Brynn Shander

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After one day Berg's crew had a good third of the tunnel dug. With his drafted gang of rock haulers, he had the west wall fairly well buttressed, and the pile of catapult rocks was getting bigger and bigger. If the goblins would just hold off any major attacks for another day or two, everything would be perfect. If only it were a perfect world.

 

Having appointed himself Berg's body guard Bjorn kept near him but out of the way. He listen to what Berg said and between checking for trouble he observed him.

Bjorn found the work interesting and noted how Berg made sure the walls and ceiling of the tunnel were supported. Large rocks were piled up for use on the catapults.

Occasionally he asked a question but mostly stayed to the side unless Berg told him to do something.

 

Jeibi was amazed when he saw the person he was sent to help standing up and talking to his halfling friend. He knew the man had took a potion, but he was something else. At a loss for words he just stared at the man. His head was still bleeding yet he was standing up straight.

 

When Berg was settled with his men in their building Bjorn decided to explore the town. He wandered around some. Coming across a tavern he went in. Ordering a drink he found an empty spot and sat down. He looked around at the other customers.

He was feeling bored. What Berg did was interesting but Bjorn really had nothing to do except watch out for trouble and run a couple of errands. He couldn't talk to the others on Berg's team. He was hoping he could find someone to talk to. Or there might be some entertainment. He liked listening to bards.

 

In three days the work was done. The trap was set. Berg was amazed that the goblins were so stupid as to give the defenders uninterrupted work time, without even so much as a harrassing sortie or another bugbear infiltration to bother the work. But he wasn't dissappointed by the enemy's stupidity. Now they could come.

He went to the commander's office. "The trap is set. Have we got someone to put out illusionary bait, or do we have to burn a real catapult? If the later, lets do the one from the second tower on the west wall, it's kind of rickety anyway."

 

The commander had been looking out a window as Berg gave his report. When Berg stopped talking, the commander turned around, and Berg saw half of its face go from mottled grey to the red tint that the commander had.

"By the Nine Hells!" Berg shouted, "A doppelganger has replaced the commander!" He chucked an axe at the doppelganger, and it went through its forearm. It shout out a fist and hit Berg right in the nose. He fell on his back and the doppelganger jumped up to land on him, but Berg was able to get the pointed top of a battle axe in place, and the doppelganger impaled its heart on the spike. Berg pushed it off, stood up, raised his axe, and split its head clean off its shoulders.

He went over behind the commander's desk and found the real commander's body, but no head, and a broken mirror. He took the necklace of office off of the commander's headless torso, and put it around his own neck.

Berg walked out to the tower in the central square. Soldiers glanced curiously at him when they saw the necklace of the commander on the dwarf, but his returning glare brooked no argument. He told the gong guarders to signal a gathering.

Soon a large group of the defenders, though not all of them by anyright, were gathered in the square.

"Soldiers!" Berg called out. "I have just discovered that the commander had been replaced by a doppelganger. I have killed the doppelganger. Since no one else here seems intelligent enough, or driven enough to take command, I'm going to do it, damn it!"

"We've been lucky enough to get by without much of a fight so far. Those goblins have been sitting with their fingers up their arses for awhile now, and I can't imagine them doing so for much longer. Any of you who think you've got what it takes to help lead us in this fight, meet me in the commanders office in a quarter hour. The rest of you get back to your posts. Dismissed."

Berg walked back to the commander's office. He picked up the bodies of the doppelganger and the commander and threw them out the window.

 

Bjor hearing that something had happened at the Commander's Headquarters raced over in time to hear what Berg said.

He entered the quarters. "Reporting for duty, Sir."

 

Daren sighed and decided that he would try for a nice archer position or a scout. Fighting wasn't his thing.

"I'm here Commander!"

 

Jeibi followed Daren in

 

After a few more minutes of waiting, with no other people coming into the commander's office, Berg went and closed the door.

"Thank you for coming," he said. "Maybe the other captains and lieutenants don't think I have any authority over them, that's okay. We'll let them continue on with their mundane duties of guarding the walls and such, there's not much thinking to do there. I found these orders on the doppelganger's desk," he said, holding some papers. "Tomorrow, a large force of ours was to sortie out the north gate as a show of force. I think it was a trap for us, but we're going to turn the tables on them."

"Bjorn, I'm making you brigadeer general. You're going to lead that force. When they spring whatever trap they have, pretend to panic, and retreat along the wall to the south wall where we've got the explosives in position. It'll take some lucky timing, but we should be able to get them to explode after most of your force is over."

"Daren, I've heard about you Bagginses, and I hope you live up to your namesake. I'm making you scout master. Here's your mission. First, requistion or somehow collect all the potions and powder you can from the town's apothecaries. We want something that when put into a stew will make the eater sick, not dead. Like horrible stomach aches, or the runs. Then, you and all the other scouts you can find head out into the enemy camps this night, and put the potions and powders in their stew pots. Goblin cooking is pretty rank, so they should never notice the taste. While you scouts are out there, be sure to take mental notes on numbers of goblins, and anything special, like bugbears, ogres, gnolls, or wizards and such. Get back here before dawn."

He looked at the girly-boy. What in the nine hells was he going to do with this person? At least he had the guts to get himself here.

"Jeibi, is it?" The boy nodded. "I'm making you Master of Morale. Boredom and frustration are going to be as worse enemies as the goblins. Once all the ale is drunk, and we've eaten all the dogs and cats and we're hunting rats and mice to eat, and even roasting up dead goblins for supper, the wimpy soldiers will start to abandon us, or talk of mutiny. Your job is to redirect their anger and frustration to the goblins. Make up stupid, silly songs about them. Idolize our soldiers who are the heroes in the fights. Put on a talent show or play, anything to keep our troops' minds off the iminent death that awaits us all. Can you do that?"

The boy looked stunned. Well, he could stop a spear as well as anyone else.

"Okay, any questions or comments? Better ideas? I must admit, I've never been the general for a siege before, but I've watched many great ones for a long time, and I've only had to flee for my life from a lost siege thrice. I'll do the best I can do. I ask of you all the same."

 

"Yes sir! I will do the best I can! You can count on me!" Daren beamed appreciatively. "Uh, where are the other scouts?"

 

"Hope I can find enough volunteers. Maybe an offer of extra pay?"

 

"Just lie to them. Tell them that we've intercepted a message saying there's going to be a large ale shipment going to the goblin camp, and we're going to intercept it. That should get you plenty of volunteers," Berg told Bjorn. "Then, once your force gets jumped by whatever's waiting for them, just start running along the wall to the south."

"Check the taverns for the other scouts. That's where they usually hang out. Be sure to loudly mention your family name, that'll get you some respect. Good luck," he gave the halfling a hearty thump on the back.

"I'm going to go reset the fuses for the explosives. It will have to be just right for this to work."

Berg went out to the south wall and the freshly dug tunnels underneath it.

 

Daren almost cried out in pain, but just rubbed his shoulder. He set out for the tavern and started,

"MY NAME IS DAREN BAGGINS!" as if talking to someone, "OH YA, I SURE AM RELATED TO THE GREAT BAGGINSES! YEA GAREN IS MY BROTHER AND HE'S VERY CLOSE TO ME! i'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD OF HIM! YA KNOW, MASTER THIEF! AND I TRAINED WITH MINSC.. FROM RASHEMEN! YEA WELL, I'M LOOKING FOR SCOUTS FOR THE COMMANDER, BERG! ANYONE INTERESTED??"

Soon after he had finished talking, around two dozen sturdy men had come over. "Sure guys, you can come with me!" Daren was so pleased that Berg would be pleased.

He went to the barracks, with the pack of soon-to-be scouts following him. He equipped them with leather armor, two daggers, a long sword, and several potions (offensive and defensive). He had already done this to himself, so he decided to paint the rest of their armor black. He decided to make half normal colored with some splotches of green here and there, and the other half black. He would be black with green splotches.

"Ok, men! Are you ready?" He asked, standing on a table.

 

Bjor went out and began collecting a troop to decoy the enemy.

Riding out with his group he advanced near a main body of goblins and bugbears. Seeing the town group they started toward them.

"Follow me". Bjorn led the group down the wall to wear the trap had been set, hoping all was ready.

 

After giving them all bows and arrows, Daren decided to ask Berg where to go.

Daren and his band went to the western tunnel, and then, hearing the goblins outside, decided to back up. They had a feeling the trap was about to spring.

 

A few rocks tumbled over in a pile of rubble outside the burning city. A dirty, dusty, tired and thouroughly aggravated dwarf climbed out of the hole.

Berg Schaufelhand stood up, checked his axes and hammers hanging from his belt, looked back at the smoke and flames rising from the besieged city, the hoots and hollers of the goblins and wailing of the not yet dead inhabitants floating over the wind, and spit a mouthful of blood on the ground before turning his back on Brynne Shander forever.

"That's the last time I try to do city folk any good," he grumbled. How had the defenses fallen so quickly? Apart from him, which of his friends had managed to escape. Surely his whole crew of miners was lost.

He set off for better prospects.

 

Daren looked around frantically. Most of his band had scattered, to his dismay, and he saw Berg walking away. He jumped into the shadows away from his band and followed Berg.

"Berg! Berg, over here! I'm coming with you!" And at that he ran over to him, and didn't look back, for fear of what might be.

 

Bjorn Landers crawled out from a pile of dead, both horses and riders. Looking around he saw the destroyed city but no enemies nearby. He moved quietly and sadly away from the burning city.

 

Cameron pulled himself out of the wreckage. Two goblins were above him. He grabbed their heads and smashed them together, killing both instantly. Cameron roared with anger. The wrong thin to do for he was struck by an arrow. He roared again, screaming insults. He was struck three more times before he would fell on his knees. Finaly he fell, for what he and the goblins thought forever.