General Yuki continued to bark out orders at her newly formed army of goblins as they made preparations for their attack against their bearded neighbors. The main body of this new military group had congregated in the largest cavern underneath the Sheldon Mountain range to make their final preparations. The air was filled with smoke from the numerous torches lighting the stone hall. There was so much noise that is was impossible for the general to hear her own thoughts. She was beginning to lose her cool and was just about to lay into her boisterous soldiers when the cavern walls began to shake. It felt as though the mountainside was being pulverized by boulders. Then the shaking stopped just as abruptly as it had begun. Silence enveloped the room as they all waited for something else to happen.
The massive crowd of goblins was looking around the vast cavern with fear and trepidation. They were mainly looking up at the ceiling because that was where the rumblings had come from, and they worried that a second round of shaking would bring down the roof. Screams of sheer terror filled the silence as several of the goblins on the south end of the gathering place caught sight of the rock trolls who had been standing there since the rumblings had stopped. The massive brutes had mimicked their surroundings to hide their presence until after the rumblings. They did not know what made the mountain shake so violently, but they felt it was prudent to wait a few minutes before revealing their proximity to the huddle masses.
Several of the screaming goblins fainted from the surprise appearance of the larger-than-life guests. General Yuki ran quickly to greet the expected visitors and to calm the now-hysterical army. She reached the stoic brutes in no time and bowed before them in greeting. As the general stood up, she could hear a voice in her mind telling her that she did not need to fear them. The voice continued by explaining that Kana had bade them to come and join the army of the goblins. They were also supposed to report to General Yuki and no one else. Then there was silence again in her head, and she looked around as if someone had been whispering to her. The three rock trolls that stood in front of her nodded to indicate that it was they who had been speaking to her. I had no idea that they could communicate with their minds.
"Welcome. We have been expecting you," Yuki said with another bow. This time the entire army bowed with her. They had stopped screaming and yelling once their general had bowed the first time.
"Me Lord Trahern. Commander Vahe and Commander Jabari," Lord Trahern said as he gestured to his two commanders.
"We are grateful for your willingness to help us in our fight with the stunted thieves of Mount Carrick," she said edgily. "Continue with the preparations while I speak with our guests." She turned around to face the rock trolls and gestured for them to lead the way out of the cavern. As they departed, the goblins began to speak quickly and quietly to one another about the turn of events. There was a feeling of great anticipation and excitement that was generated by the appearance of their massive friends from the north.
As General Yuki emerged from the underground lair, the night sky clouded over to hide the stars and the moon. The three rock trolls followed her lead without saying another word orally or telepathically. They continued down the grassy slope on the southern side of the central part of the Sheldon Mountains. As they neared the base of the mountain, they came upon a small forest of trees that was thick with vegetation. As they entered the canopy of trees, darkness engulfed them completely. There was no light and no sound as they continued walking toward some secret destination. The four unlikely companions did not have need of light to find their way in their pitch-black surroundings. It was as if the rock trolls instinctively knew where they were heading even though the general had not communicated to them where or when they would be stopping.
Suddenly the forest gave way to a lush meadow that had an eerie green color to it. There were several small ponds in the clearing. The sky above had become even darker than before, which made the space look stranger than it would in the daylight. General Yuki came to an abrupt halt and turned about to face the leaders of the rock trolls. She stared at them for a few minutes trying to figure out how to best communicate with them. Their verbal skills were not the best, and she did not know how to speak telepathically. Maybe they could read my thoughts like they did before.
"You speak with mouth; we speak with mind," offered Lord Trahern. He had read her thoughts and offered this solution in answer to her quandary.
"Very well then, I will begin by saying that we have a great deal to discuss before we even attempt our assault on King Jarvis and his midgets," began the general. The rock trolls nodded in agreement. "First, we need to discuss what your people will do to bolster our ranks."
Our talents lie in siege tactics and in hand-to-hand combat. Maybe we could be spread out amongst your ranks to strengthen the foot soldiers and to protect your archers, suggested Commander Jabari. His face remained impassive as he spoke to the general through his thoughts.
"That would work; we could also have your siege warriors be surrounded by our archers so that they too would be protected," offered the general thoughtfully.
That would work best. So, now we need to discuss actual numbers so that we can have a good idea how to divide up our forces. How many foot soldiers and archers do you have? asked Commander Vahe.
"Now that the armies of my people are united, we have two hundred and fifty thousand foot soldiers with one hundred thousand archers. There are an additional one hundred and fifty thousand foot soldiers and fifty thousand archers that will remain in place to guard our home," explained General Togok. She had a ponderous look upon her face as she threw out their numbers.
We have fifteen thousand warriors all together. Ten thousand of those are siege warriors, and the remain ingfive thousand use their brute strength as their weapon of choice. So, the five thousand could be scattered throughout your two hundred and fifty thousand foot soldiers, explained Commander Vahe.
We will divide up the siege warriors into ten groups of one thousand each. We should surround each group with one thousand archers. That will leave you with ninety thousand archers to divide UP amongst the foot soldiers, continued Commander Jabari. It was as if the rock trolls shared a collective conscience. They appeared to be on the same page at all times.
"I will divide up my foot soldiers into ten battalions so that there are twenty-five thousand in each. There will be seven thousand five hundred archers per battalion, which will leave us with fifteen thousand back up archers. Agreed?" asked General Yuki.
We agree. We should make sure that we completely surround King Jarvis before we begin our assault. I would recommend that we send five battalions on the surface and the other five under the mountain. Five siege battalions will accompany the above ground assault while the remaining five siege battalions join the underground attack, Lord Trahern suggested mechanically.
"Excellent strategy, Lord Trahern," replied General Yuki. "How long will these formations and divisions take to be implemented?"
She was very pleased with the numbers they were sporting and with the strategy they had came up with thus far.
Three days; no more, said Commander Jabari in reply.
"It is settled then; we will begin preparations straight away. We will need to meet with our commanders and captains to make sure they understand the strategy. I do have one final question. How will we communicate between the battalions?" asked the general.
Each battalion will have a rock troll designated to be the communications specialist. They will communicate with one another through the earth using one of our special abilities. This way there will be no chance for our enemies to intercept our intelligence or orders. The initial attack can be synchronized perfectly using this method, answered Commander Jabari.
"All that is left now is to put our plans into action. Three days from now we will make our march on Mount Carrick and have it surrounded by dawn both above and below ground. We will attack them from below at that point and then assault them from above at dusk. We take no prisoners and will not stop until they are all dead!" said General Yuki with wicked delight.
She began to cackle menacingly as she stood in the lush clearing. The rock trolls looked at one another at this unnecessary display of elation. They collectively thought that their little goblin leader was a bit touched in the head but did not say anything out loud or even in their minds about it.
On the third day after the secret meeting, the combined armies prepared to move out. They had been integrated thoroughly and prepared for a relentless siege of King Jarvis and his people. They had established a series of secure supply routes from each of the five goblin dwellings. The rock trolls did not need any sustenance because they received their nourishment and power from the earth. The runs they established would provide sufficient means if the battle should take months or even years. There was excitement in the air that was tangible as the army waited for things to get started. They had waited centuries for revenge against the dwarves, and they were just days from initiating a war that would secure them pay back and dominion over their stunted foes.
The army had split in two and gone to their designated gathering places. The goblin's armor was thick in all the right places, which allowed them to still move swiftly. The captains and commanders had much more cumbersome full body armor, but they were definitely better protected. The rock trolls were covered in immensely dense armor that covered nearly every inch of their bodies. The only way a dwarf would be able to take them down was with a lucky shot with a poisoned arrow or dagger. Yuki's troops would be much easier to kill, but their massive numbers would make up for their lack of adequate protection. They would swarm their enemies and overpower them by sheer force.
As the sun began to set in the west, the goblins became less apprehensive and more excited about the task that lay ahead. They did not venture out into the light unless it was absolutely necessary while they prepared for their assault. They decided to wear special helmets that would shield their eyes from the brilliant glare of the sun for those who traveled topside. They also covered themselves with protective balms and clothing so that they would not be burned alive in the unrelenting radiance of the daylight. As a result of this sensitivity, the army traveling above ground would take twice as long to reach Mount Carrick. The underground troops would arrive first and would begin their campaign immediately. They would do their best to encourage the whole army of the dwarves to defend against the surprise attack underneath the mountain.
Darkness consumed the mountainside of the southwestern slope of the Sheldon Mountain range. General Yuki had decided to accompany the above ground troops because they would need her support and encouragement the most. Her tactical abilities were far superior to any other commander in the goblin armies and much sounder than the rock trolls tactics of brute force. The night sky began to fill with stars, and the moon shone brightly in the clear sky. The mounting anticipation was so intense that it was palpable in the air. The general smiled at the fierce looks on her troops' faces. As she surveyed the sea of green and gray, her heart leapt for joy at the massive pillars spread evenly throughout the gigantic formation. She found a small boulder and climbed on top of it. As she stood above the crowd, silence fell and every ear was turned toward her to hear what she had to say.
"Fellow outcasts, we are ready!" she declared boldly. "We will march over the next three days, and then we will surround our unsuspecting neighbors." Cheers and shouts of goblin vulgarity filled the air as she finished her second sentence. The soldiers were ready for payback, and they were eager to move out toward their destiny.
"Crush dwarves!" bellowed one of the rock trolls. The ground shook slightly as he yelled into the cool night's air.
"Indeed you will. We will go by night so that we give our brethren below us ample time to arrive and begin the assault. By the time we reach the towering fortress of King Jarvis, their guard should have been lessened. We will take the topside quickly and kill everyone and anything that breaths on the surface!" she screeched. More shouts of profanity rose from the goblin ranks. The rock trolls merely smiled at the prospect. Anyone who had ever seen a rock troll smile had never been able to tell another soul about how chilling the sight truly was.
"Crush … Smash … Bash… " began the chant of the rock trolls. They began to cadence their chant, and the rest of the army responded by beginning to march in place. They were all waiting for the order to move out.
General Yuki raised her arms into the air and screamed, "Move out!" With that chilling declaration, the army began to march in beat with the rhythm of the rock trolls' chants. The army below the mountain had instigated their march at the same time, and the effect this had of the areas surrounding the Sheldon Mountains was significant. The ground shook violently like a natural quaking of the earth. The only difference was that this continued for days, not minutes. Kana's war machine rumbled toward the dwarves while she prepared the ores and high elves for their siege of the Black Forest.
As a messenger hurtled toward his king, he could tell that his majesty already knew what the problem was. The unusually tall dwarf came to a halt right in front of King Jarvis and bowed down to the ground. Jarvis looked at the prostrate soldier and impatiently kicked him to rise and give his report on the prolonged quakes. As the messenger stood erect, sweat and dirt obscured the part of his face not covered by his beard. He had the look of someone who had run all the way from the deepest reaches of the mountain kingdom without stopping. The dwarven leader tried to keep this in mind as he waited for the panting figure to speak.
"My lord, the quakes … are … not … naturally … created," stammered the spent dwarf. He was shaking uncontrollably from the effort of running the extreme distance coupled with the fact that his trek had been entirely uphill.
"Obviously these quakes are not natural; continue," he urged the messenger a little impatiently. He motioned for water to be brought to help calm the overexerted dwarf. The poor soldier took the water gratefully with his shaking hands and downed it instantly.
"Thank you. My lord, our spies have determined that the noises that started a day ago are being made by an army," he explained. Chills ran down the spine of the stout leader as he stood there silently. "We have been able to catch a glimpse of a massive army of goblins and rock trolls heading directly for us. We estimate that they will arrive in two days' time."
"What is the reason for the rumblings being less intense during the daylight hours?" asked the king in a forced calm.
"We have determined that the goblins and rock trolls above the ground are traveling by night only."
"What do you mean by the goblins and rock trolls above the ground?" The king felt his heart sink down to his nether regions.
"We sent several spies through the tunnels leading from Mount Carrick into the Sheldon Mountains. They ran into an innumerable army of goblins and rock trolls making their way through the escape tunnels we had created. They appeared to be making no effort to hide their approach. Only one of the spies returned to report their findings. The rest were pulverized by rocks."
"Summon General Havrak at once. Also, fetch Lord Kromnog to join the general and me in my quarters. After you have completed these tasks, you may rest for a while. I will have further need of you in a few hours. That is all." King Jarvis smiled to show his appreciation for the information and the diligence his soldier had shown.
"Yes, my king," snapped the dwarf as he came to attention and did an about-face. He bolted as soon as he had turned away. He knew that haste was of the utmost importance in this situation. His body screamed at him to stop, but he would not slow until the tasks were completed.
As the messenger ran off to find their general and the warrior druid, the king turned to look to the west from his secluded balcony that was on the highest point in the mountain city. He had placed his hands behind his back as he stared out across the green slopes of the Sheldon Mountains. Smoke filled the air where the king knew that this above-ground army was camped. What have we done to provoke this attack? Their banishment came from the gods, not us. We have tried to make peace with them over the years and have had an unspoken agreement not to interfere with one another's affairs. What changed this?
As the king stood on the balcony, his thoughts continued to whirl with unanswerable questions. He shook his head sternly to stop this barrage; he needed to focus on what his people would need to do to be prepared for the impending assaults from above and below ground. As he cleared his mind of all thoughts, General Gideon hailed him. His general was panting slightly from running from the lower levels to this impromptu meeting. As he stood there attempting to catch his breath, Lord Nariko walked calmly toward Jarvis as if he had been expecting the summons. He did not appear out of breath, but that was not unusual considering his magical abilities. The warrior druid smiled knowingly at the king and gave a slight nod. The druids did not believe that they were subject to any ruler, so he did not prostrate himself before Jarvis. They believed that the guardians were responsible for nature and his kin were the protectors of the peoples of Tuwa.
"King Jarvis, I see that you have finally figured out what the unnatural rumblings are," Lord Nariko said knowingly. The general laughed heartedly at the coolness the druid displayed as he spoke to the king.
"You must forgive my druid friend; they have no sense of propriety," said the general ruefully. "He probably could have told you what the sounds were the instant they began." He gave the secretive magician a sideways glance and a quick smile as he said this.
"So, it was you that spied out the army above ground," replied King Jarvis with a widening smile. He enjoyed the playful banter with his best warrior and the most feared druid in all of Tuwa. They were old friends, which made the circumstances feel less insurmountable. Between the three of them, they would be able to devise a plan that would protect his people against this invasion. They would outlast their enemies and would restore the proper order of things in the end.
"Of course I did," replied the druid. "There is something you do not know yet, however. The army below the ground is moving day and night. They will be here tomorrow at midday unless we delay them. Their plan is a simple one: attack from below to distract us from the army above. They do not care that we know they are coming; they believe that the assault below would draw the majority of our army's attention and leave our topside defenses weakened."
"So you believe that they will surround us above the ground while they attack us from below?" queried General Gideon.
"Yes, that is my contention. I also believe the army above and below the ground are equal in strength. As a result, we will not be able to leave our defensive posture for quite some time. If we hold our defensive positions, we will win this war by attrition," explained Nariko.
"Your suggestion is to hunker down for the long haul and outlast these vermin? How will that be accomplished?" asked the king. He agreed with the druid's assessment of the situation and thought his ideas were spot on. However, the implementation of such a plan would require extraordinary communication between the ranks.
"We will have our oldest and most reliable friend, Mason Bardomli, set numerous underground traps for our unwanted guests below. This should slow the approach just enough so that we could set traps above ground as well. By doing this, we should be able to delay the assault for a couple of days, which would allow us to be better prepared. My only concern is with the channels of communication. How will we coordinate our efforts so that we shore up the appropriate weak points?" asked General Gideon. He was a brilliant strategist and knew that if they could not communicate well that a weak spot would be found by their enemies.
"I share your concern. I believe that we can use sparrow hawks for the most urgent communications, and the rest of the correspondences will have to be run by messengers. We need to organize a team of runners who do not tire easily and can run fast," the king explained. "The hawks can also be used to eliminate enemy spies."
"So, your sparrow hawk will carry the most vital messages while runners handle the less-urgent reports? I think that is the best we can hope for," replied General Gideon.
"I will send an envoy to brown bears and their army. They will assist us in defending our home," said Lord Nariko.
"Hopefully your furry friends arrive in time to help us. How will you relay your request? We will need you here, so you cannot go in person," the king said.
"You are correct. I have a reliable friend that will convey the message for me. He will be able to deliver the message faster and with greater persuasive powers than I could. He will not fail us," said the warrior druid confidently.
"A guardian would never fail us," replied the king confidently. His druid friend smiled slyly at his friend's ability to read his mind.
"I always forget that it does not do any good to try and hide something from you, King Jarvis. You always know," the druid said with sagacious smile. The king was able to break through any mental barrier without much effort. The trick was to simply mirror the mind of the attacker and use the mental chink in the defense to enter their mind.
"Then it is agreed; we must move quickly now if we are to avoid losing any of our land or people. We must be ready for those foul beasts to crash upon us like a wave against a reef. I will go at once to meet with our friend Mason to begin the laying of traps, and then I will instruct the commanders and captains about what we are planning to do. I will not hold any information back from them so that they are totally prepared," General Gideon said determinedly.
"I will take leave of you as well to meet with Lord Neb, and then I will return to help finish the traps and other preparations," said the druid quickly.
"This mountain fortress has never fallen into enemy hands and has never even allowed a foe to set foot inside these walls. Mason has already improved the integrity of our defenses, so we must not let him down by allowing any of these vile creatures to break down our walls. We owe it to him and to our people. We must be vigilant," declared the king boldly.
"May the Maker protect us and bless us in our time of need," said Lord Nariko solemnly. He bowed slightly and transformed into a massive brown bear. He stood up on his hind legs and raised one paw in farewell. He roared loudly as he stood there, which inspired the king and the general to shout in unison a deafening war cry. The bear then came down on all fours and lumbered off to an unknown destination.
"We are going to need him more than anyone else in this battle," said King Jarvis.
"I know. We will not be able to win the day without him. He will lead us to victory; of that I am certain. However, we cannot let him have all the fun," said General Gideon with an infectious grin.
"Too right you are. Let's get on with it then; our unwanted guests approach," replied the king as his face took on a look of fierce determination.
Mason Bardomli stood in the dark and damp entrance on the east side of one of the main halls in the dwarven underground kingdom. He was pondering how the traps should be set and how many there should be. He was methodical in his planning, which meant he never did anything out of haste or urgency. He had already organized his usual team of dwarves to assist him with this project. They knew that he would take time to think things out in his head first, and they knew better than to rush him. His plans had never failed them, and he had never put them in any danger by taking time to orchestrate a complex defensive and offensive stratagem. He was totally lost in his own thoughts as he stood rooted to the spot while he tried to find all possible weak points in his thinking. He was going over several different scenarios in his mind so that when they did begin to work they would not have to stop or undo any of their traps.
He turned around slowly to face his crew with a look of someone who had come to a definite conclusion. He looked at each member of the group in front of him without revealing what he was thinking. "We will have to be swift in laying these traps. We will divide into two groups so that the traps on the topside will be finished at the same time as the ones we lay here," said Mason gruffly.
"Which team will you lead?" asked one of the dwarves.
"I will lead the group who stays here below. Captain Barak, you will lead the above ground team. Select who you want to go with you topside after you meet with me so that I can tell you what we will do and when it will need to be completed by," said Mason in his raspy voice.
"Yes, sir!" replied the captain.
Barak quickly selected twelve dwarves to assist him in laying traps and sent them topside. He then returned to where Mason was still standing so that they could discuss the strategies that would be employed. He noticed that the stout dwarf was lost in his thoughts again, so he waited patiently for him to recognize his return before speaking. He waited for several minutes before the statuesque figure in front of him realized that he had returned from selecting his team.
"Captain Barak, I am glad to see that you have not wasted time. You will need to be that dutiful in the task that lies before you. Time is of the utmost importance," he said wryly.
"Of course, Master Mason; what is your plan?" asked the captain patiently. He did not want to rush him out of respect for who he was.
"We do not have time to dig pits, so we will have to disguise existing pits, or cliffs in your case, so we can send our enemies plunging to their deaths," Mason began. "What we will spend most of our time doing is setting up traps that will be triggered by the hordes heading our way." He went on to explain in greater detail exactly what that meant. After nearly an hour of detailing his plans, they parted ways and went to work.
All of the traps had been set and tested by the end of the next day. The underground army would arrive in about six hours and would then be led carefully to their premature deaths. Mason estimated that his creations would delay the attackers at least five days. The army approaching on the mountainside would be slowed so that they would arrive two days late. This would have both forces reaching the real dwarven defenses at the same time. For the time being, they would simply have to wait and see what would transpire. While these preparations were being made, General Gideon had finished his defenses for a long-term siege. Lord Nariko had sent his message to the bears and had already returned. He was in meetings with the general and King Jarvis while Master Mason remained below to ensure that the approaching army was sufficiently delayed.
The goblins had disposed of their torches hours ago so the dwarves would not see them before they attacked. The goblin captains were under the direction of Commander Jabari of the rock trolls. He had sent one of the little soldiers ahead to determine what path would conceal their approach the best. They had not returned, and some thought they heard a distant cry and then nothing. While the trolls waited patiently, the rest of the army began to worry and fret that they had been discovered and that the dwarves had used some sort of demon to destroy their comrades. Their jitters worsened when Jabari sent more scouts ahead and they too did not return. This time a sickening thud was heard as though there had been an avalanche of some sort. What they did not understand was that the commander was sending the scouts ahead to clear the traps that he knew the dwarves would have laid in anticipation of their underground approach.
Commander Jabari continued to send scouts ahead to spring the traps for nearly three hours. Finally, he determined that it was safe to continue forward and commanded the army to move out. As they resumed their march, more traps were sprung that sent many goblins falling to their deaths. Many of the already skittish soldiers turned tail to run away from their duties. The commander sensed this cowardice immediately and put a swift end to it. Anyone who turned around to leave was grabbed immediately by a rock troll and ripped in two. This created the desired effect so that the commander did not have to deal with any more deserters for the time being. Many of the artifices were comprised of the roof caving in, which meant that the massive army had to narrow their approach to avoid further losses.
As the army continued to approach their quarry, Commander Jabari realized what the dwarves were attempting to do. They were not only trying to delay their approach, but they were also trying to herd them like lambs to the slaughter. At that precise moment, the massive rock troll leader triggered the grand finale of traps by brush ing a secret trigger on the cavern wall, which released so many rocks from the ceiling so that every path they were on was now blocked completely. He wisely called for a complete halt and stood back to survey the damage that had been done and began to formulate a plan to get through this new barrier. The thing that perplexed him the most was the reasoning for the elaborate traps. Why did they waste so much time in preparing these diversions when they should have been preparing their defenses? Did they really think that rocks could stop us?
Jabari then used his special link to the earth to determine what path contained the weakest point in the newly created rock wall. After a few minutes of probing, it became clear to him and the other rock trolls that the path directly in front of the main body of the army had the least amount of debris in their path. He immediately decided that they would open this path up and continue their journey on this path of least resistance. They did not realize that on the other side of the temporary wall was a pit so vast that it would delay them several days while they tried to create a bridge to cross it. In fact, it would take the hybrid army four days to construct a makeshift bridge that would allow the entire army to cross over to the other side. By the time they accomplished this, five thousand goblins and two trolls would have been lost as a result of the traps laid by the dwarves. Instead of taking a day and an half to reach Mount Carrick, it would take the underground army five days.
General Yuki and her army had made considerable progress during their night marches, which put them a full day ahead of schedule. They would actually reach Mount Carrick in two days instead of three. As the sun began to set on another day, she decided to send scouts ahead to find out how much farther they had to go. When the scouts returned to report, they had a frantic looks upon their faces. They informed their general that the dwarves had prepared a series of deadly traps that would trigger an avalanche if they continued on the road they were on. They could not determine what would spring the artifices, but they knew that it would be too dan gerous to continue on this high road. They suggested a safer route along the base of the mountains. They offered this suggestion cautiously because it would add at least one to two days to their march. The general did not take the news well at all.
"What are those bearded idiots playing at?" she raged rhetorically. "Commander Vahe, Lord Trahern, we need to talk right now!"
No need to scream, Yuki. We can read your thoughts. This is merely a diversionary tactic. It appears that Commander Jabari has run into some traps below us, and he has been forced to work feverishly to pass through the lethal setbacks, explained Lord Trahern patiently. He could also sense the anger welling up within their general and knew that if she could be persuaded to remain calm that she would devise a new plan that would lead them safely around the obstacles that lay ahead.
"You are right; we do need to remain calm. I think that it would be best to follow the advice of the scouts and take the low road. It would be better to arrive intact than in disarray," she said as she gained control of her temper. There is no point in wasting time and soldiers in trying to overcome the treacherous barriers ahead. The dwarves merely want to delay us, and we will oblige them. If it takes us three more days to reach them, then so be it.
I agree with your thinking, General Yuki. Let us take the low road and take our time so that we retain our numbers, which will be the deciding factor in the end, replied Commander Vahe placidly.
"Let's move out then," replied the general coolly.
As the army made their way down to the base of the mountains, the sky above became dark and did not give any light. The sky had clouded over with black threatening clouds, and the soldiers could sense the change in the atmosphere about them. This storm would slow their progress and force them to stop. There was rumbling overhead that was a precursor of the dazzling display of lightning. Loud booms followed the strikes immediately after the flashes. General Yuki had a sinking feeling that this storm was not natural. It appeared to follow them as they finally reached the plain below the mountains.
The ferocity of the storm masked the feverish work taking place high above them on the cliffs. The dwarves were busy setting the last series of traps as the storm continued to build in intensity. As the army far below continued their implacable march, all of the artifices had been set and were ready for the unsuspecting army to trigger them. There was actually no real threat on the high road following the cliff line, so the unwitting general was leading her troops directly into harm's way. The scouts had been fooled by what they had seen and had given Yuki false information that would end up costing her army time and a significant number of casualties.
The rumblings overhead masked the landslides that had been triggered by several different goblins. Rocks and debris were released and tumbled down the sides of the cliff like water rushing down a rapid. The army was hit in seven different places as the massive projectiles smashed into the sopping-wet troops. Thousands of goblins were killed instantly, and all at once there was utter chaos. Soldiers were running every which direction, and the stormy air was filled with shrieks of terror and rage. The rock trolls remained in place and protected all those that were around them. General Yuki acted as quickly as she could to regain control. She bellowed at her captains to maintain order. She then ordered Lord Trahern and Commander Vahe to ensure that there were no deserters. Immediately the rock trolls acted by grabbing several fleeing goblins and smashing them into the muddied ground. Order was quickly restored after several goblin soldiers had been used as examples.
Both armies overcame the obstacles put in place by the dwarves. Each army arrived after a six-day journey and attacked at the exact same time. The sky above remained clouded and rain continued to pour down. The mountainside had become muddied and impassible. As General Yuki approached the fortress of King Jarvis, the rain turned into snow. Immediately the temperature dropped and everything around them turned to ice. Within an hour of this change, there was more than a foot of snow accumulated on the slippery slopes of Mount Carrick. While the encumbered army tried to make headway, the dwarves bombarded them with a volley of arrows that struck the foremost soldiers, including several rock trolls. Commander Vahe ordered his siege warriors to retaliate with a cannonade of their own. The air was full of rocks, arrows, and chucks of ice as the battle commenced against the upper portion of Dagnolir's fortress.
As the underground army funneled toward the defenses of dwarves, they were hit with arrows and spears that tore through them like paper. The rock trolls were unaffected by this initial attack and moved toward the front so that they could begin their assault. As they did this, they had come into an open cavern that had an empty floorwith dwarves littering the walls. As they grabbed chunks of rock and other debris, a scolding-hot substance was poured on them from above. Their toughen hide burnt only for a few seconds before they acclimated to the rise in temperature. This distracted them long enough for the dwarven archers to send a fiery volley of arrowed into their massive attackers setting them ablaze. Shrieks of excruciating pain filled the air as the trolls thrashed about trying to put out the fires that were consuming them.
As the rock trolls flailed about, they inadvertently smashed several goblin soldiers into the ground and had set the entire cavern floor ablaze. Commander Jabari bellowed the order to retreat back the way they had come. He commanded several of his siege warriors who had not been set on fire to kill the soldiers who were spreading the fire. He did not want the fire to spread into the main body of the army and knew that he had to sacrifice his brave warriors to salvage the rest. His rage and fury began to consume him as he watched many of friends die at his command. He reared back his head so that he was staring straight up and roared as loud as he could. The cavern walls shook, and there was complete silence. The battle for Mount Carrick had begun.