Chapter 1
The Beginning
Dawn came quietly to the town of Helmstrumberg, no people browsing around the market square, no children were crying, it was silent and Andrion gazed around the surrounding plains and deep into the forests of Silverpine. When he signed up for the army, he expected the bloody battlefield and the sounds of clashing metal. Instead he was standing on the old stone walls of his life long town. These early morning watches killed him, he was always tired throughout the rest of the day. The sun slowly rose from behind the Arathi Mountains and shed a little light upon the valley. He returned his gaze to the surrounding area, his eyes widened when he saw a large troll raiding party. "To Arms my brothers! To Arms!" He yelled drawing his newly forged greatsword.
Dandrilan awoke with a jump and a knife in hand; he had been awoken by the call to arms. He ran to his bedroom closet and grabbed his yew longbow and quiver and laid them on his dresser. He threw on his light mail shirt and hung his scabbard and knife from his belt. He put on his belt grabbed his bow and slung his quiver and ran out the door. He jumped the last three steps and ran to the door, there he was greeted by his two other brothers, Rikard, and Elias. They too where suited up for battle, Rikard with a spear and buckler and Elias with a halberd and buckler. The three of them ran out the door and to the walls.
Eoden rose slowly from bed and to his wall where his armor and weapons hung. He put on the chain mail that once belonged to his older brother who died in the Great War against the orcs. Also he took his family treasure, Whitefang, a spear that has been passed down from eldest son to eldest son. He examined its rune tip curved slightly to give it slashing power. Lastly he removed a dusty buckler and slung it on his back. He ran down the hallway and out the front door.
The Town Guard had assembled in a matter of minutes, all one hundred and fifty of them. Most of them with makeshift shields and swords, some with pitchforks, some with woodcutting axes, and the rest had hunting bows. Captain Thaodar emerged from his house in his suit of heavy armor, a sword at his waist, and shield in his hand. He ran to the raised platform in the center that the town criers used and yelled "Bowmen to the walls! The rest of you with me!" when he finished he ran off towards the gate with the militia in tow. At the gate house the repeater handguns that the dwarf engineers crafted fired deadly volleys of lead at the oncoming trolls, while the bowmen constantly exchanged fire with the troll archers. Andrion, Eoden and Dandrilan met at the steps leading up to the walls.
The three went to the front of the battle line; they talked amongst themselves as Thaodar rambled on about justice and glory. As soon as he stopped the wooden gates to the town started to crumple under the repetitive bashes from the troll's battering ram. The three stood ready to face whatever end, then it happened…….the gates burst open and fifteen berserk trolls burst through and launched themselves at the defenders line, quickly Dandrilan drew two arrows and sent them flying at a troll, they hit him square in the chest and he landed five feet behind where he was because of the impact. The shriek of dieing men was all that was heard as the trolls flung there hand weapons around in frenzy. Andrion charged the nearest troll, he decapitated the troll in a swing of his sword. By the time he was able to look around he noticed that at least a hundred trolls had stormed through the gates, and even the archers were drawn into close quarters. Andrion saw Dandrilan and Eoden Fighting back-to-back, Eoden with Whitefang and Dandrilan with his own sword. Andrion charged at a group of oncoming trolls, his blade flashed and a trolls head hit the ground. The others paid more attention to him, obviously taking him as a dangerous threat. They closed in on him and readied himself for a last stand.
He swung his blade to parry the first trolls half axe, the two weapons met, being quicker Andrion sent another blow into the trolls side before the troll new what hit him. The next troll bashed him with his shield, knocking him off balance, that was all the troll needed, he lifted his axe his head as a white bladed spear drove itself through his chest. The troll fell and standing behind it was Eoden, he yanked his spear from the corpse of Andrion's attacker, his hand rose to aid Andrion up. The three gazed around, what they saw was ghastly, a battlefield covered in the gore and bodies of their fallen comrades. Then they saw him, Najambi the leader of the tribe of trolls in there valley, he wielded a spear with a glowing blue tip. Captain Thaodar noticed the new threat and charged the eight foot tall beast. Everyone around stood and watched…..human and troll alike stood and watched their captains fight, and fight they did to the bloody end………..
A Day Later
With the troll leader dead, the trolls panicked and fled those that didn't get away from the walls were killed without mercy. Even though the battle was won, their was grief for those who died in the defense of Helmstrumberg, Thaodar had been sent to the apothecary because of major wounds, in a few days he would die.