Twenty Ninth day Tweveth Month Four Thousand and Six Hundred and forty-four rings of the Great White Tree.

Nghapteiniaid Lancia Ap Brwydr Confederation Army.

Lancia decided that he needed to let the Cyffredinol that Prince Ceidwadwyr was currently being held in the city and that the union wanted to move him back to their territory. We had blocked the river so no transport would be getting out that way.

He left the majority of my forces under the command of Cyn. He thought the veteran soldier should have been put in charge in the first place. The Green Priest had managed to save Crefyddol who had been badly injuried in the battle to take the town.

So it was a small party that Lancia had selected to make their way back to the main army. With Morwyn he had the hunter Dyn Blaidd, Saethwr who had been a retainer to Prince Ceidwadwyr. The hafling Rad and the gnome Pikku rounded out our numbers.

It was a small group or would have been a small group if you didn't include the two hundred forest goblins. Lancia decided that it was best that the goblins be removed from the town. He thought that once they were free of the town they would flee or disperse. But the goblins followed our lead and seemed to be committed to the war against the union.

Dyn Blaidd and Saethwr were scouting up ahead when Dyn came back.

"Lancia I think you need to see this"

Dyn suggested and we moved quietly through the underbrush.

He heard them before he saw them. Muskets were firing. Humans were shouting.

Dyn directed him to a position where Saethwr was waiting. About fifty union soldiers were clearing next to a giant spider nest. They were collecting the precious silk. The short sighted humans were destroying the nest. When elves collected the silk they tried to do as little damage to nest as possible. So that we could collect the silk for as long as possible.

A dwarf with a large axe brought it down on one of the spiders guarding the nest.

"Careful don't damage the silk."

A elderly human that looked like he was the leader of the enemy forces cautioned the dwarf.

There were too many soldiers for our small band to handle so I decided to head to the main army as quickly as possible. Maybe they would be able to send a force to defeat the union soldiers.

"Let's avoid these soldiers and get back to the main army."

Lancia commanded. Dyn shook his head

"I think that the goblins may have different view"

He pointed to where a union soldier was standing alone away from the rest of the soldiers. The soldier was suddenly pulled into the underbrush. The rest of the union soldiers were unaware to the fact that they were now being stalked.

Another union soldier was pulled to the ground. Soon a third and forth soldier disappeared into the underbrush without alerting the soldiers.

When the fifth soldier was set apon and pulled to the ground. His disappearance was noticed and a soldier yelled out the warning

"We are under attack"

The union soldiers turned away from the spiders nest to focus on the forest. From the underbrush muskets fired.

"We are surrounded"

Yelled one of the union soldiers as they formed up to repel the attackers.

More muskets fired, this time a few of the union soldiers fell dead. From the underbrush the goblins cheered.

"They are only goblins men let show them how men of the"

A union officer began before a musket ball fired from Dyn struck him down. Dyn was loading his musket when an arrow just missed his head. How the hunter dodged the arrow Lancia could not say.

The arrow was fired from a human dressed like the nomatic horsemen who survived in the stepples which lay next to the Tir Gwastraff. He had a composite longbow which he now fired with deadly accuracy at the goblins.

It was clear that he was part of a monster elimination squad that had accompanied the union soldiers. An elderly human waved his hands and shot out fire.

Next to the wizard stood an armoured human with a two meter long spear. Which he used to strike down the goblins. A dwarf threw a flask which shattered and covered the underbrush with acid. Goblins collasped to the ground in agony. It was clear the dwarf was one of the famed dwarven troll hunters. He charged the underbrush with his axe and started cutting down the goblins.

The goblins looked like they may break and flee. Lancia was almost going to give the order to withdraw but then the brood mother of the nest appeared. The giant three metre tall spider pounced on the wizard it's fangs biting into the wizards shoulder. The armoured human with the spear. Thrust his great spear through the giant spider.

The wizard in his dying moment cast a fireball at the spider but only ended up incinerating his own soldiers as the fireball smashed into a line of union soldiers.

The goblins charged the union soldiers and the armoured human who was struggling to remove his spear from the dying spider which he had just delivered a fatal blow.

The human reached for a sword that hung by his side he was swarmed by a dozen goblins. A couple goblins were brought down by the archer who was still using his bow to deadly effect.

Lancia watched as the nomad made eye contact with Saethwr the two master archers looked at each other in the eye, as they released their arrows at each other. The arrow fired by Saethwr hit first and killed the human archer.

It was now Saethwr turn kill with his bow. Each arrow brought down a union soldier. Lancia assisted with his musket as he reloaded he looked over at the hafling Rad and Gnome Pikku they had joined the battle firing flintlock pistols at the enemy soldiers.

Pikku had cast an illusion spell which made the union soldiers believe they were fighting another giant brood mother. The union soldiers were wasting their ammunition firing at nothing.

The dwarven troll hunter was still carving his way through the goblins even Saethwr arrows could not penetrate his armour. A musket ball fired by Dyn also failed to penetrate the armour.

But then Morwyn engaged the troll hunter. A maiden of the blade fighting the axe weilding troll hunter. Her blades were a blur of action. As she gracefully avoided the powerful strikes from the dwarf. Finally her sword flashed up and skewered the dwarf through the eye.

With the final member of the monster elimination squad dead. The surviving union forces were quickly dispatched.

The goblins rescued from the spider nest about fifty spider eggs. Lancia looked around at the goblins, over half their number had been cut down. Instead of mourning their dead the goblins were celebrating their victory over the union.

"What are they going to do with the spider eggs. Are they going to eat them?"

Lancia asked and looked around at his companions. Dyn shook his head.

"No they will raise the spiders as pets and then when they get big enough they will mount them and ride them into battle."

The goblins swarmed over the battlefield removing anything of value. Most of the goblins now carried muskets. One large goblin claimed the axe that the troll hunter had wielded. when they had finished looting the dead they continued their journey.

It was not long after the battle that they finally arrived where the main army was preparing to lay siege to the city. It was a small villiage that didn't even have a great white tree to house it's population. Instead the villiage was arrayed at the base of an old silver mine.

The army had come here to collect lead which was a byproduct of the silver mine. With this lead they wanted to make ammunition for their muskets.

When Lancia arrived at the villiage he was quickly shown to where the Cyffredinol was holding a meeting planning the assault on the city of Dyffryn Gwanwyn.

Grandfather spotted Lancis and called over to him.

"Lancia, why are you here? Did you take Cychwyn Tref?"

"We took the town and blockaded the river. However before we could set up the blockade a river boat carrying soldiers escaped towards the city."

Lancia explained.

"However that is not why I am here. I think Rad better tell you this next bit. Rad tell everyone what you heard in the tavern."

The hafling began his story.

"You see there was a tavern in the town and I was playing a round of cards. Well you see I had three kings and two tens well since I was playing a union soldier the king's would have been called generals as they don't believe in King's"

Lancia interrupted

"Just tell them what you heard about the Prince".

"I was getting there, I just wanted to set the context, well you see the union soldier was drinking some fine elvish wine. It sort of loosened his tongue and he let it slip that Prince Ceidwadwyr had been moved to Dyffryn Gwanwyn and that the union were planning on sending him down the river to union.

The Cyffredinol started asking questions which both Lancia and Rad answered. Lancia told them about his escape from the town and then how they managed to return and liberate the town.

The Cyffredinol began talking to his officers and with the Orc Warlord.

Grandfather showed Lancia and companions out of the room. He looked over at Pikku the gnome.

"I better warn you that when we opened up the mine we found that there was kobold den. We negotiated with the kolbolds and they have allied with us against the union. The kobolds gave us a large stockpile of iron ore which the dwarves and the fire giant are using to make weapons to fight the union."

Lancia could hear the dwarves and the Giant hard at work.

"You better come with me, I'll introduce you to Biff and Bash, that should scare the kobolds away from you"

Rad spoke to Pikku. It was well known that kobolds and gnomes shared a deadly hatred of each other. The hafling and the gnome headed off to where the two hill giants camped. By the sounds of things the two hill giants currently being fed dinner Lancia could hear them arguing.

Grandfather also handed a book to Lancia.

"I want you to read this manuscript, I'll come and ask some questions about it later. The house over there should have some space if you and your companions want to rest."

Dyn decided he would head back into the forest. He wanted to hunt some food. Morwyn went to see the high priestess. So It was just Lancia and Saethwr to rest in the house.

Whilst laying on a bed Lancia began reading the manuscript. It was a record of the village militia, according to the records the villiage supplied twenty archers for their milita. The manuscript recorded how they were armed when they trained and when they fought.

There was a record of the milita fighting off a kobold incursion eight hundred years ago.

The last entry had the milita going off to fight in the war of the two princes. It was never finished because the milita never came back from that war.

Grandfather entered the room.

"It's been decided that we will try and rescue the Prince. He is too important to be left with the union. I volunteered to go and I would like you two to join me."

An important mission to rescue the Prince,Lancia knew that he should have no reservations about heading off on this adventure but something did hold him back. Grandfather must have sensed his hesitation.

"Of cause we will bring your priestess with you."

Grandfather continued.

"So tell me more about your adventures and how you took the town."

So for next hour Lancia went over his adventures in the town. He told Grandfather about how he made diversion which allowed Crefyddol to take the town. He told Grandfather how Crefyddol was injuried in battle and how he was healed by the Green priest.

Lastly he told Grandfather about the battle in the forest between the union forces and the goblins. How they had defeated a monster elimination squad.

"I thought I saw more goblins around the camp."

Lancia had forgotten about the goblins, he looked out the window and saw that goblins a joined up with the goblins that had escaped from the mine. A large troll also kept the goblins company.

Grandfather started asking questions about the battle in the forest. How they defeated the monster elimination squad. Lancia explained the duel of the archers. Then he asked question.

"With archers been so effective on the battlefield why do most of our army use muskets."

Grandfather looked like he was thinking then he started talking.

"That's a rather complex answer, one of the reason humans have taken to using muskets over bows is the amount of time it takes to train an archer. Saethwr how long did you train before you were able to sign up for your regiment."

Saethwr moved to join the conversation.

"I started training with my now when I was but a boy of hundred years. I was able to join the army when I had trained for one hundred and fifty years and then I was able to join my regiment."

Grandfather continued

"For the short lived humans they can not afford to spend one hundred and fifty years training. How long do think the human archer had trained to become a master archer."

The master archer they had killed in the forest was human and did not look to be that old.

Saethwr spoke

"I heard that the nomads of stepple begin training with the bow when they are children. I gage that the human was probably on his thirtys. So he would have been using his bow for over twenty years."

"Twenty years is a long time for the short lived humans. That is why they were quick to take up muskets. Also if you look at some of the other races who are using muskets your goblin friends are good example they are not a strong race so historically they would have only used short bows or slings which only have a small range."

"However with a musket q goblin has the same range and killing power as a human or an elf"

Saethwr sniggered

"The goblins still can't shoot to save themselves if we had not assisted them in the battle they would had lost the battle."

Grandfather nodded his head and spoke.

"Perhaps though from what you have told me it sounds like it was the brood mother that helped win you the battle. Do back to your question on why we now use muskets instead of bows, if it was just training time then surely that is not a determinant to us elves. So there must be another reason."

"Some people would tell you it's the penetration power of a musket. I have seen creatures covered in arrows unable to break hides. But a couple well placed shots from musket could bring them down."

"But good armour can stop both arrows and musket balls. As you discovered when you fought that Dwarven troll hunter."

"I think it comes down to ammunition, Saethwr how many arrows does your quiver hold."

Grandfather asked pointing at Saethwr quiver.

"This is my travelling quiver it holds twenty five arrows. For a battle we have a battle quiver which holds over a hundred arrows."

Grandfather continued

"How heavy is your quiver? Musket balls are a lot lighter. Also how long does it take to make an arrow."

Elven war arrows were known to be the best made arrows in the world they were created by a green mage using his magic to pull the arrow out of one of the great white trees. Lancia had heard that it was a long laborious process.

Lancia knew musket balls could be made by pour melted lead into casts and thousands of the balls could be created in a very short time.

Grandfather continued asking Saethwr questions

"In the first battle against the union how many arrows did you use?"

Saethwr thought about his answer

"I would have used about a hundred arrows."

"In your regiment there was about two thousand soldiers if everyone of them fired as many arrows as you did that's about two hundred thousand arrows. Did you know Lancia that the arrows took up most of the baggage train that accompanied the army. So logistically muskets are easier to manage than arrows."

"When we attack the city you will see how important to sieges cannons and muskets."

With that Grandfather suggested that Lancia get some rest because on the morrow the elven army intended to attack the city.