Battle of the High Pass

Strength| The Auric Lodge* Aelia Olympia Aurelia
	+ Aquila
* Arannis Faustus Venandi
* Diana Queasitor Votis
* Maximilian Valerius Cato
* Ruuk
* Sophie d'Arafina
* Tantina Fontaine
* Vexus Orthos

The Battle of the High Pass was a battle between the Auric Lodge and the Torthank Killers. The Auric Lodge fought a delaying action against the Torthank Killers, aiming to keep the Orc tribe stuck on the exposed mountain pass to the south of Mount Canilias as a storm approached, using the terrain to fight the orcs on a narrow terrain.

Using the worsening conditions, the Auric Lodge were able to hide their numbers from the orcs. After Ruuk stalled by bluffing for some time, they ambushed a scouting band. The sounds of conflict brought in more orcs from the vanguard: 95 Torthank warriors charged into the swirling snow, only to be slaughtered by the Auric Lodge, with none living to carry back information to the Lodge’s numbers to the rest of the orc force.

A brief interlude followed, with the Auric Lodge establishing defensive blockades using the corpses of the Orc Vanguard. The snow flurries prevented good line of sight, but using an enchanted spyglass, the Auric Lodge was able to espy an orcish priest mid ceremony. Sophie d’Arafina, along with Tantina Fontaine, were able to launch a long-range ambush, killing the priest mid rant. This act triggered a charge from the orcs, who rushed forward before their next assault was properly organised.

This next wave crashed onto the Auric Lodge. Initially, the orc force was stalled by a writhing mass of arcane tentacles summoned by Arannis with the Orcs funnelled through a narrow window to reach the front lines. However, as the battle developed the Auric Lodge exposed a slim gap in their wall, allowing the orcs to seize upon the chance, with many rushing through the opening, charging towards Arannis, seeking to slay him to end the blocking enchantment. The fighting devolved into a desperate struggle as the adventurers struggled to reform the line and kill the orcs that had breached. Vexus, Sophie, Aelia, and Ruuk formed a wall of metal, absorbing the brunt of the punishment and throwing back the orc warriors time and time again. Further back, Diana and Tantina dispatched the last of the orcs that had pushed through, before joining Arannis and Max in bombarding the enemy lines from afar. Ruuk was struck down, injured but alive, and the group struggled to protect him even as they fought for their own lives.

The struggle hung in the balance, but in time the orc numbers began to thin, their leaders and elites struck down in turn. For a brief moment, the Lodge’s side of the river was clear. The last, desperate moments saw the orc rear lines make a final charge at the beleaguered adventurers. Both sides could sense how close the battle had run, the unfortunate opening allowing the ill prepared orcs a chance as confusion had spread among the Lodge’s ranks.

Vexus, seeing the incoming charge, and that his companions were barely hanging on, made his own counter charge, meeting the Orcs on the far side of the river, buying breathing room for the lodge. Even in this moment, Diana noted a group of orcs beginning to withdraw. If they escaped, the Lodge’s precarious situation would be apparent to the wider orc army, eliminating any hope of an easy withdrawal for the Lodge – they had to be stopped.

As Vexus engaged the last orc charge, distracting them from the more wounded members of the group, the Lodge’s attention shifted to the distant priests. Tantina, Diana, Max, and Arannis began to focus upon them, with some attention diverted towards supporting Vexus, while Aelia surged out atop Aquila in pursuit. Ruuk rose from the ground, healed by Max, and surveyed the field. Witnessing Vexus solo charge, Ruuk set out after the Imperial Warrior. He succeeded in slaying a frenzied orc priestess – but also in drawing attention to himself. The Orcs previously distracted by Vexus turned their attention to Ruuk, noting his wounds and relative vulnerability compared to the heavily armoured paladin.

The Orcs moved forward, surrounding Ruuk. He endured their blows, before falling with a grunt into the flowing waters. As the party realised the problem, they faced a choice – stop the fleeing orcs, or try to save Ruuk. In the brief moments, those who had time to act followed their instinct: word could not reach the rest of the orc host.

   Ruuk, alone managed to struggle to his feet with one last surge of energy. Desperately, he tried to flee away, breaking out of the circle of orcs and fleeing towards the Lodge’s bank. Mid stride, as he tried to escape, he was caught with a blow in the back that dropped him once more. Falling again, he would not rise as the Orcs raised their blades once more.

With Ruuk’s death, the magical essence of Glarrak bound within him by the Confessor during the ad-hoc revivify weeks before was released. Ruuk’s body was ripped into shreds as a vast chunk of ice detonated within him, killing the orcs that surrounded him even as they slew him.

Within moments, the battle was over, the remaining orcs all slain, with none escaping. The Lodge took stock of the situation, gathering what they could together. Taking Ruuk’s possessions and fragments, they left the remains upon the battlefield, before making their escape.

The Battle was a decisive victory for the Lodge. The Orcs would delay for over an hour more as they brought up elite troops, before tentatively moving forward to find no evidence of any adversary. By the time the orcs had begun to move in, the snow storm had escalated. Disorganisation and chaos spread through their ranks, and many more would perish due to exposure. The Torthank Killers were delayed by several days, as they struggled to reform their marching order, and proceeded at a much more cautious pace, buying significant time for the defenders of Galsan.