The captured Orcs lie bound among the roots, while the freed Woodman Patrol secures their weapons. Beyond the shelves, distant horns answer from the eastern ravines.
Eldred
That is the signal we feared. This band was only the forward hand. The larger force is moving now, and it knows the settlement’s approaches.
The Lean Beasts lift their heads toward the horns, then turn west, scenting movement along the road. The living roots loosen just enough for the Woodmen to drag the prisoners clear.
Eldred
We must send warning to Thranduil and hold this road until his defenders arrive. If the settlement stands, the western route remains open for every allied host.
The Woodman carrying the captured weapons gathers the captured weapons and signals the patrol toward the settlement. The others form a watch along the shelves, while the two freed beasts remain beside the eastern trail.
Eldred
The first defense is won, but the true assault is coming. We can make this ground costly to cross, if we prepare before the horns sound again.
Below, shadows begin to gather between the firs. The settlement’s gate closes, warning fires kindle along the palisade, and every hidden path now waits for Tuiwen’s command.
“"Someone must summon Thranduil's elves, and that is I. Do what you want with the orcs. I suggest you defend your walls until help comes."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Tuiwen
Someone must summon Thranduil's elves, and that is I. Defend your walls until help comes. Do what you will with the Orcs.
Tuiwen raises her voice over the ravines and sends a clear summons through the forest, bearing Thranduil’s seal and the settlement’s peril. The call travels swiftly along the guarded road.
Eldred
Then I will hold these walls. The prisoners will be secured, the beasts sheltered, and every defender will know where to stand when the larger force arrives.
Eldred directs the Woodmen into ordered ranks while the captured Orcs are taken behind the palisade. The Lean Beasts are led to water, and the gate towers ready their bows.
Before the distant horns can sound again, answering notes rise from the western forest. Thranduil’s Elven Host appears along the ridge, silver-green beneath the firs, summoned to the settlement’s defense.
Eldred
Your father’s aid has come. The road is held, the settlement stands, and Dol Guldur will find no easy passage here.
The Elves join the Woodmen along the walls, turning the ambush ground into a defended frontier. The eastern route remains closed, the allied road stays open, and Tuiwen’s report will reach Thranduil with the prisoners’ testimony.
Before the warning fires could gutter, silver helms appeared among the western trees. Thranduil's host entered the settlement, and the gathered shadows withdrew beneath the firs.
Eldred
The gate holds. The prisoners are bound, the Lean Beasts sheltered, and the road is ours.
Tuiwen
Then let the Council hear it plainly: we stood together, and the enemy failed.
One Woodman
The allied markers still burn along the southern road. No cut has broken the route.
Eldred bowed amid the tired Woodmen, while the Elven Host took position beneath the warning fires.
The settlement endured, its gates scarred but unbroken, and the eastern trail remained closed to the enemy. From the southern settlements to the Woodland paths, the allied road stayed open, carrying word of their defense toward Thranduil and the Council. Tuiwen's summons had become a shield, and the night finally settled over a land still standing.