Chapter 14: Attack on Redcliffe pt2
Redcliffe-eight hours until nightfall
With hours until nightfall, the party wasted no time in trying to get the village in order for the attack. They first headed for Owen the blacksmith for weapons and armor the villagers desperately need. Jenra knocked on the door, and a graveled voice could be heard. "Go away, curse you! Leave me in peace! You've already taken everything out of my stores, there's nothing left!"
"Is this Owen, the blacksmith? I need to speak with you"
"I am and you'll get nothing from me so you'd best move along" Sten suggested they break down the door but Jenra rejected the idea, things were already tense enough as it was in the village they didn't need to add to it.
"I'd like to speak to you, may I come in?" Jenra asked. There was silence for a moment until…
'Hmm, all right, all right, let me undo the locks. All I ask is that you don't make any trouble" They could hear the sound of the door being unbolted and boarded, when the commotion stopped that was their signal to enter. Once inside, the smell of hard whisky hit their senses…it was like someone set a brewery on fire. In the corner was the blacksmith, looking pitiful with bottles upon bottles near his feet.
"Somebody's been drinking…" Alistair said.
"So I let you in, you wanted to talk; now we're talking. Mind telling me who you are?"
"I am Jenra, a Grey Warden helping Bann Teagan"
"A Grey Warden, is it? Huh…it takes all kinds" the blacksmith said. "Care to join me as I get besotted? Or is there something in particular you wanted?"
"I need weapons and armor for the militia"
Owen scoffed. "Look around…the militia took everything they could use. I could start up the forge again but I won't since Murdock won't listen to me"
"You sure about that? Because the militia barely looks like they can fight off bandits, much less whatever is attacking the village" Alistair said.
"Everything that they could fine, sure…walked in here and took it all right off the walls"
Jenra crossed his arms. "Did they find everything?" he asked. "A good blacksmith wouldn't place their best items just anywhere…"
"Heh…aren't you clever? You're right; I'd be stupid to keep everything out where someone could find it easy" Owen said. "Tell you what, you go into the castle and find my Valena and I'll dig up something you might like…think of it as an incentive"
"I'll do my best…" Jenra said.
Owen frowned. "Not good enough! Murdock said the same damned thing and I didn't believe him, either" he said. "I want a promise; promise me that you'll look for her…that you'll bring her back to me if you can"
"You have my word"
"Right, then. It seems I have some work to do, re-lighting the forge and I suppose I'll have to find some iron…hmm, maybe at the mill?" The party walked out the door, Owen got to work on the weapons and armor for militia. Sten looked at Jenra and shook his head, fighting for this village was a bad distraction enough now they were looking for people too. He started to wonder if the Grey Warden legends were just that…legends.
"You give the blacksmith false hope" Sten said. "The girl is likely dead"
"There's always a chance…Alistair and I weren't supposed to survive Ostagar but here we are" Jenra said. "Have more faith…"
"Such nonsense…"
From the bottom of the village, Murdock saw smoke rising from the chimney and smirked. "Well I'll be damned…they actually did it…" Murdock order one of his men to inform Bann Teagan of the news, anymore good news like this and the village might just survive the night.
Leliana and Morrigan-six hours until nightfall
While Jenra, Alistair, and Sten went to Dwyn to request for the dwarf's help, Morrigan and Leliana met with Ser Perth. He was standing on the hill overlooking Castle Redcliffe; he turned around as Leliana and Morrigan. "Ah, you are the companions of the Grey Warden. I am as relieved as Bann Teagan is to see you here" he said. "I am Ser Perth, until recently in direct service of Arl Eamon of Redcliffe…for now; my charge is defending the village from these evil assaults"
"My name is Leliana and this one is Morrigan, is there anything you need?"
Ser Perth sighed. "We have sufficient armor and weapons, but my knights are too few to stand against the monster without assistance" he said. "Perhaps you could approach Mother Hannah in the chantry for some holy protection against these evil creatures?"
Morrigan scoffed. "Yes, let's waste more time asking for imaginary protection…I'm sure that will help"
Leliana sighed. "Forgive my companion" she said. "I know things seem bleak Ser Perth, but I do not believe that will help"
"Beyond our own talents, I do not know what more we could do…we're prepared for the onslaught as we could possibly be, all things considered"
"Are you sure you have considered everything?" Morrigan asked. "Because it seems like excuses to me"
"Morrigan now is not the time" Leliana said.
Ser Perth raised his hand. "You have thoughts, Lady Morrigan?"
"I've noticed your cooks running themselves ragged trying to feed your militia and injured" Morrigan said.
"Yes without them we would lost days ago"
"With the size they had to serve, the accumulation of all the grease and oil must be quite large" Ser Perth's men yelled at Morrigan but Perth quiet him down to hear the rest of Morrigan's plan. "Enough to set many monsters aflame…"
"Assuming that would hurt them…yes, I see what you have in mind. That might be effective if used carefully" Ser Perth nodded. "Yes, excellent idea! I'll send some men to collect the oil, we'll use it slow these creatures down" They walked away to collect the oil and Leliana looked at Morrigan with a smile.
"What bard?" Morrigan asked annoyed.
"You say all these cruel things but deep down you do care"
Morrigan turned away. "I don't, but as long we're involved with this foolishness…I might as well save them from their own incompetence"
Jenra, Alistair, and Sten-four hours until nightfall
The party made it to Dwyn's hut; the door was locked and looked as if it had been recently repaired. "Hello?" No one answer Jenra's call…maybe no one heard him and Jenra knocked on the door but still there was no answer. Sten becoming impatient with all the waiting push Jenra aside and broke open the lock. When they walked inside, a very unhappy dwarf was inside…he was accompanied by two human warriors, from the looks of them they were Chasind in origin. They were ready to attack until Dwyn stopped them.
"Wonderful, intruders. I hope you've a good reason for breaking and entering into my home"
"Apologies for my friend's hastiness, we don't wish any harm" Jenra said.
"Apology accepted, the name's Dwyn pleased to meet you. Now get out" He walked away, Jenra saw that his home was particularly well-stocked much more than the whole village, not surprising considering his profession. With his resources he could help the villagers, though Dwyn didn't look like the charitable type.
"You're doing quite well for yourself…"
"You state the obvious…we have supplies to last for quite some time and my boys and I can swing a weapon better than any of those fools out there"
"Aren't you confident? But it won't last…you'll in here just as easily as you would out there" Alistair said.
Dwyn snorted. "Thanks but I'll take my chances in here. Everyone else can run around in the open, waiting to die"
"Perhaps, we can change your mind" Jenra said.
Dwyn narrowed his eyes. "Maybe…let's hear what you've got"
"I'll put in a good word for you with Bann Teagan or the arl" Jenra said. "Think of the possibilities with a grateful Bann or better yet a grateful arl" The dwarf thought about it for a moment, and then started smirking….Jenra was right the possibilities were irresistible. A grateful noble meant more customers, or maybe even land of his own.
"Hmm. You might just be able to pull that off, fine I'll throw in with the militia…for now" Dwyn said. "You better be out there, too when the sun goes down. I'm not fighting for a lost cause, you hear me?"
"You need not worry; I've already pledged my support for the Bann" They met up with Murdock and his men just as they were getting their new weapons and armor. Jenra was impressed, despite the blacksmith's old age he worked fast. From the Chantry, the villagers taking out vats of oil and heading for the high ground. There was tension between Dwyn's men and some of villagers…the villagers didn't forget that Dwyn was hiding while they were dying to the monsters, it didn't help that the dwarf's men were notorious thieves that plagued Redcliffe in the past. Murdock was quick to clamp down on the tension though he didn't trust Dwyn himself. Ser Perth and his soldiers were getting into position. Darkness grew as the sun gone down; it wouldn't be much longer now.
"What is the plan, Jenra?" Alistair asked.
"You, Sten, and Fenrir are with me…we'll be joining Ser Perth and his men as the vanguards" Jenra said. "Leliana and Morrigan, you two will be with the back ranks…any stragglers that slip by us, hit them as hard as you can"
"May the Maker smile upon us this day…" Leliana said. Night came and a strange mist came from Castle Redcliffe heading down to the village. The non-combatants headed for the Chantry and the doors were barred but there was no telling if the barricade would hold. The sisters prayed to the Maker as children whimpered and cried in fear for their lives. The sisters comforted them and tried to hide their fear by quoting the Chant of Light but every once in a while their fear came through.
"Get to your positions!" The archers got into position and readied their arrows, as the strange mist permeated the village. When the first of the undead appeared, they slipped and fell into a grease trap that the villagers had set. The archers lit their arrow aflame and shot the grease igniting it. But the ghouls shambled along like nothing happened, Ser Perth and his men charge with Jenra and the rest of the party close behind.
When the first wave fell, more of the undead came in…with an order the archers let loose another barrage of arrows struck the walking corpses. Fenrir charged in and ripped into the corpse until it couldn't move. Alistair blocked an incoming blow from one of the undead and then bashed its head off with his shield. Jenra spun around and mowed down a row of the ghouls and charged into the frontline while skewering more of the undead. Sten grabbed a corpse by the head and smashed it against the rocks. The ghouls dogpiled the qunari but with a mighty roar Sten threw them off and the corpses flew like ragdolls. "Divide and conquer, keep them off balance!" The soldiers continued to beat back the undead as they came, but their stamina was starting to fall however the ghouls had no such problem taking advantage. Jenra and the party fought off the corpses to give the soldiers time to retreat to safer ground. Ser Peth and his men flanked the ghouls taking the pressure off Jena's group. Through coordinating strikes they were able to beat back the horde, no undead came but the unease remained.
An archer came to Jenra, he was from the back ranks where Leliana and Morrigan was. "The monsters are attacking from the lake! They're attacking the barricade! We need help!"
"Ser Warden, we shall stay and guard path help the back the back ranks" Ser Perth said. Jenra nodded and followed archer into the village.
The night is young as the battle continues! Next Time! Review and Comment!