The huge monster stepped out of the hole and loomed over the battlefield.

Before anyone could act, Alwyn was spurring his mount toward the creature, a lance in his hand. The Gophorian Behemoth didn't notice him as it yawned and tried to come fully awake. The Fae Lord drove his lance into the tender spot between two toes, the enchanted spear going in at least six feet before breaking and causing the creature to yowl in pain. It bellowed loudly as it took a limping step and found it had been wounded. The bellow was loud enough to be heard in Sedgewick, five miles away, and caused abject terror in all the Tier one farmers. They turned and fled for their homes. Mudhead panicked, and Ben found himself unable to control the horse as it ran. Any remaining gophers did likewise, burrowing to avoid death. Marcus found his horse bucking and rearing. The Baron and Baroness had none of these problems. Their coal-black steeds not reacting at all. The cohort stood its ground, Decurions promising much worse than death to anyone looking to the rear.

Alwyn's elven steed wasn't phased by the yelling but didn't like being so close to the angry creature. The giant club swung down, and Alwyn pivoted his horse to avoid the weapon. He focused on the club, waiting for the backswing, only to be kicked hard by the Behemoth. Horse and Fae Lord went flying through the air. His mount was beyond saving. He would miss it. Mourning his lost pet would teach the young Fae a lesson he was overdue in learning. Alwyn himself was only saved by impacting the branches of the Fae Maple. Being one of his subjects, it did what it could to soften the blow. Alwyn still broke most of his bones and was bleeding from many wounds as he slid down the tree trunk. His hound found him and stopped the bleeding enough that he lived to joust another day.

Captain Woodrat thought better of getting anywhere near the creature. That club would heavily damage his ship. He brought Splinter around, keeping high and beyond the creature's reach. At his command, half of the ship's twelve ballistae fired, followed by a quick turn to bring the other half of the weapons to bear. Each time the ship moved past the Behemoth, she unleashed half a dozen ballistae into it. It was nearly impossible to miss but very difficult to keep the ship moving in tight circles and not give the monster a chance to hit the ship.

The workers had a harder time, being further away. But as they put more and more shots into the creature, it turned toward them. Unlike the ship, it could reach them. Billy directed the workers to drive off in the wagons, splitting up and firing when possible. This worked for the spear throwers, but the catapults needed to be braced. The four machines carried a much bigger punch than their smaller cousins. Jorges put two stone balls into the Behemoth's belly, wounding it. The heavy stone shots made bleeding wounds as they penetrated its skin and pulped internal organs. They got one more round of firing, and all four hit at close range. The next moment the huge club swept across the wagons, killing the entire crew except for Jorges. His higher levels let him survive, but he was wounded and unconscious. The giant gopher bent down, picked him up, and swallowed the fortress builder.

The assembled players began casting spells and shooting arrows. Fighters and clerics moved forward to engage the creature in melee with disastrous results. The Behemoth started to stomp on them, bouncing from one foot to another. Each stomp killed two to three players. The mages learned a lesson in spreading out when two long strides and a kick sent three spellcasters flying with broken bones. Marcus decided against ordering his men to charge. He'd seen the folly of that. "On my mark, throw your pilum, then fast retreat. Drop your shields and pull slings. Spread out and fight as guerrillas. Aim for eyes or weak spots."

Ben finally got control of Mudhead. He and Suzette headed back to the battle. "I can only hit that thing twice with my big spell, but it should set it on fire nicely. After that, I'll be out of mana, but I will try to keep its attention. If you can blind it, we can give the war machines time to keep wounding it."

Suzette looked at the creature and where it cast a shadow. "I'll try. The damn thing is tall, which cuts down my range. But I can make this work if I keep in its shadow."

Ozzy had seen what happened to Alwyn and hadn't liked his chances in a head-on assault. Instead, he maneuvered behind the creature, sent a shark to start chewing on it, and cast his curse to increase damage by ten points per hit. Billy was suddenly near him, his horse moving silently with muffled steps. "You call that a curse? I'll have to start giving you lessons.

"Begone from my lands!" A black mist poured from Billy's mouth, forming a cloud around the creature that Ozzy could make out.

"What the hell does that do?"

Layla rode up and did something similar. "Feel the Scorn of Gadobhra!"

"We've been working on our curses. Together, those two curses add 200 points of damage. The creature must be invading our lands, and the blows struck by one of our subjects."

"Nice, but we should back off. Ben's winding up, and we can't know where ugly will start stomping once he's on fire."

Ben pulled Holy Fire from the sky, and the creature roared as the flames burned it. The second strike set the wood and branches of its armor on fire. The beast roared angrily, chasing him. Ben ran, jumping and dodging as the Behemoth tried to kill him. Suzette followed, staying in its shadow and casting spells from her staff. Four times she hit it, burning her holes into its face, but she was unable to blind it. The thing turned on her, but Ben began jumping and screaming to get its attention. He succeeded and drew it away from Suzette. As it attacked him with the club, he started to do a rolling dodge but instead stepped in a gopher hole and tripped. The irony caused him as much pain as the club when it smashed him to a pulp, killing him instantly.

Suzette sent two lances into its face, burning mana she couldn't spare. She was rewarded by blinding it. Ozzy watched in horror as she collapsed from lack of mana. By chance, a giant foot stepped on her. Instead of a smear on the underside of its foot, she disappeared. He found her in the shadow of a wrecked wagon. "Stay there. You're done for now. Regain your mana if you can." She nodded and reached for potions.

Splinter swept by and put a broadside of shots into the giant. Ozzy saw its health steadily decreasing, but they were running out of people. He looked around for Rolly and didn't see him until Squirmie flew at the Behemoth, Rolly hanging on with her talons on his arm. Squirmie was moving fast, trying to get to the temporarily blinded creature and make it permanent. Squirmie threw Rolly at its face, and he landed beneath one eye, nails sinking into its thick hide. Ozzy saw what he was going to do and bought him time. He threw his chain around the behemoth's arm and braced, using Push Onward. Rolly slashed across the eye twice, blinding it. Squirmie took the direct route, flying straight at the other eye and cutting so deep she disappeared into it.

The creature reacted as Ozzy expected, trying to slap at its face, but was restrained for a few precious seconds. Then Ozzy found himself flying through the air as the Behemoth's arm flew to its face, and he flew past in an arc before swinging around to land on the back of its shoulder. Holding on to the matted fur, he crossed to the other shoulder and then dived from its back to its front. The chain wrapped around its neck, and he had leverage to resist being pulled back as it tried to move its hand. The chain went slack as the creature reached behind it, feeling for him. He leaped past its wrist and onto its back again, the chain now all the way around the thick neck. He moved until the chain was tight and began to pull. The creature's left arm was trapped now, and when it hurt, it only tightened the noose around its neck.

The pain in its eyes was horrible. Rolly and Squirmie burrowed in further and further. The creature could only reach them by dropping its club and clawing at its own face. While the creature had a huge skull, its brain was tiny. Rolly hit something vital, and the creature quit moving for a moment. Billy and Layla were slashing now at a hamstring with blood-red swords. Ozzy tightened the chain further, and it cut into the creature's skin, cutting off its air. In desperation, the creature poked a clawed finger into its own eye, killing Rolly. But when it stabbed at Squirmie, it only pushed her further in, her wings severing something vital. Squirmy died, but the Behemoth quit moving.

Ozzy continued to cut off its breathing, then gave up, took his axes, and began to chop into its neck, cutting huge chunks of flesh from the creature until he cut through the jugular vein. Blood poured down its chest. It quit breathing. A minute later, it fell over on its face and died. Billy and Layla posed on top of it to the cheers of anyone left alive. Ozzy spent five minutes digging himself out of the corpse. Butterbelly saw his hand as he squirmed free, lifting enough of the carcass off of him to crawl out.

The Butcher sat down and was handed a mug by Woodrat.

Suzette joined them. "Ozzy dear? Can we leave the damned hammer in the bag from now on?" The Butcher thought that might be a good idea.

The Great Northern Gopher War is over. ( Or, as the GRA called it, The War of Human Aggression.)

The GRA agrees to leave the lands of Baron William of Gadobhra. The Hamlets of Unicorn Vale receive increased crop yields due to a lack of rodent pilferage. The body of the Gophorian Behemoth will decay into excellent (if pungent) fertilizer in one day.

Residents of East Farthing have gained 10 CSP, 500 points in Adze, and 500 points in STR. The hamlet has gained a bonus building: a Gristmill, a wagonload of cooking gear, and 80 tons of pungent fertilizer.

All participants in the first Tier receive 5 CSP for their brave stand of three seconds before wisely running away from the battle. Smart peasants.

(Foolish first Tier heroes who stayed to fight receive 10 CSP.)

All participants in the Second Tier that took part in the fight with the Gophorian Behemoth receive 15 CSP and 3000 points that may be applied to any skill they used in the battle.

Alwyn, the Summer Lord, has gained +1 WIS and 3000 experience in jousting plus 15 CSP.

Captain Woodrat receives 15 CSP and has gained the skill: Sailing close to the fight!

Squirmie, Rolly, Suzette, William, Layla, Benjamin, and Jorges will receive 25 CSP for their contribution to the battle, along with 3000 points that may be applied to any skill they used in the war.

As the General who both started and ended the war, Ozzy earns himself the Title: Gopherbane (+200 damage to any Gopher or Gopher Ally), 40 CSP, and 5000 points that may be applied to any skill used in the battle.

In the remains of Fort Bucktooth is a large chest that held the mercenary companies' loot and pays. Each person will gain a share of money or loot.

Extending a Helping Hand: Quest Complete!

You've offered to house and feed 500 refugees driven from their homes in the south. Commendable, but it's easy to say and harder to do it! Requirements:

-Led 500 refugee peasant farmers to the Promised Land. (Or at least the land you are promising them.)

-House 500 refugee peasant farmers.

-Clear 500 acres of farmland.

-Construct five small hamlets with a well, town square, 10+ houses, community storehouse, and roads connecting them to Sedgewick.

Sedgewick and Gadobhra each gain 2000 Building points.

Duke Carl will see a report and look favorably at Baron William's actions.

Merchants are many times more likely to attend fairs and harvest festivals in the Barony when news of the increased population spreads.