Report on the Aragoneu War Effort Part 1

The sun was beating heavily upon me as I trotted with the Wildcat Volunteers across the rugged terrain of the Meriphitaud Mountains. Higher and higher we climbed until in the distance, to the north-western end of the Sauromugue Champaign I could see the foundations of Jeuno rising up into the heat wave. It was here I clutched at my stitch and pulled out a silk handkerchief to mop my wet brow.

Fortunately, my trek was at an end as I collapsed onto a boulder in the meagre shade provided by the Wildcat fortification; a stalwart tower erected to watch for Yagudo Beastmen attempting to move west into the Sauromugue Champaign. Two of the Mithra sniggered at me as I sat like a sack of potatoes trying to catch my breath; they hardly seemed out of their teens, but the two of them looked as if they could rip apart a wagon with their bare hands. Giving into pride, I dusted myself down, took a swig from my waterskin, and drew myself up to my full height.

My name is Rochelfonte D Araguille and I am a reporter.

They whispered something to each other and drew apart, turning their attentions back to unloading crates that contained both weapons and rations to be stored in the tower. I was unsure whether I should help or not, so I approached one of the open crates, but a shadow fell across my path and I stopped.

Looking up, a fearsome figure stood silhouetted against the sun. Like some proud beast, a muscular Mithra dressed in a silver and purple harness stood starting at me with a glare that could have humbled a Galka. She wore a hollowed-out Yagudo head as a headpiece and she was a woman not to be crossed. She was a champion of the Mithra and her name was Mikhe Aryohcha.

Miss Aryohcha was the one who had grudgingly agreed that I could join the Wildcats for a week in order to report back to the Kingdom of San d’Oria on the war effort in Aragoneu, and if not for the fact I had always wanted to see Windurst I would not have put my name forward, as these lands are too hot and too barren. O how I longed for the shade of the woods of Ronfaure!

Miss Aryohcha shook her head at me and told me to wait inside the fortification as she could smell “birdmen” in the air. I wasted no time arguing with her and hurried inside. At first I could not see, for the stepping out of the sun and into an unlit room caused a moment of disorientation, but I soon caught my bearings. The fortification was sparse for its size – a table and some shelves, several cupboards, and four weapon racks – all surrounded by a crude-looking staircase which approached a mezzanine floor above.

Slowly I climbed the stairs and emerged into a room filled with bedding. Three off-duty Mithran sentries lay sprawled on the furs, sleeping like cats, so I thought it wise not to disturb them and continued further up the tower. Eventually I came to a trapdoor, and pushing it open I climbed up onto the parapet. There was no shade here, only a scorching stone turret under an equally scorching sun.

Looking down I could see some figures approaching the fortification from the west. One was a Hume male, clad in red armour with a gold trim, the design unmistakably near eastern; another was a Galka healer who carried a large gold staff with a white orb on the top; the last was a small Tarutaru who was accompanied by a glowing blue creature flapping at her heels. They looked like adventurers coming to assist in the defence of the Meriphitaud Mountains, and unlike me, the Mithra greeted them approvingly.

My fears were confirmed as one of the Mithra down below took a long blow on a horn which echoed across the mountains and began pointing to the east. I spun and darted to the far side of the fortification, squinting to see into the distance. Sure enough, on the horizon, there was a thick dust cloud upon which I could see three small black specks.

My mouth went dry and I clutched the stone battlements for support. This would be the first battle that I had covered. Down below there was a hive of activity as more adventurers jogged towards the tower, an assortment of specialists adorned with the insignia of many different nations and factions. Some brought magical beasts; some mastered control of bizarre automatons, and others seemed to bend the will of the very fauna around them to their will as they gathered before a Mithran standard bearer. Reassuringly, whatever their trade, they all carried mighty weapons upon their backs or at their sides.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my tunic and turned back toward the encroaching menace. They were gaining ground at an alarmingly fast rate, and the three black specs were getting bigger; one was a tall, thin shape and the two flanking it were wider, flatter objects. But most sinister of all, were the accompanying war drums which could be heard faintly in the distance.

At the base of the tower, the adventurers and the Wildcats were spreading out in the direction of the threat, finding their footing and checking their weapons. A Ranger planted several arrows into some soft ground and began fitting a new bowstring; a healer began casting a magic spell and her skin seemed to absorb her rocky surroundings until she appeared to be made of the mountains themselves; a shady looking character was casually twirling a golden dagger around in one hand, paying more attention to a particularly appealing Elvaan dancer than to the oncoming Beastmen.

What concerned me most however was that the more I watched them, the more I noticed that they all seemed to be acting independently of one another. Why did they not form squads, or walls? Is that not what soldiers do? Form defensive lines?

Looking east once more I could now make out the Beastmen. Covered in grey and black feathers from head to toe, the Yagudo were a formidable sight to behold. Most wore no clothing except old rags around their thin wrists and ankles to allow greater dexterity in battle, but some of the more venerable ones wore eastern armour on their shoulders and shins to signify their rank. Behind them came the mages, carrying warped staves adorned with tribal icons and wearing long red masks which gave them the appearance of anteaters, raising their arms to the heavens and chanting dreadful curses.

In the centre of their force, rumbling along on giant wheels and puffing smoke like some mechanical dragon, stood a mighty siege turret, designed to penetrate this fortification and take it over from the inside.

But worst of all were the two giant abominations on each flank. Two battle-scarred behemoths – the stuff of nightmares – crackled with electricity and roaring with battle lust, they lumbered along, mighty horns longer and sharper than an Orcish encampment-fence spike. My legs were quivering, and I shrunk from the battlements, stumbling backwards across the trapdoor as the three Mithra who were asleep burst onto the parapet, still fixing their harnesses into place. One quick survey of the oncoming force and they darted back inside to return with large longbows and quivers of wicked looking arrows.

The war drums ceased and the Yagudo force came to a halt on the hillside several hundred feet away, and drew their weapons making offensive gestures and howling with delight. The noise was unbearable, and I thought I might faint at the sight of the behemoths goring at the air and pawing at the ground with their clawed hands and feet. They stood like this for some time whilst Yagudo priests walked along the front lines, sprinkling holy water from golden canteens upon the fighters, who drew long, curved swords.

Meanwhile, Miss Aryohcha ran between adventurers shouting words of encouragement, which were barely audible above the Yagudo din. The air was pungent with the stench of sweat and fear, for this was no skirmish, this was a small army!

Finally the noise of the Yagudo dimmed and the host parted to allow passage from the siege turret. A door opened and a powerful-looking Yagudo appeared, eyes glowing a malevolent red and a stern expression on his beak, one side of which had been broken off in battle, twisting his mouth into a permanent sneer.

A single ancient katana dangled from a simple rope at his waist as he walked forward to speak to the allied forces defending the fortification. He spoke in a high squawking voice in a language I could not comprehend, but Miss Aryohcha clearly understood, as she defiantly yelled back in the Common Tongue, “Come and claim them!”

I licked my lips in nervous anticipation of the next move, looking back and forward between the Beastmen and the Allies. The Yagudo leader then raised his arms to the sky and for a brief moment a transparent image of a masked Yagudo female, sitting cross-legged in the sky above them seemed to appear, ever so faintly, and then, with a mighty thunderclap, the Yagudo clapped his hands together and both he and the image disappeared in a puff of smoke!

There were a few murmurs of confusion around the tower and then all of a sudden there was a scream from below, and as I turned to look, I saw the Yagudo leader had appeared between a group of adventurers and had unsheathed his katana! He sliced at them three times, before they had begun to realise what had happened and then, with another great boom, he exploded a huge ball of fire, scattering the hapless adventurers.

The stench of burning flesh was nauseating as it rose up the tower to my nostrils. I admit I gagged, but as the smoke cleared, the Yagudo was nowhere to be found. Silence fell amongst the allied forces (save for the screams of the dying!) until shouts from the south indicated that the Yagudo had reappeared. Such devilry!

With another ear-piercing squawk, the Yagudo forces turned and charged down the hillside towards the ill-prepared defenders, whilst the siege turret opened fire upon the very fortification which I stood upon! I dived behind the battlements just as a white ball of molten rock hurtled overhead and exploded on the mountainside behind me!

The ground shook from the thunderous advance of the Yagudo, and their forces broke upon the adventurers like water upon the rocks. But the allied forces were not about to fall so quickly to the onslaught of simple shock troops, but those at the very front were overwhelmed quickly. Those other adventurers who were positioned further back were able to pick their targets carefully, dividing them from their feathered comrades with ranged attacks or spells so as to defeat them quickly. For every one adventurer that fell, two to three Yagudo would fall in return.

The behemoths trampled across the battlefield towards the tower and I was frozen to the spot, except at the last minute, a horde of glowing creatures broke their onslaught. A group of Tarutaru magicians were standing on a rock nearby directing mystical avatars at the huge beasts. I was able to make out both Fenrir and Ifrit amongst the frenzy, as they ripped at the behemoths with tooth and claw!

As I was scouring the battlefield for Miss Aryohcha, the trapdoor burst open once more and I must admit I felt ashamed crouching behind the ramparts like a scared child as a young Mithra leapt onto the roof of the tower clutching at a shiny circular mirror. But this was no act of vanity! Paying me no heed, she began to waggle the mirror in a south-westerly direction. I spared a glance through the haze and caught sight of Fort Karugo-Narugo, a Tarutaru stronghold, halfway down the mountainside between my position and the lush savannahs of Sarutabaruta.

Unless my eyes deceived me, a mirror flashed back. The Mithra on my tower made a few more gestures, turned to me and winked, and then disappeared back into the fortification! This could only mean one thing!

Reinforcements were on the way!

To be continued…