Chaos: Genesis

King Cambyses stands before his generals and advisors of Anshan, addressing the matters of the kingdom's next move in expanding their territory.

His advisor shares, "The dwarven weapons apprehended by Cyrus and Basir have been added to our arsenal. After proper examination, we have determined that 5 out of the 23 were higher class items, 10 of them were impostures and the remaining weapons were prototypes."

Parsa steps forward, "Who will be chosen to handle such weapons?"

The King responds, "They will be kept in safekeeping for emergencies, and when the time comes, they will be handed out to our generals and top soldiers to use."

"Apologies my King but why aren't we going to use them for our next assault?"

"Carrying around dwarven weapons would attract too much attention, they are extremely valuable assets."

The advisor continues, "With the Orcs and Reptilians creating an alliance, we can no longer wait until we are attacked by both sides, as the King suggests we must pursue an assault immediately before they can gather their forces and outnumber us."

Cyrus steps forward, "The best course of action would be to split up our forces and attack both camps around the same time, one to handle the Orcs and another to handle the Reptilians. If we pursue the Reptilians during the night, the desert cold will slow them down and on the following day, the Orcs will have their turn. They have roughly five camps each near our territories, so we will start with the ones closest to us and continue outward."

The King responds, "Cyrus, you will lead the midnight assault on the reptilians, Basir and Parsa will attack the Orcs the following morning, and Ashkan will stay back and watch for any advances toward the kingdom."

The generals and advisor all agree and leave.

"Spero, stay for a minute."

Spero turns around and stops, Cyrus looks back towards the door as it closes.

"The Elves of Old Elam are starting to create alliances with the surrounding races, it won't be long until the Dwarves in the south get wind of this. I have a separate mission for you. I need you to head towards the ruins of Susa and gather any information you can on the Elves. Do not kill any of their leaders, I still have a use for them in the future."

Spero accepts his mission and leaves.

Days drift by, and Cyrus and his men are stealthily inspecting the Reptilian camp.

Darius strides up to Cyrus, "The perimeter is secure."

Cyrus motions his men to prepare. They drop to their bellies and silently slide across the sand. Their delicate footsteps whisper in the night as they advance on the camp. Two soldiers slink behind the unsuspecting guards and swiftly slice their throats. The mage strides through the night to their herd of cattle, weaving a spell of drowsiness to keep them sleeping soundly. Cyrus and Darius plunge their blades deep into the bodies of the slumbering Reptilians, while the other soldiers follow suit. The surprise attack is a success, and they scour through the supplies, collecting whatever is valuable to them.

Basir and Parsa stand at the edge of the Orc camp, surveying their surroundings as the sun's warm rays slowly crest over the horizon. The archers draw their bows in anticipation, eagerly awaiting orders as the two generals exchange hushed words.

"We need to make sure your archers are to the east, Orcs need time for their eyes to adjust to the morning sun," Parsa explains as Basir motions for his archers to advance to their place.

Parsa marshals his forces and descends the cliff to start their attack. Meanwhile, Basir strides westward with a swarm of men to attend to the hyenas. As the orcs wake, arrows fill the sky like rain. Basir and his soldiers set fire to the hyenas, sending them scattering through the camp in a wild panic. Parsa and his team rush in wielding their spears and shields, herding all of the orcs to the center of the camp. A mage utters an incantation, and a deep trench appears beneath the orcs. As they clamber to their feet, arrows rain down upon them. Basir calls to another mage who casts a fire spell, engulfing them in flames as Parsa and his men thrust their spears into the burning mass. After looting the camp, they march onward with the spoils of victory in tow.