willhoff

The Massacre at the Minatuar crypt:  Blasted shamans.  Good battle but tuff defeat.  Vorax gona get one back I swear by me waraxe.  Kins went inte de crypt off of Willows and we lost of few te de fairies along de way.  Magicer came with us but he nae last long once  we got inte miniatur battle.  We was bloinded and droppin loiek flies.  Our numbers dwindled as we went deeper.  At de end der was but four.  Ran outa healers got ambushed from behoind and Oi met de ground and me boindstone.  Only one Oi heard walked out.

Later Oi met up with Gum and Johnny.  We assaulted Bear Island for der treasure in gems and wood.  Johnny was in foine form as usual.  He gave me some pointers on me battle swing. 

Tilt de axe soideways so in me swing it nae catch as mutch wind but cut de wind.  Always be moindfull of de angle of de blade.  Dis made me swing more effortless and kept me muscles less sore. 

Keep ye axe close in battle and lunge out with up thrusts when ye duck and down thrusts when de low.  De closer ye keep de axe te ye body de more momentum ye can use in ye woind up.

Practiced dem teqniques and others as Oi grow closer and closer te me waraxe.  Keep trainin and nae give up.
 

willhoff

Victorious defeat of the Arnax bandits:  We started out from Miritrix.  Me, Gum, Nile, Jinn and Johnny.  Found our way inte dis spoider cave and we found de queens.  Bebelith proved difficult with der webs and Nile runniin round neked but came out on top.  In de Roughlands we found huge golems runnn' loose.  Our weapons and even me waraxe nae could damage save de elements.  At Hilm de pawner lass informed us of a trader in Fort Thunder dat had an easy job if ye could make eht der.  She was gona pay gud coin for Gum's emerald rune but Gum nae wanted te loose eht.

We prepared at de foire outsoide Arnax.  Axes were sharpened, blessin's and tactics discussed.  De came at us when we's on de bridge.  Couple a warriors and another dat seemed fond of singing and cursin'.  We heard de tuff from Khrom and Jay so we ready.   We brought down de first halfer and den de singer came outa nowhere hollaring and hissin.  By Vorax we able to drop him low and finish em off.  We made our way te de fort with little resistance after dat.  Job complete.

Later me Johnny and Gum went inte Krandor crypt.  Johnny gave me some gud advoice te think loike me enemy and anticipate der moves and den counter em.  As we entered Oi took out a iron flail Oi found on a corpse and gave it a few swings on de skellies.  Johnny had nothin' te do with dat and Oi gota proper scoldin' for nae stayin true te me waraxe.  At dat moment everythin' changed.  Oi felt a deep sense a loss and emptiness. Oi knew from den on Oi never be seperated from me waraxe.  Deeper in we found de skellie wit de ashes and cut through his acid sheath bashin' em te pieces.

 

willhoff

Dirt, Webs and Bat Poo:

Vanderfall awakes from his meditations that he's been doing daily for a few weeks.  He remains sitting on the floor and pulls out his journal and begins to jot down some things

Aye so met Johnny again in Krandor.  He was after de same dirt Oi was.  We fought tegether and he continued te teach me in de ways of a blademaster.  Told me te rear back on de skellies and get me more momentum on de swing.  He watched me foite while we made our way down inte de crypt.

A group assembled for dark silk for de girl in Center.  Noile, Jinn, Johnny, Gumbo and me.  Oi used dis fancy rune Oi made of greenstone te help with de boites.  Johnny continued te help me in my form as we fought through webs and legs.  We decoided te stop short of de Demon's layer and head back up.  Johnny fought well and his quickness with de blades be unseen by me on anyone.

De group left de silk cave and we ventured through de forest te Haven Moines.  De cave house many treasures of ore, gems and new deposits of tings.   De gnolls were der in force.  Oi fought up by Johnny's soide all de way  learnin' and watchin'.  We was thick in blood and stink and bat poo.  Jinn collectin de bat turds for sometin he nay would say.  We los' one along de way  but all in all eht was a success.  Me waraxe feels closer te me now.  Much closer.

Vanderfall sits up to his knees and lays his dwarven waraxe across his legs and smiles

Eht be toime.  Oi was gifted by Vorax with a dwarven birth. Now through all dis hard work and trainin and de help of Johnny and others Oi watched in battle Oi feel eht part of me.  Me waraxe is me and Oi eht. Oi am WAR AXE!

 

 

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