The Clearing (Location E)

[Max Dirks]

The clearing is well hidden in the bottom right hand corner of the map. It has the quickest path to the middle forest from any of the other locations. However, it is the easiest to attack. Generals would be wise to use speed to their advantage if they begin in this location.

This is Bleater's starting location.

The tournament will begin when 6 threads have been posted in this subforum. Good Luck!

[Bleater]

Sssikstangi, Falannkku 17, 1803 CP
Two Weeks Ago.

William walked along the cobblestone streets of Ettermire, clutching his leather satchel under his left forehoof. He looked along the streets at the bland buildings of shale, rust colored stains rimming their edges. Everywhere in the city was the faint but unpleasant smell of steam, that smell like old wet paper hanging in the air. He looked around a bit, cautious of every drow he passed. It had just been two days ago that he had gotten in from a job in the city when he had noticed something was wrong in his flat. His cigar box was left open- something he was surely never to do on his own- and upon inspection, he noticed a faint outline where the end table had been moved slightly, the previous standing place for the legs having left dustless rings in their former home, amid an otherwise dirty part of the floor. He was certain that someone had been in, and someone had gone through his belongings. It was in a panic that day that he had run and pulled up a loose floorboard and had breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the plans for the Iron Butterfly safely tucked away in their hiding spot. Even if he had evaded suspicion before, working on a project like trying to design an airship without the approval of the government was- to say the least- not something you wanted to come to the attention of people in power. Ever since, William had kept the plans with him, and he tightened his grip on the satchel at his side tenuously. It was just then that he looked up and saw two figures; they were dark elves dressed in official Aleraran government garb, and they had locked eyes with them. Swallowing hard, he felt all four of his stomachs rise as they approached.

"William Steinbock? Herzog Kresk would like to speak with you."

An hour later, William found himself in the plush office of the Herzog, the smell of pine oil permeating the air from the freshly polished furniture. The Aleraran official paced behind his desk, his stringy white hair cascading behind him. He looked preturbed but said nothing, instead pacing behind his desk with his hands clasped dutifully behind his back. It was not unlike their first meeting, when the drow official had questioned him about his travels in the Mountains of Twilight. William had managed to innocently pass off the events, but knew he would be under suspicion. Being in the office meant that William had surely been found out.

How did they ever find out though?

The drow looked from the corner of his eye at the capran sitting nervously opposite his desk, scanning his face as if trying to decipher a puzzle. He turned and finally broke the silence, placing both hands firmly on the desk.

"Well, it seems you managed to pull the proverbial wool over my eyes the last time we talked, didn't you?" the official said in a harsh, gutteral tone. William dipped his head slightly, staring at the ornate rug at his feet.

"I don't know how you managed to stay in Alerar as long as you have and avoid detection, but your ruse is up, Raiearan."

Bollocks! He does know.

The dark elf sat in his massive mahogany chair, folding his hands estutely in his lap.

"Now, the only question is what we're going to do about this. And I think I may just have something in mind..."

The drow flashed a yellow toothed grin like the devil himself, and deep inside, William felt fear rise in ways he never has before.

~~~~~~~~

Droitangi, Falannkku 31, 1803 CP
Present Day - 7:17am

William paces along in front of the wall of bodies in front of him, the sick feeling of self-loathing hanging like a bitter flavor on the back of his tongue. It coats his throat and still does nothing for the dryness that has risen during his speech. He squints in the morning sun to look out at the teeming masses of dark skinned faces, each looking as blank as the clay and rock faces of the automatons behind them. His lips part and his dark tongue rakes across them quickly, before he continues.

"...and we will use this opportunity to the fullest. Each of you has this one singular goal to hold onto in the battlefield. And that is not some outdated ideal of courage, some facade of the necessity of victory. I say, your people, your country demands something far greater of you gents on this day. On this day, you lot will show the rest of the world the true spirit of Alerar."

Stepping forward on the front row of the men, he puffs up his chest and takes in a deep breath as he sees white eyes look up at him intently.

"No longer will we be seen as the discarded children of Althanas, abandoned and consigned to live in shame. We are not a rejected society, living as savages in the fringes of our society. Today, we will rise up high and show any who dare step before us.... we are mighty..."

He raises one hoof in the air like a fist, drawing upward glances from the men, finally showing emotion. They eagerly hang on his words as he chokes them out from amid the bitter taste and dry throat.

"...we are ALERAR. And we are claiming, the birthright that has been stolen from us by the rest of the world!

The men nod sternly in agreement, solemn looks of men ready; truly ready not just to fight, but ready for war. From behind William, the soft patter of hooves tap the ground as Corporal Krykbirr comes to his side.

"Alright men, ONWARD!"

Suddenly, in unison there is a shout from hundreds of drow and dwarven voices.

"HOO!"

The three leaders stand at the head as the men begin moving in formation. The Corporal points just behind them at a break in the clearing where two massive airships await, their propellers spinning gently in preparation for takeoff.

"First Striker company, you will board the first airship. Swarm Company, you will join the Phalanx Division and the Field Medics on the second airship. Wall Company, you will be on foot, leading the Behemoth Divison." the stern voice of the Drow officer commands as the men begin moving as he instructed.

Behind him, Captain Lashgiver steps up and addresses him men, his flowing beard flicking across his chest as he speaks quickly with his gruff voice.

"Eyes and Ears Company, listen up. You boys will be going west of here..." he points towards the rising mountain in the distance. "...towards the mountain pass. It will be a tougher trip, but there are few of you and your horses are renowned for their performance. I have no doubt you should be able to use both to your advantage to reach the Mountain Top as quickly as possible. There, you are to use your strategic vantage to try to discern any enemy troop movements, as well as any threats we may encounter in the Middle Forest. If you see anything, make haste and alert us. You lads are going to very literally going live up to your company's name.

The ten scouts nod at the Captain, mounting their horses quickly and rising off towards the mountain breaking the western horizon. Masses of soldiers begin boarding the airships as the Wall Company stand firmly, their massive shields held in front of their chest as they prepare for the march. William glances over the blank expressions of the Behemoth Division troops, staring at the soulless beings of magic and machinery uneasily.

"What about the Behemoth Division, Shalacius?" Asks the dwarven captain. The stately drow looks over the beings much as William does. "Do we move them as a troop division, or shall we assemble the Behemoth?"

Looking thoughtfully, the drow shakes his head negatively and steers his horse to turn. "Let them march as the men. While the Behemoth is an awesome and mighty thing to behold, it is best not to let our greatest weapon be known until we know exactly what we're up against. The airships and the scouts should give us adequate notice of any threats, and we'll decide- using that knowledge- when to employ the Behemoth."

Steering his warhorse around, he trots it over to William and looks down with disgust, leaning down to him and speaking firmly but softly.

"Good speech. If I already didn't know the truth about you, I'd have almost thought it genuine."

Eyes and Ears Division moving to Mountain Top.
The units boarding airships will not have fully boarded and gotten in the air until my next post. Until then, all members of the army other than the Eyes and Ears Company are holding at The Clearing

[Bleater]

Su'acotangi, Falannkku 19, 1803 CP
12 Days Ago.

William breathed heavily; his lung filled with fire with every inhale. The formidable frame of Evanthor Lashgiver stood over him with a pair of beefy arms folded across his chest and a deep scowl pulling his face down. He stared at the capran, who in turn could only stare at the slick and grimy cobblestone floor beneath him as he hauched low on all fours. The room they were in was a cell on it's most charming days, and the embodiment of hell on its worst. And when Evanthor was in the room, it was most assuredly one of the worst. There was a loud iron clanking and a groan of the heavy door creaking open behind the dwarf, but even then William couldn't bring his head up to look in the direction of the sound. He could already tell who it was anyways; Herzog Kresk's neatly polished boots made a distinct click with every step he took.

"Well, Mr. Lashgiver, have we made any progress?" the drow said, staring intently at the broken being kneeling before them, the last letters of his sentence lingering with a faint hissing sound.

The dwarf continued to stare at the prisoner in front of him, giving a grunt of contempt. "He's told us everything, councilman. I've seen the best spies in the world face my tactics, and none have ever been able to withstand them. Believe me when I say: after two days with me, I know everything that he knows. His story- as inconvenient as it is- happens to be true."

This is it, old boy. This is the end. They got it all out of you, and the next stop is the chopping block.

The dark elf brushed his long, stringy hair from his face as a similar scowl to the dwarf's arose. Pacing forward with faint clicking echoing from his boots, he stopped on the slimy green stones that William's eyes were affixed on. The Herzog crouched down, reaching a hand to grip underneath the goat's muzzle and pull it up, looking into his yellow eyes.

"Well, then it seems you'd got us at a disadvantageous position," the elf said wryly. "See, with what you say being true, and your arrival and subsequent tenure in Alerar being a matter of coincidence, then that would make you a political prisoner. Now, while we could very well kill you... doing so could be risky."

The elf trailed off and released his grip to send William's head dropping back down with fatigue, his eyes locked onto the grimy stones once more. The dwarf behind him snorted, arms locked over his chest as he spoke up.

"Indeed, risky..."

"Afterall, if by some rare chance word of it got out, well, we'd certainly look bad." The Elf continued. "Executing a political prisoner would certainly not appease our Salvic allies, nor would it make the neutral nations think very highly of us. And we can't have that; our war is as muc a diplomatic machine as a military one. And we are far to civilized to allow ourselves to look like barbarians."

"And that just won't do..." chimed in the dwarf.

Hmph. Civilized? Why don't you have sat in here and seen what's happened the last two days and even try to say that to me with a straight face, you drow bastard.

The drow official paced the cell floor, looking up from the prisoner.

"So, we've decided to pursue a different option. One that allows us to save face, and may very well give you a chance not only to live... but to make a life for yourself that's worth having."

Between heavy, labored breaths, William eeked out a few sparse words.

"I'm... listening..."

Turning at hearing the words, the dark elf looked at him with a smile that reeked of cunning and malice. Nodding towards Evanthor, he then turned and strode towards the door.

"Get him up, bring him to my office. We'll discuss the Gisela there..."

~~~~~~~~
Droitangi, Falannkku 31, 1803 CP
Present Day - 8:24am

Overhead, the whirring of the airship blades begins growing fainter as they draw higher and higher off the ground. Both Corporal Krykbirr and William stare upward at the transports, them hauling the brunt of the troop force aboard, as well as Captain Lashgiver. Steering his horse around, the drow officer looks over the hundred dark elvan soldiers still on the ground. They were a row of tall, shiny shields with Aleraran military garb poking out from the spaces between them, their spears pointed upward in a row like a deadly fence. Still behind them stood wave after wave of iron, stone, and clay shaped like large humanoid soldiers. With a stern voice, the corporal commanded the men.

"Wall Company, Behemoth Division! We will begin making our way now along the trade road to the Middle Forest. Pace yourselves, but keep up and keep mobile. I want us to reach the central section by midday. Let's move out!"

There begins an almost deafening cacaphony of footsteps, all marching in unison as the men and automatons alike march down the smooth dirt path. They stand shoulder-to-shoulder five across, a faint drift of dust kicking behind each row wiith each step. The corporal steers his horse alongside the flank, trotting slowly beside the massive waves of soldiers padding down the path. Rushing to keep up, William comes alongside Shalacius, looking up at him.

"So what exactly is the plan here?"

Not even looking at him, the elf reaches beside his saddle, flipping open a saddle bag clasp. From it, he pulls a rolled parchment, tossing it like a baton down to the capran, who fubles it in his fingerless hooves but nonetheless manages to catch it. Pinching the edges between the cleft in his hooves, he unrolls the parchment to see a map of the region printed on it.

"We've approached from the southeast and reached the Clearing. Now, we're not sure where the opposition forces will be; however we do know that there are some geographic features we can use to our advantage." The drow explains snidely.

"Like the river which longitudinally bisects the forest?"

With a surprised look, the dark elf actually acknowledges William by gazing at him from atop his mount.

"Yes. The river runs west-to-east. You'll notice in the central section, there is a single large bridge across it. It would seem like it is the only place to cross the river with any sort of large group. If we can hold the southern edge of the bridge, then we bottleneck anyone trying to approach us from the northern half of the map to that one point."

"And so we'd only have to worry about the southern half of the map..."

The dark elf nods, his nose scrunching a bit as he continues to look down at William.

"Exactly. We'd cut off half the map, and then would only have to worry about the other half. And with any luck, the Eyes and Ears Company will be able to get an adequate position in the mountains to keep an eye out for the southern half, which means we'd be prepared and protected from both sides."

William nods with understanding as the corporal looks again across the blank faces of the automatons, who now march beside the pair. Taking a deep and prideful breath, the officer spurs a slightly faster trot, advancing towards the front of the troop movement.

"For now, it's just a matter of reaching- and securing- that bridge first..."

William keeps the slower pace, not wanting to tire himself out during the forced march. He may be a goat, but he's also a scholar, not a soldier. And as he lets the officer move ahead, ha stays along the flank, occasionally glancing up at the two large airships flying above the troops.

Remaining troops moving to Middle Forest (Location B)