Devil's Last Dance

[Arianwen Chandell]

*Standing before the burning building, Arianwen stared up at it as she stood, rocking back and forth slightly with the baby in her arms and her brother sitting by her side. She saw the people that Berul had saved come spilling out of the building, and watched as they huddled together, grateful to be alive. Berul himself soon walked from the building, as though out for a stroll, but she soon lost him in the crowd of people on the streets of Bendelsain. Hearing screaming, Arianwen looked up in time to see two teenagers come falling out of a top story window. Panicking, Arianwen felt they were sure to die, while she looked around for something to break their fall. Her efforts were needless however, as the two fell gently to the ground as though carried on an unseen wind. Glancing back up at the same window, she now saw a young girl come falling out of the window. She too was falling gently as though the same wind was responsible for her safety.

Seeing Daeryn at the window, Arianwen smiled as she realised it must be his magick that had kept the three children safe. Unfortunately his own magick seemed to have left him as she watched him fall from the window, nowhere near as slowly and gracefully as the three before him. As he landed on the ground with a sickening thump, Arianwens keen ears heard what sounded like a broken bone. Rushing towards him with the baby in her arms, Arianwen knelt before him.

~You… hurt? You… leg..?~ she asked, again frustrated by her lack of speech. Her brother approached Daeryn and began to lick the injured right foot, though Arianwen pulled him away, fearful he would hurt the man even more.

~Arianwen.. help.. you.. up?~ She reached down with her free hand, offering the man what help she could with a baby in her arms. Unfortunately the hand she offered was the one she had burnt on the banister, and she would cry out in pain if Daeryn chose to accept her offered hand.

Suddenly, Arianwen was almost blinded by a bright dazzling light that seemed to fly overhead at precisely that moment. The light was gone as quickly as it appeared but she sensed somehow that seeing it had significant importance for her, and perhaps the war itself. The talisman she wore around her neck throbbed slightly, and she glanced down at in surprise for a moment, before her attention was diverted back to Daeryn kneeling before her.

The building they had all just left heaved a great groan as the top floor suddenly gave way, crashing onto the second story. Flames roared and licked the wood, and within minutes the second story collapsed onto the first. Soon the building was nothing more than a pile of burning wood and Arianwen realised how close they had all come to dying inside. Grateful for her brothers assistance, Arianwen looked around for him, but could not see him anywhere. He had been by her side only a moment before, but now, as she looked around in a panic, she thought she saw a flash of his dark fur racing towards what remained of the Dancing Devil Inn. Again, the talisman around her neck throbbed, and again she glanced down at it in wonder before she looked back at Daeryn.

~Please… take.. Arianwen.. hand..~ she said, holding it out to him, the baby beginning to cry once more in her arms.*

[sabis]

(I should make a second account, will do that later, for now will indicate at start if I'm posting as Sabis or Ollan, this is Ollan)

'The ground beneath one's feet. In battle, most people only pay attention to it to be sure it's got firm footing. Noone listens to it, measures it, wonders about the small hollows or why it seems to vibrate ever so softly. Except, of course, for dwarves. Ollan thw Dwarf-Giant, of the Ungart dwarf clan from Citadel Adbar, is underneath the feet of thousands of demons, yet the nearly nine foot tall nine hundred pound man, clad in a suit of adamantine half-plate mail is calm, collected, preparing for battle alongside his dwarven comrades and family. The Blackhammer Legion they are, every one of them, down to the last warrior, wielding a hammer of adamantine, even the priests and the few druids of stone they brought along with them have small hand maces of the rediculously strong black metal. They had heard tell of the battle going on here, and being that part of their kingdom neighbors this land, they had to come, to help prevent their own homes from being attacked. So now four hundred dwarves stand under the ground, using enchantments to practicly swim through the rock, only afew spaces hollowed out for use.

'He stays crouched low, to minimize the amount of space he takes up. Three of his lieutenants as well as the head druid and the head priest of his unit are with him, discussing the plan.'

"Sir, it's best to follow standard tactic and either hit them from behind or come up IN the town and reinforce them." Yes, however, we have a great many foes. While I lament the chance at loss of any of my brothers here, we can devestate the demon forcesby coming up underneath them. Set to it. I want you leading the hammer formation, I will use the help of the earth to water spell to come up at another angle, to stay out of the way. "But sir...!" NO, you have heard the end of it. Prepare, we strike as soon as we are ready.

'With that the dwarves nodded, the druid staying and casting the enchanment upon the man while the dwarves slip back to the rest of the formation. They set themselves up about a hundred yards away from the town's defenders, the plan being to blast their way up through the dirt, then swarm out and take formation and fight their way to join the ranks of the town's soldiers. They will likely lose afew troops, but the tactic will be to keep the healers inside a wall of shields, so that when an outside defender is wounded he can switch out with a fresh trooper while the priests help him. Ollan, however, is about a hundred yards further back, waiting for them to go up, which is when he will strike on his own.' Here we go...

'The dwarves launch their strike, the dirt blasting up from the ground, shooting demons up into the sky, shredded, as hundreds of armor-clad dwarves come tearing out of the ground like an enraged ant colony, crushing demons before them as they spread out into their battline lines. The vibration is enough to launch the giant man into his attack as well, practicly leaping up through the dirt, not exploding like the dwarves, just, swimming, out of the ground, leading the way with his greatly over sized hammer. The weapon is over seven hundred pounds in weight, easily as tall as he is, and once outside, it roars to life with a shadowy trail of energy behind it. The demons stop to look at the enourmas man for a moment, brandishing weapons, but the giant ROARS, a bestial, raging sound that carries across the entire field, well into the town, as he lets his temper go. He doesn't stop to think, he just clenches his hammer and SPINS, the maul shattering several demons, throwing others aside, and snapping several in half. Everything within reach of him and that weapon, dies. Another roar, this one a challenge.' BRING ME ALL YOU'VE GOT DEMONS! I WILL FLATTEN EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!!!! 'And the rampage continues, bone-shattering force and dull thuds being heard all across the field as demons bodies start flying away from him.'

[Oona Ondessa]

The world shook.

The sudden surge of ancient and arcane energies were almost palpable, the space surrounding the two titans shimmered drastically with a murky colour. The smell of blood and magic filled the air, almost masking acidic stink of smoke and burning flesh.

Oona was ignorant of her surroundings, she didn’t feel the queen, or the new comers, the only thing she could feel was Discords mighty life force, spiraling and pulsing.
She gritted her teeth and locked her jaw tight, with a ferocious snarl, she landed in front of Discord with a thud, her feet sunk into the dirt. This time she was ready for the Demon, Discord lashed out with her sharpened teeth. With a flick of the demons wrist she managed to extend her long whip outwards, she lunged forward again, her teeth snapping dangerously close to Oona’s face, she could smell the blood, gore and flesh of the boy she had just consumed. Oona had to step back, her spine arched elegantly, but it was just what Discord had counted on. The Black whip wrapped itself around Oona’s throat. Oona screeched in pain, the searing chemicals burning her flesh. She grabbed hold of the whip with both hands, teeth still gritted; she pulled at the goo, ignoring the sizzling of her flesh. She tugged at it with her considerable strength, pulling Discord closer to her, with a flash of her right leg, she lifted it up and flashed out, kicking Discord in the chest and sending her flying backwards. Before the kick Oona felt a twinge of pleasure, the slightest look of surprise passed over Discords face, if only for half a second.

She hissed through her teeth and she ripped the whip from her burning flesh, she could feel her skin peeling and bubbling, the smell wafted into her nostrils sickeningly. She could hear Discord’s laughter from the distance; it broke through the sound of battle like a bell tolling.

‘Dissy got a spilinter!’

She said with another cackle, lifting her finger up and twisting her face into a mock pout. She was standing in the remains of a building Oona couldn’t identify, it still burnt around her, but she didn’t seem to mind. She stepped over the flames.

‘Dissy’s going to tear your flesh from your bones, elf meat is magic’.

She closed her eyes and smacked her lips together and made a small whimper of pleasure. Oona spat on the ground, She clasped her burnt hands together with a slap, as her hands closed, the sound was echoed in the heavens in a clap of thunder. The already thick clouds above her churned and began to gently rain ash. Enchanted wind blew from behind her, her long black hair danced in the wind. Oona’s eyes turned a creamy white she separated her hands and lifted them above her head. From behind her the earth itself rose up like a 7ft wave. It churned dramatically and swept forward, it separated at Oona, sparing her. If Discord didn’t manage to get out of the way, she would be buried alive. Dead bodies and maybe a few live were swept up in the wave-like barrage, but Oona’s mind was too focused, she had one target and one target alone.

Tonight Discord would finally get what she so sorely deserved.

[Nightspinner]

Daeryn noticed that someone toward him from his side. Preparing for the worst, he quickly pulled out a knife from his brace, falling back onto his bum as he readied himself a defense. The pain that he felt reminded him of the emotion of fear. Something that often escaped him when he used his magic. Something that was lost in his feeling of immortality and invulnerability. Course, his caution was for nothing. It was merely Arianwen, the wolf lady. "Oh, sorry lass. Thought you were an orc coming to skin my hide." His fear immediatly fled from his face, replaced by his smile. "Glad to see your friendly face again. And from the looks of it..." His gaze turned to the baby in Arianwen's arms, which returned back to her face. "You managed to save some people. Excellent!"

He then looked back at the leg, his face turned from his roguesh smile to surpise. It was as if he didn't notice it before. Course he did, but it left his attention rather quickly. "Well, I guess I am." At this point, he tried to get up by himself, but his leg sent up waves of searing pain. "And it looks like I won't be walking on it for some time." Then he gave a laugh, rather odd for someone in pain, if not creepy. "Oh well. I'll just leave this out of the tale if I live, shall I?" His attention turned to the wolf licking his leg. He quickly retreated from the wolf, a little bit startled. "No wolf, sorry but I would rather you didn't do that. You may hurt yourself as well as others," His tone suddenly became as cold as ice but quickly changed to his 'normal' self.

"Oh, help would be great." Daeryn's hand moved to take hold of Arianwen, but stopped, seeing her own injury. "But, it would seem you have your own injury to think of. A pity I never had the power for healing magics, then both of us would be fit to fight." He instead began to get on his hands and knees. And with great difficulty, started to get on his good leg, avoiding to press all pressure on his other leg.

The bright dazzling light made Daeryn lose his balance momentarily, though he managed to recover before he fell onto the ground. "Pixies dust! What was that?" His focus looked around, trying to find where the source of it was but to no avail. "Strange...." Then his attention returned to Arianwen. "How about you give me your shoulder to use as support, if its not too much trouble that is." Then he looked around the battle, trying to figure out their next move. "Where do we go next? Where is the head of these monsters?"

[Diseera Lefond]

Diseera gripped the cloak tightly around her slender frame, her ears the only thing besides her eyes visible. She did not reveal herself to anyone, anything and continued towards her goal. Her eyes darted from tree to tree as she finally approached what were the gates of Bendelsain. She slipped in, completely unnoticed by anyone.

Once inside, Diseera removed the cloak revealing her small structure. He pointed ears of course revealed her species. Her eyes were a pale green that seemed to hold a vast amount of seriousness. They were not cheery as they usually were for the fact was she was on a mission, a mission for herself. She brushed her chocolate brown hair away from her face as she lowered herself to the ground.

Ember light seemed to shine in the town. Flames rose from the ground burning wood and everything around her. It seemed the war had hit the town. Diseera wasn’t much of a war girl. She didn’t like to take sides because she understood the needs of both parties. Everyone has needs and wants and she accepted that but it seemed that the war was something completely out of her league.

Diseera clutched the bow that was strapped to her back, giving herself a bit of comfort in doing so. At least she was armed which made her feel quite safe. She began to move, her body low to the ground. She did not want to be noticed. She wanted to blend in. People ran past her, some screaming some just running for the sake of running.

Diseera didn’t know where she could look first. She wanted to find something that could help her understand what had happened to her parents. They were killed right when she was born and she never had any relatives. She did however know their names and if she could find anything relating to those two names that she had acquired, she could get a lead.

She wasn’t sure where to begin and stayed in that crouched position for some time before wondering if she should ask someone for help. She wasn’t much of a people’s person, usually keeping to herself, but things changed in time of war. People however seemed very involved with themselves at the moment fighting war and all and she was looking for something to connect her to relatives. They probably wouldn’t even bother giving her a glance.

[Arianwen Chandell]

*Arianwen did her best to soothe the crying baby in her arms, though she had no experience at being a mother or even a nurse maid in her brief years on these earth. Through her observations in the Dancing Devil Tavern however, she had seen some women nursing babies, and they often appeared to be bouncing the baby slightly to soothe them. Arianwen tried this now, and found to her delight that the baby began to gurgle before quietening down. Smiling down at its dirty tear streaked face, Arianwen continued to bounce the baby lightly over her shoulder before she looked down to Daeryn.

She was grateful when he declined to take her offered hand as the burn she had sustained earlier was really beginning to throb and burn now, but she frowned slightly as he spoke to her brethren in a somewhat sombre tone. Her brother looked up at her as if to say “Hmph!” before he backed away from the man and sat down at Arianwen’s feet.

As Daeryn rose only to stumble over once more, Arianwen moved backwards quickly to get out of his way, accidentally bumping into a woman behind her. Turning around to offer her apologies, Arianwen’s cool blue eyes fell upon what appeared to be an Elven lady with beautiful brown hair and pale green eyes. Arianwen offered her a shy smile and mumbled ~ Arianwen…. Sorry!~ before she realised that Daeryn had regained his feet and was asking for her shoulder in support. She nodded and moved quickly beside him, the baby in her left arm while her right shoulder was offered to him. Bearing his weight upon her small frame, Arianwen gritted her teeth just as her heart seemed to skip a beat.

That blinding light in the sky.. something about it made her think of Gwydion and instantly she knew that he was close. She hoped that he would find her or that she would find him soon as her heart ached to know that he was okay.

With Daeryn leaning against her and with the baby in her arms, Arianwen turned her attention back to the Elven lady. She appeared clean for one who had been engaged in this terrible war that surrounded them, and Arianwen guessed that she had only recently just arrived. She had a lost look about her, and Arianwen smiled gently as she led Daeryn over to the woman.

~ I… be.. Arianwen…~ she indicated Daeryn with a tilt of her head. ~Daeryn…~ she searched her limited vocabulary for ways to communicate with this woman.

~You… be?~ she waited for a name before she continued. ~ Arianwen… Daeryn… help…?~ *

[Camus]

There seemed to be no end in sight, the battle continued to range. The elements churned supernaturally creating a vortex of magic and chimerical energy around the town. Good and evil fell in unison, the lived already lost was staggering.

Camus scurried.

He made his way through the deep caverns, his large hooves thudded dully against the dirt. The Walls of the cavern were dirt, enchanted so there wasn’t a cave in. roots and huge chunks of rocks jutted from the dirt walls, each had a beautiful pattern engraved into it delicately. Camus red tattoos glowed in the darkness, a sign he was close to Oona and using his magic, he heard the earth above him rumble; dirt broke free from the ceiling, showering Camus. He coughed and sputtered loudly, hurrying forward. He was close.

Above ground, the small group had managed to get away from the thick of it, not safe in the least. Arianwen and her brother, Daeryn and the new arrival Diseera, who had arrived just in time, and quite accidently. The Roar of the earth lifting into a wave, was close, too close for comfort, it surged towards them recklessly, If Oona was not so mad with rage, she would have had greater control over the wave, but she simply didn’t care, there was no way to avoid if. Even the quickest would get buried alive. To the right of the group was a large rock. If the new arrival the Elf Diseera looked to her right. She’d see a figure standing on it, a tall Elf with white blonde hair and regal military clothing, clad in green, he was obviously an archer. The bow was crated brilliantly, the very best that the old ancient Elven lords could craft. He smiled sadly at Diseera, his long pointed ears twitched softly. He had a white aura about him; his body looked partly incorporeal, oblique. He motioned the young elf towards him; He looked behind him, as if he was being followed. He swiftly brought his finger to his lips quieting her. The Wind spoke, blowing through the group, one word echoed gently.

‘Elethaire’

Amazingly enough, the rock quickly lifted from the ground, on a hinge. Camus’ head lifted from the earth. The Image of the Elven archer vanished in a gently puff of smoke.

‘Quickly, you need to move, this way!’

The Faun urged them to hurry towards them with his hands.

‘It’s coming!’

He called above the sound of the raging earth. If they chose to follow him, they'd be lead down into the tunnels.

[Moridanu]

*Moridanu was just about to rush forward to help Sekhem who was obviously in a great deal of pain and about to be beheaded by a demon, when his body seemed to split into two and two different beings emerged from the same former shell. As one flew off after Gwydion, Moridanu gasped in shock to see the other charge towards Lucien with both blades ready. Making eye contact with Crowe before he left to reform the battle lines, she breathed

~Keep an eye on those two Crowe..~ while t’second is clearly fighting for our side, I c’nnot be too sure of t’first.~ She turned her attention back to Sabis as he was now speaking to her.

Being the female that she is, Moridanu can not help but be effected by Sabis’ handsome face once it is revealed to her. She blushes slightly, lowering her lashes as she composes herself before meeting his blue eyes with her own brilliant green orbs.

~It is good for the side of Good to have ye fighting with us, Sabis. Crowe here, he be the General of the war. I be sure he be able to direct ye to the best vantage point to use that bow and arrow of yours.~

It was then that her lover spoke up and mentioned the obvious. The fires were burning out of control, and she could see Mitredaur circling above, searching for the best time and place to launch another attack against Lucien once he became distracted with the battle at hand. With one of Sekhems split personalities challenging the Demon Lord directly, his chance would be coming sooner rather than later. More and more demons poured from the portal, and as Sabis moved forth to conjure the rain, Moridanu arched a slender amber brow and glanced up at the sky above her. The storm that she had conjured at the beginning of the war had somehow ceased to rain down upon them in the time she had been unconscious, and she wondered about her mental ability for not having noticed. Grateful that her troops seemed more on the ball than she was, Moridanu moved beside her lover and watched the scene unfolding before them. Sighing deeply she turned to him, pain her brilliant emerald orbs.

~All this destruction… all these deaths… all because of me…~
Her attention moved to the portal.

~I can b'closing that... I just.. need t'regain m'strength...~ Feeling helpless, Moridanu sagged against his strong form for a brief moment, drawing on his strength. *

[Diseera Lefond]

Diseera had been again looking around unsure where to start when she was suddenly bumped into. She stumbled a bit but quickly regain her footing. She stayed low to the ground once again and looked up at whoever had bumped her.

Diseera relaxed as the person looked friendly. She was glad of that but she still remained cautious enough to protect herself if anything bad of the sort would happen. Their names became audible and she smiled in their direction. Her eyes were glancing around her. She felt something watching her.

"My Name is Diseera." she replied calmly.

When she finally looked to her right she saw someone standing on the rock. He was tall, sturdy and he had an air about him that made her feel extremely safe. She did not know who this was but it seemed as though she knew. Suddenly the rock was lifted and someone was urging them all to go inside. Diseera blinked and glanced around, the figure had disappeared. Unable really to resist the person trying to safe them, Diseera followed, ushering the others as well to follow even though she had just met them.

[Crowe]

*Amidst all the excitement Crowe was simply lost in a world somewhere between this one and that of the gods. Just as Crowe began to support Mori again, his body held her while his mind was drawn away into a blinding brightness. He was dazed as he emerged into the light, but he felt immediately the presence of those to whom his forces in this battle were dedicated to. The gods were with him, and their mere presence delivered unto him a message, and with this simple message he returned into his body nearly a full minute after he had been drawn away.
He stared around him to take in the scene, his strategist's mind automatically calculating positions and intents. As he returned to full comprehension, he immediately joined Mori and ODK in considering the problem in front of them, though not without a jealous glance at her lover, entirely mollified by Mori's charming smile thereafter.
"Aye this is a real doozie."
He glanced around him as the storm began and then peered again at the advancing enemy. Turning to Sabis, clearly one who would understand strategy, he spoke quickly with little care for spare words.
"You offered, I'll take it. Position yourself there in the church bell tower, and keep contact. The enemies are coming from the inn I think, confirm it. I'll have the troops give you openings for your arrows, make them count. Now go."
After that he flashed Mori a smile and spoke again in his usual cheerful tone, a bizarre contrast to the deadly battle raging about them.
"We'll see what your storm can do love to give us cover from the flames, perhaps even stop this place from fallin' about our shoulders? We've got the ass and his cheeks busy for a spare moment, let's take it and get to this portal. We'll head for the inn unless Sabis tells us otherwise eh sweet peas?"
His wink hardly captures the extent to which his comment was ridiculous, and yet he made preparations to push through including informing those controlling the front lines to begin an advance and merge with the dwarven force as well as to alternate advance with quick pull backs to allow space for arrows in at the enemies. All this in hopes of gaining the next street, a ring road that would allow them to unify some of their forces with those trapped against some of the entrapping walls and gates, closed to keep the invasion from spreading.*

[sabis]

'Sabis halts his channeling, the power not leaving his eyes though for several moments, as his own internal magics give one final burst of strength to the now storming rain. He turns towards the church Crowe points out, and with a snap of his gloved left hand, a mighty greatbow made of a dark blackened wood seems to appear in his hand, a flash of light emenating from the mithril ring set in his glove's back. He nods again to Crowe, then in true acrobatic ranger form, leaps off the wall and rolls as he lands, firing off arrows as he goes, picking off demons on the way down and coming up with another set letting fly, killing several more. His arrows don't simply shoot off like typical arrows, but5 each one is accompanied by a minor clap of thunder as they streak off, enchanted into lightning by his bow. He waits for Crowe and Mori to catch up, providing cover for them as he leads the fight to the church. He doesn't slow for demons, only for his current allies, blasting demons into splattering bits with little effort.'

COME ON! Lets get up there and end these demons' siege!

'Should they get to the church, he'd put the bow away, hiding it again in his magicked glove and makes his way up into the tower, cutting down any demons he may run into with his wakizashi, pulling the bow back out once he's in position and picking off demon after demon.'

[Gwydion Shadowbane]

Gwydion waited, pulse pounding in his ears, the white-flame brand flickering with tongues of blue fire in time with his heartbeat. The sense of encroaching, smothering Evil filled his soul with righteous fury. Such abomination cried out for the Sun's mercy, and Gwydion would happily deliver salvation to the wicked soul.

The Evil did not reveal itself. Gwydion stood in the midst of the carnage he had created, waiting, shutting out the sight and sound of the city under siege. He sent his senses out from his body, and the Champion was stunned at the raw power present. Beings of great good and awesome evil thrashed and
flailed across the city, struggling for dominance. One such power resonated with his own, a feminine avatar of godly might who thrummed with solar essence. Gwydion's eyes widened in surprise, and he sent a pulse of power after it, a thread of energy that carried within it a shard of himself, a single facet of his much-expanded consciousness. The being could accept this inquiry or deflect it harmlessly; Gwydion would present himself before such a force of Goodness, if only to discover its source.*

A much weaker resonance called to Gwydion, and he immediately recognized it as his own energy. His wings burst into being, great fans of blazing light that surrounded him in a corona of luminescence, and the paladin hurtled into the night sky. As he rose the light became brighter, and his skin and hair flickered and burst into white-blue flame.

The land and sky lit once more, and Gwydion's ascent scattered the shadows and darkness for miles. Noon-day light filled the streets, revealing the extent of the fire raging across the city. Gwydion hung in the air above, unapproachable in the Mantle of the Champion, a sun suspended in the sky above the city,and he surveyed the battle below and around him. Below, he watched the struggles of the vile and the valorous, eyes scanning, mind searching. He could see nothing through the war. Gwydion swept across the sky, searching.

After frustrating minutes of watching from above, his flaming gaze fell upon a group of gore-spattered beasts racing through the burning streets like hounds on the hunt. Their quarry was not far, a block away at most, three figures struggling down the street toward what looked like a large hole in the ground. One of them carried an infant and resonated with his soul, like calling to like. Gwydion had found her at last! But the beasts swept toward her at an alarming speed.

Gwydion executed a wing-over, rolling into a dive that carried him toward the scene below. Blazing fire surrounding him, the air roared and howled as he approached. The wicked creatures spotted the struggling trio, and poured on the speed, determined to have their prey before they could find shelter. As the fleeing innocents reached the safety of the underground cave, the evil ones stopped to gaze skyward, blinded by the nearing light. Moments later, Gwydion fell upon them like a meteor coming to earth.

The beasts combusted before the Champion of Solanasia touched ground, and cried out in agony and fear for a full three seconds before Gwydion struck into their midst. Flames and shattered earth filled the air, a great cloud of dirt and fire rising into the sky and filling the streets around. Windows shattered, the ground shook, and poorly constructed and flame-weakened structures collapsed.

The smoke cleared gradually, and Gwydion became visible through the smoke. He had banished the Day Light, once more plunging the land into night-time darkness, but his great wings of solar light snapped and fluttered as a stiff wind blew the fog of dust and debris away, and storm clouds filled the sky above. Gwydion was standing and an impact crater, waist-deep, a long black slash in the ground showing clearly behind him. His eyes glowed from within, blazing emerald lanterns set in a handsome face, gazing after Arianwen and the place she had gone to ground. He strode to the great rock that covered the tunnel, and once more the brand of white fire flared into being. He stood, his back to the stone, and made ready to slay any who came near the earthen sanctuary.

*Elsewhere, a facet of Gwydion's being raced toward the Goodness he had sensed before, visible as a mote of solar brilliance that streaked through the air. As it neared its destination, the being Moridanu, the mote burst in a flash of blinding brilliance. As the light fades, a shimmer remains in the air, a wavering image of the paladin on one knee, head bowed, wings spread out on the ground beside and behind him. Prostrated before the Good One, intoned in a deep, formal voice that echoed as though spoken through an iron tube, "I am Gwydion Shadowbane, Champion of Solanasia, who is Creator of all things Good and Mother to us all. My purpose is to serve Her will and bring Light into the Darkness. My power is Her power, and Her power is infinite. I humbly offer the Sun's might to aide the cause of Goodness."

[sabis]

(Posting as Ollan)

'The demons have begun actually fleeing from him. The mighty barbarian man has felled them by the dozens, smashing flat or snapping in half any demon brave, or insane, enough to let him within reach with his hammer. The ones with the minimal intelligence it takes to rush him while the hammer is swung back meet a massive fist into their faces, generally crushing skulls or flooring the foe long enough for the hammer to crash upon it. His rage stays strong and powerful throughout, the man berserking and roaring in almost random directions across the field as he slays fiend after fiend, his goal to confuse, demoralise, and kill what he can to allow his troops to make it safely to the town.'

'And so the cast majority of the Blackhammer Legion does. Of the 400 dwarves that burst from the ground, only a half dozen fall before they reach the gates, and not one is left on the field to die. Once the dwarves reach the gates, they spread out, forming a defensive line and turning back the demons that chased them to the gate, the warriors and paladins fending them off while the priests and clerics move a little into the city, some flank guards protecting them since they can't fit into the tight battle lines of dwarf formations mixed with human defenders. Once the dwarves are among the town's soldiers, one of the captains pulls out a heavy horn and blows a loud, clear note across the field, letting his commander know that they are safe.'

'Once the horn is sounded, his rage sharpens as he focuses on a task. He charges across the field straight toward the gates, crushing every demon in his path. Nearly nine feet, close to nine hundred pounds of muscle moving at high speeds with a monstrous weapon is not easy to slow. He makes the gate easily, and much more quickly then his troops did, entering to their cheers as they continue to fight. He starts giving orders to his captains, taking over the center line defense while his officers spread among the humans, in an effort to merge the human and dwarf warriors into one unit. Ollan holds the line himself, in the dead center, right in front of the gate, giving orders for a short time until everything is in place, then shouting his greatest order.' LEGIONNARIES! NOT ONE DEMON PASSES THE LINE! 'His comrades cheer once at that, not losing their focus on the battle.'

[The Demon Auditor]

Regaining his composure, he was starting to get anxious to rejoin the fighting. All the battling and destruction around him, and he was hardly contributing! More to point, he could hardly see what was going on!! War was always his favorite spectator sport.

Supporting Mori with his shoulders now and watching Crowe carefully, he just listened to them as they spoke of the inn. It made him wince to think he could have prevented this tragedy if he had not been teleported away at the wrong moment by a misguided faun. What had only started out at a small skirmish between him and Lucien's wenches had turned into a whoppin' mess.

"Mori, I feel responsible for this mess. I should have stopped Elyza when I had the chance. I promise I'll make it up somehow..."

He wasn't sure how well Mori could walk on her own, so he prepared to carry to the inn if he had to. With Sabis running and leaping ahead in true ranger fashion, the only thing in their path was the sudden brilliance of Gwydion's apparition kneeling before Mori. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the over-dramatics.

[Moridanu]

*Despite her pain, and the immense sense of guilt that washed over her entire being at the sight of all the death and destruction before her, Moridanu could not help but smile at Crowe’s antics. His manor and his sense of humour always seemed to make even the darkest moment somehow lighter and it was a trait that she admired in him above all others. Nodding in agreement, she bestowed her brilliant smile upon him, calling out ~Gods speed!~ to Sabis as he ran off towards the church tower. Crowe’s analytical mind was working in overdrive, and Moridanu approved of his choice of the best vantage point for Sabis. From his high perch in the church tower, Sabis would have a clear view of the town below and would certainly now be a valuable asset for the side of Good in this terrible war.

She smiled sadly at her lover and squeezed his hand in her hers as she listened to his words that so reflected how she was thinking and feeling.

~M’love, we both know that Lucien would have launched this attack no matter what either one of us tried to do. We have fought our best efforts so far, and now, we shall just have to fight harder.~

Her tone softened as she gazed upon his handsome face, his blonde hair dirty with soot and ash that was also smeared across his chin and cheeks. Reaching up to wipe away some of the dirty smears on his cheeks, she kissed both cheeks and then his lips. It was a soft kiss that spoke of all the words that had remained unspoken between them. She had so much she wanted to say, so much she needed to tell him, but there was no time. She prayed with all her heart that they would have their time after this war, and after Lucien and his troops were defeated. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled her body towards his for the briefest of hugs before she moved away from him slightly and focused her attention back on the war raging all around them.

Above the roar of thousands of demons, the agony of her men crying out in defeat and pain around her, and the sound of the falling rain and crackling flames, Moridanu sensed something else…. something Holy. Her slender amber brow furrowed slightly as she shut out all of the chaos around her and focused on the source of this holy power, immediately coming into contact with a brilliant ray of the purest sunlight she had ever known. Wondering if she was finally being called home, Moridanu raised her shining emerald orbs to the heavens above her, searching for the sun in the midst of the blackened sky, flying arrows, dragons; and the like, but she could see no sign of the radiant sun she could now feel with all her being. Centring herself more successfully this time, everything fell away from around her and she closed her eyes, allowing her to see the light in more detail. In her minds eye, the light quickly took the form of a man. She had no time to study him however, before the man quickly took to the sky, his radiant brilliant light quickly becoming the sun she had searched for only seconds before. Moridanu opened her eyes and gazed up at the sky above, now lit up by his holy glow. She saw other beings, mainly demons, also staring up at the sky clearly transfixed by the brilliant display before them.

One demon however, could not be distracted and lobbed a large object at Moridanu. Ducking what she at first thought was a burning boulder, Moridanu looked down in disgust to see a burning Orc’s head at her feet, before she glanced up to see the demon that had just thrown this particular treat coming straight at her. Before she could blink, the light went out in the demons eyes as an arrow hit him from behind, piercing the back of his head and coming out between his misshapen red eyes. Breathing a sigh of relief, Moridanu sent out a mental thought to Sabis, thanking him for his skill once more.

She was reminded of the light once more as a smaller facet of the brilliant display she had seen earlier now appeared to be heading straight for her. Moridanu gazed down at wonder at what appeared to be the image of a man, who appeared to be a Paladin, kneeling before her. His words resonated throughout her entire being, and Moridanu breathed a sigh of relief as it appeared another angel had just been sent to them. Perhaps they might just win this war after all.

"I am Gwydion Shadowbane, Champion of Solanasia, who is Creator of all things Good and Mother to us all. My purpose is to serve Her will and bring Light into the Darkness. My power is Her power, and Her power is infinite. I humbly offer the Sun's might to aide the cause of Goodness."


Moridanu smiled and curtsied, her waist dipping low in a sign of respect.

~Merry meet Gwydion Shadowbane, Champion of Solansia. I be Moridanu Darkflame, Champion of m’own Goddess who I believe t’be the Creator of all things Good and Mother to us all – Danu. While many of us may call our Gods different names, I am sure that we all worship and serve the same, though perhaps in different forms.~ her smile was serene, all thoughts of the war wiped from her mind as she bathed in his holy light. Being as in tuned as she was with nature and the sun and the moon, this brilliant ray of light served to be a battery charger of sorts for the Queen, and she felt instantly rejuvenated. Her own energy crackled around her, telling anyone that stood close enough to her, including her lover, that she was once again fighting with all systems charged.

~Rise Sir Shadowbane, and help us in our fight against this terrible darkness. The Dark Lord Lucien and his hell beasts are intent on destroying Bendelsain before taking the rest of the kingdom of Morthika. This b’something we cannot let happen! I trust ye be more than capable of fighting under ye own direction, though if ye require any assistance in ye battle plans, please…~ she gestured towards Crowe. ~We be here!~

Now, with Sabis covering them from the air, and her troops forging on ahead, Moridanu gestured for Crowe and ODK to move with her.

~The time is now! To the inn it is! Let us close this portal!~

Reaching up with one hand, she signaled to Sabis to cover them as she raised her sword in the other hand and charged towards the thick of the demon horde that were protecting the inn. Soon, she was surrounded by raging Orcs and Trolls, her new found energy being put quickly to the test as her sword sliced quickly and cleanly through a legion of demon hide. She took her fair share of blows, including a rather nasty Orc bite to her left forearm that managed to pierce her battle armor. Soon the pain was almost unbearable, but Moridanu bravely fought on as she neared their destination – the remains of the Dancing Devil Inn. Surrounded by five different types of demons now, Moridanu swung her sword around her as she searched for any sign of her companions in this swelling tide of demons.*