The Stone Hills. Winter...
They're heading east through the Stone Hills. Tamric Drubine is with a combined war party of warriors from clan Mard and clan Kraelin. The nobleborn youngster from the kingdom of Sarcrin might not have any actual standing amongst the dwarven clans. But nevertheless, he's in command of the war party.
It's been a little over a week since the battle on the trade road leading into the Kraelin clanhold.
And the remains of justifier Marsille's army has fled south, back to northern Belinswae. What little remained of them, as they were mostly the camp followers who survived that battle.
Word has come in from further west, from the Galve clanhold, on the coast. Two of the justifiers who were intending to push into the Stone Hills from northern Belinswae near the coast. Have been killed, and their armies are in disarray. Having no one to lead either of them into the clanhold that's furthest west.
Neither of those two armies have made a concentrated effort to move into the Stone Hills there. And the war parties of Clan Galve are engaged in hit and run attacks against those two armies in northern Belinswae.
That, along with the battle on the Kraelin trade road is about the only thing positive of late this winter for the dwarven clans of the Stone Hills.
For elsewhere along the hundred and twenty mile or so long mountain and hill range. Things aren't going so well for the inhabitants of the Stone Hills.
As the armies of the justifiers of Belinswae are making progress into the clanholds of the dwarves of the Stone Hills.
One such clanhold, is clan Omban. Which the combined war party led by Tamric Drubine is hurrying to, after having left the mountainhold of clan Mard three days ago.
The nobleborn youngster who is glad they've spent the morning so far going through mines, tunnels, and caves on the edge of the Omban clanhold. Takes a deep breath as they come out of a tunnel in the side of a mountain.
He's glad that it's a clear day outside, though he isn't so glad to be out in the open again, especially as it's always here in the Stone Hills, windy.
One of the scouts comes up the trail from where he and a number of others have already gone ahead. The former heir to castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin in the Southlands looks down the trail through the rocks and stones, that goes north down the mountainside, and disappears over a hill below.
"Sir" says the dwarven scout who stops infront of the young human being, who has Jarka, the youngest son of the chieftain of clan Mard. And the ever present Omick beside him. The large mute, well large for a dwarf anyway, is always around Jarka Mard. And now Tamric too.
"There's been skirmishes with the enemy in the last couple of days just a couple of miles east of here" says the scout, who is more lightly armoured than most dwarven warriors. He's also an archer, who carries a shortbow, a weapon not used that often by dwarves. As they prefer to use the crossbow as their primary ranged weapon.
"We've run across some of the Omban warriors at the end of the trail here" adds the scout who points down the trail he's just come up, the scout then quietly adds "They're in bad shape young sir".
The nobleborn youngster from south of the equator, who is nearly thirteen years old, nods his head, then Tamric Drubine tells the scout "Lead the way" Tam turns to Jarka Mard and says "Give the order to move out". Then the Southlander heads down the trail behind the scout as the wind howls across the side of the mountain.
The former heir to the knight of castle Drubine in northern Sarcrin is followed by Omick as the rest of the war party makes it's way out of the tunnel, and start making their way down the trail.
The end of the trail isn't far, it's only a half a mile down the side of the mountain, and over the hill below it to the north, and towards the base of another mountain that stands alone.
It's at the base of this mountain, on it's northwest side, that there's an opening to a mine, outside of which is a lake.
Tam along with Omick, and the scout, and three more of the scouts of the war party they meet up with. Make their way part way around the lake to the mine entrance. Where they're met by a small group of dwarven warriors from clan Omban.
After introductions, the small group of clan Omban warriors lead them into the mine. And within the first rooms of to either side of the main shaft, are the wounded and injured. There must be close to sixty of them, while less than half that many are healthy and hale.
Tam is led to one of the rooms, where lies a lone dwarf upon a pallet, attended to by a dwarven surgeon and another dwarf. One of the Omban warriors who has led them into the mine, kneels down beside the wounded dwarf on the pallet, and he gestures the nobleborn youngster from the Southlands forward.
In the light from the single lamp lit in the room, Tamric Drubine sees the pain in the eyes of the wounded dwarf when he opens them, as the warrior kneeling on the otherside of the pallet quietly says in dwarven "Visitors my chief". Tam realises this is Polm Omban, the chief of clan Omban.
"A human" quietly says Polm Omban as he looks at the tall figure kneeling beside his pallet, well tall compared to all the dwarves who are present.
"Aye chief" says the warrior on the otherside of the pallet from Tam, he continues with "The young lad who runs with the lord called Farque" he nods at the Southlander, and adds "He helped defeat the justifier's army we heard about that tried to attack the Kraelin mountainhold last week".
"Aye" says the clan chieftain, who grimaces in pain for a moment, the he looks past Tam, to where the silent Omick stands, and where Jarka Mard has just stepped inside the room through the door.
"You bring a war party with you lad?" asks the clan chieftain "Aye chief Polm" says Tamric Drubine in the dwarven language, who then switches to the common language as he still isn't entirely comfortable speaking dwarven, which he's still learning, and he adds "A combined force of Mard and Kraelin warriors, about a hundred in all".
The dwarven clan chieftain who has taken a wound to the stomach, dryly says "Gonna need them here for sure" then he explains to Tam, Jarka Mard, and the silent Omick what's happened here over the last few days along the western edge of the Omban clanhold.
A justifier's army has moved into the clanhold in force. Well over two thousand guards, with half as many that number in support guards and camp followers. Not to mention over a dozen wyverns with the army too. By all accounts it's one of the largest of the armies that has invaded the Stone Hills this winter.
The warriors of clan Omban have set ambushes over the last few weeks as the justifier's army has moved northwards into their clanhold. But they like all the dwarven clans in the Stone Hills, is badly outnumbered by the armies from Belinswae.
Their surprise attacks have cost the enemy army only a couple hundred guards killed or wounded at best.
So yesterday before dawn, chieftain Polm Omban led a force of nearly three hundred warriors in attack against the enemy army, to the southeast of the lone mountain, named Išorkam Uñd in dwarven, The Lonely One.
They were to attack the camp of the enemy, in particular the support troops, camp followers, and most importantly, the units of justifier's guards predominantly made up of pressed guards. As per the order given by lord Farque to all the dwarven clans in the Stone Hills.
The attack was a success, with many of the enemy killed and wounded. And a lot of their wagons and supplies burnt and destroyed. Attacking in the dark before dawn was an advantage to the dwarven warriors, who can see in the dark with their naturally enhanced eyesight.
Though the attack was relatively successful, especially in comparison to what had happened previously. The clan Omban warriors paid a high price for the attack. With nearly half of their force either killed, wounded or captured.
Polm Omban and the ninety or so guards with him here, two thirds of whom are wounded or injured in some way. Many seriously wounded, such as the clan chieftain is.
Made it to safety here in the mine on the northwest side of Išorkam Uñd.
The rest of the force who survived, are scattered throughout the nearby hills and mountains of the Omban clanhold, or have returned to their mountainhold*.
The clan chieftain falls silent after explaining what's happened. He softly groans in pain, and the surgeon attends to him. Tam and the dwarven warrior kneeling to either side of the pallet Polm Omban is lying on move out of the way.
The nobleborn youngster is silent as he thinks things over. While the surgeon gives the wounded clan chieftain a tincture, that quickly knocks him out.
"Aye I've sewn his guts up like, but i canny no do more than that" says the dwarven surgeon who wipes his brow with a rag cloth, Tamric Drubine nods his head, then says "We've got a healer with us, maybe he can be of help to you".
"Aye just maybe" says the surgeon, who then adds "I'll just go and have a look for him like" before he makes his way out of the room the wounded dwarven chieftain lies in.
They're all silent, the two dwarves from clan Mard, Jarka and the ever silent Omick. As well as the two dwarven warriors from clan Omban. The one who led Tam, Jarka and Omick into the room. And the dwarf who was already in here with the wounded clan chief, and the just departed surgeon.
All four of the dwarves look at the nobleborn youngster from the kingdom of Sarcrin in the Southlands.
"Thoughts lad?" asks Jarka Mard who eventually breaks the silence, the former heir to his father's castle and lands in northern Sarcrin is silent for a few more moments, then he quietly says "I'll have to see their positions, and the state they're in after the attack against them yesterday" Tam looks over at the large dwarf who is a mute, and says "Omick get out that map of the area".
As he does, the clan Omban warrior who led Tamric Drubine into the mine introduces the other dwarf in the room, as Famill, who has been the acting second to chief Polm Omban. Since the previous second in command was killed early yesterday morning in the attack against the enemy. And the second in command before him, was killed a couple of weeks ago in an ambush against the justifier's army who has pushed into this part of the Stone Hills.
There's a table in a corner of a room, and the map is spread out on it. And Famill along with the other Omban warrior, who is a scout. Point out the known positions of the enemy, who have taken a blow, but who are in no way defeated after what happened early yesterday morning.
Tam sees that the justifier's forces that have moved into the Omban clanhold, are predominantly to the southeast of Išorkam Uñd, The Lonely One.
"Here and here" says the nobleborn youngster from south of the equator as he points at two spots on the map that are close together, he continues with "What's the terrain like there?" Tamric Drubine briefly pauses before he adds "Apart from being rocky" as that's what the Stone Hills is predominantly like.
"Steep it be there" says Famill, a dwarf into his second century, who unlike most dwarven warriors in the Stone Hills, has a dark coloured beard, it's almost coal black in colour.
Famill who wears steel plate guards across his shoulders, to go with his chainmail, and has a great big, dirty looking warhammer strapped to his back, tells Tam "Almost be like a cliff on one side there".
"Aye" adds the Omban scout, who continues with "Treacherous like footing there, not even we go up that way if we have to, place be fit only for the wild mountain goats and the birds".
Tamric Drubine nods his head when he hears that, then he asks the two Omban dwarves "Do you have a delver here with you?". Nay" replies Famill who then adds "He died yesterday battling their justifier, and the other spellcasters they got" the acting second to the Omban clan chieftain continues with "The other delvers be back at our mountainhold".
"We might have to get one here if what I've got planned is to work" quietly says the youth from the kingdom of Sarcrin in the Southlands, then Tamric Drubine remembers something from when he entered the mine here on the northwest side of Išorkam Uñd, and he says "There's a fair bit of snow on the peak above us" he points at the two spots on the map he's interested in, and he says "Been much snowfall here too?".
The two Omban clan dwarves share a look, then Famill says "Aye there's been a fair bit" the scout nods his head in agreement, and the acting second to the wounded Omban chieftain adds "We did fight in the falling snow early yesterday morning against them".
Tam falls silent, and after a few moments, Jarka Mard quietly asks him "What you be thinking about lad?". "I'm thinking we're going to be bait in a trap" quietly replies Tamric Drubine, who points at the two spots on the map that are close together, and he says "Right here".
The surgeon returns with the healer in the combined war party of clan Kraelin and clan Mard warriors, along with the Kraelin scout who led Tam and Omick down to Išorkam Uñd and the mine.
"Young sir, there's a runner coming in" says the Kraelin scout, who then adds "Down the trail we came down" having a fair idea at who could be, Tamric Drubine says"Lis?". "Aye it be her" replies the scout.
Tam nods his head, then he looks at Jarka Mard, Omick and the two Omban dwarves, Famill and the scout, and he quietly says to them "This is what i want you to do" . . . . . .
*Authors Note - Mountainhold is the actual ancestral home of a particular dwarven clan. It's also where the majority of the clan lives and works.
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