At the edge of Greenfields, dusk reddens the lane. Sawyer Krump waves villagers into a loose knot beside the Goblin's Head, while the Stranger and Boffo Hardbottle arrive with their breath still hard from the road.
Sawyer Krump
There, at last. Boffo, say plain, are they coming now?
A distant beat rolls over the moors, low and ugly. The broken border token lies in two pieces in Boffo's hand, its carved edge catching the last light.
The Stranger
They are. The token is gone, so they strike openly. No more sneaking by the bounds.
Sawyer turns white, then snatches up his courage with both hands. Several villagers tighten their grips on clubs, billhooks, and kitchen knives.
Boffo Hardbottle
The drums are closer than before.
Sawyer Krump
Then to the lane. If they want Greenfields, they meet us at the fence and nowhere else.
Boffo and the Stranger face the moors together while the village scrambles behind them, the first dark shapes beginning to move in the dusk.
✓ Quest Accepted
Hold the lane against the orc attack
“"Send a runner to the Mayor. Tell him to call out the militia. It looks like they're bring reinforcements."”
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Boffo snaps a hand toward the lane, and one of the villagers nearest the Goblin's Head bolts off at once, heading for the square with the message. Sawyer wheels on the rest, already shouting for more hands.
Boffo Hardbottle
Send a runner to the Mayor. Tell him to call out the militia. It looks like they're bringing reinforcements.
Sawyer Krump
Aye, a runner's gone. If Will has breath left, he'll hear it.
The Stranger lifts his gaze to the moor and tightens his grip on his sword, the dusk turning his face to iron. Behind them, villagers form a rough line with clubs, billhooks, and whatever else they can seize.
The Stranger
Good. Then we meet them with more than four hands and a bad fence.
Far out in the darkening field, the first moving shapes spread wider, and a harsh shout rides above the drums. Greenfields holds its breath, waiting for the next rush.
“"Quick, pile up some branches, furniture, anything you can find. We need to make a barricade."”
SUCCESS (Fair Strength, rolled +2)
Boffo snaps into motion, and the lane answers him. Branches, stool legs, a cracked cart side, all go up in a rough heap before the fence gap.
The Stranger hauls a bench into place and wedges it against the pile, grimly efficient. Sawyer barrels in with two villagers behind him, arms full of planks and a door off its hinges.
Sawyer Krump
There, hold it fast. If they want Greenfields, they meet wood first.
The barricade grows chest-high, crooked but stubborn. The arrow in the fence post rattles as the moor wind shakes the rails behind it.
The heap is already higher than the opening.
Out in the dark, the orc shouts sharpen, and the first bodies move toward the lane. The villagers tighten their grip and stare over the new wall, waiting for the impact.
“He fires the lead orc, hoping to disrupt their charge.”
SUCCESS (Great Ranged Weapons, rolled +1)
Boffo Hardbottle rises just enough to see over the barricade, bow already drawn. He picks the lead shape cutting through the dark and lets fly.
The arrow snaps into the foremost orc with a dull thud. The charge stutters, and the front rank bunches behind the fallen body.
Sawyer Krump
Good. Keep them off balance, Boffo! Do not let them taste the lane.
The orcs answer with a rough shout and shove their wounded forward. One stumbles into the churned mud, dragging the line with him.
The Stranger
They mean to break on the first blow, then rush the gap. Hold them there.
Across the moor, more dark figures surge up behind the first wave. The arrow in the fence post rattles again as the barricade takes the first pressure.
“Again, he shoots the foremost orc.”
SUCCESS (Great Ranged Weapons, rolled +2)
Boffo looses again from behind the planks, the shaft driving into the foremost orc and snapping the charge's rhythm. The front rank jerks to a halt over its own fallen, and the lane is clogged with boots and mud.
Sawyer Krump
Yes, keep them there! They cannot climb a heap of their own dead and still call it an assault!
The nearest raiders shove at the blockage, but the pressure only makes them bunch tighter against the barricade. Branches creak, the door panel bows, and the arrow in the fence post rattles from the impact.
The Stranger
Now they have lost their first breath. Make them pay for it.
Behind the first wave, more dark shapes surge up from the moor, but the lane itself stays shut, choked with one collapsed orc and a wavering line behind him. Greenfields holds its ground for the moment, hard and loud in the dark.
Quest Complete
Hold the lane against the orc attack
Skill Upgrade: Ranged Weapons Great→Superb