It was early in the day and the farmers were out tilling their fields, the morning dew dampening their boots. So as to be decent the blacksmith was not yet hammering away on his anvil, the amiable fellow giving his neighbors ample tame to wake up before he began making such noise. This fine morning the village looked beautiful and serene. Later in the afternoon, it would most likely be a smoking ruin littered with corpses. Already the forces of evil had set their eyes upon that hamlet, the brazen and bloodthirsty eyes of conquerors.

[center]~==--==--==~[/center]

The Dungeon Keeper entered his sanctuary in the very back of his cave-lair, deep below the ground. The scarlet, glowing crystal that dominated the center of the room radiated malevolence, bathing the warlock in it. It was not such a bad feeling. He reached out to touch the crystal that was his Dungeon Heart, and felt its power surge into him.

Concentrating, he was able to see the scene of the village that was just outside his domain. The people milled about their daily work, while unbeknownst to them, death was at their very doorstep. In the woods right outside the village nearly all of the Overlord's minions gathered, preparing to conduct the attack that he had ordered.

The village needed to be wiped off the map; they were too close to the dungeon, and they were growing suspicious. Already several farmers had claimed to have seen horrors lurking in the wooded foothills to the south, and there could only be so many tales before the hamlet began to question whether so many travelers were truly madmen to whisper about demons lurking in the mountain caves. Not to mention that the dungeon was running low on supplies; they needed the tools and food that these folk had in store. Live prisoners were also running in low supply, and the various denizens of the dungeon needed such captives for their rituals, experiments, and even amusement.

So the Master had sent every last one of his champions out to sack the village, and even now he watched as they were moved to fully encircle it. His army was quite a varied rabble. Some powerful demons, a likely insane kobold, even a dragon, and then all sorts of other odd fellows... Sending every last one of them to raid such a meager settlement was beyond absurd, but some of them were growing bored. The Overlord was also interested in seeing how each of them behaved. How would they attack? Who worked together, if any of them? Were any smart enough to not get carried away by the carnage and ensure that there were live prisoners and intact supplies to bring back?

Hopefully he would soon have an answer to these questions. He was still not quite sure which ones were msot worthy of leadership positions and which ones fared well together, so he was keen to observe the ensuing battle. Or rather, the ensuing massacre. Stifling a chuckle, he spoke now into the minds of each of his followers, using his telepathy.

In his diabolical rasp of a voice, they would hear, [b]"Go now, and end this village. Let none escape."[/b]

[center]~==--==--==~[/center]

[i]From between the trees of the small woods you hid in waiting, alongside your master's other followers, you can see the village. It seems prosperous enough, with green fields and many workers out and about. Nearest to you are the farms, small teams of farmers clustered about working with hoes, pitchforks, and rakes. They were better equipped to fight back than most of the others, yet taken by surprise they would likely prove easy targets.

Beyond the farms are many homes, and in the village proper you can see a windmill, an inn, what looks to be small temple, two granaries, a few barns, a blacksmith's hut with a forge outside and all, and in the far distance a manor. Perhaps in that villa a knightly family lives, with all these peasants as serfs. They might be worth taking alive, but then again, if they do turn out to be knights then they could put up a good fight. What do you do?[/i]