The Stone Hills. Winter...
Two of his warriors help him out of the ditch beside the road after he tackled a justifier's guard and fell in it. As another of his warrior's retrieves his warhammer, Baedin Kraelin the clan chief murmurs "What's happening there?" as he looks southwards along the trade road.
A grin splits the bearded face of the dwarven clan chieftain when he realises what's happened. As he takes his warhammer from the warrior who got it out of the ditch for him, Baedin Kraelin looks to the hill on the opposite side of the road, further to the south, and sees the slip that's come down it.
Good they're cut off, the dwarven hammermaster thinks to himself, and seeing the panic amongst the enemy, especially the pressed guards who haven't already been killed or are injured. Who are fleeing from the fight, no matter what their officers, those who are still alive, do to stop them.
The chief of clan Kraelin calls out "Don't let up lads!" the hammermaster who glances around and spots his second Helnd, who is fighting alongside old Tharlo and his nephew Threl, then adds "They're breaking!".
Also breaking, are the enemy guards further to the north along the road. Who Thane Kraelin, and the dwarven warriors he's leading, are attacking.
As Thane and his heavy spear units continue to attack both mounted justifier's guards, as well as foot troops.
He's supported by archers and bowmen* who are under the leadership of Tamric Drubine. The nobleborn youngster from the kingdom of Sarcrin in the Southlands.
Who has sent the war party from clan Mard, led by Jarka Mard their clan chief's nephew. To attack the enemy further south of where Thane and his warriors are fighting.
Has also spotted what's happened on the hill directly south of the one he's near the base of. The former heir to castle Drubine in Sarcrin, then looks back to the road just down below him.
There he spots something, and Tamric Drubine calls out "Shoot that knight!" the nobleborn youngster then hastily adds "Not sir Percy!" he then continues in the dwarven language with "Not the idiot!" as he knows more than a few of the archers and bowmen would like to put an arrow or a bolt into the heavily armoured nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic.
Down on the trade road, sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who is battling his way forward, in his case southwards. Grunts in disappointment when he sees the mounted knight he's trying to make his way towards. Get struck by a crossbow bolt, then another, and another, as well as a couple of arrows.
The arrows shot from the shortbows that the dwarves use, don't really penetrate the steel plate armour of the mounted knight.
But a couple of the crossbow bolts, one shot not all that far away from the road. Punch through the steel armour. With one hitting the knight in the upper left thigh. And the other taking him in the chest.
He slumps in the saddle, and he falls out of it, when his horse rears in pain, when a spear is shoved into it's hindquarters.
"Aaawww no fair" murmurs sir Percavelle Lé Dic in disappointment, his murmur is loud enough to be heard over the noise of those fighting around him.
Then as an enemy shortsword uselessly clangs off his breastplate, the knight in the order of a Saint Mar-che brains the justifier's guard who has just struck him.
The earl of Lé Dic from the Southlands kingdom of Druvic, slams his pick down into the head of the enemy guard, who has dropped to his knees in pain after the nobleborn knight kicked one of his steel boots between the enemy guard's legs.
Lisell Maera after shooting off another bolt, making sure to take careful aim, as more than a few of the dwarven warriors are now on the road, mixed up amongst the enemy.
Rolls her eyes as she sees sir Percavelle killing anyone dumb enough to stand against him.
The orphan teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury in the Southlands knows that the heavily armoured knight is s big target for the enemy, as he sticks out amongst the clanless dwarves who fight alongside him.
He not just towers over the dwarven warriors, he also towers over most of the justifier's guards, as people from the region of Belinswae tend to be on the short side for humans.
Lis looks away from the nobleman from south of the equator, and after she notices something, Lisell Maera says to Tamric Drubine who is standing beside her "They're breaking there".
The nobleborn youngster from the kingdom of Sarcrin, a kingdom in the Southlands. Has seen where Lis is pointing at, and he nods his head and tells her "I've seen it".
The son of the former knight of castle Drubine in his homeland far to the south of the equator says "If they break here, and the flee it'll be a rout" Tam who sees that it'll be difficult for the enemy to flee southwards along the road, as there's a pile of boulders and rocks strewn across the trade road, from the hill that's had a landslide down it.
A landslide that Tamric Drubine knows was bought about by the dwarven delver Barmil Kraelin and a spell he's cast.
"Keep at it!" calls out Tam who is in command of all the archers and bowmen with him and Lisell Maera. The nobleborn youngster from the kingdom of Sarcrin countries with "Don't let up, keep shooting at them!".
He's tapped on the shoulder by Lisell Maera, who as she slides the underside of her crossbow back, which automatically cocks the arms back into firing position. Says to her fellow Southlander "North, on the road".
As Lis loads her crossbow, which was a gift to her, when she first left her homeland, the large coastal city-state of Brattonbury nearly five years ago. Tamric Drubine quickly looks to where she has indicated. And he spots who is coming down the road.
Lord Farque and the dwarven warriors led by Karne, who is known as the Axe Thrower. Make their way southwards down the road. There's very little opposition to them, as they're walking through the dead and dying who made up the front ranks of the army of the justifier Marsille.
"They're going to break" says lord Farque in dwarven to Axe Thrower, the undead warlord who gestures to the south, adds "They already have further back there".
The heavily armoured deathlord waves to where they're heading, were Thane Kraelin and his heavy spear units, where sir Percavelle and his squad of clanless warriors with him, are also. And he says "If this lot here fold, it'll be a rout" the lord and ruler of the lands Farque continues with "Their justifier is dead, as is his senior guard commander, along with the other spellcasters in their army, they're basically leaderless".
The deathlord of Farque looks at the dwarven war party with him, who number about fifty, and he tells them "Charge them".
The dwarves take off running, with half a dozen of them in the lead, carrying heavy spears.
With their short legs pumping, the dwarven warriors led by Karne the Axe Thrower, call out in their own language to their fellow warriors, who are already engaged with the enemy on the road.
Dwarven warriors fall back and part, and those charging forward along the road, run through the gap, and straight into the enemy. The ones in the front with the heavy spears, each skewer a justifier's guard from Belinswae.
Lord Farque who has held back, and is following behind the dwarves who were with him on the road when the army of one of Belinswae's justifiers came into view through the mist. A mist that's all but gone now, and is only here and there, low to the ground, clinging to the rocks across the ground, before it will be finally blown away as the wind, as per usual here in the Stone Hills, picks up.
Bends down and grabs a fallen sword, the heavily armoured deathlord throws it at a rider, who has got his horse free from the melee on the road, and is heading across the ground east of the road.
Where he's fleeing the ground isn't too rocky, as it leads in the direction of the nearby abandoned village. And though his horse has pretty good footing, he doesn't get that far, as the sword thrown by lord Farque slams into his back, catapulting him forward over the shoulder of his mount.
Apart from that, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin by the people of his lands. Doesn't get involved in the fighting. He stands back on the road, and watches the battle further infront of him.
The lord of the death realm looks away to his right, to the west of the road. Where up the incline there, the archers and bowmen are positioned. There he sees Tamric Drubine who leads them, alongside the nobleborn youngster from the kingdom of Sarcrin, is his fellow Southlander, Lisell Maera.
The undead warlord watches as Tam has some of the archers and bowmen move south along the incline, to harry the enemy, some of whom at this end of the battle are falling back, now that Axe Thrower and the fifty warriors with him, have now entered the fray.
The heavily armoured deathlord looks back onto the road, where on it, and to the sides of it, in the ditches, the fighting is heaviest. In the thick of the heavy fighting, is the easily identifiable figure of sir Percavelle Lé Dic. Who not just towers over the dwarven warriors close to him, but also over most of the enemy guards too.
The undead warlord rolls his eyes as he sees a justifier's guard suddenly go flying sideways through the air off the road, and land with a thud on the rocky incline to the west of the road.
The nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic in the Southlands has started using his magical sword of knockdown.
He does so again, when a loud "Ah ha take that!" can be heard over the noise of the battle. And a justifier's guard goes tumbling sideways through the air for about thirty feet. Before landing heavily on the otherside of the ditch to the east of the trade road.
Draugadrottin glances to his right, and a moment later Helbe the elven thief appears beside him. The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel off the coast of the Southlands, is unseen to anyone else as he's still blurred and shielded.
"They're going to break?" asks Helbe the elven thief, lord Farque nods his full helmed head, and replies with "They are" the undead warlord then adds in a disparaging tone "It's still early in the fucking morning, the battle has barely gotten underway".
The elven magic user who has seen some of the camp followers who are on the otherside of the landslide across the road, have already turned around and are fleeing southwards, tells the deathlord of Farque this.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque slightly nods, then he waves a gauntleted hand in the direction of the fighting and says "l wonder how many of them who flee will get over all that debris, or try and go around it?" it's a rhetorical question, and undead warlord adds "Very few is my guess".
The elven masterthief nods his hooded head in agreement, then after he and the heavily armoured deathlord watch a badly wounded justifier's guard blindly crawl along the road just to the right of them, he asks "Are we going to wipe them out?"
"Not all of them" says the undead being who is also known as Des'tier to an older generation of elven kind in the Southlands who know who he is "We want to make a statement here" continues the deathlord of Farque, who after glancing at the crawling, wounded enemy guard again, adds "This isn't the only army of theirs in the Stone Hills" . . . . . .
*Authors Note - Or bowdwarves.
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