The War of the Fallen Son

[Kaerisk]

(Okay, so... yeah. I've never done or tried anything like this before, and certainly not on this scale. I normally am adverse to forum roleplay and prefer to do things live, but an all-out war is simply beyond my ability to accomplish without GM tools or speed typing in two places at once, both of which I do not have. Aside in-game GM events, I don't think this has ever been attempted in HZ, so let's see how it goes, shall we?

Rules/suggestions on how this works will follow the initial story post which sets up the War of the Edari/War of the Fallen Son. Enjoy!)




“There will be no more running.” Maurger carved at the debris with his claws, dust kicking up into the stale air of the hidden chamber. The rocks rolled away into a pile.

“There will be no more hiding.” The black drake sneered and slashed at the rock with all his strength, sending pieces flying everywhere. The pile he created was picked apart by stone hands.

“I tried to birth a better world for my kind without bloodshed, but it seems that all change must begin with blood.” The stone rumbled away as Maurger broke through, fresh air wafting into the chamber. He stood there and breathed it, enjoying the smell of it. He would not bury himself away to keep alive this time. He would fight for it.

“Even if I must infest every drake and dragonelle in the world, I will create a better society. No matter how long it takes.” He turned back to the stale chamber and looked over them – the fruit of his labor. His backup plan.

“Each of you has a part of me with you. Each of you has been crafted to the finest detail. One of your brothers fell, but from him we learned how to better protect you and make you stronger. For good or for ill, you shall go forth to your assigned targets. Kill or infest those who resist. Bipeds are of no use – slaughter them indiscriminately if they get in the way. Prove your right to exist, Edari! Build a world in which you too can live! Now, go forth! To battle! To war!” Maurger shouted. The stone lurched with the hideous cheers of the creatures he had created. Maurger gave a regal turn and began his march, his army falling in step as they marched through the empty lair. The drake had already sent his family to safety and made arrangements for them, even should he not survive. That thought was painful for him, for Amalteah had urged him to run and hide. But he had tasted freedom. He would fight for it.

At the end of Sak’tal, the army split and moved off without him. He would join them soon, but he had to ready the greatest of the Edari.



While half of the army hid themselves amongst the abandoned honeycomb lairs of Granitefall Mountains, the other half had a longer march ahead of them. Skirting the tip of Granitefall, the army passed under the watchful shadow of the Spire and entered into the blistering desert. Over the forgotten scars of battle they marched, coming ever closer to their destination.

They were not unnoticed.

“Captain Legendweaver! Come to the south wall immediately!” the half-giant Thurdang shouted. The human captain followed the alert to the south wall, where Thurdang pointed out the mass migration.

“I have never seen creatures such as them before. They look like golem, but they are dressed for battle,” Captain Aaron Legendweaver said.

“Should I ready the guard for battle?” Thurdang asked.

“It would be unwise to charge off like that. Summon Jasinda. Maybe she knows what these are.” Aaron said. The half-giant saluted and soon fetched the gnomish mage who maintained Tazoon’s mage tower. She had brought a spyglass and examined them at a distance.

“From here, they look like regular golems, save their appearance,” Jasinda said. “But that they have been carved like that, and that they march in formation, suggests that they have been animated to do battle. Only a dragon could have made them animate using primal energy.” She paused, furrowing her brow. “No, wait. Look at their faces.”

The Captain took the spyglass. Through it, he was able to see their faces – black, with a huge gray eye protected by stone eyelids. “That’s no simple golem.”

“The city is in a tizzy! What is going on?” Allambe demanded as he stormed up the path to Tazoon’s gate. The leader of Feladan-In-Exile never had left his position of power, and remained a representative of the elves ever since Feladan’s reclamation.

“Seneschal, I cannot be sure that it is safe-” Aaron began.

“If that is the case, then I should be definitely aware of what is going on!” the elf exclaimed, pushing past Thurdang and the Captain. “An army on our very gates?” he asked as soon as he saw the marching golems.

“They do not appear to be heading here,” Aaron said, begrudgingly polite. He handed Allambe the spyglass. “We believe those were created by a dragon, but we do not know who might have done so, or why.”

“Black ooze with gray eyes? Only one dragon I could think of who might fit that description,” Allambe said. He returned the spyglass. “There was a black dragon who was conducting negotiations with us about either joining the Imperial Council or replacing representatives to both Helian and Lunus. Mogger or Frogger or something. Talks were put on hold until he had unified his people.” The dark elf looked out at the golems as they curved to the north, passing the scene of the Great Battle. “I’d say negotiations have broken down.”

“A civil war then?” Jasinda asked.
“I suspect little civility about it,” Allambe said.

“Thurdang, run to each of the guard and tell them to be on high alert. I’ll issue further orders once the matter has been discussed by the Imperial Council,” Aaron said. Thurdang once again saluted and departed.

“Just an alert, Captain? Should you not prepare them for war?” Jasinda asked.

“As far as I’m concerned, this is a dragon civil matter. Let them shoulder the burden,” Aaron said. “My only worry is this city. Allambe, will you call the Council to order? They should be aware of this.”

“I know how to do my job, Captain. I’ll expect a full report within twenty minutes,” Allambe said, walking leisurely down Tazoon’s main street.

“Should you not at least warn the dragons what is coming?” Jasinda asked.

“If their guard is as good as ours, then they should not need any warning. Besides – it is to Dralk they must march. Those dragons would sooner eat me than heed my warning,” the captain said.

“If this is the work of just one dragon… can you think of any parallel in history where one person brought down an entire society?” the gnome asked, adjusting her glasses.

“You presume too much, Jasinda. No matter the parallel, I’ll not risk our people to defend the dragons unless the Council deems it necessary. To pull back the troops needed for such a conflict could utterly destabilize the front and the undead could surge over our outposts and attack the towns. It would be like the old days again. Let what bleeding-heart or bloodthirsty Gifted will go to the dragons’ aid.”

“He started as a councilman, too. I pray you can live with yourself, knowing you did nothing to stop the rise of the next Torrin Macalir,” Jasinda said. She walked away, leaving the Captain to his thoughts.



At last, the army arrived. The Edari arranged themselves in lines based on their type in the obsidian fields, taking from the harder stone whatever they needed for their goals. Three golems grouped together behind all the others, each giving up a black piece of themselves to form a small black dragon – a connection to Maurger himself. “The forces at Dralk are prepared to act, Lord Maurger,” one of the general-golem said. Its voice sounded like vibrating gelatin.

“The golem of Chiconis are also prepared,” said the generals hiding just behind the crest of the Granitefall Mountains.

“Excellent,” Maurger said, the goo-doll chipping at some unseen structure. “You have your orders. Send in the first wave. Destroy the travel gates.”

“As you command, Lord,” the Edari said in unison. One of the three generals walked to the front of their army and reviewed the troops he was to lead. The first wave consisted of two types of golem – the basic grunts, and the wizards. The grunts were of the same simplistic design as the prototype: heavy forearms, small hind legs, gelatinous connections. They had evolved, however, since the failure of the prototype. Side-stones of granite and obsidian hung over their shoulders and hind legs, protecting their joints from the hellish dragon flame. Their fingers had been sharpened with tips of obsidian to allow for easier infestation.

The wizards, however, were something altogether new. Maurger had experimented with his Dark Primal since he first went underground following his expulsion from the Blue Phoenix’s lair. The wizards were the culmination of his study: thin-framed, more humanoid golems, with bodies draped in ooze like dark robes. They had adapted all of Maurger’s spells to their own and had many surprises in store for the dragons that resisted them.

“By the will of our Lord, we shall bring down the society of ancient scale that has lasted four thousand years! A new age will begin this day! Rise, Edari of the Desha Treskri! Death comes to the unwilling!” The golem – Edari – saluted their first general by pounding their chests with their heavy stone hands. The general turned, himself a golem of khutit features armed with swords of obsidian and the breath of evil itself, and cried out a hideous gurgling screech as the army charged into the city.

Dralk and Chiconis both had come under siege by an army not seen since the rise of the Aegis.



Maekrux and Ausixen had been conversing with Valkoth and Semeneth. They were overturning all they had done while under Maurger’s influence and getting an update of the situation with more clear heads.

“I do not know which is worse, old friend,” Valkoth said. “To have your body taken from you, or your mind.”

“Each has their pains, Valkoth,” Maekrux said. Ausixen nodded to that.

“I know you suggest that Maurger would do something drastic, but what could a single dragon do?” Semeneth asked.

“We do not know for certain. It is possible that he may go back into hiding again, until he can return with a population of dragons loyal to him by birth,” Maekrux said.

“I think he will do something more drastic and immediate than that,” Ausixen said. “Drulkar has warned me of a looming shadow that is soon to descend on us.”

“This is dire prediction, Champion. I pray to Drulkar that this shadow is not as great as I fear,” Semeneth said.

A roar of battle broke their meeting. The four piled out of the ancient’s lair to see the first wave of Edari tumble down the path towards Dralk proper, the guards rising up to fight against hopeless odds. Semeneth’s wings drooped.

“By Drulkar, what has he done?” Semeneth asked.

“Semeneth, you must return to Chiconis immediately!” Maekrux exclaimed.
“But if Dralk-” the ancient began.

“If Dralk is under attack, then Chiconis may be as well,” Maekrux said.

Valkoth roared. “Sacrilege! Rally the guard! Summon all dragons able to fight! This heresy will not go unpunished!” Ausixen lifted his wings and spread his claws, preparing to fight.

“No, Ausixen, you must go with Semeneth,” Maekrux said.
“But grandfather!” Ausixen exclaimed.

“Chiconis is in more immediate danger, for he would have an easier time holding it than Dralk. If he is to show his face, that is where he is likely to be. Go, now! Neither city must fall to him!” Maekrux exclaimed.

“You are right. Hurry, Elder Semeneth!” Ausixen exclaimed. The elder nodded and the two of them escaped through the travel gate.

“It is like the battle of Tazoon all over again, isn’t it Maekrux?” Valkoth asked.

“I was but a hatchling then, and could do nothing but watch my father die. This time, I will not stand idly by and let the battle for our future be decided by others,” Maekrux said.

“Prove to me you still have it then. You owe me after that stunt you pulled with the rune,” Valkoth said, grinning as he took to the air. Maekrux followed.

[Kaerisk]

(OOC)


Here’s how this works.

Your role is to come to the aid of either Dralk or Chiconis and help to defeat the opposing army. Take whatever character(s) of yours that you want to participate to the city of your choice and battle the current golem types available. Bipeds are also welcome to participate!

You do this by writing a story post including your character fighting off the golems. Posts can be long or short depending on your preference. You’ll have approximately a week to post before the next wave advances (goal is Saturday advances, but I am sometimes slow to write).

The war takes place in one day, so avoid talking about ICly until the last attack has come and gone.

There will be three waves of attacks. Each wave will add new types of golem. For instance, the first wave has three types of Edari: the grunt, the wizard, and the leading general. I will offer descriptions and type of attacks the golems will utilize in these OOC posts, and you will also see some of their attacks in action in the IC wave posts. This information is to make your post better when you fight the Edari.

Each wave will also have a target. It can feature into your post or not, but that’s their general goal.

The Edari golems are NPCs. They are semi-sentient and are not directly connected to Maurger, and are therefore autonomous. You can do whatever you want to them – win, lose, get infested – so long as it is in the spirit of a war scenario (no dancing with the golems! They hate dancing). The army is supposed to lose, so don’t worry too much about godmodding – that’s why they’re NPCs and not players ;p

On that note, though, make sure at least someone other than Mae or Ausi is defending both cities. If they are unopposed, they will capture their goal. I really don’t want them to win, so help me out here >.>;

Next post will give specific information relating to the Edari of Wave 1. Post following that will be an example of one of my characters fighting in the battle at Dralk.

[Kaerisk]

WAVE 1 – Testing Their Strength
TARGET – Destroy the Travel Gates

Leader: Edari-khutit

Description: a golem body twice the size of a half-giant carved into the shape of a khutit. One of the few Edari with two eyes. Part of the body is hollow, and the ooze that animates it circulates around inside like blood. It has two obsidian claymores, and additional armor in the form of marble plates around the chest, legs, and outer arms.

Attacks:
Weapon Mastery – The Edari-khutit is an expert at dual wielding with the obsidian blades. Note that obsidian tends to crack and fragment under stress and will leave very sharp pieces embedded in its target.

Corrupting Breath – The general can breathe a gas of dark primal, causing the target to become physical ill and corrupt/age skin or scale. It can also cause hallucination or confusion if inhaled.



Unit: Edari Grunt

Description: thick and powerful forearms, small but strong hind legs. Similar in appearance to a baboon with a large gray eye for a head. Joints are comprised of the black ooze, but the joints are protected by plates of granite or obsidian and the shoulders, sides, and two that can be pushed together to cover the eye.

Attacks:
Wild Swing – The golem swings its huge forearms to daze the target or break bone. Can sometimes leave itself open to attack while doing this.

Stone Throw – Can throw either stone it brought with it or stone ripped from the ground itself. Damage depends on the shape of the rock.

Piercing Strangulation – Golem attempts to choke the victim, piercing the neck with its sharpened talons. Ooze then comes up from the joints and enters into the wound, causing infestation and loss of body control. If quick, infestation can be removed by submersing in lava or burning dragon fire into the wound.


Unit: Edari Wizard

Description: an Edari with human-like features, but golem-sized stature. Gray eye for a face, and body covered in flowing ooze that looks faintly like a robe. Fingers are made of the ooze and its primary point of attack.

Attacks:
Dark Prime Bolt: Similar to a Prime Bolt, but can corrupt/age skin or scale in addition to exploding on impact.

Ooze Vines: using its own ‘robe,’ the wizard manipulates the goo into the ground, travels through it, and then sprouts capturing vines around the victim’s feet. This gives the wizard time to infect its target if unchecked. Ooze returns to the wizard once the attack ends.

Dark Tempest: Black ooze leaves the ‘robe’ of the wizard and swirls around on a whirling wind. The ooze hardens into thin, razor-like objects, which can slash an unprotected target to ribbons. Ooze returns to the wizard once the attack ends.

???????: For Wave Two. Mwahaha.

[Kaerisk]

(Example post)

Maekrux and Valkoth landed on the path before the floating hub of Dralk. Spreading their mighty wings as if to declare that no further trespass would be made, they stalked into battle. Maekrux struck with his claws against the grunt golem, tearing a chunk from its forearm and knocking it off balance. With a tail whip, he sent the advance golem flying into the wall.

The wizard golem behind the grunt waved its oozing fingers and channeled a bolt of dark prime, tossing it at the Blue Phoenix. The dragon lifted his paw in response, channeling a prime bolt of his own. His ball of prime met the aggressive spell in the air between them. The explosive energy created a crack of sound and a flash of light; Maekrux lowered his head and charged, lifting it at the last moment to knock the wizard to its ooze-covered back. Capturing its arms in his foreclaws, Maekrux spewed a burst of flame onto the wizard, utterly burning away the animating ooze that held the golem together. Maekrux roared his victory at the still-coming onslaught.

“Who next shall challenge the Blue Phoenix?” he demanded, rushing forward again.

[Frith-Rae]

((zomg thank you for this - I am actifve in several email/forum RPs and so I can do this even if I can't login for ya'lls stuff - I hope to post something tonight as I'm at work now but Frith-Rae shall emerge from her lair next to that portal they are attacking and asist Sem and Aux - though I will not RP them . Just dont kill meh! )

[RuneDragoon]

((Did anything happen to march through the Mahagra/Kirasanct area? I'm a bit of a dork and can't figure it out myself.))

Wherever I go, they make themselves known. It is my very presence that gives the passive voice and reason, for finally someone understands and listens to their voice. I am the listener. Finally, someone came into the world to speak. They have many things to say.

I've lived in dralk for two years now. It was difficult when I first moved in with my elder lady, being a human... for the latter of a year, she had to use magic to protect me from the other dragons.

Beyond that point, I managed to bond with the souls of the prime... to connect to the voice and spirit of nature and elements. Now, Runos need not worry for me. Most of the Lunus became reluctant to try eating me when they discovered an lava spirit can put a dragon's essence being attuned to flame... into utter shame. I did feel bad when that first dragon ignited into flame, but I did not ask the spirit of the pool to attack it. Few want to try now, and only those who are new in town have considered it (And like those before them, are alarmed when they suddenly burst into flame).

Most of the time it is chaos, as I travel and try to restore corrupted spirits to sanity where the hand of Aegis has grasped them. But today the chaos was different. Spirits came to me from the other side of the world as they followed the tracks of more than a beast. Glades and meadows became momentarily lifeless and dead silent, not even the air moving in these places before returning to life and motion. Chaos has a new shape. It is marching in two prongs, and I may be trapped before I can assist the other side.

~~

Runos, still ill for the better part of several months, hadn't moved from the same spot since the weakness first gripped her. She hacked up a grey slime onto the ground, a new symptom. The disease perhaps was evolving, and continuing to consume the lair ward's residual power. There hadn't been a dragon strong enough to move one of the largest and heaviest female dragons in dralk out into fresh air, and her children studied and researched in addition to trying to figure out how to fix it. I even tried too, but the spirits found this crawling corruption untouchable, lest it consume them.

Indeed, I was beginning to think it may have started as a common cold, mutating into something more resilient and sinister when it contacted some rune. Judging by how it is slowly evolving, it looked more grim every day. I stood there, stroking her shoulder, offering some comfort in a soothing touch.

I was suddenly assailed by whispers, shouts, and voices in succession and unison, speaking the same thing.

"The primal flows are distorted... There are ripples. Something is happening..." Runos said. She was probably feeling the flocking spirits the had crammed into her chamber, flowing in and out en masse every passing second by the hundreds. I held my ears and shook my head slowly side to side, trying to cope with the volumes before I simply reminded them I am only but a human.

"Shh... one at a time..." I whispered to them. By now, Runos was more than familiar with how they often forget I am not a spirit, but a living thing. I have limits with the mortal coil.

What I heard widened my eyes. As I heard it, my lips moved in unison, uttering the words I heard spoken from nature itself, at first in unison, then staggered from multiple entities.

"Unnatural beasts, corrupted in essence. They come for the heart of fire. They wait for the heart of water. Their master's soul is black as pitch, the ebon beasts march to mark the day with crimson. Death marches forward unlike the Aegis. The master seeks power, but such does not cause us fear."

They paused a moment before one spoke up once more, and I spoke with it.

"We fear loss of our speaker, and those who purge corruption in fire. The crimson rain will inevitably unlock the path to ruin."

But we looked at each other and only knew what was to be done. The spirits at first did not like the concept proposed, but eventually were convinced that it was the lesser of two evils. I was gifted anyways. Runos was just too weak to move, let alone fight.

The spirits flooded out of the chambers to return to their place in the world, while I bound my hands in rune-augmented hide, and leather armors.

Nature is always in chaos. But never before will chaos be seen on the scale that I can ... encourage... it to manifest in.

((Sorry about pre-story. :P Gives you a wee bit of backing about the character if you haven't met the strange little lady.))

~
Azaraen
Female Human
Spirit Speaker/Monk (Really Storm Disciple)

She is relatively weak on her own, only having a basic training and the general abilities of a storm disciple in channeling lightning. More often than not, a touch will zap an enemy, leaving them reeling, but she is generally inexperienced yet as only a mere student and cannot inflict much damage.

Guardians: Normally flanked in most areas by four spirits, (air, earth, fire, water), the alignment to fire in dralk is unsuitable for spirits that detest fire. For this fight, her water and air spirit have not arrived. In their stead, a spirit of light and one of darkness are taking their place. The earth and fire inflict damage, while the light and dark sow support and chaos around the field (buff, debuff).

Combat strategy: Azaraen attempts to hang back and fight defensively. Her guardians are laying down her attack. If their master is under attack, they will drop what they are doing to defend her with relentless haste.

~

Location: Dralk

A human runs up from behind the portal, around it, and stands on the ledge near the shrine. For most bipeds, the heat here would sear them, but she seems quite unaffected as she calmly assumes a monk's battle stance. The area falls silent and it feels as if the fabric of nature awakens. Four points of light brilliantly fade into view, flanking the lady. They coalesce into forms, becoming more elemental than spirit, ready to strike.

And then they come at last. She walks in the direction, one tiny woman and four creatures against the army of black beasts she never had seen before. When she feels she is the right distance, she calmly speaks.

"Its time." she says with a smile. "Nature has declared war upon you. Forget a scorned woman... you've no idea the fury of nature scorned." She said, assuming the combat stance in this new spot.

"Show them your fury."

In but a moment (And in this time, I assume Maekrux's post happens), the massive elemental forces have arrived in the ranks of the enemy. The fire elemental and its earthen counterpart flung, crushed, melted and turned the front ranks into slag. The back ranks were suddenly covered in a thick black fog that consumed the light, blanketing them in cold, seemingly endless artificial night. The light elemental hung back to guard its master, finding the others not yet in need of assistance.

[Essra]

((I think I'll put a character in chic. Though the prospect of having a geomancer in the middle of a volcano city fighting enemies who are horribly weak to fire is tempting, I've already got two chars there. xD.)

Asua was hiding fearfully beneath chiconis, enveloped in the earth's dark embrace. Not even an army could reach her there. She knew there was fighting, she could feel the vibrations traveling through the ground. The hatching felt safe underground, though. Surely the earth would protect her.

That is, until the soil itself began to suck the energy right out of her. She knew the earth would not betray her like this... no, she could feel the source of the corruption. And if there was one way to bait a geomancer to combat, it was to corrupt the very ground she was hiding in. She gave a furious growl, and the earth rumbled with her anger.

The hatchling was not, technically, a golem, despite her metallic flesh. It was a change that had slowly been taking hold of her since birth. By now, from scale to bone, every inch of her body was an odd compound of flesh and metal, fused into a material that could really be described as neither one... or both. It wasn't as tough as natural metal, but it was a far sight tougher than a hatchling's regular scales! And Asua, despite her outward timid appearances, was a fearsome warrior when she wanted to be. Nobody will ever call her a tactical genius, and her mind seems to be stuck in the infant stage... and though she is making progress in that regard, it is excruciatingly slow.

While she doesn't seem to be progressing intellectually, she at least has been growing stronger at an alarming rate. Her flesh hardened with each passing week, and her strength was unnatural for a hatchling. But then, she had to be strong, to move a body that was nearly three times heavier than the norm. And on top of all this, she could convert the earth itself into a formidable weapon. But she was still a daft hatchling with little capacity for rational thought.

And only one thought crossed her mind now, as the wizards seeped her energy away, using her very own ground against her. Kill. She exploded out of the ground in the middle of the circle of wizards, showering them with bits of rock and dirt. Asua gave a furious howl, then leapt at the nearest wizard. A terrible crash rang throughout the city like the beat of a gong, as her metallic paw crushed the stone head of the unfortunate golem to a dusty rubble.

Of course, the rest of the cabal was upon her at once, hurling spells at her mercilessly. She was caught dead in the chest by a prime bolt, and the explosion toppled her head-over-tail with a sharp yelp. Wincing and staggering to her feet, as the other bolts landed where she had just been, she finds her feet tangled in oily vines. She gritted her teeth and ignored the blood leaking down her chest. It was a more minor wound than one would expect, but then she -was- made of metal, after all. It was still a rather nasty wound. The aging had barely any noticeable affect, since metal stood the test of time far better than flesh did.

Asua roared as fiercely as she could, though in all honesty it probably would have sounded a little amusing to any adult who happened to hear it. Her voice just wasn't deep enough to carry much threat. But the earth answered her call nonetheless. It was as if the ground had been hit with a giant hammer right where the hatchling was standing, sending a shockwave of dirt and dust flying out in all directions as the ground bucked and rolled beneath their feet. Asua herself stumbled, but the bipedal cabal was knocked clean off it's feet down to the last man. A vicious earthen spike exploded through the chest of a second Edari before it could rise again.


(Stuck a little bit of background in there since not everyone on the forum may be familiar with Su and what she is... XP)

[Essra]

((Ah! Okay, thanks ^^)

[RuneDragoon]

((I think I'll put a character in chic. Though the prospect of having a geomancer in the middle of a volcano city fighting enemies who are horribly weak to fire is tempting, I've already got two chars there. xD.)

((The fire elemental also is there already melting anything that gets into its range as it feeds off the tar... it likely views any additional waves as all you can eat buffet courses.))

[BrightCat]

((Would blight affect the dark primal goo? As an energy that breaks things down and deteriorates I think it'd try to break down the goo too.))

[Kaerisk]

(@BrightCat: Corrupting corruption?! MADNESS~

Really, it would have the same effect as on normal Prime. Dark Prime corrupts Prime (which is what most of Istaria is made of) because it is an alternate and incompatible form of Prime; it has similar effects as Blight because of this contradiction or 'wrongness' to anything that is Primal.

Blight corrupts everything that isn't Blight, so... yes, it'll work.


@RuneDragon: Bah! I'll have to bring in some Edari made of water ;p

It still might take some time to burn through the thicker Edari (like an orphaned Shield Golem or the Boulder-General). The poor wizards are toast though. >.>;


@All: Weeee thanks for posting~ Feel free to keep 'em coming~)

[BrightCat]

Selarth fought viciously tearing through the ranks of Edari golems. He ripped apart the golems with a savage ferocity like an enraged beast, but if you were to watch him it was clear he was a very skilled an efficient warrior. He struck the golems where their armor was weakest every blow directed at the weakest points he could find.

Selarth refrained from overusing his blight abilities; he only had a limited amount and it seemed this battle would wage on for quite some time, he had to conserve. The blight dragon roared as a grunt smashed into his flank. He could feel a rib or two crack from the impact but that didn’t stop him from whirling on his hapless victim and tearing it apart. The battle was starting to take its toll on him. Despite the constant healing breeze he had whirling around him blood dripped from various wounds across his body and he was beginning to tire.

Selarth gave an irritated growl as he saw a second wave of Edari begin pushing into Dralk adding to the numbers of the first wave. What are these things and where are they coming from?! While Selarth was distracted with the onslaught of the second wave, an Edari advanced towards the blight dragon from behind. The grunt lashed out with its stony hand grabbing at Selarth’s hind leg. The dragon whirled around and began tearing at the grunt, but he couldn’t get it off before some of the ooze slithered up the grunt’s arm and into a wound on Selarth’s leg.

Selarth tossed the remains of the golem into the other advancing Edari bowling them over. He was about to charge a group of them when he felt the dark primal energy move up his hind leg and begin to spread. His body began to feel sluggish and unresponsive as the dark primal worked its way up his spine. Selarth gritted his teeth and released a blast of blight energy. The blight energy immediately began attacking the dark primal energy working to break it down.

Selarth barely could move enough to evade an attack from one of the new Edari, some strange bipedal sword-wielding thing. Its second attack was successful slashing Selarth across his shoulder causing the skin and scale around the wound to age. Selarth sharply inhaled and expelled a blast of fire from his jaws hoping to incinerate the goo, but the sword’s partner rolled into the path of the flames: the shield. The sword leapt from behind its partner and struck out again. Selarth dodged to the side evading and tried to tail whip the Edari as a counter attack. The Edari sword leapt back next to the shield. Come on body! Work! Selarth released another pulse of blight energy finishing off what was left of the dark ooze that had infested him.

The blight dragon unfurled his wings and launched himself into the air. He needed to heal or else he’d end up bleeding out from all of his wounds. Selarth lurched through the air flying haphazardly. He finally managed to make it to a cliff above Dralk and above the battle. From what he could see they were definitely outnumbered but they seemed to be holding up a lot better than he expected.

Selarth began healing the worst of his wounds trying to staunch the blood flow. Though he was a very experienced and strong fighter, Selarth was not invincible. However, he wasn’t one to just walk away from a fight as grand as this one. He looked down at the wound across his shoulder which was slowly closing his tail flicking impatiently. He still had plenty of fight left in him. It was going to take more than that to stop him.

As he was healing, Selarth watched the battle. It seemed that the golems had picked a new target: the crystal citadel. Since there was only one way in to the citadel they would be bottlenecked at the entrance to Dralk. He wondered if the other defenders were smart enough to take advantage of that.