Word spreads from Clan Shattered Spear. Their prolonged war effort against the Mordok is showing promising signs of coming to a final conclusion. Thanks to the strength of the Shattered Spear warriors as well as the unquestionable support from some of their trusted allies, the Mordok forces have been pushed back to where this all began: the village of Silfurfal, known to some in whispers and rumors as “The Maddened Village”
Reports have come in that the village has been bolstered and barricaded and that a large Mordok force has taken up residence inside along with the same villagers that have been plaguing the area. More alarming is that several reports have included mention of one of the mysterious blue-clad Mordok seemingly leading the forces within the village. This combined force has dug in deep and in response the Shattered Spear warpacks have surrounded the village and begun the process of setting siege.
As the camps come together Shattered Spear sends out a request for aid once more. From their request it’s clear that they feel this will be the final battle of this campaign and they seem almost excited to share this moment with the people of Mardrun as a whole. There is even promise of a great feast for any who come to help see this bloody chapter to its conclusion.
All this being said, it’s clear that aid will still go a long way in this endeavor. While Shattered Spear may be able to front the bulk of a siege force to bring Silfurfal to heel, any prolonged siege will in all likelihood spell the death for any Ulven still within the village as the Mordok inside would turn to devouring them long before they were able to be starved out. A large showing of force will allow Shattered Spear warriors to move north around the village and cut off any incoming Mordok reinforcements while a second overwhelming force presses into the village to remove the Mordok foothold once and for all.
People from around Mardrun flock to Shattered Spear lands, eager to see to the end of this most recent Mordok invasion and show once again that the people of Mardrun stand united against the Mordok onslaught. The banners of several Shattered Spear allies are already present in the various siege camps, no doubt personally invited by Shattered Spear leadership ahead of the public calls.
Soon the lands surrounding Silfurfal are filled with people from all walks of life, ready and willing to lay siege or support those who do.
-=Update=-
Under the banners of Shattered Spear and their allies, the warriors marched on Silfurfal. Though an early winter chill gripped the landscape the people found themselves stalwart in their task. Unfortunately the opposition was quick to meet them. A couple of skirmishes broke out on the road leading up to the village as the allied forces worked to push the Mordok and their corrupted villagers out of the way.
The battles were brief, but incredibly bloody. The allied forces suffered severe damage to their bodies and their equipment, but held firm and were able to rout, kill, or capture their enemies. A small handful of villagers and even an unfortunate corrupted Ulven trader that was caught in the area were able to be taken back to the camps to be cleansed and healed.
The second skirmish of the day saw the return of the Alpha that plagued the allied forces during their last push into the area some months back, but more alarming was the appearance of one of the strange, Blue-Clad Mordok. It appeared smaller than the other Mordok, but dressed in much finer clothing and showed a preference for deep, rich blues. Despite its smaller stature, the rest of the Mordok showed it an incredible amount of deference, often hunching even lower when it was nearby. The Blue-Clad Mordok and the Alpha pulled out of the fight early, seemingly satisfied with the damage and poisoning that they had caused. With this, the allied forces were able to push the Mordok and their corrupted Ulven allies back to the village.
With the village outskirts cleared, Shattered Spear and its allies moved their siege camp up. Removing any remaining stragglers and saving a couple more villagers, the new camp was set up on a hill across from the village and the sound of blacksmithing and horns of war could be heard as the siege reached a new phase.
After an engineer assessed the defenses, the next couple of hours had the allied forces bring a battering ram to the gates of Silfurfal and, through a torrent of arrows and spells, set to the tedious, back-breaking work of turning the proud gate into splinters. Villagers and Mordok spilled through cracks in the wall and assaulted the flanks of the siege party and at times forced them into a retreat to reorganize. The Blue-Clad Mordok’s poisoned arrows nearly caused multiple deaths, but equally shocking was when a handful of warriors heard it mock them in their own tongue as they retreated. Each round of ramming the gate caused great amounts of broken equipment and bloodshed, but the allied forces remained stalwart and returned repeatedly to see the job through.
Before the gate was able to be broken, one of the allied warriors stepped forward and challenged the Alpha to an honor duel. The Blue-Clad Mordok spoke up in trade speech and accepted the duel, sending the Alpha forward as its champion. A tense energy held the collective warriors as they watched the duel progress. Both combatants fought with unrelenting force, and the Ulven warrior was repeatedly thrown around the fighting ground as the Alpha’s ax struck with an unstoppable pushing force. In the end they both fell to each other’s blades in the grips of their unbridled rage, and shock took both armies before the brief silence was broken. The Mordok attempted to claim the body of the fallen Ulven warrior, but the allied forces charged forward with fury and were able to push in to reclaim him. The warrior was successfully rescued during the chaotic fighting and brought back to camp where he was immediately tended to by a healer.
Breaking down the gate and holding the Mordok forces proved to be a great challenge, and the Warpack leader and rest of the siege camp found themselves having to make a difficult choice. They had only been somewhat successful with saving villagers during the gate sieging, and many more villagers were dying during these fights than in the outskirts. The opinions of all were taken into consideration as it was to be decided if the new focus would be saving the villagers at the cost of taking the village, or if they would still focus on taking the village and accept the increased casualties of the corrupted people of Clan Shattered Spear. After heated discussion and a close vote, it was decided that the village had to be taken at the cost of the villagers. While some additional villagers were able to be saved as the siege continued, many more had to die to keep the siege successful.
With the cracking of wood and a hail of splinters, the gates of the village were shattered and a volley of arrows and magic spewed outward from the village as the allied forces pushed their way inside. The Blue-Clad Mordok was seen laughing and taunting the allied forces as its body dissipated into the mana stream, taking with it the fallen Alpha’s seemingly enchanted ax. Any semblance of order quickly dispersed as fighting spread throughout the village. A small number of villagers were captured and brought to the camp to be cleansed, but the majority had to be cut down and executed where they lay. In the final minutes of sunlight, surrounded by the blood of Ulven villagers, a team of ritualists cleansed the Corruption Idol in the middle of the village that is believed to have jump-started this entire brutal chapter in Shattered Spear history; hopefully bringing it to a close.