First Strike

I stood atop the newly built wall of ice and straw, surveying the valley that stretched before me. Aria, a once vibrant town of fifty thousand, now lay in ruins. Most of its inhabitants had fallen, and the survivors were imprisoned in Sabnock's dungeon. Nestled at the entrance of the largest valley in the region, Aria was now a critical point in our battle against the monstrous horde. Sabnock's castle, an enormous structure at the center of the plain, was surrounded by forty thousand monsters, all empowered by Sabnock's dark magic. To reach the castle, we had to fight our way through the valley and into the plain, a task that promised no shortage of challenges.

“Commander!” A dwarven fighter called out to me. “Our preparations are almost complete. We need you to inspect the fortified building in the center of town that you ordered built.”

“I’ll be there shortly, good dwarf,” I called back. The dwarf nodded and walked away. As I traversed the town, soldiers and fighters nodded in ack