Quest Invasion of Dhunbor

[Trovik Half-horn]

Trovik continued to charge the dwarves with the hammers, he didn't care they had numbers on their side but they were squat little things he could handle them. that was until one of them hooked the head of their hammer around his leg and pulled causing him to trip and land on his front dropping his weapon before proceeded to beat him with their hammers.

Cover his head as he was beaten to stop himself from being knocked unconscious, but the rage was growing in him as he felt the pain of the hammers striking him until let out a roar and drove his only horn into the knee of the dwarves, hoping to inflict some amount of the pain back at dwarves.

 

[Xunari Auceus]

Xunari wasn't going to say that she liked the company of her soldiers or her slave warriors (definitely not them) but she would be the first to admit that she didn't want them dying in their droves. Sure it was for purely selfish reasons but there was nothing wrong with being selfish right now. She, selfishly, didn't want her forces to die in their droves for little gain and those same forces didn't want to die needlessly.

It would be a win-win scenario for them to stop being so bloody inconvenient and dying!

Indeed even the reduced number of pikemen were able to hold her forces in place - they weren't really the issue. The issue was the dwarven archer firing over the heads of their pikemen directly into her forces with impunity. Thankfully her main forces had decent enough armour to mostly not die in each barrage but she was running low on slaves.

They might literally be designed to be arrow fodder but losing too many would mean the arrows would be turned onto people more important - like herself and her mages. Cursing up a storm, she began drawing runes into the ground. Right now she didn't have anything drawn up well enough to assist outright so that would need to change.

For 7 rolled from d20

 

[Vyx'aria]

“Wha’ in tarnation!” The duergar commander sputtered as the ground gave way in the tunnels. The drow enemy gave no regard towards losing their own, and he watched with shock as dwarf and elves alike fell into the chasm. His moment of awe cost him as the elves began to keep pushing forth and sacrificing their own.

“Fall back! Fall back!” The duergar shouted as the pikemen quickly shuffled back and behind the shield line of defense. The casualties were high for the dwarves and the commander would have to come up with a new strategy. For now, they all went on the defense, pushing back towards the city.

“WHERE’S THE DAMN FRUITCAKE?!”

“Outta my way, shit for brains!” A duergar that wore robes almost comically too large shoved the commander out of the way. The robes were periwinkle blue with stars on them, and he even had a wizard hat on. His beard was perfectly braided and his nails were perfectly manicured.

He shoved his way to the front of the line, watching the drow rapidly trying to draw new runes. He had no time for this nonsense and had a very important spa appointment to get to. With a toss of his beard, he jutted his palms out and called upon the gifts of Zharr.

Within moments, there was a golden hue emanating from the crevice Xunari had created. It began to feel very hot there as the glow grew even brighter. After another moment, hot flames burst up through the crevice. The dwarves and drow alike were a lost cause and they would burn as a giant wall of fire shot up between the drow and dwarf forces. This wall extended the width of the hallway, forcing Xunari and her forces to think of new ways to pass.

There was no doubt about it, though. The dwarves were nervous and the drow had already begun to push inwards into the tunnel.

---​

The dwarf that Trovik gored howled out in pain, dropping to the ground. The others were even more incensed by seeing this and quickly moved to clobber him a few times. If the minotaur didn’t have an ally helping him, he was going to be in quite a bit of trouble. Thankfully, the dwarves surrounding him were entirely focused on him, their backs turned to anyone else that could take aim.

---​

When it became two against one, the dwarves knew they had to alert others. One of the dwarves rushed towards Salazar with his axe and the other ran to the other side to quickly ring a bell that would sound out to the Outer Wall. This would alert Derg Gherdro immediately about the intrusion at one of the main towers.

---​

Lythrani was in quite the pickle being caught between dwarves at the end of the tunnel and the ones in the towers behind her. The dwarves were about to advance some more when the fire abruptly began. While normally they were more immune to its effects, the abruptness of the attack caught them entirely off guard. They cried out in agony as they fell, the spectral elf’s attacks a success.

The Spymaster wasn’t out of danger just yet as some of the tower dwarves behind her began to try and shoot at her from behind. Under the cover of darkness, she would be able to spot a path to the side. She would be able to move past the dead dwarfs to this path. It connected to a series of air gondolas that were on rope cables. These gondolas traversed over the lakes and rivers of lava towards the inner sanctums of the city. However, she would need to make her way past the two dwarves guarding the gondola nearest to her. And also the towers on the Outer Wall.

---​

Zathria's catapults found purchase as they launched missiles directly into a defense tower. This was the same tower that was taking aim at Lythrani, and it allowed the Spymaster some breathing room from being under attack. However, the catapults attracted the attention of duergar archers. About ten of them rushed to the mouth of the tunnel from the city side, aiming and firing at the elves that were manning the catapults.

Vyx spat out blood, gazing forward and not thanking Zathria for saving her life. The two had a kinship that needed no formalities. However, the tiefling man that arrived next to her was an unexpected turn of events. For a moment, the Drow Queen simply scowled at him.

No words escaped her as she finally grasped his hand, allowing him to yank her up. She felt the effects of healing at once, the excruciating pain from her broken ribs and the bruise on her body lightening at once.

“Keep pushing!” She cried out. They were making progress through the main tunnels, but it certainly wasn’t easy. The heat from the lava pools ahead could be felt even from here.

Vyx gave up on her blade for now, unceremoniously yanking the bow and arrow off a fellow drow soldier. She leveled arrows and began to fire them off one by one, hitting a target each time. She was focused this time, dropping and rolling to avoid incoming fire.

The Drow Queen rushed towards the defense tower that was half destroyed. The dwarves in it were killed by drow forces and Vyx rapidly climbed up into the undamaged chambers. She found an arrow slit and began to rapidly rain arrows down on the dwarves on the other side of the tunnel. This would alleviate some of the pressure on Trovik and others trying to push through.

Salazar Abydros Zathria At'Arel Trovik Half-horn Derg Gherdro Xunari Auceus Lythrani Undraeth Zahel Bashere The Nameless One

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria snatched her bow off the floor once more and wiped her sword blade before replacing it back in her sheathe. The catapults had proven quite effective, and she would have stopped to smile at the sight if she had a moment to do so, but she didn't.

Evidently, the attack against the main defenses had caught the attention of the enemy forces, who began opening fire on the drow siege company. An arrow whistled past Zathria's ear and plunged into the neck of one of the catapult crewmen while another plunged into the leg of a different crewman.

Zathria could make out another archer in the darkness taking aim at her and moved at once. Even as her hand pulled an arrow from her quiver, her body twisted to the side and the arrow ripped through the air where she had been only a split second before. Her hand drew in a fluid motion and she pulled the bowstring, aimed, and nocked the arrow all in one motion. A moment later, the black arrow was lancing through the air and plunging into the unarmored underarm of the dwarven archer.

Archers! she shouted, loosing another arrow and downing another dwarf. Her command drew the attention of a squad of nearby drow. Two archers began returning fire with Zathria while the rest of the squad advanced from behind shields toward the enemy.

For her part, Zathria continued to rain down arrows as the catapults repositioned to fire on the next tower. Though their progress was slowed by the attack, the counterstrike from the drow and possibly the tiefling would hopefully manage to suppress the dwarven attack for the time being. With three of ten dwarven archers dead or mortally wounded and a fourth lightly injured but still firing, they were forced to take some form of cover inside the cave, which slowed their firing.

 

[Zahel Bashere]

Zahel gave the queen a nod as she gave the order to continue pushing, rushing into the dray once more. His cut down dwarves unfortunate enough to cross his path, but ever his eyes scanned the battlefield. He liked throwing himself into challenging, and often unsurmountable, odds and winning against them. Few things could match the thrill of winning a losing fight.

The dwarves were holding their own so far, and he got the feeling that he might get an opportunity for such a stand today. But before he could rush in to roll the dice, his eyes were drawn to a comrade in trouble. He didn't know the minotaur, but seeing him getting pounded on by the dwarves gave him reason enough to rush to his aid.

So focused were they on beating their sole query that they didn't even notice the crimson-skinned Tiefling approach from behind them. Cowards! He thought to himself as he prepared to cut them down. Cutting down unaware enemies like them would not provide much of a challenge, but Fortune seemed to want to give him the challenges he so sought. Just as he was about to cut through the first dwarf the minotaur kicked out against him, bringing the dwarf to the ground.

Zahel's sword flew through empty air, and the lack of resistance threw off his balance. He stumbled forward, and went rolling to the ground. His word swinging wildly in his hands made the dwarves pull back, which made him have a moment of relief as he hoped to use that hesitation from them to gather himself once more and prepare to defend himself. But that was when he felt the blinding pain shoot up his abdomen. Getting up to a knee, blade in right hand, left hand grasping at the pain in his stomach. When he pulled back his hand it was covered in violet blood.

His eyes scanned his surroundings for the weapon that had struck him, till his eyes finally came to a stop on the minotaur's singular horn, now covered in violet blood. Somehow he had managed to throw himself at the the very ally he had hoped to save. Fortune, it seemed, really wanted to give him a challenge.

The dwarves, realizing what had happened, started to guffaw as they prepared to move in strike not one but two targets.

Rolls: d20 = 1 crit fail
Vyx'aria Zathria At'Arel Trovik Half-horn
​

 

[The Nameless One]

The Nameless One sees that Lythrani Undraeth is still under danger from archers, but from behind. So the spirit takes a look at the dwarves aiming their spear at her. Holding out his hand a few of them begin to hold their heads as their blood spewed from their eyes and noses. After a few moments, their ears and mouths would rain blood as fire erupted from their once existing heads.

He would run down and then shield her with the blood of those he killed and the blood around them from the bodies and dying. Assisting her however he can.

Dice Roll: 14

 

[Derg Gherdro]

Looking through the arrow slit of the gatehouse, the Forgemaster was not happy with the situation he saw unfolding before him. While the center line seemed to be holding outside the gate, the left flank had folded completely with the loss of the guard tower that dominated that section of the field. If it wasn't for the clanging of bells from the other tower, Derg would have rushed to the defense of the broken tower. With the left flank broken however, losing the right flank would be disastrous.

With a growl of frustration, Derg barked commands to the new gatehouse commander. "Have a detachment sent to reinforce the broken tower at once." Turning his gaze to the broken tower which now had arrows flying down from it aimed at the unknowing Duergar inside the wall, Derg raised the Forge Gauntlet to aim at it with a closed fist.

"ALDREALU!" He snarled, and the glowing ruby on the back of his gauntleted hand flared brightly. The smaller gem that glowed brightly behind it seemed to dim as a tiny ball sprang forth from its larger neighbor. Tearing his eyes from the tower and rushing in the other direction, Derg didn't watch as the tiny ball of flame flew the gap in a moment and slammed into the tower on the left side of the doorway. A swirling ball of flame exploded violently from the point, shaking the tower and breaking a yawning hole in the wall, expanding the door. Most of the explosion would flare away from the tower, but the drow on the wall level floor would be pulverized and incinerated by flying rubble and searing flame.

A detachment of duergar soldiers were hot on the tail of the fireball, though at a much slower pace. Turtling under their shields, the grim faced grey dwarves would rush across the length of wall between the gatehouse and the tower to reclaim it or die in the attempt.

Derg's mind however was already focused on the task ahead of him as he charged up the steps to the other tower where the alarm bell clanged above him, having crossed the wall with a thunderous sprint. Pausing to catch his breath for a moment. Just a moment. Derg pushed through the door to the top floor, falchion gripped tight in his hands and at the ready for whatever lay beyond.

(D20 roll = 4)

Salazar Abydros Vyx'aria

 

[Bronni Strakeln]

"Just give me the keys!" the warden snarled and moments later started opening cells one by one, telling the prisoners something that Bronni couldn't overhear from inside his own little stone box. "I hear the rattling-" he sighed, "-maybe my fifty years is already at its end?" It was a folly for a hope for he'd only been there for eight months..

About two minutes into the ruckus caused by the warden, Bronni's cell door got unlocked, too, and the warden, sweaty and clearly in panic, appeared in the opening. "Dhunbor is under attack-" his voice broke, exhaustion and stress was taking its toll on the poor dwarf, "-grab a sword and join the fight!" He had already made a start to turn and head to the next cell when he noticed Bronni wasn't moving. "Don't be a fool! I'll commute your sentence!"

Three minutes later and Bronni's mouth dropped as he saw the full force that was attacking his home. Arrows fell like rain upon the Duergar forces and their defensive towers began to fall. "Don't just stand there!" a group of defenders clad in heavy armor signaled for him to join their attack. Bronni should've known better, but the whole scene was definitely clouding his judgment. Heroism wasn't his style.

With nothing but a short sword and his prison rags he joined the counter assault and he was a fool for it. Soon, the convict already winded, they reached the shower of arrows and while the heavily armored warriors thought they could walk through unmolested due to their heavy armor, nothing appeared to be further from the truth. Within seconds dozens of arrows hit the group. Many were deflected by the armor or caught in a shield, but some found feet, ankles, knees, necks and faces. Bronni had sought cover behind and under the group, sparing him from direct assault from the archers, but as his cover began to fall there was nothing he could do to avoid the inevitable arrow to the shoulder and he, too, dropped to the stone floor. Grunting from pain, the former-convict hugged the metal-clad dead for cover as he watched what remained of their party fall one by one to the elven arrows.

(D20 roll = 2)

 

[Flint Frostbeard]

"What treachery is this?!" he roared.

Flint's worst fears about this desperate expedition flashed through his mind at the first sound of alarm bells and the clash of steel against steel. Relations between the upworld dwarves and their subterranean cousins had always been strained to say the least. In happier times the mere thought of treating with duergar would seem...unsavory.

But these were not happy times and Belgrath was in dire need of new trade routes. For all their faults the denizens of Dhunbor knew wealth. It had been judged, foolishly it now seemed, a risk worth taking.

"Worse than treachery, Captain Frostbeard. Drow."

He had cursed at the word almost on reflex before assuring his hosts that if this was some kind of elaborate trick they would know the vengeance of his axe before he died. But it had not been a trick. When Flint saw the first fires it felt like Belgrath's hope was burning too.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Frostbeard grunted in frustration with the rest of his small troupe, "Let's show these filthy elves how a real dwarf fights!"

 

[Xunari Auceus]

... did those dwarves just try and throw magic at her?

HER.

Did they seriously think she was going to take this sitting down? Honestly she would be the first to admit that her pride got the better of her and for a few seconds she was drawing up a runic array to counter-act the fire before she managed to snap back into focus.

During that time however the fire had caught some of her drow and not just the slaves or even just the soldiers. One of her precious resources, the mages, burned alive and it was her screams that drew her out of her funk.

She glared violently at the sight of a dwarven mage dressed like he had just strutted off a very over-the-top catwalk.

"Pull back!"

Pulling her forces back to the point that they could no longer be hit by the ranged weapons of the Dwarves stung her pride. She scowled and gnashed her teeth together as she marched to to them.

"Casaulty report! And someone send a runner over to Vyx'aria - tell her the tunnel flank is heavily guarded but will be dealt with soon enough."

She'd make sure of it.

 

[Salazar Abydros]

Ah crap, that bell can't be good. Salazar had really lost the element of surprise. He was pretty ashamed of his performance thus far. Well he would have been had he had time to. While the bell filled his mind, the other dwarf was already on him. He attempted a last minute side step, which failed almost entirely. Turning with his sword arm away from the guard, he wasn't fast enough, and his upper arm was still caught by the dwarf's weapon. Yet another wince in a day of winces, both Salazar's arms felt pain. While they were both still completely useful, the feeling of injury was hard to ignore. (d20 roll = 3)

Salazar looked at his arm wound and back at the smug dwarf. "Now that really wasn't very nice. I think my blade Fang here has some thoughts on that." With a burst of dagyt speed, he ran at the guard head on, bearing his fangs in a toothy smile. The dwarf reared his weapon up in preparation for the attack, but by then Salazar was already to his side. "Over here." Before the dwarf could turn to face him, Salazar lunged his black blade deep into the dwarf's throat. Dwarven necks were thicker than Salazar had thought, so it Fang didn't make it clean through as he had intended. However, with a swift removal of the blade from the guard's neck unleashed a flood of deep red arterial blood. The dwarf crumpled to the floor, dying in pain. (d20 roll = 18)

Salazar looked up at the guard who sounded the alarm. Pointing his blade at her he yelled, "I thought we were having a good time!" Before he could even finish that sentence however, the door burst open and he was face to face with an entirely new level of challenger. (d20 roll = 2)

Derg Gherdro Vyx'aria

 

[Rolegg Magmasworn]

Ah, Dhunbor. A pleasant enough city-fortress nestled well beneath the surface, where the magma flows hot and the ale flows cold. For the better part of two centuries, Rolegg called this place home, and he wasn’t about to change that anytime soon. Life was good here; the work was hard, the pay was enough, and the delights were plenty. He lived his life in a humble home sparsely furnished, electing to spend more of his time at the local ale house or on expeditions into the caverns to fend off whatever lurked beyond that saw fit to assault the city. All in all, there was very little to complain about.

Which is why, once the war horn sounded, Rolegg made a point of it to write “Unknown Bastard Pricks” into his Book of Grudges before donning his equipment and rushing out to defend the city.

What greeted him upon exiting his home, however, caused even a moment of hesitation in Rolegg. Another grudge to write against these invading bastards, he noted, for inconveniencing him in such a manner. Beyond the city was a large invasion force - Drow, by the looks of it - sieging his fine home. Already, one tower had begun to fall, collapsing as a result of a bombardment from the dark elves’ siege engines. ”Whit in th' heel is gaun oan? A bunch ay pointy-eared prick-lickers ur 'ere tae drife us frae oor haem? Ha! Tha’ll be th’ day!” he roared, spittle flying from his maw. Who did these belly-dancing rock-kissers think they were, attacking Dhunbor in force like this? The city had never fallen to assault before, and it sure as hell wouldn’t today! Already his kinsmen were engaged in the defense of their great home, dark elf and grey dwarf meeting each other sword-to-sword, helmet-to-helmet.

Muttering an astoundingly-long string of curses, the armor-clad, two-handed axe-wielding Rolegg thrust himself into the fray one unsteady waddle-step at a time. While other duergar charged past him at full speed, the heavier grey dwarf huffed and panted, weighed down by armor, arms, and the better half of a fat, roasted nook-slug currently refusing to settle in his stomach.

After several moments of building up momentum, he was moving at full speed, and suddenly his weight no longer became a limiting factor. Like a freight train barreling down a set of track, Rolegg charged forward towards one of the great guard towers ringing its alarm bell. He hefted the larger axe as he charged, his twin hand-axes rattling against his leg plates. The loss of the towers would lend the enemy an advantage over the Duergar that they could ill-afford to spare, and thus he followed behind a taller, leaner grey dwarf wielding an gem-studded gauntlet. Arrows rained around them, and one might have found its mark, had it not impacted his spiked armor at an angle, causing it to deflect off and into the ground. He thanked his luck today, and prayed it would hold up.

Hot on the heels of the man in front of him, Rolegg huffed and puffed his way up the stairs, pausing occasionally to take a breath. Why in the hells did they build these things so high? If anything, the invaders were doing them a favor by reducing them to rubble. After an agonizing climb, he finally burst through the top floor behind his brother-in-arms, hammer ready for some serious violence.

His eyes settled on the knife-eared little brat in the room, and a devilish grin crossed his face.

”Yoo're nae gonnae survife thes!” he growled, letting out a grim chuckle.

Derg Gherdro Salazar Abydros

D20 roll of 13

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria continued laying down a blanket of arrows at the enemy archers as the squad advanced. The Drow archers did the same until the two squads clashed, adding to the clanging and din of battle.

Zathria began to retreat back to the siege company once again, fixing her attention on the status of the attack teams.

Catapults forward! she shouted, walking up the line and making an effort to be heard over the noise and the screams.

Keep the towers and bridges in the back and bring the ballistae up! she directed, It would take time for the catapults to reposition to fire on the other watch towers, and holding out until then would be imperative lest the entire assault break against the moat and walls of the city.

She took a pause, eyes scanning over the battlefield. Things could have been going worse, but they also could have been going much better. That was when her eyes came to rest on the tiefling, Zahel Bashere. Had he just... been impaled on the horns of the minotaur? Was the minotaur not on their side? Was the tiefling not on their side?

A deep frown pressed itself onto her face, and all she knew for certain was that the dwarves weren't on their side.

She nocked another arrow and sent it into one of the dwarves that now faced down the tiefling and minotaur. It wasn't a great shot and it merely bounced off the armored chest plate, but it caused him to pause and hopefully would open an opportunity for one of the two to counterattack.

 

[Bronni Strakeln]

Bronni's temple rested against the steel armor of the dead. He lost almost all feeling in his left arm and the piercing pain in his shoulder whenever he tried to move it told him enough: it wasn't good. Waiting for the shower of arrows to subside he hugged the dead even closer and clenched his jaw to try and ignore the pain and shock.

When it did finally seem to subside, Bronni shoved his shortsword under his belt and picked up a shield with his right; the only arm he could actually move. He hadn't even taken his third step towards the second tower when a stray arrow came his way and struck into the shield with a violent thuck. "I-" the grey dwarf spat and then dashed forward, "-hate the Drow." There wasn't time to check for survivors and truthfully he didn't even consider spending any second longer out there in the open than he needed to run the kriff away from there.

Winded before he hit cover in the shadow of the second tower he paused and leaned against the wall, just for a moment, or so he told himself, just to catch his breath. His lungs sucked the air in and it came out wheezing. His prison tunic and ruffled hair and beard were already drenched in cold sweat, but while he knew that he was badly wounded he refused to check his wounded. Pushing back the Drow was the only thing that mattered. If they didn't then he'd be dead anyway.

 

[Trovik Half-horn]

a gritted smile appeared on his face at dwarfs anguish scream of pain, his horn had struck true but it was long before his horn was once again in the flesh of some other creature. he heard dwarfs laugh and he began to laugh with them from his prone position before quickly getting to his knees, grabbing two of dwarfs by the heads and crashing their skulls together, knocking them unconscious and then throwing one of the unconscious dwarfs at the last two remaining dwarfs that were attacking him.

Standing up immediately after, he spat blood onto the ground, his back and arms covered in bruises and some open cuts. He spoke one word to the last dwarf still standing. “Run.”

He was in terrible pain but that only sharpened his sense, his body full of Adrenaline, He could keep fighting if he wanted to it and he wanted too. he turned his attention to thing fell atop his horn. “thank you, for giving them a distract.” he spoke simply,He didn't like the smaller races than often got his way but if he didn't do whatever he did he wouldn't have had the opportunity to take out the dwarves so a simple thanks would do. he found his dropped weapon and began looking for the next fight.

 

[Vyx'aria]

Hulgor Bonebuster, the Duergar king, descended down the steps of his palace and out into the fortified halls of the inner walls. He had a retinue of elite champion soldiers with him - all fitted with finely crafted emril armor that resisted most magics. They numbered only ten, but they were a devastating force to be reckoned with.

“BLOCK THE BRIDGES! STALL ALL THE ROPEWAYS! DEFEND THE TOWERS!” His voice would boom loudly for the Duergar to hear as he and his champions quickly came to guard the inner walls directly in front of the palace.

Additional duergar reinforcements quickly ran up the steps to the towers that guarded the inner wall.

---

Meanwhile, from where Bronni was, he was surrounded by dead duergar on all sides. Among the bodies, he would see a much smaller figure. It was a duergar child that had escaped the evacuation efforts and had followed her father out into battle. She was terrified now, frozen in shock and trembling. She didn’t feel so brave now, and she clutched desperately onto a helmet.

The Drow were rapidly advancing and arrows were shooting in every direction. The child did not wear armor and had her head exposed. If he stepped out towards her, he would be pulled into the fray of battle. If he ignored her, he would be offered a path away from the chaos to his left and remain entirely unseen.

He had seconds to make a decision.

---

Another duergar mage came rapidly towards where Lythrani and her strangely ethereal companion were. She had been called here due to reports of multiple duergar going up in flames. She had magic of her own and quickly rushed into the fray, calling upon the powers of Zharr.

A green fire that was remnant of dragon fire answered her calls. She wielded it and sent it in a flourish towards the nameless one. It would find a way to harm him if he crossed it.

---

“INTRUDERS! DWARVEN INTRUDERS!”

A Duergar shrieked at the top of his lungs a short distance away from Flint Frostbeard. He saw the small group of surface dwarves coming and assumed it was part of a two pronged attack. Of course, he didn’t stop to think how unlikely it was for drow and surface dwarves to team up…

Duergar instead wasted their time shuffling to try and guard this new front, though they didn’t fire their weapons. A Duergar with a big hammer came to the front and glared at the Dwarf.

“NOW IS NOT A GOOD TIME!” He yelled at his fairer cousin, mistakenly believing they had yet another fight on their hands.

---​

The sudden explosion from the ball of fire hit before Vyx could anticipate it. The tower was already partially destroyed, and this completely blew it apart. The explosion threw her from the tower and she landed back towards the main tunnel. The drow that were fighting against the Duergar on the other side, unfortunately, were crushed under the debris.

As the runner came towards Vyx, she glared as she got to her feet. She gave the hand signals for a group of about twenty archers and three more mages to rush to Xunari’s aid.

The Queen rushed over towards the minotaur and tiefling. This was where she drew out two blades, whirling in a dervish to attack anyone near her. She made precision strikes where the armor was weak, using her speed and agility to her advantage.

At long last, they had finally punched through the main tunnel. The bulk of the drow forces were now on the platform that faced towards the bridges that led across the lake of lava. On the other side of the bridges was the outer wall and its towers. Beyond that was the inner wall and king's palace.

“Sabotage the towers of the outer and inner walls! We need a clean path across the bridge!” Vyx called out to the mages and also The Nameless One. She couldn’t spot Salazar anywhere and could only hope he still lived.

Zathria At'Arel Lythrani Undraeth Xunari Auceus Salazar Abydros Bronni Strakeln Zahel Bashere The Nameless One Derg Gherdro Flint Frostbeard Rolegg Magmasworn Trovik Half-horn

 

[The Nameless One]

The Nameless One looks up at the sudden underrealm dwarf that came up with magic.

Odd thing for sure since the dwarves of either the surface or underrealm did not really have much of a connection with magic.

The spirit lifts a hand and casts counterspell (roll: 9). He managed to get some of it back but some of the fire still hit him. Causing the spirit to sputter like a computer glitch. His arm and hand felt burned and painful as he held it to himself.

Silently groaning in pain the elf puts his good hand towards the blood from the bodies and it would snake towards her until finally it would erupt from the ground where the mage dwarf was standing in the form of blades. (Roll 16) They would cut into her body if they hit. Causing her to be chopped up or into (depending on what body parts were hit)

 

[Bronni Strakeln]

Tired as he was, Bronni lifted his head towards the second tower. He needed to find the fastest way up there, passed the bodies and that trembling child... wait, what?

Forty feet from his position of cover, the wheezing duergar noticed the small head of a dwarven child, trembling and appearing to clutch onto a helmet of one of the many deceased valiant defenders. Bronni's heart sank and shouted in a hoarse raspy voice "GIRL! Get over here!" But as tired as he was and his voice so unaccustomed to being used after eight months of solitary confinement, Bronni's warning didn't seem to register with the child. Disheartened, for he knew what he had to do, the grey dwarf puffed twice and then dashed out of cover with the shield raised above him.

As he ran arrows lodged themselves into the already dead dwarves or broke upon contact with the hard stone floors of Dhunbor. One even lodged itself into his shield, but it did not break the former convict's resolve. "GIRL-" he cried, desperately trying to catch her attention, but again to no avail. By this time his body had enough and his lungs protested so heavily that the poor dwarf fell to a coughing fit, halting his progress, "-UCH, Gi-UCH-rl-" his limp left arm had the unfortunate reaction to want to beat his chest and the pain that subsequently shot through his shoulder forced him to take a knee. "gi-irl"

It was at this point that he lifted his head and watched a dozen of arrows shoot over the second tower towards their position. Dread filled him instantly and while it was a great motivator and allowed him to get back on his feet to resume his dash towards her, they fell faster than he was able to cover the remaining ten feet. Bronni thrust the shield forward in a desperate attempt to save her, but in the end came an inch short and and arrow pierced her throat and lodged itself into her spine. She died instantly as Bronni fell on top of her body, exhausted still and later no doubt regretful that by some miracle none of the other arrows would end his life as well.

The brief pause between the relentless assault of the Drow archers gave Bronni the reprieve he didn't want, but nevertheless needed desperately. His eyes were filled with tears as he looked on the child's blood-covered body, his quickened breath for a moment appeared to bring life to her face as it blew a string of hair to the side. "Why," he muttered, confused as to why she had been there to begin with. Knowing he couldn't linger and as time passed his will to live outgrew his grief, however selfish that felt, he got back up and turned towards that second tower. "Whoever you were, child-" he muttered as he started to advance to the tower, "-I will avenge you."

Let it be known that from this day to his end day, the Drow that killed that child would take up a whole chapter in Bronni Strakeln's Book of Grudges.


(Dice Roll = 5)

 

[Xunari Auceus]

Vyx'aria sent her more soldiers and even some more mages!

She knew there was a reason she liked the new Queen better than the old one, aside from the current lack of betrayal. Until she could remember the old reason, these reinforcements were going to be the reason.

With her reinforcements she had something of a plan and she liked it. She called the archers and the mages over to her.

"Enchant the arrows with explosive effects." she commanded her mages, "I will ensure we can still cross."

Humming a little bit, Xunari picked her way through the injured before grabbing an injured slave by the collar. Dragging them out away from the rest of the soldiers she slit the slave's throat before digging her fingers into the cut to dig around in it with her fingertips.

Using the blood and the sacrifice, she drew a runic array and powered it up. She grinned as a large runic shield formed over the hole in the ground, containing the bursts of lava and fire and making the small area passable again.

"Archers! FIRE!"

... she really should have check before giving the order.

Instead she waited awkwardly for another four seconds before they were all prepared and fired, their explosive arrows taking down large chunks of the enemy archers.

"Advance and bring only their mages to me alive!"

 

[Salazar Abydros]

Before Salazar knew it, a second dwarf had appeared at the doorway. Three versus one? This isn't good! he thought to himself. He had already taken on some minor wounds, and these two looked formidable. He was best at surprise attacks, not head-on battles with warriors. He had to remember his original goal. Take out the mechanism that controls the bridge, and prevent the dwarves from dropping said bridge into lava.

"Are you guys the welcoming party? You have such a lovely home." As he taunted them, he backed up to a large wooden crank and pulley system that clearly connected to the bridge. "Don't get me wrong. I technically don't have a dog in this fight, and from looking at you two, probably not the first time you've been called dogs. But I sure hate poor sports. Like people who... pull a bridge out from people's feet?" With that, Salazar launched a throwing knife at the guard who rang the alarm. While not an instant kill, the blade lodged deep in her shoulder might cost her that arm when all is said and done. At the same time as his throw, Salazar lunged his black blade, Fang, hard onto the multiple levers jutting out from the device. "Were those important?" As a final insult, Salazar crammed another knife deep into the inner workings of the machine, sure to jam it up for a good while. (d20 roll = 16)

"And with that..." Salazar stepped up onto the ledge, overlooking the greatly wounded guard, two confused/angry dwarven warriors, and making every gesture as extravagant as he could. "I'm afraid I broke your guys' little toy. I feel really awful. I guess there's nothing left for me to do but..." he gave a friendly wink to his new friend Derg Gherdro "...jump."

What, to the most keen observer, would appear to be cherry blossom petals flowing in the wind behind him, Salazar performed a high back flip into the air and over the ledge. He wondered how quickly the dwarves would respond to the exploding knife pouch he flung their way as he did this. Salazar flung another knife into the side of the tower, gripping onto the attached rope and gracefully propelled downward to the chaos below. Once the rope ran out of length, Salazar relied on the updraft caught by his hidden wings to land him gracefully in front of who appeared to be the dark elf leader, a beautiful drow.

He handed her a piece of wooden lever. "I think the bridge is secure" (d20 roll = 19)

Vyx'aria Rolegg Magmasworn

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria watched as the catapults came forward and she made her way further back into the line to retrieve additional arrows and take stock of their situation. A handful of dead soldiers littered the ground, blood spilled out, and the moans of the dying were everywhere, but the majority of the siege operators were up, unwounded, and ready to execute their job.

Excellent, Zathria thought to herself, waving an arm forward to signal the siege bridges to be brought forward. If they couldn't secure the main bridge, they would need to be ready to cross the moat by other means.

Release! she shouted for the second time. This time, the results were no less spectacular than the first. Lightning-etched stones flung through the air, slamming into the next watch tower.

Thunder once more cracked and echoed through the chasm as flashes of white ripped through the stone. Those inside the tower would be nearly deafened if they weren't killed outright, and most of the tower began to crumble, portions of it falling into the river of lava below. Simple survival would have to be the priority of anyone inside, which would alleviate the attack on the Drow forces for the time being.

The bridges and siege towers began moving forward as Drow archers and catapults provided cover against the onslaught of the dwarves.

Zathria continued back and scooped up another bundle of arrows, shoving them into her quiver in order to continue her long range assault against the enemy. She nocked an arrow and fired, piercing the armor of a dwarf the retreated across the bridge and sending him stumbling into the lava below. It was not a fate she would have envied.

 

[Ta'Kar]

The drow and the dwarves weren't the only race in the Underrealm. With Ta'Kar having hunted through the dwarven tunnels, it helped provide him somewhat of an understanding of it enough to be able to guide himself but most importantly others. The tunnels had been used by dwarves for centuries and this would most likely be the first time they had been used by someone else that wasn't their kind. There would be a rumbling towards the battlefield as it continued to rage on, it getting ever louder with passing second as it got closer.

Then there would be a combined torrent of shouts and screams as it would finally come to view. A tide of green bodies, goblins, and orcs in different armor and weapons as they spilled out from the tunnels behind the drow army and straight toward them. Their weapons were crude but there was a major difference compared to the drow, they were made to crunch bone and plate. There was a single drow charging in beside them and that was Ta'Kar as both his swords were pulled out and in his hands. The orcs had received the Queen's message and had arrived in force and just in time with the drow being the navigator for them.

The green tide swept through the drow and ran straight past them as they filled the ranks and charged in head-first with screams that didn't seem to end. The goblins approached the lava lake as they let out their own squeals and brought their own makeshift siege engines of war. There were dozens of them and appeared somewhat like ballista and they were lined up near the edge of the lava lake. They were tilted into the air before being fired but instead of massive stones, they were crudely crafted walkways with hooks on the end that would slam onto the other side of the bank and create a whole new pathway once they sought purchase.

Some would catch on fire, some wouldn't make it at all. But it didn't matter, more and more kept being fired and creating multiple avenues as floods of goblins and orcs would cross them straight into the dwarves ranks and ignore the dwarven bridges completely.

Lurching trolls pushed aside, orc, drow, and goblin alike and ran straight toward the stone bridges, their skin nearly hard as the dwarves armor as arrows sunk into them. However, they continued to swing their massive clubs with rage, pushing dwarves and even some orcs and drow into the lava but never the less were making progress across the bridge.

Ta'Kar was one of the first to cross the goblin bridges, running at a full sprint across before simply leaping off and into the middle of the dwarves with the rest of the goblins and orcs as he turned into a whirlwind of blades. The dwarves would have to turn their focus to the green tide as they had established small beachheads on their side of the bridge. Ta'Kar slid one of his blades beneath the plate of a dwarf and killed him instantly before snapping his attention to the wall and the ballista that lined it. Without hesitation, he dashed forward while the goblins and orcs took the heat from the defenders.

 

[Zahel Bashere]

Zahel was sure they were goners, but somehow his misfortune turned out to be their salvation. The dwarves laughing was the opening the Minotaur needed to strike against them, and even as Zahel was trying to steady himself the Minotaur had managed to make short work of the dwarves.

Still on a knee, he nodded in acknowledgement as the Minotaur thanked him, taking a few moments to himself as he went off looking for the next fight. Zahel himself was in no shape for a fight just yet, the hole in his stomach was bleeding away and till he did something to it he wasn't going to survive in this choas, much less be of use to anyone.

His hand instinctively reached out to summon the deck, but something held his hand at the last moment. This wasn't the right time, not yet. He would need them later, what little feeling was left in his gut was telling him that much.

With magical healing ruled out, he would have to do with more mundane means to keep himself from passing out from blood loss. Looking around he found nothing he could use to patch himself up, till his eyes fell on the pools of lava flowing nearby. Gritting his teeth at the thought of what he was about to do, he got up with a grimace and walked towards the lava before dipping his sword into it before drawing it out almost immediately. The sword was nothing special, but it was of fine enough make to somewhat put up with the heat. He swung the sword in a wide arc to get rid of the lava still sticking to it and without waiting to think about the stupidity of his actions he pressed it against the hole in his stomach.

He almost blacked out from the pain, and the sword slipped from his hand as he fell to his knees once more. Which was a good thing as he would have started burning into his stomach if he had held on any longer. It took a few minutes for his vision to clear, and tears were rolling down his face as he panted and gingerly touched his stomach. It still hurt, but it was manageable. It was good enough to last him through the fight, he would be able to get a mage to patch him up properly once this was all done.

For now there was a war to be won. With a grimace he pushed himself to his feet and started moving slowly towards the thick of the fight. His steps were slow and unsteady at first, but through sheer force of will he started moving more smoothly. Along the way he picked up a sword from a fallen figure, to replace the one he had ruined.

Rolls: d20 = 16
Vyx'aria Zathria At'Arel Trovik Half-horn
​

 

[Thovir Ironheart]

Bessie snorted in contempt.

Thovir Ironheart chuckled ruffling his Giant Boar mount on the head as he looked at the city of Dhunbor ahead. His blue eyes squinted at the many Dark Elves at the the doorstep of the Duergar homeland. Thorvir frowned as he wrapped around the spike of his massive warhammer. Even though Thovir was from Kal Pathras, he was a descendent from a Duergar on his mother's side. The screams and clanking of swords were heard from afar as the grin from Thovir faded.

"General," Bannerman Mori Klgordal ran next to him holding banner of Kal Pathras high. The sound of the flag flapping filled Thorvir's heart with courage. "The soldiers are ready for battle"

"Aye Lieutenant," Thorvir turned Bessie around and saw 8,000 Dwarven soldiers ready for battle. The moment the letter from Dhunbor arrived calling for aid, Thovir did not hesitate to summon the banners. "I'll lead the Vanguard!" Thovir yelled. "I'll use the Goats to soften these buggers up! Tell General Goin to follow us after we take the entrance!"

"Aye!" Mori turned to the Goat Riders. "Rally to Ironheart!" The Goats immediately formed an arrowhead shape formation Steel Spears forged by Kal Pathras best smiths stuck out in front of them.

"You know the drill!" Ironheart yelled at his soldiers. "A bunch of prancing Elven princesses think that they can take on might of the Dwarves. Lemme tell ya! We Dwarves may be scattered all around Arethril! We may look different and hell even have different cultures!"

The Dwarven general beat his Dwarven breastplate, his plated knuckles colliding with the armor creating a loud thud. "But our bonds run deep!" He shouted at his soldiers "When you fuck a Dwarf! You fuck with us all! My brothers and sisters! Raise your spears, Axes and Swords and smash these buggers to the ground. Cut them from balls to brain and strangle them with their guts while laughing hysterically. This is where legends are born! Let's show these skinny little twigs how to really fight!"

The soldiers roared in excitement, Thovir handled the Bessie's reigns as the Boar began to snort uncontrollably eager to get in the fray. The Horned Goats lowered their heads showing their plated steel armor and large horns. Ironheart then nodded at Mori as the lieutant took out a long horn and blew as loud as he can. The horn's sound echoed throughout the city enough to draw the enemy's attention and Ironheart lead the Battle Goats into the Elven flank a smile forming on his face.

"Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!" Thovir shouted raising his Warhammer smashing a Dark Elves head in the process. His head splattered like a grapefruit stomped by a giant as some of it went on to Thovir's red beard. An uproarious laugh left his mouth as he and the Goats began thrashing everyone in sight.

This was how he relaxed.

 

[Flint Frostbeard]

"So much fer diplomacy!"

Flint swung his battle axe around in a lazy arc, knocking the duergar's maul aside with a clang of metal and stepping in for a headbutt that sent the Dhunbor warrior reeling. He slammed the axe down to embed itself in stone and towered over the fallen grey dwarf now unarmed.

"Some welcome this is," he snorted, "Surely ye have enough sense to recognize yer own guests! Count yerselves lucky I'd rather be bashing some stinking elves than me own kin!"

This time when he reached out his open palm was extended. The surface dwarves behind him had also readied their weapons in response to the duergars' confused aggression. As far as dwarven negotiations went this turn of events was not exactly unusual.

"Now what say we settle this after we break their weak little bones?"