Laryssa van Bleuys

Laryssa was the only child of Emil van Bleuys, the lord of the small village Bleuysfiyld. Having lost her mother at a young age she was mostly raised by her father, who spared no costs for her eduction and even martial training. He made sure that she would be properly prepared to correct the mistakes he made as landlord and nobleman.
While growing up she spent a lot of time with the children of the local blacksmith, who her father also often invited to join her lessons. Some in the village even assumed that she would marry one day the blacksmith's oldest son Eren. These rumors grew quiet when he left the settlement to join the Paladin's of the Father.
During her upbringing her father even hired an elven weaponmaster called Galinndan from Flushavs. Through the year he taught her martial skills as well as elvish. While he never showed any particular interest in most of her abilities, he was very impressed in her archery skills, as she would later even win a tournament at the Harvest Fest in Omarin.
Laryssa is mostly a friendly person and open for her subordinates and the people in the village. She understands that it is her duty to offer them protection and take care of their needs, but she also knows that she is a noblewoman and she isn't to spoil her title by allowing them to grow too close to her.

I. Into War:
When knights from Eversted passed through to join an army in Omarim heading for the Far Lands, she readily joined taking up the chance to renew the respect for their family name that was somewhat forgotten since her father took over the village. She was well aware that her family name was not only losing reputation but also gaining debt, therefore she would do whatever she could to prove herself and build up alliances that would save her fathers lands and honor.
Joined by the blacksmith second son, Bran Sparkhammer, she marched into the war. Her status as noble secured her access to Xaiver van Axxen's war council thus making sure she would have the opportunity to make a name for herself. The young general put her in charge of a small patrol of pikemen as her first command.
Her first test didn't left her waiting for long as during the first days of the campaign her unit was tasked to requisite supplies from farms along the path of the army. The squad she sent along with Bran to a farm though caused an accident. Called by panicked farmers Laryssa, Xaiver and his second in command Basitan van Waertens arrived at the scene to find several killed pikemen as Bran defended the farmers from his men. As it turned out Bran had killed three men in selfdefense after stopping them from rapping the farmers daughter. Lucky for Laryssa Xaiver accepted the explenation as a justified action by her subordinate. She herself was pleased by Bran's bravery and sense of morality.
After this rather displeasing first occasion to gain fame her next engagement proved to be a much more honorful experience. Bran and a mercenary called Hereford scouted together with her a small village south of the road. When they reached the first houses of the location they saw a goblin raiding party attacking the villagers. As Bran and herself climbed the roof of a house as vantage point to snipe the small monsters with their bows, Hereford was charging the main square throwing himself between the greenlings and the villagers. Heavily outnumbered the battle was on the brink of being lost as Herefored swarmed by several opponents was badly injured and collapsed. Bran jumped of the roof to help him, while goblins reached up for Laryssa. Stabbing goblins coming up the roof and shooting their archers from other roofs she was fighting desparately for her life. Yet in the end the small party persevered and chased of the raiders.
Celebrated by the farmers as saivors and praised by Xaiver for their bravery Laryssa and her companions had already made a name for themselves far away from the actual frontline. Yet the encounter also raised some suspicion. No one was expecting the goblinoids to be on this side of the river even less this far west. Based on the months old reports the battle with the hobgoblins was around Laangstep, nobody expect the enemy to have been able to take the draw bridge at Pjotrsdorv. Alarmed by the revelation of finding goblins within the Realm of the Middle the army started to deploy a vanguard as well as a rearguard, but also securtiy around the camp side. Bran argued to send out scouts ahead of the army as they would soon reach mountainous terrain, which would put them all at risk of ambushes.
Xaiver put Laryssa in charge of a small patrol to go with Bran along the road for reconnoitring as others where sent in other directions. For several days the small party followed Bran's lead east ahead of the main body of the army. Being a small group they were far faster than the main force and the blacksmith's son proved to be excellent at making sure they moved out of sight. This would soon prove vital as they discovered the tracks of an unkown group that was stalking the mountains.
After a couple of days of hunting the other group their own camp was attacked during the night. Bran and Laryssa had noticed the assailts in time to warn their men, but kept torchers not lit to not betray their positions. The enemy though had already surrounded them. Being able to see in darkness these larger than humansized, hairy brutes attacked them with a big advantage. As her patrol was decimated Bran managed to kill off several of them while Laryssa organised the surviors within the camp to beat back the attack.
Her men were in a bad condition, with several of them dead, as a long night was still ahead of them. Knowing that their enemies might come back taking advantage of the humans not being able to see in darkness, Laryssa and Bran decided to lead their group away from the camp and find a new hiding place.
After several hours of rest though they noticed three still persuing them. To protect her soldiers she and Bran lured the enemies away and ambushed them. With those dead the rest of the night went by peaceful. While she and the blacksmith's son were tired and bruised the recruits under her command were at least able to tend their wounds and get some rest. Yet they had accomplished to gain some intel on what to expect in the mountains, so they decided to return to Xaiver with a report.
After connecting with the army's main force Bran lead the vanguard under Bastian van Waerten's command to the battlesite to show the bodies of the enemies. Xaiver was pleased to have Laryssa and her men return as many other patrols never came back. With the information gained from their encounter they figured out that their assailants were goblinoids known as bugbears. It became obvious that the goblinoid army most likely had reached the mountain range cutting of the Far Lands from the rest of the Realm. Xaiver decided that he would need to establish communication with lord Kjonstantin's army or at least gain knowledge about the status of Pjotrsdorv. His army would have to stick to the main road, but he expected that a small group could cross the mountains and cut across the fields south of the mountains to reach the town at the river. Bran, Laryssa and Hereford volunteered for the dangerous mission.

II. Across the Mountain:
The small party made good progress as Bran once more proved to be an excellent guide in the wilderness. Their journey south lead them through a pass guarded by a small group of goblins, but thanks to Bran's connection to a falcon the group didn't stumble into a trap and instead ambushed the goblins themselves using the highground.
Once they left the mountains behind them they found a lot of destroyed and plundered farms. Whole buildings were crushed by something big, but neither Bran, nor Hereford or Laryssa had an idea what could have been the force behind the destruction.
Avoiding enemy patrols they once again clashed with goblins when they saw several men defending a cart among some farm fields. Goblin wolf riders and skirmishers lead by a nasty warlord on a specifically impossing wolf. As Bran and Hereford charged the goblins to relive the human soldiers it was Laryssa who engaged the goblin leader with her bow. Taking a vantage position in a tree she was shooting the goblin marauders and then their chief, it was the warload on his wolf who scored the first hit. Surprisingly nimble on his mount he responded to her harrassing with precise bowshots of his own wounding her badly. Yet before finishing her off he ordered a retreat already pleased by the havoc his forces had caused. Laryssa and her friends gathered around the few human surviors who still thankful for the help lead them to their village.
Once they reached the safety of the village Laryssa was confronted with the truth of the situation. The Far Land's requests for help were desparate plights for help that the Eversted didn't take serviously underestimating the goblinoids. For more than a year the region was at a full scale war, holding the bridge at Pjotrsdorv with what remainded of the army under lord Kjonstantin's banner. For the last several month though the situation got far worse as goblins and bugbears appeared in the hinterlands raiding the farmland, terrorising the civilians, while avoiding major engagement and fleeing into the mountains. Nobody knew where they came from as there were no known goblin warbands north of the river previously.
After a nights rest the three of them were lead to Pjotrsdorv to meet with the lord of the Far Lands. Kjonstantin displeasure was obvious when Laryssa reported that re-enforcements where on the way, but slowed down by bugbears in the mountains. The veteran of years of combat against goblinoids made it clear that the army under Xaiver's command was not sufficient to help out and called it just another display of the Realm's disregard for the problems of those far from the capital. Laryssa was shocked to see how bad the situation in the east was in reality and the amount of resentment the locals showed towards her and her companions. Yet she did her best to maintain the composure expect from a lady of the Realm.
The young noblewoman was also surprised to see a young lady being in charge of Pjotrsdorv. Jyelena van Pjotr inherited the title just a few months prior as her father was killed leading a scouting party over the river. The lady of the town asked Laryssa and her companions for help chasing the goblins that were threatening the villages under her protection. With lord Kjonstantin making Pjotrsdorv the priority there were no men available to search for the goblin leader known as 'Little Bugga' - the one goblin warlord they encountered previously. With nothing else to do Laryssa put her group at the town's disposal.
Under Jyelena's command they returned to the village close to the field where they encountered the raiding party. Together with the lady they ventured into the wilderness searching for traces of their foes among the ruins of farms. Jyelena reported that those were the result of a manticore that has been prowling the area since the goblins arrived.
After a couple of days Bran managed to pick up the tracks of a larger force of goblins that had passed through the area the day before towards the village. Chasing after them the group split up at when reaching the settlement. While Jyelena and her guards joined the battle at the main gate, Laryssa, Bran and Hereford charged after the goblins who breached the palisade in the village eastern flank. Once again Hereford and Bran fought the goblins head to head while Laryssa climbed a watch tower and provided as much coverfire as she could. Their attack into the back of the goblins saved Jyelena's cleric of the Maiden Garlund van Danten who stayed in the village to take care of the wounded.
Regrouping after defeating the goblins at the gates and palisade Laryssa and her companions recognised that the attack was just to draw the defenders aways from the main square where the harvest was being collect to be delivered to Pjotrsdorv. Rushing to the center of the settlement they once again were engaged by bugbears lead by the 'Little Bugga'.
Relying on the advantage the height of a roof would give her she swiftly climbed the nearest house as her companions charged the bugbears that were about to set the carts to flames. Only as the defenders gathered around the carts Little Bugga appeared ambushed them shooting arrows from his wolf's back. The goblin proved a deadly enemy picking her allies one by one, but unable to hide form her position she was able to chase him off with a couple of shots. Sounding the retreat the surviving goblinoids spread out every single one fighting for themselves. Persuing them Bran managed to capture one of the bugbears.
After an interrogation by the blacksmith's son Bran managed to get a deal with the bugbear. It appeared that the bugbears hated their goblin warlord. They called him 'Urak Bugbearfiend' as the goblin singlehandly killed a bugbear chief and used his pelt as cloak and the skull as helmet. As much as they despised him they also feared him so they did the only thing they could - follow his orders. But the bugbear would be willing to lead the humans to the cave were they could find Uruk and kill him. He even promised if they let him establish contact with the other bugbears in the cave that they would stand down and not fight side by side with the goblins. As Laryssa trusted Bran's advice she supported him when suggesting Jyelena to follow through on this plan.
The bugbear proved trustworthy as he lead them to the cave, even pointing them to several goblin ambush sites that they avoided thanks to his help. Once they reached their destination they even let him go ahead to turn the bugbears to their side. After giving him a bit of time to organise things within the cave, the group consisting of Laryssa, Bran, Hereford, Jyelena, her wardog and Garlund attacked the hidden camp.
As easy as the goblins were to kill in a fight as tricky they proved to be. Constantly droping out of shadows and running back into it. They entered a long battle consiting of several skirmishes with their sneaky opponents while avoiding traps. At first it looked as if the bugbears would really stay out of the fight, but the more tired and banged up the group was the more suspicious Laryssa became about the still lurking bugbears. She realised that they were waiting to see who would maintain the upper hand before picking a side - and besides Uruk's and the huamn's there still was the option of choosing the bugbear's own side.
Still the fight was not over as they reached the deepest cavern within the cave. Two wolf riders and Uruk charged them there. Injured and exhausted the fight brought them to their limits but as Laryssa's arrow found Uruk's wolf's throat and killed him it created an opening for Bran to kill the goblin warlord. Even with all their wounds Bran decapitating the Bugbearfiend scared off the bugbears and they left.
Returning with this victory to Pjotrsdorv Laryssa and her companions had established themselves as noteworthy warriors. Laryssa was gifted the 'Horn of Defiance' for their efforts in the defense of the town. Kjonstantin accepted her also within the ranks of his officers and gave her the command of Jyelena's forces when the lady asked for permission to lead a scouting party alonng the river towards the west to check on the bugbear's claim that the goblinoid army had crossed the river by boat.
As Jyelena together with Bran departed to investigate the matter it was up to Laryssa to organise and lead the town's own forces. For the first time she was charged with a larger force to take care of, even if it was just a temporary assignment she took pride in it. She would also continue doing this task when Jyelena and Bran returned with the confirmation that they had dicovered a place that was used as landing site for a larger force that would explain the amount of goblins in the hinterlands. The lady of Pjotrsdorv left with Bran to scout towards Rightous Hold and find out what she could about the ships used for the crossing as nobody had ever seen ships used by hobgoblins.
While her companion, squire and friend Bran went on this dangerous mission, Laryssa took up the responsabilities of leaderhsip getting more and more used to it. She quickly established a good report with the forces. The troops of Pjotrsdorv were already used to be lead by a young noblewoman and Laryssa had gained some battle honors fighting through the mountain and hunting down the ominous 'Little Bugga'.
As two weeks passed by without any word from Jyelena and Bran Laryssa started to grow concerned. Soon though those concerns were replaced by a sign of hope as the army under Xavier's command finally reached Pjotrsdorv. Pleasently surprised by Laryssa's successes Xavier congratulated her and put her in charge of the commoners' infantry regiment. The army itself had established a secured path through the mountains with several outposts. Thanks to the scouting down by Bran and her the army was ready for the nightly ambushes the bugbears had planned and turned those into traps.
Shorty afterwards Bran and Jyelena also returned, though not across the bridge, but from the west where they had crossed the Laangen swimming fleeing from a hobgoblin army chasing them. With them was a orc - Vorak Grimmblade. The scouting party had found the hold completely under the control of the hobgoblins with many soldiers of the Realm enslaved there. They also found a small temporary harbour with three ships from the Realm of the middle that were used to transport the goblin warbands on the northern shore of the river.

III. Crushed Hope:
Xavier and his knights were eager at that point to lead a counter offensive against the hobgoblins. Picking up the forces of Pjotrsdorv the army would march south and take the hobgoblin army there by surprise. Kjonstantin wasn't happy with the plan, but accepted it for at least it would show the westerners what the hobgoblins were capable of. Laryssa took this warning to heart as Bran's experience fighting against them during his previous mission had him concerned.
Yet the army marched out and Laryssa was proud to take command of the pikemen and crossbowmen from Omarim. To bolster moral she asked Bran to give her the bugbear pelt he recovered from Uruk and put it on a grim banner for her troops. The march began in good spirits and she felt good in her new position of leadership and responsibility.
The war plan though was soon confronted with a reality the army wasn't prepared for. The enemy was staying a Righthous Hold but instead marching already toward them and they head underestimated the opponent's army. As the scouts returned with the warning the army quickly deployed. The infantry spilt between the western forces under her command on the left flank and the Far Landers under Jyelena's command on the right. Hereford was leading the mercenaries while Bastian van Waertens would command the knights of the Realm in front of her infantry. Xavier and his bodyguard would controll the battle from the centre. Bran and Vorak would be close by her to help her were needed. She was still confident that things might go well.
While her crossbowmen were still going into position they were already under fire from more precise longbow archers of the hobgoblin army. Laryssa immediately encouraged her men to not falter and fire back, Bran and herself taking shots at the foe, leading by example.
The enemies counter shakened the ranks of her troops. Huge creatures charged ahead of the hobgoblin ranks. Each 3-4m in height towering even over knights on their horses. Some of them swinging chains with large iron balls attached to them. Bran screamed out to her those were orges. He faced them when he and Jyelena encountered Vorak. They need to take them down before they broke through the ranks of pikemen. The orges took a lot of damage to bring down and most of them kept charging unimpressed by the crossbowmen. It was Bastian van Waerten's counter charge that saved the ranks from being broken. The knight himself cut down three orges before the first of them even managed to strike him back. With the knights taking on the orges it was up to the infantry under her command to fight the hobgoblin phalanx.
She ordered her men to engage the opposing line, but it quickly became obvious why Bran had warned them about the hobgoblin warriors. Far more disciplined and better trained they were overwhelming her soldiers efficiently and without mercy. Out of the corner of her eyes she also saw huge fire explosions in the center where Xavier and his body guards were charging the enemy lines.
The situation was growing more desparate by the minute. Bran and Vorak ran to assist Hereford who was leading a charge to save the armies commander - if he was still alive. Laryssa knew that her flank needed to hold for as long as possible to buy time for her friends and the armies command. Watching Bastian's knights and her own soldier getting slaughtered one by one her arrows kept stirking enemy officers or picking out enemies about to press their advantage.
As the battle continued to rage around her she regrouped her fleeing crossbowmen to provide coverfire for the succumbing ranks of pikemen. While she walked through their ranks yelling encuragements and firing them up to hold on for their companions would need them to be steadfast, she noticed how shadows moved around them. The next moment hobgoblin warriors jumped at her men out of any shadowy spot slaughtering the surprised crossbowmen. Far superior warriors the female hobgoblins that had ambushed them were breaking any hope for discipline and moral to hold. Fending off one of these warriors Laryssa desparately tried to reorganise her ranks. Giving up on those units already engaged in combat she re-group everyone else she could find to create a wall for others to retreat behind.
Bastian van Waertens found her amongs her efforts to save what little of her force that was salvageable. He gave her the order to organise a fighting retreat, he and his men would buy them as much time as they could. This would be the last time she would see the knight that day as he charged once again into the enemy lines disappearing in a cloud of dust and a wall of pikes followed by those knights that could still hold on to their sattles.
Laryssa did as ordered and she quickly found all units arcoss the battlefield disengaging more or less successful. Many would die or be captured by not willing to give into panic herself she did her best to keep her forces together seeing how hobgoblins on large direwolves picked off any disorganised stragglers they could find. Screaming out for all to stay close she kept sending arrows towards anyone who dared to come after her and her men.
The retreat took the whole night and with darkness more and more men disappeared. Either claimed by hobgoblins or exhaustions or getting lost in night. Yet the young noble wasn't willing to let anyone be lost who could be rallied.
During the night she managed to find Bran and Hereford. They had a critically wounded Xavier on a horse. Hereford suggested the Bran would get Xavier back to Pjotrsdorv and warn Kjonstantin about the loss. He and Laryssa also agreed that only someone with Xavier's reputation could go back to Eversted and realistically convince the council of the Realm about how dire and serious the situation in the east was. Heavy hearted Laryssa sent Bran with the injured commander ahead hoping to survive the retreat as dire wolves with their riders surpassed the collum of humans marching exhaustedly north.
When she and the survivors finally reached the bridge across Laangen after a long and bloody march she could see the defenders fighting off hobgoblins on their dire wolves that were attempting to secure the bridge for themselves. She could see even Bran shooting from the bridges control tower in Pjotrsdorv. As the first surviors crossed the bridge and the bulk of the fleeing soldiers gathered at the bottleneck a manticore appeared in the sky and a goblin on top of it hurled fireballs at the tower and troops retreating. Happy with the damage caused and arrows he managed to evade the goblin left the site of the battle.
With a heavy blood toll the army of the Realm brought itself into the safety of the town and as damage sustained at the control tower prevented the bridge being risen, the town's forces had to burn the whole structure before the hobgoblin army would attack the town across it. The Realm of the Middle had lost a significant number of soldiers and the only land connection in the east to reach Laangstep.
Dealing with the desaster Kjonstantin agreed to send Xavier with Bran and Vorak as escorts to Eversted to pled the case of the Far Lands once more. In the meantime he would move his forces and the still capable survivors that arrived with Xavier to Hundswacht as without the bridge there was no danger for Pjotrsdorv nor any value to its postion.
Laryssa asked for permission to stay with a force of her own behind to clean up the mountains of any remainig goblins to help Jyelena secure the land around town. Lord Kjonstantin accepted that plan for he had no use of troops until he could gather a fleet to support Laangstep.
In the coming weeks after Bran's departure Laryssa lead several patrols chasing the bugbears and goblin clans around the area. With the increased pressure against the raiders the manticore riding goblin showed himself once more. Together with the cleric Garlund van Danten and a small force Laryssa surprised the goblin shaman at his camp.
The fight was brutal, nearly all soldiers following her lead were killed either by goblins or by the manticore flying above their heads shooting its spikes. Laryssa managed to wound it heavily several times until the Shaman hit Garlund and a couple of soldiers with a fireball, incinerating the pikemen and knocking the priest unconscious. After killing the manticore Laryssa daringly dashed across the battlefield to give the clerlic a healing potion and shielding him from the next attack the knocked herself out.
A couple of moments later she came back to her senses as the priest reappeared from an invisibility spell he used to hide and wait for the right opportunity to heal her. With Laryssa back to her feet they both were able to kill the shaman who was still directing his goblins from the camp and without a leader the goblins scattered.
After this victory the goblins and bugbears were no longer able to reorganise themselves and easily beaten by Pjotrsdorv defenders. Laryssa lead a couple of scouting missions across the river before being recalled to Hundswacht with her troops.

IV. Defense of Laangstep:
Lord Kjonstantin changed his strategy after the burning of the bridge of Pjotrsdorv. His forces were freed up and from Eversted ships were sent to help supplies due to Xaiver's and Bran's mission to request more help. Kjonstatin repurposed the ships and used them as troop transports to bring re-enforcements to Laangstep.
At this point Laryssa had already claimed a lot of reknown and many westeran veterans of the battles joined her banner. She volunteered to lead those veterans and join the fighting in the Laangstep. She was also joined by the archmage of the school of evocation Jonnasz van Elmander. Their arrival in the besieged town was celebrated and also the ships gave an opportunity to save civilians trapped within.
Laryssa reported to Krahl van Morinth who lead the defense. The commander of the army informed her that Bastian van Waerterns had also managed to bring a small group of survivors from the battle of Crushed Hope through the enemy siege lines into the city.
The battle for the town were many and bloody, but with the forces she brought and the arch mage they were able to barely hold their defensive positions against constant hobgoblin probing attacks. It took several weeks before more re-enforcements arrived. Those were mainly some volunteers from the west of the Realm that had joined the war after hunting down all remaining goblins in the mountains of the Far Realm. Their arrvial marked a significant change as their hunger for battle enabled the defenders to mount counter attacks reclaiming parts of the town.
The hobgoblins on the other hand realised the danger of the harbour that had suddenly with the ships from the Heartlands had become a lifeline for the defenders. This provoked a shift in their strategy as they counquered the fortifications south west and north east of the bay overwatching it. With artillery and war mages stationed there next ship that attemped to supply the down was sunk thus ending the connection with Hundswacht. At the same time more attacks were made on the town itself to bleed the local forces as much as possible and tire them down.
While Laryssa and her forces were able to hold ground, the warband of volunteers togather with Bastian van Waeterns were claiming large numbers of hobgoblins. Yet they proved to be too aggressive throwing themselves into engagements without end, often ending up too overexposed to hold the ground taken. Thus passed several months of heavy battle with desparation mounting as Laryssa established herself as a key figure to keep moral up. Always among the soldiers encuraging them, while her arrows were claiming officers and mages alike. Yet no matter how much she tried she herself knew that this was a losing fight and exhaustion would sooner or later take the toll on her as well, even if she yet was able to hide behind a mask of confidence and defiance.
One morning the hobgoblins once again managed to penerate the defenders lines and a larger group of them cut a bloody path to the harbour. Laryssa organised a counter attack taking the highground on some roof sniping for enemies in the narrow streets of the battered town. Her spirits were signicantly lifted when she recognized Bran rushing behind enemy lines to break up their momentum. Further up the streets she could even see Vorak and Hereford fighting off the vanguard of the hobgoblins defending civilians that were falling back towards the harbour. With the help of her friends they defeated the incursion.
Bran told her that he and the other two had arrived with a ship that's waiting in the bay, but wasn't able to approach the city. A small fleet had gathered to pick up further civilians from the town. Laryssa escorted the newcomers to commander Krahl for them to report lord Kjonstantin orders. The former squire had in the meantime become an agent of the Lord Protector of the Realm Lothar van Brugge and in this function he had been tasked to investigate demonic activities around the Realm. Bran further warned that the volunteer warband that had previously joined the army might actually be a cult of Qharnate, the demon prince of war and destruction. Their presence could turn out to actually be a bigger danger than the goblinoid army.
After exchanging status updates Krahl and the arch mage Jonnasz suggested it would be worth an attempt to take the two fortifications guarding the bay to enable the fleet to save the civilians. Laryssa together with Bran, Vorak and Hereford would sneak into the south western ruin while Bastian and the suposed cultist would charge the north eastern. The attack would be done during the twilight hours of the next day, giving Bran and Laryssa some time to catch up for all what happened through the last year.

V. Last Days of Laangstep:
The party initiated their assault in the earily morning, several hours before the sun would rise. Reaching the cliff where the runis of the fortifications were located by boat the group stealthy approached their target. A small force of hogoblins lead by a war mage were stationed there, with a couple of archers manning the wall while fires eluminated the field leading up to them.
Bran scouted the area and found a weak spot where he and Laryssa could climb in while Hereford and Vorak could charge a opening in the broken wall. Through a hard battle they managed to overcome the defenders and signal the Laangstep the success of the operation. At the same time the battle for the other fort was raging in the distance.
Before the sun would rise a group of direwolf riders approached the fort. The party had already prepared themselves for a potential conterattack and waited for the right moment to hit the goblins with their arrows and spells from the wall, while Hereford blocked one entrance with a cart and guarded the other one.
The inital charge of the hobgoblin leader and his two companions was slowed by the prepared ambush. Yet the situation quickly turned as shadowy monk figures appeared on the wall and overwhelmed Laryssa as the hobgoblin officer charged into the breach. Hereford and Vorak fought off the two other riders whose wolves went down first, but their leader pressed hard against Bran and Laryssa supported by the shadow operatives. The party soon had to converage at the stairs leading from the courtyard on the wall fighting hard to steam the pressure of the hobgoblin. Laryssa didn't see what was exactly happening as she was knocked unconscious. Only when Hereford helped her back to her feet she witnessed with horror as a create rised from the bloody corps of one of the killed hobgoblin with a scretching howl that froze even the hobgoblin officer who was about to kill Vorak and Bran. The newly appeared create cut down the enemy leader with astonishing ease and Bran finished him off by decapitating him. When the last hobgoblin was slain the create just charged off in direction of the hobgoblin encampment thristing for more violence.
Bran admitted that he heard a voice before its appearance. An offer of help as his desparate prayer to the Dawnfather was not responded. He theorized that it must have been Qharnate or one of his servants that granted them his help for them joining in the rush of slaughter. The creature must have been a demon of the Prince of Destruction.
A short while later the party was replaced by some re-enforcements from Laangstep. Reutrning to Krahl they reported about their experience. Meanwhile the other fortification has been taken by Bastian and his band of warriors. The fighting there appeared though to still rage and to have provoked a much harsher response by the hobgoblins turning it into a larger battle.
With both forts secured the fleete was signaled to come into the harbour. As the ships reached the city the fleet of Reaver longboats also waiting on the sea came in and created a blockade. They sent a small delegation to the town to propose an offer. They would let no one leave the town unless every soul in the town was sworn to them and all cultists handed over. They promised for that service they would let no one be killed by the hobgoblin army. The defenders leaders asked for time to discuss the offer most of them being confused by the Reaver's behaivor who they all just knew as raiding and plundering pirates.
In the meantime the hobgolins increased the pressure on the town. Recognizing the danger of the Realm's access to the sea they made another hard push to break the defense. Lead by a heavily armored giant a group of hobgoblins breached the defense line only to be halted by Laryssa, Bran, Vorak and Hereford who manned the wall. After nearily being knocked of it by a stone thrown by the giant Bran managed to cut the giant's throat. With precise shots by Laryssa and the entrenched positions defended by Vorak and Hereford the attack soon lost steam. In other places Bastian's warrior also engaged the threat pushing them back.
Returning back to Krahl Laryssa and Bran witnessed the general discussing matters with leaders of the cultists. After hearing their argument he sent them away promising them to consider their solution. When Bastian joined the war council he appeared changed. After a night of fighting his armor and sword were changed. He admitted he supported the cultists cause after experiencing the power of Qharnate on the battlefield. Without it they would never have been able to bloody the hobgoblins. Krahl explained the rest of the council that the cultists suggested to sacrifice the civilians to Qharnate as they would anyhow most likely die during the siege. Sparing them a long suffering and pleasing the Demon Prince instead would summon an army powerful enough to defeat the hobgoblin army. The only alternative would be to die on the sea killed by the Reavers or accept their suspicious offer.
Bran and the priest Evgeny van Kustarov argued that any offer involving the souls of the civilians might be worse than it appeared. Bran suggested to take the risk and try to break through the Reaver blockade with as many people on the ships as they could. Krahl and the archmage Jonnasz agreed. Laryssa and her soldiers should help defend the city as the evacuation was being organised.
Spending the morning hours gathering people in the harbour while soldiers beat back incursions the situation was growing more chaotic fast. As Bastian and the cultists noticed the attempt to give up the town they turned on the cities population as much as the hobgoblin assailants indiscrimnately killing whoever they came across. Caught by surprise Laryssa and her soldiers were soon surrounded by Bastian's band. Vorak, Hereford and Bran desparately tried to reach her fighting through the mob, but with blood being spilled and slaughter spreading demon started to appeared howling their rage.
Shooting arrow after arrow in bloodthirsty maddened cultists she watched for her friends who were fighting a desparate struggle themselves. Before Bran could reach her Laryssa felt the blade of Bastian cutting her deeply. Exhausted she collapsed, her world turning to black.
She did know how much tiime had passed when she opened her eyes again. Bastian and a part of his men were not to be seen, while others lay slain on the street. Bran and Evgeny helped her up and back to friendly lines as the chaos was spreading through the streets.
In the harbour the scene was a bad as in the rest of the town. Soldiers tried to maintain some sort of order while fending off cultists and hobgoblins. Laryssa and her companions to exhausted to hold the line joined the effort to direct the civilians to the ships. After months of fighting for them Laryssa was seen as symbol of authority and hope. With her voice added to those directing the masses a certain level of calmness returned.
As Jonnasz and Evgeny passed by to issue the final instructions and deal with the most gravious wounds the defense of the harbour was about to fall. Ships were already leaving the harbour with still many trying to bord them. Waiting any longer was not possible and even the ship with Bran, Hereford, Vorak and Laryssa had to leave as its cargobay was already filled to the brim with women, elderly and children. As people jumped on the leaving ship and the companions did their best to drag them in howls and screams could be heard spreading through the streets and harbour. Demons could be seen ravaging through the soldiers and civilians that could not be saved. Yet there was little time to waste on regrets as their ship would still need to breach the blockade or all would have been in vain.
Jonnasz's ship was leading the fleet of the Realm towards western part of the Reaver fleet. Laryssa's ship would be holding the right flank of the speartip breaking through the blockade. The archmage opened up the battle by shooting fireballs on the enemy ships and opening up a storm ravaging those closest to the created weakpoint in the enemy line. Meanwhile Laryssa and Bran sniped those reavers they could spot in the enemy ship that looked like spellcasters. Even with them wounding and kill several the longboat closed in and started to bord them. Protected by magical ice armor that splintered dangerous shards when hit the elite fighters of the enemy were able to overcome the remaining veterans of Laryssa's soliders. Yet Hereford held firm pushing the attacker of the boat while Bran and Vorak helped Laryssa chip through the magical protection the reavers had cast on themselves. This last effort exhausting what remained of their strength enabled their ship to push through and reach the open sea, as did many of the other ships, with only a few not being able to disengage from the faster longboats that caught up with them.
After several days on the high sea the remaining fleet reached Hundswacht with a significant amount of saved refugees, but heavily depleated ranks of soldiers. Their return was both celebrated for the rescue but also met with a lot of suspicion by the inquistion that demaned to have the chance to question all surviors of the siege once the information about the cultists of Qharnate was confirmed. Laryassa and her troops were also among those questioned. While Bran did his best to have the inquistion be respectful, Laryssa's soldiers like most of those fighting in Laangstep were irritated by the welcome and even more to see heavily armed elite warriors from Eversted sittting in safety now mistrusting them.

VI. Search for Lorasz and the Orcs:
It took several days to rest and the worst of the wounds to be treated all the while being questioned by the inquisition. Yet once this was behind them Bran and his companions were again ready to go back especially since Vorak still hoped to re-establish contact with orc tribes.

Current Location

Bleuysfiyld

Ethnicity

Human - Elkani

Year of Birth

414 Y.o.U. 28 Years old