Watching the River Flow (Open)

[(Spartan322) Sedine]

It was evening at Woadark Lake, where Sedine and his scout group were. They were camped next to the lake and were mostly watching for military presence, wasting a lot of the time and Sedine didn't like it. He just wanted something to do or fight and for the past day he had thought up of things to do when he decided that the best thing to do was chat. So the day started fading and nothing really happened and he ended up sitting around the camp fire, listening to the soldier's conversations on whats going on when he heard something. While his scouts conversed around the fire, he got up to check the bushes but saw nothing. When he went back to the fire, his squad asked what was wrong and he responded "I though I heard something, must've been the wind."

Sitting around the fire continuing the conversation till some started falling asleep, Sedine kept watch over that section of the shrubs. Nothing happened for a while then he heard some group laughing in the distance west of their position and he decided to look for the group. Two of his scouts came with him and when he found the source of the laughing, he saw they were a small squad of the Empire's men. Sedine gained a slight grin and even chuckled a little with the soldiers. Then without being noticed he started listening to what they were talking about and overheard that the soldiers knew that his group were sitting near the lake and that they were avoiding the group. When he learned of this he scurried back to the other scouts and talked to them about what he heard and saw and then they decided to wait to attack the group.

[Quetzal]

Throkk was taking a nice stroll along the lake, thoroughly enjoying the beautiful scenery, peace and quiet, and the refreshing wind tugging at the tangle of hair and beard that clung to his face. Rivers were his favourite place to be, and lakes were pretty similar, but of course inferior since you didn't get a very good view of the other side. He liked being able to look at the banks of a river on both sides, watch boats and ducks and geese and swans, smell the plants and water... they were so lovely. It was places like these that gave the dwarf a lot of inspiration for his metalwork. Making a beautiful, complex, and brilliantly functional dagger, sword, axe, or even piece of jewellery, gave him deep joy, and what with all the nobles living in big cities like Belatona, where he lived, along with the Varden bringing nature-loving elves into the city, any nature inspired jewellery he made sold remarkably well.

All this put him in an exceptionally good mood. His weathered face was smiling rather than showing its usual slightly grumpy expression. He was walking at a leisurely pace, stopping every now and then to examine a fish, bird, insect or plant that caught his eye. At his hip a dagger hung. On his back was slung his main weapon; a two-handed battleaxe. Those things were bulky and he wasn't going to war or anything, so it was only a small one, but it was still a pretty large weapon by definition. He had more hefty numbers that would kill more surely back at home, but this was just a walk. He didn't want to kill anyone unless given no choice. Still, he wasn't stupid enough to go this far out the city without a weapon he trusted. The axe served that purpose, having made it himself, and it was more as an obvious deterrent to any outlaw or bandit. Most of the time, making a weapon as openly displayed as he did meant any potential attacker would have the sense to clear off and find an easier target. It was an old trick many used, but so far, it had worked every time for Throkk. His muscular smith's arms and thick stocky body showing he could his weapon couldn't hurt either.

Up ahead the dwarf spied a group of people. He froze. Outlaws? But no, they were sporting Varden colours. They could be deserters or scouts or envoys on their way somewhere, their was no telling which from a distance. If they were deserters, that would spell trouble. His forge helped stock the Varden's armoury. He wore no uniform, although he had at home one just in case, but whether or not they discovered he was with the Varden, deserters were always prone to being jumpy and rash, prepared to go to extremes in fear of being caught. Hesitantly Throkk walked nearer to get a closet look. He made no attempt to hide himself, fully aware he was too slow and stompy for stealth. The smile was replaced with his usual serious expression now as he watched to gauge the group's response to his presence should they notice him as he slowly got closer, keeping a safe distance.

[Brenton]

Tashiel flew overhead, the wind whipping at his hair, while he thought about how Reshiel had finally made an appearance in his life again. His former second in command had disappeared after they fell to Alagaesia but Tashiel had always known that Reshiel was alive. Of all of them, Reshiel and three others should have survived such a descent. Still he had been surprised to know that his friend had fallen to mercenary status like Tashiel once had done himself.

Now, though, Tashiel studied under Throkk with the Varden to learn how to craft weapons and help armies without actually fighting. He made an honest living and sometimes he even trained young children in the art of the sword. Many times he would find odds and ends jobs like the occasional guarding of a convoy but mostly he worked in the forge.

Suddenly the Fallen Angel caught sight of a group of what looked like Varden soldiers ahead and he slowly dropped to the ground. If they were deserters then the angel would be forced to fight them and take them back to Nasuada to deal with. With a determined set to his shoulders, Tashiel drew his sword and began walking toward the lake. As he drew closer though, Tashiel also saw Throkk walking toward the group and that stopped the angel short. So the dwarf was there as well. Well that might work to Tashiel's advantage.

[(Spartan322) Sedine]

Sedine was currently guarding the camp with a few scouts, looking around the camp, he though was very peaceful, something he wasn't accustom to. He was relaxing from a day of wasting time, wondering what theere was to do. He then saw a couple rocks as he started to sit on the shore of the lake and started skipping them. There waiting, he heard one of his scouts yell about something. The yell startled and woke the troops up and when he reached the source of the noise, he found a pile of dead animals next to two of his scouts, who were just as confused as he was. When everyone arrived, he told them about the animals and that is was no big deal, but he then told them "Keep you swords ready though, we don't know who did this, nor if they are friendly to the Varden or its cause."
This kept everyone up and ready for the next hour and thats when some scouts started going back to their tents.

[Quetzal]

The group of soldiers hadn't seen Throkk yet, that much was plain. They were relaxed to some extent, one skimming stones, a few sleeping, yet a couple were wandering further. Scouts, sensibly surveying the area. It was odd they had missed a stranger like himself standing plainly out in the open. It still wasn't certain who these people were or what they were doing here, so Throkk thought that justified being cautious. He didn't want any trouble.

To one side he spotted a familiar face who had also taken interest in the group sporting Varden colours. He walked over briskly, standing a few feet away so he wouldn't have to crane his neck quite to much to look up at the tall man. "Tashiel. Hope you're doing well, friend. See you've taken an interest in these blokes, too. Dunno who they are, deserters or scouts or envoys or summink," he said quietly.

There was a hubbub, but the dead animals were a way out from the little Varden group and as they were out of sight of the soldiers, they were well out of range of Throkk's vision, unless he were to suddenly develop the ability to see through trees. He watched them in mild puzzlement. Confused deserters were dangerous indeed, prone to violence. He wasn't sure whether or not he would hand a deserter back to the Varden, and he had no wish to find out. "We should see what's going on. I've got no desire to fight deserters, but they might be normal soldiers and they might need help," the dwarf said to the fallen angel. Without waiting for a response, he strode up to the soldiers and cleared his throat loudly to get their attention.

[Brenton]

Tashiel watched as Throkk walked over to him, obviously having recognized the tall figure carrying a sword. It didn't surprise him that the dwarf had seen him, especially since Tashiel was normally so quiet anyhow. As the dwarf spoke, Tashiel nodded in confirmation and his grip on the hilt tightened ever so slightly.

He didn't like the fact that the group ahead had suddenly gotten agitated over something and even with his height he still couldn't see what it was. Then Throkk walked over toward them and Tashiel strode across the space with him, trying to keep his nerves from getting the best of him. If this group were scouts then he didn't want to hurt them but if they were spies or deserters then they would pose a threat to the two people.

Still he was able to make it look like he was calm as Tashiel spoke in his deep voice, commanding attention and respect with every word that spilled forth. I'm Tashiel Silverwing and this is Throkk, we are not here to hurt you if you are friendly. Identify yourselves and your rank as well as your commanding officer. Tashiel was slipping into his older ways of speaking back when he was in times of war and military prowess.

[(Spartan322) Sedine]

The scouts watched Tashiel and Throkk as they revealed themselves blatantly to the scouts. Half the scouts pulled their swords out watching to make sure they weren't empire minions but then Sedine told them to put their swords down.I am Sedine Stroughsson, Captain of these scouts of the Varden. We have arrived to watch Empire supply lines. Is the Varden considered a friend of yours? He held his weapon very loosely in its sheath and told his scouts not to do anything until he said otherwise. The wait for everyone here was agonizing realizing that these two could have been watching him and his scouts for a while. This realization also made him wonder how long they have been scouting his scouts.

[Quetzal]

Throkk watched through a stern face, assessing the situation in case things suddenly went awry. From close up, he could see the group were ordinary soldiers, no urgals or elves hanging around to surprise them. It was rare for a human to be able to use magic, so it was unlikely they had a spellcaster among them either. He and Tashiel could probably fight off a few of them, but if all this group decided to attack then at once, odds were they would be overcome quickly by the doldiers.

Thankfully they were just scouts. Or so they claimed. Throkk believed them. They were too bold and confident to be deserters. He relaxed. "Aye, sonny. I'm a smith. Probably made some o' them weapons and an' armour you folks using. Tashiel were me student, if you like, an' now he's learned a lot he does his own thing, mostly. Not strictly Varden, but not against them. Ah, he can tell you himself," he couldn't really be bothered to blab on about the tall guy's political standing, and Tashiel was perfectly capable of speaking for himself. He knew his own opinions better than the dwarf did besides. "How's it going for you then? All right? We heard quite a hubbub a moment ago," he hoped he wasn't interrupting anything important.

[(Spartan322) Sedine]

Sedine finally saw his men feel relieved as Throkk stated that he has no opposition to the scouts. Hearing that the two characters were considered friendly really made him so happy in his thoughts but he kept his straight face. Well my men found an odd pile of animals just off of our camp, they shouted thinking it could be an enemy pile though we though it made no sense. You wouldn't have an idea of who would create a pile just sitting in the forest would you? Our only idea is it was a recently abandoned trap and I have had men watch that area ever since we saw it just to make sure no one comes by who could threaten us. Waiting there for a sec he also though of something. Hey, would you to take a seat by the fire, we got some good meat if you're hungry.

[Brenton]

((Okay random piles of dead animals bug me so I'm gunna incorporate them into this somehow.))

The animals had indeed been a trap, but not for the soldiers who had found them, as a figure sat up in a tree a good distance away. He was watching for a large cat or bear to wander by so he could kill it and eat something worthwhile instead of small prey. Still, when the soldiers found the animals, the figure looked over and counted heads. Many of them were harmless to him, only carrying swords and being humans, yet one of them was well over the average height and carried a flickering sword that he gripped tightly. That man was scanning the group for any enemies and the figure knew exactly who it was.

It was Tashiel Silverwing, the commander who had led the figure back when they were younger in a great war that was just a blur now. Faint memories in his head. Still, the man knew all about Tashiel and knew that he wasn't an enemy. So Reshiel stood up and spread his own wings, instantly gliding down to a few feet behind the group. As he landed, he folded his wings back around him to look like a cloak and began to walk toward the small group.

Tashiel had been looking around, taking in every aspect of the encampment without missing a miniscule detail. It was best to know all about where you were and how many people were around you in case of an attack that you couldn't predict. That was the reason why he saw the blur from the tree flutter down to the ground and take a solid form as another tall man. It was also the reason why Tashiel stepped in front of Throkk and raised his sword halfway, making it obvious he would defend the group.

What do you want, Reshiel? This group is small and they are causing no harm to you as they camp here for the time being so why do you come here at this hour? Tashiel spoke harshly but he made sure to motion for Throkk and the humans to keep their weapons down. Reshiel would not hesitate to cut them all down if it came to that end.

"There is no reason to get rash now, Tashiel, for I am only coming down here to speak to you and your acquaintances about the pile of animals. They were a trap meant for a creature larger than these pitiful humans so that I might drop down and kill the beast for food tonight. Although now that you have found the pile it is unlikely that any animal will get close to it to even examine the dead beasts."

[(Spartan322) Sedine]

Sedine then remembered the soldiers west of the camp. He then realized that his position is useless if he doesn't do something about those soldiers. Ughh, there were soldiers just west of here. If they heard that yell, they will investigate. We have about 20 mintues to either prepare to fight or to escape. Do you feel like swinging at some empire freaks. Sedine started putting small traps outside of the camp and started preparing the camp for a fight. Oh and they might make for a good fight, they're well armed. As he finished his preping, Sedine started to grin, ready to fight the enemy he was sure was coming.

[Quetzal]

"No, that's weird all right," Throkk was completely surprised by the cause of the stir and had no clue as to any solution. He knew his way around a forge and was a genius with metal, but aside from that he wasn't what anyone might call intelligent. Not stupid, although occasionally that was questionable, but he was a doer and a maker rather than a thinker. He'd try his best, but he was aware Tashiel was better suited to these problem solving things. "Don't mind if I do," he replied to the offer of a fire and some meat. It was best not to question where they had got the meat. Possibly from the pile. That wasn't a problem, really. It was a shame to let good meat go to waste, after all! Were it meat from the mysterious pile of dead animals, Throkk only hoped they were sure it wasn't poisoned or cursed or anything. This looked like magic or urgals gone rogue to him, and you never knew with that sort of thing.

Another tall man recognised by Tashiel appeared. Throkk didn't have much difficulty telling he was another fallen angel. This Reshiel guy was to blame, then, and it was all safe. What a relief. Now they might be able to have a nice chat and a good hearty meal. "Thanks for telling us, Reshiel, we were all pretty confused about that. My name's Throkk, by the way. So tell me. Why kill loads of animals as bait for a big one? Never eaten a big predator that might be attracted by the meat myself. They taste better or summink? Only this pile of animals must've been perfectly good meat too," he asked curiously.

Oh, but there was more! In all honesty, Throkk wasn't in the mood for fighting. He'd had a nice relaxing day. Still, duty called. It was shameful to leave friends to go off and fight someone without giving them some help. "All right, then," he didn't draw his axe yet or even draw attention to it, but its presence was pretty obvious anyway.

[(Spartan322) Sedine]

Sedine finished all of the traps and had all his men prepared. Just then, he heard footsteps. "Everyone into the brush around the camp." he whispered to the scouts. Get ready for the ambush. Suddenly, a group of empire soldiers were seen. They obviously couldn`t see the scouts but they were very alert for danger. As they slowly stepped forward, they came upon the the scouts camp but it already looked as though it was raided. Just then, a few soldiers could be heard in the background screaming in pain. They had been snagged in the traps and thats when Sedine ordered his men to attack. The battle started with every scout yelling at the soldiers they aimed to kill.

[Brenton]

Tashiel simply raised his sword when he saw the Empire soldiers and dispatched a group of three before turning back to Throkk. Reshiel was the second in command of my army before we came to Alagaesia. From what I remember, neither of us were very good and we fought a great battle against people who had helped us. Because of that we were banished and now I have only ever seen Reshiel again.

Reshiel nodded to the words as he reached out and snapped the necks of two soldiers before speaking himself. "We were great warriors and many fell in that battle. The Elders had come up with people to fight us somehow but we were not to be bested so easily. Even when we did lose, I remember that Tashiel and I bellowed in defiance as judgment was passed upon us. As he said though, we are outcasts and have been for centuries, since about the time dwarves were first introduced to this land so long ago."

Reshiel nodded to the large pile of animals and spoke again, slower this time as he thought over his words. "There are animals that are much larger than that pile of animals and they taste better too. I figured if I could lure one out then I could eat well for the next few days. That is why I used smaller animals in that pile. Still they are fresh enough to where they would make for a couple meals for the scouts if they needed them. Now let us be off to this battle. Oh and it was nice to meet you, Throkk."

[Quetzal]

Throkk was not under Sedine's command so had no obligation to listen to him, but ignoring what he was telling his men right now would ruin his plan, so he obeyed all the same. Like most dwarves, he was too bulky and ungraceful in his movements to be at all good at stealth movements and hiding, but all he really needed to do was stay still. Since he was smaller than everyone else, the bushes covered him very well. He waited with the rest, watching the Empire soldiers wander into the little camp. As to be expected from a group of scouts, there were fewer scouts than soldiers. No one ever bothered sending more than a few scouts out to the same place since they were usually picked for being fast and sneaky, able to get away from danger quickly and with ease. He didn't count the soldiers but guessed their number at about twenty, maybe twenty-five at a stretch. They were outnumbered. This could be tricky.

The traps made their jobs easier. Throkk had not known about them and was glad to see the evidence of their function. With the others, he burst from cover, shouting as loud as he could while drawing his battle-axe. Their short height often made dwarves look less intimidating, but when one was letting out a battle cry and running straight at someone holding a big weapon in thick arms, his kind looked formidable. He stuck near Tashiel both because he knew his fighting style better so would find it easier to fight alongside him rather than the strangers, and because he was interested in hearing what he had to say.

In big numbers like this, soldiers would never be stupid enough to come at their enemies one by one. They took full advantage, ganging up on the others. Throkk didn't look to see how the scouts were coping. He was too focused on keeping himself alive. Two soldiers swung their swords at him from opposite sides. It was physically impossible for him to even look at them both at the same time, so he had no option other than to run out the way. In a different spot, they were both attacking from a different angle now so he was able to face them both. His axe was a very slow weapon. They were easily able to block and dodge it quickly, but it did make it harder for them to try attacking him again without their blades connecting with the shaft of the axe. It took a while for Throkk to land a hit, but one hit was all it took. His swing was powerful, his axe so heavy it gave a great impact indeed when it did manage to connect with a target. The force and weight was enough to break armour, skin and bone, crushing the man's side. It wasn't a pretty sight. It must be a painful way to go, but at least with one hit and so much damage to the ribcage it was a quicker death than most got in battle.

"You too, Reshiel. You're a good fighter, like Tashiel," he paid the fallen angel a compliment. He always meant any compliments he gave. He was a no-nonsense guy, he wouldn't mess around with false courtesies or unearned praise. It was interesting to him to hear more of Tashiel's story. He'd heard of the battle before, but never of Reshiel. There was a good deal about his past Tashiel either couldn't remember or refused to tell anyone, he suspected.

[(Spartan322) Sedine]

Sedine was bating away the attacks that cam at him. The swords that cam near always missed as he was obviously better then the soldiers. His scouts were not as formidable however and a few went down though none had died as of yet. Then Sedine struck three soldiers from around a tree, using it as a cover and to block the swords being swung. Ha, this is pretty fun. he said continuing to laugh. He stuck down another soldier with a flip of his wrist. He was fast for a human. After his forth downed soldier he saw that his scouts were not doing as well and came to back to defend them swinging his sword, blocking almost every hit while his scouts moved back to the camp. Then he got scraped in the knee by a soldier who he jumped on in anger and broke his neck as the battle continued with a laugh from Sedine.

[Brenton]

((Sorry for the delay in posting but my laptop is a piece at times and so I have to make do with what I have. Hate posting with multiple people on a mobile device as well.))

Tashiel noticed the soldiers were beginning to circle around the small group of ever falling scouts, watching for weakness and seeing every detail of battle strategy. So as the Fallen Angel normally did in a situation like that one, especially when he had people he could trust next to him, he tapped Throkk twice on his weaker arm to signal a switch of weapon stance. After that he nodded to Reshiel with a motion of his hand in a rolling of the wrist and then his first three fingers extending outward. A normal soldier or commander had phrases they used for tricky maneuvers but they were to easily interpreted by the enemy.

This plan was one devised by him and Reshiel in the battle before and one he had shown to Throkk in a slow day at the forge. It was basic really. Throkk would switch his axe to his other hand and adapt his stance to make it confuse the enemy while Reshiel would roll to the rear and jump into the tree above. From there, Tashiel would slash downward, effectively disarming the nearest soldiers, and that would give Reshiel time to jump down and break their necks. As he landed, the three would stand with their backs together so no one could sneak up on them and they could defend each others blind spots if need be.

---

Right after the signal, Reshiel nodded and rolled backward, instantly jumping into the tree above him. He knew this plan from front to back and had actually taught it to some of the lesser Fallen. Because of that, the second in command was able to see when Tashiel disarmed the soldiers and he leapt down. Necks were broken and the next thing he knew, Reshiel was pressing his back toward the other two while gauging the enemy's size.

[Quetzal]

Throkk saw Sedine laughing and heard him exclaim that this was fun. "Really, kid? I've found battles are never fun. Fighting's a serious affair, but not everyone can be a warrior, I suppose," he said in a gruff tone, pauses forced where he had to breathe harder as he exerted himself blocking attacks and shoving his enemies back. Young people often did get ideas of glory into their heads. The older warriors, the ones who had seen things and lived to see another day, they treated battle more seriously. He himself had never seen it as a game. He preferred making to destroying. Fighting was not a bad thing, in his mind, and by all means he would fight for what he believed in and for protection, but a warrior or soldier was not his true calling. There were other ways he fought this war. He would fight for the Varden in their battles, but he saw his greater contribution to them as his supplying them with weapons and armour, and his making fine blades for officers and even a Rider.

Two taps on his left arm made him first think Tashiel wanted his attention, but when he noticed the gesture he was giving Reshiel the dwarf understood. His left had shifted up, his right down, as he moved the weight of the axe to his weaker arm. His stance completely mirrored his old one, everything suddenly on the opposite side. The soldiers around him took long enough to adjust for him to easily bypass one of their defences, earning the unfortunate man an axe to the skull. He wrenched it free, not looking at what he knew Reshiel was doing so to keep the element of surprise. From behind him he heard a number of cracks that told him the plan was a success. Another soldier swung at him, and he caught his sword on the butt of his axe. With a great shove, he pushed his axe away from it, the sword going with it until it was wrenched to one side and clattered to the ground. A moment later, its owner joined it.