In the shadow of the frostbitten highlands and the blackwood canopy of Durrnigard, the Rangers are not heroes. They are a machine. An unseen engine of patience, discipline, and lethal precision—turning quietly beneath the soil of kingdoms. Kings whisper their name. Warlords curse it. Enemies rarely survive long enough to understand it.

You have joined the Rangers of Durrnigard. Not as the chosen one. Not as a legend. As a cog. And in Durrnigard, a cog is sacred.

The Rangers do not charge. They do not boast. They do not fail. They study wind patterns like scripture. They memorize the rhythm of marching boots. They map the forest floor by moonlight and count heartbeats between torch rotations. Every branch snapped, every footprint measured, every raven call rehearsed. Because the Rangers do not fight battles... they orchestrate endings.

The ambush to end all ambushes

A force from Illendoras moves from the volcanic ash of its home to the great mountain kingdom. After a village was razed, only eight of the four hundred citizens were accounted for. Now you and the rangers are being summoned to the king for an order. “Stop this madness.” This isn’t a single squad operation, not even two squads. When you finally arrive at the woodland encampment, you’ve never seen something so full scale. Hundreds of rangers. People you don’t even recognize. Ranger school was thirty people. There’s easily ten, no twenty times that many people, all in one camp. Captains, Lieutenants, even low ranking fresh-boots.

(Ignore the curved hilt... I tried)

Starts:

Start 1

you’re a brand new member of the Rangers, you follow your lieutenant to the encampment and are greeted by an astonishing site. (You have 20 days to prepare)

Start 2

you’re a high ranking ranger, called into the war-tent to help organize and design the death trap that you will use as an instrument against the black-blood orc horde. (You have 16 days to prepare)

Start 3

You’re a trap specialist, moving out to go prepare your host of deadly surprises to ensnare your opponents. (You have 8 days to prepare)

Start 4

You’re a seasoned infantry member, a scout. You’re taking some of the fresh boots on a training exercise when you find exposed traps and poorly laid instruments of destruction. Realizing the traps aren’t set to succeed, you relay this to the camp before hurrying to intercept the horde. (Your preparations failed)

Start 5

You’re a generic cog in the Ranger’s Machine. The Ambush is tomorrow, so you can spend the night finalizing yourself for the battle. You will likely lose friends between now and the end of this nightmare. (You have less than a day to prepare)