Chapter 04: First Battle of Beleriand

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Cirdan had little time to prepare.  Two Sindar warriors from the north had warned him of two massive armies heading for his cities, but he had only a few days to prepare for defense.  His first order was to send his two fastest ships to carry news of the approaching menace.  One was to warn Brithombar while the other was to sail to Balar, requesting all available ships to make their way to the havens at all possible speed.    The rest of his ships would begin evacuating the cities of women and children.

Before the evacuation was complete, however, the orcs had cut-off Cirdan from King Thingol in Doriath.  Cirdan believed that Thingol would come to his aid in time.  But this hope was soon dashed when a ship from Balar had brought news of the Battle of Amon Ereb. 

A third orc army had attacked in the west of Beleriand, but had been defeated by the combined armies of Thingol and Denethor.  A small contingent of Naugrim had destroyed the remnant of that army as it retreated, but no elvish army would come to lift the siege.  Thingol was forced to retreat back into Doriath to defend against more orc incursions, and Denethor had been slain at Amon Ereb.  Cirdan grieved at the death of Denethor, but his heart was saddened more at the thought of losing his own people.  His only advantage was the fact that the Enemy's armies had not cut him off from the sea.

For months, as Feanor and the Noldor made their journey up the coast of Valinor, the orcs made frontal assaults against the walls of Eglarest and Brithombar, but they could not break them.  While his weary warriors kept the horde at bay, Cirdan continued to get women, children, and the severely wounded out of the cities.  They were to be taken to the Isle of Balar where they would be safe.  But Cirdan learned that the Enemy was attempting to shut down this route as well.

The same pair of scouts that had brought news of the orc armies had made themselves invaluable to Cirdan.  Now, the leader, a Sindar named Taurensil, had brought news of an orc tactic.  To the south of the city, the Enemy was attempting to blockade the harbor.  Overcoming their natural fear of water, either by will or by force, they had begun construction of a boom across the bay.  This boom was, in turn, protected by giant bolt throwers and catapults on either side of the bay.  Any ship trying to escape would get hung up on the log boom and smashed to pieces by the Enemy's artillery.  Something had to be done.

Called from defending the main entrance into the city, Taurensil and Celedan were tasked to break the boom.  Taurensil and Celedan were each to lead a small party of lightly armed infantry out of the city and attack the battery from the landward side.  With the orcs in the battery occupied, a ship would sail up to the boom and cut away the rope cables securing it in the bay. Seeing a chance to return to Nevrast, Taurensil asked Cirdan to order the ship to carry him home.  In exchange, he would bring back as many warriors as he could muster to bolster the cities defenses.  Cirdan agreed.  He needed help from any quarter that he could get it.

The raiders set out two days later.  The orcs had not expected such a desperate sortie and had not posted any sentries along the shores of the bay.  Slipping into the water along the quays and swimming to shore, the forlorn hope made their way unseen toward the enemy battery.  Taurensil positioned his men to attack the battery from two sides and waited, giving Celedan enough time to deploy as well.  Seeing the ship make its way out into the bay, and judging that Celedan was in position, Taurensil attacked.

With their attention focused on the approaching ship, the orc garrison was taken by complete surprise by Taurensil's attack.  They had been preparing to engage the ship with their bolt throwers.  These fired grappling hooks attached to long cables that were wrapped around a huge capstan.  This capstan was turned by two huge trolls, reeling in the ship closer to the shoreline, within range of the catapults.  If a ship were grappled from both sides, these trolls could rip a ship in half.

Taurensil's attack was quick and bloody.  Nearly half of the orcs were cut down in the first volley of bow fire.  Confusion swept through the orc ranks as they turned to engage their tormentors, only to be shot down by archers aboard the ship.  Taurensil could see a group of sailors jumping from the bow of their ship onto the boom to begin cutting the cables.  But his attention was soon shifted to the oncoming troll.
Taurensil braced himself for the beast's attack.  If a troll hit its target, it would almost surely kill it instantly.  Fortunately, trolls were slow and predictable in their wild attacks.  He only had to time his counter attack properly.

The beast let out a horrifying scream as it raised its weapon for the crushing blow.  Its attack was hampered by a flight of arrows slamming into its body, provoking a painful howl.  Before the troll could fully recover from the pain inflicted by the deadly darts, Taurensil charged, driving his blade into the trolls groin and cutting up into its belly.  Disemboweled, the huge creature whimpered and fell dead to the ground.
Taurensil quickly spun around as he heard the whistling snap of an arrow by his ear.  He was ready to meet the attack of an orc charging from behind when he saw the sharp point of an arrow protruding from its throat.  As the orc fell, Taurensil saw a young elf maiden standing along the waist of the ship, readying another arrow in her short bow.

The second troll soon fell to the elvish blades of Taurensil and two other warriors.  He could now see the young maiden on the boom, cutting the cables with her short swords.  The fight now was only a matter of finishing off any orc survivors, and in less than ten minutes, the two batteries were destroyed.

Not wanting to get caught by a counter attack, Taurensil and his raiders made their way as quickly as possible westward toward the sea.  Once safely away from the main orc siege lines, he met a launch that took him to the waiting ship, and home.  But the battle was not without loss.  Taurensil had lost four of his own raiders in the fight, and the other party had lost six, including his friend Celedan.

Saddened by the loss of his loyal friend, Taurensil made his way to the stern of the ship for a long needed rest.  As he sat grieving, he was offered a cup of cool water.  He looked up to see the face of the maiden archer that has saved him from an attacking orc.  The same maiden that had jumped down and fearlessly cut the last remaining cables as orc arrows slammed into the ship's hull behind her.  He thought that she must surely be blessed to survive such a hail of darts unscathed.
She smiled at Taurensil and introduced herself.

"Shaelina."