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Turn 140.0: The Song of El-Balans

Posted: 2/4/01

(139.7)

Emma grits her teeth at the pain in her leg. The wound doesn't seem too deep, but the bolt is still lodged in the links of her chain mail. She tries to scramble across the dirt, the second time she'd been knocked to the ground in this fight. Every movement makes the sharp tip of the bolt rub back and forth over the same bloody spot beneath her armor. She pushes up with one arm and tries to stay focused on the stables. 'Got to get those people out...' she thinks, 'Before this gets really ugly...'

"Unnnhhh...noooo," Emma groans, dropping her head to the cold packed dirt. She is struck by the loss of the spirit and still aching from the crossbow bolt in her leg. She tries to roll over to face the sky and the blurry images of the battle scene flash across her vision. There was Storm in his full battle-rage, engaged with two Caerloon soldiers. And Skandor, bloody Skandor, staggering under his wounds but still holding his own against another. A Caerloon crossbowman was reloading his weapon, probably the same one that had wounded her. The Red Dragon wizard was just rising to his feet...only fifteen yards away. And there, just behind him at the sleeping quarters...more Caerloon soldiers. The whole thing seemed so surreal.

'Gods above,' Emma thinks, 'This could be it...our final battle. Rinder's Six. Defeated in the heart of the desert at a little-known place called El-Balans.' Her hands clench into fists, scraping up small handfuls of the dirt on which she lies. 'Damn it, no!' she tells herself, 'No good warrior of Anhur should die like this. I'll go down swinging a blade first!' And with that thought, she begins to shake off the stunning loss of the panther's spirit. She pounds one of her fists onto the ground, releasing the dirt contained within and reaches out for the hilt of her broadsword where it lies next to her, grim determination written on her face.

'Thank god for Canter!' Elloharin thinks. He can feel the battle haze lessening under the strain of his vast blood loss. For a moment, dazed, he is at rest. Reviewing the bloody scene of battle. 'Amazing.' He can picture that huge block of ice descending from the heavens on poor old Skandor's head. And with what courage the paladin raised his blade to deflect the oncoming sheet. He seemed a true hero in that instance, and even now, hurling threats at the oncoming soldiers, he seems more like a god than a man.

Intent on rejoining the battle, Elloharin sheathes his sword and draws his bow. Limping to the gate, his clothes stained dark with blood, he looks through at the men beyond. The chaos is remarkable. There is Emma! And the last purple wisps of some strange glowing beast beside a desperate looking mage. And then he notices the crossbow man taking aim. Raising his bow, he fires at the man, giving Storm and Emma another chance.

His first shot misses flying past the mage and landing somewhere in the courtyard beyond. But his second shot is a hit, striking the mage in the chest as he rises from the ground. El smiles with delight, seeing the mage sway back and forth following the hit.

The noises of battle float up Hannibal's way from inside El-Balans and things did not sound good! He can hear shouts and screams, one was distinctly Emma's and another Skandor's. He hopes in his heart that the paladin is okay, knowing that the man's protective nature of Emma and courage were enough to put him in great danger in any battle. "Hold on guys, we're coming!" he mutters to himself.

Hannibal gives a quick nod to El, thankful for the relief when it came. The swordplay was enlightening, and almost invigorating, but had turned timely and that was something the Six didn't have right now. Looking around and summing up his position, he feels safe from immediate attack and quickly moves to retrieve his long bow and arrows in the dirt not far away.

He grabs the arrows from their sheath and plunges the heads into the sand next to him, kneeling down for better support. Nocking his first arrow, he draws back on the heavy drawstring and aims down range at the battle beyond.

The Caerloon officer, nearing Robert's body, calls out to the only other soldier still alive outside the El-Balans gate, the one who was struck by Crayne's missiles. "Idiot!" he screams, noting how the soldier is fleeing, not fighting. "Grab lord Wade's feet!" The two soon lift Wade's unconscious body off the ground and prepare to bring him away from the battle.

"Fine, take him," Hannibal mutters under his breath, not willing to waste the arrows. If anything, that little rescue attempt would keep those two out of his hair.

Storm growls in anger at the man who has just opened his latest gash, furious that this lanky Caerloon human could get through his defenses. 'If only I be wearin' me chain...' he thinks. 'Oh well, guess I's just have to be openin' him up first!' He leaps at the man with a nasty backhand-overhead slash, aiming to go from shoulder to hip. It's a good hit, tearing into the soldier, though not killing him.

Then, after this strike is finished, he slashes his other sword horizontally at the other man, trying to catch him across the neck when he wasn't expecting it. But this soldier is just too far out of reach, and leans back and away from Storm's blade, literally saving his own neck.

The weakened guard's slow attack had been easy enough for the paladin to parry, for the Caerloon soldier was wounded already, and Skandor knew that if he had had the time to stall, he could simply parry until his opponent bled to death. But, he didn't have time. The whistle of a crossbow bolt and the slight yelp as it struck Emma told him that she might not have much time, either.

Sweeping his sword wide, he had hoped to 'corner' his weakened opponent. The two-hander's blade alone was easily four feet in length. At a full swing, the enemy would have to leap back quickly if they wanted to remain out of its sharp path and keep all their limbs and extremities. Skandor was counting on the wounded soldier's slower reflexes to aid him, as the blade neared the soldier from his left. If his swing was firm enough, the soldier would not have time to fully withdraw from the blade's reach.

Skandor executes the move perfectly, catching the guard on the sharpest part of the long blade. He can feel as the steel rips into the guard's flesh and crushes his arm bone and ribs. By the time he is done, the guard is finished.

Having just finished off one soldier, Canter winks to Elloharin as the elf fires off his arrows. Seeing the rest of the field fairly clear, and hearing the continued sounds of battle from the gate and beyond, he inhales quickly, recollecting his strength. Then he sets off for the gate, sprinting as fast as he can. Skandor had just finished off one guard, and Storm seemed to be holding his own against the other two. But where was Emma?

Turning through the wide gate, he spots her lying on the ground about halfway between the gate and the stables. Rushing to her side, Canter jams his sword, point down, into the ground and reaches to remove the crossbow bolt from her leg. "Emma, you alright?!" he asks, brushing the hair out of her face.

Spinning around, Alara sees the Caerloon officer and soldier across the battlefield, carrying Robert's body away. She narrows her eyes and mutters, "I don't think so." Not wanting to waste the time in transit, she quickly sheathes her sword and grabs her bow from the ground nearby. Raising it quickly, she nocks and arrow and fires. It flies past her targets, but she is already loading the next missile. This one flies straight and fast, striking the soldier in the backside just as he and the officer near the horse they'd been running toward.

The officer doesn't even seem to notice, though. He reaches up to the horse, untying and throwing the Coreognate's body off the mount to the ground below. Then he throws an arm around Robert Wade IV and hoists him up, preparing their escape.

Crayne turns his attention to the gates of El-Balans. He had seen what deducts to have been a flame arrow shooting towards Skandor. But he is greatly relieved when he sees Skandor still fighting and very much alive. So, a Red Dragon mage was on the scene. Last time with the help of Storm he had defeated one, but now with no offensive spells Crayne looks a little frustrated as there was little he could do to help his friends. 'It will have to be the ring again,' Crayne thinks. If he could create another ice storm within the walls in the courtyard area and the barracks then hopefully that should turn the tide of the this small war.

Concentrating again Crayne reaches for the power of the ring. He slips it back on his finger and attempts to conjure the sheet of ice like before. However, this time there is nothing there. Crayne tries again. He focuses his mind on the sheet of ice. Still nothing happens.

He swears under his breath.

The crossbowman, having reloaded his weapon, trains his sights on a new target: Canter. He pulls the trigger, sending the bolt hurling at the fighter. But Canter sees it coming, and throws himself to the ground beside the Shield Maiden, allowing the bolt to sail over his head, striking a bale of hay somewhere beyond.

The mage, meanwhile, recovers from the wounding arrow in his chest, and begins to mumble the words of a new spell. As he finishes, there don't appear to be any visual effects, though, and the mage simply yanks from his chest the arrow, throwing it to the ground.

His voice calls through the morning air, echoing around El-Balans. "There will come a day when you will regret the actions you now take!"

At the same time, the two soldiers fighting against Storm attack the dwarf. But Storm is prepared, and positioning his two swords independently, blocks both their efforts, letting off a dwarven battle cry in process.

Then, the door to one of the sleeping quarters buildings opens fully, and five fresh soldiers emerge, their swords drawn and the seriousness of battle on their faces. They quickly assess the situation, moving toward the mage in a protective fashion.

(139.8)

Rising to her feet, Emma's steadies herself for a moment and then sweeps her arm out, pointing the sword at the Red Dragon mage. Obviously the man could work powerful enchantments when given the time to clearly think them through. But Anhur is a master of the chaos that surrounds the battlefield and he provides his priesthood with the means to project that chaos into the minds of their opponents. Praying to her god, Emma seeks to do just that. 'Muddle this adversary's focus, Great General,' she prays, 'Let the wizard cast his spells, but make them come out wrong...something other than what he intends.'

Seeing one of his arrows land true, El notices out of the corner of his eye, the mage and the soldiers moving to surround him. Suddenly a thought occurs to him, 'Where is the other mage? Wade said that two of them had remained. Where on earth is the other mage?' Elloharin is at a loss. He would blind the mage if he could, incapacitating him, possibly even rendering him a prisoner. Also, he would probably save Emma in the process, but what if the other mage were to suddenly emerge? 'Is there enough strength left in the Six to face such a threat?' Perhaps some clemency is left for today. Perhaps it is not too late to save some lives.

Calling loudly, El screams into the air, "You will all die this day unless you surrender your arms immediately. Drop your weapons and lay down. You will not be hurt if you surrender! If you continue your foolish attack you will all be needlessly destroyed! Wade, your commander is not dead! You need not do this for him!"

Swinging his bow around to come to bear on the mage, Hannibal's memory turns again to the most pivotal moment in his life. For a moment he has time to reflect, wondering why of all the memories, these seem to surface time and again. Was this a message? It matters not. He could see vividly the orcs charging their position, their best warriors mounted on Dire Wolves and looking absolutely ferocious. Before the knights were to charge, Hannibal and the others in the archer ranks drew back on their bowstrings and fired. His lord had always been against bow, feeling it to be a dishonorable way to kill a man...but these were no men. Their arrows blackened the sky and tore through the ranks of orcs, killing them whole sale even as far away as 250 yards! The orcs, however, didn't hold the same values on life as the humans and continued their charge, outnumbering the humans nearly six to one that day and having plenty of bodies to throw at the carnage.

Finally able to concentrate, Hannibal aims carefully and loosed two arrows at the mage. Unfortunately, with the commotion of the other Caerloon soldiers swarming around him, he can't be sure of his aim. One of his arrows flies wide, missing everyone entirely. The other sails high, over his target.

The paladin is relieved to hear Emma's strong voice above the din of battle as she firmly intones the mystical words to another spell. His heart soars, then, for if she is able to cast, she is still alive and in good health.

Skandor takes only a second to take in the situation. Storm with two warriors on him. A lone crossbowman just finishing reloading, looking in Emma's direction. A mage, also starring at Emma. Wanting the time to smile, but not being able to, Skandor thinks to himself, 'Tis a shame Storm's opponents do not know that, against such a dwarf, *they* are ones who are outnumbered!'

Baring his teeth and letting out an almost-feral growl, Skandor leaps towards the crossbowman, bloody blade raised high aloft. The crossbowman could not help but see the looming form bearing down on him, and all that he held in his hands was a small wooden crossbow as his only means of defense! The paladin's huge sword flies up in the air over the crossbowman's head, and indeed, the crossbowman raises his weapon as his defense. Skandor's blade crashes through it, sending shards of wood raining to the sand below. The blade also manages to catch the crossbowman in the shoulder. He screams in pain and peels backwards and away from Skandor, reaching for his short sword at his belt.

Without the ring's powers at his aid Crayne is now a little confused as to what to do. There was little for it now, but to stay on the outskirts and help his friends with backstabs and his poison darts. Quickly Crayne begins to cast his last remaining spell, Mirror Image. It is a spell that he'd never cast before so he hopes that it produces the results he wants!

Storm then turns on his opponents. Lashing out, he reaches for one, slashing him hard across the chest, dragging his armor across his torso with the tip of his sword. His other sword then strikes the second foe, with a strong jab. By the time he yanks his sword out of the man's stomach, the man is dead.

Seeing that Emma is okay, Canter rises to his feet, grabbing his sword. He then rushes back toward Skandor, where he can see the paladin is battling the crossbowman. The Caerloon soldier is overwhelmed by the two attackers, and when Canter strikes, it is the fatal blow, bringing that threat to an end.

Alara then turns her bow toward the gate, seeing some new soldiers on the scene through the entryway into the El-Balans compound. She closes one eye as she aims for one of the soldiers, and fires off two quick shots. Both are good, striking the soldier in quick succession. He doesn't go down, but he is stunned, leaning on one of his comrades and spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the courtyard's hard sand.

"But what about me?!" the wounded foot soldier whines to the officer, who is now mounting the horse with Robert's body on top.

"No room. Finish the battle, protect our escape!" the officer orders.

"But I don't want--"

His plea is cut off as the officer grabs a dagger from his belt and pelts his own soldier with it from atop his horse. Then, with but a glance over the battlefield strewn with the dead and dying, he spurs the animal and begins to ride off, heading south.

After seeing his comrade fall, the remaining soldier fighting Storm steps up his offensive against the dwarf. With a quick chop, he lands a blow on Storm's shoulder, then raises his foot and kicks Storm backwards against the gate door. (6 hp damage)

Looking to Elloharin, who had just demanded surrender, the mage yells. "There will be no surrender!" Then, he says a few more words, unintelligible, and a misty wall of white vapor begins to grow around him, between his body and those of the soldiers guarding him. Within seconds the fog is too thick to see through, though his voice is clear: "What in the nine hells is this?!?!"

Emma smiles, knowing her spell was effective.

The mist continues to grow, seeping around the soldiers guarding the mage. But then they charge forward, entering the battle formally, jogging through and out of the mist toward El, Skandor, Canter, and Storm, with a few more heading toward Emma.

One arrives at Skandor and quickly attacks. But the paladin's senses, being heightened by battle, tell him exactly how this soldier will go about his task. So Skandor steps aside, leaving only his blade in the place where his body once was. The clang of the two swords rings out, but Skandor is not hit.

Another fresh soldier from the mage's contingent attacks Canter. His attack is a success, landing a crushing blow on the leather's left shoulder. It tears a gaping hole in his armor and leaves a huge gash in his flesh. Canter screams with the pain, jumping back and raising his bastard sword (in his right hand) in defense, though the damage had been done. (8 hp damage)

Storm also comes under attack by one of these fresh soldiers. But the dwarf is lucky, and though the soldier spots a few remaining caltrops, his efforts to avoid them throw off his timing and therefore allows Storm to evade the blow.

The two other soldiers formerly guarding the mage rush toward Emma, though they don't reach her position as quickly as their comrades reached Skandor, Canter, and Storm.

(139.9)

Seeing the Caerloon soldiers forming up across the courtyard, Emma judges the distance between them and the members of Rinder's Six, and her and the stables. She shakes her head. 'They're going to have to hold out,' she tells herself, 'We need reinforcements if we're going to carry the field this day.' She sees the wall of fog around the wizard's position and the dead crossbowman not very far away and throws her remaining handful of dirt at them in spite. And then she turns and sprints for the stables, wound from the crossbow bolt causing her to gasp and whimper in pain all the way.

Upon reaching the doors, she throws off the outside bar and rips them open with all her remaining strength. Then she drops down to her knees trying to catch her breath. "Aid us!" she calls out into the wooden structure, "Rinder's Six fights for your freedom and the memory of your Coreognate! Take up arms against your oppressors and help us on the field of battle!"

Having brought down his sword in a huge overhead chop, his full weight behind the assault, Skandor smiled with satisfaction as his blade had easily cleaved through the crossbowman's weapon, sending bits and pieces of wood, string and metal flying in all directions with a loud 'crack!' He was even more satisfied at the look of shock on the face of the lighter-armored crossbowman as the blade's tip cleaved into his chest. And Canter's effort to finish him off was as perfect a scene as they could get in the chaos of the battlefield.

Skandor slowly turns his eyes towards the mage's position, the mage who, moments ago, had set him on fire, and worst of all, burned the tabard of his deity that he so proudly wore. "How ironic," he says aloud, an almost-evil grin on his bloody face, "there's going to be lots of fire...where you're going!" and with that, he charges the mage as quickly as his legs carry him, howling a fearsome battle-cry all the way. As he does, the soldier who had just attacked him attempts to land another blow on the paladin's back, but is too late, Skandor is already running at full speed toward the wall of fog.

Skandor was always taught that, when it came to spellcasters, speed and strength were your most important assets. Speed, to engage them as quickly as possible in hopes of foiling spellcasting attempts, and strength, so that when you struck, you would hopefully make the kill as quickly as possible. The longer a mage was alive, the more time he had to wreak great devastation upon your ranks.

Skandor's body plunges into the thick fog, but in a couple of seconds he is through it. Blinking his eyes to clear his vision, he spots the mage, about ten feet away, running. Fleeing. With a smile, Skandor continues his pursuit, easily catching up with the spellcaster. In moments he is there and with one fell swoop of his blade, takes the mage's feet out from under him. Watching the mage fall to the ground, the paladin doesn't even stop his sword's motion, but curves it around high above his head, bringing it straight down at the mage. With a crunch, the claymore penetrates the wizard's neck, instantly killing him.

With five duplicate images of himself around him, Crayne makes his way closer to the gates. He spots Storm, once again with two enemies battling him. Picking out the more wounded of the two, Crayne approaches--along with five exact duplicates!--with his dagger ready. At what he sees as the right moment, he pounces. He lands on the soldier with his fully weight behind him, driving his dagger into the man's back. Then the man collapses beneath him, sending both his dead body and Crayne to the desert floor.

Storm is a bit surprised at Crayne's sudden appearance, especially since there are appear to be six of him!! But he is glad, nonetheless, to have one less enemy to fight, and so he concentrates his efforts on the newest foe, fresh from the Red Dragon mage's contingent. He uses both his swords in tandem, missing with the first but catching the soldier with the second. It isn't a big hit, but it's enough to let the man know who is really in charge!

Alara moves her position, coming closer to the action. But she sticks with her range weapon so as to keep her battered body out of the melee. She aims at the soldier who just attacked Skandor (before he ran off into the fog), and fires two shots. The first misses, landing in the sand short of the target, but the second hits the man, who reels around, searching for where the arrow had come from.

Having received his answer, El nods and turns to see Alara, having just fired upon a soldier in the gateway. He rushes to her side, kneeling with her and taking aim at the same soldier. His first shot also hits, striking the soldier in the lower leg, but his second shot misses.

No longer able to see the mage, Hannibal searches for a new target for his arrows. He spots a wounded soldier fighting against Canter, and pictures the perfect shot. With all the movement, his first shot misses. But his second strikes the soldier squarely in the back, between the shoulder blades. The soldier stiffens, throwing his head back, and then collapses at Canter's feet, the arrow sticking straight up in to the air. Canter follows the arrow's path with a look of utter surprise on his face, and then his eyes meet with Hannibal’s.

With a quick nod of thanks, Canter moves on to his next task, the soldiers trailing Emma. He sprints in their direction. He intercepts them, lashing out at the trailing soldier. He lands a solid blow, chopping the soldier down to the sand. The soldier is not dead, but in severe pain. He rolls away, reaching for his weapon and rises from the ground, ready to retaliate. The second soldier comtinues toward the stable, unaware of the new melee behind him.

Catching her breath, Emma looks up to see the priests and clerics of El-Balans ready. "We've been waiting for you," Dodgen says to Emma, giving her a hand and lifting her to her feet. "And we're ready."

Suddenly, one of the soldiers following Emma (the one not hit by Canter) bursts into the stables. With the noise, Dodgen whips his head around, looking to one of the other priests. Instantly, that priest reaches out a hand toward the soldier and the soldier freezes in place, mid-stride. Held.

"Let's go," Dodgen says, marching past Emma and the held soldier toward the door with urgency. About ten of his fellow priests follow behind him.

As he emerges from the stable into the morning light, Dodgen surveys the area. He can see the small battles near the gate, and Canter's duel nearby. Plus, he notices that coming out of the sleeping quarters across the courtyard are eleven more soldiers, plus another officer. "Praise be to Hathe almighty!" Dodgen yells.

Then, as if on cue, the choir of priests surrounding Dodgen begin to sing. Dodgen joins in, too, their voices filling the courtyard as they sing and stare directly across at the soldiers just outside the sleeping quarters. Their song is inspiring, but as it finishes they end on a loud, dissonant chord, all shoving their arms out in front of them in unison in one coordinated movement. Emma is shocked as an almost-visible wave of sonic energy shoots across the courtyard.

As the wave hits, it cuts down the eleven soldiers and their officer, scattering their bodies like matchsticks and throwing them up against the outside wall of the barracks behind them. In fact, the wave then utterly shatters the front wall of the barracks, bursting it into thousands of little wooden pieces and burying the dead bodies of the soldiers beneath. The entire building then collapses with a gigantic crash, sending a cloud of dust and sand high into the morning sky.

Skandor immediately covers his ears, as the intense sound is deafening! He notices that as the building collapses, he can hear nothing, and removes his hands ears. Looking to the other battles going on, he cannot hear the clink and clang of swords meeting. He looks across the courtyard to the priests and Emma, wondering what exactly just happened.

Canter and the soldier he fights are also deafened by the noise, stopping their battle to cover their ears.

Crayne and Storm find their ears suddenly ringing loudly. And though they can still hear, the sounds are muffled.

Emma is unaffected, as she was standing behind the choir of priests. Alara, El, Hannibal, and Illena were also unaffected, as they were too far away to be deafened, though they definitely heard the song!

Seeing the ultimate destruction of their headquarters and the instantaneous deaths brought upon one of their officers and many of their comrades, the three remaining soldiers on the battlefield (one fighting Canter, one fighting Storm, and one fighting nobody but who is the target of Alara and El's arrows) drop their weapons, raising their hands above their heads in surrender.

---

1. HP Status: Alara: 20/32, Canter: 25/44, Crayne: 12/15, Elloharin: 9/25, Emma: 40/42, Hannibal: 13/26, Skandor: 11/31, Storm: 22/44, Illena: 12/12.

2. Here we are: ALARA and ELLOHARIN are side by side, kneeling just outside the gates with bows trained on one of the three remaining soldiers. They are under no immediate threat. CANTER is standing before another one of the remaining soldiers, who just surrendered. He is close to the stables. CRAYNE is near STORM, who is fighting against the last remaining soldier in the gateway. EMMA stands in front of the stables, behind the choir of priests. HANNIBAL kneels, bow in hand, a little closer to the gates than Alara and El, but is still outside El-Balans and under no immediate threat. SKANDOR stands at the foot of the steps of the Temple of Hathe at El-Balans, having just killed the mage, and is under no immediate threat. ILLENA is still hiding behind a dead horse outside the compound.

Here they are: The three remaining Caerloon soldiers have surrended. Aside from the three remaining soldiers, recall that one officer escaped on horseback with Robert (though not all the characters are aware of this).

3. The effects of the song: The song the choir of priests sang destroyed the sleeping quarters, killing and busying all those gathering in front and still within. At the moment, Rinder's Six doesn't know how may, if any, were inside at the time the building collapsed.

As stated in the text of the turn, SKANDOR and CANTER are completely deafened by the song (until Turn 141.0). STORM and CRAYNE are partially deafened by the song (until 140.5, or roughly half way through the next turn). ALARA, EL, EMMA, HANNIBAL, and ILLENA are unaffected by the song, though they certainly heard it.

4. CRAYNE has no more spells memorized. EMMA has the following: Cure Light Wounds (x2), Orison (x8), Detect Magic, Chaos Ward, Holder Person.

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