Screaming Into The Night

[VonEbs 1224]

Not for the last time, the sun sets in the west. Hammer meets metal in a deafening crescendo, armor and souls being mended by the evening’s toil. Uruks, under Commander Malog, drill in the courtyard, battling the shadows cast by the rising towers or Ard Kerrack. The citadel rises from its grave, masons and laborers reinforcing it’s ramparts, restoring it’s once great halls. A lone messenger bird takes off from an office in the upper floors, where a Prince holds his imaginary court.

Ebs stamps his ring in the melted green wax, sealing a note before handing it off to his assistant, the note destined for New Malinor. The blond mali sighs, striding from his desk over to the recently installed window. Rubbing his chin in silent reflection, he surveys the gears of war turning, the mingling of mali, valah, and uruk. Smoke rises from opposite sides of the fortress. New halberds and battle axes glow in the late evening sunlight while the shamans smoke their pipes in their hut, sharing sharing wisdom with long dead ancestors. To the North, the Great Ice Wall is visible, towering over the mountains of Herendul, dominating the countryside. Ard Kerrack stands defiant, unmoving, eternal.

To the West, corruption swirls around New Malinor, the enemy consuming the countryside. Crows circle Lenfarthing, picking at the corpses of rotting halflings. Far to the South, Urguan fights a lonely war against it’s demons, past and present. To the East, the sun reflects off the paving stones of Abresi, the city preparing for slumber. In the center, Ard Kerrack keeps watch, preparing to fight the darkness lurking in every corner. The war feared by so many is here. Not until death has reached every corner of Anthos will it end. Death has been promised, and death shall be dolled out.

We are coming for you Wyrm. There will be no quarter.

[VonEbs 1224]

Betrayal stung like a wasp.

 

Ebs Telrunya led a charge of Mali and men across the bridge, taking advantage of covering fire provided by elven archers. Boulders flew overhead, smashing into the towers across the river. Suddenly, a dark incantation struck the group that was charging, knocking them back. The elven prince fell, his armor crackling from the frigid magic.

 

Titania Hawksong rubbed the grit from her brow. The Princess found herself directing a trebuchet crew, lobbing boulder after smashing boulder into the fortifications on the opposite bank. The uruks around her worked like a well oiled golem, reloading the trebuchet as quickly as possible. She was about to yell fire when a shout went up from the flank, and the sounds of clashing swords rang out. Screams of dying men, uruk, and mali drowned out her call to fire. She cut the rope herself, sending boulder flying towards the traitorous dwarves. She turned to look behind her, and was met with a scene of total chaos. The Black Cross cut through the light infantry and trebuchet crews, cutting towards her uruk crew. She draw her sword, and met her former allies blade first. Around and around she battled a Sariant. She fought with shortsword in one hand and dagger in the other, parrying with both. She knocked the Sariant back, and threw her dagger, striking another Teuton in the chest. Pain shot through her as a crossbow bolt hit her in the shoulder, sending her caterwauling. The elven princess struggled to stand, but when she got to her feet, was cut down by the retreating Sariants. The flanking charge had been repulsed at great cost, but with it's failure, the dwarves' fate was sealed.

 

The battle raged back and forth, Scourge spells claiming the lives of dozens of soldiers. Elven arrows found their mark throughout the dwarven fortifications. The Scourge fell one by one, forced back to their master by the Coalition of Mali, man, and uruk. The Decterum and Uruks war party stormed the walls, driving the dwarves into their fortress. The barrage of boulders from the trebuchet crews weakened the defenses until one final charge broke the dwarves. The Scourge were vanquished, for now, and the dwarves were in retreat, with the Indago the Traitor retreating while his kinsmen fell prey to his foolishness.

[Birdwhisperer 1174]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.