Note : For the attention of Magister Phaegol
The Reiver’s phalanges are dipping into Fingerbowl’s Cave.
Meara’s Diary : 20th First Seed
Hey Gal gave us the orders this morning. At first light we moved south towards somewhere called Fingerbowl Cave. It should have been simple enough, the early scouts Hey Gal said, indicated that there might be some skeletons and ghosts, simple to handle really. It was good to be moving out in my light chainmail, glass shield, with my ancestral Katana on my hip and staff of lightning on my back. That was the best part of the day even though there was a light rain. We were with four other hands; The StrongArms, FlytingStaves, Talos' Terrors - nicknamed the TT's because they were all girls and finally the Lightning Strikes. Shaker grumbled the whole way about having to share the fighting with other hands until Hey Gal finally had enough and bounced a silence spell on him. Shaker seethed under his studded leather armour, his Thalmor gloves clenching and boots stamping. His armour and boots were all dyed a dark green making him look like some malicious quivering tree. We all laughed until, in mock anger, he pulled out his Orsimer Warhammer. Tally just wore a deep purple Robe of Shielding, which complemented her Dunmer skin. When she stood next to Shaker she looked like some bizarre shadow of him, but with a staff of firebolts and a short sword. Hey Boy & Hey Gal both had a steely look to them; Hey Boy in full heavy Carved Nord armour but he moved more easily in it than some of the mages who had no armour. Hey Gal had light Mithril armour enchanted to muffle all movement, she could move as silently as a snake and her strike was twice as deadly with her epic Elven bow of shocks. Wearing the Reivers tabard I really felt like a part of the hand, maybe a little finger.
That was the best part of the day. By afternoon we arrived at the cave, creeping from gully to gully, through the ferns. That was when it all went wrong. A group of Bosmer hit us from the left with a volley of arrows. Some quick healing and it was into the fray to realise there were many more Bosmer ahead and to the right of us. They had control of Mountain Lions, Wolves and Timber Wolves which launched themselves at us from all sides. Our diligent hand training, that I whined about when we were roped together for group combat, meant in practice we kept a fluid movement to absorb the attacks, isolate attackers and re-group to take them out one at a time. Always moving together, a single organism, supporting and healing each other we kept our shape but had to evade rather than battle. I was happy with the shield and staff work in my left hand, my ancestral Katana slicing in an arc taking wolves, lions and Bosmer apart. With my staff casting lightning to distract their archers we came into a glade, the animals were mostly dead by now. Then arrows started to rain down. I felt myself grabbed around the waist and lifted behind a tree, there was the thud of shafts in the bole and ground where I'd been,
"Time to get out of here" I heard Shaker's gruff Orsimer voice softly in my ear, "'member the drill. Us heavies'll lead, move with Tally to cover and sweep."
Tally flicked a finger and I moved behind and to her left. Conjured a Flame Atronach and charged my staff before we hit them, Shaker and Hey Boy swinging their big weapons in the middle, me and Tally providing shock and flare with the live wraith that was Hey Gal floating around leaving a trail of twitching corpses in the brush. It was neat and I only had to bolt down a few healing and magicka potions before the last of the Bosmer were down. We'd lost track of the other hands until we broke out of the glade. We came out of the glade to the north west of the cave entrance and realised how many of the Aldmeri forces there were. The TT's, Flyting Staves and Lighting Strikes had formed a wild, spinning circle of metal and magicka striking out with flailing fury at the elves that almost surrounded them. No one was still for a second, evading and executing attacks at the same time ahead it seemed like a similarly whirling barrage of stones were hurling themselves at the people of the hands. During the moment we caught our breath the Thalmor conjured Storm Atronach's fell to become a still, randomly generated rock garden so the Hands took a breather before the next assault. The Staves spotted us and signalled for us to join them at the same time that Hey Gal spotted the StrongArms who'd become isolated, like we'd been earlier. With a nod of her head we East headed towards them.
The StrongArms hadn’t fared as well as us, and two of them were isolated and taken out by a combination of Bosmer archers and Atronachs summoned by the Thalmor. Some of the Wood Elves had moved in to loot their bodies already. Spotting the other three of them in trouble we fought back in, Tally launching Firebolt after Firebolt at the Bosmer, I proudly matched her strike for strike. Dodging the darts, launching lightning and then looking for Tally, the few minutes felt like an age of conflict and all I could do was focus on not dying. Hey Gal must have smoothly disappeared whilst Shaker and Hey Boy lifted their heavy bows on the Thalmors moving in to wipe the StrongArms out. Our fire'n'shock strategy drew the Thalmor towards us. They sent their Atronachs in, it didn't look good until Hey Gal stabbed their masters from behind. With the Thalmor dead the Bosmer lost heart (or was that the fear from Hey Gal) and retreated. I ran in and laid hands on a good looking Nord lad with an Ice Helm, he was crouched down a bit stunned. He smiled and held out his arm, his firm calloused hand gripped mine as I pulled him up. Hopefully I gave him my quirky smile
"I'm Saffsir, thanks" his returned smile warmed me. I told myself to stop silly lusting and concentrate on the battle.
After that we organised a retreat. Saffsir with his Redguard Strong-Arms working equally to defend and block. The enemy didn't seem keen to chase as soons as we left the gully leading towards the Cave. Re-grouping with other hands to the North of the Heartlands, Saffsir and Hey-Gal sidled off with the Hand leaders from the Staves, TT's and Strikes to talk. I liked the look of Saffsir but, as to the rules, I stuck with our hand for the walk back to base (although when I look at him I start thinking to Malacath with the bloomin’ rules). A retreat also meant no looted bodies which meant we were a glum group trudging into the food hall tonight.
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