muldran

From Gorthyn

Gorthyn sat upon his chair within his private chambers, smoking a long clay pipe full of his favourite leaf tobacco. He rarely used it though he found it to be helpful in dulling the pains from battle and, just as importantly, calming his mood. As the heavy, aromatic blue wreaths of smoke spiralled around him, he reflected on the earlier fracas in Moonglow.

It would be all too easy to blame their failure on yet another of Muldrans plans going badly awry, yet he knew this was far from the whole story. In truth they had been badly prepared to fend off any intervention such as transpired when Taggart and his men attacked.

As soon as the Templars arrived, Gorthyn was acutely aware of the disadvantage the Courtiers found themselves in. They were hemmed in with their backs to the half complete blackrock contraption and as tensions rose the Lord Cardinal glanced round at them each in turn. Muldran was in the middle of his incantations and vulnerable, Bertrand had his bow but was unarmoured. Alongside him Hayt, though prepared and valiant to a fault was not a warrior by inclination or training. The newcomer Xorthaul was edging his way away from the press of those around him. He glanced at Cherry , her hands crackling with uncast energies and he knew her to be ready for whatever happened next. But she like Muldran was too close to the Templars, losing the mages advantage of range and vulnerable to the blades of their foe. The rest of them had failed to keep the enemy at a distance.

When the fighting began they all aquitted themselves well individually and for a while it looked as if they may prevail as Taggart went down from a flurry of blows dealt to him. But his men regrouped and their greater experience and superior training began to tell. When it came, defeat was sudden and bitter to take

The smoke from Gorthyns pipe increased as he recalled that defeat and his ire briefly flared again. No matter, they could improve their fighting skills and they would have to were they to defend themselves against those who looked to destroy the Balance or who were affected by the Greater Darkness.

At that moment Gorthyn swore to himself that they would do just that.

__________________