The Fury of the Ark

[Valannor 6349]

 

The Seeker’s Ark at the end of the Raid of Tor'Sjorvath, 1862

“Let them know the wrath of the Horned Lord, and the radiant fury of the Impassive Eye!”

Spoiler

 

 

 

Guided by holy portent, the servants of the Sun and the furious Gladeguard of the Wilds gathered on the Ark. Battle was nigh - the tempest obscuring the sight of all in the harbor, the crew of the massive battleship straining their eyes to catch even the slightest hint of prey. They sought dragons, this night. 

 

Not one of them would have expected pirates of the Dark to be their foes.

 

Long into the night and as the moon hung high, they fought, and they bled. Three galleons bombarded the Ark, and boarding party after boarding party was sent to seize command of the vessel. 

 

Five times attacked.

 

Five times repelled. 

 

The Gladeguard of the Vale knew ballistae well, and the batteries upon the Ark were manned with deadly efficiency - the aim of ‘ame and the work of Dwedmar siege engines allowing them to butcher the first of the Galleons. They fired until they could fire no more, until their ballistae were rent asunder and the auxiliary bridge was a pile of rubble descending into the belowdecks, stifling the flames that had been set. And even then, they took the single remaining ballista on the deck, using it to fire soldier after soldier onto the vessel which was engaged in a deadly duel with the Queen’s Dawn Revenge, disrupting their operations. 

 

The Knights of the Golden Lion and Sunlit Spear were not idle during this time. Vindicators, heirs to Marian Cross’s legacy, conjured shield walls of auric mist upon the side of the mighty vessel as it danced in close quarters with its foes, blocking innumerable cannon shots and saving the metal beast from an early grave in the fathoms below - over eight thousand tons of steel, wood, and Xannic fury fighting back with tooth, nail, sword and shield for dear life. The Paladins took to repelling those sent to board, working in deadly tandem as the command was called; “Leave none alive!” Roared the Wyrmstalkers, taking to combat with fishman and pirate alike and driving them off with all the grace and wrath afforded to them by their mantle.

 

In the end, the Seeker’s Ark sank to the waves below, saturated by fire and beyond the repair of even its dedicated teams conducting damage control. And even as it slipped below the waves, battle cries were heard, the Druii and Paladins nearly going down with the ship as they continued their rancorous hunt for blood - until eventually, they were forced to retreat, limping to shore on clumps of driftwood and damaged canoes. Even in defeat, they had found victory.

 

Let it forever be known that the Ark broke before the will of mortal men ever did. 

Spoiler

Really based ******* event, @SquakHawk, @RaiderBlue, @Goon, @Xx_BloodStalk_xX, and all the other ET who dedicated four hours of their night to providing the most engaging, fun, and action-packed event that I think the Paladins of Xan and the Gladeguard have experienced in recent memory. Here's our highlights reel ;)

 

[Bhased 3588]

In the spirit of friendly rivalry, Tilruir'tir of Joma takes pride and solace in the fact that his ship did not sink.

[Valannor 6349]

3 minutes ago, Bhased said:

In the spirit of friendly rivalry, Tilruir'tir of Joma takes pride and solace in the fact that his ship did not sink.

 

It must have been the will of Xan that Crumena not go down with his ship that day - and thus escape the hell that is everyday life on Almaris. The Lord of Sunlight was truly a cruel being.

[Terry 1862]

Grand King Ulfric grumbles at the fact the coveted Dwedsmark sunk before the Seeker's Ark did, but was otherwise glad to see the Paladins alright come the end of the fighting.

[Royal Peasant 445]

Ser Roylan G. B. Sirame mind flashed back to seeing Ahng, to seeing the dwed and then Talos flying through the air by the ballista after the ground had given way under them and brought both their own Ballista and rubble down upon them. His body still ached from the battering as he shook his head with a chuckle at the sight and memory. Then a frown flickered as he recalled the last moment as the boat began to give into the water, and they began to row out.

 "Just who was it on our side that fired upon us...?"