Sorry for the delay- got some time off now, so should be able to manage more.
Well, this turn finishes the deal to the South. Fact is, if the Dunlendings continued to climb en masse, they would probably overwhelm you- but they don't have the heart for it. The mass scrambling over the walls fades and then dies, and then it starts to turn into an almighty rout as the Dunlendings quit the field.
At roughly the moment you guys turn for the gate... you hear the sound of the gong ringing.
The Orcish assault on the gtaehouse has been vicious and bloody. The seventy seven orcs that entered it are all dead, killed by boiling oil and missiles from above, and when the remnants finally amanaged to smash in the Inner Gate, they were overwhelmed by Baranar's defenders.
The second wave of Orcish attackers, then, was well timed.
They are through the gates and a pitched melee with Baranar's defenders is going their way. Palidan, you scoop up a weak Vardalain and bring him to safety in the Keep as you all move forwards to support Baranar's men.
And there, Vardalain is the only one who recognises the Orcish leader.
Baranar's men, in their defensive positions, are taking a heavy toll on the Orcs as they charge through the narrow gate. But one section of the Orcish attack has strolled through and hoovered up any opposition before it. There are five Orcs in that group. Four of them are taller than the other Orcs, of better stock, wearing solid leather armour and metal helmets. Two of those four are equipped with serrated scimitars and metal shields. The other two carry a heavy crossbow and enormous pavan shields they use to cover themselves when loading.
In the middle of those four is the fifth Orc... and he is the biggest damn Orc any of you have ever see, towering over his fellows, and apparently built by the same people who build Barad Dur, though his enormous muscles are not so visible under his cahin mail. And he wields an enormous spiked ball on a chain, the handle of which he carries on both sides. And unlike other Orcs, who are merely dark, this one is jet black in hue, from top to bottom.
The Black Orc, who the older players may remember was nicknamed the Chiorc, casually smashes down two of Baranat's men with a swing of his weapon, and his group seteps from the gatehouse into the Courtyard.