At Least the Werewolves Were Kinda Cuddly…

The barbarians, or “War Boys” as they called themselves, were just as bad as the scouts had warned us.  Unprovoked, they attacked our people as they went about their business of collecting resources and treasures.  Their overlord, “Imorten LeafSkull” was a harsh task master, driving his people with an iron fist, and yet they followed him without question.  Imorten left nothing to wonder as he stated his intentions up front when he addressed Falton following the seasonal dance.  Fortunately, our strong and wise king stood up to him and let him know we would NOT be accepting his offer of becoming LeafSkull’s slaves.

The War Boys were unique in that they had less stamina than the typical rugged Faltonian, but this was offset by their passion for Valhalla, or the magic in the container that they sprayed on their mouths.  When with their last dying energy, they sprayed themselves, they received a resurgence and a blind mad unstoppable rage that lasted a brief time, after which they would collapse.  This behavior initially took everyone off guard.

Seeing the dire nature of the presence of the invaders, our people made a preemptive strike on the War Boy’s camp and took their flag.  This “slap in the face” outraged the War Boys, who took their vengeance to a new level.

Skirmishes continued throughout the day.  Though the War Boys were significantly outnumbered, they still posed such a threat that Falton decided it worthwhile to recruit reinforcements from Woodren, a wealthy landowner in a neighboring village.  The King and Empress led an expedition to take a gift to Woodren and ask for assistance.  While this cost many lives (and much injury) on both sides, there was in the end, an agreement struck with Woodren, who returned with her hired hands to support Falton in this time of need.  The War Boys did not seem distraught, for they were comfortable with being outnumbered.  In fact, in a way, they portrayed that they were the victors of the whole mission because along the way they were able to regain their flag.

It was hopeful that as all gathered for a festival, we would find common ground in the fun of games such an Archery Contest, melee battles using the Eggs of Invincibility, and finally a round of Falton vs. War Boys chess.  While much fun was had, it really served no higher purpose than entertainment.  Following the decisive victory of the War Boys at the game of Chess, the King of Falton boldly accused Imorten LeafSkull of cheating.  Of course, this offence was not taken lightly, and the “gloves were off” so to speak.  Those gathered stood back as an epic one-on-one battle between two titans took place before their very eyes.  Not one to miss a beat, the War Boy they called “Throat-Scratch” used the distraction of the fight to his advantage when he called for the War Boys to attack the Faltonians.  It looked like blood would run deep in the field until fortunately, a kinder, gentler presence brought a peace of mind to the setting.  When the gentle giant, the four legged, nine foot tall Spirit Walker entered the field, an aurora of peace swept over the people and to a man/woman, they put down their weapons and returned to Falton.

The initial estimation of the situation is that the War Boys will be moving on from Falton to lands where the people are less determined to maintain their independence and their land.  Though, now that they know we are here, many may never casually walk the fields as once they did.