by Icy of the Guard
"Havoc!" they cried and the Dogs of War were let loose on day 23 of month May in the beautiful land of West Virginia. The weather was comfortable, the fighting grueling, the characters fresh, the campfires bright, the garb excellent, and everyone felt the fires of Battle burning in their hearts.
42 fighters started out the day by splitting into five teams for reasons of their own. The Monks of the Abby of St. Hitstoohard became a bit sour when peasants showed up at their doorstep to build a City. Matters only got worse (and more crowded), when Pilgrims heard of the Abby and it relics and decided to pay their respects. Little did they know they'd be assaulted and robbed by the Highwayman as soon as take their first step in the lands surrounding the Abby. But nothing prepared all those folks for the band of raiding Barbarians, who burned the Abby, took the holy relics, scattered them across the lands, and created a great havoc!
Sounds of battle filled the enchanted woods, and the warring groups were assaulted not just by each other, but by various Fey and Monsters. There were rumors of Fairies, Dragons, and even a Pink Bunny (people are still debating whether it was there or not).
Alliances were formed and broken (bad Barbarians!), warriors killed and turned into lizards, relics were obtained and splattered with blood of the dying and wounded, and, in the end, everyone was betrayed by the Greenskins who left their respective teams and hid all the relics. It is still unknown what happened to the Sacred Toe of St. Kyrax, as the box carrying it was last seen being traded for information (and yes, it was empty).
At the end of the day, awards were given to the best of the best: Grikk for being Best Dressed, Morgrim for the Best Death, Alric the Bear for staying in character even after "they stabbed off all his limbs and left him alone for twenty minutes", Durden for Best Non-Combatant achievement (running out of his shoes), Alric of Drentha for the Best Spoken Line ('We live in an ISOLATED monastery for a reason! And then these Pilgrims come, asking to see all of our relics, and DISTURBING our QUIETUDE!' All shouted in frustration while trashing the Pilgrims' base, overturning their walls, and leaving a cross standing in the middle to send the message: We Monks were here), and Nym for the Best all-around person, who made the day that much more special.
It was a great day of fighting and an even better one of characterization and old-style valor. If you were there, ten years from now, you'll be saying "I've been to Dogs I!" If you missed it, don't worry - there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the Dogs will be let loose again.
