The Winter Assault - The Long Scouts' Story
The Winter Assault

CharlesDariaGeorgeJono & JoMishaMurikeerRavenRickkterThomas

Dan & TopoDrakeFox CutterKaylaOrenRoisRyuo

Lightbringer TempleEcclesia ChapelThe Long ScoutsThe MoranasiMiscellaneous

Characters (MainSupportingMinor MetamorOther MinorCameoMentioned)
LocationsChronologySocietyCasualties

The Long Scouts feature in several subplots in the Winter Assault, including several raids with Misha Brightleaf. This page, however, is intended to cover all scenes where the focus is on the contributions of other Long Scouts besides Misha. Namely, it focuses on the most intensive fighting done by the Longs — against the werewolf, and against Selig's army — and it focuses on the individual Longs at the party, as well as Finbar's personal history.

The Long Scout Charles Matthias has his own adventures, covered on his page.

Summary

Part 2

The Longs all attended Misha's Christmas party, but are only seen in cameo besides Misha, Charles, Caroline, Llyn, and Kershaw. Kershaw is dressed finely, and he reveals he is a nobleman's son, though not on good terms with them, and is here with a wealthy noble's daughter. Llyn, meanwhile, is seen chatting with several Longs, before breaking away to speak with Murikeer.

C1


Part 3

During dinner, Misha gives the Longs a heartfelt speech on their service to Metamor against Nasoj and the North, as well as some of the deeds they have accomplished in the past year. He honors the first Long Scouts who joined, as well as the newest. He pays tribute to the recently deceased Craig, and praises Murikeer for rescuing Llyn.

C1


Part 4

Llyn leaves early to get dressed to attend Hough's service with Murikeer. At 7:45 pm, Murikeer meets up with Llyn in the Keep hallways, both well-dressed and off to attend Hough's services. Llyn notices he is not dressed for the cold, and correctly guesses that he has a warmth spell on himself. Murikeer points out he has an amulet, and gives her an amulet with spells similar to his own. After teasing him about magic, and leaning in for a kiss, Llyn notices Kayla's scent on him, and suspiciously demands an explanation.

Just as Murikeer is reassuring Llyn that he loves her alone, the alarm bells ring on their own. They are shocked, but realize it must be Kyia ringing them, and that the Keep is under attack. Llyn wants to defend the chapel, but Murikeer wants to head to Long House to join the defense, pointing out that they need weapons, and Llyn needs to join the Longs. Llyn retorts that Murikeer only wants to go to the Long House because Kayla is there, and refuses.

Murikeer tells her how hard it is to love her sometimes. At that very moment, a figure from the hallways fires a lightning bolt that passes through Murikeer and fries Llyn, killing her instantly.

C1


Part 5

The party at the Long House is broken up when a frenzied Madog rushes in, eventually to say that Lutins are attacking the Keep. Misha orders his teams assembled in ten minutes.

C1


Part 7

Outside, the Lutins send a pack of hungry dire wolves into the Keep, to hunt and kill any Keepers they find.

C2


Part 8

A young boy named Terrance wanders the halls, wishing he'd joined his friend at the Temple service. In the kitchens, he comes face to face with a large dire wolf. As several other dire wolves close in, Terrance runs through a nearby door, followed closely by the wolves.

C2


Part 10

Laura leads five Long Scouts through the halls, with Arla taking point. At a ransacked kitchen, Arla finds a trail left by twenty dire wolves leading into a pantry. They prepare for battle and yank open the door, only to find the wolves eating calmly. Terrance is sitting high up on the shelves and greets them. One of the wolves looks up and faces them, each expecting the other to attack first, but neither one does; the wolves are content to eat, and the Longs can't help but sympathize with them. Terrance asks what they're going to do.

C2


Part 11

Arla leads the Longs and Terrance away, the dire wolves following close behind. For lack of a better plan, they are heading to the Long House for Misha and George to handle.

C3


Part 13

Laura's team is stopped by a huge wolf morph blocking the hall ahead of them. The dire wolves whine as the morph charges. Meredith shoots fireballs as other Longs shoot arrows, neither of which affects him. Lisa slashes with her sword, but the wolf morph (soon identified as a werewolf by Allart) thrashes Lisa by his teeth and throws her against the wall, blood pooling under her. Ralls, Meredith, Laura, and Allart all charge, but their weapons are useless; Ralls is tossed aside, and Meredith is raked across the chest, narrowly avoiding being gutted.

With three Longs down, it is up to Allart, Arla, and Laura to fight back. Allart stabs and dodges his attack, then throws two throwing stars into the werewolf's muzzle. Arla cuts off his paw, who howls in pain and throws her against the wall beside the dire wolves. The dire wolves are silently watching the battle, fearful of the werewolf. As Meredith shifts to animal form and attacks in rage, a silent exchange passes from Arla to the dire wolves. She stands and charges, and with her come all the dire wolves.

The wolves and still-standing Longs (and even Terrance) stab and bite and attack the werewolf, until Laura shouts that it is already dead. All of the Longs and Terrance are injured, as are four of the dire wolves. Most injuries are minor. Ralls has a broken leg, but the most serious injuries are Lisa's; her arm is shattered, four ribs are broken, and much of her blood is lost. Laura orders stretchers made for Lisa and Ralls. Arla says the dire wolves can help, if they also have room for the dire wolf who attacked the werewolf's eyes.

C3


Laura's team arrives at the chapel. While Lisa, Ralls, and Meredith receive healing, the other three Longs enjoy a hot meal. Hough and Duke Thomas report that Lisa will live, but they cannot restore her arm. Hough says his prayers should prevent any lycanthropy in them. Arla reports that the werewolf has been burned; from what the dire wolves tell her, Nasoj created the werewolf with magic, who then bullied the dire wolves into being their alpha. Thomas suspects the werewolf's plan was to attack the Keep's best soldiers while they attacked the dire wolves, not expecting them to befriend the wolves.

Hough asks if the Longs will continue to rest, but Allart and Laura went to continue attacking within the hour.

C3


Part 19

About a day into the fighting, a badly singed Murikeer carries the unrecognizably charred body of Llyn into the Long House. Arla, Kershaw, Jotham, and Caroline all help George carry Llyn away. Meredith tries to comfort Murikeer, but Murikeer is too overcome with grief to stay and listen, and Misha lets him go. He sends Llyn to a storeroom for a proper burial later, and returns to his office, where he and Caroline weep together.

C4


Part 22

Another day later, Laura's team is eventually called in to help Misha's team find the Moranasi. After a long search, Misha's team hears someone running towards them. Finbar knocks the lone figure out, a young girl named Sarah who was escaping her captors. After reviving her, the Longs learn that she and her family have been forced to work for a high-ranked female slave of the Moranasi. She doesn't know where the Moranasi are now, but she can lead them to the slave.

C5


At 9 am, Misha's team arrives around the corner from the slave camp. Finbar arms a tiny crossbow tipped with poisonous darts, called a hush puppy, and kills the lone sentry at the entrance. Misha quickly counts the figures inside and silently forms a plan for the other Longs. Once all are ready, Misha and Kershaw fire their arrows and charge the confused camp. The Longs quickly kill the guards, helped by the Keeper prisoners fighting their oppressors. Misha manages to capture the lead slave alive, though badly bruised and disheveled.

C5


Just before interrogating the slave, Rickkter arrives at the cathedral to examine Lisa, and determines that the giant wolf wasn't a werewolf after all, but a person given an animal curse by Nasoj, similar to Metamor's. He was likely a lieutenant given command of the dire wolves as a reward, and able to change back to human.

C5


Part 23

From the prisoner, Misha learns that troops were being led by the Lutin warlord General Selig and five subordinate mages, and are currently hiding in one of the Keep's barracks called Barracks One. In a council of war, he proposes that his Longs attack Selig from their encampment, while Raven and Daria attack from outside.

Misha slumps back as he realizes he barely has enough men for the operation. He admits he needs one talented archer, and Raven offers Padraic to join them. Misha has apparently heard of him, a skilled archer from Ellingham whom George and Misha have wanted to join them for some time, and eagerly accepts.

C5


The uninjured Long Scouts meet with Misha to discuss how they'll kill Selig while he's surrounded by guards, monsters, and mages. Georgette, Meredith, and Misha puzzle over it, but Danielle has an answer: open a hole in the ceiling, and attack them from above.

C5



After waiting in the Long House jail cell for a long time, Ferwig and Teria receive a surprise visitor: the Long Scout traitor who hired them. The traitor assures them that they can still get paid, if they help let an army of Lutins into the Long House, and join them in a mass slaughter of everyone. Ferwig and Teria share a look, realizing it would include George. They ask why the traitor wants to do it. The Long claims to want the same wealth and power Loriod obtained by betraying the Keep. Teria says the Long is too young to understand some things are more important. The traitor sneers and orders them out to get their weapons.

In a nearby armory, they find Janet the lynx guard on the floor. A low moan reveals that she is still alive. Teria criticizes the Long's shoddy work; Ferwig volunteers to put her out of her misery. He kneels, gives her a meaningful look, and plunges the blade down. Leaving the now-still body behind, the two mercenaries follow the Long into the hall, with the planned attack due to start soon.

C5


Part 24

Caroline and Padraic stand around a circular railing on the floor, inspecting their weapons. Misha and the Longs join them. Misha gives a short speech, reminding them that the assault will end here. Everyone takes position and readies themselves. On Misha's signal, Kyia removes the circle below them, and the Longs barrage Selig's army below them. Caroline fires a magic arrow, exploding a tower of the fortress they'd built there. Misha leaps down and kills more Lutins with his axe and with David's exploding egg (which cracks after a single use). All of the Longs except Caroline and Padraic join them and attack.

C5


Caroline and Padraic cover the Longs from above, killing enemies until only one pocket of enemies remains in the corner, near Selig's tent. Selig himself stands with three ogres, ten human warriors and a female mage, and twenty Lutins. Padraic aims an arrow at the mage, which bounces off an invisible shield. The mage looks up and fires back a fireball. Caroline and Padraic dodge it, but Padraic's bow is destroyed. The Longs below engage the enemy; Misha and Laura fight the humans, Meredith wrestles one of the ogres, while Danielle blocks the mage's attack with her own magic. Caroline aims a magic arrow for the mage, but Padraic instead heaves a boulder down and squishes the mage's head.

Caroline considers helping Misha, but instead aims a normal arrow at one of the two remaining ogres, waiting for a clear shot as he fights Arla, Allart, and Jotham. Finally, the ogre strikes Arla with his club and laughs triumphantly, and Caroline fires three arrows into his head. Jotham joins Misha and Laura, quickly killing the last of the humans.

As Georgette, Danielle, and Finbar fight and kill the remaining Lutins, with Finbar taking out Selig himself, Misha orders Jotham to check the wounded. From outside the fort, the Lutins knock and call out for Selig. Moments later, they start battering it down. Misha places the ball at the entrance and hides behind a tent with the three remaining Longs; when they break through, Georgette hurls a spear at them. When half the Lutins have charged, Misha sets off the ball, blowing all the Lutins up.

Misha looks out the fort and into the battle of Barracks One. Wordlessly, he runs out in taur form and joins the fight.

C5


Ferwig and Teria follow the traitor to a side corridor, where a young guard is on duty. The traitor is about to kill her when Ferwig jumps in, telling the guard they're her relief. The traitor is angry at losing his kill, and rebukes Teria for caring more about lives than money. He hears the Lutins knock on the door, but before he can open it, Ferwig stabs him in the back, killing him in seconds.

George arrives, and the traitor is revealed to be Baldwin. They have little time to be shocked, as the door breaks open, and Ferwig, Teria, and George are caught in a battle for their lives.

C5


Part 25

After the fighting, Misha leads his remaining uninjured Longs — Caroline, Finbar, Danielle, and Padraic (now treated as a Long) — to the Long House to inspect the damage, and begin the clean-up.

C5


Part 28

George is in his office, having a large meal for himself, when Misha silently enters. Without a word, George gives him a plate, and the two eat. Once finished, Misha updates him on the Longs' injuries — Arla, Kershaw, Allart, and Meredith are all seriously injured, with Lisa the most serious injury. Only Misha, Caroline, and Padraic came out without injury. George tells him they found Baldwin's body in the debris and asks what to do with it. Misha says they'll bury him after they've buried Llyn; he may have been a traitor, but the Longs always take care of their own.

C6


The Longs are resting and planning a counter-strike up north. All are solemn and exhausted, except for Finbar, who cheerfully pats a burlap sack and comments that he fulfilled a lifelong dream. Danielle is curious, but Finbar tells her she wouldn't understand. She is hurt, so Finbar cautiously lets her look. Inside, she sees Selig's head; it takes her a moment to see Selig's genitals too. She sickens up, prompting the other Longs to rush over. Jotham peeks inside and is so disgusted he almost punches Finbar, but Misha sternly blocks him. Misha knows the story, and thinks it's time for Finbar to tell it.

For a long moment Finbar just sits, fighting back tears. At last, he sets a beautiful knife on the table. It belonged to a man who died defending his wife from Lutins. She was raped immediately afterwards; she gave birth to Finbar nine months later. She was ready to kill the newborn child, but her heart melted on seeing his innocent smile. It was a hard life for both of them. Her mother hid a brand on her neck from the Lutin rapist, until she branded over it to hide it. Finbar was constantly bullied by the other children, until he was eight years old when a group of teenage boys cornered him. Finbar was faster and stronger, and knocked all of them out in the ensuing fight. Nobody bullied him then, and he was even admitted to the town militia. The Longs know the rest of the story about his quick rise through the ranks and into the scouts.

Jotham is still curious why he collected a Lutin trophy, and such a gruesome one. Finbar tells them about his fight with Selig, which felt longer than it really was. He remembers Selig knocking him against a post with his shield, but then he saw an opening in Selig's groin and stabbed him there, killing him with a stab with Selig's helmet. He kicked the corpse and introduced himself, revealing that Selig was his birth father.

C6

Cast

2 3 4 5 7 8 10 11 13 19 22 23 24 25 28
Charles Matthias m
Murikeer m ✓✓
Rickkter m m
Misha ✓✓ m ✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓
Raven
Daria
Merai
Thomas m
George m m
Kayla M
Ferwig m
Teria m
Madog ✓✓ m
Allart [1] [1] m
Arla [2] ✓✓ ✓✓ m
Baldwin [3] m
Caroline m ✓✓
Danielle ✓✓
Finbar ✓✓ ✓✓
Georgette
Jotham m ✓✓
Kershaw ✓✓ m m
Laura [4] ✓✓ ✓✓ m[5]
Lisa m m
Llyn M ✓✓ M m m
Meredith m
Ralls m m m m
Padraic M ✓✓
Hough m m
Coe m
Terrance ✓✓ [6]
werewolf ✓✓ M
Crooked Jaw ✓✓
Little Tail
Strong Jaw
dire wolves ✓✓
General Selig M ✓✓
Elizabeth Pudelick
Emily’s family
Gershak
Sarah
Kee m
Kortel
Nasoj m m m m m m
Craig M
Pascal m
Daron m
Lisa’s family m
Allart’s family m
Misha’s grandfather m
Finbar’s mother M
[1]: Presence implied by other scenes.
[2]: As "a slender, thickly furred canine".
[3]: Appears briefly in a scene not specific to the Long Scouts.
[4]: As "a tall, Amazonian redhead".
[5]: In earlier versions, Jotham is among the absent Longs by mistake; Laura should be included instead.
[6]: As "Terrence".

Story Connections

  • Finbar, Danielle, Georgette, Jotham, and Kershaw all appear with Misha and Daria in parts 12, 13, and 15; they have been omitted here to showcase the dire wolf subplot. See Misha's or Daria's pages for more on them.
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