Chapter 1. Crippling Defeat
December 3rd - 600 AD
Tar Tar rolled over in his sleep. The simple fact was that he could not sleep. The war was over and the entire encampment of Mystic forces knew it. Yet here they lingered on, entrenched in the Denadoro Mountains, surrounded by Allied forces at every mountain pass, fiendishly retreating further and further up the mountain with no end in sight other than defeat. The situation was horrid. The 3rd Mystic War was over in just 2 months with Gen. Ozzie's quick rise to power halted in it's tracks with the sacking of Ozzie's Base of Operations by a band of irregulars as well as the re-mobilization of Allied Forces to prevent any Mystic gains.
In the East, the Allies had stormed the Fort after it had already been sacked and abandoned by the Leadership. In the North, Mystic Tribes and Clans were all laying claim to lead the Heckran Alliance which had all but disintegrated. In the West, only small pockets of Mystic forces remained, and all were trapped and surrounded by Allied forces. The Mystics were trapped in Denadoro, and the coast line with no ships after a failed raid on Porre.
Tar Tar got up, it was early dawn. The column had been ordered to move further up the mountain. All Mystic forces on the mountain were ordered to regroup after their previous loss at the base of the mountain. Their goal was to unite the Mystic columns in a holy defense of the Mountain's Summit. "Useless" Tar Tar though to himself. A hulking 7 Feet, and a massive Goblin build to match it, Tar Tar was not one to admit defeat by nature. However, even he knew the end was at hand.
Just then, word reached the camp via carrier pigeon. The message was from Heckran Headquarters (which was essentially the village now pretending it led the Alliance). The message was short and brief. It read:
Break through the Allied Column and attempt to rendevous with Mystic Units on the Coast to evac back to the homeland.
A look of bewilderment fell upon the soldiers. What good would there be in trying to rush the opposing column and return home? "Most of us would be slaughtered!" One of the soldiers shrieked. Tar Tar knew better. "This can't be suicide. There has to be some secret ploy here" He said to himself.
As per orders, the word was spread to all of the Mystic columns to halt their retreat up the Mountain and try and ram through the enemy lines. The day was early. Clear and Sunny on this day of great blood. Waiting for the signals, the columns lay in anxious wait. Then, the signature Mystic Horn blazed. The Battle Flags risen. The cavalry charging. The infantry rushing.
As anyone looking from afar would notice, the Mystics were doomed from the start. The Allies had brought in experimental catapults to help the War Effort. Man after Man in the Mystic Columns fell victim to the Allies superior weapons. However, a lucky few did manage to find a way to desert the Army and sneak around the Allies. They regrouped at the base of the mountain to discuss their strategy. Tar Tar was among the lucky few.
Immediately, he stepped up and took charge of the situation. "We must regroup with the others and then get back to the homeland" He began. "If we allow ourselves to stay here anymore, we'll fall victim to the Allies coming out of the mountain, and the Porre reinforcements from the South!". With no opposition, the remaining men rallied around Tar Tar and headed for the coast.
It was now night. The day had produced a great deal of deaths. However the lucky few (600 of an Army consisting of 5,000) were crossing the Ocean now on their return home. "God be with of us, and may we live to see many more days to come" Tar Tar said to himself as he finally tossed over and fell asleep.