Lupek continued, “We finally emerged on the east side of the Gray Mountains and had to track him from the ground so as not to be compromised by them or any other lookouts. Deless used a seeing eyes spell to great effect, enabling us to keep out of sight and still track them. We stopped him just short of the northernmost fire giant kingdom border, when he spotted us. We then killed his mount but managed to keep the orc rider alive long enough to get a little more information out of him. Apparently a large gathering of fire giants is taking place, with a merging of several tribes for some purpose. We scouted a little further and observed a great deal of activity in and around the westernmost fire giant crude mountain castle. We must have counted well over a hundred giants and several thousand orcs, with multiple red and other chromatic dragons. There were also at least three Morgathian death knights and a sorcerer. The orc could not give us any additional information other than that he was to scout the defenses of Keystone and Eladran Weirs and attempt to ascertain our troop strength, our capabilities, and the number and type of dragons that are stationed here,” Lupek concluded.
“Yes! Fire giants on the move,” Ordin interrupted. “I smell the call to battle.” Dwarves have a deep-rooted hatred of evil giants and barely tolerate the good mountain and thunder giants that inhabit the remote areas of the Alliance. This derived from a long-standing conflict between the two groups.
“Over a hundred giants and multiple chromatics,” Wierangan repeated with some concern, but you could see in the intensity of his focused steel blue eyes that surveyed the portrayed terrain that he was already working on course of action for a battle plan.
“At least that many, with likely much more,” Deless added.
“Smells of Morgathian involvement of some sort, with Keystone and Eladran Weirs as their target,” Gallanth stated. “The giants are a concern, but the presence of red dragons with death knights means a Morgathian directive of some sort to control that amount of power,” he continued. Metallic dragons had a particular disdain for the evil giant races but little respect for them, for they were not nearly a match in battle. Mkel did have a concern about giants, for even the smaller common giants were very physically powerful creatures, as attested to by the injury he received on his right elbow from an ice giant’s axe in a skirmish some years ago.
“Can you sense anything additional, other than what Gallanth feels, Jodem?” Mkel asked.
“No, but I do not like the gathering of that much power that close to our border, and where there is a death knight, there is a Talon sorcerer of some power,” Jodem added.
“We must increase our patrols in that area,” Wierangan said. “Can we tie them in closer with the Lucian elf clan and Eladran Weir’s rangers and centaurs?” he asked Mkel, who nodded a response.
“Yes sir, we will need a couple more seeing crystals, though, for we have three new rangers,” Lupek immediately replied.
“We’ve found several good specimens in the northern mines, which we will bring to Gallanth and Jodem tomorrow,” Ordin chimed in.
“We will see to it, sir, and tie in with your patrols on the northern part of the Gray Mountain pass,” Mkel said to Wierangan. “Lieutenant Lupek will meet with Haldrin next week when his other patrol comes back from the mountains. Gallanth, Jodem, and I will be going to Battle Point the day after next to talk to General Daddonan about his concerns on the frontier, at his request. Until then we will have at least one patrol along our border of the Gray Mountains, as well as the flights of the rangers and the Weir eagles over the pass,” Mkel finished.
“I will see to the eagles,” stated Dekeen.
“Colonel Wierangan, I will speak to Talonth of Eladran Weir after the meeting and have him relay our concerns of the Morgathian and giant incursions along our shared borders to his rider Colonel Lordan and the entire Eladran wing,” Gallanth’s deep commanding voice added. Dragons can instantly telepathically communicate with each other, like two people can with seeing crystals.
Dekeen spoke up again and said, “I will have Beckann send a message to Haldrin’s wife as well and let them know to expect Lupek and Deless. They will be told to closely watch their eastern boundary with the mountains.”
Colonel Wierangan stood up. “Excellent, gentlemen. Gallanth, Captain Mkel, we shall bring this matter up to the Colonel’s Council next week during the monthly gathering and senate session, as well as any concerns General Daddonan has at Battle Point when you and Master Wizard Jodem return. Captain Mkel, how are the preparations for the exercise going?”
“Excellent, sir,” Mkel replied. “They finished setting up the targets this afternoon; the final coordination made by Pekram and your soldiers was a great asset in manpower. All our supporting leaders will be coming in before the evening meal to finalize the plan.”
“Good; remember that this operation will focus on the Weir garrison initially being the main effort attack, with the regiment conducting a follow-on attack and exploitation. You all will have a lot of men, equipment, cavalry, and land dragons behind you. It is always good for the regiment to see Gallanth with his abilities and the incredible power that he can bring to bear. To see you in action, Master Dragon, is a definite morale booster for the regiment,” Wierangan said, looking at the gold dragon. “Will Silvanth be joining us, Gallanth?”
“She is a little testy at present but will participate in the exercise,” answered Gallanth.
“Good, the regiment needs practice in defending against an aerial dragon attack, especially in light of these recent developments. She will only frost our backend a little, I presume?” Wierangan quipped, as all present chuckled a bit.
“Yes, Colonel, I have faith it will not be more than that,” Gallanth replied with as much of a smile as a dragon could muster.
“Excellent; gentlemen, Gallanth, the regiment will see you on the practice field tomorrow morning,” Wierangan finished. “Bishop Watterseth, a closing prayer,” he added.
Watterseth, the Weir’s and the regiment’s senior cleric, stood up, as did the rest of the leadership. “Let us pray. Creator, we thank you for this circle of friends and comrades, and for your divine leadership. For the dragons that watch over us and for our dwarven and elven brothers, we pray. We also pray for those who currently defend our freedom and way of life and for those in the field right now. We seek your spirit and guidance in all our decisions and endeavors. Faith and honor to all.”
Watterseth was not only the senior holy man of the Weir but a powerful cleric and formidable opponent in battle, along with being a master healer. As the Weir’s chief cleric and spiritual leader, he was inspirational to all those who served around him, and his talents to heal those wounded in battle were most appreciated. Watterseth was one of the most recognized clerics in the eastern part of the Alliance. He also worked with the support corps group, aiding them in their logistics operations for the Weir garrison, and joined the council members in various missions and campaigns. He was a tall man of six feet two inches and medium build, but he was as tough as he was pious. He had short gray hair and soulful green eyes, and he conveyed a commanding presence, instilling courage in all around him.
In battle, he never wavered, wielding his powerful holy mace. This mithril steel alloy weapon had a sapphire dragonstone, given to him by Silvanth, mounted on the end of the pillar-shaped shaft. Upon a normal strike against an evil opponent, it delivered a crushing blow capable of felling an average ogre and inflicting stunning damage to all evil creatures within ten yards of the hit. Upon command, it could fire a bolt of lightning that delivered enough damage to strike down a troll at a range of up to one hundred yards. Once per day, it could deliver a thunderclap to an opponent that inflicted severe damage, almost able to kill a common giant, and again stun all within ten yards of the strike. The magic shield it can create had the same power as Toderan’s holy sword and was especially effective against dark crystal-powered evil magic. His
suit of gleaming mithril alloy half plate armor was expertly crafted by the elves and could even reflect certain spells cast at him back to their originator, with the Alliance white triangle of the Creator church over the red Keystone symbol emblazoned on the chest plate.
At the end of the prayer, everyone saluted Colonel Wierangan, and he and Watterseth started to leave the meeting room. Colonel Wierangan is indeed a remarkable man, Mkel thought to himself. He was the commander of the reinforced regiment stationed just outside the city of Draden and oversaw the combined units when the Weir’s garrison performed joint missions with them. They also defended the Weir and city on the rare occasion when the Weir’s garrison was deployed, for Alliance soil had not had a threat since the Great War.
Wierangan held the rank of senior colonel and was an expert tactician and strategist. He graduated from the Alliance Army’s senior command school in Draconia and could easily lead an army group if called upon. Draden’s regiment consisted of three battalions of six infantry companies each, a cavalry squadron, one reinforced land dragon company, a catapult battalion, a sapper company, a hippogriff wing, and a support battalion. It was a mini strike legion in a basic sense, and with the addition of the Weir’s mixed battalion, it was much more powerful than a standard Alliance legion.
Wierangan himself was trained as both a paladin and a ranger, and he attained high degrees of proficiency in both. He was a rare man who had the charisma, strength, and dedication of a paladin and the cunning and fortitude of a ranger. He served in one of the Capital legions as a ranger, in a hippogriff battalion as a platoon leader, and as a ranger company commander. He also served on the High Mountain legion’s staff until he was assigned to Draden to command the regiment there and assist in the deployment of the combined forces of the town and the Weir. Mkel worked hand and hand with him as a gold dragonrider and Weirleader, commanding the combined Weir garrison.
Wierangan still enjoyed going out on the occasional patrol with Lupek’s rangers, although this was discouraged because of his rank and importance; however, it was hard to say no to a colonel. When not on campaign or battle training, he worked with the town of Draden’s mayor as a member of the city’s council and was an avid nature scholar.
Colonel Wierangan, while appearing like a modest fellow, was actually quite the combatant himself. Even though he only stood five and a half feet tall, he possessed above average strength and always maintained good physical conditioning. His short blond hair and light blue eyes accented his piercing stare, which always denoted his intelligent and resourceful nature. In battle, Wierangan wielded a powerful holy avenger sword, identical to Toderan’s blade. It was given to him by a silver dragon of the Capital Wing for his service and bravery in battle. His assessments and guidance in several fights resulted in many victories for the Draden regiment and Keystone Weir.
Bishop Watterseth escorted Colonel Wierangan to the stables, where Sprinter, his highly trained hippogriff, was waiting. Hippogriffs, being half horse and half eagle, were just slightly slower than a winged horse and not quite as strong as a griffon, combining features of both. The average hippogriff, however, was almost as sturdy as a griffon and slightly more maneuverable. They were somewhat intelligent, were very strong, and served as fierce mounts for their riders. Slightly larger than horses, with twenty-five- to thirty-foot wingspans, they had large sharp beaks and talons that were almost as deadly as a griffon’s. While their senses were not as keen as a griffon’s, they were slightly faster in the air and much faster on the ground. This came in handy if they were injured and could not fly, for they could easily outpace the average horse for short distances. Hippogriffs were also much easier to train than griffons or winged horses, which must accept their riders and will not yield to another.
“Company Senior Sergeant Pekram, are the platoons ready for the exercise tomorrow?” Mkel asked.
“Of course they are, sir. They’ll be ready or I’ll put a boot in their backside,” Pekram replied with his usual arrogant but still friendly smile. Pekram was a large, imposing figure, as tall as Toderan and just about as strong. The senior sergeant was a devout infantryman, always fighting alongside the Weir’s garrison. He had been a friend to Mkel for as long as he had served in the garrison, and he was a powerful fighter who second commanded the Weir’s infantry company as the senior sergeant for the Weirleader. He refused to take a commission as an officer, preferring to remain a senior sergeant. Pekram was a very skillful high-level fighter of great prowess. He actually commanded the company when Mkel served within the infantry unit to allow him to gain experience in deploying, maneuvering, and training those men. This enabled Mkel to best employ his and especially Gallanth’s power and weaponry to aid them, as well as to just get the infantryman’s overall experience.
Pekram led the company in a very tough but down-to-earth manner. His thick mustache and shaven head added to his intimidation, while his piercing light brown eyes were always alive with intensity. His features were rough and weathered, but he had a quick sense of humor, enabling him to handle all personnel matters within the garrison very succinctly. You never had to guess where you stood with him.
In battle, Pekram wielded a massive mithril/steel alloy great sword capable of inflicting horrible damage; he could slice open an ogre with a single stroke. His mithril-lined breastplate armor gave him excellent protection and moderate spell resistance, making it extremely difficult to pierce, and it could even absorb or reflect several spells directed at him.
He was a frontline leader and always went where his men went, personally facing the toughest opponents in battle. Even though he was good and had a kind heart, he was rough by nature, distrusted wizards, and was only lukewarm to dragons, with only Gallanth getting his respect. Even though he and Toderan were friends, his sometimes less-than-professional methods caused some anxiety between them.
The platoon leaders with their senior sergeants then began to make their way into the council room. There was no rush since the evening meal was still two hours away and this coordination meeting only needed to finalize the last details. The Weir’s garrison had three infantry platoons of forty men apiece, a land dragon platoon with four of the wingless dragon species, a heavy cavalry platoon, a catapult section, a sapper platoon, and a support corps section. This was all augmented with the ranger platoon, the dwarf infantry company led by Ordin, and the elf company led by Dekeen. All this was reinforced and supported by Gallanth and Mkel as well as Jodem, making it a very formidable force.
The infantry platoon leaders walked in first: Akiser, Paloud, and Howrek, all of whom were commissioned lieutenants. They all wore the standard Alliance tunic and field trousers with their gold- or silver-colored diamonds on their right collar and the gold crossed sword/arrow symbol of the infantry on their left.
Akiser, the 1st Platoon leader, was a hungry young infantry officer with an excellent demeanor and the utmost respect of his men. He stood about the same height as Mkel, roughly five feet eight inches tall and about one hundred sixty-five pounds. His short blond hair and deep blue eyes hid his fierceness in battle. His overall goal was to command either a hippogriff aerial unit or a ranger platoon. While Mkel recognized the young officer’s potential and would like to keep him in the Keystone Weir garrison as long as possible, he would not stand in his way either. There would be a slight delay for his transfer until after this new situation could be assessed and the problem resolved.
Paloud, the 2nd Platoon leader, was a senior lieutenant of good wisdom, intelligence, and honor. In fact he possessed an almost impeccable character. He originally started his military career as a catapult crew member and then went to the academy in Draconia to get his commission. He was now the garrison’s senior platoon leader and was well respected by his men. He would be the one Mkel selects to be the next infantry company commander once he got a little more experience and a suitable replacement could be found. Paloud stood just shy of six feet tall and
was of medium build, with black hair and brown eyes and a deep, commanding voice.
Howrek, the 3rd Platoon leader, was also a senior lieutenant having catapult experience as well. He was the weakest of the three junior officers, which was why Mkel put him in the company’s strongest platoon. His platoon’s senior sergeant and well-seasoned men were the most experienced in the Weir and could basically lead themselves. Gallanth did not like Howrek, telling Mkel that he felt that the lieutenant had a troubled mind. However, the Weirleader was always willing to give someone a chance, plus with the watchful eye of Pekram, he felt no major problems should arise.
Platoon Senior Sergeant Lenor was the first of the specialty platoon leaders to arrive. He commanded the heavy cavalry platoon and, like Pekram, did not want to pursue a commission as an officer. He was a short but wiry fellow and a formidable, high-level paladin. His midlength stringy brown hair only added to the constant wild look he always had in his eyes. The heavy cavalry platoon consisted of thirty-six paladins of various experience and power under the overall direction of Toderan.
Sergeant Lenor wielded a holy avenger long sword of similar properties to Toderan’s but not quite as powerful as this increases with experience. All dragonstones whether mounted in weapons, wizard staffs or healing stones mature with the bonded wielder, gaining power in time, maturity and usage. This mithril alloy weapon had one of Silvanth’s dragonstones, a brilliant blue sapphire, mounted on the end of the hilt. He wore mithril-lined half plate armor in battle and had a mithril-lined large shield to give him substantial protection. His paladin’s warhorse was armored and much more intelligent than a regular horse, being capable of fighting on its own if necessary, similar to Toderan’s winged horse. While he was actually small for a paladin, being just slightly shorter than Mkel, he had an inordinate toughness about him and a natural mentoring type of leadership. Underestimating him had been the woe of many of his opponents. He also resolutely looked out for his men, always leading the cavalry charges personally.
Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow Page 6