ND/Session 10

<-Session 9 ~~ May 508 ~~ Session 11 ->
*see also Timeline of Events*
*see also The GM's view*
We began this session a little confused: the players hadn't done any homework, and as a result the GM hadn't gotten any plans from us and didn't have a clear idea of where things were going to go. We eventually sorted out that the army had moved from Duzen Iken to Nesna, and as the Resistance leaders had learned that the orcs were massing for an attack across the river from Kristinsund and Elverum, we force-marched our way north in an effort to prevent a massacre.

**"I \*could\* keep my guys from murdering all the orcs. But I'm not gonna."**

Sadly, we were a bit too late: the orcs made it across to the town of Mayla, killing a few hundred peasants on their way. Unfortunately, it was one company of ill-led orcs (The Bone Spears are apparently all crazy idiots with delusions of grandeur) against five hundred of the Resistance's best-trained and best-equipped regular soldiers. With nearly as many archers alone as the enemy force had troops, they were swiftly dispatched from the field; Trahaern ordered that the army hunt down every last one, which caused significant confusion in the ranks, but Aisling was able to keep about a hundred soldiers under discipline as the forced march continued toward Mayla - which let us arrive just in time to catch the remaining Bone Spears in the middle of landing their boats.

**"I am reminded of the Dieppe Raid. That was the version of the Normandy invasion that failed."**

It wasn't much of a battle: an amphibious landing in the face of a superior foe isn't easy to pull off, and the Bone Spear leaders were most definitely not up to the task; between Aisling's rapid raids and Trahaern's superior defense, the Resistance pulled off another bloodless victory, with the orcs making a final desperate attack that cost them every single one of their troops. With nowhere to retreat, it was another complete massacre. Taking stock of the captured boats, we determined that we could get 400 troops across to Kristinsund; the army was split up with some potentially tired veterans being sent back to garrison Hortskink and spend some time training up their quality, and the remainder taking the boats across the river.

**"I kind of expect Greex to have a lizard mohawk and gold chains now."**

We had some difficulty getting Greex onto the boat - he's got a fear of open water - but Aisling is persuasive and captivating, and I am more than willing to abuse those traits, so she managed to keep his attention so completely that he didn't notice they'd walked onto a boat until they'd already cast off. By this time it was late evening on May 4th; the troops were tired from the extended march, the PCs themselves were fatigued, and the map shifted to our rooms at an appropriated inn. The PCs were all happily nestled asleep in their beds, and at this point Emily had to leave as she was turning into a pumpkin.

**"You walked into a Nymph's bedroom. Just what did you expect?"**

It was, of course, an ambush. Three men for each PC (though none for Hloomawl - apparently whatever motivates these people isn't enough to get them to take on 700 lbs of solid muscle) crept into their rooms. Everyone but Himmel managed to wake up in time to defend themselves, and Himmel woke when the first guy grabbed him. Trahaern opted to brawl it out with fists; Greex darted under the bed; Himmel grabbed Diamanter, and Aisling turned the full force of a naked Nymph in bed on the attackers, stunning them all long enough that she could get up and grab her weapon.

Within the first few seconds of combat, Himmel had knocked one guy completely through a wall with a critical hit from Diamanter (126 knockback damage), Trahaern was faring about as well as one might expect a guy facing three to one odds would do if he was unarmed, and Greex had recovered his weapon and started fighting from underneath the bed. Aisling had her staff ready and had used it to try to vanish; unfortunately, one of her attackers saw through it.