Not so quiet assault on a town
by Greywolf-ELMPlease note before reading: An innocent child is killed in this update. It is not depicted graphically, but if this will disturb you, please skip this post. A few other humans die at the hands of the Orcs here as well.
With the coming of dawn, the place has been ransacked. Anything of seeming value has been claimed. Some kitchen knives are taken as secondary weapons; a blanket is used to bundle up belts, clothing and anything else that looks useful to the Orcs. Until now, the only clothing has been animal skins to cover themselves. Drusilla heads out to the front yard, and tries to catch a white-feathered bird the pinkskins were keeping. Ierkh is caught up with the same task and tends to smash his. Meat "is" on the menu today, even if it is from rangy little birds. "The pinkskins call them "Chickens,"" says Sharraxtharkhul. "They are kept as a source of food." No one seems to care, as long as they are worth eating.
Rhgl begins studying the table and insists that he can make a shield out of it for Ierkh, if given enough time. He begins looking for materials that would allow straps to be attached and hold the weight during combat. Gorga directs the other Orcs to carry the bodies out to some high grass by the field, he is sure they won't be found during the coming day. The light outside causes everyone to retreat to the interior of the small house, to settle in for rest during the daylight hours. Sharraxtharkhul communicates to his wolf companion, that he should eat some birds and find a place away from the pinkskins to rest for the day. The small house will be crowded enough without the wolf taking up room. The windows are covered over to keep most of the light out, and everyone finds some space to claim. With much crunching of bones and slurping of marrow, not much is left of the birds when everyone is done eating. They take turns watching throughout the day for pinkskins to come up the path, but no one comes to visit the small farmhouse. With an overcast sky, Dusk approaches more quickly than the day before. The small farm is searched again, and Drusilla grabs a rake that was left out by the field.
Gorga leads the group south along a path, with the assumption that it will lead
to another farm, or the nearest settlement of pinkskins. He is right. The wolf
joins up with Sharraxtharkhul and the two scout out away from the path on the
right, and Rhgl scouts out on the left. After about 30 minutes of scouting,
Rhgl comes back.
"Gorga, there's a settlement you can see over the next rise. Come see."
They move down the path, with Rhgl skittering along beside Gorga until the town
can be seen. Sharraxtharkhul and the wolf join up with them from the right
side, and Gorga begins forming a plan. He's been training under the other
scouts and leaders in the tribe, to learn the best way to use Orcs and their
abilities in combat. He takes in the lay of the town. There's a large area of
Trees off to the left that grow in even rows. Some kind of low fence is around
them. Just to the right of that is a structure with a wall around it. There are
a couple of trees inside the wall. A couple of smaller structures, one of
stone, the other of wood, are between the walled area, and the path they are
on. Across the path is another group of wood structures, with smaller huts and
shacks off to the right of them. The walled structure looks to be the place
most likely to have weapons or armed resistance.
Gorga decides to attack this place first, and then move on to secure the rest of the town quietly. He makes his wishes known to the other Orcs.
"We will move off the path about 150 steps from the town, and come around behind that fortification." As he points to the walled area to the left. "Ierkh can see over the wall, and tell us what is waiting beyond. It looks about the height of an Orc, so we can get over it easy." "We kill every pinkskin we can find. Keep it quiet, so we don't alert the town." Ierkh grins, and everyone is getting excited for the battle to come bloodlust rising. "Let's go."
They leave the path and start moving up on the Eastern side of the fortification. As they get closer, Ierkh can easily see over the wall. He says to Gorga. "One pinkskin over there." He points to the North end of the building, inside the wall. As they move up on the South end of the wall, a gate is seen about halfway down the wall. Gorga to Rhgl, "Up the wall and see if anyone is on this end of the courtyard. Open the gate for us, if no one is there." Rhgl nods gleefully and quickly scrambles to the top. Without a backward glance, he goes over the wall. In moments the gate is open and Rhgl stands there with a grin. "Welcome."
There is a small path leading form the gate, to a door on the stone structure in the middle of the walled area. The walls are about 8 feet high, with a slanted roof made from flat pieces of wood, overlapping each other up to the top, somewhere up towards the middle. There are no openings in the wall of the structure, only the single door on this side. There is no visible means to open the door from this side, short of bashing it in.
Gorga tells the others. "I'll go around and take out the guard, Rhgl you go that way. In case he bolts." "Everyone else, wait for a 20 count and follow Rhgl." With that Gorga slinks around the corner to the South, and Rhgl sneaks around the North side of the structure. Gorga slides along quietly along the side of the building, and comes to the Southeast corner of the building. He snickers quietly to himself when he sees the obviously non-combatant standing over by a gate on the East wall. A quick move up behind him, and the human never sees what grabs him from behind and forces more than a foot of sharpened wood into his back and up into his chest. A strong and oddly smelling hand has grabbed him over the mouth, but he had no time to scream. Rhgl is watching quietly from the other corner of the building. The rest of the makeshift warband come up behind Rhgl, and they all move to the East end of the building. There is another door on this side. Gorga shoulders the body and heads off around the back of the building. He doesn't think to tell the others to wait for him, which may have been a mistake. While Gorga is off to hide the body, Rhgl gets antsy and decides to check the door. No handles or latches on this side. He takes a look at the wall and is up the side before anyone can say a word.
The roof slopes up but there is an opening in the middle of this structure. A fountain dominates the middle, and the walls on the inside of this area have multiple openings high up, and a couple of doors. The openings have some kind of fabric covering them from the inside. Rhgl does not see anyone on this side, and lets himself down near the inside of the door. Quickly the door is opened, and Ierkh strides in, followed by Drusilla, Scrag, Sharraxtharkhul and his wolf. The courtyard is well ordered with small bushes, plants and trees surrounding the fountain. The fountain bubbles quietly with a soft soothing sound. Clearly defined paths show the way around the courtyard. Rhgl opens the nearest door to the inside structure, on the right side. In a blink, he is in, and checking out the nearest room. Ierkh squeezes his bulk in, the other five squeeze into the room as well.
There are a couple of large basins with water in them, as well as a couple of metal
buckets here. A cabinet is in one corner, and there is a bench along one wall.
There's some kind of sitting place in the corner that stinks quite a bit. On
quick inspection this is obviously used for leaving excrement behind.
Drusilla picks up the buckets, and says. "These might be useful."
Gorga sneaks back in, and is quite angry with everyone for not waiting. "You wait for me, I lead this warband!"
Ierkh peers down at him, "Ierkh not scared of pinkskins."
Rhgl is quick to latch onto this, "You are wise Ierkh, we should find them now."
"You smart goblin, Ierkh like you. You lead."
This not being quite what Rhgl had in mind, settles in beside Gorga, and they continue to explore.
[Gregan Donnels is sleeping peacefully.] It's been a beautiful day with a leisurely stroll
through the orchard, and watching Marilyn bouncing the baby and feeding her
this evening. Retirement has been good, this is what I was meant for, not being
a burglar in Corunglain. A successful early career in burglary and an early
retirement away from the city, this is the life. I wonder...
{Gregan... Gregaaannn, wake Up!! I hear something.}
Gregan is quickly shaken awake by his wife, the fear in her voice is apparent, and the hallway does not look quite right to him, too dark for normal night. He reaches for his sheathed short sword next to the bed. As he stands, he hears a snarl
"He thinks that little blade is going to stop us."
"Run Mari, run" are the last words he speaks. A large Orc, with a Wooden spear in hand, charges into the room, a black-skinned female elf at his side. Both run him through with wooden spears, as two more creatures emerge. A small wiry looking Goblin runs across the room to the cradle, and the forgotten baby inside, it's cries are silenced before Gregan hits the bed. An over-powering smell fills the room, as a hunched over Ogre reaches across the room, and shatters Marilyn's back with a boulder, as she tries to escape screaming down the hall "Orcs, Orcs,!! Guuuhh." Gregan falls into a less peaceful sleep, some would call hell.
Gorga hisses at Rhgl, "Not the child, oh never mind. Go check the hallway."
Rhgl starts down the hallway, and hears a door slam in the distance. "Hey something just went out the front door!"
Rhgl peers around the corner, and can see the window coverings askew, as if someone crawled out. He quickly climbs out the opening, and sees the other Orcs running out the inside door. Thinking quickly, he gets to the outside door and opens it for everyone else, knowing they would be slowed down in pursuit, if they bunch up at the door. Ierkh is the first one past, rolling like a juggernaut through the doorway, 3 steps across the front yard, and he is jumping over the fence out front. Everyone else rushes past, with Drusilla opening the outside gate for everyone. Rhgl heads for the wall and perches on top to see how this plays out. Two pinkskin females are running for their lives, Ierkh puts on a burst of speed, and runs right over the first girl, a foot right in her back from the 9 foot Half-Ogre, sends her to the ground with a crushing finality. This is the only thing that slowed down Ierkh and allowed the other pinkskin to reach her goal. The town square has a large bell in front of a large stone building.
Rhgl can hear her wailing, and yanking the chain of the bell. KLANGG, "Orcs!!" KLANGG, "Orcs!!"
The young woman can hear the running behind her, and ducks down below the Bell for some cover, any cover from these brutes.
Ierkh reaches down to grab her, saying "Head, meet rock."
Grabbing the small woman by the head, Ierkh miss-judges his strength, and the head pops in his hand like a melon. "Frail Pinkskins." Is his comment as he drops her to the ground. The Orcs fan out to see what the bell calls.
Next up: A cleric saving lives