comming of dark days

[faust]

Syrus G'tavan

Syrus slowly made his way through the woods. The limp wasn't too bad, though he was forced to use his axe for a crutch more often than he liked. As it was, he was lucky to be alive. The village cleric had barely been able to restrain her amazement as she cast a Detox spell on his wound. "There was enough venom there to kill three full-grown Virtars!" she exclaimed, reffering to a viscious canine predator the size of a large lion.
Syrus was not impressed: "I once killed five Virtars is a single battle. I much stronger than poison." Anyway, he was alive now, and that was all that mattered.

The news of his battle with the orcs had spread quickly through the village. The village elders had been only too happy to hire him, paying a very generous comission. Now he was charged with protecting the village from any and all attackers. Recently, disturbing reports had come from a nearby settlement, mostly brought by a steady stream of refugees. It seemed as if their town had been nearly leveled by a horde of demonic beasts. Perhaps they would still see some action out here as well. For a while, Syrus wondered what had happened to that strange half-elf. Probably killed by the orcs. Then again, perhaps he had survived, and they would meet again in the near future. For now, Syrus focused on patrolling the woods around the village, waiting for something exciting to happen.

 

[BlazeofLife]

Kylan Dhaemon

Spinning to face this new threat, Kylan reacted by instinct, arching his slender frame and throwing himself in a graceful dive over the table before him. He landed and wheeled, his twin Katali spinning between his fingertips, and came to rest in a defensive posture, keeping the blads in constant motion to disorient his adversary. Mentally, he was berating himself for such a stupid mistake. Imagine, sitting calmly in a chair while a potential opponent was able to casually slip to within striking distance of his unsuspecting form.
Shaking his head, weapons at the ready, he waited for the newcomer to break the strained silence.

 

[Khadgar]

Balinor Ohms

Balinor Blinked at the lithe elf swaying before him, flicking the blades back and forth, crouched in a defesive position.

he had apparently caught him off gaurd, he must have been inspecting very intently. he smiled at the elf "i am no enemy, thank you for taking me back here. i would not want to be in the mess out there.

upon saying this, the smaller elf must have reacognized him, for he relaxed visably. but he didn't sheath his blades.

Balinor looked at him from beneath the folds of his cloak with curiosity "are you okay?" he looked very tense. he mustbe constantly on his guard. the way he instantly moved to a guarded position when Balinor appeared where he wasn't left, showed that he was always on edge. and instincts had hardened him some. how long have i been out? are the beast creatures gone?" the elf seemed to relax further. maybe if this was a time where there was no fighting, he would be able to find more out about this strange fellow....

 

[BlazeofLife]

Kylan Dhaemon

Keeping his blades moving, prepared for any movement indicative of threat from the newcomer, Kylan relaxed slightly when his prostrate companion rose to stand beside him, but his tension increased again when he appeared unable to see the newcomer in their midst. Stepping lightly backward, he put distance between himself and the others, stopping only when he was able to see both of them at the same time without turning his head.
"Friend, I don't believe we've been introduced. My name is Kylan. I think it's about time that people around here started introducing themselves, especially if they're going to come sneaking up behind others."
This last comment was directed at the newcomer, who still stood patiently in the same spot.

 

[Khadgar]

Balinor Ohms

Balinor looked at his ally strangly, and then it dawned on him. some stealthly creature must have come up without them noticing. Balinor looked in the direction Kylan was looking and drove the sleep from his mind. as soon as he was alert again, he did notice a presence in front of him. it wasn't moving. he kept his eyes on the spot of the stranger, but spoke to Kylan. "I, am Balinor, i suppose you've already guessed a magic weilder, i am a Mage. but perhaps further talk should be saved for later."

Balinor held an arm out, and from beneath his cloak a ball of nearly blindingly bright light flew. sticking to the ground beneath the stranger, a shadowed figure flared into view as a shadow above the white ball. the ball lost it's brilliant illumination and dulled down to a glow, but the shadowy figure remained....

 

[Guest]

Sor'kle laughed heartily. "No need to worry. My name is Sor'kle. I am of Onuvaran descent, if you wonder at my strange build. I was just admiring you two during the battle with the gargoyle-like creatures", he said slowly.

 

[Khadgar]

Balinor Ohms

Balinor looked at the stranger. "sor'kle you say? this still means nothing. i know only of the Onuvaran people from the ancient books. An old race, not one of the faerie though, not like the elves. however they were not timid. they went out in the open, while my people watched the world kill itself from a distance untill we had to show our faces. something they did not. that and a traitor amongst their ranks led to their downfall. but i have not heard anything since. we believe the Onuvaran's long dead, wiped out several hundred years ago."

Balinor concluded his brief summary and gazed at Sor'kle speaking quietly "you however resemble them. you admire us in battle, but many evil's admire their foe before the attack. perhaps a little on your end would ease my mind. and perhaps my comrade here as well"

Balinor shifted his weight to a slightly more comfortable position. seeing as this could take a while if it didn't go sour....

 

[BlazeofLife]

Kylan Dhaemon

Arching a single delicate eyebrow, Kylan steeped lightly to the left, hooking a chair leg from behind with his foot and pulling it close without bothering to glance at it. Flashing his blades in a last impressive maneuver, he slid them both back into their opposing positions on his wrists, hearing them click home with a satisfying snikt sound. Settling into the seat, he leaned back, feigning a posture of confidence and disinterest.
He relaxed, or seemed to, his casual stance belying his entirely deliberate placement and seating arrangement. As he'd made his wild dive across the tabletop, he'd memorized the layout of the room in a fraction of a second, and he used that knowledge now to his own benefit as he rested atop his seat directly in front of the window with which he'd made so many acquaintances in the recent past. He leaned back, and in that motion put himself that much closer to the window, and that much more ready to tumble backward out of his chair if the stranger should prove troublesome.
Settled, and as prepared as he could make himself, he shifted his gaze to cover the newcomer, Sor'kle, entirely.
"I must admit, my knowledge of this subject is sparse indeed. If you wish to join us, then I would suggest a certain level of trust must be achieved, and such shall not be garnered until you divulge some small amount of information about yourself."

 

[Morgoth]

Sor'kle let out a hearty laugh. "Come come. Tuly relax. I mean neither of you any harm. My full name is Sor'kle Zaul, which in your tongues means blade of light", as he said this, he threw open his cloaks and withdrew a sword. It blazed with a holy light, casting away all shadows. "But enought of that", he said after a moment of silence, sheathing the sword and folding the robes up. "I come here to stop Skorn. He is a conqueror from thousands of years ago. He conquered many peoples, us included, and enslaved them. Thankfully for us, he happened to kill a Sslik ambassador, and the Sslik God ordered him death. The Sslik armies attacked, freed us, then left. The Sslik people, being led by Skorn in disguise, overthrew the Sslik God and his Slayer Knights, who then, with the help of Lokken Redlight banished Skorn. We thought forever. But, he has come back. To this island. I have been sent here to stop him once and for all. He is already ammasing an army, however. Heard about any particularly vicious attacks, where no one was spared? It was probably him. Hear about any castles razed to the ground and the lord and lady butchered? It was probably him. Hell, he probably did most everything bad on this island. He's a giant of a being. He stands 8 feet tall and isn't even human. His strength is greater than most dragons', and his magic is so powerful, he could obliterate this island with a mid-level spell. And worst of all, he's pure evil", described Sor'kle detailedly. Now done, he stood still and let the two men before him absorb it all.

 

[Khadgar]

Balinor Ohms

Balinor watched and listened, the blade Sor'kle withdrew shone brightly, filling the room with light

is the battle over? Balinor thought. what if this light attracts those beasts?
Sor'kle then told his story, one deeply rooted in the past. although, he doubted all the destruction was caused from this Skorn. in the Elven histories, it was told that many evils roamed, not easily subdued. he remembered the story of Skorn, told to the Elven people by a Sslik traveler, it was put down and from all he knew, Skorn used tricks, and overwhelming odds. but powerful bemoths like those who had gone around outside. and besides, this village was being played with. these people didn't know how to fight. so many had died so far, and many would in the future Balinor thought. Someone was having fun with this village. but he would find out more later.

"I, am Balinor Ohms. i am 134 years old. i come from the north, of a enclosed mountain range, where my people, the Wood Elves live in secrecy. several thousand years ago, the Wood Elves lived more to the south, in a vast forest. any unwanted intruders were followed by out scouts. no one ever traced our scouts. when your people have been in hiding for tens of thousands of years, you get to be good at being stealthly. eventually the Gnomes, in the Eastern Plains, grew to large, and because of their aggressive nature, swarmed the forrest. the Elven excelence with the bow cut them down while we, in the trees lay unscathed except by missles of rock and branch. some Gnome archers were present, but their sheer numbers were too much. Elves reproduce slowly, while Gnomes bear their children even faster than the humans. though not by much.in the midst of this, one Elf, who all the others considered strange, mostly by his huge size, and was generally avoided, took up arms, taking with him those few who would fight alongside him, and fought the elves, the handful drove the Gnomish divisions back, bit by bit. and then, they stepped into the full scale invasion. swarms of elves were heading for the main encampment the Wood Elves had. but the strange elf didn't panic. instead, the circle of elves fought fiercely, and the big elf and four others escaped. from the stories, the big elf slew dozens of gnomes, perhaps hundreds. but he dissapeared after that. presumed deat by a gnomish patrol. after that, the people honoured him. it was because of he, how he personally had reduced the Gnomish numbers by so much, that the village survived. the fighting was fierce, but the elves won that battle. he was a great mage. after that it was decided that fighting the gnomes was futile. there were just too many of them. the ran north. into the mountains and have lived there for thousands of years. that is the story on my people, and my story, is when i came to be, i grew much qicker than the other children my age, and one day, the ancient in my village recognized me. i look exactly like the large strange elf. it is believed, since i took to the abilities of a mage so well, that the old elf, had cast a spell, to come back when he was needed. and so it is believed that i am he."

Balinor kept quiet after that. he had spoken far more than he wished, but he needed to tell his companion Kylan about himself anyway. but telling the story of his people, and how it was believed he was the great mage, it was too much. he had spoken far more than he was accustomed. so he stood there, hiding his large frame under his dark cloak....

 

[BlazeofLife]

Kylan Dhaemon

Kylan remained silent throughout the exchange between the two, observing his companions with interest. In truth, he'd had little to do with others on any kind of social level since his childhood, and knew nothing of the historical events about which the others spoke with such familiarity. Still, he'd honed his skills in a world where the ability to judge people in an instant could spell the difference between freedom and imprisonment, and he put them to good use now. Despite the seeming incongruities in both tales, he sensed that both were being truthful, to at least some degree. They weren't saying everything, to be sure, but then, he had no intention of sharing details about his own past either, so omissions were to be expected.
When Balinor finished speaking, Kylan snatched one of his blades from its sheath, using it to calmly clean the dirt from his ragged fingernails. Finding a long sliver of wood driven beneath one of the thick calluses on his palm, and sensing the attention of the others focusing on him, he used the sharp blade of the katal to fish out the offending splinter, and stated simply, "My name is Kylan Dhaemon. And to quote a scholar I once read of, 'I have no past, and the future is indeterminate, therefore I exist only in the present. Judge me as you will, for my actions are my own.'" Glancing around self-consciously, embarrassed at his sudden poetic mindset, he finished quickly. "I have no grand schemes, deitic interventions, or rampaging conquerors to tell of, but I'm stuck here just like you guys, so we might as well stick together."

 

[Roughneck]

Dakota


Dakota quickly made a crude but stable splint from the fallen branches that lay scatered on the forest floor. Useing strips from his cloak he fastened the splint together as well as banadged his ribs and shoulder. He had no clue the time of day, but he judged it to be mid day as he made his way back. The pain was intense, his body ached with each step. His progress was slow and many times he stoped out of sheer exhaustion but come early morning he came across his horse. His horse looked no better then him, half starved and beaten down by the countless days of rain, but it seem it did not matter to him nor the beast, as both were releaved to see each other.
Dakota checked his bags on the horse and was sadden to only find some stale moldy bread, but his hunger was great and he ate it without thought. He began to wonder about his men, the witch and what this damn village had to do with it all. As he mounted his horse he began to make his way back , avoiding the village and anyone who might be about. He felt an unease about him, as if he was being followed, he also felt a sense of dreed as if death was breathing down his neck. These feelings caused him to spur his horse on, pushing the animal to the brink. By late afternoon of the third day Dakota and his horse were near death, both exhausted and hungry they stumbled on.
Then from a far distance Dakota noticed something. " Could it be ridders" he thought, as he strained his eyes. He couldnt make out the detals of what he saw, but from the dust that was being stired he figured it very well might be. He then realized his own state. No weapon of any sort, and no condition to defend or run away. A fear swept over him as he realized that if these ridders were foe, he was good as dead. He just slumped over his haggard horse to await his fate, singing softly an old Elfin song. As the ridders drew close he heard a voice call out "Commander, Commander" He weakly raised his head, stareing with a half crazed grin. "Is that John Glooks voice" he mumbled to himself. He again heard the voice call out " Commander, Commander are you alive?"
Dakota woke latter that night to a warm camp fire and freshly placed bandages. The smell of ale and roasted deer filled his nostrils, with the sound of laughter filling his ears. As he stired, one of the men at the fire took notice and aproached Dakota. It was Will Thogly, A dark Elf, who was also his second in comand. He knelt down next to Dakota and placed a hand on his comrade. " You looked good as dead commander, I even bet money that you were going to die." With that both men laughed, and grasped eachother tightly. " Now dont go off playing hero again without me, or I will let you die" Will said, as he got back up. Will made his way to the fire, then came back with a plate of food a full mug of ale. " Drink up commander, you need to get your strength up" Will said, as he sat back down next to Dakota.
"What the hell are you doing out here Will" Dakota blurted out, mouth half full of food. Well sir we have a problem, a big problem. Will gave Dakota a serious look, then gestered towards the fire. Dakota focused his his eyes, makeing out the figure Will gestered to. " Its that messanger from the bar, the one who works for the witch" Dakota thought. His anger began to rise, Will noticed this and calmly patted his old friend. "The witch was a front, sir. . . we actualy work for someone far worse" Will spoke these words in a low voice, as if he was afraid to speak them. " that man actualy represents a man by the name of Skorn." He used the witch as a front, to test you and your resolve. He told us where to find you, and informed us about the orcs. With this new information Dakotas anger took over, and in one quick movement he was on the messanger. "Bastard" Dakota yelled, " Im going to kill you and your damn Skorn" Dakota screamed, anger in his eyes. His men pulled him off, holding him down. "Let me go, God Damnit" Dakota yelled. Will broke in, " Commander, you kill him, then you damn our own men to death."
Latter that night Will sat down and explained the whole situation to Dakota, about how Skorn wanted to test him with the Orcs, and to see how truly strong he was. Will also explained the new contract that Skorn proposed. In the the new contract Dakota would head East and link up with his comand, he would then head towards the Mountain range and enlist the aid of the Dark Elves and Mountain men that lived in that region. From there he would head SouthWest, building his army from the surounding towns and villages. He would then link up with Skorns main army and march on the village location.
Dakota pondered the new contract in his mind, working the details out. Skorn had promised a 200 percent increase in pay as well as one third of all conquered lands. The thought of being a ruler over other people sat well with Dakota, and besides he would get even with Skorn in the end, but for now he would go along with the game plan. The next morning Dakota dispatched ridders to the coast and mountains to work out contracts with the different factions, he then proceeded east to meet up with his men.

 

[faust]

Syrus G'tavan

As the days passed, Syrus found himself the de facto military leader among the villagers. He kind of enjoyed the position... Except for all the bad news that reached him with each passing hour.

The last messanger had arrived an hour ago, joining Syrus in the White Stallion Tavern. "Lord Syrus, there's, um, more troubling accounts from the outside..." The messanger paused, and Syrus slapped the table with impatience. "Spit it out, you fool!" The messanger fidgeted with his mug, "Well, sir, um, it seems that there's something going on in the elven village. Um, there was news of a demonic attack before, but now, um, er... It seems like the leader of the attackers has shown up as well!" Syrus considered this for a moment. "That case, they probably screwed. Can't do nothing about it. Let them deal with their problems, and we deal with ours." And that was that.

Now, a second messanger had arrived with even more troubling news. According to him, a group of mercenaries had recently began to amass a dark army throughout the lands. By all accounts, the leader of the mercenaries was the same half-elf Syrus had met outside the village. "Shit! I shoulda killed that bastard when I had the chance!" Syrus bellowed, smashing his mug on the tavern floor. "Goddamn him two-timing sonavabitch! I hope he bring his sory ass 'round here so I can personally crack his skull!" In a hurry, Syrus left the tavern. They didn't have much time. They would have to start building real defenses around this village right away. They would have to prepare for war.

 

[Khadgar]

Balinor Ohms

Balinor looked at Khylan. "a wanderer? well, a lack of past is something to regret, but let lets you move with no regret." Balinor extended his hand to Khylan. " well met my friend, by the way, my village is secret, anyone who says anything, dies. but i doubt that will happen. so far, you two are the only ones who know about my village, and you don't know exactly where it is. my people are safe." he looked back at Khylan "tell me something of yourself, you have no past you say, but surely you must have something you have done in the past. the past days, the past years. tell me about yourself"

 

[BlazeofLife]

Kylan Dhaemon

Fidgeting nervously, disliking the sudden attention that was being focused on him, Kylan paused, searching for some answer that would satisfy this inquisitive elf.
"Well, I suppose that the least I can do is to tell you of how I came to be here in this land."
And with that, he proceeded to tell them of the events which had transpired since his incident with Prince Feldrik back in the kingdom of Lethya, glossing over certain details and citing himself as simply an innocent bystander in the theft of the Prince's belongings.

 

[Roughneck]

DAKOTA



It had been nearly a week since they had started makeing their campaign to the east, building the mercenary army that Skorn had desired. Dakota sat in his tent looking over contracts, just as he had done for the last few nights. Dakota stood up and began paceing, working in his head the current forces at his disposal. They had managed to secure the help of the Dark Elfin tribes of the Shadow forest witch bordered the eastern mountain range. His second in comand Will Thogly also managed to get the support of the Elfin mages in the area, as well as secure a contract with a tribe of Orges. Those Orges would come in handy, especially when he delt with Skorn. The contracts with the mountain tribes had been taking longer then he desired, but Dakota realized that he had to move carefully when dealing with them. They tened to be very temperamental with eachother, and putting some of these tribes together could result in clan wars.

Dakota sat back down looking over the latest contracts brought to him today. He studied the papers with intrest, decideing what units would serve his cause the best. As he poured himself into his work he became unaware of the figure that now stood before him. "Do you always let you guard down so easly my old friend" stated the stranger. Dakota jumped up, drawing his axe in hand. "For the sake of the Gods, damnit" Dakota whiped back. " I hate when you do that, makes me age quicker then I like too" Dakota mumbled as he sat back down. The figured chuckled softly, then pulled a seat up before him. "What took you so long Swansea, I sent word to you almost a week ago" Dakota mumbled again, deeply engrossed with the contracts before him. " Well, by the looks of what I see, I doubt Im even needed" said Swansea, proping his feet up on the table, covering the contracts Dakota was looking over. " lets talk brother" stated Swansea, as a serious look came over his face. Dakota looked up, now fully distracted from the work before him. I wish you wouldnt call me your brother, Im far from being that. Swansea was taken back by this, then responded " you and my greatgrandfather made a blood pack almost 100 years ago, so that in my eyes makes you my brother.

Dakota smiled at the comment, and nodded in agrement. Now dont go telling people my true age Swan, or people might start asking questions. Both men laughed hard, then stood up and embraced. "So damn good to see you Mule" Swansea said as he sat back down. " How long has it been since I've seen ya, sixteen years Mule?" Try almost twenty Swan, and for Gods sake dont call me Mule, thats a name your people gave me that I still cant swallow. Swansea grined, " Well, thats the name they gave you in the battle of Gulesh, it best describes the man who is part elf, part human." Dakota interjected, yes but that was nearly 120 years ago, one would think legends such as that would fade away, besides I hate to have an elf hear that name. Have you forgoten that I betrayed them in that battle, allowing your people to win the battle. I always fear the day I come across someone who was there Swan, I know it will be my last. "Enough about the past Dakota, tell me why you have asked for the help of the Dragon Knights" Swansea paused, " By the way, I saw a large group of about 500-700 Orges traveling this way when I flew here tonight" Dakota nodded, I hired them, I will need their strength, regarless how crude and vile they are. Swansea raised a brow, "Who the hell you fighting, a God" Dakota looked hard at Swansea, the uttered the words "Skorn" Sweansea eyes widdened, " Surely you jest, that is an evil vile creature, and will bring death to you" Swanseas tone was now of fear and worry. " Whats worse he cant be beat, unless you plan on becoming a god." Dakota stood up, taken back by the words his friend had spoken, for he knew very little of Skorn, or what power he might hold, but Dakota did know what he was after. Swan, I need your Dragons and knights, I need them to turn the upcoming battle into my favor. Dakota paused, then continued. Skorn has hired me to raise an army from the east, to link up with his main army. He plans to conquer this area here. With that Dakota pulled out a map, showing Swansea the area.

Swansea studied the map for quite some time, then looked up with a glimmer in his eye. "These villages on this map , I belive they are atop the old ruins of the great fortress, and this area west of it was the great Mages Temple." Swansea studued the map again, then nodded his head, "Im sure of it, no doubt. . but why whould Skorn want to take that, nothing of value?" Wrong! interjected Dakota. . . . Skorn is after the Codex. "Codex, but thats a myth, a legend older then time" Swansea said, doubt in his voice. Wrong again Swan, Grode the great Dak Elfin Mage brought this to my attention, he showed me this scroll. With that Dakota tossed the scroll before Swansea. Its a map Swan, a map to the Codex, a map to makeing ones self a God !!

 

[Khadgar]

Balinor Ohms

Balinor heard the story Kylan said, but one thing didn't make sence, "if you were an innocent bystander, then why are you here, and not back in your kingdom?"

 

[BlazeofLife]

Kylan Dhaemon

"I was blamed for the theft, and the only way to escape a hanging on the spot was to board ship and escape. This was the last stop before reaching a kingdom that... shall we say... harbors little love for people of the sylvan variety."

 

[Khadgar]

Balinor Ohms

Balinor nodded in understanding. "whatever your past is, you are welcome in my mind friend. pulled me from danger." Balinor looked back to the two of them. so what are you here for? will we be parting, or see each other again?"

 

[BlazeofLife]

Kylan Dhaemon

"I have no intention of going anywhere, at least, not until the town's defences have been repaired and relative safety exists once more outside of these sturdy walls."
Gesturing grandly about the room, Kylan finally ceased his blade work, spinning the twin blades one final time before slipping them home with one smooth motion.

 

[Khadgar]

Balinor Ohms

Balinor smiled under his hood. "well i would like to know at least where i am, so i am going out to see what this place is."

Balinor turned and walked out the door, making a note about where it was so he could return later. he walked around watching the villagers making their repairs and helping the wounded. most of the people who were ingured were either not hurt too badly, or dead. those who were alone and bad off, he quietly healed them. and off he was, exploring the small village.

 

[Roughneck]

DAKOTA


Swansea looked at the map with intrest, a small grin on his face. " Well I'll be " stated Swansea. He continued, " If this map is right then theres a temple right underneath this village, the one southeast of the Mages Temple." Right ! said Dakota. Dakota pointed to a spot on the map. Somewhere in this area is the secret passage to the temple, but as you can see the village lies on top of it. Swansea again examined the map. " What is this Elfin writting that borders around the map?" Dakota took a closer look, then spoke, Thats the spell to open the portal to the lost temple, through that portal the Codex can be retrived. " So what we have to do then is find the entrence to the underground temple, read this spell, go throught a portal to another temple, and get the Codex?" said Swansea. "Shit, why dont we stand on our heads Dakota and play cards while were at it." Swansea said, with a slight tone of anger. Its not that easy Swan, the spell must be read by a human and an Elf, from witch their blood flows together. Dakota paced the room again. You see Swan its a riddle, it says a human and an Elf, it means one who is both. "So thats why Skorn hired you, to use you to open the portal!" interjected Swansea. Correct Swan, but I will beat him to the punch, I will get the Codex for myself ! Swansea shook his head in disagrement. " Dakota my old friend, power such as that should be destroyed and left untouched." Swansea stood up and gave Dakota a long hard look. " Well my dear brother, it bothers me to see you try and obtain such power, but you will have me and my men at your side." Dakota and Swansea embraced one more time and both said their parting goodbyes. As Dakota sat back down, he again began to run over the contracts that were before him, but his mind was still on the Codex.

 

[Khadgar]

Balinor Ohms

Balinor came to the gates, tall, but limp with weary battle. he passed through the arch and onto the recently blood soaked field. a few orcs were dragging themselves off the field. but he left those alone. they had lost the battle, there was no fight left in them. he walked around the walls and found a small trail. he went down it, leading in a slight curve into the forest.

 

[Morgoth]

"I agree that repairing this village would be a good idea. Any assistance you need, I'll be rigt here", offered Sor'kle.

Skorm watched in interest the conversation before him. "Let's pay a visit to this hapless idiot before he becomes a nuisance. Fight Skorn, will he?" he asked himself, then roared out laughter. HE stood and clothed himself in his finest. "Get my dragon and my Reaver Knights. We're leaving!" he roared out. They mounted, and within 15 minutes were at Dakota's camp. At first, Skorn just appeared a man atop a dragon, but as he got off, his appearance told very different. Even Dakota gasped when he saw the behemoth, 8'4" of pure raw power. A sword longer than most men strapped to his side. Spikes covered the armor, the armor itself the bones of a King Black Dragon the Skorn had in single, un-armed combat, fought and killed. But the eyes were horrible. Not even a dragon could hold that gaze. Skorn was known to have killed with a look, literally. His Reaver Knights were oly slightly worse. Standing tall as well, they wore heavy cloaks. Enormous swords were strapped to their backs, and heavy mail could be seen glinting beneath the cloaks. Slowly, they approached Dakota, all before them clearing a path. "Hail, servant of the High Lord Skorn, master of the world!"

 

[Roughneck]

DAKOTA


The commotion outside the camp brought Dakota out of his trance. He looked up from the contracts that lay before him as Will came bursting in. " Dakota, Skorn's here !" said Will, fear in his eyes. Dakota got up and walked with prided and strength outside, but fear ran through his bones. As he steped outside he saw thousands of men running around and grabing equipment, as he looked into the sky he saw why they made such haste. The huge dragons and figures that rode them brought fear inside him as well, but Dakota took a deep breath and stood his ground. He was determined not to show fear, but to stand strong, this he hoped would give his men strength.

As Skorn dismounted, Dakota shuttered inside at the size and strength Skorn possessed, he now realized why Swansea had feared him. The fear quickly disapeared and was replaced by anger when Skorn made his statement , " Hail servant of the High Lord Skorn, master of the world." Dakota's fear now gone replaced with anger, only stared, showing no signs that he was impressed. Skorn's face turned to anger, when he saw this but was quickly replaced with a laugh. It seemed Skorn was amused at Dakotas defiance, and Dakota decided to take it a step further. "Skorn, im not your servant, only a paid killer, furthermore, when you decided to grace me with your presence, be more discreet." Dakota turned his back to Skorn and as he walked back into his tent he said. " Because its hell getting these men in order as it is, you only make it worse." This disrespect to Skorn brought a few laughs and chuckes from the men around him. As Dakota sat back down, and proped his feet up Skorn entered the tent. The anger in his eyes was intense, and Dakota tried desperatly to stare him down. For a few moments nothing was said, only the angry breathing of Skorn could be heard, and inside Dakota hoped and prayed that his actions showed Skorn he was not afraid, for in truth he was a scared child before Skorn.