[Third Age MOS AAR] An Orcs Tale - Completed

[NorseThing]

I liked the idea of dealing with the swamp -- a good touch added to the game experience!

[Maltacus]

For some reason I keep thinking about the swamp castle(s) in Monthy Pythons search for the grail all the time when writing about Malthurs siege of the swamp...

The orcs and similar creatures are lore-wise generally uncomfortable around water. The vala of the waters, Ulmo (something like the Neptune of this world), was one of the most helpful towards the free peoples of Middle Earth when the rest of his kind mostly stayed isolated in their own realm and not overly fond of the servants of Melkor.

[Axis Sunsoar]

Glad I finally got the opportunity to catch up here, I always enjoy reading more of the adventures of Malthur, and the most recent chapter provided a very interesting perspective, since most recently the only difficulty with the elements Malthur has had was the heat of the desert, and now his heavily armored force is presented with a whole new challenge. I also really enjoyed the chapter that described the perspective of the Gondorian captain and his faith that the lords of Gondor would be coming to his aid to the very end.

[Darkan]

No update in 12 days? Noooo, where are you Maltacus? Have you taken your MAARC victory and gone to celebrate? Congratulations BTW. Well deserved.

[♔atthias♔]

good job again I like captain beregors unshakable faith in gondor
especially malthurs remark at the end of the last chapter was amazing

+rep

[Alwyn]

I enjoyed both the reaction of Malthur to the river and the discussion among the orc captains about how to deal with the awkward situation they face. I wonder if the plan will work. Congratulations again on your first-place win in the MAARC LXXIV! (Incidentally, normally the first-place winner of a MAARC cannot enter the next competition. However, the 75th MAARC (MAARC LXXV) is a special competition in which the previous first-place winner is allowed to enter, if you would like to.)

[Maltacus]

Glad I finally got the opportunity to catch up here, I always enjoy reading more of the adventures of Malthur, and the most recent chapter provided a very interesting perspective, since most recently the only difficulty with the elements Malthur has had was the heat of the desert, and now his heavily armored force is presented with a whole new challenge. I also really enjoyed the chapter that described the perspective of the Gondorian captain and his faith that the lords of Gondor would be coming to his aid to the very end.

good job again I like captain beregors unshakable faith in gondor
especially malthurs remark at the end of the last chapter was amazing
+rep

I enjoyed both the reaction of Malthur to the river and the discussion among the orc captains about how to deal with the awkward situation they face. I wonder if the plan will work. Congratulations again on your first-place win in the MAARC LXXIV! (Incidentally, normally the first-place winner of a MAARC cannot enter the next competition. However, the 75th MAARC (MAARC LXXV) is a special competition in which the previous first-place winner is allowed to enter, if you would like to.)

Thanks, everyone. So, it seems evil and villany is the way to please the competition audience these days...

No update in 12 days? Noooo, where are you Maltacus? Have you taken your MAARC victory and gone to celebrate? Congratulations BTW. Well deserved.

The next part is taking a long time to write. I have hit a metaphorical wall and don't know how to get the scenes down on equally metaphorical paper. I have about half of it left to do right now I think. I am also working on three or four other things as well, like the Diablo II AAR and remaking and restoring the pictures for Home to Midgard.

[Maltacus]

Chapter VIII - IV

The cries from the shore awoke Cirion early in the morning. He felt stiff and cold after the heat of Harad, despite the autumn being neither gone too long and the weather being mild this far south in Gondor. The wind blew from the east, dull and dry. “Sails!” “Chieftain, boats on the river!” Cirion rolled out of his blanket, having slept under a piece of canvas next to one of the supply wagons. Had he been dreaming? No. Boats? He rubbed his eyes and squinted in the light, irritably thinking that he was acting like an orc, overly sensitive to the meagerest of sunlight. The road from the town on its hill turned several times on its way down to the shore, descending down grassy slopes and next to eroding cliffs closest to the shore. Malthur stood with several uruks and lesser orcs, probably scouts of some kind, and stared across the bay. Small white sails were approaching, keeping out from either shore. They had to be fishing boats or something of similar size, possibly small time traders as well. Were they trying to rescue some of the trapped people, or were they here to scout or bring news? Cirion began to regret letting curiosity get the better of him and going down to the shore so quickly. With the dull daily routines and dreary turn of events of the campaign as they were moving north he would have welcomed anything to take his mind off the misery but in this case he probably shouldn’t have been so hasty. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten near the orc chieftain at all at this moment. Just as he was about to turn back his worries were confirmed. “Ah! Cirion, our whiteskin councilor! Come forth! Clearly you are as captivated by this flaming little rafts as the rest of us and eager to tell us why the hell they are here and how the hell I will burn them up as quickly as possible! Cirions mind raced. What could he do? What answer would make things as little bad as possible? If he could fool the orc chieftain into thinking that the boats were naval vessels, now that might distract the orcs and force them to spend their energy on…what, really? He did not know. Could he cook up a tale of a clearly planned relief that the boats would be scouting in preparation for? Hard, but maybe not unthinkable. Then what? No. Enough with all lies and deceit for the sake of it. He did not know what to do. He could not read the orc chieftain like that. The only thing he did know was that those boats were not crewed with soldiers but with Gondorian common sailors and fishermen. A Gondorian soldier did not use his people as a distraction or a bait. A Gondorian soldier protected his people. “They are local craft I think. Those are unarmed small trading or fishing boats, they’re no threat to you.” “I find that hard to believe. What are they doing here, in that case? Fishing under the nose of the enemy?” Cirion wondered if the orc was just playing with him, but to tell the truth he had little choice but to play along in that case. Suddenly he was filled with disgust about the orcs and all they stood for and of himself. Those desperate sailors in the bay were a hundred times more worthy than him. “They are here to rescue their kin! A strange thought it must truly be for you people, who see only a new back to stab when you look around among your fellow orcs!” Malthur seemed taken aback for a moment. Then he almost seemed to chuckle a little at Cirions outburst. “Well! Of course! But more to the point, whiteskin, why are those brave flaming heroes in the middle of the bay then and not sticking close to the friendly shore to keep as far away from my catapults as they can? Seems to me, that they might be doing a bit of scouting after all, wouldn’t you say?” Cirion cursed inwardly. He was trapped again between revealing information he did not want or risk consequences that may prove even worse. There was nothing to do about it now though. “They have to sail in the middle because the bay is filled with sand banks and they change shape and drift over time. Only the middle part is safe until you reach the harbor or some other known place to drop anchor or go ashore.” The orc chieftain eyed the bay again, with intense eyes focusing on the small vessels. Cirion felt the now very familiar uneasiness rise inside him, racking his brain with questions of what Malthur had really gotten out of his information. It was the second day after the first boats had been spotted. Cirion could see Malthur walking around barking orders closer to the shore, sending runners and groups of workers and soldiers hurrying in different directions. He knew nothing of what the orcs were up to, but he knew that they were up to something and that this something could have very much to do with what he had revealed to them. As far as he knew, the orcs continued to crawl closer to the Gondorians in the swamp, slowly building a road of rocks and sand and logs across the mud that would give way to the watery swamp. The palisade of Nindad Estolad was steadily disappearing but there was something more than the road that received a good deal of timbers since this day. He could not for his life guess what Malthur was building, though. Perhaps a new camp for the orcs, anticipating a counterattack? Not that there seemed to be any army close by capable of beating them back, but at the same time Malthurs reinforcements were limited and did not come in a steady stream, so he would want to avoid fighting unless it was with as many advantages as possible. The orcs did surely fear water. But they feared their commander even more. Cirion had been puzzled when he first saw orcs and the human workers north of the town wading into the water with logs and planks and stone. When the first parts for the bridge had arrived from the other parts of the camp where they were being assembled he had been surprised. Of all crude things the orcs might build, a bridge was amongst the last. Some of the most unlucky had the task of paddling simple rafts back and forth to bring new parts and material further out, together with that which was brought along the bridge, or whatever it was. So far it was a pontoon bridge growing out of the shore, kept in place by poles driven into the soft bottom of the bay. What was it for? Was Malthur going to build some sort of fortified harbor? When the rope was being gathered on the shore Cirions surprise had started to turn into uneasiness, and then into worry. There was nothing strange with rope in itself. Every army needed it for tents, for loading goods, for siege machinery, for a great deal of mundane things. The orcs had restocked their supplies of this commodity in Umbar like everything else they thought they might need, and of course it was plenty to be had from the shipyards west of the city. But while moderately thick rope was used to build everything from tents to the bridge now being constructed, the thickest and heaviest kind had some very specific uses. Twined and twisted, it could power a catapult, although the orcs favored counterweights instead to supply the force needed to lob a stone far enough. Mines and mills could need such gigantic lines for the heaviest mechanisms and a few times he had seen them in cranes used to bring materials to the construction or repairing of large buildings. But their best known appliance, among a people of seafaring traditions, was as the anchor cable of great ships. Cirion eyed the middle of the bay. There weren’t any sand banks there but how deep was it? Not deep enough to allow naval vessels to navigate safely. Was it deep enough to prevent an attacker from anchoring a pontoon bridge across it? He wished the little fishing vessels would make haste. They needed to bring his people out of that marsh and they needed to do it soon.

[Darkan]

Malthur and his orcs seem to have an evil plan. Evil but ingenious, if it is what I think/hope it is. Can't wait to find out!

[NorseThing]

I liked the detail with the ropes -- a good bit of writing.

[Axis Sunsoar]

Ah poor Cirion, even when he tries to follow his conscience and be a true man of Gondor he reveals information to the enemy! I am fascinated to see how Malthur can make use of the information which Cirion has unwillingly given him to work with.

And yes:

it seems evil and villany is the way to please the competition audience these days...

Evil and Villainy are always the way to my heart at least

[Turkafinwë]

Maltacus

I only recently found this jewel of a story (I've not been long in this thread) but I'm enthralled by Malthur's story all the same. His ingenuity and sheer wickedness is amazing. I like how you've chosen the path of Orcs being somewhat intelligent beings rather than the mindless creatures as the movies depict them. (No disrespect to the movies, but I like the orcs from the books way more) Your writing style is also a pool of great inspiration.
Cirion has to be my favorite character as he feels so very real. There is great sadness in this man's life and I really feel for him.

All in all great writing, great characters and a great story.

I can't wait to see how this story continues to develop.

[Maltacus]

Malthur and his orcs seem to have an evil plan. Evil but ingenious, if it is what I think/hope it is. Can't wait to find out!

This sounds interesting, please tell me what you expected once the swamp parts are posted (two more to go).

I liked the detail with the ropes -- a good bit of writing.

I try to add some details about "every-day" mundane things in Midddle Earth too apart from the comings and goings of heroes and villains. Stuff like logistics and supply issues are very underrepresented in fantasy war tales (understandable) as well as ditto historical fiction (much less excusable).

Ah poor Cirion, even when he tries to follow his conscience and be a true man of Gondor he reveals information to the enemy! I am fascinated to see how Malthur can make use of the information which Cirion has unwillingly given him to work with.

He's in quite a fix, yes. To his credit, the orcs would probably want to attack anything Gondorian they could, all that differ is their reasons for it - do they attack for business or pleasure? We'll have to wait and see how Cirions troubles continue to affect him.

No disrespect to the movies, but I like the orcs from the books way more

THANK YOU. +1000 to this! Indeed, if you look at the two towers for example, there are a few quite competent orcs showing, and they have some profound organisation hinted. They are just so angry and hateful that they often goof it up but that is another thing than plain stupidity. Take Ugluk, for one. He knows his business, and its really not his fault but his lazy scouts that his infantry company end up against household elite cavalry on the plains. His mission was based on stealth and speed and he makes a sound tactical analysis of the situation when caught up and the futility in charging and the much better option of trying to link up with reinforcements.

[Alwyn]

Like Darkan, I'm intrigued by Malthur's plan - is he building a bridge, a shipyard, rafts with catapults or something else? Like Axis and Turkafinwë, I feel for Cirion, who feels compelled to answer, tries not to give too much away, bot doesn't know what the orcs are planning, so he doesn't know what information they need. Like NorseThing, I like your use of details.

[Maltacus]

Like Darkan, I'm intrigued by Malthur's plan - is he building a bridge, a shipyard, rafts with catapults or something else? Like Axis and Turkafinwë, I feel for Cirion, who feels compelled to answer, tries not to give too much away, bot doesn't know what the orcs are planning, so he doesn't know what information they need. Like NorseThing, I like your use of details.

Hm, yeah, there are quite a few options. Spin off show: "Creative home carpentry and heating with Malthur and Cirion", 18.30 on mondays, MTV (Mordor Television). This would make a fun guessing game but I have the next update ready so here comes part of the answer.

[Maltacus]

Chapter VIII - V

It was just a skeleton of the boat left. The mast was just a stub. The stern was blackened but intact, but the bow was nothing but a few disfigured beams, like the rib cage of some marine creature washed up on the shore. The charred body inside was definitely human though. The sailor must have been hit by an arrow, there was no other possible reason why he wouldn’t have jumped from the flames otherwise, and hopefully he had died before the flames got to him. Hopefully. The sailor had done what he could to save his people. He had failed, but he had tried. There was no shame in that. Indeed, that was a man a hundred times worthier than he. Cirion quietly raised his hand over his chest and saluted him. It felt right, in some strange way. Cirion looked up. The orcs were loading another batch of crates on their rafts. The crates were crude and hollow, filled with stones. When dropped in sufficient number they acted as anchors for the pontoon bridges parts further out where poles could not reach the bottom without being so long that they would have to be either unstable or far too heavy to work with. They had bolted together more rafts. It must have been from one of those, tied to the bridge to act as a watchtower, that the little fishing boat was shot. As far as he could tell, the bridge covered half the deep area of the bay now, allowing two men to pass each other but otherwise having little in the ways of protection for anyone on it. Perhaps it was the orcs characteristic lack of concern for their troops showing, just like when Malthur had used a loose line of spearmen to draw the enemy into catapult range and linger there, but Cirion was becoming more and more convinced that the main function of the bridge was to keep the boats from reaching the trapped soldiers and townspeople. He stared out at the mouth of the bay. He couldn’t see any sails. They knew they could not reach his people in the marshes. It was two days since the bridge had reached over the deep part. It was now a great wooden boom that together with the sand banks effectively blocked the inner bay for practically all vessels. No boats had come since then. A few sails had been spotted in the distance but not approached. Still the orcs were building, on several sites next to the shore. Perhaps they wanted to be as prepared as possible for the last stretch, if they really were going to conduct a seaborne assault. The siege on land crept closer too, step by step into the watered ground the log road grew and the catapults rolled ever closer, the armored uruks marching right behind them. That orc captain in charge, Lugduf, seemed to be making good time. What would he had done in the Gondorian commanders position? Of course given his particular history the first answer on anyone's lip would be to repeat his last actions as the Gondorian captain that he no longer could call himself. But apart from that, if he had to hold such a position? They had to buy more time over there in the swamps. That would mean getting further from the lumbering siege force under Lugduf. But it was easier thought than done, no doubt. Even if the townspeople were unarmored they had to carry heavy loads of supplies and the nights were getting colder. With the wet mists and watery ground it would not be long before sickness overtook many if they moved further into the swamps beyond the campsite they had no doubt spent some time preparing. Besides, there was no telling where one might find another beach suitable to land on, which in the long run presented their only hope for rescue. Cirion realised he was speculating. He didn't know nearly enough about the swamps and mires in this part of the realm to make a remotely reasonable guess. Two more days were about to pass since the closure of the bay, or more precisely the inner part of the bay. Feeling that he was slowly going insane Cirion had made it a point to find out as much as he could about what the orcs actually were building. He knew that he put himself in danger by doing so, there was always a risk in straying to far from the chieftain and his bodyguard and among less disciplined elements that might feel like taking out their rage of whatever of the innumerable things the orcs raged about on the closest human at hand. But the army was too busy for such distractions it appeared. The orcs had indeed built a good deal more rafts. The were spread out along the shore between the boom and the main camp near the former town. Would Malthur actually dare a waterborne assault? No, Cirion would not repeat that old mistake. Of course he would dare it, and of course he could make his army do it in some way. The question was if it would be worth the risks, with Lugduf having nearly reached the townspeople's fortified camp by now. Cirion actually doubted that, but why then was Malthur gathering those rafts? What the hell was that on the water? Cirion shielded his eyes from the afternoon sun. Then he ran towards the shore. Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three... Cirion lost count of them but none the less, twenty-three sails were at the mouth of the bay. What kind of vessels were they, and what were they trying to achieve? They had to know the boom was there. Now he could make out the types. About half were small time trading vessels or larger fishermen. The other half were a motley collection of traders of medium size, but Cirion knew such vessels could have quite a shallow draft for their size, built to run cargo close to the coasts from city to city. But one vessel stood out. It was no merchant. It was a great naval vessel, of the largest kind, the Alcarondas or "castle of the sea". With high and thick freeboard, raised fore- and aft-castles like towers, she was the pride of the realm and a match for anything that sailed out of Umbar, provided she could catch it. She was not slow, but her sails were cut for making the most of when she had the wind with her and she could neither sail nor maneuver well without it. What was her captain thinking, going into such a narrow confine as this bay? But Cirion had been mistaken. He could see now two more vessels, rowed sloops ahead of the Alcarondas and towing her which kept her course true and her speed up. The sails were hauled as close as practicable to lend some aid to the rowers but it was clear that they did the most of the work. The merchant vessels had veered to the side, keeping as far north in the bay as they dared, far away from the orcs. The wind seemed to grew in strength somewhat, as if wanting to aid this incursion, and soon the ships were within bowshot from the bridge. But no uruk archers defended it, having retreated to the shore after a mere glance at the might of this opponent. Shouts could be heard and the rowers increased their pace and all three vessels were picking up speed. From the massive bow the two towing cables stretched and creaked, having until then been somewhat slackened. The rowers were perfectly synchronized, to the point where they could just as well have been two many-armed sea monsters having taken command of the sloops. On a second command, the pace increased even more, and then even more. The speed of the ship now inspired nothing but awe, and Cirion had the time to wonder what must go through the luckless enemy seeing such a nightmare overtaking his own vessel. At least on land, the castles stood still. On land, they did rise over you as some old dragons jaw about to crash down on your ship and devour it. Three ship-lengths from the boom the rowing sloops broke off to either side, untying their cables as they veered away from the path of the Alcarondas. The great ship glided through the water, carried by its own momentum on a course to ram the obstacle at its weakest part.

[Turkafinwë]

Ooh boy Easter has come early this year. An episode of Malthur and Cirion.
The captain of the Alcarondas must a little bit crazy. Let's hope his dangerous gamble bears any fruit.

Another great chapter.

PS: I would love to see a spin off series on Mordor Television of Malthur and Cirions Carpentery tips and tricks.

[NorseThing]

It would appear that the Alcarondas has been towed and then launched as a battering ram against what object on the water? It may be more than a week before I find out. I know to stay tuned to the same Orc channel at the same Orc time to find out. (I can think of other spin offs.)

A great update and the pictures help to create the stage for the next update as well.

[Maltacus]

Ooh boy Easter has come early this year. An episode of Malthur and Cirion.
The captain of the Alcarondas must a little bit crazy. Let's hope his dangerous gamble bears any fruit.

It would appear that the Alcarondas has been towed and then launched as a battering ram against what object on the water? It may be more than a week before I find out.

The ships captain is ramming the boom, that is intended to be clear. I just spoke of it as "obstacle" to vary the language. Indeed, how will it go, and how will the orcs react to this latest visit?

[Alwyn]

It sounds like Cirion is right about the function of the bridge. Considering what the orcs have done with the crude, hollow crates, I wonder if the attempt to ram the boom will have a different result than the ship's captain hopes for. An exciting update!