Chapter 3: Of Orcs and Minotaurs!
The Twenty-Seventh of Greentide, D.Y. 500
-----Just as twilight claims the land, the fire is lit and everyone settles in their positions. A nearly full moon is already up in the eastern sky. Its pale light catches the walls of the distant keep making the stones of it appear dull and lifeless. Soon movement is seen among the distant walls and towers. Definitely, the campfire is the source of some interest.
-----Pil sits with his sword across his lap and he peers under his orc helm toward the keep anticipating any kind of action. "Come on," he says under his breath.
-----The propped up orcs sit silently with the fire blazing in front of them. Small insects buzz around adding to the irritation of the smell.
-----With everyone in the party quietly watching, the night sounds from the far forests and marshes echo in the distance. Soon full darkness falls with the only light being from the campfire, the moon and the shadowy glow from the keep.
-----At least two hours pass and no movement comes from the stronghold although everyone gets the feeling the orcs' campfire is being watched.
-----Raven grips his bow as he looks around into the night. Raven adjusts his orc helm and growls something under his breath.
-----Sol was relaxed enough to play the part for a couple more hours yet. Periodically, he stood up and walked around a bit to stretch his legs, before returning to settle by the fire.
-----Sarah kept her black spider cloak tightly wrapped around her bright yellow dress. She had the hood up over her brilliant golden hair and she tried not to look at the fire so the light wouldn't reflect off of her pale face. "Chessie are you awake?" She thought telepathically to her familiar.
-----Moments later, a flutter of wings disturbs the quiet of the immediate area, which quickly fades as Chessie takes to the night air. The owl later settles in the branches of a thin tree with bare branches, which overlooks the area toward the keep.
-----Finally toward the midnight hour, just as everyone is about to give up for the night, a sound is heard across the way at the keep. By now the moon has already reached the high point of the sky and has just begun to descend westward. This throws the shadows down across the wall of the keep facing the adventurers. This, also, is where the front gate is located.
-----The sound of chains is heard and before long, the huge doors of the gate open just a bit. Over the next few moments, a troop of dark man-sized figures emerges from the keep and walk out into the moonlight. By their stance and movement, it is obvious they are orcs. They stalk across the field where the huge orc army had been encamped that day. By now, for those who can see this small troop, there looks to be about thirty of the humanoids and the moon shines dully off their dark armor and cruel swords.
-----Those on top of the ridge and closest to the campfire see the orcs stride defiantly to within thirty yards of the rise and pause. The humanoids take a moment to glare around at the surrounding small hills. One of the orcs takes a step and growls something aloud in the cruel language of the orcs.
-----Though Sarah is not able to see the orcs from where she is hiding, she can hear the orc's speech as it echoes through the night.
-----"It might be an illusion..." Sarah muses. "Oh well, only one way to make sure. Keep your eyes out for surprises, Caranip." Sarah begins the incantation of the fireball spell.
-----Trying his best to use a dead orc as cover and in his best orc impression, Raven yells back something to them. He then waves to the orcs to join the camp.
-----In response, the orcs freeze as if they were stunned by what they hear. Suddenly some excited yells arise from them and they rush forward toward the ridge. Their boots tramp and trump on the ground and soon their approaching faces are seen in the campfire. A reddish glow comes from their eager eyes.
-----Within a few moments, they will be directly behind Sol who sits with his back toward the keep.
-----Suddenly, a small blazing streak fires out of the brush where Sarah is hidden. It shoots over Sol's head and heads in the direction of the running humanoids. Just as it reaches a point over the orcs' heads, it explodes. The night is instantly lit by an explosive burst accompanied by a thunderous roar. Orcs are thrown to the ground while a few are borne aloft by the blast.
-----As the air clears and the brilliance dies down, the area where the blast occurred is littered with dead orcs. Seven bewildered humanoids stand around surveying what happened.
-----Raven leaps to his feet throwing off the orc cloak at the same time. Raven growls, "Let 'em have it!" as he lets fly arrows from his bow.