PCs:Bheem/Journal/Battle fer Westshore
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Pages 32-35
17th July 2005 The Battle fer Westshore; M'chek
The moment I walked inta Westshore, I 'ad a real bad feelin' in me gut tha' this would be a long, bloody affair. Thar were bodies of dead farmers layin' round, torn an' bloodied, wi' limbs missin' an' horror frozen onta their faces. A plump bloke wearin' his rusty helm an' wieldin' an ol' spear ran up ta me an' said tha' thar had bin an attack by the undead, four lads like himself bein' the only resistance left. They 'ad sent word ta Nelthrope, but 'twould take time fer 'em ta arrive.
A young elven lad called Falin were there an' volunteered ta stand by an' aid the village. While waitin' fer the other Keepers ta arrive, we managed ta repel a few attacks. Thankfully Char, Ana, Shy an' Krys showed up quick 'nuff, followed by Marek, Kaz, Missy, Siana an' a new recruit called Amon.
The undead began ta attack from the main gates facin' east, as well as from the north bridge. Wave after wave of skeletons wieldin' big flamin' swords an' ghasts tha' could rend armor wi' their jagged claws threatened ta overwhelm us, bu' the Keepers fought 'em off bravely, sustainin' wounds tha' woulda felled a less determined force.
The relief tha' spread thru our ranks when we saw a patrol of five M'chek Guards fightin' their way thru ta the main gates, buoyed our hopes tha' we could last it out till the reinforcements arrived. Colonlel Spit, Majors Jared an' Goth, an' soldiers Robert an' Nagel proved ta be stalwart allies. Colonlel Spit an' meself worked out tactics, the Guards bein' assigned the East Gate, an' the Keepers the North Bridge.
Bel made a rousin' appearance at the main gate a few hours later an' we looked good ta stave off any threat. A foul lookin' bugger wi' an aura of putrid evil 'round him walked up ta the gates an' proclaimed he were SoulCrusher, leader of Bia'taron's host tha' were goin' ta wipe us out an' claim Westshore as his master's domain. We told him ta bugger off. I sent Krys ta follow 'im an' he returned detailin' the host tha' were assembled out by the caves near Bachwood ta attack the village.
SoulCrusher returned as promised within an hour, an' we got inta un o' the ugliest crumps I've e'er bin witness ta. His forces consisted of 'em black clad archers, sword wielders an' mages. Lots of 'em, which I'll refer ta as Death Soldiers. The clever bastard attacked wi' his main force from the East an' sent out a smaller party ta try an' sneak in from the North Bridge. I tho' we were done fer, 'cos we were rapidly losin' ground on the Bridge e'en tho' Kaz, Marek, Char, Shy, Missy an' both the Ana's were doin' their best. It looked like we would 'ave ta give way, when suddenly outta thin air 'oo should appear bu' Miss Jad. Aye, the very same 'oo founded the Keepers. She 'elped dispatch the raidin' party on the Bridge an' then offered her services. The battle were still goin' on furiously, so I accepted an' directed her ta stay wi' the archers an' aid as best she could. It were a decision tha' I donna regret.
A group of wraiths infiltrated the temple an' Missy informed me of it. I took her, Char, Shy an' Miss Jad inside ta cleanse the place of their taint. They were performin' a foul ritual inside a star-circle drawn wi' blood an' after destroyin' the wraiths, we go' round ta breakin' the circle. I tried, best as I could, bu' could not break thru wi' me axe. Miss Jad examined the circle closely an' confirmed it needed a priest of Dagath ta destroy it. Char stepped forward an' hacked at it wi' his mace, chantin' prayers ta Dagath at the same time while the rest of us took care of the wraiths which kept appearin' at the altar, seemingly drawn ta the foul evilness of the circle. The circle held fast in spite of Char's mightiest blows an' mos' heartfelt prayers.
At a loss, I dinna know wha' ta do. Wha' happened next were the most puzzlin' event I witnessed durin' the entire defence of Westshore. Miss Jad took up her scythe, called out ta Dagath an' brought it down wi' a strength I dinna think she were capable of. The circle shattered an' the wraiths stopped comin'. Since our 'elp were needed at the gates, I dinna ponder o'er it too much an' left Kaz, Missy an' Char ta finish cleansin' the temple.
Up by the main gates, I joined the Guards of M'chek an' Bel ta git down ta crumpin' fer all we were worth, the tide of battle swingin' more times than I kin remember. Eventually, we managed ta close in on SoulCrusher an' a final swing from Major Jared's blade felled the devil where 'e stood. We cleaned up the rest of his host tha' remained ta fight an' retreated back ta the village ta tend wounds an' reorganise ourselves.
As I looked o'er our tired group, sippin' water from a leather pouch, the echoes of heavy feet shook the ground where I stood. Lookin' ta the North, we saw a huge skeleton, much like the bugger Flesheater we met in the caves. This p'ticlar bag o' bones called 'imself FleshHorrer, brother ta the re-deceased Flesheater. He said 'e were the leader of Bia'taron's other host an' tha' he would succeed where SoulCrusher 'ad failed. Westshore would be his master's throne in the Prime plane. He then said tha' his master knew bout a special weapon forged in order ta destroy him. Fleshorrer demanded ta know where it were, an' saw thru me bluff bout not knowin' of the weapon. He said he would take it as his personal prize e'en though it would no' be able ta destroy his master, an' dinna listen ta any attempts we made ta try an' convince him ta leave the village alone.
FleshHorrers forces consisted mainly of skeletal swordsmen an' bodak monks tha' moved faster'n I could keep up wi', an' they hit harder than a ragin' berserker. The remnants of SoulCrushers Death soldiers attacked in a final push from the East gates. The next few hours were a blur of breakin' bones, wardin' off the blows of rottin' fists, cleavin' thru deadly archers an' mages, parryin' the thrusts of the warriors an' keepin' our forces alive. Magical bolts of energy flew amongst us, Divine retribution were called upon ta deal wi' the undead, roars of battlecries from the warriors an' shrieks an' screams of the wounded an' dyin', left me ears ringin' within me battered helm. Me tired arms swung wi' wha' energy I 'ad left an' I remember Kaz leapin' up ta deliver a crushing blow ta FlesHorrer's groin tha' brought the giant crashin' ta the ground.
I were bleedin' like a gutted pig an' the skilled healin' of Shy an' Missy brought me back ta me senses. Lookin' around, I saw corpses of defenders, undead an' commoners litterin' the village, those tha' were alive an' able, tendin' ta the wounded. We staggered back ta our positions best as we could, an' few hours inta the morn, a group of soldiers from Nelthrope made their way inta the village o'er the North Bridge. They tol' us tha' they had ta fight their way thru the undead 'oo had surrounded the village, bu' were now broken an' retreatin' south towards the caverns of the underdark.
After restin' fer a short while, we decided ta venture forth inta a crypt which Miss Jad said few knew about, in the bowels of the underdark. This would be the mos' likely dwellin' place fer a critter as foul an' delusioned as Bia'taron. The Guards of M'chek an' the Keepers of the Cycle followed Miss Jad South of Westshore towards the entrance inta the Underdark. Makin' our way through the curvin' corridors of rock an' sand, we were ambushed by a well placed force of Death soldiers. Many of us fell thar while fightin' ta fend 'em off an' return their cursed souls ta the Cycle. We crawled on towards the entrance, Miss Jad havin' overpowered the mind of one of 'em Death Soldiers, showin' us the way. After restin' an' discussin' tactics, we ventured forth inta the caverns, fightin' off beetles an' bugbears tha' generally inhabit the place. I were too tired ta take note of the direction, but we took care of 'nother large group of Death Soldiers in a dead ended cavern. Makin' our way back towards the crypt, we had ta fight thru many more of Bia'taron's foul minions till we finally reached a corridor beyond which Miss Jad said lay the crypt. She scouted ahead an' came back in a hurry, a fire elemental hot on 'er tail (nay pun intended).
She informed us tha' a powerful army of Death Soldiers were waitin' inside an' tha' stormin' the place would nay be advisable given our weary state. Colonel Spit agreed an' we tried ta lure 'em out, by pretendin' ta have the Will of Dagath. Kaz went in as bait, bu' dinna come back out. We were then ambushed from behind by another group of Death Soldiers, barely makin' it out of the scrap. Kaz were rescued an' we decided ta retreat an' come back another time, well rested an' better prepared ta take 'em on.
Eventully, he were taken care of by the other Keepers from wha’ I hear. Feel like shite… truly when I think of all the fleggin’ work I put inta the whole thing an’ nay bein’ able ta witness the destruction o’ the bugger cos of a broken knee. ‘least this ol’ smith kin be proud tha’ the blade ‘e created helped ta destroy the foul critter. Let me memories live on in tha’ blade, The Will o’ Dagath, where’r it be now.