Haven Invaded!
(Riverhaven, Therengia: 369 Nissa 351)
It first was the curious pouring of people towards the north gate that caught my attention. Emissaries from all guilds, seemingly, and all circles. It was only when I got there myself, that I found myself in my first invasion, and got a glimpse of what war is truly about.
The corpses of the fallen were littering the north gate, mostly younger ones with arrows protruding with their backs, although a few seemed to have been mauled with some great smashing weapon. The clerics and healers were working frantically to get these dead back on their feet, and as soon as they were fit again, they would run out the gate, back into the fray.
Stifling the bile in my throat, I unsheathed my longsword and slung my shield off my shoulder, stepping through the gate… Into a war zone. There were at least ten or twenty warriors in that room alone, in desperate combat with a multitude of brawny looking goblins. The goblin’s weaponry was varied, as some wielded crossbows, shooting with deadly accuracy, and some swung great war mattocks, crushing heads and limbs beneath their weight. A few even seemed to be crazed, in a berserked state as a savage can become. However, for all their frightful looks, I found that these goblins were no match for a trained Mage. My longsword seemed to cut through the bowman like butter, and only the goblin mercenaries were a fair fight. We had just seemed to reduce the first wave to a twitching pile of bodies on the ground, when another swarm ran in, the first shots of the bowmen costing lives immediately, lodging into necks and chests with fearful velocity.
I, luckily, dodged those bolts that were flung at me, escaping the frightful fate of those who were not so fated.
This continued for some time, and although the goblins were tough, they were no match for the armies of Haven, and they were fought off effectively. After about the fifth wave, a frightful howl was heard from the northeast, and a large party of goblins ran in, with a massive, well armored leader in their midst. This was one of the goblin Warlords, wielding a huge claymore that removed arms and heads as if our brave fighters were but the rats in the Shipyard. A number immediately advanced this Warlord, realizing how dangerous he was to the masses, and I was one of those lucky enough to get into swordsman’s range. With the diligent hacking of all of those around it, the Warlord fell, crashing to the ground with no more force than one of the field goblins outside the Crossing’s west gate.With their officer defeated, the remaining goblins were simply food for our blades, and fell quickly.
About two more waves passed after this one, and each was led by another goblin Warlord, and each was defeated without too terrible casualties on our side. After a bit of a wait, all seemed terribly quiet, and the amassed became a bit ancy. A few returned into Haven, believing that the worst was over, and their services were no longer needed.
I moved north, scouting about for more goblins to arrive, and eventually stepped into a room occupied by only a few. Corim was among them, and he would later play an important part in the battle. Also there were Mieyam and her friend, speaking back and forth in their strange separate language. We noticed a regiment of crossbowman move through, continuing on the north, led by a mysteriously cloaked man carrying a fearful-looking midnight black crossbow. To our horror, there were terrible screams from the northeast, and a body came flying through the air, hitting the ground with fatal force. Everyone recoiled, and a few ran northwest to discover what could do such terrible damage. Corim kneeled and traced the Paladin’s glyph of warding over the poor deader, and he departed quickly, surviving the journey safely to regain his belongings. To the northeast, people were dying in droves. A few more made the terrible flight, smited, it would seem, by Firulf’s staff itself. After a few deep breaths, a grin to Corim, and a wave returned, I stepped into the fray. Towering above the assembled warriors were two fearful monsters, a delv Cyclops, wielding a terrible two-handed sword, and a Darvager. It seems that it was the Darvager who was flinging the bodies about like toys, hurling them into the next room. It’s methods were fearsome.
The crossbow regiment that we had seen before, however, was still intact, and at a command from their leader, a hail of bolts was sent, most lodging savagely into the Darvager’s hide, a few clinking of its armored shell. Even with the bolts protruding from its body like needles, it did not fall, advancing towards the regiment in rage. Cooly, the leader swung his bow up, aiming directly at the advancing horror. Just as it reached him, grabbing down with fatal speed, a bolt flew from his weapon, piercing the creature.
To the ground the Darvager fell, leaving the Cyclops alone, to swing its own sword.
By this time, I was quite sick of the noise and action in the room, and began dragging the dead back to the southwest, back to Corim’s glyphs. I managed to get five out this way, rescuing their weapons as they fell, and carrying them safely to the attentions of the Paladin. Time passed as it does in battle, quickly and horribly. Many fell.
One of the more noticable events for me was thus:
I was resting for a moment, helping Corim with harness, as apparently there was little Holy power for him there, and the area was strong with Elemental magicks. A terrible wail came from the northeast, as of many voices raised in anguish. Curiosity lured me. As I stepped in, it was clear that the very leader who had slain the Darvager had fallen, struck down by a Cyclop’s blow. Grabbing up his crossbow as it had fallen, I carried the broken body back to Corim, who glyphed the poor fellow. However, his possesions were so valuable, and there were so many graverobbers about, that I elected to drag him back into the city, to the Temple itself, where he could recover his glyphed items quickly and safely.
His joy at finding himself alive was so great that he pressed his crossbow upon me, ignoring my hasty refusals, and disappearing back into the fight before I could return it. It remains as my souvenier of the Invasion, and a powerful weapon it seems to be, enchanted with the thieve’s prowess of Damaris himself.
The fight continued for a goodly while, but even as those of our side fell, so did the invading horrors, and eventually they were beaten back, up the pass, and away into the mountains. This was the second time that this particular band of Cyclopes had attacked Haven, and I pray that they will trouble that fair city no longer.
~Neoliticus~
Writer’s note: I have a copy of the events on scroll for this fight, if any feel that they would like to get the details of the monsters, or of who was there that eve. I would also like to dearly thank Corim for his bravery in the face of danger, and patience with the endless hordes of dead that the monsters created.