Rings and Grudges (A LOTR/Warhammer Fantasy Crossover)

Edited by ImperialBriton
A battle against the Shadow of the First Age – Part 2


"Kaz, gather all the rangers we will need them if we are to avoid been swarmed from the tunnels." You said while turning to Faragrim, "Spread the word that I want all of the powder we brought with made into charges." You commanded your eyes falling onto your kin amongst the urk.

Chewing your lip your eyes drifted to the ramp a little off to the side and nearly opposite of that strange cave. "Falstad, take the guard and a few of the Quarralers to set up near the ramp, the throng will follow shortly but not before we are ready." You said as you tracked the leader of the small Warband walking towards the totems.

Frowning you glanced back to see your kin at work before turning to watch the urk and were grateful that they seemed too busy with themselves to pay attention to their surroundings while the cave seemed to have stilled. Watching it you could have sworn you saw something move within, rubbing your eyes you saw nothing but shadows. While below the urks roared louder amongst one another.

A hand settled on your shoulder, startling you turning around you came face to face with Logan who nodded to you. "Gotri, the charges are prepared and rangers gathered, what's the plan?" He questioned as he shifted away from you the throng shifting behind him in excitement and trepidation.

Nodding you glanced over to the various leaders and started giving out orders, each of them departing for where they would be needed, both master engineers inspecting their experimental weapons taking up firing positions.


Letting out a sigh you signaled the throng to advance while below you spotted the forms of your clans rangers moving through shadows and cover towards the various cave entrances.

A crack echoed through the cave as you felt the ground shake, glancing behind you watched as a chunk of stone slam into the earth. The sound within the cavern falling silent, glancing off to the side you spotted the urk looking at you before they let out a roar that echoed within before they started moving towards you.

"KHAZUK KHAZUK HA!" Belowed your kin at the ramp drawing the attention of the urk, while behind you quarralers took aim at the warband many of them lining up their shots at the rear line.


Gritting your teeth you looked behind you, "Grimnir dammit. Form Ranks and charge dawi!' You pushed forward whilst looking for a good place to set up near the front line the Longbeards easily pushing through the urk ranks only coming to a standstill when the urk's lept from the shadows their weapons striking out at your kin. Their weapons glancing across their armor, Falstad engaged with a large urk that seemed to have him on the back foot.


Charging forward you came to a stop at the top of the ramp and took aim, the earth shaking as the sound of explosives echoed in the distance. Glancing away you spotted the rangers climbing the cliffs below the bridge exit, though as you turned your attention back to the urk's you could not help but notice that none of the paths had been closed. Though one of them looked to be buckling you doubted you had the time to seal it in battle. Grunting you turned back to the fight and tracked the leader fighting Falstad.


Watching the two trade blows you waited for a good opening but found none, glancing across the Warband you spotted a single urk priest in the open, pulling the trigger you watched as the bolt grazed its shoulder.

Cursing you set about reloading as you watched your clans warriors charge into the fray, in an organized frenzy as they met the urk.

The hoard giving little ground as their front rows put up a good fight before they were cut down. The Grumbling guard engaged with those covered in shadows, while Falstad seemed to put some distance between himself and their warboss, the shadows crawling across its body, its wounds healing as the battle continued. While those around it fell to the accurate bolts of the clan. While the sound of a pistol rang off in the distance.

Taking aim with another bolt loaded you tracked the umgi leader once again and watched as Falstad a perfect shield bash that staggered the warboss further back giving you an opening. Your Bolt flew true thankfully missing your kin and imbedded itself in the beast's shoulder staggering it.

Falstad easily decapitated the large urk before it could recover the shadows darkening around it for a moment before dissipating, while the remaining urk's tried to envelop your kin only for them to push onwards towards the captive rangers who looked to be grumbling as they struggled in their bonds. The Rangers made their way to them as they stealthily as possible as they eliminated those in their path.


Loading another bolt the sounds of urk echoed from the tunnels, glancing off to one of the tunnels you spotted another group of urk's charging in. Grunting you turned to Alric, "Get word to Falstad, he's to break ranks and get the rangers out of there, have Bjorn..."

A guttural roar ripped through the cave, as a shadowy form glided from the shadows it's blade flashing as the heads of the captured Rangers fell to the earth.

You closed your eyes for a moment before focusing on the beast, it's blue veins pulsing as it surveyed the caves it's red eyes and horns flashing as it looked over your clan.


Your skin prickled as it focused on your group, shifting a bit you focused on the beast, as it let loose a growl, it stormed through the few remaining urk's crushing those that remained in it's path.

An aura of terror, short lived as it was came over you, before you snorted at the slightly more handsome burning cousin of a bloodthirster came into closer view as it descended upon your kin, its flaming sword still dripping with dawi blood. You'd seen worse in your journey north, and you wouldn't let this pissant take anymore dawi lives this day.

Raising your crossbow you aimed at the daemon. "Drengek" Those beside you taking aim. "Alric get word to the warriors we need them to separate the daemon from the urk's before it makes a whole in our lines." You grunted out while pulling the trigger.


The bolt flying true only for the shadows to swat away the volley of bolt's contemptuously, the daemon barreled towards the guard, storming and incinerating whatever few remaining urk's were foolish enough to obstruct its path.

Falstad and the longbeards met the charge valiantly as they carved through the remaining urk's, while the clan's warriors braced to meet the tide.

You watched as the beardlings fought bravely, their lines holding for a moment before a break appeared the urk's pushing through your kin in the front line.

Growling you slung your crossbow and grabbed your hammer, "KHAZUKAN KAZAKIT-HA!" Those beside you joining the charge as they roared with you.

Your hammer raised as you watched the urk's turn to glare at you in time for your hammer to smash into the nearest one's chest sending it flying into its kin the sounds of metal clashing against one another as blood splashed across your armor.

Pushing forward struck quickly your blows bringing death as those beside you slowly fell behind in the slaughter.

A cleaver scraped against your back staggering you, twirling around you brought your hammer to bear into it leg, only for a blade to pass just past your helm scarping the edge of it. Trying to distance yourself stepped back only for a spear to fly under your guard and stab into your armor.

You felt the air leave your lungs as a club slammed into your arm, letting out a pained grunt as you watched a group of urk's prepare another strike at you while they snarled.

Tugging at your hammer you struggled to lift it, your arm flailing in protest as you breathed deeply ready to face them.

Only for a pair of rangers to jump in from behind them, Josef leading the charge their shields battering through the urk, their ax's dealing out death as they killed the group nearest to you. The urk's pushing in from all sides.

Josef glanced at you before turning to the nearest ranger, "Get the Thane bac..." Blood splattered across your face as your Elder Gurgled a spearhead jutting of his throat.

Snarling you ignored the flare of pain in your arm as you brought your hammer down onto the nearby urk, killing it the smoke swirling around its body dissipating.

Pulling back you spotted one of the rangers pulling your elder back to the mainline while a few of your guards finally caught up as they slew the nearby urk's.

Stepping further back you breathed easy while your veins burned the shield wall stoping the urks from advancing.

Glancing further into the cave you heard the grumbling guard making short work of the urk's that dared approach them, while their commander furiously evaded blows from the fire daemon. The initial lithe form of the creature had seem to grow in bulk since slaying the Dawi, and the air seemed to scream with a growing dark aura. Your stomach made a summersault as the stench of onzone filled the air, and the beast became more and more warped with each moment, it's uneven growth making sluggish as the victorious Dawi turned their ire to the daemon. which looked to be struggling to face them. It loose a baleful wail that seemed to burn your ears as one of its now gigantic arms dropped from its blackened hide, dripping a growing river of magma onto the cave floor.

Looking around you saw some of the clan littering the floor surrounded by the urk's though as you glanced back to the tide you could not help but notice more of them coming. Lifting your hammer you ignored your guard's words as you advanced. "Dawi we will have Vengeance, death to the Urks!"


Turning to the last core of battle, you charged forward carving a path to the longbeards, the urk's who dared face you were crushed under your hammer, only a few of them giving you issue their armor and skill slightly better than that of their ilk. While those covered in shadows quickly fell under the blades of your clans warriors as their champions were slain one by one by as the master engineers used their steam hammers to make short work of them. The rangers faught in a frenzy as they slaying urk after urk that dared to face them the tide never stoping to come as more of the urk's continued to rush into the battle.

Rushing to your kin's aid, you caved in the skull of a particularly ugly 'grey skin'. The horde barely having the time to react as the body hit the floor before a terrible roar filled the air. The lot of you turned around as one to see Falstad clamber upon the daemons shoulders as it was pressed by a throng of Dawi to the ground. Raising his great az up high, with a roar be brought it down, severing the still growing creature's head just as it's eyes turned to golden flame. His armor smoldering, he barely had time to leap from it, before the form crumpled into blackened char. Their ascending summon slain, the Urks fled, with naught a whisper. Surprising even your remaining rangers, their engemed totems stolen like the wind. Grinding your teeth you took a deep breath as you turned to focus on Falstad, "Gather the dead, we leave as soon as it is done." You said while glancing towards your fallen, gulping back bile you moved to the cliff your eyes catching sight of the daemon's head. "Bring that the elgi have some explaining to do."

You stumbled towards the still cooling 'carcass', as Falstad lifted the head up high, the life now devoid from its body still glowing from its frozen roar of pain. "Look's like you had this handled." You sighed, spitting upon the charred form as you passed. "Aye." The elder said with a rare grin, before grimacing at the number of around you. "So many beardlings..." His eyes grew misty as he noticed a pale whiskered form carried towards the priests of Gazul for last rites. "Josef..." He coughed for a moment before rubbing his eyes, the cavern being awfully dusty now. "Can't say I'm surprised, he's been fading since a year after the battle of Amon-Mingol." He looked to the assembled exhausted rangers that knelt in prayer among their captain. "Aye, he'd have wanted that. Better a purposeful death, than to fade to nothing." You nodded, that cloud of dust affecting you quite badly; before drying your eyes looking to the still glowing head he held by its horns. "Strange daemons tend to dissipate upon banishment, have the priests check up on you. Can never be too sure with the dark ones." He nodded, laying it upon some urkish attempt at a shield. You glared at it for what seemed an eternity, before the elder returned the throng almost completely gone as the distant calls of 'greyskin' horns resounding once again from the deeps. Well now at least you had something else to ask Elrond when you met him again but these urk would be the first in this new world to suffer the anger of the Karaz Ankor even if it took your clan centuries to see it done.

***

So concludes this little arc though I did not quite foresee this quite happening but it will be interesting to see where you guys go from here as there are a few options to settle this grudge. Not all of them require you to march with the throng to settle it and it gonna be something that you will have to clear out in time, but that is easier than you think. (Though it will cost you depending on how you wanna go about it.)

Also, this is the first time I wrote a battle that has actually gone so wrong for you guys in both this quest and well any other quest I have done. So yay for new experiences.

As for the Balrog like monster here the page I got it's Info from
Also I using them as technical Minor Balrogs to account for the thousands of them mentioned in the first age.

Grudge Written:
The urk's of Ered-luin and their pet daemon have struck down many honorable dawi of the clan in battle for this insult the Clan demands eight thousand urk heads to settle this Grudge. (0/8000)

Khazalid used
Dreng - Slay in combat.
Ek - He, she, it, you (singular)
-Drengek = Slay it (I think)