Post by Sir Caedric Moore on Jun 28, 2015 20:36:23 GMT -8
My entry for Garheim's new Local Challenge - LCXXVI Restoring the Guardians.
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High in the Sister Peaks, a stone wall dotted with watchtowers marked the border of Orevale Hold, many of which had been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. Among these dilapidated sentinels stood Northwatch Tower, a pillar of stone and mortar along the great wall's northern edge, nestled between spiring pines, firs, and spruces. Charged with overseeing the reconstruction of the tower was Sir Hollander Peake, a knight of thirty some odd years who had been with the Valeguard since Caedric Moore took command as the Captain of the Guard of Orevale. Peake was a rather tall man, broad of shoulder and thick of chest, second only in height among the Valeguard to the Captain's own shieldman, Sir Layton Connors, whose prodigious mustache put all others to shame; Sir Hollander settled for a beard.
The Valeguard - made up of the combined forces of the men-and-women-at-arms of Orevale Hold - was split into three factions. The Rangers, led by the Captain of the Valegaurd himself Sir Caedric Moore and his sister Guard Captain Amura Moore, were primarily archers, wandering the wilds of Garheim or patrolling the streets and walls of Orevale Hold. The Vigilants were the warrior-class of the Valeguard, comprised mostly of knights and pikemen; they were captained by Sir Caedric's shieldman and second-in-command Sir Layton Connors, though his presence among them was sporadic as his duties as shieldman took precedence over the tutelage of the new recruits. And, finally, the Wulfguard; a group of seasoned veterans comprised of the best men and women that the Rangers and Vigilants had to offer. Known for their prowess in battle and their tenacity in tracking prey (be it man or beast), each member of the Wulfguard was paired with a Dire Wolf pup at his or her inception, a practice inspired by the City Guard of Hallfrost where Captain Moore spent his youth as a squire and a ward.
Many of the Wulfguard used their Dire Wolves - or Wargs as they are commonly referred to in the south - in place of horses, as their great shaggy paws allowed both wolf and rider to traverse the deep snows with ease, distributing their weight and allowing both to walk on the snows' surface. Others simply used them as hounds, their olfactory senses being far more keen than those of common dogs; it was said that no man could evade the Wulfguard for long, Garhim or otherwise.
"She's all ours, Porcelain," Hollander said to the great wolf as she loped along ahead of him through drifts of snow, weaving this way and that beneath and between sentinel pines. "Everything west of Northwatch is our domain, now; clear over to Black Loch." He reached down into the folds of his heavy woolen cloak and produced a metal flask from which he took a long drought, gasping at the heat of the liquor and leaving clouds of steam in the frigid northern air. "Ah. And everything hic east of here, until the road to the West Pass that leads up into the Great Driftplains. For courage, honor, and loyalty. For Garheim, Porcelain." Peake took another swig of the spiced rum before replacing the cap and stowing the container back within the folds of his cloak, now making the ascent of the gravel trail that led through the foothills to the crumbling tower at the base of the cliffs.
Its belfry stood a good four stories above the snowy terrain, providing the Valeguard a great vantage over the landscape and housing a torch that shone as a beacon to the other towers of Orevale Hold should messages need to be sent faster than a snowy owl can fly. The armory and barracks took up the second and third floors, bunks and rows of weapons crammed into what little space the tower afforded them, though these had sustained the most damage during the war with the queen and must needs be rebuilt before they would be suitable for manning the fortress. The largest part of the tower was the lowest floor, accessible by a trapdoor and serving as a cellar and kitchen for the knights and rangers. Great casks of ale, mead, wine, and spiced rum lined the walls, along with crates of fruit and vegetables, stores of salted meats, and even coops and coveys for chickens and other fowl.
"For Garheim."
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Comments and criticism welcome and appreciated!
Finding the frog earns you the rank of "Pro" in this one
Ronin
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-Northwatch Tower-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
High in the Sister Peaks, a stone wall dotted with watchtowers marked the border of Orevale Hold, many of which had been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. Among these dilapidated sentinels stood Northwatch Tower, a pillar of stone and mortar along the great wall's northern edge, nestled between spiring pines, firs, and spruces. Charged with overseeing the reconstruction of the tower was Sir Hollander Peake, a knight of thirty some odd years who had been with the Valeguard since Caedric Moore took command as the Captain of the Guard of Orevale. Peake was a rather tall man, broad of shoulder and thick of chest, second only in height among the Valeguard to the Captain's own shieldman, Sir Layton Connors, whose prodigious mustache put all others to shame; Sir Hollander settled for a beard.
The Valeguard - made up of the combined forces of the men-and-women-at-arms of Orevale Hold - was split into three factions. The Rangers, led by the Captain of the Valegaurd himself Sir Caedric Moore and his sister Guard Captain Amura Moore, were primarily archers, wandering the wilds of Garheim or patrolling the streets and walls of Orevale Hold. The Vigilants were the warrior-class of the Valeguard, comprised mostly of knights and pikemen; they were captained by Sir Caedric's shieldman and second-in-command Sir Layton Connors, though his presence among them was sporadic as his duties as shieldman took precedence over the tutelage of the new recruits. And, finally, the Wulfguard; a group of seasoned veterans comprised of the best men and women that the Rangers and Vigilants had to offer. Known for their prowess in battle and their tenacity in tracking prey (be it man or beast), each member of the Wulfguard was paired with a Dire Wolf pup at his or her inception, a practice inspired by the City Guard of Hallfrost where Captain Moore spent his youth as a squire and a ward.
Many of the Wulfguard used their Dire Wolves - or Wargs as they are commonly referred to in the south - in place of horses, as their great shaggy paws allowed both wolf and rider to traverse the deep snows with ease, distributing their weight and allowing both to walk on the snows' surface. Others simply used them as hounds, their olfactory senses being far more keen than those of common dogs; it was said that no man could evade the Wulfguard for long, Garhim or otherwise.
"She's all ours, Porcelain," Hollander said to the great wolf as she loped along ahead of him through drifts of snow, weaving this way and that beneath and between sentinel pines. "Everything west of Northwatch is our domain, now; clear over to Black Loch." He reached down into the folds of his heavy woolen cloak and produced a metal flask from which he took a long drought, gasping at the heat of the liquor and leaving clouds of steam in the frigid northern air. "Ah. And everything hic east of here, until the road to the West Pass that leads up into the Great Driftplains. For courage, honor, and loyalty. For Garheim, Porcelain." Peake took another swig of the spiced rum before replacing the cap and stowing the container back within the folds of his cloak, now making the ascent of the gravel trail that led through the foothills to the crumbling tower at the base of the cliffs.
Its belfry stood a good four stories above the snowy terrain, providing the Valeguard a great vantage over the landscape and housing a torch that shone as a beacon to the other towers of Orevale Hold should messages need to be sent faster than a snowy owl can fly. The armory and barracks took up the second and third floors, bunks and rows of weapons crammed into what little space the tower afforded them, though these had sustained the most damage during the war with the queen and must needs be rebuilt before they would be suitable for manning the fortress. The largest part of the tower was the lowest floor, accessible by a trapdoor and serving as a cellar and kitchen for the knights and rangers. Great casks of ale, mead, wine, and spiced rum lined the walls, along with crates of fruit and vegetables, stores of salted meats, and even coops and coveys for chickens and other fowl.
"For Garheim."
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Comments and criticism welcome and appreciated!
Finding the frog earns you the rank of "Pro" in this one
Ronin
