The Beginning of the End

[TheWhiteWolf 1028]

The Beginning of the End

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Spoiler

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/206766-a-grim-message/
https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/207047-judgement-comes/?tab=comments#comment-1875138

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Xionist Forces marching under the banner of the Black Sun being engaged in battle with the Fennic Army and their allies outside the walls of Fenn - Circa 13th of the First Seed, Year 51 of the Second Age

 

 

It was the early hours of the morning in the quiet city of Fenn and the sun had not yet graced the lands of Wyrvun’s Chosen with its warm embrace. Two of the Ivae’fenn stood guard upon the walls, standing beside a fire that burned brightly and offered them the only source of warmth they would find in this wintry domain they called home.

Their gazes drifted out over the mountainous landscape before them that was shrouded in darkness.. Or it should have been. Just beyond the horizon a raging orange light cast a luminescent glow beyond the mountain range and as they set their gazes towards the source of this light, a veritable Legion of the Damned crested the hill. It was an army of armoured warriors, forsaken geists and towering behemoths, all of whom marched beneath the banner of the Black Sun. The two Sons of Wyrvun rushed from their positions, ready to sound the bells and trumpets to raise the alarm. “They are here! The enemy is upon us!”

- - - - -
The Children of Xion had come.

- - - - -

Trumpets rose up in unison from all around the city of Fenn, accompanied by the sound of bells ringing to alert those within to the looming threat. Ivae’fenn and Vigilants alike ran to and fro, ushering citizens into their homes and readying themselves for battle. Moments later Prince Vytrek, accompanied by his bodyguard would march out the gates to assess the army that had been assembled in neat formations, ready to march out to meet their hated foe in battle. With a few quick commands the Prince set off into the hinterlands with a small portion of his forces, leaving the remainder behind to guard the city.

“You all know your duty, to Wyrvun, to your homeland! We shall repel the Darkspawn this day and in the end you shall stand as Victors over their corpses!”

 

- - - - -

And so the proud Fennic Army stood, ready to receive their foe.

- - - - -

Stood at the forefront of the Xionist forces were two towering individuals wreathed in an aura of dread and malice and clad in infernal armour, the two Barrowlords shifted their attention to one another with but a nod. They knew what they had come to accomplish and the ground was about to be soaked with the blood of Fenn’s Sons and Daughters that day.

One Barrowlord set off towards the city with the majority of the army while the other set their gazes on the Prince and his contingent that had sought to lure a portion of the Xionist Forces away. Cold wisps of sickly cobalt mist would come to drift away from the Barrowlord’s visor as she raised her taloned digits to the air, and gestured her own forces along. 

“And so it begins.. Sister, take the bulk of our forces into the Catacombs and complete the Ritual.. We’ll deal with the Prince”

 

- - - - -

And so the Damned Legion marched forth, raising high their blackened banners.
- - - - -

On the outskirts of Fenn, high in the mountains, did the Prince and his small force wait. They knew the terrain like the back of their hand and had located a corrupted monolith of the enemies’ creation months prior. They had come to destroy it and in doing so hopefully lure a portion of the enemy's army away from the City. The plan was risky, dividing their forces would have dire consequences if either side failed. The Prince however trusted his people and they in turn trusted him; he had faith in Wyrvun that they would succeed.

As they waited atop those slopes a towering Golem set about destroying the corrupted Monolith and just when it was about to land the final blow to destroy the aberration, a sickly presence made itself known. The Barrowlord Astark, self proclaimed champion of Xion and Chosen Herald of the Black Sun stood afore the Prince with her forces at her back.

“This is the end for you, soon the Black Sun shall reign victorious over these lands. And when you see the walls of your city crumbling before you, your woman and children are slaughtered.. Then we shall grant you the sweet release of death.”

As that discordant tone of the Barrowlord’s voice subsided, their arms would come to beckon to the skies above as a legion of lost souls cried together in disjointed unison. As the two imposing forces gazed skyward the sun would seemingly become twisted and corrupted as the very sky was blotted out by a shroud of undeath. As the sickly mists took hold of the city and the battlefield, that once luminescent sun that radiated warmth over the city now resembled a Blackened Sun and only offered silent judgement and contempt.

- - - - -
And so the Black Sun rises once more.

- - - - -

 

Deep beneath the city of Fenn, in the Catacombs and halls of their lost champions, a sickening ritual was underway. The Ivae’fenn, Vigilants and some chosen of the Father Circle hurriedly moved through the winding labyrinthian tunnels, engaging and swiftly dispatching any foes they came across.
 

As the Fennic Force entered the main chamber they immediately witnessed the Wayshrine of Death, that towering statue of Wyrvun, become corrupted - a sickly energy radiating through the stonework. As an ethereal mist came to rest upon the statue and the room filled with incoherent voices all speaking cryptic mutterings from the shadows, the Xionist forces turned and immediately set about engaging the Fennic Defenders in an all-out brawl.

 

- - - - -
And so the Sons and Daughters of Fenn fought, to defend their home.
- - - - -

 

On the hills outside Fenn, that raging battle for the corrupted Monolith was quickly coming to an end. The Prince’s gambit had seemingly paid off and although the Xionist Legion had otherworldly constructs and commanded the powers of death themselves, they were severely outnumbered.

Slowly but surely were the forces of the Black Sun slaughtered, those that fled were swiftly pursued and cut down and in the end all that was left was the Barrowlord Astark who had become engaged with the Prince of Fenn in single combat. Cornered on all sides the Barrowlord had nowhere to run and as they lifted their spear in an attempt to kill one of the Fennic Warriors to create an exit, they would become crushed under the weight of a golem and swiftly finished off by the Prince.

 

- - - - -
And so that Champion of Xion and Herald of the Black Sun would be driven back, for now.

- - - - -

Beneath the City the Fennic Defenders were being routed, unable to stand before the towering constructs of dark design. As they pulled back a monstrous wolven creature hounded their every step back, keeping them pressured with incredible ferocity and strength. They had lost their momentum in the initial engagement and were about to be on the verge of a full retreat when they heard it. A trumpet would sound from up above, echoing down through the winding tunnels. It was a signal, a signal to retreat and Hareven, a Druii of some renown knew what he had to do. The Druid took command of the Defending forces, restoring some order before giving the commands for an ordered retreat to the surface.

As the Proud Warriors of Fenn and their allies pulled back, the last thing they would see is the supporting structures of the Catacombs being destroyed before the whole chamber collapsed in on itself.
- - - - -
A Pyrrhic Victory, but at what cost?

- - - - -
The Xionist Legion had been defeated and pushed back from the walls of Fenn. The Fennites tended to their wounded and as the Prince aided his comrades and directed the troops in the aftermath of the battle, his eyes would be drawn to the gaping hole in the centre of the city that led deep into the collapsed tunnels beneath Fenn. It was a grim reminder of the cost of Victory this day, but he did not have time to dwell on such.

Little did he know of the evil that had taken hold at the heart of Fenn, slowly festering until the day it would be released..


 

Spoiler

https://gyazo.com/352a5f304488c512f2b9466c386aab87

https://gyazo.com/8f97a78402750c7b73a2b582aec2cd2e

https://gyazo.com/aa77e3ae406ea08bf83698b2d13e860b

https://gyazo.com/a93d5e30f08154cb946b3393fce06bd6

https://gyazo.com/5cc638a5865dd100cbca0d159a4e811e

 

[AfroJoeTheOlogBro 1093]

Reserved

 

[Wyrvun 1262]

Ayred turns to speak to his fellow Fenn once more: "Once more the meat grinder! Once more we hold fast in the face of all odds!" The fenn scans over the crowd briefly, eyes narrowing as he continues "Who are we? More than a dedicated group of followers, thrown out by the world, left to hang dry, hmn? Look at us now, we've survived, but not only survived we've thrived in the far north. What more is probable for us than a divine blessing from Wyrvun? What more than a divine people doing the divine tasks of a most just God."

 

Ayred continues- raising a hand to silence the rabble "We are the meat grinder, our ancestors rest easy down in the rubble because they know our cause is just! They know our cause is right! They know the sacrifice because they paid the ultimate! Do not be afraid braid Mali'Fenn! Know what we do is right! Do not hesitate, when the ultimate price, when death stares you in the face- remember your ancestors." he'd say in a softer tone "Fight, fight, and never give in. No matter what price we must pay, none is too high for Wyrvun, and his realm. The afterlife, and honors unspeakable await us all."

 

"Let your blades be sharp, but your minds sharper."

[Monkee 7356]

Vytrek recalls the warning he had levied against a Mystic scout just the day before: that Fenn would be their tomb. Gazing out over the collapsed square, his lips thin; that prophecy had come true. The Mystics were buried. But, for how long? And, as what cost?

[Carson 936]

A shrouded figure with a chip on her shoulder was glad to make it out alive, in an endeavor she did not anticipate returning from. Though she'd not made any personal kills, nor sustained any injuries at all (somehow), seeing someone on the other side injured so thoroughly brought a sense of schadenfreude.

 

Xetsuwu wasn't ordinarily a sadistic person. Her duties and undertakings, while solemn, were carried out with no malice toward her victims. It wasn't their fault -- it wasn't personal.

 

But this? This was different. This was personal, and any suffering of those who'd she perceived wronged her -- or complicit in it -- was a win. She'd not intended to go after anyone specific, but news of one incident in particular caused her to seethe and stew in her vitriol. If people were going to defame her without due process, due cause, then she'd give them a reason for their fears.

@Viraj Dobrial

[Lhindir_ 3436]

Gravelord Nimdravur looks to Ghamul, the Herald of the Black sun, and ponders who this pretender could possibly be. @Angmarzku

[EdenCringe 174]

And so from the depths waiting laid that creature, a feeling within it awoken by such bloodshed. Mangled fangs from split jaws came to unfurl from it's grotesque countenance as three pairs of sinister eyes crept open from the dark. A clack and chitter - the sound of those twisted teeth opened to let it speak..
"The ending is nigh, children of Xion.. I shall be paying you a visit soon.."
Uttered the being through a profane cackle, echoing from whence it came. The frigid winter could not rival what horrors awaited those of Fenn. Chaos shall reign and reform what once was, for that is how the world goes forth - the once stagnant settlement had erupted into a city of disorder and confusion, but those that follow the true way.. There shall be salvation.

[Angmarzku 1247]

Ghamul, Son of Mordring, The Bane of Man, Herald of the Black Sun squints its beady green orbs.

[_Leyd 676]

The Saint of Yathnz peers unto the Lord Commander, Herald of The Black Sun, and heir to Mordring's army.  
"You have garnered imposters, dedicated fans, no doubt." @Angmarzku

[WestCarolina 1779]

Spoiler

https://gyazo.com/352a5f304488c512f2b9466c386aab87