Chronicle - The Battle for Calahar

The Battle of Calahar

The Journey From Aarda to Calahar We were soon passing out of the foothills and into Amras Aarda, the rolling plains beyond. It was an early Spring morning and we had a gentle headwind as we flew South. It was clear enough to make out the river and pools of water that probably marked the edge of the Malor Marsh. Suddenly the pegasus pulled up and beat its wings faster, clearly spooked. As they climbed, Lanzi and Hintzu were able to make out a gaggle of flying eye beasts closing on us. They had risen from the foothills, and it looked as if they had been looking for something.

We landed quickly and readied ourselves for combat. Lanzi sent the pegasus away to protect it, and Merc commanded the fly to return to it's statuette form for the same reason. I drew the rod that we had recovered from the Gith baggage, eager to see whether it would prove useful in smiting such abominations. The creatures bunched together and headed straight for us, flitting like bats but more clumsily due to their size. As they approached we began to make out more of their repulsive features. The had fat furred bodies, black and matted, with a single large eye in the centre. They flew with leathery bat wings that sported sharp talons. A long tail dangled behind them, with a stinger at its tip. The eye dominated its body, black with a red pupil, dripping with a fluid that was matting its fur.

As the things swept down to engage us we gagged on an acrid stench, and two of them stayed out of reach dripping some of the vile fluid from their eyes down at us. Merc and I were hit by splashes of the fluid, and it burnt at our exposed flesh painfully. The pain only served to enrage Merc, who cut down one of the creatures that got too close to him. Hintzu was similarly successful against another creature to our rear. The rod was serving me well as a weapon, and was quicker to wield than my mace - I decided that I would keep it as my primary weapon if we should survive this combat.

The acidic fluid that had splashed us continued to burn, refusing to be wiped off, and I decided to use some sweet water to neutralise the effects, tipping it over Merc and myself. Thankfully this stopped the burning before we were seriously hurt. Lanzi, meanwhile, had found space to let loose with a fireball, and two of the beasts flared brightly in its flames; by the time their remains hit the ground there was hardly anything left of them. Merc killed another two in an incredible flurry of blows, and the few remaining things began to flee to the East.

Deciding that our mission was more important than hunting these things down, we continued our journey South. We began to see evidence of the invaders, smoke plumes from farms that had been raided dotted the skyline. Sweeping over one ridge we were confronted by a farmstead that was being raided, the Gith had only just put light to the roof of the main building. They were piling bodies by a fire, and looked as if they were about to eat a meal, although we could not tell whether the bodies were intended to be eaten or looted or both. We were able to sweep past and out of bow range before they could react, but we were more careful to watch for more of these raiding parties - passing another three at a safe distance before reaching the river.

Seeing the bridge of Calahar to our left, we turned and made straight for it, keeping the river and the marshes beyond to our right. It was clear, even from this distance that a battle was raging by the bridge, on our side of the river, with the mountains in the distance beyond. A city sat upon higher ground on the far side of the bridge, and it had obviously once been beautifully constructed. The river below us was immensely wide, large enough for ocean going ships to make their way up it if required.

As we made for the city we began to make out more details. The city was say on a knoll with the river running around it, forming a natural defensive barrier. The buildings had suffered damage from a bombardment of some kind, and there were no walls protecting it from assault. Gith pirate boats were moored on the North side of the river, while the boats moored near the South shore were burning - and they bore the colours of Milai! The bridge was holed, but was largely intact; it was lined with statues on tall pillars, although three of these had toppled over in the fighting. On the city's side of the bridge was a large barbican that was the city's only defensive position, and this was garrisoned by Elven archers, ballistae and mangonels.

There were no defensive positions opposite this barbican, but a vast besieging army was arrayed against the defenders, straddling a cobbled road, and they had ten trebuchets gathered at a point that allowed them to fire at the barbican unopposed. The Gith ships were firing ballistae at the defenders, who were returning fire as best they could. Dead bodies littered the bridge, and it seemed that the fighting we had seen earlier was over for now. Heavy cavalry was mustered behind the barbican, and had probably sallied forth in an attempt to destroy the trebuchets, an attempt that had not succeeded.

Merc shouted encouragement down to his troops as we overflew them, and then directed us to follow him as he turned towards the enemy artillery. The enemy was pulling back from its last engagement and it was possible that we would reach our target before help could arrive. A lightning strike straight into the heart of the foe - the stuff of legends!

As we got closer we began to realise the difficulty of the objective we had set ourselves; there were no formations of troops in the immediate vicinity of the trebuchets, but we would be completely surrounded very quickly. If that was not bad enough, the crews of the artillery included Hill Giants that were loading boulders onto the slings that sent them flying towards the barbican. It would not be an easy fight. We split up to attack from both ends of the battery, and as soon as we landed we ran straight into combat.

Lanzi and Hintzu were unlucky on their approach, being hit by arrows from nearby troops, but Merc and I escaped injury. Merc drank a potion that hasted his movements before entering combat, and before the trebuchet crew could react two of them lay dead. I called upon Odin's wrath and a column of flame struck down from the heavons onto the trebuchet itself, causing it to start burning. Meanwhile, at the far end, Hintzu threw a bottle of oil at another trebuchet and it exploded into flames on impact. Two were now burning, but eight continued to fire.

Some of the Hill Giants were now throwing their boulders at us, although all they succeeded in doing was crushing one of the Gith crew. Merc and Hintzu were fighting hard, trying to cause as much destruction as possible before the Gith army around us closed in, and another four Gith fell to their blows. Hintzu used his ring to conjure a ball of flame, rolling it into another trebuchet and setting light to it. Merc had fought his way to the nearest Hill Giant and cut it down without mercy.

Merc's hasted blows had bought me time to call on Odin once again, and this time I was able to use his power to send blades scything through the line of trebuchets, cutting through three of them and ruining their firing mechanisms. This also had the advantage of creating a barrier that might have allowed us to escape envelopment later. There were now only four trebuchets that were still firing, and between Hintzu and Merc there were many dead, but now a new threat emerged. Several winged beasts, like the one we had encountered on the roof of Minas Aarda, were approaching fast. Just to make things worse, more Gith were beginning to arrive and we would soon be fighting for our lives.

Lanzi and Hintzu were using dweomer of all sorts to keep their foes at bay, and Lanzi's mirror images once again saved him - this time from the claws of one of the flying beasts. Another beast swooped down to attack Merc, but in his hasted state he was able to dodge it's talons. I was quickly being surrounded by more foes than I could fight, and I called on Odin for protection. His blessing meant that I escaped the attention of many of the Gith, and they advanced on Merc instead. This proved to be a mistake, as they did not live long, but it was delaying us from damaging the other artillery pieces. I made my way to Merc's side, as it seemed to be the safest place on the battlefield. Lanzi's dweomer and Hintzu's attacks were keeping them alive, and Si-Ti-Qa managed to cause a Giant to turn and flee, giving Hintzu the chance to slay it, a chance that he used to good effect. At some point Lanzi's dweomer managed to damage or destroy another two trebuchets, although I was too busy fighting to see how exactly - knowing Lanzi it was probably a fireball or three!

Now we were to benefit from the assistance of our allies; the flying creatures were brought down in a hail of arrows from the barbican walls, and cavalry were leaving its safety to ride to our assistance. We were heavily engaged, though, and Merc shouted for us to withdraw - this was easier said than done! It was all I could do to stay alive, and I was bleeding from many blows despite my armour. With the rod I had found, I was at least able to dish out as good as I was getting. We were relying on that cavalry to ease the pressure on us.

Arrows from the cavalry fell amongst the troops behind us, and the heavy cavalry swept into those in front of us, clearing a path for escape. We all made for the gap, ignoring the blows aimed at us as we went - this was the only chance we would have to get out. We were hotly pursued as we fled, and the danger was not over yet. Knowing that we needed aid if we were to hold the bridge, Merc took out a great horn and blew a resounding note. As he did so, from nowhere, warriors called from the very halls of Valhalla appeared and charged into the Gith that were pursuing us. They were beserker warriors, and set about the enemy with no regard for their own safety.

Hintzu cleared a gap for Lanzi to escape through, and then used dweomer from his ring to blind the remaining foes between them and the cavalry. Unfortunately the front rank of cavalry were also blinded, and their horses rode on without direction. Merc reached the side of his cavalry and vaulted into a saddle to join them. The cavalry (apart from the blind ones) wheeled round to come back on themselves, and Lanzi jumped into the saddle of another horse.

Unexpectedly, I now found myself in a clear area of the field. There were still two trebuchets firing, and I used the respite to call down Odin's wrath once again, another column of fire hammering down onto one of the artillery pieces. That was all that I had time for, though, as the Gith poured around the forces of Valhalla and headed for the bridge. Hintzu began to run to safety, but the desperate fight had taken its toll and he was soon forced to stop, gasping for breath. A boulder crushed a horse and its rider nearby - the situation was worsening rapidly.

I continued my flight towards the bridge, but Lanzi dismounted and ran towards Hintzu. Perhaps I was hasty in judging Lanzi to be selfishly motivated, as this heroic act put him in grave danger - Hintzu was overrun and it was all he could do to fend off the blows aimed at him, backing towards the river to reduce the number of foes around him, but unable to reach the bridge. The Gith army was clashing with the cavalry all over the field.

As I ran, the Gith began to overtake me on both sides, but didn't turn to fight. I realised that I was still under Odin's protection and that they had no idea that I was amongst them! As they clashed with the nearest cavalry I took the opportunity to mount a horse and was soon headed for safety.

Lanzi paused in his advance towards Hintzu, but only to summon a steed to his aid. A horse with a jet black body, grey mane and smoky insubstantial hooves appeared and Lanzi climbed on its back. He then proceeded to ride right out onto the river - the horse rode over the surface as if it were solid! This gave Lanzi the chance to ride up to Hintzu unopposed and pluck him from the fray, riding to safety across the river. At the same time Merc had ridden to Hintzu's aid, and was attacking the Gith from behind. He now found himself surrounded and alone.

Merc decided that it was time to withdraw - the rest of us was safe and the remaining trebuchet was far beyond his reach. He turned and jumped straight into the river! The water frothed and bubbled around him, almost seeming to lower slightly where he had landed, but soon returned to normal and there was no sign of Merc surfacing. Meanwhile Lanzi and Hintzu had run into trouble; one of the enemy's boats had rowed towards the bridge and were firing their ballistae at them as they came into range. Hintzu, using his huge strength to good effect, managed to deflect one of the bolts with both arms. Another two passed through Lanzi's mirror images, causing them to disappear but leaving them unharmed. More bolts struck at the cavalry on the bridge, but luckily I escaped injury.

Lanzi continued to ride hard and reached the town, rolling Hintzu to the ground in cover. I reached the gates and dismounted with the rest of the cavalry behind the walls. The few riders that had been blinded earlier were cut to pieces by the enraged army that had been denied its prize. There was still no sign of Merc, but I did not fear for him - he would not have dived into the water without a way of swimming or otherwise reaching safety. I was sorely wounded and collapsed in the shadow of the wall to tend my injuries. I saw Lanzi renew his mirror images for protection, and then was startled by a boulder landing just a few feet from me! That last trebuchet could still cause problems for the defenders.

Having dressed my wounds, I headed for the postern and climbed to the walls to get a better view. Lanzi was riding out towards the Gith boat - well, I assumed he was riding, as he appeared to be floating in mid air! I could only deduce that he had turned his steed invisible. The sight of a gaggle of Lanzis floating across the water was quite unnerving, but it was confusing the ballistae crews as they could only fire and hope to hit something. A grey ray sped out from Lanzi's outstretched hand and struck the boat in the hull at the water line, then Lanzi turned and headed for the bridge.

Lanzi pulled up short of the bridge and began to work his dweomer again. A hail of sizzling missiles streaked down at the last trebuchet, burning at it with a sticky substance that could have been acid. Arrows flew at Lanzi, but again he escaped injury due to his mirror images. Seeing that our target had been dealt with, Lanzi turned and began to make his way back to safety.

I took the opportunity to ask for Odin's aid to heal my wounds, feeling much better for doing so. I decided to make my way to the leader of the defences, assuming that my friends would so the same. As I emerged on the tower above the gate a cheer went up from the defenders. I looked out to see the boat that Lanzi had used his dweomer on beginning to slip beneath the water, Gith jumping from it as it sank. Caladhor, Merc's Lieutenant, turned to greet me and asked if I had seen Merc. I had not seen him since his dive into the water, but assured him that Merc knew what he was doing (hopefully).

We made our way down the walls towards where Lanzi and Hintzu had last been seen, and on the way we met up with them and Merc coming towards us. Merc looked like he had just walked across the bottom of a river, and sure enough that is what he had just done, unwilling to abandon any of his equipment to allow him to swim across.

Merc and Caladhor began to discuss events since they had last seen each other. It was clear that the defenders could now hold the position, as long as nothing else changed, and the Gith would be demoralised by the destruction of their artillery without any significant response. Caladhor was also heartened by the news of the death of the Gith Lord, hoping that the army might retreat until a new leader could be found. Merc also gave away gems for expenses and dweomer-touched swords to Caladhor and his best man that they might put them to good use.

It was decided, then, that the forces would remain to defend Calahar for now whilst we travelled to Minas Olga. Oldheart forest would be our sanctuary in case any of us or our forces suffered a setback or became separated from friendly help. Merc presented Caladhor with Silmar's original banner to fly in Merc's name and to rally the forces of good in the region.

The formal greetings and presentations over, Caladhor invited us to dine with him and we gladly accepted, having not had decent sustenance for some time. Not to mention anything decent to drink. We made our way through the city towards the Mess Hall, and on our way we saw the Elven forces tending to the wounded and repairing both fortifications and equipment. The city clearly had fine architecture, at least the parts that had escaped the bombardment did, and there were various shrines dedicated to the Gods.

The Mess Hall was large and busy, but a table was cleared for us and a hearty meal, mead and wine were brought to us. I took advantage of this opportunity to dine well - after all, you never know when your next meal might be. Merc continued to converse with Caladhor, but the rest were eating and tending to their own wounds. Apparently a Tanari'i noble had been seen amongst the Gith, and Melai's ships had recently stopped bringing much needed supplies to the city.

When we had sated our hunger we split up to spend some time recuperating, replacing supplies and seeking out our own kind. Merc went out amongst his troops and tended to their wounds, spoke with them about their battles and generally reinforcing the bond between leader and men. He was applauded by some for his daring exploits on the battlefield, but took this with good grace. Hintzu offered his strength to help rebuild the fortifications to defend against future assaults, and his efforts were both welcomed and rewarded - he was given fresh stocks of arrows to aid us in our future struggles. I do not know what Lanzi set himself to, but what man does know what such wielders of dweomer do when they are alone?

For my part, I sought out the temple of Odin. The temple was an inspiring sight, an impressively large domed building in the centre of the city. Inside was equally impressive, but the clergy were less so. They were without a high priest and were lacking guidance and training. I did what I could to help the junior members of the order, restoring their thirst for wisdom and battle, and in return I was offered samples from their collection of ales.

I remember there being a good selection of ales, and a plentiful supply to boot, but I must profess that I do not know how that evening ended. Hintzu tells me that he visited, but I do not recall it. However, I slept well and before I knew it the Sun had risen on a new morn.

We met for breakfast in the Mess Hall again, and I wolfed down the food on offer in an attempt to settle my stomach that was only partially successful. I felt a little shaky, but no different to hangovers I had suffered before - it was Odin's reminder that all things are in balance and only through our strength of will can good triumph over evil.

We planned to fly to Olga in the same manner as we had travelled from Aarda, and I once again called upon Odin to lighten our load in order that we might all be carried by our winged mounts. We set off to the South East, the world quickly falling below us, and my stomach suddenlt felt much worse - even horses were better than flying! We saw runners from the city heading into the marshes to meet a supply convoy - there was at least one route of supply still open, then.

Passing over the wreck of another of Melai's ships, we made our way towards the tower of Minas Olga, clearly visible on the mountains ahead of us. Below us the Gith army were retreating from Calahar, although there were many thousands still able to fight. They must be making for a new line of attack. As we got closer, it was clear that there was some activity at the Minas - flying things could be seen coming and going from the top of the Minas. Merc directed us to land to the West of the tower so that we could approach undetected; the morning was bright, but it was early and there were many shadows that could hide our approach.

When we reached the ground we found enough cover ahead of us to approach more closely, and flew further until we were almost at the base of the Minas. This last few hundred yards was the worst for me - swooping in and out of hollows and swerving around outcrops. I felt my breakfast repeating on me, and when we finally landed and our mount was dispelled from under us, the landing was enough to send the contents of my stomach out and over Merc's cloak.

I felt much better after that, and after a few swigs of water, and Lanzi was able to clean the cloak with his dweomer so no harm was done. I was just glad to have my feet on the ground, even if we were in danger. We scrabbled the last few yards to the base of the tower, which was smooth and seemed to have no entrances at ground level.

Lanzi sent Si-Ti-Qa to scout out the top of the Minas, and he reported back that there seemed to be a portal open at the top. As Lanzi explained what was up there, a green winged creature emerged from the portal (apparently a Baatezu). Fortunately it could not see Si-Ti-Qa and took off, banking as it did so and heading away from us.

Hintzu started to climb, finding purchase where I could see none. I gave the wall a bash to see whether handholds could be created, but to no great effect; there was nothing to do save wait for Hintzu. Eventually he reached the top and started to let down a rope to the rest of us. Merc sent his rope of climbing up to meet it, and I began to climb the full length. Lanzi turned his nose up at such exertion and used his dweomer to appear at the top, acting as a lookout whilst the rest of us got up the hard way.

As I was climbing the portal beagan to shimmer and a giant red winged humanoid emerged onto the tower top. It's large fangs dripped with a vile liquid, and it lashed out at Lanzi with its tail, enveloping him. As it attacked, another creature appeared (green this time) by the pedestal. Lanzi was in trouble, and Hintzu ran across the roof with the rope to haul me the rest of the way to the top.

Lanzi used his dweomer once more to get himself out of trouble, appearing at the other side of the portal and sealing it to prevent more creatures from appearing. The red creature hurled a fireball at Lanzi and Hintzu, but they were unaffected. The green creature swooped down at me while I lay on the floor after being pulled over the edge, and it struck me in the stomach before I could get to my feet.

Hintzu ran back with the rope to try to get Merc up to assist us. Merc had begun to climb already, but was a long way from the top. I stood toe to toe with the green creature and struck at it with my rod, keeping it away from Hintzu. The red creature, meanwhile, disappeared from view! Lanzi immediately created mirror images to defend himself from unseen blows.

Hintzu ran with the rope once more, bringing Merc closer to the top, and as he moved he sent flames shooting towards the green creature that I was still fighting. As the flames caught its attention, I sent the rod swinging into its head and called on its power to cause as much damage as possible; the thing fell hard against the pedestal and lay still. Lanzi caused the red creature to reappear, exposing it briefly, but it disappeared before anyone could react and some of Lanzi's mirror images began to dispell as they were struck at by the unseen opponent.

A ring of fire suddenly sprang to life, cutting across the roof and out into the air. The rope was caught in the flames and began to separate with Merc still some way from the top. I dived down and caught hold as it separated, and Hintzu ran to help. We stopped the rope, but the jerk caused Merc to lose his grip and fall. He commanded the rope of climbing to catch him, which it just managed to do so, wrenching his limbs painfully as it did so. Both Hintzu and I were holding on tight, and Lanzi was now in grave danger - the last of his mirror images gone and with no clear idea of where his attacker stood.

Just to make matters worse the green creature began to climb to its feet, despite the deep wound in its head, and Hintzu left me with the rope to deal with the thing. Lanzi was hit badly by the invisible creature, but lashed out with his mind and the attacks stopped. Meanwhile Hintzu knocked the green creature down and beheaded it, kicking its head off the Minas and pushing its body after it. We were safe for the moment, and I was finally able to help Merc up onto the roof.

I called upon Odin to remove the unnatural fire from the roof, and Lanzi directed Merc to butcher the unconscious red creature before it could recover. He then asked Merc to remove its teeth for his magical research. How he can think of such things after a desperate fight I know not, but dweomer affects men's minds in ways I care not to know. I occupied myself with tending to our wounds, and Odin's healing touch was just what we needed before moving on.