The archers moved through the corpses collecting their arrows and kicking the bodies of the dead Orcs into the river. "Just the Fjord sentries, form ranks" the Ahk'aegis commanded in a firm tone. The High Priestess of Corellon took command of the front ranks, moving the Druids and warriors to form a wall at the center of the bridge. The Bardess Elanaele took command of the archers to form a scattered line upon the rear bank of the Fjord. The Aegis watched the elves form up into their positions and there they waited.
He stood between the two ranks, an arrow pointed at the petrified wood beneath his feet, notched and ready. His one keen eye watching the far side of the Fjord. His ears did not need listen as intently since the trees of the forest now reverberated with the concussion from Orcish drums coming from beyond the ridge line which bordered the pass leading to the river. He could feel the nervous tension of his people as they waited. Each moment seemed an ocean of time while waiting to see that which now came to oppose them, to kill them and pillage their home.
Those drums, they were too many to be a simple war party, he thought.
There was nothing he could do, or say he knew. This was the way of war and these people would need to be forged by it, or broken. "Our people’s time on this plane is near an end. Fight, or die, that is the only choice we have been given. Whether the end to this madness is slow, or quick, only that you can decide. Most of our kin refuse to see this, and would pass from this world before offering a fight," the words of a past life's mentor reverberated in his mind. His face lit with a slight sneer and scowl as if witnessing something disdainful.
The Irony, he thought, for the words of this specter did now ring true, in spite of the Aegis' hate for him and what the specter stood for.
That was when the first Orc broke the ridge, screaming and squelling down the pass without breaking stride toward them. Then others appeared moving at a frightening pace. "Archers!" he yelled and felt their arrows being raised as he took aim himself. But it was too late, the Beasts had already closed the gap and bore down upon the Priestess who stood lone in front of the wall. Suddenly confusion reigned as archers scrambled to gain sight upon the first orcs which beset themselves upon the Priestess, the symbol of Corellon, like locusts upon a stalk of wheat. The Aegis himself began to fidget his bow sight widely between the elves of the wall.
He watched the Priestess fall as the beasts overcame her. Then time seemed to slow. His vision fell into frames as his eye blinked and he felt the breath in his lungs heavy. His teeth grit and his heart dropped, knowing a great blow had been dealt the defenders but there was no time for concern. "Archer's, the ridge!!" he yelled to refocus the bowmen not on the front ranks of Orcs now mixed with the front wall of elves, but to take aim at the following ranks still attempting to overcome the ridge. He lit fire to his arrow to trace his aim and allow the others to see his focus if they had not heard his words, took aim and let fly his arrow into the first beast he saw.
He heard the twang of dozens of bowstrings in unison and the whistle of arrows screaming away from their party. A few Orcish wars having just overcome the other side of the ridge, fell dead riddled by half a dozen arrows. They continued like a whirlwind as he pulled, notched, drew and let fly more arrows. The archers continued this deadly barrage with terrible effect upon the Orcish ranks, obliterating the reinforcement ranks of the first Berserker Orcs until no more Orcs could be seen attempting the ridge.
Suddenly, the Aegis felt a great buffet of wind and then a second which caused him to brace himself lest he loose his balance. When he turned his focus upon the bridge in front of him, two of the Druids had turned into great wyrms. The Ar'vil, Fhaeo had sprint forth from the wall in an attempt to beat back the Orcs from the Priestess. The two Dragon followed close behind swatting aside the Orcs with great wings and gnashing down upon the Apemen with their terrible maws. The Ar'vil, shield in one hand, grabbed the Priestess with his other and inspite of great peril alone amongst those beasts, drug the woman back behind the wall.
Time began to speed up once more as the last of these Berserker Orcs were cast out into the river hundreds of feet below. The archers kept their arrows notched and aimed on the ridge and the Dragons held the bridge between them, elven warriors at their flanks. But, with this, so too did they now have time to lament the loss of their Priestess, as elves began to turn to see her condition. There was no time for this the Aegis knew and commanded "Form back into ranks!! Fhaeo, get her back and see if she still lives" he told the Ar'vil. "If so, get her on her feet, this is not over...." he yelled out to all the ranks, "....they always send forth their bersekers first, before their main war party!"
He saw some of them give him a dismayed look for his nonchalant attitude toward the falling of a Priestess, others he saw turn their sights upon the outer bank but all did as he commanded. The archers kept their watch of the far ridge, the Druids and warriors their guard of the Bridge, while Fhaeo desperately tried to revive the Priestess. The tree's branches still rattled from the percussion of their enemies drums but no more could be heard within the fjord. An errie silence and quiet could be heard, until the ground on the other side of the river began to rumble.
Just then, the Priestess came to and immediately, perhaps due to the shock of war, began to move once more toward the front lines. "Stay back!" the Aegis ordered her to which she protested, "I am a Priestess of Corellon...." The Aegis did not allow her to continue her speech. Keeping his eyes peeled across the foreign bank he commanded, "And if you fall again, so do we all, now stay back." Just then then first row of Orcs could be seen taking the ridge. My gods, he thought and paid the Priestess no more mind.
A row of near forty Orcs lined the ridge, beating their chests and spears upon their wooden shields. They snarled and spit toward the elves in their own barbaric tongue. "ARCHERS......" he yelled and heard the drawing of bowstrings. The Orcs then broke like a flood over a river damn. "FIRE!" the aegis screamed as the twin Dragons roared before him. The whirlwind sounds of bow and string, wing and sword filled the river valley once more. There was no time to think, just fletch, aim, fire, fletch, aim, fire again once more. This time, as the Orcs came, it was not in waves as before but as a solid flood of tusk, claw, spear and axe to crash down upon the wall of Dragon and Elf.
The twin Dragons attempted to hold their ground at first but were slowly being pushed back under the sheer weight of the advance of hundreds of Orcs. When finally they set their back claws into the petrified bark beneath them enough to stop the advance near twenty paces from the line of archers, an elven mage known as Kael took this moment to deaftly cast a spell of grease within the ranks of Orcs. Suddenly, as their ranks lost footing, the Dragons began to push with all their might, shoving many of their attackers clear off the bridge but this advance was slow and could only advance to the edge of the grease.
Now, the Orcs became their own worst enemies, as they pushed and fought to reach the elven line whilst loosing their footing and falling to the river below. Still, the Orcs numbers did not stop ascending the ridge. Although the elves barrage of arrows continued, suddenly the Orc's own Shamans and Boworcs stepped forth to rain down ice and bolts upon the bank of the Elves. The aegis seeing this, threw his bow upon his back, began to gesture his hands in circling motions while calling out words in the arcane. While maintaining his concentration, inspite of death falling around him, suddenly the speed of his allies around him began to hasten. Arrows flew faster, swords slashed quicker and suddenly the elves capacity for war increased.
Still, they were few while their enemy many. Where one Orc warrior fell to his death, two more came to charge. Where another Orc Shaman died of arrow wounds, two more came to reign down storms of icey death. Then, the elven Archmage stepped forth once more and reached his hands into the sky. As he did, his eyes rolled back into his head as bolts glanced off some shimmering force surrounding him. Then, the shore upon the opposite side of the river irrupted into flames, as great meteors rained down from the heavens to crush the Orcs several at a time.
When the sea of smoke and fire ceased upon the other side of the bank, several orcs could be crying out in agony while the rest stood looking at their smoldering allies and then toward the elves. This time, they did not squeal, or call out war cries. Staring at the twin Dragon roaring at their ranks, whilst arrows reigned down without ceasing, the Orcs turned and began to move slowly back towards the ridgeline. There they continued to snort and beat their shields.
The Aegis, his breath heavy from the exertion of constant stringing and loosing of arrow for how long he could not rightly know, called out "Hold!" The archers ceased their fire and suddenly the river valley was the silent sound of war once more. He looked around moving through the rear ranks. The elves' numbers held strong, while piles of dozens, upon dozens of Orcs, lined the rear fjord. They would need to climb their own dead simply to reach the elves at this point. Still, he knew this was not over. The Dragons were near exhausted of spell, their warriors armor worn to shreds and their archers desperately running out of arrows.
That was when he heard the Orcish Drums beat once more, first slowly and lightly, then quickly with a great bombastic rhythm. That was when he saw it - an Orc near three times the size of any elf, as if bred between Orc and Giant. It was fully armored and carrying what looked like a leg bone of a great dragon. It charged toward the elven ranks, the spell of grease long since dissipated, the Aegis knew the impact of this charging beast might break their ranks allowing the other Orcs to flood through.
"Arch...." he began to scream but before he could a great explosion of light rained down upon the far bank causing the elves to turn away, shielding their sensitive eyes. When the Aegis turned back, the large Orc staggered around aimlessly, swinging its large mace in every direction. "It's blind, kill it!" the Aegis turned hearing the voice of the Priestess standing behind him as she stood there still caressing her wounds gently and feebly. It took him a moment to realize what had happened. She had cast a divine spell to blind the beast and now it lay defenseless before them.
"Archers!" the Aegis said still looking in astonishment at the Priestess. "Fire!" he finished as the elven archers let loose a volley that would have killed a stampeding Drake. It took two more, before the large half Orc, half Giant beast lay dying but when it was done, the row of Orcs upon the ridgeline had disappeared and their drums silenced.
It was up to the others now he knew. The Orcs always broke ranks, before continuing on their charge until the last of them are dead, or their Chieftain. "Form ranks!" the Aegis called out as the elves, tired but victorious for the moment consolidated once more. "May your blades strike true Cor'vil......" the Aegis said to himself as he counted what was left of the arrows in his quiver..........
((This story is entirely taken from IG. While somewhat embellished, the entirety of this event might be substantiated by a DM
))
