20th Galena - Dusk



Esme and Redeye Flight sound the cry to withdraw as Enzer's body is torn limb from limb in front of them. The greenskin force, roaring and screeching as if in unison, turns to them, and the leaderless dwarves make a run for the fortress gates.



In the panic, no single dwarf has found time to pull the lever that raises the drawbridge and closes the fortress off to the outside dangers. Still now they scramble to move body parts and lost equipment, and only my shouted order that the outdoors are off-limits moves them to reasonable action.



In the span of a few short moments, I am forced to make a difficult decision. Do we leave the bridge down long enough to ensure Esme and Redeye Flight's safe return, and risk the entire greenskin army following them into our walls? Or do I order the gates shut immediately, saving the fort but dooming anyone left outside to certain bloody death?

In the end, I choose the only reasonable option.



The bridge slams shut. Any dwarf left outside knows now that there is no escape. Only honour in death.



Redeye Flight fights bravely, but is ultimately overcome when both his arms are torn away by the grotesque war-beasts. His resistance falters, and he mercifully passes into unconsciousness, bleeding out soon after



Esme cannot bear to flee from the last gurgled gasps of his fallen comrade, and turns to face the greenskin horde. Though he knows his chance of victory is almost null, he fights to the last breath, screaming out Gemclod's name at the top of his lungs as he hacks left and right with his steel blade. Eventually, he is pushed back, and the beasts move in for the kill.



Cackling with dwarven pride as the horde closes in, not even the spray of blood upon his face and the taste of goblin metal upon his flesh wounds Esme's determination.



His armour is strong, but this only prolongs the process of his death.



Eventually, he is done.



The civilian Skaw does not fare better.



And thus, with the loss of some of our greatest warriors, including the mighty champion Enzer, the power of the greenskin horde is lain bare.



We will not yet fight them on equal ground. Their tamed beasts stampede through the swamp, crushing all in their path, and yet even so Gemclod stands strong in the middle of it all. Behind our walls, we are Safe.

Chance II wrote :-

Just wanted to add my own take on the latest ambush.

Vox Nihili wrote :-

So, messing around with Gemclod a bit more on my own, I decided to try a full sortie of the entire pre-Boing military against a goblin raid. Pretty much all of the recent recruits fell like flies, Minty was beaten into unconsciousness by a master lasher, and goblin crossbowmen on giant bats descended upon the ramparts. It was absolutely brutal.

The goblin mounts are just incredibly powerful in melee. They can knock down dwarves of any skill level with terrifying consistency, and if they get an attack in from behind even the greatest warriors may be instantly torn in half. Looking at their size in the raws shows us why. Voracious cave crawlers are 15 times the size of a dwarf, and Jabberers are 9 times the size of voracious cave crawlers. Rutherers are 2/3 the size of Jabberers, so they're pretty damn mighty as well. Cave crocodiles are a bit less scary, at a "mere" 10 times the size of a dwarf. "Giant" bats, rats, toads, and olms are downright tame compared to the aforementioned beasts.

Sustained marksdwarf fire from the towers, however, quickly saps the enemy strength-mounts are unarmored, so even a wooden or bone bolt can take them out of the fight. Even in an open field, marksdwarves can be effective. Just make sure that they're never left alone. "Retreat" is not in the dwarven vocabulary.

Edit: I think Jabberers are like giant wading birds. The caverns are their swamp, and dwarf-size creatures are the reptiles and fish that they pluck up and swallow in a single gulp.

Mahoshonen wrote :-

Mahoshonen meets with an unknown collaborator

"Okay, so the lead character is Ezmer. She's been doing all the fighting, has been present whenever something exciting has happened, and is likely to be around given her tenacity-hang on...

"*mumble* *mumble* *mumble*...

"...okay, as I was saying, the lead character is Leperflesh."

By Armok, this musical is going to have an important character bodycount resembling ASoIaF