Finally the rain has started to let up. We rode to Manyoak to warn them of the dangers of a small orc army nearby. As we approached a trail crossing I recognized a merchant wagon, that very same wagon that belongs to those Z brother bastards, and something is very awry, a heavily blood stained cloak is flapping loose out of the door. Time to settle a score, I quickly spurred my horse on and asked Slyl for his mace, I needed something big, heavy and solid. Something that wouldn't have just snapped in the wagon wheels. Why do they always give me the looks and call me impetous, sometimes you just don't have time to explain. The mace held, and that wagon keeled to one side, toppling sideways. The driver and I caught eye, and I'm certain he recognized me. That sonofskiz looked like he was gonna run, but not while I had the advantage of horse. We cleaned up the problem quickly, but something else odd. A cask of blood, well more than blood, a magical blood seems very important in these strange days. One of the merchants spoke in gleeful detail about the horrors he and his cohorts inflicted, I just could not stand to hear anymore, I realized my actions were rash about three seconds after I felt my arm react and heard his breath get wheezy, his last words were about the cask needing to reach Kurth. Unless that unholy ooze of blood can crawl back into the cask I don't see this container is getting there. As we approached Manyoak there was a bridge, something didn't feel right about it, but I didn't see anything until the arrow caught Slyl. The thoughts "Damn, why are you lagging behind Animosus? Get your Tyr's favored arse up here.", were about the last cohesive thoughts I remembered until I was dangling from a chain that was part of a trap on the bridge. My mount did not fair well, but at least his death was quick and painless. We approached the edge of Manyoak cautiously, if the three men that were captured and beaten had embelished their story we were not about to take chances. We found more survivors and they had confirmed what were recently told. Animosus and I went to check our flanks and and I was nearly stunned, a group of orcs marching in formation! We were outnumbered but had the element of surprise, not exactly conditions of an honorable fight, but the fighting seems to be getting less and less honorable lately. I turned to Corim and said " If there's a time for one of those dark stones, now is it." He nailed it right in the middle of them, great throw. Animosus seemed irritated about this, again, but he never gives us any his supposed military advice until after the chaos starts. A rider burst around a corner and was bearing down right into the darkness just after Corim went into it. I tried to get a shot on leg of the riders mount but the rider passed through the darkness, turned and was motioning a challenge to Animosus. I was closing distance and calling out to Animosus if I should interfere, he never responsed so the leg of the rider was my first target. The orcs started to find their way out of the darkness and they fell one by one, all expect one, and he was making a run for it. At first glance I thought I saw one of the residents of Manyoak dash past me, but it was an unfamilar face, and I have never seen a man run that fast in my life. He positioned himself between the orc and Alyona and then later chased down that last remaning orc. The orc was collared and bound and ready for questioning. I saw the contempt of a man who I would swear had no likeness of a holyman when Animosus questioned the orc, I think his actions caught himself off guard because Animosus was very quiet afterwards. When all the blades and arrows were still, we cautiously greeted the two men that sided our way during the fight. Pavel, the very fast runner, and another heavily armored one called Averiy. They too wish travel to Kurth to issue warnings.