Orcish Warcamp (WGJ)

[Deus Mortus]

((The usual rules apply, I r teh godmodding dm))

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel smiles as he and his troops march into the area. Been a while since I've lead troops in battle... It was one of the many things that he missed from his old life.

He surveys the area. A marksman stands on his left side, and a swordsman on his right. He had designated both as leaders of ther respective squads. Directly behind Nathaniel stand the rest of the swordsmen, who stood side by side in two rows. A short distance behind the swordsmen, the marksmen stand in similar formation.

[Deus Mortus]

In front of you is a large encampment, it's walls are made from wood and the backside is protected by the mountain, there is a large gate in front made of metal and guard towers are on the walls.

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel considers the encampment before him. He thinks for a few moments, then says a few words to the marksmen sergeant.

The marksman leader goes to the other marksmen, pointing at one, then another and saying, "You, and you, go do some scouting work. Look for any smaller encampments, how many watches and patrols, and so forth."

The chosen marksmen run off to do their task.

[Deus Mortus]

There are three small encampments, they are there to cut wood for building and two villages with crops and livestock, there are 12 patrols of 4 orcs walking the woodlands and each encampment is constantly watched by three groups of 5 orcs in shifts, the main camp has a constant watch of atleast 50 orcs when shifts come around and normally 100 orcs.

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel considers his options as the marksmen sergeant reports what the scouts said. This was going to be difficult. Thirty men, and he had to take an encampment that had 100 orcs on watch. He'd have to start with the smaller encampments, see if he could recruit a few orcs.

But first, they would try and get one or two of those patrols.

Nathaniel turns to the marksmen sergeant. "Did your scouts figure out the patrol routes?"

[Deus Mortus]

"They appear to be random, sir"

[Warpfire]

"I see. Alright, we're moving out." Nathaniel heads for a stretch of woodland, attempting to keep from being noticed, that seems like it might be likely for the orcs to patrol through. It isn't in easy sight of any of the encampments.

[Deus Mortus]

You make it to the bushes without problems.

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel looks to his two sergeants. "Have everyone hide. They are to stay out of sight and make no noise until I give the word. When I do, they are to come and stand in formation behind me." The sergeants nod and head off to go about the business of directing the troops.

Nathaniel remains standing in plain sight, waiting for a patrol to catch sight of him and investigate.

[Deus Mortus]

After a while, two patrols see Nathaniel and start walking towards him.

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel just stands there, waiting for them to come closer.

[Deus Mortus]

The orcs stop a few feet in front of Nathaniel, huddle a bit and then push one of the smaller orcs forward, the orc approaches Nathaniel, What you doing here hoo-man? The two patrols are mostly normal orcs, but a few seem way to large to be normal orcs.

[Warpfire]

"Now, what I am doing here doesn't matter. What matters is what I can do for you." Nathaniel grins. "How would you all like to join the Warrior's Guild? I can assure you we pay well. Far better than anything your warlord can offer."

[Deus Mortus]

The orc looks surprised, We not get paid, we serve Thump because he say "You join me or me kick in your head".

[Warpfire]

"There you have it! In the Warrior's Guild, not only will you get paid with gold instead of threats, but you'll have a guaranteed safe place to stay."

[Deus Mortus]

The orc seems confused, But then Thump kick head in, me not like that.

[Warpfire]

"As long as you are with us, Thump will not be able to kick your head in."

[Deus Mortus]

Thump have very big boots...

[Warpfire]

"Well, then, there's also the fact that Thump, who I assume is your warlord, is not going to be alive much longer."

[Deus Mortus]

Thump not warlord, Ogg warlord, Ogg even bigger boots.

[Warpfire]

"Well, both are going to be dead soon. The Warrior's Guild has been hired to kill Ogg. That's what I'm here to do."

[Deus Mortus]

The orc laughs nervously, You can't kill Ogg, you not have big enough boots.

[Warpfire]

"Yes, but I'm not the only one coming to kill Ogg. I've brought some friends from the Warrior's Guild with me. With your help, we can kill Ogg."

[Deus Mortus]

The orc frowns, Me need talk to other orcs first.

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel nods. "Go ahead."

[Deus Mortus]

The orc runs back to the others and they converse for a while, then the orc comes back, We not help you now, but we not stop you either, when you kill Ogg, we join, if Ogg kill you, we never met.

[Warpfire]

"Alright, then...so where will you go now?"

[Deus Mortus]

The orc shrugs, We continue patrols.

[Warpfire]

"And you won't alert anyone of our presence?"

[Deus Mortus]

Only if someone with big boots tells us too.

[Warpfire]

"You're saying that if some with 'big boots' asks you if there's anyone out there, you'll tell them about me?"

[Deus Mortus]

If someone with big boots tells me, you tell that you saw enemy or me kick in your head, I tell.

[Warpfire]

"But if he says, tell me what you saw on patrol or I'll kick you in the head, would you tell him about me?"

[Deus Mortus]

No, unless he Ogg, Ogg can read brain, me not know how to read, but he read really good!

[Warpfire]

"Ogg can read brains?" Nathaniel pauses for a moment. Very interesting. "Does he have any other such powers?"

[Deus Mortus]

Ogg can do anything!

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel holds back frustration and keeps his composure. "But what kind of magical things can he do? You know, things like reading brains?" It could be a lie spread to keep the troops in line...

[Deus Mortus]

The orc shrugs, Anything, Ogg really strong and smart.

[Warpfire]

Probably just an exaggeration, then. "Alright, then. I have no more questions for you. You may go." Suddenly, Nathaniel shouts, "Troops, assemble!" The troops hurry out of their hiding places and assemble in formation behind. The sergeants stand with their squads. "But if you betray me, I swear I will hunt you down and kill you. Even if Ogg kills me, I will claw my way out of Hell to find and end you. Understood?"

[Deus Mortus]

The orc is shaken by the sudden arrival of the troops and nods with fear in his eyes. Me won't betray, me even tell other patrols to do same as me.

[Warpfire]

"Good." Nathaniel smiles with satisfaction. "One final thing: when I attack the main encampment, I'm going to shout, 'For Anglarctur!'. That will be your signal for you and the rest of the patrols to get the Hell out of the area. My troops won't be able to tell which orcs to shoot and which not, you understand?"

[Deus Mortus]

Yes me understand, me tell others, they listen to me, me am loo-ten-ant!

[Warpfire]

"And tell them what happens to those who double-cross me. Now, go."

[Deus Mortus]

Yes, me go now! The orc quickly scurries away, his companions following him.

[Warpfire]

Well, that turned out much better than I expected. That's all the patrols down...though there's still the problem of getting enough soldiers to take this place. He considered the situation. Even if he got every single orc in the small encampments to fight for him, that be only 45 more troops, to a total of 75. Facing both superior numbers and fortifications, the battle would prove nearly impossible.

Nathaniel decides that for the moment, he'll just start working on the encampments and burn that bridge when he came to it. They head for the lumber encampment, again trying to stay out of sight.

[Deus Mortus]

You reach it with minimal difficulty, the lumber camp is filled with not only orcs, but also golems cutting down trees and readying them for use.

[Warpfire]

"Golems...very interesting. Sergeant, have a couple marksmen see of they can scout out the camp a little more closely. See if they can find the caster who made those golems, what type of golems they are, and numbers."

"Yes, sir." The sergeant says a few words to a couple marksmen, and the marksmen hurry off to do their mission.

[Deus Mortus]

After a while they come back, "They seem to be controlled by an orc, but he is using an item to do so, a large glowing crystal."

[Warpfire]

"I see. Does he look like a shaman using an item to enhance his powers, or just a normal orc with a magic item?"

[Deus Mortus]

"He seems to be wearing some better clothes, but nothing notes him as having more power then the others, though the men are no experts on this."

[Warpfire]

"What exactly do the golems look like? The typical humanoid construct of earth? And did the scouts get how many of them there are?"

[Deus Mortus]

"About 30 and they seem to made from metal, they don't look like Iron Golems, the metal is different"

[Warpfire]

"I see." An idea comes to Nathaniel. "Is the orc using the item constantly wielding it, or does he set it down ever?"

[Deus Mortus]

"He constantly wields it, but we haven't watched him all day, so we can't be sure, sir, permission to speak freely?"

[Warpfire]

"Go ahead."

[Deus Mortus]

"Why not walk in with a white flag, you and 5 of our more bigger men with the archers covering you from the trees, we want to recruit them anyway and if anything goes wrong, one arrow in the head of the shaman will solve most of our problems"

[Warpfire]

"That's true...none of the other ocs will know how to use the item, in any case. Good idea. We'll be following your plan." He turns to the swordsmen sergeant.

"Find your five most intimidating-looking men, and send them to me. I'll go in there with them. I want the swordsmen ready to charge into the camp at a moment's notice." Turning back to the marksmen sergeant, he says, "I want at least five of your troops aiming at the shaman at all times. But try and be a bit discrete."

[Deus Mortus]

The men nod, the marksmen scurry to the tree line, 5 large men in intimidating fullplate march up and the rest of the swordsman run for the bushes.

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel takes up a white flag from somewhere, holding it high above his head. "Let's go."

He heads towards the encampment, keeping the flag in plain view the whole time.

[Deus Mortus]

The orc with the crystal notices you and immediately the golems stop working, they aren't attacking, but they are clearly ready to shed you to pieces and looking how they are build, they might be able to do that.

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel reaches the camp and stops walking. "Greetings."

[Deus Mortus]

The orc frowns, Who you be, hoo-man?

[Warpfire]

"My name is Nathaniel. Nathaniel Coffyn."

[Deus Mortus]

And why you be here?

[Warpfire]

"To offer you a job."

[Deus Mortus]

Me already have job.

[Warpfire]

"Ah, but I can offer you a better job. How much do you get paid, right now?"

[Deus Mortus]

Me not get paid and me have good job, me shaman, me respected, this good job.

[Warpfire]

"Yes, but if you work for me, you will be respected and paid." Nathaniel grins, though it is unlikely the shaman can see it through Nathaniel's face-obscuring helmet. "I've come here representing the Warrior's Guild. Join the Guild, and you will be paid such riches and loot as you have never imagined. And, a shaman of your power would surely earn respect fast in the Guild. All this can be yours, if you and your fellows will join me."

[Deus Mortus]

But warriors guild, Warriors guild not orc guild...

[Warpfire]

"And?"

((The portion of the message in parentheses has no purpose.))

[Deus Mortus]

Good orc only work with other orc, not hoo-mans.

[Warpfire]

"But why? What's the point of working with other orcs, when you can gain so much by working with humans?"

[Deus Mortus]

Because that be what good orc do.

[Warpfire]

"What about the rest of you?" Nathaniel shouts to the other orcs. "What do you think of losing the oppurtunity for so much loot and profit, just to be 'good orcs'?"

[Deus Mortus]

They start to mumble to each other when the shaman shouts, ENOUGH, we good orcs and you hoo-man, me go kill you now! A split second later there is an arrow embedded neatly between his eyes.

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel clears his throat and continues without missing a beat. "So what do you all think of joining the Warrior's Guild, now that there is no one to interrupt you?"