Session 28: In Defense of Archet, Part II.

January 5, 2966…

    Captain Brackenbrook grimaced, “We must prepare to defend Archet! Even though it seems the Giant Eagle has taken William, they will no doubt continue the plan without him!”

January 6, 2966…

The following night, as grey clouds form in the skies, it’s as if the stars themselves have fallen from the heavens and landed on the mountains of Archet as hundreds, if not thousands of torches light up, almost simultaneously… then the horrific sound of goblins roaring and descending down the mountains, some on foot, some on Wargs, and the Shadow comes closing around Archet…

Suddenly, one of the guards at the southern gates of Archet shouted, "Open the gates! Open the gates!"

Camellia, who had come from Combe ran through the opened gates as it quickly closed behind her. She was out of breath, but otherwise untouched. Someone must have escorted her to avoid the dangers that now lingered between Combe and Archet. She looked around, "I am here to lend my aid and heal any of the wounded."

Arthanar, son of Balrannor, elven ears had heard the familiar voice; and he smiled, impressed by her courage. She had stood up to Oswald Breeker, whom she had been employed by, and by human standards came across a bit of a brutish and intimidating, for a human. And here she was now, once again, having defied Oswald Breeker no doubt, to be here in the name of aid for the people of Archet.

Arthanar gazed into the dark, from the top of the northern battlements and watched as a heavy fog washed over the mountains, like a slow moving tide claiming the land. Though he'd perceived this as perhaps an ill omen, he was shocked to hear the crackle of lightning pierce down from the darkened storm clouds, striking the gathering goblins in the northern encampment. His elven eyes quickly scanned the area, expecting Gandalf to be standing atop of some rock, shouting something; but there'd been no sign of the strange wizard. What had caused that lightning then?

Goblins surged from the fog that gathered, reaching the gates of Archet without detection.; but as quickly as the fog has come, crackled with lightning, giving goblins cover; the fog was pealed away by the brilliance of the moon, exposing the goblins who had charged forward, and the arrows of the soldiers and farmers who lined Archet's walls found their marks, slaying many goblins, and wounding many more. Several goblins, in an attempt to provide cover to their retreating forces, launched a volley of arrows that caught several rooftops on fire. The people of Archet began to scramble to find water and put out the flames.

Several Southern Raiders, along with the goblins, scaled over the wall, getting inside of Archet's defenses; and quickly the company raced to meet them, blades clashing. Even as Maethordan looked around him, he could see other goblins and ruffians scaling the walls; and based on the shouts on the other side of Archet, others were breaching the walls as well. The battle was no longer keeping the goblins at bay; but these ruffians, undoubtedly a faction of the ruffians whom Welton once served, and forced the serve the Cargûl were bringing the battle within the walls of Archet.

Lodin pointed to several of the soldiers on the wall; clearly farmers, who were brought inside Archet's walls and given weapons. He pointed to the fire, "Help put the blaze out. Leave the fighting of those breaching the walls to us. If we fall, then help. But do what you can for the people inside of Archet."

Even as more goblins bled into Archet's inner city and things were appearing grim; a loud cheer came the eastern side of the town. At first, it was not clear what was happening; the men who appeared looking to be ruffians, more than allies; but they began cleaving their way through the goblins outside of Archet's walls, and as Lodin glanced over the wall, though he knew not their name, these were clearly men he'd seen during Yule at the Forsaken Inn (see Session 21). Had someone fetched them to join this battle? If so, who?

Inspired by this turn of events, the people of Archet cheered, and archers fired off another round at the goblins who found themselves now pinned between Archet's defenses and the small battalion that had come at them from the East, pinning them. One of the farmers, whom Lodin had asked to put out the fires, collapsed next to Lodin, an arrow in his side, and badly off. Lodin looked around, cursed, and kneeled down; he could not let this man die. He quickly applied bandages as he'd seen Fay and Arthanar do in the past, and helped the wounded man back to his feet. "Go to the center of town," Lodin said. "There is a healer there named Camellia. She will assist you further." The man bowed, said thanks, though over the sounds of battle, his weak voice was lost.

Maethordan, battling several goblins, hears a familiar battle cry - as his eyes scan the clashing swords, humans and goblins, colliding, the familiar face of Sigurd is seen, and with him three other Rangers of the North. Arthanar catches sight of Sigurd as well, as believes that the Ranger may have been responsible for safely escorting Camellia here; and Lodin concludes, that undoubtedly, it'd been Sigurd who spoke to the people at the Forsaken Inn, to come and join the fight. Though most who spent their time at the Forsaken Inn were often questionable, at best, they still had a deep respect for the Rangers of the North; and most would look for any reason to fight.

Almost, as if in response to Sigurd's arrival, the moon shines brightly, piercing the veil of darkness and exposing the goblins on the battlefield beyond Archet's walls. Somewhere in the distant dark, the voice of an Orc, barking commands in Orkish, sounded, and another wave of goblins charged forward, though the moon, once again exposed their forces, and arrows from Archet found their marks much easier.  The hours drifted on as the battle raged, fires burned, the dead, the dying, screams of terror, screams of pain, filled the night; bodies ached as swords and axes grew heavy. The smell of death swam through the air. It was no surprise the arrival of Gore Crows was an ill omen to the people of Archet; though these carrion birds did not care what type of decaying flesh they fed upon; whether it be beast or man, goblin or orc.

"Keep the Gore Crows out of the town," Captain Brackenbrook shouted. "Fire will keep them at bay!"

Near where the Company of Lodin, Maethordan, Arthanar and Welton fought, several goblins following an Orc Chieftain, broke through a hole in Archet's walls. Lodin lifted his blade, though his arm ached and burned from the relentless battle. "We can't let them get through," he said, hoarsely, having been yelling throughout the battle that had now raged for over six hours. The Orc Chieftain raised his hand, shouting something in Orkish, and almost as if in response, a dense fog rolled down from the mountains and settled into the pit in which Archet sat, between the mountains, reducing visibility. Maethordan, seeing the Orc Chieftain, launches himself forward with reckless disregard for himself, moving past the goblins to get to the Orc Chieftain. Maethordan brought Azanfelak, the gleaming blade, down once across the Orc Chieftain who reeled back from the back, but not before Maethordan could get a second strike. The Orc Chieftain held his bloody chest and barked a command to the goblins who lunged forward; but the goblins were quickly cut down by Lodin, wielding Rukhsfelak, the Orc Hewer.

Then through the fog, the cry of the Great Eagle could be heard, as Armanel, descended and began clawing, slamming and ripping goblins apart, on the battlefield. Lodin turned to Arthanar, who nodded, having just played the Song of the Great Eagles; while, it did not magically summon Great Eagles, the arrival of Sigurd, who brought with him Camellia and no doubt the attention of the men of the Forsaken Inn; it was more clear now that Sigurd, was undoubtedly escorted by Armanel and flown to these locations for both speed and safety.

This had meant, at least, that Beleram must have arrived to Weathertop and conveyed what Beleram had seen when he'd taken William.

The arrival of Armanel had momentarily distracted the Orc Chieftain, who shouted a new command in Orkish, that resounded loudly before Maethordan ran the Orc Chieftain.

Then it came - a loud roar that was unlike any other, and it did not take long before it was clear what had made the sound as the people on the walls of Archet shouted, "Troll!"

The Orc Chieftain's final command had been to release the troll; and now it barreled into Archet's walls, and tried to scale the wall, it's massive, thick body to small for the holes that had been penetrated into Archet's walls. The people of Archet shouted for liquid to pour down the walls to prevent the troll from easily scaling the walls; and everything from oils to churned butter, was poured down the wall and it had worked; initially, the troll had been unable to scale the towering wooden walls; giving the Company, as well as the archers a moment to fire arrows into the troll's thick hide; but it was clear, the troll's hide was made to endure such things as many of the arrows barely penetrated its dense flesh or the arrows bounced off as if they were nothing more than toys.

The next leap, the troll had managed to get to the top of the fence, and despite repeated stabs to its massive hands, the troll pulled itself ontop of the wall. At that moment, however, despite how things were now looking, further reinforcements baring the symbols of Bree arrived, colliding into a reinforcement of goblins that had come out after the troll had been released, clashing with them on the battlefield.

Despite the chaos of the battle, Captain Brackenbrook's voice could be heard shouting, “Hold fast people of Archet! Though the Shadow is strong, though the Shadow scales our walls and breaches out defenses; look how our allies come to our aid! Rangers of the North! Giant Eagles! The people of Bree! Even those from the Lone Lands come to our aid during this darkened moment! Let now the Shadow win through fear! Look within you! We are the Light! We shall banish the Shadow and chase them back to their corners!These foes believe our hearts will falter as their numbers swell. Remember what brought you to this field; the love of your kin, the memory of your homes, and the hope that others may yet live in peace. This night will end, and it will end in our victory and just as we drive the Shadows back, so too, will the rising Sun send these shadow fleeing! Now stand with me! For our brothers and sisters. For the free lands. For the dawn that will come only if we make the way for it. Take heart! Fight, people of Archet! People of Bree! People of Lone Lands! For our allies stand with us this night! Forward, and let none say that we quailed in the face of darkness!”

The Company continued their battle against the troll, while the rest of the battle happened around them; they too felt the inspiring words of Captain Brackenbrook fueling their veins, easing their aching bodies. It is Lodin, who delivers the killing blow, Rukhsfelak cutting through the troll's dense, thick hide in a final blow. The troll had been punctured by hundreds of arrows and cut a thousand times, as death came for the troll it roared loudly, as if in an attempt to defy death itself, before collapsing forward. With the troll slain, the remaining goblins called for a retreat, and in doing so found many arrows to their backs, leaving them dead or dying on the battle field.

It had nearly been ten hours, when the last of the goblins who could walk, disappeared. Inside Archet, dozens upon dozens were wounded, dying, or dead. On the battlefield, many others lay dying or dead; soldiers from Bree, Rangers of the North, even those who'd come from the Lone Lands.

Captain Brackenbrook, bloody, cut and limping badly, raised his blade. "The field is ours! Our homes saved! It was not through strength alone we won this night, it was through resolve, and a thanks that can not find the proper words, to the allies who came to our aid as the Shadows closed around us. When the Shadow came; whether goblins or ruffians; orc or troll, you all stood strong! You stood proud! You did not break! You did not flee. You stood together, side by side! Our walls were shattered, but we became the Wall! We became the wall they could not break! The wall they could not scale! This day will be spoken for years to come! Not because we won this battle, but because we stood together. No one person won this battle for us! We won this battle together. Each of us lent our strength to our allies! When we were tired and sore and certain we could not hold our weapons up for a moment longer, someone stepped forward to take the fight so we could rest. Though we won, there were many who gave their lives this night, for this victory. This victory is not without loss. So when we speak of this night, we are to remember those who fell, so we might stand. We will honor the fallen and their sacrifice. Walk tall my friends, and hug those around you, for whether you know them or not, tonight they have earned the title of friend and family to all in Archet."

Lodin kneeled down next to the troll.

"Cave Slinker," Arthanar answered Lodin's unspoken question. "They're not common around here. Seen them in the Trollshaws. I don't know how it would have gotten so close without being seen."

"Felyadûr," Welton said, coming to lean against the wall, beyond exhausted. "Felyadûr is my guess. A cave system in the South Downs. No one knows how far it goes, but there's rumors it extends all the way to Chetwood, and so probably the Orcs or goblins opened a cave system from Archet from the Felyadûr caves."

Maethordan nodded. "I believe this confirms Welton's theory," he opened a parchement found on the Orc Chieftain. "Though written in Orkish, it shows here a map that would align with what Welton is guessing." He turned to Welton.

"The Orcs used it to move goods in and out," Welton expanded. "They were mining for metals, from what I understood. I barely dealt with the orcs when they forced themselves upon the organization I was a part of. Never cared for their ilk," he admitted. "I hated we even worked for them for the brief time that we did. It was one thing to steal from well to do merchants, another to work for Orcs."

Maethordan pointed to the map on the parchment. "If we speak to Captain Brackenbrook, we can collapse this cave here. That seems to be the one that connects to Felyadûr and that would stop them from gaining access to these caves. And there's a note here, another cave on the eastern side of the mountains next to Archet, that seems to be another entrance to the caves. My guess is when the floods come during the Yule season, that is the cave entrance the goblins flee to, to gain entrance to the caves. Should we collapse those caves as well, Captain Brackenbrook can position his men on the tops of the mountains as patrols and the goblins would have no way inside the caves; and would need to scale the mountains and risk endurance. And certainly no large force could quietly get up the mountain. We have gained much this night."

Sigurd, cut and bleeding, breathing deeply, approached. "Strider sends for you. Armanel and I came as quickly as we could." 

Armanel, the Great Eagle, roared loudly on the gates of Archet.

"Beleram has been wounded," Sigurd explained. "The bastard William stabbed Beleram with that cursed blade. Beleram dropped William, and William plummeted into the webbed woods of Chetwood. We know not if he survived his plummet from the skies. Strider was able to use the rare Kingsfoil to cure Beleram. Thankfully, because of Beleram's size, the poison of the blade did not affect Beleram as it would any human. But Beleram is weak, very weak, and can not fly. Baranthor, the other Great Eagle flies over Chetwood, furiously looking for William. When we are able, we should return to Weathertop."

Maethordan looked confused at Sigurd and asked "If William is in the Chetwood why do we go to  Weather top, what else is happening that is more important than dealing with William?"

Sigurd, tended to his wounds, nodded, "I understand the desire to go after William. I believe, in the end, that is Strider's plan as well, as he seeks to ensure William pays for what he'd done to Hergrim. However, with the reports of the Giant Spiders in Chetwood also, Strider may wish to know more from all of you about that. We've only recently heard of these rumors as I was able to escort Camellia here from Combe, and she was telling me how you have all brought the fang of some giant spider you had slain in Chetwood to the farmland of Oswald Breeker."

Lodin listened, nodded, and almost in an trance-like state, Lodin began cutting the troll's skin around at the neck and then down the middle of the chest, and finally around the waist. From there he deftly peeled the almost carapace like skin using the dagger that he borrowed from Welton after reconciling with him and forgiving him. At the end he had a giant contiguous sheet of cave-troll skin. Now to decide what to do with it, it is far more than originally intended as a trophy.

What could he do with this, he wondered. Cloaks? A tent to blend with stone?

At that moment, Captain Brackenbrook arrived, looked at the skinned troll. 

"Is there anyone in Archet who could help cure this troll's skin?" Lodin asked.

The Captain shook his head as he looked around the chaos of Archet. "Sinella was one of the few tanners we had. She fell in defense of Archet. However, I do know that Timmothy Thistle has made several deals with people; he's got numerous connections. If someone might know how to cure this troll's hide, he would know someone who knows someone. He lives in Combe, and works for Oswald Breeker."

Camellia, who had arrived during the battle to lend her healing, had come with Sigurd stepped up, overhearing the conversation. She is covered from head to toe in blood, though she has no wounds of her own. "They know Timmy," she smiled at the Company.

"Good," the Captain nodded. "He would be the one you want to speak with."

Lodin looked at Maethordan. "Let us briefly part ways for now. I will go to Combe with this troll skin. Maethordan, Welton, Sigurd, ride on Armanel back to Weathertop. Arthanar, come with me. The bow will help keep any spiders at bay."

"Are you sure?" Maethordan asked.

Lodin nodded.

Maethordan handed the parchment he'd gotten from the Orc Chieftain's body. "There are some caverns you need to collapse, Captain, sooner than later. This parchment details the maps that these forces used."

January 12, 2966…

The Company both rested, and aided the people in Archet; gathering those who'd been slain; aided those who had been wounded to make-shift facilities that were being used to aid those who'd been wounded. Camellia was frantically running back and forth, helping those she could, instructing those who'd been assisting her. Arthanar too, helped with the wounded, though his eyes often drifted to Camellia, whom he watched with great fascination; her courage was something he'd never seen in a human woman, and how well she stood against her employer, how she'd risked her life to come here in the heat of a battle, and even now, covered in blood as she was, how she never tired to help those in need.

Arthanar and Lodin began their journey towards Combe, when all that could be done was done. Maethordan, Welton, Sigurd, rode on Armanel back to Weathetop.

Weathertop.

Even as Armanel circled, slowly descending down onto Weathertop, Maethordan could see that Beleram was there, one of his wings wrapped in massive bandages. Sigurd leapt from the Great Eagle as it landed and looked to Strider. "The goblins were driven back," he said, answering Strider's unspoken question, "and there was no sign of William. I suspect he may yet be in Chetwood."

Beleram saw Maethordan and Welton. "As you can see, I was wounded by William as I carried him away. He struck me with his ill-blade, but I survived. But the pain felt as if it were a touch of death itself, so cold, I could not hold him as the pain ran through my body. He fell into the webbed woods of Chetwood. I suspect as soon as I had carried him that had been his plan, to fall into those woods. I searched briefly for him, but the pain from the wound was like poison needles, and I could scarcely remain flying. Even now, my vision is greatly impaired and I can not fly. That fell weapon is dangerous. But while searching for Williams; those webbings I saw are not natural."

Strider looks to Maethordan and Welton. "This is why I have called for you here. I want to find William and put him to rest for what he's done," Strider's voice remains calm, but there is a tone of anger there for what William had done to Hergrim. "But I want to understand what has happened in Chetwood that such webbing would exist? Beleram says it covers most of Chetwood's tree tops like a webbed canopy. No spider I know of makes such webs."

January 13, 2966… Combe.

Oswald Breeker saw Lodin and Arthanar and he glanced beyond them. "Where is Camellia? She hasn't," his voice trailed. The hard man's stern face softened to a child-like innocence on the verge of tears.

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Fellowship Points:
2 (1 per player) + 2 (Gandalf) = 4

Fellowship Bonus: Gandalf
You can spend a Fellowship point to roll an additional d20 after a saving throw (but before the outcome is determined) and choose which of the d20s is used.

Lore Master Note - I created a d100 Event Table where each  time on the player's turn they would roll a d100 to see what event happened. Here's the event table and the rolls I kept track of.

The Company has Reached Level 4 after the Defense of Archet!