A Gathering of Forces

[Firesong]

Haegrath had quickly figured out that the plans would not work to his detriment in any way, and so he quickly stalked off into the darkness. Not to return to Zaekonspiere, because there was no time for that, but to raid one of his nearby caves and bring the wealth forth. The chest he selected was filled completely with wealth in its various forms... he had been collecting long enough. It contained some weaponry, but rings, brooches, and valuables made up the vast majority. A few gemstones were scattered throughout, although a number of coins also could be found when searched for. An impressive collection.

Even more impressive, however, was the fact that the troll could lift the reinforced iron chest with all its contents. He hadn't become chief for nothing, and his physical prowess was taxed as he lifted the weight from the ground, grunting slightly as he did so. Sniffing, however, he caught a scent of something he recognized, and called out.

"Hesel! Send your messanger back to Zaekonspiere. Have him summon Haegrath's guard. Time for a fight. And you, come with me. Bring one of the smaller chests. We have meeting with woman warrior, who brings forces to fight knights with fire and maces; we pay with shiny treasures."

The six-foot-tall half-gnome and half-Haegrath's-brother stepped out from the shadows. "Welcome, brother-chief," he said in a slightly taunting fashion which was lost on the ruler. He then motioned at another small trollkin - not as wrinkled as Hesel, and slightly broader - who had apparently heard the exchange, for he dashed from the cave.

The troll and the half-troll, between them carrying considerable wealth, came forth from the cave and sought out the place that the meeting had been arranged for. It didn't take too long. With an enormous thud, Haegrath let the chest fall to the ground, and the birds which had fallen silent at the troll's approach fled the quivering trees.

[Shadowsong]

(NPC POST)

Well this was a pleasant surprise, thought Uk-thak, he had been quite prepared to use his own hoard to pay for the mercenary's services. Haegrath's generosity on this count was noted. Not that Uk-thak would protest someone else footing the bill.

Most impressive, would be the army that could be raised with such treasure. The mutant troll-kin looked forward to fighting with such a force beside him.

Uk-thak had stayed a respectful distance from the cave. He was glad to carry loot but he understood full well the jealousy over personal wealth hoards. His long axe was shouldered. They waited for the meeting. Uk-thak scouted the general area, not out of mistrust, since Ardise had always been reliable in the past, but habit more than anything else.

Dusk loomed across the horizon, and the light grew dim. No real inconvenience to trolls, but perhaps more so to the humans meeting them. This was demonstrated by the burning torches heading towards their position.

It was a small party, around twenty by casual estimation. They bore long spears and stout shields, although many had shouldered their spears in the dark to carry the brands to see by.

At their head was a woman on horseback, with amber armour and long hair of indeterminate hue, somewhere between red and blond. The orange glow of the torchlight didn't help distinguish the matter. She was probably a fine sight, pleasant to look at but deviated from human standards of "beauty."

They approached the clearing as one, then the leader rode forth. She was well armed and armoured, with a long-handled axe at her side and a domed shield on her arm.

Her men kept a discreet distance, they also kept their torches. And the woman was not being let out of their sight.

'So you have friends for me to meet,' the woman smiled to Uk-thak, then turned to address the great troll and the less freakish half-troll. 'Greetings, I am Ardise. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting and to what do I owe the pleasure?'

She inclined her head in a respectful, but casual, bow. Being in close proximity the three troll-folk did not seem to intimidate her in the slightest.

[Firesong]

Haegrath stepped forwards slightly. "Haegrath of Zaekonspiere requested a meeting," the troll ruler says. "Haegrath wishes to protect other trolls from knights. A group of knights with fire and maces have attacked, equipped to fight trolls. We pay you to kill knights. Haegrath and own guard will assist."

This was a curious human. Most other people would either have fled, fainted, or attacked him by now, and she seemed completely unfazed. Probably the woman to do this job. "Treasure for pay is nearby, if you accept."

[Shadowsong]

Even on horseback, she had to look up to address Haegrath as she considered his words.

Mention of treasure lit up her eyes, but her expression remained impassive and professional.

'Since you have approached me for this, I expect this to be no small undertaking.' Ardise mused.

'Knights, so on horseback then? Spears and archers would work best. If I organise my forces right, the knights will not expect us to be fighting for your trolls, and we can do major damage from surprise.' A small secret she cared to share. The giant Haegrath seemed intelligent, suspisciously so, to the point that they were talking like equals. The little secret she shared was but a subtle demonstration of her credentials, and the use she could be.

'I'll need to know more about these knights. Near Zaekonspiere? A lord's knights or an independant order? Any heraldry seen would be helpful.'

'The maces are for breaking skulls. Destroy the brain and the troll doesn't regnerate. Fire is obvious, what interests me is how they use the fire. Hay lines? Tar bombs? Rolling balls of hay set alight?'

Most of the technical language would be lost on the trolls, but on the last one Uk-thak's eyes showed recognition. 'Also fiery swords and lances.' grumbled the deformed creature.

'Griori.' Ardise hissed. Beneath her impassive facade, there was the subtle sign of fear in that realisation.

Mastering her self-control immediately, Ardise continued. 'My final question. How much of that treasure are you willing to part with right now? It would help to raise our army.'

The Knights Griori, this would be far harder than she had expected, this was something that she feared.

[Firesong]

"Uk-thak has brought news of the knights," Haegrath replied. "Haegrath knows only what he was told, but throwing-fire from catapults seems most dangerous, if they use it. If not dangerous, trolls would kill them all."

This woman had a military mind. Like Haegrath, although he was somewhat suspicious that, like Hesel, the head of the mercenaries was likely to have a somewhat broader intelligence. He wasn't through with his own ideas yet, though. Hesel bent his head, scribbling notes on a sheet of what looked like the dead hide of some wild animal. Why he did that when he could quite easily have had paper, Haegrath wasn't sure.

The half-troll glanced up briefly at the word Griori. "You know of them, then?" he questioned. "I am Hesel, advisor. You don't seem eager to fight them. What information have you to share?"

The ruler paused to listen to the answer, then asked, "Is half acceptable?" He pulled the massive chest out from behind the tree and set it down with a thud, then through it open. "Half of this, and half of the one Hesel uses now as a chair. The rest when this is finished." Another brief pause as he listened to the answer, and contemplated his own plans for ambushes and snares.

[Shadowsong]

Ardise listened intently to Haegrath without emotion. It seemed that Haegrath had only guesses to work with.

'Dangerous, yes. But fire catapults would be awkward to move. I suspect these would play a limited part in their strategy, although I could easily see the Griori having ready-to-assemble engines prepared for this campaign.'

Then the scribbling half-troll spoke. He seemed more alert, and had picked up on the mention of Griori. Well, she was asked what information she had to share.

'They are powerful fighters, definately the equal to a troll.' She held eye-contact when saying this, waiting for one of the trolls to argue with that. 'They are very difficult to harm, and use blessings to aid themselves in combat. That is why the flaming swords and lances.'

'Do not underestimate them. They know much of warfare, and will use everything they know to their advantage. Do not let them prepare before battle.'

Witnessing the open chest with glee, Ardise smiled. 'Half is fine.' she didn't even try to haggle, a sign of the fortune laid out before her. 'I will get to work raising troops immediately.'

There was surely more to be asked, so she waited for the reply.

[Firesong]

Haegrath scratched his gnarled elbow idly has he considered this new information. The trolls weren't the best thinkers, and they most likely wouldn't do well against the knights if the knights were indeed the equal of a troll. He doubted that - well, there wasn't much that was a match for him, given his own quirks - but he didn't want to lose many trolls.

So, make sure they didn't have time to prepare. Humans slept at night, but they were also aware that trolls woke up at night. Either dawn or dusk, then, would likely be the best time for an attack. He'd lay some more specific plans once he had a layout of the camp scouted.

"You say blessings. Griori use magic on their weapons to make them burn? Not burning pitch?" He should have guessed. Real fire hurt all, and they would not burn their own weapons. Even metal weakened. The fire could become unpredictable as he approached, but who knew whether it would be beneficial or harmful?

"What kinds of armour they use?" he queried. Arms and combat tactics were his specialty, and empire building was getting up there. The more information he had regarding their arms, the better. "What tactics do they use?"

[Shadowsong]

She could see him thinking. And it was an uncommon sight with trolls.

It occured to her that the troll lord had not said anything to acknowledge her acceptance of the advance payment. She wanted him to actually say it, but kept quiet because she did not wish to betray her eagerness and reveal how good a deal she was actually getting here.

Although what other use would the troll have for it?

'Yes, blessings.' admitted Ardise, uncomfortably. Magic was never her favourite subject. In part because was thusfar unable to use it. She had spent her life studying the rules of warfare, rules often changed, or outright erased, when magic became involved. 'The Knights Griori ignite their weapons through magic, though will use pitch and other fires as well on the battlefield. They have healing magic to recover in combat much like your trolls. Finally, blows struck against the Griori seem to strike with less force than they should.'

'Armour.' she echoed, 'Most often plate. Like mine only more of it, with extra plates to cover the joints. There will be Esquires in lighter armour such as chain-mail, though not as thick as that worn by Uk-thak.' she nodded in his direction as she said so, conscious that the deformed half-troll had fallen silent during this conversation. 'I will make sure to bring crossbowmen. Blunt weapons are the best way to defeat their armour. Your flail will be perfect, if you can arm your other trolls with sufficiently large maces, you should do well against them.'

Continueing further, 'Usual tactics are to charge from horseback with long lances, making the most of the reach. Normally they use the bulk of their mounts to overpower foes and trap them in close combat, but I don't think that will happen against trolls.'

'Mostly though, the Knights Griori vary their tactics to their opponent. Against trolls I would normally suggest opening up with throwing fire and burning arrows on an area, then using lances against any trolls escaping the area. They will use ambushes and set traps if given chance. They will constantly attempt to shift the battlefield to terms favouring them.'

[Firesong]

"Are horses important to Griori, then?" The leader's eyes narrow, calculating. "Without the horses, what would they do?" It's an idea worth pursuing. Trolls can carry what armour they wear easily, but for some others, their armour would be a severe hinderance if they were forced to bear its weight.

The weapons don't seem to be much of a problem. "About arming trolls," he continues, "Trolls like big weapons. Not hard to arm. Griori like most people? They avoid attacking in darkness?" It takes people time to don their armour. And things could be over by then, if things go well... how long?

[Shadowsong]

"Without the horses, what would they do?" It's an idea worth pursuing.

'Walk.' answered the mercenary, seemingly unaware that this was a rhetorical question.

'The horses give them greater mobility. And their lances work best when mounted. On foot they will have fewer weapons that would give them the reach of your trolls.' She said nothing of the difficulties of moving in armour, it just didn't occur to her the same way as the troll had thought of it.

'The Griori do not shy away from dark places.' admitted Ardise ruefully, 'Yet daylight is their natural hour. They will avoid fighting in the dark if they can, but often bring light with them. Their flaming weapons themselves would be enough light to fight by.'

Reading the questions, a pattern began to emerge. 'You have a strategy in mind already? Let's hear it.'

[Firesong]

"If the horses are anything like normal, they fear trolls. If not ridden, they run when we come. Horses are food. In the night, release the horses, or kill them. Your people do this. Horses make less noise. Maybe you ride them." He shrugs. "Without horses, armour make them slow. Make some traps, ambushes, hit them. If alone, hide. If they come in groups, run. You have crossbows, or strong bows?"

It's a fairly complex plan for a troll, anyways. "How would you fare against them in hand to hand? Any other plans?" He blinked and waited for the mercenary to speak. He might come up with something else eventually, but for now, that was the extent of his thought.

[Shadowsong]

She nodded slowly, 'Excellent.' she said. the idea of traps appealed to her greatly. A few good bear traps could be used to lame horses en masse, which would do much to steal the thunder from the Knights Griori.

'We have crossbows.' she admitted. 'We could gather bows as well, but we will need crossbows to pierce their armour. Whatever force protects the Knights Griori will stop lesser weapons from piercing their armour.'

Then his next question. 'Me? Or my men?' There being a very large difference. 'The troops? Not well. I will be bringing so many men with the knowledge that I will only have to pay the survivors. Close combat is exactly where they excell.'

'Me personally. I can outfight them, but don't expect me to be challenging them in any real numbers. Other than that, I like your strategy best. We will have to plan more depending on who is leading them. Their horses will be very loyal though, they will need killing.'

She lifted her axe in a crisp salute. 'You have convinced me, Haegrath of Zaekonspiere. Allow me to make preparations, and my forces are at your command.'

[Firesong]

"Of course." The troll commander inclined his head in acknowledgement; a bow might have been attempted, but is appeared that in such a case, his immense weight might have overbalanced him. It wouldn't have been elegant, anyways.

A pity the hooves of horses were so small, otherwise the horses might have been further impeded; as it was, they would mostly have ended up in the feet of his own soldiers; not that it would have affected them very much. Troll hide is very thick.

"Do you have any information on their leader?" His eyes glinted curiously. "Or could you get? My best trolls on the way. Haegrath will meet you closer to the area we will fight."

[Shadowsong]

'I can get the information nearer the time. And nearer there. Griori do not tend towards subtlety. I will do the research as I gather troops.'

With that, she bowed in the saddle, and backed her horse off. It began to turn, as Ardise kept her eyes on the troll lord, awaiting for any objection to her departure.

[Firesong]

The troll nodded once again and watched as Ardise backed off, a slight grin on his face. "No need to face Haegrath while leaving. Haegrath not yet king," he stated. Apparently, human politics had made some impression on him. With that and her departure, he too turned and began walking away. He then turns again and glances at her. "You want trolls to bring treasure for you? Or you come back for treasure?" He gestures at a small group of half-trolls Hesel has managed to call from somewhere; they're not muscular as trolls go, but the group of them should be able to lift the chest. "They listen to you until the treasure is where you want." That said, he turned and actually left, the muffled thud of his footsteps fading in the distance.