Olen's Trance
An eladrin trance is a time for reflection and contemplation. It is here that we gain a greater understanding of the world and ourselves. Father Kurn, I use this time granted to me to explain my actions before You so that I may be judged as I have judged.
It has been, as has been said by great poets, an eventful day.
We rose with the unsettling knowledge from Savin that we are ninety-seven years into our future. Our own personal horror aside, who knows what evil the Witch-Queen could have done with nearly a century at her disposal? I fear for my brothers and sisters in the Order, and say a prayer for my family of old.
Barely had we finished breakfast, Great Father, than goblin riders descended upon us! Our guide Yulia spooked them into action, and the small grotesque creatures rode down upon us on the backs of great shaggy wolf-beasts.
Armed with spear and javelin, they were a persistence foe, striking and moving, their weapons darting in along with savage bites from their mounts' muzzles. They worked like the pack animals they are, and lunged at us all, knocking several of us to the ground, keeping us at bay and from forming solid lines.
However, our group (although still weary and confused from the strange changes that have plagued our mind and our world) worked well to bring justice to the creatures. Vos provided assistance and battle plans to all, Yulia was a dervish of fury with her pairing of ax and sword, Savin called down magics the likes of which I admit I have not seen before. He appeared frustrated by the way his mystic powers manifested, but he threw enemies around like toys. Baern's calls and prayers at first seemed to falter, but with resolute conviction he took forth his great maul and laid into the enemy with furious abandon. I guess even though a priest of your Merciful Wife, he is in all things a dwarf.
I myself, must admit with shame, did not provide as much support as I desired to. I recall so much martial training, but my body does not seem to heed the call! Your firm teachings were just out of reach, Great Father. I must mediate on your words from my vision and exercise myself back into being your instrument in the world.
Eventually we brought the goblinoids low and took two prisoners. I took from one of them a masterful dwarven war spear. I must admit to appreciating the skill of the crafters: it is magnificent weapon.
One of the goblins spoke a halting form of Dwarven, so Priest Baren took to the interrogation. From it we learned that the dwarven fief of Steinhold had fallen to the goblins! A tragedy that I missed the call to arms such a fight would have brought!
We also learned that something called 'Lord Teeth' had come to the goblins less than five years ago and sparked this unrest. These goblins were part of a war band lead by a warleader Grimnack, and were primarily interesting in disrupting iron ore shipments to the nearby Alliance town of Resolute. Indeed, a caravan was supposedly the target of our prisoner's war band.
The group faced a dilemma: how to warn the caravan when we knew not where it was? Eventually the group came to a conclusion: we must divide our meager force. My brother Vos and Yulia the dragonborn, the two swiftest, would rush towards the end of the trail and seek the caravan along the road itself. Savin, Baern and myself would progress down the mountain and see if we could find a vantage point from which to survey the environment and see the endangered convoy.
I wished my brother a successful journey and prayed to you Father Kurn for his safety. Things are different in the world now and I fear he may take on too much.
The prisoners we left tied to trees as we descended the mountain. Priest Baern was cold in his belief in ending their existence, but that I fear was the rage from hearing of his people's suffering. Savin provided pragmatic reasons for slaying them as well, but I would not hear of it. The Order does not condone cold blooded murder, and had I the chance I would turn them over to justice. But out here there is only the justice we carry ourselves. I fear them not, they know they had already been bested.
Our diminished group traveled for some down the twisty, meandering path. Familiar trees that I remember from our trip up to the Grand Portal were around us once more, but grown tall and wild with ninety-seven years of passage. It was odd to see so familiar a sight changed so. It was like watching a human age: you turn your back and sudden the apple-cheeked lad is a grandfather! Such thoughts distracted me, I am ashamed to admit, and because of that we stumbled into the goblin camp like first year trainees.
The hue and cry went up from the dozen or so tents, and a horde of the beasts came out to assault us. Baen, Savin, and I put up a spirited defence of spells, prayers, and steel. We were swarmed by the creatures, and one of them practiced magic most foul. It sent a cloud of dark sparks that buzzed around us like insects, leaving trails of cold smoke and noises to distract us. I admit that it caused my spear arm to miss on more than one occasion.
Savin is adamant that the nature of the cloud caused him to misaim his 'Thunder Hammer' spell so that it caught me in the blast. I know my brother's master's pride however, and think it more likely he simply didn't check his range first. Mages.
The battle was terrible and fearsome, and I was given many a ringing blow to my armor. I admit to almost falling to my knees which would have been deathwhen Priest Baern brought forth a divine miracle. He reached forth to Ellaselle and brought succor to our side while depriving the enemy of his strength in a single action. That one burst allowed us the reprieve we required to turn the tide and bring ruin to our foes. In the end we put them to the sword; all but that foul witch doctor, who fled, as is their cowardly way.
We searched their camp, and found it possessed mostly scavenged and pillaged dwarven goods. We took what we could carry, and dumped the rest off the nearby cliff face. We found a small far-seeing device there, and looked down upon the caravan road. However, we could see nothing more than a trail cut in the woods. After regaining our breath, we proceeded on.
It was barely an hour later when, descending a game path, Savin pointed out that down slope of us was not only the main caravan trail, but also a number of goblins preparing an ambush! We had the advantage of holding the high ground (now physically as well as morally), and took the battle to them.
The thickness of the trees provided cover for both sides. It was a deadly game of movement and sniping all around. We clung to the game trail and dueled with a few skirmishers, and that almost proved our undoing. Savin was nearly punctured by a hail of arrows fired unseen from the wood, and it was only Baern and my prayers that reinforced his spirit enough to coax him from the shelter of that tree stump.
I slew one skirmisher, but another fled before I could deliver proper justice to it. Baern and Savin advanced into the forest and the blizzard of arrows from therein. Eventually getting close enough, Baern called down holy fire and good dwarven made steel upon their heads. Savin unleashed a roaring ball of fire the likes of which I admit to never having seen before. I have seen a similar spell used by my brother long ago, but it was something he had left behind as his arcane studies progressed. Here, this sphere of elemental flame was an engine of destruction. It lashed out with whips of fiery rage and goblins fell before the fury.
We had broken the back of this ambush, but one had gotten away. We prepared ourselves, and sure enough, goblinoid reinforcements soon arrived, coming down the main road in open formation. They must have lacked enough troops to flank us, as it appeared to be an all out assault.
Savin proved his arcane skills once more, throwing a bolt of energy into their midst that exploded and slew several. When the smoke cleared a much diminished force continued to advance upon us. I had pulled myself back in hopes of drawing them toward me, but my companions apparently were not all that skilled at camouflage, and the enemy charged their position. I was forced to advance.
It became a maelstrom of violence and fury. However, for the first time since coming home, I truly felt you were with me, Father Kurn. Victory would not fall to the other side, it my mine to claim. I called your name and smote the enemy leader with the glory of your justice. A light burst from your amulet around my neck and struck the enemy commander, burning into his foul flesh and dazing him. Calling upon you once more, I let loose a fearsome smite against a blood-crazed goblin beside me, striking hard and wounding his sword arm. Savin followed with up with another twin burst of his 'Thunder Hammer' spell, driving the enemy out of formation and leaving them vulnerable to Baern's powerful strikes. I could feel his divine patron helping my spear arm, and I struck true with many blows.
In the end we brought low the ambushing force of goblins and no doubt made the road safer. The joy of victory in battle was reinforced when the caravan arrived, safely.
All this was done in your name, Kurn, the Father and the Judge. As we travel with the caravan, I ask how else I might serve your great name and the great venture of justice. For I know you are not done with your servant, not yet. There is still much to come, and when it does, I must meditate on it. For this world is filled with mysteries and danger
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