Personality: Darashkk is a rash and impatient ghost with very little regard for people around it. It is selfish and spiteful, and loves the taste of blood from a brawl. Despite this however, it does show care for its own people: the Shadow Dwellers, and will offer their undying loyalty (pun intended) to pursue the achievement of a dictatorship within Dirqkiv’s enormous breadth of land.
History: Darashkk simply exists, and has done so for millennia. As the ruler of the Shadow Dwellers, Darashkk is very familiar with the power and success of a dictatorship, and believes it will work on a grander scale. Although it has dreamed of such a government being formed for all its conscious life, it has never truly had the ability to complete a pursuit. Darashkk was there at the forming of the Traumeris, with the first sixteen races to offer their assets towards the cause of a dictatorship takeover. Since then it has snuck behind the lines in the shadows, tearing those asleep apart from the inside and driving the Vennerites (and innocent people) insane. Although it cares little for the Peacekeepers and regards them little as far as threats go, it will gladly kill them all the same.
Other (Up for love?): Definitely not up for love. As a Shadow Dweller, Darashkk has nightmarish power in the shadows of darkness, and therefore can only inflict severe mental damage (which can lead to physical). It can reveal its physical form when exposed to light, which will begin to kill it in strong concentrations.
"Happy,happyChristmas,that canwinus backtothe delusions ofour childhooddays;recalltotheoldmanthepleasuresof hisyouth,and transport thetravelerbacktohisownfiresideandquiethome!"
In his Soletaken form, as a two metre high bear. Think undead, so dried out and patchy.
Personality: Cold, distant and generally keeps himself to himself. A strong fighter, he believes that only through a single leader can Derqiv be united. Quiet and reflective, he only says what needs to be said when it needs to be said.
History: An undead Clanless wanderer, Mok's political views came about as a result of seeing the stupidity that is rife with the lower classes, leading him to realise that they are unable to lead themselves. He believes that - for their own benefit - they need a single strong leader to take charge. He has nothing against the Vennerites and the Peacekeepers, but will destroy them utterly if they get in his way.
Other: His sword is unbreakable, as it has part of his soul imbued in it. Can turn into the dust he would have, if he had died instead of becoming undead, allowing him to travel vast distances. When he veers into his Soletaken form, there is a strong smell of spice, as with sembling into his normal state.
I hae but ane gallant son, and if he were to follow me in my footsteps, how proud I shall be.
Time isn't a straight line. It's a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff
Another thing I'd like to mention is that he is also going to serve as my co-runner and advisor, so what he says goes (unless I say otherwise). Once again, a few more days and we'll start this up.
Take your time- hurry up, choice is yours don't be late Take a rest, as a friend, as an old memory.
Ok, it doesn't look like anyone's gonna join, so let's get this going. Remember, please post for notifications on the Discussion thread listen above. Here we go!
Perrinni
I sat in the middle of our hut, crafting a few arrow sheaths on the hard oak table while Tenebris was browsing the many writings upon the bookshelf. The night was dark, bitter and harsh, the winter winds had made sure of that. All we had to illuminate the room was a lantern and two candles, and neither the Draconian nor I seemed tired. It was nice that the citizens of Jurgesklug to offer us hospitality as we began our journey to the great plains of Liike to end a predicted conflict between the despicable Vennerites and Traumeris, sometimes I actually wondered if they truly considered the consequences of their petit feud.
My train of thought wass interrupted when the musty voice of Tenebris drifts through the silent hut. “Are you scared?” I cocked my head in confusion, then turned back to my sheaths and crafting knives. “Well, I know the dangers of battle, but fearful I am not. Merely aware of the possibilities and hazards we may face. Is it war that you fear?”
The Draconian huffed, whether it was in disbelief or simply compliance, I did not know. Regardless, an answer did not come, which did not at all surprise me. The half-man seemed like a soul of more questions than answers, and in some aspects I guess that was a good thing. I hoped the night would pass quickly so we could continue our trek through the dense forest of Taoyl, and continue onto the Great Plains. We were only scheduled to fight there because of the safety of the nearby town of Liike, in which people were neutral. This conflict nearby was clearly an attempt of propaganda for both armies; whichever one would show that allegiance to them would result in survival and benefit. We were to stop any such result and disband the fighting, and further more: keep the peace, as our name suggested.
The single bed in the corner of the room was looking more comfy with every passing second, so I decided to go across and take a nap. I would need to store as much energy for the long journey tomorrow. “Good night, Dragon Man,” I uttered as I rested my head against the pillow, and began to sleep.
Take your time- hurry up, choice is yours don't be late Take a rest, as a friend, as an old memory.
The world was silent and eerie as the deep night sky had descended upon the Vennerite camp on the far eastern side of the city of Liike, awaiting the sombre dawn to call the beacon of battle. Qyrix was unsure as whether he were to feel glad or disappointed to be selected as a part of the flanking group; he would serve his purpose alright, but many lives would still be lost because of his absence in the thick of things. That was if the Traumeris decided to even show their cowardly faces. Qyrix could not stand their stench of deceit and selfishness; truly, he would only care for those who supported the voice of the people, and not one being, be they a god or a serf.
The Golem stood motionless outside the tent (although it was the size of a marquee) of his fellow flanking troops: the beautiful Emmy, an odd Angel considering her possession of gender, and Lauryr, a fellow giant, but of which was purely natural, unlike Qyrix himself. Others would join them, but those three had been assigned as a support subcategory, in case the flanking squad was detected as they moved along the thick undergrowth of the Taoyl forest, in which case the brute strength of the two colossuses would be required to remove obstructing ground troops.
Qyrix had realised that only the Angel occupied the tent as he saw the large, frost-blue figure of Lauryr approach him. “The night is clear, so must the day be so tomorrow,” said the Giant, as he halted in front of the Golem.
“I concur,” he replied, a metallic reverberation coating his words. “It does not affect myself either way, comrade. It is merely the small armoured humanoids who will feel heavy downpour. But as you say, this is unlikely to happen.”
“Indeed.” A moment of silence passed across the two enormous creatures as the breeze blew past, howling as it drifted through the trees and long grass. “I must rest; the next day will require a lot of energy. Good night.”
And with that, the Frost Giant entered into the tent, and a short period of small talk between Emmy and he commenced, but only lasted for a few seconds or so. Qyrix attempted a sigh, but failed; there were a few such vocal actions he could not perform, but he still understand the situation in which to use them. He decided to take one more patrol around the camp to make sure no spies or assassins lied in wait, and then assume sentry for the rest of the night. He did not require sleep. The grass squished beneath his feet as he walked, and the Tungsten Golem began his rounds.
Laments of passion Obstructed by fear. Under guises of jovial chatter; Incredulous hopes Steadily feasting away- Eating away at my heart.
Tamen sat perched in the cold night air, listening and watching. Presently he saw what he was looking for.
"Simon, go wake Perrinni," Tamen said. A young man said nothing, but rushed away. He was one of the human refugees and quite useful, even if he couldn't fly. He returned with Perrinni just as Seeker landed. Seeker was aptly named, he was the leader of Tamen's reconnaissance teams. The gryphon looked with suspicion at Perrinni.
"Make your report, Seeker."
"A disaster has occurred. General Foreseth's force got caught in an avalanche in the Meritin pass. The survivors are low on supplies and vulnerable to attack. General Foreseth is missing. A Major Pierce is in charge now, and he requests aid be sent."
"We won't be able to link up with his force before we make it to Liike," Perrinni said with a frown. "That will cut our attack force in half."
"How about enemy dispositions?" Tamen asked.
"Bad news there as well. The Vennerites have a force of eight battalions heading towards Liike, while the Traumeris are sending ten battalions." They'll be engaging one another tomorrow.
"Great, so we have six battalions to stop eighteen instead of twelve. So much for a major show of force," Simon said.
"How long will it take Major Pierce to reorganize his force?" Tamen asked.
"Things are hectic there right now. Maybe two days," Seeker responded.
"Thank you Seeker. Go wake the clan elders now." Seeker bowed.
"What about us?" Perrinni asked.
"We need to slow down the battle. I can send my gryphons forward to cut off their supply lines, we can carry some of your elite warriors too, if they're equipped lightly enough. Until we link up with Pierce's force, it's best that we take no major actions against either the Traumeris or Vennerites."
"We should also do our best to evacuate as many civilians from Liike as possible, before urban fighting begins," Perrinni said.
"We'll have to act quickly then. Simon, we'll need a map," Tamen said. Simon left promptly.
"I'll wake up some warriors," Perrinni said, rushing off. For the moment, Tamen was left alone to his thoughts. He had given thought to what a fight with ground people would be like. Soon he would be able to put his ideas into practice.
Simon returned with a map. Seeker and the clan elders came next. The elders were the all experienced warriors and each of them commanded a wing of gryphons.
"We have twelve hours of darkness left to work in. Halin, Darva, Seeker spotted a friendly force that got caught in an avalanche over at Meritin pass. Get a vector and load up your heavy haulers with whatever supplies we can spare. Once you deliver the supplies, RTB. Go now. I'll need the rest of you to examine a different problem. Seeker?"
"This is Liike," Seeker said pointing to the map. "And the Vennerites and Traumeris are here and here..."
Lauryr lay his head down on the bed which had been constructed for him. The Vennerites had forgone a proper cot, laying two mattresses end to end directly on the sodden soil. The Frost Giant felt himself sinking as he reclined; he murmured concernedly, but did nothing more. Lauryr took to staring up at the canvas stretched over his head. Beyond it, he knew, the stars stretched on for eternity, but all he could see was the stained and torn white fabric. To some degree, it reminded him of the Traumeris, so keen to opress, to obscure all that was good and beautiful. The Frost Giant touched a finger to the ground beside him, freezing it solid. Immediately, the sinking sensation ceased. He closed his eyes, eager to welcome the next day.
At the end of the day, when the sun is gone and the light is lost, the shadows will play.
Tenebris sat away from the planning that was going on. He understood the concept of tactics and plans, but he knew that they could, all too often, fail leaving armies demoralised and in tatters. He got up and walked to an empty field, his giant sword slung over his shoulder. Having arrived at his destination, Tenebris looked around. He spied a few big rocks. Putting down his sword, Tenebris walked over to the rocks and picked one of them up. He walked about ten paces and placed it down and, retrieving his sword, went into a thoughtful stance. After about fifteen seconds, he slammed his sword into the rock, shattering it into oblivion. He went to the second rock and was about to do the same again when he heard a voice from behind him.
"Tenebris..."
I want to see you choke on your lies, Swallow up your greed, Suffer all alone in your misery.
The gryphons were flying now. Tamen flew high above the formation, the better to see what was going on. Out in front were Seeker's recon flights. Behind them were the demolitions group. Some were loaded with clay pots of oil, the gryphons would set them on fire before dropping them on targets spotted below. Others were loaded with heavy stones, perfect for dropping on unsuspecting targets.
Behind these was the main gryphon force. Each of them carried a swing in their talons, from each of them a fighter hung precariously. They were bundled up tightly, to protect them from the freezing temperatures.
Interspersed throughout the force were mages. They moved from formation to formation, casting spells to make things lighter and make gryphons warmer. They had also arranged for a nice tail wind.
Above the formations were the younger gryphons. They weren't yet strong enough to carry the soldiers, but they were quite fast. If an air enemy appeared, they would engage them and keep them out of the way.
Things had been carefully planned. There was no talking, and signals were made with talons exclusively, with no bright lights or flares. The night was clear and their sharp eyes needed nothing more.
Soon, they approached Liike. Liike was built around a lake, with a castle built on an island in the center. A wooden bridge connected the castle to the mainland. An road running from east to west was the only way into Liike. On either side of the road were the Vennerites and the Traumeris forces. Their encampments were mirrors of the other.
Recon had noted that both sides had positioned their encampment around a rise. On each rise, they had noted tents of special magnificence, bearing symbols of the Vennerites and Traumeris respectively. Around both these tents were heavily armed soldiers and servants. It was believed that the generals were in these tents.
The gryphons were attacking from the North, over the forest. The attack force split in two, one headed for the Vennerite camp to the East, the other went for the Traumeris camp to the West. Their targets were two villages, known to the gryphons as Alpha and Bravo. The two armies were running supplies through these villages.
The first phase of the Gryphon attack was carried out. The recon forces played a critical role, spotting and taking out sentries silently. After which they dropped soldiers at both villages, the attacks occurring near simultaneously. The mission for these forces was simple: eliminate hostile forces, steal as many supplies as possible, and burn the rest. The fires would be the signal for the second phase to begin.
The pass was cold. That suited Mok. He never could be bothered with heat. Cold preserves, but fire consumes. Important words for a corpse, even an immortal one. The progress on the fort was slow, what with the frozen ground and thin soil. The men were having trouble getting strong enough foundations. Once complete however, it would dominate the pass, preventing any Vennerite troop movement. It was an important border zone, the only way round was 50 miles north at Liike, or over 100 miles south past the Tjalin mountains. Mok watched the horizon, unmoving, as work continued around him.
I hae but ane gallant son, and if he were to follow me in my footsteps, how proud I shall be.
Time isn't a straight line. It's a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff
Yells and shouts and squeals and screams had caught the Golem's attention, and he had rushed from his positioning at the outskirts of the camp to the front of the temporary settlement. Men were aiming at the sky with their bows, and sending showers of arrows towards the heavens. The attack seemed to have been launched by Gryphons, quite obvious considering their large, majestic bodies and intimidating talons. Rocks and hazards fell from the sky, crushing the Vennerite ground forces, but only irritated Qyrix. A large rock had plunged from the dark abyss of the above and struck the colossal figure on the head, which had only resulted in the shattering of the stone.
More cacophonies had joined the air as the Vennerite aerial forces had commenced a counter-attack, and although the Harpies and leigons of Gargoyles may not have been quite the size of a Gryphon, they could move just as fast, and, tactically, had the offensive force outnumbered. The Golem noticed that Lauryr had emerged from the tent a few rows back, and then stood at his side. "We need to act, the Peacekeepers have launched an offensive," he informed.
"So I noticed," the Tungsten giant replied. "We should assault the ground troops, we are much stronger on the earth."
"Agreed, let's move."
The two had began to form an arrowhead formation, and it wasn't long before the whole legion had filled in the vacancies. "Move along the rear of the fortification, amphibious units, get moving. We get inside the town and work from the inside to stop the Traumeris and Peacekeepers. Move!"
Laments of passion Obstructed by fear. Under guises of jovial chatter; Incredulous hopes Steadily feasting away- Eating away at my heart.
Tenebris turned around to face the person. A soldier is what met his eyes.
"The Vennerites have launched a counter attack and are tearing our ground forces apart." The soldier didn't get to say much more. A knife all of a sudden found itself embedded into the chest of the soldier. He collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood." A hooded figure appeared on a nearby hill. Then vanished. Tenebris ran over to the soldier, but he was already dead by the time he reached him. Tenebris took the knife out of the soldiers chest. He examined it closely. It was jagged and had intricate patterns decorating the blade. He recognised it as a demon weapon. Casting it aside, he stood up and unfolded his wings. With a mighty beat of his wings, Tenebris flew towards Liike.
I want to see you choke on your lies, Swallow up your greed, Suffer all alone in your misery.
