CampaignDialogue:AOI

This is a transcription of all dialogue from An Orcish Incursion. It is meant as a resource for Wesnoth writers. If you don't want spoilers, leave this page now.

Scenario 1: Defend the Forest

Story Text

The arrival of humans and orcs caused turmoil among the nations of the Great Continent. Elves, previously in uneasy balance with dwarves and others, had for centuries fought nothing more than an occasional skirmish. They were to find themselves facing conflicts of a long-forgotten intensity.

Their first encounter with the newcomers went less well than either side might have wished.

But humans, though crude and brash, at least had in them a creative spark which elves could recognize as akin to their own nature. Orcs seemed completely alien.

For some years after Haldric's people landed, orcs remained scarce more than a rumor to trouble the green fastnesses of the elves. That remained so until the day that an elvish noble of ancient line, Erlornas by name, faced an enemy unlike any he had ever met before.

The orcs were first sighted from the north marches of the great forest of Wesmere.

Introductory Dialogue

Lomarfel: My lord! A party of aliens has made camp to the north and lays waste to the forest. Our scouts believe it's a band of orcs.

Erlornas: Orcs? It seems unlikely. The human king, Haldric, crushed them when they landed on these shores, and since then they've been no more than a bogey mothers use to scare the children.

Lomarfel: So it seemed, my lord. Yet there is a band of them in the north cutting down healthy trees by the dozen, and making great fires from the wood. They trample the greensward into mud and do not even bury their foul dung. I believe I can smell the stench even here.

Erlornas: So the grim tales of them prove true. They must not be allowed to continue; we must banish this blight from our forests. I shall marshal the wardens and drive them off. And the Council needs to hear of this; take the message and return with reinforcements, there might be more of them.

Lomarfel: Yes, my lord!

Erlornas Shows Contempt

Erlornas: Look at them. Big, slow, clumsy and hardly a bow in hand. Keep to the trees, use your arrows and the day will be ours.

Time Runs Out

Elf: It's hopeless; we've tried everything, and they're still coming back.

Urugha: Forward, you worthless worms! Look at them, they're tired and afraid! You killed their will to fight, now go and finish the job!

Erlornas: That cloud of dust on the horizon... flee! There's more of the abominations heading this way! Fall back before we're outnumbered and crushed.

Narrator: Lord Erlornas didn't drive the orcs back, although he and his warriors tried their absolute best. When another war band arrived, elvish resistance crumbled.

Of the ensuing events little is known, since much was lost in the chaos and confusion, but one thing is painfully sure. Elves lost the campaign.

Erlornas Dies

Erlornas: Ugh…

Urugha: Finally! Got him!

Elf: Lord!

Erlornas: Take...command... Drive them...away.

Narrator: Lord Erlornas died the day he first fought the orcs and never saw the end of the war. Given its final outcome, this was perhaps for the best.

Urugha Dies

Urugha: I've been bested, but the combat wasn't fair...a thousand curses on you, withered coward! May you suffer...and when my master, Rualsha, finds you may he wipe your people from the face of this earth!

Erlornas: Rualsha? Hmm... What if... Assemble a war-party, we need to scout north!

Scenario 2: Assassins

Story Text

The path of the orcish war band was easy to follow - a wide swathe of trampled ground through violated forest. Erlornas and his party swiftly followed it north and west.

Soon they arrived at a region where the forest was cut through by many streams, only to find something unexpected.

Introductory Dialogue

Adviser: The trail leads straight to this place, my lord.

Erlornas: There is a keep ahead of us. How comes it that we know nothing of it? I thought our borders were watched more carefully.

Adviser: I... I know not, my lord. For ages there was no one in these lands that could build such a thing save us. I fear we have fallen prey a false sense of security that has injured the vigilance of our scouts.

Erlornas: When the fighting ends, I'll have some answers. But for now...

Gharlsa: Gharlsa sees elves...yes...fresh meat for wolves. Yes, yes...

Erlornas: ...let's focus on the task at hand.

Advider: Does that demented creature truly believe he can kill us?

Erlornas: Appearances can be deceiving. Tell the men to be cautious.

Orcish Assassin Attack

Assassin: Yes...yes...slay them!

Gharlsa Dies

Erlornas: This...Rualsha again. We need to forge ahead; the answers we seek are not here. Perhaps we will find them further north.

Destroy this place and let the forest take the ruins. We don't want any more undesirables to use it.

Scenario 3: Wasteland

Story Text

As they fared further north the green forest thinned around them, slowly fading into a barren and fallow country. The signs were obvious and unmistakable - tree stumps, an occasional half-rotten tree felled long ago, and dead wood around them in scarce grass. This had been forest once, like the woods they called home. It had been murdered.

There was no trail to be found here; wind and rain had erased the spoor. Fortunately, there was no need of a trail; smoke on the horizon betrayed the presence of their enemies.

Erlornas was near-certain they would find orcs there. No clan of dwarves would break their ancient treaties with the elves in this way; humans were never so...methodical in their destruction, and did not travel in sufficiently large numbers in a north country they found too cold and damp for comfort. The great question remained - would he find Rualsha?

Perhaps, but not here. The tribe this camp housed was too small to impress fear on other orcs. Come next morning, the elves were prepared for battle.

Introductory Dialogue

Adviser: Lord... I'm... I am filled with grief. This senseless destruction is... overwhelming.

Erlornas: Yes. And this is the threat we were blind to but are now facing. This tribe is small, yet we must drive them back to the north. They must have no footholds south of the hills.

Gnargha: Elves!? This means Urugha failed and his spirit will suffer greatly for his weakness. So be it!

Rise up, grunts! We have a great fight upon us! Let your rage flow freely! Let your blades slay all! First one to draw blood will feast by my fire this night!

Erlornas: Aim true, men, with wit and courage the day will be ours. And spare no-one, there can be no orc south of the hills, else we'll never have peace again.

Gnargha Dies

Gnargha: You won... Elf... But it changes... Nothing... (*cough*)

We found the way... Now... We will come in numbers... (*cough*) You can't imagine...

(*cough*) I'll be waiting... Among the dead...

narrator: The orcish chieftain finally fell, overcome by his wounds. The elves found themselves in a half-ruined camp littered with the bodies of both sides, there was no hale orc in sight, nor did any of the wounded beg mercy. The elves took no prisoners.

Victory

Adviser: It's done, lord. No-one escaped. No-one tried to escape. I'm... disturbed.

Erlornas: Good. But their disregard for self-preservation is astounding. As is their ferocity when defending what they claim as their own. Have the scouts found others this side of the hills?

Adviser: No, lord. But trolls were spotted in the hills ahead. Do we really need to cross them to the north?

Erlornas: Yes. The council has spoken to me through a dream-sending. They are troubled. Reinforcements have been sent after us, but we need to press on. Tell the men to rest, we'll move out at dawn.

Enemy Has 100+ Gold

Adviser: What about the loot lord? We found supplies worth over a hundred gold in the camp.

Erlornas: Distribute some among the men, save the rest for the road. This country is a wasteland now; we won't find much forage on the march.

Enemy Has 50-100 Gold

Adviser: We found some supplies when searching the camp, but nothing much. What is to be done with them?

Erlornas: Save it for the march north. There is little to be found in this barren country.

Erlornas Dies

Narrator: Lord Erlornas never saw the blade that felled him. He died on the spot, with no a chance to issue last commands or farewells. Without him his wardens soon fell into confusion, and losing heart withdrew from the battle.

When reinforcements finally arrived, elves managed to dislodge the orcish tribe. But the threat from the north remained unresolved and loomed large over their future.

Time Runs Out

Adviser: We can't carry on Lord, the men are to tired. We have to fall back.

Erlornas: Damn it. Sound the retreat, we'll try again when reinforcements arrive.

Narrator: The expected relief caught up with them a few days later. The following morning they took the field against a far larger host of orcs. The battle ended in a draw; the war raged on for years...

Scenario 4: Valley of Trolls

Story Text

Next morning, the elves set off again, increasingly wearied by the hardships of the campaign and longing for the green comfort of their home forests. This land was barren and rugged; nothing shielded them from biting northern wind as they traveled towards the mountains looming before them.

At dusk they arrived at the mouth of a valley cutting almost straight through the range and made camp, as scouts warned that the area was hostile and the road ahead treacherous in darkness. There were no songs or music that night and most of the elves slept uneasily. An unlucky few kept a cautious watch.

When sunrise came, the elves moved into battle formations. Whatever waited in the slopes ahead, it would not find them unprepared.

Introductory Dialogue

Adviser: We are far from our lands, now, Erlornas, and we have driven the orcs from the forest. Why do we not return home?

Erlornas: You know well enough... Rualsha. That name sounds everywhere we go since the incursion began. That orc is much more than a mere marauding bandit in search of pillage. And he wants this land. Our land. He is planning an invasion, I'm sure of it. We must gather more information about his plans before we go back.

And tell me... How did you sleep last night?

Adviser: How did I?... Uneasy, lord. My dreams were bleak, some of them nightmares.

Erlornas: Yes. The earth currents are perturbed here, and the bridges to the dreamland are tainted. I think there is a mage dwelling somewhere nearby. Or perhaps more than one; the traces are mixed, and some of them have an unwholesome flavor.

Adviser: It would be dire indeed for us if these orcs have magic to add to their battle-might.

Erlornas: We must discover if this is so.

Adviser: Information will do us no good if we are killed before we return with it! These mountains look like troll territory.

Erlornas: Enough. The sun's fully over the horizon. Give the order to advance.

Victory Dialogue

Adviser: That was the last of the chieftains, lord. The lesser trolls seem to be retreating now.

Erlornas: It is well. Break camp and move everyone through the pass before they rally. We'll rest a bit on the other side; we have earned it.

Adviser: At once. How much time do you think we have?

Erlornas: A day, perhaps. We fought two clans today; they won't take long to rally. We need to be gone from here by sunset next.

Troll Leader Dies

Erlornas: We have slain a chieftain! Take heart! This battle is almost won!

Erlornas Dies

Troll: Ha! Me smashed da funny elf. Me got a trophy!

Adviser: No! This can't be!

Narrator: Soon after Erlornas died the elven party, lacking a leader and pressed from all sides, scattered and fled. Their retreat to Wesmere was arduous and long.

During their retreat, the pass was crossed by another army moving in the opposite direction. Orcs were back south of the pass, and this time they were to stay for a long, long time.

Time Runs Out

Adviser: We can't get through, my Lord. These whelps are not individually very dangerous, but there are huge numbers of them.

Erlornas: Four days of combat and nothing to show for it. How does it feel to you?

Adviser: Terrible, my lord. Never in my life did I dream I'd be bested by mere trolls. What are your orders?

Erlornas: Withdraw and make camp a safe distance from the hills. There is no further point in this fight. We'll wait for reinforcements.

Narrator: The reinforcements arrived a few days later, a crack force of rangers with some cavalry support. When they attempted the pass again, they found not trolls but something worse - an orcish army approaching from the north.

The battle that ensued was bloody and inconclusive, and the elven losses were only the beginning of the mournful toll in a war that would rage for many years after.

Scenario 5: Linaera the Quick

Story Text

After a day of hard-earned rest the elves marched north again. This was unknown country, not frequented even by Wesmere's furthermost-faring scouts.

Two days' travel later, the forward scouts reported another orcish warband laying siege to a tower.

Erlornas surveyed the siege from atop a small tree-covered hill overlooking the tower valley...

Introductory Dialogue

Erlornas: Report.

Adviser: A warband of orcs, no women or children among them, besieges a tower. It's of human design...but we are far from the lands granted to humans by treaty, my lord Erlornas.

Erlornas: Under the letter of the treaty, it is so. But this country is too cold and barren for us. I wonder, what manner of human would choose to live here, far from its kind? Hmmm...

Adviser: It trespasses, and should be driven out!

Erlornas: Hold. It is only one human, or a few of them at most. Time enough to speak of driving it out when we have no enemies in common.

Tell me: I see no bridge over the chasm around that keep. Is there any sign that one has been withdrawn by the defenders?

Adviser: No, lord. No traces of any construction. It looks like no bridge has ever existed there. There must be other, hidden means of access to the tower.

Erlornas: Interesting...Go to my personal stores and bring me a bottle of wine. And a couple of glasses.

Adviser: …glasses?

Erlornas: Do it. We'll have a guest soon.

Narrator: Erlornas closed his eyes and brought his hands forward, joined palms forming a cup open to the sky. Soon they began to glow, then to flare like a brazier with the fire of Faerie, casting a cold, blue light all around the elf-lord. A wisp of light emerged from the eerie flames, and at a few murmured words from the elf-lord flew away towards the tower below. Then the light around Erlornas faded and all was seemingly as before.

Some time later...

Erlornas: So you decided to accept the invitation. Good. Welcome, I am lord Erlornas of Wesmere. I find your presence here...surprising.

Linaera: Scarcely less than I find yours, my lord elf, but I would welcome your aid against these orcs. They have been besieging my tower for weeks.

Erlornas: I wish their foul kind driven as far as possible from my borders, not to return. It would be no bad thing if an ally of the elves kept watch over this country.

Linaera: Count me an ally, then, lord Erlornas. We can defeat them together.

Adviser: My lord... humans cannot be trusted! They shift their allegiances with the changing of the wind!

Erlornas: That may be, but I do not think this one will betray us to the orcs. And we may need her assistance, too: that is a powerful force of orcs ahead.

Victory Dialogue

Erlornas: And that is well ended. But, Linaera, there is somewhat else that concerns me. You are a mage; do you not feel something...wrong...to the east of here?

Linaera: I do indeed. Something evil has recently made a nest in the next valley over; its servants have been sniffing at the edges of my domain. I had meant to deal with it myself, but if you elves revere the green earth I think you will want it abolished as much as do I.

Erlornas: We are of one mind, then. Let us go to it.

Scenario 6: A Detour through the Swamp

Introductory Dialogue

Linaera: The evil spirits who have settled in this wetland have turned it into a vile bog. My apprentices and I have the power to dispel them, but you must protect us from their weapons.

Linaera Dies

Erlornas: All is lost! Without Linaera's help, I cannot hope to defeat these horrifying apparitions!

Victory Dialogue

Linaera: Thank you, Erlornas... now I can return to my tower in peace. But I think some of my apprentices wish to follow you north in pursuit of the orcs.

Mage: I have always wished to see elves, and now I have fought alongside them! May I please travel with you?

Erlornas: Certainly... I shall be glad of your help.

Scenario 7: Showdown

Introductory Dialogue

Lomarfel: My lord! We have ridden hard for over a week to catch up with you! The Ka'lian has deliberated, and asks you to defeat Rualsha quickly before he can muster a full invasion force.

Rualsha: Puny elves! My full army will be here soon, and then we will crush you. You will beg for a quick death!

Rualsha Dies

Rualsha: You may slay me, Erlornas, but my people live on. They will not forget! They will pursue you, and destroy you utterly... we will... we... arrgh...

Narrator: But Rualsha overestimated the will of his troops. With their leader dead, they scattered, and fled from the elves back to their fastnesses in the far north.

Erlornas: It grieves me to take life, even of a barbarian such as Rualsha.

Adviser: If the orcs press us, we shall need to become more accustomed to fighting.

Erlornas: I fear it will be so. We have won a first victory here, but dark times come upon its heels.

AOI: Specified Unit Names

Elves

• Erlornas (Elvish Lord)
• Lomarfel (Elvish Rider)
• Celodith (Elvish Ranger)
• Earanduil (Elvish Ranger)
• Elvyniel (Elvish Ranger)
• Delorfilith (Elvish Ranger)

Humans

• Linaera (Silver Mage)

Orcs

• Urugha (Orcish Warrior)
• Rualsha (Orcish Sovereign)
• Gharlsa (Orcish Slayer)
• Gnargha (Orcish Warlord)
• Krughnar (Orcish Warlord)

Trolls

• Gurk (Troll/Troll Warrior)
• Hrugu (Troll/Troll Warrior)

Undead

• Keremal (Lich)