Lord Tolan shook his head with a wry grin, reminding himself to get back to the subject. "The Wood Elves will not take lightly to the orcs desecrating their forest. Nor will the Swan May. Once we convince them to coordinate their efforts, and as long as we can make them understand that your men are asking for a truce for the time being, I believe we have found a bottleneck where we can stifle the army's advance!""I agree, Lord Tolan," replied Sterling still a little concerned about the Wood Elf's response to his men riding through the Forest of Macul. "We may have found the bottleneck that we need, however, I'll leave the management of ever-growing alliance in your hands. While I am a soldier to my heart, I have little love for politics and diplomacy in general."
Thinking for a minute, the Swordsman also said, "But there are a few more things that I wish to ask of you, Lord Tolan. I know that you have a small garrison of men stationed in Macula; could you please have them evacuate the town, destroy the bridge over the Macula river, and harvest those crops that they can and burn both the town and the surrounding farmland as well?"
As a stunned look came over Lord Tolan's face, the Swordsman explained, "I know what I'm asking may seem quite incredulous, but if our bottleneck fails and the Orcs breakthrough the Forest of Macul, the town of Macula--if left standing--could be a perfect supply center, hospital, and headquarters for them. If the town's farmland is left intact, the crops could be used to feed Venger's army. And if the bridge is left intact, the Orcs will have an easier time crossing it with their wagons and siege weapons."
Continuing with his explanation the Drow said, "As I see it, time is our greatest ally in this struggle. Our goal should be to try and keep the Orcs in the field of battle for as long as we possibly can. Ten men can live off the land very easiy, a hundred can do it with some difficulty, but it's impossible for ten thousand to do it if they are trapped in a forest! While the Orcs do have supply lines, I know for a fact that they usually carry rations that last for a few days! So if we play our cards right, we can literally starve them to death!"
Laughing a little, the Swordsman added, "And let me tell you, there are few things more pitiful than a hungry Orc looking for food! But in addition to all that I have asked, I have one more thing that I would like to request: Would it be possible to have heralds travel to most of the surrounding villages and towns announcing the terms of the Outworlder Amnesty? I have no doubt in my mind that some of my friends are probably laying low in some of those areas, and would be more than happy to come out of the cold if they knew that the amnesty existed. Well, what do you think?"
A Point To Ponder
