An Alliance Of Lore Poem by Bryan Retallick

The Orcs and the Ogres had seen fit to unite
Together they thought, they would fight with such might
For year after year and age upon age
A stalemate had been in the war that they wage

To the south stood the Dwarves, the Elves and mankind
Who without such a cause could not be aligned
The foe that they shared meant differences fell
And friendships were built with stories to tell

The march from the north and the evil it brought
Saw madness remain in the death that it sought
A trail of darkness and the rivers of blood
Were all that were left, once where happiness stood

The eve of the battle the generals met
The faces were cold and the brows daubed with sweat
Plans were discussed yet hope seemed so weak
Yet they knew once in view, that's what their men seek

The Orcs and the Ogres had come to the end
Of a journey of hate and a will to descend
On Dwarf and on Elf and on mankind to
A swift end to life was all that was due

In the south where the Dwarves, the Elves and the Man
Had studied and talked and devised such a plan
They’d readied themselves, and made safe the play
Where the Orcs and the Ogres thought victory lay

From over the hill they marched from the south
The battle lines drawn, men dry in the mouth
The Orcs and the Ogres their weapons in hand
Watched as their enemies studied the land

The battle commenced with an arrow that fell
In the heart of an Ogre who dropped with a yell
The Orcs and the Ogres had started to shout
But silence fell on them when a rider came out

One single man had dared to approach
And the noise of his enemy suddenly broke
The Dwarves and the Elves and mankind too
Had enlisted the help of a wizard they knew

The hate from the north turned quickly to fear
As the wizard came closer his face was now clear
With the raise of an arm and a whisper of death
The Orcs and the Ogres took in a deep breath

They waited for what seemed an impending doom
But nothing appeared in the midmorning gloom
The wizard turned back when the magic did fail
And rode to the lines of the men who seemed frail

From the Orcs and the Ogres the battle cry came
Their confidence new it was simply a game
The Dwarves and the Elves and those from mankind
Stayed silent but fast as the plan did unwind

As the Orcs and the Ogres began to advance
The elves with their bows joined by men with the lance
Stepped forward to meet them and let out a cheer
Yet the Orcs and the Ogres moved on without fear

The fight to the death where the two sides had met
Was vicious and cold, but to repay the debt
For the friends in the south for all that they’d lost
In the years gone by, it was worth the cost

The woods to the east and the hills to the west
Now bustled with life like ants in a nest
The Orcs and the Ogres had not even seen
The Spirits that came when the wizard had been

He’d called on the dead from battles of old
With the Orcs and the Ogres who then seemed so bold
As man holding Lance and Elf holding bow
Pierced the Orcs and the Ogres front row

The Dwarves came around to attack from the side
Yet the Orcs and the Ogres moved on like a tide
The spirits came out with the sound of a breath
Behind the invaders to reap certain death

The Orcs and the Ogres now started to call
From the lines at the back as they started to fall
at the hands of the spirits who swept through the ranks
Of the Orcs and the Ogres, with the dwarves at their flanks

It was over an hour since the first arrow fell
When silence rang out like a deafening bell
The Dwarves and the Elves and the sons of mankind
Were victors at last but to them, it was blind

For all that was left from the challenge they ‘d seen
Were the fields of red, where once had been green
It was many a moment of silence around
Before a lone voice did utter a sound

The wizard came forward and started to pray
To thank the good spirits for saving the day
The Dwarves and the Elves and Man could just feel
The best they could do was stay silent and kneel

The spirits returned to accept their applaud
And as they approached could feel the reward
The faces of dwarves, of Elves and of Men
Now suddenly seemed familiar to them

It was brother and son, and other such kin
Who knelt there before them to give thanks for the win
The wizard spoke louder now intended for all
His words seemed to carry a deafening call

“Don’t sorrow or mourn for the friends that have gone
They now stand before you, with us, and as one!
Go back to your lands your homes and your farms
And never again feel the need to raise arms”