The Scouring of Pale Gorge, Part 3

The Breaking of the Rovers

'And that would be how your Kalyustar ended the Runt Waaagh?' intervened the inn-keeper of the Prancing Gryph-hound. 'By just blasting a Loonboss nobody ever heard about?'
'Is that what I've said? Is it? No!' Steve's snappy reply drew a chuckle from the crowd, as always quite fond of the two's constant bickering.
'We knew Gripe Backstabba was just an underling to Badruk 'Eadsplitta, but if he had taken an interest in us, it meant the Warboss couldn't be far. So, at dawn we set off, keeping to the edges of the swamp and venturing deeper into Pale Gorge.

We could still see the sunken gate in the distance and suddenly it pulsed, brawny orruks and a few grots rushing out of it.

The grots and some arrer boyz pushed ahead, their crooked arrows pattering against the trees where we had taken position.

We returned fire and halted the grots' advance, but the arrer boyz made it through and surrounded Kalyustar. But we had learned a thing or two in matters of strategic defence and Rodrick was quick to jump in and send most of the orruks flying in dissaray.

Still, the one stubborn orruk that stood his ground bought time enough for a bunch of Ardboyz to kick the grots back into line and charge in.

Rodrick and Kalyustar stood back to back, pouring hammer blows and arcane bolts onto the Ardboyz. As for me, I used the trees to my advantage and felled two grots as they came forward.

Kalyustar broke off and I could sense he drew onto the realmblood of Ghyran to heal himself while Rodrick and I sorted things out with the grot boss and arrer boy.

We regrouped and realised that a few boyz had lingered back and were coming for us now. As they advanced, we felt obliged to introduce them to properly placed arrows and pistol shots.

And as the boss alone trudged through the muck, I met him in single combat.

And then Rodrick stepped in and robbed me of the kill'.

As one, the woodsmen burst into laughter. Steve looked around, his carefully staged outrage at Rodrick's intervention turning into uncomfortable disbelief.
'Fellows, you should know, the Little People are much better fighters on solid, wooded ground'.
It was the Shyishan Trade Priooner that spoke, his voice strangely silencing the laughter.
'I am sure he would have had the orruk boss on the tip of his short sword if it wasn't for the mud sucking at his feet. Isn't it so, sir?'
'Well... yes... indeed... That was it, the mud! Anyway... where was I? Ah, yes! So... the orruks were gone and we turned away from the swamp towards more solid ground. We came upon a rocky arch and there found a corpse, one of those Azyrite witch hunters, by the look of his half-rotten gear. The only salvageable thing was a whickedly sharp and warm stake that Rodrick took for himself. .

As we were busy searching the corpse, the orruk came back and sprung an ambush on us. At our backs, arrer boyz loosed a salvo.

Boarboyz emerged from the woods in front of us and leveled their spears.

And from our left two massive boulders came whistling down, hurled by troggoths.

We retread out of range, putting the base of the arch between us and the troggoths, but the boarboyz were quick to redirect their charge and came roaring for us.

With the troggoths and arrer boyz slowed down by the rocky terrain, we managed to push back the boarboyz.

Arrows and boulders started to fall around us again and the only thing we could do was falling back into a thicket.

The troggoths tried to charge, but they were still on treacherous ground and didn't reach us.

We took our chance and countercharged. I saw Rodrick drawing the witch hunter's stake and slamm it into the belly of the closest troggoth. It splintered against its rocky hide and the brute pushed forward, sending me arse over tit. But if nothing else, Kalyustar blasted the other down.

From the ground and blinded by my own blood, the commontion of the fight came to me as a distant noise. Whistling of arrows, bestial grunts, the ring of metal on stony skin and then a deep thud.

The ringing of hooves and armoured boots on rocks, guttural screams... and then blackness and the deepest silence'.

***

The Venythian Rovers

Exploration rolls: 8 - Threat Level: 3 - Map Fragments: 0 - Spectral Lanterns: 1 - Battles Won: 5
Kalyustar of the Gilded Hand (Archmage, from Grand Alliance: Order): Realmblood (Ghyran Spell), Master of Defence (Order Trait). Wounds suffered: 2 - Enemies killed: 18
Captain Rodrik (Freeguild General, from Grand Alliance: Order): Tenacious (Order Trait). Wounds suffered: 5 - Enemies killed: 23
Steve Boffin (Huntmarshal, from The Empire Compendium). Wounds suffered: 5, DEAD - Enemies killed: 14
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