The Home Stone

The following morning Kirin with his friend at the front of the army started for the pass that would land them on the other side of the river. The elf commander left a contingent of one hundred men in the valley to protect their rear, in case the barbarians decided to bring up re-enforcements and attack them from there. The rear guard was to patrol the woods and make for the pass as soon as the enemy was spotted in large numbers. They could stop and hold an army once inside the pass for days until help arrived.

It was an easy road compared to some of the other passages here in the Northern Divide. He and his men made good time and two days later, they emerged and found themselves on the grasslands that hugged the foothills of the mountains. Quickly Kirin moved his army into the forest and there ordered his men to set up camp. No fires were allowed and no loud noises.

“Can’t be too sure that we are alone here,” he commented to the halfling.

“Better safe than sorry, I always say,” answered the little friend.

That evening the army slept, with many men set on the watch. Kirin and Treymane conversed quietly as the halfling told the elf what he had seen by the bridge about a week ago.

“I have little choice here,” Kirin said softly. “One can’t move this many men through the forest without making a sound. We can move more quickly and more quietly on the road. I will send out scouts to find the enemy and hope that they are all at the bridge by Maryton.”

“But still, we will have to watch out for large patrols that are scouring the countryside,” added the halfling, as Kirin nodded and then turned in for the night.

The next morning the army was on the move again. The advanced guard left about an hour earlier while the rest troops lagged behind. He knew that the road behind him was fairly safe, but he could not send anyone back up the road. He did not know how many of the barbarians were left in the north. So he had to wait for the guard to return before he and his men could safely set up camp.

That evening the scouts came back with the information that about ten to twelve barbarians were camped about two miles ahead. Later after dark he and fifty men sneaked out of camp and headed for the enemy. The idea was to dispatch as quickly as possible the barbarians and have the road clear ahead of them the next morning.

It did not take long and the elves neared the enemy camp. They were surprised that this group had not set a watch. Probably over confident about their situation, Kirin thought, but as they moved closer one of the elves noticed that the bedrolls were too perfect and none of the sleeping men moved or breathed. The fire was still burning high and had signs that fresh wood had been thrown onto it not too long ago. Kirin pulled his men back further into the woods and waited. He did not have to wait long when he saw three to four men standing on the edge of their camp. Did they see the elves or were they just waiting. Then from the west side of the woods came a patrol of six barbarians and attacked the camp. Suddenly as the melee began the other Snowlanders counter attacked. So surprised was the other troop that the twelve soon had the upper hand and finally killed the last of the attackers.

This puzzled Kirin and his men. It seems that there was plenty of dissention between the tribes of the north. He sent word back as to what he saw and ordered the army to come even though it was still night. He planned to capture these northerners and find out why there was so much hatred amongst them. As the enemy lay down for the night Kirin and his men moved in. The barbarians were taken completely by surprise that they did not even put up much of a fight. Soon the elves had them tied and gagged. Kirin then ordered the captain of the barbarians to his tent for questioning.

“Are you willing to talk to me,” Kirin asked.

“Depends,” was his answer.

“We saw what happened a short time ago,” Kirin began, “and that puzzles me. Why is there such hatred between the tribes?”

The barbarian captain studied the elf for some time before speaking up. “We, from the Fox Clan didn’t want this war. We were quite satisfied to leave things the way they were, but the king, or whoever is on that throne now had our chief assassinated and forced our people to take up arms against these little people who have never harmed us. They only traded and left us alone. As for my men; and myself we were the personal guard of the Princess Katrina and since Oestrin imprisoned her, he disbanded the guard and had us up on the front lines to face the dwarfs and Rogalanders. We couldn’t go forward or retreat. Either way my men were slaughtered. So when we had a chance, we left the main army and hid in the forest, but we were found and they followed us here where they attacked. Only we saw them and laid a trap. The results are what you have seen tonight. My men are good soldiers, but we are not killers.”

There was truth in what the captain had said and Kirin then ordered the barbarians freed.

“I give you a choice,” Kirin said. “You may leave and head away from the road that leads to Maryton, or you can join us. Mind you, if you decide on the latter, you will be watched, for my men do not trust any of you, but I will give you my word that none of you will be harmed by me or any of my men, if you hold true to your word and aid us, when we reach the bridge at the East Border River.”

“You have my word and that of my men on one condition,” replied the captain. “When this is over that you help us to free the princess and rid us of what used to be a good ruler.”

Kirin assured him that it was his intention to free the Hillshire and then march on Winsome Castle. What he did not say was that there was a group already on their way to do just that. He still did not trust these northerners.

Morning came and the army moved out. Treymane did not like the idea that there were barbarians in their midst and he let Kirin know that he was displeased, but as the morning wore on his anger slowly subsided and kept his comments to himself. Riding up front with Kirin and Vengar, the barbarian captain, he put up his hand and stopped.

“We’re coming to a bridge about half a mile ahead,” he explained. “Maybe we should send a scout or two to see if it is guarded.”

Vengar answered. “It most probably is being guarded. We were under strict orders to keep the bridges intact, so our supply wagons could get through.”

“That makes sense,” replied the halfling. “I would do the same.”

Kirin almost laughed out loud at the way the man from the Hillshire answered Vengar, but it was the barbarian captain that offered to approach the bridge. Once there, Kirin could attack and the guards could be taken from both inside and out. That way Vengar continued to get his revenge and Kirin would not lose many men.

When the barbarians left, Kirin ordered his scouts to follow. He still did not fully trust them and did not want them to re-enforce the men guarding the bridge. When the scouts were out of sight he gave the order to advance slowly. A short time later one of the scouts reported back that Vengar and his men had overwhelmed the guards at the bridge and were waiting for the army to cross. Smiling to himself that he had made the right choice, Kirin the continued until they reached the bridge. There, waiting and waving stood Vengar and his men. He had only lost two men, but had killed all ten guards.

After the elven army crossed, Vengar ordered the bridge destroyed. This further convinced Kirin that these men were holding true to their word and helping the elves to advance to the well dug in army holding the western side of the Maryton Bridge.

The next three days the army marched on unimpeded. Scouts reported back that the enemy was far away and at the bridge. Some of the elves began to make friends with their new found allies and let them sit with them around their fires, but there was still plenty of mistrust on both sides. On the morning of the fourth day Kirin and his men crested the hill that overlooked the bridge and the valley where the main body of the barbarian army was hiding behind makeshift walls of stone and dirt. Calling his generals and the barbarian captain to one side, he laid out a plan of attack. One third of his men would flank the enemy on their left, while the rest of his men would march right up to their lines before commencing the attack.

“Won’t they recognize your men as they get closer?” asked Vengar.

“Not if we attack with the sun at our backs,” answered Kirin. “We’ll wait till late afternoon and then move on their positions. With my men mixed with yours and the sun in their eyes it will be difficult for them to notice the difference between our two races.”

Treymane liked the idea even if he did not quite trust these Snowlanders yet. “This should work,” he added.

Kirin then asked the two to join him at the top of the hill and see if there was any other way they could make their approach. He always wanted the have other options in case the first one did not work.

By late afternoon, as the shadows grew longer about eight hundred of Kirin’s men, mostly archers, were firmly set in place about fifty to seventy-five yards from the nearest enemy soldier. It was time to move on the enemy. Here Vengar took command with Kirin next to him and lead the army down into the valley. Calling out to his brethren, who were now exposed to them, the captain advanced. The barbarians were completely taken by surprise for it was not until they could make out the features of the elves that they reached for their weapons. At the same time the archers on their left opened up and barbarian after barbarian fell under the barrage of arrows that flew into their ranks. The rest who managed to escape the deadly missiles came at the elves, full force. The only mistake they made was that they forgot temporarily about the army of dwarfs across the river.

Blick saw and knew that his friend Kirin had finally arrived and gave the order to cross the bridge and attack the barbarians from the rear. It was a bloody battle and loses on all sides were many, but after an hour or so, the elves along with the dwarfs and what was left of Vengar’s men, finally got the upper hand and slew the last of the enemy. With the bridge now safe and completely in the hands of the allies, Blick gave the order to leave two hundred men to guard the bridge, while the combined force of the elves and their new allies turned west to free Haggle Ville.