Quest for the Trident of Poseidon

[Sun Devil]

Achates
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A company led by Achates, the greatest warrior of the Campanian empire and conqueror of the feared Samnite warriors, set out from Neapolis to find Poseidon's Trident. The Trident, famed for its ability to make its owner the master of horses (and therefore a great anti-cavalry weapon), is thought to be located somewhere across the sea in the land of the Greeks, and that is where the company sails for.

The expedition consists of 50 swordsmen, 30 archers, 19 macemen, and Achates.

OOC: Screw magicians, I have a hero in the style of Greek mythology.

[Barry Goldwater]

The company arrives on the island of Ithaca after a week's hard sailing. There, the locals do not seem to know much about the Trident, save one man in black...who offers to sell information at a great price.

OOC: Dude demands 2% of your econ for the info.

[Sun Devil]

Achates attempts to haggle with the man, telling him he will only agree to pay half the sum.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Should the man refuse, then the expedition carries on to Epeiros, in seek of info there.

[Barry Goldwater]

The man flatly refuses, claiming that he was charging a fair price for the whereabouts of the Trident of Poseidon.

Five days later, the company arrives in Epeiros. Again, nobody seems to know where one can find the Trident, though they claim someone knows the way - a hermit who lives high up in the mountains, and who was said to have come face to face with the Trident's guardian in the distant past. However, they warn that the road is fraught with danger...

[Sun Devil]

Achates asks the villagers to point him in the way of the hermit, and the men set off after a day of rest. None are frightened by the tales of the Epirotes, but nonetheless they are anxious. They keep their swords loose in the holders and an arrow in hand at all time.

[Barry Goldwater]

It is nightfall. Most of the soldiers are sound asleep - when the howls of wolves echoed throughout the area. The howls, however, are much louder and fiercer than that of any ordinary wolf, and sentries report seeing bright eyes in the dark, staring at them with naked hunger and blood-thirst...

[Sun Devil]

The sentries immediately blow their vuvuzelas horns to rouse the camp. One of the sentries reports to Achates and tells him that their are some sort of wolves, the size of which he can only guess at, lurking in the darkness. Achates then commands the men to form a large circle around the fire, with the archers in the front. The rest of the men leave enough room so when the beasts close in the archers can fall back into the centre of the circle, where they will take up torches to provide additional light.

[Barry Goldwater]

At first, there was only silence, broken by the occasional growl or snarl from the wolves. Then, after a long wait, out of nowhere -

A massive wolf, nearly twice the size of an ordinary wolf, charged from the darkness, its jaws wide open and revealing two rows of huge, razor-sharp teeth - there can be no doubt that this was no ordinary wolf. An archer was thrown to the ground before he could so much as raise his bow, and the wolf managed to snap its jaws tightly around his neck before seven other archers were able to shoot it to death.

There are other great eyes in the darkness, and no doubt there are more of these monstrous wolves - at least six of them, likely more - just waiting for a chance to strike...

[Sun Devil]

Achates, the only one untouched by fear at this point, takes a place at the edge of the circle. He commands the archers to retreat to the center and strike up torches in case the main fire somehow goes out. The rest of the men form a shieldwall and wait, with weapons drawn. The presence of such a renowned warrior at the front brings some reassurance to the men, who know if there is one mortal who can help them through this ordeal it is Achates.

[Barry Goldwater]

Two wolves come from the darkness now, fangs bared. They make not for Achates, but for the men next to him instead...

[Sun Devil]

Achates then steps forward to combat with the wolves. The men whom the wolves were headed towards are emboldened by his actions and they too come forward, ready to protect his flacks and rear.

[Barry Goldwater]

One of the wolves changes direction, tackling Achates and savagely clawing at his chest. It attempts to tear his throat out with its double rows of teeth, spraying him with saliva and forcing him to step back from the sheer weight of it. Meanwhile, the other wolf tackles its original target, the soldier to Achates' right.

[Sun Devil]

The soldier to Achates' right if felled by the wolf, who ripped his throat out. Several archers, seeing an opportunity now that the wolves are distracted, come to the front and begin firing at the wolf that killed the soldier. Meanwhile Achates, after regaining his balance, throws sand at the wolf's face and then he and the remaining soldier both rush the wolf from opposite sides.

[Barry Goldwater]

While the other wolf is shot to death, the wolf that attacked Achates is blinded by the sand, and as it attempts to retreat it is cut down by the Campanian champion and his comrade. However, more howls echo from the darkness, and the wolves - having sufficiently tested the company's strength - attack in force. Eleven of these great wolves charge from the darkness, snarling and howling.

[Sun Devil]

Achates and the soldier quickly run back and reform the shield wall while the archers once again retreat back. This time, torches are brought to the front in the hope the wolves are afraid of fire.

[Barry Goldwater]

Several of the wolves are clearly dismayed by the fire, but not enough to scare them off - they charge into the shield wall, pressing against every man with the full weight of their bodies and attempting to tear their faces off or their throats out with their fangs while their claws dig into the Campanian shields.

[Sun Devil]

The men, after recovering from the initial shock of impact, begin to hack and thrust with their swords. The macemen stand ready to counter-charge should the order be given.

[Barry Goldwater]

Two of the wolves are eventually beaten down and hacked to death, but the rest are still fighting fiercely. One of the Campanian soldiers is killed by another of the great wolves, who snaps his neck with its mighty jaws and jumps to attack the fellow behind him.

[Sun Devil]

With all of the wolves now engaged in fighting, Achates yells for the macemen to charge. They then rush forward and begin their bone crushing attacks on the flanks and rears of the wolves. By this point, the shield wall has broken down and there are nine groups of men surrounding each wolf, peppering it with attacks while trying their hardest to stay out of range. Achates moves from group to group, helping out when one may be faltering.

[Barry Goldwater]

One by one, the wolves fall, though not without taking at least one man down. The greatest of them tore past the group surrounding him - seemingly effortlessly tearing off the head of one of the soldiers to make way - and made straight for Achates, blood still dripping from its mouth.