Planting 21-26 – SCENE 01 – The host travels along the North-South road until it can go no further, and turns east into the Broken Lands, a vast, hardpan wasteland of gray soil, an arid region still recovering from the magical devastation that led to the Fall.

The travel is slow but undisturbed; the Regent explains that there are few gnoll forces large enough to attack the host roaming this far south.

After two days’ travel, the host starts to see signs of change in the landscape with small shrubbery and stunted trees dotting the flat plain as the land starts to rise towards the distant hills along the eastern shore.

By the end of the third day traveling east, the host comes across the furthest outposts of the hill dwarves’ kingdom, now in smoking ruin, the stones of their fortifications and walls used to fuel the siege engines of the hill giants or serve as personal ammunition, the secret tunnels beneath them leading to their underground city long since stopped up to prevent passage.

SCENE 02 – The Broken Lands end abruptly, the land continuing to climb as the host travels eastward, the hardpan suddenly giving way to lichen-covered, clay-like soil and peaty mounds. It is here that Norinir directs the host to the easiest way through the hills by following the remains of the ancient Dwarf-road.

Sensing that they are coming close to the rear flank of the hill giant’s perimeter, the Regent orders all of the camp followers to remain behind and the rest of the host moves forward into a shallow vale. From here they can clearly see the rear flank of the hill giant’s army, but it is very spread out and not expecting an attacking force from the rear.

SCENE 03 – The host advances upon the hill giant’s line, staying back. They send their cavalry to the ridgeline to the north and quickly ready their archers just south of the Dwarf-road. The hill giant force now sees the host in the distance but does not advance. The opening volley from the host informs the hill giants of their intent, a devastating attack that tears through a unit of dire wolves.

The hill giants return fire in kind, with massive stoneworks taken from dwarven defenses and boulders falling among the archers, killing many.

The Ymari host moves forward with their shield wall and infantry to block passage through the vale at the edge of remaining archery unit’s inside range. Units of giant lizards and hill giants move up to meet the shield wall and there is a deadly exchange. Trake, who is commanding the infantry, sees his unit utterly destroyed and is buried under a stampeding giant lizard as it tramples his unit to pulp. Using his token of Katopodis, Trake survives the attack.

The Ymari host gives as good as they get and once the hill giant Heroes have finished their deadly assault, separate from each other, one going north and the other south. The host releases their cavalry forward to charge the hill giant Heroes, who succeed in defeating them but at very high cost.

The cavalry units are able to take down the hill giants with repeated harrying attacks, though they lose 90% of their number preventing the hill giant Heroes from advancing to the host’s rear line.

The host breaks through the rear flank of the hill giant perimeter and makes with all haste towards the closest entrance Norinir knows of which will lead them to the underground tunnels of the hill dwarves.

Although victorious, the Regent is saddened by the tremendous loss of life. It is a red day for the Ymari and there is no time to bury their dead.