And so it begins

[Crowe]

Crowe nodded in agreement at Mori's battle plans, trusting her judgment in these matters as her skills as a strategist were matched only by his own. It was no surprise that the two of them had been able to bring such a wide coalition of forces together - it had happened before and, if things didn't pan out as expected now, would have to happen again. However, Crowe was certain that they couldn't lose. There was a softness to Mori's voice even in the most trying of times that could calm the raging seas and breathe hope to those who had lost all.

With the commotion going on all around, Crowe had been silently and secretly plotting the use of his own elite forces, which had been vigilantly training and awaiting word of their anticipated deployment during these many months. So long ago, he had left them in the capable hands of his faithful - albeit brain-dead - steward, Bernard, a man picked for his single-minded determination and complete focus on detail. Though, looking back, it wasn't a focus on detail which characterized Bernard's mental faculty, but the uniqueness of a mind unburdened by independent and abstract thought. In the hands of a tyrant, this man would have been brutalized and beaten to within an inch of his life as a mere servant, but under Crowe's guidance, he performed a valuable service that Crowe would have entrusted to no other outside of Mori herself.

Crowe pulled out a pen similar to Mori's and, in an ancient and indecipherable text, scribbled a message to Bernard. The ink glowed with the radiance of a starry sky as the pen scratched across the parchment with forceful determination. He knew Bernard wouldn't be able to read it, but Crowe's trained lookout would faithfully deliver the message which, in so many words, was an order to advance at once. He only feared that he wasn't too late in doing so as his troops were nearly two days out. As though it had been perfectly scripted, a sergeant pushed his way into the tent and scrambled over to Crowe. "This can't wait any longer," Crowe informed the armored and decorated warrior before him. "Please take this back to our base camp and deliver it personally to Hujuura, my lookout. She'll know what to do from there." With that, Crowe watched the rider leave the tent, whereupon there was a mighty roar and the diminishing sound of hoofs speeding off toward the Northern horizon. Crowe winked at Mori and allowed a subtle grin through his steely countenance; this was the ace up his sleeve that had gone unspoken of for too long and they both knew it.

"This will be a new beginning for the peoples of this land who have struggled under the rise of Lucien," Crowe proudly announced to the gathering inside the tent. He beamed at all assembled there. They had done the dirty work and he was proud to have them on his side. "Each of you shall have a place of honour in the halls of Kendelah when this... this..." (his words trailed off as he felt a tug on his sleeve from Mori, who seemed to be giggling at his attempts to sound noble through his visible consternation - a feeling he also got from Harper) "...action... erm... has come to pass!"

Letting out a sigh of relief, he plopped down in a chair to a rain of huzzahs. It was all he could manage not to laugh.

[Oona Ondessa]

Oona bowed respectfully at her queen as she spoke candidly of her frustrations

"We all feel your concern lady, But Elyza will fall…"

Oona said confidently, her charcoal tattoos seemed to glint and slowly shift in the shade of the tent. Moridanu had the large old map handed to her, Oona couldn't help but smirk ever so slightly, the shape of the Black Moss Forest was all wrong, but then nobody had ever been able to actually make a map of the forest, it was forever changing, growing and shrinking by Oona's will.

Moridanu explained her plans and showed Oona where her army would be positioned; it was what Oona had been counting on

"The Animals will protect the forest itself use it to their advantage, the tree spirits will create a perimeter around the forest and into the Pithmoore Plains, they'll be joined by the bears of the Black Moss Forest as well as all the sentient Magic users under my command, The Gnomes, Magii and Fauns have promised their allegiance to us."

Mori Continued

~ Please assemble any of your army that may assist with our aerial attacks as well. While I wont be needing ‘em straight away, I would like t’have ‘em on call in case I be needin’ em in the future.~

Oona nodded, and moved a stray stand of thick dark hair behind her ear

"Yes M'Lady, the Gryphons and dragonkin will be positioned above the Pithmoore plains, and will only strike unless things look grim, they will be waiting for your call should you need it"

She said once again confidently. Oona took a step back, a little faun rushed into the room and stood by Oona side, Oona leaned down and whispered in Camus's ear, he nodded and clip clopped out of the tent, her army would have to position themselves.

[The Joshness ™]

Mercy looked over the map, examining the battlefield carefully “We shall be there within the evening. We shall hold back behind the line of sight for the enemy until my forces are ready for the full frontal assault. As you said,” Mercy’s elegant hand brushes over the area just across the Bendalsain River “They have more than likely become blight on this territory and it will be the first point of death for both sides. My Paladins are strong, filled with the Holy Light seen in the eyes of a savior, but this fight will be gruesome, and many of my Soldiers will die. But they will be taking more of them to the grave than that vile beast controlling them wants us to. You can bet on this.” With some innate force within him, Mercy conjures up himself an exact copy of the parchment in front of them into his own copy. Only his seems to glow a bit to the eye, though not really. “As to go along with your plan of action, Moridanu, I shall disperse my Secondary force First. That way, the more of my Paladins he fights through the harder it gets.” He cracks a small grin at the edge of his mouth. “By the time he has clawed and scratched his way through them, he has nothing but the enjoyment of the worse of them to deal with.”

Mercy takes a deep breath, his armor moving seamlessly with his well chiseled body “My troops are as swift as the winds on their steeds, it shall not take us more than 1 day to reach the battlefields. But I Myself, as well as the troops themselves, would like to hear a few words from you, Moridanu. Most of my troops are younger ages, only just reaching manhood, some without even that going for them. They know who he is; they know why they have to stop him. I’ve told them as much as I know, but you’re the only one that can explain the Evil himself. They could really use an explanation. This brings me to another…presence in the war.” He closes his eyes slowly “She is one of my lineage, but she is far from the Grace, and seems to be working with the Enemy in a very strange fashion. I cannot confirm that she is indeed with Lucian, but she is Evil and in his presence. If she is anything like me, we could have a very big problem on our hands. On my hands anyway, I would be her first target on the battlefield.”

Mercy tucks his map gently into his belt for later and examines the room and its people “I wish you all the best of luck in the battlefield, so I give each of you a gift of Light.” From the nothingness a single vial of glowing white elixir in a spherical shape that could fit in your palm, capped with a cork, materialized. “This substance in called Favor of Battle, this is all I posses of it and I beg of you to use sparingly. I cannot divulge you its formula or its secrets, but in the fatal moment I wish none of you to have, when you believe you will sink beneath the surface and dwindle into Lucian’s depths, smash this against you. At that point your body will become a torrent of Holy Fire for about 2 minutes. Not even the depth of the ocean would smother this flame, and I would feel remarkably sad for any unholy creature within 50 yards of you at that point. You will be in a Grace, something very few have ever experienced, and at this time you will be able to fly, run at speeds never witnessed by your eyes before. Even walk on water. But it is a short amount of time, and it is a very rare gift, I trust you will use it wisely.” There is one for everyone, except Mercy.

[Leila Darkmoon]

((yeah, we are waiting on me. I was waiting on Lucy to post as Lucien so I could see where he was and such, and now that he has its my post due... Ill have it up this weekend. ))

[Moridanu]

*Moridanus emerald orbs widened slightly as she realised the true meaning of Mercy’s gift. Rolling the vial between her fingers, Moridanu smiled softly as she handed it back to him.

~While ye gesture is truly beautiful, tis not needed m’friend. As ye quantities are so diminished, please keep this for ye self…~ she smiled into his eyes as she spoke. ~ While I understand that an empowering speech would undoubtedly be an advantage for ye troops, I fear that I can not spare t’time I in this current situation. I pray ye soldiers will understand that, and please assure them, I shall address them all as soon as time permits..~ stepping back, she walked into the centre of the tent. She offered each of her Generals a warm smile before stepping forward to embrace them all in a lingering hug. Hoping to lend them all some of her strength not just by her touch alone, Moridanu also whispered a Celtic blessing of protection, speed and strength into each Generals ear.

Finally, she moved to stand beside Crowe while she addressed the group as one.

~Morthika thanks ye for your commitment to our cause, and ye names will be forever etched into our history. I wish ye all speed, and strength, and most of all, t’heart and wisdom t’know what needs t’be done and t’courage t’address that need. Go… now.. and get into position. I shall send word when we are t’attack, until then, keep your troops well hidden and alert at all times. ~

She watched with solemn eyes as the Generals moved out, the smile draining from her lips. Once they were all gone, and her other assistants moved on to other things, she was left alone in the tent with Crowe. Turning to face him, she frowned as she chewed on her bottom lip with nervous anticipation.

~This is it… theres no turning back now..~ *

[Oona Ondessa]

Oona took the small vial, she peered at it closely, her violet eyes squinted. Essence of Blackhorse, marshed twisted Wolfsbane, essence of fire elemental… but that’s all Oona could decipher; it was a good potion whatever was in it, amply conjured. She thanked Mercy and placed the vial safely within the confines of her long oversized purple coat. Moridanu did the rounds, not much for contact, she simply leaned back and lifted one arm in an embrace, it made her uneasy.

Oona followed the other generals out of the tent, Moridanu’s words ringed in her ear, she didn’t enjoy holy magic, but it would do the job, they worshiped the same god after all. Oona moved towards her steed, the large Stag lowered its head to nuzzle Oona; she rested her own head against the animals and kissed it gently. With one leap she lifted herself on top of the stag and began to race towards the black Moss forest.

Oona approached the meeting place for her army, it was to the west of the forest on the very edge leading into the pithmoore Plaines, the grove of ancients, it was called. Beautiful and aged, it was like stepping into another world. Animals surrounded the grove, foxes, direwolves and bears made up the bulk of the army, there was a small clan of Fauns and as larger group of about 30 Gnomes, 6 Unicorns, and a large pride of gryphons. There was over a hundred tree spirits, ancient and gnawed. They looked like a splice between human and tree.

“The Time has come friends, watch each others back, take care of each other… You are protecting the black moss forest, our home for our entire life, it means more to the world than any of us can comprehend, it’s a chosen haven to the gods and it is up to us to protect its ancient walls. Move!”

She called out loudly, her voice never shook though she wanted to save them all, take them all away were they would never suffer or feel pain, the truth was many of them would die. The bears began to move out, surrounded the forest, while the Foxes and Dire wolves took to the forest itself, the rest of the group moved to the Pithmoore Plaines positioning themselves as Oona had said. The Gnomes raised their swords and marched while the Fauns lifted their staffs and cantered away.

“To the skies!”

She called to the gryphons who immediately lifted themselves into the air, causing a Minnie hurricane. Oona’s dark hair flew around her perfect features. She felt a small hand clasp her own. Looking down she saw Camus, his recent battle scars evident on her features

“I’ll kill Elyza…”

He said uncharacteristically, Oona sighed and held his little hand in her own

“It’s going to be had isn’t it?”

He asked quietly, Oona nodded, her old friend, her best friend. She leaned down and hugged him, even though she never really liked contact.

“We’ll make it through, you’re my second in command, and if I fall it’s up to you to lead them”

Camus nodded terrified, and hand in hand they moved out.

[The Joshness ™]

Mercy nodded in understanding, knowing of the pressure of time Moridanu was being held under. “Then we will ride, now, to the front lines. We shall begin to cleanse the land that they have undoubtedly soiled with their unholy presence. When we arrive, I will send a troop back to you after we establish a camp.” Mercy had slid the vial back into the depth of his armor, for later. He looked to the rest of the Generals and smiled before turning around to head out of the tent. Once outside Mercy leapt into the air, and at that exact moment two magnificent black wings erupt from the armor on his back. They were both black as coal, but the feathers tipped with a grayish ash color. As if they have faded. Mercy soared off to his troops for it was time to battle!

Mercy landed at the center of his Paladin camp. His wings retract into whatever space they are mystically hidden, leaving just him. “TROOPS!” He bellowed, his voice being carried to them all across the lands to them. Other than the large portion within the camp showing up immediately, it was only half an hour before the rest rode up on their horses from whatever they were doing in preparation for battle. They were all young, a few older chaps, but for the most part they were almost kids. Regardless of age, they had a knowledge that couldn’t be learned from years spend living. But time spent learning from one who has lived enough for all of them. “Moridanu is not coming to us. She asks for your forgiveness. But I come with her word. Lucien is rising, my fellow Paladins, he has his army and they are coming for this kingdom. Lucien is a vile creature, his soldiers are spawn of that which grows within the damned. We have been chosen to the front lines. We will NOT be the first offense, and we will NOT defend anything. Our mission is to go to the front lines and exterminate every unliving demon and creature there so the rest of Moridanu’s army can begin the ultimate battle. Our lives are not important, what’s important is that we take down 50 of those rotten spawn for every one of our soldiers that fall. I ask your forgiveness now, my men, for those of you who die will not meet the gates of heaven. I have been there and God has closed those gates and left us behind. That is why we are here today to remove the vile disturbance he should have done away with a long time ago.” The troops on horseback and watching him on foot were silent as they listened to him...as if they were unable to think of something to say, when from one of the soldiers in the front came “For US!” Then Mercy smiled hearty to them “FOR US!!” Everyone chanted.

As selfish as it seemed to other people that afternoon, there wasn’t much left for them to dedicate their lives too. Dedicating their lives to their kingdom would have been odd as most of his troops were from the kingdom. They were the kingdom. Every troop saddled up immediately moment after, collecting all of their potions and weapons. All Mercy had left to do is put the last few pieces of plating on his horse. Smooth and solid silver plates all over the stationary portions of the Horses body, draping silver chain main over the moving limbs. The same cross emblem on Mercy was etched into the horses armor, as all of his Paladins had the same tabard on. Once mounted Mercy rode through the center of camp on lighting fast stead “RIDE!” He bellowed and the mass of his troops emerged from the camp behind him. “WE RIDE TO HELL!”

[Harper]

::Harper’s look of polite interest, sincere though it was, faltered as Crowe addressed the inhabitants of the tent and a hint of a smile again touched her lips. It was less what he said than how he came across that amused the most serious of priestesses. It was wise to keep a light heart - in times of war, especially - lest the pain and death that would surely abound weigh the spirit down. As a high priestess, Harper did not fear her own death nor that of those around her. All on this side of the battle could view their end as a new beginning and she was confident they’d meet again, in this life or another. Mercy, however, had given some thought to their future and was passing around a potion precious to him. She accepted gracefully and slipped the vial into a leather pouch at her hip with a silent nod of thanks. Mortally wounded or not, Harper left her fate and her abilities in the capable hands of the Goddess she’d dedicated her life to worshipping. When her time came, she would go willingly to find her fallen sisters in the afterlife.

Harper welcomed Moridanu in a tight embrace, though said nothing as she held her dearest friend. Words were unnecessary for them as their goals were one and their maker knew their hearts. She appreciated the gesture just the same and squeezed once before releasing her in the interest of time. With a final wink to Crowe, she left as quietly as she’d arrived. While passing through the scatter of tents and men, she came upon Alair who had traveled with her, Liriope and the small troop of accompanying soldiers to attend the briefing. She was struck with an idea suddenly and caught the hormonal teenager’s attention as he goggled at the armored warrior women moving about the campsite. His carroty hair and sprinkle of freckles gave him the appearance of a boy younger than 17 and it pained her, despite higher knowledge of his destiny, to imagine him aged by war. A gloved hand found his shoulder while the other rifled through the pouch containing Mercy’s gift. She held it up for him to see and then pressed it into the boy’s hand, closing his grubby fingers around it tightly.::

“Ah, Alair, just the man I was looking for. I’ve received a rare gift I cannot accept; however, I would rather return it in secret to avoid appearing ungrateful. Will you hold it for me until a suitable time to return it to his camp? Keep it on you at all times and, in the event I am not able to accompany you, seek out Mercy, a general with the Paladins.”

::Whatever surprise he felt at the task, he was too young and eager for action to pass it up. He stored the vial in a drawstring sack dangling from his neck and concealed it beneath his tunic. Giving final instructions for the return trip to Ellendre, she left him for the stables where she personally prepared the steeds they would be borrowing. From there she traveled at last back to her campsite where Liriope was already packing the last of their things and the men were armoring up. Together, she and the rest of the Nydesians collected their horses and rode swiftly back to position where they would await marching orders and the official start of battle.::


((I rushed the end but - damn it - I'm tired! I had this whole long-winded, descriptive thing planned, too.))

[Moridanu]

*The soil beneath her feet heaved an audible sigh that seemed in perfect sync with the slight shrug that her stooped shoulders made as she took a deep breath and glanced up at the sky above her.

The night was a deep velveteen purple of the darkest hue, the faint scattering of silver stars that peeked through the thick grey clouds, offered a slight hope that all was not as ominous as it first appeared. But even as she stared hopefully at those few stars, she could hear and feel the thunder reverberating beneath her boot clad feet. The earth beneath her groaned as the powers were shifting and Moridanu shuddered as she feared what might lay ahead.

Suddenly overcome with a foreboding sense of loneliness, she turned her attention to the round full moon that hung low towards the east. Appearing to be within touching distance, the moon hung heavy in the sky, its golden orange hue dappled a darker shade of cinnamon at the base, giving the impression of a ripe peach ready to be plucked. As usual, Moridanu felt immediate solace as she gazed upon the only face of her mother that she had ever seen. As she closed her eyes briefly and began to pray for guidance in the upcoming war, Morrighan heard her prayer and sent her familiar to guide Moridanu on her journey. The large black crow cawed its greeting to her as its huge ebony wings beat through the air with a solid, resonating rhythm. Cawing again as it perched on her shoulder, the crow cocked its head at Moridanu staring at her with wise obsidian orbs before it fell silent and sat back slightly, gazing at her expectantly. Moridanu offered the bird a faint smile as she finished her prayer, her eyes once again resting on that incredible moon.

As she reluctantly pulled back from her spiritual connection with her holy mother Danu, Moridanu remembered a similar moon that had shone over her as she had made love with ODK. She shivered again as she quickly pushed that image aside from her mind, blushing slightly as some particularly vivid memories raced across the back of her eyelids. She had never needed him more than this moment, and her body trembled all over as she craved his touch.

Again the thunder rumbled, and her attention was drawn towards the south, towards Bendelsain. Glancing back there now, she saw that the dark grey clouds that had been brewing, now seemed to be swirling around as they centred above Bendelsain. It was clear that a nasty storm was headed for Bendelsain, and Moridanu knew by the rumbling earth beneath her that the forces of power were beginning to shift from light to dark. A dark power was being called, and Moridanu feared that the call had been answered in spades. Lightning flashed in the darkness that was the sky above Bendelsain, and Moridanu took a deep breath as she glanced down at the crow on her shoulder. Reading her thoughts, he turned to look at her, nodding his head once before he cawed softly and raised his large wings outward. Taking flight into the night sky, the crow flew towards the storm, disappearing into the dark clouds.

A soldier cleared his throat behind her and Moridanu squared her shoulders as she turned around to face him. He had clearly just emerged from the nearby battle tent and his face was grim. He bowed once and stepped forward slightly.

~M’lady, there have been reports of a dark rising west of Bendelsain. Both Elyza and Discord have been seen within the city’s limits. ~

Moridanu closed her eyes briefly as she nodded in defeat. She had known that Elyza would be at the core of this attack, but her worst fears were realised when she saw that Discord had once again teamed up with Lucien’s whore. Tucking a long auburn strand behind one ear, Moridanu muttered

~Who do we have close at hand to go into town? I do not want to send in the army until we know that the town is under attack…~ her words trailed off as she disappeared into the battle tent, the soldier following her with a worried frown etched permanently in his otherwise youthful face. *

[julton]

(posting as Crowe)

With Mori gone to attend to the battle, Crowe was left handing out the orders and generally managing the scattered battlefronts. He handled reports from every corner of Morthika, writing and handing out orders to be delivered to the battlefront, creating an ever-changing picture of the war on all fronts and trying to maneuver everything into place to gain the upper hand. Every step he took seemed to pit the forces of good against a larger force of evil. The balance did indeed seem to tip largely in the favor of that vile beast Lucien, but he would be damned before he let the demons of hell overrun his treasured land. It would be a cold day in hell when one of those demons took a step into Kendelah.
He convinced himself that Kendelah was what he was really concerned about, but he found his thoughts drifting again to Moridanu. Surely she could handle herself, and god knows he had better things to think about, but he could never ignore his care for her, and his feelings only made the sting of that care all the more potent. His heart ached to see her safe away from this miserable war among the blooming flowers of their home. The more he thought about their home, the more he realized just how important this victory was.
He shook his head to clear it of these distractions. He had to focus, he couldn't afford to falter in any decisions, and the young messenger boy was anxiously rocking back and forth on his feet, looking expectantly at him for something, anything to do. The young man had dedication in his eyes, and he seemed ready to leap into battle himself with nothing but his bare hands to stop the tide of evil. Crowe flashed him a crooked grin, scribbling a note down on a spare sheet of parchment and handing it to the boy.
"You've a good heart lad, I wouldn't want it to go to waste. Take this to the paladins. Tell them that the attack is soon to be underway and they need to make sure that the river remains ours, we can't afford for Lucien to take Bendalsain. With Elyza and Discord roaming through the city we can't afford for Lucien to move any more troops in there before the current threat is dealt with. Now go boy, and don't spare yer mount for speed."
The boy took the note and nodded, his cheeks red at the praise. He quickly bolted out the door and soon the sound of hooves pounding the earth drifted into the distance. Crowe smiled and turned back to the map, about to get back to discussing his strategy with the gathered advisers when his heart skipped a beat.
Mori. Something was wrong. Something... unexpected. He felt her confusion at the wild emotions buffeting at her heart. Her feelings were all chaos and Crowe couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then... there. Something he knew, he remembered. When had he last felt this in Mori? It was... His heart skipped another beat at the realization. The last time he felt this from her was when she was with ODK...
The entire command tent had gone silent, a feat that hadn't happened since it was put up. He was leaning heavily on the map, crushing part of it in one hand while his other hand was clutched at his chest. He released the map and straightened it out again, forcing a crooked grin around at everyone in the tent, who were all staring at him with concern now.
"Just a wee bit o' indigestion, musta eaten' somethin' a bit off fer lunch, ye know how it be. Back to business, we've got a war to win."
The tent again exploded with action, messengers, orders, soldiers and generals coming and going in a never ending supply. Crowe took a moment to calm himself, then turned to his advisers, his face melting back into a contemplative glance at the map before him. He pointed a few last directions to the advisers around the map and dismissed them to enact the plan.
That would hold off the tide at least for some time. He took the opportunity to get some fresh air, deciding to deliver a message for himself, and secretly planning to check on Mori while he was at it. He left word with his men that he was off to deliver orders himself and that all messages were to go to his advisers until he returned, then took to the skies.
It was always freeing to take on his crow form and feel the wind beneath his wings. He flew in the direction of Sehkem's airborne units, wondering the whole time at the feelings raging inside his dear Mori.