Greetings from High Commander of D.T.A.T.

Gather 'round me warriors!

This' a time fer us dwarves to take a stand. We're lookin' fer warriors short an' stout to fight tha good fight. I've heard rumors o' darkness risin' an' evil taking hold o'er lands o' humans and elv's. I think, they are not up to tha task in hand: Som'one should protect 'em!

And tha are us dwarves!

No matter, if ye'r from top o' mountain or under it an' yer intentions are good, ye can sign up fer D.T.A.T. (Tha bein' short fer Dwarven Tactical Assault Team.) Ye can find me 'round Solace or Haven.

Sincer'ly yers,
Drumin "Porkchops" Stonesledge
High Commander o' D.T.A.T.

Ach, fer swine's sake. I was on m'way to Tarsis when a word reach'd me, tha Rugnar'd been seen. That lazy bum is always wanderin' off, but what a lad can do... I return'd to Solace. I kept in mind tha I'm not want'd thar, so I pass'd tha town silently. I found Rugnar at last at the caves on the way to Haven. Killin' gnolls, of course. After helpin' lad out from tha we encount'red this human stalking these Hooded beings.

These beings hav' long linger'd in m'thoughts. It took a lot o' time an' twas' not without casualties to get their real identities. These ar' call'd Draconians. A beings with resemblance to tha dragons o' old. I've heard m'part o' legends 'bout dragons an' the wars, an' this seems grim fer future.
The human was most helpful. She shar'd her story an' information 'bout Draconians an' Dragon Armies. Twas' shocking tha hear, there ar' five o' them. Five!

I was so shock'd tha, I 'ight hav' skip'd the part where she told the colors o' others. Tha Red Wing is tha most imminent threat fer our lands. They ar' locat'd at the fortress o' Pax Tharkas, an' thas practically next door! We don't hav' the knowledge ta fight 'em yet. We need mor'. The Blue Wing is well kept under an eye. I hav' m'scouts patrolin' around Tarsis, an' reportedly tha army is also located further into the icy lands, an' hav' a fortress at Icereach... Hmm.. Ach, later fer that, don't want ta lose m'thoughts.

Tha woman confirm'd our fears, tha the Draconians work wit' tha Dragon armies. Thars an enemy we hav' not fought, an' have no idea how to deal wit' 'em. Rugnar was rushin' head long to smash 'em, as fer usual... Twas' hard ta keep 'im und'r control. The human also told tha' if tha beings ar' brass (What'ver tha means!) our axes 'ight get stuck to 'em after their dead. I honestly dinnae und'rstand what tha means... Those Draconians had been part in the occupation o' the womans home town. (Fer own notes: The woman's family is not dead! They joined tha cause... Rememb'r tha help 'em, lad.) Tha town had on' o' tha funny human names, an' cannot rememb'r it. How'ver, we came to conclusion tha this 'ight be our best chance tha get information on those creatures. The Draconians.

Rugnar had a plan o' attack: Attack.

I had m'doubts all along... If we attack 'em, ther' probably is consequences. An' we should get 'em ta be judg'd fer their actions on tha town an' fer all rapin', pillagin' an' occupations all aroun' tha world it seems. Me, Rugnar an' tha human prepar'd our weapons. This important! Tha woman said weapons could get stuck, so I dinnae use m'hammer. I took m'rapier, which fer record ar' tha simply most unmanly weapon ever... Hav' ta get rid o' it an' get another hammer... I started tha conversation wit' all m'best skills, (an' m'manners seem to be "unpolite", "uncivil" fer humans an' elv's...). They dinnae hav' a chance tha answer when Rugnar already hack'd one o' 'em heads right off! Ta was som' mighty blow, cannot deny tha' fer lad.

After the head fell ta earth, the dead body o' tha being transformed into a dead dwarf! An' more importantly a creature resemblin' Rugnar's sore ass! Complete silence fer a while an' tha creatures attack'd us. An' we had ta defend ourselves. Every dead transform'd into som'thin' resemblin' it's slayer. After they all fell, ther were bodies o' dead dwarves all around. Horrible sight, I went to see one o' them, when the human said tha, they 'ight explode! Thar ar' no good things on these Draconians. Now we know som'thin'. It ain't ev'ry lads pint o' ale tha fight these abominations... It takes only tha best ta keep difference between the dead an' livin'. Ach, tha's a good! They only seem to transform only aft'r bein' slay'd. An' after tha, they really explode. Gotta hate these wank'rs...

But in general, I hav' ta get Rugnar in check. He acts way too randomly fer an army dwarf... But sadly, lads a best cousin a dwarf can hav'.

After the incident we had tha get back tha Hillhome. Luckily one o' our kind runs tha caravan towards thar, so we had at least som' cover fer part o' tha journey. I saw tha' it's fer best ta keep tha human with us fer a while, she seem'd to hav' valuable information. Passing tha Kharolis Mountains ar' dangerous now'adays. The Red Wing keeps its presence thar. We eventually get back to our borders (aft'r encounterin' this random goblin raid party, they just don't get tha ye do not attack a dwarf...) an' I left the human in tha hand o' Reynold. Lads a good innkeeper, no denyin' tha. Even though I think I hav' ta pay fer him later on fer keepin' guests, even und'r m'name.

Rugnar left to scout tha movements o' Red Wing. What good is he on conversation, after all? I gather'd m'warleaders an' shar'd m'findings. All o' them were overly joyful fer me slayin' first tha captain, an' later these Draconians. I deni'd 'em a feast. Now is not a time fer an ale. We ar' not ready fer defendin' our borders, not against an enemy o' this size. I immediately command'd more trainin'. Every fighter must stand ta see their comrades fallin'. Thas som'thin' I dinnae want ta teach m'armies, but seein' these Draconian turn to dead ones, I had no choice.

I took m'best, an' sat down on tha great table. I had only one task in mind. We take our best an' attack on the armies, gatherin' all the information we could get. According to m'scouts, the Blue Wing is weaker than tha Red one, an' fer m'own arse, I do not want to attack on Pax Tharkas at this point. One o' tha scouts mention'd the fortress at Icereach. Some were completely against the idea, but fer me, tha sound'd just what 'ight work. We gather a tactical assault team an' raid tha fortress, small enough tha get out if things get sour. That'll be a strike against the armies. An' we will get means tha defend ourselves against this new threat. Som' o' tha dwarves took it as a victory only tha plan such an attack, an' start'd a feast... This matter still haunts m'mind. There ar' nowh're ta judge these. Tha lands are taken by 'em an' we dwarves ar' the highest race not to fall under them yet... It is up fer us to judge 'em now... With heavy heart I must admit it...

Back to tha Inn, tha get tha human. An' she did protect herself well, an' knows how ta fight... Maybe she could join us...


End o' tha entry, now ta sleep, I hav'n't rest fer too long time...

(( OOC - Nice post Samm I see 3 objectives in your post (1) to raid the Ice Reach castle for intell and (2) scout the Red Wing occupied areas and (3) killing draconians. I should be on-line Sunday 9AM eastern for a trip to Ice Reach. ))