Secret History of T'zai Byn

April 25, 2000, Krrx to all active T'zai Byn players: Tzai Byn News

News passes around, whether by word of mouth or by the Way, that the gith siege of the company's fort halfway between Allanak and Luir's Outpost appears to be over.

It was an unpleasant surprise to find a large gith force, at least several hundred in number, blocking the way out of the mekillot dune some weeks ago. Several assaults were to follow in the first few days of the siege, a couple of them almost succeeding, as gith managed to break through the gates and push their way in. Fortunately, the determined fighting of our troops held the enemy at bay.

The next few assaults were accompanied by volleys of arrows and flaming torches, as the gith attempted to subdue the defenders and then burn the gates and main defending wall down. It was rumored that the main force of the company was preparing to come to the rescue, but no such relief was to be had yet. Runner Khaunil and Runner Ozle both died at around this time, the former blocking the way while his comrades fought to clear the entrance passage of gith attackers, and the latter after a successful defense of the area before the gate turned to disaster--what should have been an orderly retreat saw Lieutenant Kroz, Sergeant Mazzel, and Runner Ozle driven into the mass of attackers, rather than back into the safety of the fort. Runner Ozle perished within sight of his comrades on the walls, while the two leaders managed to fight their way back inside, Lieutenant Kroz almost fatally wounded in the process.

As the days passed, the pile of corpses in the clearing inside the fort attracted scavengers. The vultures were relatively harmless, content to pick at the hunched-over bodies, but the tarantulas that came over the slippery slopes of the dune itself proved far less benign--Runner Amritis fell to one at an inopportune moment. In the series of assaults that followed, the gith managed to climb into the northern watchtower while it was unmanned, surprising the defenders. Only the grim determination not to lose saw these attackers driven out or slain.

Still more days passed, and the defenders began to starve as rations were depleted. A few resorted to cutting off rotting flesh from the gith corpses and filling their gnawing stomachs with it. This turned out to be an unwise move, as many fell ill, and Runner Gerund, weakened by the fatigue and stress of several hard fights and lack of sleep while keeping watch, succumbed to the combined effects of exhaustion and poisonous flesh.

When all had looked lost for a few days already, the gith suddenly began to move out. The bulk of the besieging force had disappeared over the dunes when the familiary black of Allanaki forces was sighted on the southwestern horizon. At the head of this rescuing force was Lady Templar Aquila of the Red. The Allanaki forces engaged the remaining gith a little west of the fort, and were soon aided by a small group of company defenders led by Lieutenant Kroz and Sergeant Iltrin. Within the hour, the gith were put to flight or the sword, and a small group returned to Allanak with Templar Aquila to obtain much-needed supplies, as well as a well-earned drink in the Gladiator and the Gaj.

Current status:

- those still in the fort are ordered to remain and continue to defend it; the gith, the Black Moon, or any number of foes may still be around, looking for the right moment to strike and take control of this strategic position.

- those outside the fort are ordered to obtain any supplies necessary and return to the outpost as soon as possible.

- if you wish to spar or perform other combat training, you should restrict it to either the morning or the afternoon of each day (game time). If you train in the morning, use the afternoon to help repair the damage done to the fort, and to clean up the inside. If you train in the afternoon, do maintenance work in the morning. Nights should be left for rest.

- while still based in the fort, you may leave the fort for a bit of fresh air (having forty rotting gith corpses inside a small space for a few weeks tends to make the area a bit nauseating), but you must stay within sight of the fort and the dune around it. (OOC: I leave it to your individual discretion how far you want to go when taking a walk, but I suggest no more than 4-5 moves from the fort. Please be realistic and don't travel far alone, as per company regulations. For your information, the Black Moon are known to operate in the area, so going far is unwise. If you travel to Allanak or Luir's Outpost, you will be considered to be in breach of orders unless led by one of the four leaders.)

- word is that the company's complex in Allanak has been undergoing refurbishment during the siege, and that the Warband (OOC: all Byn PCs) will be returning to it at the end of the current tour of duty (OOC: after the weekly downtime this coming Saturday).

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sanvean in particular for important maintenance work on this quest that was needed after a couple of crashes, as well as organizing a few other important things, and to Tlaloc for valuable assistance in keeping a few things happening around the inside of the fort during the siege.

Regards, Krrx.