The Scouring Starts

Eorlith and Lorhan decide to leave the road and skirt round the village via the ploughed field with Dorf bringin up the rear.
"Where are your people?" Eorlith asks.

"They will come soon," Dorf assures him. "I am the first to get past the Orcs. Perhaps my people do not expect me to  return.

"Or perhaps they are cowering in their homes," Lorhan suggests.

Ignoring his comment, Dorf suggests, "Shall I call them?"

"And attract all the Orcs for miles around?" Lorhan exclaims. "Besides, I don't think you need to. We've got company!"

From around the hillock come an Orc and a wolf.

Over the side of the road another two more Orcs appear both accompanied by wolves.

They charge the Orc and wolf in front of them. Eorlith takes out the Orc with a single thrust of his broadsword but the wolf is made of tougher stuff and holds Lorhan at bay. But free of his foe, Eorlith joins his long-time companion in battle and together force the wolf to retreat before despatching him. Dulf quickly follows worried by the other Orcs and wolves drawing ever closer.

Pressing on, the two warriors and the young lad round the wood and rush headlong into yet another Orc spearman and his wolf. There is barely time for any of them to react. This time Eorlith takes on the wolf which springs at him, forcing him back, while Lorhan makes short work of the Orc. 

Now Lorhan joins Eorlith against the wolf but this snarling old beast  manages to sidestep his attack, forcing Eorlith back again (things are not looking good!)

"I have not spent the whole of the campaign season escaping death so that I can become dog food in some backwood!" Eorlith shouts as he summons up all his strength and slashes wildly at the wolf. Taken aback by the warrior's attack, the wolf slips, leaving itself open to Lorhan's blade and he cuts the beast completely in two.

"Nice work!" Eorlith says with a grim smile.

With their latest foe out the way, they spot ahead of them a single character dressed in brown robes . Lorhan makes to charge him but Dulf shouts, "No! That is Multair, our Cunning-man. Don't kill him."

[Here is where I had to roll  one of the Story Cubes. I picked one at random, rolled it  and hopefully you can see what came up - a capsule. Hardly the most inspiring of results but,  as one of my villagers was a healer, I decided that, rather than come out of the houses with the other villagers, he would be amongst the trees (where the PEF was), possibly being the latest villager to attempt to escape the Orc blockade].

Anyway, I think that is enough for tonight. The Scouring will hopefully be completed tomorrow.