The soldiers guarding Huntston's western bridge were the first to see the angry wave, and they were the first to fall. None of them would escape. They never expected such aggression and brutality. Previously, the goblins moved in and out of the town in small bands with total disregard to the soldiers. The guards never faced any hostilities beyond a grunt, a snarl, or some insult they could not comprehend, but that was before the order was given.
The grotesque monsters grouped into an enormous mob and rushed to the attack. They tore apart the guards in an instant. They flung the pieces of human corpses into the water as they cleared the bridge of all obstructions to ensure an obvious path that led across the river to the west. They could attack and destroy to their hearts content, but they were given one absolute measure of control they were forced to obey. The humans that were allowed to escape were to be forced toward the central plains.
After securing the bridge, the horde broke from it, left it unguarded. The mass of despicable creatures also split in half. One section headed north and the other south. Each mob stuck close to the edge of the river until they reached the northern and southern borders of the town. With the entire western boundary covered, save for the opening at the bridge, the goblins then moved to encircle Huntston.
It was late in the afternoon, most of the citizens were returning from work or having dinner. They heard the calamitous ruckus, but they had been conditioned to ignore such activity. Even as they sensed a suffocating doom hanging over their homes, they learned to shun any and all signs of commotion. They had become complacent. They surrendered their concerns to a wave of growing apathy. It was not for them to judge the wisdom of those entrusted to run the town, even when it came to permitting goblins a free hand. The residents of Huntston found unease in the changes, but they rationalized the absurdities as part of life in a world filled with magic. Even as the goblins moved to surround them with obvious malice, they kept their narrow focus on their individual concerns.
As long as there was order, who were they to argue? Previously, they were given no reason to complain. Any conflicts in the past had been quickly labeled misunderstandings. Yes, there was order, but the people of Huntston could not grasp that order was not the ultimate objective. Goblins did not submit to humans out of respect for peace and tranquility. It was the means to a different end, and that end was upon Huntston.
Once the goblins completely surrounded the town between the Twin Rivers, they moved inward. They were free from the bonds of controlling their natural tendencies. They did not have to maintain any semblance of regard for law an order. It was just the opposite. Tumultuous aggression and unbridled hatred became the desired message, and the monsters embraced those emotions with maniacal glee. They destroyed homes, wrecked shops, overturned wagons, and killed many.
They set small fires, enough to create havoc, but not so the entire town would burn to the ground. They chose isolated buildings and shacks where the flames would not spread, but the smoke could be seen and smelled. In but a few moments after the assault began, the town was filled with shrieks and cries as smoke swirled overhead in nearly every corner of Huntston.
Every horror the despicable creatures committed brought the turmoil to a higher level. Every deplorable action created fear and panic. The goblins did not want to simply overrun the humans, they wanted to break through the apathy of the townspeople. The plan they followed involved creating so much immediate terror that every human would feel the urgency to flee, and most did.
The residents of Huntston had contained their apprehensions for a very long time. They had buried them deep, but they had never exorcised their fears. Season after season, they focused on tolerating the circumstances they could not understand. They never questioned the true intentions of the goblins or the authorities that allowed for such unstable conditions. They simply trudged through life, suppressing their misgivings, but they never discarded them. When the true source of their reservations came to absolute fruition in one disastrous heave of goblin mayhem, their fears erupted with the same devastating upheaval.
Order decayed in an instant. The entire populace throbbed with panic. Goblins moved in from every direction and humans raced about without rationale or conviction. Fire, destruction, death… it all came to pass in the blink of an eye.
The soldiers that had policed Huntston never had a chance. The goblins knew the location of each and every jail, barracks, and guard shack. They struck with such brutal swiftness that only the structures made of stone survived the first impact. Any wooden guardhouse simply crumbled into dust from the violent assaults.
Some people chose to fight, others had no choice. The goblins were instructed to allow a great number to flee, but casualties were not only expected, they were encouraged. When humans were cornered and escape not a credible possibility, the goblins found no reason to show restraint. Skirmishes were quick and bloody with the townspeople ill-equipped and unprepared for the savagery they faced.
Those residents that were allowed to escape were pushed west. The citizens of Huntston raced across the bridge and into the surrounding farmlands, but they would never be allowed to rest. More goblins waited for them in farmhouses and neighboring towns. The moment a crowd of fleeing humans was spotted, angry and hateful goblins always forced them westward, prodded them to the very edge of the Great Valleys, pushed them to leave and never return.
#
"The dwarves have instructed the goblins to begin their assault. The little creatures are more than happy to oblige, and I am spreading the word across the region. They are attacking humans almost simultaneously across the valleys. They are already dispensing retribution for pent up frustrations and casting aside their tolerance for the humans in a most unpleasant fashion. The goblins should make quick work of what they have to do. Your lands are about to change drastically."
Prilgrat grew accustomed to the voice in his head. The words were icy in tone, but the steward always felt a warm sensation deep in his bowels whenever the fiend spoke to him telepathically. It wasn't necessarily a pleasant feeling, not like eating a warm bowl of soup, but it didn't make him sick, either. It was kind of like drinking lukewarm water after fasting for several days.
Still, he was happier to converse with the creature in that manner as opposed to speaking with it in person. Despite communicating over magical waves that the regional steward did not understand, he could cope with the minor anxiety. The magic made the steward uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as standing in the overwhelming presence of a being capable of great devastation. Prilgrat felt weak and inconsequential whenever he directly addressed the fiend, not something he enjoyed.
He imagined the creature was using the same method of communication to spread the attack orders to all the goblin minions. The message itself, however, was a bit of a shock. So many seasons had passed with the goblins becoming a fixture in the city, a common sight throughout the Great Valleys, the thought of a goblin uprising was suddenly difficult to envision. He also had no warning, not that he expected one from the fiend, but he couldn't hide his surprise.
"I didn't expect it to happen so soon," the steward admitted, knowing that the creature could hear him but not comprehending how.
"I am surprised the dwarves were as patient as they were," the voice countered.
"What's going to happen here? What about Ashlan?"
"Did you think it was going to be spared?"
"Not really, but I'm curious about the plan."
"The plan is simple. The humans are completely unprepared. The goblins will tear them from their homes and businesses and remove them from the city. I expect very little resistance. They will be sent west. They will be pushed completely out of the valleys and into the central plains."