Liberty story

From The Battle for Wesnoth Wiki

The border province of Annuvin was too remote and unimportant for King Garard II to defend. The inhabitants had to defend themselves from the rampaging orcs and saurians. They adapted well to this forced autonomy and were a hardy and self-sufficient people.

After Asheviere betrayed Garard and seized power, she sent Wesnoth's armies throughout the provinces to intimidate the local rulers and demand allegiance. These demands were unpalatable to the inhabitants of Annuvin, to say the least.

The Raid

Baldras and Harper fight and defeat a group of goblin marauders threatening the town of Dallben (with no help from the Crown's forces).

Civil Disobedience

A Wesnoth army captain, Tarwen, comes to take Baldras, as Dallben's magistrate, to Elensefar to swear fealty to Asheviere. A battle breaks out between the citizens of Dallben and Tarwen's men. Afterwards Baldras and Harper decide to warn their allies in the town of Delwyn.

A Strategy of Hope

Baldras and Harper tell Relana, the magistrate of Delwyn, about the attack on Dallben. Fearing a harsh reprisal when word reaches the queen, they decide to consult Lord Maddock of Elensefar. They can't do that without some kind of evidence that there is something darker afoot than mere corruption and incompentence.

Their council is interrupted by a band of orcs and their saurian mercenaries. After defeating the orcs, Baldras notices the fallen enemies carried Wesnoth army weapons and newly minted Kingdom coins. Could Asheviere be sending orcs against her own people? Relana stays behind to defend Annuvin while Baldras and Harper go to see Lord Maddock with a greatly increased urgency.

Unlawful Orders

Lord Maddock tells Baldras that village elders are forced to swear loyalty to the queen under pain of death. Maddock views Asheviere as a vile traitor and will not swear loyalty. His large army keeps the queen's loyalists at bay while his desire not to start a civil war preserves his half of the impasse.

That impasse is broken when the queen's general, Kestrel, discovers that Lord Maddock is sheltering Baldras and his band of "outlaws." When night falls on the battlefield a hideous change comes over Kestrel's men: the flesh runs from their bones and the defenders of Elensefar must battle skeletons and dark sorcerors. When Kestrel is finally defeated he reveals that the terrible curse fell upon his men for their role in betraying King Garard.

Lord Maddock cannot spare any troops to assist Baldras and Harper, so he sends them southeast to Carcyn to meet someone who might be able to help.

Hide and Seek

Baldras and Harper arrive at Carcyn under the cover of night. A young thief named Link tells them they must get through the city unseen and find his brother Hans. Hans will guide them through the Grey Woods to his master, who will be able to help them.

The Grey Woods

The allies Lord Maddock sent Baldras to turn out to be... dark sorcerers. Not necromancers, they say, but definitely outcasts from the crown's magic ministry and definitely acquainted with the darker side of magic. Baldras agrees to help Helicrom and his students to defeat some newly arrived liches in return for Helicrom's assistance in defending Annuvin against the Wesnoth army. With the undead have been cleared out of the forest, Helicrom promises to help Baldras in his struggle.

The Hunters

As Baldras and company leave the forest they pass many small villages where Asheviere's brutal hand has been felt. Their numbers swell with disaffected citizens. Baldras grows despondent as he realizes that he is potentially up against all the armies of Wesnoth. A rider from Elensefar approaches the party with news that Relana has won a small skirmish defending Annuvin. This is has provoked the queen's wrath and a large column of troops moves to exact revenge. Baldras decides the only course of action is to harass, delay and ambush the queen's army as they travel.

One of these ambushes escalates into a pitched battle against the marching troops and a nearby outpost. After defeating them both Baldras decides that the next step is to sack Halstead before the queen's army builds up an invincible strength.

Glory

The Stronghold of Halstead is the most formidable fortress ever conceived. The fortress was raised from the earth by the magic of hundreds of magi over the course of a dozen years. Its sheer walls rise hundreds of feet above the surrounding plains. This is what Baldras has to destroy in order to make his land safe from Asheviere's purges.

Baldras' allies joined in the assault. Both Helicrom's outcast magicians and Lord Maddock's troops combined to allow Baldras' outlaws access to the catacombs. After undermining the four towers of the fortress, the Stronghold began to shake. When it collapsed, Baldras and his group fled into the countryside. The forces of Elensefar routed the remaining defenders and then used Baldras' guerrilla tactics to weaken and terrorize Asheviere's main army as it marched to the ruins of Halstead.

When Baldras and Harper finally returned home they found Dallben and Delwyn gutted and burned. They also found a note from Relana: "Baldras, You would have been proud. We gave 'em hell. But in the end, it wasn't enough. If you wish to find us, head southwest. When you reach the land's end, just keep going. See you in the Three Sisters, old friend. - Relana"

This page was last edited on 1 April 2018, at 02:19.