BluddGrinn and Drogo held their ground in their secluded positions as the remaining orcs charged across the clearing, snarling their defiance as they relentlessly advanced towards their unknown assailants!

Instinctively the orcs charged towards the end of the clearing and swung their battle axes into the foliage where the 8 Crimson Crusaders were holding their own makeshift line of defense.

Orc #3 swung his battle axe wide over the head of Drogo Tulk;
Drogo Tulk of the Short Swords was momentarily glad that he was much shorter than the wild arc of the swing of the battle axe that passed wide over his head.

He had been almost enthralled by the results of the Entangle Spell that the Shaman had cast over the opening of the clearing and the snarls of the entangled orcs could constantly be heard as their victims struggled to free themselves from the unexpected trap.

Thankfully, none of them were able to loose their cross bows, or at least had not done so up to this point, while Drogo remained crouched behind a fallen tree, watching for the first sign of BluddGrinn making his initial attack.

Drogo was glad that the Barbarian had felled the leader that had charged ahead of the pack and was also thankful that his friend had dispersed some of his Slayer Arrows to the Monk and the Ranger. They had also found their marks and thinned the ranks of the onrushing orcs.

Twice their Slayer Arrows had found their marks and the Barbarian had also dispatched another orc with one of the flame arrows that had mysteriously appeared in a red quiver upon his back, apparently a gift bequeathed by his deity prior to the battle at hand.

The young Halfling Fighter was not able to see all the action that had transpired by the firing of arrows, but he was aware that a couple of other orcs had been struck by the regular missiles fired from the bows of his other companions.

Briefly a few wishful thoughts crossed his mind as he remembered his short bow that he had left behind, but Drogo gripped his twin short shorts and waited for his friend the War Cleric to spring from his hiding place to engage his hated foes in face to face combat.

Drogo had decided that he would not spring into action until the War Cleric had first done so, but when he saw the orc charging toward his hiding place, the young Fighter sensed his muscles tensing and thirsting for the opportunity to dispatch the orc with his twin short swords!

But the young Fighter held steady as he waited for BluddGrinn to spring from his hiding place to confront the charging orcs, but Drogo did not notice the War Cleric budging from his place of seclusion.

All Drogo was aware of were the sounds of battle axes biting into the armors of his nearby companions and the whistling of the battle axe over his head that caused his reflexes to instinctively react against the foe positioned directly in front of him!

It was not so much a dance as a reaction as Drogo Tulk of the Short Swords sprang into action, his twin short swords seeking the vile flesh of his fetid breathed opponent, his twin blades slicing upwards and outwards in a valiant attempt to dispatch the foe who had charged blindly and swung his weapon over the head of the Halfling Fighter who silently vowed that not one of these charging orcs would ever reach Botkinburg alive!

Drogo leaps towards the orc #13 directly in front of him and will make sure his foe is dead before attacking any other orcs that are threatening to break through the line of Crimson Crusaders towards Botkinburg!

It almost seemed like slow motion as the vicious orcs ran across the clearing towards the concealed Crimson Crusaders who had all taken their positions behind the foliage and timber at the far end of the 100 foot by 40 foot clearing.

In their savage fury the orcs were unaware of the 8 ambushers who had literally become the first line of defense for the inhabitants of Botkinburg.

Then Trossach let the arrow fly straight and true, penetrating the base of the lead orc's throat, stopping his sworn enemy dead in his tracks, 35 feet from where BluddGrinn was waiting!

BluddGrinn nodded his approval and held his position without letting any of the charging orcs know that he was waiting patiently to claim their lives.

BluddGrinn and Drogo held their ground in their secluded positions as the remaining orcs charged across the clearing, snarling their defiance as they relentlessly advanced towards their unknown assailants!

Instinctively the orcs charged towards the end of the clearing and swung their battle axes into the foliage where the 8 Crimson Crusaders were holding their own makeshift line of defense.

Orc #5 managed to cut the right arm of BluddGrinn;
Mere moments ago everything seemed to be running in slow motion. BluddGrinn had secured himself a position at the end of the clearing that should prove (at least in his own mind) to be the most advantageous for springing a surprise attack against his hated foes!

Years of combat underneath the Aratock Mountains had honed the battle senses of the War Cleric to such a degree that when he was motivated by the blood lust for battle against his hated foes, BluddGrinn was able to bring it into focus and under control enough to prevent the young War Cleric from hazarding his own life and the lives of his companions unnecessarily.

He had counted upon his Crimson Crusader companions to follow after him, in an attempt to aid the War Cleric in what most likely would have seemed to some of his companions as a reckless move on his part to seek vengeance against his hated foes the orcs.

BluddGrinn was well aware that Drogo Tulk would follow him into the very jaws of death without much of a second thought for his own safety, but the War Cleric must be certain (within his own mind) that his companions would prove to be no less valiant in their efforts once they began exploring the unknown evils hidden away in The Black Tooth Ridge.

The young War Cleric had no doubts about the Barbarian named Trossach. His conclusions soon proved correct as he gripped his Staff of Power in anticipation of springing upon the sub chief that was leading the charge across the clearing.

BluddGrinn was satisfied enough when the Slayer Arrow from Trossach's Oath Bow ended the life of the sub chief a mere 35 feet away from where BluddGrinn was waiting in anticipation of a swift and bloody battle. He was not so much disappointed by not being the one to kill the orc war band leader, as he was thrilled by the sight of one of his hated foes being startled at the swiftness of its own unexpected demise, while charging in anticipation of wreaking havoc upon more innocents with its bloodied blade!

He was aware of Drogo to his immediate left, who seemed to be a quick study in the art of this type of warfare, when all of your senses screamed to unleash a blood curdling war cry and rush head long into the face of unknown opposition.

BluddGrinn was even more satisfied as one of the Barbarian's fire arrows ended the life of another orc that would have run headlong into BluddGrinn's hiding place if it had not been cut down by the force of the arrow from Trossach's bow.

He also noticed the success of the Ranger to his right as two more orcs were suddenly felled as they raced across the clearing by the Slayer Arrows that Trossach had given to the Ranger. The slain orcs by the Slayer Arrows given to the Monk did not escape his notice either!

BluddGrinn was slightly amused by the results of the normal arrows shot from the bows of the Bard and the Rogue, plus the arrow that found its mark from the bow of the Shaman after such a splendid display of his use of the Entangle Spell to entrap the unsuspecting orcs, allowing the Crimson Crusaders to concentrate on eliminating the 21 orcs that had unwittingly outrun the effects of the Entanglement Spell that Tohmaz had cast against the unsuspecting foes.

As the remaining orcs rushed forward in their charging lust for the blood of those Emerald Crusaders who had eluded them earlier in the day, the young War Cleric braced himself for the clash of weapons and spilling of blood that had so long been denied him since he and The Tinker had made their way to the surface world those many months ago.

BluddGrinn could hear the sound of blades seeking to penetrate armor before a sharp pain in his right arm alerted the young War Cleric to the fact that his hated foe had been the one to succeed in drawing first blood in the battle at the end of the clearing.

The young War Cleric grimaced, but maintained his balance, as he instinctively swung his Staff of Power in a counter attack against his hated foe!

BluddGrinn will stand his ground in toe to toe combat with orc #5 until his hated foe is slain, then he will seek to slay the nearest orc that remains from the 21 who charged across the clearing, before advancing against the remaining orcs who are entangled at the opposite end of the clearing!

As the orcs charged and the arrows flew Trossach studied his foe. After lossing two arrows the time for bows had passed - for now. As the orcs charged he would grab his sword that he had left positioned for an easy weapon switch.

But things didn't go quite as expected. Somehow the orc managed to identify him in the cover and aim an extremely accurate and painful blow, knowcking the big barbarian backwards a step. But no veteran would let himself go down that easily or he wouldn't have ever become a veteran. So wit his two-handed sword in his grasp, Trossach prepared to punish the orc for wounding him.

Notes: Trossach will atck the orc in front of him - #14, I believe. After that he will go for whoever is closest, presumably #16 who was behind #14. If he sees anyone of the other Crusaders in trouble he will adjust his manuevers to aid that person.

The band of Orcs continued to charge the Crusaders position. Just as Tohmaz dropped one with a bow shot another turned and charged him through the tree line.

The Orc swung his battle axe viciously, knocking Tohmaz in the chest and sending him staggering against a tree, his bow and staff falling to the ground.

The pain shot through the shaman’s body but he knew he had to hold his ground. Instinctive Tohmaz grabbed the throwing axes in each hand and as the Orc advanced he let fly with each at near point blank range.

(OCC: I’m hoping to drop or stagger the Orc with the axes. )

Tohmaz then reaches out to Altira and Casts SUMMON WEAPON bringing a straight and sharp Battle Lance to hands.

The Shaman charges the Orc as he continues the attack.

(OCC: If Tohmaz drops the Orc with Throwing Axes then he will use the lance to attach Orc 16 and help Trossach. If the Barbarian has dropped both Orcs attacking him then Tohmaz will rush over to lay on hands and cast Cure Light Wounds on the Barbarian.)