After the League of Nil-ith Horn troops drove off the ambushing humans, Gazzi-Ura treated Eskander with a hemus healing potion and the soldiers removed the road obstructions. They continued north, Gazzi-Ura and his orcs scouting.

Gazzi-Ura picked up tracks of a group of wild men following them. Eskander and his officers gave chase and engaged a few of them. These humans were clad in wolf skins and moved like panthers through the trees. The League soldiers killed one, but the rest vanished into the woods.

Near dark Eskander had his men and orcs set up camp with heavy guard. There passed a tense few hours until wolf howls were heard and the wild men burst from the darkness. Several ulfhednar went for the command tent. Eskander quickly responded and slew his attackers.

Gazzi-Ura charged at the shaman on the hill, but was kept from his target by 2 axe-wielding savages. Eskander ordered his officers on horseback and rode to aid Gazzi-Ura.

By the time Eskander reached the hill, Gazzi-Ura was lying wounded and the shaman had fled.

The League of Nil-ith Horn soldiers slew several of the wild men while the rest howled and escaped into the forest.

It was Eskander’s turn to give Gazzi-Ura the healing hemus. They secured their camp and prepared to continue their trek to the wooden outpost of Rostok hold.

The League of Nil-ith Horn outpost of Rostok Hold has produced much wealth for a few powerful families in the Grunevaldian third. Boyar Thonkrik and his devoted League soldiers had provided a steady stream of slaves and silver. Recently, the Targ leader Bothvar Helgesson has orchestrated many attacks on League of Nil-ith Horn caravans on the road between Rostok and the fortress of Kisevald and made the route impassable. Rather than support Boyar Thonkrik to the north at Rostok, the League of Nil-ith Horn orcs stationed in Kisevald went raiding the tumultuous North Gautrian kingdom west across the lake.

Boyar Gert Theovald had been conquering the lands on the southeast side of the lake and needed the silver and slaves from his ally Boyar Thonkrik at Rostok Hold. Theovald arranged a commission in the League of Nil-ith Horn army for his bastard son, Eskander Toshe, and ordered him to open the road from Kisevald and deliver men and supplies to Rostok.

Eskander arrived at Kisevald with a unit of Gautrian Guardsmen, a unit of orc smerdi, and four laden wagons.

The orc commander Graf Gorik was meting out punishment to a unit of orcs who had been routed from their camp at the mouth of Kisilev Lake three nights past. Graf Gorik himself whipped and beheaded the unit’s leader, then took one out of every ten soldiers and executed them in the same manner. Once the grisly affair was over, Graf Gorik promoted the elite infantry soldier Gazzi-Ura to head the decimated unit.

Graf Gorik was irate when Eskander delivered orders instructing the Graf to assign a unit of orcs to escort Eskander to Rostok Hold. Grudgingly, Graf Gorik gave him Gazzi-Ura’s reduced unit, and the next morning Eskander and Gazzi-Ura led their troops and goods up the road to Rostok Hold.

The road was filled with certain danger from humans and savage orcs, and potential danger from any orc tribe that might not honor their alliance with the League of Nil-ith Horn. The first attack came soon after Eskander and Gazzi-Ura left the protective reach of Kisevald. Their caravan was stopped by large boulders in the road.

As they moved the rocks, a band of Upplanders burst from the trees with volleys of arrows and javelins. Men set upon the caravan from both sides. The Upplanders inflicted what damage they could against the heavy League armor.

An enormous man sprang out of the woods to chop at Eskander.

They fought bitterly, until Eskander fell from his horse. Gazzi-Ura charged at the huge man, wounding him severely. The wild men broke away and faded into the forest.