Extract from the diary of Claddyf Brwydr

Sixth day of Seventh month three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

Someday I hope to read what I write here today. Once I have returned to my home, and to my family. I think of family all the time of my son and wife and it aches my heart that I may not see them again.

It has been three days since the battle. It was was another grand slaughter. However this time we were ones that got slaughtered. My commander the Uwchfrigadydd of Mynydd Caer has been lost as well as most of the soldiers that had followed him into the hornets nest of a settlement. I believe all of us would have been lost if it wasn't for the cannons and arqubues. They really proved how effective they are on the battlefield. They allowed us to flee from our foes.

For three days now we have ride the horses as hard as we could and I believe we have finally lost our pursuers. This has given me a bit of time to take stock on how many of us have actually survived.

Under my command are one hundred and forty elves and one Orc scout. I am also thankful that the wizard Un Tywyll also escaped the slaughter at the settlement. We have one hundred fifty horses. We have four Ceirw Anferth who are pulling the wagons which hold the two cannons and the black raven artifact which we took from the first Orc settlement we sacked.

I considered abandoning the artifact, I had thought that perhaps if we gave back religious artifact that maybe this would placate the orcs. However both the native guide and the Wizard recommended that we keep it. The native guide told me that nothing short of our deaths would placate the orcs. Whilst the wizard Un Tywyll gave a more practical reason to keep the idol. Apparently it's magical properties would make it difficult for our pursuers to track us using magic.

Our native guide has recommended that we head away from orc tribes into a part of the Tir Gwastraff that is unpopulated. I would prefer to get out of this place as quickly as possible but the direct route has been blocked by hostile orcs. So I fear we will need to go the longer way through the wasteland and back to the safety of home.

Tenth day of the seventh month three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

This morning we had to abandon the wagons and the cannons as the terrain was getting too rough to pull them across. Rhaglawiaid Haearn buried the cannons. We hope to keep them out of the hands of orcs. After seeing their effectiveness against the fortifications of orcs I would hate for them to be used against our forts. Haearn divided the rest of the gun powder and stores between the Ceirw Anferth.

I am a bit worried about our provisions. The longer it takes to cross the Tir Gwastraff. so I gave permission for the native guide Tek Qurd to take some of soldiers out and see if they could hunt some food. But I have my doubts whether there is any food to be found in this barren Wasteland.

It is quickly becoming dark and they have not returned. Rhaglawiaid Jon Ap Cadfan was with the party and I worried that his inexperience has led the party into trouble. I asked Un Tywyll whether he could sense them with his magic. He wasn't able to help. He says that the magical energy here in waste affects his magic. Personally I don't think he is a very good wizard.

Eleventh Day Seventh Month three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

I am glad to announce that Rhaglawiaid Jon Ap Cadfan and the hunting party returned. They had ran into trouble a pair of Kamadan had stalked them. Jon told me that it was Tek Qurd who spotted the creatures so they were not caught by surprise. Even so two of the hunters were killed when the Kamadan pounced.

I had read about Kamadan in a book once, the book at described the creatures at the time I had thought that they were mythical creatures. Looking at the two dead bodies they look like large leopards with six vipers sprouting from their shoulders. The creatures could apparently leap over twenty metres which was how they were able to kill Crys Coch and Gwarchodlu ar Hap.

Both these elves were directly under my command. It is now that they have passed that I realise I really did not know much about them. As we bury them today I wonder how many more of my command I am going to loose. Gwenwyn was bitten by one of vipers and he doesn't look well.

We ate the Kamadan, the best part of the beast was viper meat. It tasted like roast chicken. Though the feline portions of the beast were a bit tough. Coginwch has surprised me with his cooking ability, he has decided to keep some meat for a soup.

Fifteenth day Seventh month Three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

Gwenwyn passed away this morning. He never woke up from his sleep. We have been forced to bury him in a swallow grave for our pursuers won't give us much time to do much else.

Three days ago it became apparent that the orcs were still chasing us. We have been traveling further and further into the harshest reaches of waste trying to lose them. A couple of the horses have already collapsed and I fear if we do not find a source of fresh water we will be walking instead of riding.

Eighteenth day of Seventh month Three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

We have found an oasis with water which we desperately needed. However it was guarded by a large beast. At least four metres long the lizard like creature with rows of teeth defended the oasis. It attacked us when we arrived our bows and lance's were unable to cut its thick hide.

Llaw Haearn had to set up a number of his arqubues and fired on the beast. It actually took two volleys to bring down the beast. With it defeated we were able to drink our fill and water the horses.

I would like to stay here a few days at this oasis to recoup from our travels however I fear that the noise from the arqubues would have alerted your pursuers as to our location.

Twenty fifth day Seventh month Three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the great white Tree.

We are still camped at the oasis for almost a week we have been fighting for our lives. We have managed to defend the oasis from regular attacks by the orcs.

I have had to bury twelve more elves here. Gwerddon an experienced Rhingyll has taken a nasty wound to the gut and I have grave concerns about whether he will survive. We should have travelled with a healer. I have asked Un Tywyll to look at the wound but he could not help. He tells me he specialises in battle magic not healing.

One of the attacks was in the dead of the night when cloud cover had blocked out the stars and moon. I believe we would have been over run if not for the magic that Un Tywyll cast to brighten up night allowing us to fight off the enemy and saving our lives.

Again it has been the arqubues that have been the difference between surviving and dying. They have the ability to bring down an enraged orc.

One of the reasons I have not had time to write in this diary is that I have been spending time getting to really know the soldiers under my command. Learning where they are from why they joined the army and some of their hopes and dreams.

It has made me question what I will do once we escape from the wasteland. I think I will spend some time with my family. I no longer know if I want to stay in the army.

Sixth day of the eighth month three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

We had to flee the oasis,it was not the constant attacks by the orcs that forced us to flee because a large blue dragon desended from the sky. It must have been attracted by the smell of the decaying beast that once owned the oasis. The dragon landed on one of the Ceirw Anferth and riped out its throat. The dragon fired off a lighting bolt and cooked the oversized deer.

The great beast started to feed. This probably would have given us time to retreat. However some brave fool one of the soldiers with an arqubues tried to shoot the beast. Even this powerful weapon failed to penetrate the iridescent azure scales. The dragon than used its wings to blow up a dust storm. Whilst firing bolts of lighting from its mouth.

There was a wild scramble to escape the enraged dragon. I gathered up as many of the elves as I could and fled. We didn't get far the orcs used this as an opportunity to attack us and after a hard fought battle we escaped them as well.

I am now down to fifty elves our trusty native guide and Un Tywyll the wizard. We are down only have the horses we riding and only one of the Ceirw Anferth which was carrying the black raven artifact. We have only six of the precious arqbuses. Llaw Haearn and Jon Ap Cadfan both survived and have been helping me keep the soldiers together.

We have seen smoke coming from a settlement up ahead. Tek Qurd has taken a couple elves and gone to check it out. We really need a place to reprovision.

Nineth day Eight month three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

The settlement was a tribe of gnolls. Canine headed humanoids who are fierce warriors. Tek Qurd told me that their heads actually look like that of a hyena. The beast which we can hear laughing sometimes at night.

The gnolls have allowed us to stay in their settlement. We have traded them for food and water. They were interested in our elven crafted steel lance's and swords. But the thing they wanted the most was our last Ceirw Anferth. Which I reluctantly parted with to get us the supplies we desperately needed. I fear old Red which I named him will end up in the cook pots of the gnolls.

The gnolls have warned us of the nearby tribes of orcs. I did not know that there was so many orcs that lived in the Tir Gwastraff. I have been speaking with Tek Qurd and he has been teaching me how to tell the members of different tribes apart. He also has been teaching me how to speak the orcish language and there history and beliefs.

Thirteenth day Eight month Three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

We face a new threat, the orcs are now mounted on dire wolves. Tek Qurd has informed me that there is a tribe that is famous for breeding and taming these beasts. The Canavar Paketi or wolf tribe, they are known throughout the wasteland for riding their dire wolves and they have now joined our pursuers.

The howl of a dire wolf is now a regular occurrence. I now bare the scars of a dire wolves jaw. Whilst out scouting a group of wolves and their riders pounced. I killed a wolf with my sword but still it's jaws locked onto my shoulder. It took three elves to pry wide the jaw to release me from its grip.

The howls let us know we are still being pursued. We are heading towards a large range of mountains. Tek belives we might be able to find a path across the mountains and loose our pursuers.

Third day of the ninth month three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

This morning we lost Rhaglawiaid Jon Ap Cadfan. He was releaving himself when two orcs that had hidden themselves beneath the snow cover had attacked him. He managed to kill the orcs but not before one of them stabbed him in the neck.

He bled out before anyone was aware of his situation. He was still young and I was going to say inexperienced, but anyone that had survived this long on our journey has become a true veteran. I am going to miss Jon. He had a fiancee who he wanted to marry when

I got Tek to examine the bodies of the orcs that Jon killed and he confirmed that they were from a tribe we have not yet come across. I don't know whether they were part of the group that is are still pursuing us. I suppose it doesn't really matter they achieved their goal and killed another elf.

Tenth day of ninth month three thousand and eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

It had been a couple of uneventful days, until this afternoon a huge worm like beast with a mouth full of teeth burst out of the ground and devoured a horse and it's rider. Poor Abwydyn didn't even have a chance to scream. I remember that he had a sister back home she is a novice in daughters of glade, her name was Offeririad, she will never see her brother again.

We fired the arqubues and Un Tywyll cast spells which forced the creature back into the earth. Now everyone is uneasy. Watching for any movement in the ground in case the beast returns.

Twelveth day of ninth month three thousand eight hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

The noise that we made scaring off the worm that devoured poor Abwydyn attracted our pursuers. They caught up to us and we had a battle. We managed to force them to retreat but not before more good elves were killed.

Llaw Haearn had one of his hands decapitated. We managed to bandage him up and it looks like he will survive. I have made him show the rest of us survivors how to use the arqubues. They really have made the difference in our battles and I will need to make sure we make good use of the remaining six.

Though we are running out of gunpowder. We only have a few shots left. Than we will have rely on swords and lances. We have a few bows but are running out arrows. We had fetcher who could make arrows but he has been missing since the battle with dragon at the oasis.

Fourteenth day of the nineth month three hundred and ten rings of the Great White Tree.

It has been a few days since our last battle with orcs, a message came from them seeking to have a parley. It was the first time I have actually spoken to our opponents. The leader of the Orcs who has been pursuing us rode out to the site we had picked for the parley. However instead of riding a dire wolf like the rest of his war party he rode a bull.

Tek Qurd tells me this is an Aurochs. These animals are scared to his people and only those blessed by their gods can ride the animal into battle. The Warchief was also an impressive specimen of his race.

The Orc Warlord greeted us and looked me straight in the eyes. He spoke in his language, I did need Tek to translate some of what he said but apparently he believed we were worthy foes. Apparently his warriors had given me the title öldürmək çətin which means hard to kill.

He challenged me to a duel to end the conflict. I have accepted the challenge and now I am making my preparations before I go and meet the Orc Warlord in combat.

I want to tell my family how much I love them. I hope that this diary gets back to my family if I fall in battle. I look around at the elves that have survived. There are now only fourteen survivors. Un Tywyll, LLaw Haearn and of course Tek Qurd our orc no he would be preferred to be called Kisiler.

So now as I write this passage, I look out over the frozen expanse of the Tir Gwastraff, when first I ventured out into this land I thought of it as just a wasteland. Now I realise that it is teaming with life. The sun is setting casting a red glare off the frozen snow, for moment I forget where I am and what I will be doing in the morning. For an instance I just bast in it's magistic beauty.