Story name: Cry Havoc
Author: Chris O'Kane
Publication date: September 5, 1999 (on TSA-List)
Date: Late August, 706 CR
Location: Metamor Keep (Long House), Stepping Rock
Overview
Misha puts together a Long patrol to avenge Craig and Caroline: an attack on a fortress called Stepping Rock.
Summary
Rickkter is woken up early in the morning after Craig's wake with a message to appear in the Long House. He arrives just as Misha has started his briefing in his office. He has a plan to destroy a fortress to the north near Metamor called Stepping Rock. The Lutins have been using it as a base for their raids. Their plan is to assault the castle from the south, then split off into two groups: one to clear the gatehouse, and one to clear the main hall and kill Hurd, the commander. Andre will lead a cavalry unit once the gatehouse is secured, while Rickkter will make himself useful anywhere. He pointedly ignores a question about prisoners, saying the Longs will leave at noon, while Andre's cavalry will leave tomorrow morning.
Charles stops Misha in the armory and asks if this mission is just for revenge. Misha confirms, but it will also remind the Lutins how dangerous the Longs are, will boost the morale of his men, and will also quell the unstoppable rage inside. At this last answer, Charles has nothing to say, and leaves after Rickkter arrives.
It is night at Stepping Rock castle, and a light rain is falling. As a lutin guard disappears down the wall, Lisa and Finbar sneak to the wall and climb up to just below the parapet. They wait for the guard to pass, and Finbar kills him while Lisa lets down a rope for the others to cross.
On the other side, the teams split up. Laura's team moves around a Lutin village within the castle, briefly stopped by a barking dog whom Arla manages to tame. They arrive at an exposed road, 20 feet wide. They decide to cross one at a time. All but Charles have crossed when a band of Lutin revelers appear and stop in the middle. Charles silently and insistently signals for them to go ahead; he will meet them later at the gatehouse. Laura reluctantly leaves.
Misha finds the courtyard filled with soldiers, soon about to change guards. As he waits, he sends Rickkter and Kershaw to check out a stone barn being guarded. The two of them move to the unguarded back door, where they listen through the wood. Rickkter suddenly shouts it's an ogre, and it bursts through the doors, raising the alarm of Stepping Rock.
Laura and her team are strategizing at the gatehouse when the alarm goes off. They attack the gatehouse and open the gates, so that the cavalry can rush in just as the Lutins are counter-attacking. Meanwhile, the Longs in the courtyard fight for their lives. Misha charges for the hall, becoming enraged when he sees a Keeper skull on a trophy pike. Commander Hurd emerges, armed for battle, but Misha wrestles him to the ground and tears out his throat. He throws his body into the crowd, causing Hurd's soldiers to flee in terror.
Andre's men meet up with Misha's team at the well. Misha has been stripped down, with Will mopping up the blood on him. With the battle won, Misha orders the entire fortress razed, the ground salted, and the well poisoned, so that none can ever use it again.
Messages are relayed back to the Keep. The soldiers' loved ones wait at the Long House for their loved ones. Rickkter meets Caroline, Jenn, and Kimberly, telling them that Misha and Will are alive. Andre and Matthias enter together; the very last to arrive are Will and Misha. Caroline hugs both, and Misha's weariness seems to melt away.
Some time later, Misha is sipping tea in his office when a dog starts barking at him. Finbar enters and apologizes; the dog they brought back from Stepping Rock has been running around for days. Misha asks how long he's been asleep; Finbar replies that it's been 3 days. Misha doesn't remember much of the battle; he remembers up to the point of the ambush, vaguely remembers swinging his axe and wrestling someone to the ground; and then Will washing off his blood. He was crying, for some reason; Finbar hugs Misha and says it was because he'd become a monster, and becoming human again hurt.
Meanwhile, two figures sit at a table, one paying the other 4000 gold for the death of Craig, reneging on the earlier 8000 gold for the latter's failure to provide Caroline. The second figure protests it wasn't their fault the lutins lost her. The first figure is also angry they weren't told about Stepping Rock. The second figure explained that Misha had been drunk the previous night, but gave out orders too quickly to warn them. The first figure promises to overlook, as long as the second figure can provide information on the Long patrols. As they discuss price, the second figure reveals that they are a Long Scout; Long Scouts don't come cheap.
Characters
Main characters:
- Misha: Leader of the Long Scouts, a fox morph. He wants revenge for the rape of Caroline and death of Craig. Though he maintains his calm while leading the troops, he enters a bloodlust once the battle starts, killing several soldiers and Hurd himself.
- He wears chain mail and gauntlets, and wields a long bow, a dagger, 4 hand axes, and his battle axe Whisper.
- He is stripped naked and washed of his blood by Will, and arrives at the Keep only in a pair of shorts. He suffers from various cuts and bruises. His hands and arms are bandaged, though it is not clear if those are old bandages from Craig's funeral, or new bandages reapplied over the old. His whole chest is bandaged, as is his left leg below the knee.
Supporting characters:
- Rickkter: A raccoon morph, a battle mage and Misha's friend. He investigates the stone barn, from which the ogre breaks out and alerts Stepping Rock. He kills the ogre and joins the fighting somewhere.
- He wields an unknown 3-foot steel rod, one end adorned with a spear point and a razor sharp crescent hand guard, the other end with a sharp hook.
- Andre: A wolverine morph, captain of the cavalry and Misha's best friend. He leads 100 cavalry outside the castle.
- His horse is named Swiftfire.
- While waiting, he greets each of his cavalry by name.
- His lance breaks during the cavalry charge on the Lutins. He draws a saber afterwards.
- Will Hardy: A badger morph, a jeweler and Caroline's father. He personally asked Misha to go on this mission. He fights with Lisa's unit at the hall, and helps calm Misha down from his bloodlust.
- He is wearing odd-fitting armor and wields a mace.
- He suffers a small cut on his left arm, and some scrapes and bruises.
- Lisa Ringe: A child morph, a Long Scout. She is one of two Longs who assails the south wall, and leads a unit alongside Misha at the hall.
- Her morph age is 14 years old. She dresses all in black, and carries 2 short swords, a short bow on her back, and some rope for climbing the wall.
- She envies the non-AR Long Scouts, as they have more strength, endurance, and climbing ability than she does. She is, however, proud of being one of only 2 age morphs in the Long Scouts.
- Finbar: A ferret morph, a Long Scout. He is one of two Longs who assails the south wall, and fights in Lisa's unit. He is the first to greet Misha when he wakes up.
- He suffers a nasty leg injury.
- Laura: A female gendermorph, a Long Scout. She leads the group that assaults the guardhouse.
- She wields a blade and a bow, and carries a small lantern that glows a blue light with a spoken incantation, used to signal Andre.
Minor characters:
- Kershaw: A red panda morph, a Long Scout. He is a very experienced soldier. He is friendly to Rickkter, having fought with Rickkter at Naven, and here partners with him against the ogre.
- Charles Matthias: A rat morph, a Long Scout-in-training and a good friend of Misha's.
- He wears a simple robe, and wields only a short sword and a few knives.
- Hurd: The commander of Stepping Rock. He tries to fight Misha with swords, but Misha tackles him and tears his throat out.
- He is tall, and wears plate mail, and wields a long sword and shield.
- Allart: A child morph, a Long Scout. He is part of Laura's team.
- He is armed with a bow.
- Arla: A border collie morph, a Long Scout. She is part of Laura's team, and befriends a dog owned by the Lutins.
- Meredith: A brown bear morph, a Long Scout. As part of Laura's unit, he charges the gatehouse door and clears the inside out with Ralls and Laura.
- In morph form, he weighs over 300 pounds and stands over 5 feet tall. As an animal, he weighs over 1000 pounds and on his hind legs stands 7 feet tall.
- Caroline: An otter morph, Misha's girlfriend. She was gang-raped by lutins, and partly for that reason Misha launches his attack on Stepping Rock. She hobbles on one leg and has one injured eye, yet she waits with the other loved ones for Misha.
- Two mysterious figures in a meeting. The first pays the second (SPOILER) 4000 gold for Craig's death, and promises more if the second provides info on the Longs.
- The second figure is a Long Scout.
- The second figure is paid 4000 gold pieces, mostly in garrets but in other coins as well, rather than the agreed-upon 4000 garretts.
Cameo:
- A female page, who awakes Rickkter for the Longs' meeting.
- George: A jackal morph, the Keep's patrol master.
- Jotham: A male gendermorph, a Long Scout. He is short. He is part of Lisa's team.
- Ralls: A female gendermorph, a Long Scout. She is part of Laura's team.
- Danielle: A pine marten morph, a Long Scout. She is part of Lisa's team, and suffers a chest wound from the battle.
- Baldwin: A condor morph, a Long Scout. He was circling over Stepping Rock for hours before the Longs began their attack. He takes out the guards on top of the gatehouse.
- Pete, a ferret morph and cavalry commander under Andre.
- A female cavalry messenger, who reports to Andre from Captain Harsted.
- Kimberly: A rat morph, Charles's beloved.
- Jenn: A wolverine morph, Andre's wife.
Important mention:
- Captain Harsted: A cavalry commander. He sends a report to Andre that all resistance is crushed.
- Craig: A prairie dog morph, a Long Scout. He died on a Long patrol, and it is partly for his death that Misha launches an attack on Stepping Rock.
Referenced:
- Sedgewick: An historical duke of Metamor, who lived circa 400 CR. After his death, the Lutins began taking over the lands in the Giantdowns that Metamor had claimed.
- Pascal: A porcupine morph, the Keep's alchemist. Misha suggests Rickkter pay her a visit if he has a hangover.
Locations
- Stepping Rock castle is 20 miles away from Metamor, 10 miles past Giant's Dike. Misha claims that the troops responsible for the raid on Mycransburg, among other raids, are stationed at Stepping Rock. Its commander was Hurd.
- It was built 300 years ago (circa 400 CR) during Metamor's expansion on a short low hill as a manor house. It was built quickly, with no defenses added. At that time, there were no Lutins for 40 miles. After Duke Sedgewick's death, the Lutins invaded the lands, and retook the manor after a 10 day siege.
- 30 years after it was built (circa 430 CR), Stepping Rock was fortified with a 20 foot tall wall and a 40 foot deep and 20 foot wide ditch.
- Hurd and his personal guard live in the main hall. It is fortified and has two stories. A pike sits out front with two heads on it, one of a very large lutin, another the skull of a Keeper. There are said to be "the usual buildings" adjacent to the main hall: barns, stables, and granaries, though this is a guess by Misha, as some of them may have been destroyed.
- The main hall overlooks the muddy courtyard and two nearby barns:
- One was made of dark fieldstone. On its short walls it had double doors with an arrow slit on each side, while each long wall was featureless except for two arrow slits. It was holding an ogre.
- A wooden barn stands 10 feet from the stone barn.
- Its only tower is the gatehouse on the north wall. It is a simple stone tower by an iron-bound wooden gate, and consists of two stairs, with wooden stairs leading to the roof. There is a nearby hut, which provided convenient cover for the Longs.
- Lutin troops are also there, but reside in a village between the main hall and the guardhouse. It consists of several dozen huts and run-down shacks.
- Stepping Rock lies to the northwest of a signal tower. Outpost lies somewhere in between them.
Chronology
- Last month, there was a brutal raid on Mycransburg.
- This story takes place from the early morning after Remembrances, two nights later to the siege of Stepping Rock, to 3 days after arriving back. This makes for a total of 5-6 days this story takes place over:
- At 5 AM of the first day, Rickkter arrives in the Long House. Misha orders the Longs to leave by noon, and for Andre's cavalry to leave tomorrow morning.
- At the earliest, Misha and the Longs arrive at Stepping Rock in the evening of day 2.
- At noon, at least a day later (day 3 or day 4, see below), the Longs return to Metamor Keep.
- Misha had not slept for 5 nights by the time he returns. There is at least one night between Casualties of War and Remembrances he does not sleep; he also does not sleep the night of Remembrances (day 0), the night after leaving Metamor (day 1), and the night of the Stepping Rock raid (day 2). This leaves one more night, either between Casualties of War and Remembrances, or in between the raid and the return to Metamor.
- Note that this story strongly implies the Longs returned the morning after the raid; Ryx's stories (particularly Arrival at Metamor Keep and Triumphant Return the Dogs of War) suggest that there is one additional night between the raid and the return.
- Misha sleeps for 3 days after the return (day 6 or day 7).
The Stepping Rock Raid
Background
- As Misha explains, there are 3 groups who invade the castle directly, a total of 16 between them:
- Charles joins Laura's team, consisting of Arla, Ralls, Meredith, Allart, and Baldwin. They are to assault the gatehouse after they clear the south wall;
- Charles is separated from the team while crossing a road, while Baldwin only joins Laura's team during the gatehouse assault.
- Will and Misha join Lisa's team (Jotham, Danielle, Finbar) to kill Hurd and other humans at the main hall.
- Rickkter and Kershaw form an independent team. They follow Lisa's team at first, then split off to scout out the barn.
- Charles joins Laura's team, consisting of Arla, Ralls, Meredith, Allart, and Baldwin. They are to assault the gatehouse after they clear the south wall;
- Andre leads a reserve of heavy cavalry, who are sent out a day after the Long Scouts leave Metamor. They wait outside Stepping Rock for the signal to advance.
- At the time of the siege:
- At least 50 soldiers were in the main hall at the time. A score of guards (20) were in the courtyard, 4 soldiers were guarding the main hall, 2 soldiers were guarding the stone barn with the ogre. The ogre was armed with a 4 to 6 foot-long sword, and wearing no armor.
- At the gatehouse, 1 soldier was stationed at the ground floor door, 4 soldiers stationed on top, somewhere between 2-5 soldiers on the bottom story, and 6 soldiers in the second floor. 1 guard watches the north wall.
- 1 lutin guard was pacing the south wall. No other Lutins are seen on duty. A group of 40 Lutins cavort in the street from the gatehouse, drinking and occasionally fighting.
Plans
- Finbar and Lisa lead them off by scaling the wall and killing the Lutin guard, then tying a rope down for the others to climb up. They are not detected.
- The guard is traveling from right to left. He dies when Finbar stabs him through the neck and pins him until he drowns in his own blood.
- Misha and Lisa's team sneak behind a wooden barn. The guards are set to change, so Misha waits until they do to maximize confusion. They will attack the formation with missiles first, and clean up with melee.
- Laura and her team arrive at the gatehouse without Charles. Laura plans for Meredith to rush the tower door as an animal, with Ralls and Laura supporting him, while Arla will shoot the gate guard and Allart will shoot the guards at top.
- Rickkter and Kershaw are ordered to check out what is inside the guarded barn, and then to kill the soldiers in the hall.
- After the majority of fighting is completed, and the routed soldiers being cut down by Andre's cavalry, Misha orders the entire fort burned, the ground salted, and the well poisoned, so that no one can reuse the fort.
Laura's Unit
- While skirting the edge of the Lutin village, a dog starts barking at them. 4 Longs prepare to fire, but Arla gives the dog a show of dominance. When the dog submits, she gives the dog a belly rub.
- The soldiers are dispatched successfully:
- One guard at the top dies first from an arrow through the chest, falling off the tower. The guard below is shocked and killed immediately from an arrow in the chest.
- There are an indefinite number of soldiers who are thrown back from Meredith's paws. One soldier is disemboweled by Laura, another is stabbed in the chest by Ralls.
- The soldiers above shut the trapdoor, but Meredith smashes it, killing a soldier with a wooden splinter through the chest. Another soldier is injured with a splinter through the leg. He and the other three soldiers are quickly killed.
- The three remaining guards at the top of the tower were killed either by Allart or Baldwin.
- After this, Laura tells Meredith to help Arla and Allart open the gate. After a quick kill, she takes out a blue-lit lantern with a spoken trigger to signal Andre to advance.
- One guard patrolling the north wall sees them and calls out to them. Laura kills him with two arrows in the chest.
Andre's Cavalry
- Immediately after Laura signals for Andre to advance, a band of 20 Lutins runs to the gatehouse. Andre's cavalry charges and tramples them, while Laura's team hurls rocks and arrows upon them.
- Laura commands him to assist Misha at the hall. He asks one of his commanders, a ferret named Pete, to join him, while he sends the rest to raze the Lutin village and kill anything they find.
- After joining Misha at the well, Andre reports that his men are killing every last one of Hurd's soldiers, at least 70 or so.
Rickkter and Kershaw
- As Rickkter and Kershaw are inspecting the barn, the ogre inside charges through the wall and begins attacking Kershaw. Kershaw fights him off, and Rickkter flashes the ogre a blinding light, and then darts up the ogre's back and stabs his hooked pike into the ogre's skull.
- What happened afterwards is unknown. Presumably Rickkter entered the main hall, as seen in Killing Time.
Misha's Unit
- When the horn blows, the Longs take out a dozen soldiers. The remaining soldiers attack and are joined by soldiers from the main hall. Misha kills 2 with every swing without a scratch.
- Misha advances towards the hall entrance, where he sees the pike with the skull of a Keeper on it. He intensifies his attack until he reaches the pole, cutting the pole in two and embedding his axe in the wall behind it.
- Hurd emerges from the hall, armed with a sword and shield. Misha draws his sword and attacks blindly at him. After many minor injuries, Misha discards his sword, pulls away Hurd's sword and shield, and throws him to the ground, where he rips Hurd's throat out and tosses the body into the courtyard.
- At least a dozen soldiers fight Lisa's unit, outnumbering them 3 to 1. The Longs manage to hold them off with few injuries, but they are saved when a berserk Misha throws Hurd's body into the battle, sending Hurd's soldiers into a panic.
- The enraged Misha charges the Longs, but Will comes up and manages to calm him down. They are resting by the well when Andre approaches.
Final Tally
- At least 33 humans (likely 70 or more), 40 Lutins, and 1 ogre die in Stepping Rock. It is not clear whether there were survivors or prisoners taken; Misha made no allowances for them, but messages from the scouts report prisoners were taken.
- Metamor suffers only a few injuries, and no deaths.
Points of Interest
- The lutin village is very smelly; Laura wonders to herself why the Lutins revel in filth.
- The dog owned by the Lutins was never shown any kindness all summer. It is won over by Arla's kindness, dominance, and smell, and follows them back to Metamor Keep.
- If the Lutins are working with the commander Hurd, why does Hurd have the head of a Lutin on a pike? Was this a rebel? A traitor? The tribe's former chief?
- Misha grabs Hurd's sword with his left hand, yet suffers no apparent injuries from this. Either Hurd's sword was not very sharp, or Misha's bandages were thick enough to act as a sort of armor, or both.
- Payment was given for Craig, despite him being killed. Why wasn't Caroline killed as well? Perhaps she was to be sacrificed, as Llyn would have been in Leavetaking?
| Battle of Stepping Rock | |
|---|---|
| Main Stories | Casualties of War · Remembrances · Cry Havoc · Killing Time |
| Side Stories | Arrival at Metamor Keep · Clearing the Courtyard · Triumphant Return the Dogs of War · Cage |
| Places | Naven · Stepping Rock |
| Characters | Caroline · Craig · Misha · Rickkter · Will Hardy · Charles · Andre Laura · Allart · Arla · Baldwin · Meredith · Ralls · Lisa · Danielle · Finbar · Jotham · Kershaw Hurd |
