As a new day dawned over the city of Riverhaven, the city's protectors gathered yet again to hone their skills. Despite the grueling ordeal of the past fortnight and the most exuberating vanquishment of Lyras and her forces from the land, the Elite Strike Force of the Order of the Dragon Shield knows that far too soon they will be called upon again to place their very lives on the line to defend the land they love so dearly.
Joining the Ranks was:
Inferno Redeth, Master of the Elements
Ambassador Rallyne, Ruby Red Swordsmith
Sentry Perrick, Nobel Protector of the Innocent
Chanteur Omdelle, Astute Appregiest
Wild Snales, At Home Amongst the Trees
Saelost, Crawling Out of an Aetheral Fissure
Panacea Jopler, Supporter of the Wounded
Strike Force Leader Kalnean, Fountain of Knowledge
Grand Master Moon Mage Sipf, Quickest Dragger in the North
Yaztu, Viewing the World Through a Blood Red Haze
Myerelle Empath, Healer of the Sick
Flayra, Master of Leverage
Once the Strike Force had assembled Kalnean simply rose a hand to indicate his desire for attention. The room fell silent as all eyes turned towards him, transfixed by the shear respect and power he commanded. He spoke simply, but with a voice so booming that it could be heard on Merewalda.
Kalnean says, "Group one will be Sipf leading Myerelle, Perrick, and Flayra. Group two will be myself leading Jopler and Snales. Group three will be Omdelle leading Rallyne, Saelost, and Yaztu."
And with that sole statement the force began to assemble. As Myerelle, Perrick, and Flayra joined my party, with little more than a nod, a silent and unspoken pact had been entered into. They had placed their lives into my hands and it was my duty to keep them from harm's way. In turn for this grave responsibility and extension of trust I too would place my life in their hands. We work as a unit, a team, SUPPORT each other when the fight seems overwhelming, our odds of survival bleak, and the tide too strong to be tamed while at the same time giving each other enough room to grow, blossom, and reach our full potential. Ask any good Leader, from Lanival to Kssarh, and he will tell you, "While I may be credited with the glory, a Leader is only as strong as the faith his men lay upon him. Without their consent to be led the battle is lost before it has ever truly begun."
To initiate so many of our new adventurers, Kalnean lead us out the East Gate, North of the Ranger Tent, down a winding trail, and south east of the Standing stones to the land where Bacon is as plentiful as the moon light. An excellent introduction to the perils and chaos of invasion combat, the Boars swarmed upon us at a feverish pace! I reassured my group that though there numbers were great, we would certainly be victorious as long as we relied upon each other. Displaying the true heart and nature of a paladin, Perrick valiantly thrust himself between Myerelle and any creature who would do her harm. After several terse moments our valiant Leader sounded "Retreat!" and we all gathered across the pier walk to face our next challenge.
Having the Swamp Trolls and Lesser Slaughs to ourselves, we summoned our courage and spirit and charged into battle! While the battle raged on, my eyes took a moment to take in the field. Truly a remarkable sight to see so many adventures working together, all their differences set aside for a common goal, survival. As I continued to gaze I noticed that Saelost was the target of most of the Lesser Slaughs, who I'm sure you recall attack with slings from missile range. As if my eyes had been guided by Meraud, it was at that very moment that I saw three shots in rapid succession strike my comrade ing arms. The entire world around me seemed to slow as I first looked to my group, the ones I had been charged with leading and protecting, and when my eye met Perrick's he seemed to know what I was thinking without my having to utter a word. Again he placed himself in harm's way to defend Myerelle as Flayra kept her distance, striking down the fowl beasts from afar. As I looked back towards the overwhelmed Saelost I saw two glassy eyes staring back to me, the body behind them stunned and slowly falling to the ground amidst the bombardment. It was at this point that I had to make a choice, perhaps the one that each and every leader fears the most...
Having served with Kalnean for near two Elanthian cycles I have learned a great deal from him. Of the many lessons, facts, portions of advice, and tidbits of knowledge I had absorbed, at this moment I had a vision just as strong as any from the plane of probability. The vision was not of the future, but of the past. "A leader is never to leave their group unescorted, for they look to him for guidance. You must never abandon them! It's better to allow one to fall, then to allow all of those in your charge to forego your strength." While these words rang more strongly then a Mental Blast within my psyche it seemed clear what I was supposed to do, but another voice within me spoke up. "You can save him, you must not do nothing and simply watch him fall!" The internal battle seemed to wage on for ages, but in reality it was less than a fraction of a second, less than the time it took for the brave Saelost to teeter and eventually fall to the ground dazed. I simply had to act, so I halted my spell preparations and grabbed a hold of the stunned adventure and drug him away to safety. Panting, Saelost shook off the stun and after he checked himself for wounds nodded and was ready to rejoin the fight! Imagine the sense of relief upon my face as I rejoined my group and all were still standing, even winning the day!
After a few rounds with swampies we broke for a few moments to discuss a bit of "Critter Psychology" as I call it...
Kalnean asks, "So what did we learn from this round?"
You ask, "Did you notice who the Slaughs kept facing?"
Kalnean says, "This is a good point to notice."
Kalnean says, "Creatures tend to attack enemies who fit into two categories:."
Kalnean says, "1) they're of a similar threat level - a really powerful critter will tend to ignore a weak opponent unless there's no one else to attack."
Kalnean says, "And 2) the critter believes they can kill you - a really weak critter won't attack someone who is much more powerful than they are unless, again, they have no one else to attack."
Kalnean says, "So down there in swamp trolls, they really tend to gang up on the folk who are of similar strength to them."
Kalnean says, "And ignore everyone else."
Kalnean says, "This could be something of a problem. I mean, I don't want to dance with four sky giants if I can help it."
Kalnean says, "So as a solution to this problem we work as a team."
The members of Strike Force are quite fortunate to have this encyclopedia of knowledge at the helm!
To round off the adventure, our final challenge was a journey into the darkest and most evil portion of the dreaded Zalfung Swamp. As we all took turns worshiping the immortals and praying for guidance at the Ruined Shrine we made our way deeper into the Murky depths only to emerge Beneath the Zaulfung in a series of Murky Caverns. Here, Kalnean ordered his Strike Force to "UNITE!" and we all joined him as he led us deeper into the caverns to face off against dusky-scaled basilisk! While at one time their glance was said to freeze an adventurer in their tracks we did not encounter this, but we were not about to give them an opportunity! As the masses of evil creatures advanced upon us Rallyne roared, raising her voice with authority, and then she lashed out with the ferocity of a whipcrack! Any basilisks not instantly slain by the assault were left to tangle against Razzer as he Screamed and Shrieked wave after wave of concussive force against our foes. Omdelle's singing added to the mayhem as Myerelle, always mindful of others, continued to offer healing and Spheres of Protection around all of us.
When, at last, all the evil was vanquished we made our way back to the Order's Office where a famished Strike Force made quick work of the Dragon Shield bar leaving nothing but crumbs and empty glasses. Another successful day of training for the charged protectors of Riverhaven, the Elite Strike Force!
"Many Swords, One Shield. Stand true, Strike Force."
