“Fest on the men… ravage the women… sack the town!” Orrusk Turnskull unleashed his orcs in a wave of destruction against the humans of Winter Edge. The fools had settled too close to the Frost Hills and too far from the protection of the Ardent Legion, the Silver Marches combined military force… they were ripe for the taking! The orcs where spotted before they even forded the river Surbrin, giving the townspeople hours to make their final preparations for the battle to come. Igan stood upon the palisades above the main gate, looking proudly upon the those who had mustered to their town’s defense… if the orcs took Winter Edge, it would cost they dearly! Nearly three hundred howling orc warriors surged toward the town’s gate, all but ignoring the other sides. Flaming crossbow bolts sailed over the wall, intended to distract defenders to fight the fires they’d start, but they were quickly dealt with by townsfolk who couldn’t fight. Then the ram was brought forward, slung between two dozen orcs with another two dozen providing cover with their broad shields held overhead, to protect against the rain of arrows and bolts that fell on them from above, the iron shod tree trunk smashed into the gate over and over again, each strike causing it to shutter and crack, coming closer and closer to failing with every strike. Then suddenly it gave way, swinging open wide to allow the attacking savages to rush forward bent on overrunning the town’s defenders… but they found no one to stand against them, just a broad avenue. With the sides blocked by tall fences and overturned carts, and pressed on by those surging in behind them, well over a hundred of the invaders crowded into open area before any of them bothered to question what was happening. A question that was quickly answered when torches were flung into their midst from all around and the straw covered ground erupted into flame. From his place in the rear of the war band, Orrusk saw the flash of light and heard the howling as smoke rose from inside the town walls. At first he though his orcs had put the town to the torch, but then he saw several of his tuskers emerge for the gate, aflame and wailing as they fell dead. He lost almost half his force in a single blow from an enemy he’d obviously underestimated. Then things got worse as a column of flame struck down before the gate, setting more of his orcs ablaze, followed by a hail of fireballs from at least two spellcasters, as the gates slammed shut again. Aeron’s audacious plan had worked. Nearly half the attacking orcs had died in the inferno on the killing field that had been the main avenue through Winter Edge. Then Galen had unleashed the flame strike his ring of elemental command allowed him to call down twice each week, before he and Kara sent a barrage of fireballs into the orcs that remained outside the gate, allowing Tarl, Aeron and a squad of handpicked warriors, including Zora, to clear the few survivors from the gate and secure it… this time heavily reinforced against a second attack. Meanwhile, Nykira and the other archers let loose a deadly rain of arrows and bolts. Although the orcs shields protected them fairly well, Syl’s powerful attacks sent target after target hurdling backward into his fellows as they died.