War Stories - Ostromogs War
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http://www.narfell.us/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=23359&start=0
((Along the lines of that old thread, which was a good read, let's see some stories told from all different perspectives about the ongoing war, post away.))
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_Nearly a year had passed. Stalemate had been the order of that time, neither force able to gain anything further, indeed, in the end both sides had lost. From the first disastrous (to the people of Norwick, anyway) assault and the taking of the town, to now with the undead assaulting what remained, it had all been loss, and all been folly.
The red haired women looked over the correspondence she'd been working on, and the notes she'd received. Ostromog sought to leave Norwick with the grace of a king, "generously" ransoming it back to the humans to strengthen his own future position and to get them to fight his battles for him. Norwick was lost, no matter who claimed it now.
She thought back to the days prior to the assault, how she, Elidor and Shallyah had gone through the Harbinger Mines, slain the spider queen, and been about to leave when every single bugbear in the Rawlins (or what sounded like it) had marched over their heads. They'd been moments away from going up the mineshaft and coming face to face with that horde, perhaps it would have been better that way. At least then their warnings would have been taken seriously.
Then there was the day of the auction, which she had unfortunately had to miss due to Senate commitments. A grand day with many of the heroes of the realm present to enjoy the festivities… and then Augrim led his troops against the North Gate. Later she would find out that he had started the attack early, and forced the hand of the other forces, oh how that battle may have turned out had he waited for the appointed time!
In the end, hundreds of civilians died. Cecil managed to save nearly half the town with his selfless actions, putting them on ships to Peltarch while the adventurers and the militia fought and bled and died for the innocent. Truly, it was a time of the forging of heroes, for every one that held their ground that day and fought to their last breath could be called naught but a hero.
Shallyah, standing alone in a horde of bugbear elite warriors at the South Gate, her axe shining in the sun and her cloak spinning out behind her. Hope, rallying the younglings to her and holding the North Gate longer than any thought possible. And all through this, they knew they could not succeed, they knew that they would pay for their actions with their lives. Still, they fought. Every second gained was another life possibly saved.
The town fell, with the few surviving defenders getting out via Spellweaver Keep through the aid of Bingo, who would later fold the tower into his pocket and disappear, perhaps forever. Whether he lives or is dead, none can say, but a giant amongst us is gone.
The civilians, calling themselves the Norwick Remnant, moved to Peltarch. Some were housed in the Peltarch Theatre, others at the Lists and others still in warehouses in the docks or at the Lighthouse Temple. Initially led by Havon, and then by Cecil, they sought to hold on to some semblance of normal life. This would not prove easy, as selfishness and evil caused deaths amongst their number. Some fell to murder by Peltarch citizens, enraged by the imposition of these people in mourning. Others fell to darker agents, seeking to cause strife between Peltarch and Oscura, striking out at soft targets.
Truly this was a time of opportunists. The Shrine to Tempus was destroyed, some say by Oscuran agents. Assassinations became commonplace, indeed, the civilians began to shun meeting in public places for fear of being caught within such a situation. A group known as the PFLN formed, a sort of resistance group to oppose Ostromog from behind enemy lines, and were blamed for acts of terrorism within Oscura itself. Their guilt or their innocence is unknown, but when one has a secretive group, how does one defend actions that others perform in your name?
Eventually, a dark seed was sown within the Remnant, and a plan hatched to destroy Ostromog with weapons of evil; undead. A representative would go to Fendon, and give him a message that would somehow bring an undead attack on Norwick and Ostromog's forces. The plan was shelved for fear of the evil it would do, but someone went ahead with it anyway, causing the deaths of hundreds of civilians and the negotiation by Ostromog for the release of Norwick and its people back to the humans.
The War Coalition sought out the one who had organised such a horrific evil, but for now, no guilt could be confirmed by a court. Sirion had been questioned and tried, but no evidence beyond the circumstantial was presented and he was released. In time perhaps, the truth will out, but for now the guilty party, whoever they may be, walks free.
And so now, all stood on a knife's edge. The point of a change in direction... Norwick to be retaken in peace, and turned into a true warcamp for the battle against the undead, should the treaty be agreed upon. No matter what came now, Norwick could not be a home for the people again until the twin evils of the Undead and Ostromog have been dealt with.
The red haired women looked out over the Nars Pass and shook her head, returning to the shelter of the Legion Tower. Perhaps this time, what was lost could be saved. But it would exact a high toll, in blood._
