The Vale of Thrain was once a busy trade route, Noglond looked over the roadway and cleared ruble and debris from avalanches, Gondomon the great of the forts held markets and resting spots for travelers. Both holds held Dwarven folk inside but now their numbers boasted with noble warriors. Traders did not come around these parts in the past months, caravans left abandoned on the cobbled pathways and some bodies picked clean from the crows. This was life in times of war.
Snow tumbled down the high ground above Noglond, feet slide and skids on the way down avoiding deep snow, stones and logs. Daingorf, the younger of the company darted down from Noglonds lookout, or rather the mountain top that over looked the road way. "Thorlaen, hes almost here!" Daingorf called down to the courtyard. Thorlaen had been drilling the warriors into shape, it was always good to do warm ups before an adventure, cold limbs lead to injury. Thorlaen watched every dwarf do their push ups and even offered a helping foot to the back when a solider couldn't seem to get their chest low enough to the ground. "Single file! The Azaghalbad arrives! He means business today so let us listen!" Thorlaen told his troops, all who wore lighter gear. It was well past midnight when all the dwarves met, Thogen dismounting his goat and quickly saluting his companions before speaking "Good, i see you all got my letter, light gear will be needed, we move like foxes in the night tonight!" he said, his heavy armour had been replaced with leather and clothed robes, nothing that caught light nor rattled to much.. He had a plan.
"We must reach the outer gate of Sarnur, the Goblins palisade! We need to sneak in and plant a spy inside. This will save the lives of many!" Thogen told his troops, a few looked at him with a troubled expression. Hroskold, mangled and battered Hroskold spoke "How do we get a spy inside? And what good will a spy do? We know what they are up to War Master". Thogen had waited for someone to ask the exact thing and already he started to explain "It is in the early morning, the goblin watch will be changing soon and if we are quick and fate is with us we can get near the wall and get over without being noticed! Once inside we can have one of our own dressed as a Dourhand, when we muster the army for a final assault we can use this spy to sneak to the gate and open it for us! No battering down a gate, no ladders, just walking inside." It was a good idea, though it needed to be preformed perfectly. So then they went like creatures of the night.
Under the shelter of a clouded sky, night air and soft snow the dwarves trekked towards Sarnur, the hall that sat in the mountain. Campfires littered the area, goblins had always been laced outside the outer wall so that they could keep a striking force always ready to keep dwarven patrols away, they were the mean goblins, who didn't fear a good fight, ones the dwarves didn't wanna meet tonight. It did not take long that Durin's Folk coming from Noglond came to the camps around Sarnur, little columns of spoke ruffled through the air and faded to nothing, the red glow of the fire painted dancing pictures of trees and stone and a few grunts of goblins sounded in the night. Thogen gestured a flat hand and lowered it to the ground, "Stay silent .. do not attack if we can avoid it, stealth is key. Hug the stone and tree lines and we will be fine." he ordered in a hushed tone. The company of Asudrom, Daingorf, Hroskold, Dhordur, Thorlaen and Byl nodded their heads understanding. Leading the way Thogen bolted across the backs of goblin tents, his boots leaving only footprints in the snow, one by one the dwarves after him followed until Hroskold and Dhordur were left. Daingorf waved his hand, he had been watching the camp to single when to move if the coast was clear, "Hurry up!" he whispered. Hroskold bit his lip then launched a foot out to carry himself with haste, a foot that landed on a small twig from a fallen tree leaving a 'snap' in the air. Everyone froze, dwarves and goblins alike.
"Did ye here something?" A goblin spoke to another, his left eye looking around the camp while the right closed shut hiding the empty socket were his eye once be. "Just your ugly mouth you goat fart." the other goblin replied, he also had heard a noise but dismissed it almost instantly. Again the goblins went on with their night life.
Thogen had been watching the camp like a hawk and now turned to give Hroskold a stern look before waving his hand over signalling to haul arse. Dhordur was sight on Hroskolds heels and not paying attention bumped into his comrade, again the goblins looked around. Hroskold and Dhordur did not wait to see what would happen next, they blazed off to meet the rest of the company and got well clear of the goblin camp. Sarnur grew larger and larger, they were close.
Byl and Asudrom took lead, Thogen was still close by giving a brief update on the dwarves mission, "We are past most camps brothers .. soon we will be near the wall. If we can climb the steep mountain base we will reach the palisades. Stay close to the rock and we will be okay. Hurry, dawn is nearly here." The dwarves all understood they had no time to waste, with short legs but a quickened pace they started to climb. Some dwarves like Asudrom, Thorlaen and Daingorf had little problem climbing the icy stone, Byl and Dhordur a close second while Thogen and Hroskold struggled to move their feet. "Thogen, we need to move. I see the glow of the sun on the high tops of the mountain .. we will be spotted if sun hits the land" Asudrom called with a worried tone. Durin's Folks warriors were behind enemy lines and if spotted would have one heck of a fight. Closer and closer the company got, the smell of stinking rotten food, smoke and goblin filth was thick. Byl was hopping from boulder to boulder until his foot caught some ice and sent him to the ground with a moan, his ankle throbbing in pain yet the stubborn dwarf he is his pride lifted him up and he continued on his way with a limp. "Master Asudrom, we are near the gate .. we made it!" Daingorf cheered to Asudrom he had been leading the group up they were about to make the plan to get over the wooden outer wall until a ray of golden sunlight struck down from the tip of the mountain and lite the dwarves up in a spotlight, a sentry screamed on the wall above. They were spotted.
One calling voice turned to another, and another until a roar of goblin cheers came from Sarnur. Horns blew and soon it seemed the very mountain itself was taunting the dwarves. "Get out of here! We are spotted! Run!" Thogen called out to his friends, he knew it wouldn't be long until a party was formed to hunt them down to either capture or kill the dwarves. "You heard the Warmaster! To Noglond with haste!" Asudrom and Hroskold yelled, they forced one dwarf after another down the slippery and steep slopes of the mountains base. It was only minutes after that the gate of Sarnur opened, three dozen goblins or so burst through the opening and started to run down the long staircase, behind them two wargs, larger then a common wolf and a blood lust to match its size. Byl went to take a step down the hill but found his ankle offered him slow speed so instead of a quick charge downhill he hunkered up under a tree with crossbow in hand, Thorlaen did the same. Asudrom still seeming to be the most nimble on his feet started to make his way down with Dhordur and Daingorf close behind while yet again Hroskold and Thogen struggled, nearly tumbling down like loose rock from the start. In a panic the dwarves hopped, dove, rolled and hurled themselves down sharp rock and steep drop offs, the sound of the chasing goblin party and the howl of wargs driving them onward.
"Keep'er going!" Dhordur yelled, a spear landed feet behind him, the goblins up on the wall were launching projectiles to try to injure or kill the fleeing. A goblin took aim with its wretched bow and locked his sight to a tumbling Hroskold, its eyes narrow and finger trembling ready to fire. The goblins tongue licked its cracked lips as it figured its shot was going to be a good one, he ready to fire until one eye exploded when a dwarven bolt dove sailed right through it. Th goblins body fell over the wooden wall and rolled a bit down the hill to were Byl sat and giggled reloading his crossbow. Thorlaen and Byl moved slower down the hill and under as much cover as they could find, they took any chance they could get to fire a bolt from their crossbows to give their brothers a chance at life. Faster and faster the dwarves went, they started to near the bottom, Asudrom, Daingorf and Dhordur clearly ahead and Thogen and Hroskold bouncing off tree stumps, and smashing into stones as their bodies way less gracefully descended. Bottom, a chance to make a mad dash back to safety .. bottom where they new they could have a fighting chance .. bottom where goblins started to gather to fight.
Asudrom drew his trusted axe, Dhordur and Daingorf followed suit as they knew this was about to get real messy. The moment leather boots landed in the snow beards struck into action. "Run, cut a path threw and don't stop unless you wish to fight a warg!" Asudrom groaned while his axe cut into the face of a goblin who was not yet ready to take on a fight. Thogen had caught his footing and found himself joining the battle along side Daingorf and Dhordur, hacking a clear path through the enemy line desperately trying to get away from the coming wargs. Thorlaen moved off into the distance of the tree cover still firing bolt after bolt trying to slow the enemy and Byl moved closer towards Hroskold who was lacking the chance to find his footing, his body nearly rolled the whole way down the hill. "Daingorf! Run to Noglond and sound the alarm, we need a guard out here!" Asudrom told the young dwarf. With lighting speed the hunter took off towards Noglond leaving the battle behind him, Thorlaen moved off to give him cover. Thogen glanced back, he had been almost in the clear but the sight of Hroskold crashing to the bottom of the mountain made him worried so with a grunt he changed course to give aid. "Erh- Come here you fatty .. I still got a bit of fight left in me!" Hroskold growled, a larger goblin met him at the bottom of the mountain and soon tangled him in melee, the goblins all tried to hault the dwarves retreat until the wargs caught up. Byl was fearless, with a roar he jumped off a ledge and hurled himself onto Hroskolds foe sending them both rolling to the ground. Hroskold looked with a shocked expression but soon snapped to and hacked down at the fallen foe. Thogen reached the two and quickly helped the warriors to their feet his words to them muffled and huffed "Lets go, wargs will be on us soon". Together the three of them limped onward, tired, weak, struggling. A pile of goblins had made their way to Asudrom who found every step he took was halted by a goblin wrapped around his leg, Dhordur turned about to give aid but he found himself calling a warning, "Look out! Wargs! They are upon you!"
There's something the hits the nerves when fighting a warg, thick in the skin, dagger like claws and teeth and a thirst for blood stronger then a drunks crave for ale. A warg holds more limbs that could kill then an average warrior, every part of its body could deal death and now two of them circled the dwarves. Byl was a master guardian and selflessly acted to protect any member in the kin, he tossed Hroskold and Thogen next to him so they all faced back to back. "Do not move to far, watch their strikes .. if we get split they will kill us." Thogen grumbled, he didn't have his shield, none of them did. Seconds felt like hours until the first strike came, the vicious creature waved a swatting claw at Byl. "Not today pup!" Byl shouted and smacked the side of his axe into its paw, the warg snarled and bared its teeth in anger. Thogen and Hroskold watched the other hound and waited for the right time, Thogen spoke low to Hroskold "On three ..". The seconds counted down until Thogen shouted "Three!" and togther both dwarves swung hacking strikes at the warg, it had moved away from Thogens axe but Hroskolds brought down on its back leg and drew blood, blood that only seemed to enrage the large warg. In a blur of furry movement the warg launched its head to Thogens chest and sunk dagger like teeth into his leather covered chest. The warg had the War Master.
One could have mistaken Asudrom for a hoard of goblins, seven creatures pilled all over him and in panic he waved his hands trying to throw one off. Dhordur slapped his hand to his belt with quick fingers and pulled a long throwing knife in a split second was tossed at one of the goblins heads dropping it dead. "I'm here Drom!" Dhordur yelled and sent himself upon the enemy so that he could even the odds, together the two dwarves fought the cluster of goblin warriors. Asudrom caught one on his shoulder and grasp its neck hard, with a hurl to his knee the bounced the goblins spin on his knee cap leaving an awful crunch to fill their ears. His eyes looked out for attackers but all he could see was a warg shaking a helpless dwarf in its mouth .. "Thogen!!!" he cried.
Byl turned to see Thogen bouncing around like a chew toy, his blood bubbled and within a blink of an eye he turned places with Hroskold and beat the snout of the warg with the shaft of his spear, the blade cutting the foul creatures face with deep wounds, "Back! I will kill you slowly for that dog!" Byl growled. Hroskold still tried to protect himself but he couldn't help but look at Thogen who had been dropped by the warg and sat holding his ribs, blood trickling from his wounds. "Up Thogen .. we will make this I swear" Hroskold spoke low to him, a warg launched towards himself but Hroskold was also a warrior who boasted in great defense smashing his left hand into the wargs eye. Thogen pushed his foot in the snow to try and back up towards the circle his company had formed, he didn't want to leave his brothers open for attack but he could hardly stand, blood was in the air and the wargs were hungry. Snapping teeth came for Thogen, they bit around his ankle but his leather covered heel pushed hard against the wargs wet snout and sent it howling backwards .. it bared its teeth once more and got ready to launch onto Thogen .. An axe hit its side, Asudrom threw himself from a pile of dead goblins and now him and Dhordur came to finish the fight.
The dwarves who once again seemed to be defeated now started striking back with a whirlwind of axes, spears and blades. Strike after strike a warg would get hit and blood would spray from its wound as skin peeled back from the deep cuts. Byl put his weight into a spear thrust and drove the weapon right through the belly of the beast and with a roar of might he threw the animal down to the ground. Dhordur took his axe and smashed its face in and ending the dog. Asudrom and Hroskold danced with the final beast, it snapped any chance it could get to defend itself with yellowed teeth but the dwarves walked towards it. "Com'er pup" Hroskold welcomed the warg. His axe waved from one hand to the next and the warg thought it may have had a chance, again with a blast of power and a quick strike it sent a drooling mouth at Hroskolds neck. Teeth opened up over the head of Hroskold, in a single bite it could have ripped his head clean off but that bite never came, Asudrom pulled free his elvish blade and sent it clean through the bottom of the wargs neck all they way up into its skull. With a great deal of weight the warg dropped dead. Byl reached down and helped Thogen to his feet, "Run! The goblins will come stronger next time .. Noglond! Hurry!" Thogen groaned, his wounds hurt him but he knew he could not linger long.
Slowly the rest of the dwarves reached Noglond the fell from exhaustion in the courtyard. Sweat soaked hair was revealed from under colored hoods and battle scars shown as tunics were taken off. Thogen was quickly taken away by the battle healers, his life was hanging by a thread and the company knew it. They again had nearly been beaten .. War had been taking its toll.
