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Nesar-Hilm

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davidhoff:
*Tralek arrives and gives Raz a smirk as he watches Raz interact with Gork and Hardy.  After Raz leaves he addresses Gork and Hardy.*

Well this is going to be fun (sarcastic tone).  I'm glad I finally met up with you fellas.  I got some payback to dish out on these Drachs from my recent stint in Miritrix and I've been wanting to rescue those women hostages.  Glad you guys are here.  Let me know if you request anything from me, I'm gona go talk with Raz.

*With that Tralek seeks out Raz amongst the troops*

Hey Raz!  I heard you're running this show.  Congratualtions on your commission.  Let me know where you want me and how I can best aid this effort.  Looks like you've done a smashing job so far; lets keep it up.

*Tralek turns to regard Raz as he pops some razberries in his mouth*

Filatus:
*Hardragh nods to Tralek and watches him walk of to find Raz, then turning his attention to G'ork*

"And here I was just starting to think nothing could ruin his mood. Tis good that you are here though. Reckon that Raz would never admit it, but we sure could use your skills. That is if you managed to get rid of all that council fat, travelling through Belinara."

He gives the half-orc an appraising look then adds. "Raz' plans rely on good intel from our scouts about the situation around Sundance. Sounds right up your alley considering your infiltration of the Silver Crescent base. Maybe give those scouts a few pointers or show them how its done. What do you say?"

Dezza:
// Day 8 of Ractrafiorez's ultimatum to Fort of Last Hope, and 2 days since Gel and Ferrit returned to the Fort of last Hope. 9 days since leaving Prim. 2 days since Alandric arrived at Vilsna.

The bleak terrain continued on for as far as the eye could see. For the fifth time that day Razeriem wondered why he'd agreed to take the path leading through the Roughlands towards Sundance and not the road that skirted the Kuhl forest along the border with Hilm that Sir Polamic had taken.

After leaving the assembly point near Lake Tempest just over a day ago Raz and Tralek had by default taken over command of a regiment of Peasant Infantry, 1500 Nesar regular infantry from Holar and about three hundred light cavalry. While they were travelling with Gork and Hardragh it was already apparent they were not a particularly unified force. Gork and Hardragh were now leading about five hundred peasant infantry, a thousand Miritrix Nesar regulars and five hundred light cavalry. Their columns wounds their way slowly through the roughlands trudging the dust on the ground and regularly coming across signs of Cult activity.

Dust hung in the air and covered the soldiers and horses, it stuck to their sweat until each man and woman looked like red dust ghosts marching along their way.  Occasionally a creature of the Roughlands would venture forth but most were in hiding from the Cult forces or had been killed already their twisted corpses half rotting left in various places. All in all it was a dreary, dirty and unpleasant march through nothing but hostile terrain and sadly was likely to remain the same for many days to come.

Dezza:
// The day Daniella meets with Jaedon Siphe


Tendrils of energy crackled through the air leaving the flash and afterimage in the retina's of the soldiers who witnessed the blast as they licked around the fleeing Myrdrach searing flesh and wings. The creature fell to the ground where several brave soldiers leapt towards it stabbing fairly ineffectively with long spears. Into their midst came Tralek and Razeriem to finish the badly wounded creature.

With it finally dead Raz glanced northwards at the bleak rugged roughlands.

"I wonder how many more pockets of them we are going to encounter?"

Tralek joined him looking north. "We knew we'd start to encounter resistance sooner or later, these were just scouts we can expect more soon enough." He glanced to the east where a long line of soldiers were strung out on the other side of a shallow ravine.

"Looks like Hardragh and Gork hit a pocket of scouts too."

Raz glanced over to see clouds of dust near the front of the column and the movement of bodies in combat. Their army had split the day before which really didn't bother Raz. he'd had more than enough of Gork and didn't say no when hardragh suggested that he and Gork take half the army and branch to wards the east to come at Sundance from that angle. Raz and Tralek would continue north and hopefully Sir Polamic would hit from the west. Except now, still at least 3 or 4 days from Sundance they were starting to come across Cult scouts. They had flushed out two groups so far today, the second one slightly larger than the first.

"Alright Tralek, lets get this column into some semblance of order I guess and get moving again."

Tralek dragged his eyes away from the battle going on with Hardragh and Gorks column and nodded.



Meanwhile about half a mile to the east a battle as engaged.

Hardragh had been telling Gork about his visit to Moraken's tower when out of nowhere ahead of them half a dozen Myr'drachs had suddenly appeared and cut into the unfantry in the front ranks. Chaos had ensued until Gork had bellowed at the infantry to get into formations and he and Hardragh had entered the fray. Hardragh bellowed himself at the Myr'drachs with some small effect, enough to stun some of them long enough for Gorks heavy double axe to cut great gashes in them and for the pikemen to rush forward and stab at the creatures.

The battle was brief but almost a dozen valuable infantry had been lost and another four wounded. After the mop up and the line was moving again Hardragh and Gork moved to the front of the lines trusting in their own skills to help prevent another suprise attack. An hour later they discovered why their outriders didnt warn them of the Cult position. They were found dead in another shallow ravine.

Hardragh commented "I guess this is where it starts to get bloody."

Gork merely grunted. "Wes move till dark, tomorrow wes start to be more careful."




Meanwhile moving along the Kuhl-Hilm border was proving to be difficult for Sir Polamic. His men were being subjected to constant raids by groups of Cult soldiers across the border. He just didnt have the manpower to pursue the raiders and was trying to ensure he didnt fall to far behind the deadline he had set with Raz and Hardragh for the combined attack on Sundance.  On the other side of the coin he didnt want to reach Sundance with hardly any men left.

After two days of almost constant attacks he dispatched several messenger birds back to Fort Miritrix requesting urgent aid to try and get his army through safely and timely.

Dezza:
// 4 days after the Drach Ori camp south of Fort of last Hope is destroyed

"This isnt going to be that easy Raz." Tralek handed him the looking glass and peered over the dusty dirty rock and ravine strewn unnappealing land to the south of Sundance. The Roughlands was aptly named and it certainly had been a very rough approach to the large city.

Every step of the way they had been beset by attacks on them from groups of Tesak or Myr'drachs. The Tesak would strike at any time from the cover of the ravines and rocky hollows that the Roughlands were made up off. The Myrdrachs would fly over them in the night and come at their supply wagons in the rear when unexpected forcing them to turn about and defend them as well. In the end frustrated at the attacks of the enemy Raz and Tralek brought the supply wagons into the middle of the force. It was more awkward and slowed down the march but they could'nt afford to reach Sundance and not have provisions. The lands would not provide much in the way of sustenance for an army the size with them.

Razeriem looked for himself. He followed the lines of several close by ravines to a higher flatter area where a river from the mountains made its way just behind the city. The river in flood would bring nutrients to the area around the city, enough that it was viable to build the city there in the first place. But it also meant much of the land they could forage from was on the other side of the city and well defended.

Sweeping the glass back and forth he could see numerous defensive lines and trenchs dug around the outside of the city and many figures within them. Not only that observers for the Cult could be seen on top of the highest structures in the city no doubt watching him and his force at the same time trying to determine what each other was going to do in the days that followed.

"There is a lot of ground to cover between here and the city Raz, a lot of open unfriendly ground." Tralek mused quietly and brushed some red mud  from the Roughlands from his sleeve.

Raz turned slightly and look towards the east further along the rise where his army camped, to a similar region a few miles away. Hardragh and Gorks force had arrived the day before almost a day behind Raz and Traleks force and taken up position near some rocky upthrusts. Tralek had sent a runner to their camp just after they arrived who had returned and explained that they had met heavy resistance in the ravines they had had to travel through in order to reach the outskirts of the lands around the city. They had lost a number of soldiers and needed a day or so to settle in before they came to discuss what would happen.

In the meantime Raz and Tralek had sent out scouts at regular intervals trying to guage paths and means to approach the city without taking too many losses. The problem was the exposure any force had on their approach to heavily fortified positions around the city. Beyond that food and water was going to be a big issue if they could not find places to forage.

Raz finally handed the glass back to Tralek. "Is Hardragh going to be here soon?"

Tralek nodded as he placed the glass back into its protective leather pouch.

"Lets get back to the camp then and hope he doesnt bring Gork with him."

Tralek grinned at Raz's comment and together they went back to the camp. Just in time as it turned out to see Hardragh approach with four guards and no sign of Gork.

Raz breathed a sigh of relief and invited Hardragh to his tent. Once inside they all sat ready to talk.

"I've got about twenty five hundred soldiers fit and ready to fight but I've lost most of my provisions to the Myr'drachs so I'm going to need some of yours." Hardragh said it as if it was a done deal.  "I've had scouts out since we arrived including Gork and he's found a ravine that travels almost right up to the south eastern edge of the city which I figure I could get a score or two of soldiers too without being seen. I haven't quite worked out what I'd do with them once we got there but its there anyway."

Razeriem looked at a roughly sketched map he'd been putting together with Tralek since they arrived.
"If you're taking some of our supplies thats going to leave us really short. We've got just under three and a half thousand in our camp and our estimates at this point are that we are dealing with at least seven or eight thousand regular soldiers and another 1500 or so Drach Garra and a small group of Drach Tesak and Ori, not to mention at least three or four flights of Myr'drachs."

Tralek spoke up after Raz finished, "One thing we are desperately lacking is magic in both of our armies. I'll do what I can when things get moving but apart from what Raz can do and a few mediocre Al'nothists and a couple of mixed clergy we don't have a lot in that respect."

Hardagh looked over both of them for a moment then seemingly into the distance a slow smile spreading over his face.
"I may be able to call in a favour or two and also I've been thinking about the river."

Raz and Tralek glanced at him with interest, "What about the river?" Quipped Raz.

"I'm not sure yet but I'm thinking about it and I need some more time but one of the scouts whose father came from Sundance said its close to the time of year when it floods and that there are a series of dams closer to the mountains built slowly since the city was first built to better control the flooding."  He paused deep in thought before resuming. "It may very well be possible to break one of more of the dams and flood the city or at least the surrounds. Gork has taken a small group up the river to take a look and should be back in a few days."

Tralek's face fell, "Days? With rations the way they are we can't afford to many days."

Razeriem glanced back at him, "Since Sir Polamic still hasn't arrived yet and we can't do this assault without his soldiers we'll have to wait anyway Tralek."

Hardragh looked at both of them, "He was supposed to be here around the same time as us and he's got the bulk of the army. You realise those Cultists down in Sundance are more than happy sitting in there knowing full well the difficulties we are going to have out here in the Roughlands with this many soldiers."

Razeriem nodded, "Well you go think about the river, I'm not sure how that will work in our favour yet but I'll think about it too. And go call on your mystery help and meanwhile I'll keep an eye out for Sir Polamic. Let us know what Gork finds too."

Hardragh nodded and left the tent to return to his own camp.

Tralek glanced back to see Raz lost in thought. "What are you thinking Raz?"

"Thinking?" He sighed slightly, "I'm thinking, we need more food, more men, more cover and more of a lot of other things before we can take that city. Unless of course we might just have to get a bit creative, but I'm thinking about that too."

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