Darmak The Sage

UP: Drachenfels

    Orcs, grotesque little creature with barely enough intelligence to know which end of a sword wont cut their fingers off their hands. Yet when grouped together and driven by what is know in human tongue as “ Blood Lust” they can become a tidal wave of death and destruction destroying everything and everyone in their path. This devastation almost took place near the city of Cove on this day. I shall do my best to recall the events that took place during the battle, but I was not there and all my information is second hand.

    The day started as any other would in the city of Cove. The Merchants open their shops for business, hoping a warrior or mage would stop by to purchase their goods or perhaps to just chat about the weather. The business in cove is rather slow of late, due to the ever presence of orcs just around the mountain pass. “Stink they do, the stench rolls over the mountain from that camp and makes ye wretch. Nobody want to shop in a town that stinks of Orcs” is what one merchant of Cove said to me.

    Coves captain of the guard noticed the foul odor was much more potent on this morn and dispatched a group of soldiers to the orc fort to investigate the comings and goings of the foul creatures. Several hours past and the group still had not returned with any news on the happenings at the fort. The captain rallied a second group, larger this time, to find and report on the first groups disappearance. Time seemed to stand still as the guards waited the return of their brothers in arms. A lone figure could be seen sprawled upon the grass from the gates of the city as the watchmen call to the captain of the guard. Risking his own life the captain crashed through the gates of cove at a full dash toward the broken body lying in the grass. “By the heavens” the Captain exclaimed as he reached the figure. Shaft upon shaft ran through the soldier’s body and every breath became more and more labored. Taking off his cloak the captain rapped the soldier in it and effortlessly carried him to the city gates. As the healers worked their magics the captain spoke to the wounded soldier “Well now, I didn tell ye to get all bash and battered now did I? This will surely be one to brag about in the taverns ” the captain said trying to keep positive knowing what outcome may lie ahead for the soldier. “Can ye tell me what ye saw lad?” the captain said to the soldier while scowling at a healer for pushing him out of the way. In a whisper tainted with blood the soldier told of what he saw at the fort. The orcs had blocked the pass with brambles and bushes to slow advancement of any opposing force. There were hundreds if not thousands of orcs gathered at the fort. The soldiers were surrounded,cut off and taken down by the mass of Orcs. Several Orc arrow throwers were also spotted, which could only mean one thing, they were preparing for war.

    Messengers were immediately dispatched to the larger cities to inform the criers and city officials of the orcs preparations for war. Warriors were needed to put an end to the orcs before they truly organized their deadly efforts. The city of Cove became flooded with the essence of magic as gate after gate opened to reveal mage and warrior alike ready for battle. The siege of warriors flowed form the city gates crashing headlong into arriving Orc troops from the south. Swiftly and deftly the warriors and mages overpowered the arriving orcs and cut them down where they stood. A small group, but more waited at the fort. The pass was treacherously slow due to the brambles blocking every step the warriors took. Several warriors and mages life essence was ripped from their bodies as the ocrs were readied for the on coming assult. The usually quickly traveled pass took what seemed hours to penetrate and the loss of life on the part of the brave warriors grew in numbers. Breaking the path the warriors spread out using the whole field of battle to dance this death dance. Orc felled human, human felled orc and the battle bled on. Those that were there said you could taste the magic in the air and almost cast from the raw power that came from the massive use of magics. The Orc mages pulled ranks and attacked the warriors with spells and intrapments of their own. Several warriors saw Sir Siegfried fall at the hands of a flamestrike thrown by one of the orc mages, showning them that even the best warriors can be cut down. Night fell as the battle pierced the silence of night. Pushing ever forward the warriors reached twin orc lookouts, Sarah McCloud, Brax, Arn and others rushed the gates only to be met with a hailstorm of arrows being expertly thrown by the orc arrow throwers. Posted high on pedestals the throwers were free from hand to hand combat and had to be downed by spells. The orc arrow throwers are trained from birth, not only in the was of the bow but also in resisting magics the methods of training are brutal and sometimes deadly to the elite of the orc clans. Making then a most deadly foe in battle.

    As the Orc archers fell the sun broke the horizon bringing promise and hope to the warriors. The forts gates were blocked with garbage and brambles but stopped the warriors momentarily as they hacked their way through quickly. Readying for war was right, every cubbyhole in the fort was packed with weapons, armor gold, reagents and much more. The orcs, now knowing their defeat was at hand made a final blood raged push at the warriors and met their fate at the end of a sword or at the weavings of the mana. All the orcs lay dead and their hording collected and shared among those who were victorious. The warriors and mages cheered and gave congratulations to one another and swore to fight again side by side another day. The gates re-opened and the parties vanished one after the other as the victors headed back to their loved ones, homes and cities.

    To see the masses that gathered to protect our fair land makes this scribe shed a tear of joy and I wish I had the ability to honor thee all for thy grand and noble efforts.

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Tuesday, April 6th 1999